SSL stands for “Secure Sockets Layer.” Secure Sockets Layer is a protocol designed to enable applications to transmit information between each other securely. SSL is the most widely deployed security protocol used today. In today’s Internet focused world, we typically see SSL in use when a web browser needs to securely connect to a web server over the insecure Internet. For example, in the case of a browser, users are alerted to the presence of SSL when the browser displays a padlock. This is the key to the success of SSL, as the users know the site is valid and secure and it is an incredibly simple experience for end users.

How does SSL work?

SSL works by the sharing of encrypted keys, or passwords. The keys are created in pairs, one a public key and one a private key. When the keys are traded in a particular manner between two parties, this protocol assures the parties in communication they are transmitting with one another and not a hacker or phisher. It also assures the data being transmitted is not intercepted by someone else.

What happens when my web browser connects to a secure website? (SSL)

1. The browser requests that the web server identifies itself.

2. The server sends the browser a copy of its SSL cert.

3. The browser checks whether it trusts the SSL cert, and if it does it sends a message to the server.

4. The server sends back a digitally signed acknowledgement to start an SSL encryption session.

5. Encrypted data is now shared between the server and the browser.

SSL’s importance in E-commerce

When a customer visits a store they can see who they are dealing with. They can see the person and the product and make a decision on payment. When a customer visits your website they have no way of knowing who they are dealing with or who owns the ecommerce website from which they are about to buy. They are exposed to all the risks associated with sending data over the internet.

Using an SSL cert on your website enables a web browser (your customer) to communicate securely with your website and assures the customer of these three key issues:

1. That the website really is who it claims to be.

2. That credit card numbers, etc are encrypted and cannot be intercepted.

3. That the data sent and received cannot be tampered with or forged.

LetsHost.ie offer SSL certs from €89.99 + VAT per year. For more information on these GeoTrust SSL certs, please visit http://letshost.ie/hosting/packages/sslcert

However, the effectiveness of an advertising campaign is only as good as the ads.

A powerful ad is one of the most important aspects of your success. And, the secret to a successful ad is your HEADLINE. You only have a split second to grab your targets attention. Your potential customer will most likely scan the ads and only read one if it catches their attention. Write your ads with passion, excitement, and benefits.

When writing your headlines, keep in mind, you only have a few seconds to grab your potential customers’ attention. If your headline doesn’t immediately catch their attention, they’ll simply move on and never return.

Being able to advertise with Google is not at all complicated as new users should find the AdWords pay-per-click platform fairly easy to use.

Those who want to advertise with Google but are new to the world of internet marketing are often afraid of starting because they don’t exactly know what to do or what to expect.

The truth is, the Google AdWords pay-per-click advertising platform is fairly easy to use and can play a very crucial role to the success of any online business or internet marketing campaign

Placing ads on the social networking website Facebook is one of the best opportunities on the Internet for targeted advertising. Because Facebook users provide information about their age, gender, location and interests, you can target your ads directly to the demographic you want to reach.

Affiliate marketing is a form of online advertising where advertisers place campaigns with a potentially large number of small (and large) publishers, whom are only paid media fees when traffic to the advertiser is garnered, and usually upon a specific measurable campaign result (a form, a sale, a sign-up, etc.). Today, this is usually accomplished through contracting with an affiliate network.

There are 3 main types of Advertising Plan
– CPV (Cost Per Visitor) is where advertisers pay for the delivery of a Targeted Visitor to the advertisers website.
– CPV (Cost Per View) is when an advertiser pays for each unique user view of an advertisement or website (usually used with pop-ups, pop-unders and interstitial ads).
– CPC (Cost Per Click) is also known as Pay per click (PPC). Advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their listing and is redirected to their website. They do not actually pay for the listing, but only when the listing is clicked on. This system allows advertising specialists to refine searches and gain information about their market. Under the Pay per click pricing system, advertisers pay for the right to be listed under a series of target rich words that direct relevant traffic to their website, and pay only when someone clicks on their listing which links directly to their website. CPC differs from CPV in that each click is paid for regardless of whether the user makes it to the target site.

What are the advantages to having a sitemap?
Well, in addition to making it easier for your visitors to navigate their way around your site, sitemaps also make it easier for search engine spiders to crawl your site. This can improve your site’s search engine optimization by making sure that all the pages can be found. This will increase your search engine visibility, as well as your traffic.

And since most search engines will only follow a finite number of links from a page, having a sitemap ensures that search engines and visitors alike can access all the content on your site.

Do you need a sitemap?
Well, it depends on your site. If your site only has one or two pages and hardly any content, then no. You don’t need a sitemap.

However, if your site has multiple pages and lots of content, it definitely won’t hurt to install a sitemap on your site. Here’s a good rule of thumb: Once you get to the point where you are no longer able to include all the links to your pages on your home page, then you need a sitemap.

After all, anything that will help your visitors as well as the search engines navigate your site is a good thing.

Great, Now I want to build a sitemap for my site
Ok you can use the following link to find the best sitemap creator for your site;

http://code.google.com/p/sitemap-generators/wiki/SitemapGenerators

A recent survey of shoppers across Illinois, Kansas, North Carolina and Ohio by CrossView revealed that almost 4 in 10 of them would elect to receive promotional information via e-mail.

E-mail turned out to be the most popular promotional communications channel amongst US consumers, followed by direct mail (23%), Text Messaging (18%), in store advertising (11%), social media (9%) with newspaper, TV and other traditional channels bringing up the rear with a total of just 3% between them.

Those are pretty telling statistics, and suggest strongly that investing in building a solid opt-in e-mail list and delivering compelling e-mail marketing on a regular basis is still a fantastic way for businesses to connect with consumers.

E-Mail Marketing tools for small businesses

When you’re just starting out it seems easy enough to manage your promotional e-mail using your desktop e-mail client, but that soon gets unwieldy. It’s also difficult to manage industry best practice and comply with anti—spam requirements like double-opt-in and unsubscribe requests.

To market effectively using e-mail you’re going to need dedicated e-mail marketing tools.

Do it yourself e-mail marketing tools

If you’re a LetsHost Complete hosting customer, you already have access to a great free e-mail list manager in your Fantastico script library. Just log in to your control panel, scroll down to Fantastico and look for PHP List.

You can install PHP List on your server for free, and use it to manage all of your e-mail lists and campaigns. Installation and setup is reasonably straightforward, but is a bit more involved than the hosted tools listed below.

You’ll find a detailed article on setting up and configuring PHP List on the webreference.com site.

Hosted e-mail marketing services

These are a great option for small businesses, because all of the technical stuff is taken care of for you. You simply create your account, fill in your details, and start managing your e-mail marketing campaigns.

E-mail services typically offer a free or very low cost trial, so you can try before you buy, and then charge an ongoing annual or monthly fee depending on the volume of e-mail you send in any given month.

Here are a few popular e-mail services you can try to help connect you with your existing customers and give your sales a boost:

Benchmark E-mail: an affordable, feature rich and easy-to-use  system that lets you start small and grows seamlessly with your business. Benchmark offers a free 30 day trial.

AWeber: the e-mail marketing and sequential auto-responder service of choice among many A-List internet marketers, AWeber has everything you need to seamlessly manage multiple e-mail marketing campaigns for your small business. You can sign up for an AWeber account for just $1.

NewsWeaver: Irish e-mail marketing services company NewsWeaver offers another very popular solution focussed on the distribution of high-quality e-mail newsletters, but with all the features necessary for managing comprehensive e-mail marketing campaigns. Newsweaver offers a 30 day free trial.

There are many other services out there, and most of them offer a “try before you buy” free trial.

So give e-mail marketing a whirl, it could be just the thing to boost your small business’s online sales.

Image via Wikipedia

Facebook, twitter, blogs, reviews, forums, online video… the web’s gone all social and interactive.

Amongst the legions of fans, followers and friends on social media sites across the web you’ll find your customers.

Do you know where they are, and what they’re saying about your industry, your business, your brand?

Connecting with people through social media can be a great way for your small business to add value and engage in positive, mutually beneficial dialogue with your customers.

From offering insight into consumers’ wants and needs, to pro-active product support to finding new business and referrals, social media channels have a lot of potential for smaller Irish businesses who choose to engage.

Here are just a few of the reasons we think it makes sense to explore the potential of social media for your business:

• With or without you: social media doesn’t go away when you ignore it. People are talking. The conversation is happening, whether you choose to get involved or not. Far better to be an influential player in the game than a spectator on the sidelines.
• Go where your customers are: instead of waiting for your customers to find you on your website, social media gives you a great opportunity to pro-actively take your brand to them where they choose to “hang out” online.
• Your finger on the pulse of your market: ever wondered how you could tweak your product or service offering to deliver more of what your customers really need? Social media lets you tap in to the collective wisdom of the crowd without costly market research and focus groups.
• Build reputation, authority and influence: by pro-actively answering people’s questions, solving problems and offering real value online you can quickly establish a positive perception of your brand in your field of expertise. The next time people need your product or service, guess who they’re going to think of first.
• A bit of personality goes a long way: people do business with people first. Social media gives you a great opportunity to let your customers get to know the personality behind the brand.

Image via Wikipedia

When it comes to making the most of your great value LetsHost Irish hosting and domain registration, crafting a quality website comes pretty high on the list.

No matter what your online project, getting your website right is a crucial element in its success. You need too find a great web designer to work on your website project. But where do you start?

Here are a few suggestions.

• Check out their website: the best place to start when assessing any web design company is with their own website. Does it look professional? Is it functional? How well does the site address the needs of its target audience (in this case, that’s you)?
• Check out their web design portfolio: examine the portfolio section of their website, but go beyond the designer’s site and click through to the websites themselves. Think about the client site’s goals, and how well the designer has addressed them.

That should help you whittle things down to a manageable shortlist… now dig a bit deeper.

• Get recommendations: check the contact details on the best of the portfolio sites for your shortlisted web designers. Drop them a line by e-mail or pick up the phone and ask for some honest feedback on their web design experience.
• How is their online reputation?: web forums, online communities and peer review sites are another good place to find information about your short listed web design firms. Is the online vibe positive or negative? What are people saying about them?
• Are their sites search engine friendly?: go back to the portfolio sites of your short-listed designers again. Pick a few relevant keyword phrases and type them into your favourite search engine. Do the portfolio sites appear on the search results page?
  • NB. Low ranking doesn’t necessarily indicate a problem with web design – there are many components that contribute to search engine ranking – but it’s something you should ask them to clarify before making your decision.
• Does your web designer adhere to web standards: go to the W3Cs website validation page and enter the address of your short listed web designers’ sites through the MarkUp Validator, Link Checker and CSS Validator. Are the sites web standards compliant?
  • NB. You shouldn’t necessarily discount your favourite designers because of this – but it is something else you should ask them about before making your final decision.

If you’ve run through the above you should have eliminated all but a few competent and professional web design companies you’d like to quote / tender on your website project.

The final decision is, of course, up to you.

Image via Wikipedia

Social Media has been the darling of the digirati, online early adopters and web2.0 advocates for a while now, but 2009 was the year when explosive growth took social media into the mainstream.

Research by Nielson group for the year to May 2009 revealed the following statistics:

• An 82% increase in the total time spent on social networks and blogs in the year to May 2009.
• A 62% increase in the average time per web user spent on social networks and blogs in the year to May 2009
• Traffic on Twitter, the “poster-boy” of Social Media in 2009, grew by a staggering 1,448%

What does the rise of social media mean for you, your brand and your website?

If your peers, your customers and your prospects aren’t already using social media, chances are good that they soon will be. Getting involved in the same online social circles offers you the opportunity to engage in a meaningful dialogue with them.

There’s a global conversation going on, through blogs, social networks, forums, “micro-blogging” platforms and other social media platforms. Here are just a few ways you can harness the power of social media to benefit the online presence of your brand:

• Get and give help and advice: learn what peers and thought leaders in your industry are talking about, and gain insight that can help you in your business, and help others in return.
• Build a community around your brand: people like to feel a connection with the products and services they use, and to interact with the human beings behind the logo.
• Monitor, respond and influence: there’s a conversation going on out there, with or without you. Far better to engage and foster a positive perception of your brand from the outset than to sit on the sidelines.
• Foster ongoing, mutually beneficial relationships: it’s far easier and more profitable to retain existing customers than it is to chase new ones… social media tools can help you to build stronger relationships with a much wider network of people.
• Word of mouth: good news travels fast online… social media offers a wonderful opportunity for people to spread the love about your brand.

Exactly what opportunities social media can offer you depends very much on your business, where your customers congregate online and what you want to get out of it. The best way to find out is to dive in and start exploring… to get started why not try following @LetsHost on Twitter, or post a comment on this blog post?

We’re looking forward to hearing more from you and your business online!