The process of carefully planning the outline of a new website or upgrade to an existing website will secure for you not only a vehicle to show off your business in the best light, but also one that you are able to control the process of updating content, and, most importantly, achieve your business goals.  Here are a few steps to use in the planning process:

1.  List all the information about your product or service that a visitor to your website might be interested in knowing.  If you are planning a website for a school, for example, the visitors would be interested in how man students attend, classroom sizes, staff information and sports offered.  Take the time to brainstorm as many areas related to your product, service or industry that someone might be interested in when visiting the website.

2.  Put yourself into the visitor’s shoes.  Visit and review some websites similar to the one you will offer as if you were a potential customer.  As a visitor, what do you like and dislike about each site?  Does the website inspire you to take further action?  Can you find what you are looking for fast? Are there a lot of pages to navigate through to get to what you are looking for?  Note all this data down with the intent of making your new website as easy for your visitors to use as possible.

3.  Do keyword research to find out what visitors will be searching for. You don’t need to invest in expensive search tools, Google has a free keyword tool that is adequate for this purpose.  Enter a general phrase related to your product or service, such as “coffee filters” and other related keywords will appear.  Your visitors already have questions about these things.  With this information in hand, you can plan your website to feature content that answers people’s questions. 

4.  Make sure to plan your website to grow.  Stay away from website formats that can’t be expanded easily to add products and new pages.  A good website is a constant work in process. 

5.  The final thing to keep in mind is that you want to be able to control your new website, rather than be at the mercy of your web designer to make even the simplest of changes.   Successful Internet marketing today relies on a dynamic website with fresh content added often, and having an antiquated website that only your designer can change will just not work anymore.  You need a website platform that will allow you to add website content fast and simply.

Your website is most often one of the biggest marketing expenses your business will encounter.  It is critical to take the time to plan a new website that is compatible with your business goals. 

Marty Dickinson is the founder of HereNextYear, Inc., a full service Internet marketing company in business for over 10 years. His specialty is Internet marketing solutions for the small business owner, speakers and authors. Visit to see what HereNextYear has to offer and to learn more about their innovative new website packages fully integrated for ease with social networking and other Internet marketing strategies.

Technorati Tags: general business tips, internet marketing, marketing, online marketing, sales and marketing, small business, website design, website development, website tips

The benefits are many.  A person who is organized can complete their work much more efficiently.  They forget important events less.  They don’t have anxious moments or feel as though they have lost control as often as someone who is disorganized.  So here are some practical tips for those of us who don’t have the organizational gene built in:

Don’t Turn Your Back on a Mess at Night

Make the last task before heading out for the evening a quick few minutes to straighten your workspace.  Gather your office supplies up and place them together on your desktop so they are ready to go when you return.  Look for anything that doesn’t belong and move it, such as used coffee cups or an overflowing trash can. 

Most important, quickly go through the papers cluttering up the desk and stack them somewhat in the order they need to be tackled in the morning.  At the same time, you can quickly prepare an action plan (also known as “to-do list”) for the next day, and rank each task in order of importance. 

You will find that this simple 10 minute process each evening will fire you up to jump in feet first the next day to complete what needs to be done. 

Organize Work Product Using the Rule of 3

There are those who have a file folder for everything and know immediately where anything is.  Then, there are the rest of us.  One trick I have found helpful in organizing work papers so I can actually find them is to group them according to the rule of 3. 

The idea is simple.  Never have more than three piles of paperwork going at any given time.  The first stack contains the most pressing items you hope to accomplish within the day.  Next, are those items to accomplish sometime during the week, and the final stack contains those less pressing items to get to within the month.  This may take a few minutes to create the first time, but in the long run it will save you ton of time from having to look through every paper on your desk for the one that you really need. 

Don’t Wait

Ultimately, the longer you wait to find an organization system that works for you and your small business, the more opportunities you miss for your small business.  A larger part of your day can be spent on making your small business succeed when you are organized.  And keep in mind, what works for one person is a disaster for another.  So find the system that works for you and make sure you can commit to using it every day.     

Get more small business success strategies and claim your free white paper: “7 Ways Your Stone-Age Accounting System is Stealing Money From You Every Day … And, How to Get it Back This Year”  to learn about an online accounting program that makes it simple to organize your accounting and finance.

Technorati Tags: general business tips, motivation, organization, productivity, self improvement, small business

There are a lot of great reasons to stay organized.  A person who is organized can complete their work much more efficiently.  The remember key meetings and events more often.  They feel less stressed and out of control.  So here are some practical tips for those of us who don’t have the organizational gene built in:

Don’t Turn Your Back on a Mess at Night

Make the last task before heading out for the evening a quick few minutes to straighten your workspace.  Gather your office supplies up and place them together on your desktop so they are ready to go when you return.  Throw out the trash and get rid of any used cups or other things that don’t belong. 

The most critical part of this step is to gather your paperwork into a rough order of how you want to handle it the next day.  While you’re at it, start a to-do list for the next day, and label each item “A” “B” or “C” depending on how important it is to complete. 

You will find that this simple 10 minute process each evening will fire you up to jump in feet first the next day to complete what needs to be done. 

Organize Work Product Using the Rule of 3

There are those people with organization stamped on their forehead who never waste time looking for what they need to complete a task.  Then, there are the rest of us.  One trick I have found helpful in organizing work papers so I can actually find them is to group them according to the rule of 3. 

The idea is not tricky.  Never have more than three piles of paperwork going at any given time.  The first stack is your most pressing business that you hope to get through during the day.  Next, are those items to accomplish sometime during the week, and the final stack contains those less pressing items to get to within the month.  This can be a painful upfront process, but by taking the time to create these three stacks, you will save time in the long run from digging through piles when you are in a hurry and need some critical paper fast. 

Don’t Wait

Ultimately, the longer you wait to find an organization system that works for you and your small business, the more opportunities you miss for your small business.  When you are organized, a bigger part of your day can be spent on the success of your business.  And remember, one person’s organization is another person’s nightmare.  So find the system that works for you and make sure you can commit to using it every day.     

Get more small business success strategies and claim your free white paper: “7 Ways Your Stone-Age Accounting System is Stealing Money From You Every Day … And, How to Get it Back This Year”  to learn about an online accounting program that makes it simple to organize your accounting and finance.

Technorati Tags: general business tips, motivation, organization, productivity, self improvement, small business

There are a lot of great reasons to stay organized.  An organized business person is able to get more work done in less amount of time.  The remember key meetings and events more often.  They are more relaxed and feel in control of their day.  Below are some functional tips to keep your business organized for those of us that are organizationally challenged:

Don’t Turn Your Back on a Mess at Night

Don’t head out the door in the evening without taking a short amount of time to straighten your desk.  Gather  your pens, stapler, and other tools together so you can find them in the morning.  Check the trash can and empty it if necessary, and remove any empty cups or other dishes that are cluttering your desk. 

The most critical part of this step is to gather your paperwork into a rough order of how you want to handle it the next day.  While you’re at it, start a to-do list for the next day, and label each item “A” “B” or “C” depending on how important it is to complete. 

You will find that this simple 10 minute process each evening will fire you up to jump in feet first the next day to complete what needs to be done. 

Organize Work Product Using the Rule of 3

There will always be those people who know right where everything they need is at any time.  Then, there are the rest of us.  I have found the best way to organize my working papers so that I can actually find something when I need it is to use the rule of 3. 

The idea is not tricky.  Never have more than 3 stacks going at a time.  The first stack is your most pressing business that you hope to get through during the day.  Stack number 2 will hold those items you want to get to this week, and the final stack will be those less critical things you can get to within the month.  You may need to dedicate some time up front to get these three stacks organized, but the time will be ultimately saved as you are able to find needed paperwork much more quickly without digging through everything on your desk. 

Take Action

The bottom line is that you are losing opportunities for your small business every day that you wait to find an organization system you can work with.  When you are organized, a bigger part of your day can be spent on the success of your business.  But remember, one size does not fit all and what works for one would drive someone else crazy.  So find the system that works for you and make sure you can commit to using it every day.     

Get more small business success strategies and claim your free white paper: “7 Ways Your Stone-Age Accounting System is Stealing Money From You Every Day … And, How to Get it Back This Year”  to learn about an online accounting program that makes it simple to organize your accounting and finance.

Technorati Tags: general business tips, motivation, organization, productivity, self improvement, small business