One of the first questions I'm almost always asked is why I prefer blogs over old-style static (conventional) web sites? Potential clients especially want to know "What's in it for me?". To answer any of these questions, I think you really have to stand back and take a look at how the Internet has been changing over the years. Initially, web sites were a venue where information was displayed. You'd get a web developer (or even a designer), to create the code for your site, the content would be included and the site launched. It was a static environment, meaning the content was not changing. From time to time, a site would be redesigned and relaunched. In essence, these types of static sites were an online brochure. We can call them "static information sites". They were appealing for a few reasons, among them: They were cheaper than print media. A large audience was reached. Customized branding on the Internet, helped with marketing initiatives. These static informational sites were coded in a way where the code and the content were combined. This made it more difficult to exchange data. To illustrate this, and how the webscape has changed, please see the video below: As is evident in ...

One of the most common things I'm asked by new blog owners is "What do I do, what now?" It seems that much of this is borne out of the old fashioned concept that a web site is akin to an online version of your brochure. Think about this for a moment... Many of us have web sites that host page after page of static content (that is, content which never changes), yet we never give a thought that there's no incentive to revisit the site after the reader has seen it. (After all that would be like watching the same television program again, and again... It gets old and boring). So it seems when many of us move to blogging type sites, it's sometimes hard to mentally leap the barrier of "static" to dynamic (dynamic meaning content that changes). Blogs are something that engages your readers, they (blogs) facilitate two way communication between you and your readers (who, for business operators, are potential clients). All to often I notice new blog owners place some content on the blog and then sit and wait for traffic. Invariably I often get a message or phone call asking what can be done as ...

I found a great video on YouTube, which in essence suggests reasons why static web pages are less effective than dynamic content. It visually explains why digital text (dynamic content - such as blogs) are among the tools best able to meet the needs of information exchange. How the web is no longer a static environment. Instead any successful web site needs to participate in the ever increasing social and data exchange aspects of promotion and traffic building (Web 2). It shows us how the technology has changed and evolved. Think your static web site is effectively representing your business and encouraging visitors? After this video, you may want to rethink your online strategy and business promotion. After all, a static web site is simply a brochure - Not too effective in building your business. The first time I saw this video, I learned a fair bit and did sit down and significantly updated my online presence and marketing strategy plans. As a side note: One thing I found interesting is that previously assumed analytics suggested that older people are not Internet savvy. This is something I've heard from more than one client. Personally I don't believe it as I know people over 80 ...

Most business owners are well aware of the role SEO (Search Engine Optimization) plays in promoting their web site. That's actually the number one issue raised by every single client I've ever had. They all want to rank high in Google. Some are so focused on SEO, to the exclusion of more effective site promotion tools, that they actually do their site harm! But they all want traffic... Given the lure of increasing traffic to your web site and the inherent increase in revenue that traffic can bring, it's no wonder how this seems the priority focus when attempting to increase traffic (and revenue leads). SEO is but one aspect that can benefit any business, there are incredible tools to this effect, one of the most beneficial is to use a blog. Side note: Don't know what a blog is? Then, you might be interested in my earlier post "What is Blogging? What's a Blog". That post also has a short video showing how a blog performs. In another earlier post on this blog (Quality Content is Not "the" Key to a Blog Success), I suggested focusing on the intangible elements to help further increase traffic. It may logically follow therefore, that one ...

Whenever I present a seminar at the local business centre, one of the first questions I’m asked are what a blog is. Such questions are commonly asked by new business owners who are not as web savvy as they’d like to be. After all, they are experts in their own industries, not in blogging or Internet content dissemination systems in general. I received a few email messages from friends this morning, after I told them about a new blog launch. To answer such a question, I could dive into the technical aspects (I’m a certified Network Engineer MCSE among others), as much as the practical aspects (that would perhaps, make more sense to the business owner). While googling does provide a lot of definitions, I’m not really sure that they grasp the meat and potatoes of blogging. To define a blog in its simplest terms: A blog empowers a business to reach a wider audience and continue a conversation with them, by providing readers with in demand, quality, syndicated content. Blogs are beneficial in that they allow business owners to add content to their blogs as needed, without requiring the services of a web site developer or designer (to update the content). ...