Virtual Enterprise Program

I was invited to go to the Kapaa High School Virtual Enterprise Program presentation at the Kauai Beach Resort last night.  This is the second year that I have been involved as a mentor and have attended their presentation. Virtual Enterprise is a student-run “virtual” business model created by a team of  students with the guidance of a teacher and outside business partners who help...

Kinipopo Shopping Village

Featured Web Project: My latest website project is for the Kinipopo Shopping Village.  The website serves as an online hub for the businesses, restaurants and shops located in this small but bustling courtyard shopping complex on Kauai’s coconut coast.  Each business page integrates with  Google Maps so that visitors can get driving directions and see patron reviews.  Google Analytics...

Great Ways to Use Twitter for Small Business

Here are some links to some great ways to use Twitter for your small business....

Hanalei Dolphin Restaurant

Featured Web Project: My latest project was for The Hanalei Dolphin Restaurant website.  Completely re-designed and refurbished, the new website has dedicated pages for The restaurant, fish market and new sushi lounge.  All copy on the website has been completely “over hauled” and the Restaurant and Sushi Lounge pages include full menus as well as flash image galleries.  The site...

Google Local Coupons

Yet another (Free) way to attract customers online.  Small businesses can use Google Local listings to promote special offers, discounts and giveaways, offering Google searchers incentive to choose your business above your competition.  By adding coupons to your listing in Google Maps, Google’s users can print your coupons and bring them to your business.  Coupons will appear alongside...

My Favorite Directories

Having quality inbound links pointing to your website is essential for search engine success.  Need some ideas for where to look for quality inbound links to your website?  Here are some of my favorite directories… Kauai Vacation Resorts Directory Need to promote your Kauai vacation rental property? This directory will help drive traffic and ...

Google’s Place Pages

Here’s yet another opportunity to use Google’s Local Listings to promote your business. “…Post to your Place Page is nothing more than a Twitter-like status update box with a 160-character limit that updates your business listing with whatever current information you want to expose to the Google  audience.   You can access it from your Local Business Center dashboard...

Creating a Social Media Contest

Here’s a great article on how to effectively promote your brand through Social Media channels. 5 Tips for Creating a Successful Social Media Contest by Clay...

Send Large Files with YouSendIt.com

Ever need to send a really large file to someone but it’s too big to send or receive via email?  Try YouSendIt.com.  It’s free and works like a...

Email Marketing Options

The following are a few recommended email marketing companies that I suggest for building an email mailing list and sending periodic email blasts and newsletters to your past and potential client lists. iContact – Using email marketing to directly connect you with your customers has been simplified. Sign up for an account today – empower your businesses’ online communication...

Software Tutorials & Online Training

If learning a new piece of software or improving on an existing skill set is on your New Year’s resolution list, then I highly recommend that you check out Lynda.com’s online training library.  Learn the latest tools and techniques with access to 730 online courses and get unbiased, clear, and comprehensive training in 3D, audio, video, photography, graphic design, web and...

How to Build Facebooks Fans

John Haydon had a great idea on his blog for building Facebook Fans by offering Fan-Only content.    Check out his article link below to learn how to do it… How To Create An Incentive For Visitors To Fan Your Facebook...

GoMyLocal.com

Here’s another local directory/social media site that you can add your business to for free.  GoMyLocal.com directory listings are a free and easy way to get more exposure online for your business or store front.  Visit the site and see if your business is listed, if not click on “Add a Listing” and fill out a short form with details about your business.  Even if you have a...

SEO is Like Soup…

Huh?  Yes, it’s a weird analogy but let’s just explore it a bit to see how it laddles out… SEO – an acronym for Search Engine Optimization is the act of optimizing a website or blog to rank well for keyword phrases in the Search Engines.  (Google is still The King of the search engines with somewhere around 70% market share (the rest is distributed amongst Yahoo!, Bing,...

Present a Professional Image

It’s been said that a photo is worth a thousand words.  With such a competitive marketplace especially for visitor and tourism related businesses, it’s very important to project a professional image with high-quality, professional photography of your business. As a website developer I look forward to projects where the client has invested in professional photography, because not only...

Is it Time to Update Your Web Site?

For me, the answer to that question was a definite “yes”!  I have to admit I’ve been feeling like the contractor who lives in an unfinished house for quite a while now, meaning to totally overhaul my own website and blog for months (dare I say over a year) but never getting around to it.  But I’m happy to announce that Emagine is sporting a new look for it’s...

Kai Kanani Sailing Charters Maui

Featured Web Project: Kai Kanani Sailing Charters is located on Maui, in Kihei departing daily for Molokini snorkeling, whale watching and sunset tours from Makena Beach fronting the Makena Beach & Golf Resort.  Working with Roger Gildersleeve and his team at Kai Kanani Sailing Charters on Maui has been a real pleasure! Visit the website: www.KaiKanani.com The Challenge: The  client...

How to Use the All in One SEO Pack

The All in One SEO Pack for WordPress is one of the plugins I use to optimize pages and posts on WordPress sites.  Learn more about the plugin, where to get it and how to use it by reading the instructions that follow....

Hospitality Industry Reviews

The following is an article by Miriam Ellis one of my favorite authors on Search Engine Guide.  I thought you might be interested in knowing what sources Google uses for its Local Maps listings. 34 Google Local Maps Sources For Hospitality Industry Reviews Who does Google trust? Who do they love to get data from about your local hospitality business? With the new, expanded, 10-listing One Box...

Happy Holidays!

I’d like to wish you, your family and your small business a very happy and blessed Christmas and an abundant New Year. I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with so many amazing small business people in our  island community.  Thank you to all of my valued clients – thank you for your confidence, support, referrals and friendship.  Thank you to those who have inquired or...

Taba Realty

Featured Web Project: Kauai realtor, Matt Taba of Taba Realty & Development serves Kauai residents with old-fashioned local values.  Located in Koloa, Hawaii, just a few minutes away from Poipu Beach, Matt’s company specializes in residential and commercial sales, residential and commercial property management, development services, and consulting.  Whether you are looking for a...

Encourage Reviews on TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor is a free travel guide website that allows users to post opinions and reviews of travel related issues.  TripAdvisor-branded sites alone make up the most popular and largest travel community in the world, with more than 25 million unique monthly visitors, 15 million+ members, and more than 30 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded...

Has Your Business Been Yelped?

Read Jennifer Laycock’s article on Yelp and find out if your business has been “Yelped” and learn how to set up your Free business profile on this popular social media site. Can Yelp Help Your Small...

Small Business Web Marketing on a Shoestring Budget

I’m moving over some content from my website and found this gem of an article from David Wallace.  It’s a few years old but the advice and suggestions for small businesses on a shoestring budget (who isn’t these days?) is still great. Increase the Visibility of Your Small Business Website on a Shoestring...

Claim Your Google Maps Listing

Here’s a free way to get some great local exposure for your small business on Google – claim your Google Maps listing. Watch the video on how to Claim Your Google Maps Listing. To determine which categories to use for your Google Maps listing, go...

Tahitian Goddess Brochure

Featured Print Project: Tahitian Goddess gourmet jam, jelly, marmalade and chutney are inspired from exotic Polynesian flavors. Made on the idyllic north shore of Kaua`i, Tahitian Goddess gourmet products are hand made in small batches, with a reverence for time-honored cooking customs from Tahiti to Hawaii. Each batch is made from all natural ingredients, selectively and carefully prepared...

Promoting Your Facebook Page

I’ve posted a bunch of posts on the topic of Facebook and how to create a page for your small business.  Now here’s some resources for promoting your Facebook page outside of Facebook, like on your blog or website or other social media sites.  Click on the link below to see Facebooks’ guidelines for promoting your FB page and to find FB images and  a FB badge to be used on...

Hawaiian Diacriticals

Diacritical punctuation marks are an important element of Hawaiian language, affecting both the pronunciation and meaning of particular words.   When I come across a Hawaiian name or word that requires the proper Hawaiian punctuation, I visit this website to find the HTML code for the kāhako and ‘okina for the appropriate letter. Hawaiian Language Punctuation – A table of letters with...

How to use WordPress Gallery Feature

There is a WordPress plugin called ShadowBox JS that I recommend for enhancing the look of your image galleries if you use Word Press.  Here’s where to find the plugin and how to use it....

Healthy Hut Launches New Website

Featured Web Project: Healthy Hut offers a wide selection of the best organic foods, natural health, beauty and household products on Kauai’s north shore.  Located at 4270 Kilauea Road in the historic Stone Building on the way to the Kilauea Lighthouse, Healthy Hut is a convenient and friendly natural products store in the heart of historic Kilauea Town.  Healthy Hut chooses its products...

It’s Not All About You…

When writing copy for your website, it’s NOT all about you. Karon Thackston is one of my favorite experts in the web copywriting  field and her article “Writing TO Your Customers—Not AT Them” was featured on Jill Whalen’s High Rankings newsletter recently.  Karon offers a few examples of copy that is business-focused and then shows how the copy can be modified to be...

Expanding the WYSIWYG Editor in WordPress

If you are a WordPress user and are finding the writing area too small in the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor window, here’s how to make it bigger.  You can manually drag out the window by looking to the lower right hand corner for the three angled lines – hover over those lines and the cursor will turn into double arrows, click and drag those down to create more space...

Building a Business Presence on Facebook

If you have a business or a store front and haven’t taken advantage of Facebook yet, you might want to add that to your list of things to do before the year is out.  To read my earlier post on building a Facebook profile and business page, click here. You’ll need a personal Facebook profile to be able to build a Facebook business/store page.  Once your Facebook page is created you...

How To Organize Your Digital Photos

I’ve had a few people ask me recently, how I keep my digital photographs organized.  Here’s how I do it and some tips and resources that might help you get organized…...

Can’t Afford a Website?

So you can’t afford a professional website?  Don’t worry, there’s still plenty that you can do to spread the word online about your business.  The following suggestions are for free online services designed to help you promote your business whether you have a website or not....

Flippin’ Easy – Flip Video

I recently purchased a Flip Video camera from Costco for about $200.  The High Definition video camera fits in the palm of my hand and comes with a small tripod.  It has a built-in USB port that flips open to connect to my laptop for downloading and editting video clips.  The video editting software that comes with the camera is super easy to use and it offers the ability to add multiple clips...

More On-line Invitation Options…

Awhile back I wrote about an online invitation service from Evite.com.  I wanted to share another on-line invitation and event management company called Pingg.  They have a large showcase of artists and a wider variety of stylish invites to choose from.  Pingg is also free and you can post your announcements directly to Facebook and Twitter,...

WordPress – Manage Your Own Website Content

WordPress is a popular blogging software that can also be used to build and manage website content.  There are a ton of professionally designed themes (think “templates”)  to choose from, some are free and some cost a minimal fee .  The open source (free) application and a helpful forum/community make WordPress a great option for do-it-yourself website/blog enthusiasts . To build a...

A Case for Naps…

I stumbled upon this article about the value of taking naps recently and thought it made complete sense!  Just like our computers need to be shut down and “reset” periodically so does our brain…a 20 minute nap is the perfect solution – at least for those of us who work from home.  (o; Read the article...

Online Photo Editting Can Be a “Picnik”…

I am pleased to introduce my 13 year old daughter, Gabrielle as today’s guest author on the topic of web-based photo editing software.  Take it away Gabby…...

Ideas for Promoting Your Website Offline…

I enjoyed this article by by Stoney deGeyter and thought you might enjoy it too.  After reading it you might be inspired with a great idea or two on how to get more people to visit and link to your website… How to Engage Online Marketing in an Offline...

Kauai Searider Adventure Tours

Featured Wed Project: Kauai Sea Riders offers Na Pali Coast snorkel tour,  a South Shore snorkel tour and seasonal whale watching tours with personalized care, limited seating for small, intimate groups and a knowledgeable, experienced Captain who is also a Marine Biologist.   Captain Tara’s unique Kauai eco adventures on her 24 foot Zodiac “Hurricane”, are highly recommended and...

Spiffy Up Your Craig’s List Posting

A client asked me recently how some postings on  Craig’s List look so much better than others.  He had noticed brochure-type postings and wanted the same format for his listings. So I did a little research and here’s what I found….   Postlets.com offers a free service to create attractive brochure-type listings for real estate and vacation rental properties.  The listings...

Kauai Eco-Fashion Website

Featured Web Project: A. Ell Design is owned and operated by Angelique Ell, a Kauai-based eco-fashion designer.  A. Ell Design is known for Island wear with a classic flair, using fabrics that are environmentally sensitive, and clothing designs that look “hot” but are cool, comfortable and fun to wear.   A. Ell Design creates island-inspired comfortable and unique natural fabric clothing...

Ni‘ihau Cultural Heritage Foundation

Featured Web Project: Ni`ihau Cultural Heritage Foundation, an organization formed to assist the people of Ni‘ihau in retaining their culture and language as well as in developing economic self-sufficiency.   Another purpose of the website is to help build the brand name of the Ni‘ihau shell lei by educating the public on the history and true value of this fine folk art which has been a...

What to Know BEFORE You Hire an SEO…

The following article is great advice for anyone considering hiring an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) professional.  The author, Jill Whalen, CEO  of High Rankings and co-founder of SEMNE, has been performing SEO services since 1995. Jill is the host of the High Rankings Advisor newsletter and the High Rankings SEO forum.  I’ve attended Jill’s SEO workshops and have read her...

Options Not Obligations by Marc Warnke

I just recently finished reading Marc Warnke’s booked call “ONO – Options Not Obligations“.  Marc is what you would call a “Family First Entrepreneur” which is the reason the book caught my attention in the first place.  Ever since building my home-based business almost 9 years ago, I have appreciated and valued the quality of life I have in being able to...

Email & Web-Based Tools from Google

I recently helped a client configure their domain-based email accounts to use Gmail instead of their website host email service.  The client preferred to use Gmail (as many of their employees were already familiar with it from using it for their personal accounts) and the client liked the ability to manage their email user accounts in one easy-to-use control panel....

Foris Winery & Vineyards

Featured Web Project: Foris Vineyards, a boutique vineyard and winery in Rogue Valley, Oregon.  When Ted Gerber planted his first vines in 1974, he had the passion and courage to develop premium Pinot Noir and Alsace varietal vineyards in the remote southwest corner of Oregon. To fulfill his dream, in 1986, he established an estate, family-owned, boutique winery surrounded by the beautiful,...

Kauai Vacation Blog

Featured Web Project: The Kauai Vacation Blog, sponsored by Jean and Abbott Luxury Kauai Vacation Rentals, is a great way for Jean & Abbott to share interesting news and events of the Island as well as provide personal insight on a variety of Kauai vacation subjects with their potential vacation rental clientele. The Challenge: The existing blog provided only basic blogging functions and did...