Making Money with Your Blog!

A place for finding the Nuts and Bolts for Making Money Online with Affiliate Marketing Business Opportunity!

What is article marketing? It is a question asked by people that have come across the term when seeking ways to promote their website and generate traffic. Many people write articles, or have them professionally written, without understanding their real purpose.

If they do not understand how article marketing can be used to derive massive amounts of traffic to targeted web pages on their site, how can they possibly be prepared to write an article intended to achieve that?

That raises a question. The term is quite common in the world of internet marketing yet it appears that there are many people who have no idea what it actually means. Probably that is due to the misuse of the word by many article companies, so the intention here is to put the matter straight.

For a start, there are far too many writers supplying article services who have no idea what they are doing, and have obviously no interest in the needs of the person for whom they are writing. Websites offering freelance writing services are full of them. It is full of people who can neither write grammatical and well spelled English, nor understand the needs of their customers.

There is a difference in writing style and vocabulary between writing to persuade a reader to click on a link offering further information, and actually providing that information in the article itself. A teasing article, containing excellent information but not quite enough, and that compels a reader to click for the rest, is more difficult to write than 1000 words about a topic in general. It takes planning, and it is easy for a professional writer to spot an article that has not been planned properly.

Article marketing is, in fact, the art of marketing through the use of articles, in the same way that internet marketing is the art of marketing through the use of the internet. There is no other possible definition. Therefore, what that defines is that those who write articles intended of the purpose of article marketing should not only understand what the term means, but should fully understand how articles can be used to market a product.

Perhaps that product is a tangible product, such as a flat screen TV, perhaps it is something less tangible such as a concept involved in search engine optimization, or perhaps it is a website. Whatever it is that is marketed, if it is done so by the means of articles, then that infers strongly that the articles involved must not only be read, but must be well enough written as to maintain the interest of the reader to the extent that they visit the writers website. Otherwise, the marketing technique will fail.

That is what article marketing is in terms of the concept. In practice, it involves the writing of articles that readers will find interesting enough to want to know more. Such article services should provide a compelling reason for reader to click for more information. They must want to click on the link provided by the writer to his or her website to find out more about the topic.

If the article is written badly, this will not happen. The reader will leave the website or directory that contains the article. Sometimes it will be better to have an article professionally written so that it grabs the attention of the reader, but how do you know who is professional enough to do that. It takes us back to the beginning of this article, whereby you do not know the standard of writing you will get if you hire someone online to write for you.

Although a well written article will attract the readers attention, you should also have a well designed bio or authors resource box to attract the click to your website. If the article is written well enough, and is easily read and understood, then you can use the resource box to direct readers to your website. But not only that: the power of article marketing is that you can send visitors to any page on your website that you want. Simply write an article relevant to that web page.

The way to make the best use of articles is to make sure that they are well written, whether you write them yourself or not, are relevant to the topic and interest anybody who is reading them. Then, you will attract visitors to the page on your resource box, and also might just persuade someone to copy your article for their own website.

What is article marketing able to do for you? If you make sure that your articles are written well enough it can provide you with traffic to your website and one way links back to the page of your choice from each article directory that accepts it. You should also make sure that any site that provides article services intended to promote your product or website has a good record in doing so, and understands fully the meaning of the term article marketing.

More information on how to use Article Marketing to drive traffic to your website and increase your sales can be obtained from Pete's web page Article Marketing

He can be contacted from his article services website.

Three Things You Must Do Before You Submit To Article Directories

To all writers and non-writers out there, now is the time to start digging up those creative writing skills.With modern communication technology comes the popularity of information-based marketing, which is one of the oldest and most effective techniques in getting targeted prospects to sites and converting them into buyers. This is

You need to be extremely careful with keyword research so that you don't miss excellent opportunities or aim so broadly that you target phrases that will never rank well. Here are 10 strategies to guide you along the way:

1. Know your potential customers.
We can't tell you how many businesses we've met who simply pick keywords out of thin air. They don't talk to customers or hot prospects in order to determine what might be a useful set of keywords.

2. Start with core words.
A core set of keywords - even if too broad - can stimulate creative thinking.

3. Look at the industry.
Examine industry trade group web sites and related newsletters to find potential keywords.

4. Study competitors.
Some companies make a bigger deal of competitors' keywords than they should, but it's still a useful strategy. Invariably, a competitor will be using a strong keyword or phrase you don't want to miss. Often, however, they load their web sites with single keywords that aren't appropriate. If internet users are seeking cookware, their search terms shouldn't be laundry-based words. Yet we came across that very example. Be careful which words you use.

5. Be specific - add other words to your primary phrases.
If you sell metal, try metal stamping or metal stampers. Or, how about metal stamping companies? Words like services, companies, products, accessories, and many others can really pay off. Ok, everyone wants to rank #1 for terms like "toys" and "sports." It would take more time and budget than you may have to land such terms (through META updates, content adjustments and links).

6. Visit Wordtracker.
It's a great tool even if it only collects a sampling of actual searches (more than 300 million). You'll get a good sense of how frequently someone may search. Here is their URL: http://www.wordtracker.com

7. Use your intuition.
Don't hesitate to try some ideas; Wordtracker and other sources can confirm whether you have a search term people might or might not use.

8. Limit your selection.
Come up with a list of words - 10, 20, 30, maybe 50 or more. But don't get so many that you can't manage them all.

9. Tie keywords to site planning.
Pick keywords you can work with over time. Make sure you don't plan to drop a page from the web site or change it so often that your target keywords may be knocked off or irrelevant every 30 days.

10. Study your log files.
Web analytics is a great tool if you want to see how your visitors are searching. Study the results and you will come up with a revised set of keywords.

Michael Murray is vice president of Fathom SEO, a Cleveland, Ohio-based search engine marketing (SEM) firm. A member of Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO), he also authored the white paper, "Search Engine Marketing: Get in the Game."

michael@fathomseo.com

Viral marketing is a methods of list building

There are multiple methods of list building, and if you are just getting started, until you have gained mastery over one or two methods, it is advisable to use multiple methods of list building strategies. You’ll see every step of the process, no matter how small, in exacting detail so

There are plenty of search engines on the web and each one has a different way of looking at your home page (and other pages as well). If you try to please everyone (the search engines) you will not likely please anyone. In other words, the more you put into your first page to get top ranking from several search engines may actually hurt you. So how do you decide on what works best?

Let's look at the top 7 things that you can do in order to rise to the top:

1. Stop trying to please all the search engines. Pick one or two at the most, you may even want to stretch it to three. For myself, I actually just choose one search engine. Since Google makes up 58 to 68% of all the searches, this is the one that I optimize my pages to come to the top.
2. Do your homework on your keywords. Guess what? You do not need to have a hundred keywords in your list. You need to do some research and choose ten or so of the best keywords for your site.
   
   How do you discover your best keywords? You find tools such as http://GoodKeyWords.com and type in the keywords you want to use. This software will show you how many times that keyword has been requested in the last month. This should give you a good idea on the most popular requests. This does not mean you want to choose the top words as the fight for usage will likely cost you top dollar.
   



3. Use your browser and see who the top sites are. Do not look at the sponsored links but look at the list of sites. Open a new window with each one of these sites and then take a look at their source code. This will give you some clues as to what keywords they are using along with how they are optimizing for this search engine.




4. Print out the source code to do a further analysis. Look for the following items: Are the keywords in the TITLE tag? Are they in an H1 tag or H2 tag? If not, then you can be one up by using the keywords in those tags. Most sites will place the keywords in the TITLE tag but not the H1 and H2 tags. If you place your keywords in the H1 and H2 tags, you should make sure that they are used in the top half of your home page.



5. Another item to look for is the usage of the keywords in the first twenty-five and last twenty-five words on the page. If the competition does not do this, you are once again bettering your page. For the last twenty-five words, you can place your keywords just after your copyright information at the very bottom of the page. For example: copyright 2006 CreditRepairForEveryone.com - credit help | credit rating | credit debt. By using this technique your are reemphasizing your keywords and being picked up by the search engines at the same time.



6. The usage of bold, italics, and underline are important. Even though many people are using Style Sheets you may want to consider using the regular bold, italics, and underline tags within your home page at least. There are three components you can use with these elements. First, you can simply bold, italics or underline the keyword (or keyphrase) on its own. Second, you can make the keywords part of a sentence and use the elements for the entire sentence. Third, you can (if you are using a keyword phrase like the example above (credit rating) and use the words in a sentence separately and applying the elements to just those words from the phrase. In our example we might use: Are you concerned that your credit is not giving you the rating you expected?



7. Getting others to link to your site is another tactic that really works. The problem here is the how do you do this? The answer is quite easy but it does take a bit of work. The simplest way is to go to Google (or any other search engine) and type your keyword or key phrase in as follows: "credit rating: "add a link". This will return a long list of sites that allow you to add your link to their site. The work part is entering all the information into each site. The other part of this equation is most of these sites want a reciprocal link back to your site. You will need to create a page that will contain the links back to those sites. This is fairly easy as all you need to do is place their URL in a word document, put a description underneath it, and then leave a space to add the next one. I call my page Resources and that page is a link from my home page. Great way to make your way to the top of the search engine list.

These are just a few of the items you can do on your own to optimize your site for the search engines. Most of them are very simple to do, you just have to put in the work to get it done. There are many more of these tips available in our latest release (currently in ebook format) Blueprints for Success - eMarketing: Winning the Internet Marketing Game. This book is available by emailing Sales@BlueprintBooks.com.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. is a speaker, author (over 170 books, articles, and publications), and consultant. She has provided marketing, sales, business development and training expertise for companies such as Peet's Coffee & Tea, Varian Medical Systems, Accenture, Avaya, Cisco Systems to name a few. Dr. Daoust has also done extensive work with small businesses in developing their marketing, training, and operational plans. You may contact Dr. Daoust at http://BizMechanix.com. You may also view her latest publications at http://BlueprintBooks.com or http://CreditRepairForEveryone.com

Viral marketing is a methods of list building

There are multiple methods of list building, and if you are just getting started, until you have gained mastery over one or two methods, it is advisable to use multiple methods of list building strategies. You’ll see every step of the process, no matter how small, in exacting detail so

Article writing and marketing works when you do it right. Here are 5 mistakes to get out of the way so you can do it right.

Mistake #1 You Dont Submit Any Articles I know it sounds silly, but many people write their articles and never submit them. Either they do not get around to it, dont know how, or are afraid of getting rejected by the article directories.

Solution: Submit your articles! Make it a goal to submit your first article before your head hits the pillow tonight. While it is unlikely that you will get rejected, even if you do, most article directories will work with you to get you accepted.

Mistake #2 Boring Key Word Empty Titles The purpose of the title for your reader is to make the reader want to read your article. The purpose of the title for the search engines is to have key words in your titles that will get picked up by the search engines.

Solution: Design a title that pulls the reader in with benefits and uses key words in the first four words of the title.

Mistake #3 Academic Summaries If youre the purpose of your title is to pull the reader into your article, the purpose of your article summary to pull the reader even further in. Most people write an academic sounding summary such as This article is about blah, blah, blah.

Solution: Write an article summary that defines a problem that needs to be solved and then promise to solve it.

Mistake #4 An Un-Optimized Article Body I see it all the time someone writes what is perhaps a decent article but then places it in the body submission field as one big chuck of text. What is the problem with that? This makes it tough to read online and gives the impression that this will take a long time to get through.

Solution: Break your article body up with lists/bulleted points, sub-headings and block quotes.

Mistake #5 A Pointless Resource Box The point of your resource box is not to create an online ego wall like the wall in your office with all your diplomas and awards. The purpose of your resource box is to get the reader to click through to your web site and become a visitor, prospect or customer.

Solution: Give your reader a good reason to click through to your web site by letting them know there are more good tips on your web site like the ones they have just read. Include at least one complete link (http://www.yourgreatdomainname.com) back to your web site.

Avoid these five mistakes and implement the solutions before you submit your articles.

To listen to an audio clip about these mistakes, recorded from a live teleseminar on Article Writing & Marketing, you are invited to visit http://www.TheArticleGuy.com/5mistakes1.htm

If you would like to banish writers block forever and write away, right away, then get yourself a copy of my 26 Article Writing Templates with Examples at http://www.TheArticleGuy.com/articletemplates.htm

You can also subscribe to The Article Writing & Article Marketing Tips Newsletter delivered to your email inbox twice a month from Jeff Herring, The Article Guy.

Making Money with Your Blog!

A place for finding the Nuts and Bolts for Making Money Online with Affiliate Marketing Business Opportunity!

Are you looking for reasons to market your online business with articles? Do you need a reason to write for your business? I have a few suggestions you can easily grasp and understand. These suggestions will not only give you reason to write, but a purpose of writing.

1. Acquire Expert Status

When you write about your business, you become a recognized expert in the industry. This key to online marketing gives you credibility and authority to stand in the gap for your customers. The potential for your business to grow, once you become a credible entity multiplies exponentially. People pay big money for degrees and education in any given field, experience counts as education, step up and claim your share of that money with experience you share.

2. Free Marketing Coverage

When you publish content online that can be republished in ezines, and other websites, you gain exposure for your business. Those who surf, find your links. By increasing your word counts and content value, your articles will be more readily picked up and republished. The value in the articles promotes not only your business, but any business with similar interests, products, and services. Published articles render contact information and links indefinitely when ezines are maintained and archived online.

3. Brand Recognition

When you promote your business with articles you have an opportunity to brand your business with terms, phrases, and concepts that people remember and review often. Information in any given topic will promote the use of related products. By using Article Marketing, you leave your website, your name, a key phrase, and contact information in your resource box, bringing identity and power to your business online.

Are you ready to learn more about Article Marketing?

Obtain 2 FREE Article Marketing Templates at http://advertizeyourbusiness.com and learn more about the SECRET of Prospering from Online Marketing. Advertize is an online business owned by Jan Verhoeff, an Internet Marketer who believes Content is King. You may visit http://janverhoeff.com about online marketing and a wealth of information.

Viral marketing is a methods of list building

There are multiple methods of list building, and if you are just getting started, until you have gained mastery over one or two methods, it is advisable to use multiple methods of list building strategies. You’ll see every step of the process, no matter how small, in exacting detail so

In this article, I will share with you a powerful way that I use to build a huge email list of high quality and free mlm leads for any home based business.

They say "The money is in your list" and I will show you to build a HUGE MONEY GENERATING LIST for FREE!

The more high quality contacts you have in your list, the higher your chances of success.

And that is the truth for any business. Be it a traditional business or an online internet business.

If you have a list of 10 names and emails, that is not going to be much help in expanding your mlm business, unless those 10 are top mlm leaders who will definitely join your opportunity.

However, you will find that any top leader in any mlm business will have a contact list in the 1000's or more.

In fact, really successful leaders have lists with over 100,000 contacts.

Imagine if you have a list of 100,000 contacts who are not just useless names and emails, but real people who are already interested in knowing more about a new business opportunity or how to make money online?

Easily said but not easily done.

So how can you start building your golden email list if you don't have that many friends?

Well, the secret is "Do not depend solely on your friends to succeed in any business"

I love the internet because it offers so many ways to help you build up your contact list without having to depend on your warm market contacts.

The secret tool I use is called a free email list builder tool.

There are a couple of these online right now, however I have had outstanding results with only one.

This tool is so wonderful because...

1) IT IS FREE TO USE

2) YOU WILL GET FREE OPPORTUNITY SEEKING PROSPECTS TO EMAIL TO EVERY WEEK

3) YOU CAN EVEN GENERATE EXTRA INCOME WITH IT

I have personally used this tool for more than 1 year and it has helped me grow my list by the 1000's.

These people are all hungry, high quality, opportunity seeking prospects who will love to learn a new way to make money online.

So take advantage of such wonderful technology and start building your GOLDEN LIST right now!

Click here.

You may reproduce this article on your website, however you must include this resource box below:
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The Author: Dennis Bay is a seasoned MLM and
Network Marketing Industry Leader from Singapore.
Get more Proven Internet Affiliate Marketing,
MLM Leads Generation And Internet Network Marketing
Training For Home Based Business Owners Worldwide
at his blog, http://www.DennisBayOnline.com
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