How great it is
to know that you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars, and be subject to the whims
of a publicity firm or marketing company just to reach your targeted audience. In fact,
you can reach out to your local or national community simply by using the free Internet
tools that are available to you.
The key to success is being active and being ambitious. Stay persistent and connect
with your wonderful world of customers for the best success.
WORK AT HOME marketing tips
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Ad Swaps / Link Exchanges
Ad Swaps / Link Exchanges
Speaking of trading links, is it true that trading banners or text links with another
company similar to your own (or in a related field) is a waste of time? Not exactly. True,
there has been a lot of publicity lately stating, in so many words, that link exchanges are
not as effective as you once thought them to be. And this makes perfect sense.
Consider, that for a while, many poor marketers online were creating “mutual benefit”
link exchanges with each other in hopes of artificially inflating their external links—and
thus getting special attention from Google for being a high PR site. That’s not really the
same thing as a small company that actually works hard for its links by creating press
releases, blogs, articles for directories and other mediums.
So yes, many SEO “experts” were stopped dead in their tracks as Google and other big
wigs informed the world that link exchanges are simply not valuable in most cases.
Namely, when companies just use them as a means of leverage.
This is not to say that mutual link exchanges are always a bad thing. When there is a
good reason for a link exchange, as in a “blog roll” of authors who write on the same
subject, then the search engines will count that as a legitimate link. In some cases,
mutual link exchanges may work…but only if you prove to search engines that you are
actually working together (such as, guest blogging) and are not mindlessly exchanging
links for cheap traffic boosting purposes
Speaking of trading links, is it true that trading banners or text links with another
company similar to your own (or in a related field) is a waste of time? Not exactly. True,
there has been a lot of publicity lately stating, in so many words, that link exchanges are
not as effective as you once thought them to be. And this makes perfect sense.
Consider, that for a while, many poor marketers online were creating “mutual benefit”
link exchanges with each other in hopes of artificially inflating their external links—and
thus getting special attention from Google for being a high PR site. That’s not really the
same thing as a small company that actually works hard for its links by creating press
releases, blogs, articles for directories and other mediums.
So yes, many SEO “experts” were stopped dead in their tracks as Google and other big
wigs informed the world that link exchanges are simply not valuable in most cases.
Namely, when companies just use them as a means of leverage.
This is not to say that mutual link exchanges are always a bad thing. When there is a
good reason for a link exchange, as in a “blog roll” of authors who write on the same
subject, then the search engines will count that as a legitimate link. In some cases,
mutual link exchanges may work…but only if you prove to search engines that you are
actually working together (such as, guest blogging) and are not mindlessly exchanging
links for cheap traffic boosting purposes
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Forum Feats
Forum Feats
Forums don’t have the clout that they used to have. After all, before there was such a
thing as MySpace (the first big social media site that slowly died over time) there was
the Internet forum, or in archaic terms, the “chat room” or the bulletin board system.
These applications were the predecessors of social networking and helped bring people
of highly varied niche interests together long before there was a universal network that
connected everybody together.
Well, guess what? They haven’t gone out of style. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are
actually so big that many people avoid them, figuring that aside from friends and family,
it is too difficult to find people that actually share their most important interests.
However, web forums still have the capacity to bring niche audiences together,
especially if you create forums that cater to keyword interests, and visit other forums to
post as a guest (or even a part time moderator). When you join a forum, you discuss all
of the niches that really matter to people, the type of topics that bring you devoted
followers, not just casual surfers. Forums also give you:
$Special tools like polls;
$Easy cross platform logging in abilities thanks to Facebook and Twitter
integration;
$A chance to find your target market and interact with them;
$A chance to build community trust; and
$A signature, which is basically a link back to your company, and an opportunity to
make a statement about your credentials and your company’s values.
When focusing your efforts on forums, try doing some keyword research to target the
best audience to work with, and don’t forget to actually add the phrase 'forums' to your search so you can filter out all the social network pages and content mills.
Last but not least, remember that all social networking, regardless of which site you use,
is useful to you as the medium is a form of free advertising. The only rules of thumb are:
(A)You cannot be lazy about it, you have to update consistently
(B)You cannot blatantly promote, try to be creative and sociable above all else
(C)You cannot be boring. Even if you’re just giving free stuff away, try to be fun and
interesting
Social networking sites have two great traffic advantages; first, they create quality links
for your site. In fact, with the latest search algorithm updates, social media pages
actually showed an increase in traffic, whereas content mills and even article directories
showed significant decreases. Second, social networks create a great quantity of links eading back to your site, the more that your content or links are shared amongst the
community.
The biggest mistake new business owners make is clear; they do nothing with their
page rather than going out and recruiting people by befriending them, sharing with them
and (gasp) yes, even promoting their business. It’s the cyber equivalent of hosting an
event. So by all means, invite people, mingle and have fun with the latest trend in free
online marketing.
What about email marketing? Some say email marketing may be a thing of the past,
especially since instant messaging and social networking sites are stealing the thunder.
Gee, I wonder…have you received any SPAM email offers lately? Of course! The
medium is not dead. However, you must take an assertive and smart approach to email
marketing if you want to generate serious traffic.
Forums don’t have the clout that they used to have. After all, before there was such a
thing as MySpace (the first big social media site that slowly died over time) there was
the Internet forum, or in archaic terms, the “chat room” or the bulletin board system.
These applications were the predecessors of social networking and helped bring people
of highly varied niche interests together long before there was a universal network that
connected everybody together.
Well, guess what? They haven’t gone out of style. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are
actually so big that many people avoid them, figuring that aside from friends and family,
it is too difficult to find people that actually share their most important interests.
However, web forums still have the capacity to bring niche audiences together,
especially if you create forums that cater to keyword interests, and visit other forums to
post as a guest (or even a part time moderator). When you join a forum, you discuss all
of the niches that really matter to people, the type of topics that bring you devoted
followers, not just casual surfers. Forums also give you:
$Special tools like polls;
$Easy cross platform logging in abilities thanks to Facebook and Twitter
integration;
$A chance to find your target market and interact with them;
$A chance to build community trust; and
$A signature, which is basically a link back to your company, and an opportunity to
make a statement about your credentials and your company’s values.
When focusing your efforts on forums, try doing some keyword research to target the
best audience to work with, and don’t forget to actually add the phrase 'forums' to your search so you can filter out all the social network pages and content mills.
Last but not least, remember that all social networking, regardless of which site you use,
is useful to you as the medium is a form of free advertising. The only rules of thumb are:
(A)You cannot be lazy about it, you have to update consistently
(B)You cannot blatantly promote, try to be creative and sociable above all else
(C)You cannot be boring. Even if you’re just giving free stuff away, try to be fun and
interesting
Social networking sites have two great traffic advantages; first, they create quality links
for your site. In fact, with the latest search algorithm updates, social media pages
actually showed an increase in traffic, whereas content mills and even article directories
showed significant decreases. Second, social networks create a great quantity of links eading back to your site, the more that your content or links are shared amongst the
community.
The biggest mistake new business owners make is clear; they do nothing with their
page rather than going out and recruiting people by befriending them, sharing with them
and (gasp) yes, even promoting their business. It’s the cyber equivalent of hosting an
event. So by all means, invite people, mingle and have fun with the latest trend in free
online marketing.
What about email marketing? Some say email marketing may be a thing of the past,
especially since instant messaging and social networking sites are stealing the thunder.
Gee, I wonder…have you received any SPAM email offers lately? Of course! The
medium is not dead. However, you must take an assertive and smart approach to email
marketing if you want to generate serious traffic.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Social Networking
Social Networking—Get Out and Mingle!
Social networking is not just fun and 'in' for 2012, it is also a guaranteed way to get free
traffic. After all, social networking is free and it means hours and hours of free publicity
for your company…that is, if you can get the lingo and the 'culture' (if you will) of sites
like Facebook and Twitter.
This first point to understand is that social networking is not at all like sales, or even
anything like your official website. When someone visits your website they want to read
sales information and content about your industry and your services. However, when
people are in the mood to socialize, they simply want to chat, goof off, share
information, share links and stories and generally have fun.
In fact, coming across as a 'company' or speaking only about things that concern you
and your great products is probably going to rub people the wrong way. This is against
the very nature of social networking, a place that is more like a playground or like a
lunch break room than an 'office'.
So, how can you use social networking to increase traffic? This is an issue that still
confuses many business owners, as their pages may only receive a handful of likes and
never stimulate conversation. Inevitably, the site owner wonders, what did I do wrong?
Here’s the secret; you must learn each individual social networking site, and use its
unique features to draw in traffic. You must become not just part of the crowd, but part
of the Facebook crowd, part of the Twitter crowd. Let’s take Facebook as an example.
Social networking is not just fun and 'in' for 2012, it is also a guaranteed way to get free
traffic. After all, social networking is free and it means hours and hours of free publicity
for your company…that is, if you can get the lingo and the 'culture' (if you will) of sites
like Facebook and Twitter.
This first point to understand is that social networking is not at all like sales, or even
anything like your official website. When someone visits your website they want to read
sales information and content about your industry and your services. However, when
people are in the mood to socialize, they simply want to chat, goof off, share
information, share links and stories and generally have fun.
In fact, coming across as a 'company' or speaking only about things that concern you
and your great products is probably going to rub people the wrong way. This is against
the very nature of social networking, a place that is more like a playground or like a
lunch break room than an 'office'.
So, how can you use social networking to increase traffic? This is an issue that still
confuses many business owners, as their pages may only receive a handful of likes and
never stimulate conversation. Inevitably, the site owner wonders, what did I do wrong?
Here’s the secret; you must learn each individual social networking site, and use its
unique features to draw in traffic. You must become not just part of the crowd, but part
of the Facebook crowd, part of the Twitter crowd. Let’s take Facebook as an example.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Choosing Your Links Wisely
Choosing Your Links Wisely
Last but not least, let’s share an important lesson about linkbuilding before you start
spreading links everywhere you go. It’s not the quantity of links that matter but the
quality. This means not only paying close attention to the article writing itself, but also to
the anchor text (as in keyword placement and not just “click here to learn more!”) and to
the site you are linking to.
The search engines are looking for quality links all around so you do have to protect
your reputation. Search engines can actually penalize you for hanging out with the
'wrong crowd', and that could include anything from poorly ranked article directories to
spam sites or content mills, backdoor sites, plagiarists (or 'scrapers') and even web
hosting companies that support such unethical sites.
So, think twice before you so generously accept a random person’s request to
exchange links. Your own reputation is on the line. Sometimes a new company site can
have more leverage than a site that has suffered massive search engine penalties. In
the next chapter, we’re going take SEO into the new age…the age of fast, accessible and fun social networking
Last but not least, let’s share an important lesson about linkbuilding before you start
spreading links everywhere you go. It’s not the quantity of links that matter but the
quality. This means not only paying close attention to the article writing itself, but also to
the anchor text (as in keyword placement and not just “click here to learn more!”) and to
the site you are linking to.
The search engines are looking for quality links all around so you do have to protect
your reputation. Search engines can actually penalize you for hanging out with the
'wrong crowd', and that could include anything from poorly ranked article directories to
spam sites or content mills, backdoor sites, plagiarists (or 'scrapers') and even web
hosting companies that support such unethical sites.
So, think twice before you so generously accept a random person’s request to
exchange links. Your own reputation is on the line. Sometimes a new company site can
have more leverage than a site that has suffered massive search engine penalties. In
the next chapter, we’re going take SEO into the new age…the age of fast, accessible and fun social networking
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Press Releases
Press Releases
Press releases are articles that are written solely for news purposes, and are intended
to get attention from editors, website owners, agents, and all sorts of other news
sources. Whereas writing a press release that gets picked up by a national magazine is
somewhat difficult, writing a press release that passes online syndication’s standards is
fairly easy.
Press releases have to be:
$In professional article format, not conversional text or sales copy;
$Newsworthy, as in a mainstream news story; and
$State an item and then provide increasing detail with a link and contact
information.
Press release distributors will not pick up poorly written press releases, and this is an
especially rotten feeling to experience, especially if you’ve spent big money on press
release distribution. (Some sources like PRWeb charge upwards $200 for each
submission). The good news is that a press release can easily make the 'news' tab and
receive maximum exposure in a small period of time, if it is deemed truly newsworthy.
Topics for news angles could include subjects like inventive new products, customer
incentives, celebrity endorsements, big name client signings, news trends, charity
partnerships, and the like. Stuff that would actually make the news and not just a
conversation between search bot and WordPress!
In fact, sources like Yahoo and Google only pick up popular stories that are published
and syndicated. Most of the top press release distribution sites don’t archive old press
releases, and so are limited to 30 days of maximum exposure. Some press release
sites do archive old stories permanently and these are usually free sites, not major
publicity companies. Still, free press release submission can certainly help you build
quality links, and certainly cannot hurt your standing as long as you keep the conten high caliber
Press releases are articles that are written solely for news purposes, and are intended
to get attention from editors, website owners, agents, and all sorts of other news
sources. Whereas writing a press release that gets picked up by a national magazine is
somewhat difficult, writing a press release that passes online syndication’s standards is
fairly easy.
Press releases have to be:
$In professional article format, not conversional text or sales copy;
$Newsworthy, as in a mainstream news story; and
$State an item and then provide increasing detail with a link and contact
information.
Press release distributors will not pick up poorly written press releases, and this is an
especially rotten feeling to experience, especially if you’ve spent big money on press
release distribution. (Some sources like PRWeb charge upwards $200 for each
submission). The good news is that a press release can easily make the 'news' tab and
receive maximum exposure in a small period of time, if it is deemed truly newsworthy.
Topics for news angles could include subjects like inventive new products, customer
incentives, celebrity endorsements, big name client signings, news trends, charity
partnerships, and the like. Stuff that would actually make the news and not just a
conversation between search bot and WordPress!
In fact, sources like Yahoo and Google only pick up popular stories that are published
and syndicated. Most of the top press release distribution sites don’t archive old press
releases, and so are limited to 30 days of maximum exposure. Some press release
sites do archive old stories permanently and these are usually free sites, not major
publicity companies. Still, free press release submission can certainly help you build
quality links, and certainly cannot hurt your standing as long as you keep the conten high caliber
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Article directory marketing
Article directory marketing
refers to the process of writing articles for top ranked
directory sites. These directories don’t really have a theme, they are a virtual
playground of knowledge where practically anyone can write on a topic and receive
expert accreditation.
In a way, they are no different from blogs (at least when it comes to writing technique)
besides the fact that they are located on a neutral site and thus cannot blatantly
advertise the user’s company. (Instead, writers/site owners receive one or two links in
exchange for an article). Within a matter of months, a site could create hundreds of
backlinks, and thus earn the attention of Google. (Oh yes, you will get their attention…
but…)
Just a few years ago, article marketing was the all the rage. Linkbuilding (which is
basically the process of building links across the Internet that lead back to your site)
was of vital importance, and while links do matter, recent algorithm updates have
changed the way links are counted, particularly 'low quality links'.
One of the easiest ways to identify low quality links, or so thought Google in May 2012,
was to discriminate against the article directory website. It’s easy to see why Google
made that assumption, even though it might not be entirely fair. While there are some
quality features on article directory sites, many other low quality pages can pollute the
site and bring the search rankings down.
Article directories claim to have an editorial process, and truth be told, you can still find
some top rated SERPs from article directory pages. However, experts within SEO have
noticed a trend of article directory penalization. So, the safest thing to do is to diversify
your linking strategy, perhaps investing a little bit in article directory marketing, as well
as blogs, guest blogs, and press releases.
refers to the process of writing articles for top ranked
directory sites. These directories don’t really have a theme, they are a virtual
playground of knowledge where practically anyone can write on a topic and receive
expert accreditation.
In a way, they are no different from blogs (at least when it comes to writing technique)
besides the fact that they are located on a neutral site and thus cannot blatantly
advertise the user’s company. (Instead, writers/site owners receive one or two links in
exchange for an article). Within a matter of months, a site could create hundreds of
backlinks, and thus earn the attention of Google. (Oh yes, you will get their attention…
but…)
Just a few years ago, article marketing was the all the rage. Linkbuilding (which is
basically the process of building links across the Internet that lead back to your site)
was of vital importance, and while links do matter, recent algorithm updates have
changed the way links are counted, particularly 'low quality links'.
One of the easiest ways to identify low quality links, or so thought Google in May 2012,
was to discriminate against the article directory website. It’s easy to see why Google
made that assumption, even though it might not be entirely fair. While there are some
quality features on article directory sites, many other low quality pages can pollute the
site and bring the search rankings down.
Article directories claim to have an editorial process, and truth be told, you can still find
some top rated SERPs from article directory pages. However, experts within SEO have
noticed a trend of article directory penalization. So, the safest thing to do is to diversify
your linking strategy, perhaps investing a little bit in article directory marketing, as well
as blogs, guest blogs, and press releases.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Article Directory Marketing
Article Directory Marketing
Article directory marketing refers to the process of writing articles for top ranked
directory sites. These directories don’t really have a theme, they are a virtual
playground of knowledge where practically anyone can write on a topic and receive
expert accreditation.
In a way, they are no different from blogs (at least when it comes to writing technique)
besides the fact that they are located on a neutral site and thus cannot blatantly
advertise the user’s company. (Instead, writers/site owners receive one or two links in
exchange for an article). Within a matter of months, a site could create hundreds of
backlinks, and thus earn the attention of@ Google. (Oh yes, you will get their attention…
but…)
Just a few years ago, article marketing was the all the rage. Linkbuilding (which is
basically the process of building links across the Internet that lead back to your site)
been of vital importance, and though links do matter, recent protocol updates have
changed the means links are counted, particularly 'low excellent links'.
One of the easiest strategies to identify low quality links, or possibly even longer thought Google in May 2012,
was to discriminate against the article directory website. It’s simple to grasp why Google
made that predictions, even though it might certainly not be entirely fair. While there are some
quality features on article index sites, many other low excellent pages can pollute the
site and bring the search rankings down.
Article directories claim a great editorial process, and truth learn, you can still find
some top SERPs from article directory websites. However, experts within SEO have got
noticed a trend of article directory penalization. So, the safest thing to do is to diversify
your linking strategy, perhaps investing a little in article directory marketing, also
as blogs, guest blogs, and pr releases.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Creating a Blog
Creating a Blog(s)
That brings us to the next question. Should you start a blog or should you be content to
create multiple posts on your website? Blog posts, in general, are company sponsored
articles that are often (A) conversational, (B) highly focused, and (C) of higher quality,
representing the company’s expert opinion. There is no real philosophical difference
between a blog or a web article (or a directory article for that matter). It’s simply that
some users hold their most in-depth posts for blogs, as blogs have a certain prestige to
them when it comes to search engine friendliness. (According to many in the SEO
industry, blogs are actually considered a more reliable source of information than article
directories, as they have more quality control)
Some websites will differentiate their blog from their website posts by either creating a
subdomain within the same site, or by starting a blog at a free site like Blogger.com.
True, creating an external blog site may help you create more quality links, but creating
a blog domain within your own website will help you with domain leverage, very
important in matching keyword requests.Whenever writing a blog, and which has a specific eye towards traffic constructing, be sure to tag your own
blogs, not only going after mainstream traffic but in addition targeted traffic, as if getting qualification the
readers who are going to eventually find your blog. They will stumble upon your site
after which it bookmark it, visiting it to view whenever you publish new information. They can
even configure their computer of choice to receive automatic updates as soon as you
publish new content via an Feed.
Of course, this is relying on playing it smart and focusing your attention with your
blog. If you blog about random things, without any good sense of structure, you will never ever
build a large audience starting. By focusing your theme, and discussing one industry or
one avenue of the industry (even better), you can build niche traffic and eventually
start a relationship with your own readers, who will soon take your blog as a legitimate
source intended for new information.
That brings us to the next question. Should you start a blog or should you be content to
create multiple posts on your website? Blog posts, in general, are company sponsored
articles that are often (A) conversational, (B) highly focused, and (C) of higher quality,
representing the company’s expert opinion. There is no real philosophical difference
between a blog or a web article (or a directory article for that matter). It’s simply that
some users hold their most in-depth posts for blogs, as blogs have a certain prestige to
them when it comes to search engine friendliness. (According to many in the SEO
industry, blogs are actually considered a more reliable source of information than article
directories, as they have more quality control)
Some websites will differentiate their blog from their website posts by either creating a
subdomain within the same site, or by starting a blog at a free site like Blogger.com.
True, creating an external blog site may help you create more quality links, but creating
a blog domain within your own website will help you with domain leverage, very
important in matching keyword requests.Whenever writing a blog, and which has a specific eye towards traffic constructing, be sure to tag your own
blogs, not only going after mainstream traffic but in addition targeted traffic, as if getting qualification the
readers who are going to eventually find your blog. They will stumble upon your site
after which it bookmark it, visiting it to view whenever you publish new information. They can
even configure their computer of choice to receive automatic updates as soon as you
publish new content via an Feed.
Of course, this is relying on playing it smart and focusing your attention with your
blog. If you blog about random things, without any good sense of structure, you will never ever
build a large audience starting. By focusing your theme, and discussing one industry or
one avenue of the industry (even better), you can build niche traffic and eventually
start a relationship with your own readers, who will soon take your blog as a legitimate
source intended for new information.
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