Web 360: Fundamentals of Web Success

By Pete Prestipino

The road to Web success is built on experience - often costly & time-consuming practical experience. But there finally exists a guide that will lead you every step of the way, making the journey more meaningful, enjoyable and profitable. Web 360 is the 1st book to examine every discipline required for achieving online success, making it a valuable resource available for novices and experts alike.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pete Prestipino
• Release date: May 31, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476135205

Pete Prestipino

Peter Prestipino is the Editor-In-Chief of Website Magazine, a print and online trade publication founded in 2005 for Internet business professionals. Prestipino is a long-time Internet marketer with over twelve years of experience, a regular speaker on Web technology and entreprenuership, and is a respected writer and expert on a variety of Web-related topics including the development, deployment and promotion of Internet properties.

Book preview

Web 360: FUNDAMENTALS OF WEB SUCCESS

By

Peter Prestipino

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PUBLISHED BY:

Website Magazine at Smashwords

Web 360

Copyright © 2011 by Website Magazine

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Web 360: FUNDAMENTALS OF WEB SUCCESS

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Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Big Idea

- Coming Up With Your Big Idea

- Benchmarking and Research

- Funding the Big Idea

Chapter 2: Domain Names

- Choosing and Buying Domain Names

- Creating a Domain Name Portfolio

- Domain Name Appraisals and Selling Domains

Chapter 3: Web Hosting

- Web Hosting Simplified

- Hosting Features You Need

- Web Hosting in the Cloud

- Bonus: Reseller Hosting

Chapter 4: Software Essentials

- Front-end Software

- Back-end Software

- Building and Buying Your Own Software

Chapter 5: Web Design

- Web Design for Beginners

- Web Design Templates

- Lessons on Managing Redesigns

Chapter 6: Content Development

- Idea Generation

- Distribution Tactics

- Content Construction

Chapter 7: Search Engine Optimization

- Preparation for SEO

- Organization for SEO

- Building Link Popularity

- Bonus: Hiring an SEO

Chapter 8: Email

- Acquisition of Subscribers

- Email Development and Deployment

- Metrics and Analytics for Email

- Bonus: Essential ESP Selection Criteria

Chapter 9: Going Local

- Local Strategy Alignment

- A How-to Guide for the Local Web

- Getting Social, Going Mobile

- Bonus: Reputation Monitoring

Chapter 10: Social Media

- Defining Social Media, SMO and the Players

- Social Media Optimization

- Hosting Your Own Social Media

- Bonus: Promoting Link-worthy Content

Chapter 11: Internet Advertising

- Display Advertising and CPM

- CPC Advertising Techniques

- Direct Media Buying and Selling

- Bonus: Affiliate Marketing

Chapter 12: Analytics

- Key Metrics and Data in Website Analytics

- Deeper Analysis

- Web Analytics in Play

- Bonus: Heat Maps

Conclusion: Now You Know

Glossary

Introduction

When the commercial Web was developed, few ever dreamed that it would become the social and economic force, nay powerhouse, it has become today.

It is arguably the most powerful communications tool and technology platform ever developed. It has changed the way we work, changed the way we interact with one another, and, most importantly, leveled the playing field. The commercial Web allows entrepreneurs and small businesses to compete with multi-national, Fortune 500 firms and international conglomerates far more tech savvy—and blessed with resources—than you or I could ever dream of becoming.

While this playing field and business landscape may not be completely level, it is much more so today than ever before. That presents an opportunity that can not and should not be ignored. But you’ve heard all the promises, what you need is some genuine guidance—a plan, perhaps, that shows you, step by step, how to shorten the road to profitability using the World Wide Web. Fortunately, you are holding the answer in your hands. It’s called Web 360.

This is not your traditional business or marketing book about how to dominate this niche or fully leverage that technology. You won’t find long, drawn-out case studies about how a billion-dollar brand uses social media to increase something as fleeting as awareness on Twitter or Facebook. You won’t find page after page of statistics or any fuzzy screenshots of software for which you ultimately will have no use.

Web 360 is not a guide on how to appear on Google search results overnight. You won’t find any super-secret information about how to make millions buying and selling domain names. Nor will you discover how to bypass spam filters to sell your wares to a mailing list of zillions. So, what will you take away from reading Web 360?

Much like each issue of Website Magazine (the monthly print publication read by nearly 150,000 people around the world, of which I am the Editor-in-Chief), Web 360 is a resource for Web success that offers the same practical information and proven tactics that have helped millions of others succeed in creating a Web presence. While there is no guarantee that reading this book will fulfill all of your wildest Internet dreams, we’ve made the information practical enough that anyone can take their website and business to new and greater levels of success on the Web.

What you will find in the succeeding pages is a step-by-step guide to creating a Web presence that has the best possible chance of being seen and generating revenue in the short and long term. Included in the pages of Web 360 is practical advice on natural search engine optimization and how to make good on each visitor you receive. You’ll learn how to build stronger bonds with the consumers you already have and how to attract new consumers in order to establish long-lasting relationships through email and social media marketing. When you put down this book after reading each and every page, you will have a holistic understanding of how the Web and marketing on the Web work. In the end you will have your own plan to achieve Web success.

The word holistic is key to fully comprehending the advice given in this book. Holistic means emphasizing the importance of the whole and the interdependence of the parts. We are concerned with the whole result, not analyzing its separated parts. There are entire books on every topic addressed in Web 360. This is the only one that addresses how the topics all interrelate—to ultimately create success.

Let’s be honest: you don’t really need another source of information about how to achieve success on the Web, do you? Isn’t it better just to find information on the ’Net and to do your best to make it work on your own—making mistakes along the way? In reality, yes . . . yes it is. The problems are that 1) you probably don’t have the time to make the same mistakes made by everyone else, and 2) you don’t have the resources to waste on get-rich-quick schemes and empty promises you may encounter on your own.

What is unique about Web 360 is that in the topically focused chapters and sections, you will find practical ways to accelerate your business’ success. You will be prepared when consultants come knocking on your door. You will know how to do on your own what may otherwise cost you way too much. That alone should motivate you to do great things with this book.

Web 360 is constructed for quick learning and easy reference. Each chapter focuses on one particular area of knowledge and expertise, providing you with the essential information you will need to advance to the next phase of your Web journey. Included within all 12 chapters are not only numerous actionable insights (note the Web Tips throughout the book), but also a list of review questions to ensure that you have addressed the most critical points before you are ready to take action and move on. Screenshots and a glossary are included to provide a look at some of the most popular Web services and important terms.

The information in each chapter is presented in three sections—Basic, Intermediate and Advanced—and many also include Bonus sections with additional insights into the latest strategies, techniques and technologies. Presenting content in this unique manner provides something for everyone. Whether you are totally new to the Web, have worked several years in one capacity (marketing or Web design, for example), or are a full-on guru of all things Internet, you will ultimately know far more after reading this book.

Will the information in Web 360 really prepare you to take action? Yes, because we would not have it any other way. As in life, there is always more than one way to accomplish a goal; and, over time, you may find a better way to navigate the road to Web success. (When you do, please let me know.) What makes this book most valuable is you can leverage the expertise of the Web industry’s leading minds without spending time on the fluff and the jargon.

We’ve condensed a lot of information into these pages and omitted nothing essential. You will know where to go and what to do, and how to do it most effectively. You will know what questions to ask and you will gain the confidence that comes in knowing that you will not be misled as you traverse the virtual Web highway.

In Focus: WebsiteMagazine.com

Web 360 will provide you with the fundamentals to achieve Web success, but because of the rapid pace of change and development on the Internet, a subscription to Website Magazine will keep you up to date on the trends and tactics most important to the short- and long-term success of your Web enterprise. Visit WM at www.websitemagazine.com.

Chapter 1

The Big Idea

What makes the Web such a powerful force? Ideas, plain and simple. People from all walks of life come up with ideas every day—if not every minute of every day—that will fit and work perfectly well on today’s Internet. It is the collaboration with and opportunities presented by the Web that make these ideas potentially great in the current state of business and consumer circles.

In this chapter you will receive guidance on coming up with a big idea, discover how to benchmark your idea against the competition, and access resources to fund the next steps that are required to take your website to the broader Web world or to a new and positive level.

Ideas are what fuel the engine of commerce—on the Web and outside of it. If you’ve got a solid idea, whether something entirely new or simply a better idea, you are already on your way to achieving Web success.

Basic: Coming Up with Your Big Idea

I like to tell people I meet at Internet trade shows that I am great at cocktail parties because of my familiarity with all things Web-related. Friends and colleagues routinely tell me they have a great idea for a website, but that they often become lost at that point—not knowing the next step they should take. They fail to understand how to bring their ideas to fruition, they tell me. If you’re looking for answers at this point, I can tell you the best idea for a website as much as I can tell you the atomic weight of barium. You, and only you, know the right website idea for you. But I can, and will, help you understand how to take your idea and turn it into a reality.

Many people were initially lured to the Web as a means to make a lot of money very quickly. Out of a hundred thousand people, though, you would only be likely to find a handful that actually made the money they’d hoped. This is why coming up with an original idea is so important. Original in this sense means something unique or an improvement on something else.

If you have a product or service, a viewpoint or technique that no one else offers, people will buy it. If you are lucky and your idea is that great, those same people will not just buy one, they will buy ten. And if you are even luckier, you work really hard and are smart about your execution, then people who bought your product or service will tell ten of their friends. And their friends will tell their friends—and then you’ve become a bona fide successful entity on the Internet.

Web Tip: Use Mind Maps

You will find it particularly useful to map out some of your thoughts as you read through Web 360. To facilitate this, consider using mind-mapping software. It’s far less sinister than it sounds.

A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks or pretty much anything that could be linked to and arranged around a central idea. Mind maps are routinely used to not just help generate ideas, but also to visualize and structure those ideas to help in problem-solving and decision-making. One mind-mapping solution to check out is MindMeister, which offers both free and paid plans. It’s even available in the Google Apps Marketplace.

So, what’s your idea? Web 360 can help you come up with an idea, and actually helps you do so below, but you likely bought this book because you already have an idea and want to know how to take it and create a successful Internet presence, right? Well, Web 360 can help you do that too, and much more. If you’ve got your idea, move on to the Intermediate section on benchmarking your idea against existing ideas, products, services and companies promoted on and across the Web.

While you are the only one who can come up with the right idea for your Internet business and/or website, chances are that you will go through several approaches and iterations before you actually find one (or stumble upon one) and become the powerful force on the Web that you would like to become. If you are just starting out, it is a relatively painless, engaging and, yes, easy process—just find something you are interested in. If you are completely at a loss for a business website idea, start by setting up a personal website as your first course of action. You will be able to make mistakes, learn from them and branch out with the ideas you develop from reading this book and from your own experiences.

Begin with a topic that you adore—or despise. Your first big idea will be to share with others everything you know about that particular topic. Essentially, you are going to become the foremost expert on the topic you have chosen, so make sure that you select something you know plenty about. The topic can be broad or narrow; it is your choice entirely.

There is no faster way to learn about how to achieve Web success than to get your hands dirty (virtually), so ten years ago that’s precisely what I did.

My first personal website was about advertising agencies in Chicago. While I did not actually work at a traditional advertising agency (I actually worked for an Internet advertising network in Chicago at the time), this was the topic in which I was most interested and knew the most about. I was able to develop a website which covered the business of advertising in Chicago, and I listed several hundred agencies in the area; the agencies that I, in fact, wanted to work for in the future.

The website grew into a highly visited Internet property that generated thousands of dollars in sponsorships and direct advertising relationships in a few short months. That was my first big idea and, after many years, that site is still fully operational, although it was sold for a hefty sum several years later.

Without knowing much at all, I was able to turn a few weeks of work into a very profitable enterprise. Likewise, your success depends primarily in the value and efficacy of your big idea. Make it a good one.

In Focus: StumbleUpon

One of the best tools for discovering things that you are interested in is the StumbleUpon social discovery service. Over 12 million individuals have signed up for the free service, which enables members to define their interests and navigate through websites and web pages whose focus matches those interests.

Intermediate: Benchmarking and Research

You came up with a great idea. Congratulations. Now the fun begins. Benchmarking is one of those terms that, if you didn’t know any better, would require several hours of scratching your head while you had it explained to you.

In its simplest explanation, benchmarking is the process of finding out who the competition is, the quantity and quality of their presence, the positive and negative feedback associated with those you are researching, and, most importantly, learning what it takes to meet or exceed the value in and success achieved by the competing enterprises you identified in this process.

If the term benchmarking confuses, frustrates or bores you, consider it the equivalent of building out a dossier of your enemies. Once you know who your enemies are and what their strongest and weakest attributes are, you are able to improve yourself (and your big idea) so that you can compete against (and defeat) them in the future.

Benchmarking for the Rest of Us

There are as many different approaches to benchmarking and competitive research as there are definitions, so know that yours would not be the first website to launch without a thorough formal analysis of this nature. In the end, you can certainly develop and promote a website without having any information at all about your competitors, but when competitive benchmarking is done effectively, your site will ultimately be better positioned for success.

Even without a vast market-research budget, each and every enterprise can start the benchmarking process by identifying the problem areas of its competitors and what makes certain solutions (or websites) better or worse than the others in its niche. Since benchmarking is often applied to many varying business processes and functions, a range of research techniques are often implemented.

Many successful enterprises engage in benchmarking because of the advantages the process can provide. Properly executed benchmarking will reveal new marketing methodologies, business techniques, design ideas and development tools to improve the effectiveness of your own Web presence. The practice also illustrates the best methods for solving issues you are experiencing other than the ones you are currently utilizing. Demonstrating to your team and yourself that these alternate solutions work, because they are being used by others, will relieve many site-related headaches in the future when you consider improving your website and the big idea that it represents.

Web Tip: Know More Than the Competition

Knowing more than the competition will serve you well as you create a strategy, create a website and create your own business destiny. There is no replacement for knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the companies and websites you are competing against, and understanding the needs of people and the industry itself. Knowing more than the competition will give you a leg up, and failing to know more will result in missed opportunities — something you can’t afford to risk.

Benchmarking is not just a process, but should also be considered a formal business policy and an ongoing commitment to staying informed of the issues that impact the sustainability of your online endeavor. Thinking of it in the following manner may clear up the confusing nature of benchmarking.

In every conversation, informal or formal (with customers, employees, suppliers or partners), your business should seek every opportunity to gain important information about others. Make an effort every day to find out everything you can about what it will take to be the premier vendor of whatever it