Boost the SEO ranking of your website with article marketing

It's not enough to have a great website - people need to know it's there! Let's say you've put together a site which showcases photographs. Your "niche" (to use the jargon) is photography and you need to establish yourself as an authority on all things photographic. You can do this by writing articles.

Each article, like this one, will be a few hundred words long. It will be easy to understand and informative, but it may well only deal with one main point (other points can be discussed in other articles). Tell your readers about the techniques, equipment and artistry involved in choosing and buying the kit, selecting subjects, lighting them, taking the photographs, printing or processing, exhibiting or publishing or sharing them... In fact you'll never run out of things to say about your niche as it's your hobby as well as your business.

Submit your article to an Article Directory such as Ezine, where - for no charge - it will be read by people who want to know about photography. Ezine has great ranking with Google already, so when someone searches on Google for keywords and key phrases which appear in your article's title, teaser copy and body, your article could well appear near the top of the list and they may well click on it and read it.

At the end of your article you'll have a link to your website. The reader will click there to find out more - and there you have your visitor. Believe me, a great many people read these articles, and if you submit lots of articles you're going to get lots of visitors. You'll be able to track the success of your articles and the number of clicks they generate through the tools provided (for free) by Ezine.

But that's not all! Google values these incoming links greatly, and the more articles you have (all with links), the greater the SEO ranking of your site. Put the same articles in your blog, and have links from your blog to your site as well (and vice versa). Include links to your site and your blog in everything you put on the web including social pages, and contributions to discussion forums.

And that's still not all. If your articles are any good, people who send out newsletters will publish your work (together with your link) and distribute it to everyone on their list. Some of those people on the list may well use your articles too. Ezine will show you which of your articles are published by other parties.

If you write lots of articles, you will be establishing yourself as an expert, and people will be more likely to read all your other articles. The effect is cumulative. And once people learn to value your opinion and trust you, they'll be more likely to buy from you.

What is the best kind of home based business?

Do you want an opportunity to create a real income, working from home? Are you looking for an extra source of money? Do you want to re-invent yourself as a successful internet marketer? I will show you ways of choosing the best online business.

When people start in internet marketing they often have very little idea of what constitutes a real, viable business. We are easily dazzled by promises of fast cash and of course we all want to get rich quick. Before plunging into anything, you should compare a few opportunities, and you will soon realize that most schemes offer very little – especially in the area of training and resources.

Many online businesses offer only one “big idea”, whereas you’re going to need an integrated system (marketing, products, and selling) that is flexible and genuinely effective across many niches and marketing activities. Moreover, you’re going to need the support of real people.

So, what is the ideal internet business?

Firstly, a good business opportunity is going to provide you with massive amounts of training material – not just enough to cover a handful of procedures.

Secondly, as well as E-books and videos, you’re going to need an ongoing programme of live webinars with marketing experts and life skills coaches, who will respond to your questions and deliver up-to-the-minute advice that is really effective.

Ideally there would be archives of interviews with prominent members of the internet marketing community. Maybe even a collection of interviews with millionaires from other business areas too.

And as well as assistance and advice, you’ll need quite a bit of ready-made (but adaptable) tools, such as a selection of pre-prepared customizable websites and landing pages with slick videos and persuasive copy that you don’t have to write yourself.

How about a team of very experienced professional salespeople ready to close deals for you, so that you wouldn’t have to be waiting by your own phone?

Above all else, you want to buy into a community of real people who are waiting to help you. You should join a successful team, who you could meet on the phone or face to face, who will be there to support you every step of the way.

Can I help you choose a home based business?

Are you looking for an opportunity to create a real income, working from home? Would you like to leave your current job and re-invent yourself through the power of the internet? Unless you want to start from scratch and do everything yourself (which I would not recommend), you’ll need to find a ready-made business that is right for you.

It’s not just that there’s a bewildering array of tempting offers on the net – it’s a virtual cut-throat marketplace! Type a few keywords (such as “fast cash”) in your Google search and you’ll be inundated with dubious proposals, promising you untold wealth in a handful of mouse clicks. Most of these offers are going to be useful only to those who wish to offload money in a hurry.

Okay – maybe not everything is a total scam, but you have to ask yourself how realistic the claims are, whether the promises are at all feasible and whether you can afford to get fleeced. A genuine opportunity will include a whole lot more than one single big idea, and it won’t really be a virtual cash-machine – if it worked like that, why would they need to sell it? If you seriously want to see results, you will have to invest your time and expertise (as well as your money) in a real business.

Your ideal internet business

A business like that would include proper training, in the form of standard information texts, e-books on all aspects of internet marketing and videos that allow you over-the-shoulder views of everything you’ll need to do, and all this would be available for you to download, to study, to benefit from and to sell – for no extra charge.

Ideally there would be thousands of titles, all archived in a searchable, user-friendly database. Any one of these e-books and videos would encompass the kind of information and training that you see on offer all over the internet for hundreds of dollars. Just think of the time and money you would save if you knew that everything you needed was all provided for you in one place! You’d be able to stop searching for inspiration, and get on with your new internet marketing job!

A business opportunity that doesn’t offer this kind of resource is not going to be a viable proposition.

How to create your online sales system: the three essentials

According to Tim Erway, online guru and co-founder of a huge and very well-known internet marketing company, there are three fundamental components which are essential for an effective online sales system. In this short article I’ll explain what they are and how each fits into the bigger picture.

The three essential components of a sales system are:

You need several sources of traffic.
Traffic, of course, means people who see your website (or capture page). There are countless ways of securing traffic, but you don’t need to use them all. Tim and Mike’s very well known company uses just three main sources of traffic. Three is the recommended minimum.

You need an automated prospecting system, which includes three elements:
A capture page. This is where you hook your “traffic” and turn the traffic into “leads” who are potential customers. Give away a freebie in return for their name and email address. Get your prospect into a “yes” state of mind.
An autoresponder. The automatic drip of emails serves to nurture a relationship between you and your leads, behind the scenes. Keep your prospects interested not just by reminding them about your services, but by giving them additional free advice and information that is going to be genuinely helpful. The whole point is to build trust.
A self-liquidating offer. That means you sell them something – not your main product or business opportunity – to pay for the advertising that brought them to you. This could be a report, a seminar a CD or something similar. Tim Erway recommends that you create your own information product as well as something for which you are an affiliate.

The third essential component is a conversion system that works. That means you are converting someone from a “lead” into a paying customer. Your automated prospecting system will have warmed the prospect up. You need an irresistible product, persuasive selling (by the way, this is often achieved by pinpointing a problem or difficulty experienced by the reader and outlining the benefits – not features – of your product which will solve that problem), good reasons to act immediately, straightforward ways of receiving payment and prompt delivery.

Ten ways to get leads for your online marketing business

No one will have any reason to visit your site until you direct them there. People who arrive at your "landing page" and look at your site are called "traffic". People who show enough interest in you or your product to "opt in" to your list (leave their name and email address) are called "leads" or "prospects". Many gurus consider that your list is your most valuable asset. Here are ten proven ways of getting traffic.

How do you get traffic? Here are some proven ways:

1 Online Listings, many of which are free. People really do read these, but be careful - you will inevitably be contacted by sharks who try to sell unnecessary services to you.

2 Adwords. In the notoriously risky world of "Pay per Click", you write a short ad which contains a compelling message full of the "keywords" that your customers will be using in their Google searches. The ads appear at the top of search results (with a pale coloured background) and to the right of the page. Each time someone clicks on your ad - thus getting sent to your "landing page" - you have to pay google. Get it right and you can make a fortune. Not quite right and you will lose one.

3 Newspaper advertisements: don't bother with local papers if your product comes with a hefty price tag. Ads in national papers can be expensive, so again you have to know what you're doing, but they do work. Agencies such as New Horizons can get you a discount and provide sound advice.

4 Build a great website full of "Keywords", with lots of links to and from it, and to a blog with constantly changing content. The art of setting your site up so that Google will put you at the top of the list is called "Search Engine Optimization" or "SEO". There is a whole industry surrounding this and there are plenty of opportunities to spend money trying to achieve it. Take care!

5 Article Writing: this is free and it can be extremely effective if you've got more time than money. To begin with, write short articles about anything at all that people might be interested in, include a link to your website and submit the articles to sites such as Ezine Articles. You can check which articles are read most, which get the most "clicks" and which are taken up by people who need material for newsletters. Then home in on the more profitable areas and concentrate on a successful "niche".

6 Create short videos and post them on "youtube". Include a link to your website in the description (so that people can click on it), show it on screen and mention it in the video as well. Get involved in user groups and discussion forums. The service is free and you can also use "youtube" videos on your own website.

7 Join social networking groups such as facebook, myspace, twitter and betternetworker. Have fun posting lots of zany messages and establish yourself as a sociable, active contributor. Use your popularity to stir up interest in your product and encourage other users to visit your page and click on your link.

8 Read discussion forums about whatever "niche" you're into. Post informed observations and answer other people's queries in genuinely useful ways that establish you as an expert. Subtly invite readers to click on your link.

9 Newsletter lists subscriptions: collect the email addresses of people who are interested in your niche and send them regular newsletters which include promotions.

10 Start a blog (free from blogger) but make sure the content is well written, entertaining and relevant. Add new, valuable content as often as you can - this can include audio and video, photographs and all kinds of "gadgets". Make sure that important keywords are included in the title of the blog, in the title of each post and in the text itself. Include lots of links (all this helps with the SEO). Promote your blog with Ezine articles, social bookmarking, submitting it to directories, video marketing, RSS feeds, your e-mail signature and comments in other people's blogs.

Seven ways to find a product for your online marketing business

So you want to make money on the internet, and you’ve heard that there’s a fortune to be made, but you’re not sure what you should be selling? Here are seven areas to consider (but don’t try to do everything – one would be enough).

1 You could promote a physical product that you can make or buy for significantly less than your retail price. Find out how to use eBay effectively by studying one of the many handbooks available.

2 Alternatively, make a deal with a local shop to promote their most desirable product on the internet for a significant percentage. You could start with a "blog" (they're free from blogger.com) although a proper website generally looks more professional, and image is everything.
3 Or go to a site like clickbank, choose an eBook (on a subject that you know about) which is backed up by compelling advertising copy (this is all available free of charge), and then promote it. No postage or packaging costs are involved and you receive a commission for each sale - this is called "Affiliate Marketing".

4 If you have the knowledge and the confidence, you can write your own eBook. Convert it into a PDF file which your customers can download. Perhaps do one that you give away for free and make a second eBook available for sale. Get affiliates to sell it for you.

5 Watch the free videos that promote some of the more credible information/life-skills products, then buy a whole system for less than the price of a tank of petrol. Some of these (virtual) packages come with their own training, marketing system and back office.

6 When you sign up to a high-end, top-tier product, you'll find that the package includes hundreds of eBooks on many subjects, to which you have the rights and which you can sell, keeping all the revenue. Many of them are very useful marketing resources which you will want to use yourself.

7 This one's for serious marketers only: go straight to the top tier and join a high-end outfit. Since the asking price will be substantial, only committed customers will be interested, but a single sale will put a lot of money in your pocket. Follow-up emails and calls can be done for you, the back office is stuffed with video tutorials, eBooks and valuable information and the sales pages are slick. The only thing you’ll need to do is to advertise to attract traffic to the site.

Start your own blog and earn money from it

If there is a secret of internet marketing, it is that you need to find and develop your own "niche market". You can begin right away by starting your own blog (just like this one) (they're free) and make it useful and interesting for people to visit.
Even if you're not selling anything through your blog, you can still earn money from it.
When you register with Google Adsense, they will post advertisements on your blog (you decide how and where).
Find out about it by visiting:

https://www.google.com/adsense

http://help.blogger.com

Google and Social Media

Marketers go to great lengths to obtain high visibility for their blogs or websites. Since most users find sites by doing a search on Google or one of the other search engines, marketers are constantly trying to find ways of getting to the top of the first page.

Techniques for achieving that position for a given search include:

• Using the most effective keywords.
• Buying space at the top of the page.
• Having many feeds and links.

Increasingly Google is going to be assessing websites and blogs by finding out which ones people actually like. Many users of social media recommend sites to each other, and that’s the stream of information that Google wants to analyse (to allocate positions in lists) and that marketers will be trying to exploit. In other words, personal recommendation is going to be increasingly important, just as it is in the real world.

What are Social Media?

Sites such as Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Better Networker, Friends Reunited and of course Youtube account for massive amounts of internet activity. They are examples of Social Media.

You probably know people who send messages, pictures, links, jokes – and anything you can send – to each other through these sites. Many of these people spend a lot of their time doing it – it’s big business (and there are great opportunities for advertisers there).

Users have fun building networks through these sites and – cynical as it may sound – marketers are using them to make links and build trust and cyber-relationships with potential clients. It’s considered bad form to try to make sales directly through these sites – but it’s the links to other sites that are important, and they can lead indirectly to sales.

What is Affiliate Marketing? I'll explain:

You can get started as an affiliate marketer today without spending any money.

You use your expertise in any area to promote products that others are selling – you don’t need to buy anything, you don’t need to carry any stock – you don’t even need to see the products, and the advertisements have been done for you.

This is how it works:

Punters do Google searches for whatever they’re interested in. Let’s say they like caravans or pewter mugs or silent films. When they press return, Google offers them a list of websites, blogs and articles. Blogs and articles, by the way, are free to set up. When the punter clicks on any of these, they will encounter information, perhaps advertising copy or pictures, and a clickable link to a product which is available for sale.

You write a short and punchy article about something. Only 200 to 1000 words. In fact you can write as many articles as you like about anything. Maybe you know about Romanesque churches, mathematical puzzles or how to play tiddlywinks. One of the amazing things about the internet is that you don’t have to concentrate on popular interests to be visible – your market will find you, no matter how obscure your subject.

In fact there are advantages in having expertise in a minority topic, as there will be less competition than there would be for very popular subjects. You submit your article to a directory such as ezine. They don’t make a charge.

At the end of your article, in the profile section, you add a hoplink to something the punter can buy. You find this product in an online retail outlet such as clickbank. They provide the advertising copy – it’s all free and straightforward to set up. For example, here's a book you can buy. Just click on these words to see the advertising copy.

When the punter buys the product you get a commission. It won’t be a lot, but you can repeat the process as many times as you like and tweak the balance between capturing a niche market and getting a high volume of sales. The science of becoming more findable is called Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and that’s a whole industry in itself.