The big website question if you build it they will come

Q: I recently launched a website for my sporting goods business. Do I need to do anything special to attract customers to my website? I know nothing about search engines and marketing as such. Please tell me where to begin.

A: That is a question that has been asked by every business person who has ever launched a website. If I build it, will they come? Of course they will -- if you've built a website that appeals to dead baseball players.

For those of you who didn't get the "Field of Dreams" reference, let me put it this way: No, Sean, if you build it they will not come, at least not without some effort on your part.

Assuming that a website will automatically attract customers is the single biggest mistake that many business owners make. It is this mistake that eventually leads them to dismiss their website as a failure and abandon their online sales efforts.

I can't tell you how many times I've heard a client say, "Well, I threw up a website, but nobody ever came to it and I didn't sell a single thing from it! Dang thing was a waste of time, if you ask me …"

Forgive me, but "threw up" is the operative term there. These short-sighted entrepreneurs (God love them) mistakenly think that all they have to do is throw up a website and that their business will automatically double overnight. And when nothing happens they blame it on the infallibility of the Internet, on El Nino, on the Bosa Nova, on their customers… everything but their own lack of marketing efforts.

If you build it, will they come? That, Sean, depends totally on you.

When it comes to attracting customers, opening an online business (or an online branch of an existing business) is no different from opening a traditional brick and mortar shop. Without a little fanfare and a well-devised marketing plan, chances are your website will become just another spot of roadkill on the Information Superhighway.

The first step in devising your marketing plan is to ask yourself this question: Who is my customer? Who is it that I want to attract to my website? Believe it or not, this is a question many entrepreneurs fail to ask. The identity of your customer is incredibly important because if you don't know who your customer is, how can you expect to market to them?

The next question concerns the locality of your customer. Do you want to attract a local or global clientele to your website? If the answer is local, then you will gear your marketing efforts toward customers in your own backyard, which means incorporating your website launch with your offline marketing efforts.

If the website is the online branch of a brick and mortar business, include the website URL in all your print materials and advertising campaigns. Consider running ads in the local paper, on radio or TV announcing the launch of your site. Use direct mail or in-store posters to announce the site launch to your existing customer base.

In short, keep doing what you're doing to attract customers to your physical store, just add your website address to the mix.

Just remember, it's important to consider your website a branch of your brick and mortar business because that's exactly what it is. A good business website will help you sell more products, widen your range of clientele, and increase your revenue without adding overhead. Don't sell your website short. Make it work for you.

If you are seeking a global audience, your marketing efforts will be quite different. Attracting customers from around the world is a more difficult task than attracting customers from around the block. Fortunately, the task is not impossible. The Internet has leveled the playing field in many ways. Now every business, no matter how large or small, has the ability to do business internationally.

In the most basic sense, an online marketing campaign to attract global customers should include the following efforts.

Register With Search Engines There's not enough room in this newspaper for a thorough discussion of search engines and their effectiveness (or lack thereof) in driving traffic to a website. Suffice it to say that 95% of search engine traffic comes from Google and Yahoo, so start there. It's also important to realize that just registering with search engines does not guarantee you traffic, but it certainly can't hurt.

Unfortunately, the free search engine lunch ran out a couple of years ago when search engines figured out that people would actually pay for listings and higher placement. Since that time the only way to guarantee a high (or at least higher than others) ranking is to pay for it. The two most popular pay-for-placement programs are Yahoo's "Yahoo Express" and Google's "Adwords." Visit their respective websites for details on these programs. Be prepared to spend several hundred dollars at a minimum to get your site listed.

Exchange Links With Similar Sites One free - and potentially effective - way to drive customers to your website is through link exchanges with sites of similar interest. Locate sites that make a good match to your own and contact the owner to ask if they will link to your site in exchange for you linking to theirs. If you sell golf balls on your website, set up a link exchange with another website that sells golf clubs. You post a link to them and they post a link to you. It's called digital back scratching, and if done properly, can work well to drive traffic your way.

Go To Where The Customers Are If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain. One little known way to attract customers to your website is to market your products on a mega-site like eBay. There are thousands and thousands of people on eBay at any given time and each one is potentially your customer, so it's a great place to drum up business.

Your goal is not to make a living selling on eBay, but to use eBay as a marketing tool to drive traffic back to your website. Go to where the customers are, then bring them back home with you.

Let's use our golf ball example. Post a few auctions on eBay selling your golf balls at a ridiculously low price so your auction attracts plenty of attention. When customers make a purchase, add them to your client list and send them an email inviting them to visit your website for more great products. eBay also lets you create your own "About Me" page that you can use to advertise your business.

We have just scratched the surface, but hopefully this is enough to get you started. I wish I could tell you that attracting customers to your website is easy, but the truth is, it's anything but. It takes hard work, creativity and above all, perseverance.

Here's to your success!

Canada internet shopping tips

People try to find ways to save money, and Canadians will look at Canada Internet shopping tips listed in top positions on the Internet search engines. These Canada Internet shopping tips can give them advice on food shopping tips that will help people save money on their food costs. There are food shopping experts on these sites that will steer you in the right direction if you are concerned about your food budget.

If you wonder which shopping mall has the best stores, or which store provides the best customer service, you can use the Canada Internet shopping tips that provide good reviews on boutiques, markets and shops located in those shopping malls, and tips on where the best are located.

If you are from out of town, you might consult the Canada Internet shopping tips that are provided by Internet travel companies that will tell you exactly where to shop, what to look for, and what you can buy to get the most out of your shopping dollars. These virtual tourist reviews are provided solely for the benefit of tourist that want to stretch their vacation dollars.

There are even Canada Internet shopping tips provided that can guide you to having a safe shopping trip. These tips will focus on safety, trust, warnings, and the reputation of many retailers in any geographic location that you might want to shop at. Some of these safety tips are centered on online shopping safety and others are focused on shopping in a certain town.

If you are interested in gardening, there are Canada Internet shopping tips that will tell you about the best online retailers that would make good choices to use when conducting comparison shopping searches. These comparison shopping checks could be for a specific garden tool, or for the overall price percentage differences between several retail locations.

There are Canada Internet shopping tips that will help you find credible information to use when starting a weight-loss program. These sites focus on what foods are particularly good to eat if you have a heart problem, or will simply provide information to help you form your own opinion of what healthy eating means.

If you want to participate in outdoor recreation sports, there are Canada Internet shopping tips that will let you know where to shop for the best sports equipment on the market today, or find the best recreational vehicle for sale in the local area.

There are tips on boating and sailing products included in the Canada Internet shopping tips search results, that you can compare and consider long before you go to the store to buy them. When you can compare thousands of products against each other on any given website, then you are well armed to barter a salesman down from the suggested retail price that is placed on the product.

There are Canada Internet shopping tips available that teach you how to use tips found on the Internet to where you will benefit the most. These are impartial tips from professionals that do not benefit financially from their candid review of products, retail locations or places of interest that you might want to use during a vacation.

Walking street is absolutely insane

Walking Street, in Pattaya, Thailand, is sometimes referred to as the Golden Mile. It is a street of bars, restaurants, hookers, transvestites, and drunken tourists.

Busloads of Asian tourists take pictures but rarely frequent the bars. That is, unless, they go in groups for some kind of show. They will sit with jaws agape at the parade of girls in front of them.

Single, male tourists from every corner of the earth will walk, crawl, or stagger down the street, either alone, with friends, or with a companion for the night.

With neon lights, loud music, and cute "Hello girls" vying for your attention, it is difficult to decide where to go.

You will have to decide on whether to eat or drink – or both. Your decision will lead you to either a 4-star seafood restaurant or a noodle stand on a side alley.

You could wind up in a beer bar, go-go bar, a disco, or a hostess bar. Your senses will be on maximum overdrive with the sounds, sights, and smells of Walking Streets.

Tourists of every nationality will pass by. You will hear languages from the four corners of the earth.

You won't know what to do. Eat, drink, or get a massage?

Your eardrums will be split with the sounds of rap, rock, Thai, hip-hop, or just plain noise.

You will trip over your tongue looking at all the ladies walking around in various states of undress.

You will fight off the flower sellers, cigarette peddlers, and touts trying to get you to see a "light show".

You will look up as you walk to see a bikini-clad Russian girl in a glass box writhing to unheard music.

You will wend your way down side streets, weaving in and out of carts of insects, chicken on a stick, and fried rice and noodles.

Balloons may decorate the outside of a bar indicating that a party is going on inside or it may be the grand opening or re-naming of a go-go.

Walking Street is one of a kind. Once experienced, you will never be able to describe it. I have tried, but it is like trying to explain Las Vegas to someone who has never been.

All I can say is that you will have a great time, eat some unique and delicious food, see some delightful "eye candy", and most likely get a bit inebriated. You will have to experience it for yourself to fully understand.

And then you will see why most guys get addicted to Pattaya.

Coupon shopping canada bargains

There are tremendous savings to be realized when you go coupon shopping Canada bargains by rebates, coupons and other form of store discounts that you might find along the way. Coupon shopping Canada bargains might appear on your favorite retailers site in the form of free shipping on all of the items in your shopping carts that meet one low require price level.

With coupon shopping Canada bargains, Internet storefront retailers want you to enjoy the bargain pricing and the higher rebates that they offer. They will reward you in more ways than one for choosing to shop on their particular website. The shopping bargains will be truly astounding because where can you find prices like these where the quantities are not normally limited to two or three.

These online rebate dealers will point out the most popular bargains to be found in various stores. The coupon shopping Canada bargains are for major online retailers that are known to everyone. There are hotel suites that can turn a tight budget into a great vacation, and the entire family can dress like Kings and Queens because the savings seem so royalty.

Many of these online retailers, offer cash back for your purchases too, on top of the discount coupon codes that you got to use during the check-out process on their E-commerce security enhanced website. Some of the percentages may be only one percent, but if you consider all the shopping that you do, that one percent can mean a lot of your money is being returned to you.

There are selections you can make when you go coupon shopping Canada bargains that will take you directly to several rebates deals that might be at many stores you are interested in shopping with. The rebate process has been made so easy, that with just a click on a special link, you are on the using software that has the savings already built-in to their programs.

There are many rebate forms that are available for customers to use. The rebate might be found listed in the category type of the product that you purchased, or by the retail location name. All of these rebate forms, which they have organized for you can be submitted through the retailer website where you purchased your product at any time.

Some rebates have certain time limits set for each rebate offer you can choose from. These rebate offers are one of the primary reasons people use the Internet to do their coupon shopping Canada bargains hunting adventures. They feel that the money that they save each time they are online, will improve the lives of their families in some way.

The Internet retailers have also made it possible where you can be notified by email if a rebate offer on an item you purchased from their site will be expiring in the very near future. This way, the retail location knows you will not miss out on a rebate from any of the merchants that offer this type of customer service. You will begin to feel very comfortable in knowing that you are doing business with a company that does have your best interest at heart.

Health insurance 101

We all understand the importance of health insurance; however, as the types of health insurance continue to increase it is becoming more and more difficult to select the type of coverage that is best for you and your family. To help you find out which type of policy might benefit you the most, let’s take a look at the most common types of policies.

There is usually a lot of hype regarding HMOs so let’s look at that one first. A HMO is a health maintenance organization plan that works with a specified group of doctors and hospitals within the network. A primary healthcare physician is selected and you must obtain referrals for care that cannot be provided by that physician. The benefits of this type of plan are lower office visit costs and prescription drug co-pays. In addition, there will typically be either no or limited deductible costs for hospital stays. Depending on your coverage, there may also be no pre-existing condition cause limitations. It is also important to understand that your choice of doctors and hospitals will be limited with a HMO and you won’t be able to have out of network services covered.

A PPO or Preferred Provider Organization works similar to a HMO; however, the major difference is that you are not required to select a primary care physician. In addition to the benefit of being free to choose your own physician without worrying about a referral you also gain the benefit of limited or no deductible costs for hospital stays as well as a possible larger selection of physicians that might be available with a HMO. Out of network services may also be covered; however, for a higher charge than in network services.

A POS, or Point of Service, is also similar to a HMO in that you select a primary care physician. The difference is that you are free to choose out of network treatment if you’re willing to pay a higher out of pocket cost.

Another option is what is known as a traditional coverage policy. This type of policy will have a higher monthly premium as well as deductibles. In addition, you will generally be required to pay for services out of your own pocket up front and then submit claim reimbursement forms.

You may also wish to consider various types of disability plans, which cover a percentage of your income in the event that you experience an illness or accident that prevents you from working for a period of time. A short term disability plan will provide benefits from the first day of an accident or the eighth day of an illness up to 26 weeks. Generally, this type of plan will cover 66% of your weekly income.

Long term disability will begin after short term coverage has expired and will provide coverage for a variable term, depending on the policy you select. Some policies are limited to providing coverage up to two years while others will cover you up to the age of 65.

Add some factor with your body

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A Heraldic Coat of Arms was more like a label for instant identification than it was like a painting. You wanted to know instantly who was coming toward you, so you could know which side he was on. Coats of arms later took on further significance and meanings. They also became a way of showing membership in the aristocracy, after they lost their significance in warfare.

Heraldic Coat of Arms painted in different colours such as bright red, royal blue, sky blue, emerald green, royal purple, black. By using metals Heraldic Coat of Arms can paint in gold and silver. A Heraldic Coat of Arms can have several parts. The main part is a shield, which can have a crest above it, a motto, and animals supporting the shield. The terms used in heraldry are similar to a kind of old Australia. The idea is that a shield can be described by one expert in heraldry so that another expert could draw it correctly without ever seeing it. In this trendy period Heraldic Coat of Arms creates a special attention among young generation. The Australian Capital Territory has no Heraldic Coat of Arms. However, a Heraldic Coat of Arms for the city of Canberra, the national capital of Australia, was granted by King George V in 1928. The motto embodied in the Heraldic Coat of Arms is ‘For the Queen, the Law and the People’. The supporters are a black swan and white swan, symbolising the Aboriginal and European races. Coats of Arms are widely used in New Zealand by major institutions, local authorities and even in some cases individuals. Their decorative qualities, symbolism and historical aspects hold an enduring interest.

A traditional expression of national identity, the New Zealand Heraldic Coat of Arms proclaims the sovereign nature of New Zealand and the authority of the Government.

The Heraldic Coat of Arms can be seen on a variety of documents and papers of constitutional and national significance, ranging from Acts of Parliament and Proclamations, to passports.

Heraldic Coat of Arms used just as a symbol and represent a country on different way.

Csi season 2 dvd review

Recipient of 20 Emmy and 6 Golden Globe nominations, including Best Television Series: Drama, CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) ascended to the number one spot as the highest rated series on television in the Fall of 2000. Created by Anthony Zuiker, the show travels into the backrooms of the criminal investigation process where forensic scientists unravel complex crimes using modern lab technologies. Since it first premiered, CSI has enabled CBS to emerge as the top-rated network for the first time in years, surpassing NBC, ABC, and Fox, and spawning two additional series CSI: New York and CSI: Miami. Each fascinating hour-long episode jumps off with the memorable theme song “Who Are You,” a song that adequately expresses the theme of a series where criminals are often tracked down years after the initial commission of their crime…

The CSI (Season 2) DVD features a number of dramatic episodes including the season premiere “Burked” in which Grissom and company are called in to investigate the death of a high roller and known drug addict found dead in his own home. With drug paraphernalia on the premises, detectives initially suspect an overdose, but further probing leads them to believe the man was restrained by duct tape and forced to ingest lethal amounts of drugs… Other notable episodes from Season 2 include “And Then There Were None” in which Grissom investigates a casino heist that left several innocent bystanders shot while Catherine and Sara investigate a murder in the rural desert region, and “Stalker” in which a stalker somehow infiltrates a heavily secured home and murders his victim, prompting the CSI to take over the investigation…

Below is a list of episodes included on the CSI (Season 2) DVD:

Episode 24 (Burked) Air Date: 09-27-2001

Episode 25 (Chaos Theory) Air Date: 10-04-2001

Episode 26 (Overload) Air Date: 10-11-2001

Episode 27 (Bully for You) Air Date: 10-18-2001

Episode 28 (Scuba Doobie-Doo) Air Date: 10-25-2001

Episode 29 (Alter Boys) Air Date: 11-01-2001

Episode 30 (Caged) Air Date: 11-08-2001

Episode 31 (Slaves of Las Vegas) Air Date: 11-15-2001

Episode 32 (And Then There Were None) Air Date: 11-22-2001

Episode 33 (Ellie) Air Date: 12-06-2001

Episode 34 (Organ Grinder) Air Date: 12-13-2001

Episode 35 (You’ve Got Male) Air Date: 12-20-2001

Episode 36 (Identity Crisis) Air Date: 01-17-2002

Episode 37 (The Finger) Air Date: 01-31-2002

Episode 38 (Burden of Proof) Air Date: 02-07-2002

Episode 39 (Primum Non Nocere) Air Date: 02-28-2002

Episode 40 (Felonius Monk) Air Date: 03-07-2002

Episode 41 (Chasing the Bus) Air Date: 03-28-2002

Episode 42 (Stalker) Air Date: 04-04-2002

Episode 43 (Cats in the Cradle) Air Date: 04-25-2002

Episode 44 (Anatomy of a Lye) Air Date: 05-02-2002

Episode 45 (Cross-Jurisdictions) Air Date: 05-09-2002

Episode 46 (The Hunger Artist) Air Date: 05-16-2002