How to Win Your Online Business Through Google Places |  |
- How to Win Your Online Business Through Google Places
- Intuit to Acquire Docstoc; Agreement Signed
- Small Business Disaster Survival Guide: Get Your Insurance Claims Covered
- SurveyMonkey Introduces New Service To Do Employee Surveys
- 3 Types of Schema Markup Content Marketers Should Know
- Just How Much Do Indie Musicians Earn From Spotify?
| How to Win Your Online Business Through Google Places Posted: 04 Dec 2013 04:00 PM PST
Ranking and reviews can make or break your business. According to Google, 97% of consumers search for products and services online. So why not take advantage of this potential traffic? Google wants to help you with Google Places so that your business gets more visitors. So what is Google Places all about? Google PlacesGoogle Places is a free listing on Google tied to Google Maps. The listing storess information such as contact details, maps, hours, coupons, videos, photos, reviews and more. The service also offers real-time updates about special offers and displays them across the search result pages. Consumers nowadays use Google to search for products and services and local businesses with their tablets, laptops and Smartphones. With Google Places, all relevant business information can be offered to them. In addition, it also helps Google present an accurate search result to consumers who are looking for specific categories of products and their location. You can set up Google Places in minutes. Three simple steps will make your job much easier: 1) Login to Google PlacesWith your existing Google account, login to Google Places. Make sure that you use the Google account that you want to associate with your business. If you are using the service for the first time, you will be directed to look up your business through phone number or you should see a page with a business associated with your account. 2) Add Your BusinessClick the “add new business” link. The link will open the phone number lookup page. Enter your business phone number and country and Google will start searching for information about your business. If Google does not find any information about your business, you will get an option to “add new listing.” Now you can enter all the basic information about your business such as the location and how to find it online. 3) Verify Your ListingGoogle Places will verify whether you are an authorized person to add or update business information. You will receive a verification code via a text message or automated phone call or in the form of a postcard sent to the business address. Once verified, your account is now ready. Optimizing Your Google Places ListingFollow Google Places Guidelines You can find business guidelines in the help section of Google Places. Ensure That the Listing has a 100 Percent Score There are a maximum of 20 fields to be filled out before you submit the form. If you successfully fill in all the fields, your business will occupy a top slot in the listing. Choose Business Categories Correctly Google Places listings are categorized to help visitors sort the type of business they are looking for. Usually Google will show your business's first three categories to help you decide which listings to examine. Then it will display the local search results. As there are strong indications that Google uses the category information you provide, make sure that the business categories you select accurately describe your business. Write Expressive Descriptions and Include Keywords When users see your business description, you definitely want the description to be persuasive and drive clicks. So start thinking about that and convey your core value proposition. Also keyword descriptions should include your product, nearby suburbs and locality to target your market. Research indicates that approximately 73% of consumer search on Google is for local content. Therefore, you are actually increasing your chances of prospective clients in your local area. Encourage Customers to Write Reviews and Feedback Motivate your customers to provide business feedback. In addition, you can include a link to your Google Places listing on your website and ask people to leave reviews on your site and in your newsletters. Integrate with Google+ Google is encouraging business with a Google Places listing to assimilate with Google + for the following advantages:
Have you found Google Places to be good for inbound traffic? Image: Google The post How to Win Your Online Business Through Google Places appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Intuit to Acquire Docstoc; Agreement Signed Posted: 04 Dec 2013 01:47 PM PST
Intuit, the accounting software giant serving millions of small businesses, has entered into an agreement to acquire Docstoc, the Web-based provider of forms, documents and other resources for small businesses. The announcement was made today by Docstoc. Founded in 2007 and based in Santa Monica, California, Docstoc operates a Web platform containing proprietary and user generated documents, articles and videos to help businesses. In recent years, Docstoc has complemented its documents with tools and services including License123 (business licenses) and ExpertCircle (product recommendations). Intuit is the company behind successful products like accounting software QuickBooks. A joint announcement issued by the two companies says the acquisition will help Intuit add products to help solopreneurs, self-employed people and sub-contractors. DocStoc.com gets the benefit of Intuit’s well-established brand as well as access to greater resources. "Our vision is to be the ultimate destination and resource site for small businesses. We're extremely excited to continue to pursue this shared vision with Intuit….” said Jason Nazar, co-founder and CEO at Docstoc.com. Docstoc says it currently has more than 40 million registered users worldwide, and is one of the 500 most visited websites in the U.S., according to Quancast. "As we strive to be the operating system behind small business success, we are looking for solutions and teams that best serve small businesses, and Docstoc stood out as a clear leader," said Alex Chriss, vice president and general manager within Intuit’s small business unit. The transaction is expected to close before the end of Intuit’s second quarter which comes to a close January 31, 2014. The exact terms of the purchase have not been disclosed. Docstoc’s announcement says its 50 employees will continue to work out of its Santa Barbara headquarters under Nazar’s leadership. The post Intuit to Acquire Docstoc; Agreement Signed appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Small Business Disaster Survival Guide: Get Your Insurance Claims Covered Posted: 04 Dec 2013 11:00 AM PST
More than a year after Hurricane Sandy pummeled the East Coast, homeowners and businesses are still in the process of rebuilding and recovering from the storm's damage. Unfortunately, many of those affected by Sandy have found it's taking longer than expected to receive the funds they need to get back on their feet. In many cases, the expected source of those funds is an insurance company. While it's easy to demonize insurance providers for not paying the claims of affected businesses, that's often an unfair characterization. Here's a look at why it sometimes takes a long time to receive insurance benefits after a covered event and how you can ensure that, if you're ever struck with a disaster, your business gets its claims covered in a timely fashion. Why Won't the Insurance Company Pay Me?This is a common chorus among business owners affected by serious property damage like that caused by Sandy. And it's no wonder: In the aftermath of a major storm or other property event, emotions run high. For small-business owners, their life's work may be lying in tatters at their feet. When your insurance company denies a claim you submit, it can feel personal. In reality, claim denials are pure business. Take, for instance, this tangled insurance claim denial related to Sandy. Some hotels submitted business interruption claims that were denied because the insurance companies couldn't agree on whether power outages caused the interruption or they were caused by a flood (not covered) or an explosion (covered). In less severe disasters, claim denials are often a matter of a business owner's failure to adhere to the byzantine claims-submission process insurance companies mandate. Think, for example, of swiping a debit card backwards at an ATM. Your card may be denied over and over until you match the magnetic strip to the reader – once you do that, voilà. You can access your money. Before you follow those rules, though, it's easy to become frustrated when the machine won't give you the cash that's rightfully yours. Key Steps to Accessing Insurance Claims PaymentsSo how can you access insurance benefits when you need them most? Admittedly, it's a little more complicated than flipping a debit card around. But once you do adhere to the insurance company's rules, you should find that your claims are covered exactly as your policy said they would be. Here's a step-by-step guide to getting your business insurance claims covered as quickly and efficiently as possible: Prepare Ahead of TimeThe most impactful things you can do for getting claims covered happen long before a storm strikes. Preparation includes taking pictures of your property and inventory, noting serial numbers for major equipment, keeping a copy of your insurance policy somewhere outside your office, and programming your insurance agent's number into your phone. Having all these things handy will make the claims process much easier and quicker. Read Your Policy's Fine PrintNot sure what kinds of events your insurance policy covers? Then break out your paperwork and get ready to dig through some jargon. Or call your agent and ask for a detailed run-through of your coverages and exclusions. It's better to find out that you're not covered in the event of a flood now than when your storeroom is submerged in a foot of standing water. Update Your Policy as NeededIf you and your agent discover coverage gaps, update your policy to eliminate them. It's also essential to update your policy any time your business evolves, whether that means adding new services, selling new products, expanding or updating your offices, investing in new equipment, hiring new employees, or anything else. If you don't update your policy and you're hit with an incident, you may not be covered. Document the DamageWhen disaster hits your business, your instinct is likely to get in there and start cleaning up. But doing so without documenting the worst of the damage can prevent you from receiving full benefits from your insurance provider. After any claims incident – whether it's the theft of a laptop or a major storm – take a moment to photograph the affected area or damaged items. This will make the claims adjustment process go more quickly so you can receive benefits as soon as possible. Contact Contractors and Other Repair ProfessionalsFollowing a major disaster, it may be wise to contact the contractors who can get your office up and running before calling your insurance company. Why? Because there are only so many roof repair and construction companies in your area, and after a major disaster, they'll be inundated with repair requests. Getting yours in as quickly as possible will ensure you're at the front of the line for getting your building back in working order. Contact Your Insurance AgentThis call should happen right away – directly after making calls to contractors. Insurance companies are known for efficiently getting claims adjustors to disaster areas to process damage and determine what needs to be done. The sooner you contact your agent, the sooner you can start the process that ends with receiving a check to repair or replace what you've lost. Keep in mind, too, that contacting your agent is only the beginning of a process that can take some time. Get an Independent Appraiser's EstimateChances are, your insurance company will lowball you on a repair estimate, based on their appraiser's assessment of your damage. Why? Because insurance companies are also running a business. They have to think about their bottom line, which is helped by paying as little in claims as possible. Rather than thinking of them as the bad guy, recognize that this is how their business model works and be ready to assert the needs and interests of your business. This starts with the independent appraiser's estimate, which will likely be higher than the insurance company's. Be Prepared to NegotiateSo how do you convince your insurance provider to pay more than it initially offers? The key is in documentation. Provide estimates from your appraiser, estimates from the contractors who will do repairs, documentation of the condition of your property before the damage, documentation of the damage, and any other materials that can support your case. Making your case carefully will take some time and effort. But it will pay off when you receive adequate benefits to complete the repairs you need to get back on your feet. Treat Your Insurance Policy as a Gym MembershipYes, you have to pay for your insurance policy. But merely having a piece of paper in your safe won't protect your business any more than having a gym membership will magically make you fit. Just as you have to play an active role in getting in shape, you need to play an active role in ensuring that your insurance policies are suited to your current risk exposures and your claims are filed according to the rules so you end up protected when you most need coverage. The good news is that, just as trainers can demystify the various weight machines and cardio classes to help you achieve your fitness goals, an insurance agent can guide you through the processes of buying the right policies, updating those to match your changing business, and filing any claims that arise. Recovery Photo via Shutterstock The post Small Business Disaster Survival Guide: Get Your Insurance Claims Covered appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| SurveyMonkey Introduces New Service To Do Employee Surveys Posted: 04 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST
SurveyMonkey is known for the free and premium online surveys businesses use to learn more about their customers. But a new Platinum version of the software also allows you to ask questions of your employees too (example image below). The company recently introduced the $65 per month package, billed at $780 annually. Among other things, it includes new features that take into consideration HIPAA compliance requirements. They’re intended to help you steer clear of medical privacy issues, the company says. The new package also offers expert phone support, something not available with any of the company’s other plans. Other PlansIf your small business hasn’t yet taken advantage of SurveyMonkey’s existing service packages, take note. A free basic service allows you to create a survey with up to 10 questions and collect up to 100 responses. It’s hardly valuable as a business tool, but a good way to experiment with the software. Premium services for $17 and $25 per month allow an unlimited number of questions and responses with an increasing number of controls and features. SurveyMonkey also offers a survey bank of sample questions, templates to create your surveys, and tools to create a look for them that fits with your existing branding. The service allows you to post surveys to your website. You can also send them out in custom emails. Or you can post them via the SurveyMonkey Facebook app or just provide a link. Surveys can be added to your online content as a way to increase engagement with your audience. Once the data is collected, SurveyMonkey provides reporting tools including graphs. They’re designed to help you understand and communicate results. This video gives a quick overview of how SurveyMonkey works: Internal SurveysThe new Platinum or Enterprise package will probably appeal to larger companies. Insurance giant Aetna, the Hearst Corporation, the New York Giants and Great Britain's National Health Service have already signed on, the New York Times reports.
But small to medium-sized businesses with growing numbers of employees may want to add the service as a tool for their HR departments as well. Basically, the new service might be helpful in getting feedback from your workforce or in assessing company culture, if the cost is within your business’s budget. Image: Survey Monkey The post SurveyMonkey Introduces New Service To Do Employee Surveys appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 3 Types of Schema Markup Content Marketers Should Know Posted: 04 Dec 2013 05:00 AM PST
It’s harder and harder to get above-the-fold Google rankings, especially for the competitive queries. Thanks to Rich Snippets you can enjoy higher click through even without top rankings. Schema.org is one (preferred) of the ways to structure data on your page in a way that’s easy for Google and Bing to understand. They help the search engines pick some important things and show them in SERPs (search engine result pages). If you produce and market content, here are the three Schema markup types you need to be aware of:
Below is some info on each, without getting too technical. /VideoObject Schema.org MarkupGoogle recommends using schema markup for videos. Matt Cutts says schema should be used on-site even for Youtube videos if you embed them into your page. Here’s a quick HTML template to help you with the video template. Everything that’s IN CAPS in the code should be replaced with your video details. Here’s a handy Schema.org cheatsheet. The only hard thing there is this line:
It translates as follows: “Time = 1 minutes + 42 seconds”. Here’s some more information on the format that’s being used here. After implementing, make sure to check the Rich Snippets tool to make sure Google can recognize and read your markup. You should see it translated like this:  Make sure Google can see your video markup Video Schema versus Authorship Markup Video image thumbnail may override your authorship photo in search: It may preserve and show your “by Author Name” part or it may remove it. I am seeing the latter more often recently:  Video rich snippet + Authorship (Thanks to Sean Murray)  Video rich snippet with duration set I have no data as to which picture (author photo or video thumbnail) will result in higher click-through, so it’s worth experimenting. It may depend on user intent. People who are more interested in watching a video tutorial, for example. Also note that the image thumbnail is larger and may stand out more in SERPs. /Review Schema.orgReview schema markup has been largely abused (many people are using the markup without having the actual review and rating ability on the page). Google does note that the rich mark-up should be “representative of the main content of the page” otherwise it’s misleading. Keeping the above in mind, I wouldn’t suggest using any plugins that add review markup across the board. This wordpress plugin allows you to enable the markup on case-by-case basis. So you can show the markup only when you are actually reviewing a product or a service. Review Schema and Authorship Markup Review schema may override your authorship markup but if you are using itemprop=”reviewer,” the reviewer’s name will appear in search. I’ve seen cases where rel=”author” works the same way even when there is no itemprop=”reviewer” markup. But it’s better to set up the /review schema properly.  “Review by” instead of full Authorship /Article Schema and In-depth ArticlesIn-depth articles have been announced this year. It remains very vague as to who qualifies to be ranked in in-depth section of SERPs. To be considered you need to set up the combination of schema types /articles (most important) + Authorship markup + pagination and canonicalization (only if your content is paginated) + rel=publisher or /Organization schema. Basically, setting up two Schema types: /Article and /Organization. Review Schema and Authorship Markup An image thumbnail will override your authorship picture. Note that unlike with the above cases, you are not sacrificing anything as the “In-depth section” is not replacing your search listing. It’s an added benefit.  Indepth Article with Author displayed Rich snippets still have a long way to go. Google is still figuring out what to display, how to better meet searchers’ needs and how to prevent abuse. But being an early adopter always pays off. Marketing Photo via Shutterstock The post 3 Types of Schema Markup Content Marketers Should Know appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Just How Much Do Indie Musicians Earn From Spotify? Posted: 04 Dec 2013 02:30 AM PST
If you are an aspiring music artist / entrepreneur, you might have thought to make money through streaming music on platforms like Spotify. But unless your music turns out to be a hit, the dollars earned will be minimal. According to Spotify, the artist receives a payout somewhere between 6 tenths of a cent up to 8.4 tenths of a cent ($.006 and .0084) per “stream” of that artist’s music. Spotify just launched a site with information just for music artists containing statistics and charts. The new Spotify Artists site gives musicians analytics tools to track performance on Spotify, and their earnings. It turns out, Spotify is paying out a lot of royalty dollars — over $1 billion since its inception, according to the company. And $500 million of that has been during 2013 alone, due to the site’s explosive growth. But at the rates they pay out per stream, the artists cashing in are likely to be those with giant hits. Spotify says that it pays out nearly 70% to rights holders and retains 30% of revenues for the company. Rights holders include everyone who has rights in a song. On the Spotify Explained section of its site, the company says:
Some musicians have complained and at least one, Thom Yorke, called for a boycott of Spotify. The new website appears to be part of an effort to better explain to artists how Spotify calculates royalties and to tell its side of the story. In a Wall Street Journal article, Spotify founder Daniel Ek weighed in:
Ek pointed out in the interview how some stars made more than $3 million each in the past year. But clearly, that’s the exception not the norm. However, according to the Spotify calculations, it’s not such a bad deal, because Spotify pays out more than twice what other sites such as YouTube pay to indie musicians, and much more than terrestrial radio pays.
The chart immediately above is from July 2013. In it, Spotify picked certain music and, without revealing names, showed how much each earned. It’s telling that a niche indie (independent) album made $3,300 for the month. It was only the Spotify Top 10 album or a global hit that earned over $100,000 for the month. Keep in mind, those numbers are not averages. They are not necessarily even typical. They were examples that Spotify chose, without revealing their actual names. What’s the bottom line? At a rate of 6 tenths of a cent to 8.4 tenths of a cent per stream, you’d need a huge audience on Spotify before you could quit your day job. However, think of it this way: Spotify is probably good exposure for most indie musicians. Viewed as a marketing technique, being on Spotify could be worthwhile because it’s a platform to open up new audiences to your music. Just set your revenue expectations appropriately. The post Just How Much Do Indie Musicians Earn From Spotify? appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
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