Once you select this link be sure to go to PAGE 6

http://www.eq-mag.com/ezine/2010/11

READ ORIGINAL STORY IN USA TODAY BY CLICKING HERE: http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/columnist/strauss/2010-11-07-strauss-ask-an-expert_N.htm?csp=usat.me

Q: I am tasked with redoing our company website. I am planning on using a free or low-cost service and then customizing the template. My question is what do other small businesses do right and wrong when creating a business website — that is, are there things I should add or be on the lookout for?
—Sara

A: Someone recently told me that he considers a company's website to be so important, and so fundamental, that it is the "the business card of the 21st century."

Close, but no cigar.

I think my associate understates it. Yes, like a business card, your website is the first thing people often see when encountering your business, but it also has become a major factor in whether people even choose to do business with you. No business card can claim that. So your site has to be great.

Here, then, are the 7 Deadly Small-Business Website Mistakes that you must avoid:

1. The site confuses the Web for a billboard: Every now and then you will run across a small-business website that gets it: It is graphically appealing, it contains valuable, unique content, and it engages the visitor. It is a sales tool, meet-and-greet, advertisement, brochure and conduit, all in one.

But most small-business websites do not do that. Instead, they are simply an online version of a billboard or other sort of basic ad: a big headline with some backup information and not much more.

Mistake.

The days when you could simply throw up an e-version of your Yellow Pages ad are long over. Yellow Pages ads are great because they serve a specific purpose, and do it very well — namely, to get the phone to ring. But the purpose of your website goes beyond that. Sure, a great small-business website will cause the phone to ring (or the e-mail to be sent), but it should also create a positive, lasting impression.

To do that, the site has to engage, not just be.

2. The site lacks a great "About" page: Because your website is your virtual version of your store or office, it must serve that function well, and you do that by having a robust "About Us" page.

The About Us page tells people who you are, what you are about and why they should trust you. It is one of the most-clicked-on pages on any website. People want to know who you are, your history and story, so a well-written, jargon-free, interesting About Us page is essential. Putting a short video there (more on that later) may even be better.

Your About Us page is your online version of a firm handshake and a look in the eye. It helps people to trust you.

3. The site contains mistakes: Dead links, 404 Error pages and typos are the sort of sloppy errors that can turn a prospective client off. After all, if your site contains mistakes, what does that say about the sort of work you may do for the client?

4. The site lacks ways to further connect online: Does your site have a blog and can people get to it within one click from your home page? They should be able to. Can site visitors surf over to your Facebook page from your site? Can people easily follow you on Twitter, or link with you on LinkedIn, by clicking links on your site?

5. The site is not SEO friendly: People should be able to find your site in a variety of ways:

•From seeing your URL in your ads, business card, or store.

•By finding you via forums, articles you have written, or social-media sites.

•From online ads if you use those.

•And, probably most important, by locating you in a search-engine result.

That last one comes from, of course, search engine optimization (SEO). An SEO-friendly site is one where there is plenty of content (updated regularly), where the content is full of key words and phrases, and where there are plenty of incoming links.

6. The site lacks video: This is the YouTube age. People like and watch video online. Use that. Your site visitors will click on the videos you post, so put up how-to videos or videos that introduce your staff or business or product demonstrations — just as long as you have some video.

7. The site's pages lack a call to action: What do you want people to do on your site — buy something, call you, apply, opt-in, download, e-mail or what? Whatever the answer, you have to encourage them to do it. Go on your site and notice how many of your pages lack a call to action. Fix it.

Today's Tip: Don't guess when choosing your keywords. Good tracking tools include Google's keyword tool, Wordtracker, and Keyword Discovery.

Ask an Expert appears Mondays. You can e-mail Steve Strauss at: sstrauss@mrallbiz.com.And you can click here to see previous columns. Steven D. Strauss is a lawyer, author and speaker who specializes in small business and entrepreneurship. His latest book is The Small Business Bible. You can sign up for his free newsletter, "Small Business Success Secrets!" at his website —www.mrallbiz.com. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/stevestrauss.

LINK TO ORIGINAL STORY WITH PHOTOS:
http://www.azbiz.com/articles/2010/11/03/news/profiles/doc4ccb05eba865e311940576.txt

By Lee Allen, for Inside Tucson Business
Published on Friday, October 29th, 2010

In business, as in all of life, there is strength in unity and working together makes a lot more sense than having to fight daily battles by yourself. Hence the advice from the Southern Arizona Green Chamber of Commerce (SAGCC): If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

But SAGCC wants to do both — go far and do so rapidly —and the newest member of the eight chambers, linked together under the banner of the Southern Arizona Chamber Alliance, has taken off since its launch in March.

“We’re a nonprofit trade association of businesses, organizations, students, and individuals interested in the concept of sustainability in Southern Arizona,” said Melissa Black, president of SAGCC. “Our efforts are directed at promoting the common economic interests of our members while advocating for ecologically sound policies and sustainable practices in the business community. It is not our intent to duplicate the offerings of other sustainable organizations, but rather to compliment them.”

The listed chamber mission is to enhance the regional green business climate by researching, educating, and promoting sustainable business practices and lobbying to enact practical legislation of those practices to maximize green footprints.

The idea began in the fall of 2009 and grew out of business colleagues Black and John Brown of the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce discussing a mutual desire to increase solar energy use in Southern Arizona.

“We’re being passed on the solar technology curve by places like Portland and Denver because we don’t adequately inform the populace about solar benefits so they can make different life choices,” said Black, owner of Solar Gain Inc., and a listed ‘eco broker’ with Long Realty.

“John and I began contacting green friends and acquaintances, they quickly jumped on board, and we were off to the races,” she said.

“We’re a volunteer organization, board run, with no executive director, and we’re working as hard and fast as we can to put our foundation and infrastructure in place.”

However they’re doing it, it’s working. In slightly more than six months, membership is closing in on 200.

“We’re riding the green wave that’s sweeping the country, tapping into what is happening around us and putting a more specific emphasis on the business component. In our homes, as individuals, we can have a positive influence on the environment. When those efforts concerning energy usage and resource reduction and recycling are translated into the business equation, collectively we can help move the shift to sustainability,” she said.

Among the existing chamber membership list are names and organizations that are easily recognized in the sustainable community: entities like the Community Food Bank.

“We’re a green organization in many ways,” said Bill Carnegie, president and CEO of the Food Bank. “We practice a wide range of recycling, harvest water in our own cistern, operate hybrid vehicles, reduce utility costs by using solar at our main warehouse, and compost for our farm and garden. With common goals of sustainability like these, the Community Food Bank and the Southern Arizona Green Chamber of Commerce make a good, and very logical, fit.”

There’s room for a lot more growth according to a City of Tucson Sustainability Office report that shows more than 35,000 firms licensed to do business in Southern Arizona.

“We’re looking forward to launching a coordinated membership drive in 2011 with the expectation that we could have 500 members by years end,” Black said. “The enthusiasm of our current membership about growing the business community in a greener direction is palpable. There’s a buzz of excitement in the room at all of our events with like-minded people getting together and collaborating on how to increase energy efficiency and reduce waste. It’s exciting and contagious and we encourage each other about our potential to have a positive influence when we all work together.”

The fledgling organization has a public presence in new offices at 44 E. Broadway and is active in holding monthly mixers and networking breakfasts. The next mixer is 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11 and the next breakfast meeting is 7:30 - 9:30 a.m. Nov. 17. Details are on the SAGCC website.

Chamber members also get to show how they back up their words with action as in the case of an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 6 at Apache Nitrogen Products, 1436 S. Apache Powder Road, Benson.

“We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished as part of our corporate social responsibility program and want people to see the results of our efforts,” said Pamela Beilke, spokeswoman for Apache Nitrogen.

Between tours of the plant and its wetland area, the event will show off a new solar system now providing electricity and a rainwater harvesting system to irrigate desert xeriscape.

“We challenge businesses in Southern Arizona to step forward with green sustainable practices that will alter the energy equation and ensure future sustainability,” said Black.

Biz Facts44 E. Broadway

Southern Arizona Green Chamber of Commerce

www.SAGCC.org

(520) 777-7138

Lee Allen is a Tucson-based freelance writer.

Copyright © 2010 Inside Tucson Business

New Reno-Sparks nonprofit offers database of locally-owned businesses
BY KARA LAPOINT • KLAPOINT@RGJ.COM • SEPTEMBER 7, 2010

As a third-generation Reno resident, Dave Asher is as local as they come, and proud of it.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE LINK: http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201009070600/BIZ/9070321

To be a true local, Asher says, one must shop local.

To grow the idea, Asher recently started his own nonprofit, LiveLocal RenoSparks. The nonprofit is dedicated to promoting local businesses and community sustainability, but Asher has an even bigger goal -- to change the shape of Reno's economy via a 10 percent shift in spending, from nonlocally owned businesses to locally owned businesses.

"I call it my local economic recovery program," Asher said.

The basis of that program is the website, which includes a directory and search engine for locally owned businesses, with subcategories for local franchises and "friends of local businesses."

"It's one thing to say 'buy local,'" Asher said. "But I'm the first one here to say, 'Who's local?'"

Asher has more than 2,800 locally owned businesses in his directory, which has been up and running since July 4.

Any business can list for free. The listing includes a link to the business's website and a Google map with its location. Businesses also can pay a fee to become members of LiveLocal RenoSparks' business co-op, which provides additional marketing tools and other benefits.

The website, which Asher maintains, also includes other resources and links related to community sustainability and the idea of local economic recovery through local business support.

Asher said he hopes the website will both educate consumers about local spending and be used as a resource. He also wants to provide a network for local businesses to support one another, he said. Asher witnessed first-hand the destruction of local businesses as a former owner of a local advertising agency.

"I was really motivated by all the business closures," he said. "It just drove me crazy."

Asher started to research the movement and came across an organization called the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. BALLE is a national network of more than 30,000 socially responsible, independent businesses across the U.S. and Canada.

Asher became a member, representing the Reno-Sparks-Carson-Tahoe region. But, while LiveLocal RenoSparks is associated with BALLE, Asher said his nonprofit is unique in that it offers free listings in its directory.

"I believe you have to support all local companies in order to make a change," Asher said. "Not just members."

The change Asher seeks is what he calls the "10 percent shift" is based on a national movement.

"Each dollar spent at locally owned businesses re-circulates two to four times in our community," Asher said.

Asher said that such a shift could result in an additional $400 million per year circulating locally instead of leaving the state.

"We're only talking about money that is already going to be spent," Asher said. "Yes, Starbucks has great coffee, and we're not trying to take that away from them. But one time out of 10, go to a local shop to support them. ... You're already going to spend the money, just shift where it is spent."

Original Article Here: http://www.nnbw.com/ArticleRead.aspx?storyID=15793
Booster of ‘buy local’ develops directory to locally owned firms

NNBW staff, 8/23/2010
Tired of seeing dozens of local businesses fail during two years of economic turmoil, Dave Asher created an online directory of local businesses that Reno-Sparks consumers could frequent to help bolster the region’s flagging economy.

Asher says he’s compiled close to 2,800 locally owned businesses in the Reno-Sparks region on the livelocalrenosparks.com Web site.

“I built this to help turn our economy around,” says Asher. “I am one of first in the whole country to create a list of every independently owned business for free — I am like the Google of locally owned.”

Asher estimates he’s put in about 60 hours a week the past few months establishing the database of local businesses. The idea is part of a national movement, he says, called the 10-percent shift.

“If we shift 10 percent of what we spend to locally owned businesses, we can create $350 million in revenue that’s staying in Reno-Sparks,” Asher says.

Asher says each listing took at least five minutes of research, and compiling the lists took many weeks behind the computer. He also struggled initially to find the computer software program that would allow him to link to businesses’ Web sites and provide Google maps of the establishments.

“It took months to get the right software — this is about the fourth time I’ve started this project.”

The new software package also allows Asher to build Web sites for clients and teach them how to update them. He plans to cash in on the project by selling memberships to the site for businesses that need Web sites and Internet marketing services. Memberships start at $200 annually.

“If you are going to get your car worked on, go to Greg’s Garage. If you are going to go to a casino, go to the Eldorado. It’s one thing to preach to buy local, but I’m providing a directory that supports that theme,” he says.

We just launched a new website so we can gather as many answers to this question as possible. We will be using these results to help improve the Chamber Nation network by providing the answers back to as many Chamber of Commerce executives as possible, and then hearing what they have to say.

PLEASE CLICK HERE

Chamber Nation was the first company to launch Mobile Applications specifically for Chamber of Commerce executives and their members in 2007. Our customers are already on their way to terrific mobile success via .Mobi and our Area Search Engine technologies.

By MICHAEL W. FREEMAN
THE REPORTER EDITOR


Published: Friday, June 18, 2010 at 3:33 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, June 18, 2010 at 3:33 p.m.


HAINES CITY – It’s been estimated that one of the greatest sources of business advertising these days is something that didn’t exist not so long ago: the search engine.


“The Chambers of Commerce are trusted sources of information, and rank very high on the search engines,” said Richard Scully, founder of Chamber Nation/EcTownUsa. “Typically when you’re looking to the Internet, you’re looking for national exposure. There’s a lot of online traffic for people looking for information in your community.”

The Internet has definitely changed the way Chambers of Commerce and local businesses try to reach out and find new customers, giving them a potentially worldwide audience.

“Advertising today is a two way road,” Scully said. “ ‘Find me’ is one model. ‘Follow me’ is another.”

Chamber Nation, based in Quincy, Calif., is a network of Chambers of Commerce around the county that provides its members with an online system to promote their businesses. The idea is for a national network and collaboration that helps promote Chamber membership.

The Haines City/Northeast Polk County Chamber of Commerce recently joined Chamber Nation, and used its June monthly meeting – held June 17 at the United Methodist Church – to introduce members to the site. Scully participated by phone from California, explaining to the local Chamber members how his web site works and can potentially help them.

“I think it will really, really benefit you and your business,” Linda Franz, chairwoman of the Chamber’s board of directors, told the Chamber members during the luncheon meeting. “It’s going to be very, very good.”

Jane Patton, the president of the Chamber, added, “We all want you to use this.”

Scully noted that the service aims to build on the reputation that Chambers of Commerce have around the nation as a good source for information about what’s available in the community: restaurants, lodging, job opportunities, real estate and more.

“We work with Chambers all over the country,” he said. “The Chamber is trusted. It’s positioned perfectly to bring traffic to your business. We have a Traffic Catcher system with a display page designed to move more traffic to an existing website.”

The site gives Chamber members plenty of options, including setting up pages on social networking sites like Facebook and allowing people to get information about them by using a cell phones.

“It’s expected that 20 percent of searches will come through mobile devices,” Scully said.

“There is also a Buy Local program that I know the Chamber is looking at doing.”

Best of all, he said, is that the web site is designed to be simple and user friendly.

“This is easy,” he said. “A lot of people have trouble with the Internet. Most people will admit that the problem today isn’t finding what you want on the Internet. You can find anything you want by going on Google and searching for something. The problem is going deep into Haines City.”

To help visitors to his site do that, Chamber Nation has listings for community news and events, and Chamber updates.

“We make it very easy to use, and the traffic counts are out of this world,” he said.

“These pages are really designed for search engines.”

To learn more about the site, log on to www.ChamberNation.com.

“The Chamber has paid for all these services for its members,” Scully said, “so you should take advantage of this.”

What do you think? Contact Michael Freeman about this article at Reportermailbox@gmail.com.

Quick Program Summary:

Chambers of Commerce is EXISTING COMMUNITIES of people, knowledge and businesses that offer an exceptional array of information for their local area.

While many “dot com” companies are building communities of people that they "hope" are successful to sell advertising through, a Chamber community is ALREADY SUCCESSFUL and can offer an exceptional advertising opportunity.

A perfect situation for the advertiser that wants to promote their business to a very specific local market.

Learn More: www.ChamberAdvertising.com

Adding text messaging to your Chamber of Commerce communications gives you a huge competitive advantage.

Instant, direct communication between your organization and the mobile phone of your member, volunteer or staff, wherever they are, means that you can distribute important event, community, operational or marketing information 'Right Now'.

Read More: www.ChamberTexting.com

Here is a photo of a LIVE ZIP CODE MAP of members who are registered users of the member advertising program (CLICK HERE FOR LIVE MAP).