How Well Do You Really Know Your Website?

If you're like most webmasters, you have probably spent years building your site. You have spent years adding content, building links and cultivating traffic - but how well do you really know your website?

How well do you know the intricate details of your website's traffic? Where do your site's visitors come from? How long do they stay on your site? Just where do they go to on your site and how well do they convert into buyers or subscribers?

Do you know your site's rankings in the major search engines? What are your site's top keywords? What's your site's Google PageRank? Who are your IP neighbors? What your site looks like in other browsers? How much is your site worth?

These are just some of the questions you should know, mainly because the more knowledge you possess about your site, the better equipped you will be at improving it. So here's a simple list of free site checking tools/sites that will let you "Big Brother" (monitor and watch) your site.

1. Google Analytics

Perhaps one of the most helpful analytical tools you can use on your site. Google Analytics will give you a wealth of information about your site's traffic. Where it comes from, how long it stays on your site, where it goes on your site, how well your content converts... invaluable information every webmaster should have in their possession. ( www.google.com/analytics )

2. NetMechanic Toolbox

Check your site's mechanics - find broken links, check browser compatibility, find bad HTML code, spot slow-loading pages, and check your spelling... all by using the NetMechanic Toolbox: ( www.netmechanic.com )

3. Keyword Suggestion Tool

This free keyword suggestion tool will tell you how many searches are done in WordTracker and Overture for your site's keywords. Extremely valuable information since much of web's traffic and ecommerce is keyword driven. ( www.digitalpoint.com/tools/suggestion/)

4. Iwebtool

This is another free site which offers many valuable webmaster's tools that will give you information about your/any site. Google PageRank, PageRank Prediction, Link Popularity, Search Engine Positions for Keywords, Backlink Checker... also Visual PageRank where you can see all the PR values of all the links on a given page - both internal and external. ( www.iwebtool.com )

5. Alexa Traffic Rankings

Alexa tracks the web's traffic by using the Alexa bar in a surfer's browser. Most people know it is not an accurate assessment of the traffic on the net but is a handy measuring stick, nonetheless. It is also a handy tool for comparing sites and seeing the long-tern traffic trends of different sites, including your own. ( www.alexa.com )

6. Your Site's Traffic Logs

Most webmasters know your raw traffic logs are worth checking and reading. It contains valuable information about your site. Especially helpful if you're checking for broken links on your site, you don't want to see those 302's everywhere. Close examination and regular checking of your traffic logs and stats will point out the profitable keywords on your site.

7. BetterWhois

You can use this site to find out the domain information about your site. Do you have control of your domain? Many webmasters buy their domain name thru their web hosting company, while this is not a problem in itself, however, if any dispute should arise who has administrative control of your domain; you or your hosting company? Can you change hosting companies? ( www.betterwhois.com )

8. Google Alerts

Another valuable tool from Google which notifies you by email when your link or site is found anywhere on the web. Great for keeping track of any new links your site is getting. Many webmasters also use this handy tool to keep track of their competitor's sites. They also use Google Alerts to keep track of whenever their own name is mentioned anywhere on the web. This one would even make Orwell proud. ( www.google.com/alerts )

9. IP Neighbors

Many webmasters have their site hosted on shared hosting plans, which means there can be hundreds of sites sharing the same IP address. This site lets you discover who your IP neighbors are. Why would you want to know your IP neighbors? Well like neighbors everywhere; there are good ones and there are bad ones. For example, if you have a neighboring site that uses email to spam, it could get your IP address blocked or shut down. ( www.myipneighbors.com )

10. Any Browser

Use to this handy site to discover what your site looks like in different browsers; you could be in for a real shock. ( www.anybrowser.com )

11. Google Toolbar

The Google Toolbar can be placed on your browser so that when you're surfing you can see the Google PageRank of each page/site you're visiting. Many SEO experts believe Google is not giving us the true PR of a page and this bar is rather useless. However, like the Alexa rankings it is a handy measuring stick, nonetheless. ( www.toolbar.google.com )

12. What Is Your Site Worth?

Please take this last analyzing tool with "a large grain of salt", but it is fun to use and to see how much your site is worth. Measurement here is done largely by the amount of links you have coming into your site. ( directory.sootle.com/website-worth )

In conclusion, all of these free handy tools/sites will give you a better, more complete picture of your own site. Remember, the more knowledge you acquire about your own site and your competitor's sites, the more equipped you will be to succeed. This is one case where being a "Big Brother" can truly benefit your site.

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The author is a full-time online marketer who has numerous websites, including two sites on Internet marketing. For the latest and most effective web marketing tools try: http://www.bizwaremagic.com/ 2007 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

Grow Your List with an Effective Client-Capturing Device

You may have heard the saying that "the gold is in your list" for your online business. I've found that to be the case, despite any number of social marketing techniques like blogging, MySpace, etc. It's always extremely helpful to have a list of people to whom you can market.

How do you develop that list and keep adding people to it? You create a client-capturing device. A client-capturing device is a free giveaway that is of value to your target market and serves as a solution to a big problem that challenges your target market.

Once upon a time, the offer for a free ezine was sufficient to capture a visitor's contact info. Alas, that is no longer the case, so you have to up the ante and provide even greater value to your visitor. Your client capturing device can take any of several formats -- an ebook, a recording of a teleclass, a 6- part ecourse, a short downloadable video.

Here is a list of 8 qualities that your free giveaway must contain in order to capture the most clients:

1. Compelling title. Make sure the title of your client-capturing contains a solution to a major problem with which your target market struggles. My title strategy is to use a number and a solution, like 5 Secrets to.... or 7 Mistakes Made By.... When your visitor sees the title, you want him to think, "I've got to get that!"

2. Benefit to visitor. In addition to your compelling title, create 3-4 sentences to describe the content of your client-capturing device. Making an offer is not enough -- you need to convince your visitor that you have the perfect solution to his problem and that he can get that solution very quickly by providing his name and email address to you.

3. Graphic enhancement. A picture is worth a thousand words, and people like to "see" what they're getting. Have a cover or graphic image of your giveaway created that matches the look and feel of your website or blog.

4. Format. You want your client-capturing device to be as easy to use as possible. Therefore, if you're giving away an ebook or special report, create a PDF file that anyone can download and open. If it's an audio file, save it in mp3 format, which can be opened by any audio player. If you want to share videos, embed them into your site using a player that is compatible across both the PC and Mac platforms.

5. Relevant and useful content. Don't hold back in your giveaway. Provide a complete solution to your visitor that can be implemented immediately. Limit the amount of upselling that you do in the content, and save the bulk of that for any followup autoresponders that the visitor receives.

6. More information. Create a page with all the pertinent info about your giveaway. Some visitors will request their copy of your giveaway immediately when they see the offer on your opt-in form, while others will require a bit more convincing.

7. Testimonials. What have previous users said about your download? Add to the excitement and the desire of getting your giveaway by listing how beneficial others have found your information.

8. Put a price on it. To accentuate the value of your giveaway, put a price on it. Make it reasonable for your target market and not completely outrageous. If it sounds too good to be true, most visitors will believe just that and leave your site without requesting your giveaway.

In whatever form it might take, your client capturing device needs to provide some solid information to help your target market solve a pressing problem and not simply be a piece of fluff that advertises your business. If your giveaway is all fluff and no substance, you will have lost this prospective customer for good.

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Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at http://www.onlinebizu.com/. Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at http://www.askdonnagunter.com/.