Q> The economy is killing my business, seems like no one is buying what I sell. I don't know if I should improve my website or just wait for the economy to get better. What should I do?

- Tony Miller

A> I hear from a lot of people that due to the economy they are not going to spend any money to improve their website.

But, what you really need to do is improve your websites ability to get more clients or customers.

You should Recession Proof Your Business Website!

A Recession doesn't mean stop what you're doing.

Here's what happens:

Economist start saying we're in a Recession. Your customers start getting nervous and then start tightening their belts. They still spend money, but now they are pickier about how they spend it.

If you sell a product or service that your customers deem nonessential then your sales may start to slow down.

Before I provide the answer look at these facts:

The National Unemployment Rate in 2009 was 9.3% and in 2010 it's at 9.7% compared to 1982 when it was 9.7% and 1983 when it was 9.6%.

What's that tell you? It happened before, right? And, people lived through it and made money. We're not talking about a 60% unemployment rate here. For the last 40 years the unemployment rate has been between 2.9 and 9.7. Right now we are at a high, but it doesn't have to affect your business.

It's simple math, if you can only get more customers you can make it through this economic slow down and further ahead in the good times.

The question is how do you get more

 people to buy your product or service?

Ready for the SECRET!

You do this letting more people know what you do and what you have to offer!

Simple, right?

If you need to let 1000 people know what you do to make 100 sales and due to the economy you're only making 50 sales right now... then you need to let 2000 people know about what you do and you'll make 100 sales.

It's all about simple math we learned in grade school.

Okay... I know you're reading this saying to yourself, "Right, but how do I get all these extra people"?

Ready for the SECRET to getting customers!

The only way to do this is by Advertising! If you do not get your business in front of the people you might as well set up shop in the middle of the jungle if you like warm weather... and for those who like the cold weather I would recommend Antarctica.

Seriously.. You have to Advertise. Advertising takes all shapes and forms and some Advertising is expensive while other methods are inexpensive. Regardless of the method you use, you always want to get a "Return on Investment" (ROI). If you spend $100, you should make $200 back. If you spend $100 and only make $50 or nothing back, then dump it.

Your Website should be considered an Advertising Expense and it should give you a "Return on Investment", if it doesn't you need to dump it or find a way to make it give you a "Return on Investment". Otherwise, it's just a cost.

Ready for the SECRET

to getting customers to your website!

I hear a lot of people say, "A website, is a website, is a website.", which is untrue. The correct statement is, " A website without true search engine optimization is just a website that does not drive traffic and is no better than a brochure sitting on dusty counter. A website with true search engine optimization is a traffic driving machine!"

I have spent 20 years in Marketing & Advertising and a website with Search Engine Optimization will yield you a higher return on investment than any other form of advertising. TV does a 2:1, Radio 3:1, Print is up to 10:1 and Search Engine Optimization does 20+:1 ratio.

A website from WebsiteForge that uses an Internal Site Mapping System that automatically updates itself is the highest form of optimization a site can have. Most people can experience a 20+:1 RIO. Keep in mine, you still need a product or service someone wants to buy, but the traffic will make a dramatic difference.

You site needs to be a Revenue Stream Builder!

Let me ask you a simple question: Why in the world would you want a website if no one couldn't find it?  The answer is just as simple: You wouldn't, and you don't have to!

For years everyone and their brother have been building websites. With all the simple website building software on the market today you can even hire a kid to make you website. But they can't make a Professional site that will create a Revenue Stream for your business. That part takes an Expert in the field of Search Engine Optimization. If your neighbors kid could do it, he would be a millionaire and thousands of companies would flock to him to build their website.

The fact is, just like anything in life, if you want it done right, you have to hire an expert to do it. And I'm not talking about a person who has done it once, but thousands of times.

At WebsiteForge we have created over 6000 successful websites in the past 18 years and we are the most experienced company that offers the most comprehensive search engine optimization solution in the industry that is automatically included in our website platform for no extra cost.

Our clients are experiencing huge returns on their website investments. We have clients doing hundreds of thousand to millions of dollars in sales a year from websites that only cost them a tiny faction of that amount.

WebsiteForge is not in the business of just building websites.

WebsiteForge is in the business of developing the tools to make your business successful online.

So my answer for you Tony is, invest your money with a company that knows how to make their clients money and Recession Proof Your Business Website!

Call WebsiteForge Today!

Douglas A. Marks
Website Marketing Consultant
Website - www.websiteforge.com
Business - (888) 558.2446  Ext. 208

I got an email today from Alex who is looking at having a professional web site design created.

This is what he said...

Read my Blog on Why Hire A Professional Web Site Designer by clicking on the following link http://www.websiteforge.com/48.html?m20:post=why-hire-a-professional-web-site-designer

Hey Doug,

I was talking to a company claiming to be a Fortune 500 Web Design Company and they told me you build websites with templates and they build sites where every page is custom and I should stay away from templated sites, meaning you, because they are not serach engine friendly.

It's my understanding from a little research that most companies do a custom design and then take that design and create a template so it's the same on every page which is the proper way to make a website so you have continuity and less confusion and better functionality.

Why would this Web Design Company tell me this?

Mike C.

--------------------------------------

Hi Mike,

Unfortunately some companies promote misleading sales tactics to confuse people who may not know much about website terminology.

The truth is; Templates that you can purchase from companies like Template Monster and other sites may have coding in the template that may prevent the search engines robots and spiders from crawling the template properly. Keep in mind Template sites should only be purchased by Webmasters, you'll see that in the fine print. Why? Because you'll need software to edit the sites to make them work the way you want.

Templates have a double meaning though... a template also refers to a Custom design. The design is created into a template so, like you mentioned the site will have the same look on each page. Any professional company will create a template from the design they made to keep the continuity and functionality of the site. You can always change the content inside the page with text and graphics to make the page look unique.

We build Custom sites and create a clone of the design for every page and code the site with our Search Engine Optimization software and make the sites Search Engine Friendly. Any company that tells you we don't do SEO is just lying to you. Matter of fact, call or e-mail Brian Shockley at shopbakersnook.com who has been extremely successful with our SEO and is found hundreds of times in the search engines top pages for his Keywords and Key Phrases... or better yet call Mike Giordano with knowyournanny.com who used to be one of their clients and now is found #1 in Google for Nanny Cam and is making over $60k a month.

I have to admit it's frustrating being an honest person working for an honest company and having to compete with a company that promotes misleading sales tactics just to make a buck.

Thanks,

Douglas A. Marks
Website Marketing Consultant

E-mail - dougmarks@websiteforge.com
Business - (888) 558.2446 Ext. 208
Fax - (517) 338-5064

Business Hours: (Monday - Friday) 10 AM - 6 PM Eastern Standard Time

Everyday I get anywhere from 5-10 people calling me to share their website horror story with me about other companies.

This one today came from Steve Nguyen a first time website buyer trying to start a small business. Unfortunately like Steve, so many first time website buyers get caught with this trap from a fast talking salesman who convinces you he/she needs your credit card information to lock in a price. The thing with doing this is, they bang your card and you actually purchase a website from the company.

If that is not bad enough, you call them to get the money put back on your credit card and they tell you, your going to lose the downpayment by not having them build your website and now you feel obligated to have them do the site for you in fear of not getting what you didnt pay for in the first place.

The company that did this is out of Utah and they have a horrible record with the Better Business Bureau but they will resolve the issue only after you complain to the Better Business Bureau, the company that recommended their services, the Attorney General of Utah and your Credit Card Company... but it's worth it so these people don't get away with it.

You should not reward a company with your business because they have taken your hard earned money HOSTAGE!

If you have any questions about this article, please let me know.

Thanks,

Douglas A. Marks
Website Marketing Consultant

E-mail - dougmarks@websiteforge.com
Business - (888) 558.2446 Ext. 208
Fax - (517) 338-5064

Business Hours: (Monday - Friday) 10 AM - 6 PM Eastern Standard Time

GET THE FACTS BEFORE YOU BUY A WEBSITE!

RE: Before you decide on a website designer please read this and contact me!


The big advantages we have over all the other web designers are, our sites come with Organic Search Engine Optimization not just submission, we also have an Advance Content Management Tool that allows you to edit your site and our Managed Services where we provide your site software with over 300 upgrades, this year alone we are updating our Members sites with over $200,000 in additional programming.

I just spoke with Michael Giordano with KnowYourNanny.com, he had gone with a big Fortune 500 company that produces low end web development out of Utah claiming they could build him a great site for $199 just 3 years ago and he never made any money from his website because it could not be found in the Search Engines. When he finally decided to have us build him a site, in the first 30 minutes of being listed on Google he paid for his site. In the first month of business he made over $6,000, now he's making over $40,000 a month. That's the difference between our company and others. If you do a Google search for Nanny Cam, you'll find him in the number 1 position.

You'll make more money with our site than any other site just based on our Advanced Organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Software. Don't be fooled by other companies claiming they do what we do, because they don't!

WARNING: Low end companies like the one in Utah, will build you an entry level site very cheap, but it will never be found in the Search Engines like our sites. We use Organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Technology that will dramatically increase the positioning of your website and provide you with an Expert in SEO that will set-up your site, submit it to the Search Engines and Consult with you on how you can beat your competition in the Search Engines. Other companies only submit your name to the Search Engines, which is like going to the Post Office to let them know where you live, it does not DRIVE TRAFFIC to your site.

We have been working with Google for 3 years developing and maintaining the same kind of search technology that Ebay and Amazon use to get their sites found on the 1st three pages of Google. The fact is, if you're website is not found in the top 3 pages, your success is very limited. We have the tools that can help you get in the top 3 pages multiple times, not just for your company name but keywords and keyphrases that will drive traffic to your site.

Personally, my 4 strongest selling points are;

1. A Great Design with Great Functionality - We will do unlimited revisions to your design until you are 100% satisfied! Once we apply your design, we'll work on the functionality of your site. In a recent survey in Business 2.0, functionality was the Number 1 reason why people decide on using your website with a whopping 89% of the vote. If your site does not look inviting and you have little or no functionality, people will not stay on your site for more than 30 seconds.

2. Organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - We initially set-up and install SEO on your website. No other company offers this software. It will dramatically increase your traffic and sales. Other companies can charge $5,000 - $50,000 or more for this service but we are able to offer it for additional cost. (Others only submit your site to the search engines) Three years ago we started working on this software with the help of Google and last year we implemented it on all of our 4000 websites we manage with astounding results. Most of the 4000 sites rank on the first page in all the search engines, while they have multiple listings in the Search Engines for the same keyword or phrase. It's a huge advantage over your competition!

3. True Content Management Tool - This allows you to edit your site and do everything we can do. You can add/delete pages/products. So if you want to make a change on your site at 2am in the morning, then all you do is log in and make the change hit publish and your done. You'll save hundreds even thousands from not having to pay someone to update your site. (Other companies only offer a third party software program that is really a "File Editor" that requires some knowledge of HTML or very limited in what you can edit.)

4. Managed Services - This is for our Unlimited Training, Unlimited Customer Support, Unlimited Technical Support, Unlimited Hosting, E-mails, Upgrades & Updates, Security, Content Management Tool, Online Back Office, SEO Software etc... (This is a Professional Managed Service Package worth over $20,000/mo.) (Others will put you on a server and leave you there. If you need extra pages or work they will bill you up to $125 an hour.)

I hope to talk to you soon about all the advantages we offer to increase your site traffic and sales. Anyone can build you a great looking website, we build websites that will be found in the Search Engines and make you money!

We want your site to be successful, others just want your money!

If you would like to discuss your project this week, just let me know what is a good time and day to call you and I'll schedule you in. My phone time is limited and my schedule fills up quickly with those who are interested in having their website make them money instead of costing them money, so please contact me as soon as possible so we can schedule a time for us to talk or email me back right now with a good time to call you...

Let me know what I have to do to earn your business today!

Thanks,

Douglas A. Marks
Website Marketing Consultant

Website - www.websiteforge.com
E-mail - dougmarks@websiteforge.com
Business - (888) 558.2446 EXT 208
Fax - (888) 558-2446

Business Hours: (Monday - Friday) 10 AM - 6 PM EST

PS. I have over 20 years experience as a Marketing Consultant and have worked with thousands of companies helping them make over $100 Million Dollars in sales. I know for a fact, WebsiteForge can make a successful website for your company as well. Let's talk soon!

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Doug

I am presently in a situation with another web design company that I am very unhappy with. I have been waiting on my 5 page website to be created for 3 months now, and have been lied to repeatedly by account managers and the like concerning the progress on said website. I contacted you because, well, my seemingly infinite amount of patience has finally worn thin. My website is an online representation of my business and all of the pages have already been designed in Macromedia Freehand by yours truly. I really just need someone to put these pages on the web. I already own my domain name, and all of my content is ready to go.

1) What type of website does this qualify as? Economy or Custom?

2) Do you submit my website to all the search engines on a monthly basis?

3) And what about time frame for completion?

I don't need an e-commerce store, my products are of the custom nature, but I would need a page that showed thumbnail versions of each product and then a larger page of pictures and information per product. I appreciate your time and fast response!

Bethany

---------------------------------

Actually I hear this a lot, what usually happens is a hungry website designer that you find locally, or a salesperson you speak to nationally has misunderstood the project or bitten off more than they can chew. 

Your site should of been set up with an e-commerce software where you could have cataloged your products, instead, the designer built an informational site and now he's behind schedule because he's tring to link every image to a page for the detailed view and increasing his work load 3 fold. Using the e-commerce software we have this site should of been done in just 3 weeks not 3 months. Another thing to point out, the reason he didnt go this route I suspect is because, 90% of all webdesiners don't work with e-commerce software and struggle through it. This is what set's us apart from others, more than 50% of all our work is e-commerce.

As far as Question 2) Do you submit my website to all the search engines on a monthly basis? The answer is No. Why? Because doing this can actually hurt you in the Search Engines. It used to be a common practice over 5 years ago but the Search Engine software (like Google) has been recoded. People who sell you this are like Snake Oil Salesmen, avoid them at all cost because you'll only lose your money.

We provide a Free Consultaion with a Search Engine Optimization Expert who will teach you everything you'll need to know about Search Engine Optimization and the do's and dont's along with assisting you set up your website and get you listed in all the search engine's.