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When building a new website, or assessing an existing one, there are two types of consultants whose input is critical to the success of your site. One is a Usability consultant and the other, a SEO consultant. This article will discuss the former.

A Usability consultant is an expert in the area of online consumer behavior. His or hers expertise includes: knowledge of all industry norms and standards of website usability including navigation, layout, category/button/link labeling, e-commerce functions and more. The consultant can assess a site to determine if it is user friendly or if it will cause frustration and dissatisfaction among site visitors, resulting in lost sales and opportunities. The assessment should not be in general terms – but very specific to all components of a web page and the site as a whole.

When selecting a Usability Consultant to assess and/or test your test make sure that they have experience with the type of site you own (such as e-commerce, service oriented (lawyers, libraries, etc.), or informational). Ensure that they have actually conducted usability testing in a focus group research facility with participants recruited based on specific criteria pertinent to the website.
Question the potential consultant as to the type of report you will be receiving. Aside from being well written, it must contain screen shots of your web pages with clear detail as to problems found and, as importantly, actionable recommendations to fix them. Ask for a prioritized list of the recommendations.

The website usability consultant you select must also be extremely knowledgeable in SEO (search engine optimization) and website metrics. Usability and SEO are closely linked and the affects of both are reflected to your site’s metrics.

Lastly – ask for references. A Usability consultant should gladly provide you with several.

Do you want to know the secret that most successful people in this world know and have that you don’t?

A great spiritual leader, tells of his visit to the land of Africa. All his life he wanted to see the wild animals of my home-land. I share a bit of his account while they were out and about:

We stopped at a water hole to watch the animals come to drink. It was very dry that season and there was not much water, really just muddy spots. When the elephants stepped into the soft mud the water would seep into the depression and the animals would drink from the elephant tracks.
The antelope, particularly, were very nervous. They would approach the mud hole, only to turn and run away in great fright. I could see there were no lions about and asked the guide why they didn’t drink. His answer, and this is the lesson, was “Crocodiles.”

I knew he must be joking and asked him seriously, “What is the problem?” The answer again: “Crocodiles.”

“Nonsense,” I said. “There are no crocodiles out there. Anyone can see that.”

Tiger woods, the famed golf player has one! Michael Phelps swears by it! Barbara Streisand says without it she would not be the power house we know her today. Serena and Venus Williams have one , goodness even Oprah has one! It is definitely the must have accessory for the 2009 year! Do you have one?

Apparently after a (rare) disappointing round of golf, Tiger Woods will often take a golf lesson. Why would Tiger Woods, the greatest golfer the world has ever known take a golf lesson? And from whom would he take this lesson? You see it is not so much about the greatest golfer taking a lesson from lesser known, no-talent person. The value here is in Tiger’s ability to “see himself objectively” from an angle or perspective that is not his own.

All coaching is, is taking a player where he can’t take himself – Bill McCartney

It is therefore very apparent that the worlds highest performers get this concept. Hence the vast difference between mediocrity and phenomenal success!

Einstein said, “The mind that created the problem cannot be the one be to solve it.” In the same way, the person in the trenches is often unable to see themselves objectively enough to overcome their limitations.

By now you have figured out that we are talking about Personal coaching. That’s just one of the reasons that coaching is so powerful. A great coach can provide comprehensive knowledge and/or training that you just do not possess.

Having personal, one-on-one coaching can make all the difference in the world between being somewhat successful and being phenomenally successful.

A question was posed on yahoo answers that read:

Has anyone used a business coach or consultant? Will I get help or scammed?

I have a small home-based business that I’m looking to take to the next level. Should I just plunge into business books and try to grow it myself? Or should I sink the $4000 into a one-year relationship with a business consultant who is confident he can help me grow? I don’t want to contract with him and find out that everything he tells me is just common sense business advice straight out of the books.

Wouldn’t you much rather have a qualified expert take a look at what you’ve done and give you suggestions on improving it?
Wouldn’t you much rather have a qualified expert to turn to when you have a question rather than try to figure it out through trial and error?
Wouldn’t you much rather have a qualified expert who can tell you “that’s a bad idea, here’s a better way” than to get it wrong and face another setback?
Wouldn’t you much rather have a qualified expert hold you accountable and keep you motivated and on track rather than go at it alone and quit before the finish line
In reply, may I share with you this quote:
Coaching helps you develop your leadership skills, clarify your values and guiding principles and build your reputation.” – John G Agno

Every person’s situation and needs are different. If you want the most power behind your punch, you want to have coaching that is focused 100% on you. The only strengths and weaknesses that will be targeted are yours, not those of 10 other people as well.

Often there is a natural desire to buy answers in a packaged program rather than do the work it takes to find a solution, BUT all too often what people end up with is an EMPTY PACKAGE! You have come to coaching for many reasons, but the bottom line is YOU WANT CHANGE!

The coaching-client relationship is like having your own personal GPS, for the journey that is your life.

Why would someone at the top of their chosen profession need a coach?

The answer is quite simple. They realize, as do top performers in every field, the value of having someone on the sidelines watching their every move and making sure they’re on track. They know that, while they are doing what they do, it’s important to have someone watching their every step and providing feedback to help them be their best.

Today, smart entrepreneurs are doing the same. Understanding that, rarely does anyone reach their potential without a coach, they are hiring coaches who specialize in working with businesses. Small business owners in particular, many who have no one to confide in other than their partner or spouse, can benefit greatly from the services of a small business coach. And hiring a coach tends to be a minor investment when compared to the value it brings.

In addition to providing a confidential and objective sounding board for problem solving and brainstorming, their coach will hold them accountable for achieving the goals they set for themselves and their business. Often the bane of the small business owner is that they are too busy with day-to-day activities, putting out the occasional “fires” that flare up unexpectedly to be concentrating on their long term vision. And most have learned from experience how difficult it is to achieve significant results going it alone.

Their coach, on the other hand, is able to hold this vision with them and ensure they are moving toward it. And a really great coach will help the entrepreneur envision a result bigger than they would have thought possible.

So, if you want to see your business grow and prosper, go out and get a coach.

It is important to note that there is a difference between coaching and consulting.

Consulting is when you pay an expert to come in and lay out exactly what you need to do in order to succeed. In consulting, the expert makes a blueprint and points you in the exact direction you need to go.

Coaching involves more interaction. It is more two-sided. The coach is there to guide and work with the client to find out how improvements can be made. “What can you say differently next time?”… “How can you invoke more feelings from your prospect next time?”…”How can you do a better job of finding their motivation next time?”…These are questions that a coach should ask and find answers to when working with a client.

Consulting could be considered a beginning level of guidance and coaching a more advanced level.

Andrea Waltz, author of the popular book Go For No, states;

The relationship with your coach is an important and powerful one. As such, when choosing a coach, we recommend you interview him/her just like you would an employee you are hiring. But make no mistake; your coach will not be an employee. They will be your partner.
And if they brag about how everything comes easy to him/her and how they’ve never had any problems in their lives, find another coach! You want someone who has worked through obstacles to get where they are!”

And there you have it. The must have accessory of the year 2009. Do you have one?

SEO consultants for small business organizations implement a variety of optimization techniques to enhance the visibility of these business websites. Reliable service providers in this field aim at long-term positive results. They focus on securing improved website traffic and thereby bringing about a substantial increase in your sales and profits.

Achieve Positive Results through Website Optimization Services

Internet users mainly depend on search engines for obtaining information about particular products and services. The success of all online business establishments mainly depends on their ranking positions in leading search engines. Therefore acquiring top positions in the initial result pages of search engines is of great importance. With effective optimization campaigns with the help of SEO consultants, your small business website can enjoy high ranking on major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, MSN and Alta Vista.

The important website optimization services that are offered by SEO consultants for small business organizations include:

o Keyword research
o Creation of powerful website contents
o Optimization of HTML codes
o Development of Meta tags
o Creation of reciprocal links
o Search engine marketing
o SEO copywriting
o Directory submission
o Submission to search engines
o Article submission
o Blog creation
o Regular monitoring and maintenance of ranking reports

Leading search engines conduct regular updates in their algorithms. And for bringing your website up to date with this procedure, expert SEO consultants will make use of advanced search engine placement techniques and tools. This guarantees superior results for your business website.

Depend on the Right SEO Consultant to Meet Your Objectives

For your website optimization requirements, it is ideal to depend on professional companies offering dedicated and cost-effective services. These companies usually have a thoroughly experienced team of web designers, content writers, SEO consultants and others to carry out the various optimization procedures.

Through the services of experienced and efficient SEO consultants for small business, you can create a powerful online presence. The website SEO services offered by them help small businesses stay on in the competitive online business world without making huge investments for advertising and marketing.

As they say, everybody has an untapped reservoir of knowledge. Monetize yours and be an independent consultant to help people learn new sets of skills or further their knowledge on specific field that you are an expert on in exchange of huge amount of money.

Here’s how you can improve your high priced consulting:

1. Be passionate and drive for excellence. All consultants offer similar service. They make themselves available for people who are in need of their guidance and knowledge. If you want to set yourself apart from the rest and if you want to attract more people to do business with you, you’ve got to be passionate on what you do.

2. Be genuinely concern over the welfare of your clients. Don’t just offer these people the kind of information they require from you. If you think that they will be better off with trying new concepts or techniques, be sure to tell them so. Put their needs on top of your priority list and take that extra mile to make sure that they will get what they need in order to reach their goals.

3. Specialize. Before you sink your teeth into this endeavor, it would help if you can discover what your particular gift or specialized knowledge is. Are you deeply interested in internet marketing? Does computer and different software amaze you? Do you have the necessary skills and know-how in creating and maintaining a website and blog? Are you very knowledgeable in article marketing? Then, you will not find any single trouble being an internet marketing consultant.

4. Obtain license or certifications if needed. Depending on your chosen field, you may need a special license or certification before you can start your career in consulting. After identifying the niche that you would like to target, do your research to find out if you will need one.

5. Are you qualified? You can’t just be a consultant just because you want to. Before you get started, do an honest assessment of your skills and abilities to make sure that you are qualified for the job. For instance, if you want to be a website designer consultant, you must make sure that you have an up-to-date knowledge about this field so you can better help or assist your clients.

6. Expand your network. You’ll most likely to attract more clients to sign up to your service if you expand your network. Tell your friends to recommend you to their colleagues and family members. Get more people to talk about your services and you’ll surely be able to grow your consulting business in no time.

An Internet Consultant can really add improvements to a business; even website design and development companies should regularly source a consultant’s advice and recommendations. The Internet is a massive place with a population that is evolving at an impressive rate.

Every week there are many new websites, techniques and approaches that could be applied to promote and draw new customers to a website. As with all marketing, it is not the method that ensures success, it’s the approach taken. The approach needs to match what Internet users are expecting to see, a good Internet consultant will understand what current best practice techniques are required to maximise on the amount of success a marketing campaign will generate.

The future of a business’s interaction with an internet consultant will change; in the next few years consultants could hot desk within the businesses they serve. In one day spent at a client’s office many face to face meetings could occur, for example a meeting with the sales department to cover:

Current online performance and what should be focused on internally.
The Internet provides the best consumer research platform available, it can let you know what your customers want, when they want it and what they can’t find on your website. A consultant can review and provide this information.
Feedback on how discounts and offers are performing online, reviewing successes and failures of promotions to learn and improve them.
Discussions on how new sales initiatives can be applied online and what new products and services need to be promoted, and to what audiences. The same could occur with the marketing department, providing advice, feedback and recommendations.
This would allow a marketing department to understand what is working, what could be trialled and how best to develop future marketing messages. Employing a full time Internet Consultant would be expensive and potentially flawed. If a company is lucky enough to have an Internet Marketing manager, they should still seek external consultancy services. It can be hard to see past business constraints and current ways of working, sideline objectives often take over and much time can be spent building relationships with key stakeholders.

Full time employees often have interdepartmental barriers that can cause conflict due to different objectives and priorities. It then becomes very hard to break the “It’s how it always has been done” mindset and think out of the box.

An external consultant can cut through existing cobwebs, propose and implement measurable improvements without some of the full time employee constraints. It’s a benefit that often applies to externally sourced advice and recommendation, maybe this is because the organisations that seek external help understand the associated returns.