BYOD: Top five mobile devices for business, 2012</h1> <article> <h1>BYOD: Top five mobile devices for business, 2012</h1> <p>David Mercer — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:15:14 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-blogimage"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <p>BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is becoming a standard way of allowing business people to work with the mobile device of their choice wherever they go. </p> <p>BYOD makes it easy to use your own tablet, PDA, smartphone, or whatever, to attend business meetings, functions and events, or simply connect to your corporate network.</p> <p>But knowing which mobile device to purchase can be tricky because it depends not only on what is available, which manufacturers offer the best guarantees or warranties, but also what its intended business purpose is.</p> <p>With sales of tablets set to overtake PCs for the first time in history over the next few years, it's clear that BYOD and mobile devices for business are here to stay. </p> <p>As with any dynamic and growing industry, mobile devices offer business people a staggering array of choices. So I've put together a list of the highest quality mobile devices that meet a range of business needs. </p> <h2>The top five BYOD's for business</h2> <p>This list highlights the most popular business oriented mobile devices on the market today and provides some guidance as to which one you should consider buying to meet your business requirements:</p> <h3>1. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0067U9W7Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0067U9W7Y">Samsung Series 5 3G Chromebook (Titan Silver)</a></h3> <div style="float: left; margin: 0 5px 5px 0;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0067U9W7Y/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0067U9W7Y"></a></div> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0067U9W7Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0067U9W7Y">Samsung's Series 5 3G Chromebook</a> is just magnificent, and is our hands down winner! Available at up to <strong>17%</strong> discount, it is a mobile device that is tailored from the ground up to work on the Web. Perfect for the business executive on the go.</p> <p>That's right! Start thinking cloud based apps, combined with a Chromebook, for a truly mobile workplace. </p> <p>This Chromebook comes with a 10 second boot time, and instant start-up after sleep mode. Naturally it has all the connectedness functionality you would require for a web based work place. </p> <p>Not to mention, it's just super cool!</p> <p><strong>Alternative BYOD's</strong><br /> There are a few Chromebooks available on the market, with more to come soon. It's worth checking out the alternative Chromebook offering from Samsung:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0067U9VUC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0067U9VUC">Samsung Series 5 Wi-Fi 12.1-Inch Chromebook (Black)</a></li> </ul> <h3>2. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00746MXF8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00746MXF8">Apple iPad MD328LL/A (16GB, Wi-Fi, White</a></h3> <div style="float: left; margin: 0 5px 5px 0;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00746MXF8/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00746MXF8"></a></div> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00746MXF8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00746MXF8">Apple's latest iPad</a>, like all Apple product's, is simply WOW! </p> <p>As always, the iPad has a range of super-cool features that aren't necessarily work related, so I won't rehash them here. However, you can download iWork to convert your iPad into a mobile workstation with document editing, spreadsheets and slideshows. </p> <p>Note that iWork is an extra expense (around $30), and if you are going to be doing some serious typing, you should also consider getting an external keyboard like the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EOWBKE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005EOWBKE">AmazonBasics Bluetooth Keyboard for Apple iPad</a>.</p> <p><strong>Alternative BYOD's</strong><br /> Other tablets do exist, and some of them are actually pretty good. Check out these:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007OWZRPK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007OWZRPK">Toshiba Excite AT305T64 10.1-Inch 64 GB Tablet Computer - Wi-Fi - NVIDIA Tegra 3 1.20 GHz</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007M50PTM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007M50PTM">Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (10.1-Inch, Wi-Fi)</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007P4YAPK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007P4YAPK">ASUS Transformer TF300 T-B1-BL 10.1-Inch 32 GB Tablet (Blue)</a></li> </ul> <h3>3. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005S0DB9Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005S0DB9Y">Blackberry Curve 9360 Unlocked</a></h3> <div style="float: left; margin: 0 5px 5px 0;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005S0DB9Y/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005S0DB9Y"></a> </div> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005S0DB9Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005S0DB9Y">Blackberry's Curve 9360</a> is a lightweight and fun business accessory. Not only can you get emails on the fly, work with documents, connect to wi-fi networks, browse the Web (with impressive performance), but you can also take great pictures and clips to remember your business trips.</p> <p>It's NFC (Near Field Communication) enabled so you can speak directly to other NFC devices, scan and read smart tags, and of course, let's not forget BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) which allows you to instant message with any other BlackBerry device.</p> <p><strong>Alternative BYOD's</strong><br /> Depending on your smartphone requirements, you might want to consider a phone that comes with a service, or maybe you need a bit more muscle than the lightweight 9360:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0071G0KR4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0071G0KR4">Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX 4G Android Phone, Black 32GB (Verizon Wireless)</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0067HQL30/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0067HQL30">Samsung Galaxy Note GT-N7000 Unlocked Phone--International Version (Blue)</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005VGFQXE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005VGFQXE">Apple iPhone 4S 16GB</a></li> </ul> <h3>4. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006OEL7Z8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006OEL7Z8">HP g7-1310us Laptop</a></h3> <div style="float: left; margin: 0 5px 5px 0;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006OEL7Z8/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006OEL7Z8"></a></div> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006OEL7Z8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006OEL7Z8">HP's g7-1310us laptop</a> offers a few things that I consider super important for a laptop on the move. It has a large, comfortable screen, it starts up like lightning, and it is geared to make communications and sharing easy. Everything you need from a laptop that follows you from convention to convention.</p> <p>The HP is priced well (get up to <strong>$100</strong> off the asking price) and doesn't come with loads of unnecessary "<em>junk</em>" software. It gives you five hours of battery life - not bad for a laptop that is as powerful as a PC. </p> <p><strong>Alternative BYOD's</strong><br /> There are plenty of great laptops on the market, so here are some of the most popular laptops in different sizes and power:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CWJ3MM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005CWJ3MM">Apple MacBook Pro MD322LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007CKQMPI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007CKQMPI">Lenovo G570 4334DBU 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007G7CO2C/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007G7CO2C">Acer Aspire AS5750Z-4835 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)</a></li> </ul> <h3>5. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00719CH0O/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00719CH0O">Acer Aspire One AO722-0825 11.6-Inch Netbook (Black)</a></h3> <div style="float: left; margin: 0 5px 5px 0;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00719CH0O/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00719CH0O"></a></div> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00719CH0O/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00719CH0O">Acer's Aspire One netbook</a> is highly popular for its attractive and sleek design. It is lightweight and super thin and comes at a reasonable price. </p> <p>It has Microsoft Office preloaded, but requires you to purchase <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005O24CWG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005O24CWG">Microsoft Office Home & Business 2010 Product Key Card- 1PC/1User</a><br /> in order to active it. Lamentably, that's about the best you can hope for these days, since Microsoft stopped shipping Office with Windows. </p> <p><strong>Alternative BYOD's</strong><br /> There are a couple of serious contenders for the title of best netbook, check out these two options:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0072N4TNW/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0072N4TNW">HP Mini 210-4150NR 10.1-Inch Netbook (Charcoal Gray)</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004G8QZPG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004G8QZPG">Toshiba NB505-N508BL 10.1-Inch Netbook (Blue)</a></li> </ul> </article> <article> <h1>List of must-read SEO and Internet marketing articles for business</h1> <p>David Mercer — Thu, 24 May 2012 22:05:34 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-blogimage"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <p>SEO and Internet marketing are integral parts of any successful online business. Internet startups, entrepreneurs, businesses, as well as bloggers all need to pay heed to SEO and Internet marketing if they are to succeed online.</p> <p>I often come across great SEO and Internet marketing articles through the course of my work, and I thought I would share some of my best SEO & marketing articles as well as some of the best that I have found on the Web.</p> <p><a href="http://www.seobook.com#a_aid=siteprebuilder&a_bid=58037ebe" target="_top"></a></p> <h2>The business objectives of SEO and Internet marketing</h2> <p>SEO and Internet marketing are collectively responsible for:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li>Driving engaged and relevant traffic to your business website or blog through various channels - organic search, social media, advertising, etc</li> <li>Monitoring, analyzing and refining techniques to increase traffic volumes and maximize ROI (Return on Investment)</li> </ul> <p>Once traffic is flowing to your website, how you monetize it and maximize your conversions, while related to both SEO and Internet marketing, is a story for another day. </p> <h2>Why SEO and Internet marketing matter to business</h2> <p>Around 50% of all traffic on the Web comes from search, making SEO one of the most important factors for driving traffic and revenue.</p> <p>While SEO focuses on driving engaged traffic from search engines, like Google, Internet marketing focuses on pretty much every other aspect of driving traffic, including:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li>social media </li> <li>PPC and other advertising</li> <li>public relations</li> <li>News & reviews</li> </ul> <p>and much, much more .</p> <p>Since high quality traffic is the lifeblood of any online business, SEO and Internet marketing are vital components of a successful online enterprise. Without the ability to drive traffic, no product in the world will sell well online.</p> <p><a href="http://www.semrush.com/sem.html?ref=884203985"> </a></p> <h2>Great SEO articles</h2> <p>Here is a list of the best articles relating to SEO and its application for business (large and small):</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://edgyseo.com/seo/seo-tips-2012/">18 SEO Experts On How To Do SEO In 2012</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.viperchill.com/mass-google-traffic/">How a 3 month old website received 958, 372 visits from Google</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-you-can-rank-a-new-site-higher-than-an-old-site/43804/">How You Can Rank a New Site Higher Than an Old Site</a></li> <li><a href="http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2008/11/googles-seo-starter-guide.html">Google's SEO starter guide</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2012/04/explaining-google-search-in-under-8-minutes.html">Explaining Google Search in Under 8 Minutes</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/five-money-making-seo-tips-small-business-online-stores">Five money making SEO tips for small business online stores</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.spottedpanda.com/2011/seo-news/confirmed-seo-facts-matt-cutts/">Confirmed SEO Facts (by Matt Cutts)</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/panda-penguin-friendly-seo-business-guide-recovering-googles-algorithm-updates">Panda & Penguin friendly SEO: A business guide to recovering from Google's algorithm updates</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.seobook.com/organic-links">The Decline of organic links</a> </li> </ul> <h2>Great Internet marketing articles</h2> <p>Here is a list of Internet marketing articles that will help you take your business or blog to the next level:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://www.dreamgrow.com/15-must-know-facts-on-how-people-view-websites/comment-page-1/">15 Must-Know Facts on How People View Websites</a> </li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/top-five-tips-teach-you-how-rock-social-media">The top five tips that teach you how to rock social media</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/yes-50-scientifically-proven-ways-to-be-persuasive/1624">Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive</a> </li> <li><a href="http://blog.kissmetrics.com/effective-homepage/">The Anatomy of an Effective Homepage</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/latest-internet-marketing-techniques-seo-tips-using-google-analytics-real-time">The latest Internet marketing techniques & SEO tips using Google analytics' Real-Time</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.smallfuel.com/blog/entry/how-to-get-noticed/">35 powerful ways to get noticed</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.insidecrm.com/features/marketing-startup-budget-051208/">Marketing on a startup budget</a></li> <li><a href="http://thefuturebuzz.com/2010/08/02/viral-images-2010/">50 Viral Images The Web Shared In 2010</a></li> <li><a href="http://unbounce.com/photos/7-secrets-of-social-media-conversion-infographic.png">7 secrets of social media conversion</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/content-revenue-calculator-bloggers-and-businesses">Content revenue calculator for bloggers and businesses</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.wordstream.com/articles/most-expensive-keywords">Where Google Makes Its Money: The 20 Most Expensive Keywords in Google AdWords</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="http://go.seomoz.org/aff_c?offer_id=1&aff_id=4858&file_id=9" target="_blank"></a></p> <h2>Need SEO or Internet marketing help?</h2> <p>If you're looking for an SEO consultant or Internet marketing service to take charge of your business SEO and marketing strategy, then the following resources and articles may be of use to you:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/business-website-seo-audit">Comprehensive Website & SEO audit</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/seo-social">Quality SEO & social power Content</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/best-five-seo-tools-list-top-seo-software-sites-ranked-their-own-seo-performance">Best SEO tools list: Top SEO software sites ranked by their own SEO performance</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/10-step-assessment-how-hire-seo-consultant-or-internet-marketing-company-your-business">10 step assessment: How to hire an SEO consultant or Internet marketing company for your business</a></li> </ul> <p>What SEO or Internet marketing articles have helped your business? Share your favorite articles in the comments or join the conversation on Twitter and LinkedIn.</p> </article> <article> <h1>The five stages of launching a successful Internet startup</h1> <p>David Mercer — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:43:06 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-blogimage"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Every Internet startup goes through five distinct stages on the way to making money and succeeding. This article shows you how to identify and guide an Internet startup through each stage and succeed early. </p> <p>Startups can be any type of enterprise ranging from a blog about baking, to an affiliate marketing website, to an eCommerce store. Whatever your startup does, it will go through the same five stages on the way to success.</p> <p>Identifying and understanding each of these stages in your own business can help you to tackle the right business challenges at the right time.</p> <p><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=gK7*B5N5Wgs&offerid=247031.10000007&subid=0&type=4"></a></p> <h2>Launching, operating and growing an Internet startup</h2> <p>If you are thinking about starting an Internet business, or have just started one, then it is likely that you already know that coming up with a good idea, and identifying a need or niche to fill is crucial - so I won't rehash that here. </p> <p>Instead, I'm going to look at Internet startups from a different angle. I'm going to tell you what you "<em>experience</em>", what to look out for, and where to find more information once you've identified where in the business life-cycle your enterprise is.</p> <h3>1. Your Internet startup is launched</h3> <p>Once you've had your business brainwave and put in the sleepless nights putting everything together, building a website, researching the competition, learning about the market, it comes time to launch your business.</p> <p><strong>Characterized by</strong>: Lack of customers and traffic. Little to no revenue. Technical issues. Bugs. Procedural problems. Poor design. Poor implementation. </p> <p><strong>Strategy</strong>: At this point, you need to work hard to ensure that the visitor or customer experience is improved at an exponential rate. Recognize that it is often not possible to make a startup perfect out-of-the-box, and endeavor to eagerly take on advice and criticism in order to improve your business offering.</p> <p>For a blogger this could mean, rethinking your writing style. For an affiliate marketer, this could mean offering more high quality content with less advertising. For an eCommerce site, this could mean upgrading to a better quality eCommerce shopping cart platform.</p> <p><strong>Further reading</strong>: In this early stage of your startup, everything should be about learning. Learn whatever you can. Follow people in social media. Read news articles. But, above all, learn from the practical experience of running your own Internet startup.</p> <p>Here are some resources you'll find useful:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/top-10-small-business-software-products-2012">Top 10 small business software products, 2012</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/best-ecommerce-shopping-carts-online-store-builders-and-business-resources">The best eCommerce shopping carts, online store builders, and business resources</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/business-office-supplies-free-quote">Business services & office supplies free quotation</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/best-small-business-web-hosting-services-2012">The best small business web hosting services, 2012</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/5-best-small-business-web-design-companies">The 5 best small business web design companies</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/five-money-saving-products-and-services-modern-small-business-and-office">Five money-saving products and services for the modern small business and office</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-5703192-1629825" target="_top"><br /> </a></p> <h3>2. Your Internet startup is operational</h3> <p>With many if not most of the bugs ironed out, some more efficient procedures in place, and a bit of experience, you are ready to start operating in earnest.</p> <p><strong>Characterized by</strong>: Low traffic. Low income. Occasional bug fixes. Cosmetic improvements to the site. </p> <p><strong>Strategy</strong>: Reach out to your niche. Seek to make relationships with influential people in your industry. Make connections and strategic business alliances.</p> <p>Often marketing directly to your customers can be too expensive for an early stage startup. It can be far more rewarding to connect with people who have greater trust and authority in the market and get them to evangelize your business.</p> <p><strong>Further reading</strong>:<br /> If you want to learn more about how to make industry, niche and strategic connections online, then the following articles and resources will help:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/seo-and-social-marketing-resources-grow-your-small-business-quickly">SEO and social marketing resources to grow your small business quickly</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/how-best-target-new-social-marketing-business-or-blogging-connections">How best to target new social, marketing, business or blogging connections</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=gK7*B5N5Wgs&offerid=231530.10000017&type=3&subid=0" >What is your online reputation? Find out with YourBuzz. Sign up for free!</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.seomoz.org/cart/purchase_select?source=aff&http://go.seomoz.org/aff_c?offer_id=1&aff_id=4858&file_id=34">Test how accessible your site is to search engines</a></li> </ul> <h3>3. Finding clients and building a revenue stream</h3> <p>With some decent industry connections and a bit of trust built up with some influential people, bloggers, entrepeneurs, journalists and news sites, you can start to market to your customers in earnest.</p> <p><strong>Characterized by</strong>: Low traffic. Low revenue. Frustration at inability to penetrate the market. Frustration at not being able to get sufficient coverage or generate "<em>buzz</em>".</p> <p><strong>Strategy</strong>: Marketing. Marketing. Marketing. Do everything possible to drive sales and revenue. </p> <p>It's at this point that many startups close their doors because they didn't focus exclusively on building a solid stream of revenue. Without an income sufficient to meet your operational costs (yes, this applies to bloggers too) then your startup is not sustainable in the long run.</p> <p><strong>Further reading</strong>:<br /> If you want to learn more about Internet marketing, driving traffic, and converting with a high ROI (Return on Investment) then these articles and resources will help:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/how-create-award-winning-blog-content-small-business-top-mover">How to create award winning blog content from a small business 'Top mover'</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/top-five-tips-teach-you-how-rock-social-media">The top five tips that teach you how to rock social media</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/talking-about-other-people-most-powerful-way-get-more-traffic">Talking about other people is the most powerful way to get more traffic</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/five-money-making-seo-tips-small-business-online-stores">Five money making SEO tips for small business online stores</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/top-five-seo-services-small-business-2012">The top five SEO services for small business, 2012</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/how-drive-killer-repeat-business-minimal-cost-and-effort-using-social-media">How to drive killer repeat business with minimal cost and effort using social media</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/return-investment-roi-calculator-blog-and-business-content">Return on Investment (ROI) calculator for blog and business content</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-5703192-10825010" target="_top"><br /> </a></p> <h3>4. Nurturing and encouraging growth</h3> <p>If you have done a good job of marketing, advertising and promoting your Internet startup then you can shift the business marketing campaigns up a gear. </p> <p><strong>Characterized by</strong>: Increased revenue. Increased traffic. Potential technical problems - scalability, hardware, etc. Unsolicited coverage and social buzz.</p> <p><strong>Strategy</strong>: Marketing. Marketing. Marketing. Start diversifying your marketing strategy to include existing fans, followers and customers. Offer promotions, discounts and deals. Get into the news. Leverage previous successes to gain additional coverage. Build further trust and authority. </p> <p>Improve and upgrade. It is likely that up 'til now you haven't had a moment to implement all the new features and system improvements the business needs. Now is the time. Invest income back into the business. </p> <p>Scale, and grow.</p> <p><strong>Further reading</strong>:<br /> With your business starting to achieve real growth and financial stability, you'll have to think carefully about the direction you want to take. The following resources and articles can help:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/four-step-perfect-pr-pitch">The four step perfect PR pitch</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/magic-ingredient-what-change-about-your-blog-and-social-order-succeed">The magic ingredient: What to change about your blog and social in order to succeed</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.semrush.com/sem.html?ref=884203985">SEMRush.com. The clue to secrets of all your competitors.</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.seobook.com/#a_aid=siteprebuilder">Work with hundreds of proven global SEO experts</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000000034836018&pubid=21000000000292116">OnlyWire. More hits & more sales.</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000613802271452&pubid=21000000000292116"></a></p> <h3>5. Competing in the market</h3> <p>Arriving on the stage, you will be greeted by stiff competition in your market. It's likely that there are a few competitors none too happy that your growth has eroded their market share. This is where it gets fun...</p> <p><strong>Characterized by</strong>: Strategic business decisions. Competitive research and analysis. Focus on both existing customer or fan base as well as new opportunities for growth.</p> <p><strong>Strategy</strong>: Don't neglect the customers, readers, fans and followers who got you where you are. Don't diversify unless you know that you can continue to meet the needs of the people who constitute the livelihood of the business.</p> <p>With one eye firmly on your existing customers, look around for growth opportunities and strategic moves that can help to out-compete other businesses in your industry. </p> <p>Remember that no business is immune to change. Especially Internet businesses. If you don't continue to adapt and grow, your customers will eventually be drawn elsewhere.</p> <p>Take a break. Take some family time. Celebrate a job well done. Then, get back to work.</p> <p><strong>Further reading</strong>:<br /> If your business is operating successfully, but you are looking to grow further then the following articles and resources may help:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-5703192-10938216" target="_top">Analyze your competitors SEO keywords</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-5703192-10866829" target="_top">Send 500 FREE email newsletters with your VerticalResponse trial!</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-5703192-10773965" target="_top">Let Campaigner help you grow your business and build your relationships with your customers.</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-5703192-10952383" target="_top">Build your own Social Network!</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-5703192-10873809" target="_top">Quickbooks Online - Choose the plan that's best for your business</a></li> </ul> <p>What stage is your Internet startup in? What tools, strategies, services and business techniques have you used to help you succeed online? Share your advice in the comments or join the conversation on Twitter and LinkedIn.</p> </article> <article> <h1>SEO how to: Using Image SEO to appear higher in Google search results</h1> <p>David Mercer — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:25:58 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-blogimage"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Image SEO is relatively overlooked in the SEO world. The fact is that proper image SEO can drive just as much traffic as properly SEO'd content, sometimes more. </p> <p><em>SEO tip: Image SEO can help you leapfrog better ranked content and appear higher up in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), because Google gives visual content preferential visibility.</em></p> <p>This article shows, using some cool webmaster tools search query graphs, how to better select and optimize images, and use them to drive more visitors to your site via organic search results.</p> <p><a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-5703192-10939672" target="_top"><br /> </a></p> <h2>Google search and images</h2> <p>Google includes images in search results and also provides a dedicated image search facility. Images that it finds in content, that it believes is highly relevant to a search, may well be displayed on the first page search results, <strong>even if the source page does not</strong>.</p> <p>This means that image SEO can get first page visibility even if your content cannot. </p> <h3>Proper Image SEO</h3> <p>Here are the most important SEO factors relating to images:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><strong>Image name</strong>: Don't save images with names that are not relevant or meaningful. Google can't tell what an image called "<em>bp_43Ed443.jpg</em>" is about. An SEO image with the name "<em>image-seo.jpg</em>" is likely to have something to do with SEO and images.</li> <li><strong>Image context</strong>: Google can't understand images. It relies on the content around the image to give it context. In order to properly SEO an image, you must ensure that it is embedded within highly focused and relevant content.</li> <li><strong>Alt & Title</strong>: Give images both tags. Alt and title text also play a huge role in providing SEO context for Google. Make sure both tags use SEO keywords and phrases that are highly relevant to the image and topic.</li> </ul> <h3>Image selection for SEO</h3> <p>Getting Google to return an image in its results is one thing. Getting a visitor to click on that image is another thing altogether. Many bloggers (including myself, in the past), included a blog post picture simply as a visual clue to help readers identify the post a bit easier.</p> <p>Image SEO obliges you to take a step further and select or create an image that is as compelling as the content summary returned in search results. </p> <p>If a user searches for "<em>Image SEO</em>", they are far more likely to click on an image that shows something related to SEO, such as analytical data, graphs, etc. I could place a picture of a cat in a blog post on image SEO, and have Google return the result, but cats are not what that user is after.</p> <p>Images need to be highly relevant and compelling in order to drive traffic.</p> <p><a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-5703192-11055130" target="_top"><br /> </a></p> <h2>Monitoring and managing image SEO</h2> <p><a href="http://www.google.com/webmasters">Google Webmasters</a> provides a break down of organic search traffic by "<em>Search</em>" type. This means that is is a cinch to find out how much search traffic arises from:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li>Images</li> <li>Mobile</li> <li>Video</li> <li>Web</li> </ul> <p>In order to analyze image SEO and image driven traffic patterns:</p> <ol> <li>Go to "<em>Traffic >> Search Queries</em>" in Webmaster tools</li> <li>Click the "<em>Filters</em>" button at the top left of the page</li> <li>Select "<em>Image</em>" under "<em>Search</em>" and click "<em>Apply</em></li> </ol> <h3>Webmaster tools search query data (overall)</h3> <p>The following image shows overall Google webmaster tools search query data for <a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com">Site prebuilder</a>:</p> <div style="text-align: center;"></div> <p>Notice, in particular, that the top two search terms shown in this graph are "<em>easy</em>" and "<em>blogging</em>". Obviously <em>blogging</em> is an extremely competitive term to rank highly on. There are many millions of bloggers and blogs that compete on this term.</p> <h3>Webmaster tools search query data (filtered by images)</h3> <p>The same data is then filtered by "<em>Image</em>" to produce the following graph:</p> <div style="text-align: center;"></div> <p>The graph still shows the same top two search query terms. In other words, the two biggest SEO keywords for <a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com">Site prebuilder</a>, one of which (<em>blogging</em>) is highly competitive, come from image based traffic.</p> <p>Overall, organic search traffic accounts for only 10% of the overall traffic arriving from Google organic search. However, I expect this to increase with time as I go back and update poorly SEO'd images on the site.</p> <p><a href="http://go.seomoz.org/aff_c?offer_id=1&aff_id=4858&file_id=24" target="_blank"></a></p> <h2>Images in Google Web search</h2> <p>The above organic search traffic arising from images actually derives from Google image searches. But Google also returns images in normal Web searches. It is quite possible to get first page Web search results using images. The following screenshot shows some of my images appearing in Google search:</p> <div style="text-align: center;"></div> <p>Have you implemented proper image SEO? How have images and video helped to drive traffic to your blog or business via organic search. Share your thoughts in the comments or join the conversation on Twitter or LinkedIn.</p> <p>You might also want to learn more about SEO by visiting the following articles, resources, and services:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/latest-internet-marketing-techniques-seo-tips-using-google-analytics-real-time">The latest Internet marketing techniques & SEO tips using Google analytics' Real-Time</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/best-five-seo-tools-list-top-seo-software-sites-ranked-their-own-seo-performance">Best SEO tools list: Top SEO software sites ranked by their own SEO performance</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/business-website-seo-audit">Panda & Penguin compliant SEO audit for your business</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/how-test-seo-top-free-seo-tools-easily-check-seo-any-page">How to test SEO: Top free SEO tools to easily check the SEO of any page</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/10-step-assessment-how-hire-seo-consultant-or-internet-marketing-company-your-business">10 step assessment: How to hire an SEO consultant or Internet marketing company for your business</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/top-five-seo-services-small-business-2012">The top five SEO services for small business, 2012</a></li> </ul> </article> <article> <h1>The latest Internet marketing techniques & SEO tips using Google analytics' Real-Time</h1> <p>David Mercer — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:00:46 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-blogimage"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Google analytics Real-Time has opened up a host of new SEO tricks and Internet marketing techniques to help businesses and marketers create more flexible and responsive SEO, content, ads, and marketing campaigns.</p> <p>This article explores the analytical features of Real-Time and then provides a list of exciting new marketing and SEO tips & tricks to help you get the most out of your web content, ad campaigns and social media marketing.</p> <p><a href="http://www.pjatr.com/t/R0BERExFREBISUVGREBERUtDSQ"></a></p> <h2>Features of Google analytics' Real-Time</h2> <p>To access Real-Time in Google analytics, click <em>Home</em> from the main menu and then select <em>Real-Time >> Overview</em> from the navigation menu on the left hand side of the page.</p> <h3>Real-Time Overview</h3> <p>The overview page provides the following data:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li>Number of current, active visitors</li> <li>Pageview history for the last 30 minutes</li> <li>Per second history of the current minute's pageviews</li> <li>Top referrals</li> <li>Top active pages</li> <li>Top keywords</li> <li>Top locations</li> </ul> <p>Each of the remaining pages in Real-Time (<em>Locations</em>, <em>traffic sources</em>, <em>Content</em>) provide a focused view of their respective data niches, and allow you to add filters to your real time data.</p> <p>For example, go to the <em>Locations</em> page and click on a country from the map. Now head back to the <em>Overview</em> page and look at the data filtered by the country you specified. Neat, huh?</p> <p>You can easily remove any filters by clicking on the blue filter link at the top of the page.</p> <p><a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000000029880327&pubid=21000000000292116"></a></p> <h2>Internet marketing techniques and SEO tip using Real-Time</h2> <p>Real time analytical data about blog or website traffic is incredibly valuable for any Internet marketer, advertiser, SEM, SEO, blogger or online business. </p> <p>By closely watching traffic patterns, content hits, visitor data, and referrals it is possible to build up a picture of how marketing, advertising or content spreads through the Internet, how long it takes to have an impact, how much of an impact it has, whether or not it is having the right impact, and so on.</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><strong>Twitter marketing</strong>: Measure the immediate impact of a tweet. Repeat this process at different times to build up a picture of the type of tweets that drive more traffic, and when it's best to share.</li> <li><strong><span style="color: red;">Real-time responsive advertising</span></strong>: If you an see that traffic is particularly high in one location, in one demographic, at the current moment, why not change your advertising to match them? In the mornings most of my traffic is from India, but by afternoon, most of my visitors are from the U.S. Completely different demographics. </li> <li><strong><span style="color: red;">Real-time responsive social media engagement</span></strong>: tonnes of traffic coming from a LinkedIn group? Why not head over there and join the conversation. Help stimulate real time debate and drive more traffic and visibility for your site, blog or brand. </li> <li><strong>General social media sharing</strong>: Digg an article and watch for spikes in traffic. Share a blog post on Facebook and analyze the resulting traffic. Share articles and news on Reddit, StumbleUpon, or LinkedIn to find out which times have higher engagement levels, etc.</li> <li><strong>Google ads analysis</strong>: Just released a new Google ad? Keep an eye on real time data coming through to see how visitors are responding (i.e. are they bouncing, browsing aimlessly, or converting?)</li> <li><strong>PPC campaign analysis</strong>: Launch a new ad campaign by making sure everything is working properly. Check your real-time analytics to ensure PPC ads are driving traffic to the right place. Quickly respond to problems or high bounce rates. </li> <li><strong>New content</strong>: Published a new article? Keep an eye on Real-Time to see how long it takes for the article to get picked up, shared and start driving traffic. Find out which visitors are "<em>early adopters</em>" and regularly share new content from your site. Understand your content's early stage sharing patterns so that you can improve on it.</li> <li><strong>Error correcting</strong>: Whatever SEO or Internet marketing activity you have recently performed, it is vital that any problems are detected and corrected as early as possible. Monitor Real-Time to check for spike in 404 codes, etc.</li> <li><strong>Server load monitoring</strong>: If you can see a huge traffic spike, or very high server loads, you can take steps to prevent your server from crashing. Perhaps throttle back on computationally expensive modules, or put implement other safeguards to prevent downtime.</li> <li><strong><span style="color: red;">Improved online responsiveness</span></strong>: Has someone mentioned you in a blog or news article. Take note of traffic spikes immediately and go contribute and "<em>shape</em>" the course of the debate to enhance your brand and increase traffic and conversions.</li> </ul> <p><a href="http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-5703192-10939672" target="_top"><br /> </a></p> <p>Do you use Real-Time analytics data? What have you found it most useful for - apart from staring at the hypnotic progress of visits and pageviews with time? Share your SEO tips and Internet marketing techniques with us in the comments, or join the discussion on Twitter or LinkedIn.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Top 10 small business software products, 2012</h1> <p>David Mercer — Sat, 19 May 2012 13:51:06 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-blogimage"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Looking to buy small business software and tools for your home office? Check out this ultimate list of the top ten most popular small business software packages in 2012, complete with brief reviews, summaries and deals.</p> <p>Whether you're looking for the best version of Microsoft office for your home or small business, anti-virus or network security, tax and payroll management software, small business servers to run your office systems, small business accounting, business productivity software tools, or even some great value added software packages for the office, you'll find what you need in this SMB software top ten list.</p> <h2>Top ten small business software products</h2> <p>Where possible I've also included pricing information and alternative, high quality small business software products to allow you to budget and choose the right software for your business.</p> <p>This list was created based on sales and reviews of each software product. The list also includes only one winner from each software product category - i.e. there's only one accounting package, one office suite, etc, to give you the best complete overview of the software that's on the market for small businesses.</p> <h3>1. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FIWUMS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005FIWUMS">QuickBooks Pro 2012</a></h3> <div style="float: left; margin: 5px 5px 5px 0;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FIWUMS/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005FIWUMS"></a> </div> <p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FIWUMS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005FIWUMS">QuickBooks Pro 2012</a>, available on Amazon.com at up to <strong>48%</strong> off (depending on when you get there), is one of the best deals available for home office and small business accounting. </p> <p><strong>What <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FIWUMS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005FIWUMS">QuickBooks Pro 2012</a> does</strong><br /> Small business accounts can be time consuming and difficult. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FIWUMS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005FIWUMS">QuickBooks Pro 2012</a> takes the hassle out of accounts by providing tutorials and tips on everything from creating invoices to generating financial, tax and sales reports.</p> <p>Basically, you can manage your business like a professional accountant with no accounting experience required.</p> <h4>Alternative accounting software products</h4> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FIWUXC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005FIWUXC">QuickBooks Pro 3-User 2012</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FIWT6U/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005FIWT6U">QuickBooks for Mac 2012</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000000001360343&pid=SPM5998098701&adurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sears.com%2Fshc%2Fs%2Fp_10153_12605_SPM4435153201P&usg=AFHzDLsfG-y7VbatiW51d3eWfu3w9YMYeA&pubid=21000000000292116">Sage Peachtree Premium Accounting 2012</a></li> </ul> <h3>2. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DHLVII/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002DHLVII">Microsoft Windows 7 Professional</a></h3> <div style="float: left; margin: 5px 5px 5px 0;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DHLVII/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002DHLVII"></a> </div> <p>Get up to <strong>$50</strong> off <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DHLVII/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002DHLVII">Microsoft Windows 7 Professional</a> - the latest, greatest version of the Windows operating system. Simplify day-to-day tasks and increase efficiency with improved features for work.</p> <p><strong>What <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DHLVII/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002DHLVII">Microsoft Windows 7 Professional</a> does</strong><br /> The most popular operating system in the world gets faster, more efficient and easier to use from start to finish.</p> <p>Vastly improved networking features make it easier to print, share, and connect to your home or business network with three click connections from wherever you are.</p> <h4>Alternative operating system software products</h4> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FDK7J6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005FDK7J6">Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac</a> </li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BWZZLG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000BWZZLG">Apple Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.6 (Mac DVD) [OLD VERSION]</a> </li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047B0U1C/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0047B0U1C">Ubuntu 12.04, 4-discs DVD Installation and Reference Set, Ed.2012</a> </li> </ul> <h3>3. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0060C382Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0060C382Y">Norton Internet Security 2012 </a></h3> <div style="float: left; margin: 5px 5px 5px 0;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0060C382Y/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0060C382Y"></a></div> <p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0060C382Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0060C382Y">Norton Internet Security 2012</a> provides complete protection for home or small business computers by identifying and stopping viruses, spyware and other malicious attacks before they can infect your PC. </p> <p>Available at up to <strong>70%</strong> off.</p> <p><strong>What <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0060C382Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0060C382Y">Norton Internet Security 2012</a> does</strong></p> <p>Provides a layered protection system to protect your computer from malicious programs. Norton provides security in every aspect of your small business, from blocking or warning about malicious websites to firewall and anti-spam protection.</p> <p>Avoid unnecessary setbacks by protecting your business today.</p> <h4>Alternative security software products</h4> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005AAWYR2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005AAWYR2">McAfee Total Protection 2012 - 3 Users</a> </li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0056CZC2S/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0056CZC2S">Kaspersky Internet Security 2012 - 3 Users</a> </li> </ul> <h3>4. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VNCROU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003VNCROU">Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium, Version 11</a></h3> <div style="float: left; margin: 5px 5px 5px 0;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VNCROU/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003VNCROU"></a></div> <p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VNCROU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003VNCROU">Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium, Version 11</a> is available at up to <strong>$108</strong> off. A bargain for anyone looking to save time and money by interacting with their PC using voice commands.</p> <p><strong>What <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VNCROU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003VNCROU">Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium, Version 11</a> does</strong><br /> Prefer to interact with your computer by voice? NaturallySpeaking allows spoken words to appear on-screen up to three times faster than you can type, helping to improve efficiency and reduce fatigue. </p> <p>Simple installation and up to 99% accuracy out-of-the-box.</p> <h4>Alternative voice recognition software products</h4> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VNCRNQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003VNCRNQ">Dragon NaturallySpeaking Home, Version 11</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VNCRPY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003VNCRPY">Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium 11 Bluetooth</a></li> </ul> <h3>5. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0046DH8PC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0046DH8PC">Adobe Acrobat X Professional</a></h3> <div style="float: left; margin: 5px 5px 5px 0;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0046DH8PC/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0046DH8PC"></a></div> <p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0046DH8PC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0046DH8PC">Adobe Acrobat X Professional</a> is available at up to <strong>11%</strong> discount. An absolute must have for any small business that needs to create professional PDF documents. Especially if you're going to need to build in audio, video and other rich media.</p> <p><strong>What <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0046DH8PC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0046DH8PC">Adobe Acrobat X Professional</a> does</strong><br /> Combines professional level document creation capabilities with online storage and sharing capabilities. Convert a wide range of file types into PDF and present with easy-to-use layouts, themes, colors and branding.</p> <p>If your business needs polished, professional communications, then you need to use the best PDF document creation software product available.</p> <h4>Alternative document software products</h4> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0046DMZH8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0046DMZH8">Adobe Acrobat X Standard</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039L6FRE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0039L6FRE">Microsoft Publisher 2010</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WVJ1KO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003WVJ1KO">PDF Converter PRO 7.0 Retail</a></li> </ul> <h3>6. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036Z0NZI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0036Z0NZI">Microsoft Office Home & Business 2010</a></h3> <div style="float: left; margin: 5px 5px 5px 0;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036Z0NZI/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0036Z0NZI"></a> </div> <p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036Z0NZI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0036Z0NZI">Microsoft Office Home & Business 2010</a> gives you a complete suite of office tools needed to operate a small business or home office, including:</p> <ul class="benefits" style="margin-left: 160px;"> <li><strong>Word</strong>: business and content documents </li> <li><strong>Excel</strong>: spreadsheets and charts</li> <li><strong>Powerpoint</strong>: business presentations</li> <li><strong>OneNote</strong>: organize notes and business info</li> <li><strong>Outlook</strong>: email and calendar</li> </ul> <p><strong>What <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036Z0NZI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0036Z0NZI">Microsoft Office Home & Business 2010</a> does</strong><br /> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036Z0NZI/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0036Z0NZI">Microsoft Office Home & Business 2010</a> is the world's most popular package of office tools that empower you to manage the day-to-day running of your business. This version improves on the underlying file management system to bring you an easier, more polished and efficient Office experience.</p> <h4>Alternative office software products</h4> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YCOJAS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003YCOJAS">Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Business 2011</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007UM59NO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007UM59NO">Corel WordPerfect Office X6 Standard Upgrade</a></li> </ul> <h3>7. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LAM8KE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005LAM8KE">Business Plan Pro Complete v 12</a><br /> </h3> <div style="float: left; margin: 5px 5px 5px 0;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LAM8KE/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005LAM8KE"></a></div> <p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LAM8KE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005LAM8KE">Business Plan Pro Complete v 12</a> is available at up to <strong>35%</strong> off. Take the strain and hassle out of creating a business plan by putting everything you need to know at your fingertips.</p> <p><strong>What <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LAM8KE/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005LAM8KE">Business Plan Pro Complete v 12</a> does</strong></p> <p>Planning advice, examples, and easy-to-follow instructions give you the confidence to tackle your business plan the right way.</p> <p>Provides industry standard formatting and error checking to help eliminate necessary business plan foul ups. Thousands of real world industry profiles help you see exactly how other companies put their business plans together.</p> <h4>Alternative business plan software products</h4> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LAM8M2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005LAM8M2">Business Plan Pro Premier v 12</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1599181908/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1599181908">The Plan-as-You-Go Business Plan</a></li> </ul> <h3>8. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LMOCCO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005LMOCCO">ResumeMaker Professional Deluxe 17 [Download]</a></h3> <div style="float: left; margin: 5px 5px 5px 0;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LMOCCO/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005LMOCCO"></a></div> <p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LMOCCO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005LMOCCO">ResumeMaker Professional Deluxe 17 [Download]</a> is available at up to <strong>35%</strong> off. Learn how to get the next job or contract by browsing thousands of career-making sample resumes. Integrates with a variety of document formats (such as PDF, Word, HTML) to import important CV data from anywhere. </p> <p><strong>What <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LMOCCO/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005LMOCCO">ResumeMaker Professional Deluxe 17 [Download]</a> does</strong><br /> Provides a comprehensive suite of tools and functionality to create a professional resume, search for jobs and contracts, prepare for interviews and negotiate your salary.</p> <p>Find the right job prospects using the advanced job search. Then, make a great first impression on any potential employer by using the step-by-step cover letter writing guide to engage, attract and convert hiring managers into fans.</p> <p>Get your small business moving by landing the right contracts or jobs.</p> <h4>Alternative resume software products</h4> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0077SLEM6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0077SLEM6">ResumeMaker Ultimate 6 [Download]</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007D9RE0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0007D9RE0">WinWay Resume Deluxe 11.0</a></li> </ul> <h3>9. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039L50ZC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0039L50ZC">Microsoft Visio Standard 2010</a><br /> </h3> <div style="float: left; margin: 5px 5px 5px 0;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039L50ZC/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0039L50ZC"></a></div> <p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039L50ZC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0039L50ZC">Microsoft Visio Standard 2010</a> is available at over <strong>20%</strong> off. Map out your projects with a sophisticated set of diagramming tools and bring them to life with cool visuals and online sharing.</p> <p><strong>What <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039L50ZC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0039L50ZC">Microsoft Visio Standard 2010</a> does</strong></p> <p>Take complex ideas and business requirements and map them out with easy to use, professional diagramming tools. Get everyone reading off the same page faster by presenting easy to understanding workflows.</p> <p>Plenty of templates combined with easy to use diagramming features allow you to create professional business diagrams faster than ever before. </p> <p>If you need to create professional diagrams for presentations or other type of business requirement, then you need to use Visio.</p> <h4>Alternative will maker software products</h4> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039L6JKC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0039L6JKC">Microsoft Visio Premium 2010</a></li> </ul> <h3>10. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CELLZM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005CELLZM">Quicken Legal Business Pro 2012</a></h3> <div style="float: left; margin: 5px 5px 5px 0;"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CELLZM/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005CELLZM"></a></div> <p>Get <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CELLZM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005CELLZM">Quicken Legal Business Pro 2012</a> at an amazing <strong>$50</strong> discount. Start and run your own business easily by creating any legal forms or contracts your business needs.</p> <p><strong>What <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CELLZM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005CELLZM">Quicken Legal Business Pro 2012</a> does</strong></p> <p>Over 100 legal business forms, compliant with the latest laws in your state. Provides templates and forms that allow any small business to easily create binding legal contracts and agreements, hire employees and contractors, as well as other contracts.</p> <p>Plus, plenty of helpful legal information, tips, tutorials and advice on every day business tasks, such as borrowing money, getting loans, minimizing tax, and much more.</p> <h4>Alternative legal software products</h4> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000I0DBH6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000I0DBH6">MyAttorney Home & Business</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GP61GY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcontechsco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002GP61GY">Home & Business Lawyer 2010 - Old Version</a></li> </ul> <h2>Other 'top' lists for small business</h2> <p>You might be interested in checking out these top lists for other aspects of home office or small businesses:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/best-five-seo-tools-list-top-seo-software-sites-ranked-their-own-seo-performance">Best SEO tools list: Top SEO software sites ranked by their own SEO performance</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/top-five-social-and-marketing-tools-small-business-2012">The top five social and marketing tools for small business in 2012</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/top-five-seo-services-small-business-2012">The top five SEO services for small business, 2012</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/best-ecommerce-shopping-carts-online-store-builders-and-business-resources">The best eCommerce shopping carts, online store builders, and business resources</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/best-small-business-web-hosting-services-2012">The best small business web hosting services, 2012</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/how-test-seo-top-free-seo-tools-easily-check-seo-any-page">How to test SEO: Top free SEO tools to easily check the SEO of any page</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/5-best-small-business-web-design-companies">The 5 best small business web design companies</a></li> </ul> <h2>Small business software products '<em>Honorable mentions</em>'</h2> <p>What software or tools do you use to operate your small business? Share your thoughts on the top ten software tools list and let me know what you would add and why. I'll update this list with any new business software products that meet muster...</p> </article> <article> <h1>Best SEO tools list: Top SEO software sites ranked by their own SEO performance</h1> <p>David Mercer — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:18:50 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-blogimage"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <p>"<em>Which of the top SEO software companies have the best SEO?</em>" Check out this super cool list of the best SEO tools and software sites ranked by the SEO performance of their domains. </p> <p>See the world's best SEO software services go head to head for rankings in our "<em>top SEO tools table</em>". </p> <p>SEO (Search Engine Optimization) plays a huge role in helping to drive over 50% of global Internet traffic. That's why you should care which SEO software companies "<em>walk the walk</em>".</p> <p><a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-5703192-10307593" target="_top"><br /> </a></p> <p>Each SEO website is ranked according to their:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="https://developers.google.com/pagespeed">Page speed performance</a> (<strong>Speed</strong>)</li> <li>Google PageRank (<strong>PR</strong>)</li> <li>Chrome Audits performance (<strong>Audit</strong>)</li> <li>Fully Loaded score (<strong>FL</strong>)</li> <li>Google position in SERPs (search Engine Results Pages) for "<em>SEO company/tool/service</em>" (<strong>SERP</strong>)</li> <li>Alexa Rank (<strong>Alexa</strong>)</li> </ul> <h2>Top 10 SEO software & tools sites ranked by their own website SEO performance</h2> <p>It's important to note that as comprehensive and powerful as many of the SEO metrics used to create these rankings are, they are not infallible or absolute. </p> <p>The rankings are also subject to change. All it takes is a solid <a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/business-website-seo-audit">website and SEO audit</a>, backed by a bit of technical Web and SEO skills and anyone can improve their blog or site's SEO, visibility, traffic and ultimately revenue.</p> <table class="rankings"> <tr class="rhead"> <th>Rank</th> <th>Name</th> <th>Speed </th> <th>PR</th> <th>Audit <sup>*</sup></th> <th>FL</th> <th>SERP</th> <th>Alexa</th> </tr> <tr class="even"> <td>1</td> <td><a href="http://www.seomoz.org/cart/purchase_select?source=aff&http://go.seomoz.org/aff_c?offer_id=1&aff_id=4858&file_id=31">SEOMoz</a></td> <td>85</td> <td>6</td> <td>15</td> <td>82</td> <td>1</td> <td>337</td> </tr> <tr class="even"> <td>2</td> <td><a href="http://www.semrush.com/sem.html?ref=884203985">SEMRush</a></td> <td>85</td> <td>6</td> <td>14</td> <td>85</td> <td>2</td> <td>790</td> </tr> <tr class="odd"> <td>3</td> <td><a href="http://www.seobook.com/#a_aid=siteprebuilder">SEOBook</a></td> <td>86</td> <td>6</td> <td>17</td> <td>86</td> <td>1</td> <td>1097</td> </tr> <tr class="odd"> <td>4</td> <td><a href="http://www.pntrac.com/t/RUBESkNESUBISUVGREBERUtDSQ">Link Assistant</a></td> <td>67</td> <td>5</td> <td>15</td> <td>67</td> <td>1</td> <td>2631</td> </tr> <tr class="even"> <td>5</td> <td><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-5703192-10938216" target="_top">searchmetrics</a></td> <td>68</td> <td>4</td> <td>17</td> <td>69</td> <td>2</td> <td>3333</td> </tr> </table> <p><sup>*</sup> <em>Added all the outstanding SEO issues weighted by priority. Lower score is better.</em></p> <p><a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-5703192-10683443" target="_top"><br /> </a></p> <h2>Testing and improving your own SEO</h2> <p>Hopefully seeing the SEO performance of these top SEO services has inspired you to take action and start reaping the rewards (more traffic, more conversions, more money) that high quality SEO can offer. </p> <p>Recently, Google released the Penguin update to its search algorithm and this has caused quite a shakeup in the world of SEO. You must ensure that you only implement "<em>best practice</em>" SEO techniques if you want to avoid being penalized by the search engines.</p> <p>Here are some of the best articles that teach you how to write SEO content, optimize your site for SEO, or hire the best SEO consultant to give your blog or site the SEO lift it needs:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/how-test-seo-top-free-seo-tools-easily-check-seo-any-page">How to test SEO: Top free SEO tools to easily check the SEO of any page</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/10-step-assessment-how-hire-seo-consultant-or-internet-marketing-company-your-business">10 step assessment: How to hire an SEO consultant or Internet marketing company for your business</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/top-five-seo-services-small-business-2012">The top five SEO services for small business, 2012</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/seo-blogging-tips-how-use-google-analytics-search-data-inspire-new-content">SEO Blogging tips: How to use Google analytics search data to inspire new content </a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/panda-penguin-friendly-seo-business-guide-recovering-googles-algorithm-updates">Panda & Penguin friendly SEO: A business guide to recovering from Google's algorithm updates</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/five-money-making-seo-tips-small-business-online-stores">Five money making SEO tips for small business online stores</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=gK7*B5N5Wgs&offerid=252667.10000170&subid=0&type=4"></a></p> <h2>Recommended SEO resources</h2> <p>You might also consider the following SEO experts, blogs, and resources to help guide your SEO learning and implementation:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/mattcutts">Matt Cutts</a> - head of the webspam team at Google</li> <li><a href="http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com">Official Google Webmaster Central Blog</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/dannysullivan">Danny Sullivan</a> - editor of SearchEngineLand.com</li> <li><a href="http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-5703192-10866829" target="_top">VerticalResponse</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/category/topic/seo">Siteprebuilder SEO</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.seroundtable.com">Search Engine Roundtable</a></li> <li><a href="http://searchenginewatch.com">Search Engine Watch</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.seochat.com">SEO Chat</a></li> </ul> <h2>Honorable mentions</h2> <p>Share your thoughts on SEO companies that you think I should include in this comparison. There are plenty of great SEO sites out there, and if one or two have good enough scores to get on the table, I'll add them...</p> </article> <article> <h1>How to test SEO: Top free SEO tools to easily check the SEO of any page</h1> <p>David Mercer — Thu, 17 May 2012 08:07:44 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-blogimage"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <p>"<em>Want to learn SEO like a pro using only free SEO tools?</em>" "<em>Want to know how to check if a company is any good at SEO before hiring them?</em>" "<em>Tired of being taken for a ride by useless SEO companies that promise the world but deliver nothing?</em>" </p> <p>Now you can fight back. Check out these great free SEO tools you can use to quickly improve your own Search Engine Optimization or test whether your SEO company is '<em>exaggerating</em>' their SEO skills...</p> <p>Whether or not you have any technical SEO experience (HTML, JS, CMS, PHP, .htaccess, etc), these tools can quickly help you to understand where your site's SEO needs improvement, and what is involved.</p> <p><a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000000030721045&pubid=21000000000292116"></a></p> <p>This article shows a selection of the best free SEO tools that anyone can use to learn more about SEO on their own blog or website - as well as anyone else'. </p> <h2>Why good SEO is important</h2> <p>It's in the search engines interests to help everybody implement the best possible SEO on their own sites or blogs. </p> <p>Proper SEO is designed to make a site as useful, convenient and valuable to visitors. The better your SEO, therefore, the better your visitor's browsing experience, the better the search engines do their job, and everyone is happy.</p> <h2>How SEO tools can help you find the right SEO service</h2> <p>All of the SEO tools we discuss in this article can be used to quickly ascertain the SEO performance of <em>any</em> website. This means that you can do your own tests to see if an SEO company is worth their salt.</p> <p>Are you going to hire a company that promises the world, but gets an SEO score of <strong>50</strong> out of 100? Or, will you go for the company that scores <strong>95</strong> out of 100?</p> <h2>The best free SEO tools</h2> <p>Simple. Quick. Easy. Powerful. These are the criteria for the SEO tools that are included in this article.</p> <p><em>Please note that some of these tools may require you to install add-ons to your Firefox or Chrome browser.</em></p> <p><a href="http://www.seobook.com#a_aid=siteprebuilder&a_bid=58037ebe" target="_top"></a></p> <h3>1. Google developer's page speed online</h3> <p><a href="https://developers.google.com/pagespeed/">Page speed online</a> is a great free SEO service that measures your SEO page speed performance and provides a suite of suggestions for improvement (categorized by priority).</p> <p><strong>How to use page speed online</strong>:</p> <div style="text-align: center"></div> <p>Enter the URL of any webpage you want to test, and wait for the results. To see some near perfect scores, try any webpage on Site prebuilder:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li><a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com">http://www.siteprebuilder.com</a> ~ homepage</li> <li><a href="https://developers.google.com/pagespeed/#url=http_3A_2F_2Fwww.siteprebuilder.com_2Fcontent_2Fhow-test-seo-top-free-seo-tools-easily-check-seo-any-page&mobile=false">http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/how-test-seo-top-free-seo-tools-easily-check-seo-any-page</a> ~ this blog post</li> </ul> <p>Despite having numerous social sharing buttons, Google and Amazon ads, as well as plenty of high-tech JavaScript, Site prebuilder pages are nearly perfect. </p> <p>In fact, if you browse through the remaining low priority SEO suggestions on Site prebuilder's page speed test, you'll find that most, if not all, relate to the JavaScript and links of Google, LinkedIn, Amazon and Twitter.</p> <p>Try it out. How does your own site compare?</p> <h3>2. Fully Loaded speed test</h3> <div style="text-align: center"></div> <p><a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/edlmpmdkfeimmbhfnlllpnkbokbohplp">Fully Loaded</a> is an add-on for Google Chrome that is a good alternative to Google's speed test. By installing Fully Loaded, you can easily test the SEO of any page you browse.</p> <p><strong>How to use Fully Loaded</strong>:</p> <ol> <li><a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/edlmpmdkfeimmbhfnlllpnkbokbohplp">Install Fully Loaded onto Google Chrome</a></li> <li>Browse to any page and click the Fully Loaded icon at the top right of your Chrome browser</li> </ol> <p>Try it out on your own homepage and other pages (landing pages, blog posts, etc). How does your site compare to Site prebuilder?</p> <p><a href="http://go.seomoz.org/aff_c?offer_id=1&aff_id=4858&file_id=9" target="_blank"></a></p> <h3>3. Google chrome's Audits</h3> <div style="text-align: center"></div> <p>Google's Chrome browser comes with a brilliant feature - you can perform a full SEO analysis of any page at any time using their <em>Audits</em> tool.</p> <p><strong>How to use Google Chrome's Audits</strong>:</p> <ol> <li>Browse to any page you would like to test</li> <li>Right click anywhere on the page and select "<em>Inspect element</em>" to bring up the <em>Developer tools</em> pane (Hint: you can also do this from the <Em>Tools</em> menu)</li> <li>Select the <em>Audits</em> tab and click <em>Run</em></li> </ol> <p>Audits doesn't provide a score. Instead, it brings up a huge array of results that are categorized by importance (how much SEO goodness you can gain by implementing fixes). The fewer results you see, the less there is to improve, the better your SEO.</p> <p>In Site prebuilder's case, there is one <em>red task</em> that complains about the order of a single CSS file. Unfortunately, the CSS file is created and downloaded by the JavaScript of one of the social sharing buttons, so I've left this... for now.</p> <p>How does your site perform? Hopefully you won't have too many problems as some of these can be very technical and tricky to fix. </p> <h3>4. YSlow</h3> <div style="text-align: center"></div> <p>If you prefer to use FireFox, <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/yslow/">Yahoo's YSlow</a> is a great add-on and alternative to Chrome's audits feature.</p> <p><strong>How to use YSlow</strong>:</p> <ol> <li><a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/yslow/">Install the YSlow add-on for FireFox</a></li> <li>Browse to a page you want to analyze, and click the YSlow icon at the bottom right of your browser</li> <li>Select which RuleSet is most appropriate for your site or blog and click <em>Run</em></li> </ol> <p><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-5703192-11055114" target="_top"><br /> </a></p> <p>YSlow will analyze your page and bring up a categorized list of potential fixes to any SEO related issues that page might have. Again, many of the fixes are simple, but some can be very technical and difficult to weed out.</p> <p>How does your site or blog perform?</p> <h2>SEO tools aren't a substitute for human SEO expertise</h2> <p>It's important to remember that no tool is perfect. They can only follow the SEO rules built in to them. They can't make decisions that apply to unique circumstances. Experienced and skilled human SEOs are still they best way to go - although, slightly more costly. </p> <p>In many cases, the SEO suggestions provided by SEO tools might not be the right ones for your particular set of needs. Unless you have some technical experience, I would recommend at least having an <a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/business-website-seo-audit">SEO expert</a> look over your site to approve and improve on any plans of action you have regarding your blog or site's SEO performance.</p> </article> <article> <h1>How to use Amazon sales rank tracking to provide real-time Internet marketing insight</h1> <p>David Mercer — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:12:02 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-blogimage"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <p>The Amazon sales rank is an hourly updated measure of the relative sales performance for products sold via Amazon. Tracking Amazon sales ranks can be used as a good indicator of sales performance in real time, as well as for powerful competitive sales analysis.</p> <p>From an Internet marketing perspective, having a real-time record of the changes in an Amazon product's sales is incredibly useful for gathering intelligence on conversion rates and ROI (Return on Investment).</p> <p><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=gK7*B5N5Wgs&offerid=166833.10000388&subid=0&type=4"></a></p> <p>This article will show you how to use Amazon sales tracking to:</p> <ol> <li>perform a competitive sales analysis of products within your niche</li> <li>use Amazon sales rank tracking to provide insight and intelligence on Internet marketing campaigns</li> </ol> <p>Before we begin, it's important that you know...</p> <h2>How to track Amazon sales ranks for any product</h2> <p>There are a few services that provide Amazon sales rank tracking. Some are free, some are paid. The service we will use for the sake of this discussion is <a href="http://www.ranktracer.com/create_account.php">RankTracer</a> because it is the only service in the world that provides <strong>accurate sales estimates</strong>, powerful graphing features, reports, alerts and more goodies that we need for a good Internet marketing offensive.</p> <h3>How to use RankTracer - Amazon sales rank tracking and analysis</h3> <p><a href="http://www.ranktracer.com/create_account.php">RankTracer</a> costs from around 3c per day to track a product on a single Amazon locale. </p> <p>Assuming you are happy to part with this amount in order to gain valuable marketing insight for your marketing, we can get started:</p> <ol> <li>Create an account on <a href="http://www.ranktracer.com/create_account.php">RankTracer</a></li> <li>In your <a href="http://www.ranktracer.com/account_workstation.php">analytics workstation</a>, search for the products you want to track, decide on the subscription duration, locale (i.e. us, uk, de), and add to cart</li> <li>Repeat until you have added all the products you wish to track</li> <li>Click "<em>Checkout</em>" from the main menu (top right)</li> <li>Follow and complete checkout to activate your subscriptions</li> </ol> <p>RankTracer automatically starts adding hourly sales rank data to new sales rank tracking subscriptions, but its best to give the system some time to build up a bit of data (initially, there is no data at all).</p> <p><a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000613802237334&pubid=21000000000292116"></a></p> <h3>Overview of the analytics workstation</h3> <p>RankTracer is a fairly powerful, full featured sales analysis tool so it does take a moment or two to familiarize yourself with the interface. Here are the main features:</p> <div style="text-align:center; margin: 10px;"></div> <ul class="benefits"> <li>The default view is "<em>overview</em>" under "<em>manage</em>" (in the analytics overview menu, top center)</li> <li>Also available under "<em>manage</em>" is custom "<em>graphing</em>", subscription renewals and new "<em>purchases</em>", and "<em>groups</em>" for categorizing products</li> <li>Other analytics menu options include "<em>information</em>" that provides an account overview, "<em>reports</em>" for setting weekly or monthly amazon sales reports, and "<em>display</em>" for controlling which groups are to be shown on the main page</li> <li>Below the main menu is a subscription overview for each product tracked, and this has some sales and sales rank stats, "<em>sales rank alert</em>" settings and "<em>quick graph</em>" features</li> </ul> <p><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=gK7*B5N5Wgs&offerid=252667.10000042&subid=0&type=4"></a></p> <h2>Internet marketing: Competitive sales analysis with Amazon sales tracking</h2> <p>While using Amazon sales ranks as a measure for sales performance will never give you perfectly accurate numbers, it certainly gives you a very good picture of how products are competing within their niche (for a few cents a day this beats forking out thousands of dollars for Nielsen PoS data).</p> <p>To gain powerful competitive sales analysis features for your product(s) using RankTracer, do the following:</p> <ol> <li>Track your product and any other competitors you want to compare (Hint: you can use some of <a href="http://www.ranktracer.com/amazon-product-research.php">RankTracer's sales rank tools</a> to get this info)</li> <li>"<em>Create a comparison group</em>" by clicking the "<em>groups</em>" link in the analytics menu and give it a meaningful name (i.e. "<em>Drupal development books</em>")</li> <li>Include only the products you wish to perform analysis on - you can edit this at any time</li> <li>Click on "<em>graphing</em>" and select your comparison group for display</li> <li>Be sure to click the "<em>advanced options</em>" to control the graph parameters</li> </ol> <p>Included in all graphs are the average sales rank over the timeline as well as an accurate sales estimate for each product over the selected timeline. For example, the main image in this post was created using this procedure and is a competitive analysis graph of the sales of leading Dummies titles.</p> <h2>Real time Internet marketing intelligence with Amazon sales ranks</h2> <p>Let's say you are trying out a new landing page or performing split testing, or any other SEO or Internet marketing related activity - you can even use Amazon sales rank tracking to measure the effectiveness of new ad campaigns.</p> <p>To gather real-time marketing intelligence:</p> <ol> <li>Choose a marketing campaign to implement</li> <li>Drive traffic to your product's Amazon buying page (make sure you are tracking it on <a href="http://www.ranktracer.com">RankTracer</a> before you start driving traffic, otherwise you won't be able to see any changes in sales)</li> <li>Analyze RankTracer's sales rank data for any spikes in sales or changes in sales patterns</li> <li>Compare these changes to your Internet marketing initiatives</li> </ol> <p>This can be extremely useful in determining the ROI on advertising. If you are tracking a product that sells on average 20 units a day, and after initiating an advertising campaign, the sales jump to 50 units a day, you can perform your ROI calculation by comparing the advertising cost to the increase in revenue derived from the additional 30 unit sales per day.</p> <p><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=gK7*B5N5Wgs&offerid=123018.10000045&type=4&subid=0"></a></p> <h2>Additional Amazon sales tracking benefits & considerations</h2> <p>It's important to note that RankTracer <strong>cannot provide sales data retrospectively</strong>. If you think you would like to have a record of your products and competitor's products sales performance, then it is vital that you begin tracking their sales as early as possible.</p> <p>Building up an historical sales history is also extremely useful as a general marketing practice because it helps pinpoint any 3rd party coverage that lead to sales (for example, unsolicited reviews, mentions in forums, coverage in the news, etc), and helps to direct your marketing efforts going forward.</p> <p>Do you track the Amazon sales of your products and those of your competitors? Please share what insight you've gained from doing this, and how its helped your Internet marketing.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Does your company have a skills shortage? How to adapt your corporate recruitment strategy</h1> <p>David Mercer — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:42:42 +0000</p> <div class="field field-type-filefield field-field-blogimage"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> </div> </div> </div> <p>Startups and business experience perennial shortages of highly skilled personnel. Recruitment becomes an expensive ordeal, often with unsatisfactory results. This is largely because companies insist on using hiring strategies are ineffective and outdated. </p> <p>Even companies that use the latest social media platforms for headhunting and recruitment are largely doing the same old thing, just on a shiny new platform.</p> <p><a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000613802237334&pubid=21000000000292116"></a></p> <p>Let's be clear. There is virtually <strong>no such thing as a skills shortage</strong> in the modern world, and this article will explain why this is the case, and how any company can find the right skills to get the job done.</p> <h2>"<em>Passive</em>" recruitment strategies don't work</h2> <p>Posting available positions and <em>passively</em> waiting for the right people to respond is no longer effective. Social networks and the Internet make it too easy for everyone and anyone to respond to any and all available positions. </p> <p>This means the HR department spends every waking moment sifting through piles of "<em>junk</em>" applications, from dubious quality applicants. Clearly this is not effective.</p> <h2>"<em>Active</em>" hiring strategies do work</h2> <p>Instead of waiting for the right people to come to you (along with a sea of unsuitable candidates), go looking for the right people. </p> <ol> <li>Search on Google for articles and other content relevant to the job skill set</li> <li>Perform a profile search on LinkedIn for skills relevant to the job skill set</li> <li>Approach business contacts and request referrals for high quality candidates</li> <li>Create a small pool of "<em>super candidates</em>" </li> <li>Inquire if they are available for interview</li> <li>Repeat steps 1 - 5 until you find the right candidate</li> </ol> <p>Instead of spending time wading through junk applications, expend those man hours finding high quality candidates.</p> <p>Almost every quality professional has some sort of web presence - either a blog, website or LinkedIn profile. This makes it easy to find potential candidates using a simple Google or LinkedIn search.</p> <p>Not only that, but top professionals are also active in their niche and you can discover a lot about the skills, experience and expertise of a potential candidate by looking at their online activity - in particular, their blog posts and articles.</p> <p><a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000613802209007&pubid=21000000000292116"></a></p> <h3>Example of active recruitment for an Internet marketing & SEO professional</h3> <p>Let's say that you require someone to take charge of the digital marketing and SEO strategy for a small business. Where do you begin?</p> <p>Any good SEO and Internet marketing professional (for small business or otherwise) should be quite visible online. After all, if you expect them to drive traffic and revenue for your business, shouldn't they be doing it for their own?</p> <p>You might look at some of the top small business bloggers on <a href="http://www.technorati.com">Technorati</a> - especially those with a bias towards SEO and Internet marketing. By way of comparison, <a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com">Site prebuilder</a> is ranked <strong>22</strong> in the world.</p> <p>You might look for experts who have written successful books on SEO and Internet marketing.</p> <p>Do a search on LinkedIn for consultants with SEO and Internet marketing in their profiles. Look for SEO professionals who have first place articles on Google for topics relating to the job's skill set. </p> <p>For example, a recent article of mine entitled "<a href="http://www.siteprebuilder.com/content/panda-penguin-friendly-seo-business-guide-recovering-googles-algorithm-updates">Panda & Penguin friendly SEO: A business guide to recovering from Google's algorithm updates</a>" appears in about half of the first page results for a search on "<em>Penguin friendly SEO</em>" (it was syndicated, shared or plagiarized by various other sites, which is why it dominates the front page results).</p> <p>Use your imagination. Finding candidates using this type of active process is ultimately far more efficient than posting a job opportunity and sitting back. </p> <p><a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000613802205054&pubid=21000000000292116"></a></p> <h2>Embrace remote, virtual or contract workers to open up the skills market</h2> <p>Many highly skilled workers prefer to work from home. If you want the best candidates, you need to be prepared to offer an attractive package. Now, more than ever, professionals work from fully equipped home offices.</p> <h3>Identify potential "<em>work-from-home</em>" roles</h3> <p>Unless the job requirements specifically preclude off-site work, you should consider using remote staff. This not only helps cut down on operating costs, but also opens up the pool of suitable candidates to the best, brightest and most highly skilled workers the entire planet has to offer.</p> <p>In addition, many highly skilled consultants and contractors have been working from <em>home offices</em> for many years and have a lot of experience working effectively from their own office.</p> <p>Here are some examples of the types of jobs that are good candidates for remote work:</p> <ul class="benefits"> <li>Programming & development</li> <li>SEO</li> <li>Internet marketing and online marketing strategy</li> <li>Content creation</li> <li>Editorial and writing</li> <li>Analytical and research</li> <li>Expertise and expert knowledge</li> </ul> <h3>Build Telecommute relationships organically</h3> <p>Admittedly, it can be slightly harder to take a leap of faith when hiring on someone to telecommute. </p> <p>If you find a candidate you believe will do the job, you don't have to bet the whole company on them. Start off with a small project. If it is completed to everyone's satisfaction, add more projects, increasing responsibility and complexity until a solid and reliable full-time work-from-home employee is born.</p> <p>Remember that a good remote candidate likely has far more experience working remotely than you do managing a virtual employee, so they will help you to manage them efficiently.</p> <p><a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000000024072945&pubid=21000000000292116"></a></p> <h2>Be accessible to the right candidates</h2> <p>If you want to find the right people for your business or department, then find ways to make it easy for the right people to approach you. You don't have to plaster your personal contact information all over the Internet, but you might create a twitter account and make it part of your signature or author bio in any online content you create.</p> <h3>Why HR departments are bad at finding good candidates</h3> <p>Dealing with HR departments is a soul crushing experience for any contractor. Human resource contacts often don't have the authority to make any executive decisions about whether or not a candidate is suitable for a particular role, or useful to the company in general.</p> <p>Human resource employees often lack the overall vision of top executives and company owners, and can't objectively judge the value of a candidate that approaches speculatively.</p> <h3>Seize the right candidate when the time comes</h3> <p>If, as and when a high quality professional takes it upon themselves to contact your company, they may choose to bypass HR and speak briefly with you first. This allows you to make a quick judgement about the quality of the candidate and get the ball rolling.</p> <p>Use Skype to do a preliminary interview. View the candidates blog or website for an overview of their experience and work history. Start off small with the intention of growing the relationship.</p> <p>If you have had trouble finding high quality candidates for your business or department, why not share some of the issues you experienced in the comments, or join the discussion on Twitter or LinkedIn. In addition, if you have succeeded in finding the right staff at the right time, tell us why you think you succeeded.</p> </article> </main></body></html>