For any business that wants to succeed in the digital era, having a website is a necessity. Converting visitor clicks into sales, however, takes a little more than putting up a working store page. If your sales numbers are not at the level you want, it is time to take a deep look at your website and make a few tweaks to boost your bottom line.

1. Add Video Content

Your customers are busy people who don’t have a lot of time to devote to shopping. Long and wordy descriptions of your products are unlikely to excite your customers. A short and engaging video clip, however, can show your product or service in action. You can also use video content to showcase customer testimonials or tell customers about the history of your company.

2. Include User Guides and Information

Even if your products or services seem straightforward to you, it’s never a bad idea to include helpful information on how to use your products. Your customers may have questions that aren’t answered by the basic product descriptions, and including user guides can help answer those questions and give your customers the confidence they need to complete their purchases. You may also be able to highlight unusual uses for your products that can expand your customer base into nontraditional audiences. Offer these guides in a variety of formats, including illustrated guides and videos, to accommodate as many customers as possible.

3. Embrace a Global Audience

If you want to reach out to a global customer base, your website needs to be usable by more than English speakers. In addition to featuring more languages on your website, you can transform your brand and content to make it more appealing across the globe. For example, if you have a blog on your website and frequently make references to American holidays, your global readers may feel left out. Spending time learning about the meaning of symbols and colors in other cultures can help you come up with a logo that won’t cause cultural issues with potential global customers.

4. Add More Reviews

Few customers make purchases on a whim; the discerning customer likes to read reviews from other buyers. Featuring reviews on your website is a good way to give potential customers the information they are usually seeking. Don’t relegate your customer testimonials to their own separate page; integrating reviews throughout your website, such as on a sidebar on each page, can help more eyes see your customer raves.

5. Use a Clean and Responsive Design

If your customers have trouble using your website, sales will slack. Today, many web users look at websites through the small screens of their smartphones; using a responsive design will automatically scale your website to the correct screen size. Your website should also look clean for all users and feature intuitive navigation. Although a website with a beautiful design may win awards, too much flash and glitter can impact your customers’ ability to shop. Having a search feature on every page in an obvious place is also a good idea to help visitors find what they need.

6. Smooth Out the Checkout Process

Few things inspire customers to abandon their shopping carts like an inexpertly designed and clunky checkout system. Creating a smooth checkout process takes time and more than a few trials. Start by shedding unnecessary steps. For example, forcing your customers to work through an elaborate account set-up process places a barrier between them and a completed sale. Make sure that your checkout pages offer the essential information most customers want to see, including details about shipping and the items currently in their cart. Finally, offer a variety of payment and shipping options for your customers.

7. Beef Up Your Hardware

Customers are used to having instant information when they browse and shop on the web. A slow-loading website is enough to frustrate some customers into completely giving up on your business. Removing unnecessary clutter can help speed up loading on your website. Improving your server’s capabilities, however, can lead to a more dramatic improvement in loading times. Using a stable server is also important; you don’t want hours of downtime to hit during your peak shopping hours.

8. Use Discounts and Sales to Create Urgency

A shopper who is worried about a disappearing deal is more likely to complete her purchase than a shopper who puts an item in a shopping cart and forgets about it. Discounts encourage hesitant shoppers to make a decision so that they won’t miss out on buying something they want at a better price. There are many ways you can introduce more timed discounts to your site, including special sales days and discounts that are only available for a short window of the day. Placing reminders about these discounts throughout the site, including on the checkout page, can remind the shopper of the discount’s deadline.

9. Make Support Easy to Find and Access

Although you strive to offer products and services that will fulfill your customers’ needs, some of your customers will inevitably experience problems with your products. Make it easy for your customers to reach out to your support staff and include a variety of contact methods, including email, phone calls, social media or live chat. Support can help save sales that might otherwise be lost; however, having visible and responsive support options can also give uncertain customers the confidence they need to complete a purchase.

The online marketplace is booming, but it’s also a crowded field. Improving your website and your user experience can help your company stand out from the competition. Designing your website with the customer experience in mind can help you drive more sales to your business. Just make sure your current dedicated server or hosting provider is powerful enough and fast enough for the increased sales traffic.

LATHAM, NEW YORK (August 28, 2013, 2013) – Sustainable IT solutions provider TurnKey Internet, Inc. announced today that after a month of ongoing expansions to their data center, the company will be offering a deal to new clients on colocation services. This offer allows clients to sign up for three free months while placing their IT infrastructure into TurnKey Internet’s SSAE-16 Type II certified data center. With this colocation service, TurnKey Internet provides the benefits of tech management and superior uptime, as well as giving clients their own complete control and accessibility to their servers.

“We have seen an increase of interest for colocation services from both companies across the globe and right here in New York,” said TurnKey Internet’s CEO, Adam Wills. “Many of whom are looking to have their IT infrastructure managed because of our business continuity. Our clients’ servers are placed among the most energy-efficient equipment to date, and in a green and sustainable data center. With the expansion of our facility, we want to welcome new clients to show them the benefits of colocation, and how TurnKey can help simplify their IT needs.”

TurnKey Internet hosts clients’ infrastructures in cold-containment pods, which use the highly energy-efficient SmartAisle™ technology. Rather than companies having to hire a tech team to manage their own equipment in-house, TurnKey Internet’s technicians are able to manage client’s equipment in their state-of-the-art data center. Clients also receive the benefit of having around-the-clock tech support, 365-days a year. TurnKey Internet’s data center became Energy Star certified in early 2013 and was also approved to be part of the ReCharge New York program, created by New York’s Governor Cuomo. This program has allowed TurnKey Internet to receive clean hydroelectric energy, and has allowed the data center to run off 100% renewable energy.

About Turnkey Internet

Founded in 1999, TurnKey Internet, Inc. is a full-service green data center and leading provider of sustainable web hosting and IT solutions. From its SSAE 16 Type 2 certified facility in Latham, NY—New York’s Tech Valley Region—TurnKey offers web hosting, communication services, web-based IT systems, software as a service (SaaS), enterprise colocation services, and computing as a service to clients in more than 150 countries. For more information, please call (518) 618-0999 or visit www.turnkeyinternet.net/media

Hello TurnKey friends! If you have been following our recent updates, you already know that things are getting pretty busy around here. We are expanding our data center and have put out some awesome products such as the TurnKey Desk 2.0 and our web-conferencing platform- Voxwire! Within a year we have been able to put forth newer, better and awesomer  (yes, awesomer) products and have also been able to expand due to our dedication and most importantly, you- the customers!

While keeping you ladies and gents happy is always our number one priority, we’ve decided to up our game with our appreciation to our clients.  We will now be posting a “Featured Client” article once a month. This will allow us to introduce you to our clients, show you what they do and how we have worked with them to help build their business! Without further ado, check out all the nice things our client, Nick, had to say about us!

My name is Nick. I am married to the most amazing woman, who is way more understanding than I ever expected.  We have 5 children from 2 to 18. I run a Web/WordPress Development Studio that specializes in small to medium-sized business site development.  I help companies develop their businesses through professional web presences. I make sure that their social media is properly targeting to the right audiences, develop email marketing plans and customization, create or re-create websites to meet the needs of clients’ users, including mobile and responsive designs

I rely on TurnKey to host my websites 24/7/365. TurnKey is essential to my company’s success. I design and develop for a living. I love what I do and I love that the folks at TurnKey do, too. I have been doing business with TurnKey for the past 3 years. I started out with shared hosting for a fantastic price until I outgrew the it and moved right into a dedicated server. I have never looked back. I have recommended Turnkey to several business associates and have heard nothing but awesome experiences.

My business has grown to what it is today because TurnKey has given me the tools that I need to be successful. The help desk is ready to go whether it’s 3 pm or 3 am and believe me, I have used it at both times. Because their responses are almost instant in most cases, they save me so much time so that I can focus my time where it needs to go- to my clients.

A month ago I had a technical difficulty with my server. The tech support guys had a lead to the problem and were working on it within an hour. I got several follow-ups checking in and even the Sales Manager contacted me to make sure I was satisfied; of course I was! Their green initiative is amazing. They have a zero carbon footprint and stellar customer service.

Nick and his wonderful family!

If you are interested in getting to know W5 Designs LLC or would like to talk to Nick Jubrey, swing over to http://w5webdesigns.com/ and get in touch with them or email them at info@w5webdesigns.com.

w5webdesigns.com – Web Design Solutions

Web design, concentrated on small to medium size business and non profitts

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The expansion of our data center is official like a person with a whistle!

And, of course, We want to keep you all up-to-date and continue to share our photos with you. Why? Because you – ladies and gentleman – should be as excited as we are. Our techs are working hard getting everything up, our sales and marketing teams are rolling out great promotions, and everyday brings all new excitement. That’s right. There’s new promotions, people, pool tables and plants.

*Pool tables and plants you say, Dylan?*

Yes, pool tables and plants.

So what’s been going on here? Well, let us just show you.

First off, we want to welcome back Jared (otherwise known as, “Hey, intern!” or “More coffee, please.”) . You might recognize him. He interned here in the winter and has since graduated college! Jared is back finishing up his internship and we are glad to have him back in the Marketing Room.

Here we have Brian (Operations Manager) and Joe (Lead Technician). They have been hooking up a new pod  in the DC and have been kicking butt. Keep up the work, boys!

And how do they stay sane during all those hours of work? Bumpin’ tunes!

Here is what the new pod looks like from the cloud! Or, well, from a ladder…

Before and after. Wires coming into the DC.

Some clamps and cords!

Our new plant, Leaf Ericson!

TurnKey mini pool table.

Last, but not least. We are giving away TurnKeychain Flashlights! If you want to win one, head to our Facebook page and like, comment or share the photo.

Wikipedia states that crowdsourcing is “the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people, and especially from an online community, rather than from traditional employees or suppliers.” While that is a spot on definition, it is not actually “Wikipedia’s “definition.  Wikipedia is just that – a crowdsourcing site. Where you, me, and anyone else can set up an account and submit anything we want, to any article.

I could go on right now and submit that Donald Trump was voted Vogue Magazine’s Sexiest Celebrity of 2013. Or that the Boston Red Sox have the most World Series titles in MLB history. Or, that there have been multiple unicorn sightings just north of Reno, Nevada in the past decade.

The Wikipedia definition of crowdsourcing was actually cited from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Why? Because the majority of the people who take part on this crowdsourcing site said it was.  It is widely accepted that information about a subject coming from 100 people will usually be more thorough, honest and accurate, than when the information is coming from one or two people.

This type of “power of the people” has not only been seen successful on the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, but on other sites where “crowdfunding” is the name of the game. People can now support music, technology, art, film, games, photography, or really anything depending on what they want to see or have succeed in the future.

Investors in businesses, major record labels, film studios, and large corporations shell out tons of cash to create new products and projects. But thousands of startups, independent musicians, and other entities try to get their foot in the door to their industry, and struggle to afford what they need in order to make their idea work.

Sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Crowdfunder are all outlets for people with big ideas, to get the attention of thousands of people who may just want to support them both creatively and financially.

Recently a musician by the name of Kevin Devine was able to fund his project (two albums: one acoustic, and one with his band. “The Goddamn Band”… how can you not support that?) where he raised over $100,000 from over 1,000 people.

Backers could pledge from $1 to $4,000 where each interval of cash would get the pledger a “gift” back. From an acoustic demo of a song, to a “private 60-minute acoustic show at your house, all travel and accommodation included – you pick the setlist.”

Mr. Devine says himself on Kickstarter, “I had a thought-provoking conversation with a friend…about all the pitfalls and dangers of crowd-sourcing/funding ‘the arts,’” He says. “It’s a really easy thing to do badly, or cheesily, or in a way that can feel … compromised, hacky, undignified. “ For an artist, it’s hard to say. It can seem tacky, but over 1,000 fans knew what he was capable of, and he is now fully funded and recording his albums. Independently, Kevin Devine is able to write and record his own piece of art for the fans of his music.

With funding like this comes freedom. No big-wigs looking over your shoulder telling you what to change. The projects and products come straight from the inventors, with the engagement and the help of the backers.

Right now, you can go to Kickstarter and fund projects like a solar panel that can power devices from smartphones to laptops, handmade leather goods, or a 3D printer (almost funded $3,000,000).  You can pick and choose what you support, which products you want, and together the world can begin causing change in areas they want to succeed.

So what do you think? Will sites like Kickstarter push a company to be the next Apple? Will Kevin Devine be the next George Micheal? A boy can dream…

LATHAM, NEW YORK (July 31, 2013) – Sustainable IT solutions provider TurnKey Internet, Inc. announced today the expansion of their Latham, New York data center. Just 15 months after opening their flagship data center, TurnKey Internet will be installing their next phase of additional equipment, floor space and staffing to further develop their high-tech, cloud-based infrastructure. This comes in part from their funding received from New York’s energy development fund – NYSERDA.

“Because of the distinctive design within our green and sustainable data center- located in the heart of New York’s Tech Valley- we have seen exponential growth and non-stop demand for the expansion within our facility and with our cloud-based services,” said CEO, Adam Wills. “We’re excited to announce that we are ahead of schedule with our expansion and that this will allow us to increase our facility’s total capacity by 50 percent.”

Using equipment like their cold-containment pods, which uses the highly energy-efficient SmartAisle™ technology, TurnKey Internet has proved to be a leader in green-IT. In the past year, they teamed up with Energy Star and became one of two Energy Star certified data centers in the state of New York. TurnKey Internet was also approved to be a part of the ReCharge New York program in March 2013. The program, created by New York’s Governor Cuomo, was set in place to help companies receive clean, hydroelectric energy. With the use of their green-technology, their solar-panel roof system, and the hydroelectric power, TurnKey Internet’s data center uses 100% renewable energy.

About Turnkey Internet

Founded in 1999, TurnKey Internet, Inc. is a full-service green data center and leading provider of sustainable web hosting and IT solutions. From its SSAE 16 Type 2 certified facility in Latham, NY—New York’s Tech Valley Region—TurnKey offers web hosting, communication services, web-based IT systems, software as a service (SaaS), enterprise colocation services, and computing as a service to clients in more than 150 countries. For more information, please call (518) 618-0999 or visit www.turnkeyinternet.net/media.

We are STILL at it! Our tech team has been working everyday around the clock to get our data center- phase two- complete. With the delivery  of a brand new pod, it sometimes feels like an IT Christmas around here. In fact, we feel like little kids when a new shipment arrives and we get to unload it… it’s like unwrapping new toys. Then we get to play with the toys,  put everything together, show our friends and hey! We didn’t forget the cookies!

Celebration cookies!

Brian hard at work

A peek inside!

No one was hurt during this… we think.

Beautiful day at TurnKey!

Sustainable IT solutions provider TurnKey Internet,
Inc. announced today the release of their upgraded platform designed for their web
conferencing product, Voxwire. Voxwire Systems, Inc. was acquired in 2009 by TurnKey
Internet, who began supporting the product alongside their web hosting cloud services.
Voxwire web conferencing can accommodate thousands of attendees per meeting with
integrated audio and video, screen and file sharing, PowerPoint presentations, polling and
other collaborative features.

Voxwire’s platform has been enhanced to meet today’s more mobile market. It is now
compatible on all popular mobile systems including the iPhone, iPad, Android and
BlackBerry and is being offered for a 14-day, no credit card required, free trial. Upon signing
up, a free app can be installed on any of these devices, or can be used on a tablet, laptop
or desktop. Multiple moderators can be assigned for small or large group presentations and
can be broadcasted to unlimited users across the globe.

With the improved Voxwire platform, TurnKey aims to offer easier-to-use services to
connect customers and colleagues across the globe from its green data center in Albany,
New York. “Voxwire expands our reach to a wide range of industries that are integrating
web conferencing into their daily operations,” said CEO, Adam Wills. “Schools, businesses,
or any entity looking to grow their distance learning or conference capabilities will find
Voxwire is a perfect solution.”

OK, this joke is a stretch, but here it goes anyways….

Paul Mathis is probably happy his name is not Paul Mathe. Why? Because it seems like he’s got it out for the word “the.” While it is the number one used word in the English language, Mr. Mathis is looking to get rid of it… or at least for when we have to type it.

Mathis is an Australian restaurant owner who is hoping to change the way we use the word “the,” by creating a symbol like the “and” ampersand symbol (&).

“The word ‘and’ is only the fifth-most used word in English and it has its own symbol — the ampersand,” Mathis said. “Isn’t it time we accorded the same respect to ‘the’?”

I mean, the man’s got a point, right? Mathis created a little diddly that looks like this:

Simple, sleek, and hey! It even saves you two characters for when you tweet.

“The main functionality of this is in the texting space,” Mathis goes on. “Maybe in 500 years’ time people will be amazed that there was a time when we didn’t use (the symbol)”.

While I think it’s a great idea, Mathis is having a tough time convincing Apple.  After a request for them to change their keyboards, Apple responded saying, “Apps should be engaging and exciting, enabling users to do something they couldn’t do before; or to do something in a way they couldn’t do before or better than they could do it before.”

In 34 words, Apple crushed a man’s dreams and did it all without using the word, “the,” once.

Take that, Paul Mathe, I mean Mathis.

Remember those things called compact discs? Yea, you know- Those flimsy round things that came a few years after the cassette tape, and thousands of years after our parents chiseled sound into “vinyl records” with their cavemen friends? OK, maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but when was the last time you bought a physical CD? How about an entire album on iTunes?

We all know that technology is rapidly changing. Not only has the platform of which we listen to music changed, but the way we listen to music has changed.

Long gone are the days where people sit down and enjoy an album song by song. Album sales have plummeted and the power of the single is rising with every “Call Me Maybe.”

“We don’t have any rules. Everyone’s trying to figure it out. That’s why the Internet is like the Wild West. We need to write the new rules for what’s going on right now,” said rapper and business mogul, Shawn Carter (AKA Jay-Z).

Jay-Z is the new sheriff in town and he is taking over the Wild West of the Internet, and creating a new way to sell his album.

In June, during game five of the NBA Finals, Jay-Z not-so-casually dropped the news to millions of viewers that his new album “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” would be released on the 4^th of July to one million Samsung Galaxy customers via an app. Jay-Z is almost single-handedly turning fans of an artist into customers of a product, while still trying to keep the integrity of the album.

He is here to put a death to auto-tune and a resurrection to the “album,” where realistically he will make millions of dollars somewhere in between. The app is packaged nicely with pictures and lyrics- like a CD or album- but also intertwines videos and a way for Samsung to track your age and location (because not doing that is sooo 2008).

“The whole thing I wanted to do was have that fireplace or that radio moment where everyone’s just sitting in front of the thing listening to an album,” Carter goes on. “I want everyone to hear the album at one time.”

While I think most customers who are targeted to buy this album will have too short of an attention span to do so (especially with cellphone in hand), it is a great marketing scheme and an innovative way to start and push music where it may be heading.