Archive for the ‘Business’ Category

We’re in a recession – so this is the ideal time to improve, maybe even expand, your website. Wait a minute: conventional wisdom advises that businesses need to knuckle down during times like this, be especially cautious. Don’t spend money, ride it out, etc. But who says anything about being conventional right now – especially when it comes to your web presence?

Recessions can present perfect opportunities for starting a new business. Just look at Whole Foods, Costco, Intuit, Applebee’s and Supercuts (all launched during recessions) as well as 16 of 30 companies that make up the Dow Industrial average (McDonald’s, General Electric, Disney) and other household names today. It’s all a matter of opportunity costs – which are less when credit is tighter and consumer confidence is low. There are other forces at work, too, during bad times: competitors may be weaker, reorganizing or closing up shop; buyers may be looking for less expensive alternatives; and customer loyalties often loosen, meaning they’re more willing to look elsewhere for a better deal. That also means big opportunity.

So if many entrepreneurs consider this period as prime time for a startup, the same thinking holds true for improving your online presence as well. Here’s why: ad rates are softening and if your product or service is truly unique, then launching during a downturn – especially if it involves innovative new solutions – could likely net new customers. All this is simply a preamble to the following 7 tips for positioning – or re-positioning – your site for success:

Take full advantage of SEO: Submit your sitemap to Google™, Yahoo!® and other search engines.

Add title tags and meta tags to your pages. Think about your keywords and how people find you.

Refresh your site content: Update, edit and fine-tune your text and images; add video and audio if possible; revamp your ecommerce strategy, maybe even your shopping cart.

Find more customers: Again, look to improve your SEO – and move beyond advertising banners and PPC to affiliate marketing programs, ad networks (remember prices are dropping), and focus on relationships and link building with partners.

Streamline your online look-and-feel: Rethink the appearance and functionality of your website.

Optimize your pages. Incorporate some of the many new open source tools to make it easier for your customers to interact with you – and find what they’re looking for, like a site search engine or user sitemap.

Consider a content management system (CMS): Not only are there a lot of free and inexpensive options available to you, in the long run you’ll save time and money on web maintenance and routine updates.

Start a blog: There’s never been a better time to add your own, unique voice to the blogosphere. Demonstrate your expertise as a knowledge leader in your field. Drive more traffic. And generate more business/professional opportunities through Facebook, Twitter and other social networking channels.

The Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce is drawing fire from those who design Web sites for running an advertisement that suggests the business group is getting into the same line of work.

An advertisement that appeared in the chamber’s September newsletter announced the nonprofit would offer a service to help businesses start their own Web sites.

“Starting in October, the (chamber) will provide quality web design and domain names at affordable prices!” the newsletter ad reads. “Get your ideal domain name and optimize your website!”

The ad mentions a Web site link for a massage business. The site appears to have been done by the chamber, which also mentions the cost for the Web service starts at $199.

Matthew Burlile, of 7 Day Web Design in Temecula, said he was shocked at the prospect of the chamber being a competitor.

“I feel they defrauded me in the sense that I’m paying them to help build my business and they decide to compete against me,” Burlile said Friday. “I’m paying a competitor a membership fee.”

Burlile said he’s been a chamber member for the past five years, paying dues of $300 annually.

Kurt Peck, of Peck Creative in Temecula, said Monday he’s probably not going to renew his chamber membership.

“(The chamber) should not be doing anything that’s competing with their membership,” Peck said.

Chamber Board of Directors Chairman Stanley Harter said the September ad’s appearance was premature. He said the board has not yet decided whether to offer Web design services.

Anything the chamber offered would be “very basic,” with clients in need of more services being referred to members who could help them, Harter, an attorney, said.

Harter added that the chamber is not seeking to compete with its members and only wants to help members’ businesses succeed.

But Josh Paul, of Alexander Paul Design Studios in Murrieta, said he’s concerned the basic services described by Harter will mirror what he does. The pricing for the basic Web design service by the chamber is about what he would charge, he said.

“Where they start is where I start now,” he said. If the chamber’s goal is to promote its businesses, “it seems like they would build a bridge between me and the companies that need Web sites.”

Burlile on Monday said the massage business Web site shows the chamber has produced at least one site.

“It’s interesting to see them backpedal now,” he said. “Hopefully, that’s a good sign.”

Chamber spokeswoman Emily Pulley said the massage Web site was just a prototype.

The Murrieta Chamber of Commerce does not offer Web design services.

Besides lacking the staff to create Web sites, chamber Chairman and CEO Rex Oliver said, “That’s not something we ever feel we should do, is compete with our members.”

Harter and other chamber officials will meet with the chamber’s Web design and graphic artist members behind closed doors Oct. 21. Harter said he hopes to get input from the members before taking the issue to the Board of Directors.

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