Month: April 2008

Well surely you know what a feature article is but link bait? Link bait is an informational article that is written on general topics that dovetail nicely with your services. This article is then offered for free on the web as content for other website, ezines, newsletters, and blogs. The end-user must leave in your contact information and website URLs and links to use the article for free.

This is a great way to get one way in-bound links to your website and to improve your organic search position. We’ve been doing articles for a while now for clients, but have just now introduced this new service into our offering. So far for clients, we’ve had outstanding success with our quality articles being syndicated widely on the Web.

One of our hottest articles is Buyer Beware: Bed Bugs Can Squash Real Estate Deals. In only one week, the article has been syndicated on 48 different websites. Quality content will make all the difference in regards to who and how many people pick up your articles. I find that article writing is a great way to build additional authority and links which will benefit your website’s organic position over time.

What are your historical slow periods for your business? We are in ours right now, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t busy and moving our business forward.

Find out what you should consider doing in your slow times.

What do you do when things are slow with your business? We train online. Find out more about how and why you should use downtime with your business to move your business forward.

For my business March, April and May are very slow. During these slow times I actively work on researching new services, identify customer needs, and take online classes to stay sharp. Some of my top whitepapers have been written or updated in these months.

When I know that I will be slow, I look ahead for the online classes that would help me do a better job for my clients. I have found that the International Webmasters Association has excellent instructors and the classes are challenging, the books selected excellent, and the course schedule allows for maximum freedom.  In my downtime this month, I am taking a four week class in Dreamweaver. I am an Adobe GoLive code expert and love the product, but I lust after the Spry widgets that Dreamweaver offers.

I bought the software, course book, and signed up for a member’s $80 4 week class to learn the ins and outs of Dreamweaver from the experts starting April 28th. The great thing about these classes is the camaraderie and information that is shared between class members.

I have even hired people I have found in my class to work for me and have networked with others. Online classes are great and you can do the coursework when you want. I have taken beginning PHP, introduction to Flash, and several other classes. As typically I am busy, the projects that are assigned I choose which to really get involved with. Some I just meet the requirements and others I use to fine-tune a skill. Others in the class may be using projects to build their portfolio, but I just need the skills not the project to show to others.

Once you know when your business slow time is, get proactive and just don’t sit by the phone. Work to improve your skills, your website, and your business!