Yahoo Small Business Presents: The SEO Honeymoon on US Sports Net!

The SEO Honeymoon

By: Ethan Luke

A trend among many businesses who initiate implementation of an SEO campaign is a period of fast results. This is often called the "SEO Honeymoon", and there are reasons for this. Usually businesses that haven’t SEO’d their site, have a lot of simple changes that are needed from day one that result in great gains in rankings and results. These changes are very straight-forward, but make a huge difference:

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1. Keyword Research and Analysis

Choosing the keywords that are competitive for your business or product category. Implement these keywords throughout the site and its tags.

2. Title Tag Optimization

Keyword optimizing your title tags. This means renaming the tag with your primary keywords.

3. Internal Linking Structures and Anchor Text Optimization

You need a strong, internal linking structure to ensure quality flow and ease of use. Optimize your anchor text with keywords for the best results.

4. Semantically Structuring On-Page Text

This would tell the search engines what is important on your site. It’s much like prioritizing your content so the spiders read the most important information first.

These implementations are relatively simple, but it also depends on what CMS you are using and its versatility. Once you have made your site more accessible and search engine friendly, the landing page has a strong SEO strategy, your keyword research is paying off and you have witnessed that immediate spike in results, you are ready for some real work.

Congratulations, your SEO honeymoon is over. Now the hard part begins, maintaining and building on your initial success. If you don’t have the capital to invest in an SEO firm, then you will want to educate yourself on the next steps. If you do invest in the services of a firm, here is what should help you develop realistic aspirations.

A long-term strategy of SEO, social media, link building and online PR must be developed to work together for a 6, 12, or 24 month period. Manage realistically what your expectations are for profits, conversions, traffic and rankings. It is also very important to involve analytics software and determine exactly what you want to measure and report on every week and month, in order to make the most educated decisions.

It is also important for any client relationship to have transparency. The quick results may foster unrealistic expectations for the campaign. Be honest and present credible and justified results in the planning process. This will help hedge any egos that may want the whole cookie jar.

Web sites that require simple changes can often times experience quick results when they begin their SEO campaign, resulting in a proverbial honeymoon of results. This can foster unrealistic expectations from the client. In these situations it is crucial to be honest and realistic with the client, as well as take the necessary steps to continue their SEO success and momentum throughout the rest of their campaign.

Yahoo Small Business: Helpful Business Email Features To Consider

By | Small Business

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So, you are looking for a business email account. It should be a pretty easy task. After all, email providers are all the same, right? Wrong! Not all business email providers are created equally. So, you’ll have to do your homework to pick the one that best fits your needs.

In truth, a business email is not just a personal email address with clout. It needs to provide entrepreneurs with professional and organizational features to help them streamline communications. Here are some helpful business email features to consider as you’re searching for an email provider.

How to Create a Business Email Account

First things first, you’ll need to know how to create a business email account. This process is painless, thanks to services like Yahoo Small Business. You’ll be provided with an @yourbusiness.com address, as well as a free domain name for your organization.
Still, you should play with your domain name or business email address. For instance, your Ohio-based company may specialize in landscaping. Instead of naming your email address @mylandscapingcompany.com, you could opt for @bestohiolandscaping.com. It’s cute, it’s memorable and it lets people know where you operate. There are dozens of possibilities, so take your time to think it through.
Next, you’ll want to standardize your employees’ email addresses. It might make sense to only use first names, especially if you have a small company. But as your business grows, this could cause problems. Think about it, sean@yourbusiness.com might seem like a good idea, but what happens when you hire another Sean? Having vpcindy@mybiz.com might work for your vice president, but what if she is promoted? Do you really want to change her email and confuse her contacts?
Try sticking to something simple like firstname.lastname@ourbusiness.com. Its brilliance is in its simplicity.

Must-Have Features

Of course, selecting a business email service is about more than just addresses. It’s also about the baked-in features and functionalities.
There are email services out there offering a bunch of unnecessary bells and whistles that needlessly complicated and expensive. Choose a provider offering only those features that are absolutely necessary. These include:

• Comprehensive email management. This allows you to see all of your mailboxes on a single screen, regardless of provider. Even if you have accounts with Yahoo Business, Gmail and Outlook, you’ll be able to peruse both your professional and personal emails in one place.

• Simple mailbox transfer. This frees you from the worries of accommodating staff changes, reassignments and migrations. Simply add a new mailbox and enjoy an easy transfer of data. You should also have the ability to import your contacts from Facebook as well as other email providers.

• Robust security features. Cybersecurity threats are everywhere. Stymie the bad guys with a platform boasting 100-percent encryption by default.

• Extensive free storage space. Nobody likes hidden fees. So choose a platform with plenty of free space.

• Multiple calendars. Manage your meetings and appointments with this essential tool.

Now that you’re aware of these helpful business email features to consider, it’s time to explore your options. Start by visiting Yahoo Small Business. Our services are affordable, functional and eager to please. Try them today!

Yahoo Small Business Presents: Small business solutions: Automate on US Sports Net!

Small business solutions: Automate

By: Edna Kiser

Small businesses are at a disadvantage because they don’t have the resources to do as much as large businesses but are still expected to provide the same amount of service and work. That is why it is important to find as many small business solutions as possible to help create efficiency and organization in the office. Automating things can help in this process. It is worth looking into creating and applying systems in your business to save time and money.

How to automate small business

According to Forbes, it is really important for small businesses to create systems to automate processes that are repetitive and don’t need to be done by a person. We all hate busy work, and many of those things we hate to do can be done by a computer. Forbes gives an example of this as an email system where emails are sorted and managed automatically. You no longer have to spend hours looking through your email and determining what is important to get done now and what can get done later. Your email can do that for you. Another great company to use for automating more of your business solutions is Equiinet. Equiinet allows you to streamline your business phone systems and IT solutions. You don’t have to pay someone in the office to answer the phones all the time, and you will be able to answer calls even after hours. You are guaranteed high-quality service for those who are calling your company. You can also avoid having an in-house IT person to monitor company security issues and back up the system every night. Every business wants to ensure daily back-ups are taking place, so there is no fear of losing information or work that has been completed; however, it is also scary loading a lot of personal data on the internet regularly. Fortunately, Equiinet can help protect your business’s personal information stored on the cloud. There are many solutions out there to help you automate your business; you just have to look for them.

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The purpose

The reason why getting a system in place is so important is that it helps you to grow your business. If you can spend less time on tasks that can be automated, then you are able to spend a lot more time building up the business. It also helps you avoid mistakes. If you automate systems, you are dealing with a computer that will make fewer mistakes than a human. It may take some time to get into place and to perfect, but ultimately, it will help your business run much more smoothly and will save you time.

Source: forbes .com/sites/neilpatel/2015/09/10/how-to-create-business-systems-that-will-automate-and-streamline-business-growth/

By: Edna Kiser

Small businesses are at a disadvantage because they don’t have the resources to do as much as large businesses but are still expected to provide the same amount of service and work. That is why it is important to find as many small business solutions as possible to help create efficiency and organization in the office. Automating things can help in this process. It is worth looking into creating and applying systems in your business to save time and money.

How to automate small business

According to Forbes, it is really important for small businesses to create systems to automate processes that are repetitive and don’t need to be done by a person. We all hate busy work, and many of those things we hate to do can be done by a computer. Forbes gives an example of this as an email system where emails are sorted and managed automatically. You no longer have to spend hours looking through your email and determining what is important to get done now and what can get done later. Your email can do that for you. Another great company to use for automating more of your business solutions is Equiinet. Equiinet allows you to streamline your business phone systems and IT solutions. You don’t have to pay someone in the office to answer the phones all the time, and you will be able to answer calls even after hours. You are guaranteed high-quality service for those who are calling your company. You can also avoid having an in-house IT person to monitor company security issues and back up the system every night. Every business wants to ensure daily back-ups are taking place, so there is no fear of losing information or work that has been completed; however, it is also scary loading a lot of personal data on the internet regularly. Fortunately, Equiinet can help protect your business’s personal information stored on the cloud. There are many solutions out there to help you automate your business; you just have to look for them.

The purpose

The reason why getting a system in place is so important is that it helps you to grow your business. If you can spend less time on tasks that can be automated, then you are able to spend a lot more time building up the business. It also helps you avoid mistakes. If you automate systems, you are dealing with a computer that will make fewer mistakes than a human. It may take some time to get into place and to perfect, but ultimately, it will help your business run much more smoothly and will save you time.

Source: forbes .com/sites/neilpatel/2015/09/10/how-to-create-business-systems-that-will-automate-and-streamline-business-growth/

 I am a blogger for almost three years now. I'd love to share new ideas to others.

Yahoo Small Business Presents: Keys to Be Successful in Business Marketing on US Sports Net!

Keys to Be Successful in Business Marketing

By: Jerzy Banas

Business marketing is when a business markets and sells its goods and services to other businesses or organizations. These other organizations may resell these goods and services or use them in their own business to support their operations. Business marketing is often called as industrial marketing or business-to-business (B2B) marketing.

The perfect example of Business to business marketing is the automobile industry. Automobile companies buy various spare parts such as tires, batteries, electronics and door locks which are manufactured independently by other businesses and sold directly to automobile manufacturers to assemble automobiles.

Even the Service industry is also engaged in large number of business to business transactions. For example Companies specializing in housekeeping provide services exclusively to other organizations, rather than individual consumers.

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Business-to-customer marketing is when a business markets and sells its goods and services to retail consumers for personal use. While most companies that sell directly to consumers can be referred to as B2C companies. The business-to-consumer as a business model differs significantly from the business-to-business model, which refers to transaction between two or more businesses.

Business market (B2B) vs. Consumer marketing (B2C)

B2C marketing differs from B2B marketing in a number of key ways. A Business market has very few customers as compared to a consumer market which has large numbers of customers. A business market usually sells a customized product where as a consumer market sells a homogenous product. A Business to business transaction is a huge value transaction as purchase quantity is very high where as business to consumer transaction is a small value transaction. Price can be negotiated in business markets where as price is usually fixed in consumer market. Business markets have lengthy and complex selling process with multiple decision makers but in consumer market buying decision are simple and are made by individuals.

Keys to success in Business markets are:

1) Value creation & Customer satisfaction

Business begins with value creation. It is the prime objective of the business to create and deliver value in an efficient manner which will ultimately lead to profits. Value leads to customer satisfaction. Customer experience is an integral part of B2B marketing. The customer experience is the key brand differentiator, even more than the price and product.

2) Social media marketing

Social media marketing is when a company uses social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter to market its product or services. Social media marketing is one of the best and efficient platforms for marketers. Most social media platforms have built-in data analytics tools which enable companies to track the progress, success, and engagement of ad campaigns. Companies address a range of stakeholders through social media marketing including current and potential customers.

3) Mobile marketing

Mobile marketing is a digital marketing strategy whose aim is reaching a target audience on their Smartphone, tablets, and other mobile devices through email, SMS and multimedia messages.

Smartphone usage has increased multiple times during the last few years, app usage has also highly increased. Therefore, mobile marketers have increasingly taken advantage of Smartphone apps as a marketing resource. Marketers aim to optimize the visibility of an app in a store, which will maximize the number of downloads. This practice is called App Store Optimization (ASO).

4) Multimedia Content Marketing

Marketing using Multimedia content attracts more customers. B2B marketers are widely adopting this trend. The primary driver is the desire to make content more engaging, compelling, and shareable than just the traditional modes. The most common forms of visual content include 360-degree videos.

5) Effective Personal selling & Executive Branding

Distribution channel is the path through which the product reaches the final customer. Personal selling is the most preferred form of distribution and promotion used by B2B marketers The sellers promote the product through their attitude, appearance and specialist product knowledge. Executive Branding is when an executive showcases his professional strengths as a way to attract the customers. Executive branding is also known as reputation management. Especially in B2B environments, executive branding is now considered a necessity. Senior management must create and develop their personal brand image to attract new customers.
 We are content publisher of stokz.com website about finance, business, stock market and financial forum

Yahoo Small Business-IRS reporting for employers with self-funded plans

By Aflac | Small Business

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Under the Affordable Care Act, employers who self-fund their employee health care are required to submit informational reporting about minimum essential coverage to the Internal Revenue Service beginning January 2016. Below are details to help businesses comply with this requirement.Who is required to submit information reporting of minimum essential coverage?
Among those required to submit information reporting of minimum essential coverage are:

• Self-funded employers.
• Insurers.

 Note: Applicable large employers that self-fund their health care are also required to submit employer-sponsored coverage reporting to the IRS. To learn more, see Employer-Sponsored Coverage to the IRS Information Reporting.
What does the report include?
Employers are required to submit a separate report for each individual health care recipient on Forms 1095-B and 1094-B that specifically provides:

• The name of each individual enrolled in minimum essential coverage as well as the name and address of the primary insured or other related person (for example, a parent or spouse) who submits the application for coverage.
• The return also must report the taxpayer identification number (TIN) and months of coverage for each individual who is covered under the policy or program.
• The name, address and employer identification number (EIN) of the employer maintaining the plan and whether coverage was enrolled in through the government marketplace.

The employer must also provide a written statement to the covered individual(s) that includes:

• The policy number.
• The name, address and a contact number for the reporting entity.
• The information required to be reported to the IRS.

What is the deadline?

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Statements are to be provided annually to employees by Jan. 31. Forms must be provided to the IRS by Feb. 28 (March 31 if filed electronically) for the previous calendar year. Employers are encouraged to voluntarily report starting in 2015 for the 2014 plan year, but official annual reporting begins in 2016 for the 2015 plan year.
How do I submit the report?
Employers are required to provide the IRS with Form 1094-C, which is the transmittal form, and Form 1095-C, which is the employee statement. Employers can file electronically, and draft forms are expected to be available from the IRS as the reporting deadline approaches.
Can a third-party organization file the report?
Yes, the law allows employers to use a third party to assist with filing IRS reporting and providing statements to individuals insured by the health plan.
Is there a penalty for not filing the report?
Currently, employers may face penalties for not filing informational reporting. However, the law explains that these fines may be waived for employers that do not file due to reasonable cause, or fines reduced for errors that are corrected in a timely manner that are not due to reasonable cause.
Note: Fines may be waived for employers that do not file due to reasonable cause.
More benefits strategies and resources for small businesses
The Employer’s guide to healthcare reform helps answer important questions facing small businesses and offers solutions to help strike the right benefits balance — one that is budget friendly while also meeting the health care needs and requirements of employees.

Yahoo Small Business: How Hiring a Contract Manufacturer Can Bring Your Invention Idea to Life

How Hiring a Contract Manufacturer Can Bring Your Invention Idea to Life

By Emily Moorhead | allBusiness

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Are you an entrepreneur with a new product idea you would like to bring to market? Perhaps you don’t have the production equipment needed to produce your product yourself, or maybe you are hoping to sell or license your idea to a company, but need some initial stock to show sales potential, value, and usefulness.
In these situations, hiring a contract manufacturer may suit your needs. But what is a contract manufacturer and what can you expect from them?
A contract manufacturer is a for-hire firm that will produce a specific quantity of your product for a set fee based on agreed upon specification. The price of the service is based on an estimation of the processes, labor, tooling, and materials costs.
Hiring a contract manufacturer may make sense to startup businesses and self-made entrepreneurs because it takes the lengthy process of manufacturing off their shoulders and entrusts it to a product creation team that has experience in the industry. It also may save a business money because it allows an inventor to not have to purchase manufacturing equipment. Some contract manufacturers may even inventory and ship products, which can be both labor-intensive and cost-prohibitive for a small business.
There are always risks associated with outsourcing, and contract manufacturing is not an exception. Consider speaking to an attorney to go over the business arrangement and ensure you have an understanding of the services you are paying for and their extents and limitations. Generally, keep these words of advice in mind when considering a contract manufacturer:

Don’t Be a Cheapskate

A lower price tag may not always be the best option. This price may just include the bare minimum of necessities for your product, and you will be stuck paying for expensive and necessary add-ons in order for your invention to turn out like you imagined.


Get 25% off Web Hosting using code HOSTING25 at Yahoo Small Business   It is also possible a low price can be associated with substandard materials or less-than-stellar craftsmanship. Although this is not always the case, be wary when considering an offer that is much lower in price than competitors’ pricing. Be sure you are familiar with the specifications and know exactly what you are getting for the cost.
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Bigger Isn’t Always Better

On the other hand, a higher cost may not always be indicative of a higher quality product, just as a big-name manufacturer may not always be the best option for you.
Research many different manufacturers on consumer sites and ask for references from customers who produce products similar to yours. Always compare specifications throughout your top choices to ensure each company is offering comparable materials and labor. If a small, yet reputable company can provide you with the same service and quality materials as a big-name competitor for a better cost, it is worth considering the less expensive, but also lesser-known company.

Quality Over Quantity

A simple law in manufacturing is the more product you purchase, the less each will cost to produce. This is because the production phase of manufacturing is the most costly since it involves expensive and time-consuming processes and preparation work. Once the machines start to run, the only difference between producing 500 or 5,000 of your product is the raw materials. It may sound appealing to get 10 times more product for only double the cost, but don’t just buy because the price per unit is less.
Think about it like this: when you shop at a bulk-buying club, such as Sam’s Club or Costco, you could buy 20 pounds of ground beef at a cheaper cost per ounce than if you bought it at a local grocer. However, if you don’t use all of the ground beef, you have wasted money and resources. If you buy 5,000 of your product, but only need 500, you’re going to be wasting space in your garage with an overflow of stock and wasting money which could be used on another aspect of your business.

Specify, Specify, Specify

In manufacturing, your job costs are based on a set of agreed-upon specifications; that is, a list of the materials from which your product will be created as well as dimensions and other physical boundaries. These specifications are incredibly important. If there is a communication issue regarding size, color, type of plastic, etc., you may be out thousands of dollars and stuck with a useless product.
For the sake of both parties’ budgets and sanity, go over the specifications in precise detail before signing on the dotted line. Discuss what is to be produced, how it will be created, what materials are to be used (with brand names and weights, if applicable), the time frame from start to finish, who pays for shipping and delivery, and any other details in the production of your product. There is nothing worse than finding out halfway through production the wrong plastic was used or the dimensions are incorrect and having to start over.
Contract manufacturing can be an excellent way to turn your invention into a reality without having to do all the labor yourself; however, be wary as with signing any legally-binding document. When considering contract manufacturing, ensure you’re not paying too little for your chosen services, consider lesser-known as well as big-time manufacturers, avoid paying a lower cost per unit for an excessive amount of product, and review your specifications in painstaking detail to set yourself and your company on the right path.

About Emily Moorhead

Emily Moorhead is a Social Media and Digital Marketing Specialist at InventHelp, specializing in content creation. She enjoys blogging about inventions, innovation, and technology and has worked in business, audio visual technology, nonprofits, and hospitality. Her passions include cooking, reading, camping, and curling up with her two cats.
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Yahoo Small Business Targeting Health Clubs and Swanky Hotels, But Finding a Purpose in Flint

By Adrienne Burke | Small Business

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Rich Razgaitis cofounded FloWater in 2013 on a mission to eliminate single use plastic water bottles and their destruction of the environment. Swanky hotels, fitness clubs, and sporting events were logical places to start placing his machines, which he says offer “crisp, ultra-purified, perfectly chilled water” sourced from the tap.He positioned FloWater systems as luxury upgrades to drinking fountains and water coolers, with H2O so much tastier than bottled water that consumers would be inspired to carry their own refillable vessels.
But when word spread about lead-contaminated water in Flint, Mich., and of the bottled water being trucked in, Razgaitis saw a new opportunity to pursue his vision. He donated eight FloWater units for placement in Flint government buildings, police stations, schools, and churches to prove their effectiveness in eradicating between 95 and 97 percent of the lead in water flowing from city taps. A third party lab that tested one unit found virtually undetectable levels of lead in water filtered by FloWater units from a source containing 45 times the EPA limit for lead. Testing is ongoing and FloWater is seeking sponsors to place additional units.
Even before the Flint crisis, Razgaitis says his research indicated that half of Americans either don’t trust or don’t like the taste of their tap water. “Our strategy is to use a product that is good - tap water - and transform it through this 7-stage purification system to deliver a product that tastes so much better,” he says. The process, he says, runs tap water through sediment-, carbon-, reverse osmosis-, and coconut carbon filters that remove chlorine, fluoride, herbicides, and heavy metals, and add oxygen, minerals, electrolytes, and a fresh, crisp taste. The company claims its system provides “the most advanced hydration on the planet.”
Razgaitis, who started out as a marketer in the biotech industry and went on to run several consumer goods and e-commerce companies, says he began FloWater with “an idea and a really big problem.”
“Bottled water is a $100 billion a year industry and it’s wreaking havoc on the environment,” he says. “Recycling efforts are important and noble, but less than 20 percent of that waste gets recycled.” Water coolers aren’t much better, he says. “There are 5 million 5-gallon jugs at stations around the country. It’s the most archaic form of transporting water. It’s like going to a well and pulling up a bucket, but doing that with trucks and water sitting in plastic jugs.”
To develop a solution, he partnered with industrial design firm RKS and a water purification manufacturer in Korea. After raising a first round of funding in 2013, his team spent 18 months on intensive product development, from ideation to schematics to prototypes, first-run production, full-scale production, and testing with several thousand consumers.
Today, a permanent FloWater system sells for $5,000. Leasing costs $125 per month. For some FloWater customers, that fee is no object. An office that was spending $500 per month on Fiji bottled water reduced its bill by 90 percent after installing a FloWater system, Razgaitis says.
FloWater’s 500 customers, many with more than one unit, have already contributed to saving more than 3 million single use plastic water bottles from the environment, he says. By the end of 2016, he projects 1,000 customers including hotel and fitness chains and school districts.
For now, FloWater serves just the B2B market. But consumer requests are common. “We get requests constantly from people who travel to a hotel that has FloWater. They enjoy it all week and then go home and email us a request for a unit.” That’s a product he plans to get into development by the end of 2017.  For people in places like Flint, it can’t happen soon enough.
Follow Adrienne Jane Burke at @adajane

Yahoo Small Business: 5 Tips for Your First Sale: Venture Capitalists' Advice for Startups

BY ADRIENNE BURKE | SMALL BUSINESS

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What matters most in the first years of a startup’s life? “Closing deals,” says Greg Pugh, SVP of Customer Acquisition for Rev1 Ventures, seed-stage venture development organization in Columbus, Ohio.

It’s not enough to have a good product if you don’t have customers who want it. And lack of customer interest is a common problem: More than 40 percent of startups fail due to lack of market for their product, according CB Insights.

The seasoned business leaders at Rev1, named the most active VC firm in Ohio, say the best way for entrepreneurs to close their first customer and start out on a path toward sustainable success is to believe that in a startup, everyone, including the founder, sells. Says Pugh, “By building selling into the culture of the company from the start, closing the first customer will be easier, and closing the next customer will be second nature.”

Rev1’s leaders should know. They have helped make Ohio a growing hub of startup activity. In 2015 alone, the firm claims its portfolio generated $162 million in revenue, created nearly 300 new jobs, and attracted nearly $100 million in capital to the region.  

“Inking the first deal is one of the most challenging, gratifying and defining experiences for a new company,” says Rev1 president & CEO Tom Walker, who adds that he wishes he had more early insight into the best ways to approach first customers.  

Here’s how he and the leaders of the Rev1 team recommend closing your first customer and beyond:

1. Do your homework. "Never take any meeting with a potential customer for granted,” Walker says. “When you’re working on your company’s first sales, you may spend a week studying the customer and the competition just to prepare for a 30-minute call. Over time, your customer and industry knowledge will build. But problem solving and preparation? Those will always be the keys to successful sales.”

2. Identify early adopters. The visionaries and technology enthusiasts are the customers who take a risk when no one else will, Pugh says. “They help you make your product what it needs to be. They give you credibility, and often times, they become your friends.” He adds: “Be bold and ask obligating questions of your prospects in order to understand their intentions and your opportunity for working with them and growing with them.”

3. Understand your customer’s business. That’s when you can really sell to them, recommends Rev1 EVP of Investments & Venture Acceleration Wayne Embree. “They will trust you because you demonstrate that you actually recognize that their business is more than the problem that you are trying to solve. When you put it in terms of how your product makes their relationship to their customers better, that will secure them to you as a customer.”  

4. Look for prospects with a track record for doing business with early-stage companies. That’s the advice of Ohio TechAngel Funds Managing Director Parker MacDonell. “Ask someone who knows you personally to introduce you to someone she or he knows personally at the prospect company,” he says. “That removes some of the uncertainty the prospect might feel at doing business with a young company led by an entrepreneur whom they’ve never met.”

5. Provide abundant value. When you do, your very happy first customer will help you land your second and third customer, says Rev1 Chief Marketing Officer Kristy Campbell. “It’s critical your product or service can provide the value required to ensure they come away from the process as an active advocate for your work.”

Visit the Rev1 Ventures blog for more of its leaders’ insights.