You’re running ads in your local newspaper, or maybe you’ve built a website for your small business. The problem is, your copy isn’t up to par. Maybe it’s time to learn more about copywriting. If you’d like to be part of a copywriters discussion, be sure to check out the Copy Writing Board forum.

With a mix of seasoned professionals and rookies, you’ll find fresh perspective along with excellent advice. Improving your copywriting skills is going to help improve your bottom line, because when it comes down to it….good COPY SELLS.

I recently went in search of ecommerce shopping carts. It was confusing and frustrating. There were so many choices, but I really wasn’t sure what would work for me. When it comes time to have a shopping cart, you need to know what you want out of a product, what you expect it to do, and how much you’ll want to pay for it.

One aspect, you’ll need to consider is how payment is taken and made. Does your shopping cart take credit cards, is it secure, and what kind of support does the company offer if there’s a problem? Does your shopping cart take a wide range of payments, and will people from other countries be purchasing items or services?

What is included in the cost of the software, and how much is your monthly fee? Is there a set up fee, and what is that going to run you? What kind of track record does the company have? What are your competitors using? Do you offer physical goods or digital downloads?

Are you buying software, or paying a monthly service fee? How large is your need, and how much are you willing to pay? If you’re using their storage space, how much is included? With ecommerce shopping carts, these are all questions you need to consider before finding “the one”.

If you’re new to the online world, and you’re looking to make an impact, put your business online. You’ll also want to create a blog, which is something I’ve mentioned in the past. Today I want to share a program that will help you get started, if you’re not sure how to make a strong blog, or how to promote it.

I’ve been an online presence for over 2+ years. Honestly, I’ve been online for about 12 years, but really started to make a mark in the last 3 years or so. I’ve dabbled in blogging, online stores, websites, and even promote my own book online. My ultimate goal has been to work from home, and make an income that’s worth my time. I’ve been doing just that…

During the course of that time, I’ve researched tons of stuff, bought ebooks, signed up under “gurus” to learn and more. One day I was over on the Warrior Forum, reading something from Amy Bass. It was something about Amy that told me I needed to give The Niche Blogger a try. I’m glad I did, because it’s been well worth my time. It’s all about “The Niche Blogger”…

I love being a member of The Niche Blogger, and my income has all ready started to increase.

You see, when you’ve been online for awhile, you get into the habit of taking shortcuts, and skipping steps. You start to overlook tiny details. Let me tell you, it’s in the little details that make the difference. The Niche Blogger is one of the few places I’ve raved about. I don’t generally promote sites on my blogs, but this is one I stand behind. I know quality, and I happily lent my voice and picture for testimony on her site. You won’t find my information and testimony all over the web, because honestly, I just don’t lend it often! In less than 2 months, my income has started to increase.

I’m taking the details I’m learning here, and growing them. Not only have I created new content and sites, but I’ve been able to update some of my other sites to tweak them and see improvements.

This is a program I so believed in based on the quality of information being given, I happily jumped from monthly member to lifetime member, and it was WELL worth it to me. There’s so much information, I’ve got things I can improve on for weeks on end! I have over 50 websites, and I see how I can relate a lot of the information to my other sites. This is a win-win for me…hands down!

I’m all ready seeing results from the work I’ve put in. I’ve grown my web empire, and I’m improving on older sites I have. Within two months, my income started going up. I don’t rave and shout about many programs, but this time…I’m shouting…”The Niche Blogger” is the best thing I invested in this year.

Kindly, Deb

*I have a relationship with this program. I get a referral fee if you choose to buy the program, but it in no way changes the price of the membership for you. This is a true and honest review, and you will find me on the boards here. It’s the best thing I’ve bought in a long time!

Have you heard of DocStoc (www.docstoc.com)? It’s a great website that will allow you to not only find and share documents, but also embed them into your site.

Take for instance, this blog which is about small business. I was able to find a document called “10 Questions to Consider When Starting a New Business”. It’s a perfect fit for this blog, and with .DocStoc I can embed it right here for you.

10 Questions to Consider When Starting a New Business - Get more documents

How might you be able to use this great program on your company blog or website? Why not share a handbook, guide or useful tips for your customers? With DocStoc, you can embed files in different formats, whether they are .pdf, .doc, .xml or .ppt, which means it’s easy to use, no matter what program you’re writing your information into.

You’re ready to step into technology and stay current. It’s time to add a website to your business lineup. It can seem overwhelming, but let’s lay it out. There are two options: hire someone, or learn to do it yourself.

I personally like the second option if you have the time and willingness to stick it in. When you’re passionate about you business, it will come through in your work. Nobody knows your business exactly like you do. When you tell someone what you would like, they may interpret it differently than you do.

If you aren’t ready to take on the task of building it yourself, hire somebody to get you started, and then start researching and learn how to take it over in the future.

I’ve got a great place for you to start. It’s called Stylish Design, and can be found at StylishDesign.com. This is a web design blogger who can help you with your own web design. One particular article you’ll want to read is Website Design with Slideshows and Banners. Don’t read too much into the title. The article itself has gold you need to latch on. The bulleted list of rules are something to grab a hold of. Simplicity is important. Easy navigation, a non-busy background, and simple, basic graphics are important.

Many people get caught up in being flashy or fancy. They want THE top notch hot, flash oriented site. Flash is pretty to look at, but solid, core information is key. People don’t want to come see pretty pictures at your website. They want information, it’s why they came. If you give them that basic information they were looking for, you’re spot on, flash or no flash. Simplicity, ease of navigation, and solid information is your golden ticket to an excellent website for your customers. Give them the answers they’re looking for.

If you’d like to learn more about search engines, page rank or more complex information, you’ll find it at StylishDesign.com. It’s a nice mix of great detailed for someone a little more advanced, and basic information that any web designer should know when building a website.

It’s still a young blog, so there isn’t a vast amount of articles yet, but they are growing quickly. You’ll want to bookmark the site and return often, because there’s quality information going up. I’m hoping they fill out their “about” page soon! It’s still set to the standard Wordpress message. I’m looking forward to learning more about the author.

*disclosure - sponsored

I have a friend who has a small business that does billing for emergency services. He fell into it naturally after he was the Chief at a rescue squad for years, and took on the job there. It evolved into a business on his own, and he’s successfully run that business for quite a few years.

I spent some time with a rescue squad as an EMT, and also spent 2 years as a 911 operator awhile back. I loved being involved with a rescue squad, and the satisfaction was overwhelming at times. To know that you helped people in need was a great feeling. It’s never boring, because every call you respond to is something different, a different situation and different people.

Many people ask how you can do jobs like this, and it’s hard to explain that your professional manner just comes over you when you see bad situations. You’re doing a job, and you have focus. Your focus is on helping people.

The National Paramedic Institute offers online EMT training, and many more classes for continuing education. If you’re looking to expand your learning process or need CEUs, you may want to check them out. The offer AIDS training, streaming video along with so many other courses for First Responders, EMTs and Paramedics. Be sure to check out their full line of courses. Being able to get online CEUs can really help you save time, while getting the valuable information that you need.

Be sure to check out the section which shows what magazines had to say about them. There’s one article in particular I want you to pay attention to. In EMS Magazine, a 23 year veteran EMT and Paramedic speaks to you. Take it from someone who works the career and in the field to show you if you can still learn from an online CEU class. Let’s face it, when you have a case based incident, it helps you understand what needs to be done at the right time. When you’re in the EMS field, time is critical!

It is a very plain and simple website, so don’t judge it based on that. It’s a site that offers information that you can USE! Looking at their site with a designer’s eye, I hope they do brush it up just a bit, because people will judge them based on their simple design. They are offering important information if you’re in the EMS field.

*disclosure - sponsored

You’ve created a website, and you sit wondering where your traffic is. Just because you put something on the web, there’s not going to be a mad rush. Sorry to burst your bubble. You need to work for it. First off, if you’re a small business, you NEED a web presence. If you don’t know how to create one, hire somebody to do it for you. It will be worth its weight in gold. It will be an outlet to talk to customers about what’s going on with your business, and quite honestly, I rarely deal with companies that don’t have a web presence. A lot of people check a company out online before dealing with them. You don’t need a flashy, fancy website. A simple site, that’s got good content and information your customers will be looking for is more important than flash! People want information, plain and simple.
Now that you have a website, you need to work on building traffic to it. While some people will find it by looking specifically for you, others won’t know where to look. New people means new growth to your business. If you have retail on line, you can’t sell without customers!

If you’re going to have somebody build your website, it’s important that they understand what SEO is. Search Engine Optimization is going to help you get noticed. That means when somebody searched for your website in a search engine like Google or Yahoo! they’ll actually find you. This is one way you can climb over your competition. They may or may not have a website, and it may or may not be optimized. More traffic means you’ll have a better chance of converting those people into buying customers.

The internet is changes often and quickly, and it’s important to hire someone who understands this and stays current. Strong content is the key, but there are other factors when creating a website that will bring you to the top. Those top positions in a search engine can mean a heck of a lot more traffic than sitting in position 13 or 14! Yes, it can make that much difference.
As much as you want to optimize your site, it’s important it’s a natural build. This way the search engines trust this build more. Find a company that knows the language, and can show you what they’ve done for other clients. Don’t just take their word for it, get references and call and ask. Let their experience help your website get seen.
How are you going to get your company’s website seen?

New to business? Have you checked out Entrepreneur.com? Whether you’re looking to start a new business, buy a franchise or are all ready in the mix, there are articles that you’ll find helpful. Let’s say you’re thinking about opening a sandwich shop. You can check out their guide here, which not only shows you a checklist of things you’ll need, but also floor plans, and show you franchises in that industry. This is one site you want to bookmark.

You may have seen their magazine, but their website is geared to the topics you need, when you want the information. They cover topics from money and marketing, to management and the technology. A subscription to their magazine runs you about $16 a year, the website, always available and free.

Let’s face it, we’re all pretty busy in our lives, and getting somewhere to take a class puts a crunch on your time. one of the best places to start when you’re talking business, is SCORE. You can find them at SCORE.org, and they have so many resources for people starting up in business, it’s well worth a bookmark and your time.

Today, I wanted to highlight their Online Training section. Whether you’re just starting out and looking to create your business plan, or you’re trying to learn to manage your money and understand how to create a profit and loss statement, SCORE is ready to help you. You can also learn about pricing, promoting and advertising your business. SCORE sets up to help you from beginning your business, to the point where you’re trying to stay in business.

If you’re not up for a class, then be sure to check out their “How-to” section which can answer a lot of questions you may have.  This is one resource worth mentioning again and again. They also offer tips, articles and guides. Their 60 second guides are offered in both English and Spanish.

If you need to learn, SCORE is ready to help.

Pragma Systems announced on November 9th that they had attained their Microsoft Gold Certified Partner status. Pragma Systems is a company that offers products and services that offer secure connectivity. In their product line, they carry products for financial institutions, health networks, along with retail stores and more. They offer secure network solutions, and are a leader in Telnet and SSH technology. SSH stands for “secure shell” which means creating a secure connection between two computers.

They offer a solution when you’re looking to make sure your wireless network is secure, your distribution channels, CRM or even your mobile networks. Pragma Systems also has products to help with connectivity. Their Pragma Fortress SHH offers a secure answer for file transfer and application delivery, along with many more features.

With companies like Coca-Cola, Dell and BlueCross using Pragma Systems, you know that Pragma Systems is a name you can trust. This post has been brought to you by Pragma Systems. If you’d like more information on their products or services, visit them at PragmaSys.com.