Avoid SEO & Social Media Service Provider Scams

More business owners now understand the importance of SEO and Social Media for their online efforts.  If you don’t have proper SEO, or a current Social Media campaign, you’re just not going to grow your business; it’s as simple as that.  With the rise of demand for these services, also come several unqualified companies offering them to business owners, and most with a much lower rate than specialists.  Beware of scammer SEO and Social Media service providers and their enticing advertisements that actually are too good to be true.
Keep reading for red flags of SEO and Social Media service scams.
Learn to recognize these red flags before considering them for hire:

• Offshore or no address operations.

Several scams are headquartered offshore, making it difficult for regulators to shut down the scam and recover investors’ funds.  Also, several people familiar with the basic knowledge of SEO and Social Media claim to be online experts and have started offering these services to companies at dramatically lower rates.  These self-proclaimed experts typically don’t provide an address or location of business on any form of contact; this is because they are not a legitimate company with credentials in the field, but someone offering services from their home.

• Professional websites with little to no information.

Anyone can put up a website or hire a web designer to do so.  Scam sites may look professional, but they offer little to no information about the company’s management, location or details about the services promised.

• Offers that seem too good to be true usually are.

Now that so many people are offering SEO and Social Media services, keep in mind you get what you pay for.  A lot of these companies offering services for reduced rates usually provide generic content used for all clients.  Also, they use word choices that make the buyer think they’re getting much more than usual. We’ve worked with hundreds of clients who have faced this problem. An example of this is an offer that states “we will enhance your social media by streaming it on your website.”  This does not mean they will post custom content on social media, it means they will add your social media page to your website; but not post on it.  This does you no good.

• This company is known for specializing in a different field.

Did you recently get contacted from a company for SEO and Social Media that typically specializes in a completely different field?  Look into this business and see how long they’ve specialized in SEO & Social Media.  Make sure they have the credentials and aren’t just coming up with new ways to make fast money, and short you on services.  Most of our clients have seen this before coming to SBD, and it’s easy to spot just by checking reviews online.    It makes no sense to hire a film production company to handle your online marketing strategies, for example, so don’t be fooled by those claiming to specialize in SEO and Social Media when they don’t.
Why SBD is the best choice for SEO and Social Media Services:

• Solutions By Design has been in business for over 30 years offering professional services to clients worldwide.
• We offer custom content with every client – no spam, generic posts. All 100% original content and design.
• Our team is experienced and trained with credentials in marketing, SEO, programming, graphic design, videography, etc.
• We become an extended part of your team with constant interaction with office point of contact to keep your followers updated on what is going on with you.
• We’re a fraction of the expense it would be to hire an employee.
• We manage your page & let you focus on doing your job.
• Social delivers positive return on investment because it is another tool in your marketing arsenal.
• 100% of SBD SEO Clients who have been with us for 90 days or more see almost all of their keywords ranking on the first page of results in Google.
• We provide monthly analytical reports of metrics.

Look for us at The Forum 2016!

 



 

Look for Solutions By Design this week at The Forum 2016 in Ranco Palos Verdes, CA! Stop by booth #11 to learn more about our latest products such as Checkin4Charity.com, and learn more about our current promotions. We can't wait to see you there!

 

SBD New Product Launch - Checkin4Charity.com

Solutions By Design has created another solution to enhance your social media strategy.  Are you ready to connect with thousands of potential local customers each month?  Interested in expanding your brand online while making a difference in the world? Then you need this new innovative social media tool we’ve created, Checkin4Charity.com.

What is Checkin4Charity.com?

Checkin4charity.com is a very low cost and innovative social media tool that will greatly and instantly expand your social presence on the internet, while allowing your customers to help make a difference.  By providing digital signage in your office, blasters to your customer base, and information on your website….your patients will “Check-in” at your business and reach thousands…mostly local potential customers per month.

How does it work?

We have established relationships and committed donations to 12 charities, one per month.  Your customers see the “call to action” notifying them that for every Check-in at your business, we will make a donation to the charity of the month.  The provided digital display and your website give an up to date accumulative, by charity total donations by our program.  The digital display slides month to month showing your customers how they are helping to make a difference in the world when they check in at your business. Your patients see the total accumulative donations raised by ALL Checkin4charity.com participants worldwide.

For Montage Users, we will also provide a Banner Ad to build awareness and participation.

You can choose from 5 levels of participation.  Each is based upon the volume of participation by your customers.

Also, you will receive a monthly Certificate of Appreciation from Checkin4charity.com showing the results of donations generated by your customers check-ins.

Call 1-800-888-4084 TODAY!  (Website still in development)

The last days of Internet Explorer 8, 9, & 10

Microsoft will end support for older versions of Internet Explorer on January 12, 2016. The versions included to end are 8, 9, and 10.  This leaves Internet Explorer 11 as the last version of the browser supported by Microsoft Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10. All users of the older browser versions will be notified at the time of launch to upgrade to a recent browser.

What does this mean?

This means if you don’t have the Internet Explorer 11 version, you better update it now.  Those running the older versions will no longer receive security updates or technical support from Microsoft.  According to Microsoft, “Security updates patch vulnerabilities that may be exploited by malware, helping to keep users and their data safer.”  It’s important for Internet Explorer users to upgrade and stay current to help protect their computers.

What are the risks of running older versions of Internet Explorer after January 12, 2016?

Microsoft has alerted users of 3 risks they can be exposed to if they run older versions after the final date: security, compliance, and lack of ISV support.

Security Risks: Some security risks of running older browser versions include harmful viruses, malicious software that can take your business data, and spyware.

Compliance: Businesses with governing obligations such as HIPAA should follow up to ensure they are able to satisfy the legal requirements while using unsupported software.

Lack of ISV Support (independent software vendor): Several software vendors, such as Office365, use the latest web programs and are created to function properly and best on the latest browsers available.

If you’re still using an older version of Internet Explorer, it’s time to update it now to 11 to prevent complications in the future. If you are ready to take the steps to update now, please see the guidelines on TechNet.

New Social Media Director At SBD

We are excited to start the new year with a new SBD team member! We want to welcome Ashley Gallegos to our team!



Ashley is our new Social Media Director with expertise in social marketing to effectively enhance your online reputation and communication. She will be working hard to keep your social media strategy up to date with the latest trends for optimal results.

 

SBD Office Closed For The Holidays

 

Our office will be closed for a holiday break. We apologize for any inconvenience, and appreciate your understanding.

Our holiday office hours are:

December 24 - January 1

Closed

We will resume regular office hours on January 4, 2016. Happy Holidays from all of us at Solutions By Design.

What Yahoo Directory Retirement Means For Your Reviewer

Long before Google was a notable source, several internet users browsed the web by the Yahoo Directory. Yahoo Directory wasn’t a search engine but more of an online database of websites selected by Yahoo and presented to the browsers as an organized list.  These lists were sorted by multiple topics from shopping, to education, and resources. You could navigate through the topics by clicking one which would then display the websites on the individual lists under the particular topic.

As the years have passed, and the internet and Yahoo have evolved, several users have found the system to be confusing and overpopulated by spam-like link sellers. This growing reputation made the decision to put the Yahoo Directory to rest a little bit easier. Yahoo stated the decision by explaining, “While we are still committed to connecting users with the information they’re passionate about, our business has evolved…we will retire the Yahoo Directory.”

Following Yahoo’s statement began the transition of Yahoo Directory to Aabaco Small Business, which is a service company that moves to get small business on their service plan instead of helping consumers find their business online.

For our clients with Reviewer, we will be updating the product to reflect changes within the Yahoo system. Since Yahoo now shows Yelp reviews instead of its own user-submitted reviews, we will no longer be encouraging your clients to leave reviews on Yahoo.

Additionally, Yahoo has entered into a partnership with Microsoft and now gets its search results from Bing. This is important for our SEO clients as now there are essentially only two major search engines that we optimize for.

For more information regarding our Search Engine Optimization services please contact us today at 1-800-888-4084 .

Meet Our AAO Team

Bill Poss
"CEO and President

"My favorite AAO memory comes from a meeting years ago in Toronto. I remember we had a very tiny booth and there were over 40 in our booth interested in what we had to offer, from that point I knew our venture into Orthodontics was going to be a success." -Bill P.

 

 

Sheri Netto
"National Sales Manager"

"My favorite AAO memory would be AAO Chicago and the Piano Bar, Howl at the Moon. Everyone from SBD went out after the show and ended up at this great piano bar. Tons of practices were there…I think AAO attendees may have taken the place over. Everyone was requesting songs, dancing and having a great time. It’s awesome to see everyone away from the “job” and have a chance to mingle, laugh and let lose." - Sheri N.

Mae Espejo
"Art Director"

"I look forward to going to the AAO each year as it has been a fantastic experience from an exhibitor standpoint. I get to meet clients in person and present our cool and exciting new products." - Mae E.

 

 

John Rios
"Senior Graphic Designer"

"I love meeting all of the doctors on the show floor. It's fun to get a chance to talk with the people you design for and hear about how their new logo or website has changed the way people look at their practice." - John R.

 

 

Nikki Schoettler
"Account Manager"

"I'm extremely excited to attend the 2015 AAO meeting! I'm looking forward to the whole experience since it's going to be my first time!" - Nikki S.

 

 

Taleesha Jenkins
"Social Media Specialist"

"This will be my first time attending AAO so I'm very excited to join the SBD at the meeting this year. I've heard great stories about past meeting so I can't wait to create new memories with our team. Also, I'm looking forward to meeting all the doctors I've have the pleasure of working with." -Taleesha J.

 

 

Make sure you visit our team at Booth #3037

For booth updates LIKE our Facebook Facebook.com/SolutionsbydesignINC and Follow us on Twitter @FollowSBD

Solutions by Design in the UK!

The Annual British Orthodontic Conference was held in Edinburgh Scotland this past week.  Andrew Price, Ormco UK National Manager extended an invitation for SBD to participate in the conference as their guest.  Our primary focus was on ScreenPlay and Montage. There was a keen interest in both products and I think the market was very impressed overall with the concept of having the ability to preset clinical cases to patients at the initial exam with brilliant 3D graphics.

Special thanks to the ladies of Leamington Spa Orthodontic Centre for their input and participation. Leamington Spa Orthodontic Centre one of very first ScreenPlay users in the UK. They volunteered earlier this year to test drive ScreenPlay and provide feedback on the market fit.  Bill Poss provided a training session for both Isobel and Susan as they gear up for their first ScreenPlay Case Presentation.

With the majority of the market seems to be Ortho Trac users, the ScreenPlay/ OrthoTrac integration will provide a great fit as we develop this market.

We are excited about our future in the UK for not only our ScreenPlay and Montage products, but also in the web development and SEO areas.

We fully plan on attending the 2015 World Federation Meeting in London!

AAO Is Just Around the Corner!

We hope to see as many of you as possible at the 2014 Annual Session in New Orleans.  We will be featuring all of our new product upgrades including ScreenPlay 9.1, Montage 2, bLink 2.2 as well as our new animated messaging module.  Cloud 9 will be featuring Montage in their booth to show off the new “Patient Check-In” feature.   See you there!

World Famous Cartoonist and SBD Senior Designer Creates “BRACE-ASAURUS” Mascot

The Brace-asaurus Practice Mascot was designed for Dr. Michael Kim of Hamden, Ct. The Brace-asaurus is a brand designed by John Rios of SBD for Dr. Kim’s practice.  Upon completion of the Brace-asaurus brand and website, Dr. Kim’s team decided to have the mascot come to life and outsourced the creation of stuffed Brace-asauruses for their patients.

John is also leading the SBD Design Team in creating a series of E-cartoons for various reminder messages for the Solutions by Design bLink Appointment Reminder Application.

Welcome Dr. Baron!

Solutions by Design is expanding into new territories in Central America.  We are excited to announce a partnership with Dr. David Baron from Mexico.

David flew in and spent two days with us, as we discussed creative new ideas for his practice, as well as new branding and web design. Dr.  Baron’s new design will include the full spectrum of SBD products and services, including the new Blink 2.0, SEO and social media program. 

We welcome you Dr. Baron and we are happy to have you as part of the SBD family!

SBD at Damon Forum!

SBD at Damon Forum!

We’re back from a fabulous couple of days in Phoenix Arizona, at the AMAZING Damon Forum!  If you’ve been following the SBD Facebook page, you’ve seen all the fun we’ve had at the show.

Damon Forum is an annual event which is held in Phoenix Arizona, January 15 - 18. Our very own Bill Poss and Sheri Netto presented the new products and services SBD will be offering in 2014, including the release of the new Blink 2.0, Screenplay 9.0 and the new social media program.

We were thrilled to have the opportunity to connect with new clients, as well as our existing client base.  It was great to see everyone!