Hi! Vanessa Andruz here. Melodee’s really busy at the moment, so I’m taking over her blog to announce my new ebook! I’ve combined my previous ebook series, plus two more info-packed sections, into one comprehensive “How To” ebook for all you aspiring VAs out there. Here’s what you’ll read about in The Adventures of Vanessa Andruz, Virtual Assistant : deciding on a business structure choosing a company name setting up a home office discovering your niche determining the services you’ll provide setting your rates branding your business selecting a web host designing your website removing the fear of networking Want to know more?

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How to Start a Successful VA Business

How can you come up with keyword ideas?  A good starting point is to use online keyword software to get some more ideas. There are programs like Overture that can take one keyword and then they will return many more for you to look consider.  These keywords can be used in your content and elsewhere on your website.  Many Internet marketers also use WordTracker’s Free Keyword Tool to help them determine which keywords are popular.  These keyword programs obtain their results from the various search engines so you can be assured that your keywords represent current parameters.

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Keywords – The Next Step In Your SEO Plan

Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour programme today has featured two of the UK’s most experienced Virtual Assistants, Emma Walker and Justine Curtis – the broadcast can be downloaded from the BBC website .  It’s great to see that the media is giving the VA industry air-time – not only as a career option for women but also as a great administrative solution for businesses in tough economic times.

Link:
Virtual Assistants on BBC Radio 4 today

So, how exactly do you get your website up to the top spots in the search engines?  There are several tools and resources that can help with achieving great SEO results for your websites.  Mainly they revolve around keywords and keyword phrases but the problem is what deciding which words to use for your particular business niche. This is when you need to think like a customer.  After all, you own a business but at times you are also a customer. If you were one of your customers, what words would you enter to find the information that your potential visitors are trying to find?  This may be a short list but one that you can begin to conduct keyword research with.

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How to Use SEO

I have just completed our new website for new VAs who may be interested in our licence opportunities.  If you would like to become a Virtual Assistant – check it out and download the info pack.  You can also find a special fan page on Facebook .

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Do You Want To Become a Virtual Assistant?

Position, position, position! Research has found that over 60% of all Internet searchers will click on one of the top 3 websites they are presented with.  The majority of those will choose the number 1 ranked position.  Having one of the top three positions, especially on Google, can result in a much greater amount of web traffic.  However, it’s not just the amount of traffic that’s important.  After the 3rd spot, the response from search engine searchers diminishes greatly.  This means that the visitors that you get from position 4 and below are less likely to become paying customers.  So if you are online to generate business it is especially important to aim for a top 3 position in the search engines. Need help with SEO?  Versatile Assistant offers SEO services tailored to your business.

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Why Does SEO Matter So Much?

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, YouTube, the list goes on! Social Marketing is well and truly here but how do you find time to keep them all updated or even set up profiles on these interfaces.  Your Virtual Assistant can help you tap into the potential of social marketing by setting up professional profiles and pages for you, updating them with important information and monitoring your success with these applications. If your Virtual Assistant is familiar with these applications they can also show you time-saving ways of updating them automatically and maximising the time you have available for this form of marketing.

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Save Your Sanity: Weekly Outsource Tips – Social Marketing Strategies

Many small businesses start out with the best intentions and set up a database or CRM system but as their business becomes busier they are unable to dedicate the time to update the system or utilise it to its’ full advantage. A Virtual Assistant can help you update your database with that huge pile of business cards and then maintain it on a regular basis for you.  In difficult economic times your existing database is one of your greatest assets so it is important to ensure it contains current information that you can tap into

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Save Your Sanity: Weekly Outsource Tips – Database/CRM management

A website is now an essential marketing tool for most businesses but having an online presence involves more than having a web address and an impressive website.  Customers need to know how to find you – but how do they do this if they don’t know you exist?  This is where ‘Search Engine Optimisation’ comes in.  By now everyone has heard of Google and most customers use this search engine to find what they are looking for on the internet… but does Google know about your website and where does Google rank your website?  History shows that customers rarely look beyond the third page of search engine results to find what they are looking for.   Remember that the customer doesn’t know your business name so they won’t be searching for that – they’ll be searching for your industry or product.

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Save Your Sanity: Weekly Outsource Tips – SEO and Web Analytics

When I say the word split test it reminds me of my high school days watching my older sister do the splits on the wall outside the school office with throngs of onlookers (mostly teenage boys) cringed with agony at the thought. It was the splits and it was a test, just not the kind we’re about to discuss! Actually, a split test is a “method to track the results from several different web pages to see which is converting leads or customers better.” For instance, if you have a new product to market but are questioning the price, whether to add a video or change the copy of the webpage, then a split test is for them. Here’s What Your Virtual Assistant can Do it Make it Happen 1.

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What’s the “To Do” about Split Testing