beat the competition 
posted in Interview: Helena from nutritionfriend.com
Capitalising on the poor state of health the average UK citizen seems to find themselves in these days (blame the weather), nutritionfriend.com offer health advice online and offline, particularly Pregnancy Diets and Detox (we can all do with that). Helena has been running the site herself - all the content is her own advice. Her husband (Jason) also takes an interest in getting us healthy via his Walk In Back Rub chain of massage shops around London.So Helena, a few questions......
If a website owner had no money and just 5 hours per week to spend on their website, how would you advise them to spend those 5 hours per week to maximise the effectiveness and visibility of their website?
The home page! And getting some great images on there! Depending on what their site was about of course... getting the product shop operational and optimising the home page as fully as possible.
How much time do you spend on your website in an average week?
Depends, but on average always a 10-30 mins a day... depending on what I tweak, change or add.
How do you get inspired to find new things to write about on your site?
Articles, and need for cash! Something that inspired me from a mailshot or newsletter.... something I have seen on another site that I like... something Jason tells me to do!!!!!!!!
What do you enjoy most about running your online business?
Total control! And the ability to just make changes as and when.
Does the website generate a lot of phone calls?
No - emails but not calls
How often do you update your website?
Very frequently as I live with a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) maniac! (edit from Andrew: I can vouch for this, I learn from Jason too!).
How much do you know about SEO?
More and more now, but I find it everchanging and rather tedious after a while!
What improvements would you like made to your site?
Better and more photos.
What annoys you when you visit other sites?
Links that don't work and too much clutter.
What has surprised you most about the behaviour of your website visitors?
They are impatient and click off before they even look, they don't read properly...there seems to be no time anymore!
What single piece of advice would you give to any other website thinking of selling online?
Know your market and do the research, there is a lot of competition out there, price well and SEO well too! No point having a great product if no one can find you!
What mistakes have you made regarding the running of your online business?
Give away too much information!
Thanks for the interview Helena!
(by Andrew Lang)
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