Week of 2008-04-09 Hi Everyone! As we get closer and closer to the Small Business Marketing Unleashed Conference, the team here at Search Engine Guide is realizing what an appropriate name that is. The mad dash to the finish line wrapping everything up to make the perfect conference for you certainly FEELS like we're chasing down a bunch of unleashed puppies! That said, we're so excited to meet those of you who have signed up for the show! If you're one of the folks who has decided not to come, we'd love to know changes we can make that would entice you into joining us the next time. After all, this entire conference was planned based on years of feedback from you. I'm looking forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions as we start planning our next show! Have a great week. :)
Featuring: Jennifer Laycock, Stoney deGeyter, Diane Aull, Debra Mastaler, Paul Jahn, Manoj Jasra, Liana Evans, David Wallace, Sage Lewis and Mack Collier. Should Your Business Start a Blog?by Diane AullIt may seem sometimes all the cool kids have started business blogs. So, can your business benefit from a blog, or is it going to be simply a waste of time?... Sixty Cent Branding: How One Minute of Effort Sparked This Postby Jennifer LaycockOne of the biggest challenges facing small businesses on the web is how to differentiate themselves from the competition. Yes, a unique domain name or site design can help. Great products and good prices makes a difference as well. But sometimes, it really is the little things that can push you over the top. In fact, for just sixty cents (give or take a nickel), one small business in DeKalb, Illinois cemented it's brand in my "gift shopping" bookmarks and sparked a post on this blog that will reach hundreds of thousands of potential customers. Give Me 5 Wishes Facebook Group Genieby Manoj JasraIn the past I have discussed how to create Successful Facebook groups, however I still find the regular (non sponsored) Facebook groups very limited. Below is my personal wish list for Facebook Groups... Social Media + Humanity = Embarrassment (But That's Ok!)by Jennifer LaycockOn the heels of this morning's article about the need to inject a little humanity into your small business marketing, I ran across a great post by Mike Moran over at Biznology that asks if you can handle a little professional embarrassment. After all, if you're going to inject humanity via social media experimentation, there's a good chance you're going to make a fool of yourself. 6 Quick and Easy Accessibility Issues That Make Your Visitors Happyby Stoney deGeyterAs more and more users gain access to the web it becomes increasingly important to ensure that your website is accessible to all, not just a few. Just as businesses must comply with the American Disabilities Act to ensure proper access to customers with disabilities, businesses should do all they can to make their websites accessible to all users regardless of the means in which they access the site. And of course not all accessibility issues involve meeting the needs of the disabled. What must be considered is the growing number of users that now access websites through non-traditional means, whether it be mobile phones or with images turned off. These users can still be your target audience and ensuring your site can be used through alternate avenues is essential to capturing that audience. Is the Influence of Bloggers Overrated? Umm....No.by Jennifer LaycockIf someone told you only there was a place where people might talk about your product and 23 percent of the people who saw that conversation would be more likely to buy your product...would you think that was a good thing? I would. In fact, I'd very much want to find a way to get in front of that audience. That's why, I'm a little confused to hear some people claiming the 23% number isn't significant. Jennifer Slegg Makes the Case for Prices in Your PPC Adsby Jennifer LaycockIf you run an ecommerce site selling products that can also be found elsewhere, putting your price in your paid search ad could go a long way toward improving your conversion rates. That's the point Jennifer Slegg makes in a post on pay per click conversion rates and ROI at her blog today. Jennifer reminds readers that while many companies spend their time focusing on driving clicks, they would be better served looking at ROI and considering how the information in their ad impacts both click through rates and conversion rates. Search Engine Marketing Bootcamp: Make Sure the Search Engines Can Read Your Siteby Jennifer LaycockWhile search engines are pretty good at finding web sites and getting their content indexed, many site owners have no idea their web sites can be created in a way that looks good to people, but can't be read by search engines. If your site is built entirely in Flash, relies too heavily on Javascript or uses drop down boxes and forms to let people find your content, the search engines may be missing out on your content. How to Prevent SEO Bloat from Overcrowding Your Marketing Campaignby Stoney deGeyterRarely does SEO bloat happen all at once, but it's usually an accumulation of edits and tweaks made over the course of several months or even years. This is what makes it particularly damaging to your marketing efforts. Return to the Top of this Page 
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In response to... Sixty Cent Branding: How One Minute of Effort Sparked This Post"We are so used to getting mediocre service then when we do get great service we are BLOWN AWAY." "The way for a small business to get an edge on big box stores is to humanize the process AND over deliver customer service. You will stand out." "People are so savvy and cynical that that they see newsletters , thank-you emails , surveys, coupons etc as an obvious marketing ploy and are underwhelmed. Those all have their place but thinking outside the box like the company Jennifer write about, will thrill . Surprise your customers once in a while." Lisa Stewart In response to... YouTube Gets in on the Stats Game"Interesting data. I used to poo-poo YouTube as not being practical for small businesses. But given vertical/universal search and the fact that data is now available, guess what I'm doing? (Hint: It has something to do with creating videos.)" Anita Campbell In response to... Should Your Business Start a Blog?"Blogging is at the top of my 'To Do' list for quite some time. Yep, I have an 'editorial calendar' lined up, subjects to opine, and most importantly, a definable goal. My challenges? Time and being a nutty perfectionist! By the end of a long day, my brain is simply frazzled, making it darn near impossible to strand coherent sentences together (something that lil Ms. Perfectionist simply will not tolerate). Thanks for the inspiration!" Bonnie Parrish-Kell Return to the Top of this Page 
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(If you like our search engine news, you'll love our small business news.) Weekly Wrap of the Hottest Small Business ThreadsChris Logan shares the buzz from our small business forum. Return to the Top of this Page
Archive of Popular Forum Conversations:
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