Archive for January, 2009

Is Your Business Web Site Marketing Targeting Canadian Customers?

Sunday, January 11th, 2009

Did you forget about Canada?

Are you a U.S. eCommerce business that’s made a New Year’s resolution to expand your business web site marketing to boost online business? Then please, remember our friendly neighbors to the north.

According to Statistics Canada, four in ten Canadian dollars spent on e-commerce go abroad. So are you doing all you can with business web site marketing target the Canadian market? Some American companies, like online retail giant NewEgg, are setting up separate Canadian Websites while using their already-established U.S. shipping facilities and customer service centers to handle Canadian orders.

Other retailers, like Saks Direct, are making it easier for Canadian customers to order from their U.S.-based Website. They’re using business web site marketing methods that makes it easier for Canadian shoppers to view local featured merchandise, as well.

Thanks to the currently weak U.S. dollar, savvy international customers are flocking to American online businesses. And it’s up to those American businesses to find those customers with innovative business web site marketing. That also means things like using organic search to find keywords that target Canadian shoppers.

Priming your Web Design & Marketing Tactics for a Great 2009

Friday, January 9th, 2009

Are your ready for a great 2009? Ok, we know that this upcoming year looks tough for most businesses. But we also know you’re probably not planning on just coasting through the year and simply hoping for the best. So here are a few basic web design & marketing maintenance tests you can quickly do to make sure that it’s primed for the new year.

1. Check your business’ information

How does your “about” page look? Successful businesses often change focus and direction. And when that happens, a change in web design & marketing is necessary. If you wrote your “about” page a couple of years ago, take another look at it. Does it still represent what you do? If not, update it.

2. Check your contact information

There’s a ton of stuff that a business has to deal with when it moves. Updating things like the phone number and address on a Webpage isn’t one of them. But it’s crucial to successful web design & marketing. Have you moved recently? Then make sure everything’s up do date. Test all your email addresses to make sure that they’re getting into the right inboxes.

Also, have you started Twittering? Have you joined any new social networking services? Now would be a good time to add all that new web design & marketing information to your Webpage.

3. Check your business’ email auto responders

If you’ve set up an email auto-response message a while back, it’s easy to forget what you wrote. Check it again and make sure that the web design & marketing message is still up to date.

4. Check the links on your Website

If your Website is a couple of years old, it may need some housecleaning. The easiest thing to check for prime to maintain excellent web design & marketing are the links. Do they all work? Are all the external sites you’ve linked to still there?

5. Make sure you’re on Google

Are your keywords still relevant? How are you ranking on Google for your targeted keywords? Is your Webpage optimized for Google searchers? If you’re not ranking on the first page for targeted keywords, there’s probably more web design & marketing search engine optimization you could be doing.

Choosing Reliable Press Release Services for Your Business

Thursday, January 8th, 2009

According to a recent search for press release services, there are over 26 million search results! Of course, not every result will garner an actual press release service company.

Your company has something it wants to say, announce or offer to the public and you want the best and most reliable press release service. Before deciding on the cheapest deal, ask; yes actually talk to a live person about their press release services.

Reliable Press Release Services Should Offer the following:

  • Full outline and explanation of services – the details are just as important as the services they offer.
  • Provide examples of press releases similar to your business field
  • Provide testimonials from satisfied customers and/or contact information so that you can talk to them directly
  • Monitoring Service – they should at least offer this service, even though you may opt out of it. The monitoring service should track where your press release is distributed, who picks it up and when. The monitoring service should track your press release for at least 3 months to 1 year.
  • Press Release writing service from qualified and experienced writers – your press release should be free of grammatical and spelling errors and be accurate. Ask about writers’ experience.
  • Press Release optimization service – the key to getting more publicity from any press release is incorporating targeted keywords and search engine optimization. Although press release services may not provide this as in-house service, they will usually partner with an SEO firm, so they can provide it.

At Search Circus, we eliminate the middlemen, and provide all your press release services for your business in one place. Contact us for press release services, whether it’s a one time submission, monthly submission or more.