How to run an online business

Web training is essential....

// posted by Stuart Hutchinson on Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Jan 18

For a range of reasons, such as lack of awareness, skills or confidence, small business owners are less likely to set up a website, create a social media profile or trade with customers online than larger firms: Read More >>>

Google + Pages for Business

// posted by Stuart Hutchinson on Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Nov 29

Just a few months ago, Google kicked brands, businesses, bands, and other non-personal profiles off of Google+, it's social media network, with a message that they’d be welcome back soon with something specifically created for them. That day has come and it's time to exploit the networking and business opportunities on this latest addition to the social media landscape. Read More >>>

Social Media, the next step.

// posted by Stuart Hutchinson on Friday, September 16, 2011

Sep 16

So you have your blog set up and you pist to it regularly. You tweet all day long and your Facebook page is on all of your company stationery. You have a full on social media marketing strategy. So what next. Where do you go from here ? Read More >>>

Getting external links to your site can really help your SEO

// posted by Stuart Hutchinson on Monday, November 22, 2010

Nov 22

Links from other websites to yours are one of the most important methods search engines use to determine where to rank your website in search results. The more links you have from other websites, the higher you are likely to be ranked. Use this guide to help you understand more about generating linkbacks.

Before you start generating link, you need to develop a link strategy to help you decide which websites you want to target. Use businesses which are in the same field as you but not competitors, then write to them and suggest a link exchange, where they link to you in return for you providing a link on your site to them. Remember to be clear on which keywords you would like them to use in your link text.

Using directories

Directories are like online versions of telephone directories, linking to thousands of businesses based on criteria such as location or business type. The DMOZ Open Directory Project is the largest on the web, and is free to submit to, while the Yahoo directory costs around $299 (£213) for submission. Other sites such as Yell, Thomson Local and Daltons Business are also worth taking into consideration.

Content-driven websites and online newsletters often use article submission websites to gather free content for their publications. Write articles on your area of expertise, remembering to focus on your keywords and provide at least one link to your website, and submit them to the article submission site. If publishers pick them up, they will link to your website. Remember to set up a Google Alert to notify you if your piece has been picked up.

Using social media

Social networking websites such as Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and Twitter are all great ways of generating links - set up a profile and group on each website and hey presto, the number of linkbacks to your site increase. You can use these pages to keep your customers up to date on your marketing activities as well. Wiki sites such as Wikipedia are also useful for this - create a page for your business to generate yet another link.

Five ways to use Twitter to generate leads

// posted by Stuart Hutchinson on Saturday, June 12, 2010

Jun 12

Here are five Twitter tips to help you get the most from Twitter: Read More >>>

Get your Marketing Message Across

// posted by Stuart Hutchinson on Friday, June 11, 2010

Jun 11

Marketing–it brings us new clients and helps to keep our freelancing business afloat. Yet, many freelancers are uncomfortable about marketing their business. Read More >>>

Can Facebook give you online business a boost ?

// posted by Stuart Hutchinson on Wednesday, May 12, 2010

May 12