Google's Local Business Center a Serious Threat to Existing Online Yellow Pages Directories

If you click on the "Business Solutions" link on Google's homepage, you'll find information about the various revenue generating programs, advertising opportunities and productivity tools that Google offers to the general public. You will also find two separate text links to Google's Local Business Center displayed under the headings "Get listed on Google Maps" and "Put your information on Google".

And although Google's Local Business Center isn't billed as an online yellow pages directory, that's exactly what it is. Google now allows local business owners to add their business name, address, phone number, email address, website URL and business description to its business database. This information is then displayed, at no charge, on Google Maps, and more recently, Google's web search results.

As you may or may not have noticed, when you enter a business name, city and state into Google's web search form, the first thing displayed on the results page is a map with business listings from Google's database and links to more information. If you enter a keyword, along with a city and state, the first thing that appears in the results is a link entitled, "Local business results".

This free service could spell big trouble for competitors in the online yellow pages industry. Google's Local Business Center offers all of the business information that conventional Internet yellow pages sites do, and then some. In addition to business descriptions, hours of operation, online coupons, photos, maps, driving directions, and even business reviews, Google offers Internet users something that other online yellow pages can't – the convenience of searching for both yellow pages and web search results from a single form.

Add to that, the fact that Google's business data will likely be more complete, more trustworthy and more up-to-date than its competitors because it's published by the business owners themselves, and you've got a recipe for complete dominance of the Internet yellow pages industry. Current industry leaders like YellowPages.com, SuperPages and Switchboard will have to adapt quickly to their new competitor, or we may soon be closing the book on their online yellow pages directories.

About The Author

Erik M. Cunningham is an author, researcher and the founder of the YPdx Yellow Pages ( http://www.ypdx.com ) and has been working in the online yellow pages industry since 2002.


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Read Hotel Reviews Before Making A Reservation

Before you schedule your vacation in uncharted areas, try to find hotel reviews that can give you an idea of what you will be getting into. Many times travel websites will allow previous users to post their experiences of a particular hotel on the site where potential guests can find out if the facility is going to be right for them.

Quite often pictures posted on the internet about hotels do not exactly match what the hotel actually looks like and if you do not find hotel reviews on that particular place, you could be in for a surprise when you arrive. Typically, hotel reviews offer information about cleanliness of the facility, the friendliness of the staff, the price compared to the quality of the hotel as well as the overall opinion the visitor has of their most recent stay.

Be sure to look for signs that the persons leaving hotel reviews are not allowing their opinion of the overall trip be focused on the hotel alone in hopes of receiving a refund or other form of restitution when none is truly deserved. If one review out of 10 claims the hotel was filthy with rude staff and nine have nothing bad to say, it could an indication that one person is attempting to get something back from the hotel.

Get What You Pay For With Hotels

Regardless of where you travel there will be different standards for hotels, which will be reflected in the pricing. Many times a person will book a cheap hotel, expect the same amenities available in a high price location, and then post hotel reviews complaining about the quality. While every visitor deserves cleanliness and friendly employees, the amenities in a cheap hotel will not be of the same standard as those in a more expensive location.

Most travel sites will offer hotel reviews by stars, typically from zero to four with a four star rating being the best and one star hotel reviews advising you that by spending more money you will probably get more enjoyment from your stay. You should also consider the location of the hotel you are looking at and if the price is considerably less than surrounding facilities, that could be a hint that it will not be a four star unit.

You should also return the favor once you return from your trip by writing an honest review of the place at which you stayed. Be sure to be totally honest with any hotel reviews you leave as there may be other people depending on how you state your experience in making their decision of where to stay.

Copyright © John Hanna All Rights Reserved.

This article may be distributed freely on your website and in your ezines, as long as this entire article, copyright notice, links and the resource box are unchanged.

About The Author

John Hanna has cruised the world on all of the top cruise lines and stayed in most of the world's top hotels. He recently sold his bricks & mortar company to expand his internet consulting business. Visit his other Websites at: http://www.vendingsales.VendingMachine-Sales.com " target=new>http://www.PrincessCruises-Caribbean.com> and http://www.WorldHotelPortal.com

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AdSense and Your Income

Google Adsense, as you all know, can make a great secondary income to your main website, or if you decide on an info site, a fairly decent income thru Google Adsense alone, if you know how to do it. But what is the right way and what is the wrong way of utilizing Adsense?

The basic generic elements to utilizing Adsense are content, display ads and traffic. That’s not so hard. Right? Well, what seems so simple can be very deceptively difficult. Granted, it’s not hard if you have the facts. People like Joel Comm and Michael Cheney have perfected Google Adsense through experimentation and testing on their websites to end up making a nice income from Google Adsense alone. But as you notice, their site is based around quality content and a set theme.

You can experiment and test yourself (start with Ad formats tutorials through Google) or you can get Joel Comm or Michael Cheney’s ebooks to help you achieve your goal. But no matter which way you go, through your own experimentation or with the help aids of a Guru, remember to follow the rules of Google.

Let me emphasize quality content, because some people are inundating the Internet, with what some people call, “junk” websites. Which by the way, are websites that offer less then quality content with the sole purpose of only getting clicks.

In fact, in my forum travels, I read a post where a webmaster was giving up his/her website, even though it had made around $10,000 because of all the hoopla about Adsense sites. What was my first initial question? Does or did this person have a junk site and was dropped by Google, or did this person’s income flat-line?

Creating an Adsense site using “article crawling machines” or other automated article systems is what Michael Cheney’s says is “like trying to build a brick house with out mortar”. These systems may get you up and running in the short run, but running a business in that matter, can definitely put your sense of accomplishment in the toilet and give your website and business a short run.. And yes, then you would probably need hundreds of websites with thousands of pages.

Can you create a website with quality content and make good money with Adsense – certainly. Google gives numerous examples of quality content with the use of Adsense. For example, look at AskTheBuilder.com – a quality website that pulls in $1400 a day in Adsense income.

Thus, if you are looking for longevity on the web, go with a theme that interests you with quality content. Then you won’t need hundreds of websites or thousands of pages and you can build your traffic and a viable income, while keeping both your credibility and integrity intake.

About The Author

Visit Vickie J. Scanlon at My Affiliate Place http://www.myaffiliateplace.biz -- it is an Affiliate Site and Learning Site for Affiliate Marketing/Internet Marketing offering a repository of Free Tools, Computers, Software Utilities, Web Hosting/Domain Info, with How To Articles and Ebook Reviews for the Affiliate Marketer.

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The Top 10 Secrets of Successful Authors

If you are not a successful author yet, incorporate the following ten secrets:

1. Treat your book as a business.

You spend many hours creating a masterpiece to help your audience. It follows then, you need to set up a regular time schedule to market and promote it.

2. Create a flyer for each book you offer.

Hand out your flyer at business meetings or at any public place. Ask your audience to pass the flyer along to friends and associates. Offer one free report or ezine on the flyer to get new email addresses to send promotion to later.

3. Create a line or two about your book in your signature file that goes on every email you send.

After your name, title, and benefit statements, add something like: eBk: "Write your eBook or Other Book--Fast!" Include your addresses and phone numbers too.

4. Invest some money in book marketing.

Contact a book coach and schedule a low-cost introductory session to see if you are a match and will get what you need. Many authors print too many copies or use an expensive service to get book finished instead of putting aside an equal amount to market it.

5. Take a teleclass on how to market your book.

These low cost and low time investments can make your book the great seller it should be. Discover inexpensive ways to market via the phone and email. How convenient!

6. Don't get fooled by high-cost services.

If it's too good to be true, it isn't true. When you hire someone to do it all for you, it can cost over $1000 a month with small results. Check out what services fit your budget, and get a realistic picture of what your results will be.

7. Delegate some of the marketing.

Like me, hire a low-cost computer assistant from your local high school. They know more than many professionals. For under $10 an hour, you can multiply your promotion exponentially via ecommerce your assistant does for you 2-3 times a week.

8. Set a dollar goal for your book each month.

Don't count copies sold. Count each month's book sales. Put your goal near your workstation to remind you of what you want. Don't price your book too low, so you'll appreciate an easy experience--getting what you deserve for all your work.

9. Learn more about Internet book marketing.

Think about reaching hundreds of thousands of your audience every week. When you give them what they want--free information--they will eventually buy. Many authors go the traditional path of talks, ads or press releases. They don't always pay well for the effort.

10. Don't stop marketing.

Many clients come to me and say they are discouraged their book didn't sell well in four months. Replace doubt with patience for the process. Success takes many months, but once you get it, the Internet keeps it multiplied for you.

Knowing the secrets of successful authors can help you receive the same prestige and become a household word.

Judy Cullins © 2004 All Rights Reserved.

About The Author


Judy Cullins, 20-year book and Internet Marketing Coach works with small business people who want to make a difference in people's lives, build their credibility and clients, and make a consistent life-long income. Author of 10 eBooks including "Write your eBook Fast," "How to Market your Business on the Internet," and "Create your Web Site With Marketing Pizzazz," she offers free help through her 2 monthly ezines, The Book Coach Says...and Business Tip of the Month at http://www.bookcoaching.com/opt-in.shtml and over 140 free articles. Email her at mailto:Judy@bookcoaching.com or call 619/466-0622.

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Don’t get Scammed by Online Business Reviews

Are you just starting your new online business empire?

Well I was just like you not long ago, slaving away at my PC trying to find the best strategies for online business success. Throughout this period I spent heaps of my hard earned cash on information products which were meant to bring me instant riches (or so it was claimed). After wasting money on products which didn’t deliver on their promises and unscrupulous webmasters not living up to the money back guarantee, I thought a change of tack was necessary.

Instead of reading the information products marketing pages, I thought I would be smart and try and get some independent third party advice from product review sites. As I was a complete novice, I thought, there had to be people on the web who had been through this search for good products and would give honest product reviews. I was wrong!

I bought products which had great reviews on these ‘independent’ business review sites. However I was still getting stung by inferior products which didn’t deliver. This is when I asked myself the question. Why is it so hard to find honest, independent product review information?

I know I was a bit slow on the uptake (actually a mentally challenged monkey, would have caught on quicker than what I did). However that is when I started reading about affiliate programs.

The light bulb was turned on in my brain (a true eureka moment) and that is when I realised, the review sites were affiliates of the products they were selling. This meant that if I bought a product through a link on the business review sites, the review site received a percentage (generally over 50 %!) of the sale. Not a bad deal really, considering all the hard work is done by the product creator.

I smelt a rat and after further investigation I found out that most of the reviews aren’t reviews at all. They were merely marketing advertisements written by the products creators and cut and paste onto the business review sites. What a scam! None of the review sites told me about their ulterior motive and to be honest I was very annoyed especially after investing so much of my money and time.

This is when I thought, why not start my own website which gives honest reviews of information products, written by someone other than the product’s creators (i.e. me)? So I did. I don’t want you to get scammed and waste your money like I did. There needs to be more honesty, integrity and business transparency on the web.

About The Author

Scott Barnes
Webmaster for http://www.honestbusinessreview.com

Sign up today to my weekly ezine, which gives online business hints, tips and honest product reviews and you will receive a free ebook on making money with adsense, worth 50 dollars. Visit http://honestbusinessreview.com.

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