James A. Martin

I’ve run my own small business since 1994. Fortunately, through the years, I’ve had plenty of work to keep me busy. But there have been dips along the way—at least one of them prolonged and downright scary. Remember that little recession of 2008-2009? The one from which we’re still recovering? My writing and marketing business […]

“SEO isn’t dead,” said Rhea Drysdale, CEO of search engine optimization consulting firm Outspoken Media. “It’s evolving and maturing, and the wrong choice can result in a costly mistake.” Drysdale was one of three speakers in a recent Search Marketing Expo West conference session, “Long Term SEO: How to Win for Years, Not Days.” The […]

If you’re writing or accepting guest blog posts in hopes of achieving a search engine optimization (SEO) benefit, stop it. Now. So said Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s Web spam team, in a much-discussed blog post published on Jan. 20. “Okay, I’m calling it: if you’re using guest blogging as a way to gain […]

Google’s Chromebooks are poised to evolve in 2014 from an oddity to a viable laptop option. When first released in 2011, Chromebooks were easily dismissed. For one thing, the laptops use Google’s Chrome operating system—which means that everything you do on a Chromebook is accomplished through the Google Chrome Web browser. You can’t install Windows, […]

Should your next laptop be an iPad Air? Given the iPad Air’s powerful processor and ultra-light weight (just 1 pound), it’s tempting to leave the laptop at home—or forgo buying one in the future. But is it wise? As someone who’s always looking for the lightest, best portable for travel, I’ve researched the pros and […]

Sephora offers Google Helpouts. So do Weight Watchers, Rosetta Stone, One Medical, and Redbacon, a Home Depot company. The question is: should your small business marketing plan include Google Helpouts, too? Google launched Helpout Nov. 5. The video-chat service, based on Google Hangout, is designed to connect experts in a variety of professional fields with […]

You’ve mastered Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube. You’ve figured out Pinterest. But are you using Vine or Instagram video in your small business marketing yet? If not, you probably should be. But not to worry: Posting videos to Vine or Instagram is about as easy as it gets. And it can pay off by […]

You may not have heard about Google Author Rank yet. But if you have a small business website for which you regularly create content, you need to know about Author Rank now, because its implications for search engine optimization (SEO) are likely to be huge. In February at the Online Marketing Summit, Clayton Stobbs, director […]

“Content marketing is the future of marketing,” says Daryl Colwell, vice president of MediaWhiz, a digital media and performance marketing agency. “It’s how you should be building your business,” he adds. If you haven’t heard of content marketing yet, it’s “a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire and […]

An iPad or an iPhone still can’t fully replace a laptop for running a small business. But man oh man, iOS devices are getting more powerful all the time — just look at the new features of the iPhone 5, for starters. And with these 10 iOS apps, you can be extremely productive on the […]

You’ve probably tried any number of ways to entice potential customers to your website. Pinterest pinboards. Facebook ads. Link building campaigns for search engine optimization. But have you tried giving away baked cookies? Not just any cookies, mind you, but sweets with a Quick Response (QR) code printed on them. For example, this unusual marketing […]

“On the Web, people have the attention span of a lit match,” said Tim Ash, co-founder, president and CEO of SiteTuners, a conversion rate optimization firm. “That’s why your landing page needs to be focused and Zen-like, so the call to action immediately rises to the top.” Ash spoke in a session about landing page […]