Improving Web Visability

3/22 An offer to get your online...
This lady is great and very committed to the recovery effort. Let her work for you!

posted an example listing for Lori K. Gordon here:

http://www.cehwiedel.com/cohr/Xmas/2006/Individuals/G-H/CoHRHomePage.Xmas.Gordon-Lori-K.htm

What I'd like to receive (via email to cohr@cehwiedel.com) in order to build a similar listing for someone else:

- Shop Name (e.g., "The Katrina Collection")

- Individual's Name (e.g., Lori K. Gordon)

- Geographic Location (e.g., Bay St. Louis, MS)

- Contact Information (e.g., email address or snail mail address or telephone number)

- Background (e.g., personalized info like professional background)

- Publicity Photo (optional but highly recommended; doesn't have to be professional)

- A single item or service to highlight, with the following:

- item's photo or illustration

- pricing & availability

- description

- LINK to more stuff (e.g., the link to Lori's Katrina Collection website)

- any background information available on the item

I will take what I get and build a webpage, as I did for Lori Gordon. I'll post it, then request confirmation from the contact. Once confirmation is received, the webpage will be linked into the rest of the site.

Again, I want to emphasize that all this is FREE.

Any questions should be emailed to cohr@cehwiedel.com

Sincerely,

cehwiedel
"Carnival of Hurricane Relief"
http://www.cehwiedel.com/cohr/
"CoHR Squidoo Lens"
http://www.squidoo.com/cohr/



Pulled from Entrepreneur.com

So what do you have to do to get quality links that will actually count for something with the search engines?
Here's Google's answer to the question:
“Make sure all the sites that should know about your pages are aware your site is online.” (Get more tips from Google here.)
1. Search for organizations that are already established within your industry. Most have a directory that lists companies like yours (you’ll probably see some of your top-ranking competitors already listed there!).
2. Scour your competitors’ sites and see if they're affiliated with any associations you should be connected with but aren't yet.
3. Commit to writing an article (or having one written) at least once a month.
Then:
Upload it to your site.
Get it crawled by adding it to your Google and Yahoo! sitemaps.
Make a blog post about it, and link to it. (Waddaya mean you don’t have a blog yet?!)
A few weeks after the article's live on your site and has been cached, submit it to some of the organizations you contacted earlier. In the “About the author” section, or biography, at the end of the article, add the link to that specific article on your site and on your blog. This will help establish your business as the authoritative source of the article. It will also build link popularity to that specific page and allow readers to post comments about it on your blog. If you have a forum on your site, mention it there, too, and point users to it with a link.
It wouldn’t hurt to issue a press release about the article you wrote either. Make sure you link to the exact page where your article resides on your site as well as to your home page.

Essential Element #1: An Attention-Grabbing Headline. The first thing people see when they visit your site should be a compelling headline that describes the most important benefit your product or service offers. The headline is the key element of your site. It's what will persuade visitors to stick around and check out what you have to offer.

Essential Element #2: User-Friendly Navigation. Nothing will drive customers away faster than confusing or complicated navigation! Your customers should be able to know where they are on your site at all times, and should easily be able to find pages they've already visited.

Essential Element #3
Your salescopy should:
Immediately draw the reader in with exciting benefits and enticing copy so you can lead them toward the sale.
Establish your credibility--nobody will buy from you if they don't feel they can trust you.
Describe the benefits of your product or service and explain why your visitors need it.

Essential Element #4: A Clear "Call to Action." If you want people to buy your products or services, you have to tell them how to do it. Don't leave them guessing. You have to explain exactly what you want them to do, and you have to make it easy for them to do it.

Essential Element #5: Well-Chosen Images. Images can really help people visualize your products or services and their benefits. Be sure to include photos of every product you sell. Attractive product shots can really boost your sales.

#6 Strong Opt In Offer
In order to pursue a relationship with these potential customers, you should collect their e-mail addresses by encouraging them to subscribe to a free newsletter or a free download. This will give you the chance to send them updates and information, develop relationships with them, and enable them to trust you enough to buy from you.

Essential Element #7: Testimonials. The best way to establish credibility is to provide evidence that your product or service really works. And the best way to do that is to include testimonials from satisfied customers that explain how your product or service has helped improve their lives.

Essential Element #8: An "About Us" page. People are often hesitant to buy things online because they miss the personal interaction of doing business face to face. The best way to overcome their reluctance is to include an "About Us" page that provides information about you, your staff and your business. Be sure to include pictures of yourself and your staff members. This shows your customers they're doing business with real people and will help ease any worries they might have.

Essential Element #9: An FAQ Page. It's a good idea to include a "Frequently Asked Questions" page on your site. This is where you'll list the questions most commonly asked by your customers and provide answers to them. It allows your visitors immediate access to the answers they need before they'll consider buying your product or service.

Essential Element #10: Your Contact Info. In order to close sales and establish your credibility, you have to provide full contact information on your site. This includes your mailing address as well as fax and phone numbers. Businesses that only post e-mail addresses on their sites come across as unprofessional and possibly even disreputable.