Having What It Takes To Start Your Own Business

By Jim Zurbrugg

A big step for many individuals to take in life is that of owning their very own business. Being a business owner presents its own set of challenges. Yet more and more people are starting their own businesses and stepping up to the challenges that come with it. Many businesses can turn into successful ventures, and there are many different businesses you can undertake. It's wise to take a look at a few things to determine if you have what it takes to start your own business. The time to do that is prior to starting it up.

Financial Background

Starting a new business costs a good deal of money. This is true both in the beginning and throughout the business venture. To determine if this is something that you can afford, you should consider your financial background. Savings, loans, or taking on financial partners are ways of funding your new business. As a hopeful future business owner, you can see whether or not this is the right time to start a new business by looking at the financial situation right in the beginning.

Schedule and Time Availability

Another factor which must be considered in relation to starting one's own business is time. It takes quite a bit of time to start and pursue your own business. Being sure that you have the time to devote to your new project is crucial. The more time you put into a project, the more success you are likely to have. This is something that you should take into account because some businesses will require more time and effort than others.

Sheer Dedication

More than time and money is required when starting and cultivating a new business. Sheer dedication on the part of the business owner is what it takes. When you decide to start your own business, you must have the desire to pursue your occupation to the utmost of your capabilities. You must follow through on things from start to finish. You will be more likely to turn your business into something wonderful if you have the sheer dedication.

Ability to Ask for Help

When getting your business off the ground and running, you should also possess the ability to ask others for help. This can be enlisting the aid of friends, family members, or even paid workers. Without asking others to pitch in and help from time to time, it is often difficult for one individual to start a new business. There is often something that others can do to help make your business even that much more successful, whether it is asking for tax help or having family members help out with caring for your children.

About The Author:

Jim Zurbrugg is owner of z2marketing and writes on a variety of subjects. To learn more about this topic, Jim recommends that you visit http://www.itvVentures.com/104465.

Using Adsense Templates To Boost Your Site

By Seth Willis Jr.

Your AdSense program can benefit greatly by using a pre-made Adsense tool. Today's most dynamic and robust sites can offer better traffic, increased Web clicks, and a stronger Web presence to keep your AdSense program profitable and consistent. Pre-made Adsense programs allow you the freedom of organizing your data and information easily and effectively.
Instead of the ads being placed haphazardly across a site, with minimal chances of getting clicks, a template can help you put together an appealing and attractive site format.

Pre-made Adsense Websites should be designed with simple and minimal colors for high impact. Take a look at sites you currently visit, and notice the color themes, schemes, and backgrounds. It's likely that the most appealing and user-friendly have only four or five basic colors. Adapt this to your site, and you'll easily create a more attractive site for your potential Web traffic.

Pre-made Adsense Websites make your site simple and easy to navigate. Too much media-rich content, flashing ads, banners, or other pieces will lose the attention of your visitors very easily. Incorporating an AdSense template will make sure that the most important areas are seen first, and a user can be comfortable and more likely to click your ads in the process!

An effective AdSense strategy will include additional articles and links to your subject, topic, or blog. This works even better if you can set up other sites that link to your particular subject, and add additional click-through ads on the sites! Articles keep the reader engaged, more likely to continue reading your site or blog, and encourage them to review the ads around the textboxes.

Pre-made Adsense Websites also allow you to easily track visitors and traffic. When you use this template-style site, you'll easily be able to analyze and see how well your site is doing on a daily basis. Almost all AdSense Website packages offer some form of measuring tools and traffic count devices for you to use. You'll be able to review where people are clicking, how often, and even during what times of the month. If you're linking out to other sites, you'll be able to see how and where these links are coming in from. This information can help you adjust and coordinate your campaign and strategy to make the most of potential Web traffic.

There are multiple benefits to using pre-made AdSense Websites and incorporating blogs. Even though your Website may be full of strategically placed ads, the number of inbound and outbound links on your site can greatly increase your search engine automatically. This is just one great way to generate more traffic without too much extra work! RSS feeds let your visitors and users subscribe to any new information that you post; whenever you update your blog or publish an article, the headline gets sent to your RSS users. This gives them an efficient link to your site to review the whole article, and can give you more traffic whenever you introduce new content.

When creating your pre-made Adsense Website, do keep in mind the value of color coordination, making your site user-friendly, and providing valuable and insightful article information. You'll gain increased user interest, and let people become more comfortable clicking and reviewing your AdSense advertising!

About The Author:

Seth Willis Jr. is the webmaster for http://www.adsenseschool.com he is an experienced internet marketer and has a lot of expertise with adsense." I created adsense school so that I could help others who are starting out and needed a resource and tutorial site to get started, the school is completely free and there for anyone with a desire to learn how to make an income using adsense."

6 Blogging Myths That Are Holding You Back

By Rich Brooks

By the hammer of Thor there's a lot of blogging myths out there; myths that keep you from generating more online leads and building lasting relationships with clients.

The problem with these myths is that if they're not challenged they turn into conventional wisdom. If you've been looking to drive more traffic to your Web site and improve communications with customers, you owe it to yourself to give a business blog a try.

Below are some of the hurdles--exaggerated or imagined--I've heard business owners use to avoid starting a blog, and real-world experience to debunk these myths.

1) My customers don't read blogs. I hear this all too often by business owners who don't completely understand what a blog is. Now, perhaps your customers don't subscribe to any blogs, or they don't return daily to a favorite blog. However, if they use Google or Yahoo for search, chances are they stumbled upon a search result from a blog. Since blogs often rank high at the search engines, if your customers use the Internet, you can capture their attention with a blog.

2) Blogging is for teenagers to share the minutiae of their lives and what they think of the remaining American Idol contestants. While teens certainly took to blogging quicker than businesses, these days companies of all sizes and shapes have realized the benefits of a business blog. You wouldn't dismiss the telephone as a communication device just because your teenager spends hours each night on it, would you?

3) Blogging is just a fad/This too will pass. Didn't you say the same thing about the Internet back in 1997? Of course no one can predict the future and much of the hype about blogs is just that. However, it's important to realize that blogs are a powerful, easy-to-use communication tool, and communicating with customers and prospects will never go out of style.

Besides, blogs are an effective marketing tool today, so don't worry if in five years you've moved on to your next communication medium. If you've cultivated an active audience, they'll follow you to other distribution channels.

4) Blogging takes up too much time. I run a growing business, sit on the board of MEBSR (Maine Businesses for Social Responsibility), participate in a business-owners group, do a lot of writing and speaking, and carry my share in raising our two daughters. Trust me, I know from being busy.

However, in the past two-and-a-half years of blogging, I've discovered that it's probably the most effective use of my marketing time. Blogging helps establish your expertise, generates loads of search engine leads, and delivers your message through three distribution channels each time you write. (Read more on the three faces of blogs.)

As business owners we have limited time in the day to market our services; blogging provides great return on that investment.

5) Blogging is fraught with dangers, like people leaving negative comments. These days, consumers can vent their frustration with your product or service anywhere on the Web, whether it's a post at their own blog, a review at Epinions.com, or a scathing YouTube video. If I had my choice, I'd rather have that conversation happen where I have home court advantage. How you handle negative feedback can establish your authenticity, and help you win over new converts.

And, if you happen to find yourself with a PR nightmare, you don't have to worry about letting the media tell your side of the story. By using your own blog you have unfettered access to anyone with a connection to the Internet.

People are looking for transparency and authenticity from companies these days, and your blog is the perfect tool to match these needs.

6) My customers don't read blogs. Whoa. Feelings of deja vu. Didn't we respond to this earlier? Oh, you mean that you don't get leads from the Internet? That they only use the Yellow
Pages or go on advice from a friend? Well, then your audience is shrinking. The average consumer is much more likely to use the Web to search for a product or service, or at least visit
your Web site to learn more about your company.

If you haven't gone after this audience before, you're missing an opportunity of getting in front of a younger audience...your customers and clients of tomorrow.

And trust me, they read blogs.

The truth about blogging is that it's proven an effective marketing tool for a wide range of businesses. You can start a blog on your own through a service like TypePad or by
installing a blogging platform like WordPress on your own server. Alternatively, you can hire a Web design firm to design, develop and promote your blog and get you up to speed quickly.

Whatever path is right for you, don't let these myths keep you from giving business blogging a chance.

About The Author:

Rich Brooks is president of flyte new media, a Web design and Internet marketing company
(http://www.flyte.biz/). Download his free article, "The 11 Biggest Mistakes Small Business Bloggers Make." at http://www.flyte.biz/special/free-report/

Making The Best Of Work At Home Based Business Opportunitiess

By Tobias Smith

Admit it. When you think of a work from home business you imagine a mother with three kids who is working from home just to get by. That little picture is fine and dandy, but it is really limiting you to not being able to take advantage of all of the work-from-home opportunities that there are out there. If you don't fit the above stereotype you may think that there is no place for you in the work-from-home world. Instead, try to imagine your self working at home for your own business making just as much money as you would at a normal job. There is tons of opportunity out there for everyone, no matter what their profile is.

Finding a work at home based business opportunity is not difficult at all if you know where to look, and once you have found a few, you can begin finding out which ones work best for you. After you have selected only the most successful work-at-home businesses to work with, you will see how effective this method of doing business really is. Don't automatically jump to the conclusion that you are making more money at your day job than you would be with a work-at home business. Do a little bit of research and find out exactly what it will take for you to make the same amount of money from home as opposed to out in the work force. This should make the comparison easy, and you can make your decision based on that.

And if you aren't interested in quitting your current job, but you think it would be nice to bring in a little extra money, the home based business is great for you. By using a work-at-home business opportunity you can easily add several hundred dollars to your income each month, which isn't bad at all, and it is much better than going out and getting a second job doing hard work.

There is a ton of potential out there if you want to start a home based business, and you don't have to worry about fitting a certain stereotype. Instead, you should be happy that you have this opportunity available to you because in the big business world, you definitely have to have a certain persona about you to be successful. Take advantage of what you have available to you now through work-at-home businesses and you will find that even if you can't quit your current job, you can still bring in a ton of extra money that you would otherwise be missing out on. Just think, somebody has to make this money somehow, so it might as well be you. With this mentality, it won't be hard at all to get yourself on track to start making big money from the comfort of your home.

About The Author:

Start your own home business and earn multiple streams of income online. To learn more visit: http://www.easymoneyonlinenow.com

A Distance Learning Bachelors Degree Can Open Doors

By Candice Sabrina

When life has to go on while college classes are taken, turning to the Internet can really help. A distance learning bachelors degree can open doors while allowing students to matriculate on their own schedules.

Distance learning bachelors degree programs used to only be offered in a few fields and by a few "select," unknown institutions. That is simply not the case anymore. Students interested in earning this very important, employment-benefiting degree will soon find there are plenty of options out there now. There's no reason to expect to have to go to class all the time to earn a valuable bachelors degree.

Distance learning, for those who are unclear, involves college classes that are taken over the Internet. Books might be mailed to a students' door and access to professors is also still generally available via chat, forums, telephone or in person, but the bulk or all of the material is handled online. The type of programs available for full degrees will vary. Some of the most common include such areas of concentration as business and accounting, education and criminal justice, and history and theology.

The benefits to this type of learning situation can be many, especially for those without the time to physically attend classes. Some of the perks can include anytime learning, accredited courses, sometimes discounted fees and a variety of program offerings. Many students find this is one of the best options for them to completely earn a degree or fill in needed classes on a better time schedule.

Looking for the best distance learning bachelors degree programs can be a little tricky, but the truth is this trend is growing in leaps and bounds. Even some of the Ivy League schools are offering at least a few classes online.

The places to look for distance learning bachelors degree programs include:

* State universities. Many state-funded universities offer online degree programs, or at least classes. It is possible for students to take a mix of these classes in some locations or to completely finish a degree online in others.

* Private colleges. Accredited, private institutions are often opening their doors, so to say, to online students. How many or few classes they will allow online toward a degree will vary. Some colleges allow for a degree-seeking student to go from start to finish online.

* Specialty schools. Many specialty schools, such as arts institutions, business colleges and more, have gone online in a lot of cases. Some locations offer complete course work online, others provide this opportunity for only a few classes.

* Junior colleges. Many of these typically lower-priced institutions are also available for students online.

As long as they come from accredited institutions of higher learning, distance learning bachelors degree programs carry a lot of weight in the real world. This didn't used to always be the case, but the reality is as this "trend" sets into common practice, more and more people are understanding the Internet can be a powerful tool for teaching and learning.

About The Author:

For more information on distance learning, try visiting http://www.distancelearningopportunities.com - a website that specializes in providing distance learning related tips, advice and resources including information on distance learning bachelors degree.

Self-Promotion Writing Tips for Companies

By Tammy M. Ratcliff

One of the best ways for companies to "get their name out there" is through self-promotion. This is a little different than straight up advertising and usually more effective. Self-promotion involves providing information to potential clients by way of a written article instead of the standard sales pitch. Any company can proclaim their greatness on a banner or a billboard; however, when a company offers free advice concerning their area of expertise, it makes a much stronger statement to the potential clients. Here a few things to keep in mind when writing articles for self-promotion.

Catchy Titles

An article's title is one of the most important devices used in getting a reader's attention. The title can literally make or break an entire article since it will most likely determine whether or not a reader keeps reading. If the reader doesn't finish the article, he will not see the link at the bottom that leads to your company's website. So, while creativity is always appreciated, accuracy is much more important.

In other words, the title really needs to say exactly what the article is about. If George Clooney's name is in the title, the article better be about him. People do not like to be tricked
into reading something that has nothing to do with the subject they are looking for. The goal with self-promotion articles is to provide useful information to people who might use your services. George Clooney may be the hottest man in show business, but if he doesn't use or endorse your product or service, it is best to keep his name out of it.

Beginning Paragraphs

An article's first paragraph is just as important as its title. This is, hopefully, the attention getter! The first paragraph should feed off of the title and set up the rest of the article. It should do so in an informative, interesting way that encourages the reader to keep reading. This is also a good place to set up a general scenario that most readers will be able to relate to. If the first paragraph is successful in grabbing a reader's attention, the likelihood greatly increases that the reader will finish the article, thus discovering the company responsible for its content. Mission accomplished!

Length and Language

Time is so important to people today. Therefore, when writing self-promotional articles, keep them relatively short (around 700 to 1000 words). Make sure they are written so they are easy to understand. When a person is seeking information today, they want to be able to find it fast and read/learn it even faster. Big words and long articles are just not compatible with this
mindset.

The Professional Edge

You may know everything there is to know about cars, but if you can't put your thoughts to paper in a clear, concise manner, consider hiring a professional writer. Self-promotion through writing Internet articles can only be successful if the final product provides a positive representation of your company. Therefore, if your article is filled with misspelled words and dangling modifiers, the only thing it will succeed in doing is making you look incompetent. People who run their own companies often do not have time to spend looking up the rules of punctuation and parallelism. However, writers do! If need be, take advantage of someone else's writing expertise to help promote your business in the most professional way.

Editing

Editing is another area where outside help could be needed. Even the most careful writers make mistakes. Unfortunately, once an error is printed, it is too late to correct, and even the tiniest typo can mar the judgment of a potential client. Because of this, hiring an editor may be a worthy investment. An experienced editor will go beyond checking for misspelled or misused words and look for shifts in voice or tense, as well as subject-verb agreement. Using an editor doesn't guarantee an error free article, but it increases the likelihood a great deal.

Conclusion

Self-promotion using Internet articles can be a great way to increase your business. This type of instructional marketing emphasizes knowledge instead of gimmicks. Taking the time to create a well-written article may seem counterproductive to your actual business, but the results will speak for themselves.

About the Author:

Tammy M. Ratcliff is a staff writer and editor for the Phantom Writers(http://thePhantomWriters.com) and Links And Traffic (http://www.LinksAndTraffic.com).
The Phantom Writers specializes in ghost writing articles and distributing them as free-content on the World Wide Web. If you would like to promote your business using self-promotion articles, the Phantom Writers will be able to help you. If you would like to talk to a person about our services, call Bill Platt at (405) 780-7745, 9am-6pm CST, Mon thru Fri.

Writing Short Articles Is Easy

By Eric Hartwell

Short article writing is as not as difficult as you think. No, it is not a daunting task if you know what to do. Just remember that when you write, the important thing is that you catch your reader's attention. You must make them want to read what you wrote. Here are the tips that you can follow when writing your article?

You and Your Readers

Grab you reader's attention. Remember that at first glance your title must reflect the benefit they would receive from reading your article. Writing compelling titles is an art itself. It must have pizzazz and it must sizzle by itself. You must create a title that will grab your reader's attention and hold it. Do not be afraid to be outrageous even. Your introductory words or paragraph must tell your readers how reading your article will help them out or improve them. It must be formatted in such a way that when your readers scan your article, it would be viewed as a light, easy and interesting reading. How do you ensure that your article is easy to scan? Use bullets, headings, sub-headings, numbered lists, and steps.

Talk to your reader. Learn to be specific in your purpose and narrow down your article to its exact target audience. Make sure that your articles will be understood by varied audience regardless of their age, educational background or race. Connect to your reader as a friend, giving him an advice. Make your article friendly.

You and Your Topics

Prepare an outline. Writing would be easier also if you have an outline on hand. Determine the number of paragraphs you would like your article to have, your outline headings and sub points for each heading. Your outline headings must not vary from the main topic of the article but must be supportive of the main heading. Your subtopics for each outline headings must be related to the main heading and to each outline heading.

Take note that your article should be concise, informative and interesting. Do not write lengthy paragraphs that would bore your reader. Keep it short and readable. You can give examples, but make sure that they are short. It is also important to write simple sentences and use words that are understandable to almost any reader. Use the simplest words. Avoid using words which are very technical except when it is really necessary. Use words of direct and powerful actions and expressions. Use active voice in writing sentences. This would be more positive in impression. Do not include unnecessary or excessive words.

Be informative and substantive. Your article must be practical and valuable. You must do your research to make sure that your article will come out like you really know what you are talking about. Avoid lengthy idioms, analogies, quotes, anecdotes, and stories, but if you must give an example, make it short. This will ensure that your reader will get the information while appealing to their emotions. Your readers want information and definite summary of the whole article. It is this way that they will connect with you.

About The Author:

Eric Hartwell oversees http://theworldsbesthomepage.com intended to be a
user-generated resource where YOUR opinion counts. Anybody can contribute and all are welcomed. Visit his associated site for jewelry - http://www.jewels2love.com

Work From Home Business Opportunity: Earning Extra Income While Studying

By Tobias Smith

Unless you have a scholarship and your parents have provided you with more than adequate college funds, you will need to earn some money while studying. Getting a descent and good
paying job off campus isn't really easy when you are a student and sometimes, your work schedule will come in conflict with your studies. In most cases, you end up cramming for exams and burning your midnight candles just to get through the semester. It's not really a pretty situation isn't it? Fortunately, there is a way out of the vicious cycle of running across town from school to the workplace.

The advancement of technology now allows students to work from home and have a more flexible schedule. If you are looking for work from home business opportunity, look no further than your computer. There are a number of online home businesses that are suitable for students. The good news about some of these online work-from-home business opportunities is that they offer possibilities of big income. In fact, if you are really good at what you do, you can easily earn a full time income while working in the comforts of your home.

Work opportunities for students

Working as a freelance writer online will give you a lot of flexibility. You can work anywhere and anytime you want if you are freelance writer. At first, the pay may not really be so good but once you are able to establish a good reputation as a writer, you will soon be earning enough money to see you through college. Note that there are many students all over the country who were able to finish a degree while working as freelance writers.

If you are a medical student with good writing skills, medical transcription will suit you well. The good thing about doing medical transcription is that you get to work well within your areas of expertise. Since you are already very much familiar with the terms and jargons used in the medical profession, you can easily understand and transcribe medical records. Another advantage of doing medical transcription is that you get to learn something while you listen to the audio files that you are transcribing. Most of the audio files that you will transcribe contain information that is valuable to the medical profession. On the other hand, if you are a political science or a law student, legal transcription is best for you.

What if you are not a good writer? Can you still work online? Yes of course you can still work online even if you are not a good writer. The internet offers unlimited opportunities for entrepreneurs and students. If you are resourceful and creative, you are bound to find a good work from home business opportunity online.

About The Author:

Start your own home business and earn multiple streams of income online. To learn more visit: http://www.easymoneyonlinenow.com

How To Select The Perfect Home Based Business

By Kal Bartal

Today, many people are taking advantage of the flexible work and turning to home based businesses which means there are plenty of opportunities and options for those who want to start a home based business. One of the first steps towards having success with a home based business is making sure you have a good home computer with internet access. However, after this it can be difficult to decide between the abundant opportunities available for those starting a home based business. It is often more a matter of finding a business that works for you since all of the home based businesses can bring you profits as long as you work at it. So how can you determine which home based business is best for you?

The first step you should take is identify what you are specifically interested in doing. While a home based business can be fun, it can also be boring if you find yourself doing something you don't like to do. You should then look at your interests and find which ones will match with the schedule you and your family has. If you have a family or young kids then you may not want a business that requires meeting with clients or one that requires you to work during the day time. Make sure your management and time plan for a specific home based business will be able to work with your family schedule.

Consider whether or not you are willing to learn. There are many opportunities on the computer that you may be interested in doing, but without additional learning you may not be suited to the job. However, with today's online learning it can be easy to take seminars online without having a conflict with your work schedule and family schedule. It may also be a good idea to follow this trend of online learning and start selling educational products since you will have a large market to work with and growth potential for your home based business.

You should also consider the company you are going to work for. Most of the companies that have home based jobs will want a payment of some kind. These payments can have a variety of
variations and it is important to make sure the company is known for their honesty and integrity before going with them. Make sure you look into the companies history and profile to make sure they are a good company to go with before starting your home based business. Consider looking for success stories and if possible talking with others who have already worked with the company in order to get adequate information about the company you are looking to work for.

About The Author:

Kal Bartal is owner of http://bartal.biz and writes on a variety of subjects. To learn more about this topic Kal recommends you visit: http://www.bartal.biz

Would You Like To Improve Your Search Engine Ranking?

By John J Jackson

Get the basics right.

Your first step to making sure your site is search engine friendly is to make sure the search engines can "read" your site easily. This means getting the fundamentals right.

In this article we are going to cover the main building blocks of your site:- HTML, frames, keywords, title, description. Alt and keywords tags. We have assumed a basic understanding of HTML. At the end of this article we will show you how you can check your search engine rankings.

HTML - get it validated.

Make it easy for search engines to "read" your site. Check your HTML code. Search engine spiders are computer programs. They work to a predefined set of rules. The easier you make it for them to crawl your site the more likely it is that you will get your pages crawled without problems. Make sure you check your code for errors and that it is well formatted.

Keywords - take the guesswork out of finding keywords.

It's a good idea to do some brainstorming when choosing your keywords. Try to compile a list of all possible keywords that your potential customers would use to find your product or service. The secret of picking high performance keywords is to aim for those phrases that generate a lot of searches but at the same time have limited competition.

The Title Tag - how to optimize your page title.

When search engine spiders crawl your website they give a lot of weight to your page title. The search engine crawler uses the title to judge what the site is about. You should aim to place your most important keywords at the beginning of your title tag. Remember that the search engines will display your title as part of the search results. Try and make the title attractive to your potential visitors. The Title tag is an essential part of getting a better search engine ranking.

Meta Description Tag

When the search engines return their results it is quite often the contents of the description tag that is displayed on the search engine results page. Use your keywords in the description and make sure it is as appealing as possible. The number of visitors you get will depend to a large extent on how much they are attracted by your description. In other words no point being on page 1 of the search results if nobody clicks on your site.

Meta Keywords Tag

Search engines are putting less and less emphasis on the Meta Keywords tag. The keywords tag has been abused in the past and improved search engine rankings are less likely to be as a result of the keyword tag. Nevertheless it can do your site no harm to enter your top keywords into the Meta Keywords tag.

Body text

Remember that not all search engines use the description tag. This means that the results shown on the search page will be the first few lines of your body text. Try to put your keywords at the beginning of your text and remember to make them as appealing as possible. You are trying to get people to click onto your page rather than your competitors; so give them a reason to visit your site. Try to make use of the heading tags and if possible use some bulleted lists. Place keywords within your text in a natural way and do not spam the engines by cramming your text with keywords.

Alt tag

When you insert an image into your webpage one of the image properties is the Alt tag. In the description of your image mention your keywords. The keywords in your alt tag will not necessarily give you an immediately higher search engine ranking but they will certainly not harm your chances.

How do you check your ranking progress?

How do you know if the changes you have made are working. For a limited time we are offering a free website ranking report. This will show you your position, for your chosen keywords on Google,MSN and Yahoo. Reserve your report today. Visit our website now for full details

About The Author:

For the last 20 years John Jackson has been helping all sizes and types of businesses solve their IT problems. He has a proven track record of providing sound, business focused solutions, that are both reliable and affordable. http://www.computer-support-services.co.uk

The Glamorous Life Of A Self Employed Mom

Sheila Hull-Summers

Each morning, my 4 year old goes to preschool, followed by daycare for a few hours in the afternoon. During this time, I answer email in sweats, process orders to customers from my warehouse (the garage), and know both the UPS guy and my postal carrier on a first name basis. I am the founder and owner of Sunrise Imports, making decisions and taking care of every detail required of running a small business. And I love it! However, on a recent Tuesday, there was a glitch in my plan.

The previous night, my daughter had a temperature of 101 degrees and didn't sleep much, which means I didn't sleep much. Instead it was children's Tylenol, damp washcloths and lots of comforting hugs all night long. When 6 am rolled around, miraculously she was awake, alert and ready to watch her favorite DVD, "The Wizard of Oz" for the twenty-second time that week. All I cared about was who would make coffee. By 7 am though, her fever had returned and she was curled up on the floor with Clifford, her stuffed red dog, and her favorite fuzzy blanket, hardly noticing that the Wicked Witch was melting. Obviously, this little person I brought into the world, needed to be with her Mommy today. Shouldn't be a big deal, right? She can rest, watch t.v., draw and recuperate, and I can get a few things done in the office in between. (Insert chuckles here) I'm sure you know how the day turned out, especially if you're a parent. But for kicks, I'll give you the gorey details anyway.

The day was all about eating, playing, resting and watching t.v., unfortunately I forgot to factor in the part about a 4 year olds not wanting to do these things alone. She wanted mom's attention and reassurance every minute of every hour. Each time I'd try to sneak off to the office to check my email, she'd hunt me down then pull on my arm to come play with her. She wanted to do puzzles, draw with me, play hair salon, have a tea party - all the usual things little girls like to do. The psychological battle in my head began and it was torture. Was it more important to take on the role of entrepreneur or Mom today? Of course Mom won out, so we played. We played Chutes and Ladders, Ants in the Pants, did puzzles and painted pictures of rainbows. We ate soup while watching Dorothy and Toto follow the yellow brick road. We even had a tea party complete with 16 of our closest (stuffed) friends. It was a lovely diversion from the real world for this 42-year-old, until... the business phone rang. Back to reality, I quickly reminded my daughter of the rules when Mommy's on the telephone. Then I ran into the office, mustered up my best professional voice, and answered with confidence. An event planner had questions about making a large gift purchase for a corporate client. A minute or two into the conversation, I could hear a certain little person at the door yelling for Mommy. I became distracted and knew it would only get worse, so I took the customer's number and decided to call her back after I returned my child to sick bay.

Still in our jammies, we went back into the living room and had a chat about Mommy's work. Reasoning with a 4-year-old, hmmmm. Perhaps a bribe would work better. I made a deal with ice cream as the pay off. She took the bait and I went off to the back bedroom to make my call. Two minutes into the call, a knocking at the door. I fled to the bathroom which was further away from the bedroom door, hoping the customer wouldn't hear any of the commotion. My little monster, er, daughter got louder. Knocking and calling my name turned into banging and screaming. I finished up the call and hung up. For just a brief moment, I nearly burst into tears. Was this my life? Barricaded in the bathroom to make a phone call? Forced to do business using the toilet lid as my desk and the floor as my chair? Hiding from my child who was ready to break down the door just to be near me? If it wasn't so ridiculous, it would be comical. I smiled. Then I laughed. When I finally came out of the bathroom and opened the bedroom door, I was greeted with a big hug and a smile.

A little while later, we ate bowls of mint chocolate chip ice cream while watching the tin man sing "If I only had a heart". Mom and daughter got to share quality time, and the entrepreneur took a much needed afternoon off. Apparently everyone was a winner that day.

About The Author:

Sheila Hull-Summers is the owner of http://www.sunriseimports.net Sunrise Imports, a web retailer specializing in unique home & garden decor and handcrafted gifts from Latin America and the United States.

3 SEO 'w' Factors To Consider When Marketing Your Business Online

By David Bain

Web analytics provide tools on understanding your market; from their behavioral patterns and purchasing capacity to the probabilities: what your niche market wants, how to make your site visitors keep coming back and ultimately how to convert them into devoted customers.

Today's booming internet marketing has become more challenging and competitive not only with the mushrooming of online businesses, but also because more and more online businesses fold-up just as soon as they have started. This is primarily due to the poor analysis of market trending, demographics; and several qualitative and quantitative factors.

--- Three Factors to Consider in Online Marketing:

There are several factors online businesses take into consideration to determine their success or failure. Hits, or the number of times the site was viewed, used to be one such factor. These primarily say a lot about how web surfers see your site. But then, online marketers wanted to find out more than how many times they were viewed. Web analytics devised a formula that would profile each unique visitor and store their information for future reference so it can likewise be determined when repeat visits occur. From these profiles, the marketer gets an idea of three important W's: Who, What and When.

Who - visits you. Who was interested at first sight, but never looked at any other pages on your site? Whom did you keep engrossed so much so he/she acquired your products/services? Who took the time to fill-out your survey forms or who dropped-out of purchasing something in midstream? When answering these questions, you can now see who are those who can become potential buyers and those who just dropped in your site.

What - were they looking for that led them to you? Did the search engine they used correctly brought them to you? What kind of products/services do they need that you can perhaps provide in the future? This way, you'll know which products or services you can improve to better suit your visitors. What pages did they spend most of their time on? What generated more income? Maybe the search wrongly led them to you but through the web analytic information, you may have found out their specifics and strategize a game plan that would enable you to provide them with what it is they're looking for, in the near future.

When - they viewed your site. This information is a vital part of your formula for success. Determining the peak and off-peak hours you were viewed, you may formulate marketing schemes that could increase site visits, decrease bounce rates and drop-outs.

--- How These Factors Help To Zero in On your Market:

These three W's will help in determining what parts of your website need improving. You can also know how to alter your web design in a way that will cater more to your niche market and influence their purchasing powers or do a general make-over by using the demographics of your audience. You have surely gathered these from the intricate and detailed report of web analytics. These can likewise tell if you're attracting the right traffic. If you have numbers of visits but bounce and drop-out rates are almost in parallel to them, chances are you are very likely attracting the wrong crowd. Since the onset of internet marketing and online businesses, this industry has never had more help than when web analytics came into the picture.

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.

Earning Website Revenue From Advertising

By Connie Limon

There are two "common and very popular" ways you can make money from your website. These are:

1. Selling Goods and Services
2. Earning Money from Advertising

Earning money from advertising, if you are a first time website owner, may be difficult for you to believe. It is possible. Earning money from advertising is what this article will address.

When I first came to the internet I wondered why almost every website I was on had banner advertisements almost everywhere. I soon learned anyone with a website can display advertising banners and get paid for it. The process is through joining affiliate networks. An affiliate network is an intermediary where you can select from a variety of advertisers. Or you can simply look on the menu on most websites selling goods or services for a "join our affiliate program," or something similar to this. Usually it just involves completing an online form and copy/paste an html code onto your website wherever you want the banner to appear. When your visitors click on the banner, it takes them to your affiliate's site. Sometimes you get paid for just the referral, other programs pay out when the referral leads to an actual sale. One huge affiliate program that is very popular is http://amazon.com.

Different payment schemes:

• Pay Per Impression: You are paid according to the number of times the advertiser's banner is displayed on your site. If your site attracts a lot of visitors, you have the possibility of earning more.
• Pay Per Click: You are only paid when visitors click the advertiser's banner on your site. You will probably have better results if the banners you select suit the target consumer of your site.
• Pay Per Sale or Lead: You only earn if your visitors click through the banner on your site and either purchase an item from the advertiser or take some other action such as sign up for a service they are offering. This is like the pay per click in that you will probably get better results if you choose advertising banners to target the consumer of your site.

When do you get paid? Most advertisers will generally wait until you accrue at least $25 before they make a pay-out.

One of the most popular programs for earning revenue with your website is the Google Adsense program. This is where you run Google ads on your website. Google pays out when you accrue $100 or more.

Most programs will either send you a check or directly deposit into your bank account.

Probably the best way to choose an affiliate program is not to choose according to the payment scheme. You should choose your affiliate programs according to the kind of consumers or people who will be visiting your website. The number one most important rule for choosing affiliate programs is probably to know who your website audience is. If your website is about "cats," then choose programs to cater to cats, such as cat food, cat toys, cat books. Google Adsense Program chooses the ads that best suit the page they are displayed upon.

Some studies suggest you only choose a few affiliate programs for your website. Otherwise, your website and establishment may get labeled as an "affiliate farm," and you will not be taken seriously as an affiliate marketer.

Earning revenue from advertising is one of the easiest ways to earn money from your site. All you need is to get visitors to your site and the banners or codes in place. You virtually make money while you sleep. You might call it an extra check for marketing services of your website to gain visitors, of which, you have to do anyway if you want your website to thrive on the internet.

About The Author:

Connie Limon. Visit us at http://www.websitedesignarticles.info. Website Design Articles
is a collection of articles all about website design available for information and FREE reprints to your newsletters, websites or blogs.

Which Internet Marketing Strategy Will You Choose.

By Markus Skupeika

To talk on Search Engine and its Optimization the first thing that will come to mind as the thoughts. There is a lot of talk as to whether or not certain of the search engine optimization techniques and methods are ethical. There's been much fuss lately as to the need for Search Engine Optimization of the right kind; some will tell you that to be effective Search Engine Optimization has to be "organic"; others will swear by the power of using the right software, coincidentally, their software. Then there are those who say that if you find the right "niche market", the world will beat a path to your door and leave their money when they get there. Arguments against their usage do not stand up in the face of good, old-fashioned common sense. It doesn't mean that the techniques cannot be used in unethical and unscrupulous ways; it simply means that they are not intrinsically unethical, they are not spam and it is not wrong to use them.

SEO is the process of choosing targeted keyword phrases related to a site, and ensuring that the site places well when those keyword phrases are part of a Web search.

In the modern business world Organic search is very essential to ensure the smooth running of the online business. If the website is expected to rank on the top with the organized manner, the organized key words are the unique criteria as per the Search Engine Marketing or SEO Services. Through the key words search the Internet crawlers will find your site rather your products and services. The URL key words search plays an import role. Paid listing also can be purchased. If your URL shows up for keywords and paid listing on the same page, it may help push a visitor to your site. The problem is you don't have control over what sites your ads are placed on. It could hurt your brand if your link was found on an inappropriate site. Some search engines like Yahoo have become smart enough to associate a person to a website or a company.

Give your business a human presence. The Internet for the most part is just words and images. Letting people associate a name and a face with your company will let then know that there is a person in charge and that he is accessible, whether it is through email, telephone or instant messenger. Letting them know you are there if they need you can be a big selling point.

Podcasting is a new way to get the word out about your company. Podcasting is basically audio to go. People can download the audio files to their computer or iPod. You can provide news about your industry, tips, ideas etc. This powerful marketing tool is growing by leaps and bounds. If your industry doesn't already have a few podcasts, start one. Be the pioneer in your field, or do something that separates you from the others. If it's informative as well as entertaining, you can grow a steady fan base. The fans are a very important resource to you. You can ask them for feedback, concerns or problems they have in your area of business.

Sometimes free advice can go a long way. Also, If your make it entertaining and informative enough, people will tell others and these are the basic things of some website marketing firm and they do follow it cordially.

About The Author:

There are more ways to achieve successful http://monopolizingmarketing.com/seo-tips/ internet marketing strategies than you know. Discover the secrets to local

Reach More Customers With An Email Marketing List

By Kirk Smith

Many online businesses are using email marketing lists to send ads and other promotional materials to people in an effort to generate traffic and sales. This opt in email marketing can come in the form of newsletters, updates and special discounts as well as software upgrades announcements. This is a chance for website owners to keep in touch with those on their email marketing list and to hopefully gain new and repeat customers.

By submitting an email address, a web site visitor agrees join an email marketing list and to receive updates and other promotional information from the website. Use only opt in email addresses for your marketing campaign. There are many legitimate email suppliers out there but with any email marketing list that you purchase, be sure that the addresses also include full name, IP and date stamp in case you need proof.

Using email marketing lists, companies can send their promotional materials in a number of different formats from plain text, to pages complete with animated full color graphics. Each business has their own unique layout design, but more important than the style, is the content. Email content is what grabs the attention of potential customers subscribing to an email marketing list. So what is essential when sending promotional materials to your email marketing list and what keeps subscribers interested?

Preparing Your Email Marketing List

Keep your promotional materials light, creative and original. Most people on your email marketing list don't have the time or interest in reading a stuffy emails filled with technical information. So keep it light and friendly. Short is better than long but if necessary divide your promotional email into several short articles. Taking in several smaller bits of information is easier to digest than one long run on article.

Your email promotional materials should be clear and informative but not overly technical and should appeal to a wide range of people. In creating an opt in email marketing campaign, well written content and articles are important, Effective copy should outline the benefits of your product or service and why those on your email marketing list need what you are offering. This is where a professional copy writer can come in. They can write content that builds trust between your company and your customers.

Add photos and color in your marketing materials. Provide clear and crisp images of what you have to offer subscribers to your email marketing list. An image might be just the thing to get a reader to click through to your site for more information.

Email your promotional information or newsletters from Tuesday to Thursday. On Mondays people are usually busy with getting back to work and on Fridays they are just too busy looking forward to the weekend. So an informative and light email arriving in the middle of the week might be a pleasant little break.

About The Author:

Kirk Smith is an expert author on SEO, Affiliate & Internet Marketing. To get up to date news, information, Reports, Tips and special promotions, please visit Kirk Smith's Official Internet Marketing Blog Today http://kirksmiths.com

The Secret Of Thinking Big In Building A Home Internet Business

By Chang Wee Teo

What is the latest wave on the internet? Internet Marketing of course! Millionaires are created even in their sleep. But there are also many people in internet marketing that are not making any money at all, not to mention the millions of dollars that are spend on training materials and courses.

So how to do it?

First, we talk about being focused. Surely, with focus and determination, you could make it online with minimum help. But there are so many new opportunities to make money on the internet everyday. Before you barely start to understand how something works, you tend to jump over to another opportunity.

The key is to be consistent. Pick one thing online, start working on it and become an expert or guru in it and you will succeed.

Follow these 5 steps and you will not go wrong:

1. Decide what you are going to do, then just do it!

2. Track and test everything you do. This is the path to success.

3. Be the very best in all that you do. We mean, be the best, it is not enough to be just good. Know everything you can know about the subject. You are the expert, the guru. You are
selling information, not just books. Remember, people want to buy information from the experts, and not just someone hawking the latest book or video.

4. Share willingly what you learn. Create back links to your site in your articles. Start a blog. Start putting your information on your web site. You must create the awareness that you know what you are talking about.

5. No breaks, do something everyday. You need to spend at least 30 hours if you are working the internet part-time. If you are full-time, spend at least 50 hours every week, until you have reached your desired income.

In a nutshell, to succeed in your Home Internet Business, think big and use the 5 steps right away!

About The Author:

CW Teo is an expert in personal development. He created the Secret X Factor: Secret eXpert Series to help you turbo charge your internet business. Click http://www.SecretXfactor.com to download the Free 6 Modules Secret eXpert Series Set.

How To Use Viral Marketing To Drive Traffic To Your Webpage

By Eric Fields

Viral marketing is a great way to gain exposure for your site. The key of viral marketing is having your info passed from person to person. There are many different ways to use viral marketing, we will go over a few of them.

1. Writing Articles- Writing your own articles and submitting them to websites is a great way to viral market. Webmasters are always in need of content and all you have to do is provide them with quality content. Also be sure to try and write to the best of your ability.

2. Writing Ebooks- Another way is writing your own ebook and giving it away for free. If you have never written an ebook before do not worry. Just go to google, there is a ton of info on how to write an ebook. Once you have your ebook you can also give it away as a free bonus for ordering your product.

3. Signature Files- Use signature files in every email you send out. Think about how many emails you send to family and friends. One way to really use your sig file is to send out a joke or something funny to the people you know. In turn they will forward it to their friends and so on.

The great thing about viral marketing is there are many different ways to use this method. All you have to do is be creative and think of new ways to use this technique. Here are a few other examples. Give discounts on your product for every new customer referred or instead of a discount give away free things. Or have a contest, where the customer who refers the most new customers gets 1,000 dollars. You should get the idea. Be creative and this technique could blow your sales through the roof. Viral marketing is a very effective way to get your product out there without breaking your bank account.

About The Author:

This article was written by Eric Fields. For 400 dollars worth of free business ebooks go to
http://www.zipbz.com. This article may be reprinted provided no part thereof is edited in any way and this resource box is included.

Tips for Video in Internet Marketing

By Roger Hutchison

There's another revolution taking place on the internet and this one *will* be televised. Sort of. It's more like on video. And it's everywhere on video.

With increased rate of internet users turning to online video to satisfy their needs for entertainment and information it follows that as marketers we need to become savvy in yet another medium. This may seem daunting, but it's becoming easier to put a message into video as the software tools develop features geared towards new users and the cost of equipment and software continues to drop.

What To Put On Video

In the savvy marketing circles people know that to promote a product or service, generating good quality articles is a vital part of the advertising make-up. Articles are typically written about a particular topic and then distributed. These generally then go to your own site, another webmasters site, or into an article directory where it can be found by webmasters looking for your kind of content.

Video is the new article posting.

Whatever you put in an article can be made into a video. There are, of course, special consideration with video in that it does need to be engaging and relate something unique that cannot be put into an article.

This can be a voice-over while going through a powerpoint presentation, or better yet a demonstration done on your computer of how to use a certain piece of software or technique for running your business.

How To Get The Raw Material (Content is Still King)

A very simple way to get content into your video is just to talk to a video camera about the topic you have chosen. Some people are more comfortable with this than others, but having yourself "front and center" you put a human face on your business. People connect with people and a connection will be made to your business through you.

There is also screen capture software that will make a video of actions you take on your computer. Demonstrate using or ordering your product. Show how easy it is to place an order and what kind of confirmations can be expected.

Putting It Together

A very good tactic is to combine the two. You can do a short introduction where you talk to the camera and mention what will take place. Then switch to the screen capture video demonstrating your product or ordering process.

The basic software needed to edit video comes free with many computers (iMovie with Apple Macintosh computers and Roxio software with many PCs). This software will allow you to put together video taken from different sources, add subtitles with your site URL and other effects that you may want to play with.

Then you save the file as something that can be uploaded to your site or a video hosting service.

Finding An Audience

This is the really easy part. Now that you have your video ready to go, you just submit it for free to video hosting sites. This is a lot like submitting articles. Just go to site like YouTube, Google Video, AOL Video and others to sign up for an account.

Each site will have instructions on how to place the video in their archive, assign keywords (tags) to it, put it in the right category etc. One of the big advantages to having these kinds of sites host your video is that you can now show the video on your own site without taking up your web server's bandwidth or disk space.

Now is a great time to learn how to do online video. It's still new, so people are more forgiving of something that looks "amateur". Get good now, because this honeymoon will not last forever.

About the Author:

You can find more advice on using the internet for network marketing at TheCompleteMarketer.com (http://www.TheCompleteMarketer.com ) blog. Roger encourages you to go there and join in on the discussion! Heck, you just might learn something - like how a doctor and an engineer balance home life, child rearing and helping you get ahead.

Free Website Hosting Vs. Paid Website Hosting Basics

By Roger McLean

Web site hosting service companies on the Internet permit the user to make their web site accessible through the World Wide Web. There are huge numbers of companies that offer web space on their server for their customers and also offer Internet connectivity in general in a data center. There can be various types of web site hosting companies. The main classification is the free web site hosting and the paid web site hosting service companies.

In case of free web site hosting, the user has the right to upload his or her web site content on the server space that is provided by the web site hosting company without any cost. This type of web site hosting service is great for people who are new to to internet and plan to get familiar with web site creation and functionality of web servers. On the other hand, to get your web site uploaded on a web space that is provided by a paid web site hosting company, you need to pay the company periodic fees. The fee amount may vary from company to company. The paid web site hosting companies are best suited for professional web site owners. People who need large web space to upload their web sites and who expect a certain amount of web site visitors which is restricted on free hosting accounts to a minimum.

The revenue that the paid web hosting service companies get is through the fee that is paid to the company by the web site owners. In case of free web site hosting companies, the main source of income are the ads and banners that can be placed on their clients web pages.

The main advantage of using a free web site hosting service is that they are free of cost and hence make a perfect choice for people who are new into the business and are just looking to start out. They are perfect for people who just want to display a minimum content on the World Wide Web in small amount of web space. The other advantage of using the free web site hosting service is that most of these companies provide integrated, easy tools to upload the pages on to the hosting account. They do this realizing the fact that the free web site hosting services are generally utilized by the newbies.

There are also certain disadvantages of using the free web site hosting services. When using the free web site hosting service, you are forced to place the ads and banners by the web site hosting company on your web pages. Also the revenue that is obtained by the ads goes to the web site company. In case of paid web site hosting service, ads and banners placed on your web site are according to your will and the revenue of the banners and ads placed on your web site goes in your pocket. Also in some case of free web site hosting, the domain name of your web site starts with the web site hosting company name followed by your web site name. This is not the case of paid web site hosting service. You get a unique web site domain. The web space provided by free web site hosting service is limited whereas in case of paid web site hosting service you can buy the web space according to your requirements.

About The Author:

Roger McLean is marketing executive of http://www.mojoscripts.com. Copyright 2007 by Tela IT Inc. The article may be reproduced in newsletters or on websites provided that the complete article text is included, unchanged, and that neither the copyright declaration nor this license are removed.

How To Have Success With A Home Based Business

By Kal Bartal

Profitability is the main key to success with any home based business. A home based business can operate for a long period of time as long as you make it profitable. However, since many businesses don't have a profit to start with this is often the first goal of the home based business owners, and you should reach this goal as soon as possible. To achieve this goal you need to focus on business growth, be careful with your expenses and focus on what you are offering.

Focusing on growth is a key way to build your home based business profits. In order to influence your results you need to have the right mindset. If you don't have a profitable mindset then you are likely going to stay where you are. Rather focus on growth and have the mindset to notice opportunities when they come along that can lead to gain, then take action on these opportunities right away before they are gone.

Next you are going to have to consider your expenses. All businesses have some expenses when they first start out even home based businesses. Make sure you set up a budget that includes room for advertising, a phone line, office supplies and anything else that may be necessary to the specific home based business you are considering. On your list mark down the expenses that are necessary to operating your business, these should be items that you need in order to make your home based business profitable.

You will likely run into some expenses that you don't really need to operate your home based business. These are the expenses that don't help your business grow and only take away from the profits of your business. Carefully consider if you truly need these expenses and if they don't help with profitability then you should cut them for something that will actually help with the growth of your business.

However, you can only move your business so far by restricting your expenses. You also need income in order to gain profitability from your home based business. Promotion is the key to developing any business and gaining profitability. Basically you need to focus on making your business known to people.

You can't expect people to do business with you if they aren't aware of your company. While this may seem like an obvious point, the fact is that many home based businesses fail simply because individuals don't spend enough time promoting their business.

If you have more than one product that requires promoting then consider focusing on just one main product for your business. This way you can focus most of your attention on marketing one product and once you get interested customers you can tell them about the additional products. This will make it easier to operate your business and you will also have better results from your actions.

However, these tips don't just apply to those who are starting a new home based business. You can still use these tips to help you move your business in the right direction if you have been working on it for awhile and just can't get it to work for you. By using these tips you will be able to have success with your home based business no matter how long you have been in business.

About The Author:

Kal Bartal is owner of http://bartal.biz and writes on a variety of subjects. To learn more about this topic Kal recommends you visit: http://www.bartal.biz

Looking At Different Business Home Internet Marketing Opportunities

By Tobias Smith

If you are interested in making money from home, you should know that there are many different business home internet marketing opportunity factors that should come into play. First of all, when you are looking for home business or internet marketing opportunities that you are interested in, you should keep several things in mind. The first thing that you should
keep in mind is that not every business/home internet marketing opportunity is going to be the same, because there are many different opportunities that you might want to thing about in many different areas.

You want to make sure that your business home internet marketing opportunity is one that you could stand to do for quite some time. This is because as you et the chance to do more and more, you internet marketing business is going to grow, and you are going to have to keep in going. This means that the business home internet marketing opportunity that you are starting up has to be something that you want to do for the long term.

The other thing that you should keep in mind when you are talking about a business home internet marketing opportunity is that you have to be able to have a way to make money. Your business home internet marketing opportunity has to be something that you want to do but also that will make you money.

There are also other things that you should keep in mind when you are thinking about different business home internet marketing opportunity propositions that you might come across. The most important is that you can find something to do that is interesting to you. It has to be something that you are interested in because it cannot be something that will bore you or make you uninterested.

So, when you are looking at the business home internet marketing opportunity that comes your way, you have to be sure that you first of all are interested in the proposition. You also have to be sure that you have a way to make money from the business home internet marking opportunity, and also you have to be sure that you are willing to do the internet marketing business for quite some time.

When you have brought all of these things in to play, there are many chances for you to find a home internet marketing opportunity of a business. There will be many chances for you to find these online, and they can be chances that you might want to take because they will give you money and they will give you security for the future. These are all things that you should keep in mind when you are looking at the different business home internet marketing opportunities that might come your way. Remember that this could be something you do for a long time.

About The Author:

Tobias Smith writes on a variety of topics related to home business and working at home. Learn how to start your own home business online earning multiple streams of income at http://www.nohassleonlinebiz.com

Traffic Generation Strategy: Making Use of Squidoo

By Jo Han Mok

Now I know what you're thinking, what the heck is Squidoo?

Squidoo is a social networking site similar to MySpace. It is very suprisingly easy and user-friendly that you do not have to be IT savvy at all in order to generate traffic to your website or blog. Just like creating a profile page on MySpace, you create a lens on Squidoo. You can create as many lenses as you want, be it for personal reasons or for business use.

A lens works almost the same as a blog. However, the greater thing about a lens is that it is already automatically integrated with Web 2.0 features such as RSS, Tag and Ping and social bookmarking features such as Del.icio.us and Digg. These social features can create more interaction between you and other lensmasters.

RSS alerts your lens readers that you have updated your lens, Tag and Ping allows you to tag keywords that people use to come to your lens and social bookmarking allows people to share sites with one another through networking.

What this strategy is mainly about is to give your lens a lot of exposure to redirect the traffic you receive on Squidoo to your blog or wesbite. Squidoo is actually one of the Top 700 sites in the world and every Squidoo page you make gets listed into search engines easily. That is why you should make full use of the advantage of obtaining the amount of traffic generated from there.

Get your free account first if you'd like to post your very first lens. Give your lens a keyword focused name relevant to the niche of your lens. On your profile, be sure to include a picture and write a bit about yourself, but do NOT forget the link to your site. The same goes to the introduction section of your lens where you write a bit about your niche and put a URL link of your site in it.

So now when you want to post something on your lens, you have to add modules first. There are different kinds of modules, some of them are 'Write modules' that allow you to write articles in it like a blog post. But in a blog, the articles you post are based on chronological order. In a Squidoo lens the articles you write about can be rearranged according to your preference.

Every lens in Squidoo has its own rank on how high it is ranking in the Squidoo charts. To work your way up in Squidoo, you need to generate 'stars ratings' by other members, clickthrough rates, lens updates and the people to go to your lens. What you can do in just the Squidoo website itself is to join the forums and do some forum marketing there. Another way is to search for lens groups relevant to your niche and join them for discussions.

Work on your reputation in Squidoo and you'll be highly respected. What you should strive for is to get into at least the Top 200 lenses in Squidoo and you'll see traffic generate in both your lens and your site.

About the Author:

Jo Han Mok is the author of the #1 international business bestseller, The E-Code. Unlock the code for unlimited online profits for yourself by visiting his website today
at: http://www.SuperFastProfit.com

Distance Learning Online Courses

By Michael Saville

Until recent times, further education was a problem for many people. Busy lifestyles and demanding jobs meant that individuals could not commit to attending night school at the same time each week. Daytime classes were completely out of the question. However, the growth of the Internet has started to change options as well as attitudes. There are now many distance learning online courses to chose from, ranging from certificate to doctorate courses.

The big advantage of distance learning online courses is that you do not have to physically attend classes to improve your education. You become an online student instead. So they are ideal for people who are in full time employment. It is important to note though that it has brought the famous universities to you. You don't have to relocate to study at Oxford or Cambridge in the United Kingdom or Harvard in the United States. You can enrol for distance learning courses at many famous universities, provided you pass their entry requirements.

Distance learning online courses are not an easy option though. It is true that they are more accessible for many people. However, the universities do maintain academic rigour with these courses. A distance learning degree is on a par with a degree studied full time.

Flexibility is the name of the game with distance learning courses. There are generally minimum and maximum time frames in which work has to be completed. Many people try to keep on top of their studies and complete them as quickly as possible, but have that reassurance of knowing that if a domestic problem arises them can ease right off with their studies until the problem has been sorted. Many students report in their feedback that it is this flexibility which is the greatest benefit of distance learning online courses.

You may be thinking online courses may well be flexible but what about the quality of the tuition. The answer is that in many cases the online student gets more attention than a student who attends traditional classes. When you enrol online you are allocated a tutor who you are able to keep in touch with constantly. You have `one to one' access. Whereas in a traditional class there are generally too many students for the tutor to give much time to individual tuition.

The benefits of distance learning

The first benefit and for many it is the biggest benefit is that distance learning is not as expensive as the traditional method of attending college. Most institutions offer flexible payment options so you should be able to work out a plan which fits in with your budget.

A second benefit of distance learning is psychological. It gives you the opportunity to develop in ways that you could have missed out on in the past. This leads to increased confidence and increases your marketability to prospective employers or even give you the impetus to start your own business.

The third benefit of distance learning is of convenience as mentioned earlier. For many people once they have started to study online they carry on taking higher level courses or studying a topic just for the sake of learning itself. Whatever the reason there has never been a better time for going back to college and you can thank the Internet for that.

Distance learning is not for everyone so you need to decide if it is for you. You need to have a learning style that would work with this style of education. If you are good at motivating yourself and are self disciplined, that is, you can keep to deadlines then you are ideally suited to distance learning. If you need to be pushed along or are easily distracted from what you should be doing then distance learning may not be your cup of tea. In this case the traditional method of attending classes may be best so that you can get the `face to face' support you require.

About the Author:

Michael Saville has written more articles about distance learning. These can be found at
http://www.vicariously.net/career The site provides information and advice on distance learning online courses and ways to study.

Affiliate Programs That Pay Big Bucks: Which Ones Are The Best?

By Ed Hopper

No matter who you are or where you're from, there's one thing that you have in common with the rest of humanity: You have limited resources. Simply put, you do not have all the time, money, contacts that you want. In order to remedy this situation, you must try to engage in the activities that will offer you the most rewards for the least physical and mental effort. This does not mean not working hard; it simply means that you must be efficient - otherwise you will waste your already limited resources in ventures that will not give you an adequate return.

One of the worst kinds of ventures to enter is a fraudulent one. For those who wish to make money over the internet, affiliate programs seem to be a great solution. Unfortunately, not all affiliate programs are legitimate, and some that are legitimate are likely to be low-paying. So what is there for an efficiency-minded internet worker to do? There is only one good answer: He will do his research and find the affiliate programs that pay the big bucks.

Here are three such affiliate programs:

Success University. Widely considered to be one of the most lucrative affiliate programs on the internet today, Success University essentially sells a personal improvement course culled from the works of some of America's most popular and well-respected authors and speakers. When Success University boasts of being able to change people's lives, it isn't kidding - there's enough material here to help millions of individuals reach their own personal version of success.

To make money with Success University, you will have to convince other people to sign up to the program. For each subscription you are able to get hold of, you will get a commission of anything from $20 to $40 dollar, depending on the current rank you hold in the organization.

Empowerism. Another very successful affiliate program, Empowerism is a training course that teaches people how to do business over the internet. With a track record going back to 1998, it is a stable company with good overall growth prospects, coinciding with the growing use of the internet worldwide.

To make money with Empowerism, you will have to recruit at least three people to start with on your 3x9 forced matrix. Every person in your matrix (which has almost 30,000 potential positions) earns you a dollar a month.

Host4Profit. Rounding up this trio of affiliate programs that pay big bucks is Host4Profits. Host4Profits offers all domain name owners the opportunity to earn money from the very beginning. Host4Profit is really a web domain host that pays you back for your contributions. Money is mostly made from referrals, around $10 each month per referral.

By joining these three excellent affiliate programs, you will be able to build the wealth and success that you truly desire.

About The Author:

Edwin Ethan Hopper is owner of http://ebookpro2.com and writes on a variety of subjects. To learn more about this topic Ed recommends you visit: http://www.ebookpro2.com

Finding Jobs On A Business Opportunity Weblog

By Tobias Smith

There are many reasons you might want to change what you do for a living and work from home. First of all, you have to consider all of the time that you are spending at your current job, and what it is doing to the rest of your life. If you find that you are working all of the time, and never getting a chance to have a break, you might want to figure out a way to get a new job. You might want to consider working from home, or even changing jobs so that you are working somewhere closer to home, or somewhere that allows you to work less hours. If you aren't happy with your job, there are many things that you could find that might make you happier.

One of the best places to look for jobs is on the internet. The reason that the internet is so popular when it comes to looking for jobs is that you can find just about anything online. There is simply no end to the difference places that you can find online - because the fact remains that people are posting jobs and opportunities that they hope are seen by others all over the world. Things like a business opportunity weblog are great places to find work and to find out information about work.

If you are truly serious about your job search, you can find many different areas on line that post jobs for you to find. There is going to be a business opportunity weblog for just about any type of job, because the idea of weblogs and blogging online has become very popular.

The reason that a business opportunity weblog is not only popular but a great way to find jobs is that there is something about being able to get online and search for the things that you are interested in. You can go to a weblog and use it to discover many things about the jobs that you are interested in. For starters, you can get an idea of what others in your field are doing and how it is affecting them. There are discussions on each business opportunity weblog relating to the prices that people charge for different services, to everything from finding new jobs to making your old job better.

A business opportunity weblog might just be the best way that you can find to learn more about the job you are interested in and the way it is going to be going. There are many chances that you can find on a business opportunity weblog, so it might be a good idea to check out a few of them to see what is most interesting to you and what seems like it might be the best job opportunity for you to have in the long run.

About The Author:

Tobias Smith writes on a variety of topics related to home business and working at home. Learn how to start your own home business online earning multiple streams of income at http://www.nohassleonlinebiz.com

Right Words Key To Being Found Online

By Raymond Lee

Regardless of how great your website looks or how good of a product or service you have to offer, if you can't be found online, you're your wasting time and money. It's like building a fancy billboard along the highway and no one driving down the road - no one sees it.

Today's search engines are hard to fool and if a website attempts to manipulate the results, there's a good chance of being removed from that search index. There are some things you can do to make your site more attractive to search engines, and the main one is making the site more attractive to users.

Forget Search Engine Spiders, Focus On Users

When a web user is searching for a product or service, they will use a search engine, entering a search term related to what they are looking for. If the title page of your web site or the information contained on your site does not include that term, your site will be ignored during that search.

A couple things search engines examine when they index pages is the information on your site and how many other sites link back to you. A link is like a vote for your site and the more votes you have, the higher the opinion the search engine will have of your site. However, if that search term isn't on your site, you will still be ignored.

Focus On Your Site's Visitors

Having quality text-based information can do wonders for your site recognition from search engines. Typically called keywords, articles containing the ones associated with the information on you site will be more recognizable to search engines and have more of a chance of being listed for a particular search term. While there is no magic number of times a keyword should appear on your page, having it appear too many times, a practice known as keyword stuffing, may hinder your efforts of being recognized.

The main idea is to offer quality information on your site, pertaining to the main subject of your site, geared toward user who find your site through a search. If the user can find informative text when they visit your home page, they will be happy. A search engine spider may also find your site and move your name up in the listings. However, gearing your site towards the search engine does not promise anything more than getting you listed. It's the quality of the information on your site that will bring visitors back and increase your sales.

About The Author:

Raymond Lee is a freelance writer with over 20 years of business experience as well as the winner of numerous writing awards. He is the owner of WritePro Writing Services at http://www.writepro.biz

Do Business Opportunities Still Exist For Budding Entrepreneurs?

By Naz Daud

The world of business is moving forwards at a fast pace. Globalization, huge marketing exposure and low distribution costs over the recent years have had a huge impact on small businesses. I have been told that opportunities for the adventurous and ambitious were in abundance only ten years ago but the 'markets have changed' and margins are tighter making new ventures all the more risky.

Globalization, smarter IT systems and the intelligent analysis of information and the money to put this infrastructure in place gives the bigger player a distinct advantage with bespoke and selective marketing targeted to an ever demanding audience.

Do the factors of opportunity remain constant in an ever shifting and almost slippery road for business people looking to capitalize on the next big hit?

I have had many discussions with business people and new entrepreneurs who state that the markets have become so fast and furious that only those with deep pockets can penetrate new areas that were once only an idea.

Others say that where one door closes, many new doors open and that all you have to do is have foresight. The market always has a knack of balancing the scales and where some exceed and drive out other players, they often leave a huge gap behind them in their wake only for to be capitalized on.

In today's age where fast food, massive shopping centers, online shopping and consumers demanding more and more for the market, is there any room left for that personal and local touch? Does price and speed always dictate where you buy?

Bespoke and personalized marketing are the buzz words of today. Electronic profiles of your buying habits are allowing selective marketing that claim to zone in on your interests.

Have you noticed vouchers you receive through the post from your supermarket? These vouchers are personally tailored to reflect your personal interests through analyzing what you have previously purchased through your debit or credit card. You can only hide if you buy with cash. They say that cash is king but if you want to hide your buying profile, do not use plastic!

How do new businesses compete in this fast moving market? What have the giants left in their wake? If you are thinking laterally, what new business opportunities exists and where?

The new breed of entrepreneur has to be one step ahead and the only advantage they have is that they can respond to demands quicker than the lumbering giants. An example is that extra personal touch. With small businesses you may be able to talk directly to the owner whereas with the big players you may end up talking to someone in a foreign country. Does that count?Do customers appreciate this?

Is there a gap in the market for personalized solutions that only the small businesses can cater for? Could this create a new wave and movement? Going back to basics and rewinding the commercial clock may be called for but you better be quick, the big guys are just behind you!

About The Author:

Naz Daud is the Founder of the CityLocal Internet Business Franchise Opportunity.
http://www.citylocal.co.uk
http://www.citylocal.co.uk/frontend/franchiseinfo.php?cityid=79
http://www.citylocal.ie
http://www.ecademy.com/account.php?id=120141

Shave Years Off Becoming Successful On The Internet

By Alan Quan

Look at all the most successful athletes and business people, they ALL have coaches. So what does that tell you? Well, for one thing, stop being so darn independent!

Ever since childhood we were taught in school to NEVER look at another student's test or discuss how to solve a problem. Sure there are times when you worked together when working on fun kid projects in the classroom and singing "Yankee doodle" together, but for the most part they wanted us to think for ourselves.

Unfortunately that's not how the real world works if you want to be a success more quickly and easily. To put it simply, you are not the smartest person in the world and you cannot possibly do everything by yourself.

You readily accept this fact if you wanted to learn how to play the piano, martial arts, or sports because you know you need a coach. If you don't, and if you are not a prodigy, then you are going to waste years of your life trying to be cheap and doing everything by yourself.

Yet when it comes to your success on how to make money on the internet, most people does not make that same connection! No experience mixed with no guidance is a recipe for disaster.

And without a mentor to prepare you for the challenges that lay ahead, chances are that you will be headed in unnecessary disappointment and challenges that will take you ten times as long to achieve the level of success you desire. That is just common sense! So why not use your common sense when you want to make money with internet as well? Sure you will have to invest in a few thousand dollars in the process, but isn't that better than banging your head on the keyboard trying to figures things out by yourself?

Although there are some people that gain extraordinary results by themselves in a very short time period, I'm guessing you aren't one of them. And I'm sorry to break the bad news to you, but you can't do it by yourself. If you can, you would've already done it!

So please, do yourself a favor and find someone that will take you by the hand and show you how to succeed on the internet, even if it costs thousands of dollars! Because in the long run, the money invested in a coaching program will more than make up for the stress and pitfalls you could have avoided.

About the Author:

Alan Quan used to be a "cheap" business owner, expecting GREAT results with zero effort and investment. Unfortunately he realized that he wasted a year trying to make big money without using his money for advertising and promotion. When he finally realized that it takes money to make money, his bank account dramatically increased. Visit his website at http://www.e-bizcoachalan.com and find out how you can create $7617 PER DAY on the internet.

Affiliate Marketing - The Basics

By Jeff Purcell

Affiliate marketing has been described in various ways but basically they all have the same meaning. On the Internet today affiliate marketing has solidified its place in the world of e-commerce business. Essentially, affiliate marketing is a cooperative effort between a merchant and the affiliate's website.

From a merchant's perspective, for many years now, affiliate marketing has proven to be very cost effective. By teaming up with various website owners merchants can now essentially have a World Wide Web sales staff operating strictly on commission with no other overhead. This is a very attractive scenario for the merchant or advertiser and with today's explosive growth of online buying it has become a win-win business model for both the merchant and the website owner.

Each and every day more and more people come across and become more interested in affiliate marketing and how they can make money from participating. And just like any new startup business the failure rate in affiliate marketing is quite high. Most people new to affiliate marketing don't understand the intricacies of affiliate marketing and what it takes to be successful with an affiliate website.

When I work with people just getting started in affiliate marketing probably the biggest misconception that people who are just getting started have his understanding the difference between advertising and marketing.

I would say that the vast number of affiliate marketing sites that I work with and come across would be more accurately define as affiliate advertising. These sites generally will not last very long in the competitive arena of affiliate marketing. Conversely, I also work with people who go to the other extreme and believe that they have to be the "seller" of whatever product or service they feature on their website. The truly successful sites and the ones that make a good living for the website owner understand what it means to market not only their website but their affiliate product as well. Certainly, selling and advertising are components of marketing but they have to be combine in an overall consistent approach that ultimately makes their websites sell.

In the affiliate marketing business model the affiliate is compensated for every visitor that they send to a merchant site and then purchases from the merchant a product or service being offered. Affiliate compensation can vary greatly between affiliate programs and the products that they offer.

Many of the affiliate marketing programs out there today are being managed by affiliate networks. These affiliate networks are composed of various merchants and affiliates. Each having their own function when it comes to affiliate marketing. An affiliate network acts as a third-party between the merchant and the associated affiliates of the merchant. Essentially the
network provides the technology to deliver the merchants campaigns and offers to the various affiliates and keep track of sales and statistics for both parties. Also, an affiliate network will collect the commission fees from the merchant and then pay the affiliates who have earned said commissions.

The benefits of being an affiliate marketer are many. The affiliate is a website owner that markets and promotes one or more merchants and their products via the affiliate program. Affiliate marketing can quite possibly provide a full-time income for the affiliate. And although much of the marketing surrounding affiliate marketing would indicate that this is not only possible but rather easy; simply isn't true. Just like any business it takes hard work and persistence to be truly successful.

Affiliate marketing can be a great situation for someone wanting to start up their own business and work from home. The level of success defined is a personal thing and certainly affiliate marketing offers all levels of success.

From a pure business standpoint, affiliate marketing offers low startup costs and very little overhead. That's the easy part. Once you have your website up and you have found some good affiliate programs to offer your visitors, the true challenge is getting those visitors to your website.

And thus begins an entirely new topic in the arena of affiliate marketing. Because without visitors there are no commissions. If you would like to learn more on affiliate marketing and how to become a successful affiliate marketer, please visit my website.

About The Author:

For more important information on affiliate marketing, working from home, and making money online be sure to visit http://www.web-sitings.com where you will find guides and tips on everything you possibly need to succeed with your online business, and much more.

Using Blogs For Internet Marketing

By David Bain

Blogging can be an effective internet marketing method. However, your blog posts must be relevant and must lead people wanting more of your insight, thereby leading them to click on your link so they can visit your site.

Internet entrepreneurs must realize the unlimited potential and profit of marketing through blogging. However, it is not enough to start blogging. You must know exactly what topics and what content to post on your blog posts so you will get people hooked on you, your blog posts and, eventually, your web site or page. Here are some blogging suggestions which can turn blogging turn into a very effective internet marketing tool for your online business or for your website.

1. Post Albums

Nothing can be more interesting than looking at pictures. Pictures tell stories and provide more precise descriptions than mere words can. Be sure to upload several pictures of the products offered by the company (as long as it's relevant to the blog post).

2. Share Real Experiences that People Could Relate to

People find stories more appealing than any bookish content. If you are selling a particular product, relate funny stories about some of your customers (do not name names, of course). Be sure to highlight your products in your stories. The story could also be about problems you've had. In this case, be sure to subtly emphasize your capabilities and expertise.

There should be something unique with the stories and the words used have to be in narrative form so reader could try and recreate the story in their imaginations.

3. Provide Up to Date Information

See if there is any upcoming news or details that might impact your industry. If you are always giving interesting and updated news through your blog posts, then people would be looking forward to your posts. New product lines could be advertised on the blog to introduce the item to the general public. Be sure to give a background on it as well as provide a story on how it was created. People will be interested to know why a new innovation has been added and how it came about.

By posting updates and new information, you will gain stature and credibility in your industry. When your readers find a need for services or products that you offer, they're likely to visit
your site and obtain this service or product from you. Moreover, if your readers know people who need your type of services or products, they're likely to recommend your site, too. Your readers may even actually repost your blog posting in their own blogs or in forums where they are members.

4. Relate How the Product Was Used by Another

In some cases, one will have to refer to another online article which entails asking for approval prior to posting them on the blog. Once the go signal is lit, a link can be added to show how another individual have found use for the product. Potential clients will be curious how it worked for an existing client.

5. Anecdote to Go With the Product

Most individuals are interested with quotable quotes and anecdotes. Your post can be a funny statement you heard from a customer or a child who used your product or service. It is similar to creating a tag line that could distinguish a product from the others.

About The Author:

David Bain is founder of the internet marketing training company
http://www.PurpleInternetMarketing.com. David has recently interviewed one of the leading blogging experts, Yaro Starak. To hear the interview visit http://www.freeiq.com/yarostarakinterview.

How To Write Headlines That Electrify And Tantalize Customers

Peter Geisheker

Did you notice the title for this article? Of course you did and that is why you clicked to read this article. As legendary advertising guru David Ogilvy said in his book, Confessions of an Advertising Man, "The wickedest of all sins is to run an advertisement without a headline."

Yes, it is true that the most important tool in print advertising is the headline, be it for a space advertisement, a website, a sales letter, a billboard, or a press release. Headlines are the difference between success and failure in advertising.

In print advertising, the headline is so important that it is considered to be 80% of the power of an ad. The reason for this is that five times as many people read a headline as read the body copy of an ad. Consider how you read a newspaper or a magazine. If you are like most people, you scan headlines and you only read the news stories and advertisements that have a headline that catches your attention and interest. That is why writing an attention grabbing headline is so vitally important in advertising.

So, how do you write a good headline? Actually, it is not as hard as you think. In fact, decades of research has been done on advertisements to see which headlines generate the most leads and sales and here is a summary of what works.

1. Your headline should flag down readers who have a specific problem. For example, if you are selling cosmetics that help middle age women look younger, your headline should state that benefit. For example, "How women over 40 can look 10 years younger in 10 minutes with XYZ Cosmetics."

2. There are two words that work like magic in headlines - "How to." People are drawn to headlines that say "How To" like bees to honey. Why? People are curious and want to learn "how to" solve a problem. Therefore, always try to start your headline with the words "How to".

3. If possible, use the words "FREE" and/or "New" in your headline. Both words are magnets that draw in readers to read your advertisement.

4. Make your headline sound like news. A great way to learn how to do this is to buy a newspaper and read the headlines, particularly the headlines on the cover page. People want news, so make your headline sounds like a news headline from a newspaper and people will want to read your ad. Words that suggest news are "New", "Announcing", and "A Major Breakthrough".

5. Longer headlines sell more merchandise than short headlines. Try to make your headlines 6 12 words in length.

In summary, the headline is the most powerful tool in advertising. If you want to create successful advertising, become a master at writing attention grabbing headlines.

About The Author:

Peter Geisheker is the CEO of The Geisheker Group Marketing Firm. Peter develops and implements strategic marketing programs for small businesses. For more information please visit http://www.geisheker.com.

Ecommerce: The Action In Transaction

By Scott Lindsay

Payment in ecommerce began with a rather stable flow of payment using credit cards. As online payments grew so did options; debit cards and services like PayPal began to consume larger chunks of online transactions. Immediate payments could be made on a worldwide basis and ecommerce flourished in this prosperous online environment.

As competition has grown for credit management and transaction options so too has the thinking of credit companies. More than ever credit cards companies see credit as a means to capture a global currency. In fact, statistics indicate that credit or debit cards are now used to make payments (on and offline) more frequently than cash.

Credit card companies are seeking innovations that will make their credit options more interesting for their customers. For instance MasterCard is working with Cingular Wireless to test their PayPass method of payment by cell phone. The New York subway was among the first to try the new payment method.

So what does this have to do with ecommerce?

Ultimately it means that as innovations become more pronounced in online transactions you will want to ensure that your shopping cart solution can manage the changes and adjust to the upgrades. I anticipate most of the shopping cart firms will work overtime to adapt.

You may see a model of the Smart Card being used for transactions in the future if other technologies don't make it obsolete. Effectively a Smart Card can contain a microprocessor and can house multiple layers of personal data. Some can be recharged like a debit card while other Smart Cards are being used for governmental programs or by health professionals to store personal or health data.

At one point it was envisioned that everyone would have a Smart Card, which looks very much like a typical credit card, but as resistance to the idea of so much personal data being available on the card other credit technologies began to be developed. These options may be replacing the Smart Card in both performance and acceptability.

Make no mistake credit is an industry that is serious about providing solutions to the transaction requirements of consumers. You can fully expect the current trend of a listening ear by credit card companies to continue as they work to develop better transaction methods that fit the style and expectations of consumers.

The same struggle you face in marketing your website and seeking to drive customers to your online store is the struggle credit transaction firms face in meeting a mobile and global demand for better ways to buy your product.

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

SEO: What They Don't Know

Scott Lindsay

In marriage you try to learn everything you can about the other person so you can determine how best to interact with them, relate to their needs and help them learn something more about you. It's not quite like dating because when you date you often try to put your best face forward. Marriage often reveals those little flaws that are part of the human makeup.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a bit like marriage in that you attempt to learn all you can about SEO and then hope that the search engine learns enough about you to help you in the site rankings.

Perhaps the best way to describe SEO is a bold attempt to help search engines learn everything they can about you.

It's a bit like telling someone you have a 1972 Chevy Camaro for sale versus putting together a comprehensive portfolio of pictures, descriptions and graphs to help the potential buyer see the value in the car.

For years businesses have understood the primary reasons for presentation. Sometimes it is the presentation that is enough to push a potential customer toward a sale. The Internet is the cyber extension of that thought process.

A flashy web design might make an impression on a customer, but you have to get them to your site before they can be impressed. So the logical first step is to impress the search engines in order for customers to have an easier time finding you.

The search engines are constantly being refined to allow them to entrust great site rankings to great sites while punishing those who work with unethical SEO practices. Strive to show search engines you have developed a website that really does have a lot to offer through your adoption of consistent, and honorable SEO practices.

Interestingly SEO strategies mean little to your online customer, they just learn that when they go to your site it is nicely arranged, content rich and a great online experience.

The good news is your clients do not have to know the details of why you use SEO practices to benefit from the use of these online strategies.

Continue to work at helping search engines understand your business website. Ultimately you are helping present and future customers when you pay attention to the very things your customer could care less about.

In this case, what they don't know could ultimately help them - and you.

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

Internet Marketing: How Difficult Is It?

By Scott Lindsay

Internet marketing is little different from any other form of marketing.

How do you react to that statement?

If you think it means you can apply the exact same marketing principles you would for a brick and mortar store you will likely miss the success that may be possible.

If you think it means you can apply similar philosophies in a new environment then you have succeeded in understanding the statement.

Common Parallels

In many brick and mortar stores you will find business owners who have a desire to build their business by developing a mailing list. These lists are derived from individuals who have expressed an interest in the product or service the business provides.

In online business you will find site owners seeking to gain email addresses from prospects and customers for the purpose of sending highly specific information on products or services provided.

In a brick and mortar store you may find business owners developing a newsletter than could benefit existing customers.

In an online store ezines or online articles are made available for existing and potential customers.

In a brick and mortar store you will find a business that relies on press releases to share growth and good news about the business.

In online stores you will also find the press release to be a friend to positive business growth.

Drawing Conclusions

An online business takes some of the same principles that can make a brick and mortar store successful and discovers how to apply them in cyberspace. Internet marketing draws from the same well as conventional marketing it simply applies the concept differently.

One of the bonuses for online business is email distribution is much less expensive than traditional print and postage costs while the turnaround time for impressions is much shorter. The delivery can be nearly instantaneous in many cases and the distribution of pre-produced welcome messages can be automated through autoresponders.

In many ways an online store can be a cost effective addition to a traditional brick and mortar store. The costs in adding an online presence is minimal in comparison to what it takes to get a standard business off the ground. Many businesses report the longer they are in business the more they rely on online sales.

Some former brick and mortar only stores now report that their online business is producing more than 75% of their annual profit.

If you already understand the basic concepts of marketing it may not be a difficult stretch to take than knowledge and learn how to make those concepts work online. Ultimately your overall business may get a shot in the arm in the process.

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

SEO: Is It Worth It To You?

By Scott Lindsay

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a strategy that is on the lips of virtually every Internet marketing guru today. These same experts will have a variety of strategies you can use to address marketing concerns using the use of SEO.

There may be a question of how important Search Engine Optimization is to you on a personal level. For instance you may not want a large online presence. It is possible you already have a significant client list and your online presence is geared toward those who are already familiar with your product or service. The site may have others that stumble across it, but it would be OK with you if your site were a bit like an unlisted number with just a few friends who know how to get in touch with you.

There could be non-profit websites that fear their information to a very limited group of interests. They may not be inclined to enact SEO strategies to get people to visit the site. It's possible they feel they are in enough of a niche category that if you really want to find them it won't be hard with standard search engine listings.

I bring this up, not because I think SEO strategies aren't worth it but, because some business owners are spending a significant sum of money developing and implementing SEO strategies when, if you get right down to it, some don't really want and increase in customers.

These individuals have simply come to believe that the SEO strategies are a needed part of online life.

In the field of radio advertising sales account representatives are told there are only two good reasons for a client not to advertise. The first deals with a business owner who is so busy
they can't keep up with customers. The second had to deal with businesses that don't wish to grow beyond their current structure and they are near maximum capacity.

Both ideas are similar, but in each case additional marketing will likely only serve to make life more difficult for these business owner.

You should honestly seek to understand what you want to accomplish through SEO and if it is in keeping with your long-term goals for your online company.

SEO can have a huge impact on a company's online presence, but it takes time to learn, time to develop and time to implement. You should seek to determine what level of need you have in SEO strategy and only then should you seek to implement the ideas.

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

Internet Marketing: Do You Believe?

By Scott Lindsay

Do you believe in the product you're selling? Do you?

In face to face marketing it is imperative to be so completely sold on the product you are `direct marketing' that you can explain what the product is best used for and you can explain how you use the product.

When interfacing with online customers you actually have the same opportunity through Internet marketing. In this case you can provide personal information and unique uses for the product through knowledge-based articles.

I suppose it is possible to sell a product online for which you may not have a great interest. However, the truth is when you are committed to a product and believe in its ability to assist your customers you will find Internet marketing much easier.

There are plenty of entrepreneurs who will latch onto whatever they view as the next `hot' item and then switch product when the next trend strikes. The game of hopscotch may have been fun in elementary school, but it does very little to help you in long-term Internet marketing of your site and product lines.

One of the best ways to get on board in the sale of a product for your online store is to research the product first. This is typically followed by a purchase of the product for testing. In the testing phase you should be convinced that the product has a high standard of quality, return on investment and will have a price that will make for a happy customer.

Far too often business owners will purchase a product in bulk for sale only to discover that the product does not meet customer expectations. This often leaves the online business owner lamenting the fact that they did not take the time to personally evaluate the product before determining their willingness to sell the product.

Some companies will provide a sample of the product for business owners to try, but even if this is not available the product should be acquired prior to opening the line through your ecommerce site.

If you can go into the search for a product line the same way you would shop for a similar product for yourself in a brick and mortar store you may find that you are more apt to select a product that is in keeping with your own high standards and personal taste. Remember less expensive may not translate to a better selling product. If you can explain in a content rich site why the product is superior from a personal standpoint you are likely to discover your prospective customers might just agree with you.

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 Choose The Right Affiliate Marketing Program

By Dustin H Cannon

Not all types of affiliate marketing programs will be suitable for you. According to experts, about 80% of all the affiliate programs being offered online will not really bring you any income at all. Of course that doesn't mean that these affiliate programs will not work for somebody else under different circumstances. What won't work for you may bring something good to another. Bear in mind that different strokes apply for different folks so make sure that you get something that suits you well.

Getting started

There are many affiliate marketing programs that are for free so go for those programs that do not require you to put up any capital. There is really no point of spending money on something when you can have it for free. Besides, those free affiliate marketing programs are just as good as those which require registration fees.

Another thing that you should look into when shopping for the right affiliate marketing programs for your site is the amount of commissions that you can get out of the partnership. Let's face it; we are here for the money so we might as well go for those affiliate programs that give us better commission schemes. Note that better commission schemes mean higher income for you. If you can find an affiliate marketing program that also pays for hits and impressions aside from sales. Hits are those clients who click on the banner or ad but don't actually buy and impressions are measured by the number of persons who view the banner or ads in your site.

Should you go for those programs that offer high commission rates? The answer to that is both yes and no. Yes, you should go for those programs that give high commissions because you could earn a good deal of money on a single transaction. On the other hand, most affiliate programs that are offering huge amount of commissions carry products that are difficult to sell or do not require frequent repeat orders. On the other hand, affiliate programs that are offering lower commissions often carry with it products that are always on demand and would require frequent repeat orders. If you are looking at the possibility of establishing a long term income from an affiliate marketing program, then you might as well go for those programs that could generate repeat business for you. Why settle for a one time deal when you can have a perpetual income stream?

Since you want to earn extra income out of the affiliate marketing program, you should make sure that the companies offering the program are good payers. Check into the reputation
and payment schemes of the company before you decide to join them. Some companies pay their affiliate marketing partners twice a month while others pay monthly.

About The Author:

Learn how to start your own home business online earning multiple streams of income at
http://www.pluginprofitsite.com/main-0

Take A Look At The Top 10 Internet Franchises And Realize Your Potential To Work From Home

By Raymond Lawrence

Almost half of the nation's business owners work from home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2002. Moreover, internet franchises offer not only the benefits of working from home, but also the opportunity to communicate with the click of a mouse.

There are many franchisors offering the benefit of working from a home-based office. With these business franchises, the franchisee has all the perks of a home-based income as well as the personal satisfaction of meeting with clients face-to-face or even traveling around the world!

For those looking for a franchise business completely managed in-home, there are several prospects that are strictly work from home Internet franchises. With franchises like these, the franchisee is not required to conduct any business apart from the comfort of a home office. Whichever you prefer, there are several franchise opportunities available to the aspiring entrepreneur. Here are the top 10 work from home internet franchises:

#1 Internet Marketing
This rapidly growing industry is quickly dominating the marketplace. Because online purchases are soaring and continuing to increase each year, businesses are looking for internet marketing teams to help get their websites noticed.

Furthermore, companies like AIS Media are offering franchisees the chance to profit from a growing e-commerce industry. AIS Media specializes in developing interactive websites for small businesses looking to market their products and services online. As a business franchise, you supply website design or redesign, email marketing, search engine optimization, web
hosting, domain registration, business email, etc. Moreover, no technical background is necessary. Since most internet marketing franchise businesses are willing to provide all necessary training, a franchise opportunity in the e-commerce business is attainable to anyone with the motivation and ambition it takes to run a successful business.

#2 Advertising Agencies
Franchisors such as Advertising Consultants are using the internet to expand their agencies by allowing franchisees to work from home-based offices. The benefit to this type of franchise business is that it does not incur any costs associated with opening and operating new agency locations. Instead, agencies like Advertising Consultants are able to set up new units across the country or around the globe by allowing franchisees to work from home. For instance, New York City is home to several of the top advertising agencies in the business, which means that a person in Hot Springs, Arkansas who is serious about working for an agency must be prepared for a move to the Big Apple. With a work from home internet franchise, all you need is a computer, an internet connection and the training, which will most likely be provided.

#3 Billing Systems
The healthcare industry is flourishing in many respects. But, you do not have to become a doctor or registered nurse to take advantage of this increasingly profitable industry. In fact,
physicians and their staff members are overwhelmed with the paperwork it takes to operate even a small practice. Many are outsourcing this paperwork to medical billing specialists. In
many cases, by operating a medical billing business franchise, you are afforded the sophisticated software programs, training, technical support and even marketing materials essential to launching a lucrative and successful home-based business.

#4 Internet Research
The research field may not seem like the most exciting industry available to franchisees; however, it is among the most profitable. In marketing and public relations, for example, research is a dominant facet that most marketing and public relations practitioners are weary of building their career upon. Of course, once they discover the potential financial benefits, they are more inclined to explore it. The same is true for internet research. Such research companies gather contact information about prospective clients for businesses. These companies are willing to pay for strategic research because their sales will increase quickly and significantly. Furthermore, human resource departments are using internet research to increase efficiency in the hiring process. Not only are they able to collect contact information, some research tools even help to distinguish passive candidates, those just browsing, from those actively seeking employment. Most often, franchisees have the option of working with clients currently belonging to the franchisor as well as any new clients they acquire.

#5 ATM Franchise
Few people keep large amount of cash in their wallets or purses. It is far safer to carry a bank card and get cash as needed, usually from an ATM. As ATM locations appear through the nation and the world, entrepreneurs are taking advantage of this franchise opportunity. Moreover, becoming a business franchise in this exciting industry does not require related experience. ACFN ATM, for instance, provides all necessary training and even qualified locations for your ATM franchise business. Currently, ACFN ATM is the only ATM franchise business in North America. With any growing business opportunity, those who get involved early gain access to untapped markets; thus, they are ahead of the competition and have a chance to earn more wealth.

#6 Promotional Products
Have you ever looked in your kitchen cupboard and noticed that your most luxurious coffee mug came from your workplace? How about your favorite ink pen? Products such as these are "freebies" for employees, customers and even potential clients for big businesses. What many people do not consider is that these products are also advertising a particular organization. This innovative form of advertising has become a lucrative franchise opportunity for those seeking an internet franchise allowing them to work from home. While operating a business
franchise from a promotional products company such as Adventures in Advertising (AIA), you have the opportunity to work with nonprofits, small businesses, schools, hospitals, human resource departments, etc. And, since the goods they purchase will be given away, repeat business is inevitable. Furthermore, franchisors like AIA offer training programs to prepare its franchisees for a successful run in the promotional products industry.

#7 Financial Companies
This franchise opportunity is ideal for someone with an accounting or financial background, or someone with no such background at all! In either situation, the financial industry continues to expand, allowing entrepreneurs to venture into this industry with a business franchise. Whether franchising a global brokerage or leasing company, franchisors are prepared to educate and equip their franchisees with all the training and support tools necessary to manage a winning franchise business. For potential entrepreneurs with an interest in finance, there is a franchise opportunity that allows you to make this dream a lucrative reality while still working from your home office.

#8 Outdoor advertising
There are many internet franchises focused on profiting from increasing online sales. A couple of the business franchises mentioned so far target this ever-increasing market. Still, traditional advertising media are not obsolete by any means. In fact, outdoor advertising is financially rewarding and still allows you to work from your home office. With no employees to hire or location to manage, you count more of your earnings as profit. Furthermore, training and support are provided by the franchisee. After all, your accomplishments contribute to your franchisor's success.

#9 Travel Agencies
While most travel agencies require franchisees to operate units outside the home office, there are some who offer franchises to professionals looking to work from home. This type of business franchise relies mostly on communication via the internet and also over the phone. Moreover, many travel agency franchisors provide discounted travel to those who run one or more of their
franchise businesses. If you are interested in the flexibility of a home-based income and traveling the world, this franchise opportunity is ideal.

#10 Healthcare Staffing
Over the past several years, shortages in the nursing industry have only continued to increase. Nursing schools are flocked with students hoping to obtain a position in this money-making field. Fortunately, entrepreneurs stand to gain monetarily from the nursing shortage by operating a medical staffing business franchise. Staffing companies are responsible for bridging the gap between nurses looking for employment and hospitals in need of nurses. Traditional staffing companies have nurses who are basically on call for hospitals in their areas that need nurses at the last minute. For example, a hospital may contact a staffing company because several nurses are unable to work during a single shift, leaving the remaining hospital staff in
a dire situation. A member of the staffing company then goes through a list of nurses until the number of scheduled nurses is back up to par.

With many work from home medical recruiting agencies, this model is taken to the next level. With this type of business franchise, you act as an agent for the healthcare practitioner.
Furthermore, you also have the chance to build a team of healthcare recruiters working with you to increase the number of clients. How much work you undertake depends on the amount of time you wish to work in addition to the amount of money you would like to make.

With each franchise opportunity, you have the benefits of working from home, including flexible hours, lower cost investments, few or no employees, etc. Most importantly, experience is not required to participate in any of these business franchises. All you need is the self-discipline and
motivation it takes to work from home successfully and the thorough research it takes to determine which internet franchise is meant for you.

About The Author:

Find franchises, http://www.franchisegator.com franchise opportunities and information for entrepreneurs at Franchise Gator.

SEO: The Power Of The Inbound Link

By Scott Lindsay

Link building can be a difficult part of any Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. It may even be harder trying to maintain a list of those who are linking to your site.

Did you know that search engines have made this a bit easier for online business to monitor?While the procedure for each search engine may be slightly different you can learn about many of the most successful inbound links you have to your website.

For the purpose of this article I will use the Google search engine. In order to check for inbound links I will use one of my websites www.highpowersites.com. I begin by typing the word link in the search window of the search engine followed by the website name. In the end it looks like this: link: www.highpowersites.com for your website it would look like link: www.yoursitename.com

In this search there were over 10,000 inbound links on the web. This tells me the site is doing well and it helps me see which sites that feature the link are the highest ranking. If you visit other search engines you can learn how to access information about site rankings by visiting a section typically called `Advance Search Options".

The affects of inbounds links shouldn't be minimized and the use of a free article directory can help spread the word about your site through inbound links. A diverse selection of expert articles is very helpful in improving SEO strategies.

Certainly there are a variety of SEO strategies to consider, but inbound links may provide a significant number of impressions and an improved number of site visitations, which can dramatically improve conversion rate with potential customers.

A great number of links to your website is often viewed by search engines as a means of gauging improved trust. Improved trust in your website will improve your site rankings.

When you have significant inbound links it means that search engine spiders comb through your site more often gaining new and valuable information that can help your overall site ranking.

Beyond free article directories a website owner might simply request affiliated websites to include a link to his/her website as a courtesy. This is not an uncommon practice and provides greater visibility for your website.

The use of a forum or blog can also provide positive inbound links for your website. This is accomplished by either posting information that may benefit readers followed by a link to a section of your website that deals with the issue or by simply placing a link in the signature box on your forum post.

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

Internet Marketing: Watch The Feedback

By Scott Lindsay

Amazon does it, so does ebay and hundreds of other online businesses - now brick and mortar stores are finding online feedback to be an incredible tool in quickly locating the products that perform well along with products that may need to be pulled from the shelf.

By allowing customers the opportunity to provide instant feedback in product reviews companies are gaining a much better picture of consumer buying habits than simply waiting to see if consumers returned for a repeat purchase of a product.

Online business is learning a great deal from customers as to products that exceed expectations and others that have inherent flaws the company had no knowledge of.

At first blush it may seem that such an open invitation to feedback may be detrimental to the success of your company, especially if the feedback is negative. However, since business has been used to learning of customer's likes or dislikes by hearing from them first-hand, the use of feedback can seem a bit frightening. However, for the customer it feels like a safe, third party means of letting your voice be heard.

Sure, others will see the product review and it may negatively affect their purchasing decision, but it may be a quick way for a business to come to terms with the lack of performance and quality of a product you may have been considering restocking.

Your response to the customer's feedback allows the customer to feel their voice was important and their opinions did count in how you do business and what offerings you make available online.

When you allow independent reviews to be posted online you will likely discover increased sales. Why? Because the majority of online customers tend to place a higher value on the opinions of people who do not work for the company. They've spent so many hours listening to a variety of sales pitches that to have an actual customer provide a glowing recommendation means more than a well crafted sales pitch.

When negative product reviews come in early and often you may have discovered a flawed product that can be submarined before it becomes a problem product. By releasing the tools needed to empower your customer with a voice, you may well find that the voice is largely positive. In turn, that largely positive voice can became a rather inexpensive sales tool. Finally, that inexpensive sales tool may result in a long-term customer relationship because you listened to customer concerns and addressed the issues quickly.

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

Home Based Internet Business Tips

By Stuart Pearce

For many people who dream of starting their own home based internet business and working for themselves instead of a boss or group of bosses, the internet has opened up many possibilities. From selling goods and services, to becoming involved in affiliate marketing, if people can dream about it, they can find a way to make it happen online.

If you are planning on starting a home based internet business of your own, you will enjoy the following job perks:

Set your own hours. Make all marketing, sales, and shipping decisions. Produce quality work you can be proud of. Choose to employee only yourself or a small staff. Low start-up
costs.

There are plenty of other reasons why people start their own internet businesses, but these are some of the most common.

Creating your business

Before taking the plunge and going into business for yourself, you should review your finances to make sure you have enough to live on while establishing your business. While the rewards are many, you will put in long hours, have to work up an income level you are comfortable with, and have to deal with high income months and low income months.

Choosing which internet business you would like to go into is the next step. Ask yourself the following questions to get a better idea of the type of business you're interested in pursuing:

Do I enjoy sales and marketing? What skills do I bring to a particular business? How much time can I devote to my new business? How are my customer service skills? Do I know enough about the financial side of business? Do I have a support network?

Answering these questions may be tough, but necessary in figuring out if you are ready to run a business on your own and the type of business you want to run. Remember, this is
your new career, so it should be fun, interesting, and challenging.

Possible internet home businesses include:

Selling goods and services (items and services you create yourself). Selling goods on auction sites. Web hosting. Web design. Affiliate marketing. Internet writing and editing. Consulting Freelancing.

These are just some of the many careers people are able to pursue on the internet.

Building your business

Once you have decided which business you would like to go into, the next step is to begin marketing it on the internet and in other forums such as print media. Just because your business is online does not mean you shouldn't take advantage of different types of advertising.

Creating a web site is a good place to begin. You can choose to build the web site yourself or hire a web designer. Naming your business and buying domain space online is important so no one else can market their business under the name you have chosen.

Adding interesting articles and pictures on your web site will help attract customers.

Marketing online

The last step to building a successful internet business is marketing. This is an on-going job task that will help draw more visitors to your site, which should increase your sales. There are many ways to market your business including:

SEO keywords. Publishing articles. Posting links. Pay-per-click advertising. Blog Email customer lists. Newsletters. Print advertising.

While you don't have to take advantage of all of these methods, you should try to utilize them as much as possible.

Running a home based internet business have given people more time to spend with their families, a challenging, rewarding career, and the opportunity to be in control of their income.

About the Author:

Stuart Pearce is founder and owner of Style Product Developer Ltd. The company specialise in offering tools and resources to make the creation of a web based business easy and accessible to all. Begin your online career now, visit http://www.styleopportunities.com for details.

Web Design A Website For All

By Scott Lindsay

How many customers are you losing every day in your ecommerce website? I suppose every business owner expects some customer loss, but did you know you could be losing more customers than you may have realized?

Tim Berners-Lee is credited with creating the Worldwide Web and he always envisioned an online experience that would be useable to all online visitors. This vision included individuals with a variety of handicaps.

While there are web applications that allow vision and hearing impaired visitors to use websites, many site designers do very little to help these individuals navigate their website.

Interestingly one of the key factors that minimize effective use of an ecommerce website design is an over produced website with multi navigational tabs. A growing number of baby boomers and senior citizens are using the web and the use of a site that is difficult to navigate makes the site essentially `off limits' to these potential customers who often leave in frustration.

Consider these financial facts from the U.S. Consumer Expenditure Survey.

* The 50 and older have $2.4 trillion in annual income, which accounts for 42% of all after-tax income.

* Adults 50 and older account for an estimated $1 trillion+ in total expenditures in 2005.

* Consumers 50 and older own 65% of the net worth of all U.S. households.

The demographic for those over the age of fifty find a consumer base with the most disposable income, increased buying power and this demographic often provides an increased level of brand loyalty.

Interestingly television networks have essentially turned their back on this demographic by providing program geared to viewers 35 and younger.

It is possible that web design could benefit by remembering a demographic who may have an interest in purchasing products or services from your website as long as you make sure to provide a means of accessing the website in a way that is attractive yet easily accessible.

Many websites rely on flash design. In a scenario in which you are seeking the age 50+ consumers you may want any flash you provide to be instructional on the use of the site. However, you may be better served by using straightforward text and graphics and by simplifying the steps your customers must use to make a purchase.

"In most [web design] projects, accessibility has fairly low priority because project managers underestimate the number of people who are impacted by design problems." Jakob Neilson

If you can make your web design appealing and easily accessible you will find all your customers being able to maximize the pleasure of the visit and may likely develop into repeat customers.

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

Cheap Way To Advertise Your Home Business

By Jonathan Lee

You should be able to find several indispensable facts about home business in the following paragraphs. If there's at least one fact you didn't know before, imagine the difference it might make.

Having a home business is great - you can set your own hours, work in your pajamas, and be there for your children and your family at any time. You can also vacation when you want to and you can take care of all kinds of things right from home. It can be a great life, and you can really enjoy it, but the key to having a home business that is successful is making sure that you have clients that are going to want to have your services and that are going to want to have you do things for them in exchange for money.

So, when it comes down to it, advertising is an absolute must. You have to be able to draw people in and you need customers in order to have your website work. You have to have traffic to whatever site you have for your home business and you have to be sure that you are getting business. This is important to do no matter what type of home business you have.

However, not a lot of people that start up home businesses are wealthy to start with, and you might find that you don't really have a budget for advertising. When this happens it is important to remember that you have to be able to budget not only your time, but a little bit of money, towards advertising.

So far, we've uncovered some interesting facts about home business. You may decide that the following information is even more interesting.

There are many ways to get lots of business, cheaply. There are things that you can do with limited funds to make sure that you are getting the customers that you need. First of all, you have to be sure that you are putting up advertising in the correct place. Are you having a business from home that caters to just your area, such as a hair salon or a photography businesses? If so, then your advertising should be in print, because you don't need the whole world to see it. If you are localized, don't bother spending your money on internet advertising, just do print advertising with your website on it. This is the best way to advertise, and you can always do this cheaply by finding a cheap place to have posters and business cards made up.

However if you are running a home business that is on the internet, this means that you want the whole world to have access to it. In this case, don't bother putting up flyers in your home town, work on internet advertising. You can find many free blogs that will let you post a link to your site and there are many places that you can get your name out there. The fact remains that you just have to do it - you have to spend several days surfing the web and getting your name out there in whatever way that you can.

So now you know a little bit about home business. Even if you don't know everything, you've done something worthwhile: you've expanded your knowledge.

About the Author:

Jonathan Lee has a website promoting work at home business opportunities - work at home job, affiliate program, data entry job, home based business and more.
http://www.work-at-home-update.info

Internet Marketing - Or... Information Super Clogway?

By Thomas Spratt

Internet Marketing - Or... Information Super Clogway? Stop by any internet marketing forum on the web, and usually you'll find hundreds of newbie forum members, many harried or perplexed. They're being swamped with too many confusing instant wealth pitches, to ever choose from any rationally. They have entered the newly minted IM 'overload zone'. Information 'turnoff' is creating a huge 'blackhole' for Internet marketers who don't yet know, how to make cyber business a success. They learn rapidly that there are many paths to riches being touted, but they don't know which is actually the best choice or would be workable for them.

The sad thing that often ends up occuring is that the Internet marketing newbie decides to take many paths at once to see which one has the most profit potential. This is a HUGE mistake, because their attention is divided and no one venture ever becomes optimized in capital, labor, or time devoted to it. Ultimately, the final result is that they give up, disenchanted and much soured on the entire internet marketing adventure, when all it would have taken to correct the mistake is focus and determination. Those who are in the slippery game of teaching newbies how to advance from zero to mega profits in the wink of an eye, often suggest happily, they buy this product and then that one, just to get started. Followup and further guidance are sorely lacking from these type of 'gurus'.

In reality, it's better to find a mentor who understands that the average new internet marketer should first consume the free information on the web - focusing on just one aspect of their project at a time, such as choosing an under worked niche or compiling an in-demand product. They should then be instructed to invest in only one product at a time - something truly valuable to the reader that will further their success. It should be a product that contains information, not routinely accessible for free on the internet.

A goodly part of the problem stems from the true and false claims alike, that are touted from site after site, giving the novice marketer the craving and earnest desire to duplicate, or to even exceed, the site owner's 'supposed' success. The 'hype zone' here can be treacherous, indeed
and has trapped and been the downfall of too many IM'ers. They view one person who made many thousands in just one day and they, too, want to achieve that the same way! Then they land on a page where one guy makes $500 each day on one clever marketing twist minisite, and they want to follow that path too. They end up going in six different directions, getting nowhere fast. It is divide, diversify, and conquer run amuck in cyber land today.

Instead of permitting yourself to fall prey to this massive information clogway in the internet marketing world today, make certain you put your racehorse blinders on and stay in touch with one aspect of the marketing tract at a time. Eventually, you'll understand how everything works, but don't EVER let anyone fool you into thinking one product or person (mega guru), has all the solutions rounded up in one place. It's a combination of worthy lessons that will eventually lead to your internet marketing success. However, you must have a quality base foundation, upon which to grow in cyber marketing and some solid direction as well. Find these two VITAL keys first, before you scatter your efforts to the IM winds,. and end up right back where you started.

About the Author:

Thomas Spratt, University of Iowa Marketing School Grad, Former Fortune 50 Executive Big Oil, US Military Officer, Vietnam Veteran, CEO CyberMoneyMap... Your Cyber GPS
Success Roadmap In The Complex World of Global Internet Marketing. .. To ShowYou How To Begin Your Own Info 'Foundation' for Honest Income Please Look Here:
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Small Business Marketing Secrets - Use Repetition And Impact For Big Results

By Kevin Stirtz

Many business owners I have worked with have tried running ads in direct mail pieces that come out monthly or quarterly (or something in between). Their hope is that the direct mail piece will drive them business because it reaches a large number of households.

When they tell me about their results from ads like these, I can predict almost exactly what they're going to say: "We got a decent response the first week or so but then it really died out after that." They seem disappointed in the results because the response dropped off so fast.

Because the next mailing doesn't come out for another six to eight weeks, they suffer a roller coaster effect if this is the only marketing they are doing.

When you buy advertising, understand what you're buying and how it fits your goals and your business.

A big mailing every couple months will give you a big impact all at once but you'll have ups and downs in your new business flow. You can smooth out that roller coaster by adding some repetition.

Buy some low impact advertising that keeps your message out in the community all the time, day after day, week after week. This keeps your name and message in front of your potential customers on an ongoing basis. It fills the gaps that fall between your big direct mailings. Remember, with advertising you are buying exposure.

Think of it like buying a case of beer or soda. You can drink it all at once and then it's gone and you go thirsty until next month. Or, you drink just one can a day and you get to enjoy it all month long (well, almost all month).

With most businesses, a balanced combination of impact and repetition is the best way to meet your marketing goals.

About The Author:

More customers! More revenue! More profits! That's what Kevin Stirtz helps companies create. Kevin is a business growth expert who helps people improve their companies. Get a free copy of Kevin's latest book, "Marketing for Smart People" by going to his website at: http://www.StirtzGroup.com.

Untapped Marketing Resources: Growing Your Own Ebiz With Ebay

By Chris Malta & Robin Cowie

EBay is one of the most powerful marketing tools around, but all too many small business owners are missing out on the opportunities it affords. Whether your business is online or brick-and-mortar, eBay is a tremendous promotional resource that you really can't afford to overlook. It's critical to your business success that you incorporate the traffic-heavy auction site as an ongoing part of your business strategy.

Why Does eBay Matter?
Explains Jim Cockrum, president of http://SilentJim.com, "Use eBay as your sales machine-if you put an item up for sale there, tens if not hundreds of thousands of people are going to see it. EBay is one of the top ten most visited web sites on the planet and the only one that's not a search engine." Whether your main sales venue is a physical storefront, or your own online store, eBay still provides several sources for generating leads for your outside business:

Use your eBay sales to build your mailing list.

Every item you sell on eBay is a lead for future business. With each sale, you should be growing your email database so you can make recurring transactions with that customer. So many eBay sellers who've made thousands of transactions over the years have never used those transactions to build a customer database with which to build an email list.

You need those lists to keep in touch with your buyers-you are building long-term customer relationships. The key is to give your customers good content, not simply sell, sell, sell. These are people who took the time to give you their email address, and the more that you provide them with useful information, the more you are building credibility and buyer loyalty.

The About Me page allows you to promote your outside business.

A seller's About Me page may be one of the most overlooked opportunities on eBay. Very few sellers utilize this tool, but it is the only place on eBay where you're allowed to direct people to your own web site. You can also promote your newsletter or give away free information to your leads. It's a great way, not only to gain buyer trust, but also to cross-market your off-eBay business.

EBay classified ads let you drive traffic to your own web site.

EBay now offers classified ads that allow you to promote your own web site or physical store, as well as items you're selling. And there are no closing fees for the sales these ads generate. Again, it's a chance to get your items, and even your outside business, exposed to multiple thousands of targeted buyers.

The bottom line is that, regardless of the venue you sell in, you need to recognize the potential of eBay for marketing purposes. You can increase your sales many times over by tapping into the resources that eBay makes available to you. Says Cockrum, "There's so much power behind [eBay] to drive traffic, but so few people really harness that power for their businesses. Take full advantage of eBay's promotional opportunities. It's such a simple concept; but it works, and it can really transform your business."

About The Author:

Chris Malta and Robin Cowie of http://WorldwideBrands.com are the Writers and Hosts of The Entrepreneur Magazine EBiz and Product Sourcing Radio Shows. Visit http://www.productsourcingshow.com for more FREE eBiz info from Entrepreneur Magazine Radio!

Seo: Content Controversy

By Scott Lindsay

One of the ways search engines determine site ranking is to sort through your online content and rank the site based on repeated keywords or phrases. Content rich websites have found success in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies. While I highly recommend this strategy there is another viewpoint that is less dependent on content for exposure for site rankings.

Some webmasters are strong proponents of non-content SEO strategies. These technical experts rely very heavily on meta-title and other html or code-based SEO strategies for sites that are less content oriented.

Purists on both sides of the argument will say their approach is far superior to the other. For the content sites they can judge their success through keyword strategies that are observable in long-term site rankings. For the non-content sites they can observe keywords or phrases being used to determine site rankings from a more technical source in behind-the-scenes code.

So, which is the better approach?

Both.

This really is a matter of being able to have your cake and eat it too. You can maximize SEO strategies in the coding on your site while infusing your website with knowledge based original content. The combination of these two strategies can work with greater efficiency than either strategy alone.

If you are ill equipped to manage coding then you should work tirelessly to incorporate knowledge based articles into your website.

The standard negative reply to this concept is when a business is primarily selling a product or service and do not feel original content really works with their online store.

If, for instance, your business sells blocks of gourmet cheese you could incorporate original articles on the various cheese offerings, their taste and texture and the history behind each cheese type. You could incorporate articles that provide recipes that include the cheese types you provide.

Hopefully you get the idea, by adding knowledge-based articles you can assist your site ranking, help your customer and minimize the need for coded SEO strategies until you learn how best to implement the non-content SEO.

There will always be a battle as to which SEO strategy is best, but I will go so far as to say the best strategy will be the one that includes both concepts to the best of the web owner's capabilities.

While some want to make the issue an either/or decision it is really a both/and solution.

However you optimize your site, work to the best of your ability to implement strategies that work for you long-term. Too many strategies are short-term props that help you very little in the grand scheme of the life of your website.

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

Turbocharge Your Links With Killer Anchor Text

By John Buchanan

These days, everyone knows that, to get top rankings in any of the engines, your site needs links. Not just any links, but links from quality sites and lots of them. One thing I have noticed is that for many webmasters that are newer to SEO, they often over look the importance of "anchor text" or "link text" as it is often called.

If you are unfamiliar with these terms, let me give you an example below.

This is Anchor Text

In the above example, the text "This is Anchor Text" is the anchor text. Anchor text is simply the text used as the clickable portion of a link. A while back (a few years now), the engines decided that, quite often, the text used as the anchor text of a link was a description of the target page. So, knowing this, they decided to start looking at the anchor text of links to a page an incorporating what those links "said" about the page into the algorithms used to rank pages.

To this day, Google still seems to give the most weight to anchor text, but all the engines use it to some extent.

It's also important to understand that the anchor text of an inbound link (at least today) still applies to that specific PAGE, not to the entire site.

What does this mean? Well, it means that, to get the absolute most bang for your buck out of each and every link pointed to your site, you should do your best to make sure that the anchor text used for each inbound link is relevant to the page that link is pointing to. This applies not only to external links (those from a different site pointing to a page within your site), but to internal links as well (those links pointing from one page of your site to another page on your site).

Internal anchor text is an area that a VERY large percentage of webmasters don't fully take advantage of. These are the links that you have full control over, so you should do everything you can to make sure that the anchor text for each and every internal link in your site best reflects the target keywords for the page it's pointing to.

The same goes for "homepage" links. What is your homepage about? I would bet that for 99% of the people reading this article, the topic of your homepage is NOT about "homes". So why is it that the vast majority of webmasters still utilize the anchor text "home" or "homepage" etc. when linking to their homepage? Don't you think it would make more sense for the anchor text of that link to be relevant to the page it's pointing to? After all, the homepage of most sites tends to target the most competitive phrases of that market don't they? So why wouldn't you want to get the most possible use of all those internal links pointing to your homepage by using some more appropriate and relevant link text?

Quite often I have seen the proper and improper use of anchor text be the difference between which page(s) make it to the top of the results and which ones end up on pages 2 and on. Where do you want to be?

See you at the top!

About The Author:

John Buchanan is a veteran search engine optimization specialist with over 9 years experience. For more information, visit his site at http://www.sesecrets.com or his newest site http://www.seovideoanalysis.com where he will provide you with a professional SEO Video Website Analysis of your site.

Site Promotion Tools: Niche Knowledge

By Scott Lindsay

Do you have a website that has spurred numerous knowledge-based content on a very specific subject? Did you know that the use of your old knowledge-based content can be used to promote your website in a new way?

There are numerous site promotion tools at your disposal; however there may be one that can be successful in converting knowledge seekers into viable prospects.

As you continue to develop new material for your website, the old content is often relegated to a cyber dust bin and forgotten.

If, for example, you have a significant library of articles on `needle-nose pliers' you might consider a secondary site dedicated specifically to articles related to this tool. The website should have a web address that is easily remembered and one that will connect with your audience. In essence this specialized website should be able to rank well on a niche topic.

The acceptance of Google AdSense or other PPC advertising on this site will likely pay for the upkeep of the site while you use a link building mentality to send customers to your primary site.

In the end you have a primary website that benefits from link exposure and a secondary site that will likely rank very well with a niche keyword or phrase.

The use of a template rich web hosting service can allow this type of website to flourish with low cost, maximum exposure, ease of use and rapid implementation.

Many site owners have come to understand how effective multiple sites can be to the total success of their primary site. Essentially the secondary sites can be built and fine-tuned only on occasion. These sites are simply designed to drive customers to your primary site and provide multiple tools to assist in developing prospects for your primary online business.

As each secondary website is built you can further assist your site promotion objectives through the use of a press release. Let others know that you have launched a new knowledge-based website and allow them to catch a vision for why this secondary site is a benefit to the online community.

It is relatively easy to build a forum into these secondary sites to allow your niche customers to find others who are equally interested in the product, tool or service you may be offering. The knowledge-based content provides a springboard for interaction with these potential customers. The use of free membership to the forum can also provide list-building opportunities for your business as well.

A secondary site may be just the site promotion tool you need to move your site to a whole new level of profitability.

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

3 Most Important Services For A Profitable Internet Home Business

By Savitha Shivakumar

There are basically 3 services which are of utmost importance to run a profitable internet home business. Let us see which are these.

The first service you will need and cannot have a website without, is a domain name. A domain name is the name given that is used to find your website, for eg: http://www.yourdomainname.com. You need a domain name because your business needs recognition and traffic. Instead of promoting other people's sites its best to promote your own. So you realise the value of a domain name? Now there are several free service providers but it is not recomended. If the free service provider runs out of business and closes down for some reason then all your hard work and your business is going to crashland and and it can definitely happen. When you are choosing your domain name let it be related to your business and easy to remember. The next step is to choose an extension. There are several extension available but .com is the best one to choose. There are several domain registration service providers. Choose a good one, do some background check and then decide.

The next is a webhosting service. I would like to repeat the same thing here, never go for a free service. You will need to do your profitable internet home business in a professional and credible way. With free service providers, there will be advertisements in your site and some may not be of your business interest. Secondly when you want to expand your business, which will come soon enough, and need extra space, you will need to go for paid service since your free service provider will not provide extra space and at that time you loose your old customers and traffic. Hence a good webhosting service is very important. Let us see what webhosting really means. Your website files and all related information and data are stored in your web host server/computers. This is required because your website should be available 24/7 and should be able to accomodate any amount of traffic.

When choosing your webhosting sevice you will need to look for a few important features you need to run the website like:

1. CGI - BIN, this is required for interactivity of your website,

2. PHP4,

3. Uptime - this is the amout of time your site is available for visitors, this should be 24/7 or close,

4. Excellent cutomer support,

5. Setup fees - none,

6. Space -more the better,

7. Traffic capacity/ bandwidth - more the better,

8. Pop email accounts - never less than 10 but unimited is the best,

9. Site stats - needed to keep track of your site,

10. FTP - at least one account.

The third most important service is autoresponders. What is an autoresponder? An autoresponder follows up with your website visitors to provide useful information, build trust and ultimately make some sales. Why does one need an autoresponder? Here's why. Majority of the people who visit your website will not buy from you on their first visit. Infact, most people do not buy a product on the internet until they have seen it or heard about it at least 7 times. If you are promoting a product on the internet and you don't have an effective way to capture and follow-up with your website visitors to remind them about the products and services you are promoting, you will lose a lot of sales.

Let us summerise, the 3 most important services to run a profitable internet home business are:

a) Domain name service,

b) Webhosting service and,

c) Autoresponder service.

About The Author:

Savitha Shivakumar is owner of http://Profit-homebiz.com and writes on a variety of subjects. To learn more about this topic Savitha recommends you visit: http://www.profit-homebiz.com

Choosing Between Pay-Per-Click And SEO: The 3 Steps

By David Bain

Choosing between Pay-Per-Click Marketing and Search Engine Optimization is not a matter of measuring return on investment. There are major differences between the two approaches and the choice between one or the other is based on different factors; you must understand the differences before a final decision is made. Here are the steps to choosing between the two.

Many web marketers who have used pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, bothered by the ever-increasing cost of PPC or stung by instances of click fraud, are turning to search engine optimization (SEO) as a substitute or replacement for their PPC efforts. The problem is that many of these advertisers then start comparing their returns on SEO and find these lacking.

Comparing PPC to SEO is like comparing an IBM AS 400 mainframe to an Apple Powerbook -there is simply no comparison. They have distinct differences; they may be similar in that both are computers, but the differences outweigh the similarities.

Choosing between PPC and SEO is not a matter of tossing a coin or playing rock-paper-scissors. You must have a clear understanding of each approach and how to measure the return on investment of each before making a decision.

--- Step 1: Understand PPC Marketing ---

The key to PPC marketing is to think of it in the same way as `conventional' advertising - the money you pay out results in the `display' of your ad for a specific period of time. PPC marketing certainly works in the same way - the moment terms are settled between you and the internet `channel' you selected (e.g., the search engine) your ads can appear. The moment you stop paying, your ads will be removed.

Results for PPC advertising are immediate and measurable - you start getting results within days of your ad being posted on the search engine page and (most of the time), people stop visiting your site the moment your ad is removed.

--- Step 2: Understand Search Engine Optimization ---

An SEO campaign, on the other hand, may have a defined start and end point (defined by the terms of the contract between you and an SEO group) but the results can last beyond the contract's termination date - simply because the measures put in place are, to a large extent, "permanent."

Think of an SEO effort as your typical brick-and-mortar establishment - you have the place and the merchandise, while the SEO company paints the building, sets up window displays, puts your merchandise on display and then waits for the customers to come in. If your SEO team did the job properly, people will `wander' in.

You may decide to let your SEO group go after this and leave everything as is, but people will still drop by because their attention will still be called by your site's window displays, exterior paint job, merchandising display, or word-of-mouth even after the SEO team has left for other assignments.

--- Step 3: Understand the Differences between PPC and SEO ---

Therein lies the difference between the two. You can think of PPC as advertising - a major investment with immediate impact and results, since people's attention is called to your site -and people forget about you when the advertising is taken down (out of sight, out of mind); SEO efforts, on the other hand, is a long-term investment that takes time to set up and implement -but will last until long after the effort is completed.

From this perspective, it is not a matter of `choosing' between one and the other - there are specific conditions where one is preferable to the other (for example, if you need immediate results then PPC is the way to go) or you can opt to go with SEO until you have the means to invest in PPC.

As was said, choosing one or the other is not a matter of a coin toss - there are other factors to consider.

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.

Popular Article Submission Sites

By Craig Andrews

One of the best ways top article marketers drive pre-targeted traffic to their Websites is by submitting quality articles to popular article submission sites.

Article submission sites are Websites that function as article directories or article banks. Most of the popular article submission sites allow authors to post their articles on their sites for free. Their are a few article submission sites that charge a small fee for posting and distributing articles, but it is a small price to pay for the quality service they provide. I feel that some of these sites are of better quality and service based on the fact that they do charge a fee and attract a higher valued client rather than some authors just looking for a free place to submit sub quality articles. In a sense it keeps the riffraff out. Many of the large reputable submission sites do review all articles submitted to them in order to assure quality articles are being posted on their site.

Article submission sites also provide a Webmaster with free articles who need content for their Website as long as they keep the article in tact and don not modify it in any way. This is a great way to build content on your website and feed the search bots with food to digest therefore improving your sites ranking.

Most of the top article directories usually require you to manually submit your articles and do not accept automatic submissions that could be generated by a computer email or software program. The reason for manual submissions are because they are looking for "real" authors and not some article spun gibberish. Manual submission sites require you to sign up for an account where you can log into your account and from there you can perform many beneficial tasks from tracking the number article views, author ranking, and a host of other great features.

When seeking out popular article submission sites you want to find sites that provide a high volume of traffic and rank high. One of the best tools you can use is Alexa. Alexa.com will provide stats on traffic ranking, page views, and related links. Sites with higher traffic rankings will undoubtedly provide more readers for your articles. These sites are the ones you want to concentrate on manually submitting your articles. A few of the top 10 sites I can recommend with high traffic ranking are: Ezine Articles, Digg, Isnare, Go Articles, Article City, Article Dashboard, Content Desk, and Article Alley.

As you can see, popular article submission sites are the ones that can inject your article marketing campaigns with a huge boost in free pre-targeted traffic. I'll take free traffic over paid traffic any day of the week. Give them a try and see what a difference it will make. I know they have worked very well in my article submissions and they can work for you too.

To Your Success!

-Craig S. Andrews

About The Author:

Craig S. Andrews at http://www.craigsandrews.com invites you to discover the most powerful article submission software on the market! Unique articles drive more traffic, backlinks, and higher rankings. Click here to get your articles working fast.
http://www.articleprosoftware.com

HTML Email Newsletters - A How To Guide To Creating Them

By Julia Gulevich

What is an email newsletter? An email newsletter is kind of like a regular newspaper but it delivers news directly to our email electronically. These newsletters aren't just the news. Email newsletters are available for just about every kind information.

Most companies have an email sign up for their email newsletter that allows them to send you updates on company policies, changes and information on topics you request. Email newsletters might be about health, technology, sports, general information or varying articles of interest.

So now that you know what an email newsletter is all about. Let's start figuring out how to create one. The first step is to decide your email newsletter's lay out. You want the email newsletter to be something that everyone is going to want to read. Therefore, you must design your email newsletter to be attractive and appealing. There are several ways you can accomplish this. You can have your newsletter professionally designed, can download email newsletter creator software, or you can create one on your own. In regards to email newsletters, it is usually best to have them professionally designed.

One of the things to consider in your email newsletter design is that the internet is visually oriented. There are few sites that are only text based. Therefore, customers, and subscribers to your email newsletter are going to be expecting your newsletter to match the types of things they see on the internet. There are more complicated ways of doing email newsletters, but why not start out with something basic like an HTML email newsletter.

When the internet was in its infancy, HTML email newsletters would have been something almost impossible because email was only set up to do text. Even now, you'll often get a message asking if you want to send or receive an email in either text or HTML. These days, knowledge of HTML isn't even needed to create an HTML email newsletter. There are HTML editors available and even most word processors come with an HTML editor or tagging feature. There are a variety of things to choose from. Features such as heading changes, allowing you to alter the titles and headings of your HTML email newsletter. Adding text enhancements, web links are also easy to do in your HTML newsletter. Most word processors have a function for adding links to your HTML email newsletter while all feature text enhancements like underlining. With the addition of HTML features to common word processors, there is no reason why you can't get started creating your own HTML email newsletter. It will do wonders in spreading the information about your site, or what you have to offer, as well as updates and general news of interest.

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

You Got To Market Your Online Business

By David Fishman

This article will show you how to get good search engine ranking, once you know how to do the basics it will drive traffic to you online business and it will make it successful. The cost of online marketing that includes software, hardware, and website design may be higher when compared to other means. When starting an online business people don't realize that an online business and an offline business are very similar.

When starting an online business find a marketing expert that can help you formulate a plan that is specific to your business, this way you can see the potential of your business. If you spend time learning the ins and outs of the internet and plan carefully you can make a nice income for yourself online. If you do the internet advertising correctly it will have the ability to drive visitors to your site and double your sales..

You must incorporate internet marketing efforts to boost traffic and to increase the sales of your website. You hear a lot of talk about niche marketing this is just another marketing tactic, concentrate on building links and steer clear of these type of ideas that really don't pay off in the long run. Remember this important information and your business will grow, there is not one tool, marketing technique that will bring instant free traffic and instant sales.

Many business website owners don't realize you need some type of internet marketing strategy. When creating a strategy you need to create your plan with the things you know and the things you don't know. Internet marketing strategy is very similar to other marketing strategies.

This means that potential customers become positively disposed towards you because they have seen you associated with something they value and/or admire. When starting an affiliate
program this is a great way to increase sales and increase your customer base. You must have customers to sell your service or product. The reason behind this is that with your list you can target customers that are interested in your product or service.

Writing articles is one of the most utilized Internet marketing media today. Providing information through these articles is a surefire way to drive hot traffic to your web site, and then dollars to your business. Most of these internet gurus have learned their marketing skills from years of trial and error, they have read many reports and they have tested their theories.

Internet marketing tools can help you make a lot of money. Once you business starts making money you will need to make other task easier, you can accomplish this by finding tools that will do what you want them to do and will make your tasks easier so you can do other things.

Another important factor is on page keywords, Remember when submitting links to have you text link contain important keywords relevant to your site.

What ever marketing you do for your business remember one important fact. Do not get upset if you are not receiving the traffic you want. Building a business takes time, you need to be patient. Keep building your business everyday and before you know it you will have so much traffic and business you will be glad you took this approach.

About The Author:

David Marc Fishman is the owner of http://Linknetics.com, http://www.myarticlezine.com and http://www.vwutt.com. Liknknetics is software that promotes link exchange http://www.linknetics.com/link-exchange.html

How To Create A Blog That Pays The Bills

By Yvonne Lambert-Smith

The statistic is really staggering. Only one percent of those who start a bog succeed to monetize the site. However, the good news is those who did succeed as loggers are able to earn enough money to live comfortable while working in the comforts of their home. In fact, there are a number of loggers out there that are earning a good five digit income a year. The truth is that blogging can be a very lucrative online home business if and only if you have the talent and the right attitude towards your business.

What makes some fail while others succeed? Successful bloggers invested a lot of time, efforts and talents into their site. They believe that writing a blog is not just a hobby that they can do during their spare time but rather something that should be taken seriously. In other words, blogging is not just about writing something, it about writing something interesting for the readers. To become successful, bloggers must anticipate what his or her readers want to read. They must know how to hold the interest of their readers. Once a blogger gets the attention of his or her readers, there is a big chance that these readers will keep coming back to read more of what the blogger has to say. As the traffic to the site increases, there is now a high potential to earn money through the site.

Monetizing your blog

Some writers feel rather strongly about putting ads on their blog. These writers believe that having all those icons, banners and logos all over their site is taboo. Sure, nobody really wants to put so many ads on their site but the thing is advertisements bring in the money. If your site has huge traffic and you want to monetize your blog, you must be prepared to set aside some space for your advertisers. You must design your site in such a way that it will be easy for advertisers to put up their logo. A word of caution though, you must not put too many advertisements in your site otherwise your site will become too crowded and difficult to navigate. Most readers would shy away from blogs that are difficult to navigate and if you lose your readers, you will lose your income. Most online advertisers pay the site owners according to the number of views or clicks made on their ads. If the traffic to your site decreases, naturally, your income will be affected.

Another way of earning money through your blog is through affiliate programs. Choose an affiliate program that is relevant to the contents of your blog. For instance, if your blog is all about children and parenting, it would be wise to join affiliate programs that are selling products for children.

Copyright © Yvonne Lambert-Smith

About The Author:

To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit:
http://www.Enterprise-internet.com

Cashing In On The Web

By Patrice Ravello

There are several people who wish to have an easier life, to make it big. Some play the lottery, some just work really hard; others try the World Wide Web.

It can be simple, but like everything else, making money online can be difficult and tricky.

Online stores are popping up all over the place. If you have a talent and would like to receive royalties for it, develop an online store. Customers can shop all hours of the day, and payment seems to be almost immediate, coming from e checks and credit or debit cards. You will want to charge for shipping the product, and unfortunately, some online stores overcharge grossly. However, it can still be a fairly profitable business.

Whatever "IT" is. you can sell it online. People across the globe are cleaning out their garages and attics full of useless and sometime priceless stuff and selling it or auctioning it off. The most popular site isn't the only one out there, but it's the most widely known. This is relatively easy to do, just set up an account with the website and then another one with an online banking system and voila, you can start selling anything (and that does mean anything from dirty socks to a pop star's hair) to anyone around the world. Trust that there are some crazy things being sold and worse yet, being bought online.

Another way to make money online and perhaps to some a less lucrative way, is to do something like medical transcriptions or even writing articles for various websites. Becoming a medical transcriptionist is fairly easy, pay a little money and take some courses (it's a two year degree). One has to be well versed in medical terminology and be able to hear quiet, rushed, and often foreign voices. Writing articles online is a little trickier. You need to be able write, work under a deadline, and be extremely creative because there is no plagiarism tolerated. No matter your specialty, there is a way to make money off of it online. For more info, visit these sites: http://www.wealthyinternetaffiliates.com/pips.html , as well as http://www.wealthyinternetaffiliates.com

About The Author:

To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit:
http://www.WealthyInternetAffiliates.com

SEO: Text Is King

By Scott Lindsay

There are so many file types, and the web is incredibly accommodating. For each program you use to develop new information for your website there is a software application that allows you to publish that file on the web.

Portable Document Files (pdf), Word Documents (.doc) and many others are being integrated into standard site designs. Flash is often used to enhance the site with some pizzazz, but in each case the truth is just because you CAN put those files into your site design doesn't mean you SHOULD put those file types into your site design.

For the purposes of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) the greater you can rely on text the better your site will perform in site rankings.

You see, the trouble with these files is most search engine spiders do not recognize them because they are not `text' files. There are search engines that have become adept at indexing these files, but the majority of search engines do not recognize this content at all.

If you find yourself concerned with SEO techniques and their impact on site rankings then it may be worth your while to visit with your site developer to determine if there are areas
where a .doc or .pdf file can be moved to text status to allow all pertinent content on your website to be considered by search engine spiders.

All content on your site should be systematically upgraded to match keywords or phrases that will further assist in SEO strategies. Site owners will routinely contract with freelance writers to revise content for consistent keywords or phrases throughout the site. This is done because as the website becomes more uniform and cohesive the search engines will begin to take notice.

Web development has always been one of the world's great experiments. As techniques become more refined and search engine expectations alter so too can your approach to site design and SEO implementation.

Routinely sites are either completely overhauled or significantly altered in fewer than three years. The site that you have now will be antiquated in many ways in the not too distant future. This truth simply adds to the body of evidence that indicates the web is growing and the SEO and site design techniques are changing.

Keeping up with current trends may be difficult to manage, but the truth is it is in the best interest of the future of your firm. Others are using rapidly evolving techniques that are yielding real results. Yes, there is a learning curve, but the alternative is less than desirable for the long-term health of your online company.

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

Why Should I Consider A Career In Seo?

By Amit I Budhrani

Corporate entities are no longer confined in bricks and mortar. They are spreading their tentacles in the virtual world. Businesses are going online. They are building websites, allowing netizens to shop online, aggressively marketing their products on the net and harnessing the power of the Internet to build up leads for their products and services.

The corporate world has also become aware that only 'Building a Site' will not help in drawing prospective customers. Sites as well as brands have to be pushed aggressively, marketed properly and above all ensure that they are able to garner the attention of search engines. This has meant that an increasing number of corporate houses are looking out for trained Internet Marketing Professionals who are aware of the intricacies of search engine optimization.

But, finding such professionals is proving to be a daunting task for recruiters. This is because there are very few institutes offering SEO training and certification. Also, most of the available talent has not received proper training per se but are self-taught professionals. The above mentioned facts are also supported by experts who state that the industry supply is lagging the demand by 20%.

Robert Half International, world's first and largest specialized staffing firm, cites the job profile of Search Engine Optimizer as 'one of four jobs on cutting edge'. So, should you consider doing a career in Search Engine Optimization?

Let's look at the work profile of a search engine optimizer. MSN Careers states that 'SEOs typically supplement their knowledge of how various search engines operate and determine page rankings with strong marketing skills, as well as the ability to communicate effectively and program using HTML.' Thus, SEO comprises all the aspects relevant to building of a website right from its development to the content and designing.

SEO is a sunrise industry. Reports are showing that the spending on SEO as well as online marketing is growing. According to survey conducted by Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO), 'North American advertisers spent $9.4 billion on search engine marketing (SEM) in 2006, a 62 percent increase over 2005 spending'. Similarly, a survey conducted by Affinity Internet reveals that 'SMBs will commit greater resources to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) marketing and other online efforts in 2007.' A study conducted by
E-consultancy paints a rosy picture about the future of SEO. The study takes into the account the mindset of business houses located in the UK. According to the study, 'Continued pay-per-click growth and keyword inflation have boosted companies' spending on SEM, with an emerging trend towards the long-term benefits of organic optimization as Adwords/Overture costs soar'.

All the above reports point to the fact that the spending on SEO and online marketing is growing. The reports also indirectly underline the fact that the demand for SEO professionals is all set to increase in the near future.

Look at any leading job site. You will notice that there are many openings for SEO. For instance, Yahoo Hotjobs had approximately 214 openings for the month of May 2007 in US alone. Moreover, the jobs available require people with a varying level of experience. So, whether you are a fresher or possess some experience, you are sure of landing a job provided you are equipped with employer-desired skill set and qualifications. Likewise, the pay packet is also good. A fresher can expect to earn between $ 25K-$ 35K which only increases with experience. In fact, according to MSN careers, 'because of a shortage of experts in this relatively new area, many top SEOs receive multiple job offers.'

The fact that the rules of SEO remain same and are immune to geographical locations only increases your chances of getting a job. For instance, if you have received your training from an institute located in India and have worked in a company located in UK, you are still eligible to apply for a job in US.

SEO industry has many interesting careers up for grabs. Equipped with a right kind of certifications and good knowledge about search engines, you can expect to land a challenging and a well-rewarding career.

About The Author:

Amit I Budhrani is the founder of Alza Management Institute and has several years of experience in Project Management and online marketing. AMI offers highly specialized courses in SEO. The 'AMI Certified SEO Analyst' certification is awarded to successful incumbents. W: http://www.alzains.com

How To Make Money Through Your Ecommerce Website

By Wisam Abdulaziz

If you are in the process of setting up an eCommerce website, or of you are interested in increasing the revenue and profits from your eCommerce website, there are some suggestions that you need to keep in mind. There are some helpful tips that will show you how to make money through your eCommerce website both in the short and the long term. This article is designed to provide you with an important overview of tips and pointers that will show you how to make money through your eCommerce website.

Of course, at the heart of understanding how to make money through your eCommerce website is the need for traffic. You absolutely must have high traffic to your eCommerce website if you expect to generate revenue and profit from that venue.

Competition on the Net today is fierce. Therefore, when it comes to learning how to make money through your eCommerce website you need to employ all of the various effective techniques that have been demonstrated successful at increasing traffic to eCommerce website venues. Chief amongst these techniques and practices is search engine optimization or SEO.

In order to master the ability to understand how to make money through your eCommerce website you will want to make sure that the design and development of your eCommerce website results in a venue that is attractive. Consumers from all walks of life naturally are drawn to stores in the brick and mortar world that are nicely decorated and appointed. Similarly, consumers in cyberspace are drawn to those websites that are professional in their appearance, that are - in a couple of words - "nice looking."

Another simple and yet vitally important factor that you need to keep in mind when it comes to how to make money through your eCommerce website is ensure that your eCommerce website completely is user friendly. While it is all well and good to draw traffic to your website, if a potential customer or client finds your website difficult to use, other websites are only a mouse click away.

Yet another factor that you must keep at the top of the list when it comes to how to make money through your eCommerce website is to provide excellent customer service. More business is lost due to less than adequate customer service (as well as technical support as applicable) than anything else when it comes to eCommerce website operations.

About The Author:

http://www.searchfreearticles.com/ and http://www.searchengineoptimizationtoronto.com/

Your Ecommerce Website - How To Gain The Trust Of Prospective Customers

By Wisam Abdulaziz

If you've an eCommerce website you understand perfectly the need to generate a reliable stream of traffic to your venue. Reliable and steady traffic means reliable and steady profits. Of course, there are many factors that come into play when you are dealing with developing and then maintaining a strong traffic flow to your website. Chief amongst these considerations is gaining the trust of prospective customers or clients when it comes to your eCommerce website. Through this article, you will be provided with an overview of tactics and strategies that you can employ when it comes to gaining the trust of prospective customers or clients for your eCommerce website.

Develop and Design an Appealing Site

One of the most important steps that you will need to take in order to gain the trust of prospective customers or clients is to ensure that your eCommerce website is attractive. Consumers naturally are more inclined to put their trust in an eCommerce website that is professional in its appearance. Business is lost each and every day in cyberspace due to the unprofessional appearance of some eCommerce website venues.

Testimonials can be Useful and Helpful

Another method that you can employ to instill confidence and to gain the trust of prospective customers or clients is the inclusion of testimonials from satisfied customers or clients at your eCommerce website. History oftentimes is the best indication of future performance. Therefore, by including testimonials from satisfied customers or clients at your eCommerce website, you will be taking an important and meaningful step in gaining the confidence of prospective customers or clients.

List Affiliations at Your Website

If you are part of any association or organization, you should include those affiliations at your website. For example, if your business is part of a Chamber of Commerce or some sort of recognized Internet organization or association, you would be well served by listing this information at your eCommerce website.

"Contact Us" - Make Sure They Really Can .

Everywhere eCommerce website has a "contact us" section or link at the site. However, it is surprising how often these "contact us" devices, links or pages do not function correctly. You need to make certain that any mechanism that you are using to allow for contact between a prospective customer or client and your eCommerce website actually works. You need to make sure that the "contact us" mechanism is user friendly - that a consumer does not have to jump through a bunch of hoops to connect with you. Finally, you need to make certain that when a prospective customer or client makes contact with you that you respond in a timely manner. This will help to foster a sense of trust between a prospective customer or client and your eCommerce website.

About The Author:

http://www.dirinc.net/ and "http://www.torontourl.com/

Comparing Shopping Cart Software

By Wisam Abdulaziz

If you are in the process of starting a new online retail business one of the more important decisions that you will make pertains to the type of shopping cart program that you end up purchasing. Absent a "good" shopping cart program, your online retail business will not function up to par and will not be as profitable as it might otherwise have the potential to be in the presence of a more effective shopping cart software application. Through this informative article, you will be provided with the tips and pointers that you will need in order to select and implement the shopping cart software program that will best and most appropriately meet the ongoing needs of your important online retail business enterprise.

As an initial step when it comes to comparing shopping cart software, there are some independent websites in operation today that provide in depth evaluations of different types of shopping cart software programs that are available and on the market today. By taking the time to review and consider the information and analysis that is available at these websites, you will be able to garner useful and necessary information that will aid you in determining which shopping cart software program will best meet your needs. Truly, these independent evaluations will be invaluable as you weigh and balance the pros and cons of different shopping cart software programs that are available on the market today.

Don't rule out word of mouth. In this high tech age, many an Internet business owner overlooks the obvious. Take the time to discuss shopping cart software with the owners and operators of similarly situated Net based business enterprises. There is no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to selecting a shopping cart software application for your Internet business. If a particular kind of shopping cart software program has proven effective for a Net based business that is similar to your own the odds are great that the program will work well in your own set of circumstances.

When comparing shopping cart software it can be easy to "overkill" - to purchase a more expensive product than you really need. What you really need to focus on is finding a shopping cart software program that will grow with your business. In other words, you can make a more modest invest in the shopping cart software program today and then upgrade the program as your changing business needs demand into the future.

About The Author:

http://www.do-dir.com/ and http://www.torontowordcloud.com/

Your Goals In Web Design - Is The Key Looks Or Usability... Or Both?

By Wisam Abdulaziz

If you are in the process of drawing up plans for the design and development of your business website, or even for a personal website, you may be wondering whether or not the goal in regard to website design and development should be looks or usability. In many ways, this has been the great debate when it has come to website design and development: Looks versus design.

In reality, when it comes to the great debate of looks and usability when it comes to website design and development, both elements are of vital importance. If you want to create, design and development the most ideal website venue, you will want to keep both looks and usability in mind. Your final goal when it comes to website design and development has got to be both the looks of the website and the usability of the website.

Through the years, many people have tried to make the argument that you cannot judge a book by its cover. In so many ways, this is the babbling of a person who is the author of a book with a poorly designed cover. In fact, the cover of a book is very important - and reputable publisher would tell you that this is the case. The same holds true for the look of a website. A person surfing the Net naturally will stop and pay closer attention to a website that looks nice, that is attractive and designed in a pleasing manner. Therefore, when it comes to your own website design and development goals and plans, you must keep the element of the looks of the website in mind.

Once you've got the attention of a prospective customer or client by designing and developing a nice looking website, you've got to keep them at the site. If you create a website that is difficult to utilize - that is not user friendly - the potential customer or client will bounce off somewhere else in no time at all. You will lose a client or customer because you website is not usable. Therefore, it is imperative that when it comes to your website design and development that you make very, very certain that the final product is completely user friendly.

By following the suggestions outlined for you in this article you will be well on your way to designing and developing a website that is not only attractive but also user friendly. You will end up creating a website for your Internet business that ends up generating revenue and profits for you.

About The Author:

http://www.my-dir.net/ and http://www.buydir.net/

Choosing The Right Affiliate Program

By Brad Wallace

There are many Affiliate Programs being promoted on the Internet today. These Programs make it easy for anyone to start a Home-based Business Online. The Organizations that create these Programs generally set themselves up with Affiliate Marketers to sell their products; whether they are physical or eproducts and services. One task that You should do as an Affiliate Marketer before choosing to join any Organization is to evaluate their claims concerning their Affiliate Program since so many of them are not to be trusted as legitimate income earning sources for their Affiliates.

In order to evaluate Affiliate Programs, they must be researched using Search Engines and other tools available on the Internet; this may take a little bit of time and effort, but You'll benefit in the end. First, make sure that the Organization that You choose to be an Affiliate of has a Great Product lLine, a Product or Service that is sellable and has a good track record. Then You want to consider the Affiliate Programs' Support System; for Programs that have been in the business long enough should have the knowledge of promoting their Program. The third point You should investigate in researching Affiliate Programs is the Affiliate Structure;
whether it be single tier, two tier or multi-level deep, since this factor has a huge influence on the amount of income You, as an Affiliate, will be capable of generating through Your chosen Affiliate Program.

Affiliate Programs are created by Organizations to cut down on advertising costs and distribution expenses. Therefor, as an Affiliate marketer, You should have little to no problem Products or Services that are easy to sell. In researching some Organizations, You'll find that they use recruiting Affiliates as their main business. Be careful and avoid this type of Organization since they arre known to fall apart and disband at the drop of a hat. The better and more sellable an Organizations Products and Services are, the greater the possibility of more income to be generated and passed on to Affiliates through upgrades, bonuses and other Marketing incentives.

.....And now that we're on the subject of marketing Incentives, consider the Support System that the Affiliate Program that You're researching offers. The majority of Prospects joining an Affiliate program are new to the business, so a great deal of guidance is needed in the form of training, tutorials, books, marketing plans, marketing tools, forums and other such methods of support. Organizations have the desire to earn large amounts of money for themselves, therefore they know that this type of guidance and support is essential for promoting their business and it is in their best interest for their Affiliates to succeed. The longer an Organization has been in business, the more knowledge they can pass on in terms of their marketing methods. They will use the methods that work best to promote their Products or Services and should be easily accessible through their website. Personal Guidance is also of vital importance to familiarize newer Affiliates with the resources available through a mentoring program; someone to keep in touch with if any problems should arise. one point that all Affiliates should remember is that their success is the success of their Program, the Organization should be more than willing to help.

The most important factor in researching Affiliate Programs is their Affiliate Structure. The simplest of structures is single tier, where You only get paid a one time commission for the sale of a product or Service. This type of Structure should be overlooked as it will take too much time and effort to make an income with organizations that use this type of Structure. The two tier and multi-level deep Structures are much more lucrative in terms of monetary benefits. Implementing these types of Structures allows Affiliates to get paid for the efforts of their personally sponsored members; therefore, enticing members to help each other learn to earn for themselves. The best feature of this kind of multi-level marketing is that it leads to a leveraged income for Affiliates capable of creating a substantial downline and also promotes teamwork.

An Affiliate Program that offers a multi-level deep Structure also leads to a better than average Compensation Plan, since the best Plans are those which offer Affiliates to earn through the efforts of their downline and also from a common pool; which produces the possibility of bonuses. Commissions are also built on residual earnings that can create a sizeable income over a period of time. These forms of commission generating income, leveraged and residual, are extremely important issues to consider when joining an Affiliate Program. And if there is a possibility of receiving a passive income, it's a big plus and You should join that Program since a passive income involves no selling or sponsoring, Just Your Investment.

Whatever Affiliate program You decide to join, keep in mind, There Is No Such Thing As A "Get Rich Quick" Program that is going to make You money overnight. These programs have to be researched using Search Engines and also by verifying their testimonials, it is best when your research finds a Program with a proven track record and has been operating successfully for several years, If You're planning to join a New Program, make sure whoever is starting it is well known and credible in the Internet Marketing Community. Keep in mind that Affiliate Programs must offer Products or Services that You'll enjoy selling and are highly marketable as this will make it easier to succeed in Your Home-based Business. Make sure that the Organization that You choose offers plenty of support through their website in terms of training, resources, marketing tools, methods and books. They should also be capable of offering guidance in the form of mentors and upline support. last of all, be comfortable with the Compensation Plan of the Affiliates Program You choose to join. The best plans include leveraged and residual income sources; this is where You'll have the best possibility of making a good substantial income. Your success in whatever program you decide to join only hinges on Your ability to be persistent and consistent It takes time to build a home-based Business with any Affiliate Program -- It doesn''t matter how good it appears to be-- Remember: Rome Wasn't Built In A Day.

About The Author:

Article by Brad Wallace. For More Information On Successful Affiliate Programs Go To http://www.CisForCash.biz Or http://CisForCash.biz/pips.html

How To Become A Web Expert Without Spending A Dime

By Jason OConnor

If I could show you how to become a Web design, development or marketing expert without spending a dime, would you want to learn?

Imagine you're a master at making money online, that you're passionate, and excited during almost every hour you spend working. Visualize people coming to YOU for answers to their most important Web-related questions. Envision emails and phone calls flooding in every day with eager, prospective customers. Read on to learn the secret to achieving all of this.

First, discernment and discretion are vital. There are many programs online, many e-books, many self-proclaimed Web gurus and so much information today that it's overwhelming and could send you to the poor-house faster than the speed of digital communication.

Where should I go to learn Web marketing? How should I spend my time? Who should teach me? What websites offer the best information? How do I make money using the Internet? What are the most important things I should learn? Should I learn Java or PHP? What are the fundamentals? How do I write effective copy online? How long will it take me before I can start my own business? The answer to all these questions can is . . .

Before I explain, let me tell you a brief story of my inchoate professional life. I barely knew what a computer while in college. It was only after living on both coasts playing live music did I conclude that a career in computers may make me a few more dollars than a career in music. It was then I decided I wanted to become a Web expert.

I had first considered attending a high-priced computer school that a programmer friend had recommended. But I had no money, and the school required all its students to attend full-time. I needed to eat and provide a roof over my head, and for that I needed to work full-time, so this expensive computer school was out of the question for me.

Although my options were limited, but I diligently looked in the Want Ads till I found a job that I could possibly do that was related to computers. The job title was "Internet Exploration Specialist". I know that sounds slightly strange, but if you had met my chair-throwing, screaming and eccentric boss-to-be, it would make a little more sense.

I got the job and outlasted the most optimistic office pool prediction for how long I would remain working for the perpetually livid CEO. Looking back, it was probably one the best things I could have ever done (minus the maniacal boss, that is). I learned how to surf the Web. I became an expert Internet peruser, a digital explorer, a website connoisseur, and a professional information superhighway surveyor.

At around the same time I learned one of the secrets to becoming an expert at something. You have to put the time in. People who remain working in careers that they hate don't put in the extra time to develop a career in something they love. Pure and simple. So while I had down time at work, I read books and found websites that taught me how to do things Web-related tasks. More importantly, I spent time after work and on the weekends reading, practicing and developing my Web skills.

Back when I began developing my Web career, the Internet wasn't as big as it is today. There weren't as many options for learning Web-related skills. Since I had no money, I simply searched for free online tutorials, primers and how-to's. They became my staple for learning. Since I had seriously developed my Web surfing skills, I inevitably found many highly educational websites. And there weren't as many scams back then either, there weren't as many "gurus". Web marketing or e-marketing hadn't even become terms yet, so I had a lot of success getting reliable information.

Today it's different. This is both good news and bad news. I'll start with the bad news.

You can't throw a rock into the Internet ocean now and NOT hit a get-rich-quick plan, a Web marketing curriculum, or an e-marketing "expert". You've got StomperNet, Portal Feeder, Pipeline Profits, The Rich Jerk, Strategic Profits and Traffic Secrets to name only a few. There's too much to choose from and they all come for a steep price. Now many of these programs may teach you a lot, but it will cost you. I'm here to say that you don't need to spend any money. You're reading this for free, aren't you?

But here's the good news.

Because of the way Google ranks websites now, because the very nature of the Internet as man's most prolific and complete resource on everything, and because of human nature being curious and information-driven, the Web has massive amounts of extremely useful, high-quality, free information. People are falling all over each other trying to produce and publish high-quality Web content all at no cost to you.

Again, Google is one reason. One main way Google ranks a website is by how many authoritative sites link to that website. The best way to get new links pointing to your site is by creating useful content that can be accessed by anyone. If the content is fresh, original and high-quality, people will link to it.

And here's more good news. Of all the subjects there are in the world, and therefore all of the subjects discussed online, the Web is the most popular.

Of course this has to be true. Think about it. Who's doing all the posting? Webmasters. And what do webmasters know best? The Web. So you're going to find a huge amount of tutorials, primers, articles, forum posts, blogs and websites that offer tons of useful information on how to become good at all kinds of Web-related things, and all at no charge.

Here are a few tips for effectively searching online.

* Open up two or three browser windows at a time. One should have Google, the next Yahoo or MSN Search and the third should be your working browser. Use all three browsers when searching by toggling to each of them. Toggling is achieved by pressing ALT+TAB. By using different search engines, you'll get a wide range of different results.

* Use quotes around your phrases to find exact phrases. This will give you results that have the words in your phrase only in that order.

* Use long tail search phrases when using a search engine. Long tail means many words. The more specific your search phrase is, the more relevant results you'll get. For example, searching in Google for "free tutorials for beginner web marketers and expert career advice" instead of "web marketing tutorials" will yield more relevant results for you.

* Use the minus sign to weed out superfluous results. For example, if you're looking for event tickets and you type in "Boston tickets", you'll end up with lots of airline related results. Instead use "Boston event tickets" -airline -flights.

* Get creative in contructing your search phrases. Combine multiple concepts.

* Don't just use search engines. Join forums like WebmasterWorld, DigitalPoint, SitePoint, HighRankings and SEOChat, visit blogs, and read how-to's and tutorials found in article directories. Regularly visit authority webmaster sites like DevGuru, Developer.com, TheNetGazette.net, HTMLprimer.com and WebKnowHow.net.

* Go to and participate in Web 2.0 sites such as PlugIM, FreeIQ, Digg, Technorati, Simpy, Del.iciou.us, MarkTD, BibSonomy and Squidoo.

* Become good friends with your Favorites or Bookmarks feature in your browser. Set it up so you develop a well-organized, useful list of websites, Internet destinations and Web pages and posts that you can constantly refer back to.

Becoming an expert Web marketer or Web programmer can be done by putting aside time every day to learn your craft and by becoming good at finding the right information online that doesn't cost anything. The more you search for useful information, the better you'll become at it, and it will soon take you less and less time to find what you want.

Therefore, the answer to all the questions above is: you'll need patience, discipline, time management skills, and Internet searching skills. The searching skills come to you by simply practicing, by putting the time in online. Everything you need to know to become a Web expert without spending a dime is literally a few clicks away online and most of it is free. Get to work.

About the Author:

The content of this article is solely the property and opinion of its author, Jason OConnor
http://www.thenetgazette.net/

Increasing Your Targeted Traffic

By Casey Moher

There are dozens of good ways to send people to your website. These methods come with a wide variety of results and difficulty. Attempting various methods and studying the results has been a focus of mine. I'll review one of my favorites for you.

Offer something FREE to your visitors.

There is a high perceived value on the part of your visitor if you can provide them with useful information. By capturing and sharing this free information, you can make somebody's life better and easier in many regards.

It's simply human-nature that you must constantly work to over-come a basic mis-trust on the part of your visitor. This level of mis-trust MUST be overcome before you can succeed in your efforts.

Your focus should be to find and share valuable information. Finding (and sharing) information on-line is the quickest and most effective. It doesn't take much search time before you will be discovering subjects and information that folks want to know. This shows you the topics that are being inquired upon and which you will want to include in the information you give away.

One strategy you can employ is to share the information in the form of a multi-day mini-course that people can receive from you. Make the information package you send be of top-quality for maximum results. A little more time and attention at this point will have tremendous benefit in the value of your subscriber list. It costs much less than you might think to do this.

You will be offering to share this information in exchange for your visitor's name and e-mail address. A 'squeeze page' is the best tool to use for capturing this information. A squeeze-page is simply a basic website that presents your message offering the information.

Some very professional design work is available at affordable prices these days. Your own squeeze page can be up and capturing names for you in a very quick time.

If you would like to have your own squeeze page up and running, let me know. This is a great starting point in establishing your own highly-profitable list.

With care, your subscriber list can be cultivated and a long-term relationship built with the members. You can build a very rewarding and long-lasting enterprise by steadily and thoughtfully putting these concepts to work.

Like any offline business, you are providing genuine value to your customers who have grown to trust your motives and your interest in helping them. You can be paid very well in the process.

The best strategy in any relationship-selling environment is one where you give before ever trying to take. As with other strategies, here, again you are providing something of value free to the reader. This time it is in a different format and is made available to the reader using different tools and strategies. Quality in what you provide and how you provide it is essential, easy and inexpensive.

A focus on providing information to the people you wish to reach should be foremost in your mind. They will be willing to buy something from you (now or in the future) only if they first perceive that you have something they need or want. The biggest obstacle you will always face with new readers is one of NO TRUST! Providing something free is a great way to start building it. Valuable information can be found readily on the internet. You also likely have more information and knowledge of your own than you realize. There are many sources of information where you can find topics of interest to huge numbers of people.

The article should inform, educate and even enthuse the reader, but should NOT sell something. Your articles are not the place to sell some product or service. It is their job to inform and establish your credibility and TRUST! Your key marketing tool with the article publishing strategy is found in using a resource box. This is simply an area at the end describing who you are and giving your website address where they can visit and benefit by what you offer there.

I've seen a tremendous piece of software in action that automates the process of article-writing. This tool merges blocks of words, uses a 30,000 word thesaurus and manges data bases, as well. There is some new software out there (along with people-run businesses) that helps with article production as well as distribution.

Article writing and publishing should be part of an on-going strategy. Computers and professional service companies make this vital function much easier. If you want more information on these useful tools (or anything else in this article), just contact me.

About the Author:

Casey Moher - Caseymoher@comcast.net (801) 941-3334

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

Working From Home And Upsetting The Dog!

By Barbara Cororan

When you change the habits of a life time you sometimes forget how it is going to affect others. I am so enjoying my journey into Internet Marketing I have been up half the night and concentrating on all the new ideas and forming a work plan.

You do need to be organized if you are going to do something by your self, with no Boss around forcing the issue. Well so I thought, but the boss has simply moved in, she had in fact always been there.

Her Name is Daisy and she is my ShiaTsu. The most adorable friend in the world but she does not like the competition from the computer. I am supposed to be talking to her. She trys to sit on my lap while I rush around with my mouse, but that apparently gets boring. She then gets down and pretends to give me some peace by going away and getting into her bed. Five minutes later she is there again omitting little winging noises which after a while become large barks. This is really not conducive to reading about how to set up software and various other topics.

Any way back to my Home Marketing Business. I am taking it one day at a time; my web site http://www.BarbaraCorcoran.biz is proceeding at the rate of knots.

My affiliates are joining at a very respectable rate. I have another cheque and will soon be covering my outgoings. Not bad I feel in the first month.

I found a problem, which I have now sorted out. Trying to remember the thread of the whole process and being able to see it in my mind was proving difficult to say the least. The "mind" was not used to so much excitement and it was tending to lag behind the enthusiasm. Sorted, I bought a white board and drew up a plan of action. It worked like a treat. It now means I can look at the total concept, decide what is working and prioritize.

Love that word prioritize.

Daisy is still barking and I am still working. Thank god for dog biscuits.

Copyright © Barbara Corcoran

About The Author:

To find the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home visit:
http://www.BarbaraCorcoran.biz

Tools And Resources For Home Businesses

By Jo Wright

If you are trying to start a home business you realize what a big job it can be. With all the failure in home business, it is critical to have a knowledge of the resources available to home businesses. Home businesses need to know where to find tools and resources that can help them be successful.

A resource that is used by many businesses is online forums. These forums can be excellent places to learn about the latest and greatest in tools and resources for home businesses. Business owners flock to these forums to learn form each other and to stay motivated. These can be a very valuable learning resource and an opportunity to network and make important business connections.

One more great resource for home businesses is online advertising. There are many ways to do this, but for the home business on a budget you can't beat free traffic exchanges. By spending some time surfing the internet you will earn credits to advertise your home business for free.

There are other opportunities available if you have some money to spend and the most effective of these is the pay-per-click. Pay-per-click ads will get you the most targeted traffic and thus bring the most sales, but they can be very expensive especially if you don't know what you are doing.

Another great opportunity for the home business on a budget is article marketing. You can write up an article related to your business, offer some advice or help and establish yourself as an expert in your field. Attach a link to your website in the article and submit it to the thousands of free article submission sites out there. This is a fabulous way to get traffic for free.

Home businesses need to stay abreast of the opportunities available to them. Following the crowd may not always be the best way to go. If you do some research and find the best tools and recourses for your business, then you will be sure to keep on top of the markets.

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Success in Home Business Opportunities

People everywhere are starting up home businesses and making a living from the comfort of their homes. It is a profitable business for some, and for others it turns out to b a big waste of time and loss of money. The statistics show that 95% of home businesses fail.

If those are the statistics, why do so many new home businesses start everyday? The fact is that too many people get caught up in the hype, and once they separate the hype from the reality they are disappointed and lack the motivation to continue. Some hope that if they just get the ball rolling it will take on a life of its own and they will no longer need to work.

The reality is that all successful home businesses have someone behind them who works. Who researches opportunities, who puts in hours advertising and marketing, who pays the bills and sells the product. They don't lie around the house all day watching TV and partying. They are highly motivated individuals.

The truth of the matter is that even though there is work involved, these successful people are so happy to be working for themselves; they don't think of it as work. They set their own hours. They are their own bosses, and because they love what they do; they are motivated to work even harder.

How can you become one of these successful individuals? It's simple, find an opportunity, and act. Don't get caught up in hype and disappointed with the opportunity when you don't see your first hundred the very next day. Give it time, work the opportunity. Be a motivated individual who goes out there and finds new ways to market your idea.

You too can be successful at home business, and never let anyone tell you otherwise. All it takes is motivation, and a little elbow grease, so go out there and find your opportunity. Don't waste another minute working for someone else, be your own boss today.

About The Author:

Jo Wright provides advice and information on establishing online home businesses. She recommends the folowing site: http://www.Plug-In-Home-Biz.com

PPC Advertising For Maximum Web Promotion

By Webhosting Reviews

Engaging in pay-per-click (PPC) advertising has its own benefits and drawbacks. But what exactly is PPC advertising and what it can do to your business?

Business nowadays is doing different kinds of austerity measures when it comes to advertising their products and services. This is because of high rates of placing ads on print and on television. But there is a fast growing approach that businessmen can utilize to bring their services closer to the people and that is through Internet Marketing.

One tool that is causing internet marketing popularity is PPC advertising. This is a technique used in search engine marketing that requires one to pay a fee every time someone clicks an ad on your website. Usually this placement is done through a bidding process. If you are a top bidder for your keywords/phrases, you are sure to be on the number one spot on all search engines. Just be sure of the effectiveness of your ad copy to get the most number of clicks you need for your business.

Here are the benefits of PPC advertising are:

1.You need not be a genius in computer and technology to be able to run this ad campaign.
2.Immediate results are seen after a few days.
3.No need to make a website conform to the SEO rules.
4.Nothing to lose even if you do not top the pages of different search engines. You can still always choose PPC advertising.
5.You can make use any search engine available.
6.You can type in any keyword you like.

Cons of PPC advertising includes:

1.Fixed payments every month to the search engine you choose.
2.Pay for each click received by your website. At times, visitors are just competitors or people playing pranks on search engines. This hassle wastes money you put in to this advertising.
3.Inability to pay for the fees next month would mean removal of your website on the paid listings.
4.This advertising can only be used temporarily because it is difficult to handle in the long run.
5.Pay-per-click pricing can be costly for long periods of time, therefore, this should be stopped after an ad campaign.

But how exactly PPC advertising can increase traffic, leads and sales?

PRE-QUALIFIED TRAFFIC. All visitors of your website are already considered as a qualified consumer or buyer of your product. PPC advertising leads your customers to you for a lesser cost.

INSTANT EXPOSURE, IMMEDIATE PROFITS. PPC search engines enable you to get your desired results fast. They will have your website live within just a few hours which means immediate increase in sale.

CONSISTENT TOP LISTINGS. This is to get your website on top of the sponsored search results for free. You just have to choose the keywords related to your site and business and place them within your web pages. After this, you are done.

PPC advertising enables advertisers to control their advertising campaigns. Advertisers have effectively targeted their audience and set their own price per click. PPC advertising networks provide the platform to identify the desired audience by geographic setting, topic and industry. These networks have a list of websites of the publishers where the ads will be placed.

Tools are provided by the networks to check how the pay per click limit is working for a certain advertiser. If its still competitive, would it be even listed among the paid search lists or does it generate sales? Of course, if the advertiser made the highest bid, the better chances the ad will be seen in the search engine. These networks too provide protection for the advertisers against click fraud. This advertising set-up allows advertisers to set a daily budget for his ads, thus, less spending for unnecessary clicks. Advertiser will never go over his budget.

In PPC advertising, what are important are the keywords and phrases. You have to select at least ten "very specific" keywords that would give you the best traffic in the search. Then, write the ad creatively but straightforward. Tell the truth about your product or service and do not lie. Good thing if your product or service will not disappoint those that are relying on your ad's promise - but what if it did otherwise? Important too is the clarity of the ad. Do not use very vague languages. Include important details like the price.

You should also remember to budget your bids. Do not go overbidding because you will only lose your money and do not go so low that your ads will never get the chance to show up. Check your profit against your spending. If you see no progress then most likely you have to drop your ad campaign.

More and more advertisers have been using PPC advertising and it will continue to grow faster than any online advertising techniques. From revenues of $2.6 billion in 2004 to $5.5 billion in 2009, cost per click will dramatically go up as well from $0.29 to $0.36.

PPC advertising is new in online marketing and it is going to continue in the years to come. For advertisers, this means increase revenues with fewer advertising expenses, savings, more sales, good return of investment (ROI) and effective ad campaigns in the days to come.

About The Author: http://www.webhostcool.com

How to Use and Write Press Releases as an Internet Marketing Strategy (Updated)

By Craig Lock

How to Use and Write Press Releases as an Internet Marketing Strategy

Thought I'd share a bit about using press releases as an internet marketing tool, based on our past experiences in this area of internet marketing...

We here at Eagle Productions (NZ) have done quite a bit of research on press release services recently and we have used them reasonably frequently to "spread the word" about our various sites and activities from here in far-off New Zealand to our biggest market (by far), Americans. From this we find doing press releases to be quite effective in our internet marketing strategy.

While it's hard to quantify the precise results of press releases, one thing just seems to lead to another (and usually leads to valuable "contacts and exposure" -"exciting, naughty and nice!")... and I do find submitting them to be a most effective form of advertising in the "on and off-line world". In getting your "brand known", which is the first step.

Together with submitting my articles to announcement lists, like Shelley Lowery's Article Announce, Free Content, Bill Platt's Free Ezine Content, Free Reprint Articles, ReadMyArticles, Netwrite-Publish-Announce, FreeWrites, Article Submission and Publisher Network. That is our MAIN internet marketing strategy.

A quick word of advice in writing press releases... It is vital that the press release about your business is newsworthy and try to capture attention with a good "catchy" headline. Make it "spicy and add 'zing' (like KFC) to make it sizzle!" Write simply and ask yourself this important question. What is the PURPOSE of your press release... and what specifically is the brief message you wish to get out about your service or product,

Also you can send your news release by "snail mail" or by e-mail. We do all our submissions to these services via e-mail.

Over the years we've had a number of releases about our activities here on the other side of the world published by PR Web, which is a free service ("cheapskate"!)... and traffic to our sites mentioned has already substantially increased. Their web address is: http://www.prweb.com.

PR Web recommends adding a link back to them to add credibility to your web site - good idea, I think! We've used them regularly over the years and they provide a great service. Incidentally, we have a recent press release up there at
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2003/7/prweb71552.php in case you want to have a look at our format)

The Prudential Press Agency, as well as the Comitatus Group also offer a FREE press release service. Their web addresses are: http://www.PrudentPressAgency.com and http://www.comitatusgroup.com

Other Press Release services we've used in the past are: Emailwire.com: http://www.emailwire.com/. They are mainly for corporate businesses, but check them out. Also Xpress, who distribute news releases by e-mail. (Their address is news@xpresspress.com).

You may also try eNewsRelease.com and FastPitch.

We have nil connection with these news distribution services, that we've used in the past; but have found most to be effective in increasing "hits" on our web sites through "more brand
recognition" after a news release.

Note: Things change fast on the www, so check that these free press release services are still operating.

Finally, check out "free press releases" on Google for others that may appeal to you.

You don't have to leave writing press releases to professionals who charge a fortune. You know more about your business than any other person, so there is no reason why you can't write your own press releases with a bit of effort and using your creative imagination. It's FUN.. Use press releases to get the word out about your web site, product or service. It does take quite a bit of time and effort, but DOES WORK in bringing in traffic, which is the first step to ONLINE SALES.

A last word on the subject of press releases... I don't think you need to be a writer to write good press releases. (In fact, it may work against us, as we writers do tend to "waffle on" a bit and sometimes I don't write in sufficient "business-speak".) My advice is just write in your own "natural" style - light, easy and relaxed, the way you talk. The one in which you feel MOST COMFORTABLE... as I've tried to do in this article.

Use the 'KISS' principle ( keep it simple, superman/woman"). Don't take life too seriously and have FUN exercising your creative juices in writing your own press releases.

Hope this may help you readers "out there" in cyberspace, as we at Eagle Productions and our associates learn something new about on and off-line promotion each day.

"Success is a PROCESS of sharing (knowledge, insights, wisdom and experiences) with others; it's a way of travelling and not simply a matter of arriving at a destination."

You CAN do it

Take pleasure in the journey.

About the Author:

Eagle Productions ("Incorrigible Encouragers/People-builders and Infopreneurs") Books by Craig Lock are available at: http://www.craiglockbooks.com and http://www2.webng.com/writernz/

All proceeds go to needy and underprivilileged children - MINE!

"Another good thing about being poor is that you won't have your children and grandchildren squabbling about your estate."

"Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you get rid of him every weekend."

Article Marketing

By Michael Molloy

One of the best ways to get free traffic is to concentrate on article marketing. For those of you who have never worked with article marketing before dont stress, its really not that difficult.

The beauty of article marketing is that it is free. A method to advertise your business for free, what could be better? Just write a short article, submit it for free and voila, free advertising.

The way it works is that you write up an article. In that article you write about your topic in an informative way that is not trying to sell something. Then at the bottom of the article you include a little author resource box that says something like this: Author John Doe writes on a variety of topics. To find out more about this topic John recommends you visit: [ ]and you include a link back to your website.

Then go online and search for free article directories. There are hundreds of article directories that you can sign up for and post your articles. Pick some of the most popular ones; those will have the most traffic.

You dont need to be a talented writer to write articles. The articles are short. 300- 400 words are fine and anyone can pound out a basic informative article of this length.

Start by researching your topic a bit. Take some notes. What are other people writing about? What do you already know? What do you want your article to say?

One easy way to write an article is to summarize an article you find online. DO NOT plagiarize, or copy it word for word. It is easy enough to read an article and then rewrite it using your own ideas and words. You will be caught if you are copying articles. Maybe not this time or the next but be sure you will be found out and you dont want to ruin your reputation on something like that.

Article marketing is one of the best ways to get traffic and links to your website. You can use this method alone to build a solid stream of traffic to your site.

About The Author:

Michael Molloy can show you how. To learn more visit: http://www.steps2victory.com Claim your free ebooks at: http://www.steps2victory.com/optin.html

Internet Authors aren't Newspaper Columnists

By Mike Scantlebury

The problem with the internet is that it changes so fast, and develops in so many different ways, that ordinary people have problems keeping up with it. Worse, they don't see new things as they are but instead, as reflections of things they are already familiar with. It's as though somebody caught sight of a zebra for the first time and said, 'Oh look, a horse with black and white stripes'. Well, yes, that's almost true, but a zebra isn't a horse. It's a unique species. And what is developing on the web isn't old ideas with new stripes, either. They are new species too.

I heard a man on Radio 4 this morning and he was complaining that bloggers aren't as good as old-fashioned newspaper columnists. His argument rested around the fact that they weren't being paid! The underlying assumption he had - that he was revealing - was that if people who wrote blogs were any good as writers, then they would be able to get jobs on newspapers. Since they aren't - employed on newspapers - they must be inferior writers and shouldn't be read!

To me, this is an example of mixing up genres and failing to see how the internet has changed things. Sure, some bloggers aren't good writers and some blogs are boring and even incoherent. But some bloggers, on the other hand, are excellent writers and would be welcome in the offices of any publication, (if they chose to try their hand at the world of journalism). Any regular internet reader knows this. I don't have to argue the case. It's only the regular newspaper readers, the people who drop in on the internet occassionally, dip in and out, cruise around and don't really get a feel for it, who might believe that the bad blogs they find are typical. They aren't.

There's also the assumption that if people aren't paid, it's because they're no good at what they do. It's not like that. Most people write blogs because they have something to say, not because they have adopted the professional position of 'journalist' or 'commentator' or 'columnist'. Only later, if they really are good at it, (and people notice and come to their site regularly), then they might decide to throw in a few Adsense ads or incorporate some other money-making venture at their address. But - the man on Radio 4 poured scorn on these attempts. He quoted the case of a blogger who, he asserted, was '50th in the world' in terms of popularity. The man had only made $3,500 last year from his blog, (stated our radio pundit), Somehow, to him, this proved the man wasn't a good writer. Nonsense. It 'proves' he isn't a well-paid newspaper columnist, drawing a fee to produce a regular weekly column, but it says nothing about the standard of writing - merely that the rewards for writing articles on the internet are on a different level from out there in the 'traditional' writing world.

The problem really, it seems to me, is that the new world of interent authoring has created new ways of 'being a writer'. Our commentator above probably longs for the days when he could attend polite dinner parties and people could discuss newspaper columns they'd read, from writers they admired. The great thing then, of course, was that if someone said, 'Did you see what so-and-so said in The Observer this week', then there was a good chance that everyone might have seen it. (But not everyone sees the same articles on the web, they're too widespread.) Even better, if you hadn't seen the article in question, you could still go home and dig out your copy, or borrow one from a friend, or even - heaven knows, new technology - go to the internet and download a copy from the newspaper's website. There would then be a feeling of shared culture, everyone reading the same things, giving their opionions on the same pieces they had read. It was comfortable.

But, just as changes in TV broadcasting have produced hundreds of channels and a huge divergence in viewing patterns, so the web has given great new opportunities for more writers to get online, more views to be expressed, and more debate to happen. It's just different. It needs new skills. For instance, you are in the process of reading this article in front of you. It might have cropped up on any number of web sites. You might have found it anywhere. But, if you want to find what else I've written, it's simple: you put the name 'Mike Scantlebury' into a search engine and track down other articles by me. You might then decide to print them out and save them in a folder.

People used to do that. The only difference then was that their 'favourite' columnist would have been found in the same place, at the same time. Say, a column in their favourite Sunday newspaper. Now, it's different. Now you may have to hunt around to find other stuff by the same author. But if you liked what the person said, you could still decide to save the clippings. Hey, what have you got? A folder full of bits of paper, (just like the example above). That hasn't changed.

What has changed is that there are more opinions getting an airing, more voices being heard. That's threatening for people who want to feel comfortable with a 'spokesperson' they feel comfortable with. The plethora of opportunities to be seen is confusing for anyone who likes to have a habit. So, if you are used to buying your regular Sunday newspaper because you like its style, its stance, its take on the news, how upsetting would it be to go in the shop one day and find that there were suddenly a thousand papers on sale, instead of the choice of six or eight that you were used to seeing? It would be very disturbing.

The answer, to our friend on the radio, is that he has decided to close his eyes to this new choice, and try to limit it somehow. Mainly by deriding the new writers, and attacking the range of choice offered by the internet. No need. That will happen anyway. Why do you think his example was the '50th most popular' blog on the web? Because people don't read everything that's out there, regularly. People make choices, anyway. Readers liked what the '50th' person had to say and kept coming back. That made the blog popular. Even better, suppose the writer then becomes famous, who knows, some newspaper might come along one day and offer them a position (or even, perhaps, syndicate their output in the paper). That would be great for our man on the radio. He would then be able to read the newspaper and discuss the articles inside with his friends at dinner parties, just as he has always done. In fact, he would be looking at an animal with black and white stripes, but no worries. He could still pretend it was a horse.

About the Author:

Mike Scantlebury is an Internet Author, selling his varied books at Lulu and making downloads available at his home site. He has also founded a Discussion Forum about the future inevitable triumph of internet publishing at http://www.publishingisdead.com where all contributions to the debate will be warmly welcomed.

Finding Your Best Home Based Business Opportunity

By Tobias Smith

When it comes right down to it, going to work is something that a lot of people don't like to do. They have to put their children in child care, and they have to struggle to make ends meet by working each day at a job that they just don't like. It is often very hard for people to come to terms with the fact that a job doesn't have to be something that they hate, it can instead be something that they love, and it can be done in such a way that they are very happy while they are doing it.

These are all things that come to someone gradually as they figure out what they want to do in life. For most, it is easy to find their best home based business opportunity because it simply comes to them and it works. However, if you are struggling to find your best home based business opportunity, there are several things that you should keep in mind.

First of all, you should remember that you are going to be doing something for the rest of your life, so it had better be something that you can see yourself doing down the line. If you are going to invest time and money into a business, even and online one, you need to be sure that you can handle doing this for a long time. So, you need to pick something that excites you and something that makes you feel as though you can really enjoy it, forever.

Also, you have to be sure that this is something that you want to pass onto your children. Your best home based business opportunity is going to be one that you might want your kids to do down the line, just like a regular business. Many people like to pass their businesses on to their children, so it should be something that you can see yourself doing in many years and something that you can see yourself giving to your children.

Also, you want to be sure that your best home based business opportunity is something that relates to what you are doing now, or what you want to do with your life. This is because you have probably spent years doing something that appeals to you, even if you don't like where you work or having to go to work. That means that whatever you are dong now might be able to be transferred to a home business, especially if it is something that you went to school for.

Another thing that you should keep in mind is that you are going to want to take charge of who you are and make decisions based on what you want to do with your life, so be sure that the best home business opportunity you can find is one that allows you to make your own choices and judgments and one that is going to give you every chance to take advantage of the things that you need to take advantage of in order to be a success in your business.

About The Author:

Tobias Smith writes on a variety of topics related to home business and working at home. Learn how to start your own home business online earning multiple streams of income at http://InternetHomeBusinessNow.com

Simple RSS Tricks

By John Jantsch

By now you've heard of the whole RSS thing and maybe you've even started using it in various ways to subscribe to blogs or offer your blog's content to others. Today I would like to take you on a little ride to show you how, without really knowing much of anything about RSS and how it works, you can do some very powerful and useful things to add, filter and republish content.

Tracking mentions of a certain product

Search technorati.com and other blog search engines for mentions

Tag each mention with del.icio.us book mark using a tag like DTMbook

Grab the feed that del.icio.us automatically produces.

Just for fun, take feed to Feedburner and burn the feed

Set-up and republish the feed using Feedburner's Buzz Boost Option

Take code to any web and display dynamic real-time update (some CSS styling can help here)

Sit back and look cool - see the feed displayed in the right sidebar here

You can also do this via email alerts by setting Google or Yahoo News alerts for specific search terms.

If you've ever wanted to easily publish a schedule of upcoming event, deadlines or even birthdays as a dynamic list rather than a calendar style page here's an RSS trick for you to use.(This can be done on a public or private page)

Create a free Google Calendar account and slug in all the dates on the calendar (Any shareable calendar will do)

Google automatically creates an RSS feed for your calendar - take this URL and create free Feedburner account

Optimize the feed using the Event Feed option from Feedburner

Publish the feed using Feedburner's BuzzBoost option - lots of options for display

Paste the code Feedburner produces for you on the page you would like your list to show

Using this formula produces a dynamically changing list of events that will run from first up to last, automatically drop events that have passed, and automatically bring in future events per your settings. Now, anyone with access to a web browser and your Google Calendar account can update and edit your events list.

I use this for my upcoming speaking events. Bonus - you can easily set this up so others can subscribe to this events list too.

Delivering Personalized Information via RSS

Just when you thought you were getting the hang of using RSS as a research tool, someone comes along and tells you that it's not enough.

Now it's become ultra easy to use RSS technology to create individual feeds of information and supply them to your best clients. You know they want to figure this RSS thing out but just can't seem to get around to it. So, do it for them.

Here's what I would suggest. Go to www.mysyndicaat.com and create personalized, search specific, RSS feeds, mash them together and deliver customized information to your clients on a daily basis. The current trendy name for this is a newsradar

Syndicaat allows you to easily mash multiple feeds together creating one very focused and personalized feed. (Yahoo Pipes does this as well, but my results with it have been spotty)

So, let's say you have a client that produces tents for active outdoor types. You can search very specific terms and phrases in Google News, Yahoo News, Bloglines, Technorati, Google Blogs, Outdoor Forums, and anything else that produces an RSS feed and mash all the content about your client, their competitors, the industry, specific keywords and phrases, you name in, into one digestible, personalized newsfeed that changes daily. (Don't tell your client how easy this is, just do it and bill them for it - they'll thank you.)

Talk about a great way to get a competitive edge. It's like creating personalized publications for each client or each marketing segment you serve. What if you did this for your prospects as a way to show them what you could do? You can make all this content public or create private password protected feeds. You can also republish the RSS feed and data on any web page on your site using simple javascript or even Feedburner's Buzz Boost and then put it in your client's private page on your website. So now they come to your website for their industry news everyday - you got to like the sound of that.

About the Author:

John Jantsch is a veteran marketing coach, award winning blogger and author of Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide. You can find more information by visiting http://www.ducttapemarketing.com .

Don't Be Squeamish About Making Money From Your Opt-In List

By Denise Hall

Many Internet marketers don't understand why they must build an opt-in list. Others don't feel they should send follow-up emails to their list, just a one-time mailing when new members request information or a weekly newsletter, but no sales info.

The funny thing is, offline businesses use the same marketing concepts all the time and no one thinks twice about it.

Maybe an example of offline list-building and follow-up will help put the concept of making money from your opt-in list into perspective...

I sold Avon products 20+ years ago. As an Avon representative I had to find my own customers by talking to friends and relatives and going door to door. After all, how could anyone order from me if they didn't know I sold it?

By contacting people on the phone or knocking on their door, I was building a list of prospects, people who might be interested in buying at some point. This equates to building an opt-in list online.

Every two weeks I would give these prospects Avon's current sale catalog with my name and phone number on the back. A few would call me and place an order. But I discovered that if I called the others to remind them the sale was ending in a couple of days, my sales tripled!

This process of giving prospects new catalogs and checking back to get their order, equates to follow up emails in online terms. The money really is in the list, both online and offline - it's easier to sell to existing customers and prospects than to go out and find new ones.

Do you see what happened with follow-up? My sales TRIPLED! If I hadn't made some phone calls (online = emails) to follow up with potential customers my income would have been only 1/3 of what it was. I would have had to do 3 times the work to make the same amount of money.

I was reluctant at first to follow-up with my Avon prospects, afraid they would feel I was like the pushy car salesmen we all hate. But I learned that with a little nudge (follow-up) my sales tripled. And without it, I was leaving money on the table.

The same marketing principal applies to online marketing... list-building and follow-up are the key to generating a good income rather than just putting a few extra bucks in your pocket.

About the Author:

Denise Hall is owner of several websites and enjoys helping others learn to become successful online, too. Get this simple, yet powerful, 6-step system that shows you how to grow your list, provide your readers with the content they crave and start making more money than you ever imagined from your list. Visit http://www.home-business-on-a-budget.com/6steps.htm

The Fine Art Of Ezine Advertising

By Jason Tarasi

One of the most powerful ways to generate instant traffic is through targeted newsletter advertising. However, there are risks involved with this strategy, and you could easily lose your shirt without following some basic ground rules first.

By advertising in other newsletters, you can reach an audience which is highly targeted and cost effective. You are essentially trading your money for access to a wealth of potential prospects.

You must be careful to match the newsletter content to the product you're selling. Don't try to sell an ebook about improving your golf swing to a list of garden enthusiasts!

Almost all newsletters are archived and thousands of people read these archives. This is important because your ad will be seen by these people at no extra cost. This can bring in exposure and extra sales on a long term basis.

The archives will also allow you to see how many repeat advertisers use each particular newsletter. If you see the same ads being run over and over, it is most likely that these advertisers are making money off of their ads. If you see very few repeat ads, this may be a newsletter you want to avoid.

Once you have determined several potential newsletters you wish to advertise in, it is time to contact the editor about placing your ad.

To get the lowest possible price, ask the editor if there is any unsold ad inventory, and how much it would cost to buy out several slots at a discounted rate. Many editors also offer major discounts if you are willing to run multiple ads. Never accept the first rate they offer you.

Remember to pick your partners carefully. There's no point just picking a newsletter with the cheapest rates; you want to make sure you choose an outlet that appeals to the same buyers as you. You also need to think about where your ad is going to be placed. In general, the higher the position the better.

Don't expect a huge response from a single ad. It's always best to think of advertising in terms of a campaign. You'll get a better deal-and better results-if you reserve an advertising slot for four or five issues than if you buy them one at a time.

About The Author:

Looking for quality resale rights products? Michael Rasmussen and Jason Tarasi own and operate one of the Net's premiere resell rights memberships. To grab your free resell rights package, visit this site now -http://www.resellrightsblowout.com

How to Make Money with Your Blog - Where to Start

By Carol Stack

How do you make money with a blog? There are several ways, including Adsense, affiliate programs, and selling space on your blog.

Adsense

For the blogger who doesn't have their own product, it's still possible to earn money from their blog thanks to Google Adsense. Google Adsense is free to join and easy to set up.

As you write the content for your blog, keep in mind that the ads shown are dependant upon the surrounding content on your web pages. Also, experiment with the placement of the ads to discover where the ads sit that get the most clicks.

Many believe that the best places for the ads are at the top left, at the bottom of the first post on the page and in the footer. Unless your blog is strictly an Adsense site, it's recommended not to make it look too cluttered with Adsense ads.

Unless you are in a niche that provides you with high costs per click, you can expect to make anywhere from ten cents a click to one dollar. There are niches that pay several dollars.

The more traffic your site gets, the more clicks, which will result in more income for you. There are sites that earn a few cents a day and there are sites that earn thousands a month. It all depends on the niche and the traffic.

Products

Another avenue for making money with your blog is to create and sell a product. Jeff Walker's Product Launch Formula walks you through each step involved for creating a product, preparing to sell it, and launching it to the public. Anyone who wants to sell their own products online would be wise to invest in Jeff's product.

Selling a product, whether it is an ebook you acquired with resell rights or a product you made yourself, is usually a better way of making significant income. Done correctly, including researching what the public wants, you can usually make a better income selling your own product than depending on Adsense. There are always the exceptions.

Affiliate

Another way to make money with your blog is to promote affiliate programs. When researching the topic for your blog investigate what affiliate programs are available.

Check out Commission Junction, Clickbank, and online stores that sell products your target audience is interested in. For instance, if you have a pet site then possible affiliate programs would include Petsmart and PetCo.

Referrals

Perhaps you are in a niche that would attract viewers who need a loan, a credit card, or debt relief. There are many companies that will pay you, the blog owner, a significant amount to refer people to their site to simply fill out a form. For each person you refer who fills out a form, you get paid as much as $45, or even more.

Text Ads

This new type of advertising is still growing and evolving and the majority of ads being served are not graphical but text-based in nature. As a publisher, you can earn cash by selling ads on your blog yourself, or you can use a third party ad service and run their ads on your site. Once you've setup an account and placed the ads on your site, just sit back and watch the cash come in.

How Long for any Income

It's not going to happen overnight, but it shouldn't be long, maybe two or three months, before your blog is bringing in an income that covers your blogging expenses. A little longer, and each blog should make enough to pay some of your living expenses.

Depending on how diligently you pursue blogging as an income source, you could be making a significant amount of money within a year or two, especially if you create your own product.

About the Author:

Grab lots of free reports and information at http://www.selfpublishinghelper.com on starting your own online publishing busines using blogs, video, audio and more . Carol Stack freely shares her knowledge and insights that she has gained over the years. Visit her site to discover how you too can make money at home.

Blog So People Will Read It!

By Liz Tomey Bing

You are excited! Your blog has been created and you have started to post. The only problem is, no one is reading it. How can you find an audience to actually read what you have written?Consider using the tips below to help increase your readership.

1. Be sure to use good quality content. What is written in your blog should be interesting enough to keep people's attention and should be timely. It is important to update your blog regularly. You can also use keywords in your content to help you blog to be picked up by search engines.

2. Become a part of communities that are relevant to blogging. Talk to other bloggers about what has worked for them, and do not be afraid to take their advice.

3. Take the time to publish an RSS/Atom/XML feed. You can do this very easily on a blog hosting site such as Blogger.

4. Take care in choosing the titles of your subjects and articles. Think about what potential readers will be searching for, and incorporate keywords into your titles. You can also subscribe to a search reporter such as Word Tracker. These groups publish the most popular searches each week and can help you decide what topics you would like to include in your blog.

5. Participate in other people's blogs. Comment on them and offer feedback. Most comment features offer you the opportunity to post a link back to your blog, and you may interest that blog's owner or a reader of that blog who may be interested in what you have to say.

6. Set up your email and forum signatures to include the address of your blog. This is easy advertising that you take the time to set up once. You never know when a potential reader may click on your link and become fascinated with what you have to say!

7. Research the internet and find blog directories. List your blog there to attract potential readers.

8. Write articles and submit them to online article directories. These can be easily found in a basic web search. Most directories allow you to place an author's byline at the end of the article. You can include a link to your blog in that byline.

9. Use an update service or ping service to let readers know your blog has been updated. This can serve as a gentle reminder readers that you are out there with something to say!

10. Create a blogroll or link list of blogs that you enjoy reading. As with commenting on other's blogs, this can introduce your blog to other bloggers as well. This opens the door for your blog being linked by another blogger and their readership being introduced to you as well. However, do not create a huge blogroll just for the sake of trying to get links on others' pages. This can be annoying for your readers.

The most important thing to remember is that a solid readership does not evolve overnight. It takes time to get to know people and their interests before your blog can become successful. Spend time reading other blogs, making comments, and getting to know those writers. Have fun with it, and allow your blog to grow naturally on its own.

Blogs can be wonderful marketing tools, and they can also be wonderful for social networking and creating friendships. With a little effort and some time, you can develop a readership full of loyal, interested friends.

About The Author:

Liz Tomey runs http://www.BigWebBlogs.com where you can submit your blog for incredible exposure at no cost! Check out our latest blogs on blog web hosting today!

How to Create Search Engine Friendly Title and META Tags (Part 2)

By Kalena Jordan

In Part 1 of this article, I defined Title Elements and META Tags and took you step-by-step through how to create an optimized Title Element. Now it's time to create your optimized META Description and META Keywords Tags.


Create Your META Description Tag

Now it's time to create your optimized META Description Tag.

Take your list of target keywords and phrases and open another text file. Again, you can use an existing sample META Description Tag as your template. Let's say our existing description is:

[META name="description" content="Miami Florists create beautiful floral bouquets, arrangements, tributes and displays for all occasions, including weddings, Valentines Day, parties and corporate events. Deliveries throughout Florida."]

You can make your META Description Tag as long as you like, but only a certain portion of it will get indexed and displayed by search engines. According to Danny Sullivan in his article How to Use HTML Meta Tags, 200 to 250 characters of the META Description gets indexed but less than that gets displayed, depending on the search engine. So you want to make sure all your important keywords are listed towards the start of the tag.

Now take your list of keywords for the home page in order of importance. For our fictional florist these were:

- florists Miami
- florists Florida
- wedding bouquets


Now you need to create a readable sentence or two describing your web site and incorporating these keywords so they make the best use of the keyword real estate available.

Because search engines often display the contents of the META Description Tag in the search results, it is very important that your sentences make grammatical sense and are enticing enough to encourage readers to click on your link. Let's start with:

If you're seeking a florist in Miami Florida, Funky Florists create unforgettable wedding bouquets, floral arrangements, tributes and displays for all occasions.

Ok, so that's around 150 characters long and gets our three important keyword phrases included. But it’s a bit bland. We need to add something to entice the searcher to click on it. How about:

Order online for a 10 percent discount!

So now we have the following completed META Description Tag:

[META name="description" content="If you're seeking a florist in Miami Florida, Funky Florists create unforgettable wedding bouquets, floral arrangements, tributes and displays for all occasions. Order online for a 10 percent discount!"]

Our new tag is optimized for our keyword phrases, it's around 200 characters in length, it describes our site accurately, it speaks to the reader and it (hopefully) entices them to click on the link and view the site.


Create Your META Keywords Tag

We're almost there. Now it's time to create your optimized META Keywords Tag. Let me stress here that this Tag is quite unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Not many of the search crawlers even support it any more. You can see which ones do on this page. If you have the time and you really want to create META Keywords tags for your pages, then go ahead, but if not, then leave them out of your code altogether. This tag will have very little impact on your overall SEO campaign.

Assuming you do want to create a Keywords tag, take your list of target keywords and phrases and open another text file. Again, you can use an existing sample META Keywords Tag as your template. Let's say our existing Keywords Tag is:

[META name="keywords" content="flowers, roses, weddings bouquets, florists, floral arrangements, flower deliveries, Valentines Day gifts, Christmas decorations, Mother's Day, tributes, wreaths, clutches, sprays, in sympathy, funerals, corporate functions, parties, floral displays, Miami, Florida"]

You are just including a list of related keywords to include in this tag. Now take your list of keywords for the home page in order of importance. For our fictional florist these were:

- florists Miami
- florists Florida
- wedding bouquets

Because you have a lot more room in this tag, a good rule of thumb for creating a META Keywords Tag is to include the keywords and phrases your are targeting with your site content, as well as some terms that you don't necessarily want to use in your site copy but are still relevant to the site content. For example, the site copy, TITLE and META description tags would include the most important search keywords, but the META Keywords Tag could be used for keyword variations and combinations that don't appear in the visible site text, but that people may also search for. Examples include plurals, contractions, slang, variations, misspellings, cultural nuances and industry jargon.

For our fictional florist, these may include things like:

- wedding flowers
- roses
- wedding roses
- Valentine's Day roses
- sympathy gifts
- Mother's Day gifts
- funeral wreaths
- flower deliveries
- floral arrangements
- birthday gifts
- flowers
- flowers for wedding
- wedding decorations

So now we have the following draft META Keywords Tag:

[META name="keywords" content="florists Miami, florists Florida, wedding bouquets, wedding flowers, roses, wedding roses, Valentine's Day roses, sympathy gifts, Mother's Day gifts, funeral wreaths, flower deliveries, floral arrangements, birthday gifts, flowers, flowers for wedding, wedding decorations"]

However, when creating your Keywords Tag, you should not repeat any particular keywords within your META Keywords Tag more than five times and exclude commas so that all your keywords can be indexed in combination with each other.

So we need to fix the draft tag to remove the excess repetition of the words "flowers" and "weddings". This is easy to do because some of the keyword phrases already incorporate these single generic keywords.

For starters, we can lose the single "flowers" as it is already covered by some of the other phrases like "wedding flowers". Next, we can drop "roses" for the same reason. Then we can combine some keyword phrases together to save space, e.g. "flowers for wedding" and "wedding decorations" can be integrated to become "flowers for wedding decorations" so we can lose the extra instance of "wedding".

So now we have the following completed META Keywords Tag:

[META name="keywords" content="florists Miami florists Florida wedding bouquets wedding flowers wedding roses Valentine's Day roses sympathy gifts Mother's Day gifts funeral wreaths flower deliveries floral arrangements birthday gifts flowers for wedding decorations"]

Tailored TITLE and META Tags

While some webmasters remember to include a META Description and a META Keywords Tag in their home page HTML code, many forget to include them on every page of the site that they want indexed. Or worse, they duplicate the homepage TITLE and META Tags on all other pages. To give a web site the best ranking ability possible, it is highly recommended that each page of the site include a unique TITLE tag and unique META tags, individually tailored to the content of that specific page.

For example, our fictional Miami florist may have a page devoted to wedding bouquets and another devoted to funeral wreaths. The TITLE and META tags for the first page should include keywords relating to weddings and the page about wreaths should utilize keywords relating to funerals and sympathy.

The use of tailored TITLE and META Tags on each page creates multiple entry points to a web site and enables relevant content to be found in search engines no matter where it resides on a site. For example, instead of relying on visitors to arrive via the Home Page, the optimization of individual site pages makes each page more visible in the search engines, providing additional gateways to the site's content. The more pages optimized, the wider the range of keywords and phrases that can be targeted and the more entry points are created to a site.

(This is a two part article. Click here to read Part One.)

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About the Author:

Article by Kalena Jordan, one of the first search engine optimization experts in Australia, who is well known and respected in the industry, particularly in the U.S. As well as running a daily Search Engine Advice Column, Kalena manages Search Engine College - an online training institution offering instructor-led short courses and downloadable self-study courses in Search Engine Optimization and other Search Engine Marketing subjects.

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How to Create Search Engine Friendly Title and META Tags (Part 1)

By Kalena Jordan

In this article, I'm going to show you step-by-step how to create search engine optimized Titles and META Tags. This is a two part article. This part discusses the Title Element, also known as the Title Element. (Click here to read Part Two).

The TITLE Element

TITLE elements, (commonly called TITLE Tags), are one of the most important factors that search engines "look" at when it comes to determining the relevancy of a web page against a search query. In their ranking algorithms, nearly all the major search engines attribute a high relevancy weight to the content of the TITLE tag.

In the HTML code of a web site, TITLE tags look like this one for a fictional florist:

[TITLE]Miami Florists - beautiful floral creations made to order.[/TITLE]

(Please note that square brackets [ ] have been used in place of open and closing tags < > to prevent this page code from breaking. You'll need to replace all square brackets with open and closing tags.)

To view the HTML code of any site, choose "View, Source" from your browser toolbar or right click anywhere on the page and choose "view source code".

The META Description Tag

META Description Tags are designed to describe the content of web pages. Search engine robots will gather up this information when indexing web sites and often use it when referencing web pages in the search listings.

While not all search engines continue to utilize the META Description Tag, a majority of search engines rely on the content of this tag (together with a site's visible content) to provide information about a site that they can match with search queries. It is therefore important for webmasters to include keywords and phrases in the META description that they would expect searchers to use to find their site content.

In the HTML code of a web site, a sample META Description Tag looks like this:

[META name="description" content="Miami Florists create beautiful floral bouquets, arrangements, tributes and displays for all occasions, including weddings, Valentines Day, parties and corporate events. Deliveries throughout Florida."]

You can view the META Description Tag of a site by viewing the source code.

The META Keywords Tag

While only indexed by a small handful of search engines these days, the META Keywords Tag is still worth including within a site's HTML code, if only to provide those search engines with as much information as possible about site content.

In the HTML code of a web site, a sample META Keywords Tag looks like this:

[META name="keywords" content="flowers, roses, weddings bouquets, florists, floral arrangements, flower deliveries, Valentines Day gifts, Christmas decorations, Mother's Day, tributes, wreaths, clutches, sprays, in sympathy, funerals, corporate functions, parties, floral displays, Miami, Florida"]

The current lack of support for the META Keywords Tag by so many search engines can be attributed to increasing spam abuse by ignorant webmasters. These webmasters thought the keyword tag was a good place to stuff hundreds of keywords in the hope of achieving a higher search ranking, thereby "spamming" the search engines with useless, non-relevant data. This prompted many search engines to filter out the META Keywords Tag or lower its importance within the ranking algorithm.

You can view the META Keywords Tag of a site by viewing the source code.


Create Your Own Optimized Tags

Now, it's time to create optimized TITLE and META Tags for your own site. Let's start with the TITLE Tag for your Home Page.

Create Your TITLE Tag

Take the list of target keywords and phrases that you want your web site to be found for in search engines. You should have already allocated them to the appropriate pages of your site to be optimized. I use a spreadsheet for this purpose but you should use whatever works for you.

Now, open a text file in Notepad or something similar. If you like, you can use an existing sample TITLE Tag as your template. Let's say our existing Title is:

[TITLE]Miami Florists - beautiful floral creations made to order.[/TITLE]

Now take your list of keywords for the home page and put them in order of importance, with the ones you want to rank highest for at the top. For our fictional florist these are:

- florists Miami
- florists Florida
- wedding bouquets

Now you are simply going to combine these keywords into a sentence or short blurb so they make the best use of the keyword real estate available. Always try to use as few words as possible in your Title Tags, because each additional keyword dilutes the ranking relevancy of all the others.

In this case, I would initially combine the keywords as follows:

Florists in Miami Florida specializing in wedding bouquets.

Notice how I've got the keywords in the correct order for the search queries? I've tried to include the most important keywords towards the start of the tag. There was no need for me to repeat the keyword "Florists" more than once because the sentence I've used covers both "Florists Miami" and "Florists Florida". Most search engines will ignore "in" as a stop word, so it shouldn't matter that we've included it.

Although it's tempting to put a comma between Miami and Florida, on some search engines commas act as a keyword separator, so we don’t want to use one here because we don't want "Florists" and "Florida" to be separated.

Now, there is just one problem with this draft Title. Our 3rd keyword phrase "wedding bouquets" is right at the end of the sentence, meaning it may lose some relevancy weight (search engines consider keywords closer to the start of the tag as the most important). How do we fix this? Let's try this:

Florists in Miami Florida - wedding bouquets a specialty.

We don't want to use a period after "Florida" for the same reason that we don't use a comma. But a hyphen should not make a difference to search engines yet still allow the sentence to read logically to a searcher. So now we have our three target keyword phrases covered in a very short space.

In fact, the above sentence now covers the following keyword combinations:

- florists Miami
- florists Florida
- florists in Miami
- florists in Florida
- florists in Miami Florida
- wedding bouquets
- Miami wedding bouquets
- Florida wedding bouquets

When integrating your keywords, remember that their order is important. If you want your site to have the best possible chance of being found for the search query "Miami florists", you need to put the keywords in that exact order and not "florists Miami", because the spider searches the keywords in exact order. Unless they are stop words, also try to avoid using extra words between your keywords.

If you wanted to, you could integrate your company name into the Title tag, but (unless your company name is super short or includes a keyword), don’t sacrifice a keyword to do so. Instead, try placing the company name at the end of the tag so you can be sure that all your important keywords will be indexed first.

In the case of our florist, let’s imagine their name was Funky Florists. We could easily accommodate the name into the beginning of our optimized Title as follows:

[TITLE]Funky Florists in Miami Florida - wedding bouquets a specialty.[/TITLE]

It may reduce the keyword relevancy impact very slightly, but including your company name enables you to brand your page, which may be more important to you.

The content of the Title Tag is also what gets saved in a person's Favorite’s list when they bookmark your site, so having your company name included is worth considering from a branding perspective.

In Part 2 of this article, I will show you how to create your optimized META Description and META Keywords Tags.

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About the Author:

Article by Kalena Jordan, one of the first search engine optimization experts in Australia, who is well known and respected in the industry, particularly in the U.S. As well as running a daily Search Engine Advice Column, Kalena manages Search Engine College - an online training institution offering instructor-led short courses and downloadable self-study courses in Search Engine Optimization and other Search Engine Marketing subjects.

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Does Your Web Site Need a Workout?

By Kalena Jordan

Here's an analogy for you. Yesterday, I was working my butt off in the gym on the cardio machines, panting wildly with sweat dripping off me and my face as red as a beet. Not the most attractive sight, but I figure, you're at the gym to work out right? I might as well "go hard" or "go home", as they say.

As I looked around me, I could see all these people simply going through the motions. There they were, minus perspiration in their shiny new lycra and expensive gym shoes, casually walking on the treadmill or lazily turning the wheels on a bike while reading a book or glued to the TV screens in front of them. Only a few seemed to be there for the actual purpose of working out. The rest seemed to be there to check out the talent or to simply keep up the appearance of fitness, while doing the bare minimum.

Huh? I don't get it. Why have these gym bimbos paid so much money for a gym membership and all the related gear if they aren't going to take full advantage of their investment?

Then it struck me - these gymbos were just like those companies who spend thousands of dollars on a shiny new website with all the bells and whistles like graphic design, blogs, shopping carts, web analytics, the lot and then fail to take advantage of it. I see it so often, regardless of company size. Web sites that could easily be bringing in loads of traffic and revenue simply wasting away because nobody can be bothered tracking visitor activity, analyzing trends or checking for search engine compatibility and usability.

These companies are simply keeping up appearances, investing heavily in Internet technology because their competitors are doing the same. But no thought has gone into the search engine compatibility of the site, how usable it is for visitors or whether it meets accessibility guidelines. They don't look at their site statistics, they don't check for broken links and they sure as heck don't investigate why their sites aren't converting traffic into customers. What a waste!

Is your web site working hard enough for you? Run it through the following 20 point fitness assessment to find out:

• Is your site fully search engine compatible? Are all your pages being indexed by the major search engines?
  
  
• Do you track your visitor statistics on a regular basis? Do you use the information provided by your visitor statistics to improve your site?
  
  
• Is your web site accessible to visually-impaired visitors? Does it meet the international standards set down by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)?
  
  
• Do you know which sites and search engines provide you with the most traffic? Do you use this information to increase your traffic further?
  
  
• Do you track the source of all reported errors in your site statistics and fix them promptly?
  
  
• Do you know which keywords your site was found for in the search engines? Have you conducted keyword research to determine what search terms your target markets are looking for so you can optimize for them?
  
  
• Does your web site HTML code validate to W3 standards? Do you check for validation regularly?
  
  
• Does your site contain zero broken links? Do you check for and fix broken links regularly?
  
  
• Has your site been fully search engine optimized to integrate your target search terms into your Page Titles, META Tags and visible page text?
  
  
• Have you created and submitted an XML sitemap to Google Sitemaps?
  
  
• Have you created and submitted a sitemap to Yahoo Site Explorer?
  
  
• Have you checked to see if your site meets Google's Webmaster Guidelines?
  
  
• Do you measure your visitor sign-ups and conversions on a regular basis? Do you tweak your landing page copy to increase the conversion rates?
  
  
• Is your site navigation intuitive and are your visitors following the navigation paths you intended?
  
  
• Do you encourage feedback from your site visitors and provide an obvious way for them to provide such feedback?
  
  
• Are there at least 250 words of text on your home page to satisfy search engines?
  
  
• Does your site contain a visible, text-based site map to aid user navigation?
  
  
• Do you have an ongoing link building campaign running to secure more incoming links to your site and improve your site's link popularity score?
  
  
• Does your site have a high percentage of repeat visitors? Are the majority of your visitors staying on your site for more than a minute?
  
  
• Do your search engine referrals and site traffic figures grow each month?

Unless you can answer yes to all the questions in the above checklist, your web site is not working hard enough for you and needs a workout. Get to it!

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About the Author:

Article by Kalena Jordan, one of the first search engine optimization experts in Australia, who is well known and respected in the industry, particularly in the U.S. As well as running a daily Search Engine Advice Column, Kalena manages Search Engine College - an online training institution offering instructor-led short courses and downloadable self-study courses in Search Engine Optimization and other Search Engine Marketing subjects.

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20 Things You Need to Know Before Optimizing Your Site

By Kalena Jordan

One of the most important aspects of a search engine optimization project is also one of the most overlooked – preparation! There are some important steps to take in advance of optimizing your site that will make sure your SEO is successful.

Before You Start

Before you start any search engine optimization campaign, whether it’s for your own site or that belonging to a client, you need to answer the following questions:

1) What is the overall motivation for optimizing this site? What do I/they hope to achieve? e.g. more sales, more subscribers, more traffic, more publicity etc.

2) What is the time-frame for this project?

3) What is the budget for this project?

4) Who will be responsible for this project? Will it be a joint or solo effort? Will it be run entirely in-house or outsourced?

Answering these questions will help you to build a framework for your SEO project and establish limitations for the size and scope of the campaign.


Get Ready: How Search Engine-Compatible is the Site Currently?

Something I find very useful before quoting on any SEO project is to produce what I call a Search Engine Compatibility Review. This is where I carry out a detailed overview and analysis of a site's search engine compatibility in terms of HTML design, page extensions, link popularity, title and META tags, body text, target keywords, ALT IMG tags, page load time and other design elements that can impact search engine indexing.

I then provide a detailed report to potential clients with recommendations based on my findings. It just helps sort out in my mind what design elements need tweaking to make the site as search engine-friendly as possible. It also helps marketing staff prove to an often stubborn programming department (or vice versa!) that SEO is necessary. You might consider preparing something similar for your own site or clients.


Get Set: Requirements Gathering

Next, you need to establish the project requirements, so you can tailor the SEO campaign to you or your client’s exact needs. For those of you servicing clients, this information is often required before you are able to quote accurately.

To determine your project requirements, you need to have the following questions answered:

1) What technology was used to build the site? (i.e. Flash, PHP, frames, Cold Fusion, JavaScript, Flat HTML etc)

2) What are the file extensions of the pages? (i.e. .htm, .php, .cfm etc)

3) Does the site contain database driven content? If so, will the URLs contain query strings? e.g. www.site.com/longpagename?source=123444fgge3212, (containing “?” symbols), or does the site use parameter workarounds to remove the query strings? (the latter is more search engine friendly).

4) Are there at least 250 words of text on the home page and other pages to be optimized?

5) How does the navigation work? Does it use text links or graphical links or JavaScript drop-down menus?

6) Approximately how many pages does the site contain? How many of these will be optimized?

7) Does the site have a site map or will it require one? Does the site have an XML sitemap submitted to Google Sitemaps?

8) What is the current link popularity of the site?

9) What is the approximate Google PageRank of the site? Would it benefit from link building?

10) Do I have the ability to edit the source code directly? Or will I need to hand-over the optimized code to programmers for integration?

11) Do I have permission to alter the visible content of the site?

12) What are the products/services that the site promotes? (e.g. widgets, mobile phones, hire cars etc.)

13) What are the site’s geographical target markets? Are they global? Country specific? State specific? Town specific?

14) What are the site’s demographic target markets? (e.g. young urban females, working mothers, single parents etc.)

15) What are 20 search keywords or phrases that I think my/my client’s target markets will use to find the site in the search engines?

16) Who are my/my client’s major competitors online? What are their URLs? What keywords are they targeting?

17) Who are the stake-holders of this site? How will I report to them?

18) Do I have access to site traffic logs or statistics to enable me to track visitor activity during the campaign? Specifically, what visitor activity will I be tracking?

19) How do I plan on tracking my or my client’s conversion trends and increased rankings in the search engines?

20) What are my/my client’s expectations for the optimization project? Are they realistic?


Answers to the first 10 questions above will determine the complexity of optimization required. For example, if the site pages currently have little text on them, you know you’ll need to integrate more text to make the site compatible with search engines and include adequate target keywords. If the site currently uses frames, you will need to rebuild the pages without frames or create special No-Frames tags to make sure the site can be indexed, and so on.

This initial analysis will help you to scope the time and costs involved in advance. For those of you optimizing client sites, obtaining accurate answers to these questions BEFORE quoting is absolutely crucial. Otherwise you can find yourself in the middle of a project that you have severely under-quoted for.

The remainder of questions are to establish in advance the who, what, where, when, why and how of the optimization project. This will help you determine the most logical keywords and phrases to target, as well as which search engines to submit the site to.

For those of you optimizing web sites for a living, you might consider developing a questionnaire that you can give clients to complete to ensure you tailor the web site optimization to their exact needs.


Go!

So now you are clear about your motivations for optimizing the site, you know more about the target markets, you know how compatible the existing site is with search engines and how much work is involved in the search engine optimization process. You’re ready to tackle the job!

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About the Author:

Article by Kalena Jordan, one of the first search engine optimization experts in Australia, who is well known and respected in the industry, particularly in the U.S. As well as running a daily Search Engine Advice Column, Kalena manages Search Engine College - an online training institution offering instructor-led short courses and downloadable self-study courses in Search Engine Optimization and other Search Engine Marketing subjects.

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3 Steps to a Search Engine Compatible Site

By Kalena Jordan

Is your web site search engine compatible? Despite all the misinformation out there, it's very easy to design a web site that search engines will love. All you need to do is follow 3 simple steps:

1) Obey the Search Engine Guidelines

Nearly all search engines publish their own guidelines regarding the submission of sites, the type of sites they will accept and recommendations for optimized content. Google recently updated their Webmaster Guidelines which cover the most common forms of deceptive or manipulative search engine behavior that they consider to be 'spam'. They also published SEO Guidelines – advice for webmasters to heed when choosing an SEO. Google was the first search engine to publicly acknowledge search engine optimizers in this fashion.

It's not just Google publishing anti-spam guidelines. You'll find them at the following search engine sites as well:

• Yahoo terms of service
• Yahoo guidelines on search engine spam (covering AltaVista and AllTheWeb as well)
• Yahoo definitions of search engine spam (covering AltaVista and AllTheWeb as well)
• Yahoo content guidelines
• MSN Search webmaster guidelines
• AltaVista terms of use (AltaVista is a Yahoo-owned company)
• Ask.com terms of service and spam policy
• Ask.com editorial guidelines

2) Don’t Use Spammy Search Engine Tactics

Often, webmasters will use search engine spam techniques without even being aware that they are doing so. Or worse, web designers can - advertently or inadvertently - integrate techniques that could cause a site to be penalized in the site's rankings in one or more engines, without the site owner's knowledge of such penalties. The key to avoiding spamming the engines is research.
Keep track of the various search engine guidelines via the links above. Watch for any changes they make to these guidelines and tweak your site accordingly. Trawl the various webmaster and search engine forums regularly to ensure your site doesn't use any of the latest optimization methods that appear to be penalized. If you suspect your site has been penalized, remove the offending content, contact the engine concerned and ask to be reinstated.

Google actually encourage you to file a re-inclusion request via their Help Center and this post by Google staffer Matt Cutts outlines what should be included.

Alternatively, here is a sample email template you can use instead:

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Sample Re-inclusion Request Email

Dear [search engine name],

I am the owner of [your site URL].

I did not realize that participation in [spammy method] and
[spammy SEO name] programs could cause problems for my website. I was
assured that these techniques were search-engine-friendly by [your source for using spammy method].

I now understand that the practices used are not acceptable. I apologize for having allowed them to be placed on my website. I've removed the questionable pages and links from the site. I promise not to repeat such mistakes.

I am asking you to please consider reinstating my website,
[your site URL] into the [search engine name] Index.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
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To assist them to provide a high quality service, search engines encourage people to report search results they are dissatisfied with. If you spot some content spam or techniques that are clearly in breach of the search engine's public guidelines, you can report it using these links:

• Google spam report or via search-quality@google.com
  
• AllTheWeb relevancy problem report (AllTheWeb is a Yahoo-owned company)
• AltaVista search results manipulation report (or via Yahoo's spam report)
• Yahoo spam report
• Ask.com spam report or via information@ask.com

3) Build Sites for Visitors Rather than Search Engines

The methodologies may have changed over the years, but the same principles have always applied to "good" or "white hat" SEO. Build sites for humans, not search engines. Make the site as user friendly as possible, avoid the bells and whistles and include high quality, relevant content.

Wherever possible, include text-based content and navigation menus with simple, descriptive, well-written copy designed to convert your visitors into customers. Include keywords and phrases your audience would logically type in to search engines to find sites like yours. Only link to sites that are relevant to your target audience and spend some time on usability, making sure all your forms and shopping carts work.

Remember that what pleases a visitor is almost always what pleases a search engine too.

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About the Author:

Article by Kalena Jordan, one of the first search engine optimization experts in Australia, who is well known and respected in the industry, particularly in the U.S. As well as running a daily Search Engine Advice Column, Kalena manages Search Engine College - an online training institution offering instructor-led short courses and downloadable self-study courses in Search Engine Optimization and other Search Engine Marketing subjects.

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Think Global Act Global: Writing for Your Online Market

By Kalena Jordan

When you write web site content and design your pages, do you truly act with your target audience in mind? Or do you think global and act local?

I am amazed at the number of web sites I see that claim to target a global market, yet design and write their content for a regionally-specific audience. Not sure what I mean? Take the site I saw yesterday, for example. I won't embarrass the site owners by pointing to the specific domain, but let's just say the site is based in the U.S. and sells high quality gold chains throughout North America, Europe and Australia.

Now the owner of this site was complaining loudly in a webmaster forum that his pay-per-click campaign was having no luck converting sales from overseas visitors, particularly in the UK and Australia. He had spent a long time developing and tweaking a landing page for the campaign and he couldn't work out why hardly anyone outside the U.S. was buying. I took a look at his landing page and could see the problems straight away:

1) He used the American English spelling "jewelry" throughout the page without considering that persons who use British English spell it "jewellery".

2) He provided a toll-free phone number for persons in the U.S. to call, but did not provide any contact phone number for persons located outside the U.S.

3) He used the word "national" throughout the page, immediately isolating anyone outside the U.S.

4) He promoted "free shipping throughout the U.S." but did not specify shipping costs for persons outside the U.S.


The owner of this site had not even considered that persons outside the U.S. might search for keywords in anything other than American English. It didn't even occur to him that there may be an alternative spelling of his main keyword and he didn't think about the logistics for purchasers outside his country. No wonder the page wasn't converting outside the U.S.! He had made the classic mistake of isolating a large chunk of his audience by sending everyone to a one-size-fits-some page.

What he should have done was to create a separate landing page using British English spelling and shipping/contact information applicable to persons overseas. He could then have set up a unique PPC campaign targeting only UK/Australian searchers with regional keywords and ads leading to the British English landing page.

I see similar problems occur quite often in the online travel industry where you not only have to deal with regional spelling options, but also regional jargon. Think about the word "accommodation". Apart from the fact the word is commonly misspelled, it is used most often in the UK, Australia and New Zealand to describe places to stay while traveling. In the U.S., the words "accommodations" and "lodging" are more commonly used. Same goes for "holiday" and "vacation", with the latter being more common in the U.S. The word "traveling" itself is spelled "travelling" in British English! So you can imagine the minefield of problems webmasters must face promoting their travel sites online to a worldwide audience.

I don't mean to single out a particular country, but Americans seem to find it especially difficult to step outside their regional mindset. I am always receiving emails from the U.S. with helpful suggestions for fixing my "spelling mistakes".

The funniest email exchange I ever had in relation to this was from an American web designer. She had seen our Australian-based web site (with a .com.au domain) and emailed me to tell me it was "full of errors" and that if I wanted to present a professional business to site visitors, I should correct them. So condescending! I asked her to elaborate and she pointed me to these words she felt were spelled incorrectly:

optimisation
counselling
organised
enrolment
colour
catalogue
favourite
centre

Resisting the urge to use a few offensive words I'm sure she would recognize, I tactfully explained that our site was only targeting the Australian market and that we use British English spelling in Australia. Her response? Perhaps if we wanted to be taken seriously by an international audience, we should consider using the "more proper" American English. Flabbergasted, I pointed out the fact that American English was a derivative of British English and was not widely used outside her own country. Wikipedia has more about the differences between the two here. And let’s not forget that although it is the most common language used on the web, English is used by less than 30 percent of the world’s total Internet users.

The point of this story is that you absolutely have to think outside your market if you are going to advertise on the web. As ignorant as she was, my email friend did make me realize that many of her compatriots might also think our site was full of errors. American English is more common on the web and I've since learned to cater to that trend. I try to remember that in all writing I do for the web now, whether it's in my daily blog, the syndicated articles I write regularly or web page content.

Whenever you design or write for a web site that has an international audience, make sure you address each market. It pays to undertake detailed keyword research into your markets you are targeting so you can capture the correct regional jargon and spelling that people are searching for. Remember it's not enough to think global, you've got to act global too.

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About the Author:

Article by Kalena Jordan, one of the first search engine optimization experts in Australia, who is well known and respected in the industry, particularly in the U.S. As well as running a daily Search Engine Advice Column, Kalena manages Search Engine College - an online training institution offering instructor-led short courses and downloadable self-study courses in Search Engine Optimization and other Search Engine Marketing subjects.

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How to Create Search Engine Friendly Web Site Copy

By Kalena Jordan

Search engines read text and not much else. Because they can’t generally index graphics, search engines rely on the text in web sites to provide information about the site content, which they can compare with search queries.

Webmasters therefore need to use body text on any pages on the site that they want indexed by the search engines and ranked highly for matching search queries. Not graphical text that was created in design software, but actual, visible body text. Not sure if your site uses graphical or body text? A good rule of thumb that I learnt from search engine guru Danny Sullivan is to try and highlight the text with your mouse. If you can drag your mouse over individual words in the text when viewing it in a browser, chances are this is body text and the search engines can read it.

Figure 1



Figure 2

The most important page on which to use body text is the home page. Above is an example of a home page that uses graphical text instead of body text. Figure 1 shows what content the site visitors see, while Figure 2 shows the content a search engine sees and indexes.

How much information about a site’s content does a page like the one above provide a search engine? That’s right, very little. With next to no text to be found, the search engine would have to rely on the page’s Title and META Tags to tell it what the page is about. With such little information to go on, it is unlikely that a search engine would consider this page a relevant match for search queries relating to its content. To remedy this, it is widely recommended that each web page you want listed in search engines should contain at least 250 words of visible body text.


Keyword-Rich Text

While it’s a good idea to use plenty of body text on web pages, if that text doesn’t contain relevant keywords and phrases that people type in to the search engines, there’s not much point, because a site isn’t going to be found for logical search queries anyway. Many web sites make the mistake of including text on their site that is either unrelated to their products and services, or full of marketing-speak like “Internet solutions” or “superior services”. The Internet is plagued with web sites selling particular items without once making reference to those items in their site text. Weird huh?

For a search engine to find a site relevant for a particular search query, it MUST find that search query somewhere in that site. The easiest way to ensure this is to include logical keywords and phrases within the visible text on web pages, as well as in the Title and META tags. The best way for webmasters to find keywords that searchers are actually using is by conducting keyword research of their target market on a site such as Keyword Discovery or WordTracker.

Once it is determined what search terms perspective visitors are commonly typing in to search engines, they can then be compared to the goods and services offered on the site and the body text can be adjusted accordingly. Sites lacking any keyword research tend to use very generic, unfocused body copy, or sales-oriented “hype”. Neither style contributes to high search engine rankings.

Target keywords and search phrases placed strategically throughout your body copy give your pages a much higher ranking potential on search engines for related searches. But it’s not as easy as throwing the keywords into your site text willy-nilly. You must ensure that the keywords are integrated seamlessly so their repetition is unobvious and so that the text flows smoothly for the reader.

Don't compromise the readability of your copy to achieve this - hire an expert copywriter to strike the right balance if need be.


SEO Copywriting

Before writing your web site copy, you should research potential keywords and phrases that your target audience may use in search engines and then narrow the list down to your priority terms for each page, sorted in order of importance. You should then use those target search terms as a basis for the creation of optimized Title and META tags for each page on your site. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to integrate those same target search terms into your visible web page copy. We call this SEO copywriting. But exactly how do we do it?


Speak to Your Audience

Don’t lose site of the reader when writing your body copy. Integrating your keywords is important, but not if you are sacrificing the readability of your site and losing the attention of your audience. Put yourself in their shoes like you did when researching your keywords. What are they looking for? What do they need? How will your product/service help them? Does it represent value for money?

Be emotive when describing your products and services. Describe how your product/service will make them feel or look, how it will improve their lives, give them more time etc. Use trigger words that people respond to such as “free”, “success”, “you”, “cash” etc. Not sure what these are? Check out Words That Sell reports. These reports are perfect if you are targeting a specific industry or profession because they define what keywords people in over 38 industries respond to and what they expect when making a buying decision.

Not sure who your audience is or what they’re looking for? Why not ask them? Use a free survey service such as Survey Monkey to learn more about them so you can write “to” them and not “at” them. You could even draft various styles of body copy and obtain feedback from your site visitors to determine what copywriting style works better for them.


Use Easy to Understand Language

The Internet is no place for verbosity. People are in a hurry - they want to find what they seek quickly and easily with the least hassle possible. You can help them in this quest by ensuring your site pages use simple language and easy to grasp concepts throughout. For example instead of "brand-building web information architects", use "website designers specializing in brand promotion". Keep the large chunks of text on each page to a minimum, using bullet points, white space, graphics, lists and sub-headings to break it up and make it easier to read. This rule of thumb is especially important when creating landing pages for pay per click and other advertising campaigns.

Use examples to get your main points across or to demonstrate your product benefits. Use the old WIIFM (What's In It For Me?) adage when composing your body copy to keep the user's interests at top of mind. Remember your international visitors by incorporating regional word usage (such as organize versus organize or jewelry versus jewellery) and avoid technical jargon that could alienate. Want your visitor to take a particular action? Spell it out for them in plain English, for example Click here to Buy Now, Subscribe to our free newsletter, Bookmark this page now etc. These references are called “Calls to Action”.


Build Your Copy Around Your Keywords

You should always build your page copy around your keywords and not the other way around. If your existing page copy doesn’t contain any of your target search keywords, you’re going to have to rewrite it! Start from scratch if you have to. The secret is to focus. Search engines aren’t going to rank your web site about socks highly if your body copy talks about foot sizes. You need to get specific. It sounds really obvious, but if you sell socks, make sure your site copy has plenty of references to the word socks! If you sell green wool socks, target the phrase "green wool socks" and not "foot apparel in lovely shades of emerald"! Who's going to search for socks using that phrase?

At the risk of sounding like Dr Seuss, if you want to be found for, big socks, small socks, cotton socks and wool socks, then mention them all. Better still, sort your copy into categories based on your various products and services. If you sell wool socks AND cotton socks, then have a page dedicated to each kind. This allows you to target niche keywords within your copy and meet the search engine's relevancy guidelines for related search queries.


Keyword Integration

So imagine you've added plenty of text to your pages and the copy flows well for the reader. You've researched your keywords and phrases and now you're faced with the dilemma of integrating the keywords into your copy. So how do you satisfy the search engine's craving for keywords without interrupting the copy flow for the reader? The answer is: very carefully.

Let's take a look at a practical example. We have a client that specializes in luxury adventure travel. Before I optimized their site, part of the home page copy read like this:

"We specialize in providing vacations for people who want a personal service. We bring to our efforts a fanatical obsession with quality and exclusivity. We also bring a freshness, an outward-going passion for discovery which justifies our growing reputation as one of the world's top travel providers. We can put together packages that include all adventure activities, accommodation, transport and food".

Extensive Keyword Discovery keyword research for the client had determined that the site should target the following key phrases:

• adventure travel
• best adventure vacations
• tailored travel
• overseas adventure travel
• luxury travel packages

So taking our original home page text, the challenge was to integrate these keywords carefully and naturally so as