Archive for Marketing Tools
How Long Will Success Take?
Posted by: | CommentsThanks to the poor economy, there are more would-be Internet marketers than ever. One reason for the low success rate is that few people really understand how difficult it is to achieve online success. Simply earning a steady $100 per month online is no easy feat! Don’t get me wrong. It IS very doable…it’s just not easy.
Without a doubt, giving up too soon is why the vast majority of “newbies” never see a dime of profit. There are many stories, mostly urban legends, of folks making instant riches online. Beginners are motivated by those stories and the 7 figure incomes some “gurus” earn. What the beginners don’t see are all the train wrecks and endless trials and errors required to eventually enjoy those types of results.
How long will it take?
I get that question a lot. There is not a simple answer to it since there are many variables. How much time do you have to work on your business each week? What skills are you beginning with? What are you past experiences you can pull from? etc…
But allow me to give a hypothetical example and put perspective on the question.
Let’s say Sally is a stay at home mom who has a few hours a day to spend building her new online business. Over the past year she has already taught herself skills for choosing a niche, working with domains, hosting accounts, WordPress, and SEO. In other words, she knows the basics for how to build sites and what is required to rank them well in the search engines.
(Getting to that point alone requires significant effort. However, there is NO reason to actively focus on building a new business until you have those skills and knowledge in place.)
From that base level of skill and education, what is ahead for Sally before she sees that first milestone of earning just $100 each month? Again, there is no across the board answer that fits every situation or person. MAYBE Sally will hit a home run right out of the box (she might win the lottery too). However, more likely is the scenario where Sally will (must) resign herself to “failing fast” as she goes down the road of trial and error and “on the job” training.
If I’ve said this once, I’ve said it a 1000 times: “Internet marketing success is not a paint by numbers process.”
What works for me won’t necessarily work for you. And vice versa. Success online, and with any business, is about combining your unique personality, interests and skills into a profitable outcome. I like to use the example of building a women’s makeup website. No doubt there are countless opportunities there. But I have no interest in it. And for me, having some interest in the topic is a requirement (maybe not for everyone, but it is for me). I believe that matching personality and interests is a vital component for most beginners’ success.
Ok, how long then does Sally have to “fail fast” before she begins earning a steady $100 monthly income?
By the way, I use the $100 milestone simply because once someone knows how to earn that much, they ALREADY know how to earn $500 a month..and then $1000 a month…and so on. All that’s required is simply ramping up or re-implementing what’s already working.
Although I can’t say exactly how long it will take Sally, I CAN say, with reasonable assurance, that it won’t happen in just a few months. It might, but that would not be the norm.
On the other hand, if Sally has been working her 10 to 15 hours a week for a year and she’s still not seeing progress, I would take a close look at exactly what strategies she is using.
I guess, if I had to say, I’d be happy to see her earning her monthly $100 anytime within the first 6 months of steadily working and learning what works for her.
Now BEFORE that scares you, let me remind you that the first $100/month is the HARDEST…once you reach that point you’ve got what it takes to then easily (relatively) move that income into the 4 figure range.
Can you see now why so few new marketers ever succeed? There are not very many people willing to devote the months of work required to earn even that basic income.
Remember, if this was easy, EVERYONE would be doing it. Once you reach success, the rewards are awesome. Nothing beats staying home, sitting in my living room’s Lazy-Boy, looking out my big pictures….as I run my online business.
Hopefully, a few people reading this post will revise their expectations and renew their dedication to success.
• Maybe they’ll dig in and DECIDE they will have success…come heck or high water.
• Maybe they’ll decide that the ones having success are NOT more intelligent than they are.
• Maybe they’ll realize that “luck” is not involved.
• Maybe they’ll stop trying to hit that “home run”… but begin building a solid foundation to grow their business on.
Will you be one of those few people?
“New” Google Rules
Posted by: | CommentsI’m glad I never participated or taught the whole “auto blogging/scraping”.
Sure, in the past it did work. There were folks with many hundreds (and often many thousands) of website filled with Unoriginal content. Each site might make ten or twenty bucks a month. Life was good for those who took massive action there.
But all good things have to come to an end. Google, just like the rest of us who see the trash in our search results pages, have had enough.
In recent weeks they have specifically stated that sites that “copy content from other sites” should take a back seat to legitimate content.
Plus, there is one point they made that I think is even more important. They stated that their ranking algorithm will begin putting more weight on “how users interact with a site”.
Time on page/site has always been a factor they looked at. But it seems they will put even more importance on it. In other words, if Google does decide to rank your page well, thus feeding it traffic, that site had BETTER be good enough for visitors to hang around a bit.
Visitors had better spend some time reading your content, looking at pictures, and/or watching your videos on several pages of your site.
Just like I have been teaching for years, your site MUST offer value.
Online success is nothing more than basic Karma 101: (ala Zig Ziglar ) “The more you give people what they want, the more you get what you want.”
Too many try to pass go and jump right into the “money making” side of Internet marketing. All will fail with that path. Those who focus on offering value, along with correct SEO techniques, will find their income increasing almost by default.
Here’s an article from the Wall Street Journal with more info about Google’s latest moves for increasing the value of their search results.
10 Questions I Ask Beginning Marketers
Posted by: | CommentsI suppose the only thing worse for a would-be Internet marketer than not even having a web site is having a web site that gets little or NO traffic.
Nothing is more frustrating than expecting results from a website but getting none. .
..been there done that before myself!
Of course the first question I ask someone in this situation is how much traffic their site gets. Half of those I ask don’t have a clue. The other half have some rough numbers from their hosting account or from Google Analytics.
Those without even a clue are mostly short-timers looking for quick bucks…they’ll be gone soon. Those who go the extra mile to study their traffic at least have some promise…some of them will make it.
When those in the latter group ask me for help with their traffic, here are how the questions and answers often go:
Did you research your keywords well? …Well, kinda sort of I guess.
Why do you only have 3 pages of content? ...I hate to write.
Why do you not inter-link your pages? ...Huh? What does “inter link” mean?
Why is your title tag only your URL? ...What’s a title tag?
Why do you have 15 affiliate links on your first page? ...I gotta make money!
How many article submissions have you done? ...Huh?
How many YouTube videos have you submitted? ...Well, heck….I’m not very techy really.
Have you done any bookmarking? ...Huh?
What about twitter or Facebook? ...Are you building targeted followers? How do I do that?
How much time a day do you work on your Internet business? ...Uh well, once in a while I…..
And that is how it goes….I’m not kidding. I have had more than a few conversations that went just as described above.
Here’s what I’m getting at.
I have a site for sale that’s in a perfect little sub-niche of a larger area in which people spend a LOT of money. I already did the research in Google and Market Samurai to prove it’s viable. I already built the site and have a good start on original and keyword optimized content. It’s structure is already Google friendly too.
This site offers a huge head start to someone wishing to get the ball rolling!
But you can’t just buy it and sit back and wait for the dollars to flow in. It doesn’t work like that!
The site has a good start with the basics, but the buyer (maybe YOU) has to do the normal, REQUIRED, grunt work to get the traffic flowing.
If you are ready, willing and able to take it on, check out my dog training niche site sale here:
Another Loyal Fan!
Posted by: | Commentshehe….what can I say 🙂
Ok, Ok….I’ll come clean.
I just couldn’t resist checking out fiverr.com “…the things people will do for $5…”
Honestly though, it’s a cool site. I also got a 20 minute MP3 transcribed for just $5…and it was pretty good too!
Google Rankings: Focus on Content or Links?
Posted by: | Comments“Should I spend more time on content or backlinks for my site?”
Boy, do I hear that question a lot!
I have to admit I have pondered that question myself in my earlier marketing days. In those days I focused a LOT on links. I thought they were the answer to everything…more traffic AND more Google respect.
Now, I have to say I focus more on content. Sure, I continue working at backlinking but the majority of my focus is content. I don’t just mean written content; I mean video content too.
On the wall in my office I have a small sign that says, “How can I add more value?” I’ve learned over time that creating valuable content is what works for me best.
Here’s a video by Matt Cutts, the Google guru engineer. He addresses this issue of content vs. links from Google’s point of view.
The Truth About AdSense Income
Posted by: | CommentsI know a LOT of people have tried AdSene marketing without enjoying much or any success. I’ll set the record straight with this post as to what Adsense is, what to expect from it, and a few strategies that work and those that don’t.
Google AdSense is the EASIEST money I make online.
Here’s what I mean by “easy”:
- Most of my AdSense sites have no link to me. I get no questions from visitors and I have zero customer service issues. Even the affiliate products I promote generate a significant amount of questions, etc.
- Google is reliable and sends a check each month like clockwork.
- My small niche AdSense sites require very little maintenance or attention in order to remain ranking well (this is true of all very small niche sites).
- AdSense is as close to “autopilot” income as it gets. One of my top producing sites was created over 4 years ago. I have not added one page of content to that 15 page site in 4 years!
- Now days, WordPress with at good theme (Like this one I use) makes the site creation process SUPER easy. Minus the content writing, a 20 page site can easily be created in half a day.
So, if it’s that easy, you may be asking why EVERYONE doesn’t do AdSense marketing and have success with it.
Here are the real “secrets” to AdSense success (note: Never buy a product that promises to expose some super secret AdSense “trick”…there are no secrets).
- Picking niches and the keywords (more info about keywords here) for those niches are the basic foundation for all AdSense success. You just GOTTA get that part right.
- A foundation of SEO knowledge is required.
- Basic site building skills for creating multiple sites on a solid and inexpensive host (that supports WordPress 100%) is a required.
- The Adsense ads must be integrated onto the page and within the content well.
- Proper testing with Adsense ad types, styles, and placements is required. What works well for one site in one niche may not work well on another site in another niche.
AdSense success is all about targeted traffic. (just as with any other Internet marketing area)
Obviously, the more traffic a site gets, the more likelihood there is for visitors to click an AdSense ad. However, beginning AdSense marketers often underestimate how much traffic is required.
I can’t say how many beginning marketers I have worked with that create a small niche site and expect it to “pay their bills”. It is EXTREMELY difficult to build one site that will pay the mortgage with anything but a mountain of effort.
Focusing on one site in a somewhat larger niche is fine…so long as people understand the time and work required to gain traction in a potentially very profitable area.
Most of the successful AdSense marketers I have helped train use the “many small niche sites” method. Some of their sites may make several hundreds of dollars each month, but most probably average $20 to $100 each month.
It is MUCH easier to create 10 sites making a total of $500/month than it is to make ONE site earn $500/month.
Once again, “adding value to the world” is required. (Even if the “value” is simply using SEO to help rank pages well using long tail keywords.) The value in that case comes from helping people find what they want.
Of course, the more value added means more income. If the site can offer real help or advice on something, the site will do better than one that is simply regurgitating already available information.
And now…my BEST ADVICE for anyone wishing to build an AdSense business:
- Forget trying to make money at first. Learn how to pick niches and get targeted traffic. The money will follow.
- Stop looking at and trying “secret formula” packages/templates. Online marketing BASICS are ALL that are required for success.
- Pick niches that people spend money in. For example, for every thousand visitors, a site about remote controlled model airplanes will do far better than a site about “how to grow tomatoes”.
- Keyword target BUYERS and not just those looking for information on a topic. Optimizing for name brands and reviews are examples of targeting buyers.
- Stay focused for the long haul…don’t expect a “home run” right off or even anytime soon.
- DO NOT focus ALL online marketing efforts solely on AdSense. Diversify!With WordPress and a bit of keyword/niche/SEO knowledge, anyone can enjoy at least some level of monthly success. Just as with any Internet marketing area, more focused action will result in more success.Dedicated to Your Success,Steve
Your Internet Marketing “Turning Point”
Posted by: | CommentsMaybe you have read about or heard me describe the “turning point” in my early days of online marketing. If you have, it’s worth hearing again (IMO). If you haven’t heard it, there’s a good chance it can change your path just like it did mine.
Here’s the story again, quickly:
I had been “trying to figure out how to make money online” for a few years. I had already tried, crashed and burned, and was scammed a number of times. Just like so many others, I was frustrated to say the least while I worked a day job and tried to build an online business at night and on the weekends.
I still remember the exact place on the drive home from my job one day when I had my epiphany. From that instant, everything began changing for me…for the better.
This was my life changing thought:
I knew there were many people doing very well on the Internet. I did not believe they were simply lucky. I also did not believe they were significantly smarter, if any, than I was.
Here’s how that thought changed my strategy:
Instead of “trying to make money”, I began spending ALL my effort on learning HOW those successful people were doing what they did. Instead focusing so much on “me”, I focused on them. I studied what they did and how they did it. I bookmarked countess sites I found interesting. I spent untold hours reading internet related blogs and forums. In other words, I basically enrolled myself in “school” and committed to studying.
I felt liberated from the stress of “trying to figure out what to sell and how to sell it”. I was 110% positive I was now on the right track. I did not have a doubt. THAT was a great feeling!
To make a longer story short, I’ll fast-forward ahead about 6 months.
In a few months, the light bulbs were coming on. It wasn’t too long that my wife and I had another epiphany for what WE could do online…and the rest is history. In just a few more years we were both able to quit our jobs in education…life was/is good.
Why am a telling you this story? It’s pretty simple. I feel confident that a few people, out of the thousands of people who read this email, will open their minds a bit and allow their own epiphany to pop in. I fully expect some folks will contact me in a few days or weeks telling me that they too “get it”…they finally had that breakthrough they’ve been looking for.
For me, those people, whose lives I helped change, make everything I do worthwhile.
Are you one of those whose direction will change for the positive because of this mail? I hope so.
If you feel frustrated, confused, and “lost”, you need your own breakthrough thought. Here are some suggestions for “allowing” it in:
- Stop beating yourself up about your lack of success. (This Internet marketing stuff is NOT a simple as you originally and falsely thought.)
- Avoid feelings of desperation. If you impose deadlines on yourself in the beginning, you set yourself up for massive frustration. (Sure, setting goals is GREAT, but even the gurus had countless train wrecks on their way to their success. (This won’t be a quick process.)
- Stop thinking there is ONE perfect idea that will result in your massive success. It almost never works like that. Massive success is usually a conglomeration of small successes. (Forget trying to find a way to make $5000 a month! Just making a steady $500 a month is no small goal for a beginner.)
- Once you have good success, I’ll bet my next AdSense check that the area of your success is something that’s already in your life that you enjoy doing and/or you want to learn more about. (In other words, stop looking “out there” for ideas. Instead, look more at yourself, what you do, what you like, and who you are.)
- Most importantly, give yourself time and space for insight to happen. I was lucky that I had a fairly long commute with plenty of “thinking” time. In other words, your breakthrough WILL NOT happen in front of your computer. I can all but promise you that. Clarity for your personal direction won’t come from your computer. Take walks or relaxing drives to give your mind freedom to think.
- Lastly, it’s very easy to get in a wrong rut and be stuck there. Don’t let wrong choices you made in thinking control how you think now. For example, maybe in your first days of online marketing exposure you learned about affiliate marketing and thought it sounded perfect for you. However, maybe you have at your fingertips the ability to create a killer info product about an area you enjoy or are a semi-expert in. Don’t let past thinking ruts detour you from success!
Internet marketing isn’t for everyone. Some people can’t handle the fail fast, trial and error methods nearly every success requires. Others can’t or won’t master even the simplest of technical issues. Still more underestimate the time required. Perhaps they have a 50 hour a week job, kids, and other responsibilities that won’t allow for the time required to build a business.
But if your gut says Internet marketing is for you (like mine did), you won’t give up. Just like the rest of us who enjoy success, you’ll keep looking and trying things until something gets traction. You won’t give up.
Wishing You Great Success,
Steve
The 2 SEO Plugins I Use For WordPress
Posted by: | CommentsIf you create a WordPress site and write all the content, you better go the extra mile and make sure everything is search engine friendly! Otherwise, you are just wasting your time.
I’ve always used the “SEO All In One” plugin. If you use WordPress, you SHOULD already be using that one!
The “All In One” is great for title tags and canonical issues, but it doesn’t help at all with content optimization. SEOPressor is not free like the All in One, but it is well worth the small cost.
The second SEO plugin I use helps with the posts’ content. It analyzes my posts and shows me right there on the WordPress edit screen what needs optimized better.
THIS is one cool SEO tool!
If you have questions, post a comment below.
cPanel Hosting Setup – eMail, WordPress, Add-on Domains, etc.
Posted by: | CommentsGoDaddy is OK for buying domains, but when it comes to WordPress, they severely drop the ball. For one thing, there hosting admin area is slow as molasses. Secondly, they do not use the industry standard, cPanel, for hosting administration. GoDaddy has been around a long time, but I bet they regret not going with cPanel early on.
However, and most importantly, their hosting does not support all the WordPress plugins I use. And that is a deal breaker for me since all my sites now are WordPress. I have no choice but to find a host that supports WordPress 100%.
Click here to read more about the host I suggest.
Below are 3 cPanel videos which will help you configure any hosting account which uses cPanel administration:
Add a Contact Form To Your Site
Posted by: | CommentsHere’s another reason to use WordPress for building your website. It is very easy to install and configure a contact form in your WordPress web site. Unlike many of the contact forms for basic HTML sites, your email address does not show up in the code of the site (no viewable to spammers that way). Here’s a short video showing you the one I use and how easy it is to install:
