Hi Everyone!
Welcome to the monthly Awebpage.com Newsletter. Unlike other newsletters you will find that our newsletter is geared expressly to you, our Client, and Subscribers, who we feel would benefit from some of the information we find. It will only include information that focuses on web site promotion, marketing, business software, business management tools, PC tips and tricks, and much more...

We hope you find it useful and informative... let us know what you think.. your input will help us to develop a newsletter that works for you... the site owner and client.

I would like to welcome a couple of new clients to the Awebpage.com family:

• Restoration Wines... This one is under construction but will soon go live. If you like wine then this is a must see site. I have tried their Sharaz and Merlot and they are excellent!.
• Designs by DVC... This one is also still under construction but come back again soon to see the finished site. If your preference is one of a kind custom made jewelry designed with high end materials like genuine Swarovski crystals, sterling silver, and pearls then these are a must see. They are gorgeous!

Is Your Domain Name "Expiring"!
More often then not we all forget stuff... but if you forget to renew your domain name someone else will "grab" it. Your site will also come down off the Net as well and that could mean lost business so make it a point to monitor the expiration date of your domain name. Better yet, the next time you renew it extend the renewal period for at least 3 years or more. You can check the status of your domain name here ... type your domain name in the box without the (www) and look for the expiration date. If it's coming up within the next 30 days "RENEW" it.

Source: Infoworld.com

Apple's Safari browser likened to malware
Mozilla chief executive John Lilly has lambasted Apple for its use of iTunes to offer the Safari web browser to Windows users, saying the technique "borders on malware distribution practices" and undermines the security of the Internet.

Sophos warns of Mac Trojan malware
Security consultant Sophos is warning of the appearance of money-grabbing Trojan Horse malware aimed at Macs. Bottom line... you need to know that the hacker community is now going after MAC's so don't become complacent. Get and update your virus software now before you become a victim.

Despite deadlines, Windows XP to be sold a few more years
June 30 of this year and Jan. 31, 2009, may be the deadlines for U.S. retailers and custom system builders, respectively, to sell Windows XP. But, due to exceptions Microsoft has made, the operating system will be available for at least the next two years for those who purchased business and Ultimate versions of Vista, as well as for customers in certain geographies.

Microsoft makes $44.6 billion offer for Yahoo
Microsoft girds for battle, hoping an acquisition of Yahoo will help in its bid to offer a competitive alternative to Google.

Thousands of Web sites under attack
Organized criminal groups are hacking Web sites by the tens of thousands to steal money, identities, and passwords. On March 12, McAfee's AVERT labs reported 10,000 Web pages using Active Server Pages (ASP) had been infected through SQL injection. A few days later, Microsoft employee Neil Carpenter detected 14,000 maliciously-modified Web pages. After the initial SQL injection, the automated attack injected a malicious Javascript or Iframe code to redirect visitors to criminal-controlled Web sites.

 

Source: Direct Marketing Tips

Why People Buy

When you sell a product it's not only important to know who bought it, but also why they bought. What motivated them to buy your product, what motivated them to buy your product over your competitor's product, and what you can do to motivate them to into a repeat purchase in the future. Almost every significant purchase made involves either saving money or time. If you can include one, or better yet, both of these powerful motivators in your offer, you're success rate will likely increase. When people feel like they are saving money they are more inclined to make a purchase immediately rather than put it off and eventually forget about it. This is especially effective with limited time offers that initiate action within a certain time frame. Demonstrate that your product or service can save them time, make them more efficient, and allow them to get more business done during the day and you have a winner. Integrate these two buying motivators in the same offer and watch your direct marketing campaign soar.

Marketing Tips To Remember

To successfully market a product or service, you must first position your company in relation to the competition. Know how you want your company, product or service to be perceived by customers. Image is important in the mind of the consumer. Decide whether you want to be known for low bargain prices, unlimited selection, top of the line customer service, or the highest quality of merchandise. Then position your business and marketing strategy accordingly. Don't try to be everything to everybody, pinpoint your customer and target his or her needs. As your business grows, prepare a strategic marketing plan looking at how your product and service will meet the long-term needs of your customers. Focus on specific marketing objectives, how to achieve them and a path of appropriate actions to take.

800 Numbers Effect On Ad Recognition,
by Nat G. Bodian

Advertisements bearing an 800-phone number are usually noticed by 20% more people than those lacking one. As a rule, at least twice as many people will respond to an 800 number in an advertisement, rather than calling a regular phone number. It is also an extremely effective replacement for any offer or advertisement that does not contain an order form. Increasing the type size of the 800 number, as well as placing it in the lower right hand corner of newspaper and magazine ads will increase response. Adding an 800 number not only increases the percentage but also the speed of the response as well, sometimes generating calls the day the publication is delivered.

Learn About Your Non-Buyers,
by Herschell Gordon lewis

Too many marketers spend all their research time and money learning who their buyers are and why they act as they do. They should, instead, spend their resources learning why non-buyers don't buy. The direct marketing universe opens up dramatically once you understand who might be a buyer but hasn't been (1) reached at all or (2) reached properly.

Source: www.pcmag.com

New features in Office 2007 can allow you to protect your documents

Word 2007 adds a new document-security feature: digital signing. You can add a signature field to any document, which will lock the file for editing unless the digital signature is deleted. While anyone can delete the signature and edit the file, the signed document is your stamp of approval. Think of a signet ring pressed into sealing wax: Anyone can break the seal, but then recipients will know you didn't have the final say.

Make your Folders Private (Windows XP)

•Open My Computer
•Double-click the drive where Windows is installed (usually drive (C:), unless you have more than one drive on your computer).
•If the contents of the drive are hidden, under System Tasks, click Show the contents of this drive.
•Double-click the Documents and Settings folder.
•Double-click your user folder.
•Right-click any folder in your user profile, and then click Properties.
•On the Sharing tab, select the Make this folder private so that only I have access to it check box.

Source: www.freepctech.com

For a Safer, faster XP Close Unwanted Services

To disable unneeded startup services for a safer, faster XP, use the "Services" Admin Tool (Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services). If you are a single user of a non-networked machine, you can disable the following items, with no ill effect.

Alerter
Clipbook
Computer Browser
Fast User Switching
Human Interface Access Devices
Indexing Service (Slows the hard drive down)
Messenger
Net Logon (unnecessary unless networked on a Domain)
Netmeeting Remote Desktop Sharing (disabled for extra security)
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager (disabled for extra security)
Remote Procedure Call Locator
Remote Registry (disabled for extra security)
Routing & Remote Access (disabled for extra security)
Server
SSDP Discovery Service (this is for the utterly pointless "Universal P'n'P", & leaves TCP Port 5000 wide open)
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Telnet (disabled for extra security)
Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Upload Manager
Windows Time
Wireless Zero Configuration (for wireless networks)
Workstation

Note: If after you disable one of these and something does not work on your PC then return to Admin Tools and "restart" the service.

Password & Username Protector

Are you always frustrated trying to remember all of those Usernames and Passwords we all deal with every day? I have a software package available that takes the worry and frustration out of this effort. This software wil safely and securley store all of this information and make it accessable at the click of a button. It's password proctected so only "you" can retrieve this data. If interested click here for more information.

 

We have carefully selected a number of useful tools and software that is geared to web site business owners from...blocking email spam, PC virus protection, to online Marketing services and software.

AutoLinks 2.1 is a full-featured script making life easier for website owners relying extensively on link exchanges to bring traffic to their site. Other website owners are able to easily exchange links with you, bringing more visitors to your site and you also have full control on what sites you want to link to. Excellent tool for only $69

Got problems with your PC - with this software you can boot up any computer; fix and install Windows; optimize and speed up your system; clean up history and protect your privacy; recover data and passwords; partition and format the hard drive; clone and backup your system; and more.

Learn all about e-commerce: Get all the information you need to choose the right merchant account for your business. Start accpeting credit cards today!.

Complete tasks like payroll, invoicing, bill tracking and check writing. Track sales and expenses, and easily share this data with MS Word and Excel. With QuickBooks Pro, you’ll spend less time on routine tasks and more time on business. As an added bonus... email your customized invoices via QB to your clients and let them pay by credit card . The ability to pay by credit card is built into the email your client receives from QB. You get notification your invoice is paid and with a few simple steps your money is transferred to your bank account.

For a complete list of all the major Search Engines:
Click Here... Search Engines

Essentials Of Search Engine Submission
Source: searchenginewatch.com

Every major search engine with significant market share accepts paid listings. This unique form of search engine advertising guarantees that your site will appear in the top results for the keyword terms you target within a day or less. Given this, paid listings are an option that should be explored by site owners who wish to quickly build visibility. They may also be a long-term advertising option for some. Paid search listings are also called sponsored listings and/or Pay Per Click (PPC) listings.

Google AdWords
Google sells sponsored listings that appear above and to the right-hand side of its regular search results, these listings are called Google AdWords.

Paid search programs allow site owners to "bid" on the terms they wish to appear for. You agree to pay a certain amount each time someone clicks on your listing. This is why sponsored listings are referred to as "pay-per-click" (PPC) or "cost-per-click" (CPC) advertising.

Google AdWords ranks sponsored listings based on a number of variables including the CPC (bid price), click-through-rate (CTR) and landing page quality. This page explains how ads are ranked in more detail.

If your goal is to build visibility on search engines quickly, then Google AdWords is an essential option to explore. It can put you in the top results of many major search engines within a short period of time.

Google distributes its paid ads to other partners, with some major sites listed on the Search Engine Results Chart . This provides you with exposure to more potential traffic. When setting up an AdWords campaign, you may choose to have your ads appear in the Search Network and/or Google’s Content Network (AdSense), or you may opt-out of either.

It is worthwhile for anyone to open a Google AdWords account and experiment with how paid listings may help drive traffic to a site, or use the service as a keyword research tool. Google's self-service AdWords program charges a per-click fee, in addition to a $5 activation fee, but there is no minimum monthly spend.

As you continue to participate in paid search advertising, you may find that the editorial or "free" listings generated by your submissions to directories and crawlers have kicked in. While some marketers elect to eliminate their paid search ad spend when this happens, you may find that you want to continue spending, or perhaps even increase your budget, to target terms for which you don't receive good editorial placement.

Search Engine Watch members have access to a detailed How Google Works page that guides you even more through the process of how AdWords operates. To learn more about becoming a member to access this information, visit the membership information page.

Yahoo Search Marketing

Yahoo Search Marketing (YSM), formerly Overture and GoTo, also allows sites to "bid" on the terms they wish to appear for.

Up until the recent "Panama" improvement, YSM ranked sponsored listings based on cost-per-click. For instance, if you wanted to appear in the top listings for "running shoes." You might agree to pay 25 cents per click. If no one agrees to pay more than this, then you would be in the number one spot. If someone else later decides to pay 26 cents, then you slip into the number two position. You could then bid 27 cents and move back on top, if you wanted to.

Yahoo Panama brings YSM's ranking algorithm for paid ads more in line with Google by considering additional variables such as click-through-rate and landing page quality.

If your goal is to build instant visibility on search engines, Yahoo Search Marketing is an excellent option to explore, putting you in the top results of many major search engines within a short period of time.

Again, it is well worth it for anyone to open a YSM account and experiment with paid listings. An account requires a $5 minimum deposit, and you set your own daily budget. By carefully selecting targeted terms, you can stretch that money out for one or two months and get quality traffic.

As with Google, you may wish to eliminate your ad spend or continue for terms not receiving good editorial placement once your initial deposit has expired.

Search Engine Watch members have access to a detailed How Yahoo Search Marketing Works page that guides you even more through the process of getting started with the service. To learn more about becoming a member to access this information, visit the membership information page.

Microsoft adCenter

Microsoft adCenter launched in May 2006. Like Google and Yahoo, it allows advertisers to "bid" on the keywords they wish to have their ads show up for. The system uses what is called the "black box" bid and ranking method, similar to the way Google and now Yahoo determine Cost Per Click (CPC).

The CPC is a combination of how much you are willing to bid (max bid) and your Click Thru Rate (CTR) in comparison to the others bidding for that particular keyword.

Upon launch, adCenter distinguished itself from competitors by being the first to offer geographic, demographic and daypart targeting. It requires a $5 service fee for account setup. After that, you pay the cost of the clicks.

Bidding starts at $0.10 minimum. Sometimes $0.05 bids go through. You can increase your bid to reach a targeted audience through Targeted Bidding. This allows you to target based on (1) users in a specific geographic location, (2) users searching on specific days of the week or during specific hours of the day or night, and (3) users of a specific gender or age.

While initially pleased with adCenter, marketers would like to see more traffic. The consensus is that traffic performs well and is growing but is still not at the level of other search engines.

Experienced Search Marketers also like the targeting tools. These tools allow them to narrow the ad buy, resulting in audiences that convert better, allowing marketers to put more of their budgets into other ad buys or into additional keywords with Microsoft. The help section is very detailed

 

That's it for this month.... don't forget, let us know what you think... feel free to pass it on to anyone you feel would be interested.