Back in 2013, after countless small business owners asking me for advice, I wrote this book to help local small business owners discover how they can take their business to the next level by leveraging the internet. This was the freebie I offered on my site that sat at the top of my funnel to attract clients for my little self-named agency. It amazes me that it was only 7 years ago when I was STILL convincing small business owners to upgrade their web presence to remain in the game. Table of Contents Includes: 1. Introduction / Note from The Author 2. What You Will Learn in This Book 3. Getting Started: Identifying Essential Tools 4. Understand Effective, Goal-Driven Websites 5. Get Free Customers with A Search-Friendly Website! 6. Tracking Your Customers’ Web Activity! 7. Harvest A Superior Google Presence! 8. Get Social & Earn Even More Free Customers! 9. Leverage Free Listings for More Free Customers to Your Business’ Doorstep! 10. Improve Your Online Productivity: Use Free Tools! 11. Prepare for Advanced Initiatives 12. Before You Begin: Tips from An Expert! By Nathan W. Ross (aka nathanwross)

2. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
INTRODUCTION/NOTEFROMTHEAUTHOR
WHATYOUWILLLEARNINTHISBOOK
GETTINGSTARTED:IDENTIFYINGESSENTIALTOOLS
UNDERSTANDEFFECTIVE,GOAL-DRIVENWEBSITES
GETFREECUSTOMERSWITHASEARCH-FRIENDLYWEBSITE!
TRACKINGYOURCUSTOMERS’WEBACTIVITY!
HARVESTASUPERIORGOOGLEPRESENCE!HARVESTASUPERIORGOOGLEPRESENCE!
GETSOCIAL&EARNEVENMOREFREECUSTOMERS!
LEVERAGEFREELISTINGSFORMOREFREECUSTOMERSTOYOURBUSINESS’DOORSTEP!
IMPROVEYOURONLINEPRODUCTIVITY:USEFREETOOLS!
PREPAREFORADVANCEDINITIATIVES
BEFOREYOUBEGIN:TIPSFROMANEXPERT!
..............................................................................................3
......................................................................................................5
............................................................................6
..............................................................................9
.............................................................12
.......................................................................................15
..........................................................................................19
..........................................................................22
.............25
................................................................27
.....................................................................................................31
........................................................................................33
TABLEOFCONTENTS
2
TableofContent

3. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Iknowwhatyou’rethinking:Whytakethetimetowritethisbook,andofferitforFREE?
Well,Iwrotethisbooktohelplocalsmallbusinessownersdiscoverhow theycantaketheir
businesstothenextlevelbyleveragingthemostimportantmarketingmedium oftoday–the
internet.
IIgrewupasthesonofasmallbusinessowner,andIfullyappreciatethatsometimesabusiness
owner(ormanager)mayofferthebestproductorservice,buttheymaynotbethebestatmarketing
orsellingwhatthey’reofferingtocustomers.Itcanbequitefrustratingasasmallbusinessowner
tohavethebestproductorserviceinyourlocalarea,butnotbeabletomarketitwellenoughtopull
inthebusinessyoudeserve.Regularly,smallbusinessownersapproachmeforhelpinunderstan-
dinghowtousetheirwebsitetopullinnewbusinessandgrowtheircustomerbase,leadpoolor
whateverwhateverultimategoaltheyhavesetfortheirbusiness.Whetherit’salocalcontractor,ahairsalon
downthestreet,thefitnessgymacrosstown,oramajorlocalsmallbusiness–Iseeageneraltrend
thatsmallbusinessownersneedsimple,clearanswerstotheirquestionsofhowtobestunlockthe
internet’spotentialfortheirbusiness.
Inshort,Iwanttohelp.Iwanttogiveback.Insteadofusingmypowersfor“evil”andworkingfora
giant,facelesscorporationfora6-figuresalary,I’moptingtohelptheblue-collarbusinessowners
ofthisgreatcountrytocompetewiththosecorporategiantswhoaregobblingupallofyourcusto-
merswiththeirvastmarketingresourcesbecausetheycanaffordguyslikemeandyoucan’t.
It’stimetofightback!Joinme!
Onceyoureadthisebookinfull,youwillhaveamuchbetterunderstandingofyourbusiness’basic
onlineneeds,howtoleverageyourwebsitetogetfreecustomers,andmuchmore.
Ifyouanyquestionsaboutthematerial,emailmeathelp@nathanwross.com,andIwilldomybest
topersonallyrespondtoyouwithananswer.Also,besuretotakeadvantageofthechecklistsatthe
endofeachsection.Thiswillhelpyouclearlyevaluateyourcompany’sneedsintermsofwhatitems
yourbusinessmayneedtodotoincreaseyouronlinepresenceandeffectivenessatattractingmore
customersintoyourbusiness.
LaterLaterthisyear,IplanonreleasingafullDo-It-Yourselfcourseexploringeachoneofthesemajor
topicsindetail.Mygoalistoofferanaffordablewayforsmallbusinessownerstogeteducatedon
eachoneofthesetopics-takeyourwebsite(andyourbottomline)tothenextlevel.
Thankyoufortakingthetimetoreadmybook,andIhopeyouenjoyit!
NathanW.Ross
www.nathanwross.com
INTRODUCTION
3

4. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Beforeyoubegin,pleasestopandthinkifthere’s
afriendyouknowwhomaybenefitfrom
readingthisbook,thensendthemto
www.nathanwross.com fortheirfreecopyofthe
‘2013SurvivalGuideforLocal&SmallBusiness’
SHARETHISeBook:
INTRODUCTION
4

5. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Businessislikewar.
Youfightforcustomers,andconcernyourselfwithfundingyouroperationshavingagoodarmyof
staffyoucancountontogetthejobdone.Evenwithadreamteamstaff,though,youmaystillnot
understandhowtousetheinternettobuildyourcustomerbase.
That’swherethisbookcomesin–itservesasaSurvivalGuideinyourlonelywaroffightingfor
customersonline.
ThisThisbookwillcovertopicsfrom thebasictoolsyouneedtogetstartedbuildingyourcompany’s
webpresence,creatingafunctionalwebsite,howtomakeyourwebsitesearchenginefriendly,
trackingyourwebsiteactivity,reportingonyourvisitors’activity,andmuchmore.Inthefollowing
sections,IamgoingtodissecteachoneofthetopicslistedintheTableofContents,giveyouan
overviewofeach;letyouknowwhytheyareimportantandhowyoucantakeadvantageofthem;
andhowyoucanlearnmore.
EachEachcarefully-selectedtopicwillcoverthecriticalstrategiesthatyouneedtoimplementinorderto
surviveonlineasalocalsmallbusinessin2013.Iamalsogoingtooffersolutionstoyouandwhat
actionsyoucouldtaketobettercompeteonline,andhowyoucanlearnmore.Youwillalsobe
providedchecklistsattheendofeachsectionthatmayserveyouwellasaDo-It-Yourselfaction
plan.Takethesechecklistsandusethemtoyouradvantage.
HavingHavingasolidwebstrategyanddominatingyourlocalcompetitiononlineisn’tabouthavingany
onestrategyinplace.It’saculminationofbestpracticesandlittledetailsbeingimplementedand
updatedovertime.Itiswork!Butitsworkthatpaysoff–big.
Thestrategiesandinformationcontainedhereinusedtobeprivyinformationonlyaffordableby
largecompanieswhocouldhireexpensiveconsultants.NowI’m givingyouthisinformation,but
keepinmind–youcanleadahorsetowater,butyoucan’tmakehimdrink.
WHATYOUWILLLEARNINTHISBOOK
5
Section2:WhatYouWillLearn
InThisBook

6. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Thissection’sgoingtocoverthebasicitemsyouneedtonavigatetheinternetasabusinessand
getawebsiteupandrunning.Therearealotofsmallbusinessownersouttherethatalreadyhave
website(albeitcrummyornot),orveryeffectivewebsites.Nevertheless,alotofpeopleoutthere
havenowebsitefortheirbusinessatallandtheyknowtheyneedone.Thosepeoplewillbenefit
fromthenextfewsectionsofthisbook.
Thefollowingarethebasicitemsthatyouneedinordertohaveaneffectiveonlinestrategyand
reallyjustnavigatetheworldoftheinternetforyourbusiness:
AFreeGmailAccountAFreeGmailAccount
Thefirstitemyou’llneedisaGmailaccount.Gmailaccountsarefree.Justgotoaccount.google.-
com,applyforoneifyoudon’thaveone,already.Youshouldhaveauniqueonethatyouusejust
foryourbusinesscommunications.Maybeit’sliketheotherexample,huntingtonbeachairsalon@g-
mail.com.HaveatleastaGmailaccountandthat’sgoingtohelpyouinteractlaterwithotherfree
Googleproductsthatwillhelpmarketyourbusinessandturnyourwebsiteintoamuchmore
effectivemarketingmachine.
AHomeforYourWebsite:WebHosting&Domain
TheTheseconditemyouneedisawebsiteandahostingprovider.Forthoseofyouwhodon’tknow
whatahostingprovideris,thinkofitthisway:whenyounavigatetoawebsiteallyou’redoingis
reallyjustconnectingyourcomputertoanothercomputer(calleda‘server’)andthatcomputer
displaysinformationtoyouintheformofawebsite.Now,youdon’twanttonsofpeopleconnecting
toyourcomputertoseeyourwebsite,soyoursitehastolivesomewhereonamachinethatcan
handleallthatwebtraffic–thatplaceiswithahostingprovider.
HostingHostingforyourwebsitecanbepurchasedanywhere.IrecommendFatCow.FatCowoffersunlimi-
tedstorageforyourwebsiteandbusiness.It’sthemostamongthemostaffordablehostingsoluti-
onsoutthereandthemoststable.Ontopofthat(andthereasonwhyIloveFatCowsomuch)is
becauseI’vealwayshadamazingexperienceswiththeirsupportteam,especiallytheirlivechat.If
you’renewtoallofthiswebsite/hosting/internetstuff,FatCowhasthesupportteam youneed.I
preferutilizingtheirchatsupportvs.callingthem.ThatwayIcanstillusemycomputer,takeacall,
getacall,etc.,butI’mstilltakingcareofmybusiness.
GETTINGSTARTED:IDENTIFYINGESSENTIALSTOOLS
6

7. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
LearnMoreAboutFatCow’sWebHostingSolutions:
Forabout$35-40ayear(giveortake,dependingonifasaleisineffect),youcanhaveFatCow
hostyourwebsiteforoneyear.
YouYoualsoneeda“.com”foryourwebsite.That“.com”iscalledadomain,andyouhavetorentit
fromregistrarslikeGoDaddyonayearlybasis.TypicallyadomainnameisincludedinaFatCow
hostingaccountpurchase,soifyoudon’t’haveawebsiteyetyoucangetyourwww.example.com
addressincludedforfree!Also,FatCowhostinggivesyouaccesstoyourfree@mybusiness.com
emailaddress.
Lastly,YouNeedAppropriateBusinessEmailAddresses
It’sIt’s2013andinorderforanybody,especiallyotherbusinessesandofficialentitiestotakeyour
businessseriouslyonline,youneedanemailaddressthatreflectsyourbusiness.Yourcurrentcus-
tomersmayknowthatyouusethatbusinessname@gmail.comaddress,butforyourpotentialcus-
tomerswho’veneverheardofyourbusiness,youneedtobuildyourcredibilitysotheywilltakeyou
moreseriously.
Now,ifyourbusinessissomethingsuchashuntingtonbeachhairsalon.com andyournameis
Carol,then you need an emailaddress such as carol@huntingtonbeachhairsalon.com or
info@huntingtonbeachhairsalon.comoradmin@huntingtonbeachhairsalon.com.Youneedtouse
that@mybusiness.comemailaddressforanybodytotakeyouseriously,whetheryou’reapplying
forother3rdpartyaccountsorotherdailyoperations,it’sjustessential.Ifyourbusinessdoesn’t
havethatsetupyet,youneedtogetstartedwiththistask.
TheseThesearethethreeitemsthatinmybookarerequiredtonavigatetheinternetasabusiness.I
recommendyoulookintogettingsetupwitheachbeforemovingon.
Ifyouneedhelp,reachouttome!PerhapsoneofmyassistantsorIcouldhelppointyouinthe
rightdirection.
GETTINGSTARTED:IDENTIFYINGESSENTIALSTOOLS
7
Section3:GettingStartedIdentifying
EssentialsTools

8. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Checklist:GatheringtheEssentialTools
Usethischecklisttomakesureyouhavemythreerecommendeditemsyouneedbeforeyoubegin
buildingawebsiteandmarketingyourbusinessonline.
Togetstartedcreatingthebestwebpresenceformybusiness…
IhavesetupaFREEGmailaccountwithGoogle.
Ihavewebhostingformywebsite,orthesiteIplanonbuilding.
Ihavecreatedacustomizedbusinessemailaddressformeandmyteammembers.
Ifyoudon’thavetheabove3itemscheckedoff,Ihighlyrecommendyoudosobeforeyoubegin
theeffortsinthecomingchaptersofthisbook.Ifyouneedassistanceunderstandinghowtogo
aboutsettinguptheabove,pleasefeelfreetoemailmeatnathan@nathanwross.comandIwilldo
mybesttogetyoutheanswerasquicklyaspossiblesoyoucanembarkontheendeavorsinthe
restofthisbook!
GETTINGSTARTED:IDENTIFYINGESSENTIALSTOOLS
8
Section3:GettingStartedIdentifying
EssentialsTools

9. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Thismaysoundobviousbuttherearealotofbusinessownersouttherethatstilldon’thave
websites.Thatamazesme;especiallysincetherearesomanyfreetoolsouttheretobuildone.I
wouldn’tpersonallyrecommendafreesolutionforbuildingabusinesswebsite,butdoingthatis
betterthannothing!.
Someofmyreadersmayalreadyhaveawebsitethatneedalotofwork,oronethatneedsalittle
bittweakingtogetjustright.Iwouldsayit’slikelythatmostofyouhavewebsitesthatneedsalot
oftuning,becausemostpeopledon’tunderstandontherecipeformakingawebsitesuccessful.
PleasePleaseunderstand:buildingasuccessfulwebsiteismoreofanever-endingprocessthanitisa
tasktoaccomplish.Nevertheless,it’smyopinionthateverysmallbusinessshouldhaveaproper
foundationbuiltfortheirwebsite,includinghavingastandardsetofbestpracticesinplaceforutili-
zingthatwebsite.
Let’sgetstartedunderstandingwhatmakesawebsiteeffective,andthat“magicformula”for
pullinginnewcustomersfromtheinternet…
Whatdoyoumeanby“goal-driven”websites?
Byhavingagoal-drivenwebsiteImeannotonlyhavingjustawebsiteinplace,butafunctional
website;awebsitethat’sworkingforyourbusiness.Typically,whensmallbusinessownersshow
metheirwebsite,tomeitlookslikewhatIcalla“glorifiedbusinesscard”.You’veseenthekind-
websitesthatjusthassomeself-shotphotosandtextdescribingthesameexactthingthat’son
theirbrochure…That’snotwhathavingawebsiteallisabout.
Sure,Sure,youwanttoofferallkindsofinformationaboutyourcustomers,butthedifferencebetweena
goodwebsiteandagreatwebsiteisonethatpullsinbusiness,notjustshowcasesproducts/servi-
ces.Yourwebsitehastheabilitytoactasanautonomoussalesmanforyourbusiness–whichis
muchbetterthanhavingitasjustabillboardofyourservices.
Youwantagoal-drivenwebsite:awebsitethatisworkingtowardsyourgoalsofincreasingnew
businessfromtheinternet.Forexample,ifyou’reahairsalonyouwantawebsitethat’spullingin
newbusinessnewcustomerstogettheirhairdone.Ifyoumanageafitnessgym youwanta
websitethat’spullinginleadsforyousoyoucangoandbringthoseleadsintothegym andsell
themuponagymmembership.Ifyouarealocalcoffeeshop,youwantawebsitethatoffersinte-
ractionwiththelocalcommunitymaybetalksaboutlocalevents,newdrinksandthingslikethat.
UNDERSTANDEFFECTIVE,GOAL-DRIVENWEBSITES
9
Section4:UnderstandEffective,
Global-DrivenWebsites

10. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Howdoyoucapturethosepotentialcustomers?Themostpopularmethodisviainterestforms,of
course!Makeyourwebsite’svisitorsfilloutaform formoreinfo.Maybegettheirattentionby
offeringfreematerialslikebrochurestodownload,freefitnesstipsifyou’reagym,etc.Strategies
likethisarewhatgenerateleadsandcustomersforyourbusiness.Ifyouwantmyadviceforideas
–justlookatwhatthebigguysinyourindustrydoontheirwebsites–andcopyit!Oneofmyold
mentorsalwayssaidyoudon’tneedtobeagenius;youjusthavetobeabletocopygeniuswell!I
lovethatphrase…
There’sThere’sathousandwaystoleverageyourwebsiteforyourbusiness,butjustlikeanemployee,
yourwebsiteneedstohavegoalsinplace.Ifyouhavegoalsinplaceandit’snotworkingwellfor
you,switchupyourstrategy!Ifyourwebsiteisnotfunctionalintermsofpullinginnewbusiness
youneedtoupdateitASAP.
AMobile-FriendlyWebsite
Didyouknowthatnearlyallconsumers,reportedat97%,usetheinternettoresearchlocalbusi-
nesses? It’sverytrue;especiallyinthemorepopulatedmetroareas.
Thatbeingsaid,thesecondmajorthingthatyouneedfromagoal-drivenwebsiteisthatitmustbe
mobilefriendly.Thesedays,manypeopleareusingtheircellphonesandothermobiledeviceslike
iPadstolookforlocalbusinesses.TheYellowPagesaredead,andpeople’scomputersarenow
intheirpockets.
Oneofmyclients’websitestrafficsourcesoriginates45% fromvisitorsonmobiledevices…
IfIfthere’sapotentialcustomersearchingforyourproductorservice,andtheycan’tfindyouwithin
aminuteorsoontheirphone–they’regoingtomoveon.Youjustlostthatpersonwhowaspoten-
tialrevenueinyourcashdrawers.Thereareahandfulofoptionsavailabletothepersonwho
wantstomaketheirwebsitemobile-friendly. Youcanhaveacompanyconvertyourcurrent
websiteforyouintoauser-friendlyinterfacewithiconsandpaythem onaone-timeormonthly
basis.There’salsowaystobuildawebsiteusingaplatform likeWordPressthatmakesmost
websitescompatiblewithmostallmobiledevicesandwebbrowsers.
Eitherway,youneedawebsitethat’scompatibleacrossallbrowsersonalldevicesanditmustbe
mobilefriendly.Takingthetimetomakesureyourwebsiteismobile-compatiblemaynotsound
likeagoodwaytospendenergy,buteverytimeyoudon’tmakeitaneasyexperienceforapoten-
tialcustomertofindandinquireaboutyourbusinessonline,you’relosingoutonbusiness.
UNDERSTANDEFFECTIVE,GOAL-DRIVENWEBSITES
10
Section4:UnderstandEffective,
Global-DrivenWebsites

11. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Checklist:IsYourWebsiteFunctional&Goal-Driven?
Usethischecklisttoeasilyensureyouhavetakentheinitialstepstoensuringyourwebsiteisfunc-
tionalforeveryonewhowantstovisitandthatitworkstowardsyourdesiredbusinessgoals.
MyWebsite…
Clearlyshowcasesandexplainsmyproducts/servicestopotentialcustomerswhovisitit.
Hasawayforcustomerstocontactmeandmyteam.
Hasauser-friendlyinterfaceandiseasytouse.
Hasanavigationstructurethatiseasytounderstandformycustomers.
RepresentsmybusinessasIwantitto.
Isoptimizedsothatitworkstoearnmorecustomersformybusiness;meaningithasan
actionformydesiredcustomertotakesuchasdownloadingabrochure,fillingoutaform,
etc.
TheTheabovesaidactionhasbeentestedwithvariationsandisoptimizedforthehighestlevelof
success.
MyWebsite…
Hasbeentested,andiscompatibleforpeopleviewingmysitewith:
InternetExplorer
Safari
Firefox
GoogleChrome
…andotherwebbrowserssuchasOpera.
Hasbeentested,andisbug-freeandcompatiblewith:
AndroidMobileDevices
Apple(iOS)MobileDevices
Haveyoucompletedthechecklistforyourwebsite? Theseareveryimportantaspectsofowning
andoperatingasuccessfulwebsiteforalocalbusiness.
UNDERSTANDEFFECTIVE,GOAL-DRIVENWEBSITES
11
Section4:UnderstandEffective,
Global-DrivenWebsites

12. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Thenexttopicwe’regoingtodiscussishowtobuildandupdateyoursitesothatit’smoreattractive
tosearchenginesandearnsyouahigherrankinginsearchresultsrelevanttoyourbusiness.
It’swellknownthatGooglecontrolsmostofthesearchenginemarketshare.LasttimeIchecked,
Ibelieveit’saboutsixtypercentofthesearchesintheUSaredonewithGoogle.Therearealso
searchengineouttherelikeBingandyahoothatdogetthatother40% ofsearches,soyoudon’t
wanttoignorethemandhyper-focusonGoogle.
InIneithercase,yourwebsiteneedstobeassearch-friendlyaspossible,sinceeveryotherbusiness
ownerlikeyouwantstogettothetopofGoogle.Everybusinessownerwantstheirbusinessshow
upinanysearchthatrelatestotheirbusiness;but,thereisanartinsciencethatinvolvedwiththat
endeavor.
Note:Note:Beawareofanyofanycompanythatguaranteestheycangetyourbusinesstothetopof
Google.Iftheiroffersoundstoogoodtobetrue–itlikelyis.Don’tfallforthosescams.Ican
legallysayIcangetyoutothetopofGoogletoo!Allowmetobid$100foraclickfromGoogleand
IguaranteeyourcompanywillbeatthetopofGoogle…
LetLetmeclarifyanothermisconception,too:Noone,noteveninternetgiantscangopayoffGoogle
tobeatthetop.Payingjusttogettothetopofsearchresultsdoesn’texist.Ittakesalotofwork
togetyourwebsitetothetopofGoogle-veryfocused,hardworkandtypicallyitsongoingworkas
well.Why?Becausethingschangeontheinternet–fast!Newwebsitesarecreated,competitors
updatetheirsites,etc.
WhenWhenyou’recompetingtogettothetopofthesearchresults,you’llhavetobepreparedtomake
changesontheflysoyoucannotonlygettothetop–butstaythere. Soevenwhenyoudoget
tothetop,ittakesworktokeepthatranking.Thisisalsoagoodtimetomentionthatdoingnothing
toyoursite,i.e.neverupdatingit,addingmorepages,etc.–willultimatelyendupinyoulosing
yoursearchrankovertimeandyouwillappearfurtherdownintheresults.
Nowyouunderstandalittlemorewhywhenpeopleaskmethequestionshowtogetonthetopof
Google-it’saloadedquestionandittakesawhiletoanswer.
I’mI’m goingtohaveanentirelyhighlyseparatecourseavailabletosmalllocalbusinessownerson
howtodothisbutI’m goingtogoandgiveanoverviewrightnowofthethingsthatyouneedto
understandinordertoensurethatyourwebsiteissearchenginefriendly:
GETFREECUSTOMERSWITHASEARCH-FRIENDLYWEBSITE!
12
Section5:GetFreeCustomersWith
ASearch-FriendlyWebsite!

13. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
UnderstandingtheAnatomyofaSearch-FriendlyWebsite
FirstFirstoff,Ineedtostatethatthereisawayinwhich,startingfrom scratch,youshouldbuildyour
websiteinordermakeitsearchfriendly.Youstillhavetowork,butdoingthisworkatwhenyou’re
buildingthesiteversusupdatingitafterwardsisadvantageous.Thereareallkindsofdifferent
thingsthatneedtobeconsideredwhenapproachingsearchengineoptimization(SEO,the
“official”nameoftheartandsciencetogettingawebsitetothetopofthesearchresults).Ifyou
haveanexistingwebsite,youcanmakethechangesnecessarytoittomakeitmoresearchengine
friendly.However,youneedtogotakealookatbutit’salotoftoughofworkstartingfromscratch
AAgoodplacetostartthiseffortistogoandcheckoutyourwebsite’sGooglePageRank(PR);
there’salotoffreePageRankcheckersoutthereandtheygiveyouascorefromzerototenwhich
tellsyouintermsofanumberhowGooglesearchenginefriendlyitis.Useafewofthefree
servicesandgetthatPageRankscoreforyourwebsite.Thereportsmayalsogiveyoutheitems
youneedtoworkon,providingabaselineforyourSEOeffortsmovingforward.
IfIfyou’restartspendingatonoftimeonmakingwebsitesearchenginefriendlyandyougoback
andyoulookinyourpagerankisstillthesameasitwasafewweeksagoyoumightwantto
considerchangingupyourtacticsbutbeawarethatGoogle’salgorithm (Google’sformulathat
decideswhichsearchresultsgowhere)mostlikelyonlycrawlsyoursiteeveryfew weeksto
considerare-rankingforyoursite.
BackBacktotheanatomyofsearchenginefriendlywebsite...Oneofthefirst,basicitemsonthatlistis
havingacorrectwebsitepagestructure.Thisisgoingtobeuniqueforeverybusinessbutyoursite
needstobestructuredinsuchawaythatitmakessenseforwhyitsetupthewayitis.Let’slook
atanexample:sayyou’realocalhairsalonrightandyouofferhaircuts,coloring,weaves,etc.It
wouldn’tmakesensetoGooglethatifyoumadeyourpagenavigationonyourwebsite:Home,A-
boutUs,Services,Weaves,andthenContactUs.Thatsetupmaybeconfusingtoyourwebsite
visitors,andwouldn’tmakesensetoGoogleunlessyoursalonspecializedinhairweaves.
Thistopicalonecanbeconfusingandoverwhelming,andultimatelyyouknowyoumightwantto
consultwithanexpertlikemyselfabouthowtoproperlystructureyourentirewebsite.
HerearesomeadditionalitemstoconsiderwhenattemptingSEOforyourwebsite:
•CorrectSiteStructure
•CorrectPermalinksStructure
•ImplementingAppropriateInterlinks
•CreatingaGoodSiteMap
••KeywordStrategywithInjectedKeywords
There’salot,lotmoreinvolvedwithgettingyourwebsitetothetopofGoogle,andI’lllikelycover
thatinanentirelydifferenteBook.
GETFREECUSTOMERSWITHASEARCH-FRIENDLYWEBSITE!
13
Section5:GetFreeCustomersWith
ASearch-FriendlyWebsite!

14. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Checklist:MakingYourWebsiteSearch-Friendly
Usethischecklisttoeasilyensureyouhavetakentheinitialstepstoensuringyourbusiness’
websiteisoptimizedforthedesiredhighplacementinsearchresultsformajorsearchengines
suchasGoogle,Bing,Yahoo,Ask.com,etc.
I’vetakenthefollowingbasicstepstomakingmysitefriendlyforthesearchengines:
Mysitestructureisappropriate.
Mypermalinkssettingaresearch-friendly.
I’veupdatedmywebsite’smetatags,including:
PageDescriptions
PageKeywords
PageTitles
Mysiteiskeyword-saturatedwithproperlyinjectedkeywordswithinthecontent.
I’veimplementedtheappropriateinterlinkswithinmysite.
I’vepublishedaproperlyconfiguredSiteMaponmywebsite.
I’venotifiedthesearchenginesofmywebsite.
I’veverifiedtheownershipofmywebsitewiththemajorsearchengines.
Haveyoucompletedthechecklistforyourwebsite?Ihopeso,becausethere’smuchmoreeffort
thatgoesintomakingyourwebsitesearch-enginefriendly.Theitemsabovearelayingthefounda-
tionforyourfuturesuccesswiththesearchengines.
Ifnot,getstartedonittodaybeforeyourcompetitorbeatsyoutothepunch!
GETFREECUSTOMERSWITHASEARCH-FRIENDLYWEBSITE!
14
Section5:GetFreeCustomersWith
ASearch-FriendlyWebsite!

15. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
ThenextitemIamgoingtodiscusshereistrackingandreportingofyourwebsite’svisitoractivity.
SoonI’llbereleasingmyotherbook,TheNumberOneMistakeBusinessOwnersMake.Keepan
eyeoutforit!Itdiscussesthissection’stopicinmoredetail.
TheThepower,andperhapsthemostinfluentialthingabouttheinternet,isthatithasbeenagame--
changerforlocalsmallbusinessesintermsoftheirmarketingbecauseanywebsiteownercan
trackandreportoneachandeveryactivitythatisoccurringontheirwebsite.Theinternetlevelsthe
playingfieldformarketingandallowsthesmallmom andpopsachancetodigintothenetand
competewiththebigboys.Andwithsomanyfreetoolsouttheretohelppeoplemarkettheir
business,there’snorealexcusetonothavingagreatwebsiteandmarketingplanthatdrawsin
newbusiness.
Didyouknowthatyouthereareservicesouttherethatcreateheatmapreportsofyourwebsitethat
showsyouwhereyourwebsitevisitorsarelookingatonthepage,howfartheyarescrollingdown,
andwhichsectionstheyareinteractingwith?That’spricelessinformation!Andthat’sjustthetipof
theicebergwhenitcomestowhatyoucandowithyoursite,ifyou’retrackingyourvisitors’activity
thatis.
ReportingReportingandunderstandingyourwebsite’svieweractivityisabsolutelyessentialtoyoursuccess.
Ifyouarebuildingawebsiteandyouwanttohaveawebpresenceanddrivebusinessthroughthe
internet,thenyouhavetotrackwhatisalreadygoingonthere.Thatisthebestpartaboutthe
internet-youcantrackandmeasureeverythingandyoucanmakeeducateddecisionsonhowto
improveyoursitebasedontheactivitythatyouseehappeningonyourwebsite.
ThisThisinformationwillgiveyoutheinfoyouneedtomakethechangestoyourwebsitesothatpeople
taketheactionyouwantthem to.Ifsomebodyisnotrespondingtoyourinterestform,ornot
readingthepageonyourwebsiteyouwanteveryvisitortoread–youhavetheinformationyou
needtochangethecontentofitsoyougettheresultyouwant.Ifsomebodyisnotclickingonthis
buttonthatyouwantthemtoclickonyoucoulddothingsorperhapstestthings,maybethatbutton
needstoberedorgreenorblueandtheywillclickonitmore.Thesky’sthelimitforhowyoucan
usethosevisitorreportstoyouradvantagetobuildthebestwebsitepossibleforyourcompany.
Thebelowaresolutionsyoucanputinplacethatofferthesewebsiteactivityreports.Thebelowaresolutionsyoucanputinplacethatofferthesewebsiteactivityreports.
MeetGoogleAnalytics
ThebestsolutionIcanpointyouto(unlessyouwanttospendmoney)fortrackingandreporting
websiteactivityisGoogleAnalytics.Itisafree,simpletooltoinstallandconfigureforyourwebsite.
Forapersonwhoknowshowtodoit,itliterallytakesmaybe90secondstosetthatupandmaybe
afewminutesincludingsettinguptheaccountwithGoogle.
TRACKINGYOURCUSTOMERS’WEBACTIVITY!
15
Section6:TrackingYourCustomers’
WebActivity!

16. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
TouseGoogleAnalytics,youonlyneedtosigninwiththatGmailaccountIsaidyou’dneed,goto
analytics.google.com,andsigninwithyourGmailaccount;orfrom there,createanewGmail
accountforyourBusinessandsigninandthenfrom therejustaddalittleinformationandget
started.YouhavetocontactyourWebmastertoinstallverificationfileonyourwebsitethattells
Googlethatyouownthatwebsitesoyouhavetherighttotrackit.Ifyou’retryingtodothisonyour
own,youmaybeabletogetawaywithhavingyourhostingprovidersuchasFatCowdoitforyou.
Contacttheircustomerservicethroughlivechatsupportoptionandtheywillhelpwalkyouthrough
ititonceyouhavetheverificationfilefromGoogleaftercreatingthewebsiteprofilewiththeminAna-
lytics.
It’sthateasy!
Reporting
GoogleAnalyticsisawesomeinthatitoffersawesomefreetoolsforanalyzingtheeffectivenessof
yourwebsite.Theyhaveanicedashboardtoviewwhenyouloginandplentyofreportsyoucould
run.Analyticsreportscantellyouinformationaboutyourvisitors,thetechnologytheyuseto
accessyourwebsite,whethertheyarePCusers,whethertheyareonMacs,whethertheyare
mobiledevice,etc.ItcaneventellyouwhatbrowsersuchasInternetExplorer,Firefox,Safarior
othersoftwaretheyareusingtonavigateyourwebsite.Youcanevengetinformationfrom them
likewhichlocalcablecompaniesorinternetserviceproviderstheyareusingtoaccessyour
website.Talkaboutinformationoverload!website.Talkaboutinformationoverload!
Youcanalsorunreportsonthecontentonyourwebsite:whichpagepeopleareviewing,how
manytimestheyviewthepage,howlongtheystayonthepage,etc...Youcangetinformationon
allofthatandmore.
YoumaywanttorunreportsonHOW peoplegottoyourwebsite(calledTrafficSources)–that’s
criticalstufftoknowintermsofmarketing.
Whynotrunareportonthekeywordsthatyourvisitorssearchedforthatultimatelydrovethemto
yourwebsite?
ItisjustaneverendingpileofinformationthatGooglegivesyoubutyouneedtohaveGoogleAna-
lyticsinstalledfirst.
TRACKINGYOURCUSTOMERS’WEBACTIVITY!
16
Section6:TrackingYourCustomers’
WebActivity!

17. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
UseAutomatedReporting
AAslightlymoreadvancedfeatureofGoogleAnalyticsplatformisthesettingupanddeliveryofauto-
matedreporting. Youcansetupcustom reportstobeemailedtoyouonaconsistentbasis
whetheritisonceaday,onceaweek,onceamonthorallthreeofthosethings.JusttellGoogle
Analyticswhatyouwanttobereported,whenyouwantthosereportssenttoyou,whatemail
addressesyouwantthem senttoandwhatformatyouwantitsenttoyouas.ThisincludesPDF
reportswhicharemyfavoritedeliverymethodofreportsbecauseIcancheckthoseonmymobile
phonewhenitcomesintomyemail.
Again,trackingandreportingwebsitevisitoractivityitisimportantbecauseyouneedtoknowwhat
isgoingonwithyourwebsiteifyouaregoingtotaketheinternetseriouslyandifyouwanttoget
morebusinessfromit.Youneedthisinfotoknowwhichimprovementsyouhavetomaketothe
sitesothatitworksinthebestfavortowardsfulfillingyourcompany’sgoals.
Usethechecklistonthenextpageandfindouthoweffectiveyouareattrackingyourwebsite.
TRACKINGYOURCUSTOMERS’WEBACTIVITY!
17
Section6:TrackingYourCustomers’
WebActivity!

18. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Checklist:Tracking&ReportingWebsiteActivity
Usethischecklisttoensureyouhavetakenallofthestepstoproperlytrackandreportyourwebsi-
te’sactivitysothatyoucangetsomerealinsighttohowpeopleareviewingandinteractingwith
yoursite.Thisinformationisvitaltoyoucontinuingtoraisethebaragainstyourlocalcompetitors,
sothatyoucanbetheTopDoginyourlocalmarket!
I’vecreatedaGoogleAccounttouseasasign-inforGoogleAnalytics
I’vesignedupforaFREEGoogleAnalyticsaccount.
IhaveverifiedmywebsitewithGoogleAnalytics.
IhavecustomizedMyAnalyticsDashboardformyreportingpreferences.
IhaveinvitedanyotheruserswhoImaywanttoaccessAnalyticssuchaspartners,
staffmembers,andconsultants.
Ihavesetupautomatedreportstobeemailedtomeonaregularbasis,whichwillkeep
meinformedofmykeywebsiteactivity.
Doyouanalyticsconfiguredforyourbusiness?
Ifnot,getstartedonsettingituptoday–it’sfree!
TRACKINGYOURCUSTOMERS’WEBACTIVITY!
18
Section6:TrackingYourCustomers’
WebActivity!

19. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
GettingtotheTop
WearenowgoingtodiscusshavingasolidtotalGooglepresence.Therearealotoffreeresour-
ces,freeservicesandfreetoolsouttherethatGoogleoffersforsmalllocalbusinessesthatcanbe
leveragedtobuildabiggerpresenceonline.NotonlywouldIhighlyrecommendthatbusiness
ownersimplementtheseandtakeadvantageofthesetools,butinmyopinion,itisessentialtohave
them.
Google+Local
You’reprobablywondering,“whatisGoogle+andhowcanithelpmybusinessgetmorecusto-
mers?”
Goingbackafewyearsback,GoogleusedtohaveGooglePlaceswhereyouwenttoregisteryour
businessandthatgotyouinsideofGoogleMapsandotherGoogledirectoriesonline.Google
PlaceshasnowbeenmergedwithGooglePlus(Google+)Local.
Don’tconfuseGooglePluswithGooglePlusLocal.GooglePlusisforregularpeoplelikeevenI
andGooglePlusLocalisatoolanyonecanusetosearchforsmallbusinesses,andyouwantyour
businesstohaveaprofilelivingthere.It’skindoflikeFacebookPagesforBusiness.
WhatWhatIwouldrecommendistogoanduseyourfreeGmailaccountthatIdiscussedearlierinthe
eBookhereandsignupforaGooglePlusLocalbusinessprofile.Beginbysearchingfor“Google
PlusLocalforbusiness”clicktheresult,andthenbeginmakingyourGooglePlusLocalaccount.If
youhadanoldGooglePlacesprofile,youmayneedtoofficiallyclaim yourGooglePlusLocal
page,whichwasalreadycreatedwhenGooglePlacesbecameGooglePlusLocal.
ThisThisbusinessprofilepageisgoingtoincludeitemslikeasectionforyoutopostincalled‘Post’,
thisislikeaFacebook’swallbasically,it’sasametypeofpostandpostingsetup.Thereisalso
and‘About’sectionwhichisbuiltforbusinessesforyoutogiveanintroductionforyourbusiness,
providethemyouraddressandphonenumberandgivethemalittleinformationaboutthebusiness
hoursandpaymentinformationsuchascash,checkorcreditcard,etc.,anditwillpullupaGoogle
Mapforyourbusinessandeverythingelse.Youshouldfillthat‘About’sectionoutinfull.Now,just
likelikeFacebook,youwillalsobeabletouploadphotosandvideosofyourbusinessaswellwhichI
definitelyrecommend.WithanykindofbusinesslistingsandsocialproductlikeGooglePlus,
FacebookorTwitter,youwouldwanttobuildthoseaccountsoutasmuchasyoucan.Iftheyoffer
you20picturestoputinthere,thenstuff20picturesinthere.Fornow,justgoandfilloutthebasics
foryourprofile.
HARVESTASUPERIORGOOGLEPRESENCE!
19
Section7:HarvestASuperior
GooglePresence!

20. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Youarealsogoingtoseethatitoffersreviewsforyourbusiness.Nowthisisdifferent,thisissome-
thingthatisreallynotonFacebookwherepeoplecan’tgotoaFacebookbusinesspageand
reviewthebusiness,buttheycanonGooglePlusLocalanditkindofworkslikeYelp®.
EveryonehatesYelp®.Butonlinereviewsarereallyessentialforbusinessesbecauseifyoucan
begintogetpeopletoreviewyourGooglePlusLocalpage,thatisgoingtotellGooglethatyour
businessisarealbusinessandnotjustalittlehumdrum shackofabusinessthatyoumadea
listingforonlinetoscam people.Youronlinereviewsareyourfriend.TheyletGoogleandthe
worldknowthatthereareactuallyrealpeopleoutthereinteractingwithyourbusiness–andyou’ve
gotthereviewstoproveit!
ReviewsReviewsaresomethingthatIhighlyrecommendthatpeopleandsmallbusinessownerscan
involvewith,becauseitwilltaketheirsearchstrategytothenextlevel.GooglePlusLocalisgoing
tobeespeciallyessentialtolocalsmallbusinessesmovingforwardforreasonsIhaven’tincluded
here,andIhighlyrecommendthatyoutakethetimetobuildoutaprofileforyoursmallbusiness.
VerifyYourLocalBusiness
NextNextthingthatyouwanttodotohaveagreatGooglepresenceistoverifyyourlocalbusinesswith
Google.SogoandlogintoyourGooglePlusLocalafteryouhavecreatedyouraccount,andifyou
scrolldownunderyourbusiness’photo,underyourURLofyourbusinessandphonenumber,and
thenunderthemap-inthatright-sidebarofthatpage,thereshouldbea“VerifyYourBusiness”
link.WhatGooglewilllikelydoissendapostcardtoyourbusiness’sphysicaladdresswithaPIN
onitthatyoulatercomebacktoGooglePlusLocalandenterthatPIN.Oncecompleted,Google
hasverifiedyourlocalbusiness.
YouYouhavetounderstandthatGooglePlusandGoogleisgoingtostartandalreadyreallyhas
startedidentifyingbusinessesandbusinesspresencesacrosstheinternetby yourbusiness’s
addressandphonenumber.Soifyourbusiness’saddress,phonenumberandbusinessnameall
puttogetheronadifferentwebsitesomewhere,Googleisgoingtosay,“Yup,thisisareal
business,andtheyarewhotheysaytheyare”.Soitisreallyimportantthatyouhaveallthatinfor-
mation,atleast,yourcompanyname,website,emailandphysicaladdressinsideyourGooglePlus
listing–andthatitisconsistentacrossanyotheronlineprofilesofyourbusinessincludingdirectory
listings,Facebookpages,Yelp®pages,etc.listings,Facebookpages,Yelp®pages,etc.
Beyondverifyingyourbusiness,therearealotofothertoolsandthingsthatcanbeusedtohave
agoodGooglepresence.YouwanttoleverageasmanytheseGoogleproductsasnecessaryto
buildyourbusiness.Iwillprovideashortlistbelowandmakesuretousethechecklistafterthis
sectionandcheckoffwhatyouhavealreadydoneforyourbusiness.
HARVESTASUPERIORGOOGLEPRESENCE!
20
Section7:HarvestASuperior
GooglePresence!

21. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Checklist:HarvestingaBetterGooglePresence
Usethischecklisttoeasilyensureyouhavetakenallthenecessarystepstoexpandingyour
Googlepresence.
I’vetakenthesestepstobeginHarvestingaSuperiorGooglePresence:
I’vecreatedaGoogle+profileformybusiness.
MyGoogle+businessprofilehasbeenverified.
I’veuploadedaprofilepictureformyGoogle+forBusinesspage.
I’veuploadedacoverphotoformyGoogle+forBusinesspage.
I’vefullycompletedtheAboutsectionofmyGoogle+forBusinesspage.
MyPagecontainskeywordsthatmycustomerswouldusetofindmybusiness.
ThelocationofmybusinessinGoogleMapshasbeenverified.
I’veloadedmyGoogle+forBusinessPagewithphotosaboutmybusiness.
I’veloadedmyGoogle+forBusinessPagewithvideosaboutmybusiness.
I’mpostinginformationaboutmybusinessonaconsistentbasisformycustomersto
FollowonGoogle+.
HARVESTASUPERIORGOOGLEPRESENCE!
21
Section7:HarvestASuperior
GooglePresence!

22. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Almosteverycompany,especiallythelocalsmallbusiness,shouldhaveasocialpresenceonline.
Socialmediaisimportant.Socialnetworkshavebeenahugetopicforyears.Everybusiness
owneristhinkingthatweneedtofigureouthowtoleverageFacebookandthesedifferentsocial
networkstodrivemorebusinessforus.It'sreallyessentialandactuallyahugetopic-atopicthat
peoplededicateentirecareersto.Tobeeffective,youneedtohaveatleastagoodfoundationfor
yourselfandyoursmalllocalbusinessesinthesocialspheresothatyoucangetthebenefitsofthat
socialactivity.
TheBig3TheBig3
Thebig3socialnetworksareFacebook,Twitter,andGoogle+.Youshouldhaveprofilesmadefor
eachofthem andinanidealworldyoushouldbepostinginthem onaconsistentbasisforyour
followerstosee.
Let’sLet’sexploreFacebookfirst. HavingaFacebookpageisimportantbecause,say,themore
Facebook“Likes”yougetonyourwebsite,andthemoreFacebookLikesthatyougetforyour
Facebookpage,themorethatactivitytellsFacebook,Google,andtheinternetthatyouarea
serious,realbusinessthatoffersrealgoodproducts.
IfIfyouareahairsalonandyou'vebeeninbusiness20yearsandyouhaveadecentwebsite,but
noFacebook--oraFacebookpageanditonlyhastenpeopleonit,whatdoesthattellthepublic?
Whatmessagedoesthatsendaboutyourbusinesstotheyounggirlthatjustmovedtothearea
thatwantstogetherhairdone?Thinkaboutit…
SheShedoesn'tknowanycompaniesorhairsalonsandshehasnoonetoaskforareferral.What's
thatgirlgoingtodotofindherselfanewhairdresser?She'sgoingtogoontheinternetandshe's
goingtolookatallthedifferentsalonsoutthere,seehowmanylikestheyhaveandseewhat
peoplearesayingaboutthemviaonlinereviews.Soifyoudon'thaveapresenceouttherelikethat
andyou'renottellingpeoplethesethingsthroughyoursocialprofiles,thenyouaregoingtolose
outonthosepotentialcustomers.
YouYouaregoingtolosethatcustomertoahairsalonwhoistakingthestepsnecessarytogivethe
worldsocialprooffortheirbusiness.Andbysocialproof,Imeanthoselikes,ratings,rankings,
reviews.Allthosedifferentthingsyoushouldhaveapresencewithonline.Soyouneedtohave
thingslikeaFacebookpage,aTwitterpage,aGoogle+page.Thosearethebigthreethatyou
needtogetonline.NowFacebookallowsyoutocreateaFacebookbusinesspage.Youcanhave
itaseitherabrandpageoralocalbusiness,orwhichevertypeofbusinesspageyouprefer.Butit
allowsyoutohaveapagetorepresentyourbusiness.JustlikeyoucancreateaFacebookaccount
andandpageforyourself,youcan,usingyourFacebookaccount,youcangoinandcreatea
Facebookpagetorepresentyourlocalsmallbusiness.Putinalltheinformationaboutyour
business:description,hours,contactinformation,allthatkindofstuff.Andthenyoucangetpeople
tolikeyourpage.
GETSOCIAL&EARNEVENMORECUSTOMERS!
22
Section8:GetSocial&EarnEven
MoreCustomers!

23. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Youcaneithersendthem toyourFacebookpagedirectlyandtheycanlikeitthere,oryoucan
embedbuttonsfromFacebookinsideyourwebsite,sothatpeoplecanlikeyourpagedirectlyfrom
theirwebsite,ifyouwanttodothat.Buteitherway,havingaFacebookpageisimportant.
TheThenextthingyoushouldsetupisaTwitterpage.Twitterallowsyoutopublishlittlepostswith
aboutasentence-worthoftexttoyourFollowers.Itallowsyoutomakereallyquickmessagesto
sendoutthere.Youcanaddinlinksandshootpeopletodifferentpartsofyourwebsite,ordifferent
linksthatyouwantthemtosee.Butit’sagreattooltouseforsocialcommunication,andbasically
standardforalmostanybusiness.
Also,Also,asdiscussedpreviously,youneedaGoogle+page.Imentionedthisearlier,butit'svery
basic.YouneedaGoogle+pagethatdoesallthethingsthatyourFacebookpagewilldoforyou
andmore.It’sverycriticaltohavethissetupbecauseyourGoogle+localpagewillinteractwith
GoogleandaffectyourGooglesearchresultsandusuallythat'sgoingtobeinagoodway(ifyou're
followingmyadviceinthisbookandtakingstepsthatyouneedtoimproveyourbusiness).
SoSohavingthosebigthreesocialpagesiscriticaltohavingasolidsocialpresenceonline.Thereare
alsoalotofothersocialsitesouttherethatyoucancreateadditionalfreesocialprofiles.Youcan
createalldifferentkindsofaccountswithalldifferentkindsofsocialnetworksforyourbusiness.
IIwouldrecommendstartingwith,andconcentratingon,thebigthree,andimplementingasmall
butconsistentsocialstrategyfromthere.Intermsofposting,youwanttobepostingconstantlyand
interactingwithyourFollowersbeforeyouconsidersigningupforothersocialnetworksthatyou
aregoingtobeobligatedtomaintain.Remember,onceyoucreateasocialaccount,youaretelling
theworld,“Hereweare,internet!”Butthenifyoudon'tcontinuallyupdateitandthatsocialprofile
page,tothepublicitdoesn'tlooklikeitslivingandbreathingcompany,thenpeoplearen'tgoingto
paypayattentiontoitandthey'regoingtothinkyoudon'tcare.Ortheymayjustthinkyourbusinessis
dead,ortheymaythinkbusinessisslowbecauseyouhavenocustomersinteractingwithyou.So
it'sbetterjustnottopublishonewithanotherFacebookpersethantopublishanotherprofileand
thenjustignoreit.Soconcentrateonthebigthree,buildthoseout,getposting,andthenmoveon
andprepareformoreadvancedsocialpresenceinitiatives.
GETSOCIAL&EARNEVENMORECUSTOMERS!
23
Section8:GetSocial&EarnEven
MoreCustomers!

24. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Checklist:GettingSocialtoEarnMoreFREECustomers!
Usethischecklisttoeasilyconfirmyouhaveallthesocialprofilesnecessarytobuildyourbusiness’
websitepresenceonline:
I’vecreatedprofilesforTheBig3socialnetworks:
FacebookforBusiness
Twitter
Google+forBusiness
YourGoogle+businesspagehasbeenverified.
Additionally,I’vecreatedorverifiedaprofilefor:
Yelp®
Eachsocialprofile:
Hasmycompletecompanydescriptionpublished.
Hasalinktomycompany’swebsite.
Themaximumnumberofphotosallowedhasbeenuploaded.
Theprofilehasbeenfullycompletedwithdetailedinformationsuchasbusinesshours
included.
Hasbeenfeaturedonthecompanywebsite,sothatpeoplecan“Like”usdirectlyfromthe
site.
Hasthesamecompanyphonenumber&addressacrossallofmyprofileslistedhereand
thatnumber/addressisconsistentwiththebusiness’website.
Doyouhavetheseprofilessetupforyourbusiness?
Haveyoucompletedthechecklistforeachprofile?
Ifnot,getstartedonthischecklisttoday!
GETSOCIAL&EARNEVENMORECUSTOMERS!
24
Section8:GetSocial&EarnEven
MoreCustomers!

25. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Thenextthingyouneedtodotogetyourbusinesssurvivein2013istoleveragefreelisting
servicesonline–bycreatingfreebusinesslistingswithonlinedirectories.
ThereThereareallkindsofbusinessdirectorieslikeCityPages,Yelp®,Yahoo!Local,Local.com,Manta,
etc.Takeadvantageofthese!Thereareaboutfiftyplacesthosearewellknowntobethebest
placestobelistedwithonline.Irecommendyoutobeallfiftyofthemifpossible.Itprobablytakes
aroundhalfhoureachtodoso,butit’sworthitinalongrun.Ingeneral,themorewebsitesandthe
morelistingsthatarepointingtoyourwebsite,themorechancespeoplehavetofindyourbusiness
andyouwilllikelyenjoyahigherGooglesearchresultsrankingaswell.
LEVERAGEFREELISTINGSFORMORE
FREECUSTOMERSTOYOURBUSINESS’DOORSTEP
25
Section9:LeverageFreeListingsForMore
FreeCustomersToYourBusiness’Doorstep

26. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Checklist:The55LargestLocalBusinessDirectoriesintheUS
Google+LocalforBusiness
Facebook
LinkedIn
Yellowpages.com
Yelp
Local.com
WhitePages.com
Manta
SuperPages
CitySearch
Patch
City-Data
MerchantCircle
Yellowbook.com
YahooLocal
Mapquest
Topix
DexKnows
Yellow.com
BBB.org
ServiceMagic
Angieslist
AreaConnect
Foursquare
AmericanTowns
BizJournals
LocalGuides
411.com
Yellowpages.AOL.com
InsiderPages
MagicYellow
Hotfrog.com
Mojopages
Switchboard
MojoPages
Bundle
Metromix
Yellowbot
ShowMeLocal
ChamberofCommerce
LocalPages
HopStop
YellowMoxie
Phonenumber.com
BestoftheWebLocal
ZipLocal
EZLocal
CitySquares
USCIty.net
LocalDatabase
LEVERAGEFREELISTINGSFORMORE
FREECUSTOMERSTOYOURBUSINESS’DOORSTEP
26
Section9:LeverageFreeListingsForMore
FreeCustomersToYourBusiness’Doorstep

27. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Asabonusfordownloadingandreadingmybook,I’m offeringrecommendationsthatyoucan
followthroughwiththatmayimproveyourproductivityonline,whichisbytakingadvantageofand
usingallofthefreetoolsavailabletointernetusers.Therearelotsoffreetoolsandservicesout
therethatyoucanusetoimproveyourproductivity,efficiency,andself-organizationwhileworking
online.
TheseThesefreetoolswillhelpyoucommunicate,keeporganized,communicatethoughtsandideas
throughthingslikescreen-shotandscreen-castsoftware.Therearealsosolutionsforthestorage
offilesandthingsthatyou’llneednotonlyforyourownwebsitebutforthingssituationssuchas
sharinglargefileswithothers.Thissectionwillgiveanoverviewhowtoimproveyourproductivity
online,startingwithopensourcesoftware.
Whatis(Free)OpenSourceSoftware?
ConsiderConsiderusingopensourcesoftwarewheneveryoucan!OpenSourcesoftwareisfreesoftware
thatpeoplehavecollaboratedtobuildandoffertheworldforfree-justforthegeneralgoodofthe
public!Therearealotofpeopleouttherethatworkforbusinessesandgetpaidverywellfortheir
developmentwork,andtherearesomepeoplethatarereallygreatdevelopersthatjustwantto
offertheworldofgoodfreetooltousesothattheydon’tneedtogoouttheretospendhundreds
ofdollarsoftheirownmoneytobuypiecessoftwarethatshouldbefreeinthefirstplace.Welcome
totheworldofopensource.
SowheneverSowheneveryouneedtofindsomethingsuchasanaudio/videoconverter,emailingsoftware,
mediaplayer-almostanything-Googlewhatyou’relookingforandaddthewords“opensource”
toyoursearch.E.G.,“opensourceDVDburner”or“opensourceaccountingsoftware”.Youmay
besurprisedtofindafreesolutiontowhatyou’relookingfor!
CommunicationTools:Gmail,Skype,WebEx™,etc.
ThereTherearealotoffreetoolsouttherethatyoucanusetoimproveyourcommunicationonlineand
they’refree.GmailisafreeservicethatisafreeemailservicelikeHotmail,AOL,Yahoo,oranyof
thoseotheremailingservices.Gmailisveryspecialnotonlybecauseitisintegratedwithlotsof
otherGoogleproducts(youcanuseyourGmailasaYouTubeaccountlogin)butbecausethey
offersomanydifferentthingswhenyousignupforGmailaccount:yougetyourownCalendar,
Googledrive,andmuchmore.AcoolbonuswithGmailisthatit’squiteeasytosetuponyour
phone,too,soyoucanaccessyouremailandcalendaronthefly.
InIntermsofonlinechatting,IrecommendyoudownloadandcreateaSkypeaccount.Skypenot
onlyallowsyoutochatwithpeopleonline,butcallthemaswellsoyoudon’thavetobeactuallyon
thephonewiththemyoucanjustbesittingtherechattingwiththemwhethertheyareacrossthe
world.YoucanalsouseSkypetodoface-to-faceconferencingviawebcam,andthecallqualityis
verygoodforbeingafreeproduct.
IMPROVEYOURONLINEPRODUCTIVITY:USEFREETOOLS
27
Section10:ImproveYourOnline
Productivity:UseFreeTools

28. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
AnotherrecommendedfreetoolisWebEx™ whichisavirtualconferencesolutionsimilartoGotoMe-
eting™,exceptyoucanuseitforfree.Whileinaconference,youcandothingslikeshareyour
screenwithattendees,communicateviawebcam likeyoucanwithSkype,andyoucanalsouse
advancefeatureslikescreensharingandtakingcontrolofeachother’scomputersforpresentation
purposes.It’saverycooleasyfreetoolthatyoucanusetocollaborateonlineandquicklycommuni-
cateideasversuswritingoutalongemailorjusttryingtodiscussanelaboratetopicoverthephone.
ScreenshotTools:GadwinPrintscreen&Jing®
ThenextfreesoftwaresolutionIwouldrecommendpeopleuseissomekindofscreenshotsoftware
sothatyoucaneasilytakesscreenshotstoyourdesktoptosharewithpeople.Thisallowsyouto
communicateideas,too.Sayyouseesomethingthat’swrongwithyourwebsite… Simplytakea
screenshotofitsendittowebdeveloperandsay“heywhat’supwiththis!?”Mucheasierthanwriting
afewparagraphsexplainingwhatyou’reseeingonyourend.
TakeTakeascreenshotofanythingtosendittosomebody-whetherit’sforconfirmationpurposesjust
communicatingideaanythinghavingascreenshotisessential.IliketouseGadwinPrintscreen.I’ve
useditforyearsitallowsyoutohitahot-keyandinstantlytakethescreenshot.Ihavemineconfigu-
redsothatwhenIhittheF2key,GadwinshowsalittlecrosshairasmycursorandIcanclickanddrag
acrossthescreentoselectthepartofthescreenthatIwantedtogetscreenshotofandIjustsimply
hitenterandthenitturnsthatscreenshotintoaanimagefilethatIcaneasilysendtoanybodyonline.
There’salsoreallycoolsoftwareouttherecalledJing®thatallowsyoutonotonlytakescreenshots,
buttoannotatethemwithboxes,text,arrows,etc.Italsotakesscreencasts,whichislikeavideoof
yourscreenandaudioaswell.Ifyouwanttocommunicatethatideathat’stoocomplexforascreen-
shot,youcanmakeascreencastrecordingofyourscreenwhilenarratingit,andthensendthatvideo
tosomebodysotheycaneasilyseewhatyou’reexperiencingonyourcomputer.Iusescreencasts
tocommunicatetasks,technicalerrors,updates,etc.tomystaffandclients.
File&DataStorageTools:Dropbox™,GoogleDrive,etc.
You’regoingtoneedaplacetostore,protect,andbackupallofyourdigitalinformation:documents,
videos,images,photos,andotherdigitalfiles.SometimesthespaceonyourPCjustisn’tenough.
Inthatcase,I’drecommendyouusethetoolsbelow(somefree)togiveyouthestoragespaceyou
need.Besides,themorespaceyoutakeuponyourPC,thesloweritbecomesandthenyourpro-
ductivitydrops!
Dropbox™isafreetoolthatallowsyoutocreateavirtualstoragedriveforyourcomputer,utilizing
foldersandsub-foldersthatyoucaneasilysharebyright-clickingonafileorafolderwithinDropbox
™,andthenclicking“SharethisFolder/File”. ThatwilltakeyoutotheDropbox™ websiteenterthe
person’semailaddressyouwanttosharethatitemwith,andthatpersonwillreceiveanemailinvita-
tiontosharethatfolderwithyou.Whateveryouputinthatsharedfolder,itwillshowupontheother
person’scomputerandviceversa.YoucanindividualfoldersorfilesinyourDropbox™ oryour
entireDropbox™ withsomebodyelse.
IMPROVEYOURONLINEPRODUCTIVITY:USEFREETOOLS
28
Section10:ImproveYourOnline
Productivity:UseFreeTools

29. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Dropbox™ easilyallowsyoutosharelargeamountsofinformationwithothers.Youcannotsenda
videofiletypicallyoveremail,butyoucansharealargevideofileviaDropbox™!Theopportunities
forfilesharingamongstclients,staff,etc.islimitlesswithasolutionlikeDropbox™.
OneOnemorestorageoptiontolookintowouldbeGoogleDrive,whichisintegratedwithyourGmail
account.GoogleDriveworkssimilartoDropbox™andifyou’relookingforagiantfilesharingor
storagesolutionforyourbusinessorifyouplanonstoringlargeamountoffilesforsecuritypurposes
andyouwanttohaveadministrativecontroloverwhocanhavewhatfileaccesstowhatfolders,you
candothatwithdifferentprofessionalaccountsandthere’sacompanysuchasLiveDrive®thatwill
allowyoutodoso.Thisisanexcellentsolutionforabusinesslookingtoeasilyshareandcollaborate
filesfilesacrossvariousteamslikeSales,Marketing,Operations,etc.–butdon’twanteveryonetohave
accesstoeverything.Thesalesguyscanhaveaccesstothesalesfolders;marketinghasaccessto
themarketingfolder/sonly,etc.
Organization
My#1favoritefreesoftwarerightnowisEvernote.Iuseittokeeptrackofallkindsofstufffromtask
lists,random information,conferencecallnotes,andevenpersonalstuff. Evernote’staglineis
“RememberEverything”,anditisatoolthatdoesnothingbutallowsyoutocreateandmanages
notes.However,youcanattachphotos,voicerecordings,files,othernotes,andallkindsofstuffto
asinglenote–or,itcanjustbeaplaintextnote!Notesarealsofiledintonotebooksandsearchable
bykeyword:awayfastandeasywaytolocateyourinformation.
DidDidImentionitseamlesslysyncswithmobilephonesandtabletsaswell!?ThatmeansIcanmake
agrocerylistathomeonmyPC,andaccessitonmyphonewhenIgettothestore.OrIcancreate
alistoftalkingpointsforameeting,andaccessthatonmyphoneduringthemeeting.Prettycool,
huh?
IfIfthere’sanyonetoolthatyoucouldusetoorganizeyourselfmoreefficiently,it’sEvernote.I’llbe
writinginmoredetailinalaterbookabouthowtotakeadvantageofthisfreetooltoorganizeyourlife
andbusinessendeavors–forgood. Irecommendyoudoyourselfafavorandsignupforafree
accountwiththemtoday.
Worksmart,nothard.
YouYouwanttoimproveyourproductivityasmuchaspossible.It’simportanttoworksmartandnot
hard,socheckintotheseproductivitytoolsaboveandgetthem.Then,gettoknowmorehowtouse
thembywatchingtutorialsontheproduct’ssite,orsearchforYouTubevideosseehowtobestuse
them.It’sworththatsmalltimeinvestmentsincethemoreproductiveyouare,thefastertheresults
aregoingtocomefromworkingoneverythinginthiseBook.
Usethefollowingchecklisttomarkoffwhichproductivitytoolsyouhaveandtakenoteofwhichones
youneedandgofindthem,beginusingthem,andmasterthem.You’llthankmelater.
IMPROVEYOURONLINEPRODUCTIVITY:USEFREETOOLS
29
Section10:ImproveYourOnline
Productivity:UseFreeTools

30. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Checklist:RecommendedFREEProductivityTools
Wanttoworkmoreproductivelyonline?Usethischecklisttomakesureyouhaveallthetoolsyou
needtowork(almost)asquicklyandefficientlyasIdo:
FreeCommunicationTools:
Gmail
Skype
WebEx™
FreeScreenshotTools:
GadwinPrintscreen
Jing®
FreeFileStorage&SharingTools:
Dropbox™
GoogleDrive
Organization:Organization:
Evernote
*Note,theabovearefreeonlinetools,andmostofthem requiredownloadingandinstallinga
PC/Macapp.Installtheseapplicationsatyourownrisk,asyoumaybeaskedtoinstalltoolbars
andothersoftware,allofwhichcanbedeclinedtoinstallandreceivethefreesoftware.
Doyouowntheseproductivitytools?Ifnot,signupforthemtoday!
IMPROVEYOURONLINEPRODUCTIVITY:USEFREETOOLS
30
Section10:ImproveYourOnline
Productivity:UseFreeTools

31. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
Thelastthingyou'regoingtowanttodotosurviveasalocalsmallbusinessafteryou'vetaken
actionforeverythingmentionedinthisbookistoprepareforadvanceinternetmarketinginitiatives.
CollectMoreSocialReviewsandRatings
ByBythispoint,yourbusinessshouldalreadylistedbeonYelp®,Google+Local,etc.andpeople
shouldalreadyberatingandreviewingyourbusiness.Beforeyoubeginastrategytocollectmore
oftheseratingsandreviews,youmaywanttoconsiderputtingsomesortofsystem inplaceto
monitornewratingsandreviewsonaregularbasis.Thisway,youcantakeactionagainstbad
reviewsthatarise.
SocialSocialrankingsandratingsaregoingtobethenewwayGoogleandothercompanieslikeBingand
Yahooaregoingtousetodeclarethatawebsiteisrepresentingagood,solidbusinessinthecom-
munity.Subsequently,ifyourbusinessisgettinggoodratingsonthesesitesandyourcompetitors
don’thavethissocialproof,yourbusinessislikelytobelistedhigherinthesearchresultsthan
them becausepeoplearelettingGoogleknowthatyourcompanydoesgoodbusiness. Google
likesthat.
Thissocialproofiswhat’sgoingtostartdrivingalotoftraffictoyoursiteforfreeandifyourwebsite
issetupforit,andifyouhaveagoodsocialrankingandratingplantogenerateandmonitorthem,
thenyourbusinessisgoingtosurviveandthrive.
AdvancedSEOTechniques
WhenWhenyou'reready,youshouldbegintoprepareformoreadvancedinitiativesthatwillgetyou
listedhigherinthesearchresults.ThereareplentyofdirectionsyoucantakeyourSEOendea-
vors,andIcanevenrecommendsomegreatSearchEngineOptimizationprofessionalsshould
youwanttocontractonetoincreasetraffictoyoursitefromsearchengines.
Iwouldrecommendconsultingwithaprofessionalto,attheveryleast,helpyougenerateanattack
planforimprovingyourSEOefforts.
Ifyouwanttobeginlearningmore,juststartGooglingtermslike“seo”,“searchengineoptimiza-
tion”etc.!YoucanalsosubscribetoandreadSEOblogssuchasSearchEngineJournal,Search
EngineLand,andMattCutt’sblog(the headofwebspamatGoogle)toeducateyourselffurther
andkeeprelevantonthetopic.
PREPAREFORADVANCEDINITIATIVES
31
Section11:PrepareForAdvanced
Initiatives

32. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
ConsiderGoogleAdWordsPay-Per-ClickAdvertising
AdWordsAdWordsisaservicethatGoogleoffersinorderforyoutoplaceyourbusinessinthesponsored
listingsectionofthesearchresults,whicharetheonesatthevery,verytopofthepageoronthe
righthandsideofthesearchresultspage.Thesponsoredlistingsarefaintlyhighlightedifyoulook
atthemcloselyenough.UsingAdWords,youcanpayonaperclickbasistodrivetraffictoyour
website,butIdon’trecommendengaginginthisuntilyouhaveyourwebsite’seffectivenessdia-
led-inandbringingyounewbusinesseffortlessly.
Onceit'sfullyfunctional(visitorsaretakingactiononyoursitesuchasfillingoutformsformore
information,buyingmoreproductsfrom you,etc.),youmaywanttoworkwithAdWordstodrive
moretraffictoyourwebsiteonaperclickbasis.Afterall,ifitonlycostsyou$5inclickstoacquire
anewcustomerandyourmarketingbudgetis$10pernewcustomer,thenyou’vereallyfounda
potofgold!Turnupthatdialandletthecustomersflowin,baby!
Butuntilyourwebsiteisworkingforyouandreadyforthoseclicks,Idon’trecommendyoupayfor
them.Thatjustdoesn’tmakesenseandIseeitasmoneythrowndownthetoilet…
SocialIntegrationSocialIntegration
Thenextthingyoumaywanttoconsiderwouldbesocialnetworkintegrationwithyourwebsite.
Now,notonlydoyouneedtohaveasocialpresencemeaninghavingactiveprofilesonFacebook,
GooglePlusLocal,Twitter,etc.,butyouneedtohavethemintegratedproperlywithyoursite.
VisitorsVisitorstoyoursiteneedtobeabletoLikeyouonFacebookwithoneclick,withouthavingtoleave
yourwebsite.Theyneedtobeableto+1youforGooglePlusonyourwebsite,Followyouon
Twitter,etc.Therearealotofwaystointegratedifferentpartsofyourwebsitewiththesesocial
networksandyouwantthatintegrationanditsaddedbenefits,trustme.
OtherGoogleServices
There’sThere’slotsofotherGoogleproductsoutthereIrecommendbusinessleverageifitmakessense
fortheirparticularbusiness.ThesearevariousservicesthatGooglehasacquiredorservicesthat
Googleoffersundertheirownbrandnamethatyouhavetheopportunitytoleverage.Youmay
wanttoreallyconsiderusingtheseservicesasmuchasyoucanbecauseultimatelyanyfree
service(orevenanypaidservice),ownedbyGoogle,islikelygoingtohelpyoudrivebusiness
throughGoogle’ssearchresultsmoreeffectively.
PREPAREFORADVANCEDINITIATIVES
32
Section11:PrepareForAdvanced
Initiatives

33. .com
2013OnlineSURVIVALGUIDE
©2013NathanW.Rross
It’seasytogetlostandfrustratedwhileworkingonallthisnonsenseItalkedaboutinthisbook.
EvenIgettiredandburntouteasilysometimessincestaringatascreenforhoursadaygetsold
quickly.
TheTheinternetusedtobeaplacewhereanyonecouldputupawebsiteandtheycouldeasily
promotethemselvesandtheirbusinessesbecausetheywereaheadofthecurveandtheircompe-
titorsweren’tonline.Thosedaysareover,andittakesrealworkandatimeinvestmenttoearn
businessfrom theinternet. Youcangetawaywithusingallkindsoffreetools,butintheend,
you’regoingtohavecostssomewhere,too.
I’veoutlinedthekeyaspectstobeingabletosurviveandcompeteonlineforlocalbusiness,but
fromhereit’salluptoyou.Ican’tprovidethemotivationyouneedtosucceed–that’syourdeal.
Ihopethisissuehelpsserveasaguideforunderstandingtheinternet,how itcanhelpyour
business,andhowyoucanutilizeitgeneratemorecustomersforyoursmallbusiness.Ifyouget
lost,orhaveasimplequestion,pleaseemailme!I’lldomybesttosendapersonalresponseand
helpyououtandyourquestionandanswerwouldlikelybepostedonmywebsiteorblogsothat
otherscanlearn,too.
IfIfyou’reveryinterestedintakingyourbusinesstothenextlevelonline,butdon’thavethetimeand
wishtoinvestmoreinyourinternetpresencesothatyoucanearnmorenewcustomers,Request
aFreeExpressConsultationwithme.We’llreviewyourbasiconlinepresence,assesscritical
actionitems,andyou’llwalkawaywithablueprintforhowtoexpandyourbusinessonline.
Thankyouforreading,anddon’tforgettoSHARETHISeBookwithafriendandLike,Follow,&+1
mywebsite!
Cheerstoyoursuccess!
NathanW.RossNathanW.Ross
www.nathanwross.com
BEFOREYOUBEGIN:TIPSFROMANEXPERT
33
Section12:BeforeYouBegin:Tips
FromAnExpert