Small Business Shift

I highlighted a survey yesterday that demonstrated the gains search engines are making versus other sources of local information. Today Google capped a week of announcements and changes that highlight its commitment to becoming the #1 source for information on local businesses. If Google’s success continues, it will be even more important to your business. […]

The Local Search Association (formerly Yellow Pages Association) has released a new survey regarding how people find local businesses. I know readers have found this info useful in the past, so read on for the highlights and some commentary. The Data The first set of data is looking at the sources used by US consumers […]

Today I’m going to take a look at Freshbooks – an online program that can make small businesses look much more professional, and make sending/tracking invoices much easier. I’ve been using the program for several years. During that time it has also grown to provide estimates, time-tracking, and the ability to track some expenses- to […]

Local online business listings help people find businesses – and can affect your company’s ranking in the search engines. Learn how + where to get listed.

When yellow pages ruled the Earth, businesses used crazy names, such as AAAAA Plumbers – because when you’re listed alphabetically, not much beats quintuple-A. You can get around this to some extent by purchasing ads, as most books put the biggest ads first, but the regular listings are usually alpha. Now that we’ve entered the […]

There are a lot of scams online. This makes people cautious. If they are going to buy from you, or give you their contact info, they need to overcome this caution. So you want to generate as much trust as possible. 11 Ways to Generate Trust A Decent Base – Anyone, even a scammer, can […]

In the past two days, Twitter has announced a Follow Button and Google announced a +1 Button. These come shortly after Facebook’s announcement of the Send Button in April. The 3 new buttons, of course, can be added on to the Facebook Like, Facebook Share, Google Buzz, Twitter Tweet, Stumbleupon, Digg, etc, etc, etc. They truly […]

Linda Buquet at Catalyst eMarketing recently posted a story about hundreds of Google Places listings marked “Awaiting Removal.” A commenter did some sleuthing and discovered that these listings appear to be held hostage by a company called 411 Locals (link to ComplaintsBoard.com). What Went Wrong This isn’t the first or last time we’ll see something along these […]

Google officially announced Google Wallet and new features for it’s daily deal site, Google Offers, today. They’re looking to go beyond e-commerce, and make big changes to how physical retailers and service-providers collect payments and offer deals. There’s a good chance this could have an effect on your business. What Is Google Wallet? Google Wallet […]

One of the keys to ranking in local search are “local citations.” A citation is an appearance, anywhere on the web, of your business name along with its address or phone number. Google counts both the quality and quality of citations when ranking your business. To get started with gaining citations, check out my guide […]