The biggest obstacle to your businesses success is often YOU! Either because your "Big Idea" ran out of steam or life caught up with you and the time constraints to grow your business are far too great. The biggest thing you are doing wrong right now is doing NOTHING. This is where most people fail at business. In fact, most businesses fail before they even start. The sad truth is that many of you who read this post will get very excited, turn the interent off, and then slowly fade back into your normal daily life. Is running a business easy? ABSOLUTELY NOT Are you excited about your business? If you answered YES to all of those questions, then this post is going to benefit you in ways you could not have ever imagined. So today's tip is going to be one of the most important tips on this site: TAKE ACTION. This does not mean you have to implement every Tip today. In fact, I would strongly discourage you from doing that. Here is why: Too much change, too fast can actually be harmful to the over all business. The goal of this post and this site is to slowly and ethically build your business. Each one of these tips takes time and resources away from you. As your sales grow and you implement different strategies you will need to hire on more employees. Those employees can specialize in certain areas that this site covers. Let their strengths propel your business for you. And as you bring on more employees, implement more strategies. Just one of these tips could save you hundreds of hours of work and thousands of dollars. Better yet, just one of these tips could MAKE YOU THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. You found this site for a reason. Now TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. Use it to its full potential. TODAYS ACTION PLAN: Get together with a friend, collegue or neighbor who has a similiar interest in building a strong online business. Share this site along with the tips and tricks we provide for you. Then Challenge each other to meet goals and then exceed them. Go back through some of our posts and build a strategy for making your business an online sucess. Also, you can sign up for our
Is it rewarding? ABSOLUTELY
Do you love what you do?
Do you believe in the products you are selling?
Do you have something to share with the world?
Beginner
October 20, 2008
October 07, 2008
Design and Layout Choices
There are many different layouts a website can have. But we can generally narrow them down to 6 basic structures. All of these will contain the same basic elements. Including, (but certainly not limited to) Header, Horizontal/Vertical Navigation, Ad Space, Footer
Lets Take a Look at some different layouts you may consider when building your website.
| 1 Column Layout with Header and Footer This style is the most basic of all web pages. You may often see this style for a blog or a first timers website. It is divided vertically into 3 sections. Top = Header, Center = Content, Bottom = Footer. |
|
2 Column Layout with Header and Footer |
| Reverse 2 Column Layout with Header/Footer Very Similiar to the layout above except for the center section containing the navigation and content have been flipped. The Navigation menu will now be appearing on the right side and the content will be on the left. Very common for Blogs. |
|
3 Column Site without Footer |
| 3 Column with Centered Content and Footer This is a very common layout. It gives you 3 columns in the center for Navigation, Content, and Ads (or other navigation) |
|
3 Column Site with Left Side Content |
Keep in mind that some styles work better for some niche markets than others.
You will need to seek out other sites in your field of expertise and see what is working for them. Then, once you have settled on your desired layout start experimenting with it. Try a few pages with one format and a few with a slightly tweaked version. Narrow down what works and then run with it.
PUTTING YOUR DESIGN DOWN ON PAPER
I know. It sounds so 80's to use paper and pencil. But the best thing you can do when building your own site is to draw it out in a notebook.
It does not have to be anything fancy. It can be as simple as the drawings I have made up above. In fact, 90% off all the sites I have built have started on scratch paper and have looked just like those images.
Things to Include in your Sketches:
Home Page Image, Navigation, Page Structure, Page Content, Links, Ad Placements, Footer, Contact Information, About You Information, Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions, Disclaimers
Once you have a basic layout down, you can dive head first into producing those web pages.
As I have mentioned before in Learning HTML there is one product I have used over the Past 7 years that has made building web pages unbelievably easy.
Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 is for the serious web developer. You will be able to design any site you can think of as you become familiar with the product.
Once you have the knowledge and the tools, you will find that people are in need of your services. You can often pay for your web developing software with the very first job you do!
September 23, 2008
Learning HTML - Basic Tutorial
Do I have to learn HTML?
Some people will tell you ABSOLUTELY NOT, but they are not telling you the complete truth.
The absolute truth is YES. You do not have to know everything there is to know about HTML, but you will need to know a basic understanding of how it works. Just like you do not have to know exactly how your car operates, but you need to know what fluids go where.
HTML is not difficult to learn at all. In fact to build this page that you are seeing right now, I only used the following elements:
Heading, Paragraph, Bold, Links, Images, Tables, Code Insertion.
That is it! You do not have to have an extensive knowledge of HTML to be able to use it. I will cover the basics that will enable you to get started right away. You can take this knowledge and build on it.
Here is how Simple HTML is to use:
HTML starts with an Open Tag and a Close Tag. Or you can think of it as Start and Finish. Once you know this, the only other thing you need to know is What Do I Want To Do? Once you can answer that question, you can write HTML.
<open tag> This is a Basic HTML Example</close tag>
The Open Tag tells your browser what to do and to begin executing that code.
The Close Tag tells your browser to stop doing it.
You need to do 3 things with Basic HTML: (and it is almost always the same)
1. OPEN TAG (What do you Want to Do?)
2. TEXT (What you want it done to.)
3. CLOSE TAG (Stop Doing it)
For Example: The HTML needed to Bold the Word Website looks like this:
<b>Website</b> . And when you view the page you will only see Website.
That is it. The rest is trial and error. Listed below you will find an example of the most common HTML Tags and what each one does.
Editing Font
The most basic thing you can do with a webpage is edit font. This will change the look and feel of the text on your page.
<font size="3">Sets size of font, from 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7</font>
<b>Bold Text</b>
<i>Italic Text</i>
<font color="green">Changes the font Color</font>
FORMATING THE PAGE
These tags allow you to edit the basic layout of the page.
<p>Create a new paragraph</p>
<p align="left">This sets your alignment to left, right or center.
<br />Line Break. If you want to insert a line in your Paragraph or between.
<img src="url.com/name.jpg" alt="Description" />Insert an Image
<hr />Inserts a horizontal rule
TABLES
<table></table>Create a Table
<tr></tr>Create a Row in a table
<td></td>Creates a Cell within the Row. (This is what will create columns)
With these 12 HTML Tags you can begin building websites. SERIOUSLY!
Another route that you can take is using a program with a WYSIWYG Editor.
WYSIWYG stands for "What You See, is What You Get".
This means that as you make the changes on your computer screen for the web page you are working on, the editor generates the HTML for you. This makes building web pages very similar to using any word processing software. So if you have ever used Word or WordPerfect, you can definitely build web pages.
This is the method I personally used to learn HTML. Take advantage of the editor to get started right away and at the same time you will begin to learn the HTML Language.
You will pick it up in no time. HTML is a very simple language to learn.
If you want to get serious about HTML, then there is only one program to use. Ask around and any web developer will tell you that if you are serious about web design you need to be using Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 You can build quite a lucrative business building webpages for people. This knowledge that you are leaning (even just by reading this site!) can really propel your business to the next level.
Usually, your first job will pay for the software! What other business can you be in where you break even on your first sale?
Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 is just the tool to take you to that level. Start downloading Adobe Dreamweaver CS3 in minutes. No shipping needed. Only at Adobe.com
September 22, 2008
Finding Hosting for Your Website
If you have not already registered a Domain Name, check out our Tutorial on How To Register a Domain Name.
Now that you have a Domain Name, you will need to find a place to host your website. Many people do not realize that these are two different things. A domain name is just the websitename.com. A Website is the actual page you will view when you type in a Domain Name.
There are many hosts out there competing for your dollar. I have tried others, but have always had the most success and 99.9% uptime with GoDaddy.com [ www.GoDaddy.com
].
I urge you to compare the prices, service and product selection of GoDaddy to all the others out there. You will be hard pressed to find a better solution for your hosting. I don't just recommend them, I actually USE THEM and have used them since 2001.
* * * * * * GoDaddy.com Bonus Tip * * * * * *
If you choose to use GoDaddy for your Hosting, give them a call and get in contact with a sales representative. Then anytime that you want to upgrade a service, purchase a domain name or add on anything to your account, they can sometimes beat the published price (since you are a bulk customer) or offer you a current special that you may not have been made aware of on the website.
What Type of Hosting Do I Need?
The good news is that Hosting Accounts grow with you. There is always the option of starting small and growing into your hosting account.
However, if you believe that your website is going to grow rapidly you are much better off picking a hosting package in the middle or near the top.
The reason for this is because if you exceed the allotted bandwidth for your month, your site could get turned off and you could potentially lose hundreds if not thousands of dollars in sales and commissions. You DO NOT want that.
The other choices will come down to what types of servers you are going to be hosted on. If you are installing software, simply check that compatibility. The software company will give you a list of requirements. One of the things I have always like about GoDaddy.com [ www.GoDaddy.com
] is that you can call them up and speak with someone about which hosting plan you will need to run your website. They are always very helpful and can point you in the right direction.
Hosting does not have to be a huge ordeal for your online company. But it is crucial that you set it up properly with the right trusted hosting provider.
BONUS TIP
Sign up for hosting at the same time you purchase your Domain Name. You can save 5%-15% on all of your hosting by paying in advance!
September 21, 2008
How To Register a Domain Name
Registering a Domain Name is the first major step in getting your business online. But to many this step seems overwhelming and impossible to accomplish. Many people don't even know where to start. The simplest way to think about Domain Names is to think of Phone Numbers. When you dial a phone number it connects you to someone on the other end. Well, when you type in a domain name (like pressing the buttons for a phone number) you are being connected to a website on the other end.
Why Do I Have to Register?
Registering a Domain Name gives you ownership or rights to that domain name for a given period of time. If you are unfamiliar with what a domain name is, look up on your computer screen until you see the address bar with AskGorilla.com in it. AskGorilla.com is the Domain Name. I have registered that name and own it for a given period of time.
Lets say you come up with thebestideaever.com. You need to first make sure that it is available for purchase and that someone else has not already taken it.
For the past 7 years I have only dealt with one company when it comes to Domain Registration. I have done this because it keeps everything organized and in one place. Some people register one domain here and another there. By the end of a year, you have acquired quite a few names in quite a few places along with 20 different user names and passwords.
This company is extremely easy to conduct business with, they blow the doors of the competition for pricing and they have great customer service. I have registered all of my domain names with GoDaddy.com [ www.GoDaddy.com ] If you are searching for a place to register names or transfer all your names to one place, then GoDaddy is for you. (Just wait until you see all the free tools they provide!) There service and commitment to your business are unmatched.
Screen Shot of GoDaddy's Home Page
Checking to see if the domain name you want to acquire is available is quick, easy and free to do right from the GoDaddy home page. Usually somewhere in the center or up top in the grey bar you will see "Start your domain search here!"
Simply enter the name you are searching for and see if it is available. If it is, Great! Register it Right Away. You never know what is available today and what will be available tomorrow. It changes all the time. Don't let your million dollar idea slip through your hands because you weren't sure.
However, if it is not available try different variations. Try plural spellings or adding a word. Even try adding a keyword to the beginning or end of your desired domain name.
What Should My Domain Name be?
Your domain name needs to be as relevant to your subject matter as possible. Using a keyword from your niche or a popular term that describes a segment of your niche are great ways to keep the name relevant.
You do want get a Top Level Domain (TLD) whenever possible. A TLD is the part of the domain name that comes to the right of the domain name. (.com, .net, or .org) These are also the most recognizable to your customers. There are also .info, .name, .ws, .us, .tv, .mobi, .biz.
With or Without Hyphens
There has been a long debate about domain names having hyphens. Before you read any further I have made it simple for you to remember one rule:
Don't Use Hyphens in your domain names.
Bad Example, My-Website-is-Awesome.com.
Once classic example of this is expertsexchange.com. With a hyphen it reads experts-exchange. A big difference from expert sex change! The only time to use a hyphen is to separate out keywords when they may not be completely obvious or have multiple meanings to a search engine spider
But other than that example (even including that example) you should never use hyphens in your domain name. If it is 100% necessary to use a hyphen, take a step back and a deep breath. Find a way around it. Find another domain name to use. Ask someone else for help or get a different point of view.
There are two major why I do not recommend using hyphens:
1. Trying Telling Your Friends to visit your website. "Its easy, just go to www dot my hyphen website hyphen is hyphen awesome hyphen dot com. Hyphens kill the ability for you to effectively market your website by word of mouth. It is far to difficult for someone to remember all that as compared to a short easy phrase.
2. Hyphen sites tend to be thrown together spam sites. While not all hyphenated domains have trashy content, you will find a vast majority of them come and go. The vast majority of them do not offer great content. Hyphenated sites can lack credibility.
Overview of This Lesson
Registering a Domain Name is quick and easy to do. It is also addicting so set a budget and keep focused. Once you start buying domain names ideas and business opportunities pop into your head on a daily basis.
Follow These Steps to Successfully Register you First Domain Name:
1. Find your niche and write down some ideas you have for your domain.
2. Go to GoDaddy.com [ www.GoDaddy.com ] to see if you name is available.
3. Once you find a name that is available, scroll down and proceed to checkout.
4. During the check out you will get many offers for your new Domain Name. If you feel they can be of benefit to you, then take advantage of the now because you will only get those offers during checkout. If not, then simply say "No Thanks"
BONUS TIP
Don't Forget to Add Hosting to your Purchase. By prepaying ahead for service you can often save 5-15% off your hosting.
September 16, 2008
Productivity Tools
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