SmallBusinessNewz

How Important are Domains to Your Online Strategy?

SBN sister site WebProNews had a couple of interesting conversations about domains at the Search Marketing Expo - one with Moniker Founder and President Monte Cahn, and one with Senior Vice President, Client Services at Performics, Michael Kahn. Do you use domains to drive traffic? Discuss here.

What Not to Do on Your Business Website

While the need for even having a website has come increasingly into question (don't get me wrong...I still suggest having one in most cases), there are a lot of things to avoid if you are operating one. Frankly, a really bad web site can be worse than not having a website at all.

Online Ratings Sites Heavily Used By Consumers

A new survey commissioned by LexisNexis and Martindale-Hubbell found that online ratings web sites are being used quite heavily among small business owners and consumers, but concerns about the reliability and trustworthiness of current resources linger. Over 90 percent of small business owners polled and 80 percent of consumers surveyed engage in some kind of activity on review and ratings Web sites.

The Importance of Engagement on the Web

I wrote an article for WebProNews this week about why today's content is still relevant to tomorrow's real-time searches, and why the "shareability" of your content is so important. Essentially, the easier you make it to share your content, the more it will be shared (if it is worth sharing), and just because time passes, that doesn't mean that your content is no longer relevant.

10 Google Resources Business Owners Shouldn't Overlook

Google offers webmasters and advertisers a lot of helpful tools and resources. Most of them are free. If you haven't checked out any of the following, do yourself a favor and do so. 1. Webmaster Central

Using Apps on Your Facebook Page for Engaging with Customers

First off, if you run a business, you have to acknowledge how important Facebook is. It continues to grow rapidly, and is getting connected with more and more websites, applications and devices. Even Nintendo just launched Facebook Connect integration with its portable DSi device.

Social is a Key Element of Effective eCommerce Marketing

Consultancy firm Hill & Knowlton has shared findings from an interesting report on social media and eCommerce. The report was based on a survey of more than 600 adults in the US. "Online retailing is being profoundly impacted by the integration of social media into what historically has been a transactional experience," says Joshua Reynolds, worldwide technology practice director, Hill & Knowlton and co-author of the report. Here are some findings:

Getting Your Products in Google Shopping Searches

Google has a helpful video up on its Google Webamster Central YouTube channel about Google Product Search for webmasters. The video covers areas like benefits and background, best practices when submitting info, frequently asked questions, and healing pain points.

No Site Search? You May Be Missing Out on Sales

If you are selling any number of goods online, you really need to have a search function on your site. If the user cannot easily find what they are looking for, without spending too much time on it, that is not a positive user experience.

Business Blogs Only Work if You Use Them

The New York Times recently ran an interesting piece about how most blogs on the web are abandoned, or at least very rarely updated. The article cites a study performed by blog search engine Technorati, which found that something like 95% of blogs it tracks had not been updated in the past 120 days (from the time the research was collected). Is This a Problem That Plagues Your Business?