Non Stop Portals

Google maps provides the ability to write reviews on products and services offered by listed companies. Companies with a higher number of reviews rank higher in search results than the ones that do not have reviews.

You will need a Google account to write a review. You can sign up for a new Google account from the Google search screen.

Twitter is heavily indexed by search engines.  It is a great way to make sure that your site shows when users are searching for your products and services.

It is not important to become a Twitter addict to get benefits from Twitter.  In other words, you do not have to post things five times a day.  Periodic posting of information about your business will help to improve your search engine rankings.

The following is the text of an actual email sent by Jerry Helms to a business connection on LinkedIn. The names have been changed.

Dear John,

I noticed that you have been working on your LinkedIn profile the last few days. Enhancing your LinkedIn profile is one of the most important things you can do to enhance visibility for you AND ABC Company.

Content created on LinkedIn is heavily searched by the major search engines. Just try searching for your name -- your LinkedIn profile is probably on the first page of the results.

It's fair to ask "why would anyone be searching for me anyway"? If they already know my name, then they should know how to find me. Well, that's the point. ALL of the content in your LinkedIn profile is indexed. So enhancing the description of ABC Company and your products on LinkedIn will improve traffic back to your main web site.

Here is a short list of things you need to do for your LinkedIn profile:

1. Think about the search terms that people would use to find your company. Write content in your personal summary and job history sections that uses these search terms. It's not just about YOU, it's also about your company.
2. Create a separate company profile for ABC Company in LinkedIn.
3. I would encourage others at ABC Company to enhance their profiles. They will be using LinkedIn to find new customers.
4. Make sure you point back to the ABC Company web site using both the web site links area and within the content.

Spending some time every day building your network on LinkedIn is valuable, but it's more important to have good content (words) in your summary and job history. Remember -- write about the company as well as you personally.

There is a huge amount of other things that can be done to enhance ABC Company's visibility on the Internet. This just happens to be one you can do yourself.

Let me know if you need some help!

Thanks,
Jerry Helms

Internet marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) are two terms that most people view as meaning the same. The question that I am most often asked is "How do I get my company at the top of the search results page?". This article describes some basic internet marketing and SEO techniques to help improve your rankings.

Non Stop Portals is teaching a class on Growing Sales Through The Internet. The class was developed as a primer for non-technical users. However, some of the techniques described in the class will require web development skills.

By Jerry Helms

What happens when you search for your name on Google? Does your name show up in the results? This article describes a technique that guarantees your name will appear!

Increasing your personal and corporate visibility on the Internet can be accomplished through a wide variety of free tools. Google profiles are free and once you have created your profile your information shows up in search results immediately. When I search for Jerry Helms, my personal listing shows up on the bottom of the first page of search results.

The earliest corporate web sites were basically electronic brochures. The rapid growth in consumer preferences for using the Internet to find products or services to purchase along with new social media platforms require new strategies for your prospective customers to find you.

This course focuses on practical techniques for growing sales by building your brand on the Internet. We will not be spending much time on theoretical concepts. We are going to discuss the concepts of optimizing your web site to generate new traffic along with other Internet marketing strategies. We will cover more than web site search engine optimization.

The class format is lecture with instructor-led demonstrations. It is not necessary to bring a laptop to class, but if you bring one you will be able to connect to the Internet.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of those hot topics that everyone wants to take advantage of.  In short -- how do I get my web site to show up at the top of Google?

Many believe that it's just a matter of populating HTML meta tags into your web pages.  Well, it's a bit more complicated than just putting in a few meta tags.  In fact, meta tags are just as important as other design techniques for your web site.

Learn More About Search Engine Optimization

I just ran across a good article on Bing about writing content with an emphasis on keywords.  It is a great basic tutorial on generating better results for your page rankings.

The bottom line summary of the article is to write natural content that is focused on specific keyword phrases.  By natural, the writing should provide information to the reader instead of using tricks to try and manipulate the search engine.

Yes, it is still important to match your site meta tags with the contents of the article, but it is just as important to write good copy for your content.

A Meetup is a group of people with common interests that schedule meetings to discuss their topic of common interest.  The Meetup.com website facilitates finding groups of interest, administering group membership and posting upcoming events.

Basically, the Meetup structure is a social media network that allows individuals to connect with other individuals in their area.  Each group is self-administered and meets locally.  Individual group leaders register a group of interest and solicit their friends to form the core group.  Word of mouth and self-promotion are normally the means utilized to get new members to join.

Topics of interest for Meetup groups vary widely by location.  I live in the Raleigh, NC area and obviously have a strong interest in web site development, search engine optimization, and project management.  Local Meetup groups exist for each of these topic areas.  After I register as a Meetup user, I can request membership in any group listed.  Once approved by the group leader I will receive all upcoming meeting announcements and events.  I RSVP to any meeting that I am planning on attending.

Meetups are a valuable resource to learn more about your areas of interest and to share what you know with others.  The group depends upon members sharing with each other.  Give it a try!

The services provided by Non Stop Portals are designed for any business.  In addition to creating a superior web site presence, our solution includes a flexible system for you to post content on your site.