We took a look at your site, and here are a few things that jumped at us you might want to look at/consider.
First, the web package. You are using Joomla, we use an older package on our site. We like our current package because I can customize the template and modules to what we need. I know the package inside-out in my sleep. If my wife asks me "can we put this on our site or have this feature?" I know already whether it can be done or not. Make sure you know your package well. Know its limitations, and try to plan ahead for additional features or expansions. If you try to add something to your package, will it work? Or will you need to spend time switching to another package? The point is, as a business owner, it is frustrating if you hit that brick wall and have to shut down your site to make changes.
Second, your articles. While I found some of your information informative, there were some sections that were hard to follow. I mean this in no disrespect, but your articles need to be fixed and cleaned up. Spelling and grammar/sentence structure are what kills the concept that a professional is offering advice. You used an example about a Wall-Mart employee in your "Small Business and You" where you said the following:
Quote: "Using Wal-Mart as an example, most Wal-Mart workers did not go to college for four years and study electronics. It’s more likely they probably never even been inside a college classroom. However, millions of people shop at their store take the advice of a sales person who likely has no college degree and buy what he/she suggests. The sales person probably knows a few basic facts about that device but lacks the complete understanding about the device."
I could draw almost a similar parallel to your articles. While I know what your intention is, I can overlook the grammar and spelling whereas someone looking for information or advice will not and they will go elsewhere. If you want people to respect your articles and
want to be there reading your information, they need to look professional. Also remember any information you reference may not apply to other people from other countries. You won't just have USA customers, but people from around the globe. Make sure you know the facts in other countries if you plan to expand on those articles.
Third, your approach might not be working for you. In other words, posting on the Geek Chat asking how to increase your traffic almost suggests to us that you are not as professional as first thought. I mean no disrespect by this, but the responses you might get to your question will come from younger people that either are still in high school/college, may not have owned a business to know the best answer, or just don't have the experience level you want to draw from. If you are relying on that, you are better to ask your teenage kids and their friends. You would never see Northern Fox Media or Explosoft (our good friend and counterpart Brian) post something like this on a forum. Both of us have been in business a long time and know where to get advice from and what to do.
Fourth, your software applications and games. You might find down the road your site becoming cluttered when your software applications and games grow over time. In our case, we decided to make separate sites for just our games. We advertise them on our site, but there is a link to redirect the customer to the game(s) own site. This allows us to expand that site for the game as well without overcrowding our main site.
I apologize again for the long novel, and hope i did not come across as rude or ignorant. My wife and I have been in business for a long time, and running a company on top of serving the military and raising 5 kids has kept the last twenty+ years for us very busy. We have had our successes, and our failures. We had two separate companies, just bought a third and have now merged all three into one. So far that was the best move on our part. Work has kept us busy, and we never had to seek advice on a forum. If you are serious about owning a business or being at it for the time you say you have, you will know what you need to do.
Twitter: @NFoxMedia
