Google+ is forging ahead and doing well.
Update Google+ has been deprecated by Google.
Happy social networking!
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Facebook Blog Pull
For those blogging who have a Facebook business page be sure to use this tool. Update 2021: Networked Blogs has been discontinued.
Online Directories
I can’t tell clients often enough: fill out online directories. How to?
Google your business. If you have been in business more than 10 years – you’ll find your business listed in places you’ve never heard of. “Claim” your business listing and take control. At the least you’ll put in your phone and address. Many directories let you add your website (which is THE single best addition), and many places let you upload photos, and build a profile. Yes, it takes time, but think of it as creating a new footprint online – all pointing to your website.
If you’re a new business, search a competitor and you’ll see names of directories – create an account for yourself.
.com Sale GoDaddy
Just in case you’re looking for a domain name – GoDaddy is having a sale on .com (s) The price of all domains is increasing mid-January, so if considering going online, or making a change, this is a bit mroe of a sa vigns!
Not your typical Christmas sale!
Google Trends
As small business owners you need advertising, and so become inundated with calls soliciting your ad dollars.
The phone book has been dead for some time. Read this article from American Express, dated Nov. 2009!
How do you decipher where to put your ad dollars?
The above article mentions Yelp. Yelp began slowly years ago as an online directory. If you have been in business for more than 5 years you are probably already listed. Years ago I began suggesting clients fill out a free listing on Yelp and including their website address, photos and other info. But Yelp has succeeded in moving ahead of the pack of online directories and is a viable player.
Google trends allows you a real look at comparisons. Once you arrive: type in: yelp, yellowpages, manta
(Don’t forget the commas)
You’ll see a graph of how each is doing. You can do this for any of the sources soliciting your ad dollars: supermedia, etc. You can finally see how well a company is doing, and by using a comparison you’ll finally have some idea how much of the online market they are reaching.
Google is terrific at giving us tools – they love data!!
Fresh Content via Blog or New Web pages
Clients want their websites highly ranked. If not using Adwords, or another Pay Per Click ad campaign there are a lot of ways to “work” your website.
Blogging can be the simplest. Have a blog installed ON your website. The free blogs can point links to your website, but if your goal is to drive your website – the maximum value is gained by keeping your blog on your domain. Search engines see your activity and the addition of fresh content to your website. The movement on your site, and increasing the size of your website factor in search engine results. Google still sings” content, content, content…” – so keep adding.
Change your website pages. Add new ones. Every industry has “news”. Add new pages and expand your web presence. Not only does Google see the expansion and new content, but your web designer has an opportunity to drive one page for a new keyword. Think of it as a footprint – you want a BIG footprint online for your business.
Don’t let it overwhelm you – find your target: once per month/quarter or semi-annually, just don’t leave your website stagnant. It didn’t matter when I began designing websites in 1999, but with so many sites competing, the cost of adding a few pages to your website is a small investment in your advertising campaign. You may enjoy a refresher for your industry, too!
Reviews, Yelp, Google, Yahoo
Online reviews drive websites. This is such good news for website owners: clients who are happy can make a difference in your business.
But how to get reviews: ask. Attach a note/flyer to every invoice leaving your shop asking for a review. Begin by asking clients to use their favorite review source (such as Yelp!) or ask them to find you on Google Maps, Yahoo Local, Bing Maps, Facebook – any place your business is listed. Put buttons on your website with a direct link to your Google Maps/Places Yahoo, Yelp and other directory listings. Make it easy for your clients. If they are not computer savvy – ask them to email or hand write it for you – and post on your website. They will enjoy being part of the Internet, and sincere testimonials are wonderful additions to your website. All this can be simply put in a note/flyer to hand out with invoices. Include an email address – if you have a web designer send these to him/her.
You may never have heard of Yelp.com but they have been an online business directory for years. In the past year Yelp! has moved ahead of the pack in delivering reviews along side your Google Places/Maps listing – this is where the “driving” comes into the picture. The more reviews – the better for your website. Even bad reviews count – so far Google can count, but doesn’t have an opinion :)
What to do about bad reviews? Address them. See where they came from – if from Yelp – create a yelp account and go to your listing and respond to the complaint. Don’t get angry – represent yourself well, and that stance alone will go a long way in representing your side of the equation. Some of my clients have no invoice from a complainer…state that: “We cannot find a record of your visit to our business, perhaps you have confused us with another business?” The public knowsthere are customers who will never be happy – so don’t feel badly if you cannot resolve a bad review. Addressing it is the critical step to take.
If the review contains foul language you can report to Google and it will be removed.
It is good to get people talking about your business and happy customers like to help and point others to your business…engage!
Domain Registry of America
Many of my clients have received, or will receive via mail an official looking “bill” from Domain Registry of America. This sounds like a domain renewal. Since the expiration date(s) is/are accurate – it looks legit.
What this really is offering is having you switch your registrant to Domain Registry of America, though that doesn’t really catch your eye. (It didn’t catch mine the first time I saw this.)
This is a transfer which has to be initiated by the domain registrant and monitoring to make sure each step is taken: unlocking your domain, etc. There is a time frame for this – if you miss a step, you begin again. It’s not something you want to do, but IF you decide to transfer you can typically get one year free and subsequent 
years discounted, or some offer which makes it worth the trouble – IF you’re handling this yourself.
Your domain renewal will come via an email. You’ll get plenty of advance notice, as long as it isn’t getting snagged by your spam filter. And you’ll hear from most companies throughout the year.
I know these Internet related things can be confusing and this company is making a nice profit from confusion. It is also frustrating to think you have taken care of your domain, to find out it really will expire.
This is what this “bill” looks like.
StumbleUpon
One of the most fun ways of searching the web is through StumbleUpon. Create your profile, add a few interests, say photography and the results are spectacular. While I have little time for surfing, in my test I was stunned by the quality of returns. I never would’ve been able to search out these results in a short time span.
A wonderful aspect is the option of giving a site a thumbs up – which is a huge help to any website or blogger. You can make a difference for someone’s work you admire or enjoyed.
How does this help business owners (website owners)? Any social platform like this gives you interaction from website visitors. Anyone visiting your website, and liking it (giving you a thumbs up here) has done you a favor by pulling you, in this case, into the StumbleUpon network. A few minutes of your time – add a badge to your website and you become part of another community.
If your business is a service – this platform is a very good fit.
Google and more
In 2010 Google made 500 changes to its algorithms. That is, in the way it chooses the websites to be returned in any given search. This year by October they had already exceeded that number. This makes driving a website a constant challenge.
There was a time you could let your daughter or son handle your website, but it has become a full time task to keep up with all the elements of taking your business online, and maintaining your presence.
Browsers change, while old ones remain; and websites need to be viewable on both, add to that mobile phones, and tablets – the possibilities have become daunting. As a designer you have to decide what the target audience is – check analytics and proceed testing websites on major browsers. Add into THAT mix user settings: people setting their view to a large font size – your web design has to handle it all.
For website owners they need to drive their websites through media: use your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts, be sure to add Google + buttons to your website, update your listings on the online directories for no charge, and schedule yourself to change these listing inclusive of Google Maps/Places, Bing and Yahoo local. Updated content is more critical than ever, which means changing things up. Don’t leave your website unchanged year after year. The competitor who is more aggressive will be inching ahead.
While it can seem overwhelming, or costly – there still is much you can control.
Updating photos can bring an easy change to your website. If you’re ready to step up to a professional shoot my affordable source is Douglas Simon Photography .
For all your web design needs please visit: my website .