OnYourMark, LLC Blog

This month’s Pro is Kathy Gaster, Web Marketer at OnYourMark, LLC. Kathy discusses the pros and cons of showing advertisements on your website.

When considering placing advertisements on your website, think about the goals and purpose of your website. If your goal is to generate business for your company and promote your products or services, you very likely do not want your potential customers to be distracted from your information with ads for other products or services.

A website that is not selling products or services might want to consider advertising revenue. Informational websites such as WisCrafts.com and blogs are good candidates for advertising. If you decide that advertising on your website is the right course of action, consider affiliate marketing.

With affiliate marketing, you place an ad for a merchant like Amazon, eBay or Best Buy on your website and earn money when a visitor to your site clicks on the merchant’s ad. Each merchant has its own rules for when it pays. Some pay per click, per sale or per lead. Check the reputation and the fine print to make sure you understand how much you will earn and when. Google AdSense is available for website publishers to display relevant Google ads on their content pages and earn money. Commission Junction’s banner advertising programs pay money based on results such as a sale or a lead.

A sample Commission Junction ad from WisCrafts.com

The amount you can earn from placing ads on your website depends on how much traffic you generate. The more people that come to your website, the greater the potential earnings will be. Getting the traffic to your website is an important part of earning advertising revenue. If you build it will they come? Not if they can’t find you. Getting a website to come up on the first page of the search engines and staying there takes money, time and effort.

Ad relevancy is also key. On WisCrafts.com, our Commission Junction ads are geared towards arts and crafts products. Google’s AdSense will analyze the content of your webpages and display ads relevant to the text it finds. If you are using Google AdSense, having keyword-rich, unique content will only help your advertising revenue (and search engine rankings).

The Internet and Internet users are becoming more sophisticated as the World Wide Web ages. When the Internet was younger, flashy ads, banner ads and pop ups were tolerated. Now computers are set up to automatically block pop up ads and people have learned where not to look on a web page if they want to avoid advertisements. Take a critical look at your site when placing ads. Are the ads distracting? Are there too many?

The Online Rules of Successful Companies by Robin Miller, suggests that companies “Stick to Business” and so do we. Remember that your website is there to promote your business and bring in customers, not to advertise other businesses’ products or services.

Advertising plays an important role in on-line marketing and when used correctly can help build brand recognition and bring customers to your website. Your Web Marketing professional at OnYourMark, LLC is an excellent source of information when designing your Internet advertising campaign or improving your position in the search engines. We’re ready and willing, able and eager to help.

What would you like to ask the pro? Email your questions to askthepro@OnYourMark.com!

Links mentioned in this article:
http://www.WisCrafts.com
http://www.Google.com/ads
http://www.cj.com
The Online Rules of Successful Companies (at theBubbler.com, click on Amazon Store)

This month’s Pro is Kristen Day, Web Developer at OnYourMark, LLC. Kristen explains why Net Neutrality is something every Internet user needs to know about.

We’ve all heard the famous Microsoft slogan, “Where do you want to go today?” With the Internet, this question is easily answered. An Internet connection allows you to look up anything, any time on the World Wide Web.

Imagine if you were suddenly banned from looking at anything your heart desires. Consider these fictional examples:

• You type in Ford’s website and see Chevy’s website appear.
• You enter a search in Google and are routed to Yahoo.
• You look for consumer information about your Internet Service Provider’s poor service, and cannot access websites with negative comments about your ISP.
• Your attempts to view an online video always time out.

If Net Neutrality is not preserved, these fictional examples could become reality.

Net Neutrality Defined
Network Neutrality (“Net Neutrality” for short) ensures that the Internet is a neutral field for everyone. Using your Internet connection that you purchase from an ISP (Internet Service Provider), enables you to look at the smallest blog or the largest company website. If Net Neutrality is not preserved, your freedom to use the Internet as you see fit could be eliminated. Large telecom companies that provide Internet access like AT&T, Time Warner and Comcast are hard at work lobbying against Net Neutrality.

If ISPs are not required to follow Net Neutrality, your ISP could control the content you see online. If an ISP has a deal with an advertiser or content provider, it could block access to competing websites. Just like a television network, the ISP would be in charge of what you see and when you see it.

Life in the Fast Lane
Another potential downfall if Net Neutrality is not preserved is “pay-perspeed.” To some extent, Internet users do pay for speed. A customer paying more for DSL will receive higher speed access than a dial-up user, yet both can look at whatever they choose. Pay-per-speed would incorporate charges based on what you use and view online. If you do a lot of video viewing, you may be asked to pay more. If your bank is not partnered with your ISP, you may have to pay more to access your bank’s site because it not “preferred” by your ISP. Think of pay-per-speed as a “fast lane” on
the toll way, similar to the I-Pass offered on the Illinois Toll way. If you pay for an I-Pass electronic transmitter, you can go through the fast lanes without stopping. If you do not have the transmitter, you’re stuck in the slow manual lanes. With pay-per-speed in place, you may have to pay a “toll” to access certain sites or be left in the slow lanes.

Legislation
On June 8, 2006, the House of Representatives passed the “Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act of 2006″ (COPE Act), a major telecommunications reform bill. Congressman Ed Markey’s (D-Mass.) attempt to attach a Net Neutrality amendment to the COPE Act failed. The COPE Act is now pending Senate approval.

How Net Neutrality Affects YOU!
Net Neutrality affects everyone who uses the Internet in any form! If your company has a website, you could be forced to “partner” with an ISP to guarantee that all users can see your website. While a large company may be able to afford the fees, many small businesses could be priced out. Even Internet giants like Google and eBay were once the “little guys.” Net Neutrality allowed them to become massive successes, which is why Google and eBay are two large companies fighting to preserve Net Neutrality.
If you are concerned about preserving Net Neutrality, here are some resources and ways to make contact:

• Visit SaveTheInternet.com to keep up-to-date on Net Neutrality legislation.
• Call or write to your elected officials, asking them to preserve Net Neutrality.
• Call or write to your ISP, voicing your concerns about Net Neutrality.
• Blog about Net Neutrality.
• Talk to your friends and family about Net Neutrality.

What would you like to ask the pro? Email your questions to
askthepro@OnYourMark.com!

This month’s Pro is Josh Grinis, Media Designer at OnYourMark, LLC.
Josh offers ways to find good deals online.

When it comes to shopping online, there are so many options to choose from it may be difficult to find a good deal. Here are some simple solutions to keep in mind to ensure you aren’t getting ripped off.

First off, be sure that any site you consider ordering from has a secure server using a Secure Socket Layer (SSL). This ensures that any credit card information you submit will not be stolen or given to any other outside party. There should be a verification logo on the site to indicate if it is secure or not. Thawte or VeriSign are common security providers. A reliable company may link to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Reliability Program. As long as you take notice of these items, you shouldn’t be worried about your credit card information being stolen.

Now that you know the website is secure, its time to start looking for deals. When you decide to buy something online, shop around and do your homework. You may be able to get a low price but remember that you may not get exactly what you wanted to order. Just as you can make the mistake of picking up the wrong CD at the store, it’s all too easy to make the same mistake online. I’m sure everyone has heard what I like to call “eBay horrors,” such as someone attempting to sell exhaled air from a celebrity or auctioning off an Xbox360 when in reality it was just the box.

In my experience with eBay, most items found on the site are legitimate and worth your money. Sometimes you’ll come across an item that can be immediately be sold and skip the auction process. Some sellers will set up a high sell price to get people to bid on it, likely making the final winner pay more for it than average retail price. If you did your research on what the item is worth, you can make the decision for yourself if you would rather put in a bid or buy it right away. Sellers with a physical store or location will often set prices a dollar or so lower. You may avoid paying tax, but you often end up paying more for shipping to make up for it.

Stores which specify in selling certain products may offer discounts or free shipping on newly released products. Instead of buying that new movie or video game on Target’s website, go to BestBuy.com or EBGames.com and see if they offer any special deals. Recent movies, CDs and other electronic items may not be discounted, but older products may have been reduced.

Companies may bundle your item in with others for an increased value. Amazon.com will sell two related CDs for a lower price than buying each CD separately. Don’t be afraid to search for used items. Online stores often get used items from their physical stores and will not re-sell them if they are damaged or malfunctioning. Generally these items cost less and are just as good as new items.

Comparison shopping websites allow you to search many online stores at once. Google’s Froogle, Dealtime and NexTag are comparison shopping search engines. When you search for a product, the search engine will pull prices from several stores and allow you to sort based on price or other features.

Sometimes deals can be found using online coupons. Be sure to verify a coupon’s source. Often coupon scams are sent via email chain letters. Forwarding an email chain letter is not going to get you a free pair of GAP jeans! If you print coupons to use at a physical store, be sure they include bar codes. Legitimate online coupons can often come from surveys. Many sites will offer a survey after a purchase with the promise of a rebate or discount in the future. If the offer is presented immediately after your purchase and through well known discount companies like www.Entertainment.com, then you will get that discount you were promised.

It’s easy to find a deal online, although it may not be where you expect. Remember to buy from safe, secure sites. Do your research and compare your product to similar ones or to the same one that other sites are selling. Don’t be turned away by online coupons or discount codes, they can work to your advantage.

My last piece of advice is rather simple. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Check out the product first before diving in head first and buying what you may not need or want. You may not get what you were looking for in the first place.

Additional Resources:

• How can I use eBay safely? – June 2003 Ask the Pro
• How can I shop online safely? – November 2003 Ask the Pro

Links Mentioned in this Article:

• http://www.ebay.com
• http://www.target.com
• http://www.bestbuy.com
• http://www.ebgames.com
• http://www.amazon.com
• http://froogle.google.com
• http://www.dealtime.com
• http://www.nextag.com
• http:/www.entertainment.com

What would you like to ask the pro? Email your questions to askthepro@OnYourMark.com!

Ask The Pro: What new features are offered with Windows Vista and IE7?This month’s Pro is Kathy Gaster, Web Marketer at OnYourMark, LLC. Kathy explains the pros and cons of two major Microsoft product updates.

The latest Microsoft operating system, Windows Vista, will not be on those computers until January 2007. This delay will most likely impact new computer sales through the end of the year. For large license holders, the product is being rolled out November 30. Windows Vista offers a number of new features, including:

• Simplified installation and setup
• Increased security including a software firewall and data encryption
• Desktop “gadgets” like clocks and currency calculators
• High-end graphics featuring 3-D rendering
• Desktop search with the ability to search other computers on your network
• Increased parental controls
• Faster installation of Windows updates

Windows Vista does have negatives. Running Vista can be taxing on your computer’s resources, particularly laptop batteries. Older systems may not be able to display the flashy new graphics. The “User Account Protection” feature requires users, even an administrator, to answer a series of questions before installing software. While this warning system can be helpful if spyware is trying to install itself, it can be a nuisence for a user installing something legitimate.

The other major Microsoft release is Internet Explorer 7, which became available on November 1. The newest version offers added security along with a redesigned look. IE7 is for computers with XP operating systems with version 2 service pack installed. XP machines that have not installed the Service Pack 2 will need to complete that installation before they can update to IE7. This new release is designed to run best on the newest operating system, Vista.

IE7’s design has been streamlined; buttons on the task bars are smaller and rearranged, allowing more of a webpage to display. IE7 offers more security with its anti-phishing technology. This feature tells you if the web site you are visiting has malicious intent to collect information from your computer. Other features include a redesigned favorites center, an RSS feed reader and tabbed browsing. The tabbed browsing, available for years in Firefox, allows a user to open a new web page without opening a second browser window.

Search options are also increased. Instead of using the default MSN search engine, you can add other search engines to the browser’s search capabilities.

While this new look will take a little getting used to for most, my favorite is already the tabs and the new search engine selection capabilities. The smaller tool bar areas can be a bit busy at times with the anti-phising installed.

Links mentioned in this article:

• www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/businesses/default.mspx
• www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.mspx
• www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

What would you like to ask the pro? Email your questions to askthepro@OnYourMark.com!

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This month’s Pro explains RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds, an easy way to read news online.

At the start of my day, I make my way to the computer and read various articles. I typically use a ‘portal’ web site such as iWon.com or Yahoo.com, where I can read headlines, click on any articles I’m interested in, check out the weather forecast, and so on. That’s fine, but it takes time, and I have to sift through articles I don’t care about, or wait for graphics-heavy pages to load, or get rid of annoying pop-up ads.

RSS feeds change all that. RSS, or “Really Simple Syndication,” allows you to read news items you’re interested in, from the web sites that you choose, gathered on one place. Depending on your tastes, you can get listings of new articles from CNN, Fox News, BBC News, to everything under the sun (SupermanHomepage.com, anyone?). All of these sites offer RSS ‘feeds’ (lists of new articles) that you can subscribe to and read at your leisure. A list of websites offering RSS feeds can be found at Syndic8.com.

So how do you do this? Very easily, as it turns out. If you use FireFox as your web browser, you will see a small orange box in the location bar if the site that you’re visiting offers RSS feeds. Click on it, and you can add the feed to your toolbar. From that point on, a menu of the most recent articles from that website will show in Firefox’s toolbar. The upcoming Internet Explorer 7 offers the same functionality.

But what if you aren’t using those? Then you can do it directly from a website, such as Google Reader or My Yahoo!, or with a stand-alone RSS reader such as NewsGator.

If your website has a blog, your blog’s readers can access your RSS feeds. Most blogs (including the blogs we installed on client websites) have built-in RSS capabilities. An RSS feed can be added to a website to feature current headlines from a blog or news source. The homepage of RegisterSuccess.com shows headlines from the site’s search engine-related blog. Using an RSS feed on a website is an easy way to make it look current.

In summary, RSS feeds let you read the news you want, from the sites you want, when you want it, without the clutter. If you own a website yourself, think of the service that you can offer your customers by offering your own web pages and blog entries as RSS feeds! Contact us for more details on RSS incorporation for your website.

What would you like to ask the pro? Email your questions to askthepro@OnYourMark.com!

This month’s Pro is Kristen Day, Internet Marketing Consultant at OnYourMark, LLC. Kristen introduces new ideas to freshen up your website.

Just like an aging supermodel, a website can look out of date and need a makeover! If your website hasn’t been updated since 1999, there are many ways to make it look current! From a simple nip-and-tuck to a complete overhaul, here are some ways to freshen up your site.

Design
One of the most obvious ways to update a site is with a new design. New programming languages allow us to create designs that are quick-loading and easy to update. Has your company changed its logo or literature? If your company’s branding has changed, the website should be updated too! Modern designs are streamlined with quick navigation. Outdated designs are clunky and blinding (read: too many animated GIFs and framesets)!

Self-Updateable Pages
Keeping your website current is key to attracting repeat visitors. Macromedia Contribute templates or a Deluxe News & Resources page allows you to add content to your site with no HTML required. If your website’s blog is updated, we can stream blog headlines on to the homepage (see www.DIYSubmit.com for an example).

Industry Resources
A successful website goes beyond sales to become a resource. Post technical articles, tutorials, MSDS, newsletters and related documents on your site. Search engines love text-rich articles.

Intranets
An intranet is a web-based portal that streamlines communication with employees, clients and suppliers. If you have documents you are often printing and mailing (employee forms, price sheets, MSDS), why not put them online and save printing costs? We offer WebEx WebOffice for intranets. WebOffice allows you to upload documents, schedule appointments, communicate via message boards and more! You can set access levels, ensuring your users are only accessing what you want them to.

Photography & Video
Many of our clients are turning to streaming video to share ideas on the web. With high speed Internet connections, online video is now fast, clear and easy to watch. RHH Foam Systems, Inc. uses video to demonstrate proper use of its spray foam products. We can produce videos from start to finish, and new technology has reduced the cost of video extensively. Our new in-house studio is nearly ready, too!

Forums
Forums are web-based message boards where users can post content about a topic. We have incorporated a members-only forum into www.HCPRMS.org for members to discuss healthcare marketing and public relations issues. Our own www.SpamIsBad.com, an anti-spam forum, helps to enforce OnYourMark, LLC’s stance against spam emails.

Search Engine Marketing
Often a site is visually appealing and content-rich, yet traffic lacks because nobody knows about it. If your site’s relationship with search engines hasn’t been assessed since the late 90’s, it is definitely time to revisit search engine marketing! Google, Yahoo! and MSN are the top three search engines today. It takes a text-rich site, optimized pages and quality incoming links to arrive at the top of listings and stay there. Paid advertising options like Google AdWords can compliment organic search listings and boost site traffic.

What would you like to ask the pro? Email your questions to askthepro@OnYourMark.com!

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