You probably know by now that Google launched a new-look Place Page yesterday. The major changes, as I wrote on Search Engine Land, are a heavy emphasis on Google’s self-sourced reviews and the elimination of citations/references from displaying on Places Pages. Say what?!? No more citations on Place Pages? Yes … but don’t let anyone convince you that citations, or local SEO in general, are dead. Here’s why:

1.) Citations may not be visible, but they surely still matter.

Don’t forget the three pieces of the Google local rankings algorithm: location, relevance, and prominence. Those are straight from Google, not something us consultants have made up.

C

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Transaction

Putting a price on business.

I’ve been in love, some might say obsessed, with the written word for as long as I can remember. That’s why, as an undergraduate, I declared my English major as early as I could. At the time I believed that such decisions should be based entirely on what you love to do. I loved to read and write, so it never occurred to me that I would be anything but an English major.

A handful of people warned me that my English major might not be very marketable. “Marketable,” I remember saying, wrinkling my nose in distaste, “how can you talk about your personal interests in terms of sales jargon? Furthermo

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That’s one notion that seems to be circulating among small-business owners and their advisers lately. Consultants at McKinsey & Company floated the suggestion as part of their controversial report on employer views of health insurance. And in The Times’s coverage of that report, Milt Freudenheim interviewed a small-business owner who said he was hoping to “game the system.” The owner, Gerry Harkins, who is also chairman of the National Federation of Independent Business’s Georgia State Leadership Council, said he might split his Atlanta-based construction company into two smaller companies to evade the overhaul’s employer mandate, specifically the penalties on companies that fail to offer affordable health insurance to employees.

Unfortunately for Mr. Harkins (wh

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The Small Business tips today discuss types of business to start that are economy-specific.

1. Debt Collection: A very unpleasant job to say the least, but in a tight economy, bills go unpaid and there is always a need for debt collectors.
2. Job Search Agency: Are you personable? Outgoing? Have a number of contacts in your industry? This could prove to be a great business to start
3. Computer Security: If you’re computer savvy, look into this industry. You would be protecting networks and systems against unauthorized use and abuse.
4. Energy Auditors: A great job for the green-friendly people.

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The Small Business tips today discuss how to find customers.

1. Chamber of Commerce: Introducing your business at your Chamber of Commerce will give you a start in connecting with other small businesses in your area. Additionally, ask for a link on your Chamber’s website to yours about your new business opening. Use the support and organization in your favor to find customers in your area who are passionate about the small business cause.
2. Networking: Use your friends, family members, and business contacts to your advantage. Talk to them about your new business, and ask if there are any contacts they know that you can network with.

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Blogging’s hard. I know that very well. It’s why I recently wrote that series, 5 Ways To Find New Blog Content. But finding content is only part of the challenge of blogging. Another part is scheduling — more specifically, being a consistent blogger. That’s where an editorial calendar comes in.

It’s exactly what it sounds like: a calendar/schedule of blog posts you plan to will write on your small business blog.

You can do it in list format, or on an actual calendar — I don’t care if you use parchment paper, fer cryin’ out loud — just make the calendar already, would ya?

Consistent blogging builds a loyal readership. But blogging cons

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