Internet Tools For Productivity and Fun

February 13, 2009 · Filed Under Business Building Basics, Deliveries

Shirley George Frazier How many free tools on the Internet have you added to your Web site? There are many to choose from, and that can cause havoc.

You’re busy designing new and familiar gift baskets plus, in most cases, taking care of a family and yourself. Who has time to find online tools?

I’ve uncovered three that may be helpful.

One is Google Analytics, a program that lets you maximize your online reach by learning how visitors find your site. That information allows you to duplicate positive outcomes or fix what’s not working.

The program uncovers, among other information:

Popular keywords that lead people to your site

Which site pages are visited most often

How long visitors stay on your Web space

When you arrive at the Google Analytics home page, you choose a user name (usually an Email address) and password to create an account. The easy instructions lead you to the area where you add your Web site to your new account. Then you receive a code to paste within the HTML area of each site page you want to track.

It’s not difficult, and for the cost of zero, you’ll learn a lot about who arrives on your site so that you can begin converting visitors into buyers.

Another beneficial tool is Email Me Form. I needed a contact form that was easy to add to my Web site, one that didn’t require a lot of wizardry plus a math degree. That’s what I found with this form.

I find that it’s extremely helpful to let buyers ask me questions on various Web site contact pages. There are other reasons for this form that may help you capture sales.

As with Google Analytics, you create an account at EmailMeForm.com and begin designing the form.

One caveat to bring to your attention is to include your Email address as part of the setup so that visitor responses arrive within your Email box rather than on the Email Me Form’s server waiting for you to open it there. Another caveat is that you can only create five forms within your free account, but that will be adequate for you (one form can be added in many places).

If you’re looking for an easy-to-use form on any of your Web pages, this may be the one for you. I’ve set one up here on the blog.

Finally, while speaking with my How To book and Design book’s editor yesterday, we linked to each other on Facebook. I looked at her composite picture and absolutely loved it. I asked her how and where she had it made, and she told me about FaceYourManga.com.

I immediately went to the site and began creating my own composite photo, which you see above. What’s your opinion - does the FaceYourManga photo resemble my real photo in the blog’s right column?

You don’t have to sign up to create your own picture. Start the process by clicking the second flag (English flag) on the left (or whichever flag represents your country). Then click the “start now” ribbon, and begin creating your face, including eyes, hair, clothing, and background.

When finished, I’d love to see what you’ve created. Contact me through the blog, and send me a link to where your photo is available online.

There’s nothing dull about us gift basket designers. We mix business with pleasure, and in between, we earn top revenue.

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