Just in time for the holidays, Florida-based Web services provider Affinity offers tips for SMB's to sell successfully online. Peter Chambers, CEO of Affinity Internet, offers the following advice:

"Small businesses selling on the Internet offer outstanding products, but don't have the staff or the budget that the big e-commerce players have. They still can compete this holiday season by maximizing the effectiveness of their online presence," said Chambers. "In order to ensure the highest chances for success, we recommend the following:

1. Make sure your web site has a friendly navigation structure for visitors. Giving people quick access to directories and letting them drill into detail is the best approach.

2. When selling products on a site, don't sell advertising and don't use links on your site that open other Web pages. If you want to reference other Web sites, make sure your links open another browser or a pop-up window. This allows customers to easily return to where they left off.

3. Make sure your graphics and pages load fast on dial-up. The speed with which they'll load depends on a lot of factors, so the best way to see if a page is too large or heavy is to get on a dial-up modem and try it. Give people smaller thumbnails that they can click on.

4. Ensure that your online marketing programs are highly targeted, for maximum value and effectiveness. Pay-per-click advertising is the most targeted, but it pays to partner with a company that can help you create and manage your advertising campaigns (as it is often a complex proposition), because working with experts saves money and time, and allows small-businesspeople to focus on running their businesses."

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