Pest Control and Bug Exterminator Blog

General rule of thumb,
if they mention you and/or your company,
then you deserve a link.

My boss was interviewed by a big magazine that published both off and online. He gave some great info and insight into running an exterminator business. What he forgot to do was ask for a link. While this should happen naturally from writers/editors, it doesn’t. Perhaps I live in a dream world that would deem that linking to your source as ethical. Maybe I am alone in thinking that writers should know to link out. Perhaps someday, but for now on my boss has been advised to proceed as follows.

ASK FOR THE LINK BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

It’s really very simple boss, when they quote you they need to do the following:

“Adam Seever, CEO of Bulwark Exterminating, says…”

If it’s an exclusive interview of you then they should conclude with an about section or begin with an introduction were they can build up more of your expertise. You can get a few more links in if it’s an exclusive interview.

“Today we are interviewing Adam Seever, CEO of Bulwark Exterminating, who has used database technology to create www.ScorpionReport.org”

In the past I would have pushed for an anchor text link for targeted keywords like pest control , and if I author a guest post for someone then I typically do drop in such a link, but today Google wants to see more of your branded keyword linking to you over heavy anchor text links. You can still accomplish this in an interview if you reference something you have written elsewhere online… “In my recent article on ant control I showed how statistical evaluation of treatments..”

You can also have them drop in easy links under a bio that lead to Find Bulwark on twitter, Follow Bulwark on Facebook: http://facebook.com/bulwarkpestcontrol Read Bulwark’s Blog …

These are just a few thoughts on how to get valid links through interviewing or blogging. But don’t over do your linking. If you submit an article to me as a guest blog post with as many self promoting links as what are in this article then I’d reject your article submission. I think 1-2 selfish links per article is permissible. More links are acceptable if they are not self serving. So if you want to load up a few more links then link to your friends.

Image via Wikipedia

Related articles

• Mesa Exterminator Recieves Angie’s List Super Service Award (bulwarkpestcontrol.com)
• Promoted Tweet on Pest Control Twitter Stream by WHO? (pestcontrolseo.wordpress.com)
• Hope & Possibility (spiderx.wordpress.com)

Want to guest post? Then contact me: @Thos003

I am in a class yesterday some what bored by the simplicity of the course, when I hear the instructor mention something about a “Green Server”.  My ears perked up…

“… this server option is considered green. Versus your traditional server options, a shared hosting plan or shared server leaves less of a carbon footprint and for many of us that are in this industry the greener the better.”

Rewind… “A Shared server is considered green?”

So like a good student I did my research on Green Servers, Green Hosting and Green Websites.  Here is what I found:

Garner Research – http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=503867

According to Garner the IT industry is responsible for 2% of energy consumption worldwide.  Some have said this is nearly as much if not more then the aviation industry, but I could not confirm that rumor.  Further Garner is including much more then just PCs and servers in this equation.

Gartner’s estimate of the 2 percent of global CO2 emissions that ICT is responsible for includes the in-use phase of PCs, servers, cooling, fixed and mobile telephony, local area network (LAN), office telecommunications and printers. Gartner has also included an estimate of the embodied (that used in design, manufacture and distribution) energy in large-volume devices, namely PCs and cell phones. It also included all commercial and governmental IT and telecommunications infrastructure worldwide, but not consumer electronics other than cell phones and PCs.

This information sounds great if you want to point fingers and pass blame onto the IT industry for adding to the carbon footprint, but what about the benefits that IT is providing?  And streching this all the way out to telecommunications and government infrastructure???

I did find some useful information on how to be a little greener. Here are a few tips on a “Greener Server”:

1- Newer equipment is considered more energy efficient, and therefore green. FYI, Dell is coming out with servers that are designed to be energy conservative.

2- Cooling.  Servers require cooling measures.  Fans, A/C, ventilation, etc.  Perhaps your floor fans are overkill or just placed ineffectively to optimize the cooling capacity.

3- Hosting on your own separate server/ dedicated server may give you more features, options, and speed, but like the Dodge Viper that out performs your smart car, your Dodge Viper only gets 8 MPG.  (i.e. your performance comes at a cost that may not be worth the extra performance.)  Shouldn’t everyone be content with a GEO Metro? … Of course, I would be tempted to take a Dodge Viper if you gave it to me.

4-Websites.  Not only should you consider the servers you are hosting them on but the computers that are visiting your websites…??? Sorry this is according the the ECOfriendly approved site stamp.  Essentially the best ways to have an ecofriendly website is to control the number of visitors to your site and to limit the size of your website.  So just consider all the waste that one or two extra images could add up to on your site.

GOOD NEWS FOR BLOGPESTCONTROL.com !!!

Our servers are hosted and since we are running a blog the website is much more efficient and smaller!  We qualify for a green website and green hosting!… My life is now complete.

Bulwark’s Pest Control, Green and Getting Greener.

FYI, This article does not give enough credit to the thousands of trees that we are saving by going digital, which should offset the 2% of consumption as trees saved should equal more CO2 eaters. Unfortuntely I don’t have the time or energy to spend quantifying the total offset… sorry, just conserving some of my own energy and putting it to better use.

TIP# 5

In red, because its the most important… It’s estimated that 2/3 of PC use is waste, WHY? Because people don’t turn them off.  So if you really want to help and be green then TURN OFF YOUR PC.

Thanks.

Google’s most recent update was that of adding their map results to searches. Now if you search for Pest Control Las Vegas NV, you will get a list of 10 local pest control companies… well supposed local companies. Unfortunately these maps are very easy to manipulate. Take for instance the search for North Las Vegas Pest Control. You will find a result for Nature’s First Pest Control Affiliate. Click on their page and there is no listing of any affiliates nor address. In fact, the address used belongs to Bulwark.

It is bothersome that google is allowing this to happen.

So the big question, HOW DO YOU GET YOUR PEST CONTROL SERVICE LISTED IN THE TOP OF GOOGLE MAPS?

Well, this is still unclear, but here are a few things we have noticed.

1- Your address. If your address is Austin, TX then you are more likely to get listed for Austin TX pest control results.  In fact, this is the main reason we believe as to why Bulwark Pest Control shows up in Austin TX.  Indeed, its almost essential for your address to be within the city to be listed at the top.

2- Get listed with other directories, like yellowbook.com, or SEOpestcontrol.com.  Unfortunately these sites cost you some money and the added benefit may not be worth the cost.

3- Verifying your account with google.  This process takes sometime and has no guarantee.  Essentially you must claim your listing with google.  Once you have done this then google will remove the -Unverified listing tag, and we believe this will help your listing.  However, there are plenty of unverified listings showing up still in google’s results.

4- Linking. Find other pest control sites that are willing to help you with links.  There are a lot of ways that the smaller pest control companies can join up and help each other, and one of those is linking pest control sites.  For most small pest control services, finding PCOs that are not in your area should be easy.  Searching SEOpestcontrol.com may help you find other like minded pest control companies.

Hopefully this helps you with your Google Maps Results.  Remember still that marketing and being found on Google will do little for your pest control company if you are lacking in your service.  Advertising can never make up for poor service.

Pest Control Locations

Bulwark Exterminating – Las Vegas – 3932 Octagon, North Las Vegas, NV‎ – (702) 255-6313‎ >directions
Bulwark Exterminating – Mesa AZ – 1228 E Broadway Rd, Mesa, AZ‎ – (480) 497-3734‎ >directions
Bulwark Exterminating – Austin TX 209 E Ben White Blvd # 116, Austin, TX – (512) 351-7142 >directions
Bulwark Exterminating – Houston TX – 10900 Brittmoore Park Dr # D, Houston, TX‎ – (713) 849-8533‎ > directions
Bulwark Pest Control Tulsa – 2013 N Willow Ave # A, Broken Arrow, OK‎ – (918) 252-3548‎ > directions

Wow…2008 is officially a thing of the past.  I am excited about the possibilities for 2009 and hope that it brings each of us the true desires of our hearts.  Life is a precious thing and 2008 has made it a point to add emphasis to things that I should be grateful for.  First and foremost I am grateful for my wife.  She is the secret of my success and has to bare the majority of the load of rearing our children.  My wife and I have been married for nearly eight years and I must say that although challenging at times, our union has borne the greatest fruit.

With a house full of “crumb munchers” it is enjoyable to come to a home that is well organized and clean.  I don’t know how she does it…when I am at home (alone with) my kids quickly turn their rooms into a disaster area.  She is the greatest mother I know…and thats pretty good considering my mother is extraordinarily special in her own right…but thats a different story.

Although we had our toast of Welchs white grape; here’s my literary tribute to you; my “pest control wife” who has to bare my long drawn out conversations.  I am certain their is no greater supporter or reader of this blog.  Honey I love you!

STAY TUNED…This blog is going to get a face lift before the end of 2009.  As busy as I am, I have not yet determined when I will have time for “surgery,” but rest assured it will be well worth the wait…or at least worth your anticipation.  Until then, chow.

KT