What to Do When Someone Steals Your Web Content

Has your online content ever been stolen? If it hasn't consider yourself lucky... and know what to do when it DOES happen.

Here's an article that explains the steps to take when you find that someone has stolen your hard work. Oh, and if you're wondering how you can know if your content has been stolen, Copyscape is a free tool that will let you know.

Here's the article.

Caught! What To Do About Content Stealers by S McIntyre

First and foremost anything you write, draw, paint and photograph is protected by copyright laws and it is known as intellectual property.

I think one time or another each of us have had something stolen from us. I, for one know I have had ad copies, blog post, contest ideas and even a portion of my home page's content stolen from me. Certainly it's not a good feeling and it's not a considered a compliment or flattery in any way, shape or form! It's pathetic and downright wrong on so many levels.

Do they think they can get away with it? Do they think it's okay? Just because it's on the Internet it doesn't mean it's a free-for-all. To understand copyright laws, visit http://www.copyright.gov/

What can you do when you find your content taken without your permission?

When they steal an ad copy, ask them to remove it. Report it to the website administrator where you found your stolen work. Most administrators will not tolerate this kind of behaviour.

When they steal an article, let them know you are the original author and ask them to credit the work with your resource box or have them remove the plagiarized work immediately.

When they steal your website's content, notify them via email with a cease and desist order. You can Google for a sample of a cease and desist order letter. If they fail to respond or fail to remove the copied content within the timeframe you presented, contact their web hosting company and let them know of the situation. You can also contact their advertisers and let them know their ads are shown on a site containing copied/stolen content. If all fails, it's time to report the offending site to Google and other search engines.

To prove you are the owner of the stolen work start searching through Google and screen capture the results from a cached file. You can use screen capturing software or use the "Print Screen" key on your keyboard and then copy it to Paint.

Let it be known, people who resort to these tactics really don't belong online. Their lack of credibility and integrity will not get them far and they will fail.



S McIntyre owns Work At Home Space, a free work at home resource focusing on telecommuting companies, daily telecommute job leads, articles, business resources and other work at home related topics. You can also visit her blog Healthy Perspectives, featuring an array of health topics, nutrition, reicpes and fitness for maintaining an overall healthy and well-balanced lifestyle.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

My Adventures with Google Analytics

A few days ago, I noticed the stats for my article directory weren't displaying in cpanel. According to Awstats, I had exactly ZERO visitors, which I knew wasn't right, since article submissions and my Google AdSense earnings were booming!

So, I sent an email to my hosting company (who, by the way, is the BEST there is ). Anyways, Jodi from GoGreen quickly responded to my inquiry and told me she would check it out, but in the meantime, had I tried using Google Anaytics?

It was, she assured me, far superior to anything GoGreen offered with their hosting package (I told you they were awesome!). Plus, it was easy to use.

Now, when a tech person like Jodi tells me something is "easy to use," I usually respond with, "Uh huh," and look for someone I can outsource it to. I'm good with words, not with the mechanisms that make things run.

GoGreen got my Awstats problem fixed ASAP, but in the meantime I did check out Google Analytics. The complexity of Google Sitemaps kind of put me off of trying anything else new that Google came up with (if you're thinking, "But Google Sitemaps aren't complicated," you've got a clear picture of my technical comfort zone).

However, this time, the techie was right. Google Analytics really is easy to use. (And if I'm telling you that, you can know it's true!)

I've only had it up a few days, and I'm already seeing more detailed results than any other stats program I've tried. Try it out for yourself here.

Hire a Ghostwriter to Make Your Website Go Cha-ching

Hire a ghostwriter? You?

But you're a good writer. Besides, is that even legal?

You bet it is - and even the best writers sometimes depend on ghostwriters to help them out.

Below you'll find a few ways a Virtual Assistant can use a ghostwriter, and a Virtual Assistant freebie you won't want to miss out on.

First of all, here's how a VA can use a ghostwriter to generate more revenue from his or her website:

• To create an eCourse for potential clients
• To write an eBook that promotes your business
• To write an eBook you can sell for a profit (when you use a ghostwriter, all the rights are yours, so you can do whatever you want with the results.)
• To submit articles to directories to drive traffic to your website
• To outsource some of your overflow
• To add valuable content to your website so your visitors keep coming back

Today on the WAHM Articles blog I'm giving away free copies of the eBook, Ghostwriters from the Inside Out, and you'll find a valuable discount if you're ready to try a ghostwriter - with minimal risk to you.

The book is totally free - I don't even ask for your email address. The discount is for subscribers of the WA blog only, but it's easy to subscribe (look on the top, right-hand side) and you may unsubscribe at any time. Click here to get your own copy of Ghostwriters from the Inside Out and to find your discount.

Making Headlines - How to Write Copy that Will Persuade Your Reader

Touching your readers on an emotional level is key to writing copy that sells, or articles or blog posts that get read. This is the tool I use to create headlines and titles that strike an emotional chord with readers: headline analyzer from the Advanced Marketing Institute. It's so handy, and it's free to use!

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Are Your Outgoing Links on the Right Side of the Law?

Since we're talking about the importance of links...

A few years ago, I took a course in managing web content for small business websites. One of the recommendations was that, whenever you link to an outside page, it's polite to request permission from the website's owner.

I don't know many people who follow that advice, and I hardly ever do either - unless it's to start building a relationship with the owner of that website.

But, did you know, that some of your outbound links may not be legal? Here's a good article that explains what could be an illegal link.

And a few days ago I was writing about Tawyna Sutherland, the creator of the Virtual Business Startup System. I was at her site the other day, and I found this page that explains link popularity better than I ever could. Enjoy!

Oh yeah, and if you want to take a closer look at Tawnya's Virtual Business Startup System, here's the link for that too.

Choosing the "Write" Words for Your Links

Now that you know what your link popularity is (or isn't, as the case may be) you're ready to begin a link building a campaign.

Or are you?

It's not just the links that matter. The specific words you use in those links count too.

Your incoming links should include your keywords in the anchor text (the words that are actually linked to you) or in the words around the anchor text. That helps tell the search engines what your site is actually about.

When you choose keywords for your links, you need to make sure you're using keywords that people are actually searching for. What good will it do to use a bunch of keywords that no one ever looks for? You might have a great site, but no one will ever find it if they're not looking for it!

It's not at all difficult to find out what people are really searching for. Sign up for an account at Wordtracker and take their free trial. While you're there, you can also subscribe to Wordtracker's Keyword Expert Newsletter and get articles, case studies and tips to help grow your new business with keyword research.

Find Out How Popular Your Website Is - Free Link Popularity Tool

Search engines are the gateway to the Internet, and to the success of your Virtual Assistant business. They are the first tool your potential clients will use to find your service when they need you.

That's why link popularity is so important. If prospects can't find your website, you can't convert them into paying customers!

What is link popularity, anyways? Link popularity refers to the ranking assigned to your website by the search engines, and it determines the ranking your page gets when keywords and phrases are entered into a search engine.

A good example of a search engine that ranks your importance by your links is Google. You can learn more about their ranking system here.

So, just how popular are you? Here is a free tool to help you check your link popularity. You can also check your competition's link popularity, and find out who's linking to them.

Next time, I'll tell you some easy ways to boost your popularity, and get more links to your website.

The Best Virtual Assistant Directory

Listing your VA business in directories is a good way to start getting the word out about your new biz.

VA Networking has the largest and most up-to-date directory of Virtual Assistant websites online worldwide.

You need to create an account before you submit yours. You can do that here.

Submit Your Virtual Assistant Business Here

Do you have a virtual assistant website up and running? Whether you're a VA newbie, or an veteran VA, I'd love to know about it.

Tell me and my blog readers about it in the comment section below. We'd love to come for a visit. :)

How Can You Make It Easier?

This morning I came across the website for Harmonious Virtual Assistance, LLC. VA Monica Verbenec has done something that makes it easy for people who want to work with her to do so.

See the Buy Now button on her home page? That's so much easier than making her potential and current clients jump through hoops trying to figure out how to pay her - like many other virtual professionals do.

Also, if you click on the link, you can immediately find out what her rates are.

Website users are used to getting information when they want it (like your current VA rates) and doing what they need as quickly as possible (like paying their VA).

How can you make it easier for potential and current clients to work with you?

Create Your Client List, Not More Content!

If you're biting at the bit to get your new virtual assistant business off the ground, but you need to create content first, I have something you might like.

Yesterday I launched a new kind of Private Label Rights content, designed specifically for the new VA - New VA PLR.

I still remember the long hours I poured into creating content for my very first Virtual Assistant website... hours I could have spent looking for my valuable first client.

With New VA PLR you don't have to toil away like I did. You can copy, paste, make a few changes, and start looking for that first client sooner than you thought possible.

Each item in New VA PLR is generically written, so it can be used by any new Virtual Assistant, in any industry.

They're also highly customizable so you can easily adapt them to suit your needs, and the needs of your potential clients.

Here's what you'll find in your New VA PLR:

1. Virtual Assistant Cost Comparison - Quickly and easily show your visitors how they can save literally thousands of dollars a year by contracting your VA business.
2. Virtual Assistant FAQ - Eight of the questions virtual assistants hear most often, complete with answers.
3. VA Info Request - A questionnaire for potential clients, to help you determine what they need and how you can help them best.
4. VA Rates & Retainers - I've supplied the wording. All you need to do is fill in the numbers that show your new clients how affordable you really are.
5. What is a VA? A 500-word article that answers that age-old question, "So, what is a Virtual Assistant, anyways?" Use it without making any changes, or edit it to suit your own business needs. This article can be used on your website or in your marketing kit - or both!
6. New VA Press Release Template - A fill-in-the-blank template created specifically to help you get the word out about your new virtual assistant business.
7. How to Get the Most Out of Your New VA PLR - Suggested ways to customize your new content and your press release for the best results possible.
8. Suggested Affiliate Programs - A list of suggested affiliate programs you can begin promoting with your new VA business. You can begin making money from your website, even before you sign on your first client!

To learn more, visit the sales page at WAHM Articles.

Learn HTML Tricks, Quickly and Easily

The Virtual Business Startup System (a highly recommended resource for any aspiring or experienced virtual assistant) comes with several easy-to-use website templates.

But even "easy to use" requires some knowledge on the user's behalf to get the most out of them.

When I created my first website using the templates, I had worked with basic html before, and I knew how to use an html editor at a beginner level. To get the most out of my templates, though, I wanted to learn more. I read (or tried to read) several tutorials to ramp up my knowledge, but technical how-to's are not my favorite kind of reading!

I then turned to my library and took out every book they had on html, hoping that something would appeal to me, and finally make sense to my creative, but non-technical brain. :)

That was when I discovered the book HTML: Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks (Visual Read Less, Learn More)

It's a friendly book that you don't really have to read - just follow the brightly colored illustrations to accomplish your goal. The difficulty of each task is easy to determine because the book uses symbols to point out new spins on common tasks, tasks that require multiple steps, and tasks that require extensive skill and may involve other technologies.

With these easy-to-follow instructions, I was able to perform even some of the most complex tasks to get my site working just like I wanted.

Some of the tasks covered in this book are:

• Using style sheets
• Creating forms
• Arranging objects using tables
• Working with JavaScript

I forgot to mention that the Virtual Business Startup System includes a 2 hour coupon for Website Design, so you don't need to do any of the work yourself. However, as a new virtual assistant, I wanted to take advantage of this learning opportunity so I could work online more efficiently, and offer web editing services to my clients.

Here's the book again: HTML: Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks (Visual Read Less, Learn More)

Website Not Producing Paying Customers? Common Mistakes Found in Business Websites

by Rebecca Clary

Today, a business website is not only a tool, it is a marketing essential. With many more customers starting their search for good local businesses online, you may be cheating yourself if you do no have a website, or if you have common detourants within your current website. In fact, some reports show that up to 75% of first time customers looking for a new business will indeed begin their search online first.

"But I have a website."

You may have a website, but is it drawing in the amount of business that you want? If you are getting visitors to your website, but they are just simply not converting to paying customers, then your website may actually be detouring customers away, rather then grabbing them in. Websites made on "do-it yourself" editors, Websites that were made during the "website boom," among others may have some common errors that drive your customers away.

Here are a few common mistakes found in none-productive websites:

1) Slow loading- One of the common mistakes website owners make us actually adding too much to their website. The more heavy graphic images and content that the customer has to download, the longer it will take for your website to load. If it takes too long, chances are the visitor will hit back without even seeing your website. We understand that you may have a lot to say or show about your business, but the proper way to do this is to split it all up into a few pages instead of one.

2) Outdated information- If your website was made several years ago, and you have not updated the content since, then chances are you will not get the most out of your websites. Your business changes over the years, so your website should change with it. Because, after all, would you hire a business if the only information you can find was post dated 2 or 3 years?

3) Unprofessional websites- This mistake is largely found in websites created during the "website boom" which took place around the start of the 21st century. Then, it was not uncommon to see websites with simple layouts, pictures that simply did not match the business, animated characters, etc. Plus, most of the technology we have today just simply was not available then. This is just not accepted anymore. If you open your website, and there are blinking or moving graphics that do not relate to our website (ex: an animated running dog breaks up your paragraphs, or a "new" sign blinks a few different colors) then chances are your customers are turning away.

4) No content- A website needs to tell as much as possible about your business. If your website only contains a few sentences, and then a "contact me for more information" link, then you will lose customers. The reason customers start their search online is so that they can find out as much information as possible, without having to go through the trouble of contacting businesses and asking.

5) No contact information- You would think providing your contact information would be a no-brainer. You would be surprised at how many companies accidentally leave this out. On the other hand, some only leave their address, which requires the customer to find the business in person in order to inquiry about their services or products. Make sure to leave either an email address or a phone number along with your address.

6) Javascripts- Javascript was a popular language during the website boom. Javascript is the language that controls things such as pop-ups ads, pop-ups messages, scrolling toolbars, etc. When used correctly, javascript can add beneficial dynamic content to your site. However, when used wrong, it may make your site look unprofessional, load slow, or may cause errors that do not allow your website to load at all.

If your website has any of the common mistakes found above, then I assure you that you will benefit from a website redesign. The good news is: redesigns are usually a lot less painful, and less costly then the initial design was. A good design company can take your current website, and make it stunning in a very short period of time.



Rebecca Clary has been designing websites for 12 years, and has published over 200 professional business websites. Today, she owns http://www.109websites.com, a web design firm that focuses on small businesses by providing unique, stunning websites for only $109.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

4 Easy Ways To Promote Your Website Online

by Mindy Benkert

Creating your website is the easy part compared to what comes next – promoting it.

Website promotion is not only a task that you must do continually, but it's also going to take some time and effort before you start seeing results. Fortunately, there are many different ways to advertise your business online, and while some work, others don’t, so it’s really going to be a matter of trial and error to figure out what works for you.

To get your promotional endeavors off to a good start, here are 4 popular and easy ways to advertise your website online:

Article Marketing:

Writing and submitting articles to free reprint article directories is a great way to create incoming links to your website. The purpose of article marketing is to allow other website owners and bloggers to use your articles on their sites, and in return, they must keep the resource box with your website link in tact at the bottom of your article, which can then direct traffic from their website to yours.

Blogging:

One of the great things about blogs is that they are relationship builders. As readers come to know and trust you, they will become interested in what you have to say. Using a blog will give you the means to write up posts that include links to your website where your readers can get more information, such as reading a new article you’ve added, or checking out a product that you are an
affiliate for. Once you have an established readership, blogging will truly become beneficial to your promoting your website.

Email Newsletters:

Building a list and creating an email newsletter will allow you to send out a monthly or even weekly email to your subscribers. You can focus the topic of your newsletter around your website's purpose, and provide readers with quality articles, reviews, and updates. This method enables you to reach your target market, and gain quality traffic to your website by promoting yourself in your emails. You can do that by inserting your website link in the signature line of your emails, and reminding them that they can go to your website for more information. You can also use "teasers" to articles that are published on your website. So instead of sending your readers an entire article, just give them the first couple of paragraphs to read with a link to your website where they can read more.

Message Boards/Forums:

Message boards and forums are not only a great networking tool, but they also give you the ability to promote your website to other members. You can advertise your website in the signature line that appears at the bottom of your post, and interested readers can click your link to go to your website. However, there is more to be gained from message boards and forums then simply advertising in your signature line. By being an active participant, you can build
relationships with other members to increase your credibility and readership in the long-term. So in order to really achieve the benefits of message boards and forums, it’s best if you only join a few of these sites and visit them on a regular basis.



Mindy Benkert is a successful internet marketer and mom. In her Free E-Course, she shares 10 Proven Ways To Quickly and Easily
Promote Your Website. Sign up today!


Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Using the Internet to your Advantage

by Rebecca Clary

Coming from the "Internet generation," I understand the importance of doing your business, or at least advertising your business online. The Internet has opened up a wealth of possibilities to businesses that were simply not available 10 or 15 years ago. But before I start telling my age, please let me explain further.

Open 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week

The Internet never closes down for the end of the business day or the weekend. Your businesses information and contact information is available at any time. This means that potential clients can research and decide if they want to do business with you, without having to contact you. Before, the only time a potential client could inquire about your business was during business hours, unless you wanted to give out your private phone numbers and cell phone numbers. Now, they can send you an email, and you can answer it at your convenience.

More Information Then Ever Before

The Internet does not constrain you to a certain number of words. You literally have unlimited amounts of space to talk about, advertise, and display information about your business. Before, you would have to fit what you felt was the most important information into a 30 second commercial, or a specific size of brochure.

Global Users

Before the Internet, you were required to spend large amounts of money to advertise anywhere but your local area. You had to rely on people driving by or hearing/seeing one of your local ads in order to do business with them. The Internet however, is reachable by every country on the planet, and a website or online ads usually costs exactly the same whether people from your hometown, or people from the other side of the world are viewing it.

Changeable Content

When creating a business brochure or handout, you had to make sure you only put none-dateable information in there, because after all, once they are printed, you cannot change the information. This created potentially large advertising costs, and sometimes many wasted ads due to changing information. Likewise, you were unable to change the text or print on a radio or TV ad until that ad ran its campaign. Online, changing information is as simple as point and click. Your phone number changed? Simple, log onto your website or ad and change it.

Small Cost, Large Results

We all know how expensive traditional advertising campaigns can be. A simple ad in the newspaper now costs about $15 a week, a billboard around $600 a month. However, advertising online is far less expensive. For example: a static, 5 page website will cost you around $109 (if you choose the right designer) and about $3 a month after that. That is a total of $145 dollars a year. Posting to search engines where clients can find your business is free, and allows visitors to search for, and find your website. If you choose to advertise your website on other networks, you only pay when someone actually clicks on your ad. That allows you to control the amount of money, and you only pay for the people that actually see your website. Small businesses or businesses with small budgets and get, and maintain a website for about $.39 a day.

Overall, the Internet is not one of the best ways to successfully advertise your business. If you are new to the Internet, you may want to consider hiring a professional to develop and maintain your advertisements for you. When searching for a designer and web developer, please pay special attention to their details. Here are a few things that you will want to avoid:

1)Template Websites- Templates, sometimes called cookie cutter websites, are pre made designs and set ups of a website. Any number of other websites can use the every same template for their website. In the event that a potential customer has visited a website with a similar template to yours, then chances are they will either not take your business as serious, or reference your business with that website. Ask the potential designer if your website will be unique or made from a template before you do business with them.

2) Hourly Rate Design- Some web design companies offer "hourly rate web design." It has been found that many hourly designers will tell you something takes much longer to complete then it usually does. In this case, you will end up paying for hours of work when the work only actually took a few minutes, or they will hold your website hostage until you do. Look for set packages that list what you will get, no matter how much time it took to complete.

3) High Hosting Charges- Many new business owners and business owners not familiar with the Internet will let their web designer host their website for them. While there is nothing wrong with this, be cautious of the amount you will be paying month for their hosting. Small businesses that only require small website should not pay over $3-$7 a month for hosting. Larger businesses or businesses with large or dynamic websites should never pay over $10-$15 a month. On the other hand, you may find a design company offering free hosting as an introductory offer. If this is true, be sure to ask how much you will be paying for hosting once the offer expires.

4) Long Completion Times- Web design is a complicated process, however, a good designer can finish a website in a rather small amount of time. Be cautious of web designers that take a long time to complete each website. This may be a sign that they may have to much on their plate. If that is the case, then chances are you will not receive the proper attention and care that is needed to make a website a success. Always ask a potential designer how long it typically takes them to finish and publish a website.



Rebecca Clary has been designing websites for 12 years, and has published over 200 professional business websites. Today, she owns http://www.109websites.com, a web design firm that focuses on small businesses by providing unique, stunning websites for only $109.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

How To Have a Virtual Assistant Website Built the Cheap Way

Normally, if you want to have professional designers custom build your site, you must be prepared to dish out at least a few hundred dollars.

But, all this can change if you know where to find the best deals and the best designs for the lowest price. Here's a rough guide:

First, you must understand that it costs more to have established companies design websites for you. Have you ever seen those advertisements in newspaper classified ad sections that offer a 5-page website at $500? These companies are established companies with physical locations, therefore they have to increase the amount they charge to pay off some overheads: office rent, designer's wages, advertising costs and so on.

Therefore, it would be wise to use a virtual assistant! As you already know, VAs often work from home so they do not have high operating costs like a company does. On the other hand, a VA will be able to design images with quality similar to (or better than!) those of designers from big companies.

However, choose your VA with care. The best way to find the right VA for your project would be to go to VANetworking. There you can post your RFP (request for proposal) and get hundreds of talented virtual assistants to bid on your project, so you will get the best deal. On top of that, you will be able to choose the designers based on their experience, past transactions and ratings, so your value for money is secured.

Another route you can take is to purchase the Virtual Business Startup System. It comes with several beautiful, easy to use templates, perfectly suited for a virtual assistant. They're easy to edit wth the help of WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) programs such as Microsoft Frontpage, Macromedia Dreamweaver and so on.

Your Virtual Assistant Website - Why You Need a Site Map

A site map is often considered redundant in the process of building a website, and that is true... if you made a site map just for the sake of having one. This article highlights the importance of having a well constructed site map, so you will be able to tailor your own site map to suit your own needs.

1) Navigation

A site map literally acts as a map of your site. If your visitors browse your site and get lost between the thousands of pages, they can always refer back to your site map to see where they are, and navigate through your pages with the ease.

2) Conveys your website's theme

When your visitors load your site map, they will get the gist of your site within a very short amount of time. They can get the "big picture" of what your site is all about at one glance, without reading through each page. You will be saving your visitors' time and keep their attention.

3) Website optimization

When you create a site map, you are actually creating a single page which contains links to every single page on your site. Imagine what happens when search engine robots hit this page -- they will follow the links on the site map and every single page of your site gets indexed by search engines! It is also for this purpose that a link to the site map has to be placed prominently on the front page of your website.

4) Organization and relevance

A site map gives you a bird's eye view of your site structure, and whenever you need to add new content or new sections, you will be able to take the existing hierarchy into consideration just by glancing at the site map. As a result, you will have a perfectly organized site with everything sorted according to their relevance.

From the above reasons, it is most important to implement a site map for website projects with a considerable size. Through this way, you will be able to keep your website easily accessible and neatly organized for everyone.

Keep Potential Clients Coming Back to Your Virtual Assistant Website

The success of your virtual assistant website will depend on returning visitors. Returning visitors are easier to convert into paying clients because the more often they return to a site, the more they will grow to trust you and your site. As visitors return to your site and again, you will slowly gain credibility with them, and they will be easier to convert into paying clients.

Here are some ways you can keep potential clients coming back for more:

1) Start a forum, chatroom or shoutbox

When you start a forum, chatroom or shoutbox, you are giving your visitors a place to voice their opinions and interact with their peers, and with you. As conversations build up, a sense of community will also follow and your visitors will come back to your site every day.

Starting a forum doesn't have to cost a lot. FreeForums.org offers free forum hosting and is easy to get started with.

2) Start a blog

Keep an online journal, or blog, on your site and keep it updated with latest news about yourself, your business, and information of interest to your target market. Human beings are curious creatures and they will keep their eyes glued to the monitor if you post fresh news frequently. You will also build up your credibility as you are proving to them that there is also a real life person behind the website.

You can set up a blog for free at http://www.blogger.com and find free and affordable Blogger templates at Designed by Lara.

3) Carry out polls or surveys

Polls and surveys are other forms of interaction that you should definitely consider adding to your site. They provide a quick way for visitors to voice their opinions and to get involved in your website. Be sure to publish polls or surveys that are strongly relevant to the target market of your website to keep them interested to find out about the results.

Survey Monkey is another free, easy-to-use program. It offers a lot of flexibility in creating surveys to get the answers you need.

4) Offer puzzles, quizzes, games and prizes

Just imagine how many office workers procrastinate at work every day, and you will be able to gauge how many people will keep visiting your site if you provide a very interesting or addicting way of entertainment. You can also hold competitions to award the high score winner to keep people trying continuously to earn the prize.

5) Update frequently with fresh content

Update your site frequently with fresh content so that every time your visitors come back, they will have something to read on your site. This is the most effective method of attracting returning visitors. No one will want to browse a site that nv, so keep your site updated with fresh bites!

You don't need to spend a lot of time writing content. You can look for quality reprint articles from an article directory such as WAHM Articles.

Your Virtual Assistant Website - 5 Important Rules

When it comes to designing your virtual assistant website, pay extra attention to every minute detail to make sure your new site optimally serves its purpose. Here are five important rules of thumb to observe to make sure your virtual assistant website performs well.

1) Do not use splash pages

Splash pages are the first pages you see when you arrive at a website. They normally have a very beautiful image with words like "welcome" or "click here to enter". In fact, they are just that -- pretty vases with no real purpose.

Don't give your visitors have a reason to click the "back" button before they even see your content! Give them the value of your site up front without the splash page.

2) Do not use excessive banner advertisements

Even the least net savvy people have learned to ignore banner advertisements, so you could be wasting valuable website real estate if you use them. Instead, provide more valuable content and weave relevant affiliate links into your content. Let your visitors feel that they want to buy instead of pushed to buy.

3) Have a simple and clear navigation

You need to provide a simple and very straightforward navigation menu so that even the most inexperienced user will know how to find what she's looking for. Stay away from complicated Flash based menus or multi-tiered dropdown menus. If your visitors don't know how to navigate, they will leave your site.

4) Give your user a clear indication of where he is

When visitors are deeply engrossed in browsing your site, you will want to make sure they know which part of the site they are in at that moment. That way, they will be able to browse relevant information or navigate to any section of the site easily. Don't confuse your visitors. Confusion means "abandon ship"!

5) Avoid using audio on your site

If your visitor is going to stay a long time at your site, reading your content, you will want to make sure they're not annoyed by some audio looping on and on on your website. If you insist on adding audio, make sure they have some control over it -- volume or muting controls would work fine.

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