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Imagine having the greatest retail store in the world, with the best selection, prices, and location around. Now imagine being ignored by customers because they can’t read the sign in front.

Whether your website is everything you want it to be, or still a work in progress, it’s important to make sure that everyone can see it. Is your site compatible with Firefox and Mozilla? Does it load fast enough for today’s impulsive online shopper? Does it appear the same on a Mac as it does on a PC? Does it function properly on older operating systems?

Too often, these questions are ignored, or not even considered. But remember: Just because some people can see your site, doesn’t mean everybody can.

Web browsers are translators. They convert HTML-written documents into the Web pages that we see. The problem is, like human translators, each one gives you a slightly different variation. So, even though Internet Explorer is the world’s most widespread browser, representing over 90 percent of users, it can be a serious mistake to ignore the other, lesser-known browsers and their users. After all, with worldwide Internet usage in the hundreds of millions, even one percent is crucial.

So it’s important to make sure your site is tested and that it runs well on all major browsers, on all different screen sizes, and on Macs as well as PCs. And with the holiday shopping season quickly approaching, there’s never been a better time to make sure your site is running at its full potential. Luckily, as an Aplus.Net customer, you have access to the finest design tools and website upgrades that the industry offers. Find out more about our design services here, or call one of our specialists at 877.275.8763.

Don’t let unforeseen problems slow your online sales: Get ready today.

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The Net Report: Aplus.Net Blogs!

We’re excited to announce the newest resource from Aplus.Net. Introducing the Net Report, our up-to-the-minute rundown of what’s new and what’s relevant in the world of online commerce, and what’s affecting America’s small businesses today. It’s open for your comments and discussions, too, so you can trade tips and info with other Aplus.Net customers. Check it out here—and be sure to check back regularly!

Tool of the Month: The Aplus.Net Directory

If you’re serious about your online business, then you know it’s essential to make your site easy to find—which means getting to the top of the search engine results. Unfortunately, this can be a difficult task, especially if your field is competitive. Placing your site on a directory is an effective and stress-free way to quickly boost your search engine results. But it can take a while to get on the more popular directories such as Dmoz.org or the Google Directory.

That’s why we created the Aplus.Net Directory, a new service designed to give our customers a direct line to search engines. Our directory is "spidered" by leading search engines like Google and Yahoo, so you'll get extra exposure on their sites. It’s incredibly easy to use—just enter your domain name and URL. And best of all, it’s free to Aplus.Net customers!

Click here to access the Aplus.Net Directory. Once there, click on “Submit Link” to list your site.

Check out the Aplus.Net website for new products and services…
Click here to view our Control Panel tools...

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Phony Domain Name Registrars

As an Aplus.Net customer, there’s a good chance that one day you'll receive a message from a company called the "Domain Registry of America." This company (and others like it) gets its business by emailing other companies' customers (from the public ICANN registry lists) and warning them that their domain is about to expire—even if it isn’t.

Unsuspecting customers sometimes fall for these fear tactics, only to be hit with various hidden fees and suddenly cut off from their chosen hosting provider. The FTC has taken action, but without much success. Don’t be the next victim—check out this month's Expert Opinion article and learn how to avoid phony domain name registrars.

Read full Expert Opinion article...

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RetirementLifeToday.com LLC: Entrepreneurial Spirit and Success

Missouri-based RetirementLifeToday.com LLC (RLT) is a great example of an online success story, the kind of small business that thrives with Aplus.Net’s services. Less than a year ago, they launched their first site with Aplus.Net. Today, they're going strong with four cutting-edge websites, expanding into new areas and discovering the success that comes from smart and effective online business.

Jeff Lantz, Chief Executive Officer and Manager, started www.RetirementLifeToday.com in October 2005 as a venue to focus on active retirement issues. RLT offers video of current news, health, and other matters, more than 2,000 lifestyle and health articles, and discussion boards where members can interact with other members, create a profile, or start their own blog. In less than a year it has become one of the top-ranked websites for retirees and the baby boomer generation.

Mr. Lantz’s team has also launched www.RVListingsOnline.com, which features more than 6,000 individual used RV listings; and www.RetirementCommunitiesOnline.com, the first retirement community search website featuring videos. And, true to the spirit of innovation, all of the sites are integrated into the master www.RetirementLifeToday.com site, so visitors can search for RVs and retirement community listings without leaving the main website. A fourth website, www.KardenInvestments.com, describes the family structure of these companies and brings all the company’s ideas together in an impressive display of synergy.

"The business model and success displayed by Mr. Lantz and his team are great examples of the entrepreneurial spirit that we value so much here at Aplus.Net," said Theo Ivanov, Aplus.Net’s Marketing Director. "We’re proud of his success, and we’re excited to be a part of it."

The feeling is mutual. "We have greatly enjoyed working with Aplus.Net," says Mr. Lantz, "and we consider Aplus.Net to be a crucial part of our success."

Visit: www.RetirementLifeToday.com
www.RVListingsOnline.com
www.RetirementCommunitiesOnline.com
www.KardenInvestments.com

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Today’s small business owners and managers live and do business in a very different world than their parents. As you’re probably well aware, the Internet age offers not only highly increased contact with consumers, but also instant access to all the information you can use to help your business excel. What follows is a quick rundown of some of the Internet’s most valuable small business resources:

• Type "small business" in Google and you’ll get Entrepreneur.com in the number two spot, right after the U.S. government’s Small Business Administration (SBA, which we profiled last month).* A reliable and informative "go-to" for business basics, Entrepreneur’s website remains one of the nation’s most respected business platforms. With prominent focus on topics such as Starting a Business and Grow Your Business, this is a great place to get educated on the basics.
        Highlights: Business Opportunities, How-to, and Finance
• Inc.com calls itself "The Daily Resource for Entrepreneurs." Partially because of its history of spotlighting fast-growing private companies (the Inc. 500), Inc.com remains a powerful voice for the entrepreneur, providing a platform to celebrate those small start-ups who stand out among the rest. With an impressive collection of topics in its Resource Centers that highlight noteworthy and sometimes overlooked topics (such as articles written specifically for one-person
  businesses), Inc.com aims big, practically screaming the message: Your start-up can be the next American sensation.
        Highlights: Lots of great info overall; well-suited for the ambitious
• BusinessWeek Online’s Small Biz section seems geared more toward those who are running a small business than those looking to start one; but all the same, it’s a good source for news and financial tips. Their columnists do a great job of keeping on top of industry trends, and their Small Business Information Center (located near the bottom of the page) offers a great overview of essential business basics—from starting up and getting financing to legal and hiring advice. Overall, though, the articles tend to focus on big picture industry trends (such as marketing to boomers and historical success stories), making the site a favorite for the business savvy and slightly less useful for the strictly practical.
        Highlights: Industry trends, Investing, Columnists
• Although the thought of bookmarking the IRS’s website probably doesn’t fill you with joy, their Small Business and Self-Employed page is actually loaded with great info. This is where you go to learn details on filing taxes, what kind of business expenses you’re eligible for, what forms you need, and generally how to avoid trouble with the taxman. The site is great at breaking down topics into step-by-step, easy-to-follow instructions. The online classroom feature is particularly helpful and innovative.
        Highlights: Farming has a prominent (and rare) place here, as does info for the self-employed
• Though not exactly overflowing with practical information, the website for the U.S. House of Representatives Small Business Committee is a good resource to see where America’s legislators stand on the issues that affect small business. Chairman Donald Manzullo says of small businesses: "They are essential to our nation's economic prosperity. We work to minimize regulatory and fiscal government intrusion as well as to ensure that the government respects the importance of small businesses, the people they employ, and the principles of entrepreneurship." Such grand statements aside, it can be fun and educational to see Washington’s take on small business. However, be warned: Though there is useful info here, some of the articles lean a bit heavily into political bias.
        Highlights: Updates on congressional initiatives concerning small business.

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This month, we’re proud to announce a number of awards that celebrate Aplus.Net’s status as one of the hosting industry’s biggest and best companies! These awards reflect not only the quality of services we provide, but also our status as one of the hosting industry’s fastest-growing companies. We’re excited to share our achievements with you, our valuable customers who made it all possible. After all, your success is our success.

Aplus.Net is Number One at TopHosts! We’re very happy to announce our status as TopHosts’ Number One Hosting Company for September 2006! TopHosts is a respected industry voice, and we’re honored that we’ve passed their rigorous selection process (consisting of production testing and user feedback) to be number one!

Aplus.Net has been named among San Diego’s Fastest Growing Private Companies. The San Diego Business Journal has just named Aplus.Net to its list of 100 Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies for the second year in a row. This distinction reflects our tremendous financial growth from 2003 to 2005, and is all the more prestigious for being in one of America’s most competitive small business markets. Read more here.

Aplus.Net was selected as one of 2006’s fastest growing technology companies in San Diego by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP. The Technology Fast 50 Company list places Aplus.Net in the company of some of the industry’s brightest lights. Click here to find out more.

Learn more about our awards here…
Learn more about our news coverage here…

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At Aplus.Net, we are committed to providing you with great customer support, 24x7x365.

Knowledge Base -- http://www.apluskb.com/
Technical Support -- http://www.aplus.net/support.html
Control Panel -- https://cp.aplus.net

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Keeping your address current is more important than you realize, and the success of your website just might depend on it. For example: “Marty” was a happy and hard-working customer who failed to notify Aplus.Net when his email address changed. Marty didn’t realize that he was missing important emails notifying him that his domain name was about to expire. Because of this simple mistake, Marty lost not only his domain name to a competitor, he also lost countless hours of hard work and months of progress. Don’t make Marty’s mistake—Keep your information current!

Update your new e-mail information in our system online. We've made it easy! Here's how to do it …

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Refer a friend to Aplus.Net and get a FREE month of hosting! Make sure your friend remembers to mention your name and email address when signing up.

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What do you think of our newsletter format? Let us know! Email us any of your feedback regarding the newsletter at . We’re always looking to improve, and we’re always happy to hear your suggestions!

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* Note: All Google searches conducted in last half of September. By the time of this newsletter’s distribution, information on Google rankings may have changed.

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