Top 10 Business Web Site Mistakes

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Posted on 22nd March 2010 by Susan Venancio in Business Tips |web design

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Today, in doing research I came across “Top 10 Business Web Site Mistakes” at http://www.allbusiness.com/technology/internet-web-development/4015-1.html. I loved the article. I continued my journey, clicking through more articles, reading more and more information on the site, thinking this is great, it’s full of fantastic information, I need to share this.

So, take a look at, http://www.allbusiness.com/, for yourself. I hope you find this to be a helpful tool, as I did. There is so much offered, any growing business will find it useful. Make sure to take a look at their RSS directory and newsletter subscriptions.

RSS for Web Site Owners

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Posted on 15th March 2010 by Susan Venancio in Business Tips |Marketing |Search Engines

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Well, last week I wrote about RSS feeds for you as the Internet user, this week it’s about you as the Web site owner. This is a fantastic tool for site owners! Getting directly to the point, you need to add an RSS Feed to your site to increase your visibility. Just by adding an RSS button to your site, you can double your site’s visibility. And this little button makes you appear to be a more credible expert in your field.

Need more reasons? Okay, here are several more reasons to add RSS feeds to your site:

  1. Deliverability: Subscribers request your information, no need to get a visitor’s permission, no need to wonder if the email was blocked by spam filters, and no need to worry if your message goes unopened or deleted.
  2. Value: It keeps your customer conveniently connected; their RSS reader will provide a list of your keyword headline news articles, promotions, etc.
  3. Content: Use multiple RSS feeds to deliver target content; visitors will be able to choose the content that peaks their interests. For example, a customer may want to subscribe only to information about blogging, and not e-commerce information.
  4. Syndicate: Offer third party information on your site that compliments your field of business, rather than developing your own content.
  5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Write your content using your specific keywords and phrases to help build your search engine rankings. Your site has the potential to get picked up and used as new content for other sites, which will push your site up the ranks.

Most platforms will automatically set up an RSS feed for you. If you are just getting started take a look at https://www.blogger.com/start or http://wordpress.com/.

Cheers! Here’s to having another effective marketing tool.

Love RSS Feeds

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Posted on 8th March 2010 by Susan Venancio in Business Tips

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Calling all Internet users! You need to add an RSS reader to your tech tool portfolio. If you are frequently visiting your favorite sites individually, you should stop the madness. You will save yourself lots of time by utilizing the RSS feed option offered on many sites today.

RSS is, as most people refer, “Really Simple Syndication”, which is used for publishing web-based content. Content from your favorite sites that offer RSS feed will be delivered to you in your one stop reader location any time new content is published. Voila! No need to make frequent site visits. Just visit you RSS reader to view all the updates. Love it! Some popular reader programs are http://www.bloglines.com/, http://www.google.com/reader, http://www.feedbucket.com/,  http://my.yahoo.com/. Also, some browsers support RSS automatically, IE7, FireFox, and Safari, to name a few.

Start your RSS reader ASAP to save yourself time. You will be able to enjoy a second cup of coffee during your morning reader reading. And, Oh – Ya, try this, visit the sites you receive e-newsletters from, subscribe to the RSS feed and unsubscribe to e-newsletters to reduce your email inbox volume.

What's a Landing Page?

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Posted on 1st March 2010 by Susan Venancio in Business Tips |Marketing |eCommerce |web design

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A Landing page is a single page dedicated to one product or service. It provides your visitor everything they need to know in order make a decision to buy. A Landing page is where your visitor is converted to a customer, which plays a big role in your online marketing strategy. Below are some tips for your Landing page design.

  1. Use the F-Pattern Eye Tracking Principle: Format your page in an F-Pattern, Jakob Nielsen’s research shows a visitor’s reading pattern follows the shape of the letter F. So put your important information and images along the top and down the left side of the page.
  2. Important elements: Give your visitor all the information on the first page. Get right to the point without having your visitor scroll for additional information.
  3. Colors/visual images: Use the same marketing colors and images on the web as you use in print. This will reassure your visitor that they have “landed” on the correct page.
  4. Keep it simple: Use one column with lots white space, having 5 lines per paragraph. Your visitor’s reading comprehension will be faster using this format.
  5. Use standardized form: Your links should be clearly identifiable by using the underline and your description short and specific.

Something else to consider, is your competition. Visit your competitor’s site, discover what their Landing pages are like. Take notes regarding where you found the process to be difficult, even in the slightest way. Their weakness can become your strength.

I see a happy visitor becoming a happy customer in your future. And like I’ve said before, a happy customer means repeat business. Are we all happy now?!?