ForumsInternet/eCommerce

Designer, it is all about Search Engine Optimization (on-page, etc.). Remember, optimized unqiue content is king, make sure you have tons of unique SEO content on your website/blog in conjunction with other SEO tools like addthis.com or other similar scripts. If you have $$ to spend things get much better but you have to know where to spend it.

Here is a good example: I have created and installed the following Americal Idol blog: archuleta david dot com and with little SEO effort, I have been getting 1000 unique visitors per week. I just received an $30k offer by an fan who wants to take over the blog but I am going to wait this out, because of many reasons.

Anyway, you can definitely get results with your site, having your thoughts/questions posted in this forum is a great start! You are on the right track.

If you have any additional questions, let me know.

Thanks,

Mike

alternative but I stick to having a website and blog on the same IP--it has worked better for me than having a site in one location and a blog on blogspot for example.

If you worry that the ip might be hearting you than make sure you get 2 IPs that are not a like, this might help however, since all shared hosting providers pile tons of clients together on single server, single IP, I doubt that google is going to penalize them all.

you don't have to get too creative but I must tell you that I will.

There is no doubt a blog can help your website from a search results perspective. Blogs tend to create lots of content as well as links which is why search engines like them. Outside of search, by building a community of interest around your business with a blog, you will earn more attention for your site. The blog will allow you to distribute useful content and other information to the community.

Here are some tips for creating a blog that's useful to your audience (which in turn will make it attractive for search engines):

~Have a clear topic or focus - clearly state what the blog will be about and what it will not cover. Ensure this is prominent on the blog's design or accessible in an "About this blog" section.
~Regular posting - frequency of postings will determine how much attention you receive from readers and search engines. The more often you post, the more often users (and engines) will return.
~Identified author and human tone of voice - have an identifiable individual(or group of individuals), as authors. Blogging should allow a natural, personal tone of voice to develop on the blog and be wary of marketing-copy or sales language
~Comments section - allow users to post comments. Blogs without comments sections are not taken seriously by bloggers and their readers, and technically they are news feeds. Comments sections on posts are vital to allow conversations to begin, and to get reader feedback.
~Plenty of links - blog posts should reference other news articles and blog posts within them. Useful links and recommended reading lists are also a good idea.
~RSS feed - Ensure there ia an option for RSS feeds.
~Search and archiving - make sure there is an internal search feature and that archives of blog posts can be searched or browsed by categories or tags.
~Tagging - posts should be given "Technorati tags" to let your readers spread the word

Q. Web-site or blog?
A. That would depend on the product the business is selling, and the consumer they are trying to sale to.

But see, your making a destinction that isn't really neccessary. "Blogs" and "websites" aren't mutually exclusive. Layout isn't inherent in one and not the other. Futhermore, it is common for a professional website to have a news or press release section built into it. This isn't different than a "blog" at all.

What I am extolling here is the use of xml driven content for both ease of publishing and syndication. the fact that most bloging platforms make this possible makes them a popular tool for generating content. Some of the more developed blogging platforms allow for static pages as well. I use Wordpress. It's free easy to style to my own taste, and can look very much diferent than an ordinary "blog". But it really comes down to what you are trying to accomplish.

I will give an example of how I could use a blog to increase sales. Lets say I sell handkercheifs. And I just got a new shipment of fine itallian silk. I would publish a blog entry and introduce the product. Within that entry I would have a direct link to the item in my ecommerce application. And I might include a promotional code as well. Now this entry is also built into an easily syndicated RSS feed. So a scarf collector could easily subscribe to this feed within their email application or even web browser. Or even better they could republish your rss feed on their handkerchief collectors website and drive aditional traffic to your site and improve your SEO all the while.

Saying I want a website, is like saying I want an automobile.
Well, what kind? What do you want it to do? Who is going to build it? Who is going to maintain it?

How about a website where you can blog?