Make Sure to Invest in A Good Logo for Your Website

One of the most common questions I hear from new bloggers and webmasters is: “Is it okay to use a free template on my site initially, or should I purchase a premium template or hire a  designer to make a custom theme for me right away?”

The answer, as usual, is: “It depends.”

If you are setting up a business website (i.e., a website where you will sell products and/or services), then having a unique and  custom design is recommended.

If you are setting up a blog or a content based website, on the other hand, starting with a freely available template is perfectly fine.

Regardless of your situation, however, there is one item that   is vital for any type of website: a unique and good looking logo.

Why? For several reasons:

1. Getting a professionally designed logo is not expensive these days. With $150 you should already be able to get one.

2. Despite not being expensive, a unique and good looking logo can give a lot of credibility to your website.

3. You don’t need to have a custom designed theme to use your logo. If you spend some time on it you should be able to find many free templates that will integrate well with your logo.

4. The logo is the cornerstone of your online brand, so the sooner you have it out there for people to look, the better.

5. You will be able to use your logo in places beyond your website. Examples include the favicon, promotional banners, ebook covers  and so on.

As you can see, for a small investment on your logo you will get a lot of benefits.

Whenever you decide to invest on your websites, therefore, remember that getting a unique and good looking logo is a priority.

At this point you might be asking yourself: “OK, but where can I go to get a good looking logo for as low as $150?”. The best place is a website called 99designs. Here is link: http://www.99designs.com

There you’ll be able to create a contest for your logo, and designers will compete by submitting entries. It is not unusual to get over 50 entries on a contest, so you’ll be able to pick the logo that is exactly what you are looking for.

If you want to learn more about the resources you can use to get a nice design for your websites without spending a fortune, come  check the http://www.onlineprofits.com training program, as we have one module dedicated exclusively to it.

Source: Daniel Scocco

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The End of the ‘Average American

“Fifty years ago, the concept of John Doe, an average American in a relatively even society where vast numbers of people had similar consumer needs, was real,” writes Karen Talavera at MarketingProfs. But results from the 2010 census—due to be released this summer—will show just how much that picture has changed. For marketers, the message is simple: There’s no such thing as an “average American” anymore.

No racial or ethnic segment is a majority in our two most populous states—California and Texas—or in our ten largest cities.
Households headed by married couples are now a minority, down from a two-thirds majority 25 years ago.
Life expectancy is up, and elders often live with children and grandchildren.
“One-size-fits-all messaging isn’t going to cut it,” argues Talavera. “It will seem wildly off-base and irrelevant, especially if you attempt it in your email and social media marketing—avenues in which instantaneous feedback and listening is expected.”

She has advice like this for your online, mobile and social media strategies:

Segment, segment, segment. The more you know about individual customers, the more relevant your messaging can be. Age, gender, location, household composition, marital/family status and ethnicity all matter. But don’t forget about life stages like new parents, families with children and empty nesters.

Trust, but verify. As the population diversifies, customers might find themselves in multiple segments, making hard-to-predict decisions. Solicit their preferences with frequent surveys, but compare their responses to demonstrated behavior.

The Po!nt: “Until you dig deep into your customer data—demographics, offer responses, media preferences, survey answers, and more—you may have assumptions about your customers that are entirely untrue,” concludes Talavera.

Source: MarketingProfs.

Put That Bad SEO Experience Behind You, and Move On

“Over the last dozen-plus years, unscrupulous SEO [companies] have given the entire search engine optimization industry a bad rep,” writes Stoney deGeyter at Search Engine Guide. “It seems like every few months some high-profile person in the Internet world says something about how SEO is snake oil, sending ripples throughout the SEO community.”

When you get burned by SEO—when a company has failed to deliver what it promised or, worse, cheated you—it’s perfectly natural to decide SEO isn’t worth the trouble. But before you write off all of search optimization, deGeyter has this advice:

Consider what proper SEO could do for your company. In the age of Google and Bing, a company without an SEO strategy is at a significant disadvantage. DeGeyter recounts an experience with his mechanic, who was unable to diagnose his truck’s problem—but kept the $80 diagnostic fee anyway. “Now I could swear off auto mechanics forever because of that one bad experience,” he says, “or I could find a new mechanic that is more reputable and trustworthy.” Practically speaking, he had to go with Plan B.

Use what you learned to find the right SEO provider. This means doing your research; getting recommendations; checking references; verifying the results candidates claim; and interacting to detect any potential communication problems. “Being diligent isn’t foolproof,” he notes, “but it is a fool suppressant. By taking the time to look into each of these areas you’ll be far less likely to pick another lemon SEO.” More than likely, you’ll pick a winner.

The Po!nt: Walk it off. When you’ve had a bad SEO experience, condemning all SEO will only set your business back further. Instead, do what you can to make your next experience a better one; there are plenty of honest SEO experts out there ready to help.

Source: Search Engine Guide.