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Any web destination benefiting from a higher ranking in the major search engines, namely Google Search, can enjoy a significant ongoing wave of interested visitors who may convert into profitable sales.

To achieve this, the basic recommendation goes along the lines of creating valuable content which stands out from the rest since the search engines intend to point their searchers towards the most relevant web sites, in line with the submitted query.

Since there’s a plethora of advice floating around online, it’s probably best to hear what Google has to say about the main quality guidelines that’ll help your web site rank better.

Webmasters are therefore invited to learn from Google’s official support answer, published in their Webmaster Help Center section.

If you know a little about SEO, you may find it refreshing and who knows, you might even learn a few things!

Tags: google, webmaster help, seo, google support, quality guidelines, relevant web sites, interested visitors

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If you can fix a problem, there’s surely someone out there willing to pay to have that problem fixed.

The same applies with huge issues like global warming. Instead of pounding on the Earth protective atmosphere, smart companies should look to fix any kind of environmental problem creatively… and make loads of money doing it.

Al Gore, former US vice president, democratic presidential candidate and also recipient of the 2005 Global Environmental Citizen Award, delivered a solid speech titled “A Changing Business Climate” before an auditorium packed with future business leaders, at Harvard Business School. The event was presented, on December 11th 2006, by the Harvard Business School Leadership and Values Committee.

In short, Gore says that responding to climate change is a moral imperative, but it is also good business. The same goes with a plethora of other environmental challenges. The idea is to save our planet within the capitalist rat race we’ve locked most of the world into.

Gore also added that rethinking manufacturing processes to make them more environmentally friendly would save money while these comprehensive steps are an excellent way to reduce pollution and waste which translate into greater efficiency when using expensive raw materials.

It’s little surprise that this proposed massive structural adjustment of the industrial base as well as every single “business process” attached to it equates to being the greatest source of business opportunity in the history of the world.

The Harvard University Gazette’s Alvin Powell wrote a comprehensive piece on Al Gore’s speech and you’re invited to read it.

Tags: environment, global warming, climate change, al gore, business process, business opportunity, save money, reduce pollution, greater efficiency, capitalist rat race, rethink manufacturing

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If you like to understand what makes modern consumers tick, perhaps you could review the list of seven deadly sins, such as lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride which have proved necessary, at least in part, for man’s ability to reproduce and find sustenance.

The market forces at constantly at play for almost every single consumer product out there. Wether it’s the lowly tobacco, gambling and alcohol promotional tricks or the much celebrated low cholesterol, no sugar added, containing Omega-3 and no trans fats food products, the millions of years of evolution imprinted in our DNA do leave us vulnerable to certain types of exploitable behavior.

For mankind, part of the human experience has to do with adaptation. It’s very clear some companies will exploit our evolutionnary shortcomings to their advantage, throwing all ethics out of the window. However, cultural changes greatly help humans evolve and those who are caught abusing our somewhat fundamental human flaws are usually singled out.
Professor Herman “Dutch” Leonard, from the Kennedy School, at Harvard University spoke about this matter and provides amazingly lucid insight, including practical examples. Fortunately, Sarah Abrams from Kennedy School Communications published a piece about the event.

It’s a must read for anyone interested in understanding part of the way consumers decode, influence and use the market forces at play, from the standpoint of the deadly sins which appear very fundamental in the way we connect, socially, economically and otherwise to our world.

Tags: market forces, consumer market, connect, modern consumers, deadly sins, cultural changes, evolutionnary shortcomings

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The more wise words we come across, the faster we can come to realize that life is way more than the “9 to 5 rat race” consumerism would like us to believe it is.

Shop, shop, shop… ’til you drop will -not necessarily- make you happier, in the bigger scheme of things. Of course, “having enough” will help but the answer to many things in life, for each and everyone of us, comes from those inner-feelings we need to learn from.

The basic rule of thumb states that the more we can rise abouve our petty desires while lifting ourselves to the greater common good, the more we can come to trust our inner-feelings to be genuine guides of our behavior.

While some may call this intuition, mostly everyone knows this to be “gut feelings” or spontaneous reactions.

The wild thing about inner-feelings is that, in most cases and over time, they prove to be more accurate guides than intellect and logic. Listening more closely to our inner-feelings help us become more comfortable with ourselves and enjoy time alone as a special treat rather than as loneliness.

Even funnier is the tendency of other people to be drawn to you even more as you learn to enjoy your solitude, therefore taking some time to nurture your inner-feelings of well being, balance and peace.

Taking care of your inner-self may even prove to be helpful to fight off bad stress and even depression (the big “d” word).

For all these reasons and so many others, anyone looking to enjoy life a little more may want to learn to appreciate his or her inner-self.

Tags: inner-self-self-appreciation, zen, inner-feelings, well being, life balance, peace, bad stress, depression, enjoy life, intellect, logic

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If you buy stuff online, you already know that for most transactions, PayPal is the most secure way to e-shop.

Furthermore, if you’re a merchant, you may already be reaping the rewards of installing the now ubiquitous PayPal payment buttons within your web site or online store.

If you’re using PayPal, rest assured you’re not alone at industry heavyweights like ESPN, Virgin Mobile, Apple’s iTunes, Walgreens, McAfee, Guess, Time and Ebay (to name only those) have already fully integrated PayPal’s payment options within their virtual stores.

Smart shoppers and merchants can (at last) exchange money more safely than ever, over the web. PayPal is straightforward, relatively easy and very solid. It’s a payment service you can count, whatever the size of your business.

All merchants who aren’t signed up yet should take a few minutes to open up their own PayPal account — especially considering it’s 100% free!

Tags: paypal, companies accepting paypal, using paypal, paypal payments, online payments, payment options, business payments, free payment processing

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