If you have been following my “Internet Helper” weekly articles, then you are well aware that I am a fan of Google!  Google has created another free service for you to use; you do not even need a Gmail account in order to utilize it.  This new service is called 1-800-Goog-411.

1-800-Goog-411 is a new directory assistance helpline that you may call at anytime.  Once you call the number 1-800-GOOG-411, you are asked to state the name of the business as well as your city and state.  For example, if you are not sure about the name of the business, then you can say “pizza delivery” in Rockford Illinois, and it will bring back multiple pizza options for the Rockford area.  After you have chosen one of the results, it will automatically connect you with that particular business.

From a marketing aspect, Google is pulling these results directly from their online search engine.  For example, if you went to Google.com and typed in “pizza delivery” in Rockford Illinois, then you would receive the exact same ordered results as you would receive from the new 1-800-Goog-411 directory assistance service.

As an internet marketer and as a person who knows how to get businesses higher in these results, I must say that this is a very important concept for local businesses with foot traffic.  If you have a pizza business in Rockford, then you need to get your business into the results of this Google directory service.  The only way to do this is to get your business higher in the Google search engine results.  This new directory assistance service could be sending free targeted traffic to your business phone number.

If you are a consumer, then remember the new 1-800-Goog-411 directory assistance phone number before you pick up that old, outdated phone book.  If you are a business, then remember this new service the next time the phone book representative walks into your establishment wishing for you to purchase an advertisement in the listings.

With the evolution of Google powered phones like the Verizon Wireless Droid, be sure that Google has a plan to promote this free directory assistance service.  More local consumers will be using this service as Google acquires more of a foothold on the cell phone market.

Dial 1-800-Goog-411 or 1-800-466-4411 to utilize this free service.  If you have a business that you wish to get higher in the Google directory service listings, then please feel free to visit my website www.InternetMarketingHelpline.com and contact me.  I will see you in the next Internet Helper!

In my last “Internet Helper,” we began our conversation about the most popular and most worthwhile antivirus solution for your computer.  We talked about Microsoft Live Onecare which, unfortunately, will no longer be available on the market as a solution from Microsoft.  We also discussed Norton Antivirus 360 Version 2.0 as being another popular option.

I believe that we need to mention a few other antivirus programs that are available.  BitDefender Antivirus 2010 may be less popular, but it is not inferior.  This could be a very good option for your PC.  If you have never heard of BitDefender, then it might be worth investigating.  It is a program consisting of an antivirus, antispyware, identity protection, firewall, antispam, and parental controls.  BitDefender also has an interesting feature called a “Gamer Mode” option.  This is extremely unique!

One of the main problems with antivirus programs is that they can be very difficult to run on your computer, depending on your computer’s capabilities.  They consume a lot of RAM and processor power.  This factor can cause problems if you are an avid gamer.  When playing computer games, you need all the power that your computer has to offer.  In “Gamer Mode,” BitDefender is still active.  However, it consumes less of your computer’s horsepower so that more of its resources can be dedicated to the game you are playing.  I have never seen this type of option from an antivirus program.

Most people have heard of McAfee Internet Security.  I personally have never used McAfee on any of my computers.  However, some reviews say that it is better than Norton while others say that it is either the same or less effective.  One of the disadvantages of McAfee is that they charge for phone support.  As I mentioned in my last “Internet Helper,” Norton also charges for phone support.  I personally believe that purchased antivirus programs should have some sort of phone support option built into the cost of the program.  It must be costly to have people answer the phone!

The last option that I would like to mention is AVG Antivirus.  A major advantage of AVG is their free antivirus option for its users.  There is a paid upgrade but you can install the basic version on any computer free of charge.  Most of us have an auxiliary computer that is older and not worth much more investment.  Instead of paying $50 to put an antivirus on that older computer, install this free option to at least have some reliable antivirus protection.  I know some computer repair people who only recommend AVG.  At the moment, I am trying AVG and am very impressed!  I will see you in the next “Internet Helper!”

If you are a computer owner who is constantly accessing the internet, then I strongly urge you to protect yourself by using an effective antivirus program.  Even if you are careful about the websites that you visit, viruses and internet worms can still attack your computer.

Personally, I have used Microsoft Windows Live OneCare for a couple years.  The reason that I chose OneCare was that I like to keep things on my computer very simple.  If OneCare is developed by Microsoft and I am running Microsoft Windows XP, then the two programs should function optimally together.

Actually, the two programs of Microsoft OneCare and Microsoft Windows XP did work well together. In all honesty, OneCare has run relatively smoothly on my higher end Toshiba laptop.  The disadvantage of OneCare was that it did not protect against adware.  My computer was infected with adware a few times for which I downloaded a free removal program called Malware Bytes at Download.com.  Unfortunately, OneCare is no longer being sold for the PC market.  Apparently, Microsoft did not find the antivirus market to be profitable for them.

What are some other solutions?  One of the most popular solutions which has been on the market for years is Norton Antivirus.  Their latest installment of Norton 360 Version 2.0 protects against nearly every known obstacle that you may encounter while being online.  These could be viruses, phishing attempts, spyware, etc.

This seems to be a great solution!  However, I have read some reviews about various installation issues.  The downside of Symantec’s tech support for Norton is that they charge you if you wish to speak to an actual person; there is no free number for technical support.  They do have a database of common support questions and answers that you may access if you will give them your email address and phone number.  Also, I had used a version of Norton Antivirus in the past and was disappointed in the decreased speed of my system’s performance.

Is Norton Antivirus 360 Version 2.0 the best option for antivirus?  Let’s discuss other options in the next “Internet Helper!”

In my last Internet Helper, I discussed the two main types of websites.  One type is very simple to setup and could possibly be created using a program from a local retailer.  The newer style of website, one that is becoming more common, is called a content management system.  All of the content is stored on the server and is able to be edited directly from the backend of the website.

The easy setup of a content management system has virtually eliminated the need to hire a web designer in order to make a simple change in the content of a website.  Now you can login and make basic changes yourself, as opposed to relying on the web designer to make the changes for you.

If you are considering building a new website for your business, then it is important to look at the search engine capabilities of a content management system.  Since this type of website is easy to update, it more easily receives attention from Google. Why is this true?  Let me breakdown the reasoning behind this fact.

When you do a Google search, do you want old content coming up in the first few results, or would you rather have the freshest content appearing first for your Google search?  I think that you would rather have the newest and freshest content.

Since content management systems are easy to update, they receive preferential treatment because Google expects them to be updated with newer content.  There are many other aspects of your website that will effect where you are located in the Google search results, but we will save those facts for another Internet Helper.

I would like to take a moment to send my sympathy to the families who lost their loved ones in the Fort Hood tragedy.  Hopefully, the online blog comments that the suspected gunman left while being online will help the investigators that are attempting to find reasons for this incident.  I will see you in the next Internet Helper.

For those of us who remember when the internet first became a reality, we can recall the simplicity of the websites.  In fact, it took some time for most of the world to trust even the largest retailers with their credit cards through a website shopping cart. From my viewpoint as an internet marketer, I see a variety of different websites every day.  I spend most of my time working online and consulting with businesses about their websites.

What is the best type of website?  What type of website receives more exposure in the search engines?  What about those websites that you see advertised on TV that allow you to easily create a website for a simple $5 monthly fee?

I conduct considerable amounts of research concerning website design and website marketability.  I have seen which websites tend to work more efficiently for various applications.  Before I share some of my findings, I would like to give you a little more background on website design.

To make this concept easy to understand, I like to envision that there are only two types of websites that exist in the online world.  There are more but lets keep this simple.   The first type is one that can be created using a program on your computer which then can be uploaded to cyberspace for everyone else to view.

The second type of website is an actual system that is installed into cyberspace that allows you to login and make changes to the website without actually having to upload from your computer.  This is the newer style of website design currently used by most designers and is commonly called a content management system.

The first type of website is less intimidating so most amateur website designers and general computer users feel more comfortable implementing this type of setup.  One usually purchases a website program from a local retailer and then spends a few hours creating his own personal/business website using a computer.  This tends to be the most inexpensive option.  However, is it the best?  Find out in my next “Internet Helper!”

In my last “Internet Helper,” I discussed various features and benefits of some of the most popular email companies.  In my opinion, Gmail (Google’s mail system) is superior because of the many other features that Google allows you to have in addition to a free email account.   Some of these additional features include Google Documents, Google Calendar, Google Reader, Google Alerts, a customized Google homepage, Google Webmaster Tools if you have a website, and much more!

Have you ever seen those emails that appear as though they are connected to a website?  For example, my business is the Internet Marketing Helpline.  I could potentially setup an email account for myself, such as john@internetmarketing.com (not an active email address), using the hosting account that I use for my website.  If you are hosting a website, then you most likely are able to create a customized email such as the above example.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of an email such as the above example?  The most important benefit for a business is that it is much more professional in appearance than having a free account such as with AOL or Yahoo.  Are there any other benefits?  Honestly, I personally do not believe that there are many more advantages.

My business email for the Internet Marketing Helpline is a Gmail account.  You may ask why I am not using a domain email like my previous example?  There are two main reasons for my methodology.

The first reason is that my email is much shorter if I simply use an abbreviation and use @gmail.com.  Typing in a lengthy email address is annoying.  Additionally, it is important for an email to be easy to remember and quickly recognized by either your friends or business peers.

The second reason is that a free email account such as Gmail has many refined and built- in features, such as SPAM protection.  Custom business domain emails (such as john@internetmarketing.com) tend to have less protection unless the company invests in a separate program for added protection.

No matter what type of email you choose for your personal life/business, my best advice for you is to choose the email company that you find the easiest to use and that has the most functionality.  Email is becoming as common as checking your mailbox at your street.  You are going to use it daily, so you might as well make sure that you will enjoy checking and sending emails with an easy to use program.  I will see you in the next “Internet Helper!”

I was around in the early 90’s when there were only two different ways to access the internet that were mainstream:  America Online and Compuserve.  Most people who signed up with America Online also then had AOL emails.  Till this day, I still check the email address for which I signed up in the 90’s.  However, just because I still check it does not mean that I personally think that it is the best email program at this time.

I see a wide variety of different emails being used.  The most popular ones are:  AOL, Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, and Live.  However, I am sure that you have asked yourself in more than one instance, “Should I change to a different address?”  After weighing the options, you may stick with the old email address because of the hassle of losing or transferring your contacts.

However, when is it indeed time to change?  I mentioned earlier that I still use AOL, but only for personal use.  For my business, I use Gmail.  The reasons are very simple.  With Gmail, I never have to erase a single email.  I simply check the email, respond appropriately, and let the email sit in my Gmail account as reference.  As a business owner, I know how crucial it is to have a paper trail, and with Gmail I always have a trail!

It is also very easy to conduct a search if I need to find an older email.  I use this feature at least 3 to 5 times per day.  Additionally, every time that I view an email in AOL, an advertisement changes on the page.  That means that in order to read my email or navigate each screen, I must wait for a new animated banner to load.  Sometimes this even jams their system!  When using Gmail, I am exposed to Google’s pay per click ads, but those are simply text and load extremely quickly.  I am never bombarded with ugly advertisements.

In an earlier “Internet Helper” column, I discussed Google Documents.  Google Documents is another advantage of having a free Google account.  If you sign up for a free Gmail, then you can use Google Documents for organization, to build a webpage, to load tracking analytics onto your website, to setup a Google Calendar to remind you of your obligations, and even to link it to your Youtube account.  It is essentially an all encompassing tool for individuals and businesses.  We will continue our discussion of email addresses in the next “Internet Helper.”

You may have been searching online and may have found an advertisement that says, “Google Pays You …Click Here!”  I personally see them all the time.  The question that the average consumer might ask is, “How does this work?”

In order to find out the answer, the individual may click on the advertisement and then purchase the informational product that states how to make money using Google.  I am actually going to save you the hassle of your having to buy any informational products just to find out how Google can pay you.

In my last “Internet Helper,” I discussed how Google has multiple uses.  I talked about Google Documents specifically, and how it can be very easy and helpful to use!  In addition to Google Documents, Google has an advertisement network called Adwords.  Do you ever Google something about which you are curious and notice those little ads off to the right side of the Google search results?  Those are Adwords advertisements.

The advertisers are paying Google each time someone clicks on their advertisement.  The viewer does not necessarily even have to purchase the product; he simply needs to click the ad in order for Google to charge the advertiser.  It is commonly referred to as a pay per click system of advertising.

The ads that come up during a search are placed by Google and, therefore, Google earns the revenue made from those clicks.  However, you most likely have been to any given website and have seen similar advertisements with a little note that says, “Ads by Google.”  Did you know that the webmaster who owns that site is given a share of the advertising revenue that is generated if a visitor goes to that site and clicks on the advertisement?

This is how Google can pay you!  You must be a webmaster who is willing to display these Google ads on your website, and then drive lots of traffic to your site so that those visitors click on your ads and earn you revenue.  However, you cannot click on your own ads.  You must be fair to Google.

This Google system of allowing you to display ads as a webmaster is known as Google Adsense.  You must have a website(s) and then implement the Adsense code into the website so that the Google ads display.  If you have any questions about how to get started with Adsense, or even how to advertise your business using Google Adwords, I would be happy to help.  Feel free to contact me through my website at www.InternetMarketingHelpline.com.  See you in the next “Internet Helper!”

Google has quickly become the #1 trusted search engine in the universe.  America Online actually combined their email system with the search through Google.  If you visit America Online (aol.com), you will see that their search is “Enhanced by Google.”  Microsoft was losing its audience at msn.com, so they brought out Bing as a new concept to try and revamp its audience.

Why is Google so much better?  Google’s search is actually geared much more towards the person who is searching, and less towards the websites available.  In other words, a website must have decent content and verbage in order for Google to send them any visitors searching for that content.

For example, if a person is searching for information about how to make apple butter, Google will be choosing the sites to display as results by combing through the various sites that are available and showing only those with the most relevant content for “apple butter.”  It might seem like Yahoo and Bing do the same exact concept, but they are slightly different.

There are many other reasons why Google has dominated as the #1 search engine.  One of my personal favorites is that they offer so many free tools.  Did you know that Google offers to its users an online spreadsheet system that is free!  It is called “Google Documents.” The first thing that you would need is a free Gmail account from Google.  After signing up for a Gmail account, then you click on the “Documents” link on the top part of the screen while logged into Gmail.  You will then be given the option to associate your Gmail account with Google Documents.  You can create, save, and print spreadsheets very similar to Microsoft Excel right from Google.

What makes Google Documents even better is that you can share the online document with other Google users that might need to see the document.  For example, if you have a coworker that would also benefit from the document who has a Gmail account, then you can choose to share your Google Document spreadsheet with them, and you can both view and make changes to the content.

Have you ever seen those ads online that state “Google Pays You!”?  In my next “Internet Helper,” I will be talking about how Google can pay someone.  Stay tuned!

Believe it or not, millions of people are attempting to use the internet to earn extra income. The idea of working from home using the internet is extremely glamorous. Sometimes people refinance their homes so that they can invest anywhere between $500 to $50,000 towards acquiring this dream lifestyle.

The $50,000 investment above is actually not an exaggeration. I have coached someone over the phone who had previously spent $50,000 to try to create a new career using online methods. Unfortunately, he was still struggling to earn a monthly residual income.

Personally, I become upset when I find websites that are boasting about how one can make $500 to $5,000 per day if he purchases the product/service/ebook that is for sale on the page. As a follower of my “Internet Helper” column, I want to warn you about this type of webpage. I have seen some examples in which the people claiming to have become rich using the system have actually struggled to pay for the development of their salespages.

In many instances, the ebook being sold is merely the opportunity. It does not necessarily teach you how to run a business as would an entrepreneurial course at Rockford College, but instead it simply instructs the buyer to resell the ebook to others and then pocket a percentage of the profit.

Essentially, you are being asked to market a product without having any prior marketing experience. Most buyers never actually re-promote the product that they purchased, and they never make any money from of their investments. In some cases, the people that do attempt to promote the opportunity to others actually lose more money from their failed attempt to remarket the product.

If you are not interested in marketing, but do want to generate income using the internet, then you should visit AssociatedContent.com or TextBroker.com. These two sites allow you to create article content in exchange for payment.

The overwhelming demand of businesses and web designers for fresh online content has created a solid market for those willing to write articles. This is just one way that the internet can legitimately allow you to earn money from home. In upcoming “Internet Helper” articles, I will be giving away even more ways to utilize the internet for generating income.