Netpreneur

Lose the Flash animations

There are plenty of websites out there that have fancy, all-singing, all-dancing Flash animations as 'splash pages' to greet the user upon arrival.  The problem is that most users are impatient and, unless it's a masterpiece, the Flash animation will give them an excuse to leave your site.

Use keyword combinations to optimise your page

Once you have settled on a combination of keywords that you would like to optimise your site for, it is important to ensure that these keywords are represented in different areas on your home page.

Design for function, not for form

Some of the best designed websites in the world have turned out to be commercial flops.  Whilst they may have been pretty to look at, the sites failed to convince visitors to do anything more than admire the 'bells and whistles'.

Submit your site to NineMSN / Windows Live Search

NineMSN / Windows Live Search is one of the major search engines in Australia - it's not as big as Google or Yahoo!, but it's still important.  If you don't currently appear in NineMSN / Windows Live Search, then you can submit your URL to the search engine.

Make use of Live Search Webmaster Tools

Windows Live Search has recently launched a Webmaster Tools portal, to match similar tools offered by Google and Yahoo!  Make sure that your website is recognised and indexed by Windows Live Search and the NineMSN search engine by registering for these tools today.

Publish a Chinese version of your site

The Chinese internet user base has reached 162 million people.  The country has a population of over 1.5 billion people, so there is plenty of room for growth, particularly with the burgeoning middle class.  It's time to consider China as an option for your business.  Here are some tips for running a successful Chinese version of your web business.

Register a Chinese domain name

China is undisputably the 'next big thing' in the evolving world economy.  You never know - ten years down the track the vast majority of your customers may be Chinese!  That's why it's important to secure your Chinese domain name right now.

Enter Anthill Magazine's 'Cool Company Awards'

Winning industry and business awards represents a fantastic way of getting free exposure for your business.  Successful netpreneurs should consider entering their business in the annual Anthill Magazine 'Cool Company Awards', which are geared towards small, tech-focused businesses.

Take a 'user centred' approach to website design

'User centred' design is a web buzz-word for designing websites from a user's perspective, rather than from the perspective of the site's owner, developer or IT department.  This approach will ensure that the vast majority of site visitors will be able to find information quickly and transact with your site without difficulties.

Use Google Trends to benchmark your site against competitors

A new tool, Google Trends for Websites, allows you to compare your website traffic to a competitor's website traffic.

Choose 'long tail' keywords over short keywords

It is almost impossible to get your website optimised for single-word keywords - eg. hotels.  It's much better to optimise your site for a combination of keywords, or what are known as 'long tail' keywords.  Not only will it be easier to get to the top of the search results, but you're more likely to get a sale if somebody uses these keyword combinations.

Implement a weekly test regimen for your website

A successful website requires constant oversight.  It's important that your site is checked regularly to ensure that it is performing optimally. If you just 'let your site go', then it's likely that the site will come undone over time.  A regular 'health check' will keep your site on track.

Get back to your prospects straight away

People expect immediacy on the web.  They want things NOW, not tomorrow, not in a week's time.  That's why it's absolutely imperative that you get back to prospective customers as fast as you possibly can.

Avoid duplicate content

Search engines exist to provide users with the most relevant information quickly.  That's why it's in the interests of Google and co. to filter out content which is duplicated elsewhere on the internet.  The search engines will only display one instance of each piece of content, and will ignore other instances of that same content.

Live by the mantra - 'content is king'

You have probably heard the mantra 'content is king' is web circles.  Well, nothing is truer than these three little words on the web.  If you publish interesting, quality content on your website, then the search engines will reward you with high rankings.