Wow how’s this for fast Google rankings! I posted “What is Web 2.0″ this evening and within 12 minutes of posting it on this blog Google had indexed it (see Google details below). Proving yet again that blogging is pretty much the most powerful way to get your website listed on ranked and listed on Google. This is SEO at it’s easiest and finest!
So what is a Blog?
A blog is a website where content is entered and displayed in chronological order, with most recent entries at the top of the page. A blog may include other medias such as images, videos and audio, or it may simply be text. People blog about all sorts of topics, both personal and business.
Why would you want a Blog?
Over the next few years you will see more and more savvy business owners getting involved with blogging and social networking as ways to grow their business.
A blog allows you to have a conversation with your target market, and allows your readers to comment on what you are writing about. Provided that you have relevant and interesting information then your blog will help to attract more prospects to your website. Also, an added bonus is that the search engines like Google and Yahoo love blogs because they are so full of content and keywords. It really is a great way to get yourself found more often on Google!
How do I get a Blog?
There are several options – host a blog on your own domain or get a free blog. Because this article is primarily for you as a business owner then I recommend hosting on your own domain as it provides greater stability and most certainly better branding for you.
I’ve used Wordpress in the past, it’s free blogging software! This blog that you are reading is a Wordpress blog. Wordpress is free and many hosts provide it ready to install with your hosting package. The hosting company that I use Hosting Bay offer Cpanel & Fantastico so I was able to log in to my cpanel account and install Wordpress simply and easily.
Another alternative blogging platform is Typepad, which bypasses your need to set up a hosting account elsewhere. You simply set up a Typepad account, customise the look of your blog and assign it to your domain name. For more information visit the Typepad website.
What is Web 2.0?
Have you heard the phrase in the media or seen it online? Most likely, you have. In simple terms it refers to all the new functionality on the web that allows PEOPLE to easily COMMUNICATE with other PEOPLE online.
Some of the things that make up this new online world are blogging, YouTube, Flikr, Online Gaming and Social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn. For example, LinkedIn is an online business community where you can promote your services, network with other business owners, find partners and staff and much more. Set up a link on your LinkedIn page which will be another incoming link for your website, great for both bringing in new traffic and helpful with your Search Engine rankings.
Rest assured all this Web 2.0 is really not as scary as it first appears. The internet and Web 2.0 in particular are just a means by which us humans can communicate at much grander and on a more global level.
For business owners perhaps it is time to reflect on your web presence, and consider jumping on board with some of these new marketing mediums. Over the coming months I plan to delve into these areas full-on for both my own marketing and to assist my clients to market their business online.
I’ve been invited to speak at the next WIN Group. WIN Group is a small local networking group on the Central Coast which I joined in 2007.
About The WIN Group
WIN is a group of women in business who meet once a month to discuss ideas and offer support and encouragement to one another.
Membership is limited to twenty-five women. This allows an open discussion forum at the member-only round table meetings, with plenty of time for each individual to raise concerns they are having and offer assistance to others. The forum also offers the group the opportunity to hear guest speakers that will benefit them personally and professionally.
WIN is made up of women who own or co-own their own business and have done so for longer than twelve months. Each third meeting, members can invite guests who are already running a business. A guest speaker will address these meetings.
Every quarter the WIN Group holds an open night where guests are invited to come along and hear from a guest speaker and so in February I’ll be the guest speaker on my favourite topic - Online Marketing.
This is my promo of what I will be covering:
Is your website working as effectively for your business as it could be? With millions of websites online, can your prospects easily find yours? And is your website helping you to increase sales & profits and build relationships with your prospects and clients?
Come along and learn how to say yes to these questions and more. We’ll be covering how to make the most of your online presence to promote your business, get more leads, and build relationships with your customers and prospects.
Our guest speaker Belinda Jackson of Web Chameleon provides Website & Email Marketing Services and Solutions to her clients throughout NSW, and the World. With a background including over 14 years experience in graphic design, IT and Marketing - a perfect blend to place her where she is today - helping business owners market themselves through online technology.
In this session, Belinda will explore:
How to make your website work for you
How to optimize your website for Search Engines & get more visitors
How to convert website visitors into customers
Build Relationships and Grow your business using Email Marketing
So if you are a women in business on the Central Coast we would love to see you there.
For more information contact me.
Six Online Marketing Strategies for Entrepreneurs & Small Business Owners!
That’s the name of the New Free Report I’ve written and just released to my newsletter list today. It will soon be a FREE bonus to new subscribers to my email newsletter. I am working on the new opt-in page which should go live next week at the Web Chameleon website.
About the Report:I believe that the internet offers huge opportunity to small business and solo entrepreneurs. It can often be a struggle to understand what’s important so this report covers what I feel are the top strategies Entrepreneurs and Business Owners need to be aware of. Topics covered within the report include;
This is Strategy 1 from my new report that I am about to release as a Free Bonus at www.webchameleon.com.au
The online world in many ways is no different to the offline marketing world. On and offline, it’s all about people. In fact, if you think about it, every dollar that is spent online must come from an individual choosing to spend their money with a particular website.
Be Unique.
With so many millions of websites and offerings out there think about how yours could become one in a million rather than one of a million.
Think about who your ideal customer is and then tailor your offerings and your web presence to that person.
Here are a few further quick tips to ensure your website is effective.
The last twelve months I have spent a small fortune on furthering my education and buying into packages from experts in Online Marketing. I’ve attended all the big Internet Marketing seminars in Sydney, and at each and every one I parted with some cash to buy product!
Throughout 2007 I worked with numerous mentors and coaches, both in person and through pre-prepared materials. A lot of what I learnt I already knew ???? So why did I need to “learn” it again ???? I am just starting to get my head around it now and I think that it’s got more to do with me not acknowledging my own strengths and knowledge than anything else.
By the end of 2007 I was getting quite overwhelmed by the abundance of information and ideas that I had bought into or that were being sent my way. Deciding who and what to follow was driving me silently insane. And then I had an A’ha moment when I realised that I need to trust my own stuff more and start implementing things MY WAY and teaching others as well. I don’t need to follow one mentor or coach, I can roll all that I learn and all that I already know into my way of doing things.
So for 2008 I have put a lot of thought into defining exactly who my mentors & coaches will be. I truly believe that we all need these people in our lives; people to teach us new skills, keep us working efficiently and to make us accountable.
Do you know what the difference is between a mentor & a coach? I found this description awhile back and I think it’s fitting (I can’t recall where I found it so I am unable to link a reference to it here): A mentor imparts instruction, wisdom, and opportunities to a junior. A coach does not teach or give advice, but empowers the individual to make their own wise choices through asking questions.
So implementation seems to be a key ingredient for my 2008 plans! And on a quieter note, so is spreading my message and mentoring or coaching others to my way of Online Marketing (more on that later :)).
Wonderful Web Women is a project of Janet Beckers, who I’ve known for sometime now. Janet is an expert online marketer and she launched Wonderful Web Women in 2007 as a website for women interested in making money online.
Janet was on a mission to find the most successful women on the internet and share their stories and knowledge with you. And she has succeeded! She has interviewed some of the most successful women online including Ali Brown (the Ezine Queen), Rosalind Gardner (Affiliate Marketer), Shopping Cart Queen, Daryl Grant, Jen Armato, Kathie Thomas, Amanda Clarkson, Kelly McCause, Kristi Sayles, Sandi Givens and Heather Vale. Wow, what a line up!
And I’m pleased to say I’ll be on the list soon 
Janet has asked me to be a guest interviewee in March. She will be interviewing me on 17/18 March 2008!
The weekly teleseminars are free to listen in live too or you can sign up for gold membership where you get access to the recorded teleseminars at anytime (along with many other member benefits).
To see what I mean, check out the website and see for yourself.
It’s amazing how we all forget how many things we actually get right each year and we forget to congratulate ourselves on a job well done! Although I’m not working this week (ha!) I am focusing on some bigger picture stuff like business planning and marketing for 2008.
I have a list of about a billion things I want to get done in 2008.
Before I continue I thought it was time I gave myself a pat on the back for all my hard work to date. Us Solo Entrepreneur’s often forget to congratulate ourselves on the achievements along the way.
2007 was a good year for me, as I:
1. Almost tripled my business income in 2007, compared to 06
2. Increased my client base 300%
3. My newsletter subscribers list grew by over 500% (if you’re not on my list sign up at www.webchameleon.com.au)
As Solo Entrepreneurs we need to be thankful to those who support us, and thankful to our own skills and the fact that we are running our own business! We need to congratulate ourselves when we reach a goal or achieve something great.
It’s great to look forward, but it’s also great to acknowledge where we have been and enjoy where we are.
I came across this website - http://www.storyofstuff.com/ just a few weeks ago and I think its a brilliant overview of how commercialism affects all of us.
As the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear, do consumers ever wonder what happens to their stuff from holidays past? “The Story of Stuff” is a new short film released online, that takes viewers on a provocative tour of our consumer-driven culture — from resource extraction to iPod incineration — exposing the real costs of this use-it and lose-it approach to stuff.
Throughout the 20-minute film, activist Annie Leonard, the film’s narrator and an expert on the materials economy, examines the social, environmental and global costs of extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal. The film features Leonard delivering a rapid-fire, often humorous and always engaging story about “all our stuff — where it comes from and where it goes when we throw it away.
I personally feel we all need to be aware of this, and perhaps put a little more thought into our purchases and whether we really need all this stuff, even if it is “on sale”. Take a look at the Story of Stuff and let me know what you think.
The website is also a great example of Web 2.0, and using interactive media to get attention. A website that includes animation, video and audio is a great example of what’s possible with websites today, and how much easier it is to get attention if you embrace these technologies to showcase what you have to offer.
This year I plan to get into Web 2.0 in a big way both for my own business and for my clients through educating small business owners and solo entrepreneurs on how it’s all done and how they can best take advantage of these fantastic online technologies to market their business.
This is a blog by Belinda Jackson, of Web Chameleon, and it's all about Online Marketing and how to most effectively attract and retain your perfect clients using the Internet!
