Do you have so many passwords already that they could throw a convention? How would you like to know about a simple way to have a different secure password for every account that you can easily “remember” whenever you need it – without looking it up? Read on.

First you need to understand what makes a good (i.e., difficult to crack) strong password. The easiest way to do that is to know what weak passwords are. Instead of explaining all the variables I’ll just offer how I create password conventions for clients.

1. First two to four letters of the site where the password will be used
2. A number the same length as the number of letters you selected (2-4)
3. A special character – not all special characters are acceptable on all systems
4. Decide what order you wish to combine them in and write down your pattern

Here are some examples of patterns you could use:

• Three letters, special character, three numbers
• Three numbers, special character, three letters
• Take a word and insert numbers and special characters in specific positions

Those are the basic components of your new password system. Even the simplest version is a fairly difficult password to crack. If you’re really security conscious you can make passwords stronger by:

• Using both upper and lower case letters
• Using more special characters
• Making the way you combine them more complicated

Here are some SIMPLE examples to help you understand more clearly:

• Convention:  first three letters, special character, three numbers
• Password for Yahoo:  yah-824
• Password for Google: goo-824
• Password for Microsoft: mic-824

Even though these are very simple examples they are much more difficult to crack than commonly used passwords. I would recommend something a little more creative as someone who had one of these MIGHT be able to guess your pattern. Feel free to make your convention more complicated so it is even more secure.

The key is to make your password convention easy enough to remember and keep it consistent enough to actually use it. If you want really secure passwords make the convention complicated and write only the pattern down. If you change your passwords you can change your pattern and even write down the new pattern or even some notes and even if someone finds them they won’t be able to figure out your passwords.

TIPS:

• Use a number you know and don’t write it down
• Use a base word broken up by inserting your numbers and special characters into it
• Use both upper and lower case letters

Here is an example of a very complex pattern written down in your own unique code:

• Write down a12B%3c and no one will ever guess what your passwords are

So what does a12B%3c mean? Here is the translation:

• You have three letters – say yah for Yahoo or goo for Google
• You have three numbers – any three numbers you can remember
• You have a special character – in this case the percent (%) sign
• a is your first letter – make it lower case
• B is your second letter – make it upper case
• c is your third letter – make it lower case
• Your numbers plug in where the 1, 2, and 3 are

If your number is 824, your passwords are:

• Yahoo – y82A%4h
• Google – g82O%4o
• Microsoft – m82I%4c
• US Counties – u82S%4c

While this may seem confusing at first, once you get used to it you’ll never be without a password as long as you can remember (or have with you) your pattern. Your passwords are strong and unique but as you move from site to site while working you’ll be able to recall what one you haven’t used in a long time is because it is similar to one you use every day.

WARNING: All passwords can be cracked with enough time, computer power, and motivation.  Using this convention idea is not as secure as using totally random passwords, especially if someone had access to more than one of your passwords and recognized your pattern.  How strong your password needs to be depends on what you’re securing.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• Eight Easy Steps to Total Password Protection
• What is a Strong Password
• Less Common Advice on Securing Your Passwords

This is the information you will use wherever you open accounts for your business or Web site. Be sure to save copies and provide this information to anyone assisting you. Be consistent now and you’ll be thankful you did. It is far easier if you have the same data across every site. If you are doing link building, submitting your site to local search, or using social networking to increase traffic DO THIS FIRST.

Additional detail for each item on this page is being created as quickly as possible and will be linked into this page as it is published. Check back often to learn more and greatly increase your results.

TIP: Instead of using your own name, consider using your business name for the first and last name. For example, if your business name is Executive Gift Shoppe you can use Executive as the First Name and Gift as the Last Name. [NOTE: Some sites require you to use a "real" name. Consider using a pen name as explained in Create Your Business Persona.]

• First Name – Use the first part of your business name
• Last Name – Use the middle or last part of your business name
• Street Address
• City
• State
• Zip
• County
• Cross streets on either side of your business
• Which side of the street?

NOTE: Cross streets and which side of the street are used to correct the placement of your business marker on maps.

• Primary phone number – use the number your customers will call here
• Toll free number
• Additional phone numbers – specify what they are
• Fax number, if any
• Domain name (current or desired)
• email address (to be displayed online)
• Contact name (first and last)
• Additional email addresses if any

NOTE: Many sites do not allow multiple phone numbers or email addresses or force you to use the primary business phone number as the contact number. [This is bad site design that users must tolerate for now.]

• Do you want to display what hours you are open? If yes, specify hours for each day you are open and what days you are closed. [TIP: You will usually want to display these IF you have regular hours and not if you don't.] Some sites allow you to enter other information or suggest commonly used choices such as:
  • By appointment only
  • Call to schedule
  • Saturday and Sunday appointment only
  • Closed Sundays
  • No Sunday Sales
  • Specify exactly what you want to say:
    • [NOTE: Some listings allow any text you wish. More detail is better than less.]
• Payment Methods Accepted:
  • Cash
  • Check
  • Debit Cards
  • Master Card
  • Visa
  • American Express
  • Discover
  • Diner’s Club
  • Cashier’s Check
  • Money Orders
  • Invoice
  • Financing
  • Google Checkout
  • PayPal
  • On site ATM
  • Other?
• Year Established – In Business Since (what year):
• Public transportation available in your area (if any):
• Languages Spoken:
• Products/services offered:
• Professional Associations:
  • Affiliations:
  • Certifications:
  • Licenses:
  • Contractors’ License Number:
  • Other:
• Brand Names:
• Special Offers:
• Business Descriptions:
  • 200 words:
  • 499 words:
• Categories:

WARNING: Proper category selection is critical to your success. It can be simple for some businesses (such as florists) and extremely complex for others (any horse related business for example). If your business does not easily fall into one or two obvious categories consider getting assistance with this. Do make suggestions and ensure anyone assisting you has experience in this area.

• Keywords:

WARNING: Keyword selection is even more critical than category selection. If you do not have tools to do keyword research consider hiring someone to do this research for you.

• Multiple Business Descriptions of various lengths. See Describing Your Business.
  • 200 words:
  • 499 words:
  • Slogan (aka catch phrase, tagline, ) This is extremely important. More on this to be posted soon.
  • Anything else you want to say that makes your business unique:
  • Best time to have Google information verified:

WARNING: The ideal wording of your descriptions requires skills at keyword research, copywriting, understanding the difference between benefits and features, knowing what a call to action is, being aware of search engines’ duplicate content policies and many other advanced skills. If someone is assisting you ensure that they have this expertise. Best results are obtained when you take advantage of their expertise AND provide abundant input. No one knows your business better than you. At least one of you must know your industry as well. The words in your descriptions determine whether your listing appears and whether someone reading it clicks through to your site! Give this step the importance it deserves.

OTHER INFORMATION REQUIRED:

NOTE: Google requires that submitting or editing listings be verified by phone (almost instant) or postcard (not recommended). The phone verification process calls the phone number in your Google listing and there is no provision to use any other phone number. Someone has to sign into your Google account and request verification at the same time that specific phone can be answered. The Web site gives you a pin number that the person who answers the phone must enter.

WARNING: If you edit your Google account in any way, Google’s system will take your listing offline until it is verfied again. Do not change anything during critical business periods (just before your big event or sale for example) or add anything (such as a new coupon) unless someone is available to verify the changes.

[Note to Google: Why would a business want their listing to go away so they get no business because they added a new coupon to get more business? Verifying new coupons is fine; removing business listings for this reason is not.]

Once you have the above information you can use these links to put it to good use:

• Why Use Local Search? See Nielsen Survey stats and more detail
• How to Promote Your Business Online
• Links to find out if your business is already listed on Local Search Sites
• Submit Your Business to Local Search Directories

A unique business persona is required to keep your online business presence separate from your personal activities and those of others using your computers. This post is not about what you should reveal online or whether you should “act more businesslike” than your true self.

This post is solely about using separate information and accounts to keep your activities online separate for each project you undertake. Ready to Start Creating Your Persona Now?

Many sites you will use to increase your visibility online require user names, passwords, memberships, and additional information. We recommend creating a persona for your business or Web site once. Use and add to it consistently as you work. Be sure to read the TOS (Terms of Service) on sites as some require a “real” name rather than a user name. In those cases you can consider using a pseudonym. You can even legally copyright work created under a pen name.

It is growing increasingly common to ask you to answer personal questions when you sign up for a new account and periodically while you use them. Consider the implications of sharing that type of information. Select the question least likely to make it easy to profile you or answer based on this particular persona instead of your personal life. I often use answers related to the persona niche.

Keep track of these questions and answers and save them with your persona information. If you don’t have a system or a keyword searchable application we recommend you use the FREE Tomboy Notes app to record and organize your information.

IMPORTANT DECISION POINT:

It is simple for entities to build huge profiles using your real name and birthdate. Decide before you start whether you want to connect your business activities with your personal information. There can be serious privacy exposures and you may want to choose a “birthdate” for your blog or business. We recommend using a year in your target demographic or close to but not the same as your own birth year.

READY TO GET STARTED?:

• FIRST: Record ALL of This Information to Use for Your Business Persona
• SECOND: Create a password convention – easy way to create a unique password for every site yet still remember every one of them
• Simplify the personal question answer – you have to enter something but you do not have to enter exactly what the sites expect. You might choose “Where did you spend your summers” and answer “gardening” or “fishing” instead of a geographic location.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

• How to Develop a Successful Business Persona
• Should You Create a Separate Business Persona or Reveal the Real You?

We share here the process we use to document all of the actions, usernames, passwords, link requests and much more – everything that is done to increase the online visibility of any business or Web site.

Some of these steps are best undertaken in a particular order because accounts opened in early steps are used in later ones. Each step will link to additional information for that step. When using this process watch for these:

• Note: Provides important information required for successful completion
• TIP: Suggestions to increase your results or make a process easier
• WARNING: Be sure to read these to avoid problems
• DECISION: Additional information required to make the best decision

We recommend checking and documenting your online visibility BEFORE you start this process.

START PROCESS:

1. Create Your Business Persona – specifically for your business or Web site
2. Create Your Password Convention – a system for creating passwords that are secure, different on each site, yet easy to remember
3. Open an account at Yahoo – use the email address they require you to create to open subsequent accounts
4. Open an account at Google
5. Open an account at Microsoft

MUCH MORE TO BE POSTED VERY SOON