Mark Flavin's Blog | News & Tutorials On SEO, Social Media, Website Traffic & Internet Marketing

The Best WordPress Shopping Cart – A WordPress Shopping Cart Review

Mark Flavin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:28:54 +0000

WordPress is a great platform. This blog is built on it & I use it for a lot of my clients because many of them are not be very tech savvy and wordpress is very easy for them to use & makes it easy for them to add content to their sites. Not only that but it’s great for search engine optimization & really easy to optimize. The one problem is ecommerce.

WordPress wasn’t really designed to be a platform to build big ecommerce stores on. When I was building my first ecommerce site for a client I researched lots of different wordpress shopping cart plugins but noting I tested meeted my needs. Then just by chance I came across a WordPress Shopping Cart Theme (not a plugin a full featured theme) which has every imaginable possible feature you would require from an ecommerce site.

It’s called ShopperPress

The theme is as easy to install as any other worrdpress theme but has hundreds of features vital to running a successful ecommerce site. Features like:

Ready ‘out of the box’
No Programming Required
Unlimited Installations
Web-based control panel
20+ Payment Gateways Already Built In (Including paypal, moneybooks, Google checkout & lots more)
Product Import Tools
Amazon DatafeedR
Stock Management
Product Management
Search Engine Optimized
Google Analytics Support
Support For Coupons & Promotions
Support For Email marketing
Built In Advertising Modules
Shipping Options
Tax & VAT Options
Invoice Generation
20+ Built in Store Designs
Plugin & Widget Support
Multi Language Support
Multi Currency Support
User & Staff Management
And Lots & Lots More!!

For me one of the best things about this WordPress Shopping Cart Software is that you purchase it once, can use it on as many projects as you wish & you get unlimited support. And their support is good too, on many occasions I’ve even had Mark Fail, the creator of the theme answer the questions for me. And support is 24 shours a day and they usually get back to you within a few hours. That’s especially important if you’re dealing with a clients site & something goes wrong.

So if you’ve been looking for a WordPress Shopping Cart Plugin, stop looking because you can get a fully loaded WordPress Shopping Cart Theme for under 80 bucks at the moment that can handle pretty much everything & anything you want to do with regards building ecommerce sites.

You can get more info on ShopperPress here, including watching an online demo. Take a look t it & see if it’s right for you, but if you want to build ecommerce sites on wordpress I haven’t found any better & ShopperPress certainly hasn’t disappointed me. It’s a really great product!

Click Here To get Access To ShopperPress.

The Best WordPress Shopping Cart – A WordPress Shopping Cart Review is a post from: Mark Flavin's Blog | News & Tutorials On SEO, Social Media, Website Traffic & Internet Marketing

Rep Mogul (Reputation Mogul) Product Review

Mark Flavin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:19:06 +0000

If you’re in the local marketing sector you’ll know you’re in a pretty high demand area of business at the moment, particularly given the current state of the economy. Whether your just starting out or already have a reputable business establish here’s a new income stream you can add to your business. It’s called Reputation Management.

Protecting a clients reputation online is big business. Just a few bad reviews or some lies can screw up an entire business. Think about it, if you’ve ever been on tripadvisor or yelp & even though a business had mostly excellent reviews but the few bad ones turned you off using there services.

Or if someone who just plain doesn’t like you starts writing trash about you or your business online. Stuff like that can really hit a businesses bottom line.

So that’s where you come in. The reputation manager. Your job is to improve the clients reputation online.

The course which teaches you to do this is call Rep Mogul. But not only does it show you how to improve a businesses reputation, you’ll also learn how to get clients & you’ll be supplied with easy to use software which will generate leads for your business.

Below I have given an overview of the 8 core modules of the course. There’s also lot’s more training & software inside the members area but this is the core of the course.

This module is all about what Reputation Management is. You'll hear true stories about people and businesses that have been destroyed due to lies and deceit. I also share what you'll be able to do by the time you finish this program.

Have you ever tried to listen to an SEO expert talk? They might as well be speaking a foreign language. In this module you'll learn the exact things you need to understand about manipulating Google to perform Reputation Management for your clients.

This module is mostly a warning. Seriously. Inside you'll see an overview of what Reputation Management is as a process.

What good is knowing how to do Reputation Management if you don't have clients? No good at all. This module shows you the exact process you have to go through to find clients and qualify them.

Once you get the client, the real fun starts. This module reveals the exact steps to take to figure out how to best help your new clients and create the content (or pay someone else to do it) that you'll need to make this process work.

Welcome to the annihilation module! This is the module that shows you the exact steps to follow to make the negative statements go away. Be sure to go through all of the additional content for this module, too. This process is intense and will require all of your attention.

Many of you are already doing local marketing or social media management for clients. This module shows you how Reputation Management can be a great additional service you can provide local businesses. Plus, you'll find out how local and global Reputation Management are drastically different.

This module covers some of the more advanced ideas tied to running a Reputation Management business. You'll find out how to hire staff to do 90% of the work for you for a few dollars per hour and how to manage your clients in a way that leaves you and them very happy.

Overall reputation mogul is a very good course & does exactly what it says on the tin! If you’d like to add reputation management to the current services you offer or would like to build a stand alone reputation management business then this course is the perfect place to get started. Click here to get access to it.

Rep Mogul (Reputation Mogul) Product Review is a post from: Mark Flavin's Blog | News & Tutorials On SEO, Social Media, Website Traffic & Internet Marketing

The 10 Best Google Chrome Extensions for Online Marketers

Mark Flavin — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:22:21 +0000

With the speed and versatility of Google’s Chrome browser you can now have quite a few more extensions and still have your computer humming along at maximum efficiency. The ChromeWebStore is full of great plug-ins to make your life as an Online Marketer easier. Below are the top 10 that you shouldn’t live without.

Of course, I will say that each marketer specializes in a particular piece of the trade. So all of these plug-ins might not fit the idea tool set for each person, but if you are a jack-of-all-trades kind of marketer like myself, you’ll see the value in each one.

PageRank

A lot of marketers will argue against the value of relying on Google’s PageRank number to judge a site. But if you are trying to comb through a ton of websites to find the ones worth spending your time on, there is no better initial indicator in my opinion. And with thismandatoryplug-in you don’t even have to click anything to see where each site stands.

bitly | a simple URL shortener

Bitly has always been my preferred shortening service for their tracking features and easy to use service. Their ChromeExtension gives you everything you have been enjoying from their website and Twitter and puts it at the top of your toolbar.

SEO for Chrome

SEO for Chrome is the grand-daddy of Internet Marketing extensions. This SEOanalysisextension allows you to see a ton of metrics for each site you visit including various backlink providers, traffic numbers, pages indexed, and a bunch of other on-site SEO checks. If you haven’t been using this Extension you have been living under a rock.

Awesome Screenshot

The year is 2011 and if you are still using Print Screen to take screenshots of websites you are way behind. AwesomeScreenshot is a plug-in that not only gives you the most sought after ability to take a screenshot on an entire webpage, but it also gives you a simple editing screen with tools that cover most annotations you have been doing in Photoshop all these years.

Linkclump

If you do a lot of competitive analysis or outreach, you are probably holding the Command key down a lot as you click multiple links to open in new tabs. Linkclump let’s you drag a square around the links you want to open and automatically opens them all in new tabs for you.

Shareaholic

It isn’t always appropriate to share your marketing material using the same message across all of your social channels, but with Shareaholic, taking care of the sites you aren’t focused as attentively on is easy.

META SEO Inspector

This is another SEO plug-in that saves you time from viewing the source of each page to see what they have in their head tags. METASEOInspector is really great for making sure your own sites META description is as you’d like it and that all your script calls are linking to external documents.

Speed Tracer

SpeedTracer takes a look at a websites code and gives a very complete on-site diagnostics. This extension is great for making sure your own site is performing at its best to help Google crawl it faster (and Google made it themselves).

Domain Details

DomainDetails is a great extension for the really hands on marketer who is looking to make connections, buy out-of-date domains, or try to find website networks. The extension gives you all the data you usually look to GoDaddy or dnsstuff to find.

SeoQuake

I’m putting this one at the bottom of the list because I don’t actively use it, but I do know a lot of marketers that swear by it. To me this SEOextension is overkill with how much data it is pulling and the taking-over of my Google pages is a bit overwhelming. But if you really want to know everything about a website at a glance, this is the most complete plug-in out there.

Frank Anderson is a technology and marketing blogger. He works with email exchange hosting and various other email technologies.

The 10 Best Google Chrome Extensions for Online Marketers is a post from: Mark Flavin's Blog | News & Tutorials On SEO, Social Media, Website Traffic & Internet Marketing

Google Killing Off More Products

Mark Flavin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:02:22 +0000

Google is continuing to kill off some of it’s lesser used products. This time some of the major products to go are Google Wave, Google Knol & Google Gears.

You can get the full list of products being discontinued on the Official Google Blog

These changes to Google structure aren’t very surprising in my opinion. The gap in the market these products fill isn’t really where Google want to be. With this spring cleaning we may now see more focus on it’s core products & improving them rather then creating new ones.

Google Killing Off More Products is a post from: Mark Flavin's Blog | News & Tutorials On SEO, Social Media, Website Traffic & Internet Marketing

The Latest Change To Google’s Search Algorithm

Mark Flavin — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:04:01 +0000

The latest change Google has made to it’s search algorithm is designed to bring ‘fresher’ and newer content to the top of it’s results.

For example if you’re searching for the ‘European Championships’ it will presume you are searching for the championships next year and not one from 20 years ago.

Google explains it like this:

Given the incredibly fast pace at which information moves in today’s world, the most recent information can be from the last week, day or even minute, and depending on the search terms, the algorithm needs to be able to figure out if a result from a week ago about a TV show is recent, or if a result from a week ago about breaking news is too old.

This update shouldn’t change much for people who regularly update their content in fact it should help them, but if you’ve got a static site and are not updating content regularly this is another update which could hurt your rankings. So bottom line….. start making regular updates to your content, blogging is one of the easiest ways to do this.

The Latest Change To Google’s Search Algorithm is a post from: Mark Flavin's Blog | News & Tutorials On SEO, Social Media, Website Traffic & Internet Marketing

10 Google, Chrome & Android Apps For Businesses & Entrepreneurs

Mark Flavin — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:11:26 +0000

Anyone who is in business in today’s digital world is probably using Google apps. The marketplace for these apps has much to offer and choose from to keep a company running smoothly. Even better, Google apps cost an average of one-third less than similar solutions, and make it easy for users to transition with the use of familiar interfaces, such as Outlook, with 99% uptime.

It should be noted that using the Google Apps Marketplace requires the user to sign up for a standard or education account, or a $50 per year Premier Edition account. The user’s business must also have a domain name. The paid account brings 25GB of storage with Gmail, 1GB of storage with Google Docs per user and 10GB storage on Google Sites. Premiere also allows the user to access and download all apps, which integrate seamlessly with Gmail and Google calendar.

The following list outlines the best of the Google apps crop, which are available for use on internet and phone.

SlideRocket

This free presentation app allows for the import of presentations from PowerPoint or Google, or the option of creating them on the spot. The user can add sound and also share the data with contacts in Google. A big plus for this app is its accessibility across Mac, Linux and Windows.

Mindmeister

Mindmeister is a convenient way to organize ideas and concepts to a group during a collaborative project. Each team member can illustrate and share plans and ideas, and create a clear roadmap to the goal. It costs $90 per user each year or $9 per user each month.

Rapportive

Essential for teams, Rapportive provides a live stream update of all team member’s activity on the project. It also has a shared address book for contact information and allows for the addition of chats and notes. The cost is $19 per month for a single user or $140 per month for an unlimited number of users.

OffiSync

A free add-on to the Microsoft Office environment, this app places a tool bar in Office that allows the user to save documents in native format to Google Docs. This in turn makes the collaboration tools available inside Office, which is a time saving measure.

Dialawg

Dialawg is a helpful tool that allows the user to compare differences when working with multiple documents in Word. This is of great use when many people are working with same set of text. The app is free if used with 10 or less saves per month or $29 per user each year.

FreshBooks

This app provides team-tracking on the internet and phone and will also make invoices and send them out by email, or standard mail, with an additional fee. It can be used for free for three clients or less, thereafter it is $80 each month, with billing done automatically.

Expensify

Expensify is a must for the business traveler, allowing for the mobile import of expenses from either a bank account or a credit card, getting receipts and the creation of an expense log. It works with QuickBooks and lets managers reimburse their employees quickly. Reports can be created or submitted for free, $5 each month per submitter for report approval.

PowerPanel

Google Apps are convenient but also bring their own management issues. PowerPanel simplifies the administration of the apps on the domain by allowing for creation of user accounts, as well as groups and resetting of passwords. Extra fields may be used to the Shared Contacts, as a bonus feature. The cost is $8 per user for each year.

PageOnce Personal Assistant

This handy app comes in both free and paid versions for Android phones. It will organize financial information, keep a tally of frequent flyer miles, notify of important events and even keep track of minutes used on the phone. The paid app will provide flight information in real time and adds a Personal Assistant to keep an eye on finances.

Evernote

Another useful Android app, Evernote enables the user to capture images, audio, text or any type of file for storage in the cloud. All captured items can be converted to notes, which are then searchable from another computer or phone. The app can even take a voice note and send it out as an email or a tweet. Nearly all features are available through the free app but the paid version is required if the user wants the ability to upload any file type.

Business owners and anyone who travels for business, or often collaborates on team projects will be able to make use of these apps for internet and phone. A small investment in the Google Marketplace can take any business a very long way. Staying up to date and organized is the key to staying ahead in the business world

This is a guest article by Ruben Corbo, a writer for the website Broadband Expert where you can find the best internet and phone providers and compare prices on different deals for your wireless internet necessities.

10 Google, Chrome & Android Apps For Businesses & Entrepreneurs is a post from: Mark Flavin's Blog | News & Tutorials On SEO, Social Media, Website Traffic & Internet Marketing

RIP Steve Jobs 1955-2011

Mark Flavin — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 01:26:48 +0000

One of the great tech innovators of our time Steve Jobs has passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. There is probably not one person reading this blog who has not been effected by Steve in some way.

He revolutionized the music industry with the iPod, the mobile phone market with the iPhone and the tablet market with the iPad.

As I write this post on my iPad, to Steve I say, Rest In Peace and Thank You.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. – Steve Jobs

Please feel free to leave comments, best wishes and stories below.

RIP Steve Jobs 1955-2011 is a post from: Mark Flavin's Blog | News & Tutorials On SEO, Social Media, Website Traffic & Internet Marketing

Technorati Tags: apple, steve jobs

Social Media & Hurricane Irene

Mark Flavin — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:27:20 +0000

The online noise surrounding the effects of Hurricane Irene was to say the least, loud and wide-ranging. Regardless of what you personally thought of the storm, it’s irrefutable that it was a highly talked about subject across all journalism mediums. It may have only landed in New York City as a tropical storm, but Irene was a category 5 in terms of a social media storm.

Across Facebook and Twitter, people were sharing their own personal stories, pictures and updates on the status of how Irene was affecting them. Some even created a Twitter account for Irene to personify all of her actions.

Not only did people take to social media to share their personal stories, but news stations, weather emergency agencies and businesses used both sites to keep people updated on the storm’s progress, latest warnings and safety tips. Even though many people were left without power after the storm had passed, people were still able to keep in touch with their online social network through the use of their smart phones.

For instance, Red Cross invested time and money into training “digital volunteers” to monitor online social media portals like twitter to help people in this time of crisis. As stated previously, they provided information on shelter locations along with real-time storm safety information. In order to back their reputability, they were awarded certification badges for their training.

Some utility companies, like Easton Utilities in Maryland, used their Facebook page to keep customers in the know about outages and restoration times.

The New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) kept updating their Facebook page with weather reports, city evacuation plans, mass transit news and even tips on how to report the damage done to your property. OEM is now hosting National Preparedness Month Kick-off events in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island. These events are to recognize September as National Preparedness Month and to educate people on how to prepare for all types of emergencies.

As far as one survey was concerned, all of the above was very prudent. American Red Cross actually reached out to the public via telephone and the Internet to find out exactly what gateways of communication were most important. They found that the Internet is the 3^rd most popular, with 18% of surveyors claiming that FB was their most desired and reliable source.

Almost 32% of the online survey takers said that they used various social media portals to let loved ones know that they weren’t in harms way, or had made it out alive. Almost 70% of online survey takers also said these sites (i.e. – American Red Cross) should be constantly monitored and updated frequently. And with almost 50% stating that they would expect help to arrive in less than an hour following a tweet or cry-for-help status update, it’s no wonder why organizations like the Red Cross continue to put money into updating their digital response team(s).

Since social media sites allow anyone to post almost anything they want, there was also a lot of false information floating around in cyber space and being spread as truth.

For example, this photo was circulated as being Hurricane Irene approaching the shores of North Carolina. It was actually a picture taken in Pensacola, Fla. taken a few weeks before Hurricane Irene. However, the photo was widely circulated and believed to be Irene with over 250,000 views on Twitter. However, there’s much little evidence to support the claim that social media is in fact detrimental to the effectiveness of an online emergency response presence.

Many people also felt that many lives had been saved by following through on evacuation plans. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that any criticism over the decision to evacuate those out of southern New Jersey will be dismissed. Gov. Christie said, “I did not want to leave resources on the table and leave people in parts of the southern part of our state where they could end up losing their lives.”

Without a doubt, social media has helped keep citizens informed during the wrath of Hurricane Irene. As many people are still cleaning up the mess that was left behind, social media will keep evolving to not only allow people to connect, but to help people stay informed in emergency situations.

Courtesy of Douglas Elliman Real Estate Company, agents for Bronx Condos.

Social Media & Hurricane Irene is a post from: Mark Flavin's Blog | News & Tutorials On SEO, Social Media, Website Traffic & Internet Marketing

How to Use Social Media to Grow Your Business

Mark Flavin — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 08:18:22 +0000

Guest post by Muzammil Bashir

Social media is a big thing right now, and I’m sure every business owner feels like it is something that they should be using if they are not already. But if like most business owners you are not already a social media expert, it might be hard to know where to start.

So here is a simple guide to social media for entrepreneurs; Here I will aim to answer the question “How can I use social media to get more sales?”

Golden Rule:

Learning social media is hard work and it takes time. Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of trying to do it all in one go and failing them all. So at first, pick one platform – Twitter or Facebook for example. Learn the ropes and don’t even think about the other options until you feel like you have mastered the first one.

Two Angles:

For business I generally think of using social media from two different angles: First, you can use it to communicate with existing customers and build brand loyalty. Second you can use it to reach out to and find new customers…

Existing Customers:

If you are new to social media, this is the way to go at first. Once you have your account set up, encourage your existing customers to sign up, follow you or whatever. At first, just use your account as a way to communicate with your customers, tell them interesting news, special offers, give them discount codes etc.

Finding New Customers:

Finding new customers via social media isn’t easy, but the most effective strategy is to encourage your existing customers to spread the word. If you are active on your chosen platform, and if you ensure that you communicate effectively; your followers will start to share what you are sending out and word will spread.

This means that you need to make it worthwhile for people to follow you. If your messages are boring, if you don’t get involved and contribute, or if all of your posts feel poorly thought out; You will not be able to maintain your following and no one will want to share your message.

Is Social Media Right For You?

Before you dive in, think carefully about whether social media makes sense for your business. Any business can make use of social media, but it will be harder to get traction for some industries.

If you are selling really cutting edge products, or quirky items that easily grab people’s attention, people will naturally want to share your message. If your product or service is relatively dry or uninteresting, it might be harder – you will need to think carefully about how you can talk about your niche in a creative way that makes it more interesting.

Author Bio:
My name is Muzammil Bashir. I’m working with the Senior Editor of Net Effekt –specialising in white label email marketing.

How to Use Social Media to Grow Your Business is a post from: Mark Flavin's Blog | News & Tutorials On SEO, Social Media, Website Traffic & Internet Marketing

Technorati Tags: business and social media, facebook, increase sales with social media, social media, social media for business, twitter

Digital Marketer Labs Review & Bonus

Mark Flavin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:06:30 +0000

Digital Marketer Labs Review

Digital Marketer by Ryan Deiss is essentially a continually updated bible of marketing tests, information & data for online marketers. Ryan has websites in hundreds of different niches & by collecting all the data from his businesses & sharing it inside the digital marketers members area you can use it to increase your businesses profits. Inside the members area you’ll receive information on:

Split test results – So you know what will & wont convert your visitors into customers
How he’s using social media for traffic & profits
His companies new conversion and page optimization discoveries
Traffic sources you’ve probably never heard of
And much much more

If you’re interested in using the data & knowledge Ryan has gained from his online businesses to increase your businesses profits then click here to visit the Digital Marketer Labs Website for more information.

P.S. Watch this space – bonus will be announced soon.

Digital Marketer Labs Review & Bonus is a post from: Mark Flavin's Blog | News & Tutorials On SEO, Social Media, Website Traffic & Internet Marketing