Top Business Website Mistakes Part I

What are the top business website mistakes that webmasters continue to make? Take note of these common errors and increase the level of competition.

1. Sloppy Linking

You may have a great website with great content, but one simple broken link could be a major turn off to the average web viewer. Broken links or 404 messages occur whenever you have improperly labeled a link. Make sure and proofread every link and include a ???submit a broken link??? form to let your traffic know you are on top of things.

2. Too Complex

While viewers do like video and images along with text, including heavy flash animation can make the site more complex, and possibly a painful site to endure for the average viewer. Be aware that unless the flash loads quickly, most viewers will simply skip the introduction and proceed onto the goods. Promote accessibility over complexity.

3. Poor Domain Name

You might not think that the domain name means much in the long run, however a domain name is an important part of your business strategy. Web owners should strive to choose a name that is memorable and appropriate for business. Long names are very forgettable, whereas very short names may be too vague to be effective. Try to pick a domain name that adequately describes the content of your website.

4. Lack of Fresh Content

There are too many websites out there that are just sitting and collecting virtual dust. Never let your website become stagnant. Try to update it regularly, including new graphics, new interactive features, new product or service previews and frequently updated content. If you??™re unsure of what new content to put on the site, then it may make sense to hire a web writer to come up with fresh content.

Check out Top Business Website Mistakes Part II for more common errors and ways to improve traffic.

My Take Homes As A Speaker In Public..

Often times I am being asked to give a speech or two on various aspects of entrepreneurship. It could be a business meeting or a friendly gathering of work associates. The following tips helped me improve my speaking abilities and I am sure you will find them helpful, above and beyond what you currently practice.

Remember To Pause:

For starters, remember to pause before starting your speech. Too many speakers get so nervous that they rush into their material and never quite get back that comfortable pacing that audiences enjoy most.

Stop Looking At Your Notes:

Try not to look down at your notes too often. Avoid a manuscript speech. Not only does it sound too artificial when you read the words from a page, it also makes it more difficult if you lose your place. For better results, create a list of major points to cover(power point bullets).

Cue Cards & Rehearsals

Organize these thoughts onto cue cards that you can easily move around as you speak. Practice rehearsing the speech beforehand, not by memorizing words but by referring to written thoughts. This will allow you to sound more natural in your choice of words.

Stop Talking To Open Air

If you really want to become a dynamic speaker then try looking into the faces of your audience as you talk. Many speakers neglect this simple detail, choosing to give the best portions of their speech to open air or to their notes. The most charismatic speakers can look someone in the face, continue speaking on one point, and then find another face as they progress onto the next thought. This will make your speech all the more personal and endear you to the audience.

Study The Audience

Finally, try to use longer words and speak at a slower pace. Naturally, short and clipped words sound harsh and intimidating. Audiences respond more to conversational dialogue with warmth and enthusiasm. Study the faces of your audience and decide whether you are coming across to cold or too personal. Respond accordingly.

These tips will help you become a much better speaker that captivates audience??™s attention.

Priorities..Goals..Achievements

I can??™t claim myself to be a hugely successful person by any stretch of imagination. But whatever success(big or small) I have today, I??™m sure I could have gone up much higher if only I applied myself well on certain occasions. When I was a real nobody, I was always obsessed with thoughts of what I should have achieved but could not.

???Achievable??™ Goals

The failure to meet the expectations of myself and my dear ones always loomed large over me. It led to self-criticism, loss of self-esteem to a large extent.

Whatever little I could manage to achieve was often overshadowed by what I couldn??™t. It was at this time I decided to set only a few ???achievable??™ goals for myself. Although success was not guaranteed in all such efforts, the decision took a lot of burden off me.

The fear and disappointment of failure receded to a large extent.

The Fewer goals, The Better It Is

You may have heard the power of chunking. I also started getting results by setting for myself fewer goals in number. In this way, I could concentrate more on each of them in the absence of any confusion. Believe me, my success rate increased in quick time. And, I also did not forget to reward myself with a less demanding job after the day??™s main assignments were over.

I found having a daily priority list of things to be done on a given day highly useful.

Long-Term and Short-Term Goals

Although my parents often told me to nurture long-term goals when I was growing up, I later found the idea a bit impractical. Long-term objectives, I found, are so far away that it really becomes tough to sustain their progress. Instead it is much more convenient to aim for short-term goals and then concentrate on them. In fact, short-term goals are your pathway to long-term goals.

One of my friends advised me to treat my goals as mileposts rather than a destination. It was a brilliant idea as I could celebrate each step, realizing that I??™m getting closer to my dream. With the passage of time, I learnt yet another lesson. Getting over early hesitation, I gradually learnt to modify my goals when my instincts told me to do so.

I realized there was no use repeating the same things over and over again expecting better results. Someone somewhere termed it as “insanity”

Flexibility

I realized the futility of adopting a rigid posture when the situation demanded a little flexibility on my part. I also understood the value of giving myself and others, credit and recognition for whatever small achievements we made(of course others came first in the order).

It helped us, especially after the amount of hard work we had put in for every single victory. Last but not the least, I also learnt the art of self-criticism, but only in a constructive way. I found positive thoughts a suitable tonic for all my efforts.

I??™m sure many of you have been in a position in which I was sometime ago. I??™m sure you won??™t do yourself any harm if you follow what I did to achieve my goals.

Love to hear your thoughts..