1. Create your Google Profile (Google now calls these Place Pages.)

2. Set up a Yahoo Business account.

3. Set up an account at Bing Business, (Verification by USPS)

4. Submit your website url to the DMOZ (be very, very patient!)

5. Create a business listing at Local.com

6. Create a listing at Best Of The Web Local.

7. Create a Yelp Business listing.

8. Create a Facebook Fan Page and join other Fan Pages related to your product or service.

9. Search Twitter for people talking about your product or service and join the conversation.

10. Start a blog, post content and leave high quality comments on other blogs in your niche.

11. Keep joining related Facebook Fan Pages, keep the conversation going on Twitter and keep posting quality comments on other blogs–never promote!

As a small business owner in this economy you have 3 choices:

1. Do all of the above yourself
2. Hire someone to do it for you.
3. Nothing (bad choice)

First, what is a webcast?

In simple terms it’s a video recording placed on the web. Just like a TV offers traditional viewing, a webcast does something similar – but the video is streamed on the internet rather than the TV network.

A webcast can be anything from a video of you explaining how to do something to your viewers, to a two (or more) people interview, to an interactive online class.

The point is that you’re adding an interactive feature to your website and making it easier for visitors to give their feedback and get involved.

Anyone can start a webcast with a simple video recorder. One of the easiest methods is the Flipcam. It makes getting your videos on the internet drop dead easy. You can also use more sophisticated equipment to create news programs on a very high-end level.

There’s a lot of different equipment you can use and a little research will help you find the best. Once you’re set up with your video recording mode you can take things a step further and use a video editing service to add features to your recording which will really make the video stand out. There are many services online and a simple Google search will help you find the right one for you.

Webcasting is a great addition to your website. You’re making it easy for your visitors to interact with you while offering valuable information. This will keep them coming back to your site over and over again.

If you’re thinking of becoming a blogger for pay, these tips will help you get started.

#1 – Start a blog about something you’re passionate about. Your passion and “voice” will help your blog gain loyal followers and recognition. It will also make it easier for you to post and update your blog on a regular basis.

#2 – Research the market and the monetization options. Blogging about what you know is great but it’s also important to ensure there is a viable market for your subject. Market research will help you determine this. You’ll also want to look at ways to monetize your blog (ie make money with it) before you start.

Here are a few simple ways to make money with a blog:

a. Google Adsense – This ad program is easy to use and you can be set up within minutes. You simply sign up for a free Google account, set up the code in your blog and everytime a reader clicks on an ad you earn a certain amount per click. The amount varies and only Google really knows what it will be. However, some subjects are more profitable than others so it’s worth doing your research here too.

b. Affiliate Programs – Most affiliate programs are free to sign up to. Once you sign up to a program you’ll receive a unique URL to insert into your blog pages for each product you recommend. Then you simply recommend the product to your readers and if they purchase the product through your affiliate link you receive a commission for the sale. Commission amounts vary and it depends on the type of products you promote. You can go to clickbank.com and cj.com to learn more about available affiliate programs.

c. Paid Advertisement – If your blog is popular then you may be able to sell advertisement space on it. Advertisers can range from small time business owners to big time advertisers and household names. Set up an advertisement page on your blog with procedures, advertisement rates, traffic statistics and visitor demographics and you’re set to go.

d. Sell Your Own Products – If you have your own product to sell, a blog can really cement your customer base. This is a great place to promote and sell your products.

#3 – Blog for others. If setting up your own blog doesn’t appeal just yet, blogging for others is a fantastic way to get your feet wet and make a little extra cash in the process. Do a simple search for blogging jobs or blogging opportunities and you will find a number of possibilities. Another good place to look is on craigslist.com and you can also visit some large popular blogs that you like and see if there are any available opportunities. Many big companies are now looking for bloggers so it’s simply a matter of doing a little research and finding the right opportunity for you.

Blogging for pay is a very possible and fun way to make money online. Whether you start your own blog or blog for others, there are many opportunities available for you to express yourself, help others and make money in the process. A fantastic work-at-home opportunity.

Understand what a 404 error is. A 404 error is essentially, your fault. While many people may believe that it’s something with the server, a 404 error essentially means you’ve sent your visitor to a page that doesn’t exist. The code 404 essentially means, a client error, a general syntax or spelling error, and a bad or unauthorized request.

404 Errors can then be caused by:

* Mistyped urls
* Mistyped urls in external links or internal links
* Moving documents on your website, thus changing the structure
* Renaming documents
* Using mixed case file names
* If your purchased a used domain, it's possible that search engines and external sites have old documents indexed
* Worms and viruses
* Broken links (meaning the page is no longer where it used to be)

Finding and Fixing 404 Errors

Because a number of things can cause 404 errors, it’s important to have a tool to identify 404 errors so you know what to do to fix them. There are several tools that can help you resolve your 404 errors, one such tool is the Google Webmaster tool. It not only identifies your 404 errors but also shows you why they’re happening so all you have to do is go to the source. For example, if your visitors are receiving a 404 error because a link was misspelled then all you have to do is fix the link.

Custom 404 Pages

One option to ensure your visitors always have someplace to go and are not left frustrated enough to click away is to create a custom 404 page. This page will ideally provide a link back to your home page, perhaps a link to your category index page, a search option, a link to your sitemap, and even a link to your most popular content. It will also, ideally, contain a cheerful message that let’s people know, in a fun way, that the page or site they were seeking was not found.

404 errors aren’t any fun for anyone. Using webmaster tools and creating a custom 404 error can go a long way toward alleviating the headaches them and the headaches they cause.

#1 Make a list of topics you’re interested and/or passionate about. Assuming your online business is a rousing success, you’re going to be writing, speaking, and planning your business almost every day of the year. It really helps if you enjoy what you’re working on.

#2 Once you have a list of topics you’re interested in and/or passionate about, it’s time to see if there is any demand for that topic. It’s time to do a bit of keyword research. Keyword research involves using a few keyword sites like the Google AdWords tool and Wordtracker to accomplish two key things:

You want to see if there is a lot of demand for your topic(s) and you want to see if there is a lot of supply for your chosen topic(s). What you’re looking for are topics with high demand and low supply. Meaning lots of people are looking for your information and very few websites are providing it. Now if you find that absolutely no one is providing any information on your topic then you’ll want to investigate why. It may mean that it isn’t a viable topic.

Each keyword tool operates a little differently but you’ll see numbers that represent the number of people searching for that topic or keyword and the number of sites or pages that are optimized for that keyword. So if you see that 1000 people are searching gingerbread cookies each day and there are only 20 pages that are optimized for that keyword, it may be time to dig deeper.

#3 Research your competition. Using those same keyword tools and a few keyword tools that help you dig deeper into the keywords your competition is using to market and optimize their site, you will spend some time visiting potential competitors to explore what their niche focus is.

For example, you may visit those website pages optimized for gingerbread cookies and find that only five of them are cookie recipe sites. The others may be parenting sites or just random blog posts. So, you now know that you really only have five competitors and can position yourself amongst them by perhaps narrowing your niche even further.

You could, for example, choose to have a website devoted entirely to cookie cutter cookies rather than all cookies, assuming there is high demand and low supply for that topic.

#4 Finally, analyze your topics based on profitability – which topics have the potential to make the most money. For example, a website based on cookie cutter cookies may be great fun for you but are there many moneymaking opportunities? A website based on a high-end luxury product, like Italian Espresso Makers, may have more income opportunities.

Choosing your online niche is a process. It can take a little while to find a topic that meets all of the criteria we mentioned however, it is time well spent. A well-researched niche topic can help you achieve all of your online entrepreneur dreams.

Here’s how to find out if your product will sell online:

Step One. Good old fashioned keyword research. Keyword research is the old stand by because it works. Keyword research is excellent at showing whether there is demand for your product because it provides accurate information about how many people are searching for your type of product. It is a great first step however it is only a first step.

Great places to start researching keywords are:

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html

http://www.wordtracker.com/

Step Two. Explore consumer demand. Check out online sites to see how well similar items are selling and for how much. eBay for example is a good place to begin. Both eBay and Amazon offer best seller’s lists. This can help you tap into your target audience and potential demand.

Step Three. Who is your competition? Demand can also be explored by examining how many companies are already selling your product or products like yours. Some competition shows that the market is viable however beware of too much competition. If everyone and their brother are selling the same product then it may be difficult to make your mark in the industry.

Step Four. Ask! Make friends both online and off and ask them their opinion about your product. Ask them if it would solve their needs? Ask them if it would improve their lives. Ask them if they would buy it.

Step Five. Test for demand. A great way to test for the demand of a product is to create a ‘flycatcher page.’ Using a pay per click type advertising campaign on Google or other search engine, create an ad which sends traffic to a landing page.

On the flycatcher page tell people about your product. You can offer a survey or simply have a sign-up form for people to fill out so they can be the first to be notified when your product is launched. This page will help you learn if there is demand for your product.

Once you’ve determined that your product has a good chance of being successful online it’s time to implement a launch and a marketing strategy. Happy selling!

First, make sure that you have a sound business plan. Your business plan details a game plan for the growth of the business. It is a guideline that you can use to direct future ventures for your business. The plan is not set in stone. It is open-ended so that you can add and change portions as your business grows.

One thing that is worth your time when business is not moving forward is to re-evaluate your business plan. If it has been some time since you dusted it off and took a look at it, now would be a perfect time. Did the initial business plan include provisions for times of stalled profits like this one?

If not, don’t worry. We can take care of that right now. The last thing that you should do is cut advertising out of your budget. Erroneously, businesses often think that if cash flow is the problem, advertising or not advertising won’t make a difference. In fact, it makes a big difference.

When people are not in a mood to spend money, there are a number of reasons. For starters, they may be resetting their financial priorities. With the changes in the economy, people are holding on tightly to their funds. Purchases and services used need to be worth what is being spent.

Revamp the marketing strategy for your business. The business could be going nowhere fast because the old campaigns don’t work anymore. Test each marketing tool to see what is no longer working and look at your business with fresh eyes. See things the way you did when the business was first getting underway.

Have you made any changes to your website lately? Add some new content. What about Google Ads? They’ll help bring new business and income for you. Since money is a concern, write the content yourself.

Speaking of content, while you are writing some for your own website, consider submitting a few articles to content sites. They have forums where you can make contact with other businesspeople and gain new ideas to revitalize your business. As a bonus, this content will bring added revenue to you while adjusting other areas of the business.

The key to any business surviving the ups and downs of the economy is change. Businesses that branch out in many directions are often diversified enough to find success even after a standstill. If you have the right tools and a bit of creativity, your business will continue to thrive.

People tend to over think video marketing because it’s really a lot more simple than people make it out to be. You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment or expensive editing software. Just a regular camcorder and a laptop will do just fine. If you want to grow your opt in list you’re going to want to make a bunch of short interesting videos that you can then post online.

Online video sharing sites are free to use and get tons and tons of hits per day. Just ad the name or your website to the end of every video you post as well as in the description box and as your videos get more views your website will get more hits.

Of course you’re going to need to use a website that has an opt in form or a squeeze page otherwise people will be looking at your website but your list won’t be growing at all.

Some of the videos should be about your business, some should be serious and some a little more funny or silly. However, others can just be about anything that you think people will want to look at just put your website at the end of every single one and trust me you’re going to be building a list quickly!

The final step in this process is to make sure you’re using good keywords for your videos and video titles. This will help lots more people see the video and it could land you in Google and other search engines which will make your list grow even faster!

Growing a list is easy with the help of video marketing!

What Is Social Media?

Social media is an online publishing platform anyone can access. No special skills or large fees are required to participate in social media. Students discuss their latest assignments and download music favorites. Parents share photos and videos of their offspring. Business moguls let everyone know about their latest goods and services. Through content, photos and video, people share a variety of thoughts and concepts via social media. Anybody can start their own social media website with little or no capital. Typically it's free to participate in established social media programs such as Google Groups, Facebook and MySpace.

What Is Industrial Media?

Before the dawn of online social media, people had to get the word out about events on industrial media. From birth announcements to death notices to advertisements, industrial media was the only way to share information. Newspapers, television and magazines are examples of industrial media and are owned privately or by the government. For a fee, people purchase space in industrial media when they have something important to say.

What Are The Differences Between Social Media And Industrial Media?

There are several major differences between using social media and industrial media. Let's consider what makes each form of communication viable and unique:

1. Social media requires little knowledge or skill while a certain level of professional expertise is required to use industrial medial.

2. Content on social media appears in real time so news and updates are announced right away. It may take weeks or even months for content to appear in industrial media.

3. Industrial media must answer to society for the quality and accuracy of its content while social media remains largely unregulated.

4. Social media can be owned by any individual or business while industrial media is more costly to obtain and manage.

Why Should You Choose Social Media?

If you want to talk in real time without any specific skills, social media is an ideal means of communication. Update clients and employees immediately, share your latest photos with family across the country and talk to friends half way around the globe. Network to connect with new business associates and friends and increase your circle of contacts. Social networking is easy and enjoyable through online social media.

Why Should You Choose Industrial Media?

Certain announcements are expected to appear in industrial media by law or social obligation. People often seek information about debts, legal actions, birth announcements and deaths in industrial media. Additionally, there are still plenty of people who aren't online. Rather than getting information through a computer, these folks read or watch industrial media. If you don't post content on industrial media, you miss out on networking opportunities with people that don't go online.

So a blog is an ongoing updated series of content about a particular topic. Many people blog just for the fun of it by keeping an online diary of their activities regularly. But if you are intending to make your blog profitable, it takes a lot more skill. What are some of the skills needed for a profitable blog?

Firstly, there is the skill of finding a profitable niche. A niche is a topic people are interested in and therefore would draw readers to the blog. Many internet marketers advocate choosing a niche based on your likes, interests, hobbies and experience. But that would be too restrictive. If your aim is to make money with your blog, then it follows that you need to blog about what people are interested in and not necessarily what you may be interested in personally. Two sources to find niches people are interested in are Google Hot Trends and Wordtracker. Google Hot Trends gives you an hour-by-hour listing about what topics receive the most searches in Google. Go through this list and find any you may want to blog about. Once you identify one, insert the main keyword of this niche into Wordtracker. Wordtracker gives you a daily search count on a particular keyword and a list of related keywords. A good rule of thumb is that if a keyword gets above 100 searches in Wordtracker, it is a profitable niche. So if you find a niche topic in both Google Hot Trends and Wordtracker to blog about, you've got a potential money maker.

Secondly, there's the skill of getting your blog in front of as many people as possible. This is also called traffic generation. For this, the important thing to do is find people interested in the topic of your niche. Visit forums related to the topic and become a participator. You will be able to add your blog URL to your signature file and when people want to find out more about your topic, they will click on your URL and be brought to your blog. Another important thing to do is introduce your blog to others by bookmarking it in social bookmarking sites like Digg, Delicious, Furl etc. If your blog topic is a popular one according to Google Hot Trends, chances are there would be many other people interested to read whatever is in your blog.