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	<title>Business Blog, Small Business Resource : Smallbizgateway.com</title>
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		<title>Internet Marketing Business</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/internet-marketing-business/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/internet-marketing-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:32:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Internet Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Internet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/?p=160</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s important to realize that anything you do regarding your online business is an aspect of yourself. When you market online, you&#8217;re revealing a great deal about who you are, such as what you&#8217;re interested in and what kind of products you believe in. Therefore you should pay attention to which aspects of yourself are [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It&#8217;s important to realize that anything you do regarding your online business is an aspect of yourself. When you market online, you&#8217;re revealing a great deal about who you are, such as what you&#8217;re interested in and what kind of products you believe in. Therefore you should pay attention to which aspects of yourself are being made public in your internet marketing business.<br />
Ads by Google</p>
<p>Displaying your identity in your marketing efforts is what makes you an individual and sets you apart. As people in your target market begin to recognize you and your products, you want to cultivate a unique image so you can become a leader in your niche. Establishing your identity will help you to expand your business more quickly. What are your internet marketing business goals for the future? You should always be thinking about expanding and taking your ideas to the next level. If you want to build a sustainable online business, you should always be making long run goals. Don&#8217;t make the mistake of having a short-sighted goal, but ensure that all your efforts are focused on bringing your big vision into reality. Remember that the most successful companies always have vision statements, and these are good examples for you to follow. Don&#8217;t be afraid to go after your dreams, and the first step is to visualize them.</p>
<p>Keep An Open Eye On Your Internet Marketing Business</p>
<p>Keep track of all the relevant results and statistics that are critical for your online work. You always want to be tracking the performance of your marketing efforts. You don&#8217;t want to continue throwing time and possibly money into strategies that don&#8217;t work, so make changes as necessary. You have to be aware of how much traffic is coming to your sites, and how well it&#8217;s converting or you can&#8217;t properly manage your internet marketing business. The Internet gives us an amazing ability to track our progress in so many ways and find out how our performance can be bettered.</p>
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		<title>Site of the Month for September 2011</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/site-of-the-month-for-september-2011/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/site-of-the-month-for-september-2011/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Sep 2011 06:11:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/?p=106</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Site of the Month for September 2011 is concerned with Business Resources. Keep Business provides links to business, automotive, computers &#038; internets, education, government, industry, real estate, small business, telecommunications, translation services, travel &#038; transportation and more.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.keepbusiness.com/"><img src="http://www.keepbusiness.com/images/logotext.gif" alt="Business Directory" class="aligncenter"/></a><br />
Site of the Month for September 2011 is concerned with <a href="http://www.keepbusiness.com/">Business Resources</a>. Keep Business  provides links to business, automotive, computers &#038; internets, education, government, industry, real estate, small business, telecommunications, translation services, travel &#038; transportation and more.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>5 Good Business Decisions That Changed My Life</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/5-good-business-decisions-that-changed-my-life/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/5-good-business-decisions-that-changed-my-life/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:49:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Linda Greens</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Decisions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Internet Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/?p=103</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[1. I Took the Risk of Starting an Internet Business The best decision I ever made in this industry has to be taking the decision to take of risk of starting an internet business. Back in 1998 few people had heard of the internet. So it was not surprising that no one supported my decision [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>1. I Took the Risk of Starting an Internet Business</p>
<p>The best decision I ever made in this industry has to be taking the decision to take of risk of starting an internet business.</p>
<p>Back in 1998 few people had heard of the internet. So it was not surprising that no one supported my decision when I told my friends and family I was starting an internet business.</p>
<p>That fateful decision has enabled me to live and work around the world. I now enjoy a lifestyle that I would never have dreamt possible in my old job as a waiter. Don&#8217;t get me wrong &#8211; I&#8217;m not living a millionaire lifestyle. But I have the freedom to do things that I would never have afforded on my waiter&#8217;s income.</p>
<p>2. I Switched From a Pay Per Hour to Pay Per Performance Business</p>
<p>After I released my SEO book (no longer for sale) in March 2002, I was inundated with SEO work. After three months I realized that I would be better off optimizing my own websites than other people&#8217;s. There are only so many hours in a day so if I were to work on a pay per hour basis, I would severely limit my income potential.</p>
<p>I understood the true value of a top 10 Google rankings, and realized people just weren&#8217;t willing to pay what it&#8217;s really worth. In 2002 the typical market rate for a SEO campaign was only a few thousand dollars, and that was what website owners were expecting to pay. There were firms charging tens of thousands and even firms charging a few hundred dollars.</p>
<p>The fact is a top 10 ranking is potentially worth tens of thousands of dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars. In some niches, a top 10 ranking is worth millions of dollars.</p>
<p>I felt the full power of being paid for my performance instead of by the hour, when I increased my income by 207% in 18 months in 2006. I achieved that not by working harder, but by working smarter.</p>
<p>3. I Do My Own SEO</p>
<p>I have always hand coded my HTML webpages and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) just came naturally to me as a result. I am so glad that I decided to do my own SEO all those years ago. The power of being able to create webpages that rank highly in Google is priceless. I probably would not have achieved half the success that I have without that skill set.</p>
<p>SEO delivers targeted traffic for free. That allows me to reduce the average cost per acquisition of a customer. As a result, I am able to increase my AdWords bids which is sometimes the difference between my ads being shown for a particular affiliate offer, and a competing affiliate who does not have the benefit of the free SEO traffic.</p>
<p>4. I Embraced Google AdWords</p>
<p>Google AdWords as we know it today was introduced in February 2002. I started advertising in AdWords in July of that year. Next to SEO, advertising in Google Adwords is the next best form of marketing I have used. AdWords allows me to micro-target potential customers by keyword and location. Aside from word of mouth marketing, which is pretty difficult to control, I don&#8217;t know of another form of marketing that is so powerful and yet cost effective.</p>
<p>I have spoken to small business owners who are still skeptical of the power of AdWords. I am astonished as to why they feel that way. If you are reading this article and are one of those people who are still hesitant about advertising on AdWords, let me give you some friendly advice: don&#8217;t procrastinate any longer. Make it your top priority to learn about AdWords and start a campaign as soon as possible.</p>
<p>Google offer everything you need to know about AdWords on their website. Now they even help you set up your first campaign. You can run a test campaign for as little as $50. If that is too much of a risk for you, then maybe building a business isn&#8217;t right for you.</p>
<p>5. I Continually Expand My Knowledge</p>
<p>I don&#8217;t think I read an entire book at school. I used to think I didn&#8217;t enjoy reading books. That was until I started reading books on self improvement, business and internet marketing. I&#8217;m not sure just how many books I&#8217;ve read in the last ten years. I have about 150 self improvement, business and internet marketing books on my bookshelf behind me and I&#8217;ve probably read over 95% of them.</p>
<p>Do you read books? If not, why not? Don&#8217;t have time? Rubbish. We don&#8217;t have time to do everything we want, but we can all make time to do all the important things. Expanding your knowledge is so important that you cannot ignore it. Make the time for it.</p>
<p>I make time by reading when I&#8217;m waiting for downloads to complete, just before I go to sleep, on the plane, on a train, in the car while waiting for my wife or son, and so on. If you drive to work, listen to audio books and podcasts instead of the radio or CD.</p>
<p>You can find time if you really want to. I have learnt so much from the wisdom found in books that I can honestly say a large part of my success is because of what I learnt from them. I read regularly and plan to continue to expand my mind for the rest of my life.</p>
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		<title>Best Franchises to Invest In</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/best-franchises-to-invest-in/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/best-franchises-to-invest-in/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 Apr 2011 03:11:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mat</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Franchises]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Franchising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Market]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/?p=94</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Investing in the right franchise opportunity requires the gathering and analyzing of a great deal of information. Choosing a franchise based upon current or short term trends should not be the criteria. The demand for products or services during the next decade is more important. This article provides a look into the future and where [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Investing in the right franchise opportunity requires the gathering and analyzing of a great deal of information. Choosing a franchise based upon current or short term trends should not be the criteria. The demand for products or services during the next decade is more important. This article provides a look into the future and where the best franchise opportunities will be. Some of these may surprise you.</p>
<p>When looking to purchase a franchise its common practice to follow a simple path:</p>
<p>    * Identify the types of franchises that interest you and that you&#8217;re qualified to operate.<br />
    * Establish the amount of capital available to invest in the new franchise.<br />
    * Find the franchise opportunities that meet the above standards.<br />
    * Evaluate and validate the franchises you select.</p>
<p>Each of these steps requires gathering and reviewing the right information. A key step in this process is having an understanding of what the future may hold for a particular franchise. There are a number of franchises that are like a shooting star only to be burned out in a few years.</p>
<p>Let&#8217;s look into some projections from 2010 to 2015:</p>
<p>Population Projections from U.S. Census Bureau</p>
<p>    * The number of people in the U.S. over 65 years of age will grow from 40 million to 47 million an increase of 16.5%.<br />
    * The percent of the population of those 65 and older will go from 13% to 14.4%<br />
    * By 2015-1 in 7 people in the U.S. will be 65 or older.<br />
    * The number of Hispanics in the U.S. will grow from 50 million to 58 million an increase of 16%<br />
    * The percent of Hispanics in the population will go from 16% to 17.7%<br />
    * By 2015-1 in 5.6 people in the U.S. will be Hispanic.<br />
    * By 2015 &#8211; 1 in 20 people in the U.S. will be Asian</p>
<p>Based upon this data, the franchise categories that should benefit from population trends and resulting demand for products and services are the following:</p>
<p>    * Health and Fitness Franchises that include home healthcare, fitness and recreational sports centers, medical services and other services for the elderly.<br />
    * Personal Care Services including beauty products and services, massage therapy and related services.<br />
    * Facilities support services such as office administrative services, janitorial services, IT services, temporary employment agencies.<br />
    * Home Service Franchises such as lawn care and landscaping, cleaning services, pest control, handyman, home care services focused on the elderly and security services.<br />
    * Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services<br />
    * Food Franchises such as Mexican and Asian restaurants and healthy cuisine concepts. Food delivery concepts.<br />
    * Children&#8217;s Services that provide tutorial, supplemental educational services and programs for learning disabled children. Educational and recreational services reduced or eliminated as a result of funding reductions.</p>
<p>As the United States moves beyond 2010, demographic changes will alter the marketplace and impact the demand for particular goods and services. Franchise concepts will react to and reflect these changes. Individuals looking to purchase a franchise should be mindful of the changes taking place in the marketplace and make their choice accordingly. As always there will be some unique franchises that will be introduced, however, it will be important to determine if the unique franchise reflects a fad or has a sustainable market to sell to.Many franchisees erroneously assume that by following the optimization programs that are advertised on the internet, they will have completely finished their site. Be sure you focus on SEO for franchises in order to properly optimize your site.</p>
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		<title>SEO For Franchises</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/seo-for-franchises/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/seo-for-franchises/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:19:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Kathy Austin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Franchises]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Employment]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/?p=92</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Many franchisees erroneously assume that by following the optimization programs that are advertised on the internet, they will have completely finished their site. Be sure you focus on SEO for franchises in order to properly optimize your site. First, determine how your particular franchise handles websites. In some instances, corporate may have a single website [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p> Many franchisees erroneously assume that by following the optimization programs that are advertised on the internet, they will have completely finished their site. Be sure you focus on SEO for franchises in order to properly optimize your site.</p>
<p>First, determine how your particular franchise handles websites. In some instances, corporate may have a single website to which all franchisees are linked. If this is the case, your optimization job may be more involved in social media, and sites like Yelp and City Search. If your franchise allows you to develop and maintain a separate website, you will need to decide if you want to handle your SEO in house or hire a third party to implement your Search Engine Optimization yourself.</p>
<p>In some cases, the SEO process is actually easier for franchisees. This is especially true of link building. Link building is a major component of SEO, mainly because search engines use the number of inbound links on a website as part of their formula to rank sites. Because franchisees are working, at least in part, as part of a team to grow the brand, link building can be potentially much easier. It is far better to build a link list than to purchase or trade links. Buying links may save you time, but it is likely that many of the links will be irrelevant or just have low value in the eyes of Google.</p>
<p>However, link building beyond the norm is what truly separates the men from the boys and to get to page 1 of Google, you have to accept nothing less. 68% of all searchers don&#8217;t go past the first page. So, you need to commit to extensive keyword research, constant (weekly) additions of new articles, daily blogging, press releases, and much more. It is not enough to just create the content. It must be implemented with skill and widely syndicated to generate high quality and high quantities of Backlinks. Backlinks are the key differentiator used by the search engines to actually rank sites for relevance and authority.</p>
<p>Geo SEO is incredibly important for franchise owners. Every franchisee should take the time to register their site with applicable local directories. These directories, like Google Maps, are an excellent source of potential clients for a brick and mortar business. Registering for them only takes a few minutes, but the payback really packs a punch.</p>
<p>Like any solid SEO campaign, a franchisee SEO campaign must be built on a list of unique and relevant keywords. Some keywords will perform better than others and it is up to you to decide which ones to use. It is a great idea to look at fellow franchisee websites as well as the corporate website in order to begin your research. Keep in mind that your fellow franchisees could be part of your competition, so you will want to find words that are similar to theirs, but more unique. For example instead of &#8216;diner&#8217; consider &#8216;Tampa diner.&#8217;</p>
<p>Social media can also play a large role when optimizing a franchisee website. Utilize social media tools like polling buttons and discussion boards to really get your name out there. Be sure to include relevant links back to your own website in order to cash in on the added inbound link.</p>
<p>Implementing a successful SEO program for your franchise will take a lot of time and work. If you don&#8217;t have the time because you are busy running your own business, contact us for a free initial consultation.</p>
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		<title>Credit Card Debt &#8211; Proven Credit Card Debt Relief Methods</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/credit-card-debt-proven-credit-card-debt-relief-methods/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/credit-card-debt-proven-credit-card-debt-relief-methods/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:57:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Linda Greens</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Credit Card]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Debt Relief]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/?p=90</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Huge credit card debt is a major issue for consumers today and it is referred as a field which shows a record growth due to the present world economic failure. Records indicate that the American household owns an unpaid credit card bill figure of $10k which is a very dangerous situation under the present circumstances. [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Huge credit card debt is a major issue for consumers today and it is referred as a field which shows a record growth due to the present world economic failure. Records indicate that the American household owns an unpaid credit card bill figure of $10k which is a very dangerous situation under the present circumstances.</p>
<p>So, proven credit card debt relief methods are in real need today. As a result, consumers are reminded of numerous methods which are believed to be great relief strategies. Bankruptcy and debt settlement are some of the most picked debt reduction methods by consumers today. Among them, bankruptcy has disadvantageous features when compared and contrasted with debt settlement. It is mainly because bankruptcy may result a great financial loss and instability for consumers once taken.</p>
<p>But, debt settlement contrastingly acts as a real relief strategy. Unlike bankruptcy, it creates a healthy background for consumers to work through and provides proven assistance for consumers rather than destroying their hopes in future financial stability. Here, consumers who pick debt settlement receive great benefits when they are confronted with a debt reduction which may even account to more than 60 percent of the total sum.</p>
<p>This comes as a result of the intervention made by debt relief services between the consumers and creditors. Due to this, it is really practical today to receive benefits beyond expectations. But, your credit card debt relief method will be beneficial only if you keep in touch with a proven settlement company that assures your success.</p>
<p>This comes as a result of the intervention made by debt relief services between the consumers and creditors. Due to this, it is really practical today to receive benefits beyond expectations. But, your credit card debt relief method will be beneficial only if you keep in touch with a proven settlement company that assures your success.</p>
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		<title>Affordable Franchises</title>
		<link>http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/affordable-franchises/</link>
		<comments>http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/affordable-franchises/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Jun 2010 05:42:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Gary Murphy</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Franchises]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Business Services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.smallbizgateway.com/blog/affordable-franchises/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The most affordable franchise is the one that allows you to franchise within the franchise. Entering into this type of franchising opportunity allows for maximum leverage. These type of franchise arrangements can have low investment costs, wide market bases, and produce high returns. Since the 1950s franchising has become more and more prevalent in everyday [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The most affordable franchise is the one that allows you to franchise within the franchise. Entering into this type of franchising opportunity allows for maximum leverage. These type of franchise arrangements can have low investment costs, wide market bases, and produce high returns.</p>
<p>Since the 1950s franchising has become more and more prevalent in everyday business. The majority of the profit margins are usually taken in by the franchise owner supplying the products and purchasing agreements through their own affiliate program. Often this raises your base price while increasing the franchise owners profits. Now there are variations of affordable franchises that allow you to market the franchise within the franchise and gain your own affiliate profits.</p>
<p>Some of the most profitable franchises can come at a hefty up front cost. With proper management and strong effort, the original expense can be earned back in a reasonable time period. Make sure the liabilities are not of high risk. Look for low risk affordable franchises that have a low investment, and little personal liabilities. An example of high liabilities would be franchises that serve liquor and perishable food products. Low risk would be franchises that have low overhead and high profitability.</p>
<p>With the birth of the internet there has become a whole new and powerful vehicle for affordable franchises and affiliate programs. Some of these require little investment with no stocking or shipping. The main feature is still based on product branding and marketing, with one catch, you can market all over the world. These types of programs are usually set up to be automated and only require an internet service. Either way, the internet is becoming the prominent player in affordable franchising. Take a look at the way these work and how the majority of product movement is heading towards the internet.</p>
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