My 2¢ Worth

id you know that 63 letters is the maximum number of letters that can be registered as a domain name?

ou, apparently, are not the only one. And of course we should have known that somebody would register a domain consisting of 63 letters!

he owner of iamtheproudownerofthelongestlongestlongestdomainnameinthisworld.com/ claims to have the worlds longest domain name. So far as I know, this is true, but surely someone is bound to register another 63 letter domain.

ill you be the one? Get out there and register those domains!

y the way; do not expect me to print your long domain name here. Look how the one I have has upset the formatting of this page.

Feature Article

Why Should I Visit Your Website?

by: Sharon Jacobsen Sharon Jacobsen

If we can't attract visitors to our websites there's little point in having them in the first place. But with millions of sites already available and thousands of new sites being launched daily, ask yourself why would anybody want to visit your site?

To find the answer to that question, turn it around and ask yourself why you choose to visit the sites you visit. Of those same millions of sites, only a tiny percentage will ever be graced by your clicks. Why? What made you land on those and not others?

Here are my 10 reasons for visiting websites.

1. I did a Google search.

Google is without doubt the world's most popular search engine. Make sure your site's listed and learn as much as you can about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) so that your site stands a good chance of getting close to the top of the search results list.

After all, if somebody searches for "Green Bananas Rock Group" and that's what your site's about, you don't want to be listed on page 17 do you? Nobody is going to browse that far to find what they're after.

2. I followed a link from another site.

Contact webmasters of sites that are somehow relevant to yours without being actual competitors and ask to swap links.

For the sake of that all important Google placement it would be nice to get one-way links coming into your site without needing to reciprocate but you can hardly ask for those and as any link is better than no link at all, reciprocal links will have to suffice.

3. I was looking for information

Everybody's heard that "content is king" and as cliché-ed as it's become, it's still very true.

Let's say you have a site that sells underwear. Add some articles about the history of different types of underwear, how they're made, any anecdotes involving undies and anything else you think your visitors would likely be interested to read about.

If you can't write yourself you can always find a freelancer and have them either write a few articles for you. Remember, sloppy writing will give a negative impression of your service so make sure anything you write is correctly spelled and punctuated.

Remember - no matter what your subject is there's always something interesting to be written about it.

4. To meet friends

Discussion forums are great places for people to 'hang out' and are extremely popular.

If the "Green Banana Rockers" have a decent sized following, why not create a forum where their fans can discuss their career, ask questions or just have fun?

Whether you want to host your own forum or use one of the free remotely hosted forums is up to you. Either way there's some great software available. A Google search for 'forum software' will bring up some worthwhile results.

5. Because I wanted to buy something

If you're selling something, make sure it's easy to find and order. Too many sites make the ordering process more complicated than it ought to be and lose customers simply because they don't want to have to keep clicking.

Clicking should preferably be limited to:
Product List -> product description/graphic -> place in basket -> checkout.

Possibly one more click to go to the secure payment if your payment system is offsite but that's it.

Some webmasters expect visitors go click 4-5 times just to check out AFTER adding their products to the basket. That's just too much to expect. Would you choose to use an offline shop that expected you to go to different areas of checkout before finally being able to pay for your product and leave? No, of course not. Why then would you expect the same of you online customers?

There's always a competitor ready to grab your customers away from you so design YOUR site to be the one that's most attractive to use.

6. A friend recommended the site

Have you made it easy for your visitors to let their friends know about your service?

There are lots of free scripts available that will do the job and most are very simple to set up. Make sure you have one prominently placed on EVERY page.

7. I received an e-card

Having attractive e-cards on your site that are related to the subject matter is always a good idea.

A dozen or so pictures of the "Green Bananas" that visitors can send to their fellow fans would go down a treat and drive more traffic your way as recipients visit the site to view their cards.

8. I fell for the lure of a freebie

Sad, but true! It's amazing how a freebie can draw a crowd. It doesn't have to be something super-duper out of this world fantabadistic, either.

If you're knowledgeable on a particular subject you could write an e-book to give away. E-books have the added advantage of being advertisements for your site so whoever gets the freebie isn't going to forget where it came from.

As long as you have a service visitors would normally need to pay for, free membership is another good give-away.

9. I entered a competition

Everybody likes to be a winner so why not give you visitors the chance to be one?

If your site is aimed at the local community you could contact local businesses and ask for them to sponsor a prize. If your target visitors are the Internet community you could do the same thing by contacting net shops. Look especially for products that would be of interest to your target group. A rock poster for "The Green Bananas" or a perhaps a romantic novel for members of a dating site.

If you can't get a sponsor you could offer an Amazon voucher or similar as the prize. In all probability what the voucher costs you will be a very cheap form of advertising when seen in relation to the increased visitor numbers thanks to the competition.

10. Because I had it in my bookmarks

If your site's regularly updated with fresh, interesting content and/or new products, has a lively discussion forum or gives visitors something else they want, they'll keep coming back for more.

Try running the occasional survey to find out what your visitors want. That way you'll know what you need to improve, what to add more of, what you can forget and concentrate of fine tuning your site to knock spots off the competition.

Very few websites are overnight successes, and those that are have huge corporations behind them ploughing vast amounts of money into advertising.

Average Joe, however, will need to use every trick available to make sure his site's found so please don't ever let anybody tell you it's just a matter of designing a site, putting it on the web and then sitting back waiting for things to happen. It really isn't that easy. BUT don't be put off, either. Driving traffic can be fun and fulfilling and watching your site grow and thrive makes it all worth it.

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

Sharon Jacobsen is a London born freelance writer living and working in South Cheshire, England. Her favourite pastimes include ironing and washing the dishes but chores like reading, gardening and drinking rose wine tend to get in the way. To contact Sharon, please visit www.sharon-jacobsen.co.uk

Custom text in the status bar of the browser

Display your own custom text in the browser window's status bar by adding the following JavaScript to your source code. This can be placed in either the <head> or <body> section of your page, however, I suggest putting it in the <body> as close to the bottom as possible for faster page load times.

Replace the text in red with your own custom message.

<script language="JavaScript" type="text/JavaScript">
<!-- ;//
function SB_MESS()
{ status="Your_Status_Bar_Message"
setTimeout('SB_MESS()',1); }SB_MESS();
// -->
</script>

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

Second Article

How I Save Money on My Printer Ink Cartridges

by: Debra Nelson DB Ink

One of the most expensive components of modern printers is the ink cartridge itself. The yearly cost of replacing these essential items can be extremely costly, especially if you are an individual or company that produces vast amounts of printed documents. Once the printer shows that it is running low on ink you know you have a limited amount of copies that you can produce before you completely run out of ink.

It isn't just the expense of replacing ink cartridges that concerns people; we are also becoming more and more concerned about the amount of non-biodegradable waste we produce. Recycling is one option to help reduce the number of ink cartridges that are thrown away. A lot of ink cartridge suppliers offer their own recycling service. You simply send your old ink cartridge back to them and they take care of the refilling for you. You can then purchase recycled ink cartridges at a greatly reduced cost compared to brand new ones every time. The quality is just as good as a brand new ink cartridge but you are doing your bit for the environment as well as saving money.

If you want to save even more money on your ink cartridges then you can actually buy your own ink cartridge refill kits. These mean that you can fill your cartridge back up with ink when it is running low. Some ink cartridges are more receptive to refilling than others and there is no way to predict whether it will work or not but the chances are usually pretty high that your ink cartridge will be able to be refilled with few problems.

I know there are huge numbers of different inkjet printers available and it is often hard enough to find an ink cartridge that fits mine so I was a little concerned that the same might apply to ink refill kits. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that there are actually only two main types of printer cartridges and the choice is easy. Either the ink cartridge is a reservoir style, like mine, or it has built in printer heads.

The refill kits for each type all work in a similar way. With the tank type cartridges you have to locate the hole through which you can inject the ink. If there isn~t a hole already in the cartridge you simply drill one yourself or if the hole is too small for you to inject the ink through you can make it bigger. Once you have injected the ink and refilled the cartridge you simply seal the hole as directed and there you have it! Your refilled cartridge is now good to go.

If the ink cartridge has built in printer heads then you inject the ink onto the sponges on these. I must admit that I sometimes get into a mess but good soap soon gets rid of any extra ink and I still save money!

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

Debra Nelson is the owner of DB Ink which is a premier resource for ink information. For questions or comments about this article, please visit: www.dbink.com

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