Successful Blog

Here is a good place for a call to action.

Search Results for: questions

10 Simple (But Important) Things To Remember About Business Directories And SEO

by

business directoriesBusiness directories represent a proven way to be found on Google search. While directory sites don’t enjoy the same SEO clout they once did, they can still improve organic search rankings, especially when local searches are conducted.

The main difference related to how directories affect SEO today as compared to ten years ago is that they no longer improve a site’s backlink profile. As Google has evolved, so has the algorithm for search engine optimization (SEO), ensuring higher quality sites with relevant content always rank highest.

There are different types of business directories and it is important to recognize the differences. Featured web listing sites are high-quality directories you want to focus on as you get business listings setup. These types of directories have a better reputation. Sometimes you have to pay a fee to be featured on certain directories. Many are free though.

Below are 10 things you should remember about business directories and SEO.

1. Be careful about which directories you join. Review the site first before adding your business to the directory. The legitimate web directories that you want to be included on will edit your listing. You don’t want your business name in a directory if the directory does not have strict editorial requirements, it can actually have a negative impact on your website ranking if the directory is one of the low-quality sites.

2. Getting your listing setup “right” is important. In cases where the service your business offers is specific to a particular country or region, then you list your site there. When submitting your website information to a directory, always use the official website name. In the description section of your listing, do not use words like best or cheapest. These superlatives may be edited out by some directory sites and also make a negative impression on consumers.

3. Business owners are losing business if they don’t add their listing to well-known directories. This is true even in small towns where you might think everyone knows everybody else, and that ever resident knows about your business. There are always visitors and new people moving in who might be looking for the service or product that you are selling.

4. Be sure to add your name to the Google My Business Directory. Since Google drives this directory as the largest search engine, you want to be sure to get your free listing here. By not taking advantage of your free listing, you might be opening the door for a competitor to hijack your listing by adding their own phone number to your phony listing. Not only can business be lost in situations like this, but your business reputation can also be affected if the company under-performs using your name and Google listing.

5. When you create your Google my Business listing, be sure to remove the check from the box that says, “make this my website address on Google search and Maps.” This is important because if you leave that box checked then the free URL from your Google website will be used and substituted for your corporate website address, possibly losing traffic you want that is directed instead to your corporate site.

6. It is always a good idea to track your directory signups. That will allow you to review the progress made. This will also prevent you from signing up for a directory more than once which can be confusing for customers if somehow they both go through the system.

7. One of the reasons online databases are so valuable to business owners is because they direct mobile search. Considering the growing number of local searches and how people traveling through your town are prone to conduct a search for restaurants and other businesses via their mobile devices, competitive businesses who want to compete should always be sure to add their business to high-quality local directories.

8. Different search engine directories are aligned with that particular search engine’s map. There can be a lot of overlap between the directories. For this reason, it is not always clear how to categorize a listing. Proceed with caution or ask questions. Some directories will change your category if they think you chose the wrong one.

9. Using a good online ranker tool is recommended as a way to monitor your competition and how well their pages are doing in search results. Some tools to check out are Ahrefs, Alexa, and Rank Tracker (plus, there are many more SEO tools and plugins out there to check out). When revising your corporate strategies, it is always helpful to understand how well your business is doing in comparison with your competitors so that you can make adjustments as necessary.

10. Directories worth mentioning and adding your company information to are: Jasmine Directory.com, DirJournal.com, Aviva Directory.com, and Alive Directory.com. These are reputable business web directories because they’re all apply a high editorial discretion. Local directories such as Yelp.com, Yahoo Local Directory, and Bing My Places represent high-quality options to get your name out to local consumers who are looking for local businesses.

Here’s a list five directories worth website your business into:

  • Best of the Web (BOTW) offers a web directory, BOTW Local, Blog Directory and UK & Ireland Directory. With 25 million people searching this directory per year, Best of the Web represents an excellent opportunity to get your company name out there to be noticed. There are a range of categories worth checking out
  • Jasmine Business Directory in cited in several books and journals as being a directory that has a very high editorial discretion. Compared to BOTW, each listing added Jasmine Directory has its own details page where businesses address is listed (according to the directory’s guidelines only if the business owner or representative submits those details) and Google Map is used. Thumbnails are also another available feature.
  • Aviva Directory is a general web directory. While many of the websites and blogs listed in this directory are added by Aviva’s staff, a business or blog owner can pay a fee and have their site reviewed to be added to the directory. Editors are strict and have rules prohibiting adult material.
  • Alive Directory is another Google compliant directory worth listing on. First, you should search for your name to see if you are already on the site. Then, if you don’t find your name, you can submit your listing for approval. Hot categories listed are Business, Shopping and Regional. There are discounts given for bulk listing that start at 20 percent and can go up to 50 percent.
  • Directory Journal offers a few listing types with some attractive features. Photos and keywords can be added to enhance your listing. During the last couple years DirJournal mixed their general directory with their local directory.

Getting listed on local directories makes good business sense. According to Nielsen in 2016, 74 percent of consumers check review sites when online looking for information. Yelp is a popular local directory.

With millions of eyes on the site daily to get information before spending decisions are made, this site represents and important option for business owners. Based on this data, there is no reason not to claim your free Yelp page. Facebook is another popular review site where you can claim your free business page.

It is important not to automate your directory submission effort. You want each listing to b unique in some way. By considering this important fact, search engines will work in your favor and you are less likely to be penalized.

Conclusion

It is clear that more business is done each year on the internet. Even in cases where consumers want to see and touch the merchandise before buying, many people are doing their research first online, before driving to the store. Business owners who want to compete in this digital world where companies are evaluated online before buyers show up at the store, must recognize the power of local searches or risk being left behind by savvy competitors.

Taking advantage of the free listings on directories that are compliant with Google means you will benefit from the power of this monster search engine. Reviews sites are also being used to decide where to go to get what they need. Trust can not be underestimated when courting new buyers.

As mentioned above, not all business directories are created equal. It is important to be discriminating when adding your business to a business directory. Be sure there is a strong editing staff and they don’t accept “spammy” listings for non-businesses. The directories mentioned in this article represent excellent options for business owners. If you sign-up with these directories, your business will benefit from the exposure.

Image source: Pixabay

Does Your Website Clearly Explain Your Brand?

by

When you run a business of any size, it is imperative that you have a sound website.

Yes, before the Internet age several decades back, one could get away without a website. Back then, most businesses relied on word-of-mouth to reach consumers. All it oftentimes took was good service and quality products at fair prices to attract sales.

Fast-forward to today’s digital age and it is a different ballgame.

Without a solid web presence, your business could be on the side of the road as many other companies pass you by.

So, does your website explain your brand?

Let Consumers Know What You Are All About

If you are in a business that is pretty simple, you do not have to put as much emphasis on explaining things.

No, this does not mean you leave them out to dry when it comes to informing them about what your brand does. It means you do not need to focus quite as much on things like your “about us” section of your website.

For those that may not be quite as self-explanatory, their website must fire on all cylinders.

An example of this would be explaining to consumers the need for the right O-ring material.

Now, some consumers are not even going to know what O-rings are for. Such items play a key role in many different aspects of life. Among more notable ones would be the performance of airplane engines, fuel handling systems for autos, and those in chemical processing.

The basic idea behind the O-ring is it keeps air or fluid in or out depending on the needs of the equipment.

As such, when your business makes and/or sells O-rings, you need to inform consumers all there is to know.

Your website is a great place to not only discuss O-ring usage and its configuring, but why yours are second to none.

Along with written details regarding O-rings, show some imagery of such items. You may even want to shoot a few short videos. Those videos can show how the item gets usage with the everyday public.

It is also a good idea to have a FAQ (frequently asked questions) section on your website.

Given consumers will likely have questions about your brand, why not answer them on your site?

Last, provide links to other sites that contain pertinent info to the brand you offer.

Doing so is not only helpful to consumers, but shows you are good at researching aspects of your particular industry.

In making sure your website explains your brand; take the time to do whatever it takes to bring more eyes your way.

When you do, the revenue is likely to follow close behind.

Photo credit: Pixibay

About the Author: Dave Thomas writes about business topics on the web.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Balancing Act: Succeeding at a Full-Time Job and Starting a New Business

by

Many entrepreneurs choose to keep their full-time job as they work to get their own businesses off the ground. Some business consultants even encourage the idea of keeping a side gig to diversify your income stream. Nevertheless, it’s a tall order that requires a lot of prioritization to make it work successfully. The challenge is giving your employer your best efforts during the workday and still having enough energy for nurturing your business after work.

In a recent Q&A session with entrepreneur and Shark Tank judge Barbara Corcoran, chef Latisha Sohai asked, “Any suggestions on staying focused and motivated on my business, while working a 9-to-5? I’m a wife, mother of two, and love what I do, but I had to take on a 9-to-5 position to help at home.” It seemed like a pretty common question—and Barbara’s advice was valuable.

“You have a lot on your plate. Holding a full-time job while being a mother of two is hard enough, never mind adding the tremendous challenge of building a business! We all do better with less time if we’re extremely careful about what we focus on. With moms, kids always come first. I use a rating system to prioritize the many things I must attend to at work and home.

“I rate my items A, B, or C (A being the most important) and try to make sure to get all of my As and a few of my Bs done each day. This sort of organization and daily practice helps me stay focused and move my business ahead while still doing a good job as a mom. Last, think about getting another mom as a partner, ideally someone with an opposite skill set to help you build your business. I had my partner Esther and could never have had my family without her.”

Barbara’s prioritization advice is a good place to start—but I wouldn’t stop there. It’s likely that because of the challenges of being a parent, starting a new business, and working a full-time job, there will be some things you just won’t be able to do. After all, there are only so many hours in the day. And, as Barbara suggests, for a mother in this situation, your children will likely be priority No. 1. After that, what comes next?

As you prioritize, here are some additional things you’ll need to consider:

Is there a conflict of interest?

Depending upon the company you work for, the nature of your business, and whether or not there are any perceived (or maybe real) potential conflicts, you may need to rethink your current job while at the same time running your own business. By that I mean, if your employer perceives a conflict with your business (remember, perception will be reality so far as your current employer is concerned), they will likely not look upon your personal business efforts favorably—especially if it’s in the same, or a related, industry.

Early in my career, I had an employer so opposed to splitting attention that a colleague who was a former college basketball player was counseled to discontinue refereeing high school basketball games after work. He did it out of his love for the game, and the paltry amount of money he made doing it didn’t even really pay for the gas it took to drive to the games. Nevertheless, our boss deemed it a distraction from his job and wanted his employees focused on the job he was paying them to do. Had it been his own business, he would have probably been fired.

Granted, this may be an extreme example, but it’s not uncommon for employers to look negatively on an employee who might not be completely focused on their work. Additionally, it’s usually not a good idea to keep it a secret—those kinds of secrets always seem to be discovered. If you need to keep your side gig a secret, you will likely lose your job if it’s ever discovered.

Some employers will allow the occasional consulting gig, but if it’s something that will likely compete with your time during regular working hours, it might be safe to expect your current employer to oppose your extracurricular activities. This is a topic that may even be addressed in an employee manual if one exists. Otherwise, you may want to consider discussing the topic with your boss. He or she might even offer some encouragement or advice.

Can you compartmentalize?

We normally hear of this term being used as a negative, but the ability to compartmentalize isn’t necessarily a bad thing in this case. I’d suggest if you’re going to run your own business while working a full-time job, you need to be adept at compartmentalizing. In other words, when you’re at your 9-to-5, are you all in?

This could be a challenge, and it’s a legitimate question you should ask yourself—because your employer will probably be asking. When you’re at work, you need to give your employer your full attention and your best efforts. What’s more, you’ll need to turn off thoughts of your own business and what you should be doing to build your business until after hours. For some people, it’s relatively easy to focus on two potentially competing priorities, but for others it’s a real challenge.

For example, several years ago I worked with a computer programmer who was running two small online retail outlets at the same time he was working a full-time job as a front-end web developer. Because of the nature of his businesses, his personality, and how he designed his online stores to work without his constant attention, he was content to let them quietly work in the background while he was at work. In the evenings he would review the orders and prepare any shipments, which he would drop off on his way to work in the morning. If there were any changes he needed to make to one of the online stores, he would do that on the weekend.

Because he was able to successfully compartmentalize, this worked for him. His online businesses were in a totally unrelated industry to where he worked 9 to 5, and his employer didn’t mind. He made it a point to share lessons he learned in his online business’ front-end design with his employer—so ultimately it was a win/win. He’s been doing this for 15 years, that I’m aware of, and still works for the same company he was at when I first met him. He is able to compartmentalize like a pro while building a side business that provides a bit of extra income.

How much sleep do you really need?

There are only so many hours in the day, so it’s important to think about when you will be running your business. Working your own business after hours will likely eat into sleep time. Depending upon what you need to do to run your household, your day job and your business, seven or eight hours of sleep might turn into five or six—maybe even less. Because you’ll need to function at your best at home, at work and in your own business, you’ll need to be at the top of your game for more hours of the day on less sleep. Are you up to it?

I have friends who require much more sleep than I do. I have other friends who can survive on a couple hours a night. Tackling the challenges of working a full-time job and running your own business may require you to evaluate your personal stamina and ability to perform with less rest. I have to admit, I’ve occasionally been able to function on 20 to 30 percent less sleep for short periods of time, but in the long run I start to exhibit the signs of burnout and exhaustion. It just doesn’t work for me.

Are you organized? Really organized?

This last piece of advice fits nicely with Barbara’s suggestion. Prioritization and organization are related, and I’ve found it difficult to do one without the other. Whether you use some kind of online calendar (which I personally like) or an old-school paper calendar, you need to keep your schedule up to date and your prioritized task list organized to make sure nothing falls between the cracks. This is a challenge for many people trying to juggle all the responsibilities of one job—let alone run a business at the same time.

Fortunately, smartphones and tablets make it easier than ever to stay on top of things with apps that follow you everywhere and can be accessed anywhere there’s an Internet connection. The world of online productivity tools is readily available with something that will likely meet your needs, will be inexpensive or maybe even free, and easy to use.

I admire those who can successfully pull off running a business while working a full-time job. Knowing the amount of time I’ve spent with my businesses, I know it can be a real challenge. To be honest, the compartmentalizing thing is what gets me. I’m a jump-in-with-both-feet sort of guy and can’t seem to focus on two competing priorities at once. That being said, I have a number of friends who are very successful at it—you could be one of them.

Some people do it temporarily to get their businesses off the ground, while others use their small business as a way to express their entrepreneurial ambitions and make a little extra money while they choose to stay in their current role. Understanding your personal objectives and what that means to you is a critical first step.

What are your priorities?

 

About the Author: Ty Kiisel is a contributing author focusing on small business financing at OnDeck, a technology company solving small business’s biggest challenge: access to capital. With over 25 years of experience in the trenches of small business, Ty shares personal experiences and valuable tips to help small business owners become more financially responsible. OnDeck can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Featured image via Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/photos/hOj3-0lTK8E

4 Powerfully Creative Ways to Build Your Personal Brand

by

By Kayla Matthews

Creative marketing can boost your personal brand to ample recognition.

While some mistakenly assume that effective marketing requires a big budget to match, there are several powerful ways you can use creativity and savvy to compensate for a more conservative budget.

1. Latch On To Emerging Consumer Trends

Your brand’s recognition can soar by catering to a niche where your expertise is valued. Naturally, your niche-specific expertise can lead to your fingers on the pulse of emerging consumer trends in that industry.

Seizing upon these emerging consumer trends can help cement your brand and product as attentive toward its consumers, helping attract attention even in crowded niches.

Coca-Cola, although a huge brand, is an excellent example of implementing emerging consumer trends in personal branding for favorable results. Coca-Cola has shifted their branding to a “total beverage company,” compared to one that specializes in soft drinks.

This transition is primarily in response to data that shows consumers are switching to less-sugary drinks and losing faith in grocery store brands. Coca-Cola has consequently invested more time and resources into pushing Vitamin Water, sensing that consumers as a whole are moving toward a more health-conscious focus.

If a largely recognized brand like Coca-Cola considers ditching tradition in favor of emerging consumer trends, it should be an indication that smaller personal brands can successfully pursue a similar strategy.

If you notice your brand and business struggling to attract attention, it’s worthwhile to examine your intended audience. They may consider your approach too dated to engage.

2. Embrace Alternative Mediums For Your Ads

What do you think of when you envision a traditional ad? Likely a billboard or ad placement in a newspaper or magazine, right? However, there is a world of exciting advertising options that go far beyond your basic printed ad.

For example, vehicle wraps provide an eye-catching form of PR that can raise brand awareness. Even better, vehicle wraps can generate between 30,000 and 70,000 brand impressions in a single day. Industry experts also estimate that this offers the lowest cost-per-impression of any form of advertising.

A Nielsen study recently showing that out-of-home advertising like this is the most effective offline medium to drive online activity. And, with more and more consumers turning to micro-gigs as supplemental forms of income, you can consider ad options like these a win-win.

3. Make Your Brand a Lifestyle

Businesses like Urban Outfitters and Whole Foods have crafted their marketing to portray a lifestyle that consumers aspire to.

Urban Outfitters, for example, developed a blog that covered new music and youth-minded events to help enforce the notion that they are more than a mere clothing brand. Whole Foods, meanwhile, is synonymous with organic and farm-to-table food, to the point of many of their consumers prioritizing items that they can find only in their stores. Another example is Lululemon, the yoga-inspired sportswear company that holds frequent yoga-centric events to foster the use of their product and the activities that require them.

Although propelling your personal brand into a lifestyle is a considerable challenge, much of it has to do with outreach.

If you show a passion for your niche within your personal brand marketing, then consumers are likely to embrace what you’re putting out, whether it’s a product or specific event geared toward it.

Similar to how Lululemon hosts yoga events and promotes their yoga products by doing so, you can boost your brand by hosting events about your product’s niche rather than the product itself.

4. Showcase Your Expertise

The accessibility of digital media makes showcasing your expertise easy. For example, you can arrange a Facebook Live chat with interested consumers who can ask any questions they like and receive a response.

No longer is a physical space necessary to hold an event to boost your branding. Another option is to create a tutorial video in your branding’s niche, uploading it to YouTube and Facebook so those seeking answers can find them and stumble upon your brand and business.

Fulfilling a need among consumers will immediately show expertise and lead to trust as a result.

These creative ideas can help to build your personal brand immensely, helping attract new customers and demonstrating your expertise.

 

About the Author: Kayla Matthews writes about communication and workplace productivity on her blog, Productivity Theory. Her work has also appeared on Talent Culture, MakeUseOf, The Muse and Fast Company.

Featured image via Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/photos/9IBqihqhuHc

Are Your Employees the Best You Could Get?

by

business-man-2452808_640Do you ever take a moment to look around your office at the hired help?

If things worked out the way you wanted them to, then there’s a good likelihood that you are happy with your team. In the event you are not, where do you think things may have gone wrong?

Hiring the right talent for your office isn’t always as easy as some may make it out to be.

For starters, what you see from someone in an interview and what they do once hired can be two different things. That said you oftentimes end up having to go with your gut when it comes to bringing someone on-board.

With that in mind, do you feel as if your employees are the best you could get?

Hiring and Managing Top-Notch Employees

To best improve your odds of getting the right talent time and time again, remember a few pointers:

  1. Resumes do matter

Be honest; do you pay attention to all the resumes coming across your desk?

Sure, you may not even be in on the hiring process until the very end or in some cases at all. At times, you may delegate that authority to the H.R. department or even a manager or two.

That said someone needs to go over those resumes with a fine tooth comb. To do otherwise would be negligence on the part of the company.

Did you proceed with background checks when you hired these people now employees? If not, you could be setting yourself and your company up for trouble.

By combing over resumes and background checks, you are more likely to get the right people on board.

  1. Tasks outside the office

As part of the checks of those you consider hiring, work activities outside the office matter.

What if you need to hire someone for deliveries or meeting with clients? Something as simple as their driving skills becomes a much bigger deal.

Like the background check one hopes you did on them, this is why in fact a license plate search matters.

Stop for a moment and ask yourself the following questions:

  • Would you consider hiring someone with a reckless driving record?
  • Would you consider hiring someone who has one or more DUI’s to their name?
  • Would you consider hiring someone with a vehicle that is unsafe to be on the roads?

When workers go on deliveries, networking, and to meet with clients, they represent you. As such, you want to make sure they’re responsible and have solid driving records.

  1. Character references

Although some potential hires will put down best friends or relatives to vouch for them, be smart.

The people you really want to talk to would be former or current co-workers and even a boss if at all possible. These types of individuals know how someone is to work with. Best of all, they more times than not will give you an honest opinion.

If you’ve not be one to ask for references in the past, change that moving forward.

To improve the odds of getting the best employees, character references can go a long way in that process.

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

 

 

 

 

Run Your Small Business without Interruptions

by

call-15758_640In running your small business operation, you have a lot on your plate. That said the last thing you want to deal with on an on-going basis is interruptions.

While some of those interruptions are all but unavoidable, others are preventable.

Take for instance when you are being bombarded with phone calls on a daily basis. Yes, many of those can be customer calls ranging from questions to comments on your brand. Others, meantime, can be nothing short of a nuisance.

If you’re wondering how to find out who’s calling you on a regular basis, it is actually easier than you may think.

There are services out there that allow you to track down where the call is coming from. In doing so, you can determine if it is worthy of your time or not.

In the event you continue to receive calls from the same number or numbers, you can end up blocking them. By doing so, you remove one more obstacle to avoiding daily interruptions

Calls Are Not the Only Issue

While unwanted phone calls can put a crimp in your daily plans, they are not the only issue you must deal with.

Whether in business for years or getting started in the small business world, keep it moving.

Among some of the interruptions to best try and avoid:

  • Email overload – Have you ever stopped to count how many emails fill your inbox on a daily basis? If you did, there’s a good chance you would be quite surprised by the volume. It is best when you have some down time to go through and sort those that you need to receive on a regular basis.
  • Customers coming in – In a business where customers come in on a regular basis, you have a fine line to balance. On one hand, you want to make sure customers feel welcome when they enter your business. On the other side, you can’t afford to have disruptions that keep you from doing your duties as head of the business. Make sure you find that happy medium.
  • Employee distractions – Though you don’t want to babysit, some workers need more direction. In such cases, stress to those individuals the importance of time management. It only takes one or two employees to throw off the production schedule for a small business. If this occurs, some customers may become upset that they’re not getting what they want on time.

Keeping Your Focus Too

In owning a company, you have to make sure your time management skills are exemplary for others under you.

This means making sure you delegate responsibility when necessary.

For some small business owners, they try and do everything under the sun on their own. As a result, they can end up dropping the ball more times than not.

Your best bet is to hire the right people, responsible individuals that is. When you do, you will feel better about assigning tasks that you can’t do or have time for.

Last, don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

Remember, some of the best small business leaders out there have made their share of gaffes over time. What separates them from the losers is they learned from their mistakes.

So, are you ready to become an even better small business owner today?

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.