For marketers and entrepreneurs alike, implementing QR codes is extremely easy and sometimes a great pursuit to improve profitability.

Creating QR codes are very low-cost, simple to create, and implement. QR codes are on the leading edge of business marketing, offering something new and innovative to enhance a business.

So Why Use QR Codes for Business Advertising?

Based on research conducted by Google, about 90% of all smartphone users are searching for a website or a phone number for something that they plan to act upon (or purchase.) This means that being ready for such impulse mobile searches can result in a better stream of business.

By the end of this year, Smartphone owners are anticipated to double. As a result, preparing your marketing strategies around mobile marketing is further essential. QR codes are quick and cheap way to start.

How to Use QR Codes to Advertise Your Business

QR codes carry a number of uses. They simply act as links and can direct smartphone users to just about any webpage or promotion. In fact, QR codes are common on basic materials and publications, such as business cards.

QR codes are said to increase the response rate of direct advertising campaigns. So for tangible retailers, placing QR codes in the store so that customers can easily view and scan them can really help promote certain products. This can help get rid of lingering inventory, among other things.

In addition, QR codes are very effective on print ads. This allows consumers to go from ad to webpage in a quick scan. Such "calls to action" are revolutionizing the way we do marketing.

The new version of Google Analytics has been available in Beta for some time. Now, the new Google Analytics platform has finally become universal to all accounts.

According to Google, there are several improvements in the new version's interface. In essence, the new Google Analytics provides a few extra tools that can help SEO professionals and Internet marketers realize many advantages.

Advantages of the New Analytics

The new Google Analytics interface looks a lot more "platform-orientated," and features a cleaner and less overwhelming look and feel. One of the greatest advantages to the new Analytics interface is the ability to keep a custom report open while viewing other accounts without returning the dashboard every time.

In addition, Google emphasizes three major improvements of the new Analytics: 

• A completely redesigned platform that offers significantly new functionality and features.
• A streamlined interface that makes it easier for users to access all the information they need.
• Faster and expanded reporting capabilities.

New Analytics Reporting Features

The new version of Google Analytics was designed to offer additional reporting capabilities for new marketing demands. Some of the new features of Google Analytics include:

Mobile Reporting

The number of Internet users that are searching from mobile devices is growing fast. The new Analytics offers a clear picture of how mobile visitors are interacting with a website.

This information is invaluable, for it allows marketers to determine just how mobile-friendly certain pages are on a website. Experts can gauge how mobile-friendly aspects of the their site are by stacking up metrics like Time on Site and Bounce Rate to how well a webpage appears from certain mobile devices. This can lead to opportunities for mobile optimization as well as mobile marketing.

Real-Time Reporting

The real-time reporting tool of the new Google Analytics allows you to view stats on what is happening at a certain moment on your website. Real-time reporting offers continuous updating, which can be very useful for Internet marketers monitoring campaigns live advertising campaigns. This allows for more timely executions of new ideas and strategies.

Flow Visualization

This newly designed graphic tool shows you exactly how your visitors navigate through your website. Before, it was a little harder to access this data, but with this feature of the new Google Analytics, the data is easier to visualize and understand.

The flow visualization allows you to see the journey your visitors took while on your website. Additionally, the data displays demographic information and the traffic sources of each visitor. This is an amazing tool for Internet marketers, because it will enable them to learn and better focus their efforts with respect to the nature of the market.

This new Google Analytics version is faster, more insightful, and much more intuitive than ever before. It represents an amazing tool for improving the Internet marketing strategies of a website, and it helps marketers get a deeper idea of their true customers.

Surf the Web from anywhere in the globe with GeoSurf. Well, sort of...

What is GeoSurf

GeoSurf is a convenient tool that enables users to view web content as it is displayed in many areas throughout the globe. Once installed, the GeoSurf toolbar can be seen on the user's web browser, allowing for easy selection of the desired geographic region.

GeoSurf ranks as one of the best proxy server networks with dependable severs in eighty major countries. This means people can browse the Internet as if they were in one of the eighty different locations. This offers a number of great advantages for Internet marketers.

Internet Marketing Advantages of GeoSurf

Internet marketing is often global endeavor for many businesses. GeoSurf allows marketers to view and analyze their marketing efforts on a per country basis. This can be ideal for troubleshooting poor ad performance in specific global markets.

For instance, if one ad is working in China, but is not working in France, one might tweak or drop the ad to save on impression share. In addition to analyzing a user's own marketing efforts, GeoSurf is a great tool to assess competitors’ global marketing efforts.

Some of the greatest insights can come from the competition. With GeoSurf, users can see what exactly their competitors are doing in order to cater to their target markets around the world. Perhaps a certain tone of ad copy works better, or maybe certain regions are turned-on by images and colors that reflect their culture. The opportunities to analyze in make adjustments are powerful with GeoSurf.

Affiliate Marketing & Website Content

Aside from online ads, GeoSurf provides information that allows marketers to make simple yet crucial adjustments to their affiliate marketing efforts. Here, getting a read on the target market, and assessing the ROI based on potential impressions and/or click-throughs is key.

In addition, GeoSurf enables affiliate marketers to gauge their ad effectiveness in specific global marketers. Ineffective ads can be easily dropped and dollars can be saved thanks to the features of GeoSurf.

Also cool about this handy tool is the ability track campaigns, affiliates, as well as competitors. GeoSurf offers many additional resources to give your global Internet marketing efforts at huge boost.

In October of 2011, Google+, a 4 month old social networking platform from Google, had a reported 40 million users. Jump to January 2012 and Google+ now has over 90 million active users, with hopes to grow to 100 million by the end of February.

Although this is great news for Google, the question everyone is asking is how did the company more than double its number of users in so little time?

The only answer that analysts have for this immense growth in Google+ is of the heavy implementation of Google+ in all of Google’s activities. As Google has recently launched its "Search Plus Your World" feature, which adds personally-oriented search results based on your Google+ profile, its content, and your behaviors.

This has spawned a lot more traffic for Google+, as users (or members of one's circle) post anything from profile updates to photos and links (with the similar keyword references as your search query) will likely appear in the "personal" search engine results. This has led to a lot of mixed emotions amongst other popular social networking platforms and online business models.

More Promotional Push From Google

But the "Search Plus Your World" hasn’t been the only attempt from Google to rake in new users to its growing social networking site. Google has also made it mandatory for all new Google Gmail users to create a Google+ account to be able to complete the creation of a Gmail account. This has led to an immense amount of unhappy users who feel like they have been bullied by the search engine giant into creating a Google+ account.

In addition to online-based promotions and incentives, Google has also taken its marketing efforts to television audiences. During prime time TV, it is not uncommon to see television ads about Google that target both consumers and businesses. Such ads highlight the advantages of having "circles" in your social network, or for businesses, the opportunities to connect with consumers on a more social-friendly format.

With this much push from the search engine giant to get Google+ afloat, it makes sense how quickly Google+ gained over 90 million users. And at this rate it seems likely that Google+ will get the estimated 300-400 million users it yearns for by the end of the year.

But how many will truly be glued to Google+ like they are Facebook or Twitter? And although Google does say that 60% of Google+ users are engaged daily and 80% weekly. Google forgot to mention that it counts anyone who signs into their Google account which is tied to Gmail, Google+, YouTube and iGoogle (along with many others) as an active Google+ user.

It will be an interesting future for Google+, and here at Increase Your Rank, we'll keep you informed as Google continues on its path of extraordinary growth.

Social media marketing has introduced many opportunities in the way companies conduct business, with Facebook being one the biggest players in the social media arena. 

You can easily reach out to your potential customers and advertise your products to existing customers through your Facebook page. Lately, Facebook has introduced new changes that have made it easier for business owners and brand marketers to obtain maximum benefits from the Facebook platform. Below we highlight 4 recent Facebook changes that can heavily impact businesses and their social brand presence.

Expanded Profile Eye Candy

Facebook has allowed brands to change the appearance of their profile image, similar to the new Facebook Timeline format. Profile images for businesses are now much more prominent and clearly visible by those who visit a brand's page. 

For business storefronts, the cover image can display the building where it is located, which may help in directing customers to a store. This can be highly advantageous for small business in bustling metropolitan areas.

Alternatively, some businesses use this large banner space on their Facebook page for copy, such as a company's slogan or message to visitors. This can help to engrave those catchy phrases and jingles into the minds of the target market.

Some creative companies use this space to showcase products and services to entice visitors, or give newbie’s an idea of what the brand is all about. The trick is to get creative and use this vast profile image space to really highlight what the brand stands for.

Highlighted Posts

Facebook has changed the way business posts appear on individual user timelines. If a business uploads a video or link, followers will be able to view it without clicking into a new page.

Now, brands can highlight posts that are of the utmost importance for easy viewing access for visitors who land on the page. In essence, highlighted posts help businesses communicate their focal messages both faster and more efficiently.

Brand Milestones

Brands can now share company "milestones" with their Facebook followers. Facebook milestones are simply events or points in time that are significant to the brand or business, and now Facebook has made it easier for companies to update and thus notify followers of such events.

Once the marketer of business selects the milestone option from the brand's Facebook page, Facebook takes that individual through the entire process smoothly and without complications. From there, he or she can fill in the template that appears on the page, and upload any relevant photos to share with fans.

Facebook Offers

Businesses can now share special offers through their branded Facebook page. Facebook has introduced an option for "offers" where companies can send messages about new or currently available discounts, promotions, or seasonal sales. 

In essence, social media marketing has never been simpler. Savvy marketers make use of the newsfeed and inform followers on these available offers. This could quite possibly be the most cost-effective form for advertising and promotion for a small business.

Businesses and brands of all types need to take advantage of the new Facebook changes. Spend time on your business's Facebook page and ensure that your existing customers as well as potential customers learn about your brand and all it stands for. Get creative and exploit the benefits of these recent Facebook changes.