Tuesday, January 31, 2012
8 Guidelines For Usability Testing
In professional web design circles, the usability testing session has become an essential component of any major project. Similar to focus groups in brand development and product launches, usability testing offers a rare opportunity to receive feedback from the very people the website is aimed at - before it's too late to do anything about it.
But how can you get the most from these usability testing sessions?
1. Choosing Your Subjects
As with any market research project, the results will only be as good as the people you test. Do not test people from your own company, or friends and family. Go to a market research firm or temp agency and ask them to source participants to a certain profile. Make sure the market research firm does not provide the name of the company or any other details that will cloud the judgment of the participants.
2. Before The Usability Testing
As with everything in life, first impressions are vital. Each participant must be put at ease. Remember, the usability testing session is often an extremely artificial environment and, for the most beneficial and informative results, we want them to behave as if they were using the site at home or work.
Provide clear instructions on how to get to the usability testing location, and if necessary meet the participants at local stations. Do not use terms such as ‘usability testing’ or ‘market research’, as these can confuse and put people on edge. Also, ensure that participants know how long the usability testing will take, and the type of tasks they will be expected to perform.
After the initial greeting and welcoming drinks, there are always legal forms that must be signed. It is essential that these are written in plain English, and are as short as possible. The last thing any nervous usability testing subject wants is to be given a contract that looks like they're signing their soul away. All you want is for them to be reassured that the tests are completely confidential, and for permission to use the data generated during the test as part of our results. So tell them that.
3. Beginning The Usability Testing
Before diving into key tasks, get the user familiar with the environment. Tell them the website's name and URL, and ask them for initial feedback on what they would expect from the site or what they would like the site to be. Make note of any terms or phrases they use - this not only demonstrates you are taking their feedback seriously, but may provide useful tips as to possible labels for key functionality or navigation.
Next, let them look at the website they are testing. Gauge their first impressions before allowing them to familiarise themselves with the site.
These few simple tasks will help convince the participant that the usability testing will not be difficult and, perhaps most importantly, that they're not the ones being tested.
4. Choosing Tasks
Set tasks that are essential to the new site's success, such as:
Buying products
Paying bills
Contacting the client
Remember, you're not looking for an ego massage. The site was built for a reason - can your target audience do what you need them to do?
It's also a good idea to ask the user to suggest tasks. While this gives another indication of their expectations and requirements, it may suggest new functionality or priorities.
5. How To Word Tasks
People tend to perform more naturally if you provide them with scenarios rather than instructions. When giving them tasks, you should use phrases like ‘Scenario A has occurred, and you need to ring the company urgently - find the telephone number’. This is far better than ‘find the contact us section of the site’.
6. Presenting Tasks
Only give participants one task at a time. More than this may intimidate them, or alter their approach to the test.
If the user is required to use inputs from outside the test (e.g. an email giving them a password to the site), give them these inputs in the form they will be presented. This will provide useful feedback on all elements of the process, rather than simply the site.
7. How To Behave During The Usability Testing
It's essential that you remember that it's the website that is being tested, not you or the subject. Any feedback you get is valuable - make sure the participant knows this. If they can't do something, make sure they know it's not their fault.
You must stay quiet and out of sight during the test. You must not alter the test results by providing clues, suggesting directions or by reacting to things they say or do. All feedback you give must be neutral. Do not start shaking your head or huffing, however tempting it might be!
The only time you should speak is to help the participant give an opinion, or to clarify a response. If in doubt, shut up!
Given the investment made in the project, clients often find it difficult to be quiet during tests. If your client wants to be present, put them in another room with an audio/video link.
8. After The Usability Testing
After all the tasks have been completed, you should gather as much information as possible. Asking for overall impressions of the site will allow you to judge whether expectations have been met, and whether the participant's view of the client or site has changed during the process.
Always ask for suggestions - this not only demonstrates the value you place on their thoughts, but may provide insights into how the site can better support the user.
Finally, ask the participant what they remember about the site structure and functions of the site. Clear recollection will confirm that the site is structured logically and help identify any labeling issues you may have missed.
To your success
The Elder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
computer-giveaway
But how can you get the most from these usability testing sessions?
1. Choosing Your Subjects
As with any market research project, the results will only be as good as the people you test. Do not test people from your own company, or friends and family. Go to a market research firm or temp agency and ask them to source participants to a certain profile. Make sure the market research firm does not provide the name of the company or any other details that will cloud the judgment of the participants.
2. Before The Usability Testing
As with everything in life, first impressions are vital. Each participant must be put at ease. Remember, the usability testing session is often an extremely artificial environment and, for the most beneficial and informative results, we want them to behave as if they were using the site at home or work.
Provide clear instructions on how to get to the usability testing location, and if necessary meet the participants at local stations. Do not use terms such as ‘usability testing’ or ‘market research’, as these can confuse and put people on edge. Also, ensure that participants know how long the usability testing will take, and the type of tasks they will be expected to perform.
After the initial greeting and welcoming drinks, there are always legal forms that must be signed. It is essential that these are written in plain English, and are as short as possible. The last thing any nervous usability testing subject wants is to be given a contract that looks like they're signing their soul away. All you want is for them to be reassured that the tests are completely confidential, and for permission to use the data generated during the test as part of our results. So tell them that.
3. Beginning The Usability Testing
Before diving into key tasks, get the user familiar with the environment. Tell them the website's name and URL, and ask them for initial feedback on what they would expect from the site or what they would like the site to be. Make note of any terms or phrases they use - this not only demonstrates you are taking their feedback seriously, but may provide useful tips as to possible labels for key functionality or navigation.
Next, let them look at the website they are testing. Gauge their first impressions before allowing them to familiarise themselves with the site.
These few simple tasks will help convince the participant that the usability testing will not be difficult and, perhaps most importantly, that they're not the ones being tested.
4. Choosing Tasks
Set tasks that are essential to the new site's success, such as:
Buying products
Paying bills
Contacting the client
Remember, you're not looking for an ego massage. The site was built for a reason - can your target audience do what you need them to do?
It's also a good idea to ask the user to suggest tasks. While this gives another indication of their expectations and requirements, it may suggest new functionality or priorities.
5. How To Word Tasks
People tend to perform more naturally if you provide them with scenarios rather than instructions. When giving them tasks, you should use phrases like ‘Scenario A has occurred, and you need to ring the company urgently - find the telephone number’. This is far better than ‘find the contact us section of the site’.
6. Presenting Tasks
Only give participants one task at a time. More than this may intimidate them, or alter their approach to the test.
If the user is required to use inputs from outside the test (e.g. an email giving them a password to the site), give them these inputs in the form they will be presented. This will provide useful feedback on all elements of the process, rather than simply the site.
7. How To Behave During The Usability Testing
It's essential that you remember that it's the website that is being tested, not you or the subject. Any feedback you get is valuable - make sure the participant knows this. If they can't do something, make sure they know it's not their fault.
You must stay quiet and out of sight during the test. You must not alter the test results by providing clues, suggesting directions or by reacting to things they say or do. All feedback you give must be neutral. Do not start shaking your head or huffing, however tempting it might be!
The only time you should speak is to help the participant give an opinion, or to clarify a response. If in doubt, shut up!
Given the investment made in the project, clients often find it difficult to be quiet during tests. If your client wants to be present, put them in another room with an audio/video link.
8. After The Usability Testing
After all the tasks have been completed, you should gather as much information as possible. Asking for overall impressions of the site will allow you to judge whether expectations have been met, and whether the participant's view of the client or site has changed during the process.
Always ask for suggestions - this not only demonstrates the value you place on their thoughts, but may provide insights into how the site can better support the user.
Finally, ask the participant what they remember about the site structure and functions of the site. Clear recollection will confirm that the site is structured logically and help identify any labeling issues you may have missed.
To your success
The Elder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
computer-giveaway
Friday, January 27, 2012
10 Easy Steps for Getting Video On Your Business Website
I'm often asked, "I have no video training but I want to put video on my website to help promote my products and services what can I do?" Well the answer is simple. If you can shoot a home movie you can put a video clip on your website. Now the first thing is to not be scared of the camera. A good sales person needs to be able to speak clearly and present their product in a manner that everyone can understand and enjoy. So with that in mind turn on your camera, cell phone, or whatever video capturing tool you have and begin shooting. But here are a few tips for making your shoot successful and getting it up on your website.
1. Speak clearly,, and so that everyone watching can understand what your saying and what your product is about.
2. Make sure you have enough light so that you and your product can be seen. But be aware that you can also have to much light. So the best thing to do is to test your video and the area your going to be shot in. Make sure you look natural.
3. A microphone is important and you need to be heard. If your using a mini-dv camera you can easily get a microphone that can attach from the camera to your clothing. Use make sure you can't see the wire that connects the mica and the camera during your video.
4. Have FUN! No one wants to see a sour face on camera. So make sure you are having fun and that you SMILE. The better you come across on camera the more people would want to buy your product or services.
5. Don't use big words in your video presentation. Keep it short sweet and simple.
6. Once you've finished your recording, watch it. Make sure it's what you want and something that you'll feel proud to have on your website.
7. Now get the clip to your computer. Your camera will have instructions on how to upload the footage. Now you can get fancy and use one of the high end video editing products. But those take a long time to learn. So if your on a PC use Windows MovieMaker and if your on a Mac use IMove and edit your clip to your licking. Don't use to make crazy effects keep it about you and your product.
8. Now once your clip is edited you need to output it to a web file. If your on a PC then output the file to a WMV. And if your on a MAC then output your clip to a .MOV file.
9. Upload it! If you don't have server space then use http://Video.Google.com or http://Youtube.com. You can easily upload your video to these services. Not only will you have the code to embed the file to your website but you will also allow others to see your video and your product who haven't been to your site yet. It will be as easy as CUT and PASTE to an HTML page.
10. Promote your video clip. Include links to your clip in your weekly newsletters. Send your clip to your friends, family, and business associates. Let them see the work you've done and ask them to pass it on to other friends. Son you'll notice that you have a ton of visitors watching your video and more traffic to your website.
Warm Regards
The Elder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
skype chauncey.penfold
Younghealthliving
1. Speak clearly,, and so that everyone watching can understand what your saying and what your product is about.
2. Make sure you have enough light so that you and your product can be seen. But be aware that you can also have to much light. So the best thing to do is to test your video and the area your going to be shot in. Make sure you look natural.
3. A microphone is important and you need to be heard. If your using a mini-dv camera you can easily get a microphone that can attach from the camera to your clothing. Use make sure you can't see the wire that connects the mica and the camera during your video.
4. Have FUN! No one wants to see a sour face on camera. So make sure you are having fun and that you SMILE. The better you come across on camera the more people would want to buy your product or services.
5. Don't use big words in your video presentation. Keep it short sweet and simple.
6. Once you've finished your recording, watch it. Make sure it's what you want and something that you'll feel proud to have on your website.
7. Now get the clip to your computer. Your camera will have instructions on how to upload the footage. Now you can get fancy and use one of the high end video editing products. But those take a long time to learn. So if your on a PC use Windows MovieMaker and if your on a Mac use IMove and edit your clip to your licking. Don't use to make crazy effects keep it about you and your product.
8. Now once your clip is edited you need to output it to a web file. If your on a PC then output the file to a WMV. And if your on a MAC then output your clip to a .MOV file.
9. Upload it! If you don't have server space then use http://Video.Google.com or http://Youtube.com. You can easily upload your video to these services. Not only will you have the code to embed the file to your website but you will also allow others to see your video and your product who haven't been to your site yet. It will be as easy as CUT and PASTE to an HTML page.
10. Promote your video clip. Include links to your clip in your weekly newsletters. Send your clip to your friends, family, and business associates. Let them see the work you've done and ask them to pass it on to other friends. Son you'll notice that you have a ton of visitors watching your video and more traffic to your website.
Warm Regards
The Elder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
skype chauncey.penfold
Younghealthliving
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Benefits Of Building Niche Blogs
In this article, I will describe 7 benefits of building niche blogs.
A "niche" refers to a targeted market with profit potential that is not saturated with competitors. The whole idea is to realize the benefits of building niche blogs and then find the niche markets out there and start building.
Benefit #1
Niche Blogs are essentially niche websites that are alive!
That's because your blog will grow as you continue to publish posts or pages regularly to your blog. In contrast, many niche websites are seldom modified or updated after they are created.
Benefit #2
Blogs are designed to publish and update contents easily once you have them set up, configured and running.
Once you get the hang of it, it's a matter of getting into that habit of writing blog posts and pages and publishing them regularly.
Benefit #3
They are either FREE or cost very little to set up.
You can create your blogs easily by visiting blogger.com or wordpress.org and taking time to study and learn the "how-to".
Benefit #4
You can make money with your niche blogs in many ways, such as:
- Publishing third-party ads in your blogs (eg. Google Adsense pubishing)
- Recommending affiliate products and services in your blogs (eg. Amazon)
Benefit #5
Unlike websites, blogs are interactive. Visitors, or blog readers, are usually allowed to post comments for a blog post (or article) to the blog owner.
This 'dialog' helps to build rapport and relationship between the blog owner and his visitors or members.
Benefit #6
Since blogs are usually updated regularly via blog posts and pages, blogs will rank higher in search engines as compared to websites. In contrast, you have to do a lot of tweaking to a niche website through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques.
Search engines will visit your blogs more regularly as you blog more regularly.
Thus, you can also place links of your other websites to get them indexed quickly by the search engines.
Benefit #7
A blog's syndication function is its most powerful benefit!
You can syndicate the contents of your blog by allowing other website publishers to publish your feed (or channel) on their sites. This helps to bring more traffic to your blogs as the visitors of these sites subscribe to your feed via web-based or desktop newsreaders.
So, with the above benefits, doesn't it make a lot of sense to start building niche blogs as quickly as possible?
To your success!
The Elder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
skype chauncey.penfold
Younghealthliving.vacation-4-free
A "niche" refers to a targeted market with profit potential that is not saturated with competitors. The whole idea is to realize the benefits of building niche blogs and then find the niche markets out there and start building.
Benefit #1
Niche Blogs are essentially niche websites that are alive!
That's because your blog will grow as you continue to publish posts or pages regularly to your blog. In contrast, many niche websites are seldom modified or updated after they are created.
Benefit #2
Blogs are designed to publish and update contents easily once you have them set up, configured and running.
Once you get the hang of it, it's a matter of getting into that habit of writing blog posts and pages and publishing them regularly.
Benefit #3
They are either FREE or cost very little to set up.
You can create your blogs easily by visiting blogger.com or wordpress.org and taking time to study and learn the "how-to".
Benefit #4
You can make money with your niche blogs in many ways, such as:
- Publishing third-party ads in your blogs (eg. Google Adsense pubishing)
- Recommending affiliate products and services in your blogs (eg. Amazon)
Benefit #5
Unlike websites, blogs are interactive. Visitors, or blog readers, are usually allowed to post comments for a blog post (or article) to the blog owner.
This 'dialog' helps to build rapport and relationship between the blog owner and his visitors or members.
Benefit #6
Since blogs are usually updated regularly via blog posts and pages, blogs will rank higher in search engines as compared to websites. In contrast, you have to do a lot of tweaking to a niche website through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques.
Search engines will visit your blogs more regularly as you blog more regularly.
Thus, you can also place links of your other websites to get them indexed quickly by the search engines.
Benefit #7
A blog's syndication function is its most powerful benefit!
You can syndicate the contents of your blog by allowing other website publishers to publish your feed (or channel) on their sites. This helps to bring more traffic to your blogs as the visitors of these sites subscribe to your feed via web-based or desktop newsreaders.
So, with the above benefits, doesn't it make a lot of sense to start building niche blogs as quickly as possible?
To your success!
The Elder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
skype chauncey.penfold
Younghealthliving.vacation-4-free
Friday, January 20, 2012
5 Proven Ways To Find Link Exchange Partners
If you're like most small business websites on the internet today, you use link exchanges to market your website. But sometimes finding websites to exchange links with can be a time consuming task. Here are a few proven methods for finding websites to exchange links with.
1: Search Engines Queries
Using Google or Yahoo, perform the following searches, replacing “keyword” with a keyword related to your site.
Keyword add url
keyword add site
keyword add link
keyword submit url
keyword submit site
keyword submit link
keyword link exchange
keyword link swap
keyword reciprocal link
keyword related sites
keyword links directory
2: Find out who's linking to your competitor's.
If you can find out who is linking to your competitors, you can try to acquire a link to your site ob each site that already links to your competitors. Just search for link:http://www.competitors-url-here.com
3: Other link directories
Find sites that relate to your site that have link exchange directories. Visit each site in their link directories and attempt to exchange links with each site.
4: Link exchange tools
There are several excellent websites that match webmasters with related sites that are interested in exchanging links. Two of the best are Linkalizer and SiteSell's Value Exchange. In general, you'll want to stay away from sites that completely automate the link exchange process. I have used some of them, but the search engines do not like these sites, and may penalize your site if you use them.
5: Software
There is also software available that searches for and automatically emails sites to see if they will link exchange with you. I have used and like LinkAssistant. If you decide to use this method, ensure that you comply with all spam laws and the search engine's guidelines.
All 5 of these methods are proven, dependable ways to find link exchange partners. Use them and start gaining more free links to your website today!
Succses come with effert
The Elder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
skype chauncey.penfold
1: Search Engines Queries
Using Google or Yahoo, perform the following searches, replacing “keyword” with a keyword related to your site.
Keyword add url
keyword add site
keyword add link
keyword submit url
keyword submit site
keyword submit link
keyword link exchange
keyword link swap
keyword reciprocal link
keyword related sites
keyword links directory
2: Find out who's linking to your competitor's.
If you can find out who is linking to your competitors, you can try to acquire a link to your site ob each site that already links to your competitors. Just search for link:http://www.competitors-url-here.com
3: Other link directories
Find sites that relate to your site that have link exchange directories. Visit each site in their link directories and attempt to exchange links with each site.
4: Link exchange tools
There are several excellent websites that match webmasters with related sites that are interested in exchanging links. Two of the best are Linkalizer and SiteSell's Value Exchange. In general, you'll want to stay away from sites that completely automate the link exchange process. I have used some of them, but the search engines do not like these sites, and may penalize your site if you use them.
5: Software
There is also software available that searches for and automatically emails sites to see if they will link exchange with you. I have used and like LinkAssistant. If you decide to use this method, ensure that you comply with all spam laws and the search engine's guidelines.
All 5 of these methods are proven, dependable ways to find link exchange partners. Use them and start gaining more free links to your website today!
Succses come with effert
The Elder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
skype chauncey.penfold
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
4 Tips To Build A Content Site With More Repeat Visitors
On the internet, content is known as "the king". People visits a site not for the flashy graphics nor the wonderful website designs, but because of the information they learn from the website.
Having high quality content not just attract visitors, it also attracts search engines to visit your sites more and increase your search engine placements. However, in order to get more traffic that can turn into money, you'll need repeat visitors who are eager to read your new update on your content site.
Therefore, your website should have rich, premium, informative content to capture repeat visitors and more search engine traffic.
Here are some simple tips that would help you build a content site that can attract more repeat visitors:
Make sure your website's layout is simple and easy looking to the visitors' eyes. Don't add too many flashy features in your webpage to disturb your visitors's focus when they are reading on your content.
Always remember the most important part in your content is the headline and the first few paragraphs. Whether your reader will read on or not heavily depends on the attractiveness on these parts. Always try to capture their interests and give them what they want to know.
Update your website with fresh new content frequently. When your visitors revisit your site and find you have not add new content, they will visit elsewhere immediately. And if this situation goes on, they will not visit your site again. Besides, search engines love websites that update content frequently, and give them higher search rank.
- You should consider to use blogs. Blogs are very easy to set up and update. Once you have entered your entries, all you have to do is to click a button to publish them. And blogs are getting indexed fast and easily in most search engines!
Content is king, and you can take benefit from it easily!
Better content attract visitors
The Elder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
skype chauncey.penfold
Having high quality content not just attract visitors, it also attracts search engines to visit your sites more and increase your search engine placements. However, in order to get more traffic that can turn into money, you'll need repeat visitors who are eager to read your new update on your content site.
Therefore, your website should have rich, premium, informative content to capture repeat visitors and more search engine traffic.
Here are some simple tips that would help you build a content site that can attract more repeat visitors:
Make sure your website's layout is simple and easy looking to the visitors' eyes. Don't add too many flashy features in your webpage to disturb your visitors's focus when they are reading on your content.
Always remember the most important part in your content is the headline and the first few paragraphs. Whether your reader will read on or not heavily depends on the attractiveness on these parts. Always try to capture their interests and give them what they want to know.
Update your website with fresh new content frequently. When your visitors revisit your site and find you have not add new content, they will visit elsewhere immediately. And if this situation goes on, they will not visit your site again. Besides, search engines love websites that update content frequently, and give them higher search rank.
- You should consider to use blogs. Blogs are very easy to set up and update. Once you have entered your entries, all you have to do is to click a button to publish them. And blogs are getting indexed fast and easily in most search engines!
Content is king, and you can take benefit from it easily!
Better content attract visitors
The Elder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
skype chauncey.penfold
Saturday, January 14, 2012
5 eBay Selling Tips for Newbies
I’m directing this article to those who are just starting their eBay Selling Venture. Whether you’re selling books, DVDs, CDs, collectibles or clothing, all things (with the exception of eBooks and services) need to be mailed. And it’s the postage, handling fees and mailing that seems to cause a great deal of angst among new sellers.
You’ve heard the advice – don’t overcharge for shipping. That is very good advice, indeed, as nothing turns off potential buyers like sellers who gouge you on the shipping costs. It’s also a practice that can rack up bad feedback.
However, I’m going to play Devil’s Advocate here and suggest that you don’t go overboard and give so much of a break on shipping that you’re chipping away at your profits. It’s good to remember the “hidden costs” of shipping: bubble wrap to secure your breakables, tape, shipping envelopes, boxes, etc. Then there’s the gas you put in your car to take all those trips to the post office.
You might think I’m being cheap, but, if you added up all your eBay expenses for the year (as some did for their recent taxes) you might be shocked to see how all the packing materials and gas for your car added up and took a little chunk out of your eBay profits. And, believe me, they do add up.
Some people are even more surprised to find they underestimated the weight of their packages, causing their profits to shrink even further.
How can you be fair to both you and your buyers?
1. Buy a scale. It may sound simple, but purchasing a scale can save you a bundle in shipping. If you’re just eye balling the weight of the package, you can often times guess too low, and be in for quite a shock when you go to the post office and see the package is going to cost twice what you thought to ship.
2. Know the dimensions of your packaging before listing the item. Some packages cost more to ship because of their dimensions. Knowing the weight alone isn’t enough.
3. Offer the buyer a variety of shipping methods. Some prefer speedy delivery with Express mailing, while some prefer to save money with parcel post even though the wait is longer. It’s always a good idea when using parcel post or other slower ground shipping to alert the buyer by email that it can take any where from 8 to 10 days.
4. Save yourself money whenever possible by using boxes that have been used. Most stores are more than happy to let you rummage through their old boxes and take some home with you. But, do remember to choose boxes that are presentable, secure and strong enough for your items. And, if you have breakables, don’t skimp on the bubble wrap.
5. Give yourself a small handling fee that will cover your expenses. Some sellers add on an additional $1 or $2 to the shipping fees for their handling fees (depending on the cost of the item and how much packaging you have to use). I really advocate doing this because your expenses will add up if you do a lot of selling on eBay. Be sure to be upfront with your buyers that you have a small handling fee so they can’t complain about it later.
Being fair to both yourself and your buyer will keep you both happy, and keep more of your profit in your pocket.
To your success
The Elder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
Skype chauncey.penfold
Younghealthliving
You’ve heard the advice – don’t overcharge for shipping. That is very good advice, indeed, as nothing turns off potential buyers like sellers who gouge you on the shipping costs. It’s also a practice that can rack up bad feedback.
However, I’m going to play Devil’s Advocate here and suggest that you don’t go overboard and give so much of a break on shipping that you’re chipping away at your profits. It’s good to remember the “hidden costs” of shipping: bubble wrap to secure your breakables, tape, shipping envelopes, boxes, etc. Then there’s the gas you put in your car to take all those trips to the post office.
You might think I’m being cheap, but, if you added up all your eBay expenses for the year (as some did for their recent taxes) you might be shocked to see how all the packing materials and gas for your car added up and took a little chunk out of your eBay profits. And, believe me, they do add up.
Some people are even more surprised to find they underestimated the weight of their packages, causing their profits to shrink even further.
How can you be fair to both you and your buyers?
1. Buy a scale. It may sound simple, but purchasing a scale can save you a bundle in shipping. If you’re just eye balling the weight of the package, you can often times guess too low, and be in for quite a shock when you go to the post office and see the package is going to cost twice what you thought to ship.
2. Know the dimensions of your packaging before listing the item. Some packages cost more to ship because of their dimensions. Knowing the weight alone isn’t enough.
3. Offer the buyer a variety of shipping methods. Some prefer speedy delivery with Express mailing, while some prefer to save money with parcel post even though the wait is longer. It’s always a good idea when using parcel post or other slower ground shipping to alert the buyer by email that it can take any where from 8 to 10 days.
4. Save yourself money whenever possible by using boxes that have been used. Most stores are more than happy to let you rummage through their old boxes and take some home with you. But, do remember to choose boxes that are presentable, secure and strong enough for your items. And, if you have breakables, don’t skimp on the bubble wrap.
5. Give yourself a small handling fee that will cover your expenses. Some sellers add on an additional $1 or $2 to the shipping fees for their handling fees (depending on the cost of the item and how much packaging you have to use). I really advocate doing this because your expenses will add up if you do a lot of selling on eBay. Be sure to be upfront with your buyers that you have a small handling fee so they can’t complain about it later.
Being fair to both yourself and your buyer will keep you both happy, and keep more of your profit in your pocket.
To your success
The Elder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
Skype chauncey.penfold
Younghealthliving
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Start Making EASY MONEY in
: Work From The Comfort Of Your Home .
As A Home Based Data Entry Operator And Start Earning 350$ to 650$ Per Day. Get Paid Twice In A Month, Don't Panic For Your Utility Bills. Work From The Comfort Of Your Home As A Home Based Data Entry Operator And Start Earning 350$ to 650$ Per Day. Get Paid Twice In A Month, Don't Panic For Your Utility Bills. Article: Everybody would love to make lots of money quickly, working from home, and only doing a few hours of work per week. I've spent the past two years trying to find a great way of doing this.
Only over the course of the past few months have I found any "get rich quick" programs worth buying. I've been trying to make money online for a long time. I had a few small websites, but they never made much more than a few hundred per month. It was easy money and didn't require much work on my part, but I knew there were people out there doing better than I was and I knew I could do as well as them.
Now, I've seen a lot of "get rich quick" programs. Most of these people make claims about earning $2000/day with Google or something similarly insane. Almost all of these people are complete liars. Even if they were making $2000/day with Google AdSense, it'd be because they had high- traffic websites with a lot of quality content. I'd know, because in one whole month, I never even made half of what they promised I'd make daily with their programs. Maybe you've already been scammed by one of these fraudsters.
Anyway, I finally got sick of what was being offered. I decided I'd look through the all of the "get rich quick" programs I could find and see if there were any that were actually legitimate. I found that there were owners selling their programs for well over $100, but the information in them could be found almost anywhere online for free. Additionally, they all contained out-of-date information, had no e-mail support, no money back guarantees, and broken links in the downloads section. In conclusion, almost all of the programs
I found were completely useless. The owners knew it, but they couldn't care less about their customers since they didn't offer refund policies! Amazingly, while looking through all of the programs, I actually did find a few legitimate programs. They were run by ordinary people like you and me, and they had found some great methods of making money from their home by doing very little work.
I spent some time working with those programs, and my income is now ten times what it used to be. These programs provided a large amount of great information on how to make extra money on your computer doing very little work. Numerous customers had provided great feedback and reviews for their products.
Many of them have started to make money just days after buying! Their programs have excellent prices, and the authors have a group of paid staff who are dedicating to helping you or providing assistance if you need any. I must say I was amazed! If you do decide to purchase any of the programs listed below, I recommend you join quickly. Most of the owners tell me they are getting an overwhelming number of sales and plan on raising prices in the near future, so order while prices are still low! To Your Online Success,11k4u
Be Sure you check out the program be for you buy!
TheElder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
As A Home Based Data Entry Operator And Start Earning 350$ to 650$ Per Day. Get Paid Twice In A Month, Don't Panic For Your Utility Bills. Work From The Comfort Of Your Home As A Home Based Data Entry Operator And Start Earning 350$ to 650$ Per Day. Get Paid Twice In A Month, Don't Panic For Your Utility Bills. Article: Everybody would love to make lots of money quickly, working from home, and only doing a few hours of work per week. I've spent the past two years trying to find a great way of doing this.
Only over the course of the past few months have I found any "get rich quick" programs worth buying. I've been trying to make money online for a long time. I had a few small websites, but they never made much more than a few hundred per month. It was easy money and didn't require much work on my part, but I knew there were people out there doing better than I was and I knew I could do as well as them.
Now, I've seen a lot of "get rich quick" programs. Most of these people make claims about earning $2000/day with Google or something similarly insane. Almost all of these people are complete liars. Even if they were making $2000/day with Google AdSense, it'd be because they had high- traffic websites with a lot of quality content. I'd know, because in one whole month, I never even made half of what they promised I'd make daily with their programs. Maybe you've already been scammed by one of these fraudsters.
Anyway, I finally got sick of what was being offered. I decided I'd look through the all of the "get rich quick" programs I could find and see if there were any that were actually legitimate. I found that there were owners selling their programs for well over $100, but the information in them could be found almost anywhere online for free. Additionally, they all contained out-of-date information, had no e-mail support, no money back guarantees, and broken links in the downloads section. In conclusion, almost all of the programs
I found were completely useless. The owners knew it, but they couldn't care less about their customers since they didn't offer refund policies! Amazingly, while looking through all of the programs, I actually did find a few legitimate programs. They were run by ordinary people like you and me, and they had found some great methods of making money from their home by doing very little work.
I spent some time working with those programs, and my income is now ten times what it used to be. These programs provided a large amount of great information on how to make extra money on your computer doing very little work. Numerous customers had provided great feedback and reviews for their products.
Many of them have started to make money just days after buying! Their programs have excellent prices, and the authors have a group of paid staff who are dedicating to helping you or providing assistance if you need any. I must say I was amazed! If you do decide to purchase any of the programs listed below, I recommend you join quickly. Most of the owners tell me they are getting an overwhelming number of sales and plan on raising prices in the near future, so order while prices are still low! To Your Online Success,11k4u
Be Sure you check out the program be for you buy!
TheElder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
Saturday, January 7, 2012
4 Tips To Increase Your Blog Readership Fast!
Aside from being a fun hobby, what is the point of having a blog? The answer is to draw readers. Whether you are selling advertising, a product, or just your own set of ideas, you want as large a readership as possible with most blogs. So if that is the case, then it is important to know how to draw readers to your blog. There are a number of ways to increase the readership of your blog. Here are four tips that will help you to increase your blog readership that are easy to do and will definitely pay off for you.
First of all, to increase readership you would want to increase the number of pages each reader is seeing. You don’t want to be judged only on your last post, but rather on the whole of your work. To that end, try highlighting related posts within your blog. At the end of an article, highlight posts that may be of interest to those who like the current post. Most blog platforms are fitted with plug-ins that will help you with this, but if they are not, then go ahead and at least list the links to other pages manually. Another similar idea is to highlight the related posts within the content of your post. If you are talking about a subject you have discussed before, link off of one of the keywords into the past post that is related. This will also help a past post to maintain its freshness.
A second tip for increasing your blog readership is to think about doing a series. A series is a great way to keep a reader coming back again and again. In addition, if you are linking back, you can get readers looking at multiple posts even after you are done with the series. Be careful when doing a series, because you do not want to frustrate readers. However, if you have a topic you genuinely think you should handle over a period of time, then a series can really help your overall readership. If you are curious as to whether or not a series is working for your blog, then check posts. See if readers are posting through the series to see if they are following you. If they are, then your series is a success and you are only helping your blog readership.
Another way to increase readership is a little more “controversial” if you will. You can try putting excerpts on the front page of your blog from certain posts. Many people claim it is just a way to get more hits on your site. The truth is that extra hits are a little side benefit of it, but the real value is that it can make your site more engaging. By adding excerpts to the front page you can manage the front and keep it fresh while also teasing those who get that far into reading more than just your most recent blog post. This will encourage a prospective reader to explore your blog site a little more than they may have normally. Again, you want to be judged by the whole of your work, or at least by a larger piece of your work than just one post and this will do that. If your writing is up to par, then, you will see a rise in your readership.
Finally, if you really want to build and increase readership, you have to have good quality content. It should be useful, original, and interesting to your target audience as well as keeping them wanting more of the same. The more you raise the quality of your blog’s content, the more you will see your membership, readership, and page hits go up without even having to use any other “tricks.” People know what they like and they like quality for the most part. Giving the readers what they are after is probably the best way possible to increase your blog readership.
Having a blog can not only be fun, but if you are doing it right it can also be profitable. Either way, though, you want to maintain and increase a following, or readership. There are as many tips out there to increase blog readership as there are blogs, but to really get things going, consider using these four tips. Follow them and you will see your readership grow.
Increase Your Blog Readership
The Elder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
First of all, to increase readership you would want to increase the number of pages each reader is seeing. You don’t want to be judged only on your last post, but rather on the whole of your work. To that end, try highlighting related posts within your blog. At the end of an article, highlight posts that may be of interest to those who like the current post. Most blog platforms are fitted with plug-ins that will help you with this, but if they are not, then go ahead and at least list the links to other pages manually. Another similar idea is to highlight the related posts within the content of your post. If you are talking about a subject you have discussed before, link off of one of the keywords into the past post that is related. This will also help a past post to maintain its freshness.
A second tip for increasing your blog readership is to think about doing a series. A series is a great way to keep a reader coming back again and again. In addition, if you are linking back, you can get readers looking at multiple posts even after you are done with the series. Be careful when doing a series, because you do not want to frustrate readers. However, if you have a topic you genuinely think you should handle over a period of time, then a series can really help your overall readership. If you are curious as to whether or not a series is working for your blog, then check posts. See if readers are posting through the series to see if they are following you. If they are, then your series is a success and you are only helping your blog readership.
Another way to increase readership is a little more “controversial” if you will. You can try putting excerpts on the front page of your blog from certain posts. Many people claim it is just a way to get more hits on your site. The truth is that extra hits are a little side benefit of it, but the real value is that it can make your site more engaging. By adding excerpts to the front page you can manage the front and keep it fresh while also teasing those who get that far into reading more than just your most recent blog post. This will encourage a prospective reader to explore your blog site a little more than they may have normally. Again, you want to be judged by the whole of your work, or at least by a larger piece of your work than just one post and this will do that. If your writing is up to par, then, you will see a rise in your readership.
Finally, if you really want to build and increase readership, you have to have good quality content. It should be useful, original, and interesting to your target audience as well as keeping them wanting more of the same. The more you raise the quality of your blog’s content, the more you will see your membership, readership, and page hits go up without even having to use any other “tricks.” People know what they like and they like quality for the most part. Giving the readers what they are after is probably the best way possible to increase your blog readership.
Having a blog can not only be fun, but if you are doing it right it can also be profitable. Either way, though, you want to maintain and increase a following, or readership. There are as many tips out there to increase blog readership as there are blogs, but to really get things going, consider using these four tips. Follow them and you will see your readership grow.
Increase Your Blog Readership
The Elder Guru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
3 Ways To Build A Quick Profitable Opt In List
The following paragraphs summarize the work of opt-in list experts who are completely familiar with all the aspects of opt-in lists. Heed their advice to avoid any opt-in list surprises.
You finally realize that you need a good opt-in list. After reading countless articles and sought expert advices and have read many success stories of people creating a small fortune with opt-in lists you finally decide to have one of your own. Then it happens, you think you have known everything there is to know about opt-in lists and have followed their advices to the T and you still weren’t able to make a profit.
In fact, you may be losing money. You maybe hiring writers to help you out, or there are some expenses incurred, even if you have a big list, but only a very small percentage actually buys from you, your still losing profit. You’ll realize that after a few months when you see your statistics and sales figures.
So what could have gone wrong? Why have others succeeded where you have failed? The most common mistake is that you dived straight right in. You chose a topic where you think could be quite popular and would earn you money. This just not the case. Just because you wrote people from the list doesn’t mean they are going to buy instantly.
Here I will offer more advice, for those who have started an opt-in list and have failed, you can rejuvenate your failed venture. For those who are starting, here are three quick and easy ways to build a profitable opt-in list.
1) Get your customers to trust you and your products first. Just launching your opt-in list would not make you an expert and a believable seller. Put many articles first before you start an opt-in list. Write about the topic you know and have started and used for your site. Try to put forums first to gain knowledge about your customers about their wants and needs and target those wants and needs.
Join forums from other sites as well. Provide expert advices and recommendations. When you feel that people trust you already, you will be able to start your own opt-in list. You can build a base as well with other forum users. You can ask them to join your list. Friends are always good customers. Put up a link to your site so that they may be able to see what you're business is all about.
If you find yourself confused by what you've read to this point, don't despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.
The certain truth is, the money will only come in when the consumers and subscribers believe and trust in you. They want a product or service that could be a good exchange for their money. People are not going to buy something out of your recommendation if they don’t know you.
2) Find a product or service that people want and need. Although it may not be your forte, if you provide a service and product that you have researched and learned about well, you can carry it on forward. Invest your time, effort and money that you could sell as well as the buyers or subscribers of your opt-in list can use.
While it is true that it is best to sell something that you have interest in, there are not many people who have the same interest as you if you decide to sell something that is not entirely popular or profitable. Do your research well and you would see the profits come in. Also provide your subscribers with promotional material that they could actually use and spread around.
3) Make friends with other opt-in list users. This is basically beneficial especially if it is someone who has already launched a successful opt-in list. These are people that have the experience in this venture and experience is still the best teacher. While there are many articles available for you in the internet to use, there is nothing like getting a first hand account from someone you trust.
Experienced opt-in list users will be able to tell you what to do and what not to do because they have gone through it. While different situations occur for different people, the general concept can still be very helpful. There are many things to avoid and these people will be able to tell you which ones.
Building a profitable opt-in list don’t just happen overnight. There are many preparations and effort to do. Opt-in lists are built from scratch, as your list grows, you should also maintain the quality of your list. Keep it organized and manageable. Get or hire help if need be, just make sure that your subscribers are happy and satisfied and they will be willing to buy from you.
Now you can understand why there's a growing interest in opt-in list. When people start looking for more information about opt-in lists, you'll be in a position to meet their needs.
To Your Success
the Elder Gruru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
You finally realize that you need a good opt-in list. After reading countless articles and sought expert advices and have read many success stories of people creating a small fortune with opt-in lists you finally decide to have one of your own. Then it happens, you think you have known everything there is to know about opt-in lists and have followed their advices to the T and you still weren’t able to make a profit.
In fact, you may be losing money. You maybe hiring writers to help you out, or there are some expenses incurred, even if you have a big list, but only a very small percentage actually buys from you, your still losing profit. You’ll realize that after a few months when you see your statistics and sales figures.
So what could have gone wrong? Why have others succeeded where you have failed? The most common mistake is that you dived straight right in. You chose a topic where you think could be quite popular and would earn you money. This just not the case. Just because you wrote people from the list doesn’t mean they are going to buy instantly.
Here I will offer more advice, for those who have started an opt-in list and have failed, you can rejuvenate your failed venture. For those who are starting, here are three quick and easy ways to build a profitable opt-in list.
1) Get your customers to trust you and your products first. Just launching your opt-in list would not make you an expert and a believable seller. Put many articles first before you start an opt-in list. Write about the topic you know and have started and used for your site. Try to put forums first to gain knowledge about your customers about their wants and needs and target those wants and needs.
Join forums from other sites as well. Provide expert advices and recommendations. When you feel that people trust you already, you will be able to start your own opt-in list. You can build a base as well with other forum users. You can ask them to join your list. Friends are always good customers. Put up a link to your site so that they may be able to see what you're business is all about.
If you find yourself confused by what you've read to this point, don't despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.
The certain truth is, the money will only come in when the consumers and subscribers believe and trust in you. They want a product or service that could be a good exchange for their money. People are not going to buy something out of your recommendation if they don’t know you.
2) Find a product or service that people want and need. Although it may not be your forte, if you provide a service and product that you have researched and learned about well, you can carry it on forward. Invest your time, effort and money that you could sell as well as the buyers or subscribers of your opt-in list can use.
While it is true that it is best to sell something that you have interest in, there are not many people who have the same interest as you if you decide to sell something that is not entirely popular or profitable. Do your research well and you would see the profits come in. Also provide your subscribers with promotional material that they could actually use and spread around.
3) Make friends with other opt-in list users. This is basically beneficial especially if it is someone who has already launched a successful opt-in list. These are people that have the experience in this venture and experience is still the best teacher. While there are many articles available for you in the internet to use, there is nothing like getting a first hand account from someone you trust.
Experienced opt-in list users will be able to tell you what to do and what not to do because they have gone through it. While different situations occur for different people, the general concept can still be very helpful. There are many things to avoid and these people will be able to tell you which ones.
Building a profitable opt-in list don’t just happen overnight. There are many preparations and effort to do. Opt-in lists are built from scratch, as your list grows, you should also maintain the quality of your list. Keep it organized and manageable. Get or hire help if need be, just make sure that your subscribers are happy and satisfied and they will be willing to buy from you.
Now you can understand why there's a growing interest in opt-in list. When people start looking for more information about opt-in lists, you'll be in a position to meet their needs.
To Your Success
the Elder Gruru
Chauncey Penfold
337-856-9461
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