Matteson Avenue - Wire's Conduit

Wire's Conduit

Web Special

Why do I need a web site?

Below is a list of reasons why you may need a web site:

Promote your ideas, hobbies, or beliefs
To Advertise your company or product
Make loads of money really fast (maybe not)
Provide customer services and support
To keep your customer base informed
Give or Sell Information
Create an 'Extended Business Card' for your company
Provide internal information and services for your company

If you have a business of any kind, you have to have a web site. It can start as a simple business card, one page with a description and contact information. These days just about everyone uses their computer first and the yellow pages last.

But it's too expensive! You can get a multi page website for $4.99 a month.

But I don't how to program? Many hosts have web based interfaces that my Mom could use.

But I don't how it should look? Do a Google search on your competition or other similar sites.

Here's the basics:

Home page with logo, picture and brief description of products and services. Two types of navigation, rollover buttons and text links at the bottom of each page along with contact information at the bottom of each page.

About Us page with brief history, industries served, testimonials and "Client Centered Benefits"

Products & Services page with more client centered benefits and testimonials

Keywords - I can't even see them!

You're right, you can't see them, (they're in the code) but the search engines can! Without keywords you're relying on search engine "spiders" that crawl the text on your page. Some spiders won't see your page without them.

Right click anywhere on this page where there isn't an image and select "view source". Look for three items: <TITLE> , <meta name="keywords"....> and <meta name="description"..>.

<TITLE> will display a "title" or short message on the "browsers" upper left edge or status line.

<meta name="keywords"....> Keywords are the important words. Most search engines will use these words to validate your site. These words need to be within the text on your page. Between 50 and 100 keywords is about right. No one really knows the "perfect" amount. Google and other search engine purposely don't release that information so it levels the playing field. Google is constantly changing the rules. The general consensus is that keywords congruent with your site, content rich information and links to other like sites will garner a high search ranking.

Another aspect of SEO (search engine optimization) is embedding certain code that helps spiders. Here are some:

Another one is called ROR or "resources of a resource". It describes the content, objects and structure of your site so other web applications can find and access your information easier. You could build a ROR file by hand (if you're a masochist) or use one the fr^ee automated utilities like this on here.

Now right click on the page and choose "View Source". You'll see what I've choose for the description and keywords.

Now go ask your web designer a few questions like, "Are my keywords congruent with my page text?" If they give you a blank stare, well maybe it's time to find a different web master.

Email Tips

This months Wire tip is a bunch of tips to better manage your email. Some of may seem a bit simplistic but anything that saves time while wading through the mountain of email will help.

When you delete an email it doesn't go away right away. To make it go away right now, hold down the shift key and press delete. No wait - don't try it now.

To select multiple emails to delete hold down your control key (Ctrl) and click on random emails, then delete (to your trash folder) or press shift and delete for the instant go away.

The same Ctrl key works for moving groups of emails. You can also select a range of emails by clicking on the first, holding down the "shift" key and clicking on the last.

Set up a "rule" so that any message you receive as a "CC" goes to a folder other than your inbox. In Outlook select Tools, Rules & Alerts, New Rule, Start From a Blank Rule, highlight "Check Messages When They Arrive", click Next, Check the box "where my name is in the Cc box", check the box "move it to a specified folder", click on the underlined word "specified" and select the folder, you can make a new folder here called "CC Folder", highlight the CC Folder, click next, click on any exceptions, click next, Name your New Rule and finish. Once you've been through this multi step process, you will be more comfortable setting up other rules to help you stay organized.

Maybe I should mention a bit about email etiquette as it pertains to CC and BCC. Usually you would address and email and include anyone else in the "To" field that requires an action or reply. People in the CC (carbon copy) field are receiving it as an FYI and do not need to reply or act on it. BCC (blind carbon copy) is used when you don't want anyone else to see who got the email. BCC is preferred for sending a mass of emails without showing who all got it.

For example, you want to send an email to 50 people (Comcast and others have limits as to how many). In the "TO" field put "your" address. Put everyone else in the BCC field. Now every recipient gets an email sent to you but they don't who else got it and they don't get those email addresses. This also prevents someone from hitting "Reply All" and sending something back to all 50 people.

Oh and if you're going to forward an email, remove all the headers and past recipients, lest someone grabs all those email addresses and spam them and besides, who wants to scroll down four pages just to get to a two line joke.

Ok now how about a little advice. If you get something via email that look like a "chain letter" or some such hoax like "Bill Gates want's to send you free software for sending this to ten people", it's a hoax or "don't open the email with the Budweiser Frogs, it's a virus", it's a hoax. Don't waste your time telling everyone about it, it just wastes their time as well. If it really is a virus, your virus software will catch it before you hear about it from your friends.

One last tip: Do you have a signature file for your email? A signature file will automatically sign each email you send with anything you want. You can even have multiple signatures. In Outlook, select Tools, Options, Mail Format. Put your name, address and phone if you wish and maybe a brief description of who you are and what you do. Don't miss an opportunity to tell people what you do.

Kevin Thomas helps people build better web sites, market them more effectively to their clients and turns lead into gold (well not gold really). After a twenty five year career in construction and business Kevin now raises alpacas and designs web sites and e-zines. You can contact Kevin at 425-413-6946 or email him here:

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