Google Tests Site Name in Search Results

Google is testing using the site name instead of the complete url of the search results page. http://www.seroundtable.com/google-site-name-snippet-13557.html

The good and bad in my opinion: It takes the keyword issues out of play in the url display and focuses more on the brand. At the same time, it removes a potential filter for the searcher to find what they are looking for. I’m sure there will be much more in depth discussion form other sources in the days to come.

Owned by my 8 year old in Wii “Just Dance.”

Just got owned by my 8 year old in Wii “Just Dance.” I had no idea it was that hard.

You’d think I had a fighting chance because we were going challenging on MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This.” My score was 2500. I decide that after the 6500+ score by my eight year old and the 3500+ score by my six year old it was time to quit. Not to mention I was out of breath and were hardly breathing. My eight year old told me I needed to loosen up to dance. It might be a great workout late at night after everyone else is in bed asleep.

Daddy, are you going to make money today?

When my six-year-old asked me if I was going to make money today at first I thought, “Man, I hope so.” But as I pondered the question and the answer I realized what I was going to do was make money for my clients today; when it comes right down to it that is my job. When companies hire me as an internet marketer and give me their trust, I take on a responsibility to help increase their business. I can’t force prospects to call, fill out a form, or buy something from a site, but I can increase viable and valuable traffic.

I know, not all search engine optimization people look at their clients the way but I do. I believe each of us should look at our jobs this way; we should be helping our clients make money. When I was working in sales and marketing for another company I felt this way. When I worked in technical support I felt this way. When I worked as an engineer I felt this way. I guess I feel this way partly because my parents were entrepreneurs and I was brought up in a family business.

I think that everyone in the workforce has an obligation to make their company or client money. We should all be giving our best and giving the best return on investment (ROI) possible. In most circumstances, if you give your best to your company or client, you will gain. People have a natural tendency to favor a great ROI. I’m going to get busy and make my clients money today so I can tell my little one that yes, I’m going to make money today.

Claim Your Business in Google Places

There are already many posts on claiming your Google Places account so I’ll just give you a link to one of many. http://www.goso.com/blog/2011/02/google-places-how-to-claim-your-venue-create-an-offer-and-respond-to-reviews/ The main point here is to first claim your place. It seems elementary to those of us that are in the industry but I talk to small business owners every week that have no clue this even exists. Claim your listing. Eliminate duplicate listings. Make sure you are using a unique address and phone number.

JC Penny’s Gets Caught Buying Links

JC Penny’s supposedly gets caught paying for links according to the Times.
They say they didn’t do it. Blah blah blah.

The real story here is that the NY Times decided to rat out Penney’s. Why? Maybe they pulled ads?

I wonder how many paid links the Times has out of its 6 million plus links. I don’t have the time or energy to find out but I’d guess there are plenty.

Google Search Operators

If you’ve ever wanted or need to do a power search on Google you need to understand the advanced search operators that are available. These will allow you to refine your searches and possible find the needle-in-a-haystack you’ve been looking for. I don’t use there often but when I need them they work wonders.
http://www.googleguide.com/advanced_operators.html

Impressed with Amazon Kindle Support

We bought our daughter a Kindle for Christmas. We also bought a cover. The Kindle kept freezing up. You had to do a hard reset to get it going only to have it freeze up again. To do a hard reset just hold the power switch in the on position for more than 15 seconds. It will reset after about 5 seconds of the switch moving back.

Turns out the cover is causing the problem. It seems to be well documented on various blogs. Check out here and here.

What I want to say is that the Amazon support was awesome. Calling the day after Christmas they not only know what the problem was but handled it in a way that will keep me coming back. They asked her to use it for a few hours without the cover to verify it was the cover. They called back later in the day and we told them it was working fine without the cover. They refunded the cost, told us to keep the cover, and applied a $25 credit to our Amazon account. Turns out the more expensive lighted cover works fine so we are buying it tonight.

Great job Amazon.

Sometimes You Need an Attorney

There are times when you have to contact an attorney. Recently a friend had a bad car accident. Luckily he wasn’t hurt too bad, at least as far as we know right now. His car was totaled though. Luckily insurance has taken car of the cost to date. In many not so fortunate cases you may need to find an accident attorney. Finding a great lawyer/attorney is a necessity for making sure that you come out on the winning end.

When searching for an accident attorney or any other specialized attorney, make sure to search Google for possibilities and then ask around. Ask your friends if they know of a lawyer who is the best in their field. Asking people you know is one of the most effective things you can do because you can receive firsthand advice from someone who knows. Keep a record of who your friends recommend.

Make sure to research the lawyers you are considering. You don’t want a lawyer who doesn’t know what they are doing or lack experience. Meet with several lawyers to discuss your claim before you decide to hire. Keep in mind that many lawyers do not take cases if they fall below a certain potential recovery amount, or if the claim is not crystal clear.

SEO Research Tools

Nice list of keyword plus research tools. These will probably yield a bit more relevant “what is happening now” results.
5 Useful Research Tools

Some Things Manufactures Should Know

Was working on a client’s site and had to learn about product liability law. If you manufacture a product make sure to be as knowledgeable as possible. Start by reading this quick intro to product liability law and then follow-up with your law firm.

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