By: Ari Krizsan
The internet is flooded with affiliate programs that promise you high earnings with little effort. But is it really so? Can you really earn huge commissions regardless which affiliate products you choose to promote? Obviously, not. There are programs that can earn you fat checks every month and there are programs that won't even get you a little pocket money. So what makes the difference between affiliate programs and products that secure you a steady income and those that are merely a waste of time?
Here is a list of the key factors that will help you in how to choose the right affiliate product to promote.
1. Site related product:
It goes without saying that you should choose products or services that match your website's or blog's theme.
2. Commission rate:
Some vendors offer very high rates compared to other affiliate programs. If it is above 20 % then you should give it a try.
3. Price:
Of course you should also know what the commission base is. If you promote a $19.95 ebook and get 75% you earn $14.96 for each book you sold. But if you promote a $156.00 software with 40% commission, you put $62.40 into your pocket after each sale.
4. Vendor's website:
Take a look at the vendor's website, sales letter and other promotional stuff there. If you were a potential customer would you want to buy what he is about to sell? Is the sales letter convincing? Does the layout of the website look professional, or is it cheap and amateurish? You should consider all these questions before you send visitors to a vendor's site because if you are not satisfied with what awaits you at the landing page, then how can you expect it from your visitors?
5. Reliability of the product:
If you have no personal experience with the product, go to message boards and read reviews or opinions of the product from people who have used it already. To locate related message boards search for 'message board' and 'the product's name' in search engines.
6. Reliability of payment:
With reputable affiliate networks reliability is not really an issue. Payment methods and periods are set in the general terms of service. With affiliate programs run by individual companies or with less known affiliate networks it can happen that they don't pay. Before joining any of these affiliate programs do your home work! Ask around on affiliate marketing message boards and find out about other webmasters' experiences with the company.
7. Demand for the product:
Do people buy this product? Is it a 'hot' niche? It is much more profitable to go for popular products than goods for which the target group is too narrow.
8. Two-tier and multi-tier affiliate programs:
Some vendors offer you to pay for sales that were made by you indirectly. That means if another webmaster signs up to the program through your affiliate link, you will be entitled to a commission after this person's sales, too. While some internet gurus advise you to choose two-tier (or multi-tier) programs if possible, experience shows that you won't earn much through these indirect sales. Unless you have a huge opt-in list and are considered a 'guru' or expert yourself in the subject area you operate in. Why is that? The problem with two-tier programs is that affiliates – especially newbies – will promote the program instead of the product. They will hope to make money through their 'sub-affiliates' and neglect to promote the product itself. And those who sign up through him will think similarly. So while there will be a long line of sub-affiliates, no one will really make a sale and no one will make money!
9. The lifetime of cookies:
The operating of affiliate programs are based on cookies. Cookies are simple scripts that track the visitor's path. They help in identifying through which affiliate ID a visitor came to a vendor's site and which affiliate should be paid a commission for after the visitor's purchase. At some sites cookies are set for 24 hours. This means the visitor has to make a purchase within 1 day starting from the moment he arrived at the vendor's website through your affiliate link. If he buys something 2 days later you lose commission for that sale. The longer period cookies are set for, the better. Some programs offer 30-day tracking periods, some a whole year, and there are even lifetime commission affiliate programs. That means if a visitor came through your affiliate link and bought a product or service at the vendor's site, this customer is yours forever. If he makes new purchases in the future, you will be paid after these sales, too.
10. Pay out minimum:
Usually there is a threshold that affiliates have to reach to be paid. (In most cases it is $100, but it's not a general rule.) If you don't reach this limit within a payment period, the sum will be held back and carried over to the next payment period as long as you don't earn the said amount.
11. Payment periods:
Affiliates are paid periodically. This can vary from a quarter to biweekly periods. The shorter the time span of payment is, the better for your cash flow. (People are happier if they get their earnings as soon as possible.)
12. Exclusivity:
Some vendors require exclusivity. It means if you decide to join their affiliate program and promote their products you are not allowed to advertise the competition's products. This severely limits your income opportunities.
About The Author
To discover more secrets about how to start and successfully operate a home based business or internet business, go to HomebizHerald and read the free online tutorials: www.homebizherald.com Download free web page templates and free banner templates at www.webtemplatemall.com
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
The Art of Effective Copywriting
By - Shelley Lowery
<)))
If you're selling a product or service on the Internet, your words are the most important factor in determining your success. High-tech web sites with fancy images won't make sales; however, many Internet entrepreneurs spend much more time designing a professional looking web site than writing effective sales copy. A professional looking web site is a very important part of making sales; however, without effective sales copy your web site will be useless.
The art of effective copywriting is simply learning how to write persuasive words specifically written for your targeted customer. You must feel your customers needs and write your copy with passion, excitement and benefit.
If you've ever developed a new product then you know that there is a certain time when your emotions are riding high and you're full of excitement and anticipation. This is the best time to do your copywriting. Your excitement will flow through your words. Take this time to sit down and write an outline for your sales message.
Creating A Headline
The first part of your outline will be your headline. This is the most important part of your entire sales copy. You must write a headline that demands attention and forces your visitor to read on. Most of your visitors will only read your headline. If it doesn't instantly grab their attention, they'll move on and never return.
Writing an Introduction
Once you've captured your visitor's attention, you'll now need to direct their attention to your introduction. Keep your introduction brief and to the point. Let them know exactly what you have to offer them.
Use Plenty of Subheadings
Your next step in creating your outline is to add subheadings. Subheadings are basically just smaller headlines used to break up your text blocks. They also provide your readers with important highlights of your paragraphs. Use plenty of subheadings throughout your copy, as not all of your visitors will read your copy word for word. They'll simply scan it and only read what catches their attention.
Remove the Risk
You must provide a solid, no risk, money back guarantee. Provide a limited time free trial or download that will completely remove the risk. This will build your potential customers confidence and put their mind at ease. Display your guarantee in bold text and even mention it in your sales message and on your order page.
Call for Action
Ask for the order and provide an easy ordering process. Continue to reassure your potential customer and lead them to your order page.
Use a P.S.
When your visitor scans your sales message, chances are they'll read your headline, subheadlines and your PostScript message. Place your most important benefits within your P.S. message. It will get read.
Writing Your Copy
Now, you're ready to begin filling in the spaces. When you begin writing your paragraphs, get straight to the point, avoid negativity and hype, and write in small sections. Vary the paragraph sizes and limit each paragraph to four or five lines max. If you feel that your paragraph will be longer than four or five lines, try to use bullets to display important points. Write in an everyday language that everyone can understand.
Make sure you use plenty of white space. White space is the empty space between your paragraphs and around your text. You don't want to overwhelm your visitors with a solid page of black text. Nothing will make them click away any faster.
Pack your sales copy with benefits from your headline straight through to your order form. Make sure you don't confuse features with benefits. Features don't sell... Benefits sell. Your visitor wants to know exactly what your product or service can do for them.
Provide Testimonials
Testimonials provide another great way to reassure your visitors. Blend your testimonials in with your sales message. Avoid making your visitors have to click to another page to view your testimonials; chances are, they won't. By blending your testimonials in with your sales message you can ensure they will be read.
Selecting Fonts
Avoid using fancy fonts. Fancy fonts make text difficult to read. In addition, your visitor may not have that font on their computer. Select a font that is easy to read and use black text on a light background.
Long Copy Vs. Short Copy
It is a proven fact that long sales copy out-sells short sales copy, but some visitors do prefer a short sales letter. You can give your visitors both. For those who prefer a short sales letter you can provide opportunities to click through to your order page prior to ending your sales letter.
Try to keep your sales letter all on one page. Your visitor would much rather have to scroll through your letter than click through and load another page. With each additional click, you'll lose a percentage of your potential customers.
Your words should seamlessly flow together from your headline through to your order page. Keep it simple, to the point and pack it with all of the benefits your product has to offer.
Learning the art of effective copywriting can mean the difference between success and failure. The simple, well-designed web sites with killer sales copy make the sales.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery
About the Author
Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com/ And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net/
<)))
If you're selling a product or service on the Internet, your words are the most important factor in determining your success. High-tech web sites with fancy images won't make sales; however, many Internet entrepreneurs spend much more time designing a professional looking web site than writing effective sales copy. A professional looking web site is a very important part of making sales; however, without effective sales copy your web site will be useless.
The art of effective copywriting is simply learning how to write persuasive words specifically written for your targeted customer. You must feel your customers needs and write your copy with passion, excitement and benefit.
If you've ever developed a new product then you know that there is a certain time when your emotions are riding high and you're full of excitement and anticipation. This is the best time to do your copywriting. Your excitement will flow through your words. Take this time to sit down and write an outline for your sales message.
Creating A Headline
The first part of your outline will be your headline. This is the most important part of your entire sales copy. You must write a headline that demands attention and forces your visitor to read on. Most of your visitors will only read your headline. If it doesn't instantly grab their attention, they'll move on and never return.
Writing an Introduction
Once you've captured your visitor's attention, you'll now need to direct their attention to your introduction. Keep your introduction brief and to the point. Let them know exactly what you have to offer them.
Use Plenty of Subheadings
Your next step in creating your outline is to add subheadings. Subheadings are basically just smaller headlines used to break up your text blocks. They also provide your readers with important highlights of your paragraphs. Use plenty of subheadings throughout your copy, as not all of your visitors will read your copy word for word. They'll simply scan it and only read what catches their attention.
Remove the Risk
You must provide a solid, no risk, money back guarantee. Provide a limited time free trial or download that will completely remove the risk. This will build your potential customers confidence and put their mind at ease. Display your guarantee in bold text and even mention it in your sales message and on your order page.
Call for Action
Ask for the order and provide an easy ordering process. Continue to reassure your potential customer and lead them to your order page.
Use a P.S.
When your visitor scans your sales message, chances are they'll read your headline, subheadlines and your PostScript message. Place your most important benefits within your P.S. message. It will get read.
Writing Your Copy
Now, you're ready to begin filling in the spaces. When you begin writing your paragraphs, get straight to the point, avoid negativity and hype, and write in small sections. Vary the paragraph sizes and limit each paragraph to four or five lines max. If you feel that your paragraph will be longer than four or five lines, try to use bullets to display important points. Write in an everyday language that everyone can understand.
Make sure you use plenty of white space. White space is the empty space between your paragraphs and around your text. You don't want to overwhelm your visitors with a solid page of black text. Nothing will make them click away any faster.
Pack your sales copy with benefits from your headline straight through to your order form. Make sure you don't confuse features with benefits. Features don't sell... Benefits sell. Your visitor wants to know exactly what your product or service can do for them.
Provide Testimonials
Testimonials provide another great way to reassure your visitors. Blend your testimonials in with your sales message. Avoid making your visitors have to click to another page to view your testimonials; chances are, they won't. By blending your testimonials in with your sales message you can ensure they will be read.
Selecting Fonts
Avoid using fancy fonts. Fancy fonts make text difficult to read. In addition, your visitor may not have that font on their computer. Select a font that is easy to read and use black text on a light background.
Long Copy Vs. Short Copy
It is a proven fact that long sales copy out-sells short sales copy, but some visitors do prefer a short sales letter. You can give your visitors both. For those who prefer a short sales letter you can provide opportunities to click through to your order page prior to ending your sales letter.
Try to keep your sales letter all on one page. Your visitor would much rather have to scroll through your letter than click through and load another page. With each additional click, you'll lose a percentage of your potential customers.
Your words should seamlessly flow together from your headline through to your order page. Keep it simple, to the point and pack it with all of the benefits your product has to offer.
Learning the art of effective copywriting can mean the difference between success and failure. The simple, well-designed web sites with killer sales copy make the sales.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery
About the Author
Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com/ And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net/
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
How to Create, Sell and Distribute Your Own Ebook
By - Shelley Lowery
<)))
With the rising popularity of the Internet, there is absolutely no better time than right now to create your own ebook. Not only is there no better time, but it has never been any easier for anyone to develop and sell their own products.
Information is the number one best-selling product on the Internet. There are literally hundreds of Internet entrepreneurs quietly making a fortune simply by selling information.
The first step in creating your product is to decide upon a subject. Select a subject in which you have a great deal of knowledge. The knowledge you have within your own mind is extremely valuable. Simply write about what you know and teach others how to do the same thing. It's that simple.
Creating an Outline
The easiest way to begin writing is to create an outline. Begin your outline with an opening statement or Introduction followed by a Foreword. Your opening statement might tell your readers a little bit about what they are going to learn or may be a statement in regard to the subject matter. Your Foreword might include information in regard to who you are, your credentials, copyrights, and what you want your readers to learn.
Your next step will be to either create a Table of Contents or go directly into creating your Chapter Titles. If you're writing your information in the form of a how-to manual, you may want to use a Table of Contents. This will enable your readers to quickly locate important information. If you're writing your information in the form of a book, then you can leave out the Table of Contents and simply use Chapter Titles.
Whether you're using a Table of Contents or Chapter Titles, write your titles so that when they're read, they tell the story. In other words, when you scan your titles they will give you a step by step description of what your information is all about.
Finally, at the bottom of your outline, wrap everything up by including a closing statement.
Once you've completed your outline you can begin filling in the spaces. Write your text in small blocks and leave a space between your paragraphs. Select a font that is easy to read and use black text on a white background. In addition, write in an everyday language that everyone can understand.
Delivering Your Information
In order to deliver your information to your customers, you'll need to compress it into a downloadable file, better known as an ebook. There are different types of compilation methods however, for this example we will focus on HTML compiled ebooks.
Ebooks or electronic books are self-contained "executable" files of HTML. This HTML may be a web site you've created or HTML you've specifically prepared to be compiled into a downloadable .exe file for distribution. When downloaded, this file will self install on your clients desktop.
Your first step in creating your ebook will be to turn your text into HTML. Simply divide your text into sections such as, Introduction, Table of Contents, Chapters, etc., and create a web page for each. Make sure you include good navigational links to and from each page you create.
You can include graphics, live links, and almost everything that HTML 4.0 supports.
Once you've created your ebook and you're ready to upload it to your server, simply create a new directory where you store your HTML files. You can name the directory "Ebooks" or whatever you'd like. Upload your ebook in binary mode.
To create a download link on your website, most servers will allow you to simply link to the address:
http://www.yourdomain.com/ebooks/ebook.exe
If this method of linking doesn't work for you, contact your server administrator for assistance.
Taking Orders
In order for you to begin taking orders for your ebook, you'll need to have the ability to accept credit cards. Unless you'd like to get your own merchant account, the best way to accept credit cards is to use an online service. The best service I've found is ClickBank. This company will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Eurocard, and Visa-Debit, MasterCard-Debit, and Novus cards.
They charge a one-time $49.95 activation fee, and a $1 + 7.5% fee per sale. There are no monthly fees. The great thing about this company is that over 60,000 affiliates can choose to sell your products for you. ClickBank enables any web seller to automatically pay sales commissions to affiliates. Clickbank will bill your customers, pay you, and pay your affiliates a commission. In other words, they'll run your entire affiliate program for you.
http://hop.clickbank.net/?wsnet
There is absolutely no reason why you can't create your own ebook. Think about it... Think about some special talent you may have or knowledge you could share and write about. Creating your own product will be one of the best business decisions you'll ever make.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery
About the Author
Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com/ And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com/click.php?lid=1&af=order7 Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net/
<)))
With the rising popularity of the Internet, there is absolutely no better time than right now to create your own ebook. Not only is there no better time, but it has never been any easier for anyone to develop and sell their own products.
Information is the number one best-selling product on the Internet. There are literally hundreds of Internet entrepreneurs quietly making a fortune simply by selling information.
The first step in creating your product is to decide upon a subject. Select a subject in which you have a great deal of knowledge. The knowledge you have within your own mind is extremely valuable. Simply write about what you know and teach others how to do the same thing. It's that simple.
Creating an Outline
The easiest way to begin writing is to create an outline. Begin your outline with an opening statement or Introduction followed by a Foreword. Your opening statement might tell your readers a little bit about what they are going to learn or may be a statement in regard to the subject matter. Your Foreword might include information in regard to who you are, your credentials, copyrights, and what you want your readers to learn.
Your next step will be to either create a Table of Contents or go directly into creating your Chapter Titles. If you're writing your information in the form of a how-to manual, you may want to use a Table of Contents. This will enable your readers to quickly locate important information. If you're writing your information in the form of a book, then you can leave out the Table of Contents and simply use Chapter Titles.
Whether you're using a Table of Contents or Chapter Titles, write your titles so that when they're read, they tell the story. In other words, when you scan your titles they will give you a step by step description of what your information is all about.
Finally, at the bottom of your outline, wrap everything up by including a closing statement.
Once you've completed your outline you can begin filling in the spaces. Write your text in small blocks and leave a space between your paragraphs. Select a font that is easy to read and use black text on a white background. In addition, write in an everyday language that everyone can understand.
Delivering Your Information
In order to deliver your information to your customers, you'll need to compress it into a downloadable file, better known as an ebook. There are different types of compilation methods however, for this example we will focus on HTML compiled ebooks.
Ebooks or electronic books are self-contained "executable" files of HTML. This HTML may be a web site you've created or HTML you've specifically prepared to be compiled into a downloadable .exe file for distribution. When downloaded, this file will self install on your clients desktop.
Your first step in creating your ebook will be to turn your text into HTML. Simply divide your text into sections such as, Introduction, Table of Contents, Chapters, etc., and create a web page for each. Make sure you include good navigational links to and from each page you create.
You can include graphics, live links, and almost everything that HTML 4.0 supports.
Once you've created your ebook and you're ready to upload it to your server, simply create a new directory where you store your HTML files. You can name the directory "Ebooks" or whatever you'd like. Upload your ebook in binary mode.
To create a download link on your website, most servers will allow you to simply link to the address:
http://www.yourdomain.com/ebooks/ebook.exe
If this method of linking doesn't work for you, contact your server administrator for assistance.
Taking Orders
In order for you to begin taking orders for your ebook, you'll need to have the ability to accept credit cards. Unless you'd like to get your own merchant account, the best way to accept credit cards is to use an online service. The best service I've found is ClickBank. This company will enable you to accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Eurocard, and Visa-Debit, MasterCard-Debit, and Novus cards.
They charge a one-time $49.95 activation fee, and a $1 + 7.5% fee per sale. There are no monthly fees. The great thing about this company is that over 60,000 affiliates can choose to sell your products for you. ClickBank enables any web seller to automatically pay sales commissions to affiliates. Clickbank will bill your customers, pay you, and pay your affiliates a commission. In other words, they'll run your entire affiliate program for you.
http://hop.clickbank.net/?wsnet
There is absolutely no reason why you can't create your own ebook. Think about it... Think about some special talent you may have or knowledge you could share and write about. Creating your own product will be one of the best business decisions you'll ever make.
Copyright © Shelley Lowery
About the Author
Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com/ And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com/click.php?lid=1&af=order7 Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net/
Search Engine Optimization & Visitors - The One Thing You Can't Forget
By - Cathie Streck
<)))
You've built a website or a blog and worked hard to create a web presence. You've probably worked hard to optimize your site so that the search engines reward your efforts with good placement and traffic. Job complete? Not if you haven't thought about your visitors.
We've all heard "content is king" and about the importance of search engine optimization but what some people don't realize is that your visitor, or traffic, is actually king. Content is Queen for sure and SEO is the redheaded step-child that is constantly changing, evolving and annoying us. They should all work hand-in-hand for the benefit of the kingdom, your web site or blog.
The importance of the experience your visitors have on your site is often overlooked. With so much emphasis on search engine optimization, it's easy to forget that it's people that visit your site, bookmark it, Digg it and recommend it to their friends and family. It's your visitors that return to your site and make you money. Sure, the search engines send those people to you but if they don't want to stay, return, bookmark or recommend your site to a friend it's kind of meaningless. Those visitors are like a mother-in-law that only finds fault in how you keep your house and raise your children. Sometimes mother-in-laws are right. It's best to optimise your site for your visitors as well as the search engines. Make your visitors comfortable, clean the house before they come and make it a pleasant stay. They'll want to come back.
When people say "traffic" or "heavy traffic" in the non-cyber world it's usually considered an annoyance or hindrance and has a negative connotation. It's a bad thing. In the cyber world, heavy traffic is a good thing, something you look forward to, something you invite with open arms. But when you consider the people visiting your website "traffic" it becomes very impersonal. That's why I have always preferred to refer to the people that visit my sites as visitors, not traffic. It's more personal and keeps me on track where it concerns my site's friendliness to my visitors. It never lets me forget to optimize my site for my visitors.
In the cyber world, being hospitable to your visitors means quality content, quality link structure, continuity and eye appeal. We've all seen ad riddled web sites, sites that are disorganized and sites with poor link structure. The kind of sites that get you clicking the back button in your browser before the page even finishes loading the second image. When that happens did that site receive traffic? Yes, but the way I look at it, it didn't receive a visitor.
Page Structure
Your page's structure, how the page is laid out, is very important. I have always preferred an image or text title in the header, a side bar for links on the left hand side of the page, content in the center and site navigation repeated in the footer for convenience. Maybe it's because that's how web pages were generally structured years ago and I got used to it, I don't know, but it's the way I prefer to read a web page. It's a structure I'm comfortable with and I immediately know, without much or any thought, how to navigate the site. It's like reading a book. First you look down the page and then from left to right. Most visitors will do the same. Title, navigation and then content. It's a winning page layout in my opinion.
Navigation on the right side seem awkward to me and too much linkage in the header just pushes the content, the meat of the page, down.
Link Structure
This can be a determining factor when deciding whether or not I like a site. Link structure allows your visitor to become comfortable while navigating your site. I can't tell you how many times I've left a site because navigating it was either difficult or annoying. Along with layout it's the skeleton of your web site and what keeps it from collapsing. It's your site's foundation and getting it right the first time can save you headaches later on.
A simple example of bad link structure would be no link back to the homepage or a link back to the homepage that's not easily located. I've always made the link back to my index page the first link in my site navigation and it should be repeated on every page of your site. You should be able to navigate to any page on you site from any other page. It's a good, basic rule that works well.
Continuity
Your site's link structure, page structure and look (theme) should also have good continuity. I think that is why it has become so popular. Besides allowing webmasters to make changes easily and saving them time, it also makes changes to site navigation and structure easier to implement site-wide, eliminating most, if not all continuity mistakes.
In closing I just want to say that search engine optimization is very important so that you get visitors but optimizing your site for your visitors will get them to return and refer your site. Free visitors, does any webmaster have a problem with that? I don't think so.
Good luck to you all!
About The Author
By - Cathie Streck Please be sure to visit Anfe - Articles and News For Entrepreneurs at http://moneymymoney.blogspot.com/ for articles and news on search engine optimization, affiliate programs, home based business, AdSense, AdWords, eBay and much more. Feel free to re-publish this article as long as the "About The Author" information is included and the links work. Thank you.
<)))
You've built a website or a blog and worked hard to create a web presence. You've probably worked hard to optimize your site so that the search engines reward your efforts with good placement and traffic. Job complete? Not if you haven't thought about your visitors.
We've all heard "content is king" and about the importance of search engine optimization but what some people don't realize is that your visitor, or traffic, is actually king. Content is Queen for sure and SEO is the redheaded step-child that is constantly changing, evolving and annoying us. They should all work hand-in-hand for the benefit of the kingdom, your web site or blog.
The importance of the experience your visitors have on your site is often overlooked. With so much emphasis on search engine optimization, it's easy to forget that it's people that visit your site, bookmark it, Digg it and recommend it to their friends and family. It's your visitors that return to your site and make you money. Sure, the search engines send those people to you but if they don't want to stay, return, bookmark or recommend your site to a friend it's kind of meaningless. Those visitors are like a mother-in-law that only finds fault in how you keep your house and raise your children. Sometimes mother-in-laws are right. It's best to optimise your site for your visitors as well as the search engines. Make your visitors comfortable, clean the house before they come and make it a pleasant stay. They'll want to come back.
When people say "traffic" or "heavy traffic" in the non-cyber world it's usually considered an annoyance or hindrance and has a negative connotation. It's a bad thing. In the cyber world, heavy traffic is a good thing, something you look forward to, something you invite with open arms. But when you consider the people visiting your website "traffic" it becomes very impersonal. That's why I have always preferred to refer to the people that visit my sites as visitors, not traffic. It's more personal and keeps me on track where it concerns my site's friendliness to my visitors. It never lets me forget to optimize my site for my visitors.
In the cyber world, being hospitable to your visitors means quality content, quality link structure, continuity and eye appeal. We've all seen ad riddled web sites, sites that are disorganized and sites with poor link structure. The kind of sites that get you clicking the back button in your browser before the page even finishes loading the second image. When that happens did that site receive traffic? Yes, but the way I look at it, it didn't receive a visitor.
Page Structure
Your page's structure, how the page is laid out, is very important. I have always preferred an image or text title in the header, a side bar for links on the left hand side of the page, content in the center and site navigation repeated in the footer for convenience. Maybe it's because that's how web pages were generally structured years ago and I got used to it, I don't know, but it's the way I prefer to read a web page. It's a structure I'm comfortable with and I immediately know, without much or any thought, how to navigate the site. It's like reading a book. First you look down the page and then from left to right. Most visitors will do the same. Title, navigation and then content. It's a winning page layout in my opinion.
Navigation on the right side seem awkward to me and too much linkage in the header just pushes the content, the meat of the page, down.
Link Structure
This can be a determining factor when deciding whether or not I like a site. Link structure allows your visitor to become comfortable while navigating your site. I can't tell you how many times I've left a site because navigating it was either difficult or annoying. Along with layout it's the skeleton of your web site and what keeps it from collapsing. It's your site's foundation and getting it right the first time can save you headaches later on.
A simple example of bad link structure would be no link back to the homepage or a link back to the homepage that's not easily located. I've always made the link back to my index page the first link in my site navigation and it should be repeated on every page of your site. You should be able to navigate to any page on you site from any other page. It's a good, basic rule that works well.
Continuity
Your site's link structure, page structure and look (theme) should also have good continuity. I think that is why it has become so popular. Besides allowing webmasters to make changes easily and saving them time, it also makes changes to site navigation and structure easier to implement site-wide, eliminating most, if not all continuity mistakes.
In closing I just want to say that search engine optimization is very important so that you get visitors but optimizing your site for your visitors will get them to return and refer your site. Free visitors, does any webmaster have a problem with that? I don't think so.
Good luck to you all!
About The Author
By - Cathie Streck Please be sure to visit Anfe - Articles and News For Entrepreneurs at http://moneymymoney.blogspot.com/ for articles and news on search engine optimization, affiliate programs, home based business, AdSense, AdWords, eBay and much more. Feel free to re-publish this article as long as the "About The Author" information is included and the links work. Thank you.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Promote Your Site Every Day
By - Steve Nash
You want traffic at your site, but with so many new websites added every day it isn't easy. The only solution is to promote your site, each and every day...
Here are 7 promotion methods for you to try, one for each day of the week:
Day 1 - Submit Your Site To A Search Engine
No big surprises with this promotion method. Just submit your site to a new search engine, or blast your website address to hundreds of directories and Free For All (FFA) sites. (Take care with your e-mail address with the FFA sites!) Try to keep a log of just when and where you submit your site.
Link: http://jimtools.com/submit.html
Day 2 - Post A Newsgroup Discussion
There are newsgroups, bulletin boards or forums on just about every subject imaginable. A good place to start is http://www.deja.com/usenet which allows you to search all of the Usenet newsgroups for a particular term or phrase.
Post a message online, via Deja.com, or offline using Outlook Express (or similar). Follow the forum or newsgroup guidelines, when you start a discussion or answer someone's query. It *is* okay to mention your website in a 2-line signature, though.
Day 3 - Swap Links With Other Sites
Links make the World Wide Web go around; they also improve your search-engine ranking! One way of achieving lots of links to your site is to swap links with other sites. There is an excellent article on link-swapping at http://www.bannertips.com/howto.shtml but basically:
Identify sites with similar content to yours
Request a reciprocal link (be polite, and use webmaster's name)
Create a "Links" section on your site and put the links there.
Day 4 - Write A Testimonial
Writing favourable comments, testimonials, about another website could make you an instant online friend (we all respond well to flattery after all!). This could lead to a link-swap or even a possible joint venture (see Day 6).
Just review their website (or product), and write about the benefits you gain from the site in specific terms (so it sounds like you're actually talking about *their* site). Just be honest and tell them what you like.
Day 5 - Be An Expert, Have An Opinion
Believe it or not people are interested in what you have to say! Several websites are even willing to pay you for your opinion! And we all have an opinion, don't we! Remember, it's good to talk (especially if your listeners then visit your website!).
If you *really know your stuff*, you can become an 'expert' at several sites. You may have to write articles on your subject of expertise, or just answer questions from site-visitors. Either way *you* gain more exposure, and your site gains more exposure too.
Opinion site: http://www.epinions.com
Expert site: http://www.askanexpert.com/
Day 6 - Start A Joint Venture
A joint venture can be as simple as joining an affiliate program. But basically you sponsor another's product and take a share in the profits. Joint ventures can also improve 'site-stickiness'.
You need to:
CONTACT webmasters who market similar products/services and ask them if they would be interested in offering yours. Share the profits, and it's a win-win situation.
PROMOTE another webmasters' product or service (something you believe in) to your subscribers or customers.
Day 7 - Follow Up!
No new websites to visit here. No new methods of promotion. Just an opportunity to measure the success (or otherwise) of the previous 6-days' efforts. This is a time to follow-up and perhaps plan for the next 6-days.
And If All Goes Well...
If all goes well then just take a break, but if you're really keen, however, you *could* take a look at some of these other promotion methods too:
Encourage visitors to bookmark your site
Join a banner-exchange program
Write a press release
Run a competition
Create great content, and allow others to use it
Create an online community
Good luck!
About The Author
This article is a summary; the full-length article(s) can be viewed online at http://www.shoptour.co.uk/promote_your_site/ Steve Nash is webmaster of Shop Tour UK: "A unique, fun way tobrowse over 900 secure UK shopping sites" http://shoptour.co.uk
You want traffic at your site, but with so many new websites added every day it isn't easy. The only solution is to promote your site, each and every day...
Here are 7 promotion methods for you to try, one for each day of the week:
Day 1 - Submit Your Site To A Search Engine
No big surprises with this promotion method. Just submit your site to a new search engine, or blast your website address to hundreds of directories and Free For All (FFA) sites. (Take care with your e-mail address with the FFA sites!) Try to keep a log of just when and where you submit your site.
Link: http://jimtools.com/submit.html
Day 2 - Post A Newsgroup Discussion
There are newsgroups, bulletin boards or forums on just about every subject imaginable. A good place to start is http://www.deja.com/usenet which allows you to search all of the Usenet newsgroups for a particular term or phrase.
Post a message online, via Deja.com, or offline using Outlook Express (or similar). Follow the forum or newsgroup guidelines, when you start a discussion or answer someone's query. It *is* okay to mention your website in a 2-line signature, though.
Day 3 - Swap Links With Other Sites
Links make the World Wide Web go around; they also improve your search-engine ranking! One way of achieving lots of links to your site is to swap links with other sites. There is an excellent article on link-swapping at http://www.bannertips.com/howto.shtml but basically:
Identify sites with similar content to yours
Request a reciprocal link (be polite, and use webmaster's name)
Create a "Links" section on your site and put the links there.
Day 4 - Write A Testimonial
Writing favourable comments, testimonials, about another website could make you an instant online friend (we all respond well to flattery after all!). This could lead to a link-swap or even a possible joint venture (see Day 6).
Just review their website (or product), and write about the benefits you gain from the site in specific terms (so it sounds like you're actually talking about *their* site). Just be honest and tell them what you like.
Day 5 - Be An Expert, Have An Opinion
Believe it or not people are interested in what you have to say! Several websites are even willing to pay you for your opinion! And we all have an opinion, don't we! Remember, it's good to talk (especially if your listeners then visit your website!).
If you *really know your stuff*, you can become an 'expert' at several sites. You may have to write articles on your subject of expertise, or just answer questions from site-visitors. Either way *you* gain more exposure, and your site gains more exposure too.
Opinion site: http://www.epinions.com
Expert site: http://www.askanexpert.com/
Day 6 - Start A Joint Venture
A joint venture can be as simple as joining an affiliate program. But basically you sponsor another's product and take a share in the profits. Joint ventures can also improve 'site-stickiness'.
You need to:
CONTACT webmasters who market similar products/services and ask them if they would be interested in offering yours. Share the profits, and it's a win-win situation.
PROMOTE another webmasters' product or service (something you believe in) to your subscribers or customers.
Day 7 - Follow Up!
No new websites to visit here. No new methods of promotion. Just an opportunity to measure the success (or otherwise) of the previous 6-days' efforts. This is a time to follow-up and perhaps plan for the next 6-days.
And If All Goes Well...
If all goes well then just take a break, but if you're really keen, however, you *could* take a look at some of these other promotion methods too:
Encourage visitors to bookmark your site
Join a banner-exchange program
Write a press release
Run a competition
Create great content, and allow others to use it
Create an online community
Good luck!
About The Author
This article is a summary; the full-length article(s) can be viewed online at http://www.shoptour.co.uk/promote_your_site/ Steve Nash is webmaster of Shop Tour UK: "A unique, fun way tobrowse over 900 secure UK shopping sites" http://shoptour.co.uk
eBay About Me Page
By - John W. Howe
If you are going to sell on eBay, you should take advantage of the About Me page. This is a webpage that eBay will let you set up to tell your customers about yourself. It also can be used to drive traffic to your website from eBay.
The About Me page on eBay is a very powerful tool for improving your auction traffic and for taking advantage of the tremendous traffic that looks at eBay auctions everyday. One of the best features of the About Me page - it is free. You can use it as a giant billboard on the Internet to direct traffic to your site or you can include a sign up form for your newsletter or mailing list.
My friend and mentor, Jim Cockrum, developed the concept of using eBay for more than an auction site. In his bestselling ebook, The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay, Jim discusses in detail how to perfect the use of the About Me page. The fact that he has developed a mailing list of over 100,000 names is proof that using the About Me page correctly really works.
The easiest way to set up an about me page is to sign on to your eBay account and click the HELP link at the top of the page. This will open the Search Help page. Enter "About Me Page" in the search box and click the "Search Help" button. This will present a page with the information that you should read about the About Me page.
Read the About Me Guidelines so you know the rules. eBay does have rules about how to use it and you must be careful not to violate those rules. If you do not play by eBay rules, eBay justice is swift and absolute.
When you have finished the rules and registrations, click on the About Me Page - Overview. This will open a page with additional information about the About Me page and finally at the bottom of that page will be a link, "Go to the Create About Me Page". Click that link and the "Edit About Me Page" will open. Click "Edit Your Page". The next page will give you the option of using the eBay Step by Step Process or loading your own HTML. If you do not know HTML, use the eBay process.
To get the most out of the About Me page, you need to use the HTML features. To add audio or video (yes, you can do that) you will need to load your own HTML. You can also have a data collection form on the About Me page to get people to sign up for a mailing list.
When you have set up the About Me page, a small blue and red icon "ME" will appear to the right of your eBay name at the top of each auction. When the visitor clicks on this link, they will be taken to you About Me Page.
For an example of what can be done on an eBay About Me page, you can view our "About Me" page at http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=e--boomer. It has audio so turn on your speakers (or turn them off as wish).
In summary, the eBay About Me page is a very powerful (free) tool that you can use to drive traffic to your website or to sign up visitors on your mailing list. Be sure to take advantage of it to build your Internet business.
Copyright 2006 John Howe, Inc.
About The Author
John V. W. Howe is an entrepreneur, author, inventor, patent holder, husband, father, and grandfather. He has been involved in entrepreneurial activities for over 40 years. He founded www.boomer-ezine.com and www.retirement-jobs-online.com to help Boomers (baby boomers) become entrepreneurs when they retire.
If you are going to sell on eBay, you should take advantage of the About Me page. This is a webpage that eBay will let you set up to tell your customers about yourself. It also can be used to drive traffic to your website from eBay.
The About Me page on eBay is a very powerful tool for improving your auction traffic and for taking advantage of the tremendous traffic that looks at eBay auctions everyday. One of the best features of the About Me page - it is free. You can use it as a giant billboard on the Internet to direct traffic to your site or you can include a sign up form for your newsletter or mailing list.
My friend and mentor, Jim Cockrum, developed the concept of using eBay for more than an auction site. In his bestselling ebook, The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay, Jim discusses in detail how to perfect the use of the About Me page. The fact that he has developed a mailing list of over 100,000 names is proof that using the About Me page correctly really works.
The easiest way to set up an about me page is to sign on to your eBay account and click the HELP link at the top of the page. This will open the Search Help page. Enter "About Me Page" in the search box and click the "Search Help" button. This will present a page with the information that you should read about the About Me page.
Read the About Me Guidelines so you know the rules. eBay does have rules about how to use it and you must be careful not to violate those rules. If you do not play by eBay rules, eBay justice is swift and absolute.
When you have finished the rules and registrations, click on the About Me Page - Overview. This will open a page with additional information about the About Me page and finally at the bottom of that page will be a link, "Go to the Create About Me Page". Click that link and the "Edit About Me Page" will open. Click "Edit Your Page". The next page will give you the option of using the eBay Step by Step Process or loading your own HTML. If you do not know HTML, use the eBay process.
To get the most out of the About Me page, you need to use the HTML features. To add audio or video (yes, you can do that) you will need to load your own HTML. You can also have a data collection form on the About Me page to get people to sign up for a mailing list.
When you have set up the About Me page, a small blue and red icon "ME" will appear to the right of your eBay name at the top of each auction. When the visitor clicks on this link, they will be taken to you About Me Page.
For an example of what can be done on an eBay About Me page, you can view our "About Me" page at http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=e--boomer. It has audio so turn on your speakers (or turn them off as wish).
In summary, the eBay About Me page is a very powerful (free) tool that you can use to drive traffic to your website or to sign up visitors on your mailing list. Be sure to take advantage of it to build your Internet business.
Copyright 2006 John Howe, Inc.
About The Author
John V. W. Howe is an entrepreneur, author, inventor, patent holder, husband, father, and grandfather. He has been involved in entrepreneurial activities for over 40 years. He founded www.boomer-ezine.com and www.retirement-jobs-online.com to help Boomers (baby boomers) become entrepreneurs when they retire.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Google Adsense Tips - What, How, Who, Why, When and Where!
By - Kanaga Siva
The Amazing Google Adsense Program is today towering like a Colossus in the Internet. Given below are the Asense Tips, What, How, Who, Why, When and Where of Google Adsense in a nut shell.
It has helped some smart Internet Marketers to make huge amounts of money, while at the same time it is interesting to note that many new Internet Marketers and Internet Home-Based Business Entrepreneurs are receiving their first pay check from Google Adsense rather than the main affiliate program.
Given below are the Asense Tips, What, How, Who, Why, When and Where of Google Adsense in a nut shell.
Adsense Tip: What is Google Adsense:
Google Adsense is a program designed by Google that can generate advertising revenue for your website. Relevant Text and Image ads. targeted to your website content are delivered by Google. Additionally if you place a Google Search Box in your website, relevant text ads. are displayed when a search request is made by a website visitor. Google will pay you for all valid clicks. made by your website visitors on the ads. or search results pages. Another new addition is the Google Adsense Referrals Feature , whereby you can generate additional income by displaying Google’s Referral Buttons on your web pages.
Adsense Tip: How to get started with Google Adsense:
You have to apply to Google Adsense by completing an online application form at https://www.google.com/adsense. Once the application is approved, you will be able to participate. You then have to copy and paste a HTML code that is provided by Google Adsense into your web pages. The code creates relevant ads. to the content of the page. When a visitor clicks on it Google pays you.
Adsense Tip: Who can participate in Google Adsense:
Anyone who has a website can join the Adsense program but not adult and hate sites. You have to comply with Google's program policies. It is Free to join. Google has a massive advertiser base and they have ads. on the ready for all categories of businesses. They also have ads. ready to match different types of content sites, from a pet store site to that of a highly sophisticated technological site.
Google Adsense can be used in many languages. It is also targeted geographically and hence Global business can take advantage of this and webmasters living in any part of the world can participate.
Adsense Tip: Why Participate in Google Adsense:
The obvious answer is to make money from home. It does not cost you anything if you have a website, so why miss the opportunity to make money from home! Google pays you monthly if your earnings reach $100.The Google Adsense checks are a blessing to a large number of newbies with low budgets eager to make money from home. Some webmasters feel that Adsense ads. can lead their visitors away from their site. This possibility is there but if you have a website with good content they will always come back.
Adsense Tip: When to Participate in Google Adsense:
The Adsense program is Web related and hence you must have a website to participate. Once your website is ready and the contents optimized, you can submit your application. The Adsense program is not restricted only to high page rank sites as some seem to think.
Google approves most of the sites but ensures that they are of acceptable standard. Normally they are approved within 2-3 days. Once approved you can immediately participate in the Adsense program by logging into your account.
Adsense Tip: Where to place Google Adsense ads. in your Website.
The Adsense ads. can be placed anywhere in your web pages, but there are specific areas in your web pages that are recommended by Google which have been found to generate more clicks.
According to Google and our own experience:
Ads placed above the fold tend to perform better than those below the fold.
Ads placed near rich content and navigational aids usually do well because users are focused on those areas of a page.
Ads placed at the top of the page and at the left generally perform better than others.
Ads at the bottom of long articles and those that are integrated or merge with the content too perform very well.
Of course there are other strategies, such as creating high paying keyword content pages to suit individual sites and also generating more traffic to your site. These have to be implemented too, to ensure success.
The Google Adsense Program has come to stay. It is a great way to earn an additional income for most webmasters and a big income for some who have made the Adsense Program as the main source of income. Which ever way you look at it the Adsense Program is a happy hunting ground for all and these Adsense Tips can help you get started.
Copyright © 2006 Kanaga Siva
About The Author
Kanaga Siva has a wealth of experience in Manufacturing, Marketing and also operating a successful Home-Based Business.For quality Articles,Ideas,Advice and recommended Affiliate Programs, visit his Business From Home website http://www.business-fromhome.com/
The Amazing Google Adsense Program is today towering like a Colossus in the Internet. Given below are the Asense Tips, What, How, Who, Why, When and Where of Google Adsense in a nut shell.
It has helped some smart Internet Marketers to make huge amounts of money, while at the same time it is interesting to note that many new Internet Marketers and Internet Home-Based Business Entrepreneurs are receiving their first pay check from Google Adsense rather than the main affiliate program.
Given below are the Asense Tips, What, How, Who, Why, When and Where of Google Adsense in a nut shell.
Adsense Tip: What is Google Adsense:
Google Adsense is a program designed by Google that can generate advertising revenue for your website. Relevant Text and Image ads. targeted to your website content are delivered by Google. Additionally if you place a Google Search Box in your website, relevant text ads. are displayed when a search request is made by a website visitor. Google will pay you for all valid clicks. made by your website visitors on the ads. or search results pages. Another new addition is the Google Adsense Referrals Feature , whereby you can generate additional income by displaying Google’s Referral Buttons on your web pages.
Adsense Tip: How to get started with Google Adsense:
You have to apply to Google Adsense by completing an online application form at https://www.google.com/adsense. Once the application is approved, you will be able to participate. You then have to copy and paste a HTML code that is provided by Google Adsense into your web pages. The code creates relevant ads. to the content of the page. When a visitor clicks on it Google pays you.
Adsense Tip: Who can participate in Google Adsense:
Anyone who has a website can join the Adsense program but not adult and hate sites. You have to comply with Google's program policies. It is Free to join. Google has a massive advertiser base and they have ads. on the ready for all categories of businesses. They also have ads. ready to match different types of content sites, from a pet store site to that of a highly sophisticated technological site.
Google Adsense can be used in many languages. It is also targeted geographically and hence Global business can take advantage of this and webmasters living in any part of the world can participate.
Adsense Tip: Why Participate in Google Adsense:
The obvious answer is to make money from home. It does not cost you anything if you have a website, so why miss the opportunity to make money from home! Google pays you monthly if your earnings reach $100.The Google Adsense checks are a blessing to a large number of newbies with low budgets eager to make money from home. Some webmasters feel that Adsense ads. can lead their visitors away from their site. This possibility is there but if you have a website with good content they will always come back.
Adsense Tip: When to Participate in Google Adsense:
The Adsense program is Web related and hence you must have a website to participate. Once your website is ready and the contents optimized, you can submit your application. The Adsense program is not restricted only to high page rank sites as some seem to think.
Google approves most of the sites but ensures that they are of acceptable standard. Normally they are approved within 2-3 days. Once approved you can immediately participate in the Adsense program by logging into your account.
Adsense Tip: Where to place Google Adsense ads. in your Website.
The Adsense ads. can be placed anywhere in your web pages, but there are specific areas in your web pages that are recommended by Google which have been found to generate more clicks.
According to Google and our own experience:
Ads placed above the fold tend to perform better than those below the fold.
Ads placed near rich content and navigational aids usually do well because users are focused on those areas of a page.
Ads placed at the top of the page and at the left generally perform better than others.
Ads at the bottom of long articles and those that are integrated or merge with the content too perform very well.
Of course there are other strategies, such as creating high paying keyword content pages to suit individual sites and also generating more traffic to your site. These have to be implemented too, to ensure success.
The Google Adsense Program has come to stay. It is a great way to earn an additional income for most webmasters and a big income for some who have made the Adsense Program as the main source of income. Which ever way you look at it the Adsense Program is a happy hunting ground for all and these Adsense Tips can help you get started.
Copyright © 2006 Kanaga Siva
About The Author
Kanaga Siva has a wealth of experience in Manufacturing, Marketing and also operating a successful Home-Based Business.For quality Articles,Ideas,Advice and recommended Affiliate Programs, visit his Business From Home website http://www.business-fromhome.com/
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