If your website has an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) campaign, you should make sure that guest blogging is a major part of this content marketing strategy.

Previously, I have written about the benefits of guest posts on blogs. While we’re on this subject, I am adding the following information to further improve your guest blogging efforts:

If you have established a good relationship with the blog owner, you might be given permission to place a link, or two, within the actual blog post itself which leads back to your website, company blog, or other posts you have previously written for that blog to help with internal linking. When writing up your author biography, be sure to add in a few links within this section. Most blog owners will allow some links to be included. If the blog owner will allow it, use one full http link along with two hyperlinked anchor texts.

As you work to build relationships with industry bloggers, it is important to contribute an article on a regular basis as opposed to a one-time deal. You may decide to write an article once a month, for example. The time frame is up to you. If your goal is to establish a good relationship with a blog owner, providing quality content on a regular basis is certainly a necessity.

Having links within your author biography, and the post itself, is not only good when it comes to link building, but it also helps get fresh, targeted traffic to your website. When someone clicks on a link within a guest blog post, it indicates there is a desire to learn more about your company and your industry. The reasons vary, but whenever a visitor clicks through to your website, this presents the possibility of a visit being converted to a sale. The bottom line is that SEO is aimed at increasing the number of visitors to your website.

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The author of this article, Laura James, is the Chief Executive Officer of Best Designed Blogs. This company provides complete online business solutions.

Please click the logo to be taken to the website. Thank you.

When it comes to internet search engines, local searches have steadily gained dominance. Instead of searching for “Garden Store,” users are opting for more specific results based on their location. So, for example, the search will instead be “Garden Store Moose Jaw.” Many businesses listed on the web, (and there are some exceptions depending on the industry), are unable to target specific keywords. In order to optimize your location, you must target your keyword in your geographic location.

An online directory of local listings is one of the best ways to increase the odds of your business being found online. Don’t dismiss the opportunity to list business information including the address, hours, description, hours, and a telephone number. Remember, the more listings you’re included in, the more likely your business will come up when someone is doing an internet search of their local listings.

The most important local listing directory is Google Maps. When using Google, a local search will display map listings among the first results. For someone searching online, this is quite beneficial because local business information is provided. That’s why it is incredibly important to make sure your business is properly listed. Along those lines, it is vital to have your local listings in sync with your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy as this will maximize your results. A business category listing within Google Maps needs to be consistent with the highest return keywords being targeted. Several online directory websites provide you with predetermined categories. When listing your business, it is important to remain consistent among each of these directories.

Additionally, organic searches aid local listings. If someone decides to search for your business within your geographic area, local listings are surprisingly high ranking in terms of the search results. Ultimately, all of this makes local listings an absolute necessity when it comes to promoting your business among web users. The trend of local searches is likely to continue increasing as users worldwide conduct internet searches.

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The author of this article, Laura James, is the Chief Executive Officer of Best Designed Blogs. This company provides complete online business solutions.

Please click the logo to be taken to the website. Thank you.

One of the most effective methods for generating targeted leads to your website is through blog content marketing. By using this strategy, your content serves as a marketing tool for attracting customers. Blog content marketing is primarily done though either a blog platform or through the use of an “opt in” method.

For anyone interested in this process, it is important to write at least one blog post per day. With this in mind, it is important to choose a niche that you fully believe in. Doing so will make it easier for you to come up ideas for blog posts.

Blog Content Marketing Optimization

Blog content marketing should consist of entirely SEO (Search Engine Optimization) pieces of content. Remember, you want to create content as a means of generating traffic and visibility to your website. If you do not optimize your website’s content, the result will be low rankings among the various internet search engines. When browsing for content on an internet search engine, most people will only check the first page. With this in mind, be sure to include article marketing for SEO while you’re in the process of creating blog content. The idea is to boost your website’s status as much as possible.

Ensure you have your keyword included with each of the following items:

URL
Title
Heading
Content
Meta description
Alt tag with your images

Be sure to cover the following when it comes to the structure of blog content marketing:

A carefully chosen keyword that is related to your niche.
A catchy title to gain the attention of your reader.
Present an issue, or problem, within your opening paragraph.
The body of your article should offer suggestions, and possibly solutions, while remaining relevant to the article’s title.
A strong call to action within your closing section, which offers free and useful information, along with the solution and/or answer to the overall question.
When submitting your content to article directories, don’t forget to include your resource box which has a link back to your website.

One of the best ways for your article to be noticed is through syndication, which allows for sharing your content and making it available to others. You have numerous methods for syndicating content, including through social bookmarking and social networking websites. For example, the syndication process is made easier through services such as TribePro and OnlyWire. You may also automate the syndication of your website’s content by allowing readers to access the information through an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) button. If your blog and/or website is not yet set up with an RSS feed, you should strongly consider adding this.

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The author of this article, Laura James, is the Chief Executive Officer of Best Designed Blogs. This company provides complete online business solutions.

Please click the logo to be taken to the website. Thank you.

Without question, there are way too many poorly designed blogs. Many blogs are simply awful. I commonly discuss the issue of blog design with customers. I explain to them that their blog continually serves as an “internet business card.” It is incredibly important to always be aware of the message your blog sends to potential customers. If your blog is lousy, you basically eliminate your chances of turning a potential customer into an actual customer. Sure, there may be chance, but it gets down to a choice between “slim and none.” Even so, it is not uncommon for people to settle for either a free or cheaply priced blog as a means of trying to build and promote their business. This scenario simply does not make sense. If anything, it shows a lack of business savvy. A potential customer will not bother dealing with you if haven’t completely and professionally covered this base.

Do you need some clarification as to why some blogs, and yours may well be included, are rotten? No plugins. Incorrect plugins. Way too many plugins. Poorly designed navigation. No personalization. Stagnant content. Content filled with errors. No homepage. Oh yes, while I am still on this topic, let’s not brush aside those generic blogs that do not cost anything. These types of blogs are fine for personal use, such as listing your favourite recipes for family and friends. However, they are not at all suitable for building and promoting a business. If you want your business to be noticed in a professional manner, along with being found on the internet, please recognize the numerous benefits of investing in a properly designed blog.

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The author of this article, Laura James, is the Chief Executive Officer of Best Designed Blogs. This company provides complete online business solutions.

Please click the logo to be taken to the website. Thank you.

I enjoy writing blog posts. At times, however, it takes me some effort to come up with a topic to write about. I am sure anyone who has a blog has dealt with this issue at some point in time. Even so, I keep at it because I know the importance of continually adding quality content to a blog.

When it comes to sources for blog post ideas, there are numerous options:

1. Links to respected news feeds, especially those within your niche.

2. Updates from recent meetings with clients. For example, your client may have questions that you are able to answer. Often times, just taking the time for a conversation with a client, and finding out his or her concerns, leads to helpful ideas.

3. Attend and participate in business seminars. These types of forums provide numerous opportunities for meeting with people who have many levels of business experience. Plus, there are wide variety of business topics to choose from. After a two or three day session, you should come up with a numerous blogging strategies.

Sure, there are many sources for blog ideas. Way too many to list here, thankfully. Soon, I will be writing yet another blog post. For now, I am happy that yet another day of adding to my blog has ended.

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The author of this article, Laura James, is the Chief Executive Officer of Best Designed Blogs. This company provides complete online business solutions.

Please click the logo to be taken to the website. Thank you.

Personally, the idea of coming up with fresh business goals annually is not an appealing concept to me. Just because January rolls around to signal a new year, which I am very grateful to be around for, this does not mean I suddenly become mesmerized with completing such a task. That’s not to say that I don’t want to continue learning and improving. I simply have long ago realized that the process of succeeding in business is ongoing. There is no reason why January should be considered more important than the 11 months that follow when it comes to any aspect of business. Every situation you handle, along with every customer, matters greatly. If you’re blessed with common sense and integrity, the best way to show your gratitude is to apply these gifts year round. Count me in as someone who proudly adheres to these values. No matter what year you come across this blog post, never doubt the importance of applying “white hat” business techniques in all situations. Doing so will likely help you to build both your reputation and business on a continual, year round, basis.

“I know that I have the ability to achieve the object of my definite purpose in life, therefore, I demand of myself persistent, continuous action toward its attainment, and I here and now promise to render such action.“~~Napoleon Hill; author of  Think and Grow Rich.

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The author of this article, Laura James, is the Chief Executive Officer of Best Designed Blogs. This company provides complete online business solutions.

Please click the logo to be taken to the website. Thank you.

Best Designed Blogs is pleased to announce the establishment of a mentoring program for small Canadian businesses. In time, plans call for expanding the program to help those living in the U.S.A. and other countries.

A quote from Brendan Carpentier, the President of Best Designed Blogs:

“I have many memories of my mom’s efforts to build a successful small business. Whenever possible, I work to help those involved with establishing or running a small business. Among other issues, I take the time to teach marketing and business promotion techniques. Plus, I try to answer questions and simply provide guidance. I know how much my mom gained from this process, and I want to “pay it forward” as a way of helping others.”

A quote from Laura James, the Chief Executive Officer of Best Designed Blogs:

“As part of this ongoing program, I am pleased to announce that Brendan Carpentier will travel to Sandy Bay, Saskatchewan to host a small business forum on 11 January, 2012. Brendan is a native of Saskatchewan and he definitely enjoys meeting with and helping people throughout his home province. In addition to Brendan’s efforts, other members of the Best Designed Blogs team will host business mentoring seminars throughout other Canadian provinces. These events will be announced later, including through upcoming press releases.”

Please note that Best Designed Blogs covers all online marketing needs, including custom logo designs, software and database development, advertising copy help, standard website design, WordPress website and blog designs, motion graphics, e-commerce shopping cart designs, digital marketing software, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), PPC (Pay Per Click), and squeeze page/landing page/lead capture page designs. This company offers services far beyond those of a traditional blog or website design firm.

Best Designed Blogs does not outsource any of its work. To get more information, visit the company’s website or call (705)805-0563 in Canada or (260)220-0229 in the USA. You may also send an e-mail message to admin@bestdesignedblogs.com. Thank you.

One of the most common aspects of my job involves discussions with others about business promotion methods. A prospective client brought up her involvement with what are called “safelists.” If you are not familiar with this term, safelists contain the e-mail addresses of people who have agreed to receive messages from other members involved in the same safelist. If you’re a member of a safelist, you are allowed to e-mail other members information about your website, blog, promotion, and so on. Please note that some safelists are free, while others will require that you pay a fee to join. It is important to keep in mind that other members of a safelist are typically only involved because they want to recruit you for their businesses. Chances are slim that anyone you send a message to will actually read it, or be interested in the content.

Those who have achieved at least partial success using safelists generally favour them for the following reasons:

1. It’s an effective way to test your product, service, or advertisement among all subscribers who are part of the safelist.

2. Some safelists allow you to track your advertising campaigns. Once you have determined which advertisements are successful, you may then continue using them within other business promotion methods.

3. Safelists provide low cost marketing to thousands of people. Plus, all subscribers have opted in, so there is not a worry about being penalized for spam.

With all of this said, however, it is important to note that many people who have tried safelists are not fond of this type of system. Most will say the only thing safelists will do is crowd your e-bail inbox with numerous, and worthless, offers.

I have never subscribed to a safelist, nor has any staff member of my company. In order to learn more, I asked questions of those who favour safelists and those who do not. I also did some of my own research. Overall, most of the feedback I received has been negative. To be fair, some people actually are successful with safelist promotions. This group primarily includes highly skilled advertising text writers and strategists who already have some type of online marketing following. As someone who prides herself on having a keen business sense, I would respectfully recommend that you avoid using safelists. If you have direct experience with safelists, please let us know whether you would recommend them…why or why not? Thank you.

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The author of this article, Laura James, is the Chief Executive Officer of Best Designed Blogs. This company provides complete online business solutions.

Please click the logo to be taken to the website. Thank you.

As I wrote about in my previous blog post, I recently attended a business seminar in Sudbury, Ontario. During this event, I served as a moderator for a few of the discussions. Otherwise, I went to “pull out” sessions as a participant. One of the meetings I attended dealt with whether it is rude to hang up on a potential business customer during a telephone conversation. Of course, most people would not consider hanging up on someone. However, when it comes to business prospects, this technique is commonly used and is often highly effective. Some of the business seminar participants explained this stems from the need to maintain control of the conversation with the customer. Doing so is crucial because it often means leading a customer into doing business with a company. If a potential customer keeps wanting to take over the conversation and is simply not making a decision, this might lead you to hanging up on them. The moderator of this particular session then asked for a demonstration of this technique. It is basic and gets right to the point:

You simply say something along the lines of “OK Mrs. Smith, please get a pencil and paper. Ready? Great. Here are my contact details…(then give your name, company name, and telephone number, for example.) Call me back when you’re serious about doing business. Thank you.” Then, just hang up. Do not show any form of hesitation.

This likely will get their attention. It was emphasized that this technique needs to be used on a limited basis and only by those with advanced business skills. If used properly, it is said to be quite powerful. After all, if you have the right prospect to begin with, you will likely receive a telephone call back. Remember, customers do not like losing control and potentially missing out on a valued opportunity. A person who is serious about doing business with you will not hesitate to call you back. If they do not, this allows you to move onto dealing with, and helping, other customers while continuing to build your business.

Using this technique was embraced by some and completely dismissed by others participating in this session. I always enjoy the chance to work on promoting my company, while improving my business skills in the process.
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The author of this article, Laura James, is the Chief Executive Officer of Best Designed Blogs. This company provides complete online business solutions.

Please click the logo to be taken to the website. Thank you.

No

I recently spent a few days in Sudbury, Ontario attending a business seminar. Along with meeting representatives from numerous companies, I also participated in “pull out” sessions which covered a wide range of topics. One of the most memorable was listed under the heading of “Are Women Better At Business Building Than Men?” Obviously, there is no definitive way to answer this. Even so, this did not stop people from offering opinions and simply speculating about this.

Some people stated that since women are believed to be better at social skills and nurturing, the advantage is then in their favour. Others countered that, while this may be true, more successful businesses are headed by men. The debate continued, and while usually remaining fair and friendly, it was evident that some people definitely have strong opinions about this.

While the general belief is that women may be better at nurturing, it is important that a woman also has skills necessary to build a business, oversee staff members, and deal effectively with customers issues. As someone who has direct experience with this process, I am very familiar with all aspects of the balancing act between raising/nurturing children and being comfortable with presenting myself as a strong, capable businesswomen.

In thinking further about this topic, this may well be a generational issue. After all, our life experience influences us greatly. I keep this in mind when dealing with customers, for example, and it helped to apply this logic while attending this particular business seminar. I took no offence to what was said, but I noticed how varied, and sometimes passionate, the responses became as the participants took turns debating and discussing this subject. The other “pull out” sessions, while not as strongly attended, were also quite worthwhile and interesting. Fortunately, Sudbury is not too many kilometers away from here. I am always honoured when I, or a member of my staff, is asked to participate in activities that centre on the many aspects of proper business building and promotion.

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The author of this article, Laura James, is the Chief Executive Officer of Best Designed Blogs. This company provides complete online business solutions.

Please click the logo to be taken to the website. Thank you.