Sent: 02 October 2002 20:22 Subject: easisites newsletter#2 Dear easisites owner, 1) Search engines and site hits We have submitted all your web sites to a number of search engines - and I know that many of you are getting regular hits (and business as a result!) You can see how many hits your web site has had by using your Update link and entering your owner's password (per last Newsletter). To improve your hit rate there are several things you can do. a) Follow the advice given in our last Newsletter - and go to www.easi-info.co.uk b) Be very specific about what you do in your business - so that when search engines trawl your site (as they now will do periodically) they pick up on the specifics. You can see for yourselves if you visit a search engine and search, for example, for printers - or care homes or packaging or whatever - that thousands of pages will come up. c) To improve your hit rate, it's a good idea to keep reminding the search engines of your existence. Next time you are on, say, AltaVista click the "submit a site" link and provide them with your web address. Do the same when you visit Google, etc. More recently added sites get listed higher up and stand a better chance of getting visits. It all helps. 2) Marketing your site by email Junk emails (spam) are not usually very welcome. But the statistics prove them to be more effective than simply having a search engine entry. However... if you decide to publicise your web site by emailing people, it's a good idea to do so by way of providing useful advice rather than a blatant advertisement. That's why a Newsletter, like this, is not a bad idea. For example, (this is Matthew's suggestion) you could write to people and say something like "I built my web site using the easisites system. If you want to know how, there's a link at the foot of my web pages at..." (then give your web address). People may well visit your site because they are intrigued by what you are saying. You might prefer, however, to tell them something more pertinent to your own business. The goal is to offer a reason for people (potential customers) to visit your site. You can check if this approach works but noting your site hits before and after to see if it made any difference. Of course, the real measure is how much new business it generates. 3) easisites web site are available to anybody Quite a number of easisites owners who gained their web site on one of our subsidised training sessions have asked whether friends/business associates can have an easisites web site. Of course they can. easisites is a system that anyone may use to create their own web site. All anyone has to do is visit www.easisites.com and follow the instructions. The cost to UK customers is £100 (+VAT) for the first year and £50 (+VAT) for every year after that - which includes web hosting, search engineering, etc., etc. Once they've paid (by credit/debit card) they have their own easisite - instantly online. Just to let you know, we have now extended the system to cover London (uklondon.com) and the rest of the UK (easisites.co.uk). Anything you can do to help spread the word would be much appreciated! 4) Beyond easisites An easisites web site is just that: an easy to build web site to give you a first foothold on the world wide web. If you reach the point where you feel you need a more complex web site we can help. The next step up is to have a custom designed site so you can have as many pages and pictures as you like along with clever extras like a database to track customers. Few companies have the in-house skills to do this themselves. If you want to discuss the possibilities get in touch with us. As authorised Business Link suppliers we can help you apply for a grant to subsidise the cost. Provided, of course, that your business is based in Kent. === Don't forget: www.easi-info.co.uk for more helpful information === Regards, Glyn Debnam Ekos Consulting Limited http://www.ekos-consulting.co.uk http://www.easisites.com/ PS Remember, if you would like to contribute to any future newsletter, please let me know. PPS Anyone who didn't receive easisites newsletter#1, and would like to, let me know.