As has been the case historically, the negative impact of these changes have been most dramatic for websites which achieved their placement status through manipulation of Google’s ranking system. Content generating websites, often called “content farms,” are likely feeling the biggest pinch. These sites produce large volumes of low-quality content in an effort to draw a high volume of search traffic, which facilitates their sale of advertising and affiliate sales commission.

As horror stories of websites dropping from 1st to 70th-place make dramatic headlines and stir uncertainty among Internet business owners, some search engine optimization (SEO) companies have used this mini-crisis to proclaim their own worth, saying that it takes “experts” to keep up on the latest trends and keep your website on top.

However, those paying attention see it differently: It was the very SEO companies that are now proclaiming their worth who put their own clients in this position to begin with, advocating tricks and tactics whose utility was destined to be short-lived. Those who buy into promises of unethical SEO practices will continually rise and fall with each new change, trading short-term gains for long-term progress.

Far from a radical philosophical change in how Google ranks websites, the recent modifications are just another milestone in a continual process which reinforces what has always been true: Websites that provide unique, high-quality content, speak in-depth on one or two topics, and show they’ve earned the respect and credibility of their peers will continue to rank better and better.

My advice is to focus on SEO fundamentals and to build your website for people rather than search engines. Speak honestly, write unique, fresh and useful content, and strive to build a strong network with other like-minded websites through cross-linking. In this way, you will become a valuable resource to your website visitors, align your company with Google’s principles and position yourself for long-term benefit.

For more information on the fundamental skills of ethical search engine optimization, check out my article Search Engine Optimization: The Basics.

I like WordPress. After two years of utilizing the platform as my primary custom website design framework, I continue to sing its praises to everyone I talk to. Nearly all of my new developments utilize the WP core (the brain of the system) and I encourage converting existing websites to WordPress.

If you’re thinking to yourself “Isn’t WordPress just for blogs?”, you’re not alone. Given that WP can be implemented as a stand-alone system, it’s sometimes confusing trying to understand how it differs from “standard” sites and how a custom website developer like me uses it.

While WP has far too many features to reasonably cover in this article, I’d like to address some of the key elements of a custom WP site which can benefit an Internet business owner.

1. Easy Implementation
The extensive WP framework can be setup quickly, saving lots of development time and cost. That’s especially nice for an Internet entrepreneur who may have several websites.

2. Completely Customizable
The look of a WP site can be completely customized to maintain your unique and professional appearance. Your business website gets to stand out among your competition.

3. Search Engine Friendly
The WP framework has been designed with search engines in mind, giving you the tools to control all the basic elements of search engine optimization. (See my article: Search Engine Optimization: The Basics.) This means huge time/cost savings and a big head start for getting your website well ranked in the search engines.

4. Easy Administration
Everything about your site is easily managed from an administrator control panel within your website. This means you can have full control and administrative capability from any computer.

5. Content Management
Writing and editing content, adding images and galleries, creating new pages, adding links, etc. has never been easier. Keep your content up-to-date and modify it anytime you want. Fresh content is not only necessary for developing repeat website traffic, but search engines like it, too!

6. In-step with New Developments
The WordPress framework can easily be updated to implement new features and maintain top security of your site without affecting the custom appearance or modular programs like video players or shopping carts. That means there’s no foreseeable need to do a massive website redesign every 2 years, as there has been historically. Your site stays fresh and up-to-date with current technology as the web grows and improves.

7. Plugins
Plugins are the mini-programs and functions that make your website great. They can include photo galleries, video players, membership programs, shopping carts, calendars, forums, and much much more. Many plugins are shared by a community of developers around the world for little or no cost and can be easily integrated with your site. Who doesn’t like more frosting on their cake? And if an existing plugin doesn’t quite do the job, custom applications and functions can be developed and integrated very easily.

If you have questions about WordPress, or want to see if it’s a good fit your your website, contact us or leave a comment here.

Through this article, I want to teach you how to backup this very valuable element of your Internet business. No need to be overwhelmed; the process, once learned, will take you less than 1 minute to complete.

Why bother?
Technology is imperfect; even sophisticated automatic backup systems can fail or corrupt. Your website- the central hub of your Internet business- is too important to take chances with! Even if your website host offers a backup service, you are still ultimately responsible for backing up your site. I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t like to take chances.

Why is the database so important?
Think of the database as the brain of your website. The graphics make your site pretty and user-friendly, the code makes it function, but the database is where all the content and information lives. And unlike the graphics or code of the website, the content and information that’s stored in the database is often generated automatically through the functions of your website, and is therefore difficult or impossible to recreate.

For example, if you have an integrated shopping cart on your website, all of the customer information and order information is stored in the database. If you have any type of user registration, such as a mailing list, a blog which allows users to comment, or a membership program, all of that information is stored in the database. If you have an administration area of your site where you can write and modify content, upload pictures, and create new pages, all of that information and content is stored in the database. So if your database were to corrupt or fail, given these examples, you would have no order history, no customer information, no mailing list, no user records (logins, email addresses, passwords, etc.), no pages and no page content. You’d be dead in the water. Who knew the database was so important!

Back That Database Up!
These instructions area applicable to the most commonly used website database program, called MySQL (pronounced My S-Q-L or My Sequel). If your site is dynamic but doesn’t use MySQL, check with your developer or website host to learn how to back up whatever database is being used.

We’re going to use a program called phpMyAdmin (pronounced P-H-P My Admin) which works in conjunction with MySQL to make it easier to manage, by giving you an administration interface to work with. That’s as technical as this article gets, so keep reading!

The Big Green Note:
If these instructions don’t work for you for any reason or you need help, contact your website developer or hosting company.

Step 1: Login to phpMyAdmin (PMA)
A username and password will be required to login. If you don’t have the username/password what should you do? See the Big Green Note above, silly! (That was a test.)

You will access the phpMyAdmin program one of two ways, either:

a) by typing in the URL to PMA, such as www.yourwebsite.com/phpmyadmin or www.yourwebsite.com/pma

… or…

b) by logging-in to your web hosting control panel at www.yourdomain.com/cpanel and clicking the phpMyAdmin icon.

Step 2: Select your database

The top left side of the PMA homescreen shows a list of your databases. Don’t worry about “information_schema”, you’re looking for the one named something pertinent to your website. When you find it, click it. to access that database.

Step 3: Export
Next, click the “Export” button at the top of the screen.

Step 4: Confirm and Download
On the Export screen, you’ll see a bunch of overwhelming options with technical terms. Don’t worry about them, most of the default options are set exactly how you need them.

Ensure the “SQL” option is selected on the left and the “Save as file” checkbox is checked. Then click “Go.”

You’ll probably get a prompt about what you want to do with the file you’re downloading, just like if you were downloading a PDF report. Save it wherever you want.

That’s it, you did it! Repeat this process as frequently as you feel comfortable with. I recommend backing up your MySQL database at least once a week, but many companies that see high activity (new orders every day, new subscribers, etc.) choose to do it every day. Once you get used to the process, it should only take you 60 seconds.

I hope you rest easier knowing your website database is backed up. Any questions?

For anyone who has known me long enough or heard me speak, one of the consistent grumblings I make is about the lack of common sense in many Internet marketing approaches, usually supported by the quick-talking, sales-focused communication styles of self-proclaimed Internet marketing gurus. I encounter these people daily; people who exude the antithesis of techniques and values which I hold dear and are often identified by a “trust us, we know best” attitude.

Admittedly, I’m not an all-star sales-person; I’m not the guy who can sell water to a well. But I am a consumer, a business strategist, a statistics analyst and a person of integrity. Those qualities combined, I have some strong opinions about how business should be conducted, about what it means to create long-term loyalty, and about harboring societal values which cultivate a sense of global humanity.

Indeed, these values which I hold are a reflection of something more than money, and won’t connect with the person who cares only about the dollar. Greed is pretty low on my list of business objectives. Can I get a hoorah?!

With an eye toward establishing long-term growth and cultivating lasting customer loyalty, let’s take a look at some blatantly bad “marketing” behavior which lacks common sense:

Don’t Talk At Me
Engage with me. Connect with me. Listen to me. Find a way to help me.

Don’t Convince Me
If you’re trying to convince me, you’re not listening to my concerns and addressing them. If your product/service is of value than simply listening and addressing my concerns will illuminate the value.

Don’t Mislead Me
Even if my examination is discovering shortcomings in your offering, that’s an opportunity for you to improve. I don’t expect anyone to be perfect and some humility and desire for improvement goes a long way in building a long-term relationship.

Don’t Hype
You may be the best there is, but let other people say it. Self-proclaimed status is meaningless in today’s world where countless people are declaring themselves an expert, maven or guru.

Don’t Promise What You Can’t Deliver
I’m more likely to work with you for your solid skills, rather than your appearance of grandiosity.

Don’t Gloat
In the ever-changing online world, not many people stay on top for long. I’d rather work with someone who works twice as hard to achieve the same result as the guy who works half as hard, because the guy who works twice as hard is more likely to adapt twice as fast to changes.

Don’t Guilt
If your oldschool-style sales copy is still inviting my guilt for not buying into your offer, you’re only driving the nail into your own coffin.

Don’t Rush
I’m not in a rush, you don’t need to be either. If I have a need and I think you can satisfy my need, I’ll engage with you as long as necessary to ensure the need is met thoroughly. Rushing me only shows you care more about the immediate sale than the long-term relationship, which works against you.

Don’t Waste My Time
I’ll tell you what I need, you tell me what you can do for me. If it’s a beneficial relationship it’ll flourish, if it’s not the right fit, let’s move-on.

As was stated in the first paragraph, marketing is a process; a process which can and should reflect your values. Anyone who tries to convince you otherwise in order to be different, stand out, and make sales should be avoided. Want to be different? Try being real! And remember, a little common sense goes a long way!

“Growing your network” could easily imply that the value of social networking is in the size of your network, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. It’s not about the number of Followers you have on Twitter, Friends on Facebook or Connections on LinkedIn; it’s not about how many times a day you tweet, how many photos you post, or the number of discussions you participate in. The value is in the quality of the interaction, not the quantity. How many people you know is insignificant when compared to how well you know them and how well they know you.

Many self-proclaimed social media “gurus” or “experts” will mislead you and try to sell you  courses, programs, e-books, or strategies for growing your network numbers, making implications (carefully-crafted, legally non-binding ones) that greater numbers will lead to greater success. While these people may be proclaiming knowledge of social networking, their “expertise” is only in making a quick sale of a product which promises results it can’t deliver. 

(Professional copywriter, Brian Burns, wrote an excellent article on the social media guru-complex, which I’d recommend everyone read.)

Successful networking is the cultivation of mutually-beneficial long-term relationships. (Read that sentence again.) Beneficial relationships are cultivated through sincere, genuine interactions, not hurried, self-centered, sales-oriented interactions (who wants to interact with someone like that?). 

With that philosophy planted in the forefront of your mind, let’s look at some methods for expanding your network connections across the primary three social networks I typically recommend for businesses: LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. 

Incorporate Existing Connections
All three sites offer tools for searching your current contact lists (Outlook, Palm, Mac, etc.) and/or web-based email list (AOL, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.) to discover contacts who may be currently using these services. This is a great starting point for connecting with people you already know in order to use the tools and features of social media to further cultivate those relationships. 

For LinkedIn, click this link
or login and click “Contacts”, then “Add Connections” on the right of the blue section at the top, then the “Import Contacts” tab at the top. From this screen you’ll see several options for importing webmail contacts, address books, etc. 

For Facebook, click this link
or login and mouse-over the “Friends” link at the very top of the page, then click “Find Friends”. From this page you can search webmail contacts or click the “Upload contact file” link to import other types of contact files. 

For Twitter, click this link
or login and click the “Find People” link at the top of the page, then click the “Find on other networks” tab to search your webmail address books. 

Send Invitations
After you’ve searched through your contact lists to connect with people already using the networks, it’s time to send invites to those not already using them. Most of the networks make it fairly automatic to invite people after searching a contacts file, with messages like “We couldn’t find Jane Doe or John Doe on our network, would you like to invite them to join?”. Additionally, you can initiate the process independently from importing contacts using the instructions below. I’d recommend personalizing and customizing the email message that gets sent, and mention some benefits for participating. 

For LinkedIn, click this link
or login and click “Contacts”, then “Add Connections” on the right of the blue section at the top. From this screen you can enter First Names, Last Name and Email of each person you’d like to invite, as well as customize the invitation email they’ll receive. 

For Facebook, click this link
or login and mouse-over the “Friends” link at the very top of the page, then click “Invite Friends”. From this page you’ll need to enter the email addresses of the contacts you’re inviting, and add a custom message to the email invitation. 

For Twitter, click this link
or login and click the “Find People” link at the top of the page, then click the “Invite by email” tab. Twitter, unfortunately, doesn’t allow you to customize the email message that gets sent, so it’s not a bad idea to send a mass email from your email program to the same list of addresses with a personal message (be sure you BCC the recipients for privacy). This way they know it’s legitimate and it’ll be much more meaningful than the generic email Twitter will send them. 

Search for People and Groups
You’ve found your existing contacts that use social media and invited contacts from your address book to join you in utilizing social media, now it’s time to get serious and search the peripheral edges of your known network and start expanding your contacts. 

If you attended either of my social networking seminars, you heard me talk a lot about contributing value to the interactions you are seeking. Before you go adding new contacts who may not know you, or joining new groups which will bring new people to your profile, it’s important to be sure you have a completed profile and enough content on your profile to give someone a feel for what you’re bringing to the interaction. 

LinkedIn
LinkedIn has a very prominent search, with a text field and “Search” button at the top of the screen. Note the dropdown left of the text field which has options for searching people, groups, jobs, etc. Select what you’re searching for, enter the name or keywords in the text field and click “Search”. Click the “Join this group” or “Add to network” link when you find what you’re looking for. 

Facebook
Facebook’s search is the text field (says “search” in the field) and magnifying glass icon at the top-right of the screen. You can enter a name or keywords and click the icon (or hit enter). By default, the results will show “All results”, but you can click the “People” or “Groups” tabs to narrow the field. Similar to LinkedIn, you can click the “Join Group” or “Add as Friend” link when you find the friend to add or group you’d like to join. 

(Groups note: Be sure you join your local Chamber of Commerce groups on LinkedIn and Facebook!)

Twitter
Twitter doesn’t have groups (in the primary application), but you can still search for people. Click the “Find People” link at the top of the page, type in the name in the text field and click “Search”.

Twitter Search: http://search.twitter.com
Twitter has a very powerful search utility which, in all honesty, warrants its own article. It’s useful for searching for topics of interest (by keyword), researching information, seeking partnerships, following markets, industries and competitors, connecting with potential customers, and much much more.

The real art, especially when trying to connect with potential customers, is searching for the types of conversations those people may be having. Imagine you were overhearing a conversation that a few of your “A”-list customers were having, what would they be talking about? Search it and see what you find. 

Group Discussions
Once you’ve joined various groups on LinkedIn and Facebook, look for ways to participate in the discussions posted on the group page, and consider starting your own discussions as a member of the group. This way you’ll be growing the awareness of your brand, communicating with prospective new contacts, bringing group members to your profile page (and from there to your website), establishing expertise, etc. Treat these group discussions like you would any business networking event and allow the specific topic to be a launching point for broader communications, new topics and relationship cultivation. 

Connect with Group Members
Both Facebook and LinkedIn list the members of any given group to other group members (not to non-members). Browse through them and see who you see, this can be a good “in” with your peripheral network.

LinkedIn, with its strict connection policy, allows you to extend and invitation to connect to someone whom you share a common group with, bringing new connections within reach that otherwise were outside of your network.  

While Facebook does not offer any different connection methods or additional profile-viewing privileges, it’s still a great way to connect with other individuals and organizations which you share a common bond with. 

Etiquette
This topic is also worthy of its own article, but for now I’ll mention two of the most important elements of social networking etiquette: 

1) Listen. As with any interaction, listening, asking questions, and reflecting back are essential ingredients for engaging with another person. 

2) Don’t pitch me! I’m not interested in interacting with someone who is constantly trying to sell me something. Company news, services offered, new products, specials and coupons are all acceptable to mention, but be sure they’re in balance with interpersonal, mutually-beneficial interactions. 

Other strategies will likely be covered in future articles, but for now let me conclude by saying, be you, be consistent, be interactive, lead by example and commit to slow and steady long-term growth of your social networks. By doing so, you will radiate sincerity and value in everything you do, which will invite others to want to connect with you. 

Questions or comments? I’d love to hear them, please post them below.

Websites are a fluid medium, unlike printed material. This means that, while it’s appropriate to shoot for perfection at launch, the idea of perfection is constantly changing and the flexibility of the website environment allows us to makes these changes on a whim. While this has tremendous benefit, it also requires a self-discipline to make a plan and stick to it, unless modifications are truly necessary. 

Even if “perfection” is achieved at launch, odds are good that at least some minor changes will be necessary after the first round of visitor data is evaluated. This first wave of traffic will  act as your test market and show you what changes will be useful. So don’t stress the little things- take action!

(Look for future articles on visitor tracking and data analysis.)

With the frequency of new Internet developments and applications sprouting-up around the Web it’s easy to become overwhelmed and dismissive of new technology for having little apparent usefulness, thus missing opportunities and continuing the cycle of regret. Who can blame us, though? After all, we only have so much time in our days, so we must continually decide where that time is most valuably spent. Every new development can seem like more of a burden than a benefit. The common underlying theme in our assessment is the fundamental technology question: Just because I can, why would I want to?

So how do we not become so desensitized by the mass of new information flooding out of cyberspace that we may overlook useful, beneficial and potentially lucrative new developments? Here are some of my top recommendations:

1) The most challenging step, I find, is controlling my initial tendency to poo-poo a new development. It’s easy to see the flaws in something early in its evolution and never give it a fair evaluation. Try to make a conscious effort to break the habit of automatically dismissing something new. 

2) Imagine the new technology is already popular and everyone is using it. In your mind, try to see how the masses are effectively utilizing the new technology and imagine how you could use it to your advantage too. Remember, even if it’s not popular today, it may be tomorrow!

3) Think ahead! Imagine how the new development may benefit you a year from now. 

4) Discuss possible uses for the new technology among business partners, peers, or online through social networks and discussion forums. 

5) Adjust your mindset to that of overusing technology. If it doesn’t benefit your business the way you hoped, you’re never locked-in to using it. 

6) If you’re unsure, consult with a knowledgeable Internet business expert who may have greater insight as to how a new development may benefit your business.

By utilize emerging technology for your business you will hopefully find yourself saying “I’m glad I did!” rather than “I wish I had.”