SiteSell: The Blog

What Is Site Build It!? Tools.sitesell.com Has the Complete Answer

There are tons of sitebuilder/hosting combinations out there. But many people just don't seem to get that it's not about putting a site or a blog up. You want your site to stand out and build traffic and income. And that's exactly what Site Build It! sites do extremely well.

Site Build It! (SBI!) is so much more than Web hosting, or site building, or blogging, or online marketing tools.  We usually summarize our system with this single sentence on our sites...

"SBI! is the only, all-in-one, site-brainstorming-and-building-and-hosting-and-marketing, step-by-step system of software tools that delivers thriving, profitable business... and more."

Quite a mouthful, indeed!  But that's what it is.  It still amazes me that no other company has figured out that people need a clear process and all the tools required to execute. Even the new "fast way to fail," blogging, merely gives you the software, the hosting and a "good luck" wish.

What sets SBI! apart is its comprehensive (everything you need) and integrated ("under the same roof") suite of tools.  The tools all work together effortlessly.

During a recent site-wide analysis, we realized that our existing "Tools" page had become a bit long in the tooth.  But what really struck me is that we had not clearly explained that SBI! is sooooooooooooo much more than "just another sitebuilder."  So...

If we were going to go beyond a mere "feature list," why not also convert the content into a landing page (tools.sitesell.com) for our 5 Pillar Affiliates to get this critical point across during their PREselling efforts?

After all, some prospective SBI! customers, as they move through the PREselling Cycle, need reassurance that the 5 Pillar Affiliate's recommendation is the right choice.  The new "Tools" page now goes way beyond merely answering the question"What do you get when you purchase SBI!?" This easy-to-understand page...

1) Compels the visitor to click on each section...

• The Preparation Process
• Building and Hosting
• Traffic Building
• Trust Building
• Monetization
• Guidance and Support

... and "get involved" with the Content Traffic PREsell Monetize process.  It makes a strong case that nothing else comes close to this degree of total real focus and the execution of success.

2) Points out the many new additions to SBI!, underlining ongoing efforts to meet customers' needs and stay on the cutting edge of the Net. All for no extra charge.

3) Illustrates that "over-delivery" is a way of life at SiteSell.

4) Invites feature-by-feature comparison with...

a) old-fashioned (conventional) small business Web hosting

OR...

b) conventional blogging.  (SBI! sites are really like super-blogs thanks to Blog It! and Content 2.0.)

Tools.sitesell.com answers almost every potential question about SBI!'s features.  And for situation-specific ones, our SBI! Advisors are standing by, ready to provide additional information.

I'm not sure why it took us so long to release tools.sitesell.com as a landing page.  Our 5 Pillar Affiliates couldn't ask for a better credibility-builder and closer.

What's The Point For Your Business??

As your prospects move through the PREselling Cycle from "awareness" to "interest" to "ready-to-go," they often reach a point where they need some product details to move forward.  They may even be considering other offerings and want to compare features.

This is the critical "we could lose them" stage.  A comprehensive well-written overview of your product's features will lead your prospective customers safely to your order form (or respond to whatever "call for action" you have on your site) and remove the possibility of them wandering off to a competitor's site.

Are you presenting the features of your product (or service) in the most thought-provoking, credibility-building, and action-motivating way possible?

What We Learned From Early Use of blogorbuild.sitesell.com by Affiliates

SiteSell Insider

We recently launched http://blogorbuild.sitesell.com. It explains to most small-business people why they should start a Web presence (or re-start it) with a Theme-Based Content Site, NOT with a blog. The long-term monetization potential available to someone who uses the Content Traffic PREsell Monetize process to build a Theme-Based Content Site is just so much greater.

Through this landing page, we are trying to engage people in serious conversation, to cause them to reconsider blogging and its role. If blogging fits your business model, include it as a relationship-builder.  We're not "against" blogging. Not at all. It can be superb... in its place.  And its place is not as the primary Web presence, not for most small businesses.

Naturally, the message (build vs. blog) is not only true, but it has a very definite marketing purpose. In the same way, we view ourselves as competing against Web hosts even though they don't deliver a product anywhere near SBI!. We compete against blogs since many prospective customers consider blogging as a potential way to start a small business online.

For most, it's the wrong way. Our job is to convince them that SBI! is the right way. And to do that, we give our 5 Pillar affiliates the tools (in this case, blogorbuild.sitesell.com) to get the message out to them.

Since the launch of the landing page, I've been tracking how our affiliates have been using it to PREsell SBI! to people who are right for SBI!. I want to be sure that my message is clear and balanced as I point out the known weaknesses of blogging.

Here's what I've learned so far...

1) My original version was perceived by some respondents as an attack on blogging. Now, some people are over-sensitive and you have to decide if that was the case or if the message was too strong. After I reviewed the opening headline...

Blog or Build?
You COULD Do BOTH With Site Build It!.
But For Most Small Business People...

"Full-Blogging" Is an All-Too-Common,
Important and Time-Sapping Strategic Error

... I decided that it read as a bit too strong. So now it's...

Blog or Build?
You COULD Do BOTH With Site Build It!.
But Your Time Is Limited. So...

For Most Small Business People...
"Full-Blogging" Is the Wrong Choice To Build a Business

This is cleaner and more direct, and certainly more accurately reflects what the page is all about. The core message is...

"Blogging has its places, but it's not as the primary online business presence."

2) One of our affiliates made a point in her blog about blogorbuild.sitesell.com. She discussed using a Web site and a blog. So I added a new paragraph, the second one after the "When Should You Blog?" headline near the top of the page.

And in that section, we fine-tuned the first four paragraphs to be clearer.

3) Reaction by Andy Beard's readers (and in a couple of other blogs) convinced me that the rest of the messaging about "bloggers blogging about blogging" and the weaknesses of blogging was not only on target, but causing them to really think about it all. So by the fifth paragraph (starts with "Most only realize the error..."), no changes were needed to that material.

4) One other change, and this was due to an interpretation we noticed a few times, was how people referred to our quote directly from the Google Analytics 101 course...

http://blogorbuild.sitesell.com/#ANALYTICS101

People quoted it, thinking that we were making the claim that...

"Blogs usually have high Bounce Rates no matter what since normal visitor behavior is to read the newest post and then leave."

I guess we could have done more than merely reference Google. We could have linked to the actual article...

http://adwords.blogspot.com/2008/04/google-analytics-101-part-3.html

But I really hate to break the reader's train of thought.

So I improved the message, hopefully, to make it clear that this is Google stating this fact, not us making an unsubstantiated claim.

If you think about it, it makes sense. It's how I read blogs, unless they are like Steve Pavlina's, which is really a Theme-Based Content Site.

But when we have an authority like Google stating it, we would like readers to remember it was their (Google's) data and not our own opinion.

What have I learned so far about our latest affiliate landing page? It's early days yet, but overall, my post-launch copy tweaks got us closer to the "just right" message.

The blogorbuild content has people THINKING about blogging, how it fits in, where it belongs and when. They can now make informed decisions about their online businesses, rather than fall for all the buzz and white noise about blogging. That's our main goal and it's happening.

What's The Point For Your Business??

Studying the response of a new Web page or an e-zine issue helps you to fine tune your message to just the right level of understanding and credibility.

Are there any confusing points or assumptions or built-in biases affecting the clarity of your communications? Tracking visitor/customer reaction to your content (in their blogs, e-zine articles, forums, etc.) can pinpoint where key tweaks are required.

How and where can you get visitor/customer feedback about your content so that you can fine-tune it until the right message is being "conveyed and weighed" properly by your target audience?

Case Study Additions: Persistence Pushes You Ahead

SiteSell Insider

As you may know, SBI! Case Studies are not mere "testimonials." They are ongoing, evergrowing, real-time stories of real people using SBI!.

Our two latest case studies demonstrate how persistence is a critical factor in entrepreneurial success, whether you are starting out or building a post-retirement business. Let's start with the first stage...

Richard Bergman is the ultimate example of the good things that happen to those who persist. Richard's product development went from a city dump in Canada to a licensing deal that will distribute his unique, patented fence post stabilizer for wooden decks throughout stores in the United States.  He didn't give up over the initial rejection of his product idea or the pressure of ongoing competition from the "big-guys" in his industry.

Richard used his SBI! site to seed his market, prove his product concept and to create a buzz that now has people going into stores and demanding his product. To learn more about this offline, never-say-die, successful entrepreneur, click here.

Our second case study pushed his way forward, too, allowing him to retire to the future he has always wanted...

Claude Jollet had all of his early retirement plans dashed by his boss on the day he was to clear out his office. Devastated, he carried on for two more years and vowed that his future would never again be under someone else's control.  To Claude's surprise, however, his retirement dreams were more difficult to get off the ground than expected.

Undaunted, he searched and found his solution online, building an SBI! Web site to market his applied business planning knowledge.  With this site ranking in the Top 3% on the Net and generating  thousands of visitors per day, Claude has started 2 mores sites, including one for his wife's new Bed and Breakfast business. For more details about how Claude shares his life experiences and passions and gets paid for doing it, click here.

Why would these small business owners take the time to contact us? Their reasons are simple... to give back, to thank SiteSell, and to share with you.

What's The Point For Your Business??

Review the Case Studies site. A wide variety of businesses tell their stories in their own words. And they update regularly. These people are real, credible, detailed, and passionate. And their updates reinforce that SBI! success is no short-term fluke.

Every company features "Success Stories." Yawn. Or vague, sensational "testimonials." What a waste of time in the competitive small business B2B space...

What are you doing (honestly, of course) to make yours stand out? And oh yes... if customers are not e-mailing you with great and passionate stories, improve your product instead of "baffling them with BS," as the old saying goes.

Priority Build It! Changes the Priority in Sitemaps

SiteSell Insider

Three of the four Search Engines (Live coming soon) are accepting the Sitemaps XML protocol, and using it to spider sites.  Site Build It! has consistently been the first to provide tools to manage this protocol "tech-free" (from automated file builders to automated pinging).  And now, one more upgrade -- "Priority Build It!."

In the Sitemap XML file, every page has a priority value relative to all other pages in the site.   With Priority Build It!, each SBIer can increase the priority of important pages (ex., high value information pages), totally geek-free of course!  This "encourages" the engines to take notice of these particular pages.

Together with SBI!'s online help, the result is a greater likelihood of getting that page into the engines' indexes and keeping it there. Combine that with SBI!'s techniques and a high ranking comes sooner, bringing more visitors to that important page.  And that means more income!

All of this, every step of the way, of course, is done "the SBI! way."  By keeping it real, SBI! owners, the Search Engines and the visitor all engage in WIN-WIN-WIN.

What's The Point For Your Business??

Do you regularly review your products or services to see how you can improve them?  One small change, well thought out, in just one feature could become the glue that has customers loving and sticking to your product or service.

What one thing can you do this week that will improve your customers' experience and cement your business relationship?

Case Study Updates: The Freedom Of Time And Choices

SiteSell Insider

As you may know, SBI! Case Studies are not mere "testimonials." They are ongoing, evergrowing, real-time stories of real people using SBI!.

Recently, we received three more case study updates. All of them highlighted the personal freedom of time and choice that their SBI! business has given them, each in its own way. Let's start with Marc's bittersweet news...

Marc Liron and his wife Sarah feel so fortunate that they were able to be with Sarah's mum throughout her failing health troubles and at the time of death. During that difficult time, Marc never had to worry about taking time off from work or how his bills would be paid. His business kept building without him. In fact, in January 2007, Marc was awarded the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award for the 4th consecutive year due in large part to the high profile his site gives him online! For more details about Marc's family-first experience, click here.

Judd Burdon, a local asphalt-sealing business owner who has "gone global," let us know that his site is soaring, with top ranking positions at Google for thousands of keywords. No wonder a recent crack repair equipment contract worth $18,000 came through Google -- Judd's asphalt maintenance site is easy to find. The best part of his news? Judd works from the comfort of his office overlooking a beach in Anguilla. No more steaming asphalt for him. His success also gives him the time to do some personal soaring as an avid kite surfer! To learn more about Judd's local-gone-global business, click here.

The final exciting update comes from Michelle Schill, our Work at Home Mom (WAHM) case study. Michelle is now the primary income earner for the family! Due to the success of her hair-styling site alone (she has several sites plus a Webmastering Services side business), her husband quit a grueling job in the oilfields and the family is moving to the ocean, fulfilling Michelle's lifelong dream. She will run her businesses and enjoy raising her children in what Michelle calls one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Click here for more information about how this mom achieved her ideal lifestyle.

SBI! owners send us updates regularly. Watch for more in the coming months.

Why would these small business owners take the time to contact us? Their reasons are simple... to give back, to thank SiteSell, and to share with you.

What's The Point For Your Business??

Review the Case Studies site. A wide variety of businesses tell their stories in their own words. And they update regularly. These people are real, credible, detailed, and passionate. And their updates reinforce that SBI! success is no short-term fluke.

Every company features "Success Stories." Yawn. Or vague, sensational "testimonials." What a waste of time in the competitive small business B2B space...

What are you doing (honestly, of course) to make yours stand out? And oh yes... if customers are not e-mailing you with great and passionate stories, improve your product instead of "baffling them with BS," as the old saying goes.

Sitemaps, Robots File, and Automated Pinging

SiteSell Insider

The four major Search Engines announced recently that they now look for the sitemap URL in a site's robots.txt file.  And Ask.com announced that it now accepts sitemap submissions.  (Previously, the only way to be found was by way of an inbound link from a site already spidered by Ask.)

Since Google first started the sitemaps process, Site Build It! has built and updated every customer's sitemap, every time a page is built, edited or deleted.  Within days of this newest announcement, we added the sitemap URL to the robots.txt file, set up an automated pinging process for Google, Yahoo! and Ask, and simplified the process even more for our customers.

It now takes about 15 minutes to submit the sitemap to these Big 3 (Windows Live Search/MSN does not accept sitemaps yet).  And that's all our customers have to do.  No rebuilding the sitemap.  No resubmitting it or pinging the engines every time they make a site change.

These sitemaps features are just a few of the cutting edge features that SBI! offers....

http://buildit.sitesell.com/main/tools.html#NEWFEATURES

They automate processes that site owners should not have to worry about, giving them more time to focus on building their businesses.

What's The Point For Your Business??

Re-read your site.  Are you differentiating yourself from your competition?  Is your message up to date?  Is your product or service up to date?

What could you do to make your product or service one that turns your customers into raving fans?

Video Makes A Profitable Connection

SiteSell Insider

The Web hosting arena is super competitive, so it's important that we differentiate ourselves from the old-fashioned Web hosts.  Using words to describe a unique, comprehensive system like Site Build It! requires a longer explanation in order to get the key points across.

Most people prefer to watch than read (a fact that will have a profound impact on the Web over the coming years since the world is increasingly "broadband 24 x 7" -- but that's another post for another day!).

Our solution?

We added "SBI! TV" to www.sitesell.com and buildit.sitesell.com.  Its location (above the fold) and an eye-catching image make SBI! TV unmissable.

Video has allowed us to communicate our unique and proven business-building approach to potential customers on a whole new level...

• The "3 Minute Shortcut" video engages visitors, encouraging them to watch instead of read.
• Tube It!'s collection of "I Love SBI!" videos passionately demonstrates the benefits of Site Build It!.
• And Tour It!'s behind-the-scenes tour of the system highlights its features effortlessly.

Not only are visitors watching, they are acting and buying Site Build It! at levels we've never seen before.  Sales started to soar the day that SBI! TV was introduced, and they continue to climb.

No doubt about it... video connects!

What's The Point For Your Business??

Video get results.  It is total communication ("a video is worth a thousand pictures").  When you show your visitors what you're offering via a video, they "get it" much quicker and much deeper.  And that means higher Conversion Rates for you.

What videos could you add to your site to make that profitable connection?

Case Study Updates: Success Breeds Success!

SiteSell Insider

Every small business has its own set of unique challenges.  B. Bradtke, our newest travel case study addition, proves that you can run an online business even in a remote location ("the Outback of the Australian Outback") where Internet access is less than ideal.  As the owner of two SBI! sites, self-employed B. is free to fuel her passion for travel, without jeopardizing ownership of the home she loves in the Outback.  Find how B. does her business on her "own terms".

Over the past few weeks, we also received three case study updates.  All had exciting expansion news, ranging from new income streams to the creation of a mini-portal!  Let's start with what's happening in Italy...

Fiona McCardle and Jim Andrew added new SBI! sites, branching out from their original Tuscany villa rental business into wine tours, wedding organization, villa-buying guidance, etc.  They are also designing sites for other people who were inspired by their online success.  Click here for more details about Jim and Fiona, and their booming businesses.

Elad Shippony, our Infopreneur case study, let us know that he now has the "Coolest" brand (literally!).  He took his business to the next level by setting up a mini-portal.  Elad's master domain provides an overview of his offerings and links to each of his SBI! sites.  His three main sites are averaging around 6,000 visitors per day.  It's easy to understand why Elad keeps breaking his own records!  For more details about Elad's successful brand, click here.

The final update comes from our youngest case study, a teenaged college student.  Nori Evoy could let herself become bored.  After all, her site generates both substantial traffic and income.  Instead, Nori uses her solid foundation to test new ideas (a strategy used by all successful Netrepreneurs).  Her latest income stream sends traffic from her site's hotel directory page to TripAdvisor for specific hotel reviews.  Nori adds value to her visitor's experience while getting paid for referrals. Click here for more information about this student's dream job.

Our case studies send us updates regularly.  Watch for more in the coming months.

Why would these small business owners take the time to contact us?  Their reasons are simple... to give back, to thank SiteSell, and to share with you.

What's The Point For Your Business??

Review the Case Studies site. A wide variety of businesses tell their stories in their own words.  And they update regularly.  These people are real, credible, detailed, and passionate.  And their updates reinforce that SBI! success is no short-term fluke.

Every company features "Success Stories."  Yawn.  Or vague, sensational "testimonials."  Click.  Waste of time in the competitive small business B2B space...

What are you doing (honestly, of course) to make yours stand out?  And oh yes... if customers are not e-mailing you with great and passionate stories, improve your product instead of "baffling them with BS," as the old saying goes.

New SBI! Releases Have A Bigger Meaning

SiteSell Insider

We're nearing a major release for SBI!... Content 2.0 (where every niche site becomes a mini-MySpace.com).  But recent smaller releases speak volumes to what SBI! is all about.  Take these recent releases...

• 100 new templates
• Alexa integration
• Form Spam protection
• Sitemaps 0.9 protocol

Click here for information about these and other brand new releases (all at no extra charge).  But the points are...

• the newbie has a wider range of terrific new templates
• advanced users can call up all sorts of data from Alexa, within powerful "mashup" tools
• SBI! owners can have CAPTCHA graphic-challenge protection from form spam without spending a penny on programming, and
• Sitemaps 0.9 gets everyone ready for Yahoo! (already accepting this format) and MSN/Windows Live submissions.

What's The Point For Your Business??

Yes, you could market more aggressively and over-charge for your product (judging from the Get Rich Quick guys out there!) or you could charge more for each and every module.  But...

Isn't it smarter, more honorable, and a whole heck of a lot more rewarding (in every sense of the word) to OVERdeliver to your customers?  Think about it.  It makes it hard for competitors when you just keep piling on the goodies!

Two New Sites... Two New Reasons

SiteSell Insider

We have launched two new sites.  Every site we launch has, of course, its own specific "reason-to-be" in the family of SiteSell sites.  And we empower 5 Pillar Affiliates to use them to drive sales and commissions, too.  The latest releases are...

"I Love SBI!" Videos -- SBI! owners explain what SBI! means to them, on video, in unique and powerful ways.  A visitor to this site cannot miss the powerful connection SBI! makes.  And the only reason for that is... SBI! works.  We are already receiving strong Conversion Rate data on this site.

What Will You Retire TO? -- We noticed that more and more of our customers are not only retiring due to SBI! success, they are retired and looking for new opportunities and avenues for growth.  After an inspirational and informative thread on the topic of retirement in the SBI! forums, we created this site.

What's The Point For Your Business??

If your product is like Site Build It!, with a target market of "everyone," you have a dangerous situation.  You can't market via "one size fits all." Trying to please everyone, pleases no one.

Create targeted sites that talk specifically to the circumstances and needs of specific sub-target markets.   Another example... see these business-specific sites.