ThomasNet.com is a search engine specifically for buyers and wholesalers to network with.

Alibaba.com is another business specific search engine that allows you to connect with international wholesalers and buyers.

TopTenWholesale.com is a newer search engine catering to new retailers looking to wholesale merchandise.

USA.gov is a government based search engine that has area’s specifically targeted at business owners and nonprofit companies.

IT.com is a specific search engine for technical sources and provides for technical industry solutions, including white papers on various subjects.

IdeaMarketers.com is a unique search engine site that is geared towards the small business owner.

Yellowpages.com is the online version of the old fashioned yellow pages.

ArticleBiz.com is a business specific article search engine that provides business’ with content for magazines, websites, or direct mailers.

Focus on these search engines and you SEO marketing plan will be off to a great start!

B2Bimage.com can assist you!  Contact us at seo@b2bimage.com.

There are generally two different sets of keywords, the primary and the secondary, also known as the specific and the generic set of keywords. The specific keywords are exclusive to your website product or service, where as the secondary or generic keywords and phrases are the commonly used keywords by the web users that also suit your product requirement.

In order to make sure that your search engine marketing strategy is moving on the correct path, you must optimized your website with both the specific as well as the generic set of keywords.

Mark Zuckerman of Facebook has been reported as being world’s youngest self-made billionaire in history - grabbing the title from Billy Gates.

Many of us only dare to dream about becoming millionaires from our efforts on the web, but Forbes have put Mr. Zuckerman’s personal wealth at an incredible $US 1.5 billion.

The fantastic thing about the Internet is that you can build an online business with very little capitol and very few initial connections. 

At B2Bimage.com, we have helped hundreds of web entrepreneurs build their dream by partnering with them on their website design or ecommerce development.  The design is not enough, however, as you will need to create an actual business plan to make it effective.

 So do not sleep long if you have a dream for a web business.  It takes only the time to make your first connection to B2Bimage.com and we can help you get it off the ground.

2.  Autoresponders to automate the process and build rapport and trust with your customers.  This saves you a lot of time while providing valuable information to your customer.

3.  Quantity discounts and coupons for first time buyers or your very special customers.

4.  Affiliate modules so that other people can promote your ecommerce store for you.

5.  Built in newsletters so that you market your website to anyone who has registered to your website to help build a trusting and loyal foundation between you and your customer.

Of course, there are many other features and modules.  As in our motto, “everything is possible.”  If you have a neat ecommerce idea and need help to determine what is required for this to happen, just ask us by sending an email to design@b2bimage.com.

In a basic definition, it’s a series of scripts that keep track of items a visitor picks to buy from your site until they proceed to the “checkout”. A popular misconception is that shopping carts handle the whole financial transaction, but they only really act as a front end which passes information via a secure connection (another service) to a payment gateway - a separate service altogether. 

The payment gateway service then channels the requests and transfers throughout relevant financial networks, including the Internet merchant account with your bank. It then sends back confirmation or denial back to the shopping cart software. For further information on the “back-end” aspects of ecommerce; read our guide to payment gateways and merchant accounts.

The good news is that there are literally hundreds of shopping cart packages available. The bad news is the same as the good. Sometimes, too many choices make it very difficult to make a decision - especially when all companies claim to have the superior product.

At B2Bimage, we have more than six years experience in working with Miva, OsCommerce, Zen Cart and Cube Cart.  If you would like a professional consultation regarding your ecommerce business, please visit our site at www.b2bimage.com or send us an email to design@b2bimage.com.

Post bulletins to your friends on MySpace and let them know about any deals that you are offering from your business as well. Don’t forget that when you comment on someone’s page, you can also leave a link to your website and other users will see it as well.
Using MySpace to market your business is free, and easy. All MySpace accounts are free to use, and friends on MySpace are very easy to make. Use the bulletin feature to make others aware of any specials that you are promoting, as well the blog that MySpace offers you on your page. Blogging about your business and new products or services that you are offering is a great way to get the word out. With the blogging feature on MySpace, it will be right there linked to your page, and anyone that visits will be able to read all about it.

If you would like someone to setup and manage your myspace account for your business, you should consider outsourcing to a company that can do this for you for a nominal fee. From the design to promoting your site on MySpace, the work involved requires dedication. Even asking for friends and building up your friends list takes an unbelievable amount of time. At B2Bimage, we can help jumpstart your MySpace marketing campaign. In fact, we can assist you with customizing your entire online marketing campaign and MySpace is just one small example of what is possible. For more information, contact us at marketing@b2bimage.com and we will be glad to walk through this with you.

• HTML savvy. Good web design software can help. But the kind of HTML code produced by many WYSIWYG (”what you see is what you get”) programs can be kludgy and hard to maintain. Fine-tuning your design requires you to get into the raw HTML code.
• Graphic design, color experience and good artistic taste. No software package bestows artistic taste on its user, but good taste is indispensable for an attractive site. Of course, graphic software expertise is required to produce attractive and clean photos and site graphics, optimized to the smallest possible file size for quick loading.
• Website navigation design and implementation. Helping visitors get where they need to go quickly and efficiently is difficult, especially on sites over 20 webpages or so. Good navigation design comes from experience, not from good software.
• CGI and database programming. Even smaller sites use a “contact us” form and often a site search program that require CGI program installation and configuration. Larger sites may need to be integrated with an online database, which is no job for the faint of heart.
• JavaScript and Flash programming. Functional websites are dramatically helped by Flash and JavaScript features such as animation, drop-down navigation menus, and small windows that open to answer a hyperlinked question. Automatic pop-up windows that encourage e-zine subscriptions can be effective, but can be annoying if you don’t make them to turn off after one pop — and these days are increasingly blocked by pop-up blockers.
• Marketing and business experience. An outside company doesn’t really understand your business like you do. Make sure you communicate exactly what you need to achieve. The best website design firms understand how to build Web marketing into the site design to make it search engine friendly, to make the sales pages really sell, etc.

What does outsourcing cost? For a simple five or six page website, expect to pay $750 to $1,500 at most places. For a more complex site you may pay $3,000 to $10,000 and up. For database-driven sites you’ll need custom programming. Of course, sites designed for high traffic or for Internet-focused companies can cost much more. At B2Bimage.com, our website design plan is very affordable. At only $77 per month, you get a fantastic website design and continual updates. To learn more about our affordable website plans or if you need a highly customized website, please visit our main site at www.b2bimage.com or send us an email to sales@b2bimage.com.

]]> http://b2bimage.com/blog/7-common-reasons-to-build-a-website/feed/ http://b2bimage.com/blog/7-common-reasons-to-build-a-website/ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/B2bimagecom/~3/248582825/ http://b2bimage.com/blog/12-ways-to-market-your-website/#comments Sat, 08 Mar 2008 15:37:08 +0000 admin http://b2bimage.com/blog/?p=5 Here are the 12 most important ways to market your business.

1.  Use meta tags to write a description, a title, and keywords for your business.

2.  Include your keywords in the header tags:  H1, H2, H3.

3.  Submit your webpage URL’s to search engines.

4.  Submit your site to key directories such as those within your industry.

5.  Issue press releases

6.  Setup a signature in your email.

7.  Setup a newsletter

8.  Add your URL to stationary, business cards, and fliers.

9.  Begin a business blog.

10.  Use keywords in your content

11.  Fine tune with search engine optimization

12.  Get reciprocal links from other websites

 For more details, feel free to email us about marketing your website by sending an email to marketing@b2bimage.com.

Marketing your website has just gotten easier!

You have a great ecommerce idea, have products, and a basic business plan.  But building a shopping cart using the top shopping carts such as OsCommerce, ZenCart or Miva, require a few additional and important items to consider while setting up your shop.

1)  Site navigation – When a visitor comes to your page, the first thing they will look for is the product navigation.  It should not be hidden or unfriendly.  You should not try to hide your navigation by changing it to symbols or make it difficult for your visitors to understand.  The less clicks and links to follow for your customer to find products, information and make a purchase is best.  If the order process takes more than seven links, then you should group the links into different navigation groups.  

2)  Product description – While creating the product description, keep your customer in mind.  You want to help him or her understand the product and feel confident that this is what they want to buy.  It is more than cutting and pasting an image and product description.  For instance, if you are selling food items, it will be better to add a description to help your customer “taste it.”  

3)  Testimonials –   Every customer who has a successful transaction and have received your product is a candidate for a testimonial.  In exchange for the testimonial, give them a discounted coupon for their next purchase.  But it is always better to have other people talk positively about their online shopping experience with your ecommerce site, than for you to just tell it.

4)  Visual design – try to stay consistent with colors and images through the site.  This will make you appear stable, reliable, trustworthy and competent.  Every Wal-Mart store is setup the same way in every city, so if it is your first time visiting a store in a new city, you will automatically know the general layout of the store.  The point I am making is that you do not need to create 100 ecommerce sites like Wal-Mart, but you should be consistent in your own site so that people can feel like they know what to expect each time they visit and click through your website.

5) Check-out process – when a customer decides to commit to making a purchase, you should provide them with a very professional and easy checkout.  Think about how it feels on a Saturday morning at your grocery store.  After you have gone through every aisle and selected your products, how do you feel?  Studies show that most people how are finished shopping are ready to leave immediately.  But they must pay for their purchase.  Imagine yourself turning the corner of the last aisle to head towards the checkouts and each lane has at least five people in the lane with completely filled baskets.  How does that feel?  Do you feel a bit anxious and stressed?  A bit angry?  Are your feet tired?  So think about this when your visitor wants to buy from you.  The site must load quickly with very little delays.  Your “cashier” should be friendly, so write very nice text to your customer to show your appreciation.  And then once they have made their payment, assist them out of the door by sending them an email with thorough details about their order.  

By following these top five ecommerce suggestions, you will be off to a successful start with your online business.