Saturday, September 16, 2006

Discover how to start or grow your successful Internet business

"The Insider Secrets To Marketing Your Business on The Internet"

By Derek Gehl and The Internet Marketing Center

I've just finished working my way through Derek Gehl's newly revised and updated "bible" for profiting on the Internet, "The Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet - Version 2006," and I'm blown away by the sheer volume of money-making information he's managed to pack in!

I'm talking over 1,300 pages of the *exact* test results, case studies, and strategies that Derek used to grow a $25 investment to over $54,700,000 in online sales!

And after testing out a handful of the strategies, I was blown away by how effective -- and profitable -- each one was!

In "Insider Secrets," you'll discover...

Step-by-step advice for starting your own Internet business in as little as 48 hours!

Where to find FREE tools and resources that you can use to create a web site -- in less than a few hours!

How to rank at the top of the search engines and directories (like Google, Yahoo!, AltaVista, ODP, AllTheWeb, AskJeeves).

And much, MUCH more!
But here's the most important thing you should know about "Insider Secrets"...

These strategies will work for ANYONE, no matter WHAT stage you're at with your Internet business -- or even if you haven't started one yet at all!

Derek's system is perfect for YOU if...

You want to start your own profit generating Internet business -- from scratch -- in as little as 48 hours and see profits in your first week.

You want to take your offline business online, and tap into the massive profit generating potential of the global market, then put your business on autopilot.

You want to explode your existing Internet business by 100%... 500%... or MORE, with tested and proven strategies that nobody has ever revealed before.

So I can recommend it to literally everyone!

It comes complete with two 8" x 11" full-color three ring binders containing 8 steps, broken down into 70 lessons with step-by-step instructions included for every promotion and strategy...

... Plus five resource CDs and one audio CD with additional lessons, examples, audio interviews, and articles, as well as timesaving software and invaluable resource files.

I give "Insider Secrets" a perfect 10! It contains the exact step-by-step blueprint you need to follow to get a profitable Internet business online, or turn an existing web business into a profit-making machine!

How To Make A Money Tree

Would you like to make money even when you are not at work? The secret is to design a business at home that will continue to pay you even if you stop working. This is what's called residual income. You can learn how to make a money tree that, once cultivated, continues to make you money with just a little bit of maintenance.

Residual income is a lot like earning royalties for writing a popular book or creating a pop song. You just work hard on it in the beginning and let the money flow in day and night for years to come.

Is residual income just a foolish dream? There are many enterprising people that turned their dream of earning residual income into reality. They learned how to make a money tree by understanding the business models available about creating residual income. You can also start learning these principles and start making your own residual income.

Writing a book is one of the most popular techniques of creating residual income, but there are many types of products that you can make such as software programs or even a physical product. The secret ingredient is to design your business of selling your product to be as automated as possible. One of the best methods on how to make a money tree is to set up your business so that you don't have to continue working as hard later.

You already have an idea of how this works when you write a book. Traditionally you would sign up with a publishing company to earn royalties or sell your book by yourself. You did the hard part of writing and perfecting the book. Then the fun part happens when you publish your book and collect your profits each time your book sells.

You can also sell a product by creating an online sales page on the Internet that will convince your audience of the benefits of purchasing it. The online sales page will continue to sell your product for you once you complete setting it up.

Everyone usually has a special knowledge or skill about a particular topic. Anyone can most likely find a topic worth writing about. If the thought of getting your book printed and shipped to your buyers seems a little daunting, then you can easily write your book in PDF format that buyers can download from your website immediately after purchasing it.

Create a professional sales page to share lots of information about your product with your prospective buyer. Brush up on your marketing skills and remember to automate the system as much as possible. Learn how to make a money tree and you will make a system that will sell your work even when you don't.

If you are not ready to create your own product yet, you can make an online system selling other people's product and earn commissions. Many online businesses make use of affiliate programs to easily grow their sales force. Joining an affiliate program is free and the businesses will share their profits through commissions.

Once you do develop a book or product of your own, you can get your own sales force by starting your own affiliate program. The affiliates you recruit will refer customers to you and you compensate them through the sales they generate. This is another great example of residual income. Learn how to make a money tree and you will have the knowledge to build another on top of another until you have an orchard of money trees all earning you multiple streams of income. You could be living your dream life so learn how to make a money tree!

Friday, September 15, 2006

Small Business Advice, Get Online!

The best advice for small business owners today is to establish an online presence. It doesn’t matter if your company consists of fifty people or just two, having a website is valuable to companies of all sizes. As ecommerce becomes a more important part of company sales, businesses that do not have a website will be losing out on both customers and revenue. Fortunately it is not too difficult to design a company website for your products and services. Unlike in the past, today there are many valuable web builder tools that allow users of all skill levels to design their own site. Many companies offering these products will often let customers test drive their web builder tools before actually committing to a purchase. This gives you the chance to become comfortable with the tools and see how they can help you in designing your site. You then have the option of signing up for a paid subscription of your choice.

A website is a good idea even for companies that are doing well without the help of online sales. In today’s highly technical world, companies that do not have a website may be viewed as outdated or unprofessional. This is especially true when you consider the age group of your potential customers. Younger adults who have grown up using computers are much more likely to order from a company that offers their products online. There aren’t too many companies today that would tell you they couldn’t benefit from additional sales. Web builder tools allow small business owners the opportunity to make their company products available to customers of all ages across the globe.

If your business frequently deals with customers from other countries, you know what a hassle it can be making contact because of the different time zones. A website allows you to make sales from anywhere in the world 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even while you are not at work, your business can be earning sales via your website. Once your business develops an online presence, you may find the majority of sales are made online. Using web builder tools to design your site just makes good sense. It’s both fast and efficient and can increase your sales earnings in just a short time.

Web builder tools not only save you time and money designing your site but can also save time and effort when dealing with customers. Think about all the calls you or your employees answer regarding products, services, or payment plans accepted. With a website, you can offer all of this information to customers at the ease of their fingertips. There’s no need for them to contact you when all of the information is provided online. This not only is convenient for both you and the customer but it also increases your chances of making a sale. Many times customers may not want to bother emailing or phoning for more information. If they cannot find what they are looking for, they may go else where to another company that offers the product or service they are looking for. Web builder tools allow you to effectively design a site that contains information about all of your products, company background, and payment methods accepted. This can be a valuable resource in gaining additional customers.

Even if your company sells a variety of different products, there are web builder packages available to meet your needs. You can choose from a variety of different products and package sizes, many of which include web hosting, domain name, blog design tools, photo image editing tools, shopping carts, email accounts, and various design templates. Options can also be upgraded or added when needed. With all of the flexibility offered, web builder tools can benefit all types of businesses in designing their website.

How to Use Trial Offers to Increase Your Sales

Do you ever find yourself tempted to purchase something online, and even with a money-back guarantee, you're still not quite sure about handing over your cash?

Well, some of your prospects will feel the same way as they read your sales page for your product or service. Your offer sounds great, the right guarantee eliminates their risk, but they still wonder if whatever it is they are considering purchasing is right for them.

If you want to increase the likelihood that they will take out their wallet, simply offer them a free or paid trial! Haven't you loved it when you've been given the option to try something out for free or very little cost to make sure it's what you want?

By offering a trial to your prospects, you're doing two things of value for your business-building. One is that you are showing that you are confident in the value of your product to offer a trial, and the other is that you are essentially eliminating the last lingering question in your prospect's mind: "What if I don't like it?"

Allowing your prospects to decide for themselves whether or not your product or service is for them answers that question for them.

So, what kinds of products and services are best for free trials?

1. Downloadable products

If you're offering information products, like ebooks or how-to guides, you can offer a sample chapter as a free trial. If you're offering an e-course, you can offer one lesson as a free trial. If you're offering an audio program, you could offer a 15-minute clip as a free trial. You could also create an introductory component to any of these that gives solid information, but that also leaves your reader or listener wanting more.

2. Membership sites

It's common practice to offer a free, $1 or $4.95 trial for a membership site. And it's common practice because it's a very effective way to convert your trial member to a paid member. Just like your local fitness club's trial period - it's much easier to sign up for a month for a couple of bucks than to pay the entire gym membership in one lump sum or to be bound to a contract for a certain length of time before you even know if the membership is for you.

3. Physical products

Offer to send your product to your customer for a small processing fee plus shipping and tell them they have 30 days to test it out. If they don't return it within those 30 days, bill them the full price for the product (minus the processing fee, if you'd like).

4. One-on-one services

I want to make it very clear that I am not in favor of complimentary 1:1 session for any service professional. However, if you'd like to give a free 15-minute consultation to see if there's a good match between you and your prospect, that can increase your client base.

A better option is to offer a free or low-cost group session. Give an introductory talk about your services and answer questions, perhaps even offer a discount to those who sign up with you right then. This way, you're truly leveraging your time and talent by allowing your prospects to self-select themselves out without your having to go through that process individually.

Just make sure that along the way and at the end of the trail period, you convey the benefits of the paid version in all these cases. Having a quality product or service and following up effectively to convert your trial customer to a paid-in-full customer will increase your overall sales.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

6 Benefits To Financing a Small Business With a Credit Card

Starting a small business without the aid of a credit card can be quite stressful. Since business expenditures can be add-up to significant tax deductions, it is imperative to separate personal expenses from work-related charges. Aside from the tax savings, a business credit card represents expanded options; particularly with the right card.

As with any financial product, not all business credit cards are the same. An annual statement is a popular feature of most business credit cards. Tallying up business related products and services are made simple with the convenience of recorded statements. Nevertheless, a good business credit card should have other features besides a balance sheet. Here are other features, to look for in a small business credit card:

· An exceptional credit line

· A low preferred business APR

· Extra business credit cards for employees

· Customizable business checks

· Custom cards with your business name

· Complimentary online account management

All of the above features can be mission critical to starting and conducting business. Review the following six benefits to finance a new company on a business credit card:

1. Easy Expenditure Tracking

Depending on the credit card company, a record of all transactions may be available annually or by request only. Small business credit cards offering free online account management is an important feature. The ability to check transactions and manage online payments simplifies bookkeeping. The same record can be used during tax-time to calculate profits and earnings.

2. Finance Business Needs With a Low APR

A low preferred business APR can ease the transition of being paid by new clients and covering unforeseen expenses. The financial stresses of starting a new small business can hinder productivity. Be it the cost of renting or buying new equipment, immediate expenditures can wreak costly distress on any business. A business credit card with a low APR can help offset the pangs of paying a balance over time versus right away. The best business credit cards offer a 0% introductory APR.

3. Control Employee Spending

To ensure that employees are conscientious about the company budget, additional business credit cards may control their spending. A business credit card with online management and additional credit cards enables a small business owner to track spending, maintain records and receipts. During conventions, Bill Amato’s sales representatives put in long hours. To compensate and track their meals, each of his employees has a company credit card. Bill uses Advanta business cards because it allows him the ability to control employee expenditures by tracking their spending transactions online.

4. Manage Client Expenses

For simple account management, small business owners can pay for products and services using a business credit card check. For instance, Jane Brody, proprietor of an event management company uses business credit card checks to pay for additional client expenditures. Since the checks are customized to her business and then made payable to the supplier for a specified job and client, she is able to track and tack on any additional fees to each customer’s invoice. Not to mention, each client is billed for late payment transaction fees.

Niche Marketing Online How To Easily Develop Your Internet Business Focus

If you want to make money online, you’ll need to have the right combination of products and services, marketing tools, and systems in place to ensure that people will want to buy what you are selling. If you’re competing with thousands of other businesses to sell general products and services, your chances of success as a new competitor in the market are pretty low.

However, if you use the power of niche marketing to meet a demand for products and services, you can set yourself apart from your competitors and create a market for your services.

Just what is a niche?

A niche is simply one distinct piece of a market. If you’re a writer, you can split all the different types of writing up into different niches. You can be a legal writer, a medical writer, a writer who writes specifically for the Web, a marketing communications writer, or a writer focusing on short fiction. Finding your niche is a matter of identifying a need that has not been filled by other professionals in your industry and coming up with a way to meet the demand.

If you’re interested in marketing products, marketing hundreds of products that are marketed by many other companies is not a good way to make sales and gain market share. However, if you can come up with a very specific product that meets an unfulfilled need in the industry, you may be able to make your business a success. One good example of niche marketing with products is found in the pet products industry.

Many companies market pet food, collars, and leashes, but there was a market for personalized pet products that wasn’t being catered to. Someone figured out that people really do have a need for personalized pet picture frames and bowls and that person is now successfully selling personalized pet products. It’s all about finding a need and being able to fill it with your products or your skills.

How do I get started in niche marketing?

When you start marketing within a specific niche, start small. Don’t start offering every product in your niche before you’ve found out if you can be successful with that niche. You can start by offering information on a specific topic. If you get a lot of traffic and inquiries, you can add a few products to your site to test out how well they sell and how many people keep visiting to look for more products or information.

Once you have established yourself, you can continue to add products, services, and information to your web site. Starting out small will save you the money of buying an inventory of products that won’t sell. If you establish yourself first, you’ll be more confident in the amount of sales you can make.

What if I don’t have a product or service to sell?

You should keep in mind that information can also be very profitable if you can find the right niche and marketing strategies. By starting an informational site, you can create opportunities for yourself to become an affiliate marketer or to offer paid advertising on your site to other companies and individuals. The key to using an informational site as a niche marketing tool is to offer solid content and resources for your visitors.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Toll Free Numbers Can Increase Your Business Sales Potential

Many businesses both large and small use toll free or 800 phone service to deliver a better customer experience. Although these toll free services are used more on the sales side for ordering, some businesses, in the interest of better customer support also provide toll free contact for support and warranty issues also.

Just as there are many different types of business models today, some will benefit much more from an 800 number than others. The traditional brick and mortar corner retail store with a local market only may not obtain the same benefits of toll free service as a web or Internet business selling throughout the country.

To decide if you actually need an 800 number, consider the following points.

1. Who are your clientele? If your customers are all local and your business is generated all within the same town, toll free service may not be seen as important by your customers. If however, you're selling and shipping products throughout the country or even internationally, toll free contact calling may mean the difference between landing or losing a sale.

2. Does your business have a web presence and are the products offered of interest to others outside your direct area? A web site suggests that you're looking to increase information to your customers and probably desire to gain additional sales. Although online sales are popular, many customers still expect clear contact information. and if they are asked to pay for the call the risk of losing that order increases.

3 Do you offer customization? This can include anything from paper goods and stationery to customer designed gold clubs. Any business that builds or modifies a product specifically for a customer. Providing any customization almost demands having direct contact available.

4. Are you away from the Office a lot? Many times a small business has a staff of 1. Being the business, it's important that you are available to your customers at least during business hours. With the help of telephone technology, it's possible to have your customers reach your cell phone toll free through an 800 service number.

The decision to commit to an 800 telephone number is based on need and future growth of your business. If your business is local with all local customers and growing outside that immediate market area is of no interest, then an 800 number probably isn't needed.

If however your business is growing national or internationally, has a web site for sales or does custom work, the benefits of providing a toll free contact for your customers is great.

800 or toll free calling and many other services are now available from both your local phone company and many Voice Over Internet Protocol or VOIP companies. Check around and select the features that will best support your customer and grow your business.

Virtual World, Virtual Car Dealerships Buy Online Through Car Finder Services And Save Money

Everyday, the world of the virtual marketplace gets more real. Dealers, owners, salespeople and services around the world are learning the value of putting their stores online. The automotive manufacturing, marketing and dealership sectors have a greater reliance and expertise in knowledge management than any other industry. This extends to viable E-commerce and cutting-edge online presentation of value-added products. In October of 2005, the New York Times reported that according to the National Automobile Dealers Association, 94% of the dealers in the US have websites with many of them registered through car finder services. The monthly average customers that visited any given dealer site were 230, as compared to a monthly average of 116 in 2004. Consumers are not just window-shopping or researching possible on-lot purchases, they are buying online at a dramatically increasing rate. Typical dealer sales conducted entirely online have increased from an average of 4.9 to 7.5 monthly in just two short years. 1.6 million people a month now buy their vehicles online. This is a staggering statistic. However, given the outstanding customer service and convenience provided by virtual car dealerships, it’s no surprise. This is part of a worldwide upward trend in auto related site traffic and business. Although site traffic numbers are higher in Germany, Sweden, and Holland, online sales are 60% higher in the USA than the world average.

One of the advantages of the online marketplace and virtual dealership sites is the fact that comparison-shopping is more convenient and less confusing for the consumer. For example, you are more times than not looking at a limited selection of make, model and inventory when you visit your local dealer. The price is approximately whatever the salesperson says it is. Knowing that auto sales are always negotiable, and that most salespersons work from commission, you are immediately put on notice that if you want a good deal, you will have to haggle. Offers and counter-offers then ensue. The salesperson plays the "good cop" role as he shuffles off with offers to a mysteriously absent manager or "bad cop" that is, of course, reportedly inflexible and steadfast. You, on the other hand, sit and twiddle your thumbs for hours on end waiting for a reasonable counter-offer. Usually eight or ten hours later, you are tired, confused, stressed out, and just plain exasperated. You may or may not have worked out a deal. Many car-buyers consider this a frustrating experience, not a satisfying or pleasurable one. Thanks to advancing IT technology and online virtual dealer showrooms, the scenario described above is becoming less common all the time.

The online marketplace allows you to select from an entire world of inventory and options. All makes and all models are available. MSRP and invoice cost are available and price quotes are yours for the asking. Many dealership sites will provide you with a complete detailed list of options and specifications on any make and model that may have caught your interest. Multiple views and zoom features are available for new and some late model vehicles. Some more advanced virtual showrooms can even provide three hundred and sixty degree interior scans. Do you want to hear what your new high performance vehicle sounds like? Yes, you can hear it online in some virtual showrooms. You can access financial worksheets that will calculate your monthly payments right down to the penny. You can do everything short of kicking the tires and taking the test drive. Online, there are no grandiose showrooms, in-your-face sales promotions, prizes, colorful décor, or overdressed salespersons to drive the dealer's overhead off the chart. There are no mysteries. On car finder sites like http://www.carfinderservice.com, you can provide a description of exactly what type of vehicle you are looking for and your zip code. You receive a prompt reply from a trusted in-network dealer in your area. This is not an auto-reply with a generic message. You receive a phone call from an actual local salesperson with all the information you need. This includes the availability, the value-added price, and answers to any questions you might have. In addition, there is no cost or obligation to use many of these services.

The value of the in-network dealer is obvious: They have made a commitment to provide consumers with the lowest possible price. A quote at rock bottom price results because the dealers' cost to obtain you, as a customer is almost zero. These savings can then be passed on to you. We are talking about prices that are usually one percent over the dealer's invoice. This is a huge bargain by anyone's standards. There are a number of factors that are taken into consideration to determine pricing at this stage of the online buying experience. One of them, of course, is supply and demand. If a vehicle is in high demand, the price can be as high as the MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price). However, the fact that you are dealing with an in-network dealer is going to carry more than adequate weight into the quote you receive. You get the lowest possible price and the best quality service available anywhere by using a car finder service online. You get the virtual royal treatment with this system.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Ideas For Online Advertising And Blogs

Nowadays, a lot of people are clicking into the Internet daily. A good number of this activity has a lot to do with online advertising and blogs. The actual effect of online advertising and blogging can be gauged by the continuously increasing number of participants whether as individuals or organizations.

Traditional and Online Advertising

As compared to a traditional advertising, online ads produce quick results at low cost. Business entrepreneurs going into online advertising aim to attract more visitors to their websites. Once the desired traffic is established, follow-up is necessary to convert these viewers into customers or buyers.

Through the follow-up promotional technique, people tend to buy more even if it was not the original intention of the customer. People who have purchased once will buy again if a timely follow-up is made. When a person trusts a particular product or service, he/she continues to buy primarily due to the satisfaction they get. Follow-up and follow through is very important. It is a good practice in sales to get a customer to ensure that they are happy and contented with their purchase. This can also be an opportune time to present the customer with a follow-up offer but selling should only be secondary to customer service inquiry.

There are several online advertising methods and strategies which can be used to generate more visitors, subscribers and buyers into a website.

An Affiliate Program or Associate Program can be used to get interested visitors to go into a site while having other people do the legwork. This means that other people will do the job of promoting the products and services. The program starts when affiliates send visitors to a site with the use of text referrals, logos, banner ads or anything used for promotion. These visitors are then traced and tallied in a special software. Once these visitors turn into buyers, the affiliate is paid a commission. This is a sure win since affiliates are paid only for sales made. There is absolutely no risk because payment is made only when interested customers actually buy the product or service. There is no cash out unless there is actual cash received from the sale of product or service. What is important here however is that affiliates should be well paid for their efforts since unattractive incentives will fail to provide the needed motivation. Additional incentives, such as rewards or bonuses will do the business good and will surely increase sales.

The Pay Per Click (PPC) Strategy is the powerful and fastest way to bring targeted traffic into a website. With this PPC method, it is easy to attract visitors who are interested with the products and services through the use of the proper keywords. As the name implies, payment of premium is made every time a visitor clicks in a link. This strategy if correctly done is very profitable. However, lots of money can be lost if not used properly and carefully. Many people believe that the only way to develop a successful pay per click ad is to get to the number one position. However, being number one does not necessarily mean being the best. There is no wisdom in being ranked number one if it will translate to more expenses. To be successful with PPC engines, bids should be kept as low as possible.

Advertisers cannot afford to waste money on ineffective buys. When ad response is very low, there is a need to concentrate on improving the creative of the ad. Before choosing any advertising idea, goals must be defined and clear objectives stated. Identification of sites relevant to any product or service is required to get started. Effective sites are those which appeal to target customers and users. Messages need to be able to go through. They should be easily understood especially by the target audience. Promotional messages must be strong and specific and rich media may be used to expand it. This could add more depth to the creative and expand the capacity of responses. Another way is to design ads as if it belongs to the site where advertising is placed. Multiple versions of ads can be created by as much as 3 to 4 versions. This can be achieved by changing the promotional message, color schemes or text fonts. Do not be afraid to experiment as adjustments on the ads based on initial reactions can still be made. There should be no room in settling for poor responses as ads should be made to work.

Online entrepreneurs are always on the lookout for effective and affordable online advertising tools. In the process of searching for the right advertising tool, so much time, money and effort are devoted. These online advertising tools can create and generate vast number of traffics, but if visitors are not converted into buyers, the time, money and effort are all wasted. It is therefore very important that adequate attention be given to online ads that will convert viewers into paying customers. The most vital tool to track performance is the sales report copy. The percentage of buyers over the total number of visitors will determine whether or not a business is doing well. If the percentage of conversion is not good then sales technologies and strategies should be improved.

Some website operators erroneously use the traditional brick and mortar advertising technique in developing their sales copy. This causes sales copy to be ineffective as an online advertising tool. Traditional advertising is designed to get shoppers into a retail store where the sales person would take up the selling process. This is not true for Internet ads. Ads attract visitors but there would be no sales personnel to meet them as in brick and mortar stores. The sales copy is the sales person. In this case, the sales report is not only an advertising tool but also an online sales tool. Actual advertisements should include website page titles and descriptions. The rest of the copywriting should be sales oriented. Without a website copy acting as a sales tool, the use of the best online advertising tools on the net to attract traffic will be fruitless.

Blogs and Advertising

Increasing the readership of blogs take time, patience and hard work. Blogs that have good quality content as well as interesting and original, are those which attracts more readers. A good blog design is of vital importance if a blog is to create a good first impression. With several blogs and sites around, a good weblog lay-out counts. It is also necessary to link to other blogs and interact with readers. Having interaction with others invites involvement with readers and produce repeat visitors. Active participation in web forums and discussion pages may allow for addition of a signature to the post and raise the profile in the process.

Position is a key element in successful advertising. A billboard positioned along a busy intersection will not produce the same result as a billboard in a road where no one drives. The design and position of ads is likewise relevant. If they are out of sight they will never get clicked on. All business bloggers aim to have their site found to initiate what would hopefully be a continuous business relationship.

Go For Keywords add Value To Your Website!

So, what are keywords anyway? Little wonders if you really want to know. They are as important for the success of your website as the advertising and other promotional means. No keywords, no SERP.

Linking strategy is probably the most important SEO technique, but keywords follow closely. As a mater of fact, you could exchange as many links as you wish, but, without content, your website has no real value. Without keywords your website cannot be found. People use keywords to find information. They type into the search engines’ search bars different words and phrases hoping to find relevant answers. If you want web users to find your website you have to optimize your web pages for the keywords they use.

It’s not enough to write the keywords in your text, or in your keyword META tag. You need to use keywords everywhere: URL, page title, META description, META keywords, page copy, ALT attributes. You also need to think keyword density and where exactly on the page you should place them: headings, subtitles, first paragraph, last sentence, footers and so on. You have to bold some keywords, use others in text links, in lists and so on. Yet, all these aspects are easier than choosing the right keywords.

Choosing the Right Keywords

How difficult can choosing the right keywords be? Well, if you already know what people are looking for, it is not so difficult. However, if you don’t… you have a big problem. The first problem is that you are not going to be able to reach the right segment of your targeted market and the second is that you will fail to deliver the right message to the search engines. As people trust search engine results when they look to buy something online, your only chance to increase online sales is to be have a high ranking in the SERP.

When you choose your keywords you also have to think about high rankings and branding. What you choose has to be directly related to your products and your business name. Your keywords have to describe what you sell or your services. Some SEO experts recommend that you also add common spelling mistakes at your keyword list. I wouldn’t. If you run a serious business you don’t want it associated to any unprofessional artifice. So describe your products honestly, correctly and explicitly.

You’ll have a long list of keywords and phrases to start with. Unfortunately you cannot use all the keywords in a list for your SEO purposes. Choose the most relevant keywords and start from there.

To determine keyword relevancy you could use Wordtracker – a tool used by most of the SEO experts and gurus around the world. The free Overture keyword tool or the keyword generation tool provided by Google AdWords are perfect if you run a pay per click campaign.

Once you have the list of relevant keywords all you need to do is write the content of your website. Remember: relevant keywords bring value to your website, but you shouldn’t overdo it. Your visitors should be able to read your texts without even noticing you are using keywords. Do you think you can master this art? If not, hire a professional writer. Quality has its price.

Monday, September 11, 2006

Simple Online Revenue Models

Setting up an online business is nothing new, consider the amount of new
sites going live every day and you can be sure more than just a few of them
going to produce some type return on investment. You can increase the odds of a
positive return by selecting from a proven and simple revenue model such as
advertising banners on a
free dating site or using adsense and google on
a free realestate
site or selling a service such
SEO and development. Travel is another huge
online industry that returns commissions to website operators for traffic
referrals that convert to a booking or sale.
Retail has been established online for years now with sites like amazon.com
and the huge auction site ebay one of the biggest sites online. For the new
players to the online world there are many established sites to study and model
your web business on. Many of the hard lessons have already been learned and a
wealth of information is available for those willing to seek it out and benefit
from the experience of others.
Clearly you don't have to have an established business to make money online,
affiliate sales make up a huge percentage of online sales with many companies
becoming specialists in this lucrative field of online enterprise. Typically a
market and a product or service will be identified and the online affiliate will
source traffic
and funnel into their own website as a conduit to the main site. The customer is
tracked along the way via a code and any purchase is tracked and credited to the
affiliate who is in turn paid a pre determined percentage of that sale. It's a
very good system and there are thousands of niche industries now running
affiliate programs for the products and services they offer. In effect there is
something for almost everyone who has aspirations of selling to their online
audience.
Another popular method is paid banner placement on your site, you simply
charge an advertiser for the amount of impressions or click thrus on their
banner placed on your site. Selling impressions in my opinion is the least fair
with banner ads, click thru advertising represents better value for the
advertiser as they only pay when a customer has a genuine interest in the
product or service being advertised. I've been burned on impression advertising
before, the numbers sound impressive but if you have a product such as blue
widgets on a site where people are only looking for bright red widgets then sure
your going to get lots of impressions but not many clicks. The result is the
advertiser is not delivering value to the client and so the client only gets
caught once.
Adsense is googles way of giving back to the people! The adsense program
allows website owners to display google PPC ads on their sites and then pays
then an undisclosed percentage of the going click through price. I've heard of
some big cheques being written by google to their advertisers and some of the
high paying keyword industries can deliver impressive single click prices if you
have the right type of traffic. Examples include finance, medical, hosting, real
estate and travel. Be prepared to forever wonder exactly how much google is
actually making off your traffic if you adopt this model and always consider
going direct to the advertiser if you have enough traffic, you may in fact make
a lot more this way!

Addressing Emotions Live Chat And Customers

When people buy things, the decision to actually purchase is a combination of logic and desire. That latter half of the buying process is clinched and what the web seems to lacking – some heart.

If you leave a visitor on his own to buy from your site, what would encourage him to make the actual purchase? How do you nudge the ones who have doubts?

Searches are not enough.

If there is someone to answer questions, rather than referring to a list of FAQs, a prospect is more easily converted into a customer.

On a web-based store, this can be made possible with the technology of live chats. When a visitor has established a history in his visit (length of stay, depth of search, number of visits, etc.), you can already see the interest. An online sales agent can then pop up a dialogue box asking what he can do to help. Better than a search box, he can guide the visitor into buying something, or help that person find something suitable.

That special treatment.

Many, if not all buyers, want to be treated as valued customers. That personal touch of having someone know what you want, is an edge that pushes sales further, even generate repeat sales.

Post-sales support is also enhanced by this personalization. A dissatisfied customer is not likely to come back for any more dissatisfaction. If there is a person who can answer a challenge, or respond to a query in a way that is suited for that customer, you will have some happy people coming back for more.

Some tips.

It isn’t all that easy though. In a live chat, your agents must be careful. There is still the danger of breaking the deal. Here are some tips that can help make the chat more positive, if not a success:

1. Be courteous. Do this especially if the visitor is aloof or rude. A canned intro helps. This should bear your company tone and stance.

2. Avoid making your customers repeat themselves. Have your agents read the profiles and histories of your customers before they engage in the chat.

3. Let your agents personalize after the intro. All calls are unique. Cases vary among customers and so do the responses to them. Make sure your agents are well-equipped with the knowledge and training that will not only give a satisfactory answer, but also actually respond to the situation at hand. On the other hand, if you are wary about this much latitude among your agents, have a group think of every possible scenario in creating the canned responses, though that can prove to be a lengthy and drawn-out process.

4. Keep all records of all chats in the history. If possible, create a summary of the chat session to go with the file to save time for people reviewing it. This will help you create a more precise profile of your customers.