Business Information for Entrepreneurs by an Entrepreneur

Protecting your company from identity theft might not be at the forefront of your mind as a small business owner. However, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has instated a new "Red Flags Rule" that may change how you conduct business in the near future. The "Red Flags Rule" is designed to protect American consumers and business owners from identity theft, a crime that is growing steadily in popularity. Identity theft is a huge problem that can tarnish one's reputation, both personally and professionally, for many years.

The FTC's "Red Flags Rule" targets specific types of institutions to better safeguard personal information. These institutions include banks, any company that issues credit cards, or companies that offer loans and/or deferred payment options to customers. The "Red Flags Rule" insists that businesses who lend money must take measures to verify the identity of those who are borrowing money or establishing lines of credit. This rule might impact business operations in the following ways.

• Industries. The "Red Flags Rule" may impact small business like small banks, private medical and legal practices. These types of businesses grant loans or offer extended payment plan options and often times have pertinent information about their customers on file. This makes them vulnerable to identity theft attacks.

• Complying. There are several different ways that small business will need to comply with the "Red Flags Rule." Address verification is a critical factor. Before lending money or extending a line of credit, business owners must ensure that the address on record matches the address that appears on a basic credit report. Another measure for compliance includes verification of information. For example, if a customer calls to change their address or add another name to the account, the business must attempt to verify the caller's identity through strategies such as calling the customer back at the phone number on record.

• Costs. The costs of complying with the "Red Flags Rule" are minimal. It might be as easy as instating policies that require employees to ask certain questions. Overall, these measures should reduce incidences of fraud and save the business money in the long run.

For more information on the new "Red Flags Rule," consult the FTC's official website on the law at http://ftc.gov/redflagsrule.

Our MoreBusiness.com site has opened the doors to the State Business Licensing Center, which is a free online resource that helps entrepreneurs in all 50 states quickly and comprehensively access information about their state's specific business licensing requirements.

Here is our full news release:

To help entrepreneurs effectively navigate their states' business licensing requirements, MoreBusiness.com has released its comprehensive State Business Licensing Center. This free online resource has compiled traditionally piecemeal regulations regarding state licensing into one convenient and comprehensive center. Entrepreneurs in all 50 states can now quickly and easily access all the information they need to start a business in their specific state.

When you start a business, there are so many facets to consider. Entrepreneurs should not be spending hours researching piecemeal information on licensing requirements - but instead should be focusing on the core of their startup

The State Business Licensing Center was created to compile important licensing information and resource in one convenient place for entrepreneurs to easily access.

When starting a business, it is important to be aware of the license and permit requirements outlined by the state in which the business will be operated. Each state government requires varying licensing requirements depending upon your business type. This new resource is designed to be a one-stop center to help entrepreneurs in all states find the important business licensing information that they need.

When users click on the state in which they plan to conduct business, they will find valuable information that will guide them through their state's specific requirements. This includes important state-specific points to remember, steps to securing a business license in the state, local sales tax information and other pertinent resource links.

"When you start a business, there are so many facets to consider. Entrepreneurs should not be spending hours researching piecemeal information on licensing requirements - but instead should be focusing on the core of their startup," explains CEO Raj Khera. "The State Business Licensing Center was created to compile important licensing information and resource in one convenient place for entrepreneurs to easily access."

The licensing center also includes links to apply for licenses and permits online, register your business trade name, and obtain your Employee ID Number from the IRS. With MoreBusiness.com's new resource, there is no need to search around the internet to piece together all the information pertaining your state's business license requirements. The State Business Licensing Center outlines in one condensed resource what every entrepreneur needs to license their business.

This new resource center can be found at: http://www.morebusiness.com/state-licensing-center

As the internet continues to grow as the most popular tool for gathering and sharing information, search engine optimization (SEO) is also growing in importance. This is a simple technique used by web designers and business professionals to maximize the likelihood of a website appearing in a list of search engine results.

Studies show that the closer to the top of the list that a website appears in a collection of search results, the more likely a user is to click on it. In fact, Google users prefer to click on "natural" listings 70% more than pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements.

Thankfully, SEO is easy to implement and at no extra cost to a business owner. Therefore, using SEO is one of the best "free" advertising sources for your business. How can you maximize SEO to get the best results? Use these tips to help you transform your website into a higher performing tool:

1. Use Keywords. The best place to find out words and phrases that are commonly searched for on the internet is by performing an internet search yourself. Websites like Keyword Discovery, Word Tracker, and Google AdWords provide comprehensive feedback on the most commonly used words and phrases. Keywords change regularly so check these sites every few months for what your customers are using to search for your type of product or service.

2. Optimize Your Page Titles. Use keywords and phrases in page titles. Search engines scour through page titles before tackling the actual text included on websites.

3. Optimize Your URLs. Use keywords and phrases in URLs and file names on your website. Search engines use these as part of the search criteria. The more keywords and phrases you use, the more likely your page is to show up in a list of search results.

4. Publish Content. Online, "content is king," and the more content you publish on your website, the more likely that the search engines will rank you appropriately for your particular keywords. Consider starting a corporate blog or publishing resource articles on your website.

5. Revise & Revisit. SEO is not something that you do one time. It is a process that must be revised and revisited frequently. Dedicate yourself to a schedule and look for opportunities to enhance SEO features on your website at least once every three months, more if possible.

Generally speaking, you can use SEO techniques on your own at no cost, or for a minimal fee with the help of a professional. SEO can enhance traffic to your website by tenfold. It is worth the investment of time to generate such a return.