• Search Engine Tricks
• Throw in the Towel
• Add Something Extra!

Search Engine Tricks

Get listed on a major search engine and you could suddenly find 2,000 visitors per day dropping by your web site. That's free promotion that would otherwise cost you plenty.

Recently it has been hard to get and stay listed on search engines. One of the most important engines accidentally erased much of their database (including your URL!). Several more were taking new submissions but weren't registering them.

Search engine expert Jerry West says you only need to worry about three: Yahoo, Alta Vista, and Excite. Together they account for 88% of search engine use.

Get on Yahoo by submitting your web address at Canada.com. Both use the same database and Canada.com can have you listed in three days or less.

Submit at dmoz.org. That's the page for the Open Directory Project which supplies the database for Lycos and Hotbot.

Be sure to include Meta Tags in your site's html code. See Jerry's free manual at WebMarketingNow.com.

Throw In The Towel

Smart businesses are starting to learn there is a time to throw in the towel. Dogged determination is usually necessary for running a business. There are many times that you just have to put your head down and keep charging against tough odds.

But your big success could depend on knowing when to quit. Sometimes a business' best interest is to drop a successful product or service just before it is over-taken by a competitor with a better idea.

This could mean that you need to sacrifice a current money-maker in order to switch and catch a trend that will prove rewarding in the near future.

Companies with big investments in current products often can't make the change as rapidly as a small business. Kodak is doing very well making film, but where will they be in a few years when digital cameras that don't need film are being used by most consumers?

These days the Internet and business are changing everything at the speed of light. Watch for new ideas that could make your current winner yesterday's news. Be ready to change to catch a new wave.

Add Something Extra

Want lots of customers to rave about you to their friends and business associates? Give them a little something extra.

Studies show that little extras are the fuel behind word-of- mouth. When you add an extra cookie to the order, customers notice.

When a customer starts talking, up to 100 people can eventually hear the story. A customer's referral is the most powerful marketing known.

Look for ways you can deliver extras that don't hurt your bottom line. Include a free report, a brochure of helpful tips, or a bit of personal advice.

Sometimes small gestures of kindness and concern can go a long way. Offer to find an answer to a customer's question on the Internet.

Place a call or email several weeks after the purchase to see how things are working out for the customer.

These days, even answering email quickly with a personal note can impress customers. Get involved with charities that your customers care about.