You have probably just built a new website, submitted it to search engines and are now waiting wondering where all the visitors are that are going to put hundreds of dollars into your bank account. A few weeks pass by and you are still left wondering where all your website traffic is. Your website is open for business but no-one seems to know about it.
If this situation sounds familiar to you then you have probably thought about giving up and thowing the whole thing away. This is NOT what you should do and this is not how your website is going to rank high in the search engines.
There is one critical first step that you must follow when creating any website. This crucial first step involves picking the best keywords for your on page optimization and the only way you can decide which keywords will get you the highest rankings for your website is by doing some research.
Your first point of call must be at one or all of the following online keyword research tools:
http://www.goodkeywords.com
http://www.digitalpoint.com
http://www.overture.com
http://www.wordtracker.com
All of these tools are free (there is a free trial for Wordtracker); however, where Wordtracker differes from the other websites mentioned above is it shows you how competitive your keywords are compared to other websites. The higher the KEI analysis number the less competitive the keyword phrase is and the easier it should be to get a high ranking with that chosen keyword.
In Goodkeywords you type in your chosen niche topic. For argument sake we will use the example camping. Goodkeywords will bring up the top 100 keywords related to campming that were searched in the last month. On the right the number of times that keyword has been displayed appears for the last 30 days. It is absolutely critical that you do NOT start on page optimization of your home page for keywords at the very top of the list. Before you think I'm crazy there is a very good reason for this and that is if a certain keyword high on the list is searched that many hundreds of thousands of times you will have an almost impossible time to get noticed between all the other hundreds or millions of competitive websites that are also targeting that same keyword. For this reason alone do not start off optimizing your website for the keyword camping.
Let me go back a minute to show how competite the word camping is. If I go to Google and enter camping I find that there are 230 million other websites targeting the same phrase. It is always best to start of targeting keywords that have the least competitive keywords as possible. Once you start getting traffic from search engines with your main keywords you may then start targeting more competitive phrases.
Using the online tools I've mentioned above it's easy to find a few less competitive phrases that can be a good base for our on page website optimization related to camping.
It is also important to repeat the same research process by going to Google and seeing how competitve your chosen keywords are. I will start with the keyword and take a few minutes to analyse the number 1 website for that keyword on Google.
It is also critical to analyze what the page rank is of the number 1 website for your chosen keyword. Page rank is used by Google in ranking websites and generally the more links that you have pointing back to your website by other websites the higher your Google page rank will be. Download the Google toolbar for free to find out what your page rank is and the page rank of other websites at http://toolbar.google.com
Now we need to do a little spying on the website that has number one for that keyword. We do that by looking at the HTML code or source code of their website. Go to that website url and click on View and then Source. That website's HTML code will appear in a notepad file. That file contains what the web page will look like when "read" by search engine robots. This trick will show you exactly what on page optimization is being used to rank so highly in the search engines.
Search engine optimization involve both on page and off page optimization. In this article I am focusing on on page optimization. I will deal with off page optimization in more detail at another time.
Now when we view the source code we want to look at the header tags for a start. Do you see h1 at the very top of the source code. If not then that's a bonus. If you do then it is important to make a note of what words they are using for their heading 1.
The next thing you need to look at is title. What is the title that they are using. This should appear immediately below the head tag. It is also important to make a note of the keywords that they are using in the title. The less words you actually have in your title the better. It is also critical that your main keyword or keyword phrase is in your title too.
Now take a moment to check out the keywords that they are using in the meta tags and make a note of them. Use the same keywords they use, check out the keywords that they have used in their description. Make a note of their description. A good guide for you is to repeat your main keyword or keyword phrase two or three times in the description but obviously in a way that makes sense.
Look at their webpage to find out if they have bolded, underlined or italicised their main keywords. If they have then you know that you need to do the same thing to achieve high rankings for your chosen keyword. If you have trouble looking for these codes in the notepad file simply look at the webpage itself.
One more thing to look out for in their source code is wehther they have optimized their images for the chosen keyword. For example, some website images will simply have bigebook.jpg as the name of their image but have not used alternative text. An example of an alternative text would be home made dog treat ecover.
Just following a few of these very simple SEO techinques and strategies will greatly increase your rankings in the search engines. To ensure you get the highest possible search engine rankings that you can it's absolutely critical that you spend a little time finding out search engine optimization secrets of the professionals. Fortunately affordable small business seo techniques and help is readily available if you know where to look.
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Description
Your website is open for business but no-one seems to know about it. There is one critical first step that you must follow when creating any website.
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About the Author (text)
LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER: Karin Manning Copyright 2006 FREE 124 page SEO reports reveal affordable and economical small business SEO Search Optimization Secrets. Download simple and fool proof strategies for affordable small business seo at http://www.Affordable-Small-Business-Seo.com today!
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About the Author (HTML)
LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER: FREE 124 page SEO reports reveal affordable and economical small business SEO Search Optimization Secrets. Download simple and fool proof strategies for affordable small business seo at http://www.Affordable-Small-Business-Seo.com today! Karin Manning Copyright 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
Friday, September 22, 2006
Viral Marketing Strategies That Will Not Fail To Let The Word Out
Viral Marketing Strategies That Will Not Fail To Let The Word Out
Viral marketing provides astonishing results to almost any online business, products or services. It is a vast source of "one-way" links, sales leads and targeted traffic. Yet, still several m...
Thursday, September 21, 2006
5 Easy Ways To Give Back To A Great Ezine
5 Easy Ways To Give Back To A Great Ezine
All of us are subscribed to ezines that we enjoy and look forward to reading. But how many of us show our appreciation for these ezines. Listed below are 5 ways you can show your appreciation and thanks to the people who publish great ezines.
Getting In Any Directory The Right Way
This article will show you how to get approved in any directory if you respect some simple rules. I'm writing this article as a directory webmaster and describing how I manage and sort the links that are submitted into mine.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Super Affiliate Cloning Program by Ewen Chia
Have you joined Super Affiliate Cloning Program by Ewen Chia? Some say that it is not needed as there are many good materials that will make you into a Super Affiliate.
I thought so too. But after the 2nd lesson I must that this is better than I expected.
I thought so too. But after the 2nd lesson I must that this is better than I expected.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
No Money to Advertise Your Online Business? : Free and Low-Cost Marketing Methods
opyright © Liane Bate
I started thinking about owning an online business several years ago, but the sticking point for me was always time and money. These days, it is recommended that you start a business, as it is one of the best ways to grow a residual income and achieve financial freedom. Sounds easy enough, and fun too! But what about advertising costs when you don't have a lot of money to start with? There is truth in the statement that in order to make money you have to have money. I didn't start my business until financially I felt I could sustain a little debt because of my fulltime career, and when there was no fear of another layoff, at least not in the foreseeable future. However, there are many free and low-cost ways to advertise your online business effectively. Just because a method of advertising is free or cheap does not mean it won't work, and just because you spend a lot on advertising doesn't mean it will work. This article will discuss what you should consider when planning your advertising budget.
As mentioned above, there are many free and cheap ways to advertise that are also effective ways to market your business. The best idea that you must consider now-a-days is writing and distributing quality articles that are original, and packed with juicy information that will help your website visitors know more about your business, products, and services. You can write your own articles about your products and services for free, and you can even sign up with an article distribution service that will distribute your articles for free to publishers around the internet. You can pay a small fee to get an even wider distribution, or you can pay a lot to get top-notch distribution. Once your articles are distributed around the net with links to your website in the author box at the end, you will have visitors in no time. It is simply the best means of marketing your business today. If you don't like writing, or don't feel you can, then hire an article-writing service to do it for you for a small monthly fee. This will be the best investment you could make in your marketing efforts.
Similar to article marketing is writing a blog. This is also totally free, and a great way to get quality content on your site, and repeat visitors who are interested in reading what you have to say. A blog is like a journal of your daily business activities, your opinions, thoughts, ideas, reports, reviews, or even other people's articles that relate to your business. You can also make comments for free on other people's blogs that will have a link pointing back to your site. Like article-writing, blogging is huge, and you cannot market your online business without it.
Forum posting is another free and effective way to get your links seen by internet surfers. There are thousands of discussion forums out there on topics related to your business. The point of forums is not to advertise your business, but to help other people out there whenever you can with any issue they have that you know something about. The more assistance you can offer on a regular basis, the more your name will stand out as an authority on the topic, and the more likely people will click on your website link to find out more about you and what you're doing. It's a great way to make sales without even selling a product or service. You are only selling yourself.
Another free and effective method of advertising is distributing your links to the search engines and directories. The more links you have on other sites that point back to your site, the higher your link popularity will be, the higher Google and other search engines will rate your site. The more links you have out there, the more likely people will find and click on your links. You can submit your links directly to the directories, or you can seek out high quality sites to exchange links with by contacting the webmaster directly. You can also pay for a link machine service that will find other sites you can link to.
Free classified ads are another way you can advertise. Post a short blurb describing your business and why they should click on your link, and you've suddenly got a swarm of traffic to your site, and some potential buyers. You could also consider sending out a free press release to advertise your business, or even just let the people around you know about your business whenever you get the chance.
The thing to remember is that once you start having success with these methods, you really want to start tracking where your sales are coming from to make the most of your advertising dollars. You can put a lot of money into something and get no successful results, so you want to be careful where you spend your dollars, and ensure it's something that works. Once you discover what is working for you, then you can put more money into what works to get even better results. A good way to track your advertising efforts is to try one advertising method at a time and see how effective it is, or purchase some ad-tracking software. Just remember that it doesn't have to cost a fortune to be successful in business. With some careful planning, you can do well spending very little, or spending a lot in one great place!
About the Author:
Liane Bate owns a Plugin Profit Site web business, is a member of Success University, and the IAHBE. Visit: http://www.HonestMoneyMaking.com and http://www.HonestMoneyMaking.com/blog
I started thinking about owning an online business several years ago, but the sticking point for me was always time and money. These days, it is recommended that you start a business, as it is one of the best ways to grow a residual income and achieve financial freedom. Sounds easy enough, and fun too! But what about advertising costs when you don't have a lot of money to start with? There is truth in the statement that in order to make money you have to have money. I didn't start my business until financially I felt I could sustain a little debt because of my fulltime career, and when there was no fear of another layoff, at least not in the foreseeable future. However, there are many free and low-cost ways to advertise your online business effectively. Just because a method of advertising is free or cheap does not mean it won't work, and just because you spend a lot on advertising doesn't mean it will work. This article will discuss what you should consider when planning your advertising budget.
As mentioned above, there are many free and cheap ways to advertise that are also effective ways to market your business. The best idea that you must consider now-a-days is writing and distributing quality articles that are original, and packed with juicy information that will help your website visitors know more about your business, products, and services. You can write your own articles about your products and services for free, and you can even sign up with an article distribution service that will distribute your articles for free to publishers around the internet. You can pay a small fee to get an even wider distribution, or you can pay a lot to get top-notch distribution. Once your articles are distributed around the net with links to your website in the author box at the end, you will have visitors in no time. It is simply the best means of marketing your business today. If you don't like writing, or don't feel you can, then hire an article-writing service to do it for you for a small monthly fee. This will be the best investment you could make in your marketing efforts.
Similar to article marketing is writing a blog. This is also totally free, and a great way to get quality content on your site, and repeat visitors who are interested in reading what you have to say. A blog is like a journal of your daily business activities, your opinions, thoughts, ideas, reports, reviews, or even other people's articles that relate to your business. You can also make comments for free on other people's blogs that will have a link pointing back to your site. Like article-writing, blogging is huge, and you cannot market your online business without it.
Forum posting is another free and effective way to get your links seen by internet surfers. There are thousands of discussion forums out there on topics related to your business. The point of forums is not to advertise your business, but to help other people out there whenever you can with any issue they have that you know something about. The more assistance you can offer on a regular basis, the more your name will stand out as an authority on the topic, and the more likely people will click on your website link to find out more about you and what you're doing. It's a great way to make sales without even selling a product or service. You are only selling yourself.
Another free and effective method of advertising is distributing your links to the search engines and directories. The more links you have on other sites that point back to your site, the higher your link popularity will be, the higher Google and other search engines will rate your site. The more links you have out there, the more likely people will find and click on your links. You can submit your links directly to the directories, or you can seek out high quality sites to exchange links with by contacting the webmaster directly. You can also pay for a link machine service that will find other sites you can link to.
Free classified ads are another way you can advertise. Post a short blurb describing your business and why they should click on your link, and you've suddenly got a swarm of traffic to your site, and some potential buyers. You could also consider sending out a free press release to advertise your business, or even just let the people around you know about your business whenever you get the chance.
The thing to remember is that once you start having success with these methods, you really want to start tracking where your sales are coming from to make the most of your advertising dollars. You can put a lot of money into something and get no successful results, so you want to be careful where you spend your dollars, and ensure it's something that works. Once you discover what is working for you, then you can put more money into what works to get even better results. A good way to track your advertising efforts is to try one advertising method at a time and see how effective it is, or purchase some ad-tracking software. Just remember that it doesn't have to cost a fortune to be successful in business. With some careful planning, you can do well spending very little, or spending a lot in one great place!
About the Author:
Liane Bate owns a Plugin Profit Site web business, is a member of Success University, and the IAHBE. Visit: http://www.HonestMoneyMaking.com and http://www.HonestMoneyMaking.com/blog
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Use sub-headlines to grab attention
You could add some sub-headlines in your ad copy. Sub-headlines act just like headlines; they grab the reader' s attention. They'll keep the readers interested as they continue to read your ad. They are almost like transitions or copy connectors; the sub-headlines will interest and carry the reader to the next part.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Singapore/Malaysia Mastermind Meeting
Yup, today is the Singapore/Malaysia Mastermind Meeting
Let see what will been shared and discussed later.
I'll be sharing the following:
1) Current trend of Adsense (and Adsense ain't DEAD!)
2) Quick Affiliate Marketing Startup - No, no, not from Ewen Chia's coaching. This is my method)
3) Product Creation Technique - We'll do a hands-on practice where you will be able to find a niche market for yourself, on the spot!
4) How to do tracking without tracking software!
5) How to find your own niche in IM!
OK, that's all!
Let see what will been shared and discussed later.
I'll be sharing the following:
1) Current trend of Adsense (and Adsense ain't DEAD!)
2) Quick Affiliate Marketing Startup - No, no, not from Ewen Chia's coaching. This is my method)
3) Product Creation Technique - We'll do a hands-on practice where you will be able to find a niche market for yourself, on the spot!
4) How to do tracking without tracking software!
5) How to find your own niche in IM!
OK, that's all!
Registering Your Domain Name
Registering Your Domain Name
Registering a domain name for your business is one of the most important things you could do. It helps brand your image, and adds a level of trust and integrity to your site.
Mia Learns The Importance Of Using Proper "Key Word Strategy " To Increase Traffic To Her Website
Now that Mia Marketeer has learned (in the previous article) that having a great looking web site and a viable product are not enough to drive visitors to her web site, she is ready to begin the process of search engine optimization (SE0). Mia is out the gate and starting her ascent up the golden ladder (ok, rankings) by learning some "key" strategies for using "key words (a part of a spider's healthy diet).
How to Acquire Free Web Placement And Promotion
You have finished making your site and now you mostly maintain it. You have introduced the main pages of your site and presented your products and services to your visitors. You have done propositions and promos that will catch your target audience's eyes. You have achieved the dos and don'ts of good site layout. But why isn't your website a major factor for your company when it comes to selling those products and services?
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Fortune 500 IM for the Everyone, Step-By-Step!
For anyone with a desire to learn exactly what it takes to make a Content Authority Site, just like the Fortune 500’s publish, in a step-by-step fashion, the RPM Summit is the place to go October 6-8, 2006 at the Atrium Suites in Las Vegas, Nevada. This 3-day intensive training session is being presented by Content Desk's "Content Publishers Alliance."
“RPM stands for Research, Publishing, and Marketing,” said Jack Humphrey, co-founder of Content Desk along with Mark Braunstein and Peter Lenkefi. “It comprises a methodology that is how true Authority sites are created by the largest companies.”
RPM Summit attendees will learn what’s going on now, very cutting edge information: RSS feeds, social networking, authority sites, niche research, keyword research, visitor optimization, content syndication, content management systems, site plug-ins, audio and video tactics and strategy, publicity secrets and more.
Expert speakers include: Jerry West, Dave Lakhani, Mitch Axelrod, Mike Filsaime, Colin McDougall, Willie Crawford, Anik Singal, Rick Butts, Keith Baxter, Sean Wu, Jack Humphrey and Mark Braunstein.
“We all go (to events) to help define our own systems and processes,” said Mark Braunstein, Co-Founder of Content Publishers Alliance.
Braunstein explained that most seminars today have no specific, actionable agenda.
For example, on day one, a mix of speakers can include multiple business models, each focusing on different ways to use different tools to make money online with Google™ Adsense sites plus a combination of other speakers’ topics. Day two and three may be similar, with even more Adsense speakers and their own tools in the mix. The event results are generally similar:
(1) Attendees look at the listings and try to figure out what the heck is going on and how it will improve their success.
(2) Attendees try to figure out where each speaker fits into a “process” that they can integrate and apply to his or her own business.
(3) There is no continuity or cohesiveness in the event agenda itself.
(4) There is no relationship after the event is over. Each person heads home to figure out how to process the glut of information and try to put some of it to work.
But the RPM Summit is different.
“The RPM Summit breaks down the three main disciplines that are required for online success: research, publishing and marketing,” explained Braunstein. “It’s a structured event, in order. People need a step-by-step process in order to learn and master.”
Success Example
Mark Braunstein shared a success story from a student of Content Desk’s "Content Publishers Alliance" coaching program, Melissa Trippel, creator of http://craftyplaces.com . Melissa’s site is only about two months old and it has moved up in rank and popularity. She’s even received calls from it, like one from a major crafting association asking her for articles for their site and for a site link.
“She’s really moving up – and quickly!” said Braunstein.
Continuity Portion
RPM Summit attendees will learn how to build long-term sustainable income with publishing and marketing tactics few others are talking about on the web. Plus they will receive long term content and direct sales site network building and marketing plans including:
• Lifetime membership to the RPM Summit members only site!
• Videos from the conference included and streaming right from members site.
• Lively forum for networking with and learning from fellow RPM Summit-eers and the experts.
• Fun events at the Summit.
• Exclusive "Chat with the Experts" videos that will be filmed Sunday night at the Expert Appreciation Dinner. See how much info they can pump out of their experts after wining and dining them!
In short, RPM Summit attendees will enjoy a relationship with this event
“People will walk away with a better plan of action, and not a sense of “Where does this person fit into the process I’m trying to put together?” said Mark Braunstein. “We found speakers who fit our agenda. They will inform and some will mention products or services they have that work well with our process, not in spite of it.”
Free 21-Page Authority Site Guide
For more information about Content Authority Sites, readers are invited to
download Jack Humphrey’s 21-page report. The report discusses how to build sites that capitalize on the changes in web search traffic and content site profits, plus the state of internet marketing and content site publishing. It is available online at: http://www.contentdeskinfo.com .
“RPM stands for Research, Publishing, and Marketing,” said Jack Humphrey, co-founder of Content Desk along with Mark Braunstein and Peter Lenkefi. “It comprises a methodology that is how true Authority sites are created by the largest companies.”
RPM Summit attendees will learn what’s going on now, very cutting edge information: RSS feeds, social networking, authority sites, niche research, keyword research, visitor optimization, content syndication, content management systems, site plug-ins, audio and video tactics and strategy, publicity secrets and more.
Expert speakers include: Jerry West, Dave Lakhani, Mitch Axelrod, Mike Filsaime, Colin McDougall, Willie Crawford, Anik Singal, Rick Butts, Keith Baxter, Sean Wu, Jack Humphrey and Mark Braunstein.
“We all go (to events) to help define our own systems and processes,” said Mark Braunstein, Co-Founder of Content Publishers Alliance.
Braunstein explained that most seminars today have no specific, actionable agenda.
For example, on day one, a mix of speakers can include multiple business models, each focusing on different ways to use different tools to make money online with Google™ Adsense sites plus a combination of other speakers’ topics. Day two and three may be similar, with even more Adsense speakers and their own tools in the mix. The event results are generally similar:
(1) Attendees look at the listings and try to figure out what the heck is going on and how it will improve their success.
(2) Attendees try to figure out where each speaker fits into a “process” that they can integrate and apply to his or her own business.
(3) There is no continuity or cohesiveness in the event agenda itself.
(4) There is no relationship after the event is over. Each person heads home to figure out how to process the glut of information and try to put some of it to work.
But the RPM Summit is different.
“The RPM Summit breaks down the three main disciplines that are required for online success: research, publishing and marketing,” explained Braunstein. “It’s a structured event, in order. People need a step-by-step process in order to learn and master.”
Success Example
Mark Braunstein shared a success story from a student of Content Desk’s "Content Publishers Alliance" coaching program, Melissa Trippel, creator of http://craftyplaces.com . Melissa’s site is only about two months old and it has moved up in rank and popularity. She’s even received calls from it, like one from a major crafting association asking her for articles for their site and for a site link.
“She’s really moving up – and quickly!” said Braunstein.
Continuity Portion
RPM Summit attendees will learn how to build long-term sustainable income with publishing and marketing tactics few others are talking about on the web. Plus they will receive long term content and direct sales site network building and marketing plans including:
• Lifetime membership to the RPM Summit members only site!
• Videos from the conference included and streaming right from members site.
• Lively forum for networking with and learning from fellow RPM Summit-eers and the experts.
• Fun events at the Summit.
• Exclusive "Chat with the Experts" videos that will be filmed Sunday night at the Expert Appreciation Dinner. See how much info they can pump out of their experts after wining and dining them!
In short, RPM Summit attendees will enjoy a relationship with this event
“People will walk away with a better plan of action, and not a sense of “Where does this person fit into the process I’m trying to put together?” said Mark Braunstein. “We found speakers who fit our agenda. They will inform and some will mention products or services they have that work well with our process, not in spite of it.”
Free 21-Page Authority Site Guide
For more information about Content Authority Sites, readers are invited to
download Jack Humphrey’s 21-page report. The report discusses how to build sites that capitalize on the changes in web search traffic and content site profits, plus the state of internet marketing and content site publishing. It is available online at: http://www.contentdeskinfo.com .
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Why pay for advertising that does not yield sales?
Before you part with your cold hard cash, consider various ways to increase and maximize your conversions. The term conversion simply represents the number of website visitors that take the action that the web publisher desires. In most cases, conversion refers to an individual browsing a website and purchasing the product(s) or service(s) being sold. The idea is that a browser has been converted into a buyer.
What if you could increase the number of people that visit your site to customers who purchase or take action on your site by 1 percent. What would a 1 percent increase in conversion mean to your bottom line? Even on low ticket items, a 1 percent increase in conversions can be potentially staggering when considered over time.
How do you increase conversions?
Obviously the copy is critical in converting a 'browser' into a 'buyer' and while a webpage should be optimized for search engine spiders, search engine optimization should not be at the expense of web surfers. Webmasters must balance search engine optimization with sensible copy that calls the website visitor to the appropriate action.
What about advertising?
Keyword advertising can be very effective. In order to increase the conversion of keyword advertising, create continuity between your keyword and your landing page. Use the same words in the ad as in the landing page. Keep in mind that landing pages do not have to be part of a websites normal navigation. Webmasters can customize landing pages to cater to a specific audience, advertisement, or search term.
Ultimately, the goal is all about ROI or return on investment--publishers aim to make more than they spend. For every dollar you spend in advertising, you want to make a profit of $ 2.00 or better. That means in many cases you will need to monitor any changes in sales and web traffic, and determine what specific actions are resulting in the sales increases.
When evaluating advertising campaigns, consider whether the results will be long term or short term. Long term results from a short term expense could involve a website design. Short term results are generally things like ezine advertisements that result in sharp sales spikes that don't generally last.
Consider whether the expense is a one time cost or ongoing. Equally important, determine whether you can reliably track and measure the results of the advertising campaign. Can the results be reproduced by spending more money?
Targeted advertising will convert at a higher rate than non-targeted advertising. It is critical that advertising be targeted, so that you can maximize your conversion and increase your ROI.
On the other hand, if you have a low conversion rate, spending money on advertising is not likely going to produce significant results or a high ROI--so before you part with any hard earned cash take a look at your conversion rate.
Why pay for terms that are not converting?
Monitoring is critical to any advertising campaign. As a webmaster, you have a whole host of tools that allow you to track the actions that your visitors take. Use these tools to analyze and test theories that relate to conversions. When determining areas of low conversion, evaluate weblogs. Look at the abandon rate by viewing single access web pages. Use cookies to track the actions that browsers on a website take, do they return and purchase at a later date? Another option is to track customer actions using javascript that is embedded in the website's webpages.
Pay particular attention to what keywords result in traffic, and what keywords result in actual sales. Anyone can purchase traffic with the keyword phrase "free money" but how many of those who click are going to take the desired action on your webpage? Keyword terms that are closely related to the product or service being sold are going to have a higher conversion. It is important to filter phrases or keywords, that do not convert or result in unrelated traffic (due to synonym use).
What about the landing page?
When designing the landing page think about the action you want and emphasize it; remove all other distractions from the webpage. The landing page should be designed in such a way that the website is driven to the action you wish for them to take.
Unique URLs or special landing pages can be instrumental in tracking a advertising campaigns success. They are also helpful when you conduct split-testing sending users to different web pages, and then tracking the actions that result.
What common problems result in poor conversions?
Poor web site design can result in a low website conversion. Websites should explain the product or service is that you are selling in simple terms. The website navigation should be intuitive, and it should not be difficult to locate what visitors are looking for. Avoid vintage web graphics that are of low quality, or fonts that are unreadable. Avoid color schemes or font size that alienate web visitors, colors should be used to highlight important points. Webmasters should avoid small font sizes or fonts that are not easily readable.
While some items are easy to measure, others become a little more nebulous, it is difficult to know whether enhanced graphics will increase sales, but they should be considered when evaluating a poor conversion rate.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.
What if you could increase the number of people that visit your site to customers who purchase or take action on your site by 1 percent. What would a 1 percent increase in conversion mean to your bottom line? Even on low ticket items, a 1 percent increase in conversions can be potentially staggering when considered over time.
How do you increase conversions?
Obviously the copy is critical in converting a 'browser' into a 'buyer' and while a webpage should be optimized for search engine spiders, search engine optimization should not be at the expense of web surfers. Webmasters must balance search engine optimization with sensible copy that calls the website visitor to the appropriate action.
What about advertising?
Keyword advertising can be very effective. In order to increase the conversion of keyword advertising, create continuity between your keyword and your landing page. Use the same words in the ad as in the landing page. Keep in mind that landing pages do not have to be part of a websites normal navigation. Webmasters can customize landing pages to cater to a specific audience, advertisement, or search term.
Ultimately, the goal is all about ROI or return on investment--publishers aim to make more than they spend. For every dollar you spend in advertising, you want to make a profit of $ 2.00 or better. That means in many cases you will need to monitor any changes in sales and web traffic, and determine what specific actions are resulting in the sales increases.
When evaluating advertising campaigns, consider whether the results will be long term or short term. Long term results from a short term expense could involve a website design. Short term results are generally things like ezine advertisements that result in sharp sales spikes that don't generally last.
Consider whether the expense is a one time cost or ongoing. Equally important, determine whether you can reliably track and measure the results of the advertising campaign. Can the results be reproduced by spending more money?
Targeted advertising will convert at a higher rate than non-targeted advertising. It is critical that advertising be targeted, so that you can maximize your conversion and increase your ROI.
On the other hand, if you have a low conversion rate, spending money on advertising is not likely going to produce significant results or a high ROI--so before you part with any hard earned cash take a look at your conversion rate.
Why pay for terms that are not converting?
Monitoring is critical to any advertising campaign. As a webmaster, you have a whole host of tools that allow you to track the actions that your visitors take. Use these tools to analyze and test theories that relate to conversions. When determining areas of low conversion, evaluate weblogs. Look at the abandon rate by viewing single access web pages. Use cookies to track the actions that browsers on a website take, do they return and purchase at a later date? Another option is to track customer actions using javascript that is embedded in the website's webpages.
Pay particular attention to what keywords result in traffic, and what keywords result in actual sales. Anyone can purchase traffic with the keyword phrase "free money" but how many of those who click are going to take the desired action on your webpage? Keyword terms that are closely related to the product or service being sold are going to have a higher conversion. It is important to filter phrases or keywords, that do not convert or result in unrelated traffic (due to synonym use).
What about the landing page?
When designing the landing page think about the action you want and emphasize it; remove all other distractions from the webpage. The landing page should be designed in such a way that the website is driven to the action you wish for them to take.
Unique URLs or special landing pages can be instrumental in tracking a advertising campaigns success. They are also helpful when you conduct split-testing sending users to different web pages, and then tracking the actions that result.
What common problems result in poor conversions?
Poor web site design can result in a low website conversion. Websites should explain the product or service is that you are selling in simple terms. The website navigation should be intuitive, and it should not be difficult to locate what visitors are looking for. Avoid vintage web graphics that are of low quality, or fonts that are unreadable. Avoid color schemes or font size that alienate web visitors, colors should be used to highlight important points. Webmasters should avoid small font sizes or fonts that are not easily readable.
While some items are easy to measure, others become a little more nebulous, it is difficult to know whether enhanced graphics will increase sales, but they should be considered when evaluating a poor conversion rate.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for NotePage http://www.notepage.net a wireless text messaging software company.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Remembering 9-11
Today is September 11. Though I'm not there, I remember the victims of the incident.
Yes, USA unite as one...
And, if you receive any emails from any marketers that says "Remember September 11" and add a sales pitch at the end of the email, please remove yourself from his list. It leaves a very poor taste and shows bad business ethics.
Yes, USA unite as one...
And, if you receive any emails from any marketers that says "Remember September 11" and add a sales pitch at the end of the email, please remove yourself from his list. It leaves a very poor taste and shows bad business ethics.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Social Bookmarking And Why Its Fast Becoming...
First, Blogs were the BIG new thing as a traffic source, and still are, but guess what... now it's Social Bookmarking.
Social Bookmarking if you aren't quit sure is simply a service where the web user can surf the web and bookmark there favorite websites, articles, pictures, etc., to their account through the Social Bookmarking service they signed up with.
The advantage to doing this from the web users point of view is they can locate all their favorites from one easy to navigate location.
How they locate their saved bookmarks is quite simple. All they do is 'Tag' them using keywords associated to whatever it is they are bookmarking. So when it comes time to wanting to access that information all they have to do is type in the 'Tag' associated to their query.
Okay, that's the basic run down of what Social Bookmarking is and its primary use. Now lets move on to the juicy stuff... Traffic Generation.
What I didn't tell you in the above explanation is that if the web user chooses they can make their bookmarks *public*.
Now, what do I mean by *public*? It means that the Social Bookmarking community and the web will have access to whomevers bookmarked information, whether its articles, pictures, websites, reviews , etc... etc.
Are you starting to see the connection?
Let me explain further from an marketers perspective.
Let's say I opened up an account at an Social Bookmarking service and it is ready for me to start bookmarking whatever it is I want to bookmark.
Well, guess what I'm going to start bookmarking?
You guessed it, my websites and all their webpages. I'm also going to 'Tag' these webpages using keywords I think other web users within my Social Bookmarking community and the web would search for so they will find them. And since I've made my account a *public* account anybody will be able to find my bookmarks giving my websites webpages "FREE Targeted Traffic".
Your pages as I mentioned earlier can be Product Reviews, Articles, Sales Letters, or VRE(Virtual Real Estate) with Adsense.
Your totally in control as to what you want to bookmark.
Just don't 'SPAM' them with junk. People use these services to locate information, so simply give them what they want and in return you get "FREE Targeted Traffic" which in turn could make you some sales without costing you a dime.
I have to say that's pretty Cool!!
With search engines becoming so full of junk and 'SPAM' people are starting to resort to other means of locating the targeted information their looking for. Thats where Social Bookmarking communities come into play and where you can benefit, if you follow the rules.
More and more Social Bookmarking services are popping up because of there ability to easily locate targeted information by simply using 'Tags' making it easier for the web user to find the information their looking for.
I truly hope you see how POWERFUL - Social Bookmarking - can be as another means of targeted traffic generation and urge you to look into it further for your own sake to see if it's something you might want to consider as another source of traffic generation for your websites.
Cory Threlfall is the Editor and Publisher of a Online Business and Marketing publication called... The Internet Wonders eZine. Go NOW to get your FREE Subscription ==> http://www.internetwondersezine.com He also recommends you get this *Special Report* that's all about Social Bookmarking while its still FREE. It's available at ==> http://www.internetwondersezine.com/social-bookmarking.html
Social Bookmarking if you aren't quit sure is simply a service where the web user can surf the web and bookmark there favorite websites, articles, pictures, etc., to their account through the Social Bookmarking service they signed up with.
The advantage to doing this from the web users point of view is they can locate all their favorites from one easy to navigate location.
How they locate their saved bookmarks is quite simple. All they do is 'Tag' them using keywords associated to whatever it is they are bookmarking. So when it comes time to wanting to access that information all they have to do is type in the 'Tag' associated to their query.
Okay, that's the basic run down of what Social Bookmarking is and its primary use. Now lets move on to the juicy stuff... Traffic Generation.
What I didn't tell you in the above explanation is that if the web user chooses they can make their bookmarks *public*.
Now, what do I mean by *public*? It means that the Social Bookmarking community and the web will have access to whomevers bookmarked information, whether its articles, pictures, websites, reviews , etc... etc.
Are you starting to see the connection?
Let me explain further from an marketers perspective.
Let's say I opened up an account at an Social Bookmarking service and it is ready for me to start bookmarking whatever it is I want to bookmark.
Well, guess what I'm going to start bookmarking?
You guessed it, my websites and all their webpages. I'm also going to 'Tag' these webpages using keywords I think other web users within my Social Bookmarking community and the web would search for so they will find them. And since I've made my account a *public* account anybody will be able to find my bookmarks giving my websites webpages "FREE Targeted Traffic".
Your pages as I mentioned earlier can be Product Reviews, Articles, Sales Letters, or VRE(Virtual Real Estate) with Adsense.
Your totally in control as to what you want to bookmark.
Just don't 'SPAM' them with junk. People use these services to locate information, so simply give them what they want and in return you get "FREE Targeted Traffic" which in turn could make you some sales without costing you a dime.
I have to say that's pretty Cool!!
With search engines becoming so full of junk and 'SPAM' people are starting to resort to other means of locating the targeted information their looking for. Thats where Social Bookmarking communities come into play and where you can benefit, if you follow the rules.
More and more Social Bookmarking services are popping up because of there ability to easily locate targeted information by simply using 'Tags' making it easier for the web user to find the information their looking for.
I truly hope you see how POWERFUL - Social Bookmarking - can be as another means of targeted traffic generation and urge you to look into it further for your own sake to see if it's something you might want to consider as another source of traffic generation for your websites.
Cory Threlfall is the Editor and Publisher of a Online Business and Marketing publication called... The Internet Wonders eZine. Go NOW to get your FREE Subscription ==> http://www.internetwondersezine.com He also recommends you get this *Special Report* that's all about Social Bookmarking while its still FREE. It's available at ==> http://www.internetwondersezine.com/social-bookmarking.html
Friday, September 08, 2006
How To Earn $1000 Online Fast!
How To Earn $1000 Online Fast!
Copyright 2006 by Willie Crawford
Almost every day, I get at least one email or phone call from a subscriber or potential client who is in a financial bind. Often they need $1000 or more for rent or car payments within the next few days. They're looking for me to give them a quick-fix solution, so that they can then focus on building a solid online business.
I “shudder when I hear someone say that they need to do something "now" because I've seen so many people in similar situations make very bad decisions. Often when they implemented poorly conceived plans it ended up costing them much more in the long run.
Here are the top suggestions that I offer to Internet marketers who find themselves in the above described situation:
1) Write an ebook and offer resale rights to it. Currently Internet marketers love resale rights to ebooks. If you can put together a complete package that includes a website that's even better.
Writing an ebook is no harder than writing a high school research paper and then converting it to PDF format. If you are really stuck, you could get a ghost writer to do it for you, but that means you need capital upfront.
Creating a website is no harder than visiting any of hundreds of template sites (which offer many free templates) and choosing a suitable template. Then you edit the template in your favorite html editor.
If you do offer the website with the ebook package then you also need to come up with the copy. The absolute easiest way to do this (for me) is to pretend I'm explaining, to someone sitting across from me, what problem(s) the ebook solves and why they need it. Then you go back and add things such as a guarantee, bonuses, and perhaps testimonials. To get the testimonials, offer free copies of the ebook to online associates in exchange for feedback. If the feedback they give you is negative, then that tells you where you need to fix the ebook.
This won't give you the best copy in the world but will give you something that can be reworked several times. After you're out of that bind, if you want to become a really good copywriter, then you get a top copywriting course, such as the one I own (Yanik Silver's Ultimate At Home Copywriting Course): http://www.ultimateonlinecopymanual.com
After the ebook package is created, you can offer it to your list if you have one. If not, you can offer it prominently on your website. Make the offer irresistible. You can also offer it through online forums, and community-type sites, where they allow you to advertise. In a real pinch, you can offer it through Ebay auctions, but realize that Ebay buyers are generally looking for a bargain.
2) Create, or have created, a piece of software and offer resale rights to it. Practically everything said about marketing the ebook package applies to a software package. You can go to numerous sites such as Elance.com and RentACoder.com and place a description of the software you want created. "Techies" registered at these sites then bid on your job. You review their bids, their references and portfolios, and then choose one to do the job.
There are techniques and intricacies to hiring out work through these sites. I won't explain them here because there are countless articles on the topic that you can find through the search engines. Read several of these articles, and you should be equipped with the do's and don'ts of hiring out work through "lance-type" sites.
3) Offer your services. If you've been online for any amount of time, and been seriously learning the skills required, then you should have marketable talents. Many online marketers do the tasks that they do best and outsource the rest. If you make it known that you are available to do some of these chores, you should be able find jobs.
One problem that I've noticed in this area is that someone will offer to pass along work to another person (as a favor to get them out of a bind), and the person gaining the work will quote outrageous fees. Don't do that! The person offering the work will just go find someone who charges reasonable fees.
The are numerous Elance-type sites where you can go to list your availability and/or to see what jobs may be listed. You can also post your availability on certain discussion forums and community-type sites.
4) Sell an affiliate product using article marketing. This is one of my favorite selling techniques, and one that I teach often to "serious content marketers" such as members of Content Desk where I sometimes help conduct webinars. It’s at, appropriately enough : http://MassiveCashFromArticles.com
My system, which should be easy for you to adopt, is to first identify a product that’s really needed and wanted by your marketplace. It should already be selling well. Identify the problems that this product solves. Then you write an article about the PROBLEMS. Emphasize why these are really serious problems that your reader really wants to solve. Then you show why the affiliate product that you are marketing is the perfect solution. This is a proven formula!
After you've written the article, you can distribute it to article directories and publishers using article submission software. You can also use article submission services which may be a little more expensive (but can also be more convenient). The software that I use, submits to over 700 sites, and comes as part of my membership in Content Desk.
You can also submit your article directly to the publishers of your favorite ezines. Use a personal approach with each one. Explain that you are a longtime subscriber, and why you feel that this article is perfect for their ezine. Explain how their readers would benefit from the article and therefore be further endeared to the ezine. By explaining the "what's in it for them and their readers" you increase the chances of them using your article dramatically.
5) Run a sale from your site of specially selected product(s). If you have a steady flow of repeat visitors, this can solve your cash flow problem very quickly. What's critical here is that you make absolutely certain that the product is fresh, in-demand, and properly priced.
After identifying a product that you plan to sell, do a search on Ebay to confirm it's not being sold dirt-cheap over there. Then do a search on your favorite search engine for the product, and visit a few sites selling the product to see what they're selling it for. Unless it's your own product, or brand new, you should be able to find it in the search engines. If you see a lot of sites giving the product away, that a sign that you should seek another product (one that's not being devalued).
Find, or have created, a good product, place it on its own page on your site (with NOTHING else), and then direct traffic to that page. Then use standard copywriting techniques to sell the product. Prove to them that your price is better than they can find it elsewhere. Prove to them that the product will solve their problems. The easiest way to do this is with testimonials. Ask them for the order, and make it as easy as possible to place the order.
Any of the above five techniques will enable you to generate some quick revenue in a pinch. I've used 1, 2 and 4 numerous times with fantastic results, although I wasn't in a pinch. The reason that I don't use number 3 is that I don't like trading time for money, which is what you're doing when you offer a service. Your earnings are limited by the amount of time that you can offer. I rarely use number 5 but when I have used it, it's worked well too.
The final thing you have to do after deciding to use any of the above techniques is to DO it. Make a plan and then take massive action. Don't over-analyze. That's what stops too many people from extricating themselves from that crisis!
Willie Crawford has been teaching Internet marketing for over 9 years. Take advantage of his uncanny insights and unusual candor by subscribing to his free, information-packed newsletter. Also visit his top-rated blog. Do both at: http://WillieCrawford.com/blog/
Copyright 2006 by Willie Crawford
Almost every day, I get at least one email or phone call from a subscriber or potential client who is in a financial bind. Often they need $1000 or more for rent or car payments within the next few days. They're looking for me to give them a quick-fix solution, so that they can then focus on building a solid online business.
I “shudder when I hear someone say that they need to do something "now" because I've seen so many people in similar situations make very bad decisions. Often when they implemented poorly conceived plans it ended up costing them much more in the long run.
Here are the top suggestions that I offer to Internet marketers who find themselves in the above described situation:
1) Write an ebook and offer resale rights to it. Currently Internet marketers love resale rights to ebooks. If you can put together a complete package that includes a website that's even better.
Writing an ebook is no harder than writing a high school research paper and then converting it to PDF format. If you are really stuck, you could get a ghost writer to do it for you, but that means you need capital upfront.
Creating a website is no harder than visiting any of hundreds of template sites (which offer many free templates) and choosing a suitable template. Then you edit the template in your favorite html editor.
If you do offer the website with the ebook package then you also need to come up with the copy. The absolute easiest way to do this (for me) is to pretend I'm explaining, to someone sitting across from me, what problem(s) the ebook solves and why they need it. Then you go back and add things such as a guarantee, bonuses, and perhaps testimonials. To get the testimonials, offer free copies of the ebook to online associates in exchange for feedback. If the feedback they give you is negative, then that tells you where you need to fix the ebook.
This won't give you the best copy in the world but will give you something that can be reworked several times. After you're out of that bind, if you want to become a really good copywriter, then you get a top copywriting course, such as the one I own (Yanik Silver's Ultimate At Home Copywriting Course): http://www.ultimateonlinecopymanual.com
After the ebook package is created, you can offer it to your list if you have one. If not, you can offer it prominently on your website. Make the offer irresistible. You can also offer it through online forums, and community-type sites, where they allow you to advertise. In a real pinch, you can offer it through Ebay auctions, but realize that Ebay buyers are generally looking for a bargain.
2) Create, or have created, a piece of software and offer resale rights to it. Practically everything said about marketing the ebook package applies to a software package. You can go to numerous sites such as Elance.com and RentACoder.com and place a description of the software you want created. "Techies" registered at these sites then bid on your job. You review their bids, their references and portfolios, and then choose one to do the job.
There are techniques and intricacies to hiring out work through these sites. I won't explain them here because there are countless articles on the topic that you can find through the search engines. Read several of these articles, and you should be equipped with the do's and don'ts of hiring out work through "lance-type" sites.
3) Offer your services. If you've been online for any amount of time, and been seriously learning the skills required, then you should have marketable talents. Many online marketers do the tasks that they do best and outsource the rest. If you make it known that you are available to do some of these chores, you should be able find jobs.
One problem that I've noticed in this area is that someone will offer to pass along work to another person (as a favor to get them out of a bind), and the person gaining the work will quote outrageous fees. Don't do that! The person offering the work will just go find someone who charges reasonable fees.
The are numerous Elance-type sites where you can go to list your availability and/or to see what jobs may be listed. You can also post your availability on certain discussion forums and community-type sites.
4) Sell an affiliate product using article marketing. This is one of my favorite selling techniques, and one that I teach often to "serious content marketers" such as members of Content Desk where I sometimes help conduct webinars. It’s at, appropriately enough : http://MassiveCashFromArticles.com
My system, which should be easy for you to adopt, is to first identify a product that’s really needed and wanted by your marketplace. It should already be selling well. Identify the problems that this product solves. Then you write an article about the PROBLEMS. Emphasize why these are really serious problems that your reader really wants to solve. Then you show why the affiliate product that you are marketing is the perfect solution. This is a proven formula!
After you've written the article, you can distribute it to article directories and publishers using article submission software. You can also use article submission services which may be a little more expensive (but can also be more convenient). The software that I use, submits to over 700 sites, and comes as part of my membership in Content Desk.
You can also submit your article directly to the publishers of your favorite ezines. Use a personal approach with each one. Explain that you are a longtime subscriber, and why you feel that this article is perfect for their ezine. Explain how their readers would benefit from the article and therefore be further endeared to the ezine. By explaining the "what's in it for them and their readers" you increase the chances of them using your article dramatically.
5) Run a sale from your site of specially selected product(s). If you have a steady flow of repeat visitors, this can solve your cash flow problem very quickly. What's critical here is that you make absolutely certain that the product is fresh, in-demand, and properly priced.
After identifying a product that you plan to sell, do a search on Ebay to confirm it's not being sold dirt-cheap over there. Then do a search on your favorite search engine for the product, and visit a few sites selling the product to see what they're selling it for. Unless it's your own product, or brand new, you should be able to find it in the search engines. If you see a lot of sites giving the product away, that a sign that you should seek another product (one that's not being devalued).
Find, or have created, a good product, place it on its own page on your site (with NOTHING else), and then direct traffic to that page. Then use standard copywriting techniques to sell the product. Prove to them that your price is better than they can find it elsewhere. Prove to them that the product will solve their problems. The easiest way to do this is with testimonials. Ask them for the order, and make it as easy as possible to place the order.
Any of the above five techniques will enable you to generate some quick revenue in a pinch. I've used 1, 2 and 4 numerous times with fantastic results, although I wasn't in a pinch. The reason that I don't use number 3 is that I don't like trading time for money, which is what you're doing when you offer a service. Your earnings are limited by the amount of time that you can offer. I rarely use number 5 but when I have used it, it's worked well too.
The final thing you have to do after deciding to use any of the above techniques is to DO it. Make a plan and then take massive action. Don't over-analyze. That's what stops too many people from extricating themselves from that crisis!
Willie Crawford has been teaching Internet marketing for over 9 years. Take advantage of his uncanny insights and unusual candor by subscribing to his free, information-packed newsletter. Also visit his top-rated blog. Do both at: http://WillieCrawford.com/blog/
Niche Product Revisit
It's time to revisit Easy Niche Product
I have some new stuff there and if you are still interested, you can join in now!
I have some new stuff there and if you are still interested, you can join in now!
Write Unique Articles
Presenting my new software:
Write Unique Articles - Article Nugget
Yup, here's your chance to write unique articles with my new software.
Check it out today!
http://www.ArticleNugget.com
Write Unique Articles - Article Nugget
Yup, here's your chance to write unique articles with my new software.
Check it out today!
http://www.ArticleNugget.com
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Home Improvement Online
Another great website full of information about Home Improvement.
Check it out. Everyone who owns a home will find this website useful:
Home Improvement Online
Check it out. Everyone who owns a home will find this website useful:
Home Improvement Online
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