You have to love the little touches from EzineArticles. This morning I received a card and a fridge magnet for taking part in the hundred articles in one hundred days (HAHD) marathon challenge.
Ok, so I am behind on submissions – I really need to get a shufty on and get writing and submitting on the same author name! A timely reminder since there is just over a month to go!
It brought a smile to my face though Mail from EzineArticles is much better than bills…
On saying that it does make you wonder just how much they earn from all those ads to be able to regularly send their authors little gifts!
I still want my Ezine Articles mug, I best get writing…
One thing that you learn pretty quickly when writing articles is that the spell checker does not always pick the correct spelling and grammar!
I know from my own errors how easy it is to miss some simple grammar mistakes. Just looking at my last post here and I have made the “who and whom” mistake (again!) That will teach me to post on the blog at silly o clock in the morning! It is best to proof read your articles several times before publishing.
The problem with the word whom is it is quite old fashioned. Even when using it in the correct context, whom can sound quite awkward and stuffy. For most of us, it is not a word used in everyday speech any more. When you “write how you speak”, placing whom correctly in your articles is likely to be missed.
Who or whom – which one should you use in your articles?
Whilst you probably will say who instead of whom on a daily basis, when it comes to writing articles it is best to use correct grammar. I do not want to give a full English grammar lesson about subjects and objects. To be honest, I am totally unqualified to do so!
The easiest way to know if you are using the correct word is to remember the “m” rule. Put the word he or him in your sentence and see which sounds right. He uses the word who and him uses whom – notice the m’s.
If you are referring to a subject – he, her, they; then use “who”.
If you are referring to an object – him, she, them; then use “whom”.
For example…
Who/Whom is speaking? He is speaking, so who is the correct word.
Who/Whom should I ask? Ask him, so whom is the correct word to use.
I hope that helped solve some confusion! Now I am off to edit my last post…
Internet marketing is a funny old game. I know it can work, I’ve seen it work.
And, the biggest reason why it does not work how I want it to is not being able to put the time and effort in.
Why can’t I? Well by stupidly slow intermittent net is the main reason. There’s nothing worse than websites (such as my blog dashboards, article submission pages etc – no chance of anything swish or fancy and definitely no video pages!) that take so long to load that I am playing solitaire between load times.
That is about to change. From next Wednesday (all being well), I will once again have broadband. Boy have I missed it!
I have a “to do” list as long as my arm in preparation! (Not least is digging out my virtual axes and chainmail bikini and catching up with my tribe on TW whom I have not seen for months.)
So, I have just signed up for Ed Dales Challenge 2010 – formerly known as the 30 Day Challenge.
Until Wednesday, I will just have to pray the forum loads and miss the videos etc. But, I have signed up now because it started two days ago and I do not want to miss too much. It’s in pre-challenge, so keeping up for the next few days should be ok.
See, it’s not enough just to take action.
Action is great it brings in pocket money.
It got me out of a hole. I now have a toilet that flushes (don’t ask!) a washing machine that works, an oven that cooks and next job is to fix that damn hole in my ceiling from when I flooded the bathroom!
Oh, I moan about my crappy net, but when I started this odd thing called Internet marketing, I didn’t even have that – I did it from the library.
And, when I was young I had to walk 10 miles to school up hill in a snow storm, barefoot… Ok sarcasm over! I wasn’t blabbing my personal circumstances to make me sound hard done to. I am certainly no worse off than many these days.
The point is, I know Internet marketing works.
But, I want more.
I want a full time income every week, not an occasional cheque.
Not that I am particularly interested in money. I never have been. Money does not motivate me. Unfortunately, I need some to keep a roof over my head and eat.
What REALLY motivates me is making a difference. And, to make a difference I need to be in a position to do it, which means money – at least a bit!
So how will The Challenge help me do that?
Quite simply – focus and training.
The Challenge is 30 minutes each day with a task for 7 days. Then 7 days off. Repeat for 7 weeks.
I know after months of stumbling around what works for me. I know that by simply being able to do more online that I will see a difference. But, there is so much out there I should be doing that can take me to the next level.
Ed Dales Challenge is now in its 5th year and it has helped thousands of people. Best of all it is free. Yes, you read that right.
Do you want to get your marketing on the right track?
I bet you are thinking I will say EzineArticles now aren’t you?
Well guess what? You are wrong!
I love EzineArticles and the article directories have their uses. But, they are not the best way of publishing your carefully crafted content online.
The answer is quite simply – publish your articles on YOUR blog first. If you don’t have one yet, rush off to Expert WordPress; download their free super cool hacker safe set up tool and install a blog complete with SEO plugins today.
No, I haven’t gone crazy (I already was a bit mad but that is a different story…)
By publishing your article on EzineArticles first, you are helping to make the directory an authority site. Why not put the effort into making YOUR site an authority in your niche?
The main reason is sales conversions, particularly if you are an affiliate marketer.
Think about it.
Each step you place in front of your potential customer, your conversion is diluted. Let’s take a look at some easy numbers.
For example, your article gets 1000 views and 10% click through to your site (I think EZA average is around 5% but it’s early and we will assume you are above average!).
100 visitors land on your site; they are already interested in what you have to say so 20% click through to your affiliate product.
Now there are 20 visitors landing on the sales page. Let’s be generous and say 5% buy (that is VERY generous, most Clickbank products convert at around 1% or less).
That is 1 sale if I have done my basic math right.
The article directory is the winner. They are the authority site; they have the full 1000 visitors to monetise.
What if…
YOUR site was the authority site. You can do it, just publish to your blog first. It will take some time, but you are writing the articles anyway.
I can hear your questions now so let’s debunk a few article marketing myths while we are here.
1. Article directories require unique content
Most article directories, including EzineArticles, require you to submit your own original content. What this means is you publish content owned by you that does not appear elsewhere on their directory.
You can publish articles that you have submitted to other directories and that appear on your blog.
You CANNOT publish PLR articles since they are very likely already in their database and EZA would be hit by duplicate content penalties (more about that in a mo!).
Now, be a bit careful. SOME directories require unique content that has not been published anywhere else on the internet. These tend to be the revenue sharing article sites. Check the publisher guidelines first.
2. What about duplicate content?
The duplicate content penalty only applies when the same content is published on the same domain – which is why you should not submit PLR articles to the article directories.
However, if you publish your article several times without any changes, some of those articles will end up in the supplemental index. This is because the search engines want to please their searchers. Showing several results that are all exactly the same is not the best way to serve their customers.
This is NOT the duplicate content penalty. Your articles are still indexed and the backlinks are still valid. And, if you published on your blog first then the chances are it will be YOUR site that is chosen to appear in the rankings.
However, it is good practice to tweak each article before you submit it to the article directories. Change the title slightly and rewrite the first paragraph at least.
What is your article marketing plan now?
Write your article
Publish your article on your blog
Ping it so it is found and indexed
If you’re not being lazy, re-write the title and make some changes to your article so it is not exactly the same.
Publish your article online using the article directories
Sit back and watch your site become the authority site and the money start coming in.
So you’ve decided that you want to start your own online business? What comes next? David Walker has created a list of seven tips that will help you start your business successfully.
1. Have a Clear Plan of Action in Your Mind
Never forget that an online business is the same as any brick and mortar business. This means that first and foremost you need a solid business plan to follow. Make sure you understand your customers and competitors.
You will need your own unique selling point which will give you a differential advantage over your competition. Know your short and long term goals and work towards them.
Ensure that you are familiar with the law and legal intricacies such as taxation, insurance and contracts.
2. Have a Professional Website
In 99% of cases your online business will require you to have one or more websites. Your website is your window to a world of prospects so ensure it is always professional.
3. Separate Your Work Space From Your Living Space
Many people start an online business because they want to make money online at home. If you decide you want to work from home you must ensure that you separate your working space from your living space.
Having a designated work space will enable you to fully focus on work and not get side tracked with day to day tasks around the house.
4. Plan and Take Action
Plan everything you do thoroughly, if you’re taking action without a plan to follow then you will probably not be making the best use of your time. Likewise don’t over-plan, there must be a point at which you should be taking action.
Although action has to be well thought out and structured, over planning can lead to a lack of productivity and in turn lost income.
5. Manage Your Time With “To Do” Lists
Create daily to-do lists to manage your time efficiently. Decide what your goals are for each day and narrow your tasks down into bite size chunks. Give each task a rating of importance and a deadline for completion.
If you miss any of the deadlines that you have set yourself then focus on the most important tasks for that day first and foremost.
6. Listen to Your Customer and Peers
Don’t be afraid to take advice from those around you. You should always been looking at taking support from successful people in your niche.
Never ignore your customers, after all, customers are the most pivotal part of your business.
7. Don’t Be Scared to Outsource Work
The ultimate aim for any entrepreneur is to grow their business. Don’t be afraid to source the expertise of other people and outsource any repetitive donkey work, such as entering JV giveaways to help grow your email subscriber list.
Focus your knowledge on areas where you excel and take advantage of others who have a skill set that varies from your own.
I have become a WordPress fan. All of my sites are now WordPress based, simply because it is so easy to use and totally multi-functional.
Want a static site? No problem, a few clicks on settings and you have one.
Need a sales page site? No problem, there are sales pages for WordPress available.
A membership site? Social zone? Or just a simple blog…
The possibilities are endless.
But, where would we be without plugins for WordPress? Probably spammed to death and working ten times as hard. Here are my favourite “must have” WordPress plugins.
1. Askimet – It comes as standard when you download WordPress, just activate it (you need an API key from WordPress), you won’t regret it. What does it do? It stops spam comments. Squish those pesky bot comments without lifting a finger.
2. Yet Another Related Posts Plugin – Help your readers get around your blog by giving related post suggestions.
3. WP Super Cache – WP is quite slow all things considered. Rather than serving up the php files, WP Super Cache generated a static page for users not logged in (which is most people!). This speeds up loading times, and apparently makes you Digg proof too.
4. Wapple Architect – No need for a mobile site now. Wapple detects the user’s phone capabilities and serves mobile friendly pages automatically. Install from WordPress plugins page but needs you to register (free) for an API key.
5. All-in-One SEO Pack – Must have simple SEO for your WordPress site
6. Google Analyticator – an overview of your analytics stats in your dashboard.
7. SEO Slugs – Removes all the unnecessary common words from your post slugs (like ‘a’, ‘the’ and ‘in’ etc.)
8. SEO Smart Links – Automatically adds your links to your posts. You choose the keywords for each link URL then set and forget.
9. SEO Friendly Images – never forget to add your alt and title tags again
10. SEO Power – My new favourite plugin, it saves me HOURS of work updating post tags. Read about how to get it here
11. Google XML Sitemaps – automatically builds your sitemap and submits it to the top search engines.
12. AddToAny: Share/Bookmark/Email Button – It’s that share button at the bottom. Feel free to try it out
13. Tweet Meme – That cute little box at the top of the post – go on press it, you know you want to!
14. RAP Bank – Add affiliate links to your posts or sidebar from the RAP Bank instant PayPal commissions site. Read about it here or get your plugin free here.
15. Info Links plugin – In-text advertising. You can use this alongside Google ads too. Apply at http://www.infolinks.com
16. Secret Cookie Caller – Protect your affiliate links. Get it free here.
17. Viper’s Video Quicktags – Easily embed videos from various video websites such as YouTube, DailyMotion, and Vimeo into your posts.
18. Admin Management Xtended – Extends the WP admin functionality
19. Auto Tags – Tag posts on save and update from tagthe.net and yahoo services.
20. EzineArticles Plugin – Post to EzineArticles directly from your blog. Watch the how to video on the EzineArticles blog
You can install most of these plugins straight from the WordPress blog plugin admin.
How to Install a WordPress Plugin
• Log into your WordPress dashboard
• Click on the “Plugins” drop-down menu in the left navigation bar and click on “Add New”
• Type in the name of the plugin into the search field and click the “Search Plugins” button
• Click on “Install” on the far right
• In the popup box that opens click the “Install Now” button
• On the next screen, click the “Activate Plugin” text link
If you have downloaded a plugin, they are super simple to install.
• Log into your WordPress dashboard
• Click on the “Plugins” drop-down menu in the left navigation bar and click on “Add New”
• Click the “Upload” text link
• Click “Browse” and find the plugin zip file
• Click “Install Now”
• On the next screen, click the “Activate Plugin” text link
This is just a quick post about your article resource box or author bio box. I’ve been looking at resource box formats on the article directories over the last few days. The best performing resource boxes have been the “short and sweet” call to action bio boxes.
If you are wondering what to write in your article resource box, here are some tips. I have found that really simple lines are working well…
Do you want to know more about [Keywords]? Download my free report from [location] today.
To discover more about how [Keywords] can work for you, visit [location] now.
It’s time to organise your [Keywords], visit [location] today and find out how.
Do you need more [Keywords] advice? Everything you need to know about (keywords) is at [location]. Visit now.
When submitting to the article directories, don’t forget to put your call to action in your resource box before any author bio details that you may be using for branding purposes.
It’s a rather cool WP SEO plugin, which is apparently free – but more about the definition of “free” in a mo.
A couple of times a month, I trawl my stats looking at keywords. As you know if you have read this blog a bit, I get some of my post ideas etc from the search terms people land on my sites for.
But, what I am also doing is updating my blog tags for the search terms. Current posts that match up have their tags updated.
This apparently is good SEO. To me it seems like common sense, I want people to see relevant posts when they land on my blogs. If a post is not there for a term that is popular, I write a new one that fits.
In my mass of e-mails yesterday, I received a promo for “Dominating Google” a new SEO training product from Mark Dulisse. It was pure Fate that made me open it; I was aiming for the e-mail below it and missed when one of the dogs jumped at my arm as I clicked!
And, there was a promo for SEO Power WP plugin – “FREE”. Just about to click away and I glanced over the mail anyway since I opened it. I have SEO Plugins, what do I need more for? Just wait until you see what this thing does…
Search your site logs for ANY keywords or phrases that people have searched on Google that have sent traffic to your site…
Automatically “tag” and link ANY and EVERY page on your site that contains those keywords…
And, just for fun, dynamically track your rankings in Google from where you USED to rank for that word, and show you how much your rankings climb…
Well I just had to have it, that saves a few hours work each month.
Except it is not “free”. This is internet marketing where you get nowt for nowt. It comes as part of the bonus package for Dominating Google. At $197 for a video training package that my sloth speed net would never download, my heart sank to my toes and I resigned myself to trawling again.
Just out of interest, I did a search for just the plugin to see if I could buy it separately and stumbled on a blog that mentioned SEO Power was being given away free to JV partners during pre-launch. Dominating Google launched a week ago, but I thought I would sign up and see.
There, in the promo area was the plugin. The God of Internet was smiling on me!
So I have my new SEO toy which will save me hours each month, free as promised, although perhaps not as free as intended.
SEO Power plugin really is a great tool and I highly recommend it. I suggest you grab one rather quickly before they disappear. Failing that buy the Dominating Google Training – which looks interesting too, and worth the cost of the three plugins offered as bonuses.
Can you make money free online? Yes, you can. I started with nothing, not even a domain name. Ok, no, I do not make huge sums; I am nowhere near becoming a millionaire! However, you can get started making money online with no initial investment at all.
I will be honest an upfront now, yes I proved an unbeliever wrong but we are not talking thousands of dollars overnight. Nowhere near in fact! Neither do I recommend basing the whole of your business solely around free sites; you have no control.
Here’s the story anyway…
I was talking to a friend a couple of weeks ago and the discussion turned to internet marketing or more exactly, how to make money online. At that point, he said it was all a scam to con you out of your own cash. There was no way you could make money online let alone free.
Would I lie? So, I challenged him.
He agreed research some keywords, to set up a free blogger blog using the key phrase, and do some article marketing. I gave him a copy of my finding keywords free report and off he went. A few days later, he came back with a key phrase and I wrote an article for him to post.
His instructions were then to rewrite the article and to submit to some article directories, bookmark his blogger blog and to set up some other free sites on related subjects and keywords and link them all together. A few hours work, maybe a day since he has no clue what he’s doing.
What did he do?
You guessed it – absolutely nothing. Nada. Ziltch.
A week passed…
I asked him how he was getting on and he admitted to doing nothing. The Blogger blog still had one lonely post and the only promotion was my Clipmark.
Just out of interest, we checked Amazon – the only monetisation the blog has. He had made a sale! The whole of just over $6 commission, but a sale nonetheless for doing absolutely NOTHING.
A fluke?
No, it was simply down to choosing a low competition buyer keyword that was used in his blog URL and post. The blog ranked in the top 10 for that keyword and received light organic, very targeted, traffic.
The key (excuse the pun!) is in the keyword research and promoting a product that people are likely to buy. Some products simply do not sell well on the internet.
If you have yet to make your first dollar online, my challenge to YOU now is to do the same. Go and make your first dollar!
Here’s how to make money free online…
Choose your niche (Find a question/problem and provide a solution, don’t think “selling and money”, think “helping people get what they need”)
Research your highly focused buyer keywords
Set up a Blogger blog using the keywords in the URL and title
Bookmark it
Once it has indexed, add your monetisation method(s)
Build a flock of free sites on related subjects and keywords and link them all together – WordPress, Xanga, Squidoo, Weebly, LiveJournal and more…
Do some article marketing – link back to your free sites for now using keyword based anchor links
Once you have your commissions, buy your own domain name and hosting using your buyer keywords in the URL and point all your free sites to your domain
Simple?
Well yes it is, it just takes some work. There are no magic wands, you either put the work in yourself or pay someone to do it for you. This is the simplest method to make money free online that I know. If you have more ideas, I would love to hear them!
Still don’t know where to start? Here’s some resources
Finding and Using Keywords without Breaking the Bank or Busting Your Brain – my free report, and yes it takes some work to research keywords using only free resources. This report tells you how.
The Dam Way – PotPieGirls method of setting up and marketing sites – free
Not so free resources, I recommend these ONLY if you are going to take ACTION.
Backlink Flood – learn how to set up your link wheel for best effect. Includes a basic keyword research tool and macro article spinner
Micro Niche Finder – The ultimate in research tools, recommended when you are seriously working online
Instacash Keywords – Now, this is a membership from the BUM Marketing King Travis Sago. You receive emails of buyer keywords daily for various untapped niches. There is a week trial for $4.95 so it is well worth a look.
I’ll add one of Travis’ videos. He does explain keywords and understanding people who use them really well, plus I could listen to him all day!
Against the clock? Fast SEO article writing needs preparation.
With an action packed week, it has been difficult to tie myself to the computer and write my own articles. It times like these I love my notebook so I don’t have to think of new ideas or research keywords and phrases for SEO articles.
It is also a great time to repurpose existing articles and do some power writing. Article marketing obviously requires that you write articles (or get articles written for you). The more articles you write and submit the more exposure you get.
Fast SEO article writing is all down to preparation.
I have two notebooks where I write any ideas, bullet points or article outlines. Then I have a folder of keyword ideas and keyword lists, swiped titles that have caught my eye and URLs where I have seen interesting facts and figures etc.
You may find it easier to dictate and record your article ideas or keep them all on your computer. Personally, I believe you can’t beat good old pen and paper – especially in the bath where I get many of my ideas!
When you need to write a batch of articles quickly, using a tips or list article you have previously written as a base is very useful. Simply take each point and expand on it. Use one or two points for each new article.
How to Write SEO Articles Quickly
1. Remove any distractions, turn off your phone, shut down your email, lock the kids in a cupboard for 30 minutes (or find a childminder!)
2. Know what you are writing about. Choose a keyword or phrase. You should have done your keyword research in advance and have a list ready. Write the phrase as a working title so you stay focused.
3. Write your sub headings or bullet points that will form your article outline. Use ideas from your notebook or swipe files.
4. Flesh out your bullet points; at this point do not worry about spelling or grammar, just let it flow. By avoiding distractions like hitting the spell check every minute or so, you will find you write much more quickly. You may find it lest distracting to turn off the error highlighting too! Letting your writing flow naturally is also good for including related words without forcing or thinking about it too much, related keywords is good SEO.
5. Write your article summary and try to include your chosen keyword phrase. Basically, summarise what you have just written, tell your reader what you are about to tell them.
6. Write the final paragraph, again using your keyword phrase if possible, telling the reader what you have just told them.
7. Read your article, correct any errors and fix the article title so it reflects what you have just written.
The hardest part of writing SEO articles quickly is staying focused. Train yourself to set aside 30 minutes or an hour each day just to write. How quickly you write will depend on your typing speed, but that will get faster as you write more.
In 30 minutes, you should have at least one 4-500 word article, most likely two if you have done your initial preparation.
Mail from EzineArticles is much better than bills…
Can you make money free online? Yes, you can. I started with nothing, not even a domain name. Ok, no, I do not make huge sums; I am nowhere near becoming a millionaire! However, you can get started making money online with no initial investment at all.
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