An example: Fictional website motorbikeeuropeantours.com is a website which provides its users with THE best places to visit by bike, and provides all the resources of the best routes to ride and where to go whilst on the road. Users can register to gain access to a sample of information available. The website owner can manage which content is available to these users, as well as the content available to premium members. He can display 'teaser' information to tempt regular users to register for premium membership - which unlocks the information.
The website owner can add as many membership levels as he likes, and has complete control of what information each member type has access to.With a membership website, the only obstacle is investment of time to add new content and manage users. Setting up the website is a snap, but if you're having trouble with this, JMC provides a set up service to quickly get your membership website up and running. Contact Us for more information.
Membership subscription can be managed however you wish, if you can user member ship to be ongoing - or expire after a month. It's entirely up to you. Using a membership based website can also benefit the office environment. Maybe you need a site which has the following access levels: management, accounting, general staff.
For more information on membership websites, you can Contact JMC Website Design or visit www.member.wishlistproducts.com
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Do you have a budget for your website advertising? Don't want to pay the inflated prices that yellow pages charge? There are some online options available to you if you haven't used them already.
Pay per Impression/Pay per Click
This is ad space which you can buy in certain networks. One of the largest by far is google Adwords. In the search results of google, you will normally see 'sponsored results' at the top of the page. Your link will also appear in other networks affiliated with google advertising. Using Adwords is out of the scope of this newsletter, so here are the highlights:
- you pay google a small amount each time a user clicks or views your link (you choose)
- the amount you pay is dictated by your budget
- you choose which search phrases you want the ad to appear on
- the ads are instantaneous, and appear as soon as you submit
- you should expect to pay more for popular phrases or keywords
- the success of your ads will depend on your conversion pages (more about this below!)
Some other providers include Yahoo! Search Marketing and Microsoft AdCenter. Facebook is also another platform for paid advertising. But remember that users are there for socialising and don't want to be sold to, so keep the tone casual and informative if you feel that Facebook advertising would benefit your website.
Conversion Pages
This is the page that 'converts' a viewer to a potential customer. It's your main sales pitch and includes information usually in the following format:
- enticing headline to create interest
- information about your product/service(including demonstrations/images/video if appropriate)
- testimonials from satisfied customers
- call to action (a contact form, a telephone no etc)
What you write on this page is very important. I'm no expert in Marketing but from my experience people buy from people. Remember that when you write your marketing copy. Clearly state the benefits your business gives to your customer. Give proof of value! If you have the budget hire a copywriter!
If you are interested in finding out more about successful marketing, drop me an email and I'll point you towards some marketing resources I've found useful.
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A one page website can be a useful alternative to a full site. There are some things to consider when you think you need only one page on the web. Some advantages of a one page website include:
- It extremely affordable - So it's great for those on a small budget
- They're very quick to design and publish online
- It's a good temporary solution for newly purchased domains
- They can be used as a straight forward 'sales' page with a call to action
- They are useful for those who wish to sell a range of specific products or services
- You want to convert a printed brochure to a digital format (html)
- Add multiple interactive elements - link to your ebay listings, youtube videos and twitter feeds
The sales page, sometimes known as a conversion page or squeeze page, is aimed at generating interest from visitors.
It should have well written, sales driven copy, and should have a call to action such as a contact form or pay now link. These kind of web pages are also well used with pay per click campaigns such as with google.
One page websites can be used with online marketing strategies. Maybe you have a dozen or so different domain names associated with your business, and need a page for each to help boost your online advertising. These domain names can be linked with each other to build your presence on the web. Each of your web pages can be tailored to fit each sector of your customer market.
When you decide to invest in some kind of website, sometimes its tricky to figure out what you really need. You have just bought a domain name - the perfect one! - and you just need to pull something together for the website. And that's where the head scratching can start when deciding on the right content. Having a one page website first gets the ball rolling quickly. Websites are of course dynamic in nature and can be built over time.
Here are some examples of existing one page websites designed by JMC Website Design:
www.electriccentralheating.org.uk
www.wedding-diets.co.uk
www.faultyelectricstest.co.uk
www.poledancing.uk.com
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( 3.1 / 161 )
So you have just bought a domain name, now you want a brand new website to go with it. You could build it yourself if you're feeling confident, or hire a professional to build it for you. Either way, your new website will need to have a purpose. And you'll still need to market it effectively. There is a misconception amongst some new website owners that once they're online they'll make a ton of money. Like with real world business, it'll only work with the right marketing.
Before making any purchase you need to ask yourself these fundamental questions:
1 - What is my website for? (E.g Advertising? Selling? Entertainment? Information?)
2 - Do I have a marketing plan for my new website?
3 - Do I have all the appropriate graphics and text content?
4 - Will I have a reliable point of contact for any future website issues?
5 - How much should I budget for my website?
The last point depends on the old analogy of 'how long is a piece of string'. Depending on what you would like your website to do relies on the budget you have in place. A new 'brochure' website is just that. It contains only basic interactivity (a navigation menu) which is a source of information online. They are usually best used to supplement offline advertising such as newpaper ads and business card distribution.
After you have figured out what you have for your new website, you need to take a bold leap and find out what you want that website of yours to do. Here's a generalised list of websites you may require (the lowest typically priced first):
1-Brochure Website
Is used primarily presentation and showing off, through galleries, advertising pages and basic contact forms.
2-Information Website
You will need a good hosting provider and a secure database for informational websites. These type of websites tend to have a lot of data behind the scenes which is usually searchable via some kind of search page. An example of this type of website is wikipedia.
3-User Login Website
Some websites have a login feature, so visitors can access further (locked) information. Sometimes this can be subscription based. This is also interchangable with...
4-E-commerce Website
This has a built in shopping cart, a store database of products, and a checkout facility where customers can make purchases. Only really suitable for website owners who have a lot of categories of products/services to sell.
5-Content Management based Website
Fits into most categories of new websites. Allows website owners to update information themselves, with minimal technical knowledge. Prices can vary depending on how complex the system needs to be
6-Community/Social Networking Website
Okay so this encompasses a large area, from facebook to twitter. Most of the content is dynamic and generated by the end user. By far the most expensive type of website.
This list is by no means exhaustive and websites can (and usually do) feature more than one of the types listed. Don't forget that websites are organic, so you don't need to put all your budget into it from the start. Get a one page website to start with, market it well and see where you go from there.
More information on what to have in your new website.
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( 3 / 202 )
There is always a risk, obviously, when you publish something online that some undesirable might want to nick it. I came across a couple of handy resources that help find out if anyone is using your website text or images without your permission.
Copyscape - This does a reverse text search based on the content of a specified web page
Tineye - A very cool website which can recognise if an image is used on another website, even if the image has been altered!
Unfortunately there is no foolproof way to prevent people from stealing images from your website, they can just use the Prnt Scrn button which copies whatever is displayed on screen onto their clipboard. If you really need to copyright images the only real way to put people off stealing is to watermark your images, or put them in a password protected area which only your privileged users can access.
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( 2.9 / 279 )
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