What is Link Building and Why it’s Important for SEO

So your website is up and now you’re waiting for that traffic to start rolling in. Days go by and nothing happens. All of your friends and family have visited your site so you’re out of options.  A newly developed website won’t survive without putting in some work with Search Engine Optimization. One of the foundations of SEO is link building.  The Basics of Link Building You’ve probably heard about it before have never bothered to dig any deeper.  In short, building links is the process of finding other websites that will link back to yours. Google and other search engines use what is known as “bots” to crawl the Internet to find relevant information by tracking links between pages. If you don’t have any links to your website, you’ll never be found.  Search engines use these inbound links to determine how important your website is when compared to the competition. The higher the importance, the higher your ranking in search engine results. The more high-quality websites that link to you, the higher your rating will be.  Other Aspects of SEO Generally speaking, there are hundreds of factors that Google uses to rank your website in search results. These include social metrics, page-level link features, domain-level keyword usage, domain-level link features and more. For most business owners, hiring a SEO company or someone in-house will yeild better results than trying to manage it yourself in addition to running your business. It’s a well-known fact that if all the other ranking factors are the same, the quality and amount of links leading to a website will be the deciding factor.  The Difference between Follow and Nofollow Links The term “nofollow” is confusing for many people, but comes with a rather easy explanation.  The “nofollow” link tells Google not send any PageRank across to the other website through that link. Websites normally do this when do not have any control over what links are added where. Some samples of this include Yahoo Answers, Guest Post signatures and more.  Follow links simply allow for Google to pass PageRank to other pages.  Using Link Building for My Business Building inbound links is the foundation of any online marketing plan. It helps send referral traffic, build long term business relationships, and expand brand recognition.

8 Trade Show Booth Ideas to Attract Visitors and Customers

Trade shows are exciting, energy-filled events that also happen to be very competitive. Take the time to create a space that will capture the attention of the attendees while getting your company’s message and product across. Here are some tips that will guide you as well as inspire you. 1. This is the time to be bold with your brand. The booth should not only be eye-catching but use this opportunity to express the tone of your company. A trade show’s purpose is to introduce your company to new clients. Make it a smooth transition from their first impression of the company to their experience interacting with the company as a client. The word “Free”, either implied or stated, will always invite further exploration by the passerby. Food always works as a giveaway, as does hand out promotional products. Lightweight tote bags with your brand work great. The potential client is carrying your brand up and down the aisles even when the client is collecting other companies’ giveaways.  Free raffles for quality products will help you gather information the company can use to follow up after the show. Make sure you ask for the information you want on the entry form. Remember to record the information on the tickets after each raffle. Announce the winners over the loudspeaker for additional exposure. Have an open flow to the booth. People will not have a good impression if they cannot enter the booth easily or get bottlenecked while in the booth. How the booth is set up implies how the company is run. You want to ensure the potential client has a positive, flowing experience when visiting your space.  Let’s face it, gimmicks work to attract attention. Autograph and photoshoot with local celebrities, animal acts, karaoke performances, magic acts are all ideas that help you stand out in a crowd. The point is to come up with something unique that will attract a crowd. Bonus tip – make it fun. Offer a discount to new customers or a limited-time trade show deal for items or services. Most companies are looking for repeat customers, so this is the perfect hook to draw them in. Be sure to reward existing customers also. They need thanks for their continued loyalty.  As a booth attendant, you can become a walking billboard for your company brand. Wearing clothing with your company’s name and large name tags touting your company logo will help to drive the point home with potential clients. Occasionally strolling the aisles gives you a booth break while advertising your company. Be sure to plan it out well ahead of time to ensure a great and profitable trade show.

6 Ways to Advance Your Career Prospects

Actively managing your career can be the difference between a rewarding and fulfilling work life and drudgery that grinds you down into a vat of self-pity. Most adults in the United State spend about one-fourth of their time working. It is no longer true that you can find a job, work for 30 years or so with the same company, and retire with a nice pension to live out your golden years. That makes actively managing your career more important than it has ever been. Here are six ways to advance your career prospects. Better Yourself You cannot take the attitude that you have learned all there is to know about your field. Continue to educate yourself, formally or not. Take classes. Find an organization in your field, or one that you would like to pursue, to join. Add to your skill set. Find a mentor Identify someone who has made it to where you would like to be and approach them about being your mentor. This might well be someone in your office but it does not have to be. Give them permission to address any shortcomings you might have. It is often difficult for us to judge ourselves. Accept this criticism as the helpful advice it can be. A mentor can also help introduce you to others who might be helpful to your career, which brings us to our next tip. Network The old saying “It’s not what you know, but who you know” isn’t necessarily true. Your skills, knowledge, and experience are all helpful to your career. But you cannot ignore the fact that knowing the right person can be crucial. LinkedIn and other online networks can be good. Even better is developing personal relationships. Do not look at it as a one-way street. Offer to help others before asking for help. It is a well-known human response to want to reciprocate when someone gives you something. Treat Your Career as a Business Chances are you are not in your last job. So you need to treat your career as if you are the CEO of your own small business. There are a number of ways to do this. • Market yourself. Maintain or create a portfolio, CV, or resume. • Create a career plan similar to a business plan. • Treat yourself as a free agent. Be ready to move when the time is right. • You are the product. Sell that product. This is no time for shyness. • Protect your brand. Fake It Until You Make It This does not mean lying. It does mean that you can take certain actions as if you are already have achieved your next rung on the career ladder. Dress as if you are in that position. When possible, act as if you are already there. Share Your Goals Talk to your boss about your career goals. If your boss is not helpful, you can often find someone in management who is. Ask for a career assessment. Let the right people know you want to advance.

6 Tips to Save Your Phone from Water Damage

Just because you drop a phone on the water does not mean all hope is lost. There are several things that you can do to potentially restore your device.  First, a preventative measure that you can take if you are at a lake, beach, or water park is to put your phone in a sandwich bag. This will protect your phone from the water. If you want to be extra cautious, consider putting dry rice in the bag. If water does enter, the rice will absorb it, reducing the risk of your phone getting wet.  Next, on to the tips.  Pull Your Phone Out As Quickly As Possible The longer that your phone lays in the water the higher the risk is that it will be damaged. Water will begin to travel through small crevices in your phone, impacting the battery and other important components.  Turn Off Your Phone And Remove All Cards It can be tempting to turn on your phone to see if it still works after water damage. However, you should always turn off your phone it is has been impacted by water. From there, you are going to want to remove both the microSD card and SIM card. Additionally, we recommend that you attempt to remove the phone battery.  Store Your Phone Safely A crucial aspect of fixing your phone after water damage is maintaining a protective environment for your device. This comes from storing your phone in a dry area protected from excessive heat.  Dry Out Your Phone We recommend putting your phone in a plastic bag with rice or silica gel packets to remove excess water. Obviously, phones do not react well with water so eliminating moisture in the tight areas will increase the chances of your phone working.  Power Your Phone On  Once you have followed the previous tips, you are ready to try your luck. Attempt to power on your phone and determine whether or not it is in a working state. If not, try to charge your phone.  Consult An Expert If you aren’t comfortable with any of these steps, or your phone is not starting you can always consult an expert. They will examine your phone and determine whether it is salvageable.  What Not To Do There are some things that you should never do when your phone has water damage. These include: Do not constantly fidget with the phone. Do not leave your phone in the sun. Don’t try to turn your phone on immediately. Hopefully, this list has been helpful, use these tips if your phone has water damage.