In just a few short days, less than a week actually, Microsoft’s new search enging Bing has replaced Yahoo! as the No. 2 search engine. That’s according to an article in WebProNews. But the big question is whether or not the search engine can maintain that position long term. I’m betting that they do.

Bing has certainly got a lot of buzz and if you haven’t used the search engine yet then you should probably make your way over and give it a try. My first impression is pretty positive and it looks like Microsoft has made a complete turn around in search technology, which is what it will take to become a competitive player in the search market.

One possibility is that the initial buzz got everyone talking and checking it out. But will they change their search habits? Will Googlers abandon the No. 1 search engine and migrate over to Bing? Will Yahoo! users? I think that some may, but there won’t be a mass exodus. What is likely is that users of both search engines will incorporate Bing as a second opinion source. If that happens then Bing could rise to No. 2 permanently. Nevertheless, this report is interesting news and is just good enough to keep us all on our toes.

Bing, Microsoft’s new search brand, made its initial public debut on June 1. I think the question for small business owners is whether or not Bing will solve a problem or help people find them better.

Initial impressions of Bing seem to be good. Upon first glance, it looks a lot like MSN Live did. Not much of a change. Minor cosmetic differences is all. But when you delve into Bing’s search features, that’s a different story. I must say that I am impressed.

It seems that Bing’s biggest problem may just be the fact that it took so long to happen. I mean, Google still has a sizable lead in search and that doesn’t appear to be letting up any time soon. But I do see an improvement in search results. The question is whether or not local searchers looking for local businesses to patronize will be able to use the search engine to find what they want. If that happens then I think you’ll see an increase in market share for Bing. That increase might not make a difference in overcoming Google. It may make a difference in overcoming Yahoo!

I’m interested in your opinion. Do you think Bing is going places?

Local small businesses have some great opportunities for TV advertising in the last 50 years. But the opportunities have been even better in the last 20 years as cable and satellite TV have entered the competitive market. TV advertising has become more affordable for small businesses and continues to offer great opportunities. With Google TV ads, it gets even better.

According to WebProNews, the Google offering is growing. While the search engine nixed radio and newspaper advertising, it seems that TV advertising through Google is growing. That means, if you are a small business owner and you currently market your business through TV, you can manage your TV advertising through Google.

That means you can use one central account to manage all of your local TV campaigns. You can set your budget and track your results. I think this is one great product from Google and local small business owners who want to get the most out of TV advertising can turn to Google to help make that happen.

Matt Cutts, Google’s web spam guru, wrote a fabulous blog post that included a lot of Google options many people, including me, are not aware of. One of those is the ability to search Google by date. I didn’t know that was an option. Appprently, Google slipped that one in on me.

I think it’s a great idea. But how will it affect search?

Let’s say that you had a sale last summer on ladies shoes and you wrote about it extensively on your blog. A local customer wanted to remember what she paid for her shoes so Googles it. If she queries “shoes” and your store name or name of the town, what will she see? It will be a crapshoot on whether she finds what she is looking for. She could just go to your blog and search there, but what if she doesn’t remember the blog address?

Google’s date search makes it possible for her to look back, however, the way it is structured, the customer has to search by “recent”, “past 24 hours”, “past week”, and “past year”. Not really helpful, is it?

But someone over at ResearchBuzz has the solution: Add a date search form so the searcher can just enter the dates that they want to search for. And what was Matt Cutts’ response? Read what he says here. Better yet, check it out below:

Once you move into searching with date ranges, you can sort Google results by date. This opens up lots of options for power searchers.

OK, so he liked the suggestion but points out that you can order your search results by date, which is cool. And helpful. But how many pages will you have to go back before you find results from a year ago? I performed a search for a less-than-popular term and clicked on to page 23 of the search results pages only to be taken back to 9 hours ago. I like the date form idea. Simple and more control for the user. What do you think?

Many start up companies in the last five years have tried to compete head-to-head with Google. Some, like Cuil, have even been so bold as to claim they will knock Google off the hill that Google is king of. Despite their strengths, none of them have even come close. But Twitter might.

How often have you Googled a search term hoping to find the latest and greatest information only to find web pages that were two or more years old? Happens all the time, doesn’t it?

If you want the latest information on Google you have to perform a blog search. Then you’re only going to get the latest blog posts for your query. That could result in blog posts made two hours ago, or a day ago. And often does. But if you search on Twitter then you get the latest tweets for your query. That likely will be within a minute ago. And Google can’t do that.

Until now, Twitter’s weakness has been that you could only search for actual tweets and if the information didn’t exist as something other than a tweet then the search result didn’t see it. According to an article on CNET, that’s about to change. Twitter is getting a bot to crawl the links in your tweet. That way, when a searcher looks for information on a topic and Twitter returns the latest result, your blog posts and other website information could be included in the results. And if you wrote a blog post less than one minute ago, it could very well be included in the search listings. That’s pretty powerful stuff.

Have you hit a blogging wall? Out of ideas? Not comfortable with writing in general? You’re not alone. Small businesses have plenty to do–online and elsewhere–and we tend to avoid something that “feels like work.” There is another way around this dilemma and generate an online presence that’s beneficial to you.

How? By visiting other blogs and leaving comments. You’re networking, passing along helpful tid-bits in much smaller writing quantities than blogging yourself, and leaving a trail back to your site. Smart, huh?

First, you have to find relevant blogs and website content to comment about. You do this by creating Google Alerts. Take your keywords and keyword phrases and visit Google Alerts and set up an account. Google will send you email updates on when anyone writes about the keywords you listed. Google Alerts will list newspaper and magazine articles, television and radio announcements and recaps of shows in which those topics are discussed, and it will also list blogs that mention the words you listed.

When your email box fills up with Google Alerts, you’ll feel a little overwhelmed at first. That’s okay, it’s worth it to start reading. The online world has just opened up to you. You will literally see how relevant your topic is. You’ll be able to start to track who’s hot, which keyword/topic phrase generates the most hits, who your competition is and who you should be networking with. In the beginning, you need to dedicate some time every day, or a large chunk of time once a week to begin to gather information and know who’s out there and who is making it happen on the Internet.

Create a folder of the best Google Alerts and save the ones you want to get to know.
Follow your gut reaction and visit the blogs or articles that pique your interest. Did you know that you can leave comments on many newspaper and magazine sites as well? You can, and they get read by thousands, and get indexed well because these companies have the money to spend to get that valuable SEO (search engine optimization) placement needed to get noticed online.

Next, leave a comment–and not just “Fantastic!” That won’t get you much. Leave a couple of sentences that actually has to do with the subject they wrote about. Comment about something they said, specifically. Add to the conversation–in a friendly tone. Don’t sound like a know-it-all. Sound humble. Sound generally interested. Sound like you know what you’re talking about and you’re glad to be a part of scene, but you’re not taking over. Sound nice.

How? Tell them something they said or did right. Tell them you like their blog and their content is good. Leave one or two small bits of info that’s helpful. You can even politely disagree or offer another opinon, but do it respectful. You can even comment about another comment, which can create a conversation. At first, keep it simple and get used to the system. Your goal is to make connections, get known, and quietly point someone your way. At the end, sign your name, and under it leave your website, and that’s it.

Can you link back to your website within the body of your blog comment? Yes, but don’t go heavy handed, and only if it’s not really relevant. But sometimes it really is relevant. You have content on your site or blog that adds to the conversation–then go for it.

Chances are, the blogger/owner of the site is going to come over and check you out. They do–a lot of the time. Be sure to respond, say thanks for stopping by. This is n’etiquette. People online like to know their effort isn’t going unnoticed.

It might even lead to a guest blog. If you like someone else’s style, invite them to guest blog on your site–or you guest blog on theirs. This gives you fresh content, and it also does something else that’s really cool. They’ll advertize it on their site, and their readers will come over to your site. Cool. If you do decide to guest blog, or ask for another blogger to guest on yours, talk about how to handle links and promoting ahead of time so that everyone’s on the same page.

Another great way to build an online relationship with another blogger is to request to use their content on your site. Ask ahead of time. Tell them that you really like their blog on X, and can you quote part of it and link to their site. Nine times out of ten they’ll say yes because you asked ahead of time, complimented their work, and will attribute them.

Commenting is so smart and so easy. Three to four sentences on other blogs allows you to respond to a topic already generated, network, get your name out there, and build an online presence. The old adage, “Work smarter, not harder” definitely applies.

Why are blogs appealing? When they’re done right, they give you great information, insight and direction. You can read a blog in five minutes or less–and then go on with your day. Small businesses are perfect for blogs. Why? Because you’re a customer expert. All you do all day–online or in a brick-and-mortar store is talk to, sell to, and think about customers. You are driven to be effective. You already have that natural tone, candor, and appeal customers are looking for.

Secrets to Writing a Great Blog:

By creating a clear, dependable writing style, your blogger gets to know and trust you. You can still show personality, tell a crazy story, and be personable with your audience. Blogs are long enough and have enough content for you to express who your company is and what you have to offer–and that it’s more than just hard sales–it’s a relationship.

Emails are the number one feature used by people who own or work on computers. Even more than surfing the web, email is a simple and effective online tool. The key for small businesses is to maximize how they use emails and e-newsletters–and the first step is to make sure your emails get read.

Email layouts are crucial now. You’re competing with so many other emails that the best way to stand out is to have a brand look that is professional and delivers the message of who you are and what you have to offer–every time.

Using quadrants and columns are a great way to present information that allows your viewers to digest your message in bite-size pieces. But don’t stop there. Images, also referred to as graphic files add a finesse to your email.

Want to use a logo that’s a graphic or a photograph? Turn it into a JPeg, (or JPG), a GIF, or a PNG. These are the easiest graphic files for a computer to store. Be sure to keep your file size down to 50K. Keep your resolution down to 72 dpi–or 300 if your email or e-newsletter will be printed.

Remember not to embed your images in your email as a file or attached file. Why? Because you’ll wind up in junk email folders. Instead, create an image reference line of HTML. Another way to handle this is by using your ESP (email service provider). You can store your images on the server and upload them as needed.

Speaking of HTML, make sure your text is written in HTML, but sent in plain text. Sounds crazy, I’ll give you that, but an email that’s doesn’t have HTML design elements is going to come off stilted–boring and difficult to read. But most emails come in plain text so that various computer speeds can read the emails easily.

The rest is common sense:

Emails and email newsletters are still the best way to reach your viewers. Do all emails get read? We all know the answer to that–but if your email is a pleasure to look at, easy to read, and contains great content, then yours is likely to be marked “read.”

A hit is a hit is a hit…or is it? How many hits does your website get? You’ve probably been asked that before, and even if you can brag you get a million hits a month, does it mean what you think it means? How do you measure traffic on your small business site, and more importantly, how do those hits turn into sales?

To understand how to track your website traffic, you have to understand what a hit is.
A website “hit” isn’t as simple as you think. It’s not when someone types in your website name, or find you on Google, Yahoo, or MSN and clicks on your site. That’s not the only definition of a hit.
A hit is a file–and your webpage may contain one, or one thousand. A hit can be an image, written content, or order form. One of your webpages could contain many “hits.”

But what matters is not how many hits you get, but if the hit leads to interest–a sale, a contact, or a networking opportunity. A simpler page with only one hit might just do the job.

Ways to Gauge Your Site Traffic:
Visits, Pageviews, Unique Visitors, Time, and Referrers.

These five tracking tools are essential to any website owner. You need to know who comes to your site, how many times they return, how long the stay, and how they got there. Take a few minutes and visit your dashboard and take note of who your visitors are. This knowledge can help you create a website that’s worth visiting. and is a great marketing and networking tool.

Web-based videos used to be the domain of large corporations, and they used major resources to create every kind of video—from edu-tain to entertain visuals that are placed on YouTube and other major websites. It’s no wonder that small businesses jumped in and said, “Hey, what about us?”
And no wonder, web-based videos boasted a $2 billion dollar industry in 2007 and are expected to top 10 billion by the end of 2012.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that only 20-somethings watch online videos—a healthy 40% of viewers are over the age of 25 and half are female. Web-based videos are promoted on websites, e-newsletters, on SMS devices and when they’re fun, catchy, or slick—word gets out and they’re quickly shared.

How Can Small Businesses Create a Web-Based Video?

1. All you need is a digital camera, a computer, and a bit of ingenuity.
2. What do you want your audience to know? Start with who you are. Video your office, employees, and customers—especially the satisfied ones. Promote a store opening, a product announcement, or a contest winner. Anything you can blog about, you can video.
4. Go to YouTube and type in some of your keywords and see what pops up. Check to view your competitors videos or other companies you have something in common with—then make yours better. Study what they did right and build on it.
3. Hire it out—consider a college kid. Every university has a communications department, and they need the practice and oftentimes, have their own equipment and already know how to upload it online. How easy is that? Make a call, hire a couple of college kids, tell them your plan and style, and see what happens. You might even be able to barter their services (what do you have to offer?) or many internships are for the experience.
4. Don’t just do one video—create a series. Make it fun, spoof a TV show, feature a local celebrity. Get creative. Every town has a memorable local commercial. It may involve a clown nose or a silly jingle, but the point is, they’re remembered. You don’t have to go bizarre to create a recognizable brand and style–but you just may want to–there’s a cheese-ball in most of us.
5. Keep your video short—ten minutes max.
6. Always strive to help or educate. Yes, promote your company and product, but don’t stand there for five minutes stating your name over and over—be of benefit.
7. Is your video funny? Does it flow? Does it cover your demographics?
8. Pick your spokesperson well. Even if it’s not you, or they don’t work for you—choose someone who is approachable, speaks well and uses appropriate body language.
9. Consider using music, but make sure you’re not breaking copyright laws. You can always use classical music, or feature a local band—and you’ll get their following to help you spread your message. You can even create your own music with programs such as Garage Band.
10. After your video is made, you can edit it. Check out iMovie for Mac, or Windows Movie Maker for PCs.

These tips are just to get you started. Local and online videos are a great way to feature your small business and broaden your audience base—and by posting videos on your website, blog, and social media, you’ll be able to capture and showcase your business in this exciting, visual format.