Archive for June 27th, 2006
All the great efforts made for making your own site, goes in vain when your site doesn’t bring you business. The reasons can be anything right from less traffic, to less page-per-views, or lesser PageRank. Upon serendipity of elaborating all of the above said problems, I would land up in search engine marketing basics.
- Less Traffic means fewer hits to your site.
- Fewer pages per views mean users checking your site but not getting interested in clicking on other pages. They don’t find it interesting to surf through.
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June 27th, 2006
Gbuy - Much Ado About Nothing
by: Mark Daoust
Every month, it seems, a major company stares down the barrel of Google’s brand recognition gun. The company of the month right now happens to be PayPal. The Wall Street Journal published an article on Ebay’s Jeff Jordan’s preparations for Gbuy, the so called PayPal killer (PayPal is owned by Ebay). Many news sources and blogs are anticipating Gbuy to quickly become a PayPal killer given Google’s huge brand name recognition and reach with consumers.
But the whole PayPal killing talk is really much ado about nothing. I have no doubt whatsoever that Google will release Gbuy, but I do have significant doubts as to whether it will actually replace PayPal as many merchant’s payment processor of choice. Given Google’s recent releases, and given how PayPal has positioned itself in the marketplace, I would not be surprised of Gbuy proves itself to be a significant flop considering all the attention it has been given.
PayPal’s Vulnerability
Jeff Jordan of Ebay has every right to be scared, however. Executives have a history of losing their dignity and control when they feel pressured by Google. Steve Ballmer is well known for his professional wrestling-like tirade in which he sent chairs flying and cursed the name of Google, and Yahoo is not much better having publicly given up its quest for search dominance, which in effect was Yahoo executives crying “Uncle!” with the hope that they could finally focus on something that they could actually excel in.
Professional wrestling rant’s aside, Jeff Jordan does have reason to be worried. PayPal, unlike Yahoo and Microsoft, is much more vulnerable to a direct attack from Google. The history of PayPal is filled with trouble with CEO’s, run-ins with the mafia, and pressure from an Attorney General. This article, however, is not the place for a lesson on the history of PayPal (a book was written for that), regardless of how fascinating it might be.
Article Tip
Did you know that PayPal is one of the few companies with a single letter domain name? Check it out: X.com
The problem with PayPal is that it has not solidified itself in any other market besides the payment option of eBay merchants. The result is that many website owners view PayPal as a ‘cheap’ option. Furthermore, even though PayPal does allow non-members to purchase items through their system, it is not as easy as many merchant’s would like. Many of the problems of PayPal were actually discussed on the forums a while ago.
These problems open up a vulnerability for PayPal. If Google releases a product that improves on the downfalls of PayPal in much the same way that they were able to revolutionize online maps, then PayPal should be worried. Google does have a knack for making web applications that make existing applications look outdated and simplistic.
Why Gbuy Will Not Kill PayPal
Experts have been predicting the wild success of Google in many different industries for some time. When Froogle was released it was thought by many to be a major threat to Amazon.com. Although Gmail has been a success, there have been no reports of Yahoo Mail suffering significant attrition (in fact the buzz over the new Yahoo Mail interface shows just how much interest there is in Yahoo Mail). And although Google News is a highly useful service, it is hardly considered the default news service for most web users.
The fact is, the past few Google releases have been relative failures. Google admitted that they screwed up with their video service (the Apple iPod Video is much more successful and sets the bar much higher than Google is currently meeting). Google Reader was met with a collective ‘ho-hum’ from the webmaster community (as was Google Pack), and even though Google Sitemaps may be useful, it is still under used. Google Analytics still is not able to accommodate mass signups, and the buzz over analytics has also declined significantly since its release.
Really, if we were to look at Google’s recent releases, the only relatively successful releases have been Google’s Search (obviously), Adwords and Adsense (also obvious), Google Maps, and Gmail. The fact is, with the exception of Adwords and Adsense, Google has not been very successful in launching commercial products.
Google’s Lack of Simplicity for ‘Everyday’ Users
The problem with most of Google’s recent releases has been its lack of simplicity. Google’s initial success in search was powered by the extreme simplicity they brought to the process. All the user saw was a search box and search results. What could be more simple? On top of that, search results were stunningly accurate compared to the other results available.
Although Adwords is confusing to many website owners, Adsense also carries the trait of being extraordinarily simple. Add in the benefit of being able to make a significant income from Adsense and it is no wonder that Google has a firm hold on the contextual ad market. For potential advertisers there is no greater reach than Google Adwords.
Yet most of Google’s recent releases have either lacked the simplicity that made them the choice for every day users or offer no significant advantages over existing products. If PayPal is genuinely going to be threated by Gbuy, then Google is going to have to perfect the simplicity that PayPal has capitalized on.
Gbuy - Finding a Niche Among Website Owners
A few years back when K-Mart filed for bankruptcy, I remember listening to an analysis which looked at the reasons why K-Mart was having difficulty. The analyst explained how there were three major players in the mega-stores: Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Target. Wal-Mart had successfully positioned itself as the price-leader out of the three mega-stores while Target, although still inexpensive, positioned itself as slightly more expensive, but higher quality. K-Mart, in this environment, lacked an identity to shoppers.
Gbuy could very well fall into the same problem. PayPal has done a great job in solidifying itself as the payment solution of choice for millions of Ebay merchants. In addition, thousands of other website owners have chosen to at least add PayPal as a payment option on their website due to its extreme simplicity for those who have PayPal accounts.
In a best case scenario Gbuy could really only hope to fit in as an alternate payment system to those who have already established how users are supposed to pay for their goods. In all reality, though, the market is crowded, and Ebay users will likely continue to use the integrated, easy to use PayPal over any new-commer - especially of Google fails to make a relatively simple product.
Permanent link to this post (1128 words, estimated 4:31 reading time)
June 27th, 2006
One of the most popular forms of Internet advertising is pay-per-click (PPC). Merchants place ads with search engines like Google or MSN and the ad appears whenever someone enters a relevant search.
If the ad is clicked the merchant pays a fee ? anywhere from 5 cents to $100. It’s a fabulous idea ? ad campaigns targeted at your most likely customers.
It’s such a fabulous idea that Google, the king of PPC, grossed $1.24 billion in the first 3 months of this year ? most of it from advertising revenue.
(505 words, estimated reading time: 2:01 ) read the full post...
June 27th, 2006
There are a lot of operators (commands you can enter in the Google search box to return specific results) you can plug into Google in order to find what you want. For webmasters and website owners, however, a few particular operators can be especially useful. Operators can be used to locate potential link partners, evaluate current inbound links, and determine what pages of your website still need to be added to the index. Here are the operators we think you should know:
(518 words, estimated reading time: 2:04 ) read the full post...
June 27th, 2006
It crosses every webmaster’s mind anytime they see an ad or an email for search engine marketing. Many small business owners wonder what they’re missing by not doing it. So should you hire a consultant? Search engine traffic make up at least 85% of all traffic to a website. So of course, search engine optimization is very important. But what, if any, will be the consequences of doing it yourself? Would it be beneficial to a website owner to hire a professional SEO consultant, or just plod along and hope that they are doing it right? This is a valid dilemma to face, and I will show you why it should be an easy decision. There are ten reasons why hiring them would be to your benefit.
(1730 words, estimated reading time: 6:55 ) read the full post...
June 27th, 2006
Selecting a Search Engine Optimization Company
by: Karen Martin
A Search Engine Optimization Company can be an invaluable asset in your Internet marketing campaign. They specialize in knowing how to raise your search engine positions, monitoring those positions on the regular basis, and adjusting their strategies to account for undesirable results in any given month. Since this takes a lot of time, effort, and specialized knowledge, it can be in your best interest to go to an outside source rather than try to maintain high search engine positions on your own.
However, like every business, there are good companies and there are lemons. Knowing the right questions to ask and the criteria to look for will help you in choosing an affordable, effective search engine optimization company.
When looking at different companies, begin by considering the approach they employ to raise your search engine positions. Steer clear of companies that use cloaked, doorway, or bridge pages to raise your positions. These techniques violate most search engine policy, and in the worst case scenario, will only get your website severely penalized, if not removed entirely from a search engine’s index.
A cloaked page is a page that is created which is invisible to the regular visitor to your website. The cloaked page is coded to detect a search engine spider and divert them to this special page, which is set-up to artificially boost your search engine position. Doorway or bridge pages utilize the same concept, but often reside on an entirely different server. Google, one of the largest and most important search engine on the Internet, will remove your website from their index if they detect you have cloaked pages. Never, never employ any company that uses this technique!
Another important element is to get a guarantee that the company you hire will not work with your competitors while they are working for you. Obviously, this would seriously compromise the effectiveness of the search engine optimization campaign. Be aware that some companies will use the success they achieve for your website to sell their services to your competitors. So get your guarantee in writing, and make sure it is legally binding.
Of course, one of the most important factors you want to check out is the company’s track record of results. However, don’t take the company’s word for it. They will undoubtedly be slanting their results in order to sell their services to you. To go beyond their simple statement of success, ask them a few pertinent questions, and verify their answers.
Ask them which engines they have achieved the best results on. The ones that are important are the most popular engines, and these are the ones you want to see good results on. Since the popularity of search engines can change with the landscape of the overall Internet, check out the Nielsen Netratings page at Search Engine Watch. You can access this at http://www.searchenginewatch.com/article.php/2156451 .
Next, find out what keywords and phrases they are claiming great results with. It’s easy to get high rankings with unpopular words. For instance, the keyword “cat leashes” will get high popularity ranking because no one else would think of using it. What you are looking for is good results using popular keywords. Check out the software Wordtracker, available at www.wordtracker.com. You can order a free trial, or a subscription ranging from 1 day to 1 year. This software rates the popularity of keywords and phrases based on actual search engine use.
Next, look for good results over an entire site that the company claims to have successfully worked for. You want to see a wide range of positions over a number of different search engines using different keywords or phrases for the entire site. Request a report for any client the company claims to have done well for. This report should show good positions on a number of the most popular search engines for a variety of different, popular keywords and phrases.
When you are checking out search engine optimization companies, make sure they have actually done the work they are claiming to have done. Some companies will use other company’s results in order to get you to sign on with them. If you are in doubt, call the company they are showing you results for, and ask for the name of their search engine optimization company.
It’s important to keep in mind that a successful search engine optimization campaign will result in maximum exposure across a wide range of popular search engines using a variety of keywords and phrases. This is the formula for a successful campaign, and you should keep it always in the forefront of your marketing strategy.
Ask the search engine optimization company you are considering for a report that shows you rankings across a number of popular search engines for a period of at least six months. Remember: search engine marketing is a process that is continual, and you need a company that not only understands this, but keeps constant tabs on your search engine positions. That company must also be able to adjust its strategy in the event that search engine rankings drop.
Since search engine marketing is an on-going process, your positions must be constantly monitored. If you want your search engine optimization company to do this for you, request a sample of a monthly report. It is essential that this report should show rankings for the most popular search engines. Don’t be impressed by a report that only shows great results for a limited number of small search engines. These are fairly easy results to acquire. Also confirm that the popular search engine results they are showing you are indeed the popular search engines currently.
Be sure the sample report the company shows you is in a format that you can easily understand. For example, it could be in the form of a chart that covers a period of at least six months and presents data such as the top 50 positions broken down on a monthly basis or the top 5 pages each month. Then, ascertain that the company you are considering actually monitors these positions or pages every month, and that the sample report they show you includes findings and recommendations for the specific site. This insures that the company will actively monitor and make adjustments to their strategy on a continual basis rather than simply gather statistics on your positions. You need a company that is actively participant in your search engine marketing campaign, not just an information gatherer.
Obviously, your finances have to figure into your choice of company, but bear in mind that a search engine optimization company is crucial the success of your marketing campaign. It is not just a casual accessory. If you cannot afford a company that will do a thorough and reliable job for your website, you might consider waiting until you do have the finances in place.
If you have to find a company and can’t wait for your finances to catch up, you may be able to find an affordable company that will also be able to supply quality, reliable work, such as a fairly new company. Just remember that there are risks involved with using a company without a proven track record - and that risk is your money! Don’t take that leap unless the company can supply you with a least a few references.
References are the most reliable indicator of a good company. Don’t use a company that won’t show your references because of any reason, confidentiality included. Remember - even doctors will provide references! The firm you choose should provide you with a minimum of two references, one that is from the past, and one that is current.
When you contact these references, be prepared to ask precise, specific questions so that neither of your time is wasted. Ask them what their experience was like with the company, such as their availability to answer questions and deal with problems and their ability to meet deadlines. Ask the reference to rate the overall performance of the company.
Find out if the company requested that the reference make significant changes to their web pages that affected the visitors coming to their site. You are looking for a search engine optimization company that can balance the needs of both search engines and site visitors without compromising either.
The most essential question to ask is whether the work of the search engine optimization company resulted in higher profits for the reference. Without profits, it doesn’t matter whether your positions are at the top of the list or not.
P.S.
If you’ve enjoyed this article, please be sure to forward it to a friend.
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About The Author
Karen Martin is the Sub-Editor of ‘The Internet Affiliates Resources Directory’ where subscribers have the opportunity to have their Affiliate programs promoted absolutely free and on a permanent basis. To get the details & Free sample subscription send a Blank email to: bizzyman@auto-responder.co.uk Unsubscribe with one click. You have my full permission to ‘Steal’ the above article which may be freely distributed in your E-zine, on your web site or in your e-book provided this entire resource box is kept intact. If featured a sample copy of your E-Zine would be appreciated. Thank you.
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Permanent link to this post (1547 words, estimated 6:11 reading time)
June 27th, 2006
Note: In order to preserve the proper format for the HTML code snippet in this article, copy and paste the article into Notepad, then copy and paste it from Notepad into your HTML web page.
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Do you have regularly updating content that you would like to make available to other websites? Perhaps a computer tip of the day, a daily recipe, or even a daily cartoon?
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June 27th, 2006
SEO #1: Choosing THE keywords to optimize for
by: Ahmed Omran
Please read this report entirely, I know it is a lot but EVERY word is essential to ranking well in search engines.
Before you start reading I want YOU to erase EVERYTHING you have learned about search engine optimization. I want YOU to erase everything BAD as well as GOOD, because with this report you will learn everything from scratch. Also before you begin, if you’re NOT 100% serious about getting your website to the top of Google, don’t read another word.
I promise you that this FREE report will be a turning point for you and your website. YOU will learn everything you need and more! I will teach those SO CALLED “secrets” that have helped people rank #1 on the major search engines and directories like Google, yahoo, msn, AOL, AltaVista, and more.
I am sure that by reading this report COMPLETELY and by giving a 110% EFFORT you will see a “way” that is incredibly powerful due to a few simple factors all working together. The end result is an explosive way to get your website on fire and drive non-stop traffic from all those search engines, THIS YEAR for FREE!
After working on the internet for many years I have concluded that EXPLOSIVE LASER TARGETED TRAFFIC is easy to receive but it’s a secret that the BIG DOGS are not telling us! Traffic is the secret to wealth and will make a product sell incredibly fast and be insanely profitable. To get this kind of traffic you must have a webpage that is ranked very well in the main search engines, that’s it! I have kept you long enough just to see if you are dedicated to REALLY turning your website and life around. Now without further ado I would like to give you a brief list of what I will cover in this report. Enjoy!
- Choosing “THE” keywords to optimize for
- On-page optimization
- Getting Listed In Google in Under 24-Hours!
- Off-page Optimization
- Analyzing the Top Ranked Website on Google
- How TO GET banned by Google!
These 6 simple courses are going to turn this report into pure gold for you. You should read one of these 6 courses EVERY day so that you can have enough time to “digest” all the information and put them to the test. Now today is DAY #1 and I will start with the first course on the list:
Choosing “THE” keywords to optimize for
1) The first step in search engine optimization is choosing the right keywords that you want to rank well for on the search engines. This is very easy to do nonetheless many webmasters FAIL HERE! Ok for this course I will be using a website about “jokes” as an example. First you need to use the very powerful keyword tool that Overture offers, you can see it here: http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/
2) Now the second step is to put “jokes” and search for it in the overture keyword tool. The results that I received are shown here:
Count Search Term
927525 joke
116589 funny joke
65099 blonde joke
60135 dirty joke
47577 joke of the day
38086 good joke
37347 yo mama joke
35360 joke online prank
30615 clean funny joke
(1099 words, estimated reading time: 4:24 ) read the full post...
June 27th, 2006
Website Traffics: 10 Sizzling Hot Secret Phrases To Ignite Your Website Traffics
by: I-key Benney, CEO
For many months after I put up my new website, mscsrrr.com, my traffic was low and sales almost zero.
Then I began researching the internet for secret strategies that will help fire up my website traffics and sales.
I have the pleasure to offer you these 10 sizzling secret phrases that will ignite your website traffics and sales:
(1) “Bookmark This Web Site Now”
Tell your visitors to bookmark your web site. They may see your web site listed in their bookmarks and visit again. You should also give then a good reason to bookmark your site.
For example tell them you add new content everyday.
2 “Subscribe To Our Free E-zine”
Tell your visitors to subscribe to your e-zine. When they subscribe you’ll capture their e-mail address.
Every time they read your e-zine, it will remind them to return to your site.
3.” Participate On Our Discussion Board”
Ask your visitors to participate on your online discussion board.
By participating they will meet other people. By meeting other people, they will revisit your web site on a regular basis to stay in contact with them.
4. “Sign Our Guestbook”
Ask your visitors to sign your guest book. When people sign your guestbook you may get valuable feedback or constructive criticism on how to improve your web site. This may help you increase traffic to your web site.
5. “Use Our Free Content On Your Site Or In Your E-zine”
Allow your visitors to use your articles on their own web site or in their e-zine. Just ask them to include your resource box. This will spread your advertising all over the internet.
6. “Refer This Our Web Site To A Friend”
Ask your visitors to refer your web site to a friend(s).
They may know someone that would benefit from visiting your web site.
7. “Fill Out Our Online Survey”
Ask visitors to fill out your online survey or questionnaire. You could use it to get valuable feedback on ways to improve your web site to increase traffic.
8. “Enter Our Contests”
Ask your visitors to enter your online contest or sweepstakes.
People love to win stuff, and they will visit your web site to try.
9. “Give Away Our Freebie To Your Visitors”
Allow your visitors to give away your online freebies to People that visit your web site. Include your ad on the freebie and those freebies will multiply your traffic.
10 “Join Our Affiliate Program”
Allow your visitors to make money selling your products or services. This will increase your traffic because they will link to your web site.
May these website traffics secrets help you to make a lot of money.
Warmly,
I-key Benney, CEO
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About The Author
I-key, a Millionaire CEO from New York City is the creator of “Mscsrrr: Millionaire Secret Cash System”, (internet income opportunity) which has helped thousands of ordinary people from all over the world to attain financial security and shining success during the past 2 yrs.
Mscsrrr Millionaire Secret Cash System helps you to generate $1,500+/Week for life, from home or office, part time or full time. No large investment or hassles. Win $1000-$2000 free “cash”
mscsrrr.com
mscsrrr3@yahoo.com
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Permanent link to this post (546 words, estimated 2:11 reading time)
June 27th, 2006
Everyone has heard about viral marketing but what is it and how long will it survive?
Viral Marketing is the creation of a message that is self-perpetuating and hence distributed exponentially after its release. The Internet is full of many classic examples, the most famous one being that of the free email company - Hotmail.
From Zero To Hero - Overnight!
(468 words, estimated reading time: 1:52 ) read the full post...
June 27th, 2006
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