SilkLink Topics

Customers seek solutions, not products

From a marketing stand-point, we want to promote our products and services to increase our sales. Are customers looking for products?

When we need to buy something, we are buying to solve a problem. We don’t tend to buy food for the sake of buying it; we buy it because we will go hungry if we don’t. The same can be said for all products and services. We don’t visit a solicitor because we fancy it; we do it to resolve a legal issue.

People, therefore, are not seeking products; they seek solutions that resolve the many issues they face through life.

Continue reading "Customers seek solutions, not products"

Website Content Accessibility

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), WCAG, is responsible for web standards and guidelines. W3C has produced the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, which is now at version 2.0.

This article assesses the guidelines and provides common sense approaches to enhancing website accessibility.

Continue reading "Website Content Accessibility"

A Bird in the Hand

…is worth more than two in the bush. Where did this saying come from and what does it mean?

Continue reading "A Bird in the Hand"

Less is Not More

Every day, I come across clients who expect to make a fortune with a single ad. I'm constantly amazed by the lack of even basic knowledge about advertising.
Continue reading "Less is Not More"

Getting more people to click

When it comes to Internet marketing, the person who gets the most clicks wins.

The more people you can tempt to click on your ad, sign up for your program, or subscribe to your newsletter — the more money you'll make.

Continue reading "Getting more people to click"

The Host with the Most

Amidst the plethora of web hosting services, how does one choose a domain hosting service that not only offers value for money, but is also dependable?

Continue reading "The Host with the Most"

How to fail in business?

Tens of millions of people from all walks of life have considered starting their own business. Millions of people have actually done it. Hundreds of thousands of people are still in business today.

It is sad but true that many businesses fall by the wayside quite early into the venture. Yet, some make it through and prosper. Most business people don’t just open a business without giving it a great deal of thought. Clearly though, it takes more than careful thought to make it through those entry-level barriers.

There are many factors that make for longevity in business, and each factor will have its merits for a specific type of business and the characteristics of the people that run it. In contrast, most businesses tend to fail for just a handful of reasons. So, learning how to fail is a forewarning of the perils.

Continue reading "How to fail in business?"

What makes a good website?

You could spend years observing the internet and all of the changes that it has gone through and be forgiven for asking this seemingly simple question. There is no definitive answer, as it is a matter of personal taste, needs and views, but there are some recurring themes.

So, let's discuss some aspects of web design that appear to underpin great websites.

Continue reading "What makes a good website?"

CSS, Divs and Tables

Look at web developer discussion forums or blogs and you might think that tables are about to be prohibited from the internet. There are such strong arguments against their use. Yet, is use of the newish and trendy CSS coding as an alternative to tables all that it is cracked up to be? Or, has it simply gone too far without considering the benefits along the way?

Warning: this topic is for nurds or people who can easily get anal over website mark-up!

Continue reading "CSS, Divs and Tables"

The Case for Open Source Solutions

Open Source software solutions are over-looked by many people when considering software for their needs. There is a tendency to stick with well-known names or labels. However, scratch the surface of Open Source alternatives and you will find that there is little difference in looks, functionality, feel, quality and robustness when compared against market leaders.

If Open Source solutions are duly considered in equal proportion to the market leaders, not only will you make a more informed decision, you might boost your profits.

Continue reading "The Case for Open Source Solutions"