Local Business Online - Smart Tips » best practices

Canadian Listings for Local Search Visibility

Barry Welford — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:48:08 +0000

Appearing correctly in Local Search depends on correct listings in appropriate references. David Mihm’s Guide to Canadian Citations for Local Search lists:

a) YellowPages.ca

b) 411.ca

e) Canpages.ca

g) WebLocal.ca

Citation Sources not Specific to Canada

i) Yelp Canada

j) BBB.org Canada

k) Hotfrog Canada

l) iBegin.com

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Canadian Listings for Local Search Visibility

Technorati Tags: Canada, citation, listing, local search, SEO

Google Docs Intro

Barry Welford — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 02:58:29 +0000

If Google Docs is a new term to you as a mobile device user, then you are missing a real opportunity to improve your performance and efficiency. If Cloud Computing is not a term you have come across, then another term you may hear is Software as a Service, often shortened to SaaS. You connect via the Internet with a computer owned and operated by the SaaS provider which runs the software. If there are any updates of the software, that is done automatically on those distant servers.

What Google Docs provides

Basically Google Docs provides a cloud-computing version of almost all the software programs that are available in the Microsoft Office suite of programs.

Even if you alone will be working with the files you create in Google Docs, you will find this can increase your productivity and ease of working.

If you are collaborating with other people who have Google accounts (in other words a Gmail address), then Google Docs improves the effectiveness of online collaboration by an order of magnitude.

A more extended introduction to Google Docs will be found on the StayGoLinks website.

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Google Docs Intro

Technorati Tags: cloud computing, Google Docs, SaaS

Lincoln Electric Sparks Success

Barry Welford — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 20:22:19 +0000

Frank Koller has written Spark: How Old-Fashioned Values Drive a 21st Century Corporation. Lincoln Electric, in Cleveland, Ohio refuses to lay off its employees in tough times. The company has a century-long record of profitability and innovation.

In fact, Lincoln Electric has 6 core values and none of them refer to a no-layoff practice. These values are:

Be customer-centric
Value your team
Reward Performance
Be financially prudent
Respect the environment
Support local communities

This is very much an order of priority. Only by applying these values in a tough-minded way will success he achieved. #3 is the lever by which a climate of success is maintained and enhanced. It is not solely rewarding the good performers but ensuring that unsatisfactory performance is identified and corrected.

See the Lincoln Electric Spark for more details.

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Lincoln Electric Sparks Success

Technorati Tags: customer-centric, koller, layoff, lincoln electric

Local SEO Needs A Single Telephone Number

Barry Welford — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:40:11 +0000

David Mihm warns Be Wary Of Call Tracking Numbers In Local Search. To have Google always display the correct address and telephone number for your business in Google Maps, it is important that these appear in all online citations. A citation is a mention of your business information (name + address + phone number) out on the web even if it does not contain a link.

A particular phone number tied to a particular business gives search engines increased confidence in that information, especially if it matches what the owner has entered into the Local Business Center. Phone numbers may even be a stronger confidence indicator than addresses.

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Local SEO Needs A Single Telephone Number

Technorati Tags: local business center, local seo, telephone number

Marketing 4 P’s

Barry Welford — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:30:33 +0000

Marketing 4 P’s is a simple checklist of important dimensions to work on in defining a marketing plan. The 4 P’s are:

Product
Price
Promotion (Publicity)
Place (covering Distribution as well as Location)

This somewhat company-centric view is now seen as omitting a fifth important P, People. A customer-centric view should be adopted in evaluating marketing decisions.

Marketing Right Now Free Download

Barry Welford — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:24:23 +0000

Every entrepreneur and SoHo (Small office home office) owner should read the free e-book Marketing Right Now.

You must now do business on the Internet, but there are important steps to take before you go online. You must have a clear strategy. Choose a marketing niche where your products or services can be superior in meeting your prospects’ needs versus the competition. Two other important factors are accepting that Time is Job One and having an effective blog to dialogue with your prospects and clients. It is an easy read (55 pages) but does include all you need.

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Marketing Right Now Free Download

Technorati Tags: blog, job one, marketing, strategy, time

Offline Sales Through Your Cell Phone

Barry Welford — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:04:43 +0000

Your mobile device can increasingly be your window on the real world while you’re on the go. Retailers can use that to help you with more information and thereby boost offline sales.

Here are some of the innovative ways:

Store Locator
Bar code reader
Product Research
Ratings and Reviews
Persistent Shopping Cart creates shopping list
Social Media to check what your friends think about a store or product
Product Finder / Search
In-Store Availability
Flyers / Newsletters for current specials
Offers or coupons

It is your cell phone that almost becomes their sales representative. This is pull selling at its best.

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Offline Sales Through Your Cell Phone

Technorati Tags: cell phone, mobile device, offline, sales

Reviews Help Local Search 2009/11/19

Barry Welford — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:36:18 +0000

As Lisa Barone describes, there are four important levers for success in local search.

On page optimization and link building play the same role as they do in regular universal web search. The other two are critical to success in local search.

Citations are important in providing precision on the actual location of the local business. It is important to ensure consistency among all the different citations.

The fourth factor is reviews and these are of growing importance in SEO. Whether they are negative or positive they help the business stand out from the pack. Ask for reviews from anyone who has a stake in your future success.

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Reviews Help Local Search 2009/11/19

Technorati Tags: citations, Lisa Barone, local search, reviews

SWOT Analysis

Barry Welford — Wed, 27 May 2009 04:11:45 +0000

In developing company strategy, one popular technique is labeled SWOT analysis. It should consider the company’s market niche and the competitors it faces. The acronym stands for:

Strengths versus the competition
Weaknesses versus the competition
Opportunities available in the market niche
Threats that may affect the market place