Yep, it’s true!  There are hundreds, if not thousands, of people who have created sales for…

…their business by simply having a listing in Google Places!  (Think of it as today’s version of having a YellowPages listing!)

As you can see in the screenshot above – having top placement in the list - with reviews – even adds more of a punch!

In a future blog post, I’ll be discussing ‘freshness’ in relation to the way Google indexes, views and ranks its listings, but for now all you need to know is that it’s VERY important to:

a) Have your business listed, and claimed, in Google’s Places for Business.
b) Assure you are continually asking your customers to provide a review in your Google Places listing (this assures Google views you as “fresh” and continues to rank your listing higher and higher!)

So, how do you do all of this?  Let’s review…

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We had quite a bit of fun creating the bios on our web site…

…and thought it’d be fun to create a contest where you got to vote on which you like most (and tell us why)!

Yep!  You can win an iPad, iPod Touch, Kindle Fire, or even a $100 Amazon Gift Certificate by participating…  Here’s how:

The three things you need to do qualify to win our contest are:

1) Read our bios on our web site at: www.isgfl.com/about.
2) Vote on your favorite, and tell us why you like it, by filling this quick, easy survey.
3) Be a fan of our Facebook Page – simply click “Like!” if you’re not a fan already!

On Wednesday, November 23rd, we’re going to randomly draw three names from our Facebook Page, if you’re drawn & have answered our questions – YOU WIN!

Grand Prize – A Brand New iPad (32GB, your choice of color!)
First Prize – A Brand New iPod Touch (8GB) OR Kindle Fire (your choice!)
Second Prize – A $100 Amazon Gift Certificate!

We’re really excited about this, and can’t wait to hear from you!

Enjoy!

Charly and the ISG Team

PS – Special Thanks to Jason Evers (Quality Service Pros) for inspiring this contest with a Facebook comment he made about our bios!

PPS – We’re spreading the word, far and wide, this contest has been listed on:

www.SandysRealm.com
Contests.About.com
Free Sweepstakes and Giveaways
ContestGirl

Imagine waking up one morning to find out that 35% of your customers just ‘disappeared’…

In 2008, that’s exactly what happened to me, and my business, Internet Services Group of Florida, LLC (ISG).

Up until that point, as many businesses experienced in Southwest Florida, we were riding high, enjoying the fruits of our labor, and busier than we ever thought we’d be.

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So many people wonder why their web site doesn’t show up in Google’s natural search results…

…either at all, or, on the first few pages of results.

At ISG, we hear all kinds of people reach out for help by saying things like:

“My web site isn’t showing up in Google!”

“I’ve spent a lot of time optimizing my web site for the keyword phrases I’m hoping to attract, but I’m still not showing up in the results!”

or

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Are you passionate about your job?  Life?  Helping others?

As our Internet Marketing business has continued to grow – we’ve attracted some very passionate people who want their voice to be heard - LOUD and PROUD – on the Internet, and let me tell you, I LOVE it!

There is nothing is more exciting to me then helping people who love what they do – extend their:

• voice,
• personality, and
• knowledge

to the amazing audience the Internet provides.

One person we’ve had the absolute pleasure of helping is Triathlon Training Coach Angie Ferguson, and her company, Geared UP!

Wow!  Talk about energy, she’s amazing!

She has:

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I’ve met with two people in the last month who have had their online business  listings hijacked…

…by savvy competitors.

What is an online business listing?

Many web sites, such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, Yelp, etc., automatically index your business’s name and address from public sources of information.

However, they don’t automatically e-mail you and let you know it’s done; even worse, if you don’t ‘claim your business listing’ — someone else can (usually it’s relatively easy to do, too!)

You’re going to want to be sure that you don’t let it happen to you!

Here’s how…

This will require 15 to 30 minutes of time, depending on how fast you type!

1. Go to GetListed.org.
2. Type in your business name and ZIP code.
3. Click “Check My Listings” (if you have a long business name, and aren’t exactly sure how it’s listed – click “Advanced Check” below “Check My Listings”).
4. Review each of the listings (Google, Yelp, Bing, Yahoo, Best of the Web, and Hotfrog) and click “Claim your listing” for those that aren’t claimed).

As a bonus, you might also want to setup your business in MerchantCircle.com as well (click “Sign Up” in the upper right hand corner).

If you need any assistance, feel free to contact me!

Charly

Wow, ever since we started using BaseCamp for our…

…project management needs about 2 years ago – we’ve been hundreds of times more productive!

BaseCamp allows us to effectively:

• Keep our team in sync on every project.
• Keep our customers involved & interactive in the process.
• Keep track of schedules, tasks, and content revisions!
• Have a centralized source for communications that AUTOMATICALLY integrates with e-mail.

BaseCamp is amazing – if you have a moment, be sure to check out their online video tours.

In any event, moments ago, they released 20 new tips for using BaseCamp, very easy to use and very powerful.

Be sure learn more about BaseCamp, and their sister product for Customer Relationship Management, HighRise!

Enjoy (I know we are!),

Charly

A little over two weeks ago, I told you exactly how to create a place for your business…

…using the cool, new Facebook Places feature!

In this post, I’m going to review exactly what you’ll need to have, and what you’ll need to do to properly claim your business in Facebook Places.

Before you get started, Facebook will be asking for a copy of ONE of the following (in PDF format is best):

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Now, with millions of potential customers accessing web sites from their smart phones, it’s more important than ever to assure…

…your web site is smart phone compatible.

Above is a photo of our web site on an iPhone.

Just as the very first iPhone was debuted…

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Are you serious, I mean, VERY serious, about creating success on the Internet?

Over the last 15 years, my team and I have studied:

• humans (how to properly reach out online),
• graphic design (creating the best the look & feel of your web site),
• functionality (assuring your web site is easy to navigate and use),
• the Internet (how to get noticed, and create awareness)

and I’ve summed up our findings in the following 7 tips…

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