What's the Best, Easiest CMS for Small Business?

If you read the subject line of this blog post and wondered, "what's CMS?" then this month's flyte log is for you.

CMS stands for Content Management System. It's a platform for building Web sites that lets you, the site owner ,take more control over your own site and therefore your business. You don't need to know any HTML or CSS, basic building blocks of the Web. You don't need to know any code. Your only responsibility is to continually create killer content that attracts and converts customers.

Over the past year flyte probably built more sites on CMS platforms than not. Our two main tools were open-source CMS solutions: Joomla and WordPress. There are plenty of other platforms out there as well, and I know a lot of people like Drupal which is another open-source CMS.

In our experience, Joomla is more powerful and more scalable, but has a steeper learning curve. It's great for bigger sites and member-driven Web sites. WordPress is easier to learn, is an excellent blogging platform, and no site is too small for WordPress.

CMS isn't just for new sites; you can convert your current, static site over to WordPress as well. In fact, we've taken static designs and created similar or identical templates for Joomla and WordPress, migrated the data to the new site, and trained small business owners on how to update their own sites.

To learn more about CMSs, check out this month's article, Content Management Systems: Time to Upgrade Your Web Site.

When you're ready to upgrade your own site, just let us know.

Rich Brooks
CMS for Small Business

ProSites - Affordable Web Sites for Small Businesses

We don't often promote individual ProSites -- our affordable Web sites for small businesses -- here at the flyte blog, but every once in a while it's nice to list some of the companies that are now using the ProSites.

• Maine Custom Woodlands - A full service timber harvesting, land management and excavation company.
• Alan Shaver - Candidate for trustee of the Episcopal Church Pension Fund.
• Psychological Associates of Northern Jersey - A multi-disciplinary partnership of mental health professionals in northern NJ.
• Business Etiquette Institute - Margie Kelly, a business etiquette consultant.
• Reduce My College Costs - A resource-rich Web site for parents of college-bound children looking to save money on tuition.

All of these sites are built on the WordPress platform, allowing our clients to update their Web site without any HTML knowledge or expensive 3rd party software. Just a modern browser is all they need to keep their Web site fresh and smelling like springtime.

Rich Brooks
Small Business Web Sites

Twelve Months of Web Marketing Articles from Flyte

It's December, that time of the year where we look back and regurgitate our content rather than create fresh content reflect on what we've said and done.

Like in years past, we've published 12 more issues of flyte log, our monthly Web marketing ezine. If you haven't read all of these posts odds are you aren't my mother (aka my editor.) Here's your chance to catch up:

• How Google Analytics Can Make You the Life of the Party 
• How I Increased My Email Signup Rate by 5,000%...and How You Can, Too
• Jumpstart Your Blog: A Business Blogging Workout Regimen
• Does Your Web Site Beat the Competition?
• A Web Marketing Tool with Great ROI
• How to Use Twitter for Business
• Keyword Placement for Maximum Results
• Beginner's Guide to Google Analytics
• Microblogging: The Future of Communications?
• Does Your Small Business Need a Social Media Strategy?
• Six Simple Steps to Generate Business from LinkedIn
• Facebook for Small Business and Entrepreneurs

Looking back on it, social media seems to be the topic of 2008, and I don't expect that to change in 2009. Small businesses will continue to look for low-cost, high-return methods of marketing, and a social media strategy will be the competitive advantage many of them are looking for.

What trends do you expect to see in 2009?

Rich Brooks
Seer

SEO Web Marketing Reminder

Flyte's first Webinar open to the public is tomorrow, Thursday, 12/18/2008, at 1pm EST. The topic is Search Engine Optimization: Rank Higher, Sell More!

Who Should Attend:

• Small Business Owners
• Marketing Professionals

Experience Level:

• Beginner to Intermediate

What You'll Learn:

• Understanding of how search engines work and rank your site
• How to optimize your site for increased search engine visibility
• How to increase the number of quality incoming links

What You'll Need to Participate:

• A decent Internet connection
• A separate phone line

Cost: $25

To learn more and register, visit flyte's Web Marketing Events page.

See you then!

Rich Brooks
Search Engine Webinarista

Flyte Has Street (View) Cred

A few weeks ago (or so) Google Maps Street View published new photos of southern Maine. This shot of 136 Commercial Street is a little off (we're actually a couple of doors down in the highlighted building) but it's still nice to see our building.

Hey, is that my 4-Runner?

That DiMillo's sign (top right corner) is also featured at the flyte Web site in a night time shot.

Where in the World Is...
Rich Brooks

Search Engine Optimization Webinar

Every time I post/email/promote that I'll be putting on a seminar here in Maine I invariably get a few people who ask when I'm coming to Buffalo/Dallas/Sri Lanka because they can't make it to Maine.

Well, thanks to the Interwebs, I think I have that problem licked. I'll be putting on my first public Webinar next week. The subject is Search Engine Optimization: Rank Higher, Sell More! I'll be talking about how to improve your organic search engine rankings through onpage optimization techniques and link building.

If your site isn't getting the visibility you're hoping for, then please join me:

Date: Thursday, 12/18/2008
Time: 1pm - 2pm EST
Place: Your Desktop
Cost: $25

There's only 50 "seats" I'm making available, and about a dozen of them were taken before I posted this.

You'll need a decent Internet connection for the video and a phone line for the audio portion of the program. Hope to see you there!

Do you want to learn more about search engine optimization, but that wicked snow storm outside is keeping you house bound? Then I have the perfect solution for you.

I'll be putting on my first public Webinar next week. The subject is Search Engine Optimization: Rank Higher, Sell More! I'll be talking about how to improve your organic search engine rankings through onpage optimization techniques and link building.

If your site isn't getting the visibility you're hoping for, then please join me:

Date: Thursday, 12/18/2008
Time: 1pm - 2pm EST
Place: Your Desktop
Cost: $25

There's only 50 "seats" I'm making available, and about a dozen of them were taken before I posted this.

You'll need a decent Internet connection for the video and a phone line for the audio portion of the program. Hope to see you there!

Rich Brooks
NakedWebinars.com (Coming Soon)

Converting Keynote to Google Presentations and Slideshare

Being the loyal Mac user that I am, I use Keynote rather than PowerPoint when presenting to an audience. (Plus, I love those transitions!)

Earlier today I put on Social Media and Your Brand: Go Viral! for the Maine Marketing Association's lunch and learn. I was asked if I could share my slides, and since the presentation was on social media, I decided to use some of the social media tools at my disposal.

Two popular options are Google Presentation (part of Google Docs) and SlideShare. Both allow you to create, import and share slideshow presentations. Both also can be embedded into your LinkedIn profile. Both also choke on Keynote presentations.

The first thing you need to do in Keynote is save your presentation in the PowerPoint format (PPT.) You can do this by choosing File > Export.... Next you'll see this screen:

Choose PowerPoint and hit Next.... Then you can save your ppt file.

You can then import your .ppt file into Google Presentation or SlideShare. I tried both and found that the Google Presentation version was way off in terms of alignment. Not surprisingly, the fonts that worked well in the presentation weren't supported on the Web. However, many of the words bled off the edges of the screen, the centering was all off, and links and bullets were inconsistent.

I thought I could maybe tweak some things in PowerPoint and then reimport to Google, but PowerPoint--perhaps sensing I had been unfaithful--quit every time I tried to open the file.

I had never used SlideShare before, so I decided to give it a chance. Importing the file was as simple as clicking a button. Although there were still changes in fonts, and there were also inconsistencies with links and bullets, overall, it did a much better job of keeping the integrity of the original slideshow. One major frustration is that it replaced my Web-friendly Trebuchet MS with a less interesting font.

Please note that both of these presentations are a bit wider than this blog column, but I didn't feel like fiddling with the fine tuning. One nice thing about both Google and SlideShare is that they kept the links in the presentation live.

Social Media and Your Brand: Go Viral!

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: social media)

If you'd like to compare that to the Google Presentation you can check that out here:

Rich Brooks
Social Media Guy

Web Marketing Course for Entrepreneurs and Small Business

I can't believe that we're just one week away from the first class of Web Marketing for Entrepreneurs and Small Business over at the University of Southern Maine.

Well, actually I can, as I spent most of yesterday afternoon updating and revamping the search engine optimization content for the class. And I've blocked out plenty of hours this week to review the rest of my content and build out the social media component. But the "I can't believe" part stresses the fact that it's only a week away, and if you were planning on coming you've got to get a move on.

Who should go? Well, you should be in driving distance of Portland, Maine. (Yes, one of these days I'll create an online version, but not today.) Assuming that you can get to the campus, this course is geared to small business owners, marketers and entrepreneurs who are looking to build a Web presence to grow their business.

Topics will include search engine visibility (how do you out rank your competition,) email marketing, business blogs, social media, e-commerce, and building a Web site that will convert prospects into customers.

The course is held over four Monday nights, 11/10/2008 - 12/1/2008, from 6pm - 8pm at the Abromson Center on the campus of the University of Southern Maine (directions.) The cost is $205, but you need to pre-register for the class, so...

Register Now!

We'll be spending class time reviewing students' current Web sites (when applicable) and making on the spot recommendations to help you rank higher, drive more qualified leads to your site, and convert more prospects into customers. So what are you waiting for?

Register Now!

Rich Brooks
Oh Captain, Your Captain

Search Engine Notes at the Maine SEO Blog

Last week Nicki Hicks and Cybele Brooks from flyte attended the Search Marketing Expo in NYC. Three days of intensive education on search marketing, local search, mobile search, incoming links and new trends in search engine optimization.

Nicki has transcribed most of her notes into a series of posts at flyte's Maine SEO blog:

• Ask the SEOs
• External Linking Tactics
• CSS, Ajax, Web 2.0 and SEO
• Personalized and Customized Search
• Internal Linking Tactics
• Search and Reputation Management
• Paid Search Fundamentals
• What's New with Local Search Marketing?
• Search and the iPhone

Now these are just session notes...sometimes "you had to be there." If you have more questions or wonder how to apply this to your own site be sure to contact Nicki directly for more help.

And, if you haven't yet subscribed to the Maine SEO blog RSS feed, now's your chance!

Rich Brooks
SEO for Small Business

The Future of Small Business Blogging: A Video Interview

One of the funny things at BlogWorld is how everyone seems to have a video camera and is doing quick interviews with everyone else. I didn't have my Flip video camera handy, but Denise Wakeman from the Blogsquad interviewed me between sessions on the future of small business blogging while her Blogsquad partner, Patsi Krakoff snapped some photos in the background.

If you can't see the video below, watch it here.

Rich Brooks
Apparently NOT Ready for My Close Up