How to Choose the Right SEO Firm for Your Online Business

Firstly, what is SEO?

SEO (Search engine optimization) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's "natural" or "organic" search results. The more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine's users. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search, academic search, news search and industry-specific vertical search engines.

Optimizing a website may involve editing its content, HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic.

Google's PageRank system is the way of determining which websites are the most applicable and useful for every search term. An SEO specialist's task is to make a page as applicable and useful as possible, thereby improving its rank.

Before looking for SEO firm, it's important and necessity to find an SEO firm that is comfortable working with small to medium businesses and has experience working in your niche.

1. Budget and Fees

The first thing you need to take into consideration before you even look at fees is how much you can actually afford to pay. Fees will vary across the board, so it's important for you to have a figure in mind and find a reliable SEO firm or consultant who can work on your budget.

The firms may ask you to pay by the webpage, by the hour, by the project, or ask for a pre-determined amount of money to cover the cost of their work for the month.

2. Background Check

Most SEO firms will have testimonials on their website, but they're not the referrals you're interested in, since they're likely the company's biggest success stories. You want to hear from run-of-the-mill customers to see how the SEO firm performs across the board. Ask for the names and numbers of at least three companies for an honest opinion.

If the client you're speaking with has been particularly successful, ask them how much they paid to achieve that success and how much it has cost them to maintain it.

Also check out the Better Business Bureau and Ripoff Report to make sure the firm you're considering has a clean reputation. It might also be worth checking the firm's own page ranking to see how well it handles its own SEO.

3. Communication and Reports

Once you've determined how much you can reasonably expect to pay, you need to ask the firm how much you can expect to get paid. What will the return on investment (ROI) be and how does the company plan to track it?

Some basic steps they should be taking to optimize your search ranking include, keyword optimization, headline and link-building from other sites. You should discuss the techniques the firm plans on implementing.

They should give you updates and reports, because if they're not, they may be doing stuff that Google doesn't approve of that may have a short-term gain, but a long-term loss.

Ask them how often you'll receive progress reports and what tracking processes they'll have in place to prove your ROI. Some of those tracking techniques may include monitoring the number of e-mail requests, newsletter sign-ups and phone calls you receive.

4. Ask for SEO Experts

Look for SEO groups and online forums like Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization, High Rankings, Search Engine Guide and Digitalpoint. The members and forum users are willing to share their tips and experience.

Set up your website without a designer or a programmer

If you are a small business or plan on having an online shop (commonly known as e-commerce), Webs.com is a website builder you should consider, you can try out for free before subscribe to their packages. The key reasons being that their e-commerce tools allow you to present multiple images per store item, product search and inventory tracking, and also their integrated Apps helps you to manage your business better and will save you time.

Webs.com have enough tools to provide the ultimate solution for your small businesses, micro-businesses and entrepreneurs and allow you to build a pretty decent website.

Webs.com has become the world's largest do-it-yourself website-creation solution. Over 55 million sites have been built with Webs.com and, together, these sites receive 300 million page views each month and customers trust Webs.com to help them create, manage and host their websites.

Webs.com provided a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) website builder, meaning you build the entire website right in front of you and what you see when you are building, is what actually shows up after you publish the website.

Webs.com gives you the option to either build “Normal pages” or “Specialty pages”.

Normal Pages:

Webs.com provide you with 6 different page layout configurations, so whenever you create a new page, you can choose which page layout to use. You can change the page layout later on if you want.  The modules that you insert into the page (i.e. your content) will be automatically transferred into the new layout so you won’t lose any information.

Specialty Pages:

Webs.com also give you “specialty pages” that they have dedicated, pre-set structured webpages for you to choose from. These include pages dedicated to blogs, web stores, photos, membership, videos, forums, guestbooks and appointments. You will find these pre-set pages in the App store and these are nice to have especially if you have a need for them.

It is a very intuitive and easy to use website builder. Combining normal pages and specialty pages will allow you the ability to create a more interesting website without making the building process complicated.

Creating a website from a blank canvas can be a seriously daunting task. That’s why many sitebuilders offer templates over which users can lay their content, logo, images, etc. when creating a website. This option makes attractive websites infinitely more accessible to personal and small business website owners.

Webs.com designers have created several dozen attractive and flexible themes that can be individualized to suit the needs and branding of each user’s website. Areas that can be customized include colors, fonts, background images, and more. While they do offer a number of Premium themes for upgraded users, most are free and available to everyone.

How it Works

1. Set up your website

• Select a professionally designed theme for your site.
• Add dynamic pages (about, services, contact).
• Include powerful apps like a web store, blog, or calendar.

2. Add your content

• Brand your site header with your company's logo.
• Drag and drop content areas like slideshows, forms, and maps.
• Bring it to life with your images and videos.

3. Publish and share

• Launch your website with a single click.
• Create a custom domain name to add a little extra polish.
• Share your masterpiece with family and friends.

4. Get ready for visitors

• Optimize your site for search with our SEO booster.
• Learn about your traffic and visitors with the Stats tool.
• Watch your traffic grow as you make recommended changes.

Ready to get started? Visit Webs.com to get more helpful tips and resources for your business websites.

Will e-mail marketing still works?

With the rise and powerful of social media marketing and the increase in purchases being made on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google Plus+ and many more, you may be wondering if you should continue to focus efforts on email marketing in 2014? The answer is “Yes!” Because social media has become an important part of marketing for businesses, email is still the a powerful marketing tool.

Email is one of the top ways to get new customers, and what’s more, this channel has continued to grow considerably over the past year. Most importantly for your business, customers that come to you via email rather than social media tend to shop more and spend more, as stated in the Forbes article,

“Why Email is Still More Effective Than Social Media Marketing.” 

That’s a definite win for email!

Mobile email opens just hit 51%, meaning not only are people still reading their email, but more emails are being opened on a mobile device than on a desktop. “Email is effective because it’s permission-based. 

Why Email Marketing Still Works?

1. Personalisation and Segmentation
Email marketing gives you the luxury of quickly personalising campaigns, in order to specifically target your intended audience. If your product or service is intended for a certain demographic, you can easily stylise your emails to reflect their interests. This allows you to target niche markets and make instant changes to make the campaign more effective. - See more at: http://blog.bellcom.co.uk/index.php/2013/01/10-reasons-why-email-marketing-still-works/#sthash.dJSpIllH.dpuf

1. Personalization
Email marketing gives you the luxury of quickly personalizing campaigns, in order to specifically target your intended audience. If your product or service is intended for a certain demographic, you can easily stylize your emails to reflect their interests. This allows you to target niche markets and make instant changes to make the campaign more effective.

Less Intrusive
Almost everyone at some stage has been disturbed by a cold call or skipped through television adverts to get back to their programme. This is because we are frequently interrupted in prior activity with messages that are often unsolicited. Email marketing works because customers actively open your email and are engaged with your message when they see it. If you’ve done a good job in designing your email, customers will look forward to seeing what you have to say! - See more at: http://blog.bellcom.co.uk/index.php/2013/01/10-reasons-why-email-marketing-still-works/#sthash.XoZxPL4C.dpuf

2. Less invasive
Email marketing works because customers actively open your email and are engaged with your message when they see it. If you have a great and nice looking mail layout, your customers will look forward to seeing it.

3. Cost saving

Advertising marketing need to spend a lot by using designing, printing and sometimes uses posting.
Telemarketing can involve a lengthy process of prospecting for customers, qualifying them and closing the sale. This can put significant pressure on sales teams and absorb a lot of their time. On average, email marketing is likely to cost less than 10% of a direct marketing campaign, whilst reaching a considerably larger audience.  

4. Interactivity and effective
Emails are an amazing marketing tool and perhaps the best example of how interactive marketing can take your messages to an entirely different level. You customer can forward your email to their friends as they like, they will click on your links to view more information, products and services to their shopping carts, access their personal accounts, update subscriptions, visit and read your sites, post to your Facebook page and follow you on Twitter only using one mail.

5. Increased measurability
Email marketing campaigns offer a range of in-depth analytical and tracking tools, allowing you to see who has opened your email and what specific links have been followed. Depending on how inclusive your analyzing tool is, you can even profile your ideal customer by finding out a range of demographic information to aid your future campaigns. A great feature is the ‘unsubscribe’ button, which alerts you to those who wish to be removed from your communications, this a good and prevent your email campaigns being marked as spam and penalized.

6. Tops the list of active users
Both Facebook and Twitter make up just 0.2% of the number of emails sent every day. Many marketers will state that they've "tried it but it didn't work" but email marketing should be an integral component in your marketing and sales approach.

7. Still the best for building business relationships
When it comes to building business relationships, the best medium is still email. Not only does it suggest a more serious, grown-up conversation, business professionals generally do not go on to social media websites for private, business-related conversations.

While email is a very effective performer, using multiple channels to drive purchases is still the best bet. Remember that social media sales are only going to grow, so mix in marketing on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest, as well as email to keep your business growing.

If you're new to marketing with email, you probably need a bit of expert advice.

Visit "Email Marketing Guides" to learn and find out the best guides for different industries as well as instructions for some advanced processes that'll really fine-tune your campaign.


Or you can multiply profits and automate your business by trying "AWeber's email marketing software". Learn how they can do it for you, too. Take A Free Test Drive Today!

1. Personalisation and Segmentation
Email marketing gives you the luxury of quickly personalising campaigns, in order to specifically target your intended audience. If your product or service is intended for a certain demographic, you can easily stylise your emails to reflect their interests. This allows you to target niche markets and make instant changes to make the campaign more effective. - See more at: http://blog.bellcom.co.uk/index.php/2013/01/10-reasons-why-email-marketing-still-works/#sthash.dJSpIllH.dpuf

1. Personalisation and Segmentation
Email marketing gives you the luxury of quickly personalising campaigns, in order to specifically target your intended audience. If your product or service is intended for a certain demographic, you can easily stylise your emails to reflect their interests. This allows you to target niche markets and make instant changes to make the campaign more effective. - See more at: http://blog.bellcom.co.uk/index.php/2013/01/10-reasons-why-email-marketing-still-works/#sthash.dJSpIllH.dpuf

1. Personalisation and Segmentation
Email marketing gives you the luxury of quickly personalising campaigns, in order to specifically target your intended audience. If your product or service is intended for a certain demographic, you can easily stylise your emails to reflect their interests. This allows you to target niche markets and make instant changes to make the campaign more effective. - See more at: http://blog.bellcom.co.uk/index.php/2013/01/10-reasons-why-email-marketing-still-works/#sthash.dJSpIllH.dpuf

Highest paying affiliate program for health and beauty website or blog

Do you have a nice and great looking Health and Beauty website or blog? If you are interested in making money off the explosive sales in the health and beauty industry, then MarketHealth.com is perfect for you.

Market Health is now the world's largest integrated online marketing company in the health and beauty industry. The Market Health Affiliate Program allows you to market and promote the world’s leading health and beauty offers on the net. They offer the highest paying affiliate commissions and the most advance tracking software in their industry. Choose from over 50 offers which include herbal supplements, skin care, vitamins, beauty products, health care, weight loss and more.

Commission payments are sent twice a month on the 1st and 16th with a $20 minimum. The sales you generate from the 1st - 15th get paid on the 1st of the following month.
The sales you generate from the 16th - 31st get paid on the 16th of the following month. Therefore, there is a two-week accounting period before you receive your payout.

Payment option:

• Check by Mail
• Bank Wire
• PayPal
• Pre-Paid Debit Card via Payoneer

Special commission for Super Affiliates:

If you can send 20 or more sales per day, they are happy to negotiate special commission and payment requirements. They want your business and can guarantee you the best deal right here at MarketHealth.com.

Visit markethealth.com

Intuit "Payroll Processing Request" Malware Email

"Payroll processing" emails purporting to be from financial software provider Intuit, claim that are large amount of money is about to be withdrawn from the recipient's bank account to cover employee paychecks. The recipient is invited to click a link in the message to download payroll details.

The email is not from Intuit and the claims in the message are untrue. Those who fall for the ruse and follow links in the email will be taken to a website that harbours information stealing malware.

The emails are not from Intuit. In fact, the emails are designed to trick recipients into downloading malware to their computers. The criminals responsible for the scam hope that recipients, panicked into believing that several thousand dollars is set to be withdrawn from their bank accounts, will click the link in the message without due forethought. Clicking links in the messages, will actually take victims to a compromised website that harbours malware. The victim is taken to a site that supposedly contains more information about the payroll withdrawal and then asked to wait until the page fully loads. However, the page then automatically redirects to other sites where trojans and other types of malware may be downloaded to the visitor's computer.

Once installed, this malware can change computer settings, steal sensitive information stored on the computer and connect to remote servers.

Example mail:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Intuit Payment Network
Subject: We have received your payroll processing request.
Direct Deposit Service Communication
Information Only

Dear [email address removed]

We obtained your payroll on June 16, 2014 at 3:25 AM Pacific Time.

Funds will be withdrawn from the bank account number ending in: XXXX on June 17, 2014.
Amount to be withdrawn: $7,956.50
Paychecks will be transferred to your employees' accounts on: June 17, 2014
Please download your payroll here.
Funds are as a rule withdrawn before normal banking hours so please make sure you have enough funds available by 12 a.m. on the date funds are to be withdrawn.

Intuit must obtain your payroll by 5 p.m. Pacific time, two banking days before your paycheck date or your employees will fail to be paid on time. QuickBooks does not process payrolls on weekends or federal banking holidays. A list of federal banking holidays can be accessed at the Federal Reserve website.

Thank you for your business.

Sincerely,
Intuit Payroll Services
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How to protect yourself from a phishing attack:

1. If you suspect you have received a phishing email from Intuit, please forward it immediately to spoof@intuit.com. Intuit will look into each reported instance.
2. Make sure you subscribe to an anti-virus software and keep it up-to-date.
3. Make sure you have updated your web browser to one that includes anti-phishing security features, such as Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox version 3 or higher.
4. Make sure that you keep up to date on the latest releases and patches for your operating systems and critical programs. These releases are frequently security related.
5. Do not open up an attachment that claims to be a software update. We will not send any software updates via email.
6. Do not respond to emails asking for account, password, banking, or credit card information.
7. Do not respond to text messages or voicemails that ask you to call a number and enter your account number and pin.
8. Make sure you have passwords on your computer and your payroll files.

Three common methods that phishers use in their emails:

1. Spoofed email address.
Don't reply to unsolicited email and don't open email attachments. It's easy to fake a From or Reply To address, either manually or with spam software, so never assume an email is real by looking at its header. You might be able to spot fake addresses by checking for domain name misspellings, but this isn't foolproof. Some email service providers combat the problem of spoofed addresses by using authentication techniques to verify a sender's integrity.

2. Fake link. 

When in doubt, never click on a link in an unsolicited or suspicious email. Scam emails can contain a hidden link to a site that asks you to enter your log on and account information. A clue: if the email threatens you with account closure if you don't log on soon, you could be the target of phishing. You may be able to tell if a link is real by moving your mouse over it and looking at the bottom of your browser to see the hidden Web address - it will look different than the one you see on the surface.

3. Forged Website. 

If you must visit a financial site, like your bank or credit card company, enter its known address into the browser location field manually. Use a browser with an anti-phishing plug-in or extension, like FireFox version 3 or higher or Internet Explorer 7. These browsers warn you about forged, high-risk sites. Phony Web sites mimic real sites by copying company logos, images, and site designs. Malicious webmasters can also use HTML, Flash or Java Script to mask or change a browser address.

Visit security.intuit.com to get the most up to date information about phishing.

Income potential using 5 monetization tips for your blog

Many bloggers want to find a good ways to generate an income from their blogs. If your blog is ready for this, let's start and create some interesting make money tools. Here are basic and easy to use of monetization tips for blogging efforts.

1. Advertising or Affiliate Program

Put some ads on your blog is the most obvious way to derive an income from your blogging efforts. Ads can come in the form of text links or banner ads, and advertising options are available that you can easily tap into through pay-per-click, pay-per-post and affiliate programs online. Google AdSense, Amazon Associates, Clickbank, eBay Affiliates and Pay-Per-Post are just a few of the most common advertising programs available to bloggers.

Read more about Ad Networks

2. Writing or Selling Ebooks

Another great way to make some online income from your blog is by writing an ebook and offering it for sale through your blog. Ebooks are particularly successful for bloggers who have positioned themselves as experts in their fields and advertise their ebooks as additional or exclusive information just for readers of their blogs. You can join Kobo or Amazon books affiliate program to monetize your blog.

3. Merchandise

This is a simple way to monetize your blog by selling merchandise through a service such as CafePress. CafePress is the world's creative minds join forces to provide an unparalleled marketplace. They give you the power to create custom products and personalized gifts on a variety of high-quality items such as t-shirts, hoodies, posters, bumper stickers and mugs and also allows you to set up online shops where you can design and sell your own unique merchandise.

4. Reviews for Pay

Bloggers can make money by reviewing products, events, businesses and more through blog posts. Many businesses will look for these posts on your blog before they'll consider sending you free products to review and pay you. Create a category and use tags or labels to identify product review posts, so it's easy for visitors and businesses to find them. When you request free products from a business, you'll need to be able to prove that you publish well-written reviews. Popular per-per-post site are Payperpost and ReviewMe.

You can write a request for free products that you can email to businesses, share all of the data gathered above as well as links to prior product review posts. The goal is to make your blog sound like a place where the business is sure to find a sizable number of people that match their desired target audience.

5. Sell Your Blog Ad Space Directly to Advertisers

You can attempt to sell your own ad space directly to advertisers, but unless your blog is established with a sizable audience and high traffic, it can be difficult to manage and make money selling ad space directly.  Fortunately, there are sites like BuySellAds.com that link online publishers up with online advertisers to make selling your ad space easier.