Friday, January 29, 2010

Which is Better - A Free or Paid Directory?

Depending on what specific needs a company may have will determine whether free or paid directory listings will help their success. This is a very common debate between Search Engine Optimization (SEO) professionals for some time now. There was worry about free website hosting versus paid web hosting, and fuss over free e-mail versus paid.

Available Free Directories

Dmoz.com
Pegsausdirectory.com
Somuch.com
Webworldindex.com
Linkcentre.com

Available Paid Directories

Yahoo Directory
Business.com
Best of the Web (BOTW)
GoGuides.org
Aviva Directory

A directory specializes in linking to other websites and categorizing those links. Directories are not classified as search engines and do not display lists of web pages based on keywords. Instead, it lists websites by category and subcategory.

Many believe that free directories have a higher advantage and equate to better quality sites over paid directories. In actuality, a lot of free directories are very strict about the listings that are included in their results. Paid directories can be just as negligent about the review process as any other directory.

Major Online Directories Available to Businesses

Yahoo Directory – dir.yahoo.com
SearchSight – www.searchsight.com
Open Directory Project – www.dmoz.org
Google Directory – directory.google.com

Whether you use paid or free directory listings should not depend on cost alone. What matters the most is how relevant the directory is to your website. The next consideration should be the quality of the sites that are listed in the directory. If the chosen directory is full of outdated sites, spam sites, or mis-categorized sites, it’s probably not the best choice of places to list your website.

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Pay Attention to Idle Pages

Websites that have been around for awhile tend to lose their online appeal. Over a period of time, a company should know which pages attract the most visitors and which pages have the least visitors. First thought is to delete the unused pages or to simply stop updated them, but this is not always the best alternative. Instead of removing or neglecting these idle pages, it is best to make sure that other popular pages have clear road signs that tell visitors what the unused ones are all about. Also, think about merging the information on idle pages with information from another page.

Techniques to Gain More Visitors to Idle Pages

Get your site indexed in search engines and online directories
Create an opt-in list through email marketing
Posts articles online (Article Marketing)
Pay-Per-Click
Be Patient – continue to apply different methods in order to see results!

A company should update a website’s content as often as possible in order for a page’s success. Do not write content just for the sake of writing content. It is best to add at least one paragraph of new subject matter every week to the idle pages. Doing so will show visitors that you are staying current and take pride in providing them with information. Not updating regularly will more than likely make it harder for them to even remember your page name.

If possible, companies should allow their visitors to interact with the words provided. So, include links and other interactive elements in text for idle pages.

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Blog Platforms 101

Blogs are very important when dealing with Search Engine Optimization. They are highly effective tools in which can enhance SEO strategies in a variety of ways over a long period of time. A company should consider working with bloggers as well as maintaining a few blogs their selves.

Search Engine Optimization is defined as the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via natural or un-paid search results.

According to Search Engine Optimization professionals, blog platforms are built for search. Even though names, written content, tags, and links are all vital, these blog platforms have lots of optimization advantages baked into them from the start.

Many commercial websites are beginning to take advantage of available blog platforms rather than building their own web properties – which are content management platforms.

In essence, all blogging software packages are simple content management systems (CMS).

Below are a few comparisons between blogs and a content management system:

URL structures are more simple and search-friendly
Most blogs are frequently updated
Blog posts are usually text-rich and link-rich
Blogs contain minimum HTML code to trip up search engine spiders and crawlers
Blogs naturally encourage linking
Blog platform make it easy to add new pages

Following are some ways in which blogs should be part of a company’s Search Engine Optimization strategy (provided by The Truth about Search Engine Optimization by Rebecca Lieb):

Inbound links
Internal links
RSS (Rich Site Summary)
Frequent Updates
Keywords
Structured Content
Community

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

MSN/Live Search SEO Tips

MSN/Live Search is one of the top search engines on the World Wide Web, as well as Google and Yahoo. These are the major search engines in which most websites strive to reach. They tend to put a lot of time and energy in their Search Engine Optimization in order to receive high ranking results.

A search engine is defined as software that uses applications to collect information about websites. The information normally collected consists of phrases or keywords. These two are likely indicators of what is contained on the website, links into and out of the page, the URL, and the code that makes up a page. All of this information is then cataloged and stored into a database.

MSN/Live Search’s SEO Tips

How can I improve my search results?

Make sure that you spell search words correctly.
Use words that you would expect to find in the websites that you're looking for.
Search for exact phrases by placing the search words within quotation marks. For example "Charlotte Web Design".
Vary your search terms. A different word or phrase will return different search results.

Additional notes to be aware of:

Basic searches aren't case sensitive.
Common words, such as a, and, and they are ignored unless you use quotation marks around them. For example, "a" car "and" car, or "the" car.
If your search includes a date, type the name of the month instead of the calendar number.
You don't have to type the word AND between your search words. By default, all searches are AND (A search keyword that you can use to find results that contain all the search terms you specify) searches.
You can type up to 150 characters, including spaces, in the search box.

To view more information about optimizing pages for submission to MSN/Live Search, visit search.msn.com/docs

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Monday, January 25, 2010

Charlotte Web Design - Keyword Placement

Keyword placement is very vital during a business’ Search Engine Optimization endeavors. Where you decide to place selected keywords and phrases is going to depend on the market in which you are targeting and the search engine that will be ranking your pages.

Trying to come up with the perfect combination of keywords and phrases to drive in traffic to your site is one of the biggest challenges of SEO. It is not something that you just jump into one day and then expect to be successful. It’s better to start off slow and build your way to greater success.

CODANK Keyword Tips:

Create a keyword list
Combine and analyze the results
Pick your keywords and use them on your web site
Consult with a Search Engine Optimization specialist
Ask about keyword placement services
You should not use keywords repetitively for no apparent reason at all. For example, if you choose “Charlotte Web Design” for your phrase, do not do the following on your page:

Charlotte Web Design, Charlotte Web Design, Charlotte Web Design….and so on.

This is considered spam and can cost your page to be penalized and even banned from major search engines. There are also many tags within the HTML of your webpage that keywords can technically be used in. But, be careful because some search engines will penalize for keywords in certain tags as well.

As a general rule, keywords are typically placed within some or all of the following:

Title Tags
Description Tags
Keyword Tags
Heading Tags
Link Text
Alt Text
Site Maps
404 Pages
Domain Names
Page Names

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Friday, January 22, 2010

Guerrilla Marketing 101

Competition, whether it is direct or indirect, can cause a lot of businesses to spend an enormous amount of money every year. Many of their advertising efforts can be a waste of time and money. One form of marketing in which companies tend to overlook is called Guerrilla Marketing.

Guerrilla marketing is defined as an unconventional system of promotions that relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget.

Characteristics of Guerrilla Marketing

Unexpected
Unconventional
Potentially interactive
When a company chooses to use guerrilla marketing, they are hoping to reach their consumers in unexpected places. This type of marketing involves unusual approaches such as intercept encounters in public places, street giveaways of products, public relations stunts, and any other unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources.

Guerrilla marketing was coined and defined by Jay Conrad Levinson in his book Guerrilla Marketing. He believed that, "In order to sell a product or a service, a company must establish a relationship with the customer. It must build trust and support. It must understand the customer's needs, and it must provide a product that delivers the promised benefits."

Other marketing trends associated with Guerrilla Marketing (provided by Wikipedia.org) include:

Guerrilla marketing online — Guerrilla marketing on the Internet
Reverse Graffiti — clean pavement adverts
Viral marketing — through social networks
Presence marketing — marketing for being there
Grassroots marketing — tapping into the collective efforts of brand enthusiasts
Wild Posting Campaigns
Alternative marketing
Buzz marketing — word of mouth marketing
Undercover marketing — subtle product placement
Experiential marketing — interaction with product

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Thursday, January 21, 2010

A New Year, A New CODANK Charlotte Web Design

With the recent rise of Web Design companies in the Charlotte area, one company has worked very hard to stand out from the rest. Established in 2007, CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company has dedicated itself to delivering top-notch service to the surrounding area.

A commitment to outstanding Search Engine Marketing, Web Hosting, E-Commerce, and Internet Marketing - CODANK Charlotte Web Design Company offers superior web development portfolios for all of their clients.

Not all Internet companies are able to provide customers with visual efforts that shine through their websites. With the support of CODANK Charlotte Web Design, every client is presented with an impressive web design that conveys an effective user experience needed to draw in that desired traffic flow.

CODANK has grown into one of Charlotte’s most incomparable full-service companies within the last two and a half years. Ready to explore new ventures, CODANK is very excited about the New Year.
A brand new year means a brand new opportunity to provide our clients with exceptional work. In 2010, CODANK promises to continue transforming business strategies into tailored Internet solutions that meet every company’s marketing needs now and in the future.

During the New Year, CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company is excited to introduce our new customer portal – CMSenabled. This highly thought-out Content Management System is a user-friendly tool made specifically with CODANK clients in mind. CMSenabled will allow our customers to not only better communicate with us but also receive Search Engine Optimization updates, easily pay invoices, view project progressions and request necessary changes to their websites.

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Top Search Sites

Online visitors can search for websites at many places. There are literally thousands of sites that provide users with the capability to search the World Wide Web. Most searches are carried out at a small number of search sites.

Measurement of the world’s most popular search sites all depends on how you define popularity:

Total number of searches carried out at a site
Total number of visitors
Total number of hours visitors spends searching at the site
Percentage of site visitors (audience reach)

According to Search Engine Optimization for Dummies: 3rd Edition by Peter Kent, the following list identifies the world’s most popular search sites. The information is based on one month of searched conducted during August of 2007. The results were from approximately 8 billion searches according to a Nielsen/NetRatings study.

Google.com – 53.6% - Many people search the Google index; it also feeds numerous sites
Yahoo.com – 19.9% - A large important site
MSN.com – 12.9% - MSN Live Search creates its own index and gets many searches
AOL.com – 5.6% - AOL actually gets search results from Google and from the Open Directory Project
Ask.com – 1.7% - It has its own search engine and feeds some other systems
My Web Search – 0.9% - This system searches through other systems’ search indexes
BellSouth Search – 0.5% - Results come from Google; not recommended
Comcast Search – 0.4% - Again, results come from Google
My Way – 0.4% - Uses data from Ask.com; not recommended
SBC Yellow Pages Search – 0.4% - These results come from the Yellow Pages

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Social Media Tips

Social marketing is defined as a systematic application of marketing – along with other concepts and techniques – to achieve behavioral goals.

With social media steady on the rise, marketing professionals, as well as small business owners, are exploring new ways to use these popular social websites as channels for promotion.

Social Media websites include:

Facebook
MySpace
Twitter

Anyone can join the BlackBerry group on Facebook and receive messages of the latest BlackBerry version or even what new accessories are available. Businesses have been using MySpace for years to create custom pages for their own promotion. Each site gives you the opportunity to make new friends with current and potential customers in and around their target demographic.

Now that online marketers are learning the ins and outs of building a profile, growing their network and strategically updating their statuses, it is now time to begin advertising. Below are a few things a company should know about social media advertising.

Be sure to target the correct users with your message – it is important to place ads of relevance on sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Because majority of their users are young adults, products and services geared toward them would be fit for advertisement on the sites.

Understand your targeted social media channel – As stated above, by knowing who is using social media sites is very important to advertisers.

Advertisements should contain the present state of your business – Be sure to keep your advertisements updated with what is currently going on with your company. You don’t want to mislead your potential or current customers.

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Friday, January 15, 2010

Website Analyzers

As stated in a previous CODANK Charlotte Web Design blog, conducting a website analysis can be very beneficial to a site’s web presence. Keeping track of a site and also analyzing its statistics is a great way to discover which pages of the site are visited the most often.

There are numerous website analyzers available. Some focus on most downloaded files while others may focus on top entry pages or top paths through the site. Whatever the case may be, they all provide vital information for companies and their websites. Once a company gets a better understanding of their visitor’s behavior pattern, they can then focus on areas that need the most improvement.

CODANK Charlotte Web Design recommends the following web site analyzers:

Manvish e-Service’s Website Analyzer (www.manvish.com/eservices/seo/analyser.htm)

The Manvish e-Services’s Website Analyzer provides information on a website’s META tags, load time, overall size, keyword density, and much more. Follow the link above, enter your URL and e-mail address to begin the analysis.

Website Grader (www.websitegrader.com)

Website Grader is similar to Manvish e-Service’s Website Analyzer. An analysis of Metadata tags, headings, readability level, Google ranking, traffic rank, inbound links, and blog analysis are all included.

Website Grader also suggests that websites be registered with DMOZ Directory, Yahoo Directory, del.icio.us bookmarks, and Digg.com.

Increase Your Web Traffic in a Weekend by Jerry Lee Ford, Jr. and William R. Stanek suggests that companies should also investigate the website analyzers provided at Site Solutions (www.sitesolutions.com) and WebSiteOptimization.com (www.websiteoptimization.com/services/analyze).

The above analyzers are highly recommended. Webmasters or SEO professionals should take the time out to visit these sites and conduct an analysis for any website in which they work with.

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Popularity Reports

When a website decides to keep track and to analyze statistics, they are hoping to discover which pages of the sited are visited the most often. Many believe that the homepage has the most hits, but in actuality that isn’t always the case. In fact, an analysis might reveal that the most popular may be other pages on your website.

One report that is very useful is one that generates popular web pages. Names of these types of reports vary depending on which web traffic analysis tool you use. It is suggested to look for a report names something like Most Requested Pages or Most Popular Pages.

Another great report to look into is one that shows how much traffic each major area of your website receives. By using this type of report, a company can determine which pages or areas need additional attention versus which pages they may wish to further exploit by using viral and permission marketing techniques.

According to Increase Your Web Traffic in a Weekend by Jerry Lee Ford, Jr. and William R. Stanek, other types of reports that can tell a company about the popularity of their web pages include:

Most Downloaded Files
Most Downloaded File Types
Most Accessed Directories
Top Entry Pages
Top Exit Pages
Top Paths through the Site

The general reasoning behind generating all of these different types of reports is to gain an insight as to how people are visiting a website. Using this information often helps a company better understand what content their visitors appreciate the most and try to provide more of it.

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Charlotte Web Design: Low-Cost Advertising

The amount of money a company will spend varies from industry to industry. One business may have to spend millions while another company may not even break $1,000. Many prefer to go all out, with their competitors in mind. But, most new businesses will have to curb the amount they spend on pushing their products or services.

Advertising has many forms – newspaper, magazine, television, Internet, and so on. Each method has its pros and cons. What works for one company may not work for another. Advertising experts consider word-of-mouth to be the most effective form of advertisement. This technique is known as the process of passing information from person-to-person and is free of charge.

Below is a list of low-cost and no-cost advertising methods provided by Guide to Starting Your Own Business by Black Enterprise. These methods have proven to be very useful to small and large businesses.

Flyers – create an informative and creative flyer that can be noticed in a new restaurant or company bulletin board.
Business Cards – important marketing tool that reflects the image of your business.
Brochures – give you the opportunity to provide detailed information about your business and the products or services that you offer.
Yellow Pages – people use the Yellow Pages to locate law firms, web designers, hotels, boutiques – you name it.
Company Logo – if you have crafted an eye-catching logo or slogan, it is best to place it on all printed collateral – business card, flyers, and brochures.

No matter which method your company chooses, be sure to get the biggest bang for your buck. But, you should use the medium that will be most effective in reaching your target audience.

For more information and tips, read more of Guide to Starting Your Own Business by Black Enterprise.

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design


CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Monday, January 11, 2010

Project Management: Meetings

In Project Management, the question of when and how often a team should meet is very crucial. Meetings can help resolve problems, give weekly updates, and encourage feedback. But as a practical hand, when should the team physically meet?

Many businesses and employees try to avoid ritual meetings that serve no purpose, but on the other hand you want to make sure you meet often enough to maintain team identity and spirit.

According to Just Enough Project Management by Curtis R. Cook, a company should follow these general guidelines to strike the right balance:

Meet as an entire group to discuss issues of joint concern and get input from team members
Meet one-on-one to resolve individual problems
The most common type of meeting deals with the status of a project. In this type of meeting, the project manager expects to receive feedback, status, information, and ideas from the team on various aspects of the current project.
Because the project manager is responsible for the overall progress of a project, he or she should ensure that meeting objectives are stated and achieved. The following steps will help run a productive meeting:

Prepare an agenda – be sure to state the purpose of the meeting, its expected duration, a list of attendees, and so on.
Alert employees/attendees at least one week in advance of each project meeting
Be sure to stay on the topics stated on the agenda
Document action items and other decisions arising from the meeting
Distribute the meeting minutes to all invitees (not just attendees)
Ensure that action items, along with the individual responsible for taking action, are recorded on the agenda for the next scheduled project status meeting.
For additional suggestions, please reference back to Just Enough Project Management by Curtis R. Cook.

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Friday, January 8, 2010

Charlotte Web Design - Ugly Doesn't Sell

A lot of people have decided to become “graphic designers” without the proper training needed to actually succeed. Because of this, companies and their SEO rankings are suffering.

Some web designers build beautiful websites but aren’t functional, and then there are others who find it necessary to use every graphic design tool available – making a website pretty but unusable.

Even though a start-up business may think that they cannot hire a well-known designer, actually there is no correlation between good web design and dollars. It is very much possible to spend lots of money and then not be satisfied with the finished product. Companies should take a look at a designer’s past work or portfolio before committing to their services.

In the Search Engine Optimization and web design world, ugly does not sell! According to Search Engine Optimization for Dummies: 3rd edition, ugly can be the following:

Color combinations that do not work for a website
Cutesy backgrounds that look – cutesy, not professional
Unorganized page layouts that look very amateur
Awful typeface choices that make the pages close to unreadable
Combinations of fonts and colors that make the text close to unreadable – such as white text on black backgrounds
Clunky, unprofessional images and photos
Companies such as CODANK Charlotte Web Design provide potential clients with a web portfolio of all of their past and present projects. You can view CODANK’s portfolio here. Giving potential clients the opportunity to see their work allows for a fair judgment. View a web designer’s work and then you make the decision of if they are worth hiring.

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Charlotte Web Design - Keeping a Landscape Log

Before adding your website to different indexes and directories, it is recommended that you conduct a thorough research of each one. Exploring these indexes and directories will help you gather enough information in order to make a final decision. It is a great idea to keep track of what you discover.

Throughout your online research, you may come across certain directories related to your area of business, newsgroups, mailing list discussions, and sites created by competitors – all in which may better help you promote your website.

Conducting research and keeping track is properly defined as Internet landscaping – you are creating a Landscape Log. In effect, you’re mapping the Internet landscape. You need to collect information that can be very useful after your research. You may find some directories or indexes that you hope to register with or discover some email newsletters you want to work with when you have time.

A landscape log does not have to be complicated. You can create one either in Microsoft Word or Excel. If you prefer to be very organized, you can use an ACT or Access database.

According to Search Engine Optimization for Dummies: 3rd Edition, the following information should be collected during a thorough research:

Site name
URL
Company name
PageRank
Alexa traffic rank
Contact name
Contact e-mail address
Notes: write a quick description of your impressions of the site and the help it may provide you.
Actions: keep track of your contacts with the site (to ask for a link, for example).

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Pricing Considerations for Your Business

Starting a new business can be very stressful. You may have a great product or service to sell, but there are many aspects that must properly be worked out. Elements such as costs for labor, overhead expenses, and profit are only a few things to worry about.

The procedure you use in setting your price will vary according to the type of service or product business that you operate. However, Guide to Starting Your Own Business by Black Enterprise believes that no matter what product or service a business offers, price consideration will depend on the following elements:

Market Size – In order to be successful, you will have to take a piece of your competitor’s market share. Make sure that the market is large enough to support your product/service as well as others. Consider the potential sales volume in the market you intend to serve. Thorough market research is suggested.

Distribution Size – Choose distribution channels that will yield revenues, not subtract your profits. Distributors can include: wholesale, retail, direct mail, the Internet, and telemarketing.

Price Elasticity – A product is only considered elastic if the demand for it changes dramatically when the price slightly changes. The general rule of dumb is: the greater the elasticity of your product, the closer you should price it to match the amount your competitors are charging for similar goods.

Your product or service may be unique, but customers will not pay a premium price for a similar product that is available at a lower cost from your competitor.

As stated above, pricing considerations vary from business to business. Be sure to conduct a thorough market research before setting prices for your product or service.

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Reasons for Registering a Trademark

Registering a trademark can be very beneficial to a company or even an individual investor. While some people feel more comfortable with acquiring the common-law rights to a product or service, others tend to not even engage in the trademark process at all. Actually registering a product or service is very important in order to succeed in your business.

A trademark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business, organization, or other legal entity to identify the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or services from those of other entities.

Below are a few reasons why a business or individual should file a trademark application (according to Guide to Starting Your Own Business by Black Enterprise):

Licensing – By registering your trademark, you make it an asset that can be licensed, sold, or transferred. This can potentially increase profits for you.
Court Protection – With a trademark, you have the right to sue in federal district courts if someone infringes on your ownership.
Nationwide Priority – By registering a trademark, you are given the right to use it anywhere in the nation. If your business spreads, you are prepared for that growth.
Penalty for Offenders – If your registered trademark is copied, you are assured that legal action will be taken. Penalties can range up to $250,000 in fines or five years in jail for the first offense, or $1,000,000 in fines or fifteen years in prison for the second offense and any thereafter.

To receive more information regarding registering your trademark, consult with an experienced attorney, contact the PTO office, or visit their website at www.uspto.gov/.

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

For more information, visit CODANK Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company at www.codank.com

Monday, January 4, 2010

Study Your Potential Customers: Demographics

Becoming familiar with your potential customers is very important when running a successful business. Evaluating the population of a particular community, their needs and wants can help properly position a business’s product or service. This is done through demographics.

Read over the following demographics when you begin evaluating the residents of a particular area:

Age – Are the residents in the Generation X, or are they baby boomers? If you’re product or service is geared toward 18 year olds, it is best not to set up shop in an area of senior citizens.

Place of Residence – Where people live often dictates how they spend their money. Getting insight into their socioeconomic level is very important. Do they rent or own their own homes? Do they live in an apartment or a high-rise condominium?

Occupation – What types of jobs do the residents have, and where do they work? Knowing this information will also give you a sense of their spending habits and socioeconomic level.

Disposable Income – Do they have a strong purchasing power? If the residents have a fair amount of disposable income, much of it could end up benefiting your business.

Hobbies or Extracurricular Activities – Do the residents perform any activities that could create opportunities for your business?

Transportation – Are residents able to get to your business’s location easily? Do they have reliable transportation or do they ride on public transportation? It is best for a business not to become established in a location that will be difficult for potential customers to reach.

About CODANK Charlotte Web Design

CODANK is a top Charlotte Web Design and Internet Marketing Company located in Charlotte, NC. The company is dedicated to providing a broad range of web design services. CODANK specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Graphic Design, Online Marketing, and Web Design and Development.

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