Internet News & Website Development Blog

.CO is Here – Are you Ready?

Categories: Internet Marketing

.CO is Here - Are you Ready?
No, it is not missing an M! The .co extension is the newest domain registration extension being utilized by companies large and small. Google, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Google, Honda, and Nike are among the many companies who have snapped up .co websites to expand their online presence and protect their brands. Many smaller companies have made the switch as most memorable .com top-level domains have been taken.

Have you considered registering a .co domain?

If not, here are some reasons you should consider registering a .co name:

Protect Your Identity
Do you remember whitehouse.com? In the late 1990’s www.whitehouse.com linked to an adult website. Many who sought www.whitehouse.gov, the official website of the White House, were directed to adult content. Despite a cease and desist letter from President Clinton the website did not change until the owner decided to sell in 2004.

Imagine the anger and disappointment for those who sought information on an upcoming White House tour and instead stumbled upon an adult website! The difference was a mere domain extension.

The .co extension will allow others to purchase a name similar to yours in order to drive traffic to their own website. All one has to do is forget the letter “m” and nike.com becomes nike.co. Nike bought their .co name to protect themselves and their customers against this error. Will you?

Enhance Your Brand
Overtock.com paid $350,000 to purchase O.co. This short website name enhances Overstock.com’s brand by giving customers an easier way to link to the website and mention it in social media like Twitter and Facebook. Do you have a name you could not purchase in .com that better represents your website? Do you want to diversify your branding through different web portals? What about simplicity: is your website’s name easy to remember? A .co name can enhance your brand and give you access to new customers by allowing you to create great-sounding, easy-to-remember website names that might not be available as a .com.

Reach a Global Market
The .co domain extension is already a part of the domain names for companies in other countries like the UK (.co.uk), Japan (.co.jp), Israel (.co.il) and many others. Many international businesses use “Co.” as a shortened form of Company and Corporation. The .co extension has global recognition and can help you expand your global reach.

Special Pricing!

The .co domain name extension is a little more than your .com, .net or .biz extensions with most companies selling them for $40.00. We have special pricing for a limited time to our customers.
To take advantage of this new domain extension, wantabetterwebsite.com is offering a limited-time special price on .co domain registrations. Until September 15th we will register your .co domain name for $35. After September 15th the cost of registration will be $40, so be sure to register before the 15th.

Get your .co while the good names are still available!

Three Ways Business Can Take Advantage of Facebook Places

Categories: Internet Marketing, News

By Tony Bradley, PC World

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the new Facebook Places location-based check-in service at a press event yesterday. Following in the footsteps of services like Foursquare and Gowalla, the Facebook Places service provides businesses with a platform for marketing and promotion, and provides an opportunity to build customer loyalty.
Like current social location-based check-in services, Facebook Places lets people share where they are, see which friends are in the local area, and discover new places by following where others from their social network have checked in. The real value of services like Foursquare has been the integration with Facebook and the ability to share the check-in details with the broader social network, so Facebook Places seems like a natural evolution of the concept.

When asked at the Facebook Places launch whether or not the new service would be integrated with business pages on Facebook, Zuckerberg and company sort of dodged the question. The Facebook gang indicated that Places will be added to any pages that make sense, though, which essentially amounts to a “yes”.

Besides, the Facebook Places FAQ shares more information, making it clear that businesses can benefit from the new service. Facebook explains that business owners can search for their business in Places. If there is a Place already created, there is a process to claim ownership of it, and if there isn’t already a Place, the business owner can create a new Place for the business.

What does that mean for your business? Well, it means that Facebook is providing your business with a powerful tool for promoting your business, expanding your customer base, and marketing your brand. That is, assuming you take steps to embrace Facebook Places and use it effectively. Here are three ways your business can take advantage of Facebook Places:

1. Special Offers. Provide special discounts or promotional items for customers who show that they have checked in with Facebook Places during the current visit. The business can use signs in the store, or at the cash register, as well as Twitter and Facebook to encourage users to check-in to Facebook Places to receive the special offer.

2. Promoting the Business. Word of mouth is one of the most effective forms of advertising–that is why location-based services like Foursquare or Yelp have grown so much in the first place. Encourage customers to share their experience with your business, and engage them to promote the business for you by providing specials or discounts for customers who post photos or reviews of the business, or share Facebook and Twitter updates from the business with their friends.

3. Rewarding Customer Loyalty. Getting customers is good for business, but getting loyal repeat customers is the key to a truly successful business. Give customers a reason to keep coming back by providing a special discount every certain number of Facebook Places check-ins. Assuming Facebook Places has something equivalent to the Mayor feature in Foursquare–declaring a Facebook Places “leader” based on the most check-ins–the business can create a special offer just for the designated Facebook Places “leader” and exploit the natural competitiveness of customers to drive return visits.

Of course, to realize the benefits of Facebook Places, your business should have a Facebook page. If your business hasn’t yet embraced Facebook, check out Secrets to Using Facebook to Market Your Business.

When should you use a Pre-Made Website Template?

Categories: Website Design

Our answer 5-years ago would have been a simple never. We even had content to this effect on the website that discouraged the use of templates over our preferred custom web design. Time has taught us a few things. For example, today our economy is in a slump and budgets are increasingly tighter. Expectations for results and quality however have not diminished.

How do you get a good website on a tight budget quickly?

A template is a great starter website primarily because it is affordable and quick. You could try to build your own website, but few who try succeed. A template meets you half-way. Instead of trying to articulate what you want in a website design you window shop for your website. You can likely pick a template for under $100 – some are more and some are free. You add in the costs for a domain name and web hosting, which are also both very affordable and you could keep your cost around $200 or less for the year*. You’re only recurring cost should be the domain name and hosting. Once you’ve bought a template it is yours.
NOTE: Someone else can buy that template too.

Templates can help prevent buyer’s remorse. The simplicity and affordability of a template allows you to make mistakes. When looking to build a website most have some vision for what their website should accomplish or at least understand the importance of having a website, but many still have trouble describing what the website should look like or how they’re going to guarantee its effectiveness. A template lets you test the waters. If you don’t have your content ready or you are not sure how to market your website, then a template allows you to learn as you go. Once you know what you need you can always get a redesign.

How to pick a web template: Take your time. There are a lot of options. Find something you like.

Think about your content. Placing content on a website is not always as simple as writing a letter. A template usually has lorem ipsum content, which serves as a place holder for your content. The template design is typically most effective in the format displayed. For the purpose of simplicity and ease, look at the template from the perspective that your content should just replace the existing content.

Figure out how you are going to add your content. Just because you have a template, a domain and hosting does not mean you have a website. You still need to get your template to the hosting server and you need to get the pages created and your content added.

There are a lot of programs available that can be used to create your website. We can add the content for you. Get your content ready, tell us what you need and we will give you a great price. If you are going to be making a lot of changes, then you might be better off with a “content management system”. None of these options have to be expensive and we will gladly help you find the solution that best fits your needs.

Any template can be customized to your specifications. However, if you are looking for affordable, then you are going to want to find a template that most accurately reflects your brand. Customizations are extra. Do you use specific colors? Find a template that matches. Is your logo square, round, oval, etc? Find a template where your logo can be seamlessly integrated. Customizations cost more so plan accordingly and ask a lot of questions before you buy a template.

You may still need to avoid templates. There are times when you should absolutely avoid using a template. Anyone can buy a template and someone probably has already bought the template you like. Some templates will give you a count on how many people have downloaded the template and sometimes you can buy the template outright for a higher price. That higher price is usually expensive and typically takes the template off the market but does not prevent people who have already bought the template from using it.

Therefore, consider your branding. If you market yourself as unique or if you promote a service that is supposed to help others be unique, then using a template may be a poor promotion choice for your website. How embarrassed would you be if someone found another website with your exact same design?

*Most people who buy a template do not know how to take the template, and modify it in design or content, and upload it to their hosting server. These types of changes inevitably cost more. So unless you can do the work yourself, you will likely need to budget accordingly. Ask lots of questions before you buy and feel free to contact our knowledgeable staff. Be sure to ask for an estimate.

Better Your Website. Want to start with a template? Navigate through our collection or choose from one of these template websites – then contact us at 817-292-5208 or email us at design@wantabetterwebsite.com.

Our Templates – affiliate of Monster Templates
Elegant WordPress Themes – another affiliate
Free Website Templates – first site you get on Google when you search for “free website templates”

Testimonial: GeoPure HydroTechnoloiges

Categories: Testimonials

We have been extremely pleased with Want a Better Website and would certainly recommend the company to anyone needing website design. The staff took the time to sit down with us and really learn about our company, what we do and our business strategy. This information was incorporated into a website that truly reflects our corporate vision and culture. The team also recognized our need for a quick turn-around and worked diligently to have our site up and running in a matter of days, adding unique features that would draw viewers to our website. The result – we have received phone calls from potential customers and investors from as far away as Italy and Saudi Arabia.

We could not have asked for a better experience and will continue to use Want a Better Website to further enhance our online marketing.

www.geopureht.com