Small business owners should check code in their web site design. The key visitors to your commercial pages are the web crawlers that catalog your content.HTML source code along with a combination of text and graphics is just one of the secrets to success. Higher robot ratings may result from better code, and a beautiful design is equally important. Once a new prospect finds your website, you have 5 seconds to entice them to stay. Many small business web site owners  w onder, “Why don’t we get any hits?”. Did you know web pages can load and appear correctly even with improper or deprecated HTML code? You may get a great looking result, even if your browser ignores your errors. However, web robots may not be so forgiving. Below is a list of 8 fundamental elements of a good search engine placement which need to be considered when you design and promote your web site. Web Presence Importance 8 Key Components- DOCTYPE Statement Page Title Proper HTML Code META Description META K...

  Overview Having a superb product, soaring sales and stupendous customer service are undoubtedly some of the things which go into making a successful business. But all of this is irrelevant if you suffer a  financial   crisis. Without a sound stable financial position, the slightest shock can be enough to send your business crashing to the ground. So, what can you do to ensure that all your  h ard work is not in vain? What can you do to make sure that a   financial   crisis doesn’t rock the boat or even sink it? Let’s take a look at what can cause these jolts and, more importantly, what you can do about it. 1) Poor Record Keeping and Administration Business owners are usually not good recorders or bookkeepers.People who start businesses are the ones who have great ideas, see a gap in the market or have the personality to sell anything. They are not people who jump out of bed in the morning and say “Great, it’s a VAT and paperwork day today!” If you are to ...

  Overview As  CPG   companies transform themselves, they become more competitive and efficient, delighting their customers and delighting their connections. CPG companies must digitally transform themselves to meet connected consumer expectations by delivering the right product at the right place using the right channel at the right time. As the consumer products industry evolves at a faster pace, it is preparing to reach the next level of growth. To survive in a highly competitive consumer products  market   , consumer goods companies historically relied on product  innovation   and understanding of market dynamics alone. In today’ s  competitive environment, businesses can no longer rely on trends from the past to remain competitive. Increasingly, the consumer goods industry is becoming more complex due to factors such as   digitization  ,  consumer preferences, demographic shifts, global and local competition, and challenges ari...

  Overview Most small business owners run into the problem of thinking too small. Many entrepreneurs ask for assistance with starting their business. There are five key areas where you can think too small and doom your business to failure. Niche Too Small Is your niche too small? It’s crucial to target a small ni c he with your business, but sometimes small niches are narrowed too much. For example , there may be a niche for dog dental   products  (as most dog owners will attest) and you could focus on a certain type of dog (such as lap dogs) but going for a specific breed would be too specific. Target Market Too Small Is your target market too small? Identifying only a single community or geographical region may spell doom for your product. Small markets are far too easy to saturate, and marketing mistakes are far too likely to end your campaign before it gets off the ground. When planning your target market in today’s economy, you need to think big, with the availabilit...