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The Downside to Retail 08/17/2009 Posted: Seeing your software on the shelves of a BestBuy or a Walmart store can be a tremendous ego boost, but the reality of retail and doing business in the brick-n-mortar world is far less charming.  Making an online product fit into the retail marketing concept takes significant amounts of time and money.  There are a number of downsides to retail that many ISVs or small software houses often do not realize... The Downside to Retail

Updated Presentations from Software Industry Conference 08/14/2009 Posted: New presentations from the Software Industry Conference in Boston, MA.

Most Common MicroISV Mistakes 08/13/2009 Posted: Here are some of the more common mistakes that many MicroISVs make.  Hopefully this list can help you avoid making some or all of them yourself... Most Common MicroISV Mistakes

Ask Developer Resource Updated 08/11/2009 Updated: A number of questions and answers have been added to Ask Developer Resource.

How MicroISVs Can Market to Companies 08/10/2009 Posted: The thought of selling to large entities such as corporations, schools, and government agencies can sometimes be overwhelming to a small software house.  But it is a misnomer to think that only large companies can sell to other large companies.  Many MicroISVs sell quite successfully in the B2B - Business-To-Business marketplace.  There is no secret formula to selling to big businesses, but a few basics can make selling into this market much easier... How MicroISVs Can Market to Big Business

Tools for Building a Software Community 08/07/2009 Posted: A number of tools exist that can assist MicroISVs in building a community around their software products.  The software should be the common theme that unites community participants. Tools for Building a Software Community

Effective Split Testing 08/03/2009 Posted: Split testing allows you to effectively test two different variables, and then measure the effect that the differences have on a customers behavior.  Minor changes in website content can often have a significant impact on the number of completed sales. Effective Split Testing

Tips for Software Uninstall Surveys 07/29/2009 Posted: It is often helpful to conduct a customer survey in an effort to get a better idea of what customers like, want, and expect. For example, many MicroISVs conduct uninstall surveys to gain information about why customers choose to uninstall their software. Follow these steps to increase the value of your surveys and the number of respondents... Tips for Software Uninstall Surveys

Before You Build a Software Community 07/22/2009 Posted: Before you begin developing a community around your software, there are a number of things that you should consider doing... Before You Build a Software Community

Tips to Improve Software Support 07/16/2009 Posted: Regardless of a software companys size, they must provide support for the products they sell.  But providing support is often viewed as time-consuming, and it does not always add to profits.  How can MicroISVs make the most of the software support they provide?  Here are a few ways... Tips to Improve Software Support

Title Tag Tips 07/13/2009 Posted: Every page on a website should contain a different and unique title tag.  Selecting the right title can significantly impact click-through rates. Writing Effective Title Tags

Why Build a Software Community? 07/08/2009 Posted: Building a community around your software can be a very effective way to establish your brand and to become a trusted source in a niche.  Here are some of the benefits of building a community... Why Build a Software Community?

Updated Presentations from Chinese Software Global Summit 07/03/2009 Posted: New presentations from the Chinese Software Global Summit in Beijing China.

Preventing Software Piracy 07/02/2009 Posted: Software piracy is an ever-present problem for software developers, and unfortunately there is no way to entirely prevent it.  Software developers can employ tactics such as hardware dongles, registration codes, passwords, online activation, separate downloads for licensed versions, etc, but the fact remains that none of the protection schemes are absolutely foolproof or failsafe. Preventing Software Piracy

Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment 06/26/2009 Posted: Software companies exert significant amounts of effort promoting their software and driving traffic to their website, yet they often fail to examine the purchase process that customers encounter after arriving at the site.  If someone enters the purchase process, chances are very good that they have already determined that your software is compatible, and that they have money and an interest in purchasing your software... all of which are critical when converting a potential customer into a purchasing customer. Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment

Reduce Forum Spam 06/18/2009 Posted: Automated bots will often automate forum registration and postings in an effort to increase links back to their own websites.  These posts are often completely unrelated to the forum topics, are usually cluttered with unrelated links, and may even contain offensive or inappropriate material.  Software developers who have support forums, or who are interested in implementing a forum, need to be proactive in order to reduce the amount of spam in their forum. Reduce Forum Spam

5 Affiliate Myths 06/15/2009 Posted: Many software developers fail to take advantage of affiliate programs, and often because of various untrue myths that exist in regard to selling through affiliate programs.  Some of the common misconceptions related to affiliate marketing include... Affiliate Myths

Running an Offline vs Online Business 06/12/2009 Posted: An online software business can be a lucrative extension of an offline software business.  Having an online presence is no longer simply a nice addition to an offline company -- it really is a necessity in this day and age.  Consider this: if your company does not have an online presence, chances are good that your competition does, and they are taking business that could be yours! Running an Offline vs Online Business

Software Employment Reviews 06/09/2009 Posted: Regularly-scheduled personnel reviews are commonplace in big businesses, but staff reviews are also important for smaller MicroISVs as well.  First, there are no rules.  The reviews do not have to occur annually -- they can be quarterly, semi-annually, or at the end of an established probationary period. Employment Reviews

Make the Most of a Trade Show 06/05/2009 Posted: It can sometimes be expensive to participate in a trade show, and while many companies seem to spare no expense on their booth design and conference sponsorship, they often fail to maximize their trade show potential.  Your trade show staff should be well-informed regarding your expectations of their trade show presence and behavior. The following is a basic trade show primer... Making the Most of a Trade Show

Software Business Automation 06/03/2009 Posted: Office and technical automation can be a critical component to business success, and can drastically impact and improve productivity, especially in a small software house. Software Business Automation

Deal of Day Benefits 05/28/2009 Posted: Everybody loves a bargain, and especially in times of economic crunch.  Consumers are always looking for ways to save money, but without compromising the lifestyle they have grown accustomed to.  Deal-Of-The-Day websites can provide consumers with significant savings on products. Deal of the Day Benefits

Wiki Links 05/26/2009 Posted: Most webmasters acknowledge that search engines weigh the number of back-links in a website as part of their algorithms for organic search results.  The sense is that links from reputable websites weigh more than non-authority websites. More on Wiki Links

What is a Knol? 05/19/2009 Posted: A Knol is defined as a unit of knowledge. Google Knol is a service owned and operated by Google, and is Googles answer to Wikipedia.  Google Knol contains a collection of articles and information written by various individuals.  The big difference between Google Knol and Wikipedia is that in Google Knol, the author can determine the edit-ability of the article. The original content creator sets the level of editing they will allow for each work. What is a Knol?

Essential Checks for Launching Website - Part III 05/15/2009 Posted: Your website is designed and it is time to take the website live. Or is it? When launching a website, you can often forget or overlook a number of details in your eagerness to get it live. It is useful to have a checklist to review as you make your final touches and before you officially release your website - to avoid unnecessary costs and provide the best user experience possible. Essential Checks Before Launching a Website - Part III

Essential Checks for Launching Website - Part II 05/13/2009 Posted: Your website is designed and it is time to take the website live. Or is it? When launching a website, you can often forget or overlook a number of details in your eagerness to get it live. It is useful to have a checklist to review as you make your final touches and before you officially release your website - to avoid unnecessary costs and provide the best user experience possible. Essential Checks Before Launching a Website - Part II

Essential Checks for Launching Website - Part I 05/11/2009 Posted: Your website is designed and it is time to take the website live. Or is it? When launching a website, you can often forget or overlook a number of details in your eagerness to get it live. It is useful to have a checklist to review as you make your final touches and before you officially release your website - to avoid unnecessary costs and provide the best user experience possible. Essential Checks Before Launching a Website Part I

Tips for Building a Software Community 05/07/2009 Posted: There are a number of ways to build a community around your products.  Follow these tips to create an active and successful community.... Tips for Building a Community

Inspirational MicroISV Stories 05/04/2009 Updated: Inspirational MicroISV stories.

Search Engine Optimization for Images 04/30/2009 Posted: When optimizing your website to perform better in search engine results, do not overlook or neglect the images on your website.  Graphics play an important role in web design, and they can also influence organic search rankings.  Take care to make your website graphics search-friendly.  Here are some tips for better image optimization... Search Engine Optimization for Images

How to Keep the Attention of Affiliates 04/27/2009 Posted: In order for affiliates to effectively promote your software applications, you will need to provide them with promotional collateral for those products.  Do not skimp on quality when setting up affiliate collateral.  It is not something you should cut corners on, because a motivated affiliate can generate significant revenue.  But in order to do so, they will need quality promotional materials.  A professional affiliate that is spending money to promote your application is not going to want sub-standard graphics and promotional materials. How to Keep the Attention of Affiliates

What Is Bounce Rate? 04/22/2009 Posted: The bounce rate for a website is yet another reason that Internet marketers should focus on targeted traffic, because targeted traffic results in a much lower bounce rate.  For example, if you are selling software for picking baby names, and you generate non-targeted traffic from people looking for baby cribs instead, your bounce rate will increase as a result of that non-targeted traffic. What Is Bounce Rate

Contract Programming 04/20/2009 Posted: Developers can often supplement their income by doing contract programming.  This can be a great source of additional revenue when properly structured.  Make sure you take the time to detail the plan before your begin. Contract Programming

E-commerce Reporting Information 04/15/2009 Posted: Clients can use the reporting from e-commerce service providers to improve their business and effectively boost their sales. Ecommerce Reporting

Web Copy Is All About Benefits 04/13/2009 Posted: The web copy should convey what the product can do.  Rather than listing a collection of features, be sure to communicate the benefits of the product or service. Web Copy Is All About Benefits

How to Analyze Brand 04/09/2009 Posted: Building a brand is a challenge.  A brand is all about perception, and as frustrating as it might be, the manufacturer or seller does not control how customers, potential customers, or the general public perceives a brand.  That said, the manufacturer or seller can certainly help influence how their brand is perceived. How to Analyze a Brand

Affiliate Sales Presentation 04/02/2009 Posted: New PowerPoint presentation on Affiliate Sales presented in Hong Kong 2009.

How to Make the Most of Membership in an Association 03/31/2009 Posted: Small software developers who work alone can often experience feelings of isolation.  Becoming involved with a software organization or association can help alleviate the isolation, while also assisting in the growth of their businesses. How to Make the Most of Membership in a Software Organization

Ask Developer Resource Updated 03/27/2009 Updated: A number of questions and answers have been added to Ask Developer Resource.

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