<?xml version="1.0"?><prx version="1.0" xmlns="http://purl.org/prx/1.0/"><prxlink><![CDATA[]]></prxlink><link><![CDATA[http://wordsmithbob.com/press%20releases/Recession-Proof-Your-Business-Website.html]]></link><contacts><contact xmlns:vCard="http://www.w3.org/2001/vcard-rdf/3.0#"><vCard:CATEGORIES><![CDATA[Spokesperson]]></vCard:CATEGORIES><vCard:FN><![CDATA[Bob McClain]]></vCard:FN><vCard:ORG><vCard:Orgname><![CDATA[WordsmithBob.com]]></vCard:Orgname></vCard:ORG><vCard:TITLE><![CDATA[President]]></vCard:TITLE><vCard:LABEL vCard:TYPE="http://www.w3.org/2001/vcard-rdf/3.0#postal"><![CDATA[]]></vCard:LABEL><vCard:NOTE><![CDATA[612-226-7667 (office)<br/>651-305-0276 (fax)<br/>612-226-7667 (cell)<br/>Skype: wordsmithbob.com (im)]]></vCard:NOTE><vCard:EMAIL xmlns:vCard="http://www.w3.org/2001/vcard-rdf/3.0#" vCard:TYPE="http://www.w3.org/2001/vcard-rdf/3.0#internet"><![CDATA[bob@wordsmithbob.com
]]><label><![CDATA[Email]]></label></vCard:EMAIL><vCard:URL xmlns:vCard="http://www.w3.org/2001/vcard-rdf/3.0#"><![CDATA[http://www.wordsmithbob.com
]]><label><![CDATA[Web site]]></label></vCard:URL><vCard:URL xmlns:vCard="http://www.w3.org/2001/vcard-rdf/3.0#"><![CDATA[http://www.wordsmithbob.com/blog
]]><label><![CDATA[Blog]]></label></vCard:URL></contact></contacts><newslines><headline><![CDATA[Recession-Proof Your Business Website]]></headline><subheadline><![CDATA[One of the scariest words in business is recession. Too often, the automatic reaction of small to mid-size business is to slash their marketing budgets. If you have no way to track the return on investment of your advertising, then you should cut it.]]></subheadline><dateline><![CDATA[Minneapolis, MN -- March 3, 2008]]></dateline><body><![CDATA[<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal"><span style="font-size: 10pt">However, business websites are another matter entirely. You can always track the performance of your website. If your business website isn&rsquo;t performing, it&rsquo;s usually because it wasn&rsquo;t properly search engine optimized or it wasn&rsquo;t written by a professional website copywriter. In that case, almost any improvement would increase sales. Even in a recession.<br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal"><span style="font-size: 10pt">Business owners should keep in mind that there are only two things that matter with a business website:<br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: normal"><span style="font-size: 10pt">1.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt">Getting found on the web ahead of your competitors</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: normal"><span style="font-size: 10pt">2.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt">Converting visitors into buyers or leads<br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal"><span style="font-size: 10pt">The first requires an ongoing search engine optimization (SEO) campaign by a reputable firm. There are plenty of charlatans out there who will prey on your ignorance and take your money and run. Make certain that the firm you choose is a member of some reputable business organizations. A local Chamber of Commerce or the Better Business Bureau is a good place to start. Also ask for references. If they can really do what they claim, they&rsquo;ll have business clients that are excited to recommend them.<br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal"><span style="font-size: 10pt">The second requires a well thought out website written by a professional who understands how to use website copy to convert visitors into buyers or contacts. <br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal"><span style="font-size: 10pt">If you&rsquo;re nervous about the oncoming recession and want to keep your expenditures to a minimum, focus first on search engine optimization to get more people to your website. And secondly, improve the copy to create more sales or leads from those additional visitors. Even an existing design that isn&rsquo;t producing any contacts or sales can be improved with better copy writing and proper SEO.<br />
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<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal"><span style="font-size: 10pt">Here are some online resources to help you make informed decisions about improving the performance of your website:<br />
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    <li><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%"><a href="http://wordsmithbob.com/articles/What-is-search-engine-optimization-and-how-does-it-really-work.html">What is Search Engine Optimization and How Does It Really Work</a></span></li>
    <li><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%"><a href="http://wordsmithbob.com/newsletters/December%2007%20newsletter.html">Website Promotion: An Easy Step-by-Step Guide</a></span></li>
    <li><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%"><a href="http://wordsmithbob.com/articles/The-Power-of-Placing-Links-Within-Your-Text.html">The Power Of Placing Links Within Your Text</a></span></li>
</ul>]]></body><quotes><![CDATA[]]></quotes><boilerplate><![CDATA[<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; line-height: normal"><span style="font-size: 10pt">WordsmithBob.com is:<br />
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<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%">WordsmithBob.com is a web copywriting and search engine optimization firm in Minneapolis, MN, that specializes in helping small to medium-sized businesses reap ever increasing revenue from their business websites.</span></p>]]></boilerplate></newslines><categories><industry domain="http://purl.org/prx/1.0/"><![CDATA[Business Services & Consultancy News]]></industry><industry domain="http://purl.org/prx/1.0/"><![CDATA[Technology News]]></industry><msa domain="http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/inforeg/statpolicy.html#ms"><![CDATA[All Regions (Including International)]]></msa><country domain="http://www.iso.org/iso/en/prods-services/iso3166ma/02iso-3166-code-lists/index.html"><![CDATA[UNITED STATES]]></country></categories><tags><tag><![CDATA[business website marketing]]></tag><tag><![CDATA[ business surviving recession]]></tag><tag><![CDATA[ search engine optimization]]></tag><tag><![CDATA[ website copywriting]]></tag></tags><links xmlns:link="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /><multimedia xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /><services xmlns:service="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/"><service:content xmlns:service="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://www.technorati.com/tag/business+website+marketing"><service:title><![CDATA[business website marketing]]></service:title><type domain="http://purl.org/prx/1.0/">technorati</type></service:content><service:content xmlns:service="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://www.technorati.com/tag/business+surviving+recession"><service:title><![CDATA[business surviving recession]]></service:title><type domain="http://purl.org/prx/1.0/">technorati</type></service:content><service:content xmlns:service="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://www.technorati.com/tag/search+engine+optimization"><service:title><![CDATA[search engine optimization]]></service:title><type domain="http://purl.org/prx/1.0/">technorati</type></service:content><service:content xmlns:service="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://www.technorati.com/tag/website+copywriting"><service:title><![CDATA[website copywriting]]></service:title><type domain="http://purl.org/prx/1.0/">technorati</type></service:content><service:content xmlns:service="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://www.digg.com/submit/?phase=3&amp;url="><service:title>Digg this</service:title><type domain="http://purl.org/prx/1.0/">digg</type></service:content><service:content xmlns:service="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="http://del.icio.us/post?url="><service:title>Add to del.icio.us</service:title><type domain="http://purl.org/prx/1.0/">del.icio.us</type></service:content></services></prx>
