Will You Add? - Internet and Businesses Online

Blogs: The New Frontier
As an Entrepreneurial business owner you must always be open to new ideas to create additional revenue centers and/or develop prospects and new customers. I started in Construction back in the early 1990's but got into an IT Contract Placement Business through a contact I had in my sphere of influence a few years earlier. My contact had many IT Professionals in his resume database and I had the contacts in the large Banks and Corporations. As time went on I met another contact and we used his internet development know how and my contacts in the industry and we developed an online Professional Trades Networking business. I later walked away from that business realizing that we were too far ahead of our time. I also leveraged my employees and equipment where ever and when ever I thought I could make an extra buck. My lesson learned was to always keep my eyes open to the next opportunity. Today, that next opportunity is Blogs.Blogs are the new frontier. As was the development of the American West with Adventurist Frontiersman searching out new growth opportunities across the United States they were followed by the settlers when word got back east of lush fertile lands and valleys and glens with fresh spring fed waters. Or, the gold strikes of San Francisco that were staked out by the leaders and the cit

use methods of redirection such as “cloaking”, “doorway” or “bridge” pages. These methods basically involve pages hidden to the Internet user that are heavily loaded with popular keywords. Many search engines, in particular Google, claim that these tactics are deceptive and unethical and they will heavily penalize (and even remove) sites that use them.

Your site should not need to link to the SEO agency’s site. This often implies a redirection method which is not only risky but will also potentially reduce the amount of exposure and traffic to your site.

Beware of companies that avoid your questions or are not open about their techniques – this usually implies dishonest business operations.

Make sure that the company manually submits websites to indexes, and does not use software to do so. They should also provide you with a receipt of submission. Also be careful of companies that plan to submit your site to thousands of search engines – this method prefers quantity over quality and is quite futile.

Do not buy into a service that involves searching directly from the browser window – this requires specialized software that most Internet users will not have.

The company should help you with selections of keywords and phrases which are relevant to your business and popular with search engine users. Check their optimization plans for your site, and the extent to which they may want to change your site content and design. Ideally you do not want to compromise on your site design or visitors’ ease of navigation. It is gene

Information and Trust in Your Small Business
How much information is enough? That is the question that a recent blog post at INC Paradise prompted me to ask.The blog entry describes a survey done by Business Objects and highlights the fact that only 11% of workers claim they "always have all of the information that they need to confidently make decisions." What the entry does not note is that a full 49% - almost half of those surveyed - have enough information "often".This leaves me to wonder just how subjective the respondants were. All of the entries I found seem to believe there is a huge difference between 'often' and 'always'. And yet, honestly, when will you always have exactly what you need? More specifically, how long will it take you to gather all of that information? Ironically, the survey states "workers spend too much time verifying data", since in the US, we take an average of 12.1 hours per week verifying information.So we have bad info to start with, and then we waste time verifying it?Then, after all of that, most of us - 87% in the United States - have our information challenged by either colleagues or supervisors.We start with bad information, which gets challenged, leading us to verify the information.It sounds to me like the problem doesn't have to do with the information. The problem has t

The rapid proliferation of business operations and marketing via the Internet has resulted in fierce competition between websites for the users’ attention. It is thus of utmost importance that your website has maximum exposure, and search engine optimization (SEO) can greatly enhance this. What search engine optimization basically entails is the modification of a website in such ways that it achieves a high ranking in search engine listings for relevant terms to your product or service offering. A high placement for relevant terms should lead to more qualified traffic to your site.

The SEO process, however, is not a simple one, and should be left to the experts. Equally important is that these experts must be reputable. Aggressive and unethical search engine optimization tactics have resulted in many websites being penalized and even removed from search engine indexes. At the other extreme, inefficient and incompetent work will result in you paying for an insignificant change in your site ranking. Thus for the average businessperson who is not highly versed in search engine technology, the job of selecting a reputable search engine company can be a daunting and dangerous one. However, do not be put off – the Return on Investment of this marketing tool can be huge, in comparison with traditional marketing methods. The following suggestions will help to make the selection process simple and secure.

Although no company can guarantee you a number one position on all search engines, it is essential that you define goals in search engine ranking that you would like to reach. This will allow you to easily assess the success of the campaign at a later stage, while giving the consultant a clear idea of what you need. Decide if you require short term or long term optimization, as this will affect your budget and also point you to specific services suited to your goals.

For example, you may want to implement and maintain search engine optimization for your site on a long term basis, and you may want to have added to this a more assertive short term exposure for your business or product over a specific period. For this short term objective, services such as Pay-per-click (PPC) or Pay-for-inclusion (PFI) may be suitable. These services entail giving your site prime placement in either the actual search results listing or on the same page as listed high ranking sites, for which you pay a fee. It is not necessary to understand the intricacies of these systems and services, just be certain of your marketing goals and strategy, and what you intend to gain from search engine optimization.

The vast number of available firms may be intimidating. In order to narrow the scope, consider these suggestions:

Use search engines to search for companies. Search engine optimization companies that rank highly in engine listings should have the skills to do the same for your business.

Scan web directories. A company that belongs to a directory or listing may possibly be approved according to certain standards of practice and expertise. Similarly, any associations or societies of SEO agencies may be a good place to start.

Ask other companies for recommendations. Word of mouth is usually the safest and most reliable method of selecting a service.

Companies to avoid are those that send you unexpected email inviting you to join “free-for-all” link systems.

You will need to carefully evaluate the companies during your initial search as well as during subsequent meetings or correspondence, in order to find a trustworthy and proficient firm. It is recommended that you meet the consultants in person if possible, so as to establish a better impression of their business practice. The following are crucial deciding factors which you should use in your selection process from the very beginning of your search:

Track record
It is recommended that you pick a firm that is experienced in the industry and has valid references and reports to prove it.

Check references to ensure that specific job claims were actually done by the firm that you are considering. Also ask these companies whether the search engine optimization agency delivered in terms of service and results. You will quickly discover if there is anything suspicious or unsatisfactory about the agencies by talking to their other clients.

The company should be able to show you reports clearly detailing success in search engine ranking for their current or previous clients.

Success is indicated by a good website placement across a range of the most popular search engines, for a variety of popular keywords or phrases. A high position for one unpopular keyword on one obscure search engine does not equal success. The reason for this is that SEO companies add key words and phrases to your site content and HTML coding for a search engine spider to detect. If these terms are hardly or never typed into search engines, their addition to your site is completely useless. In the same way, high ranking on an obscure search engine is meaningless. For current ratings of the popularity of search engines, investigate the Nielsen Netratings page at Search Engine Watch (www.searchenginewatch.com). Wordtracker (www.wordtracker.com) is a program that is helpful in determining the popularity of keywords or phrases as searched by Internet users.

The reports should also show that good results are maintained over a period of time (at least six months). SEO is a very competitive field, with search engines regularly changing their rules and structures, requiring that a site’s ranking be constantly monitored and any problems or decline in position addressed. When viewing these reports, enquire as to the frequency of reporting (it should be monthly), as well as the methods of presenting the information. Reports should contain unprocessed data in addition to comprehensible summaries of the data (e.g. in chart form which allows for easy comparison between variables) and suggestions for any improvements or adjustments.

SEO Methodology
Enquire as to the techniques employed to optimize sites. Steer clear from firms that use methods of redirection such as “cloaking”, “doorway” or “bridge” pages. These methods basically involve pages hidden to the Internet user that are heavily loaded with popular keywords. Many search engines, in particular Google, claim that these tactics are deceptive and unethical and they will heavily penalize (and even remove) sites that use them.

Beware of companies that avoid your questions or are not open about their techniques – this usually implies dishonest business operations.

Do not buy into a service that involves searching directly from the browser window – this requires specialized software that most Internet users will not have.

Giving Your Employees Time to Sharpen the Saw
In "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," managerial guru Steven Covey reminded his readers of how important it was to stop and sharpen the saw. The gist of the rule is that if you haven't maintained your tools (or procedures, or organizational practices), your work becomes increasingly inefficient.This rule is as important for your support staff as it is for you. Cleaning and organizing computer files, filing paperwork, and updating contact information doesn't seem like high-priority work, and it's easy for managers to insist that their own projects take precedence. But it's necessary for support people to have some uninterrupted time to organize themselves and tackle some personal projects that will make their work life easier or more efficient.Particularly if your support staff juggles projects for several managers, it's easy for them to get overloaded. It's important for you to create an environment where your subordinates can come to you with concerns about work loads and scheduling conflicts, and where they feel comfortable negotiating with the managerial staff about projects they are asked to take on. If your assistants feel that their own needs in the workplace are honored and their work and time respected, you'll find that yo

anking that you would like to reach. This will allow you to easily assess the success of the campaign at a later stage, while giving the consultant a clear idea of what you need. Decide if you require short term or long term optimization, as this will affect your budget and also point you to specific services suited to your goals.