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Ad Sense Foul Ups - Where Did I Go Wrong

November 24th, 2008
by Julie Roze

Putting Ad Sense on your site is not as easy as it seems. There is a common myth out there that it is. Chances are you have put the code on your site and didn’t make a dime. Alright, maybe you made fifty cents. The problem is, many people create the ads and don’t put any thought into the appearance or position.

How should you customize your ads to maximize your profits? Let’s talk about location first. Where should your ads be place for best performance? The center of the page is the best location followed by the upper left hand side bar, just below the header and directly below your text at the bottom of the page. Places you should avoid are the right hand side bar, above the header, and lower left hand sidebar.

Next you need to think about style. One of the last things you want is a border. This separates the ad from your text and makes a visual stopping point when reading your page. When creating the ad, always make the background and border the same color, this eliminates it. Speaking of backgrounds, where ever you are placing the ad, make sure it’s background color is the same as the background color you are using. If you have different areas with different background colors, change it for each ad.

Your title color should be the same as the links in your site, which ever area you are working with. This will allow the reader to know that the text is an active link. The text and URL color in the ad should be the same as the text in your site. Make sure you match the color exactly, if you don’t, users will be able to tell and it is unprofessional.

Here’s another trick, don’t treat your ads as ads and your customers won’t either. Pretend your ads are links to relevant content, which they are, and give them the same look and feel of your site. Web Surfer’s have developed something called banner blindness, which means they don’t even see ads anymore, particularly image ads. Their brain simply blacks out that area of your site.

Here are a few more tips that may help you along the way. Avoid image ads, opt for the text only version. Make sure that you maximize your ads. At the time this article was written you are allowed 3 text ads, and 3 ad link units, these are the two I use. Be sure that you use them all on your pages.

Ad links can be placed in navigational areas. Make the background and border the same as your site/area that you are putting the ad in. Make the link color the same as the links in the area. You can place a horizontal unit just below the header of your page. A vertical unit can be placed in any vertical navigational area you have, either above, below or within it.

Try to get the same size of font as you are using. There are only two sizes, which are determined by the amount of link units. If you have 4 links in the unit, the font will be larger, if you choose 5 links, the font will be smaller. Also consider underlining your links so that they match Google’s.

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The Article Marketing Traffic Formula Revealed

November 24th, 2008
by Kylon Trower

Websites that house free articles are called article directories. These directories are great sources for authors to use to promote their articles and get their content exposed. The author will usually put some kind of contact information at the bottom of the article for those interested in finding out more to contact them.

Because we know that a lack of credibility is one of the main reasons people don’t buy online, articles will eliminate that altogether. Your expertise is assumed once you become an author and put your thoughts on a subject in black and white. The power of the written word will result in a greater level of trust which in turn will turn into sales.

Writing article may seem like a daunting task at first but there are ways around this obstacle. There are plenty of qualified people you can find online to write articles for you. Just do a Google search for “article writers” and you’ll be surprised at the resources instantly made available to you. Though this may cost you up front, you will reap great benefits by having properly written articles for your business.

For example, let’s say that you are a bookkeeper working from home and you write basic article about the subject. Once your article is released you will be exposed to people all over the world. Let’s say someone reads your article, likes what you have to say and decides to give your service a try. You have now just picked up a potential client for life. Even if they only use your service once it could be a substantial profit and possible referrals for your business.

The other thing that I really like about article marketing is the residual effect it has in the marketplace. You can write one article that gets picked up by another website or directory and be exposed to hundreds or even thousands of additional readers. They key is writing quality articles that make your reader want to find out more about what you have to offer by click in go n your link min the byline section.

Because there are several thousand directories to get your articles exposed I’ll share my personal preferences for the greatest results. I recommend using article submission software or an article submission service to carry out the arduous tasks of submission. I find submission to be the most time consuming, therefore, I suggest using one of these tools to leverage your article writing process.

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Affiliate Marketing - How To Boost Your Affiliate Income

November 23rd, 2008
by Richard Steaney

Today you’ll find that affiliate marketing is one of the top ways to make money on the internet. Many people have tried it - some have failed and some have succeeded amazingly. No doubt you want to be in the latter category. Well, success depends on you.

Whether you have been an affiliate for some time or whether you are new to the game, you will want to boost your income from affiliate programs. It is possible to make money in this way and a lot of people already have. Here are some handy tips to make sure you make the best income possible.

Tip #1 - Only Use High Value Products

Using high value products are essential, and the first step thing you need to boost your affiliate income. As an affiliate you are more likely to sell and make a profit with high value products. You should only promote the type of products that you use yourself. You will make more money using high quality products.

Tip #2 - Use Freebies to Attract Customer Sign Ups

When you’re involved in affiliate marketing, getting people to sign up for your list is half the battle. If you want to get them to sign up, entice them with freebies. Who doesn’t like freebies? Most people love to get something free, so use this to your advantage.

In order to get your visitors to sign up there are an assortment of things you can offer free to them. You can offer them various informational products such as special reports, eBooks and articles. Doing this helps to increase your credibility and your profits.

Tip #3 - Take advantage of Pay Per Click Marketing

Use pay per click marketing if you really want to boost your affiliate income. One of the best ways to market your site and products that you are selling as an affiliate is to make go with pay per click marketing. This type of marketing will only cost you when people actually click on the link and visit your site. So, it’s a great way to increase your income.

Tip #4 - Play on the Emotions of Site Visitors

You can generate more money with affiliate marketing when you engage the emotions of your visitors. You can make a sale when you engage the emotions of potential clients by helping them get into a particular mind set. You can increase your affiliate income when you use the proper words to trigger their emotions.

Tip #5 - Market Your Affiliate Products Creatively

It is essential that you market your affiliate products creatively. Keep in mind there are other online entrepreneurs will be promoting the same products. In order to succeed in affiliate marketing you will need to carve out your own niche. This will take your efforts of creativity.

It is more than possible to make a lot of money from affiliate products but you must persevere and not give up. If you use these five affiliate marketing tips, you will be on your way to making money soon, so you should use them on a regular basis and success will be yours.

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Anyone can use these Affiliate Marketing Online Business Methods

November 22nd, 2008
by Joe Sperka

These 6 methods can be used in your affiliate marketing online business.

If you are running an ebusiness, the number of your sales and the amount of your revenue will largely depend on the effectiveness of marketing strategies that you are using. You can easily sell your products and services by using these following 6 effective internet marketing tools:

1. Utilize autoresponders. These astonishing computer programs will not merely assist you in beaming automatic replies to your potential customers, but they could as well help you in publicizing your products and services. You will be able to employ them when broadcasting promotional e-mail to your opt-in mailing list so you will be capable of winning over a lot people to make a purchase.

2. Employ article marketing. Probably at present, this is the most effectual, free marketing tool online. It can assist you get high-quality hits to your internet site, increase your search engine ranking, and augment your sales potential. It could as well assist you position yourself as an expert on your selected niche so you are able to easily earn the trust of your potential customers.

3. Newsletter publishing. Build an ongoing communication with your customers and mail them select information in the process by publishing your own e-zine. Through utilizing this tool, you can send these customers worth while newsletters that will assist in showcasing your knowledge in your chosen niche in addition to promoting your products in the process.

4. SEO and link building. These are the best traffic-generating tools that you can use in order to drive more people to your website. The more traffic you generate, the higher your chances of making a sale. Sprinkle generous amount of keywords all throughout your web content and build numerous inbound links by launching effective build linking campaigns.

5. Employ paid advertising tools. Can you afford to spend money for your advertising cost? So, you could use PPC advertising, banner ads, paid links, and affiliate marketing. Though you’ll need to spend some money for these tools, you can be assured that they’ll assist you make your website and your ads more visible online.

6. Utilize testimonials. Arrange to use the testimonials of your most satisfied customers on your product page or on your internet website. These testimonals will assist you establish your products as being more valuable. The impact to the eyes of your potential clients is such it will easily augment your sales and revenue.

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Freelance Copywriting Jobs

November 21st, 2008
by Ray Edwards

With the rising prices of food and other basic commodities, it is not surprising that many people are looking to make more money. Most are working more hours than they should be, and are forced to hold more than one job at a time. Many people have to work long hours during the day and then work a second job in their spare time or days off. Many choose to find a part time job to fulfill their financial needs.

Freelancing has turned out to be a very lucrative option for people needing to earn more money. Many people agree that freelancing is far better than holding down multiple jobs. This is especially true with copywriters because the Internet has opened a lot of doors that makes freelancing very lucrative.

There is a high demand for copywriters because businesses constantly need their products competitively advertise. Freelance copywriters sell their services to clients on a project-per-project basis. Freelancers also usually make more money than employed copywriters. This is partially because they don’t have to split their profits with a mother company or advertising agency. They get all the profits from their work in their pockets.

Besides a better income, here are some other great benefits of freelance copywriting:

A Flexible Schedule

Freelance copywriters do not have a prescribed schedule: You do not have to work a fixed number of hours per week. This means that you are in control of your time and you get to determine your work schedule. Often freelance copywriters are given a specific time period in which they can finish their assignments. The shorter the time period, the higher the pay. In fact, they can actually negotiate a higher price if the client needs the project completed quickly.

In your flexible schedule you can take on more projects at once as well. You have to manage your time well, because you can ruin your business if you miss deadlines. But since you can take on more projects at once, you can usually earn more money as well.

Flexible Workload

Freelance copywriters can even control their workload, allowing them to control when their vacation time. Since, as a freelance copywriter, you get to dictate your schedule, you can work harder when things are slow and then back off when life gets busy. This way you can determine when you spend time with your family. You can’t find this kind of freedom in many careers.

Reduced Job Training

Compared to taking on another job, you don’t have as nearly as much job training when becoming a freelancer. You’re using the same basic skills, just in a new setting. You don’t have to learn a whole new trade, only how to adapt your skills for a freelancing career. It’s smart to keep learning though; this helps you keep your product competitive.

These were just a few of the benefits of freelance copywriting. Freelancing your services helps you take control of your future and determine the course of your career. If freelancing sounds like it could help you, then do some more research to see how you can become a freelance copywriter.

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To Blog Or Not To Blog? When? Should Really Be The Question.

November 20th, 2008
by Don Bethune

As you are well aware, blogging has become a hot spot for internet users. It is a valuable way for people across the globe to give insight into their lives or events that happen around them. Blogging is another way for people to connect that print media has not been able to do, and that is giving ordinary people a way to communicate on a mass scale. When it comes to blogging and writing your own blog, how often should you post a new entry for your readership?

The most crucial thing you need to know when deciding how often to blog is who is reading your content. Whether you post daily, weekly, or monthly, who is going to be seeing your posts is what you should use to set up your posting frequency schedule. Content is actually more important, but how often to post is definitely something to consider as well as this will give your readers the chance to develop a schedule for visiting your site.

To decide how often to post to your blog, there are many things you should consider. You need to balance your beginneras enthusiasm with the inevitable wane in interest you will feel after a month or two. Think of yourself like a newspaper, and keep in mind if readers are used to new content every day, they will disappointed if that new content falls off to just once a week or so. In fact, your audience may lose interest all together and start visiting new sites, so you need to focus on keeping your readers interested.

The type of blog you are presenting is another factor worth considering. Different frequencies work with different types of content. Daily posts about a special trip you are on make sense, but if your content is more in-depth on a particular subject, you may want to consider weekly additions.

How much you post is also a pertinent factor. Be sure to know exactly how much you are capable of writing. You can even write some extra posts when you are feeling creative, and save them for posting at a later date. It is better to have a consistent posting schedule than periods of feast and then famine. Start off slow with two or three posts a week, and then increase your posts when you can.

It is a good idea to notify your audience when planning to change the frequency of posts. If you post once a week but are going to be taking a trip where you will be posting daily, slip in a line to let others know. The most important part of blogging is building a rapport with your readers. Scheduling is part of that camaraderie, so be sure to let them know when the schedule is going to change. By the same token, be sure to let them know if you will not be posting for awhile.

Determining posting frequency by knowing who your audience is can be helpful as well. If you post daily, there is a lot of work involved, but sometimes daily posts are the most effective. Sometimes, however, daily posts can be too much, depending on the blogas focus. Try to establish the right posting schedule for your particular blog, one that is balanced and workable. That way, you will not alienate your readers and they will always have fresh content to check out.

How often to post is one of the most important aspects of blogging, one that many new bloggers do not even consider. However, if you take the time to think about it, you can keep your readership happy and interested in your site for a long time. Keep in mind, however, that you should always consider what works for you and keep it fun.

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Great Website Copywriters-If You Can’t Schedhule One…

November 18th, 2008
by DK Fynn, Business Strategist and Direct-Response Copywriter

What do you do if you’ve found a few established website copywriters, but you either can’t afford their fees, or they’re too booked to take your projects? Don’t despair, because if you’re creative, you can find several other alternatives. You may even be able to find a copywriter who’s willing to do a limited service for you, as discussed below.

This article discusses 4 alternatives to hiring website copywriters. Though they’re not as good as contracting the full services of a freelance copywriter, they will give you more options you can take.

Hiring A Professional Copywriter: 4 Options

You Can Learn to Write Persuasive, Website Copy Yourself

I can understand how this suggesting can be a turnoff to you. espeically if you’re not a “good writer.” Even good writers do have a learning curve to go through when learning direct-response copywriting.

Despite the difficulties and disciplines required to seriously learn direct-response copywriting, it is quite a rewarding skill to have. It is a trade unto itself, and pays well: learn this skill, and you’ll be able to communicate how your products and services help improve the lives of your site visitors. The result of this is that a higher percentage of your visitors will want to become your customers.

Get A Critique Done By A Professional Copywriter

It’s too bad most copywriters fail to even mention this service to potential clients. This is perhaps the best of the 4 alternatives listed here. Short of offering their full services, a professional web copywriter can offer to go over your current web copy, and suggest a number of changes you can make to improve your results.

Use Split-Testing and Conversion Tracking to Figure Out What Works

Here’s something to consider: your prospects may have more time on the weekends to sit down and read what you have to say. That means that if you sent out your e-mail messages on Friday, there may be a better chance that they’ll be read. This is how just a small change in your web copy, or how you do things, can increase your response. Such factors are the presentation of your offer, your web page layout, and the contrasting of colors on your web page.

A good website copywriter may be able to provide testing and tracking services for you.

Salesletter Templates

Remember when you learned how to write an essay in grade school? The teacher told you about the intro, the body, and the conclusion. A salesletter template is the same thing. It shows you the format of a good salesletter, and acts as a guide for you to create your own. There are many limitations to using salesletter templates, but they’re better than nothing.

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Tips For Writing Successful Articles

November 17th, 2008
by Theo McLanahan

Writing articles is an effective way to express yourself, whether for website promotion, your blog, or to become a professional writer.

Always remember - Content Is King. The better you can organize your ideas, the more publicity your article is going to receive. There are two basic things to remember when writing your articles:

(1) Use the simplest possible language Your writing should be able to reach maximum number of readers. This means that it must be written in the simplest language which can be understood by the widest range of people. Most frequently the writers of magazines and newspapers use the “fourth grade level”.

In other words, they’re using language that could be understood by a fourth grade reader.

This doesn’t mean they’re not capable of writing in more advanced language, they just don’t want to limit their readership. Obviously there are cases where you’ll need to write to a higher level reader, such as technical articles and social or political commentary. But only write to higher level readers when necessary.

2. Make you article state its case in an interesting way You want to express your ideas in a way that’s useful to your readers. The better you can explain your ideas, the more readers you’re going to attract. Try to entertain your readers while getting your ideas across. Don’t go on and on, boring them in the process. Many articles written for magazines or the internet use the classic “five paragraph essay” format.

Step-by-Step Guide to the Five Paragraph Essay

1. First paragraph - A brief introduction to the topic of the article and related ideas.

2) Second, Third and fourth paragraphs: Which will support or expand points in the introduction in the simple and creative language.

3. Fifth paragraph - Conclude and summarize the topic of the article, leaving the reader with the purpose of the article.

When you learn how to use the five paragraph essay format effectively, you’ll be able to write for magazines or the internet. Basically, you want to use the simplest language you can while organizing your ideas effectively. Do that and you’ll be a successful writer in no time!

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Hiring a Ghostwriter

November 17th, 2008
by Linda Van Fleet

What do presidents, candidates for political office, political debaters and Internet Marketers have in common? Writers. We all need fresh content.

The political leader outsources to a speech writer; the Internet Marketer hires a freelance article writer. Both entities are ghostwriters who take no credit for his work. The speaker or webmaster takes all the glory.

Ghost/speech writers have been hired by our political leaders for 100’s of years. It has been reported that Alexander Hamilton was the speech writer for George Washington. If that is factual, then Alexander Hamilton is probably the most famous ghostwriter of all times.

A ghost writer is a writer who works for hire and upon culmination of the project relinquishes all rights to the project. Nearly all politicians use ghost writers to write their memoirs, correspondence and speeches. Webmasters use ghost writers to write their articles because they either don’t have the time or talent to keep their website updated with original, tailored content.

We will explore and explain the process of hiring a ghostwriter to write those original articles for your website. Following are a few points to help with the process:

Be prepared. Do not talk with a ghostwriter without being aware of what you want. Do you require technical data? Will the articles demand in-depth research? How many words do you require? What idea do you wish the article to communicate?

Don’t tell the ghostwriter to “write me an article on weight loss” - a subject that has a multitude of subtopics and methods. If you don’t understand what you want I can promise you the ghostwriter will not please you, no matter how much they charge or how seasoned they are. They are writers, not wizards.

Be professional. If you need to hire a freelance writer but you are clueless as to how much they charge or how they work you could end up losing your shirt. Hop over to Google and search for “custom articles”, “freelance writers” and “ghost writers” and see what they are charging.

Some will publish their rates on the Internet. When you find what the “going rate” for ghosted articles is you can develop your budget for the expense. Or, after the research you may determine you can’t afford a ghost writer.

Ask for an estimate. Many times internet sites will publish their rates so you can easily determine what the project will cost. At other times you may need to ask for a quotation.

Or, perhaps you are placing an ad on one of the freelance sites such as elance.com or getafreelaner.com. As pointed out in Item #1, Be Prepared. Lay out the following points in your query or posting: a) article length (words) b) topics c) deadline d) how much you can pay, and e) how you will pay them.

Be Very Specific. What do you want? Whether you believe it or not there is a difference in “content articles” for your visitors to read and “keyword articles” written to improve your SEO (search engine optimization).

Maybe you want both. If so, does the ghostwriter have skill in creating people-pleasing content that will also delight the search engines and boost your search engine position?

Keep in mind your profit margin. Never overpay for your articles. Be sure to keep good records of income vs. expenditures and don’t forget that the reason you are hiring a ghost writer to write those custom articles for your website is to increase the flow of traffic, hence the earnings, to your website.

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Is it Possible to Get Cheap and Reliable Pay Per Click Campaign?

November 16th, 2008
by Troy Cruz William Engle Dawn Khoury Robert Hill Chris Laning Janet Taylor Jack Enders Bruce Gross Rick Bean Keith Wood Ray Johnson Alex Velez Juan Hines Paul Holtz Kenya Rios Peggy Dye Neal Dawes Lucas King David Hebert Karl Howell Jarrod Lucky Ruth Coats Doris Lund Ryan Hudson Henry Bush Lonnie May Arlen Bell Wanda Kuebler Kevin Stiles Nick Horton Jorge Pina Frank Vera Chad Copp Fred Brod Jose Cruz Jeremy Stanley Mark Jones Kelly McMahon Barney Bernard Ailleann Alan

You may think that it is impossible to find a cheap and reliable pay per click campaign, but it is possible. Follow this advice in order to get a reliable pay per click campaign without spending a ton of money. A new business or a business that wants to grow must have pay per click, because otherwise they are going to never be able to compete with the larger companies on the first page of the search engine results page. After your business is large enough, you can stop your pay per click campaign, until then pay per click is invaluable.

The first tip for getting a budget pay per click campaign is to use out of the ordinary keywords. For example, if you sell women’s apparel at your online business, you probably know that a pay per click campaign with the keywords “women’s clothing” is going to be way too expensive. Instead, choose a set of keywords that are cheaper. Shop around and see if keywords like “women’s outfits” are going to be a cheaper option.

You may want to consider going all out and starting a pay per click campaign for a short time. You are going to start an all out pay per click war, using all of your resources to campaign for 2 to 4 weeks. During this time don’t do any other advertising things besides pay per click -focus your attention on getting new customers to learn about your website. Sure, this can cost just as much as a longer campaign, but the effects are going to add up and compound so in time your business is going to grow exponentially.

When you are doing a blitz attack, make sure that you are ready for the influx of customers and that your website is ready, because once you get started it is really going to go by quickly. You don’t want to have your pay per click links going to a websites that is under construction, which will result in you spending a lot of money and not getting anything.

Finally, don’t forget about common words that are misspelled. Some words seem to be misspelled by a lot of people and choosing these words as keywords might help to get you a bargain.

You don’t have to have a huge budget to do a great pay per click advertising campaign. If you are a new business, you are going to find this type of advertising absolutely necessary to get more and more customers to your site.

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