Making Your Website User-Friendly - 09/26/2006

An easier-to-use website can improve your image and increase your profits

Setting up a Merchant Account - 10/10/2006

Hi Daniel, I took your advice and got quotes through buyerzone.com. But I'm concerned: since the companies that offer the best rates are small operators (not big banks), how do I know that they'll really send me the money they collect from the credit cards? And I believe they all require access to my business bank account to charge the fees - should I be concerned they'll steal from us? Is there any way to evaluate the reliability of these merchant account providers?

Making Your Website User-Friendly - 09/29/2006

Thanks, Shara, for your question about Web 2.0. The term "Web 2.0" commonly refers to the more collaborative websites in which site users contribute to the content on the site. While I'm not familiar with usability issues specific to Web 2.0, it does bring to mind one point that small businesses should be consider: don't run before you walk. That is, if you can't budget appropriate resources to add Web 2.0 features to your site, you're probably better off not attempting to do so, and instead focusing on having a more simple site that is as user-friendly and as useful as possible.