Towards A Healthy Economy + Marketing World

Why Should My Business Develop a Website?

There are several specific reasons why a business should
develop a website. Below are a few of those reasons:

• A website will allow you to provide basic information
  that establishes your company’s legitimacy in that having your
  own company domain
  reinforces your legitimacy as a serious business professional.
  Apparently approximately 70% of those who use the internet also
  shop online.
• If you have a physical address a website
  comes in handy when potential customers are looking for your
  location. Providing a map on your site will help these customers
  find you.
• More and more people use the internet to
  shop around and compare prices. This is an excellent opportunity
  for you to list your products and services along with their
  pricing.
• Just about every small business has limited
  office hours. The internet never sleeps and neither will your
  website. This gives you the opportunity to be “open” 24 hours a
  day.
• A website will allow you to update your
  information as frequently or infrequently as you choose.
• A website can reach both your local market and the world
  market. There are no boundaries online thus enabling you to do
  business across the globe.
• You will be able to reduce
  costs by using your site to answer most frequently asked
  questions and showcasing your product or service over the
  internet without the need to spend money on printed materials.
• Your very own website will also make it is easy to
  gain information and feedback from your customers. Customer
  responses can be very valuable in determining the most effective
  methods of marketing to your target audience.
• A
  website can also open up new and complimentary markets for your
  business. You will be able to test new services and products
  online and you might learn that you have a market you hadn’t
  thought of.
• A website will also make efforts easier
  to publicize specials and discounts offered by your company.
• A website will even help enhance your business
  relationships. Informing your clients about your website
  will add to your overall professional presence and abilities.

For more information about website development and
website hosting
simply search the internet to a company that best fits your
needs.

The DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) states that service providers must not discriminate against disabled people. A website is regarded as a service and therefore falls under this law, and as such must be made accessible to everyone.

Some organisations are making accessibility improvements to their websites, but many are seemingly not making the accessibility adjustments. Disabled people don’t access their website, they say, so why should they care?

Why you should care about disabled Internet users

The statistics on the number of users who may face difficulties due to your website’s accessibility are quite startling:

* There are 8.6 million registered disabled people in the UK - 14% of the population (source: DRC)

* One in 12 men and one in 200 women have some form of colour blindness - 9% of the UK population (source: Institution of Electrical Engineers)

* Two million UK residents have a sight problem - 4% of the population (source: RNIB)

* There are 12 million people aged 60 or over - 21% of the UK population (source: UK government)

Although there is inevitably some overlap between the aforementioned groups, adding up these numbers provides a total of 48% of the UK population that could potentially face problems with your website’s accessibility. That’s an extraordinarily high number.

It’s not just disabled users who can’t access your website

Non-disabled people may also experience difficulties with your website’s accessibility. Not everyone is viewing your website on the latest version of Internet Explorer, with all the plug-ins and programs that you may require them to have for optimal access.

If your website relies on images, Flash or JavaScript, and fails to provide alternatives, then your website won’t be accessible to a number of web users. The following examples are a common occurrence:

* Users on slow connections regularly turn images off to enable a quicker download time. Some browsers, such as the text-only Lynx browser do not display images at all.

* Not every user has downloaded the latest Flash program that’s needed to access your site. Additionally, the download time on Flash websites often takes so long that users lose patience and don’t even wait to see the content. Just 25% of web users in the UK are connected to the Internet via broadband (source: National Statistics).

* JavaScript is a scripting language that can cause changes to a page, often through mouse functions, buttons, or other actions from the user. For example, pop-ups are opened using JavaScript. JavaScript is unsupported by about 5% of web users, either because they have turned it off to prevent pop-up adverts or because their browser doesn’t support it (source: The Counter). Any JavaScript-driven content provided on your website won’t be accessible to these users.

* PDAs, mobile phones and WebTV have limited support for large images, Flash and JavaScript. You can test your website by downloading the free WebTV viewer. You can also check how your website looks on a mobile phone with the Wapalizer. Don’t underestimate the importance of this: in 2008 alone an estimated 58 million PDAs will be sold (source: eTForecast) and one third of the world’s population will own a wireless device (source: ClickZ)

This article was written by Trenton Moss. He’s crazy about web usability and accessibility - so crazy that he went and started his own web usability and accessibility consultancy (Webcredible - www.webcredible.co.uk) to help make the Internet a better place for everyone.

You probably work hard to promote your online business but without a Website that appeals to your potential customers, your other marketing efforts will be a waste of time. No matter how many visitors come to your website, if you don’t have a comfortable stimulating environment, they just go away and never come back.

And believe me, having a great Website content and state of art navigation system will not help you if your visitors feel overwhelmed by your colors or your text is too hard to read.

Seriously, red color on blue background? I’m leaving… Surprisingly enough, red text on a blue or green background is used a lot, even though this is one of the worst combinations of colors. Same thing about dark text on a dark background and vice versa. White on black may seem attractive but it’s difficult to read and it hurts your visitor’s eyes.

Now tell me, would you be comfortable reading the book printed on the dark brick background? Quite frankly, I don’t think so. Neither do your visitors. If you use a background, avoid the busy ones, stick with the lighter shades and let the text stay black.

Also remember: graphics should enhance your web site, not detract! Use the graphics sparingly, avoid dancing, spinning and twirling animated images - they have an overpowering effect on human vision (and make your website look unprofessional). Try to keep your pages simple and calm.

Just like your navigation, you want your font color, style and size to be consistent. Don’t change colors or font style on every page. Choose a color theme then pick a couple of fonts and stick with them. Just remember to use the same size and font on every page and don’t overdo with colors. Also don’t set your text size too small (it’s hard to read) or too large. Size 10 is an ideal size for your main text area.

Before picking any fancy fonts remember that many people may not see them: if they don’t have this particular font installed on their computer, they are going to see Times New Roman instead. So it’s better to use “Web safe” fonts like Arial, Verdana and Tahoma. In my opinion these are most suitable fonts for a website. There are other common fonts like Comics and Times New Roman but if you want your website to look professional, do not use Comics!

To make your pages easier to read have a plenty of white space and use separators, headlines or sub headlines. Also avoid long paragraphs: break up your paragraphs often (follow the 5-6 lines rule).

Your visitors will be much more comfortable if your main text is left aligned or ‘justified’ (HTML: align=”justify”), and not centered.

Whether you’re designing a new website or improving an existent one, follow these simple rules - your visitors will appreciate it!

By Yohana Saint-Etienne
Copyright © 2005

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification, and the resource box is left intact. I’d very appreciate if you could send a courtesy link or email where you publish to: article@onlinebusinesslaunch.com

Yohana is creator of Beginner’s Guide to Starting and Running Online Business. This guide will take you step by step
through the process of building your online business.
You will find FREE collection of business and marketing tips, tricks, resources and practical information to get you off on the right foot at: http://www.onlinebusinesslaunch.com

Your audience is the main reason for building a website. Without someone to view the pictures, graphics, words and hundreds of pages of information, you might as well spend your time playing golf. With this in mind, your audience, customer base, targetted traffic, whatever you want to acknowledge them as, request you follow three simple rules when they visit your site. The designers three responsibilities are simplicity, speed and security.

Simplicity

In terms of navigation and style of the site, simplicity is the best way to go. If the information a visitor needs can only be found by clicking on three seperate links, then 9 out of 10 times they will go to a site that they can get the information by just one click. Navigation is extremely important because 1) everyone is not an expert internet user, 2) people want what they are looking for, five minutes ago and 3) everyone is not using DSL or cable.

In regards to simplicity, keep these tips in mind:

1. Make sure there is a link back to the homepage on virtually every page of the site.
2. Menus are highly useful in navigating a site with different sections. You will find menus to the top and bottom of most pages of a website.
3. When dealing with forms, it is best to have all the fields on one page, but in some cases, this is not possible. Viewers don’t want to have to fill in three fields on three different pages.
4. A link to your most visited pages should be found on the index page. Trust me, your visitors will thank you for it.
5. Remember, not everyone is a genius so make sure links and buttons are not misleading and pretty much self explanatory.

Speed

Now, I love flash intros just as much as the next guy, but most internet users are still using a 56k modem so this means higher load times. Your index page should be designed with the idea of making a great first impression, but not so impressive that it takes three minutes to load over the phone line. Keep only the pictures and graphics that are most important to allow users to get there foot in the door. Remember this holds for all of the pages found on the site as well.

Security

Most of the internet websites designed today are built with the idea of selling a product or service. A customer will shop online with someone they feel safe with. This is how Amazon.com and the like have lasted so long. Their customers are confident that when they make a purchase, that there credit card information is safe. Therefore, they keep going back for more purchases.

If the url for the webpage where purchases are made does not contain “https:” or the link to verfiy that they are a secure site, then the customers who do the most online shopping will recognize the fact that the webpage is not secure and move on to a website that gives them the security they need. My advice is if you wish to sell products but don’t want to spend a lot of money to set up a merchant account, then try vendors like Paypal or BidPay. If you do not wish to deal with a third party, then contact Verisign or Authorize.net.

James Junior is a freelance writer and web programmer for http://www.jccorner.com.

In the early years of the internet the actual design of a
website was either very basic or had to be done using a software
package that needed a specialist to use it. Not surprisingly,
website designers were in short supply and could command huge
fees for their services. All that has changed dramatically and
website design is not such a complicated procedure as you might
think. The actual look and feel of a website is more down to
personal preferences than current design trends. Internet users
want websites that are nice to look at, sure, but they are much
more concerned with the ease of use of a website. If a visitor
to your professionally designed website cannot find the
information that they are looking for quickly and easily they
will go elsewhere. Website designers are similar to fashion
designers. Quite often the designs that they come up with are
totally impractical or outrageously expensive. Unless you have
absolutely no idea of what theme you want applied to your
website such as colours and styles you do not need to hire the
services of a website designer but can produce the basic outline
yourself. Obviously the technical aspects of your website
requires an expert but it is becoming more common for website
builders to be concerned more with how the site works rather
than the aesthetic side of it. There are a number of free
website building sites around these days and these can be a
great way for you to play with your design ideas without the
expense of hiring a professional. You can also buy relatively
cheap software that can produce fairly complex website designs
quickly and simply. Drag and drop website design software has
become extremely popular. There are also many programs that you
can produce your website design with and have it converted to
html for uploading to your website. Personally I have had
experience of both sides of the coin. The worst experience was
when I was working as a website copywriter for a guy, who shall
remain nameless! I first became involved in his website project
after he had paid a large sum to a website design team. To be
honest, I hated the design that they had produced for the
website and it seemed to have taken them an extortionate length
of time to produce static pages. The design of a website is very
much a personal preference but I was not the only one that hated
this particular design. So, the guy decided to hire another
person, just for the design while the technical side of his
website was being sorted out. He thought it would be easy to
apply a different style to the website but he was wrong! The
second design seemed to cause problems for the tech guy and
eventually had to be dropped. Now on his THIRD website design
the website owner decided to find a company who could perform
both the design and build aspects of his website. Finally he
found a website professional who could deal with both.
Unfortunately he had invested so much money in the failed
designs that he ended up being unable to fund the final website
and the whole project was shelved. The best advice I can give
is that you should be extremely careful if you are hiring two
different companies to produce the design and the technical
aspects of your site. The two must be able to interact with each
other and use the file formats that each other produce. Don’t be
deceived into thinking that you have to employ a design
professional when you may well be able to do it yourself,
cheaper and to your complete satisfaction.

In the heart of Silicon Valley a revolution is about
to take place. It could change the Universe as we
know it. Don’t laugh, this revolution will grab you
by the short wires and turn your world upside down.

It will affect your life and the lives of your children’s
children. It might just be the spark that changes
everything…

It all has to do with the Internet.

Someone wants to give the Internet its wings. Get rid
of all those wires and monthly bills. Set it free.
Let it fly among the stars. Broadcast it out into
the stratosphere. Or in other words, make it free
for everyone.

And it’s about time.

Are we talking about a free wireless Internet for the
masses? Well, not exactly and not yet. But it’s the start
of such a concept that could quickly become a reality
for many people very soon. It has to start somewhere
and why not in Silicon Valley. Where else would you want
to start a free wireless revolution but a place that really
knows how to cash in its chips.

And who else would you expect to lead this
Internet Parade than Google; the all knowing,
all seeing, omnipotent and undisputed ruler of
the mighty cursor.

Google wants to give free broadband Wi-Fi service
to the small city of Mountain View, sometimes AKA-ed
as the Capital of Silicon Valley. Located between
the Santa Cruz Mountains and San Francisco Bay,
Mountain View is home to around 72,000 young,
vibrant and smart residents. The median age is
32.8 years old. Pure Google fodder.

Google has proposed a system of providing free
Wi-Fi via 300 transmitters on light poles which would
virtually make the city one big hotspot. City
leaders now have to decide if Google should get the
go ahead for this free Internet. In its proposal,
Google has plainly stated its own self-interest in
such a system.

“In our self-interest, we believe that giving
more people the ability to access the Internet
will drive more traffic to Google and hence more
revenue to Google and its partner websites.”

Obviously, Google has everything to gain. Ad revenue
and the Internet is its lifeblood. Why not expand that
lifeblood. And why not make the Internet pay for itself.
Why shouldn’t it be free and ad supported — cut out all
those monthly ISP bills users now have to pay.

Will the majority of Internet users be willing to
give up their ISP bills for a few Google ads on
webpages? In a heartbeat!

Sure, there will be naysayers, all revolutions have
them. Commercialism of the web is a totally bad road
to traverse. Capitalism is wrong. But it’s a moot
argument, the web is already monetized up to the yin-yang.
Users should get something back for a change. It might
be totally in Google’s self-interest to give people a
free Internet but there’s no denying that such a gesture
would also be a way of sharing all that ad revenue.

A free Internet that spans the Globe and beyond —
available to everyone. Such a system is probably a
natural evolution. The Internet is already turning into
a billion channel universe broadcasting its contents
into the stratosphere. Why not give all this content
some wings.

Why not make this broadcasting system free and ad
supported. There’s a subtle democratic gesture in
what Google is offering. Will people accept this
offer or try to hold back evolution. Will they enable
Google “to be a good corporate citizen and play a
pioneering role in a public-private partnership
to bridge the digital divide.”

Of course, this is just the start, if Google’s
Proposal flies, a free Internet will only be a
click away.

Today, Mountain View. Tomorrow, the Universe.

Bring it on! I want my Free Internet!

Still looking for that unique corporate gift for the boss or employee — Click Here:
Corporate Business Gifts
Get a Free Desktop Calendar & Planner compliments of Titus Hoskins and DATEwise.

Copyright © 2005. This article may be
freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

I’m pretty sure that once in your life you have seen a brochure
or a postcard. Well correct me if I’m wrong but these things are
not new today and they are all over the place. Business talks so
much and they are considered the best means for a clear
promotion. Some brochures and other printed stuffs may appear to
be deceiving. Just one glance at it and you’ll know it is
expensively made and processed. You might be wrong with your
thoughts because printing nowadays is offered in the most
affordable prices if you have knowledge of how and where to find
it.

4 color printing is in the hype today. You might not be aware of
the term they have been using but you never noticed you were not
until you have seen one right before your naked eye. Just
looking at great posters and colorful brochures will prove that
it is made and applied with the 4 color printing process. Once
you are handed down with that kind of quality, what do you often
do or react. Of course the though that is expensively made,
turning the pages lightly and carefully might be the response.

Isn’t it amazing to know that even the simplest design and
artwork can turn out to be a masterpiece that is extremely
incomparable? Well that is not impossible especially now that we
are in the age for technology. Printing jobs is never a problem
and you can have it right away. You will never have to worry
about the deadlines because printing technology has been
enhanced to print a thousand prints at a day even with the
application of 4 color printing process.

Competition in business companies have been high and far above
the ground. They would also go for the cheapest printing because
it matters a lot. There are a lot of printing companies that
offer 4 color printing services that are affordable and within
reach. You will not have to worry about the quality forsaken
because quality is definitely on the top of their objective.
Experience 4 color printing and how it works its way for you.
Don’t be left behind with the latest trend so you will gain your
promotion and have your name on top of the list.

For more related articles, you may visit
http://www.brochuresprintingonline.com

Hi-Speed Internet Access Through Your Power Plug!

It’s called BPL and it’s being tested right now. Is it coming soon to a power plug near you?

Imagine this:
You plug your BPL modem into any power socket in your home and you’re instantly connected to a high speed broadband ISP. Sound too good to be true?

Maybe… maybe not.

BPL does seem to have more than its share of pros and cons.

The Pros

Aside from the fact that nearly every home in the country is connected to the power grid, this exciting new technology offers several other advantages over current broadband Internet service connections.

First is the fact that no professional installation or additional wiring would be needed in your home. True ‘plug-and-play’ technology.

Another interesting aspect of BPL is that every electric device is connected to the electric distribution network. That means that BPL could let chips in every electric device talk to each other. Much simpler and more cost effective than putting a wireless chip in every appliance.

Imagine the possibilities if your alarm clock, light switch, water heater and coffee maker could talk each other! Or how about this scenario: You unpack and plug in your brand new flat-panel TV and it automatically connects to the cable box, DVD player, your Home Theater system and the Internet.

Even more than the communications aspect, electric utilities are interested in BPL because it could give them an intelligent electric grid that is both more secure and more reliable. That in turn could lead to less pollution and lower electric power costs.

The Cons

The above-ground utility wires that carry BPL signals can also act as antennas and cause radio frequency interference with airplane radios, emergency, military and police radios, HAM radios and short-wave broadcasts. This possible interference is central to the debate over whether or not the FCC should allow BPL to exist.

How Broadband Over Power Lines Works

There are two different technologies under development: Access BPL and In-house BPL.

Access BPL

Access BPL combines the technological principles of radio, wireless networking, and modems. It uses medium voltage power lines carrying about 7,200 volts (the ones that you see at the top of electric utility poles) to carry broadband Internet traffic. It can send data over power lines and into homes at speeds between 500 kilobits and 3 megabits per second which is currently comparable to cable and DSL modem speeds.

But turning the power grid into a stable, high-speed system of data transmission is tricky.

Those medium voltage power lines lines are just one component of a power grid. In addition there are generators, high voltage lines, substations and transformers that help carry electricity from the power plant all the way to your plug. And all of them interfere with data transmission.

So first BPL bypasses high-voltage power lines using either fiber-optic or telephone lines to inject the data into the medium-voltage power grid downstream. However the data can only travel so far before it begins to degrade. So special devices (called repeaters) are installed on the lines to take in the data and amplify it for the next leg of the journey.

There is also no way to run a clean data signal through a transformer. To overcome this, one BPL model uses two other devices, a coupler and a bridge to distribute Internet traffic. These are attached at the power pole and allow the data to bypass the transformer and enter the low voltage lines attached to your home. There are also wireless systems that bypass the low voltage lines altogether.

From there Access BPL uses a special modem that is about the size of a common AC adapter. It simply plugs into a 110 volt wall socket and has an Ethernet cable that connects to your computer (wireless versions are also available). BPL modems use silicon chips specifically designed to send signals over medium voltage power lines and separate data from 110 volt electric current. These are available right now and several electric utility companies in over 26 states are quietly doing pilot programs.

In-house BPL

In-house BPL networks machines within your home or office. In-house BPL products can easily comply with the radiated emissions limits listed in Part 15 of the FCC’s Rules, because they connect directly with the low voltage electric lines inside your home or office. This technology has little to do with actually connecting to the Internet and is available in stores right now.

Is BPL coming to your neighborhood soon?

Bottom line… Don’t count on it! At least not soon. The radio interference issue is serious enough that at least one utility company was forced to terminate its pilot program prematurely.

Is the idea going to die? Don’t count on that either. The concept has enough merits and profit potential that BPL developers and investors alike refuse to give up. And that attitude will most likely persist until the FCC finally says “no way”.

Dave Oetter is the managing editor for http://www.CheapandFreeISP.com who have been helping people find the best affordable Internet access and other TelCom products and services since 2001.

Many web users frequently involve themselves in at least one
online forum. Online forums are a great way to connect with
others on a more personal level. Some forums are very informal
and involve discussion on everyday issues, while others are more
informational. If you are trying to find free ways to advertise
your own website, using online forums to promote website traffic
is a great idea. There are several ways you can use online
forums to promote website traffic. You should carefully consider
the various different approaches and how you want your company
to be viewed before using a forum as a means of advertising.

The easiest way you can use an online forum to promote your
website, is by simply adding a link to your website in your
forum “signature”. Many forums allow each member to create a
“signature” that is added to the bottom of each of their posts.
If you include your website address, it is likely that others
you chat with in the forums will become more familiar with the
website name and probably even check it out. This is one of the
most reserved ways to promote website traffic in online forums.
This is a great option for someone who does not want to be as
pushy about the advertising aspect. You can be more natural with
the ad delivery by using forums in this manner. You can even
begin visiting forums that you usually don’t, just to get your
“signature” out there more frequently across the web. Many blogs
also allow comment sections where you can leave your website in
your “signature”, so take advantage of these avenues as well.

You can also simply post advertisements into online forums. This
is a more direct way of reaching those that read the forum. It
is free indeed, however you need to be aware of a few things
before using this approach. First, some online forum moderators
do not allow direct advertisements on their boards. They usually
don’t do this to be mean or unreasonable; they do it to avoid
the entire forum being filled with advertisements. It is
possible that you may be able to sneak an advertisement in
without being scolded, but it is better to follow the rules.

Another thing to consider when using direct advertisements in
online forums is that the entire approach may seem a little
pushy. Many people consider online forums as a place that is
personal and free from annoying ads. Therefore, they may not
respond well to a direct advertisement as they may see it as
being made by an intruder that is not part of the normal forum
“family”. Being bold enough to go this route however will most
definitely give your site more traffic, because some of the
readers will be prompted to check out more information from your
post.

When deciding to use online forums to promote website traffic
you need to consider what types of forums would be most
appropriate for your posts. You can certainly use forums that
you regularly comment within, even if they have nothing to do
with your website. People who are use to seeing your comments
will likely respond warmly to your website just because they
consider you familiar. In addition to your regular forums,
consider searching for forums that have some sort of a link to
the content on your website.

For example, if you have a website about exercise, consider
looking for a fitness forum to post within. After posting at the
sites that are directly related to the content of your website,
consider going to those that are somewhat related. Using the
same example for the exercise website, consider also posting on
sites that are about overall health or dieting. This will
attract a broader audience. Overall, the more people you reach
with your use of online forums to promote website traffic, the
more positive results you will see. Using forums are perfect for
those on a tight budget who still want to promote their site.
Just be sure to consider forum rules and choose an appropriate
approach before posting. You don’t want to ruin your website’s
reputation or even the reputation of your business.

For as long as SEO has been in existence, there have been all
sorts of myths about it, and the situation isn’t helped by the
number of so-called “experts” spreading them. Here’s a list of
the biggest SEO misconceptions:

>> You can’t optimize perfectly for every site >> There are
10,000 search engines out there >> PageRank is dead >> You
should repeat your keywords 100 times on each page >> Search
engines don’t have time to ban you for bad SEO >> You should
submit your site to every search engine going >> You don’t need
content to get ranked high >> Meta tags are very important >>
All you need is more links >> SEO doesn’t require patience >>
New sites can’t get listed in search engines >> You should have
multiple domain names >> It’s good to resubmit every week or
every month

If you find companies that tell you any of these things, then
you should run away as fast as you can. Don’t pay attention to
the myths of SEO - the only techniques you should be using are
ones that are proven to increase your website’s ranking.

There are a lot of unethical, unprofessional business practices
in the optimization industry, and you need to make sure you have
enough facts on your side to compare the services you’re being
offered. To have a good SEO campaign, you can’t fall victim to
the kind of big promises that are always un-promised in the
small print. Don’t throw away your money: invest it properly in
good marketing, advertising, and content.

When inexperienced and unprofessional optimizers scam uneducated
SEO customers, it gives everyone who works in the field a bad
name. If anyone tells you that it’s OK to keyword stuff, or that
you don’t need PageRank - well, they’re just completely wrong.

If you’re trying to make money with your website, you need
visitors, and that’s where SEO comes in. SEO is important
because of the amount of competition you have. When you’re
competing in a worldwide market, you need to stand out.