Archive for September, 2008

Using Your Web Site Traffic Stats to Your Advantage

September 30th, 2008 by icontact | No Comments | Filed in E-Commerce

Researching your web site traffic stats can be invaluable for several reasons but you need to understand how to analyze them to get the most out of them.

Your web hosting company should provide you with some form of web site traffic information, or you might prefer to use Google Analytics which is very user-friendly. The data you get from your hosting company’s numbers can be overwhelming to interpret, with Google’s being somewhat easier, but if you don’t understand how to use it in relation to your particular business and web site – it is useless data.

Start by looking at the average number of visitors to your site on a daily, weekly, and monthly rate. It would at first glance seem that the more traffic you see listed the better your web site is doing, but this is an inaccurate observation. You also need to look at the behavior of your visitors once they come to your web site to correctly gauge how effective your site really is at leading and converting visitors.

In the old days of web site traffic analysis people used to talk about “hits” all the time. Hits are not a good way to assess whether your web site is well visited and this is why: If your home page has twenty images on it your server will show you having twenty hits. But in reality those twenty hits are just a single visitor looking at one page on your site. So, assume hits are not useful when analyzing your website traffic.

Another thing to take into account is that increased web site traffic means your data will be more accurate, as a lower number of visitors can easily skew your data so you can misrepresent your analysis.

Web site traffic stats can help you to see which parts of your web site are working and which are not. You will easily be able to see which pages people are using to exit away from your site. Some of your site’s pages may be causing people to leave prematurely without leaving through your designated exit pages. You can also see which pages are successful and if they are not the ones with your sales copy on them, move your text to those pages to help improve your sales.

If your exit pages are never being used, with visitors leaving before reaching them, you need to fully analyze all the pages on your site to see what links people are following when they leave. You may find that you haven’t successfully laid out a trail for visitors to follow which takes them to where you can close the sale and they make a purchase.

In closing, web site traffic statistics reveal crucial information about your site’s ability to turn visitors into customers which is important information for any successful Internet marketing campaign.

Fran Jeanes is an internet consultant for icontactwebdesign.com who writes about internet marketing for the small business web design company based in Davidson, North Carolina.

How To Set Up Secure Download Delivery For Your Digital Products

September 30th, 2008 by jonhook | No Comments | Filed in E-Commerce

Many people who sell digital products online are aware of the danger involved in doing so. Without using a proper payment processing and delivery service, they leave themselves open to theft of their downloads. It really is in an entrepreneur’s best interest to utilize a secure means of collecting purchase money and to deliver product. A few sites for this part of doing business are 1ShoppingCart, e-Junkie and PayPal IPN. They’re good examples of Secure Download Delivery services.

1ShoppingCart and e-Junkie

These two companies offer real time transactions and storage without having to download anything to your computer. Your server receives instant notification when a purchase of your product is made. Upon verification from your server back to the payment processing company, the customer receives the product. Both companies enable you to accept credit card payments. If you enroll in the right account, all of your back end activities, such as affiliate commissions, can be automatically taken care of as well.

The downside to these and other similar services is that there are recurring monthly fees to pay. Some can be pretty steep for a full, top-end service that takes care of Secure Download Delivery and the handling all of your back end tasks. Also, if your server is down, your sale won’t go through.

PayPal IPN

PayPal’s Instant Payment Notification is a good payment processing and secure digital delivery service that also offers all the features you’re likely to need or want, same as above. Since PayPal is known the world over, you have the added bonus of using a program that your customers are sure to know and trust. Unlike the first two payment processors mentioned, there are NO monthly fees. Also, if your server is down, PayPal IPN will try you again later – no missed sales.

The only real downside to using PayPal IPN is the installation. If you have a computer programming background, you’ll probably be fine. If not, you’d be well advised to purchase a user-friendly desktop application to implement the code for you. If you get the coding wrong, you are at high risk of not receiving payments. It’s crucial to get it right, so check out some secure software help. The program deals with the code and files, you just need to upload them to your web hosting site.

Secure Download Delivery doesn’t happen by itself. Business owners need to be proactive and vigilant to avoid incorrect set ups and unscrupulous people. It can’t be stressed enough that you must ensure that you get the coding set up and installed properly for optimum protection, and sales that go through without a hitch.

Jonathan Hook helps website owners automate their digital product delivery and increase the security of their downloads with a unique piece of software at www.minisite-sales-system.com

How To Start Saving Early And Make Your Money Work

September 26th, 2008 by vanko | No Comments | Filed in Financial Planning

As is the wont with almost all of us we always put off decisions related to money for a later date especially when it comes to money. The most common theory is that we need money for current needs and we have no money to save.

Let me try to explain this in a different manner. Each year you get a salary hike but even then we do not have enough money for saving because we expand our needs accordingly. If you get a bigger pay hike we go on and buy a big car or a big house or an expensive carpet instead that extra money could have gone for a big retirement corpus.

It is this spending dilemma that we deal with which causes us to not have enough money in our saving accounts. The more money you have in your savings accounts or retirement accounts the more you will make year or year on that money. This is literally the basis of making your money work for you.

The single most important tip that you need to take is to have an automatic electronic transfer of money from your salary account into your special savings account a day after your salary hits you account. That way you will have absolutely no way to touch that money and you will be able to save that on autopilot. Think about it as having that hidden away from you for good.

Then the next thing that you need to do is to go to a financial planner and make sure that you get your priorities and accounts in order. That way you have absolute grasp about finances and the best avenues available o invest. In fact if you do not intend to delve into these let you financial planner help with that. This will go far in terms of setting up the accounts and other financial instruments in order for maximizing the return potential of the money.

The other common sense thing to do is to have a plan in mind for your future. That plan should include a goal about the financial safety of your children or buying a house as an investment. With a goal in mind you will be all set to achieve with a written down plan of action. This goal will help you reduce your money spending habits.

The more money in the bank and for more time the more it will earn for you in the future.

The author is stock enthusiast who advocates stock market investments for beginners and has written extensively on stock market for beginners buying tips.

Finding a Partner for Your Financial Management

September 26th, 2008 by chiron99 | No Comments | Filed in Financial Planning

Choosing to partner with a bank to reach your financial goals is no decision to make lightly. Some stick with the same bank for years not because the bank offers competitive terms, but out of habit. Making an informed decision requires some research. After all, what may be at risk is the ability to reach one’s monetary objectives as well as peace of mind.

To begin, decide on bank service priorities. Do you need a savings account? Is the ability to invest through the bank important? Perhaps desired services will include retirement planning or trust management. For those looking to conduct business banking, details on small business loans and lines of credit may be a consideration. Compose a list of needed services. The list will help direct your research of banks, both locally as well as online. Visiting a particular website may help clarify the bank’s services and products and whether they are a good fit for your needs.

Identify branches located nearby. Accessibility will probably be a large consideration, unless you are looking specifically for an online bank. Choose banks near home or work with plentiful ATMs located conveniently to places you frequent. With the cost of gas these days, finding a bank close by will cut down on drive time. On the other hand, online banking is a very attractive feature as it gives account holders online access to their accounts 24/7. The only thing to be aware of when opening an account with an online bank is that deposits may take a day or two to clear before the funds are available.

Examine the fees for services used often. Perhaps you use checks to pay bills or conduct transactions online. Make sure to compare these fees as some banks will offer plans that cover a group of services. Another route is to monitor monthly statements to gain a better idea of transaction patterns and then seek a plan to complement that.

Don’t be afraid to speak to a bank representative to gain a better idea of how the bank’s services will fit with your needs. She The bank representative will be happy to take the time to explore a potential financial partnership and answer any questions you may have. This will also provide potential clients with a real sense of the bank’s approach to customer service.

In this day and age, it’s vital to find a bank with identity theft prevention tips and security measures in place. Especially when it comes to online banking, it’s a bank’s priority to educate clients about how they can protect themselves from ID theft. Good banks are not in reactionary mode to these sorts of crime. They are taking full advantage of security measures to prevent it.

Most people want not only a bank that offers layers of security, but also one with a solid reputation. This comes in the form of name recognition with high ratings and easy access. These banks are established regionally or nationally and provide access both close to, and far from, home.

After deciding on which bank to do business with, establish a relationship with its representatives. Take the time to make yourself known to bank employees. Expressing appreciation for good service is always welcome and opens the lines of communication when problems arise.

Sometimes things don’t go as planned. While your bank should strive to exceed customer expectations, there are occasions where it may fall a little short. Give bank representatives the opportunity to right any wrongs. Be willing to work through a problem with them. Negotiate better terms if needed. A bank that views you as a long-term client will work hard to keep the business. View these challenges as a way for both parties to build the partnership – a worthwhile effort over time.

AmericanMomentumBank.com provides a wide array of personal banking and business banking options and banking solutions tailored to your individual needs. For more information, please visit AmericanMomentumBank.com.

How To Build An Effective Retirement Cushion

September 26th, 2008 by vanko | No Comments | Filed in Financial Planning

Money is almost everything we need to live and survive in this world. In our working life we get the money form working and we spend it merrily without worrying about the future when the money will not be flowing in every month rather it will be in a limited or no supply. Retirement is that future where you continue to live but in effect have no money coming in every month as a paycheck into your salary account.

That said very few percentage of people generally keep tab on the nest egg they are building for the future. In fact most people never really care about building a nest egg for the future till the time has come onto them in near reality.

When the retirement is looming large it is too late to actually start the process of building that sustainable cushion of money to survive through your old age. The reason is simple enough that the money will only grow if it is multiplied over and over again.

This multiplication of money is called the compounding effect of money. This compounding effect makes a profound effect on the amount of money you can generate by the already earned money. Each year the interest you earn on the money will gain yield interest for you and that means earning money without working on that money. Of course the money corpus will only grow if the money you have in the bank is kept for a longer period of time and that is a couple of years as opposed to a coupe of months.

It is precisely the same reason that people say that you should start thinking about your retirement the moment you start working. That is probably the bets time to save money as you have no liabilities and also if the compounding effect was applied on that money you would have built a far higher corpus.

The reason for the investing early is that you would have saved money for 35 years assuming your working life was 35 years as opposed to you start saving when you have only 5 years to retire. That is actually too little time for the huge amount of money to be saved to sustain the same standard of living as you are used in your working life.

Some one once said that saving money is like earning money and that in its real core is a true statement if you apply to the retirement situation.

The author dabbles in shares and suggests special stock market for beginners lessons for playing in the stock market. He also says that there is absolutely no stock market beginners knowledge to begin in the share trading arena.

7 Benefits Of Owning A Computer Work At Home Job

September 25th, 2008 by vanko | No Comments | Filed in E-Commerce

Computer work at home jobs are growing in numbers. Some cost very little to start-up and others are completly free to start. But regardless of what type of computer work at home business you run there are many benefits.

1. Decreased start-up time:

A computer work at home business takes only about 3 months to start-up and become successful with. To do that offline you would need a degree in marketing and a lot of connections. You could sign up for many of the programs offered today and start earning money within 48 hours.

2. Lower start up costs:

The average computer work at home job only costs about $48.00. And there are many franchises that cost well below those of offline ones. Many work at home jobs are free to start and have a low ongoing maintenance cost. This makes it easy for virtually anyone to get into the computer work at home game.

3. Find your passion:

Not everyone knows what they want to do. But doing a computer work at home job lets you find out easier and faster. You can test and try out several different jobs in different niches to find out what type of work you enjoy best. I know a several people who credit their online jobs for helping find their passion.

4. Learn to become a leader:

The internet is great for finding resources to further your career online or off. Youll soon realize once you begin a computer work at home job that there are a ton of people out there who have wisdom worth seeking, and they are more than willing to offer you advice and tips for free to help you become a leader in your industry. One thing about internet marketers, as competitive as they may be, they love to help others.

5. More money:

Having a shop open 24/7 means you never have to lose out on sales. While your sleeping, on vacation, or even at another job, your computer work at home job is at work. There are so many methods of generating an income online that one can quickly find themselves earning a substantial amount of money without burning the midnight oil.

6. Shorter work days:

The average work day for someone who owns a computer work at home business is about 6 hours. Thats two hours less than working offline. Not to mention with no commuting time that is another hour to spare.

7. Pursue other interests:

You can devote all the time youre saving to other things you love. I love knowing that while my friends are hard at work at their jobs, I can take a walk in park, catch a movie or finish that book I started, because Im not on anyones clock. I work when I want for as long as I want. As long as I get my work done, I dont mind spending some of my day doing other things that I enjoy.

The list can go on. But the point is, owning a computer work at home business is great.

Jeff Casmer is a leading legitimate work at home expert and is a work from home business owner. His “Top Ranked” Computer Work at Home Job Directory gives you all the information you need to Work at Home in the 21st century.

Achieving Online Business Success by Crashing Through Your Roadblocks

September 22nd, 2008 by jimmyvanilla | No Comments | Filed in E-Commerce

WHether we know it or not there is something standing in our way to online business success. It is the same in any business really. We work and work and work until our wives and families and friends start complaining. We might even be wondering about our own sanity in putting in such long hours. But ‘it will be worth it when my online business take off’.

How many times have you said that. But seriously. If you are putting in so many hours, spent so much money and planned and prepared everything down to the last tiny detail, why isnt’ much happening?

The problem is that something is standing in your way. There is some kind of roadblock that you or your business has blocking you from achieving your online business success. And it really doesn’t matter how hard you work or how much you spend or how much you know if you don’t identify what the one obstacle is.

Let me give you a personal example.

I have often thought that my online business success would come when I found more time to commit to it, or if I had more money to spend. I’ve always had a lot of knowledge about the industry that I’m in and haven’t been short of ideas (if anything I’ve had too many). But I work full-time and have a young family, so time and money are in pretty short supply for investing in my online business. The real problem, though, has been that this hasn’t been my real problem.

You see my real problem is actually that I struggle with distraction and while I have a lot of plans I just don’t stick to them. For example, when I log on to my PC the first thing that I usually do is read my emails. I guess that’s pretty normal for everyone. The problem is that while reading emails I am so prone to clicking on the links in them that I end up spending hours surfing around the internet before I actually get down to my own online business.

When I realised this I put a strategy into place to overcome it. It was very simple really. I wrote out a checklist of things that I needed to do each day at a minimum to keep my business going. Then I made sure I did these things before opening my email or surfing the web. The results have been so instant and encouraging that I am honestly shocked!

You see there is something that is keeping your online business from achieving more success and it is something simple and straightforward, but you probably can’t see it – otherwise you would have fixed it by now.

Take a minute and ask some honest questions of yourself or ask someone else to do it for you, particularly if you know someone or have a mentor who won’t let you lie to them. Then plan a course of movement that will take you crashing right through your roadblock.

Here’s to your online business success!

James Finnila is a successful online business owner and eBay seller. To find out how to make money on eBay to boost your online business success visit http://www.ebaysuperselling.com today.

Teaching Children To Save Money – 7 Simple Tips

September 22nd, 2008 by zallred | No Comments | Filed in Financial Planning

Teaching children to save money starting when they are small is easy. Every child learns very quickly that money buys things they want. They already know the value of money, money concepts are taught in school, and the basic mathematics involved. Here a 7 simple tips to help you get them saving and investing.

1. 3 things to do with money. They can let it sit in their wallets and purses, spend it, or save it and watch it multiply. Drive to different parts of your city with your children and point out different living conditions. Some spend everything and never get ahead. Others let their money sit idle and it never increases. But the wealthy know how to spend what they need and then save and invest the rest.

2. Help your children set goals. Ask your children what they want when they grow up? Every child wants to be someone like a doctor or a fireman but what do they want? How do they want to live? Do they want to be poor or rich? Help them set some goals early and explain that proper saving and investing is a huge part of getting what they want.

3. Help put goals into action. Develop a rough financial plan with them. This is great fun and you will learn a lot by teaching them. If you have a financial planner you could introduce them to your children. This will help your kids see that saving and investing is serious business.

4. Be frugal. If you have not already, read the book “Millionaire Next Door.” This really opened my eyes to the world of the rich. People become rich through saving and investing wisely, not by earning a great deal of money. The typical millionaire in America has appreciated assets from years of careful investing and saving. Show your children how a frugal budget allows you to save more.

5. Open savings accounts early. Take your children to the bank as soon as they understand basic money principles. Open savings accounts in their names and go over the statements with them as they come.

6. Give your children choices. A big birthday party, for example, is expensive. What if your children would be just as happy with cake, ice cream and some games with their friends? Say something like, “A big party like we had last year cost $200.00. What if I put $185.00 in your savings account and just spent $15.00 this year?” Some of your children will still want the big party but you might be surprised to learn that some will be listening to you and will choose the savings option.

7. Time deposits. Since your children will not be touching the money anytime soon, take advantage of time deposits for higher interest. This will give the savings a boost and help you in teaching children to save money.

Teaching children to save money should be fun. Let them know this is for their future because you love them. You will enjoy this time together.

Get a free e book on parenting by visiting Zacharias Allred’s web site about teaching children. You can also click on teaching children about money to read other free articles.