1. SPAM FIGHTING SOLUTIONS
2. How do I set up my email in Outlook?
3. How do I set up my email in Outlook Express?
4. How do I access my email via the web?
5. How can I submit my website to the search engines myself?
6. Why can’t I see my site in Google anymore, yet I rank highly in Yahoo and MSN?
7. Why does my small business need a professional logo and marketing materials?
8. I don’t know anything about getting a website... what do I need to do first?
9. Do I really need a website?
10. Do I really need to keep my web content updated frequently?

To access your email via the web:

You can either come to www.primadesign.com and click on the webmail login that is at the left of every page in the site and enter your full email address and password, OR, go to http://webmail.YOURDOMAIN.com where yourdomain is your actual domain name. Enter your email address and password. You can save that page in your favourites as well so that you can easily access it at any time.

To submit your site to the search engines yourself, go to www.submitexpress.com - it’s fast and easy!

Google - This is quickly becoming the question of the year! Though we do our best to create your site so that it’s search engine friendly, there’s no way to guarantee placement. Part of Google’s search criteria, is how many sites link BACK to your site. So, if you have very few links back, you may not show up at all. The other thing recently discovered, is Google may not place new sites for up to 8 months! You will show up there eventually... you just have to be patient. Personally, we no longer use Google in this office... we’ve noticed when you do a search you get a bunch of stuff that makes no sense... Yahoo.ca brings up everything, every time!

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14 Reasons Small Businesses Need Both a Logo and Marketing Materials -
By Erin Ferree
Experts urge small business owners to "brand" their businesses with a logo and a set of consistent marketing materials. But they rarely explain the reasons behind this advice. Below are some of some of the benefits of having a professionally designed logo and identity system.

1. To look "bigger." Home-printed business cards with perforated edges or cards printed with standard designs available through Microsoft software or online business card vendors scream "small-time vendor" to your potential clients -- and that is how they will want to compensate you.

2. To increase your chance of getting venture capital or selling a business. If you present a well-rounded business package, including marketing materials and graphics, your business will look more complete.

3. To attract more clients. Some clients look for a well-defined company, and "look and feel" may be one of their criteria in making a purchasing decision.

4. To brand yourself. If you are a consultant, you need a logo in order to build an image and a brand that is bigger than your individual identity. Be sure to avoid the Top 10 Branding Mistakes.

5. To convey that you are established. A logo and professionally-printed materials show that you are committed to both your business and your clients.

6. To give clients a sense of stability. You may not have been in business "since 1908," but if you have invested in an identity, you are much less likely to fold in the eyes of your customers. It goes a long way toward building that all-important "trust."

7. To be more memorable. Forty percent of people better remember what they see than what they hear or read. So having graphics associated with your business and having consistent graphics on your business materials make you more likely to come to the forefront of potential clients' minds when they have a need for your goods or services.

8. To explain your company name. If your company name contains a little-known word or an acronym, the logo can give visual clues to its meaning.

9. To endear your company name to your clients. A difficult-to-pronounce or hard-to-remember company name may make it challenging for your clients to hire you. When potential clients have the need for your services, they might not recall who you are. But if you reinforce the name with interesting, compelling graphics, they are more likely to remember you, pick up the phone, and hire you.

10. To explain an unusual line of business. If your business is nontraditional or in a hard-to-explain industry, a logo can help to explain exactly what it is that you do.

11. To show what practices differentiate you from your competition. A well-designed logo can have many subtle meanings and can begin to tell the story of how you do business, including the special practices that make you stand apart from the competition.

12. To stand out in your field. A well-designed logo and an identity system can put you far above the competition, especially if they are paired with a strong marketing program.

13. To comply with expectations. In some industries, a logo is just expected. In the creative services industry especially, having a logo is an industry standard.

14. To show your commitment and for the sense of personal pride it will add to your practice. In other words, do it for yourself.

These benefits will boost your business and your confidence, so start thinking about developing a logo and identity as soon as possible.

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3 Steps to getting a website -

1. You need a domain name. This is the address of your website, ie. www.YOURNAME.com. There are many places to purchase a domain name. We recommend Domains at Cost www.domainsatcost.ca. Your domain can be a .com, .ca, .biz, .tv, .net, .org... you will want to try and get .com or .ca first. A .com is about 15.00 per year and a .ca runs about 20.00 per year.
2. Next, you will need a designer, such as Prima Design. Prima Design can help you purchase your domain name and help you with step 3.
3. Hosting. Your website must reside on a server somewhere in the world. Prima Design provides hosting at $180 per year.

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Do I Really Need a Website?
One of the most important steps for a new business to take is to build a website. The reason for this is that a website provides a presence for your business on the Internet 24 hours a day, 365 a year. Because of this, anyone can access your company’s information, buy products, and do research at any time they want anywhere in the world. This is very powerful. There are many benefits your company will realize from starting a website that includes saving money, more customers, convenience, a professional image and staying ahead of the competition.

It is the cheapest form of marketing available to your business today! This is because your site is always available and can provide information to customers and potential customers that would otherwise require making contact via phone, e-mail, or regular mail and issuing a response. By including a link on your website to a page of frequently asked questions and answers you eliminate having to respond to similar multiple questions because the answers are already provided. This in itself saves time and money.

You want as many customers as possible, and having a website is an easy and economical way to attract more customers because the website does all of the work for you. Since the Internet is always available, your website and information regarding your business or products are always accessible by other people online. This allows many people to reach you from all over the world at any time of the day. So, obviously starting a website is one of the most important things for you to do.

Because of this convenience, your website will garner more customers for you, especially if you have a detailed website. The reason for this is more and more frequently, individuals use the Internet in order to search for information on a wide variety of things. So, if they are searching for what you offer and you have a website then you will have more customers. The day and age of yellow pages will soon be over because the generation of the Internet is growing up using this medium to find information. So, if you have a website you will offer Internet users the ability to find information online.

In addition to these many benefits, you will also be displaying a professional image if you have a website. The reason for this is a website shows you are serious about your business, about providing information to potential clients, and staying in touch with technology and the speed of business. You will want individuals to know your company is serious, so build a website in order to show your importance.

The most important reason to have a website for your company is to remain competitive. If your competition has a website and your company does not, then that company is ahead of you and providing a better service to clients and potential customers. Because of this, you should make starting a website of your own a top priority. The best thing to do is check out the competitions websites, evaluate what are the positives and negatives of their sites, and then build your site even better in order to attract more customers. You will have to continuously update and add new information to stay competitive, but this is the best method. Don’t get left behind in the Internet revolution, go ahead and get your website started today.

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Businesses Neglect Websites At Own Peril
DETROIT (Sunday, January 15, 2006) - A website that displays outdated information is useless to consumers and counterproductive for companies, says a leading Internet consultant.

"Many companies don't realize the importance of having an up-to-date website," said Mike Dawson, of WSI Internet Consulting and Education, at a Chamber of Commerce business education luncheon Wednesday.

WSI Internet Consulting and Education is the leading international Internet consulting firm according to Entrepreneur magazine. Its Canadian head office is in Ontario and certified consultants have offices throughout Canada.

"A company that neglects its website may be committing commercial suicide," he said. "Websites are increasingly the gateway to a company's brand, products and services.

"A useless website suggests a useless company - and a rival is only a mouse-click away."

Dawson said a company's website represents it's image. "A business should put its best foot forward," he said. Dawson said companies should strive toward developing easy-to-use, visible websites.

"Companies must have accurate up-to-date information on those sites," he said.

Clearly defined objectives, focus, well written material, pleasant designs and functionality are some of the key areas where companies can improve their websites, he said.

"Websites should have a call to action and they should clearly instruct visitors to a particular course of action whether it's to download a file or make a purchase," Dawson said.

"The Internet is said to be a giving net ... Companies need to give something in return for a person's visit to that website."

There are tens of thousands of websites on the Internet and visibility is crucial to a website's success. "Often websites are invisible or difficult to find on the Internet," Dawson said.

"Having a low-visibility website is like going out and getting a nice colour brochure then returning home and hiding it in a closet," he said.

Dawson said 90 per cent of Internet users rely on search engines to find websites.

A major drawback for many companies is failing to keep the sites operating properly, he said.

"Sometimes links don't work, information is outdated and images are poorly reproduced," he said. "Companies need to institute a program of frequent checks and updates or people will move on to another site."

Dawson said companies face many business challenges, but one on which they could concentrate is developing a mechanism to measure their return on their website investment.

He said websites can cost between $100 and several million dollars.

The website formerly known as pets.com cost $190 million, he said.

"Companies need to see a return on their investment and there's two areas where measurements are needed," dawson said.

He said direct returns can be measured by the number of online orders and numbers of visits.

Dawson said many websites don't need a major overhaul.

"They may need to be refreshed and updated," he said.

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