ADVANCED ACCESS January 2002 Newsletter

Happy New Year! January 2002 Newsletter

"None of us suddenly becomes something overnight.
The preparations have been in the making for a lifetime."
- Gail Godwin, Writer

Resolve to make 2002 the BEST Year for Internet Marketing
We can Help!

ADVANCED ACCESS is committed to your success with your website. That's why every week your personal Account Executive sends you a "Marketing Tip," designed to give you ideas on how to make the most of your Internet presence, how to drive more traffic to your website, and provide you with resources you can avail yourself of to create more "Link Popularity" to help boost your results on some of the search engines.

In reviewing the past year, 2001 was monumental for search engine revelations, with the most newsworthy event occurring at Yahoo!, the number one Search Directory. Suddenly, with no prior warning in November of 2001 Yahoo! required that a fee of $299.95 be paid for placement in their Directory. (This does not affect your placement if you are already listed in Yahoo's directory. A month later they amended the requirement to a yearly fee instead of a one-time fee for placement. What has this taught us? One thing we can count on in the search engine world is that CHANGE is inevitable. That's why we continue to keep you abreast of news as it occurs.

If you haven't had time to read your marketing tips each week, start the NEW year right by viewing the previous tips by clicking here! Listed by date and subject for your convenience, these tips are a valuable resource as you plan your marketing strategy for the New Year. Together we can ensure that 2002 is the year of SUCCESS in your Internet Marketing.

Master Valuable Skills with new book "Attack the Market!"

So we've heard the technology revolution has arrived, and it impacts directly what we do in the real estate business. But what if computers and software don't exactly thrill you? In his well-written book, Mike Merin, CRB, CRS, GRI, ITI, Associate Broker of Prudential Fox & Roach, identifies the technology threshold necessary, then demonstrates exactly how to master negotiating, finance or pricing properties to serve your clients. Technology is not the only way to ensure your success.

Rather than depending on their interpersonal skills, real estate professionals can choose a specialty so they can help clients in ways clients can't help themselves on the Internet. Thus, they are adding value to their client relationships as specialists in negotiating, finance, pricing or technology.

Charismatic SRES Leader Tim Corliss Passes Away

Tim Corliss, past president of the California Association of REALTORS®, specialized in the senior's market for more than 25 years. He created the Senior Advantage Real Estate Marketing Program, introducing the program in California in 1977 and nationally in 1998. Corliss passed away on January 8, 2002, after a battle with cancer. His wife (pictured above) Jill Corliss, worked side by side with Tim in founding the company. Jill will continue Tim's work and serve as President/CEO of the Senior Advantage Real Estate Council in Murphys, California.

Corliss created customized materials with a three-tiered educational program to provide REALTORS® with the tools to create a quality program to service seniors. After completing the 12-hour course and providing proof of experience in working with seniors, REALTORS® earn the SRES designation.

It is a privilege to work with the fine people in the SRES organization. For additional information about earning the SRES designation, please click here.

Dispelling the Myths about Framed Websites

What is a "framed website" and how does it affect my site's performance?

A "framed website" means that some of the pages within your site will link to other websites while maintaining a "frame" around the sides, top, or bottom of your site, depending upon the design. The frame displays your contact information, photo (in some cases) and navigation to your website's interior pages. The purpose of a frame is to enhance the content of your site by providing information to the consumer from outside websites. Many real estate web designers (including ADVANCED ACCESS) use frames in their web designs, to optimize the amount of information displayed for the consumer.

It is well documented that a "framed site" (example shown above) has countless advantages for the real estate professional. A framed site minimizes website maintenance and provides visitors with access to content from other sites while they're still viewing YOUR smiling face. This is especially useful when providing access to a national MLS such as MSN Home Advisor as there is a better chance you will secure the lead if YOUR contact information is always in front of your web visitors.

So-called "experts" sometimes claim that frames block the search engines from spidering your site and indexing all of its pages. On the contrary, ADVANCED ACCESS UNDERSTANDS what it takes to ensure that ALL pages in your website are indexed by the search engines. In fact the reason why ADVANCED ACCESS websites do well in the search engines is (a) our home (or index) page includes LOADS of links (which search engines equate to mega content in your site); (b) the interior pages are framed to arrange the hundreds of pages in a concise order for easy navigation; and (c) we have developed a special section called the "No Frames" page which allows the search engines to read all of the meta tags in your website, including links, for optimal search engine performance.

Don't Lose Your Domain Name to "URL Vultures"

Chances are, you've invested a significant amount of time and money in marketing your domain name to the consumer. Regardless of the investment, the unfortunate fact is that your domain name can be lost to people who track its expiration date and register it for themselves the moment the name expires and the grace period elapses.

Although we make every effort to monitor our clients' domain expiration dates, the fact is that each domain registration company has different reporting standards for renewals. Due to many outside factors, we are not always aware of your domain name expiration date and cannot guarantee that we will notify you when it's time to renew.

Many of our clients report that they never received an invoice for renewing their domain name. Although most registrars send out invoices 30 days before the expiration, addresses can change and mail can be lost. Most domain registrars offer a grace period after the expiration date; however, if your domain name is not renewed it can result in your domain name being lost to another party.

Know your Domain Name Expiration Date

It's more important than ever to be aware of the date your domain expires. Here's how to find out your expiration date. Visit any of the domain registration websites, but for this example, let's use Network Solutions. Network Solutions website address is www.netsol.com . Click on the "Whois" section of the site and enter in your domain name. You can look up the ownership information for any domain name here, and find out the date your own domain expires. Make a note of your domain name expiration date for future reference. In most cases, your domain was originally registered for two years. If you have any trouble finding out the information about your domain name, simply e-mail your Account Executive and ask them to look it up and give you the date it expires.

If you don't receive an invoice before the expiration date, you can either (a) renew your domain name directly online with a credit card on the registrant's secure server, or (b) contact your Account Executive and he or she will be happy to renew your domain name for you.

As always, we are committed to your success on the Internet and are pleased to serve you in any capacity with regard to the renewal of your domain name.

Snapback.net Monitors or Secures Domain Names

One of our customers recently told us about a new service they used quite successfully to obtain a domain name that was already registered by another party. SnapBack is the only service that helps you secure wanted names and protect the names you already have.

Back-ordering the names you want

There are more than 30 million domain names that have been registered, with ten percent of these in active use. Registrations for the remaining millions of names, many of which are highly valuable, are returning to availability at the rate of more than 800,000 per month.

With SnapBack, you have the best chance in the industry to register the name you want within milliseconds of its return to availability. And at $69 per domain name for one year of coverage, it's an effective tool for acquiring desirable domain names.

Protecting the names you have

Losing a domain name can be a costly and inconvenient interruption to your business. SnapBack offers the first fully automated domain name protection service against ALL known hazards, including cyberjacking, vandalism and site redirection, sabotage, cancellation (due to inadvertent non-renewal) accidental deletion of unauthorized transfers.

For $69 per domain name per year, Snapback will monitor your domain and contact you if a change is made to its registration record. If you lose the domain for any reason, they can re-acquire it on your behalf.

For domain name owners, SnapBack is the best way to prevent (or repair) such loss. It's also the most inexpensive form of risk management in the industry. SnapBack was designed by leading domain name experts and intellectual property attorneys to provide a line of defense against one of the fastest growing areas of corporate fraud and mishap.

For more information about Snapback, please visit their website at www.snapback.net .

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This month we recognize the birthday of the influential and charismatic civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. A recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, Dr. King's philosophy of nonviolent action and his strategies for non-destructive social change roused the conscience of the country and restructured its priorities. His wisdom, his words, his actions, his commitment, and his dream for a new way of life are intertwined with the American experience.

In the spirit of remembrance, the following are excerpts from Martin Luther King's well-known "I have a Dream" speech, delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963

"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal…."

"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today."

We commemorate Dr. King's inspiring words because his voice and his vision filled a great void in our nation, and answered our collective yearning to become a country that truly lives by its noblest principles.

And finally….a few wise words from George Carlin

"Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent."

To our Valued Customers: Best Wishes for a Successful 2002 from all of us at ADVANCED ACCESS!

Thank you for your business - we appreciate your patronage and support. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please send them to us.

** Refer one of your colleagues to ADVANCED ACCESS - if they purchase a website, we'll add a FREE MONTH OF HOSTING to your existing contract. **

TO DREAM ANYTHING that you want to dream-that is the beauty of the human mind. To do anything you want to do-that is the strength of the human will. To trust yourself to test your limits-that is the courage to succeed.

BERNARD EDMONDS

December 2001 | Back to Main Page | February 2002