As I was making my 2009 list of the people who had made the biggest impact on my life, one of the first names I thought of was Martin Carrion at Yapaweb. What put Martin high on the list was:
He is mature, very likeable and at all times a gentleman
He hears me and confirms his understanding, i.e. a good listener
He continues to learn about my business and how he can help me be successful, i.e. a team player.
He does what he says he will do, i.e. highly dependable
He provides gentle nudges when I lag, i.e. keeps me moving forward.
He always has my best interests at heart, i.e. focuses on client needs.
His fees are excellent value and I never feel he is going to nickel and dime me for every conceivable service.
He goes beyond what is called for in our contract, i.e. generous with his time.
He has a breadth of knowledge about e-business and it is obvious that he is learning continuously, i.e. in pursuit of excellence.
He earns every bit of respect I have for him.
He handles all of the communications which prevents delegation misunderstandings.
The way things are moving, I can see Martin on the 2010 list of my MVPs.
Wayne Peacock - Responsible Stewarship
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"Many many thanks to you Martin and YapaWeb for the design of my website! It is so bright, savvy and attractive. So in keeping with my Pilates business. It has been a great source of education to folks who want a healthier body and has drawn more business for me."
Carla Core Design Pilates
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According to Wikipedia, la “yapa” or “lagniappe” refers to a o a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase (such as a 13th apple when buying a dozen.) The word entered English from Louisiana French, in turn derived from the Quechua word yapay ('to increase; to add'). In Andean markets it is still customary to ask for a yapa when making a purchase. The seller usually responds by throwing in a little extra.
In today’s business world, our customers are looking for that little extra something that sets us apart from the competition. With that in mind, some of the yapas we provide when we revamp or design a new website or online store are:
Listing the client's website information to Google Local Business Center to increase online visibility
Adding interactive tools such as Google Map or Calendar of Events
Initial implementation of e-mail marketing solutions with Constant Contact
What is the "yapa" you are looking for in a web design company?
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A tired and dated website into a fresh and visually attractive site
Friday, 04 September 2009 01:08
A letter from another happy client:
"I would like to highly recommend Martin Carrion and the folks at YapaWeb. From the first communication with them, they were courteous, informative and very helpful with the upgrade of our website. They turned a tired and dated website into a fresh and visually attractive site that we are very impressed with. Their work is top-notch and the service we received was second to none."
Jason B. buckscornmaze.com
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Using Google Local Business Center to enhance your visibility
Tuesday, 18 August 2009 00:57
According to a 2009 study by WebVisible/Nielsen, in the United States, 77 percent of internet users perform a Google search everyday and many of those users are searching for local business information.
Make sure you are using this tool for your business and you'll learn:
The number of times your business listing appeared as a result of a Google.com search or a Google Maps search in a given period.
The number of times visitors clicked through to your business' website
The number of times visitors requested driving directions to your business
The number of times visitors requested more info on Maps
Which queries led customers to your business listing; for example, are they finding the listing for a spa by searching for "spa" or "massage"?
Where driving directions come from: which zip codes customers are coming from when they request directions to your location.
Make sure your listing is complete and accurate.
Include optional information like images and videos to help your listing stand out.
Add information like opening hours, payment types, and additional details to help users choose among search results.
Make sure that the location of your business on the map is correct so users can find you. Remember, you can always drag the map marker to the exact location of your business.
Make sure to list your authoritative business website as your homepage, since Google uses information from your homepage to help improve search results.
Of course, be sure that your business name, physical address, and phone number(s) are correct in your business listing.
Your Business Listing on GoogleIf you need help with your business listing, you can contact me or send me a message through my website at www.yapaweb.com
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Those are the words of a happy client and we want to share his exciment about the new website with you.
Dear Martin, I wanted to take this opportunity to express our appreciation at ASHA School of Massage for Yapawebs excellent website services. We received incredible value for the service we received that went above and beyond our expectations. Your thoughtful questions and guidance allowed us to clarify what we actually needed our website to do for us. Yapawebs professionalism and prompt attention to our requests for changes made the complexities of our website needs an easy process. Massage Therapists are not known for their computer skills and your trainings on using our website’s back office allows us the flexibility and control we need to function in a technological world. The change in our search engine optimization was incredible. We went from being on the 30th page of a google search to being the 3rd natural search for our business niche! I highly recommend Yapaweb to anyone who wants to take their business to the next level.
Dr. Stan Dawson / ASHA School of Massage - Owner and Executive Director
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Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter offer exciting new ways to distribute your newsletter to anyone on the Web. If visitors like what they read, they'll join your mailing list!
1Start by archiving your emails using Constant Contact's Archive feature. Archive converts your email messages into web pages that you can share with anyone. Archiving is fast and easy - each email has a unique URL that can be published on Twitter, Facebook, or even a blog!
2Using your Emails to "Tweet" On Twitter, a long web address can eat up a lot of characters (you only get 140). There's a great, free online service called tinyurl.com. Simply paste your Archive URL into the form on their home page, and poof... out comes a short (tiny) URL! Because Twitter limits "tweets" to only 140 characters, it will challenge you to be concise when you write an article teaser. You can tell your followers, "Just wrote a newsletter on [insert your topic]. Find it here [insert your tiny URL newsletter archive link]."
It is not just big businesses that are communicating with customers using social media.
According to a recent study, more than 260,000 small businesses in the US employ social networking tactics, too.
Most of them used professional social networking sites such as LinkedIn. General social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook were also widely used, followed by niche communities and job sites.
Less popular were microblogging services (such as Twitter and Yammer), forums, wikis and social bookmarking applications.
While few used the sites to influence purchases, this may be a strategic error. Direct sales are one way to leverage social media marketing.
The reasons for adopting social networking tactics varied, but the most widespread uses of social media were for responding to customer questions, networking, and reference and educational purposes.
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Yapa Web?
"Yapa" in Quechua language refers to that small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase, such as a 13th apple when buying a dozen, or the cherry on top of our logo. The World Wide Web is our playground. See some yapas
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According to Wikipedia, la “yapa” or “lagniappe” refers to a o a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase (such as a 13th apple when buying a dozen.) The word entered English from Louisiana French, in turn derived from the Quechua word yapay ('to increase; to add'). In Andean markets it is still customary to ask for a yapa when making a purchase. The seller usually responds by throwing in a little extra. 
It is not just big businesses that are communicating with customers using social media.