Escape the Mundane + Experience the Remarkable

12 Usability Resources to Improve Website Conversions

A usable, high-conversion website. It’s the goal of any Internet marketing campaign, but how do we do it?

While we all strive for a better converting website, we may find ourselves confused by all the different points-of-views of graphic designers basing answers on so-called design trends. Worse yet, our graphic designer may value a pretty website over a functional website.

So before you accept your next website design, take a look at these usability and conversion optimization articles and resources:

The Myth of the Page Fold

Summary: This article is a thorough write-up & images of what user’s look at on a website. Most importantly, they conclude that when the site is designed correctly, the content below the “fold” of your website still has a chance of being seen.

Google Labs: Browser Size

Summary: Input your website’s address and see what it looks like to the majority of users. But I would recommend those with centered website designs to shrink your browser to it’s smallest size without a horizontal scroll bar.

The $300 Million Button

Summary: By changing only one button, a company saw an increase of $300 million in sales in one year.
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The Ultimate Entrepreneur’s List of Lists

entrepreneur-lists

The Best Lists for Entrepreneurs

There is a ton of information out there for entrepreneurs. And I love using StumbleUpon to find the latest and greatest articles. Every now and again I find a great list filled with links and other resources for various subjects. Below are some of the best lists for entrepreneurs I have recently bookmarked. Enjoy!

Technology & Automation

65 Indispensable Websites for Business Owners

The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Web 2.0: Top 25 Applications to Grow Your Business

71 Technologies & Resources to Help Simplify An Entrepreneur’s Life

101 Useful Resources for Online Entrepreneurs

25 Free Mac Apps That Will Boost Your Productivity

100 Financial Calculators Every Entrepreneur Needs

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71 Technologies & Resources to Help Simplify An Entrepreneur’s Life

Simplify & Relax

As entrepreneurs we sometimes find ourselves living much different lives than the rest of the world. An 80-hour workweek may be followed by an 8-hour week by a 60-hour week. We may find ourselves out grocery shopping at 1 PM when others are busily working. Or, if you are like me, happily working at 3 AM when others are sleeping.

We entrepreneurs play by our own rules because we want to. Sometimes, however, we want to escape it all – to simplify and forget the work for work’s sake trap we may occasionally find ourselves in. Ultimately, isn’t this the true reason we left the 9-5? With the continuous improvements in technology, freeing up time has become much easier to achieve.

Having the ability to work anywhere, anytime and on any computer is an amazing advantage for entrepreneurs. Personally, I do not miss having to head to the office daily, travel to most meetings or spend hours on paperwork.

Well I have put a ton of research into this and have found an extensive list of websites, software & other resources for simplifying your life – hopefully. In order to help a wide range of entrepreneurial styles, I made sure to include both lesser-known resources as well as some of the much more popular options.

Personalized Home Pages

1. iGoogle – You can add almost anything to your home page; weather reports, calendar & to-do list, rss feeds, Gmail, maps, site specific search forms, etc… And it’s linked to your Google account, so your settings follow you from computer to computer!

iGoogle

2. My Yahoo! – Similar to iGoogle

3. Pageflakes – Again another personalized dashboard

4. Netvibes – One more for your choosing!

5. Jimmyr – Aggregation page of a ton of technology, news & entertainment sites

Document Management & OCR

6. Evernote – I love this OCR software. Take a picture, scan, web clip, PDF, even hand written memo and Evernote will convert it to a searchable text document. It works! Better yet, they provide Blackberry & iPhone apps for mobile use. Highly recommended!

7. NetDocuments – An online document management system ideal for small offices. Haven’t tried it yet but will definitely give it a shot at my real estate office.

nd_workspace

8. Google Docs – Great alternative to the overpriced (in my opinion) Microsoft Office suite

9. Cometdocs – Converts a wide variety of files – online! No software needed!

10. HTML to PDF – Great option for easily saving or emailing entire web pages. Converts any page into a PDF.

htmltopdf

Data Storage & File Back-Up

11. Dropbox – The online backup system I use. A folder is created on the computer and any file saved into that folder is automatically saved online.

12. Mozy – I haven’t used this one but it seems to be the most popular online backup option.

MozyPro

13. Sugarsync – Another popular backup option. They have a mobile solution available which makes this option pretty attractive.

14. Box.net – Excellent solution for group collaboration & sharing of files. And it works with Salesforce CRM!

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100+ Internet Marketing Resources for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship and Internet marketing are quickly becoming two topics that run hand in hand. Without a solid web presence, most businesses will be consumed alive by their competition. And for some entrepreneurs, the common terms such as search engine optimization (SEO), A/B split testing, and pay-per-click campaigns may still be a mystery.

Over the past few years I have accumulated a long list of bookmarks on the topic of Internet Marketing. These links below consist of some of the more important sites, pages, and resources to improve your knowledge and business in the world of Internet marketing and search engine marketing (SEM):

Articles

Internet Marketing 101

Overall Traffic Generation Strategies:

Blogging and Writing:

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