Building a successful online business
Discussion
Don't know if this will help, but we have a couple of articles about improving your website, you might find some advice in them:
www.sixdegreesnetwork.co.uk/websites.htm
www.sixdegreesnetwork.co.uk/websites.htm
I've been doing a fair bit of research into this as I've been trying to promote my wife's website, which is www.shopatbettyboop.co.uk
Google can be a major source of hits and it is important to generate a lot of incoming links. Link exchanges are very important, but it is also beneficial to get links in pages that are spidered by Google.
So if I was to, say, casually mention www.shopatbettyboop.co.uk in a blog or a forum (
) then that is all good stuff.
There is quite a lot of useful stuff on it at
www.seochat.com/ and
www.freewebmasterhelp.com/tutorials/promote
Oh yeah, don't forget to visit www.shopatbettyboop.co.uk as well.
Edit: It also helps if you have a REALLY good webhost too. (Hi Muncher
)
>> Edited by JonRB on Monday 22 November 17:59
Google can be a major source of hits and it is important to generate a lot of incoming links. Link exchanges are very important, but it is also beneficial to get links in pages that are spidered by Google.
So if I was to, say, casually mention www.shopatbettyboop.co.uk in a blog or a forum (
) then that is all good stuff. There is quite a lot of useful stuff on it at
www.seochat.com/ and
www.freewebmasterhelp.com/tutorials/promote
Oh yeah, don't forget to visit www.shopatbettyboop.co.uk as well.
Edit: It also helps if you have a REALLY good webhost too. (Hi Muncher
) >> Edited by JonRB on Monday 22 November 17:59
I'd be wary of getting too hung up on search engines.
Looking at your profile, I presume it's the monogrammed golf balls that you're selling?
Strategic partnerships with golfing sites and golf club web sites will prove far more productive than spending time on search engine optimisation.
Looking at your profile, I presume it's the monogrammed golf balls that you're selling?
Strategic partnerships with golfing sites and golf club web sites will prove far more productive than spending time on search engine optimisation.
I think the most important thing you will require is:
TIME
Its what I'm finding out with our business selling evening wear and prom dresses. It is taking an age to get anywhere with google (slowly getting higher in rankings) and building links with other businesses is very painful.
We have went out of our way to offer good advice and customer service (even if that has meant, recommending someone else where appropriate) we have had really good feedback from the customers we've had so far. Some custom has come via happy customers recommending us to their friends and family.
We are trying not to burn up too much money and are really not expecting a great deal for 12 to 18 months.
>> Edited by thepeoplespal on Monday 22 November 19:36
TIME
Its what I'm finding out with our business selling evening wear and prom dresses. It is taking an age to get anywhere with google (slowly getting higher in rankings) and building links with other businesses is very painful.
We have went out of our way to offer good advice and customer service (even if that has meant, recommending someone else where appropriate) we have had really good feedback from the customers we've had so far. Some custom has come via happy customers recommending us to their friends and family.
We are trying not to burn up too much money and are really not expecting a great deal for 12 to 18 months.
>> Edited by thepeoplespal on Monday 22 November 19:36
PetrolTed said:
Strategic partnerships with golfing sites and golf club web sites will prove far more productive than spending time on search engine optimisation.
Agree totally.
Do the SEO optimisation in your own time. Don't get too hung up on it - just ensure your site is descriptive, mentions key words in lots of the pages.
First priority should be to partner with as many sites as you can - offer them a cut of the profit or pay to advertise - see which makes the numbers work for you.
When you get bigger sites linking to you, your search position (with Google anyway) benefits from this.
Another thing which did us well was Overture and Google AdWords - pay per click advertising programs. It might not cost you too much, and the beauty is you can just try both of them on a prepaid basis for a couple of days to see how well it works. With those it all depends how many other people are doing the service you do, as this pushes the per-click price upwards. Make sure you register on the UK Overture site rather than the USA one (assuming you only want to target the UK)
The internet isn't the only place to get customers, although you will get more with targeted and accuratly placed google adwords, or overture.
www.seochat.com have some good discussions about this.
What about more traditional mediums such as newspapers, magazines and radio? You can aim at your target audience with the first two pretty well.
Do you have an advertising budget? If not then you will definately need some if you want to expand quickly.
Think laterally! Put up posters at all the clubhouses around you (if its the golfball thing ted said), sponsor a golf competition for charity, give away car stickers (with your URL) to new orders, remember to email your existing customers with the latest and greatest special offer that you are running.
Loads more ideas for drumming up business as well, if you want any more then just ask!
www.seochat.com have some good discussions about this.
What about more traditional mediums such as newspapers, magazines and radio? You can aim at your target audience with the first two pretty well.
Do you have an advertising budget? If not then you will definately need some if you want to expand quickly.
Think laterally! Put up posters at all the clubhouses around you (if its the golfball thing ted said), sponsor a golf competition for charity, give away car stickers (with your URL) to new orders, remember to email your existing customers with the latest and greatest special offer that you are running.
Loads more ideas for drumming up business as well, if you want any more then just ask!
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