Check out Business Grants for Small Black Owned Businesses and So Much More Are you one of the millions of black business owners in the US? Or are you starting a business? Money is always going to be an issue. What if you could get what is essentially free money? That’s what grants are (for … Continue reading Get Grants for Small Black Owned Businesses
Month: June 2021
Etleap (YC W13) Is Hiring a Technical End User Documentation Writer
Technical Writer
We are looking for a technical writer to create technical product documentation for our site/product, and help us maintain it on an ongoing basis.
The project is about 3 months half-time to start, and then a few hours a week following that.
What you are going to do:
– Create an intuitive, comprehensive, and readable documentation site
– Work closely with our engineering team to become an expert user of our product and extract insights
– Interview our engineers and users in order to create tutorials for appropriate topics
What we want to see in you:
– Experience writing documentation sites, at least one, ideally two or more.
– Experience writing and understanding for highly technical software products.
– High degree of user empathy – our docs will take hard technical concepts and translate to language that is a pleasure to read.
To apply, send your resume to jobs @ etleap.com.
Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27468081
Points: 1
# Comments: 0
Literably (IK12 W13) Is Hiring a Senior Software Engineer (Remote)
Article URL: https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/43782
Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27472129
Points: 1
# Comments: 0
3 arrested for 'rape table'
How to Use Reverse Image Search For Competitor Research
What do backlinks, reverse image search, and your business have in common?
Your bottom line.
Sure, you can blog until you have hundreds of posts on your site, but it takes time.
Can your business afford to wait? Probably not.
This is where a backlinks strategy comes in. Not only can it help with boosting your domain authority (DA), but it could expose your business to a new audience who may want to buy from you if you target the right sites.
How do you find these sites? Reverse image search. When done correctly, you can use it to snoop on your competitors and find the backlinks boosting their DA and profits.
Here’s how to turn their backlink success into yours.
What Is Reverse Image Search?
A reverse image search uses an image in place of a text-based query.
All you need to do is upload an image onto a search engine, and you’ll get a list of information. These details usually include:
- file type
- source of the original image
- image size
- other sizes of the same image
- websites using the image
- related images
While many people use reverse image search to check if someone is stealing their content, it’s a powerful tool in the hands of a savvy digital marketer.
I’ve used reverse image search to grow my backlinks by 26 percent, but it can do so much more than find unclaimed backlinks. When done right, it can give you the upper hand over your competitors while growing your authority.
Why Would You Use a Reverse Image Search for Competitor Research?
Backlinks.
Using reverse image search on your competitors is one of the best link-building strategies most people skip.
Not having any backlinks is a reason more than 90 percent of websites don’t get traffic from Google.
By uploading a photo of a competitor’s headshot or company logo, you can see at a glance where their inbound links are coming from and start building a list of backlink opportunities.
Why is this important?
Backlinks are a valuable Google ranking factor. The search engine uses links from other sites as a vote of confidence.
According to a study by Backlinko, the site holding the #1 spot on Google has, on average, 3.8x more backlinks than those in positions two through 10.
By analyzing where your competitors are getting links, you can determine what sites are helping grow their authority and get a slice of the pie for yourself. Getting those backlinks could help grow your traffic, build your authority, and potentially one-up your competitor.
For example, let’s say you’re competing with me. If you reverse image search my headshot, you’ll see results like these before the fold:
When you scroll down past this, you’ll see a few more pages:
If you continue to scroll through the results, you’ll see I’ve been featured on sites like:
- Searchengineland.com (DA 91)
- Meltwater (DA 77)
- Forbes (DA 95)
- Getresponse.com (DA 81)
These are all powerful backlinks helping me grow my domain authority, website traffic, and sales.
How to Do a Reverse Image Search to Track Your Competitors
Ready to uncover those hidden link-building opportunities that lurk behind your competitor’s images? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it.
Step 1: Find a Photo
What photo should you use for your reverse image search to track your competitors? I’d recommend using a headshot of the person who would be credited as the author.
Use their LinkedIn profile picture. They’ll likely use the same headshot for their guest blogging bylines, just like I do.
In addition to searching for a competitor’s headshot—or if your competitor doesn’t have a “face” attached to it—search for the brand’s logo.
Step 2: Use Reverse Image Search
You can’t upload a photo on the standard Google homepage.
Click on “Images” in the top right-hand corner to load the reverse image search feature or go to images.google.com.
Next, click on the camera icon.
Choose the headshot or logo you downloaded in step 1 and click on the blue “Upload an Image” tab. Google will then return a results page that looks like this:
Step 3: Start Looking for Opportunities
If we use the example of my headshot, you’ll see the first result points back to this blog.
Scroll down further, and you’ll see my author profile for CoSchedule. The blog has a DA of 57 and is a popular tool for content marketers. As a competitor, this is the kind of site you want backlinks from or to write guest posts for.
Having a guest post on a high authority site like CoSchedule could add to your credibility. You can use it to establish yourself as the go-to expert in your niche and get your message in front of your target audience.
Don’t forget to reverse image search your competitor’s logo! It can help you find opportunities to get listed on resource pages or niche directories.
How to Find Guest Post Ideas Once You’ve Completed the Reverse Image Search and Competitor Research
Now that you’ve completed your reverse image search, you should have a master list of websites your competitor uses for backlinks. Now what?
It’s time to come up with guest post ideas, start pitching, and, when a site agrees to your guest post, deliver compelling content to drive traffic back to your business.
You’ll have a much stronger pitch if you have a few blog post ideas. Here’s how to make sure you come with content the website will love.
Read Their Blog
You don’t want to make the mistake of pitching a blog post that’s already on your target’s website or won’t add value to their audience.
Editors receive an average of 10 pitches per day, and 20 percent of them don’t thoroughly read 90 percent of those pitches because they can tell at a glance they’re not worth the time. Make sure yours is in the 10 percent that the editors read.
How? By thoroughly reviewing the website you’re targeting. After reading the site’s content, you should be able to answer the following questions:
- Who is the audience? B2B, CEOs, moms working from home, etc.
- What is the level of the audience? beginner, intermediate, advanced, etc.
- What type of content do they post? 3,000+ word tutorials, quick tips and tricks, narrative essays, etc.
- What are the content gaps? Are they missing a comparison between two popular tools? Can you offer a different perspective on a hot topic?
- What topics do best? Use Buzzsumo to see what posts get the most shares on social media.
Keyword Research
Once you have a few topic ideas in mind, tie everything together with keyword research.
Presenting a unique guest post idea backed with a strong long-tail keyword shows you know how visitors reach the site and, therefore, can write for their audience.
Plus, you want people to read your post. Choosing a keyword with a decent amount of traffic ensures you’re writing a blog your target audience will find and consume.
Use Ubersuggest to find high traffic, low competition keywords. Remember to check your chosen site’s DA so you can target the right keywords.
How to Pitch Your Guest Post After Doing a Reverse Image Search on Your Competitors to Find Potential Backlink Opportunities
I have an in-depth guide on becoming a successful guest blogger, but here are the pitching basics to follow every time:
- Read the Guidelines
Always check to see if the site has guest posting guidelines. If they do, follow them to make sure your post doesn’t get rejected. According to research by PointVisable, 22 percent of guest posts are rejected for not following the guidelines.
- Personalize the Email
Hop onto LinkedIn or read the “About” page and find the exact person you need to email. If you can address the blog owner by name, you’ll have a higher chance of success than starting an email with “Dear Sir.”
- Introduce Yourself
Include your industry expertise, accolades, and link to other places you’ve been published. You want the person to understand you’re not a generalist. You’re an expert with something valuable to add.
Reverse Image Search FAQ
How do I reverse Google Image Search?
Go to images.google.com and click on the camera icon. Upload the image and click on search.
How do you do a Google reverse image search on my phone?
Download or take a screenshot of your chosen image, then open the Google (not the Chrome) app on your phone. Tap the rainbow camera icon, allow any permissions it asks for, then tap the gallery icon. Select an image from your phone, and Google will display the results. You can also use Google Lens to take a photo and search for it.
How do you reverse image search with Chrome?
If you’re using the Chrome browser (again, not the app), you can reverse image search by right-clicking on any picture and selecting “Search Google for an image.”
Is reverse image search free?
Yes. It’s a free tool you can access via Chrome.
Reverse Image Search Summary
As you can see, reverse image search is a powerful backlink tool. It can help you identify the best sites to target for backlinks and go after the sites giving your competitors results in their business.
However, searching for an image is only the start. Once you have a list of sites, do your due diligence and pitch blog post ideas to establish your business as the go-to expert.
Only compelling blog posts will get you the backlinks you need to rank higher on search, attract the right people onto your website, and into your sales funnel.
Do you think reverse image search is a good way to gain an advantage over your competitors?
5 Privacy Policy Generator Options For Your Website
If you collect information from your website visitors, you may be required by law to post a privacy policy on your website.
While not every country has privacy policy requirements, many auxiliary laws make the addition of a privacy policy necessary for compliance. Plus, if you want your website to be visible to a global audience, you need to adhere to global guidelines.
Additionally, many third-party applications require privacy policies to use their services. Examples of this include Google Analytics, Google Play, Apple App Store, and Google AdSense.
The last thing you want is to be taken to court by a website visitor over something as simple as a privacy policy.
So, how do you create a privacy policy?
Luckily, there are many online privacy policy generators you can use to help keep your site compliant.
In this post, we’ll show you how to find, use, and implement your privacy policy with a privacy policy generator.
What Is a Privacy Policy?
A privacy policy is a legal document telling website users if, how, and why you collect and store their personal information.
Personal information can be anything used to identify an individual, such as their name, date of birth, address, credit information, or online behaviors. The exact definition may vary between countries and laws, so be sure to research what requirements you need to meet before using a privacy policy generator.
A strong privacy policy should be informative and precise, without hidden clauses or confusing language. It should also include contact information in case your users need more information.
A privacy policy should include:
- what information you collect from website visitors
- how and why you obtain this information
- details about how you store the data you collect
- how and when you’ll inform users if your privacy policy is updated
- to whom you give access to the information collected (third party applications, newsletter services, analytics software, etc.)
Not only are privacy policies mandated in most countries, but they’re also a great way to build trust by keeping your marketing tactics transparent. Even if you’re not required to have one, it’s a good idea to do so anyway.
Here is an example of our privacy policy.
4 Reasons Why Your Website Needs a Privacy Policy
Regardless of whether you operate on a desktop, mobile app, or website, you need to have accurate and honest privacy policies in place to guide your users.
Here are the four most important reasons why your website needs a privacy policy.
1. Privacy Policies Are Often Required by Law
Many countries mandate privacy policies be available to help citizens understand their information rights.
In the United States, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires all websites that collect information from children to have a privacy policy.
Here is an example of Disney complying with this law.
The California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA) also requires any company gathering information from California-based users must display a privacy policy on their website.
Here is an example of this from the Wells Fargo website.
In the U.S., the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act mandates any businesses in the financial sector to provide honest statements about their collection and use of personal information.
Additionally, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires healthcare service providers to give written notice of their privacy practices.
Across the globe, many similar laws exist to protect the privacy of specific areas’ citizens. For example:
- Europe: The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protects data collected within the European Union.
- Canada: The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) governs any collection, use, storage, and disclosure of data collected from Canadian citizens.
- Australia: Australia’s Privacy Act of 1988 requires any company operating in Australia to post a privacy policy on its website.
Ultimately, privacy is a concern across the globe, so adding a privacy policy to your website could build trust and help you communicate with a global audience.
2. Customers Expect Honesty and Transparency About Privacy
People care about their privacy and want to be in charge of their information. This is especially true online, where information is often collected and stored without a user’s knowledge.
Displaying a privacy policy on your website shows your customers you care about their privacy and aren’t doing anything sneaky.
It also shows you have procedures to handle their information properly, which can help them trust your business.
While it’s essential to have a clear, concise, and transparent privacy policy to build user trust, feel free to get a little creative with your website’s privacy policy, you can find interesting or interactive ways to display your information.
Here is an example of Amazon’s Canadian privacy policy, which includes a clickable table of contents to help users navigate the policy.
3. Privacy Policies May Be Required by Third-Party Services
Many third-party services require a privacy policy to use their services, including Google Ads, Google Analytics, Facebook, and Apple.
This ensures they are also compliant with any international laws while you use their services.
For example, Google Analytics requires a specific privacy policy because it stores cookies on user devices and collects data.
If you are using any of Google’s advertising features, such as Google Display Network Impression Reporting, Google Analytics Demographics, and Interest Reporting, or any services involving Google Analytics, you need a privacy policy.
The same is true if you’re developing a Facebook app, Apple app, or Google Play app.
If you use or plan to use any third-party services, check their privacy policy and disclosure requirements.
4. Privacy Policies Can Show Your Brand Personality
If in line with your brand, adding humor, personality, and wit to your privacy policy can showcase your brand’s personality and win the hearts of your customers.
Check out this creative privacy policy by Ecquire.
Or this example from Major Tom, which uses a David Bowie quote to add some flair to their privacy policy.
The most important part of a privacy policy is the information you’re giving. Personality is a bonus if you can fit it in.
5 Best Privacy Policy Generators for Your Website
Now it’s time to dig into how you can create a privacy policy for your website.
Use a privacy policy generator like the ones listed below to create a clear and accurate privacy policy for your online presence.
1. FreePrivacyPolicy
FreePrivacyPolicy is an online privacy policy generator that helps you create a privacy policy online without the hassle of hiring a lawyer to write your legalese.
This free privacy policy generator can help you comply with CCPA, GDPR, CalOPPA, COPPA, Google Analytics, and more.
With this tool, you can also generate terms and conditions, cookie tracking policies, refund and return policies, disclaimers, and more.
Answer a few pre-generated questions, download your new privacy policy, and upload it to your site.
You can also update your policy later if your terms change.
2. Shopify Policy Generator
The Shopify Policy Generator can help you meet global privacy requirements and encourage customer trust.
This privacy policy generator is free with a 14-day Shopify trial, but you need to pay for a membership afterward.
Fill out a few fields on the Shopify website, and they’ll create a personalized privacy policy template you can customize later on.
You can also create a refund policy or terms of service policy with this same tool.
3. Privacy Policies
Privacy Policies is a free online privacy policy generator that can create privacy policies, EULAs, cookies policies, terms and conditions, and more.
Factors like your industry, operations, and platforms are considered to generate your privacy policy.
From there, you can modify, upload, and share your privacy policy with your website visitors.
4. Privacy Policy Online
Privacy Policy Online is a privacy policy generator tool that complies with international laws such as the CCPA, CalOPPA, and GDPR.
It also creates policies meeting leading advertising networks’ and third-party applications’ requirements.
Fill out a web form on the site, and Privacy Policy Online generates your new policy, ready for immediate upload.
With this tool, you can also generate terms and conditions as well as disclaimer notices.
5. Termly
Termly is a free online privacy policy generator to help you create a privacy policy for your website or mobile app.
It’s effective for GDPR, CCPA, CalOPPA, Google Analytics, AdSense, e-commerce laws, and more.
Termly also boasts automatic attorney updates, meaning whenever new legislation is approved, your current privacy policy will be amended and automatically updated.
You can create multiple policies for different platforms, helping to ensure you’re protected no matter where your services exist.
Privacy Policy Generator FAQs
Can I use a privacy policy generator?
Yes, privacy policy generators are a great way to create a compliant, legal document to let your website visitors know how you use and store their information.
How do I create a privacy policy?
You can either hire a lawyer to create a privacy policy or use a privacy policy generator online.
How can I create a privacy policy for free?
Many privacy policy generators offer free services. Check out our list of privacy policy generators above to find the right one for you.
Can I copy someone else’s privacy policy?
No. Terms of use and privacy policies are copyrighted documents. You need to create a unique privacy policy for your business.
Summary of Privacy Policy Generators
Creating a unique and tailored privacy policy can be daunting.
Hiring a lawyer, using legalese, and adhering to global marketing laws is no easy feat.
Luckily, privacy policy generators are available to help you create a privacy policy for your website or business.
A well-crafted privacy policy can also help you build trust with your customers and improve your brand integrity going forward.
What’s your favorite privacy policy generator?
It’s Time to Build Credit for Your Business
Did You Know You Can Build Credit for Your Business?
Yes, you really can build credit for your business.
But let’s start with some definitions and background on business credit.
Business Credit
This is credit in a business’s name. It is not tied to the owner’s creditworthiness. Instead, business credit scores depend on how well a company can pay its bills. Hence consumer and business credit scores can vary dramatically.
Business Credit Benefits
There are no demands for a personal guarantee. You can quickly get business credit regardless of personal credit quality. And there is no personal credit reporting of business accounts. Business credit utilization won’t affect your consumer FICO score. Plus the business owner isn’t personally liable for the debt the business incurs. The same can be true for you as you build credit for your business.
Another advantage is that even startups can do this. Heading to a bank for a business loan can be a formula for disappointment. But building company credit, when done right, is a plan for success.
Consumer credit scores are dependent on payments but also additional components like credit use percentages.
But for business credit, the scores actually only depend on if a company pays its debts in a timely manner.
Business Credit Details
Being accepted for business credit is not automatic. Building business credit requires some work. Some of the steps are intuitive, and some of them are not.
Yet, it can be done easily and quickly, and it is much speedier than developing personal credit scores.
Merchants are a big component of this process.
Performing the steps out of sequence leads to repetitive denials. Nobody can start at the top with company credit. For example, you can’t start with retail or cash credit from your bank. If you do, you’ll get a denial 100% of the time.
Fundability is the Start of How to Build Credit for Your Business
Fundability is the current ability of our business to get funding. Some factors are within your control. Others (like your time in business) aren’t. Your online presence and data are one area which is at or close to 100% with your control.
For example, a small business needs a professional-looking web site and e-mail address. And it needs to have site hosting from a supplier like GoDaddy.
Plus, business phone numbers should have a listing on 411. You can do that here: http://www.listyourself.net/ListYourself/.
Additionally, the business phone number should be toll-free (800 exchange or comparable).
A small business also needs a bank account dedicated only to it, and it needs to have all of the licenses necessary for operating.
Licenses
These licenses all have to be in the specific, correct name of the small business. And they need to have the same business address and phone numbers.
So keep in mind, that this means not just state licenses, but potentially also city licenses.
Keep your business protected with our professional business credit monitoring.
Build Credit for Your Business and Work With the IRS
Visit the Internal Revenue Service web site and get an EIN for the business. They’re free. Select a business entity like corporation, LLC, etc.
A company may start off as a sole proprietor. But they absolutely need to switch to a variety of corporation or an LLC.
This is to decrease risk. And it will maximize tax benefits.
A business entity matters when it involves taxes and liability in the event of a lawsuit. A sole proprietorship means the business owner is it when it comes to liability and tax obligations. Nobody else is responsible.
The best thing to do is to incorporate. You should only look at a DBA as an interim step on the way to incorporation.
Starting to Build Credit for Your Business
Begin at the D&B website and get a free D-U-N-S number. A D-U-N-S number is how D&B gets a small business in their system, to produce a PAYDEX score. If there is no D-U-N-S number, then there is no record and no PAYDEX score.
Once in D&B’s system, search Equifax and Experian’s sites for the company. You can do this at www.creditsuite.com/reports. If there is a record with them, check it for accuracy and completeness. If there are no records with them, go to the next step in the process.
By doing this, Experian and Equifax have something to report on.
Business Credit, Fundability, and Business Funding Applications
The better your business credit and fundability are, the more likely you will get approval for business financing. Consider your online presence.
Build Credit for Your Business with Your Professional Business Email and Website
There are some aspects of fundability where you should pay particular attention to what’s going on online. They include:
- Business owners listed and listed ownership uniform
- Business name and address uniform
- Industry aligned
- Company domain
- Information uniform on all records
Build Credit for Your Business with Your Business Ownership Listings
Records consistency matters here, too. Your website should show who owns your business. And that information needs to be consistent. So if the owner is named Susan Johnson on your website’s About page, then she can’t be listed as Sue Johnson on your Contact page. If your business ownership changes, you need to show that here.
Business Name and Address Uniformity
Abbreviations can be your downfall here, as can punctuation like hyphens, commas, and colons. If your Contact page says your main office is on Main Street, then your About page can’t say it’s on Main St.
If your business moves, or you add subsidiaries and other locations, then you need to update that information everywhere. This even means whether you use your 5-digit ZIP code, or a ZIP plus 4 code (9 digits).
Industry Alignment
If your business is over the road trucking, then it needs to be listed that way. Pro tip: when your industry can be called several different names, like long distance trucking, mention those other phrases on your website.
Your Company Domain
When your company domain matches your business name, it helps with fundability. Pro tip: try to match what people will be searching for online, so if (for example) the word ‘brothers’ is in your company name, then determine if ‘brothers’ or ‘bros’ will be used by people searching for your company and its goods and services online.
Keep your business protected with our professional business credit monitoring.
Your Email Address
Given that so much more of lending decisions is going on online these days, then your email address is an opportunity for your business to puts its best foot forward. Don’t squander this easy and free opportunity! General email addresses like admin@yoursite.com tend to be best.
With a general email address, if someone leaves your employ, another employee can seamlessly take over that email address. A username like admin, webmaster, or even hello is far, far better than cutiepie or the like, even if you’re in a playful industry that caters to kids. After all, your bank and banker aren’t.
Build Credit for Your Business with Records Consistency
Keep your records consistent! This includes your online records. LexisNexis and the SBFE (Small Business Financial Exchange) are looking at everything, so it had better match.
Inconsistent records will lead to a denial due to fraud because that’s how lenders interpret inconsistencies. This is a cause of denials which is in the business owner’s hands. You have the ability to change and correct this.
This means your business name, address, phone number – everything! – must look the same in these places and more:
- Every place your business has an online presence (your website, Yelp, SoTellUs, etc.)
- IRS records
- Your business’s records with Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, and Equifax
- All licenses needed to run your business
- Incorporation documents
Copy/paste this information; don’t chance it with retyping.
Starter Vendor Credit
First you ought to build tradelines that report. Then you’ll have an established credit profile, and you’ll get a business credit score.
And with an established business credit profile and score you can begin to get credit for numerous purposes, and from all sorts of places.
These types of accounts tend to be for things bought all the time, like marketing materials, shipping boxes, outdoor work wear, ink and toner, and office furniture.
But to start with, what is trade credit? These trade lines are credit issuers who give you starter credit when you have none now. Terms are generally Net 30, rather than revolving.
Therefore, if you get an approval for $1,000 in vendor credit and use all of it, you must pay that money back in a set term, like within 30 days on a Net 30 account.
Details
Net 30 accounts must be paid in full within 30 days. 60 accounts need to be paid completely within 60 days. Compared to revolving accounts, you have a set time when you have to pay back what you borrowed or the credit you used.
To kick off your business credit profile properly, you need to get approval for vendor accounts that report to the business credit reporting agencies. When that’s done, you can then use the credit.
Then pay back what you used, and the account is on report to Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, or Equifax.
Vendor Credit — It Helps
Not every vendor can help in the same way true starter credit can. These are merchants that grant approval with hardly any effort. You also need them to be reporting to one or more of the big three CRAs: Dun & Bradstreet, Equifax, and Experian.
As you get starter credit, you can also start to get credit from retailers. Here are some stellar choices from us: https://www.creditsuite.com/blog/5-vendor-accounts-that-build-your-business-credit/
Fleet Credit
Fleet credit is from service providers where you can buy fuel, and fix and take care of vehicles. You must use your SSN and date of birth on these applications for verification purposes. For credit checks and guarantees, make sure to apply using the business’s EIN.
Keep your business protected with our professional business credit monitoring.
More Universal Cash Credit
These are companies such as Visa and MasterCard. You must use your Social Security Number and date of birth on these applications for verification purposes. For credit checks and guarantees, use your EIN instead.
These are commonly MasterCard credit cards.
Monitor Your Business Credit
Know what is happening with your credit. Make sure it is being reported and fix any mistakes ASAP. Get in the practice of checking credit reports. Dig into the specifics, not just the scores.
We can help you monitor business credit at Experian, Equifax, and D&B for a lot less than it would cost you at the CRAs. See: www.creditsuite.com/monitoring.
Update Your Records
Update the relevant information if there are errors or the info is incomplete. At D&B, you can do this at: https://www.dnb.com/duns-number.html. For Experian, go here: www.experian.com/small-business/business-credit-information.jsp. So, for Equifax, go here: www.equifax.com/business/small-business.
Fix Your Business Credit
So, what’s all this monitoring for? It’s to challenge any problems in your records. Mistakes in your credit report(s) can be corrected. But the CRAs typically want you to dispute in a particular way.
Get your small business’s PAYDEX report at: www.dnb.com/about-us/our-data.html. Get your company’s Experian report at: www.businesscreditfacts.com/pdp.aspx?pg=SearchForm. And get your Equifax business credit report at: www.equifax.com/business/credit-information.
Disputes
Disputing credit report inaccuracies usually means you mail a paper letter with copies of any proofs of payment with it. These are documents like receipts and cancelled checks. Never mail the original copies. Always send copies and retain the original copies.
Fixing credit report inaccuracies also means you precisely itemize any charges you challenge. Make your dispute letter as clear as possible. Be specific about the issues with your report. Use certified mail to have proof that you sent in your dispute.
A Word about Business Credit Building
Always use credit sensibly! Never borrow beyond what you can pay back. Track balances and deadlines for repayments. Paying on time and completely does more to increase business credit scores than just about anything else.
Establishing small business credit pays off. Great business credit scores help a business get loans. Your credit issuer knows the company can pay its debts. They understand the small business is bona fide.
The company’s EIN connects to high scores and loan providers won’t feel the need to ask for a personal guarantee.
Build Credit for Your Business: Takeaways
Business credit is an asset which can help your business for many years to come. Learn more here and get started toward establishing company credit.
The post It’s Time to Build Credit for Your Business appeared first on Credit Suite.
MLB Power Rankings: Which AL team is our new No. 1?
The Padres’ stay at the top of our list is over, with a surging American League squad taking their place.
The post MLB Power Rankings: Which AL team is our new No. 1? appeared first on Buy It At A Bargain – Deals And Reviews.
5 PPC Business Ethics Examples and Best Practices
It’s no secret that competition in online advertising has become super stiff. In a bid to beat the competition, it’s easy to cross the line and employ shady tactics; tactics that may be unethical.
However, unethical PPC practices will do more harm than good for your business. They can also get you in trouble with the law.
That’s why as a digital marketer, you must always prioritize business ethics in all you do, including in your PPC ads.
Business ethics play a huge role in the success of your business. That’s why today, I want to focus on the topic from a PPC ads perspective.
The Importance of Business Ethics in PPC Ads
Business ethics refers to the moral principles that serve as guidelines for the way you conduct business. This includes everything from how you attract customers (via advertising) to the way you transact with them and everything in-between.
Business ethics are based on values like honesty, fairness, transparency, and social responsibility. An ethical marketer builds their PPC campaigns based on both moral and business perspectives.
In short, your PPC campaigns must help your prospects, not trick them into making a purchase, and they should also benefit your business. For some, walking this fine line is the most challenging aspect of running effective PPC ads.
Now, what’s the importance of business ethics in PPC ads?
Business Ethics Help You Build Strong Relationships With Customers
One of the most important reasons to practice business ethics in your PPC ads is to help you build strong relationships with your customers. People trust ethical brands as they’re authentic and transparent. They know they’ll get exactly what the brand promises in its ads.
As a marketer, put people before clicks (and profits). It will help you build strong relationships with your customers, leading you to enjoy higher retention rates.
Business Ethics Help You Develop a Good Reputation
Your reputation is one of your most important assets as a business. Two good reasons you must prioritize having a good reputation include:
- Create brand ambassadors: When a person clicks on your ad and gets a positive experience, they’re highly likely to recommend your brand to their family and friends.
- Improve your ad performance: Your brand’s reputation has an impact on the performance of your ads. Many users perform their own brand research before deciding to make a purchase. In today’s highly connected age, a poor reputation easily shows in the form of negative reviews.
Every business needs a good reputation to thrive, especially in a competitive environment. And good reputation management starts with employing good business ethics in all your activities, PPC ads included.
Ignoring business ethics in your PPC ads can only lead to wasted ad spend and a ruined business. With that out of the way, let’s quickly dive into the top five ethics you should follow as you create and run your PPC ads.
5 Examples of Business Ethics Principles You Should Follow in Your PPC Ads
To ensure your PPC ads follow business ethics principles, here are five best practices to keep in mind:
1. Don’t Advertise Misleading Products
One of the most unethical practices you must avoid as you steer your business towards ethical practices is giving your customers misleading information. Sadly, this is a common practice in the advertising industry, and some brands still utilize misinformation in a desperate bid to drive clicks. The internet abounds with examples of misleading ads; yours shouldn’t be one of them.
One of the most common examples of misinformation in PPC is advertising misleading products. This could be anything that includes:
- advertising products you can’t supply
- using a high-traffic keyword that’s not relevant
- using hype to infer your product does what, in reality, it doesn’t
There are many more ways unethical advertisers use misleading information to drive clicks. However, no matter how desperate you are to get people to click on your ads, don’t mislead your customers.
While you may get the clicks you want, the long-term effects of such unethical business practices are not worth it. For one, you’ll lose your customers’ trust. Even if they click on your ads, they’ll be so disappointed they won’t purchase what you’re selling.
No matter what products or services you’re advertising, be honest about the features and benefits. There are always people looking for what you have to offer.
Exaggerating the benefits of your product or service is tantamount to making a false claim. Promising your prospects a level of quality you can’t deliver will only ruin your reputation.
2. Only Include Honest Links in Ads
Business ethics, especially in PPC, demands that the message in your ads and the link destination must match.
Anything else is dishonesty.
Unfortunately, many unscrupulous businesses send people who click on a link in their PPC ads to a different destination. They advertise one thing and send visitors to a different landing page. Pulling a bait and switch like this goes against good business ethics. More than that, it leads to you losing your integrity as a business.
Besides the loss of integrity, dishonest links can lead to you being penalized for unethical practices. When your link takes customers to a page unrelated to what you’re advertising, your ad is considered a fake ad, and Google will take it down.
Dishonest links are prevalent among marketers who get paid using the cost-per-impression (CPM/CPI) model. They try to rack up impressions on their ads by creating their ads around popular keywords that attract a lot of traffic. When users click on the link, they’re directed to a different product or business.
As an ethical marketer, such tactics should never even be mentioned in your strategy and planning sessions. No matter how competitive your space may be, stick to ethical business practices.
3. Sell Your Products at Fair Prices
While some business ethics are clear-cut, others are not. Ethical pricing is one of those that isn’t so obvious.
If you’re wondering, ethical pricing means charging an amount that’s fair for your products.
It’s pricing your products in a way that allows you to make a profit without defrauding your customers. Doing so is not always easy as there are many factors that you have to consider to price your products fairly. The most significant are:
- market factors
- your competitors’ pricing
- availability
Besides fair pricing, you must also ensure to practice ethics in your PPC ad campaigns as a marketer. Make sure you’re fully transparent about all the costs your customers will incur when purchasing your product or services. There’s nothing as frustrating as thinking you’ve found the best deal on a product, only to click on the ad and discover the advertised price wasn’t genuine.
From shipping to discounts and everything in between, your ads must be clear about the final price your customers will pay for your product. Doing so is essential to building trust with your customers. It’s also critical to reducing cart abandonment as undisclosed shipping costs are one of the leading causes of cart abandonment.
The bottom line is, sell your products at a fair price and make sure you’re transparent about pricing in your PPC ads and landing pages.
4. Don’t Plagiarize
As a marketer, you probably look for inspiration from ads that have performed well, but that’s as far as competitor research should go.
Never plagiarize other brands’ ad copy.
For your brand to do well online, you must follow Google’s search evaluator guidelines, the most significant being the EAT guidelines. Google’s EAT guidelines have a huge bearing on how you ethically create your PPC ad copy. Here’s what the acronym stands for and what it means to your ad copy creation:
Expertise
Your ad copy must reflect your expertise in your niche or industry. Show your customers why you’re the best. However, make sure not to stretch the truth as that would be dishonest and unethical.
Authoritativeness
People want to buy from brands that have built a reputation for themselves. A good reputation is born out of practicing good business ethics. Let your authority shine through every piece of content in your sales funnel—especially your ad and landing page copy.
Trustworthiness
Trust is one of the most significant factors that drive clicks to your ads. To build trust with your audience, you must be authentic. Avoid plagiarizing other brands’ ads or any other assets that have had a positive impact on their ads.
With so many brands vying for the same customers, authenticity and originality are essential to helping you stand out from the crowd. Following Google’s search evaluator guidelines will help you ensure your content does just that.
Your ad copy will have your unique personality and highlight your particular area of authority, thereby allowing you to attract your ideal buyer persona. More than that, it will help you rank well and drive clicks to your offer.
5. Don’t Use Click Fraud
One of PPC’s strengths has become a loophole that devious marketers now exploit. Yes, I’m talking about the cost-per-click (CPC) model and how some marketers commit click fraud.
What is click fraud?
Click fraud is when an individual exploits PPC ads by repeatedly clicking on them to generate fraudulent charges. As a result, the advertiser’s ad spend shoots through the roof while their conversion rates tank. Not to mention that crucial data said advertiser uses to create better iterations of their campaign gets skewed.
The main reason unscrupulous marketers leverage click fraud as part of their business strategy is to exhaust their competitor’s ad budget. Once their budget is spent, their ads will decrease, giving the unethical marketer a better shot at driving traffic to their ads.
Marketers also sometimes use click fraud on their own ads to “game” paid search advertising. By generating more clicks on their ads, they boost their quality score on Google Ads.
Your quality score depends on many factors, with the main two being ad relevance and the click-through rate (CTR) the ad generates. Both are factors that can be manipulated through click fraud.
Why would a publisher commit click fraud on their ads?
Simple. A good quality score is critical to marketers as it results in:
- lower CPC
- lower acquisition costs
- better rankings for ads
While the advantages of having a good quality score are massive, you shouldn’t stoop to click fraud to get them. Improve your score as best you can, but make sure it’s within the confines of good business ethics.
Business Ethics in PPC FAQs
Can I Use Hype in My Headlines?
Using hype in your ad headlines is unethical. It’s the same as clickbait and should never be used to move people to click on your ads.
Instead, use benefit-driven headlines as they’re more truthful. They also address your target audience’s pain points, resulting in better conversions.
Is It Wrong for a New Business to Gain Traction by Manipulating Ad Clicks?
The type of foundation you lay for your business determines its outcome. Once you start using unethical business practices, you’ll use them every time you need a “quick fix.” So, yes. It’s wrong to manipulate clicks at any stage of your business, even for the sake of just gaining traction.
Business Ethics Conclusion
Despite the economic atmosphere being cutthroat, you must ensure you conduct your business ethically.
That’s especially true for your advertising tactics.
People don’t like being scammed, and unethical PPC ads fall on the dark side of false, misleading, and spammy advertising. While you may initially get some traction using deceptive advertising, you won’t succeed in the long run.
To build a sustainable business, you can only do so based on implementing good business ethics. Be ethical on social media, in your content, your PPC ads, and everything else you do to boost your business. This way, you’ll be able to build a good reputation and grow your loyal repeat customers.
What other business ethics examples and best practices do you think PPC advertisers should follow?
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8th Wall | 8thwall.com | Full Time | Palo Alto, CA 8th Wall develops the world’s leading WebAR platform. We run on the cutting-edge of today’s modern web, leveraging WebAssembly, WebGL, and cloud edge-compute to enable augmented reality that runs in the mobile browser, no app needed. Company Info: 25+ people, tech-focused, growth stage
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