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Most of the local business owners, who I know, still don't have a web presence -for a combination of reasons. Many business owners are from my age group and don't feel comfortable setting up a website. So, they pay somebody else to do it or it never gets done. There are a multitude of reasons to avoid launching your business on the web, and all of them are "lame excuses."
As I travel around town, I get to hear all the excuses. "I'm too old," "Our business isn't the Internet type," and "I don't know HTML." You can tell everybody else those excuses, but do you want to grow your business or not? The vast majority of small businesses fail, and the Internet is the cheapest form of advertising available.
If haven't launched a website or Blog, you are delaying business marketing progress for nothing. Take a computer class, learn from your kids, or learn from your grandchildren, but start as soon as possible. Perhaps, your grandchild can earn some money teaching you how to make even more money.
Blogs are easy to start with, since you don't need to have any HTML knowledge. You can also go to Blogger, and get a free Blog. It might take you 10 to 15 minutes to set up and start posting information right away.
Some website hosts work like that too, but let's assume you have a site of some kind. Did you know your website host might have a Blog feature built in, at no extra charge? If you have this feature, you can easily build a commercial Blog.
For a small business, with a website and commercial Blog, you should be able to establish your natural search engine rankings. Sometimes, these are called "organic rankings" and you don't have to pay a penny for them. It may take a few months or more to establish yourself, and you should make regular posts.
For optimum results, your regular posts can be daily, a few times per week, or once a week. More postings are much better and will have significant impact on your rankings. Search engines love frequent posts, such as those found in Blogs.
Instead of worrying about Google algorithms, and SEO(search engine optimization) theories, go back to the basics and boost your rankings with content. Most of us have heard, "Content is King," and it is totally true.
So what do you say about your business? Tell your established customers and prospects about your service and products. Explain what your unique selling proposition (USP) is. This is what makes you different from similar businesses in your town.
When you have new products, or are looking for feedback about new product development, a Blog is extremely useful. Your customers and prospects can leave you feedback, so marketing research is very easy.
Lastly, don't shy away from a "gold mine." Free advertising is too valuable to ignore. Blogs are the advertising bargain of the decade and possibly, of the 21st century.
? Copyright 2005 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
About the Author
Paul Jerard is the director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in RI. He's a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness. He wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students wanting to be a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org
