Marketing and SEO tips and articles from various sources provided by Artisan Design Studio http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles.php It's no secret that business hasn't been booming for the last few years. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles1.php If you run an on-line business or operate a website in support of your traditional small business, you have probably desired at some time to improve your ranking in search engine results. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles2.php Do you know how to really increase your sales and profits online? http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles3/php This is a hotly debated topic. Some SEOs claim that sites with a static IP address rank higher while other SEOs claim that shared hosting is just fine... http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles4.php The content is very important. It's true that this line has become monotonous, but you would still hear it more often from all the marketing icons. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles5.php Banner ads used to be all the rage when the Internet first started to really take off in the world of the consumer. There used to be quite a wide variety of banner ads ranging from the basic ones with just a line of text and a link below to all kinds of fancy ones with animation and text and even drop down boxes. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles6.php Your product is fantastic your service excellent and your customers will make huge savings - but no one is buying. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles7.php One of our members asked for a study of keyword location on a page. Is it more effective to have your keyword mentioned in the top third, middle third or bottom third of a page? http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles8.php A question we often receive from customers and subscribers is, "Where should I advertise my online business?" of a page? http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles9.php 1. Offer a discount to your customers when they spend over a certain dollar amount for ad space. You can also apply this tip to the amount of ads they buy. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles10.php One of our members recently reported that Yahoo was recommending separating the keywords in your meta-tag using commas. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles11.php Do you participate in forums, message boards, newsgroups or e-mail discussion lists? of a page? http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles12.php 1. Maximize the effectiveness of your banner ads. Don't just use the same ad on every banner, use a variety to attract the greatest number of clickers. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles13.php Long ago, it was the SEO consensus that dynamic URLs (those with a question mark in them) weren't indexed by the major search engines. Later, the SEO consensus was that Google indexed some URLs with question marks, but ranked them lower. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles14.php If your new to the SEO world and have no idea what all of this talk about the Google PageRank™ Technology is (aka -- PageRank™, Google PR, PR), it's time for you to catch up! This system is used by Google, one of today's most popular search engines, in determining the importance of a web site. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles15.php Content is Gold. For the most part, search engines like to see information. By theory, the more information that is found in a web site about specific products or services, the more relevant that web site is going to be to a searcher looking for information. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles16.php How Can Web Design Affect Search Engine Optimization and Corresponding Rankings? Directory editors will actually review your site and be critical of issues that you might not be. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles17.php Keyword research can be said to be one of the more challenging aspects of search engine marketing. Choosing the right keywords is the most important aspect of successful search engine advertising. Not only do you want to see your site get to the top, you need that high ranking to be on keywords that people are going to actually search for and who are interested in what your web site has to offer. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles18.php If you have a website already set up but the clicks are not producing sales, you may be scratching your head and wondering what it is you are doing wrong. Worse still, maybe you just are not getting enough hits on your site. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles19.php Link building is a waiting game. Many clients have asked me why they do not see changes in traffic or ranking before a month goes by. It takes time for the search engine robots to find those new links and index the pages they are linked to. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles20.php Retaining customers is one of the most challenging tasks for managers in all industries and this phenomenon has been continuing for long. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles21.php Buzzwords are created on the Internet almost daily. The fluid nature of the medium drives this process. Usually, the buzzwords are just another way of saying the same thing that has been said prior to the advent and proliferation of the Internet. Opt-in emails are no different. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles22.php There is bound to be a time when every business will have a low ranking. The precise cause may not be known, but a solution is available. With some effort, any website can be transformed back into the traffic generating machine that it once was. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles23.php The number of referrals a business receives within a years time often determines its success. Some experts believe referrals are the key to closing sales; and that your company would soon be swirling down a black hole of disaster without them. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles24.php All business owners want to generate additional sales. There are really 4 keys ways to do this: Increased web site traffic, increasing conversion from hits to sales, repeat sales with existing customers, increase your price http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles27.php 1. We discussed the 4 ways to increase your traffic in part one http://www.mpstrategiesfirm.com/articles. Out of the for 4 ways, option 2... increasing your conversion rates proved the best way to increase sales and profits. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles25.php Every successful salesperson knows the value of owning a list of targeted potential customers. It's a strategy I used to break sales records and also taught in my sale training sessions. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles26.php If you are starting a new business there are many things you need to keep in mind, and starting a website to market your products online is one of the most important aspects of your new business. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles28.php My large, kindhearted dog isn't particular about what he consumes. Hence, his nickname is "The Canine Vacuum". Is he going to turn his nose up at a hot dog if I already have a juicy steak set before him? It's highly unlikely. But, being the smart dog he is, he'll probably gobble up the steak first and then inhale the hot dog. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles29.php 1. You'll make a good name for your website, business, and yourself when you submit articles to online magazines. Include your contact information when submitting the articles. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles30.php 1. When you make your first sale, follow-up with the customer. You could follow-up with a "thank you" email and include an advertisement for other products you sell. You could follow-up every few months. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles31.php 1. Partner with someone who has your same business goals. The partnership should allow sharing of leads, marketing information, sell package deals and other beneficial information. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles32.php The water purification salesman had been talking to us for what seemed like hours. During a lull in his monologue, I asked if he had a website. "Yes. In fact, we are the only independent distributors of this product who does," he proudly beamed. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles33.php If you want to establish your company~s position in the market place, then the company branding is one of the most important components of your marketing plan. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles34.php In this article I show you how to improve your search engine rankings using 27 quick search engine optimization tips. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles35.php In this article I show you how to capture your most targeted visitors with the search engines by discovering what keywords they search with. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles36.php You're missing out on an easy way to promote your business if you aren't already submitting articles to ezines. It won't cost you any money, and yet it's a highly effective strategy for increasing your profits. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles37.php Once you have created an internet sales page that works, then you have a template you can use again and again, customizing the basic formula to any product in your line. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles38.php You know that marketing is very important to your company. A marketing plan is a very good idea for you. You do not have to write a marketing plan to have success but it definitely helps. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles39.php In this article I show you my top 13 tips on how to create professional looking newsletters. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles40.php A Search engine optimization company works on watching and optimizing the position of your search engine results. They can be a great asset to your company by providing their knowledge and expertise in this area. Before you hire a company, it's crucial to know what to look for. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles41.php In this article I summarize the findings of two Penn State University researchers, who analyzed more than 450,000 Web queries submitted to the AllTheWeb search engine in a 24-hour period, reviewing users' actions in chronological order. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles42.php Providing bonuses has become a key part of the online marketer's arsenal for a simple reason: they work. Since there are many ways to incorporate bonuses into your marketing strategy, limiting yourself to one or two could be hurting your bottom line. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles43.php The Internet. The great leveling medium that makes a small business nearly as accessible as TheBigCorporation.com. But many businesses throw up a site without much thought about the potential impact it can have their business. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles44.php Marketing correctly can be very expensive. Costs easily spiral out of control when you are developing advertising techniques. Take some time to set limits to your expenses and to plan your milestones. By doing this you are much more likely to stay within your original budget. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles45.php An often overlooked component of a successful sales marketing campaign is cold calling on businesses. In today's electronic world, physically visiting a potential business client is viewed as not necessary. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles46.php In this article I reveal what I believe are the two most important ranking factors used by Google. My findings are as a result of my ongoing optimization experiments of my network of web sites on Google. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles47.php Everyone at some time has heard the phrase, "Jack of all trades and master of none." In marketing, this type of failure is often avoided by finding your Niche. http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles48.php From my conversation with marketing/PR expert Gary Purece. Successful marketing means that you identify prospective clients and position yourself in the market so they choose you over your competition. When I sit down with clients who want to position their marketing, I seek the answers to four basic questions: http://www.artisan-ds.com/articles49.php