Tuesday, November 25, 2008

What Are The SEO Tips to Improve Your Website Traffic?

By: BUNNY1

There are many ways that you can improve traffic to your website. The best way to do this is through organic traffic from the web. This means that people will find your website through a search engine naturally; hence it appears in the search results without sponsorship.

For years savvy business owners have attempted to use the power of PPC (pay per click) advertising, such as Google Adwords, Yahoo Search Marketing and Microsoft adCenter, to harness the power of search engine traffic. Unfortunately, in doing so, the average cost per click has increased dramatically. This substantial increase has wrecked havoc on the ROI of most advertising campaigns causing business owners to search for other means of reaching their targeted audience. Hence, SEO is now more than a coveted service for the few, it is a main stream tactic used by the masses.

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It is through SEO that you will be able to improve the traffic to your website. There are ways that you can use SEO to increase the ranking of your website on the search engines and we will highlight some introductory methods in this article.

Tip One

To succeed, you need to choose the right keywords to focus on. Keywords are the words and phrases that people type into a search engine to find information on a topic. The better you align the keywords that relate to your product or service, the more targeted the traffic will be. Time and research should be spent in researching keywords that correspond with your website, this is an important first step and like any foundation, it should be thorough.

Tip Two

One of the ways to garner great SEO is to post keyword rich content onto your website. This is content that contains a 3% to 5% keyword density. Keyword density is an important term to know when you are using SEO to increase traffic to your website. This means that the keywords that you are focusing on should show up in your article 3% to 5% of the time.

Tip Three

Content is king! Keyword rich content is important when speaking to the search engines. However, it is equally important to speak to your audience. Ensure that your articles contain valuable information for the reader, and that you post fresh content to your website with regularity.

Tip Four

Select the highest ranked keyword for your website and use it in your URL. This is another trick to help search engines increase your page ranking. It is important to use the main keywords for your website in as many places as you can to help your SEO. You can use your keywords in the tags for your photos and articles to help search engines to find you.

Many website owners see SEO as a strange and often changing beast. Search engine optimization is the best way to increase traffic to your web site. This is the easiest way to get significant traffic and keep it coming to you.

Search engine optimization is not an exact science. What the search engines are looking for can vary from month to month. The one constant that all remains the same is that they are looking for valuable content with good strong keyword density. So get researching and increase the traffic to your website today.

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Sunday, November 2, 2008

Top 10 List of the Best Affiliate Networks

Titus Hoskins

First, if you’re new to affiliate marketing, some preliminary explanations may prove helpful in your quest for becoming a part-time or full-time affiliate marketer.

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is quite simple to explain:

you promote and market a product or company in return for a commission if a sale or lead is made from your marketing efforts. With online affiliate marketing you simply place your affiliate ID embedded links on your web pages and if a customer clicks your link and proceeds to that designated company’s site and makes a purchase or signs up for a service, you earn a commission.

Affiliate marketing, if done right, can prove to be a very lucrative venture. Commissions can run anywhere from a few pennies to thousands of dollars for just one click or sale. Professional marketers develop affiliate relationships with hundreds of companies and build sites to promote these companies and products.  Needless to say, the advent of the Internet has been a golden opportunity for affiliate marketers to really expand their promotions and marketing. As more as more customers choose to buy online, advertising and purchases keep increasing at a maddening pace.

To accommodate all this online ecommerce we have seen the birth of large affiliate networks, operated by large corporations. Make no mistake, affiliate marketing is big business, accounting for billions in sales and commissions.

What is an Affiliate Network?

An affiliate network is a third party facilitator which brings affiliates and companies together.  It connects Advertisers (companies with products or services to sell) together with Publishers (those who display and promote these products or services) so they can do business. The affiliate network does all the tracking, accounting and payment of commissions.  The following Top 10 list of the best Affiliate Networks is compiled by an actual full-time affiliate marketer who has worked these programs for over five years. This list is subjective and based on first-hand experience.  It should be seen in this light and every marketer probably will have a different list or have these in a different picking order depending on the type and nature of their marketing.

But this list of the 10 Best Affiliate Networks will give you a general rundown on these affiliate networks and how they operate.

1.         Commission Junction (www.cj.com)

Now owned by ValueClick, Commission Junction was one of the first affiliate networks. It is also one of the most important with many of the Top Fortune 500 companies listed here.

CJ is an international network with excellent stats and tracking (some of the best you will find), along with regular monthly payments makes this the obvious first choice for anyone wishing to try affiliate marketing.  For those new or old at affiliate marketing, CJ also holds regular seminars and training sessions.

Most merchants offer pay-per-lead or pay-per-sale, one of the best features is the performance bonuses and incentives. As most experienced marketers will know, selling 50k to 100k each month for merchants will bring in the big incentives or bonuses.

Commissions run as high as 50% but most are in 3% to 15% range. You have the option of direct deposit for your payments. One major plus, CJ will tell you which merchants and ads are earning the most revenue for affiliates so you can easily choose which merchants are worth promoting.

2.         ClickBank (www.clickbank.com)

ClickBank is another professional affiliate network with excellent stats and tracking. Easy to use and pays every two weeks.

ClickBank is slightly different from the other networks in that it deals mainly with digital download products.  The commissions from ClickBank are usually much higher than the other networks, around 40% to 50% or more.  ClickBank has over 10,000 products but keep in mind, info-marketing products will have stiff competition from all the savvy and well established Internet marketers promoting these same products. Consider youself warned!  The most successful marketing tactic here is to first dominate your targeted niche with your blogs and sites, then find affiliate products to match your content or niche subject matter, whether it be gardening equipment, gaming laptops or Mediterranean cruises!.

3.         LinkShare (www.linkshare.com)

LinkShare is another excellent affiliate network. It is one of the oldest affiliate networks on the web.  LinkShare was recently acquired by the Japanese Portal Rakuten, with a price tag of $425 million.  Very good stats and reporting with their Synergy Analytics system. Many Top Fortune 500 companies are presented here so you will no trouble finding products and services to promote.  LinkShare pays commissions as they receive them from merchants - monthly checks.

4.         Affiliate Window (www.affiliatewindow.com)

Affiliate Window is an UK based affiliate network which offers top brand companies and good commission rates.  Pays once a month and has excellent stats.  Savvy affiliate marketers know promoting in other countries can be much easier than promoting in the American market place. Mainly because these other countries haven’t become saturated with online marketers, little competition means more sales.

5.         Amazon (www.amazon.com)

Amazon is another excellent affiliate network to join if you want to sell products from your site or blog.  Amazon has excellent stats and the links are very easy to create and place on your web pages.  You also have the option of creating your own store with Amazon aStores. Amazon also now has context link ads and Widgets!

Commission rates are somewhat lower than the other networks but making sales thru Amazon is much, much easier. You will make more sales mainly because Amazon is a well known and trusted online company. Amazon now pays monthly.

6.         Shareasale (www.shareasale.com)

Shareasale is yet another easy system to work with good stats and simple to create links. With 1,700+ merchants to choose from, Shareasale is another good affiliate network to promote.

The control panel is easy to use and the reporting is very good. Usually pays the month following your sales.

7.         Google (www.google.com/adsense/)

Many won’t think of Google as an Affiliate network but it does run affiliate products thru its Adsense program.  Very few products but like everything from Google it is professionally run and top caliber all the way.  Please note, top marketers know affiliate links/products on their content pages will return 10 times what Google Adsense will give them. However, these marketers will also know using Google Adsense on less targeted pages throughout your sites or blogs will give you a healthy return.  Besides receiving that monthly check from a multi-billion dollar company like Google will put a smile on your face every time.

8.         LinkConnector (www.linkconnector.com)

LinkConnector is a relatively new affiliate network which launched in 2004. It has Pay Per Click, Pay Per Sale and Pay Per Lead. Good stats and reporting.  Worth checking out for their different types of new affiliate technology such as Direct Linking which passes pagerank along to the merchant’s site.

9.         CPA Empire (www.cpaempire.com)

Great CPA (Cost Per Action) network especially if you do a lot of email marketing and promotions. Geared towards acquiring leads and sign-ups but does offer other merchants as well. Good stats and reporting.

10.      Independents

Individual affiliate deals with different companies which may or may not be listed with the major networks above.  Your independent affiliate deals will be some of your most lucrative since you can sometimes work out separate private commission rates and bonuses. Aim for residual income here.  Don’t ignore this aspect of affiliate marketing as it will pay the highest dividends.

Keep in mind, all the above affiliate networks are middlemen, they come between you and the merchant you’re promoting.  For affiliates with a proven track record, who have shown they can deliver the customers and sales, a private deal cutting out the middleman/fees can prove very beneficial for both parties. If you’re fortunate enough to become known as a super affiliate, these private deals will become more common and more profitable.

Professional affiliate marketers will use all of the above networks to create multiple income streams from their marketing efforts. In the process, they will build a healthy monthly income for themselves and their families. There is no reason why you can’t do the same.

The author is a full-time online marketer who has numerous websites, including two sites on Internet marketing. For the latest and most effective web marketing tools try: Internet Marketing Tools Or why not try these excellent free training manuals and videos:  Free Marketing Courses

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Three Essential Skills to Make Use of Home Computer Business Opportunities

Home computer business opportunities are easy to come by but making use of them is slightly more difficult. Having a fairly recent computer model and speedy Internet connection would be a start but if you want your future business to be profitable, you'll need more than hardware to achieve success.

What You Need

A person needs certain skills before he can make full use of any home computer business opportunity that comes his way. To help you get started, here are several essential skills you need to learn and practice as early as you can.

Internet Research

Contrary to popular opinion, surfing the Internet is not just a simple find-and-click procedure. Indeed, net surfing can be considered an art as it takes talent and experience to find your way to the exact type of information you need in the shortest time possible.

Home computer business opportunities are just what they say they are: opportunities. They offer you a chance to make money, but you need to know what to do with them to make chance turn into profit.

Internet research will help you in your goal. You need quick and effective Internet research skills if you want to be updated with your target market and stay a step ahead of your competition at the same time. Effective Internet research will let you pioneer online marketing trends rather than blindly following them.

HTML

Knowing your way around the Web is just the first step. The next thing you need to focus on is learning how to create your own space in the Internet, and that's when HTML knowledge becomes desirable.

While you certainly have no need to memorize HTML tags - what are wizard options and free ready-made templates for if not that - you do need to understand which tags are appropriate to use to make your presence felt in the Internet.

Although HTML is inferior to other computer languages like CSS and ASP in many ways, it is, however, still the preferred language of search engine spiders and when you've spent enough time managing your online business, you'll understand that what search engine spiders think matters the most.

Most website-making tools available online offer ready-made HTML templates to their users. You are also permitted to change them, and change them you have to but you can only do that with basic HTML know-how. Learning HTML is easy and even free at certain times. If you're good with self-learning, there are a lot of free articles and tutorials available online. You can, however, choose to enroll in online crash courses and learn from the pros.

Search Engine Optimization

Internet research skills let you understand what's going on with your competition and the target market. HTML gives you the means of communicating with search engine spiders. Search engine optimization, however, teaches you the right things to "say" to spiders and make your website #1 in your category.

Search engine optimization is probably the most difficult of all three skills to learn simply because it's dynamic and comprehensive. It touches almost every aspect there is to e-commerce and what you know now may be considered obsolete next week. Without SEO, even the most promising home computer business opportunities will come to nothing.

SEO improves the quality of a blog, website, or any online tool to match the requirements of search engines and consequently generate more traffic. There are two types of techniques used in SEO: white hat and black hat SEO. White hat is all that's good and harmless while SEO black hat techniques are considered unethical by many.

Keywords are an essential part of all SEO techniques. Key words or key phrases are words that best describe the website being promoted. Generally speaking, using keywords often will increase the website's chances of getting a higher page ranking from search engines.

White hat SEO techniques will strategically include keywords in the main and secondary titles, the first and last paragraph, as well as any other instance its use will be merited. Black hat SEO techniques, however, will use any means possible to use the keywords, regardless of how it can cause quality to deteriorate or the need for deceiving readers about their purpose.

Invest your time, money, and effort in learning these three essential skills and you'll have the ultimate means of making of the Home Computer Business Opportunities that you may want to consider. For more information, do research online, and ask your friends for advice. Soon, you will be making the money that you want and need, and you will have the Online Marketing Business Opportunity of your dreams.

Sam Schneider is an expert in home based businesses and internet marketing. He owns several successful on-line businesses and helps other entrepreneurs fulfill their dreams through coaching and mentoring. His sites are full of great ideas about earning a decent living online.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

10 Most Useful Free Google Marketing Tools

By Titus Hoskins

Google is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Happy Birthday Google!

One way Google is celebrating this event is through funding 10 million dollars for the idea that can help the most people. An idea that could have the most impact on our world.

It's an ingenious way to celebrate Google and what it stands for... a birthday gift to everyone.

You can find out more about Google Impact Project here: 10 to the 100

Google Has Already Impacted Many People

Like a lot of webmasters and marketers out there, I am very grateful to Google. Mainly because Google has been very good to me and has made my online livelihood possible with organic rankings, Adsense revenue, Adwords...

Maybe I could have done it without Google, but it would have been a much more difficult job. And it's very hard to imagine a world without Google.

It's also hard to believe Google has only been around for 10 years... it has made all the difference to my onlíne marketing. I have used Google and Google Tools every day for the last six or seven years.

And it seems Google is only getting stronger and better. The new Google Chrome browser will only add to the long líst of Google's helpful offerings to the public.

With this thought in mind, here is my (biased) líst of the most 10 useful marketing tools Google has produced.

10 Most Valuable Free Google Marketing Tools

Google has become the dominant search engine on the Internet. It would be hard to imagine a web without Google. For that matter, it would now be hard to imagine a world without Google. As frightening as that may seem to many people, it is none the less true.

For better or worse, Google has permeated into almost every aspect of our everyday life. Being Googled is now a common expression and an act carried out by millions of users around the world each day. New Google products and services are coming on stream at a staggering pace, further increasing Google's impact on our lives.

Despite this dominating presence, many people still don't realize Google offers some excellent free marketing tools for marketers and webmasters. Marketing tools which can prove extremely valuable to any webmaster or marketer trying to promote their sites or products online. Useful tools that will make your promotions easier and much more profitable.

Don't be fooled by the 'free' label, these marketing tools might be free but they are also valuable. One even wonders why Google would be giving away these tools and services for free? It probably makes good business sense in the long run. By providing these free tools Google is fostering a lot of company good-will and building up the Google brand name in the process. Good PR is good business.

Every marketer and webmaster should be taking advantage of Google's good-will and snapping up these professionally run services and marketing tools. Here's a quick run-down of the 10 most valuable free Google Internet marketing tools:

1. Google Analytics

Perhaps the premier marketing tool offered by Google. It will prove helpful to both the marketer and the webmaster. Google Analytics gives you a daily snapshot of your web site. Google Analytics analyzes your traffic, where it comes from and what it does once it enters your site. You can monitor up to three sites for free.

Google Analytics is extremely valuable in analyzing your marketing funnel. It tracks all the steps leading up to your sales or checkout page. Vital information for raising your conversion rate and ROI.

You may be placed on a waiting líst for this highly in demand service from Google.

2. Google Sitemaps

Webmasters can use Google Sitemaps to almost instantly place newly created pages on their site into the Google Search Index. This is a XML file that is uploaded to Google as new pages are added on your site. Needless to say this can be a valuable service for any webmaster or marketer who wants to get their information on the web quickly.

3. Google Alerts

Be notified when someone or another site lists your site or mentions your name. Great way to keep track of all your online activities. Great way to monitor all your online business interests and products.

4. Google Froogle

Froogle is Google's price directory! It simply lists all the cheapest prices for different products on the web. For marketers and webmasters who are promoting products, it should be studied and analyzed. Optimizing your site's content for Froogle may prove to be very beneficial.

Follow Froogle or Google directions exactly on how to líst or display products on your site. Froogle will spider your site and display your prices and products to thousands of targeted customers. That, as they say, is priceless.

5. Google Checkout

Not exactly free but for those marketers who use AdWords - for every $1 spent on AdWords you can process $10 for free. You can also place the shopping cart logo on your AdWords ad and take advantage of the prestige and trust the Google brand name has built up.

Over time marketers may find this tool to be very effective and valuable.

6. Google eBlogger

Blogging has become vitally important to the health and functioning of your web site. No site should be without at least one blog and RSS feed. Creating a blog (online journal) on the topic of your web site or product will bring in extra traffic and targeted customers. eBlogger is a simple free blogging service that even lets you publish or post your blog files to your web site server. Keep in mind, each blog has that all important Google Blog Search bar.

7. Google Toolbar - Enterprise Version

Try the new enterprise version of the Google Toolbar for your company or business. Integrates countless features with all your employees or corporate network. These could include a common customer database, company calendar, financial news...

Keep in mind, Google also ranks every page it indexes on a scale of 0-10. While it is important to know the Page Rank of your pages, it is even more important to know the PR of your competitor's pages. You can use the toolbar to get the PR of each page you're visiting. Extremely helpful information for webmasters and marketers to know when forming online linking or business arrangements.

8. Google Groups

Every marketer knows the important of having a large contact líst of people with a similar interest. Social networking will play an ever increasing role in your success on the web. Just look at the growing popularity of sites like MySpace and LiveJournal.

Google groups is another form of social and business networking that every marketer should be aware of and pursuing.

9. Google Adsense

One simple way to monetize your web content is to use Google Adsense. Just place the Adsense code on your site and receive a check from Google each month. For webmasters who are not really into onlíne marketing (do such creatures exist?) Adsense can be a painless way to earn extra íncome from your site.

For professional marketers, using the Adsense system can supply a tremendous amount of marketing information on the keywords in their particular niche. It keeps the marketer informed on what keywords are being bid on and how much advertisers are willing to pay.

Adsense also has an excellent real-time tracking system you can use to keep track of all your important web pages.

10. Google Docs

A recent addition to Google's stable of free products. Google Docs (Writely.com) is a full featured online writing editor with spellcheck and great collaborating features. It also lets you publish your content directly to your blogs. One feature that may be of interest to marketers, is that it lets you save files in the popular download format of PDF.

Let's face it, until video takes over the web in four or five years time - the written word is still king on the net. It is the medium that markets, promotes and sells your content or products. Writely will help you write better.

Honorable Mention - Google Trends

This Google program will let you search popular trends, important for marketers searching for the latest hot product to promote. You can also break down these trends by different regions.

Final Note

Please take note that signing up for a Google account will usually help you in obtaining most of these free services or programs. Some of these programs may have to be applied for individually. But be assured, all these free Google marketing tools are well worth your time and effort. They will make your marketing easier and they will help any webmaster or marketer run their online business more efficiently.


About The Author
The author is a full-time online marketer who has numerous websites. For the latest web marketing tools try: BizwareMagic.com . If you liked the SEO tips above, why not try this Free 7 Day Traffic Course .
2008 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.