KyWebmaster

Domain Name Exposure
Don’t forget to put your domain on anything and everything: business cards, newspaper ads, magnetic signs or lettering on your vehicle, stationery, envelopes. Also be sure to use it as a signature for every email you send and every message you post on message boards.

Inbound Links
Inbound links to your website are good if they are from a high ranking website. Chamber of Commerce and other organizational online directories are the best source of quality inbound links. Many local newspapers have an online section for local links and only require filling out an online form with your company information.

Portable Applications
Carry your favorite applications on a usb drive and use it on any computer without installation. Portable apps include Firefox (web browser), FileZilla (FTP), Open Office (MS Office alternative), Sunbird (Calendar), and 7-Zip (File Compressor). Get them all for free at PortableApps.com!

What Are You Searching For?
It doesn’t matter as much what you’re searching for as it does what you’re using to search the internet. Try the FREE version of Copernic which allows you to search 90+ search engines and directories at once. It automatically weeds out duplicate entries. You can set it to search, click a button and perform other tasks while it pulls in results and lists them with the most relevant entries on top.

AVG Beats Norton in Antivirus Arena

EVERYONE needs a good antivirus program regularly updated and running on their computer. Norton and McAfee are the ones that are usually pre-installed on new computers. They have a 30-90 day trial and then you must subscribe (and pay) for it to continue working.

AVG is a great antivirus program. I’ve personally used it for about 3 years now. There is a free version for personal use; commercial use has a free 30 day trial. Why do I consider AVG the better antivirus program? It’s not a resource hog like Norton so it doesn’t slow your computer down. I’ve also personally seen it catch viruses that Norton and McAfee didn’t. That’s enough reason for me!

Browsers - No, Internet Explorer Isn’t the Only One!
The most used alternative browsers are Netscape, Firefox and Opera. All of these browsers use less computer resources which mean you’ll get everything done faster. Your computer is also safer just because you use one of these alternative browsers because most virus and spyware attacks are exploits of Internet Explorer.

Firefox has many add-on extensions available that will enable you to do anything a browser can possibly do. Yes, Firefox is my browser of choice.

Email Alternative to MS Outlook
One of the most popular non-Microsoft email programs is Thunderbird. It’s simple to set up multiple emails and folders.

FREE Alternative to Microsoft Office
Open Office is a FREE alternative to Microsoft Office. It allows you to read, save, and create MS Office compatible files including Word, Excel, and Power Point.

Start small. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on a website. Even a one page website can be effective for your business. You can always expand your website as your business grows. Grab a professional business card website for $90 or a one page website for $150; add a blog or email list for $50 each.

Includes design/customization, search engine optimization, 1 yr domain name/hosting.

Every business needs a website. Many people now turn to the internet in addition to or instead of the yellow pages to find the products, services, and information they want and need. Even the smallest business will benefit from a business card website with contact info and product or service summary.

In “11 Ways to Market Your Business” Bob Phibbs,the Retail Doctor, suggests “Put up a website that at least lists hours, location, testimonials, special promotions, etc. Bob Phibbs is also a frequent guest on “Your Business” at msnbc.