Is it wise to have one huge mega website covering each aspect of your business or several mini websites focusing on specific areas? I have recently decided to go with the mega website plan for now. I will be closely watching the results over the next six months. Based on my last six months, the mini website strategy has not worked. Perhaps I should have given it more time? Based on experience in other areas, I find that if something's going to work, you know it by initial results that just keep building-- success breeds success.
My decision was partly based on a comment I read that really stated the obvious but it sunk in: people search the net looking for information and when they find a good website, they save it so they can return later to read/learn more. So the question I had was: was there any real value in each of my mini websites that would result in people saving any of my mini websites? Well there was value but was it enough value? The other problem with multiple websites is that people never see the whole picture of your business. Can they make a good decision without all the facts? I doubt it.
I understand that website content is supposed to be the number one reason for high rankings in the search engines like Google but I am not sure that's 100 % true. Based on this argument, a mega website wins every time. It's certainly easier to manage one large website since you know where everything is. When you have multiple webstes, sometimes it takes time to find articles/pages that you know are out there but on which website?
From an advertising perspective, a mega website wins every time because you focus on one website rather than splitting your time and money between advertisng multiple websites. Multiple website could also cause confusion in the minds of the searcher. I know for a fact that once you confuse a consumer, you have given them a reason not to buy and they move on. If you have too many mini websites, the consumer could easily think you are in multiple businesses and you could lose credibility and a customer.
The upside of mini websites is that they can cater to specific niche markets that the mega website will miss. For example, the new mega website I writing about http://www.wellnessopportunity.org is most certainly about building a wellness home business and stresses serious wellness products but it also talks about getting leads for your business, website development for your business and search engine optimization (seo). Now would you expect a "wellness opportunity" website to delve into such matters? No. If you have a web based home business, shouldn't you know or learn about this? Yes.
I don't have an answer to the mega mini question yet but I am sure I will learn as I go over the next 6 months.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Reduce Personal Income Taxes
There are many advantages to owning your home business. Some are purely emotional, and some are based on sound business planning. The potential tax savings related to owning and operating a small home business are often overlooked or simply glossed over. This probably due to the fact that taxes are complicated, that's why they are all kinds of accountants focusing on the wide variety of tax specialities.
There is one company, Wall and Associates, that provides a service to small home business owners in Canada and the USA. The "Easy as ABC" website features a free tax savings calculator that uses their estimated numbers for possible deductions once you plug in your expected income. The system also allows you to change the numbers as you like. As I said the system is free with no strings attached. It's definitely worth checking out because it has tax information for small businesses in both Canada and the USA.
It's a good website to refer prospects to since it is a third party independant accounting company that specializes in the home business tax field. Recommend by Immunotec.
Colm Maher
colm@wellnessopportunity.org
Skype "colmbonne"
There is one company, Wall and Associates, that provides a service to small home business owners in Canada and the USA. The "Easy as ABC" website features a free tax savings calculator that uses their estimated numbers for possible deductions once you plug in your expected income. The system also allows you to change the numbers as you like. As I said the system is free with no strings attached. It's definitely worth checking out because it has tax information for small businesses in both Canada and the USA.
It's a good website to refer prospects to since it is a third party independant accounting company that specializes in the home business tax field. Recommend by Immunotec.
Colm Maher
colm@wellnessopportunity.org
Skype "colmbonne"
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Hype in the Wellness Business
One problem with the wellness industry is that there is a lot of hype. Many of the vitamin, minerals, "health foods" on the market have been designed by accountants not scientists. Marketing teams push the envelope on health claims that are not supported by science or anything else. The real problem here is to sort out what's real and what's hype. Hype can look and sound like the real thing because the people promoting it are good at what they do. The amazing part to me is that 1. they get away with it and 2. They don't seem to mind playing with people's health just to make a buck. It is no wonder that many consumers feel that vitamins just don't work. In order for vitamins and such to work, there has to be something of real value in the pill or the box. As a result of these shady practises, the Canadian and US governments are getting more involved in natural product regulation. This will eventually get rid of the shady characters in the wellness business but it may also stifle the development of future wellness products.
The drug industry is very much behind this regulation because they fear that this tiny wellness industry threatens their humongous empire. By the way, anytime you see a study in Google about certain vitamins, minerals or health foods that don't work, check around a bit and find out who funded the study and what were the ingredients of the formulation used. I have found that a lot of studies are funded by drug companies and the potency of the product tested is way under effective levels. But who reads the background material? The bottom line is that you the consumer have to be proactive about the wellness products you consider. Do your own research. If the people/institutions/companies doing the research are credible, then the product is probably ok. Just remember, everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for all. Even drugs do not work for everyone--I've heard that some drugs only work for 50% of the people who take them. So when your doctor says "here, try this" That's what he/she means. He or she doesn't know for sure whether it's going to work for you either. And then there's the side effects. Drug companies have managed to portray themselves as the great health saviours of mankind. The problem is they are not focused on the cure but on treating the symptoms. If you cure someone, you have lost a customer. If you treat the symptoms, you have a customer for life. This improves the bottom line and makes accountants and investors happy.
The bottom line for consumers is pro activity. Don't make your health, someone else's responsibility. Whether its a drug or a wellness product, do your own due diligence, as best you can, until you are satisfied. Then monitor the results you are getting. It can seem like a fulltime job at times but your health is worth it. Where would you be without it?
The drug industry is very much behind this regulation because they fear that this tiny wellness industry threatens their humongous empire. By the way, anytime you see a study in Google about certain vitamins, minerals or health foods that don't work, check around a bit and find out who funded the study and what were the ingredients of the formulation used. I have found that a lot of studies are funded by drug companies and the potency of the product tested is way under effective levels. But who reads the background material? The bottom line is that you the consumer have to be proactive about the wellness products you consider. Do your own research. If the people/institutions/companies doing the research are credible, then the product is probably ok. Just remember, everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for all. Even drugs do not work for everyone--I've heard that some drugs only work for 50% of the people who take them. So when your doctor says "here, try this" That's what he/she means. He or she doesn't know for sure whether it's going to work for you either. And then there's the side effects. Drug companies have managed to portray themselves as the great health saviours of mankind. The problem is they are not focused on the cure but on treating the symptoms. If you cure someone, you have lost a customer. If you treat the symptoms, you have a customer for life. This improves the bottom line and makes accountants and investors happy.
The bottom line for consumers is pro activity. Don't make your health, someone else's responsibility. Whether its a drug or a wellness product, do your own due diligence, as best you can, until you are satisfied. Then monitor the results you are getting. It can seem like a fulltime job at times but your health is worth it. Where would you be without it?
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