Online Marketing Tips for the Tech Challenged

The internet opened a dazzling world of opportunity to many women business owners. But sadly, there are too many entrepreneurs hindering their success due to inaccurate or conflicting information coupled with a downright fear of technology.

As a person who still has trouble operating the five different TV remotes my husband insists we need, I can relate to all those technophobes. Yet, a few years ago, I decided it was time to get a handle on what was going on in the online world. My reasons were totally selfish--I wanted to be able to have a semi-intelligent conversation with my webmaster and take advantage of smart, organic ways to virally grow my business through my website. I also knew that becoming a basic tech resource to my clients would be a terrific added value and a thrifty way to create new revenue streams.

So take a deep breath and get ready to leverage your newfound expertise to boost your net returns in a big way.

"Because there are so many opportunities available on the internet, the first thing you need to do is develop a strategy based on your unique products, goals and objectives," says Kathy Fealy, 46, SEO specialist and president of KF Multimedia & Web Inc., an SEO and web strategy firm based in Rockland County, New York. According to Fealy, it pays to know the latest techniques search engines are using to evaluate and rank websites. Fealy strongly recommends these basics:  

• Don't have your website built with frames because search engines spiders won't be able to read your content.
   
• Get a custom 404 error page in place. This ensures your visitors won't get booted off your site to a "page not found" display when clicking on a bad link or mistyping a web address. If coded correctly, a custom 404 error page should automatically redirect your visitor to another page within your site.
   
• Get listed on local search engine directories. Even if you do business nationally, this is a simple, fast and free way to boost your rankings organically. To get listed, go to Google Local or Yahoo! Local.

"The first 15 words of description metatags are how Google, Yahoo! and MSN rank your site," says Susan Kullmann, head web tech at her California-based company, DoctorGeek, a web development, computer training and consulting firm. Kullmann advises you to do the following:

• Create description metatags. This is a descriptive sentence that encapsulates your core services for each unique page using relevant keywords.


• Create title metatags. Title metatags should read like a headline that describes each page. They should be about 60 characters long.
   
• Make sure your company name is mentioned in the top text on each page because it's invisible in your logo since spiders can't read images.
   
• Get alternate tags assigned to all images and logos. An alt tag is a brief description of each particular image and plays a part in boosting search engine rankings.
   
• Have a consistent navigation menu. Each page should display a well-thought-out navigation toolbar to make the user's experience easy and intuitive.

According to Marcella Shinder, vice president of brand marketing and strategy at OPEN from American Express, the internet is a great enabler if you have the right building blocks. Aside from the basic coding tools mentioned above, there are several smart things a business owner can do to help boost her website returns:

• Get a memorable domain name. Whenever possible, secure a .com domain instead of a .biz or .net one. The best way to create alternatives to common words and phrases is to use verbs to name a site. For instance, consider BuildingtheFuture.com over the already-taken Architects.com. Not sure if your dream domain name is available? Check out InstantDomainSearch.com or Easycgi.com.


• Outsource your web hosting. Hosting your own site can be costly and divert your attention from other important tasks. Shinder suggests Media Temple as a good resource to check out.


• Keep your content fresh. While you can use the services of your webmaster to do this, there are also off-the-shelf content management tools that make updating your information as easy as filling out a form.

As far as in-the-trenches tools, Christine Kloser, owner of two web-based companies, LoveYourLife.com and ConsiousBusinessCoach.com is achieving great success through a number of online platforms.

"All my money comes from the internet, but I'm so non-techie," says Kloser, 40, whose Pennsylvania publishing firm and coaching business are hopping because she took the time to do some serious internet homework. According to Kloser, she went to a lot of internet marketing seminars.

In addition to purchasing a turnkey solution that integrates her website, shopping cart, e-zine subscription and e-mail autoresponders, Kloser spent time developing her online voice and now produces smart web copywriting that boosts her returns. Kloser's sales-churning net tips include:

• Find out what keywords are right for your business by using tools available through Yahoo! and Google, and buy a limited amount of pay-per-click advertising. Kloser started with a $100 investment for a 30-day period, and though she intended to use the full amount, she didn't.


• Send out regular, content-rich newsletters or e-zines. Kloser's formula of 85 percent content and 15 percent promotion and cross-selling has built her list to more than 5,000 subscribers over the years.


• Give stuff away. Kloser has a number of one-page websites that advertise her expertise, delivering free reports in exchange for signing up for her newsletter. These small sites also help drive traffic to her main sites, which provide detailed information on the services she offers.

If you're serious about working smarter, not harder, it pays to get your tech ducks in a row. By taking the time to understand some key elements that can help drive visitors to your site, you'll be ahead of most of your competition. One caveat--the online world is constantly evolving, so you'll need to keep up.