Free Web Services VS Proof-of-Concept

When searching for a "Free" service or software on the Internet: Is "Free" really free? 

What is Free?

Anytime I have searched the web for anything "Free", the results have been a mix of free and not so free. How often have we seen "free trial", or "15 day free trial", or "try it free for 30 days" – you get the picture. There are always sites that lure us in with the word "Free" when in fact the only thing free may be a trial period; in other words their services or product is "not" free. 

This is certainly the case when it comes to companies promoting “Free” Web sites. Yes, the company may have a free Web site but in every case free sites are limited in capabilities, scope of features available, and functionality. All too often it isn’t until the owner “Upgrades” does he/she gain access to features and functionalities specific to their particular needs and requirements. And what about ease of use? How "user friendly" is the software? And if the business owner needs assistance, how easy or accessible is a real person available in providing technical support quickly – not to mention easily understood?

With an Ultimate Online Marketing Solution – Is there Competition?

We often speak about not having any competition. In reality, we are referring to the fact there are no web site development company or person in the marketplace providing "All Inclusive" services for business owners with an “Ultimate Online Marketing Solution”. It’s not just a Web site… and at $50.00 per month it certainly isn’t “Free”, but there are certainly no hidden costs and the features, support and upgrades are all “Free”. Everything needed for a “robust” and “professional” internet presence is provided. 

Identifying Needs and Requirements = Identifying the “Correct” Solution! 

Accessing the needs first will identify if a simple “Free” site is best for your business. A free site like with Wix.com may be a good solution for some small-time businesses. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that but is it the best choice based on the needs of the business? 

For an example, compare the first two plans with Wix, eCommerce and Unlimited. In the eCommerce plan there is a Shopping Cart with the Bandwidth limited to only 5 GB while in the Unlimited plan there is no Shopping Cart however the Bandwidth is Unlimited. What if the company has a hot product, sales are going through the roof and as a result of excess traffic, the site exceeds a preset Bandwidth limit?  Having limited Bandwidth means the business owner can be forced into paying more for additional Bandwidth if they exceed the allotted amount in their plan. That is a hidden cost.  

Recommendation we make for all business owners is to first identify requirements. Whether for a new Web site, or upgrading an existing site, identify what your needs are, what do you need to accomplish? What requirements are there for the site, does it need eCommerce, shopping cart, eMail, etc. And most definately establish a marketing budget if one isn’t already set up. If help is needed, identify a reputable company that will assist in identifying your needs and requirements. Any reputable Web Developer should do this at no up-front cost. Your business should come first!

Free is not always Free However…

Once requirements have been met the next step is in identifying who can provide the solution. Depending on how savvy the business owner is, he or she may opt to have several companies bid on the development and management of the new Web Site… however most small business owners don’t have time for, or even understand this process… so they opt out by shopping around. The downside to this is they never know for sure what they are going to get until after they have spent money. Most Web Developers require something upfront before even beginning to build a site. However, there is a way to get around that. 

Prove it to Me!

A “Proof-of-Concept” is an excellent way to find out if the company will be able to deliver by first proving they can meet all of YOUR "identified” requirements… and do it without charging any up-front fees… in other words, do it for “Free.” Why not make companies truly earn your business? Remember, Free Web sites have many hidden obstacles and fees, and if a business owner is unaware of these challenges, it can be costly... an that is certainly not free. 

Check out this video for information that could guide you in the right direction. 

Self-Hosting Videos VS YouTube Hosting

Everyone loves to post videos on YouTube, and there is quite a buzz about Video SEO. 

What's that?

Daniel Vassiliou recently posted a great piece called "Video SEO: Focus on Self-Hosted Videos Rather Than YouTube" where he discusses the differences between hosting your video on YouTube and posting them on your own site. To make it very simple, someone searches for your item (pick your particular product or service into this scenario) and as a result a video comes up in page one... and let's say just for discussion sake it is your video. If your video is hosted on YouTube and the person goes to YouTube to watch the video, what is the next step the visitor must take in order to go to your site? They have to look for and find the link back to your site which should be in the comments section. One would hope the visitor finds the link, click on it, and goes right to your web site right? But wait, other videos are off to the right side of the page and they are competing for your visitors, your potential customers or clients. Your video now has competition.

Creating a YouTube channel and posting videos for the purpose of attracting visitors to your site is easy to do; however if you are counting on the video to point quality traffic to your site there are others doing the exact same thing and YouTube is helping your competition find your viewers or… the visitor may get distracted by these other videos and poof, they’re gone… down that bunny trail, possibly never to find their way back. At the end of the day, your best content should be featured on your own domain, to be used for drive traffic to your site without any side tracks or tempting “bunny trails”.

What's the Alternative? Host Videos on Your Site!

The benefits can be stunning however, there could be some draw backs. For example:

1. Many providers set limits on the number of hits your site is able to receive
2. Many providers limit the bandwidth and charge for bandwidth. Bandwidth is the amount of data your site is passing across a network in a given period of time, usually measured by the month. Hosting providers are charged for an allocated amount of bandwidth from backbone providers and wholesale data centers and that cost can be passed on to the consumer in the form of web hosting plans.

Videos can eat up bandwidth and if popular could attract a larger audience which is what any online business is looking to achieve. If your hosting site places a limit on traffic and/or bandwidth, and charges extra for overages, one of two options are available... go with YouTube or, find a web site hosting provider that has unlimited bandwidth and visitor traffic.

Videos on your site for the purpose of sharing your product or services is huge in this day of social media mania... partnering up with the right Web site hosting and provider will cost you less in the long run. 

The below link takes you to Alecsy's latest tips for video SEO beginners.   

Finding the Perfect Name for Your Business or Web Site

Over ten years ago when I was starting up my Internet and Web site business, I took some time thinking about the best name for my 2 main Web sites. My Internet business, I am partnered with a product brokerage company that specializes in bringing big name and branded companies into one location in order to make it easy for consumers to find what they are looking for, keep prices down, and eventually to give Cashback. What domain name could I possibly use that would speak volumes in what we are. Then it hit me… my wife and I were at a mall one day and it was as if we both were reading each other’s mind – doesn’t our internet business resemble a virtual mall? One where anyone could shop from the comfort of their home? When we got home I checked out some names that could fit and the one that I liked the best happened to be free, and InYourHomeMall.com was born.

My second web site happened just about the same way… what could the name possibly say that would speak to what I do? In short, GrowOnlineNow.com was created for the simple idea of being able to help small and medium size business grow their business online, affordably and now.

I picked this article for the week because some of the information found within I actually did back in 2001. I brainstormed with my wife (dared not do it with anyone I did not know or trust less they beat me to it) and I thought through what the name would say to visitors.

If you are starting a business, Web site or even revamping a Web site, use this article "How to Find the Perfect Name for Your Business or Website" as a guideline and feel free in working with someone you “trust” to help you with your decision.

50 Business & Life Lessons for 2013

Have you ever heard of Robin Sharma and Sharma Leadership International Inc. (SLI)? Here is someone who quit his job as a lawyer, self-published a book at a Kinko's copy shop (his mother edited it), and stored 2000 copies in his kitchen. His second book "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" was also originally self-published until former Harper Collins president Ed Carson discovered Robin in a bookstore.

The book, and the series that followed, have become one of the world's most successful publishing franchises. Robin Sharma is now a globally celebrated author of 11 international bestselling books on leadership. An independent survey of over 22,000 businesspeople ranked Robin in "The Top 5" of the world's leadership gurus along with Jack Welch, Jim Collins and John Maxwell.

How incredible our world would be if people would spend less time being self-absorbed and looking for handouts and more time in self-improvement and becoming altruistic, becoming part of the solution instead of being part of the problem.

I would like to share 50 Businesses & Life lessons for 2013 that will serve entrepreneurs, business owners and everyone well for the rest of this year. Pay if forward whenever you can by helping others succeed. 

1. Hard work is a force multiplier.
2. Don’t participate in recessions.
3. Exercising for 20 minutes first thing in the morning is a game-changer.
4. If you’re not innovating daily, you’re on the path to obsolescence.
5. If you want an A-Level company, you can’t afford to hire B-Level players.
6. Procrastination is an escape mechanism for people scared to do their best work.
7. Give your customers 10X the value they expect and they’ll tell everyone they know about you.
8. Don’t do it if you’re not having fun.
9. If you’re not scared a lot you’re not growing very much.
10. Invest the time to create great social media content and your base will go global + viral.
11. There’s never been a better time to be a social entrepreneur.
12. It’s never been easier to be of service to a large amount of people (and few things are as rewarding).
13. When no one else believes in your vision, you absolutely must stay true to your vision. (Have the guts to stay in the game far longer than makes any sense).
14. The quickest way to build a superb business is to quickly develop the leadership potential of every teammate.
15. A job is only a job if you choose to see your work as a job. All work is a noble sport. (The reality is all work is a chance to express your genius–and to inspire the world).
16. People are craving transparency, authenticity and community. Give it to them.
17. Creativity comes in seasons. There’s a time to harvest your ideas. And there’s a time to let the field sit fallow. (I’ve been working on integrating this lesson for years).
18. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax (When you relax, your brain shifts into alpha state–the time when million-dollar ideas present themselves).
19. Change is hard at the beginning, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end. (And without change, there is no progress).
20. Someone’s going to win in your space. Why not you?
21. 10X the size of your dreams because if you don’t, you’ll wish you did.
22. Pursue excellence versus chasing perfection.
23. Celebrate small wins and you’ll unleash a huge amount of momentum and positive energy.
24. Learn for an hour a day, no matter what. That’s not a waste of work time. It’s a brilliant use of your work time because you’re paid to know more than anyone who has ever done your job.
25. Why go for good at what you do when you can stand for iconic?
26. Transform your fitness and you’ll transform your business.
27. Delete victim-speak from your language. No more "I can’t" and "It’s not possible" and "It’s so hard." More "I will" and "This is awesome" and "What’s the opportunity here?"
28. If you inspire one person each day, you’re day hasn’t been a waste. It’s been a blessing.
29. Living in the past is disrespecting your future.
30. Build an amazing career but enjoy your lifestyle along the way. What’s the point of becoming a business legend but a failed human being?
31. Look people in the eyes when you talk to them. Smile at people when you see them. Say "please" to respect them. And "thank you" to appreciate them.
32. Don’t be on time–Be early.
33. The person who tries to do everything achieves nothing. Focus. Focus. Focus.
34. Spend the first 90 minutes of your work day on real work versus fake work. (Another game-changing tactic that served me so very well in 2012).
35. Spend time in silence each day. You’ll never do Jay-Z level work if you’re overstimulated by technology.
36. Goal-setting is mission-critical. (Review your Big 5, quarterly goals and daily goals constantly).
37. Your daily behavior broadcasts your truest beliefs.
38. To have the results only 5% of businesspeople have, have the guts to do what only 5% of businesspeople are willing to do.
39. World-class begins when you think you’ve done a great job but know you can do a better job.
40. Remember that your greatest gift is so much stronger than your deepest fear.
41. Everyone’s in Human Resources. And we are all paid to develop the talents of the people we work with.
42. Mediocrity is a mindset. Avoid the mental viruses of negative people.
43. Be the most honest person you know. It generally takes 30 years to build a fantastic reputation. And 30 seconds to lose it by a single silly move.
44. Become a lion–not a sheep.
45. People are always willing to pay for the best.
46. The more devoted you become to serving others, the more your career begins to build itself.
47. Problems come to test your commitment to your goals, hopes and dreams.
48. As you become more successful, get more hungry.
49. Join Traffic University. Use every possible moment in the car to upgrade your skills, polish your gifts and elevate your mindset.
50. Use your life to make the world a better place.

 For more information about Robin Sharma, visit his Web site RobinSharma.com.

E-commerce Shopping Experience across Mobile Reflects Cross-Platform Unification Challenges

Mobile vs Conventional Web Sites

In an article by Karen Hanna on Smarter Commerce, 25% of consumers shopping and purchasing online prefer using mobile devices over desktop. The article airs concern over the shopper bouncing back and forth between multiple platforms such as their mobile device(s) and laptop and/or desktop.

“The broad and varied retail experience brings to light the many critical issues related to bringing multiple platform consistency to the e-commerce domain.”  

When it comes to small- and mid-size businesses looking to leverage new technology, it can be a daunting task given most companies charge businesses extra for having two platforms for displaying their Web site, one for conventional platforms such as desktop and laptop computers - one for mobile devices.

Not many companies have developed their technology  in order to merge managing a Web site from one location rather than having one site for mobile devices, and one for conventional platforms; and when it comes to eCommerce the challenge becomes even greater.

Karen goes on to say

“There is no singular answer to how these challenges may be met, though it seems logical to presume that the winners will be those retailers that are able to create a seamless experience for the customer, whether that customer is shopping in store or online, from a mobile device or a desktop computer. It boils down to a trust issue; having a retail experience that is consistent and synchronized across platforms breeds trust, which is an important consideration for midsize companies.”

Mobile Web Site Integration with Conventional Web Sites

The good news is technology does exist that seamlessly integrates both conventional Web Sites with Mobile Web Sites. Business owners can reach their customers anywhere, anytime. These were questions asked of business owners:

What if there was a way that your sales messages could reach your prospects and customers no matter where they were? And in just seconds after you press the send button? Would you call that an edge? Perhaps an advantage over the competition?

The answers were obvious and so was the solution. It was called a Mobile Web Site. Advanced technology brings better and less expensive services and resources to business owners. We believe in passing on those savings so rather than charge extra for this technology and capability, the service was added at no extra cost with all of our 4.0 Web sites.

What's the benefit of having a mobile site? It means that as long as customers have their smartphones or other mobile devices, they not only are able to view the business’s Web site, but they can easily purchase products and services while on the go.

The mobile site includes the following great features:

• Update once and go. Mobile site instantly reflects changes made to main site.
• Easy editing. "Show/hide" toggles enable you to easily decide which content to display on your mobile site.
• All-platform friendly. Visitors' browsers are automatically detected, and the mobile site is reformatted accordingly.
• Dedicated look. You can choose specific colors and even upload your business' logo for increased brand awareness.

The bottom line, we knew what the business owner would need based upon technology used by their customers for searching and purchasing online… and we brought the solution for both the business owner and the consumer without any additional cost - a significant benefit for both businesses and consumers.

The “E-commerce Shopping Experience across Mobile Reflects Cross-Platform Unification Challenges” have been met and solved.

Bruce Swartz and GrowOnlineNow.com provides affordable business class Web site solutions for small- and mid-size businesses.

New Upgrades for our 4.0 WebCenter Clients!

Recently we made some major advancement to our 4.0 platform. On behalf of GrowOnlineNow.com and our partner, maWebCenters© , we are proud to announce the launch of some amazing new software that is sure to drive sales, and make you very happy.

Below is a quick rundown of exciting new developments and the overhauled resources available to you through GrowOnlineNow.com and our 4.0 platform from our partner maWebCenters©.

Ø Free Mobile Web sites

Look around and you’ll see most everyone is using a smartphone, tablet or other device. And they’re not just browsing and texting … they’re buying. It’s an edge you can use to help set up appointments with prospects.

Mobile Web sites are included for free, all your clients need to do is login to their administration area, enable it and update anything they want on the mobile version. Here are more detaills

• Update content in one place – When site owners update content on the full desktop version of their site, the Mobile version of their site will update automatically
• Choose which content they want to display on their mobile site simply by flipping “show/hide on Mobile site” toggle
• Enable/disable pages for mobile and set any page you wish as the mobile home page, even their product catalog!
• No need to point mobile users to a dedicated Mobile URL. Nope, our system automatically serves Mobile site to user when server detects browser type = Mobile
• Administrators can update color scheme of Mobile site on the fly
• Add your own logo and/or customize text content of header and footer
• Full desktop version of site widgets are converted to mobile friendly versions
• Choose different navigation menu styles
• Automatically prompt site visitor to drop bookmark to site on their smartphones home screen
• In our ongoing mission to cater to all user types, our new mobile features attempt to make the site look great right out of the box for novices. However, if you are a more advanced user, you can utilize your own CSS, HTML, JavaScript…etc and make the Mobile version of the site as robust as you need it to be!

Ø Crop, Resize & Rotate images

If you haven’t figured out how to use one of the many graphics suites out there to edit your graphics but need to make a simple image adjustment, you can now Crop, Resize or Rotate an image right in the editor!

Ø 24/7 Customer Care

Have you have ever had a late night panic and needed to speak to someone in order to fix a last minute crisis? Our clients have never had it so good… but now they have it even better. Our clients have always been pleasantly surprised by our professional Customer Care group; however we just finished running a pilot project to test out expanding our Customer Care group’s hours and now our clients have even more reasons to be thrilled. We are pleased to announce that we are now officially open for your assistance 24/7! Again, there is absolutely no cost for this service.

Ø Edit 4.0 sites on a Tablet device

If you've ever wished you could edit your site while on the go and only had access to your Tablet (iPad or Android tablet) or other mobile device? Your wishes have been answered! You can now make edits to our 4.0 Web sites right from your favorite Tablet or Mobile device.

Ø Upgrades

As with any of our system upgrades, they are always free and come with the best support in the business! If you want to learn more, please feel free to visit us at www.growonlinenow.com, email us bruce@growonlinenow.com or give us a ring @ 1-678.392.3218.

Resolving eCommerce Issues

What is important in teaming up with professionals for an Internet Presence?

Does everyone look for ways to cut corners, save money, or to get by with the least amount of effort? How many look for shortcuts or, take the road most traveled? The problem is, the road most traveled, the shortcut or trying to get the cheapest deal invariably costs more in time and money. If you’re a business owner, can you afford taking chances?

I would like to share a story and event which took place just last week; then I would like you to ask yourself what would you have done, and how easy would it have been for you to resolve the problem that faced my client.

My client, whom I will call Mr. Zee, contacted me last week with an issue concerning his shopping cart. It seemed customers ordering products from his site were receiving error codes. After a few questions I let him go about his business, he had a tight schedule so there was no need for him to waste time trying to run this to ground. I would simply put his IT team to work in resolving the issue, no matter what it is (take note of this statement, “no matter what it is”.) One of the many benefits Mr. Zee has with GrowOnlineNow.com is my maWebCenter and iTransact team which supports every aspect of his eCommerce needs.

In looking at the code, I thought that the error message may be generating from his Internet Payment Gateway which is a proprietary service of iTransact. If you have not heard of iTransact, they are a privately held payment-acceptance company based near Salt Lake City, Utah. iTransact was founded in 1994 as RediCheck, the first provider of Internet-based check acceptance services.

I contacted my iTransact Post Operations Team member Jason and explained the issue along with sending him a screenshot of the error message. Jason first confirmed all settings were correct on the client’s gateway then he had his programmers confirm there were no programming issues which would cause the error. Once Jason was satisfied that the problem was not coming from his side of the house, we contacted maWebCenters’ eCommerce tech support team to verify Mr. Zee’s System Configuration with iTransact was correct. Holly, along with her supervisor and programmers confirmed that the website was correctly setup and the error code was not being generated from their end.

Here is where this maWebCenter and iTransact team combo saved the day. Holly and Jason discussed the possibility that the problem could be the result of a communication disruption. Since the code was for a disrupted communication error, it could be that Mr. Zee’s service may have been terminated at the debit and credit card processing center. Mr. Zee has been with this one company since they first opened their business, many years before they stood up their website with GrowOnlineNow.com. In order to find out if this was the problem, Jason contacted his resource at TSYS.

Jason called his contact at TSYS to look into the possibility of a terminated connection. Once I mentioned that the credit card processing company had taken over another company, TSYS was able to identify the source of the problem. They looked into the VAR sheet provided to iTransact and found it containing incorrect information as a result of the transition between the two companies. TSYS recommended calling the new credit card processing company to obtain the correct information.

Jason contacted the new credit card processing company and obtained the correct VAR sheet information which should have been forwarded to Mr. Zee when they took over the credit card processing from the old company. Once Jason implemented the changes into iTransact’s payment gateway, we successfully retested Mr. Zee’s site by submitting an actual order. The website and gateway were now connected and working properly.

This entire process took just a little over two hours. The point to take away from this story is how important it is in having a professional team dedicated to you and your business. When I tell prospective customers that an entire team of IT experts are at their beck and call, 24/7, it often just seems impossible. This was no small issue! My professional IT experts found the issue that lay with a company my client Mr. Zee has had for years which was not a service provider with GrowOnlineNow.com. Remember above when I said to remember “no matter what it is”? Now ask yourself, how many service providers have you dealt with willing to not only find a problem that is not theirs, but resolve it for you? But here is the kicker… this entire team of experts that is at Mr. Zee’s beck and call costs only $50.00 per month. Where can any company hire an entire division of IT experts for $50.00 per month?

It doesn’t matter if you are a business owner with an online store, or a web developer or designer, our team of experts makes everyone’s business easier and far more productive.

Can you answer the question “what is important in teaming up with professionals for an Internet Presence?