How to buy a used Car at 90% savings off the book value – Auto
How to buy a used Car at 90% savings off the book value
Steve Li
To buy a used car is a great idea for saving money. Everyone knows that a new car lost 65% of its value in the first 5 years. But the case would be more extreme for a 1 to 2 years old car, it will lost its value 30-40%.
If you don
Do Not Drop Your Web Site Off the Search Engine Cliff – Site
Do Not Drop Your Web Site Off the Search Engine Cliff
Kimberly Krause Berg
If youve been feeling like Tom Cruise climbing up the side of some remote jagged mountain in the blazing hot sun and concerned youre facing "mission impossible", chances are you own a web site.
Adding to the intense thrill of web site ownership are keyword comparisons and bidding for good keyword positions in search engines. You might hire a search engine optimization specialist who can track elusive algorithm clues and is unfazed by page rank drama. Your programmers and designers insist they get along. The marketing department actually believes deadlines are met. The new bank account is waiting for fresh revenue. And oh yes, its assumed someone will come looking for your web site and wants to use it.
You did build it for them, right
For every search result, there is the possibility that:
The engine will display a description that makes sense. Or not.
The page the search engine refers to does what the description said it would do and is about what the search engine said it would cover. Or not.
Your SEO/SEM, if you hired a good one, helped you write your title tag statement and Meta page description and structured it so it makes sense in SERPs search engine results pages.
Your Usability professional, if you hired one, evaluated the page to make sure it would meet customer expectations and convince visitors there are other hot pages inside the web site to look at too. Without call to action prompts, well displayed, logically labeled navigation links and credible content, the chance of someone remaining on that page is pretty slim.
Says Gordon Hotchkiss, President and CEO of Enquiro Search Solutions, Inc., in a recent Search Day article written by Shari Thurow, called Creating Compelling Search Engine Ads and Landing Pages, "Once searchers arrive on your landing pages, you have 13.2 seconds to convince visitors that they are on the right site."
Impossible Mission
Had enough of web page abandonment Are those cost per click fees putting you further in credit card debt and not producing any bang for your buck Which part of "understand your web site visitor" didnt make it to the drawing board
I know this is hard. Youre not a mind reader. Unless you have access to costly studies and data about who to build your web site for and their computer usage habits, chances are you simply wanted a web site and hoped people would find it and use it. By incorporating the skills and expertise of an SEO/SEM along with a user centered design specialist, you will not be wastefully tossing your web site off the search engine cliff. Rather, your adoring fans will clamor up the cliff to get to it.
Sometimes a web designer is also trained in these fields or is partnered with people who are. This is something to consider when shopping around for web site assistance.
Here are some things to keep in mind when studying your web site. You can also ask your team to consider these points.
What happens after your site reaches top rank Its lonely up there, if nobody notices your page or understands the page description. How effective is high rank Do people really click on "sponsored" pages vs. natural results
Pay attention to inside "landing" pages. Optimize them for easy indexing and point visitors to your homepage, sale products or free stuff.
Be wise about what you invest. Every cost per click must be productive. If not, a usability web site review can locate roadblocks.
Its about the user experience. Really. Its a common habit for web site owners to create the site for themselves based on what they like and want. When you receive a complaint, consider it a favor. Yes, some people are mean and critical. But, enhancements are improvements that sometimes benefit a lot of people, and you too, in the long run.
Dont settle for minimum effort. One of your goals is to reach potential customers and readers. Your optimized pages reach people looking for them. Your user centered pages reach people wanting to use them and will refer them to friends.
Your competition does it better. Not by packing hidden keywords and buying links, but by carefully targeting keywords, providing cleverly written content and delivering user centered design.
Think sustainability. If you plan on your web site being around for a while, make this a checkpoint for every future decision related to your site. If someone has an idea that wont impact the long-term sustainability of the site, the site may disappear out of sheer user boredom. And search do engines notice.
Understanding your visitors and customers allows for more creative keyword combinations. Put a feedback form on your web site. Ask them how they found your web site. Ask them what keywords they used. Ask them why they came or what they wanted to find. Ask them if they found what they were looking for and if not, provide room for comments so they can explain what happened. This information is a gold mine for you.
Never mislead your visitors. Be accurate with what you say a site or page is about. Search results relevancy establishes trust from the start.
The elegance of action. The act of landing on a relevant, accurate, persuasive, interesting page leads to the fluid, unencumbered desire to know more and click deeper. Aim for this.
Do not drop your web site over the search engine cliff without considering the usability effect. Design it to be productive and user centered. This will pay off in many ways. Remember your original requirements and goals and trace back every dollar you spend to meeting them. Marketing efforts are strengthened when you make your visitors feel welcome, informed and productive once they arrive at your web site.
About The Author
Usability Consultant, Kimberly Krause Berg, is the owner of UsabilityEffect.com, Cre8pc.com, Cre8asiteForums.com and co-founder of Cre8asite.net. Her background in organic search engine optimization, combined with web site usability consulting, offers unique insight into web site development.
Attention-Grabbing Fixes that Make Your Yellow Page Ad Leap Off the Page – Domain Name
Attention-Grabbing Fixes that Make Your Yellow Page Ad Leap Off the Page
Dr. Lynella Grant
Stand Out in Ways that Matter to Directory Users A Yellow Page directory presents a difficult challenge for advertisers. All the competitors are packed together, within the space of a few pages. Each ad within the directory category screams "Notice me!" so insistently, they blend into an muffled chorus. Its not easy for one to stand out with a clear, distinctive voice - like a soloist above the choir. That only happens when the business is clear about expressing its unique "song," and understands what buyers most want to hear.
It isnt surprising that most Yellow Page ads say pretty much the same thing. They were all prepared by the same directory employees. What do they know about marketing About copywriting About whats unique and desirable about your enterprise
The people making the ads "grind them out," using the same templates and guidelines for every ad, in every category. Originality isnt in their job description. Following the formulas for how an ad "should look" is a formula for being ignored.
These quick fixes cut away the bland sameness afflicting most ads. Disregard for now the related issues like the ads size and placement. Such factors just amplify or diminish an ads impact. A poor ad is still a poor ad, even if its very large. Coupled with fine-tuned copy its own topic, these fixes will improve the impact of any size of ad, for any directory heading.
Try these Quick and Easy Fixes You dont have to be a designer or copywriter to make your ad stand out. You just have to understand your customers unstated wants, so you supply precisely the information that theyre looking for. And you need to know how youre different than your competitors. Set yourself apart, so you dont fade into the background, as most ads do.
1. Shrink the business name. That is NOT the most important part of the ad in the readers mind. And it crowds out the space for information that that could sell them on you. Once you can get them to want you, theyll be able to find your name and contact information OK.
2. Ditto, shrink the graphics. They may be helpful to catch the eye initially, but add nothing to what directory users want to know. Images often distract from the ads message, wasting its moment of attention on trivialities.
3. Provide a headline that hooks the readers interest the category or business name isnt one, but most ads act like it is. A strong, emotionally-charged headline pulls attention into the rest of the information. It makes people stop skimming and actually read. Provide a promise that hits their hot button in a way that applies only to you but not every other competitor in the category
4. Make the location easy to find. Half of all directory users scan ads for the business location first, and then only consider those ads which are convenient. Location of the enterprise overrides an ads size or placement in the directory.
5. Display your expertise, along with a reason for buyers to seek out your specialized knowledge. Offer a booklet, class, in-depth information on your Web site, etc. This also establishes your credibility in customers eyes, which is crucial to building sufficient trust to complete a purchase.
6. Buyers are hunting for information that can assist in making a purchase. When they open the directory, theyre hoping to find a business that in some way communicates, "Im the one youre looking for." Make it easy for them to know its you, by giving ample information directed at their concerns. Organize it in bulleted lists.
7. Add your Web site address domain name and/or email address. Treat your Web site as a place to expand the size of your Yellow Page ad. Then state a reason why a person wants to check your site: www.mysite.com for 23 simple ways to keep your dog from over-eating Or www.myrestaurant.com for recipes to our award-winning desserts.
8. Arrange it all so the information flows logically, and to please the eye.
9. Eliminate images or phrases that appear in the other ads. Find a different, more interesting way to express it.
10. Dont let the directory do your ad for free. It will end up costing you too much.
The Ideal Yellow Page Ad The very best ad is the intersection between what a buyer is looking for, and what a business provides. When a business is attuned to its customers priorities and needs, it can say exactly what rings their bell. For example, a harried mother will respond with relief to the phrase, "Free Childcare Provided." That service carries no weight with a business person, who may consider "No extra charge for weekend service calls" the clincher.
What really makes an ad stand out is the specifics, not the generalities which is what every other ad says. Visit www.yellowpagesage.com for advice from many experts about getting more mileage from your ad. Or obtain a customized critique of your ad, that eliminates the guesswork about what needs fixing.
Directory users are ready to buy. Simplify their lives by making your products and services so "just right" that choosing you is their only sensible choice.
About The Author
Dr. Lynella Grant, an expert in visual communication. How printed materials send signals that strengthen or undo the words. Author, The Business Card Book & Yellow Page Smarts http://www.yellowpagesage.com Off the Page Press 719 395-9450
grant@yellowpagesage.com