PHP is a programming language that allows your website to go beyond a basic HTML document, and create an interactive experience. Open source means that the source code is available to someone with proper access to the site, so that they can easily make changes. When the Internet was first getting started, most of the pages on websites were basic HTML documents. Meaning that when you visited a page (about.html, for example), you downloaded all of the content of the page into your browser.

How Do I Know if I have a PHP Site?

If you are visiting a site, and you see that the page name ends with .html, this means that the page is most likely a plain old HTML page. If the page name ends in .php, then the site is a php based site. Other dynamic programming languages include .jsp (Java Server Pages) or .asp (.NET or Active Server Pages). Occasionally you’ll see sites that end in .html that have dynamic code embedded in them, but this requires some tricks to accomplish on the server.

We have several sites that use static HTML pages and have great results. There are some pages that have dynamic content, but most of the pages are built in straight HTML. It’s great for search engine optimization, as some of those pages have been active for years. However, as the number of pages grow, it becomes increasingly difficult to update menu or navigation items, because it means you have to open each page, one at a time, and modify the contents.

Advantages of using PHP

PHP works a little differently. Instead of downloading the entire page (with the navigation, content and everything in one file), php allows you to embed programming code that isn’t displayed to the end user. This programming code allows you to tell the page, “Insert the top navigation here.” Or, “put the content for the page over there.”

PHP allows you to personalize a page, for example, or automatically detect that a user is coming into the site from a mobile device and display a different version of the site that is optimized for their Blackberry or iPhone. PHP keeps most of the code for the site “behind the scenes” so that the page that is displayed to the end user loads quickly and doesn’t require the browser to do processing work — the work is handled instead by the server.

PHP Is Ideal For Working With Databases

One of the biggest advantages of a programming language like PHP is that it allows you to easily interact with a database. If you’re unfamiliar with databases, think of a database as a souped-up form of an Excel spreadsheet. You have columns (i.e. page name, content, title) and rows. Rows typically would hold information that is organized by column headings.

PHP makes it easy to read information from a database, and then display information onto a web page. So, if you’ve ever used a site where you type in your zip code to find a store location near you, the system likely is taking your zip code, performing a database query (i.e. find all stores within 10 miles of the 80303 zip code) and display the results so that you can find your way. In order to do this, we have a geolocation database that allows us to tell the approximate distance between two zip codes.

You could do the same thing by building out a series of web pages that has each location. And while this is fine for three or four locations, as the number of locations increases, PHP allows you to automate the process.

Keep Content Organized

One of the ways we’ve been able to streamline the process of building websites is that we’ve standardized our process using our PageDirector content management system. There are many, many ways to build websites. Each designer seems to have a slightly different way of putting a site together. We are frequently asked to work on sites that other people have created, and in order to make simple changes to the content or navigation, we often have to dig around in the code to find where things are located. This takes time and isn’t very efficient. The PageDirector system, however, keeps all of the content for the site neatly organized in a database table. So that anyone can easily find the content and make changes quickly and easily. One of our clients said to me in an email to me yesterday, “It’s really efficient and a simple tool to use PageDirector. It makes my life easier being able to update the website fast.”

How Does It Work?

When someone clicks on a link to go to a page, the system pulls the right content from the database, grabs the menu items from another location, and on-the-fly creates the page for a person.

Summary

PHP is a server-based programming language that allows you to create an interactive experience for your site visitors, and keep content and other information organized within a database.

Next, Discover Here More Tips On How To Build Websites

Getting started on social media can often be deceptively simple – What’s the big deal? You sign up. – or intimidating – Why am I being asked for my date of birth? – or overwhelming – How do I find people to friend or follow?

In actuality there are official and unofficial rules. It is easier if you start out knowing what’s what, and this is probably especially important if you’re more of an introvert.

Let’s imagine you already use email, search for information on Google, and read blog posts. But you’ve never joined any social media sites. How do you start?

1. Decide how comfortable you are sharing information about yourself. And the corollary to this – how wide a sharing of this information are you willing to do.

If you’re a book author and want people to buy your book, it’s a good idea to decide that you will share personal (although not private) information to as wide an audience as possible. If you only want to connect online with former high school friends, your target audience is much smaller.

If sharing information makes you somewhat nervous, think about what it means to be personal as opposed to private. Personal is a good marketing book you just read that you can recommend to help others; private is a fight you had with your business partner over implementing the marketing steps recommended in the book.

2. Ask online savvy friends that, based on your goal, which popular site they would recommend you first join. (And do start with just one while getting your feet wet in this brave new world.)

• If your goal, for example, is to have a wide audience, then Twitter may be the best choice because of its “open to everyone” format. – If you only want to search for high school friends, then Facebook may be the best choice as you can confine your information to a very small circle and can search by name for those long-lost friends.
• If you want to make connections to help with a future job search, then LinkedIn, whose format is set up for such a process, may be the best choice for you.

3. Once you have chosen the site you’ll start on, do a Google search for information on effectively using that site. That’s right, before you ever sign up, read some blog posts that provide guidance on effectively using the site.

Now this isn’t a research project that serves as an excuse for postponing actually joining the site. Just learn a few of the basic “rules.” And if you do this step, you’ll be way ahead of most other people who start on social media without first doing any research.

And why not learn this on the site itself? Because most of these sites have inadequate information for newcomers or an abundance of information that overwhelms newcomers.

Plus, to encourage you to sign up, the site’s home page says something like: To join now just do this. And it’s only after you’ve provided your name, email, password, etc. that you’re left wondering “What do I do next?”

4. If you’re starting on a site that doesn’t require your real name, choose a username carefully. You want to think about seeing this name used all across cyberspace as lots of social media sites pull information from other social media sites (with your permission, of course).

You may initially think, for example, of choosing the name of your first book. But what happens when you write a second book? Or perhaps using the name of the book won’t work well for a site that is focused on a non-book arena.

Keep in mind that whatever you do on the Internet can live forever. So this choice of a username should be considered carefully and for continued use in the long-run. (Once you’ve established a good online reputation with one username you don’t want to start at square one again with a new username.)

5. Immediately post a photo of yourself – a headshot in which sunglasses and a baseball cap are not blocking people from totally seeing your eyes. (This does not have to be professional-photographer quality but should not be blurry.)

This photo should be one that will also work on social media sites you will join in the future because you want consistency across these sites. You want consistency to help people recognize and connect with you on more than one site. (The same for your username).

Keep in mind that the photos for Twitter are quite small. And even if you’re starting on Facebook, only include a headshot of yourself. Do not include other people and preferably not animals and other props.

By posting a good headshot of yourself you’re signaling that you’re interested in connecting with people – real people such as yourself – and you’ll be off to a good start on your first social media site.

Now that you’ve read these five tips for starting on your first social media site, what are you waiting for? Join the cyberspace social media community today.

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For many people the prospect of writing a sales letter is a daunting one and can frighten even the bravest of entrepreneurs. If you don’t feel ready to tackle that task yourself then outsource it and hire a copywriter to do it for you.

There are 6 golden rules to follow when you are looking to hire a good copywriter so check these out and get answers from the person you are looking to hire.

Rule One – How Good Are They?

For many people the only way to get first class copy that pulls in order after order is to hire a talented copywriter.

Easy isn’t it? BUT… not everyone who decides to call themselves a copywriter is one! Copywriting is a specific skill that not all writers have and you want someone who can write a simple sales letter that has impact and will pull in sales for your product or service.

You need to know if they are earning a living from copywriting and if it is their full time job or just something they do to earn a bit extra on the side.

Rule Two – How Much Do They Charge?

The old adage of ‘you get what you pay for’ has been around for years for a reason. When you are starting out it’s tempting to choose the lowest quote for a job, but I am sure you’ve heard the analogy for a £500 brain surgeon versus the £50,000 brain surgeon….who would you trust more?

An hourly rate is charged by some copywriters; this works to your disadvantage because what incentive have they to finish your job on time and on budget? Ask if they charge for revisions or not, and you also want to know exactly how many revisions are included in the price. Personally, I prefer to hire by the project and have a set number of revisions for free so that way I know exactly what my costs are going in.

Rule Three – Are They Dependable?

However good someone may be, if they are not dependable then you are going to be looking at trouble along the way. You usually hire a copywriter because it’s not a skill that you possess, or you have a deadline that you can’t meet by yourself.

I suggest caution if someone says they can accommodate last minute rush jobs. It sounds good, but what it means is that to do your job they will push someone else’s job to the back of the queue to get your business. The problem here is that the next time you hire them yours could be the job that goes to the end of the line.

When asking for references always include a question about how reliable they were on delivering on time.

Rule Four – Can They Work Long Distance?

Copywriters are available all over the world, from individuals working out of their home to huge teams contracted to an agency. If you are hiring a copywriter outside your own country, then make sure that they are fluent in your own language.

Many horror stories abound of people who hired ‘cheaper’ copywriters and then spent days correcting language, grammar and spelling. With the technology available today for live emails and video conferencing a professional copywriter can work with anyone, anywhere on the planet. Your ideal is someone who can work without constant supervision or ‘hand holding’ and is happy to have no face-to-face meetings.

Rule Five – Are They Easy To Work With?

They may be on the other side of the world, but your copywriter is going to be part of your team so they must be easy for you to work with. You are hiring them, so find someone you get along with. Not someone who doesn’t listen to your suggestions, refuses to take direction from you or is unwilling to compromise.

You are the client and they have to respect that, but in a good team the leader knows when to listen. They have an expertise you don’t so if they make suggestions to you listen, take on board what they are saying and ask questions.

If you still disagree then acknowledge their concerns (on paper or email) and explain why you want to go with your suggestions. Not only will things go more smoothly, but you get an opportunity to learn more about what makes a good copywriter and add to your own skills.

Rule Six – What Have They Done Before?

You ideally want to hire a copywriter with experience, but what kind of experience? It must be relevant to your market and your products. If they have written sales pages aimed at teenagers and your niche market is senior businessmen then it could work, but you are taking a risk.

So check them out and ask for samples of what they have done before and contact details for at least two references. You can also tell a lot about a freelance copywriter by the company they keep. Ask to see their client list, and notice how comfortable a fit it is with you and your business. Would you like to be associated with people or companies on their list?

Summary

By asking these questions and listening to the answers you are on your way to successfully hiring your first copywriter. Once you find someone who you are happy to work with AND who produces great work for you, stay with them and develop a long lasting relationship.

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In essence, a sales page is an online document designed to generate sales, to convince your potential customer that you can provide the best product or service for their immediate needs.

In one sense, your sales page can be thought of as your opening pitch. If done correctly, it can make visitors to your membership site want to learn more…to seek out the information that you can provide. It can subtly influence a person to take a specific action by making an offer to them. Targeting the right audience and being specific in what you offer is the most effective way to use a sales page.

It should be realized, however, that even the best sales page only does a part of the job of retaining members for your membership site. This sales tool can only wet their appetite for what you have to offer; it’s up to you to convince them that the quality of the site lives up to their expectation. One method is to provide support content by listing testimonials on your sales page from present members that show exactly what the potential is for their success.

Now that you know what a great sales page can offer your membership site, it is important to know how to write an effective one. The first step is to research your product. After all, you’re the one that designed the site. But if you think about it, even you might not know all the potential advantages or pitfalls of the site, especially if you’re following the lead of someone who has gone before. So, ask questions and do some Internet searches on the nature of your membership site. The more you know, the more targeted and effective your sales page will be and the quicker you will grow.

Learning about your audience is the next step. Any successful writer will tell you that half the battle is learning how the mind of your targeted audience works. Does your membership site target stay at home moms? Or is it designed for the young entrepreneur? Depending on who you want to attract, you should write your sales letter in such a way that the targeted audience can easily relate.

Finally, it is important to remember that the whole purpose of a sales page is to make sure the client knows the benefits of your membership site. What a potential buyer will gain from the features of your particular membership site is a benefit. For example, if your site offers a feature such as available online chat with an expert, the benefit would be expert knowledge offered in real time or immediate satisfaction. It is important that your sales page reflect this and what it can mean to potential members.

A sales page is one of the most important elements for the success of any membership site. It is, most likely, one of the first things your potential members will read before they decide to join. Taking the time to construct the right sales page for your membership site could mean the difference between growing your business or staying stagnant.

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Online Business Coach and Internet Marketing Strategist Gabor Olah helps baby boomers create profitable online businesses that they love. Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by claiming your FREE gift, $1K A Day Formula, at ==> $1Kadayformula.com

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