3 Must Do to Get Your Affiliate Marketing Site to the Top Search Engine Position

Author: Kelvin Lee

Having your website shown in the top search engine position for some of the important keywords can make a big difference in your business. It can bring you tremendous amount of free traffic that can boost your sales and bring your affiliate marketing business to a whole new level.

In fact, getting a top search engine position for your site does not require a lot of experience. It can be done by any affiliate marketers irregardless of their experience level. All you need is to have access to some of the secrets and keep on putting the secrets to practice to see results. It is worth the effort as it is definitely of great help to your affiliate marketing business.

Here are some of the technique to get your affiliate marketing site to the top ten search engine position

1) Increase the number of back link: In order to get top search engine position, you ought to create as many back links as possible to your affiliate marketing site. You can do so through submitting articles to hundreds of article directories sites. Participating in a number of forum site or make use of web 2.0 methods such as Squidoo or Blogger can also greatly increase the number of back links to your website.

2) Keyword Density: For your affiliate marketing site to be ranked at the top ten search engine position, you have to write content that have at least 3 to 5% keyword density of your targeted keywords. This can help your affiliate marketing site gets better search engine position for those keywords you are interested in.

3) Content update: Beside the two above factors, if you have an affiliate marketing blog as your website. You have to make sure that your site must be constantly updated to get better search engine position. If your site is stagnant, you will not be ranked well.

As long as you keep on practicing the above 3 methods, I can assured you that you will be getting good search engine position for any affiliate marketing keywords you are targeting.

Now put this into practice and you will see your site at the top search engine position soon

5 Days Mini Audio Course: 5 Days Mini Course

About the Author:

Want to learn how you can Quit Your Day Job and become a Full Time Affiliate Marketer running your own Affiliate Marketing business like me, grab your FREE Internet Marketing Strategy Report and FREE Traffic Generation Audio Mini Courses here.

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Interview with a New York Web Design Company

Author: Scott Jason (c) 2008

As a Web optimization specialist I spend a good deal of time seeking out the best designers from around the country and around the world. We swap industry insider tips. They teach me about Web design and I show them how to get their beautiful sites to the top of Google, MSN and Yahoo. It's a match made in heaven. The most recent collaboration was a huge success that helped both of us get just what we wanted so we decided to publish our findings for anyone interested. That said; here is an interview with a New York Web design company.

What makes a New York Web design company any different from other Web design companies? That's easy... Competition. Just look at how many design firms there are out there and you will see what I mean! In the city or outside, someone seeking high quality Web design in New York faces hundreds of choices in an area of just a few city blocks. Now that's competition!

If you are not from the area it can be difficult to envision. This might help... Imagine typing "New York web design" into Google's search box and getting hundreds of pages with thousands of links of returns. Instead of clicking on those links however, you're walking into hundreds of offices; each offering their own unique flavor of Web design.

But, with the competition comes a competitive edge that is critical in a struggling economy. Of course we all want to look good on the Internet, but when you're competing with your real live neighbors in addition to those online; you have to step it up a notch.

With that said, I provide some inside advice from a successful New York Web design firm. Let's focus our attention on Website usability. This has the unfortunate distinction of being both the most important yet generally least considered aspect of design all too often and the Website owners suffer for the oversights.

First off, most people do not really read a Web page at first glance; they scan it to see if there is something worth actually reading. You need to get their attention right away and keep it. Here's how...

1.) Jump in with your most powerful content right off the bat. Grab their attention immediately and keep it. Don't save the best for last unless you have something nearly as good to lead the reader there.

2.) Make sure your functional areas are consistent, as much as possible, throughout your site. This is especially true of the navigation links (top, left, right, etc.) search fields, logins, and anything else needing user interaction. The more at ease your visitor feels working through the site, the more likely he or she is to stay for a while and go even deeper.

3.) Embed a link to your homepage within your company logo. This is expected by just about every site visitor who has been on the Web for any length of time. It's a safety net many users rely and to deny it could result in major inconvenience to your visitors.

4.) Add a search box in an easy to find, consistent location. And be certain it searches ONLY within your Website. Having a search feature that offers to "Search The Web" gives your visitors an invitation to leave your site. Why would you want that?

Secondly, keep in mind that search engines will also be looking at your site. Making it pretty is not enough. It needs to attract the search engine as much as live visitors if you ever expect those live visitors to find it in the first place. This is known as search engine optimization, or SEO. It's more complicated today than in years past but still quite doable. Here are three "must do" tasks for you to complete if you want your site on top of Google.

1.) Use keywords as anchor text (the visible clickable words) in your links throughout your page's content. This is huge! Allow me to demonstrate how powerful this one element can be.

Navigate to Google.com and conduct a search for the term "Clíck Here" (no quotes.) Take note of two things right away... Number one, there are more than 1.6 billion other (competing) Web pages. Number two, the top match returned is a link to Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Ready for a surprise? The term Clíck Here is not anywhere on the page text or META tags. The page is number one, out of 1.6 Billion pages, because thousands of Web pages supplying a link to Acrobat "Clíck Here" as their anchor text of choice. Amazíng, isn't it?

This is great news for you! You can easily take advantage of that power by linking to and from pages within your Website. Which leads us nicely into Tip number two...

2.) If you deem that SEO is a priority for your site, create a unique page for each of your main keywords. Just be sure to link the anchor text from each page to the page that has that specific keyword as its focus.

Industry Advice: If you are a blog specialist or Web designer by trade, offering SEO as part of your services is a natural fit that can double the value of your work, or more. With so many good SEO products available to help you get professional results with minimal effort, you can usually rely on reputation as a good indicator of potential success. For example, eBay, Motorola and Lexmark all stake their online success on a tool you can get for $250 at iBusinessPR0M0TER.com.

3.) Relevant anchor text should also be at the top of your mind when you are requesting inbound links from other sites. This is what Google uses as its strongest measurement to gauge the quality of your pages.

This is how you can build your brand using your words. Getting visitors there is only half the battle, keeping them is a whole different ballgame.

Now, similar to tip number 2, you want to request specific keywords be used in the anchor text leading to your pages from other sites. And be sure to request each link to the most appropriate page. Just linking to the homepage doesn't cut it anymore.

Warning: Avoid reciprocal link farms like the plague! They are so easy for Google to spot it's a joke.

If you are in need of quality links but don't have time to setup link partnerships yourself, you may want to try a service that facilitates "3 way linking" like the one at 3WayLinker.

It's very simple and really pretty ingenious. Here's how it works... Site 1 links to Site 2. Site 2" links to Site 3. And Site 3 links to Site 1 forming an indirect chain of one way links.

That's all for now. Good luck!

About The Author:
Article based on interview with David R. by Scott Jason. Premier New York Website Design is David Radovanovic's passion. After 10 years of success, in 2003 he opened WhatsTheBigIdea.com and more recently CreativeCrib.com . Want great graphic design in New York? See Dave.

T-Shirt Trend: Object Photo Tees

Just a little inspiration for the weekend T-shirt designers out there. I haven't seen a lot of tees like these, but love the basic design idea...black & white or two color photos of objects that let the T-shirt color come through. I could see this technique used for pets (dog breeds?), foods (foodie shirts), and other popular T-shirt categories.

With Cafepress' direct printing method, this technique would be easy to do with their light colored tees, and no need to make your image transparent.

Enjoy!

Sunglasses Tee by Public Domain

Track Bike Tee from Homeroom Store


I love this Men's Foil Sneaker Tee by Public Domain, available at FredFlair.
Notice the gold areas are actual foil!

Men's Instant Camera Tee by Public Domain, available at FredFlair

Internet Scams- Detecting Scams Online

Author: Raymond Aremonkhae

These are some ways to detects internet scams before you fall victim.

1.) Lending scams – when you get proposals from lenders that promise you a very fast processor.

2) Gadget scams - selling gadgets like television sets, and cell phones at very low and attractive price. Items that are not yet available in the market may even be offered for sale and you normally receive so many posts in one advertisement

3) Receiving a message from a propose heir- Most scams find this the most attractive way to milk unsuspecting victims. Always watch out for mails where people solicit for your help to claim certain millions of dollars they inherited in returns to compensate you.

4.) Unknowingly Buying scam wherein they post a message to an existing advertisement that they have a close relation residing in your country and they wanted to buy your item.

5) Spam Emails- Emails you receive without your subscriptions mostly turn out to be spam mails. Senders of such mail use email extractor and spiders to extract multiple emails and send. Never reply to mails that you don’t subscribe to.

6) If the advertisement owner is asking you to pay through wired service like Western Union.

7) Always do a search for the company (Google search will come in handy here). If the company truly exists, more or less you can get some more information, just be more resourceful as some scams clone some website and use the name of existing companies for their trades. In any case before entering a site, first type (https://www instead of http://www) since https represents a secured site. Never enter a site without using the secured connection. If you find the company website, check if the advertisement product is on their product. Secured connections have some security features that scams find impossible to penetrate

8.) Always Inquire personal or business information from any of your prospective clients by using the country’s business directory or any personal verifiable means.

9) Try as much as possible to make a physical contact with the person, as most scams will take flight because they love to avoid physical contact.

10) Don’t be too over excited about any offer Most scams can be avoided if you take due diligence on your own part to do a proper research.

About the Author:

Raymond Adino
http://www.adinosworld.com

Technorati Tags:internet scam, online scams, scams online, spam mail, spams onlline
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SEO - 5 Tips To Get Your Website Indexed By Search Engines

Author: Cheow Yu Yuan

In order to rank high on search engines, first of all you need to allow search engines to find your website. Search engines use a program known as Spiders to locate new website. When spiders find your website, they will indexed your site and store it in their databases. However, for newer sites, sometimes it is hard to get indexed by them.

What many people do is to manually submit their sites to Google and Yahoo, and what I can tell you is that there is no need to do that. Let me share with you 5 tips to get your website indexed by search engines quickly:

1. Include a sitemap.xml file in your root directory. This xml file consists of the URLs of all pages on your site which will facilitate crawling of your website by spiders. Once you have uploaded it to your root directory, you should set up a Google Webmaster account and point the sitemap.xml to it.

2. Get rid of any roadblock that prevents spiders from reading the content of your site. If your website is a coded entirely on flash or frames, it is hard for spiders to crawl your website. If they do not crawl your website, your site will not be indexed and it will not appear on the organic listings of search engines.

3. Submit your site to social bookmarking platforms. The best way to get your site noticed by search engines is to let them naturally stumble across it. One way is to submit your site to popular social bookmarking platforms like Digg, Reddit, and StumbleUpon. Spiders usually visit these sites multiple times in a single day. This is why if you bookmark your site, you stand a very high chance for it to be found and indexed.

4. Get a backlink from a website with high PageRank (PR). Getting a high PR backlink to your site definitely paves the way for successful indexing and possible good organic rankings on search engines. Directory linking and submission is one of my favourite ways to get backlinks. Target those directories with high PR and submit your website to them. Some of the popular directories such as Yahoo may require you to pay, which I think will be well worth the money.

5. Write articles and submit to popular article directories. Article marketing is a great way to get your site indexed by search engines, as well as generate good traffic to your website. Include a link to your site in your articles and submit them to popular article directories like EzineArticles and GoArticles. Spiders visit these directories often and once they crawl your article, they will follow the link in it and find your website.

Getting your site indexed by search engines is definitely a must in order to have good organic rankings for your site. So, try out the tips above and get your site indexed now!

About the Author:

Cheow Yu Yuan is the co-founder of OOm, an online marketing agency providing SEO SingaporeSEO at www.optimalonlinemarketing.com

Technorati Tags:internet marketing, search engine optimization, seo, online marketing, search engine marketing
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Taking Your PPC Campaigns To The Next Level With Speed PPC

Author: Alan Largo

Most likely, you already have a solid idea of what Pay Per Click or PPC is. You know that it is a method of advertising your business and targeting the right market. You also know how important this method is to your success and you are looking for PPC management tools to help you make the most of your advertisements.

The good news is that PPC management tools can actually make your life easier. Depending on which tool you choose to use and there are many to choose from, you can enjoy a full range of benefits. What is more, using the right tools can actually help you save a great deal of both time and money. What could be better?

Now, you may be wondering what can PPC management do to help you save time and money? This is a great question and one that has an even better answer. Before we get into the benefits of these tools, think about how to work your PPC campaigns now.

In other words, how much time does it take you? Well if you think about it, the answer is too much! You have to research the right keywords, figure out your budget, find the keywords that work within the budget, and so much more. It can become quite a cumbersome process.

This is very time consuming and what is even more, if you are choosing the wrong keywords, you could be losing money at the same time. The right PPC management tools will help you in all of these areas, cutting the time in half you spend focusing on your campaigns in a lot of cases. These are extremely helpful if you have more than one campaign which can take a great deal of your time trying to manage and organize all of your campaigns.

There are many benefits to such tools as these. For example, you can set your budget for advertisements and the right tool will focus on this budget when making bids. They can also help you with your rate of conversion, managing your accounts and profit margins, as well as work with many different search engines at the same time.

The right PPC management tools can also help you get the right traffic you are looking for, identify the most appropriate keywords and change the strategy used dependent upon the search engine used. Without these tools, your PPC campaigns could be suffering. Your business could be suffering, which means much less profit for you and less sales altogether.

About the Author:

Alan Largo is the creator and administrator of Speed PPC and strives to assist others identify with an ever-expanding internet marketing presence through informative reviews. You're invited to visit Speed PPC to read his most recent article review.

Technorati Tags:ppc advertising, speed ppc, ppc management tools, ppc management software
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Turn Your Paid Search Campaign Into a Laser Guided Missile with Negative Keywords

Author: Jerry Work

The best way to guarantee that you receive high quality, targeted traffic from your pay per click campaigns is to use only exact match keywords. This works fine if you are competing in an industry in which there is excess available keyword inventory, or when your budget is very limited. Often, however, due to strong competition for the top keywords or limited keyword inventory, you will need to use a more broad strategy. This opens you up to the possibility of having your ads displayed for non-relevant searches. The way around this problem is to use negative keywords to fine-tune you campaigns.

Negative keywords are keywords you specify that should not be included in search queries that trigger your ad. For example, if you provide services in one particular city but not another, you could use negative keywords to exclude your ad from being displayed from searches that contain the city where you do not do business.

Another example would be if you offer language translation services. If you run ads for the broad match keyword "Chinese symbols", chances are very good that you will generate a lot of traffic from people looking to have words translated into Chinese symbols for decorative purposes such as tattoos. So a good negative keyword in this instance would be "tattoo" because it would filter out people looking for Chinese symbols for tattoos, as opposed to more serious business matters.

As you run your campaign, it really helps to know what keywords people are actually using that trigger your ad at inappropriate times. In Google, you can generate a search query report that will provide this information. Run the report and then examine it for search phrases that triggered your ad that should not have. Then add those negative keywords to your account. Google lets you add negative keywords at the account or campaign level. If the keywords are ones for which you NEVER want your ad to display under any circumstance, then you should add it at the account level.

Use negative keywords to fine-tune the traffic that your web site receives via paid search. It will allow you to operate under a more broad strategy, but still limit your traffic to that that is the most appropriate. It is a power strategy that will help you improve your paid search return on ad spend by better focusing your marketing dollars.

Focus is the key to success in any type of marketing. If you broadcast your marketing message to the whole world, via mass distribution channels (or the Internet), you are going to be paying for a lot of set of eyes and ears that have no interest in your product or service. That is the advantage that search engine marketing has over traditional marketing to start with. When negative keywords are added to the equation, it increases the focusing process even further, turning your marketing message into a laser guided missile that only attacks the very best, most targeted prospects. It's a technique you should start using today.

About the Author:

Jerry Work is president of Work Media, LLC, http://workmedia.net, a search engine marketing firm based in Nashville, and author of Scientific Search Engine Marketing: Maximizing Your Pay per Click Return on Investment.

Technorati Tags:sem, ppc, search engine marketing, pay per click, ppc management, negative keywords, paid search
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Why You Need to Submit Your Site URL to a Deep Links Directory

Author: Ron Subs

If you are running your business primarily from the Internet, then one of the main things that you will need is traffic to your site. There is a direct correlation between the amount of traffic that you receive to your site and how successful you are online. One of the ways that you can increase your website traffic is by submitting inner links, or pages, of your website to a deep links directory. By doing this, you will increase the chances that your website is ranked better in the search engines; and as a result, you receive more visitors.

One of the reasons that people visit the link directories is because they need to find what they are looking for quickly and do not have extra time to waste. Savvy Internet surfers know that when they are looking for an article on a specific topic that the best way to find one is by visiting a web directory that features deep links to websites.

One of the most annoying things, as cited by many web surfers, is having to search through tons of junk just to find what they are looking for on a site. Deep link directories help you to avoid this pitfall. Instead of surfing through an entire site, visitors can find exactly what they are looking for with a single click of the mouse. Deep link web directories offers surfers this ability.

Whenever you submit web pages on your site besides your home page to a deep links directory, you make it easier for visitors to find the information they are searching for on your website. People are more inclined to bookmark your website when you make it easy for them to find information that they are looking for. And once they know that your site is easy to navigate, they are more likely to return and also to invite friends, relatives, and family. It is proven that repeat website traffic, as well as referrals, is the best kind of traffic to receive. A deep link directory can help your online business accomplish this goal.

There are numerous advantages to submitting your website to a deep link directory. What is not to love about free traffic that boosts your online business' profit potential? In addition, your visitors return and invite others also, which all means more profits for you. And since submissions to deep link directories are often free, you have nothing to lose but if you moments of time.

About the Author:

Ron Subs works with Web4URL.com, a free deep links directory, as an online business consultant. More information about Ron Subs can be found at http://www.web4url.com

Technorati Tags:reciprocal links, reciprocal linking, exchange links, build links, get links to my site
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5 Quick Tips to Submit Rss Feeds

Author: Alex Bellweather

Submission of RSS is a better tool to get the promotion of website or blog.

RSS is based on XML format which permit the organization the various hyperlinks and various other useful information or you can say metadata which guide the viewers to pursue the various link. Such types of links are permitting you to get information.

This allows peoples’ computers to fetch and interpret the database, so you can get chase the information and make it adjustable. It is XML format that use to track the information to direct properly.

The website can make it available to get the RSS feed. It is available on regular bases to get the suitable item on the site. People use the aggregator to manage the RSS Feed properly with using the single modules.

Here are the tips for quick learning to RSS Feeds:

1. You must have to use the aggregators to get the proper entries and define the entries by using the various types of identifiers like RSS 1.0, RSS 2.0 and Atom. You must have to use the Feed Validator to get the problems, it work with RSS and Atom.

2. Making a metadata is one of the most suitable sites to get the short title and the link. You can add the any types of description into the feed to metadata.

3. It is alluring to get the HTML instruction in your RSS feed because you do not represent it. If you need to include the tag in the text of the feed than make sure that you can make the brackets.

4. Use the XML coding is character encoding that can be available to make XML entries.

5. The software generates the feed using the Windows character to encode your feeds.

About the Author:

Alex Bellweather is a writer for Submit RSS Feed, the premier website to find rss feed submission, submit rss, rss feeds, free rss feeds, RSS Feeds Directory and many more.

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Why is Ed Spam Still so Popular?

Author: Brian Welsch

Mankind has always been concerned about the ability (or lack thereof) to get an erection. However, mankind is also not to admit to anyone that he has trouble getting an erection, as mankind could then become suddenly manUNkind. Although we laugh about it now, in some ancient cultures, not being able to get an erection could mean you loose your throne and your social standing. Viagra spam happened a long time before the invention of Viagra or spam.

Doctor, Doctor

Some of the oldest magical spells and herbal remedies have been to cure impotence or to make a man's current performance better. Getting impotence cures was always something done in back allies or under the table. It was never talked about in the open. This was especially important since many civilizations say an infertile king or ruler as a sign that the Gods were somehow angry.

Although we are more open about impotence (erectile dysfunction), we still don't like to actually admit to anyone we know that we need a little help. This is one reason why Viagra spam is one of the most common forms of spam on the Internet. If your spam isn't about money, then it's about getting a better sex life. Getting Viagra through an Internet site seems an anonymous way to get medicine.

Danger, Danger

Most Viagra spam is a scam and nothing else. These are phishing emails, hoping that you will click on the links provided and willingly give your credit card or other personal information to the wonderful web sites they lead you to. These sites can also load malware malicious software) onto your computer's hard drive, making your personal data readable to a cyber criminal.

Keep Your Hopes Up

However, not all Viagra websites are connected to scams or cyber criminals. You should immediately delete all Viagra spam sent your way. However, if you go to a legal medication website, then ask them to send you an email, that's different. That's not Viagra spam , because this is email that you have requested.

One of the reasons Viagra (and, therefore, Viagra spam ) is so popular is that it is one of the most successful medicines that actually does what it claims it will do. Viagra doesn't work for every man with sexual dysfunctions. There are also some severe side affects. This is why you need to go to your doctor first, get a prescription for Viagra and then go to a legal medicine website.

Original article : Why Is Viagra Spam Still So Popular?

About the Author:

For more information about Viagra - the wonder drug from Brian Welsch check www.mixpills.com

Technorati Tags:internet, sex, spam, emails, viagra, cyber criminals
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Google Is Everything! Or Is It?

Author: Bill Platt (c) 2008 the Phantom Writers

As an article marketer, I say things that I believe will help other people accomplish their goals. As a widely published article writer, I am often criticized for the words I write. ;-)

In July of 2008, I wrote an article about meta-search engines called, "Look Beyond Google: Meta-Search Engines Can Help Online Marketers". In this article, the basic concept I was trying to share was that Internet Marketers should look beyond the presence of Google, to find more ways to drive traffic to their websites.

The Google Religion

This article apparently struck a chord of truth with a lot of people, as its reprint results are much larger than even I expected.

The article was also reprinted on the Link Referral website by someone who seems to have appreciated the article.

The first response to the post at the Link Referral website read as follows: "Thanks for the useless post. Google is everything. If you cannot be found on Google, pray for MSN and Yahoo. Anything else will give you 1 hit in 100 years. Link exchanging and buying ads would be so much more effective than buying into that article."

Now, don't get me wrong. I am not the least bit annoyed that someone criticized my article. The fact that someone criticized the article is only a testimony to the fact that my words touched the nerve of someone who worships the Google religion. I don't want to offend anyone's religion... That would be wrong...

Of course, this is not the first time I have offended those who preach the tenets of the Google religion. I also wrote about this subject in an article about Creating Page Rank, which can be read at: http://www.keywordtext.com/pudding/28.html. This article also drew criticism by those who mocked my assertion that people can truly generate substantial traffic from sources other than Google and that Google PageRank is not as important as many claim.

Answering My Critics

I will admit that if a website is not listed in Google, the task of trying to make monëy online is made more difficult.

But if a website is not ranked in Google, and it does not possess links to it from anywhere else either, then you might as well be working at McDonald's for extra money, as opposed to trying to make monëy online.

Honestly, Google is only "everything" when you have "nothing but Google" on the table.

The Proof Is In The Pudding

This is not just an opinion I hold. I can back up what I am saying with real data, from a real website that does not rely upon Google for its salvation... The statistics shown here are from my primary website: thephantomwriters.com

Even though I do not rely on Google for traffic, Google delivers a great deal of traffic to my website. I actually do quite well in the Google game. I get lots of Google Love for my website, as described here:

http://article-blog.thephantomwriters.com/google-love/2008/08/09

Nothing But The Facts

The following data reflects the traffic for The Phantom Writers for both 2007 and 2008 (through Aug 15th):

Total Unique Visitors
* 2007: 244,000+
* 2008: 169,000+

Total Page Views
* 2007: 1.2+ million
* 2008: 1.0+ million+

Unique Clicks from All Search Engines (59 in 2007; 58 in 2008)
* 2007: 119,309
* 2008: 129,749

Unique Clicks from Google
* 2007: 61,923
* 2008: 75,750

Unique Clicks from Yahoo, Windows Live, Ask, and MSN Search
* 2007: 49,291
* 2008: 50,148

Unique Clicks from Other 54/53 Search Engines
* 2007: 8,095
* 2008: 3,851

Important Data Analysis

In 2007, with 244,000+ total visitors and 61,923 visitors from Google, I would have had to turn away 182,077 visitors or 74.6% of my traffic in 2007, if I had relied solely upon Google to drive traffic to my website.

In 2008, with 169,000+ total visitors and only 75,750 of those visitors coming from Google, I would have had to turn away 93,250 visitors or 55% of my traffic, if I relied solely upon Google to deliver visitors to my website.

With 61,923 visitors from Google in 2007 and 93,250 visitors from Google so far in 2008, it is sure that Google is important.

I wonder how many of my critics are actually seeing 61,923 visitors per year? I suspect that many of those who claim that my advice is bad would be tickled pink to see my Google traffic to their websites. And I bet they would be shocked to realize that non-Google sources account for more traffíc for my website than their Google God does.

Beyond Google

In 2007, my website receíved 119,309 total visitors from all of the search engines combined, but only 61,923 of those people came from Google. That leaves 57,386 people who arrived on my website from the 58 search engines that are not Google. In the search category, Google accounted for 51.9% of my total search traffic.

The top five search engines accounted for 93.2% of my search traffic.

Had I ignored those unknown search engines, as my critics suggest others should, I would have been forced to turn away a full 8,095 people or 3% of all of my visitors in 2007. That is a far cry from "one hit in 100 years".

So far in 2008, Google has accounted for 58% of my total search traffic and only 45% of my global traffic.

The top five search engines have accounted for 95% of my search traffic. Those itty-bitty search engines have delivered 3,851 visitors to my website so far this year, accounting for 2.96% of all of my gross traffic in '08.

Itty-bitty is historically worth at least 3% of my yearly traffic. If you want to ignore that 3%, then that is your business. But myself, I am happy to receive traffic from anywhere that I can gain that traffic.

Beyond The Search Engines

As the owner of a professional article marketing company, who practices what he preaches, 90% of my advertising budget is spent on article marketing alone.

This is where the following two pieces of data come into play:

Unique Non-Search URL's Sending Traffic
* 2007: 9,036
* 2008: 5,811

Unique Visitors from Non-Search URL's
* 2007: 27,397
* 2008: 23,907

The remainder of my website's traffic comes from articles published in newsletters and on other websites, recommendations by other websites, bookmarks and name recognition.

In 2007, my website receíved 27,397 visitors from 9,036 verifiable links to my website from articles that we wrote or from recommendations people made for my website. Of course, I am willing to bet that many of the 97,294 visitors who were untrackable in 2007 were the result of the many articles of mine that were published in newsletters.

In 2008, my website has so far pulled 23,907 visitors from 5,811 verifiable external URLs. There have so far been another 15,344 visitors that I receíved from untrackable sources, many of which were probably from the articles that we have successfully had published in newsletters.

The article marketing that we do provides a lot of verifiable traffic to our website, and potentially a lot of our untrackable traffic was also derived from the article marketing we do.

In the end, we credít article marketing for our great search engine placement, for hundreds of keywords, and our substantial search traffic as well.

One Quarter Million Reasons Why Google Is Not God

If I believed the poster who said that "Google is everything" and I had followed his advice for the last several years, then I would have had to turn away 275,327 additional visitors to my website in the past 20 months!

OMG!!! To think that I could have turned away a quarter million visitors or 67% of all of my websites' traffic, if I had simply followed the advice of my critics.

Wow! Some of my critics are absolute idiots!

Yes, Google is important. But, is Google really "everything" ? Only if you want to fail...

About The Author:
As the owner of thephantomwriters.com, Bill Platt has been providing article ghost writing and article distribution services since 2001. In recent weeks, Bill overhauled his website format, in a way that improved navigation and simplified the process of finding the highest ranked authors and most popular articles on his website. You will also find a lot of great information in Bill's article marketing blog, which can be seen at: http://article-blog.thephantomwriters.com

Putting True Discovery back into Keyword Research Volumes

Author: John Alexander

Here is an article I am writing to show readers and students some of the high value that Keyword Discovery offers.

One thing that is extremely important to point out is that the KEI "Keyword Effectiveness System" is completely different in Wordtracker than in Keyword Universe. I'm not saying that one is better than the other. They are just different. KEI is only brought about as a mathematical equation and is the ultimate means for making decisions. It is just a tool. The KEI in Wordtracker is 0 (being a weaker opportunity) to 400 being a better opportunity and generally the higher the better. However, in Keyword Discovery the KEI runs from 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest.

For a long time readers have wanted to be able to get more accuracy in terms of what true volume a keyword is searched for. Of course nothing is ever absolutely perfect but here is the area I want you to take a look at inside of Keyword Discovery if you are a member.

If you are not a member you can sign up for a free trial at Keyword Discovery here.

Would you like to see some pretty interesting results concerning volumes and break down of data for "industry related terms."

Then check out Keyword Discovery's Industry Terms Methodology:

* The search terms extracted are then presented in the "Query" column. * The "Searches" column reports the number of searches from the Global Premium KeywordDiscovery database for that search term. * The "Volume" indicates the percentage of clicks that all the web sites in this DMOZ category receive from each search term.

For example:

Under the heading of "recreation" I chose the term "Birds" which has a volume of 1.22% under the "recreation category." This means 1.22% of all websites categorized under the recreation category are receiving traffic from the keyword, "birds".

When I click on the word "birds" I get a further breakdown that included terms like:

* birds * pet birds * wild birds * birds of prey * humming birds * etc..etc

From this list I chose to click on the phrase "humming birds."

Keep in mind that the volume figures from the industrial terms in Keyword Discovery are calculated by analyzing actual traffic received by sites in this category. This means that it only includes successful searches. This also means that many search terms are not included in this Industry Term database in cases where successful searches, resulting in click throughs to websites that are not indexed by DMOZ. But the information is excellent.

Also note that you can literally look at historical data to analyze trends. Of course some people's search habits change and some things never seem to change. Any way you look at it, the historical data is fascinating.

Next, we click on the phrase "humming birds" again and Keyword Discovery begins showing us some mild behavioral interests such as users seem to want to know more about how to attract humming birds or pictures of humming birds or even about humming birds from a specific area...like Taiwan.

Don't forget you can dig fairly deep and for any phrase you can see the historical data or the trends too which is extremely helpful. Try it for yourself and you'll see what I mean.

What I like most about this Keyword Discovery interface is that within seconds you can identify "historical trends" very easily plus you are looking at genuine volume as opposed to just a figure generated by some math equation.

Watch for some very light revealing behaviors, but the ability to identify peak trends based on seasonally related promotions is exceptional. For this example, I chose something random from the list, but give this feature a whirl around something like Christmas or Halloween or Mothers Day or the 4th of July and I think you'll begin to see it's value for seasonal promotions.

Did I miss anything?

I am sure I did, but I intend on writing much more about many of the features available in Keyword Discovery. I hoped you enjoyed this brief tutorial on Keyword Discovery. There will be much more in the future.

About the author
John Alexander is Co-director of Training at http://www.SearchEngineWorkshops.com offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, http://www.onlinewebtraining.com. John has taught SEO skills to people from 87 different countries world wide. John is also Director of Search Engine Academy http://www.searchengineacademy.com

Measure Your Search Marketing Efforts with a Weekly Googleprint

Author: Jack Deal

It's easy. Just type your subject in quotes in Google's search box. This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to test your search marketing efforts. Each week you can track which of your search marketing efforts is paying off and which isn't doing so well. The results may surprise you.

For instance, you might be surprised to see your Craigslist ad showing up surprisingly high in your Googleprint. Placing an ad on Craigslist not only gets your name out but also gets you site picked up by the search engines.

You can also find out what doesn't work; for instance, all those URLs you stuck on Twitter are fun but probably don't count for much. Using search Googleprints is also a good way to see what your competitors are doing. If they are buying Google search words that will turn up too.

And don't forget to click past the first page and examine other pages. Every now and then look at the first five pages to get a sense of what is happening on the lesser hits, especially if your search is a big generic one.

So how can one tell just what is going on? Much has been said about figuring out the Google algorithms or the way Google comes up with its search results. Forget it.

Even an engineer would have trouble figuring out exactly what Google is up to and Google certainly doesn't want to let the cat out of the bag. Those algorithms are Google's greatest intellectual property.

The truth is the Google algorithms change on a regular basis and if you are monitoring your Googleprint you can see how search results change when algorithms change. Sometimes these changes can be somewhat dramatic significantly changing your Google footprint. But you won't know unless you are tracking your Googleprint.

It's obviously important to remember that yours is not to reason why. Your chore is to see the application and results of the Google algorithms. If you begin to see the results, you can begin to understand the bigger picture and how that affects your search marketing efforts.

Don't expect any great revelations, but if you keep a steady finger on the pulse of the algorithms they will begin to make sense.

The basics don't change very much and they are most important; change your homepage with fresh, original content daily, focus on keywords and keyword strings and publish, link and backlink as much as possible. Avoid scams and spam.

Regular Googleprints also help you check for spammers and scammers that affect your Googleprint; in fact, you may have recourse.

For instance, a short while back when checking my Googleprint I was dismayed to see that the number one hit was a scam. This scam had lifted my name and business name and had posted it on a website that was selling porn.

I flagged and reported the site, as well as probably hundreds others also did. Within 24 hours it was gone; barred by the Google God. Or Goddess. Or their Googlenesses. The lesson here is take action and don't panic. Panic gets you nowhere when dealing in the search world.

If you are just starting out with your search marketing efforts, make a weekly copy of your Googleprint and save it for reference. Over a period of time you can review your Googleprint snapshots and see which of your search marketing efforts is more effective.

You can also check your Yahooprint and MSNprint as well. But clearly Google, as the biggest and most important search engine, is critical to search marketing and your search marketing campaigns.

Think search.

About the Author:

Jack Deal owns Deal Business Consulting and JD Deal Local Search Marketing, Monterey and Santa Cruz, California 95060 831-457-8806. Related articles, ideas, strategies, tactics and tips can be found at and www.freeandinquiringmind.typepad.com" .

Technorati Tags:seo, online marketing, search marketing, sem, market, search engine marketing, search, search optimization
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How to Use Your Blog to Build Your Email List

Author: Jonathan Hook

Every blog marketer knows the importance of having a list. It can't be stressed enough. The bigger the list, the more business potential you have at your fingertips. It is essential that you know how to use your blog to build your email list exponentially to keep that potential alive and flourishing. So how do you do that?

The most obvious and basic thing you can do to encourage sign ups is to provide genuinely helpful and unique content. If you do nothing else, practice this essential consistently to ensure return readers and interested opt-ins.

If you are providing a blog that people are considering valuable, they will be easily encouraged to share and forward your newsletter to others. Naturally, your newsletter should have an opt-in box for the recipients to easily register with. This step presents the opportunity to double your list of email addresses. Think about that - double, with very little effort. All you're doing is asking your readers to share. If they're enjoying your writing, they'll be happy to oblige.

Should you find that you're not getting as many referrals as you'd hoped from doing the above, try a little motivation.

Offer an incentive to those who help you increase your number of registrants. It doesn't have to be costly, though you could offer cash payable through PayPal. People are often pleased to receive a free report about a subject they're interested in that pertains to your business.

If you really want to thrill and excite them into helping you, offer to write a blog post about them. Every person who brings you X number of new sign ups will have their business highlighted on your blog.

You may already be offering a free report on your blog site to entice new sign ups. If so, don't forget to explain that the email address being entered will be added to your list. People don't like feeling that they've been tricked onto a list. Honesty may lose you an address or two, but will win you an integrity that will take you much farther.

Along the same vein, give your readers a feeling of being in control by segmenting your lists according to subject matter. Readers can then sign up only for the topics they're interested in.

Why not try something that survey sites use? Offer a contest ballot each time a reader gets a referral to join your list. The prize could be anything mentioned above, or something else your loyal supporters deem worth winning.

Another benefit to the personal touch is that your readers will feel part of a fold that has the inside track to success. It creates a team atmosphere that will in turn create motivation to help build your list. When this happens, you have people on board that feel rewarded and really want to help. The more interested and involved your opt-ins are, the better your list and therefore the selling potential within it.

Tons of people are using their blogs to implement subscriptions, as well as increase their numbers and keep everyone happy that they signed up in the first place. Have fun with the process and enjoy the interactions with your faithful readers, and the subsequent increase in sales.

Once you learn how to use your blog to build your email list, you'll wish you'd started using the strategy sooner. It's easy, and only involves a little work. The return you'll get on the time spent will be more than worth it.

About the Author:

Jonathan Hook offers free tips on how to make money with your blog at www.e-bloggers.com. Click now and start earning money with your blog

Technorati Tags:blog, list building, email marketing, how to build an email list
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Halt! 5 Steps to Stop Spam Emails on your Website

Author: Steve Johnson

No one likes spam email - customers, clients, and even business owners cannot always handle the amount of spam that comes from one email address placed in a public space on the web. So if you have a website, you will want to check out these five tips that will help to reduce the spam that gets into your inbox.

1. Limit the number of emails that you give out to your customers and post on websites. If you post more than one email address on a website, you will experience twice as many unwanted emails. And if you run a business, you should never post your personal email anywhere on your website.
2. You can include tools such as CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart). This is a small box on your website where you can have words or numbers that come up and the visitors to your site will have to type these in before they are allowed to send messages to you. This prevents automated spam from slipping through.
3. Use web forms instead of giving out your email address. This will let your visitors contact you without ever having to see your email address. This may not cut down on all the spam, but at least you know the spam you are getting was typed by a real person.
4. If you need to give out your email address, spell it out on your website. Leave out the @ symbol so that it is harder for spam bots to recognize it as an email address. Customers that want to send you an email will understand what you mean when you spell it out. Better still create a jpg/gif images of your email address, so that the visitor/customer can see your email address, but the spammers will no be able to find it so easily.
5. If all else fails, you can require a registration for your website. This will let visitors leave you comments and questions. This prevents any spam bots from contacting you or pulling your email address from your website.

These tips are just some of the ways that you can prevent spam on your website. There are obviously many more but this should help to heavy reduce the level of spam emails you receive. If you have a paid web hosting service, most providers now have Junk Mail Filtering services including with their hosting plans or at an additional charge.

About the Author:

S Johnson writes on a number of topics including web hosting, domain name registration, e-commerce, SEO and SEM, Email & Spam for Email Only Hosting UK Company - Falcoda Internet

Technorati Tags:spam, email, junk mail, spammers, spam filter, junkmail filter, email only hosting
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Blogging Will Help Your SEO Efforts

Author: Bart Icles

If you are trying to help your website reach the top of the search engines for your keywords, one of the best and most effective ways to help your efforts is to attach a blog to your website and keep it updated on a regular basis. One of the most important things to Google is how often a website is updated. To improve your search engine ranking dramatically, you should be updating your blog at least weekly, with 100% unique content.

Within your content, you need to make sure that you mention your keyword(s) frequently, just like you do on your website. You should also make an effort to link out to at least two different pages on your site or other blog posts to help build internal links. This is the juice that fuels SEO.

At this point, you might be in a bit of a panic if you don't have a blog on your website. Guess what, you shouldn't be! There are quite a few blog programs that are absolutely free for you and I to use. If you use certain blog software, you can even install plug-ins that will assist you with your SEO and help you move your website higher and higher in the search engines.

One of the best blog software that you can find today is called Word Press. Word Press is absolutely free for anyone to use. Word Press is a slick content management systems that allows the use of plug-ins to make your life easy while blogging.

One of the very best SEO plug-ins that can be used with Word Press is the "All in One SEO" plug-in. This plug-in allows you to make each of your blog posts and blog pages optimizable for the search engines, but allowing you to add a unique title, description, and keywords to everything. This very small and simple step will help you set your website and more important, your blog apart from all of your competitors that are not taking these additional steps to tell Google exactly what your site is about.

SEO is rather simple, it is all about providing the search engines with fresh, unique content that is optimized to tell Google exactly what it is and how it relates to your website. If you take the steps necessary to optimize your website properly and add an optimized blog to your marketing mix, you will be able to accomplish your goals in reaching new search engine heights.

About the Author:

Bart Icles is a Utah SEO specialist. He works for ioVentures, which is a Utah SEO Firm who markets on the internet for small and large businesses. You can also visit their Internet Marketing Blog for SEO tips and internet marketing techniques to help you business.

Technorati Tags:search engine optimization, seo, utah seo
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"Stain Imaging" and other new T-shirt printing techniques from Innovative Apparel

The UK T-shirt reviews & news bloggers at Buy-Tees.net just posted about some fantastic new printing techniques at Innovative Apparel. I particularly like their stain imaging technique, an all-over staining technique that allows a pattern to be "stained" into an entire garment.

Their stock patterns are pretty cool (see picture above, from their website). The patterns themselves can be worn as-is, or over printed with the T-shirt printing technique of your choice.

I would love to see something like this down the road for print on demand sites to offer more variety in addition to solid colored tees.

How To Mix The Most Important Ingredients in Marketing Strategy

Author: Deep Arora

It is a common misconception that you need to have an extensive team of professionals that can create the ideal website for you and your business to start booming. The reality is that you know your business, your niche and how your organization fits into these better than any marketing person that you may hire to do your promotion. Of course marketing experts know lots of valuable information about getting your message out there, after all its their job and its likely that you will do much better getting an expert on board to help you in achieving your goals. However, the most crucial person that also needs to spend time promoting your business is you.

Web designers and marketing specialists can help you develop just the kind of website that will see your sales go through the roof, but they also need your input. No one knows your business better than you, and if you do not take the time to share that knowledge with the experts to help them sell your unique business attributes, then you could literally be selling your business short.

All marketing is focused on generating more sales, and for this reason you want to be involved with helping the marketer achieve this goal. Outsourcing marketing lets you get an expert to assist you in this process, but the most important thing that you can give to the marketer is your time and knowledge of your business and your products. The significance of this is that most small to mid sized businesses have three primary internet marketing options available to them; Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC), or Blogging & Social Media Marketing. So lets look at why you need to be actively involved in marketing via these methods.

One common misconception is that SEO is something that your website designer will do for you, but thinking this way is a bad trap to fall into. You will need to be commited to doing ongoing work on your SEO, sourcing new keywords, updating older ones and refining which words you select. This is important because consumer trends can change over time and new developments in products may cause a shift in your business focus. All of these reasons are why you, the business owner and specialist in your area, need to be certain that your SEO remains up to date with what your business is doing. It will be worth your while to take a little time to fully understand the SEO process and how you can make it work for your business, long after your web page designers have finished putting your site together.

The most efficient form of advertising for many small to medium sized businesses is Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising. This does not necessarily take a lot of time to implement, but a remarkably large number of people do not know how to effectively implement tracking on their PPC advertising. The key here is that as with the other forms of marketing mentioned, you need to dedicate the necessary time to get this to work. Establishing a PPC campaign necessitates you to monitor it effectively to ensure that you are tracking your ROI and are able to implement the necessary updates and fine tuning of your campaign to truly generate the sales you are looking for.

Finally, if you are looking at doing social media marketing or blogging then you really need to be prepared to dedicate the time required to making these work. The unique advantage of these forms of marketing stem from the personalized nature of them, so this is your chance to get your message heard and be certain that you are demonstrating the dynamism and skills that you particularly have as a business person. Both blogging and social media are the kind of tools that require a good blend of marketing, sales, networking and writing skills to ensure success. The personalized nature of these things makes it impossible to truly outsource this, so being committed to dedicating the time necessary is again crucial to the success. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that this is time well spent.

There is no defined amount of time that you can nominate as the ideal or target amount to achieve success. Basically you need to focus on making sure that your time is well spent. The key element that the business owner brings is their knowledge, and the only real measure of success will come if you have implemented good measures of ROI. As a rule stay focused on what you wish to achieve, be sure that you have the necessary measurement tools in place and accept that as with many things, the more time you dedicate the more positive the results you will generate.

About the Author:

Deep Arora is an Internet marketer with over 7 years of online experience and he teaches internet marketing from his blog at HowIDid.com. Check out his blog for some amazing techniques today..

Technorati Tags:internet marketing, seo, ppc, pay per click, marketing strategies
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Stopping Nasty Spam from Taking over Your Inbox

Author: Steve Johnson

There are so many different ways that people can get email addresses these days. All you need to do is find a site that offers email addresses and sign. But have you ever notice that even when you don't share your new address, you can end up with a half a dozen spam emails in your box a few hours later? If you want to get rid of this nasty problem, take a look at the following steps.

First, if you are so annoyed by spam that you can't take it anymore, you can purchase and internet spam filter. These are usually less than $50 and can easily stop spam before it ever reaches your inbox. One or two messages still may find their way through the filter, but it is better than the dozen you used to get ever hour.

If you have your own domain name, then ask your provider if the provide a spam filter or it's sometimes known as a Junk mail filter service. A large number of ISP's and Web Hosting Company do offer spam filters and even virus scanning. So if your one doesn't it might be worthwhile doing some research and finding one that does!

One of the big mistakes made by many people when setting up email addresses with their ISP or Web Hosting Company is to use their catch-all filter. Although this will catch anything@yourdomain.com it also gives spammers the same option and they will use it!

Another quick way to get rid of spam is to have multiple email addresses. One address can be used for you correspondence with business associated, friends, and family members. This address should only be given out to trusted individuals. The other email address can be used for anything that you want - if you want to sign up for newsletters, chat rooms, or if you order products online. If too much spam gets into this address, all you have to do it dump it and get a new one.

Remember that creativity with your email address is also a way to stop spam. The more letters and numbers that you use, the harder it is for someone to capture your address and start sending you spam.

If the spam gets too much, or it's the same thing or and over again, you can take the time to report it. This is one way that you can take a step is stopping spam for everyone, and not just yourself.

About the Author:

S Johnson writes on a number of topics including web hosting, domain name registration, e-commerce, SEO and SEM, Email & Spam for Cheap Web Hosting UK Company - Falcoda Internet

Technorati Tags:spam, email, junk mail, spammers, spam filter, junkmail filter
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7 Free List Building Techniques

Author: Michael Murphy

If you ever have wanted to know if it was possible to build a powerful email list using free methods then you should read this article on free list building tips.

Seven Free List Building Tips

(1) Create a blog

Go to Blogger.com and create a free blog account. Now post about 5-10 short (250-300 word) “news they can use” how-to articles or check lists or helpful tips. At the bottom of each post include a link to the email list “squeeze page” on your main website.

(2) Post Comments

Go to Technorati.com and search for your keyword or by using the ”Blogs” resource button. This should bring up a list blogs that you can start watching. Pick 2-3 to watch and track. Now over the next 30 days, write comments (with a weblink to your website) to posts that you like or dislike.

Don’t do lame stuff like, “This sucks!” or “Great job!” and expect anyone to click on your weblink. Take a minute or two to add some well thought out opinions before you write. People will click on links to learn more about people who understand and think like themselves.

(3) Forum Posts

Find a forum or discussion board of people who are within your niche market. Now lurk for a few days and learn more how the forum is run and how the admins/moderators operate. Now when you if a post that is related to your keyword or email list purpose then you can make a comment. If you have more free information on your website, you may or may not be able to make a weblink to it, depending on policy

(4) Signature Lines

If the forum forbids direct weblinks, then you should modify your forum account to include a weblink to your list squeeze page or your home page at the least. Also add a weblink your email accounts, all pointing back to your squeeze page.

(5) Write Articles

Most article directories will take how-to pieces as low as 400 words. So trot out your thinking cap and write down a 5-7 helpful tips, warning signs, “best ways to”, etc. Complete with a paragraph or two per each tip, warning sign. Post in directories like EzineArticles, ISnare or IdeaMarketers, etc. In your resource box include a weblink to your email squeeze page.

(6) Create Videos

It’s fairly simple to create some decent looking videos using free presentation, audio recording and screen capture software. By using OpenOffice (Impress is PowerPoint knockoff), CamStudio (a Free Screen Recording Software app) and Audacity (a Free Audio Editor and Recorder program) along with just a little bit of skill, you can produce a video that you can upload to YouTube. Always include your weblink in the starting and ending credits!

(7) Create Podcasts

Use Audacity (a Free Audio Editor and Recorder program) and cheap microphone (from the electronics store) to record 5-10 minute mini “talk radio shows”. You can include background music or flashy sounds effects, but you must always include good information and mention at least 2 times the URL or web address of your squeeze page.

Some of these free list building techniques, granted may take some time to learn or implement but you can easily over time increase your subscriber base using these free list building tips.

About the Author:

This article with useful information about the importance of list building to increase your bottom line and ultimately your profits was brought to you by Michael Murphy. Try visiting also his list building site at http://www.downlinebuilderdirect.com

Technorati Tags:list building, list builder, email marketing, email list building, email list builder, opt in list builder
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Surviving Marketing Today

Author: Sandi Baker

There are so many factors to consider when starting your online business. So many people jump in without thinking things through. Here are some tips on what you should and should not do.

First there is no get rich quick scheme. No matter what you read or hear, acquiring wealth takes hard work. We see many advertisements to purchase this or that, promising that within a certain amount of time you will be making thousands of dollars. Of course the fine print tells you that they make no warranties. Remember what you were told growing up that the best things in life don’t come easy.

Second you need to pick a good niche. Focus on one area. Do your homework. Find something you are interested in and know something about. Then focus on it. Don’t wobble around!

Thirdly you need to find the right products. Make sure there is a demand for it. Check the search engines for your niche and target in on the products specifically. Also you need to check forums, marketplaces, blogs, and social marketing places.

Fourthly you need to be aware of prices. Know the prices of products. Always research what the competition is selling regarding the same or similar products. See if you can beat their price, without hurting your bottom line. Or can you add something to your product? There are alternatives such as reports or bundling it with another product.

Fifthly you need to design a great website. Some people think that you need a flashy site. This is not necessary and can distract your customers. It is not that difficult to design a website yourself with some basic knowledge. Sit down and think about how you want you site to look. Work on your wording and pictures that you will add. See my site for great products to do this.

Sixth is to build relationships. This is one of the most important things to do. They are the cornerstone of your business. Take the time to nurture your relationship. Show them what you know and have to offer. Don’t try to hard sell them!

Seventh is what too many people do too soon and that is to call it quits. Seeing a profit in this business takes time. It does not happen overnight, this process take persistence. The average internet business takes six to twelve months to see a profit.

Author:

Sandi Baker

http://letusgetitdone.info

http://shop.letusgetitdone.info

About the Author:

I have been in the Marketing Business for 20 years. I hold a Degree in Business Management and Administration, Series VII License, and Taxation Certification. I am the Co-Founder and Chief Financial Officer of a non profit Foundation to aid the Visually Impaired.
My team and I have developed a website to aid those in building and growing a better website. We offer free courses and great products.
http://letusgetitdone.info
http://shop.letusgetitdone.info

Technorati Tags:business, internet marketing, marketing, how to, web, e commerce
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Treat Online Customers As You Would Your Offline

Author: Lee Roper

With technology providing such a key form of communication, it makes perfect sense for large businesses to attract their customers through online marketing. Search engine marketing has allowed for an even higher success rate with targeted audiences. The key to building customer loyalty is to treat these online customers as individuals.

Offline, you spend time making sure that your marketing materials bring customers into your shop front. In the internet world, you're utilising search engine marketing to target customers and bring them to your website. When a customer enters your establishment, you immediately greet them, offer assistance, and work to provide them with the highest level of service. As a business owner, this is common knowledge in gaining and keeping customers. The same idea can be applied to your website audiences. Adding a personal touch to your online marketing is easily accomplished by simply extending the customer service that you give to physical patrons in a new format to reach internet patrons. There are several areas in which this can be accomplished.

Make Your Site User Friendly: When customers have to drive, find a parking spot and browse a store, they are much more likely to stay until they find what they need. Internet users are much quicker to change online sites, if it is difficult to find key items or slow to navigate on your site, users will likely leave and move onto competitor's sites.

Reply Quickly and Personalize Responses to Inquiries - Just as you would quickly assist a customer who enters your establishment; assist your online customers with quick and thorough responses to all questions. When communicating with customers, use the information you ask for on the contact form to personalize messages and make the customer feel valued. When responding to inquiries, avoid stock messages as they send a tone that tells the customer they are not important. Set up personalised auto responders to let the customer know that the message was received and offer a turnaround time for an answer.

Display a Privacy Statement: When customers enter your business, they may not be required to give any information regarding their identity. Online customers are required to give many more details about themselves and if they're not sure how that information will be used or protected, they may go somewhere else. Display your privacy statement prominently so customers know that their information is safe.

Earn Customer Loyalty: If a customer has a negative experience with your company, they are less likely to return and the same holds true for online customers. If they feel they have not received good service, they will not likely purchase from you again.

Online customers can be even more valuable than offline customers and should be treated as such. Ninety percent of online users research their products and services online. Providing top notch customer service and exceeding their expectations will almost guarantee their return. Comments regarding experiences with online businesses spread quickly on the internet. Do all that you can to ensure positive comments are being spread by all who do business with your site.

About the Author:

Lee Roper offers Search Engine Marketing Services in the UK. Services comprise of Search Engine Optimisation, Pay Per Click (PPC) Management and e-Marketing Coaching within Hampshire and throughout the UK. Lee adds value to his clients online marketing activities by managing SEO, PPC and coaching best practice techniques.

Technorati Tags:internet marketing, online marketing, search engine marketing
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Is your T-shirt environmentally friendly?

When you think of "Reduce, Re-use, Recycle" you probably first think about you, the consumer. "What can I to reduce my (post-consumer) waste?"

So what are manufacturers doing to reduce their (pre-consumer) waste? You know, their scraps.

Like when you're making sugar cookies & roll out the dough & cut out a bunch of little circle cookies, only to be left with a lattice of sugary dough (I love food analogies). So keeping with that, what do you do with that leftover cookie dough? Throw it in a landfill? Of course not. You roll it back up into a ball, flatten it out again, and cut out more cookies! So why on earth would you throw away that waste, especially if you were in the business of selling cookies. That waste could be profit.

So back to T-shirts. What are T-shirt and textile manufacturers doing with their fiber waste?

One solution lies with a company called Sustainable Solutions. The company regenerates post-industrial waste (think, the fabric scraps in a T-shirt manufacturer's garbage bin) into sustainable products and new materials altogether. Yep, that's right. Spinning new fibers from what would normally be shipped off to a land fill, and turning them into new products. Who knows, you may be wearing one of these sustainable tees now. Or sneakers. Or other products.

According to an article in TulsaWorld today, Sustainable Solutions, Inc.'s line of SmartStreams products are being bought by some of the world's largest retailers, including Wal-mart.
Some features of the Sustainable Solutions textiles mentioned on their website include: reducing the cost of using virgin materials, can be over-dyed or treated to meet trends, fibers can be spun back into yarns, and reduction in textile waste that causes landfill emissions.

T-shirt manufacturers looking for ways to turn their waste in to streams of income, can utilize Sustainable Solutions' SmartStream Management services.

Is anyone out there aware of any T-shirt POD's using this type of recycled material? I can only imagine this will soon be the new standard.

Turning T-shirt waste into new tees and new profits. Imagine that! Sustainability never looked so good.

OK, time for a cookie.