As always, we will keep our content short and relevant.

Any questions? Contact us at newsletter@hostnine.com, and a real human being will respond quickly.

US-Based Dedicated Servers are on Sale!

For a very limited time, HostNine is offering 25% off US-based Dedicated Server Packages.

Click here to take advantage of this special offer!

This offer expires 2/15/2012.

Coupon code: DedicatedSale

HostNine Social Feeds +HostNine Blog = Resources For Your Business

Be sure to check out HostNine’s social feeds! We’ve been stocking our Twitter, Facebook and Google+ pages with helpful information related to hosting, analytics, content creation, and other things geared towards helping you run a great online business.

Click here to go to the HostNine blog for a round-up of the best links we’ve found over the last few months.

Do you have any topic suggestions for us? Tweet at us, or give us a holler on Facebook or Google+.

Partner offer: 2Checkout.com

2Checkout.com (2CO) is a worldwide leader in payments and e-commerce services. 2CO powers online sellers with a global platform of payment methods and a world-class fraud prevention service on secure and reliable PCI-compliant payment pages.

2Checkout’s payments platform bundles a gateway and merchant account into one single offering with no need to contract with a merchant bank or manage separate agreements.

You can accept Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, Discover, PayPal, Diner’s Club, JCB and Debit cards (in the U.S.) from one solution through 2Checkout’s fully secure hosted payment pages.  In addition, 2CO provides industry leading recurring billing services, call center support, full SSL certification, and the system is translatable in 15 languages and 26 international currencies for buyers and sellers in over 200 countries.

Save now!  Use promo code h9free for a full waiver of 2Checkout’s $49 signup fee and start selling online today!

Visit www.2checkout.com , click SIGN UP NOW, complete the application, and then enter the code into the promo code field to take advantage of this special offer today!

Thanks for reading! See you next month!

The best SEO practices have not changed all that much over time, and the essential points will continue to remain steadfast. In order to get your webpage to rank high, you need to deliver quality content that is optimized. There are multiple search engines, so what may work for one, may not prove effective for another. It’s imperative that you utilize proper SEO techniques if you want your webpage to succeed. Content is king, and luckily, you can control what is placed on your webpage. You need not hire a consultant; just follow these easy steps to start ranking yourself for the right reasons!

Step One: Write for the user, not the search engine.

Everyone always assumes that when you are writing for SEO, you are writing for the search engines, but in reality you should be focused on writing for your readers. Keywords should be properly tagged and utilized throughout the article. For example, if you are devoting a website to helping others buy property, you need to utilize as much information as you can that is relevant to that topic. You may choose to enlist various topics on interest rates, home buying tips, foreclosure opportunities, financing your property and so on.

Step Two: Write quality content in a focused area

Content is extremely important in implementing a killer website. Anyone can take a few minutes and set up a website in no time at all, but having the proper content is what is going to matter in the long run. You need content that is useful, informative and helpful for the readers. The content needs to be kept current through a consistent stream of updates. Having quality content and a unique voice that stands out above the rest is what is going to set your site apart from all of the others. It may not be necessary to write a new piece every day, but you should make sure that you are taking the time to gather information and allow your readers a chance to absorb what you are providing them.

Step Three: Give credit where credit is due

If you can provide links to other websites, that is a great way to showcase what others may have to say about the topic you carry on your website. A lot of people fear that having a bunch of links will essentially drive away visitors, but this is actually false. You will receive far more positive views about the subject rather than having any negative impact. Make sure that your links are directed toward trusted sites and not just anyone. Once you’re writing information that’s helpful and/or entertaining for your readers, you’re ready to move onto advanced tactics like guest blogging, link building, and social media— all vital pieces of the SEO puzzle. There is a plethora of extensive research and detailed information regarding SEO and the science of search available from reputable brands on the internet; we recommend SEOMoz and Search Engine Land, both of which are ethically conscious thought leaders who are well-known and respected in the search industry.

As with any offline business, a reseller web hosting setup should be taken seriously. It requires planning and financial management in order to thrive. The following list outlines important points to consider when going into the reselling business.

Research the Market
The first and most vital step is to conduct research. Valuable information and advice can be gained by speaking with people who are already running a reseller web hosting business. Looking into how the direct competition does things can provide valuable insight as well, especially in niche markets.

Setup the Business
When choosing the business and domain name, it’s always best to keep things simple. The domain name should be easy to remember and the company name should complement it.  The company name should also be properly registered with a county clerk, and a bank account opened under the name of the business.

Some people may wish to incorporate a business or form an LLC. As there are a number of different structures and legal issues at stake, getting a tax accountant or attorney involved in the process may be quite helpful. Anyone starting a company should always familiarize themselves with local business laws.

photo by Jamison_Judd

Find a Provider
A search for web hosts that offer reseller packages should be done and narrowed down by reputation and reliability. Packages and cost can differ quite a bit from one host to another, so it pays to shop around. The right host will offer a balance of desired features with affordable cost.

Entry level reseller packages are usually offered at the shared hosting level, which is suitable for beginners. There should be options for future upgrades to VPS or dedicated server environments, to allow for growth.

A good way to test a potential host’s reliability is to live chat or make a forum post to the sales department and see how fast the response is. A good host will not mind answering presales questions.

Build a Site
The reseller hosting website is what potential clients see first, so it is a worthy investment to have it professionally designed. It should load fast and clearly explain what services are being offered, along with price. The sign up process should be easy to find and execute, and the entire site should have effective navigation.

Utilizing a billing software platform (such as WHMCS) to run in tandem with the website can be a big time saver and a great organizational tool. It can automatically keep track of invoices and payments, and send alerts when action needs to be taken.

Good search engine optimization, or SEO, is necessary for a high search engine placement. Consulting with an SEO expert can give the reseller business an extra step up, especially at the beginning.

Running a reseller web hosting business has the benefit of being relatively low cost while bringing in a steady stream of profit. It also does not require an extensive knowledge of servers and hardware, as this aspect is the responsibility of the hosting provider. Not having to worry about the technical side allows the reseller to concentrate on bringing in clients and focusing on quality, first level service to them.

While a reseller business is relatively easy to start up, it does require dedication and hard work to be successful, just like any other company. Customers and revenue are not guaranteed, so the reseller must commit to an excellent standard of service in order to build a solid reputation. A good website and solid SEO are necessary tools but nothing beats word of mouth, or a great online review.

With the ongoing economic crisis and high unemployment, many people are looking for ways to generate extra income. Starting a reseller web hosting business may be a good option without a lot of upfront cost.

If you have some specific resources or topics you’d like to see featured in the HostNine blog, give us a shout on Facebook, Twitter or G+. We’re always happy to help!

WORDPRESS RESOURCES


This flexible, free and extremely popular (over 65 million downloads as of December 2011) content management system is the first choice for many Webmasters and bloggers. This list of links covers everything from security best practices to plug-ins and site optimization.

15-Step Checklist To Creating The Perfect WordPress Website

The Best WordPress Tutorials of 2011 on WPBeginner

The 14 Best WordPress Plugins For Social Media And SEO Optimized Sites For 2012 

10 Tips To Optimize Your WordPress Theme

Top WordPress Security Plugins for 2012 | Web Sigmas

11 Quick Tips: Securing Your WordPress Site | Wptuts+

WordPress Security: Seven Ways I Could Hack Into Your WordPress Site

SEO / DIGITAL MARKETING / BUSINESS RESOURCES
Make your site more visible. Learn SEO. Increase conversions. 

Grassroots SEO – Strategy, Process & Life Cycle

Five Questions to Streamline Your Keyword Research

How To Increase Conversions by 50% Overnight » SitePoint

Building Links & Driving Traffic with How To Posts

Sales Oriented Website Needs

5 Ways to Turn Social Customers Into Brand Ambassadors

CONTENT GENERATION RESOURCES
Sure, you can write, but can you write for the web? Learn more about idea generation, blogging best practices, copywriting, headline writing, and more.

How to Write Great Blog Content

A 5-Minute Guide to More Persuasive Copywriting

Ideas for Creative (& Efficient) Content Generation

Proven Headline Formulas | Steal These Formulas For Your Next Blog Post…

WEB DESIGN RESOURCES
No matter what your level of familiarity/unfamiliarity is with web design principles, it helps to understand the basics. Remember- it’s code, words and pictures, not rocket science!

Clear Indications That It’s Time To Redesign 

The State Of Web Design Trends 2012

Don’t Fear the Internet (A fantastic primer on HTML/CSS for non-designers)

Building  A Website In Progressive Steps (a series of screencasts that goes through the process of designing and building a website)

Who are you?

Mathew Ierston. I am the owner of PyroFactor, the UK’s most exciting and dynamic fireworks display team. We specialize in customizing and creating unique displays for all types of outdoor and indoor events.  We cover everything from controlled on stage explosions to full city centre firework displays. Our team bring the WOW factor to any event. You can see the other types of events we handle here.

Where is your website?
www.pyrofactor.com

What makes your website interesting?
My website is simple, fast-loading and dynamic. It was created using WordPress, and is hosted on HostNine’s UK shared hosting servers.

Thanks for participating, Mathew! You’ve got a pretty interesting business!

Do you like free publicity? Interested in spreading the word about your H9-hosted site? Look no further! Fill out this short form, and we’ll be in touch.

Is this you?
You like sharing videos on YouTube, but still like to Tweet and post to Tumblr and Facebook while maintaining an outpost on Google+.  You have a strong online presence, but spend far too much time ping-ponging back and forth from network to network, logging in and out. You get a lot of followers on Twitter, but some of your profiles are beginning to collect digital dust from not being tended to. There’s a simple way to avoid this kind of disorganization- a social media dashboard.

What’s a social media dashboard?
A social media dashboard is a tool that lets you manage all your different social accounts in one place. You can post to multiple sites, set goals for campaigns, and most importantly, get a larger view of how your online reputation is doing across different channels. Here’s some of the main reasons why you need to jump on the dashboard train:

Collaboration
Do you have more than one person handling the social media duties in your organization? With a social media dashboard in your life, you and your team can share a broader view of what’s going on with your brand in the social world, and pool your resources so things get done faster.

Scheduling
Some dashboards provide you with the ability to schedule posts and Tweets, which can help to amp productivity during busy periods. Take care not to over-schedule, though- too much automated content can sometimes dilute the quality of your efforts and make everything sound too stilted.

Analytics
As social media marketing budgets have increased, there has been a growing emphasis on the measurability of social initiatives.  What are you doing with your social media campaign? How does it benefit your bottom line? Do you have measurable goals? Social dashboards can help you find out how many people you’re engaging, and provide insight into who follows the links you’re posting, among other things.

Many dashboards also let you can create reports that can help you provide concrete explanations for why a campaign is succeeding or falling on its face. If social media is a large part of your job, and you need to produce actionable insights and results related to your social presence on a consistent basis, a social dashboard application is an a essential component for your day to day tasks.

A great tool
HootSuite is a free social media dashboard tool that performs all of the aforementioned tasks, and more. Some of its features include:

It’s free
HootSuite costs nothing. You have the option of upgrading to a “pro” account (which eliminates ads and gives the ability to customize reports and profiles), but there’s also plenty of great features in the free version.

No downloads
HootSuite is a third-party application that doesn’t hog space on your computer,  because there’s nothing to download! You can tweet and post without the added hassles of another application gumming up the works on your laptop/desktop.

Thorough analytics integration
HootSuite lets you integrate your Google Analytics and Facebook Insights accounts into your dashboard, so you can create customizable reports from a variety of different perspectives.

Endless resources
HootSuite also provides a large, diverse archive of video tutorials for users. They cover everything from the basics of using HootSuite to the ins and outs of maximizing your social media efforts. There’s an entire series called “HootSuite University” and a live chat called #HSUchat that helps to steer users towards new heights in social media.

A new tool for a new year
Social media is only going to keep growing into 2012 and beyond, so there’s no reason to succumb to time-wasting traps that hinder productivity. Getting the right tool can make a world of difference for you and your organization.

Click here to check out HootSuite and take the first steps towards getting your social media strategy right for 2012!

Geeklog

One of the most popular of the WordPress alternatives, Geeklog is a feature-full CMS that can use mySQL, PostgreSQL or Microsoft SQL server for its databases.  It includes among its features content syndication, forums, calendars, polls multi-language support and mass user deletion.  If you need help, it actually uses a wiki for its official documentation.  Popular sites Groklaw and Mac OS X Hints have used it for years.

concrete5

Open-source CMS concrete5 has attracted attention for its ease of use.  Not only is there easy editing of individual pages without having to go through an administrative interface of some kind, but even images can be edited from directly within its interface.  It includes among its features search engine optimization, a tracker to check for latest software revisions, and a page history so that you can revert to any previous version of any page on your site.  It’s among the newer CMSs so 3^rd party content and themes are still catching up, but it appears that this is happening quickly.

Drupal

Drupal might be the largest and most far-reaching CMS outside of WordPress. In fact, one estimate has one in 66 web sites using it, including the governmental web sites for both the US and the UK.  It has about as much compatibility as any software out there, running on any operating system using PHP and working with just about every main database software in existence.  Among its arm-length long list of features are multi-user file editing, multiple security restriction methods, support for multiple sites, and support from communities in multiple languages (“multiple” seems to be the central word here).  The gigantic community, in fact, seems one of Drupal’s main selling points: the Drupal web site lists more than 11,000 user-created modules.

PHP-Fusion

For something with a lot of miles on it but still simple and lightweight there is PHP-Fusion.  It comes with most of the basic features like themes, forums, picture gallery support, spam protection and an in-site search, and it has support sites in 20 countries.  It is considered one of the most stable and reliable CMSs out there.

Joomla!

Also, with strong community support is the open-source Joomla!  Using object-oriented programming, Joomla!’s features include RSS feeds, polls, search capability, and language internationalization.

WordPress’s reputation is well-earned, but don’t fear the alternatives.  One of the advantages of the information era is that there’s almost always more than one right way.  If your web host uses them, take a closer look.  You’ll find a lot of them to be of a high enough quality to make you not miss the biggest names.

  



  

 

 

What’s New?

Server Upgrades

We’re happy to announce that HostNine has added significant backend server updates to improve your overall experience. We also changed the pricing AND hardware in our dedicated server packages. Check out the details here.

No matter what package you choose, HostNine gives you an infinite number of possibilities. You can always run an unlimited number of websites and applications in high-resource, fully customizable environments.

Looking for a custom quote? Click here, and we’ll be happy to help.

Connect with HostNine on Google+

HostNine has also created a Google+ page!

Click the G+ badge to stop by and put us in your circles!

What’s Next?

HostNine will announce a new server location for our reseller clients at the end of 2011 or the start of 2012, so you’ll be able to reap the benefits of another international location within Reseller Central to offer to your customers. Stay tuned for details!

H9 Team Update

HostNine GM Taylor Barr attended the Internet Summit 2011 in Raleigh last week, and took in all sorts of great presentations on everything from search and analytics to cloud computing and social media.

Check out his conference wrap up here, at the HostNine blog.

Click here to subscribe to our monthly newsletter!

Thanks for reading!

This years conference “brought the thunder” as keynote speaker and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk would put it. Gary is an energetic speaker, successful owner of several businesses, and an accomplished best-selling author. He spoke about how the technology landscape is changing right in front of us, how companies need to improve the quality of their customer service, and how marketers need to move to a pull rather than a push model when it comes to targeting customers. 80% of the audience didn’t know him before he spoke, and at the end of his talk there was a standing ovation. Pretty impressive.

Another great part of the Internet Summit is the pre-conference sessions. I was able to catch a great presentation by Matthew Muñoz on using “Design as A Strategic Tool.” The session went beyond designing your website, application, etc and talked about aligning self-interest with a shared purpose and  how to create an architecture of participation within the walls of a company. There are some great tips for all in this presentation. Feel free to check it  out here.

Lastly, HostNine’s CEO Douglas Hanna was in attendance and lead a presentation entitled, “Taking Online Reputation Management to the Next Level.” You can find his informative presentation here.

Overall, the turnout for this show was great, with close to 2000 attendees participating. I had a great time networking and meeting companies that might be great partners for HostNine. We will have to see what happens in 2012!