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Outer Banks Businesses
Outer Banks Advertising & Website Design
Below is an example of a Post with up to 4 images, Google Map & web link. A picture speaks a thousand words to our site visitors. Click here to see it on our site.
Below is an example of a Post on our site with a Google map link and web link. Google follows these links and makes your site more popular as well as proving site visitors a quick reference to your most important information. See it on our site, click here.
See the image below to understand the order of Silver, Gold and Platinum listings on NContheweb.com and EverytingOuterBanks.biz. The higher your listing the faster site visitors will see you. Your site will also show up before others on a search for the same keywords. Google also indexes the higher listings better!
E-Commerce or Shopping cart web sites can be simple or complex. Simple sites selling a few items are not the subject of this post. They are relatively simple and should cost little to no more than a brochure style website. (Yes, nobody knows if it is “web site” or “website” as far as I can tell.)
Complex shopping cart sites are similar to setting up a physical store. You have to count your inventory, price all your products, create a place for them to be displayed, get a payment system in place, get a security system in place and then market your product(s). It is like a second physical location.
People we run into often times feel the web is easier than the physical world. In some cases it is more difficult to establish a business on the web than a store front. Here is a list of questions we ask people before they enter this highly competitive market.
1. Is your product unique or do other people sell it?
2. If it is not unique have you compared your prices to those on Ebay.com & Google Shopping?
3. How many items and variables do you intend to place in your shopping cart? This includes quantity variables, size variables etc.
a. Are there going to be various shipping options based on Zip Code or will it be flat rate?
b. Does your state require you to charge tax when selling within the state? (Most out of state transactions do not require you to pay the tax)
4. Are you doing drop shipments from a manufacturer that does not sell direct?
5. Would you be interested in loading your own shopping cart items if you were shown how to do it?
6. Do you currently accept credit cards at a place of business or do you need a credit card gateway provider?
7. Is your product sold seasonally or year round?
8. Is your product to be sold in a geographic region or globally?
9. Have you budgeted for this particular project?
After you answer these questions you can decide if you still want to proceed. You may wonder if we try to discourage people. It is not that at all. We simply want successful clients and happy customers. If you are making a mistake we certainly do not want to take your hard earned money for nothing. I know it is hard to believe there is a company that still cares more about you than the almighty dollar, but it is true.
If you still want to proceed feel free to give us a call or use the Comment section of this blog post.
You may have noticed we implemented Google + on our web pages. If you have a Google account and you are logged in you can start using Google + now. It is similar to the Like feature of Facebook but is available on the web and is or will soon be reflected in Google searches.
It appears Google realized that people trust people more than search engines to indicate more relevant information than a simple search result. Since Google + was just released a couple weeks ago you may not see much in the way of results now. However, by this time next year it will likely catch on.
Do you want this implemented on your website? Feel free to give me a call direct. Use our Google Phone at the bottom of our contact page.
If you haven’t heard about Google Plus I’m sure you will by next year. Right now you can only get in by invitation from one of us who already has a Google Plus account.
You may recall at my last short seminar that I told you all that Facebook would one day go the same way of MySpace. That day is dawning. If you have a chance to get a first look at Google Plus you will immediately see why.
First, it is very intuitive and user friendly compared to Facebook. Second, it has features I’m sure you wish you had in Facebook. For example, the ability to add groups of people into categories. It even has a Twitter like system where you can follow people or they can follow you.
I’m adding a couple screen shots for you to see. I imagine this interface will evolve as Google gets more feedback from those of us testing the system.
Notification Options Click for larger view
Google Plus Interface Click to enlarge
SEO (search engine optimization) is an area I specialize in and attracts a lot of questions. Here is a question that came in today from a current client who has a very successful national presence on the web.
“Hi Mike,
I see that
www.santa-fe-compact.com
www.santa-fe-advance.com
www.santa-fe-classic.com
www.santa-fe-maxdry.com
are all available.
Do you think these would be of value to us to assist in SEO, or would it be of value to simply draw more attention to us ? It seems to me that they would be very useful in directing shoppers to our site.”
Here is my answer.
Buying multiple domains and pointing them to one area has little to no SEO value. The rule is, if you buy a domain you should host it and create a site under it.
There is the exception to the rule that are outside SEO reasons. If you purchase a long domain name and want one that is shorter for your business card it is not a bad idea. Also, if you intend to branch out your web presence it can be a good idea to secure domains for the future. Another exception is using shorter domain names for email.
Hope this helps you and saves some of you money. I have seen people waste hundreds and thousands of dollars buying domain names. Sometimes you can sell them for a profit but it is rare and very speculative.
You can send or receive text messages with your website. The best way is to create a subscribed list of cell phone numbers. This can be accomplished by having an easy to use sign up and confirmation widget on your Web 2.0 website. You can then send out text messages from your website administrative panel to those who have subscribed and confirmed. You have likely seen these systems used by schools for closing notices etc. These text messages are a one way communication from you to your subscribers. Recipients cannot reply to the text messages you send.
Applications for sending and receiving text messages are only limited by your imagination. Police can use it to keep the public informed about missing children and criminals on the loose. The text message can even contain a link to an image of the missing person or criminal.
Businesses can use text messages as an impulse buy for subscribers. Having a happy hour or some special at your place of business? Send a text message at 4PM and catch people during their commute or just before leaving work. We are not always by our email and not everyone checks email on their cell phones. However, most of us will glance at a text message right away. Cell phones are usually nearby but computers are not.
Another application is receiving text messages. You can put a widget on your website that allows someone to send you a text message. Do you have a job that requires information be passed to you while you are not by your email? This is a perfect solution for contractors and other people on the go.
Lastly, many people do not like to check their email that often. Yes, I know those people are fewer and further between. Did you know we can have a text message sent to your cell phone if someone fills out a contact form on your website? We did this for Bob’s Grill because Jennifer does not like to check email daily. Now she knows when a customer has sent an email.
