Blog

Reminder: Please switch to SFTP by December 12

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 19:33:00 GMT

Our infrastructure now supports the SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) protocol when connecting to sites remotely via Dreamweaver and other supported clients. The SFTP protocol encrypts both user credentials (username/password) and the actual data being transferred.

I recommend that all users switch to using the SFTP protocol starting today, to ensure the security of sites being connected to. New sites setup in Dreamweaver will already use SFTP by default.

The switch is as easy as:

Editing your connection in Dreamweaver or preferred FTP client
Changing the protocol from FTP to SFTP

Kind regards
Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

IMPORTANT: System update – September 15th

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 05:00:00 GMT

IMPORTANT: System hardware and software update – September 15th

Hi there,

To ensure the highest security and performance levels for our services, we're applying a hardware and software update on servers located in our North America datacenter. To minimize the customer impact, the updates are scheduled at the most convenient hours for the region and will take up to eight hours to complete.

During the maintenance procedure the Admin Console Access, Partner Portal, FTP, Dreamweaver extension ,APIs, registration and Trial site creation will experience 2 service interruptions of up to 30 minutes each (first one at the beginning and the second at the end), impacting sites on ALL datacenters.

Additionally, throughout the maintenance procedure, website front-ends for sites located in the New Jersey Datacenter that have heavy database usage my experience downtime of up to 8 minutes. Please find below the maintenance schedule and the list of affected services:

Start of maintenance	Duration	Datacenter	Customer impact
Saturday, September 15thth, 2012, 1:00 AM PDT	8 hours	North America	2 x 30 minutes downtime for Admin Console Access, FTP, APIs, registration, Trial site creation; this will impact sites on all datacenters Several intermittent website front-end interruptions for heavy database usage sites on North America datacenter

We apologize for any inconveniences generated by these service interruptions.

Thank you for your understanding and support,

Device specific site wide templates for Phone, Tablet, Screen, Yay!

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 06:00:00 GMT

Multi-screen support has just got better by allowing you to define device specific site wide templates. Each template now has a default version for desktop screens and two additional ones (tablets and smartphones). When displaying a page, the system will automatically use the template corresponding to te detected device, if that template has been defined. If no content is defined in a template, the system will fallback to the immediately higher resolution templates (phone falls back to tablet which falls back to desktop).

All versions can be edited from your Admin interface and are also available through FTP as separate files in the Templates folder.

Website, or Facebook page?

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 05:00:00 GMT

How do you want people to view your brand?

Market research has confirmed its far cheaper and effective to keep customers than to acquire new ones. That being said, a free Facebook page offers the cheapest customer acquisition cost for new businesses. My question: Is that free Facebook page the right solution for managing and taking care of existing customers?

Here is my rule of thumb for clients wondering about their online strategy.

"Businesses who "have" customers need a website, businesses "without" customers need a Facebook page."

Personally when I am researching online when making a new purchase, or trying to find warranty information on something I already own, the last place I look for is a Facebook page with pictures from a company picnic. I want a direct connection to the company. As consumers we expect a little more than a passive "Like" count when we actually have to interact with a company. What does your online strategy say about your business? Are you taking care of your existing customers?

Kind regards
Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Add a Facebook Like Button to Your Site in under 30 seconds!

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 21:34:00 GMT

Check out this quick, and I mean quick, video tutorial on how to add a facebook like button and friend feed to any page on your site. Market your site for free by having new site visitors share your link on Facebook. "New visitors" that aren't your friends already. Because what's the point of marketing to existing facebook friends, they already know about you, but that's a subject for another post!

Kind regards
Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Facebook Login Integration

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 05:00:00 GMT

With the latest release, the Online BusinessLauncher platform is extending social integration functionality by offering site owners the possibility to allow their customers to login in secure zone or forums using their Facebook accounts. This will increase customer retention and, with additional improvements from our side, increase the interaction between the site and its visitors.

Enabling Facebook login on a site requires the site owner to register their website with Facebook and get an App ID and a Secret Key. The App Id is a unique identifier for your site that ensures that Facebook has the right level of security in place between the user and the website. Once done, the site owner can go ahead and update the login screens on their site and add the Facebook login module. As configuration options, site owners will be able to select to which secure zones customers can login with their Facebook account, and configure the button appearance and text. Furthermore, site owners can also allow site customers to Link/Unlink their site and Facebook accounts directly from the "Update Customer Details" form.

Because Facebook login automatically creates an account if one does not exist, login with Facebook only works for simple authentication flows, and cannot (yet) be integrated with flows like adding the user automatically to a secure zone, subscribing to a newsletter, or initiating a workflow.

This feature is only available in our Pro hosting plans for now, stay tuned.

Kind regards
Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

If Facebook is the water cooler, +1 is a post it note left on the water cooler.

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:27:00 GMT

According to the google site for the new +1 button here: http://www.google.com/+1/button/

"The +1 button is shorthand for "this is pretty cool" or "you should check this out."

Sounds great, and using this configuration tool here: http://www.google.com/webmasters/+1/button/ anyone can simply add two lines of code to add the new button to any site. Easy. Now what?

All sites have some sort of sharing button, or social bookmarking button, which allows you to instantly share the site you are currently on with your friends on Facebook/Twitter etc. The +1 button is similar, however when you click on a +1 button on a site you like, it's not actually posted anywhere instantly such as on Facebook, or twitter. Your click is logged, and only if someone else you know happens to see Google search results containing the site you "+1'd", only then will they also see your recommendation along with that search result.

This actually sounds very appealing to me both as a consumer, and as a web developer, as it should deliver relative and honest recommendations. However, I do wonder if I'll ever see any recommendations from friends in my search results because I don't think people will click on a button that really offers no feedback on their action.

People like posting interesting links on their Facebook or Twitter account because its instant, visible, and it tells a story about what they are interested in or what they think their friends are interested in. Sites like Facebook also ensure that almost instantly their friends will read it at least once. It's the water cooler effect online. When they get likes or comments on that post, it validates their interest, and they feel good that their friends found their post interesting or not.

With the +1 button I am not sure people will click on something that gives no feedback or ability to see which friends saw their recommendation and found it useful, what's the fun in that?

If Facebook is the water cooler, +1 is a post it note left on the water cooler.

Kind regards

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Analyze your business

Fri, 06 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT

The reporting and analytics module helps you measure the performance in all areas of your online business. It gives you simple, easy to understand feedback to help you improve your business or find out what's working best so you can focus on those areas.

The Reporting Dashboard

To access the reporting and analytics functionality on your online business console, hover over the 'Reports' tab and click on the 'Summary' option which will take you to the inbuilt reports we'll be covering.

The Summary page shows the statistics for your site. You're able to set the date period using the dropdown at the top to see the results for today only, yesterday, last week, last month etc. going back 1 year. Beneath this are charts telling you:

Where your visitors are coming from (Geo Location)
How many visits and page views you've been receiving per fortnight over the last 3 months
New and Returning Visits - your online business is able to differentiate new visitors to your site and visitors who are coming back for another visit
'Top Sources' tells you how people are reaching your site, whether they're typing the URL directly into their browsers (direct), they're clicking on links from other sites to reach your site (referral), they're clicking on links from email newsletters you've sent them (campaign) or they've found your site by using a search engine

See the full article here

Kind regards

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Everyone Loves Garage Sales!

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 01:48:00 GMT

Hi, I thought I would share a little proof-of-concept project I have been working on for the past few days. With garage sale season just around the corner I thought there must be a better way to find out where all the garage sales are happening. I have all kinds of web enabled and location aware devices, yet I am still relying on dead tree technology. So in the wee hours of the last few nights I built this proof-of-concept using my online business platform. In a nutshell it's only purpose is to list garage sales, and allow anyone to post new garage sales.

The template is a unique css based floating "bulletin board" that shuffles the listings to fit any screen size. If it gets past proof-of-concept I'll optimize it with media queries for phones/Tablets/HD LCD's.

It's a live web app built without looking at any PHP or MYSQL. A little Javascript though ;) The ability to throw a web app like this together in a few hours is a godsend, and is a good example of how easy the development of your next website could be if you chose to build on my online business platform.

Modules Used in this proof-of-concept:

Web App
CRM
Google Maps
Autoresponder & Email Lists

Check it out, it's hosting garage sale data right now, but perhaps you have a better idea to build a web app for? Let me know, I am always looking for new ideas to try building.

Garage Sale Mapper

http://garagesalemap.richkeller.com/

Kind regards

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Top Ten Catch Phrases to Drop for 2011

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 06:00:00 GMT

As 2010 comes to an end, thinking back over the past twelve months, some really great technology was released, some of which I now wonder how I did without. Somewhere between tablets and 3D Glasses the media went haywire coining new terminology to describe these new fan dangled inventions. I am guilty as well, in the late part of 2009 the cloud saved me from disaster, ( thank you carbonite ;) and I told the epic tale of the cloud to any soul that would listen.

I am actually looking forward to the new catch phrases of 2011. What will they be? New catch phrases always sound so promising and magical at first, but after awhile, those same catch phrases that spurred innovation across the Internet now have about as much meaning as scraping our finger nails across a chalkboard.
"Screeeeeeeeeeech, Did you say The Cloud?" That is if you can even find a real chalkboard in a school with our green switch to less toxic smart boards with lead based network cable all over the class room, but that's another blog post ;)

So here are my top ten catch phrases I would like to see dropped from use in 2011. The technology can stay. These phrases have either become redundant, lost their meaning, or do the technology a disservice with what is now an inaccurate description of a technology now commonplace.

Here we go: drum-roll? sure...

#10. "Web 2.0"
Useless term that really only boiled down to having a "Really Big Button" that only a 2 Year old could miss.
#9. "Drive Traffic"
This term must have been coined back when they used to refer to the internet as a highway. Driving implies they have some sort of control over the traffic. It's simply not an accurate depiction of how to generate legit traffic.
#8. "Multimedia"
I just heard this as part of a sales pitch, seriously, even doorbells play custom songs now. It's a given.
#7. "The Cloud"
It's neither magical or a new technology. The kicker: The term cloud doesn't at all help explain anything better to grandparents that their file isn't inside that plastic box that 9 times out of 10 still won't print correctly.
#6. "SEO"
Search Engine Optimization, Really, If google rank is that much of an afterthought, sorry, it's too late.
#5. "Outsourced"
What's NOT outsourced these days.
#4. "Landing Page"
What is this Nasa?! The idea that we even have to be reminded to optimize where people go when they click our links is proof man hasn't landed on the moon!
#3. "SMS"
Nobody calls it SMS, it's sounds creepy. People call it texting, always have, always will, IM is silly too, no one uses ICQ anymore.
#2. "ROI"
Reality check: There is no value in losing money, I don't care what business you are in. Losing money is bad, even if you learn from it, its a bad lesson that cost too much money. Here's an easier way to calculate ROI, simply ask, You: "Did we make any Money?" Sales: "No". They call it "Low ROI" to try and save their job by somehow extrapolating value out of losing $50k on a shitty ad campaign. You either make money or you lose money, there is no in between.
#1. "iPad Killer"
Stop. Apple Won the Tablet War before anyone even entered the ring. Kleenex, Xerox, iPad: Brand Names you associate with a "thing" anyone can now copy/make. However you and your kids will still keep asking for Kleenex, xerox copies, and for an iPad.

There you have it, drop me a comment if you would like to add any other catch phrases you could do without in 2011. Raise your 3D glasses! Here's to ten new and exciting catch phrases to help replace these ten, and move the tech industry forward again in 2011!

Kind regards & Happy Holidays

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Disclaimer: This top ten list was created for the sole purpose to drive traffic to my blog which is outsourced and hosted in the cloud, using an iPad, while checking the weather on my iPhone via sms, and checking keyword density using another cloud based service, adwords keyword checker.

Easy Project, Task & Time Management

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 22:51:00 GMT

I have been on a mission for years to find a piece of software that I could use to help me become more productive and organized when doing what it is I do. What do I do? I have a mixed career that could be described as a " freelance / contract web designer / salesman / developer / maintenance / tech support / server admin guy", so finding the right solution was hit an miss. I have tried them all, and up to now all I did was further kill my productivity by trying out so many productivity apps ;) It seemed many of the popular apps available, focused more on collaboration within the office, rather than actual project management. As the sole individual here in my office doing all selling, building, launching, billing & maintaining, I did not need to collaborate with anyone, (although plenty of times I talk to myself inthe third person about the project at hand.). I just need a solid way to manage multiple projects in relation to myself only being able to put in 8-10 a day. I instantly could predict and visualize multiple projects in the pipe,and make real estimates on ETA, rather than just guessing or hoping that everything would go according to plan, and delays would not happen. The fact is delays happen, and nothing goes according to plan. But at least now I can track it, adjust my schedule,and keep on going.

Check it out, it worked for me, and I'll bet it will work for anyone freelance or not that finds it hard to remember everything across multiple projects. Well, I finally think I have found a solution. It seems to work the way I work.

- -

Kind regards,

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

My Brand New HD Monitor is Blurry! Check your native resolution.

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 18:15:00 GMT

With the ever increasing native resolution on common LCD's and TV's, there is some confusion about native resolution. What exactly is the difference between the common wide screen resolutions readily available today?

In a nutshell, resolution is counted by pixels, so a 1440x900 display is physically 1440 rows of pixels wide, by 900 rows of pixels high. Think of it as a huge grid in the old game called battleship! Making sure you are "in native resolution" is when your computer is sending the correct pixel X pixel resolution to the monitor. Some people buy a brand new HD display only to complain about the jagged text, or blurry pixels. Is the monitor broken? Not likely. It's probably just displaying a non native resolution.

So going back to the Battleship grid idea, imagine your LCD screen is only a 10x10 pixel grid, now if you set the computer to desktop 10x10 pixels, you would have a clean and precise pixel per pixel display. If you were to set your desktop to an 8x8 grid, the 8x8 grid would have to stretch and create a sort of musical chairs for the pixels to be displayed on the 10x10 griid. You will run into pixels being spread across too many spots causing pixels to jump and mis-align themselves trying to place them selves correctly over too many pixel spots. Now ramp that up into todays common resolutions of 1440x900 grids and you will see that having your desktop set to a resolution of 1024x768 stretched to display on a screen with a native resolution of 1440x900, you can understand why the picture can become blurry and jagged. Newer monitors are getting better to help this situation by helping to correctly display lower resolutions on higher native resolutions, but there is nothing clearer and crisper than an LCD displaying its native resolution. If you do any sort of graphic design or lengthy text editing and reading but are not set to native resolution, I would bet a dollar you suffer from headaches after using your computer for any period of time.

Here is an example of various popular native resolutions, you can see that if we could overlay each resolution over a 10 megapixel picture, at native resolution, this is how much of the image you could see, pixel per pixel being equal.

This is the reason many graphic professionals and content creators require larger resolution screens to accommodate viewing images 1:1 while still keeping all their photoshop editing panels open. This applies to computer use, and to a lesser degree tv and movie watching. Its not really about inches, as you can get a 1080p lcd in sizes from 15"-60" inch wide screens. They all only display the same native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels.

Kind regards,

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Is your site being held hostage?

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 15:29:00 GMT

When you build your online business with RichKeller.com you'll get professional infrastructure with zero maintenance. No more headaches about up-time, server updates or installing the latest patches - my expert team of superhero nerds will take care of that for free. Because we're fully hosted and managed, you get all updates to the online business launcher system automatically and updates will not break your site. When is the last time your open source cms/cart software did all that?

Kind regards,

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

RichKeller.com Update: DNS www redirects

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Redirect non-WWW domain to WWW domain - we now allow you to forward "domain.com" to "www.domain.com". Here are the instructions on how to change your existing setup to take advantage of this change:

Case 1: domain.com is the default URL, www.domain.com is a forward to domain.com

What you should do:

Delete the www.mydomain.com Forward entry
Delete the mydomain.com entry
Use the "Add a Hostname(A)" option on the right in the Action Box to add www.mydomain.com and set it as default URL
Use the "Add a Forward" option on the right in the Action Box to add mydomain.com as a forward to www version

Case 2: www.domain.com is added, domain.com is a forward to www.domain.com

What you should do:

Edit the www.mydomain.com record and set it as default

Case 3: domain.com and www.domain.com are both added as A records (hostnames). Neither of them is a forward.

What you should do:

Delete the mydomain.com entry
Use the "Add a Forward" option on the right in the Action Box to add mydomain.com as a forward to www version
Edit the www.mydomain.com record and set it as default

Case 4: You don't have any domain added yet or you want to add a new domain

What you should do:

Use the "Setup a Domain Name" option on the right in the Action Box to add your domains.

Kind regards,

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Video: Test Online Business Launcher FREE for 30 Days!

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:34:00 GMT

The complete online business platform for amazing websites and online stores has arrived. And it's built for business owners like you.

Watch this quick tutorial which explains how to setup your free 30 day trial. In the next 30 days you will have tested my entire web platform and I am confident it will change the way you do business online.

Kind regards,

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Improved Image Thumbnail Generation

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 23:05:00 GMT

We’re introducing a simplified method to generate image thumbnails which will replace the exiting ShowThumbnail.aspx method. To use the new functionality to generate an image thumbnail for an image located at /images/cat.jpg users can query parameters in the URL like so: /images/cat.jpg?action=thumbnail&width=80&height=80. By default, the output format of the thumbnail will match the original image i.e if you request a thumbnail for a jpeg image, it will also be generated as a jpeg. A specific format can be forced using the “format” parameter, with possible values including 'jpg', 'jpeg', 'gif' and 'png'. The old method of using ShowThumbnail.aspx will remain available for at least a few months, but we plan to deprecate it eventually as it's usage decreases.

Rich Keller

Customizable SEO Friendly URLs for Announcements

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 15:36:00 GMT

Continuing the work started with Catalogs and Products, we're extending the support for customizable URLs to the Announcements module. To take advantage of this feature for your announcements, you will need to enable it from Admin > Search Engine Optimization settings page. The new URL will look like: http://www.yoursite.com/announcements/announcement-title. You will also have the option of customizing the 'announcements' folder name not only the 'announcement-title' segment.

Regards
Rich Keller

Video: Edit Your Site in 42 Seconds!

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:00:00 GMT

This is a quick example of how fast and painless editing your site would be if you used my online business launcher platform. Check it out!

Your browser cannot play this video. Learn how to fix this.

Blueprint For Online Failure.

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:39:00 GMT

Here's a Quick Blueprint For Online Failure:

Open Source Content Management
An Online Store
CRM & Web Forms
Email Marketing
Reports & Analytics
Design & Customization

Sound Crazy? Here's why this blueprint fails time and time again.
Most businesses and marketers cobble together multiple separate solutions, with each one needing its own log in, separate maintenance, support and tech. With 6 separate solutions you would need to pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars per month on subscription charges alone. Now add the web developers cost for "trying" to integrate all these systems into something the CEO can actually use to read and react to their business and your ROI is shot before you even get out of the gates. Thankfully there is a better way!

What is RichKeller.com?

RichKeller.com is a hosted application for building and managing online businesses. Using a unified platform and without back-end coding, you can build everything from amazing websites to powerful online stores, beautiful brochure-ware sites to lead generation mini-sites.

Goodbye Coding Costs. Hello Higher Profits.
Say goodbye to manually integrating multiple systems or installing tens of plug-ins to suit a single client. Using our all-in-one system you can build powerful Online Businesses, slash development time and streamline your workflow, saving you a whole lot of money and a whole lot of stress.

Same Blueprint, One Platform:

1. Flexible, Hosted Content Management Built-In
Have complex CMS systems been causing you headaches? Had any plug-in induced fevers lately? My one-stop approach to content management takes the hassle out of building, managing and hosting the first critical component of an Online Business - the website.

2. An Online Store Out of the Box
Selling goods and services is often an important part of an Online Business. With my platform, I've got eCommerce capabilities built right into my platform, so that you can avoid the pain of custom coding and fiddly configuration.

3. Built-in CRM & Web Form Builder
Many businesses struggle with cumbersome systems and too many emails. My simple CRM is built in and integrated with all of your web forms, eCommerce, membership and content management features, enabling you to provide better service for your customers - all without expensive coding or configuration.

4. Drive Repeat Sales With Built-In Email Marketing
Email marketing is a powerful tool for your clients to reach their customers - and bring them back to their online business. With my simple CRM automatically building your customer database in the background, you can create lists and send newsletters with ease.

5. Reporting & Analytics
Business decisions should never be made blindly. That's why I've integrated powerful reporting functions into every aspect of your Online Business. From web pages to online shops, email marketing to lead management - My platform records every interaction customers have with your site and gives you the tools to track them.

6. Design & Customization
Business Catalyst gives you complete creative control over your design, with access to the HTML & CSS of every system feature. Upload your own JavaScript, or embed rich Flash content. With a huge range of powerful design and customization options, you can unleash your creativity and build beautiful websites, your way.

Bonus Features Give You The Edge!

7. Powerful Modules - Built In
Every Online Business has different needs and goals. The RichKeller.com platforms range of flexible modules provide you with quick ways to implement usually complex business requirements, without plug-ins or coding tasks.

8. Professional Infrastructure, Zero Maintenance.
No more headaches about up-time, server updates or installing the latest patches - an expert team of superhero nerds will take care of that. Because It's fully hosted and managed, you get all updates to the system automatically for free.

9. Build Beautiful Sites, Your Way.
Many systems have complicated or restrictive theme systems to learn if you want to customize a site. With my platform, I've turned that on its head - you design what you like in HTML and CSS, and then insert my modules into your design.

It's easier to see it in action, check out the full tour here:
http://www.richkeller.com/complete_video_tour

Kind regards,

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Don't Forget Your Footer

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Easy tweak for improving user experience. Most websites look great above the fold. The fold is the visible space before you need to scroll. Many sites only worry about that portion of the site, and while I agree the first impression on any site or landing page is critical, it's easy to forget the bottom half of the site. The footer area can be just as important to users who don't bounce and start researching your site products or info, or for returning users or customers that need more info or navigation than a gigantic call to action button above fold.

When the footer of the page ends abruptly with little white space after the final text, it leaves the user hanging with little or no useful information. Spend some time planning your footer, it's impact albeit second to the above fold content is an important content area for any site. Start with links that don't fit or suit the main header menu, add some testimonials or news items. The footer is a great area for adding secondary links only to make sure search engines spider all your content.

I believe a site just looks better when your footer looks useful and balances the above fold content instead of abruptly ending right after your last sentence.

Kind regards,

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Tired of Anonymous Traffic? Put a name to the clicks!

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 18:05:00 GMT

Did you know that if your site is built with my online business launcher platform, you can send up to 10,000 email newsletters a month at no extra charge. The robust campaign manager can actually show you by name, who received, who opened, who clicked, what link they clicked on, and the next action (purchase, form submit, etc) they took once on your site. This happens all in real time viewable on your admin dashboard. Let's see your open source CMS do that!

All sites that are built using my online business launcher platform come with email campaign manager and 10k newsletters/month, which integrates seamlessly with your cms, crm, and commerce modules. (also included at no extra charge)

Load the full video tutorial and skip ahead to 'email marketing" to see how easy email marketing should be. If you are curious what else can be done, feel free to watch the entire video and see what other features are integrated to help you do business online.

Load Video Tutorial

Kind regards,

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

2 out of 3 business owners hate their website. I can fix that.

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:06:00 GMT

As a freelance web developer I talk with many people involved in business, both employees and owners, and it never ceases to amaze me when 98% of these people speak of their existing websites rarely do they have anything good to say. Many even admit they don't promote the link to new customers or potential leads. These employees and business owners would rather stop promoting their very own site in an effort to protect their brand. Does that seem as ridiculous to you as it does to me?

Who's editing, updating and promoting your site anyway?
I believe all website builds start out with the best intentions, and many web developers do a great job on the build itself. Something very predictable happens not long after the warm and bubbly launch. A simple lack of planning past launch date turns a brand spanking new website into a stale, out of date, out of style, useless website almost overnight. Who's Fault? I believe both the client and the web developer are to blame. Neither one thought past launch date to really determine what it means to have a website for business. The simple fact is, the client never requested a solution, nor did the web designer provide a solution to facilitate the editing, updating and promoting of their website. Whether the client hires the web designer to do that, or the client keeps this in-house, someone has to manage the site or they will fail.

So whats's missing?
There are plenty of businesses needing to promote themselves online, and there are even more web designers looking for work. So why do so many business have such a hard time updating their websites? The designer & the client simply did not have the tools to facilitate the editing... until now.

The Missing Link
My Online Business Launcher platform does many things for business, but one of the best functions is the ability to allow the client to take over their site, post launch, and manage every aspect of their site, no html skills required. If your budget is thin, get the intern to do it, maybe the CEO wants to do it, It doesn't matter who does it, the point is, on my platform the tools to manage your entire site are built in, and at no extra cost. If you have a website that's failing you, or about to fail your brand, you need to watch this video to see how easy site management is on my online business launcher platform. You can even convert existing websites over to this platform to help ROI.

http://www.richkeller.com/complete_video_tour

Kind regards,

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

It's about Online Businesses, Not Websites...

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:15:00 GMT

Websites are soooo 1997. The majority of websites are business websites. Let's examine that term - business websites. Websites built for the purpose of generating or assisting businesses. Business websites have common attributes - they often have business related goals; they often have contact forms and other methods to capture sales inquiries; they might sell products; they often contain product and service information and so on and so on.

It's these common attributes that show us why taking a "website" mindset is so wrong. A website is just some pages in a browser. An Online Business, however, has business goals - marketing, sales, customer service and so on.

I believe that Online Businesses are what 99% of my clients are looking for. Some time ago I realized a website mindset is unproductive and unhelpful, and I believe that more with every new project.

The Online Business Launcher is a platform built for Online Businesses - with business goals and business tools and, well, everything you need to run a business in today's economy and society. It's also a platform designed to help me, a web professional, use the tools and skills to build what their clients are asking them to build. So you can see - I am pretty serious about this Online Business thing. That's why it's my mission to help my clients build Online Businesses, not Websites.

Kind regards,

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

People who buy extended warranty are killing Flash, it's not Apple...

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:00:00 GMT

"Flash is Dead"

That's the buzz statement from apple HQ. Apples marketing would have you believe that the highly promoted incompatibility with their mobile devices is going to do it once and for all. Wait a minute, isn't Flash still installed on 98% of the browsers on all platforms, mac, pc, Linux, etc? Why has Apple attached itself to the demise of Flash? Is this a transitive marketing trick by Apple to make us believe 98% of the internet own, or will own, a non-flash capable iDevice? If that's true, then by all means flash is dead.

Who's Really Killing Flash?

Traditional sites built in flash are at risk of obsolescence simply because they still don't play nice on mobile devices...yet. Flash has had a hard time due to its lack of spiderability. (is that a word? you know what i mean) There are work-arounds to get google to see some flash content, but you still can't beat a well built HTML/CSS site for SEO. That being said, the SEO probelm is not what has flash on it's heels.

People Need Info!

I'll look at my own habits for the answer. I for one am sure I'll continue to use desktops and laptops for a long time, however, when I am actually in need of information I am either; waiting in line somewhere, in my car, getting groceries, or simply lost. When I am at home the desktop/laptop internet experience is predictable, ubiquitous, and 98% of the time, everything works as it should. Because it works so well, I would guess that of the so called 98% of internet users that have Flash installed, 98% probably don't even know what flash is, or that its a separate technology, b/c all sites work, they get the info they are looking for and everyone gets along.

So what happened?

Now that Apple has refused to support flash content on their devices, people who need, or believe they need access to everything everywhere all the time, are up in arms that big bully Flash would deny them their right to the endless stream of info they so desperately need waiting in line to buy extended warranty. The fact is flash will indeed run on most platforms and devices including jailbroken iDevices, it just runs really slow, it's getting better, but unless they fix the sluggish perfomance on mobile devices, flash may indeed die with or without apples support. The marketing is working because now Flash is bad & Apple is good. Regardless of what happens with flash, Apple will now reap the marketing rewards of saving the internet from Flash. Choosing not to show how sluggish flash will run on their devices is more about brand preservation, rather than a public service announcement. If flash does die, or at the very least lose market share, don't thank/blame apple, they really have nothing to do with it.

I should state, I am a huge fan of everything Adobe, including the Flash platform, I also have many mac devices large and small, I mainly use PC's, only because I can build them faster, cheaper, and more often, and I also have a slew of other mobile gadgets from Nokia, and HP, that have tried putting the internet in the palm of your hand. (note: I do not actually own anything made by palm, go figure!)

Regards
Rich Keller

Brochure-ware Is Dead! Save Yourself!

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 03:33:00 GMT

You've seen them before, ugly static websites that have not been updated in years, (you know this because the footer reads Copyright 2008), the site contains absolutely no interactive elements, maybe some animated gif's, virtually nothing more than a web copy of that companies printed brochure. When i see brochure-ware sites, i bounce immediately. The sad part is the company or business with the site had good intentions, but never followed through with their online presence since it launched, so they can't even gauge how much damage it is doing to their brand. They must believe a brochure-ware site is better than no site at all. I beg to differ.

Brochure-ware websites do more damage to your brand than help it. Brochure-ware sites have terrible SEO so they'll never be found via search results which means the only people who see a brochure-ware website are either A: You and Your Staff or b: Existing Clients or Customers who have been instructed by you to checkout the site. Both types of visitors are completely useless to your business! even if if they do visit your site, 99% of them will never come back, because they have no reason to come back or tell someone to visit either.

What good is sending someone to a site when you already have their contact information, and you're telling them nothing they don't already know? Brochure-ware websites are dead! If you still have one, your business will follow suit.

Kind regards,

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Automate Your Email Campaigns

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 21:04:00 GMT

Set up an automated campaign, delivering a highly-personalized and professional looking email to any potential or existing customer. You can automate a string of newsletters to be sent out at intervals, or even link the delivery to customer specific dates such as birthdays or anniversaries.

Easily Create Targeted, Effective Marketing.

Build targeted customer lists based on information gathered from any part of your online business. This includes past order information, web form submissions, forum membership, blog comments and much more.

10,000 emails a month no extra charge.

Send up to 10,000 emails per month as part of an unlimited number of personalized email marketing campaigns. This means that you can reach out to more customers, for less.

Choose From a Range of Professional Templates.

I provide you with a range of industry and occasion specific templates for your email campaigns, each fully customizable to suit your needs and with full access to the HTML code. So it will only take a few clicks to send a beautiful email newsletter.

Kind regards,

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Carbonite saved my _ _ _!

Mon, 24 May 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Carbonite Online Backup

Secure — Everything is encrypted before it leaves your computer.
Automatic — Runs quietly in the background to ensure your backup is up-to-date.
Unlimited — Back up as much as you want for only $54.95/year.
Hassle-Free — Recover lost files anytime, anywhere with just a few clicks.

Every year, 43% of computer users lose irreplaceable files. Even those who use on-site backup methods such as CDs, memory sticks and external hard drives are at risk. Fires, floods, theft and other disasters can render onsite backups useless. Carbonite Online Backup eliminates the risk of losing files by automatically backing up the irreplaceable photos, music, e-mails, financial records and other valuable files on your computer to a secure, offsite location. Carbonite takes less than 5 minutes to install and beings working right away to protect your most valuable files, continually updating your backup while you work — without slowing down your computer. See for yourself — Try Carbonite FREE today.

Tip of the Week: Update all your social networks with one blog post.

Wed, 12 May 2010 02:46:00 GMT

Here's a quick way I keep all my social identities updated with a single post.

So you have a twitter, facebook, linkedin, Digg, and a few other common social networking accounts. Now if you're like me, after a few posts on each network, you've quickly become too busy or too lazy to keep them all up to date. Chances are you didn't start reading this post directly on my blog, but rather you saw this post on one of the aforementioned social networks. Using twitterfeed, I simply add a new post to my personal blog, and twitterfeed automatically reads the rss feed, and posts a raw or filtered link on my social network identities setup within twitterfeed. For example when I saved this blog post to my personal blog within 30 minutes it was read by twitterfeed which in turn automatically posted the new title and excerpt to my twitter and facebook accounts (others available). Easy Huh? Additionally LinkedIn can now read your twitter feed and re-post new twitter posts to your LinkedIn status so with one blog post I automatically update all my social networks that I use for branding my site.

Kind regards,

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

.

Is your Open Source app putting you at risk?

Tue, 04 May 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Risky

Security vulnerabilities are found in open source programs on almost a daily basis and not knowing about these vulnerabilities can be catastrophic to your website. Although efforts have been made to try to make the code that runs many popular open source applications safe, there is a high probability that a security hole on your site has been overlooked. Do you know how to check for these vulnerabilities? Who's keeping your open source application updated and secure? Is it worth the risk?

Safe

My online business launcher is in the "cloud". Sites built on my platform are kept up to date and secure behind the scenes at no extra cost to you. For the same price or less than your typical monthly hosting fee, you can be assured your site content and customer data is safe.

You're Safer With Me.

Here's why:

I've been building high load, robust web applications since 1997.

The online business launcher has server farms in North America, the Asia Pacific and Europe. It uses iPrimus (NASDAQ: PRTL) and NTT Docomo (NASDAQ: DCM).

The online business launcher has back ups and redundancies and power generators in place to make sure you're site is ready for anything.

I have a little device that goes *BEEEP* if anything needs attention. It's really loud and would wake up a dead slug

Learn More

Kind regards,

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Drip, Drip, Drip, Drip, Drip, Drip, Convert!

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Successful marketers insist that a new lead needs up to seven follow-up e-mail messages to turn a conversion. If you receive even a few leads a day, to accomplish this manually can quickly become an error prone headache that can possibly hurt your brand rather than help it. Nothing like offering a 10% discount to a lead a day after they already purchased your offer at full price.

The ideal way to follow up with a new lead is to set up an automatic "drip" campaign that sends the lead optimized e-mail messages at predetermined intervals. Drip campaigns are not a new concept so I won't get into how and why a drip campaign should be set up. What I want to point out is that most businesses rely on 3rd party services that not only hold their data off-site which also costs hundreds or even thousands per month. This cost is incurred on top of their regular hosting fees!

My Online Business Launcher includes an integrated email marketing module that allows up to 10,000 emails to be sent sent per month, at no extra cost. This email module also seamlessly integrates with the integrated crm module to keep your lead data, on your server, out of the hands of 3rd parties,and ready for your sales funnel. Did I mention the crm module is included at no additional cost as well. Replace your 3rd party apps with one consolidated platform.

Learn More

Kind regards,

Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

New Feature: InContext Editing has arrived!

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:57:00 GMT

Our newest feature - InContext Editing - is now available in the Administration area and ready for use. It's a next generation tool that gives business owners greater control over their websites. You can now make changes more easily without compromising the overall design of your website.

Some of the main benefits include:

The ability to set editable regions within any web page to limit scope of change and preserve design quality
Content editing is more intuitive - you edit "InContext" on the page rather than having an editor pop-up as was the case with Sitewalk
The new InContext content editor is much more robust compared with the Sitewalk text editor

Please note that InContext Editing will be in Beta for the next 12 weeks during which Sitewalk will continue to remain available. When the Beta period ends, Sitewalk will reach end-of-life and will be removed from the Administration area. During the Beta period for InContext Editing we will continue to make small improvements.

To learn more and get started, click on Website->InContext Editing link.

Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Kind regards,
Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher

What is the Business Workflow Engine?

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:59:00 GMT

Understanding Workflows

Keeping connected with your online business is incredibly important - it's like a living, breathing entity, and you need to know when things happen. That's where workflows come in. Workflows are set up to notify you by Email or even SMS when something happens. That "something" can be a case is submitted, or a web page has been edited and must be approved, or an order has been received from the shopping cart.

Workflows allow you to automate and streamline your business, including your customer service, enabling you to notify system users of various events, and require approval or input at certain steps of the process.

A Workflow is a series of steps that are triggered by various events, such as:

A customer enquiring online
A customer placing an order online
A customer making a booking online
A change made to a web pages content (by a user)

Can I use workflows in content publishing?

Workflows ensure that content is reviewed and approved prior to being published to your live website. They bring a task-based process to content publishing that enforces consistency according to corporate standards. Now your business people can be more involved in the content creation process. In the past a request would have been sent to the IT department to make changes to content. Now time delay can be reduced while ensuring that standards are maintained.

Automatically enforce Content publishing and expiry dates
Content can now be published to corporate standards
Multi-step approval workflows can be tailored to your needs
Stakeholders are informed of tasks by email or SMS notifications
Deadlines can be enforced via real-time escalations

Workflows are built-in with any plan that uses my Online Business Launcher.

Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Kind regards,
Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher

Watch Your Customers, Live.

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:59:00 GMT

Your online business has a live feed of customer actions, on your dashboard. Whenever customers open a newsletter, submit a web form, purchase a product and so forth, you can see their action appear in real time on your live feed.

Learn More...

Kind regards,
Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
601 9th Street Brandon, MB Canada

Unlock your business content from the the past!

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:22:00 GMT

Do you have an existing site that is locked in the past with old out-of-date content? The single most detrimental thing you can do to kill your website is to not update the content regularly.

There are many reasons content becomes stale and out of date. Maybe it's become too expensive, maybe your web designer is hard to reach or moved on to a new job, maybe the employee in charge of the site has since left or been released of his duties. It happens, but what can you do about it?
What if I said you could update your site quickly and easily. View your website just like your customer would - and actively edit the content as you go. Just point, click and edit your pages, with full access to the HTML code if needed.

It's simple, everyone loves fresh content!

Both humans and search engines know fresh content when they see it, and without it, you might as well close up shop and take your website offline.

Manage your Website and Web Pages

Use SiteWalk to edit your website on the fly
Use a Microsoft Word like WYSIWYG editor to edit web pages
Use Module Manager to add business functionality without any programming
Make web pages secure
Archiving & Rollback for every web page and template
Automatically creates a working copy of web page until you publish
Apply content approval rules to any web page or template
Use templates to create a consistent look and feel
Use FTP to upload and download web pages
Work directly inside Dreamweaver using our plugin Triangle

Check it out, and let me know if would like to unlock your business content from the the past!

Kind regards,
Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
601 9th Street Brandon, MB Canada

Watch Video: Dead simple Lead Gen, Follow-up, Drip, CRM

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 02:53:00 GMT

Check out this video and see for yourself how simple it can be to collect leads, follow-up with an autoresponder, add the lead to to a drip campaign, and then track and see in real-time every interaction a lead makes with you.

It's built-in with any plan that uses my Online Business Launcher. Try a FREE 30 Day Trial.

Click Here to Watch Video: Dead simple Lead Gen, Follow-up, Drip, CRM

Kind regards,
Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
601 9th Street Brandon, MB Canada

Fact: Your current email marketing is useless

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:30:00 GMT

I know, you must think I am crazy. All industry reports show that email marketing is once again gaining ground in 2010 as the most effective form of advertising. So why is email marketing relatively useless to your business?

Here's an example email campaign using traditional third party email services.

You send an email campaign to 10 of your customers or clients.
Your email marketing software tells you:
1. 7 opened the email (viewed it in their email client)
2. 3 clicked the link (actually clicked a link in the email)
You pat yourself on the back for another successful campaign... or was it.

Now what?

The truth is, you may know how many opened and clicked, but you really have no idea who opened or clicked. Sure you can segment your list again, and then send another campaign to the recipients that clicked the first campaign, but you will probably again only reach the same useless CTR. You really don't know "who" actually clicked.

Now imagine that of the ten recipients sent in my example campaign, one was Bill Gates.

Wouldn't you like to know if Bill opened and clicked your campaign?
What if your email software could show you that Bill Gates increasingly opened your email over a few days, and then clicked on the links a few times as well.
Would that kind of information help you in determining who to followup with first?

If you don't think that kind of knowledge is useful, stop reading now and go back to calculating more useless click through rate percentages.

If you see the value in knowing exactly who opened your email, when they clicked, how many times they opened or clicked, the time of day these events happened, then you need to try out my online business launcher yourself.

Take a Free 30-Day Trial

If you have any questions, please let me know - I'm sure I can be of assistance.

Kind regards,
Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
601 9th Street Brandon, MB Canada

What was the number one question asked by my clients in 2009?

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:00:00 GMT

Happy New Year

The holiday season offers us a special opportunity to extend our personal thanks to our friends and clients. I would like to extend wishes for good health and success in 2010. My business is a source of pride to me, and working with great clients each day is a rewarding experience. Happy New Year!

Question:
What was the number one question asked by my clients in 2009?

Answer:
Can I edit it myself?

This simple request was a hard question to answer. Depending on both the client skills and the client site design, it was not a simple yes or no answer. The client still needed to learn new skills and/or new software to gain the ability to actually "edit it themselves". This was usually a hurdle few clients would overcome, and the question remained as to how a client could edit their own content. I am glad to say, in 2010 there is a better way...

Now when asked, "Can I edit it myself?"
I now answer with a simple, "Yes!"

Click Here to Watch How Easy It Is!

New for 2010!
My new online business launcher is aimed at providing a simple way for anyone to launch an online business.

I invite you to try out a my hosted and easy-to-use online business launcher designed to meet your specific business needs - allowing you to focus on your goals, not mastering the technology behind it.

Try it out for 30 Days!

If you have any questions, please let me know - I'm sure I can be of assistance.

Kind regards,
Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com
Online Business Launcher
601 9th Street Brandon, MB Canada

Do you have disconnected data? Connect it with a single system.

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:34:00 GMT

Over the past few years I've read a few DIY online marketing e-books that describe an "online marketing system" that would guarantee online business success. These e-books sounded great and contained links to very useful and sometimes industry leading free and paid services.

Even though the individual services recommended to manage your analytics, email marketing and crm were top notch, the described online marketing system itself was inherently flawed when it came time to make critical business decisions. Why? The multiple disconnected systems could not readily consolidate the data, if at all.

Once you login to each separate service you see some great data, however the data is trapped within each service, and you basically guess or extrapolate manually on in your mind or on plain paper to determine if you benefited from the "online marketing system".

As an example, let me describe my typical day when I used to check up on my previous online businesses. Keep in mind this isn't something I not only did ten years ago, this was a typical day within the last 12 months.

Let me know if this sounds familiar to you.

Login service A: Check web analytics for overall traffic data.
Login service B: Check sales in the e-commerce backend
Login service C: Check affiliate system for affiliates conversions (wonder if it matches stats from A and B)
Login service D: Check email campaigns and try to figure out where the traffic ended up.
Login service E: Check CRM for sales opportunities and leads
Sit there with a confused look as to why all services seem to report different stats...
Rinse, repeat...

In all seriousness, the data was usually good, but trying to consolidate the numbers across all services was utterly useless. Don't even get me started in trying to explain how hard it was to try and collect and compile an effective up to date list for email marketing and customer followup. This is a separate nightmare for most businesses large and small.

There had to be a better way...

Thankfully there is a better way. Enter my new online business launcher.

Simply put my new integrated system consolidates and, more importantly, connects all data between up to 10 critical tools required for any successful online business venture. For an in depth video of how this works, watch this video

I am positive you'll find my online business launcher makes the old way of monitoring and conducting business online seem archaic.

I also highly recommend you try a 30 day free trial of the complete system to see what it can do first hand.

Take a Free 30-Day Trial

Regards
Rich Keller

http://www.RichKeller.com

Can I help grow your business?

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:12:00 GMT

Make informed decisions based on real-time reporting and analytics. My online business launcher platform allows you to keep a finger on the pulse of your Online Business.
Manage Your Website

Update and manage your website, blogs and forums, without coding knowledge. Read more

Manage Your Online Store

Sell products online, with integrated order management, shipping and payment collection. Read more

Reach Your Market

With built-in Email Marketing tools, out of the box. Read more

Build Your Customer Base

An integrated CRM system tracks every action your customers make. Read more

Regards
Rich Keller

http://RichKeller.com

Can you manage your business anywhere?

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:13:00 GMT

Can you manage your business anywhere?
The RichKeller.com Online Business Launcher is categorized as a "software as a service" or "SaaS" product. (pronounced: Sass)

What is SaaS?
SaaS offers substantial opportunities for organizations of all sizes to shift the risks of software acquisition, and to move IT from a reactive cost center to being a proactive, value-producing part of the enterprise.

Benefits of a SaaS deployment:

No client/server software installation or maintenance
- out of the box use, zero learning curve
Shorter deployment time
- Potentially minutes as opposed to months of custom programming
Global availability
- all you need is an internet connection and a browser (I am writing this post on my phone)
Service Level Agreement (SLA) adherence
- Bugs/Fixes happen transparently
Constant, Smaller, Upgrades for Free
-Constant improvements without huge updates that cost you time and money to implement
No Internal IT Required
- Really!
Smaller IT Budget
- No IT requirements allow you to redistribute budget dollars to your day to day operations.

With the RichKeller.com Online Business launcher, you can take care of business on-the-go, without the hassle of setting up servers or installing updates. From the other side of the world, all you need is an internet connection to grow your Online Business.

Regards
Rich Keller
http://RichKeller.com

Lead Management Built-In...

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Online Business Launcher Lead Management Features

Main Features of Lead Management
- Build any number of customer enquiry web form without any programming
- Easily add your web forms to a web page hosted at Online Business Console or any other hosting company
- Use customizable business workflows to setup notifications via email or SMS when customers enquire
- Use the Customer Report Generator to dice and slice your customer database
Integrated Customer Database
- Grow your customer databased every time your customers enquire or interact with your website
- Keep a history of all past customer enquiries
- Allow customers to view their past enquiries via secure "member only" areas (All-in-One solution only)
- Allow customers to keep their details updated via secure "member only" areas (All-in-One solution only)
- View on a per customer basis details on every action they've taken on your site
- Customize and extend the Customer Database to suit your business (All-in-One solution only)
Web Form Builder
- Build customer enquiry web forms without any programming
- Add any number of custom fields to your web form to suit your business
- Automatically captures and populates every enquiry in your customer database
- Use built-in business workflow framework to automate follow-up, set reminders and escalation rules. Choose to be notified via email and/or SMS.
- Report on web form submissions including custom fields and easily export to Microsoft Excel
- Allow customers to upload files within web forms
- Allow real-time credit card processing within web forms, e.g. process donations (All-in-One solution only)
- Allow refer-a-friend functionality within web forms
- Add Image Verification to web forms to stop spam submissions by bots
- Allow customers to subscribe to one or more campaign lists within web form (All-in-One solution only)
- Automatically subscribe customer to a Secure Zone upon submission of a web form
- Easily add web form to any web page hosted at GB or elsewhere
- Customize the landing page customers see after submitting an enquiry
- Customize auto responder email sent to customers after they make an enquiry
Lead Management Reporting
- Sophisticated customer reporting framework.
- Filter on any system or custom field
- Save any report and run later
- Export any report to Microsoft Excel for further analysis
View all Features

Kind Regards
Rich Keller

Open Source is free, but who's going to pay for it?

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Save time, money and unnecessary stress

Open source software is great, and as a web developer I routinely use http://sourceforge.net/ to spring board new projects saving both myself and the client time and money. People love the idea that they can get something for free, however free doesn't always mean there will be no cost. What happens after a web designer hands over the keys to the client's new site? Open Source software usually develops faster than the commercial equivalent. So where does that leave the client? Who is in charge of the code? The open source software they used usually becomes locked in time never to be updated again.

The costs become apparent when even though a client downloaded the software for free, can download updates for free, who is in charge of maintaining the code and applying those updates making sure the new code doesn't break the site? If a new update breaks the site, who pays for it to be fixed?

I've been brought into existing projects that use open source software to find the client in a pickle because they need to update their source code either for security reasons, or to gain new features added to the open source software, but they don't feel they should have to pay for the update or be liable if the update breaks the site. A lot of clients get caught because the original developer built their site in a way that if they update the source code now, it will break some if not all of their existing site. The client is left hanging not being able to update their site the latest security fixes and code/features. All of the sudden the "free" open source software is about to cost the client a considerable amount of money!

Using my all-in-one solution, you no longer have to waste your time remembering multiple logins, installing updates, or syncing disconnected systems. I'll give you everything you need, when and where you need it.

Regards,
Rich Keller

http://www.RichKeller.com

Can you view all your online stats on one page?

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:25:00 GMT

Replace 10+ systems with 1

Our fully integrated system gives you the power of multiple software suites, easily controlled from one central interface. Managing your business has never been so simple! Learn more

Regards,
Rich Keller

Do you dread updating your website?

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:25:00 GMT

Save time, money and unnecessary stress.

Using our all-in-one solution, you no longer have to waste your time remembering multiple logins, installing updates, or syncing disconnected systems. We give you everything you need, when and where you need it.

Learn more

Regards,
RichKeller

Can you update your site yourself?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:34:00 GMT

Update your site regularly

Can you update your site yourself? We're not talking about major graphic design surgery (leave that for the experts); just news and announcements, maybe some articles you've written, or a fortnightly blog post or two.

Search engines and social media aggregators are always hunting for fresh, valuable content on websites - so the more content you add and the the more often you do it, the higher the chance that you'll rank highly in organic search results.

Now, the next question is - what to write? This is the hardest bit, so we've prepared three strategies to help you figure out what to write about.

What's Been Happening - in the last month of your business? Did you make any milestones in terms of customers, product releases or new staff hires? Write about them! Customers love to read positive things about your business - it shows you're authentic and successful.
Share a Lesson - Did something special or interesting happen to you that taught you a positive lesson. You went to the coffee shop and were really "wowed" by their customer service. Perhaps they even inspired you to improve your own service. Share these stories with your customers on a blog post! They're fun, interesting and they say a lot about your business values.
How-To, History-of, How-it-works - visitors come to your website because they're interested in your purpose, your products and services and how you can help them. Better explain to them well if you want them to keep reading on...

There's always something to write, just remember the 2 golden rules of content and you'll be fine:

Is the content relevant to your customers and your business?
Does the content add value to your customers?

Want to start putting these tips to action today?
Start the Online Business Launcher now for your 30 day Free Trial

Websites are Dead... Really?

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

I know what you are thinking, how can I justify using a "website" to promote the idea that "websites are dead"?

Websites are dead...
It's time for an Online Business.
Try out a hosted and easy-to-use system designed to meet your specific business needs - allowing you to focus on your goals, not mastering the technology behind it.

The fact is, this is no ordinary website, it is using my online business launcher platform.

Over the past 15 years I have seen many seemingly fantastic looking websites fail their clients, my own included, simply because the site did not benefit the client in any way beyond looking great for their brand. Inevitably the website fails because their site does not include any functionality that is required to maintain and monetize their online presence. The client would rely on external systems for commonplace tasks such as email marketing, ecommerce, customer management, and also relying on third parties to do routine maintenance. This software disconnect inevitably causes the client to constantly struggle to consolidate the data strewn across multiple systems into something they can actually look at and make sound decisions about their business. That is where regular websites fail.

My online business launcher addresses this problem by consolidating 10 systems into 1, yet still allowing the client complete visual freedom. See a full list of features here.

In the coming weeks I will go through each system within my online business launcher and how they can turn your website into an online business.

Kind Regards
Rich Keller

Blog

Reminder: Please switch to SFTP by December 12

IMPORTANT: System update – September 15th

IMPORTANT: System hardware and software update – September 15th

Device specific site wide templates for Phone, Tablet, Screen, Yay!

Website, or Facebook page?

Add a Facebook Like Button to Your Site in under 30 seconds!

Facebook Login Integration

If Facebook is the water cooler, +1 is a post it note left on the water cooler.

"The +1 button is shorthand for "this is pretty cool" or "you should check this out."

Analyze your business

The Reporting Dashboard

Everyone Loves Garage Sales!

Garage Sale Mapper

Top Ten Catch Phrases to Drop for 2011

#10. "Web 2.0"

#9. "Drive Traffic"

#8. "Multimedia"

#7. "The Cloud"

#6. "SEO"

#5. "Outsourced"

#4. "Landing Page"

#3. "SMS"

#2. "ROI"

#1. "iPad Killer"

Easy Project, Task & Time Management

My Brand New HD Monitor is Blurry! Check your native resolution.

Is your site being held hostage?

RichKeller.com Update: DNS www redirects

Video: Test Online Business Launcher FREE for 30 Days!

The complete online business platform for amazing websites and online stores has arrived. And it's built for business owners like you.

Improved Image Thumbnail Generation

Customizable SEO Friendly URLs for Announcements

Video: Edit Your Site in 42 Seconds!

Blueprint For Online Failure.

Here's a Quick Blueprint For Online Failure:

What is RichKeller.com?

Same Blueprint, One Platform:

Bonus Features Give You The Edge!

Don't Forget Your Footer

Tired of Anonymous Traffic? Put a name to the clicks!

2 out of 3 business owners hate their website. I can fix that.

It's about Online Businesses, Not Websites...

People who buy extended warranty are killing Flash, it's not Apple...

"Flash is Dead"

Who's Really Killing Flash?

People Need Info!

So what happened?

Brochure-ware Is Dead! Save Yourself!

Automate Your Email Campaigns

Easily Create Targeted, Effective Marketing.

10,000 emails a month no extra charge.

Choose From a Range of Professional Templates.

Carbonite saved my _ _ _!

Carbonite Online Backup

Tip of the Week: Update all your social networks with one blog post.

Is your Open Source app putting you at risk?

Risky

Safe

You're Safer With Me.

Drip, Drip, Drip, Drip, Drip, Drip, Convert!

New Feature: InContext Editing has arrived!

Kind regards, Rich Keller

What is the Business Workflow Engine?

Understanding Workflows

Workflows allow you to automate and streamline your business, including your customer service, enabling you to notify system users of various events, and require approval or input at certain steps of the process.

A Workflow is a series of steps that are triggered by various events, such as:

A customer enquiring online

A customer placing an order online

A customer making a booking online

A change made to a web pages content (by a user)

Can I use workflows in content publishing?

Automatically enforce Content publishing and expiry dates

Content can now be published to corporate standards

Multi-step approval workflows can be tailored to your needs

Stakeholders are informed of tasks by email or SMS notifications

Deadlines can be enforced via real-time escalations

Workflows are built-in with any plan that uses my Online Business Launcher.

Kind regards, Rich Keller

Watch Your Customers, Live.

Kind regards,
Rich Keller

Kind regards,
Rich Keller

Kind regards,
Rich Keller

Kind regards,
Rich Keller

Kind regards,
Rich Keller

Kind regards,
Rich Keller

Question:
What was the number one question asked by my clients in 2009?

Answer:
Can I edit it myself?

Now when asked, "Can I edit it myself?"
I now answer with a simple, "Yes!"

Kind regards,
Rich Keller

Make informed decisions based on real-time reporting and analytics. My online business launcher platform allows you to keep a finger on the pulse of your Online Business.
Manage Your Website