So You Want to Start an Online Business

(PRWEB) October 15, 2006

So you want to start an online business? I am prompted to write this article after receiving a phone call from my daughter a couple days ago. Apparently she had just returned home from an information meeting about starting your own online business. At the end of this two hour meeting, she decided on the spot that she did indeed want to start an online business and these people apparently could show her how; for a small investment of $ 3000. What? How much? Well what do you get for that?

Well regardless, to my way of thinking; unless they are going to register the domain, write the website, find your product and upload it to the site and get you a ranking on some search engines; then it isnt worth it. So before anyone else throws down $ 3000 at an information meeting; let me give you some insight into how easy it really is to start your own online business.

For the purpose of this article I will use my own site http://www.aitechworld.com as the examples. For your own purpose simply transpose your own information over mine.

First lets look at online business verses brick and mortar business. There are some initial key similarities. You need a location. For an online business; this is a website. Your website; like a traditional store needs an address. On the internet that would be your domain name. The domain name is very important the same as putting a traditional store way in the backwoods where nobody would ever see it. You want to choose a domain name that expresses what your business is all about. Today there are billions of domain names registered so getting the precise name you want probably wont happen; however look at your options carefully and pick a name you can market. This will be important later.

There are likely thousands of sites that you can investigate domain names. I always used GoDaddy.com for mine. When you do a search and it comes back and say that domain name is taken; it also gives you dozens of alternates based on your search. This is a good place to start. Get a list of names; research them; build on them; brainstorm; narrow them down; and finally pick the best of the best. You can register yourself also at GoDaddy.

So you have a business idea; which I assume includes a product? Right? And an address. The next thing to do; you do have a product right? Okay then the next thing to do is to write your webpage (build your store)? Nope. Actually were going to follow more tradition and think about how the store must compliment the product which must compliment the store. In our case; we need to think about keywords. Your keywords, and your domain name will be two of the three most important things that contribute to your rankings on the search engines. Well get to the third one a little later on.

What are keywords and why are they so important. Which keywords should I use? How often do I use them? Where do I use them? All of these have to be considered and resolved before you write one piece of your site. Or should be. You can revamp an existing website but we wont get into that here. Well assume this is for the purpose of creating a new site.

Which keywords do I use? The easiest way to start analyzing which keywords is to first think of what you would search for on the internet to find the exact products or services that you will be offering. In my case I sell discount consumer electronics. This is the meat of my site and the area I wanted to target. So I do a search on Google for discount consumer electronics. Now look through the results and see if any of the websites returned are selling what you are selling. If not; try another search term and repeat this process until you find it. Try to be as specific as possible. Search engines today are very complex and dont have a problem deciphering long strings of text. Try it sometime; youll be amazed.

Once you find relevant sites, there are a couple of routes you can take to hone your own keywords. The first thing you want to do is look at what they are using for keywords. To do this you need to look at the source code of the target website. I wont go into details; but if you browse to their website; then right click anywhere on the page you should be able to select view source or something to that effect. Copy and save their keywords. Do this for several sites and save all the keywords to a text file on your computer.

Now we have something to work with. In Series 2 of this article I will tell you how to refine those keywords based on relevance to your site, popularity, and your own marketing strategy. Also we will continue on building more of the foundation of a website; and online business; that will rank well in its own right. And without laying out $ 3000.

Until then; happy keyword hunting.

Best Regards

Joseph Murray

http://www.aitechworld.com


Discount Consumer Electronics

Your One Stop Shopping Outlet

The author hereby gives permission to copy this article for the purpose of free distribution so long as all credits and hyperlinks remain in tact and full credit is given to the author.

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Play Online Poker on a Faster Mac with Tips from MacPoker.com

San Jose, Costa Rica (PRWEB) March 5, 2009

Players can now make their Macs faster than ever and, in the process, become a top-tier Mac poker player using tips from MacPoker.com. Online poker is all about speed. Players have a short amount of time to act in any given hand. However, if a slow computer bogs players down, hitting the virtual felts on Mac-friendly sites like PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker can be frustrating. The experts at MacPoker.com have come to the rescue with simple tips for enabling faster startup and processing times.

Players have often asked, "How do I make my Mac run faster?" It's important to keep the number of items plugged into the computer at a minimum. This includes printers, scanners, iPods, and any USB devices. Unplugging all non-essential peripherals and then restarting the computer should allow players to experience an immediate improvement in load time. In addition, it's important to understand what programs are loading when the Mac fires up. To figure this out, players are advised to go to the "Accounts" area or hold down the Shift key after entering in their name and password to log on. Then, select which items should be loaded during startup.

Players should also invest a nominal fee in programs such as AppTrap, Yank, and AppZapper. These clean up the system of lingering files from past installations, making the process of playing online poker considerably smoother. In addition, visiting the "Disk Utility" tool can go a long way in fixing system problems. Finally, players should visit the "System Profiler," which can be found by clicking on the "About This Mac" area. Selecting "Hardware" within the Profiler can help verify that the installed RAM and other essentials are functioning properly.

Mac poker players using Parallels or another Windows environment to operate programs like PokerTracker or Hold'em Manager will require the fastest-functioning computer possible. The core of a speedy machine is its RAM. It's easy for players to add upgraded RAM to their Macs without having to pay inflated prices in the Apple Store. A 2GB memory stick can be purchased from third party vendors for around $ 40 and installed at home. At the base of the iMac is a panel that is held in by two Phillips screws. Unscrew them to open the RAM access door. Then, pull out the DIMM ejector tabs. Insert the new RAM and make sure it's in tightly. Then, screw the door back on.

It's easy to play PokerStars on a Mac or take to the felts of Full Tilt Poker on the non-Windows machine. Visit MacPoker.com today for the latest news from Mac poker rooms.

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Home Service companies need to be more responsive to online customers

(Vocus/PRWEB) 10 April 2011

The study from market research specialists eDigitalResearch, found that only 6 of the 20 sites benchmarked managed to score above 50% for email contact as customers became increasingly frustrated with unhelpful or delayed responses, compared with a top score of 87.8% for the account area, reaffirming that users expect added customer support, as well as innovative website tools.

Derek Eccleston, Research Director at eDigitalResearch, explains, It is essential that home service companies are providing adequate customer support, especially as more and more utility providers are offering online users the ability to view balances and make payments, as well as pioneering other website features, such as nPowers innovative price comparison tool.

Online customers now expect certain standards when it comes to website usability and the supporting customer contact. As these expectations continue to grow with the rise of MEcommerce, where users are now dictating to companies where, when and how they want to interact, it is vital that home service sites take the necessary steps to provide online customers an experience they have now come to expect, especially before they start looking for a better experience and better deals elsewhere".

The eHomeServices benchmark report assesses the entire end to end customer journey across 20 of the leading home service, utility and property websites. Unsurprisingly, email customer service was the lowest performing area throughout the study, with an average satisfaction score of just 45%. Customers were also disappointed on first impressions, with homepages found to be uninspiring and difficult to navigate, and only managing to score an average of 69.6%.

Telecoms provider O2 topped the overall league tables for the first time with an overall score of 76% and a well rounded performance across the entire end to end customer journey, including their customer service. Shoppers were particularly impressed with O2s friendly and professional telephone customer service, as well as their prompt and detailed email responses.

Gas and electric companies were the highest performing sector, with nPower, Southern Electric, British Gas and E.ON all completing the top five. Customers particularly rated these top providers simple yet functional account areas that included detailed and relevant information, as well as a variety of helpful tools to check energy use and bills.

On comparison, property sites were the worst performing sector overall, with eight out of the nine benchmarked only making it into the bottom half of the table. Those that did particularly poorly were unable to offer online users basic website usability features that are expected nowadays, such as relevant and detailed search facilities, easy-to-navigate pages, and prominent contact details. For sites that now allow users to complete entire property searches online, it is crucial that they provide the basic websites essentials and necessary customer contact to support this.

Home service providers are still lagging behind other eDigitalResearch industry benchmark standards. However, the gap between scores is less than that in the eRetail, eTravel, eFinance and mCommerce benchmark studies, suggesting that utility providers have a greater opportunity to differentiate themselves from their closest competitors across the industry as a whole and increase their market share.

For a copy of the results presentation, including the full league tables, please complete the following short survey; https://ecustomeropinions.com/survey/survey.php?sid=516954260 . Alternatively please log in or sign up to the benchmarking area of the eDigitalResearch website; http://www.edigitalresearch.com/benchmarking.

For more information please contact Lisa Bonczyk on +44 (0)1489 772920 or email lisa(dot)b(at)edigitalresearch(dot)com

Methodology

New on-line company offers free help to college students

(PRWEB) November 18, 1999

Company Press Release

SOURCE: StudentCredit.com

SUBJECT: New Online Service Offers Free Information to College Students about handling Credit

In an effort to counter the problem of credit debt among college students, a new company, StudentCredit.com, has started a nationwide campaign to get good credit information and education to college students.

The average student obtains their first credit card by running into a table marketer on a college campus offering a free T-shirt or bottle of soda to fill out a credit card application. Usually there is no information given out by the marketer on how the student should handle credit, and in this process, students rarely read the fine print of the specific card they apply for. Very often there are interest rate changes or hidden fees the student may not be aware of.

The student fills out the application without this information presented. A few weeks later, the card arrives with a credit limit of $ 500-$ 1000. Now the student has the similar buying power as his or her parents. Normally, that student will go out and buy some clothes, CDs, eat at restaurants, and buy drinks for friends, etc. The student may even use the card to purchase textbooks for the year.

Suddenly, the credit limit is reached. Students usually work only part-time, and they end up making minimum payments. It is a fact that credit card companies usually give students a credit limit equal to or more than what they earn in an entire year. So that student may also miss a payment. Now there are late charges involved. Students very often have to go to their parents to help pay the bill.

This happens to college students all across the country. It is a fact that credit debt has been a problem for students, as well as adults. According to the Consumer Federation of America, aggressive marketing by banks and lack of initial information towards college students has resulted in many students running up unmanageable debts. There have even been extreme cases of desperate students taking their own lives. (See the following link on this story)

From CNN.com: http://cnn.com/US/9906/09/college.kids.debt/index.html

Credit card companies actively seek out college students because they are the next generation of consumers. College graduates make more in the work place and the card companies want to get a head start with those future workers. Unfortunately, in order, to attract these new consumers, the credit card companies often resort to cheap gimmicks to get people to sign up.

Recent college graduates created StudentCredit.com specifically to help college students. The emphasis of the company is to provide information for students to learn good credit management skills before they acquire a credit card. StudentCredit.com offers extensive information about how credit works, how to get and how to maintain good credit. The students can also get information on how to get a copy of their credit report and how to repair their credit if it is already damaged. The company web-site features a variety of credit cards the students can apply for at their convenience, not under pressure from a table marketer or a flashy mail campaign. StudentCredit.com does not want any student to apply for a credit card until he or she has acquired the skills to manage one responsibly.

"StudentCredit.com is a free service that provides a convenient, responsible way for students to learn about and obtain credit. Credit is something the vast majority of College Students are seeking and we felt there was a need for a more educational approach by providing key information and education about good credit," said David Ogden, CEO.

As part of its national campaign, StudentCredit.com has printed good credit brochures for distribution to college students. This brochure is not a credit card application. In the brochure, cards are not mentioned, nor is there an application to fill out. The brochure simply lists an overview of the good credit information on the company's web-site. Over one hundred thousand (100,000) of these brochures have already been passed into the hands of students across the country. Many colleges, Duke and Clemson University, to name a few, have worked with the company to get these brochures to their incoming freshmen for this school year.

To date, over 250,000 students have visited StudentCredit.com and utilized the free services. No other web-site offers the combination of good credit information, services, and variety of cards.

For further information:

CONTACT:

David Wise

David@StudentCredit.com

(407) 453-2206

Or

Russell Gentile

Gentiler22@aol.com

6755 South Tropical Trail

Merritt Island, FL 32952

Dial 7 Car & Limousine Service Lets Online Users Create Dial 7's Next Commercial, NYC

Manhattan, NY (PRWEB) October 19, 2011

Aspiring film directors, voiceover actors, and infographic video designers all have a chance to build their portfolio by entering Dial 7s newest social media contest [that allows them to] Create Dial 7s Next Commercial.

Users have the complete autonomy to create a professional, stylish, and informative commercial that will ultimately be used in Dial 7s 2012 social media and mobile ad campaigns.

The rules are simple:

1.

UsedBookBroker Lists 50,000 Textbooks, Becomes Largest Online Textbook Exchange

(PRWEB) January 14, 2001

UsedBookBroker-an online student-to-student textbook marketplace-has announced that it now lists over 50,000 textbooks, making it the largest textbook exchange service on the Internet. Students can purchase used textbooks through the service at the beginning of spring term for 65% of the retail price of each book. Clay Kallman, co-founder and president of the Cambridge, MA company, says, "We're very happy we've grown so big so fast. I think the reason for our success is that we have something students can't find anywhere else--cheap textbooks and lots of them."

UsedBookBroker is a product of the phenomenon already occurring on college campuses across the country, where textbook "swap" or exchange services have emerged to connect students who have textbooks to sell with other students who wish to buy those books. UsedBookBroker has brought this phenomenon to a national level, and is the first of its kind to provide a safe, reliable, and fast exchange between students. Students are attracted to UsedBookBroker because they receive 65% of the retail price when they sell textbooks to others through the service. Typically, students only receive 10% to 30% of the retail price of a book when they sell them back to bookstores after the semester is over.

To buy through UsedBookBroker, a student may request the textbook from three potential sellers. The first seller to respond to the request receives the address of the buyer and mails the book directly. UsedBookBroker tracks the book as it is mailed and transfers payment from the buyer to the seller when the book has arrived safely and in satisfactory condition. 

Students are able to keep more money, both buying and selling, because the only profit made by the service comes through a $ 3 charge per book sold. This charge is mainly to cover the cost of an advanced credit processing system-similar to the one used by the popular PayPal program-that allows payments to be transferred from the buyer's credit card into the seller's checking account.

UsedBookBroker is the first of its kind on a national level, seeking to revolutionize the textbook marketplace. For more information, visit the website at http://www.usedbookbroker.com. ;

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FitNews.TV Makes Online Marketing and Outreach Easier, More Affordable for Personal Trainers

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (PRWEB) November 04, 2011

With new pricing for new clients, FitNews.TV provides personal trainers the opportunity to launch and boost their business with social media and mobile marketing. Starting at just $ 9 per month (with a 30-day trial for $ 1), the initial social media and email outreach plan includes up to 3,000 emails and social media posts per month to clients, all of which can be organized and tracked by FitNews.TV. Additional plans incorporate text messaging campaigns as well.

Personal trainers can now build their business for just $ 9 per month, simplifying the outreach process to clients and making it easier to make contacts with social media marketing, said John Spencer Ellis, founder of FitNews.TV and John Spencer Ellis Enterprises, a leading national fitness and personal development solutions company. All trainers need is a cell phone and an interest in the amazing power of social media.

In particular, the FitNews.TV site offers:

Fitness-focused information that trainers can post on their websites, blogs and newsletters

The ability to track and analyze all campaign results

Texting and mobile campaigns

A full suite of social media services

An affordable option for personal trainers looking to expand their brand and outreach to clients and potential clients

The new service plans start at 3,000 emails and social media posts per month and go up to 1 million emails/social media posts and 30,000 text messages per month, depending on business size and scope. On FitNews.TV, social media marketing offers an affordable and simple option for enhancing any personal training business.

About FitNews.TV and John Spencer Ellis Enterprises

From age 12, when he received his first health club membership as a birthday gift from his father, John Spencer Ellis knew fitness and personal development would be his calling. His unique business success story started in a 400-square-foot studio apartment, and what started as a personal training business has grown into a multimillion dollar group of corporations providing a wide variety of personal development products and services to every continent and more than 55 countries. In 1992, his passion for fitness education led him to found the National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association (NESTA), which educates and provides business solutions for fitness professionals. Now with more than 55,000 members in 55 countries, it is one of the largest fitness associations in the world, and the fastest growing association of its kind in the United States. He launched FitNews.TV as a marketing resource for personal trainers and fitness professionals seeking to broaden their reach and message. For more information or to sign up for FitNews.TV services, please visit http://www.fitnews.tv/.

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Online Pawn Shop Helps Consumers and Businesses Raise Cash Quickly

Ball Ground, GA (PRWEB) January 26, 2009

The down economy is providing opportunities for new and innovative businesses including Jay Brokers, an "online" pawn shop headquartered in Ball Ground, Georgia. Unlike traditional pawn shops, Jay Brokers doesn't actually have a physical storefront where customers walk-in to unload their goods. Instead, customers visit Jay Brokers' website (http://www.jaybrokers.com) to get a guaranteed offer for virtually any gadget, such as laptops, iPods, iPhones, and other high-tech items. The guaranteed offer is typically 70-80% of current fair market value with convenient payment options including PayPal and overnight check.

Owner Justin Pepple says, "The economic times are creating thriving conditions for our business, yielding a 74% increase in sales from 2007 to 2008. Businesses and consumers are seeking financial relief for a variety of reasons. Our unique offering meets that exact need--fast cash for financial relief. We are the pawn shop of the 21st century."

Jay Brokers provides a unique fair market value report to customers, calculated from successfully completed transactions on eBay. Some customers choose to sell on their own, using the fair market value from Jay Brokers as a starting point. Other customers take advantage of the guaranteed offer from Jay Brokers, avoiding the risks and hassles of selling on their own. Either way, customers receive a no obligation fair market value report and guaranteed offer, which is valid for 14 days.

In addition to the previous year's increase in sales, Pepple is also pleased with the growing sector of business customers. He says, "We've noticed an increase in interest among businesses over the last year. We get a lot of requests to buy surplus inventory from small businesses and failed start-up ventures. We get everything from laptops to individual computer hardware."

Whether a consumer or business in need of cash, Pepple is optimistic about the future of Jay Brokers, even during a down economy. Their innovative approach transforms the traditional pawn shop into a thriving business with heightened appeal for customers and businesses seeking a quick method to raise cash in exchange for assets.

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