by Liz Bittar

I can’t see how it is possible to run a successful business not being on the internet, these days.  A few years ago, I upgraded from a solo career to working with Associates, and needed therefore a website to spread the news.

It is still painful to remember the ordeal I went through, till I finally found Joomla, an open source which gave me the freedom to make updates on the website myself, without the feeling of being held hostage of web designers and programmers (not that there’s anything wrong with them, but the ones I hired gave me a tough time…)

Without having a clue of HTML, working with Joomla is as simple as writing a blog – there are several extensions that allow you to do almost anything.

But the problem with Joomla is that you need the help of someone who understands a bit about programming, in order to download and configure it for you.

Now there is another platform for the creation of webpages using the ideal interface for people like me: drag-and-drop. With no need to know HTML, it is also possible to open a free account and give it a try. I did, and this is the result:

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I’m talking about SnapPages, which sounds pretty much like a blog: it provides 10 customizable themes, where it is possible to change colors, styles, text, logo, images, and even edit photos as easily as in Picasa.

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Now, why do I consider the news worth a post?

Because 70% of my clients (if not, more) come through the website. Yes, Mr Google loves me – and keeps sending me traffic.

When I decided to launch the website, the first thing I did was to learn a bit of how this internet thing works. Of course, it makes no sense to be on the internet, if the only people who visit your website are your mother and a few faithful friends…

There are several mechanisms to be found by Google, but thinking back when I adventured in the cyber world,  these are the things that helped me most:

1 – Being able to write my own website, decide on formatting and make as many changes as I wanted. Joomla made it possible for me.

2 – Looks do count – content, of course, is paramount, but if your website is not appealing, easy on the eye, it makes the work so much tougher…

3 – Starting a blog – It was a great way to lose the fear of  “being exposed” on the web. True thing, the first three blogs were a total disaster! And I still don’t get much traffic in this one, either,  but still, it’s a great way to be in touch with the internet world.

4 – Blogging about things you like, not necessarily work! I always thought a professional blog should be… professional! I mean, it could not be fun. I had to speak about “serious” things, in a professional manner – and maybe that’s why they blew. Parallel to my professional blogs, and just for the fun of it, I started a couple of others to discuss spiritual matters – and they were a huge success! Lessons I’ve learnt? Give people what they want, and they will follow you. And how did I apply that to my business? Well, mainly analyzing which pages had the most traffic, and working on them, strategically adding links to other services, for example. These pages were also the inspiration for the articles I then placed in the blogs, and in the blog section of the website, as well.

5 – Creating a social network and being active – not only asking for help, but mainly sharing: tips, resources, info, advices, recommendations, helping people connect to other people.

6 – Reading – a lot of reading. Blogs, websites, online editions of newspapers and magazines, “how to” books and – of course – a little help from my friends.

7 – Kabbalah says 7 is a magical number. So I think this list should probably have 7 items…

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