Hopefully you have already been warned by your bank about this one.

People have received emails recently that are supposedly from their bank, asking them to visit a web site and enter their account password. The link provided in the email takes you to a site that looks very much like your bank's web site.

Needless to say, these emails are fraudulent and you should pass them onto your bank immediately.

It is important to remember that no reputable business will ever ask for your login details, especially via email.

To Flash or Not to Flash?

Do you have a web site that uses Flash?

Did you realise that there are many Internet users out there who do not have Flash and therefore cannot read your site?

These users may also not have the option of downloading Flash to view your site (eg. on a work computer).

One way of getting around this problem is to create a "flash-sniffer" page, which is able to detect whether the viewer has Flash installed or not. If they do, they get the flash version of your site. If not, they can be delivered to a non-Flash version.

22 April 2003

KEEP YOUR WEB SITE VISITORS COMING BACK FOR MORE

One of the keys to Internet success is traffic. Let me review the "deleted items" of my email:

"1 million visitors to your site, guaranteed"
"A swarm of traffic"

Well, that's all well and good but traffic for the sake of traffic is not going to take you too far. You can have thousands and thousands of visitors to your site, but if they are not interested in your product or service, then what's the point? You need TARGETED traffic.

Targeted traffic is web site visitors from your target market. What is your target market? Well, those are the people who are interested in your service or your product. How do you build targeted traffic? Besides attracting targetted traffic in the first place, another very important way is to have your visitors come back over and over again. There are a few essential tools that will help you do this:

1. Newsletter: A newsletter helps you keep in touch with your web site visitors and reminds them to come back and visit you. How do you get newsletter subscribers? Offer something of interest - not just a sales pitch.
   
   For example, if you sell health products - don't just sell your wares in your newsletter. Include informative articles on healthy lifestyles, scientific research or exercise. Of course, your sales pitch belongs in there somewhere! Include announcements about new product lines, specials and other relevant information.

2. Dynamic Content: Add new content to your web site on a regular basis. If someone has visited your site, why would they come back if it is exactly the same? Make sure they can see the new content on the home page or they can easily find the link to the new content.

3. Announce your specials on your website. Hey, you are here to sell something. You don't have to be shy about it. If you have a special of the week or month - feature it on your site. For example, call it "Feature of the Week" so people know to come back again.

4. Have contests. People love to get something for free. You can have draws for your own product or you can have people donate prizes in return for promotion of their product. If you have a new contest on a regular basis, people will return to see what you have to offer.

5. Make your site interactive. Message boards can do this. Visitors like to participate and have a place to share ideas, ask questions and meet others with the same interests. By offering a place for people to leave a message, they will come back every few days to check replies.

Remember, above all, content is so important to your site. Visitors want to get something from your site besides your sales pitch. Offer them something of value and you will have faithful visitors to your site.

Article by: - Alice Seba is a professional copywriter, specializing in services for work at home moms. Visit her website at http://www.wahmcopywriter.com. Alice is also the editor of the Internet Based Moms Newsletter. Receive great tips on firing up your Internet Business by sending a blank email to subscribenewsletter@internetbasedmoms.com

Want any more info on this article? Email us at admin@southwestecommerce.com

Disclaimer: This newsletter is designed to provide information only and is not a substitute for advice that is specific to your business. Before acting on any of the information above it is important you seek further advice from a professional who has taken into consideration the nature and circumstances of your business.

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