Wait a minute. Aren’t we talking about product descriptions? Yes, but let’s get one thing straight: even the best descriptions will not cover up for bad images.
Blurry shots, poor lighting, and bland props will turn people off before they even begin reading about your product. It sounds obvious, but too many business owners want to save money on hiring a professional photographer and try to compensate with “creative” descriptions.
The truth is that having great images of your product with no description is ten times better than settling for poor images with great descriptions. So spend the money on photography, props, and lighting. Then, worry about the words. Full article
22Mar 2012
What SEO Really Means
Smart business owners who have just built or re-designed their website are still hiring SEO companies/specialists/consultants. Why? Everyone wants to improve their search ranking and SEO is the easy answer. The problem is that the majority of people who hire an SEO company do not understand what SEO really means.
You pay someone to tinker with code and your search ranking improves bit by bit until you’re on the first page for your most relevant terms. Right? That would be convenient, but, if true, wouldn’t everyone be following those exact steps and seeing results? Search just doesn’t work like that. Google has written about how search does work multiple times in very simple and straightforward terms and yet people ignore their advice.
Businesses that hire SEO companies are doing the equivalent of shoving clutter into the closet. They are fixing the problem on a superficial level, just to say that they’ve done something. The truth is that if your web designer and developer have done their jobs properly, you don’t need to hire an SEO company. It’s really up to you to improve your rankings. Full article
22Dec 2012
How to Protect Your Images Online
If you’re an artist, photographer, small business owner, or all three, you know the value of your images and are concerned about protecting them from misuse.
Great images cost time and money, and the idea that anyone can appropriate and distribute them without proper credit might make you nervous. Is there a foolproof way of protecting your images?
No. Many people don’t want to hear that. They think there is some secret trick they just haven’t discovered yet. The truth is that there will always be a way to copy and misuse your images. If you can’t afford to take that risk, don’t put them online.
Let’s be clear about the difference between sharing images the right and wrong way. Copying your images without providing a source, or selling them without consent is wrong. On the other hand, if someone shares your images and does provide a name and/or link to you, that can only benefit your business. Full article
10Sep 2012
What separates great from good in online business
What makes online businesses stand out from their competitors? Why do some bloggers or YouTube personalities get all the attention? Why do certain start-ups become the next best thing?
It’s all in the details. It’s not a dramatic shift but that extra little bit of effort that determines the difference. Here are a few habits that separate the great from the good. Full article
20Aug 2012
How to stand out: lessons from the tea business
The tea business is competitive and it’s hard to separate your tea from hundreds of similar brands. Several tea companies have taken advantage of social media and content marketing to sell a product that’s not really suited for online transactions. You can’t smell or taste the tea through your screen, so how do you know you want to buy it?
It’s not enough just to sell tea because so many other companies are doing the same. Fancy names and great packaging can only do so much. The companies that are winning are the ones who realize that there is a whole community of tea aficionados who devour information about tea, and want to engage with others like them. This approach is not specific to the tea business. You can sell any product, service, or idea as long as you can attract that audience of committed fans and deliver great content to them. Here’s how. Full article