CitrusKiwi Web Solutions LLC has won the "Best of Citrus Heights for Web development 2013"!

Wow!  What an exciting email to receive! Of course, it lost its luster somewhat as I'd had 2 identical emails over the last 3-4 weeks for Web marketing and for Search Engine Optimization.

So what's this "best of <city name> for <your industry>" scam all about?  Money!  Isn't it always?  And this is how it works...

You'll get an email out of the blue stating that you've won. Here's the exact text from the opening line of the one I just received.

CitrusKiwi Web Solutions LLC has been selected for the 2013 Best of Citrus Heights Awards for Web Site Design & Development.

The email goes on to say that I can get "...details and more information..." by viewing their website and giving a link.  So, curious me follows the link and, yowza!, there's my award.  It IS real! <cough, cough> All I need to do now is claim my award by clicking the link.  So I did - well, I clicked the link anyway...

As I suspected, there is a monetary cost to "claiming my award" (the award I knew nothing about and never

When I first began designing websites - a long way back in internet terms - in the late 1990's, things were much simpler.  Little completition, little sophistication, little anything! Nowadays, the landscape is vastly different, and the industry has fragmented into many niche sectors - design, mail, SEO, and more.  It's harder and harder as a small business to be all things to everyone.  That's why we decided to move away from offering anything much in the way of off-page SEO and concentrate on what we did well - design and implementation.

Mobile websites - good or bad?

When mobile website first began appearing, they were totally separate sites to the main desktop/laptop site.  You'd see different URLS - m.citruskiwi.com or mobile.citrsukiwi.com (don't bother following those links as they won't work!). These were all well and good - they DID display on mobile devices well, but they often lacked much of their bigger cousin's functionality and were, therefore, very frustrating to use.  They also had the huge drawback that they required maintaining 2 individual websites.  Sure, they shared content, but the framework was different.

In 2010 the term "Responsive website" was coined, but it's not really till this

1. Don't be Hypnotized by the Bad News. Constantly watching the bad news on the TV, the newspaper or internet is not going to change things. Be informed, but don't excessively indulge in watching the bad news. Focus on things that you can change and be proactive. What's in your sphere of influence? Focus on that. Also make sure that you don't hang out with people who have been hypnotized. They will be like a wet blanket.
2. Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude. Be grateful for things that are working in your life. Focus on the things you already have.
3. Over Communicate the Good News. Make sure you over-communicate with your team, your clients, suppliers, bankers and suppliers. When there is too much bad news in the market, be the shining beacon that gives fresh perspective that things are still working. It's like an antidote to the bad news. It gives people hope. Share stories on a weekly basis about how you and your company are making a positive impact. Highlight cost savings and increase in productivity your
product or service delivers.
4. Consult your Advisors Regularly. The regular consultation with your CPA and other key advisors can give you insight into the health of your business.  They can

We all used to do our pre-purchase "research" using the Yellow Pages, but no more.  Well over 1/2 of all pre-purchase research is now done online, with as high as 83% when it relates to books, music, movies, computers & electronics according to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers study in March 2012.  In today's buying world, people are looking at specs, at prices and at recommendations.  Recommendations can be from authority sites - Cnet, PC World, etc - or in the form of testimonials.  And that's why testimonials are so very important to your website.

I always tell clients, "We need a testimonials page" when I'm talking about their new site.  A sadly overwhelming number fail to see why or have even considered it.  I figure the only reason this is so common is because 20-30 years ago you could trust almost anyone in business.  Everyone knew about the bad ones because they were uncommon.

Getting great testimonials for your business

1. Ask for them!

I know this sounds obvious, but when did you last ask for a testimonial from a client?  Just having a testimonial page on your site with an "Add a testimonial" button will not cause a flood of