Businesses that want to increase search engine placement and visibility online have a plethora of options. Today we are going to discuss just a few of the things you can do to get you on the road to total search engine domination.

1.       Website – to create a search engine optimization strategy you start with targeted keywords, copywriting, blog content, and ad placement. If you are new to this it can be pretty daunting, there are a few tools free and for a fee that can help you out with this.

• Google Trends
• Google Insights
• Google Keyword Tool
• SEOQuake
• Wordtracker
• WordStream
• Hubspot
• Overture

First make a list of competitor and industry leader websites, and then go to the sites listed above to see what keywords they are using well and what keywords and phrases they are missing that you may be able to capitalize on.

2.       Blog – most websites are static and though the copy in the site is written to strengthen your targeted search goals when that text doesn’t change very often the search engines stop paying attention. A blog is a dynamic site that can enhance and strengthen a keyword strategy. Blogs should be updated regularly and contain content that is engaging, entertaining, educational, and search engine targeted.

3.       Backlinks – after you have your static web pages set and your blog up and running, next you want to build backlinks with other websites and blogs. Through content syndication, blog commenting, directories, press releases, article posting, forms, and web profiles you can gain incoming links that will tell the search engines where your expertise lies.

4.       Web Profiles – social and business profiles not only give you additional links to keyword and brand for search engine placement but they also give you some backlinks for your website and blog. You should start with sites that will get you coveted search engine placement through their popularity i.e.

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Youtube
• Twitter

What is coveted search engine placement? When someone searches your name or company name the first items that will come up should be your website and blog but next you will see the four sites we listed above. So you won’t just have one listing you will now have multiple links on the search engines and this will give people that are searching or validating your business more sites to look at to get to know who you are.

5.       Niche Web Profiles – after you have built up your profiles and interactive communities on the popular networks you should then target niche networks that enhance your company brand and put you in front of your target audience. Niche networks are typically smaller than the main stream networks but gain their strength in the laser focus of the content. The content of a niche network can be based on industry, topic, gender, age, location, really the sky is limit.

6.       Exposure – forums used be and still are a great way for you to show expertise in a given subject and get some additional links on the search engines but now we also have question and answer sites.

• LinkedIn
• Quora
• Focus
• Aardvark
• stackoverflow
• Stack Exchange

These sites allow you to establish your expertise by asking and answering questions that showcase the depth of your knowledge in an industry or topic. These communities are growing which will put your answers in front of a lot of people. On top of the growing communities the search engines are indexing the forum question topics like they do tweets, articles, and web pages. So this means that you will get exposure in and outside these popular sites.

And if that weren’t enough these sites give you the equivalent of a focus group. Do you have a new project, venture, or product that you would like to launch? Well why not test out the reaction to your idea on a question and answer site.

As you can see there are a lot of ways for individuals and businesses to gain search engine placement and with so many options it can be a bit overwhelming. To get started just remember to start with your goals, look at your resources, create a manageable and scalable plan, and then consistently work your plan. Whatever you strategy the key is consistency; to see results and give your plan longevity will take time and follow through. You can add and subtract as you get the hang of it, but do not expect overnight results.

For more information on web, tech, and social media tools and resources check out our Get Smart Web Blog

When we look at helping a company create social media guidelines for their staff, we use the less is more approach, and it looks like that may be the only approach.

This week a landmark case in Connecticut is demonstrating that worker rights extend to Facebook. From the New York Times article Company Accused of Firing Over Facebook by Steven Greenhouse

The labor relations board announced last week that it had filed a complaint against an ambulance service, American Medical Response of Connecticut, that fired an emergency medical technician, accusing her, among other things, of violating a policy that bars employees from depicting the company “in any way” on Facebook or other social media sites in which they post pictures of themselves.

Lafe Solomon, the board’s acting general counsel, said, “This is a fairly straightforward case under the National Labor Relations Act — whether it takes place on Facebook or at the water cooler, it was employees talking jointly about working conditions, in this case about their supervisor, and they have a right to do that.”

That act gives workers a federally protected right to form unions, and it prohibits employers from punishing workers — whether union or nonunion — for discussing working conditions or unionization. The labor board said the company’s Facebook rule was “overly broad” and improperly limited employees’ rights to discuss working conditions among themselves.

Two areas seem to be highlighted in this case, an employees right to commiserate with fellow employees and the companies right to prohibit employees from making “disparaging” or “discriminatory” “comments when discussing the company or the employee’s superiors” and “co-workers” in general. Though it seems reasonable to be able to limit an employee from publicly airing company “dirty laundry”, it may not be. Facebook is relatively new but the internet has been around for just over four decades now and airing grievances is nothing new.

From the California Labor & Employee Law Blog  Social Networking as Protected Concerted Activity?

In 2002, the Ninth Circuit weighed in on this issue, albeit in a much narrower context and before the advent of Facebook.  In Konop v. Airlines, Inc., the plaintiff was an airline pilot who maintained a private website that he used to publish disparaging remarks about his union’s possible concessions at the bargaining table.  Though the site was invite-only, the employer gained access by using the log-in information of an employee who had been granted access by the plaintiff.  The employer responded by placing the plaintiff on medical suspension.  The plaintiff brought suit, alleging that the employer retaliated against him by suspending him in violation of the Wiretap Act, Stored Communications Act, and the Railway Labor Act.

Ultimately, the Court allowed the Railway Labor Act claim to move forward, finding that a triable issue of fact existed as to whether the “development and maintenance of his website constituted protected activity under the RLA.”  This was a signal sent down by the 9th Circuit to inform employers that retaliatory actions against employees who make disparaging comments about their employer on the internet may be frowned upon.

Neither of these cases implies that the employer has no rights. Employers in most circumstances, are allowed to prohibit their employees from blogging and accessing social networking sites while on company time and/or via the employer’s digital devices. Employers may also legally take adverse action against an employee who accesses prohibited websites during working hours, as long as the employer is not acting contrary to anti-discrimination or retaliation laws.

So how do you protect the company and meet the needs  and rights of your employees?

1. Communicate - Discuss company initiatives and goals with your employees. Get feedback from your employees on how they would like to use new media tools to help you reach those goals.
2. Educate – Help your employees keep their private lives private by instructing them on how to use social networking sites in a safe and private manner.
3. Be Prepared – When drafting a company social media policy you should work with a digital marketing consultant [they'll know which sites are out there and how they are being used], your human resource department, and/or an experienced labor and employment law attorney.
4. Be Fair – The company’s brand, reputation, and initiatives are important but so  is the right of an employee to have a life outside of work. If you try to control people they will rebel and though they may not be hurting the company they will not be helping the company either.
5. Be Understanding - Mistakes will be made, this is new technology that is far from easy to keep up with and so there will be missteps. Your social networking/internet policy should not be an all or nothing endeavor it should be malleable.

When I consult with business owners on venturing into the the world of social networking and blogging, there is instantly this idea that the online world is like the deep dark depths of the Marianas Trench and once you jump in you will be swallowed up, never to be heard from by friends and family again.

The World Wide Web is a big place, with lots of interesting sites, resources, and tools that could honestly keep you busy for a lifetime. However,  if you are focused and organized in what you do on the internet you will find that not only does the web offer limitless possibilities it is equally as abundant in rewards.

A few of the concerns I get are:

I don’t have enough to blog about?

I want to connect on a local level not a global?

How well does this whole Twitter/Facebook thing really work, will I get customers?

Let’s address each of these concerns….

What will I blog about?

First, not having enough material to populate a blog, if you are passionate about your work, want to help people, you like to learn, and you like to share your knowledge you will never lack for content. The only thing we need to do is make sure that you have the resources in front of you to generate ideas. You should be that watching and/or researching what people are saying about your industry and/or company so you know what your target market wants information on. To bring targeted information in an organized manner you need to setup systems.  That is where Google Reader, Google Alerts, Twitter Search, LinkedIn Answers, and other news aggregator sites come in. Here is a video on setting up some of these information gathering resources.

I want to connect with individuals and businesses in my community.

If your focus is your local market then when you write your blog posts and build your social networks it is important to target that demographic.  Here are few links to show you that the people you want to get in front of are online.

The majority of Twitter users are 35-to-44-yrs old, over 50% are from California.  http://awurl.com/36ca8RC07

How do you Innovate Your Way out of a Rut in Customer Service? | Customer Conversation | Fast Company http://bit.ly/13aD7

Now getting people to contact you, one of the best ways to do that is by being out there where people will find you. Where are people at, where are they looking to find information and/or services?

There are 31 Billion searches on Google every month. In 2006, this number was 2.7 Billion. This is a video that discusses how fast technology is changing our behavior Shift Happens Are You Ready?

49 Amazing Social Media, Web 2.0 And Internet Stats http://bit.ly/11jtu

• 70,000,000 – number of total videos on YouTube (March 2008)
• 100,000,000 – number of YouTube videos viewed per day (this stat from 2006)
• 112,486,327 – number of views the most viewed video on YouTube has (January, 2009)
• 346,000,000 – number of people globally who read blogs (comScore March 2008)
• 1,111,991,000 – number of Tweets to date (see an up to the minute count here)
• 3,000,000 – number of Tweets/day(March 2008) (from TechCrunch)
• 150,000,000 – number of active users on Facebook
• 170 - number of countries/territories that use Facebook
• 2,600,000,000 – number of minutes global users in aggregate spend on Facebook daily
• 100 – number of friends the average user has

Viral Content Sharing Survey Report http://tinyurl.com/6f2jhr

Should you go with a professional blog or just test out a blog first?

You can go either way but the ultimate goal is to build your business. The best way to do that is to show your professionalism, expertise, and client value proposition. A blog is the best way to impart those three things. Perception will be key here though, what message are you trying to send? If you are a professional that is trying to connect with people then you need to show that in your blog. I would not get into blogging as an experiment, that is a waste of time. Blogging and the use of social media is a cost effective means for marketing and communication, and should be used as a business tool.

In anything you do, if you are going to be successful, you can’t go into it halfheartedly.

In traditional networking you meet someone at an event and you get their attention for 3 minutes, maybe. Your time and influence are limited because there is no trust yet, they are also trying to sell their product or service, and there really isn’t a lot of time at an event to meet everyone you would like to. So you follow up with them; call, email, have coffee and then try to build that trust. A networking event may only be an hour or two but that does not include the followup, you will then spend at least an hour with each contact in your first followup session, and then time after that to continue to stay in front of them.

A website is great because they can go check out your company, it shows that you are part of an organization that is at the very least online, this gives you and your company some needed validity. What a website does not do is personalize your business, it doesn’t fully educate people on changes in your industry, and it does not create an atmosphere conducive to trust building.

Your biggest hurdle is that people do not understand that there is a need for your service, whether they are people or businesses that could refer you or those that could benefit from your consultation. You spend a great deal of time on sales, creating flyers, building rapport. If you looked at how much time you spend on educating and working with clients and how much time you spend on trying to sell yourself, I think you would find that you do not spend as much time at doing what you love, but rather more time trying to get the opportunity to do what you love.

A blog gives you a platform to share your knowledge, your passion for what you do, and to connect with people. When you meet people at a networking event and do not get that time that you would like to show them how important your services are you can send them to your blog and it will do it for you.

How will social networking help my business?

The following article lists some interesting facts for you to consider:

Can Your Business Survive Without Social Media? http://tinyurl.com/7nlpft

Coleman-Parkes Research discovered 84% of North American companies feel they require new methods to interact with customers, including Social Media and mobile devices

The 2008 Cone Business in Social Media Study resulted in some impressive statistics which must be noted by business owners. The results from the survey showed 60% of American citizens used Social Media. Of those 93% indicated business should have a Social Media presence and 85% indicated businesses should interact via Social Networks with their customers. With powerful results such as these it is hard to comprehend why businesses are not implementing Social Media Marketing.

Consumers surveyed indicated businesses should use Social Media to:

· Solve Problems – 43%

· Obtain user feedback on product and services – 41%

· Enable consumers to interact with the company brand – 37%

· Market to consumers – 25%

Companies currently using Social Media reported the following:

· Improved Feedback 78%

· Improved Customer Satisfaction 66%

· Improved Customer support 71%

· Increased Sales 40%

· Improved public perception of company 75%

Within the survey completed for Avande were some general statements which must be considered:

· 52% of respondents stated “Companies that fail to embrace social media technologies for business purposes will be left behind “

· 78% of respondents stated “As we enter a possible economic downturn we need to focus on new ways of communicating with customers which add real value.”

· 77% of respondents stated “If they did not initiate a Social Media Program Social Media would enter the company by stealth”

Ultimately this has got to work for you and your business, but  make sure when you are looking at new ways to do business you are not limiting yourself because the path ahead is new or different. In business innovation is an important key to success. I’ll leave you with some quotes that I think apply to all of us out there trying to do business smarter, with integrity, and prosperously. From

Top 7 Business Success Quotes by Business Masters

One of the best ways to find inspiration in business is to take advice from people that have made it.

1. Goals are the first step to business success. Jim Rohn believes that “If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us.”

2. Action should follow your goals. “Don’t be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.” says Ralph Waldo Emerson.

3. Persistence is also important after your initial burst of action. “You have to put in many, many, many tiny efforts that nobody sees or appreciates before you achieve anything worthwhile.” Brian Tracy

4. Good questions will keep you on the right track say Anthony Robbins.. “Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.”

5. Change with your business or be left behind. “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Charles Darwin

6. Luck and timing will ensure success, so be prepared for luck. “I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity.” Oprah Winfrey

7. Success comes when everyone profits. “I have found no greater satisfaction than achieving success through honest dealing and strict adherence to the view that, for you to gain, those you deal with should gain as well.” Alan Greenspan.

I am sure that many of you have heard of Yelp.com, “Real People, Real Reviews” for those of you who do not know:

Yelp is…

…the ultimate city guide that taps into the community’s voice and reveals honest and current insights on local businesses and services on everything from martinis to mechanics.

That is a lot of territory to cover and now it looks like there is a new kid on the block that would like to take a piece of  that territory as their own, Insideup.com.

InsideUp is creating an online community where small businesses can search for business services, review vendor ratings, and get feedback on vendor services. So as Yelp is all about the happenings around town InsideUp looks to be all business, all the time or the source for business services at the very least.

Is there a need for this type of community?

From the InsideUp blog it looks like there are 1.68 trillion reasons:

According to a 2007 report published by Visa International, small businesses (businesses with less than 100 employees or less than $25 million in sales) in the U.S. spend $1.68 trillion yearly on business services, or nearly 35% of their total business expenditures.

Another nice little statistic that lends some credence to the need for this type of resource, also from their blog:

According to Access Market International (AMI) Partners, more than 40% of small and medium businesses (or about 2.8 million businesses) are using Web 2.0 applications as part of their normal business practices. Web 2.0 is a term that describes interactive web features such as blogs, wikis, and social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, & Digg.

How does it work?

Members can rate vendors, provide references, and answer questions from other members. To insure accuracy, we allow business vendors to flag ratings and references that may not come from actual customers. We also don’t release or sell member information, so our members’ privacy is protected.

Smart Choices

At InsideUp, we know that making smart choices is essential in today’s competitive environment. Business services vendors want to target customers in a cost-effective way, and companies want to make sure that they are choosing solutions that take their businesses to the next level. That’s why we are creating an exciting online community where companies and business services vendors can connect in a unique and innovative way.

The website is in beta testing right now, and there are some glitches so be patient. I have only been able to login once since signing up and that was by accident, I just kept clicking links and the system finally gave in and let me on. Support hasn’t gotten back to me yet, but I am sure they will work the kinks out soon.

Without being a member you can perform a business category search based on distance from a specified zip code. The search will pull up business name, city, and a one to five star rating-to see actual reviews you must be a member.

At this time the membership is free and it looks like that will continue they are, like most networking communities, looking to make their money off of advertising.

I personally like niche communities, I think the more specialized and smaller the better, they keep the feedback relevant and reliable.

As sites get larger like the ones listed below, you get some people that have an opinion just because, and even though there are some genuine reviews the “just because I can” opinions give all the reviews less credibility.

Yelp.com

Local.com

Insiderpages.com

Citysearch.com

Merchantcircle.com

Maps.google.com

Local.Yahoo.com

The Better Business Bureau, local Chamber of Commerce, and the large internet directories are adequate resources and provide a starting point for information, but I also like that I will now have a more local tech based source for business services.

What do you think, do you use the larger business directory sites, if so how do you like or dislike them? Would you be interested in a more specialized, narrowly focused site to get your information from?

there are 1.68 trillion reasons:

According to a 2007 report published by Visa International, small businesses (businesses with less than 100 employees or less than $25 million in sales) in the U.S. spend $1.68 trillion yearly on business services, or nearly 35% of their total business expenditures.

Another nice little statistic that lends some credence to the need for this type of resource, also from their blog:

According to Access Market International (AMI) Partners, more than 40% of small and medium businesses (or about 2.8 million businesses) are using Web 2.0 applications as part of their normal business practices. Web 2.0 is a term that describes interactive web features such as blogs, wikis, and social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, & Digg.

How does it work? Read the rest of InsideUp for Business Services ……..