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Methodic Pages Ramblings
Feb
24

CMS or Static?

By Chris Darling · Comments (0)

What to Build Your Website On?

I am sure you are familiar with blogging.  If you know what blogging is than you most likely know about WordPress.

What makes WordPress so Wonderful?Wonderful WordPress!

It isn’t just for blogging anymore.

WordPress is being used more often as a content management system (CMS) for Internet businesses.

Here are some of the things it can be used for:

  • Integrating squeeze pages
  • Building up a review website
  • Creating sales letters with an SEO edge
  • Designing a static website with regular content
  • Establishing a membership site for passive revenue
  • Making a site capable of running your very own affiliate program for products that you created.

There are plenty of content management systems to choose from; Drupal, Joomla, and a number of premium CMS providers.  (Side note:  premium means “pretty penny”!)

A content management system is really the best way to go for building your website.  The biggest reason is the ease of use.

I can build a website for you and would be happy to take on the webmaster roll.  Sometimes, that is even the best solution for you and your business.  Your time is often better spent on other things.  The time involved with building your website, managing, and updating it could be used to create new revenue streams for your Internet business.

Perhaps you prefer to manage updates and add new content after a web designer or webmaster gets you all set up.  The beauty of WordPress is that it allows you to do just that.  There are plenty of tutorials out there that will show you just how to manage your Wordress website.

Maybe you are the “do it yourself” type.  That’s great!  I highly recommend building your website using WordPress.

The big positive about the popularity of WordPress is that someone somewhere is always working on something that will make it do another really neat thing.  Those “somethings” are plug-ins.

Another plus for being popular is that many 3rd party services such as email auto-responders, shopping carts, and the social networks strive to find ways to play nicely with WordPress.  It really  is in their best interest to do so.

What’s the reason someone would not want to jump on using WordPress for their website?

I think it is the same reason why many people end up choosing MACs over Windows.  Security.  When more people use something it becomes a bigger and easier target for those people that write malicious code.

Fortunately though, if you or your webmaster keeps up with the updates of your WordPress website, you can avoid security problems.  It is similar to using Windows based PC’s.  If you keep up with the security updates and educate yourself on what common threats look like, you can stay safe.

Categories : Internet Business
Comments (0)
Feb
22

Customer Service

By Chris Darling · Comments (0)

There is a Shortage of Good Customer Service

After you settle on a domain name it is time to choose a good hosting company.  Many places will provide hosting right along with the domain name you purchase.  They might even provide web design too!  That works for some people.  It doesn’t work for me though.  I look for different things in those areas and need the most flexibility.  The one-stop-shops always seem to have a drawback somewhere.

There are many hosting companies to choose from.  Everyone has their favorites.  I have tried out a few and learned that one with fast and responsive customer service is best.  The customer service must carry over into their ability to provide great technical support as well.

When I first started out in this business I thought it would be great to be a “one stop shop” for all of your web design needs.  I had to learn firsthand why that was a bad approach.  Yes, we all make mistakes or bad choices from time to time but the important thing is that we make it right ALL of the time!

A long time ago I was the customer of “one stop shop” and chose to host my website with a provider that was simply a reseller of web hosting.  They did not provide the in-house technical support that is pretty critical when it comes to hosting.  They decided to switch providers themselves which meant that they had to move all of their customer accounts to another server.

Long story short… the switch-over was a disaster.  My websites were down for days!  I was livid!  To top it all off, when everything was back up and running, they offered no apology or explanations for this MAJOR interruption in service.  My websites were not even functioning again 100%.

I moved ALL of my websites back to my current provider.  As a matter of fact, my MAIN money maker site was moved to my current provider before the old provider even resolved the issues.  I had no time to wait for those shenanigans to play out.

When people invest a ton of blood, sweat, and tears into their Internet business website they want it to have that 99.99% uptime.  Time is money right?  Anything can go wrong.

Sometimes, your site can be attacked by a virus.   I had a virus scare once too.  My chosen hosting company was there to help at a moments notice.

One little line of code could get messed up on your server and take your site down.  I was integrating a script into a website and something small caused a big problem in a database.   Again, my hosting company found the problem and had me back up and running within 30 minutes.

A good hosting provider will be accessible at the drop of a hat to get in there and help resolve your problem quickly.

It is hard to be all things to everyone.  When a company focuses on ONE thing then they can be the BEST at that one thing for everyone that needs it.

I highly recommend using Hostgator. Check them out and see for yourself.  Please be aware though that if you click through my link and set up an account through Hostgator, I might receive a referral commission for that.  I just put that in there to stay in line with the FTC guidelines.Hostgator Screenshot

Hostgator didn’t give me anything to tell you about them.  I have used them in the past and left thinking there was a better company.  I went back to them and I am now, once again, a HUGE fan of Hostgator.

Categories : Internet Business
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Feb
19

Choose Your Domain Name Wisely

By Chris Darling · Comments Comments Off

6 Things to Consider in a Domain Name.

When choosing a domain name consider the following:

  • Make it short
  • Make it descriptive
  • Make it memorable
  • Make it with “.com”
  • Make it out of your main keyword (s)
  • Make it easy to say to someone without having to spell it out

If the domain name is too long then it becomes much harder for people to remember.  Plus, shorter domain names just seem to have more clout.  Honestly, I don’t have any data to back up that statement. It really is just my opinion. But think about it.  How many characters are in the websites you consider to be the best to spend your time on?

So, now you have a tall order here.  You have to choose something DESCRIPTIVE with as few characters as possible.  PLUS, make it memorable AND use your keyword or keyword phrase.

Sometimes your desired domain name is not available.  Other times you can get it but with a different extension on it such as “.net” or “.biz”.   I have included my opinion as to why you really want to get that “.com” domain.  Sure, snag up all the other extensions if you want but your main target should be that “.com” domain.

If your desired domain name is not available or you get news that it is available for a cool $2,500 then consider some other resources.  There are auctions available where you can bid on premium domain names that are already taken but you might really want.  Some of the available domains on auction could be closer to what you are looking for and more within your budget.  Two big sources for buying domain names on auction are eBay and Godaddy.

I always try to get a domain with “.com” because that is what people are most likely to remember.  One time I was looking for a pet sitter.  I saw their website.  It was a good website too.  I was very impressed with the owner’s Internet business strategy and website design choices.  A few days later, I was talking to a friend about this pet sitter website I came across.  We had access to a computer so I suggested we just go in there and type in what I thought the website name was.  It was the furry godmother something or other.  Anyway, I originally typed in “furrygodmother.com”.  What I got in return was not what I remembered at all.  It took me awhile to find the correct website but not every website visitor out there has the same persistent nature as I do.  It turned out to be a “.biz” domain PLUS it had a dash in between the words.

That brings me to another point.  You will see that my domain name has a dash between the words:  www.methodic-pages.com.  It is because I really wanted that name.  But, it is really difficult to explain to customers my website name with that dash.  It is not a very big deal if I am relying on search engine traffic.  But when relying on word of mouth or even having someone recall it from their memory, using the dash is not the best option.

After awhile my desired domain name became available without the dash so I scooped it up!  When I bought that domain name www.methodicpages.com I just had it forwarded to my original website.  Now, I don’t have to add in all that extra explanation when I tell someone my website address, problem solved.

If you are ready to start your search for the perfect domain name consider GoDaddy.  I am not a domain reseller but I am an affiliate of GoDaddy.  So, if you decide to buy your domain after clicking through my link to GoDaddy just know that I may receive a small commission for referring you.

Categories : Website Design
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Feb
12

When Hiring a Designer is Best

By Chris Darling · Comments Comments Off

Should You Hire a Professional Website Creator?

A lot of online business owners start on a shoe-string budget.  They try to be a “Jack of all Trades” and do everything themselves.  After awhile they find that it is best to focus on what they are good at.  As a bit of success starts to develop the new Internet business owner wants to expand.  Now, the home made website has some major problems.

Does this sound  familiar?   Chances are, you’re someone who started everything with no money too, so you’re pretty skeptical when it comes to giving away your money in exchange for something that you could have done yourself.   But, if you want to excel at the very thing you are good at which is the product or service you are offering, it might be best to outsource your web design project.

It is a bit similar to hiring an accountant to do your taxes or even a handy man to build an addition on your house.

Professional web designers will take care of all the little details and make your online business run much more smoothly.  What you get from a professional website developer compared to what you would see from an online “site builder” or even a replicated website are extremely different.  Most site builders just don’t meet your need for flexibility.  Replicated sites are just that, a repeat of something that is already out there.  A site from a professional developer will give you something unique, flexible, and effective.

If you are ready to stop working your business and start GROWING YOUR BUSINESS than take a look at the web design packages offered from Methodic Pages.

Categories : Website Design
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Feb
11

Title Tags

By Chris Darling · Comments Comments Off

Great Title Tags are a Web Page Must!

When working with a web designer you will be sending them all sorts of information regarding your page content.  All of the content will essentially paint a picture to your visitors what it is you do.

Any professional web designer worth their salt will include title tags for each of your pages.  But it is a rare designer that will go that extra mile with the basic search engine optimization (SEO) and make sure that your title tags are congruent with the content on the page AND the exact phrases that you are targeting with your browsing market.

Many websites for life coaches and consultants lack good page titles.  They are often completely ignored during the design process or just poorly written.  There is no reason to beat yourself up over it though.  Afterall, you specialize in other things that really matter.  Thankfully, it is an easy thing to fix.

The best way to write your title tags are to include the main keyword phrases that you are targeting and make it hook the attention of the impatient web surfer.  When the search engines return results for keyword terms that people enter, and you are rising to the top of those results, the headline will read whatever you have coded in your title tag.  So, make it count!

Most of the web design packages Methodic Pages provides include a personalize keyword research report.  It is specific to your niche, website, and online goals.  The results are used to develop things such as effective title tags so that you get much more out of each page in your website.

If you would like to learn more about Search Engine Optimization particularly how to do it yourself, then register for your Free MP3 Download and learn how to Generate More Traffic, More Leads, and More Profits.

Categories : Design for Coaches
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Feb
10

Coaching as Internet Business

By Chris Darling · Comments (1)

Starting an Internet business always seems to fall back on one major thing: PRODUCT.

What are you going to “sell”?  Many people only have a great service to sell.

Probably one of the most lucrative services to offer that some folks are really good at is coaching or consulting.  Notice I did not say “selling”.  Most coaches and consultants are not sales people.

Coaching or consulting is great because you are obviously doing something you are passionate about.  You have taken a lifetime of learning and experience and turned it into a structured program that essentially “gives back” to others in need.  You are helping other people to reach their full potential whether it be in business or life in general.  But, how do you get more clients?  Better yet, how do you get more quality clients?

I guess that is where the “selling” comes in.  But, most people don’t like to sell.  Personally, I prefer providing the information for my prospects making sure I include all of the key points outlining the value I can provide.  Most people choose my services because they have gotten to know me, like me, and trust me.  I never sold them a thing.  They decided to buy or invest in what I have to offer.

FEBRUARY 24th, 2010 UPDATE: The call has passed but the Ali’s program has not begun yet.  So, there is still time to learn about it and sign up.


Ali Brown's Coaching Business Intensive



There is this great Teleseminar coming up on Feb. 23, 2010 that will help explain many details on how to design, sell, and run a profitable coaching program.  I will be listening in and I am pretty excited about it.  No, I don’t run a coaching program myself but I prefer to work with life coaches and consultants on my web design projects.

Listening in on this call benefits me in a few ways:

  • One, I can better understand how to put together a really effective website for consultants that are about to take their coaching Internet business to an elite level.
  • Two, life coaches and consultants do a lot of good things for people and if I can support those end results than I feel like I am doing some good as well.
  • Three, I take away something every time that I can apply to my life, business structure, and “selling” skills.  I soak up everything these profitable consultants have to offer.   Every free call, teleseminar, webinar, and free report offer some extremely valuable nuggets of wisdom.

What valuable nugget of wisdom will I pick up next?   I guess I should mention that the call is hosted by Ali Brown.  She is incredibly successful at what she does.  Her free Teleseminar on How to Design, Sell, and Run Profitable & Successful Coaching Programs should leave all who listen in with valuable knowledge that can be put into action right away.

Categories : Internet Business
Comments (1)

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