I just saw this invoice for the second time, and a different client. It is cleverly designed to look like the official domain renewal notice from your registrar (event though most registrars don't send domain renewal notices). Note the text that says it is for search engine listings (whatever that means, anyway). Notice the "Account number" that is there, even though you have no account with them. If you get these letters, please review them to the appropriate attorney's general - of your state and the state from which they are sent. Since they are engaging in mail fraud, there might be some federal agency that can help.

Note, this one is from a company called DomainUSA.

If you have been looking to get your products online, don't miss out on this special opportunity. During February and March, we'll build you a full-featured E-Commerce website for only $1695, including a high-quality template (normal value of $300). This includes getting your products loaded into the system (we'll give you an Excel template to fill in), and complete setup of the site, a domain name with secure certificate, 25 email addresses, Search Engine Optimization, and more!

We'll even throw in the first 6 months of hosting, for free. If you don't already have a credit card processor, or a merchant gateway account, we can help you get that set up, or do it for you for no extra charge.

We are a fast-growing startup that provides affordable web solutions to small businesses across the KC Metro area. We believe every business needs a website, and we take a standard approach to delivering one. We offer our websites for a very small fee on a term contract basis, and provide all the hosting and necessary service. We believe there is a better way to build a website, and that we will revolutionize the way that the 50% of small businesses without a website will go through the process.

Get in early in this great opportunity! iNDi Business Solutions is seeking a motivated individual with HTML experience. If you can write a website in notepad, are comfortable with Photoshop, and are reliable and responsible, and comfortable working with multiple clients, we have a great opportunity for you. 50% of your hours will be flexible for your schedule!

If you are the person that can learn a new technology overnight, are completely comfortable with computers, and are looking for more independence than your current job offers, this is your chance. The position will be available Mid-January.

If you're interested, here's how the whole process will work:

1. Send in your resume to jobs@indibusiness.com
2. We will contact all qualified parties by December 8 to schedule a phone interview
   
3. If you get past the phone interview, we'll meet for an in-person interview and a technical assessment. We're not interested in what you can memorize for a test, but rather how you use available resources (Google, Problem Solving, etc) to complete the task in a logical manner. We're interested in problem-solvers, not dictionaries.
   
4. If we find one, we'll choose a candidate by January.
   

Your formal education is irrelevant. If you've done this on the side but never professionally, that's fine, too.

Required Skills:
HTML
CSS

Other Skills you might have:
PHP
ASP.net
MySQL
SQL Server

After an extensive review of online Email marketing providers, we are happy to now recommend Intellicontact to all of our clients. Compared to the industry behemoth, Constant Contact, Intellicontact has excellent email templates and an interface that is much easier to use.

You can get started today with a trial account, and accounts begin at just $9.95 per month for 500 subscribers. As always, be sure to put an email signup box prominently on your website, which Intellicontact can provide.

In an earlier post, I recommended getting a virtual phone number for your business, instead of using a cell or home number. I've just found out a much better way of doing this, and it's through the phone company.

The phone company calls this a "TeleBranch" number, and it's usually used to forward branch office calls to a main corporate switchboard. But you can use it to forward your business calls to a cell phone, an answering service, or even your home phone.

In doing so, you keep the flexibility of routing your calls where you choose when your business increases. I've learned the hard way by giving out my cell number. With a TeleBranch number, have it go straight to your mobile phone when you're just starting out. When you open an office, you can convert the phone number to a real phone line.

Also, the number qualifies you for a white and yellow pages listing, which gets picked up by the other non-AT&T phone books. This is all well worth the price of about $15/month + usage fees (range from $.03-$.06 per minute in Kansas City).

Yet another installment of "You need a web site. Now!". The trend is clear: people are searching for your small business using Google, Yahoo, and MSN. They're using the Yellow Pages less and less. Add this to the fact that there are more Yellow Page books than ever vying for your money, and the Yellow Pages becomes much less attractive. I know of businesses spending thousands per month with virtually no result.

From Comscore Interactive:

Reston, VA, September 28, 2006 – comScore Networks, a leader in measuring the digital age, today released the results of an analysis revealing the size and growth of the U.S. local search market.  Local search is defined as searches conducted by consumers on the local or directory (Yellow Pages) sections of leading search sites, and other searches identified as having local intent.

According to the study, 63 percent of U.S. Internet users (or approximately 109 million people) performed a local search online in July, a 43-percent increase versus July of 2005.  Google Sites (30 percent) and Yahoo! Sites (29 percent) garnered the largest share of local searches in July.  Microsoft Sites captured 12 percent of local searches, followed by the Time Warner Network with 7 percent.  

We can get you a killer business web site for $99. Monthly pricing ranges from $50 - $79 based on contract term. Easy to update, easy to use. You no longer have an excuse for not having a web site.

If you receive the error "Personal macro workbook in the startup folder must stay open for recording" when trying to record a new Excel Macro, or if all of your previously-saved macros have disappeared, you can often recover the macros by taking the following steps:

1. Click on "Help"
2. Click on "About Microsoft Excel"
3. Click the "Disabled Items..." Button
4. Select the item in the list that says "Personal.XLS" and click "Enable"
5. If there is no "Personal.xls" file in the list, you will need to seek additional help or look in your backups

According to Hitwise, Google reached 60% market share in July: