Meet Hyder Ali Zaman, Digital Marketing Strategist

Hyder Ali Zaman is a highly accomplished and experienced internet marketing professional with a successful track record extending 13+ years. His ability has helped startups grow into successful business enterprises, drive online marketing strategy in sync with the offline marketing tactics, deliver SEO results, cost effectively manage SEM / PPC / FB Ad campaigns, and use non-traditional yet highly effective organic (SEO) traffic driving techniques to help organizations become successful in any highly competitive online industry in any region of the world.

Learn more by visiting http://www.hyderalizaman.com/ as well as Hyder Ali Zaman's profile on LinkedIn.

1. How did you first become aware of SEO?

I was one of the earliest adopters of the internet and the World Wide Web, not only in Pakistan but globally. Back in those days, people did not know much about the internet. However, to me I could see the potential of the internet to actually change the world. I came to know about SEO through my own interest in the internet. For me, SEO has always been a passion to help online businesses succeed. And I strongly believe that when you work for passion, money automatically follows.

2. In the years you have worked in the industry, how have things changed when it comes to improving a site's search engine rank?

Yes, a lot, to say the least. Those old shoddy tricks up the sleeves of the so-called SEO experts to get you to the first page of Google do not work anymore. Google and other search engines have evolved a great deal. In the coming years, you will see a lot of people complaining that SEO is not working (many are already doing it). It is the SEO they know that is not working. Look, SEO is a patience-driven, watch and act kind of endeavor where you keep on adjusting to the changing dynamics. SEOs who are trying to get quick results will not see any success. Areas in which you particularly need to focus in the future include natural link building, social media marketing, blogging, guest posts, and relevant content marketing strategies. Niche-oriented focus would greatly help improve your site's rankings. SEO has finally become something which would only reward people who are willing to work hard and know what it actually means to be an SEO expert.

3. What are some common mistakes you see businesses making with their websites?

Here is my top list of mistakes online businesses really make.

a. They think onsite SEO is just a hoax and they do not really need to think about it much.

b. They spend so much money on paid advertisements, but eventually they run out of money. They should diversify and think about SEO and other ways of generating traffic online.

c. A lot of businesses do not pay any heed to social media marketing when it actually makes a lot of difference. Paid social media advertisement is good, but you also need to find a way to generate leads through other regular updates as well.

d. Old online businesses established for years think that mobile responsiveness is not for them. Google has already penalized such websites, and we are going to see more of that happening.

e. Content does not just mean rewriting everything which is already there. Instead it gives online businesses a way to connect with their customers.

4. What are some of your own best practices?

Here are some of the most important things for me in terms of SEO.

1. Content Marketing
2. Affiliate Marketing
3. SEM & SEO
4. Social Media Marketing
5. Guest Blogging
6. Onsite SEO (deep enough to identify and resolve onsite issues)
7. Offsite SEO
8. Work on domain authority and increase website's authenticity.
9. Evolve my overall SEO strategy in light of the changes recommended by Google and other search engines.
10. Diversify and rely on multiple sources of traffic.

5. What else would you like readers to know about you and your work?

Well, whomever you choose to work with, make sure they are worth their money. Do not work with anyone who does not understand everything and has not been proactively following SEO from the start.

I strongly believe in living up to my clients' expectations, and my work speaks for what I have done in the past. I have successfully helped many startups getting from zero sales to thousands of USDs or even more in revenues per month. I am passionate about my client's website and take every step to ensure that their interests are watched. No matter which SEO expert you wish to work with, always remember that experience has no shortcut. I do not promise my clients to deliver quick results but meaningful results where they can actually see the return on their investments.

Feel free to get in touch with me via email should you have any questions or need SEO consultation for your online business.

Thanks, Hyder Ali!

Meet Dhea Olesen of 1-Hour Proofreading

1-Hour Proofreading is a growing start-up offering fast proofreading and copyediting services to all writers on the go. They launched this year with a team of experienced editors of diverse backgrounds. Their team can handle different types of documents, from novels to journals and even personal statements. They exist to provide quick service to people who are caught in a tight deadline or need a quick review before an important speech or public presentation. They make their system easy to navigate so users will not have a hard time making an order. Since their launch, they have worked on over 10 million words for satisfied customers and partners. Their team happily accommodates questions, and they guarantee satisfaction by reviewing returned documents for free. They look forward to creating long-lasting partnerships with bloggers, students, media, authors, self- publishers, and publishers.

Our interview today is with Dhea Olesen, the Director for Business Development of 1-Hour Proofreading. To learn more about the company, check out https://www.1hourproofreading.com as well as their Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages.

1. What inspired you to launch 1-Hour Proofreading?

The need for a fast proofreader inspired us to launch 1-Hour Proofreading. In the years that we have been partnering with different writers, there were those with last-minute assignments and those who want a short write-up proofread quickly--and access to a professional proofreader who is immediately available is scarce. So after determining the fastest editing speed that would deliver high-quality work, we decided that we want to be there for those writers.

2. What are the differences between your proofreading and copyediting services, and for writers who want to save money with your your "no rush" option, what does the turnaround time tend to be?

The main difference between proofreading and copyediting lies in the extent of changes done to the document. In copyediting, written material is checked for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style issues before proofreading. A rewrite or revision may also be done depending on how "unfit" the manuscript is for publishing. On the other hand, proofreading involves checking for minor formatting and typographical errors to ensure that the material is good for publication. It may assume that the manuscript has undergone copyediting and is almost ready for public consumption.

Our No Rush turnaround time is 24 hours for every 6,000 words.

3. Why should self-published authors utilize your services, rather than trusting their own judgement and/or relying on friends or beta readers?

Authors are predisposed to express their ideas in a certain way because of their experiences and training. Certain tendencies could limit a writer's perspective or his or her manner of conveying his or her thoughts. That is why having one's file reviewed by someone else is important. Friends and beta readers can help, but usually they do not have the competency and professional training to be able to identify language nuances and address style issues.

4. What are some of your favorite projects to work on?

Fiction manuscripts.

5. Do you have any suggestions for how authors can make the most of their money when purchasing your services for help on a long manuscript?

For long manuscripts, we recommend that you take advantage of the combo copyediting and proofreading (no rush) service for a more thorough work and at a discounted rate.

Thanks, Dhea!

Meet Samantha Higgins: Las Vegas SEO Blogger Outreach

Samantha Higgins is in charge of blogger outreach for Las Vegas SEO. She has created content strategies for casinos, surgeons, lawyers, and now the new clients under her guidance.

1. Your primary role for Las Vegas SEO is blogger outreach. What is that?

Well, here is the perfect example, ha. Blogger outreach is simply reaching out to people on a human level, connecting with them, and exchanging engaging, interesting content their readership would enjoy consuming for brand exposure and a chance to say, this is us…this is who we are. It's a win win for both the blog and website owner (their readership gets a new perspective), and for the client brand seeking to showcase their expertise and value to the community.

2. Do clients see the value in blogging or content marketing?

Luckily I don't focus on sales, but I tend to always hear feedback that the client was expecting boring results as they had experienced in the past through other article marketing or press releases. Once they start to see the time and quality and effort into their brand message and unique proposition, it really transforms their thought process from a necessary evil to--can we do more of this?

3. Forming relationships and reaching out to bloggers can be time consuming. Is this expensive?

Again, content outreach isn't for every business as it can certainly get expensive relative other inferior forms of advertising online. Some choose to do it themselves, but writing content, reaching out to contacts, and forming connections over social media is a full time job. We have systems in place, and my rolodex is insanely large and responsive because they know the quality of work I bring and willingness to help cross promote.

4. What are typical results from a large-scale monthly campaign?

We typically deal with three months to gauge the success of a campaign. Often we see Google love to see all the new content, and client's rankings begin to increase dramatically, and it makes sense. If you are a company, wiling to educate and inform potential clients of your expertise in your industry, Google and the search engines see this, and want to rank you higher. It's a sophisticated system which often gets complicated, but at the core it's about relevancy and popularity. Our outreach ensures both facets of digital marketing are addressed.

5. How is this better than competing Internet marketing agencies in Las Vegas Nevada?

The owners have been doing this for over ten years, and I've personally been writing and reaching out to press contacts for the last six years. It's just a really rock solid group of people that actually enjoy what they do, which can never be overstated. Client results are really the focus and it starts with a proper promotional strategy rooted in compelling content, which I'm happy to supply, coupled with massive outreach to website owners in Las Vegas as well as contacts worldwide based on your exact target market. To inquire about blogger outreach with Samantha contact:

Las Vegas SEO
321 N. Minnesota St
Las Vegas, NV 89107
(702) 518-0485
contact@lasvegasseo.marketing
https://goo.gl/maps/hYG1zACG1eE2

Meet Areeb Yasir, CEO of compevo communications

Areeb Yasir is the CEO of compevo communications and has driven compevo's strategic growth since 2001 in the IT and hosting markets.

1. Why did you decide to start compevo communications?

I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur and anticipated this move from a very young age. I think I've always been interested in the business world. Going into the IT world was only natural because I've been obsessed with computing and technology since I was a child.

2. How has your business developed since you started the company in 2001?

Honestly I started small; we started by selling CD-R discs and offering tech support and basic consulting and web development to the local Vancouver, Canada area. Within a few years, we grew with clients around the world while offering a variety of IT services, hosting and software products under our many brands from multiple parts of the world, with a focus on Asia.

3. Why has cloud hosting become so popular?

Cloud hosting has become popular because of changes in society, namely where everything we do is connected and on-line.

It is only a natural response that services to support this new way of living from personal to business would drive exponential growth in a short period of time. However, with the Cloud, I may be biased but there are also many pitfalls in terms of security, reliability, and privacy that most firms and individuals have not understood or addressed.

4. What are the benefits to your international customers of having your servers based in Canada?

In Canada we do not have the Patriot act, yet we are still quite neutral in terms of routing to the whole world, so we bring a lot of benefits of being close to the US with slightly less government oversight and intervention. Canada has proven itself a politically and economically stable country throughout many world events and the financial crisis of 2008, so many firms see value in working with a Canadian company. With that said, many of our clients opt to host their data in China or Russia for enhanced privacy, so long as their operations are within the legal framework of their respective countries.

5. I noticed that your personal website offers quite a variety of content related to software, hosting, and more. How do you choose what to share on areebyasir.com?

Quite honestly it is a bit of a toss-up. If I have time to get on the blog and I'm in the middle of something or just completed a task, a lot of times I just blog and document what I did. I think it's also important to humanize yourself and stay grounded. At the end of the day whether we work for ourselves or work for someone else, all jobs have their pros and cons.

A lot of people say to me, "it must be great to be your own boss," and I'll chuckle and explain that in some, if not most ways, it is like having a large amount of bosses with high expectations and tight deadlines--not to say I don't find it all thrilling, but it's important at least for me to remember compevo is only here because of our customers and our dedication and innovation to cutting edge, reliable IT services.

Thanks, Areeb!

Meet Akhtar of GoodWPThemes.com

Akhtar is a web designer who specializes in designs and code themes for WordPress websites. With his company GoodWPThemes.com, he has also worked with many clients as a freelancer to enhance their online presence. Learn more about his company and work by checking out his site, goodwpthemes.com or connect with him on Facebook and LinkedIn.

1. How and why did Goodwpthemes.com first get started?

GoodWPThemes has grown from a small company with just one developer back in 2013, when the WordPress was a very different place. The site is a great for responsive WordPress website themes and Bootstrap based templates. The concept of the site is to provide a one-stop shopping solution with high-quality themes for your development needs. The company's perspective is customer-centric, with a focus on design, implementation, and support solutions based on the individual desires and concepts of each new customer. The visitors come from all over the world, with 60% of visitors from the United States, UK, Germany, Australia, and several European countries. We made a decision to focus on custom WP themes development.

2. What makes a WordPress theme stand out, in your opinion?

We discover premium WordPress themes to be always an ideal choice to create something unique and exceptional which is impressive and eye-catching to bring targeted traffic to your website. Even though there are a lot of cost-free themes to choose from, most of them have similar designs and layouts.

There are only a few themes that will help you stand out from the crowd, and improve the blank WordPress installations into a cool looking site which people will visit and share. Check our most popular collection of Creative WordPress Themes for more design ideas.

3. What are some of the features of your website that are available for people to use?

There's a great collection of premium themes as well as some free themes you can download, but the premium themes are priced very competitively with some available for just $5. These are beautiful and nice-looking themes; several are aimed toward specific kinds of businesses, such as real estate, artists, authors, retailers, and much more.

4. Do you have resources that are helpful for newbies to WordPress--and what about for more advanced users?

We're working on the helpful resources section of our site, which covers a series of tips and tutorials about WordPress for both beginners and for advanced users. It will bring a lot of exciting and useful content. Stay updated! It will be worth waiting for! In addition, if you just want to focus on the videos, you can check out GoodWPThemes YouTube channel.

5. For someone who has been thinking of switching to WordPress but hasn't made the switch yet, what would you tell that person?

I think people should think about switching to WordPress, because it is a great choice for all websites owners, when compared alongside other CMS, and it has a big community that supports of the wide range of features.

We also offer additional WordPress installation services that include custom installations and a free installation service, which includes themes, plugins, and much more. This service is currently free but there are plans to expand it into a paid service in the future. To get more info about these services, you can visit our website contact page.

Thanks, Akhtar!

Meet Sabih Javed of Content Ray

Content Ray is a content writing agency that delivers ready-to-use content ranging from blog posts to press releases to sales letters and more. It offers high quality content at unmatched prices. Sabih Javed is a co-founder and marketing manager with the company.

1. How did Content Ray first get started?

We (me and Giuseppe Lo Giudice) started Content Ray in November 2015 and finally decided to register it as a business entity in January 2016.

It all started when I was working with Giuseppe on one of his blogs. Due to overwork, we decided to outsource blog post writing and publishing. As we were looking for blog writing services that would help us with getting some blog posts done, we found that most of the content writing services weren't cheap. The ones that were affordable returned content that was not acceptable.

Another major issue that we faced was lack of ordering content instantly, as most of the companies didn't have any online store (or shop).

It was then when we decided to launch our own blog and content writing company that would be cost-effective and allow customers to purchase content instantly from an online shop.

2. What types of content writing services do you offer?

We currently offer six different types of writing services at this moment:

1. Blog writing services
2. Optimized articles
3. Ebook writing service
4. Copywriting
5. Press release writing service
6. Website content

We plan to introduce a few other writing services in the future which include a guest posting service, weekly blog post package, and press release distribution.

3. Would you tell us more about your eBook writing services? Do you write both fiction and nonfiction?

We write both fiction and nonfiction eBooks.

As soon as we receive an order for eBook writing, we assign it to the most suitable writer. We hire a writer or choose one from one of the permanent writers we have on our team. We have five permanent writers on our team, so if a writer from our team has the right experience and skills to take the project, we assign it to him/her. Otherwise we hire a specialist writer and get the eBook written.

4. How do you balance keeping your prices affordable while also supplying good quality writing?

We have kept administrative cost to a minimum because we haven;t overstaffed. We have just seven permanent team members, and this helps us reduce costs significantly.

We have 50 freelance writers associated with our company who are ready to serve our content writing needs. We contact them on an as-needed basis, so you see we are not paying them any salary. This is one major variable that has kept our cost significantly low as compared to our competitors.

We have four different writing plans: Basic, Standard, Premium, and Premium Plus. The quality and thus the price of the written content varies. For instance, junior writers having experience of less than one year write content for Basic plan orders. This bifurcation lets us control the cost.

5. Is there anything else you'd like readers of this blog to know about Content Ray?

Content Ray is not one of those traditional content writing agencies that will deliver poorly written content; instead, it is a registered business that delivers top-notch content to its customers. We offer unlimited free revisions to make sure you get what you actually like. Content Ray is your business's best friend.

We also offer a selection of free content writing tips! Thanks, Sabih!

New Video Series Offers Secrets to Selling on Amazon.com

Have you ever thought about starting a business selling on Amazon.com? I've read about a lot of people who--with a bit of research and effort--have had their Amazon businesses take off. There's a new video series from well-known business coaches that offers tips on how to find Amazon success.

With the launch of the Amazing Selling Machine, Matt Clark and Jason Katzenback began offering a step-by-step program that's giving people across the globe financial freedom from selling products on Amazon.com. Now Clark and Katzenback are back with four videos that feature the secrets to building a multi-million dollar business from scratch.

In this new four-part video series, viewers learn how brands like GoPro, Fitbit, and Apple can solidify your financial future, and which Amazon.com categories are proven bestsellers. Plus, you get an up-close and personal look at the real-life stories of people that Matt and Jason have coached, and a peek at the brand-new and completely updated Amazon Selling Machine program.

Personally, it's these real-life stories that make business programs meaningful and relevant to me, and I'm intrigued to learn more. If you've been looking for an easy to follow, step-by-step blueprint to creating a successful business online retailing on Amazon, this new video series is available for a limited time, and here's where you can sign up today.

The information about this program was shared with me by the sellers of go2towel.com. You can also email info@go2products.com for more information.

Meet Dave K. of FanPageCash.org and ViralAccounts.com

Dave K. is the founder of a company that buys and sells viral social media accounts. Learn more about how to buy or sell accounts by visiting FanPageCash.org/ and ViralAccounts.com.

1. How did your company get started?

I started in 2010; back then the company was called FanPageCash. The website was built for my needs only, and it was never intended to be used commercially. I wanted to purchase Facebook fan pages to boost traffic to my websites, and in order to do so, I needed to raise legitimacy. The website provided just that, and FanPageCash.org was basically used as my online business card / portfolio. Even though the website was finished and I used it a few times, I had abandoned the project and moved onto different things. The website just sat there, collecting dust for nearly a year. Two months before the domain was set to expire, I noticed that people had actually started to visit the site, as I was getting new emails from willing fan page sellers. I decided to capitalize on this, and since then I've been buying and selling viral social media properties.

2. What are some reasons why people want to buy or sell social media accounts?

Well, people sell for obvious reasons, and the main one is money. Most viral account owners became popular out of pure luck. Usually a single funny image or video (and a bit of luck) is enough for a social property to become viral. The buyers, on the other hand, are mostly website owners who are looking to boost traffic on their websites. Social properties are the most cost-effective way of doing so (compared to paid ads). Typically, a website owner will purchase such a property and post relevant content to engage the fan base. In return, the fans/followers flock to the owner's website, and the owner reaps the benefits of extra ad revenue.

3. If an account was popular at one time but has been dormant for a while, what are some ways you've seen that buyers generate new interest in an old account?

This is really a hit or miss. There is no way of telling if a dormant account can be brought back to life, and on top of everything else, it is very difficult to revive one. One of the methods that works from time to time is to use a different, already active account to boost the popularity of the inactive one by shoutouts / retweeting or cross-sharing content.

4. What makes an account attractive to potential buyers?

Unlike paid ads where a business has to pay for every click or view, established social properties are a one-time investment. After the initial purchase, the buyer can advertise on it indefinitely, providing that he does it in a non-intrusive way. Over-spamming a viral property with irrelevant products will most likely kill the activity, thus ruining the buyer's investment. I always encourage posting quality content that complies with the social platform policies.

5. Are there any guidelines or terms of service that potential sellers should know about being asking you about selling an account?

There are too many to list. We go through extensive background checks, and not all properties qualify. Everything a seller needs to know can be found in our basic seller rules located here: http://viralaccounts.com/sell/.

Thanks, Dave!

Meet Jean Francois of 55printing.com

Jean Francois helps 55printing.com in the online promotion world, promoting on social networks, blogs, directories, and more.

1. In your view, what sets 55Printing.com apart from other online printers?

At 55printing.com we offer real (human) customer service, where we actually care about design and printing orders. We actually care so much about customer design files, errors, and mistakes, that we even communicate with customers like friends. We help customers to fix their uploaded files, etc. Sometimes, we even do the corrections on the uploaded design file on behalf of the customer. This has helped 55printing.com gain our customers' trust a lot these days.

2. What does the name "55Printing" mean?

55printing.com was born from "A total of 55 printing products." We aimed to offer 55 or more products related to the printing and design field, all with the lowest and best price in the competitive online market.

3. What are some of the most popular products on your site?

Since we went live at 55printing.com our top selling products has been the postcards, business cards, and the EDDM eligible postcard printing product for the USPS delivery system. We also have a top 10 product category where we have collected the most popular products and the ones that our customers order often, like the letterhead printing and envelope printing products; these are very popular as well because of the fact of businesses re-ordering monthly.

4. Do you have some tips for people to make sure that their printed products come out looking just right?

Yes, we do have free templates on our website; customers can download these templates and place their design on top of this file to make sure all design guidelines are within the required distance from borders and also that the color settings (CMYK) look as it should with their design file. Also we offer a FREE design proof service: within four hours of placing the order, we send the customer a proof file with all guidelines and possible recommendations, totally for free. If customer choose to receive the free proof, 55printing.com will not proceed to print before proof approval from customer.

5. What's the favorite part of your job working for 55Printing.com--and do you ever run special pricing promotions?

I personally enjoy this job because working on one of the simplest and, at the same time, lowest priced printing companies online, it is very easy to attract new customers. Plus, we always see people happy with their savings and product quality, lovely!

On top of our already very low pricing scheme, we do also have a constant 5% off right at 55printing.com--on the left hand side of the site, you will see a banner for social sharing, and if a customer has used our services and opts to recommend us or if someone tries us and wants to share this experience, we will provide them with a 5% off right at that moment of their sharing.

Thanks, Jean!

Meet Brooke Clifton, Founder of Illuminate Quotes

Brooke Clifton is currently studying web design and wanted to practice her online skills and thought what better way than starting her own e-commerce site. Through Illuminate Quotes, she works with an amazing hand-letterer to produce inspirational quotes that look great in a home office or can be a unique gift. In researching the market, she found that there were a lot of quotes available for sale, but none that would look great in a home, so she decided to design her own range. Keep up with Brooke and Illuminate Quotes on Instagram, and on her website, http://www.illuminatequotes.com.

1. What gave you the concept for your shop, Illuminate?

They say even the most successful people need a little inspiration to keep them on track, driving them towards their goals. Illuminate aims to provide that beautifully designed spark to inspire others to live life in a more purposeful way.

Experimenting with hand-lettering techniques, I fell in love not only with the simplicity and stunning design, but also with the way that no two letters are the same, which gives it that unique touch.

In furnishing my home after renovating it, I found a real gap in the market for this type of design. Starting Illuminate allowed me to create meaningful pieces to reflect my space and inspire me every day!

2. When I saw the name of your shop, a couple of meanings of the name came to mind--one being the illuminating nature of the quotes, and the other being hand-drawn illuminated manuscripts of olden days. What does the name of your shop mean to you?

To illuminate means to "light up," which captures the essence of the brand, that is, lighting up and inspiring individuals to be more creative, successful, and happy! I love that it also reflects a bit of history and can mean different things to different people.

3. How do you choose the quotes to feature?

I'm constantly blown away by those who achieve great success in their work, especially in creative businesses. My current collection has been created with the entrepreneur or successful go-getter in mind, aiming to motivate them to do their best work and not give up.

4. Do you have plans to expand to other products in addition to prints?

Absolutely! I am working on a collection of greeting cards at the moment. I am also developing the next collection of prints which will be in the same black and white simple style, with the subject of the quotes being something that is both playful and inspiring! Stay tuned!

5. Based on your experience so far, what's your advice for others with an interest in starting their own online store?

Get started as soon as possible, and experiment with different ideas until something feels right! Get to know your target audience inside and out, and look for gaps in the market that you can fill.

Starting an online store requires a good knowledge of web design that focuses on the customer experience as well as SEO and a targeted marketing strategy to drive traffic to your site. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there, trust your gut, deliver an outstanding product or service, and you can't go wrong!

Thanks, Brooke!

Introducing Bootstraphunter.com

If you're looking to design websites that work equally well on desktop computers and mobile devices like phones and tablets, you're going to run into Bootstrap, an open source project that helps you build responsive and easily navigable sites. Bootstrap is meant to make web development faster and easier, and it has a nice, clean look.

A great way to get started with Bootstrap--or to expand your repertoire--is to check out the free and affordable themes and templates for Bootstrap that are available on Bootstraphunter.com. This site is a digital marketplace for responsive HTML website themes and Bootstrap templates. The idea of the site is to provide a one-stop shop for your development needs.

There are some free themes you can download, but the premium themes are priced very competitively with some available for just $5. These are nice-looking themes, and some are geared toward specific types of businesses such as real estate.

If you're a web developer, you can partner with Bootstraphunter.com and make your themes and templates available for sale on their site. When you license your work with the site, you receive royalties when your work sells.

There are already some great designs available on the site, and the site only launched a few days ago. I'm sure the site will grow very quickly as word gets out.

Meet Jim Allen, Sponsor of the Appliance Tech Scholarship

Jim Allen is the CEO of Appliance Zone, an online resource for buying parts and accessories for appliance brands like Whirlpool, GE, and KitchenAid. He worked for a number of years as an appliance repair technician and ultimately invented a tool called the Allenbar which is still popular today. In 2004, Jim and his wife Paula founded Appliance Zone.

Jim and Paula's latest project is funding a scholarship for military veterans to learn appliance repair. Visit ApplianceTechScholarship.com to learn about this unique vocational education program.

1. What inspired you to create the Appliance Zone scholarship program?

The scholarship program was really born out of our desire to do something positive for our military veterans. There is a shortage of high quality appliance repair technicians out there. We knew that if we could get some interested veterans the training needed to be successful in the appliance repair trade, it would be a win/win situation.

2. Would you tell us a little more about the Samurai Tech Academy Appliance Repair Training Course and what skills students learn? 

Susan Brown of the Samurai Tech Academy states that the Fundamentals of Appliance Repair training course was designed to give a thorough and solid background in the essential knowledge needed to become proficient at troubleshooting and repairing appliances. It covers a broad variety of topics, but its particular strength is in teaching basic electricity, schematic analysis, and troubleshooting--skills that are increasingly vital to competently and profitably repair modern appliances.

Although Fundamentals was initially designed with the novice in mind, at least half of the students are experienced techs who recognized that they needed to fill in their knowledge gaps and are excited to see the resulting improvement in their skills after taking the course.  

Susan also says that in the Fundamentals of Appliance Repair training course, students learn about the tools used in the appliance trade, basic electricity, reading schematic diagrams, using schematic diagrams to develop troubleshooting strategies, gas fuels used in appliances, electronics in appliances, appliance parts, and electric motor systems in appliances.

3. How long does it generally take for students to complete the course--and how do they generally gain hands-on practice in applying the skills they learn from their online training?

According to Susan, the Samurai Tech Academy courses are self-paced, so the time to complete the course varies widely depending on the student's schedule and the knowledge and experience that they already have. Those who can devote a few hours a day to the course should finish in a matter of weeks. Others who have to fit it in around a work schedule might take a couple of months. Note that students have lifetime access to the course material, so they can go back and review anytime they want.

There are various ways that techs get the hands-on practice that they need. One effective way is to get hired as an apprentice at an appliance service company and spend part of their day taking the course, and part of the day riding along with a senior tech. (Being an STA student or graduate is a great selling point to a prospective employer!) Those with a strong entrepreneurial drive who want to have their own business will typically start tinkering around with their own appliances and those of friends and family, then slowly expand to take on regular customers. 

4. Based on your own experience in the appliance industry, what is your best advice for people who want to break into the field?  

I learned early on when I started in the repair industry to stay on top of new appliances that were being developed, then sold nationwide to consumers. Appliance designs and functionality has changed dramatically in the past several years. Today consumers are demanding "smart appliances," so from a technical perspective one would need the proper training on these appliances and the proper tools to successfully diagnose the problem and complete the repair. Technicians that are up to date on all the new products will have a much larger audience of customers vs. those that prefer to only work on the older appliances and only certain brands. Techs today, if properly trained and equipped, can rapidly expand their business into a leading appliance service and repair company that handles all brands of all appliances and furthermore are able to get the customer's appliance up and running in an instant regardless of what brand it is or where it was purchased.

5. Why is appliance repair a good field for veterans to explore?

Today's military veterans know what hard work and discipline are all about. You see something new every day in appliance repair. No two days will ever be the same. You have to be able to not only think on your feet and get the repair done right the first time, but you also have to be able to work with people and help them understand what you are doing to their appliance and why. We feel confident that this segment of the population has the dedication necessary to be successful in this field.

Thanks, Jim!

Meet Matt Anton, SEO Consultant

Matt Anton is an online marketer with a current focus on SEO, also known as search engine optimization, creating products and services to help clients rank their businesses in Google.

1. You and your brother spent a long time learning-by-doing before starting your own company. What ultimately was the tipping point that led you into going into business for yourselves?

The tipping point was when I had a corporate job as an online marketing manager of a billion dollar travel agency, and I realized the companies we were outsourcing to, i.e. the SEO agency and PPC agency, were not doing a whole lot to earn the amazing amounts of money the travel agency was paying them. I loved the corporate job at first because I wanted to really help with my knowledge and passion, but the red tape and middle man mentality really left me wanting more. Around the same time, my brother Dan Anton was injured from a combat IED in Iraq; he is a retired Army Ranger Major having completed two tours in Iraq, receiving two bronze stars for valor in combat. He didn't want to be a desk general, and so he started to get more serious about our online marketing efforts. From 2006-2011 we were both part-time online marketers, though we made some money with it. In 2011, the corporate rat race was over, and Dan and I were ready to take the plunge and provide services to other marketers.

2. How would you summarize the scope of your business and how you help people?

Our mission is to help businesses achieve more success, and the vehicles were currently use to get there are focused around SEO, search engine optimization, and social media marketing. Dan and myself played video games constantly growing up, so we always love to figure ways around systems, test them, break them, and thrive at them. SEO and online marketing is just a game, and we love it, and there is no better feeling in the world than helping others, so it's a true win-win.

3. Why is it important to hire a professional SEO consultant rather than only taking a DIY approach to online marketing?

I believe if you hire someone you should always have a basic understanding so you don't get taken advantage of; however, the economy runs smoothly because everyone has a specialty. You wouldn't expect your local butcher to change your oil and fix your broken arm. If you have a real business, you need to have a real SEO consultant/service behind it; otherwise you will be dividing your efforts.

4. What are some things that people can do for free to help build reputable backlinks to their websites?

A great user experience. It sounds cliche that a quality website and content means a lot, but it truly does. In my younger years, I assumed all it took was the right mass media machine and all would work out. While it's probably easier to promote a decent product with mass marketing, few of us have this type of budget, so the easier solution is to create a great product (website/content) and have effective marketing behind it. Reaching out to others and begging sounds good in theory, but it's a waste of time. Would you want to link out to someone begging you for a link? Relationships are good, but they are founded on trust, and that starts with your reputation, which is directly linked to your internet presence and content.

5. For people who have always wanted to be entrepreneurs but have never quite managed to take the leap, what's your advice?

Keep your day job. I lived in my parents' basement more or less for years while I worked odd jobs saving up the funds to start. The thing about services is you don't have to invest much money at all to help someone else; most services can be time consuming, not capital consuming, so do it before or after your regular full/part-time job. It will make you appreciate it more, and not having a job while you work on your journey will make you desperate and take unnecessary risks and decisions. You'll know when you are ready when your workload begins to exceed hours available, and then you go down the outsourcing/delegation rabbit hole.

Thanks, Matt!

Introducing Staff Outsourcing, Experts in eCommerce

Do you operate an online-based business and find you've hit a plateau? Maybe you could use help with getting your business tasks done in order to free you up so that you have more time to expand or work on the projects that most interest you?

Many small business owners can't afford to hire permanent employees and/or don't have enough work to keep another employee busy all of the time. Staff Outsourcing is a company that specializes in eCommerce outsourcing. Say you're running an Amazon, eBay, or Etsy business (or maybe--like a lot of independent entrepreneurs I know--you're running all three!). You might need help with tasks such as data entry. Staff Outsourcing offers services for indie businesspeople like you so that you can get more things done and increase the scope/reach of your business.

One of the most popular services for online sellers is product entry outsourcing. This means that Staff Outsourcing will create listings for you on sites like eBay. As you know, it can be very time consuming to enter all the necessary data for your listings--and with recent changes in the eBay spring seller update, item specifics are becoming more and more important to your listings. You can't just put up a couple of photos and call it good; you need to input a lot of details to make your listings sell.

Staff Outsourcing offers other services, too, such as call center support and IT outsourcing. Headquartered in the Philippines and with a US office in Missouri, the company has assembled a group of tech savvy, customer service oriented employees and managers to help small businesses all over the world.

Introducing the ISA Professional MIRROR Titanium Flat Iron

Many women with naturally curly or wavy hair use a flat iron several times a week--or even every day--to achieve the smooth quality of their hair that they desire. It's one of those tools that you can learn to use at home so that your hair looks like it was just styled at the salon.

Whether you use a flat iron every day or only on special occasions, if you're looking for the best flat iron for under $100, check out the ISA Professional MIRROR Titanium. It's currently on sale at the ISA Professional website for just $90, discounted from $299.

One of the convenient features of this particular flat iron is that it has 4.5" titanium plates that allow for styling more hair at once. The plates are also tapered so that the iron can be used on bangs or anywhere close to the scalp without worrying about getting burned.

It's also easy to use with an LCD display and no-tangle cord. Use the digital temperature control to set the temp anywhere between 265 to 450 Fahrenheit, based on your own preferences with your hair. The ISA Professional MIRROR Titanium comes with a two-year warranty.

You can find this and other hair care products on the ISA Professional website.

Introducing Yellow Bee Vintage on Etsy

Did you know that I have another blog where I post about online selling on eBay, Etsy, and other platforms? I like featuring indie sellers, especially those who are running a business that clearly has a strong sense of creativity and thought behind it.

Check out my recent post to learn more about Yellow Bee Vintage, an Etsy shop which has a really nicely curated collection of 20th century items like glass, pottery, home decor, clothing, and accessories.

If you're looking for just the right items for a vintage-themed wedding, Yellow Bee Vintage will have something to pique your interest. Nicci, the shop owner, has a knack for finding quality items that really show an attention to detail. Remember the pretty handkerchiefs your grandma had? This is the kind of thing you can find in Nicci's shop.

Yellow Bee Vintage is clearly a labor of love from someone who loves to find and share those items that bring up our collective past. I hope you'll check out the shop!

Meet Christian Okoye, Founder of Adhang.com

Christian Okoye is a professional webmaster and internet marketing consultant from Nigeria. He has helped many individuals and companies across Nigeria secure an active and functional online presence. He operates a lot of websites across Nigeria and the continent of Africa. He is the founder of Adhang.com, Nigeria's leading online advertising agency. Adhang.com uses major online platforms around the world--such as Google, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Cokoye, Microsoft Adcenter, and Facebook--to run and manage internet advertising campaigns.

If you want to learn more about Adhang.com, click here for an overview of the company and their services.

1. How and why did Adhang.com first get started?

Adhang.com started in Nigeria by assembling a group of talented online professionals both local and international to render online promotion services to Nigerian companies, individuals, and people who work with the government. This was an idea I had been nursing for years but felt that Nigerian market wasn't ripe for Adhang.com and might want free ads instead, because most Nigerian companies and individuals started participating in internet activities by getting and expecting virtually everything online for free. This very belief was fueled by Yahoo free email accounts and search, Google search and free email accounts, and many internet marketers who advertise free downloads of all kind of things. But these days, Nigerian consumers/users are wiser and understand now the limitation of wanting to get everything free--they see the need for working with a professional online marketing agency like Adhang.com to handle their internet promotion.

Why Adhang.com started is to help and manage internet advertising for manufacturers and business owners who want to attract buyers for their products and services, Nigerian politicians or political parties who want to attract electorates via online promotion, Nigeria's government to reach masses on any issue important to the government of the day, event organizers to attract participants, etc. Adhang.com does this by undertaking virtually all promotional elements online such as personal selling, direct marketing, publicity, advertising, and more.

2. What are some specific areas of knowledge that your company can offer regarding reaching consumers in Nigeria?

Adhang.com has talented professionals that specialize in virtual marketing communication tools needed for reaching consumers in Nigeria. For example, in the area of "personal selling," our script writers write scripts, and we employ spokespeople to talk to the target audience. In the area of "direct marketing," our copy writers write persuasive articles and content directed to the right consumers. In the area of "publicity," our writers write press releases and publish them on online media sites. And in the area of "advertising," our ad gurus and banner arts designers design online banners that will appear to consumers. Adhang.com has extensive knowledge in using major online media platforms such as Google, Yahoo, Cokoye, Facebook, LinkedIn, Microsoft Adcenter, YouTube, article directories, online slide presentations, and so on.

3. Do you think that international businesses need to pay more attention to the Nigerian market?

Yes, I think international businesses need to pay more attention to Nigeria's market because Nigeria has the biggest economy in the continent of Africa, and Nigeria has the highest population in the continent. These facts alone are huge enough for businesses to pay attention to the Nigerian market.

4. Why is internet advertising so important to businesses today, and how can a business owner choose which form(s) of advertising would be best for them?

Internet advertising is extremely important in the business world today because virtually everything we know and do today is moving to the internet such as reading, entertainment, research, social networking, communication, conference meetings, etc. Also, the internet has all levels of users that can be identified by age, sex, educational level, financial resources, time spent online and on which platform, location, etc. This means that no matter the kind of consumer or audience a business needs to target, the audience members are already on internet.

What Nigerian business owners need to do is tell Adhang.com what their advertising objectives are, and then Adhang.com employs its expertise in online advertising to achieve the objectives by incorporating online media platforms around the world: this is our job and what we do on a daily basis on the internet.

5. When it comes to effectively reaching the Nigerian audience, do you have some tips for potential advertisers?

When it comes to effectively reaching the Nigerian audience, the method that is certain is paid online marketing. I will try comparing some methods a bit below:

• Yahoo, Bing, and Google organic searches are free, but unless the whole world is talking about you currently, it might take months or years for your message to be in these search engines' first pages, and depending on the nature of the message, it might never show at all. When you pay for display advertising, you start seeing your ads immediately by the sides, on top, and on the bottom of all these search engines guaranteed.

• With Cokoye.com you can add advertising messages in your signature for free, but you need to be very active in Cokoye.com by participating in the discussions in the forum for your signature to be seen and promoted. When you pay for Cokoye banner ads, your banner starts displaying all over the Cokoye.com website immediately to hundreds of thousands of users and visitors without any other work on your part. Not only is the paid banner effective, but this simply allows you to use your time for something else.

• You can have social networking accounts and fan pages on places such as Facebook, Cokoyes, LinkedIn, etc, but nobody will know they exist unless you tell them, promote your pages, and remain active on your pages--and at the same time, with all these efforts, you might still achieve little or nothing. But when you pay for sponsored ads, your ads/messages will be displaying to millions of these social network users' walls. This again is not only effective, but it gives you time to focus on something else more important to you.

Is important to note here that unless you know what you're doing, paying money to internet advertising platforms directly and not employing a professional internet advertising agency does not guarantee it will be effective. This is where Adhang.com comes in. The good news is that on our website, we have plans which enable Nigerian advertisers (companies, individuals, and government) to advertise on the platforms mentioned above and major online advertising media around the world at once and under one contract. Advertisers need not to go to all these platforms one by one. Adhang.com takes care of them under one contract.

Thanks, Christian!

Meet Joe Orsak, Director of Marketing with Improve My Credit USA

Joe Orsak is Director of Marketing with Improve My Credit USA, the consumer-voted number one credit repair company in America, the consumer-voted number one credit repair company in Texas for four years running, and winner of the Houston award for excellence in customer service and marketing for three years running.

Joe provided answers to my interview questions in the form of a YouTube video, and you can also see the answers transcribed below.

1. What are a few reasons why someone would need to repair their credit?

Ya know, most often people discover that they need credit repair because they have been told "no" by somebody--because of a home loan, car loan, or maybe even a job promotion--and people find themselves in that situation of numerous reasons. Identity theft is huge: at least one in eight Americans will experience it. And sometimes it's just because of a financial strain of a situation--medical, divorce, that type of thing. In all of those situations, we always recommend speaking to a credit expert.

2. What are the major benefits of working with a credit repair company rather than doing it on your own?

Ya know, that's a good question. We often are asked that. And in fact, you can work on your own credit. We even have a great ebook on our website (ImproveMyCreditUSA.com), for free, that tells you how to do it. But, there's an old saying that goes, "You don't know what you don't know." Ya see, there's a little over three hundred laws that govern how the credit bureaus and creditors are required to report information on your credit. And if you're not familiar with those rules, then you just don't know what questions to ask when you're asking them to verify information as accurate on your credit report. So it makes it really challenging to move forward. Always work with a credit expert.

3. What are some of the misconceptions that people tend to have when it comes to credit?

Common misconceptions--wow, yes, all the time! In fact, there's a lot about credit that is counterintuitive. You do something that you think is what is going to help your credit, but in fact you could hurt your credit. For instance, dealing with collections. Older collections: when somebody decides that they want to deal with an older collections, and improve their score and they pay that collection, in fact it could cause a great deal of damage to your credit. There's tons of examples, and we just don't have enough video time of give them all, but yes, there's a lot that is counterintuitive that doesn't makes sense about how credit repair works.

4. Your company is based in Houston, but you help people all over the US. What is your most effective way to do this?

Ya know, we have a great office, and you can come visit us any time you want; we'd be happy to see you! But 99% of our business is done over the phone and through email. Once you become a client, we also have an online portal for you where you can monitor your progress 24/7. And if you ever have a question, you can go to our website and engage us through the chat support, or just pick up the phone; we'd be happy to talk to you.

5. Can you share some everyday tips that people can use to avoid running into difficulties with credit in the first place?

Credit tips--absolutely. In fact, we have a website called BetterCreditTips.com where I record all kind of videos and answer questions on the subject, but let me give you one right now. How you use your credit cards is critical in maintaining positive credit. So never carry a balance over 30%. You'll always wanna keep that balance low because it makes up 30% of your credit score. Thirty and thirty, easy to remember.

So we hope you found those answers helpful. And if you think you might have some credit issues, simply fill out the form on this page and we will give you a shout. We look forward to taking care of you.

Improve My Credit USA
(866)802-3470
info@ImproveMyCreditUSA.com
ImproveMyCreditUSA.com

Thanks, Joe!

Why Are Web Directories So Important to the Internet?

The following is a guest post from the GreedyGrab social web directory.

Web directories play a very important role in the success of every website. These directories provide the online presence that business owners mostly need for their online business. A web directory, also known as a link directory, is focused on linking with other websites as well as on categorizing the links. If you are thinking that a web directory is a search engine, well, it's not. It is not capable of displaying web pages based on keywords, but it lists websites by category or subcategory.

When you use web directories, especially in your marketing strategy, it will be easier for you to find your way toward success though the market is getting more competitive. As you all know, there really are lots of online business present, big and small businesses, which are competing for the attention of the customers. Web directories are very important since they will provide you with a greater chance of standing out from your competitors. The following are some of the reasons why web directories are important in business and within the internet as a whole:

Generate Traffic
An extra advertising technique comes with more traffic. Through web directories, you will be able to reach potential customers who will soon visit your website, thus helping in increasing the traffic on your website.

Advertising
If your online business did not work on the first attempt, web directories will be very helpful if you want to advertise your business together with your great offerings. Directories are considered the most efficient way for you to market your online business conveniently. Web directories are offering the most convenient access going to the large market. This will greatly help you in attracting more and more customers to visit your website. When you include web directories in your marketing plan, it will enable you to do everything out of your marketing strategy.

Reach Target Market
With the use of web directories, it will be easier for you to reach your target customer and market without the need to exert more sweat and effort. You will no longer be required to break a sweat just to reach the customers that you desire. Directories help in indexing websites through certain categories that can be found by your customers easily. Once they search for your services and products, they can find them easily, and they will not feel bored because of lots of irrelevant information provided.

Web directories are not only important in business but in the World Wide Web as a whole. Without web directories, do you think your business will be recognized, and do you think there will be websites that will be linked to each other? Although you have an online business and you are using different marketing techniques, sooner or later your website will no longer be visited unless you have included web directories in your marketing plan. This will allow you to gain more customers, traffic, and sales. Your online presence will surely direct you to the path of success--just make sure that it is within a web directory.

Meet Robert and Jonathan of Long Live the Internet

Robert and Jonathan own a software and web development company in Miami Beach. They have half a dozen successful online businesses and just as many failed online businesses. Between the two of them, they have five children, all of whom are under six years old. Robert and Jonathan started Long Live the Internet to share their lessons and help people build their own online businesses. They write, "We strive to help people do it on their own. You shouldn’t be stuck in a job you hate with no control over your time. Join us and lets get you started down the path you really want today."

1. What are some common myths that you hear when you talk with people about starting online businesses?

I think the biggest myth is that you need to be technical to start an online business. This is not true at all these days. What you need is a willingness to learn and a drive to succeed. The rest you can learn.

2. I know people who would love to run online businesses but don't have specific ideas for products or services they could sell. How do you suggest that someone get started in terms of generating viable ideas?

We cover this in detail, actually, in our free crash course on how to start an online business, but there are so many ideas. What you really need to make sure of is that you enjoy what you plan on offering and that there is actually a market for it. To learn from our example, this is a post about how we didn't do our research and actually lost $10k building an online business that nobody wanted.

3. What first attracted you to the idea of writing ebooks--and how would you define a "good" ebook?

It wasn't so much that we wanted to write an ebook. We really wanted to start sharing what we were doing with people starting out. An ebook was just another platform besides our blog that we were able to do this. I think a good ebook, though, is less pomp and circumstance and more actionable items. People want direction. I have read too many motivational books.

4. What do you think is holding most people back from starting their own businesses, and what's the first step to take to overcome any hesitations?

I think there are endless things holding each particular person back. It's completely different for everyone. The truth is there is never a perfect time, and the stars don't align. You just need to dive in. I'm a firm believer in lists. Create a checklist to stay organized, focused, and moving forward. I actually wrote a post specifically about this and creating an online business checklist.

5. Would you tell us a little more about your intent with Long Live the Internet and how you help people build their own businesses?

We have worked a long time helping clients on a work for hire basis. I'm hoping that with Long Live The Internet we can give people the tools and encouragement to start something themselves. You don't have to spend lots of money, and you just need some guidance. I'm hoping we can provide that.

Thanks, Robert and Jonathan!