SSTV Giveaway, Meet Our Winners

By Small Business Editor It s time to announce the winners of the SSTV Giveaway at Small Business Trends. Kudos to the creators of the two winning tweets: Kimberly Thompson and Suzanne Lankford. Here are their winning entries: Smart signage TV?! #SSTVGiveaway! There is NOTHING like TV sign to get people to notice your shop and attract them to your door! #needitbad — Kimberly F. Thompson (@kimberlytoday) July 1, 2015 A roadblock is getting folks to visualize delicious new menu items. We eat with our eyes, first! #SSTVGiveaway http://t.co/cwTwbuAiO4 — MomsEats&SweetThings (@sweetthingsnkt) May 20, 2015 From Tiburon, Califormia, near San Fransisco, Thompson is a health coach who tweets at @kimberlytoday. Hailing from Katy, Texas, Lankford is a restauranteur and operates Mom s Eats & Sweet Treats, a local family owned and operated ice cream shop and restaurant. She tweets for her business at @sweetthingsnkt. What They Won Both contestants will receive a 40-inch Samsung Smart Signage T
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SEO Toolkit for Sharp Entrepreneurs

http://bit.ly/1fQtgFw

Amazon Web Services Announces Availability of Amazon Aurora to All Customers

By JoAnn McFarland Amazon, best known for online sales of thousands of items, is making Amazon Aurora, its MySQL-compatible database engine, available to customers in three regions. These are the U.S. West, U.S. East and the European Union. Formerly, the engine had only been available to a thousand companies participating in a review of the technology. These include Alfresco, Zumba and Earth Networks, among others. These and many other companies had favorable reviews of Aurora. Amazon Aurora was created to provide database services comparable in price to open source databases, but with the scalability, durability and reliability of the commercial databases. Current Amazon RDS (Relational Data Service) customers can quickly convert to the new system. Raju Gulabani, Vice President, Amazon Database Services, AWS explains: “Today s commercial-grade databases are expensive, proprietary, high lock-in, and come with punitive licensing terms that these database providers are comfortable emp
http://bit.ly/1IccKXS

The 5 Best Real Estate Apps You’ve Never Heard Of

5 best real estate apps for simplifying your operations and closing more deals.
http://bit.ly/1OyafD5

Drama at HubSpot as CMO Fired After Book Investigation

By Anita Campbell HubSpot has fired Mike Volpe, its long-time Chief Marketing Officer, for “ethical violations” involving a book about the company. One other executive, Joe Chernov, Vice President of Content, resigned. And the company has sanctioned a third executive, Brian Halligan, Hubspot s Chairman and CEO, for not reporting the employees actions to the Board of Directors in a timely manner. Halligan is also one of the founders of the company — but now that it is publicly traded has to answer to the Board of Directors. The inbound marketing software company s press release says that Volpe was terminated for ethical violations “in connection with attempts to procure a draft manuscript of a book involving the Company.” It s an unusual situation. Companies that provide software to small and midsize businesses rarely have this much public drama. Twitter chatter on the account of Scott Kirsner, a Boston Globe columnist, speculates the book in question is being written by Dan
http://bit.ly/1IrDh2G

The 5 Best Real Estate Apps You’ve Never Heard Of

5 best real estate apps for simplifying your operations and closing more deals.
http://bit.ly/1Oya4rl

Be Skeptical of Those Promising Top Ranking on Google

By Michael Guta You ve probably heard it a million times. If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. But human nature being what it is, there is always someone trying to take advantage of another person who is not well informed. And ranking on Google is one of those areas where this happens — a lot. Business owners across the U.S. have been plagued recently by calls from a company or companies offering to improve their search engine positioning. Whether it is through email or phone calls, the marketing effort of these companies is convincing if you re new to online business. But that was not the case when Dave Delaney received a call. Delaney is an award-winning 15-year veteran marketer, and a trusted name in the industry. He was featured by Forbes as a professional networking expert to watch in 2015. Lucky for owners of online businesses, Delaney took time to relate his experiences an article for The Tennessean. First, here is the warning he gives: “If anyone promises
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How To Sell More Network Marketing Products Online

For starters, if you’re already in a Network Marketing Company then your market and niche is already set. So choosing a market and niche (Which is usually the first step in Internet marketing) is already done for you.
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7 Ways To Stay Productive Without Internet or Power

Right before I sit down to write this, the power goes off. That’s the second power outage in 24 hours here and it’s not uncommon since we are close to the coast and in a hurricane prone area. It’s either that or the Internet goes out.
http://bit.ly/1GWjWFD

Verizon and Vice Media Inc. Announce a New Content Partnership

By JoAnn McFarland A recently announced partnership between a telecom giant and an independent mobile video content creator is drawing attention. It points to the opportunities available to even startups in the growing mobile video market. Verizon, headquartered in New York City, New York, is joining forces with Vice Media, Inc. The Brooklyn company will provide a large catalog of digital content including programming produced exclusively for Verizon. The new content will be featured on a new Verizon mobile video platform launching later this year. Vice began as an independent punk magazine called “Voice of Montreal” in 1994 by Shane Smith, Gavin McInnes and Suroosh Alvi. The company would eventually drop the “o” from its name becoming Vice, moved to New York City and drastically expanded its products. Today Vice operates a network of digital channels, film and TV production facilities, a record label, book publishing and a creative services agency. The company originally targ
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Upcoming Fast Food Restaurant Serves a New Niche

By Annie Pilon When you think of fast food, you likely picture greasy burgers, fries and plenty of other less-than-healthy options. But not everyone who likes the idea of a quick meal is interested in those fattening foods. For those consumers, a new option is in the works in Northern California. Amy s Drive Thru, an offshoot of Amy s Kitchen, will serve healthy fast food and vegetarian-based options. But the company says the food will still be made to order in less than three minutes. This type of business has the potential to do well as a niche business. But the company seems to actually be interested in a more mainstream customer base. Andy Berliner, co-founder and co-CEO of Amy s Kitchen told Fast Company: “We didn t do many taste tests with vegetarians. We were trying to target people who would eat at one of the existing fast food burger places and get it to the place where they would say ‘This is better, I d rather have this than whatever else. And we did that. We consistent
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Make the Most of Your Busy Summer With These Upcoming Events

By Small Business Editor July can be a busy month for anyone. But you can make the most of your time by gaining new information and networking at the many business events happening this week. You can get out and meet people face-to-face at networking events and conferences taking place coast-to-coast from New York to California. There will even be an event taking place in Ireland for those who like to get international. But travel isn t your only option. If you can t get away you can still take part in a number of webinars and other events being offered online. To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar. Featured Events, Contests and Awards Content Inc. Summit September 11, 2015, Cleveland, Ohio Are you an entrepreneur looking to get more out of your marketing or to drive innovation in your industry? Then you ll want to check out the Content Inc. Summit, a one-of-a-kind, day-long workshop happening in Cleveland on
http://bit.ly/1MsD5pU

4 Factors to Consider When Building an Employee Recognition Program

By Amy Blackburn Employees who are recognized for their efforts far and away outperform those who are not. Companies with official employee recognition programs have 31 percent lower turnover rates, according to a Forbes report. That could equal thousands of dollars saved in the long run when you consider how much a disgruntled former employee costs. The Society for Human Resource Management says a business takes a hit costing an average of $3,337.00 (PDF) for every unhappy worker that leaves. Also, there is a science and psychology behind employee recognition programs. All human beings have a need to feel important and valued, not only in their personal relationships, but also at work. When you have an employee recognition program in place, you are literally stimulating people on a psychological and scientific level that will greatly enhance their job performance. It s estimated that the work incentive industry is now a booming $27 billion dollar a year sector, so that should give yo
http://bit.ly/1MsD5pS

5 Amazingly Helpful Sales Tips For Introverted Entrepreneurs

By Jeff Charles The feeling is all too familiar. It s the anxiety you get when you re in a situation where you have to influence others. You re very much aware of the toll that sales interactions can take on your psyche. Since you re one of the introverted entrepreneurs, human interaction drains your energy. It s not that you don t enjoy other people. You are able to have fun in the company of others. However, these social interactions don t give you energy — they sap your energy. This, combined with the fact that selling requires a lot of human interaction can make sales a seemingly daunting task for introverted entrepreneurs. For them, selling can sometimes feel like running a marathon with an elephant strapped to your back. Okay, I m exaggerating a little, but it s true. If you re an introverted entrepreneur who doesn t know how to sell, this can be a huge challenge. But it doesn t have to be this way. Don t believe the myth that only extroverts can be great salespeople. Introver
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Should You Diversify Your Products or Own a Niche?

By Nellie Akalp When it comes to the products or services you sell, it can be hard to find the perfect balance. If you offer too wide a spread of items for sale, you can dilute your market. In other words, you can offer a lot, but not be a specialist in any one thing, and therefore become a generalist. Not a great selling strategy. On the other hand, if you narrow your focus too tightly, you can miss out on other opportunities for revenue. A small market only has so much market potential, so how can you grow from here? Whether to diversify products or own a niche is a decision you ll have to make based on your answers to the following questions. How Big is My Existing Market? If you have a market big enough to support you in buying a small range of products, stick with it. Having a niche market can keep you knee-deep in sales … but only if there are enough people in your market to support your business. If you sell bedazzled dog collars customized for female Chihuahuas under one pou
http://bit.ly/1MsD3yj

The Bar of the Future Serves More Than Just Drinks

By Annie Pilon The bar of the future is here. And you might be surprised by the types of “drinks” it s serving. Café ArtScience is a Cambridge, Massachusetts, restaurant that serves alcohol in forms you ve likely never seen before. The bar has a machine called Le Whaf, which transforms various liquors into clouds of consumable gas that patrons can simply inhale rather than drink. It s a strange concept to be sure, but it s just the type of innovation that s interesting enough to get curious consumers through the door. David Edwards, the inventor and Harvard University professor behind Café ArtScience told Entrepreneur: “The bar is a natural place for experimentation. People just have more fun at the bar, and the leading edge of creating the food and beverages of tomorrow has to be fun.” Café ArtScience isn t only innovating in the bar department. The restaurant also offers a variety of unique and sustainable food items, including glazed pig tails and barbecue Vermont quail.
http://bit.ly/1MsD5pQ

Change Your Mindset to Increase Your Odds of Going Viral

By Annie Pilon Having a product, blog post, video or any other aspect of your business go viral can be a huge boost. But unfortunately, there s no way to guarantee, or even plan, for viral success. Joe Braidwood, chief marketing officer of SwiftKey, said during a panel discussion on growth hacking at VentureBeat s 2015 MobileBeat conference: “It s a bit like product-market fit — you know when you hit it, but you don t know you get there til you get there.” In fact, SwiftKey experienced just that a few weeks ago. The smart keyboard for mobile devices ended up on the front page of Reddit. And that appearance resulted in 32,000 comments for the company. Braidwood said of the experience: “That s viral. You can t engineer it. It just happens.” But just because you can t engineer virality doesn t mean that you can t put yourself in the best possible situation for that viral success to happen. At the MobileBeat conference Manish Chandra, founder and chief executive of Poshmark, als
http://bit.ly/1MsD5pM

Drone Delivery, First Data Acquisition Make Headlines

By Small Business Editor These days businesses big or small must look to technology for new ways to do everything from deliver their products to offer incentives to clients and customers. News stories this week examine some of the latest technological advancements that may eventually offer new possibilities for businesses. Hopefully you re watching these developments for ways to make your own business better. For example, the first federally approved drone delivery took place recently, potentially offering a better method of eCommerce delivery. (Though this commercial drone delivery was not by Amazon, the eCommerce site that has been most vocal about its intentions to employ the devices.) In addition, payment technology business First Data acquired TWI in an effort to expand its digital gift card offerings. Read on for these headlines and more in this week s Small Business Trends news and information roundup. Top Stories It s a Bird, It s a Plane, It s the First Commercial Drone Deliv
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Get Out There and Learn at a Business Event This Week

By Small Business Editor If you haven t taken the time to see what business events are happening near you, now s a good time to start. There are so many opportunities to get involved and meet other like-minded business owners and entrepreneurs. Get outside your comfort zone and maybe try attending an event you have never considered before. You never know what you will learn or who you might have a chance to network with. To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar. Featured Events, Contests and Awards Content Inc. Summit September 11, 2015, Cleveland, Ohio Are you an entrepreneur looking to get more out of your marketing or to drive innovation in your industry? Then you ll want to check out the Content Inc. Summit, a one-of-a-kind, day-long workshop happening in Cleveland on Friday, September 11, 2015 following Content Marketing World 2015. Exclusive Small Business Trends $195 member discount available to the Conte
http://bit.ly/1MsD5pK

Improve Your Office Productivity With Twitter Chat Tips

By Shawn Hessinger There are lots of ways to improve productivity in the office. That s whether you work as a solopreneur from home or with employees from a traditional office. Last week in a Twitter chat, “Enabling Small Business Efficiencies: How to Improve Your Office Productivity,” members of the small business community had much to say on the subject. The chat featured Ramon Ray, technology evangelist and publisher of SmallBizTechnology.com @RamonRay, and Anita Campbell, founder and publisher at Small Business Trends @smallbiztrends. Also involved in the event were members of the HP for Small Business team @HP_SmallBiz, the sponsor for this event. From better organization to employing cloud and wireless technology, there are many ways to create a more productive office environment. Here are some of the high points starting with how small business owners are working to make their businesses more efficient. Q1: Let s start with YOUR tips for productivity. Tell us your top offic
http://bit.ly/1MsD59u

What is the best workflow management software?

Great post on workflow software, check out this question on Quora, it covers all the best workflow products
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36 Highly Recommended Free Time Saving Tools for Online Marketers

Here are 36 highly recommended free time saving tools for online marketers. Use them to boost your internet marketing career growth.
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Save Time by Building Systems Into Your Business

If you are looking to use the web to grow your small business, you are in the right place.
http://bit.ly/1VjoUY9

Business Writing Tips: How to Write Processes for Human Beings

This guide teaches how to write the most easily absorbed text, for lazy people, for complex operations, or for content marketing — writing is something we can all get better at.
http://bit.ly/1KU03qm

The Checklist Manifesto Quotes

After publishing the Checklist Manifesto Review and following up with the Checklist Manifesto Summary, I thought it’d be fun to share the most memorable The Checklist Manifesto quotes by surgeon Atul Gawande. The book is packed full of useful knowledge, and not just from the author himself.
http://bit.ly/1Gbta0t

How to Generate Leads with Content Upgrades

Pretty much everything is free on the internet. One of the reasons you like it so much is because you can get a ton of value for just the price of your monthly contract. With millions of books, videos, podcasts, services and apps around for free, it’s no wonder people are hesitant to part with their money without trust and priming first.
http://bit.ly/1Gbt48U

The Checklist Manifesto Quotes

After publishing the Checklist Manifesto Review and following up with the Checklist Manifesto Summary, I thought it’d be fun to share the most memorable The Checklist Manifesto quotes by surgeon Atul Gawande. The book is packed full of useful knowledge, and not just from the author himself.
http://bit.ly/1Gbsvw7

Business Writing Tips How to Write Processes for Human Beings

This guide teaches how to write the most easily absorbed text, for lazy people, for complex operations, or for content marketing — writing is something we can all get better at.
http://bit.ly/1KTZpck

How to Generate Leads with Content Upgrades

Pretty much everything is free on the internet. One of the reasons you like it so much is because you can get a ton of value for just the price of your monthly contract. With millions of books, videos, podcasts, services and apps around for free, it’s no wonder people are hesitant to part with their money without trust and priming first.
http://bit.ly/1GbseJk

Practical Website positioning Guidelines for Dentists

If you are a part of the dental profession, you ought to see this complete guide on search engine optimization results containing valuable ideas for dentists who re trying to rank higher on search engines like Google. Dentists run companies just like everybody else, so optimizing page targeted traffic is just as essential as it could be for a marketing agency or related traditionally web-oriented small business. Systemize your Seo operations together with the Regional Seo for Dentists checklist and come across why targeted regional targeted traffic is becoming far more essential than word of mouth. This post compiles a huge list of sources that are all you d really need to get started and would also be good for anyone wanting to push a ranked web page higher up.
http://bit.ly/1J2Nfwt

3 Awesome New Checklists on How to Make a Podcast

These processes work for first time podcasters learning about how to make a podcast and veterans, containing tips from my experience as a sound engineer and a audio editor.
http://bit.ly/1DfQV7J

3 Awesome New Checklists on How to Make a Podcast

These processes work for first time podcasters learning about how to make a podcast and veterans, containing tips from my experience as a sound engineer and a audio editor.
http://bit.ly/1M9Dv5i

3 Awesome New Checklists on How to Make a Podcast

These processes work for first time podcasters learning about how to make a podcast and veterans, containing tips from my experience as a sound engineer and a audio editor.
http://bit.ly/1DfQwlv

Business Writing Tips How to Write Processes for Human Beings

This guide teaches how to write the most easily absorbed text, for lazy people, for complex operations, or for content marketing — writing is something we can all get better at.
http://bit.ly/1KTVKLH

3 Awesome New Checklists on How to Make a Podcast

These processes work for first time podcasters learning about how to make a podcast and veterans, containing tips from my experience as a sound engineer and a audio editor.
http://bit.ly/1M9Dhek

The Checklist Manifesto Quotes

After publishing the Checklist Manifesto Review and following up with the Checklist Manifesto Summary, I thought it’d be fun to share the most memorable The Checklist Manifesto quotes by surgeon Atul Gawande. The book is packed full of useful knowledge, and not just from the author himself.
http://bit.ly/1Gbo5VV

3 Awesome New Checklists on How to Make a Podcast

These processes work for first time podcasters learning about how to make a podcast and veterans, containing tips from my experience as a sound engineer and a audio editor.
http://bit.ly/1DfQgTJ

How to Generate Leads with Content Upgrades

Pretty much everything is free on the internet. One of the reasons you like it so much is because you can get a ton of value for just the price of your monthly contract. With millions of books, videos, podcasts, services and apps around for free, it’s no wonder people are hesitant to part with their money without trust and priming first.
http://bit.ly/1KTUHeT

3 Awesome New Checklists on How to Make a Podcast

These processes work for first time podcasters learning about how to make a podcast and veterans, containing tips from my experience as a sound engineer and a audio editor.
http://bit.ly/1M9D3Uy

3 Awesome New Checklists on How to Make a Podcast

These processes work for first time podcasters learning about how to make a podcast and veterans, containing tips from my experience as a sound engineer and a audio editor.
http://bit.ly/1DfPQwx

Handy Search engine optimisation Guidelines for Dentists

If you are part of the dental profession, you must see this comprehensive guide on SEO success containing valuable ideas for dentists who re looking to rank higher on search engines like Google. Dentists run businesses just like everyone else, so optimizing page visitors is just as vital as it will be for any advertising and marketing agency or equivalent traditionally web-oriented enterprise. Systemize your Search engine marketing operations using the Nearby Search engine optimization for Dentists checklist and find why targeted neighborhood site visitors is becoming much more vital than word of mouth. This post compiles a massive list of resources which are all you d need to get started and would also be wonderful for anybody wanting to push a ranked page higher up.
http://bit.ly/1I4kRt3

Business Writing Tips: How to Write Processes for Human Beings

This guide teaches how to write the most easily absorbed text, for lazy people, for complex operations, or for content marketing — writing is something we can all get better at.
http://bit.ly/1KTTV1u

The Checklist Manifesto Quotes

After publishing the Checklist Manifesto Review and following up with the Checklist Manifesto Summary, I thought it’d be fun to share the most memorable The Checklist Manifesto quotes by surgeon Atul Gawande. The book is packed full of useful knowledge, and not just from the author himself. He interviews professionals from the man responsible for foolproof checklists given to pilots flying incredibly complex Boeing airplanes to a group of high-powered venture capitalists. All the people in the book have something in common – they want to reduce risk. And Gawande himself, like every human being with a will to survive, is no stranger to risk reduction. For him, however, it’s vitally important. The Checklist Manifesto is the story of how this simple checklist was made.
http://bit.ly/1KTTHas

How to Generate Leads with Content Upgrades

Pretty much everything is free on the internet. One of the reasons you like it so much is because you can get a ton of value for just the price of your monthly contract. With millions of books, videos, podcasts, services and apps around for free, it’s no wonder people are hesitant to part with their money without trust and priming first.
http://bit.ly/1KTT5BP

The Ultimate Content Promotion Checklist

Once you’ve written a piece of content for your blog or website, the next thing you need to do is drive traffic to that piece of content so your audience can read and take action. Many people struggle with promoting their content because they’re just not sure what the best strategies are since it’s an ever changing landscape. There are hundreds of different ways that you can promote content with great results, and this Ultimate Content Promotion Checklist below covers the best and easiest ways to get maximum exposure on everything piece of content you create.
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Documenting business processes

How do you document your business' processes... Tool of choice? What's your template? What do you document?
http://bit.ly/1DbiH5e

Business Writing Tips: How to Write Processes for Human Beings

This guide teaches how to write the most easily absorbed text, for lazy people, for complex operations, or for content marketing — writing is something we can all get better at.
http://bit.ly/1GblZFF

Top 100 Social Sales Tools to Celebrate My 100th @LinkedInPulse Post

LinkedIn is the greatest tool sales professionals have available today, but it isn't all encompassing. There are so many other tools that bring significant value to social selling.
http://linkd.in/1UTloTX

The Checklist Manifesto Quotes

After publishing the Checklist Manifesto Review and following up with the Checklist Manifesto Summary, I thought it’d be fun to share the most memorable The Checklist Manifesto quotes by surgeon Atul Gawande. The book is packed full of useful knowledge, and not just from the author himself.
http://bit.ly/1KTSpfN

How to Generate Leads with Content Upgrades

Pretty much everything is free on the internet. One of the reasons you like it so much is because you can get a ton of value for just the price of your monthly contract. With millions of books, videos, podcasts, services and apps around for free, it’s no wonder people are hesitant to part with their money without trust and priming first.
http://bit.ly/1GblFXi

Business Writing Tips: How to Write Processes for Human Beings

This guide teaches how to write the most easily absorbed text, for lazy people, for complex operations, or for content marketing — writing is something we can all get better at.
http://bit.ly/1KTRvQo

The Checklist Manifesto Quotes

The Checklist Manifesto Quotes - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text file (.txt) or read online for free. After publishing the Checklist Manifesto Review and following up with the Checklist Manifesto Summary, I thought it’d be fun to share the most memorable The Checklist Manifesto quotes by surgeon Atul Gawande. The book is packed full of useful knowledge, and not just from the author himself. He interviews professionals from the man responsible for foolproof checklists given to pilots flying incredibly complex Boeing airplanes to a group of high-powered venture capitalists. All the people in the book have something in common – they want to reduce risk. And Gawande himself, like every human being with a will to survive, is no stranger to risk reduction. For him, however, it’s vitally important. The Checklist Manifesto is the story of how this simple checklist was made.
http://bit.ly/1GbkI1e

How to Generate Leads with Content Upgrades

Pretty much everything is free on the internet. One of the reasons you like it so much is because you can get a ton of value for just the price of your monthly contract. With millions of books, videos, podcasts, services and apps around for free, it’s no wonder people are hesitant to part with their money without trust and priming first.
http://bit.ly/1KTQjwh

How to Deal With Slow Times at Work

Are you noticing you have a bunch of free time that you don't know what to do with? Then this post is for you. Learn 9 tasks to keep you busy.
http://bit.ly/1gpDSeZ

Intelligent Top 50 Social Media Tools Part 1

It is a well-accepted fact that social media marketing is something that all businesses must do if they wish to engage customers and succeed in the current market place. Yet there are literally hundreds of social media tools out there that can be used. How is it possible to know which the best are? The best advice is to go for tools that are recommended by the pros. In this two part series we bring you our top 50 social media tools that are recommended by the pros. There are tools recommended by the reputable blog Moz, Social Media Examiner and PR Daily, among others. In Part 1 we review the top 25 tools.
http://bit.ly/1R8ZD3c

ToolBox: Useful Tools for Web Designers & SEOs

I thought it would be helpful to put together a web design and SEO business toolbox for you to reference as you set-up and grow your own business. These are the tools I have used in my business in one way or another and have benefited from. Having the right tools saves time, money and can increase sales.
http://bit.ly/1KuLisl