The Business July 4th 2012, "BORN ON THE FOURTH OF INDEPENDENCE DAY" Edition

God loves America so much, for our birthday He gave us a Friday right in the middle of the week!!! The Business is planning to truly celebrate our Constitutional right to fuck off from work until the Communists bring us another Monday. We are gonna let the eagle soar like she’s never soared before with some very special guests and few very noisy, dangerous firecrackers obtained at a roadside shack from a man with a balding mullet carefully arranged in tiny braids. AMERICA.

Our guest Mike Drucker could easily portray someone defending our nation on TV. In some fatigues, he would really bring the role of Exploding Soldier #3 to life. He lets SNL, The Onion and IGN use his scraps, but he saves his A game for The Business.

Lyall Behrens brings to this Independence Day the bold prowess of Will Smith AND the Jeff Goldblum brains. He’s the co-producer of the most excellent SF Comedy Cellar showcases here in San Francisco, CA, 94102, AMERICA.

Eric Cash is a stand up comic, writer, artist, animator, revolutionary, and mah jong champion (which, in honor of the holiday, we will call Freedom Jong). He has performed everything everywhere. We are more than happy to give our nation 246 birthday spankings with him.

Give us $5 American Dollars, and we will give you a show. BYOBurrito and Mexican Coke (even on the 4th, it’s way better than the crap we make here).

Help Desk Hangouts: Mobilize Your AdWords Campaigns to Connect with More Customers

Editor’s note: Each week on the Google+ Your Business page, we’re putting you in touch with Googlers and users who can help you as a business owner get the most out of our products and features.


In our latest Help Desk Hangout On Air, we discussed mobile advertising using AdWords with Googlers +Dori Storbeck, +Courtney Pannell, +Adam Grunewald and +Jeffrey Cheng. The group shared reasons for advertising on mobile devices, best practices for creating mobile campaigns, and a few tips particular to mobile ads. If you missed it, you can watch the full hour-long Hangout on the Google Business YouTube channel (check out the video description for a minute-by-minute breakdown):

Here are a few of the questions you asked us to answer during the Hangout:

If I have a separate campaigns for targeting mobile vs. desktop, how should I determine what to bid for mobile?
There are significantly fewer ad slots on a mobile search result page than on a regular search result page, so setting competitive bids can be key to getting the visibility that comes with one of the two top positions, which are frequently above the organic results. We generally suggest you bid more aggressively on a mobile-specific campaign to help secure one of the top slots.

Since there are only two top ad slots above the organic results on mobile, aren’t the bids too high for small businesses to compete?
Currently there isn’t as much competition for certain types of businesses on mobile devices since many advertisers may be focused on targeting computers; savvy small business advertisers can take advantage of the fact that the mobile sphere might not be as saturated as the desktop sphere for their product offering or service right now.

If I use call extensions, can I allow users to click-to-call OR go to my website, or can they only click-to-call?
You have the option to choose whether we show links to your website and your phone number or whether we show only the link to your phone number with your ads.

Wait, so you’re telling me I have to create a new mobile-specific campaign and a mobile-friendly version of my website? That’s just way too much work, I don’t have time.
It’s actually really easy to do! You can quickly duplicate an existing campaign using AdWords Editor - a free program which you can download here. Just make sure to change the device targeting options so that your original campaign targets computers only and the copied campaign targets mobile devices only. We also have a great resource which can help determine whether your website is mobile friendly and even help create a mobile version of your site for you.

To learn more about how to get your mobile campaign started, visit our Help Center or check out the AdWords Community forum. And remember to tune in to the live stream of our next Help Desk Hangout on Wednesday, July 11 at 11 a.m. PT — topic to be announced on the Google+ Your Business page!

Posted by Dori Storbeck and Courtney Pannell, Global Online Advertising Associates

Webmaster Academy: A Primer on Search Engine Optimization

If you have a website, you probably want it to be easy to find. Search engine optimization, or SEO, is “the process of improving the visibility of a website or a web page in search engines” (Wikipedia). While the most important thing to do is to always focus on providing your users with a great experience, here are some great optimization tips to get you started:

Optimizing Content
If there’s one thing to remember, it’s to make sure your website has high-quality content. Your content should be concise, relevant, and unique. Remember to use words that users would search for, which you can find more data on in Webmaster Tools.

Improving HTML
Make sure that your website contains all the proper HTML tags necessary for search engine crawlers to understand each page. Each web page should have a relevant title (created with the <title> element in HTML) that concisely describes that page’s content. Images should have alternate text (the alt HTML attribute) because Google is much better at understanding text than looking at pictures.

Relevant Publicity
While Google pays attention to everything on your website, it can also learn a lot about your site from other websites. Consider sharing your website with other communities online. Don’t know where to start? See if your local chamber of commerce website lists local businesses. Google uses external signals like these when evaluating your website.

Because doing all of this can be a daunting task, many businesses hire search engine optimizers (also called SEOs). Just like with anyone you hire, before bringing on an SEO make sure to complete your due diligence - here are some tips to make sure you are bringing on a great fit that abides by Google’s Webmaster Guidelines.

While search engine optimization can seem overwhelming at first, remember that it’s all about creating the best website for your users. A comprehensive list of SEO best practices can be found in Google’s SEO Starter Guide. For more information about how to build a great website that performs well in search, make sure to visit the Webmaster Academy.

Posted by Garen Checkley, Search Quality Team

The Business June 20th 2012, "Are You There God, It's Me The Business" Edition

The Business welcomes Young Adult author AMY REED reading from her new book, CRAZY. Amy also wrote BEAUTIFUL and CLEAN.

Supporting Amy will be Caitlin Gill, Chris Garcia, Chris Thayer, Sean Keane, and Bucky Sinister.

There's nothing funny about what happened to you in high school, although what happened to other people is HILARIOUS.

Some people say that comedy is tragedy plus time, but we're going to show you comedy is high school plus time plus therapy.

Learn from other AdWords advertisers in the AdWords Community!

Since its launch in mid-February 2012, the (still-new) AdWords Community, has been a place for for all kinds of AdWords users (from small businesses to bigger advertisers) from all over the world to come together and exchange ideas, advice and stories with other AdWords users. It's really inspiring to see people sharing their best practises, pointing each other to resources, and enthusiastically helping those who need it.

I’d like to share with you a few comments from our members on their experiences with the AdWords Community:

NehaGupta: “I am happy to be part of Google AdWords Community. I love to discuss about Google AdWords as much as I can as I believe discussions always bring something knowledgeable. Perfect platform for me. I am really excited spending more and more time here instead of Facebook. Everyday I’m learning new things and also trying to take part in conversation by replying answers asked in the forum.”

PPCBossman: “Hundreds of advertisers flow in and out of this Community on a daily/weekly basis and we all roll on as if it's just another day. ...There are great days where lots of problems get worked out, new advertisers are learning and members are achieving personal goals here within the Community. Just as any real life situations, we also have some down times too. ...I have had the most amazing experience here in the last few months, made some great friends, learned a ton and helped a few people along the way as well. But I keep coming back because I know that this Community, Visitors and Members alike, are here for me and guess what, they're here for YOU too! (for the full post click here)

David-nationalp: “I'm here because I'd like the ability to have some input into the direction that Google AdWords goes, understand what's going on in the PPC world, and be able to learn/share knowledge of Google AdWords.”

But the AdWords Community is more than just user discussions; you can find insightful articles (so called “AdWords Wikis”) written by expert users. You can learn more about the some of the community members, such as the Top Contributors, and what it takes to become one. And you can get some reassurance that the Google AdWords Community team is not just a bunch of robots. But instead of taking our word for it, why don't you go and find out for yourself! If you'd like, go ahead and leave us a comment by clicking on the "new message" button directly on the forum.

We are looking forward to see you in the Community!

Note: Currently, the AdWords Community is also available in the following languages: French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Italian.

Posted by Zuzana S. Moran, AdWords Community Team

Help Desk Hangouts: Business Photos

Editor’s note: Each week on the Google+ Your Business page, we’re putting you in touch with Googlers and users who can help you as a business owner get the most out of our products and features.


In our latest Help Desk Hangout On Air, we got a tour of Business Photos, a way for local businesses to display beautiful interior photos on Google Maps. Business Photos gurus Aubrey and Derek guide us through some businesses already on board, show us how to sign up, and answer questions, live. Miss the event? You can watch the whole thing on the Google and Your Business YouTube channel.

Check out the video description on the YouTube page for a minute-by-minute breakdown.

Some of the questions we answered during the Hangout:

How do I sign up as a business owner?
The best way to sign up for a photo shoot is to go to the “Get Started” page on our website to find a Google certified Trusted Photographer in your area. Contact them directly to schedule a photo shoot. If there is not a photographer in your area, request a photo shoot here to help us expand our program to your city.

Which categories of businesses are eligible?
A wide variety of businesses can be apart of the Google Business Photos program such as restaurants, retail shops, salons, auto repair shops, auto dealerships, dental locations, and much more.

What if the I remodel my business after I’ve had photos taken?
You are welcome to contact a Trusted Photographer and coordinate an updated photo shoot, but it is up to the individual Trusted Photographer to decide the cost.

How do I sign up as a photographer?
If you are interested in becoming a Google Trusted Photographer, please apply on our website. A Recruiting Coordinator may be in touch with you depending on the demand of photographers in your city.

Be sure to join us for next week’s Hangout at 11 a.m. PDT Wednesday June 20, when we discuss Webmaster Academy SEO. We’ll be taking questions early next week on the Google+ Your Business page.

Posted by Jade Wang, Google+ Local community manager

The Essentials of Selecting a Rancho Santa Fe Interior Designer

Some elite home owners are very particular about getting an interior designer for their home renovation and improvement because they want to make sure that the designer captures their idea. Different designers have different expertise and it's important that you employ the best interior designer for your discriminating taste. Here is some information that you may need to understand in getting the services of a Rancho Santa Fe interior designer if you want to own a house or want to remodel your existing house in this lavish and stylish neighbourhood. Rancho Santa Fe is located in San Diego, California, wherein its residential areas are situated on particularly considerable lots. It has the most expensive zip code in the whole state of California. Houses located in this community are known to have opulent interior design and have an average selling price of 2.8 million dollars. The early inhabitants of Rancho Santa Fe were Native Americans. The Santa Fe Land Improvement Company acquired the majority of the land and developed a tree farm. But because of drought, the company incurred losses on the tree project. To recuperate from the loss, they spearheaded the development of a community of ranches with an architectural design exuding the Spanish era ambiance. Until now, Rancho Santa Fe has preserved the rich culture that was started over the years and the State of California designated the community as a State Historic Landmark. Rancho Santa Fe homes preserved a lot of its rich architectural history because of the commitment of its elite and privileged residents. The area is governed by the Rancho Santa Fe Association, wherein residents are held by the Association's Protective Covenant in building or renovating their homes. The Association handles all property activity, such as managing of all property, assessment of construction projects, maintenance of all member services and facilities and general administration. Those who wish to modify their homes or have home improvements should adhere to all the requirements and guidelines stated therein. Even if a particular home owner has an interior project in mind, if it doesn't get the approval of the Association, they cannot push through with construction. In getting an interior designer for your Rancho Santa Fe home, you should not just consider its track record and its clientele base. Budgets and costs should have minimal or no importance when you are eyeing to live in this luxurious residential area. Professional interior decorators specializing in residential interior design should be the preferred choice compared to office interior designers. Doing business with famous interior decorators may seem an easy option, but if they do not have any experience with the Rancho Santa Fe Association protective covenant, you may find it difficult to get your project approved. A qualified Rancho Santa Fe interior designer should be able to address both the historical factor and the modern techniques because of the challenge each architectural project entails. As Paragraph 46 of the protective covenant states that the home design should "insure a uniform and reasonable high standard of artistic result and attractiveness in the exterior and physical appearance of said property and improvements," it is vital that you hire the services of a high end interior designer. If you're planning to build a house in any of the subdivisions within this posh area, or if you are an existing owner considering remodelling or renovating your home, look for a high end Rancho Santa Fe interior designer. One who can execute contemporary home interior design ideas while considering the strict requirements and specifications that go together with it.