Build A Sitemap In Minutes: The How And Why

Build A Sitemap In Minutes: The How And Why
Marketing And Selling Your Unfinished Product
Rapid Realignment For Unbeatable Performance

Posted: 11 Nov 2012 01:00 PM PST

I'm a business girl. Leads, negotiating, sales… those are the things I do. Technology? I try to leave most of that stuff to my business partner, Laura, but I'm willing to learn when it means better business.

Fortunately, one of my first lessons, years ago, was in the importance of creating a Sitemap. Like many business owners, I didn't think I needed a Sitemap. After all, aren't those just for hyper-organized tech junkies? No, actually. No, they are not.

build a sitemap

Sitemap: Nuts And Bolts

Let's keep it simple, and go to the Google support pages for a definition. Google defines Sitemaps as "a list of the pages on your website." Why is that important? Three reasons. It tells Google:

How your website is organized.
How your website functions.
How to sort and categorize your traffic.

For small online businesses, those are three pretty important things. Basically, you provide Google with this information, and Google has a better idea of what to do with you on the Internet (i.e. how to get you traffic that actually matters).

Two Types of Site Maps

Of course, the one you give to Google looks totally different than the one that a normal human can read. Google receives an XML sitemap from you. (Yes, really: you. It's not that hard!) But, your website visitors might want to poke around on a readable site index to get a better idea of what is going on with your website.

How to Build Your XML Sitemap

Let's talk about the XML Sitemap first. Google offers a thorough list of Sitemap generators that can walk you through the creation process. But, I recommend XML-Sitemaps or GSiteCrawler.

All you have to do is plug in your URL and fiddle around with some settings. For beginners, the only setting I would recommend adjusting is the "Change Frequency" setting. If you blog daily – especially if you blog multiple times a day – then you should adjust your frequency to "Hourly."

build a sitemap

Click “Start,” sit back, and wait. Save the .xml file once it's finished, and plug it in.

How to Plug In Your .xml File

Plugging in your .xml file is easy. Open up your web server, and copy and paste your file into the top-most directory above everything else. Next time Google crawlers pass through your site for indexing, they'll pick up your XML Sitemap, meaning you're in business.

To submit it to Google, go to Google’s Webmaster Tools, click the 'Optimization' tab, and then click 'Sitemaps.' Other search engines have their own XML Sitemap submission methods, which are just as (or almost as) easy.

build a sitemap

Not too hard, is it? Have questions? Feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

This is one basic tech skill your online business can't afford to miss out on.

Sitemap Photo via Shutterstock

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Marketing And Selling Your Unfinished Product

Posted: 11 Nov 2012 11:00 AM PST

Customers buying into what you have before you have it is good for business. Alicia A. Cook, R & B singer andsongwriter, also known as Alicia Keys, is doing it. Why not small business owners?

marketing unfinished product

At the time of this writing, you can pre-order Alicia Keys latest album, Girl On Fire. Once the songs are available on Nov 27^th, 2012, you'll receive your copy of the music, via iTunes download. In the meantime, girls can get involved in the movement via social media by sharing their personal stories and videos of being inspired, surviving and overcoming challenges.

It’s Organic, It’s Passionate – It’s Marketing

Of course, the artist and the machine behind Alicia Keys is using television, radio, internet and print to promote this campaign. The average small business owner doesn't have that kind of budget.

Since you can make some serious waves with online marketing, what you really need is a marketing mindset that makes sense. Let's look at a marketing trend first, and then your strategy.

In the 2012 November Trend Briefing: Presumers, TrendWatching discusses:

"Why consumer involvement with products and services pre-launch is set to go mainstream."

Prospects are becoming clients long before the product is actually available.

It's Relationship Marketing At It’s Best

It's the opportunity to build a loyal fan base that buys into what you have, literally, before you have it. They may even help you promote it.

This type of connection pulls your audience into the movement. It can make them a part of the product, particularly if you receive and implement their feedback. The pre-launch can also increase sales and brand loyalty and decrease anxiety because you already know that somebodies want what you have because they paid for it already.

Yes, pre-launches, pre-orders, pre-sales feel good. But if you go this route, then you need to keep a few things in mind.

Deliver The Product That You Promised

If something changes, communicate it. In all good conscious and integrity, you can't take people's money and then do whatever you want to do with it. If your people buy into your dream, then you need to create what you said you were going to create.

With crowd-funding platforms like IndieGogo or KickStarter, that book, film, innovative product can get the support that you have been looking for, but it has to come to life at some point. The people who buy during the pre-launch are a part of the dream. You'll feel good every time a new purchase or donation comes in.

You'll feel inspired, motivated, but also obligated. If you don't want your dream to turn into a nightmare, be sure that you can finish what you start before you spend your supporters' money.

Delineate A Timeline That You Can Actually Live Up To

Some people are awful with timing. They promise things on a Monday and 52 Mondays later it's still not done. But when you're receiving pre-orders, you need a timeline that you can meet.

If you think you can deliver the goods in December, then add a month to that or get some one who has done what you are doing to have a look at your timeline. Give yourself enough time to get this right. People will be pleasantly surprised if you deliver early (which is better than being irritated and vocal).

Don't Leave Your People In The Dark

Talk to your people. While they probably don't want to know every little detail, they do want to be in the loop. Let them know how it's coming. Let them know what stage you're in. Say something:

"The book just went to the first editor"

"Documentary filming in Daytona today"

"Just finished the prototype for my widget! Excited but still a long way to go. I'll keep you posted."

The right kind of communication goes a long way.

Crowd-Funding Is Not The Only Way To Get Support

In Selling $2000+ Worth Of My Unfinished Book freelance consultant, Brennan Dunn, explains how 57 people managed to purchase his first book before he finished it. Most of those sales came from having a great online sales page and letting his email list know what he was doing.

He also shared on Facebook and Twitter. So if people were interested, they could go to the sales page to get more information, to pre-order the book or to at the least subscribe to his blog.

Final Marketing Note

Movies are promoted months before they're finished. Why should you wait to start marketing? If you are good with finishing what you started, then why wait to start selling?

But if you're NOT so good with timelines and production management, then at least give people a chance to join your, "I’m Interested" list. When your product is ready, you have someone who wants to hear about it.

Alicia Keys Photo via Shutterstock

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Rapid Realignment For Unbeatable Performance

Posted: 11 Nov 2012 06:00 AM PST

Rapid Realignment I know that there are those of you out there who LOVE reading books about big business. Or maybe you work for a large corporation and are looking to grab some skills and new ways of doing things inside your organization or department that will make you better, stronger and faster.

If you fall into either of these categories, than you'll want to get yourself a copy of Rapid Realignment: How to Quickly Integrate People, Processes and Strategy for Unbeatable Performance by George Labovitz and Victor Rosansky.

Dr. George Labovitz is the founder and CEO of ODI an international management training and consulting company and professor of management and organizational behavior at Boston University Graduate School of Management. Victor Rosansky is the president and co-founder of LHR International and helps Fortune 500 companies drive rapid strategy deployment and alignment.

Process Hounds Will Love This Book

I have to admit, I was rather intimidated when I opened up my review copy of Rapid Realignment How To Quickly Integrate People Processes And Strategies For Unbeatable Performance by George Labovitz and Victor Rosansky. The introduction starts with the story of Admiral Vern Clark who was chief of Naval Operations and managed over 900,000 people and a budget of over $100 Billion. I mean, what small business owner or freelancer can relate to that?

“Alignment is that optimal state in which strategy, people, customers and key processes work in concert to achieve organizational objectives.”

Rapid Realignment is a 4-step process that is designed to get your people, projects and resources focused on achieving specific goals:

Rapidly deploy the organization's strategy, with emphasis on "Rapid," because strategies change.
Have total customer focus.
Align and improve core processes to meet customer requirements and drive strategy.
Train, develop and manage people to foster innovation, productivity and growth.

The authors provide real world evidence of how moving slowly at first, to collect data through listening to employees, customers, and all other stakeholders, builds the foundation for a very fast realignment.

What's Covered In Rapid Realignment?

Rapid Realignment is committed to giving you the tools and processes you'll need to create a seamless integration between strategies, processes, your employees and your customers. You'll find out everything you need to know about:

Engaging employees at every level with the mission and purpose of your business.
Linking strategies with real-life processes.
How to use social media to bring the voice of the customer inside your company.

The end of each chapter includes a summary and "things to do" section that will help keep you focused and on task – should I say "Aligned!"

Rapid Ralignment is also loaded with all kinds of models, charts and graphs that those of you who are more inclined to use business models will really love.

Is Rapid Realignment for YOU?

This isn't a book for everyone. If you prefer down-to-earth, plain-spoken books, Rapid Realignment will either bore you or frustrate you. This is a book for organizations that have some level of complexity involved in their infrastructure.

If you're a fan of understanding how to manage complex systems and managing larger organizations, you will find a lot of strategic insights and models to help you on your way.

Personally, I could see the power behind this book. But for my small business, this was a read that pleased the intellectual side of my brain rather than the practical.

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