Tag: Tips

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Just Nancy – Why Reviews Matter

Hit the mark with your customers every time for great reviews.
Hit the mark with your customers every time for great reviews.

As a Google Local Guide, I review every place I visit and every place I eat. With over 300 reviews and photos uploaded to Google, I am just one of many who are helping Google index local businesses, build reviews and improve the accuracy of Google Maps.

Google does not pay me for these services, but I do receive special Google branded products and other perks for being a Google Local Guide.

Here’s what I’ve found out as I travel my local area.

  1. Reviews really do matter.
  2. People actually look at the photos I post for about a business.
  3. Negative reviews mean I probably won’t visit.
  4. I am constantly evaluating my store or restaurant experience.
  5. If I receive poor service, I will write about it.
  6. Even for lower end restaurants food presentation is important.
  7. People actually read what I post about a business.
  8. I do not tell business owners I am reviewing them.
  9. I myself select who I trade with based on online reviews.
  10. Reviews are more important than a nice website.

The bottom-line is that you are on display and being rated with every phone call, every visit, every plate that is served. You may have the best website, but if your visitors do not receive the royal treatment when they call or visit, you’ll set yourself up for a negative review. Get several and they can damage your business and sales!

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Domain Name Management Tips

Follow our tips for domain name management.
Follow our tips for domain name management.

Whether you have a new online business or an existing one you’ll want to review my tips on domain name management.

Review
Periodically review the domain names you own. If you don’t need one or are not pursuing that aspect of your business, save money and don’t renew a domain name you won’t need in the future.

Secure
When you start your business, secure domain name variations of your company name to protect your brand. Consider buying the .us variation in addition to the .com if you are a U.S. based business and other country extensions if you have a presence there.

Save Money
You don’t need to buy hosting for every domain name you own. You can use domain forwarding to point domains you own to your main desired domain where your website resides.

Select
New or old, periodically it makes sense to review the domain names you do own. For those you are using for your website and online presence, set your renewal in five year increments. For those you may let go in the future consider one year or two year renewals.

 

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Our Kids Need to Know Not to Overshare Online

Nancy McCord
Nancy McCord – Point of View for Today.

In our new world of no-privacy, we as parents need to be vigilant to let our kids know how to live.

We recently had a family crisis with one of our children. The very first thing my husband and I did was to Google the kids’ names involved. Interestingly enough even teens will have things online about themselves and allow others to follow a media trail.

From something inappropriate shared publically on Twitter to social media networks that are not “locked down” from prying eyes, our kids run the risk of over-exposure in our digital world. And this trail lasts forever. Youthful indiscretions, something said in anger online may come back to hurt your children with others, in relationships, and even in a future job.

I routinely Google my own kids to assure that the social media sites that they “live” on are not totally public; even for my college age kids.  I want to make sure that phone numbers, addresses and even full names and personal information is not overshared online. For my older kids I look to make sure that the sites they used are locked down so images do not get picked up by Google and returned in search results.

It is particularly important for parents, when kids first start using social media, to make sure they discuss privacy and personally review sharing settings on their accounts. Just as equally parents should review with teens and college age kids the difficulties they may run into with pictures and party scenes when they go to get a job.

It’s a very different world now for our kids than when you and I were growing up. We need to work together to keep all the children we care about safe and protected online.

 

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Moving for the Last Time This Week

This week my family and office are having their final adventure in moving. Our moving truck with our possessions that have been in storage since July is finally arriving on the 22nd to deliver all the things we were sure we had lost while moving.

After living in an apartment for too many months now, my office and family is finally being moved to our final location and newly built home.

I’ll be taking a break from blogging this week due to the loss of internet connectivity, chaos moving all my office furniture and files, and the fact that nearly our entire extended family and remote office staff will be coming to visit for the holiday.

I’ll be back blogging after Christmas.