Today in Small Business: An S.E.O. Challenge
Dashboard A daily roundup of small-business developments. What's affecting me, my clients and other small-business owners today. Marketing A made-up holiday, Singles' Day, generates huge online sales for small and mid-sized retailers in China. Alibaba is closing in on being the sixth largest company in the United States. A web developer offers an S.E.O. challenge and reviews how one company handles search engine optimization. Whole Foods may be hard to crack, but if a product gets in, it is likely to sell. For Super Bowl 50, the NFL is courting LGBT businesses. Employees Online Finance Here's why a drop in lending might actually be good news for small businesses. Washington Two leading small-business advocates oppose a new Small Business Administration policy they believe will be devastating to small businesses. Technology Social Media Facebook now has 500 million users on its Messenger service. After a successful opening episode of his web show, Jerry Seinfeld writes a great thank-you note to Mark Zuckerberg. Around the Country A new report shows that New York is home to nearly 250,000 self-employed workers, a force that
grew 31 percent between 2000 and 2012. Pork production is set to surpass beef for the first time since the 1950s. Around the World Health Care Millions fewer Americans will get private health insurance through the Affordable Care Act's new marketplaces in 2015 than previously estimated. Another study shows the health care law is holding down premiums and getting more insurance companies to participate. Republicans say they can't repeal the law and plan to chip away at it piece by piece, starting with redefining full-time work in a way that could affect health coverage for 1 million people. Retail Entrepreneurship Gene Marks owns the Marks Group, a Bala Cynwyd, Pa., consulting firm that helps clients with customer relationship management. You can follow him on Twitter.