by Emayeneme Gbemiye-Etta

The easiest part of creating a website can be its creation and then the harder part comes, how do you create a path to your website so that you can get the traffic and therefore the advertising and revenue? One always has to keep in mind that there is a difference between traffic to your website and creating an income from that traffic.

What you want to make sure of when you are bringing traffic to your website is that they not only visit but that if you have anything to sell they are either buying from your website or that they are subscribing to your website. People, subscribing to your website ensures that they are more than likely to come back. This means you have a dedicated audience and therefore a reported audience for people interested in advertising on your website.

What are the different ways that you can draw traffic to your website?

• Create a buzz by writing articles or comments that ensure that your article comes up in the top ten searches on a search engine.

• Create a profile for the website on social media websites like LinkedIn and face book.

• Use twitter to provide timely and regular comments about any subject matter and/or articles that are on your website.

• Create a blog where relevant and innovative information related to the information on your website is posted on a regular basis.

• Develop partnerships and links online that bring a targeted audience to your website.

• Embed videos that provide short clips on the subject matter on the website on YouTube but also make sure the video is embedded on your website and at the same time there is a link from YouTube to your website.

• Market the website with a number of innovative marketing strategies that include:

• Using key words that are searched enough but are not in competition with large and competitive websites.
• Make sure the target words on your website are targeted to the traffic that will find the information on your website relevant.
• Provide interesting and different data that when people find your website they will realize you have relevant information for them and the information will keep them coming back.

For any website you are launching you want to make sure that you are marketing to a targeted audience because in some cases there is nothing worse than having people who are not interested in the subject matter coming toyour website. You want interested people who will help with increasing your revenue.

Technorati Tags: college, financial aid, grant, scholarship

By Emayeneme Gbemiye-Etta

There used to be a number of distinct differences between traditional banks (pestle and mortar and online banks but with the expansion of services traditional banks now offer online these differences are shrinking in some areas as far as services are concerned. In fact, these days, people think of online banks as being no different from traditional banks, rather they think of online banks as what is termed online banking, where they are able to do the transactions they did going into a bank, online, but there is a distinct difference between online banking and online banks.

  One major difference between online banks and traditional banks is that online banks offer their customers higher interest rates for their savings account because they do not have the cost of spending money for overhead and other expenses to maintain a building and physical presence.

1. There is still the feeling by a lot of potential customers that Online banks are not safe because of the inherent view by people tat the banks because they are  online are more vulnerable to hackers tan a regular bank. It has been shown b a number of cases that traditional banks can also be attacked by hackers.

1. Another difference is that in sending money to by wire transfer from e. an online account to a traditional account because of the way in which online banks send the information to a processing center it takes loner for tem one to be available in the other account tan went is process is done b traditional banks. It takes approximately once the process is initiated a couple of minutes to get to the other account.

1. Makin deposits to an online bank may take a while because the deposits usual lave to be sent by mail to the processing center which will then take a few days. Though just like a traditional bank deposits made by direct deposit are available immediately.

1. Except that one cannot go into a physical building, withdrawals for both banks at least by ATM is the same process except for charges may be a little bit higher for the person with the online account if they cannot find a bank with ATMs that does not share for using the ATM.

1. Another major difference depending on a person’s preference is tat the do not have tat personal relationship wit their bank. The customer cannot walk into their bank and have that one on one personal relationship. On the other hand a lot of people these days still do a lot of their business transactions online and do not o into the bank anyway for tat type of service. This does not mean that provides less customer service.

Technorati Tags: bank, banks, online banks, traditional banks

Verizon Wireless made plenty of people angry with their new plan to charge a $2 fee on payments.

Written by: Damian Roache

Verizon Wireless acted swiftly on Friday to pacify its customers by dropping new plans to start charging users a fee for online payments. The proposed fee was set to debut on January 15, but the clamoring of thousands of Verizon subscribers caused the company to change its tone.

The new fee would have charged users $2 for every time a purchase was made over the phone or online using credit or debit cards.

The outcry against Verizon took many forms, but the most overwhelming response happened online where people began denouncing the company and threatening to drop their services. Many people claimed the fee was unfair because it would force them to pay for everyday services that are currently free, such as paying bills online.

Some were not content to complain and hope that Verizon would take notice, instead actively working to defeat the fee.

Change.org, a site hosting online petitions, had received over 90,000 signatures by Friday on a petition telling Verizon to stop its new fee.

Dan Mead, president of Verizon Wireless, explained Verizon’s decision and made more than one reference to the influence of public opinion.

“At Verizon, we take great care to listen to our customers. Based on their input, we believe the best path forward is to encourage customers to take advantage of the best and most efficient options, eliminating the need to institute the fee at this time,” said Mead.

Based on Mead’s words, it is clear that Verizon took notice of the negative reaction by its customers. His tone falls just short of apologetic and seems designed to assure customers that, for the moment at least, Verizon will back off from their wallets. Verizon customers have won this battle without any real struggle from Verizon.

This is the latest example of consumers using their collective voice to create a resistance to new business models and pricing changes from large brands. Plans by Netflix to split their services and introduce new prices were widely criticized by customers. Netflix eventually reversed their decision, but the damage had already been done: thousands of Netflix users cancelled their subscriptions.

While it is impossible to state how much Netflix’s pricing fiasco impacted Verizon’s decision-making process, there are obvious similarities between both situations.

Now that two big names like Verizon and Netflix have conceded to the wishes of consumers it seems inevitable that the trend will continue. Losing customers is something that all businesses try to avoid, and consumers are beginning to use the threat of abandonment to garner more respect. The success of Verizon customers is beneficial to consumers of the future, because it shows the potential power that people can gather and use to their advantage.

The next time Verizon wants to add another fee or charge its customers more, they should expect a comparable amount of resistance.

Technorati Tags: fee, new fee, Verizon, Verizon fee, Verizon Wireless

Uni-Payloa-vision

For those of you that think of the 1950s as the golden age of Rock ‘n’ Roll, be ready to rejoice: Payola is back! For all the dirty machinations schemed up by music industry executives, payola was one that is actually criminal (rather than just reprehensible), and the one that got all the ink from news media types. And, like I said, it’s back. Latin media giant Univision has agreed to pay the U.S. government $1 million in fines in a plea deal to resolve its rather serious foray into the old pay for play game.

Payola works like this: music industry executives pay radio stations to give their artists’ songs more play time. The listening public a) gets used to the songs and eventually starts liking them, and/or b) starts assuming that said artists are really popular and force themselves to like them in order to be hip with the times. Either way, sales are increased through deceptive practices. And Univision digs it! It’s not as prevalent as the piracy constantly goes on for profit or not. It’s not as sleazy as the execs who screwed unwitting artists out of all their money. It’s not as violent as those who strong-armed artists and competing labels. But as far as music industry scandals go, at least it has the coolest sounding moniker. Yay, Payola!

Technorati Tags: music industry, pay for play, payola, univision

All-electric four-wheeling?

In a deal that looks like it will boost the expertise of both companies, Toyota and Tesla Motors have agreed to jointly develop an electric RAV4 and possibly other models.

Tesla has become the leader in, if not all-electric car technology, then electric car technology with serious curb appeal – something that the big auto makers generally lack. Toyota, aside for the debacles of the past year or so, is a longstanding leader of quality products and especially profit-maximizing efficiency across all industries – something the delivery-challenged startup Tesla could use some help with.

Something in me would have liked Tesla to say on its own and become a dominant auto maker of the future, rather than slowly become part of one of the existing behemoths. It’s good to see idealistic, innovative companies angle to take over the world. But it is hard to deny that this move makes sense all around. All mega-corporations need the occasional infusion of idealism and energy and, while corporate bureaucracy often slows and even kills the startups that get swallowed, Tesla can benefit greatly from Toyota’s backing, expertise, customer base and business savvy. We’ll have to wait and see whether the maker of the Roadster gets digested or boosted by its partnership with Toyota.

Technorati Tags: electric car, RAV4, Tesla, tesla motors, toyota

Bunny for sale?

We’ve all seen those movies where the man who built a company fights to keep it against a tide of back stabbing board members and stockholders giddy to sell out for a quick buck, legacy be damned. Well, there couldn’t be a sexier vehicle to reprise the theme than what’s unfolding now in real life, because the pioneer of porn peddlers wants his smut back.

Playboy long ago went public and goo-goo-eyed centerfold godfather Hugh Hefner this week offered a 40 percent premium over Friday’s closing price for any shares that aren’t already in his fat wallet. His main competition? Archrival Penthouse. That magazine, whose catch phrase isn’t the bunny-eseque “tastefully done,” said it is going to issue a counteroffer.

The internet age, and all the porn producing competition it has spawned, has not been kind to Hef. Playboy’s stock price, which hit a high of $52+ in 1999, has been trading in the $2 to $5 range in recent years. Porn isn’t even the company’s bread and butter anymore. The legacy of porn is. Merchandising is where Playboy is cashing in now. Bunny shirts and panties, licensing and the like, are the main streams of cash that keep Hef awash in pajamas and surgically enhanced, Viagra-fearing trophy pieces these days.

Hef thinks the brand is well-suited for the digital age, and he’s willing to pay to keep his legacy his.

Technorati Tags: Hef, Hugh Hefner, Playboy, porn

Sammy!

Walmart executives really, really like the idea of one-stop shopping. At super Walmart stores, you can get all the things common in large department stores, from clothing to toys, housewares, gardening implements and on and on and on and on. You can also get tires, car repair, money orders and probably tax advice and who knows what all else. The company’s bulk-buying chain, Sam’s Club, follows the strategy with a wide array of products, and they just added one that made the business world go, “Huh?”: Small business loans.

That’s right, you’ll soon be able to get a small business loan at Sam’s Club. Well, I guess some businesses already get their inventory from the place, so why not their funding, too? And with credit markets still so tight, it wouldn’t hurt to have the place you are likely to spend some of the money in on the application process. Sam’s Club is gearing up for a trial run of small business loans up to $25,000 for members. They’re partnering with Superior Financial Group for the effort.

Apparently, Walmart has been looking to get a toe-hold in the finance industry for years. For a lot of struggling small business owners out there, this probably seems like the perfect way to do so, and none too soon.

Technorati Tags: sam's club, small business loans, walmart

This would definitely be a porn address

Pornography has a hero’s place in the history of the internet and some day it may have its very own realm there, too.

ICANN, the agency that manages web domains, is considering adding .xxx to choices of web address suffixes. If approved, the addition would not only give porn sites a fitting, marketable suffix, but ease parental and organizational efforts to block porn from certain computers and places like libraries.

Critics arguing against the .xxx addition say it will help porn peddlers increase their already abundant web presence, while promoters say it will only increase ability to police nudie viewing. However, even if .xxx is added, porn sites apparently won’t be forced to use it. It’s unclear why not.

Despite some peoples’ hatred of pornography, it’s viewed by many as the reason the internet exists today in its society-altering form.

When the internet first expanded from a collegiate information sharing system, it seemed doomed to failure. There was considerable expense to build and maintain the system, but virtually no money was being made for all this effort. That’s when porn illuminated the rest of the business world as to the promise of web commerce. Money was rolling in for porn peddlers and fortunes were made by new people every day. Legend has it, the web was thereby saved and porn is the reason we live as we do today.

Whether porn’s role in the internet’s existence is exaggerated is a matter for historians to decide, but it’s clear that it had an important impact on the web’s development. It should have its own realm, but I’d like to hear the reasoning why porn sites wouldn’t have to use a new .xxx suffix.

Technorati Tags: .xxx, internet, porn, pornography

Liquor!

Washington state’s monopoly on liquor sales is facing a pallet-full of trouble. Retailer’s have long bemoaned the state’s liquor laws that preclude anyone but government run stores from selling, but none have battled to change it like the Seattle, Wash. based warehouse store Costco.

Having seen from its wine and beer sales that people like their beverages in bulk, Costco has been clamoring for the past couple years to get in on the liquor trade. Liquor-liking consumers would be happy with the pricing competition a store like Costco would instigate and, ostensibly, state residents would no longer be left dry on Sundays; or pulling their hair out when work runs late prior to a party night.

The wholesaler thinks it already has enough signatures to make the state’s November ballot with Initiative 1100. The deadline to have at least 242,000 valid signatures is July 2.

It’s anyone’s guess as to whether some voters’ worries about expanding the availability of liquor will have an impact on Election Day. There’s also the possibility that citizens won’t want to take this revenue stream away from an already cash-strapped state in such a tough economic time. It’s also possible that, with the government running these businesses, they don’t produce much more of a return than the added sales tax revenue would. Voters will now apparently have a chance to voice their opinions in five months time.

Technorati Tags: Costco, initiative 1100, liquor, Washington state

Low ring-outs abound

This is the economic recovery that won’t get out of its own way.

Every time one sign points to a light at the end of the tunnel, the light just turns out to be an illuminated sign, pointing to another dim and winding path. Whenever unemployment numbers drop, it’s only about a week before we find out the economy actually lost jobs. When we hear the economy gained some jobs, we soon find unemployment actually ticked up. And now that a economists have rejoiced over better retail sales from a year ago, we get a report those sales actually took a pretty big tumble last month, which could mean just about anything … except impending economic recovery.

According to a government report, retail sales dropped 1.2 percent from April to May. There could be many reasons for the drop, ranging from weather to the timing of Labor Day, but the biggest one is most certainly high unemployment, which is really the only measure of economic recovery right now that matters to most people. Executives and major stockholders will get more excited over productivity and the GDP, but 99 percent of people won’t jump for joy until that translates into a thriving job market.

Since domestic sales account for more than two thirds of the U.S. economy, maybe executives and stockholders would best serve themselves by undertaking a united mass hiring; after all, unemployment is the real thing keeping the economy down. It would be like a private sector stimulus operation. Aren’t they the ones who say the private sector can do anything better than the government? Maybe they should prove it. Instead, companies are leery of any substantial hiring until a recovery begins, but it won’t. Nobody’s hiring.

Technorati Tags: economic recovery, economy, retail sales