David Mercer's blog

Check out this list of the 5 best small business ideas for 2013 - everything from home based businesses, to disruptive ideas that can change the world.

Starting a small business is easier than ever.

eCommerce solutions provide high quality, SEO, responsive Web design platforms for selling goods. Social media and content can drive plenty of Web traffic via organic search results (Google) and social networks.

All for relatively small investments of capital - perfect for the lean startup in these touch economic times.

Are you losing Web traffic from organic search due to a Google Panda penalty, without even knowing?

Google's Panda algorithm, and its successive updates, are designed to filter out poor quality content in order to return better results in search.

The problem is that many blogs and sites may inadvertently incur the wrath of Panda, and get slapped with a penalty, without even knowing what went wrong.

Check out this top 5 list of things that every small business should have in order to operate efficiently, streamline costs, create a strong impression (brand), and get more customers.

Small business owners have a tendency to try and do everything themselves. This is often a mistake because it diverts their time and energy away from what they should be doing - growing the business, making connections, marketing, making sales, and finding new customers.

Finding the right tool or service may cost you a small amount to buy (or subscribe to), but the amount of time and energy it frees up is far more valuable.

Learning how to blog is an important business skill that can increase page rankings in Google and bring plenty of traffic to your website.

A real blog is one that reaches out to your target audience and engages them.

It doesn't matter what business you are in, once you have a following of highly engaged readers, and great page rankings bringing in plenty of organic search traffic, you can make money online.

But blogging isn't simply sitting down at your desk and writing stuff. In order to succeed you need to have connections, be scientific, knowledgeable, creative, and dynamic. This article shows you how.

Internet marketing saw massive changes in 2012 brought on by the mass adoption of mobile devices, and huge changes to SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Accordingly, businesses are evolving new marketing strategies to reach and engage customers in 2013.

These changes mean that marketers are rethinking the way they reach customers online, and the role of content within their overall marketing strategy.

This article will highlight some of the primary causes of online marketing failures, and discuss why content will become the focus of all marketing strategies in 2013 and beyond.

Creating an eCommerce solution using hosted shopping cart software is quicker and easier than ever in 2013.

Hosted shopping cart software solutions offer a cost effective way to develop an eCommerce site that can meet the unique demands of your business.

In addition, you benefit from constant technology upgrades, new developments, security enhancements and more, without having to invest a cent in additional development.

Learning how to make money online can involve anything from earning a bit of cash on the side, to a successful career or business.

There are a wide range of options to suit almost any skill set, from finding online jobs, blogging, affiliate marketing, or starting a home based business.

The great thing about making money online is that it can be done cheaply, or even for free.

Unlike traditional businesses that require an investment in capital, starting a blog or online business can be done for a few dollars per month.

This article will show you the best ways to make money online and provide plenty of easy-to-use money making tips and ideas.

Highly paid work from home jobs have become a popular way to make money online for everyone, not just WAHMs (Work At Home Mothers).

The Internet and communication technologies are rapidly turning work from home jobs into the norm - rather than the exception.

Many small business startups are happy to consider virtual office environments that allow the right candidates the freedom to work from home, or anywhere else they choose.

When times are tough, do you A) look for a work from home job, or B) try to make money online through small business ideas and innovation?

The answer, perhaps counter-intuitively, is A. In 2008, the U.S switched from a nation looking to start home based businesses, to a nation looking for home based jobs.

This article will look at how Google Trends' search analytics can shed some powerful insight into the state of small and home business, entrepreneurs and jobs in the U.S.

Google Trends can provide unique insight into your business niche and help drive effective SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and marketing strategies.

That's how I know that businesses don't send out gifts like they used to.

Google Trends is a free tool that allows you to compare and contrast the popularity (search volumes) of any search terms using a range of filters such as location, time-frame, and type of search (i.e. global, U.S, U.K, etc).