Advanced Web Ranking offers you the following features in a well-integrated suite:

• Real time search engine rankings
• Google Analytics integration
• Link building and analytics
• Keyword research
• Automated reporting and updating

Getting started

The first thing you do after installing AWR is setting up your project. You set all your options here and configure all the features that you want to enable. For instance, you first select a search engine. Initially it shows you the three most popular ones – Google, Yahoo and Bing. You can however include more search engines from the provided options.

AWR then asks you to enter the keywords you want for your website. One useful feature is that you can color code keyword groups, so you can easily analyze how each of them is performing independently. Once this is done, you are asked to select that websites you want to track. You may enter any number of websites here, depending on the version you have bought.

Setting up a project under AWR is real quick and we like how well it works after you have entered all the required information.

The Interface:

Advanced Web Ranking has a really professional and easy to use interface.The AWR window is conveniently divided into different sections such as keyword rank, search engine rank, top sites, overview, keyword analysis, etc. you will find comprehensive reports under each section. When you set up the project, AWR automatically checks all the pages of the website for keywords and then generate real time reports for you.

We like the fact that AWR initially shows basic information, which is great if you just want to glance at it, while doing work. You can also choose to see a more detailed report by choosing advanced options such as “Extended view” for keyword groups.

Real time Data:

AWR constantly updates all reports so that you have the latest information at all times. Should you want a snapshot of the report at a particular point, you can save it and print it out.

Local search Data:

In addition to the major search engines, you can also configure local search with Advanced Web Ranking. For example, you can check Yahoo Local or Google Maps for listings. This feature is particularly useful for small businesses and enterprises who are involved in local businesses. You can do this by choosing a city from the Local Search Engines Tab.

You can Try the following versions  for free:

Advanced Web Ranking is available in four versions:

1. Standard
2. Professional
3. Enterprise
4. Server

The Server version is the most expensive and is the more feature rich SEO software suite of them all. We chose the Professional version, since it best suited our medium sized website needs. We have found our SEO team greatly relaxed and equipped with meaningful data in minimum possible time.

You should can download and try Advanced Web Ranking from the official website.

http://www.advancedwebranking.com/

Source: How To Track Your Website Rankings Effectively

What Qualities to Look For in a Virtual Assistant?

Hiring the virtual assistants and training them to get the jobs done right is easier said than done. At the same time, it is undeniably cheaper to hire them to get the works done for your business.

It becomes quite a tricky task selecting the right people among the millions of home base business aspirants. Also, many among them are not serious about their jobs, and hiring such people is probably the fastest way to get into the bad books with your clients. Additionally, there are many applicants who are totally incompetent. Filtering the right people is definitely a challenge for businesses that are looking to outsource their business critical works to virtual assistants.

Professionalism: is probably the first attitude that you will need to look for in a person. You can get to know a lot about an individual’s professionalism just by looking at the way in which they respond to your emails. The things that you might want to look at would be the format in which they present their emails, and the promptness of their e-mail replies.

If a person has to work on your important business activities, he or she has to be very approachable and pleasant to interact with. This attitude in a virtual assistant is very important if you plan on long-term business goals with their participation. You cannot really work with people with mood swings, especially when you are unable to monitor them personally by their side.

The most important thing to look for in a remote worker is their willingness to learn new things. If not for this quality in individuals, training them can become are really tedious job. The best thing to do would be to check them with some small and jobs to start with, and then take it up from there. By doing this, you will be able to gauge the quality and timeliness of work they deliver.

Reporting Abilities:If you are thinking about outsourcing some of your responsibilities in order to make time for focusing on your core business tasks, you will primarily need to maintain your reports. Microsoft excel is a powerful tool with which you can maintain your reports in an ongoing basis. You will need to develop a tracking system to monitor the progress of your outsourced works.

Online Availability:The biggest drawback of hiring remote workers is their unavailability at times when you need them the most. They could be gone on a holiday, or they might be handing some emergency. You could be left high and dry when such situations occur. Therefore, you will need to make it a point that you interact with them effectively to understand the situations on their end as well.

If you want to know the Best Practices for Outsourcing work to Virtual Assistants, I would like to point one of my short books written solely from years of experience in outsourcing. It is a short book written for busy professionals with to-the-point information without trying to make it lengthy in order to sound more authentic. You can find more information on the following links.

Source: How to Outsource Work to Virtual Assistants or Freelancers ?

The article mentioned above is a bit technical, let me explain the threat in simplest words and then I will show you how to remove it.

The privacy threat behind Google Buzz:

Consider the snapshot beow:

I you have enabled Google Buzz and when you will click on anyone of your contacts you will see this a screen like above, pretty innocent, hmmm, No!

If you click on the link on the “following” link, you will instantly get all my contacts!

Imagine all my contacts, family members, business contacts,friends and foes etc. Everything exposed! and the best part is that all of this has been done without any explicit statement from Google!

If you have any doubts check this out in your buzz Now!

How to Turn Off Google Buzz Effectively and Safely!

Before you turn of Google Buzz completely, first step is to unfollow everyone, do it mannually and now! This is how you will do it:

1. Click on the Buzz Icon
2. Click on your name

• Click on your Following Link and UnFollow everyone!

Turn Off Google Buzz Until Google Updates its policies:

Scroll Down to bottom of Gmail Window and Click Turn Off Buzz.

This is the worst ever mistake made by Google (made by Google in my Opinion). I will discuss in my future posts about the possible threats about such mistakes from Google or similar companies.

[Update: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:49 PM] Google has updated there policy about Google Buzz as a response to complains, I am not sure about the consequences yet, check it:

http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/millions-of-buzz-users-and-improvements.html

Source: Turn Off Google Buzz ! How and Why ?

• Since users will now be able to see suggestions/blogposts/tweets etc from our contacts, so this opens are whole new platform for Social Media Marketing i.e. if you have established yourself as a friendly guy in any popular social media platform like Facebook, and you are an open Networker i.e. who adds other people as friends without any previous acquittance, then you have a very huge opportunity that you can influence and market a huge number of audience in many diverse niches, all you need is quality content on various topics with a touch of SEO and Google will do the rest of work for you,
• The downside is that now we will see even more social media SPAM
• I am eager to know what will be your stance on this change in SERPs?

• Will you establish yourself as an open networker ?

• If Yes, what will the effects on your personal life? Will you manage multiple accounts? What will be the ethics in this case?

• If No, will you miss this opportunity? Will this refrain others from using social media for even more marketing purposes?

• What can be best practices,ethically, to use this opportunity to market products and services on social media, with special reference this recent update?

I will try to answer this in my coming posts, but I need your feedback too.

Source: New Opportunites with Google Social Search

In Web 2.0 summit, Google’s Marissa Mayer,Vice President of Search Product and User Experience; announced a new Google product called “Social Search”. This product will be available soon in Google Labs. Some of the salient features of Google’s Social Search are as follows:

• allows you to see results for queries from people in your social network
• Makes use of your Google Profile
• If you allow it will scan other social networks too,you’re a member of.
• Obviously the activities on Twitter,Face book and other social networks will be more worthwhile. The Outcomes:

I think that services like this will bring a lot of innovation in search too, much similar to Google Wave as compared with Email.

The product reviews and user comments will bring a new challenge for companies.

What do you think about the changes it will bring? I know it is pretty much early to say anything, but lets put our judgment to a little test ! Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: Google Social Search

Page Rank and Blogroll:

SEO with limited budget:

I will soon create a whole series of selected videos from Google specially. Check my blog categories soon, for this update.

Source: SEO Advice for Small Business from Google

What makes Bing Different ?

According to Microsoft’s spokesman “People do not need another search engine” rather “People need a decision engine.” and BING is a decision engine not another search engine.

According to Microsoft BING will help people make decisions in shopping, traveling, finding best hotels etc. not just search them.

People will be able to see comparisons and even predictions about price changes and climate etc. , and hence help them make better decision.

BING is not live yet but Microsoft has created no much enough excitement about it. Previously, Microsoft has recently launched a new social media platform Vine and now this search engine or decision engine, Microsoft is really up to something !, let’s see.

BING Introduction:

BING Review :

Source: New Search Engine from Microsoft

Although Facebook and Myspace both have the intentions of maximized monetization of their networks, Facebooks Apps Pages are one such example, the retention is much higher for twitter.

I think the Twitter Boom is just because of extensive marketing rather than a common persons interest in Twittering every minute updates.

Source: Twitter Retention Problem

Microsoft has recently launched a new social networking site, although still in beta phase, that allows professional to get connected.

Microsoft Vine

• connects you to the people and places
• Stay in touch with family and friends
• Use alerts, reports and your personal dashboard to stay in touch, informed and involved.

Also:

• Information associated with the places you have chosen will appear on your map, including articles from 20,000 news and public safety sources.
• Information from people you care about, such as alerts and reports, will appear on the dashboard too

For more info visit: http://www.vine.net/about.aspx

Source: MS Vine – New Social Network from Microsoft

Life is just boring without any thrill and excitement and the day-to-day office works is boring even more!

So I have added a little twist in my routine and now I am up on the challenge to create 100 Hubs in 30 days, remember:

THE Real Credit Lies in the Efforts not in the Results.

Source: I have taken the challenge 100 Hubs in 30 Days