Small Business Web Tricks

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What a Small Business Website Should Do for You

Author: Wade Sonenberg 06 10th, 2008

first impressions I’m short on time with six sites going live in June, but I simply had to share an article I just found on Business Week about the good, bad, and the ugly concerning small business websites.

Whether you are looking to contract Rainmaker for your next small business website or somebody else article by Steve McKee should be required reading.

Read “Make Your Web Site Work for You”

Here are some highlights:

Even in the age of technology there’s nothing more powerful than a first impression, and your Web site increasingly is your introduction. I used to counsel startup companies not to underestimate the need for a professionally designed logo. I stand by that advice, but now I extend it to their Web presence as well. You simply can’t afford to look anything less than first-rate online.

The Flash introduction is a little cheesy, but it does seem to capture the personality of the company. What it doesn’t do is communicate anything about what Health Barn is or does. That’s a big missed opportunity, especially given the short amount of time parents can spare.

Revat, which describes itself on its site as “the leading self-defense program for adults living in an urban environment,” appears to be off to a good start, but it’s missing the drama. The fear of being accosted is powerful, yet the Web site doesn’t capitalize on that. Imagine how compelling a mini-movie dramatizing Revat training would be to its prospective customers.

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Spanish Translation for your Website; and other languages too!

Author: Wade Sonenberg 04 2nd, 2008

According to the U.S. Census Bereau, nearly 15% of the American population is Hispanic or of Hispanic descent. Want to communicate with them, but don’t know Spanish? Heck, want to communicate in French, Greek, and Chinese too? Don’t worry, this isn’t a crash corse any any language - not even HTML.

Translate Your Website with Google Language Tools

First, we must get a link to the page we want to translate. Go to Google Language Tools, about a third of the way down to the “Translate a web page” dialog. Simply enter your web page’s address, and choose the language conversion option at the right. Hit enter, and your page in the chosen language should appear.
Next, copy the link and place it in your blog, website, or email.
Whamo, you’ve just learned Spanish, Greek, or Chinese on the web in 10 minutes…

Hint & Example:

Try linking to the translated page from a flag representing the language…

Click the flag to see RainmakerWebDesign.com in Greek:

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10 minutes, more traffic with Google & Yahoo! Local

Author: Wade Sonenberg 03 28th, 2008

Have you ever typed in a search to the effect of “dry cleaner roswell, GA” and had a map pop up with dry cleaners in or around that city? If you’re not on the list for your trade area and industry, you may be losing out on highly targeted traffic to your website.

yahoo and google local search getting listed

But never fear, you can sign up for Google Local and Yahoo Local within 10 minutes! Oh, and it doesn’t cost you a thing.

Google Local Signup
https://www.google.com/local/add/
*you will need a Google account to sign up, but it’s free too.

Yahoo Local Listings
http://listings.local.yahoo.com/

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