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Over the course of its existence, the currency has experienced big surges, and subsequent big drops, in its overall value. At its height, one coin was worth as much as US$30. A subsequent crash in value found one coin to be worth just US$5. Despite its troubles, though, Bitcoin has never succumbed to predictions of its death or calls for its ouster in the online financial world. That’s largely due to the unique way that the currency is earned, transferred, and spent.

A Purely Virtual Currency is Much More Versatile than Paper Money

For centuries, currency has been regulated by the country that issued it. In the United States, the value of a dollar is largely controlled by the Federal Reserve. In Europe, countries must answer to the European Central Bank. The pattern is familiar and nearly universal in every country that manages its own currency, or is part of a currency union. This virtual currency, though, is not regulated by any central authority. Instead, the value of this online currency is driven purely by the overall demand for it. As more people seek to earn and spend the virtual currency, its worth increases. When the opposite happens, its value decreases. No regulatory body governs its value, or where it can be spent, or on what it can be spent.

That’s a big draw for those who deal almost exclusively in online commerce. Accepting a virtual currency allows online stores to forego transaction fees and surcharges that are typically levied by local governments, online payment processors, and the credit card companies themselves. Being able to conduct business with consumers without paying high fees to the likes of MasterCard or Visa results in increased net profits without much of a need to increase sales.

Furthermore, the lack of central regulation that applies to virtual currency purchases means that accumulated funds can be used to fund organizations that would otherwise not be able to accept currency. Perhaps the best example is Anonymous, the group of hackers that has caused numerous international governments a fair bit of embarrassment. The currency can also be used to buy things online that would be considered illegal by local governments. From banned prescription drugs to merchandise sold overseas, this is a big selling point no matter how sketchy it might seem at the outset.

Becoming a Miner: How to Earn Virtual Currency

This unique form of money is not earned in traditional ways, which should be expected since the currency is nontraditional in every other way as well. When the idea of virtual currency first came to light, the primary way to earn the virtual currency was to dedicate a computer to running complex mathematical equations that required distributed computing in order to be fully solved. This communal approach worked with the currency’s ethos of communal earning, community-governed trading and valuations, and the separation of virtual coins from paper currency.

While that method of earning currency is still popular, the popularity of the currency has expanded its earnings opportunities. Nowadays, those looking to earn the popular virtual currency can simply log onto an online marketplace and begin selling things in exchange for virtual money. Auctions exist for everything form electronics to services rendered, and payment is accepted exclusively in Bitcoins. Furthermore, those who wish to get a head start on earning Bitcoins can actually trade existing currency, like dollars or euros, for virtual currency at its current matched value. If one Bitcoin is currently trading at $10, for example, ambitious traders could trade in $100 for 10 coins. The currency could then be spent at any location online that accepts the currency.

Getting Started: Make Sure to Secure a Wallet

Most people store paper currency in a wallet, and this virtually currency is no different. Of course, the wallet itself is a bit different than most people might be used to. In order to store currency and keep it safe, the company behind the currency has developed the Wallet program for Windows, Mac, and Linux. This wallet is maintained by opening a user account associated with the currency, and that user account will be tied to any earnings or transactions made using Bitcoins.

With the Wallet installed and ready to go, users are ready to start exploring the marketplace for Bitcoin transactions near them, and online around the world. Most frequently, currency is earned by engaging in all kinds of transactions. Some people work online, doing anything from freelance writing to web design, while requesting that all payment be made in Bitcoins. Others open up eBay-style auctions of electronics and other goods while requiring payment be submitted in the form of Bitcoins. Even local Craigslist auctions have turned to the currency as a safe, electronic form of payment that can bypass high PayPal fees, the writing of a personal check, or the exchange of traditional currency.

Proceed with Caution and Take Part in the Revolution

The currency has been called a revolution in terms of the way people spend money, largely because there is no central regulatory authority and there are no restrictions on what can be purchased using Bitcoins. Caution should always be used, of course, especially with an all-digital currency that has no paper equivalent and no real course of action in the event of theft or fraud. With careful attention to the particulars, and cautionary earning and spending, this unique currency can become a way to insulate financial interests from wider economic instability and the restrictions placed on traditional currency by central banks and regulatory authorities.

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In some cases, adding the Google authorship markup resulted in more than double increase in the number of clicks. This gives you a serious advantage over your competition, making implementing it a no-brainer. So how do you set up this feature? All you have to do is follow a few basic instructions.

Instructions on Setting Up Google Authorship Markup

• First, set up a Google+ profile if you haven’t done so already. When setting up your account, you want the domain of the email to be the same as the domain of the site you’re creating content for. This will help Google connect your Google+ account to that domain.
• Next, you want to manually connect your Google+ account to your content. On your Google+ account, go to the lower right side of the About page. You will see a small column called Links which lists your YouTube account, other profiles and contributor to information. This is where you have to add the sites or blogs your Google+ account is contributing content to.
• Alternatively, you can verify the email address for the site you’re publishing for. To do this, go to this page and enter the email to have the confirmation email sent to that address. Once that is done, you can verify the authorship status which will connect the Google+ account and the domain it will be contributing for.
• You then want to make sure you have a good headshot ready for your profile picture. Try using a picture that is in color, makes you look friendly, and highlights you in a good light. There have been tests that showed that A/B split testing profile pictures can actually improve clickthroughs, so you may want to try experimenting with different photos later. You can upload the picture in the Photos tab of your Google+ account.
• Finally, you want to link to your Google+ account by linking to it at the bottom of each post. Simply link to the Google+ profile in HTML code and add “rel=author” tag at the link. For example, the HTML code would be “a href=https://plus.google.com/12321112?rel=author”. Many people use this in the author bio section and use text such as “you can find me in Google+ and Twitter” with the Google+ text hyperlinked with the Google+ account.

Once you’ve set everything up, the Google authorship markup should appear below the search engine listing title and to the left side of the listing description. This will now help your content pages listed in the search engines attract more attention while also showing users that there is a real person behind the content. This adds a lot of credibility, trust and authority to your content.

As a side note, you even take advantage of authorship when contributing to another blog. All you have to do is link to your Google+ account with the rel=author tag as you normally would. Another thing that shouldn’t be overlooked is the fact that there can be multiple authors for one domain. This can be used to encourage employees to submit content for the domain, giving the domain an SEO advantage.

Verify Your Google Authorship Markup

If you want to figure out if you’ve set Google authorship markup correctly, simply use Google’s structured data testing tool. Visit this page and enter the URL of the Google+ account that you’ve set up authorship for. This tool will preview how your listing will appear in the Google search engine. If you see your Google authorship markup placed next to your listing, it should be set up correctly.

While the whole process setting up Google authorship markup a little annoying to deal with, it is well worth the effort of setting everything up. If you’re skeptical, try comparing the traffic from one of your listings before authorship markup and after authorship markup. Many publishers report that the difference in traffic is night and day. You should see a big difference in the results as well.

If you really want to make your profile stand out I suggest buying Google Circle followers.

More Details on Google Authorship Markeup

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Choose An Audience

One of the first things that a person who wants to publish a book online should do is to choose their audience. By choosing an audience, a person will be able to easily determine who they would like to market their book to online, and by selecting an audience, a person can choose who they would like to read their ebook.

In addition, a person can write their book online in a way that caters to their target audience in order to attract many more readers and significantly raise its popularity.

Choose A Title And A Subject

Once an author has chosen their target audience, it’s time to choose the title and the subject of the ebook. The book can cover one subject or a wide variety of subjects in a particular field, and the title should be interesting and enticing in order to attract many new readers.

Designing A Cover Photo Or Picture

Designing a top notch cover photo is a vital step to creating a successful book online, and the cover photo is one of the first things that potential readers will see when they are considering your ebook. The cover photo on the new book needs to catch the reader’s attention, and it must encourage potential readers to buy it and to read it

Having a graphic designer create a cover photo for you may be a good idea, and many graphic designers have a lot of experience creating high quality cover photos.

Having A Way To Connect With Readers

An author should establish a method of connecting with their readers. By establishing a blog, a website or a profile on various social media networks, an author can answer any questions that any readers may have, and they can give their readers updates on any new books that they may be working on.

Write The Ebook

Once an author has chosen a target audience, created a title, designed and created a cover image and established a platform, it’s time to write the book. Many people wait until they feel that they have a large amount of time to get started, and while waiting until a person has hours to work on their new piece is understandable, the best way to get started writing an book online is to just sit down at the computer and start writing the ebook.

Writing a book online with Microsoft Word has many advantages over writing it by using other programs, and Microsoft Word has a number of important features that can help an author write their ebook.

While writing a long book online, it’s vital to create a table of contents in order to effectively organize the piece, and a table of contents will help readers find certain chapters and particular pages more effectively.

Choosing The Price

Choosing the price of the book is an important step when creating an ebook. When selling a book online, a person can choose a low price or a high price, and low prices and high prices both have benefits when selling an book online.

A low price will generally encourage more people to buy the book, and the author may make more sales by offering their piece for a low price. In contrast, a high price will give the author more money for every sale of their book that they make, and in addition, some people may think that an ebook that is being sold for a higher price may be more valuable and have better information than one that is being sold for a lower price.

Formatting The Ebook

Once a person has written their piece and chosen the price of their book, it’s time to format the ebook. Formatting the book can be a relatively easy process if a person understands how to use HTML code; however, formatting a book can also be a long process.

If an author wants to have their ebook formatted quickly, they can pay a company to format the it for them. 52Novels is one of the companies that formats books online, and their prices vary depending on the number of words that the piece has.

Upload The Ebook And Write A Description

Once the book has been formatted, it’s time to upload it. Amazon makes it very easy to upload an ebook, and a person can use the tool that Amazon provides on their website to upload a new book of any size.

In addition, a person can write a description about their new book when they upload it. Writing a description is very important because it allows the author to describe the piece to potential readers while simultaneously enticing potential readers to buy the ebook.

Amazon gives the author the ability to write a description of their book that has up to 4,000 characters, so the author has a significant amount of writing space to encourage people to read their new piece.

Decide Whether Or Not To Use Kindle Direct Publishing

If a person chooses Kindle Direct Publishing, or “KDP,”, their book will be in the publishing program for at least 90 days. KDP has some advantages for authors, and KDP may help the author to attract new readers.

In addition, KDP allows an author to offer their book for free for five days, and once the five days are over, their ebook will again be available at the price that the author decides to sell it for.

Allowing people to read the book for free for five days may encourage some people to get started reading the it, and if the person really likes the piece, it’s likely that they will purchase it once it is available at a particular price again.

Choosing The Royalties

Authors have two options when choosing the royalties that they receive from their book online. An author can choose to receive 70% of the revenue that is generated from their ebook, and if the author chooses this option, the price for the book has to be at least $2.99.

In addition to being able to receive 70% of the revenue that the book generates, an author can choose to receive 35% of the revenue that the book generates, and if an author chooses to receive 35% of the revenue, they can set the price for their ebook for as low as 99 cents.

When publishing and selling ebooks on Amazon, there are many steps to take and things to consider. Some of these include choosing an audience, choosing a title and a subject, designing a cover image, creating a website or a blog to communicate effectively with readers and potential readers, writing the book, choosing the price of the ebook, formatting the book, uploading the piece, writing a description for the book, deciding whether or not to use Kindle Direct Publishing and choosing the royalties that the author will receive for the book.

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If you have a hard time understanding on-page SEO and ranking for competitive keywords, then SEOPressor is an essential WordPress plugin for your blog. This plugin is incredibly easy to use, and it has many features that will help you optimize all of your articles without fearing a penalty from Google. This plugin is essential for any blogger that wants to make money from his or her blog.

Features

This plugin has many features, but the most important is its on-page SEO checker. The checker will display your current SEO score and keyword density. It shows you what you can do to improve your score. It bases all of its calculations on current and relevant SEO principles that have been proven to help website owners rank their pages. You can use up to three keywords per article, and the checker will help you find good LSI terms to improve your on-page SEO.

The next feature is the over-optimization checker. Over-optimization has become a major issue since the Google updates. Many website owners are wary about using their keywords too frequently. This feature ensures that you use your keywords the perfect number of times for the best rankings.

SEOPressor also makes it easier to add rich snippets to your articles. You may have noticed that certain links in Google have star ratings, images and other additions next to them. This feature allows you to easily add these to your link without forcing you to learn any coding. Watch your CTR skyrocket after using these little additions.

Twitter Cards and Facebook OpenGraph information are very important now because Google is paying attention to social signals, but most website owners aren’t adding these to their articles. This plugin allows you to capitalize on these social signals by automatically adding this information to every post. Not only does this help improve your Google ranking, but your websites will look better when you share them through Twitter and Facebook.

The last feature is automated smart linking. These are internal and external links that you can easily manage and create based on your keywords. Internal linking is important because it keeps people on your page and ensures that they read more of your articles. External linking allows you to link to your other websites, and it also proves that you did some research before writing the article.

New Google Changes

The former version of SEOPressor went from the best plugin to the worst because it wasn’t made for the new Google changes. While this was a problem, the newest version is made to specifically target these changes and work with them to improve your rankings.

Google demands better writing, natural optimization and social media usage from all website owners if they want to rank for competitive keywords. This plugin ensures that Google gets everything it wants while helping your website achieve a higher ranking.

Due to its over-optimization checker and various other features, you will never need to worry about a penalty from Google. If your website has any potential problems that could lead to a penalty, then SEOPressor will immediately show you where the problem is and how to fix it.

Ease of Use

Some SEO plugins and programs are very hard to use. Many of these programs force you to fluently know certain programming languages to even use their basic functions. That is not the case with SEOPressor.

This plugin is incredibly easy to use. It doesn’t matter how much experience you have with writing, SEO, programming or blogging. You can easily follow the SEO checker’s instructions to improve your on-page optimization.

Here’s how it works. Go to the page where you can publish an article and write your content. Click the “Click to Refresh the Analysis” button on the checker and it will show you your score and keyword density. Just follow the suggestions underneath the checker to improve your SEO.

If you follow all of the suggestions, then you should get a score of about 60 to 70 out of 100. There are additional steps that you can take to get to 100 that involve properly using images, adding LSI words and sectioning your content with more headings.

This ensures that all of your articles are at their best before you publish them.

Recommended Users

This plugin is not for the casual writer that just wants to share his or her thoughts via WordPress. If you want to rank for competitive keywords, dramatically increase your traffic and make more money through your blog, then you definitely need SEOPressor.

The SEO game is getting harder. If you want to stay ahead of your competitors, then you need a good plugin like this to boost your on-page SEO.

Conclusion

SEOPressor is a great plugin that will help you rank for any keyword despite the major Google changes. While it’s relatively expensive compared to other plugins, you get a lot for your money. This is the best on-page SEO plugin because it’s easy to use, understands the Google changes and it will keep you from being penalized if you follow its advice.

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Local SEO Value

The reason that savvy marketing professionals and business owners have come to realize the value of local SEO is through an understanding of how consumers use the Internet. In the past, it had been believed that online searchers ultimately did the majority of their purchases online. However, it was discovered quite a while ago that this assumption is incorrect. The reality is that shopping is still a very tactile experience for many people. There is also some risk involved in doing business with an unfamiliar company online.

However, most everyone is comfortable with researching the items and services that they wish to purchase ahead of time. Once they find what they are looking for, they often head out to the local store to make their purchases confidently from recognized businesses.

Online purchases are typically not delivered immediately unless the order is for something like take out food. Sometimes, customers need something immediately – so they search to find information about products and services to make their purchases. Another reason that customers shop locally is that local stores may have more liberal and easier exchange policies.

There are also socially conscious consumers who prefer to support their local communities by making their purchases from local stores. These are just a few of the many reasons why every business today, no matter what product or service they sell needs to have a web presence that is optimized for local SEO.

Business Search Presence

Despite the fact that the Small Business Administration has indicated that there are over 30 million small businesses in the U.S., just over 5 million businesses are estimated to have active listings on Google. This is a startling statistic, given that it has been more than clear how local SEO provides such a great deal of opportunity for just about any type of business.

The Laws of Attraction

Small business owners are usually tied up with running their day to day operations. Because of this, there is a strong need for streamlined instructions with straight forward tasks to effectively accomplish local SEO goals. The tactics should always be designed to improve the chance that consumers will discover their businesses online. Attracting customers online is an art. Therefore, local SEO is most often accomplished through:

a. Local search and discovery on websites,
b. Optimized Internet business listings and
c. Local search rankings throughout the web.

Local Search Approach

Typically, it is understood that of all Google searches, the ones with a location are at around twenty percent. The Google results pages that display maps are generally at between 1 and 13 at the start of each year. Local search in this case relates to focused search verticals of Google Places, Yahoo! Local and Bing Local search engines.

Other local search applications could include online directories such as eLocal, Yellow Pages and destination websites designed to aggregate local business information for reviews, product and service details, photos and contact information. This usually includes sites such as Yelp, Citysearch, Insider Pages and Foursquare.

Optimizing a web presence for discovery and local search channels includes two kinds of local search avenues to consider: discovery and recovery. Recovery searches are those designed to locate businesses. In that case, the searcher is familiar with and concentrates upon business names, addresses and phone numbers.

The discovery search is research that is performed to find businesses that are not specifically known but could suit their needs. These focus upon the details that searchers may use to locate companies in listing directories and on local search sites.

Local Search Ranking and Requirements

Local search algorithms are largely not entirely specific. However, some of the ranking factors have been determined based upon performance and testing. For example, Google applies at least three separate algorithms that are used for results:

1. Organic algorithms occur naturally from techniques like social media and content. These concern the time that pages have been up and keyword density, as well as links that lead to the page. In addition, the page quality of those links is another important factor.

2. Map algorithm results generally come from:

a. Business information that was supplied or submitted
b. Web references or citations
c. Relevant data feeds
d. Quality user generated content like blogs, articles and case studies

3. 7 or 10 pack algorithms include only businesses with a local Google Maps listing. Based upon the Maps algorithm, it uses preferred positioning in order to push organic results further down, leaving them off the screen. This is yet another very important reason to keep all Google listings as current as possible.

Local Search Landing Page Optimization

Business sites can be local search optimized for best results. Optimized sites improve the company’s chances of appearing in organic search results. They can also deliver stronger signals to search engines with more detailed sources about the business mission, products and services. To accomplish this:

a. Include clear business names and location data web pages
b. Ensure that the address and phone information is in the Title tag
c. Make available all contact info and privacy policy information
d. Provide visually engaging content like images and videos, as appropriate

Business Listing Management

Businesses must claim their listings and manage profiles in major search engines, social sites, directories and local search sites such as:

a. Google Places
b. Yahoo! Local Listings
c. Bing Local Listing Center

When local business listings are submitted, be aware of the keywords that searchers may use. Make sure the profile is complete with business hours, photos, location and payment options. Categorize the business as accurately as possible and keep listings fresh to provide the most current data. Also, updating the listing regularly is a good practice to achieve higher search engine rankings. Maintain consistency and accuracy for all directory and listing services online so that fingerprints do not become fragmented.

‭Brand Building and Reputation

‭Using effective local SEO techniques also assists businesses in establishing essential brand presence online. Increased visibility means that prospects searching for the types of products and services the business sells not only translates to more web traffic, but serves to strengthen the marketing message. Local SEO marketing activities also help to build the business reputation online as well as off.

‭The more that companies participate in local SEO activities online, the more likely that prospects will locate them easily. Also, good recommendations from consumers are a key factor in using local search methods effectively. Targeted audiences may also have increased opportunities to become more aware of key branding messages to establish lasting business relationships.‭

Local SEO has become more of an imperative for the success of companies online, particularly smaller businesses that can use these tactics to level the playing field against the big boys. The reality is that if a business cannot be found online, it more than likely will not be found in the regional marketplace, either. Every business needs to get on board with local search marketing in order to become and stay competitive in the growing on and offline business marketplace.

Local SEO 101 Infographic

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Yelp

Yelp offers its web visitors search capabilities for any local region’s resources. One simply inputs an address, neighborhood, city, state, zip code or any combination thereof. Yelp will locate whatever you’re looking for, whether it’s a rare record store or a popular pizza parlor. The site will also give you information such as hours of operation, if there’s parking and a rating based on five stars.

As opposed to a commercial or advertising product, Yelp is more of a community driven service than anything. It can be invaluable to small and local businesses that hope to maintain a presence in the all-important Internet environment. Business owners can personally keep their listing updated in real time. Yet, Yelp maintains a certain level of security and honesty by not giving owners the ability to delete or change any facts that the site’s moderators haven’t investigated and approved. This is instrumental in preventing overzealous and fraudulent information from both getting on the site, or businesses removing data they’d rather not have in their profiles, such as negative customer reviews.

Reviews are what truly set Yelp apart. Probably its most influential feature is the functionality that allows members to leave reviews of services rendered that cannot be altered by the businesses. Moderators do not govern what reviewers say. As long as reviews are honest and respectable, Yelp will put it on the site.

That gives Yelp the distinct characteristic of letting its visitors know that out of six local bars, the one that’s most likely to promise the best service is six blocks away, based on what other customers are saying. Yelp encourages visitor comments through a number of incentives. The reputation system lists and grades reviewers based on popularity, length of membership, their prolificacy and interests. They have an award system in place for users that open any forum with the first review. Yelp is social media working to create a culture that encourages businesses to perform at their best.

Review Impact

Business owners can respond to reviews, but they cannot alter them. This creates a level of honest customer participation that is unequaled. Of course, that means businesses want to get the best possible reviews that drive customers to sample their services and products. That means building a solid reputation and, here is the difficult part, getting consumers to leave a review on Yelp.

At one point, the site was getting close to 40 million unique visitors a month. That means consumers are definitely using Yelp regularly. Yet, like YouTube, it’s easy to get lost on the site. Significance is built on ratings, reviews and views. Your business might end up on a generated Yelp list. Yet, if you have no reviews and the other guys have 20 to 30 raves, it’s likely a consumer will pick one of the other guys.

To maximize your presence on Yelp, it’s going to take great recommendations and, for the most part, it’s going to take a lot of them.

Getting Reviews

There are a few ways to encourage customers to leave reviews on Yelp and help increase your chances of driving potential new customers to your business.

• Suggest customers visit your page. There is nothing wrong with this. Tell them how much you’d appreciate it if they left a review. But now you’re obligated to make sure they receive an unparalleled service.
• Respond to reviews. Let your customers know you care. Nothing can brand loyalty than a business letting its clients know their voice is being heard.
• Promote your page. Use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media platforms to encourage customers to visit your Yelp page.
• Post positive Yelp reviews. The same way a restaurant posts positive newspaper reviews in their windows, do the same with Yelp reviews. This will give people an idea of what other customers are saying about the business. It might encourage them to visit Yelp and leave a review as well.
• Host a Yelp function. Contact a local Yelp associate and inform them you’d like to host an event. They’ll help you make the arrangements, ensuring you’ll have Yelp members there. An event will most certainly generate reviews.
• Badge your website. If you have a website, make sure to place your Yelp badge prominently on all the pages. Link it to your Yelp profile. Leave a subtle blurb that people are welcome to review your business.
• Branding. Note your Yelp membership throughout the business. If you run a restaurant, mention it in the menu. Place signage in significant areas: at the bar, on the tables, beside the hotel bed or in the bathroom.
• Professional reviews. A good start might be to buy a few reviews. People are drawn to parties. If there is activity on your page, it may encourage others to participate. One or two reviews may be enough to get things started.
• Promote on Yelp. Yelp allows business owners to place special promotions and discounts on their pages. Members searching Yelp coming across special offers, like hotel discounts or special meal pricing, will more likely select your destination from the search list. Chances are they’ll review you.
• Last, and certainly not least, always put your best service on the table. Positive reviews are only going to come from an exceptional experience. Leaving reviews has become a passion for a lot of consumers. The millions of Yelp members are more than ready to accommodate you, but make sure they’ll have something nice to say.

Summary

Everything on the above list can be done, or only a few. Do try to be practical and operate in moderation. Overwhelming any potential customers with any intent to leave a review will only lead to them not doing so or diminishing the experience. Despite any tactics that could get someone to leave a Yelp review, at the end of the day you want them to do it because they had a good time.

Yelp Hits 20 Million Reviews [INFOGRAPHIC]

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Thanks to the Internet and the instant, easy to access communication it affords getting real reviews from actual past  customers is quick, simple, and best of all, often free. Those business reviews are very important in a day and age where the economy makes every purchase a major purchase.

With online restaurant, lawyer, and everything from dentist to esthetician reviews you can find the best services and know that what who you are paying is going to do the job you need, and even learn about possibilities you never dreamt of. When you look for service reviews of any type there are two types of review: expert reviews, and personal user reviews. Both are worth their weight in gold and should be considered equally for their specific reasons. They are real reviews from real users.

With expert reviews you will get information regarding the specifications, they know what each service should do and probably have a great deal of experience with a wide variety of similar products to compare them against. With user reviews you get a no-holds barred truthfulness that many professionals may hold back on a little bit out of fear of retribution, or no longer having access to a particular company’s line of product. Along with that user reviews usually amount to a larger number of people giving their view of a product.

There is likely to be a bit of a range of opinion and users will love a service, some will hate it, and others will be in the middle. Reading them all, looking at why they feel the way they do can help you make a valuable decision for them. What one user finds difficult you can decide isn’t an issue, and what another thinks is not a problem you may consider troublesome.

The value of any service review isn’t in someone else making a decision for you. That’s what ads and marketing campaigns try to do. The real value in expert reviews and real reviews consumers is the ability to see what is out there, what others think and see what your business offers so they you can make educated decisions for themselves.

Need More Reviews? Check Out These Services

• Buying Google Reviews
• Get More Yelp Reviews

Infographic by 540 SEO

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Getting Started With Google Plus for Local Business

Setting up your Google Plus business page is easy. The first step, if you haven’t already done so, is to set up a Google account. The account is free and will allow you to access all of Google’s features, including email, documents and the Google calendar. Once you have your account set up, or is you already have an account it is time to visit the Google Plus signup page to first set up your personal Plus page, this is required. Now that you have that set up it is time to visit the  Google+ Business signup page. Now you must set up for Google Places listing and link it up to your business page.

Simply enter your phone number and let Google find your business on the interactive map. If your location is not found, manually enter your phone number and address for easy placement. If you are using a cell phone for your business, you will probably have to enter your contact information manually.

Setting up your local page for your business is a great way to target your local customers for free. Whenever someone searches for your product or service in your area, Google will automatically deliver your business location and pinpoint it on a handy map. Capture the dollars of your local customers by creating a free Google+ page for your local business.

Optimizing Your Google Plus Local Page

It’s not enough to simply build a great business and cross your fingers, hoping that customers will find you. In order to get the maximum exposure for your company, you have to make sure that you are the first resource customers find for your product or service. This is why optimizing your page is so important. There are several tips that you can use to drive the maximum amount of customers to your page.

Make Your Page Pretty

Customers love visually appealing and fresh content. Keep your blog updated, post pictures of your business, staff and products and provide relevant information. Be sure to add in information that will help customers do business with you. One of the major mistakes that business owners make is not listing their hours of operation on their page. If your customers have to search for basic information, they will simply go somewhere else.

Encourage Your Customers to Share

The biggest trend in social media is users sharing interesting information with friends. Your site can quickly go viral with just a few social media mentions or shares. Make it easy by providing links to Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest on your page. Encourage your customers to “like” your products and interact with you on your social media sites.

Make it Mobile

In the last year alone, the number of users that access the Internet on their mobile devices has increased exponentially. If your customers can’t access your site from their mobile devices, your site is in trouble. If you have a website or blog connected to your Google+ page, make sure it is optimized for mobile devices.

Use Keywords

Think like your customer. Use keywords in your content that matches what your local customers are searching for. If your customers are looking for “chocolate chip cookies in Springfield,” for example, create blog posts with that exact title. Create image captions like “the best chocolate chip cookies in Springfield.” Create headers that correspond with common search terms. By optimizing your site with keywords, you will enjoy greater exposure for your business and higher page ranking.

Let Your Customers Speak for You

One of the best ways to attract new customers to your site is to add testimonials from real customers. Encourage your loyal customers to leave positive reviews about your product. Conduct a contest that gives a free product or discount for the best video testimonial. Adding positive reviews for your site gives it credibility and attracts new customers.

If you want to target local customers, there is no better way than using Google Plus for Business. This interactive module puts the power of the king of search engines behind your company. Target your customer and grab their dollar by using the best resources for promoting your company online for free. Getting your own Google+ Local for Business page is easy and free. Sign up today.

Other Useful Google Services For Businesses

Broadcast Your Business Locally

Invite your customers to come and hang out with you, live on air. Hangout on Air allows you to create a live video broadcast featuring your business and share it with everyone in your circle. Showcase a new product or service and get the word out to local customers who want to become fans of your business. With Hangout on Air, your followers can share your video on their other social media sites, guaranteeing maximum exposure for your company.

Google Tools for Office Operations

With the best tools for your business, you can streamline your back office operations without hiring an assistant. Google Presentations allows you to create attention-grabbing slideshows and presentations that get results. Manage all of your daily appointments with Google Calendar and see all of your appointments at a glance. With Google Docs, simply and easily create documents for all of your business needs.

Google Plus Services

• Google Circle Followers
• Adwords Voucher Codes
• Google Reviews
• Google Plus Ones

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