The BIG 5
In order to position your business at the head of the pack in your market,
you must be in “compliance” with the major search engines, and address
the updates, algorithm changes, and the opportunities The BIG 5 represent.
Also, every business needs to borrow money from time to time. Banks are
a nightmare to deal with, but alternatives are alive and well. Like right here!
The BIG 5 and
The Marketing, Brand or SEO Audit
Marketing Audits should be conducted every 1-2 years to gauge the effectiveness of your Marketing,
your use of technology, and how in touch you are with the clients you seek to serve. Marketing or
Advertising Audits do not only focus on the end results. They help encourage clever adjustments
for you, your message to your market, and how to improve your revenue and profits, as well
as to catalyze the adoption of new practices that you may have not used, or even know about.
Marketing Audits also focus on analyzing the current strategy and how an organization can best
improve its strategies and methods. Also, your clients aspirations, and the paths and channels in
which they achieve their decision-making, will be more critical as time moves on. These audits, and
we have many, are absolutely crucial to the success and implemented road-map of your business.
The BIG 5 and
Website & Web Page Security
Security measures are the backbone of a secure internet and it protects your sensitive information
as it travels across the world’s computer networks. Security is essential for protecting your website,
even if it doesn’t handle sensitive information like credit cards. It provides privacy, critical security
and data integrity for both your websites and your users’ personal information.
This Security encrypts sensitive information, provides authentication, provides trust, and is required
for PCI Compliance. Providers of this Security need to set up a trusted infrastructure and validate
your identity so there is a cost involved. Overall, the disadvantages of using the Security measures
are few and the advantages far outweigh them. It is critical that you properly use required Security
measures on all websites. Proper use will help protect your customers, help protect you, and help
you to gain your customers trust and sell more. Your “rankings” are now also affected by this.
The BIG 5 and
Website & Web Page Speed
Site speed reflects how quickly a website responds to web requests. Speeding up websites is
important — not just to site owners, but to all Internet users. Faster sites create happy users and
we’ve seen in our internal studies that when a site responds slowly, visitors spend less time there.
Another key element of The BIG 5, is that Website speed is the first impression you ever make.
We expect speed, creating a fantastic and simple experience for your visitors. Slow websites kill
conversions. Long loading time gradually stunts your natural growth and word-of-mouth. We link
a slow website to a lack of credibility (which may hurt your brand in the long run), and now for the
kicker: Google now takes website load times & speed into account when ranking in the searches.
The BIG 5 and
Claiming Your Online Business
Having verified local listings in a consumer’s search results lets them know that this is a valid
business and someone is making sure the information is accurate. More than likely, your
business is already on the web, although the information may not be correct.
So, another service of The BIG 5, is “Claiming” your listings. It allows you to make sure that
the most important information (name, address, and phone number) is correct. This also leads
to a good experience with a potential customer. If they call a number and it is disconnected,
they may go to a competitor who has their correct information listed. From there, you can
optimize your listing with photos, logos, hours, categories, and other options. This rounds
out your listing and makes you look more trustworthy in general.
When your business has verified listings on several sites your own website link is readily
available in more places on the web. This will help direct relevant traffic to your site. While
you can’t control what reviews people will leave on your business listing, you can control
how you respond to them. By owning your verified listings, you have the option to respond
to any review left on your listing. This is useful to show potential consumers that your
business is responsive, whether the review is positive or negative.
Positive online reviews are a necessity to attract more customers. With your verified listings,
you can be notified anytime a review is left on your listing. This allows you to be prompt in
your response, and establishes your business as interested and caring to your customers.
The BIG 5 and
Business Funding
Let me explain why this The BIG 5 service is crucial in the Small Business World.
When one rubs shoulders with Business Owners every day, one hears the reports of certain
Business Owners needing to renovate or relocate … We hear about the mass exodus of
upset employees and the need for hiring campaigns… We hear the rumors of tax trouble
for certain Business Owners in the community… And we even hear the gossip of certain
owners who need money to make payroll … (Oh, and if you need a Personal Loan for
$5,000 or less, I do that as well.)
Typical Differences Between Bank Loans and Alternative Sources
Here are the basic guidelines for getting approved through a local bank:
2+ Years of business history … $50k + of monthly cash flow (this can vary)
680 or more credit score … Extensive sales deposits
No NSFs (non-sufficient funds) … Merchant processing history
And about 15-30 other supporting documents …
(things, like financial statements, business plans, proforma, etc.)
Here’s what YOUR criteria is with an Alternative Source:
4 Months business history … $10k monthly cash flow (sometimes less)
500 credit score … And about 4+- more supporting documents
The Crucial & Critical
The BIG 5
