Do you know what your site’s bounce rate is? How about your average time on site or number of page views? Are you even taking these into account when it comes to your SEO efforts?

Google is relying more and more upon websites that engage active users. And Google quantifies user activity in terms of average time on site, average page views, and bounce rate – and the reason is simple. It’s the only truly reliable ‘put up or shut up’ method a search engine can judge a website’s worthiness. If people search for “web design tips” and end up on your site, but only stay for an average of just a few seconds, then that tells Google that either your site is not focused on “web design tips” or if it is, then it does a bad job talking about it. On the other hand, if your competitor’s website is attracting those same users, but keeping them on the site for upwards of 5 minutes, then Google knows that those users found what they were looking for.

So keep an eye on your user behavior metrics. Make sure the keywords you’re targeting are keeping users on your site. If they’re not, you’ve got some work to do!

Affiliate marketers act like companies in many respects but what they generally don’t have behind them are effective, reliable payment solutions that a standalone company needs to do business. PayPal helped solve this problem back in the late 90’s. But – and I’m speaking from personal experience here – PayPal has grown more and more into a monster over the years. They’re getting more and more expensive, and don’t be surprised if they freeze all of your funds for no reason at all.

Not long ago, Google started offering an alternative to PayPal, called Google Checkout. It’s easy to use, easy to implement, and it costs significantly less than what PayPal charges. And if you list your products in Google’s product search (formerly Froogle), then you’ll see even more benefits because Google displays their checkout button next to websites that offer their payment solution.

If you haven’t already, you should take a look at Google Checkout. Let me warn you though, as easy as it is to get started with GC, they will likely give you a hard time if you sell expensive products costing upwards of $1,000. They did to me!

Starting a business online is no simple task. And when you’re in the business of helping other people start their own business online, just the process of explaining them how it’s done can be both aggravating and time consuming. Trust me, I know. But, fortunately enough I’ve come up with a solution that breaks everything down and is simple enough for anyone to understand. Take a look:

Step 1: Acquire a Domain Name
You must decide on a .com (or net/org/etc) name for your website and have it registered

Step 2: Build a Website
You, or someone you hire, must design and develop the html code that becomes your website

Step 3: Host the Website
You must find a webhost to upload your website onto their servers, and make it available to users on the internet

Step 4: Market the Website
Develop an advertising and/or search engine optimization campaign to drive traffic to your site

I’ve been using this simple 4-Step explanation with all of my prospects lately. And not only has it made things easier for me, it’s actually increased my conversion rates. I guess there’s just something appealing about a person who can take a complex idea and explain it in a short, elegant way.

I stumbled onto this article today at the SmallFuel Marketing Blog. It’s called “How to Get More Business by Commenting on Blogs.” It’s recommended reading for anyone looking to promote their online business. I personally feel that “The Nitty Gritting of Commenting” - a section within - should be read twice!

Do check it out and let me know your thoughts.

A lot of you had been asking us to start Reseller Hosting as well and we listened! The new Reseller plans - like the shared Unlimited Hosting Plan - come in both flavours. Yes, that means you can either choose to offer Windows Hosting or Linux Hosting plans!

What’s more, there’s no price difference between the two and they come with the same control panels you’ve all come to love - the famous CPanel and the equally solid and user-friendly InsPanel.

As always, we’re looking forward to your feedback on how we can make your Dot24 experience a more pleasant one!

Happy Reselling!