What Can I Do to Get High Rankings?
This excellent article by Jill Whalen  explains it very well in language that is easy to understand if you are not a geek. Jill Whalen is the CEO of High Rankings, an SEO consulting agency based outside of Boston, MA. Be the first to read more articles like this by signing up for the High Rankings Advisor search marketing newsletter.

Recently Launched
We designed another professional looking WordPress site for the Structural Engineering Association of Colorado www.seacolorado.org. Their site will always be current because they can update the announcements and calendar themselves.

Colorado Residents Add Emergency Contacts
The State of Colorado allows you to name one or two emergency contacts linked to your driver's license.  This helps the police to quickly identify your contacts in an emergency.  Law enforcement or public safety authorities in the event of the license holder’s injury or death as a result of an accident, criminal act or other emergency situation can only access this information.  It is easy to add an emergency contact by clicking here.

Verizon
The Web Muse & Co. office phone 303.791.9539 is now with Verizon. If you are also with Verizon our calls to each other are free. Although our world is primarily email – the old-fashioned phone call is still a great way to communicate!

No Phone Zone in the Car
Have you seen these videos of people texting and driving? This one is very scary and there are many others on YouTube,  just search “texting and driving”. I see it over and over again when I am driving. My car is now a No Phone Zone and I encourage you to do the same. Take the pledge here I admit it was hard for me to do. I used to say to people, “I’ll call you once I get in the car.” Or if I was stuck in traffic or sitting at a red light - I’d spend time talking on the phone. Yes, I did use a headset and it’s still distracting trying to process or problem solve plus monitoring what’s ahead on the road. After seeing the crash videos – it’s just not worth the risk. No phone call is that important. This is a bad habit that I’m breaking. So, my phone is off in my car and when I get to my destination I will turn it on to return calls.

What Are You Doing with YOUR Life?
This is an amazing video called 37 Days.  It may change your life and uncover what’s really important.

Groupon.com
You’ve got to check this out and see how it will work in your city for your business. There are some excellent videos on the site that explain how it works.  Here’s a brief overview. I just love the concept!

Groupon started in November 2008 as part of The Point, a platform for collective action. We started Groupon to make it easier for people to enjoy the great things in their community. We do it by offering daily deals at unbeatable prices through the power of group buying. We also use Groupon's consumer collective to lift each community we touch, by featuring local charities and organizing support for community causes. We treat our customers the way that we like to be treated, and do everything we can to offer a "too good to be true" experience from the moment you buy your Groupon to the day you use it.

Conscientious – Can You Download That?
The dictionary uses these words to describe “conscientious” – honest, responsible, reliable and straightforward. In a nutshell, that sums up our work ethic. We respond to all emails and phone calls within minutes or hours. Completing requested tasks in a prompt, efficient manner is standard operating procedure. While this sounds like Basic Business 101 - it apparently is uncommon.

We work with a variety of professionals throughout any given day. Whether they are Domain Registrars, Hosting, SEO, Pay Per Click, Adwords, Marketing, Public Relations, Printers, Web Companies, Programmers, Virtual or Administrative Assistants and more. I was appalled when I phoned a web company to fix a scripting error on their client’s site for us. (We’re doing some updates on that client’s site). I was told they couldn’t take my request over the phone, I would need to email it to support@ - what the heck? I received an automated email response assigning a case # and saying if it took longer than 72 hours a rep would call me. Well, that didn’t happen, so I emailed again, a new case # was assigned and again no response. I then emailed the person I spoke with initially on the phone. To make a long story short – my request was totally ignored and to this date, the problem still exists on their site. How do they sleep at night?

Another company, which also will remain nameless never answers their phone. Their policy is for you to leave a message and someone will call you back. Well, my client or myself have yet to receive a return call or even an email acknowledgement. I really wonder how these companies stay in business! 

Then there is the Virtual Assistant who doesn’t have a clue about web design or coding – yet claims such knowledge on her own website. The coding on the site she worked on is now a real bird’s nest and our client is paying the price. How can someone claim to be an expert in something when they are not? That is not being conscientious.

One of the big characteristics I look for in people who work with me is “conscientiousness”.  Do they respond promptly to my phone calls or emails? Do they follow through? Are they responsible and reliable or do they disappear for days/weeks at a time? Skills can be learned or taught. I’m more interested in hands-on experience than a degree from a tech school or web design certificate. I think that being conscientious is something built in to your character – it’s not something you can download. I am proud to say that everyone at The Web Muse & Co. has this quality along with many more!  Come to think of it, I really enjoy working with clients who are conscientious too. It’s a win-win.

Among the many things that make our company different – being conscientious is one of the big ones. We follow-through, we do what we say we’ll do and we’ll tell you if we don’t know how to do something. Being honest and straightforward are also two qualities that are mentioned when clients refer us to others. We are paid for our advice/opinions/research and clients know that we will be direct. We will not just say, “Oh that’s a great idea when we think there’s a better approach.” We want only the very best for you and your business.

Personally Speaking
Do you like what you are reading today? If so, would you do me a big favor and click on the forward link at the bottom of this newsletter and pass it on to a friend. Tell your friend that the Muse News is emailed once a month and they won’t get bombarded with any other emails. I’d like to increase my subscribers and help more people be successful with their websites. You can help me do that - so Tweet about it or tell your FaceBook friends. Thanks a million! ~ Anita