Happy Holidays from OneWebHosting.com

Posted December 23rd, 2008 by Tem Balanco

Customize your website page file names

Posted December 3rd, 2008 by Tem Balanco

Previously we showed you how to optimize your website page titles for better search engine ranking. This time, we would like to show you how to optimize your website page file names.

By default, Site Builder Pro will create page names based on numbers, ie: mysite.com/10.html.

With our recent site builder upgrade, you can now modify that filename to match a keyword, ie: mysite.com/my-keyword.html.

Updating your website page file names to match your keywords is an additional technique you can use to get better ranking on search engines.

We have created a quick movie showing you how to do this:

OneWebHosting mentioned in SmartMoney

Posted December 2nd, 2008 by Tem Balanco

I recently did an interview for SmartMoney.com on low cost ways to attract holiday shoppers. There are some great tips in this article. It covers six ways you can attract new customers this holiday season.

We offered a tip on how to provoke word-of-mouth marketing.

Check out the article here - I hope you find these tips useful.

How To Get Things Done

Posted December 2nd, 2008 by Tem Balanco

Running a business can be both rewarding and tough at the same time. There are so many things that have to get done. Remembering all that needs to be done can be stressful and exhausting.

A business mentor of sorts once told me, “just get it all on paper and out of your head.” Turns out, that was great advice. Writing things down frees up your mind and allows you to switch your focus from remembering to doing.

I’ve been making to do lists for years and they have really been helpful. I recently read a great book that helped me take it to the next level in this regard. It’s called Getting Things Done by David Allen. You can get a quick overview of this book on this wikipedia page.

Getting Things Done helps you break down your to dos into a series of actions. Those actions are the core of GTD: Collect, Process, Organize, Review, Do

Combine Getting Things Done with a software tool

Now, GTD became even more useful to me once I combined it with a software tool that used GTD as part of it’s architecture. Since I’m on a Mac, I use a product called Things. It is a great tool that helps me manage my to-dos, projects, etc. It also has an iPhone client so all my projects and to-dos are always accessible.

If you use a PC, here is a list of PC compatible programs you can use to help you manage your to-dos and projects.

Get it out of your head!

Even if you don’t follow David Allen’s process/philosophy and just start writing down what needs to be done (”out of your head and on paper, at a minimum”), you will find yourself able to relax more, have stress-free productivity, knowing that what needs to get done is written down and easily accessible.

5 Tips for Surviving the Economic Downturn

Posted December 1st, 2008 by Tem Balanco

The unprecedented news of late has got me thinking about ways we can help our customers survive the downturn using their websites.

Having a website is an essential business tool, but often times is only used as a marketing tool. There are many ways you can use your website and if done right, can be a great resource during slow economic times.

Many businesses do well during recessions because they benefit from market forces that spur people to get creative about their spending. Get creative back and you’ll find you can be one of these businesses that survive the downturn.

The recession does not have to be a bad thing for your business, in fact, these tips have helped our company in the past, particularly during the 2001 recession.

I hope you find these tips helpful and this article helps you spur some creativity about other ways you can use your website to help you during this downturn.

1. Automate administrative business processes using your website

Most businesses have back end administrative processes that they use to run their business. These processes often involve customer input collected through registration forms, application forms, surveys, and other tools.  Use your website to automate these processes by placing them online.  By automating manual administrative processes using your website, you’ll reduce the amount of time needed to manage this data, freeing you to focus on more important things like sales and marketing.

2. Use your website to expand beyond your geography

The geographic reach of the internet is often overlooked. For the first time, small businesses can compete nationally, even globally, with much larger businesses. If your business is geographically bound, you might think about offering a product that is not. This can diversify your business and increase the return on investment for your website.

3. Create and maintain a dialogue with your customer base

Take advantage of new communication tools the web provides like forums, blogs and email marketing. Businesses that maintain a dialogue with their customer base fare much better during downturns. For example, you can use a company blog to share tips and advice about running your business. By maintaining regular contact with your customers, you remain on customers’ minds when they decide to buy again. We use a tool called Campaign Monitor. It makes managing newsletters effortless.

4. Take advantage of macro trends like “death of the phonebook”

These days, more people are using Google Maps to find local services. Google Local has the largest reach.  List your website with the local online directories. By being listed on local directories, you can capture your share of local searches at no charge and profit from the “death of the phonebook.”

5. Narrow your focus
If you are new to e-commerce, narrow your focus. Small business owners often want to get all their products online and spend too much initially getting started. Start with a small sampling of your most profitable products. This will allow you to test the waters for your product online. Once your website is producing revenue, you can reinvest the profits to expand your website. If you are looking to sell your products online, check out our shopping cart system, Cart32. It make selling online very easy.

If you have some tips you’d like to share, let us know. We can include your tips and a link to your website on our next monthly newsletter. Just email me at tem at onewebhosting.com