Wrong.

Invariably, they've registered the domain name with a service which is, well, limited. They've chosen user-friendly hosting, which means that it's not geek friendly. They have Yahoo email. They have all their content in a Word document, neatly formatted, with images precisely positioned.

The first step, in this case, is to start over.

The choice of hosting has to come after the choice of development technology. My platform of choice these days is WordPress, which means I need hosting on Linux or some other flavor of UNIX. Not Windows. I also need true FTP access for direct access to the files. Not an online file manager.

Email should be you@yourdomain.com, not yourdomain@yahoo.com. I can't 'move' that email, or work with it in any way, without costing you lots and lots of money.

Microsoft Word is not a web development tool. The beautiful formatting in your document will not transfer to the web automatically. It may transfer, partially, to WordPress, but the cleanup will take longer than starting over.

The images embedded in a Word document may very well be useless. Word is not an image management or editing tool. The images may be too small or at too low a resolution to be usable for your site. At the very least, extracting them from Word is going to cost, because it's a tedious process I don't enjoy.

This only covers web development, but the principle applies to choosing a cell phone, your next computer or printer, your internet service . . . any technology—and the people who'll be working with it on your behalf:

Step One is always, always to ask for professional advice from someone you trust.

If you're interested in even more, including audio, video, how-to articles, Q&A, and whatever else we can dream up together, sign up for CVO Source. For less than $5 a month, you'll get more business knowledge than you can possibly absorb. You might want to read more about it, but if you're ready right now, click the button below:

After payment you'll be taken to the Source where you can create a username and password. Your account will be approved promptly, and you can get started learning!

1. You have no idea what to write about
2. There's no time to blog
3. No one will read it anyway
4. You don't feel there's any ROI (return on investment)

But there are very compelling reasons to blog:

1. Search engines like blogs and prospects will be able to find what you have to offer more easily
2. Blogs allow your prospects and clients a way to converse and interact with you instantly
3. A blog is an easy, affordable way to connect with prospects and provide valuable education

An important factor often neglected is to respond to reader comments. You want to converse with your readers and that means you must reply to their comments.

What are your thoughts?

This Introductory Blog Package includes a 2-page Blogging Basics report that discusses why you should have a blog, the benefits, 3 Keys to Successful Blogging, and 5 ways to promote your blog.

The package also contains a 3-page report, Blogging: Beyond the Basics, that addresses finding the time to write, what to write about, creating quality content, and more.

The final 2-page report, Blogging: The Advanced Stage, gives you more ideas on how to get more traffic to your blog. The package also includes a questionnaire designed to help you get started with blogging.

I will be offering this package to clients (valued at $49.95). However, as a special introductory offer, I am offering it at a discounted rate for $29. If you would like to purchase this introductory blog package at this special discounted rate, please email me directly at sue@awesomeassistant.info and in the subject line type: Intro Blog Special.

Marketing
Many larger businesses hold back from spending money on marketing during difficult economic times. This creates an opportunity for smaller businesses. Since the larger companies have cut back on marketing dollars, most media outlets offer special pricing to smaller businesses in order to get the business they lost from the larger companies. So now's actually a good time to invest in marketing. While your competitors are holding back from marketing, you can take advantage of the special pricing and get your business noticed.

Since consumers are looking to save money, your marketing needs to appeal to their need for both value and quality. This is your chance to help them see why doing business with you can help them during their financial difficulties.

Blogging
Can a blog really help you grow your business? There are small business owners that know it does. A blog can be beneficial to a business. It can humanize your business, improve customer service, give your target audience valuable information they need and want, drive traffic to your website, build your credibility and establish you as an expert in your industry, promote your services and generate income.

Consumers are always surfing the internet looking for information. A blog can provide the information they are looking for. It can be used to ask and answer questions from your readers. Search engines like blogs. They give blogs exposure because they contain fresh, newsworthy content.

Be consistent by posting regularly, three times a week if possible. It will take about three to six months to get exposure and establish yourself as an expert. So persistence is key. If you don't have the time to do it all yourself, hire a virtual assistant to help you create and maintain your blog. You can also prepare a week's worth of entries at once and schedule them to be posted on specific days at specific times.

I'd love to hear your opinions. Let me know what's worked for you.

I'd like to hear from you. What questions do you have about blogging? What tips can you contribute? As I continue to gather information and your questions and replies, I'll post here to help us all become better business bloggers.