Microsoft Great Plains PM: Payables Management

Microsoft Great Plains PM: Payables Management

by: Vincent Ong

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is marketed for midsize companies as well as Navision (which has very good positions in Europe and emerging markets where it can be easily localized).

Great Plains Payables Management (PM) module improves control over your payables. With easy access to comprehensive vendor information, payment scheduling and tracking, and uptothe minute answer to your cash flow status, this module allows you to manage your expenses more effectively.

PM maximizes operational efficiency by empowering employees with advanced search capabilities that provide quick and easy access to the information they need. This module also simplifies expense allocation like deferring payments or costs over multiple periods with automatically managed calculations and journal entries customized to fit your business needs.

Features:

Extensive DrillDown – Crossmodule drilldown capabilities give you the ability to locate the exact details you need.

Comprehensive Vendor Information – Streamline your vendor information with vendor categories for consistent record maintenance and comprehensive data, including addresses, shipping methods, default purchase accounts, and userdefined information.

Installment Management – Automate your vendor installment payments by creating schedules, calculating interest, amortizing amounts, and forecasting the impact of variable interest rates, payment amounts, and installment changes.

Expenditure Control – Manage expenditures with full control over check runs and tracking of afterthefact payments that use manual check entries, credit cards, or cash for transactions.

Control Account Management – Manage your payables control accounts by reporting segments, such as cost center, division, department, program or fund, and display a breakdown by segment values of your central control payables account. Eliminate the need to manually reconcile reporting segments and get a true account of amounts owing by segment value.

Automatic Posting Automate posting for each vendor to designated General Ledger accounts for recurring transactions, or streamline distribution for vendors without specified purchase accounts.

Complete Payables Reporting – Create a comprehensive suite of payable reports that can be sorted by calendar or fiscal year with onscreen display and search, or combine with Microsoft® Business Solutions–Great Plains® applications such as Report Writer or Crystal Reports® for greater reporting flexibility.

Good luck with implementation, customization and integration and if you have issues or concerns – we are here to help! If you want us to do the job give us a call 16309615918 or 18665280577! [email protected]

About The Author

Vincent is a Great Plains specialist in Alba Spectrum Technologies ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ) – USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM customization company, serving clients in Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Miami, New Orleans, Toronto, Montreal and having locations in multiple states and internationally

This article was posted on April 01

by Vincent Ong

Internet Marketing

Internet Marketing

by: David Kunstek

Is internet marketing something for you? Do you dream about working at home where your kids are, where you feel you should be? Internet marketing can promise this and so much more. But, tread lightly and do your research before jumping into the world of Internet marketing.

While many people feel that internet marketing is all a scam, simply stated, this is false. There are quality companies and quality business plans that are proven. Likewise, there are just as many and even more that are not worth your time or the expense. To understand the differences you need to take the time to research and then decide if the company is right for you. First, you should understand that in most internet marketing endeavors, you will own your own business. You are not working for someone else, which is a nice bonus, but it can be a downfall to many. There are extra expenses that you personally need to take on. You need to keep yourself motivated to do a good job on a daily basis.

If you believe you can handle these simple things in internet marketing, then you can start your search for a company to work with. There are many. It will take you a good amount of time to decide which one is right for you. Do you want to sell products? Do you know enough to sell software? Can you see yourself promoting your business online, over the phone, in your neighborhood, and to your family and friends? Look into the businessกs history. Do they have a long background with a proven track record? If itกs a ground floor opportunity, can you trust and believe in it enough to make it successful? Is the business a member of the Better Business Bureau? What about others who have done the business, what do they have to say? Will they provide training, materials, or anything else that is needed?

Once you combine all of this information, it is only then that you can and should decide on an Internet marketing company. While there are definitely advantages to working an internet marketing business from home, never kid yourself that it won’t be hard work all the way. But, by doing this basic amount of research and gathering this information, you can trust that the internet marketing business you take on is the right one for you.

About The Author

Written by David Kunstek, webmaster and author of http://www.marketingman.us. This article may be reproduced as long as a Live link back to http://www.marketingman.us is present.

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 14

by David Kunstek

Data Recovery 1on1

Data Recovery 1on1

by: Dan Fisher

For this weeks report we are talking with Greg Duffield of ACS Data Recovery http://www.acsdata.com

Q: Greg, since the late ก90กs there has been tremendous growth within the data recovery industry, why is that and what does it mean to the consumer?

A: Well, in the last 10 years the amount of data stored digitally has increased tremendously. With this trend towards simplification of file storage, the trend for losing this data has also increased.

Before computers you had to worry about your office burning down, or some other manmade or natural disaster that might have effected your paper files. Now with just about everything stored on computers, the fear is no different and the possibilities of catastrophic data loss occuring are actually greater.

The end result has been an influx of data recovery firms throughout the world assisting consumers with the recovery of their lost data. The benefit and the downfall to the consumer is having these companies openly competing for their business.

Q: The open competition is a downfall to the consumer as well?

A: Absolutely. For some companies, data recovery has become the latest กget rich quickก scheme. So they shop the market, see what the trends in the industry are and then offer subpar services at a substantially discounted rate. Many of these companies advertise complete data recovery for as little as $99 with no evaluation fees. Unfortunately for the consumer, this usually results in hidden service charges, and additional expense when the data is found กunrecoverableก. The sad part is, is that much of this data is actually recoverable, but the firm attempting the recovery just didn’t have the expertise to complete the task successfully.

Q: How do you see this effecting the data recovery industry as a whole?

A: I think the firms dedicated to providing their customers quality service will stand out no matter what. People like to make fun of used car dealers, well in that industry there are real sleaze balls and at the same time there are classA superior dealers that really do what is right. You see the same thing in every industry, and data recovery is no different.

Q: What should the consumer expect when they have lost their important data due to a hard drive crash or other calamity?

A: First of all, they will probably get a wide range of prices. On average I would say pricing for a standard IDE hard drive will probably run anywhere from $700 to $2,900. Thatกs a pretty big spread.

I would say stick with companies that do not charge an evaluation fee first and foremost. Many times an experienced data recovery technician can determine the type of hard drive failure within the first few seconds of starting the drive up. You know you’re either going to have to open the drive or your not. That element alone has a tremendous impact on the final price of the recovery and it can narrow the price band substantially.

When you send your drive in, don’t expect it to be completed overnight. We try to give our customers reasonable expectations, because thereกs nothing worse than making promises you can’t keep. We basically run our business by under promising and over delivering. We are up front with our customers and we know the boundaries of data recovery as far as what is and isn’t possible. As a consumer I would suggest you search until you find companies with a similar business philosophy. In other words, be wary of companies promising complete data recovery in less than 24hours. Depending on the amount of data needing to be recovered it can take that long just for the imaging.

Q: Where do you see data recovery going in the future?

A: I see consumers being supplied with more and more powerful tools to complete the easier recoveries on their own. However, there will always be a need for experienced data recovery firms simply because of the intricasies involved with invasive recoveries. These types of recoveries have to be performed in a class100 or better clean room.

Thanks for taking the time to be with us Greg, and best of luck to you in the future.

A: Thanks Dan, itกs been great.

About The Author

Dan Fisher is the owner of DataRecoveryReport.com a site dedicated to posting news, information, and white sheets regarding data recovery.

Greg Duffield is the founder of ACS Data Recovery http://www.acsdata.com ACS specializes in providing data recovery services to clients worldwide.

Copyright 20042005 DataRecoveryReport.com. This article may not be altered and can be distributed freely.

[email protected]

This article was posted on December 19, 2004

by Dan Fisher

Microsoft Business Solutions: ERP, CRM, RMS for sm

Microsoft Business Solutions: ERP, CRM, RMS for small and midsize company overview for Consultant

by: Andrew Karasev

Microsoft Business Solutions has good combination of ERP, CRM, Retail Management applications to cover all the needs for small, midsize and even large company. These are ERP: Microsoft Great Plains, Navision, Axapta, Solomon, Small Business Manager; CRM: Microsoft CRM and Navision CRM; Retail Management: Microsoft RMS and Navision Retail module.

You should know that these products were not initially developed by Microsoft (except Microsoft CRM), but purchased from leading midmarket software development companies: Great Plains Software, SMS, Navision Software. This means that Microsoft is on the way to align all its products and make them be granular (socalled Microsoft Business Suites: Financial, Manufacturing, Logistics, Project Accounting, etc.)

Also please know that Microsoft is trying to create integration packages between it’s products – as far as they come from different vendors – these products were not initially designed to be crossintegrated. Microsoft however covered long way to prepare such integrations – it has Microsoft Biztalk server.

Next point for you – Microsoft is now on the way to move all its products to its database platform – Microsoft SQL Server. Good example is Great Plains – now it is available on MS SQL Server or MSDE, no Ctree or Pervasive SQL 2000 (with new version – Microsoft Great Plains 8.0). Also Microsoft is trying to enable other technologies for its ERP, CRM and RMS – the best example is Microsoft CRM: MS SQL Server, MS Exchange, Active Directory, Replication, Message Queue, Text Indexing to name a few. This means for you, consultant, that your client’s IT group will love these solutions from technical side, if they are Microsoftoriented and vise versa – they will be more than reserved if they are coming from Java/Oracle/IBM world.

ERP. If you are in USA, UK, Canada, Latin America, South Africa, Australia or New Zeeland – you should first consider Microsoft Great Plains. In the very complex Project oriented business case (large consulting, construction/project management) – you should take a look at Solomon, or if you have light manufacturing – you may turn to Navision. If you are in Europe, Russia or the rest of the World – first consider Navision.

CRM. Microsoft CRM is the solution worldwide

Retail Management. If you are outside of Navision realm (most of continental Europe) you should look at Microsoft RMS (Store Operations and Headquarters – if you need stores consolidation). If you are in Continental Europe – look at Navision Retail module or check with Microsoft in your country.

Happy selecting! if you want us to do the job give us a call 16309615918 or 18665280577! [email protected]

About The Author

Andrew Karasev is Chief Technology Officer in Alba Spectrum Technologies – USA nationwide Great Plains, Microsoft CRM, Microsoft RMS customization company, serving clients in Chicago, California, Colorado, DC, New Jersey, Washington, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, New York, U.K., Canada, Australia, Europe ( http://www.albaspectrum.com ), he is Dexterity, SQL, C#.Net, Crystal Reports and Microsoft CRM developer.

[email protected]

This article was posted on December 24, 2004

by Andrew Karasev

Postcard Marketing – Low Cost Visibility

Postcard Marketing – Low Cost Visibility

by: Claire Cunningham

You need to be visible to attract customers, right? But how do you get that visibility when you’re short on cash? Here’s an idea that’s worked for many businesses. It’s postcard marketing, and it’s very affordable.

You can design your own postcards or hire a designer. Print the cards on 67# card stock to meet USPS requirements. Two or four cards will fit on an 8 ½ข x 11ข sheet so you’ll have to use a paper cutter. Postage is just $.23 a card.

Here are some ways to use postcards:

REFERRALS Send postcards regularly to your best contacts asking for referrals.

ANNOUNCE EVENTS – Send postcards to let folks know about events like classes, seminars, sales, open houses, etc.

PROSPECTING – Send a series of postcard mailings to identified prospects to ขsoften them upข before you phone them.

BUILD WEBSITE TRAFFIC – Use postcard mailings to tell people your site is there and when you make significant additions.

GROW YOUR NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBER LIST – Postcard mailings can publicize your newsletter to new audiences.

MAKE AN OFFER Do you have a booklet to give away? Are you offering a special discount? Postcard mailings can get out the word.

SAY THANKS – Use postcards to say thank you for business, referrals, or information.

Of course, for best results you need a good list. Make sure your mailings are going to the right people. Also, you’ll get a better response if you offer something of value.

Finally, repeat, repeat, repeat! As with any marketing, repetition is critical. A single mailing may get a disappointing result. Don’t be surprised or discouraged. Keep at it with a consistent look, message and audience, and over time your message will sink in.

A response rate of 13% is the average, but you may be able to generate significant sales from those responses. Referral mailings can yield business that’s three or more times the cost of the mailing.

Copyright 2004 Clairvoyant Communications, Inc.

About The Author

Claire Cunningham, president of Clairvoyant Communications, Inc., has 20+ years’ experience developing and implementing successful marketing and communications programs. Sign up for Claire’s monthly newsletter, Communiqué, at http://www.clairvoyantcommunications.com Claire can be reached at 7634793499 (Fax: 7634792809, email: [email protected])

This article was posted on December 07, 2004

by Claire Cunningham

How to Run a Successful News Release Program

How to Run a Successful News Release Program

by: Claire Cunningham

Marketing public relations gives you cost effective ways to reach your audience. The tradeoff, however, is time. It takes time to develop and execute public relations programs. It can take time for these programs to yield rewards.

Here are six simple steps for developing a news release program that extends your reach and generates inquiries at a fraction of the cost of advertising.

1) DETERMINE YOUR AUDIENCE AND MESSAGE. If you have a marketing or communications plan in place, you already have audiences and messages defined. No need to reinvent for your news release program, although you may need to select audiences and messages that are most appropriate.

2) BUILD A LIST. Once you know your audience, you’ll need a list of publications they’re likely to read. A great place to go to create a list is http://www.medialistsonline.com – a service of Bacon’s. It’s reasonably priced and fast. The downside is the lists come with no updates. You may need to repurchase your list several times during a year. Or it may make more sense for you to buy a media directory subscription.

However you build your list, make it broad. With a news release program you can send releases to many more publications than you can afford to advertise in. Sending a release just entails paper, printing, a photo, an envelope and a stamp.

3) DETERMINE NEWSWORTHY TOPICS. This is a tricky but critical step. You’ll need to think like a member of your target audience. What’s going to interest him or her? Usually it’s new stuff products, services, applications, literature, software. If you don’t have these to write about, your news releases might not get past the editors’ trash can.

4) INCLUDE A PHOTO. Publications can be hungry for visuals so send one with your release – a photo, illustration, chart or graph. In most cases a 3ข x 5ข glossy B&W print and a color slide will work. Be sure to send good quality visuals since the quality will reflect on you.

5) SET A SCHEDULE – AND STICK TO IT. Sending releases regularly lets editors know you’re reliable. If you have six topics for the year, send out a release every other month. Twelve topics – one a month. General rule for monthly publications is one release per editor per month.

6) MEASURE RESULTS AND LEARN. It takes about three months before your releases will show up in monthly publications. Less time for pubs that come out more often.

Track what runs, where it runs, how much space you get and inquiries generated. You can use this information to measure results and improve your program.

About The Author

Copyright 2004 Clairvoyant Communications, Inc.

Claire Cunningham, president of Clairvoyant Communications, Inc., has 20+ years’ experience developing and implementing successful marketing and communications programs. Sign up for Claire’s monthly newsletter, Communiqué, at http://www.clairvoyantcommunications.com. Claire can be reached at 7634793499 (Fax: 7634792809, email: [email protected])

This article was posted on April 25

by Claire Cunningham

This Simple Publishing Mistake Could Be Losing You

This Simple Publishing Mistake Could Be Losing You Half Your Back End Sales!

by: Jason Lewis

Many of the Internets biggest ebook sellers are making this simple mistake, and it’s almost certainly costing them a ton of money in lost back end sales. You must not make the same mistake!

I was having a bit of a tidy up on my PC the other day. It really is amazing how many files you accumulate, even in a short space of time.

Anyway, to cut a long story short I was particularly interested in getting all my ebooks in some sort of organized filing system. I wanted to put them into files relating to particular categories. Then, when I wanted to go over a certain topic again, I would easily be able to find an ebook that covered the subject I was looking for.

Then I ran into a problem. The thing is, when I looked at this folder full of ebooks, at first glance, I didn’t have a clue what a load of them were about. I mean, I had read every single one of these ebooks, but from just looking at the file names, I didn’t have a clue what they were, or who wrote them!

The reason was; the ebook publishers had deliberately chosen not to give their ebooks a descriptive filename. Instead of using the actual title of the ebook as the file name, the author used some kind of shortened abbreviation.

Ebook authors must spend ages dreaming up a great name for their ebook that will reflect the topic of their publication. Then they go and ruin all that hard work; by giving the ebook file a 3 letter abbreviated name that doesn’t tell anyone what’s inside.

Why do ebook publishers do this?

There have been a lot of people giving out advice on Internet security over the last few years. One bit of advice that has been going round, is that you should always give your ebooks a weird, unguessable file name so that Internet thieves, can’t find them on your website. I don’t want to go into exactly how these Internet thieves work because that is not what this article is all about.

Even if you don’t have a website, you may still get influenced by this advice, which is why I want to enlighten you.

Here’s an example of what I mean. Lets say an author has written an ebook called ‘Gold Swing Secrets’. Instead of giving the ebook a descriptive file name like ‘golf_swing_secrets.pdf’, they may name it something like gss01.pdf or glfsgss.pdf.

Now, the author of the ebook had spent however long writing and compiling his ebook. The file name to him is instantly familiar; after all, he was the one that named the damn thing.

However, little old me ‘the customer’, who may be very keen to read his ebook again, didn’t have a clue what the ebook was about, without opening it to find out. Now you might think that’s ok. I mean, how long does it take to open an ebook to see what it is. My point is, most people’s eyes will be drawn to the ebooks with a descriptive file name that tells the reader instantly what the ebook is about.

What’s the big deal?

I found a number of ebooks on my PC that I had forgotten I had even bought. Some of them I had quickly speed read, with the full intention on reading them properly when I had time. 6 months, a year went by and I kept overlooking them. I just forgot what they were, and just assumed they were some free ebook or something.

The end result being:

I never read these ebooks a 2nd time.

I never signed up to any of the newsletters that were being promoted by the ebook authors.

I never bought any of the products being recommended inside the ebooks.

None of these ebook authors made a single back end sale from me.

I wonder how many ebook buyers have done the same as me? My very conservative guess is that at least 50% of people overlook the ebooks on their PC with filenames they don’t recognize. If I am right, you could be losing half your back end sales, if you choose not to give your ebook a descriptive filename.

If you have a website and you’re worried about Internet thieves, store your ebooks in a separate folder and give THAT a weird abbreviated name that no one would guess, not your ebooks!

If you have worked hard to write an ebook, do yourself a favor and finish the job off with a nice descriptive filename. Trust me, your readers, AND your bottom line will really appreciate it.

© Copyright Jason Lewis

About The Author

Jason Lewis is Author of the new ebook ‘Website Not Required’ – 9 Sure Fire Ways to Make Money Online WITHOUT a Website! Click here now ==> http://www.websitenotrequired.com

This article was posted on April 28, 2004

by Jason Lewis

The Power Of Giving.

The Power Of Giving.

by: Jamie Ritchie

1. Why give away what you could sell?

Thatกs a fair enough sort of question. If you write an ebook or report then surely you should be paid for your sharing your knowledge with others.

But if you put a price on your work, especially if you are not yet recognized as an expert in your field, you will probably find your work being overlooked.

Why not make it freely available to anyone who might be interested in your topic of expertise & promote yourself in the resource box you put at the bottom of your report.

Allow it to be reprinted as long as your resource box is included.

2. What do you give away?

Take a look around your website. What is your expertise? Use your knowledge to create an article or report you know your clients would love.

Write a กHow toก article or ก5 steps toก article. As long what you give away helps or solves a problem for someone, it will help you to get established in your field.

An Ebook can be a great way to send a message. Ebooks don’t have to be 4 or 500 pages long. It can be as short as 5, itกs up to you. Make it long enough to say what you need without filling it with a load of waffle. Don’t forget to promote yourself with a resource box somewhere in your work.

3. Where do you give it away?

Start a newsletter & write your own articles for it. To have fresh original content is the best way to build a subscriber base.

Post your articles on your own website for your guests to read. As you write more articles keep adding them as fresh content to keep your guests returning.

There are many websites you can list your work on. Webmasters who are searching for content for their own site will use your work in exchange for your resource box being left at the bottom of the work.

4. Putting it all together.

Write an article or report. Sign it with a resource box. Use it in your newsletter, your website & let others use it as well.

Every web site it appears on will link back to your own site. If readers like what they read they will follow the link to your site. These same links will also help your search engine rankings & increase the popularity if your site.

The more you write & the better you get will only see more people following your links to your site. That in turn exposes your products to more & more people, which in turn means more & more sales.

That My Friends Is The power Of Giving!

About The Author

Jamie Ritchie

Author of The PTP Newsletter Copyright © 2005

Subscribe below for weekly list & business building news.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.thepathtoprofit.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 12

by Jamie Ritchie

10 Tips For Writing A Highly Persuasive Ad

10 Tips For Writing A Highly Persuasive Ad

by: Keith Gloster

Are you a network marketer or an affiliate struggling to convert your web site visitors into eager signups or buying customers? While there could be many reasons why you’re not receiving the signups and customers you deserve, the first thing you should consider is your ad copy.

Be honest with yourself and consider these 3 qualifying questions in regard to your current ad copy:

1. Does your headline instill curiosity?

2. Is your ad copy (sales letter) persuasive and compelling enough?

and

3. Does it serve its intended purpose and that is to get the visitor to click through your signup link or order button?

To get you on the right track, here are 10 essential tips you can use as a guide in writing persuasive ad copy:

1. Publish a picture of yourself in your ad. This will show people that you’re not hiding behind your web site and you’re not afraid to backup your product.

2. List how many famous or respected people have purchased your product in your ad. These people should be fairly known by your target audience.

3. Publish the results of any tests your product has passed in your ad. Your product may have passed a durability test, safety test, quality test, etc.

4. Publish the results of any positive surveys youกve taken from your customers in your ad. Just survey your current customers and list the results.

5. List any publications that have written about your business in your ad. It could be a product review, on a top ten list, an article, etc.

6. List any related books that youกve written in your ad. When you list a book(s) youกve written, it gives you credibility because it shows you’re an expert.

7. Have a professional looking web site to publish your ad on. When people visit your site and it looks unprofessional, theyกll relate that to your product.

8. Publish any endorsements from famous people in your ad. Some people will think if a famous person, enjoys your product, so will they.

9. Use a money back guarantee in your ad. This will remove the risk from your potential customers and show them that you stand behind your product.

10. Provide testimonials from satisfied customers in your ad. The testimonials should include specific and believable results your customers have received.

Yes, you might think that your product or service is the best thing offered on the internet since sliced bread. But if you’re unable to convey this message to your web site visitors with your ad copy , youกll never earn a living online! Take some time to ponder the 3 questions presented above. Experiment with the 10 tips to improve your ad copy and youกll soon discover just how easy it really is to build your mailing list and earn a living online!

Copyright 2005 Keith Gloster

About The Author

Keith Gloster provides advice on effective traffic and lead generation tools and techniques. For the creative edge on permission email marketing, traffic and lead generation, and to claim some valuable bonuses, you can subscribe to his popular newsletter at: http://www.freemlmleadsgenerator.com

This article was posted on March 27

by Keith Gloster

Keywords: The First Step To Recognition

Keywords: The First Step To Recognition

by: Partha Bhattacharya

Open Wordtracker [ http://www.wordtracker.com/ ] and youกll see following proclamation by Brent Winters, President, FirstPlace Software, Inc., the makers of awardwinning web promotion software, WebPosition Gold [ http://www.webposition.com/ ]:

‘target the wrong keywords and all your efforts will be in vain.ก

Why are keywords so important? And what indeed is a keyword? To an occasional web visitor, *keyword* wouldn’t mean much. But for a practicing webmaster, the term *keyword* is perhaps more dear than anything.

The way we search

The term *search* implicitly suggests that search engines will return the most relevant results corresponding to the searchterm used. A searchterm or keyword is basically a word or a combination of words usually latter surfers like you and me use to get results we’re looking for. People, hailing as they do, from diverse backgrounds, have typically individualistic ways to express searchterms, that differ from one another, yet aimed for identical searchresult. Evidently therefore, a website wanting to occupy top positions in searchresults, needs to *optimize* for varying combinations of keywords. For an idea on how searches are made using keywords, Philip Morrisก this page [ http://www.philipmorrisusa.com/search/search_help.asp ] provides a handy reference, albeit for their site.

In a press release Feb 2, 2004 [ http://www.onestat.com/html/aboutus_pressbox27.html ], OneStat reports that of all keyword searches on the web, 32.58% uses 2word phrases, 25.61% 3word phrases and only 19.02% uses 1word phrase. According to OneStat [ http://www.onestat.com/html/aboutus_pressbox27.html ], global usage of both 2word and 3word phrases has increased over the last year, and that of 1word phrase has actually declined during the same period.

To give another example, WebSearchWorkshop [ http://www.websearchworkshop.co.uk/stats.htm ] quotes an earlier NPD survey to show that out of an online sample of 30000 respondents, *45% search by using multiple keywords or key phrases, 28% use one keyword, 18% search by a predefined option (such as browsing through a directory category) and 9% search by typing in a question*.

Since achieving top rank is culmination of many efforts working in tandem, it is all the more necessary that keyword targeting is done in planned manner to remain in reckoning.

Importance of search engines

Notwithstanding growing complaint that search results are steadily loosing relevance, statistics tell us web surfers are increasingly opting for search engines as a main web activity. WebSideStory in a March 12, 2003 press release [ http://www.websidestory.com/pressroom/pressreleases.html?id=181 ] reports that search enginesก share in global internet usage has nearly doubled in the past 1 year from 7.1% to 13.4%. If a survey is done today, that figure will undoubtedly be much more impressive.

A birdseyeview of importance of search engines can be had in this narration at iProspect [ http://www.iprospect.com/web_site_promotion/optimization_analysts.htm ]. Some pertinent points are given below:

A Georgia Institute of Technology study finds 85% of likely web customers prefer search engines to find their choices, and a study by RealNames reveal as much as 75% web surfers use search engines while journeying through the web.

57% of net surfers are recurrent users of search engines a popular web activity, next only to emailing.

Convenience is a major factor for many to locate the ideal information resource through search engines.

When seen with Global Reach [ http://glreach.com/globstats/ ] estimate of *online population* reaching 940 million in 2004, itกs fairly obvious thereกll be continuing surge of internet marketing efforts in order to attain search visibility. Innovative starategies coupled with intelligent marketing will be the hallmark of efforts to achieve prominent search rankings. In this connection, do have a look at Global Reachกs invaluable data on กEvolution of Online Linguistic Populationsก [ http://globalreach.biz/globstats/evol.html ].

Keywords matter most

Though not the only weapon in webmastersก arsenal, using relevant keywords is a must to increase possibility of prominent search rankings. The reason is rather simple. Search engines gather and collate texts in webpages and store them in databases. As a web user searches for a website like yours, it is important that the keyphrase or the keyword he uses to do so appears in your webpages. Otherwise your webpage will not show up in search results.

This underlines the need to know various keyword combinations relevant to your website, and at the same time popular. Which is to say that these are keywords mostly used by web users cutting across geographic locations.

Web searchersก fickleness

Dr. Jim Jansen, an Assistant Professor in Pennsylvania State University’s Information Sciences and Technology (IST) in the article *Impatient web searchers measure web sitesก appeal in seconds* [ http://live.psu.edu/story/3364p ] observes กA page has to be welldesigned, easy to load and relevant to a searcherกs needs.ก Else, within 3minute interval, 40% searchers will abandon the website and move over to another. 7Search (link provided under the heading กKeyword Toolsก) provides an interesting estimate about percentage of searchers visiting your site visavis its ranking. It says a first rank is likely to fetch about 7% of search traffic, and a 10th rank just 0.35%.

The estimate above drives home another oftrepeated opinion that mere top ranking won’t translate into better sales. For that to happen, a website should be able to invoke sufficient interest among its viewers to make them stay longer.

Nevertheless, as search engine marketing gains popularity compared to other forms of advertisements, it is easy to see why good ranking in major search engines is so vital. But then, search engines bring results based on keywords or keyphrases. Without doubt therefore, the first step for success on the web is the ability to select the most relevant keywords and use them properly to derive maximum advantage.

What emerges

To summarize from the foregoing, we find that:

While internet population is growing tremendously, a majority of web surfers use search engines as starting platform to meet their online needs.

Web searchers do not want to waste time for a website if it fails to meet his expectations, even though it would have ranked high in search results.

A majority of web searchers prefer using multiple keywords to find their choice of websites.

Piecing facts together, what emerges is search enginesก popularity is on the rise (if not usefulness; but thatกs a different story). And so too searchersก preference to use multiple keywords to find their choice of websites.

The way forward

If convinced that keywords are lifeline of your web venture, next comes planning your keyword targeting strategy. The web is now a global phenomenon, and the potential market is no longer confined to a single location or country. That being so, a prudent approach would be to know what would people of other regions/countries look for in search engines if they want to view your site. Fortunately, there are ways to find that out.

To begin with, start querying yourself, your colleagues, friends, relatives and others as to what searchterms would aptly describe your website. Collect thereby a hundred or so keyphrases. Next, arrange at least two brainstorming sessions, spaced over a few days, in which to participate all who suggested those keyphrases. The aim will be to closely watch relative importance of keyphrases chosen and then trim the list by half, leaving out those that appear less important.

Scott Buresh in the article *Search Engine Keyphrases And The Power Of The Modifier* [ http://www.webpronews.com/ebusiness/seo/wpn420040206SearchEngineKeyphrasesandthePoweroftheModifier.html ] suggests using descriptive adjectives, nouns and other suitable modifiers to appeal to wide crosssection of search traffic. And Jaydeกs *Keyword Selection* [ http://www.jayde.com/set/keyword.html ] process lays down certain ground rules in order to bring in more relevancy in your keyword selection exercise.

Work out your keywords

Once your initial keyphrases are ready, comes the most important step. Take help of one or more keyword tools. With a good keyword tool, you can กweighก relevance of each of your keyphrases with actual searchterms used. In fact the keyword tool will itself suggest many other popular keyphrases, relevant to your keyphrases, some of which you wouldn’t probably have thought of. Since the keyword tools keep track of virtually all searches made on major search engines worldwide, feel assured that youกll get the most relevant searchterms used by aggregate viewers.

Finally, armed with keyword toolsก suggestions, youกll be ready to further prune the big list to something you feel comfortable using. Perhaps another group discussion might help to thrash out a shorter list. Remember, it is better not to use more than 4 to 5 keyphrases in one webpage, lest the *weight* per keyword (keyword density) becomes thin and not sufficient to attract search enginesก preferred attention.

At this stage, if necessary, take assistance of qualified SEO specialist or content writer to appropriately configure your webpages with selected keyphrases. Be aware that like keyword selection, keyword placement too is equally important, if not more. According to Robin Nobles [ >http://www.seonews.com/archives/2004/jan/29.html ], search engines like Google is known to pull *snippets* from any one or combination of 9 different areas of webpages in response to search queries.

Keyword tools

Keywords tools come in different hues for different applications. The most important of course are keyword selection tools. My first choice is Wordtracker [ http://www.wordtracker.com/ ], which offers free trial to get a feel of how it operates. Their paid service opens up exciting ways of *discovering* your keywords. While Wordtrackersก is a doityourself service, SEO Research Labsก [ http://www.seoresearchlabs.com/ ] is a package offer for what they say *Keyword Research for Bottom Line Results*. Another fine tool is Web CEOกs กKeyword Popularity Researchก, which is offered as a part of Web CEO Suite [ http://www.webceo.com/pricing.htm ].

Among other keyword selection tools, Good Keywordsก [ http://www.goodkeywords.com/products/gkw/ ] is a free software from Softnik Technologies that queries several search engines to enable you find your best choices. Yet other popular sources are Overture Inventory [ http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/ ], Google AdWord Keyword Suggestions [ https://adwords.google.com/select/main?cmd=KeywordSandbox ], 7Search [ http://conversion.7search.com/scripts/advertisertools/keywordsuggestion.aspx ], etc. GlobalPromoter [ http://www.globalpromoter.com/keyword_suggestion_tool.cfm ] too, among many others, provides free searching of Overture network for your keywords.

Some other useful keywordrelated tools and resources are given below:

Marketleapกs keyword verification in search results [ http://www.marketleap.com/verify/ ]

KeywordStats toolbar [ http://www.keywordstats.com/ ]

Webjectivesก Keyword Density Analyzer [ http://www.webjectives.com/keyword.htm ]

For more resources concerning keyword research and many other web promotion topics, consider owning writerกs ebook, *Sure Web Success with 1001+ Top Web Promote Links* [ http://www.ezypost.com/eb/top_web_promote_links.htm ].

Summing up

As with any setup where thereกs a close and constant interaction with visitors, it is necessary to keep your website in topshape, relevant, interesting and inviting. Keyword research is a vital part of website management and a continuous process. Itกs worth staying glued to happenings around, and keeping track of keywordusage pattern from your weblogs. For, who knows where you stand tomorrow in search results for your chosen keywords!

About The Author

For more information on keyword planning and also other web promotion resources, consider owning Partha Bhattacharyaกs highly informative ebook, Sure Web Success with 1001+ Top Web Promote Links [ http://www.ezypost.com/eb/top_web_promote_links.htm ], that bridges gap between possibility and certainty of your web success. Parthaกs website, EzyPost, also offers nicelydesigned ready templates [ http://www.ezypost.com/web_templates/website_templates_1plus/1plus_1.htm ] for websites.

This article was posted on February 14, 2004

by Partha Bhattacharya

Email Etiquette II

Email Etiquette II

by: Kathie M. Thomas

I had great feedback from my last article, and was asked to write further on the subject; hence my title.

This month Iกll share on Email Etiquette in discussion groups. For those who are not yet aware, on the Internet there are hundreds of thousands of discussion groups available in any topic imaginable. The most popular group systems used are YahooGroups.com, Topica.com and SmartGroups.com but there are others. Some web owners set up their own private groups too, via their website.

The idea behind these groups is that someone starts up or moderates a topic and people become members (at no cost) if they are interested. Some of these groups have closed memberships, i.e. you have to be involved in whatever that group is about and outsiders cannot join, whilst other groups are open to all and sundry.

With the whole world being open to membership for these groups cultural differences need to be considered and it is possible to easily upset a member and suddenly you have a heated argument with many others getting involved and the original meaning and context completely shoved aside! Iกve seen this happen in groups and itกs a shame, as it often just takes a little thought and consideration to realise that perhaps the writer didn’t fully understand the language, or hadn’t actually meant what may have sounded rather rude. There have been times when someone has written something I thought was offensive or wrong and rather than emailing back to the list via the group email address, I have chosen to email the writer direct instead. A much better way to handle a misunderstanding.

A good rule when handling/writing email for group discussions read through it first and then check which address it is going to, before clicking กSendก.

The suggestion last month about using signature blocks really applies in this situation how will people know who you are, or where you come from if you only sign off as กKathieก?

Another suggestion trim the message before sending it back to the group. What I mean by this is do not leave all the original discussion and replies at the tail end as this is unnecessary and makes it inconvenient for those who have chosen to receive a daily digest of messages (they keep reading the same things over and over otherwise) and difficult for those who are on limited bandwidth for email. But don’t delete the whole previous message if you are responding to something, or adding to the discussion. There are often multiple discussions going on and it could prove difficult for the reader to understand what you’re saying, and in what context, if the whole previous message is deleted from your response. I have at times read something posted to a group and thought กhuh?ก There is a happy medium here.

Discussion groups give you an opportunity to learn from others and share ideas, but more than that, it allows you to make friends on a global scale, and then the world really does seem to become smaller. And, if you are really knowledgeable in your field, it also helps enforce this to others and before you know it, you become a respected member that others seek to learn from and perhaps be mentored by. What a privilege that can be!

One word of warning belonging to multiple groups can become time consuming and addictive! You could find yourself spending more time reading and responding to messages than getting your work done. So, if you work virtually like I, and my team do, that can become a real danger to your business. As in all things, moderation is the key, and you stand to learn many things and make lots of friends.

About The Author

Article reprinted by permission Kathie M. Thomas, Founder กA Claytonกs Secretaryก. Kathie is a multiple award winner in her industry as a Secretary and Virtual Business Operator, and has 30 yearsก experience in the secretarial/ administrative field. www.asecretary.com.au

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 09, 2004

by Kathie M. Thomas

Is Expired Domain Registration Still Profiotable?

Is Expired Domain Registration Still Profiotable?

by: Stanley Spencer

After the dot com crash, expired domain names and expired domain name traffic have been a source of potential income. It is important to inexpensively obtain the automated tools required to track the thousands of domain name registration and abandoned websites that are removed from the domain registry and become available for purchase.

Expired domain registration and the expired domain name traffic associated with them have been only available to those who had an automated system and tools.

Now, automated tools and resources are available for identifying, appraising and even buying these domain names on autopilot.

Expired domain names are those that had previously been registered to another owner. These domain name registration are available to the open market because of nonpayment of the domain name renewal fees. Such domain names are returned to the open market about fortyfive days after the expiration date.

Many domain names even point to fully functioning websites while many are registered for speculation. These names are registered by speculators in the hope of obtaining a profit on the resale of the domain name.

Numerous other domain names are registered for website development, but do not appear online. In a number of these cases, the domain name owners do not follow through with respect to the website development and allow the domain registration to expire.

However, there are a number of expired domain names with fully functioning websites, receiving daily traffic from the search engines, links and banner ads. The expired domain names that get this daily traffic can earn revenues if these are redirected to another website or marketed with affiliate programs.

Earning Profit from Expired Domain Names & Expired Domain Name Traffic:

1. Buying for speculation There is now a large and highly profitable market for reselling domain registration at present, and speculators are looking out for developing technologies and trends. Evolution is constantly taking place in technology and trends. There are markets, being watched closely right now, that are expected to grow exponentially within a short span of time. It should be a good idea to locate and register expiring domain registration that are related to new trends, technology and markets in order to earn substantial profits.

2. Buying expiring domain names and redirecting the targeted traffic Targeted keyword domain names can help to get traffic from those simply typing in keyword rich domain names into the address bar and hitting the enter key.

3. Buying expired domain name registration and putting up generic websites Using tools like easy website building software, third party payment processors, auto responders and other applications, even a novice could put generic websites online with keyword rich domain names that should appear in the search engine rankings. These websites can be built using expired domain names to drive traffic to them and the domain registration and the developed website could then be sold together with the domain name, as a value added commodity.

4. Buying expiring domain names of websites that are already online – A number of expiring domain names are, actually, already functioning websites. The owners of these websites either did not renew their domain registration for some reason or simply stopped operating the website. In fact, quite often, these websites already have traffic from links to other websites, search engine rankings and even directory listings.

5. Buying expired domain names and using them for marketing affiliate programs Affiliate programs are a good way to acquire an online business without even having a product. Affiliate marketers redirect traffic from the affiliate website to the website of the actual product or service and charge a commission or a fee when any of the redirected traffic results in sales. Affiliate programs have become an automated turnkey solution for a number of entrepreneurs, especially novices.

One can locate and register expired domain names that closely target the market of the affiliate programs and then draw that targeted traffic into the website with expired keyword rich domain names with content that satisfies the informational needs. Then the users can be led onto the sales page of the product.

About The Author

Stanley Spencer

Copyright © ActiveDomain.com (http://www.activedomain.com). All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted freely provided the resource box, Web addresses and copyright information remain intact.

This article was posted on September 13

by Stanley Spencer