You got together some images, worked on link building, and created content that would do any Web site proud. Yet, somehow, traffic remains slow. Are you getting the most out of your web site?

Web Site… Or Internet Experience?
These days, the internet is about more than information. Web sites are used to find mates, to meet friends, to be wildly entertained by wacky videos, to expound on opinions and to do pretty much everything else under the sun. Simple content alone is not enough to push a Web Site over the edge in todays multimedia age. For small business owners, the Web site is more than a place to talk about products and services. The Web Site should draw in new business and customers, create great word of mouth, and offer business applications to make your job that much easier. The business Web site is not just a piece of the Internet, it should be an online experience for every visitor who comes to call.

Business Applications and Tools
The Web site very directly reflects the business it represents. As such, it is important to present a professional, polished site that gives visitors the interaction Internet users have come to expect. Beef up a business Web site with applications and tools to push pages to the next level.
Content Management. This handy little application allows Web sites to be constantly updated with new products, specials and company information. Content is king on the Internet, as search engines rely largely upon a sites content to assign rankings to pages (where the site appears in a list of results). The more content you have, the better. A good content management system makes it easy to update and add new messages quickly.
Subscriptions and Sign ups. You have already been inundated with this type of marketing, though you might not even be aware of it. Many Web sites offer subscription and sign up services. Visitors simply type their email address into a box, hit Submit, and that is that. What the Web site ends up with is a comprehensive list of visitors, email address they can then use for marketing and promotions of all kinds. Many business sites have a mailing list for visitors to join, or offer subscription services such as newsletters. This is a great way to find out who is visiting the site, and a perfect way to get email addresses for all marketing purposes. Online forms and surveys. Want to hear what your website visitors are really interested in? Online forms, which pose questions to users, give you a great way to find out what Internet users think of your site. Giving traffic the chance to leave feedback is beneficial to all parties. The users gets the interaction they crave, you get valuable opinions, and you even get an email address to add to your growing list. Not too bad for some simple online forms and surveys.

Auto response. It is easy to set up an auto response email address that will reply to users whenever they enter information onto the site. Auto response emails give your site professionalism, and let users know their opinions are not going to be ignored.

Share. Everyone has seen those links that let you email this page to a friend or share with a friend. You click on the link to send a quick email, and all the friend has to do is click on the mailed link to go straight to your Web site. Remember, Internet users are looking for two things: simplicity and interaction. Make it easy for them to spread information about your Web pages, and they probably will.

Get the Most Out of Your Site
There are many different tools and applications which can add depth and interest to your Web site, but they are not all easy to implement. For those who are less versed in code and page-building, it might be a good idea to solicit the help of a professional Web designer. They will know everything about the most current and happening Web applications and tools, and can easily put these devices onto your site. Web designers know the ins and outs of page building, and help everything on the site hang together cohesively. Business Web sites can definitely benefit from these professional services, which will give your site a polish and prestige that is hard not to notice.

The term “domain names” is more Internet jargon that’s very simple in concept and a little difficult to grasp in actuality. Often misused and misunderstood, domain names probably aren’t what you think they are.

What Are Domain Names?

You open up your browser, click on the text bar near the top, and type in a Web address. In all cases, you’ll be typing in some sort of domain name. In some cases, this domain name isn’t the entire Web address - though many Internet users believe the domain name and Web address are one in the same. They are not.

There are quite a few Web sites out there which provide a very intriguing link: Get Your Own Free Web Site! This is known as Web hosting, and it works quite simply. One Web site with a lot of space offers to let everyday uses create their own pages on the existing Web site. One prime example of this practice is Lycos mail. Those who have an email address with Lycos always have the option of using a Lycos site, Tripod, to create their own site. If I created a site through Lycos, my Web address would be something like myname.examplesite.com. This would be a Web address, not a domain name. You may own the Web site on the domain name, but the domain name itself reaps the rewards of that site. You’ve seen how it works: you create a free page, they put their ads all over it. They get the ad revenue, you get a free site.

Domain names are something a little different. The domain of the above Web site - myname.examplesite.com - isn’t ‘myname’ but Tripod. Tripod owns the domain. Amazon, eBay, PayPal - these are all examples of domain names. To have a domain name, you have to purchase the one you want from a domain name registrar, a Web site which offers domain names to users. When you own your own domain name, you get to decide where the content goes - and, who if anyone gets the benefit of advertising on your website.

Choosing the Right Domain Name for a Site

It is very important to choose the right domain name before purchase. Consider what the site on the domain name will be, what information the site will offer. If the site is going to revolve around a business, the domain name should be similar to the business name. It’s also important to choose a domain name that’s easy for Internet users to remember. This will increase your chances of getting return visitors and will make it easier for word of mouth on the site to spread - two things you definitely want. If unsure what to do always consult with a professional website developer.

The domain name should also be easy to spell. Internet users are used to quick-click, instant satisfaction. They aren’t going to spend a lot of time typing a long and cumbersome domain name just to get to their favorite site - they’d rather just get a new favorite site. Choose a domain name that can be easily and quickly spelled without too much thought or room for error. You’ll have much better odds of getting loads of traffic.

Domain Name Extensions

No matter what Web address you’re typing into your browser, it always has to be followed by one last detail - the extension. Common extensions include .com, .net, .org, .gov, and various country extensions like .jp (Japan), .fr (France) and .au (Australia). They vary from site to site, but what do they all mean?

In the earlier days of the Internet, the three main extensions (.com, .net and .org) all represented something different. The .com extension most commonly stood for company or commercial, while .org was reserved for non-profit organizations. These days, all of these extensions are available to the public at large, though .com is probably the most common extension on the Web. The .gov extension is reserved for government Web sites, and these are not open to the general public.

Different countries add their own extensions. British sites, for example, generally carry a .uk extension. Often, it’s easy to tell when a site belongs to a country different from your own - the language will be foreign. But many sites offer translated pages which let you view sites from foreign countries while still being able to read and digest the information. It is much more common to simply surf Web sites which were created in one’s own country, however, and many sites create completely separate sites for different countries to appeal to more visitors. If you expect to do a great deal of business with a particular country or expect to get a great deal of Web traffic from residents of another country, it might be prudent to create a site of the appropriate country extension. This will help you appeal to persons from that country on their own level.

Professional Web designers can offer advice on choosing a domain name, and on whether or not it’s necessary to purchase a domain name or use Web hosting. These designers can also help you create foreign-language Web sites to appeal to a broader base of customers.

And do you even need Web 2.0? It sounds like a step toward the future, it’s becoming a popular catchphrase, and it seems like something that’s essential for all good Web sites. But should you even buy into that hype? What is Web 2.0, really?

What is Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 is a very technical term applied to a very simple concept: the little extras you might find on the Web. When you run across a site that offers blogs (Web logs, regularly-updated text on any variety of subjects), wikis (which offer content the users, themselves, can change at any time), social networking (chats, forums, etc.), and other related applications, you’re looking at Web 2.0. When users are allowed to share information with each other, add or change content to a site or participate in something socially, it’s called Web 2.0. But are you looking at the Internet of the future or just bells and whistles?

Who Uses Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 applications can be found on many of the biggest and most popular Web sites, sites which serve as anchors or adjuncts to existing businesses. These businesses have the tools and resources available to them to hire professional Web designers who can create such 2.0 applications and help work out necessary Internet details, such as bandwidth and tracking user statistics. Web 2.0 applications are often very tricky and hard to implement: they require a lot of code, plenty of server space and knowledge of just how the Internet works.

Internet users appreciate and enjoy an interactive Web experience. Just look at the popularity of sites like YouTube, and you know Web 2.0 applications help to boost traffic. Other popular sites, however, have very few or no Web 2.0 applications and still offer an enjoyable and interactive experience. Simpler Web 2.0 applications, such as online forums and discussion boards, require less time and attention and still provide the social interaction Internet users so crave.

Affordable Applications for Businesses

Small- and medium-sized companies may benefit from many Web 2.0 applications, but it isn’t necessary to spend thousands of dollars buying the appropriate servers and speed to run intense Web projects like streaming video and wikis. Blogs are easier than ever to write these days - in fact, many Web hosting sites offer blogs free of charge.

Because blogging is so highly popular on the Internet, businesses can always find writers who are willing to offer new posts daily. In many cases, it is perfectly acceptable to offer ad-sharing revenue with these bloggers, who will then offer fresh original content at pre-determined intervals. Keeping a blog on site is a great way to offer Web 2.0 without having to spend big bucks on expensive application and design.

Let visitors share their thoughts and opinions through discussion boards, online forums, etc. This will give them social interaction and the ability to offer something to the site, but it won’t give your business big budget problems. Professional Web designers will know exactly how to create an easy-to-use, low-maintenance forum area on any site’s existing server.

Web 2.0 Made Simple

Web sites which are capable of handling huge volumes of traffic can also handle extensive Web 2.0 applications, which offer all those bells and whistles users want. Sites offering at least a slightly watered-down version of these intense Web 2.0 applications are already ahead of most of the Internet competition out there. Many sites simply cannot support a large mass of traffic, but they can boost their existing traffic when Web 2.0 is made simple. Use affordable applications to offer that interactive experience, and you have already achieved more than most.

To learn how to get the most of your existing business Web site, and perhaps add a few simple Web 2.0 applications that will increase visitors (but not too much), it is a good idea to talk to a professional Web designer. These pros know how to work with the servers and site you already have in place, so you don’t have to make expensive purchases just to support new programs on your Web pages. The key to making any site successful is to work with what is already there, to make the existing site as good as it can possibly be. Only then is it time to think about adding all those extra bells and whistles, possibly taking business to the next level.

You cannot surf the Web without running into one, and often you find yourself reading one before you even know what’s happening. They’re blogs, and they’re all over the Internet. But how is a blog going to help your business, or your Web site?

What are Blogs?

Web logs, commonly shortened to “blogs,” are continuous content. Search engines and Internet users love content, lots of rich text that’s fun to read. Blogs offering pictures, video and entertaining information are usually the most popular. Internet users like to read fun stories, but only up to a point - blog posts are commonly short, concise and visually stimulating. Never forget that the Internet is all about stimulation, and the blogs which provide that entertainment generally do quite well.

Blogs are popular on the Internet for one reason: the content. This content provides a great background for the all-important keywords which drive the search engines and help Internet users find what they want to see. Blogs give Web sites a great way to put keywords out there, and help constantly enrich the site with good content.

Why Blog?

So blogs might help a Web site, but how is a blog going to help business? By nature, blogs are frequently updated. It’s not uncommon for blogs to be updated several times a day, every day. They can be time-consuming to write, however short the posts are, when multiple posts a day are in order. It is also important to keep blogs entertaining visually, with plenty of links, pictures, colors, video, etc. This means putting even more effort into the blog, arranging it in an appealing way. If it’s so much work, then why blog?

Again, blogs provide a constant source of enriching text which can fill a Web site with keywords. More keywords equals more traffic - something every Web site wants. Will a blog bring more business to a company? If the blog is good and manages to compel customers to take action, it is possible to get more clients through this method. Make sure it’s easy for customers to leave messages, write emails, and contact the company if the goal is to get more business. Make it easy for clients to communicate with you, and they will.

Creating a Great Blog

It is no secret that blogs are everywhere on the Internet. In fact, the Web is inundated with them. Not all the blogs available get a lot of traffic, because not all of them are entertaining or engaging enough to the general Internet audience. When trying to create a great blog and help your business, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Keep it original. Internet users have a lot of different content to choose from. Why do they want to read yours? Make sure what you have to offer is original, fresh and interesting. It is okay for bloggers (blog writers) to put their own opinions into a blog - that’s part of what makes it original and new.

Keep it simple. Everything moves at a quicker pace online, and so do visitors. Many of them haven’t got the time or inclination to linger on a site. Make sure to keep information simple and to the point - a fairly quick read.

Keep it rich. Don’t forget to include lots of links, pictures, video and other eye-catching elements to a blog. You want to make it visually stimulating, because there are a lot of interesting things to see on the World Wide Web.

Keep it updated. For a blog to be a true blog, it must be added to on a continuous basis. Make sure to constantly add new posts, at least as many as one a week. You want visitors to have something to read, after all, fresh and new content they haven’t already seen.

Are Blogs a Must-Have?

A blog can greatly help a site that’s struggling to provide fresh, keyword-rich content. Blogs do take some time and effort to maintain, however, and in some cases it might even be necessary to hire bloggers to contribute to the content on a blog. If you have the time, energy and dedication to maintain a blog, and your site is struggling for content, it may not be a bad path to purse. Blogs are not, by any means, a prerequisite on the Web. In fact, many sites do quite nicely without them. Those who don’t have the time and patience to maintain a blog shouldn’t lose any sleep over not offering one on their site.

A lot of sites have them, but you don’t know what they are. It is an intriguing little button right on the Web page, and it is full of mystery. Just what is an RSS feed?

Defining RSS

Many Web sites out there offer RSS feeds. You click, you receive - it’s just that simple. But just what are you getting into with that innocuous mouse button of yours? What in the world is an RSS feed in the first place?

Technically, RSS stands for Rich Site Summary and it only exists online. Imagine a Web site with a whole lot of content (text). Perhaps it’s a news site, or a very popular blog on the Internet. This site then takes that content and syndicates it. With the RSS feed, any user on the Internet can receive this syndicated content. It is sort of like buying a subscription to the newspaper. You order the paper and suddenly, it starts to appear on your doorstep. An RSS feed is the exact same thing - but the “newspaper” appears right on your computer.

Why Use an RSS Feed?

Okay, so why do you need an RSS feed when your email inbox is already full of junk mail? RSS feeds are not advertisements but actual content: news, information, blog posts and articles. The best thing about RSS feeds is that they’re not random. You have to subscribe or sign up in order to receive an RSS feed. Sometimes, the local paper may deliver free copies to try and get you interested in their service. RSS feeds will not do that - you won’t receive an unsolicited RSS feed, because in the majority of cases the service is always free.

When you have an RSS feed, you save yourself the time and trouble of searching the Internet for the information that’s pertinent to you. Suppose you get online every day to check major news headlines, entertainment information, etc. With an RSS feed, all you have to do is get on the computer and you don’t have to search out anything - the feed you subscribe to is already there, and available.

There is another factor when considering RSS feeds. In almost all cases, sites providing RSS feeds want you to use them as much as possible. It’s perfectly acceptable for you to put an RSS feed on your own Web site, thus getting daily content where your visitors can access it, too. You can stay up on business news, what’s happening on Wall Street, politics, whatever you own personal interests are, and you can make the same information available to your own Web traffic. This is why RSS feeds are so popular, and also why so many sites offer RSS feeds completely free of charge.

Offering an RSS Feed

Does your site have a lot of regularly-updated content? A popular blog or newsletter, perhaps? You might even consider offering an RSS feed to your own Web users. The RSS feed puts your Web site’s name out there in a bold way. The more subscribers who have to your feed, the more marketing you get. Those same subscribers might be sharing their feeds with others, who might share that feed you get the point. Word-of-mouth spreads about your site, your content becomes more popular, and suddenly business is improved. This is of course a good-case scenario, but in truth there aren’t too many negatives associated with offering an RSS feed.

If you’ve got content to provide, there’s no reason not to offer an RSS feed. In a worst-case scenario, no one will subscribe to the feed. It takes up very little space on the Web page, and if no one subscribes then your business will pretty much remain the same. If they do subscribe, it might improve, but it certainly won’t fail if the RSS feed fails to gain attention and acclaim.

Creating an RSS Feed

So, how do you go about putting the RSS feed on your own site? If you know how to write code, it is easily done when you edit a page on your Web site. There are online tutorials which can walk you through the process. If you’d rather leave it in the hands of a professional, talk to a Web designer about creating an RSS feed and finding the best way to market this service online. Web designers can help you take care of this and other details when it comes to creating an RSS feed on your own site.