Internet Marketing: Does Link Building Still Work?

Building links used to be an extremely popular topic. Everyone was getting as many links as possible and it seemed to be making a difference to their search engine rankings.

Then Google changed some things. So it link building still working or not?

What Is Link Building?

Building links to your web site means getting having the URL of your website visible and click able on someone else's website.

It could be a web site, a forum, a blog, a directory, book marketing site - basically any site online where links can be added.

Sounds simple enough doesn't it?

Well it was so simple that people began to develop software that would automate the process for you.

This is when things got out of hand!

Links started appearing all over the web and on sites that really had nothing to do with the destination of the link itself.

So a link for a weight loss product might appear on a computer know how site - not as an advertisement but as a valuable resource.

So Google Put An End To It Once And For All

So Google developed an update that wiped out all of the sites that were using this manipulative technique.

A lot of marketers gave up but those who had never got involved in this link building furry were obviously pleased! Now their sites had less competition!

So How Should You Build Links Now?

Google has made it clear that any links occurring in an unnatural manner will be looked upon with suspicion.

So if you purposely go and try to get links then you are making a mistake in the long run.

Natural links are OK

Book marketing your site in a few places in normal marketing activity. Tweeting your updates, updating Facebook and Google+ - these are also normal marketing activities.

However, repeatedly submitting the same URL yourself is not.

The important part of getting visibility in the search engines comes down to content. Original, quality content that provides the information that someone is looking for.

When you create content like that then people naturally start sharing it. Other sites begin to link to it because it is seen as authoritative.

I believe that the time spent worrying about building links should be invested in creating great content. Do that and the links will take care of themselves. You'll begin to see them grow with time in an effective way.

By the way did you know that you would be far more successful if you were creating and selling your own information products (books, audios, videos, etc)?

And it's quick and easy if you know how, so download my brand new free eBook and you can start Creating High Quality Products Fast

Kay Franklin

Information Marketing Action Taker

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When Should You Create Your Online Business Brand?

Should you begin your online business with a brand in mind or should you wait and then create a brand later? In this article I am going to show you the best time to create a brand for your own business.

The Risk Of Creating A Brand At The Start

Many marketers will suggest that if you can start your business and create a brand straight away then you are far better equipped to attract customers and develop customer loyalty.

We all know that having some sort of brand or brand values does help with customer loyalty. Therefore it seems to make sense that creating your brand up front will increase your customer retention from the very start.

And that is of course appealing!

However, what I have found and I know I am not the only one, is that when you first build your online business things develop and change over time.

For example, you may discover that you are attracting certain customers with specific needs that initially you hadn't considered would play such a major part in your services or products.

Customer Communication Develops Your Brand

As you begin to listen to your customers and you get a real glimpse of the issues and difficulties that you are being able to solve for them, then you have a fantastic opportunity to use that for your brand message.

Branding must state something about your business. It must send a message to your prospects about what to expect.

Therefore until you understand exactly what it is your customers value from you, then it is hit and miss as to whether you get the ideal branding specific to you.

Effective Branding Happens Along The Journey

If it takes you 6 months before you fully appreciate what your brand message is then that time is not wasted. It is better to wait and get the right message and brand that truly reflects what you and your business is about than to create one at the start and then realise later that you could have done a better job with a different slant or angle.

Businesses Aren't Instant - They Grow

Your online business will grow over time. You don't wake up one morning and everything is in place and ready to go!

You can't possibly know at the start how your business will stand out from the crowd. You should certainly have ideas and implement them but it is not until you start seeing results and getting feedback that you really know what is making the difference. Then you can use that evidence to create your brand.

By the way did you know that you could be developing a far more effective brand message if you were selling your own information products?

And it's quick and easy if you know how, so download my brand new free eBook and you can start Creating High Quality Products Fast

Kay Franklin

Information Marketing Action Taker

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kay_Franklin

3 Benefits Of Having A Brand For Your Online Business

Any business benefits from having a brand and an online business is no different. Here are 3 reasons why you need to develop your own brand if you want to market your online business more effectively.

Brand Loyalty

Think about a particular brand that you like. When the time comes for you to purchase something again if your preferred brand offers it then you are far more likely to purchase from them than anyone else.

We are creatures of habit and brand loyalty is a type of habit that we easily get drawn into.

If you can create an image or logo attached your own business then it will stick in your customers mind.

Your brand speaks about your mission or message and what people can expect from you and your products.

Therefore every time someone sees your branding the right message is conveyed.

Familiarity

Another advantage about creating a brand for your business is that when an image or quote is seen enough times it becomes familiar. When things are familiar to us we naturally feel more confident and comfortable about interacting and spending money with that particular company or person.

We immediately feel a connection.

Of course it is important to make sure that the connection we create with our brand is a positive one! So customer service and product quality are a must.

Online Presence

Using the internet to market your business is a great way to use branding. Banners and logos are easily designed and can be attached to all of your online activities.

The use of a gravatar makes it very easy to have a standard picture or photo that automatically connects with your business. You might use your own photo or you could use your brand image.

What Type Of Branding Should I Create?

The big question is what kind of brand image or logo or quote would be a match for your online business.

In order to design your brand you really need to have a good idea of what it is you offer and what is unique about it. What are the benefits to customers if they do business with you rather than someone else?

This is the kind of message that you need your branding to convey. If you can incorporate that message into your logo or website header then you have a real winner.

The important point is that you need to reinforce your brand message and values everywhere whether it means using logos, quote or images on all of your activity and correspondence.

By the way did you know that you could be making a whole lot more money if you were selling your own information products?

And it's quick and easy if you know how, so download my brand new free eBook and you can start Creating High Quality Products Fast

Kay Franklin

Information Marketing Action Taker

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kay_Franklin

3 Tips On How To Position Yourself As An Expert In Your Niche

Today the term expert has a lot less value than it did years ago. It seems that everyone online is an expert at something or other - even when they are not!

In this article I am going to give you 3 tips on how you can position yourself as the real expert in your niche so that people naturally come to you rather than others.

Your Own Products

Real experts create their own products. Why? Because they are the expert and therefore they are the person who is able to teach and explain something to someone else.

If you are not an expert then there is no way that you could create a product yourself. You need to have the knowledge in order to pass that knowledge on.

If you have personal experience too then you can pass on not just knowledge but also invaluable tips and advice.

When a customer purchases something and they need support who do they turn to? The person who created that product because they are the best person to go to, to solve the problem or issue they are having.

If you don't sell your own products then you end up selling someone else's expertise!

Your Own Authority Website & Content

With an online business you really do need to have your own website. First of all it is important just because it is something that you have total control over. The content that you put on your own website is going to be there long term - no one can remove it except you!

The other reason why you need your own site with plenty of content on is to demonstrate your knowledge and credibility.

If you are a real expert then your site will be full of quality content. If you only have 10 articles on your site then you won't look like an expert.

Ideally you should also have plenty of content elsewhere online. Such as videos, articles on other sites, presentations and content in other places that people would expect to find content in your niche.

Having lots of content around the internet demonstrates your authority in that niche and that builds your credibility as being an expert.

Easily Found

There is nothing worse than following someone you perceive to be an expert and when it comes to the point at which you want feedback or help from them you just can't get hold of them.

If there is no contact form or easy way to communicate with someone online then immediately you put into question your authenticity.

Experts are available and 'real'. They have nothing to hide!

Therefore you should have a photo of yourself and contact information visible. It is also a good idea to produce a video or audio so that people can identify with you and connect with you better because they can literally see and hear that you are a real person. Don't use someone else's voice - use your own.

By the way do you want an easier way to build a sustainable income online? If so then download my brand new free eBook on how to make money by creating your own high quality information products quickly: Super Fast Product Creation

Or visit My Blog for more step by step help.

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3 Tips On How To Find Out Exactly What Your Customers Want

Delivering what your customers want is critical if you are going to make sales. Your conversion rates go up when you provide what people want. In this article I am going to give you 3 tips on how to find out exactly what your customers want from you.

Ask Ask Ask

Many marketers are scared to ask their customers or subscribers what they want. Perhaps they perceive it as being too 'in your face'.

However, if you went into a store in your high street would you be put off if a shop assistant come up to you and asked you what you wanted or needed?

I doubt it!

Asking proves that you are interested in your customers and that you want to be able to provide exactly what they want.

It shows a commitment to providing value.

Therefore ask what your customers want continuously - not just the once but regularly so that you keep up with their current needs.

Asking The Right Way

Online, people may visit your site without any real specific intention of buying something. Therefore the way that we ask what they want needs to be different.

We can't just ask what they want and expect to get the right answer!

If you ask the right question then you'll get the real answer of exactly what your customers want and also need.

Online people look for information and help for them to be able to do something or to achieve something that is important to them. Therefore you need to find out not what they want but rather what they are finding hard or difficult.

You need to discover their current status and where they long to be.

Understanding what they really want to solve will enable you to provide the thing they long for - the solution to that problem.

Analysing Data

Apart from asking you can also analyse data such as email opens and click through rates to understand more about what your subscribers want.

Once of the biggest mistakes you can make is to assume that all of your subscribers want the same thing.

Some people may sign up to your list because they are just interested while others are desperate to solve something.

Therefore by looking at the emails and topics that people are reading and engaging with will give you a good idea of those areas that they really need extra help with.

The best thing to do is to have a variety of products that solve typical issues in your niche. Then you are able to offer the right product at the right time according to current statistics.

By the way do you want an easier way to build a sustainable income online? If so then download my brand new free eBook on how to make money by creating your own high quality information products quickly: Super Fast Product Creation

Or visit My Blog for more step by step help.

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Is The Success Of Others Stopping Your Own Success?

Do you ever look at other internet marketers who are successful and want your own efforts to be like theirs? We all do this I'm sure. However, this can cause big problems when it comes to achieving our own individual success.

Instant Success

When we see the success of others it is very easy to believe that what we see today has always been there. That the success or the results that we see have been instant.

When we look at some of the big successful marketers such as Dan Kennedy we see huge success. And we want that for ourselves NOW!

We forget to ask ourselves the question - how long has it taken them to be this successful?

It is the same with all types of success. For example:

Weight Loss - when you hear that someone has lost 4 stones in weight and you are desperately wanting the same, you want to lose that weight fast and be like the person who has already done so.

Immediately you go down the path of looking for quick results.

Learning Guitar - perhaps you want to learn the guitar and you see someone playing and want to play the same. So you start looking to find a quick way of learning the guitar.

Instant Gratification

Today more than ever before we live in a world of instant gratification. The internet is probably to blame!

It provides us with everything we need instantly! It sends a message that whatever we want we can have immediately - at the touch of a button!

We hear of remarkable results that a marketer has achieved and we purchase their product but somehow we don't get the same results as they did!

Stop!

Let's stop for a moment and think about this.

How long has it taken that marketer to perfect their method?

How long have they tested it and optimized it?

How many years experience do they have?

What other experiences have influenced there results?

No one goes to bed at night with a success level of 5% only to wake up the next morning with a level of 100%!

It just doesn't happen like that.

Step By Step

Success happens a little at a time. One step and then another.

Don't let the success of others derail your own step by step effort. Keep focused on your goal and you will get there with time.

The biggest mistake you can make is thinking that there is a short cut to success. There are certainly tips and advice that will help you on your way quicker but don't be fooled into believing it will be instant.

By the way do you want an easier way to build a sustainable income online? If so then download my brand new free eBook on how to make money by creating your own high quality information products quickly: Super Fast Product Creation

Or visit My Blog for more step by step help.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kay_Franklin

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3 Of the Best Ways to Getting Free Traffic to Your Webpage

In this article I am going to describe some of the best ways for getting traffic to your website for free.

Each of these methods are free in that they don't cost you anything for a visitor to visit your webpage. However, you need to remember that it will cost you in terms of your time!

If you are wanting to build an online business that is going to be successful and produce a full time source of income then the type of traffic you should be aiming for is good quality traffic. To provide you with good quality visitors!

The traffic should be targeted to people in your niche and your potential customers.

You can either pay for that quality traffic or you can use the three sources of traffic I am going to talk about that are proven to provide good quality.

Here are the three traffic sources:

• Article writing
• Forums posting
• Guest blogging

Building an online business is all about building relationships with your customers and therefore this is something that you should be thinking about when you drive traffic to your webpage.

If someone is able to build a relationship with you straight away then they are more likely to join your list because they feel they have a connection with you.

The easiest way to begin to develop a relationship is by writing content yourself. When you write content you are enabling your readers to build up an idea of what you can offer them and also the type of person you are.

We all get on with different types of personalities and it is the same when it comes to your business.

Some people will automatically click with you, while others won't!

Therefore through your written content you will bring customers into your business that feel they have a connection with you.

Writing articles and submitting them to article directories or by having them placed on someones else's blog as a guest blogger gives your visitors a chance to find out about you a little more.

The same applies with forum posting. When you add helpful posts on related forums in your niche you can build up a picture of what you are like and also build your credibility as someone who knows their stuff on that topic!

Having subscribers on your list who have a connection with you from the start means that they are more likely to become customers and repeat customers at that!

By the way do you want to start creating your own information products fast?

If so download my brand new free ebook: Creating Quality Products - Fast!

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Why You Should Be Marketing Rather Than Selling

If you are struggling to make sales in your business then it might be because you are trying too hard! In this article I am going to explain why you should focus on marketing rather selling your product and services.

What Is Marketing & Selling?

Many marketers see these two as being the same thing. However, I prefer to think of them slightly differently.

Marketing is the process of identifying prospects who need what you have to offer and then helping them to make an informed choice about purchasing.

Selling is more persuasive and conjures up the concept of trying to get someone to buy.

Do you see the difference? Think about yourself. Would you rather be marketed to or sold to?

Real Life Example

Do you get annoyed when you are in a shop and someone comes up to you and tries to persuade you that you really need what they have and you should purchase it straight away?

They haven't identified your need, they just assume that you need what they are trying to sell!

What about when you go into another store and they ask you questions and help you to identify what it is you need. They explain what they could offer that would help you resolve that need? You don't feel forced into buying anything.

One method is helpful while the other is creepy!

One method has the prospects interests at heart while the other has the companies interests at heart.

What You Need To Do Now

Since there is so much 'in your face' advertising on the internet with people and companies trying to sell products or services, it simply puts people off. However, marketing your business in a way that puts your prospects interests first stands out as being different.

Here is the best way to market your business:

1. First of all you will need to understand what it is your business offers so that you can identify the right person who would benefit from what you offer.
2. Become your target customer and think of the excuses you might have to not purchasing your offer.
3. Now remove those excuses or obstacles by identifying the benefits and results that your product would provide someone with.
4. Now you will know exactly why someone would truly benefit from your offer.

If you are confident about your offer and you believe it is proving real help to someone else you are in the right frame of mind to market it rather than sell it.

By the way do you want an easier way to build a sustainable income online? If so then download my brand new free eBook on how to make money by creating your own high quality information products quickly: Super Fast Product Creation

Or visit My Blog for more step by step help.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kay_Franklin

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Step By Step - How To Find Advertisers For Your Website

If you have a website and are thinking about putting adverts on it then here are some tips on how to go about it.

In this article I will provide you with step by step instructions on how to find quality ads and how much to charge for them.

Finding people to put ads on your site is hard enough but knowing what to charge them is even harder.

Sometimes you might receive an email from someone interested in advertising on your site - what do you do?

You could just ignore it or reply with a suggested price that you're not really sure of. It's best to have done your research first so that you can feel confident that you are charging what you are worth and only put quality ads on your site.

Step 1

Find some of your competitor sites and look to see if they have ads on their site that people are paying for.

Step 2

Now find out what number of visits those website are getting on average. You can use Alexa to get an idea of the traffic levels. Try to find a range of traffic from low to high. Use your own traffic levels as a point of reference.

Step 3

If you don't yet know your own traffic statistics then make sure you have that information and evidence to back it up since an advertiser might perform a check on your site.

Step 4

Now contact those website owners and ask what they would charge you to put an advert on their site. Make sure you are specific. Look at the existing ads on the site and use those dimensions and locations.

Step 5

Put all of the responses in a spreadsheet so that you can quickly see the type of costs associated with traffic levels.

Step 6

Decide what charges would be suitable for your own website and the number of visits you get. Always include some form of disclaimer in any quote since your traffic levels may go up or down over time.

Step 7

Reply to any requests you receive making sure that the adverts will be relevant to your audience.

Step 8

To find relevant ads go to your competitor sites and see what ads they have on there. Now go to those sites and see if you can find who to contact about displaying their ads on your site.

By the way do you want an easier way to build a sustainable income online? If so then download my brand new free eBook on how to make money by creating your own high quality information products quickly: Super Fast Product Creation

Or visit My Blog for more step by step help.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kay_Franklin

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3 Tips To Improve Your Productivity

Working at home has its benefits but it can also be difficult in terms of staying on task and being productive because there are many distractions at home. In this article I am going to give you 3 tips on how you can be more productive and get more done.

When do you naturally work best?

We all have certain times during the day when we are at our best. We concentrate more and stay focused more. Finding out when these times are helps us to use them to our advantage.

If you work best early in the morning then it is worth getting up early and working on your business during that time. If others in your household are still in bed then that is even better!

If you are a night owl then perhaps working late at night might work better for you.

Finding your bad habits

I'm talking about bad habits when it comes to working and being productive. Perhaps you get easily distracted when friends come online? Are you addicted to Facebook?

I have one friend who felt at a loss when Facebook went down the other week - and it had nothing to do with work - just that she didn't have anyone to chat to!

Maybe you should turn off the alerts on your computer so that you don't know when people come online.

Are there times during the day when you are more likely to get distracted - such as mid morning or mid afternoon when you fancy a snack?

Often taking a break can be the time when we get distracted if we don't have a time limit. It is better to set regular short breaks rather than none at all.

Knowing your focus

To work effectively we need to understand what our real focus is. The thing that we are aiming for. This means having some form of goal and plan of action to get there.

If you follow a plan, whether rigid or flexible, it helps to keep you on track and therefore productive.

Decide what the goals are for your business and then work out what you need to do to get there. Break that down into steps or tasks that you need to complete.

Keep reminders around you so that you stay focused and see your progress. Keeping a journal is a great way to see how much you have or have not achieved!

By the way do you want an easier way to build a sustainable income online? If so then download my brand new free eBook on how to make money by creating your own high quality information products quickly: Super Fast Product Creation

Or visit My Blog for more step by step help.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kay_Franklin

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5 Tips To Increase Your Sales

Increasing your sales can be as easy as changing a word, the colour or something else very simple. Making little tweaks here and there can make a difference to your conversion rates. In this article I am going to give you 5 tips on how you can improve your own sales conversions.

Don't Point The Finger

Using words like me and my tend to work better than using words such as you or your. This is because when someone reads your sales page it becomes more personal and therefore more applicable to them.

Visitors will identify with your sales message more.

Action Buttons

Buttons that you want someone to click on work better if there is some type of benefit written on the button itself. So instead of having a button that says "click here" it would be better to have the words "instant access" or "get it now".

Colour Matters

This is something that you would need to test for your own business. However, generally the colour orange works well as a colour for a call to action button. If you think about Amazon - I am sure they didn't just happen to choose orange by chance!

Size does not play such a big role as colour - so just use a medium size so that your button doesn't dominate the page or get lost on the page.

Remove Risk

This is especially true for online transactions. It is best to make sure that you have a guarantee prominent so that your visitors are in no doubt that a refund is available if they are not satisfied.

Having testimonials will also help as this gives evidence that your product has already helped other people.

People Like Bonuses

If you can include a bonus or something for free then do! People love to get things that they perceive as being added for nothing.

If you don't have a specific bonus then ask another marketer if they would like to add a bonus to your offer in exchange for them building their email list. Most marketers will jump at the chance to build this list this way.

Just make sure that the bonus is related to and compliments your product and of course that it is of high quality.

Regular testing of your sales page is necessary to keep up with changes and trends in your niche but the tips above will improve your conversions in the long term.

By the way do you want an easier way to build a sustainable income online? If so then download my brand new free eBook on how to make money by creating your own high quality information products quickly: Super Fast Product Creation

Or visit My Blog for more step by step help.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kay_Franklin

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3 Tips On Finding The Most Popular Topics In Your Niche

Being able to write about current issues that are really popular is a great way to gain lots of traffic and visitors. But how can you find out what those topics are? In this article I am going to give you 3 tips on where to go to discover popular topics in your particular niche whatever that might be.

Google Search

Using Google search is a great way to find topics that are popular. When you use Google you can specify where you want to search in terms of:

• news
• video
• images
• shopping
• maps
• books, etc.

Using this tool is really helpful at finding current topics of interest. I like to use the news search feature.

Type in a search phrase relevant to your niche and then click on news. What news items come up? How recent are they? You should find plenty of ideas for topics that are currently popular.

If you want, you can set up an email alert by scrolling to the bottom of the search page.

Items that are in the news are generally popular.

Forums

Forums are a great source of information. Find active forums in your niche and observe the topics that people talk about.

To find forums in your niche just go to Google and type in your niche and the word forum. You'll find plenty to choose from but make sure that they have lots of members and that those members are interacting on the forum regularly.

Which are the most common ones? Which ones get the most views and interaction?

If you see a spike in activity then this indicates it is currently very popular.

Google Trends

This is another very useful tool. Go to Google trends and type in a relevant keyword phrase for your niche and see if there is any data. The more data the better.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will see related trends. This is where you can find some great popular topics and see if they are rising in trend.

This tool is also helpful if you are targeting a particular country as you will be able to see trends according to location as well.

Having an idea of the trends and popular topics within your niche helps to keep you up to date with what issues and problems people are having and therefore enables you to know what solutions or products to create that your target market need.

By the way do you want an easier way to build a sustainable income online? If so then download my brand new free eBook on how to make money by creating your own high quality information products quickly: Super Fast Product Creation

Or visit My Blog for more step by step help.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kay_Franklin

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3 Essential Things You Need To Be Successful Making Money Online

There are plenty of stories about success online and how to start an internet business and make money. However, what do you really need? Here are the 3 essential ingredients for success whoever you are.

Connecting Online

If you don't connect with anyone then no one will even know you exist! Therefore you need to get involved with what is going on in your particular business niche.

The internet actually makes it very easy to do - easier that the offline world.

The internet is full of ways of connecting with like minded people. Social media, blogs, discussions groups, forums - these are all great places to connect with people.

The more you build connections the more visibility you create for your business and website.

Know What You Offer

Understanding exactly what you can offer people will pin point the exact people you need to connect with. You need to know this inside out.

What can you offer someone and why should they get that offer from you instead of someone else?

I believe that creating your own product enables you to really understand what you offer and who needs it. Information products are easy to create and solve problems for people.

Not only that, you will believe in your product because you have produced it. Self belief can limit your success and put up barriers to the concept of selling.

When you know your product will truly help someone you will want to share that with others.

A Clear Vision

I'm not talking about a wishy washy vision and thinking your way to success. What I mean is having a clear picture in your mind of what your successful business will look like.

Understanding how it will run, the number of hours you will put into it, the number of customers you would need, the number of products you could create, etc. Every single detail of your business - visualise it.

Having this clear picture of your end goal makes it so much easier to plan a way to achieve it.

Follow your plan and your vision will become a reality - step by step.

One of the biggest issues people trying to make online have is being consistent in taking action and getting distracted. When you have your own blueprint that you can follow and you begin to see your business grow you gain that motivation to continue to take action.

By the way do you want an easier way to build a sustainable income online? If so then download my brand new free eBook on how to make money by creating your own high quality information products quickly: Super Fast Product Creation

Or visit My Blog for more step by step help.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kay_Franklin

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4 Free Tools To Get An Estimate Of Your Competitors Website Visitors

Ideally we would love to know what kind of traffic our competitors are getting but how can you find out this information? Here are 4 free tools that you can use to help you investigate your competitions traffic.

Alexa

Alexa is well known for collecting data about websites. You can use their site for free to see the type of traffic any website is getting.

Type in the website address in the search bar and then have a look at the data. You'll be able to learn things such as gender, location, search engine traffic and keywords, demographics and more. The data you see will be limited with the free version but it is still valuable.

Similar Web

Another good tool to use but only if a website has a lot of traffic. If the site is fairly new then Alexa would show more data than this one.

However, for high volume websites this tool provides an easy to see report. I prefer the layout of this tool as it is easier to digest.

Social Searcher

If you want to look at the traffic from social media then social search is a good one to use. Type in your competitor and you will be able to see where traffic from social media is coming from.

It provides data from Facebook, twitter and Google+. Any mentions of a website is monitored. You can also set up an email alert which might come in handy.

Way Back Machine

Although this isn't really a traffic statistic tool it is something that can provide you with helpful information on how a competitors site looked previously. Perhaps they tweaked something and after that point they got a lot more traffic.

Therefore if you use this tool in conjunction with one of the others you might find out something extremely valuable. For example, if you notice a sudden change in traffic you could see if something was changed by using way back machine.

No one tool will provide a 100% accurate picture. Therefore it is best to use a few different tools so that you can estimate the traffic.

For best results create a spreadsheet and then fill in your results so that you can track what is happening. Monitor your competitions traffic over a period of time so that you can be sure of their long term traffic in stead of just a moment in time!

By the way do you want an easier way to build a sustainable income online? If so then download my brand new free eBook on how to make money by creating your own high quality information products quickly: Super Fast Product Creation

Or visit My Blog for more step by step help.

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How To Find Out What Day People Visit Your Website

Have you ever wondered when your web site is the busiest? If you know this, you know the best time to target your specific web site audience.

It is possible to find this information out quite easily. This is what you need to do:

• Create a Google Analytics Account.

Make sure that you are using Google analytics on your web site and that you are logged into your account.

• Custom Reporting

Click on the web site that you want to analyse and then click the custom reporting tab. Now you can create your own custom report to that you can see quickly the details of your web site visits for each day of the week.

• Your New Report

Create a new report and give it a title such as "best traffic day". You will need to add "visits" from the metric group area. Then for your dimension you can choose "day of week". Once you have done that then save your new report.

• Results

You will obtain a report that shows you at a glance which day gets the most traffic. Over time you might begin to observe a trend.

• Action

Once you have these results you can begin to understand your audiences behaviour. If a particular day gets a lot more traffic than other days then this could be a good time to send out an email promotion because you know that your visitors are using your site on that day and therefore actively online.

Also since they are active on your site your particular web site name or brand will be at the front of their mind and so they are potentially more likely to open and read your email.

• Other Ideas

You could also create a custom report for these activities on your web site:

• busiest hour
• busiest week of year
• busiest month of year

To create these reports you would do exactly the same as before but choose the relevant details in the dimensions tab.

If you start to look at the options available in the dimensions tab you will begin to see a whole load of information you could easily monitor.

Popular landing pages and exit pages for example could give valuable insight into your visitors preferences.

Many people fail to use Google analytics to its full potential because it isn't always intuitive!

I believe it is worth sitting down and investing a bit of time in this free software as the benefits are well worth it.

By the way do you want an easier way to build a sustainable income online? If so then download my brand new free eBook on how to maximize your profits by creating your own high quality products quickly: Super Fast Product Creation

Or visit My Blog for more step by step help.

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Internet Marketing: Why You Must Be Yourself And Not Copy

In this article I am going to discuss why it is really important to be consistent throughout your business. Whether it is in your email campaign, your website or your sales page you must be yourself - always.

There are many parts of an online business and often we just don't have the time to implement all the parts ourselves so we find someone to outsource it to.

However, in an information business where you are the information producer - in other words you create the information products - it becomes more important for all your content (information) to have the same style.

It should be in your own 'voice' or your business can appear inconsistent and odd to others.

We all have different personalities and the way we communicate reflects that. The way that we share information also reflects that.

If some of your content doesn't reflect your personality then you can confuse people! It might sound like you have a split personality!

Let me give you a real life example!

I was reading a self improvement book the other week and there was an assignment that I was encouraged to implement! So I did - I'm a good student!

The thing I had to do was to send an email to a few of my really close friends and ask them a specific question about my personality! The author gave a written example of the email to send and so I just copied the email and sent it to some of my friends.

What happened?

Well I sent one of these emails to my brother who I am very close to. He didn't even open the email but instead sent me a text message asking me if I had sent him an email or not as he didn't recognise it as being from me! The subject line didn't sound like me!

Can you begin to see how important it is in your business to be consistent and always sound the same - to be yourself?

If your emails sound different from your website content or your products sound different to your sales letter, things begin to get messy. Your customer relationships begin to get messy.

Think about it.

If you were a customer and you received a download that you had purchased and it sounded completely different from the person you thought you had purchased it from then I'm sure you would feel a little confused if not a bit wary.

If you need to outsource tasks then be very careful what tasks you give away. If you have to outsource some of your content creation then make sure you have a template or blueprint to follow so that it sounds as much like you as possible.

By the way do you want an easier way to build a sustainable income online? If so then download my brand new free eBook on how to maximize your profits by creating your own high quality products quickly: Super Fast Product Creation

Or visit My Blog for more step by step help.

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Can An Offline Business Benefit From Using The Internet?

Many offline businesses have started to build a presence on the internet. However, there are still many that have yet to follow suit. The truth is that you will be left behind unless you get a presence online.

Online marketing is a tool that can be used for both online and offline business owners. Obviously it is more obvious for digital information businesses since there is no need for any stock and therefore you have no overheads or buildings to think about.

However, even if you are a small business owner with a physical shop you should still be making the most of the opportunity the internet provides.

Let me give you an example.

Increase In Visitors

A friend of mine works in the IT department for a clothing shop. Since they created a web site and enable people to order products online they have seen a huge increase in sales.

To give you some idea of the increase in visitors - when they send out a mailing to people who have shown an interest in receiving special offers there is a dramatic increase in the number of visitors to their web site.

It is easy to spot because around 5 or 6 pm when people have finished work and gone home there is a sudden spike in traffic! People have logged into their personal email accounts at home and read the mailing and have immediately gone to check out the offers.

This in turn produces orders.

If people had to physically go into the shop to find out about offers then they would miss out on a large portion of their revenue.

Small Businesses

Smaller businesses can really do well to get a web site up online. Another friend of mine makes gymnastics leotards at home. Since setting up a website she has seen an increase in the number of orders. No longer is it limited to the local area in which she lives - but people from further afield are now placing orders.

Having a presence online means that people worldwide have the opportunity to visit and see what you offer. Providing you are clear on where you ship orders to and you cover any costs associated with this then it is worth getting this extra publicity.

What Web Site?

Creating your own web site is actually easy to do but if you don't want to do this you can still get an online presence. Think about eBay and Amazon marketplace. Businesses are using these sites to market their produce online.

By the way do you want another way to build a sustainable income online? If so then download my brand new free eBook on how to maximize your profits by creating your own high quality products quickly: Super Fast Product Creation

Or visit My Blog for more step by step help.

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Internet Marketing: 4 Triggers For Increasing Sales

Using triggers in your sales copy does help to increase your conversions. Here are 4 effective triggers that you can use in your own sales letters.

1. Intrigue

Using words that build intrigue work well because as humans we have an inquisitive mind. If something intrigues us then we want to know more! Using intrigue in your sales letter will encourage people to keep reading all the way through.

Example Intrigue Words

• Here's the thing...
• What would happen if...
• Guess what?
• Prepare yourself...
• How does that feel?

2. Caution

Words of caution can be used to encourage people to stop and think. When someone makes a purchase there are of course emotional elements involved but there is also logic! Using caution can help people to think about your offer and come to the logical decision that it makes sense to buy.

Example Caution Words

• Hold on a minute
• You wouldn't believe...
• Think about it...
• It's not as simple as that...
• Consider this...

3. Negatives

Using negative words helps your visitor to understand more about their problem or issue they have. It brings to to mind and therefore these words are emotive. They bring the problem to a head and build a desire to overcome it.

Example Negative Words

• Something missing
• Still not working
• Tired of struggling
• Nothing happened...
• What am I doing wrong?

4. Positives

Using positives when it comes to talking about your solution (product) will reinforce the benefits that someone would receive by purchasing your product or service. Again these words are emotive and will drive your visitor to take the action you want and purchase your product.

Example Positive Words

• Truly amazing
• Be able to...
• Finally allow me to...
• More than enough
• Great opportunity...

Sometimes people get concerned about using words like these in their sales pages. They think that they being manipulative and trying to persuade people to buy! It can seem a bit slimy!

Remember that your sales page may contain these trigger words but in reality if your product offers the solution to someones problem then offering this help should come naturally. You will naturally use many of these words if you truly believe your product is worth what you state.

Selling any product should be about offering something to someone who really needs what you have. Therefore you must believe in the products you sell and if you have created them yourself then you will know exactly why someone would benefit from purchasing it.

By the way do you want to a sustainable income online? If so then download my brand new free eBook on how to maximize your profits by creating your own high quality products quickly: Super Fast Product Creation

Or visit My Blog for more step by step help.

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