How to List Your Business in Google and Yahoo Local Search

How to List Your Business in Google and Yahoo Local Search
by Araceli Molina


Even if your business is done completely online, you may benefit from getting listed in Google Local or Yahoo's local listings. People often feel more comfortable doing business with someone who is local; and potential customers may stumble across your business while searching for other things. Submission to Local Search at both Google and Yahoo are free, and may bring you more business than you expect.

Here are the URLs for the signup forms below, but before you get started you should have the following information ready at hand:

1. The first thing they will ask for is the physical location of your business. If your business is in your home, that is no problem, just use your home address. You shouldn't, however, use a post office box, as Google doesn't accept them.

2. The telephone number(s) of your business - If you use your home phone number for your business, be sure you have an appropriate answering machine message, and that your phone is answered in a professional manner.

It is best to get a separate telephone number for your business, even if it and your budget are very small. Check with your phone company and the VOIP companies, you may be pleasantly surprised at how cheaply you can get a second number. Many people use VOIP for their business, and pay just $25 per month for unlimited local and long distance through their broadband internet connection. If you have a fax number, have that ready also.

3. A business email address - Use an email account at your business domain. If you don't have a website for your business, buy a domain for your site from a registrar such as registerfly.com who gives website space with a domain purchase, or at least put up a "one page business card" website on the free space Yahoo offers to local listers. In any event, don't use an America Online address or a "freebie" email service such as Hotmail or Yahoo for your business. This is considered very unprofessional.

4. Your business website address - Get a site if you honestly mean to have an internet business. Yes, a website is not strictly required in order to earn online, but to anyone with online business experience you will appear as a rank amateur without one.

5. A description of the services or products you sell. This should be a short 1 to 3 sentence summary such as:

"Your Business Name provides widgets to all widget users, with special emphasis on blue widgets for widgeteers. We also offer widget payment plans."

Don't make it a blatant advertisement, just an explanation of services.

6. Categories your business falls under - You'll be able to choose up to 5 categories for your listing.

7. What types of payment can you accept? (Cash, credit card types, etcetera)

8. Your business operating hours and days at your location.

9. Contact Name - likely yours.

Google users will need to setup an Account. Fear not...if you have Gmail, Google Sitemaps or any other Google service requiring an email address you are already registered.

When you have your information ready, go to http://www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter.

Sign into your Google account and follow the onscreen instructions. Once you have finished, Google will telephone or send you a postcard (your choice) with a confirmation number. When you receive the pin number in the mail or by phone, you will then need to go back to your account and enter that pin number before your entry can be activated.

After that, just wait for the phone calls from new customers.

For Yahoo, the information needed is nearly the same, and they will give you a free 5-page website for your business to boot!

Sign up at Yahoo here: http://listings.local.yahoo.com/

Get going and boost your business into areas you might not have thought of trying.

Visit http://workathome.enlared.biz to find a complete selection of free ebooks, tools, utilities, articles and home bussiness ideas.


About the Author
Araceli Molina is the owner and creator of http://workathome.enlared.biz/ where you can find a complete selection of free ebooks, tools, utilities, articles and home bussiness ideas.

Domain Name Registrars and how they Work

Domain Name Registrars and how they Work
by Candice Pardue


In the history of domain name registrars, a company called Network Solutions had the sole authorization to register domain names. Network Solutions was the only true domain name registrar. Now, things have changed! The domain name market is wide open for competition. There are several dozens of domain name registrars today.

What is a Domain Name Registrar?

A domain name registrar is a company that is allowed to directly access and modify the database of domain names that have been registered up to the current date. The database itself is maintained by a non-profit organization called Internic. Domain name registration and the industry itself are monitored by ICANN, an organization that is responsible for certifying companies as registrars and handling domain names, IP addresses, and domain name extensions.

A domain name registrar is required to pay a fee to Network Solutions for every registered domain name. This is a fixed fee for everyone. Then, the registrar can decide what to charge clients that register with them for purpose of profits and promotion.

Where the rates were once fixed at $70 per every two-year period, now companies may charge whatever they wish. Some charge by the year; others offer many types of domain name packages ranging from one to even ten years in duration.

Benefits of Registering with an Accredited Domain Name Registrar

There are several main benefits of registering your Internet domain name with an accredited domain name registrar. One, you'll often find cheaper domain name registration prices because the registrar is buying domain names directly. Some companies are able to offer domain name registration for as low as $8.95 per year or better. Then, there are others who offer a free year or two with the purchase of Web hosting.

Two, you'll know that you are registering your domain name with a reputable company. There are many "resellers" of domain names that are fly-by-night companies, and you might not be able to find them when it's time to renew your domain name for the next term!

Three, you can benefit from the registrar accreditation itself. This reveals that the domain name registrar has been accredited by a federal government agency and is being monitored directly by Internic. By simply checking with these two agencies along with the Better Business Bureau, you can have peace of mind that you are buying from a real registrar, not a scam artist.

Use these tips to find a reputable domain name registrar. This will not only secure your domain name... it might also secure your entire online business for future years!


About the Author
Candice Pardue, Corporate brochure writer located at http://www.webmastercourse.com/writing-services/ . Go to http://webmastercourse.com/subscribe/ for a free 7-Lesson Web Beginner's Minicourse and learn web design from start to finish. This one's for beginners...

9 Golden Tips To Start An Internet Home Business

9 Golden Tips To Start An Internet Home Business
by Chantal Langevin


Business: 9 Golden Tips To Start An Internet Home Business

By: Chantal Langevin

From: http://hombyz.com

The start up costs for an internet home business are next to nothing compared to the offline world of business start ups.

In fact it is a lot more simple to start and grow a business on the internet.

Of course you need some knowledge to begin your internet home business enterprise. But you don't need a "Bacc" to do business on the web.

All you need is some computer knowledge and some internet marketing basis and a good dose of determination.

Here is some basic tips on how to start an internet home business.

== 1.Write Your Business Goals ==

It is important to set goals and objectives and then take action to accomplish them. This will be your Business Plan.

Here Are Some questions you should ask yourself:

- Why do I want to start up an Internet Home Business?

- What product or service can I provide?

- Do I have the knowledge and expertise to provide this service?

- Do I know enough about the competition?

- Where will my customers come from?

Take the time to write down your questions and answers and thoroughly research your chosen market.

== 2. Choose A Product or Service To Sell ==

On the internet you can find houndreds of product or services to sell.

You can sell your own product by creating your own, or purchasing resale rights or being an affiliate with a good internet company.

Don't put your personal gains first. Make sure that the product will deliver what it promises. When you promote a product that leaves the buyer dissatisfied, you' ll only be ruining your business. So sell solutions and the money will come.

== 3. Business Domain Name ==

One important first step is to choose the best domain name you can. Keep it as short and simple as possible.

Think of domain name like " Google " or " Yahoo ". They are short and easy to remember.

I know that some people say to use keyword in youre domain name. But if you choose " Internet Business " there is million of site with this term.

So are you going to use for example "AprofitableInternethomebusiness.com" it might be a nice name but it is too long and not simple.

== 4. Your Business Web Site ==

Having A good business website is essential to succeed with an internet home business.

Here is the thing you have to plan to build your website

A) Decide on the website design (colour schemes, buttons, special effects etc). However, you may have a preference for a certain colour or look. To help you choose a design, you may wish to check out other people's websites or work with your web designer's pre-set templates.

(b) The content. There are many items you may wish to include on your website. The most common ones include:

1 Products And Services 2. Contact Information 3. Pricing 4. Testimonials 5. Frequently Asked Questions 6. Resources & Articles 7. Refund Policy 8. Privacy Policy 9. About Us 10. Site Map 11. Useful Links 12. On-line store

== 5. Choose a Web Hosting Company ==

What is a Web hosting Company?

A Web host is a company that provides server space for your website. You can think of a web host as a commercial building. The web host provides space for your website just as a commercial building provides space for your shop or office.

What are some of the things you should look for when choosing a web host? The criteria for choosing a free web host and a commercial web hosting solution are slightly different although they do overlap.

A) Web Space

Does it have enough space for your needs? If you envisage that you will expand your site eventually, you might want to cater for future expansion. Most sites use less than 5MB of web space. Indeed, at one time, one of my other web sites, thefreecountry.com, used less than 5MB of space although it had about 150 pages on the site. Your needs will vary, depending on how many pictures your pages use, whether you need sound files, video clips, etc.

B) Bandwidth allotment

Nowadays, many free web hosts impose a limit on the amount of traffic your website can use per day and per month. This means that if the pages (and graphic images) on your site is loaded by visitors beyond a certain number of times per day (or per month), the web host will disable your web site (or perhaps send you a bill).

It is difficult to recommend a specific minimum amount of bandwidth, since it depends on how you design your site, your target audience, and the number of visitors you're able to attract to your site. In general, 100MB traffic per month is too little for anything other than your personal home page and 1-3GB traffic per month is usually adequate for a simple site just starting out. Your mileage, however, will vary.

C) Reliability and speed of access

This is extremely important. A site that is frequently down will lose a lot of visitors. If someone finds your site on the search engine, and he tries to access it but find that it is down, he'll simply go down the list to find another site. Slow access is also very frustrating for visitors (and for you too, when you upload your site).

How do you know if a host is reliable or fast? If you can't get feedback from anyone, one way is to try it out yourself over a period of time, both during peak as well as non-peak hours. After all, it is free, so you can always experiment with it.

== 6. Shopping Cart ==

No e-commerce website is complete without a secure shopping cart. There are many shopping cart options. Many e-commerce business owners make the mistake of using Pay Pal to accept payments, which immediately tells visitors that their company is very small and not professional.

A good alternative to Pay Pal is a remotely hosted shopping cart. Remote shopping carts take the burden of maintaining security and credit card numbers off your shoulder and places the responsibility on another company. Remote shopping carts can usually be configured to look similar to your website.

In fact, your customers may not realize that they have left your website to place an order. The remote shopping cart provider will give you the HTML to add to your website. When your potential customer clicks on the Buy Now button, he or she is taken to the remote shopping cart to enter the personal information and payment details.

Depending on your choice of a shopping cart, you may or may not need a merchant account to process transactions. Some shopping cart services allow you to use their merchant accounts for a slightly higher fee.

== 7. How To Promote Your Business Website ==

Write An Article: Write an article promoting your site or product. Write an article on a hot topic many people would like more information on and submit it to various e-zines. How do you find out what's hot? Visit a few of the message boards and see what questions are raised often. Search Engines: Thousands of search engines exist on the Internet. But, you should only be concerned with the top eight or ten. You should manually submit to the top eight: Alta Vista, Excite, Yahoo, Hotbot, Lycos, Northern Light, Infoseek, Webcrawler, and use one of the FREE automatic submission services like *SubmitPlus* to handle the smaller search engines.

Directories: List your site here too. Directories organize sites into categories. Good examples of Directories: Yahoo, Magellan.

Ezine Listings: If you have an e-zine to promote along with your site. Why not list it with one of the many e-zine services on the Internet. E-zine Library is a good one to start with.

Free Classifieds: You will have to submit to a ton of FREE classifieds to get any significant traffic. Why? You are competing with thousands of other Ads. Remember to work on your Ad copy and make it attention grabbing. Go to one of the popular search engines, type in Free Classifieds, and surf to the top 20 classified sites for beginners.

Often, these sites will lead you to several other Free Classified Sites. In response you'll get a stack of e-mail thanking you for listing your site while barking their promo. Best to get one of those free email accounts. Hot mail is a good one. So is Yahoo mail.

FFA Pages. Free For All's are worth a try. Be prepared for a avalanche of e-mails from FFA web site owners. If your title is attention grabbing you will get a few clicks. Good Attention grabbing headlines, FREE, Limited Time, Limited Offer, Proven, Secrets, and many more if you brainstorm. Check out the sales literature delivered to you by regular mail. Check and see what headlines grab your attention. And why? Incorporate them into your Online Ads.

Tell Friends And Family: If your friends, family, acquaintances, have an Internet Connection, e-mail them telling them about your new website, and ask them to visit often. Offer a FREE incentive if they tell a few friends to surf over. Perhaps, a FREE Ad in your e-zine.

Leave Business Cards or Flyers: Leave these promo pieces with small businesses in your community. All relevant contact information; email address, URL, telephone number, should be included. Offer a freebie to anyone who visits your site. A free e-book, report.

== 8. TRACK YOUR MARKETING ==

Here are some questions to consider:

1) How many unique visitors come to your website?

2) How many visitors opt-in to your mailing list or order your products?

3) When you send emails, how many are opened and how many people actually click through to your website?

The reason these question are so important is because if you don't know these stats, you won't know what to improve. It could be different things; like your headlines, the content or navigation on your website. You won't know until you start checking all your marketing offer.

== 9. YOUR BUSINESS IN CONCLUSION ==

Think of your first six months primarily as a training period. Don't expect large earnings until after you've educated yourself.

Even the most dynamic, highest-earning entrepreneurs in the industry took MONTHS to begin seeing an income of any real significance with their internet home business.

Don't be a negative thinker and don't let the negative attitudes of others (even if they're family members, friends, or peers) influence you.

All the great men and women in history had to overcome the naysayers who said it couldn't be done--and then went out and did it. Think for yourself!

As long as you think positive and focused on your internet home business target you're on the right way to a rich life, which is directed by you and it will lead you to tremendous success and personnal satisfaction.


Copyright © Chantal Langevin, The Internet Home Business Specialist

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PERMISSIONS TO REPUBLISH: This business article may be republished in its entirety free of charge, electronically or in print, provided it appears with the included copyright and author's resource box with live website link.

Courtesy of: http://hombyz.com : For All Your Internet Business Needs





About the Author
Chantal Langevin, The Internet Home Business Specialist Can Help You Build A Successfull Internet Business That Can Generate Massive Profit !!! So Start Your Own Internet Business for FREE >> Visit Now :: http://hombyz.com/homebusiness.htm