tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90267292024-03-07T11:29:05.707-07:00SOHO Man - Small Business BlogMark Hansen has been a mentor for small homebased internet startups for years, and currently works in the curriculum development department of an internet training company, and does freelance SEO. He'll tackle common issues facing Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) entrepreneurs.mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-73181342900813139862014-06-03T14:27:00.000-07:002014-06-03T14:33:32.261-07:00A Simple Approach to Finding a Good Blogging Niche, Part IV - Monetization ResearchIf you’ve been following along the steps in this series of articles, you’ve thought of possible blogging niche topics, and come up with lists of possible content ideas. You’ve looked at keywords and hopefully found some viable keywords for each niche topic.<br />
<br />
Remember, that as you learn and grow as a blogger and Internet promoter, you’ll learn about even more detailed research and tools to use for it. For now, however, you’ll have the start. There is still one more step, and that’s to find out about the money-making potential of the site.<br />
<br />
On your blogsite, you’ll be posting content. This will be stories, instructions, and opinions that relate to your niche topic. You’ll also have affiliate links where visitors can see products that relate to your topics. They could relate in a general way ( rods and reels on a fishing site), or be very specific to a particular posting (like a link to a particular fishing reel that you’ve just reviewed). In either case, if someone clicks on it from your site, and goes to the retailers site and buys it, you’ll get a percentage commission back from the retailer. That’s how affiliate marketing works.<br />
<br />
And, of course, the more customers you send, the more money you make.<br />
<br />
The next step in the blog niche research process, then, is to see what sorts of products exist that you could promote. Is it possible to actually make money off of a particular blog niche topic? Here’s how to see:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Go to Amazon.com</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
There are lots of Affiliate companies (called “Grantors”), but the quickest and easiest one to use for your research is Amazon.com. They sell so many different products that you can almost always find something there to promote. In addition, they have a very flexible and adaptable affiliate linking program.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Search for products using your topic and your keywords.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
In the Amazon.com search bar, do searches for your keywords and for products that you think your audience would be interested in. <br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Identify a few good products in all price ranges</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
As you look over the returned results, look at the brand names, and the ratings. It’s good to promote quality items.<br />
<br />
Also, look at the prices. When you setup your website, it will be good to promote products from a wide spectrum of price range. You’ll see inexpensive items, at about $20 or less, common items, at $20-$100, midrange prices, like the ones from $100- about $250, and then the more expensive, high-end items that go up from there.<br />
<br />
Since the affiliate commissions are paid on a percentage, you’ll obviously get a better dollar amount with the higher-priced items. Still, the items toward the less expensive end of the scale will sell more often. It’s a good idea to be able to offer items from all ranges on your site. So, if you’re looking at a niche, and all you can find is the low-priced items, that could be a problem, because you’ll only make a few pennies for every sale. On the other hand, if all you can find costs $1000 each, you’ll not close as many sales.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Repeat for each niche idea</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
As always, you’ll do this same research for each of your niche ideas.<br />
<br />
When you’ve done this research, you can look over each of your niche ideas and ask yourself these questions in review:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Does this niche excite you? How much do you feel motivated or driven to pursue it?</li>
<li>What do you know about the niche? Can you think of things to say about it?</li>
<li>Are there plenty of good keywords to use to promote and optimize your your blog?</li>
<li>Are there good products in a variety of price ranges to promote and make good money from your site?</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
As you balance the answers to all of these questions, you’ll be able to make a final decision. Keep in mind that once you get one site up and running, you can return and create a second or a third with the other topics you considered.<br />
<br />
Once you have your first niche idea chosen, you can then move forward and establish your domain name and your website!<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>This article is part of a four-part series on researching and choosing your blog niche. The other articles can be found here:</i><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good.html" target="_blank">Introduction to finding a good blog niche</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good_3.html" target="_blank">Brainstorming blog niche and content ideas</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good_4174.html" target="_blank">Keyword research</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good_694.html" target="_blank">Monetization product research</a></i></li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com">Social Bookmarking</a></noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently employed as an Internet Business Coach.<br /><br />Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-12424405748163938512014-06-03T14:24:00.001-07:002014-06-03T14:33:20.012-07:00A Simple Approach to Finding a Good Blogging Niche, Part III - Keyword ResearchIn the first two articles, we talked about brainstorming topics and content. With that in place, it’s time to start doing some research and see just what the real world is like. It’s one thing to sit at home and think the world likes what you like, but it’s another thing altogether to see if there are people that actually do.<br />
<br />
As I mentioned in the beginning, there are lots of tools and methods for doing in-depth data mining that the SEO pros use. Eventually, you’ll also learn how to do these things, as you become more and more immersed in the world of blogging and Internet promotions.<br />
<br />
However, to get started, we just want to do some solid basic research and know what is already happening in each niche. That will help us to know if a niche is starving, thriving, or flooded.<br />
<br />
In order to have a successful blog or website, people have to find you. A vital part of that process is having good keywords that the search engines can match up to people’s searches. A good keyword is one that’s fairly popular (meaning people are actually searching for it), and yet is not too flooded in competing sites. Here’s a process that will help you find those keywords. You’ll do this process for each of your niche ideas.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Start with a general keyword</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
In our example in the last article, we used “Fishing” as a possible niche topic. That one is probably too broad, but let’s start with it anyway. Go to Google.com, and type that into the search bar. As you type, Google will drop down a list of similar keyword suggestions. These are popular, similar searches. That means that these are possible keywords that people are actually searching for. Write these down. In my browser, it showed, “Fishing License Utah”, “Fishing Report”, “Fishing quotes”, and a few others. Save that list for later.<br />
<br />
Do the search. You might see a number close to the top that says something like “About 500,000,000 results” or some number. This indicates how many websites Google knows about that are using this keyword. It’s usually a huge number. If you don’t see a number, but only see ads and pictures, then the number is way too high to display.<br />
<br />
Scroll to the bottom of the page, and you’ll see another list of suggested search terms, like:<br />
<br />
fishing youtube<br />
fishing tips<br />
fishing videos<br />
fishing gear<br />
fishing games<br />
fishing report<br />
bass fishing<br />
fishing knots<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Begin narrowing</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Obviously, your first, most general search will be way too broad, and will need to be narrowed. Let’s try some more. Click into one of the suggested searches. The first one I tried was “Fishing tips”, with “About 211,000,000 results”. That’s better than before, but it’s still way too many websites. I’ll need to keep looking for my keywords.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Narrow further</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Next, I clicked into “Bass Fishing”. Right away, I saw that this one had “About 10,600,000 results”. That sounds like a huge number, still, but in the scale of the internet, that’s actually reasonable. This one could work. When you find a keyword in this range, look at some of the websites in the list. Click into them and begin exploring them. Are they commercial sites or informational sites? What sorts of information are they sharing? If you see websites that you’d like to emulate, write down the addresses for future reference.<br />
<br />
And always write down the keywords you’re exploring, and the numbers you find.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Try a different branch</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
After you’ve played and explored some with the keywords you’ve gotten, go back and explore another “branch” of the same “tree”. In our example, maybe I could try “fly fishing” or “angling” to see what kinds of new keywords I could generate.<br />
<br />
After a while of this exploration and research, you’ll have a list of good possible keywords, and you’ll have a good idea of what’s happening and what’s available within the niche you’re considering. <br />
<br />
Do this same process with each niche topic idea on your list, and you’ll have a lot of good information. You’ll probably start to see some real trends in the niche ideas you’re exploring and you might even be starting to formulate some thoughts on which ones might be better options than others.<br />
<br />
Still, there’s one more step to come...<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>This article is part of a four-part series on researching and choosing your blog niche. The other articles can be found here:</i><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good.html" target="_blank">Introduction to finding a good blog niche</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good_3.html" target="_blank">Brainstorming blog niche and content ideas</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good_4174.html" target="_blank">Keyword research</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good_694.html" target="_blank">Monetization product research</a></i></li>
</ol>
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com">Social Bookmarking</a></noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently employed as an Internet Business Coach.<br /><br />Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-90213514505719628512014-06-03T14:22:00.001-07:002014-06-03T14:32:54.374-07:00A Simple Approach to Finding a Good Blogging Niche, Part II - BrainstormingIn the first article, we talked about the 4 factors that make up a good blogging niche topic. If you’ve read some of my other postings, you’ll recognize some of these things as the factors that make a great website! There’s a lot of overlap. Still, as you’re choosing your niche topic, you’ll want to approach them from a distinctly unique angle, in a process.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>What do I like?</li>
</ul>
<br />
First, we need ideas. What possible things can you come up with? Begin by brainstorming possibilities. Ask yourself some questions, like, “What do I love to do?”, “What am I good at?”, “What things do I know a lot about?”, or “What do I like to do for fun?” Even simply looking back at your life experiences, your jobs, your education can give you ideas.<br />
<br />
Write every idea down. Sometimes, when people are brainstorming they’ll say, “There are no bad ideas.” That’s not true. We all know some ideas are bad. It’s just that at this stage, we’re not going to worry about whether or not an idea is good. <br />
<br />
Yet. <br />
<br />
That will come later. So, don’t tell yourself, “That’s a dumb idea,” or “No one will ever buy that!” Remember that writing an idea down doesn’t commit you to doing it. It can always be crossed off the list. So, there’s no reason to not write it down.<br />
<br />
Also, give yourself a few days to let your mind wander and remember things to add to your list. You might not think of it all in one sitting.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>What about content?</li>
</ul>
<br />
Once you have a few ideas in your list, it’s time to develop them. With each niche idea, ask yourself, “What could I say about this topic?” Begin to brainstorm possible content ideas that could be a part of the niche.<br />
<br />
Let’s say you love to go fishing. You might think of these things as possible content pieces:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>What baits work best to catch what kinds of fish?</li>
<li>Where are the best places to fish in your area?</li>
<li>How to setup a fishing pole</li>
<li>What are the different kinds of lures, and why do they work?</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
That’s a good start. Again, write everything down, and give yourself some time to think of ideas. If you find it easy to think of content ideas, then that’s an indicator of how connected you are to that niche. That’s a good sign. If you’re struggling to think of things to say, that could be a red flag.<br />
<br />
Do this process with each of the topic possibilities you brainstormed in the first step. Once you have that done, you’re well on your way to finding your perfect blogging niche!<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>This article is part of a four-part series on researching and choosing your blog niche. The other articles can be found here:</i><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good.html" target="_blank">Introduction to finding a good blog niche</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good_3.html" target="_blank">Brainstorming blog niche and content ideas</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good_4174.html" target="_blank">Keyword research</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good_694.html" target="_blank">Monetization product research</a></i></li>
</ol>
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com">Social Bookmarking</a></noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently employed as an Internet Business Coach.<br /><br />Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-46044303196622975432014-06-03T14:19:00.000-07:002014-06-03T14:32:15.588-07:00A Simple Approach to Finding a Good Blogging Niche, Part IIf I had to choose one factor that would determine the long-term success or failure of a blog, it would trace back to the very start. The core question of each blog should be: “What is this about?”<br />
<br />
Personal blogs where authors go off on tangents and rant about their feelings and opinions on a myriad of topics are great for personal expression, but when it comes to building an audience, it’ll just be too scattered. It’s true that they might hit on a post that strikes a nerve with readers and spikes their traffic, but they won’t be able to sustain that for the long haul. The blogs with focus and clarity are the ones that build audience, traffic, and ad revenue.<br />
<br />
So, how do you find that niche?<br />
<br />
There are a lot of factors that go into a great blog niche, and no one of them should make the final choice. It’s always going to be a balancing act. Here are the primary factors:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Your own interest and knowledge - It’s tough to blog about something you know nothing about, and have no interest in. Sure, you could do research and dig in, but, really, how motivating is that? A few months in, will you still be willing to put the consistency into it if you don’t care?</li>
<li>Content - Can you think of or find information that’s relevant and interesting on an ongoing basis?</li>
<li>Keywords - Are there keywords that are of interest that aren’t flooded in competition? Good keywords in the right places will be critical to successful search engine optimization.</li>
<li>Monetization - Are there a good mix of products that could be promoted to the niche’s audience? Again, if you’re just doing a personal blog to shake your fist at the world, this isn’t an issue. But if you want to make some coin at it, you’ll need to consider this well up front.</li>
</ol>
<br />
It’s important to note that a blog or a website is in constant motion, and in constant state of revision. You, as a blogger and site promoter will be constantly learning and growing and building on your site. The steps that I’m about to show you in the next few articles are designed to help you make a good, informed decision about the niche you’ll have. That way, you’ll have a good foundation that can be built on, and you won’t have to tear it down and start over later on.<br />
<br />
It’s important to note that these steps are intended to be simple and to get you do a good, solid decision quickly. Advanced SEO experts can use many tools and in-depth research to gather deep wells of data that can be sorted and manipulated to arrive at useful decisions. This can take weeks or months to learn, and many, many hours to implement. It’s good to learn these things, eventually, but it’s also best to learn them as you’re developing and improving your existing site, rather than to overwhelm yourself at the beginning and get mired in a swamp of meaningless numbers.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>This article is part of a four-part series on researching and choosing your blog niche. The other articles can be found here:</i><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good.html" target="_blank">Introduction to finding a good blog niche</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good_3.html" target="_blank">Brainstorming blog niche and content ideas</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good_4174.html" target="_blank">Keyword research</a></i></li>
<li><i><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-simple-approach-to-finding-good_694.html" target="_blank">Monetization product research</a></i></li>
</ol>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com">Social Bookmarking</a></noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently employed as an Internet Business Coach.<br /><br />Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-54277833720738100282014-05-27T13:53:00.001-07:002014-06-02T09:44:18.840-07:00Monetizing your website with Amazon Products<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<iframe align="left" frameborder="2" marginheight="5" marginwidth="5" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=masblpo-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=1118791614&asins=1118791614&linkId=BSWVTII66OM7EDP3&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;">
</iframe><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Content is king!” We’ve heard that a million times. I’ve probably said it myself about a thousand of that. It’s what brings people to your site. It’s what makes Google sit up and take notice of you and value your site with good rankings. And we all know that good Google rankings mean good traffic.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, if content is the king, then the ads are the queen. At first glance she may seem to be less important, but don’t run your kingdom without! The ads are what bring in money. The ads are what changes your website to a cute little hobby to an actual money-producing business.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are many places you can set up your website, and many ways to get ads established. Most of my current students are using a very common combination, that of a WordPress blog/site and Amazon product ads. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With that in mind, here’s how to get that set up! First, you’ll set up your affiliate account with Amazon.com. Then, you’ll set up a plugin in WordPress to facilitate the affiliate linking process. Finally, you’ll set up product links on your posts and pages.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Getting set up with Amazon.com</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Go to Amazon.com, and scroll down to the bottom. Under “Make Money With Us”, click “Become an Affiliate”. You can also get to this page by clicking here: </span><a href="https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/</span></a></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click “Join Now for Free”</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fill in your email address, and click “I am a new customer.” Then click “Sign in using our secure server”</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fill in the form, creating a password. Write your password down. Click “Create Account”</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fill in the next form, with your contact information. Click “Next - Your Website Profile”</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It might make suggestions for a better way to format your address. If it does, choose the best format and click “Save This Address”.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fill out the information about your website. When it asks, “What type of site is your website(s)?” select “Blog” or “Content/Niche Website”. Click “Next” at the bottom.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Next, they’ll want to verify your identity. Enter your phone number. They’ll display a 4 digit PIN on the screen, and an automated system will call you. You can type in the PIN or just say the digits. The screen will change to say, “Congratulations, your Identity Verification is complete.”. Check the box to accept the terms and conditions, and click “Finish”.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your account is set up. Click “Specify Payment Method Now”.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fill in your tax ID information, and choose how you’d like to be paid. The simplest method to get started is to choose the Amazon Gift Card. It’s not necessarily the best way to be paid, but for now, it’s quick, simple, and it can be changed later. Click “Continue”.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now you’re at the Amazon Affiliate’s Main Page. In the upper left, under the “AmazonAssociates” logo, you’ll see your Amazon Tracking ID. It will look something like: “sohmabl-20”. Write it down so that you can access it another day. Your Amazon affiliate account is now set up. Write down your UN and PW for later use, too.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Setting up the Amazon Link plugin in your WordPress Website.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Go to your WordPress website login URL, and login with your UN and PW.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the left-handed nav bar, mouse over “Plugins” and click on “Installed Plugins”. </span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Look through the list of plugins for one named “Amazon Link”. If you don’t find it, go ahead with the instructions for installing it, below. If you do find it, click where it says, “Setup”.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Choose your country, and enter your Amazon Tracking ID (Affiliate ID) next to that flag. Other things on this page are technical and not necessary at this point. Click “Update Options”. It’s now configured.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you didn’t find “Amazon Link” in your list of plugins, at the top of the page, click “Add New”.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the search bar, type “Amazon Link” and do a search.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Locate “Amazon Link” in the search results and click “Install Now”. When it’s done installing, you can click into the setup, as above, and configure it.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adding an Amazon Affiliate Link to your website Using the Amazon Link WordPress Plugin</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In your web browser, set up two tabs. This can be done by holding down the “Ctrl” key and tapping the letter “T” key. </span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In one tab, go to your website dashboard and login.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Navigate to the editing screen of one of your blog posts, or one of your pages. This is done by mousing over “Posts” on the left nav bar, and clicking on “All Posts”.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mouse over the title of the post where you want to place the ad. Click “Edit”, when it appears.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scroll through your content to the point in the article where you want the ad to appear. Two good places are: 1 - at the top, and 2 - at the very bottom. Click in the content to place the courser/insertion point.</span></li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the other tab, go to Amazon.com. Browse until you find a product you want to promote from that post. It should be a product that you talked about in the post, or one that relates in some way.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Scroll down the page, until you see “Product Details”. In that section, you’ll see either the “ASIN” or the “ISBN”. Copy that number.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Go back to the WordPress tab, and scroll down past the text of your post. You’ll see a section labeled: “Add Amazon Link”. Where it says “ASIN”, type or paste either the ASIN or the ISBN that you got from the Amazon page. Select a template/layout for your ad from the “Template” dropdown menu. Click "Insert Link". This will put the link in place where you left the courser. In the upper right, click “Update” to save the changes and make them live.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From this point on, when you post a new blog post or content page, you can find a relevant product and put an Amazon ad for it on that page. There are many other ways to set up Amazon links, and many ways to set up other affiliate links, too. But for now, this process will get your website started on the path to money.</span></div>
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com">Social Bookmarking</a></noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently employed as an Internet Business Coach.<br /><br />Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-85729783366266631872014-05-21T14:40:00.001-07:002014-05-21T14:40:47.015-07:00Getting a Good Domain NameGetting a good domain name can be a bit of a challenge. Back in the day, before the internet - You remember the Jurassic Period, right? - when you wanted to start a business, you might have to check if anyone else in your city or state had the same business name. Now, you have to make sure that nobody else in the whole world is using your name!<br />
<br />
Here’s a step-by-step guide to finding and registering a good domain, so that you can use it to brand your company forever!<br />
<br />
<b>Brainstorming</b><br />
<br />
It’s a good idea to start with a lot of ideas. When I say a lot, I mean at least 15-20 possibilities. When you start testing your ideas, you’ll find that at least half of them are already taken. So, the more you start with, the more you’ll have as options at the other end.<br />
<br />
Start with some keywords that relate to your niche or your topic. If someone does a search for that keyword, you’ll rank a little bit higher.<br />
<br />
<b>Testing</b><br />
<br />
Then, go to a domain name registration site (like <a href="http://www.securepaynet.net/?prog_id=500694">http://www.securepaynet.net/?prog_id=500694</a>) and test each one. Test the “.com” version of the domain. There are lots of others, but “.com” is so branded in people’s minds, that they’ll often type “something.com”, without realizing that it actually should have been “something.net”<br />
<br />
If the test comes back as “available”, then check the price. If the price is around $10-$15, then keep it on your list. If the price is any higher than that, like, $200 or even more, then it’s a “premium” domain, which is one that someone else owns and is trying to resell. Don’t bother with those. Unless, of course, you have a lot of extra money sitting around and you’ve gotten bored with just throwing it out the window.<br />
<br />
Of course, if the domain test comes back as “unavailable” or “already taken”, then just cross it off your list.<br />
<br />
In either case, the registrar will probably suggest some similar names. If any of them look good to you, add them to your list. Be careful, some of them in the suggestions might also be premium domains, costing lots of money.<br />
<br />
<b>Winnowing, Choosing</b><br />
<br />
So, if you started with about 20 possible names, then you might have about 15 after the testing. Maybe you added 2 or 3 of the suggestions. So, you’ll still have a pretty good list. Now you get to narrow it down.<br />
<br />
First, let’s weed out the problem ideas. Take out any that have strange or ambiguous spellings. Don’t do cutesy things like spell “Quick” as “Kwick”. “Something4u.com” is full of problems. If someone just hears it, how will they spell it? If they spell it wrong, they’ll end up at your competitor’s website. These things look great on a road sign in front of a brick and mortar store, but on the web, they just mess you up.<br />
<br />
For the same reason, I don’t like to use dashes or underlines to separate words, like this: “heres-my-web-site.com”. It might look better, but it’s clumsier to speak and harder to remember.<br />
<br />
A short domain is good, but don’t chop it up and abbreviate it just to make it shorter. That can make it harder to spell and harder to remember. Sometimes it’s best to just spell the words out.<br />
<br />
Also, avoid using someone else’s name or trademark in your domain, even if you’re promoting their products. It can still get you into trouble.<br />
<br />
Once you’ve removed the ones that are unavailable, and the ones that are bad, you’re left with a few good ideas. At this point, since there’s not problems, you could simply use the one you like the best.<br />
<br />
<b>Purchase</b><br />
<br />
Once you’ve chosen your domain, then simply go back to the registrar (<a href="http://www.securepaynet.net/?prog_id=500694">http://www.securepaynet.net/?prog_id=500694</a>) and buy it. Here are some things to consider. <br />
<br />
You’ll have the option to get what’s called a “Private Registration”. This is to protect your personal contact information from being made public in the vast domain name database known to techies and spammers as “Whois”. All domains are listed in this database, but you can keep your email address and phone number out of it. It costs extra each year, but it’s worth it.<br />
<br />
Also, most domain name registrars have the option to “Autorenew”. This means that they keep your credit card info on file and ping it for payment each year. If you’re not creeped out by the thought of your info on their secured servers, I strongly recommend doing this. Then, you won’t be surprised to find out that your domain name accidentally lapsed, and was snapped up by someone else. This actually happened to a friend of mine. They were nice, though, and offered to sell it back to her for only hundreds of dollars...<br />
<br />
Following these steps will help you to establish a good, brandable, usable domain name for your website that will continue to help you get customers for years to come!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com">Social Bookmarking</a></noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently employed as an Internet Business Coach.<br /><br />Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-11601363779306147432014-05-21T10:01:00.000-07:002014-05-21T10:01:55.707-07:00The Four Components of a Successful WebsiteThere are, really, lots of things that can make or break a website. This guru and that sage will talk, talk, talk about their particular angle and their particular strategy and charge you anywhere from $49.99 to $49,999.99 to teach it to you. Each of these things being taught can be sifted down into four basic components: Content, Optimization, Monetization, and Promotion.<br />
<br />
<b>Content</b><br />
<br />
This really is the core. Everyone may say that “Content is King”, but few understand why, and there are several reasons. The easiest reason to understand is simple: That’s what Google looks for. Google values good content, good information, and it’s ranking calculations are set up to reward that. <br />
<br />
Another very important reason is that it’s what people are mostly searching for. Yes, it’s true that people are shopping online, but before they shop, they look for information. <br />
<br />
Finally, it’s what gives your website substance. That’s kind of intangible, but it’s what makes people value your site. It gives you authority. And that helps people when they want to buy.<br />
<br />
Additionally, your site’s content has to be focused. It has to have a good clear topic. A blog that rants about politics, and then about religion, and reviews movies, and then gripes about the price of groceries might well be a good creative outlet for the author, but it’s not going to build an audience.<br />
<br />
<b>Optimization</b><br />
<br />
Of course, if people can’t find your information, it doesn’t much matter, does it? Your content and your pages have to be set up to contain good keywords, in the proper locations, with the right kind of interlinking. In other words, even if you have a great hand of cards, you still have to play the game right. With each of those things in place, your site will be easy to find, and people will come to know it as the place to go for your topic.<br />
<br />
<b>Monetization</b><br />
<br />
That’s a newly coined word (pardon the pun) for “how to make this website pay off!” There has to be some connection to making money, or it’s just a hobby. There are lots of ways to do this, and they all have advantages and disadvantages. You can sell products directly from your website, processing credit cards and fulfilling orders. You can promote the products of other websites through an affiliate program, receiving a percentage of each sale. You can host ads on your site. A single site can often employ many different streams of income.<br />
<br />
<b>Promotion</b><br />
<br />
Finally, the site is ready, so now all it needs is traffic. Good optimization will be valuable in this process, but there are more ways to make it work, too. Social networking is one way that’s both growing and practical. Paid internet advertising is now more affordable than ever, and it’s the most trackable methods of all. Site owners can be very strategic and get the most impact for their investment.<br />
<br />
Over the course of the next few posts, I’ll be covering each of these in more detail. With this overview, however, you can either plan your upcoming website, or you can see which component needs the most work!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com">Social Bookmarking</a></noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently employed as an Internet Business Coach.<br /><br />Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-2800927493302081252014-05-20T10:49:00.000-07:002014-05-20T10:51:57.149-07:00Net Neutrality! ...AgainWhen I heard the fuss about neutrality being raised up again, I thought to myself, “This issue has been around a while, hasn’t it?” In fact, I remembered having written about it some time ago. It turns out that was back in 2006. I looked it up: <a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2006/08/net-neutrality-and-you.html">http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2006/08/net-neutrality-and-you.html</a> I guess the wheels of regulation turn slowly.<br />
<br />
Not that it’s an invalid concern. Far from it. It’s very important that the Internet, which has a long, tested, and sometimes sordid history of unregulated freedom, be kept free for all.<br />
<br />
Here’s the deal: There’s a lot of content on the ‘net, not just websites and silly blogs like this one. There’s TV shows, and movies, and streaming music and talk, and all kinds of media and information flowing through these wires, fibers, and waves. Much of that content is being provided by some pretty big corporations. They feel that they should be able to have better service, with faster connections, and better stability than little mom & pop web shops or bloggers. <br />
<br />
Others, mostly mom & pop webstore owners and bloggers, as well as a lot of folks that work on the ‘net daily, feel that the same wires, fibers and waves should carry everything. Equally. Neutrally. Hence, “net neutrality”.<br />
<br />
What they’re afraid of is that these powerful and wealthy companies will end up being able to restrict the usage of the network of their smaller competitors, or even of those that speak in ways that they don’t like. And in order to preserve that equality that has existed for so long, in order to keep it a free and open forum of ideas, they’re asking for some regulation.<br />
<br />
Yes, you heard that right. They’re wanting regulation, rules, in order to keep things fair and free. Oh, the irony.<br />
<br />
If you’re reading this, it’s very likely that you’re one of the smaller website owners. It’s likely that you’re not a major, multinational corporation. So, this is something that you should be concerned about. Is it possible that they’ll end up squeezing you out of the picture? Net Neutrality, then, becomes not so much a techie-sounding buzzword, and turns into a real-life concern.<br />
<br />
The FCC recently presented some proposed rules changes. These are not yet fixed, and there well be legislation that could come down as well. It would be wise for all of us to contact our representatives and let them know how we feel. To access your representatives, look to <a href="http://www.house.gov/">http://www.house.gov/</a> and <a href="http://www.senate.gov/">http://www.senate.gov/</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com">Social Bookmarking</a></noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently employed as an Internet Business Coach.<br /><br />Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-91909863607558731352013-10-09T21:41:00.001-07:002013-10-10T08:11:52.839-07:00The Power of the #Hashtag<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=masblpo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0470768797" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
Last weekend was a major event for us Mormons. Those of you that aren't, bear with me, because what I have to say about that weekend will make a difference to you and how you promote your business.<br />
<br />
So, last weekend was what we call "General Conference Weekend". It's two days of hearing speeches in big meetings (totalling about 10 hours) from our church leaders. It happens every six months and, in our culture, it's a big deal.<br />
<br />
In recent years, an interesting cultural phenomenon has occurred, called "live tweeting", where members who are watching or attending the conference sessions post their favorite thoughts and quotes in real-time as they hear them, either on facebook, twitter, or both. Other members then watch for those quotes and share their thoughts. It becomes a running commentary on the proceedings.<br />
<br />
Here's why that's important to anyone else: It's all tracked by a single "hashtag". For the uninitiated, a hastag is a short string of characters that immediately follow the "#" sign in a twitter post (Facebook, now, too). What good is it? Why is it there? It's to allow others to find your post by using Twitter's search function. By searching for the the right hashtag phrase, a reader can peruse all of the tweets about a given topic. In this case, those livetweeting general conference were using the now-traditional: "#ldsconf" hashtag.<br />
<br />
I had a lot of fun this time livetweeting and reading the tweets of others as the conference went on. Many of my tweets were marked as "favorites" by others, and "retweeted" or reposted in other people's tweets. I ended up with a big list of new followers, too, all because I joined in using the right hashtag. Here's an interesting artlicle about that from the church's tech department: <a href="http://www.ldsliving.com/story/73914-latter-day-saints-take-over-social-media-at-general-conference">http://www.ldsliving.com/story/73914-latter-day-saints-take-over-social-media-at-general-conference</a><br />
<br />
I was very intersted to learn from this article just how high in the national ratings the trending hashtag got.<br />
<br />
So, the real take-away message, here, is that while you're using twitter and facebook, to find and use the hashtags that are trending in your own audience. To do this, you have to begin by finding people to follow in your audience, your industry, your niche. When you see them using hashtags, click on them, or search them. If there are a lot of relevant posts with that tag, then, you know you've hit paydirt. Sometimes you can also google search your nice and the word hashtags, because sometimes people compile articles about the hashtags and post them on blogs or pages.<br />
<br />
Then, once you've identified them, begin using them. Make tweets and posts that are relevant to the tag and add it in. If you're sharing some online resource you've found or retweeting someone else's post, that's even better!<br />
<br />
Then you can ride the hashtag wave to more followers, and, ultimately, new customers.<br />
<br />
<i>Check out Mark's other blogs, at <a href="http://marksblackpot.com/" target="_blank">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Cookbook</a>s or <a href="http://handicapparkingspot.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Handicap Parking Spot</a></i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-51424933330218724852013-02-06T15:17:00.001-07:002013-02-06T15:18:23.945-07:00Social Media Disaster: The Applebees Restaurant Perfect Storm<br />
You might have heard about this, or read about it. There are a lot of lessons to be learned. Here’s what happened, and how it blew up too big, too quickly, for everyone involved.<br />
<br />
A pastor was having dinner out with some friends at an Applebees restaurant. Per the restaurant’s policies, whenever there’s a part of so many people, the tip is automatically added into the ticket. The pastor was a bit frustrated by that policy, or maybe by the percentage that was added in (18%), and wrote a note on the ticket that said, “I give God 10%, why should you get 18?” In spite of the comment, the pastor did pay the gratuity.<br />
<br />
The waitress who served the pastor brushed off the comment, but showed it to her co-worker, who got upset by it and took a picture of it with her cell phone, and posted it to a social media site. <br />
<br />
<iframe align="left" bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6675933.486;sz=180x150;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000613802463762;pid=UBM9780789747112;usg=AFHzDLuwBfpIuuY9YhgksuHBYmLKCUwHQA;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.cdsbooksdvds.com%252Fproduct.jhtm%253Fsku%253DUBM9780789747112;pubid=617939;price=%2418.98;title=Social+Media+Directory...;merc=CDS+Books+and+DVDS;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fc380929.r29.cf1.rackcdn.com%2F9780789747112.jpg;width=56;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe>It went viral, and the pastor was embarrassed to find her comment all over the ‘net. She was even more startled that her signature on the ticket was plainly visible, and was going viral along with the picture. She called and complained to the management of the Applebees.<br />
<br />
The Applebees management was caught in a bind. The second waitress, in posting the picture with the signature and other personal information on the ticket, had violated the company policy on guest privacy. They fired the waitress. <br />
<br />
The ‘net went crazy. Or, crazier, I should say, with facebook pages and petitions to re-instate the waitress along with hatemail to the pastor and threats of boycotts to Applebees.<br />
<br />
Here is a report on the story:<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/02/applebees-fires-waitress-who-posted-nontipping-pastors-check-online/" target="_blank"> http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/02/applebees-fires-waitress-who-posted-nontipping-pastors-check-online/</a><br />
<br />
Here are some things to learn from this experience.<br />
<br />
1 - <b>There were no winners</b>. Nobody came out on top. Applebees is reeling from a big hit to their corporate PR, the waitress is out of work in a recession, and the pastor is hurting from the backlash of a momentary lapse of her christian goodwill.<br />
<br />
2 - The two acts that sparked this media wildfire, the waves that added up to this perfect storm, <b>were simple, relatively innocuous acts</b>. The snarky comment on the restaurant ticket is something that we’ve all probably thought from time to time, when paying for a meal. Finding something quirky or funny and posting a picture of it is not that big of a deal, either, right?<br />
<br />
3 - A teenage friend of mine once asked me why people he didn’t know were seeing his “private Facebook posts”. I explained to him that it’s a SOCIAL network, and there is no such thing as a “private post”. If you want something to be private on Facebook, don’t post it on Facebook. The bigger lesson is: <b>Be very careful what you post online</b>.<br />
<br />
4 - An extension of that is to never - NEVER - <b>N E V E R R R R - post something about your job.</b> Don’t complain about your job, don’t vent about your job, don’t do it. If you post it, your boss can find it.<br />
<br />
<iframe align="left" bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6675933.489;sz=180x150;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000613802463762;pid=UBM9781118026984;usg=AFHzDLvGFe2MWXLEJ96ROyCSetmjGxufAg;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.cdsbooksdvds.com%252Fproduct.jhtm%253Fsku%253DUBM9781118026984;pubid=617939;price=%2418.77;title=The+New+Rules+of+Marke...;merc=CDS+Books+and+DVDS;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fc380801.r1.cf1.rackcdn.com%2F9781118026984.jpg;width=56;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe>5 - <b>Most companies don’t know how to handle the masses on social networking</b>. I’m not sure there was any clean and easy way for Applebees to get out of this one and to turn it around, but the buzz on the ‘net has not been kind to them. It reminds me of the <a href="http://youtu.be/PGNtQF3n6VY" target="_blank">“United Breaks Guitars” song that caused the airline so much headache</a>.<br />
<br />
6 - <b>Neither Applebees nor the pastor nor the waitress had any idea</b> that these actions would spiral out of control. The waitress should have known, because she did, you know, post the picture to a, well, SOCIAL NETWORK. But all this bad karma was unexpected.<br />
<br />
I don’t mean to scare anyone away. Facebook is a fun way to keep up with family and friends, and to be “in the loop” on what the world is talking about. The big takeaway from all this, the Tip from Applebees is: <b>social media is a tough animal to control</b>. Use it carefully.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com">Social Bookmarking</a></noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently employed as an Internet Business Coach.<br /><br />Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-77395240024187616832013-01-30T23:03:00.000-07:002013-01-30T23:03:38.653-07:00MySpace, Facebook, Google+<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.6139172469265759" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe align="left" bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="200" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6675933.26;sz=200x200;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000613802463762;pid=UBM9781118181294;usg=AFHzDLv4gVE2csOwx1WACjENXgmTS-qffg;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.cdsbooksdvds.com%252Fproduct.jhtm%253Fsku%253DUBM9781118181294;pubid=617939;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fc375092.r92.cf1.rackcdn.com%2F9781118181294.jpg;width=128;height=200" vspace="0" width="200"></iframe>I know I’m showing my age, but I used to be very active on MySpace. Even though I was actively promoting many websites, especially my music, and I resisted the transition to Facebook. I had figured out all the nuances of MySpace, and I didn’t want to have to relearn everything. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But, eventually, I did. I made the jump, and once I was in with both feet, I never looked back (I get paid extra by the cliche, you know...). It is true there was a learning curve. Not so much how to use it, or how to get around in it, but how to USE it. Effectively USE it to promote my sites, I mean. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Each social network is a different animal, and it responds to your methods differently. There are some underlying principles, it’s true, but still, they’re NOT the same, and if you treat them that way, you’re destined to fail.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, today, I read an <a href="http://article%20about%20the%20ascendance%20of%20google+/" target="_blank">article about the ascendence of Google+</a>, and my first thought was, “Oh, no, not again...” Now I’m going to have to work both Facebook AND Google+ for a while, and I’ll have to learn it and figure it all out. I wasn’t looking forward to it.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still, I jumped in. I’ve had a Google+ account for a long time, I just haven’t been using it. I spent some time this afternoon tweaking my profile, finding some friends, and joining a few groups. I’m not being too active just yet, as I want to discover the lay of the land (more cliches) and watch for a bit first.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are a few things I like, like the circles, and how easy it was to organize my friends into them. There are some similarities, like the posting feed. The more I read, the more I’m convinced that the secret to the future of SEO will be tied into how many +1’s you rack up, so the more I learn about it now, the better off I’ll be. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I don’t like splitting my time between many social networks. I don’t like posting the same thing, essentially, on Google+, Facebook, and Twitter. I imagine there’s a lot of crossover in my audiences. For now, however, I don’t see any other way.</span></b><br />
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Some bonus thoughts:</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>1 - I thought it was really interesting that by a total saturation percentage, MySpace (such as it still is) actually beats out Pinterest!</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>2 - Google owns both Google+ AND YouTube, but added together, they're still just under Facebook!</i></span></span><br />
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com">Social Bookmarking</a></noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently in the curriculum Department of an internet and SEO training company.<br /><br />Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i></div>
mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-50035684019493960682013-01-23T13:42:00.002-07:002013-01-23T14:40:46.937-07:00Making More Money Blogging<br />
Everyone wants to make more money, right? It seems that no matter how much you have, it would always be nice to have a little more. As I look at all of the blogs I run, it seems to me that with a little effort, they could all be making me more money.<br />
<br />
Over at Problogger , Darren Rowse spelled out <a href="http://www.problogger.net/archives/2013/01/17/double-your-blog-profits-in-2013/" target="_blank">three things that could make a blog more successful</a>. Really, these are the same principles that could make ANY website better. His ideas to make money blogging are:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Increase traffic to the site.</li>
<li>Increase conversions of first-time visitors into subscribers of an email list.</li>
<li>Increase sales conversions.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<br />
His point in the article is that even a slight increase in all three of these areas can add up to a significant increase in the bottom line at the end of each month.<br />
<br />
Increasing Traffic<br />
<br />
There are, of course, a lot of things that can go into this, from SEO, to linking, to use of social networking. Before deciding what can be done to improve a site, however, I think it’s important to take a look at the analytics and see where you are. How can you fix things if you don’t know what is broken? By the same token, if you know what’s working, you can turn it up!<br />
<br />
Email List Building<br />
<br />
A major part of internet marketing is, of course, the email list. If there isn’t one already (like most websites), it’s vital to build one. First time visitors to your site need to be aware that they can sign up, and be aware of a good reason to. Is there a freebie giveaway for the signup? There has to be a benefit.<br />
<br />
Increasing Sales Conversions<br />
<br />
If a higher percentage of visitors become buyers, then you build your income exponentially. The same number of visitors makes you more money. It really makes a lot of sense to put effort into your site’s layout. Streamline the purchase process. Make the products more prominent. Make it easier for people to find and buy your products. Whether your site is eCommerce or affiliate, the principle is the same.<br />
<br />
It’s also valuable to spend some time figuring out what your conversion rate is. Out of all the pageviews your site gets, how many of them do something you want them to do, like buy something, or click through an affiliate ad? Before you can improve something, you have to measure it.<br />
<br />
There are many different ways to accomplish these improvements. The first step, really, is knowing where you are now, and where you want to be at the end of the year. That will help make money blogging!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com">Social Bookmarking</a></noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently in the curriculum Department of an internet and SEO training company.<br /><br />Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-83306458954596311922011-12-29T10:30:00.000-07:002011-12-29T10:30:38.489-07:00Guest Blogging to Increase Website Traffic<br /><br /><br /><br />The holy grail of inbound links is an in-content text link where the link text contains one of your strong keywords. This can be a bit challenging to get set up, because that usually means that someone else has to set it up on their site. That means that someone else has to like something on your site so much that they take up valuable space on their site or blog talking about you, and linking to you.<br /><br />This happens, and it’s great when it does. Really, the only thing you can do to make it happen, however, is by having something really incredible at your website, and then hoping people find it, like it, and link to it. It’s not practical to say, “Today I’m gonna go get someone to link to me!”<br /><br />There is, however, a great way to establish these kinds of links and increase website traffic. To do it, you have to approach other sites, particularly blogs, with the idea that you’re going to give them something they need: Good content. You’re going to offer them a “<a href="http://www.copyblogger.com/inner-circle/">Guest Post</a>.” In other words, you’ll write a blog post for them to post on their blog. In the process of doing that, you can establish a link to your website. <br /><br />This isn’t anything sneaky. This is an accepted part of the exchange. If I’m a blogger, and you provide good content for me, I’m going to allow you to establish a link and increase website traffic to your site as a return of the favor.<br /><br />Here are some examples of some of my guest posts, designed to promote my Dutch oven cooking blog, <a href="http://marksblackpot.com/">marksblackpot.com</a>. This one, about <a href="http://www.cooking-outdoors.com/dutch-oven-cooking-in-the-cold/">Dutch oven cooking in the cold</a>, actually contains many internal links. <br /><br />This one isn’t really about Dutch ovens, but it is about food, so it fit. I also used it to promote my <a href="http://mormonfoodie.blogspot.com/2010/11/mormon-coffee.html">Utah religious pop culture blog</a>. <br /><br /><b>Guesting on Other People’s Blogs</b><br /><br />How do you do it?<br /><br />First of all, read a lot of blogs in your niche. Find out who are the best, most respected, most trafficed, and most famous bloggers. Any other relevant blog will do, but the best ones will get you the most traffic. <br /><br />As you find these blogs, read a lot of their posts, with the comments, so you get an idea of their point of view and how their audience responds. Think of a topic that would be good for their blog and good for their audience. Then, write up a short 3-4 sentence teaser or outline of your topic idea. <br /><br />Then you’ll want to contact the blogger and propose your article. Usually, there will be some kind of email link on the blog, but you might just have to use the comment space of one of their postings. If you do that, try to pick one that’s about a similar topic. Tell the hosting blogger that you have an article about such and such a topic, and give them the teaser. Would they like it as a guest post? Make sure to leave an email address for them to contact you back, and make sure the comment link (if you’re doing it that way) points back to your blog or site.<br /><br />Sometimes, the bloggers themselves will put out calls for guest posts. If you see those, make a note of it, and submit an article or an idea more directly.<br /><br />If they respond favorably, then write the article, proof it, making sure that it contains good keywords and links. DO NOT put any affiliate links in the article. Let the hosting blogger do that if he or she wants to.<br /><br />Finally, email it to the hosting blogger. If they like it, they’ll post it, and you’ll both get the benefit. You’ve helped them with good content, they’ve helped you with a quality link that will be in front of lots of their viewers.<br /><br /><b>Getting Guests on Your Own Blog</b><br /><br />A great way to get started with this of increasing website trafficis to seek out some guest posts for your own blog. If you’re nervous about contacting established bloggers and feeling like a beggar at their doorstep asking for handouts, then ask them to write a guest post for your blog first.<br /><br />The contact will still be the same. The only difference is that you’ll be asking for content instead of pitching it. If you have an idea for a topic, suggest it, but allow them to come up with their own posts as well.<br /><br /><b>The Illogical Extreme</b><br /><br />As I got to thinking about this, it occurred to me that you could create a blog, write a few posts of pillar content, and then recruit other writers to guest post. The entire blog could be nothing but guest posts about a relevant topic! <br /><br />Interesting...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location%20=%20'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent%20(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(%20document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript>&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.socialmarker.com"&amp;amp;gt;Social Bookmarking&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;</noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently in the curriculum Department of an internet and SEO training company.<br /><br />Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-26090671331684486862011-11-24T01:13:00.001-07:002011-11-24T01:17:21.329-07:00What to write about<br />
<br />
As I’m teaching people how to do an ecommerce blog, one of the biggest challenges for most is: “What do I write about?” It’s bad enough that most folks I work with are already intimidated by writing in the first place. It’s especially daunting for those that are blogging as a tool to promote an ecommerce website. Think of it. Just how much can you say about children’s bedding, or diamond tennis bracelets?<br />
<br />
Once you get past the fact that a decent ecommerce blog should be more than just product reviews that are really not much more than thinly veiled ads, what is there to write about? Here are some thoughts:<br />
<br />
<b>In an ecommerce blog, don’t write about your products, write about experiences</b><br />
<br />
First, take a step back from your products. Ask yourself, “What experience do these products provide?” If your website is selling tents, sleeping bags, and camp stoves, then the experience behind them is enjoying the outdoors. If you’re selling nutritional supplements, barbells, and yoga mats, then your experience is getting healthy.<br />
<br />
When you get past the products and onto the experience, you’ll find there are lots of things to write about.<br />
<br />
<b>Get ideas for your ecommerce blog from the world around you.</b><br />
<br />
As you go about your daily life, your mind is constantly going. You think of things and you get ideas, many of which relate to your website’s niche topic. At the end of the day, you look back and you might get the idea that you didn’t think of anything at all that day that relates, but in reality, you probably did, and you probably encountered a lot of things that relate to your topic. <br />
<br />
The problem was that you weren’t in a position to jot it down, and so you forgot it a few minutes later. Or, you shut yourself down by telling yourself it was a bad idea. Maybe both.<br />
<br />
The first problem is easy to fix. Carry a notepad to jot down your ideas when you get them, or use a notepad function of your cell phone. Use something you’ll always have with you. Then, when it’s time to blog, you can look through your ideas, pick the best one, and start writing.<br />
<br />
The second problem is pretty easy to fix as well. Simply jot down EVERYTHING. Sort out the good ideas later.<br />
<br />
<b>Do the thing you’re promoting</b><br />
<br />
I once worked with a lady who had decided, because of her extensive research, that paintball guns would be a great thing to sell. She built her site and input her products, and then when she got to me and I told her it was time to start creating content she went into a tizzy. <br />
<br />
Why? She had never even held a paintball gun, never shot one, and had definitely never been in a game. She had absolutely NO idea what to write about, or what to say in her ecommerce blog.<br />
<br />
Go and do. Then come back and write.<br />
<br />
<b>Don’t be an Expert</b><br />
<br />
This leads me to a final point. When writing, don’t worry about being an expert. When I first started my Dutch oven cooking blog, I hardly even knew how to cook. Now, I’ve got a four-book deal with a publisher to write cookbooks for the Dutch oven. The key is that I never CLAIMED to be an expert. My approach was simple: I’m learning how to do this, and I’m going to share what I learn. You can come a long for the ride, and we can learn together. Before long, readers will naturally trust your opinions and they’ll treat you like an expert.<br />
<br />
You have plenty to say in your ecommerce blog, and you can share it with people who want to read it. These will be the same people who will eventually buy it from you. It all comes down to credibility and comfort. Be real, be human, share your life as it relates to your topic. Get personal! You’ll have plenty to say!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript>&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.socialmarker.com"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Social Bookmarking&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently in the curriculum Department of an internet and SEO training company.<br /><br />Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-86291896348082124092011-07-13T08:31:00.000-07:002011-07-13T08:31:37.037-07:00Amazon v California - sales tax on internet sales<b>A Staring Match for the Future of Affiliate and Internet Marketing</b><br />
<br />
<br />
For many years, now, people have been talking about sales tax on Internet sales. I’ve heard and read about it in various forms. Scare tactic viral emails have crowded my inbox telling me to write my congressman about bills that haven’t existed yet. Politicians have debated the need to tax internet sales. Bla, bla, bla.<br />
<br />
For a long time, Internet sales have handled taxes the same way that old-school mail order catalogs did. That was that there were no sales taxes charged, unless the order originated from within the same home state as the business. If I’m a business in Utah, and someone else in Utah orders from me, I was required to collect and pay sales tax on internet sales based on that sale to that customer. On the other hand, if someone from New York bought from me, I didn’t have to collect New York state sales tax.<br />
<br />
That has caused a lot of problems over the years, especially as internet business has grown. <br />
<br />
See, sales tax is a state thing. The money is collected by the states, and managed and spent by the states. Each state decides how much sales tax they’re going to charge, and on what kinds of products. Some states don’t charge any sales tax. So, if someone from New York buys from someone in Utah, then, technically, that’s New York’s problem, not Utah’s. <br />
<br />
A lot of states have come up with some interesting ways of taking care of this. In theory, everyone in New York should keep track of all of their internet, mail-order, and out of state purchases, itemize that list on their state income taxes, and pay their New York state sales tax.. Most people, obviously, don’t do this. Here in Utah, for example, the state has an option for you to just pay an estimated out-of-state sales tax, added into your state income tax form. It’s easier and quicker than tracking all of your purchases, and it’s not exorbitant, so most people just pay it.<br />
<br />
However, as the internet has grown a bigger and bigger presence in the commercial world, it’s becoming a force to be dealt with. States are seeing online sales take a bite out of their retail sales tax revenues, and want to bite back. Several states have passed laws dealing specifically with sales tax on internet sales.<br />
<br />
The problem for internet retailers becomes bigger and bigger with each new state law. They have to update their shopping cart softwares and their accounting procedures to handle each new state’s tax rules and rates uniquely. It’s becoming very problematic.<br />
<br />
The crux of many of these new laws is that the retailer has to have a presence in the state in order for the state to force them to pay sales tax on internet sales. The way the states are getting around this in the new laws is by declaring that affiliates, who advertise for the big sites and get commission payouts, constitute that presence. Amazon disagrees, and rather than sink all that money into revamping their online checkout procedures and accounting processes to adapt to each state, they’ve simply pulled out of the states that are passing these laws. Affiliates in many states, like California, Connecticut, Texas, South Carolina, and others, are finding accounts closed.<br />
<br />
What does all this mean for internet entrepreneurs?<br />
<br />
On an immediate level, you’ll need to pay closer attention to your state’s laws. If you’re in a state where certain kinds and sites of affiliates are limited, you’ll need to be aware of that and choose affiliate programs that are still available, and willing to conform to your state’s sales tax on internet sales laws.<br />
<br />
Ultimately, it’s going to force the hand of the federal government, and they’ll have to step in and set some uniform and hopefully reasonable sales tax for internet sales. They’ll have to work out who gets the money from those taxes, however, and that battle will be hard fought. Will it go to the home state of the buyer, the seller, the manufacturer, or the shipper of the product? Or even remain with the feds? <br />
<br />
In the long run, you’ll need to pay close attention to bills being proposed in your state legislatures, about sales tax on internet sales, and make your own voice heard. Haunt your state legislature’s website. Be aware. Contact your representatives (state and federal) and find out what’s being debated. Let them know how you want them to vote, and remind them that you also vote.<br />
<br />
The next few years will be very interesting. Be a part of it in your state.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript>&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.socialmarker.com"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Social Bookmarking&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently coaching internet entrepreneurs.<br />
<br />
Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-36754257890870367752011-06-20T11:09:00.000-07:002011-06-20T11:09:40.560-07:00Panda Eats Up Lame Content and Spits it Out!<div style="background-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some more thoughts on the value of valuable content:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For a long time, one of the biggest promotional strategies of the ‘net has been to establish lots of “content-based” links by writing an article and submitting it to hundreds of article directories, each one with a link to your website.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There were several problems with this. One was that often these “articles” were thinly-veiled sales letters. For example, if a website was all about baby strollers, the marketer might pick a few featured items, grind out 500 words about the features of those particular strollers, title it something like, “How to shop for a baby stroller”, and off it goes to the directories. Or, it might have a brief overview of what, in general, makes up a baby stroller, with a few keywords. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There was little in these, or most other articles that was truly informative or inspiring. If you </span><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-makes-good-content-we-all-have.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">check the table in my last post about internet content</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, these articles would go in the “lame” box in the lower right.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are web pages that end up as what some people call “flotsam and netsam”. These are pages that are mere clutter that clog up the ‘net and make it that much harder for people to find the real information that they’re wanting.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, last spring, Google revised their ranking algorithm in an update referred to as “Panda”. A lot of those marketers that had relied on their copied and spun articles with linkbacks found their rankings plummeting. Those that relied on automatically generated content pulled with searches of keywords and scraped and copied text found that their sites had disappeared from top slots in Google’s search engine results pages.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here are just a couple of good, informative updates on the subject:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><ul><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.earnersblog.com/panda-update/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How Does the Panda/Farmer Update Impact Affiliates? </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://searchengineland.com/lessons-learned-at-smx-west-googles-farmerpanda-update-white-hat-cloaking-and-link-building-67838"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lessons Learned at SMX West: Google’s Panda Update, White Hat Cloaking & Link Building </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ef7114; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></a></li>
</ul><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What this all boils down to is that Google is, once again, establishing content as king. Good, useful, informative content, that is. One by one, the quick, easy ways to magical Internet ranking and wealth are disappearing (if they ever existed in the first place), and steady, real, honest writing is winning the day.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here are some ways to get good ranking and good traffic:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><ul><li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Write (or pay good writers to write) good content for your websites. This is true both of blogs and of ecommerce, products-based websites.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Write good content for external sites, like reputable articles directories and content sites (</span><a href="http://ezinearticles.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ezinearticles.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://squidoo.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">squidoo.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="http://hubpages.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hubpages.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make good sensible comments on other people’s good content (in blogs or other discussion sites. Even if the links are no-follow, it will help establish your credibility and attract directly clicking traffic.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Submit good content to other people’s blogs as guest posts.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make a good, useful blog yourself.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Use social networks like twitter and facebook wisely, to draw viewers and generate real buzz.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In affiliate marketing, give people more content than ads, rather than the other way around.</span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make all of your writing and content rich in good keywords that are not already flooded in the marketplace.</span></li>
</ul><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are the ways to make your site the most attractive and useful to visitors, and to make it more respected and ranked by the search engines.</span></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript>&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.socialmarker.com"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Social Bookmarking&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently in the curriculum Department of an internet and SEO training company.<br />
<br />
Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-47038302140380573222011-05-26T13:10:00.003-07:002011-05-26T13:16:02.312-07:00Are You a Good Content Writer?Are you a web content writer? We all have heard many times that “Content is King”. The problem with this thought is that many people don’t get it. These content writers flood the ‘net with garbage articles, blog posts, and comments that amount to just more flotsam and netsam. The online equivalent of white noise. They forget that what really reigns is GOOD content.<br />
<br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=masblpo-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=0123694868&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>So, what defines content that’s good? Is it length? Is it the use of keywords? Is it relevance? All of these are factors, it’s true, but for my money, I think it really comes down to two elements: Is it enlightening? Is it practical?<br />
<br />
For an article or post to be enlightening, it has to make me think about something in a new way. It can point out something that I hadn’t considered before, or inform me of some facts or events that I’d been previously unaware. It has to show me or teach me or inform me.<br />
<br />
If it’s practical, then it has given me something that I can apply to my daily life in a very direct way. It has taught me steps to help me achieve my goals, or it has shown me new tricks to make something easier.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-RTMc6qDp32Xnv12HV4vTzHDyV24WhOS7fLh8pEbWVdr8jquZQOVa5v1BjTPqBF54FdCAId6-KIBpd38vlxO_MPT-YxiAZrI-D3D2XJnQN8WfvUjc8MVkSmfKSArj-MD-36eOw/s1600/Enlightening-practical.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-RTMc6qDp32Xnv12HV4vTzHDyV24WhOS7fLh8pEbWVdr8jquZQOVa5v1BjTPqBF54FdCAId6-KIBpd38vlxO_MPT-YxiAZrI-D3D2XJnQN8WfvUjc8MVkSmfKSArj-MD-36eOw/s320/Enlightening-practical.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
So, I’ve graphed this out in a quadrant scale: Along one side we can see if an article is enlightening. Along the bottom, we can see if it’s practical. Each space helps to score the overall quality of the content. <br />
<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Square 1: In the lower left, we have content that is neither enlightening nor practical. This is 90% of the sludge out there on the internet now. It’s sales letters, and ad campaigns. It’s vapid blogging. It’s everywhere. And it’s lame.</li>
<li>Square 2: This is writing that is enlightening, but not practical. These are philosophical musings, opinion blogs, well-thought essays. This can be really well done, and enjoyable to read.</li>
<li>Square 3: Here we’ll find content that is practical, but not necessarily inspiring. How-to articles are frequently here in this section. This kind of content frequently draws inbound links, because people like content that solves problems.</li>
<li>Square 4: Content like this is often difficult to write. It requires knowing your audience’s needs, and knowing how your information can best help them, both in a personal and a practical way. It’s powerful stuff, and it draws lots of links and attention. If it’s placed right, it can go viral and draw lots of qualified traffic. Even though you might not hit this everytime, always strive for this, the best of the best.</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
Compare what you write to the graph and see what you get. In time, it'll improve your efforts as a web content writer!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript>&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.socialmarker.com"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Social Bookmarking&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</noscript><br />
<br />
<i><br />
Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-11890821288069900602010-11-12T10:48:00.000-07:002010-11-12T10:48:27.146-07:00Website Usability Testing - Figuring out the Black Box<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Ever heard of the “black box”? It a scientific concept, used in research and development. The idea is based on pretty simple concepts:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><ul><li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Something goes into a system, like it's being plugged into a big black box.</div></li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Something happens to it in the system.</div></li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Then it comes out the other side, changed.</div></li>
</ul><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Then the scientists try and figure out, based on the way it changed, what happened inside the box.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">There are lots of real-world examples of this. Driving a car is a good one. You sit in the seat, and you step on the gas. The car lunges forward. Most people do this several times a day, and don't even think about it. Most people have little or no clue what goes on under the hood and under the car that makes it go. They simply know that if they step on the gas (something going into the system), the car moves (something coming out of the system). In between those two things, it might as well be a dark black box.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But it would seem that knowing what goes on in the black box would be of real value. You would be able to tweak the box, or send in better stuff so that whatever comes out would be more like what you want. If you don't know what goes on in the box, it's all going to be a mystery.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Your website is very much the same way.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">People come to your website. You spend a lot of time and effort bringing them there. Then, they leave your system in one of two outcomes. One, they simply leave and go somewhere else. Or, they buy something/sign up for something and then leave. In between is a mystery. Even the best tracking systems don't really give you a true, clear picture of what goes on, click-by-click, inside the black box that is your website.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">To find that out, you'll need to do some face-to-face usability testing. Here are the steps:</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><ul><li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Prepare the test</div></li>
</ul><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">First of all, as with all tests, it's important to decide exactly what you want to know. How easy is it for my customers to find the products they want and buy them? Can they sign up for my newsletter? Can they find information they're looking for?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Come up with 3-4 specific tasks that you'd like your test subjects to complete. Vary them, but they should be important things your site contains. Put these in a list. Don't list the instructions on how to do the task, just the task itself. For example: “Find and purchase a blue Tiffany lamp.” or “sign up for the free information email”</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><ul><li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Find the usability test subjects</div></li>
</ul><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The more people you have do the usability testing in your site, the more effective your information will be. 5-10 people will be a good range to start. If you have more time, you can do more. It's also good to get people with a variety of computer skills, from those that were born with a mouse in their hands, to people who barely know how to turn on a computer. Family and friends can be great usability testers.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><ul><li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Run the test</div></li>
</ul><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Sit down with your test subjects in front of a computer. You'll be watching over their shoulders, but you'll not be interacting with them. Load up your website, give them the list of tasks, and watch them do the tasks.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Here is the important part: To make your usability test true, DO NOT SPEAK TO THEM, or answer ANY questions. If they turn to you and ask, smile and shrug. If they make a comment, smile and write it down. DO NOT RESPOND. In the real world, people are visiting your site, and you can't talk them through it, either.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">You'll pay attention to how long it takes them to complete the tasks, of course, but also watch the paths they take through your site as they do them. Do they struggle at any point? Is any part frustrating or confusing? Write all of these things down.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">When they've either completed or given up on all of the tasks, then you can talk. Ask them about the experience overall, and for any additional comments.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Then, buy your test subject some soda and chips. They'll appreciate that!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><ul><li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Analyze</div></li>
</ul><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Once you've run these tests a few times, you'll see patterns. Some of them will be good ones, others will point out problems or bottlenecks in your navigation. The beauty of usability testing, if it's done right, is that it will provide you with stark reality. You'll see, first-hand, how your customers are interacting with your website. Powerful stuff.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Then you'll be in a position to make some real changes to your site to improve the user experience. And that will improve your bottom line.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><br />
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location = 'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent (location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent( document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript><a href="http://www.socialmarker.com/">Social Bookmarking</a></noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently in the curriculum Department of an internet and SEO training company.<br />
<br />
Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-23749957256553113702010-07-23T07:59:00.000-07:002010-07-23T07:59:19.257-07:00Writing a Blog PostI’ve been blogging for about 8 years, now. In the bloggosphere, that’s a long, long, long time. Over the years, I’ve developed a pattern of steps that I follow when I make a blog post. I don’t always follow it, and sometimes the lines between some of the steps get blurry. But I always realize that the more closely I follow this pattern, the better my results.<br />
<br />
<ul><li> Idea</li>
</ul><br />
I have a google doc that I keep for my blog ideas. When I’m out on the web, and I read something that hits me I add it to that list. If someone tweets or blogs something cool, that merits more than just a comment or a retweet, I post that to my list. The document is broken into three separate lists, one for each blog I write. It’s set up with a shortcut on my desktop, and I also can access it from my smart phone. No matter where I am or what I’m doing, if I think “I’m so blogging this...” I can preserve that thought for later.<br />
<br />
Then, when the time comes for me to actually write the blog, I open up that document, and I’ve got a lot of things I can write about. I just pick one and go.<br />
<br />
Sometimes I’ll go out actively looking for ideas. I’ll check Yahoo’s main page or <a href="http://www.google.com/trends">Google Trends</a> to see what search terms are hot, and see if any of them could be related to my topic. I’ll go to BBC.com or CNN.com and search for a few of my go-to keywords to see if there are any current news stories I can resource.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Research</li>
</ul><br />
Sometimes getting an idea is its own research. By that, I mean that while I’m out doing my normal “keeping-up-on-things” reading, I find a great topic that makes me want to write. Other times, I get an idea from some other situation, and I’ll have to do a bit of research and reading to get some background. Sometimes, I’ll just have to do a little fact-checking. In any case, it’s good to base your writing on some facts. Or opinions...<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Thoughts</li>
</ul><br />
Often, my first bit of writing is just actually jotting down some notes. When preparing this post, for example, I wrote out all of these bullet points. I just get a few thoughts down, maybe in a sentence, or maybe in a list. That’s enough to get me started.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>First Draft</li>
</ul><br />
Now, I’m ready to write. I’ll start filling in sentences and paragraphs around those ideas that I listed out in the previous step. Or, I’ll flesh out those skeletal bits that I jotted down, either from my research or from my first thoughts.<br />
<br />
It’s important to me, while I’m in this first draft, to not block myself. So, I don’t usually pay too much attention to logic, sensibility, punctuation, rules. I just write. <br />
<br />
Yes, my first drafts are a mess. You got a problem with that? I don’t.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>First Edit: Flow & Logic</li>
</ul><br />
The reason I don’t have a problem with messy first drafts is that I know that I’m going to clean them up long before the public sees them. My first edit is where I look the posting over and clean up the logic and the flow. Top to bottom, does it make sense? Some posts, I organize chronologically, like I often do when writing a recipe at <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark’s Black Pot</a>. Other posts may be organized in a more <span id="goog_393847825"></span><a href="http://sohoman.blogspot.com/2005/08/how-to-write-great-website-part-ii.html">“inverted pyramid” format<span id="goog_393847826"></span></a>. Sometimes, in a more personal blog post, it’s OK to ramble.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Second Edit: Proofread</li>
</ul><br />
Now, it’s starting to make sense. It’s time to clean up by the rules. Check for punctuation errors, spelling errors, clumsy sentences, redundancies... There are a lot of grammar nazis out there, and I’d rather not give them the fodder.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Third Edit: Keywords & SEO</li>
</ul><br />
The next edit is possibly the most important. I go through the article and tweak sentences to include more keywords. More of my main keywords, more long-tail keywords, and more keywords to draw people to my affiliate links. More, more, more!<br />
<br />
Another thing to add at this stage is links. Establishing internal links to other relevant topics that you’ve blogged about before will draw clicks to those entries, as well as boost search engine value as well. Make sure that you’re including keywords in your link text, and not just saying “click here”. Links to external websites will also help to establish you as a credible, connected source of information. You can also contact the people you’ve linked to, and they’ll sometimes mention you as well, spreading the link love!<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Rest, and Re-read</li>
</ul><br />
This is a strategy that I’ve just recently discovered, but I haven’t done as much as I need to. Once a blog entry is written, it’s a good idea to let it rest before posting it. This does a few good things for you.<br />
<br />
First, you’ll re-read it a few hours later with fresh eyes, and possibly catch writing errors and problems that you missed before. It might not be as clear as you’d originally thought, or there’s a spelling error you didn’t see.<br />
<br />
Second, if it’s a very personal or emotional blog post, you can stop yourself from saying things that get too many people mad at you. While courting controversy is sometimes one way to gain traffic and readers, it can also undermine your credibility if you handle it wrong.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Posting</li>
</ul><br />
Now it’s time to go public! Copy and paste your article into your blog host and click the publish button, right?<br />
<br />
Almost. There are a few more things I do here.<br />
<br />
The first is to find some pictures to include. Even though I don’t always do this, especially in a conceptual blog like this one, it’s amazing how much a good graphic will dress up an article.<br />
<br />
I’ll also, at the bottom, interlink it with my other blogs. Yes, I do that, even though they’re not always (or even often) relevant.<br />
<br />
Also, I’ll find some relevant affiliate products (usually books at Amazon.com) and include those in my blog. And don’t forget to tag the post.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Promoting</li>
</ul><br />
The final step is to go out and tell the world that it’s there. I post a spot up on facebook and twitter, with a clever, leading and enticing phrase to draw people there. I’ll also put it up on a pinging service, like <a href="http://pingoat.com/">pingoat.com</a>, or <a href="http://ping-o-matic.com/">ping-o-matic.com</a>, to notify blogging aggregating sites as well as search engines that I have new content.<br />
<br />
This is a pretty exhaustive list of steps, and some even might consider it exhausting. But to do them all each time will end with better written posts, that rank higher, are better connected, and eventually make you more money.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="javascript:window.location%20=%20'http://www.socialmarker.com/?link='+encodeURIComponent%20(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(%20document.title);"><img alt="share" border="0" src="http://www.socialmarker.com/bookmark.gif" /></a><noscript>&amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.socialmarker.com"&amp;amp;gt;Social Bookmarking&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;</noscript><br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently in the curriculum Department of an internet and SEO training company.<br />
<br />
Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-2266657352827626752010-01-08T10:25:00.000-07:002010-01-08T10:25:33.550-07:00How to Use Google Queries to Find Backlink-Friendly Sites<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=masblpo-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1601382650&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>A while ago, I was out cruisin' the blogosphere's main drag, and found another helpful post. This one talked about <a href="http://www.clickbank.com/blog/2009/12/03/5-killer-seo-tips-get-backlinks/" id="zs8z" target="_blank" title="how to establish quality backlinks">how to establish quality backlinks</a>. Much of the posting talked about some pretty typical ideas, like writing and posting good articles, and posting blog comments, etc... These strategies are pretty well-known. However, one thing about this article that most other postings have ignored is just how to find the best sites to place your links. <br />
<br />
The genius of this article is in using very specific Google searches to find these sites. Some of these search strategies kinda fall in the realm of "Power Searching" on Google because they involve more than just typing in words and hoping to get good hits. We'll talk about these as we get through them.<br />
<br />
Directories, Lists, and Vertical Portals<br />
<br />
It's important to get your site listed in Directories, especially topic-specific ones (especially vertical portals). But how do you find them? Well, it turns out that there are some common factors that these pages all seem to have, and you can use that in your searches to get straight to them.<br />
<br />
First pick one of your keyword phrases. The first part of the search will be that phrase included in quotations (yes, you'll use the quotations in the Google search bar). Like this:<br />
<br />
<i>"outdoor cooking</i><i>"</i><br />
<br />
This will tell google to search for sites that contain an exact match for the words "outdoor cooking". If a site has the word "outdoor" and "cooking" but they're apart, in different sentences, for example, then the site won't come up in the results list.<br />
<br />
Then, after a space, type a plus sign (+), like this:<br />
<i><br />
“outdoor cooking” +</i><br />
<br />
This tells Google that you want to include something else in the search criteria.<br />
<br />
After another space, type: “add url” (and include the quotations), like this:<br />
<i><br />
“outdoor cooking” + “add url”</i><br />
<br />
Google will return only web pages that include both the exact phrase, "outdoor cooking" AND the exact phrase "add url", but they don't have to be right next to each other in the page. See, most directories, lists, and vertical portals include the phrase, "add url". But we don't want EVERY directory and portal, just the ones about outdoor cooking, so we include that, as well, in the search.<br />
<br />
Here are some other searches that will bring up directories, lists, and portals (use your own keyword phrases in place of the words "Keyword phrase" and remember to include the quotation marks):<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>“Keyword phrase” + “add site”</i><br />
<i>“Keyword phrase” + “add website”</i><br />
<br />
Another trick involves Squidoo.com and their system of establishing lists. Go to Google and do this search:<br />
<i><br />
“add+to+this+list”+”keyword phrase”+site:squidoo.com</i><br />
<br />
This search query will pull up a list of Squidoo.com pages (many with good pageranks) that allow you to add your site to their list, and, in many cases, even choose your own link text.<br />
<br />
Using these searches can save you a lot of time in the most labor intensive part of your linking campaigns, that is: finding the kinds of sites you want to use. <br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently in the curriculum Department of an internet and SEO training company. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-38437550078457574882009-12-22T10:40:00.000-07:002009-12-22T10:40:26.064-07:00This Years Hottest Ranking Factors<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Search-Engine-Optimization-Dummies-Computer/dp/0470262702?ie=UTF8&tag=masblpo-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Search Engine Optimization For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0470262702&tag=masblpo-20" /></a><i>-Or-<br />
<br />
Not Exactly the Billboard Charts</i><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=masblpo-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0470262702" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
<br />
Every two years, SEOMoz.com polls some of the top search engine optimization practitioners and gurus and asks them, "What can you do to get ranked?" They come back with all of the various factors that they have found to be most and least impactful on search engine ranking. That data is all compiled and sorted, and presented to you at their site, as <a href="http://www.seomoz.org/article/search-ranking-factors" id="gim7" target="_blank" title="a guide to overall value in search engine optimization">a guide to overall value in search engine optimization</a>.<br />
<br />
Now, this is absolutely incredibly vital information! This tells us what to put our best efforts into, what to merely pay attention to, and what we can pretty much ignore altogether.<br />
<br />
Keep in mind that these are the <i>opinions </i>of those professionals that are out on the field playing the game, but not pronouncements from those that are making the rules. Google, Bing, and Yahoo don't come out and reveal their ranking algorithms. They give guidelines, and leave it up to the rest of us to figure out what the details are.<br />
<br />
Still, when a lot of really smart people with a lot of experience put their heads together and give their opinions, I'm gonna recommend that we all shut up and listen!<br />
<br />
I looked over the various factors in several categories, and I noticed that many of them overlapped. For quick simplicity, I merged the categories, and created a list of the most critical overall ranking factors.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul><li><b>External link popularity</b> - The best links to boost your ranking are:</li>
<ul><li>Inbound links</li>
<li>From diverse domains (many other unique websites)</li>
<li>From websites with authority in your area</li>
<li>From other relevant websites</li>
<li>Using keywords in the text they use to link to you.</li>
</ul><li>Keyword use anywhere in the <b>title tag</b> - Many of the responses added that having a keyword match as the first word of a title tag was also very significant.</li>
<li><b>Having a valuable website</b> - This is determined based on a lot of factors, including:</li>
<ul><li>Unique, substantial content on the page</li>
<li>A high Google Page Rank</li>
<li>A high "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TrustRank" id="l98x" target="_blank" title="TrustRank">TrustRank</a>"</li>
</ul><li><b>Keyword use in the URL</b> - Especially in the root domain name (eg. "keyword.com").</li>
<li><b>Having internal links</b> (from other pages in your site) that contain keywords.</li>
<li><b>Having a steady growth in your inbound links</b>, rather than a sudden influx of many links.</li>
<li><b>How recently the page was created</b> or updated.</li>
<li>Keyword use anywhere in the <b>H1 headline tag.</b></li>
<li>Keyword use in <b>internal link text</b> on the page.</li>
</ul><br />
There are some surprises. For example, for many years, people have talked about the possibility of the "Age Rank", that is, Google giving preference to domains that have existed longer. That didn't appear in the list this time. In fact, it appears that some preference is being given to the freshest content.<br />
<br />
Also, some gurus have long dismissed the Google Page Rank as a factor, but it's still in the list, so many others still believe it has value.<br />
<br />
Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter didn't appear to have that strong of an impact on search engine ranking. However, most gurus seem to think their value is in more direct promotions and immediate clicks, rather than any search engine boost.<br />
<br />
The META tags are pretty much ignored, however, the META description is still often used as the descriptive snippet in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). So, having a good strong and attractive description can still help convince browsers to click on your link, instead of one that even ranks a step or two higher.<br />
<br />
I'd encourage you to <a href="http://www.seomoz.org/article/search-ranking-factors#ranking-factors" id="q13v" target="_blank" title="study the survey in detail">study the survey in detail</a>, and begin to understand each unique element that combines to give your website the best possible chance for success!<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently in the curriculum Department of an internet and SEO training company. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-77788195133360645362009-12-17T09:51:00.001-07:002009-12-17T09:51:50.535-07:00Optimizing eCommerce Shopping SitesI read a <a href="http://searchengineland.com/5-essential-concepts-for-e-commerce-seo-31713" id="hrcm" target="_blank" title="blog post the other day about some of the challenges faced by webmasters of traditional e-commerce sites">blog post the other day about some of the challenges faced by webmasters of traditional e-commerce sites</a>. Basic shopping sites are in between a rock and a hard place. They're a web 1.0 concept in a web 2.0 world. Why do they survive? Well, many don't. But still many do! The ones that survive do so because they are selling things that people want, and the webmasters know how to get the products in front of those that want them.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/eBoot-Camp-Internet-Marketing-Techniques/dp/0470411597?ie=UTF8&tag=masblpo-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img align="right" alt="eBoot Camp: Proven Internet Marketing Techniques to Grow Your Business" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=0470411597&tag=masblpo-20" /></a>A big part of the problem is in differentiation. What makes one herbal diet supplement site unique from another? Should I buy the same remote-controlled car from this site or that one? And, if they're all the same, that makes it very difficult for any one of them to rank well. <br />
<br />
Here are some suggestions that will help you not only be unique, but also to rank higher, and draw more buying customers.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Optimize individual products</li>
</ul><br />
This is a biggie. A lot of web browsers are just checking things out and doing research. Others have done the study, made the decision, and now they're ready to buy. They just need to find a site, and put down their credit card. Optimize the individual product pages, and when someone searches for that specific product, it will be found. Then the customer will buy from you instead of thousands of other sites that weren't as savvy as you.<br />
<br />
To optimize your product pages, make sure, first of all, that your products are spiderable. Check with your webmaster or the tech team of your website. Then, make sure that the product name, brand, and model are in the page's title, and a few times in the product description.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Content pages</li>
</ul><br />
A good way to set yourself apart from EVERY OTHER WEBSITE selling the same stuff as you is to provide good useful information. Not only does that make you unique, but it will build the customer's confidence in you. You become an expert, not just a shop keeper. They'll buy from you because you can help them better after the sale. <br />
<br />
If those content pages are optimized, too, then you'll draw in visitors while they're still doing the research I mentioned before. Maybe they'll buy right away, maybe they'll come back.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Article links and blog posts</li>
</ul><br />
Offsite content is another great way to establish yourself as an authority in your field. Plus, the inbound links will boost your ranking. When you set these up, link to your main page, but also link to your product pages. That will draw shopping traffic, and will also improve that product's search ranking.<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Social Networking<br />
</li>
</ul><br />
Even if your website is still web 1.0, there's no reason you should be. Get on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks and talk with your audience. Share your website with them. Engage in the conversation. <br />
<br />
All of these strategies can work well to increase the value of your e-Commerce website!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently in the curriculum Department of an internet and SEO training company. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-10309756263561706042009-12-11T09:39:00.000-07:002009-12-11T09:39:07.161-07:00Do's and Do Not's of Social NetworkingWe can tell you to click here and click there, fill out this form and make a post over at that other website, but it's often not easy to truly understand what's going on in Social Networking. It's true that a lot of the flavor of a meal is discovered while you're eating it. In other words, you'll learn a lot about using social networks simply by being on them. Still, here are some general guidelines of how to approach them so that you'll do better right from the start.<br />
<br />
<b>Do These Things:</b><br />
<br />
<ol><li>Find your audience - Using your keywords to search through profiles helps filter out a lot of people who have no interest in your business or your products. Spend your time and efforts on people who are more likely to buy.<br />
</li>
<li>Actively participate - Find your audience, and interact with them. Before you know it, they'll be checking out your website and making you money. But first, just join the party. If you sit quietly in the corner and watch, nothing will happen.</li>
<li>Share good content, not just your own - If you're at a party, and someone is monopolizing the conversation, talking only about themselves and their own accomplishments, it gets pretty old pretty fast, doesn't it? Share some links and info about other, still relevant, sites you've found, and people will like following you.<br />
</li>
<li>Be a source of value - Along the same lines, if they can count on you for the good stuff, the useful info, and the exciting news, then they'll be excited to see something you've posted.<br />
</li>
<li>Use the same avatar - From one social network to another, it's a good idea to use the same avatar or profile image. This is a part of your branding efforts. Use your company logo, if it works as a small image. People will begin to recognize you. (One time at church someone came up to me and said, "Hey, I saw you out on the 'net the other day. Man, you are EVERYwhere!")</li>
<li>Update your site and blog, so you have something to talk about on the 'network.<br />
</li>
</ol><br />
<b>Don't Do These Things:</b><br />
<br />
<ol><li>Don't just plug your products - It's OK to mention your own products and your own blogs every once in a while, but if your twitter feed or your facebook page is nothing but ads, I'm going to unfollow you fast. Visit with me, don't just sell to me.<br />
</li>
<li>Don't use tools to add millions of friends/followers - I recently tried a tool that got me thousands of twitter followers overnight. Most of them were clogging my twitter feed with ads for diet pills and cheap mortgages. When I posted about new blog entry, I got a couple of dozen hits from twitter. Pretty lame percentage out of thousands of followers. I've seen other things like this happen all the time. Quantity is great, as long as it's a high quantity of good quality friends and followers. Remember: find your audience!<br />
</li>
<li>Don't spew out flow - Some people want to post every detail of their personal existence. I don't care if you're in a Starbucks having a mocha venti grande. I also don't care to read about how long it took you to get to work this morning. Unless you make it relevant to your topic, leave it out. I don't mind if a part of your social networking posts are personal. That's what shows you're human. But don't just share the mind-numbing dullness of your dreary life.<br />
</li>
<li>Don't friend everyone - Not everyone is your audience, and not everyone is interested in your products. Don't waste your time on people that won't buy. If someone friends you and you can tell they're just looking for a bigger list, you don't have to friend them back.<br />
</li>
<li>Don't use the same accounts for personal networking and business networking - The more I work this, the more I realize it's much more effective to split them into separate accounts. <br />
</li>
<li>Don't post too much - There's a guy on my Facebook friends list that shares good, informative content. That's great, right? Except he posts every 10 to 20 minutes. I don't have time to read all that, and it clutters up my profile. Even good content, 5-10 times a day, can get annoying.</li>
<li>Don't post too little - You're easy to forget, and if you wait too many days in between blog posts, or Twitter tweets, it's tough to build up an audience of readers.</li>
</ol><br />
Like I said before, as you use the social networks, you'll learn more and more how to make it effective for you. There are many more tips and tricks that you'll pick up along the way. Many of the tips that I learned were shared with me by other users! Keep learning and you'll do well!<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently in the curriculum Department of an internet and SEO training company. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-48802755361264188462009-12-08T09:21:00.000-07:002009-12-08T09:21:10.833-07:00Google Personalized SERPs: Convenient or Creepy?As of December 4th, Google has begun giving you <a href="http://searchengineland.com/googles-personalized-results-the-new-normal-31290" id="x6we" target="_blank" title="personalized results on your searches">personalized results on your searches</a>. they've been doing that for a long time, for those that chose to "opt in" to the service, but now all SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) will be personalized automatically.<br />
<br />
What that means is that when you do a search at Google, and click on a result at that SERP, Google will keep track of that click for 180 days, along with all of the other clicks you do after a google search. From that data, it will get an idea of the kids of sites you like, and those sites will get preferential ranking in your results. Over time, the kinds of sites you look for often will drift to the top of your results. <br />
<br />
If you happen to run the Google toolbar, or are logged into google docs or gmail or something else Google, they're actually <a href="http://searchengineland.com/googles-personalized-results-the-new-normal-31290" id="npph" target="_blank" title="able to track all your web-goings">able to track all your web-goings</a>.<br />
<br />
The convenient part of that is that you're more likely to find what you're most interested in when you do searches. The searching part of your internet experiences is more likely to become less "search-y" and more "find-y". The 'net becomes more useful and friendly.<br />
<br />
The creepy part is thinking that Google is going all "Big Brother" on you, watching your every move. What about privacy? What about freedom? Who's watching my SERPs?<br />
<br />
I don't mean to stir up conspiracy theories or frighten the already-alarmed alarmists, but really, this kind of thing has been going on for a long time. A lot of the websites we use keep track of our activity. That's good business for them. That way they can know what their customers want, and can better deliver it to them. In my own personal case:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Amazon knows that I like cookbooks, games, and religious commentary<br />
</li>
<li>Facebook knows who my friends are</li>
<li>Pandora knows that I like hard rock and classical music<br />
</li>
<li>Netflix knows that I like comedies, but am willing to watch a chick flick with my wife<br />
</li>
<li>Those that follow my blog know I love to cook outdoors<br />
</li>
<li>YouTube knows that I like music videos and parodies</li>
</ul><br />
So, this is really nothing terribly new, and certainly not anything to get too alarmed about. It does, however, raise the question, "If search results and SERPs are going to be tailored to the preferences of the user, how do I make sure that my site ranks high?"<br />
<br />
It does mean that getting a #1 slot, or even a page 1 slot is no longer going to be a constant. It does, however, mean that if you all of the things that made you rank well before, you're still going to rank well, and you're going to rank even higher if someone is clearly interested in what you've got.<br />
<br />
Keep in mind that personalization is only one aspect of a very complicated ranking algorithm that includes many other factors, like keyword matching, keyword placement, number of inbound links, the age of the site, and other elements. There are all kinds of factors that all add up to the SERP you see.<br />
<br />
It also means that "niche-ing" is going to be even more important. That means that you'll want to make sure that your website is focused, and that you're well interlinked among other sites and blogs within that niche. Showing that you're clearly "about" something will help you to rank when someone wants to know about that thing. Trying to sell everything to everyone will end up with your site ranking for no-one.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently in the curriculum Department of an internet and SEO training company. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026729.post-17936812875956437432009-12-01T10:07:00.001-07:002009-12-01T10:12:03.132-07:00Listening to an FTC Lawyer: Clear as Mud, But it Covers the GroundI recently sat in on a <a href="http://vimeo.com/7646201" id="a5an" target="_blank" title="webinar">webinar</a> given by the site "<a href="http://www.blogwithintegrity.com/index.php" id="it2d" target="_blank" title="Blog with Integrity">Blog with Integrity</a>", with speaker Mary Engle. Mary is the FTC's Associate Director of Consumer Protection. I learned a lot about the new FTC guidelines, especially as it relates to blogging. This is particularly timely, as the guidelines go into effect as of today, the day of this writing!<br />
<br />
I came away from the webinar with a slightly more clear understanding of the concepts behind the new FTC guidelines, but I'm still a bit confused about how they want them to be implemented. As I listened, I got the sense that they, too, haven't fully defined the details, and that they're still in the process of interpreting them.<br />
<br />
<b>FTC Guidelines for Existing Laws</b><br />
<br />
The impetus behind the new guides is that a lot has changed and adapted since the '80s, when the laws were put into place. The advent of blogging, social networking, and a vast landscape of interconnectedness has come along since then, and now they're trying to apply those existing laws and regulations to new circumstances.<br />
<br />
That's OK. A well-written law should be able to be applied fairly to new situations. It does, however, make for some generalities that can be difficult to detail. One thing that Engle mentioned is that these new FTC guidelines, by themselves, don't have the weight of law. They are designed to show the application of the current laws.<br />
<br />
<b>Disclosure, Not Deception</b><br />
<br />
The idea is that whenever someone writes or talks about a product or a company, the reader or viewer should be able to know if there's any connection between the writer/speaker, and the product or company being discussed. <br />
<br />
So, if I post to my Facebook page that I'm gonna hit McDonald's for lunch, do I have to add a disclosure statement? Well, probably not, but it depends: Did McD's pay me to say that? Am I getting my meal for free in return for mentioning it on Facebook? If so, I need to say so. If nobody paid me anything, or gave me anything for free, I can say whatever I want.<br />
<br />
What if I blog about my family life, and I put affiliate ads on the site? Do I have to tell people that the affiliate links make me money? Again, that depends. If it's a big graphic ad off to one side of the blog, it's a pretty safe bet that everyone "gets it" that it's an ad, and that I'm getting compensated for it in some way.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, what if I blog about a book, and put a link to that book over at Amazon? In that case, it's a little less obvious and should probably be disclosed.<br />
<br />
The overall focus, according to Engle, is to eliminate the deception. If a blogger writes about something, the readers should be able to judge his/her fairness. Did they get the product for free? Were they paid to write? Are they getting commissions for recommending a particular book? The audience needs to know.<br />
<br />
<b>Linking to a Website.</b><br />
<br />
Let's say that you blog primarily as an effort to promote an ecommerce website. Let's say that you sell products at the site, and you want to blog about them. You'd definitely want to disclose that, to be in compliance with these FTC guidelines. Fortunately, that's not too hard. "Come check out these products at our website! (link, link, link)"<br />
<br />
<b>Testimonials</b><br />
<br />
Having testimonials on your website is a great way to build customer confidence. If you get a spontaneous email about how good your product is, or how quickly you delivered it, then you've got gold, and you should post it on your website. However, if you offer discounts or other premiums in return for testimonials, that has to be disclosed.<br />
<br />
<b>My Own Disclaimer!</b><br />
<br />
The things I've said here are the things that I gathered as I was listening to <a href="http://vimeo.com/7646201" id="df:a" target="_blank" title="the FTC presentation mentioned above">the FTC presentation mentioned above</a>. I don't really know how the FTC is going to enforce these. Frankly, I'm not convinced that they're too sure, either. My best recommendation is to take some time and listen to the webinar and learn for yourself. They can also be contacted via email with questions: <a href="mailto:endorsement@ftc.gov" id="rybv" title="endorsement@ftc.gov">endorsement@ftc.gov</a>. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Mark is currently in the curriculum Department of an internet and SEO training company. Mark also has other sites and blogs, including <a href="http://marksblackpot.blogspot.com/">Mark's Black Pot - Dutch Oven Recipes</a>, <a href="http://markhansenmusic.com/">MarkHansenMusic.com</a> and his <a href="http://moboy.blogspot.com/">MoBoy blog</a>.</i>mrkhmusichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05724027246990759522noreply@blogger.com0