On the heels of announcing Viget South, we have more good news. Viget is officially a Google AdWords Qualified Company.

Google AdWords management is part of our Search Engine Marketing (SEM) services. AdWords helps clients drive new and qualified paid traffic through search engines and sites within the Google Network.

What does this mean for our clients? Well, at a bare minimum, we hope pursuing the qualified status indicates our commitment to keep up with industry knowledge. Receiving this status verifies that we know our stuff. An added benefit is that we receive limited amounts of promotional credits we can apply to clients that employ us to manage their accounts.

You can check out our Google AdWords Qualified Company page on Google.

Did you know that you can essentially get free advertising on Google just by registering your business on Local Business Center? By doing so, your business may rank for local (and relevant) queries on Google via Google Maps.

But that is not all.

Google just rolled out a new feature that allows local businesses to be reviewed too. So, now client X or patron B might throw their two cents about your company into an easily accessible review linked off of Google.com.

That might scare you, encourage you to do better, or be fine because you are sure that people are happy with your business.

Think about it though, would you choose the business with outstanding reviews or the one with nothing to validate it? Similar to soliciting offline customer feedback, Google Map reviews are going to be key for any local business.

In sad news, my favorite Chinese food place in Falls Church - New Dynasty (previously on speed dial) - recently shut down. I wonder what would have happened if it had some reviews?

I’ve decided to break our don’t-blog-about-entertainment-clients rule this morning.  Last night, several of us caught Brian Regan‘s show at the Strathmore Theater.  The show was hilarious, and we had a blast.

If you’ve never seen Brian’s act, he does ”observational comedy”, with a particular gift for expressive delivery.  As I listened to the jokes, I thought: this material comes across like a series of blog posts.  Very funny blog posts.  Quick stories about childhood memories, insights into the world around us, and simple-but-true reflections on everyday life.  What’s more, Brian is one of those rare people who is just really funny to be around.  He has a way of thinking and talking that cracks you up.

Who better to write a blog than Brian Regan?  I’d read it every day.  So would many of the other 2,000 folks who saw the show last night and the hundreds of thousands of fans who follow him.  He’s got great content at the tip of his tongue and a pre-established audience.  It would be a sure hit.

Brian was gracious enough to invite us backstage after the show for a few photos and a brief chat.

So I had to ask him, “Any interest in blogging?” The short answer: not really.

His focus is on continuing to make his stand-up show the best it can be.  That takes time and effort.  Regular blogging takes time and effort.  As funny as Brian’s Daily Reflections would be (his, not mine), it’s just not a priority for him professionally or personally right now.  Until he decides it is, I would never advise him to launch one.

Blogging isn’t for everyone.  It takes a certain personality.  Think about Brian’s scenario if you’re asking “Should I blog?” Before you consider how hilarious (or informative, compelling, inspiring) your content would be, how many fans (or friends, contacts, colleagues) you already have who would read it, or how much a successful blog will help your career by filling theaters (or sales funnels, job offers, speaking gigs), you should ask, “Do I really want to?” Am I really inspired to share my thoughts with the world several times each week?  Am I really motivated to keep it up over months and years?”

I think many blogs start out because people think they have great information and insight to share.  While that’s significant, it’s more important to know that you’re ready to stick with it.

Oh, and Brian’s best comment backstage?  Kyle, who has managed to meet Brian after a few shows, asked what he could do so that he’d be remembered during their next encounter.  Simple, Brian said. “A one-thousand dollar bill.”

Our clients spend an awful lot of time obsessing over the homepages of their sites. And there is some merit to that; typically, the homepage is one of the most visited pages of a Web site. But in the age of search, any page of your Web site can act as a homepage.

What to do? Put the same amount of thought into secondary pages. As you carefully craft copy and calls to action on the homepage, ensure that each page of your site is designed to convert your visitors by influencing them to take actions you deem important.

Need more convincing? Well, if you have any analytics on your site, it will likely show an interesting long tail trend. The number of people who visit your secondary pages probably exceeds the total visits of your homepage. The impact is even greater if you are building a knowledge-based site like Squidoo or Wikipedia.

The Web has changed. People no longer come in solely the front door of your site - some visitors get dropped straight into your living room, and you need to be prepared to serve them equally.