I Need Your Input! How Can I Help You?

I would like to provide the best tools I can for small business owners such as you. I want to provide solutions and/or resources that address your Internet Marketing needs as a small biz owner. I can try to "guess" what you might need or want to know, but I bet I'd be wrong!

So, will you do me a favor? Please take a few minutes to answer 4 questions. It will take approximately 10-15 minutes of your time. It will be invaluable to me and hopefully you in the long run. :-)

Deadline to participate: Midnight Monday, February 1.
Click here to take the survey.

Thanks, in advance, for your help!
Ciao, Paula

2010 SEO Challenges

At the recent Search Engine Strategies conference in Chicago, Ralph Wilson (wilsonweb.com) and Amanda Watlington (searchingforprofit.com) discussed the challenges that are facing small businesses as search evolves and browsers become more intuitive.

The one thing that stood out and something I wholeheartedly agree with, is Amanda's comment about small businesses that still are NOT using the Local Business Center to claim their spot on Google Maps. In my visits with most of you, this is something you still haven't completed. I cannot stress how important this is - I've been saying it for a year, but it's critical now with the changes we will see in search for the coming year.

Last year I developed this free email series to help busy small business owners accomplish this task. It's free to create a profile about your business on all the top search engines (Google, Yahoo! and Bing); it just takes a bit of time and organization on your part. My email series helps you with this by spelling out step-by-step how do to this. Being a small business owner myself, I realize we usually have good intentions that never materialize. So I developed this series to be delivered on a timed schedule so you'll have time to complete one step before the next email with instructions arrives.

Click here to sign-up for my email list and get this free series now!

Here's a quick summary of the points covered in the video below:

1. Google is now using page loading speed in their ranking algorithm. The engineering of some sites can make this a difficult problem to fix quickly, so webmasters should study the problem now with speed detection tools such as YSlow and Google Page Speed.
2. Localization is growing in importance for businesses with one or more physical locations. Businesses need to claim their local online identity by completing online forms that give information on their businesses on local search sites, such as Google Local Business Center. Revisit regularly to be sure your data is up-to-date.
Personalization is a growing influence, where a person's previous search history influences the search results of their next search. Watch the video (only 9 minutes).

Dr. Ralph F. Wilson is widely recognized as one of the top international authorities in the area of Internet marketing.

Amanda Watlington is the principal of a marketing consultancy which focuses on developing business results for clients adopting new marketing strategies.

Forbes - 21 Top Twitter Tips

Here's a great list of ideas for using Twitter in your business. See how many you can put to use!

21 Top Twitter Tips, Forbes.com

Nexus One Mobile Phone by Google

OK! I think I finally found the right smartphone. I have been looking to upgrade for almost six months to a device I can use when I'm away from my office. As a small business owner, I really feel that this is a must in order to function outside the office if you travel or have to be away from your office frequently.

I have been comparing everything to the iPhone since it has all the bells and whistles I would possibly want or need. A few things have been holding me back - the cost of the iPhone (and the need to then change providers), and I'm used to a keyboard. The new touch phones work by heat from your fingertips. Well, I have nails! And that doesn't work well for texting. That would be nothing but an annoyance factor and I'm not willing to cut them short. :-) I've been with T-Mobile since 2000, but they didn't have ONE phone that had all the features I wanted. So, the search continued.

What I want to be able to do is simplify and combine a number of mobile devices into one unit - it's hard enough for me to keep up with technology as I get older, let alone learn the functions of multiple small devices. I want my music, maps, email, and phone all together in one device. Patience pays off. :-) I think the Nexus One has it all! AND I can get it with my current provider, T-Mobile. I can get around the texting function (it is a touchscreen) because it has a cool feature - a voice-enabled keyboard for any text field. This means you can speak to your phone and it does the text messaging, email writing, or search querying for you. How cool is that? Problem solved!

But there is one other cool thing about this phone - you can buy it unlocked, directly from Google (for $529!). The idea is you can swap out the sim card from your old phone and put it in this phone and your off and running with service from four GSM radio frequencies and three 3G/UMTS Bands.(There are some restrictions - check out this page for more details: http://www.google.com/support/android/bin/answer.py?answer=166507)

Check out the Google Nexus One! Nexus One Phone