Law of attraction for business

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Derrick

Recently, a friend brought up the law of attraction, and said it was something he believed in. I was aware of it because at a previous job, management would always try and use it to justify my declining sales numbers. I thought what my manager was saying was fairly unhelpful (at the time) and so I just ignored it.   

If you don’t know what the law of attraction is, it basically says if you truly believe and think about positive things you want from life, the world has a way of making it happen. If you are always worried or are thinking about negative things, this is what you attract into your life.

So is it true?

It sounded a little hokey at first. I mean I get the idea that if you are a generally positive person, you will attract more people and typically better opportunities into your life. But to go as far to say the success of your business could very well depend on your ability to really picture the level of success you are hoping to reach? Your willingness to daydream, and then really believe this dream will come true? Is it really that simple?

I don’t know, yet. Certainly the whole concept did get my imagination going.

Reflecting on the past several months

2011 started out great. I was approved for a $15,000 business loan which was going to provide me with the time to make my business a full time venture. Though business started off slow, sales were increasing every month. By September, I was seriously contemplating getting an office and hiring my first employee. Wanting to keep the momentum going, I invested a lot of my working capital into some advertising efforts that I thought would really help me take things to the next level. Unfortunately, I was incorrect. Not only did the advertising I purchased offer no return, sales dropped lower than I had ever seen, even when I was only operating the business part time. Things went from great to bad in a hurry.

Did I attract this negative turn of events?

From that time on I had always just said to myself that it was poor management on my behalf and a bad economy that caused things to turn so quickly. Not much I can do about the economy, and as far as management goes I had learned a lesson to be a bit more careful with my cash.

But what if it was something else? When things were at their peak, I had more work than I could handle. Yet, I wanted to grow my business, so I purchased some advertising. Between you and me, I was secretly panicking about what new business might come in. Could I handle it? What if I started getting a bunch of phone calls & meeting requests? When could I fit in my actual work load? If I had to open an office, when could I find the time to deal with that? I was actually associating negative feelings with the potential growth of my business. I had severe doubt I could even handle growth, and was just hoping there could be more time to handle everything.

Did the law of attraction take charge, and clear my schedule? Rather than a poor investment of advertising dollars & a bad economy, is it possible I just truly believed I couldn’t handle a successful business, and what I really needed was free time… and this is what was given to me?

I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try.

Regardless of the potential future outcome, I see a lot of benefit into incorporating some of the steps to making the law of attraction work for my business and personal life. I can bring positive feelings into my life by being grateful for what I have. I can enjoy the bliss of visualizing what I want in life, my goals & my dreams. I can practice believing in myself to the point I am convinced I will get my business where I want to get it.

I do have specific goals that involve achieving a certain amount of monthly revenue. I feel like it is a realistic amount, enough to pay my bills and live comfortably in my current situation. I also need to replace my 1999 Chev. Lumina. I want to achieve both of these goals by my birthday, in September.

Let’s give this a shot.

What do you think about the law of attraction? Can it be used as a tool to grow a small business? Do you have any personal examples or experience? Drop me a line.

Posted in LOWD Media Inc., Starting and Growing a Business | Leave a comment

Facebook Page For Business – Part 1

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Derrick

How to create a Facebook page for your small business & What to do with it

So you have realized the value of creating a Facebook page and building a community of brand advocates to help you grow your small business.  Now what? What is the easiest way to create an awesome Facebook page, get liked, and what is the right way to engage with this community of people who want to stay in touch with you and send you referrals?

How to Create a Facebook page

1)      Go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/

2)      Click on the “Create Page” button near the top right.

3)      There are six categories you can choose from. For a small business, it will most likely be Local Business or Place or Company, Organization or Institution. It could also be Brand or Product. Generally speaking, a small business can fit into multiple categories. Take time to pick the category that is right for you, but don’t worry too much about it.

  • Local Business or Place: If your target market is almost entirely people who are local and especially if you have a physical location, choosing local business or place is probably right for you. This is an ideal selection if you want to advertise a physical location. A local business or place could include: A cleaning company, a restaurant, a retail store, a salon, an electrician, etc.
  • Company, Organization or Institution: If your target market is extends outside of your local business community, this option is usually right for you. A Company, Organization or Institution could include: A product manufacturer, an online only store, a financial institution, some consulting companies, a pharmaceutical company, etc.
  • Brand or Product. While a local business and company will obviously be a brand, usually this category is used by companies who want separate Facebook pages for their products. For example, Nestle will have separate pages for their chocolate bars, which all have their own brands. Brand or Products can include: Clothing items, drugs, games, sporting goods, a service offered by a business, etc.

4)      Check the box that says “I agree to Facebook Pages terms” and click on the “Get Started’ button.

5)      Next you set up your profile picture. This is the small image used on the Facebook page. Usually a photo of an individual or a logo is best here.

6)      Next you add some basic details about your business. This includes a basic “About Us” and a website URL , if applicable.

7)      Facebook will then take you to the page it has generated for you. It will walk you through some initial steps which they recommend you complete, but you can skip them if you prefer. These steps include: Like your own page, invite friends to like your page, Share your first wall post, etc.

After you have finished these steps, you have your fresh new Facebook Page. It won’t look like much to start but as you begin to create status updates, upload photos, and get more likes you will notice your page start to fill out and look great.

Next time, we will talk about creating a great Facebook Cover/banner for free online, using Pixlr. 

Posted in London Ontario Web Design, LOWD Media Inc., Marketing a Small Business, Social Media, Starting and Growing a Business | Leave a comment

411.ca Review – A review for advertisers from a former advertiser

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Derrick

I normally like to write articles that help people start and grow their small business. I hate to leave negative reviews because I have worked in many service positions in the past. I know how unreasonable customers can be, and sometimes they leave negative reviews that are not really deserved.

I took some time to cool down, and after thinking it through I feel that publishing my own experience with 411.ca as an advertiser might save some business owners some time and money. Of course, I am sure not every advertiser’s experience is the same…  so good or bad, please share with me your 411.ca review (From Advertisers) so I can get an idea if this is an isolated incident.

411.ca Review

The Offer:

I received a cold call from a sales person form 411.ca. I was fairly skeptical that this was a real opportunity to generate some sales, however the fact that some of my competition was already advertising on their web site was intriguing enough for me to take their promotional rate which was buy 1 month at full rate, receive the next two months at half price. I made sure to clarify with the sales person that this would not be something that would automatically renew. He told me it would not automatically renew… the contract is for only 90 days, and that someone would contact me to discuss a new contract once this one was about to expire. I also asked if there were any additional/hidden fees I should be aware of, and he said there wasn’t.

The Term:

Billing went as expected… almost immediately I realized this wasn’t the place for me to advertise. I somehow threw aside common sense… after all, why would someone go to 411.ca to search for a business, let alone a web designer? Most people would probably just use Google for that… or perhaps Kijiji in my area. In any event, I knew I would cancel once the time to renew came up.

Going Downhill:

Sure enough, after the 90 days I did not receive a follow up and noticed they charged me full monthly rate ($67.80 for me) on the renewal date. Of course, as soon as I noticed (February 25th, 2012) I called to cancel. Their phone line went to a voicemail where I left a detailed message on how I would like to cancel my services and request a refund.

Monday February 27th 1:59 PM – After not receiving a reply from an agent, I decided I should follow up. I again reached their answering machine and left a detailed message about the situation and asked for someone to call me.

Monday February 27th 7:05 PM – After not receiving a call back, I decided perhaps email was a better route. I emailed their billing department to request the cancellation.

Wednesday February 29th 2:16 PM – After not receiving a call or email back, I decided to call yet again. My message again I feel was detailed and friendly, though I certainly emphasized the fact I had called and received no reply yet.

Wednesday February 29th 4:31 PM – I decided I should send an email to their help department. Perhaps this department was more generic and someone would reply.

Rock Bottom: Friday March 2nd

I decided to call again on Friday March 2nd, a full week after my first attempt to contact 411.ca customer service. Finally, I reach a young man. I explain to him how I was not told that the contract would automatically renew, and that this isn’t what I wanted/all I wanted to do was cancel my ad and request a refund for this extra month.  He puts me on hold to look into things. He comes back and offers advice on how to improve my listing, but I tell him I just really want to cancel. He offers some promotional rates and offers to put my site in another category for free, to which I replied that I just wanted to cancel. He asked if there was any way I would continue to advertise with 411… like even if he offered me the ad for free. I explained to him I just wanted to cancel.

Finally, he agrees to cancel the ad, but tells me I would still have to pay for 1 month after this, due to their 30 day cancellation policy. I explain to him that I specifically asked about cancellation fees during the sales call and the salesperson told me that there were no additional fees. He asked if I received the welcome package which clearly explains this policy. Of course, I did not receive this… I realize mail gets lost sometimes, but what’s really going on here? I did receive a receipt for my first payment so I know they have my address down correctly. Basically he is telling me that it is in the contract, and he sees no notes on my account from the sales person telling him that I was told otherwise.

Now I start getting a bit aggressive and annoyed in my tone, which believe you me I don’t take lightly as somebody who has worked in call centers before. While he stuck to the “company policy” line for a few more minutes, he finally agreed to wave the upcoming fee as a courtesy, but said I would not receive a refund for the extra month I was billed. Again, he is sticking to the fact it is policy and that they did send these details in the mail, so there is nothing that can be done. I try to ask him person to person if he thinks it is right that I should have to pay this fee even though I was told by another company representative that this would not happen AND that I did not receive any documentation to inform me of this policy. When he explained that is the reason why he waived the future billing but still couldn’t do anything about the previous charge, I started to realize this was going nowhere… after insisting there must be something that can be done or someone else I can speak to, he offers to let me speak to a manager but insists he doubts they can do anything.

Finally I reached the manager… after explaining the situation to her, she agrees to refund the previous fee. She asks for some final feedback to why I am cancelling and I explain to her that while the initial reason was the fact I didn’t feel I was getting the full value I was hoping for out of the service, the fact that it has taken me one week, multiple phone calls & emails which were never replied to in order to reach them, that this was not the type of company I wanted to do business with.

She offered me a free month of service as a goodwill gesture but I just wanted to cut ties with 411.ca at this point, so I acknowledged that the offer was appreciated, but I would just like to cancel.

I should note that she told me the refund would take around 4 weeks to apply, but she would try to expedite that. I should hope so! 4 weeks to apply a refund? Is this the 80s?

I’ll be sure to update when/if I receive a refund and if any further charges are applied.

Bottom Line:

While I appreciate other people may have a better experience than me, I have to recommend you avoid advertising with 411.ca – I doubt 411.ca is a scam, but certainly there is little value advertising in their online directory, and my experience is that they don’t communicate billing properly and their customer service is brutal, as far as taking one week to reach someone goes.

Again, I hope you will share your experiences so I can see if this is an isolated incident or if this is common practice for this company.

Posted in Lesson Learned, LOWD Media Inc., Marketing a Small Business, Starting and Growing a Business | 7 Comments

Churn and Burn SEO – Why Cheap SEO Sucks

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Derrick

I was speaking to a client recently who I was recommending SEO (Search Engine Optimization) services to. He informed me that while he trusted me, he was concerned why my prices for SEO services seemed so expensive. He said that he is called or emailed every week about this, and the few times he bothered to get a price… the prices were significantly cheaper than the approximate price range I was quoting him. He went as far to explain that one was $25/month. My explanation to him, along with the realization that spam for these services is so common has shown me the urgency in explaining cheap SEO services and why they suck.

The Spam

The spam is generated by software which automatically harvests email addresses from the internet or spams contact forms on websites. It can take many forms, but in a nutshell it is an email from someone you have never heard of… sometimes it says that a person was browsing your site and noticed you were not ranking well in search engine results. They insist they can guarantee top results, and ask you to reply for a free quote. Most of the time, it doesn’t even come from a legitimate company email… it comes from a generic free email service such as hotmail or gmail.

Link Building

Before I talk about the different cheap seo techniques, I want to speak briefly about link building. Attracting inbound links to your web site from other web sites is an important part of SEO. Search Engines look at an inbound link like a vote. Like the person who placed that link is personally recommending your web site, and therefore your site should rank higher. Saying that, you also want to attract the RIGHT links. Over time, Google will recognize the difference between a link generated by automated software which adds no value to the internet community as a whole, and a legitimately placed inbound link from a web page with relevant content. This means that even though you can often see a rise in your web site rankings with the cheap seo providers, this will be corrected over time. Even worse, Google has also been known to remove sites from their index entirely who are not playing by the rules.

So why are the Cheap SEO Companies so Affordable Anyways?

The cheap SEO companies will typically use automated software to generate large quantities of inbound links to your web site, which give it the temporary high ranking you are hoping for. Think about this logically for a moment. If I am offering you SEO services for $25/month… how much work am I really willing to do? However, this isn’t the only technique that cheap SEO companies try to use to get a quick buck.

Cheap SEO Techniques – Inbound Links

So what are the link building techniques used by cheap SEO firms?

  • Commenting – Automated software spam the comment section in various article sites and blogging sites. They send out thousands of these comments that are not even relevant to the article, and hope that some of the articles and blogs allow these spam contents to post. While you will inevitably attract some inbound links, what is the cost? The comments appear after information that is probably irrelevant to your content. Everyone reading the article knows it is spam, so now your company is building this reputation online. Even worse, if reported to or noticed by the search engines… you can be removed from the index for violating their terms of service.
  • Forum Links – Forum links are similar to the above commenting links. In this case, the automated software automatically posts to thousands of forums who use pre packaged forum software, where a security gap is found that allows them to automatically start new threads in the forum. A new discussion is created that talks about your web site. Yes, again you will attract some inbound links… but as with the commenting software, you must think about the overall consequences of this action.
  •  Directory Submission – Automated software submits your web site to multiple directories, providing inbound links to your web site. I am not sure if the owners of directories view this as spam or just another submission, but these links are essentially worthless. With the vast amount of directories that exist and how easy it is to submit your site to large numbers of directories… how much IMPORTANCE do you think a search engine would really place on these votes? Yes, if I haven’t made it obvious already… they do not consider all links to your site equal. If you want to submit to a directory, submit to DMOZ or Yahoo. Also, if you know there is a strong and reputable directory in your industry, manually submit to that directory.
  • Link Farms – Link farms are web pages that are created for the sole reason of providing outbound links to dozens if not hundreds of seemingly random web sites. Like a directory, receiving a link from a link farm essentially carries no value. It is sometime easy to confuse a directory with a link farm, depending on their organization and structure.
  • Link Pages –Automated software sends spam emails to web site owners encouraging them to link to your web site. While most business owners and web masters will delete these emails right away, some may choose to provide you with a link. But yet again, you are building an online reputation as a company who sends spam (or unsolicited if you want to be nice) emails, and this reputation will eventually be noticed by the search engines, which will negatively affect your rankings.

Cheap SEO Techniques – Black Hat SEO

Black Hat SEO is a term used for people who claim to work in SEO, however they use techniques that are clearly banned by search engines to achieve artificially high results that are usually corrected over time, if not banned all together. The above link building techniques are black hat, and so are the following examples which cheap or unethical SEO companies use.

  • Keyword Stuffing – Keyword stuffing is not delicious. It is a technique used to put your preferred search phrases into the content of your web site in a frequency that helps the search engine understand what your page is about. HOWEVER, it doesn’t read very well when a human is reading it. As with most of the techniques I will mention, the search engine will eventually notice, and they will penalize you for trying to trick them. Note: You certainly want to include relevant key phrases in your text… just be careful that it Is written and reads in a way a human would normally write.
  • Hidden Text – Hidden text is blended into the background by using a font colour that is the same as the background colour. In some cases you can read it, but the font is so small it is obviously not meant for a human to read it. Again, while it gives the search engine’s automated algorithm a very good idea of what your site is about which can cause an increase in rankings… they will eventually notice and realize what you are doing. This is another way to get on the black list.
  • Doorway Page Redirect – This is the practice where the first page of your web site is created ONLY for the purposes of writing well optimized content with tons of relevant keywords… however within moments, it redirects you to the ACTUAL welcome page the owner/webmaster wants you to see. By default, the search engine sees this first page as the content of your home page. The Search Engines might first see this page and a high level of relevance for certain phrases… but as with the previously mentioned, they will eventually figure out what you are doing and penalize you for it.
  • Scraping & Spinning – Scraping and Spinning is what happens when you use a software program to automatically pull content form one site, automatically rearrange the content a bit, paraphrase and spit out content that seems new. These new articles are then posted on article sites with inbound links to your own site. While this technique can occasionally attract good links, there is also the risk that Google will figure out the article is plagiarized. Yes if caught, Google can and will ban you for posting plagiarized articles.

As you can see, using automated software to achieve the results you are looking for because it is cheap to do so may work at first… but not unlike diet pills, they simply won’t sustain long term results. You need to hire an SEO expert who truly understands SEO. They understand the actual effort involved and the fact that it is a long term effort. They need to understand that while immediate results are a nice to have, the goal is to attain top rankings for a long period of time which will be an ongoing effort. They should want to work with you long term.

I would also be weary of a person who guarantees number one results. Nobody can tell the search engines what to do… they can only use their expertise to show search engines what your web site is about in the most optimal way. After that, it is ultimately up to the search engine to decide what they want to do. I would suggest that most people who guarantee number one results plan to do something unethical because they can collect their pay cheque, and disappear once the results are achieved… leaving you to bear the responsibility for whatever techniques were used to get you there.

If you have any feedback or questions, I am always looking forward to hearing from you.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Why is web design so expensive ?!?

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Derrick

 

Have you ever contacted a web designer for a quote and quickly became discouraged because the expectation was set that you would have to pay thousands of dollars for a simple web site? Have you ever seen designers offer the same web design services for $100-$300? The cost of having someone make a web site for your business varies so much, I thought it might be beneficial to take some time to talk about how much a web design should cost, and what determines the cost of a web site.

Cheap Web Design

I have seen people offer to do simple brochure style web sites (4-6 pages, a contact form & image portfolio) for less than $300. Having a cheap average quality web site is better than having no web site at all, but here are some important points to know when you are considering buying cheap web design services.

1)      It’s a frankensite. Thousands of web site templates exist on the internet. A web site template is essentially a design that has already been created for another business. It is sold in bulk to people who have similar businesses. A designer may not be using the exact same template, but they can take portions of one template, and portions of another along with some custom work for your own site to create a final product. You can often see the difference in quality and professionalism in a web site that is essentially pieces of a few projects put into one.

2)      It’s a beginner. Tons of students around the world are looking to build their portfolio. In addition to that, many people pick up a limited amount of web design experience through previous work experience or school classes. When you are looking to gain more experience or are simply trying to make a few bucks because you know the basics, you don’t have the luxury to charge full price for your web design services. The quality in these web sites can also be poor or average at best.

3)      The costs are hidden. Some web designers will charge a very affordable price for a web site but will build the cost into web hosting, maintenance, or future upgrades. For example, a web designer might charge you $300 for a web site + $25/month web hosting and $50/month for web site maintenance. In reality, web hosting for most small businesses should only cost around $7-$12/month and they also don’t require $50/month in web maintenance services. Over time, the web designer will earn considerably more profit through monthly fees or required upgrades.

Expensive Web Design

I have seen web designers offer to do the same 5-6 page brochure style web sites for $1000-$3000. Sometimes spending thousands of dollars on a web site can offer to a top of the line product that will prove to offer a huge return on investment, but here is what you need to know about expensive web design quotes.

1)      It’s their rate. An average web designer will probably charge around $40-$60/hour. However, if the person has a lot of experience, a unique skill, or generally targets higher end clients, I have commonly seen web designers double this rate to $80-$120/hour. If the company boasts a portfolio of high end corporate clients, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see that rate double again to $160-$240/hour. If you are in a large city such as Toronto or Vancouver, you already know you will be on the higher end of these numbers.  

2)      Extras are included. It is not uncommon for clients to under exaggerate their needs which leaves a situation of potentially disappointing a client with a final product that is less than what they expect at the quoted rate. As a result of this, web designers will commonly just quote a high amount so it leaves lots of extra time if the client wants changes or ends up being fussier than they originally described. It can also include extras the client might not actually need, but they are built in simply because it will help them meet or exceed the customer’s expectations… at a price.

3)      They charge for quality and time. It takes a lot of time to create a high quality design. A designer might plan on taking a lot of time to create a really high quality product for you, even if you are a new small business who might not need that high of a quality product yet.  

4)      Supply and demand. A web designer who is established and has a relatively full schedule might continue to offer services, but at a higher rate. The designer already has enough work and they are happy with their schedule and income however almost everyone will accept more work at a higher price. Think of it as web designer over time.

Conclusion

Generally speaking, you get what you pay for in web design. The important thing is to take the time to think about what you really want and need in a web site versus how much you are willing to invest. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rules. Here are some final tips and information to consider.

1)      Poor Quality Vs Average Quality. While having a cheap average quality web design is better than having no web site at all, please take the time to consider the message you send with a poor quality web site. When a potential customer is searching online to find your products or services and they see a poor quality web site, think of it as the equivalent to a dark and dingy restaurant. You might quickly find yourself checking out the competition.

2)      Pay More Than $375. Unless you have received a credible reference from someone, don’t go with a web site that costs less than $375. A web designer should expect to put at least 12 hours into a design. Anything that takes less than 12 hours is unlikely to be the quality you need.

3)      Experience Vs Cost. Think about the experience level versus cost you want for your web designer. Of course, a college student or someone who picked up some web design skills from a previous employer will charge a low rate. A recent graduate with a portfolio or a business that has only been around for a few years might charge a higher rate that is still reasonable. An established web designer will start to become more expensive. A person who clearly boasts a high quality portfolio of corporate clients will expect the highest rate.

4)      Effort Vs Cost. Think about the effort versus cost you want for your web site. If you are a new home based business and your goal is just to have something simple that is professional and does the job, tell designers this when you are getting quotes. You can always upgrade to a higher quality web site once the business is going well. At the same time, keep your expectations at that level or expect that the budget for your work could rise. If you think it’s important to have higher quality work for your business, be prepared to pay for the quality you want. A good designer who is creating a high quality web site will want to take lots of time to make sure everything looks and functions great. Creating a nice quality design alone can take 10-30 hours with tweaking. This doesn’t include the time to program, optimize, and test the web site.

5)      Try my instant web design quote. I have created a tool which provides you with an instant web design quote for common high demand projects. My prices are fairly average, but are based on the quality and effort versus budget model I previously mentioned. The process will also introduce you to things you might not have thought about that you may or may not need in a web design project. You can use this tool and if you don’t want us to contact you, there is an option to opt out of a follow up. Please click here for an instant web design quote.

Note: Web design packages and promotions are occasionally made available. Please contact us directly if you are interested in working with us, even if the quote is over budget. We will help you determine if we can accommodate your needs on your budget.

Posted in London Ontario Web Design, LOWD Media Inc., Marketing a Small Business, Starting and Growing a Business | 1 Comment

SEO London Ontario

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Derrick

SEO London Ontario

I am lucky. I stumbled into the SEO industry over 7 years ago when I created my first niche content web site. In 2004, I wrote an article that aimed to show students how they could save money on their post secondary textbooks. I then used the skills I learned in an HTML basics class to create my first web site. About 2 months later I started receiving emails asking me how much I would charge monthly for a text link ad on the site… I didn’t even know what a text link ad was at the time. This would be my first interaction with a relatively unknown industry, and I was hooked.

I have left out heavily optimizing my own web site for search engines, instead opting to try other marketing methods, and hoping I could organically rise to the top. The key issue with this is the fact I have recently been going to clients and strongly recommend to them SEO services. So how do you recommend a formula you believe you have perfected to clients?

Show them results!

The purpose of this article is basically to measure and showcase increases to rankings in Google for some of my favorite keywords. I will also measure increases to traffic, if any. As well, I will speak on increases to profits which should be interesting to any business owner. I want to see if SEO is a better investment than other advertising methods.

I should note that I only use white hat SEO techniques. This is simply doing stuff that Google tells you to do, if you want higher rankings. It is highly centered around generating an “Online Buzz” on useful and relevant web sites that ideally are related to the content of your own web site.

Before Starting:

I receive about 15-30 unique visitors per week.

My last 3 major offline marketing efforts cost me a total of about $2600 and resulted in about $500 of net revenue.

My favorite keywords will be: web design London ontario, London ontario web design, London ontario web designer, seo London ontario, logo design London ontario & web design quote.

11/21/2011

Getting Started.

The first thing I want to do is measure my current rankings for my favorite keywords.

Web design London Ontario – Page 2, Rank 4

London Ontario Web Design – Page 3, Rank 5

London Ontario Web Designer – Page 3, Rank 7

SEO London Ontario – Not in first 3 pages

Logo design London ontario – Page 2, Rank 2

Web design quote – Not in first 3 pages.

 

11/27/2011

Online Buzz.

When it comes to optimizing a web site for search engines, an important part of this is creating an “online buzz” by utilizing highly ranked web 2.0 web sites that allow comments and article postings. In an ideal world, web sites are found that have related content to the web site they are linking to. After this phase of the process, let’s see if there are any changes in the rankings.

Web Design London Ontario – Page 2, Rank 5 (-1)

London Ontario Web Design – Page 3, Rank 3 (+2)

London Ontario Web Designer – Page 3, Rank 7 (0)

SEO London Ontario – Page 1, Rank 2 (+29)

Logo Design London Ontario – Page 2, Rank 2 (0)

Web design quote – Not in first 3 pages

Summary: With the exception of “SEO London Ontario” which received a large boost in rankings, all rankings have stayed fairly similar. Occasionally the search engines take time to notice new links and factor them into their results, so I will wait one week before pursuing the next level of optimization.

 

 11/30/2011

Search Hyped.

The search engines work on their own time frame… this is the problem with people who want to guarantee any kind of results with their seo services.  Eventually though, they do notice the “Online Buzz” I talked about a few days ago. After noticing a small spike in traffic, I thought to check the updated search rankings for my favorite keywords.

Web Design London Ontario – Page 1, Rank 6 (+9)

London Ontario Web Design – Page 1, Rank 8 (+15)

London Ontario Web Designer – Page 1, Rank 2 (+35)

SEO London Ontario – Page 1, Rank 2 (0)

Logo Design London Ontario – Page 1, Rank 3 (+9)

Web Design Quote – Page 1, Rank 5 (+25)

Summary: While the initial results were a little disappointing, there was a huge shift when I checked a few days later. For virtually all the remaining favorite phrases, we climbed up to first page.  I will now secure between 1-2 more powerful links that have authority to see if time and these links make a difference.

 

12/07/2011

Search Authority.

In order to become an authority, creating an online buzz usually isn’t enough on its own. In order to maintain good search rankings, I usually try and encourage web sites who are authorities in the field to link to me. When a web site who is an authority in a similar content niche to your web site links to you, it works like a recommendation that the authority thinks highly of you and that matters to the search engines. Let’s see how the rankings have changed after waiting one week and adding an authority link.

Web Design London Ontario – Page 1, Rank 4 (+2)

London Ontario Web Design – Page 1, Rank 3 (+5)

London Ontario Web Designer – Page 1, Rank 1 (+1)

SEO London Ontario – Page 1, Rank 2 (0)

Logo Design London Ontario – Page 1, Rank 3 (0)

Web Design Quote – Page 1, Rank 3 (+2)

Summary: The combination of creating an online buzz and encouraging a related authority web site to link to me has successfully built and maintained very satisfactory search rankings for all 6 of my favorite search phrases.

Traffic and revenue is a tricky thing to measure at this time of year. December (as well as late November and early January) are notoriously slow times in my industry. Currently, traffic has doubled what it was before… I am receiving about 30-60 unique visitors per week. I have not yet measured new sales I can say came exclusively from the increase in search rankings, but I will check back in mid-late January to see if the search rankings have been maintained and to see if I can note any sales that have come direct form a search engine.

 

Posted in Lesson Learned, LOWD Media Inc., Marketing a Small Business, Search Engine Optimization, Starting and Growing a Business | Leave a comment

Hungry Muppet Eats Another Muppet on Google Home Page

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Derrick

Who doesn’t love the muppets? The characters have brought entertainment and joy for children and their parents for decades… but I never trusted some of them.

In any event, when I noticed that Google did a Doodle of the muppets for their logo in celebration of Jim Henson’s 75th birthday, I had a nice moment that brought me back to my childhood……. wait, what the?!?!?

GAAAAA!

I know somebody who will be sleeping with the hallway light on tonight.

 

Posted in Quick and Random | Leave a comment

You no longer have an excuse for not having a web site

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Derrick

I have heard a laundry list of reasons to why people don’t have a web site. The three most common reasons are:

1)      I don’t think my business needs a web site.

2)      I have someone who is going to do it for free/cheap when they find the time.

3)      I can’t afford a web site.

Let’s explore these reasons a little bit further:

I don’t think my business needs a web site.

If you don’t think your business needs to be online, to be frank, says to me you are not looking to increase your sales.  You are comfortable with the way things are and are comfortable with the clients you are currently reaching. You don’t want more business.

If you don’t want more business due to the fact you can’t handle the workload and are not interested in hiring anybody, I understand this to a degree… the issue is that there will come a time when your current customers will  not be able to support you.

When the time comes that you decide you need more customers and to increase your sales, you will be playing catch up if you do not already have a web site. The customers who are trying to find you won’t be able to do so.

I have someone who is going to do it for free/cheap when they find the time.

Whenever I first meet with a customer I frequently ask why they decided they need a web site. I am always impressed when a business owner simply understands how important this is. Often I find this question leading to …

“My husband’s nephew actually offered to do it for free, but he just got really busy and I need to get online”.

Of course, you can replace husband’s nephew with anyone.  I find these days everyone has met someone who has at least dabbled in web site design.

I have heard the odd success story from people who had a web site created for them by someone they know… but usually they are a professional. In many cases having an average quality web site is better than having no web site at all, however I have seen some really poor quality web sites come from this situation. The worst part is they often keep the site online because they don’t want to hurt the feelings of the person who originally created it. I can’t stress enough that you will lose business if you don’t have a web site that is at least average quality. It is the equivalent to having a dark and dirty retail store or office.

I will design a simple web site for you, up to 6 pages, a logo design, an image gallery & a contact page for around $615. This is a onetime fee. Web hosting & Domain name registration is around $84/year. After your initial investment you will pay only $84/year to have access to a world of sales leads that are trying to find you online.

I can’t afford a web site.

How about a free one? Did you know that Google will offer you a professional quality template web site, a .ca domain name & web hosting free of charge for one year?

Google has launched a program called Get Your Business Online.

In hopes that you will see positive results and pay for future advertising services, they even give you a $75 Google Adwords credit for new customers. This will put your business in the sponsored areas of their search engine listings which are at the top and right hand side of their organic listings. You will be surprised how far $75 of free advertising will get you in Google, depending on what type of business you are in.

After the first year, it is less than $50/year.

Not being able to afford a web site is no longer an option. As a business owner, you can’t afford to miss out on this offer if you are not planning on having a professional designer create a custom web site for you.

Of course, my hope is that once your business grows you will make room in your budget for a custom design… I hate the idea that I am promoting a free alternative to what I do… but I am this passionate about making sure all businesses get online.

Please give me your review or feedback on GYBO.

I would love to hear as much feedback as possible for those who choose to take advantage of this offer. Was the web site builder easy enough to figure out? Did it have the flexibility you were hoping for? Is Google backing something that really is too good to be true? Are there any testimonials or cautions you would like to tell the world? Please let me know.

Posted in London Ontario Web Design, LOWD Media Inc., Making Money From Home, Marketing a Small Business, Starting and Growing a Business | Leave a comment

The Uphill Journey Ahead For Google+

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Derrick

 For those of you who don’t know, Google+ is Google’s attempt to crack into the world of Social Networking. Google+ is similar to Facebook, but has some features that bring it to a new level. I want to talk a little bit about these features and the uphill journey ahead for Google+.

Google+ Features

Circles – Circles is one of the best features that Google+ has which has (so far) not been implemented on Facebook. The idea behind circles is that when you share information on a social networking site, you don’t always want to share certain information with everyone. If I’m an accountant hosting a seminar on tax/accounting advice, I might only share this information with my circle of friends who are business people. If I am 21, and I just had an epic night out on the town… I might just want to share the rough morning after with my circle of friends who are classmates. In real life, you only share certain information with certain people… why shouldn’t this be true with social media?

Link for more info (Optional):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeMZP-oyOII&feature=relmfu

Hangouts – Hangouts is a type of video chat service. The idea behind hangouts (seems to) create an environment where people who are available can get together, chat, and perhaps plan something spontaneously. You can create a public hangout and friends who are also logged on can see you created one, and join in. In the hangout, one of participants fills a large screen and several small ones run along the bottom. I also see practical business use for this feature for virtual meetings, seminars, etc.

Link for more info (Optional): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN38vHZjWXw&feature=relmfu

Sparks – Sparks is a feature which serves relevant web content to you (articles, videos, etc.) based on your interests and the contents popularity. It then makes it easy for you to share that content with circles (mentioned earlier) who would also appreciate the same content.

Link for more info (Optional): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DoAl4JXhQo

These are only a few of the features which at first glance appears to put Google+ miles above Facebook as a social networking website.

The Uphill Battle For Google+

While it is a superior website (in my opinion), Google+ has an uphill battle ahead of it. The main issue for me is, all of my stuff is already on Facebook. All of my friends are there, photos for the last 6 or 7 years are there, my notes, my favorite links, etc. As a bit of a social networking junkie, this is how I feel… so I have to assume your casual social networking users would feel the same.

I think of the uphill journey being similar to Mozilla Firefox. For those who don’t know, Mozilla Firefox is a web browser like Internet Explorer, except better. It has been around for a long time and was adopted quickly by computer nerds & geeks seeking a superior alternative to Internet Explorer. If you had the computer guy in your family help set up your computer, he probably set you up with Mozilla Firefox. Over the years, word has spread and it’s usage has gone up however to this day Internet Explorer still dominates the market… I think simply because it is simple to use and is pre-installed on everyone’s operating system.

In other words, this explains the mostly male population on Google+, which is around 7/10 users at this point. The computer nerd/social networking junkie is adapting this superior product quickly… but for your average person, I could see it taking years before making a decision to use Google+ as your social media site of choice.

What are your thoughts on Google+ and will you join? Let me know if you would like me to send you an invite.

Posted in London Ontario Web Design, LOWD Media Inc., Network, Friends & Clients, Social Media, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A Breifing on QR Codes

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Derrick

I just returned from the Small Business Centre 25th anniversary celebration. Rick Lambert gave a good presentation on social media to a crowd who I hope was listening to what he had to say.

Even with a top notch keynote speaker, a different moment of the evening sticks out it my mind. I met Michael, who showed me his business card which has a QR code that took me to his linked in profile on my smart phone.

Seeing a QR code in action really caught the interest of a few people who were networking nearby. It’s clear to me there is still a big lack of education on this, so here are the QR Code basics, how you can use QR codes, and some images which will show QR codes in action.

What is a QR Code?

QR Code is short for Quick Response code. It is similar to UPC bar codes which are the codes that are scanned at checkouts virtually everywhere, except that it is two-dimensional and holds more data than a UPC code. While a UPC code can only contain 20 numbers that identify a unique product, a QR Code can contain thousands of alpha-numeric characters.

People who own a smart phone can download a (free) QR code reader which allows them to quickly and easily scan a QR code using the camera on their phone. Once scanned, the QR code instructs the phone to perform one of several possible tasks, the most common being to open up a web page.  

It has been popular in Japan for over 10 years but is just starting to gain buzz in North America at this point in time. Speaking of Japan, let’s check out a QR code in action and get directions from Shanghai, China to Tokyo, Japan.

1) You locate a QR code which will look similar to this image.

2) You scan the QR Code using your smart phone.

3) The smart phone bring’s up the Google map URL I previously encoded into the QR Code.

Not an actual step, but I wonder what step 17 is like. Want to jet ski accross the Pacific Ocean? (Click for larger view)

I chose directions from China to Japan because I am personally a fan of this Google hoax, but imagine the value of including a map to your business on a business card or advertisement?

Some Practical Uses for QR Codes

  • Open a map to your business.
  • Like your business on Facebook.
  • Open your website.
  • Open your twitter page or linked in profile.
  • Open a restaurant menu.
  • Open a coupon.
  • Open a contact email form or quote request form.
  • Open a youtube video.
  • Open instructions.

The above examples are only some of many ways you can take advantage of this technology. QR codes can be printed on business cards, print ads, vehicle decals, product packaging, menus, receipts, and much more.

I hope this briefing on QR code basics was helpful. If you have any questions or comments on QR codes, comment away!

Posted in LOWD Media Inc., Marketing a Small Business, Social Media, Starting and Growing a Business | Leave a comment