Seo Ethics ~ Is There Such A Thing?

By David Bain

Everyone knows how hard it is to make a business known to people. Businessmen usually employ a lot of advertising strategies just so that they can boost their sales a bit.

The usual ways through which a person can advertise is television, radio, magazines, billboards, letters, and newspapers. But now, there's a whole new playing field on the internet. Be the master of this new playing field and you'll soon be rolling in riches.

The internet is like the outer space for business men. It's the final frontier. Conquer it and you'll have conquered your business. Millions and millions of people log on every single day. This means that your business ads have the potential to be seen by millions of people. Imagine the amount of advertising you'll get and also the profit that goes along with it.

--- Fighting for Space in the Internet ---

But this "final frontier" is so very different from outer space. For one thing, there won't be just two competitors like there were only Russia and America to fight over space back then. The internet is an entirely different ball game. For one, the net is saturated with people. Even the most bizarre businesses can have competition. And because of this, getting your website properly advertised has become quite hard.

However, even if it is extremely difficult to become popular in the internet, it's a hurdle that you'll just have to jump over because there's this huge pot of gold waiting at the other end. Sometimes, you just need a little nudge to get started. This is where SEO comes in.

--- The Value of SEO ---

First, let's find out how customers get to your site. To find something, you would type a keyword on the search bar and then wait for the results to come up. The first name on the list is usually the website that best fits your keyword. This website is also the website with the most amount of traffic, and consequently, the most amount of advertising.

SEO professionals have one mission: to push you up to that pedestal. that coveted number one spot on the list of search results. To do this, they "buff up" your site so that it'll be easier for your potential customers to find. And by "buffing up", I mean that they fill your site with the necessary keywords, the necessary information, and they might even make your site look prettier so that it'll be more pleasing to your customers.

For example, if you sell lobsters, they'll fill your site with articles related to lobsters. They'll put articles like "Lobsters for Sale" or "Delicious Lobsters" or even "Green Lobsters". They'll put in anything that your potential customers can possibly type into the search bar, as long as it's related to your business.

--- White Hat SEO versus Black Hat SEO ---

But the thing is, sometimes SEO professionals can step over the fine line between ethical and unethical SEO. And while unethical or "black hat" SEO can benefit your site for some time, it can be quite harmful in the long run. SEO's become unethical when they put articles which aren't really related to the keyword, but are related to your business.

For example, someone is searching for information about chocolates. He finds a link, clicks on it, and to his surprise, he is redirected to a site about lobsters. Wouldn't that be annoying? However, this is just something someone practicing "black hat" SEO will do.

Just remember, even if such a practice may increase traffic to your site, chances are, these visitors you get through such a scheme wouldn't even bother to look at the contents of your site. Where's the profit in that?

Besides, it's not all about profit. People who avail of the service of these unethical SEO professionals are actually disrespecting their fellow men. So always remember, there is such a thing as ethical SEO!

About The Author:

David Bain is the author of the free report "Top 10 Search Engine Optimization Mistakes". Visit http://www.Top10SEOMistakes.com to download the report today.

Thoughts On Running A Successful Seo Campaign

By David Bain

More often than not, the important aspects of launching a search engine optimization campaign have been ignored, resulting to an unsuccessful SEO project. Before getting started on your SEO project, you need to know the basics.

The Business Goal

A journey begins with the first step. However, do not forget that you must know where you're going even before you take that first step. In SEO parlance, this means that you must know why SEO is being initiated and what the results you are trying to achieve through it.

There are many reasons which could lead a site owner to do SEO on his sites. It could be that he wants more subscribers to his service. It may also be that he is selling products and wants to increase his sales volume. Perhaps, the website is being used merely as an advertising medium for offline businesses so the main object is increasing the web traffic itself.

After determining the main goal of SEO, you can proceed much more confidently and be able to initiate steps appropriate to the goal.

The Project's Timeframe

It is obvious that you should know how long you have got to institute changes and see results. Your client is paying you for results so you need to know how short or long a time-frame you have got to show results.

Know the Budget

Determining the budget is essential in any project. In the case of planning an SEO campaign, you should know how much your client is willing to pay for his SEO campaign so that you can plan your moves accordingly. After all, some SEO techniques are more expensive than others.

Responsibility Allotment

It is important to know who is/are responsible for the project. In particular, you need to know who will do what and if you will need to outsource some of your SEO requirements.

It is important to know whom you need to make a success to of the SEO campaign so that you can immediately acquire the necessary personnel. This will prevent delays in schedules and other problems.

Once you have settled all of the above crucial preparatory issues, you can undertake your SEO campaign. Here are some steps you should follow for a successful SEO campaign.

Determine if the search engine is compatible to the site

You need to undertake a search engine compatibility review. This involves comparing the codes of the site you are optimizing to the standards set by the search engines. This step is essential because if you want your client's site to top the ranks, the search engine must first be able to read your client's site.

Analysis of the site's compatibility to the search engine will require a technical review of the site's codes: tags, file extensions, etc. From your analysis results, you'll be able to know which of the design elements need some modification to make the site compatible with search engines.

Draw together what needs to be done for the project

After you have analyzed the site's compatibility with your target search engine, you need to institute changes that will make the site as search engine-friendly as possible. You may have to make changes on the site's scripts.

You may change the site's codes from HTML to Javascript. You may also need to change the file extensions used in the site's contents and page elements. You may also need to overhaul the site's design. There are a lot more changes you can do to site. Just remember that all these changes are all geared to give the site maximum optimization.

Draw up the SEO details

You also need to determine the little details that will achieve your optimization goals. You must establish the most logical keywords that you can use on the site. This will involve checking out the competition on keywords, trying out keyword variations and such. At this point, you will also determine what search engines you're going to submit the site to so that you can fine-tune your optimization plan even further. By the way, do not forget to look at what the site itself is selling or what the site itself intends to accomplish.

About The Author:

David Bain is the founder of the free report "Top 10 Search Engine Optimization Mistakes". Visit http://www.Top10SEOMistakes.com to download the report today.

Seo Techniques ~ Choosing The Right Link Exchange Partners For You

By David Bain

It is an acknowledged fact in search engine optimization that you have to have many quality links that point to your web site if you want your web site's rank to soar. Consequently, link building is one of the most important SEO techniques.

Aside from promoting your web site, however, links are also very useful tools in increasing web traffic through direct link clicks. People are typically fond of following links through when they think them relevant to their information needs. Web stats would often reveal that inbound links from other web sites have a major impact on the volume of web traffic.

However, quality inbound links take time to accumulate. A new web site has no hope of increasing backlinks quickly for the links to matter. Web masters are united in their desire to want high page ranking and enormous web traffic, and all of them want these now. Subsequently, what web masters do is contact other web masters for the purpose of exchanging links. But some of them do these with not enough consideration on the repute and purpose of the site they link to. This negligence could lead to minor and major repercussions.

Sinning by association

Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are. This is an old adage that says the company you keep reflects on you. In the case of the internet and link building in particular, where your backlinks originate has a bearing on your web site.

Aside from influencing your link popularity and the volume of web traffic your site generates, your link partners can positively or negatively reflect on your web site. As a case
in point, if you link to web sites that are under the bad graces of the search engines due to spamming and some such violations, your web site could suffer the brunt of the consequences together with the erring web site. Just such a filtering policy is currently in the works for Google.

Backlinks in vain

Some web administrators happily link up to other web sites without due consideration to the quality of the links they are getting. Before you consider accepting the request of another web administrator to link up with your site through one-way or reciprocal links, ask where your links are going to be placed and how they will appear. It is better for your web site ranking if your links appear in the guise of anchor texts composed of your keywords and positioned within the content of the web page. If this is not possible, make sure that the links you have still contain your keywords in the other web site's link portion.

Even with the assurance from the other web master that your link will be placed in an advantageous position, do not take his or her word for it. Do your own research and see for
yourself how links are generally placed in the web site. There are certain web masters who make links hard to find. There are also others whose pages are so full of links that you cannot hope to compete for their visitors' attention.

Backlinks that matter

Quality inbound linking is better for your web site than indiscriminate link building. Search engines like Google place a premium on the popularity and rank of the web sites where your
link come from. They also take into account the relevance of the other web site to your own. Consequently, be sure to choose only highly regarded web sites that have content relevant to yours when choosing which web sites to link up with.

About The Author:

David Bain is the founder of the free report "Top 10 Search Engine Optimization Mistakes". Visit http://www.Top10SEOMistakes.com to download the report today.

Nine Important Steps To An Effective Online Marketing Program

By Jeff Bunnell

1. Determine your goals for your website. How will you drive traffic to your website? Plan for this up front, while developing your website. If search engines are important to you, then proceed to step 2.

2. Allocate a budget to online marketing and search engines. It's as important as what you spend for designing and hosting your website. The budget you set will instruct these further steps you should take:

3. Optimize your website during design to perform well in search engines. Make sure it contains the correct density of keywords important in searches.

4. Make a commitment to keep your content fresh. Augment content as frequently as practicable, because search engines reward rich content.

5. Devote resources (your time or the money to hire others) to actively work on search engine placement. Monitor your ranking weekly or monthly in the major search engines for key search terms; this can be done manually or you can utilize automated software to produce a monthly or weekly ranking report. Even if you plan to focus on free "organic" rankings, plan to set up Pay-Per-Click accounts at Google and Yahoo. All companies that want traffic from search engines should consider PPC a basic cost, as essential as paying your monthly hosting bill. The budget can be as little as $20 a month . or much more, depending upon how aggressive you want to be.

6. Promote links to your website from your trading partners, in directories, through reciprocal links and discrete paid placements. "Link popularity" is highly important to search engine rankings. Monitor who links to you, and also who links to your competitors. Get as many links coming into your website as possible. Use viral marketing strategies, like posts or links from forums, bulletin boards, social websites like myspace and more.

7. Install a good statistics package. And review it frequently so you know what is happening with your website. Statistics will tell you if you are successful in getting people to your website. If you are having success in traffic but realizing few sales, that means you need to work on your "conversion" of website visitors by improving your products or improving the functionality and usability of your website..

8. Periodically measure progress in ranking and make adjustments to keywords and content as part of a regular maintenance program - at least monthly.

9. Submit your site URL to as many free sites as possible. Self-promote yourself by writing articles, placing ads on bulletin boards, e-zines, group sites etc.

About The Author:

Jeff Bunnell is a part-time marketer and full-time Dad. He has worked as a Realtor, Concert Promoter, Computer Tech, Salesman, Manager, etc. Now he is using his experience to help others make additional income on the internet. For more information go to
http://www.easybigmoneymaker.com.

A Look At Web 2.0 Trends You Can Profit From

By Gray Rollins

Profiting From Web 2.0 Trends

Web 2.0 represents a world of busy bodies. Web users strive to communicate, to change applications for the better, and improve each other's sites and software. Web 2.0 trends are pushing anything interactive and collaborative ahead of the pack. The applications that require collaboration are the ones attracting the highest number of users.

To take advantage of the most popular web 2.0 trends, consider what parts of your site might be better served by an interactive interface. If there isn't an aspect that would be served better by a wiki style format, then consider other ways to personalize your content. One way to do this is by keeping a blog related to your content. This could be about all of the great applications you are finding for your products, or about your business in general, or it could even be a personal blog to give an added, personal dimension to your site. People, for whatever reason, love to read blogs. They are an addictive form of entertainment, almost like a book emerging in short chapters. Profiting from this trend means keeping the blog updated with relevant, engaging information that will bring people back to the site to read the next update. And while they are there, they may just become customers.

Using web 2.0 trends also means keeping them in mind when you decide what products to sell. Items that take advantage of the whole web 2.0 shebang are going to have better marketing possibilities than those that don't. An ebook or some software that enables people to market blogs, for instance, would be something that is likely to searched for.

Keep web 2.0 trends in mind when designing your site. If this was not done the first time around, you might consider a redesign to incorporate some aspects of it. Internet users now
like having some control over the content that they read. This can include giving them a place to leave comments. In web 1.0, this was accomplished with a general guest book page. This new phase however, has made a comments section on each page the new norm. This can be as simple as allowing them to change the fonts sizes on the page to suit themselves.

On a product-centered site, the testimonials page has long been a staple. Using web 2.0 concepts can include creating an interactive testimonials page as an effective way to bring customers in to add content. No longer will you have to seek out testimonials, as they will be pasted to the site even as you sleep. This of course will mean more work on the part of the site owner, to take off any obnoxious comments, but it is a way to attract customers wanting to add their own positive reviews. The web 2.0 revolutions means everyone has opinions about everything, and they all seem to wan their opinions known and broadcasted. Let them do it they may just be back to see what he other busy bodies have been up to.

About The Author:

Gray Rollins is a featured writer for the Ultimate Traffic Blueprint. If you want to keep up with the latest methods for driving traffic to your website, be sure to visit http://www.ultimatetrafficblueprint.com/blog/ and for marketing advice, visit http://www.marketingeffects.com/

Membership Management Software: The Best Way To Track Your Members

By Mario Churchill

The most common mistake of websites/organizations is instead of keeping their members glued to their interest is they often focus on attracting potential new members. In general, it is a
lot more profitable if your organization could work on how to retain its memberships without giving them opportunity to lose interest of what is supposed to be there in your organization.
Losing contacts with them is one dire mistake. Not being able to consistently "talk" with them will allow them to forget about you.

Members are often so busy most with their own schedule probably because of other organizations and extra-curricular activities, which keep them not being able to concentrate on your organization alone. People need to be kept reminded in order for them to keep informed of what are the things they must do. In your case, you have to keep this obligation well with your
members. How can you keep all membership intact or at least a big percentage of them keep coming back at your site?

It is simple:

• You keep them reminded by sending them emails;
• Give them regular information which will keep them updated
  with what is happening with the organization.
• Remind them about their dues (if applicable) with their
  accounts, such as renewing their contact information, payment
  dues, and others; and lastly
• Remind them to renew their membership with the organization.

Those are just some of the basic things you can do to keep your members. If you can keep them periodically updated with the organization you would allow them not to forget about their
membership. Now, the question is: how would you do those actions accurately? Although, those basic things may appear simple, they are being said easier than done.

Tending to thousands, or even millions, of subscribers can be a daunting task. That is why most organizations employ the use of membership management software to make these things a lot
easier. You could never possibly organize a mountainous number of members without overlooking some pertinent details. Organizing is something that needs attention to all details, be it minor or major. It is also something that needs consistency and updated actions. So management membership software is what you need to make things easier for you.

What is membership software?

Membership software is employed by websites with the goal of increasing traffic. By increasing the traffic to the website, there are high potentials of generating more revenue. Through the membership website, a certain website will have members that will keep coming back to get more information or to read contents as a part of their subscription plan to the organization.

With membership software, you simply leave the task of getting a portion of the members' time to it by letting it handle your relationship with them efficiently and accurately. There are membership software programs that are designed for different organizations. Depending on the need of the website, there are two basic versions to choose from. These are the standard or professional application.

Organizations that employed the standard application of benefit from the powerful features which are designed to meet their needs; while larger organizations which opted for professional version of the software gain more because of the empowered strength of the features provided by the standard version.

Although, membership software is often a costly venture to hire, it will bring back more profit in the end. It will ensure your website will maintain loyal members. The only thing that you must do before getting one is to choose from the different programs available.

About The Author:

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information about membership software or membership management software checkout http://www.extrememember.com

How To Choose The Right Business Opportunity Affiliate Program

By Mario Churchill

Business opportunity affiliate programs are still hot these days despite the horrible stories about those that fail in them. Nevertheless because of these scams, a lot of people get frightened with accepting business opportunities from an affiliate program entirely. But this should not be the case if you know how to choose well.

When choosing a business opportunity affiliate program you want to avoid being scammed. You need to get into a program that really offers a product or products and not one that justoffers to give you money out of thin air. The good news is that there are indeed such business opportunity affiliate programs as this. Looking for one is easy if you know your way around.

Here are some tips on choosing a good business opportunity affiliate program:

1. Choose an affiliate program that promotes a product or service that you yourself are interested in. A program that provides goods that you like yourself would really work since you would be more interested to promote their products in the first place. It would really be hard to sell something if you do not like it in the first place. But if you like the product, you would know how to convince others to buy it, or better yet, to promote the product as well by being an affiliate under your network. Remember that passion is important for any successful business opportunity.

2. Choose an affiliate program that offers high quality products and services. Dubious programs offer bad products or no product at all and it would of course be difficult for you to promote goods of low quality. A high quality product reflects the quality of the affiliate program itself, which in turn assures you of a longer lasting business opportunity.

3. Choose an affiliate program that caters to an existing and growing market. The program may promote a very good product but the market may be stale. Soon enough you might be left with a saturated market that would not allow you to sustain the business opportunity for long. Be sure that the products the program promotes can still be sold for several years to come either because the market is growing or the need for the product is consistent.

4. Choose an affiliate program that provides you with great compensation schemes especially for residual income. Money is the reason you considered joining an affiliate program in the first place and you would of course want to choose a business opportunity that allows you to got optimal earnings. You might be just wasting a lot of time on programs that do not give you enough compensation for all the work you do for them.

5. Choose an affiliate program that does not impose sales targets or quotas that are impossible to reach. There are business opportunity affiliate programs out there that require you to reach an exorbitant goal before they would let your hands at commissions. You would have to spend life and limb just to earn in these programs. Be sure that the program you choose asks of realistic goals that you can handle easily.

6. Choose an affiliate program that gives you access to many resources and tools to make the most out of the business opportunity. Many affiliate programs just leave their affiliates alone in the dark and you would not to be one of those going about their business blindly. Explore the tools that the program offers to make sure that you can get the most of their offerings and that you can perform your tasks as best as you can.

7. Choose a program that offers rewards for continuing members and for membership renewals. This assures you that the affiliate program thinks of you as a long-time partner for their business opportunity. This also gives you a clue of how long the program wants itself to last. Knowing that they want to keep their members for long somehow signals you that the program intends to be an ongoing opportunity and not just a one-time thing.

8. Choose a program that allows you to ask questions especially about things that you might not be happy about. If you know other people who are already in that program, ask them about their experience to see of what possible downfalls you might face as well.

A business opportunity affiliate program can open you to a world of income possibilities. Just be sure that you are joining one that possesses these qualities to ensure that you would earn instead of lose.

About The Author:

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information checkout http://www.turnkeyaffiliateprogram.com and
http://www.killeraffiliateprogram.com.

How To Increase Your Online Business And Destroy Your Competition.

By Jeff Bunnell

I know, I know. It doesn't sound too nice. But lets face it, in business, if customers don't pick your business, they've picked somebody else. I want to help you so that the customer picks YOUR business over somebody else's.

This is basically for e-commerce, so for traditional business, emails, e-zines, etc., might not apply but you might still be able to implement the idea behind the statement.

* Give people a free subscription to your e-zine. Almost everyone is publishing a e-zine nowadays so it's important to give something extra with the free subscription. You could offer a free gift or advertising when people subscribe.

* Offer a free online directory. The directory could be full of interesting ebooks, e-zines, web sites etc. If people find your directory to be a valuable resource they will visit it over and over.

* Give your visitors a free ebook. You could also include your own ad in the ebook and allow other people to give it away. If you don't want to take the time to write one, you could ask other writers permission to use their articles. I have written a few articles on this topic. Go to Google or Yahoo and search under my name and e-books. Otherwise, email me and I'll send you my article.

* Give visitors a free entry into your contest or sweepstakes. The prizes should be something of interest or value to your visitors. Offer more entrys based upon # of items purchases or total dollars spent. Example: 1st entry with purchase, additional entries for each $50 spent. Also, most people who enter will continually revisit your web site to find out who won.

* Offer free original content. It's important to give your visitors information they can't find anywhere else. If you're the only source, they'll visit your site. If you are selling beauty products, do your homework and find beauty or health tips and post them on your site.

* Make your web site look professional. You want to have your own domain name, easy navigation, attractive graphics, etc. Again, target your competition. If they have a very basic site, take advantage of that and get a great looking site.

* Survey your existing customers. Do this on at least an annual basis. It is VERY important to find out who your customer base is. By knowing who you are servicing, you can serve them better.

* Test and improve your ad copy. There are many people who write an ad and never change it. Make sure you get the highest possible response rate. Ask people for their opinion.

Take what you can from this; hopefully I've helped you today. Remember, its your business, & you know it better than I do. The goal is to have you know more about your customers than your competitors do.

About The Author:

Jeff Bunnell is a part-time marketer and full-time Dad. He has worked as a Realtor, Concert Promoter, Computer Tech, Salesman, Manager, etc. Now he is using his experience to help others make additional income on the internet. For more information go to
http://www.easybigmoneymaker.com.

Home Based Businesses: What's For Real And What Is Not

By Gabriel Adams

Over the years, the employment force has seen a shift from workers shuffling to company offices each morning to employees enjoying the familiarity and comfort of working within their
domain. Home-based businesses have become an increasingly enticing prospect for at-home mothers or anyone else who prefers to set their own hours and become their own boss. As
you venture into the world of establishing or working for a home-based business, below you find a few important aspects to consider.

Investigate Products and Services

The range of business fields ran outside of the home are extensive, making the number of advertised opportunities rise at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, the downside of this trend
is that not every claim or offer is legit. For instance, many newspaper ads claim that one can make $1000 per week by stuffing envelopes at home, but many are quite disappointed with the results. Also, home-based businesses that involve a product should be checked out in regards to legitimacy.

Compensation

Some home-based businesses involve start-up costs that could very well exceed the compensation one will receive. Before entering any business ventures based out of the home, it is suggested to research the potential to make money before fully committing. Some opportunities take little effort, money, or time to get off the ground, while other possibilities may take longer (such as over a year) to show promise and progress. Many business owners at home often use a chunk of their nest egg or take out loans to realize their dreams.

Analyzing the Business Plan

Some business opportunities offer a step-by-step plan that illustrates the details pertaining to making money when adhering to guidelines, rules, or specific formulas. Some offers turn out to be scams while others offer growth when specific suggestions are followed to the letter. To determine if a business idea is the right one for you, it is important to learn about all of the things required that allows one to reap the benefits from a particular plan of action. First-time
home-based business ventures should not be overly demanding or cost a high amount of money.

Check the Track Record

Whether you are considering the running of a home-based winemaking business or would like to enter the world of telemarketing, it is important to check the track record of a specific business approach or offer. Investigating testimonials, facts, and statistics are just some of the ways you can make sure a business offer is on the up-and-up. Calling contact numbers and speaking to a representative may also shed light on earning potential and answer any questions you may
have.

About The Author:

Find the best of home based businesses at http://www.truthaboutedcgold.info/

Using Viral Video Marketing To Capture The Attention Of Your Customers

By Gabriel Adams

When it comes to tapping into a marketing technique that seems to capture the attention of many, viral video marketing capitalizes off of the power of visual suggestion. This particular method takes advantage of already existing social networks to create a successful boom in brand awareness. While viral marketing had its start passing from one to another through word-of-mouth, today, the most impressive approach is provided through video. Many enjoy utilizing this type of marketing because it can reach a large amount of people in a quick amount of time.

One of the most increasingly popular ways to enter viral video marketing is to establish a blog on a website and continuously add images, words, and videos. Even amateur videos are making headlines on websites across the Internet. This interesting and rather entertaining approach towards advertising has brought attention to a wide range of services and products that might not have enjoyed the focus if viral video marketing was not used. It is the creativity of amusing video clips, interactive Flash games, and moving images that add to the appeal.

Viral video marketing is often chosen as a way to promote a site because it is quite easy to accomplish. When compared to direct mailing, the cost is also lower. Viral marketing helps attract a target audience, and is known for establishing a response rate that is high and fast. Also, a larger number of people become engrossed with little cost to the webmaster.

Examples of Viral Marketing

Using videos and interactive visual games to market products, services and websites has been an effective method of advertising for many years. For instance, the Dancing Bush 2001 interactive game led a campaign to bring an enormous wealth of attention to what would become the largest private entertainment site on the Web. Sunsilk hair care products gained increased consideration when a YouTube video titled "Bride Has Massive Hair Wig Out" surfaced. Additional examples of viral video marketing includes companies and products, such as Halo, Blair Witch Project, Xbox 360, The Ring movie, Sony, Playstation, and FX Networks.

About The Author:

Visit share video at http://www.yesiloveit.com/ to share your viral video.

Make A Success Out Of A Serious Home Based Business Opportunity

By Michael Guyton

There are many choices in home based business opportunities. Some people go into a home based business without ever really planning or even thinking about it as a real business. This is
a major mistake on their part. The serious home based business opportunity requires a serious attitude.

One thing a person has to understand when approaching a serious home based business opportunity is that it is a business. This is not a fun game or a hobby. If a person wants to really make money then they have to treat the business like a real job. They have to put into it hard work and dedication in order to get any profit out of it.

One of the major areas that are often neglected in home based business is the record keeping. Like any business, a home based business requires proper record keeping. A home based business owner will have to pay taxes; they will have to keep track of their sales and expenses, too. Record keeping involves setting up a good record keeping system. It requires keeping track of daily revenue and all expenses. In order to keep a business up and running the record keeping has to be in order and this is true even of a home based business.

A serious home based business opportunity will also require a good marketing plan. Marketing is an essential part of a businesses success. Without getting the businesses name and image out there then the business will never grow and prosper. If a person is taking their home based business seriously then they will have a marketing plan in order that will ensure they are hitting their target market and that they driving customers to their business.

Home based businesses are often seen as a side job or something that a person does to keep them busy in their spare time. Many times others do not take a person's home based business seriously. This can be a big hurdle. When others do not show support it can be really hard to stay committed to the business. However, a serious home based business owner will be able to move past this hurdle and still push forward to make their business successful.

A serious home based business opportunity is easy to find, but hard to maintain. It is all about taking it seriously. It is all on the business owner to make sure that they are treating their business like a business. They have to work at it everyday, just as they would any job. They have to be serious about making their successful and willing to do whatever it takes to see it through. A serious home based business opportunity can turn into something wonderful as long as the business owner starts out with the right attitude.

About The Author:

Learn how to start your own home business online earning multiple streams of income at
http://www.GetRichOnlineNow.com

Retailers Are Becoming E-tailers

By Carolyn Clayton

E-tailers are simply retailers who use the internet to sell their goods/services to their customers, rather than actual stores. There are two types of e-tailer, one category whereby e-commerce is the only operation undertaken by the company; examples of such organisations include E-Bay, Amazon, and Dell. The other type includes e-commerce as part of their overall
marketing strategy, whilst still having a physical, `bricks and mortar' tore, whereby customers can still go in and purchase the good/service. Examples of this type of e-tailer are Dixons, Tesco and WH Smith.

Those companies who operate purely as ecommerce stores are able to achieve greater profit margins, due to their set up and operational costs being much lower than that of a traditional store. They do not have to pay any rent on a building - whilst they still often have to pay for their Web Hosting, the cost is much less, there are no added rates for such overheads as water, electricity, gas, etc. Labour costs are significantly less, where one person could realistically run a website, package goods and answer enquiries via email; this is unlikely to be the case where a full time store is involved. On top of these price differences, an online store can be viewed/accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from only one location. Shoppers in China, for example, can purchase goods at the touch of a button from a UK based e-tailer, but would struggle to make the 10,000 mile round trip to go to the actual store!

It is becoming essential for retailers to have at least some form of internet based access, whether this is a site whereby goods/services can actually be purchased, or purely informational, so customers can preview products and gather information on the store in general (for example, their nearest retailer or company phone number/contact details) before they visit.

E-tailers must realize that it is not enough to simply have an aesthetically pleasing web site, which is full of product information alongside great photos and detailed product reviews; this is all well and good, but useless without sufficient knowledge of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in order to target the necessary traffic towards the site. Even something as simple as an appropriate domain name can have a big difference on the
number of people visiting your site - they should be kept small and concise, preferably without a hyphen, as people tend to forget these and this could lead to them being sent directly to
your competitor! Word of mouth advertising is priceless, so by using an address that sounds exactly how it is spelt can work wonders for spreading positive information.

SEO and SEM practices change regularly, and there is no guarantee that any particular methods will work. The best way to ensure a good ranking on the search engines is to employ an `expert' to work full time at increasing the chances of traffic being directed to your website. Whilst many web designers may claim to be adept at SEO, there a relatively few personnel currently in the UK with any real in depth knowledge of the subject, so it is worthwhile spending the extra time/money on making sure your company is well represented within the search engine rankings, and chasing that all important #1 spot.

About The Author:

Article Alley is one of the UK's top article sites, best for http://www.articlealley.com/top_articles_1_81.html Internet Articles. Please feel free to republish this article provided a working hyperlink remains to our site

Making Money With Articles: Article Directories

By Webhosting Reviews

Article directories are websites that house free articles. These articles are usually put there by whoever owns the copyright to them as a promotion method. Each article has the owners byline placed under it so that those who eventually read the article will know who wrote it (or at least who owns it) and will be able to get in contact with or visit their website for further information.

Articles directories are a great place to put your articles so that they will make you money. By using this method, people who are interested in your product or service will see your article,
view you as an expert in the subject, and will visit your website. Even if you cannot write or do not have any knowledge on the subject on which you are promoting (for example for you run an affiliate website), you can always hire a writer to do the work for you. Getting quality articles written will be expensive up front, but they will pay for themselves in no time, either through affiliate sales or selling your own services, and everything from then on is pure profit.

Let's take a real life example. Imagine that you are an accountant working from home. You write an article on an accounting topic and place it on various article directories. Those who are looking for the subject you wrote about will read your article, see that you have the knowledge and skill that is needed to do a job for them, and visit your website or contact you via e-mail. Your article just gained you a new client who may use your services regularly, but will definitely give you a nice profit at least once.

Furthermore, since you have posted it on a free article directory, others who have affiliate websites about accounting will inevitably use your article for their website. Since they must attach your byline to it, this will bring you even more exposure for every website that re-posts your article. This because you will be benefiting of off the traffic that they get to their website.

There are numerous article directories out there for you to utilize. Your bet best is to put a copy of each of your articles on every one for maximum exposure. It will eventually help to bring more traffic and customers to your website, which will lead to new orders and more profit.

About The Author:

http://www.reviews9.info

Making Money With Articles: Finding A Writer

By Webhosting Reviews

Finding the right freelance writer to produce your revenue generating articles can take a bit of time, however, if you find one that can easily take on another regular client and the two of you work well together, then that one difficult search will turn into a lot of profitable at articles.

When you start your search, you may want to begin with a very small group of articles, just in case you happen too hook up with a writer that you are less than thrilled with. It is important to keep in mind that there are several different types of writing and each writer might be highly skilled in one area, yet lack in another. For example, there is creative/fiction writing, biographical writing, news writing, general informational article writing, critical writing, copy writing, poem/verse writing, technical writing, medical writing, essay/report writing, and sports writing. Although a writer may be highly skilled in one area, many freelance writers spread themselves out into others areas as well. So, it is critical that the writer you choose can produce the type of content that you need.

To find a freelance writer, you can look at various freelancing websites that will allow you to post the specification of your project and your budget.

From there, writers will make bids on your project and provide you with writing samples so that you can get an idea of their skill level. Make sure that you choose a writer who gives you a sample of the type of article that you are looking for. For example, if you are looking for a copy-writer, do not hire someone who only sent you a sports writing sample. He or she may be an outstanding sports writer, but copy-writing is about selling (a product, service, or yourself) to your website visitors.

In conclusion, the more you are willing to pay per article, the more bids you will get from quality writers who know how to entertain and inform your website visitors so that they keep coming back for more. Writers know that you will eventually make a ton of money off of each article or content piece. So although $30 or more for a 500 word article may seem like a lot, when you think about the service they are providing you and the time and effort that they put into your piece, then you will realize that it really is not a lot for that one article. If you pay for quality, you will be amazed at how much you will eventually make off of your articles.

About The Author:

http://www.review5.info

The Virtual Schools Of Tomorrow Are In The Florida Schools Today . With More On The Horizon

By Patricia Hawke

The kindergarten through 8th grade virtual school was created in the Florida schools in 2003. It was sold to lawmakers as a great way to save money, offering coursework to replace on-campus teachers and classrooms at a savings of $700 per student. Only students who had attended the Florida schools the previous year were eligible to participate at a cost to the Florida schools of $4,800 per student. The savings over physical classroom instruction for the Florida schools was expected to be $700,000 with a 1,000 student enrollment in the virtual school program.

Though in theory the money saved by the Florida schools was substantial, someone forgot to tell the rules to Jim Horne (then education commissioner). He allowed kindergarten and first grade students, who had never attended the Florida schools previously, to enroll in the virtual school. These newly eligible students accounted for 27 percent of all students enrolled at a taxpayer cost of $4,800 per student. All projected savings were lost, and it ended up costing the Florida schools an additional $653,000, according to a March 14th article in the Palm Beach Post.

The Florida schools have found the virtual school a success, even though a costly one in the beginning. All participating students must meet the Florida Sunshine State Standards and
must take the state-required Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT).

In March, the House education committee approved HB 799, which expands the K-8 virtual school program. If passed by the Senate, all home and privately schooled children in Florida will be allowed to participate in the virtual school program with no cap on the number of students enrolled.

Currently, the virtual program is limited to 1,384 students at a $5,200 per student cost for a total of $7.2 million funding cost to the Florida schools. Though few privately schooled children are expected to enroll (a parent must be present during use of the program), there are currently 52,000 children in Florida being home schooled. The expanded program, which provides parents with a computer, books, software and online access to teachers, could easily cost the Florida schools about $312 million with a per student cost increase to almost $6,000.

Such a cost to the taxpayers and the Florida schools may force lawmakers to place an enrollment cap on the virtual school program. Backers believe the Senate will insist upon it, since they expect a tight budget this year.

The bill also requires all program providers to be nonprofit. Current contracted providers are the Virginia-based K12 and Maryland-based Connections Academy. The Florida subsidiaries of these two firms are currently making a transition to nonprofit status in compliance with HB 799. Though the subsidiaries will be nonprofit, they will be allowed to continue purchasing supplies and equipment for the virtual school program from their for-profit parent companies. The bill does not require competitive bidding by these providers.

The expanded virtual school bill, HB 799, is sponsored by Representative Will Weatherford (R-Wesley Chapel). He believes that the parents of home and privately schooled children pay taxes, and their children should have equal opportunity to participate in this state-paid program of the Florida schools, too.

About The Author:

Patrica Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information on Houston Schools please visit http://www.schoolsk-12.com/Florida/index.html

What And What Not To Expect In Your Home Based Business

By Mario Churchill

For most people, starting a home based business is one of the major turning points in their life. If you are one of the many Americans that are now deciding to leave their current job in their current company to start a home based business, then you have to expect that it will change the way you live your life.

Firstly, you have to know what the advantages of home based business are. The first advantage is that you have all the time in the world to run your business. This is because you own it and no one will tell you to arrive at the office at a specific time. There will be no logs and you will not be grilled and yelled at by someone because you arrived late for work. By owning a home based business, you are your own boss and your office is your home. This means more time for your family and more time for yourself.

However, you also need to consider on not getting too hooked up with your newly found freedom. Undoubtedly, you will want to spend a lot of personal time for you and your family. But always remember that you also need to allot some time for your home based business in order to make it a success and let it generate the income you want.

When you work at home, there will always be a nagging thought that you can finish the job later because you have all the time in the world to do it. However, you should never think like this
if you want your business to become a success. Try listing at least 10 things you have to accomplish daily in your business in order to keep you on track and avoid slacking around unproductively. By doing this, you will always be motivated to do the things you need to do to properly run your business.

It is important that you should never expect instant success in your home based business. Always remember that everything that is big today started out small. By having enough patience and time, you will see that hard work and dedication in running your home based business will provide you with great rewards.

Another thing you need to know is that being organized is everything in running a business. Just because you own a home based business doesn't mean that you can be as disorganized(regarding your work) as you can. Being organized in your home and with proper time management, you will be able to shorten your work hours per week. In fact, if things are properly managed and you stick to your daily goals, you will see that more projects will come and will require less time to finish. If you expect working 60 hours per week on a home based business, you will see that being organized and focusing on your goals will lessen that time for as much as 15 hours per week.

Always remember that running a home based business is not as easy as it may seem. By properly managing your time and focusing on income generating goals, you will see that it will pay off with a handsome reward. Running a home based business may be challenging, but with dedication and time, you can expect some big profits after a few years or even a few months of running your own business.

About The Author:

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information about an excellent business opportunity checkout http://www.starscapes.com

Finding A Legitimate Home Business Opportunity Fast

By Dustin Cannon

When it comes to the working world, there are certainly many things that you want to figure out before you settle into something for the long term. This is why so many people try out temporary jobs before they find what they want to do and begin to do these things permanently. There are just so many options out there, so if you are thinking of the various things you might be interested in, you might want to know that with the internet, many people have found jobs online and have turned them into successful careers. One of the things that you should keep in mind, dealing with your legitimate home business opportunity, is that you do want to find one that is legitimate. That means that you want to find a job that is real, one that is going to make you money, and one that is going to allow you the freedom to work from home but is still going to actually be work for you.

If you want to find a legitimate home business opportunity, there are several easy ways for you to do this. First of all, you have to keep in mind that you want to find a legitimate home business opportunity that matches what you already do. Unless you have something that you have always wanted to do, you are probably currently doing something that matches your career goals, at least a little bit. You are going to want to make sure that you stick to these goals and create a situation for yourself in which you are truly able to find job prospects based upon things you are already good at.

That said, you have to make sure that what you are finding is a legitimate home business opportunity, and not one that is going to take advantage of you in any way or even take your money in any way. There are many scammers out there who would be more than happy to take your money or take advantage of you, and you simply have to be careful so that this doesn't happen.

The best ways to make sure that you are dealing with a legitimate home business opportunity, and not one that is going to cause you problems is to do some research into whoever is fronting the company and what they have done in the past. You have to make sure that you are carefully researching the people who are in charge of the opportunity, and if you can't find out any information about them, there is probably a reason that the info is hard to find. So, keep this in mind as well. A legitimate home business opportunity is not going to have any hoops that you have to jump through, and it is going to lay out its business plan and its personnel in a way that makes it easy for you to understand and to research it.

About The Author:

Learn how to start your own home business online earning multiple streams of income at
http://www.SimpleOnlineBusinessNow.com

You Can Make Money With An Online Business Opportunity

By Dustin Cannon

There are many times in life where you are going to want to make more money. Think about what you are doing now, and think about ways that you could make that just a little bit better
for yourself. For instance, if you are able to, you might be just the right kind of person to find a great deal for a job that allows you to make lots of money, and that allows you to be the boss, as well. Many times they'll be a make money business opportunity that comes out of nowhere, and if you are to take it and if you can do well, you might just find that you are able to make more money than you have ever dreamed of making.

This might sound too good to be true, and in many ways you have to be careful. But if you are able to, you are going to find that in reality there are many make money business opportunity sites you could go to, and at some of these sites, you'll actually be able to make the money that you want to make, without having to worry about a thing.

Of course, there are some sites at which you are going to have to be careful. For instance, when you go to a make money business opportunity site, it might be tempting to go with the first offer that you see. It might sound like something that you could really sink your teeth in to, an offer that would just be too good to pass up. A make money business opportunity that you would feel bad about not taking. However, you have to do your part and do your research because make money business opportunities are going to not be as common as you might think. You have to really search to find the ones that are worth doing, and to keep those separate from the ones that are going to rip you off.

In order to find make money business opportunities that you know are going to be worth your while, there are several things that you should do, first. You need to make sure that you can get information on the business and what is going on. It needs to sound viable to you - which means that it has to sound like it makes sense. If the idea tells you you don't have to spend any time or spend any money on the business, that you will simply start to get checks in the mail, this is probably going to be a scam. You have to be sure that you are given information about the make money business opportunity, and that the information checks out.

About The Author:

Learn how to start your own home business online earning multiple streams of income at
http://www.SimpleOnlineBusinessNow.com

Internet Users Choose Speed And Readability Over Appearance: Web Poll

By Rick Sloboda

More than 93 per cent of Internet users indicated they favour speed and readability over appearance when visiting websites, according to a recent online poll conducted by Webcopyplus.

When Internet users were asked what's likely to drive them away from a website:

* 51.2 per cent indicated "slow load times"
* 42.2 per cent specified "weak web copy"
* 6.6 per cent noted "poor visual presentation"

A total of 258 users participated in the web writing service provider's online poll during a four-month period that ended in April of 2007.

The poll results clearly suggest functionality and clear messages top Internet users' desires and demands.

Speed

A total of 132 Internet users noted they are quick to hit the 'back button' when pages are slow to load, implying they expect websites to deliver information rapidly without exception.

The Web is fully capable of distributing communications at a staggering rate, but many web creators willfully hinder the technology. For the sake of visitors, you should optimize your images, streamline your HTML and stay away from self-serving Flash intros that provide little or no value.

While Flash is an effective tool for adding audio, video and animation to a website, it's simply overused.

Why make visitors wait as much as a minute just to watch a logo spin around? It's a blatant disregard for web users and their time. In fact, most Flash intros are likely not created with the
visitor and business in mind, but rather as an opportunity to showcase a programmer's abilities.

If someone wants to experiment or go for design awards, it shouldn't be done on the customer's dime.

Web writing

Web writing was deemed most important to 109 poll participants. Why? Well, if a site's web writing does not present the information needed by users, the website provides little or no value regardless of how fast it loads or how stunning it looks.

Provide online visitors web writing that is relevant, concise, scannable and objective. Stay away from marketing hype, which is one of the quickest ways to get labeled a 'spammer' and kill your credibility.

Design

The fact that only 17 poll participants placed weight on visual presentation doesn't mean designers hold a small role in the Web and its evolution.

Quite the contrary. Good designers and programmers recognize the fact that design is both function and aesthetics. It's not about decoration.

Good design is the tool and principle by which we craft and convey successful communications. Consequently, good design is what ultimately produces useful, convenient and simple websites.

At the end of the day, load time, web writing and design all have integral roles in promoting usability and positive online experiences.

Deliver on all three fonts and you'll experience more online traffic, happier customers and a healthier bottom line.

About the Author:

Rick Sloboda is a web writer at http://www.webcopyplus.com
Web writing services http://www.webcopyplus.com/services
More web writing information http://www.webcopyplus.com/articles

Learn How To Create A Web Site

By IPRWire Staff Writer

Have you always wanted to learn how to create a web site? A web site is a great investment for a business, or a fun way to put yourself out there in the world and let your friends and family
see what you've been up to. For a small business or individual family page, it may not be worth it to hire a professional to create a web site for you. After all, there are other services available. One option is to use a template style program, which allows you to choose a classic, easy on the eyes format and individualize it to build your own personal page or business platform. Web hosting companies often have services like this which are free with a hosting package.

There are many reasons people may want to claim their own corner of the Internet and create a web site:

* A web page allows customers to find businesses more easily - many people look on the Internet first when they want to find a product or service, if only to research. They may
then order it online, or go to the store with more confidence because they have already researched the product. This means a web page can often be an easy form of advertising - you can convey a lot more information to a customer than with a billboard or a flyer.

* A family may want a way to keep connected across the country. This allows grandparents and other relatives an easy way to see pictures of junior, or friends to see what their buddies are up to.

* Starting your business online can often be less expensive than opening a store. An Internet based business will often have lower costs - hosting a site versus renting a location is highly affordable.

It's easy to create a web site. Using a hosting service, you can get your pages hosted on a server for a low monthly fee, and use a custom package make your site in a few simple steps. The only technical knowledge required will be pointing and clicking as you load on pictures and text. You will also receive extra conveniences such as email addresses to match your site.

A few good things to remember:

* Choose a domain name that reflects something about your business. Your business name would be ideal, as long as it also includes some reference to what your business does. If your business' name is Bob's, you may want to add something to the name, such as Bobspancakes.com if you sell pancake mixes.

* At the same time, do not be too specific. If your company grows, you may not want to change the name of your web site. If you think you might add to your company in the future, you
might choose Bobsbreakfastmixes.com or Bobsmixes.com, to allow for growth.

* Keep your pages easy to read. It can be tempting to add a lot of graphics and bits of video, but it may turn off potential customers if your pages take too long to load or are too distracting.

For more information as you create a web site, check out ABI Hosting at http://www.abihosting.com, a full service company dedicated to helping people and businesses create a successful Internet presence.

About The Author:

http://www.abihosting.com was founded in 1998 in Northern California and has a top notch reputation for providing web builders and creating web sites.

Enjoy Developing A Web Site With Web Builder

By IPRWire Staff Writer

Creating your own web site or page on the Internet can be easy when using a web builder. There are many templates available for people to choose from, and all they have to do is upload
their own text and pictures into their chosen template, often using an easy web builder. But to make your own site stand out, it is important to have your own unique design.

Because the skill level of people using the Internet varies, from professional site designers to those who are happy with pointing and clicking, it is important for any company that features hosting services to provide a variety of packages, often including an easy way for individuals and small businesses to design their own site.

ABI Hosting can provide an easy web builder for anyone to use. Even those used to HTML and writing their own code will appreciate the ease of this program, which allows people to see what they are doing as they are doing it, rather than writing out strings of commands and hoping that each item will turn out exactly where you want it. This makes it easy to customize a web site, whether it is a family memories themed site, or a business selling products over the Internet, and can be completed in five quick steps.

While you want your site to be unique, and it can be easy to add extra items with a web builder, you also want it to be easy to read and appealing. Here are a few tips:

* Avoid using too much movement. A lot of flashing images or words moving across the screen can be distracting and difficult to read.

* Be sure to have contrast. Dark letters on a light background, or light letters on a dark background.

* If there is a lot of content on a particular page, use borders or boxes to help readers keep track of what they are reading.

* Choose basic colors, and use a few other colors for contrast. Too many colors can be distracting to the eye.

Once you've designed your site, you need to have a way to get people to find it. For many industries, there are chat rooms and forums where members of those industries meet. Join a few, and make insightful posts, with your web site in the signature. Or join forums where you think your customers might be - if you are selling yarn, you might comment in a crochet forum. You can also place ads on other web sites, either by buying space or through programs such as Google Adwords. Building traffic can take time, so the sooner you get your site up and running, the better.

A hosting service with a simple and flexible web builder can get your site onto the Internet quickly, but with high quality results. This will allow you to spend your time focusing on other aspects of your business. The Internet is also a great way to grow a business, both as an advertising method and as another way to sell to your customers.

Visit ABI Hosting at http://www.abihosting.com for more information about web site hosting and how to make your company a destination on the Internet.

About The Author:

http://www.abihosting.com was founded in 1998 in Northern California and has a top notch reputation for providing web builders and creating web sites.

How To Build A Successful Business Affiliate Program For Beginners

By Mario R. Churchill

If you've just started your online business and you're getting increasingly alarmed about the amount of money you're spending on advertising - which unfortunately seems to get you nowhere close to even the first ten pages of search engine results for the primary keywords used in your website - don't you know that there's a cost-efficient way of gaining advertising and building traffic for your site which has a very high success rate?

The answer: building a business affiliate program.

A business affiliate program is a marketing strategy that allows you to hire as many affiliates interested in joining your program in a commission basis. Think of it as having a company that employs sales agents and paying them only when they sell something.

Benefits of a Business Affiliate Program

A LARGE ACTIVE WORKFORCE - You may be a small-sized business but designing the right business affiliate program technically allows you to have as large a workforce as possible and the best thing about it is that probably each and every one of them is actively working in marketing your products and services.

EARN FIRST, PAY AFTER - A business affiliate program doesn't require you to give your affiliates base pay every month. Yes, of course, you're grateful that they're working so hard but
you're nonetheless under no obligation to pay them for their effort. This is standard for all business affiliate programs: payment is only made when there's a corresponding action.

INFINITE POTENTIAL FOR GROWTH - There is no limit to what a business affiliate program could do for your company. It can grow beyond your wildest expectations as long as you continue to deal professionally with your affiliates. Be aware however the growth potential of your business affiliate program is also directly proportional to product or service development. But more about that later on.

CONTINUOUS TRAFFIC - The very first thing that having a business affiliate program can contribute to you is traffic. Every time a person clicks on your link in an affiliate website, he or she is immediately directed to your website. Visitors may not buy anything from you in the end but at least you've achieved one important objective and that's to make them aware your business exists! Some companies wouldn't ask even any more than that!

How to Make a Business Affiliate Program that Works

GREAT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ARE THE LIFELINE OF A BUSINESS AFFILIATE PROGRAM - Without unique, attractive, beneficial, and useful products and services, there's simply no way for your business affiliate program to succeed. You have to start by giving your affiliates something incredible to sell.

A GROWING COMPANY - A business affiliate program can only enjoy long-term success if you can match this with long-term plans as well. Your products and services must evolve in response to the changing needs of your market. If you're satisfied with a constant rate of success that shows no signs of increasing, don't expect your affiliates to feel the same. All affiliates expect and demand for growth, and if they can't see you offering that to them then they'll simply switch to another program.

THE RIGHT OBJECTIVE - What do you want your business affiliate program to achieve for you? If it's only attention and interest that you need then you should use a pay-per-lead program. If it's higher sales you're after then you should use a pay-per-sale program. It's that simple.

PROVIDE SUPPORT - A good business affiliate program succeeds because of the cooperation between the affiliate merchant - that's you - and its affiliate websites. They help each other obtain mutual success. As the owner of the affiliate program, it's your job to provide as much training - preferably free - and support to your affiliates. There's nothing to lose as well if you invest a few minutes of your time once in a while to check on your affiliates' progress and send them motivational and encouraging emails.

PROFESSIONAL - Last but not the least, a good business affiliate program is professional. This can largely be seen on how it deals with its affiliates. It offers contracts that do not violate any laws and protect their mutual interests. A good business affiliate program offers fair and competitive pay to its affiliates. It utilizes a reliable and efficient tracking system to provide sales reports for its affiliates.

And there you have it, the benefits of a good business affiliate program and how to make one. Good luck!

About The Author:

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information checkout http://www.turnkeyaffiliateprogram.com and http://www.killeraffiliateprogram.com.

Affiliate Marketing With Blogs: The Golden Goose?

By Kenneth Zhou

Want to make more money online in an affiliate marketing programme? Here's some advice from a very smart -- and very successful -- guy who does just that:

"I blog at Entrepreneurs-Journey.com and I make about $2,000 USD a month via affiliate products. Here's my advice if you choose to use a blog as part of your affiliate marketing arsenal."

TIPS FROM AN AFFILIATE MARKETING EXPERT:

- Blog honestly and consistently. When you blog every day and make the content your own words, and helpful, you build up a very powerful relationship between you and your readers. At a certain point your blog gains the credibility of the recommendation of a friend. After that, sales are a piece of cake.

- Don't hesitate to write over and over about the same product in your affiliate marketing programme. You can come at it from different points of view that way... write about what you
expect from the product at first, why you bought it, how you hope to use it, and so on. Then you can tell your cyber-friends out there, (the ones whose trust you've gained through your blog), exactly how the product came through for you. You're basically echoing what any purchaser goes through with any product, not regurgitating a lot of recognizable affiliate marketing jargon. Product reviews are highly sought-after and help make sales for you.

- Make sure everything you blog has content the reader can really use, and are not just sales puff pieces.

- For your affiliate marketing plan, you can attract links with blogs much easier than with normal websites, so do remember your slogan: Blog Every Day!

- As you build up content, it will compound the effect of each single blog, and each article will have a synergistic effect on the whole process.

- Save time every day to work on building a list. Once you have a credible, substantial blog and a list to match, you're in the affiliate marketing business!

About The Author:

Please Visite our website at http://www.make2ndincome.com for information. Our website is dedicated to researching Internet home business ideas and opportunities that can help you start a new Internet home business or grow the one you already have.

Domain Forwarding Versus Domain Masking

By Diana Barnum

Even though a lot of people now realize that the word domain refers to the address of a website, some do not understand other words or tech-jargon associated with the term domain. So here is a quick look at two popular terms that are associated with domains, in case you or someone you know could use some help.

Domain Forwarding & Masking

Domain forwarding helps with the directing of your site link to the address of another website. And domain forwarding is very helpful for websites that may have longer, more complex addresses as well as for advertising purposes; for example, to use a new domain like MarchSale2007(dot)com for directing traffic to a special sales web page.

The forwarding process is pretty simple. Begin by registering the new domain name of your choice that's available. Next log into the domain area where you purchased your domain and click on the option to forward this new domain. A space should become available then where you simply insert the URL or domain name of the site where you want your visitors to be directed when they click the link.

Domain masking allows you to hide or protect the address of your website while still continuing to allow your prospects and clients to visit your site and access the contents there. Domain masking works in this manner:

- Register your domain name first. For example, register the domain name, TinyURL(dot)com or the domain of your choice. Then set up a forward as mentioned above and add masking to it by clicking the masking box in the control area and add masked description meta tag and masked keyword meta tag words to help direct search engines your way when people key in these terms for searches.

- Although TinyURL(dot)com will be the visual address for people who click on the link, it will not be the main Internet address of the website because the main address is too long with too many letters to list in print ads, for example, like MyDomainNameIsTooLong(dot)com. Therefore the masked domain address TinyURL(dot)com will be listed in emails, ads and other
communications to direct Internet visitors to the site. And your website visitors need only key in the address TinyURL(dot)com to discover all the content of the main address at: MyDomainNameIsTooLong(dot)com on their computers.

Note that the main difference between domain forwarding and domain masking is that with domain forwarding, your site visitors will still see the original or actual domain name in their browser after they click the new domain link and get directed to the site. In other words, the new domain link does not hide the long original name. So when people click: TinyURL(dot)com, they are directed to the site, yet once they arrive at the site, the domain that appears in their browsers will read: MyDomainNameIsTooLong(dot)com.

Why would you prefer to place a mask over the original address rather than simply forward traffic to the site? In cases like this:

Some website addresses are very long, full of coding with numbers and letters that often may or may not make sense like: http://ThisIsYourAffiliateLinkabczyx12379_JohnSmith(dot)com . So to make the link easier to read and to look more professional, an Internet marketer may mask a short domain like http://JohnSmithNews(dot)com for two reasons (1) to hide the fact that it's an affiliate link, causing some to be uneasy and leave the site right away and get in touch with the main seller instead and (2) to make the site appear more professional and memorable with a recognizable name as the address.

For more information, visit http://movingaheadcommunications.com/service 24/7. Put an end
to your (dot)com confusion.

About The Author:

For more information, visit http://movingaheadcommunications.com & contact Moving Ahead Communications at 3288 Darby Glen Blvd, Hilliard, Ohio 43026. Call them at: (614) 529-9459 & visit their blog at: http://movingaheadblog.com for more helpful articles 24/7.

Removing Bloggers Block

By Chris Taylor

Some of you may have already experienced writer's, or in this case blogger's, block. This is when you can't seem to start blogging anything worthwhile, sometimes not even a single word's worth.

How could this happen when you were so good at blogging before? Why is it that you can't get one word written? And the most frustrating thing of all: the more time you spend thinking about blogging, the less able you are to start your next project! Is there any cure? Luckily, there are a few things you can try.

Visiting other people's blogs is a good start. Read through your favorite ones, or do a random blog search and see what gets turned up. Reading what other people have to say can spark
your own creativity and send you over the hump of blogger's block. Leave some comments to get you started; you might be able to expand on their ideas, and sometimes you can track back
to your own blog. Looking at your blog inbox can help, too, as there might be a question or comment there that can get you started.

Look for a word or topic. Then begin writing about it. You can also do this with pictures. Check out photos and think of something to write about it. You can also check the news, which is always rich with current events. Even if there isn't anything that directly relates to what you normally write about, writing about something completely different than your normal topics can help.

If those things do not seem to work for you, you can search for creative or journal writing software to help you with your writing problem. Oftentimes, these things have suggestions of topic or idea that can help you get started.

Think about an extraordinary topic. For example, you can research about inventions and inventors. What was the first car ever invented? Anything that you fancy can become a blog entry. You can look for answers to questions like the one about the car at online resources like encyclopedias and almanacs. When you have the answer, blog about it. You never know, maybe some people are thinking of the same things and you have answered their questions. Besides, it can be good to drift from your usual topic one in awhile. Your readers might feel refreshed by the change.

If none of these exercises help, it might be time to do something unrelated to writing for a while. Sometimes we just need a break from writing! Go outside, go shopping, go to a movie. Anything to take your mind off of your blog. You just might feel refreshed and ready to start blogging once you get back up in front of your computer.

There are a lot more ways to beat blogger's block. If you come up with something new that helps you get over it, think of what a good blog topic your experience would be! Who knows, you may even help someone out there who is struggling with blogger's block!

About The Author:

Visit http://www.rss-feeds-directory.com

today! Your comprehensive guide to rss and blogs including our
http://www.rss-feeds-directory.com/rss-feed-submission-sites-service.html.

What's Better For Your Business...Search Engine Optimization Or Pay-Per-Click Sponsored Search

By Tyler Houts

LEARN THE DIFFERENCES AND ACHIEVE HUGE RESULTS

Having a company website is a must to stay in competition and keep customers informed about your business. However, once your website is built, your internet marketing now begins! Obviously, people have got to know that you've got a website for it to be successful. What good is a website if no one is going to it? An overwhelming number of customers find and buy from websites they have found through a search engine. If your business is not listed within the first three pages, you're missing out on thousands of visitors. Getting your business listed within the first few pages of search engines is a surefire way to ensure thousands more visitors to your site each month! There are 2 main methods of search marketing - learn which approach will benefit more quickly.

Search Engine Optimization (Natural Search Results)

Future clients search the internet by entering keywords into a search engine. In order for your website to appear in the natural results pages, your site must contain those keywords or phrases. Certain style changes like placing keywords in bold, italics, or bulleted and numbered lists can optimize your site for search engines. Changes can also be made in the actual HTML
coding of your website, such as the title tags and meta tags, to better your chances of being found through natural search. Search engine optimization takes time, but is the most effective way to draw traffic to your website.

Sponsored Search (Pay-per-click)

There are two different types of sponsored search options. Sponsored search based on a keyword search allows companies to have links to their websites on results pages for a small fee. Sponsored Search based on content context is a different concept. Search engines have partner websites. On these partner websites, content specific advertisements can be placed. For example, a partner website may be a site about architecture. Perhaps a tool company may place advertisements on this website. Though not quite as effective as Search engine optimization, sponsored search gets results quickly.

Search engine marketing is a necessity for companies with a website. You must ensure that your site is being visited for it to be successful. Many companies will spend hundreds or thousands of dollars for a flashy website and forget about marketing it! This is extremely ineffective. Get your website found with search engine marketing!

About The Author:

Tyler Houts is the Public Relations and Online Marketing Director for Kinetica Media, an internet marketing company that works to harness the power of the internet for businesses of all sizes. Visit http://www.kineticamedia.com to see how their proven online marketing campaigns can enhance customer loyalty and attract new clients.

Who Else Wants To Make Money With Google Adsense?

By Jonathan Lee

Who Else Wants To Make Money With Google Adsense? Would you like to find out what those-in-the-know have to say about Adsense? The information in the article below comes straight from well-informed experts with special knowledge about making money with Adsense.

Fact number 1: Kids in high school are making thousands of dollars every month with Adsense.

Fact number 2: Housewives, retirees, mom and dads, who are just staying at home and have never made a dime on the internet have created full-time incomes by simply placing Adsense ads on their web site or blog.

These are just some of the "super Adsense earners". You may have already heard about their story for they are among the few who are on their way to making millions worth of cash just by promoting Adsense sites.

Anyone, any age and gender can become money generating Adsense publishers as long as they what it takes. How does one go about this Internet advertising?

Writing articles for Adsense is the way to do it. Using the right keywords in your articles and having Google ads on a certain site has become the most profitable way of marketing that anybody can get into. No experience and level of education needed. If you are not using this strategy, or may not be aware of it in the first place, chances are you may be losing thousands of dollars worth of extra income and still do not know it yet.

Those of you not familiar with the latest on making money with Adsense now have at least a basic understanding. But there's more to come.

This is one of the many reasons why writing original quality content articles is now the latest in marketing buzz. Content and links. When combined together becomes a really powerful tool to a successful web site and richer individuals. Many internet marketing professionals are already aware of the value of an original quality content and how using keywords can drive targeted traffic into their sites from the search engines.

So why don't all these web site owners write and submit their own articles if that is what is important?

The simple and understandable answer is that it takes time to write articles, submit them and get targeted traffic to their websites. That is why they get the services of those who can spares sometime to write the articles that would cater to their site purpose but still turn out as a good quality and unique piece of work.

To get into the Adsense marketing business and start earning some good cash, ask yourself. Did you enjoy writing when you were in school? If you answer yes to this question, you already have an initial advantage over most internet marketing business owners that wants to make money
online and doing it at home.

With the boom in the Adsense market comes the need for sites to want fresh, quality and original keyword rich content. This way, web site owners can have a steady supply of articles with the proper keywords that they relate to their site contents. The result of this is seen in the sites page rank when indexed by the search engines. Which, in turn, gets moreAdsense ads to show above, below or next to the article on their website with targeted traffic.

What do people have to do?

Write quality and original content, keyword or phrase rich articles with links to your website in the resource box. Then build a website or web page with targeted keyword or phrase rich original content for the targeted traffic that originates from the articles you wrote. Finally, you will have a Google Adsense ads that are targeted to your keyword or phrase rich original content site where visitors will get to visit when they come looking for information.

A win-win situation if you think more about it. A favor for persons looking for quality content and information. For the persons writing the original content articles. And the person with the quality original content rich website. Of course, the search engines and its advertisers are getting targeted traffic and sales but so what? As long as you are getting something in your favor, it does not really matter what the others are getting for themselves.

So who else wants to start earning money with Adsense. You. Everyone. Anybody. Internet marketing has many opportunities wide open for this people. Writing articles and using Adsense for your kind of internet marketing strategy is one sure way of getting a piece of that action and cash.

Better not be left behind the many making millions already.

I hope that reading the above information was both enjoyable and educational for you. Your learning process should be ongoing--the more you understand about any subject, the more you will be able to share with others.

About the Author:

Jonathan Lee owns a website promoting work at home opportunity i.e online job, data entry, paid to survey, home business, affiliate programs etc.
http://www.work-at-home-update.info

How To Pull In As Much Profit As Your Wallet Will Hold With Opt-in Lists

By Jimmy Brown

The fortune is in the list.

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard that said, well, I'd already have a fortune!

However "broken-recordish" it may sound, it is a truthful statement. The fortune REALLY IS in the list.

Fact is, if you possess the knowledge of how to grow and profit from opt-in lists, you can pretty much write your own ticket.

And, if you'll read the remainder of this article, I'll pass that knowledge right on to ya.

It comes down to getting folks to do four things...

1. REQUEST. First things first, you need to convince people to "opt-in" to your list. That is, get them to join your list of their own free will.

Usually, this involves giving away a mini-course, report or newsletter from your web site. All you need is..

- An Attention Grabbing Title. (I could have chosen "4 Keys to Successful Email Promotions" for this article, but is that as attention-grabbing as "How to Pull in As Much Profit As Your Wallet Will Hold From Opt-In Lists"?)

- A Handful of Bulleted Benefits. (A short list of 4-6 desirable things subscribers will learn if they join your list. Think "what's in it for me?")

- An Opt-In Submission Form. (Your autoresponder system will provide this for you.)

NOTE: The BEST way to get folks to join is to embed the above mentioned items DIRECTLY in the most prominent place you have your site visitors' attention. Usually this is 3-5 paragraphs into your sales letter or 1/3 of the way into an ezine article.

2. RECEIVE. After visitors to your site have "requested" information by joining your list, it's critical that your emails be delivered successfully to their inbox. With all of the filters in place (among other hazards) this can be quite a chore.

One thing you'll want to do for certain is check your SPAM rating to make certain it's in an acceptable range. Again, most of the better autoresponder services offer this feature for you.

You can also do things like...

- Get your subscribers to "approve" mailings from you.

- Authenticate yourself as a legitimate mailer when you receive a "response challenge" from protection services such as Spam Arrest.

- Use alternative formats of your email messages such as "downloadable email messages" in PDF format.

3. READ. When your emails successfully arrive at the inboxes of your subscribers, another task awaits - getting them to actually open your message and read it.

This is going to depend upon your "subject line". It is paramount that your subject line be intriguing enough to convince your readers to stop what they are doing and take a look inside.

One way to get this done is to create a swipe file of email subject lines that have convinced YOU to read the messages and then modify those subject lines for your own use.

Ex. I received an email that had the subject line of "This affiliate tip is almost too easy" that caught my attention and forced me to read the associated message.

This subject line could easily be used in a variety of different niches...

- This dieting tip is almost too easy
- This time management tip is almost too easy
- This marriage saving tip is almost too easy

4. RESPOND. When you have convinced your subscribers to open your email message and read its contents, the only remaining "task" is to get them to respond.

You want them to take action. Click a link. Go somewhere. Ultimately, spend money with you.

The only way you'll be able to do this is follow a simple catch phrase I've been teaching for years: "useful, but incomplete".

It simply means this: your messages must provide content that is useful to your subscribers (otherwise, they'll unsubscribe faster than you can say "oops"!), but is also "incomplete" in that there is some additional offer that could enhance or maximize that content.

Ex. You might write an article that shares "7 Ways to Profit With Autoresponders" to send to your list. That's "useful" information to those who are interested in that particular topic. It's also "incomplete" because they need an autoresponder service to put the information into action. That's your cue to promote your recommended autoresponder service.

See how it works?

If you want to pad your wallet with profits by using opt-in lists, this is how you do it:

Get people to do these four things

- Request
- Receive
- Read
- Respond

This is a system that has never failed, will never fail. I've used it. Others have used it.

Now, it's your turn to use it.

About The Author:

For the first time, ever, Jimmy D. Brown is sharing his simple, yet powerful 6-step system that will show you how to grow your list, provide your readers with the content they crave and start making more money than you ever expected from your list. Then visit http://www.ListProfitSystem.com

I Hate Writing Articles - There Must Be A Better Way?!

By Trey Thomas

If you own, run or maintain an Internet business, you probably need articles to provide you with content for your website. Users are always looking for information and if your site can
provide that information, you'll drive more traffic to your site, boosting business for you.

Articles provide many benefits, but perhaps the most important thing they do is to place your site high in page rankings for search engines. This happens because your articles have keywords in them that are relevant to your site. Therefore, when someone does a search for the information they're looking for, your site is more likely to come up if you use relevant keywords.

In addition, articles are a way to link your site to another site or newsletter. Visitors appreciate quality content, and if you have it, you are much more likely to be asked to link your site to many other sites, increasing your exposure. This also increases confidence and trust levels in your company and web site, which drives more customers and traffic to you.

If your site has quality articles, it's also likely to get more exposure because visitors to your site will tell their friends and family to visit your site for the information you provide. This drives more traffic to your site and in addition, provides you bigger sales of whatever product you're selling because those who visit your site trust and believe in you. Your products and services will also be much easier to sell when customers know that you are experienced with your particular area of expertise and know what you're talking about.

In short, articles are very important to your site and to your business. You need them to keep ahead of the game and in addition, you need to keep providing new ones. One dilemma, though, is that many people don't like writing articles.

Most web site owners would rather spend their time on their business. Unless your company is large, you probably don't have the necessary resources to have a pool of writers specific to your company. In addition, plagiarizing or copying other articles is frowned upon as well. Also, this is illegal, and it can definitely get you into trouble. At the very least, it puts you in a bad light and will make your customers question your honesty if they find that plagiarism existing on your site.

Therefore, what are your other options? You might not know that you can actually get free articles. These articles exist in the public domain and here, articles are available without fear of breaking copyright law.

Public domain articles are given freely to the public for their use. You can do whatever you want with them. You can place them on your site without giving credit to the original author or authors, and although it makes you look very professional (and, in fact, is probably the most ethical thing to do) to name the original author rather than taking credit for it yourself, you
don't have to. Keep in mind, though, that you'll need to choose articles that are very relevant to your site and therefore, many articles in the public domain may not be appropriate; many
articles in the public domain have had their copyright lapse, meaning that they were written long before the Internet even existed. Therefore, you have to be careful that whatever free articles you choose pertain specifically to your site.

Of course, with public domain articles, your competitors will have access to those articles as well. Therefore, readers will probably instantly know that these articles are not yours, since they've seen them in various other places. In this case, simply rewriting them to make them original is a little bit easier than developing an article from scratch, but still provides you with original content.

Another bonus of rewriting articles is that you can make sure you optimize them for keywords particular to your site, which the original article or articles probably will not have.

In short, even with public domain articles, rewriting them to make them original is the best way to go. It also is a good idea to write your own original content. If you truly cannot write for yourself, you can hire a freelance writer or writers to do that for you for relatively little expense. The investment you make in these articles is worthwhile because you hold copyrights to them and can use them in any way you wish. You'll also be able to optimize them for keywords right from the start. Simply put, if articles build your business, you'll likely not find them as distasteful to write as you might have at the beginning, before they drew traffic your site and therefore made your business more successful because of them.

About The Author:

Trey Thomas is a frequent contributor to PLR Article Source. He is also the co-author of the popular new eBook. "Article Marketing For Content & Profit". Discover this hottest new trend in making astonishingly large incomes in Internet Marketing. You can get a complimentary copy at: http://PLR-ArticleSource.com

MP3 Books: The Digital University For Busy People

By Lu Smith

Time schedules are packed solid these days for most of us. Can you easily set aside time for some old-fashioned reading? Bet it's a chore to do it. Yet, without reading any books, learning's put on the proverbial back burner. Have you been missing fun and entertainment reading, too?

There is a solution to this problem. MP3 books and the progress in computer technologies are here to help all of us who crave to be well-read regardless of time demands.

Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy and other top business speakers of America have mentioned the phrase "university on wheels" in their presentations countless times. First, the hidden magic behind the phrase doesn't sink in at all. "So what, there's nothing new or revolutionary about it," you may say. But, once you give it deeper attention, there opens a new world of possibilities.

And it all happens effortlessly over relatively a short period of time.

What the top speakers are referring to is the powerful value you get from listening to professional recorded books while driving to and from work every morning.

You see, instead of "wasting" as many as 2 or often more hours every single day while commuting to work; now you have a choice that can swiftly change your life.

Some people turn on the radio while driving to work and spend the time listening to music or the news. There's nothing wrong with that.

Now, though, here is a fact worth considering.

Did you know that just by listening to various quality recorded books every morning, as you commute to work, can help you turn into an expert on that topic within a short period of time?

It's like going through a private university without the financial and have-to-attend-lectures needs.

Worth considering, isn't it? Especially with the flexibility recorded books offer.

I know the idea might not make sense to you just yet, but stay with me while I try to explain why I said that.

Think about it, in some university degree programs, students spend no more than 10 hours weekly attending their lectures. And after a few years they get their degrees framed on the
wall.

And what do they mostly do during these 10 hours each week?

You guessed it - they mainly "listen" to their lecturers to be able to write their exams.

Many people miss this fact. You can get the same value from just listening to the right audio books. And that's in the field or area of expertise you want to learn about minus writing the exams.

I realize that no university will give you a degree certificate after you have completed your chosen recorded books. But as they say, knowledge is power. And specialized knowledge put to good use is the winning ticket of how to get ahead in today's world.

Did you know there are certain professional audio book programs that will give you exams after completing their training programs... and will give you a certificate for passing their course?

Many such certificates can be used in certain places to give evidence of your expertise in that area.

You turned a specialized expert in what interests you? And all the transformation occurred while you were driving and barely noticed it?

In that case, why would you continue to "waste" valuable time on your daily commute? As they say, you can "kill 2 birds with one stone" by using the same hours to learn a new skill. How about a new business idea, a new profession perhaps?

To start, ask yourself what new skill or expertise you'd love to learn. When you've picked a few topics of interest, hop online and search for recorded books or MP3 books you'd like to start with.

Once you grab them, you can start your "university on wheels" program next time you drive to and from work.

Recorded books come in downloadable MP3 formats, on CDs, or cassettes. Today's brilliant technologies give you choices hard to ignore.

Come to think of it, even if you don't drive to work, you can easily do it. Grab a portable CD, cassette or Mp3 player and still benefit from your "digital university on wheels" program `cause audio books can go with you anywhere - anytime. The "wheels" can even be the ones on your rollerblades, bicycle, or a skateboard.

Become an expert on any topic through the transformational power of MP3 books. The process of how to do it is simple. All you need to do is to follow through on your decision to become one. You'll be amazed what recorded books can do for you.

About The Author:

Lu Smith shares with you hard-to-find MP3 books about business, finance, self-help, relationships,dieting, humor and more. Listen to samples and download free recorded books right now at http://www.mybigaudio.com

Adwords Killer Review - My Adwords Killer Case Study

By John Stason

Adwords Killer is another very popular Adwords guide that hit the market recently. This is my unbiased and critical Adwords Killer Review that will tell you exactly what you will find inside - and what you won't.

Unless you have been living under a rock you know that there are dozes of Adwords Guides out there. All of them promise you that you can make a fortune. What I don't like is that you keep reading the same stuff over and over - sometimes basics that you could get for free on the tutorial pages of Google Adwords.

Other Adwords books that I had previously bought include Google Cash, Adwords Miracle, Affiliate Project X, Day job killer, Adwordelite and The Definitive Guide to Google Adwords by Perry Marshall. If you add up the price for all of them you know I spent a lot of money.

So my million dollar question really is: Does Adwords Killer offer any new tricks or strategies that you haven't seen yet in any other guides or is it just the usual stuff (Split-testing ads, Tight ad-grouping etc.)?

Adwords Killer has 81 pages and it does cover some of the basics, but the major part of the guide consists of new and innovative tactics that cannot be found in other books. Maybe that's because the other authors preferred to keep those tricks for themselves - maybe it is because they were not aware of them. I don't know.

So what does Adwords Killer cover what other Adwords Guides don't?

Negative Keywords

This is one of the highlights of the book. Everybody tells you to include the negative keyword -free in your ads. Adwords Killer goes far beyond that. The author gives you a comprehensive list of 47 negative keywords that have statistically proven to make campaigns unprofitable. Most of
them I had never considered. But once you think about it - it seems so obvious. He also tells you exactly when and how to use negative keywords and how to avoid a common mistake many people make when using negative keyword phrases consisting of more than one word.

Campaign Tuning

Campaign Tuning means you constantly improve your campaigns to make them better and more profitable over time. This is something that others don't mention at all - although the very
popular Adwords Miracle does tell you a little about campaign tuning but not enough.

Adwords Killer tells you how to use advanced keyword tracking using log files - which only applies if you have your own landing page - and how to know if a campaign has reached its maximum profit potential. This is something that really made me totally turn around some of my campaigns. One of my campaigns that was losing money before now makes $25 each and every day.

CPC Kill Technique for Campaign Defense

Recently certain Adwords products have started to show you how to nuke or steal other people's campaigns. Adwords Killer is the first guide to show you how to protect an evil advertiser from stealing your keywords and attacking your campaign. This will become more and more important since too many advertisers out there just try to spot a profitable niche and then just copy your ad. The CPC Kill Technique tells you exactly how to keep other advertisers out of a niche that you have occupied and that you want to keep it for yourself.

Site Targeting Secrets

This was completely new for me. I must admit that I had always switched off the content network, like most of the other gurus said and focused only on keyword targeting. This section alone for me was worth the price of Adwords Killer many times over since it tells you exactly how to use the site targeting feature to make a $10 per day campaign into a $50 per day campaign. The good thing: As with site targeting there is almost no competition out there yet, so up to this point this is easy money.

Bidding Secrets and Position Preference

Adwords Killer shows you a method to outbid any competitor only spending the minimum amount of cash. More important it shows you how to use the position preference feature from Adwords (rarely used by anyone) to maximize your conversions. Yes, I knew that it was no good to be in the number one position for a keyword, because you get too many people who click out of curiosity but don't buy. What surprised me was the exact position your ad should be in to get fewer clicks but much higher conversions.

I would recommend Adwords Killer if you are already a little familiar with Google Adwords and are looking for more powerful tactics to boost your profits or if you currently have some Adwords campaigns running that are unprofitable. If you are a total newbie, don't buy this book - if you are already familiar with Adwords - Adwords Killer will turn you into an experienced
Adwords advertiser that 99% of other advertisers cannot compete with. Even if you are very experienced like I am Adwords Killer will have some tricks that you didn't know. Applying only one of them can pay the price of the book many times over.

The use of these advanced tactics is what can separate a winning campaign from a losing one and an affiliate marketer who makes some money from an Adwords Pro who makes a killing.

Honestly I would not want to compete in a niche with another advertiser who uses the tricks laid out in Adwords Killer. Get it here: http://www.adwordkiller.com

About The Author:

The author is an experienced Adwords advertiser and book author. To learn how to set yourself apart from 99% of other Adwords Advertisers and how to kill your competition visit: http://www.adwordkiller.com

The Top 10 Mistakes Made By Email Marketers & How You Can Avoid Them

By Vinai Prakash

Email marketing isn't new or complex. Yet we see the same mistakes being made over and over again by the marketing executives, sales professionals and owners of small businesses.

They are not able to reap the rewards of email marketing and abandon this potent channel of marketing too early. This is a lose-lose situation for your and your prospects.

If done properly & correctly, email marketing is a very effective medium to generate new leads, and build regular contact with your customers and prospects. It can easily help you generate new sales and meet your targets.

Take care of these top 10 mistakes and you are on your way to new sales!

1. Underestimating current customer list - This is by far the biggest mistake I see. Marketers just disregard their current customer list, and leave money on the table. Even worse, most have no systematic way of capturing their customer's email and contact details in a common list. They are always on the lookout for a fresh list, a competitor's list, or anyone else list, except building and nurturing their own list.

A consolidated customer email list can be easily used to market new products to existing customers or to get repeat orders if done regularly and consistently. Existing customers have seen your product and service before, they know you, and are more likely to buy from you again.

In a study, it was found that all things being equal, people would do business with those they know already. So why waste your list?

2. No specific target - One big, long message for everyone is no longer smart or effective. Nothing works this fast way. Now the trend is to do personalized, 1 to 1 marketing. If your standard message is for all prospects in all industries, chances are that it does not address anyone needs.

It is best to send several small, targeted emails to focus groups, which you can track to see what works in which industry, and who opened which mail. With this powerful arsenal, you can focus your efforts on those chosen few to spend your time upon, and generate sales with a much bigger ROI.

3. Using cheap lists - Using 300,000 emails from a $100 CD is bound to fail. These email addresses are mostly defunct, and most are acquired through snooping and email extraction from forums and websites.

Most will not be from your target market anyway. Just sending a blatant marketing message is a sure-fire way to get yourself banned from major Internet Service Providers. Anti-spamming laws are catching fast in most countries, so beware of such tactics.

You can either buy a good list of your target group from reputed list brokers, or start compiling your own house list of all past and current prospects, customers, vendors, suppliers, contractors to market to them.

4. No system to measure response - Most marketing departments just continue to send out message after message: No measurement of ROI, no evaluation of efforts, and no mechanism to evaluate the response of past messages. No wonder such efforts hardly bring in any results or prospects.

A systematic measurement system is very important. With emails, you can tag each and every link, email account and email sent, so that when it is opened or clicked, you can immediately know who is interested, who is keen to buy, what product, and how eagerly.

With a good measurement system in place, you can call those few that spent time with your message, or on your website, and by knowing their browsing behavior, you can customise future messages for them. Market something that they have shown interest on, and you are closer to another sale.

5. No clear goal or strategy - Start with the right goal and marketing strategy. Your first goal should be to establish trust and credibility within your target market.

Secondly, get the prospect interested enough in what you are selling, so that they are willing to give you their contact information, and trust you to provide them with more information.

Thirdly, your marketing message should be sent out regularly so that the prospect expects it, waits for it, and it shows to them that you are consistent, reliable, and trustworthy.

Remember, marketing exists to generate leads, prospects and help Sales and Delivery teams to close the deals, & not for any other purpose. So focus, and strategize on these lines.

6. Marketing folks don't have time to update anyone about their initiatives - Most of the time, the services folks, the receptionist and other employees of the company are not even aware of what marketing is up to.

So when a prospect calls the office to talk about the offer made in the email, neither the receptionist has a clue, nor the employee from the service department. None has seen the email, and have no idea who to refer this prospect to. They route the calls from one department to another. Here goes another lost sales...

Marketing efforts need to be integrated over the entire organization, and everyone should understand the need and importance of what's going on.

7. Marketing message is inconsistent - Many marketing firms just send out a message, without making sure that it is consistent with the other company collateral. It is not even properly linked to the company's website, and does not incorporate the complete office address, telephone, fax, contact information.

Just giving an email address is not sufficient to build trust and prove that yours is a genuine offer. Make sure you provide full contact information from all the various channels, and don't hide it in fine print. Make it big enough to read without squinting.

8. Boring marketing message or Ad copy - A long repetitive message is no way to capture the prospects attention. You can't watch a boring movie even if you paid for the tickets, so who is going to read your unasked for marketing email if you are not even addressing the problem.

Most messages spend countless paragraphs talking about what they offer, their products, services, and me, me, me. There's nothing in the message to catch the reader's attention. You need to talk about the problems faced by your target market, their industry, and their issues.

Once you establish a bond by acknowledging that you know about their problems, they will be more amenable to your message, and products.

9. Dropping prospects half way - It is a proven fact that a new prospect will take an average of 5-7 different interactions before they build enough trust on you, your company and your products or services before thinking of buying from you.

So if you drop prospects after meeting them once or twice, thinking that they are not qualified or do not seem interested, you are losing sales too quickly.

Continuing to hand hold them and stay in constant contact will help you in the long run, as you will be familiar to the prospect. People love to do business with people they know, and not strangers. Email is the most cost-effective way to stay in touch.

10. Not interested in educating the prospect - The marketers are so focused on sales, that they do not spend enough time with their prospects to educate them. Remember that if you service a prospect well, they will most likely convert to a paying customer sooner or later.

Have patience. Use email to market to them regularly with information, education, free offers etc. until they build enough trust to buy from you.

Conclusion:
Email marketing has been proven time and again, if done correctly. Big companies like IBM, Amazon, HP are using it effectively, and smaller companies are catching up fast in understanding its marketing reach.

With its lows cost, and effectiveness, email marketing helps to build long term relationships with your target audience. Use it wisely, and ye shall reap its rewards!

To your success in Email Marketing,

About The Author:

Do you want to learn How to Market Any Product or Service Using Email Marketing? Click here: http://www.email-marketing-guide.net/email_marketing_lessons?sid=isn
Vinai Prakash provides consultancy and training on Email Marketing. Visit at http://www.brandrich.com

What Can Dora The Explorer Teach Us About Home Business?

By Kimberly Gingras

As a mom of two young children, I have seen more than my share of children's television programs. However, one of my favorites has to be "Dora the Explorer." Dora teaches children how to count and say words in Spanish, about patterns and matching, and so many other things. Interestingly enough, the "Dora the Explorer" program can also teach adults many things about home business! I will illustrate this by discussing the three main characters.

DORA - Dora has many great characteristics, but her sense of adventure is what strikes me most. She has explored more places and done more things than anyone could ever imagine. Even though difficult situations arise from time to time, she does not let her fear control her life. She has faith in her abilities, no matter what challenges lie ahead. She sets goals for herself, and uses "Map" to plan her journey. She then sees things through from start to finish, and does not give up until she achieves her goal. In this way, she is also an awesome leader to her pal, Boots.

How does this relate to home business? Whether you are searching for a business idea, starting a new business, or already have your own business, adventure is involved. It can be both exciting and scary at the same time. It can feel like you are exploring an unknown land. As a
result, you will come across challenging situations and even be fearful at times. But whether you succeed or fail, will depend on if you let these situations control you or you instead take control of them. As well, being able to get past your fears will allow you to accomplish things you never thought possible. And once you get past the challenges and fears, you will find yourself on many journeys. As the saying goes, life is a journey and not a destination. To me, this means that life
stops having meaning when you feel that you have "arrived." Business is all about learning and growing. In order to grow, you need to be able to set goals so you know what you want to achieve with your business. This will allow you to evaluate whether you are advancing or not. It is also necessary to be an effective leader to others that work with you. You all want to work towards accomplishing a common goal.

BOOTS - He is Dora's loyal sidekick. He is also her support team, and provides input to Dora on situations. He does not complain about the task that lies ahead. He shares a common goal and vision with Dora.

How does this relate to home business? In business, you want to find someone who is there for you every step of the way. You want someone who is willing to travel the extra mile with you, even during difficult times. You want that person to lift you up instead of dragging you down. Therefore, it is important to associate with like-minded people who share common interests and goals. For example, it does not make sense to seek the advice of someone who is not where you want to be in life.

SWIPER - He is the mischievous fox that is always trying to keep Dora and Boots from reaching their goals. Swiper is sneaky. He sneaks up suddenly when they least expect him, and tries to foul up their plans.

How does this relate to home business? Swiper represents all the things that can go wrong when you have your own business. Many people give up and never realize their goals and dreams. That is because there are mischievous people, who are like Swiper the Fox, who get in the way. They want to see you fail, and will say and do anything to keep you from getting ahead. It is known as "crab-in-the-bucket mentality." One crab is trying to get out of the bucket, and all the other crabs in that same bucket keep pulling that one crab down. In addition to mischievous people, you will also run into challenging situations that occur when you least expect them. The difference between success and failure though, is how you deal with all of these people and the situations that arise.

In summary, Dora, Boots, and Swiper can teach adults a lot about home business. So the next time your children ask you to sit down with them to watch a television program, do so. You just never know what other business pointers you might learn!

About The Author:

Kimberly Gingras is a mom of two young children. She runs more than one business out of her home, and teaches people how to earn an income from their homes too. For more information and to receive a FREE E-BOOK on how to have a successful home business, visit
http://research.ownanewbusiness.com

What's The Infomercial Marketing Secret For Increased Website Sales?

By Jo Han Mok

If you have ever, and I do mean EVER been surfing through the television channels after midnight any day of the week, you've seen this sneaky little bugger hard at work inside all those crappy infomercials.

These guys, or gals, really want you to buy a copy of their product. So they'll sweeten the offer up for you to drive that fact home and straight to your credit card or bank account. After all, they are in the business to "Make Money", right?

And, if they've already piqued your curiosity, see Dirty Tricks Volume I, then they know that you're interested in what they're attempting to sell you. So they try and make the deal better on your end.

That's when they really kick their selling into high gear by offering you some out-of-this-world bonuses worth -insert any dollar amount here- absolutely 'Free!' Cue flashing text.

Now I know you're probably thinking, "Shucks, I'd never fall for that kind of garbage!". Hmm, how many products "have" you bought from television ads? If you say none, well then congratulations! You are immune to this dirty trick. Way to go! And if you aren't immune, don't worry about it. I would bet that almost 98% of people aren't either.

The really cool thing about this dirty little monster is that it MAKES you want to buy their original product, even if you don't want or need it, just to get your hands on all those choice freebie gifts they'll give you. And all for the cost of the original product price.

What a deal!

Yep. That's what they want you to be thinking. Sure, you may not like or need the product they're trying to sell you, but all those things you're getting for free pretty much makes it worth spending 30 bucks.

Plus, even if you only wanted the bonus items, they still sucked you in to buying the original product to get your hands on them.

Internet Marketers use this one religiously too. Don't let 'em sneak it past you. Remember last time you signed up for that free report or ebook? And then after you filled out the form you were magically whisked away to a page that let you know you would be receiving an email to confirm you wanted to be included on their list? 'Cause that's the only way you could get the freebie?

What else was on there? Did you notice that there was probably either an ad for another product, we in the Internet Marketing world call this an "upsell", or a special offer that you would only see that one time, again, called a, what else, "one time offer"?

Or how about when another internet marketer releases a new product and one of their affiliates will offer you a special "bonus" if you buy only from them? They will pack those bonuses to the gills with products that you may want, and probably will, even more than the main product that is being sold.

Aha! The light just went on didn't it?!

If you don't have something like this set up on your freebie giveaway offers, you had better start. Otherwise, you're missing out on profits my friend. And a super script that will help you set up these one time offers is, of course, One Time Offer.

I highly recommend using this dirty trick for anyone trying to sell anything. Ever!

About the Author:

Jo Han Mok is a #1 bestselling author and frequent featured speaker at Internet Marketing bootcamps and conferences. Visit his website for a simple step-by-step plan to profit online in 21 days or less! http://www.SuperFastProfit.com

Is Making Money Online As Easy As It Sounds?

By Carol King

According to many websites and advertisements making money online is very easy to do. It seems that wherever one turns these days someone is trying to convince the masses how easy it is to earn an extra income. If you are a subscriber to a newsletter you will no doubt have received many emails from the gurus telling you that this product or that software is the next best thing to owning your own atm.

Terms like `avalanche of cash,' `floods of traffic' and `mountains of moolar' are thrown around like Frisbees. Unfortunately there are hundreds of people out there who see these ads and fall for the million dollar sales copy. The so-called gurus make it sound so easy it seems so simple. Spend a few minutes in any marketing forum and you will see dozens of people complaining about how they signed up for this or that program a week ago and want to know why they have not made enough money to retire yet.

So who's to blame for the 95% failure rate of online businesses? The old saying (There are two sides to every story) definitely applies here. Lets break it down into to categories.

The Consumers

These are the regular Joes looking for ways to make extra money. One of the reasons for the high failure rate is attitude. It may sound like an over simplification of a large problem but the evidence is clear. The average person surfing online wants to make money. In these times the modern culture is one of impatience. We know what we want and we want it now! Consequently if someone is ordering a burger they want it to their required standard as quickly as possible and unfortunately many people feel the same about starting an online business.

More often than not the attitude adopted is all-wrong from the start. Therefore the reason for failure is not that the business does not work, it's the owner that does not work. The business owner went into the program with the wrong attitude i.e. expecting to be turning a profit within a couple of weeks so the work needed to grow the business was not put in. Almost everything else in life comes so quickly it is expected that profiting from a business will happen quickly as well.

The Marketers

There are far too many unscrupulous so-called marketers online literally lying through there teeth to make money. These are the guys that exaggerate beyond all comprehension. All over the Internet ads that claim you can make ($1000 in the next fifteen minutes) can be seen. These are the few that make it difficult for the majority by making promises that they cannot possibly keep.

Thankfully not all marketers are the same and the good do outweigh the bad. There are those who try to educate people as well as market to them. Educating consumers is vital. Any good marketers understands that it is imperative to get their visitors to fully understand what they will be getting into when they begin their businesses.

So. Who really is to blame for the high failure rate of Internet marketers? Honestly the fault lies with both consumers and markers. Building a strong profitable online home business takes time and a great deal of work. Do not fall for the hype. If it were that easy everyone would be rich and getting sun tanned on private secluded beaches.

If you are looking for ways to earn money fast, do not look online. Internet marketing is an industry just like any other, it must be learnt before it can be applied. If you are not willing to take the time and money needed to learn then it is not for you. Oh yes, money, do not think because a business is online it will be free to start-up and maintain. No business online will last without advertising. There are some great free ways to get exposure but at the same time there are some advertising techniques that are extremely powerful but costly.

The key to starting a business is to do some research, get as much information as possible before joining or parting with your money. Most importantly understand that becoming successful takes time, perseverance, determination and just a little luck.

About The Author:

Carol King-The Home Biz Lady is a part time Internet marketer, who is dedicated to helping others and providing the best information on Internet marketing. Take a look at Carol King's Top choices for online home business opportunities on the HomeBiz-KnowHow Blog at
http://www.HomeBiz-KnowHow.Blogspot.com

Email Marketing As A Form Of Internet Marketing

By Michael Molloy

When it comes to internet marketing when you are working at home there are a variety of ways to reach potential customers. One of these methods is by way of email marketing. Email marketing is a form of internet marketing that works very well. Email marketing is cost effective and it is a way of being creative and innovative with your audience. Let's take a look at the five steps to making email marketing work for your home-based business.

Step one is to cultivate as many names of prospective customers as you can as well as email addresses and from here you can start to build an email list. As time goes on you may be able to gather more information from those who show an interest in your business. As well encourage individuals to become a part of your email list from the website you created especially for
your business.

Step two is to devise a plan by establishing what goals you have for working from home. What do you wish to accomplish by way of email marketing? In most cases it is to have good communication and rapport with customers and clients but pinpoint for yourself exactly what your goals are.

Step three is to decide how often you will send out emails and on what days. Many companies find that email marketing is very effective on a weekly basis. Experiment by sending emails out on different days of the week and at different times of the day and pay attention to the responses you get. For example send an email on Thursday morning or Saturday evening or Tuesday afternoon. You decide the frequency just don't make it too often but don't let too much time elapse between each email to customers either.

Step four involves choosing the format as well as what content you will send out to interested parties. An online newsletter is a conventional form of internet marketing that works well but so is other things such as announcements about your at home business, updates during the holidays, coupon promotions and special-offer promotions.

Step five is a very easy one- have fun with what you have created. Working at home is an endeavour that should open doors and should bring you much joy. As a form of internet marketing, email marketing should be fun. If you like share drawings and photos of yourself and your family with your subscribers and educate your customers about your home-based business. Talk about whatever you feel is relevant and will keep your customers coming back for more.

About The Author:

Michael Molloy shows you how. To learn more visit http://www.steps2victory.com

Ebooks And Growing Residual Income

By Scott Lindsay

From a consumer's point of view the cost of ebook purchases are undeniably less expensive than their paper counterpart. Many of these ebooks can be downloaded to portable devices allowing consumers to read the material virtually anywhere they go.

Mainstream publishers have caught the vision and have provided several high profile titles as ebook downloads. Some established authors are testing the waters by making new titles available exclusive by ebook download. This very action helps us understand the belief that ebooks may well be the maverick future of publishing.

Whether you have a work that is non-fiction and knowledge-based or a work of fiction, the self-distribution of your manuscript as an ebook allows you the greatest return on investment while giving you maximum control over the creative direction of your manuscript.

Another benefit comes in the worldwide availability of the ebook. You do not have to worry about the book making it to brick and mortar stores because it can be purchased and downloaded by anyone with an Internet connection.

Some authors have moved forward with traditional publishing techniques and find they either lose some control over the direction of the manuscript or, if they self-publish, they are saddled with significant upfront costs as well as warehousing issues.

The development of an ebook is a fraction of the cost of self-publishing while enabling the author to receive similar or greater returns.

The use of an ebook reseller allows you to release your creative work and permit someone else the opportunity to resell your work and account for the payment of all downloads. It should be noted there is typically a fee associated with this service, but for many, the hands-free nature of the service makes it an attractive proposition.

This situation also provides a means of moving forward with new manuscripts without the need to deal with managing the sale and distribution of your completed works.

Ebooks have become a solid means of achieving home-based business success. There are reports of many successful ebook businesses that have supplied their owners with enough money to pay the majority of their monthly bills without the need for constant oversight. Essentially these entrepreneurs are finding ebooks are a perfect compliment to other passions or interest these owners may have in business.

Many web-based entrepreneurs have discovered that income derived from a residual source (like ebook sales) is a prime component to a feeling of freedom when there is a need to take some time away from a home-based business.

About The Author:

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of HighPowerSites and many other web projects. Get your own website online in just 5 minutes with HighPowerSites at: http://www.highpowersites.com. Start your own ebook business with BooksWealth at: http://www.bookswealth.com

How To Convert Every Visitor To Your Website Into A Subscriber

By Gerald Mason

If a person visits your website and leaves, chances are that he or she will not come back, especially if there are no compelling reasons to do so. After all, we all behave rather impulsively on the Internet, so much so that we can easily forget where we were 10 web pages ago.

But the bottom line is that your visitor may not come back to your website again. If 1,000 visitors visit your website, leave and never come back again, you can imagine the amount of potential revenue lost, simply because they do not come back. You could have converted a fraction of the visitors into your customers.

Some may say that creating unique content can keep some of the visitors coming back, but very often, unique content is not the solution. The real, long-term solution lies in converting your visitors into subscribers of your mailing list.

Before your visitor leaves your website, you want to convert him or her into your subscriber via a simple opt-in to your mailing list. You do this by asking for your visitor's name and email address through your opt-in form.

And if your visitor signs up to be on your mailing list, you can still follow up with him via email. You can get your subscriber to consider your offer, or endorse another offer to him or her.

All in all, you want to convert as many visitors into subscribers as possible and obtain the potential revenue you rightfully deserve - the easy, wise way.

Another way is to use a virus to attract and keep visitors to your site.

Think about how a virus spreads from on person to another.

One person gets sick and just by sneezing they can give the virus to many more people. Those people get sick and share their germs with everyone they know and the next thing anybody knows is that there is an epidemic.

That is the very concept of viral marketing. The idea is to get everyone to spread your marketing message around because they want to.

Now let's look at using an E-book to start your viral marketing campaign.

First you create an E-book. a really good one that has links to your website, to your sales page and affiliate links to products and services that you recommend. and you give it to three people. In the book you encourage those three people to give it to their friends and family.

Before you know it the E-book is spreading across the Internet like wild fire.

Digital information duplicates easily and quickly so before you know it, thousands of people could be reading your free E-book.

Make certain that you let people know that they have permission to forward the E-book around the Internet.

When you create the E-book, you have the right to give people certain rights. One of those rights could be that you allow them to give the book to other people. Make it clear that this book is free to give away.

About The Author:

Find out how you can build a large list very fast: http://www.7dollarsecrets.com/?=geri_mason@ntlworld.com

Tips For Launching Your Bricks And Mortar Business Onto The Web

By Gabriel Adams

It doesn't matter if you are a small firm offering computer parts to local businesses or sell clothes to a wide range of international consumers, launching your bricks and mortar venture across the Internet will most definitely work in your favor. Before you can increase the awareness and interest in your business, there are a few things you should consider, which will make this transition into the World Wide Web much easier. Below you will find a few tips to get you started:

1) Assess Potential Start-Up Costs

Before you commit to creating an online presence, you should be aware of all start-up costs, which for some may seem quite intimidating. Website design doesn't usually cost an arm and a leg and if you possess any creative skills, the final total will be much lower. For the average start-up site, costs are often seen between $500 and $1000. Websites also require a hosting company, which could cost about $20 to $30 per month. Those following a tight budget can find less expensive substitutes in all areas of website design, hosting, and maintenance; it just might take a little longer to locate.

2) Offer Up-to-Date Information

Since customer service is handled across the Net, it is important to keep all website information up-to-date and easy-to-find. For those who need additional information before making a purchase, it is vital to offer alternative means of contact, such as email addresses, telephone numbers, and store address. Businesses with a direct customer service line are highly attractive to the curious consumer.

3) Consider Search Engine Optimization

Once your website is complete, you can optimize it for popular search engines, such as Google and Yahoo. It is quite common for some businesses to fall victim to submission scams trick unsuspecting webmasters in paying a fee for multiple search engine submission, so be careful of what services you use.

4) Request Reciprocal Links

Amplify your chances for increased traffic to your site by establishing a reciprocal link relationship with another website. For instance, if you sell fashionable dog outfits, you may seek out dog food companies and pet shops that might find interest in trading links. Some websites quickly climb the ranks of search engines because they possess a high number of reciprocal links.

5) Consider Common Website Traffic Tactics

Don't be afraid to explore website boosting tactics, such as cost per click search advertising to attract more visitors to your site.

6) Don't Forget the Little Things

In the rush and excitement to launch your business on the Web, don't forget the little details that are so very important. All bricks and mortar websites should display their company mission statement, contact information, map to business, and hours of operation.

About The Author:

Opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the view of http://www.familybusinessinstitute.com/ and http://www.familybusinessinstitute.com/sitemap/ which the author would like for you to visit.

Business Angels For Your Startup Business

By Carolyn Clayton

Setting up a new business can be a daunting prospect. There's the possibility of failure, and with it, the risk of losing the money you've invested in your company, as well as seeing all your months or even years of hard work go to waste. But, there's truth in the old saying, "nothing ventured, nothing gained." The biggest rewards accrue to those who not only have a vision for their business, but also are prepared to see it through and have the courage of their convictions.

Nonetheless, it can be hard finding sources of funding for a new business. In many cases, finding a business angel may be your best bet for sourcing capital to start up a new company. But, let's have a look at some of the other options available to you.

First and most obvious, you may have the available funds yourself. Depending on the level of risk, you may not feel comfortable dipping into your savings to fund a new business; this is a decision you will have to consider long and hard. However, if you feel able to use some of your savings to finance a startup, then so much the better.

Another option is to borrow money from family or friends. If you're doing this, the best and fairest way to get them on board is as investors, making sure that they have the chance to share in your success - but also warning them of the potential pitfalls. Make sure they are clear on the nature of the risk they are undertaking - many friendships have been broken down the years due to money. It's often a good idea to put your agreement in writing, just so there is absolutely no misunderstanding further down the line about the terms on which you borrowed the money. It's up to you to be honest about your chances of success and to give them all the information they need.

The second major type of financing is acquired by taking out a standard loan. This may be from your bank or another lender, and can include bank loans, overdraft facilities, or credit cards. Taking out one or several loans is not a bad idea, but you must make sure you're not taking on more debt than you can afford to repay.

Take a careful look at repayment terms and interest rates, and make sure you're getting the best possible deal before signing anything. Even if your fledgling business is doing well, excessive loan repayments can be a heavy drag on your profits, so do the sums beforehand, and make sure you can afford to repay the debt even in a worst-case scenario. You might also want to think about remortgaging your house, or other investment properties you may own. The same rules apply; make sure you don't take on more debt than you can afford to repay. Taking out a large loan or remortgage can force you to make an honest appraisal of your business plan; sometimes it can be just the reality check you need.

If you don't have any equity with which to take out a loan, then there is another option, called the Small Business Loan Guarantee scheme; it's a business loan 75% guaranteed by the
Government. You are required to contribute just 25% of the security, so this is an excellent option for anyone who doesn't have a huge amount of capital with which to set up their small business. However, it's worth noting that these loans do have an administration fee attached, and the rate of interest is normally relatively high - some 1.5 to 2.0% higher than base rate.

About The Author:

Angel Startups is an internet resource small business, start up companies, entrepreneurs, bankers, loan companies, venture capitalists and Business Start ups. http://www.angelstartups.com/articles/showarticles/
BusinessAngelArticles/1/BusinessAngelsforyourStartupBusiness.html

http://www.angelstartups.com/articles/showarticles/BusinessAngelArticles/
1/BusinessAngelsforyourStartupBusiness.html

How To Protect Yourself From Computer Hacking

By Joe Goertz

When the internet became the main source for information in the world, there have been those that have sought to gain illegal profit from such things. This is the way of the world and people all over the world are now the target of the many computer hackers that are around. Unlike the bulk of people who are living in the virtual world, these hackers seek to gain access to the personal and private information that one has stored on their computer.

With this information they will work to steal money, and the identity of the person. This is all done without having to leave the home and can be performed with a vast knowledge of how computers work. Many people believe that this sort of crime will never happen to them and that is not the case. The hackers of the world are very clever and work to make sure that they have access to the entire bulk of information on the internet and ways to use that information to their benefit.

The most common form of hacking is the password grabber. With this form you get a program that works to guess the password that you have set up on the many protected areas of the web. Lets say that you do all of your banking online and your bank protects your account by way of a username and password. The hackers will gain access to the user name in one way or another, most often by an intercepted email over a server that is not encrypted. With that they can then put into operation a password program that will guess hundreds of different combinations every hour until the machine has discovered the password.

They will then gain access to your bank and promptly drain it. The best way to protect yourself against such theft is to make sure that you use a password that is not specific to you, such as your birthday, and also make sure that it contains numbers along with the letters. The password software will not be able to gain access because it can only guess either letters or numbers, not a combination of both because the choices are way too vast to compute.

The other most common form of hacking is the direct email scam. These are often times referred to as spoof emails. The email will come in looking very official and proper from a company that you have an account with. Then the email will most likely tell you that your account has been suspended and you need to login to correct the problem. It will instruct you to click on a link to login and will take you to a page that looks exactly like the actual company page. Once you login you have given the hacker all of your account information.

The way to protect yourself in this case is to make sure that you are getting the email from the company. Most often you will find that these companies will never ask you to follow a link to login and they will never ask for your information in an email or other communication. Forward the emails to the company so they can start to track the problem and maybe shut the hackers down before someone falls victim.

About The Author:

Read more Computer related articles at: http://www.computers-mag.com

How To Market Your Home-based Travel Business

By Dawn Orbeck

Would you think marketing home based travel business is hard? It is not hard if your aims and objectives for your business are clear and precise.

Many people own businesses but success in business comes with 'systematic strategic planning'. Unfortunately, many people in business fail to be organized and hence, miss out on a lot in their business.

The info here is to help direct you in marketing strategies for home based travel business and how you can make a success of these marketing strategies.

First, in marketing your business, know your current rating in the market. Get feedback from customers as this well help you to know where you are. It will then be easy to start planning accordingly. If your current rating in the market is not too good, there is no need to be discouraged. Set the required goal for your business and be optimistic on your marketing strategies.

If you are right on the track with the rating for your business, then keep going ahead and exploring more on new ideas and planning to get to the point you want to achieve.

The marketing business is also about hitting the targeted audience. Keep a clear definition of your niche audiences. If you're targeted audience is businesses then have a full description of their location, industry, revenue, level and other characteristics that are important.

If the targeted audiences are consumers, you need to have full descriptions of their information such as sex, age, income level and other relevant attributes.

• If you have a professionally developed website, use the website address on your company letterhead, business cards and email signatures. This is one of the best ways to market your home based travel business.
• If your company has promotional items, like key chains, T-shirts, coffee mugs and so on, then the best thing to do is to have your web address printed on them.
• Make sure to mention your web address in press releases and anything related to media.
• Yellow pages are one of the other ways to reach your maximum target audiences. Do not forget to insert your web address in the yellow pages. There is a good chance to promote growth to your business this way.
• Create attractive ads for your business that will target the required audience. Ads are very helpful and they work in most cases. These ads can be put on the websites where there is high traffic, for example, Craigslist's back pages and many other websites.

In conclusion, marketing comes with implementing your strategies into action and achieving success. It is not difficult but it needs all the determination and confidence that you have.

About The Author:

Visit Dawn OrBeck at http://coastalvacations-blog.com for more info and at dawn@CoastalVacations-Blog.com or call: 810-895-4408. She also invites you to call their Sales Center to learn more today at: 800-378-1169 and mention ID# 5802DO for more info.

The Internet's Biggest Myth - Do You Believe It?

By Ben Holmes

We run across it all the time - and it is perfectly fitted to our greed.

The myth of easy wealth, Lazy Man's wealth, 'An hour a day' wealth, and so forth. This so perfectly matches our vision of what life should be, and because of this, it has the power to suck many people into its vision.

Very few marketers are capable of putting together a winning campaign based on telling you the truth - that making money on the Internet is going to take effort, knowledge, money, and time. Who would pay you to tell you how difficult it truly is? People want easy solutions, not someone telling them how likely it will be that they will fail!

Some marketers even feed on the 'back-end' of this myth... selling to people who've discovered that it's not quite as easy as they thought - with a new myth: You just haven't learned the 'simple trick' that those rich guys are hiding from you. This new myth feeds not only on the original greed, but on another powerful concept - envy.

Most people tend to lose sight of the basics of money. Money is nothing more than a convenient way to trade work.

If I'm a farmer, I don't want to trade my hard won grains or vegetables to someone who has sat on a couch all day long while he was out in the field working. He wants to trade his hard work for someone who is equally willing to work hard - perhaps to the carpenter who can fix his barn.

Society has also figured out a way for the poet to get his food, even if the farmer is illiterate. This is one of the secondary functions of money, to provide a way to gain the labor of others even if they don't directly benefit from your labor.

Now while I'm sure that there are some fancy-pants economists who are now engaged in laughter over my overly simplistic monetary concepts - it's time that someone states the simple truth - there is a meaning for money, and if you don't understand it, how do you expect to master it?

Why do people think that they can command the free labor of others? Of course, I perfectly realize the power that such an idea has - it's a very hypnotic idea... "Free" is such a powerful concept, and Internet marketers make the most of it! More power to 'em, I say - if you don't realize what you're spending your money on, then you simply don't value your own labor very highly. Nothing wrong with that - your money is yours to do with what you will...

But don't imagine that everyone feels that way. There's nothing you can purchase on the Internet that will instantly transform you into a millionaire. This is a lesson that many people learn only after spending for dream after dream. (The lottery works this way too!)

Now, are there smart ways to earn money? Certainly! One of the best concepts that can easily be applied on the Internet is the "work once, paid often" idea. Write an info product, and you'll spend time and effort doing so - but you'll sell the same "work" over and over again. Quite a bit different from getting paid to sell an automobile... after all, if you want to get paid -again-, you have to sell another automobile.

But this idea that you must have your own product, or that you must provide services (as an advertiser, for example) to someone else who holds a product, seems to get lost in the shuffle. Keep this concept in mind - if you want to earn money on the Internet - you must have labor to trade for it. Is it the labor of knowledge put into an infoproduct? Or the ability to put together a new service on the net? What- ever it may be - it's not the dreams that many marketers are selling you these days on the Internet.

About The Author:

Ben Holmes - Owns and runs a number of websites, learn about affiliate marketing at
http://www.cyberspacehomebusiness.com

Home Business Ideas Simply Need Germination

By Christos Varsamis

In order to be successful with a home business ideas will have to be new and innovative and in order for that to happen, your approach will have to innovative as well. There are many businesses out there offering opportunities for a home business, and while many be be good opportunities, the tried and true opportunities may be reaching their peak.

Carefully review your knowledge and abilities and determine what you do well and how it can be turned into a home business. Whether it will be strictly an online business or one, which is based from your home but you travel to meet with clients, your abilities will have to shine through any other aspect of running the home business.

For example, you are really good with your video camera, and have the technical knowledge, you could start a home business producing video podcasts for businesses. While most businesses will be really good at what they do, unless they are a video production studio, they may not have the knowledge to produce a video about their business or a new product. With the continued growth of video in advertising, opening a business's website with a promotional video can bring them added attention and being able to produce that video can bring you big business.

The company may not have the financial resources to hire one of the large production companies, but if you have taken and edited videos of weddings, which turned out well, it is one home business in a growing field you may want to consider.

In your spare time you may want to become an expert on internet marketing. Once you believe you know more than most businesses, open a home business offering internet marketing for websites. Most service-related companies will rely on internet marketing as most do not have a website, but those that do are always looking for ways to boost their internet presence.

If you are good at building websites, you might want to contact some of the service businesses. While a website may not produce any sales as a direct result, their internet presence that offer some company information could be used to let potential customers learn about the business and the owner before paying them a visit or making a call.

If you enjoy working in your wood shop in the basement, you should consider making some small crafts and selling them at flea markets and craft fairs. If you make special projects, have one display with signs indicating you take special orders. Be sure to have plenty of business cards to hand out. Cards can also be a niche for a home business. Connect with a local printer who can take your ideas and produce economical business cards and sell them to other vendors at the craft shows that you attend.

About The Author:

Christos Varsamis is the Creator & Publisher of http://www.proarticlesbiz.com

Basics Of Blogs And Blogging

By Chris Taylor

Have you heard other people talking on and on about their "blogs" while all you could do was smile and nod?

Yes, "blog" is a peculiar word, conjuring visions of mosquito-infested swamps, and you can't imagine why people would be eager to get more visitors to theirs.

But eager they are. In spite of the rather unfortunate name, blogs are the hottest things in communication since cell phones. Blogs are websites on which almost anybody can post information on almost any topic as often as they like. Blogs can be devoted to a single factual topic, or they can be the equivalent of personal diaries in which people record their private thoughts and observations about the world. The contents of a blog are limited only by the imagination of the blog's creator, or "author".

If you find the thought of your own blog appealing, and have an Internet-connected computer, here are some suggestions to help you both get a blog going and build an audience with whom you can share it:

First, choose a topic for your blog on which you will enjoy communicating, and prepare your material. You opinions on a subject are fine, as long as they are based on some underlying. There are always going to be those who know as much, about a topic as you, and if you want a credible blog, you need to be able to back up your statements.

Add some humor and personal experiences to your topic if you can. Writing a travel blog about places you have actually been, and about colorful locals whom you actually encountered, will
make much better reading than just posting facts and figures picked up from travel sites and TV shows. Offer material which will appeal to both novice travelers--like how to avoid pickpockets--and more seasoned ones--like the best undiscovered attractions in a specific destination.

Don't limit your blog to your own experiences. Keep it updated with news that might affect those interested in your subject. While your experiences can give people valuable insight, recognize that your opinions about what happened to you or about a specific product are, after all, just opinions. Give people factual information which they can weigh for themselves.

Keep you blog current. On the Internet, news can become old in a matter of hours, and what happened a month ago is ancient history. Telling people considering a trip to Thailand that Thailand experienced a coup last September will do nothing to help them decide about a trip next month. Updating them on the peaceful state of affairs in Thailand today, however, will.

Updating your blog will require a commitment from you. You'll need to establish a regular time to search for and write about fresh news, and get it posted. There'll be times when not much has happened, and there'll be times when you can't type fast enough. But two or three times a week are not too many to post something new. Even it it's only to tell your readers that not much has been going on, share a few thoughts, and tell your readers when to next check in for your next entry, make an appearance. Your audience will keep coming back as long as they know you are.

Keep you blog as simple as you can, without sounding like you don't have a complete grasp of your subject. You want to appeal to as many people as possible, and nothing will drive those newly interested in a subject away faster than lots of technical jargon and statistics. You can provide complex information, as long as you make the effort to put it in user-friendly terms.

Find a memorable name for your blog, and use your blog editing feature to post it in large, bold face type. "My Hiking Blog" will probably sound interesting only to Mom and Dad and only because you never write or call them while you're out adventuring. "Climbing through the Clouds" will appeal to those who either tackle the high places of the Earth, or want to.

Every so often, say, at the end of each month, archive your existing blog posts. Your blog editor will let you do this in a less than a minute. The entries will still be available for new blog readers who want to catch up, or those who want to reference your earlier writings. And list keywords for your archived work so that new traffic will be able to find its way to you.

Finally, make sure your blog is professionally presented. You have a spell checker, so use it. Proof-read your copy and correct any grammar or punctuation errors before you post your work. If you're not sure whether you are using a word properly, get help from an online dictionary. Respect your readers as intelligent, well-informed people who could just as easily spend their time elsewhere.

These suggestions may make your entry into the world of blogging more successful, but it's up to you to commit to building and keeping an audience.

About The Author:

Need to promote your blog on the search engines and get the word out about your new resource? Try our rss feed submission sites service today -
http://www.rss-feeds-directory.com/rss-feed-submission-sites-service.html
Copyright © Catdynamics - 2006.

Affiliate Marketing - Creating Residual Income

By Michael Harris

As you may already know, affiliate marketing is one of the quickest and easiest ways to make money from your own home based business.

The product is already created so there is no need for research and development. As the affiliate you have only to deal with the marketing end. Usually the merchant will even provide sales material for you.

This is great for fast profits, but what about the long term?

Think about this for a minute. The affiliate does all the work on getting interested prospects to the product sales page through their affiliate link. Hopefully the prospect buys and the affiliate gains the commission.

But what happens after that?

The affiliate must then repeat the process all over again to bring more prospects into their sales pipeline. All for a one off sale and commission.

This can turn into a costly proposition depending on the cost of getting the leads to the sales page and the conversion ratio of said sales page.

With that in mind, what can an affiliate do to increase their return on leads and qualified prospects?

Two things.

First, as an affiliate marketer in any niche you must set up your own lead capture page and build your own list of targeted prospects.

This can be done simply by using an autoresponder to capture names and email addresses that is set up with seven to ten follow up messages extolling the benefits of the product you are promoting.

Follow up is extremely important because studies have shown that most sales come after the seventh contact with the prospect.

Give away a free report or a review of the product as an enticement for the prospect to leave their information.

This way you can send endorsements of other related products as well if they don't like the original product.

Second, find membership sites or services to promote in your particular niche.

This is a truly spectacular way to maximize your advertising by gaining recurring income instead of a one-time sale.

Think about what is happening right now with cell phones. You can purchase a phone with all the bells and whistles - camera, Internet ready, text messaging - the works for very cheap. Heck, you can even find some going in a two for one deal.

So what is the catch?

You have to sign up for two years of service.

That is where they make their cash. The recurring income model.

That is what you, as an affiliate marketer, should be looking to promote.

It has been said that it is as easy to make $100 a day, as it is to make $5 a day. That is especially true when you already have money rolling in from previous sales.

By promoting services with a recurring monthly charge, you will set yourself up with a nice residual income.

About The Author:

Discover the "$100 A Day System" and put an extra $35,000 a year in your pocket.
http://www.onlinewealthsolutions.com/presents/residualincome

Aren't You Ready To Work At Home?

By Marilyn Katz

I'm not sure what my neighbors think, though I know they cast odd looks at me. They know I'm a single mom with kids to support, and they see me leave every morning to drop my kids off at school. However, as soon as I have my children distributed at their various schools, I turn right around and come home. My car sits parked in the driveway, and I leave for a few hours a week just to run an errand or meet friends for lunch. I am not wealthy, and I did not inherit money or receive a giant alimony settlement! I am responsible for supporting myself, and my kids in a decent neighborhood by good schools.

However, I was just determined to find a job or business I could perform from home, and after lots of work, trying many different things, I can finally say that I support myself from my home business!

It wasn't always this way. I used to scramble around the house before daylight, looking for paired socks and attempting to shove breakfast in my kids so we could get packed up for before
school care. Any interruption could almost reduce me to tears because I had to get them sqared away so I could begin an hour long commute to my own desk. My employer expected my to arrive by 8:00 a.m. Of course, I seldom met that expectation.

After work, I needed to be the first one out the door so I could beat traffic and arrive at after school care before it closed. Then, after a day of work, and a long commute, I could come home and attempt to come up with a balanced and satisfying meal, get my kids started on their homework, and make sure I had laid out things we would need for the next morning.

I felt like I was struggling to accomplish three people's jobs, and I didn't feel like I could give any area of my life the attention it deserved.

This may not describe your life. You may be one of those superwomen who thrive on activity from pre-dawn until post-dusk. Or you may have lots of support from family, so you aren't on your own. Maybe you won your state lottery! However, I think the situation that I had was very common. It is more common with single parents, but from my experience, one parent can find herself or himself with a huge share of the responsibility in married couples too.

Millions of people work at home now. Believe it or not, Apple Computers and Hewlett Packard were started in garages. Some individuals manage to work a deal to telecommute for their present employer, while job seekers are always looking for flexible job arrangements. Others take the route that I concentrated on, and begin their own business that can be
worked out of a home office. These days, you really only need a computer, telephone, and maybe a fax machine.

Online selling sites like EBay and Amazon have made it possible for many people to begin their own business on a shoestring. Others do affiliate marketing, or perform free lance work for companies who ask for it. Some job boards concentrate on finding recognized employers who are looking for employers or freelancers to work from their own home office. I researched and tested working at home, until I finally came up with the perfect fit for me!

Visit my blog at www.womanwork.net and follow my adventures, advice, and rants. You can also subscribe to my free reports there, and get specific tips to explore a half dozen real ways you can begin working from home!

About The Author:

Mar is a full time online marketer. She has dozens of projects going, but her favorite is
http://www.WomanWork.Net - dedicated to helping women with the important work we do! Subscribe to her free reports - Real Work At Home. http://www.womanwork.net/real-work-at-home/

Try Using Long Tail Keywords For Your Website Marketing Campaign

By Tom Niehoff

Like many website marketers, I use long tail keywords in many popular pay per click programs to drive targeted traffic to my websites. For those new to long tail keywords, a `long tail' is simply a keyword phrase that is very specific, and longer than your average keyword.

Let's say you have a website about credit repair. Here are a couple example keywords for that:

Credit repair
Credit repair online
Credit repair program
How do I repair my bad credit
How do I repair my bad credit score
Help with repairing my credit score

The first three keyword sets would probably be considered normal keywords, and the last three would be considered long tail keywords. Long tail keywords have several advantages, and some disadvantages:

Advantages:

- Highly targeted traffic. If the user searched for that particular phrase, they are ready to buy, and know what they want.

-A LOT cheaper bid prices. Not much competition on that keyword from other PPC users.

Disadvantages:

- Less traffic coming from those keywords.

- You have to come up with quite a few of these long tails to get much traffic on them.

Considering that you have a chance to drive highly targeted traffic to your website, while save a lot of money on your pay per click program, I would highly suggest getting started on long tail keywords.

The best tool I have found to start your long tail keyword list is Google Adword's Keyword Tool. Simply log into your Google Adsense account and click on Tools. This tool takes a given keyword, and gives you results that often contain many valuable long tail keywords. The results can show you how much search volume there is for that given keyword, and what the average cost per click will run.

Of course, you can also export this list, and use the same keywords in other pay per click campaigns.

About The Author:

Tom Niehoff has been marketing websites full time since February 2006. You can learn how to market your website too, visit http://www.GuaranteedWebsiteIncome.com

Packages For Choosing Internet Hosting

By Victor Nunn

In order to do business online, many people rely on the packages of services found through Internet hosting sites. These packages for choosing Internet hosting can be used by individuals, or small, medium and large businesses. They are suitable for doing business online with a professional image projected that will help your online business expand farther than you ever dreamed possible.

All of the packages for choosing Internet hosting will be offered for a fee. Some of those fees are presented in the form of set-up fees, which allow the Internet hosting site to provide you with domain name registration and the opportunity to have your business website built by web professionals or offered in a website design package. The website design package will allow
you to custom build your business image from the ground up using your own ideas, styles and color choices.

Beware of landmark services that state they will create a business website at no charge, but will require a 4-year contract for their services at a low monthly fee. In these services, what you will get will be a business website that might be totally different from the verbal requests for color,
links, and basic page design. When these services lock you into the contract, they will leave you with a website and nothing else.

Nobody will be able to find your website on the Internet because these landmark typed services do not include that in their free website package offerings. For absorbent fees, you can find other web companies to market your business. You will be lucky if you can get the landmark Internet hosting service on the phone.

Another area that is offered in a package is the E-commerce website package. These landmark Internet services have contracts with credit card companies who will be included on the list of credit card services your business can accept. The credit card machines that you use at your brick and mortar company will not be suitable for use with your web based business.

The credit card machines that are included in your E-commerce package will come with a four-year contract that is non-cancelable, and will be an additional price you will have to pay on top of the price you are paying for web hosting services. In order to get approved for accepting credit cards on your website, though, you must sign this 4-year non-cancelable contract and the machines will be sent to your address. For a low monthly fee of $59.05, you can now accept credit cards in your online business.

These are some of the packages that are being offered through Internet hosting sites. While some of them are hardly appealing, they are offered and people get cuckolded into signing on the dotted line. The only comfort that a business owner has in these situations is that the business expense can be deducted on the income tax forms. Be wary of what is included in all packages for choosing Internet hosting sites, because some of those packages will cost more than you ever
dreamed.

Some Internet hosting packages are clear cut and to the point. You can complete the web sites yourself, or ask them to do it for you. They let you pick and choose all of the features that you desire in your website, and how you want customers to be driven to your website. Through the selection process, you can end up with a total dollar amount that does not include any hidden costs, and do business for years without any problems.

About The Author:

Victor Nunn writes about http://www.findinternethosting.com/

Why You Need To Have A Membership Site

By Gray Rollins

You need a membership site of your own. You may never have thought of having your own membership site, but it is a strong customer attractant and is in some ways easier than the typical affiliate sites.

Building the customer list is a goal of affiliate marketers. Having a membership site is a great way to get that list built up fast. A list is basically what a membership site is made up of- people who are interested and want to come back again to see what is offered. People can join the site for several different reasons. They may want a newsletter you are offering, they may be happy to get several things they want all in one convenient place, or they may just love the font you use. Whatever the reason they join, the members can be charged a small monthly fee to keep getting access to what you have to offer. This will generally include articles, services available to them, some type of customer service for questions ad problems, and a forum to tie it all together.

Meeting your monthly income goals becomes much easier when there is a steady stream of paying members each month. That can be in addition to your affiliate sales, or it can be used in place of them. Some affiliate marketers find that they enjoy building their membership site more than trying to keep several different affiliate sales sites going. A membership site is a brand, and can be marketed more easily than several smaller sites.

Some membership sites also use their own affiliate marketing programs to attract new members. A commission or a flat fee is given to members who bring in new paying members. That can also be accomplished by simply waiving part of the membership fee for members that recruit. This costs the site owner nothing and brings in new members at a exponential rate. Using a system such as this, getting large membership numbers can be done more quickly and with less expense.

Membership sites are also a safe way to protect against sales slumps. A month with low sales will be cushioned by a steady income of monthly membership fees. And if there is a problem with your smaller sites, such as a loss of search engine rankings or a product that bites the dust, the larger site is there to step in and make up for that loss in income.

There are also free membership sites that set up the same basic format, but try to attract more members by not charging fees. The income with those sites is in getting the largest list possible to market to in the hopes of sales. A free membership site may not bring in the membership fees, but it will likely attract more members. Whether you want to charge to enter your own web kingdom or not, having a membership site is a strong marketing technique that can help brand your information and your products.

About The Author:

Gray Rollins is a featured writer for http://www.marketingeffects.com/ - a site offering free
Internet marketing videos. And if your site needs more traffic, visit the traffic generation blog
http://www.ultimatetrafficblueprint.com/blog/

Affiliate Income Using Online Free Tools

By Deepak Dutta

Article marketing is nothing new. But applied to affiliate marketing it is the easiest way to make money online. And best of all, you can do it without spending a dime using only free tools available online.

This is all you will need :

- A free keyword research tool,
- A free text editor,
- A free Clickbank account,
- A free Blogger account.

Do a quick search on your favorite search engine and you will find these free tools very easily.

Quick cash blue print :

1 - Keyword research :

Using your keyword research tool, search for low competition keywords. Those are keywords that have at least 300 searches a month and that have less than 5000 competing pages in Google (when entered between quotation marks like this "keyword"). Try to find 5 to 10 good keywords related to the same topic.

The idea is to focus on keywords for which you can get a first page ranking in Google, Msn and Yahoo.

Hint : If you have no idea of which market to target, start by checking popular phrases like: how to, purchase, get rid of, help, cure, tips, etc.

2 - Find a digital product to promote

Go to Clickbank.com and find a product related to your topic. Choose one that pays at least $15 to $20. Generate your affiliate link and write it down or save it in a text file on your computer.

3 - Article writing :

Write an informative article (approximately 400 words) focused on each of your keywords. Put your keyword in the title and in the first and last paragraph of your article. Also sprinkle it throughout your copy. You can also throw in a few other keywords related to your topic. This will help you rank well.

Most important, write a great bio box that will make people want to learn more and click on the link to your blog. Put your keyword in your bio box as an anchor text link to your blog.

4 - Set up your blog.

More and more article directories will not let you put your affiliate link in your bio box. So your blog is going to be your landing page. The idea here is to put up a simple blog that will presell(not sell) your product and make people click on your Clickbank affiliate link to go to the sales page.

Hint : set up a blog for every product you promote and give it a keyword focused name.

5 - Submit your articles to article directories.

You will need to find article directories with a PR of 5 or more. These are the ones Google likes and it will help you get a first page ranking in the search engines and drive tons of free traffic to your blog.

Post one article a day on each article directory and do not post the exact same article to more than one directory.

Hint : Your best choice is Ezinearticles.com. You will need good quality articles, but it is the most powerful directory online. Alternatively you can use Goarticles.com.

6 - Rinse and repeat !

Article marketing is a game of numbers. The more articles your submit, the more money you will earn. But every product is not going to be a winner. Some will do well, some will not. So test a new product every week putting up 5 to 10 focused articles each time.

That is all there is to it. This may seem to good to be true, but it really does work. Off course it will take a couple of weeks for money to start rolling in on a regular basis but the magic of this method is that once you write a money making article it will generate residual income for months and maybe even years -- without ever costing you a single dime.

About The Author:

Dr. Deepak Dutta is the creator of http://www.semanticbay.com - an interactive social network website based on user shared text and picture contents on any topics. His other website http://www.classifiedsforfree.com - is one of the oldest online classifieds site where users can post ads in more than 600 US cities and 60 countries.

Third Party Credit Card Processors

By Debbie Dragon

If you're a small business or just starting out, you may not feel ready for a merchant account. Obtaining a merchant account is not usually considered difficult, however, for a newly established business it isn't always feasible to run out and a merchant account immediately. Starting a business is often costly and risky to begin with- you do not need to go out and spend money on optional features (like a merchant account) until you know whether or not your business is going to succeed, and whether or not you'll have the need to accept credit cards from customers.

Did you know there are other options and alternative methods for allowing your customers to pay you with credit cards? Companies called "third party credit card processors" do not require their customers to create merchant accounts, and yet they can be used to allow small or new businesses the ability to accept credit card payments from customers.

Why Worry about Accepting Credit Cards at All?

It's important that you are able to accept credit card payments from customers, however, even if you aren't feeling up to getting a traditional merchant account right now. It's been proven that businesses that except credit cards experience higher sales than those that do not accept credit cards. In fact, some companies have reported an increase of 50 to 400% in sales once they began accepting credit cards as a payment method. It also helps to establish a professional image- and for some potential consumers, it generates a feeling of trust ("If the business is established enough to accept credit cards, they're a quality business that I should shop with!").

Home based businesses and online businesses can take advantage of a third party credit card processor instead of going directly with a merchant account if they wanted to. It allows a business to determine how many customers will make purchases with credit cards, as well as determine if more or higher sales come as a result of accepting credit cards as payments.

A third party credit card processor offers real-time processing online, online virtual terminals for entering manual transactions, no maximum limits for processing amounts in most cases, and the ability to set up recurring billing.

One of the advantages of using a third party credit card processor over establishing a merchant account is that instead of paying a transaction fee or a monthly fee, you pay a percentage of the sales (from 2% to 15%), and only when you actually make sales. Some merchant account providers require that you pay a monthly fee- even if you aren't making any credit card sales. By starting out with a third party credit card processor, you can judge how many customers might use the option to pay with credit cards before you go through the process of applying for a merchant account and getting everything set up.

How do third party payment processors work?

Once you have an account with a third party payment processor, you'll create links to your products that allow customers to order and pay with credit. The links send the customer to the
third-party processing company's server, and they handle the orders for you. Payments are processed by the company, and the sales are credited to your own business- less the third party processor's commission. You receive your money from the third party processing company at established payment intervals. Typically, money owed to you from the third party credit card
processing company is deposited automatically into a checking or savings account that you have set up for your business and linked to your account with the third party processor.

About The Author:

This article has been provided courtesy of Creditor Web, http://www.creditorweb.com .

Theme Marketing: Copywriting Technique #127

By Marcia Yudkin

One of the best-designed sales pieces I've received in years was a come-on for an MIT conference. Every panel implemented the metaphor of a deck of cards in both design and text. Bullets in the form of hearts, spades, diamonds and clubs and subheads like "This session provides you with all the aces you need" carried through the unified theme. After spending so much time exploring this piece, I figured the conference sessions would have something to teach me too, and I signed up.

Another marketing piece, from CM Communications, Inc. of Boston, landed in my files because of its clever use of a tailoring theme. Headed "Getting the Right Fit," the three-panel brochure used a tape measure to illustrate subheads like "Don't Hem Yourself In," "Look for a Versatile Outfit," "Button Down Costs" and "S, M or L?"

Well-executed themes get results in marketing because they reach beyond features and benefits to engage emotions as well as the intellect. In addition, they provide unity between words and graphics and thus become more memorable. Sometimes they involve a creative format too.

Cindy Marshall, of Jefferson, South Dakota, used the theme of a police suspect file in a promo piece for Media Concepts, in nearby Sioux City, Iowa. The manila file, complete with a real-looking coffee stain, opens to fingerprints, Polaroid crime-scene items and a profile including "caught guiding unsuspecting clients in specifying advertising goals" and "known to be armed with state-of-the- art equipment."

To select an effective theme, stay away from any you've already seen implemented in your industry. Play an old parlor game to spur your imagination: If your product, service or business were a fruit, which one would it be? If it were a song, which one would it be? If it were a communication medium, which one would it be? How about a feature of the landscape, a type of weather, a dessert, a bank transaction?

Or, think about some general categories of phenomena that provide rich sources for themes: Nature; Technology; Hobbies; Relationships; Mythology; Popular Culture; Occupations; Common Problems. Sometimes a pun, such as in "A Hire Authority" for an employment firm, supplies an interesting metaphor you can build upon. Once you choose a tentative concept, brainstorm related ideas, such as for "shoot-out": holster; OK Corral; bad guys; sheriff; Wild West; trigger-happy.

For maximum effect, a theme should be unexpected, such as "Setting Sail for Internet Profits" and yet sufficiently familiar so that visual elements like anchors and rudders and textual references to "catching the wind" and "calm seas" make instant sense. The theme should always be more concrete, picturable and commonplace than what you're selling. Otherwise you will have created an unnecessary mystery instead of a compelling sales piece.

As with any marketing idea, test it out with people similar to your prospects to make sure it provokes a laugh or a nod instead of a "Huh?"

About The Author:

Marcia Yudkin is the author of 6 Steps to Free Publicity, Persuading on Paper and Web Site Marketing Makeover, and a seven-time Webby Awards judge. She teaches a 6-week course on no-hype copywriting for business owners and marketers; complete details: http://www.yudkin.com/copycourse.htm

Email Marketing Success

By Julia Gulevich

These days, there are hundreds of ways to market something, and there are a lot of different mediums to choose from. Perhaps, because it is considered new or perhaps because of the chance of emails you send being looked at as spam, email marketing has been overlooked, dismissed or simply not employed because it wasn't brought to the attention of the marketing staff that email marketing was a possibility.

So, now the question comes up, is it possible to make money though email marketing? Is there enough of a chance that someone is going to click on the links in the email, that they are going to even open the email to make it worth while to do email marketing? The answer is yes. Email marketing, just like everything else, can be successful if it is done correctly.

So whether you believe it or not, you're willing to give email marketing a try. Good, that's the first step to becoming a successful email marketer. Next, you might now be asking yourself what to market. If you don't have your own products, there are affiliate programs that can help you get started with email marketing. If you still have questions, take a look at forums, or blogs, or even websites that discuss email marketing. Be sure to check to make sure that the site you are getting information on internet marketing is a decent site.

There are a lot of different scams out there that promise quick success through email marketing. For some people, it can be very profitable, but that isn't always the case, especially if you come across someone who is offering you a large salary right away using email marketing.

Email marketing, as with any marketing, requires time to build a true customer base and to be accepted. Now that you know a little about email marketing, you've decided to give it a try. You did research on email marketing, and looked into programs that might help you get started and keep going strong. Head out and enjoy. The sky is the limit with this inexpensive and effective way to market.

Email marketing is truly the way of the future. So don't hesitate and get out there and use what you have learned about email marketing to start bringing in the money and give yourself a little peace of mind.

About The Author:

Author is a technical expert associated with development of email marketing utilities:
http://www.glocksoft.com/em/. Did you find those tips useful? You can learn a lot more here http://www.htmlemailguide.com

Article Marketing: Pitfalls & Myths

By Christos Varsamis

Article Marketing is by far the most reliable long term internet marketing strategy for one primary reason. It provides web content which is the reason millions of users worldwide surf the internet daily. They seek for information.

Articles are the core of information on the net, whether they are objective or subjective about any issue. Search engines were built to provide content and actually the struggle was to provide the most relevant web content according to the search terms the user provides.

Article Marketing is a relative new internet marketing industry with great potential. However many pitfalls and misunderstandings have been released lately. That was expected because it's a market principal, whenever there is growth and opportunity, "opportunists" and "scammers" step in.

The first subject is the article submission software and article automation procedures of any kind. The promises sound great. Massive submissions to article directories with push button software solutions. As tempting as it may seem, it is too good to be true. That happens because the algorithms the huge search engines corporations developed are so advanced that they detect any instant massive growth of links of any website. They are programmed to consider this "growth" as unnatural and then take precautions. These precautions could be a downgrade on search engine results for the spamming website or ban it completely form the search engines.

In simple words do not try to fool search engines giants like Google for example. Their spam filters are extremely advanced. Even if you succeed the spamming temporarily you will be discovered sooner or later and if you have a serious online business you jeopardize it.

The same applies to instant and massive web content growth of the website. For example if you had a website with five sub WebPages and after 3 days you have 2000 web pages. Google spam filters will detect it again as an unnatural web content growth of your website and proceed to the according measures. You must realize that search engines will do anything to protect the quality of their search results because this will bring targeted traffic and consequently the advertisers. You must grow your website and internet exposure step by step. This way you will gain long turn results and you will not be afraid of Google's frequently algorithm's alterations because you follow the rules.

The next subject is the PLR industry (Private Label Articles). Since most of the people are not writers or they despise writing, there comes the PLR solution which is monthly service (most of the cases) providing a number of articles each month to the subscriber. These articles are written by ghost writers and provided to hundreds of paying subscribers. It seems ideal but it's not.

The spam filters are here too and focus on duplicated content. The same article by dozens of websites will not give you any advantage. What you can do is to modify them or by hand (which
is time consuming) or with using some of the anti-duplicate content software titles. But there relies a problem. Most of these software titles do modify the articles for search engines but it's not readable by the users. So you must be careful and check constantly what the PLR software provides and how alters the article.

The last subject relates with the article directories which have been increased massively the last two years. Should you consider submitting your article to 500 article directories without examining the quality of each one, or you should improve the quality of your article and submit it to qualitative ones?

The second case is more effective in the long run because you maximize your possibilities to have your article published to a huge online publication with thousands of unique visitors daily. In that way you gain massive exposure and most important credibility to your industry.

Finally the conclusion of the above is that shortcuts will not help you. The future on web content industry belongs to people who are not afraid to write (they don't have to be novelists) and produce Unique content. The entrepreneurs who grasp the value of unique content and apply it to their marketing efforts will definitely gain the advantage.

About The Author:

Christos Varsamis is the Creator & Publisher of http://www.proarticlesbiz.com

How To Avoid The Biggest Search Engine Myths

By Chris Taylor

There are a lot of Search Engine myths in existence today. This is because there are a lot of self appointed experts in the Search Engine optimization field. Some of the myths that you should be aware of include:

. There is no way to perfectly optimize for every site.
. There are 10,000 different Search Engines in existence.
. Page Rank is dead.
. Make sure that you repeat your keywords 100 times per page.
. The Search Engines do not have time to ban you for poor optimization.
. Make sure that you submit your site to every Search Engine in existence.
. Your site does not have to have content in order to be ranked high.
. Meta tags are extremely important.
. You just need to get more links to your site.
. You do not have to have patience in order to do Search Engine optimization.
. If you have a new site it cannot get listed in the Search Engines.
. You need to have multiple domain names.
. You should resubmit your site to the Search Engines every week or at least every month.

If you find that someone is telling you all of this stuff then you should run away from him or her. You should never pay any attention to Search Engine myths. All you should concern yourself with are the techniques that have been proven to increase a web site's ranking.

Unfortunately a lot of unethical, unprofessional business practices occur in the Search Engine optimization industry. A lot of this is happening because of inexperienced and unprofessional people working in the industry. This is unfortunate because then everyone in the Search Engine optimization business gets a bad name.

It is important that you get the facts. If you want to have a good Search Engine optimization campaign then you do not want to become a victim of these bad business practices. Make sure that you do not throw your money away on these practices when investing in good marketing, advertising and content could better spend it.

Now that you are aware of some of the Search Engine myths that exist today you should be able to spend your time and money wisely. This will truly pay off in the end when you look at how you rank in the Search Engines.

About The Author:

New to SEO? Learn seo basics, learn search engine marketing with our highly rated search engine optimization video membership site "High Rank Directories Plus". Visit us today -
http://www.high-rank-directories-plus.com

3 Ways To Get Fresh Content For Your Site - With Little Money Or Effort

By S. Myers

When you run a website you are always looking for fresh content you can add to both keep the visitors to your site and the search engines happy. In an ideal world you'd be writing all this great content, but we don't live in an ideal world, do we? You may have a day job, other tasks on your website to tend to and maybe even own several websites that all need to be updated with new content on a regular basis. On top of that you'd like to occasionally spend some time with family and friends.

If only there was a cost-effective way to get fresh content to your site without having to spend either a lot of time or a lot of money. Well, there is. and not only one way, but 3 ways to get fresh content for your website.

Reprint Articles

The easiest and cheapest way to get fresh content for your site is to use reprint articles. You can go to any of the big article directories like ezinearticles.com, goarticles.com or isnare.com and search for articles on just about any topic. There are two downsides to using this content though: You have to provide a resource box with a link back to the article writer's site - which of course is only fair, since they did all the work. The other one is that the same article can literally be picked up by thousands of other webmasters. One way to work around this is to contact the author of the article and see if he or she would be interested in writing and exclusive article for your site. If you offer them a good link back, many of them will be happy to oblige.

Public Domain Works

The second option is to find texts and ebooks that are in the public domain. You could for example look for a public domain book on the topic of your website and split it up individual
pages for your website. Gutenberg.org is a great place to start your search for public domain work. A word of caution. Do your own research to make sure any so-called public domain document is actually in the public domain; otherwise you could get yourself easily into trouble by involuntarily breaking copyright laws. On the plus side, you can add the public domain content to your website without having to credit or link back to anyone.

Private Label Articles

The last option that I would like to share with you is private label articles. Private label articles are written and then they are sold to a limited amount of people for their own use on their websites, blogs, newsletters and info products. Private label articles can be changed, the buyer can claim ownership and pretty much treat it like any article he has written himself. Since these articles are sold to more than one person, they are much cheaper than buying ghostwritten articles. They almost always cost you well under a dollar per articles and often just pennies apiece.

Private label articles can be found on PLR membership sites, websites that specialize in selling individual article packs and even on eBay. Of course not all PLR sites and packages are created equal. Some provide quality content, while others could have been written by a third grader. Do you research before you buy and make sure there is some sort of a money back guarantee if the quality doesn't meet your standard.

About The Author:

To learn more about where to find good PLR articles and how to make the most out of them, sign up for this free PLR training course at http://www.plrtraining.com

How Do You Grab A Top-Selling Product And Put It To Work In Your On-Line Business?

By Casey Moher

Hi, this is Casey Moher.

To have a successful online business, many individual components must come together to work as a machine. Let's discuss how you go about creating ( or finding) and evaluating a product you can sell online.

Website owners who create their own products to sell have much of work ahead of them. On-line marketers who wish to develop their own product must research the demand for what they envision.

This can also be done with a very different strategy and approach. This is an approach that makes all the difference in what you do.

You are miles ahead of the game RIGHT NOW because you have available to you products you can work with that sell like hotcakes! With these methods I am describing, you have all the product research done before you ever begin. The choice is yours as to which product of the thousands available you would like to have.

People today want information that can improve their income, their free-time activities, travel, education and a myriad of other areas. You now have available a huge on-line warehouse of these products.

These products are managed by a company that does the lion's share of selling in this massive market. The producers of these information-based products actively seek to have people sell them.

Your commissions can range from 50% to 75%.

Again, all the 'heavy lifting' has been done for you. The fun part is in choosing a product that interests you and that you feel will do the best job for you. These are the considerations I use as guidelines for product selection.

Choose a product that solves a problem. It is also critical that you select a product you would use. A product with a great sales letter will serve you better also. Look for testimonials from satisfied customers as well as popularity rankings of the product you are considering.

Also, pay attention to the commission schedule provided for you.

Buying and using the product that will be sold on your website makes for better results all around. If you have first-hand experience with how your product helped you, your customers will have more trust in what you say.

A company that does all this can be found in one stop at:
http://www.clickbank.com

Spend some time at this website so you can appreciate the products available to you for your use. At this site, you will also find rankings of all products so you can locate the best ones.

Becoming an affiliate is a very easy matter. Once you are set up as an affiliate, you are qualified to receive a commission on each sale you are credited for. You simply register to get a user name (also known as a nickname) established with clickbank.

With that nickname you are established to get credit for all the sales of any and all products that you choose for your project. More than 10,000 products are yours from which to choose.

Remember, commissions run as high as 75%! Clickbank is noted for its very sellable products which means they amplify your marketing efforts.

Clickbank also manages all partner relationships for you. You
always get paid what you're owed.

For a very reasonable price these days, you can get your own website established. You can get visitors to your site as soon as it's ready where they can learn about the product you have chosen for them to buy.

About the Author:

Mr. Moher is a Registered Pharmacist and Life-Long Marketing and Sales Professional. You Can Get His Free Five-Day Mini-Course on Building Targeted Website Traffic by visiting:
http://www.newtrafficmaster.com

Gerrymandering The Google Search Results

By Bill Platt

Every few months, you will see posts by many people declaring that Google has it in for their website. Often, you see threats about how the webmaster plans to sue Google for hurting their business' profits. On and on it goes... Every webmaster who was dropped from Google's top search result pages wants to believe that Google singled out their website and their business for
punishment and extinction.

How The Google Search Results Is Related To Gerrymandering

According to Wikipedia.com, "Gerrymandering is a form of redistricting in which electoral district or constituency boundaries are manipulated for an electoral advantage."

Most states in the US redraw their electoral districts at least every decade. In 36 of the states, the state legislature is responsible for drawing the new districts -- in principle to account for shifts in population -- and the governor is required to approve those changes.

With nearly every redistricting, the party who is out-of-power generally screams foul. The argument is always that the political party in power adjusted the lines to improve their ability to win elections and control the electoral power structure.

The entire process of redistricting is a good analogy for the Google algorithm changes. The people in power (Google) redraw the lines, and the party out-of-power (the webmasters who dropped in ranking) cry foul, threatening lawsuits and other actions.

Something Right And Something Wrong

Of course, the same webmasters screaming about having dropped in Google's search results did not have a problem when Google allowed them to climb in the search results previously.

People only moan about things when they are on the way down. When they were on the way up, they danced on the coffins of their competitors without a care in the world.

The truly funny thing about it is that when people were on their way up in the Google search results, they told all of their friends that "they" did something right. When they are on their way down, "Google" did something wrong.

Shaky Foundations For Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

PROBLEM: If the website dropped out of Google's top 1000 results, then I am willing to bet that in nearly every situation of this type, the webmaster had done something wrong in the last few years, and Google has just now caught on to this infraction.

For example, in years past, link farms were utilized by webmasters and accepted by Google. Then Google began to consider link farms to be "bad neighborhoods."

Link farms are the kind of thing that can be easily recognized by human and search engine alike. So, the link farms were tagged as "bad neighborhoods" and their values were discounted to zero, and the websites linked from link farms got a minus points for their participation in the link farms.

It was a bad practice that the webmaster had participated, and Google finally got around to penalizing the websites whose rankings were supported by these shaky foundations.

SOLUTION: If you try to put yourself into the shoes of the experts at Google, and you wanted to improve the Google search results, what would YOU do? Before you answer this question, remember that you work for Google and not for yourself. What would you do? What would you do different?

"White hat" and "black hat" SEO methods are an analogy of Search Engine Optimization techniques that refers back to the old cowboy classics, where the "good guy" always wore a "white hat" and the 'bad guy" always wore a "black hat".

While you are working for Google, take a look at the SEO technique you are thinking about using for your own website. Chances are that if you deem a SEO technique to be "gray hat" (something in between ethical SEO and unethical SEO), then chances are that someday that technique will be deemed "black hat" by the Google engineers. And if the SEO technique is "black hat," it will likely be targeted for discount by Google at some time in the future.

If you delve into "gray hat" or "black hat" SEO, you may be able to rocket to the top of the Google search results quickly, but you will not be able to hold that position for long. Google will eventually get wise to your gimmick.

If you can "white hat" your website to the top of the search results, your future ranking will likely hold its ground for many years to come.

Your Competition Out-Played You

PROBLEM: If a website dropped a few positions in the Google search results, I am willing to bet that in nearly every situation, one of the website's major competitors out-performed them in the search results.

There are certain things that you can do correctly, to elevate your own listings in the search engine results. Because you have the capability to do these things, your competitors also have the capability to do these things.

Well guess what? Your competitor did what you should have done. They set up marketing systems to ensure that they could climb in the search results, and they climbed enough to pass you by.

SOLUTION: Do those things that you know you should be doing. And more importantly, do them consistently. Your competitor wants your placement in the search results, and they are going to do what it takes for them to get there.

So, it is imperative for you to keep moving forward in the process of building your ranking in the search engines. When you stand still, resting in the comfort zone of where you reside today, then you are bound to be overtaken by someone who wants to be where you are, a little bit more than you do.

Stir That Pot

PROBLEM: If a website dropped a few pages in the search results, the cause for the drop may have been caused by a combination of the two above-mentioned problems: shaky SEO foundations, and hungry competitors.

SOLUTION: Keep your eye on the big picture. You know what you have done to strengthen your website in the past. Keep learning and keep growing.

If you find that something you had done in the past may affect your website negatively in the future, implement "white hat" SEO techniques to strengthen your position, and make plans to eliminate your reliance on "black hat" SEO systems before Google does it for you.

Don't Make The Mess And You Won't Have To Clean It Up

Some may think my approach to housecleaning is an indication of laziness. I consider it to be an indication of good time management. I prefer to reserve my time for things that are more
enjoyable.

My theory towards housework -- and I try to teach this to my kids often -- is that if you don't want to clean up the mess, don't make the mess in the first place. If the house is not messy, you don't have to clean it. So, don't make the house messy.

I utilize the same approach to my websites. If I do it "white hat" and above-reproach the first time, then I won't have to go in and fix my rankings everytime Google changes their algorithms.

Stop Standing Still

Do remember that for most every search term you compete to rank for, there are probably another one million web pages competing to rank for the same keyword phrase. Getting to the top of the search engine results is a process, not a destination. You must keep competing to maintain your spot at the top of the search results.

If you want to get to the top of the search results, you will have to take positive steps to get there. And, if you want to maintain your top position in the search engines, you need to keep doing the things that put you in that top spot in the first place.

About the Author:

Bill Platt is President of Platt Services, Inc. and owner of LinksAndTraffic.com . He has been involved in article marketing and link building since 1999. If you are looking to have someone build keyworded anchor text links to your website, using targeted and interesting content as the foundation, then Bill's team can help you: http://www.LinksAndTraffic.com - If you would prefer to talk to Bill by phone, he can be reached at 405-780-7745 between 9am-6pm CST, Monday thru Friday. http://www.PlattServicesInc.com

To Do List Draining You? How to Brighten Up the Tasks You Dread

By Bonnie McFarland

Vampire Tasks

Everyone has at least one of them. Something you hate to do. Something you dread. You procrastinate about it or do your best to avoid it. When you have to do it you get crabby about it.

What is it for you? Your staff meeting? Traveling for business? Working with a particular client or co-worker? Dealing with computer problems? Doing your expense report? Performance reviews?

Whatever it is, it's a "vampire task" -- something that drains your energy.

But You Have to Do It

Most of the time my focus with clients is on the fun stuff -- what lights them up, what they love, what they want, what energizes and enlivens them and how to do more of that.

When we do identify a task that's draining them, we look long and creatively about how they could stop doing it, delegate it, or hire it out.

Sometimes though there are tasks they choose to keep doing, at least for now.

It could be temporary. Like a woman starting her own business who dislikes accounting. As soon as she has enough income she'll hire a part-time accountant. In the meantime, she is the accountant, whether or not she enjoys it.

It could be something longer lasting. For instance, in most companies if you're a manager you'll need to do performance reviews, whether or not you enjoy them.

Taxes Wiped Me out

Yep, for me taxes were a big energy drain. I hated doing them. Just the anticipation of doing them made me unhappy. Even though Dave, our accountant, did all the work of preparing our taxes, I still dreaded pulling together the information for him. Each year it took me two or three days and a lot of misery.

I do recognize we always have choices. And I did have choices about the taxes.

I could have just stopped doing them. But I wasn't too keen about the IRS knocking on my door looking for those unpaid taxes. I could have asked my husband to do our taxes. But I thought he might be even unhappier than I was about doing this task.

Yes, I did have other choices. And doing it myself seemed my best choice.

Now you might think I was doomed. Forever chained to miserable days in my office gathering information for my accountant. But you might also realize if that were the case there wouldn't be much of a point to this story.

And the point is I found a way to ease my tax misery.

Solution: The Taxes Strategy

A few months after I learned about making choices based on my lights -- what energizes and enlivens me -- tax season rolled around once again.

This time I was determined to find a way to do the taxes without draining my energy. So I looked at what I knew about what lit me up and I added some of that to my tax task.

I put on music I loved. I lit a candle that had a delicious fragrance. Depending on the time of day, I sipped a glass of wine. I asked my husband to bring something to do and just sit in my office while I worked on the taxes. I also spent just a couple of hours at a time on them, rather than powering my way through as I'd done in the past.

And it worked!

Now I must admit taxes still aren't the most fun thing I do. And they don't drain my energy in the way they used to.

You can apply my "taxes strategy" to your own draining tasks: incorporate things that light you up. Do this before, during, and/or after the task. My clients tell me this simple strategy makes a significant difference in their energy.

Some Ways to Brighten Up a Dull Task

Here are a few ways my clients have created more energy around the tasks that drain them:

* Bookending the task: doing something fun before and after.

* Changing the location: going to some place they love to do the task

* Changing the conditions: music, candles, food, drink, lighting

* Involving other people: to be with them, to do the task with them

One story I can't resist sharing: a client, unhappy doing the bills, asked her husband to join her and then paid the bills topless! I'm not saying I recommend this and she says it worked for them!

In Your Life

1) Pick something that drains and de-energizes you.

2) Ask yourself if it's something you can stop doing, delegate, or hire someone to do. If so, great! Do whichever one of those strategies will work. If not, go to step #3.

3) Experiment with doing two or three things that light you up (before, during and/or after that draining task) until you find what will make your experience less draining and more enjoyable.

The examples above of what my clients have done may give you some ideas. The key is choosing things that light YOU up, that YOU love, that are energizing and enlivening for YOU.

Enjoy!

About the Author:

Bonnie McFarland works with women at midlife who are restless, stuck, or dissatisfied and want more passion and purpose in work and life. Her e-book, "What Lights You Up? Your Guide to Pleasure, Passion, and Purpose in Life," as well as "Light Matters," her ezine with tips and tools for getting more of what you truly want, are both available free. http://www.labellavia.com

The Dirty Trick In Internet Marketing That Increases Online Sales Fast

By Jo Han Mok

This has to be one of the "best" ways to generate sales. Controversy creates two types of interest. Negative and positive. And both forms of interest work together to make you profits. How exactly?

Well, let's do a quick example. Person N and Person P. Person P loves what you have written and can directly relate to what you have said. Person N on the other hand thinks you're an obnoxious creep full of insane beliefs. Both Person P and Person N comment on your writing. They read each others comments and they are inflamed by those comments. So, they begin a back and forth battle of words based entirely on what you had to say! Now comes Person S, Person V, and Person C. They add their two cents and take sides of who's right and who's wrong. Then come more comments. And more, and more.

And if you're selling something that expands on your initial post, you'll get both those that hate what you had to say, and love it, buying your product. The negative folks will want further proof that you're a total moron while the positive folks will want to learn more about what you are teaching, or saying.

Every single day, millions of folks hop onto the internet and have something to say. Most likely they'll do this through writing. Whether it's through an article, an email, or a blog. The "trick" is to make what you discuss controversial through your writings.

Don't be "Boring". That won't do a thing for you. The essence of creating controversy is by using passion. If you've had a bad experience with another person, tell people about it. If you really love a particular product, or person, tell people about it. But be sure that your writings can convey the passion that you feel whether it's negative or positive.

If you are effectively creating controversy through your writings, most people that read it will either love what you have to say or hate it. Either way, they'll "Talk About It". And if you give them a chance to communicate how they feel about it, this will lead to more profits in your pockets!

But, in order to use controversy you have to be willing to take a stand on a certain topic. No "wishy-washy" comments will do. If you make people angry, "Good"! But don't back down on your opinions though. That defeats the purpose of using this tactic completely. If some people don't like what you're saying, who cares?? At least you had the guts to stand up for what you believe and say it. And that's the point that will come across to those that love your writings.

I "Know For A Fact" this works. Jason Cain is a living example of this dirty trick. He uses controversy in his writings and makes immense profits from the dust he stirs up. Some folks hate him. Some folks love him. The love-hate factor doesn't really matter though. What DOES matter is that people are reading what he has to say. And they are 'Listening'. And, they are BUYING.

Another terrific example is a fellow by the name of Stuart Halpryn. He creates controversy through the amount of money he charges for products he sells. He lets his readers know that he is directly responsible for pissing other marketers off by charging extremely low prices for their products to his customers. And it works! He's earning good money from using controversy

The whole idea of this tactic is to speak your mind, send off a spark, and watch it build into a roaring flame

About the Author:

Jo Han Mok is a #1 bestselling author and frequent featured speaker at Internet Marketing bootcamps and conferences. Visit his website for a simple step-by-step plan to profit online in 21 days or less! http://www.SuperFastProfit.com

3 Loud-Mouthed Secrets To Massively Increase Online Sales

By Jo Han Mok

Today we're going to be going over 3 over-the-top tactics that help convert more visitors into paying customers than almost any other tactic around.

1. An Offer You CAN'T Refuse

Yeah, this is an old "gangster" style trick. Although you might not think so once I reveal the one word that describes it. What's the word? Guarantee. But, why did I say it was an old "gangster" style trick? Firstly, did you even bother reading the title? ;-) Second, let's look at it logically here.

I'd wager you've seen at least ONE gangster type movie(I'm a movie fanatic, so just stick with me here, it will make perfect sense once I'm finished explaining.) once in your life. These tough guys are running things for a reason. They don't take NO for an answer. It's their way or you're "swimmin' with the fishes" my friend.

Now, obviously offering a guarantee isn't the same as whacking someone, but it will most definitely make your offer much harder to refuse. Your customer will feel more secure in the fact that you are shouldering most, if not all, of the risk by letting them get their money back if they are unsatisfied with your product.

This little dirty trick not only helps you convert more sales, but it also builds credibility in the eyes of your potential customers because you believe in what you are trying to sell them by taking a loss if they don't.

I also highly recommend this dirty little trick to anyone and everyone who is selling anything online.

2. Getting All "Hyped" Up

This is a super dirty trick. And admitted "hypers" or not, I can almost guarantee you'll find this type of language slipped in to most sales pages. Now, some Internet Marketers may try and mask this trick by putting a different name on it, but it's the same thing.

Now, some marketers will simply say that they have unbreakable confidence in their products, and there's no "hype" in that. Really? I beg to differ. Not that there's anything at all wrong with having that type of confidence in your product, but let's call a duck a duck and not a chicken, shall we?

Some more common "hyper" words you may have seen, or be using yourself are:

Incredible
Amazing
Unbeatable
Unbelievable
Controversial
Secret
Hidden
Easy
Fast

And there are plenty of others lying in wait to pounce on you. But these are more of the commonly used hype words. So, why do this dirty trick work so well?

Because these words spark emotion within your potential customers. And dragging out that emotional connection to your product can more often than not close the sale.

A word of caution here though. Don't try and over-hype your product. That could end in you boiling in a pot of hot water in the form of a law suit. And I'm sure you don't want to get scarred up with burns now do you?

Use this dirty trick wisely and cautiously. Don't over do it and try your best to stay true to the reality of what your product can, and can't do when describing it with "hyped" up words.

3. "Trash" Talking

Have you ever watched a television talk show or professional wrestling? Then you have seen this dirty trick already!

But, here's how to apply it to your product or business to gain more "buzz". Find a product that is similar to yours and do some comparison on theirs to yours. Find out what makes yours the better decision for your visitors and exploit the hell out of it!

Another boss way to use this dirty little stinker is to raise your own stink about an experience in where one of your competitors has burned you with one of their products that you personally bought. Work in the angle that this painful event is the reason that made you decide to create your own version of this specific product, but you made it better than this other author's version.

Don't be afraid to talk some trash about a person or product to highlight the benefits of your own to get the sale. Do be careful of "slander" issues though. You can hide the details of the specific author or product by calling them Mr. X, or Product Z. You don't necessarily have to bash your competition to smithereens to get your point across.

Even though sometimes that is fun! Oh, are my devil horns showing? ;-)

This dirty trick should also be used sparingly and in context to show your potential customers the benefits of purchasing your product over that of your competitors.

About the Author:

Jo Han Mok is a #1 bestselling author and frequent featured speaker at Internet Marketing bootcamps and conferences. Visit his website for a simple step-by-step plan to profit online in 21 days or less! http://www.SuperFastProfit.com

The Advantages Of Obtaining A Cybersecurity Degree Online

By Andy West

Computer fraud and Internet related offences are becoming a very widespread epidemic, especially in the Western world. And with technology bettering itself every day, it is becoming more and more crucial to properly defend yourself. That is where a cybersecurity degree online comes in handy.

There are of course institutions that offer a course similar to this within the confines of an actual school, but doing it online lets you learn at your own pace. It also allows you to plan your schooling around your life, instead of planning your life around your schooling.

There are many useful things that you will learn with this type of course. One of the biggest and most important parts of the course is cyber terrorism. Since this is becoming such an epidemic, it is something that needs to be studied in great detail. And since the faces of cyber terrorism are continuously changing, it is crucial to stay up to date.

Cyber terrorism deals with hackers accessing confidential information, usually via the Internet. It is usually large companies that are particularly targeted and it can cause a world of problems for the company involved. The anonymity of the Internet makes it possible for certain groups to attack other groups and individuals with less chance of getting caught.

Therefore, the world is in need of many people well versed in the world of cybersecurity. Of course, it is imperative to have some sort of computer knowledge before obtaining a cybersecurity degree online as well as an interest in the field.

A few of the other items that are covered in the course are cyber law, forensics, viral activity and compliance. Although it may sound complex at first, if you have the proper background you can excel in this course. There is also a large focus on firewall devices as well as intrusion detection.

What this course boils down to in the end is the protection of personal information. These days, there is so much information shared over the Internet, cell phones, email and other devices and it can be catastrophic if that information should fall in the wrong hands. It is a very broad category and can include anything from virus' ruining your computer, someone hacking into your personal information or even identity theft.

More and more people are turning to online learning as time gets harder and harder to find. However, it is important to have a lot of self-determination and be able to ensure that you allocate yourself enough time to get the work and the studying done. And all you need is a computer with Internet access and you are set to go.

This will allow you to pursue other interests while obtaining your cybersecurity degree online. Many people choose to take this route if they have children at home or have to work full-time while pursuing an education.

This is a great career option for anyone who has an interest in computers and technology who also wishes to help others safeguard themselves from online predators. With this course, you will be able to help countless people who have been the victims of cyber terrorism so it is a career that really gives something back to the community.

So if you've been searching for a new career but just don't have the time to go back to school, a cybersecurity degree online might be the answer you've been searching for.

About The Author:

Andy West is a freelance writer for Virginia College. Virginia College Online offers an accredited Cybersecurity Degree online program. Please visit Virginia College Online at
http://www.vconline.edu/site/program.cfm?Program_ID=23 to select the online program that is right for you.

If You Build It: An Ebook Portal

By Scott Lindsay

Did you know that you could resell ebooks that others have published? Did you know that you could often sell the work for less than the original author? Did you know you don't have to know how to write to start an ebook business?

In an agreement that is very similar to that of an affiliate you can retain the rights to resell a wide selection of ebooks that can produce several hundred dollars in net profit each month. I suppose what makes this venture popular with home-based businesses is that the hands-free nature of the business can allow them to work on other business projects while residual income is produced through ebook sales.

The benefit of reselling ebooks has to do with the ability to provide a selection of titles that appeal to a wide range of consumers. In some scenarios you can sell a personal ebook if you have one, but the primary sales will be through the reselling of other titles.

Why would authors allow you to resell their work when it's already for sale on the web?

The reasoning has everything to do with marketing and visibility. Essentially you become a part of the sales force for the book - one more store in a chain selling the ebook. By creating additional websites that make the book available the hope is the volume of ebook downloads will allow the ebook to provide increased revenue for all involved.

It is likely an ebook reselling business will not provide enough revenue to make it a viable stand-alone business, but it can provide a significant residual income that can reduce the overall burden of a home-based business startup.

Ebook reselling is one of the few examples of a home-based business that requires very little maintenance while continuing to allow for potential income even when you are away from the office. The automated shopping cart process and file download can all be managed without your direct involvement.

The overall dynamic of ebook sales is a potential boon to the publishing industry because it provides proof that a new distribution method is not only possible, it is also valued and a cost effective alternative. The end result is a quick start up for authors, publishers, and home-based businesses. For the consumer, immediate access to these ebooks from any location on the globe is a benefit traditional publishers can not always promise.

The many benefits of reselling ebooks make it a home-based business worth looking into as a supplement to an existing job or as a sideline for an existing entrepreneurial effort.

About The Author:

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of HighPowerSites and many other web projects. Get your own website online in just 5 minutes with HighPowerSites at: http://www.highpowersites.com. Start your own ebook business with BooksWealth at: http://www.bookswealth.com

The 3 Things You Must Remember When Writing Your Sales Letter

By Jo Han Mok

Writing sales copy is a learnable skill. You aren't writing the next great novel but a short novella that persuades your reader to your desired action. Sales letters are really salesmanship in print. Have you listened to a good salesman before? Not the typical used car type but the smooth salesman who has a quality conversation with you. You have walked out of the store with a new widget and you are convinced it is the smartest purchase you've made all year.

This type of salesmanship is learnable and easier since it's in print. In print you have the opportunity to change your mistakes before publication. However, you don't have the chance to modify your information based on the reader's objections.

The first step is to outline and plan your information so that the points flow seamlessly through the letter. In order to do that you have to know where you are going. In a statement, define the objective of your letter, beyond 'get the customer to buy.' You want the statement to outline what your want your readers to think, feel and eventually do. Use that statement to guide your reader from the beginning to the final sentence where he will take a specific action.

The second point is to make your copy more conversational and engaging. Most people write copy in a straightforward factual manner producing dull and boring reading. Conversions revolve around emotions and feelings, which is beneficial to the sales page since people buy on emotion and justify by logic or features. People purchase benefits, not features. Features are facts and objects you can touch. Benefits are emotions you can feel and experience.

If your copy is conversational and engaging you're probably touching the reader emotionally and have a greater chance of conversion. Is it difficult for you to write with passion and animation? You aren't alone. Most people are much more compelling and passionate when they speak than when they write.

There is a shortcut to use to get the copy started. Remember, copy is nothing more than spoken language in written form. Use a tape recorder and sit down with a friend or business partner. Explain your product; tell them what you want them to know so they'll purchase your item. Now go back to the computer and transcribe your speech. This transcription can be the basis for your first draft. It will be compelling, passionate, animated and exciting. Try not to tone it down too much!

An important criteria to conversion is how well the letter flows. If your reader gets stuck in the middle of the sale because your points don't flow and the copy is choppy you'll find the reader leaves quickly. This is where the objective definition also is essential. Within the objective statement should be 3-5 points, or benefits, you want to discuss.

When you come to the end of one benefit ask a question and leave a "cliffhanger" to encourage the reader to move further into the sales letter. You can use subheads between the points to place emphasis on parts of the benefits. However, you should never give a complete answer
in the headline or the majority of the subheads. Although a reader should be able to read all subheads and get the general gist of what your topic is covering you shouldn't give all the answers in the subheadings.

There is a line between giving too little and too much. Too little information in the subheads and copy and your reader is left feeling motivated without direction. Too much information and the reader wonders how much more could be in the information product? Is there really anymore or was it all left on the table? Give your reader enough information to understand that you are an expert in your field but not enough that the reader now knows just as much as you do.

Write your sales letter with intention and direction. Persuade your reader to take a specific action that you desire. You writing skills will improve and your sales conversions will increase.

About the Author:

Jo Han Mok is a #1 bestselling author and frequent featured speaker at Internet Marketing bootcamps and conferences. Visit his website for a simple step-by-step plan to profit online in 21 days or less! http://www.SuperFastProfit.com

Making Your Podcast Standout

By Sharon Housley

Podcasts are relatively inexpensive to create, as a result, and the quality in published podcasts is extremely diverse. Corporate podcasts can be very polished audio productions while hobbyist experimenting with podcasts may have dogs barking and children's screaming in the background.

After all it is the content that matters right? Well no, not exactly remember when black and white televisions could "kind of" tune into stations it was just a hazy effect. How many continued to watch the grainy or flipping screen. Rarely was the show so riveting did it hold the interest of the viewer. Unless of course the content was forbidden to young eyes (as in the playboy channel).

Sound Quality Matters
Having a decent quality microphone is critical to ensure that the audio recording is a quality recording. Filter out extraneous noises, or select a recording area that will not be Interrupted. Use recording software that will allow you to edit out audio snippets that are subpar.

If you generally record in the same location a fixed mic is generally better. If you do field recording you will want to consider a cordless microphone.

Intro and Extro (Outro)
Using music to introduce and end the podcast adds polish to the overall show. You can licensee rights to podsafe music that will allow you to use music in a royalty free capacity. If your show
is popular you might find that the music is linked to your show, as part of your brand, so you will want to choose it carefully. There are a number of podsafe music directories where podcasters can purchase music that is royalty free, meaning there would not be any recurring charges when using the music in a podcast.

Theme Music
As with intro and outros, theme music can add a level of professional to a podcast. It is illegal to use copyrighted music in your podcast unless you own the copyright or license it through the proper channels. Consider visiting one of the podsafe music directories to locate music that is reflective of your show.

Edit
It is not enough to record the audio for a show. Polished podcasts are produced using audio editing software. The editing software allows podcasters the ability to filter unwanted noises and edit any dead air or parts of the show you dislike.

Catchy Relevant Name
Keep in mind that many listeners will find your podcast through a web page or search engine. Your podcasts title should be catchy and related to the podcasts content. The podcasts title should contain a slogan that conveys the general theme of the show.

Add iTunes Tags
The Apple iTunes Music Store has a huge audience. Podcasters can tap the iPod audience by adding the appropriate iTunes tags to their podcast. There are software applications that will walk you through the process of adding iTunes to podcast feeds. After adding the tags simply submit your podcast for inclusion in the iTunes Music Store. The listing should appear within a few weeks.

Spin-It
Podcasts are now a dime a dozen. In order to truly stand out the show needs a unique angle, a unique view, an interesting perspective, something different from all the other podcasts out there.

Logo / Image
Add an image to your podcast feed, the extra step will add a bit of polish to your show. Many podcatchers or RSS readers will display the image beside the podcast listing. The visual effect will make your podcast jump out of the list.

Understand Demographic
Who are Your Listeners? Understanding your audience will allow you to cater to them. Know the demographics of your target audience. A well-defined target audience will also help you find show sponsors or advertisers.

SEO for Podcasts
Optimize your podcast shows summary for search engines. Be sure to include keywords or related resources in the podcast feed. This will allow search engines to spider the text for words that relate to your podcast.

Transcript or Show Notes
Many podcasters neglect to include a show transcript, podcasters should consider including detailed show notes or a transcript of the show in the description of the podcast feed. If you display the feed this will increase the likelihood that those interested will find your show in the search engines and podcast directories.

Podcast Length
The show should only be as long as necessary, without being a rambling. Most listeners will have a limited amount of time to listen to podcasts, as a result they will be selective about what they listen to.

Keep it Regular
Create a recording schedule and stick to it, if you don't have time to do it properly then skip a show, your listeners will appreciate that you did not waste their time.

Podcasts are becoming more and more commonplace, distinguish your podcast by polishing it and properly publicizing it.

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com audio recording and editing software.

The 'Shock Tactic' Marketing Secret

By Jo Han Mok

The concept of marketing your business to increase sales and profits is a lie created by evil people who want your money! Nah, not really but that sure got your attention didn't it? You are about to learn just how to apply this tactic with some real-world examples.

I'm sure you've heard the term "shock value" before. Well that's what this marketing tactic is all about. Shocking your readers or customers. Some folks will use foul language to shock their readers. Some will use incredible stories. And still others will tell them how they have made huge mistakes.

Shock value in marketing has long had a place in Marketing and Advertising and yet most people don't use it, no matter how aggressive their competition is with their marketing.

The reality is that businesses, whether online or offline can inevitably benefit if they only apply just a little shock value into their marketing and advertising messages. Sadly, most business or rather their owners or marketing departments, are either too scared or not aggressive enough to grab their market by the throat and make them listen.

How many times have you heard or seen these:

*Warning*

*Don't Be an Idiot Like Me*

*I Was A Loser Until I. . .*

*Your Methods Of Making Money Suck!*

*If You Don't Want X-Y-Z Then Leave This Page Now*

*Stop Being An Asshole And Command More Respecct*

*20 Time Moron Finally Gets It Right*

*Dumb-Ass Makes Six Figures A Year*

Or something similar. Those get your attention don't they? Sure they do! And that's why they get used. They suck you in and make you want to keep reading. Let's be honest here. If you can't do a simple thing like generate more interest in what you're selling, then you won't make any money. Simple as that.

People, despite what they might say, want to be successful at one thing or another in life. And they want to be the best at it. If they feel they can better their own lives through your tragedy all the better. That's one less person they have to compete with! Plus, they won't feel stupid by making that same mistake. Even better.

Use this tactic sparingly though. Too much can turn off your prospects and have them hunting for their answers some where else.

Just as this article shocked you with a little vulgarity and put you in a slight state of disbelief at what you were reading, too much vulgarity can turn your prospects off and totally defeat the purpose of using this marketing tactic to begin with.

Remember if you put someone in a total state of shock, your chances of getting them to react to your message will go in vain. The key to using the "shock tactic" strategy is to use it in moderation and just enough to get the job done and no more.

"A little goes a long way" as the saying goes.

The shock tactic can be used more subtly as well.

For example, Seth Godin used the title, "All Marketers Are Liars" for his book whose audience was of course, marketers.

You see the shock tactic doesn't have to be in poor taste but let your market dictate how much shock factor or how little shock factor you use.

A heavily marketed to market may need something that is outrageously shocking, however a moderate or conservatively "marketed to" crowd may respond better to a more subtle apporach.

Bottom line is: Use proper judgement when applying the shock tactic in your marketing and know your market before you apply it.

About the Author:

Jo Han Mok is a #1 bestselling author and frequent featured speaker at Internet Marketing bootcamps and conferences. Visit his website for a simple step-by-step plan to profit online in 21 days or less! http://www.SuperFastProfit.com

Developing a Mini Tutorial Course

By Jill Black

Developing tutorial courses to offer at your web site is an excellent way to promote yourself, business and your web site.

A good tutorial is one that is unique in some respect and must contain valuable information or your reader/s will unsubscribe.

There are thousands of free tutorials on how to create an ezine, email marketing etc so brainstorm for something unique that represents your site, your product, or a specific skill you can teach people.

Always keep in mind that the aim of any tutorial course is to teach, inform and provide quality information of interest for your target audience through the sharing of your knowledge on subjects you are familiar with.

These courses *can* be invaluable for pre-selling your readers on your products if they are done right.

Developing your course

Decide on your subject then create a lesson plan.

Begin by making a list of topics and then depending on the number of topics separate each into your individual course lessons.

For example: five topics become five lessons, ten topics ten lessons and so on. Follow the same format for each lesson using plenty of white space to make it easy for people to go back and find information they may like to review again.

In the first lesson outline the course contents and what they can hope to learn during the course of your lessons.

Give each lesson a number.

Give each lesson a title.

Then follow with the actual lesson.

Throughout your course you can refer to your product/s and how it can help solve a problem within the context of the topic under discussion. Never however, use your course for the blatant advertising of your products and services or it will be a quick click on the un-subscribe button.

At the end of each lesson give highlights of what to expect in the next lesson. Keep it interesting so subscribers will look forward to the arrival of the next installment.

Once you have completed your written course the next step is to sign up for a follow-up auto responder capable of delivering your lessons at pre-determined intervals. This can be every day, or perhaps every second day for as many days required.

Follow the instructions given with your autoresponder and do a trial test to ensure that the delivery options are set correctly.

Next place your course information on your web site with your course description and the mailto: link to your auto-responder.

After mastering this type of auto-responder course consider providing workshops via email or.

Self-learning training courses delivered via email

These courses are structured the same way as offline correspondence courses and tend to do well year in and year out as the market for the course information always constantly replenishes itself.

Self-learning training courses require structured lesson plans, a course outline and set objectives for the knowledge the student can expect to gain from the course. Often this type of course includes a self-knowledge quiz at the end of each lesson for self-evaluation purposes by the student of how well they have understood of the current lessons content.

Popular topics include.

Business and money making courses
Public Speaking courses
Language courses
Salesmanship courses
Writing courses
Interior Decorating courses
Inspiration and self-improvement courses
Computer Programming
Stress Management courses
Massage courses
Astrology courses

"How to"... Just about anything that can be adapted for delivery via auto-responder that will provide people with the information and knowledge they are seeking.

Develop a prospectus for interested students to download (PDF format gives a more professional look) then create a course outline and sign-up enrolment form page at your web site.

Set your auto-responder to automatically deliver lesson installments to each of your paying students at weekly or fortnightly intervals. Tip: Many students like recieving the whole course upon signup. As an alternative offer the course in PDF ebook format. Making this option available will increase the number of student enrolments.

Note: Training courses contain no advertising for products or services - they are the product.

Many "how to" books can be adapted or broken down into course lessons and presented in this way providing an extra source of income for your business (or as a business in itself) or to be sold offline via direct mail to capture both the online and offline markets.

About the Author:

Jill is the owner of Netwrite-Publish. For more writing and publishing ideas log onto http://www.netwrite-publish.com

Optimize Your News Releases

By Harry Hoover

Today's news release is written differently than those from the past. It needs to be newsworthy and it needs to sound like a human wrote it. However, you must include the right keywords in it. Let's examine some news release optimization techniques. Research Is Key. If you have already optimized your website, then you know what keywords to include in your releases. However, if you are starting from scratch, it is important to do some keyword research. There are some decent free keyword research tools, like the stripped down version of Wordtracker, the one from SEO Company and Google AdWords. Look for keywords that have the highest volume and the least competition. For instance, when we launched AccessURP, we searched for keywords that would bring people looking for commercial real estate in Charlotte, NC to the site. We used several variations of that phrase in our pay-per-click ads, in our search engine optimization, and in our news releases.

Anchor's Away. Use anchor text in your releases. You'll notice in the news release how I anchored the phrase commercial real estate. This provides an important backlink using keywords. PRWeb has a wealth of tools to help improve your release for the online environment. Additionally, PRWeb distributes directly to consumers and journalists interested in your topic. They also distribute releases to bloggers, and thousands of websites syndicate their content.

So, for as little as $120 per release, you can build high quality backlinks to your site and cost effectively reach people interested in your release.

About The Author:

Harry Hoover is a partner in Charlotte, NC ad agency http://www.mycreativeteam.com/creative.php My Creative Team. He has 30 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Bank of Commerce, The Bray Law Firm, CruisingTheICW.com, Duke Energy, Jacobsen, Levolor, National Gypsum, North Carolina Tourism, Rubbermaid, TeamHeidi, VELUX, and Verbatim.

A Day in the Life of a Website

By Cherie' Davidson

Ah, there he is. What did he do, sleep all night?! We'll never get any sales if he doesn't do something with me. My navigation is awkward, the page flow...well, it doesn't, and humans keep leaving the site after a few seconds. It's no fun for me, I can tell you! I'm a Website, damn it, and I deserve some respect!

My human - he calls himself a business man...ha! - is trying to make a living from me. But what can he expect when he has no clue what my visitors are thinking? This just chaps my scripts, I can tell you.

Okay, in all fairness, he did make me look good. Actually, real good. I'm hot...my graphics are sharp and engaging, my design is striking and if I were a photograph, I'd be framed in a fancy gallery! But doesn't he know, looks are only monitor deep? Pleeeez, get a clue! My very survival depends on business, which starts with happy humans. And unfortunately, as pretty as I am, I'm not making anyone happy. Yep, my days are numbered unless he starts paying attention to my needs!

Impatiently waiting for his human to fill his coffee mug, Website sits, wondering what today will hold...

Come on, come on! We're burning pixels here! Yes! Pull out your chair, there you go. Sit... alright! Gotcha! Now we're cooking. Yep, there's the familiar tap...and...woo hoo! He's pulling some of my files. We're finally going to get something done!

Human has been reading about Web analytics...

What is this? He's adding a strange little snippet of code. Hmmm, interesting, it's nonintrusive, but...whoa, baby! I can see who is looking at me! Wow! There's one from Alaska, and Arizona, oh,ya, and that place humans call Florida. This is a rush! Look at those traffic numbers climb! I've got to look at this deal. Ok, ya, reports, good. Easy to read. My human needs to look at these closely. Oh ya!

Wait a second! Only 20% of all these people went to my sales page?! That can't continue. Hey, human! Human! Are you seeing this?!

It seems Human is seeing the numbers, and he is realizing there is a lot he has been missing by not having used traffic reporting before now...

Ok, we need to look at this more closely. I see that 10% are buying once they get there. Hmmm, that could be improved! Oh, geez, look at that product description page - everyone is leaving when they get to it. What's up with that?! Human, you need to get a copywriter on that page, like now!

This is interesting, that press release he sent brought 379 people to the site. And 214 are from Florida. What else, oh...keywords! Aha! I don't see my #1 product anywhere.

The unpleasant screeching sound issuing from the computer echoes Human's feelings about his site. This Web analytics data is shedding light on some serious issues...

Come on, Human! Take your mouse by the horns and make some changes! This is good stuff we're seeing here. Your banner ad on that sweet little site in Canada is getting great response. Do more of that, would ya? I sure wouldn't mind connecting to some other hotties like that one, and we now know that pays off!

Human, you're...making changes! You go!!! Ahhh, I'm already seeing a difference...look at that! Not so many jumpers from the description page; they're starting to move over to sales. Now you've got it. Oh ya, this is doing the trick. You're seeing what needs to be changed, what works and what flops!

No more long, lonely nights, no more feelings of cart abandonment, no more dollars surfing out of my reach! I'm all choked up...Human, you couldn't have made a better move, and you're going to see the difference I can make now! Oh ya! My virtual world is turning around, thanks to one little snippet and a human who is paying attention to the reports.

What about your Website? Don't keep it in the dark, bored, doing nothing for you. An unfulfilled Website is a tremendous opportunity lost. By using Web analytics, it can do what it was created to do...bring you business!

About the Author:

Article written by freelance writer and Website content developer, Cherie' Davidson
(http://www.cheriedavidson.com). Cherie' is also copywriter and managing content editor for VisiStat, a Web reporting service
(http://www.visistat.com), and their informative Analytics Blog
(http://www.visistat.com/wordpress/). For more information, write her at editor at visistat.com.

Build A Website - The Easy Way To Profitable Websites

By Alexander Marlin

Everyone talks online about how easy it is to build a website and make money online. Is is really that easy or pure hype to get you to purchase the next great thing to hit the online market.

All I have to say is that it is not that easy building highly profitable websites online. But, you can learn how to build a website, that will be fully optimized for the search engines and highly profitable in a couple of weeks, using the same simple tricks I use daily. It doesn't matter if you want to build a website for free or for profit.

To win online, you have to build a website that gets free traffic from the search engines, and implement all other simple traffic methods like: posting to forums, using ads in ezines, submitting your site to link directories, writing reviews for other peoples products, reciprocal linking and pay per click.

First you have to learn how to do your onsite optimization, and for that you will have to:

1) Insert your keyword into the title of your page

It amazes me how many sites online don't have their main keyword in the title page. Just make sure to always include your main keyword in the tile page of your site.

2) Add Meta Tags

Not as important as it used o be, but I like to include it in every site I build. Add Description meta tags and your keywords meta tags.

Use one or two keywords per page only. Add your main keyword into your page description.

3) H1 Header Tags

Use your H1 header tag on each page, I always like to use a smaller font size, like 14pt.

4) H2/H3 Header Tags

Try and use at least one H2 or H3 Tags within the first three or four paragraphs

5) Last and First Paragraph

Make sure to start your first paragraph with your main keyword and to end your last paragraph with your keyword

6) Bold, Italize ad Underline your keyword

You must Italize and bold your main keyword just once, and you must use your main keyword to link out of your site to another website (use that link to create an underline keyword) , at least once.

7) The Alt Image Tag

Well, this is very useful if you have pictures that you will be including on your site. Try to use the Alt Image Tag for your pages, I use the alt image tag on my website header.

Those are the only onsite optimization tips that you should use on each and every site you build. Try to not make it look too obvious, and over do your web site optimization. Learn to build a website the easy way by just following the simple tips I have outline here.

For more optimization tips, try to get your hands on VEO Report by Colin Mc. Dougal. This is the best and most understandable guide to building fully optimized websites online.

I will leave you with one tip I learnt from The VEO report; Before you add any affiliate links to your website, you must first build a website that focus on pure content and include an about you page, and then submit that site to the open directories, like DMOZ.org, etc. After your website has been added to those free directories then you can add your affiliate links and start building reciprocal links and the above mentioned traffic methods will deliver even more traffic.

http://www.veoreport.com/

Now that you know how to build a website for fun and profit, it is time to learn by actually doing something with the information you just read. Go build your first website, the second will be better and your third will be a master piece.

About The Author:

Alexander Marlin, Ebenezer St. Maarten A.N. Discover the simple secrets I use to build a website that ranks high in the search engines. And make thousand weekly with affiliate programs this way. For more information:
http://how-to-build-website.com/

7 Ways To Generate More Website Traffic

By Shon Christopher

If you are looking for more website traffic, there are several marketing strategies you can do to increase your traffic. Knowing and understanding each one is crucial to determining which ones work best for you. If you use trial and error, you can quickly discover which marketing is generating more website traffic for you. Here are 7 ways to create more website traffic.

Clickbank Account

Clickbank is a product directory on the internet that allows you to sell various products through your website. When people begin searching for the product you offer they can end up at your site. It only takes 5 minutes to sign up for an account and it can create much more website traffic for you.

Submit To Search Engines

If you submit a site map to the search engines you have a better possibility of them examining your site more often. With visits from search engine spiders you will get more website traffic as your site climbs higher on the search engines.

Tell a Friend

By placing a "tell a friend" script on your website, you give visitors the option to refer your website to others. If you continuously add new content you will build up a list of returning visitors who will begin referring your website to others, thus generating more website traffic.

Article Marketing

There is almost no better way to get more website traffic today than article marketing. By writing articles you can use keyword optimization while placing a ad for your website on the bottom of the article. Then all you have to do is submit the article to various ezines and newsletters. You can then place articles on your own website giving people the impression that you are an expert on whatever it is your website is on, which will create more traffic and return visitors as well.

Press Releases

This form of marketing is often overlooked by internet marketers. It is a completely free way to quickly generate more website traffic easily. All you have to do is have a subject announcing a new product you sell or something newsworthy and submit it to online press release companies. If it is written well enough you can then have it be picked up by top search engines such as yahoo and google.

Affiliate Programs

If you sell a product or e-book on your website you should set up an affiliate program. This will allow visitors the chance to join your affiliate program and sell your product for you. Now you have a business within a business and this will allow you to receive more website traffic.

Joint Venture

If you team up with a company that sells similar products, you can swap links and promote each others' business as well. This will allow you to get more website traffic from their site to yours.

About The Author:

Shon Christopher's making money website will provide you with the tools needed to boost your internet income in no time. With various secrets and tips, you will find informational articles and more to help you become a successful internet marketer. Go here to find more:
http://www.moneymultipliermethods.com

Got A Busy Life? You Need A Home Based Business!

By Saburo Yoshida

These days just about everybody needs more money. Gas prices are high and going higher, interest rates keep inching up, prescription and insurance rates are hitting new records, and the cost of raising a child is triple what it was when we were kids.

Add to that, jobs aren't what they used to be. Studies show one worker is now doing what three workers were expected to do 20 years ago. You work your fingers to the bone and all for pay that never seems to improve. Your average corporate job now requires 60 hours of work per week, stagnant pay, and little chance of longterm stability.

If any of this sounds familiar to you -- and for millions of us it should -- YOU are exactly the kind of person who needs their own home-based business.

Running a business out of your house or apartment is the perfect way to earn plenty of extra cash. Usually your overhead is almost nonexistent (no office rent, employees, or additional utilities) and often you can deduct from your taxes everything from part of your mortgage payment to other house-hold expenses.

"That sounds GREAT!" you say, "but I've got to keep working my job. I hardly have time to sit down, much less run my own business!"

Don't worry. These days big advances in automated marketing, outsourced selling, and automatic product delivery mean you can literally run your home-based business in your sleep. I know people running these kinds of business who are earning thousands per week while working as little as a few minutes per week. All they do is check their sales statistics and pull their checks out of the mailbox.

Here's how it works:

Modern search engine marketing pulls in huge numbers of targeted prospects to state of the art web sites. These sites educate the prospect and send the best to a professional sales team who separate the real business builders from the tire-kickers. Only then, when the sales team has pre-sold the customer, are these folks delivered to you. They're raring to go and want to buy or join your program NOW!

With this kind of system you can sell your existing products or service OR simply sell the system to others. I typically earn several thousand dollars per sale.

And that brings us to the next point. This kind of very advanced marketing and sales program can easily sell high-priced products. Instead of getting little one and two dollar commissions like most MLM, direct sales, and affiliate programs offer, you earn thousands per sale.

Best of all, you do very little work with this kind of advanced system. You don't need special training, ability, or even much money to get started. You simply turn on the switch, sit back, and watch the cash roll in.

Years go this might have been too good to be true, but today's completely automated home-based businesses are the real thing. And they're coming at a time when millions of people world-wide could make very good use of them.

About The Author:

Saburo Yoshida offers a completely turn-key automated marketing, sales, and product delivery system that earns you massive $1,000 and $3,000 systems. See it for yourself and get started earning right away:
http://www.prosperityautomatedsystem.com/members/yoshibasib/

What Type Of Internet Sales Model Will Give You The Most Profits?

By Jo Han Mok

The controversy over a functional sales model has been raging for years. Well before the online information age, and probably well after those who read this have retired from marketing.

There are two basic situations and some variations. Some people have been able to merge these models to some degree but you'll find customers get confused when the merger is complete. You'll lose more customers if you try to maintain both models with the same list.

In the first situation you have what has been referred to as a sales funnel. In this model the marketer entices people to his list by giving away some information. After a time the marketer makes a product offer at a low price point. At this time the list is segmented into those who purchase and those who didn't. The same offer might be made again and the segmentation happens again.

The second offer made is for a slightly higher price point. The marketer will find that the list that originally purchased from him has a higher likelihood of purchasing the second product at the higher price point than the first list who have never purchased. At this time the marketer may or may not segment the list into those who have purchased the higher priced item.

This same pattern continues with the marketer offering several items always higher than the last. This method of marketing offers the client the best of the marketer and offers the marketer a list of clients who might like to purchase into a higher priced coaching program. The marketer is also able to segment out those customers who will purchase the lower or middle price point products and consistently offer their choice of price point.

The opposite of this model is much like an affiliate sales pitch. The marketer finds a customer and offers him high quality information to sign up for his list. The marketer then sells the only product he has to offer at a higher price point. He might then find affiliate products to offer but the offers are haphazard and the newest products on the market that week.

Either model will net sales. The first model will net a business empire where the marketer can offer affiliate products when they fit very well with the needs of his client base. The second model will net a continual flow of customers in and customers out who may unsubscribe after purchasing any product that feel meets their needs. In both models the marketer must continue to add customers to their list to continue to make money.

The second model may not be the most efficient but it takes less work to set up and run. The first model may take more effort up front but will net a long-term relationship with their customers. It is really the difference between having clients and customers.

A definition emerged recently by a 'guru' who said it this way: "I offer various products because my list is not all interested in the same thing. I want to offer everyone something that satisfies them." Again, this is the difference between having a specific targeted list of clients and customers.

The more important process is to iron out which concept works best for your particular business model and then stick with it. Switching models mid-stream is almost next to impossible. You'll lose more business than you anticipate gaining by switching camps. If you are committed to trying another sales model then start another niche and test it there.

About the Author:

Jo Han Mok is a #1 bestselling author and frequent featured speaker at Internet Marketing bootcamps and conferences. Visit his website for a simple step-by-step plan to profit online in 21 days or less!
http://www.SuperFastProfit.com

Quick Reference Guide To Website Statistics

By Jo Han Mok

Web statistics, performance metrics or whatever you'd like to call them are important numbers that tell you where your business is heading and where it's been. Most people talk about product conversion rates. However, conversion rates depend upon the quality of the traffic that is visiting your site.

If you are selling an information product about dog training but people looking for breeds find your site then your conversion rate will be in the toilet, if even on the radar. On the other hand if your list contains people interested in dog behavior and your product is about dog behavior your conversion rate might be as high as 25-30%. Again, the conversion rate depends on the quality of the leads.

So what numbers are important?

1. Cost per visitor (CPV) - This number tells you the amount of money you spend to get one unique visitor. If you spend $50.00 to drive 500 unique visitors it would have cost $00.10 for each visitor. $50.00/500=$00.10.

2. Cost per lead (CPL) - This is the amount of money it costs you to generate an opt-in lead. In the same example above 20% of the 500 opted in which means you now have 100 new subscribers. If you have 100 new subscribers for the same $50.00 it took to send 500 visitors to your site your CPL is $00.50. $50.00/100 = $00.50.

3. Cost per sale (CPS) - This is your cost to make a sale. If you spent $100.00 on an ezine ad, which drove 1000 visitors to your site, and you had 20 sales (2% conversion) your cost per sale would be $5.00. $100.00/20 = $5.00. This number MUST be less than the price of your product or your net profits are a negative number.

4. Customer lifetime value (CLV) - This number gives you the value of a customer over their lifetime on your list. You'll have to do some digging for your numbers but for convenience sake let's assume that you have 1500 people who have purchased $150,000.00 of product from you in the past year. The math is $150,000.00/ 1500 people = $100.00 CLV. Each buying customer is worth about $100.00 to you.

This number should be considered when you do your ad campaigns. If you have a campaign that barely breaks even you may not run the ad again. However, if you know that your lifetime value of those customers you acquired is $100.00 this would significantly impact your decision.

5. Visitor Value (VV) - This is the value of your visitors which is individualized for each type of advertising channel you use.

Let's say you spend $1500.00 on ezine advertising in 2 months. This advertising brings you $5000.00 in sales. Subtracting your costs for the product your profit margin is 70%.

$5,000 X .70 = $3500.00 - $1500.00(ad cost) = $2000.00 net profit

Your $1500.00 ad generated 8,500 visitors and $2,000.00 net profit. For this particular ad campaign you visitor value is:

$2,000 (profit) / 8,500 (visitors) = $00.23 Visitor Value

Each type of advertising channel (PPC, banner, ezine) will have it's own visitor value. You must know what the average is for each channel. When you decide to advertise using that channel you then can make a rational decision about how much you can spend. Otherwise you are just making uneducated guesses.

Using the calculations you've just done you can evaluate the cost of your current marketing plan. With the appropriate numbers your plan will net you a tidy profit. With the wrong plan your numbers should show you the direction you should now take.

About the Author:

Jo Han Mok is a #1 bestselling author and frequent featured speaker at Internet Marketing bootcamps and conferences. Visit his website for a simple step-by-step plan to profit online in 21 days or less!
http://www.SuperFastProfit.com