My 2¢ Worth

 don't normally like to get too political in this publication. That's not exactly what this is about. However, I am going to make an exception today to speak of something very near to my heart.

e have a definite problem in this country (U.S.) with our unsecured Southern border. Thousands of illegal aliens come into our country every day. These illegals threaten us by taking jobs from our citizens and costing millions of dollars in taxes. They traffic drugs and some pose terrorists threats.

hile this is not a new problem, it's past time we do something about it. Our elected servants sit quietly behind their desks and ignore the issue.

he only way we're going to get our officials to secure our border is for all Americans to make a stand.

here is a petition to President Bush which you can sign and let him know you wish to have our borders secured. The petition is located at ReformUS.com. Please take a moment to add your name to the list of signatures.

ou may also want to make sure that your U.S. Representative and two Senators are fully aware of how you feel about immigration issues. You can send a free fax message to them over the Internet at www.NumbersUSA.com/fax.

Feature Article

How to Write Effective Web Copy

by: Herman Drost iSiteBuild.com

Writing effective web copy begins with an understanding of what the goals of your web site are. Are you trying to get your visitors to purchase something or have them sign up for your newsletter? Remember you are trying to get someone you can't see and have never met take a step towards building a relationship with you or your company.

1. Create a customer profile - try to find out what are the needs and desires of your visitors. Here are some examples of questions you could ask:

• Are they young, middle aged or senior?
• Are they primarily male or female?
• Are they financially secure or budget-minded?
• What gets him or her excited?
• What are his or her most pressing concerns?

Try to brainstorm a list of topics that might interest your target audience.

2. Create a Unique Selling Position (USP) - This is a statement of 2-3 sentences that explains why you are different from everybody else. This is the unique factor that sets you apart from your competition. Make this the first thing your visitor sees when they arrive on your home page.

3. Focus on benefits - most web users want to find the information about the product or service they need as fast as possible. If they land on your site, they want to know how they will benefit from buying your product or subscribing to your ezine. You will need to answer that question as clearly and concisely as possible or you will lose that visitor.

4. Use the inverted pyramid style - provide a summary of your information by clearly communicating the direction of your discussion. Use informative headings and subheadings with a paragraph of 4 to 5 lines that supports them. You only have a few seconds to grab your visitors attention. Most will simply scan for the information they are seeking.

Use bulleted or numbered lists, boldface or colored font to emphasize the points you wish to make. Include links at the end of your paragraph (or within the text) to direct visitors to other pages of your site for more in-depth information.

5. Write in an informal or personal style - write in a unique way that differentiates you from other small businesses in a similar business or niche. It doesn't have to be elaborate or super-creative. You simply provide a style that gets the attention of your visitors.

6. Keep your sentences simple - you are not writing to impress. You are writing to communicate. You want to pre-sell your product or service, therefore write as if you are talking to a 13 year old.

Don't use large words but opt for strong verbs over weak ones. Use the active voice instead of a passive one. i.e. Instead of "a good score was achieved by the team".say "the team scored a season high". Speak "to" but not "at" your visitor. Keep your sentences short and snappy.

7. Include searchable keywords - use targeted keywords in your web copy that will allow the search engines to find your site. Include these keywords in your meta tags, links and file names also.

8. Eliminate the fluff - don't waffle on in your writing. You will only bore your visitors and they will click elsewhere. Try to remove filler sentences that contain phrases like "for those of you" and "all of you".

9. Proof read your web copy - errors in your web copy give the impression of being unprofessional or sloppy. Read the copy aloud to yourself or get someone else to proof read it. Often they will find more errors because they are more objective.

Use the spell checker but don't rely on it. Often it doesn't pick up all incorrectly spelt words. Print a copy of your content. It's easier to find grammatical or spelling errors on a hard copy.

10. Take a break - revise your web copy after taking a break from it for several hours or a few days. This allows you to see it from a different viewpoint. You may find a better way to say something to further improve your copy.

11. Use images sparingly - images should only be used if they relate and support your web content. If not, they will only distract the visitor from reading your web copy. Too many images will slow down the time it takes for your visitor to load your site in their browser.

12. Use effective navigation - your navigation bar should help visitors easily find the main sections of your site. Read: "How to Create an Effective Web Site Navigation Structure" (www.isitebuild.com/navigation)

Writing effective web copy is the key to converting visitors into buyers. Getting 1000s of visitors to your web site doesn't guarantee sales. Reading your web copy should pre-sell your product with the words you use. Once you achieve this, your web site will become very profitable.

**************

Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) owner and author of www.iSiteBuild.com..Affordable Web Site Design and Web Hosting.
Pick up your copy of the 159 page ebook TODAY titled: "Make Your Content Pre Sell" by going to the link below: mycps.sitesell.com/webselling83.html

Displaying HTML Code

At times you may want to display some HTML code on your page. Maybe you have a remote image or logo that you would like others to show on their sites. The best way to display code in HTML format is to use a <textarea> tag.

To display HTML code for copying and pasting, simply place the code inside your textarea tag. Like so:

<form method="post" action="null">
<textarea name="text" cols="50" rows="3" wrap="virtual">
Your HTML code here.
</textarea>
</form>

Note the "wrap" attribute, this causes the text inside the box to wrap and not flow along one line.

Customize the fields in red to make the textarea box whatever size you wish it to be.

* Get these syndicated tip feeds for yourweb site, free. *

Second Article

Business Plan ~ A Recipe for Success!

by: Marianna D'Ambrosio FEDE Business

Where would your business be without a proper plan? A business plan sets the direction for the future of the business. It gives the business owner or manager a sense of guidance, listing the goals and objectives of the business from the start.

Writing a business plan requires a lot of time; a successful business plan cannot be a rush job. Once an idea for a business has been developed, researching the many facets of owning and operating a business is the next most important step. Your local county council should be able to assist you with accessing the required information of a legal nature, as should your local business enterprise center. The rest of the research will be up to you! You will need to research products for your business, at the same time as researching other enterprises that may be in direct competition to you. Furthermore, you need to research the market to determine whether there is a need for your business product or service.

With the research out of the way, sitting down to compose a business plan requires attention. The business plan will become the bible of your business for at least the next 3 to 5 years so it is wise to make it clear, concise and comprehensive. Most owners will complete a SWOT analysis to determine their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the business. While the business is in infancy, brainstorming would be the most accurate way of performing the comparison, as the business would not yet have clients and profitability would not yet have been realized. However, it is very important to remember that a good business plan is pliable and can be changed as your business experiences evolve.

After completing a SWOT analysis, you will need to determine your business name if it has not already been decided, as well as your vision and values, your business goals and long term mission and how you will achieve all of this when the business is up and running. Writing every thought down regardless of how minute you feel it is will allow you to collate everything pertinent to your business for reference in the future. Who knows, the thought of today may turn into a million dollars in a years time! A business plan is the key to a successful business!

Don't let the small stuff get in your way of taking control of your future. Remember - It's All Small Stuff!

**************

Marianna D'Ambrosio has created a resource site FEDE Business . Feel free to submit an article if you would like to contribute.

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