The Day 10 Blog

What's your email address?

2009-06-15T07:39:00.003Z

How many small business owners do you come across who don't have proper email addresses?

By not proper email addresses, I mean ones that don't use the company's domain name (assuming the company has a domain name) - yahoo.com, hotmail.com, aol.com etc.

Don't these people realize the messages they're sending out? "Not a proper business". "Doing things on the cheap". It's the internet equivalent of only giving out a mobile phone number. Or the guy who knocks on your door to ask if you want your trees lopped, hands you a business card and then asks for it back when you tell him to **** off. It's simply not professional.

A proper email address, and a domain name, cost peanuts. There's no excuse for any business not to have one even if they don't have a website. There's even less of an excuse if they do have a website!

So, if you've got a hotmail, or similar, address go out and get yourself a proper one today and ditch that hotmail address. It's making you look like Dell Boy.

123-reg.co.uk is a great place to start, you can set yourself up a domain name and email address for a few pounds, or call any website developer who should be able to set you up for only a few pounds more.

Mike Brogan

Marketing your Business and Advertising

2009-06-11T07:30:00.005Z

"I've written books on advertising - checkbooks!"

That is a well known quote from Alan Sugar on the Apprentice TV programme and I, for one, can testify to the truth of it. Over the years I have tried many ways to advertise my business; Yellow Pages, telemarketing, mailshots, email campaigns, ads in directories and journals, editorials and even radio. For my business, they've all proved to be a waste of money.

The only responses I've had to ads in directories and journals are from people asking me to put an ad in their directory or journal. I've had some success with telemarketing but it's hard work, although I have had reports from other web developers who've had better success than me. It's probably down to the company you use to do the telemarketing. Similarly, I've had some response from Yellow Pages but not enough to justify the expense (isn't it strange how you always seem to be situated on the boundary of 2 or 3 Yellow Pages areas which bumps up the price if you want decent coverage?).

The only thing that seem to work for me is networking. Get out there, spread the word and meet people. Networking groups like BNI, 4Networking, BRX and Chambers of Commerce are the places to go. Most organize breakfast meetings where you can meet like minded people.

BNI worked the best for me but the format is not to everyones' taste. It's very formal and rigid. But if you can find a good chapter, you will get business. 4Networking is good because you can pay for, what they call, a passport membership which allows you to attend any of the meetings around the country. It's great for a business who's client base is spread around a wide area. Chambers of Commerce have worked the least for me and I've been a member of three different chambers over the years. I think they work for some types of business but not so well for mine, I've found.

Last but not least, of course, is the internet. Whatever your business, you should have a website. When you meet people in your travels you can hand them your business card with your website address on it. People tend to look online these days rather than using Yellow Pages. You can get a small website set up for less than a year's subscription to Yellow Pages so, for any business, getting a website should be a no-brainer.

Even if you can't live without a Yellow Pages ad, set up a website, reduce the size of the Yellow Pages ad and point people to the website from there. It will be a lot more cost effective.

So there you have it. Find out about your local networking groups, get out of bed and get out there and network. You'll not only find it gets you business but you'll find it lots of fun and you'll meet some interesting people.

Mike Brogan

Two things to ask your web developer

2009-06-10T07:46:00.003Z

So you've decided to get a website for your business and you've found a company locally who'll develop it for you. What are the most important things you're going to ask them to provide on your site? The layout? The colours? The fancy flash header similar to one you saw on a website your recently came across?

Well you can ask for all those things and I'm sure your local web developer will be pleased to oblige, and charge for! But all these things are missing the point.

A good, professional design for a website is a given. You don't want to pay money and have it look like it was designed by a 5-year old. But the key things it must do are:

Attract visitors. That usually means being visible on search engines where people are going to find it.
Convert those visitors to customers or customer enquiries.

If the site can't achieve either of these things then it's a complete waste of time and money. Sadly many web developers don't consider these aspects when developing a site and are more concerned about showing off their design skills.

Don't be a victim of the designers pretending to be web developers. Always ask these key questions:

What will you do to get my site listed on search engines?
What will you be designing into my site to persuade people to do business with me?

If they don't have convincing answers to either of these questions then, bet your life, all you'll be getting is a website that looks pretty but is pretty useless.

Mike Brogan

Using Organic Anchor Text To Rank Higher

2009-05-28T07:59:00.003Z

In the course of my business I'm often asked about linking and whether links can improve a website's search engine positioning. There are a lot of myths and misunderstandings out there but the answer is "Yes" and "No".

It all depends on the circumstances and there are a number of factors that come into play. Get it right and your site can benefit immensely. Get it wrong and it can get seriously penalized by the search engines.

In his article "Using Organic Anchor Text To Rank Higher" , Bill Hartzer explains a key aspect of link building and goes on to reveal some interesting facts about Google that will be useful to both site owners and users doing searces on Google.

Mike Brogan - Day 10 Solutions

You get what you pay for

2009-05-27T07:33:00.003Z

It's the 1890's in Paris. A woman is walking down the street. Suddenly she spots a short man walking towards her and realizes that it's Toulouse Lautrec, the famous painter.

"Monsieur Lautrec" she says, as she reaches him. "Today is my husband's birthday. I wonder if you would be kind enough to draw a sketch of me so that I can present it to my husband as a birthday present".

"Of course madame" says Lautrec. And with that he produces a sketch pad and pencil and begins to draw the lady.

A few minutes later he presents it to her. "Oh monsieur" she says. "That's wonderful. How much do I owe you?"

"Ten thousand francs madame" he says.

"Ten thousand francs but it only took you 5 minutes".

"No madame. It took me a lifetime".

If you're looking for a website you can go to a professional website specialist and pay a few hundred or even thousand of pounds, depending on your requirements. Or you can go to friends or relatives and get it done for very little or even nothing.

But at the end of the day, you get what you pay for.

Mike Brogan - Day 10 Solutions

What's the difference between a graphic designer and a website designer?

2009-05-24T09:03:00.005Z

If you you can't answer that then you're not alone. There are thousands of graphic designers out there who don't know either. How many times have you seen adverts from graphic designers, or printers, claiming that, as well as designing fliers, packaging, letter heads, business cards and online graphics, they also design websites?

There is a whole world of difference between the two. Graphic design involves creating images on a page, package or computer monitor. Website design is all about creating something online that will attract people and then persuade them to take an action. Yes it involves creating images that will be seen on a computer screen but it also involves creating a lot more - persuasive copy, a navigation scructure using links carefully designed to steer people through the site to where you want them to go, and content that will persuade search engines to give a prominent listing to the site.

The difference is a bit like the difference between a photographer and a movie director. A photographer creates images. A movie director creates something that uses moving images and sound (dialogue and music), together with a good script, to create an entire experience for the viewer.

Mike Brogan

2x0=0

2009-05-14T08:33:00.003Z

I'm often asked, by people who have websites, if I can do anything to improve their search engine rankings because the site isn't bringing them any business. It's fairly typical for them to say that they've never even had an enquiry from the site.

More often than not, when I look at the site, the problem is obvious. The site is so badly designed that anyone who arrives at it, whether it's from a search engine or anywhere else, is just going to click straight away to somewhere else.

Generating business from a website involves two things. Persuading people to come to it, from search engines for example, and then enticing them to stay on the site and take action - contact you or buy a product depending on what the site was intended to do.

Those of us in the internet marketing business use a term called conversion ratio. That it the ratio of people who arrive at the site to the number of people who take action. If the conversion ratio of your site is zero, then before spending money on search engine optimization to bring more visitors, you need to do something about the site design.

Remember, if your conversion ratio is zero and you double the number of visitors coming to the site, the conversion ratio will still be zero because 2x0=0.

Mike Brogan

Truth or Fiction?

2009-05-12T11:03:00.002Z

Some light hearted definitions:

Consensus

A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believe individually!

Management Consultant

A management consultant is a man who knows 101 ways to make love .... but doesn't know any women!

Mike Brogan - Day 10 Solutions

Don't Get Ripped Off!

2009-05-11T07:39:00.003Z

I was recently studying some web statistics on behalf of a client who we did a website for a couple of years ago. He had asked me to analyze current performance for him with a view to upgrading the site.

To my surprise and puzzlement, I noticed that the stats were reporting traffic from a page with a completely different domain name.

I immediately typed the domain name into my browser and was presented with a website that looked remarkably similar to that of my client. By now you've probably guessed what happened. My client's site had been copied, changed around slightly, but not enough that it wasn't recognizable. To add insult to injury, they'd even left my client's stats code embedded in it!

When I finally tracked down the owner of the site, he was most apologetic took the site down immediately. It transpired that it had been written by a friend of a friend.

The moral of this story is clear. If you need a website, go to a reputable web designer. I may cost a little bit more but you won't get ripped off like the site owner in this story. He paid for a website that had to be scrapped.

Mike Brogan

4Networking

2009-05-09T19:10:00.004Z

I'm often asked by other businesses, how do I get new clients? Over the years I've tried many things but the thing that works for me the best is networking.

There are many ways you can network; Chambers of Commerce who organize breakfast and lunch meetings, local Business groups that do the same, the Federation of Small Businesses.

Currently most of my networking is done through 4Networking. It's a very flexible organization. I'm a member of the Hereford Group but, because I have taken out, what 4Networking call, a Passport Membership, I can also attend meetings of any other group in the country.

There are other networking groups. BNI is very good organization and works very well for getting business but it is extremely formal and, as such, does not suit everyone. BRX is another, slightly less rigid than BNI.

Over the years I've tried all kinds of things to get business, advertising, cold calling, advertorials in trade papers, directories, Yellow Pages. For my business they've all been a waste of money.

Go online to http://www.4networking.biz/, find the nearest group to you and go along as a guest to their next meeting. I promise you won't be dissapointed. You might pick up some business in the process.

Mike Brogan

What Does Your Home Page Say About You?

2009-05-07T08:00:00.005Z

When people arrive at your home page what’s the first thing they see? A splash page with a flash movie and a button saying “Click to skip into”? Or a page full of waffle giving the history of your company starting with how your great-great grandfather started it in 1895?

Either way I not interested. I’m looking for a business that can supply me what I need. I’m not looking to be entertained or to get a local history lesson. If your site can’t show me in 5 seconds that you might be able to supply what I need, then I’m out of there to another site that I’ve also found on Google.

It’s easy guys. Follow what I call the “Four W’s Principle”.

What do you do?

We’re accountants.
We’re a marketing agency.
I’m a business coach (on second thoughts for this one, tell me what a
business coach is because I’ve no idea and I’m sure many others haven't either).

Where do you do it?

We operating primarily in the greater Birmingham area.
We service clients throughout the UK.
We operate worldwide.

Who do you do it to?

We supply our services to people in the hotel and catering trade.
We sell our products to beauticians.
We specialize in developing website for customers in the aviation industry.

Why should I let you do it to me?

We have over 100 satisfied customers who’ve used our services in the past 24 months and here are some testimonials from some of them.

Simple as that! No waffle, straight to the point. If that fits with my requirements then I’m almost certain to look a bit deeper into your website. And if your site convinces me, I might just be in touch.

But that's another story for another day.

Quotations

2008-10-15T07:36:00.009Z

"You get what you INspect, not what you EXpect" - Bill Johnson, Digital Equipment Corporation.

"Strategy is good tactics seen in retrospect" - Mike Brogan, Day 10 Solutions.

"Fake it 'till you make it!" - Unknown.

"It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go" - Jim Rohn.

"Man does not control his own fate. The women in his life do that for him" - Groucho Marx

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering" - Yoda, Star Wars The Phantom Menace.

"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose" - Yoda, Star Wars Revenge of the Sith.

"Yesterday is gone for ever. Tomorrow never comes. Today is in your hands" - Unknown.

"Don't wish it were easier, wish you were better" - Jim Rohn.

Search Engines – Facts and Myths

2008-10-14T17:54:00.005Z

Mike Brogan's latest article that offers a few basic hints to small business owners about the kinds of simple things that should be done to a website to improve it's rankings on search engines. The article covers elements such as title tags, meta tags, site navigation structure, site content and external linking.

The article goes on to dispell some of the popular myths about search engines such as:

Continually resubmitting your site to Google improves its rankings.
Submitting your site to 1000 search engines.
Sites that use sponsored links (Google Adwords) will get higher rankings in the natural listings.
Using a domain name with keywords in it will get you better rankings.

Finally the article goes on to explain how search technology is likely to change significantly in the near future.

Read the full article at Day 10's website....

Future-Proofed Websites For Start-Up Businesses

2008-07-30T08:38:00.001Z

Day 10 Solutions has today announced the availability of Pre-packaged websites designed for small businesses and, in particularly, for start-up businesses.

The Problem for Start-ups

Start up costs for new businesses these days can be daunting. Logo and stationery design, advertising costs, premises, telephones, computers. The list can go on and on, not forgetting, of course, a website.

Websites can cost anything from a few hundred pound for a very basic website to thousands of pounds for more comprehensive sites. For most start-ups it would be foolish to spend thousands on a website until the business is established and starts making a profit. To this end many start-ups and small businesses spend the absolute minimum getting a site developed the result of which is an amateurish-looking site. After a year or two, as the business grows they then realize that they need something a bit more professional and the website, which they've spent start-up money getting developed is completely replaced.

The Problem Solved

Recognizing this fact we have designed our Pre-packaged websites to provide, "out-of-the-box", a professionally designed, 3-page, fully functioning website for £300. Customers can have the choice of letting us host the site, for a small additional cost, or hosting it on a server of their choice. In this latter case, we provide the site on an installable CD.

However, the customer gets much more that a 3-page website. All Pre-packaged sites are built using a Content Management System (Joomla). Customers have access to all the functionality of this system which allows them to edit pages, add new pages, restructure the site and much, much more.

And It's Future-Proofed

This means that the 3-page site that we provide for the customer is completely future-proofed. There is no need to throw it away and start again after a year or two. It can be modified and expanded to reflect the growth of the business.

The customer has the facilities to make these changes himself as and when he chooses. Alternatively he could get friends or colleagues to do it. Or, he could contract with us to make the changes which will cost much less that if we had to make changes to a basic static website of the form that most start-ups have developed.

For details of Pre-packaged sites call Mike Brogan on 0800 542 9622 or email mike@day10.com or visit http://www.day10.com./

New Website for Hartley Wintney Business

2008-07-29T08:08:00.006Z

Day 10 has just completed a new website for Hart Cartpets of Hartley Wintney, Hampshire. Hart Carpets wanted a website that would showcase the unique combination of carpet and flooring products that they sell and install.

In order to achieve this goal we designed a site that is loaded with images showing the various manufacturers' products in stunning settings. We also photographed various interior and exterior aspects of Hart Carpet's showroon on Hartley Wintney High Street.

You can see the new website at http://www.hartcarpets.co.uk/.

Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam.....

2007-12-14T10:03:00.000Z

Ever wondered where all that spam in your inbox comes from? The penis enlargement pills, viagra and claims to enhance your sexual performance. Ever wondered whether anyone responds to spam? If so, ever wondered who responds and whether anyone buys this junk?

An interesting article on the BBC website gives a good insight into this. And you will be surprised when you read it.

Read the full article here.

Do small firms really need a website?

2007-11-21T10:14:00.000Z

An interesting fact from the Federation of Small Businesses - no more than half of Britain's small to medium-sized businesses have a web presence.

This article, published on the BBC's website argues that a presence in cyberspace will become increasingly essential, even for small businesses who appear to be doing OK at present without a website.

The article cites the case of Wiggly Wigglers, a local Herefordshire-based company who established a website in 1995 and started trading online in 1999. The firm's turnover has grown from £6000 in 1995 to £2.5M today with customers from all over Western Europe largely due to its presence in cyberspace.

Read the full article here....

Email Spoofing

2007-05-25T08:20:00.000Z

"I found out from returned "undelivered" email that those address does not exist in my lists--in the first place, I have never sent them".

Does this sound familiar?

If so then you have been a victim of "Email Spoofing".

These deceptive emails are called "Spoof Emails" because they fake the appearance of a popular Web site or company in an attempt to commit identity theft. Also known as "hoax" or "phishing" emails, this practice is occurring more and more frequently throughout the online world.

To find out more about email spoofing and the potential effects of it on you read this article from Deb Shinder.

Search Engine Optimised or Search Engine Friendly

2007-05-24T17:23:00.000Z

The term "Search Engine Optimisation" tends to get used indiscriminately these days. Many web developers will say they have optimised a site when all they've done is to add a few keywords to the content and meta tags. What they've actually done is make the site search engine friendly.

So what does "Search Engine Optimisation" really mean?

A recent article on the Search Engine Watch website neatly describes the difference between "Search Engine Optimised" and "Search Engine Friendly".

Read the article here....

St Michaels's Hospice - Hereford

2007-04-25T07:10:00.000Z

Since entering my 60’s (yes my 60’s), I have taken on a new lease of life, Fitness has become my main hobby and to celebrate this new era I am taking part in a local Half marathon in deepest Herefordshire on the 20th March 2007. This half marathon is special to the area as all the money raised will be donated towards the local Hospice.

I met my sponsor down in Herefordshire 18 months ago. Sue Gardner is a fitness instructor who makes exercise fun and easy for all levels, she is passionate about getting anyone to enjoy exercise within the constraints of their lifestyle through classes, personal training or training from home.

Her company Fit for Life UK has encouraged 25 runners to take part in this run. Most of us have never taken part before. This I think is an achievement and through her expertise and encouragement we are all going to give it a go for charity - a charity that hopefully none of us will have to use.

So I am asking you to dip your hands into your pocket and donate as I will be running, or walking, or a bit of both. Please look online at www.fitforlifeuk.co.uk and meet this fun woman. You can donate online there or at www.justgiving.com/fitforlife.

As a collective group we hope to raise £10,000 so anything no matter how small would be gratefully received.

Mike Brogan

Day 10 Solutions Has Moved

2007-03-07T17:41:00.000Z

Day 10 has now moved development to a new office near Leominster in Herefordshire. Mike Brogan, Director says that "This move will allow us to take advantage of lower costs which will allow us to keep our prices at levels that SME's can afford".

Whilst all development will be done in the new office, Day 10 will still retain a local office in Basingstoke to service clients in the Hampshire/Surrey/Berkshire area.

The new address is The Studio, Leysters, Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 0HT. Tel: 0845 071 2223.

Google Product to Help Retailers

2006-03-16T10:15:00.000Z

Google is set to roll out an online service for retailers to promote their products. In thime this is likely to have a major impact on the online retailing business.

Article here on the BBC website.

I'm Back

2006-03-16T10:05:00.000Z

It's been a little while since my last posting. Various personal events have conspired to occupy my energies and emotions but, hopefully, all that is behind me and I shall start regular postings again to the Day 10 Blog.

Thank you for being patient.

Article: Zen and the art of web design

2005-07-04T06:43:00.000Z

(How to make your business go backwards)

A few years ago, I had a motorcycle. It was only a small one – 175cc – and I used it for commuting. One day, it broke down. In fact it was always breaking down, but this particular breakdown was big time. It required a major engine rebuild.

Now, you need to understand that I was a bit of a budding mechanic. I did all my servicing – probably why it broke down! And this time was no exception. Using my collection of cheap spanners and other miscellaneous tools, most of which had seen better days, I duly stripped the engine and found that a re-bore was needed.

Always the one for a challenge, I took the engine to a machine shop that completed the re-bore and supplied all the parts I needed, and then proceeded to reassemble the engine. So far so good!

With the entire bike back in one piece I fired it up. The engine ran like a dream. No rattles, no banging from the big ends. In fact, it sounded just like it did when the bike was new.

Not being able to contain my excitement at having achieved what I regarded as a bit of a coupe, completing such a major job as this, I swung my leg over the saddle, snicked it into first gear, let out the throttle and the bike took off….

Unfortunately, it took of in the wrong direction – backwards! Yes I was in first gear and the bike was going backwards.

Now, if you’ve ever been on a motorbike with no crash helmet, flying down your street backwards, you’ll realise that you have to do something PDQ or disaster will happen. As it turned out I did manage to stop without too much trouble.

But how could it happen? I’d assembled everything correctly. In fact it would be pretty difficult to get anything so wrong wouldn’t it? Actually no. It was simple. The engine was a 2-stroke and these engines are very simple. No valves, no camshaft, just a piston that goes up and down and turns a crankshaft. And it can turn the crankshaft just as easily one was as the other. The thing that determines which way the engine turns is the ignition timing and I’d got that wrong. That’s why I ended up looking like a circus clown in front of my neighbours.

So, what’s the moral of this story? A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Or if you want something doing, leave it to the experts.

This applies to web design just as much as motorcycle maintenance (Zen apart J). In our business, we come across them all the time – the homemade websites. Bizarre colours, a mixture of strange fonts and images that are slightly out of focus.

The point the owners of these websites don’t get is that they are doing themselves no favours. In fact, I would go as far as saying they’re doing their businesses actual harm. They’d be better off not bothering.

So, if you’re thinking that you can design your website yourself, or get a friend or relative to do it, think twice. Your business could end up going backwards because of it.

Edit Your Own Website Online

2005-06-28T14:24:00.000Z

Spending a fortune every time you need your website updating? At last we've found the ideal service to allow you to update your own website.

EditYourWeb is an editor with a an MS Word-like interface that is simple enough that a child could use it. It allows almost anyone to edit their own website safely and easily, without the need to install any scripts or software, learn new skills, or change web hosts!

With EditYourWeb you can; Edit text, font, size, and color; make or change links; insert, delete or move images; add pages; upload files .....and much more.

Because you do all this in your browser you're getting the ability to update your website from anywhere you choose. And without learning HTML.

On the website, there's a video tour, a live demo of the editor and, when you sign up, you automatically get a 7-day free trial.