How to Rank Well in Google

If you are looking to improve your rankings in Google or reach the top 10 (if not the #1 spot) in Google, I highly recommend downloading Google’s Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide which Google released on Nov 12 through their official blog The guide has all the information you need to do well in Google as they basically lay out: how to make use of your description metatag how to improve the structure of your URLs how to make your site easy to navigate how to write anchor text how to use heading tags properly how to optimize the use

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Delays When Starting a Business

Someone asked an interesting question: “Is it normal to run into delays with a new business BEFORE you even get started?” The asker has been focused on her new business and has been working hard to get everything in order. Alas, things are not working out as planned and she has experienced delays and other challenges. Now she wants to know if delays are normal and whether she is not trying hard enough. Business experts typically say that when starting a business, you need to research thoroughly and know what to expect. You need to understand potential problems and risks

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Social Media Marketing and Web 2.0 Advertising

Social media marketing is an area that I am very interested in. It took me awhile to get into the game, and now I am enjoying connecting with people in Facebook and LinkedIn. But I am still learning the ropes as to how to use these Web 2.0 websites to market a business and connect with customers. That’s why I was happy to discover the book “Advertising 2.0: Social Media Marketing in a Web 2.0 World” by Tracy Tuten. The book is an overview of how social media and virtual worlds works, and how these sites can be used to

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Business Legal Structure and Tax Implications

One of the important questions when starting a business is finding the right legal structure for that business — and understanding the tax implications of that legal structure. Here is one question from one of our readers sent via our Consult Your Guides service: Q. I have three small business operating as corporations and my objective is to find the best protection (limit liability) and gain tax advantage. My question, firstly is whether I can open up a parent holding company, a LLC, (can a holding company be an LLC?) which will then own the three corporations. Secondly, should I

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Article Marketing and How it Impacts Search Engine Rankings

I attended today a 2-hour Google Webmaster Event (“Tricks and Treats”) hosted by several Google employees and attended by 400+ webmasters around the world. After the presentations, participants can ask questions for Google employees to answer. Being in the business of information publishing, one question caught my eye — that of article marketing and its impact on Google rankings. One of the common ways to inexpensively market a web site is through article marketing, which entails writing and submitting articles to article directory sites. The goal is to have as many websites use the article thereby building your reputation and

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Starting a Business: Pursue Your Passion

One way to start your business is to find your passions, and build on the things you are passionate about to create a successful business. Diane Dreher, author of the book “Your Personal Renaissance: Twelve Steps to Finding Your Life’s True Calling” defines passion as the “collection of innate talents that drive them.” But can passion be the key to the success of a business? Starting a business that revolves around that passion ensures that you will enjoy what you will be doing. And this is very important. Starting a business is hard and requires persistence, hard work, time and

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Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web

Success on the Web starts with the quality of your content. It is your content that engages the visitors, and turns these visitors to buyers for ecommerce sites. Your site’s traffic depends on how well you write your content, and how well you understand what search engines look for in a site content. One common mistake I see from small business entrepreneurs, particularly the newbies, is that they are always on the lookout for shortcuts to get huge traffic. They look for programs or banner exchange schemes that can give them 100,000 visitors quickly. Many even turn to the dark

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How Can a Small Business Provide Excellent Customer Service

In this economically challenging times, excellent customer service becomes even more important for home-based and small businesses. Excellent customer service can help you retain the customers you need to keep your business afloat, or with a lot of good luck and great strategy, even thriving. But how do you know if you are providing the kind of service your customer wants and needs? I interviewed Kathy Doering, President of market research agency Ann Michaels & Associates, Ltd. http://www.ishopforyou.com/ , on the importance of customer service to a company. Kathy is well entrenched in the business of customer service as her

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Randy Pausch’s Lecture on Time Management

Randy Pausch, author of the best seller The Last Lecture, gave a very inspiring lecture at the University of Virginia on time management. A computer science professor, there are definitely more famous time management gurus than him. But what makes this lecture special is the fact that this is a man dying of cancer, yet he is talking about time management. Randy broke into the scene, so to speak, when he was asked to participate in the last lecture series at the Carnegie Mellon University. His last lecture was called “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.” Unlike other lecturers who was

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10 Critical Elements to a Successful Google Adwords Campaign

Search engine marketing company MoreVisibility.com has released an informative white paper on how to achieve your desired return on investment using Google Adwords. If you are using Google Adwords, or would like to have some ideas on how to do pay per click marketing without busting your budgets, here are their 10 tips: Keep your campaigns and ad groups tightly themed, as this will allow you tailor your ad copy more accurately. Also, this could also help Google determine the context of your groups, particularly if you have opted in the Content Network. Use analytics and conversion tracking tools, including

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Book Review: How to Succeed in Business Using LinkedIn

I was excited to get the book “How to Succeed in Business Using LinkedIn” by Eric Butow and Kathleen Taylor. I think I am one of the few remaining business people who do not have a LinkedIn profile as yet, and I was hoping this book would give me the reason why I should use it and how I should use it to further my business goals. But I was turned off by its technical formatting ala books such as “Microsoft Powerpoint Step by Step.” The book focuses too much on explaining each and every button and feature of LinkedIn

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Should You Offer Additional Services?

Whether you are a lawn care contractor or a resume writer, one of the pressing questions you will be faced is whether you need to offer more services than what you currently provide. Offering additional services has its advantages and disadvantages. Add-on services can increase your revenue stream and add to your bottomline. By widening the services you offer, you may be able to attract a wider customer base and upsell to them more profitable services. A resume service can add coaching services or interview training, helping those looking for a job package themselves well and beyond their resumes. Diversifying

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