Posts Tagged ‘Internet marketing business’

How to Choose a Domain Name

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

Choosing a domain name for your Internet marketing business is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Whether you’re creating a flagship blog for your business or registering a domain for your niche site, you need to take some time to find the right domain. Look at these following guidelines to help you find an ideal domain name for your site.

1. Purpose.

First you’ll need to figure out the purpose of your website. Is it to establish yourself in a niche? If so, you’ll need to do some keyword research to figure out which phrases would naturally attract traffic. Are you buying a domain to sell a product? If so, your product name or a variation of the product name should be your domain name. Ideally, your website’s domain should either describe what the website is about (Membernaire.com is about building membership sites) or it should include keywords related to your domain (FatLossHelp.com is about losing weight, and it includes a popular keyword phrase). Determining the purpose of you website will help you decide what phrases to use.

2. Presence.

How important is it to you to have an exact keyword phrase in your domain? For some websites, you may be able to use another similar phrase. But for others you may need that exact phrase. In the second case, you can try adding hyphens, prefixes or suffixes to your domain name if your exact phrase is taken. This way you’ll still be able to use the phrase and establish yourself in the niche. A general rule of thumb is to use no more than two hyphens in a domain name.

3. Potential.

How big is your website going to grow in the coming months and years? Are you buying a domain name to build a niche mini-site that acts as a feeder site to your sales page? Are you looking to build an authority site in your niche? Your domain name choice should be determined by how much growth you are expecting for your website. A niche mini-site domain name can be a lot more specific and long tail than an authority site. For example, beginnersheirloomtomatotips.com is a very niche specific domain whereas heirloomgrowing.com has enough leeway for you to build an authority site.

4. Price.

You can get virtually any domain name you want, if you’re willing to pay for it. In most cases though, you’ll want to register an unused domain name. These domain names cost anywhere between $7 and $12 depending on what company you’re registering them through (I recommend ______). However, if you have a very specific business name and want to lock in a domain that has been registered, but isn’t being used, you can try contacting the domain owner. Look up the domain name owner’s information in the WhoIs directory and try making a deal.

All of these factors will come into play when you are choosing a domain name for your website. Make sure to carefully consider how your domain name will be used before you buy.

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How to Choose a List Provider

Saturday, August 15th, 2009

In the world of Internet marketing, building a list is absolutely essential. Most marketers don’t have the expertise or the time to set up a list management system on their own server. Instead, most use a list provider. A list provider will allow you to collect e-mail addresses from buyers and visitors to your websites.

List management is an essential part of any Internet marketing business. Capturing a person’s name and e-mail address when they visit your site allows you to send them helpful information, build your relationship with them and offer new products. It’s absolutely essential that your list provider be easy to use and have the capabilities to deliver professional messages.

Look for the following features to find the B.E.S.T. L.I.S.T.

BAD address protection.

Your list system should remove bad e-mail addresses automatically so you don’t have to deal with them manually. Clearing out bad addresses from your list can save you a lot of time.

EASY opt in creation.

Your list can’t exist unless you have an opt in form on your website. The opt in forms should be easy to create within the list provider’s system. You should be able to feel secure in putting the opt in form on your website and trusting that it will work.

SUBSCRIBE/unsubscribe system.

Subscriptions and unsubscriptions from your list shouldn’t require any input on your part. Your list members should be added automatically and removed just as easily.

TRACKING capabilities.

E-mail marketing isn’t effective unless you can tell how your messages are being received. A robust list provider program will allow you test and track your messages. You can see how many are being opened by your list members and how many are clicking through on your links. This can be a great way to learn how to market more effectively so you can reach your audience.

LIST management.

Your list provider should give you the ability to manage several different lists at once. You should be able to send a message to a few lists at once, filtering out people who are on a third list. You should also have the ability to send messages to people who subscribed after a certain date. All of these capabilities will help you market to your list more effectively.

INTERNET connection.

You shouldn’t have to wait for your messages to go out due to a server outage on your list provider’s side. Your list provider should be professional enough to keep an active Internet connection to your list management tools at all times. The better the connection, the faster you can work with your list.

SECURITY features.

Your list provider should make it clear in their terms of service that your personal information and the information of your clients will be secure and protected from hackers. Since people are giving you their personal information, you deserve to know that the list provider will keep their information secure.

TECHNICAL support.

If your list provider isn’t there to help you work through the technical issues to use their system, they aren’t worth your time. You’re using a list provider in order to make your life easier. You shouldn’t have to be hassled with technical details. Look for a provider that offers phone and IM support.

By looking for these features in your list provider, you can be sure that you’re finding a true ally in your business and not just creating another hassle.

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