| SEO Report Card: The Google Death Sentence
During most of the year, they live lean while sales slow to a trickle. Then autumn comes and the manna begins to rain down from heaven. For Gifts By Delivery, the ramp-up begins in early October. The fourth quarter last year brought in 65 percent of the company's annual revenue. It makes the most of this time, doing everything it can to maximize sales with advertising and marketing. That's because Gifts By Delivery knows the inevitable dip and flattening of the revenue line is right around the corner, in the New Year. Competing for organic search visibility during the holiday shopping season requires a ramp-up in online marketing — namely, link building and link baiting — many months in advance. It should start now, in fact. Giftsbydelivery.com's main SEO weakness lies in its links.
K/BIS Pre-Show Guide
There arent many safe bets in Las Vegas, but there is one thing you can bet on with confidence this springthe return of the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS). The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) brings K/BIS, the worlds largest international trade event dedicated to the kitchen and bath industry, to the Las Vegas Convention Center May 8-10. As the premier showcase for the latest products and cutting-edge design innovations in the kitchen and bath industry, K/BIS 2007 will bring together more than 900 exhibiting companies and over 40,000 national and international industry professionals. K/BIS features a wide array of product displays and demonstrations, NKBA professional development courses, keynote speeches, conference sessions, and interactive roundtable events.
Love-in for Contessa
Thinly disguised as part of her entourage, I walk at a suitable distance behind Ina Garten, known to her legion of fans as the Barefoot Contessa, as she makes her way to the stage for a recent book-signing at Indigo in the Manulife Centre. Talk about a love-in! I later learn this is the largest such event ever held at this store for a celebrity cook. "I'd say there are about 800 people in the line-up," guesses a security guard planted firmly at the backstage door as he eyes the lively throng. This is Garten's first visit to Canada. That fact, along with the across-the-board appeal of her 4-year-old Food Network show, beautifully filmed in the sunny kitchen of her rural home, may explain what one manager calls "pent-up demand." Smiling, Garten moves purposefully along a path cleared for her through the huge room.
Downtown boom: We'd better 'hop' to it
As a longtime downtown resident, I'm gratified by the new surge in enthusiasm for the city's core evidenced by Saturday night's Downtown Hoparound. If you weren't among the thousands who came down to sample downtown's top attractions on a perfect April evening, you really missed something. From the city's oldest gathering spot - the historic tavern Arnold's on Eighth Street - to its newest - the night club Bang on West Fourth Street, which had its grand opening - places were jammed all evening with local celebs and "ordinary" folks mingling and enjoying musical acts. Others strolled the streets taking in the warm spring air, or sat on Fountain Square checking out the flower display. .
Shack snacks
Cooking for a husband and three kids is challenging at the best of times. For Kumiko Drinkwater, the challenge comes with a twist. "We don't have hot water in the kitchen," Drinkwater says. "There's only a tiny sink, an old stove, and [until recently] we didn't have a microwave." Drinkwater lives with husband Grant and her three children in a "shack" on the beach at Stanwell Park, just north of Wollongong. A shortage of kitchen facilities hasn't dented the supply of hot meals from her kitchen, however. "She's one of the people in this area at home [while others are at work] and has made a big effort to look after the kids and make sure they have good food to eat," says Grant, Kumiko's husband of 17 years. KFC, or Kumiko's Fried Chicken, is a favourite with the Stanwell Park kids.
Equi-librium gets $5300 from Red Robin opening
Lehigh Valley Restaurant Group, a franchisee of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc., Red Robin, celebrated the grand opening of its Stroudsburg location by raising $5,300 for Equi-librium, a therapeutic horse riding program for children, youth and adults with physical, developmental and emotional challenges.
The Stroudsburg Red Robin restaurant is located at 250 Crossroads Mall, near Kohl's and Loew's stores. Lehigh Valley Restaurant Group owns and operates 13 additional Red Robin restaurants in Pennsylvania, including two locations in Allentown.
As part of the restaurant company's ongoing commitment to its local communities, the Stroudsburg restaurant donated proceeds from its Sneak Preview Days, Wednesday, March 28, to Saturday, March 31, to Equi-librium. The organization will use the funds to help support its operational costs.
As Economy Grows, India Goes for Designer Goods
Mohan Murjani made a fortune in the U.S. when he created Gloria Vanderbilt jeans and backed designer Tommy Hilfiger. Then he lost it. Today, he's rebuilding his empire in the high-end retailing boom sweeping the country he left 50 years ago: India. In the 1980s, amid a sharp downturn in his fortunes, one of the few assets Mr. Murjani held onto was the rights to sell Tommy Hilfiger products in India -- even though imported jeans were effectively banned in the country then. He did nothing with it for a decade. But India's economic boom and the expansion of its ... .
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