What is a PageRank? Why should I care? How does a PageRank benefit me? These are all good questions. A PageRank is a numeric value that represents how important a web page is on the web often referred to as ‘PR’ in regards to the online world. Google considers and discovers when your website is LINKED to another site, that a vote is being cast on your site. Think popularity, when your link is among other sites Google starts to give you a PageRank. You should care about your PageRank because it can significantly increase your online presence, let alone your traffic. To give you an idea of what a good page rank is; there are only 12 websites total with a PageRank of 10 – Google being one of them and USA.gov being another. There are close to 150 domains PageRanked 9 – with Facebook being one. Now I bet you’re wondering, ‘How does a PageRank benefit me?’ and ‘What should my PR be?’ Read on for this week’s 5 Ways To Help Build And Improve Your PageRank……

Guest Posting

Guest posting can be extremely effective in generating traffic to your site and helping build your PR. For example, if your site is a PR1 and you find a way to get an article that you have written for a high profile blog to be published, if done properly, your link should be included in the article bio or somewhere throughout the article. Best way to tackle guest posting is to search for the best in your industry and find a way to write guest posts for them. Most will have a curriculum and submission process already in place.

Submitting To Search Engine Directories

Submitting to search engine directories is one of the first things you should do when trying to increase your PR. This is the easiest way to get a free link to your site. Most directories are free which makes for a no-brainer. Be on the lookout for how to submit to search engine directories on www.bossstart.com

Commenting On High Profile Blogs

Commenting is important. Be sure not to be spam or just comment on a post or topic that has nothing to do with your site or what you wrote. Start out by finding a few blogs that deal with your industry and try to bring value to the topic. What I mean by that is to try answering a question someone posted in the comment section; do this a few times before including a link for your site in each post. It’s professional and makes you look less spam-y. Once you start, stay active and join the community that your business is in.

Consistently Creating And Publishing Articles AKA Blogging

Being consistent is important. For example if you typically post once a week, then make sure to post at least once a week. Define a goal for your blog and make it happen. Publishing new content keeps your site fresh and lets Google know your snot a spam site.

Keyword Optimization

Making sure your site is optimized properly with industry specific keywords is important. This helps Google know what your site is about, making it easy to relate and direct searches to your site. When you reach this point, your PR should already be improved and the rank will continue to increase when you start receiving a decent amount of search engine traffic. Strive for a PR ranging from a 3-5, but by no means stop if you exceed a 5.

Home Depot is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products, we all knew that right? The stores range anywhere from the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada to even China. The headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia and the average store size is 105,500 square feet. While these are interesting facts, check out the Boss 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Home Depot.

1. Home Depot has the most Olympic medals held in a company by its employees.
2. Home Depot was the fastest growing retailer, faster than Target, Best-Buy and even Wal-Mart.
3. The domain homedepot.com attracts more than 120 million visits per year.
4. One of the Co-Founders, Frank Blake, purchased the Atlanta Falcons franchise
5. Its rapid growth is partially contributed to “1990′s home improvement industry boom”, where consumers spent high amounts of money on improving their home.

So you’ve already built your website, and most likely spent a great deal of money on it. Great job! Your online presence is obviously, and rightfully important to you. But now your website is losing its momentum and no longer has that “new” feeling, so what do you do next? Great question. While search engine marketing is important to help gain traffic through search engines, there are also many ways you can still promote your site that cost very little, and even nothing at all. This week we give you our Boss 5 – 5 Ways To Promote Your Website After It’s Built:

•  Facebook is a great way to promote your website and business. It is important to understand that this page is not about you, its about your customers and fans. Make sure you are giving them some interesting and pertinent reasons to keep abreast of your business and new products.
• Twitter is another great tool to help promote your business. It allows you to reach people whom you could not reach in other places and delivers instant “tweets” to your followers. This helps your customers feel invested in you and frequently reminds them that you’re here for them when they need you.
• Banner Exchange is a great way to promote your site on other websites that are relevant in your market and to your potential customers. The best part is: as part of the package we supply you with a web banner that is properly coded and ready to use immediately as a way of cross-promotion
• Hyperlink! Putting a link in your email signature is extremely effective at getting traffic. Making it a hyperlink is even more crucial. This will allow the person you emailed to click your website, rather than having to copy and past the url. It’s the small things that can create a huge difference.
• Business Cards are not DEAD! While networking and meeting new people, make sure your business card is on you, has your website listed, and is easily readable. Get out there and spread the word! YOU should be your best spokesman!

There are over 5,000 celebrities who get paid to send a “tweet” on the popular social networking service Twitter. These tweets include large brands such as Toyota, Sony, Best Buy and Old Navy, and even some smaller companies and non profit organizations. The companies and celebrities usually aren’t even the ones ‘”tweeting”. Typically they have someone who tweets for them, often referred to as “ghost writers”. In order to keep an authentic tone, celebrities can pick and choose tweets for products/companies they want or don’t want to promote. Knowing this, we were curious as to how much value a celeb tweet could really add to a brand (given that over 90 million tweets are generated daily!) So let’s look at 5 Celebrities Making Money On Twitter.

@lindsaylohan

• Over 2.4 million followers
• Charges $2,985 per tweet

@miketyson

• Over 850,000 followers
• Charges $3,250 per 140 character tweet

@joseconseco

• Over 400,000 followers
• Charges $3,900 per tweet

@michaelianblack

• Over 1.5 million followers
• Charges $5,882.50 per tweet

@khloekardashian

• Close to 3 million followers
• Charges $8,235 per tweet

So what do you think? Do endorsed “tweets” seems like a practical business move to you? Let Us Know!

Once you have your brand established, its time to start some entrepreneurial social networking. Most companies have websites and even more so use social media. Social media is the largest free form of advertising/marketing being used in today’s digital age. Here are this week’s Boss 5 tips to grow your presences and get your name out there.

Tip #1:

People want to be treated as individuals rather than just a number or the next person in line.  They want to see that they matter. Instead of giving the 100th person who ‘likes’ your Facebook fan page a prize, try giving something to charity for every person who ‘likes’ your page. This way you show that you’re not only trying to get your numbers up, you’re giving back to the community. Thank people for liking your page and answer questions on your fan page in a timely manner.  Time and time again we at BossStart see a fan page where a fan asked a wonderful question with no comment back. We know you’re busy, but don’t be that company.

Tip #2:

Reward your fans for following you on twitter or checking in to your local store or clubs. This in return will give you repeat business over and over.  A free small drink or a free ticket to a show will go a long way. Times are tough, so ‘thank you’s’ don’t need to be grand gestures or costly.  Do something nice and unexpected for your followers. This way you’re showing that you care.

Tip #3:

Now the hard part is over. People “like” you.  Followers are “following” your business/brand. Now you should start teaching and showing your product off to the world. You have a large presence on social sites – now turn that into revenue. Bringing value to customers and generating profits – that the whole point of being in business, isn’t it? You have the perfect audience to show off your brand. Remember people are not numbers. Be sure you make them feel more personally engaged.

Tip #4:

Keep your sites updated with photos, media, and YouTube.  Let them know what you’re doing, who you’re working with, and how you’re continuing to stay involved.  You can use those same prizes and contests we talked about and use that to help you sell. Keep it fresh and don’t let too much time pass before the next update. Most businesses evolve and grow, so let people know you’re changing.

Tip #5:

Get help when you need it. Some problem cannot be solved alone. If you need help just ask, friends, family, even US! BossStart is here to answer any social media question you may have.

You can feel free to email us at: thebossstart@gmail.com,

Skype us under: BossStart,

Or Facebook Chat at: http://www.facebook.com/bossstartfanpage

While some argue that an entrepreneur is an entrepreneur at birth, it is still wise to add some tools to your arsenal as you evolve into a successful entrepreneur. This week we are looking at some of the top colleges to study entrepreneurship. Even though entrepreneurship has been around for a while, Joseph Schumpeter helped gain notoriety for the entrepreneur movement in the 1930′s. Only in the last 5-10 years has entrepreneurship see tremendous growth – enough so it has even been referred to as the ‘current solution to the economic downturn’. This weeks Boss 5 shares 5 Outstanding Entrepreneur Colleges In The US.

Brigham Young University (BYU) Provo, UT

BYU offers an outstanding entrepreneurship and technology program. In 2010 it ranked 4^th in The Princeton Review of 2010 Best Entrepreneurial Colleges. The tuition average cost is $19,960 and boasts a faculty consisting of 100% who are entrepreneurs.

University of Chicago (UC) Chicago, IL

With 63% of faculty being an entrepreneur, the school is still ranked among one of the best in the world for its business program. Six faculty members of the UC Booth School of Business have won Nobel Prizes for their effective approach to business. UC even awards $75,000 yearly for business plan competitions. UC even has several mentorship programs for upcoming entrepreneurs.

University of Arizona (AZU) Tucson, AZ

AZU’s Eller College of Management’s Department of Management Information Systems is ranked #7 overall in the country.Tuition at AZU is from $16,000 to $30,000 a year. Scholarships are available for entrepreneur students. As part of AZU’s entrepreneur concentrated program, there are programs to help aspiring entrepreneurs with writing a business plan and helping startups get funding.

Rice University (RU) Houston, TX

RU’s MBA programs have been recognized for leadership and innovation throughout the world by Business Week, U.S. News and World Report, the Financial Times, the Economist, and Entrepreneur magazine. RU has Mentorships programs, 100% of faculty entrepreneurs and over $400,000 in scholarships monies are available. Tuition is around $40,000.

University of South Florida (USF) Tampa, FL

Not only is USF located in metropolitan Tampa, FL, it boasts a strong entrepreneur program with yearly tuition averaging around $19,500. USF offers mentor programs, scholarships funds, and many entrepreneurial organizations to help grow the community.

This week’s Boss 5 focuses on 5 Fantastic Financial Apps & Tools. We are sharing some great tools to help you manage your finances (personally AND professionally), and to hopefully help take the edge off of the stress of keeping your books straight.

Mint.com

Mint.com is a free site and app that makes the stress of managing finances a thing of the past.  It allows you to see all your bills, banking, and investments. Users only need to upload their bank and account information to this very secure site. It can even be used on most smart phones. As a Mint user myself, Mint helps me save money, find a better insurance rate for my car, and it also suggests different banks with higher interest rates so I can save and earn more money.

Indeed.com

This is another great free site for BossStart readers. Indeed.com is a great tool for finding a job. Users can search for jobs and see up-to-the-minute job postings throughout your day while getting coffee in the morning and even in line at the post office while you’re mailing out those resumes. It shows you recent searches and saves the entries. This is another great site that offers users the convenience of usage on most smartphones.

Coupon Sherpa

This exceptionally cool app is downloaded right from your phone. It helps you save money and search for coupons while on the go or in line at the grocery store. Depending on the category, you can save hundreds of dollars. Want to find the location nearest you with that discounted price? It does that too – just scan the barcode! (Currently only available on the Iphone)

Buzzillions

This is a free and easy-to-use app that helps you to compare brands. Who wouldn’t want to know which brand has the best reviews, customer satisfaction ratings, or is most cost effective? This app is used like a search engine on your phone. Just enter in the product you’re searching to see the star rating.

InDinero.com

InDinero.com is a fairly new site. This site helps you manage your money for your business. It offers similar benefits to Mint.com while a lot more user-friendly. It collects data from your bank accounts and organizes all your finances. Plans vary from free, $29.95/month, to $99.95/month, depending on your need. Sign up is quick and easy and they offer both phone and email support.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the last few years, you’re aware that Twitter is a widely used social networking tool and can be orchestral to the success of your business. There are over 200 million registered users utilizing the social platform and it’s just over 5 years old. Granted there are many fads and gimmicks abound. Take for instance: Charlie Sheen. He broke the Guinness Book of World Records “Fastest Time to Reach 1 Million Followers” record in a mere 25 hours and 17 minutes. Then there is the controversial ‘shock jockey’ Lady Gaga. Her Twitter feed has over 10 million followers. Entertainers are just like any other entrepreneur – they sell a product in the form of their brand, image, and art. While it may be unlikely for your business to reach 10 million followers, it’s still an important business tool and should be integral to your business plan lest you be left behind in today’s digital age. Twitter is all about marketing and networking. It’s just as important to build your reader base as it is to follow others. This week’s Boss 5 highlights 5 Badass Entrepreneurs To Follow On Twitter.

@jack

Jack Dorsey is the Creator, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Twitter; and CEO of Square. Dorsey has been named an outstanding innovator under the age of 35 by the TR100

@GuyKawasaki

Guy is an entrepreneur, blogger and author of many books. Kawasaki also contributes to a monthly column in Entrepreneur Magazine. He lists himself as “Co-founder of Alltop. Former chief evangelist of Apple. Author of Enchantment”.

@JasonFried

Jason is Founder of 37signals and the  Co-author of REWORK.  37 signals is a web application company that approaches the premium buy-in model and delivers outstanding customer service to its customers. Jason also contributes monthly to Inc. Magazine. Jason is very engaging on Twitter so make sure to interact with him.

@Garyvee

Gary Vaynerchuk is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best-Selling author who is also a self-trained wine and social media expert. Gary is the founder of Wine Library TV which attracts over 100,000 viewers daily.

@DrBobParsons

Bob Parsons is the CEO and founder of godaddy.com. Bob is an extremely successful entrepreneur who also runs a blog http://www.bobparsons.me/index.php

As a business owner, you know that your car is your valiant workhorse. You take it to buy supplies, to the office, to meet clients, on business trips, etc. This weeks Boss 5 gives you 5 Auto Maintenance Tips For The Entrepreneur.

1. Keeping your car well maintained can save you time and money. The upkeep of your car is very important. Good maintenance reduces the risk of a brake down, which would take precious time away from your business. Time is money, and time dealing with unnecessary auto repairs is more money out of your pocket than just the cost of repairs. In addition, proper maintenance of your car adds to its resell value.

2. A car in poor running condition will use more gas than one that has been tuned up. This can cost you more money if unattended. A clogged fuel filter can harm your car and reduce gas mileage up to 20%. Spark plugs in poor condition reduce gas mileage up to 12%.

3. Underinflated tires aren’t just dangerous â€â€ they devour fuel economy by as much as 25%! (I know this from experience â€â€My Toyota Prius was losing 5 mpg due to worn tires). Overinflated tires aren’t efficient either. You should also be sure to keep your tires balanced and aligned. Better to be safe than sorry.

4. Carry only what you need for your business. Don’t leave heavy things in your trunk. “For every extra 250 pounds your engine hauls, the car loses about one mile per gallon in fuel economy.” [via Bankrate] Reduce your car’s workload â€â€ remove anything that might cause drag: luggage racks, bike racks, ski racks, etc. This will save fuel.

5. Properly measuring and topping off your fluids is a great way of keeping up with your cars longevity. Change your oil regularly and ask your local auto mechanic to accommodate all of your autos needs. Below is a list to help you get started.

Maintenance checklist:

• Air Filter
• Brakes
• Coolant
• Drive Axle Boots
• Drive Belts
• Regular oil changes
• Power Steering Fluid
• Rotating Tires
• Spark Plugs
• Timing Belts
• Tire Pressure
• Transmission Fluid

We love Gmail and wholeheartedly recommend that if you are not using it presently, you should make the switch now. Seriously. Go HERE.

Worried about switching over? And how to let everyone know you have changed your email address? No worries. Gmail allows you to import and forward mail for POP/IMAP accounts. Don’t forget to create a custom signature in the settings option! Gmail also uses the ‘archive’ option – which basically stores your messages for future access while not taking up space in your inbox.

There are countless features in Gmail to improve efficiency and organization for you and your business. This weeks ‘Boss 5′ highlights 5 Reasons Why Gmail Is Invaluable. Try it out. You will thank us later… Well. You’ll thank Google.

Free

Duh. Gmail is by far the best email option on the web. With your Gmail account you’ll get plenty of free storage, numerous time saving features and several ways to keep organized and effective. All for the low, low price of: Nothing!

Built-in Chat

The built in chat feature makes life easy. With just one click you can chat, talk face to face, or dial with voice all in your email window. You can set your status as available, busy, or even a custom message for colleagues. It even has an option to ‘invite to chat’ if you would rather not send an email and you see someone is online.

Labels/Filters

The labeling option is a valuable asset with Gmail. Labeling messages by color, importance, and with the ability to organize in folders – it helps to keep things simple and easy to find. Filtering messages allows you create certain automated actions when emails come in. For example, lets say you have your WordPress requests for comment approvals being emailed to you; creating a filter will allow you to mark as read/unread, move to a certain ‘prioritized folder’ and ultimately allow you to prioritize your time effectively when those important emails come in. After all, emails can take up a large portion of your day without you even noticing. We recommend you be as proficient as possible when catching up on emails.

Security

Gmail uses HTTPS encryption to keep your mail secure – just like bank websites. Security is extremely important in email, especially for those who are running a business and need to keep sensitive information protected. Google, being one of the largest companies in the world, makes it obvious that your safety is guaranteed with Gmail.

Search

Now I know the search option is available with almost any email account, but the search option in Gmail is extremely detailed. You will find the exact message you are looking for. Whether you are searching by keyword, content, or by name, the search option in Gmail is outstanding.