The Quest For Home Business Success

By Wendy Betterini

When most of us dive into our first home business venture, we are filled with visions of wealth, comfort, security and freedom. We have a general idea of where we'd like to end up financially, and we work hard to get there. Some of us make it there quickly, while others may take a little longer. But at what point would we consider ourselves to be "successful?" Once we're earning a million dollars a year? Once we can afford that mansion we've had our eye on? Once we're wearing designer clothing? Of course, success means different things to different people.

Perhaps to you, success means earning a little extra money to help with household extras. To me it might mean earning more. To someone else, success might have nothing to do with money at all. They might strive for professional or personal accomplishments. The meaning of success can vary from person to person, as can our beliefs about what it takes to truly be successful.

I had an interesting experience last week. I submitted a request for work at home success stories to be featured on my website, and the response was quite surprising. Not one response. That's right, zero! I submitted this request to several popular work-at-home communities, and I purposely placed no restrictions on what "success" meant. I was quite surprised by the lack of response. Are there NO work at home successes out there? I don't believe that for a minute; I know there are many, MANY people working successfully from home. So why wouldn't they want to be featured? What could prevent them from believing they qualify as a "success story?"

Income - Many of us don't feel "successful" until we're raking in massive amounts of money and can afford to buy whatever we want without glancing at the price tag. While money is certainly one measure of success, it isn't the only one. Most of us have an idea of how much we'd like to be earning from our home businesses, but does it mean we're not successful until we reach that point? Of course not! We can be successful regardless of how much we earn. Just because you are earning $500 a month instead of $50,000 doesn't mean you're not a success. In order to earn $50,000, you must first earn $500!

Status - If we haven't quite reached the "level" we're striving for in our home businesses, we may not allow ourselves to feel like a success. "Once I get 1,000 customers, then I'll be successful," we say. Or once we get 100,000 subscribers to our newsletter, or hire our first employees. Whatever status we're trying to reach, we place requirements upon ourselves and won't consider ourselves successful until we meet them. The problem with this is that home businesses (or businesses in general) are not static. We don't just "get there" and then call it
good. We will always be striving to gain more customers, recruit more agents, sell more products, earn more money, set goals and reach them. We will always be pushing ourselves to do more, be more. This is a good thing!

Perfectionism - We are so much harder on ourselves than we are on anyone else. Does one little thing keep you from feeling like a success? Perhaps you're earning as much as you want to with your home business, but there are also things you struggle with. Like organization, finances, or coming up with new ideas and seeing them through. Rather than thinking of yourself as
successful, you allow those little things you don't do perfectly to hold you back. You berate yourself, "I would be successful if it wasn't for my messy filing system!" or "Will I ever learn how to do this right?" No one is perfect. We all have things we're good at, and other things we're not so good at. Accept that about yourself. It's really not important to do everything so perfectly. We can only do our best and have fun with it.

Modesty - It's true that no one likes a braggart. Perhaps the people who read my request didn't want to appear boastful or conceited by submitting a success story. While modesty is a good thing, is it possible to carry it too far? Does being modest mean we can't take pride in our own accomplishments? Does it mean we have to hide our success? No. There is a very big difference between sharing our success and bragging about it. Braggers try to make themselves appear better than others and put themselves up on a pedestal, while people who share their success in a genuine way strive to inspire others. By sharing our successes, we encourage people to make their own success stories! We demonstrate that it is indeed possible to be successful working from home. What a gift that is!

You may be surprised to learn the actual definition of Success: 1) a favorable result; 2) the gaining of wealth, fame, etc. Most of us use the second definition more often than the first. But
take a close look at that first definition. A favorable result. How easy is it to attain a favorable result? Very! Just because your results may not be as large as you'd like them to be doesn't mean you're not successful. If you've attained ANY favorable results, you are a Success!

The most important aspect of success is believing we deserve it. So many of us struggle with worthiness issues. Some of us were told as children that we'd never amount to anything; we
internalized that message and continue to carry it with us to this day. Others might be afraid to try because we've never felt quite "good enough." As soon as we start working toward our goals, self-doubts come creeping in and our inner critic starts harping at us: "Who are you kidding? You don't have what it takes to be successful. Just give it up and get a real job!" So we sabotage ourselves, create obstacles to block our way, and continue our never-ending quest for success.

The truth is, we will only be as successful as we ALLOW ourselves to be. The human mind has amazing power. Whatever we consistently tell ourselves is what we will create in our lives. If we don't believe we deserve success, we will avoid it (even though we trick ourselves into believing we're working toward it). If we tell ourselves we're not good enough, we will act in ways that prevent good things from happening to us. The good news is that this also works in reverse. If we tell ourselves we're successful, we will be. If we keep affirming that we're good enough, strong enough, capable enough, we will be. Think about the significance of that. It means it's ALL WITHIN OUR CONTROL. Whatever we want to be, we can.

Don't be afraid to embrace your success, no matter how small you perceive it to be. Remember, any favorable result equals Success!

About The Author:

Wendy Betterini is a freelance writer, web designer and owner of http://www.CreativeWorkAtHome.com, a resource center for home business owners and telecommuters. Visit today for information on how to make your work at home experience successful.

Can I Be A Success Online? Part 1

By Tim Brocklehurst

So you want to make your money online now huh? Great. There are plenty of ways to do it. AutoSurfs, MLMs, form-filling/surveys, Affiliate Marketing, HYIP's and the good old fashioned way: Your own product on your own website.

I'll explore each of these ways in the course of this series. So if they sound like gobledy gook to you now, fear not. Its estimated that every day over 250,000 people make the decision to start earning money at home on the Internet. That's a lot of people who don't have a clue what these terms mean either. Everyone's got to start somewhere.

For most people, a reasonable course of action when choosing an online business, is to bring up their favourite search engine (if they've even got one yet) and type the words "work from home". The number of sites that come up when you enter such a term on Google alone is 1.9 Billion. Compare this with "find a job" (425 million) or "new career" (458 million) and you get an
idea of where Internet Marketers are directing their efforts.

OK. So the good news is, if there's plenty of supply you've got plenty of choice. But how do you go about choosing the one thats best for you? How do you know which one of those 1.9 billion
work from home ideas gives you the best chance of success? Lets face it, you could live until you're five hundred and you still wouldn't have read them all.

And perhaps you've got your own idea, perhaps you've used The Internet enough to have identified a niche area, a business idea you want to exploit. Either way, you're entering new
waters and its best to be prepared. Even if you're convinced by your own idea, it is still adviseable to watch, and even join, one or two of the work-from-home offerings so you can learn
about the ways in which business can and can't be done online.

There is a methodology I teach which helps people decide on which way to turn, if indeed they should turn to any of them. It uses a simple set of questions, no more than 5 in each set, and as long as you are honest to your core, your answers will steer you in the right direction.

The first set is 4 quick questions that you should answer without giving too much thought to. Just read them each and give the first answer that comes into your head - give your
instinctive answer.

It is important to be instinctive because once you've embarked on your online career, it will be your instinct that will direct you. Don't take time theorising about what you think the right or wrong answer should be, just give the true answer. That's the only way you'll get a useful result.

These four questions should be answered in order with a score between 1 (minimum) and 5 (maximum). No zeros. Write your answers down and keep them safe.

Here they are:

1. How computer literate am I? (Not at all - 1. Exceedingly - 5)
2. How is my self-discipline? (Terrible - 1. Excellent - 5)
3. How positive is my outlook on life? (Miserable - 1. Excellent - 5)
4. How much can I afford to fail? (I can't - 1. It really doesn't matter - 5)

In part II we'll analyse your results and move on to the next stage in the process. In the meantime, enjoy researching and see if you can get a good feel of what's out there.

About The Author:

Tim Brocklehurst is founder and CEO of The Freedom List, http://www.thefreedomlist.com an online course and resource area for budding Internet Entrepreneurs. He is also author of 5 Steps to your own Profit Website available at http://www.5stepstoprofit.com

How Keywords Affect Your Rankings

By James Mahony

This article explains a few things about SEO, and if you're interested, then this is worth reading, because you can never tell what you don't know.

We all want to know how keywords affect our rankings, but to find out we'll need to do a little work. Many say keywords are the key to good search engine rankings, although they aren't at
all the only factor.

If you need a tool to help you decide on your keywords, try Overture's Search Term Suggestion Tool - it allows you to test your keyword rankings by showing you statistics on recent searches for them. It's a great tool when you have no clue which keyword you should choose, as it can give you a list of terms that were recently searched on.

Keyword Density.

Keyword density refers to the number of the keywords contained within your text relative to the amount of text there is. Preferred keyword density ratios vary between search engines, but you should generally try to keep them between two and eight percent (major search engines prefer the lower end). Keyword analysis tools can help to optimize a web page's keyword density. These tools are good if you're not sure of what you're doing, as they're very intuitive and explain things as you go.

Counting the Keywords.

Many SEO experts will tell you that the keyword density of your text isn't a very important factor, and that you should be careful not to overdo it. So is there a limit? How many times should you use your keywords? SEO experts won't be able to answer these questions for you, because no-one's really sure of the answer. The best answer is that it changes regularly, and you can never be sure - you have to experiment to see what works for you.

Location of Keywords.

When testing the effects of keyword location, we found that pages with the keywords at the top and bottom of the page ranked higher on Google than pages with the keywords in the middle.

I trust that what you've read so far has been informative. The following section should go a long way toward clearing up any uncertainty that may remain.

Many other search engines also give keywords more or less weight based on their location, but keep in mind that each search engine's algorithm is different. Here's a list of how most search engines prioritize keyword positions, from most to least:

1. Domain name.

2. Page title.

3. Headings (i.e. H1, H2, etc.).

4. Body text (the first 2 to 3 KB usually counts more).

5. Meta tags (especially description).

6. Links (including keywords in the URL or link text of links to you).

7. Alt text (the 'alt' descriptions for your pictures).

Really, though, keyword density is one of those areas where you'll have trouble on your hands if you try to second guess the search engines. Be cautious.

As your knowledge about SEO continues to grow, you will begin to see how SEO fits into the overall scheme of things. Knowing how something relates to the rest of the world is important
too.

About The Author:

James Mahony is the founder of http://www.searchmama.com - A site dedicated to Search Engine Optimization http://www.searchmama.com
http://www.thedomaintycoons.com
http://www.articlesforwebsitecontent.com

Can The Average Person Really Make A Living Online?

By Douglas Rogers

Can you really make money online? The answer is a resounding "Yes!"

First, though, you need to understand how this game really works.

The right mindset is crucial to your success.

You've probably come across numerous business opportunities already. I know you're actively searching for information. I hope you haven't become jaded already by the con artists out there who make false promises.

The fact is you can profit significantly and, yes, even quickly once you learn the right way to do business online. So, approach this article with an open mind.

What E-Commerce is really all about

There's nothing magic about the Internet. It's really just another medium of communication. The difference between doing business online versus doing business in a brick and mortar
establishment is this:

1. Your potential customer base spans across the globe if you so desire. You aren't limited by your location.

2. Your business operates 24/7. You can still make sales even when the workday ends.

3. Your overhead is significantly lower than it would be in a traditional business, and the barriers to entry are lower as well.

4. You can create non-traditional businesses which will have no parallel in the offline world.

As an online entrepreneur, you also enjoy a wider range of options in number of products you sell, their method of delivery and your profit margin after expenses.

Sounds great, right? It truly is an ideal situation for the small, home based business owner; but don't quit your job just yet.

An online business requires just as much focus and dedication to get off the ground as any other business, so forget about working at home in your underwear right off the bat.

The first thing you need to do is investigate your options. What type of business can you start online? Which businesses are the easiest to set up?

If you already possess some business knowledge and common sense, you're off to a great start. The real challenge comes when you start translating this knowledge to match the rules of online commerce. The game is played a bit differently on the internet than it is on the streets.

Newcomers often have difficulty sorting out the differences between business models versus business strategies.

Here are some of the most common online business models:

1. Selling tangible goods (ie, Ebay)

2. Selling information products (intangible/downloaded)

3. Affiliate marketing

It takes a certain personality to thrive in any one of these. Let's take a look at the traits associated with each.

The Seller of Tangible Goods

This type of entrepreneur usually possesses previous experience in the retail industry, though it is not totally necessary to have previous experience in order to succeed. However, an inexperienced online retailer faces the biggest learning curve.

In order to sell tangible goods, you'll need to learn the ins and outs of wholesale for product sourcing. You'll need to learn how to set the optimal price point for your products to remain profitable and competitive. You must deal with shipping and returns.

If you run a one-person operation, it will be near impossible to ship products in the necessary volume. In this case, you'll need to find companies which can "drop ship" your product. Drop
shipping is a fulfillment service.

This sounds ideal - but be forewarned. Most real wholesalers have minimum order requirements and will not ship single items.

Drop ship wholesalers who do ship single items often mark up their prices and you end up paying at least 10%-15% above the true wholesale cost. This isn't a small price to pay when your
objective is competitive pricing. Even a small mark up can kill your profit margin.

If you choose this route, be prepared for a lot of hard work! Online retail requires persistence, patience, strategic planning and a high degree of risk.

The Seller of Intangible/Information Products

Information products present an good opportunity for small, home-based business owners. Your costs of development and overhead are low, while your potential profit margin is high.

You will need a new skill set if you choose this path. Primarily, you will need to learn good copywriting skills and how to sell people on what they desire, not on what they think they need. It's relatively simple to entice a visitor to purchase, say, an MP3 player when they're already looking for one. This doesn't require convincing sales copy.

An information product, though, does require good copy. You're asking your potential customer to invest in a product they aren't familiar with - something they can't see or touch or play with like a tangible product.

Information marketing is very much "all in the mind". It rests on your ability to stir up people's passions and secret wishes. If you pride yourself on seeing "the big picture" and have the heart of a teacher or communicator, information marketing could be the right choice for you.

The Affiliate Marketer

Being an affiliate marketer can be the Ideal business for most people. They make a living selling products they do not own. Profits come from commissions paid on sales that they refer to other merchants.

A good affiliate can reap an enormous full-time income marketing a whole suite of products that he does not own. He doesn't pay for product creation, doesn't have to ship anything and doesn't deal with customer service issues or returns.

One major skill an affiliate marketer needs to develop as is the ability to generate highly targeted traffic. You also need to learn how to capture that traffic and do a bit of extra selling before they hit the merchant's site.

If you don't capture the visitor's e-mail address, they're gone for good - and you'll get stuck trying to generate volumes of traffic over and over again just to capture enough "luck of the draw" sales to get by. It's like throwing your ad budget down a hole.

If you want to make money online, there are two ways to go about it. The first is trial and error, spending hundreds of hours in front of your computer, buying e-books and struggling perhaps a year or two before you make a dime. The second and best way is to learn from someone who has already achieved success online and can coach and guide you every step of the way.

But beware, there are many out there who will sell you garbage e-books and courses full of ideas on how to make money on the internet, but most fall short of giving you an easy to follow and workable plan. Especially if your a newbie to internet marketing.

I know first hand about this because I spent a full year struggling to make money on the internet. I bought almost every so called Guru system out there only to be let down and was still left struggling to make money. But my determination to make a living on the internet paid off and now I produce a fantastic full time income for my family solely from my online affiliate business.

Whether your a newbie or have been struggling for some time, you can achieve online success too if you don't give up and learn the right skills from a proven Internet Wealth Building Coach. Just stay focused, proactive and stay positive - and soon you'll be well on your way to making outstanding money online!

About The Author:

Doug Rogers is an Internet marketing coach who has helped the lives of many acheive success with there own Internet business. To learn how you can be a part of an Inner
Circle Success Group and try a Proven, Fail-Proof System for online success. visit: http://www.superbsystem.com

Successful Website - Secrets

By Jerry Goldfarb

Does your business have a presence on the Internet? Is it doing well? Did you know that the most important factor effecting your business on the internet is your web site? No matter how good your product is, no matter how low your product is priced at, success on the internet depends wholly on your website. If the website is not professional looking, the chances of your
success are slim.

This article assumes that you are conversant with HTML and includes a few tips on designing a professional looking website.

* The home page should load in the browser in less than 8 seconds at 56.6 Kbps connection. The customer never waits, costing you precious business.

* Search Engines are the agents that bring traffic to your site; about 80% of web traffic comes through search engines today. To make your website friendly to search engines, make sure that proper META tags are included in each of the pages. Before you edit the site or make one, make sure that you understand how to optimize the website.

* Choose your backgrounds and colors carefully. Dark colors and interesting backgrounds take the focus away from the content. Maintain the color and background theme throughout the site.
Colors have an effect on the mood of the visitor. Choose carefully as per your requirements.

* Choose not to use animation on you site. Animation causes slow loading speed and also looks unprofessional.

* The home page should contain relevant information on what you are offering. If the visitor cannot find the product or service at the home page, you will lose him forever.

* Avoid using banners. If you need to use them, keep them limited to 1 per page.

* Always display contact information on every page of your website. Also keep the response times minimal, within 48 hours to promote better relationships.

* Make sure all links and images are working properly on the website. Check for grammar in the content. A professional website should not have mistakes in it and should contain a logo on each page. Make sure that a visitor can get from the start to the end of his destination within 4 clicks.

* The navigation should be simple and easy. Keep all navigation links together.

* Java and frames should be used sparingly, to speed up loading times and to ensure search engine friendliness.

* Finally before uploading, check the site loading different browsers. All browsers are not made equal.

* Keep your site up-to-date and change content every fortnight. The regular visitors should have a reason to come back.

For more information and tips, visit http://www.cobbwebdesign.com/.

About The Author:

Jerry Goldfarb

For more information and tips, visit http://www.cobbwebdesign.com/.

Where Are Your Articles Being Published?

By Bill Platt

There are a few article directory software programs in the marketplace. Some are great, some are good, and some stink to high heaven, for the writer and for the website owners.

In an ideal world, all article management software would be easy- to-use for the webmaster. Also in an ideal world, the submission process would be fast and easy for the writer. But, this is not an ideal world.

In today's article hungry marketplace, there are literally hundreds of websites where you can submit your articles.

Three Types of Article Directories

There are three kinds of article directories:

* Stand-Alone Directories of Articles Available for Reprint
* Stand-Alone Directories of Articles Available for Reading
* Article Directories Inside of a Website, with Articles Available for Reading

With these different kinds of directories, you will find different categories of webmasters. This distinction is more important than you think.

* Corporate Owners
* Independent Online Business Webmasters
* Hobbyist Webmasters

Personally, I own two article directories. One has nearly 2500 articles in it, and the other has nearly 5000 articles in it.

Both of mine are of the first type, Stand-Alone Directories of Articles Available for Reprint. But, I am not a corporate owner.
I am an independent online business webmaster.

The reason why the type of owner is important is that the type of owner will determine where your articles will be published today AND tomorrow.

Corporate owners have a bottomless supply of web server space available to them. In the corporate category, these directories are the most important:

* http://www.ezinearticles.com/

* http://www.goarticles.com/

* http://www.ideamarketers.com/

* http://www.uniterra.com/

Directory Owner Budgets

Most new article directory owners have a small budget for web hosting, and therefore, they have a limited amount of web server hard drive space.

Most of these new directory owners have jumped into their website with both feet hoping to cash in on their Google Adsense revenue.

After a few months, the truth will crash them into the wall.

On http://www.articles4reprint.com/, I have more than 4500 articles live. I have another 1000 articles pending my approval. Generally, it takes 30 seconds to approve one article. So, the
articles currently pending on this site will require an investment of another 8.5 hours to bring up-to-date. One day a couple of weeks back, I spent 19 straight hours approving articles on this site. I am not going to stop taking submissions to this article directory site, but it does require a lot of my time to maintain.

Perhaps I am exceptional. I will spend the hours required to approve articles, but will the next person?

I started this site with a basic account. I have had to upgrade my web hosting package three times to be able to continue accepting articles to the site. Will the next person make this kind of commitment?

The payoff for operating a website like this one is the Adsense revenue developed from hosting such a wide range of content on the website. In the case of the http://www.articles4reprint.com/
website, I am currently generating only $40 per month on my Adsense account. Will the next person consider this a fair trade of time for money? Likely not.

I Know This Is My Business, But Don't Take My Word For It

At various times, I submit articles to various directories. The distinction of "at various times" is actually important. Websites that were accepting direct submissions from me six months ago are no longer accepting submissions from anyone.

Writers want to believe that they can just crank out hundreds of articles, generating hundreds of links back to their websites. Sometimes they can, and at other times, they cannot.

It comes down to this. Every website where I submit articles has a human moderator at the other end of the transaction, and they have the right to choose what materials they will use and what materials they will not use. Each webmaster can also consider whether the time required for the approval process will help their bottom line.

These big article directories no longer accept articles from anyone. Also shown is the last date an article was added to the site.

* http://www.article-emporium.com/ - December 2005
* http://www.articletime.com/ - December 2005
* http://www.learnthis.info/ - August 2005
* http://www.family-content.com/ - May 2005
* http://www.certificate.net/wwio/ - April 2003

Many smaller directories have also stopped taking articles. In most cases, the websites show that they accept articles, but you never realize that they are not printing your articles until you
look or until you hit the Submit button on the Submission Form. Or, you can continue submitting to them, never realizing that you are wasting your time, until you go to search the website for your articles.

http://www.articlefinders.com/ says that they have a monster backlog and they are not taking new articles until they get caught up.

http://www.marketingtroll.co.uk/ seems to indicate that they are still accepting articles, but they have not published a new article since May of 2005.

Folks, I could go on forever. I could literally show you hundreds of directories that seem to be accepting articles, but they have not published any new articles in months or years.

Generally, Mailing Lists on the Major List Servers Deliver Better Results

Article distribution email groups on Yahoo and Google generally provide good results, but they fall into disuse almost as frequently as web article directories.

Here, I will show the subscriber count of the Article Distribution Group, the last time an article was published through the list, and the URL for the list.

1003 - September 2003 -

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ArticlePublisher/
560 - September 2001 -

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ArticlePublish
2002 - December 2000 -

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/articles_archives
752 - June 2005 -

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FreeWrites
474 - December 2000 -

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/The-Article-Depot
465 - August 2003 -

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WriteQualityContent

The following article distribution group is active, but there is no moderator to review your posts:

1390 - June 2005 -

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ReprintArticles-Paradise

(the only people who can submit to this list are those who were not moderated at the time the list owner disappeared.)

In Conclusion...

If you are distributing your own articles to a house list, check back from time to time to make sure that they are actually using your articles. Always verify your results. Don't waste your time
submitting articles to people who will not even look at your articles.

About The Author :

Bill Platt is the owner of http://thephantomwriters.com/link-builder.pl

Get Traffic Jams With Referral Links On Your Website

By Anton Cheranev

Are you running an Internet business and looking for a way to boost the traffic to your website? Would you like to increase your opt-in subscribers, get more referrals, quality leads and receive valuable feedback? Well you can, through the fastest growing marketing tool available - referral links. Referral links may cause traffic jams on your website, but in a good way. Internet businesses need website traffic in order to be successful. The more referral links to your website, the more visitors stop in to look around. The math is simple. Referral links plus visitors equal purchase and profits.

According to a recent online study, over 50% of Internet users have visited websites through referral links. Referral links can bring the best website traffic jams when the referral is coming from a reliable source and can mean a world of difference when it comes to converting a website visitor to a customer. The whole purpose to having referral links is to drive visitors to your website and encourage them to stay long enough to see what products or services you have to offer them.Then it is up to you to convert that visitor into a valued customer.

Most business owners greatly depend on their website to generate a substantial part of their income. Some website business owners depend on the success of their website to supplement their income while some depend on their website for their entire income, whether it is making direct sales or by generating leads to spread interest in your website's services or products. As with many website businesses, visitors are more likely to zip through your website without reading your site or making any purchases. This happens most often when the website has no eye-catching images or information. This is a common problem among website business owners and can be very frustrating. So, the million-dollar question is this - How do you turn your visitors into customers? The answer to this question can have a tremendous affect on the success of your business website.

Turning your website visitors into customers is a "Conversion." When someone visits your website and does not provide any realbenefit, such as making a purchase, inquiry, or subscribing toyour newsletter or any other effects that may become a sales lead. You must convert these visitors into customers by offering them exceptional deals or incentives. Simply put, you must make them an offer they cannot refuse. After all, you have invested a great deal of time and money into getting your website up and running. Now you must invest the time and effort into getting your target audience to visit your website and opt-in to receive future specials and updates. You must think of every visitor as being a potential customer, it's up to you to convert them, drive them in, and keep them coming back.

Website business owners often measure their success in terms of conversions, not just increased website traffic. Converting a visitor into a customer that makes a purchase of products or services will create a profit. Businesses need to create profits in order to survive or else there would be no business. More customers are more relevant to business websites than mere
visitors are, although visitors may eventually become a customer. Not only should you, as a website owner, focus on driving more people to your website, but also you need to focus on getting the right people in there. You need to find your target audience and go after them with everything you have. Lure them to your website by showing them that you have what they are looking for, what they need.

You want those potential customers who will likely become sales leads and create a profit so you can have a great Return on Investment (ROI) for all your money, time and effort you have
invested into creating your website. This is why providing referral links on your website is so important. As a business website owner, you need to generate your own traffic and promote your website business to the best of your ability. Although referral links may only account for a small portion of website traffic, they do have a big conversion rate and they are a very wise investment of your time.

About The Author:

Don't pay a dime for any ebook, marketing course or software program until you've read this
groundbreaking document... Get everything you need to make money online including over 30 time-saving, profit-producing, influence-expanding tools and software programs absolutely *FREE*... Check Out :
http://www.myinstanthomebusiness.com/dotcomology.html

How To Take The Pain Out Of Publishing Your Ezine

By Silvia Hartmann

99% of all ezines are not "being a reporter" on current events; that is the first and most important thing to understand.

This means that you don't have to be publishing your ezine one day before the "deadline" of when you've decided you'll be sending it out, and going into a great tizzy over the whole thing.

Most ezines are highly topical and related to a business, a market or futher products and services of one kind or the other, and their function is to keep customers in touch, as well as to convert interested parties into customers.

This gives you a constantly "rolling" audience of old hands and newbies, and an ebb and flow of subscribers and unsubscribers.

There are certain evergreen topics in any context that you can always write about, and write about over and over again, from many different angles, and it will always be interesting and well received.

This is the key to successful ezine publishing.

It's not so much about "news", but about enjoyable content - and that can be as old as the hills, including a 2000 year old quote from a Roman senator; if it is interesting to your target audience, it is applicable, and it can become an ezine article.

With that understood, the production of an ezine can change, and it can become far more manageable.

Tip 1: Prepare a number of issues in advance so you have at least 3-6 in hand and ready to go, all the time. That's what columnists do so they don't go mad and explode from the stress of constantly trying to beat deadlines.

Tip 2: An ezine does NOT need more than ONE GOOD ARTICLE, tip, suggestion etc. In this day and age, people do not sit around with email as though it was the Times Magazine. Too long and too much content, and they'll put it aside for later, and later never comes as you well know with your own email.

Tip 3: As you're the publisher, you can have a flexible schedule. Base your ezine on something manageable, weekly, bi-monthly, but be flexible within this to suit yourself and take things like public holidays, major events in your market like the SuperBowl or the Olympics into consideration.

Tip 4: You can have a "news space" in your ezine which you can fill with news, or leave blank and just send out the prepared column you have already waiting to go. You don't always have to
have some amazing news item in every newsletter, that's way too stressful (and probably even too much for your audience!)

Tip 5: Make it as easy for yourself as possible! Don't go mad over mail merging or complicated html formatting if it's a challenge - it isn't necessary. There are people having fantastically successful newslists and ezines who stalwardly send in plain text, without any bells and whistles, but the content is good and it's appreciated all around.

Tip 6: Remember your floating audience and go back to basics every third newsletter. Advanced subscribers never mind going over the basics again, and it's essential for the new subscribers. So this may be YOUR ezine No. 266, but how many people were even there for the first 100?

Tip 7: If you are planning to have a commercial newsletter that carries advertisements, include advertisements right from the start and as a matter of course. It is the easiest thing to add a short advertisement for a book on http://amazon.com/ with your own affiliate link in the "ad space section", even if you have only 3 subscribers at present. Then, it is there, and later, when you have 3 million subscribers, you can rent out a space that already exists without disturbing your recipients or changing the format.

Tip 8: On that topic, pick a format and stick with it. That makes it MUCH easier to prepare and send newsletters on a regular basis and takes the stress right out of it. Something like: Personal greeting - Advert - Article - News - Advert, for example. That way, you just need to fill in each one and that's easy. Customers also LIKE a format they can trust and it relieves THEIR stress, just the same.

To sum up: Make it easy for yourself with pre-prepared, ready to go, ready formatted ezines that just need a "season's greeting" or a short topical comment to make them right up to date. Have a number of them in hand so you can take a holiday when you want to; keep it short and sweet and stick to a simple formula.

That's what the professionals do and if you do the same, you'll find having a top quality, interesting email newsletter or ezine that goes out on time, a breeze.

(c) Silvia Hartmann 2006

About The Author:

Silvia Hartmann is the author of MindMillion
and the creator of the amazing 60 Second Wealth Booster series
to increase intelligence, reduce stress and exercise the
wealthy brain. You can take part for FREE at
http://MindMillion.com/60/

15 Tips To Drive Traffic To Your Blog

By David Riewe

There are many factors that make blogs much better than normal WebPages including the speed at which blogs are indexed, ability to submit to blog directories & normal directories, pings and track backs. All these little things can help drive more traffic to blogs. Here are 15 popular techniques you can use:

1.) Create at least four keyword posts per day. Most of the top blogs such as Boing Boing, Daily Kos, and Instapundit (with literally tens of thousands of visitors per day) publish an average of 30 small 100-150 word posts per day according to "Secrets of the A-list Bloggers: Lots of Short Posts" by http://TNL.net

2.) Submit to My Yahoo! When you submit your own RSS to My Yahoo it is indexed by Yahoo.

3.) Submit to Google's Reader. When you submit your own blog RSS to Google's Reader the Google Blog Search will index your site.

4.) Add a relevant link directory to your blog and trade links like a demon possessed! Although it may take more time than simply submitting to a search engine one time, this method is perhaps the best way to drive traffic to your site. Use software such as Zeus to speed up the link trading process.

5.) Use ping sites like ping-o-matic. Ping your site every time you add a new post.

6.) Submit your blog to traditional search engines such as AltaVista, and MSN.

7.) Submit your blog to traditional directories such as DMOZ. Directories (particularly DMOZ) increase relevance with Google. DMOZ is very picky, but what do you have to lose by trying?

8.) Submit to as many RSS Directories and Search Engines as possible. This is a simple but repetitive process that can be done with software such as RSS SUBMIT.

9.) Comment on other blogs. Do not just leave short, lazy comments like "I agree." Leave well thought out replies that will force readers to wonder "who wrote this?"

10.) Use track backs. If there is a blog that you refer to or quote and it is highly relevant to your subject, leave a track back. It increases your link popularity and may even score a few interested readers from the linked site.

11.) Go offline. Use newspaper ads, public bulletin boards, business cards, even stickers to let as many people as possible know your blog exists.

12.) Ad a link to your blog in your e-mail signature block.

13.) Use Groups (Usenet). Find a relevant group on Google groups, Yahoo groups, MSN groups or any of the thousands of other FREE group services and find like minded people and talk with them. Make sure your use your blog URL like it is your name.

14.) Use Forums. Forums are one of the best places to go for advice. Go to forums and find problems to solve. Make sure you leave your blog name, but be tactful about it; some forums get annoyed with those who selfishly drop a few links to their own site and leave.

15.) Tag your website. Tagging is a new idea that has erupted across the web. Sites like http://Del.icio.us, Technorati and many others have a social feature that allows you to place your article under keywords or "tags" that everyone interested in that tag can see.

Although these are some of the most popular ways to drive traffic to your blog, do not limit your self to tips and lists. Use your imagination and you will come up with thousands of ways to drive traffic to your blog!

About The Author:

David Riewe - Internet Marketer and Publisher
http://www.free-online-course.com

Convert Leads Into Customers, And Customers Into Super-customers!

By Kirsten Hawkins

A simple definition of marketing is "the getting and keeping of customers." To sell your product or service, you must have customers. To increase your revenues, you must have customers, and you must turn those customers into repeat super-customers.

The easiest way to do this, both on- and off-line, is through a content newsletter. There is no doubt that content sells. Useful content builds trust and credibility, and over time turns your
customer from a stranger to a friend.

An online newsletter is easy to begin--all you need is an autoresponder. I use Aweber for my newsletter (http://aweber.com/?203081). You can advertise your newsletter on your website, on forums, on your business card, in articles you write, on traffic exchanges, and in your email signature. If you faithfully do these marketing tasks, your email list will grow over time.

You must provide useful and informative content in your newsletter. If you want subscribers to read it and (eventually) buy from you, do not offer them junk. I define "junk" as opt-in spam. Don't fall into the habit of sending out advertisements veiled as "articles." Don't send only solo ads. Instead, research topics for your newsletter and write quality articles. Subscribers who are impressed with your newsletter will buy from you. But it will take time to build trust. Trust is not built through junk.

There are three phases to this process: 1) Get a lead; 2) Convert that lead into a customer; and 3) Convert that customer into a super-customer. Your newsletter will help you accomplish all three tasks.

If you sell or market a product or service, and you are driving traffic to your website, you typically have only one shot at capturing the interest of a prospect. If I go to your site and click away, I may never come back. You need some sort of follow-up system. A newsletter is the perfect vehicle for follow-up.

If you are sending targeted traffic to your site (any other type of traffic is a waste), visitors will be interested in the content of what you are offering. To keep their interest, and to keep your name in front of them, offer a f-re-e newsletter. Even a simple, once-a-month newsletter will do.

If they sign up, you then have a chance to build a relationship. This is done through your content. Many people don't buy something the first time they see it, but as they come to know you and your product through your newsletter, they become more willing to purchase. Over time, just by offering a newsletter, you can convert more leads into customers.

You turn those customers into super-customers also through your newsletter. If the product or service they bought from you was quality, you have built even more credibility with them. Perhaps now they will make repeat purchases, or join a membership site you offer, or even become an affiliate for your product or service.

But the key is to offer useful, informative content. If the premier issue of your newsletter is nothing but an ad similar to your site, you will lose that lead. Build relationships through high-quality content, and you will convert leads into paying customers into paying super-customers.

Remember - no list, no money.

About The Author:

Kirsten Hawkins is an online marketing specialist from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.pageranksite.com/ for more great online marketing tips and webmaster resources.

Internet Time Management

By Rene Graeber

The Internet is taking over man's normal way of living, so therefore when we consider time management, we must also consider the World Wide Web.

It used to be to manage time; we had to consider family, friends, work, and ourselves.

Now we have to consider emails, websites, advertising, marketing, and other key factors that are including in businesses today.

At one time in our lives, we went to work for eight hours and returned home.

Now we go to work and it is never determined what our workload will include.

Time management is critical for saving us from headaches, heartaches, and other types of pressures. When we manage our time accordingly, we seem to function well in society and at
home.

The flood of data that passes us each day via the Internet has changed the entire outlook of time management in the last few decades. When we go to work, we often have to sift through a pile of emails, sorting to find out which ones matter the most.

Sometimes we may stumble upon emails that surprises or interest us. This is not good!

Time management means to spend your time wisely, and if you are sitting around reading an interesting email, where is your time going?

The fact is most advertising are slicks that draw us into a world of fantasy. We often stare into the hands of something that lures us deeper into its web, and if we decide to act on the slick, we often find ourselves regretting the stupidity of acting.

Don't find yourself saying, "I regret this action." Rather find yourself saying, "Darn it was a wonderful day." Life is way too short to waste precious time. When you are drawn away by flaky advertisings, your time is consumed, and your job, family, friends, and you suffer.

Surfing the web is another source that can take our time and toss it out the door.

When we are surfing the web, many interesting topics may confront us. Or, sometimes we see pop-ups that distract us from our intentional goal. Pop-ups for the most part are consistent fakes that interest the human eye, in an effort to distract us from the real world.

The interesting topics on the Internet can benefit us in many ways, but if we are at work, our main focus should be work. Once we finish our job, and other tasks are not scheduled on our list, then we can browse the World Wide Net with freedom.

We can also consider the chat room. Some companies make available chat rooms for their employees. This is good if you are using the program for work, but many of us are caught up in
a game of cat and mouse. The chat rooms are so appealing at times, that it makes us want to stay on for hours.

Chatting is a source of communication, which is good, but ifthe time you are spending in the chat room is not making progress, what is your purpose?

To obtain sufficient time management, you need to avoid the areas that consume, and focus on the areas that make you zoom.

About The Author:

Do you want to get rid of your dreadful "time-wasting" habits and start doing things in an organized, efficient manner? Take a few minutes and I'll show you how to quickly and effectively get more done in a week than what most people can accomplish in a month! Just visit this FREE website at: http://www.time-management-tips-techniques.info

Improving Conversion Rates

By David Andrew Smith

You have optimised your website and attracted a large number of inbound links by one means or another. The results of this are that your site now appears on the first page of the top three
search engines, Google, MSN and Yahoo, for your chosen keywords or phrases. You have cracked it! Now you are getting hundreds of visitors a day to your website. Unfortunately very few are staying to browse your site and even fewer are purchasing your products or enquiring after the services you offer.

You must look closely at your site to find the reason behind this if you wish to improve your conversion rates. There are two immediate actions you can take. Have you optimised your site for the search engines or your visitors? You should always optimise your site for your visitors as they will provide you with your income not the search engines. The search engines are simply a means to an ends.

It is better to have twenty visitors to your site 15 of whom purchase a product or service than it is to have 500 of whom only 5 make a purchase. When developing your site keep in mind your potential customers and put text into the site that they will appreciate, like and find informative. Never write your copy with the search engines in mind and those omnipotent algorithms. Algorithms do not make enquiries or purchases people do.

If your copy is attractive and readable and encourages real people to contact you or buy a product then it is highly likely to be equally attractive to the search engines. When writing your copy you should not be trying to 'sell' your product or service with blatant over the top advertising. Be more subtle. You are fulfilling a wish or a need or solving a problem so be
informative. People have carried out a specific search so the need is already there you have to now give them the information they need to convince them to purchase of you. So as always the
content is the key to making sales as well as attracting the attention of the search engines.

You must work hard at getting this content right. The second line of investigation is to analyse your sites visitor statistics carefully Look at each visitor and how they arrived at your site. That is what search terms did they use? What page did they land on? What pages did they navigate through? What page did they exit on? What area of the World or country did they come from? If they made no enquiry or purchase, look at their search phrase, and where on your site they went, and attempt to calculate why they left without making that enquiry or purchase. Was it because their search was not appropriate for ypour actual product or service? Do you not perhaps provide your service to their particular area? Did they miss or could not find exactly what they wanted on your site because of badly designed navigation paths? Or is it perhaps because the text is simply not up to standard?

If you think it is a structural problem then you can alter this so that people find it easier to navigate to places on the site that they actually want. It may also be a matter of your content so you can change this.

By constantly monitoring your site's statistics you can dramatically increase your conversion rates, that is, convert more of your visitors into paying customers. Finally do keep note of what you do so that you can accurately monitor the changes you make to find out if and by how much they are making a difference.

About The Author:

David Andrew Smith runs a successful contract cleaning company http://www.wesparkle.co.uk for both commercial and domestic customers in the UK. He has devoloped and maintains the company's website.

Article Directory, Anyone?

By Gina Capatar

Yes, it's the hype of the century; everywhere you turn you'll see and hear of article directories sprouting like mushrooms. There's practically a new article directory site being introduced in the World Wide Web almost every second.

It is probably because of the usefulness of these kinds of sites to the general public, to the webmaster and to people/products needing exposure. An article directory has it all!

Talk about having free resource on almost any topic imaginable. Article directories hoard articles ranging from DIY's, Xbox launches, inspirational quotes, love and relationships advice, beauty tips, iPod's latest, personality quizzes, legal guidance, resource on divorce, gay and lesbian concerns and even on the extremes, issues concerning terrorism. It's like having a wiki of what everyone knows and thinks of.

The usefulness of article directories to the general public is outdone by its worth to a marketer. An article directory is a free and an inexpensive way for an internet marketer to promote his/her product or service by just writing helpful and useful articles and making use of the resource box to promote his/her goods. It can be done by any marketer in just a matter of hours or minutes for some. You don't have to be a whiz at writing, all you have to do is share what you know and that'll be effective enough. A word of caution though, don't waste your time writing Press Releases because your chance of reprint is 0-0.1%. Article directories don't like them and worst, readers of articles hate them.

What about the value of article directories to the people who own them, a.k.a the webmasters? Why are webmasters opting to shift from their usual projects to create an article directory?Simple! Article directories exemplify the best kind of website that Search Engines love the most. Article directories are teeming with fresh content everyday, and they are constantly updated. Not to mention, the keywords crammed into each article are simply divine especially when you are affiliated with Google Adsense. There is no other kind of website that can par with having an article directory.

I have seen and watched the ever increasing popularity of article directories; there was a time when there were just about 20 or 30 article directories found on the internet. Before, only a few took the time to diligently pursue the creation of these directories and only a few were brave enough to pay for hosting and domain services just to become repositories of what people have written about. They were among the first to recognize the benefits and advantages of having an article directory.

Among the first article directories were:

Ezinearticles.com
iSnare.com
GoArticles.com
ArticleCity.com

By now, most likely, they are handling hundreds or thousands of articles submitted everyday and reaping the rewards of being the firsts in the most promising field of article directories.

With all these and probably more, I'll say, "Article Directories, anyone?"

About The Author:

Gina Marie Capatar owns an article directory site containing articles for women http://allwomencentral.com. She has also been a part of http://www.isnare.com where she got ideas to build her own article directory.

4 Ways To Generate A Stampede Of Traffic To Your Website

By Jeff Smith

Whether building or growing your online business, you need 3 basic elements to succeed: something to sell, copy that sells it and traffic generation to drive visitors that will buy.

Weakness in any one of these areas can very severely impact your results frustrating you beyond belief.

These 3 building blocks may not be new for you, but I bet that you have tended to think about them as islands, each of which you must master in order to achieve online business success?

ONLINE BUSINESS SUCCESS ECOSYSTEM

Suppose you have spent thousands having a bang-on sales letter written for your business, and you are able to draw some significant traffic to your site.

You'll sell products won't you?

Of course, however, what happens if your product (or the product you are selling) is not of high quality or is not significantly percieved as offering value?

First, you will get many returns resulting in lower profits, additional service fees, additional support costs and possibly losing your ability to take payment online.

Second, a bad sale, even if not returned, will not gain you additional word-of-mouth sales. In a niche market, this means you will certainly miss out on capturing your market. In a mass market, this means you have significantly hurt your chances for successful press, reviews, interviews and low or no cost advertising opportunities.

Third, you hurt your reputation for all other business you want to capture within your market. High equity business build customer value over time by continuing to market additional products and services - typically higher-end over time. By releasing a less than stellar product, you stop your progress dead in its tracks.

So, as you can see, marketing strong, in-demand and differentiated products IS critical to your overall marketing campaign.

To truly move into advanced traffic generation territory, we have to think about techniques that will consistently build momentum and traffic month after month, rather than one-time traffic spikes that cannot be sustained.

This is important background to these 4 leading traffic generation techniques.

GENERATING A STAMPEDE OF TRAFFIC TO YOUR WEBSITE

1. Writing Content

There is no better way to virally spread your thoughts, brand, products and services to a wide audience than developing content. Writing articles, audios, podcasts, blogs, ezines, special reports, rebrandable products, content-rich web pages, are just some of the opportunities that will both bring in new traffic as well as build relationships with your market resulting in more sales and higher value in long-run.

2. Affiliate Program

When I launched my online business back in 2000 little did I realize that within 1-year, over 75% of my traffic and more than 50% of my sales would be generated through affiliates and joint venture partners. Now with over 1,000 affiliates generating consistent, targeted traffic,
my business largely operates in a completely automated fashion. I could literally disappear off the face of the earth for the next 6-months and still see very little impact on sales. Obviously, to build an affiliate army, you must own the rights to your own products.

3. Develop Your Own Quality Unique Products

What does product creation have to do with generating traffic? Actually, quite allot. Even if you plan a business model around selling someone else's products, wholesale selling, or advertising revenue, creating your own product is a MAJOR traffic building technique. Creating high-demand products will build your brand, gain you lots of no cost publicity, attract partners and joint venture your way, build word-of-mouth marketing, open up many new channels to generate traffic (Try Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and eBay to start) and can act as a leveraged stream of income for your business

4. Take Your Message To The Street.

Generating a stampede of traffic often rests on your ability to convince the market that you are someone that needs to be checked out and followed. So, focus on building your visibility through Press releases, joint ventures, keynote speaking opportunities, local presentations, teleseminars, seminars, courses, workshops, bootcamps, book reviews, trade shows, podcasts, radio shows and more...

While these are certainly ADVANCED techniques for generating a traffic stampede to your web business, they are not difficult, require no special skills and well within the reach of anyone looking to break out with their web business this year.

About the Author:

Discover how to create your own best-selling eBooks, Special reports or books to sell online ...AND keep 100% of the profits. Limited time complimentary access to 7-Part Minicourse will get you started quickly and easily. Visit: http://www.highertrustmarketing.com/

How To Use Web Directories To Boost Traffic To Your Site

By Robert Burko

You just got your website online. Everything is setup and you're ready to go. Excitement is high and the time has come to open your virtual doors to the millions and millions of Internet users around the globe. You put out the cyber welcome mat and declare your site ready for action. But, instead of sitting and watching the users trample over one another to get to your site, you see little to no traffic.

Don't worry! This is something every webmaster goes through and is to be expected. (Well, webmasters in the late 90's expected to launch their site and be millionaires the next morning, but times have changed since those wonderful days!)

But there are some quick and easy things you can do to begin building your 'link network,' which will ultimately help drive traffic to your site. Since the Internet's conception, the notion has been that sites link to one another, while web surfers click from place to place. Thus, the challenge begins: Get your site linked to as many others as possible.

You can start contacting other websites offering to trade links (but be prepared to invest a lot of time); you can buy links (but be prepared to fork out some cash); you can join link-trading programs (but be prepared to get a lot of irrelevant sites linking to you); or you can start submitting your website to web directories.

What Is A Web Directory?
A web directory is a compilation of sites organized by category or topic. Most web directories have multiple levels of categories, progressing from general to highly specific. In addition, a web directory editor will likely have to approve your site, lending it at a certain degree of credibility. Being listed in a directory ensures that if a web surfer finds their way into a specific category, they don't just see your competitors, they see you! And, if they can see your link, they can click it, producing traffic to your site.

A Web Directory Listing Helps with SEO
If you have a website, you undoubtedly know the importance of ranking well in Google and other major search engines. These search engines count links from other sites as votes for your
site, which helps determine your ranking, or position in the search results. There are a lot of other parts of the algorithm and this brief explanation doesn't do it justice. However, it serves the point that links improve your ranking, and that's something every website owner needs to know.

A link in a directory that is spidered by Google (and a lot are) will count as a vote for your site. This improves your ranking, and yet again helps drive traffic to your site. It's important to note that not all directories help with SEO. Sometimes, a web directory will link to your site through a special URL that is often a programming CGI script. If the URL is not a direct link to your site, then the search engines don't count it as a vote. Therefore, it's best to pick directories that offer a direct one-way link to your site. (This way, you get more bang for your buck: traffic from the directory and improved search engine ranking.)

Relevancy Matters
If you trade links with random sites, then you are theoretically building your 'link network,' but you are sacrificing the quality of that network. Web searchers who are looking for information on a particular topic often use resources that link to a variety of sites related to what they seek. This makes web directories the perfect destination.

Since directories are categorized by topics, a person can arrive in the directory and have one-click access to a variety of resources. You definitely want to be one of those resources! Plus, when the other search engines pick up your link, it will count for more since it is surrounded by relevant content, which is most likely filled with your important keywords.

As you build your link network, you'll continue to see increased traffic. And if you use web directories as your vehicle, you are essentially paving more paths to your site. Several good submissions in popular directories will help get you rolling. The best part is that many directories are free, so this jump start won't even hurt your bottom line.

Good luck and happy submitting!

About The Author:

Robert Burko is president and founder of Eliteweb.cc (http://www.eliteweb.cc), an Internet portal featuring a best-of-the-web search engine and a comprehensive search-engine-friendly web directory (http://www.eliteweb.cc/directory/).

What Does Your Website Say About Your Business?

By Tim Knox

Q: My business is very small, just me and two employees, and our product really can't be sold online. Do I really need a website?
-- Robin C.

A: Congratulations, Robin, you are the one millionth person to ask me that question. Smile for the cameras, brush the streamers and confetti from your hair and listen closely, because I'm about to answer for the millionth time what has become one of the most important and often-asked questions of the digital business age.

Before I answer, however, let's flash back to the very first time I was asked this question. It was circa 1998, during the toddler years of the Internet, just after Al Gore laid claim to having given birth to the concept a few short years before.

I was giving a speech on the impact of the Internet on small business at an association luncheon in Montgomery, Alabama. My motto then was: Feed me and I will speak. I have the same motto today, but I now expect dessert to be included in exchange for the sharing of my vast wisdom.

In 1998, which was decades ago in Internet years, the future of electronic commerce or "ecommerce" as it's come to be known, was anybody's guess, but even the most negative futurists agreed that all the signs indicated that a large portion of future business revenues would be derived from online transactions, or from offline transactions that were the result of online marketing efforts.

So, Robin, should your business have a website, even if your business is small and sells products or services that you don't think can be sold online? My answer in 1998 is the same as my answer today: Yes, if you have a business, you should have a website. Period. No question. Without a doubt. Thank you, drive through.

Now serving customer number one million and one.

Also, don't be so quick to dismiss your product as one that can't be sold online. Nowadays there is very little that can not be sold over the Internet. More than 20 million shoppers are now online, purchasing everything from books to computers to cars to real estate to jet airplanes to natural gas to you name it. If you can imagine it, someone will figure out how to sell it online.

Internet marketing research firms predict that online revenues will range between $180 and $200 billion dollars in 2003. They also predict that the number of online consumers will grow at a rate of 30-50% over the next few years. These numbers alone should be enough to convince you that your business should have a website.

Let me clarify one point: I am not saying that you should put all your efforts into selling your wares over the Internet, though if your product lends itself to easy online sales, you certainly should be considering it.

The point to be made here is that you should at the very least have a presence on the World Wide Web so that customers, potential employees, business partners, and perhaps even investors can quickly and easily find out more about your business and the products or services you have to offer.

That said, it's not enough that you just have a website. You must have a professional looking website if you want to be taken seriously. Since many consumers now search for information online prior to making a purchase at a brick and mortar store, your website may be the first chance you have at making a good impression on a potential buyer. If your website looks like it was designed by a barrel of colorblind monkeys, your chance at making a good first impression will be lost.

One of the great things about the Internet is that it has leveled the playing field when it comes to competing with the big boys. As mentioned, you have one shot at making a good first impression and with a well-designed website, your little operation can project the image and professionalism of a much larger company. The inverse is also true. I've seen many big company websites that were so badly designed and hard to navigate that they completely lacked professionalism and credibility. Good for you, too bad for them.

You also mention that yours is a small operation, but when it comes to benefiting from a website, size does not matter. I don't care if you are a one-man show or a ten thousand employee corporate giant; if you do not have a website you are losing business to other companies that do. Here's the exception to my rule: It's actually better to have no website at all than to have one that makes your business look bad.

Your website speaks volumes about your business. It either says, "Hey, look, we take our business so seriously that we have created this wonderful website for our customers!" or it
says, "Hey, look, I let my ten-year old nephew design my site! Good luck finding anything!"

What does your website say about your business?

Here's to your success.

About The Author:

Tim Knox Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker
http://www.prosperityandprofit.com
http://www.dropshipwholesale.net http://www.smallbusinessqa.com
http://www.timknox.com

Combing The Power Of Google Adsense And Email Marketing

By Scott Patterson

In the past year, Google Adsense has become the "It" way to make money on the Internet.

But even if you already use Google Adsense on your site, you are probably leaving money on the table. Let me explain why.

Most people create a site, slap some content and then wait for people to click on their ads.

But once people click on an ad, they are gone..probably forever!

One method that smart Internet marketers use to maximize their Google Adsense is to harness the power of their email list. By getting people to subscribe to their list, website owners can continue to make money from their readers.

By utilizing the power of their email list, website owners can dramatically increase their Adsense income.

Here is how you can do the same. In the following article, there is a step-by-step list of how you can harness the power of your list to create a steady stream of Adsense revenue.

The first step is to create a topic that is in high demand. A good topic would be something that people have an interest in, or information that can help your readers personally or financially.

Your next action would be to create content for your site. The idea is to write or use information that would provide value to the reader. All your articles should help improve their life in some manner. You can create content for your site in a large numbers of ways. This can include:

· Your own web articles
· Guides, product evaluations, and "How To's"
· Blogs and RSS Feeds
· Public domain works
· Private label rights
· Hiring a freelancer to write your content

Obviously creating content for your site is an ongoing process, so once you've created at least 10 pages of quality information for your readers, you should create your web pages and optimize them for Google Adsense.

As you are designing your pages for Adsense, you should keep one thing in mind- Your primary goal is to get people to click on your Adsense ads.

So don't give your readers too many options. As a result, it is important to keep your web page simple. To do this, you should include do the following:

. Place the article on the web page
· Ad all three Adsense blocks in prominent places
· Make sure that the ad blocks look like standard text, with the no borders and blue links
· If you have to have other links on this page, include them at the bottom where there is a less chance of being clicked on

After designing your web pages, you need to create an autoresponder sequence for your email list. The primary focus for each email is to get people to click on your Google Adsense pages. So it is important to create and intriguing title. Then in the email, write a little bit about the importance of the article and tell your subscribers how they can learn more by clicking over to the site.

Once you've created your sequence of bringing readers to your Adsense pages, you should start promoting your lists. You can do this by articles, PPC, ebooks, viral marketing and SEO. The more people usually means more money, so you have to continuously work at marketing your website.

Once you have finished creating your Adsense and email system, you should go back and continue to add more content and market your site. By having a large selection of information and more readers, you'll discover that your Google Adsense income will grow exponentially.

About The Author:

Scott J. Patterson is a self proclaimed Dunce, yet in a recent month he earned $12,124 from an online businesses. To find out how YOU can do the same, grab his free ebook- A Secret Guide to Online Businesses http://www.dunce-money.com/adsense-email

How To Have Your Own Online Business

By Andrew Smith

So you've decided to have an online business. Before you start having those big cash flow dreams, stop and get some tips for having an online business. There are many internet information resources for doing this sort of thing. However, the basic tips for an online business are very close to those of a traditional business. Here are some basics:

• Write a business plan and revise that plan periodically. Your business plan should be thought of as a living document. As with any business, you will initially find out what works and what does not work and will have to change your plan accordingly.
• Be very careful about buying webspace and pre-packaged website templates for your business (the "we will build your website" people). You'll find that down the road it will be difficult to change the site plus get source code to it. You are better off outsourcing the web design with a freelancer and purchasing your own domain and installing the site yourself.
• Make sure you follow all security measures when running a site that accepts credit cards for purchases.
• If you expect to receive a lot of phone calls, you may want to consider hiring an answering service.
• Run your online business like a business. You will need to discipline yourself with working hours to take care of all offsite matters because you will have them. A lot of people make the mistake of treating their internet business merely as a website, which can be very detrimental because running an online business requires an approach that you would have with an offline business.
• Your marketing plan needs to include search engine optimization (SEO). This is important because you want your site to rank in the top 10 of search engine query results. You would be wise to study SEO techniques or hire the services of a SEO consultant.
• Some other marketing ideas include posting your web address on the back windshield of your vehicle or coordinating with other websites to include a backlink to your site. Word of mouth is always one of the best tools for advertising your site. With the advent of Google Adword, Overture and other similar advertising, it is possible to drive targeted traffic to your site by finding keywords that have very low bids. You will be able to measure your conversion ratio of such traffic with sales in realtime.

Customer service is even more critical as customers do not "see" you and building trust with them is a little harder. Performance builds trust.

About The Author:

Andrew Smith is a co-owner of HowToAll, a site providing how-to instructions on a numerous topics. http://www.howtoall.com

Grow An Affiliate Biz

By Kirsten Hawkins

The biggest failure in affiliate marketing is not collecting prospects' email addresses. If you only send your prospects to your affiliate website, you are promoting someone else's business, not your own. Your goal should be not to sell affiliate products, but to grow your own business.

Here is how you build an affiliate business.

1. Use a lead-capture page.

Get your own website and build a home page. Don't write a sales letter for your affiliate product. Instead, write an email course focusing on the strongest benefits of your product. Highlight these benefits in a short sales letter that is designed for one thing only-to get people to subscribe to your course. Then, in your course, promote your affiliate product. The value in this method is that you are actually building a direct marketing business and gaining your own customers.

2. Build your own list.

Spend your time, effort, and money driving targeted traffic to your website. The more visitors you get, the more subscribers you get, and hopefully the more money you make. You can never underestimate the long-term value in having your own customer list. Keep building it. Spend at least 65% of your time in building your list.

3. Reinvest in your business.

When you make a sale, congratulate yourself! Take some of the profits and spend them on yourself. Take your spouse to dinner, go to a movie, or buy another internet marketing ebook! But your goal should be to grow your business. You should take at least 60% of your profits and reinvest them back into your business. How? By buying more ezine ads, adding another pay-per-click campaign, or using some other kind of advertising. Perhaps you could buy an ebook with reprint rights instead of marketing affiliate products-that way you keep all of the profits.

4. Keep marketing to your list.

You should always be on the lookout for new products to promote. Whenever you find one, write another email series, add it to your autoresponder, and keep promoting to your list. Focus on adding at least one new product and series to your autoresponder every month. Some will get tired of the information you send and unsubscribe, but if you are focused on building your list you will always have many more subscribers for each unsubscribe you receive.

If you follow these steps, your affiliate business will grow into a very profitable direct marketing business.

About The Author:

Kirsten Hawkins is an online marketing specialist from Nashville, TN. Visit
http://www.pageranksite.com/ for more great online marketing tips and webmaster resources.

Affiliate Tip - Create A Newsletter

By Nell Taliercio

The average person has to be exposed to a product seven times before he makes a decision to buy. What does that mean to you as an affiliate marketer? You need to be able to get the product you are offering in front of your visitors repeatedly. One of the best ways to do this is by getting the visitors of your website to sign up for a newsletter.

By capturing their email address and getting them on your newsletter list, you can keep bringing them back to your site. You will also be able to repeat your offer several times in your newsletter, and if you can't get them to buy the first product, you move on to something else. Sooner or later they will start buying and you will get your commission from the sale.

A newsletter is also a great relationship-building tool. Think about it, who are you more likely to buy from? A complete stranger or someone that has already provided you with great content on the subject you are interested in. You'd probably buy from someone that has given you great information already.

The same goes for your visitors. To turn them into customers, allow them to get to know you, show them that you know what you are doing and provide them with good content in your newsletter. Then offer them your affiliate product.

The biggest mistake I see new affiliate marketers make when it comes to newsletters, is to try to use their personal email client (like Microsoft Outlook) to run a newsletter. It is very time consuming to manually add and remove subscribers from your list. You also run the risk of being shut down by your webhost if you send to many emails at once.

I recommend you use an autoreponder service like aweber right from the start. You will be able to create signup forms for your website. Adding and removing of subscribers is done automatically, and you can schedule messages to go out at a certain date and time.

You can use the actual autoresponder feature to your advantage by creating a series of newsletters that are not time sensitive. Each new subscriber will receive the newsletter editions you have written in sequence starting with message 1. All you have to do is add a new message each week, or month. Of course you can also send time sensitive messages - like a holiday promotion - to your entire list right away.

To encourage visitors to your site to subscribe to the newsletter, add a signup form on each page of your site. It also helps to offer them something free for subscribing. Create a report, or even an ebook related to the topic of your newsletter and use the autoreponder feature to automatically send it to them when they sign up.

Try to stay in touch with your subscriber list at least once per month; preferably twice per month or even weekly. You could see the first sales coming in within a few weeks. I encourage
you to give it a try. Newsletters are one of the most powerful affiliate tools and they are easy to implement.

About The Author:

For more information about newsletters go to http://www.mommysplace.net and for more information about affiliate marketing go to http://www.nellnews.com

Five Common Myths About Search Engine Submission

By Donald Nelson

Search engine submission is a matter that often mystifies those who are new to the Internet. It is natural to scratch your head and wonder how you will get your website listed on the major
search engines. If you ask someone how to go about getting your site listed you are likely to hear many misconceptions about search engine submission. You may even be taken for a ride and end up needlessly parting with some hard earned cash. So, before this happens to you let's examine some of the most common myths surrounding search engine submission.

1. Search engine submission is a very important matter

It would indeed seem that you submitting your site to the search engines is of utmost importance. After all, if your site is not in the search engines then how will anybody find you?
Sure, you have to be included in the search engines but that doesn't necessarily mean that you will have to actively "submit" your site. This is because search engines use their "spiders", or robotic search programs to scour the Internet looking for new pages. If another site, that is already included in the search engines, links to yours, then when a search engine spider visits that site, it will follow the link to your site and gather your information.

So, if you are building a new site make sure that you get some links to your sites from already established sites. Ask your webmaster, your friends, other organizations and complementary
sites for links. This will be enough to get you listed in the major search engines. You may still want to submit your site to make sure, but consider the other points before you go ahead

2. There are thousands of search engines that you should be listed in

"Get listed in 300,000 search engines" read the headlines for some submission advertisements. If you look at the traffic logs of most websites you will see that the lion's share of traffic comes from a handful of search locations, such as Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask Jeeves. There just aren't thousands of search sites on the Internet. So, don't pay money to be listed on these sites. Oftentimes, the sites referred to in these advertisements are seldom-visited free-for-all links pages. If you get listed on such a page you will not get much traffic, but you will get a lot of spam.

Concentrate on the major search engines and don't worry about the non-existent phantoms referred to in the advertisements.

3. Monthly submission to search engines is a must

In the early days of the Internet, the companies that handled search engine submission warned the public that sites can be easily lost from search engine indexes and that to prevent this from happening it is important to resubmit your site every months. They also said that this was a good way to let search engines know about new additions to your pages.

It is not very likely that your site will disappear from a search engine for no reason at all. If your site is "down" for a considerable amount of time then it might be possible for your site to be dropped from the listings, but otherwise this rarely happens.

Also, you don't have to resubmit your site to notify search engines about changes to your page or pages. The spiders of search engines regularly revisit pages that are already in the index. You can in fact create a "robots" meta tag and give instructions such as "revisit every 15 days" and this will accomplish the job better than a resubmission.

4. Automatic submissions are useless and you must submit manually

There is often a hot debate about whether manual submissions are better than automatic submissions. For Yahoo, MSN and Google it is now better to do it with a manual submission because all of these engines require you to fill in a code word that is displayed on the screen. These search engines instituted this procedure to block out automated spam submissions. So, for the giants of search, manual submission is the way to go.

What about the secondary sites? There are smaller search engines and directories. Some of them can be useful to you, especially if they represent a particular geographic area or business niche that you are aiming for. If the list of these secondary engines and directories becomes too large, then you may want to consider automated submission. There are some programs that do this or you can find submission services that are free or inexpensive, which brings us to the last myth.

5. You should be prepared to spend a lot of money to get proper submission

If you look at the first point you will see that you probably don't have to do any submission at all to get your site listed in Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask Jeeves. These are the search engines that will provide you with 90% of your visitors. So, do you really want to spend a good amount of money to reach the last 5 or 10 per cent of your possible visitors? Look around for a free or inexpensive service to take care of the secondary search engines, and if there are smaller search engines that are very important to your business, then visit them yourself and submit your listing. Save your money for other important tasks.

About The Author:

Donald Nelson is a web developer, editor and social worker. He is the director of A1 Optimization http://www.a1-optimization.com a firm providing low cost search engine optimization, submission and web promotion services. He is the principal editor at the A1-Article Directory, http://www.a1-articledirectory.com

Optimising Your Framed Site For Search Engines

By Craig Broadbent

One method that web designers can use to design and structure a website is to use frames. However, if your web site utilises frames then you could have major problems getting indexed in the search engines. Although site design using frames has become less prominent with the rise in popularity of CSS, there are still sites out there utilising framesets. But there are ways to sidestep the problem.

In the past, frames were considered a great way for site designers to quickly and easily display content whilst maintaining a structure throughout the site (e.g. by having a title, or navigation bar). They allow more than one HTML document to be shown on a page by displaying each one within its own "frame", which are defined by the "frameset" HTML tag. This tag defines which pages to show and the size and position of the frame it should appear in. Although this sounds great in theory, it creates problems with both navigation (and therefore search engine indexing) and usability.

As web usability expert Jakob Nielsen has documented on his site, http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9612.html, there are several usability issues associated with frames:

They can be disorientating to users - if they click within one frame and this affects another frame it can make navigation confusing.

The address bar doesn't change as the user navigates between pages, because the pages load inside the frameset. Again, this can confuse and disorient users.

The loading time increases because there is more than one page to load. If the site takes too long to load then visitors are going to go elsewhere instead.

If a user bookmarks a page within the site, they will be sent to the default frameset when they revisit rather than the bookmarked page.

On top of this, there are also issues with search engines finding and indexing all of a framed site's pages. The most fundamental problem is that search engines find and index pages by following HTML links in a document, and because framesets reference a page rather than linking to it, the pages within the framed site cannot be reached. Ultimately, this means that
no matter how large a site is there's a possibility that only the frameset page will be indexed.

There is a way round this problem. You can place a "noframes" tag in the body of your frameset page to provide alternative content that will be displayed if the browser is not frames compatible. Fortunately, search engines can also read this tag, so if you include normal links within this tag the search engines can spider them like a normal site. Visit
http://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_noframes.asp for more information on the noframes tag.

So now the search engines can find your pages, but what happens when your visitors find them?

Because the frameset dictates which pages should be loaded, if an internal page is accessed directly through a search engine then it will be loaded outside the context of the frameset. This means that the page will be viewed on its own without any of the intended accompanying pages specified by the frameset, such as a navigation bar. This type of page is known as an "orphan" page. They are confusing for visitors because once they find the page they may not be able to navigate the site, meaning you may end up losing the visitor, or worse, a customer.

Again, there is a way around this issue. You can use JavaScript to force the page into its framed context, and although this causes problems with JavaScript incompatible browsers it does neatly avoid the orphaned page issue. There is a great tutorial available at
http://www.webreference.com/js/column36/forcing.html showing how this is done.

There are alternatives to frames that allow for similar functionality, the most popular would be to position elements on a page using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), or if you are designing a dynamic site then utilising Server Side Includes (SSI) would be a good option. Although the above shows how to avoid the complications caused by frames, for the various stated reasons it would be better to avoid them altogether.

About The Author:

Craig Broadbent is Search Engine Optimisation Executive for UK-based internet marketing company, WebEvents Ltd. WebEvents offers a range of ROI focussed internet marketing solutions http://www.webeventseurope.com.

How is Yahoo using your RSS feed?

By Robert Fuess

The format for the site submission has changed in the free Yahoo web submissions http://submit.search.yahoo.com/free/request . At first it allowed you to submit your site to it using the free submission form. This was normally the home page, and you would hope that their spider would crawl the rest of your website from there. Some webmasters have found this inadequate and have submitted other pages that Yahoo failed to notice otherwise.

More recently Yahoo allowed you to put in a text document with a list of URL's to simplify the submission process.

A few weeks ago I noticed that Yahoo also allows RSS feeds of your website, Atom feeds, or a text listing of urls in this submission form. What does this mean? What will Yahoo do with the links in the RSS feed?

The text list of URL's was obviously an effort to simplify the process for Yahoo to find all the pages in a website, as their documentation describes. But the RSS? Will they just add this to their database of RSS feeds for RSS searches, or will they follow the links with their spider to evaluate all the pages listed?

I have been working with Google Sitemaps since they came out. (Google uses their XML-formatted Google Sitemaps to help discover all the pages in a website, as well as to evaluate what pages have changed recently.) I am wondering if this is Yahoo's response to the Google Site Maps. Does anyone know? http://www.spiderweblogic.com/GoogleSitemap.aspx

If I was them, then I would use RSS feeds to evaluate changes in the website. This has more information than the list of URL's, since it also has descriptions and date changed. They have all the right information. If this is the case, it would be advisable for webmasters to have a RSS feed for their whole site to submit. That way Yahoo could just check the feed and know what pages to re-crawl, or what pages have been added.

It could be just as possible that this is just a field for us to submit RSS feeds, in addition to the other pages in your website. If this is the case, then we may need to submit both the feed and the home page of the website.

For myself, unless I find out differently, I am going to submit both. I intend on having a Google Sitemap and a RSS feed on all my future websites. I think it is safest to help out the search engines in any way possible. If they want information on what files have changed, I want to be proactive in giving it to them.

In addition, for those who have the coding experties, it is advisable to automate pinging Yahoo when your RSS feed changes. This is a standard blogging technique.

If you use movable type, the following article will help you configure your Yahoo to be automatically notified of a change in your RSS feed: http://jeremy.zawodny.com/blog/archives/001490.html .

There is an alternate way, for those who don't have movable type or standard blogs. Lets say you want Yahoo to know about the RSS feed you built for http://www.yourdomainurl.com and have the RSS file, myRss.xml. You could automate (or even have a web shortcut for) the following HTTP request:
http://api.my.yahoo.com/rss/ping?u=http://www.yourdomainurl.com/myRss.xml

For more information, see the official Yahoo documention on RSS here: http://publisher.yahoo.com/rssguide

About the Author:

Robert Fuess is a veteran website designer who specializes
in making dynamic search engine optimized websites.
http://www.SpiderwebLogic.com http://www.SchoolAndTeacher.com

Online Directories: The Real Direction Of The Internet

By Adrian Lawrence

Back in the early days of the Internet, there were only human-edited directories. These were found primarily in specialized browsers like the Archie or Veronica systems. Later, Yahoo! used the same basic idea to create a descriptive listing of websites. This was the birth of the first major online directory for the public World Wide Web.

Online directories have been around since the first days of the Internet, and without them and search engines we'd have no simple way of navigating through the sites. Today, there are thousands of directories online, which can make it very confusing to determine which are giving you the best quality information.

In fact, many online directories are no better than junk. Unfortunately, with Google's AdSense program, it has become very profitable in some cases to put together a directory just so you can run ads on it. These sites are automated and certainly no better than you might think.

The best directories are the ones edited by dedicated humans, not dedicated servers. That's because a human being knows what you really need to know, while a computer doesn't care. Examples of these are Yahoo!, which has a search engine component, but still maintains its directory content; and Dmoz, an open directory run by volunteers that also has pretty good
quality content. These directories, and the many quality paid directories that exist, will be around for a very long time.

Search Engines or Directories: What's The Difference?

To understand why directories may be the future of online searching, you should understand the difference between a search engine and a directory.

Search engines catalogue the full text of a web site. This text is stored in a database and made fully searchable. The nformation appearing next to a link is dependent upon the metatag information in the web page, or upon the section of the text where the search term first appears. There is no human intervention, and no guarantee of quality.

A directory is quite different. Human editors place each site in the directory. They've gone out and examined the sites in question, put data together to clarify what the site's really
about, and ranked it more fairly than a search engine could. And the new generation of directories includes wiki technologies and content that helps define a topic as well as show you where to go for further information.

What About Wikis?

Wikis are community-edited informational sites, and they're showing up all over the place. The first was Wikipedia, recently known for an act of vandalism that made up one person's background. This incident was heavily covered in the media, and may have coloured the opinions of many people. However, this incident was atypical of wikis. Nature magazine
and other science editors recently did a quick review of Wikipedia's science content, and determined that it was at least as accurate and up to date as the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Wikis are proving themselves to be both valuable and accurate. They are also a great place to go for directory-style and in-text links to sites to deepen your information. Pretty soon, a wiki is going to be a natural place to go to search for information on just about anything.

Paid Versus Unpaid Directories

There are both paid and unpaid directories as well. Some of these directories are basically clones of Dmoz and other popular directory sites; this means the owner licensed with the directory to duplicate it, and then sold advertising on it. The site owner gets directory content with little or no work on his part, as well as the advertising revenue.

Not all unpaid directories are like that, of course, but you do get what you pay for. A paid directory is both original and human edited. It can also afford to pay for extras like advertising and marketing, ensuring the directory is known by the public. Paid directories can also employ SEO experts who can work toward raising the search engine rating of the site, and traffic experts who can monitor and increase the traffic to the website.

In the long run, listing with all the unpaid directories is okay, but listing with paid directories gives you an edge. And in today's marketplace, you need every edge you can get.

About The Author:

Adrian Lawrence is the webmaster of Indexplex a leading web directory http://www.indexplex.com . Please feel free to republish this article provided this resource box remains together with a working hyperlink.

How To Build An Adsense Empire Using Private Label Right Articles

By Stephanie Hetu

Private label right articles are hot at the moment. Why? And how they can help you increase your Adsense revenues?

PLR articles are sold as content you can call your own. This usually mean you can rework it, you can repackage it into an ebook and sell it, you can use it as is on your site and sign as if you wrote it yourself, etc. The only thing you can't do is to submit it to various article directories for backlinks. Overall, PLR articles great for webmasters because they can save a whole lot of money with them!

Think about this for a moment: ONE good article can cost you anywhere from 10$ to 20$. If you are an Adsense junkie like I am, you probably create a few new Adsense websites each month, and you pay big bucks for fresh optimized content that will bring you in decent Adsense revenues. So, a few dozens articles each month can easily cost you 500 to 1000$!

By using PLR articles instead, you can pay a fraction of the price and get tons of content for new sites.

There is a trick though. If you just take PLR content and publish it AS IS, you will not be able to get good rankings in the search engines for it. But, if you modify them just a bit, you can get fresh content for pennies.

Now, how do you use it to create a little Adsense Empire? Here are a few steps to follow:

1. Find a profitable Adsense niche.

2. Select the highest paying keywords in the niche you found.

3. Select the best SEO keywords in this niche (the easiest words you can get good ranking for).

4. Find optimized PLR articles for your keyword list.

5. Build the site.

6. Submit the site to directories for backlinks.

7. Publish articles for reprint on other sites to get tons of backlinks.

8. Add a few articles each month in order to grow your site with fresh content.

9. Start a new site!

And if you have access to a good collection of private label rights articles, you can use them to do exactly that: build new Adsense sites each months! You will save a lot of time.

To get the best out of the PLR articles, you must modify them a minimum to make them your own. This way, you will be able to get the best of both world : optimized content for your Adsense site unique content that will allow you to rank well in the search engines!

About The Author:

Who else wants 18 High Paying Adsense websites in 6 months? Discover the Ultimate Adsense Combo: High Paying Adsense Keywords + PLR articles optimized for each keywords! Limited availability, you have to act fast. http://www.AdsenseQueen.com

Affiliate Tip - Build A Website

By Nell Taliercio

One of the first things you should do as an affiliate marketer is to build you own website. Yes, you can market affiliate programs without it by adding links to your email or signature file on message boards, but you will be very limited in how much you can earn this way. Building a website allows you to expose the products you are promoting to a much larger audience with less effort.

Decide on a Topic

Your first step is to decide what you would like your website to be about. Find a topic you like, something you are passionate about. You will be spending a lot of time creating content for your site, so it may as well be something you enjoy reading and writing about. Your enthusiasm for the subject will shine through as well, and will get your visitors interested. Once you have your topic, make sure there are affiliate products available that compliment the site and that there are people interested in buying it.

Pick a Domain Name

Use a site like register.com, or your web host's site to research available domain names. It helps to have one of your major keywords in your domain name. So if you decided your website will be about growing roses, try to work "rose" in the domain name. You want your domain name to be easy to remember and easy to type. Try to avoid using dashes in the name and find something that's available as a dot com address.

Hosting

The next step is to set up a web hosting account. You should be able to get by with a basic personal website package to begin with. Get some recommendations from others when it comes to choosing the actual hosting company. You want a service that is reliable and has good customer service. After all, you won't be making any money when you site is down. I have been using Dayana hosting for years and highly recommend them.

Site Builder or Software

Let's talk about how you can build your website. Your options are using a site builder, like internetbasedfamilies.com or software like Microsoft FrontPage, or my favorite x-site pro. A site builder is usually easier to use in the beginning and hosting is included. You will pay a monthly fee for the software and hosting combined. If you build your site using software like x-site pro or FrontPage, you have the added initial expense of buying the software, but your monthly hosting costs are usually lower. Of course a third option is to have someone else design the site for you. You should still get familiar with the site builder or software, so you can make changes to the site.

Getting Traffic To The Site

Your last step will be getting traffic to your site. Optimize your pages for search engines to get free traffic. You can also write articles and submit them to article directories. Pay per click advertising and buying ads on other related sites or newsletters are also great ways to drive traffic to your site.

About The Author:

For more information about websites go to http://www.mommysplace.net and for more information about affiliate marketing go to http://www.nellnews.com

Choosing The Right Directory

By Adrian Lawrence

When you're looking for the right directory to list in or to use for research, it can be a nightmare. Everyone thinks of Yahoo!, of course, but there are quite literally thousands of other directories out there, many specialized, others not. How can you tell the difference?

By being educated on what you're looking for. When you're looking for the right directories to list in, use the following guidelines.

1. Everyone lists in free directories. Why not? You can list in as many as you want, and you're not losing anything by doing so. Free directories include Yahoo! and Dmoz, as well as hundreds of others who either use their own listings or license listings from Yahoo! and Dmoz. You shouldn't stop here, though, especially if you're running a commercial website.
2. The more directories you're listed in, the more inbound links to your website you've got. And the more inbound links your website has, the higher the search engines will rank your page. Make sure when you create your directory listing to use your keywords in the text; in some search engines, this will help your ranking as well.
3. Some of the free directories are not being listed well by Google and other standard search engines. This is not because of some nefarious competitive advantage, but because the free directories often look like search engine spam or because they don't optimize their sites well. The paid directories are careful to watch for this; after all, the more hits they get, the more they can charge for their services.
4. After listing in all the free directories - which you should, as it costs you nothing but a little time - you should start listing in the better paid directories. Even though you have to pay to get in them, they give you an edge that the free ones don't. For one thing, they're more exclusive, and customers won't be looking at your competitors as much. For another, as noted above, the directory will probably place higher in a search engine. And they tend to be specialized. If you sell medical equipment, listing in a medical equipment directory will almost certainly be a worthwhile investment.
5. If you list in really good and specific directories with proven traffic from customers you want to draw, you're investing your money in the right place. A few good quality links will draw the perfect customers for your business. Finding the right directory is hard, but search for directories that specialize in your industry and in industries that cross into yours; for instance, if you provide medical equipment, don't overlook listings for scientific and laboratory equipment.
6. The next generation of directories is here now. With sites like MSN's Small Business Directory, targeted searching for exactly what you want is easier than ever before. In addition,
   many of the newer directories offer you additional small business tools, more information, specialized content for your industry, and many other services. You'll only find these with paid directories.

About The Author:

Adrian Lawrence is the webmaster of Indexplex a leading web directory http://www.indexplex.com . Please feel free to republish this article provided this resource box remains together with a working hyperlink.

Kick Start Your Internet Online Home Based Business With Blogging

By John Woon

A weblog, or more popularly known as "blog", is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is "blogging" and someone who keeps a blog is a "blogger." Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog.

The popularity of blog is gaining momentum globally with each passing month. A recent survey conducted by Comscore.com shows the following findings:

1. 50 million of the population in the USA visited blog sites in the first quarter of 2005.
2. This indicates an increase of about 45% compared to First Quarter of 2004.
3. An average blog visitor spends 23 hours per week online while an average Internet user spends only 13 hours online.
4. Blog visitors are 11% more likely than the average Internet users to have incomes of $75,000 or more.
5. Blog visitors are 30% more likely to buy products or services online.

Anybody thinking of starting an online venture, would be silly not to recognise the importance of blogging being one of the best tools of Internet marketing.

Blogging is a perfect way for the average person to make money online without going through all the troubles and frustration of learning how to set up a website and be an efficient internet marketer.

Let's now talk about nich products. Why do you need a niche product? And what has this to do with "blogging"? You may ask. It is because your online business has little hope of succeeding if you're going head to head with the big boys. As a small Internet entrepreneur, you can never hope to compete with the big boys in terms of the power of pricing strategy and advertising. But you can be successful by finding niche markets or niche products that you seldom find at your local mall in order to stay away from the empowering presence of the big guys.

Niche market basically is a market with a significant amount of interest online that does not encounter the same competition as in other regular products. You can easily create a niche market based on any topics including even your own hobbies, e.g. gardening, guitar, tropical fish, D.I.Y etc. As long as the topic is being searched for online, you would have a great opportunity of making some profit through adding ads to your blog and making some effort in promoting your targeted affiliate programs and products.

Many internet marketing newbies opt for blogs to set up their niche markets because as beginners, they can very easily add pages, images, banners, downloads, ebooks etc to their blogs. Unlike the regular websites, they do not need to worry about having to understand HTML (the website design language)!

Savvy marketers have discovered that blogging is one of the best Internet marketing methods that is free because you could create your blog almost immediately at no cost compared to the setting up of a conventional website.

Putting information in your blog to help establishing your presence in the Web is now a growing phenomenon. Blogging for your Internet business is one surefire way to enhance the visibility of your products and services.

With the continuing improvement in software technology, publishing, introducing plug-ins, banners, pictures etc to create a fun and interesting "website" has become a breeze even to those retirees with old and rusty brains.

The more content you add to your blog, the more traffic you get. And you can add these materials almost on a daily basis.

You could get high ranking search engine placement for many internet marketing terms just by designing your posts around certain targeted keywords. This phenomenon is more prominent when handling niche markets due to the lack of competition. Free articles could be easily obtained from many article directories in the web and posted to your blogs for the benefits of your visitors.

There's almost no limit to what you could and want to do with your blog. You can include your ideas, opinions, expertise in your field of work, resumes, home recipes, pictures, audio or video clips, e-books, poetry, products, services, consultations etc., etc.

What are the main differences between a blog and a website then? You may ask.

Most websites are relatively permanent with only occasional updating. With blogs, you could post any new content almost on daily basis. Also, websites are usually less personal as far as their relationship with the visitors is concerned.

How do you start your first step to set up a blog? There are many host services providers you could join. Among the most popular are Blogger.com and LiveJournal.com. You could start with Blogger.com which many newbies find serving their needs just perfectly.

With Blogger.com, posting your web content is like a breezy walk in the park. Photographs of your produces etc, along with any text, could be uploaded to your blog right away with just a few clicks of your mouse.

Another facility you could use is Audioblogger that enables audio posting to your current blog site with any phone at any time from any place. It is not only effective but also easy and fun. You call a given number, record a post, then your blog is updated with an audioblogger icon and a link to your recorded audio. Your message in your own voice is instantly posted! The beautiful part of it all is the fact that this is totally free of charge!

Blogging has been used for some years as a platform for individuals to record chronological publication of comments and thoughts on the web. Now we know how one could go beyond this to capitalise the strength of blogging to enhance one's Internet business.

About The Author:

Sung-Liang Woon (John Woon) is a Rubber and Latex Consultant with about 30 years of experience. He enjoys writing, lecturing, travelling, tai chi, playing flamenco guitar and singing. Check this fantastic website to find out how he has ventured into Internet business:
http://www.PlugInProfitSite.com/main-9747 Visit his website http://www.johnwoon.com and take a tour at his Blogs: http://www.blogwithjohnwoon.blogspot.com and
http://lowpricepharmacy.blogspot.com

The Fun Of Starting A New Business

By Sintilia Miecevole

So you had that fantastic business idea, the one that's going to be wildly successful and make you a fortune - even better, you actually did something about it and started your own business. Good for you! Not everyone gets that far. Most people sit and day dream about what they might do if only ....

"The world is full of dreamers, there aren't enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision" - W. Clement Stone

But you got over the biggest hurdle, that first step and you actually created something.

Well done - you did more than most. Now you have the day to day details of running your business so how do you keep going?

There are several things to look at here:

1. What are you good at and what do you enjoy doing? Make two lists - one of the jobs you like and one of the jobs you don't do very well. Take the second list and have a look at what you might outsource or automate. Do you love doing those accounts or would your time be better spent in forward planning while your accountant does the sums? Must you personally reply to every enquiry or could you create a FAQ which you can post on your website and refer people to by autoresponder? In the early stages of your business you might find you don't have the money to pay someone to do the jobs you hate. Could you swap skills to get the help you need?

2. Why are you doing this? You need to be motivated to start a business and keep it going. The best way to do this is to know what the effort is for. What really moves you to get up in the morning and do what you need to do even when you don't really feel like it? Write your reasons down. Find pictures of that house, or that holiday and put them where you can see them.

3. How do you deal with those bumps in the road? Not everything you do will be perfect - sometimes things you've tried will be a disaster - it's the way you react to problems that matters. If you curl up in a ball and give up at the first sign of failure you'd better not be in business. It's all about attitude.

4. Have a plan and stick to it as far as possible but be prepared to be flexible and open minded. Sometimes the most unexpected opportunities come and you need to be ready to seize them. - as Joe Vitale says 'Money likes speed'.

5. Get a mentor - learn from someone who has done it. Someone to bounce ideas off and who can encourage you when things get tough is invaluable.

And most importantly, never let anyone put you down and never be afraid of failure:

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if he fails at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat" - Theodore Roosevelt.

Don't ever forget that!

About The Author:

Check out http://www.yoaccountant.com with your host, Sintilia Miecevole and enjoy the wealth of information from careers, salaries, auditing, CPAs, consulting and taxes to resumes, forensic accounting and more. Click on to http://www.yoaccountant.com for further information.

Work At Home Business Ideas

By Stephen Pope

Here are some excellent businesses that you can start, operate and grow from your home. All these work at home businesses have the following desirable features:

**Low Startup Costs
**Ease of Entry
**High Income Potential
**Home Based and Operated
**Worldwide Sales Potential
**Residual, Recurring and/or Passive Income Potential

1. Consulting

A consultant is someone expert in a field who, for a fee, advises businesses or individuals on various matters of concern.

Many times we tend to feel that our knowledge, skills or abilities are nothing unique. However, many lack those same assets and would gladly pay us for our knowledge and services.

Although it is possible to make a living from consulting with individuals, the big money is in performing services for businesses.

Do you have knowledge of bookkeeping, accounting, tax or similar business matters? Some have made excellent money specializing in small business consulting.

Are you a computer hobbyist with business or internet experience? You could make money in web design, internet marketing, search engine optimization, or some other specialty.

Some lawyers have combined their legal experience with their love of the Internet and specialized in intellectual property and computer law.

2. Finding

A finder is someone who, for a fee, finds something needed by a business or individual. A finder`s fee is the amount paid to the finder for locating what was required.

Finder`s fees are paid for finding money (loans, equipment leasing, et cetera), equipment (mining, construction, etc), personnel, companies for sale, locations (fast food franchises, vending machines, et cetera) and just about anything else that people are willing to pay for.

Simply match sellers with buyers and you can earn finder`s fees.

3. Auctions

An auction is an event where items are sold to the highest bidders. An internet auction, online auction or e-auction is an auction where you can buy and sell items on the Internet.

Many thousands now make their living or fortune from selling products and services on eBay and similar auction sites. So can you!

4. Drop Shipping

Drop shipping is a method of selling products without stocking inventory yourself. When you make a sale you contact the manufacturer or authorized distributor who ships it to the customer with your invoice and shipping label. Advantages include no warehousing, shipping, or inventory costs.

5. Affiliate Programs

An affiliate or associate program is a method of selling products on the internet through commission sales. When someone you refer to a website buys, the company you are an associate of (or affiliated with) pays you a commission.

In many cases, it is also possible to make money from the efforts of people that you introduce to the affiliate program. You can also expand your product line by joining and promoting more than one affiliate program.

6. Webmastering

A webmaster is a an internet specialist reponsible for all aspects of web sites.

Areas where businesses need assistance include web site design, logo, banner or graphic design, web hosting, e-commerce, internet marketing, web programming, scripts, security, web site maintenance, copy writing, mailing list management, and many other areas.

7. Self-publishing

A self-publisher creates, produces, and sells information products. Information products may be in the form of books, booklets, videos, audio cassettes, compact disks (CDs), electronic books, files, databases, private websites, and other media.

The information products that you create are unique. You have exclusive control and ownership of your own products.

8. Instant Publishing

An instant publisher sells information products produced by someone else who grants them reprint (or resale) rights. Often self-publishers will sell such products to complement their own information products.

9. International Trade

International trade involves importing and exporting. Importing involves buying goods and services from suppliers in another country. Exporting involves selling goods and services to customers in another country.

10. Mail Order

Mail order is a method of conducting business through the mail. Goods and services can be sold through direct mail (and also via catalogues, magazines, newspapers, radio, television, web sites, and other media). Customers can order by mail or by other means (fax, telephone, internet, etc). Delivery of orders can be made by mail or alternative means (such as by courier for physical goods or by fax, e-mail, telephone, or electronic files for information).

About The Author:

Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years. For profitable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/

Learn How To Accept Payment Online From Your Customers

By Paolo Basauri

Whether you own thousands of dollars or just a few hundred-at least two hundred, and you are providing a service, it may be a good idea for you to check into accept payment online from your
customers. This is a type of merchant status and the first place for you to look to achieve that status is the bank you do business with. Just because you may have been doing business with them for a long time doesn't mean they will automatically give you merchant status though, and if they turn you down, don't worry, you have other options. You can try a couple of other banks or you can try other companies that specialize in issuing accounts to online merchants. Do a Google search and type in credit card processing, you will find many outfits looking for businesses seeking merchant accounts. This will not be a cheap endeavor either; start-up fees to accept payments online can amount to around $200 and monthly processing fees of around $20 dollars.

While searching for your merchant account so you can accept payments online, you should also realize that you are going to have to make your customers feel safe while doing business with you online. Wherever you buy your credit card processing should also supply you with a secure transaction environment, if they don't find one some where else before you start accepting
payments online. Despite what you may have heard about accepting payments online, credit card payments are still one of the safest payment methods available online. There are many
fraud-prevention tools out there so check them out and get one that will suit your needs. You can also protect yourself by using the card validation code 2 {CVC2} and the card verification value {CVV2} verification systems of MasterCard and Visa, respectively. These verification services use the three-digit codes printed on all MasterCard and Visa cards to help you determine whether your customers are using legitimate cards. Also, you may want to ask prospective processors about the costs of storefront solutions that you should have to make
your website a success, things like shopping carts, Web hosting, online payment gateways, virtual checks, customer tracking, databases for your orders, and a way to calculate tax and shipping charges. These are all the things you need for a successful Web site business.

Shop around for a credit card processor that best suits your needs. Talk to several different processors and don't be afraid to ask questions. Find out about:

The discount rate: The percentage of each transaction paid to the merchant account provider. If your monthly charges are less than a certain volume, the processor may charge a higher percentage. Just make sure you read all the fine print before you start doing business with the services you need to run your own business. You want your customers to feel secure in all aspects of doing business with you, so they will keep buying your products and you can accept payments online.

About The Author:

Leeanna is an expert author writing for accept payment online http://www.onlinepaymentsystem.org

Making It Through The Ups And Downs Of Home Based Business

By Ron LeBlanc

I've been jobless for quite some time now! Am I worried about it? No way. I have decided to take my own destiny in my hands and join the many entrepreneurs in self employment. Not just self-employment, but home based business.

What is the difference between self employment and home based business? Just this - if you take a break and go skiing for a week and you make no money, you're self employed and own your own job. If you make money while skiing, you have a business.

I like to make money while skiing, and you can see my family skiing on my website. But this article is about ups and downs. Yes, I have experienced them! I'm still on top of it, and making money - here's why: multiple sources of income.

The same way that mutual funds invest in a lot of businesses, you have a greater likelihood of making it through the ups and downs in home business if you have several streams of income. The most common ones are network marketing, real estate, stocks and other investments, and franchises.

I have experience in several streams and am happy to share my successes because I believe that as I give to others it comes back to me and we all win. Recently there was a slow period in networking and direct sales. I and several colleagues experienced a reduced volume of interested people.

The ship did not sink because I have other streams of income. I also do real estate investing and highly recommend it for those that like to see actual physical fruits of their labor. I also have gotten on board the latest vehicle of paid surfing.

Paid surfing allows you to make double digit returns on your money by just surfing a few pages for 10-30 minutes a day. Believe it or not, you don't even have to be there or buy anything! You make money by just having your computer show several marketing pages for a few minutes. This is way cool!

Many of these programs have strict guidelines and you have to be careful to follow them, but if you check out my other article "Get Paid to Surf - The Next Big Thing", I explain how they work.

Anyone who is serious about making a go of home based business should check out this stream of income. There is a lot more information in my home page listed below. Now I'm off to ski!

About The Author:

Ron LeBlanc, PE spent 20+ years in science and engineering when woke up to his true potential and began working from home. He lives in Boulder, CO and works out of his home. He enjoys helping other people learn to do home based businesses. Get his tip-filled newsletter and some special offers at http://www.be-do-have.com

Pay Per Click

By Richard D S Hill

Pay per click or PPC advertising is possibly the easiest and most effective way to market your business online. Getting your website listed in the search engines is vital due to the fact that the majority of website traffic (statistics say over 80%) comes from the search engines. Effective PPC management begins with devising a strategy to drive qualified traffic to your website.

PPC (PPC) advertising is simply advertising your website through the use of the search engines' "sponsored listings". When using PPC you bid on keywords or keyword phrases that your
targeted prospects may use to find whatever your website offers. Yahoo! Search Marketing (formerly known as Overture) for instance, only considers the bid amount in ranking a site. The most popular PPC Google Adwords uses bid value and your success (click through) rate.

To develop a your PPC strategy and plan, you must conduct market research. This should consist of identifying your target market (preferably a niche market), identifying keywords that
your target market uses to search for what you are offering, and analyzing the keywords and alternative keywords that will appeal to your target market.

During your keyword analysis, you will want to find out how popular keywords are and what the average bids are for certain keywords you are considering for budgeting purposes since defining a budget is a necessary part of PPC management.

Budgeting for PPC advertising involves not only determining how much money you can spend on your campaign, but basing that on the monetary value of a click to your website since you are paying per click.

Your conversion rate, the number of unique visitors divided by the number of sales, plays an important role in determining the value of a click to your site for PPC advertising budgeting
purposes as does the average net profit per sale. By dividing your net profit per sale by your conversion rate, you can accurately determine the value per click to your website. The price per click that you pay for your PPC advertising should not, of course (!!!) exceed this value.

So if your selling a product that gives you a £10 profit, and a particular keyword takes 50 visitors to create a sale you would bid no more than £0.20 per click to break even.

A few tips about PPC if you DIY.

1. Don't put more money than you have to into your account - sounds obvious but..!

2. Test, test, test have at least two separate ads for the same product at the same time. Drop the lower performing adverts and add a new one until you are satisfied with the results.

3. Make sure to keep up with your results daily at the very least and adjust your strategy according to results.

4. Continue to look for new keywords and as you find new ones lose the poorer performers.

If you approach PPC advertising logically, follow the direct marketing mantra of test, test, test, monitor results regularly and make adjustments only according to results PPC advertising is a powerful tool for driving profitable traffic to your site.

About The Author:

Richard Hill is a director of E-CRM Solutions and has spent many years in senior direct and interactive marketing roles. E-CRM - http://www.e-crm.co.uk - helps you to grow by getting you more customers that stay with you longer. We provide practical solutions that pay for themselves. We help you to make sure that your marketing works.

So That's What Goes on a Home Page!

By Marcia Yudkin

In the early days of the World Wide Web, the word went around that the thing to do on a home page is to heartily and sincerely welcome the visitor. Today, this is unnecessary, cliched and ineffective. Instead, an effective home page needs to quickly orient the visitor to what the business or professional practice offers, distinguish these offerings from competitors' and direct the web site visitor what to do if they are interested in learning more.

It's especially important to make a strong and clear presentation on the home page if you want perfect strangers coming from a search engine to spend more than 10 seconds on the site when determining whether or not it is relevant to them. Getting business from such strangers is one of the major payoffs of having a web site, and they lack the patience of someone who has already had contact with you or been referred by a trusted source. Even people seriously
inclined to hire you don't have endless patience to wade through hot air, jargon or superfluous preliminaries.

Therefore, a home page must make it possible to answer these questions within 10 seconds:

• What is being described or sold here? What kind of business is this?


• Why should I do business with this company rather than its competitors?


• What should I do to find out more or get in touch?

In judging web sites for the Webby Awards, I have seen as many rich, large companies as small ones overlook the first essential for a home page - set the context. Orient the visitor. The perfect stranger may need to know things that you assume everyone already knows, such as:

1. What business are you in? Include a commonly understood industry name or the generic name of your primary product or service prominently in the home page copy, if it's not already part of your business name or in the tag line. When this information isn't plainly and obviously stated, many visitors are screaming to themselves, "What IS this?" as they hit the back button on their browsers.
2. Who do you serve? So many businesses - banks, restaurants, dentists - leave it unspoken what state or province and even what country they are in when that's essential to someone figuring out whether or not this business meets their needs. When location plays a crucial role in service, make it unmistakable where the business is. Other times, the answer to this question is more subtle. You need to indicate that you work with Fortune 500 companies, or mostly with authors, or with ambitious fitness professionals and health club owners.
3. Why should someone do business with you? The best kind of answer to this question involves presenting the benefits someone gets from buying your products or services. Indeed, I recommend putting such benefits right in your home page headline. For instance, for a caregiving support site I created this headline: With Support, Caregiving Becomes a Rewarding Journey. For a site about a book on outstanding women scientists and artists, the headline read: Learn From Accomplished Women Role Models How to Create a Fulfilling Lifelong Career. Note the inviting tone of these headlines. Within the paragraphs of the home page copy, refer again and again to what customers get and what makes you different from competitors.
4. What should I do next? Even though you provide navigation links for people to choose where to go next at the site, it's effective to say explicitly what someone with such and such an interest should do. Your call to action might have more than one part, such as: To learn more about how Hyana Heights Club helps you stay healthy and fit, click here. To book your free tour and complimentary aerobics class, click here.

Use these guidelines to create or redo a home page, and you'll enjoy a significantly improved response from your web site both from people landing on your site from search engines and those already somewhat interested in what you offer. There's much more involved in turning web site visitors into customers, but you'll certainly thereby have laid the groundwork for a reasonable return on your web site investment.

About the Author:

Marcia Yudkin (marcia@yudkin.com) has helped to judge the Webby Awards for six years, as well as the Inc. Magazine Small Business Web Awards. The author of Web Site Marketing Makeover and 10 other books, she performs web site reviews, web site makeovers and creates marketing-smart web sites from scratch. See her sample home page makeover at http://www.yudkin.com/sample8b.htm .

6 Steps To Picking Profitable Adsense Keywords

By Greg Lietz

Knowing how to find the best keywords for use in your Adsense ads is not a straightforward process. Finding and implementing high profit, low competition keywords in your ads really is the trick for making Adsense payoff big.

After I had tried several things to pick out good performing keywords, I wrote down this process that should yield profitable, low competition keywords for your Adsense ads. This process is not perfect, but when you analyze it and try it for yourself, you can see that it makes sense. Adsense that is.

Step 1
Research some keywords for your niche that have a high CPC value. To do this, first find your keywords using the Google Adwords keyword tool or another tool that will give you niche specific lists of keywords. Save those keywords into a spreadsheet program as a csv file. Copy and paste those keywords into Google's Traffic Estimator (you will need an Adwords account). The traffic estimator will give you the estimated clicks per day and the average cost per click (CPC) for each keyword. Copy and paste this information back into your spreadsheet file for later reference.

Step 2
Multiply the average CPC by 30% to get an estimate of your maximum earnings per click. The higher the average CPC, the more likely the CPC for the 2nd - 8th positions are high as well. You want this higher average CPC to start because if the CPC starts to drop off significantly after the 3rd position, your chance of getting high click earnings as an Adsense publisher will be diminished.

Step 3
I use a tool called Adword Accelerator to help with estimating the 1st - 8th position CPC values. This tool will estimate the CPCs for each position and allow you to see how much the CPCs drop off after the first position. This dramatically helps your analysis for picking the most profitable keywords. If the CPC values stay close to the each other and to the value of the first position, then you will more than likely have a profitable keyword.

Step 4
Now determine which Adsense ads occupy which positions. You can do this by searching on Google for your keyword and looking to see which Adsense ads are generated in the search results and in which order they are. Another way to estimate this is to use the Adword Accelerator tool. It has a feature whereby Adwords ads are dynamically displayed for a given keyword you input into the tool to check. If the Adwords advertiser has used "Adwords for Content" in his advertising, these ads will be the Adsense ads someone else is displaying on their website.

Step 5
Compare the ads you found in step 4 to the results of using the keyword check function at the website http://www.adsensecheck.com. If the advertisers you find by doing this closely match those you found in step 4, you will more than likely have a profitable keyword.

If the advertisers are not he same, then the advertiser is possibly not using the "Adwords for Content" mode of advertising in his campaigns. This means that the keyword may not be the basis for the Adsense ads and may not be profitable.

Step 6
Now you must get the traffic. If you decide to get traffic using the Adwords approach, then just use the keywords in your Adsense ads that scored well from the above evaluation. Then, use lower cost per click keywords in your Adwords ads. The difference between the earnings from the click you get on your Adsense word from the cost of the click you pay on your Adwords word will be your profit.

If you are planning to use search engine optimization techniques to get traffic to the website where your ads are, make sure the keywords you choose have the highest KEI possible. KEI is the ratio of the number of searches for a keyword to the number of competing sites having the keyword. The combination of a high KEI and a high score from the above evaluation will yield the best profit results.

About The Author:

Greg Lietz is a freelance writer and internet businessman. His main website is
http://www.theonlinebizplace.com where he provides content about internet based business opportunities, web site marketing strategies, writing articles and starting your own online home business.

Working At Home - A Realistic Alternative

By Cathy Bryant

Today, more than ever, working at home is a dream that can be achieved.

With the advent of technology that allows people to communicate all over the world from their own home office, many individuals are now working at home who would not have had such an opportunity in the past. Not only are employees able to telecommute, but also many people - young and old - have discovered that it is entirely possible to earn a significant income working from home by learning the many ways the internet makes this possible.

The ability to earn an income at home using the opportunities provided by the internet and advanced techology is wide-ranging. It is certainly not a "one size fits all" world online, any more than it is offline. People have different personalities, so what works for one individual may not be suitable for another.

The advantages of working at home are many; no traffic problems to contend with, flexible hours, and a casual environment are just a few of these. In addition, many parents - both moms and dads - are learning that by taking advantage of the work at home opportunities provided by today's technology, they have the ability to be home with their children. This has resulted in a
large increase of work at home moms, as these women have seized the opportunity to help support their families while at the same time maintaining the ability to be home with their young children rather than shuffling them off to day care.

Although opportunities abound for people who wish to earn an income from home, one trait that they must develop is that of discipline. Because they are not sitting in an office somewhere with a supervisor looking over their shoulder, it is up to the work at home entrepreneur to motivate himself or herself. In addition, when one begins working at home - particularly if they wish to earn an income from one of the various internet opportunities that are available - they will soon learn that it requires long periods of isolation. Some people are simply not suited to this type of work and find that they miss the office environment and long for the social interaction it provides.

However, the rewards for those who are persistent are profound. There are many people now earning signficant incomes from home - sometimes in the six-figure range. But they didn't do it overnight. Instead, they took a consistent, methodical approach to their business, learning the techniques and keeping up with the constant changes that are part of the new technology.

If you are truly serious about working at home, know that it can be done. But also be aware that it takes some time to develop a strategy that will allow you to earn a significant income. The rewards, however, are great. Those who choose to pursue a home-based income will find that the satisfaction of being able to work at home and chart their own destiny is what continues to motivate them to pursue excellence in the home business environment.

About the Author:

Cathy Bryant has been marketing online since 2000. Visit her website at http://www.homebizjunction.com for the best no-nonsense information about working from home.

How To Start Your Own Affiliate Program

By Stephen Pope

1. Why Start Your Own Affiliate Program?

Multiple web sites and distributors selling your product can result in increased sales and profits. Unlike conventional advertising, affiliate programs pay only for performance. Commissions are not paid out unless sales are made.

Also, with many more web sites linking to yours, your link popularity is sure to increase in search engines, resulting in additional traffic and income.

2. Combine a Merchant Account with Your Affiliate Program

If your product is downloadable (such as electronic books or software), you might consider ClickBank.com. For a $49.95 initial fee, you can process credit cards and on-line cheques for $1.00 per transaction plus 7.5% of sales. As an added bonus, you have your own built-in affiliate program.

ClickBank gives you a listing on their web site and visitors can buy your products and join your affiliate program. You choose the commission rate you are willing to pay. All commission payments are handled by ClickBank. One downside is that you can`t run a two-tiered program.

3. Use an Affiliate Program Script

If you are comfortable with running CGI scripts, you may wish to install your own affiliate program on your server and administer the affiliate program yourself.

Be forewarned, though, that this is a lot of work. You will be responsible for all the testing, security, commission payments, promotion and so on. Another downside: Will your potential affiliates trust you since their commissions are not tracked and paid by an independent third party?

4. Use a Hosted Solution

There are good reasons for not hosting your affiliate program on your server. Perhaps you don`t have the time to administer all the aspects of an affiliate program. Maybe your time could
be used more productively in other areas of your business. Additionally, an independent third party tracking and paying affiliate commissions inspires confidence in prospective affiliates. Finally, you just might benefit from the additional exposure that an affiliate network brings you.

ClixGalore.com is an example of an affiliate network. You will need to pay a $75.00 deposit to cover affiliate commissions. They charge 25% of any affiliate commissions paid. For example, if you paid an affiliate a 10% commission on a $100.00 sale, you would pay the affiliate $10.00 and ClixGalore $2.50.

With ClixGalore, you can also have a two-tier program. Taking the above example, if you paid affiliates for finding other affiliates, you might pay 2% on your second tier. That would be another $2.00 commission and $ .50 affiliate network fee for a total of $15.00 in commissions on both levels.

5. For All Affiliate Programs

Setup your own web page (or pages) outlining the benefits of your affiliate program. Offer articles, suggestions, text and banner links, and other useful support for your affiliates.

Offer a generous commission so that others feel motivated to sell for you. Obtain the e-mail addresses of your affiliates so that you can keep in touch with them to aid them to sell more.

For increased traffic, sales and profits, start your own affiliate program.

About The Author:

J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years. To learn more about affiliate programs and other profitable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/affiliate.html

How To Display An XML Feed On Your Website

By William Lee

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) has taken off in a big way. Just as satellite television beams more channels into your home than you can watch, RSS allows to you display an endless amount of other peoples content. Whilst RSS XML feeds are plenty, there's not as much in the way of clear, simple instruction when it comes to making use of those feeds.

If you're one of the webmasters who uses a content management system that makes using RSS XML feeds as simple as specifying a feed URL then you're fortunate in that respect. For others, the options available tend to be offered by developers of the software and the usage instructions provided can often be riddled with technical jargon. Many cry, "Use my feed", but fewer tell you how.

One of the best and easiest ways I've found to show the content from an RSS XML feed on one of my websites is to use a ready made PHP parser. Now, don't worry about what that means, just think of it as somthing that someone has already created; a blackbox that makes it easy for you to use content from RSS feeds and display it on your website.

For this guide, I've used MagpieRSS because it's compact, works well and is distributed under the GPL, which basically means it's free for you to use. Now, MagpieRSS is written in PHP so you'll need a compatible hosting account that allows you to execute PHP scripts.

For the purposes of this guide, I'm assuming you've some level of basic knowledge about websites e.g. you know how to FTP, change file permissions etc. Covering the basics of running a
website is beyond the scope of this article.

Instead, let's cover what are probably the most difficult steps; displaying the content from an RSS feed on your website.

1. Download the latest stable release of MagpieRSS.
2. Extract the contents of the ZIP file onto your computer.
3. The core files you need from the ZIP package are rss_cache.inc, rss_fetch.inc, rss_parse.inc, rss_utils.inc. You'll also need the extlib folder together with the Snoopy.class.inc file inside of it.
4. Create a new file to display your RSS feed. I've called mine, index.php. Inside this file, copy and paste the contents of the file referred to below and save it.
5. Upload all of the files and the folder mentioned in steps 3 and 4 to your hosting account. Put them into the desired location, but ensure that the Snoopy.class.inc file is still within the extlib folder.
6. Then visit the file you created in step 4 using your web browser.

That's the basics of it. Once you've got this far, customising the way you present the content of the feed is relatively easy. Just refer back to the MagpieRSS website for guidance on how to do this.

About The Author:

William Lee is the Internet Marketing Fool (http://www.internetmarketingfool.com). The MagpieRSS website is http://magpierss.sourceforge.net/. The code to copy in step 4 can be found at http://snipurl.com/example_code.

What Is Pay-Per-Click? When To Use It - And When Not To

By Robert Fuess

The only way to really guarantee top placement is to use pay-per-click advertising. (This is an advertising mechanism in which you pay for every click of a potential customer.) Most search engines offer this on a bidding basis, and if it generates more money than you spend on it, it can be sound business advise. In most cases, you would DO THIS LAST - after you optimize your web site and implement other promotional techniques. If you do an effective job with your website optimization and promotion, you may already come up top naturally and not have to use pay-per- click for several keywords. (This is expecially true for MSN or Yahoo.) Or if you choose to make a big (temporary) advertising campaign while you are optimizing (and have the money for this), then you may consider this.

Some keywords will cost more than others, depending on competition. Some will generate more paying customers than others. Do the math as you go along. Figure out the return on investment. This is seldom a one shot deal and often takes a few months of tweaking to get the optimum pay-per-click bid amount for the different keywords.

YOU WILL FIND SEO COMPANIES THAT GUARANTEE YOU TOP PLACEMENT FOR
YOUR FAVORITE KEYWORDS. THIS IS HOW THEY DO IT. They use pay-per-click as part of the package and point to the pay-per-click listing, showing you your top placement. The natural links are normally much cheaper in the long run, since once you achieved a top ranking without pay-per-click you will have a steady stream of customers without having this kind of per-click fee.

Google is, of course, an exception. For the first year you will not likely rank for most of your desired keywords despite any valiant efforts on your part. During this period, I would encourage using Google's pay-per-click (AdWords). Although Google is the slowest to recognize your natural ranking - it will give the greatest return in the long run. While you do this - use the information they give you while you manage your pay-per-click keywords. See what is used most often - and what gives you the most sales (conversions). They have tools to help you with that.

ANY SEO FIRM that promises or guarantees top placement for competitive keywords is either selling you pay-per-click or is being boastful. Be wary with your money. You don't need an SEO expert to sign up for pay-per-click. You may use one to help you find the right keywords or perhaps to handle optimization techniques. If they are selling you a package, pay-per-click is often a justifiable part of it. However, don't let such a promise be a decision factor in selecting an SEO expert.

About the Author:

Robert Fuess is a veteran website designer who specializes in making dynamic search engine optimized websites. http://www.SpiderwebLogic.com http://www.SchoolAndTeacher.com

Getting The Right Domain Name

By Adrian Lawrence

Once you are comfortable with working online, you should buy a domain name for your site or sites. Domain name registration, if you do it right, is one of the key components of having your site rate high in the search engines. The right domain name is memorable, and can get your site to rank higher than other names. The wrong domain name won't do you any good at all.

The Basics of Domain Name Registration

The first thing you have to do is come up with a good domain name for registration. Don't even think about a one-word domain name; they're all gone at this point. Instead, come up with dual-word combos. If you're putting together a professional site, try your name before anything else.

Don't get fancy with spelling when selecting your domain name registration, or use 2s and 8s to represent their sounds. You can try the number 1; that sometimes works. You can also try the names of products you offer, or a description of your site content offerings: Romanceforgirls, popcornpalace, fluffykittens. Memorable is always better; short and memorable is best, but very difficult to accomplish.

Come up with a couple of dozen names that will do for your site, and test them on a registry. Don't buy a domain name for which the .com extension is gone, but you have access to the .net or .info. These domain names are not by any means as valuable as the .com. If you pick up the .com, though, and you expect the site to be lucrative or have a lot of competition, it's not a bad idea to pick up the other extensions as well. Domain name registration is NOT expensive, and if you register in bulk you can get an even better price.

The .UK Extension

This doesn't mean you should avoid anything but .com. If you have a business in the United Kingdom, you have access to the uk domain name set, which UK customers are likely to look at before anything else for UK-specific businesses.

If you anticipate most of your business will come from British customers who are aware your business is in Britain, the .uk extension may be a better choice than the .com; and if your customers are unhappy with Internic's control of Internet domain registration or they are very pro-Britain, the .uk extension is certainly a better choice.

If you're fortunate enough to find both extensions for your domain open, and if you run a British company, it doesn't cost much to buy them both, and you definitely should.

It also gives your online presence an immediate "identity" geographically which can be crucial in building online relationships- where trust is a key component. By being a .UK domain, you are very likely to gain UK clients.

The .UK domains market is one of the fastest growing and lucrative registration areas on the internet.

Tips for Domain Name Registration

Have a website ready to plunk into your domain as soon as you buy it, and submit it immediately to the search engines. The search engines take time to index new sites and your domain name registration is only as valuable as the search engines make it.

You can also have more than one domain name pointing at a single site. If you've bought multiple extensions for your domain name (as in the previously-suggested .com/.uk combination), you can set up your site under one domain name and then direct traffic from the others to the main site. This is called web traffic forwarding and has been around for years. It may be as simple as parking your domain name on a server and putting a line of code on the page, or as complex as going through another website to use their online web forwarding services.

When you do register a domain and start building traffic to it, go out and renew for multiple years before your renewal is due. It is surprisingly easy to forget to register your domain name on time, and if someone else sneaks in and registers it, you've just lost a ton of work on that domain.

By making your domain name memorable, you will help other webmasters remember your site easily when building anchor texts in their links- a crucial component of SEO.

Final tip: don't just think about price when looking for a domain registration company- also think about quality of service. While you shouldn't be paying over the odds, it really is better to be safe than sorry and go with the more established registrars. Then you can have peace of mind that should any problems arise, you will be well looked after.

About The Author:

Adrian Lawrence is the webmaster for http://www.discountdomainsuk.com a leading Domain Registration service Please feel free to republish this article together with working hyperlinks.

How to Choose Your Affiliate Program Wisely

By Trent Brownrigg

Affiliate marketing programs have sky-rocketed in popularity in the past few years. As one of the fastest and easiest ways to start an online home business people are jumping on this wave by the millions. Affiliate programs offer merchants the opportunity to employ vast armies of sales people who get paid for the results they achieve.

The rewards for affiliates can be very good, and the skilled affiliate marketer can earn many thousands of dollars a month. This win-win situation has led to an explosion in the number of affiliate programs that are available to affiliate marketers.

With this growth of affiliate opportunities have come many questions, such as: how do you go about choosing the right affiliate program for you? What qualities should you look for in a program and which gives you a good chance of making a sustainable income? Below are some tips that will help you to evaluate affiliate programs, and help you to avoid wasting time and money.

What Commissions Does the Program Pay?

It is very important that you know how much you can expect to earn from a sale. There is no point in spending time and money promoting a product that pays very small commissions. You could end up spending more on marketing than you make on sales. It is probably best to stick with marketing products with a high commission value, unless you have found a niche market where you can sell vast quantities of product, and make substantial commissions on your volume of sales.

How Much Traffic is their Website Getting?

Try to discover the amount of traffic the affiliate owner's website is already receiving. Alexa.com is a very useful tool for doing this research. If the website is ranked in the top 100,000, the merchant is getting a good volume of traffic, so it's possible that there may already be too many affiliates. If it is ranked below 500,000 it may be no good, or it could be a golden opportunity to make some real money by becoming one of the first affiliates!

Always research a merchant's product if their website has a low traffic ranking. It may be a good idea to buy the product yourself if you can afford it. Otherwise you could do a search to find out if there are any negative reviews about it on the internet. Be careful who you listen to
though because many people are in the habit of bashing affiliate programs with nothing to really support their comments. If you find a large amount of negative reviews with little positive ones then it would probably be a good idea to stay away from that affiliate program.

How Often Are Affiliate Commissions Paid?

Some affiliate programs pay commissions every week; some once a month, others only pay every quarter. It is important that you know how often you can expect a pay check if you are going to have financial control over your business. Do you have the financial resources to ontinue to market a product if you have to wait a long time before you get paid? It would also be wise to find out the minimum commission that you have to earn before you get paid.

Does The Affiliate Program Use Tracking Cookies?

Many customers do not buy on their first visit to a merchant's website. It is important therefore that the merchant uses cookies for their affiliate program, so that you get credit if the customer returns and buys at a later date. Check out how long the cookies last. The longer the cookies lasts; the better the chances of you getting paid!

Does the Affiliate Program Pay on Subsequent Sales?

Some programs will only pay commission on sales that come through customers visiting their site via a direct link from your site. They pay you nothing for any subsequent purchases that the customer makes if they visit the merchants site directly. It is important that you get paid no matter what route the customer returns by if you are to build a sustainable affiliate business.

What Marketing Resources Does the Affiliate Program Offer?

Look at the type and quality of the marketing resources that they provide. Do they provide articles, advertisements, or other content that you can use to put on your site? Do they provide free guides, special offers, free viral e-books, or product samples that you can send to your list? If the marketing material they provide is good then it is likely that the business will provide good support for their affiliates.

Finding the right affiliate program for you can be tough to do. The best advice is to do your own research, follow the advice above, and listen to your instincts. Use the above questions as an aid to finding an affiliate program that enables you to reach your financial goals. You never know... You might just strike affiliate marketing gold!

About the author:

Trent Brownrigg is a successful affiliate marketer. You can find the best affiliate programs at http://www.work-at-home-jobs-iowa.com/top_10.html

VAs - Your Secret Weapon

By Michele Pariza Wacek

Probably the biggest problem with being a small business owner is right there in that phrase. Small.

Small means few or no employees. Small means you end up doing most, if not all, business tasks yourself.

Whether or not you're any good at them.

But even if you ARE perfectly capable at completing those tasks, is doing them really a wise use of your time? (Just because you CAN do something, doesn't necessarily mean you SHOULD.)

As a business owner, you should be focused on the big things - a vision for your business, putting together a plan to reach that vision, developing new products, spending time with your clients and marketing. In other words, those "big picture" tasks that grow your business.

What you should NOT be doing is worrying about getting your invoices out, mailing products, providing troubleshooting help, scheduling your time and all those other administrative duties.

In fact, the more time you spend on all the minutia of running a business, the less time you'll spend on tasks that can actually grow your business.

It's a vicious cycle. Maybe you feel like you don't have enough income to hire help. So you do the work yourself. Because you do the work yourself, you don't have the time to work on growing your business. So then you don't feel like you have the income to hire help. And so on.

The same cycle exists if you feel you don't have enough time to locate and train help. You end up doing the work yourself because there isn't anyone who can help. And because you're so busy doing things you truly have no business doing, you'll never have the time to locate and train someone to help you out.

In either cycle, you're probably discovering you feel overwhelmed, drained and with zero creative energy. Instead of jumping out of bed excited at being in business, you wake up each morning facing a to-do list longer then War and Peace and wanting to crawl back into bed and put your pillow over your head.

So what's the solution? Hire a virtual assistant.

Virtual assistants, also known as VAs, are freelancers who specialize in taking care of the "busy work," freeing you up so you can focus on why you started your business in the first place.

Because they're freelancers, you pay them for the hours they work. And you don't pay for overhead, vacation, taxes, office supplies, a desk, etc. It's a perfect win-win for everyone.

VAs can break you out of both those cycles and put you on the path to building a successful business. They can help you with just about every business task imaginable (with the sole exception of filing - you're probably stuck doing that yourself). Some examples include:

* Bookkeeping, including invoicing, paying bills and following up with unpaid invoices
* Product fulfillment
* Customer service
* Answering e-mails and phone calls
* Scheduling business and personal appointments
* Maintaining databases
* Updating Web sites
* Submitting articles to article databases

And much more.

In fact, if you want to see a list of what a VA can help you with, check out IVAA.org(International Virtual Assistants Association) and AssistU.com. These organizations can also help you find the right VA for your business. VAs specialize in different business services, such as marketing or bookkeeping, so make sure you find a VA who focuses on what you actually need.

I can tell you from experience that once you take the plunge and hire a VA, you'll kick yourself for waiting so long. You'll have more time to devote to the tasks you most enjoy (rather then struggling with the ones you hate), you'll be less stressed and have much more creative energy. Plus you'll probably find yourself making even more money.

Creativity Exercise -- Hire a VA

Ready to try a VA but not sure how to begin? I suggest starting small. Like five hours a month.

Make a list of everything you do in your business each day. If you get stuck, keep a notebook on your desk and write down things as you do it.

Now look at the list. Pick something you could delegate to a virtual assistant and would take around five hours a month.

Once you find the right VA and have freed up those five hours, make sure you use those hours to do something to grow your business. Maybe do some more marketing or develop a new product line.

Now after you've started seeing more income, take some of that extra money and add to your VA's tasks. Again, use the time you've freed up to continue to grow your business. Before you
know it, you'll have a built a thriving, successful business with less stress and have more energy and income then ever before.

About the Author:

Michele Pariza Wacek owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting, a writing, marketing and creativity agency. She offers two free e-newsletters that help subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can be reached at http://www.writingusa.com. Copyright 2005 Michele Pariza Wacek

How To Motivate Affiliates To Generate More Sales

By Pawel Reszka

A set of motivated and enthusiastic affiliates mean more money and revenue for your affiliate business. If you want to retain high quality affiliates, then here are some tricks to keep them motivated and inspired.

1. Commission rates

Let's face it at the end of the day we are all driven by rewards and remuneration. So if you want your affiliates to perform to their best ability you need to provide substantial commissions too. Usually in the case of high-end goods like digital products, you can provide a 70-30 percent commission break-up. That means you get to retain the 30% commission and provide the affiliates with 70% of the profits. That will surely keep your affiliates motivated and encouraged to work well.

2. Long term commissions

On a long term basis, you could consider even providing a 100% commission to your affiliates. Once they know that they are going to get a substantial profit, they will tend to work harder
and promote your products heavily. While such an approach is sure to eat into your profit margin, it will ensure retrieving more customers onto your database. So although you might not
earn much initially due to the 100% commission package, you will make up for it with an influx of good quality customers in the long run.

3. Ready, pluggable content

The good quality affiliates always like affiliate merchants who have ready available content. It enables them to work immediately and start on promoting and earning commissions. So if you want to start getting headway into sales and product promotions, make sure your affiliates have instant access to good quality promotional material.

4. Imbibe best practices

There's a reason why some affiliate programs are really successful. It might help if you were to sign up for such programs as an affiliate. That way you get to see firsthand how the programs get managed. You can look at their business model up close and even use parts of it for your own affiliate business as well.

5. Realistic goals

Nothing de-motivates an affiliate more than unachievable goals and unrealistic expectations. When it comes to your affiliate products, make sure you have lain down some definite criteria
and goals which are perfectly achievable. That way, once those goals are achieved, the confidence and morale of the affiliates will be boosted.

6. Don't ignore the smaller ones

One mistake affiliate merchants make is to focus on the motivated performing affiliates and completely ignore the smaller revenue earning ones. This is a big mistake because although they may not be performing as well as the others, they are still bringing in a certain chunk of revenue. If you ignore them, they might get de-motivated enough to leave your affiliate program. That will result in a huge setback to your business.

7. Establish a 2 Tier program

Two tier programs are very much sought after these days. They not only allow an affiliate to capitalize on the actual sale but also when they recommend and include a new candidate one level below. This is a double incentive kind of program which is sure to keep your affiliates motivated. Plus, it also gets you more promotion and sales.

8. Train them adequately

It is essential to train and educate your affiliates as much as possible. It's only when they have a fair understanding of the product that they can propagate and promote it effectively. So make sure to conduct workshops, training sessions and seminars to provide as much information and practical know-how of the product.

9. Create tools which affiliates like

Another tactic which really helps is to develop tools and resources which affiliates like to use. This way you get to attract more top quality talent. Plus, it's essentially a win-win situation where both you and the affiliate get more commissions and sales. While your affiliates will promote your products better, you will earn more profits and they will earn more commissions.

10. Targeted affiliates

One of the tricks to keeping your affiliates always motivated and happy is by finding affiliates who are interested in what you are selling. If they aren't interested, you cannot possibly expect them to promote your products effectively. Therefore, you could try searching in relevant sites and even in competitor websites to search for affiliates who promote similar products online.

About The Author:

Would you like to increase your affiliate marketing profits? You should get yourself Affiliate Elite software at http://www.affelite.com/ - Also read this clickbank guide at http://www.affhelper.com/clickbank-mini-guide.html

10 Rules For Article Marketing

By Deepak Dutta

How do you position your website to rank high in search engines? Become a knowledge purveyor by writing and publishing articles. Though article marketing is a raze for improved search engine positions, quality articles are few and far between. Search engines value quality contents to remain competitive in today's information hungry society. Knowing the following 10
rules will enable you to publish quality articles that feeds information hungry search engines.

1. Use the three Bs rule. Your article should accomplish at least one of the three Bs - espouse bright ideas, explain benefits of former ideas, or details how to bring about functioning ideas. If you are able to accomplish all the three Bs succinctly in one article, than you have truly created a high quality masterpiece.

2. Find your niche - things you are good at and subjects you like to explore. The only goal of writing articles should be to give knowledge to others. Forget about keyword optimizations,
keyword research, traffic generation, monetization or what ever you have learnt before. Research your topics and explain it in the simplest way you can. You are successful in achieving your goals if a person with little knowledge in the subject is able to understand and adopt your ideas.

3. To remain on the top of your game, you must continuously generate new ideas to write about your chosen topics. Use an RSS reader to subscribe to half a dozen feeds about subjects you are
interested in. Spend an hour in the evening to go through those feed titles and read a few articles and some interesting comments in details. Reading a few articles will keep you up-to-date and enhance your knowledge. Reviewing comments will make you aware of pros and cons of ideas discussed in those articles.

4. There are lots of techniques to generate new ideas. If you perform a Google search, you will come across a dozen or so. Select a few that best suits your personality and environment.
Sign up for Google Docs and Spreadsheet and keep your ideas online. Delicious is a online bookmarking site. Post URLs of new ideas you want to explore further in Delicious and tag them
using appropriate keywords. The benefit of online storage is that you will have access to your resources from any computer connected to the Internet.

5. Don't use commercial in your articles and don't put any links to promote your products. Write for your readers who are human. Don't write for search engines. Give information for free that benefits your readers.

6. Spell check and review every article after 24 hours of its completion. If you want to be regarded as an expert in your fields by others, don't publish anything with errors in spelling, punctuation, or grammar. Have someone proof read your article if you are unsure about your grammar skills. Read blog posts at copyblogger and dailywritingtips to improve your writing style and grammar skills.

7. Use a resource box attached to the end of the article. Don't turn it into a commercial shoutbox. It should be used to reinforce your credibility as an expert author on your chosen topic.

8. Publish in article directories. Search in Google for article directory and pick half a dozen directories to publish your articles regularly.

9. Start a blog and publish your articles in your own blogs without the resource box.

10. Combine related articles to make an e-book with an attention-grabbing title and give it away for free. Contact others and encourage them to give your ebook as bonus items with their paid products

About The Author:

Dr. Deepak Dutta, creator of the oldest online classified site: http://www.classifiedsforfree.com, has launched Million$Dig, http://www.milliondollardig.com, to help website owners build links, increase traffic, and have fun using social networks.

How Your Business Can Save 40% Every Month By Using VoIP

By Brian May

The way that small and medium sized businesses can save significant amounts of money on their monthly communications costs is switching to Voice Over IP also known as VOIP. VOIP is
a technology that has had a lot of attention over the last few years, but due to the uncertainty and how unreliable it was, the adoption of the technology has been slower than expected. Small and mid-sized businesses have been the slowest of all segments to adapt to VOIP, mainly due the concerns about the type of support that is required to implement and maintain the solution.
Over the last couple of years the technology has matured, as well as the quality of internet connections, to the point that VOIP should be considered by all businesses.

VOIP offers several benefits over traditional phone systems:

VOIP Saves Businesses Money and is Cost Efficient - VOIP offers free local calling on most standard plans which traditional phone systems still charge $.08 per call. VOIP typically
includes either unlimited Long Distance or large blocks of time that essentially make the calls free. For most small businesses, either their local calls or long distance usage volumes will cause a significant reduction in monthly spend when switching to a VOIP solution. VOIP is also used over an internet connection which is used for both voice and data, which eliminates the need
for multiple connections. In the future, all that will be needed is increased bandwidth as applications for your business continue to grow, but a change to your phone system will not be necessary.

VOIP Does Not Require Equipment Upgrades - When VOIP was first introduced, large equipment upgrades were needed which was a deterrent to businesses adopting the technology. Today, there are adapters that are available that convert digital signals to analog and make all existing phones systems, even simple pots lines, adequate for VOIP technology.

VOIP Makes Video, Audio and Data Integration Easier - The biggest benefit of VOIP technology will not be realized today, but in years to come. Internet Protocol or IP is quickly becoming the future of all communications including phones, TV, computers, etc. The use of IP gives businesses the ability to integrate their phones with their faxes and their computers with the video systems.

VOIP Offers Flexibility - With VOIP, businesses can more easily relocate their workforce, move calls so that they can match their load with their force, and use Virtual Telephone numbers to give their business a presence in a city that it does not physically exist. It is very common with VOIP for a local Chicago number to be answered by a rep in another state or even another country. Voice over IP (VoIP) is the future of telecommunications.

Experts agree that VoIP will eventually replace the PSTN, and the technology is already rapidly gaining ground. Traditional voice carriers, cable MSOs, and alternative providers with various business models are all aggressively trying to capture a piece of the VoIP market. If you haven't done so yet, you owe it to yourself and your business to inquire about the options available with VOIP for your business. It is a switch that will save money and time in the short and long run. Most businesses have seen a 40% reduction in monthly communications costs with the switch to VOIP.

About The Author:

Brian May is a Technical Consultant and writes articles on many topics including VOIP, T1 Internet, and Data Networks. You can see more of his work at http://www.dataonestop.com/blog.

7 Steps to Taking Control of Your Time

By Robert Greenshields

One of the biggest obstacles to business success is allowing yourself to feel at the mercy of time.

It's too easy to say "I don't have time" but you choose how to spend your time and you can spend it wisely or badly.

Here are 7 ways in which you can take control of your time.

1. Stop inputting and start outputting

It's easy to be busy taking in new information and ideas but it's only taking action on them that gets results. If you're inputting information, you're not outputting real work and making money. If you're an info junkie, perhaps you need to go on an info diet.

2. Always remember why you are doing it

If you have set a clear vision for your business and distinct milestones on your way to achieving it, you'll find it much easier to manage your time.

If you are spending time on something that doesn't contribute towards getting your goals, you have to challenge yourself about why you are doing it.

3. Plan your day and stick to your plan

A minute spent planning can easily save you an hour later on. You should set aside particular times every day, week and month for planning. During this time, reflect on past achievements and future goals.

The best way to schedule is to split large tasks into smaller steps. It feels wonderful when you are able to tick it off at the end of the day and works as a great motivator.

4. Prioritize your time

Prioritization is figuring out which tasks are most important at a particular time and focus your attention, time and energy on them.

This means recognizing the difference between 'important' tasks (those that help us achieve our goals) and 'urgent' ones (which demand immediate attention but may not be related to our goals). Another important distinction is recognizing the difference between 'productive' time (which generates income) and 'unproductive' time (which makes no money).

5. Say No ' to yourself as well as to others

The truth is, no matter how efficient you are, you can't do everything. So, one of the most useful things you can do is go through your 'to-do' list and decide what you don't really need to do.

The management guru Peter Drucker said: "There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently something which shouldn't be done at all." Before you get into doing the things on your to-do list, consider whether they'd be better on your 'not-to-do' list.

Learning to say no is a vital time management skill. People much prefer to be told 'no' right away, rather than being let down later.

6. Develop systems and processes

If you have your work organized into clear processes, it makes it much easier to delegate. And, even if you're doing the work yourself, writing down the steps involved helps you use your time more efficiently. Productivity expert William Edwards Denning said: "If you can't describe what
you're doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing."

7. Take care of yourself

If you are going to get things done and also to enjoy the lifestyle you want, you have to allocate time to doing things that you enjoy and taking care of yourself physically. Eat well, drink water, get plenty of sleep, relax, and take time off.

If you have your own business and can't enjoy a great lifestyle, then it's probably better to get a job.

About the Author:

Robert Greenshields is a marketing success coach who helps business owners and independent professionals who are frustrated that they're working too many hours for too little reward. Sign up for his free tips on earning more and working less at http://www.MindPowerMarketing.com

7 Ways to Make Every Minute of Your Working Day Count

By Robert Greenshields

All of us have only 24 hours in a day and few of us want to spend all of them working.

So being able to manage your day effectively will determine not only your business success but also your quality of life.

Here are seven ways to make every minute as productive as possible.

1. Manage your day with time limits.

One of the most effective ways to take control of your time is to block out specific segments of your day to work on particular tasks.

Some people work well in short bursts completing specific 15-minute tasks before moving on to the next one. Others prefer longer sessions of 45 or 60 minutes. Using a timer keeps you on track.

2. Make sure you control your email instead of letting it control you.

Email is now an essential business and communication tool. But sometimes, it can turn out to be a real productivity killer.

One recent survey showed that most of us spend at least a quarter of our working day responding to emails. While obviously some of that is important, we can free up a lot more time by managing our email more effectively.

3. Take steps to avoid interruptions.

Interruptions can show up in many forms ' phone calls, emails, people dropping by unannounced or just about anything that distracts your focus from what you are involved in.

One way you can deal with this is being aware of likely interruptions and deciding whether they are necessary.

You have to ensure that while you are focusing on managing your own time that others don't perceive your dedication negatively. So make sure you let them know when you will be available.

4. Set up your working area for efficiency.

A well-ordered office or desk helps you achieve your time management goals. Arrange your office so that it is convenient for you to work comfortably ' and clear your desk of clutter. Whatever you need in the course of your workday should be easily accessible.

The right colors, the right furniture to keep you comfortable, the right storage can all go a long way in keeping you working in harmony.

5. Answer the phone because you want to 'not because it is ringing'.

If you know how to use the phone to increase your productivity, it can go a long way in saving you time. Rather than emailing someone and waiting, sometimes it is far quicker to interact over the phone and get your answers immediately.

6. Surf the web productively.

The Internet is a wonderful resource. But, unless you are disciplined, it's extremely easy to find yourself aimlessly surfing the web when you should be working. Studies show that many people waste two or three hours surfing the web without purpose.

Rather than being sucked into this massive time waster, set aside a specific time for conducting Internet research or browsing for information. Then focus on your goals and do your best to resist the urge to surf. This one change will make your efforts a lot more focused and productive.

7. Make use of automation.

There is a wide range of technology available for carrying out many tasks. Whether it's using automated software to send out your emails or to keep your website up-to-date, or automating the issue of your invoices, it can save you considerable time and money.

Also consider creating standard emails that you can issue 'perhaps automatically' in response to specific inquiries. And, if you have a web site, make sure you publish the answer to common inquiries there to minimize unnecessary questions.

The more effectively you can manage your working day, the sooner you will finish and the better your lifestyle will be.

About the Author:

Robert Greenshields is a marketing success coach who helps business owners and independent professionals who are frustrated that they're working too many hours for too little reward. Sign up for his free tips on earning more and working less at http://www.MindPowerMarketing.com

Niche Marketing Is Your Key To Avoiding A Common Business Blunder

By Cliff Posey Jr

Niche marketing occurs when you intentionally focus your marketing efforts on a targeted portion of the Internet or another similar market. These targeted portions, known as niche markets, provide a product or service for a defined group of customers who have very specific needs. Niche marketers address the need and market accordingly.

For example, many people sell clocks. But, how many of them sell clocks that are shaped like animals? Selling animal-shaped clocks is niche marketing. Of course, clocks are only one example. Once, you get thinking about the kind of products and services you want to offer, you will realize that the possibilities for niche markets and niche marketers are virtually endless. As long as there is a need for a product, there is demand and potential in the demand.

One of the biggest mistakes that new Internet entrepreneurs make is ignoring the concept of niche marketing completely and focusing on big markets that appear to be big moneymakers.
Though this may seem like a good idea at first, it is usually not the best option. The problem with this tendency is the level of competition that is often encountered. Those who are already established in the market are experts at what they do, which makes it almost impossible to compete with them when you are still learning the ropes of running an online business.

With niche markets, you can significantly increase your chances of success. Because there is less competition, people will actually be able to find your website, and in turn, buy your product. Instead of being at the bottom of a search engine index, your site can be right at the top. This will increase your chances of getting new customers, and more importantly, new sales.

Niche marketing can also help you get traffic to your site in other ways. For example, when using pay per click campaigns, niche marketers can choose to use keywords that have less
competition and in turn, provide consumers with more opportunities to click on the niche marketer's site. By targeting a specific group of people, you can actually increase your odds of getting a sale.

Niche marketing can also lessen an online business' advertising expenses. Instead of promoting your products and skills to a wide customer base, you are focusing on a specific group of people. This means that you can advertise and market your goods in places that these targeted consumers frequent. So, instead of wasting money on ads that none or only a few of your potential customers will see, you can pay money for an ad that will be as effective as an ad can be.

If you want to avoid one of the most common business blunders made by new marketers, consider niche marketing. Niche markets are everywhere, providing you with the ability to monetize your website in ways you never imagined. All you have to do is find your niche and act on it.

About The Author:

Cliff Posey, owner of CRP Marketing, owns and operates http://webbusinesstoolsonline.com. Cliff Posey has also operated several other successful web businesses including Love Song Cards and Radio Career Consultants. The content in this article was developed from his experience in these businesses.

Internet Marketing - How Newbies Can Lay Foundations Of Success

By Kum Kum Varma

As a newbie in Internet Marketing each of us has faced an uphill task; the task of seeing money come to us quickly. The thirst to see money in one's account before one can start full throttle in the business. Each of us indulging in the business of income through internet desire: a checklist method of working, predictable hours of input, a foretold time when income would start and the timetable of amount of income to expect. I have some Dos and Don'ts for you.

Remember that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, hence follow one course at one time - do not get attracted to too many pop-ups or other advertisements that will
chase you on your way. Lucrative advertisements will call you - promising the moon BUT be careful. You have to apply yourself and experiment intelligently. Do not throw away your money. Studying available literature is the key to sound foundation before starting any business. This is the first & foremost investment that you have to make. Without it your other
investments in form of time or money may go waste. Navigation is started after mastering the basics otherwise accidents are bound to follow. Today programmes with multiple income streams are in vogue as compared to single income streams. Slow & long term residual income is desirable rather than a one shot fast buck.

I can suggest to you few ways to read and build your basics.

Subscribe to a reliable free newsletter. Several free newsletters are available to you on the net. They get delivered regularly in your email and guide you in several ways to strengthen your knowledge about web business.

You can also read ebooks, several are downloadable free. These ebooks can turnout to be your philosopher and guide. They can virtually catch you by your hand and take you to your goal. Several are in step by step guideline format. They may prove to be a goldmine for beginners who want to start but have no directions. They also protect you from making mistakes that prove to be costly and may be inevitable when you are new in this field.

You can subscribe to blogs or attend web forums. Both are full of rich knowledge for beginners. They help you identify scams and expose you to common problems faced by most. The good thing is that solutions can also be found right there in these resources.

Reading all the above like a course in your graduation and examining yourself for retained knowledge and skills can prove to be your biggest asset. Applying them in business to ensue
will differentiate you like a professional from a layman. You will need less help, you will waste less time, you will be confident of your decisions and you will be sure of your success.

I wish you all the very best in your endeavors and am sure that success will come your way if you keep your cool; read and take guidance; start after a foundation has been laid and do not be in an undue hurry to either spend or to earn.

Good luck.

About The Author:

Kumkum Varma is owner of http://netprofitsforme.com - for FREE Internet home business
tips newsletter that gets hundreds of money making tips and tricks delivered to your inbox visit: http://www.netprofitsforme.com/ Dotcomology This book, like an encyclopedia of internet marketing, includes EVERYTHING from philosophy to hands-on, practical strategies and techniques. This book can be downloaded free at:
http://www.pluginprofitsite.com/main-18775/dotcomology.html

Getting Ahead In Your Career With An Online Education

By Tango Pang

The path to get ahead, as many studies and surveys have brought out, is taking some online courses or getting an online degree. This opportunity that has rapidly evolved in the recent years allows many of us who do not have access to university or college campus due to various reasons to get ahead and obtain an education certification. Today, more and more institutions are offering a variety of classes online and you can choose between a certificate, a diploma or even a degree.

Online education opens vistas that were unavailable previously. It allows people to take courses in their own time while continuing to pursue their jobs. Study through online also allow people to upgrade their existing skills, or perhaps change their careers completely. Those who are unable to go back to school full time can still pursue their dreams while working and thus able to continue to pay the bills of everyday life. Not everyone can quit a job for school as student loans are not easy to obtain and they do not cover enough of the costs associated with a quality education program.

The individuals who need to to work can continue do so and yet at the same time, obtain an online education. They can get online and do their course work whenever they are able to spare
some time. To get ahead and quality education, sparing a few hours each evening and on the weekends is not much to ask for, especially when it places you on the fast track to a new career with better pay.

Online education may also be the perfect choice for you if you don't live in a metropolitan area. In the past, students would have had to move to a city that housed a college or university. This was just about impossible if your spouse had a great job and your kids were still in school. Unfortunately in these situations, the education had to be put on hold. This is no longer true as you can log on and work toward that degree without even leaving your house - beauty of technology.

With most online education classes, you sign up to whatever institution you would like to attend, no matter where it is, and they will send you all the material you will need almost immediately. Depending on the course layout, you may need to go to certain place to write the final exam, but the rest of the course work can be done at home at your own pace.

Before you consider taking any online classes, you should consider about how much time you will have to spend on your homework. Some people are under the wrong impression that online
courses are easier and take less time than classes taken in a traditional classroom setting. This is often not the case.

The time required for the course is generally discussed upfront with you. Most institutes indicate the normal duration and the minimum input required to meet that time schedule and commitment. Make sure that you can devote at least the minimum suggested required time. Often the time required is more than the recommended as the pupil is unable to lead a disciplined routine - common. It is very easy to get into the habit of putting things off to the next day. That is why it is important to set a deadlines that you adhere to strictly and do the daily work.

Online education is great for those who are discipline and can manage their time well. Many courses have advisers on call who can be contacted whenever you need clarifications. It is better to check your suitability for a course by taking on a few classes and shorter courses before signing up for a long duration degree course - you do not want to regret it only in the middle of the course program. If you can manage your time well, can lead a disciplined schedule, can finish the work in a timely manner, then the path of online education is meant just perfect for you.

About The Author:

Tango Pang is an authority in the Education field. Home Schooling need not be difficult. Visit
http://www.howto-homeschooling.com.

Scammers Target Stay At Home Moms

By Dock Murphy

Once the kids to back to school and mom has a little more time on their hands they may begin to consider ways to bring in some extra cash. Spending time on the internet searching for work at home opportunities can often be rewarding, provided you understand that there are many scams being offered, many targeted for the stay at home parents looking to make money.

Working at home is an inviting concept and many opportunities exist that present a legitimate means of finding work. Unfortunately, there are plenty more where the only ones who make money are those offering the opportunity. Beware of headlines such as "Learn how to crack the code to internet riches," and "I was a victim of 37 scams until I stumbled across this opportunity."

When looking through offers for an internet business opportunity you need to ask yourself some serious questions about the offer. Many will carry a similar theme indicating they have found a way to make bundles of cash online and want to share the secret. You need to ask yourself, why? Here is perfect stranger, willing to share with me the secret they use to make millions of dollars online. Of course this secret is not going to be free, and sometimes it is available for a limited time price of just $19.95 and you will receive their complete information package of how you can make money.

Why aren't they sharing this information with family and close friends so they can have an entire family of wealthy relatives? Why are they offering this opportunity to strangers? Possibly because their family and friends were suckered into their last get-rich-quick scheme.

One of the most prolific scams online is signing up to be a secret shopper. There are many companies that do use secret shoppers to visit stores and restaurants and turn in a review to the company informing them how a particular unit is performing. To claim this company can hook you up with many companies where you can get paid up to $40 an hour doing things you love to do and keep everything you bought, is nothing more than a scam.

Yes, these companies have the names and addresses of the companies that use secret shoppers and that is what you will be buying. Once you send in your payment, which varies from $19.95
to $39.95, you will receive a list of companies that use secret shoppers and instructions on how to fill out their online applications. If the company is looking for more shoppers they might contact you for a future interview. Most of these offers carry no guarantee that you will ever be chosen to be a secret shopper, let alone get paid $40 an hour for going to a restaurant.

About The Author:

Dock J. Murphy is owner of Plug in Profit http://Site.com and writes on a variety on a variety of subjects. To learn more about this topic Dock J. recommends you visit: Http://www.pluginprofitsite.com/main-17106

4 Things All Internet Marketing Must Have To Succeed!

By Alvin Chung

Here are four tips to help you succeed in your Internet marketing and to make money online.

Your Market

The easiest way to find your market is the one you are familiar with. You can either search the Internet to find out the one that is most profitable or you can survey the online stores and marketplaces to check out what products/services are in great demand. Your market should be targeted to a particular group of people. And one of the hottest markets out there is the group of people who want to make quick money online.

Some say this niche market is already saturated. Yes, it is but it is also a very lucrative one. It generates billions of dollars in revenue every year. As more and more people accept the digital environment, there will be millions of Internet users who will become new prospective customers. This niche market is big enough for everyone -the mighty corporate players as well as the small ones like you and I.

Your Product/Service

You sell the product/service that your market wants. If you have developed or created your own product/service then sell it to the target group. If you do not have one, the fastest and easiest way is to find that same product/service that is already in the market. This is affiliate marketing.

Forget about the hottest item in the market. Everybody wants it and everybody wants to sell it. You will have to compete with other promoters. Choose one that is slightly less popular and you will have a better chance of success.

Your Marketing Strategy

A marketing strategy is simply putting your product/service right in front of your customers in a virtual store. Your point of sale can be your own website, a blog or some other landing page where your visitors are given the sales pitch and hopefully convinced into parting with their money. You want to convert as many prospective customers as you can into buyers. The more they buy the more money you make.

Internet marketing is just like any other businesses in the real world. They both use the same marketing principles. In the virtual world, you use the Internet as part of your business strategy. You have turned it into a source of profit.

You

You are the boss. The success or failure of your Internet business depends on you. Your actions and very often your inactions are critical to whether you can make money online or not. Like in the real world, Internet marketing also needs a lot of your time, effort and money especially in the initial stages of building your business. Once the business is up and running you will have to monitor, review and tweak it regularly to meet the demands of a dynamic market environment. It is a challenge to your commitment and determination. Are you in total control and in sharp focus to make money from your Internet business?

To be successful in Internet marketing you must constantly seek out the knowledge and learn the necessary skills of using the Internet as your business tool to achieve your financial dream.

About The Author:

Alvin Chung is very enthusiastic about affiliate marketing. He wants to share his experiences and to help others succeed in Internet marketing and to earn an income online. For more information about Alvin Chung please visit his site at http://www.PluckProfit.com

How to Effectively Use Testimonials Online & Offline

By Dan Lok

I'm always amazed when I come across a sales letter, usually online, and there are NO testimonials. They're powerful response and conversion boosters and are so easy to implement. You're only hurting your own marketing efforts, and leaving cash on the table, if you're not using them.

And if you have them...make sure you're using them the right way to maximize response.

You have lots more flexibility and available power with online copy. Simply because of more available formats.

The most powerful testimonials are video testimonials. And it's easy to see why. They engage more senses and stimulation. People can see and hear it. And videos add much more credibility especially if no editing has been done. It's coming straight from the horses mouth.

The second most powerful testimonials are audio followed by standard text.

And today you'll learn how to use text-format testimonials to give your conversions a big boost.

Try to get as much specific, relevant, and detailed testimonials as possible. This is much more compelling and stronger than general statements. Highly detailed comments are perceived as more believable.

You're giving readers something they can wrap their heads around when you use numbers, data, and specifics.

Some marketers may choose to extract 'only the juice' from testimonials and this is a huge mistake. A little bit of customer rambling, spelling mistakes, or poor grammar only adds to the credibility factor.

Use longer testimonials rather than shorter ones. This is related to the previous point about heavy editing. Don't do something like this...

"...great product..."

"...loved it!"

"...provocative...a real winner."

I think you get the idea here.

When you cut and chop a testimonial it creates the impression that you're leaving something out for a reason. And that creates suspicion which is something you don't want to do.

This next one is a bit of a no-brainer. But I'll say it anyway...

Always use real testimonials instead of fake ones. I'm telling you, there's something about comments made from other people that's very difficult to emulate. People will sense it and see right though you. And you'll be cutting your own business throat.

And more importantly...

Fake testimonials are lies. It'll find its way back to you, eventually. And it won't be good. So don't do it.

The visual use of your testimonials will have an effect on your readers. But there is some flexibility here. You can group them all together as a block of testimonials. Or you can scatter them throughout your copy. Then again, you can combine the two.

All three approaches can be effective. But the second and third call for more skill on the copywriter to blend them in for greatest impact.

One thing...

Leading with testimonials can be dangerous to your conversions.

When someone is fresh on your page, starts to read and the first thing seen is a testimonial...you're risking losing that reader. Here's why...

People are skeptical, especially on the web. Lots of people are skeptical about testimonials and if their real, or not. One thing you want to avoid is building on that pre-existing skepticism.

The best thing to do is offer one or more testimonials after you've established some kind of relationship with the reader. If you've done a good job of that, then they're more relaxed and open to your testimonial.

Testimonial identity and location. Always...always get first and last names, and specific geographical location.

John Smith, Los Angeles CA...or California.

Please...please avoid being minimal here. Don't do...

J.S. California

And not having ANY name or location is so worthless you might as well not have a testimonial to begin with. I'm serious! You'll only be inviting people to leave your site. They'll think, "Uh huh...sure."

To spice things up a little you can blend names and locations with a comment.

John Smith, from Los Angeles California sent us his unsolicited praise for ...blah.

These are all very basic and easy things you can do for powerful testimonials. Even though that's true, I still see online businesses violate these common sense guidelines every day.

Don't be one of them!

About the Author:

A former college dropout, Dan "The Man" Lok transformed himself from a grocery bagger in a local supermarket to an internet multi-millionaire. Discover how you can maximize your website profits in minimum time. For a limited time, you can test- drive Dan's Insiders Club for 30-days Risk-Free and get $1,165 dollars worth of bonus gifts. Rush cover to:
http://www.websiteconversionexpert.com/testdrive.html

How to use the power of outsourcing to help you earn more

By Robert Greenshields

When you run your own business, it's easy to be busy all the time. You can soon find yourself working long hours and often being busy doing tasks that don't make you money and that you don't enjoy.

But, if you're working round the clock, you don't really have a business, you have a job working for yourself.

One of the key points of having your own business should be giving yourself the freedom to do what you want to do with your time. Your business hours should be spent profitably and, ideally, enjoyably - freeing you up to make the most of your quality personal time.

Try this quick exercise:

On one side of a piece of paper, write down all the things you love about your business. On the other side, write down all the things you hate.

If it's on the right hand side of the page, you should find someone else to do it if at all possible and reasonable. If it's on the left, you can spend more time on it - unless you can find someone else to do it more cheaply.

Outsourcing can make your day a thousand times easier and more profitable. Here are some of the advantages:

- It allows you to focus on your priority tasks.

- You cut the learning curve by employing an expert.

- They can probably do the job faster than you.

- It frees you up to do things you enjoy.

You can outsource just about anything you can think of, including:

- Customer support.

- Website design and programming.

- Copywriting for websites, scripts, advertising and eBooks.

- Search engine optimization.

- Press release writing and distribution.

You can also employ a "virtual assistant" to help you with a wide range of tasks.

Through the Internet, somebody in another part of the world is in a position to help you - probably at a fraction of the cost you'd pay someone around the corner.

The best way to find vendors is to get recommendations from other people. If you can't get recommendations, try them out yourself with small tasks before you give them anything big or important to do.

There are several websites that provide access to outsourcing services. These include elance, rentacoder, workaholicsforhire, scriptlance and getafreelancer. Try a google search for those or to find more.

This is how they generally work:

- You post details of the project or service you need help
with.

- Vendors or freelancers who have the ability to do the job for you will post responses or bids.

- These services are usually free to buyers with the vendor paying a fee to the site when they are awarded the work.

- You select the vendor most suited to your needs, based on their proposals and on your view of their portfolio of past work.

- You agree payment terms - which may be part payment in advance or use of an escrow account, which ensures that the payment is not released until all the agreement terms are met and the work is completed.

- Then you work with them until the task is completed to your satisfaction.

Think about what tasks you can get someone else to do more cheaply or quickly. If you're new to outsourcing, start with small tasks. You'll quickly find you want to outsource more.

Then you'll have to decide whether to spend your new-found free time working more or having fun!

About the Author:

Robert Greenshields is a marketing success coach who helps business owners and independent professionals who are frustrated that they're working too many hours for too little reward. Sign up for his free tips on earning more and working less at http://www.MindPowerMarketing.com

Making Business Easier With Autoresponders

By Review Host

In the online world of business, an autoresponder can do a lot for your company. Also referred to as mailbots, email and on demand, and automatic email, these tools can help you put your business on autopilot and spend more time doing other things. Autoresponders are great to have, as they are designed to automatically respond to any email they receive with an instant response http://www.BestDocSite.org

Over the years, autoresponders have increased quite a bit in popularity. They are best known for their automatic email responses, which will save you a lot of time. By using one of these programs, you won't have to spend countless hours answering emails again. You can feel free to do other things and always know that your customers have access to the information they need anytime they want it.

To set your business on autopilot, all you need to do is get your copy ready and load it into your autoresponder. Once a potential buyer or current customer sends your autoresponder
address a message, the information he or she is seeking will automatically be delivered to them. Autoresponders are very quick - delivering information via email in a matter of seconds.

Autoresponders can also help you send out free courses, articles and information, reports, information regarding your products and services, price lists, welcome and thank you letters, confirm orders, and tell others about your advertising rates. You can preset information such as this into your autoresponder, so it will automatically send the information out whenever someone requests it.

Unlike mass email messages, autoresponders can be set up to your specifications. You can send personalized messages with them as well, which will make your client feel as if the email was made specifically for him. Autoresponders will also follow up with emails as well, to ensure that you get a sale. The better autoresponders out there will notify you each and every time someone has requested your information, so you know when you have potential customers.

You can also update your autoresponder messages anytime you wish. From time to time as you get new products or information to send to your clients, you can update your log. When running a business, it's very important that you keep your customers up to date. This way, your customers will know that you have new products available and ready for purchase. If you have a good relationship with them, they will be anticipating your new offers.

If you run a business over the Internet, an autoresponder can make life a lot easier. You can let your autoresponder handle a majority of the tasks, including technical support and sending out information about your company and your products. These days, autoresponders are the best tools for online business - as they give you plenty of free time for other things.

About The Author: http://www.SuperBestHotels.org

Home Business Opportunities - How To Work From Home And Still Make A Difference

By Chintan Soni

In all the professions I had before I started working from home, I was not contributing in any huge, or lasting, mode to the globe. I was basically doing my work, carrying out tasks, in an attempt to make somebody else extra money. Since I was not in a sales situation, my earnings did not change according to how much money I made (or set aside) for the business. It didn't trouble me to a large extent that my job was making my company rich - what worried me the most was that I was not contributing much to my society or assisting any person in any means. What if, I thought, what I did for a livelihood could straightforwardly have an effect on somebody's existence for the better?

This was my state of mind when I made a decision to begin a home based business.

It was a lengthy procedure to decide what it was I could do. Ultimately I determined that making a website, linking to something I feel obsessive about, would be the way to go. And I have not looked back since. I truthfully benefit from each day that I build my business. I like the course of action that goes into each new page on my site. And the majority of all, I adore the emails I receive from my website's visitors, thanking me for helping them.

Fortunately for me, I started a company that got me under their arm and proved me accurately how to build a website, how to force free traffic to my website, and how to really make earnings from it.

If you make a decision to make a website, here are the five important means to finding the right position for you:

1. Come to a decision what actually matters to you. Is it equality, or principles? Is it the surroundings, flora and fauna or pets? Is it relatives or children? Is it business associated - like coaching, promotion abilities, supporting corporations to raise, or appoint the finest employees? If you can slight down what your passion is, then it will be simple to come to a decision on a theme for a website.
2. Decide how you can help community. Will you present a service or produce that will advantage them in a number of ways? Don't be anxious at this spot about how you will make money, because you will find out that there are four or five means to make money through website. for instance, your craze is home systematizing - your business could be free tips broken down into five sections, such as cabinets, kitchen, storeroom, kids' rooms, lavatory and home offices. Each part of that could be broken down further into provisions (put up for sale the
   supplies here), valid examples (advertise on this page), Do's and don'ts, and so on.
3. Do not be in a rush. There is no such thing as "Get Rich Quick". If you consider those advertisements you notice on the Internet, you'll "Get Ripped off Quick". Constructing a valid business acquires time, and that's all there is to it.
4. Investigate online and record the topics that interest you.
5. Finally make a decision how you will do it. Bear in mind, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. You have to to set up a financial plan and decide how much money you can award to put into your fresh business, and exactly what steps are necessary to achieve your ambition.

Above all, remember that starting your home based business will take time and effort. But it will be worth it - I assure! For more information on how I built my business, feel free to visit my website.

About The Author:

Work from Home Business Advise, http://www.1moneymania.com

Going International With Your Home Business

By Trevor Marshall

For those home business owners lucky enough to survive the first two years, at some point, you might be contacted by someone internationally who's heard about your business. Let's face it, once youve conquered your local area and done business by post or email with other areas of the country, dipping a toe into international markets seems like the next logical step.

1. Costs Increase

If you are considering exporting a physical product, you have to understand that your costs can significantly increase. Thus, your products should be made as light as possible for the purposes of international shipping. Check that youd be able to get the things youre selling to the place where you plan to sell them without it becoming prohibitively expensive. Next, check if there are any customs requirements. Sometimes even the most well planned international businesses flop because they fail to take into account local laws or customs.

2. Non Physibal Products

The best kind of product you can sell is a digital one, because the only cost of distribution is your bandwidth. Of course, you still need to worry about currency fluctuations. You therefore might want to price your products in the currency of your country. Non physical products are often called bits on a wire products.

3. Maintain A Niche For Your Business

Regardless of your product, be sure that it caters to a niche customer base. In other words, make sure there is a market for your product in the country before doing anything. Disney, for example, made the mistake of opening amusement parks in countries that held strong anti american sentiments. The parks performed extremely poorly. Fast food giant KFC fails horribly
in China, where the general population never eats such huge meals and avoids eating anything with their hands and finds it offensive to be served food in buckets. If youre not sure, you could talk to a few local businesspeople about how they think your product would be perceived, and they may be able to suggest a suitable target market for you.

4. Produce Internationally As Well

If the cost of distributing overseas appears to be too expensive, you will want to investigate the possibility of producing your product on international soil to eliminate that cost. At the same time, if you do this, you may be able to take advantage of hiring international workers that will work for less, and purchase international materials that will also be cheaper.

About The Author:

For more great home business related articles and resources check out http://findbizopps.info

Using Keyword Research To Improve Web Traffic

By Ben Anton

The use of appropriate key words is one of the most important aspects of search engine optimization. Selecting and targeting pertinent key words and phrases is crucial for building web traffic and getting the audience you want for your web pages. Like any other type of advertisement, your key words must be carefully chosen to ensure that you achieve both high page rankings and relevant traffic. Achieving high page ranks is useless if the traffic it brings you is not the right audience. For this reason, many experts believe that the target key word list used for a site can mean either success or failure for a web site or online business.

It is no longer enough to simply choose a relevant domain name for an online business or web site. Choosing the right key words for the site is now equally if not more important. The majority of people who visit a site get there by using a search engine. They will type in two or three words that describe what they're looking for, scan the resulting list generated and pick one that seems relevant until they get the answer or product they need. This is where target key words are utilized. Key words are what enable people to find your site; choosing the right key words for your site will ensure the right people find you.

With this in mind, identifying your target audience is the first step in creating relevant key words and phrases. Again, this is not dissimilar to targeting television advertisements. Consider location when you are developing your target market. For example, if you own a used car dealership in Hayward, California, any traffic you get from outside a very specific area is virtually useless to you. Similarly, if you operate an online business that does not ship outside the USA, generating traffic from other countries will not help you make sales. By adding key words that are specific to your location as well as your product, you will better hone into your target audience, improve your rankings, and achieve a better conversion rate, which will help increase your site's page ranking, in turn.

Keyword competition should also be taken into consideration when developing a site's key word list. Going back to the used car dealership example, let's say a potential customer types in the word "cars" into a search engine. They'll never find what they need, because it's far too general-generating around 500,000,000 different sites to choose from. Typing in "used cars" generates almost 70,000,000. That's still too many to deal with effectively. Using "used cars Hayward" generates almost 900,000 hits, and narrowing the focus even further by using the zip code rather than the city name reduces it to less than 25,000.

Choosing key words for your web site works the same way. If your key words are too general, your target audience will never find your site, because the search terms generate so many web sites that it is impossible to look through them all. However, if you go too far in the opposite direction and use too many key words, or key words which are too specific, you risk losing business as well. The best key word phrases are no more than three words in length.

So how do you choose the right key words? The first step is brainstorming with colleagues, friends or an SEO professional, to come up with a list of 20 or more appropriate key words. The Google Keyword Tool is an excellent place to research key words. By entering key words into this tool it will give you an idea of the popularity of certain words and offers you alternative key words and phrases.

Once you have a good list of terms, you may want to refine it to call out the strongest terms that have the best potential for sales or traffic conversion. There are several good online research tools available, which can help you decide which words will be most effective for you. Some good examples are WordTracker and Keyword Discovery. These sites may charge a fee for using their database. After reviewing the terms, eliminate the key words that rank poorly or are very unpopular, then prioritize the remaining terms according to search popularity. These terms will become the keywords you will want to focus your initial SEO campaign on.

Always remember that when it comes to key words, you are focusing on optimizing your traffic rather than maximizing it. Setting up the right keyword list for optimization is the cornerstone to a successful web site.

~Ben Anton, 2007

About The Author:

Ben invites you to read more about key word research and PPC campaigns at Mad Fish Info's web site - http://www.madfish.info.

Top 10 Affiliate Marketing Strategies

By Pawel Reszka

Being an affiliate marketer can be tough. Not only do you always have to reinvent yourself, you also need to stay ahead in the race. Here are the best 10 ways in which you can ensure your affiliate marketing stays on top:

a. Content

The content on your site needs to be catchy, interesting and search engine friendly. You need to talk about your products in an unbiased and neutral manner, while also highlighting their benefits. You could include product reviews which describe the products in a neutral manner. It's all about employing your creativity, uniqueness while also including useful, informative articles which educate readers.

b. Include testimonials

Customer testimonials aren't just about fancy comments and glorified praises. They help establish credibility in your products, enable other customers to trust you and your products. Try and make it a practice to include as many testimonials and quotes from customers as you possibly can. This will help build your brand identity and reputation to a great extent.

c. Optins

Optins are a great way to increase your customer base. You could request customers to subscribe to newsletters and products etc. on your site. This way you get to add to the list of customer contacts in your database. It also helps in the long run, when you need to reach out to customers for future marketing and promotional campaigns. Whenever you need to launch a new product or start a new marketing campaign, you can just email promotional material to these very same customers.

d. Relevant traffic

Many affiliate marketers make the big mistake of attracting traffic for the sake of it. When it comes to affiliate marketing, what's more important is quality as opposed to quantity. It makes sense to have targeted and relevant traffic come into your site, rather than having an influx of visitors who aren't interested in purchasing anything on your site. By attracting relevant traffic, you are essentially bringing in a `warm market' on your site, which in turn guarantees better conversion rates and hence sales.

e. Theme based

When you have an affiliate site you need to have a central theme and essence to build on your brand better. Therefore, if your website theme is all about cars and spare parts, the products you advertise should also refer to such relevant topics. By having associated products on your site, you establish a better brand reputation. Besides, customers are more likely to take you seriously when you show focus in your website.

f. Printer friendly

When you publish content on your site, most people will want to read it offline as well. This is truer, if your content is lengthy. If an article is lengthy but interesting enough, people will want to take a printout of the article and then read it at their leisure. So ensure that you have a link at the bottom of the article stating that it's printer friendly.

g. Navigability

You always need to have a site map for easy access to users. In today's fierce competition, if users can't find what they're looking for on your site, they'll go elsewhere. That's why, it's important to place a site map through which they can easily access the particular section they are looking for.

h. Freebies

Nothing attracts customers more than freebies - and the more the freebies the more customers you will have on your list. Plus, in this way you can spread the word about your business to other customers. Free resources and products are always sought after by customers and it greatly enhances your brand value online.

i. FAQs

Customers always have questions they will want to ask about your products on the site. You could probably think and act like a customer would and come up with a set of probable questions customers would ask. Try and categorize the FAQs so that customers can easily find the answers they are looking for.

j. Contact details and feedback

Make sure you include your contact information on the site. That way, customers can easily reach out to you if they need to ask something or post a feedback. Also ensure to include a feedback form on your site so customers can leave their suggestions and opinions about your site.

About The Author:

Would you like to increase your affiliate marketing profits? You should get yourself Affiliate Elite software at http://www.affelite.com - Also read this clickbank guide at http://www.affhelper.com/clickbank-mini-guide.html

Internet Marketing - How Newbie Can Lay Foundations Of Success

By Kum Kum Varma

As a newbie in Internet Marketing each of us has faced an uphill task; the task of seeing money come to us quickly. The thirst to see money in one's account before one can start full throttle in the business. Each of us indulging in the business of income through internet desire: a checklist method of working, predictable hours of input, a foretold time when income would start and the timetable of amount of income to expect. I have some Dos and Don'ts for you.

Remember that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, hence follow one course at one time - do not get attracted to too many pop-ups or other advertisements that will chase you on your way. Lucrative advertisements will call you - promising the moon BUT be careful. You have to apply yourself and experiment intelligently. Do not throw away your money. Studying available literature is the key to sound foundation before starting any business. This is the first & foremost investment that you have to make. Without it your other
investments in form of time or money may go waste. Navigation is started after mastering the basics otherwise accidents are bound to follow. Today programmes with multiple income streams are in vogue as compared to single income streams. Slow & long term residual income is desirable rather than a one shot fast buck.

I can suggest to you few ways to read and build your basics.

Subscribe to a reliable free newsletter. Several free newsletters are available to you on the net. They get delivered regularly in your email and guide you in several ways to strengthen your knowledge about web business.

You can also read ebooks, several are downloadable free. These ebooks can turnout to be your philosopher and guide. They can virtually catch you by your hand and take you to your goal.
Several are in step by step guideline format. They may prove to be a goldmine for beginners who want to start but have no directions. They also protect you from making mistakes that prove to be costly and may be inevitable when you are new in this field.

You can subscribe to blogs or attend web forums. Both are full of rich knowledge for beginners. They help you identify scams and expose you to common problems faced by most. The good thing is that solutions can also be found right there in these resources.

Reading all the above like a course in your graduation and examining yourself for retained knowledge and skills can prove to be your biggest asset. Applying them in business to ensue will differentiate you like a professional from a layman. You will need less help, you will waste less time, you will be confident of your decisions and you will be sure of your success.

I wish you all the very best in your endeavors and am sure that success will come your way if you keep your cool; read and take guidance; start after a foundation has been laid and do not be in an undue hurry to either spend or to earn.

Good luck.

About The Author:

Kumkum Varma is owner of http://netprofitsforme.com - for FREE Internet home business
tips newsletter that gets hundreds of money making tips and tricks delivered to your inbox visit: http://www.netprofitsforme.com/ Dotcomology This book, like an encyclopedia of internet marketing, includes EVERYTHING from philosophy to hands-on, practical strategies and techniques. This book can be downloaded free at: http://www.pluginprofitsite.com/main-18775/dotcomology.html