Increasing Web Presence...

One of the key components of my business strategy was to operate online and create a web storefront - instead of a brick & mortar store, an online site that is useful to customers and visitors. I wanted to have resources and links, things that let people do some work on their own and learn more about technology. Yes, that gives away items for free but I felt strongly that this would be the way I would conduct my business.

Things are finally coming to fruition but not in the way I had originally intended. Originally I planned to have the main site, ACE Computer Services be the place for this information - and it still will be in many respects, but the Blog is getting more traffic and I have moved a lot of this information and education there. I have some ideas of better teaming the main site & the blog to work better together and pass more traffic between the two. I have lots of ideas to create more usefulness & services online but time is a factor right now.

I've also been active, in learning-mode really, reading and viewing tons of technology related websites & blogs. A great bi-product of this is that you have an opportunity to comment on some of the articles and blogs. Some of these comment fields allow you to place your site URL (web address) and have it displayed/linked. This, of course, helps that Google, Yahoo and search engine ranking.

Now I am not just arbitrarily blasting comments everywhere. Generally I comment on items I have something to say about or add information on that relate to technology. This is not new science and many a search engine guru will tell you this is a key strategy of enhancing your site ranking online. The reality is I did not take full advantage of this earlier.

It is worth pointing out that if you have a website for your business - no matter what industry you are in - you should seek out similar websites online. Things like blogs, forums and discussion groups that relate to your industry. You gain some additional knowledge, maybe meet some contacts and get a chance to participate in discussion - all while getting some additional links to your page. It is a win-win for sure.

Thanks for reading!

Updated Blog & Main Pages...

I have seen a ton of traffic heading to the ACE Computer Services Blog recently. This is all well and good but unfortunately those visitors are not also following along to the ACE Computer Services main page and they are not turning into customers. Early on my plan with the Blog was to make it an accessory, with some useful and free information for customers. Based on traffic patterns (site visitors) I am rethinking my Blog strategy.

I also like to write so I am looking to make the Blog more useful. Quick, useful articles on a wide range of technology issues will be the focus and I hope to keep content updated regularly, perhaps even daily if time allows. Getting those visitors to the main site and possible customers remains a focus.

That said I changed the looks of the ACE Computer Services Blog. The old layout and look was getting boring and I really like the visual aspects of the new layout. I think it reads easier as well. Hopefully readers feel the same way. I also added some additional pages - a "Useful Links" page which includes a rundown of links also included on the main site. A new survey and contact form is up as well and I updated the about page.

For the survey & contact form I am using a content/survey generator from Wufoo. It is a simple, easy to use web application and there is a free version that suits my needs for now. Definitely worth a look if you need some form and survey applications for your site. I will write a more formal review of Wufoo in the future over at the ACE Computer Services Blog.

I also updated all the pages of the main site, ACE Computer Services, adding the survey & contact form links in several places, placing the GrandCentral app and changing some of the text content. My Google ranking fell recently after steadily rising for the last few months. I am not sure if it was due to a change in the Google formula for ranking, my page content, links, fresh pages or all of the above. Regardless I should not rest on my laurels of a rising ranking. It is obvious that you have to constantly work at improving your page.

That said I am testing an idea for a new page design. I am not sure if I am going to go with the new design, but a sample is up for review. Let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading!

Goodbye, Sprint

After several months of frustration with Sprint Customer Service and spotty reception I decided to dump the phone, pay the early termination fee and switch to Verizon. Paying the ETF hurts but I just could not do business with Sprint any longer.

They deciding factor came down to performance issues, although the poor customer service alone could push people off this system. I was getting spotty, inconsistent signal strength. In contrast a different phone I have from Verizon works well with strong signal nearly everywhere I go. I was also concerned by the amount of rings a caller would have before my actual phone rang. This was no small number - we are talking seven rings or more sometimes. I tested it myself many times and was shocked. Add my own time to answer a call, 1, 2 maybe 3 rings and you have a customer on the phone (if they stay that long) for 10 rings or more. Unacceptable. If I lost two customers a month because of the poor phone performance the change is more than worth it.

I also decided to go with a PDA/Smartphone this time around. It helps to stay connected to email and I enjoy the convenience of the better browser to search for information on-the-go. After a lot of research I went with the BlackBerry 8830. I have two good friends who both have the phone and I trust their judgement significantly. Both gave glowing reviews. Add that to excellent feedback I saw at multiple sites and it seemed like the winner. I wanted to go with Verizon for the service & signal strengths and this phone seemed to fit my needs best.

I have always had an aversion to BlackBerry's, never believing they worked so well. Boy was I wrong. This is a fantastic phone. Voice quality is excellent, signal strength is strong and the data performance is zippy. email setup was a snap. I will write a more formal review over at the ACE Computer Services Blog in the future.

I was so giddy about the new phone the first night that I missed a critical step in setting up email/browser usage. I am sure it was in the manual but I completely skipped over that and started tapping away. After a while I decided to call customer service and see if my phone or plan was not setup properly. My call was handled fast, with courteous service by people who genuinely seemed to care. My problem was solved immediately and easily. The service rep even exchanged a couple emails with me via the phone to make sure it was working properly (even after the call ended). I was thanked for being a customer and kept on the line beyond the time my problem was solved - I said I could handle things after seeing the step I missed but the rep insisted on staying on the phone to make sure things worked completely.

I was in total shock. Never did I receive such treatment from Sprint. It was like going from the local motel to the Four Seasons. It is that fact that I have slept well on this decision since making the switch.

Thanks for reading!

Looking Back at the 6 Month Mark

This week my company, ACE Computer Services, hit the ripe old age of six months. A lot has happened in that time and it certainly feels like I have been open for business much longer. In fact the anniversary mark did not even occur to me until this morning. It did get me thinking of the things that have gone right, things that have gone wrong and got me reflecting on what I have seen so far.

In reality I have been in business much longer, having been working in computers/technology for more than 15 years now. In that time frame I fixed a bunch of machines for family, friends, coworkers home machines and friends of friends. It wasn't until the end of 2006 when I thought seriously about making an official business. I have blogged about the startup before, so I will not rehash the whole story.

Looking back at the six month mark I am clear as ever why I started this venture. In nearly every other customer call I receive my rates compared to other service providers comes up. I know I am at the low end of the scale in terms of hourly rates for computer/tech services. This is a chief reason why started this business - to provide effective tech support at affordable rates. Some people are surprised at the rates and remark at the high rate quotes they received elsewhere. Others question the rate thinking I am less qualified compared to high-rate companies. I would like to think I am just as qualified and certainly just as customer service oriented and professional but that is difficult to prove on the website or over the phone. Hopefully with time and favorable word-of-mouth that question would be easier to answer or not come up at all.

I took a look back at all that has happened in six months. As I have written before I am just starting to see results in respect to natural page rankings through search engines. It has taken a lot of time and effort but very worth it. I have also seen ups & downs with web advertising. Just this week I did finally begin to see some progress with Yellowpages.com in respect to both customer service and my ad. I am hoping that continues.

I have also endured some painful phone issues. Reliability is becoming an issue with the phone provider I use. I originally liked the rates, which included free incoming calls but I am worried I am losing calls due to poor signal reception in my area. Add to that the awful customer service I have received and it begs the question - why am I still using this? It is painfully obvious that perspective customers do not leave messages and want to speak to someone. I respect that and look for that myself as a customer. Every missed call is missed business. I may make a phone carry switch soon and eat the early termination cost with my current provider.

Looking back at the customers I have worked with and the problems I have solved is very rewarding. I have had the good fortune of working with a diverse group of people from all around this area (Central NJ) and can genuinely say that each customer has been a pleasure to work with. There has been some interesting diversity in the types of problems I handled as well but some trends emerge. Below is a list of some of the common problems I am seeing:

- Lots of Virus, Ad & Spyware removal. I have written about this before in ACE Computer Blog and will continue to try and provide online resources to help. There are also some helpful links online at the main ACE Computer site.

- A bunch of busted fans and dead power units. I wrote a blog offering some tips to avoid these common problems.

- A few broken monitors and damaged keyboards on laptops. This one is situational where I have repaired some but recommended not to repair others due to price & age of the laptop. The price for replacement monitors makes it cost prohibitive for older units.

- Some data recovery although there have been several calls where a severely damaged hard drive was unlikely to yield any data unless looked at by professional services like OnTrack, and that can be a very expensive solution.

I am hoping the next six months brings more.

Thanks for reading!

Online Tech Support: FixYa.com

I came across the FixYa.com site today reading some information on Google AdSense. The site is straightforward and simple - people come to the site to ask tech-related questions and support people join the site to answer problems. There is a few involved and the payouts are small (up to $5.00 for each case closed).

I joined up, if for nothing else than to see what issues are common out there among people and use that experience to help focus my business site, http://www.acecomputernj.com/, to specific needs. It also helps keep me fresh and involved in an assortment of issues and it helps feed my need to solve tech problems. Yup, I am a junkie.

I was also mildly curious if the site can generate any traffic or customers to ACE Computer Services. There is a feature within the site to list yourself (FREE!) as a local "repairman". I was able to include the website URL, phone number, short description and a logo. Very cool.

Setup was fast and simple. The interface for me, as an "expert" is easy to manage and I can click & pick any number of open cases. There is a live chat feature as well that comes from special IM software provided by FixYa.

Not sure of the rates they charge to customers yet or how the whole process will work. My support profile is up at:

http://www.fixya.com/users/awc045

Testing the GrandCentral WebCall Button

I have been exploring the features of GrandCentral a little more and they have a WebCall button feature that you can incorporate into your website, blog, etc. The feature allows the perspective caller to enter their name & phone number (which can be kept private) and then the system, GrandCentral calls their phone and connects to my number. Nice service feature for people to contact you via phone direct from a website. I am testing the service below before adding it to the ACE Computer Services site:

In testing the service myself it does work fast and it was very easy. The call shows up as "unknown" on both phones - the one I entered on the website and the phone my GrandCentral account dials.

GrandCentral & Natuba

I signed up for two cool services online, GrandCentral and Natuba. I wrote about both over on the ACE Computer Services Blog but I have some short details on each below.

GrandCentral is a site, now owned by Google, that provides a single phone number to call all of your existing phones - home, work, cell, etc. One call to the GrandCentral number will ring all the phones or just the one or ones you designate. Definitely cool for people on the go or for an absolute emergency number. Setup was simple and the service is free for most basic features and services.

Natuba is a social network site aggregator that can include content from most of the popular social network sites online. This includes myspace blogs, flickr photos, blogger content and specific URL RSS Feeds. Setup was also simple here but you need an invitation to join the network. Invites are available from existing users.

I am not really sure how I am going to utilize GrandCentral right now but I would like to phase the number into the ACE Computer Website and promotional material. I may make it the main number, which protects me if my work cell number changes or if I have no phone, like I did last month thanks to my friends at Sprint.

With Natuba I am hoping those content links provide a few more links to my sites to improve Google & Yahoo rankings. Hey, every link counts, right?

Thanks for reading!

Movin On Up...

I made a series of web tweaks last week - simple things like cleaning up keywords, changing some of the text and adding some more headers, etc. I tweaked the titles and as always I try to get more links out there. As I have written before that work on the back-end of my business is finally coming to fruition now. A Google search of "NJ Computer Repair" has me naturally coming up on page two, number 14 on the search (as of today).

Similarly a search of "New Jersey Computer Repair" has me also on page two, but two spots down. It feels good to be movin' on up. I am not doing as well on a Yahoo search of the same, but I have been focused much more on my Google ranking lately. Yahoo will come next.

Last week was a slow week for the website (www.acecomputernj.com) in terms of page hits & traffic and I could tell. The amount of calls/emails to me was lower, as was the number of actual customers generated from those calls. I am really beginning to see that traffic is key. I have noticed a traffic bump when I write entries in the ACE Computer Blog (http://blog.acecomputernj.com) and I am trying to free time to create useful content for that site. Useful being the key. I don't want to bore people, and I do not want to rehash news of other blogs, etc. Trying to find balance in the blog is tough. It was not much of a focus when I first started the business. In fact I looked at it as just one more place to add links.

Now I find myself using it more and more. It is a nice, creative outlet to inform customers & visitors of technology news, trends, etc. It helps people get a better perspective of who I am and how I run the business and it allows me to provide free, do-it-yourself resources. It helps that I enjoy writing, so creating the content is not as much a stretch as it seems. Time is more a factor as I balance priorities (full time job, this business venture, family, etc.).

But it is a worthwhile time investment to improving my virtual storefront. I have not used serious analysis tools, but just eyeballing the page hits and pages visited shows increases on days when I utilize the blog.

Thanks for reading!