Everyone can use some advice now and then, from the neophyte to seasoned web veteran. If you’re new to web design, then tips are crucial to your understanding of how things work, how they should be crafted, and how to do things the right way. If you’re already an expert, then tips and advice can at least reinforce that you’re doing things right. Besides, who doesn’t like a little positive reinforcement now and then?

These six (6) tips aren’t “Web 101″ advice, but they’re not Graduate level either. They’re just good, solid advice for crafting your website to elicit positive results, both from your visitors as well as from search engines.

1. Content means content

If you create content, make sure it’s useable and searchable content. To put this another way: text means TEXT! Catch phrases, company slogans, site/personal/business messages, even addresses – if it’s meant to be displayed as text, then display it as text. Do NOT embed text in images. Sure, it may look cool when you create it in Photoshop, but search engines can’t read text embedded in images (at least not yet). Take some time and learn how to use style sheets if you want to stylize your text. That way you can not only make text look pretty, you also leave it visible to search engines.

2. Act as a Visitor

If you’re building a website chances are you’ve used the web to look for something. You’ve visited a site to buy something, research something, or look at something. You’ve experienced the hassles of searching and you’ve either easily found what you want or you’ve spent more time than necessary finding it, so use that knowledge to your advantage. One of the most useful things to remember when building a website is that search engines want what users want: useful, relevant, easily searchable and understandable content, site organization and information. Make it as easy as possible for people to buy, for people to learn, for people to do whatever it is you want them to do on your site.

3. Keywords in Page Titles and Descriptions

Okay, so maybe this IS a little Web 101, but it’s still very relevant, and falls in line with #2. Be sure to use the words people search for in your page titles and page descriptions. Don’t “stuff” keywords in there, but DO use them.  If you sell custom widgets to pipe fitters in the greater Philadelphia area, then the page showcasing those widgets should be called “Custom Widgets for Pipe Fitters in Greater Philadelphia”. Clear, to the point, and a phrase like “custom widgets Philadelphia”, a solid targeted search phrase, is in there. As far as how “much” to say, a good rule of thumb is to keep page titles to 70 characters (including spaces) and page descriptions to 250 characters (with spaces).

4. Link to YOUR Own Stuff

Internal links can be as important as external links. Besides, you don’t want to send visitors somewhere else for information as that means, quite simply, they’re leaving YOUR site. Once they’re gone, they may not come back. If you can at least recreate content found elsewhere versus just linking to it, then do that, but organic content (that is, content YOU create versus content you rip from somewhere else) can make a huge difference and it is always a good way to keep people coming back for more. The web was built for sharing information, but if you DO use someone else’s content ALWAYS give credit where credit is due – it’s not only the right thing to do, but you may make a few friends, and receive reciprocal links, in return.

5. Create a Foundation for your Site

Okay, this is a little high level, but it’s an often-overlooked part of creating your site. We’ve discussed linking, page titles and descriptions, and the importance of site content. This tip relates to site structure and organization. Think of the “Three Click Rule” – that is, it shouldn’t take a visitor more than three (3) clicks to find the content they want. Now, carry that over to how your site is organized from a folder and sub-folder standpoint. The closer your pages are to the root of your site (that is, the main entry point of your site), the easier it is for search engines to find the pages. In addition, from a URL and linking standpoint, this URL [www.YourDomain.com/products/custom-widgets-philadelphia-pipe-fitters.html] is much easier to crawl, not to mention understand, than this one [www.YourDomain.com/products/custom/widgets/pipefitters/philadelphia.html] as the page is sitting closer to the root of the site.

6. Dashes, Not Underscores

One final simple suggestion: use dashes in page names instead of underscores. Not only do people process dashes as clear separations of words, but search engines (particularly Google) see words separated by dashes as completely separate terms. However, words that are separated with underscores are seen as a single term.  Therefore, use custom-widgets-philadelphia.html and NOT custom_widgets_philadelphia.html.

So there you have it. Are there any questions about any of these? What about YOUR suggestions?

How difficult it is to start a blog or a Twitter account? Well, “starting” is never terribly difficult, but keeping consistent with your writing and updating can be. However, it’s possible to lessen some of the stress and strain by understanding, then utilizing, what can be termed “Created Content” versus
“Generated Content.

Created Content

Created Content is basically just what the name implies: content that you create, from scratch, on your own. It is your unique thoughts and ideas put down on paper, either actual paper or the virtual kind. Created Content is the content most susceptible to the dreaded “Writer’s Block” that can cripple the consistency of a blog or Twitter update.

Generated Content

On the other hand, Generated Content is what is “generated” as a result of something external. For example, a blog post that springs from someone else’s blog, a re-tweet, or even a re-tweet with something you’ve appended. The main idea here is that you’re not generating the content on your own. Rather, you’re taking someone else’s “created content” and adding in your own take, your own spin, your own ideas, your own opinions.

To put a finer point on this, look at “Created Content” being proactive whereas “Generated Content” is reactive.

Speed Doesn’t Kill in the Blogosphere

If you want to sit and labor over a blog post, be my guest. However, realize that the impetus of your blog (and, therefore, any result you’re trying to accomplish with your blog) is greatly affected by the delay between posts, updates or whatever. Speed doesn’t kill in the blogosphere (usually), but stagnation definitely will. Therefore, use both types of content to your advantage!

Good Rule of Thumb?

For Blogs: 2 Generated Content blog posts a week, 1 Created Content blog post.

For Tweets: Try the same formula, but a tighter time frame. 2 Generated tweets per day, 1 Created tweet.

[NOTE: I put a question mark on that header because this is just a suggestion - your mileage may vary]

Will this cure your writer’s block? No, but it isn’t intended to. Just realize that you don’t have to be terribly prolific if you want to participate in social media. You just need an opinion at least – use that to your advantage whenever possible and you’ll remain relevant and authoritative. Pepper your Created Content in between Generated Content posts and find a formula that you’re comfortable with, one that will keep you writing and moving towards your goals.

Image via Wikipedia

I’ve always been troubled by Earth Day. On the one hand, it’s nice to give Mother Earth a day all her own. A day when we all stop to recognize her beauty, and make a more conscious effort to treat her right. Which leads to my trouble with Earth Day. It’s frightening that she only gets one day. ONE DAY?! Surely she deserves more TLC than one day’s worth. She deserves 365 days of TLC. After all, she’s no spring chicken.

That said, whether you’re an eco-conscious employee or a tree-hugging business owner, every little bit counts. But let’s take it beyond that one bleeding heart office worker who is always fighting the good fight alone. Make it a top-down initiative.

If your entire office is chipping in to reduce the ecological footprint, imagine the difference you can make. Large businesses matter. Small businesses matter. Heck, even solo-operation home office workers matter.

Take a look at the list below to see how you can improve your efforts. I’m not asking you to physically hug a tree or make a decision to “live off the land,” but I am asking you to implement at least five things on this list. You can do that…right?

Paper, Products & Supplies

1. Institute an office recycle program by planting clearly posted bins in high traffic areas of your office for paper, and do the same in your kitchen area for aluminum cans, bottles and cardboard.
2. Purchase green or recycled products. If you’re interested in seeing how far we’ve come in terms of greening, check out this Wall Street Journal “by-the-numbers” overview.
3. Attach a “think twice before printing” line to your email signature and follow suit…avoid the “Command + P” or “Ctrl + P” button.
4. When you DO need to print, set up your printer to print double sided and in draft quality. If you need multiple copies, print one and copy the rest. According to this ZDNet post, it takes about 10 times more energy to manufacture a sheet of paper than to copy an image onto it.
5. Remember note taking? If you’re an old schooler like me who still uses the occasional pad of paper, reuse the blank side of used sheets of (recycled) paper. Waste not, want not.
6. Upload all user guides, employee handbooks, benefits packets and any other forms to shared drives or intranet portals.
7. Use environmentally safe cleaning products. There are loads of brick-and-mortar retailers that carry them, or you can buy online.
8. Institute laser and ink cartridge recycling programs. You can even make a bit of money by taking them to your local Staples store through their Eco Easy Program. (You might even consider donating the proceeds to a local environmental organization.)
9. Ditch the plastic ware and stock the office kitchen with reusable dishes, cups and mugs. While you’re at it, keep your caffeine addicts running with fair trade coffee.

   Equipment

10. Set all office equipment (including computers) to energy save mode. Pretty self-explanatory. Most devices have an energy setting. Find it. Use it.
11. Disconnect all equipment before leaving for the day. Also, if there’s equipment in the office you only use sporadically, only plug it in when you need to use it.
12. Place ads for any outdated furniture on recycle sites such as Freecycle or One Work Place.
13. Be sure to maintain your HVAC systems by replacing outdated equipment and regularly changing ac filters.
14. In the summer, set temperature controls to 75 to 80 degrees during regular office hours and above 80 once employees have left for the day. The same applies for the wintertime with heat settings.

    Lighting

15. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent lights. Also replace incandescent EXIT signs with LED signs. According to Salt River Project, they use about one-tenth the wattage and last 50 times longer than incandescent-lamp signs
16. Set your lights to function on a timer so they automatically turn off after regular business hours. Also, turn the lights off when no one is in the room (such as the kitchen, meeting rooms, bathrooms, etc.)
17. Use natural light whenever possible to avoid using unnecessary overhead lights. A little Vitamin D is good for you.

    Transportation

18. Provide incentives for employees who drive hybrid vehicles, vanpool, carpool, bike or take public transportation to work. Gift cards, extra vacation days and raffle entries are all great ways to entice employees to commute smarter.
19. Whenever possible, encourage employees to telecommute. In fact, telecommuting can actually increase productivity and lower costs. The White House even conducted a study to support this notion.

    Miscellaneous

20. Avoid spreading harmful metal contaminants into the environment by recycling batteries. You can even find battery-recycling centers near you.
21. Either get qualified yourself or send a company representative to a LEED certification course. It could save your company a significant amount of money AND benefit the environment. A win-win, yes? Find a U.S. Green Building Council Chapter near you.
22. Enlist your office green thumbs and start an office garden. Not only will you and your employees be eating healthier, but you’ll be able to take comfort in knowing you’re doing something extremely innovative and altruistic.

Granted, some of these are merely common sensical reminders, but hopefully some of the tips listed above get you thinking about changing some of your office habits. And not just on the 22nd of every April but year round.

There are probably hundreds, maybe even thousands of ways we can all be better environmental citizens and we’ve only touched on 25 of them here. What are some other ways you’ve found to conserve resources in your business operations? Leave them in the comments below and help us grow the list.

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It’s true these days, that you don’t need to know much about back-end coding to have a good website. In fact, there are a lot of really great web tools out there that can help you build a website rather quickly.

But what about SEO (or search engine optimization)? Do you need to know much about that? Well, yes…and no.

SEO can be a tricky, tricky beast, but most builder tools, including Newtek’s SiteCenter, have some pretty nifty components built in to help. And a basic understanding doesn’t hurt either.

Last week I sat in on a Social Media Club Phoenix seminar delivered by Evo Terra, an authority on the subject. Without getting too bogged down in the minutia of it all, he said there are only 5 things that matter for SEO, and as long as you pay attention to them, you’ll be well ahead of most others in the SEO game.

In case you don’t have time to listen to Evo’s presentation (even though I urge you to invest 15 minutes of your time because it will be worth it), here are the 5 things that really matter:

Write great content: According to old school thought, most always believed that there was a tried-and-true formula for achieving keyword density. Ignore this. Just write great content that will truly add value. Key things to keep in mind:

• The more pages on your site the better (Just make sure each and every page is necessary and adds value)
• Roughly 500 words is the sweet spot for amount of content per page. Obviously if the page doesn’t call for it, don’t worry about it.
• Investigate the popularity of your keywords. Find the phrasing that your audience will likely be searching. In addition to Google’s Keyword Tool, try using Google Insights for Search as well. Here’s a screen shot of a search I ran:

Write Smart Titles: This is SO crucial! Keep these tips in mind:

• Put your keywords up front in the title. If you’re writing a blog post on your site about hiking with dogs, title it “Hiking with Dogs: Three Safety Tips to Keep in Mind” RATHER than “Three Safety Tips to Keep in Mind When Hiking with Dogs”
• Don’t try to be pithy, cute or clever. Title your pages and posts in a way that gives away the secret. There are no spoilers in SEO.
• Invest 10 minutes to find the best title that will deliver the best results. Write out three different titles and pick the best.

Use H1 Tags: This is the tag that really tells the reader what the page is about. Revisit the “Write Smart Titles” tip because the same rules apply here as well. Also, make sure you only use one H1 tag per page. Using more than one will only confuse Google.

Link Text Matters: Link text is the text you use to link to various pieces of information both on your site and off of your site. Key tips to keep in mind:

• For better search results, link concepts, not things. Take this sentence for instance:

• Keep the conversation going with additional links, not only to your own content that relates, but outside content as well. It just makes you a better digital citizen. If you have a blog on your page, look into Zemanta.

Clicks Come From Descriptions: Today, description tags play a singular role: to entice visitors seeing you in a search to click to your site. So in other words…write it well, and write it for human beings, not Google crawlers.  Here is what the description looks like in a search:

Like Evo said, pay attention to these five things and you’ll already be ahead of the game. When it comes to the basics of SEO, have you found there are other foundational things to pay attention to when optimizing your website or blog? Leave your helpful nuggets in the comments below and let’s keep the conversation going.

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If you are engaging in email marketing but not seeing the results that you were hoping for, you probably need to change some aspect of your email.  But what could be the problem?  This is where Split Testing, aka A/B Testing, can help.  Split Testing is a fast, free and easy way of testing a single variable to help improve your open stats. Split testing simply put is testing two variables against each other to see which one receives better results.

How Should I Split My Distribution List?

The easiest and most common approach to split your list is to simply split your list in half. For example, if you have 500 people in your distribution list you will send the control email to the first 250 people and the test email to the other 250 people.  Then simply see which one performs better. The better performer will then be used as the control for the next test.  Keep split testing your campaign until you received the desired results.

Below are some key areas to focus on when conducting your A/B Test.

TIP: Email Service Providers like Mail Chimp allows you to segment your list based on location. This allows all of your recipients to receive your emails at 9am on Wednesday even if you are sending it to several different time zones.

It all comes down to lots and lots of trial and error. At some point you’ll find a formula that makes sense. What’s more, split testing is a free and easy way to help increase your open rates and something you can easily incorporate into your next marketing email campaign.  Does your business employ split testing for marketing email campaigns? If so, please share your results in the comments below. Which change(s) had the biggest effect on your results?

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Do you have a favorite establishment that you visit routinely? I do. Would you even go so far to say you’re a bonafide brand loyalist? Meaning, whenever possible (without being obnoxious), you sing the praises of your favorite brand to friends, family and colleagues? Yep. I do that, too. See the picture to the left for my vice.

And do you know why it’s my vice? It’s because this particular brand does something that no other business does for me. In addition to having a great product that speaks for itself, the employees of this company have befriended me. Before I even pull up to the window, they’ve greeted me by name, asked how my dogs are doing, commented on my new haircut and have my drink ready to go. They already know what I want before I even reach the window. (Which is helpful given my indecisive nature.) And that is why I’m a Dutch Bros. brand loyalist.

Is this something only restaurants, coffee purveyors and retail stores can do? Certainly not. Any business can cultivate brand loyalists, though it takes work. Lots of “going the extra mile.” But the benefits are endless considering you’ll not only develop deeper relationships with your customers that may very well result in creating lifelong customers, but it makes the job of marketing a whole lot easier.

Here are a four easy ways your business can begin cultivating brand loyalists or “friendomers.” Friend + customer = friendomer. (Yes, I did in fact just make up that word. Feel free to spread it liberally.)

Take some time to focus
Lines may form, call queues may build. Remain cognizant of performing efficiently but above all, give each customer as much time as necessary. Encourage your employees to engage customers in small talk and get to know a little about their lives – not just what kind of coffee they’re ordering or what service they’d like to add on to their account.

For example, if a customer calls in to make a change to their account before leaving on vacation, make note of it. Imagine how that customer will feel next time they call in and the employee helping them asks, “How did you like Fiji?” Do you think that customer will remember that conversation? You bet they will…

Incentivize Them
Customer loyalty programs are becoming the norm, so your customers have come to expect it. You may not win any loyalists for this step alone, but it’s a critical piece of the equation. We’re all familiar with them. In fact you probably have at least one or all of the following on your keychain right now: a supermarket, video rental, retail, gas, or coffee rewards card. If you don’t currently have some type of loyalty program in place, change that. ASAP. But don’t just do it for the sake of doing it. Do it in a way that really makes the offer compelling.

At Dutch Bros., not only do I keep my coffee punch card nestled securely in my visor flap, but I’m enrolled in the mobile VIP club that alerts me of generous weekly promotions. I actually anticipate those text messages. Can you imagine that? If you’d like to kickstart a loyalty program, you can either run a few appropriate keywords through a search engine and find multiple customer loyalty management companies that can help, or you can visit this resource list compiled by PR guru Kevin Laverty.

Better yet, Surprise Them
This is where it gets interesting…and with its unlimited potential, it could really help you build a diehard cadre of “friendomers.” Have you looked into Foursquare or Gowalla? If you haven’t I won’t judge, but I feel compelled to command encourage you to take a closer look at both. Both Gowalla and Foursquare are geo-location apps that are picking up serious steam among social media users.

Indeed, the growing popularity of smart phones and geo-location apps is a trend worth noting…so what are you going to do to capitalize on it? One great way to build a “friendomer”? Reward them with a free meal or deep discount on their 10th check in. If a customer holds onto the mayorship for more than a month, give them free meals until someone knocks them out of their position. There are loads of ways to have fun with this, and the potential is hard to deny. Jay Baer said it best in his post, Ignore Foursquare at Your Peril – An Analysis of Potential. It’s worth checking out.

This concept doesn’t just work for brick-and-mortar businesses though. If you’re a consultant or own a small creative agency and have been working with a client consistently, why not cut them a significant deal on the 5th or 6th project? Obviously they like your work. Go the extra mile to make them a lifelong client. Be more than a business partner. Be a friend.

Spread the Mindset
Sure you see the value of creating raving fans out of your customers, but that vision has to extend beyond the owners/management staff. Empower your employees to read between the lines and provide a little extra something to customers if the occasion calls for it. By all means, don’t encourage them to “give away the farm” but DO encourage them to recognize situations to connect with customers, and give them the license to act on those situations.

For example, one of your employees may have found out through a conversation with a customer that this is their 20th purchase with your company. Provide them with a toolbox of “incentive” goodies that they can take liberty in doling out to repeat customers. This simple act will speak volumes. And chances are, that customer is going to tell a friend about that interaction.

So does building a base of “friendomers” require some extra effort from you and your staff? Sure. But hopefully you’ll find the investment justifies the effort.

Let’s keep this list going. In addition to those mentioned above, what has your company done to build brand loyalty? Drop them in the comments…

We all know that in the business world, it’s never easy being the little guy.  Not only can the Goliaths in your industry beat you in price just about every single time, they probably have first quarter marketing budgets ten times your annual revenue.

But one of the biggest advantages the big guys have over small businesses (fair or not) is assumed credibility.  They’re big, so they must know their stuff.

Let’s face it, most of us would probably like to support a small, local business over a big box corporation if given the option, but for a lot of people, it’s still going to be a little scary trusting a company that operates out of a spare bedroom over a company with a nice, flashy office in Manhattan.

So what do you do when faced with this challenge?

Do what the Frilled Lizard does: pretend you’re bigger.

If you’re not familiar with the odd little lizard from Down Under, it’s famous for its large ruff of skin that flares out when it feels threatened, making itself look substantially bigger and more fierce than it really is.

So in order to compete with the big guys, don’t be afraid to do a little pretending yourself.  Here’s 3 easy ways your small business can be like the Frilled Lizard:

1.  Get a business phone line with business features.

If you don’t want clients to necessarily know you’re a one or two-person shop, having a business phone line with a recorded message and menu options will immediately give them a sense that you’re a much bigger business.

I know what you’re thinking, I can’t afford a fancy business phone line.  Well, maybe you can.

If you own a cell phone—and I’m guessing you do as a recent survey suggests that one-fifth of small business owners feel they could not survive without their mobile devices—why not put it to work as your business line as well?  For example, there’s a fantastic new application for the iPhone called Line2.

The New York Times described the business benefits of Line2 best:

Line2 offers a raft of features that are intended to help a small business look bigger:  call screening, Do Not Disturb hours and voice mail messages sent to you as e-mail.  You can create an “automated attendant” – “Press 1 for sales,” Press 2 for accounting,” and so on – that routes incoming calls to other phone numbers.

As an iPhone app, you can manage your second phone number all through your iPhone. The best thing about Line2 for small business owners:  it’s only $15 a month.

If you don’t own an iPhone, you still have some great options.  Google Voice, which will be widely available to the public soon, offers flexible features like do not disturb, call forwarding, call screening, transcribed voicemail, and more.  Google Voice will be supported on most Android handsets (you may need to check with your wireless carrier to be sure they support it, too).  For non-iPhone or Android users, you may want to consider a virtual office or phone system service, such as Grasshopper.com, which offers both toll-free and local numbers, unlimited extensions, forwarding, and voicemails by email.

2.  Move beyond PayPal

In the early days of the Internet, the idea of using a credit card to buy something on the web felt a little like playing Russian roulette.  Then PayPal came along and helped us get more comfortable with the idea of buying online.

These days, of course, using a credit card online is pretty much second nature.  Not only are ecommerce websites more secure, but most credit cards now have built-in protections for online purchases.

As such, it’s probably time for your business to move beyond PayPal.  Don’t get me wrong, PayPal is still popular and convenient for some shoppers, but it’s no longer the standard payment option offered online.  If anything, most reputable ecommerce websites that accept PayPal offer it in addition to major credits card.

But you might be thinking, How can my little business qualify for a merchant account?

Well, although it’s fairly easy to acquire a PayPal merchant account, you’d be surprised how easy it is to get a real merchant account, too.   So you might want to check it out.  Unfortunately, by only accepting PayPal in 2010, you run the risk of coming off as “small time.”

As an additional tip, be sure to use a dedicated SSL certificate when setting up your ecommerce site—using a shared SSL will also reek of small time.  Although a shared certificate will encrypt transactions just as effectively as a dedicated one, there’s a notable difference.  With a shared SSL, the URL  will change to a different address (the address the shared SSL is assigned to) when a shopper enters the secured area of your site.  This is a huge red flag for savvy online shoppers and may make them think twice before entering their payment information.

3.  Get fancy with your email address

A couple years ago, around the time Bret Favre “retired” from the Green Bay Packers, I went online to see how much it would cost to get a signed Favre jersey.  I quickly found a sports memorabilia shop in Florida that actually had one I could afford.

I’ve never been to Florida, so I didn’t have any expectation of ever hearing of this shop before, but the website was nice and it appeared legitimate.  But I had some questions about the jersey, so I went to the “about us” page to get an email address.  The email address was a Yahoo! Account.

This scared me off, and I didn’t end up buying the Jersey.

Unfortunately, if you’re running your own business, nothing will reek more of small time (or worse, not credible) than having a email address from a free email service provider.  If you have a website for your business (and if you don’t, that, too, will come off as small time) check with your hosting company or webmaster to see how you can get one.  Services like Gmail also have options to use your own domain.

Here’s a couple more Frilled Lizard tricks you might want to consider regarding your business email account:

• Create a nice auto-responder to acknowledge that you received their email, and to set an expectation on how long it will take for you to get back to them.
• Create email addresses, or alias addresses, for different roles (i.e. sales@, support@, feedback@, etc.).
• Append a professional-looking signature on all emails, including on all replies.  This should include your title, business phone number, and email address.

Well, there you have it.  Looking bigger couldn’t be easier.  If you’re a small business owner, let us know about any tricks you use to appear “bigger.”  For everyone else, let us know what you think.  Is it important for your business to appear bigger in order to be considered credible?  Let us know in the comments below.

When we talk about commercial enterprises on the web, we’re usually talking about two different types of websites, with two very different approaches to generating revenue.

On one hand, there are ecommerce websites—businesses that sell products and/or services online.

And then you have content-driven websites—businesses that either create or curate content on the web, such as news sites, blogs, and even social media spots like YouTube and Facebook.

For content-driven websites, or even content in print, for that matter, monetization is typically limited to advertising—the selling of ad space. This model, however, leaves businesses at the mercy of a fickle advertising market, which has been in a substantial recession since last spring.

So what’s a content provider to do?

The New York Times will be moving toward a subscription-based model for its web content next year. But what if you’re not a big shot like the New York Times—the paper of record? Sure, millions may be willing to pay a flat fee to read Times content, but what about your blog?

This all brings me to an interesting panel discussion I attended at South by Southwest Interactive last week, called “Merch – The Other White Meat of Monetization.”

In a nutshell, the panelists,  including Mikhail Ledvich of BustedTees.com, discussed the benefits, and challenges, of content-driven websites moving toward a merchandising model as a source of additional revenue. For those of you who may not be familiar with BustedTees.com, this website actually began as an effort to further monetize its sister website, CollegeHumor.com.

If your content-driven website has a dedicated or passionate audience, selling merchandise can give your readers a way to be active “patrons of the arts,” so to speak, for your content, in much the same way fans actively support CollegeHumor by purchasing funny t-shirts from BustedTees.

So if selling merchandise, or merch, seems like something your content-driven business would like to do, here’s a quick checklist of things to consider.

1. Have something worthwhile to sell

If you have a comedy blog, selling funny t-shirts makes sense, but if your blog is about, say, food culture in southern California, you may want to consider regional cookbooks or something that is naturally connected to the content of your blog.

2. Add a shop page or shopping cart to your site

BustedTees.com might be a separate website from CollegeHumor.com, but this doesn’t mean you’ll need a whole new website just to sell merchandise. Contact your web master to see how you can add a shopping cart to your site. This can be as easy as installing a cart application, like Newtek Cart, to your hosting account.

3. Get a low-fee Merchant Account to process payments

If this is your first stab at ecommerce, you’ll want to minimize your cost by going with a payment solution that doesn’t kill you with fees. Avoid solutions that come with annual or start up fees. Check out our NewtPay & NewPay Pro merchant solutions.

So what do you think of “merch” as an option to bring in additional revenue for content-driven websites? If you’re already selling products from your content-based site, let us know about your experiences.

I know, I know. Lyle Lovett probably isn’t the easiest connection to make when it comes to considering the traits of highly successful brands. I suppose the thought struck me last week when I had the absolute pleasure of seeing him live on the Cayamo 2010 music cruise (aka my dream vacation/floating music festival).

I’d never seen Lyle perform live before. I know he’s a musical icon, but had never paid him much attention until I learned he would be one of the headliners on the boat (sharing the stage with other musical greats like Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt and my personal favorite, Brandi Carlile). Needless to say, while I wasn’t a fan before boarding the ship, everything changed when I disembarked.

After seeing him live and witnessing his easy-to-love stage presence, it’s understandable to see why he has such a loyal fan base. When I stopped to observe the jam-packed performance hall, all eyes were on Lyle, smiles abound. I could tell this audience was in the palm of his hand, myself included.

So what is it about Lyle that has created this die-hard, loyalist fan base, and how can business owners apply his success to their own practices?

Lyle is Authentic

While Lyle and his “large band” were certainly a sophisticated, well-polished group of musicians, the entire experience was authentic – completely genuine from start to finish.  He was incredibly gracious, transparent about the song creation process and warm. He made a vast performance hall feel more like his living room. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s got tons of charisma.

Business translation: Don’t be afraid to be informal and honest with your customers, treat them more like friends and family than simply customers, pull back the curtain and explain your company’s background and processes whenever possible, and make every customer feel like your only customer.

Lyle is a Collaborator

More than just a collaborator, he’s the epitome of generosity and a model of respect. He’s not afraid to share the limelight and clearly loves drawing from the talents of others in an effort to create an even better show. Not only was he incredibly welcoming and gracious to those who shared the stage with him, but the resulting musicality was all for the benefit of those in the audience…again, myself included. He certainly gained a new fan by collaborating with some of my longtime favorites.

Business translation: Don’t be afraid to seek out partnerships that will not only further your company reputation, but can potentially introduce your products and services to new audiences. Obviously, be strategic in seeking partnerships that complement your brand, but do invite others to your sandbox, and invite partners that will provide an even greater benefit to your customers.

Lyle is a Pioneer

He is a new breed of singer-songwriter. He successfully broke the mold of traditional country music, tying in bluegrass, big band, folk and jazz. For this reason, he has the respect of not only the music community, but his incredibly diverse fan base.

Business Translation: I’m not saying you should be all things to all people, because in business, that can be very tough. What I am saying is this: bring something new and exciting to your industry. Reframe a product or service in a new package that creates buzz and excitement among your customers.

Whether you’re a Lyle Lovett fan or not, there are some key lessons to be learned from his success. While we can help you reach your customers with an effective website, or help you sell your products and services online through our various ecommerce solutions, it’s up to you to keep these straight-forward, no-nonsense business traits top of mind in your day-to-day practices.

And P.S. If you’re a music lover and cherish the greats like I do, book your Cayamo cabin for 2011. Take a look at this video of Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt filmed onboard a past Cayamo cruise if you need more enticement…

Well, this is a little embarrassing… Earlier this week, reports began to surface that the good folks at rollingstone.com—yes, the Rolling Stone—forgot to renew their domain name.

So instead of being greeted with this (their website), they were greeted with this (a parked page that their domain registrar put up in its place).

To be fair, Rolling Stone quickly blamed the incident on a “glitch,” but for the purposes of this blog post, let’s just say they flat-out forgot to renew their domain name.

Why? Because believe it or not this happens all the time. Ordinary people like you and me inadvertently let their registration lapse, and sometimes lose their domain name for good as a result.

So don’t pull a Rolling Stone. Not only is it embarrassing, you could be putting your brand at risk.

A lesson in domain afterlife

Most people aren’t aware of what happens to a domain after it expires. And it’s a little more complicated than you might think.

Let’s go over the typical stages of expiration (in this order):

1. Grace period. Depending on your registrar, this could be anywhere from a week to 30 days. You can renew your domain during the grace period without penalty, but your domain may be routed to a parked page in the meantime, just like the one used for rollingstone.com.

2. Redemption period. This period can also vary at different registrars, but you’re usually looking at 30-40 days. During the redemption period, the domain is still retained for you, but there is often an additional fee to purchase the domain back.

3. Deletion period. This can take anywhere from a couple of days to a week. During the deletion phase, your domain cannot be renewed until it’s completely released to the public, at which point you will have to compete with anyone else who might be making an attempt to pick up your domain. Unfortunately, for this, there are “bots” out there programmed to snatch up domains as soon as they are released to the public for the sole purpose of selling them back to the previous owner for an excessive profit.

What you can do to avoid a “Rolling Stone”

Fortunately, these steps are rather simple:

1. Keep the email address at your registrar up-to-date. A renewal reminder will be sent to the “admin” contact they have listed for you. If you registered your domain through your web hosting/services provider, be sure your email addresses are up-to-date with them (for example, if you registered your domain through us, we’ll send you multiple email reminders before your domain expires).

2. Know what your expiration date is. If you don’t know when it expires, find out and put it on your calendar.

3. Renew now. You can renew your domain in advanced for up to 10 years. If you can swing the cost, you won’t need to worry about your domain for a decade.

4. Check your website regularly. You might be thinking, with a grace period AND a redemption period, how would anyone not realize their domain expired? Well, when was the last time you pulled up your domain on a web browser? If you don’t remember, make it a habit. Not only will you avoid losing your domain, you’ll catch any other issues your website might be experiencing.

So there you have it, a few easy steps to be sure you never let your domain registration lapse.