Selecting a Search Engine Optimization Company

by Michael Rasmussen
(C) Michael Rasmussen
All Rights Reserved
http://www.search-engines-revealed.com

A Search Engine Optimization Company can be an invaluable asset in your Internet marketing campaign. They specialize in knowing how to raise your search engine positions, monitoring those positions on the regular basis, and adjusting their strategies to account for undesirable results in any given month. Since this takes a lot of time, effort, and specialized knowledge, it can be in your best interest to go to an outside source rather than try to maintain high search engine positions on your own.

However, like every business, there are good companies and there are lemons. Knowing the right questions to ask and the criteria to look for will help you in choosing an affordable, effective search engine optimization company.

When looking at different companies, begin by considering the approach they employ to raise your search engine positions. Steer clear of companies that use cloaked, doorway, or bridge pages to raise your positions. These techniques violate most search engine policy, and in the worst case scenario, will only get your website severely penalized, if not removed entirely from a search engine's index.

A cloaked page is a page that is created which is invisible to the regular visitor to your website. The cloaked page is coded to detect a search engine spider and divert them to this special page, which is set-up to artificially boost your search engine position. Doorway or bridge pages utilize the same concept, but often reside on an entirely different server. Google, one of the largest and most important search engine on the Internet, will remove your website from their index if they detect you have cloaked pages. Never, never employ any company that uses this technique!

Another important element is to get a guarantee that the company you hire will not work with your competitors while they are working for you. Obviously, this would seriously compromise the effectiveness of the search engine optimization campaign. Be aware that some companies will use the success they achieve for your website to sell their services to your competitors. So get your guarantee in writing, and make sure it is legally binding.

Of course, one of the most important factors you want to check out is the company's track record of results. However, don't take the company's word for it. They will undoubtedly be slanting their results in order to sell their services to you. To go beyond their simple statement of success, ask them a few pertinent questions, and verify their answers.

Ask them which engines they have achieved the best results on. The ones that are important are the most popular engines, and these are the ones you want to see good results on. Since the popularity of search engines can change with the landscape of the overall Internet, check out the Nielsen Netratings page at Search Engine Watch. You can access this at http://www.searchenginewatch.com/article.php/2156451.
Next, find out what keywords and phrases they are claiming great results with. It's easy to get high rankings with unpopular words. For instance, the keyword "cat leashes" will get high popularity ranking because no one else would think of using it. What you are looking for is good results using popular keywords. Check out the software WordTracker, available at www.wordtracker.com. You can order a free trial, or a subscription ranging from 1 day to 1 year. This software rates the popularity of keywords and phrases based on actual search engine use.

Next, look for good results over an entire site that the company claims to have successfully worked for. You want to see a wide range of positions over a number of different search engines using different keywords or phrases for the entire site. Request a report for any client the company claims to have done well for. This report should show good positions on a number of the most popular search engines for a variety of different, popular keywords and phrases.

When you are checking out search engine optimization companies, make sure they have actually done the work they are claiming to have done. Some companies will use other company's results in order to get you to sign on with them. If you are in doubt, call the company they are showing you results for, and ask for the name of their search engine optimization company.

It's important to keep in mind that a successful search engine optimization campaign will result in maximum exposure across a wide range of popular search engines using a variety of keywords and phrases. This is the formula for a successful campaign, and you should keep it always in the forefront of your marketing strategy.

Ask the search engine optimization company you are considering for a report that shows you rankings across a number of popular search engines for a period of at least six months. Remember: search engine marketing is a process that is continual, and you need a company that not only understands this, but keeps constant tabs on your search engine positions. That company must also be able to adjust its strategy in the event that search engine rankings drop.

Since search engine marketing is an on-going process, your positions must be constantly monitored. If you want your search engine optimization company to do this for you, request a sample of a monthly report. It is essential that this report should show rankings for the most popular search engines. Don't be impressed by a report that only shows great results for a limited number of small search engines. These are fairly easy results to acquire. Also confirm that the popular search engine results they are showing you are indeed the popular search engines currently.

Be sure the sample report the company shows you is in a format that you can easily understand. For example, it could be in the form of a chart that covers a period of at least six months and presents data such as the top 50 positions broken down on a monthly basis or the top 5 pages each month. Then, ascertain that the company you are considering actually monitors these positions or pages every month, and that the sample report they show you includes findings and recommendations for the specific site. This insures that the company will actively monitor and make adjustments to their strategy on a continual basis rather than simply gather statistics on your positions. You need a company that is actively participant in your search engine marketing campaign, not just an information gatherer.

Obviously, your finances have to figure into your choice of company, but bear in mind that a search engine optimization company is crucial the success of your marketing campaign. It is not just a casual accessory. If you cannot afford a company that will do a thorough and reliable job for your website, you might consider waiting until you do have the finances in place.

If you have to find a company and can't wait for your finances to catch up, you may be able to find an affordable company that will also be able to supply quality, reliable work, such as a fairly new company. Just remember that there are risks involved with using a company without a proven track record - and that risk is your money! Don't take that leap unless the company can supply you with a least a few references.

References are the most reliable indicator of a good company. Don't use a company that won't show your references because of any reason, confidentiality included. Remember - even doctors will provide references! The firm you choose should provide you with a minimum of two references, one that is from the past, and one that is current.

When you contact these references, be prepared to ask precise, specific questions so that neither of your time is wasted. Ask them what their experience was like with the company, such as their availability to answer questions and deal with problems and their ability to meet deadlines. Ask the reference to rate the overall performance of the company.

Find out if the company requested that the reference make significant changes to their web pages that affected the visitors coming to their site. You are looking for a search engine optimization company that can balance the needs of both search engines and site visitors without compromising either.

The most essential question to ask is whether the work of the search engine optimization company resulted in higher profits for the reference. Without profits, it doesn't matter whether your positions are at the top of the list or not.


Michael Rasmussen is a successful Internet Marketing Consultant and author of many top-selling eBooks. Michael has been marketing online since the early days and he knows what it takes to make money and succeed online. Stop by his Web site and subscribe to his Fr*e monthly newsletter full strategies and techniques for successful web site promotions that can help YOU!

Go to http://www.search-engines-revealed.com

Analyzing Website Traffic

by Michael Rasmussen
(C) Michael Rasmussen
All Rights Reserved
http://www.search-engines-revealed.com

Analyzing your web traffic statistics can be an invaluable tool for a number of different reasons. But before you can make full use of this tool, you need to understand how to interpret the data.

Most web hosting companies will provide you with basic web traffic information that you then have to interpret and make pertinent use of. However, the data you receive from your host company can be overwhelming if you don't understand how to apply it to your particular business and website. Let's start by examining the most basic data - the average visitors to your site on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.

These figures are the most accurate measure of your website's activity. It would appear on the surface that the more traffic you see recorded, the better you can assume your website is doing, but this is an inaccurate perception. You must also look at the behavior of your visitors once they come to your website to accurately gauge the effectiveness of your site.

There is often a great misconception about what is commonly known as "hits" and what is really effective, quality traffic to your site. Hits simply means the number of information requests received by the server. If you think about the fact that a hit can simply equate to the number of graphics per page, you will get an idea of how overblown the concept of hits can be. For example, if your homepage has 15 graphics on it, the server records this as 15 hits, when in reality we are talking about a single visitor checking out a single page on your site. As you can see, hits are not useful in analyzing your website traffic.

The more visitors that come to your website, the more accurate your interpretation will become. The greater the traffic is to your website, the more precise your analysis will be of overall trends in visitor behavior. The smaller the number of visitors, the more a few anomalous visitors can distort the analysis.

The aim is to use the web traffic statistics to figure out how well or how poorly your site is working for your visitors. One way to determine this is to find out how long on average your visitors spend on your site. If the time spent is relatively brief, it usually indicates an underlying problem. Then the challenge is to figure out what that problem is.

It could be that your keywords are directing the wrong type of visitors to your website, or that your graphics are confusing or intimidating, causing the visitor to exit rapidly. Use the knowledge of how much time visitors are spending on your site to pinpoint specific problems, and after you fix those problems, continue to use time spent as a gauge of how effective your fix has been.

Additionally, web traffic stats can help you determine effective and ineffective areas of your website. If you have a page that you believe is important, but visitors are exiting it rapidly, that page needs attention. You could, for example, consider improving the link to this page by making the link more noticeable and enticing, or you could improve the look of the page or the ease that your visitors can access the necessary information on that page.

If, on the other hand, you notice that visitors are spending a lot of time on pages that you think are less important, you might consider moving some of your sales copy and marketing focus to that particular page.

As you can see, these statistics will reveal vital information about the effectiveness of individual pages, and visitor habits and motivation. This is essential information to any successful Internet marketing campaign.

Your website undoubtedly has exit pages, such as a final order or contact form. This is a page you can expect your visitor to exit rapidly. However, not every visitor to your site is going to find exactly what he or she is looking for, so statistics may show you a number of different exit pages. This is normal unless you notice a exit trend on a particular page that is not intended as an exit page. In the case that a significant percentage of visitors are exiting your website on a page not designed for that purpose, you must closely examine that particular page to discern what the problem is. Once you pinpoint potential weaknesses on that page, minor modifications in content or graphic may have a significant impact on the keeping visitors moving through your site instead of exiting at the wrong page.

After you have analyzed your visitor statistics, it's time to turn to your keywords and phrases. Notice if particular keywords are directing a specific type of visitor to your site. The more targeted the visitor - meaning that they find what they are looking for on your site, and even better, fill out your contact form or make a purchase - the more valuable that keyword is.

However, if you find a large number of visitors are being directed - or should I say misdirected - to your site by a particular keyword or phrase, that keyword demands adjustment. Keywords are vital to bringing quality visitors to your site who are ready to do business with you. Close analysis of the keywords your visitors are using to find your site will give you a vital understanding of your visitor's needs and motivations.

Finally, if you notice that users are finding your website by typing in your company name, break open the champagne! It means you have achieved a significant level of brand recognition, and this is a sure sign of burgeoning success.


Michael Rasmussen is a successful Internet Marketing Consultant and author of many top-selling eBooks. Michael has been marketing online since the early days and he knows what it takes to make money and succeed online. Stop by his Web site and subscribe to his Fr*e monthly newsletter full strategies and techniques for successful web site promotions that can help YOU!
Go to http://www.search-engines-revealed.com

The Top Ten Ezine Tips

by Paul Barrs


1. Quality vs. Quantity

Without question the most important aspect of any publication is the quality of it's content. However, as number one on the Top Ten List you need to look at the quality of your subscribers. Is it better to have a database of 20,000 lousy prospects for your business or 2,000 top prospects? Without doubt - you'll generate more income from the 2,000 then the 20,000. Stay away from free swap subscriber services - generate your leads only through quality opt-in websites through Joint Ventures and reciprocal exchanges.

2. Double Opt-in for Security

This one is a real corker. Without a doubt it's much easier, faster and simpler to prescribe a single opt-in system for your newsletter subscribers. However, if you do not take the time to confirm each and every subscription you run the very real risk of having numerous email addresses added to your list without either your knowledge or the consent of the email address owner. This can lead to Spam complaints and greater problems. Double opt-in your list for your own security and protection as well as that of your subscribers.

3. Original Content

How long does it take to write an article? This one is about half an hour tops, which includes editing and proof-reading. While there are many thousands of articles available with reprint rights through the net today, and articles available on every conceivable topic, you should always take the time out to create some of your own original content for your publication. The extra add ins and addition reproduced content can then supplement your own work. Do this to build credibility and trust with your readers.

4. Easy Opt-out

Just as double opt-in subscriptions provides security for your own peace of mind, you need to also make it as "easy as possible" for your subscribers to leave you. Strange concept? Yes. Make it a little tough to join with you and then easy to leave. When your list builds to tens of thousands you'll have an incredible database of good, strong loyal people who not only want what you have to offer, but will take the time to read it - and at a later date, become your paid customers.

5. Solid Bonuses

One great way to encourage people to push through the double opt-in subscription procedure is to offer them good bonus items once the subscription is complete. Better yet, don't make your bonus items good, make them great. Make them unique. Make it so that these bonus items are simply not available anywhere else on the net. In a nutshell, you want to almost 'bribe' them in exchange for their email address subscription.

6. Minimal Ads

Here is one of the fastest 'killers' of ezine subscription databases. Too many advertisements. With all due respect, while you may think that offering free ads as a bonus for subscriptions, forget about it. The only one they are going to want to read is there own. I would strongly recommend against more than one or perhaps two ads per issue. Nothing more. Give them content, not ads.

7. Soft Sell Only

The soft sell approach comes right behind the ads approach. No one likes to be sold anything, however we do like to feel we've done the research to then make a decision to buy. Why not change your ads to a product review, or an information update - then link to the product. Don't just sell them on something, inform them - they'll make a better decision and be more likely to order from you.

8. Add Your Personality

Along with adding your own original content is to add your personality to what you do. The first task is to gain a new subscriber, the second is to keep them, the third is to have them refer their friends. To do this you need to stand out from the crowd and be unique. Ask yourself the question, what will make a customer read my ezine before the rest when it arrives in their in-box. Answer this and you'll have discovered one of the major keys to ezine publishing success.

9. Regular as Clockwork

No explanation is really required here but it just require a mention. If you say you're going to publish weekly - then do it!

10. Special Offers

Finally, a great way to build your subscription base is to arrange joint venture special offers with other publishers. Don't seek to give the standard 'run of the mill' percentage based discount, instead seek out at least one quality offer each month that gives 'real value' to your readers. If you can arrange a joint venture ezine recommendation where you recommend another publication, and they do the same for you (with some unique bonus thrown in) you can literally double your subscriber rate within a few weeks. This is a powerful way to grown your subscriber loyalty and your subscriber database.

Most important, be creative. Seek out other top publications and look to improve on them. Don't get stuck into the repeat repeat repeat mindset.

Be different. Stand out. Be unique.


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Paul Barrs is the creator of "The Complete Guide to Home Business Success", as well as being a professional speaker, trainer and presenter. He would like to offer you a free subscription to his "Home Business Gold Online Audio e-Magazine" where each week you'll receive a free audio seminar delivered to your in-box. To get your subscription, go now to http://www.paulbarrs.com/ today.

Simple Steps to Increase Your Sales by up to 400%

By Paul Barrs.


Wouldn't it be just fantastic to be able to offer your website visitors exactly what they wanted each and every time?

One of the greatest selling myths is that you only have one product to sell. Even if you have an entire range of products or services or packages - the illusion is still singular.

That however, is not the case. One product or package can easily be turned around to represent over half a dozen products just by utilizing a little creativity.

Let me explain….

Let's say that on your site you advertise an accommodation weekend holiday package for the Friday and Saturday nights. (You might be tempted to think, "I sell accommodation, people either want it or they don't").

That's great for the 3 out of 10 visitors who want to take a quick holiday weekend, but not for the seven others. Using creativity and by placing additional pages on your site targeting the other visitors you could easily increase your bookings rate by as much as 300 - 400%.

How about offering a Corporate Retreat package? It's the same deal, but maybe with a slightly different hamper - whatever, it's greatly accepted by busy business people looking for that nice relaxing weekend.

What about a Family Fiesta! Same deal once again but offer a movie pass for the kids or tickets to a local tourist attraction.

Parents Pleasure Weekend? Free Babysitting.

Students Study Retreat - Free Internet access.

Wine Lovers Diary - Free bus to local wineries….

See where this goes, it's always the same package, and your goal is to fill beds - all you need to do is add that extra something special.

The key to success here is to offer a completely separate page on your website that targets the marketplace your potential customer is in. If that means having ten pages offering the same deal to ten different types of people (but with different incentive), great - go for it.

The only thing that stops you is your imagination.

And as a final guideline, when you set out each page make sure that both the sales copy and the search engine functionality are also focused towards the individuals target market niche.

That simply means use words that they understand, put forward the benefits that they want to read about. Make sure that the description meta tag is optimized so they read what they want before they click to you on a search.

Make sure the headline grabs them by the neck and reels them in. Also be sure to offer them a "value added" incentive - never a discount. Plus, make sure that you ASK THEM to book with you.

It's really that easy.

Paul Barrs

P.S. This is probably the shortest article I've ever written before, but there isn't really too much to say.

You've got to learn to be creative.

This past week I received by mail an offer to subscribe to a very well known business magazine. I'm still very tempted to order that subscription even though I've never read the magazine before in my life.

Why?

Because they are offering a FREE sports watch with every new subscription!

The thing is, I don't need a watch - I've got a beautiful $1000 gold watch sitting on my wrist right now - but I still want to order the subscription.

Why?

Because I WANT that FREE watch!


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Paul Barrs is the creator of "The Complete Guide to Home Business Success", as well as being a professional speaker, trainer and presenter. He would like to offer you a free subscription to his "Home Business Gold Online Audio e-Magazine" where each week you'll receive a free audio seminar delivered to your in-box. To get your subscription, go now to http://www.paulbarrs.com/ today.

Why do we butcher our profits Online? Find out How to Make More Profit in your eBusines

(c) Paul Barrs


Now this makes me angry!

Why do we butcher our profits when selling Online?

I can't stand it.

How many times I've seen what looks to be a quality product selling for the stupid price of $9.95 or some great package of products for $19.95 - I cannot count.

Are the creators of such products insane?

Are they scared that you'll not make any sales at all?

Just this morning while following posts on a message forum I came across yet another site that sells a terrific range of info products - each which can be bought separately. But this webmaster had bundled them together and was selling them for less than one fifth of what he could get if sold separately.

Why doesn't he at least triple his price and sell them for minimum half for the package.

Over the past two months I've made numerous International phone calls to talk with other net business owners who are also feeling frustrated.

Because of the nut-crackers out there who butcher prices, we all are suffering. Think about it people - let's look at the math.

Let's use a product example of an incredible eBook called "Widgets Unlimited" (yes it's fictional)

It's easily worth $150 - this is hot and has the references to go with it.

However, the webmaster sells it (or a re seller ever worse) for the all time low price of $14.95 (and don't laugh - this happens)

He (or she for the ladies) sells 500 copies in the first month. $14.95 x 500 = $7,475.00

Now that's not bad, we'd all like to be doing that right?

But let's assume that the sales copy is great, the book is fantastic, people are raving about it all over the net.

So the price becomes $49 and he (or she - although it's usually guys that do this stupid thing) only sells half the volume. $49.00 x 250 = $12,250.00

That's fewer products for more income. Less customer returns (if any), less download problems, less browser based problems etc. Win win.

How about if the owner of the book did the right thing in the first place and sold it for $99.00.

But understanding that the price is higher, he only sells one third of the original volume. $99.00 x 166 units = $16,434.00

Can you see where this is going?

======Side Note:======

Hey, We all know the argument "But what if because it's cheaper more people buy? Surely the volume will make the extra profit?"

OK, let's take a look at it.

At $99.00 you sell 166 units for $16,434.00

So using the original price at $14.95 you'll need to sell 1,100 of them to make the same amount of money.

Now, unless you're a top marketer with substantial previous experience, that isn't going to happen.

And if you are a top marketer with the experience to sell 1,000+ books in this fictional month, then with your credibility, people will still pay at least $37.00 for your book which would be $40,700 for the same amount of work.

======End Note:======

For goodness sake owners, authors and writers - stop shooting yourself in the foot!

And for those of you who sell resale rights products (stop trying to "give it all away" - you are the one loosing money!

And for those of you who create and sell resale rights products - PLEASE sell by license to a profitable price marketplace.

Don't let people butcher and degrade your work by selling your $99.00 product for $14.94 - it's hurting you as well as us.

Please.

Over the past twelve months I've increased the access to my training site four times. Originally it was $49.00 (I fell into the trap). Now it's over $300.00.

Guess what, I have more people register and join now than I did at the lower price, but even if I didn't it would still be worthwhile.

You can do the same - just believe in your products and services.

Between us, we can bring some profit back into the Online Market.


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Paul Barrs is the creator of "The Complete Guide to Home Business Success", as well as being a professional speaker, trainer and presenter. He would like to offer you a free subscription to his "Home Business Gold Online Audio e-Magazine" where each week you'll receive a free audio seminar delivered to your in-box. To get your subscription, go now to http://www.paulbarrs.com/ today.

Massive Traffic and the The Business Success Formula - JV x VM (7) = MTO

(c) Paul Barrs

Would you just "hate" to see this message on your Website?

ERROR:

MTO Server Overload.

This is a 500 Billion-MB server.

Massive Traffic Overload.

Wouldn't that just be wonderful? Well, maybe not. But you'd love the traffic.

MTO. Massive Traffic Overload on your brand new swish bang 500 Billion-MB server.

If you're using a free web host and you plug in the

JV x VM (7) = MTO

Formula, than that is exactly what may happen to you.

If you're running your own domain then you're set - the JV x VM (7) = MTO formula could be exactly what you're looking for.

Let's break it down, starting at the end.

*** MTO. ***

MTO stand for Massive Traffic Overload. It's the one thing that most of us "Web People" don't experience. It's the one thing that we love to have. The one thing that we struggle for day in and day out.

More Traffic. Massive Traffic.

The philosophy is simple. Get more people to your website, get more sales, more subscribers, more everything.

In a nutshell that is true (although here we are looking only at the formula, not sales copy, product quality and so on).

So let me ask you a question: Are you currently "thrilled to bits" with your current website traffic flow?

Most likely, no.

How do I know that? Because as a Website marketing consultant, It's the one common problem I encounter - day in and day out.

What can you do about it - simple answer - apply the formula.

*** (7) ***

This formula is broken down in to 3 parts, each as essential to the other.

VM to the power of (7).

When you apply the VM in this formula, you can expect your results to multiply seven-fold easily and effortlessly.

7

7 x 7 = 49

7 x 7 x 7 = 343

7 x 7 x 7 x 7 = 2,401

7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 = 16,807

7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 = 117,649

7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 = 823,543

You've done your high school maths. You know how this works. Multiply your efforts and magnify them exponentially.

But where does the VM come into it?

Very Magic? Yep.

Very-fast Motor? Nope.

Viral Marketing - Bingo!

You need to build into the formula a plan and system that will multiply your efforts without your input, without you investing your own time over and over again. Getting others to do it for you.

As a young entrepreneur I was fortunate to be mentored by many extremely successful men and women. One of them said to me that the secret to success was OPM and OPT.

Other People's Money and Other People's Time.

Isn't that the way all large corporations work? Of course. You need to do the same with Viral Marketing.

Want more traffic to your Website? Then get it viral and get it immediately.

JV x VM (7) = MTO

However, viral marketing on it's own means nothing, diddly-squat, nada, zip, zilch. You need the final key - JV.

Just Magic? - It is.

Juju Martini - Nope.

Joint Venture - Bingo!

This is easy stuff, it really is. I know that you're heard all this before - however, I'm also very confident that while you know this - you don't apply the formula.

The art of successful Joint Venturing is easy - find a good product, service, traffic generator, or whatever and ask other people to help you promote it, with something in return, be it either a slice of the product, a referral fee for service, or a piece of the traffic.

When you apply the Joint Venture with the Viral Marketing you can easily and effortlessly magnify your own time and effort towards an explosive growth pattern.

Let's say it takes you a maximum of 15 minutes to register for some new program, copy and paste a pre-formatted email, and then forward it to your associates and subscribers.

Then they do the same.

Using the above calculations (7 x 7) your initial 15 minutes could turn into a whopping 202 Thousand hours of Joint Venture / Viral Marketing Magic.

All because you invested 15 minutes and applied the formula.

Think about it - then go hunt around your email in-box. I know you'll easily find something there worthwhile promoting.

Have fun - and create Magic with your own Massive Traffic Overload.


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Paul Barrs is the creator of "The Complete Guide to Home Business Success", as well as being a professional speaker, trainer and presenter. He would like to offer you a free subscription to his "Home Business Gold Online Audio e-Magazine" where each week you'll receive a free audio seminar delivered to your in-box. To get your subscription, go now to http://www.paulbarrs.com/ today.

Your Web Business - Fun or Profit?

By Paul Barrs

There are a series of interesting questions that arise around how much time and effort you should put into the web side of your business.

Things like: 'How much time should I invest?", "How much do I need to understand?", "When is enough money enough - will I ever start making money?"

To be able to answer these questions you need to first discover your exact reasons for having a website - in it's simplest form - is it for fun or for profit?

Let me explain…

Each week I invest between 15 - 20 hours reading and researching what's happing in the Online Marketing world. Here I make a difference between what other businesses have as a web presence and what they are actually doing Online. 80% of that time is pure research following up on what other web-marketers are doing, and the kind of results that they are achieving. For me that's fun.

Why so much time? Because it's my business (or at least part of it).

In total I run five different businesses, three of which are entirely online and generate no source of income other than that which is ordered, processed and transacted online (pure e-commerce). However, the other two offline businesses are also supported by websites and focus on teaching other business people how to market their products and services Online. Even more interesting is the fact that I only have one product - these five different businesses all sell the same product to different demographic marketplaces in slightly different formats. This is my profit.

And so, this is the reason why I spend so much time in research and development. But what about you?

As an overall percentage of gross income, what portion is produced by your website (or to a greater extend, what are it's possibilities)?

Look at the diversity in marketing strategies that are utilized offline: Paid advertising (yellow pages / trade mags / directories etc…); Flyers, brochures, mail outs; how about networking and partnership building.

Each of these produce results through phone calls and sales. It is exactly the same Online. Whether you are into this "Internet marketing" thing or not, you need to at least understand enough to be able to make it both fun and profitable.

In the Online world, you can also participate in paid advertising through paid search engine inclusion, directory placements, pay per click advertising, ezine advertising. You can also invest in mail outs through your own and other eNewsletters - and such relationships are built through partnerships and networking.

If your web business appears to be nothing more than a chore at the moment, invest the time to understand the correct online marketing principles that will produce results - then, you will begin to see the profit (where your website generates more income that it cost to set up and run).

When that happens you can then enjoy the profit - which makes the whole exercise "fun".

That is after all, why you're in business, right?

With understanding and knowledge comes power. This power is the power to take action based on informed decisions. Those actions are the catalyst towards momentum and increased cash flow. That cash flow is directly related to your lifestyle and retirement (unless of course you want to work 24/7 and die in your office.)

It is my understanding that no one man or woman ever lay on their deathbed and wished to have spent more time working to create greater wealth. Wouldn't you agree?

You web business can return both fun and profit. The question is, does it? And if it doesn't - what are you going to do about it?

Paul Barrs
.

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Paul Barrs is the creator of "The Complete Guide to Home Business Success", as well as being a professional speaker, trainer and presenter. He would like to offer you a free subscription to his "Home Business Gold Online Audio e-Magazine" where each week you'll receive a free audio seminar delivered to your in-box. To get your subscription, go now to http://www.paulbarrs.com/ today.

Building your Business for Success.

By Paul Barrs. (c) 2003

It's a strange anomaly.

Most people who set out to start their own business, no matter what type, build it for failure, not success.

Crazy isn't it? But true.

The saddest part in all this, is that they don't even know that they are destined for failure long before their dreams shatter and break apart.

Statistics tell us that within 5 years of start up 90% of all small business will go under.

My personal experience shows me that 98% of all home based business will do the same.

Why?

Because they lack the fundamental skills, education and development to plan ahead, foresee the pitfalls, and capitalize on gains.

Here is a key secret to business success. It's "Easy to Do", it's also "Easy not to Do."

That applies to everything. It's easy to do a business plan. It's also easy not to do one.

It's easy to create a marketing plan, but it's also easy not to create one.

It's easy to pick up the phone and call a new potential customer; it's also easy not to do it.

That one thing will determine your success, or measure your failure.

However, on a brighter side, there are three specific things that you must focus on doing if your want to develop a powerhouse and dynamic business in 2002.

Those three things are:

1. Get potential customers to your business.
2. Get those same people to come back.
3. Get them to refer their friends, family and associates.

Sounds simple doesn't it?

It's easy to do, it's also easy not to do. And if you're not consciously aware of this business reality, you're probably not doing these three things.

Let's look at them.

1. Get potential customers to your business.

It does not matter what your business, your product, or your services. Whether you are online or off-line makes no difference. You absolutely must focus 50% of your time and energy on gaining new customer enquires. (Initially 80% if you are just starting)

Use every method available to you. Utilize every single resource. Study and learn what it takes to get people to call you, or visit your Website, or mail you a form.

I know I'm pointing out the obvious, but if your head is stuck in product development, or management and accounting you won't be able to see the trees from the forest.

Customers are your lifeblood. They are your bread and butter. They represent every reason why you go into business in the first place - to make money.

So get them and get them quick.

2. Get those same people to come back.

It's a proven fact that most people will not buy from you on their first contact. There are no exceptions to this rule. A prospective customer must have exposure to your business an average of 5 - 8 times (depending on your products and services) before they will even contact you.

The world of professional selling tells us that most sales closes take place on the 7th contact.

What does this tell you?

If you work so hard at getting new people to your business front, but then not getting them to come back - you're building for failure.

Don't do it!

Stop right now and look at your sales systems. Do they make allowances for automatic or semi-automatic follow up? Do you offer Auto responders from your Website? Do you have an off-line sales letter follow up plan. Do you use contact management software so that you don't loose track of potential customers?

Why do you think the Pro's in your industry are the top income earners? Think about that. They keep in touch with people.

3. Get them to refer their friends, family and associates.

This is the cream of the crop.

When you set out in your business, you must focus 80% of your time on getting new contacts. As your business develops, you must then change that focus to 80% gaining referrals.

Referrals are the sweetest prospective customers of all. They are already pre-qualified. They already want what you have to offer.

And you don't have to spend a cent getting them!

If your business is online, you can do this with a simple, click and refer a friend script. If you're not on the web, you can do this by using a business card referral system.

But even more - are you ready for the kicker?

You must ASK people for their referrals!

When you've got a great product and a great service, it fantastic. But there is really no point in working really hard to get a brand new fresh customer at great expense when all you have to do is ASK your existing customers for a few referrals.

Don't be shy. You ask, and most of them will happily give.

It's that easy. Easy to do, easy not to do.

Can you see the pattern developing here, the difference between success and failure, those that do and those that don't?

All these things are easy to do. They are, really. But most people opt for the easier choice - not to do.

The choice is yours. Build your business for success with qualified customer flow and you will reap the rewards.

=======================================
Paul Barrs is the creator of "The Complete Guide to Home Business Success", as well as being a professional speaker, trainer and presenter. He would like to offer you a free subscription to his "Home Business Gold Online Audio e-Magazine" where each week you'll receive a free audio seminar delivered to your in-box. To get your subscription, go now to http://www.paulbarrs.com/ today.

Discover How One Guy Made $213,705 and Attracted 41,409 New Opt-in Subscribers -- In the Last Month Alone!

Review: "The Insider Secrets to E-mail Marketing -- Advanced Series" by Corey Rudl

It's not often that I am surprised by something I see online.

And it's even more rare that I stumble upon a book that causes me to literally stop what I am doing and write a letter to everyone I know.

But I just discovered that Corey Rudl -- probably one of the best-known and most well-respected experts on the subject of e-mail marketing -- has just released all the details behind how he used e-mail marketing to make $213,705 and attract 41,409 new opt-in subscribers in the last 30 days alone!

The truth is, I still can't figure out exactly WHY Corey has made this information available, since it gives everyone -- including his competitors -- the chance to steal the secrets he's spent the last 6 years perfecting!

He shows you everything from growing a super-responsive opt-in list as quickly as possible, to generating the highest possible revenue from every e-mail you send, to protecting your business from being wrongly accused of spamming and knowing how to effectively deal with it if you are...

He also teaches you when you should mail, how you should mail, what you should write, and when you should send it so that you are guaranteed the best possible results from each and every e-mail...

His years of testing are going to completely eliminate all of YOUR guesswork!

The thing is, the e-mail marketing industry HAS changed dramatically over the past few years. And while company after company has gone out of business just trying to keep up with all these changes, Corey has continued to generate over $2.4 million every year with e-mail marketing.

And this book shows you step-by-step what he did and how he did it so you can take his strategies and model them to create your own success.

With over 430+ pages that include tons of great real-life examples, I was especially impressed by the way Corey's book breaks down exactly HOW you can implement -- and test -- all the tips and techniques that he teaches into your own business.

I still think that Corey's going to regret giving all this information away, so I would advise you to grab this book while you can! It really does tell you everything you need to do to grow your business successfully with e-mail marketing.

Click here to find out more.

Three Critical Success Traits Shared By "Mom & Pop" Type Web Sites That Are Earning $100,000 to $600,000 Every Year

Recently, I became a member of this new private web site, SecretsToTheirSuccess.com, that shares the Internet marketing secrets of real people, just like you and me, who are earning $100,000+ per year with their own Internet businesses.
Just to give you some background, I'll tell you that every month, this site shares two new real-life stories of successful "Mom & Pop" type sites, providing in-depth interviews with the site owners and asking really tough questions about the exact steps, strategies, tools, and software that these people have used to build and grow their sites to their current success.

.........................

Success Trait #1:
First of all, one of the reason's why they're sooooo successful NOW is because they didn't let their lack of knowledge stop them. Despite the fact that many of them had no computer experience, never mind experience using the Internet -- and despite the fact that many had never owned a business before -- they just plain got started and didn't worry about making everything "perfect" the first time.
Remember, I'm not talking about rocket-scientists here. These are regular people, like you and me, who started running their web sites out of their own homes and are now making $100,000 to $600,000 a year with their sites.
And believe it or not, almost all of them were making a profit from day-one! Sure, they weren't all making buckets of cash right away; but their profits increased quickly as they continued to improve on what they started with.


To read the rest of this story please visit http://www.mikeseroveyenterprises.com/report1.htm

Business Tips To Help You Succeed

by Jack Humphrey
http://power-linking-profits.com


GENERAL IDEAS
Never let a day pass without engaging in at least one marketing activity.
Determine a percentage of gross income to spend annually on marketing.
Set specific marketing goals every year; review and adjust quarterly.
Maintain a tickler file of ideas for later use.
Carry business cards with you (all day, every day).
Create a personal nametag or pin with your company name and logo on it and wear it at high visibility meetings.

TARGET MARKET
Stay alert to trends that might impact your target market, product or promotion strategy.
Read market research studies about your profession, industry, product, target market groups, etc.
Collect competitors’ ads and literature; study them for information about strategy, product features and benefits, etc.
Ask clients why they hired you and solicit suggestions for improvement.
Ask former clients why they left you.
Identify a new market.
Join a list-serve (email list) related to your profession.
Subscribe to an Internet Usenet newsgroup or a list-serve that serves your target market.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Create a new service, technique or product.
Offer a simpler/cheaper/smaller version of your (or another existing) product or service.
Offer a fancier/more expensive/faster/bigger version of your (or another existing) product or service.
Update your services.

EDUCATION, RESOURCES AND INFORMATION
Establish a marketing and public relations advisory and referral team composed of your colleagues and/or neighboring business owners to share ideas and referrals and to discuss community issues.
Meet quarterly for breakfast.
Create a suggestion box for employees.
Attend a marketing seminar.
Read a marketing book.
Subscribe to a marketing newsletter or other publication.
Subscribe to a marketing list-serve on the Internet.
Subscribe to a marketing Usenet newsgroup on the Internet.
Train your staff, clients and colleagues to promote referrals.
Hold a monthly marketing meeting with employees or associates to discuss strategy, status and to solicit marketing ideas.
Join an association or organization related to your profession.
Get a marketing intern to take you on as a client; it will give the intern experience and you some free marketing help.
Maintain a consultant card file for finding designers, writers and other marketing professionals.
Hire a marketing consultant to brainstorm with.
Take a "creative journey" to another progressive city or country to observe and learn from marketing techniques used there.

PRICING AND PAYMENT
Analyze your fee structure; look for areas requiring modifications or adjustments.
Establish a credit card payment option for clients.
Give regular clients a discount.
Learn to barter; offer discounts to members of certain clubs/professional groups/organizations in exchange for promotions in their publications.
Give "quick pay" or cash discounts.
Offer financing or installment plans.

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
Publish a newsletter for customers and prospects. (It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive.)
Develop a brochure of services.
Include a postage-paid survey card with your brochures and other company literature. Include check-off boxes or other items that will involve the reader and provide valuable feedback to you.
Remember, business cards aren’t working for you if they’re in the box. Pass them out! Give prospects two business cards and brochures -- one to keep and one to pass along.
Produce separate business cards/sales literature for each of your target market segments (e.g. government and commercial, and/or business and consumer).
Create a poster or calendar to give away to customers and prospects.
Print a slogan and/or one-sentence description of your business on letterhead, fax cover sheets and invoices.
Develop a site on the World Wide Web.
Create a "signature file" to be used for all your e-mail messages. It should contain contact details including your Web site address and key information about your company that will make the reader want to contact you.
Include "testimonials" from customers in your literature.
Test a new mailing list. If it produces results, add it to your current direct mail lists or consider replacing a list that's not performing up to expectations.
Use colored or oversized envelopes for your direct mailings. Or send direct mail in plain white envelopes to pique recipients' curiosity.
Announce free or special offers in your direct response pieces. (Direct responses may be direct mail, broadcast fax, or e-mail messages.) Include the offer in the beginning of the message and also on the outside of the envelope for direct mail.

MEDIA RELATIONS
Update your media list often so that press releases are sent to the right media outlet and person.
Write a column for the local newspaper, local business journal or trade publication.
Publish an article and circulate reprints.
Send timely and newsworthy press releases as often as needed.
Publicize your 500th client of the year (or other notable milestone).
Create an annual award and publicize it as an outstanding employee of the year.
Get public relations and media training or read up on it.
Appear on a radio or TV talk show.
Create your own TV program on your industry or your specialty. Market the show to your local cable station or public broadcasting station as a regular program. Or, see if you can air your show on an open access cable channel.
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper or to a trade magazine editor.
Take an editor to lunch.
Get a publicity photo taken and enclose with press releases.
Consistently review newspapers and magazines for possible PR opportunities.
Submit "tip" articles to newsletters and newspapers.
Conduct industry research and develop a press release or article to announce an important discovery in your field.
Create a press kit and keep its contents current.

CUSTOMER SERVICE AND CUSTOMER RELATIONS
Ask your clients to come back again.
Return phone calls promptly.
Set up a fax-on-demand or email system to easily respond to customer inquiries.
Use an answering machine or voice mail system to catch after-hours phone calls. Include basic information in your outgoing message such a business hours, location, etc.
Record a memorable message or "tip of the day" on your outgoing answering machine or voice mail message.
Ask clients what you can do the help them.
Take clients out to a ball game, a show or another special event just send them two tickets with a note.
Hold a seminar at your office for clients and prospects.
Send hand-written thank-you notes.
Send birthday cards and appropriate seasonal greetings.
Photocopy interesting articles and send them to clients and prospects with a hand-written "FYI" note and your business card.
Send a book of interest or other appropriate business gift to a client with a handwritten note.
Create an area on your Web site specifically for your customers.
Redecorate your office or location where you meet with your clients.

NETWORKING AND WORD OF MOUTH
Join a Chamber of Commerce or other organization.
Join or organize a breakfast club with other professionals (not in your field) to discuss business and network referrals.
Mail a brochure to members of organizations to which you belong.
Serve on a city board or commission.
Host a holiday party.
Hold an open house.
Send letters to attendees after you attend a conference.
Join a community list-serve (email list) on the Internet.

ADVERTISING
Advertise during peak seasons for your business.
Get a memorable phone number, such as "1-800-WIDGETS."
Obtain a memorable URL and email address and include them on all marketing materials.
Provide Rolodex® cards or phone stickers pre-printed with your business contact information.
Promote your business jointly with other professionals via cooperative direct mail.
Advertise in a specialty directory or in the Yellow Pages.
Write an ad in another language to reach a non-English-speaking market. Place the ad in a publication that market reads, such as a Hispanic newspaper.
Distribute advertising specialty products such as pens, mouse pads or mugs.
Mail "bumps," photos, samples and other innovative items to your prospect list. (A bump is simply anything that makes the mailing envelope bulge and makes the recipient curious about what’s in the envelope!)
Create a direct mail list of "hot prospects."
Consider non-traditional tactics such as bus backs, billboards and popular Web sites.
Project a message on the sidewalk in front of your place of business using a light directed through words etched in a glass window.
Consider placing ads in your newspaper’s classified section.
Consider a vanity automobile tag with your company name.
Create a friendly bumper sticker for your car.
Code your ads and keep records of results.
Improve your building signage and directional signs inside and out.
Invest in a neon sign to make your office or storefront window visible at night.
Create a new or improved company logo or "recolor" the traditional logo.
Sponsor and promote a contest or sweepstakes.

SPECIAL EVENTS AND OUTREACH

Get a booth at a fair/trade show attended by your target market.
Sponsor or host a special event or open house at your business location in cooperation with a local non-profit organization, such as a women's business center. Describe how the organization helped you.
Give a speech or volunteer for a career day at a high school.
Teach a class or seminar at a local college or adult education center.
Sponsor an "Adopt-a-Road" area in your community to keep roads litter-free. People that pass by the area will see your name on the sign announcing your sponsorship.
Volunteer your time to a charity or non-profit organization.
Donate your product or service to a charity auction.
Appear on a panel at a professional seminar.
Write a "How To" pamphlet or article for publishing.
Produce and distribute an educational CD-ROM, audio or video tape.
Publish a book.

SALES IDEAS

Start every day with two cold calls.
Read newspapers, business journals and trade publications for new business openings and for personnel appointment and promotion announcements made by companies. Send your business literature to appropriate individuals and firms.
Give your sales literature to your lawyer, accountant, printer, banker, temp agency, office supply salesperson, advertising agency, etc. (Expand your sales force for free!)
Put your fax number on order forms for easy submission.
Set up a fax-on-demand or email system to easily distribute responses to company or product inquiries.
Follow up on your direct mailings, email messages and broadcast faxes with a friendly telephone call.
Try using the broadcast fax or email delivery methods instead of direct mail. (Broadcast fax and email allows you to send the same message to many locations at once.)
Using broadcast fax or email messages to notify your customers of product service updates.
Extend your hours of operation.
Reduce response/turnaround time. Make reordering easy reminders. Provide pre-addressed envelopes.
Display product and service samples at your office.
Remind clients of the products and services you provide that they aren't currently buying.
Call and/or send mail to former clients to try to reactivate them.
Take sales orders over the Internet.


--------------------------
Jack Humphrey is the Author of "Power linking 2: Evolution"
which hit the net to rave reviews. Grab your copy
before your competition does at http://power-linking-profits.com

One Good Link Deserves Another

by Jack Humphrey
http://power-linking-profits.com


There is nothing on the web that compares to a good link when you are talking about building steady streams of traffic to your site.

Did you know that one good link can bring you more daily traffic than a #1 position on a search engine? It’s true!

Did you also know that there are sites out there, thousands of them, who rely solely on the traffic they get from reciprocal links with other webmasters? There are! I call the webmasters of these sites Link Minded people!

No webmaster in their right mind would argue that links aren’t the lifeblood of the internet. A search engine is only a directory of links. A link directory on your domain is also a search engine when you use the proper technique of creating a “themed category listing.

I think the biggest problem on the net today is that so many webmasters are looking for a Magic Pill that will solve their traffic problems with The Click of a Button. How many times have you seen an ad with those exact words in it? 50? 100 times or more?

Well, I am sorry to tell you, there is no magic pill. That I can absolutely positively guarantee. There is no substitute for plain, old fashioned hard work and dedication to your website and the business you would like to succeed in. The internet offers tons of automation solutions, and even reciprocal linking has had a couple of valiant attempts and even successes at a certain degree of automation.

But exchanging meaningful, traffic-driving links with other webmasters is and always will be a personal, one-on-one thing. It is like a mini joint venture with other webmasters and you have to address them without bulk mail or spamming in order to even have a chance at getting the mother of all links someday!

When you look at reciprocal linking (the oldest original form of advertising since the web began) it is really surprising how few marketing experts deal with the topic. I wrote a book about the whole phenomenon simply because there were so few people looking into the science of link swapping!

And there is a science to it! There are pitfalls. There are plain NO-NOs. There are myriad ways to waste your time chasing after useless links, or worse, links that will get you banned from some search engines! Reciprocal linking is not link farming or posting to 400,000 Free-for-All links pages. (A most detestable practice used for awhile by all newbies, then abandoned after the damage is done.)

In short, you really have few choices on the net better than starting a link directory and asking webmasters with relevant content to your site for a link swap. Unless you have a huge budget and can afford to pay someone to get your site optimized and ranked in the top ten on all the big engines, there aren’t other alternatives.

Banner exchanges suck visitors from your site. Traffic exchanges bring you hits, but totally uninterested visitors. Ezine ads are an important linking strategy, but that is an ongoing process you do to get quick spurts of traffic, not ongoing, steady streams of it. Plus it is hard to know where to get the best ads and usually the best ads are pretty expensive on a small budget.

My recommendation for people who really want their site to be noticed to the tune of 1000 hits a day or more, who are on a budget and are just starting: start a link directory on your site and have clear instructions on how to swap links with you.

Then, search the net for your link partners (relevancy is SO key here, don’t swap links with Victoria’s Secret if you sell fishing line!) send them personalized emails asking for swaps, set up top listings for those willing to be “link partners and keep going until you have at least 100 links to your site! (Verifiable at Altavista.com by typing in “Link:yourdomain.com)

Then, stop and take a break and start again. It’s work. Even with automation software. Nothing good comes on the net without work. Did you EVER in your life see a successful business owner who said “It really was easy, no real work at all to get where I am today!?

But the payoff here is guaranteed: Reciprocal links will bring you traffic and increase your site’s link popularity and ranking on the search engines. Any webmaster willing to do what it takes to succeed should be willing to work their fingers to the bone to get a huge amount of traffic through link swapping!



--------------------------
Jack Humphrey is the Author of "Power linking 2: Evolution"
which hit the net this week to rave reviews. Grab your copy
before your competition does at http://power-linking-profits.com

How to get 1 Million Hits Without the Search Engines A Primer By Jack Humphrey, webmastertraffictools.com

by Jack Humphrey
http://power-linking-profits.com


I love to show people how they can actually get up to 1 million hits per month using reciprocal links. People are doing it right now all over the web and have the live server log files to prove it. And you probably are thinking, “Yeah they are on top of the search engine lists! Actually, top listing on the search engines is not the cause of their hits! It’s a side-effect.

Reciprocal links alone put them in the Million-a-Month Club. Reciprocal links, good ones, can do much more for you than any search engine ever will.

Wow Jack, that’s a bold statement, got anything to back that up?

How about the server logs of people getting over a million hits per month who did nothing more than seek out link partners and ONLY submitted to each major search engine ONCE? Would that convince you?

Well check it out. Here are two sites that use reciprocal linking almost exclusively with all other forms of advertising bringing in a relatively negligible amount of traffic. When looking at their live server log files, pay attention to the following things:

1.) Qualified traffic from reciprocal links.

Look at the Refers Report and check the section labeled '/'. Underneath you will find which links and search engines are sending these websites traffic.) Search engine traffic to the sites’ Link Directory pages.

In the Refers Report, find the headings that start with /links/, with the name of the Link Directory pages directory after. Search engines send lots of traffic to these pages. These pages were never submitted to the search engines!

Example 1: CTEX CD Replication holds the number one keyword placement on Yahoo for "CD replication." How did they get there? Link popularity! Check out their live server log files at: http://www.ctexinc.com/stats/index.html


Example 2: Toolady.com is a website that has been using reciprocal links for a long time and her web site traffic was generated completely reciprocal links! In four months it became one of the most heavily trafficked bird web sites on the internet. No other form of marketing was done. Check out her server log files here:

http://toolady.com/reports/log_bird.html

So you tell me, are search engines the almighty savior you thought they were a minute ago?



Relevance of Your Links

Relevance has a lot to do with how a search engine robot will treat you nowadays. That's why I always talk about the importance of building a link list or "theme index" for your site (call it a reciprocal link exchange) that closely resembles the topics or products you deal with in your site. (But not those, of course, in direct competition to you.)

Now the FFA and Link Farm people are going to be mad at me, but this is the truth!

Here's a test. If I fail it you may publicly scorn me!

Go to any FFA page on the web and look for Yahoo.com. Try Amazon.com, or CocaCola.com... There must be TONS of their links on FFA pages - EVERYBODY knows those guys! Go ahead and check it out, I'll be here when you get back!

Glad you're back - how many links did you find? None? Yikes!

Now go to Altavista.com and type link:yahoo.com in the search window. What happened? Well, I just did it and it said: We found 6,670,578 results. (By the way, don't you love how the search engine will report millions of links just like it reports none? Doesn't it seem like they would be like "WOW, six million links!!!")

That's 6,670,578 links pointing to Yahoo.com!!

And not a single one from a link farm. Now don't go getting ideas in your head about getting 6 million links. You don't need that many to flood your site with enough traffic to keep you selling widgets, or informing the public on the effects on the ozone layer from methane gas produced by cattle. (What? hey its late, that was the best example I could come up with! How do I know what you’re into?)

No, you need far fewer links than that to get 1,000,000 hits a month. And, with a million hits a month, how many methane gas-to-oxygen converters do you think you could sell to farmers to mount on the backs of their cows to protect the ozone layer? I'd say at least a whole heap!

There is automation software out there that people are using to drastically optimize their link lists and I highly recommend checking them out. The best and first of its kind can be found at webmastertraffictools.com.

This software has a fully functioning demo that will spider the web, set up your link directory, AND upload it to your server. It also does a mail-merge function to personalize all your link requests to other webmasters and mails for you. All in the DEMO version!

You CAN do all this manually, but it is highly recommended that you at least check out the automation software demo above to see what the best of the best webmasters are using to get those million hits per month.

(Author’s note: It has not yet been proven whether methane produced by cow emissions affects the ozone layer. Example above is fictional.)


--------------------------
Jack Humphrey is the Author of "Power linking 2: Evolution"
which hit the net this week to rave reviews. Grab your copy
before your competition does at http://power-linking-profits.com

Insight: Failure and Success In Online Business

by Jack Humphrey
http://power-linking-profits.com


Creativity and Determination are the KEY ingredients in all online success stories. So many times, as a moderator and participant in the net's most active and lauded online marketing forum, The Internet Marketing Warriors, I have heard the same questions repeated by hopeful marketer after hopeful marketer. And mostly they begin with "How do I...?"

Similar questions, in a dead-heat in frequency, vary around a theme such as "What tool should I use to...?"

Know-how and tools. Go to any forum on the net, on almost any subject, and you will find hundreds or even thousands of people exchanging information on know-how and tools. "What is the best way to write copy?" "Which autoresponder script is best for my business?" "What hosting is the best for me?"

Very infrequently will you come upon a marketing discussion that talks about creativity and determination. Even more rare is a successful product that shows people HOW to be creative and determined. This is because tools and know-how are so much easier to write about.

If this, then that. Such a small phrase, yet it is the bulk of what internet marketing training is all about if you have read even a small pile of ebooks geared toward making you a better sales producer.

And the formula sells - big time.

But then, why are there so many people failing at marketing their business online? What is IT that separates the masses from the relatively few truly successful online small businesses?

It is this: You cannot teach people creativity very easily. Some would say it's impossible. Art classes are simply tools to weed out people that don't have IT so they can get busy pursuing another line of work!

And it is this: Determination (including work ethic, stick-to-it-ivenss, seeing something through to the end) is even harder to simply instill in a person with the written word or teleseminar. You cannot reach through your ebook to slap someone everyday to recapture their focus for them and keep them on-task.

The problem is compounded when you have one of the above and not the other. Creative people very often have no business sense or the drive necessary to acquire it. Determined people fail gloriously in a gallon of sweat at five in the morning without creativity. Nothing is probably more disheartening than having one or the other. It must be like being able to see over the fence, but not have what it takes to climb to the other side.

Tools are tools. We must use them in any profession to the best of our ability. Henry Ford used tools to create Model Ts. But did you ever read a story proclaiming that Ford won the day with his tools? Of course not. The stories are about determination and creativity and that's it.

You can go out right now and get the best software, the most expensive copywriter, the best programmer, and even the best product since sliced bread. And you can fail. It's been done more times than success by a long margin throughout history.

This article is not about how to succeed at internet marketing. It is not about tools that will help get you over the fence where the grass is greener.

This article is an observation. An observation that is seeded with clues that only creative and determined people will pick up on. And, despite all the success manuals and training you may have spent hard earned money on, this article contains the answer to why many people fail and some succeed at not only internet marketing, but in anything in life.

Creativity in internet marketing is being able to think beyond what others have accomplished to date. It's being able to take the pulse of the internet and the human condition and react by putting something together that is needed and desired.

Determination is being able to go out on a limb and work until you succeed despite obstacles and naysayers. It is fueled by belief in yourself and your creative ideas.

Do you have these two key ingredients? Can you see what is possible that thousands of other great minds have overlooked? If so, can you then take that vision and turn it into reality with dogged determination and perhaps the hardest work you have ever done in your life?

If you have "it," then you can go learn about our trade from the technical (tools) standpoint and you can use them to succeed with your creativity and determination. The tools are worthless by themselves.

I hope one day to see a lot more questions about the creative process as it relates to business and success in forums in the future. I want to see questions (and honest answers!) about how much work it takes to create a profitable business online. Then I will know that a lot more people are on track and are asking the RIGHT questions. Most of all, I hope to see more training materials from experts that deal with not only what tools and systems to use, but with topics on how to think freely, on your own, about how you could make something better or make something new out of the situation at hand.

Finally, when you hear that this business is not for everyone, it means quite specifically that this business is not for people who cannot think outside the norm and work long hours. That's why businesses that people try to sell you that "do all the work so you don't even have to think" are so absurd.

No one has ever succeeded at anything without creativity and determination. Unless they have entered a couch potato contest. But even then the most successful people are going to be the ones who think creatively about how to sit on that couch longer than anyone else and watch more TV than was formerly thought humanly possible.

Here is an example using the above: 99% of the people who set out to be the #1 Couch Potato will simply start out by sitting in front of the TV for as long as they can. They think, "I will just out-potato everyone else by doing it 24/7."

And they will all fail. Because one person is going to think creatively and freely. They are going to buy 5 TVs and plug them all in in front of the couch. They are going to out-potato everyone else by being able to compound the amount of TV they can watch by 5 times the amount of everyone else while doing no more work than the other 99%. Through creativity and determination, the person who wins at anything is going to find ways to succeed that most people never would have thought of.

In the end, if you want to succeed online, you must ask yourself: Do I REALLY have the creativity and determination to turn my current situation into a better one through an online business? Don't worry about tools and know-how. Those can be learned and used by anyone. But there is no need to commit yourself to a big learning curve if you don't have what it really takes to succeed in the end.


--------------------------
Jack Humphrey is the Author of "Power linking 2: Evolution"
which hit the net this week to rave reviews. Grab your copy
before your competition does at http://power-linking-profits.com

Boost Your Business and Personal Success by Creating Your Own Luck!

by Jack Humphrey
http://power-linking-profits.com


Jason Zweig wrote a great little article in Money Magazine called "R+U Lucky? Some Guys Do Have All The Luck. Here's How to Join Them" (Money, August 2003 pp85).

In it he describes the patterns that "lucky" people follow and how to increase your odds of success by basically placing yourself in the "right place at the right time."

Can you always be in the right place at the right time? Not really, unless you broaden your definition of that phrase a bit, as I have.

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My Definition of The Right Place at The Right Time: "Putting yourself in every corner of your market niche in some fashion so as to be in front of customers and people who can further your business through partnerships, buyouts, joint ventures and many other opportunities that only come through the luck you *create* by being active and involved in your niche."

Zweig talks about the fact that some people seem actually "skillful" at being lucky. A British psychologist, Richard Wiseman, even wrote a new book on the subject called "The Luck Factor." (See www.luckfactor.co.uk)

Wiseman did a study on over 400 people who thought of themselves
as either very lucky or unlucky.

"He found that some are indeed luckier than others, that lucky people share similar attitudes and that many apparently random outcomes can be controlled" says Zweig.

Think of the first person that comes to mind who owns an online business and who you think of as "lucky." Actually, think of about 5 people. Should be an easy list to make - they are your competition, or business owners you admire, most likely.

Now, what trait would you say your list of 5 lucky people share? I would venture to say they all share the same trait of being, at one point or another, "in the right place at the right time."

How did they do it? Was it really blind luck? Are the odds dismal? The same as winning your state lottery jackpot?

Not even close! Although there are some people who really cannot explain their luck, and who truly were just "touched by an angel," most successful people are successful because they are engaged to the hilt in their business. They are active promoters of their businesses in a radical way. They all have a fanatical involvement in networking themselves and their businesses.

The biggest mistake I see people make with their online businesses is that they separate their "self" from their business. They let the products speak for themselves, which is ok as one component of a marketing campaign, but that's not enough. They also successfully market *themselves* as well as their business. They see themselves as important factors in the success and identity of their business.

"Lucky" people see no separation of the two in fact. Products and services are inanimate "things." They are nothing really, without the people behind the scenes who put themselves in front of the scenes as much as possible and let others get to know THEM.

Why do you think so many people come back from conferences with
stories of how they landed a great partner they never thought they'd even get to answer an email?

Conferences and seminars are the epitome of "creating luck." The least important thing about them is the formal ceremonies. The good stuff happens at the bar in the hotel after the presentations are over. The "good stuff" is being in the right place at the right time. You are definitely creating luck whenever you network with peers and possible partners.

If you let yourself get lost in the day-to-day operations of your business and you don't allow yourself time to think about the ways in which you can get your "self" in front of the people who can break you into a whole new league of success for your business, you will be less "lucky" in business.

There are lots of real rags-to-riches stories on the net. People are succeeding and profiting online like never before, but few do it in a vacuum. You will find more often than not that a story of success will begin with a line like "My business REALLY took off when I met..." or "I was talking on the phone one day with...and all the sudden an idea was born."

Want to create some luck for yourself? Get involved in your business at a level in which you are always in the right place at the right time. Being active in online forums, calling people on the phone rather than using email, meeting people in person who can help you get your products in front of thousands of potential customers, all these practices are used by the ever-lucky, most successful people on the planet.

Put yourself into your business as part of the product. Develop relationships. Run far far away from people who want to sell you on the concept that you can succeed online without having to talk with or meet others. Success has never knocked on the door of people who aren't open to human contact - that's a ridiculous and self-defeating practice.

If you are passionate about making money with an online or offline business, good old fashioned networking will always win out over any other method of advertising.

So, now you have the formula for "creating luck." If you can sit down this weekend and figure out all the ways you can put yourself in the right place at the right time to increase your business - including a powerful linking campaign for your website - you are going to start to see that there is a pattern indeed to creating luck and making things happen for your business.

--------------------------
Jack Humphrey is the Author of "Power linking 2: Evolution"
which hit the net this week to rave reviews. Grab your copy
before your competition does at http://power-linking-profits.com

Focus and Fear of Success - The Biggest Monkey on Your Back?

by Jack Humphrey
http://power-linking-profits.com


If you have been on the internet for awhile, you know that there are millions of people trying anything and everything to get your attention. They want in your wallet. It's a great big money grab out there folks, and the net has become the biggest marketing arena on the planet, driving whole industries and generating Billions of dollars in sales.

So what's the problem? Well, none if you are one of the small businesses with focus. A whole lot of problems if you lack focus.


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There are myriad small business opportunities on the net today. And if you do your research and find something you want to associate with, or you create a product for a well-researched target market, you are well on your way to financial success. Or are you?

You see the more you become active on the net as either someone looking for the right opportunity, or as someone who has found the right opportunity already, the more you are bombarded with choices. Everyday you get emails saying that the next best thing since sliced bread has come along.

The new "thing" demands your attention and you get nervous that you might be missing out on another opportunity for financial success.

But don't you already have one? At least, haven't you been presented with several great opportunities in the last week? So why on earth take a serious look at yet another? Why fragment the time you need to spend on your current business with all the marketing it takes to get yet another
off the ground and profitable?

What I am talking about here is something I call "Sign-up-Itis." (Not to be confused with Sinusitis, which can be just as debilitating.)

It goes like this: You find your focus, you are fired up. All is good and you are ready to start working on the hundreds of little things you need to do to get traffic and make sales. You need to get good search engine
positioning, you need a links campaign, you have to research ezines in your niche and place ads, you need to set up joint ventures, you need to create and update content on your site, set up a merchant account, a delivery system, and the list goes on from there.

Then you get an email from a friend or associate telling you that you HAVE to check out the latest and greatest. You do. It's an awesome opportunity. You look at your plate and it's already full with your current project, but the plate has a lot of things on it you really don't enjoy doing. It's a lot of work to make any business pay off, as you can see from the short list above.

"It's Much More Fun To Think About Success Than It Is To Do The Work It Takes To Achieve It"

But this NEW thing is exciting, fresh, new. It draws you in and it's MUCH more fun to think about success than it is to do the work it takes to achieve it, so you buy in. You get a ton of tools to start this new venture. It's all overwhelming, especially since you have gone back to your first venture and realized you now have TWO great things that can both make you money, but they BOTH need your attention on a grand scale in order to see profit.

Now, here is the part where most people give up. They say to themselves "Internet marketing is nothing more than a series of steps that I cannot complete. I am always excited when I get started on something, but when it comes down to DOING what I start, it gets hard and doesn't happen as fast as I would like it to."

Let me make one thing clear right now: It is not the net's fault for not providing us with real opportunity.

Opportunity abounds and is right there for us to snatch up and achieve success. Never let yourself fall into the trap of reasoning your way out of success. "It's not for me." "I can't do this - it's for people much better with
computers and internet marketing than me."

The problem lies with your focus and your fear of success. You must CHOOSE the opportunity you are passionate about, or create a product you stand behind and love, and then hunker down for the long-haul! Make yourself do everything you are taught to do to build your business and build it - all the way or not at all.

It should be no surprise the next time you get an email with the next best thing inside. You should say to yourself "That's great! Another opportunity for someone has just been born! But I am busy with MY business and cannot take on another venture at this time."

We Do It On Purpose

Lack of focus is sometimes a purposeful self-defeating tactic your subconscious uses to keep you from success. Success is NOT a destination. It's a journey.

And that journey scares the hell out of 99% of normal, everyday people. So be it. It IS scary to think of radical life changes, even if they are for what you consider to be far better than your current situation!

But don't let a lack of focus and your fear of success tear you away from your dreams. USE your fear and confront it, right now. Today.

Make hard decisions and stick to them, then begin the process of working on a focused, tight marketing campaign to make whatever venture you choose the venture that sets you free.

Wear electronic blinders. Keep lean and mean and only take on new responsibilities that will be good for your CURRENT business. Throw the rest in the trash.

We all know there are tons of opportunities out there. That is a fact. It's time now to get the stars out of your eyes, choose your niche, your product, your affiliate program or your MLM, and get to work. Make a vow not to stop until you are where you want to be financially.

The question is not "Can you really make money online?" This has been proven time and again over the years by thousands of people, many of whom you read about all the time.

The question is "Do you really want to be one of those people, or are you stuck in a cycle of constantly sabotaging your success with a lack of focus?"

The cure for Sign-up-itis is focus and hard work. Success is something you decide to achieve one day. It's that decision that is often the biggest hurdle any future success story has to conquer.

--------------------------
Jack Humphrey is the Author of "Power linking 2: Evolution"
which hit the net this week to rave reviews. Grab your copy
before your competition does at http://power-linking-profits.com

Want Big Profits? Show Up Everywhere Your Customers Surf!

by Jack Humphrey
http://power-linking-profits.com


There is a certain credit card company that is famous for the slogan "We're Everywhere You Want To Be!"

That is a darn good slogan for Power Linkers, because it hits the nail on the head. When you are marketing anything, of course your best bet is to reach every possible customer for your product with your message, right?

But if you are not a big multi-national corporation with millions of dollars to spend on flashy advertising, what are you going to do?


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Well, the internet is where the little guys have had equal footing with the big corporations from the beginning. Remember the big tech company crash when thousands of over-financed upstart internet companies went the way of the dodo? Who could forget that, right?

Those guys thought they could dominate on OUR turf if they threw money at the problem like they do in the offline world of television, radio, magazines, and newspapers. And the experiment failed miserably. Only a few companies got through that fiasco, but not without some deep scars.

All the while, people like me were watching and learning. And I realized then and there that the battle for monster profits on the web was going to be waged guerilla fashion.

Low budget, no budget, the less money and more creativity involved, the better! And that is how Power Linking was born. And that's why Power Linkers are "..everywhere you want to be."

If you put the science of linking to use in a massive, systematic way, by studying your potential customers' habits and using this knowledge to be "everywhere they surf," you cannot help but blow your competition out of the water.

There are billions of web pages on the net. There are fewer super-high traffic places on the net, but still a pretty mind-boggling amount. How many of them are you on?

How many sites with over 1 million visitors a month link to your website? Did you even think that was possible until I asked the question?

How well do you know your customers and their surfing habits? If you sell horse blankets and many of your potential customers surf the Number 1 horse lovers site online, what can you do to get exposure for your site there?

And if you say "Spend money on advertising" I am going to ask you to re-read what you just read above!

Get it out of your head completely, right now and for good, that you have to have money to make money. That you have to make a huge investment in hard cash to get the exposure your site needs. That point could not have been made clearer by the tech crash!

And when you don't have money to lose on the mistakes already laid out before you on a silver platter, it is a cardinal sin to spend a DIME on advertising!

Power Linkers show up everywhere our customers go. At least, that is the goal. On your way to showing up absolutely everywhere your potential market will see you, you will become a millionaire. That's a flat fact. So I doubt many people get to test the theory to it's absolute end.

There's too much world travel, deep sea fishing, and shopping for 2nd and 3rd homes for millionaires to be bothered with wondering whether they got themselves into every corner of the web that their market surfs!

Do YOU Have What it Takes to Make it Online?

I have a test for you to complete. If you saw "Spy Games" with Robert Redford and Brad Pitt, you will remember that Redford was training Pitt to be a spy, and a darn good one at that. In one scene during Pitt's training, Redford and Pitt are standing outside a big apartment building.

Redford turns to Pitt and says "You know anyone in that building?" Pit says "No." "In five minutes, I want to see you standing on the outside balcony of one of the top floor apartments," Redford told him.

Pitt was clearly taken aback. You see, Redford was teaching Pitt to befriend people almost instantly, gain trust, and go places and do things no one else would dream of doing to be the best spy he could possibly be.

His life depended on it. The scene cuts away, but we are left with the feeling Pitt had no trouble with this task because the next scene was of Pitt as a full-blown professional spy!

I want you to pretend right now that your life depends on getting a very highly prized link from one of the biggest sites in your niche. Either through an article, a plain reciprocal link, or other means, WITHOUT spending a dime on it. And I want you to do it in 24 hours.

Taking what you know right now, and realizing that now your life depends on how good a marketer you can be, come up with a plan that requires you to "befriend" a webmaster, CEO, whoever the person in charge of your "target" site is. And I want to see you standing on THEIR "balcony" waving to me (with your link) in 24 hours.

Think you can do it? Seems almost trivial when put in the perspective that if your life depended on it, and you HAD to find a way to get onto a site with some sort of free publicity, that you could certainly find a way. I mean, in the big perspective, this certainly is not an impossible task by any stretch whatsoever.

I want to see what you are made of. How bad do you want the prize? Because after you complete this task, the Power Linking world is going to open before you and you will start to see internet marketing in a whole new way, from that day forward.

If you do this and succeed, you are on your way to becoming a pro, and a very rich person indeed.

You now have 23 hours and 56 minutes to complete your task!

--------------------------
Jack Humphrey is the Author of "Power linking 2: Evolution"
which hit the net this week to rave reviews. Grab your copy
before your competition does at http://power-linking-profits.com