I know that many of my readers and followers are in Charlotte, but I still have a fair amount of followers, colleagues, students, and friends back in the Asheville area.
I lived in Asheville, NC from 2003 to 2007.
Here are a few interesting things about Asheville for those of you who are not real familiar with that part of North Carolina…
1. There is an old saying in Asheville, that if you don’t work for Biltmore Estate or Grove Park Inn, you don’t work! It’s not entire true. But those are the big players, for sure. Notice: Both are in the hospitality industry.
2. There are more Bed & Breakfasts and Inns in Asheville than practically anywhere else in the country. Try www.BedandBreakfast.com and you’ll see that Asheville is huge for B&B.
3. Lots of businesses want to succeed on-line in Asheville. It is a beautiful place to live and has a good amount of “culture” for a small city. Therefore, if you can start an online business anywhere in the world, many choose to do so in Asheville, NC.
4. Back in 2003, there were only a few individuals that really did SEO, PPC, etc. They were mostly freelancers. There are more now than ever, but the freelancers are still some of the best ones.
5. One of my favorite web developers is Totsie at www.Totsie.com. She is a real pleasure to work with and to be around.
6. One of my favorite online marketers that I still keep close in touch with is Fiona Dudley of www.Weaversites.com. She is a very hard worker and never charges as much as she should. (How many times have I told you that, Fiona!?!)
Given all of the above. Here are my two suggestions…
1. If you are looking for a nice place to spend a long weekend, go visit a Bed and Breakfast in Asheville, NC. Personally, I’ve worked with and enjoy the Albemarle Inn but many others are nice, too.
Let’s face it, building a website is typically not easy.
The effort it takes to find the right web developer, or learn a web development program yourself is just plain painful.
Yet, how many people do you know that want a new website? Perhaps they don’t have one or they don’t like the one they have. Either way, they wish they did not have to hire a professional. They wish they could make it themselves and edit it easily.
Are you that person?
If so, here’s the bad news…
The industry standard software out there (like Dreamweaver) is very difficult to learn and use. And the so-called “simple to use” methods tend to rank terribly on the search engines. They also lack the functionality you will want and need.
Here’s the good news…
Here is the perfect solution. About two years ago, I found out about a little-known software that makes clean, basic websites very easily. I bought it to try it out.
Within three months, I had bought three more licenses – one for every person that works at Hippo Internet Marketing with me. I’ve also talked four of my colleagues into buying it and using it.
All of us have loved this software. We’ve collectively built dozens of websites. Many of them rank extremely well. I promise you that the sites built with this software have clean code and rank well. The software is powerful, simple, and comes with great documention!
Here’s some even better news…
This website making software just came out with version 2.0. I spent most of my afternoon and evening reading and watching the videos about all the new features. They’re awesome. There’s no sense in going into all the details here. You can read them on their site (link below).
Tonight I am upgrading all of our licenses and reminding all of my colleagues to do the same.
How this affects you…
No matter who you are, I’m sure you can think of reasons why you’d like to have a new website. This software works incredibly well for that. It’s the perfect way to give your site a new look, or start some new sites you think will help your current efforts.
Those of you that have come to my classes know that the more pages and websites you make, the greater chance you have of ranking on the search engines and dominating your market.
Honestly, I don’t typically “sell products” on this blog. But I sincerely and deeply feel that this is one offer no one should pass up.
If you know me, you know I would not steer you wrong. Please go check it out. It’s money very well spent – especially at the current temporarily reduced rate.
Here’s the video that shows what this can do and the website that explains more. If you already own XSitePro, click here to see all the new features. (To upgrade, you choose the buy button and just use the same email you used before to upgrade.)
Basically, if you live or work in the Lake Norman region, you know these guys and the work they do. If not, something is seriously wrong. You owe it to yourself to become acquainted with them (and what they do) as soon as possible…
To start with, McBryde Website design has built the majority of websites that are local to Mooresville, in particular. Don’t believe me? Check out their portfolio here.
Already own a website, you say? Then check out Best of Lake Norman. It’s a good opportunity to get more visibility and a decent local in-bound link, which is so important to search engine visibility.
But the best part is meeting the men behind McBryde web development in person. These two are focused on just plain doing a good job for their clients. They care. Period. They aren’t so obsessed with making money that they forget about the human beings that they service.
It’s a refreshing model that just plain works. We feel the same way here at Hippo Internet Marketing. We look forward to working with them more in the future and referring clients to them.
By the way, if you are looking for a simple, well optimized website, contact these guys. They know good, basic SEO and Kevin in particular is looking forward to joining us for our upcoming SEO Classes in Mooresville.
I got a head start on my networking “surge” for August by attending the Charlotte Chamber “Member Orientation 102” meeting yesterday (July 31). The program had two parts to it:
The Charlotte Chamber has plenty of research information if any of their members need it. That’s great. In fact, I’ve already emailed Erin Casullo (director of research) to see if she can provide me some info we’re needing.
They have plenty of advertising opportunities available to members (no big surprise).
L. A. Management Company (Lou Amico)
At the end of the meeting, Lou Amico of L.A. Management was one of the sponsors and explained to all in attendance that his company operates locally. They do multimedia, web, and SEO, among other things.
