Saturday, July 5, 2008

I'd Market My Website Like This...

INTRODUCTION: This is a brief but never the less valuable introduction into internet marketing; whether you're doing affiliate marketing or if your marketing you own website - READ ON!

PREPARATION:
This goes without saying but just in case; you're going to first need a website or other online selling platform, a Blog or MySpace account can be used as an alternative to a private website.

What ever the platform make sure you're happy to stick with it, expect to be using it for some time.

However you monetize it, make sure everything is working correctly; Adsense is picking up keywords, your affiliate links work, your Paypal link works etc.

If your site isn't working properly then there's no point in marketing it.

You want your website to convert (Take action that profits you) as many visitors as possible. Here are some handy ways of getting people to "Click"...

My top 3.

1. Write a product review – Writing with an unbiased opinion makes you trustworthy; having a link at the bottom allows the reader to click through after, to find out more.

2. Link all over – Place several links around your site, allowing the visitor to notice the advert more and click through accordingly.

3. Curiosity – Place one BIG FAT link in an obvious place on your website or blog. Make your visitor click through via reverse psychology; “DO NOT CLICK HERE!” More often than not they will because they can’t help it.

When writing a review, make sure you open with a really strong heading and close with a really strong conclusion. Of course the review option only works if you are promoting on someones behalf.

A big bold heading is obviously designed to catch the readers’ attention, it also sets the mood - it should encourage and excite the visitor to read and pay attention to the article that follows

It’s likely that they are going to start skimming if the review is over a few paragraphs, so the close needs to be as strong as the header. Use big, bold text again to re-focus the reader and get them to click through your affiliate link.

The closing paragraph is normally referred to as a “call to action”; the desired action will be clicking through your affiliated link, so remember to save the best till last.

MARKETING:

Right, with your site set-up you now need to bring visitors to it – that’s the only way they’ll see your affiliate links, ads etc.

Search Engine Submission - First add your website and/or blog to the 3 big search engines;
http://www.google.com
http://www.yahoo.com
http://www.msn.com

Use http://www.addme.com to submit to a few more; there’s a free section that submits you into about 10 other search engines.

Remember to update your website/blog regularly (twice a week, minimum), search engines love new and relevant content. If you're having trouble then use articles like this; it's free content for your website!

Directories - Search engines also like links to your site, the more the merrier.

Links from other sites also increases the likelihood of more people coming to your site, via the linking website.

The best way to get links back to your website is by submitting to directories, http://www.dmoz.org is a must as it’s the biggest directory online.

Then visit http://www.pagex.com where there’s a list of about 500 other free directories. You need to sign-up.

That’s a possibility of 500 links back to your website = mmmm traffic!

You can also swap links with people at http://www.linmarket.net. It’s worth a look although only for the experience, the links you can get are normally pretty poor.

Articles - You can write a short 200-300 word article and post it in an article directory. (What I'm doing right now!)

At the bottom of the article you can place a link back to your website, normally in the “authors’ bio” section.

So when people read your article there will be a link for them at the bottom, if they like your article then they’ll probably click through.

You can also add “how to” articles at http://www.wikihow.com, make sure the article is relevant to your website though. Otherwise they’ll remove your “external link”.

Website and newsletter owners are always on the look out for some good new articles, so they browse these directories regularly. With a good article, someone may post it on their site or send it to their newsletter – meaning they’re doing the same with your link.*

This is viral marketing!

*Be sure to put a small copyright clause at the end of the article so as they keep the whole thing intact, including your bio and all important link.

Forums - A forum is an online community where you can learn and meet friends as well as potential business partners…

.You can also have a link back to your website in your “sig file”.

So each time you post a topic or a response there will be a link back to your website. From which people can then click through your affiliate links.

Here are some great internet marketing forums were you can learn plenty of tips and get advice, look for forums relevant to your business too.

http://www.warriorforum.com/forum
http://www.netmarketingforum.com/forum
http://forum.marketingsecrets.com/index.php
http://www.network54.com/Forum/184615
http://www.im4newbies.com/forum/index.php

DO NOT SPAM!

SEO Article Submission

Article submission is one of the best ways I have found to promote a website or blog. If you can write at all and you have a website or blog to promote, do yourself a favor and try article submission. You can submit your article to one of many free article directories or if you want a lot of exposure, submit your article to a lot of them.

It is a very simple process and anyone can do it. Here are the simple steps you need to take for seo article submission.

- You should be an expert or at least understand your subject.
- Write an article sharing your knowledge and expertise.
- Submit your article to recognized article submission websites.
- Publishers of online newsletters, ezines, etc. will gather content from these sites to use in their projects.
- Well written articles are used by thousands of publishers.
- The only condition to use your article is that they publish it with a link to your site. - People publish your article and you get highly valued one way links back to your site.


SEO article submission will have several effects on your website. These are just of few of the positive results you will gain if you choose to try seo article submission...

- Establish yourself as an expert in your particular field
- Make more sales from your website
- Generate more traffic to your website
- Increase your Google PageRank
- Boost your Alexa rating
- And more...

The only drawback I found to seo article submission is the time and effort it takes to submit your article to the article directories. It can take hours to sign up for these sites and then wait for an email to confirm your registration. Once you get the email, you click on the link, return to the site and log in to submit your article.

This process has been automated by several online services but they cost a lot and don't submit to as many article directories as you may want them to. The article submission programs I found were little more than SPAM tools that did not work all that well to begin with and would eventually get you banned from the article sites.

Now there is an alternative to the article submission services and programs. I have developed a new program that allows you to fill in your information one time, user name and passwords as well. Then the program will visit each article submission directory one at a time and fill in the needed forms for you. It supports 138 Auto Fill article directories so you can start posting your articles right away! It also has an additional 25 Manual fill articles directory sites as well.

Website promotion will never be the same again. You can forget about trading links. You don't have to pay an SEO company an arm and a leg to promote your website. And best of all, my program comes with a 100% money back guarantee. It only costs $45.00 and there is no monthly fee or membership charge. The article directory database that comes with the program is not locked in program, but easy to edit. You can add new article directories and delete old ones with easy and keep your article submission database up to date with very little effort. Visit my website promotion blog at this address for more information about seo article submission

http://seo-article-submission.website-promotion-blog.info/

Description Tag Tips

If your title tag is considered the "headline" then think of your description tag as the "ad copy" below the headline. A good description tag will compel the reader to visit your website.

Google cuts off the displayed description tag at about 150 characters, but may index up to 185 characters. Other engines may go up t o250 characters, but will still only display about 150. Therefore, try to say what you've got to say in 150 characters or less, but feel free to use up to 180, and even up to 250 if you're not concerned with the entire thing getting indexed by all the search engines..

Your description tag is not only "sales copy" for people to read, deciding to click your ad or not, but it's also food for the hungry search engine spiders. There's probably no stronger or more important meta tag than the description tag.

However, one mistake I see a lot is people trying to stuff too much information into their meta description tag, then reusing that meta description in multiple places on their website. Ddon't describe your whole business, just describe the page in question.

For example, let's say you're a contractor, and you provide plumbing, remodeling, and electrical work. You would want to have a completely different meta description tag on each of your service pages. Don't make the mistake of using one description for all your pages.

Use your primary keyphrase in the beginning of your description tag too. This gives a higher "keyword prominence" percentage to the search engines and your site will rank higher. don't OVERuse your keyphrase though, or it can be considered "webspam". Higher then zero keyword prominence is good, but higher still is not always better.

Use natural sounding language, proper grammar, and try to peak interest in the subject. Remember, you want the reader to click your ad, not just to be found. how many times have you skipped over a search result because the two lines of text you see in the SERPS were just gibberish.

Finally, if you're a local business, i would encourage you to put your address, including your zip code in your description meta tag. I usually put it after the 150th character, but complete it before the 180th. the reason for this is that there's strong evidence to suggest that this will help your "local" search results. as more and more search engines are trying t odetermine what their visitors want, local search matters now more than ever.

Me?... Write An Ebook?

The fact is that this is the perfect time to write an ebook. What the publishing industry needs are people who can tap into the world as it is today - innovative thinkers who can make the leap into the new millennium and figure out how to solve old problems in a new way.

Ebooks are a new and powerful tool for original thinkers with fresh ideas to disseminate information to the millions of people who are struggling to figure out how to do a plethora of different things.

Let's say you already have a brilliant idea, and the knowledge to back it up that will enable you to write an exceptional ebook. You may be sitting at your computer staring at a blank screen wondering, "Why?

Why should I go through all the trouble of writing my ebook when it's so impossible to get anything published these days?

Well, let me assure you that publishing an ebook is entirely different than publishing a book in print.

Let's look at the specifics of how the print and cyber publishing industry differ, and the many reasons why you should take the plunge and get your fingers tapping across those keyboards!

Submitting a print book to conventional publishing houses or to agents is similar to wearing a hair shirt 24/7. No matter how good your book actually is, or how many critique services and mentor writers have told you that "you've got what it takes," your submitted manuscript keeps coming back to you as if it is a boomerang instead of a valuable mine of information.

Perhaps, in desperation, you've checked out self-publishing and found out just how expensive a venture it can be. Most "vanity presses" require minimal print runs of at least 500 copies, and even that amount will cost you thousands of dollars. Some presses' minimal run starts at 1,000 to 2,000 copies.

And that's just for the printing and binding. Add in distribution, shipping, and promotional costs and - well, you do the math. Even if you wanted to go this route, you may not have that kind of money to risk.

Let's say you already have an Internet business with a quality website and a quality product. An ebook is one of the most powerful ways to promote your business while educating people with the knowledge you already possess as a business owner of a specific product or service. Talk about being branded as an instant expert!

For example, let's say that you've spent the last twenty-five years growing and training bonsai trees, and now you're ready to share your knowledge and experience. An ebook is the perfect way to reach the largest audience of bonsai enthusiasts.

Ebooks will not only promote your business - they will help you make a name for yourself and your company, and establish you as an expert in your field. You may even find that you have enough to say to warrant a series of ebooks. Specific businesses are complicated and often require the different aspects to be divided in order for the reader to get the full story.

Perhaps your goals are more finely tuned in terms of the ebook scene. You may want to build a whole business around writing and publishing ebooks.

Essentially, you want to start an e-business. You are thinking of setting up a website to promote and market your ebooks. Maybe you're even thinking of producing an ezine.

One of the most prevalent reasons people read ebooks is to find information about how to turn their Internet businesses into a profit-making machine. And these people are looking to the writers of ebooks to provide them with new ideas and strategies because writers of ebooks are usually people who understand the new cyberspace world we now live in. Ebook writers are experts in Internet marketing campaigns and the strategies of promoting and distributing ebooks. The cyberspace community needs its ebooks to be successful so that more and more ebooks will be written.

You may want to create affiliate programs that will also market your ebook. Affiliates can be people or businesses worldwide that will all be working to sell your ebooks. Think about this? Do you see a formula for success here?

Figure out what your subject matter is, and then narrow it down. Your goal is to aim for specificity.

Research what's out there already, and try to find a void that your ebook might fill.

What about an ebook about a wedding cake business? Or an ebook about caring for elderly pets? How about the fine points of collecting ancient pottery? It doesn’t even matter if there are a TON of ebooks already on your chosen subject. Nobody is going to write it as you would. Nobody Could have your specific angle.

You don't have to have three masters degrees to write about your subject. People need advice that is easy to read and easily understood. Parents need advice for dealing with their teenagers. College students need to learn good study skills - quickly. The possibilities are endless.

After you've writtten your ebook

Getting your ebook out is going to be your focus once you've finished writing it, just as it is with print books. People will hesitate to buy any book from an author they've never heard of. Wouldn't you?

The answer is simple: give it away! You will see profits in the form of promoting your own business and getting your name out. You will find affiliates who will ask you to place their links within your ebook, and these affiliates will in turn go out and make your name known. Almost every single famous ebook author has started out this way

Another powerful tool to attract people to your ebook is to make it interactive. Invent something for them to do within the book rather than just producing pages that contain static text. Let your readers fill out questionnaires, forms, even crossword puzzles geared to testing their knowledge on a particular subject.

Have your readers hit a link that will allow them to recommend your book to their friends and associates. Or include an actual order form so at the end of their reading journey, they can eagerly buy your product.

When people interact with books, they become a part of the world of that book. The fact is just as true for books in print as it is for ebooks.

That's why ebooks are so essential. Not only do they provide a forum for people to learn and make sense of their own thoughts, but they can also serve to virally Promote your business at the same time.

Yahoo For Traffic

Overture or now known as Yahoo because of Yahoo’s takeover, was the original inventor of the use of the P4P or Pay for Performance. Overture saw that the internet was fast becoming the easiest and most convenient way to shop, and advertising was going to hit at an all time high because of the many businesses in the arena.

To get a person to go to a site than others, it needs to be very visible. Providing ads that could direct potential consumers and costumers to their site would allow them to have an increase in traffic as well as sales. Yahoo provides a service that can put a site or company’s ad in their sites that can be shown when certain keywords are inputted.

Yahoo offers a chance for any company to increase their traffic by using their services. With more people being aware of your site, there would be more traffic and visitors to your site given the chance to view your pages as well as your products. With even a small percentage of successful sales, with a high traffic volume this could still be a substantial figure for your company.

Getting a consistent substantial flow of website visitors is every company’s goal. Many methods are devised and utilized to ensure that there would be more people to boost the sales and to be aware of the existence of such a product or service. Website visitors are potentially the life blood of your internet based business.

Yahoo/Overture utilizes the same principle as Google’s Adwords. In fact, they are very similar to each other that they use keyword and keyword phrase searches and to determine which ads to show per search. When a person types in a keyword or keyword phrase to search for anything, the search engines gives out the results in a page. Then at the right side of the page, you will see selected ads that have paid for their ads to be viewed with certain keywords and keyword phrases searched.

For example, Lets say you run a car parts retail/wholesale site. You choose keywords that can prompt or trigger your ads to be shown in the page when a keyword is searched. When a search engine user types in Honda Accord, your ad may come up if you have designated that as one of your keywords. You don’t need to fully optimize your site with Search Engine Optimization methods and techniques.

While some labor so hard to make their site one of the high ranking sites per keyword search, you get the chance to be on the top of the list or at least in the first page of a search result increasing your chance to be clicked on. With that, you drive traffic and website visitors to your site a lot faster.

You will have to pony up some cash when using this service though. There are different ways Yahoo/Overture will charge you. It may be in the number of Keywords or Keyword phrases your ad uses or in the many times your ad is clicked on. Others offer many other services like having your ad show up not only in the search engine pages but also with some third party sites.

Third party sites support ads that have the same theme or niche as them. With more areas your ad is shown, you increase the chances of people knowing about your site or product. With more website visitors you increase the sales of your site which makes your investment with your ads a wise one.

With so many competitions in the internet based businesses, it is necessary to take a huge leap forward from the pack by advertising. Yahoo/Overture will be a great place to start. Many have utilized their services and have reaped the rewards of this decision. It’s a marketing strategy that will increase your website visitors as well as increase your sales resulting to profit.

It takes money to make money, while there are some methods that are basically low cost or free, using a marketing service such as what Yahoo/Overture offers will provide results faster and on a larger scale. Many businesses have learned this the hard way, don’t be counted with them.