Guava Graphics » small business

Selecting a Domain Name

Susan Venancio — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:07:47 +0000

Creating your business presence on the Internet is very important to its success; your domain name is the main attraction, so plan carefully. If possible, start first with your domain name rather than a company name, this way you can clearly market and promote your niche on the web and in print. The consistency in what you call your business and web site makes it easy for your customers to remember. That’s what you want!

Selecting your domain name may turn out to be a daunting task, but an important one. You want it right the first time. Some helpful tips are:

Brainstorm as many words as possible that you prefer and are related to your niche.
List your niche keywords, which would be words used when searching for a web site in the search engines or directories. Try a combination. Also, the smaller and more defined your niche is the less competition you will have and the easier the search engines will find you.
Make sure all your word choices are easy to remember, easy to type, and easy to spell. Avoid any confusing possibilities.
Then make a selection of your favorite unique options, followed by searching for the availability.

Here are some tools and services to help you along the way.

http://ajaxwhois.com/ and http://www.domjax.com/ are tools to make your domain search effortless.

http://www.nameboy.com/ can search and generate a domain name based on your primary and secondary word choices.

http://www.dnscoop.com/ has statistics and estimates a domain name value.

Oh, I should mention a couple more things. First, you do not have to purchase your domain name from the above tools and services. Go to a registrar of your choice when you are ready. Second, be aware, domain names can cost under $10, read the fine print, registrars make more money by selling you packaged services. Pay for what you need.

Good luck and have fun!

Video – How to Create a Free Website for your Business

Jose Bono — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:23:50 +0000

Video – Quick Website Revamp for Business Website Owners

Jose Bono — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:10:06 +0000

Do It Yourself SEO – Build Your Links

Jose Bono — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:11:52 +0000

The idea that SEO (search engine optimization) is a black box that only professionals can crack is just silly. Some of the basic SEO and link building tasks can be handle by you the business/website owner.

Submitting your website to web directories is one of the rudimentary things to do when building a link strategy. Here is a list of the top 10 web directories (and their page rank) you can visit to add your business for free.

www.dmoz.org PR:9
www.lii.org/ PR:8
www.hotfrog.com PR:7
www.somuch.com PR:6
www.skoobe.biz/ PR:6
www.netinsert.com PR:6
www.jayde.com PR:6
www.info-listings.com PR:6
www.gimpsy.com PR:6
www.geniusfind.com/ PR:6

For more information on SEO and link building strategy, contact us today at start@guavagraphics.com or call 800-482-8224.

Social Network Advertising for the Small Business

Jose Bono — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:57:14 +0000

How does a social network like Facebook ( www.facebook.com ) gain so many users in so little time when you have other networks like MySpace and Friendster working so well. Simple, it represents a specific type of user base. One that’s just a bit more productive than the mySpace user, which makes it a better candidate for certain types of advertisements.

That’s where you come in… The small business, the stay at home mom or dad running a sole proprietorship, the website looking for new juice on the web. Facebook is teeming with customers and it’s easier than ever to market directly to them.

If you don’t have a Facebook account, create one. It’s free. If you already have one, create a page for our business (located at the bottom left of your homepage a link called Create a page for your business). Once you’re all set,it’s time to look at the Advertising section of Facebook.

Located at the bottom links of Facebook, click on Advertising. This is where you’ll begin to understand the structure of Facebook’s advertising model. Creating ads in Facebook couldn’t be easier. The image and text can easily be entered and previewed within the ad creator.

It is, however, the most important aspect of your ad. The design of the image and the text used is key in drawing clicks. Keywords are also a factor. The best feature about FB ads is the ability to preview what your spending will be for a key demographic and keyword set.

Once you’ve determined the right banner and text, you’re able to modify the ad at any time. You can even make changes midway into your campaign. This allows you to make tweaks if you’re not seeing good results two or three days into your campaign.

There are many facets to consider as well. What landing page visitors are driven to, what demographics you are targeting, what time of day to post your ad, etc. Facebook can help answer some of those question, but when in doubt – ask an expert. They could save you time and money if you’re not willing to experiment.

For more information on this topic and other social media advertising options, contact us anytime. For additional information on Facebook advertising, go to facebook.com/advertising/ for more details.