I have listed 3 ways below to help push you outside of the no-touch zone with your audience:

1. What I do the very most is write in a conversational style. I write how I talk and act. I do not try to sound perfect, or corporate or stuffy. I want my authenticity to shine through and for my reader to feel I’m right there with them – because I am! I get feedback often that website visitors feel comfortable on my site and they get engaged with my writing. I would WAY rather have that feedback than a perfect design or 0.001% better conversion rate. If your visitors can connect with you, the sales will naturally follow. I want to make my writing 100% about YOU. I want it to breathe life into your business and spur your creativity so you go out and produce something new to spread your message. When your are conversational, your message will be remembered.
2. Since I brought it up in the first tip, I make sure that everything I create is about YOU, not me. I have no interest in being one of those service providers that just pushes my agenda or pushes product in your face all the time. If I write blog posts, or send an email to my followers, or create a Facebook post, it truly comes from my heart as something that I think will help you. (Isn’t this the way it SHOULD be??) People can smell a salesman a mile away and that is a huge turnoff to most. One of the biggest trends I’ve noticed that will carry into 2012 is that people crave to work with genuine, real, authentic, trustworthy people. That’s it. We are tired of scams or salespeople saying their product does one thing when it does another. I know I would keep following a leader that genuinely wanted ME to have success in life. If you ever wonder what your audience wants, it’s generally the same qualities you want in a leader or service provider or friend.
3. Another key way to connect with your audience is through the use of video. This is also why so many people are afraid of video – they feel so exposed once the recording starts. But isn’t that the best part of video? We are totally in the spotlight. Learn to love it everyone – get excited to show your true self to others. You are here because deep down in your gut you discovered that you have a message to share with the world. It’s time to get that message out and video is a great way to help accomplish that. Stay tuned for a great post I have scheduled for January by Guest Blogger Beth Rosen, “6 Ways to Make Your Video Go Viral.”

I suggest that before you finalize that eBook, before you push that new product, before you publish that new blog post – you ask yourself, “Did I really show up and try to connect with my audience?” If the answer is no, then go back and rework it. The online world is like a giant library where everything you do gets indexed. Make sure only your best is out there for the world to learn from.

If you felt this post was a good reminder, please help me share it through Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. I would also be curious to hear your comments and see what else YOU do to connect with your audience.

Thank you all – have a safe and Happy New Year!

My sunny theory: I don’t think the blog owner got lazy, but rather, they didn’t know what to say! How many times have you thought, “I should write a blog post, it’s been a while..” yet you still don’t get it done. You worry if what you write will be what people want to read… will they care? will they share it? will they comment, or not?

I say, forget the noise and just write. People WILL care. You WILL help others. And the more you write, the more people will share your content and comment on it.

Backing up, there are a few tricks you can use to develop blog post content people will want to read:

1. Yahoo Answers – You can go to http://answers.yahoo.com then click the top button “Browse Categories.” You will see pages of questions (and the public’s answers). You can click on “Most Popular” or “Most Viewed” to organize the search results. What is SO awesome about this is that these are the questions your audience has!! For example, if I have a blog about dog training, I can go to the category “Pets > Dogs” and see a list of questions or of people wanting advice about a particular topic. Then all you need to do is take the general concept, and write your heart out about it. You know people will search for it since obviously people are asking the questions. Poof, content!

 

2. Google’s Keyword Tool – You can go to https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal and at the very top add in a general topic such as “Dog Training”. This awesome tool will churn out tons of search phrases people are searching for every month! For example, you could write about “Puppy Training” and you would know that 450,000 searches occur every month of people looking for information about that topic. The way to use this tool is two-fold. One, you can use it to brainstorm writing topics. The second is that this is a killer Search Engine Optimization tool which allows you to target certain keyword phrases to boost your exposure online!

 

3. Other Industry Leaders – When is the last time you spent 30-60 minutes on Google typing in search phrases related to your topic and seeing what other go-to experts are doing? This tip is far beyond just finding some things to write about as you can get tons of ideas to grow your business too. I think it’s essential to do market research – often! – and peruse their website, blog and social networks. You’re not looking to steal anything, you’re just taking note and brainstorming to get ideas and inspiration. No need to reinvent the wheel, but to take the wheel and put your spin on it (no pun intended).

 

4. Freebie! – An extra bonus idea is to scope out your social networks looking for things people write about. For example, if you write about marriage.. I just saw a lovely post on my Facebook wall about a woman celebrating her 15 yr anniversary, and 19 yrs together total. That could inspire you to write about how to celebrate your anniversary, or how t keep your marriage alive, or how to make a spark. Who knows that inspiration will come when you are searching for ideas. The great thing about social networks is people are constantly spilling the beans about how they feel and what they are doing. I’m not saying this is bad, but it is good market research!

My CHALLENGE for you today is:
Create a list of at least a dozen possible writing topics AND go write your next blog post, TODAY! Procrastination doesn’t make dollars or sense! This is your time to share your expertise and your message with the world. It won’t wait for you, so it’s time to fully engage in your passion and Get It Done!

If you found this post to be inspirational or useful, please help me share it with the world. Let’s get the ball rolling and help as many people as we can! Thank you in advance for your thoughtfulness.

There is a TON of valuable information in this post. All of the links open in a new window and the content will laser in on that topic. I invite you to spend some time here and really take advantage of this FREE platform I’ve developed just for you.

For those of you who are just getting started online, this post would be excellent for you to print out and keep by your computer as you
build your online platform (your website, social networks, leads – it is all-encompassing of your touch-points online). For those of you who think they are on a great track online, this may be a good post to see what has slipped between the cracks or what area you could build up for better results.

So let’s get started. Consider your online platform and online presence. Really think about the blood, sweat and tears you’ve put into building a website (whether you invested $10,000+ or started a free WordPress site), into starting a social networking account and trying to figure it out, into listening to webinars and teleseminars and reading blog posts on “how” to do it all. Next, I invite you read each question *slowly* and really analyze where you’re at with each of these items:

• Do you have a professionally designed logo that can make for good branding?
• Are you staying ‘up to date’ on what’s happening in your industry so you become the go-to authority for news?
• Do you post to your blog regularly (not once a month, but one a week or more?)
• Is your business brand consistent between all touch points online – from your LinkedIn profile to your Facebook cover to your email newsletter look and feel?
• Have you looked at your content in the past three months to see what, if anything was outdated material?
• Do you do what you say you are going to do online (release new products on time, follow through with your ideas, etc.)?
• When is the last time you did keyword research or competitor research?
• Have you reached out to anyone lately to discuss the concept of collaboration, so you can grow your business more quickly in new markets?
• Do you have a growth plan or goals to help grow your business (such as how many email subscribers you’ll get, how many Facebook friends, how many blog posts, how many emails will you send out to your list each month, etc.)?
• Have you stepped back to evaluate if your web team really IS good, or just the inexpensive solution who isn’t really getting you where you need to be?
• Does your website design help you or hurt you, and when is the last time you’ve evaluated areas for improvement?
• Do you have a solid free introductory product you can give away as incentive for people to sign up to your mailing list?
• And is that free introductory product branded and professionally designed and formatted?
• Do you have obvious social networking icons and feeds on your website so web visitors can connect with you?
• Does your tagline make sense and help you stand out from the noise? Is it easy to remember and does it make an impact?
• Do you have a list of keywords you are targeting with every piece of content you write, so you can start dominating search engines?
• Are you regularly adding products to your website that are for sale so people can get ‘the next best thing’ from you?
• How often are you adding a ‘call to action’ in everything you do (at the end of blog posts, in your email newsletters, in every contact point)?
• Are you organized with your business and do you treat it like a real business with scheduling and planning meetings?
• Do you thank your web visitors, email subscribers, social networking friends and clients for sticking with you?
• How often do you implement new ways to drive traffic to your website and blog?

Your impact on the web IS what you make of it. Those are just a few questions you can ask yourself from time to time to make sure you are BUILDING. Starting an online business is not the easiest task in the world. You are competing with billions of web pages out there. But, there is more than enough room in the sea for us all to profit.

The trick is knowing what to do next to continue building your online platform. Stay focused. Don’t lose the momentum. If you need help with your direction or with implementing tasks, feel free to contact me and let’s have a loose conversation about it. The key is to get help from people who know what they are talking about – and that becomes obvious when someone writes about those topics and gives away the farm just to help others. I’m not tooting my own horn here so much as just teaching how to identify the right kind of person to help you with your business.

If you thought this post was of value, please SHARE this post with others on your social networks. My goal is simple: Helping Others. As many as I can get my hands on.

Thank you for spreading the light!

This post isn’t about Google+ Pages, but I do intend to write one once there’s a little more to share about it. For now you can add your description, photo, same ‘ole — but I still of course suggest you set one up for yourself!

What’s fun (and sometimes frustrating) about playing with online tools is that I feel like I’m living in a pin ball machine. My attention pings from one place to another and shortly my brain hurts and I feel a little overwhelmed – information overload (yes it happens to all of us, even those that do this for a living!)

However, on this delightful cruise of the net I checked in to Google Webmasters (the best free tool ever!). Google Webmasters is amazing for all sorts of reasons, all of which are related to Search Engine Optimization. One section of this site shows me a list of all the websites out in the web world who have been super cool enough to link to my site (pages or posts).

Enter point.

Last night I scanned the list of websites that have linked to me – a few including:  Slate.com, Wikipedia, Ask.com, Answers.com and hundreds upon hundreds more.

Then I clicked over to the list of keyword phrases where I’m ranked on the 1st page of Google. That was a fun list.

Each time I review all these stats (and I do it often – ahem, you should too), I remembered back when I first started this site. I was new, I was a “no one”, I just wanted to share everything I knew with anyone that would listen.

My next thought is of all my clients who trust me and venture off into the blogging world, half fearless, half fearful. I say, “Just trust me. Get to 100 blog posts and you’ll see why blogging is so important. You’ll see how many people are sharing your content, you’ll get more sales and clients – that’s what happens when you put people first.”

If you just hang in there, and KEEP BLOGGING, you will have a day like I had last spring… I had written a tiny little post that took me maybe 10-15 minutes about Google Personalization. One day I login to my blog and see I got 1,000 new visitors to my site within 24 hours. The editor in chief of Slate had linked to my post. Sweet!

If you just hang in there, and KEEP BLOGGING, you will find people sharing your content (most of which you don’t even know about!). You will get more visitors. You will make more sales. You WILL see the BENEFIT.

I just wanted to send those words of encouragement to all you bloggers out there. Providing good content is important. It does matter. We just need you to log on and share what you think we could benefit from! 

“Social Media Examiner presents the web’s largest fully online small business social media conference, Small Biz Success Summit 2012.  Discover how to quickly attract quality customers, build loyal fans and grow your revenue with social media.

Here’s why this summit should interest you:

1. 100% small business focus: No big businesses and no speakers who target big businesses. This is fully for the tiny business.
2. This it totally new content: Broadcast new media, Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, video marketing, blogging plus search and much more. Social media is always in flux and this event will cover what you need to know now. If you’re working off what you learned six months ago or longer, you are ages behind.
3. Our biggest conference ever: Study the line up. Twenty-five speakers. If you learn some useful new tactics then it pays for itself.
4. Every presenter is a small biz owner. This is highly customized for you.
5. Fully online: You don’t need to leave your home or office because this event is online!
6. Exciting networking opportunities: You’ll join thousands of your peers in an exclusive LinkedIn networking group.

Click here for details.

Twenty-five of the world’s top small business social media marketing leaders will be summit instructors. All are small business owners.

Presenters include: John Jantsch (author, Duct Tape Marketing), Anita Campbell (founder, Small Business Trends), Michael Stelzner (founder, Social Media Examiner–that’s me), Mari Smith (co-author, Facebook Marketing), Jesse Stay (author, Google+ for Dummies), Lewis Howes (co-author, LinkedWorking), Hollis Thomaes (author, Twitter Marketing), David Siteman Garland (author, Smarter, Faster, Cheaper), Joe Pulizzi (co-author, Get Content, Get Customers) and Brian Clark (founder, Copyblogger)–just to mention a few.

…just to name a few.”

Then I saw this PDF flyer which explains the schedule starting February 1st. I also saw tickets are 1/2 off until Nov 18th so now’s the time to get my ticket.

Again, I heard they’ve already sold 255 seats to the Small Biz Success Summit 2012. I wanted to reach out to you guys to see if you are planning on attending or what your thoughts are. Please send me a comment or share a post with me on Facebook or Google+ about it.

Based on all I’ve read about the Small Biz Success Summit 2012, I’m thinking it’s a slam dunk. You don’t even have to leave home to attend (major plus – no air fare, no hotel). We all know that Social Media is THE place to be in terms of social networking. I read they will cover Facebook, blogging, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube (THE BIG SIX). Maybe I’ll see you there!

So many people have this dilemma. The next step is to rush, rush through logo and website design, rush to add content to the site, rush to turn that sign over to read “Open for business!”

My suggestion? Ask your web developer (how do you know if your web person is any good? click here) to put up a blog with a decent free theme. Someplace you can go to and start blogging now. You don’t have to have your logo done, web design done – nada. Just get “something” up and start the race. The key is to write content while you build the site – then add the design and branding in within the next month or two when you’re all set. This way you generate traffic NOW instead of waiting another two months (that would be super frustrating for you).

The #1 way to get a LOT more traffic and a LOT more results is to blog your heart out. Get to 100 blog posts as fast as possible. This will be key in starting to build your online platform! Adding content alone will give you a big increase in traffic. The faster you want results, the faster you should write blog posts with good valuable content.

Then people come to your site and love your blog post content. At that time, they will want to know what else they can get from you. So, what you want to work on creating is a KILLER good “free introductory offer” to give away in exchange for people signing up to your email list. It has to be something everyone wants NOW. (Such as the “7 things you are doing every day to kiss your financial future good-bye”) Something that everyone wants, today.

Let’s say you make a 7-15 page, beautifully designed and formatted eBook. I can help with the design and formatting (which needed to be done AFTER your branding and logo design so you have congruency). Once your eBook is ready (let’s say you have a goal to knock out the content in 7-10 days – design takes 2-3 days usually), now you have a high value product free on your site. Now you are leaps better at capturing leads.

Then you go to your calendar and make a note that once or twice a month, you send a high-value email to that email list so they are staying connected to you and interested in you.

Next, you start working on creating a $97 product. Maybe it is a 2 DVD or CD set (that is beautifully packaged – now that you have a brand and logo) and a small workbook. So you now funnel people from your free eBook to your $97 product that people can’t live without.

Then, you create the outline for a really great 4-8 week teleseminar. One a month maybe where you deliver a process or method, and then give the listeners a challenge to go execute on. Then end with a Q&A. Charge $300 per person.

Now you have a TON of free content from your blog and eBook (and other things you’ll naturally be a part of such as guest blogging, radio interviews, podcasting maybe), you have your rockin $97 product and teleseminar recordings. Now it’s time to start building your membership site (which could take 6-12 months to create). You give a high value call once a month, plus access to all of your content and interviews, etc. You charge $50-100 a month.

etc etc. By this point, you may not have even realized it, but you have an online platform now!

Now backing up, by the time your website design is done, set a goal for the number of blog posts you want to publish and have your eBook content done (or maybe the whole final eBook done).

Once that is done and design is complete, package it all together and then you work to create that next product to generate good starting income. You don’t need to wait for the perfect website – I can’t stress that enough.

Design is your brand, it is what people will see to connect with you, trust you and remember you. Let the content be so great that they don’t even care if you have a design.

Anything worthwhile doing takes time.

My CHALLENGE for you today is:

• Sit down and write out 30 ideas for topics you could write about that is related to your message or topic. Just brainstorm – free write. There’s no need to make this perfect. When you are just getting started, I say “JUST WRITE” than focus so hard on what topic you need to write about to be perfect, perfect. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to be perfect – just add value to people’s lives!
• Next, go to your calendar and write a reasonable and realistic schedule for how often you want to publish a blog post. Remember the goal is 100 posts as fast a possible. That could take you a year or 6 months – that is up to you. A good goal to start is twice a week. Then get used to that and up the ante again to 3 posts a week.
• Then, just start. It’s that easy, just “go”.

If you need help or have questions about building out your online platform, I would like to invite you to make a Facebook post below. If you want advice or direction, I’m always more than happy to share what I know. Thank you in advance for your interaction:

“I just started reading your ebook – Online Evolutions – and I wanted to let you know that it is truly inspirational! You talk about many of the same principles that I applied to my sales regime and daily routine early in my career. I must say that I needed a “refresher course”. Keep writing and offering up principles to live by!”  — Joyce K

“Thanks Amber! I got the hard copy of the (Online Evolutions) book in the mail yesterday. Thanks for your note. You are so great! I am excited! Thanks again! You rock!!!! “  — Sarah

I’ve been asked throughout this year, “When’s the next volume coming??” Thank you all for your patience as I could get this formatted and prepped for you. Today I can announce, “IT’S HERE!”

I had a ton of fun putting together Online Evolutions, Volume 2. I got so inspired I even started Volume 3 already!

So What is Online Evolutions 2 Anyway?

If You – Or Someone You Know – Wants to…

• How to create an eBook or product that sells or can go viral
• 21 tips to improve online efforts for better results
• Learn about eCommerce and selling products online, effectively
• Get over anxiety of not knowing what to do next or how to do it
• Learn key design and social media strategies every website owner should know

…Then Online Evolutions 2 has become one of the most important purchases you can make today.

Online Evolutions 2 is a 67-page collection of my top training articles and includes an impressive lineup of do-it-myself strategies that can give you the progress you’re wanting to boost your online status!

What if I need more convincing?

Online Evolutions, Volume 2 is really only for those of you who already know my work, the value I provide and don’t need convincing. However, you can download Online Evolutions 1 for FREE in the right sidebar to get a taste of the value. Then I am confident you will come back to look at Volume 2 as it holds 67 PAGES of more, more, more value.

Oh ya, almost forgot, I have a SPECIAL surprise for you…

I don’t know what got into me as I was finalizing this eBook, haha, but I got a wild itch to throw in a special surprise to those of you who have purchased the downloadable eBook OR the hard copy version. The catch is, you have to READ the book in order to get the surprise! Somewhere in one of the 67 pages I have a section blocked off a small section that has a link. This link will lead you to a special surprise that will absolutely make an impact on the way you look at your website and the way it performs for you. That’s all I can say!

So, what are the options to get  your hands on Online Evolutions 2?

Option 1.  You can get the Instant-Download eBook version for only $29.97

Option 2. You can get a printed, signed, hard copy version for $39.97 and get the eBook free while you wait a couple days for me to ship the book to you.

Once you get your copy, please let me know your thoughts. All I want to do is provide value to you and make your life easier. I know we are in an Information Age where you are bombarded with hundreds of “To-dos” and “Must-dos”. My goal is to tell you what is actually important and how to execute easily and without spending gobs of money. We must all pool together and help support each other toward success. From me to you – enjoy what I have prepared for you! 

When you publish a new page or post, Google “spiders” (automated software) scan the page for “keywords”. These spiders are analyzing everything about that page to determine where to index that page within the billions of pages in the Google search engine. Once you’re in the habit of optimizing your blog posts (and pages), you will see major benefits and a dramatic increase in website traffic.

If you go to www.Google.com and search under the keyword phrase “personal development”, you will notice 100,000,000+ pages are indexed in Google. Google will rank a page based on over 200 sets of criteria which can include design elements, programming style, etc.

Since Google is scanning your content, you can see the value of trying to give Google as much “help” as possible. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is all about suggesting to Google where to index your content in their search engine. If you try to get indexed on the 1st page of search results for the phrase “personal development”, consider that you are competing with entire websites that have dozens (or hundreds) of pages which collectively try and rank (get indexed highly) for that phrase. It would be nearly impossible for one article to compete with those websites.

It will be much easier to rank well for a “long-tailed keyword phrase”. Instead of personal development (a broad  phrase), a long-tailed version would be “personal development techniques for young children”. The more specific your keyword phrase, the more likely you will rank highly on Google’s search engine for that phrase. The higher you rank (the best spot is page 1 in the top 5 results), the more people will click on your page/post. The more people that click on your article, the more exposure you get, etc. This will be really fun for you once you’ve optimized a few articles and have seen results!

Every time you write a blog post (4-8+ per month – the more you do it the more traffic and sales you’ll get), I’d like to suggest you implement this SEO Optimization Checklist I’ve developed: (print this off and keep by computer)

• Pick 1 primary keyword phrase and base your article around it (use your findings from Google’s Keyword Tool which I will discuss on my next post)
• Pick a few secondary keyword phrases to support your primary keyword phrase. Write your blog post naturally around these keywords.
• Add your primary keyword within the title of your post
• Add your primary keyword within the first 150 words AND last 150 words (ideally once or twice in the middle if it flows)
• Bold your primary keyword and secondary keywords at least once
• Create a link once in your content, using the text of your primary keyword (to other pages or posts within your website ideally)
• Add 3-5 Tags in the right sidebar (these are your main keywords in the post)
• Fill in the “All In One SEO” plugin title, description and keyword fields at the bottom of the post

With the “All In One SEO” section, you’re suggesting to Google what your title and description should be, which will show up in their search engine results – plus keywords (which don’t show up anywhere – just tells Google which keywords your article should be indexed under). Look at this example:

• The title to enter into the All In One SEO section, tells Google the title of your article (It CAN be the same as your article title, or it can be altered and packed with more keywords – this is up to you).
• The description is for you to summarize your article in one sentence (ideally under 160 characters).
• The keywords field is where you can add up to 20 keywords that must be included in your article. This will have your primary keyword phrase, secondary phrases and some variations of each that you’ve used. Your tags can be entered into this section. You will separate keywords with a comma. Again, no one will see this except for Google.

You have now learned one of the most important pieces to optimizing a page or post (even outside of WordPress!). Programmers and developers all over know about this technique. The “meta” title, “meta” description and keywords should be filled out on every page and post of your website if you want a chance of showing up in search engine results.

Using this technique will give your posts (and pages) much more power than it ever had before. You are welcome to go back into your previous pages/posts to optimize them. I would suggest you write your blog post or page content first as you normally would, then go back and implement some of these tactics. It is not required to do all every time, but each additional step you take does make a difference.

 Resources:

• Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide:  http://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/untrusted_dlcp/www.google.com/en/us/webmasters/docs/search-engine-optimization-starter-guide.pdf

So be honest, was this post helpful? or painfully technical? 

I talk to clients left and right, all who are panicked with this knowing they are losing potential clients. It’s as if they are dying for hydration in their business, the water spigot is gushing water (the potential of doing well online) and they are stammering to get a drop of leads here and a drop there. Sound familiar?

I have GREAT NEWS for you today. You don’t have to get overwhelmed then make a quick decision and hire the first company that says “I can get you to the top of Google!” You can hire a hundred of those companies and they can dump a ton of leads in your lap – but if your legs (your foundation) are not strong enough to hold the weight, you’ll collapse and all of your efforts will be wasted.

You must make your website strong, sturdy and ready for success BEFORE you invest in high-powered marketing!

This is exactly why Marty and I sat down, took our combined 17 years of Internet Marketing and Website experience, and created a website evaluation checklist – training web owners like you to learn the aspects of your website that could be costing you leads!

Today I wanted to share a few more of these goodies as a free take-away. I’ve compiled an 11 PAGE demo of our eGuide as a gift to get you on your way. If you like what you see, I’d like to invite you to please send me an email and share your thoughts. I truly love to help support people in getting success in their business, so I’d be curious which tips you implemented and how it helped your business!

Enjoy and make it a productive day!

Topics include everything from Business Planning to Website, Layout and Formatting, to eCommerce and SEO tactics – all of which combine to grant you more online results. All you need to do is LEARN what Google looks at and why, what is a turn off to your visitor, and what holes are costing you money in your website and business planning.

We must never expect to throw up a site and call it a day. The Truth is… If you want great RESULTS, you must learn and execute what WORKS.

Today I wanted to share a few of these goodies to give you an idea of what you could be missing on your website right now. For some, you will carry on your day and research ways to buy leads. For others, you’ll catch on to the idea that you can create your own great results without spending a dime!

• My website looks the same on all versions of Firefox as well as Internet Explorer:

  Believe it or not, one design can look completely different in depending on which Internet browser you are using to view the website (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, Opera, etc.). Each browser will read your website’s HTML code a little differently. Your web developer should have checked your website in all browsers *and* all versions of each browser, but that doesn’t mean they did. You can download multiple Internet browsers onto your personal computer and visit your website in each. Here are ways to check:

  • Internet Explorer (versions 6, 7 and 8): http://ipinfo.info/netrenderer/ — This is an online program that produces a screenshot of any given page on your website. You select which version you want to check. You can also download Internet Explorer 8 here http://www.microsoft.com/windows/Internet-explorer/default.aspx

  • Firefox (versions 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5): http://www.mozilla.com/Firefox/ — You can download Firefox here. Firefox automatically updates your browser when new versions come out.
  • Safari (version 4): http://www.browsrcamp.com/ — You can check your website in Safari at that URL, or download Safari here http://www.apple.com/safari/
  • Google Chrome: You can download Google Chrome here http://www.google.com/chrome
  • Opera (version 10): You can download Opera here http://www.opera.com/
• My website proves I am there to help people, not just to sell them

  Visitors are naturally skeptical when they come to your website. Constantly work to achieve that immediate trust and comfort with your audience. 60% of the online population over 14 refuse to buy online due to trust issues. Trust can be hard to build and easy to lose, but with the following tips you can overcome this hurdle. Adding a blog to your website is a great way to overcome this objection since that is free valuable content your visitors can learn and grow from. The use of stories can paint a picture for your audience. When you are writing copy, focus on the benefits, not the cost. Showcasing testimonials can help prove you are about more than making money. Offering part of the product or service upfront for free is a great sign of trust. Have a guarantee on your product or service that leaves the visitor thinking “if this guarantee is that strong, it must be worth it.”

• Every page of my website gets people to take action by at least one of the following:
  • Calling me for more information

  • Signing up to receive something free
  • Subscribing to a newsletter
  • Making an online purchase
  • Visiting another page of my website
  • Posting a comment to my blog
  • Sharing their experience or story, if applicable
• I have tested my site with an online Heat Map (ie. www.Feng-Gui.com)

  Wouldn’t it be great to know what your visitors look at on your website? and what they don’t? With Heat Maps you can track what areas of your website visitors find more interesting. The image on the right is a heat map of a Google search results page. The red spot indicates the most activity on the page. From this map, you can easily tell where your visitors attention goes to and make website changes accordingly.

• I test that my forms are all working properly once a month

  Sometimes a glitch will occur in your hosting account and change the permission settings on your contact forms. You always want to make sure your visitors can reach you if they try. So just check your forms once a month by filling out a form and seeing what happens.

Again, we have compiled 100 of these kind of tips. We didn’t spend loads of time creating this document just for you to get overwhelmed and not take action. In fact, just the opposite. The “The Extended Do-It-Yourself Website Evaluation Checklist” is designed for all of you small business owners who need to update your website and start getting better results, but are overwhelmed by what to do next.

I just want you to be inspired to get great results! The web doesn’t have to be a scary place. It can be AMAZING once you have a strong foundation to support your success. So don’t wait, and get started today!