This is the personal weblog of Aakash Raut, established Sept. 2002. It will cover current affairs, worldwide & national topics, local & university events, and provide insight and commentary on contemporary issues and the news from his perspective. Enjoy!
--------------- ARCHIVES Sept 2002 - Now
-------------
I'm going to need another Christmas continuance this year.
Christmas isn't over tonight! posted by Aakash at 11:59 PM
Merry CHRISTmas!!
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6 posted by Aakash at 11:56 PM
Tuesday, October 06, 2015
While We Wait: Thank you, McDonald's
If you arrived at 10:31am (or perhaps 11:01am), it was too late!
But now, McDonald's is offering it's awesome breakfast (is it the whole breakfast menu, or just select items) all day!
Our local McDonald's had actually already started All Day Breakfast, a couple of weeks or so ago. I've been getting the Sausage McMuffin, without the meat.
McDonald's is a GREAT company (I wish that CEO was still there, though), and thanks to them, for this business decision!
I think I might do a McD run right now (I found at least one local store that's still open 24/7). Maybe not tonight. :-)
I was glad to get my blog jump-started again, and like before, I have posts I would like to get published. And like before, I haven't published them. I'm also trying to get other blogs underway, and I'm debating what format/website would be best, for my future writings.
In the meantime, I might re-post some content here. Here's an article on Search Engine Optimization (SEO), by David Prochaskaof Fidelitas Development:
(As with other articles shared here, the embedded hyperlinks were added by me, and didn't appear in the original pieces.)
3 Ways to Boost Your Local SEO
Over the last few years, Google has been delivering more localized search results. That’s a good thing for local businesses because it gives them a chance to actually show up in the search results. In the past, local businesses struggled for a spot on Google’s first page; now they have their own section!
So what is it that actually helps a business rank higher in the local search results? There are 3 ways to boost your Local SEO: citations, reviews, and schema.
1) Local Citations
Many people view these as directories, but they’re mistaken. A local citation is anywhere you list your business name, address, phone number, and maybe your website, along with pictures and a description of your business.
You don’t want to fire out your business information at any website that accepts it. The major sites to cite your business include Google+, Bing, Yahoo, Yelp, YellowPages, CitySearch, Factual, DexKnows, Acxiom, and Infogroup. There are more, but those are the major ones you should stick with initially.
It’s important when listing your business to have a consistent NAP, which is name, address, and phone number. Don’t fret over every little thing like ‘St.’ and ‘Street’. Google is smart enough to know they mean the same thing. What you don’t want is two different phone numbers, different addresses, or a totally different business name.
2) Reviews
Your business is awesome, so people are going to leave you awesome reviews, right? Let’s hope so because reviews are a big factor when it comes to ranking your local business in the search engines. There are a few things you should know about getting reviews.
Google+ is the main place to get reviews. After all, Google is who displays the search results, right? Don’t stick solely to Google though. Google finds other places you get reviews, and you’re able to see this on your Google+ page. The next most important place is Yelp. Yelp can be an awesome traffic driver to your website, aside from the local SEO benefits of having great reviews on there.
The speed you get reviews is taken into account as well. If you are getting decent reviews on a constant basis, Google knows and Google rewards this. If you get one review this month, 10 reviews the next months, and no reviews the next month, that’s going to look odd. Make the customer experience so awesome that people seek out a place to leave you reviews.
If your customers don’t know where they can leave a review for your business, encourage them with handouts at your place of business or have a Yelp badge on your website. People want to talk about your business, but sometimes it feels like work looking for a place to leave a review. Make it easy for them.
3) Schema
Implementing Schema on your website is a way of placing certain code on your website so that it will communicate better with the search engines. There are many different types of Schema, but we’re going to focus on local businesses.
Things you can include in your Schema code are name, description, address, city, state, zip code, phone number, email address, and a Google map. I’m not going to get in the technicalities of it but just know that it works!
Local SEO is becoming more prevalent, and many business are already adopting the above practices, so don’t get left behind sucking your thumb. As I said, there are hundreds of factors when it comes to how your website ranks locally, but hopefully you can take these three steps and gain some traction.
Update: Here is a follow-up article I'm sharing, by Tyler Sickmeyerof Fidelitas Development, on the same subject.
4 Tips on Improving Local SEO
When most marketers discuss SEO, they focus on broader link building campaigns and detailed on-page SEO strategies. But for most brick-and-mortar businesses, local SEO strategies are a critical component for any internet marketing campaign. Many searches for local businesses and brands include the geographic area, and sites like Yelp can be optimized to increase impressions and exposure to prospective customers. Here are four local SEO tips and tricks to help improve your site’s rankings in local search:
1) Make sure your online listings are consistent.
The devil is in the details. Businesses that are truly optimized for local search have the same name, address, website, and phone number on each and every local directory, from Yelp and Yellowpages.com to directory submission sites like Localeze.
2) Leverage social media.
Make sure that your business’s information is listed correctly on each social profile. Further, continue to engage your customers with compelling content and promotions in order to appear higher in the search rankings by attracting more fans and followers. One Fidelitas client has been so successful at this that their Facebook page actually ranks first in most local searches for their targeted keywords.
3) Build a local Public Relations campaign.
Take advantage of local PR opportunities to generate credible links in addition to immediate buzz. Restaurants targeting foodie blogs and Realtors targeting local publications with quality content and actual news are two examples of PR opportunities for smaller businesses.
4) Optimize your own site.
Too many businesses overlook an easy opportunity to take local SEO into their own hands by optimizing their website. One problem with many website designers is that while they are capable of building a nice looking website, they often prove to be inept when it comes to on-page SEO. Besides tweaking copy to include as many local references as possible, businesses should incorporate local search phrases into their ALT tags and page titles. Finally, be sure that the contact information listed on the site matches what has been submitted to local directories and social media pages.
One major obstacle I experience, insofar as blogging in the past few years, is that I feel I can't blog on a whim, and feel like I need to clear a backlog of planned posts. Anyway: I think I should overcome that; maybe I need to reboot this blog again - or just get over this hindrance!
The next (or prior) few entries will be commentary linked to MTV's controversial documentary "White People." posted by Aakash at 9:14 PM
Back to Blogging
@AakashIsWriting
This series of blog posts involves MTV's recent "White People" documentary, which was the buzz in the Twitterverse. This post provides a few thoughts on the film.
- I actually have somewhat mixed feelings on this. I concur with those criticizing this film for its motives and divisive setup.
- I don't agree with the liberal agenda that the film - and its accompanying materials - are trying to push. And I don't like the overemphasis on race - I think Morgan Freeman and Frederick Douglass had it right. Wrongful focus on "white privilege," "racism," "diversity," and "multiculturalism" - and on past injustices - can actually breed resentment against minorities, inflame tensions, and further divide us. I remember being annoyed when I was at UIUC, seeing flyers on the topic of "White Privilege."
- However: The material accompanying the film did get me thinking (at least a little bit) about subtle, beneath the surface, advantages and disadvantages that come with one's race. My trip to NYC showed me that I am often being looked at (literally and figuratively) differently, because of my race. I don't know how different my social, political, and civic life would have been, had I been white.
- However: I don't feel comfortable tackling these topics, and I question the need to make young white people "uncomfortable" (one of the purposes of the film), by focusing on these issues that divide us. And, as reflected by the overwhelming negative comment posts I've seen about this film, there are legitimate grievances that white Americans have, insofar as the "diversity" movement and so-called "reverse" discrimination (discrimination is discrimination!).
One more thing: I hope someone fact-checks the documentary's claim that whites are 40% more likely to get private scholarships than people of color. I suspect this is a misleading claim.
One more more thing: It would not be in anyone's interest if whites became a minorityin the United States. This could inflame racial tensions, and cause other problems as well.
Others' thoughts on this:
.@MTV doing a fine job of creating yet another racial divide #WhitePeople all in the name of ratings.
My friend's above FB post was posted independently of anything else, and didn't necessarily have anything to do with the scene from the film discussed above.
Slurs and Supastars What can we still say?
Can someone provide a list of terms that are now off-limits?
Is "ghetto," used as an adjective or adverb, now a slur?
Remember this, from high school? (or from kindergarten, for some of you young'ns)
Update: But what is this? Lol. :-)
And see my entry below, for another word that's now causing controversy. (What are we still allowed to say?)
One more thing, in my series of blog entries sparked by the MTV documentary: Is "thug" now a racial slur? If so, against whom?
Something I learned from dad, when I used that term: It's actually from India.
In case I ever get into trouble for using this word... I want to preempt that right now, by clarifying that I'm not using it in a racial sense. I've used it before to describe Bosnians (who are Muslim, but white), and to describe the President currently on the dime.
Today's event may be the first-ever Inauguration in which a Republican City Clerk (Let's Go Lesko!) + a GOP-majority City Council are sworn in. posted by Aakash at 5:00 PM
Tuesday, January 06, 2015
Merry CHRISTmas!!
In response to some Christmastime angst I expressed years ago, Adrianne Truett reminded us that today is still Christmas!
