Price versus services offered impacts a whole lot more than how much money a business makes.

By January, 2009, the recession was in full force and everybody was nervous about the economy. I lost my two biggest contracts that month, dropping my annual bottom line thousands of dollars. Every single client I spoke with voiced similar concerns: the viability of their own business, colleagues they knew who were struggling or going under, and cutting costs.

I was worried for my business as well as theirs. Even after years of web consulting and hosting, this was new territory. Economic blips had never hurt my business before. Often, they actually helped, as folks accurately saw the web as a cost-effective way to get their message out. This time was different. So I looked for answers.

I wanted to help my clients out during this tough time as well as remain competitive and keep my own business healthy. I started researching. Comparing my services to the “big guys” even though I’m not, I looked for clues to their success. There were commonalities among the major players–most notable was unlimited hosting plans and super low prices.

Unlimited plans are well known to sell better although in actuality, they simply aren’t real. You’re selling an promise you can’t keep. Servers have physical limitations, so unlimited plans are only possible via overselling. Most people don’t use all their resources and the few that might approach server limitations hit the processing resources too hard long before they can max out storage or bandwidth. Every host on the planet will have a clause in their Terms of Service saying if  usage interferes with the function of the server, you’re shut down. That’s the loophole required to make unlimited plans possible.

I was loathe to use the same approach, but business is business and hosting is highly competitive. If you’re not selling what people are buying, you’re a sad web host indeed. So against my better judgment, I started selling unlimited plans, albeit with an explanation to my customers of what it really meant. Because I’d rather lose my business than lose my sense of integrity.

Super low prices were a harder target. I don’t get bulk discounts because I don’t maintain thousands of servers. I provide support personally, not outsourcing to low-cost international subcontractors. Hence, my costs are much higher per client, so I couldn’t go as low as the big guys, but I lowered my prices to somewhere in the ballpark nonetheless. I had other financial resources to subsidize the drop in revenue while I worked on growing under the new paradigm.

Focus on Service?

What I didn’t change was my business philosophy. When a client asked a question, I answered it, even if it wasn’t “my job” as their web host. I answered questions personally, not with a automated response suggesting to “Search the Knowledgebase.” When I didn’t know the answer, I’d often research and at least try to get folks pointed in the right direction. In short, I tried to serve.

In fact, I continued to provide same advice, guidance and coaching I always had, often without billing for my time. I have always believed in being generous would pay off and to that point, it had. I was proud of my long-term business relationships, believing it largely because of generosity with my expertise.

But with the lower prices, it ceased to be that simple. Instead of folks appreciating an exceptional value, I was getting asked to justify prices in a way I’d never seen before. It took me a while to understand, but eventually I could see:  the commonalities encouraged some to see what I offered as a commodity, comparable to budget hosting plans instead of a professional service provided by a valued and trusted partner.

This switch shocked me, because sometimes demands were inversely proportional to the service provided. The folks quickest to whip out competitors’ rates were the same I’d spent the most (off-the-clock) time providing help and information. The ones I had given cost breaks to were the same who said they couldn’t recommend me unless I paid affiliate fees large enough I’d make less than cost on new accounts. For the first time sine I went into business, I didn’t always feel like I was on the same side as my clients. I knew something was wrong.

It’s almost two years later, and I no longer have the same income structure in place that subsidized this approach. Unlimited plans cost more to provide. Costs have gone up while expectations seems to have risen. This business model isn’t viable.

The lesson lurking? People often judge value according to how much they pay. Counter-intuitively, those that pay the least for what they receive also seem to expect the most. I lost sight of this fact for a minute. I’ve known for a long time that folks who have price as their primary consideration are not a good fit for me. Those who value exceptional service (and are willing to pay fairly for it), are a much better match. So that’s the group I want to partner with!

I will continue to do the best I know how for the people I work with, because that’s the only kind of business I want to run. I will do my best to make sure people I work with get good value for what they spend.  But rates must remain consistent with the level of service provided. Anything less is not sustainable.

Courtesy Good Karma Host

My Biggest Business Mistake (Maybe You Can Avoid it)

To be honest, I get a little nervous when someone asks me how to make sure their site ranks well in search engines. It’s not because I don’t know anything about Search Engine Optimization (SEO)–it’s because I know enough to know how much I don’t know! I won’t promise results I can’t be sure of delivering. That being said, there are some simple things anybody can do to help their site rank better.

Search engines carefully guard and constantly tweak their processes to stay one step ahead of people trying to game the system. That’s a great goal, but makes it harder for regular folks to make sure they get their content seen.  But by developing a few good habits, you can get significant improvements in your search engine rankings without an huge time commitment.

Solid SEO is Not Magic

Content for SEO

The first thing you’ll always here regarding ranking well is “content is king.” Kinda trite, but a lot of truth there. Original, focused, keyword-rich niche content that is frequently updated will do best in search engines. The better your content is, the more sites will link to your site, and the more often it will be visited when it does come up in  a search, all of which helps get you higher in search results. Get in the habit of providing original, high-quality content regularly.

You also have to tell the search engines about your content. One of the easiest ways is setting up an XML sitemap and submitting it to Google and other search engines you want to court. If you’re running WordPress or a similar content management system, there may be plugins you can add to do this automatically. Get in the habit of notifying search engines when you update your site.

Structure for SEO

Using clean, standards-compliant code without errors will help your search engine visibility. Search engines crawlers are not as forgiving about coding problems as a visitor’s browser will be. Get in the habit of making sure your site has clean code (or hire someone if you don’t know how).

Likewise, don’t think of headlines in your code as simply a visual detail to change text size. Search engines look at document structure and consider the weight of a headline tag vs. boldfaced copy. Now, if you turn everything into headlines, the search engines will catch on. But breaking down your content into managable sections, with appropriately structures headline tags, will help both the search engines and your readers. Get in the habit of using keywords in your headlines, reflecting the structure of your document in the HTML code.

Also, don’t forget what you can’t see! Hidden content in your pages, called “meta tags” commonly include keywords and page description; these tags also play an important role for some search engines. Your description may be used to represent the page’s content in the search engine results. Get in the habit of adding unique, keyword-rich meta tags to every page.

Copy for SEO

It goes without saying your content should contain the keywords you’d like to rank for. One of the most important is your page name. Get in the habit of  including keywords in your page titles.

And headlines are especially important. But in addition to headlines, certain other copy also gets extra weight from search engines. Bold or italicized text gets extra attention.Get in the habit of using bold or italics to emphasize keywords in text.

Link text matters for SEO. Just like headlines and bold text, linked text is treated as more important. So instead of linking “Click Here”, consider linking the text “Get a Blue Widget” instead. Get in the habit of using keywords in linked text.

Naming matters for SEO.   The name of images, link titles, and image alt attribute all provide test that search engines read, even if your visitors don’t. Get in the habit of specifying alt text and link titles for all of your images and links.

And while you’re uploading images, pay attention to those names! Search engines read file names, too. Get in the habit of naming your images with keywords.

Summary of Habits to Improve Your Search Engine Ranking

See, that’s not so bad, huh? Here’s a quick recap of good search engine habits:

1. Get in the habit of providing original, high-quality content regularly.
2. Get in the habit of notifying search engines when you update your site.
3. Get in the habit of using clean code.
4. Get in the habit of using keywords in your headlines, reflecting the structure of your document in the HTML code.
5. Get in the habit of adding unique, keyword-rich meta tags to every page.
6. Get in the habit of  including keywords in your page titles.
7. Get in the habit of using bold or italics to emphasize keywords in text.
8. Get in the habit of using keywords in linked text.
9. Get in the habit of specifying alt text and link titles for all of your images and links.
10. Get in the habit of naming your images with keywords.

If you follow these simple tips, you’ll get more visitors over time though improved positioning in search results. If you carefully craft your keywords, they’ll be the folks you want to reach. Good luck!

Courtesy Good Karma Host

10 Simple Habits for Search Engine Love

Running a hosting business, I frequently chat with folks making the decision on where to host their sites. Other times, people are evaluating existing services and expenditures, wanting to make sure they are getting the best value for their hosting investment. This makes good sense. But almost without fail, people evaluate potential hosting companies using the WORST measure possible–one that practically guarantees they’ll end up disappointed.

Want to cut to the chase? Go to Choosing Hosting Service by Price Alone? or How DO You Pick a Good Hosting Company? If you’re considering hosting with GKH, you may be interested in What to Expect with Good Karma Host.

Because the number of web hosting services is absolutely overwhelming and grows daily–anybody with an internet connection and $10 for a domain name can start a “web hosting business”–people naturally look for points of differentiation. Feature-packed, unlimited hosting plans are ubiquitous now, so comparing your needs against storage space, bandwidth, and email allotments doesn’t work like it did a few years ago. [1] Long lists of features are confusing, and often meaningless to a client without a strong technical background. So what’s left?

Choosing Hosting Services by Price Alone?

People try to purchase hosting as if it’s a commodity. It’s not, done well. Hosting done right is a service business. What does this mean for you? Remember, you’re not just buying the most webspace or bandwidth for your buck. You’re buying the service. The quality of service will make or break your hosting experience. Buying service is an entirely different purchase than buying a commodity.

Selecting a host by the smallest price tag may work out okay…initially. Most commercial hosting companies provide all the technical capabilities required to run a modern website. But to get the lowest price, you may have to sign a long-term agreement. You may have to put up with an unfamiliar, difficult-to-use control panel. You may not have ready access to capable, attentive support personnel. You may have long waits on requests for help, and when your requests are finally answered, you may find that some or all of your questions are not considered to be within their realm of host’s responsibility, at least by the host. And that “free domain name” that comes with your hosting–are you sure it’s really yours? Are you listed at the registrant? Will you even have access to manage it if you ever cancel your hosting plan? ( I’ve seen some of the biggest names in the business commandeer those “free domain names” when a client cancels hosting.)

I’m not criticizing people who approach the search for hosting by price, because that’s exactly how I started. Before I began my own hosting company, I selected and managed reseller hosting services for my web design clients. What I learned–the hard way, I might add–is that there is a lot more to the host selection equation than price.

I learned the budget hosting plans I choose weren’t such a great bargain after all. There are costs involved in serving websites, so to provide ultra-low prices, corners must be cut. When I had concerns, I often couldn’t get help quickly or sometimes at all. Sluggish sites and downtime [2] is commonplace when servers are overloaded. Proprietary control panels were frustrating and buggy–and geared to make it easy to buy new services, but difficult or impossible to manage or cancel them. Often, I knew as much or more about the technical end than the (probably underpaid) support personnel I eventually spoke with. And if one of the sites required a non-standard configuration option? Forget it! In short, with most budget hosting, you’re on your own…

If you have a basic, low-traffic, non-critical website, are already technically skilled, not at risk of losing income or credibility with site downtime, and need nothing out of the ordinary, you may do fine on the $2.99/month plan at El Cheapo Budget Webhost. If that works for you, more power to you! It could be a great choice for you, provided that’s the level of service you need and want.

On the other hand, if you require consistently reliable hosting, high-quality and accessible support, and sometimes, advice on matters that may not be directly related to your hosting account, you can (and should) expect to pay more. Expecting to pay more for premium service goes beyond mere fairness; it’s vital if  your selected hosting company is to both provide exceptional service levels and remain profitable, thereby securing their ability to serve you into the future.

So How DO You Pick a Good Hosting Company?

• Super-low prices should be considered a red flag. Understand quality service simply costs more to provide.
• Pay attention to hosting reviews and testimonials. [3]
• Look for recommendations from technical folks you trust, or colleagues who are happy with their hosting. Pay most attention to those who have long-term experience with their host.
  
• Take advantage of guarantees and trial offers. A trustworthy company will stand behind the services they provide.
• Pay attention to a company’s approach to customer service. Can you easily find contact information? Can you determine their customer service philosophy? These are good clues as to how you’ll be treated as a customer.
• If you find a hosting company that treats you right, stay loyal! And be sure to tell others. As your hosting company grows, they’ll be able to offer you more services and options.

What to Expect with Good Karma Host

I guess it all boils down to what you value. I still work with many clients from my web design days, and I’ll tell you something: I end up doing as much hosting support for people using budget hosting as for my own hosting clients! In fact, a significant number call me first when they have a problem with their outside hosting service–or any other web tech questions, for that matter–because they know I’ll do my best to help guide them into wise choices, respond promptly, and explain options thoroughly, in understandable terms. I am very service oriented. They know from experience working with me that I do my absolute best to be helpful. (If this is your priority, GKH is a great choice;  we’d be delighted to have you join the ranks of Good Karma Hosts.)

If price is your primary consideration in hosting, GKH isn’t the best choice. I’d like to believe a strong customer service orientation is easily identified and widely valued, but  know that’s not always the case.  Sometimes, the same folks I’ve the spent the most (off-the-clock) hours helping send price lists and links to budget hosting, expecting me to match bargain-basement prices or justify the difference. It’s beyond disheartening, to be honest. But the simple truth is that that “extra mile mindset” that means so much to me won’t necessarily hold the same value to everyone. It’s a question of priorities.

So here’s the deal–please don’t expect me to help evaluate competing hosting services. It’s impossible for me to be honestly objective with this question, since I take pride in the service I provide and have vested interest in maintaining my business. I will not provide critiques of competing hosting services, whether I’ve had experience with them or not–I’d prefer focusing on what GKH can offer rather than criticizing competitors. Much better karma.

If you don’t feel like the service level from Good Karma Host is a good value for you, if our strengths don’t suit your needs and priorities, fair enough! No single company is the right choice for everyone. I want to work with folks who are looking for what I’m best at delivering! Exactly what you’re looking for, however, only you can decide. Whatever hosting service you choose, I sincerely wish you well. Because that’s what being a Good Karma Host is all about.

Peace Out.

Dixie Vogel
Founder, Good Karma Host LLC

Courtesy Good Karma Host

The Biggest Mistake in Choosing a Web Host (& How to Avoid it)

1. I initially resisted the push to offer unlimited hosting plans, because there is NO such thing as truly unlimited hosting. Websites are served from computers that have inherent physical limitations for storage space, bandwidth, and CPU power. Eventually, I gave in; customers want and expect unlimited plans.  Many will not buy anything else, and I am in business, after all. Hosts get around the laws of physics with mentions about CPU usage limitations in your agreement; a site is pretty much guaranteed to top out CPU cycles before you hit any other kind of limit. Shared hosting clients usually have no way of monitoring their individual CPU usage.
2. Another hosting fact: Uptime guarantees don’t protect from downtime; every computer sometimes goes down. But hosts offer them because they are expected. At best, you can get a refund for the current month if your site is down long enough to trigger the agreement, if the host can document it with their own records, and if you go through the request procedure. Most people don’t.
3. Beware the phony “hosting review sites” that have nothing but glowing reviews–most are nothing more than a bunch of affiliate links, where the webmaster gets a payout when you buy from any link.

“Serendipity led me to Dixie (a real cool chick) and when I walked through her (business) door, I immediately knew I’d found what I was looking for.  ‘Web Hosting with Free Warm Fuzzies!’ is what Dixie promises, and boy does she deliver! Over the past year, I have been in the process of designing, developing and launching a number of web sites, and Dixie has been there for me every inch of the way, throwing me a rope when I got myself snagged and tangled in mosquito infested jungles. (Yes, sometimes I bite off more than I can chew! But Dixie always has my back!) Dixie is also all about making the world a better place and ‘doing something good for someone today,’ and again — Dixie walks her talk! If you need a hit of  ‘feel good vibes,’ go poke around her site, like a tourist or a quester. It’s better than Paris, better than Nepal. Oh, and if you end up doing business with her, know that you will get the promptest, most attentive, most thorough (and friendly) service I’ve (n)ever encountered anywhere else!”

–via LinkedIn, Lise Heroux, Information Developer at IBM

Courtesy Good Karma Host

Dixie Always Has My Back

When people ask me about setting up a content management system (CMS), they almost never think of WordPress. Even if they have used WP, like it, and are running several sites on WP, they still don’t think about using WordPress unless they are setting up a blog.

Please be aware we’re talking about self-hosted WordPress as a CMS, and not the free blog setup available at WordPress.com. The blogs at WordPress.com have less functionality and far less flexibility than a WP installation set up on a commercial web host, and would probably not make much of a content management system.

And while WP is the defacto standard for blogs, truth is that it can do a whole lot more. Fact is, you can have a WP site with all static pages. No blog required! With a little planning and the right choice of theme and plugins WP makes a fantastic, lightweight CMS that nobody will be able to recognize as WP (if you don’t want them to).  [1]

WordPress is widely used and supported with a huge community behind it. There are countless tutorials, plugins, themes and other resources for bending WP to your will. It’s easy to learn, easy to use, and flexible. Non-technical folks can easily create content in WP, and even the technical ones spend their energy focusing on the content–at least, when they’re done tweaking the site to their satisfaction.

When to use WP as your CMS

• Are your needs simple? Can you find a few plugins that fill the bill for all required functionality?
• Do you have experience with WP? Do you like it?
• Do you need non-technical people to update the site?

When Not to use WP as your CMS

• Would required functionality require hacking core files?
• Does your site have to interface with other systems in a way that would be difficult for WP? Bridges and forks can work, but will complicate your life in maintaining.
• Would the required functionality necessitate a large number of plugins? Or use plugins in non-supported ways?

Each CMS has it’s strong points and weak points. If you have straightforward needs, can find actively-supported  plugins that do what you need without a lot of trouble, and are already comfortable in WP, it’s a great choice. There’s no law your WP site has to have anything in common with a blog! Chances are a number of your favorite sites are actually running on WP, but you just don’t know it.

If you find that you’d have to do backflips to force WP to do your bidding, would have to hack core files, or would need to juggle a staggering number of plugins playing together nicely to pull it off, another CMS that’s more closely suited to your site’s needs would be a better choice. If WP is the round peg and you’ve got a square hole, look for a square peg.

The trick here is looking beyond what you think WP is about–blogging–to understand that you can design and organize your site content however you want. Forget the blog: ask if what WordPress can do well is well-suited to your requirements.

Courtesy Good Karma Host

WordPress as a CMS

1. See this terrific list of WP plugins especially useful to CMS-WordPresss users.

Need better business ideas? How to Brainstorm Business Ideas over at the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur has you covered with brief suggestions from over a hundred real-life entrepreneurs in what works best for them to brainstorm brilliance.

This is my contribution, listed #47. It works for me!

Opening The Natural Connection

I absolutely do my most insightful brainstorming when connecting to the natural world in some way.

If the weather allows, sitting beneath a tree, standing barefoot in the grass, potting a plant, or even gazing out the window, turning a crystal in my hand. Focusing on connection to the larger world energy and feeling grateful prompts a receptiveness and positive focus, where inspiration flows much more freely.

Courtesy Good Karma Host

Business Brainstorming Ideas

Many folks currently finding themselves without traditional employment are reconsidering ideas for their own business. The biggest barrier by far doesn’t seem to be lack of enthusiasm, the economy, poor ideas or anything related to the sustainability of their business model. Instead, it’s fear that stops them.

This article on the Business Worst Case Scenarios from the Toilet Paper Entrepreneur looks at business owners’ fears–and how they overcame them. It’s a must-read for anyone considering (but fearful of) starting their own business, as well as a good read for those that already are running their own business.

Dixie from Good Karma Host contributed #39 to the list. Check it out…

photo credit: MarcelGermain

Courtesy Good Karma Host

Scared of Starting Your Own Business?

“I had a question,” Mom says. I know what that means–it’s tech support for Mom time!

“Yeah?”

“Do you think I could type something on the internet to see if hotels in certain cities are pet-friendly?”

“Well, that’s what I’d probably do if I wanted to know that, yeah.”

“What would I type? ‘Pet-friendly hotels’ and the city?”

“Yeah, that’s what I’d try.” Mmmm hmmm.

“Well, I wasn’t sure if that would work.”

“I dunno, Mom. I haven’t tried that specific search. But the internet has lots of information, and lots of hotels are online. There’s a good chance you’ll be able to find some that way.”

“Where do I type it?” she wants to know.

“Whatever search engine you use. Do you use Google?”

“I don’t know. I type stuff in. Sometimes I get the Google, sometimes I get the Yahoo. I have that little e thing I  use…”

“Yeah, that’s Internet Explorer, Mom. That’s your browser. I don’t know what start page you have set.”

“How do I get that Google?” she wants to know.

“You type ‘google.com’ in the top. Of your E-thing. It takes you to the Google.”

“Ok, I’ll try that.”

She’s happy. And why not? Now, she’s got the Google!

Courtesy Good Karma Host

Tech Support for Mom: Getting the Google

Mom’s having trouble with her computer.

“And it came up with that thing, ‘Do you want to report this error to Mircosoft?’ and I said, ‘Yes.’ I’ve reported it to Microsoft several times, but they’ve never done anything about it.” She’s clearly displeased over the company’s inattentiveness.

“They won’t, Mom. Microsoft won’t do anything to help you. They just want to know about things for themselves.”

“Oh. So they won’t help me, huh? They will just fix it for other people later?”

“Yeah. They aren’t going to do diddley for you, Mom.”

“Well, I’m not going to bother telling them again!” She’s offended.

“No reason, Mom. No reason.” I explained cutting and pasting, so she could copy the error messages to send to me. I’m certainly going to be more helpful than Bill Gates! I wouldn’t have much faith she’d remember how to do it, but I think she was writing it down.

She apologized for the computer questions. I told her it was no problem.

“After all, Mom, I owe you. You did give birth to me and everything. What’s a couple of computer questions next to giving me life? I’m happy to help when I can.” [1]

Courtesy Good Karma Host

Tech Support with Mom: Microsoft Won’t Help You.

1. Who would have guessed that chubby, squirming little girl would grow up to answer her Mom’s computer questions?

I contributed #17 to this blog post on locating a good accountant over at The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur blog.  I was evidently in good company starting with my professional network in selecting new folks to do business with, although there were some dissenting opinions  to consider as well. But for anyone in the market, there are sure to be some helpful ideas here.

And if you don’t follow Mike Michalowicz’s hugely helpful TPE blog, why not? You’re missing out, seriously. Mike’s got a been-there-done-that perspective on building successful business–and more importantly, sharing his insight with others–that makes his work invaluable to those looking to prosper and grow their business in any climate.

photo credit: alancleaver_2000

Courtesy Good Karma Host

Finding A Good Accountant? Lots of Tips!