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From Sharon...
Please forgive the extra length of this first edition as I introduce myself to
those that may not know me. I know that your time is precious, but I think
it's important to know who you are buying your Internet products and
services from. I am Sharon Houghton, the founder of
SharAmbrosia and it's various subsidiaries, including
Organic Web Care.
By trade, I am a licensed esthetician, and have been giving facial and spa
treatments for over 25 years. Along the way I have gained a lot of
marketing and advertising experience. Something happened about 5 years ago
that changed my life and brought a new and invigorated passion to my life.
For me, the beginning was 'all-natural beauty care'. I was creating the
most gorgeous all-natural products and wanted to know more about this
fascinating topic. This is a whole other story that can be found at the
allnaturalbeauty.us web site. The story
that I want
to share here with you is how I turned to the Internet for information, but
instead what
I found was... endless possibilities.
At that
time, I had almost zero Internet experience (couldn't even send an
e-mail). Here we are, 5 years later, and I
am designing and running 9 web sites, including
BeautyBizDomains, a site geared towards
beauty professionals' Internet needs, the 'all
natural health' website, and several other beauty-related
sites. Some sites require more effort than others, but it is all rewarding
work that I am doing because it is in my 'field of passion' (I can't
stress how important this concept is for those getting into Internet
businesses!) Through my
passion for beauty care and all natural health, I was able to learn about
a vehicle (the computer/Internet) that could take what I have to offer
into the homes and businesses of millions. I am
now enjoying a positive affect that is changing lives. I am
connected to interesting people from all over the world. And I've
learned more about my favorite subjects than I could have ever
imagined! Oh, and money seems to be coming in with more regularity. Why? I
believe that it has to do with a willing spirit , a good reputation, and
acquired knowledge. I
believe strongly in taking good care of our customers, and watching them
become empowered, just as I have been!
Each site that I run has a domain
name that has been registered and is continually renewed. Each website also has many
other domains that are continuously guiding visitors to it. Advertising is
an expected cost in any business. I've found that well-chosen domain names are an
exceptional way to advertise. As time goes on, having good domains pay off even more as they increase in value and hopefully become
what are known as 'Premium' Domains. These are great generic terms that
people type in hoping to get what they are looking for.
For the first couple of years I registered my domain names with a couple of
different well-known companies. I thought that the higher the price was,
perhaps the better the service too. That was definitely not the case! I had
acquired enough info and interest in this growing domain and Internet
field that in 2004, my company began selling Internet products and
services, and it's been a joy and a pleasure to serve our customers' needs
ever since. I am so passionate about helping others succeed in this
growing phenomenon known as the Internet. There is enough room for
everyone to prosper. All that's needed is to hone in on your passion, have
a good plan of action, the right Internet tools, and a desire to work at
it.
The Internet can be your vehicle for successfully advertising your brick & mortar
business, or a completely online business, that can be run from anywhere in the world and
at your leisure. No one is suggesting here that you won't have to work to
build your business. But I am saying that if you want to get up later,
work at odd hours, take a day or two off when you want... the Internet can
be your best friend!
What I want to do in these
E-Tips is to teach you how to realize your dream working situation. If
it's working as a plumber and you're looking for new customers on-line
(and believe me, this is where they're looking for you!), you'll want to
focus on having your own website, making it consumer friendly, and getting
it to the top of the search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc..) so your customers can find you.
If you're looking to conveniently
take orders from your on-line store without even having to ship or store
them, think seriously about
drop-shipping. Whatever type of business
you have, you'll want to learn the tips to get and keep your site(s) at
the top of the search engines. This is called SEO (Search Engine
Optimization) and learning how to do it is an integral part of your plan
for success.
Through our series of E-Tips
we will continue to give you the help that we think will keep you on the
road to a successful online or offline business. More people are getting
online every day, and the numbers will only continue to rise. Learn all
that you can now to get ahead of your competition. A great place to start
is our
Frequently Asked Questions. Learning the
tricks of the Internet will take you straight to the top. When I started,
I began with a simple no-nonsense software like
Website Tonight and moved
on to Microsoft Front Page for designing my web pages. Whatever software
you use, or level of competence you are at, we have what you
need. I'm thrilled to be able to share all that I've learned with you.
Again, sorry for the length, I will keep future mailings to a minimum as
to not overwhelm you. Thanks for listening!
Best
wishes,
Sharon
Drop by for a visit |
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Tip of the Day
What is...
Forwarding
&
Masking?
The short answer:
Forwarding is adding a forward address to a domain name. To Forward and
Mask means that once the visitor is taken to the forwarded address, the
domain appears in the address bar.
The medium answer: What is Forwarding and
Masking? These terms have to do with sending the visitor that typed
in one domain name, to another domain's website. To do this, once you have registered your
domain names, go to your own account area and click on
'Manage Domain Forwarding'. Choose
the domains individually or in bulk to either 'Forward' or 'Forward and Mask'. After you have set up 'where' the domains should be forwarded, your
visitors will automatically be directed to the address that you have added.
Example: Say your website is BambooCiyDesign.com, you could forward all of your other domain names to
that address. Masking means that the address that you typed in, let's say
BambooCity.com, will remain in the address bar after you get to
the BambooCityDesign.com site. If you want your visitor to see
BambooCityDesign.com instead of the name they typed, do not mask, just
forward.
The long
answer:
These are important terms to
understand when it comes to using your domains effectively. In fact, this
is how you keep your domains (investments) working for you daily. Let's
say for example, you run an interior design store, where you sell both
your design services as well as a few select pieces of Bamboo furniture
and Asian artwork by a little-known artist name Siam Salla (who you know
will be sought after some day). The name of your business is Bamboo City
Design, Inc.
First of all, if you intend on
protecting your business presence online you MUST
(in my opinion) buy the name of your
business with a .com. You can create the website later, just buy your
domain NOW. Whew, it was still available, good start. So now you own BambooCityDesign.com. To cover all bases, you may want to protect it
further with BambooCityDesignInc.com. Can it be shortened for your visitor
to use fewer keystrokes or make it easier to remember? See if
BambooDesign.com is available too, or even BambooCity.com. When your
company is big and successful, there will be some that want to take
advantage of your success by finding domains that your visitors might try
to reach your site. So be smart and buy them now while they're available. Another way to
protect your business is to purchase the .net extension and others like
.us, .info, and .biz.
Once you have your website,
the next step will be to find more names that will direct your online visitors to
your store. Find the best domains available that sum up your business,
it's services, and it's products in as few words as possible. Good ones
for you might be BambooFurniture.com, AsianInteriorDesigns.com,
UniqueFurniture.com, AsianArtwork.com,
SiamSellaPaintings.com, BambooStyle.com, etc... Now visit the 'medium'
answer to conclude the 'long answer.
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