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Larry MacDonald

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CEO, TopSpotters/ and Edison Innovations, Inc.

244 points

As CEO of TopSpotters, an SEO company specializing in search engine optimization for professionals and SMBs, Larry brings a decade of experience in SEO and 20 years on the web (even before it was the web).

As the Founder of ...

As CEO of TopSpotters, an SEO company specializing in search engine optimization for professionals and SMBs, Larry brings a decade of experience in SEO and 20 years on the web (even before it was the web).

As the Founder of Edison Innovations, Inc, Larry’s mission is to provide corporate direction and drive the company’s innovation mission, based on his 30 years of experience in innovation. Larry developed the patent-pending process that Edison Innovations, Inc. uses to identify the most profitable market opportunities.

Larry developed his expertise in product development and marketing providing strategic business solutions for over 20 years as CEO of MacDonald Ventures, with online, start-up, and Fortune 1000 clients including JP Morgan H&Q, a division of Chase Securities, Siemens Business Communications Systems, Inc., and Pacific Union Company.

At the University of California, Berkeley, Larry taught Marketing Research and Business Planning. He hosted the first online Entrepreneurs Conference for 10 years and has extensive professional experience in strategic planning, marketing, software and internet applications development. Larry is a member of the Licensing Executives Society International and the PDMA (Product Development and Management Association).

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WEB: Topspotters SEO

Larry MacDonald recommends this answer by Belldon Colme

Feb. 2, 2012

What are some of the worst things to say in a team setting?

Robert, in the description following your question the basic concept of "team" becomes eroded. There is a tremendous volume of lip service given out there to teams that are not really teams by any measure. The dynamics, including the verbiage one would use, are radically ... more

Human Resources

Larry MacDonald and 7 other people answered this question

Nov. 24, 2011

What are the latest best practices for building a corporate website?

All the above suggestions are valuable in considering your website.
Keep in mind that the objective of the search engine is to provide the most valuable content to the searcher, so their advertising stays in front of the searcher. If they fail to do that, the ... more

Company Website

Internet Marketing

Larry MacDonald and 2 other people answered this question

Nov. 24, 2011

What fun handouts do you pass out at tradeshows?

Trade shows are usually held in cities that may be unfamiliar to many of the exhibitors.
Why not hand out a personal recommendation map of local restaurants, bars, etc, for those unfamiliar with the area? If you provide quality reviews, they will hold on to your ... more

Content Marketing

Event Marketing

Larry MacDonald and 13 other people answered this question

Nov. 21, 2011

How necessary is it to have a video about you or your product or service on your website?

Videos can be optimized, just like webpages. The difference between optimizing webpages and videos is that while Google can't see the content of the video, it can certainly see the file name and the text in the description provided. It has been my experience with ... more

Product Marketing

Larry MacDonald and 16 other people answered this question

Oct. 10, 2011

Which industries are ripest for disruption?

To expand a bit: Disruptive innovation often happens in between industries, making a new connection in a way not previously anticipated that creates new combinations. That is another reason I believe it difficult to select specific industries. more

Information Technology

Disruptive Technology

Larry MacDonald and 22 other people answered this question

Oct. 3, 2011

What's the most important element of a resume?

Keep in mind that a resume is primarily used to exclude people from consideration. No one gets a job based on a resume.
The purpose of the resume is to get an interview, not get a job. There is a big difference. Don't put so much ... more

Human Resources

Career Development

Larry MacDonald and 3 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Oct. 3, 2011

Startup Funding: Everything You Need to Know About Working With Angel Investors [9/29 @ 11 am]

What are the top 3 non-financial attributes angels look for in startups?

Management with experience and success in the field in question.
Large market with existing demand
Naivete as far as dealing with angel investors. :-) more

Information Technology

8 people recommends this answer by Gary Forshey

Sept. 21, 2011

Google Maps erroneously 'closes' your business, but you are still open: What do you do?

Just contact me! I provide a service that insures local businesses have accurate information online and that information is not compromised by the negligent or nefarious actions of others.
Let us create (or claim) your Google, Yahoo, and Bing listings, as well as create profiles ... more

Information Technology

Larry MacDonald is now following Adele Hinze

Sept. 12, 2011

Larry MacDonald recommends this answer by Matt Heinz

Aug. 12, 2011

What do you think successful people do that others don't?

I don't know if this directly answers your question, but here are six habits of successful people that could be a starting point:
Focus on what's important (not merely urgent)
Every day there are distractions, fire drills, emails and voicemails that need or want responses. Some of ... more

General Management

Human Resources

Larry MacDonald answered this question

Aug. 11, 2011

Should SEO be a shared responsibility? Who controls your search marketing efforts in your company?

I like the idea of separating the content creation and SEO. They go hand in hand, but I wouldn't want to have two people working on the same SEO work. My guess is that would get confusing and conflicted pretty fast. more

Search Engine Marketing

Search Marketing

Larry MacDonald and 2 other people answered this question

Aug. 10, 2011

When using a website for your business is it unprofessional to use free sites to build it ?

No more than using free mentors would be unprofessional. Another question might be, "when using a website for your business is it unprofessional to pay an arm and a leg for something that is pretty but may be dysfunctional?" Why is the cost of the ... more

Information Technology

Larry MacDonald and 52 other people answered this question

Aug. 4, 2011

How much does correct spelling and grammar matter when blogging?

You only get one chance to make a good first impression. If you are blogging, you are instantly evaluated by what you write, perhaps more than by what you say in your writing. more

Larry MacDonald and 17 other people answered this question

July 27, 2011

How important is a good looking web site in today's online marketing world?

Creative? Not really an absolute necessity. Seeing what the shopper expects and respects, yes. As others have said, built to the expectations of your market. more

Larry MacDonald answered this question

July 21, 2011

Which book on online video is the most useful?

Great, Larry.
I have a professional photography background from a prior life, so I'm OK on that aspect. But once I get the video in the iPhone and then transferred to my computer, the issues come up.
Which format should I work in? Should I convert ... more

Information Technology

Larry MacDonald and 8 other people answered this question

July 20, 2011

What are your thoughts on Rupert Murdoch's handling of the phone hacking scandal?

Semantics, perhaps, but worth commenting on...
I agree that no CEO can control everything, but that doesn't mean they aren't responsible for everything. People can't control their every action, but they are responsible for their actions.
And, yes, the government IS responsible for the pie throwing, and ... more

General Management

Larry MacDonald and 9 other people answered this question

July 19, 2011

SEO question: Is it worth optimizing your site for more than just Google? Do Yahoo and Bing matter?

Adding local info to Bing and Yahoo makes sense, as well as Google. But for national content, once it is on Google, the others will find it. more

Information Technology

Larry MacDonald recommends this answer by Steve Gershik

July 7, 2011

POLL: what is the best day of the week to send a B2B email?

MailChimp and Hubspot did a survey recently where they analyzed BILLIONS of emails sent (yes, with a B) and what they found is revealing:
There was practically no difference in the open rate in sending any day of the week. In fact, they found that open ... more

Customer Service

Click Through Rates

Larry MacDonald and 2 other people answered this question

July 6, 2011

POLL: Do you think the US should have continued funding the space shuttle program?

NASA did a fabulous job in carrying out its mission to get us to the moon.
It is time for a new model to replace the shuttle which can incorporate all the knowledge gained from the shuttle program.
Let those who were working on things too risky ... more

Deficit Reduction

Larry MacDonald and 31 other people answered this question

July 6, 2011

As a salesperson, when do you ever accept 'no' as an answer?

Right. If your nine year old doesn't understand it, try rewording until they do.

Sales Management

Larry MacDonald recommends this answer by Dawn Sadler

June 8, 2011

What's the one piece of advice you would give to an entrepreneur who is looking to start a company?

Lots of good, solid advice! Here's what I would add:
(1) Spend the first 20% of your day promoting your business, everyday. No matter how many client deadlines you have or how many meetings you have or how buried you feel. Give the first and best ... more

Entrepreneurship

Larry MacDonald and 1 other person answered this question

June 6, 2011

What are the prospects of the LED lighting industry?

I see a vast market that is barely scratched. I only wish we had a client manufacturer interested in new product concepts in the field. more

Market Forecast

Following 2 Topics

Search Engine Marketing

Following 1 Person

Followed by 29 People

Knowledgeable in 47 Topics

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#210 of 2263

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Small Business Marketing

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SEO Credentials

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Online Marketing

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Entrepreneurship

#56 of 150

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Career Development

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Project Management

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Financial Services

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Search Marketing

#86 of 109

Content Creation

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Website Analytics

#22 of 24

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