Wix Introduces Beautiful ShoutOut Newsletters

Wix , the freemium website building platform, announced its new ShoutOut feature today, a way to send out “beautiful newsletters” and updates about your business.

The service is used to create and design email campaigns with a few clicks from the Wix dashboard using email lists compiled using the Wix platform.

In  an official release, Wix Co-Founder and CEO Avishai Abrahami explains:

“We allow small business owners to create and manage their online presence with enterprise-level solutions but without the need for enterprise-level resources. Wix ShoutOut is a classic Wix product – It provides a user friendly and code-free solution for a highly sought after business need. This is the latest addition to our comprehensive product suite, and we see it as an important step in furthering the Wix vision of creating a true operating system for the web.”

The new ShoutOut newsletter design and campaign management feature is the first to make use of the WixHive AI.

WixHive enables site owners to collect data with apps from the Wix App Market and installed on their Wix webpage.

Here’s a look a how ShoutOut can be used to announce a new special on your menu, introduce a new swimsuit collection, promote a new product on your website or even promote a new event.

The company announced intentions to seek  an initial public offering in October 2013. At the time, Wix reported  $34.1 million in revenue as of June and an intention to seek a maximum aggregate offering price of $100 million based on papers filed with the SEC.

Since then, Wix has seen incredible growth in recent years. In May, the  Israeli startup reported earnings of  $28.8 million in revenue for the quarter, an 86 percent increase year over year.

At the same time, the platform boasted a 45 percent increase in users over the previous year with a total 46 million, more than 900,000 of them paying customers.

Image: Wix

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What’s the Real Reason Google Plus Authorship Photos Are Gone?

Googler John Mueller shocked the SEO industry last week with his announcement that Google authorship photos are gone and circle counts are now removed from the SERPs.

The big question is: Why?

Why would Google kill a feature they had said would instill user trust in quality search results and help valuable content stand out? And why did they want us all to implement it in the first place? Was anything we were told about Google+ authorship markup and profile images in search true to begin with?

It didn’t take Moz’s Rand Fishkin long to tweet his thoughts on the motivation behind the change:

IMO, most compelling explanation for Google removing profile pics from search is that it distracted from ads, and cost advertisers clicks

— Rand Fishkin (@randfish) June 25, 2014

And even more pointedly:

I am frustrated @JohnMu saying that it will not cost CTR. Either Google lied about the increase in CTR with photos, or they’re lying now. — Rand Fishkin (@randfish) June 25, 2014

Since Google+ authorship and the rich snippets with photos in search results were implemented, we’ve seen eye tracking studies point to additional attention for the enhanced results. We’ve seen research from Catalyst and Cyrus Shepard – and even Google itself – supporting the notion that results with authorship photos have higher click-through rates than their plain text counterparts. Our own internal research also confirms this.

It does seem more than a little disingenuous for Google to suggest now, after all the work they did encouraging and convincing people that authorship photos in the SERPs would get them more clicks (and it wasn't exactly easy to set them up), that authorship photos are actually costing people clicks or don't help at all.

So what's going on?

Google+ Authorship Clicks Had To Come From Somewhere

Clicks on the search results page are basically a zero sum game. If there’s an increase in CTR for one part of the SERP, some other part is losing that click. There must be a decrease in CTR elsewhere – and that includes the ads.

We know images in the SERPs have a big impact on users – and click-sucking monsters. Google knows this, too, which is why Google’s Shopping Ads (formerly Product Listing Ads) aren’t plain text.

Maybe Google realized they were giving away free branding with authorship markup – at the expense of paid clicks. Besides, they have their own Sponsored Posts on Google+ for authors who want to promote themselves.

Was it another way for Google to “break the spirits of SEOs,” by taking away a feature they had adopted wholeheartedly? That may be taking things too personally.

However, it’s pretty clear that Google’s excuse for removing author photos from organic results – uncluttering and improving user experience with no effect on CTR – just doesn’t hold water.

UPDATE: Check out Elisa’s alternate theory on why Google+ author photos are going away.

Republished by permission. Originally published at WordStream.

Image: Via Moz

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Small Business Loans Reach Post-Recession High

It isn’t quite the golden days of pre-recession financing. But small business lending has reached a post-recession high. That’s the unvarnished optimistic conclusion of the June 2014 Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index.

The index is a monthly analysis of 1000 loan applications on Biz2Credit.com. The company says it connects 1.6 million small business owners with more than 1,300 lenders, credit rating agencies and service providers like CPAs and attorneys.

In a prepared statement, co-founder and CEO Rohit Arora contrasted today’s lending situation with that of just a few years ago, adding:

“In the Great Recession and its ensuing ‘Credit Crunch,’ lenders tightened the spigot on small business, and the flow of capital to entrepreneurs evaporated. Many times, small business owners chose not to bother applying for loans under the assumption that they would be turned away.”

Who could blame them when most requests were being rejected?”

But today all that has changed.

The data shows larger banks now granting one in five small business loan applications, the most in half a decade. While small business lending at smaller banks slipped by .2 percent from May 2014, their approval rate still remains at more than half.

Finally, the index says, approval at credit unions increased by another .1 percent, showing a consistent growth.

How did all this happen?

In the depths of the credit crunch between 2008 and 2010, businesses required to show banks three years of financial records to qualify for a loan were often rejected because of the poor performance those records showed.

Lack of traditional bank lending led to the rise of so-called “alternative lenders” including cash advance companies willing to loan even to businesses with poor credit histories.

But the interest rates on these loans were incredibly steep, often between 30 and 50 percent.

By 2012, financial records were better with businesses squeezing out more profit while continuing to run lean.  And soon lending began to recover as a result.

Arora ads:

“Today, business owners are more confident than they were during the recession. They are also more willing to risk borrowing money to fund expansion and are using the financing for big ticket items, including building and equipment purchases. These types of purchases generally occur when there is confidence in the future.”

He also credits the U.S. Small Business Administration for its continued efforts guaranteeing 75 percent of all SBA backed loans and waiving all fees thus making these loans all the more attractive in  a tough economy.

Biz2Credit also continues its efforts to bring lenders and businesses together, having secured more than $1.2 billion for thousands of small businesses since 2007, according its website.

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#HPGoinMobile: Join Us For a Twitter Chat July 16th About Mobile

Do you like Twitter chats?  I do. And I am positively delighted to be appearing on another Twitter chat along with my good friend Ramon Ray.  Please join us.

It will be held on Wednesday, July 16, 2014.

The topic is mobility. Mobile technology plays an increasingly important role among small businesses.

Many of us are trying to glean what our customers expect from us when it comes to mobile technology.  We are working on how to deliver our websites so that customers on mobile devices can access them conveniently.

We want to leverage mobile  in our operations so we personally can get out of the office to visit customers, and still conduct business with a mobile device.  Our employees want to use their own choice of devices — often tablets and smartphones — for at least some of their work, which puts us squarely in the midst of the BYOD (bring your own device) trend.  We want to be able to print from mobile devices and have our documents stored in the cloud so we can access them easily from any device and not be tied to our offices.

Mobile brings with it additional challenges we face in our businesses when it comes to the security of our IT systems and infrastructure.  And of course, we are always concerned with maintaining confidentiality of customer information and other sensitive business information that may be accessed via mobile devices.

Put it all together, and what you have is a perfect storm of issues around mobility.  We also have exciting opportunities around mobile.  And if we can jump on mobile and get ahead of competitors with our mobile strategies, there’s a wide open world of opportunity to grab.

So let’s get together and share some ideas and see what others are doing.

Hewlett Packard will be the host of this chat, and Ramon and I will be joining in with insights.  And we hope you’ll join us with your thoughts, too.  This will be a great way to take part in a fun and informative conversation.

So, mark your calendars to join us!  Here are the details:

WHO:  HP and its small business team – @HP_SmallBiz.  Ramon Ray, technology evangelist and publisher of SmallBizTechnology.com — @RamonRay;  And yours truly, Anita Campbell — @smallbiztrends.  And YOU.

WHAT:  One hour chat —  “The Power of Mobility for SMBs: Obstacles and Opportunities”

WHEN:  Wednesday, July 16, 2014, starting at 10:00 am Pacific time (1:00 pm Eastern)

WHERE:  Takes place as a text chat on Twitter.com

HOW:  At the appointed time go to Twitter.com.  Log in, and search for tweets using the following hashtag to see what others are saying.  And use the hashtag in all of your tweets during the chat, so others will be able to identify your tweets as being part of the discussion.  The hashtag is what ties together the chat.

HASHTAG:  #HPGoinMobile

And don't forget, we will be giving away some great prizes to some participants!  But you must be there to be eligible.

If you've never participated in a Twitter chat before, then check out "How to Participate in a Twitter Chat" and join us on Wednesday the 16th!

Please note that Ramon and I are being compensated by HP to participate on this Twitter chat and share our expertise.  

Twitter Photo via Shutterstock

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Chinese hackers pursue key data on U.S. workers: NYT

(Reuters) - Chinese hackers broke into the computer networks of the United States government agency that keeps the personal information of all federal employees in March, the New York Times reported, citing senior U.S. officials.

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Apple targets rising water use, production partners' emissions

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc acknowledged on Wednesday it needs to address manufacturing partners' carbon emissions and its own rising water consumption, though the iPhone maker said it had cut back sharply on greenhouse gas output.

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Aereo says intends to operate in wake of court ruling

(Reuters) - Aereo, the video streaming service which sought to provide an alternative to traditional television broadcasters, said it believes it can still operate despite a crippling U.S. Supreme Court ruling that caused the company to suspend service, according to a court filing on Wednesday.

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Social Media Etiquette: 4 New Rules Every Professional Should Know

Throughout history, professionals have followed unspoken rules of etiquette when promoting an event or product. They've sent press releases as directed, followed up later, and maintained positive relations with both the media community and the public. But with the rapid growth of social media, the rules are quickly changing, with professionals challenged to define proper behaviors as they go. To ensure you are following the new rules, here are four things you should know about social media etiquette.

Brought to you by PRWeb, a leading online news and press release distribution service used by 40,000+ organizations. From Fortune 500 companies to small business, companies are using PRWeb to increase their online visibility, improve search engine rankings, drive traffic to their site and increase sales. To get a free expert guide on writing press releases and 25% off your first release, go to PRWeb.com. 

 

4 Things Every Professional Should Know About Social Media Etiquette

Good manners are more relevant than ever, especially since every post can linger online for decades. To avoid making a mistake that could permanently damage your business reputation, small business owners should think carefully before posting an item on social media. Here are a few tips to successfully interact on social media.

Be Professional

Social media gives everyone the power to post anything they want, without going through an editor or supervisor. A business should ensure every employee representing it on social media is aware of the company policy on online posts. While regular interaction is to be encouraged, it's important that your employees know the dangers of revealing personal information or sharing information that may be seen as unprofessional.

Don't Bombard

Just as you wouldn't call a reporter a dozen times a day to pitch a story idea, you also shouldn't repeatedly blast your marketing messages throughout the day. Doing so will be seen as rude and obnoxious. Post a message once or twice and, if it needs to be posted again, urge others in your office to share or retweet it. Be sure to regularly post items of substance to give followers information and insight they need.

Ignore Hostile Posts

Even the most customer-friendly business will occasionally encounter a troll. Whether this person is an unhappy customer or simply seeking attention, buying into it will only make you look worse. The best course of action when you notice inflammatory posts directed toward your company is to ignore it and, if possible, block the posts from appearing on your newsfeeds. You can also consider reporting the offender to the site or his own internet service provider.

Interact Politely

If you have targeted a specific reporter you feel would be beneficial to your business growth, don't resort to "look at me" tactics to get the person's attention. Follow them and occasionally retweet or comment on his or her posts, but avoid looking like a stalker. Never request that the reporter follow you or like your pages. If your posts are interesting enough to catch the journalist's attention, that will come naturally. The best practice is to follow the other person because you're interested in what he has to say, not because you expect him to follow you in return. Sit back and learn from their posts and use the information to craft interesting story ideas to pitch through their preferred method of receiving such pitches.

When working hard to build a reputation, it's important that businesses use basic professional etiquette, even on social media. By being aware of inappropriate behavior, business owners can avoid making a major mistake that could cause permanent reputation damage.

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