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Help, I can’t find my own website! Solve that problem with keywords.

September 30, 2014

How do you know if your site is working? And by working, I don’t mean actually landing on your home page when you type the URL in your preferred browser. I mean working – the type of effort that produces results; and what result is more important than visitors actually finding your website?

Enter the mysterious world of search engine optimization (SEO), where keywords and relevant content affect whether or not your website is ranked higher on search engines like Google®. SEO content writers know exactly which phrase to tweak and which keyword to repeat in order to boost a site’s rankings. Problem is, we all aren’t practiced SEO writers, so where do we begin?

Keywords, keywords, keywords

It sounds simple enough – you’ve been a business owner in your market for quite some time now, and who better to know what words define your industry than you? If you aren’t sure what words and phrases are making or breaking your website, simply ask yourself, “If I were to search for my product on a search engine, what would I type into the search bar?” Then, determine if these phrases are present in your Web content. Still not too sure? Use a tool like Google AdWords™ Keyword Planner to discover keywords people might be using to find websites like yours.  (more…)

Streamlining the Search Process for Trademark Registration

September 29, 2014

Notebook-StreamliningTheSearchProcessTrademarks are an essential way to protect your intellectual property (IP) so you can market your goods and services under your brand. However, if you have ever gone through the trademark registration process, you know the challenges in trying to find out whether the idea is already protected.

Trademark applications are not cheap and the cost of re-filing again and again is a wasted expense. To ensure the application is filed right the first time round, it can take up numerous resources and time that you may not have. Even then, you might miss information about a trademark that could eventually put you in danger of infringement.

With a new tool being designed that can help you find information faster, this process may be easier than ever. This digital tool, called TrademarkNow, has been searching for venture capitalists to get it on the market. It recently received a $3.5 million investment from a company called Balderton Capital that will ensure it is used by millions of businesses.  (more…)

Rhonda Abrams, Travel Blog Series: When You Return

September 24, 2014

What to Do when You Return from a Small Business Trip

Rhonda teamed up with Marriott and Visa to create the Smart Small Business Travel Guide, on which this blog post is based.

Before you go on a business trip, allow for thoughtful planning to help you make the most of your travel. (See my previous post to get started.) With a plan in place, you’ll have an easier time ensuring that you’re productive and meeting your goals while you’re away.

But in some ways, the most important part of your trip happens when you return. You’ll probably have generated many leads, sales, and ideas—now it’s time to follow-up.

Your first inclination when you get back to the office is to jump right in to tackle anything that’s accumulated while you’ve been away. Wait! Schedule an hour or two—or even a day—just for trip follow-up. Capture the successes you’ve achieved from your trip and outline your next steps.  (more…)

Find out if advertising on Google makes sense for your business

September 23, 2014

Lesson Highlight: Find out if online ads are right for your business

One of the most frequent questions we get at Google is whether it makes sense to  advertise a small, local business with a limited budget. The short answer is yes, but it’s helpful to understand how advertising on Google works.

Coco Pannell, an AdWords Community Lead, provides a great introduction to online advertising, explaining how it differs from traditional advertising. She talks about how advertising works on Google, including some of the targeting capabilities.

A few highlights from this lesson:

• Online advertising delivers ads to people browsing through websites or searching online.

• You, the advertiser, control where ads can appear. You can target ads to searches related to the products or services you sell and show ads to people who are your most likely customers.  (more…)

Is a premium domain the best choice for your business website?

September 22, 2014

Whether you’re just starting your business or looking to take your company to the next level, you know you need to have a strong, interconnected online presence. A website. Social media profiles. Your business info on directories, maps and review sites. This is how you’ll reach new customers and nurture loyalty among existing clients.

But what if you’re doing all the online marketing stuff you’re supposed to do, and you’re still not getting the kind of response you were hoping for? You might need to look more closely at one of the basics for success online: your domain name

Your domain name is basically the street address for your business online — for example, mybusiness.com or mybusiness.nyc. It might be a potential customer’s first point of contact. In today’s ultra-competitive online marketplace, you want your domain name to stand out. It needs to be memorable as well as descriptive. It needs to be easy to type into a browser or search engine. A .com with three dashes and four numbers is not easy to type into a browser.  (more…)