WordPress 101

Build and learn how to think about building a website with wordpress and best practices and tools for search engine and social media.

Category: Websites

Money Makers, Websites

3 Reasons Why Money Making Websites Are Only One Simple Page

money-magnetTypically, marketers believe that money making websites have to be large extravagant, complex, custom built websites with all the widgets and bells and whistles. However, that is not usually the case. If you were to ask any successful full time internet marketer, they would tell you that their first money making website was simple and probably only one page in total. This article gives you three reasons why money making websites are only one simple page and why yours should be too.

Start Your Online Business In One Day

The main reason money making websites are only one page is because of speed. You can put together a good money making site in under one day. There is no reason to start off fancy and elaborate. Just put something out there your prospects will appreciate. You’ll be surprised at the results. You can do this with various types of blog sites or even a simple squeeze page.

Ditch Your Webmaster

Once you enter the world of internet marketing, you’ll undoubtedly end up being your own webmaster. Simply put, you’ll be creating your main website and handle all the details with it. And nobody wants to manage a 29 page monster that is hard to navigate with hundreds of pictures and ridiculous details that nobody cares about. If you had a website like that built, then you’ll spend hundreds of dollars alone. Plus you’ll pay high hosting fees just to maintain the darn thing. Many times, with a site like that you’ll have little to no control over it. Since this is your business, you’ll want 100% control of it. And with your one page simple site, you will.

Create Multiple Streams Of Income

When you are able to produce money making websites quickly, it’ll be easier to create multiple streams of income. For example, you could be an affiliate in 7 different niches and have a good website set up for each niche in under a week. (That’s only if you spent around 30 minutes a day for 7 days). That’s how the big boys in the internet marketing world do it. It’s a proven model that works time and time again.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shane_M._M._Boyd

Keywords, Websites

Killing Keyword Search with Google Tools

It’s not often I get to write about Internet Marketing related software tools from a perspective of support. Quite often, I’d be found ripping some programs apart, demanding more for the consumer. In this instance, I see extremely high value with the use of tools like this one I’m suggesting as a useful add-on tool.

Many competitors of yours use the Google Adwords to buy paid traffic for prominent placement on Google Search pages. You know those advertisements along the right edge? With this tool, you can see what Keywords they’re using and which ones get the clicks. How valuable is this insight to you?

If you don’t know what to do to benefit from this information, you still have a lot to learn about promoting your website online. First thing you need to know is that placing well in search is always a full-time ongoing job to develop and maintain.

  • Know your market.
  • Know your competition.
  • Know your keywords.
  • Develop your content.
  • Enhance and tune your search engine optimization.
  • Develop off-site search engine optimization campaign.

These critical activities increase the flow of relevant traffic to your website. As a consumer and business entrepreneur, you are well advised to learn the basics and how to apply them consistently for best results.

Knowing your market and competition can be discovered through a variety of means. Google’s own Keyword Tool provides insight upon high traffic / value keywords and offers up a list of alternatives you want to also consider.

With this information you become more attuned to your market, understand your niche better, get a stronger grasp on the keywords you want to position well with, and can focus upon a variety of important tactics required to leverage this knowledge: Blog and write / update your website content; Fine tune and Search Optimize your website; and develop an ongoing off-site search engine optimization campaign.

Resources

Coming soon, more on social media bookmarking.

Content, Websites

Leveraging Existing Web Content for Optimizing Your Website

banner-painterNew content is important to a website, however, constantly striving to create new content can become burdensome, and more importantly, distract us from capitalizing upon the content we have that is working well. What do we mean?

With the content you already have published online, our strategy is to maintain awareness of our inventory. Following some basic steps, we’re then able to leverage existing assets in a more targeted fashion, and create more opportunity. Let’s review.

Keep a list of your content and assets by inventorying everything on your website, in your marketing mix, and keep this list handy for ongoing review. Content is not merely your blog post and website pages either, you will also want to list video, ebooks, audio, images, and other items you have published online.

Organize your list of content assets by category. Typically we publish content in categories on our blogs, so keeping your list organized allows you to quickly leverage, edit, republish, and assign to appropriate categories for consistency and increased ranking weight.

Who is the target audience for the content or categories we have published online? By taking some time to decipher who the target audience is (even appears to be from traffic metrics), you gain more useful insight to your content strategy, content use, and target audience which helps with focusing our content new and old.

Monitor your Analytics (web statistics) and know what posts and content has been the most popular. As well, where are most of the visitors (or best visitors) coming from when they reach your website? Knowing this information gives us a more focused and strategic opportunity when leveraging our existing assets and publishing content.

In addition, your statistics and the insights gained provide you with a key opportunity to optimize current web pages and blog posts for keywords and phrases that will strengthen this content for the target market trying to find your website via search.

Here are some methods for leveraging your content and website assets:

  • Create an ebook from existing content
  • Interview subject or industry experts
  • Link new content to older relevant content
  • Find places to link-back to your existing content
  • Invite guests to write guest posts, and link to existing content
  • Focus attention upon your strongest categories to create authority.

All these things strengthen your current assets, help to optimize your website for search engines, and set you apart as an authority.

Happy blogging!

Content, Websites

A Blog with RSS Feed is Your Best Social Media Asset

climb-ladderMeeting with a past client over lunch recently, our conversation spent some time discussing what was happening with his new business launch and the website development he had his nephew do on his behalf. Learning that there was no blog at all included in the website delivery, I reacted strongly with disappointment and disbelief.

As a past client, in the Business Coaching side of my vocational life, the best practices for web development, website publishing, and social media marketing were discussed. Sharing the value and importance of the RSS Feed a blog offers, the updated content strategy followed, all offer enormous benefits for online advertising and internet marketing.

Young nephew suggested a blog wasn’t required at this stage. At OMC Social, it is an essential ingredient to the social media marketing strategy and business development goals for online marketing. New fresh content, the ability to share that content, and extend one’s business to an audience has to keep them interested. As a major side-benefit, Google Search loves fresh content, and the better written per Search Engine Optimization and Keyword Research practices, the influence upon website ranking is powerful.

So, my soapbox today says to get a blog on your website domain, and use it religiously, faithfully, and in engaging and creative ways to draw your website visitors in to engage you more. Additionally, benefit from the Search Engine benefits, and social media promotions that create more and more influence as you remain faithful to the best practices for online engagement and content development.

You’ll be glad you did. Your domain is your best asset for increasing website visitor traffic. The blog channel is one of the best website tools. Add one now.

Traffic & Leads, Websites

Engage Your Website Visitor Audience

we-are-worldWhat I’m about to say usually comes as a big surprise to many folks.

Your Website is Not About You, your website is about connecting to a site visitor, and ensuring they come back and you have an opportunity to build a relationship with them. When you create your website, and add to the website, your thoughts want to be focused upon “What would interest a total stranger to sit here on my web page and surf my website for five minutes?” This exercise, done each time you are preparing to update or change site content, ensures you begin to drill down more and more with your contributions. With the introduction of social media, the use of video, and how blogging and email marketing all tie together, there is a tremendous marketing mix available and at your disposal. As social media was introduced, email marketing slowed a little as everyone jumped on the social media bandwagon. And yet, email marketing, updates for clients quarterly, and other informative tidbit emails have always remained the number one traffic generator for a website.

How to Get People On Your Email List

The basic home page, no blog, embedding a YouTube video, and a newsletter sign-up box, you’ve got a bare bones beginning. Of course, once you do have a fully functioning website, this old home page then gets customized and updated, and can now be used as a squeeze page. A squeeze page is simply a page you direct people to with links out on the web, and on this page you are offering them an incentive to give you their email address. Always be clear about the offer, make it something that has value, and be clear about what you are collecting their information for, and that you don’t sell their contact information. The other important way to add people to your email list, requires some of the traditional approach. Personal, in-your-face networking. Exchange business cards, meet people, exchange email communications as you follow-up with new people you’ve met, and ask if they’d mind receiving updates periodically. Don’t jump on it right away, necessarily. Listen, develop rapport and relationship, and either in conversation, or after a period of time, (you’ll know when) you can extend an invitation. Quite often, if they engage in conversation with me first, they go onto the list automatically and are informed, with thanks, for sharing their interest, and that I’ve included them in our updates. There is always more to this subject. These basics will hold you good stead to get you going. Post your comments, and your questions.

SEO, Websites

Search Engine Optimization with Google Keyword Tool

find-informationThere are a number of facets to Search Engine Optimization. The first one is knowing a little more about your keywords than you may yet be aware. Google’s Keyword Search Tool is invaluable in seeing what is being searched every month, both globally and locally. Pay attention to both, as more often you’ll benefit from the Local Traffic more than you will from Global Traffic.

As you use the tool, you’ll also receive a nice list returned from the Google Keyword Tool that shows you a variety of alternatives based upon the keyword terms you put into the Search Report to see what are those search volumes.

Often, we think of what we do when we’re choosing keywords. This isn’t the smartest approach, though it is a good beginning. It is more important to understand what the person searching is looking for, rather than what you offer. More often than not, the search terms are different, just as your perspective is different than that of the buyer.

Go ahead and give the Google Keyword Tool a try.

Content, Websites

Best Practics: Getting Traffic to Your Website

presentation-screenGetting traffic to your website is and should be a top concern for anyone with, or planning to create, a website. No matter what community online I spend time interacting with, the common question of how to get more traffic to your website is raised. It makes perfect sense.

The whole purpose of the website is to inform customers, and to create relationships with new customers. You’ll notice it states: Create relationships with new customers, and NOT get new customers. Those days are gone, and social media is a driving force restoring best practices that focus upon building relationships with people, as people. Along this journey into social media, there were many marketers who used this effectively with poor practices that result in damaged relationships. This article focuses upon the outcomes of this journey, and re-establishes the tried and true considerations for maintaining and promoting a website.

Blogging

Content is still King. Keywords are a must for organic search engine traffic, and for improving ranking for the correct keywords. Adding fresh content regularly through blogging is the easiest method, whether the blog be identified as a Press Release, a Blog, a Journal, or a News channel for your website and company. These tools are easily adapted to suit your professional and personal needs.

Keywords

Keywords are the foundation from which your content is built, and if you are starting a website, an important consideration to include when purchasing a domain name. Vanity names are cute, keyword rich domains find traffic faster. Thinking like your consumer or target audience, your keyword considerations come from the perspective of them using search, rather than only focusing upon what you offer.

Link-Building

Understanding keywords, and content, effective link-building can be achieved to greater effectiveness. Many sites exist for bookmarking, sharing links, and social media that rank very high in search engines. Adding your links with titles and or descriptions rich with your keywords helps create more highly effective back-links which will get scored by search engines. These campaigns create traffic, help build page rank, and improve your search engine optimization efforts.

Social Media

Social Media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and hosts of niche-specific sites, are tremendous assets in your marketing for your website. People build relationship connections, and begin and/or nurture relationships on social media websites. Conversations occur back and forth, links are shared, information is added to conversation, and recommendations are made. Look to serve others, help them, and build a foundation that earns respect. When information leading back to your site is shared, more influence from your efforts is felt through increased traffic.

Email Marketing

Marketing is not sales, marketing is sharing information that is useful to your audience. Your audience signs up to receive news from you about your company, and about your industry. Their interest requires thoughtful sharing of information that retains their loyalty, and keeps your brand present and recognized with a sense of loyalty or appreciation. Offering tips, insights, informative articles, videos, and statistics, there are many options available to you that earn respect, and create traffic. Emails should always be brief, with an enticing link back to your website to further satisfy their curiosity.

Link in the Signature

How often do you email others, either creating a fresh email, or responding to something? A surprising number of people with websites to promote do send emails without including their website link with their signature in the email. Many email programs offer a setting to automatically add a signature with every email. Don’t be spammy, but do put your basic contact details with your web-link. You would print it on a business card and letterhead, so why not your email signature?

Don’t Stop

The most disappointing result I experience with any client comes about as they complete their website implementation and they decide that this is all they need. You have just invested capital of time and money into developing a marketing channel. I deliberately choose the word channel to draw your attention to the fact that today’s technology on the web is interactive; a broadcast medium. You won’t sit day after day in front of a television watching the same re-run. Your website needs a marketing budget and strategy that develops this kind of broadcasting ability.

Getting it Right

Is there such a thing? Time has taught me that it is the process, not the outcome, that generates the most leverage in life, business, and creativity. Taking the principles shared thus far, understand that there is no better time to start than right now! So it costs money, and you may have a limited budget. Starting where you are, and building up month after month, goals will be realized. Don’t wait for all the conditions to be right, all the budget to be identified, all the designs and content in place. Early launches and using the technology and principles shared, the intelligent feedback received and observed provides valuable direction to the process of building, launching, and managing growing websites.

Feedback

As with this website, welcoming feedback is advantageous to most website owners. It stimulates conversations that can better inform you about your audience or market area. Make it easy for your website visitors to interact and connect with you, and do provide links to your other online distribution channels such as your Fan Page on Facebook, a Twitter profile you’ve got running, or some other social media profile.

And what about your feedback? After reading this post, what questions remain? Use the comment form to post your question, or share other useful advice you’ve learned with your own website.

Social Media, Websites

Social Media Marketing Realistically

crushed-head-acheWhen people say No, does it mean No?

Most often, it is the wrong timing, wrong circumstances.

Social media allows people to remain connected, without having to say No.

Your audience is not fighting you off with a stick, they’re following and keeping up to date (as it suits them), as to what you do with your site, if and only if, you’re keeping notices updated on Twitter and Facebook fan pages.

One day along the way, the timing changes, they convert; you make the sale, or receive the referral sale.

So know that the main focus of social media marketing is you’re filling a funnel, understanding that the stuff you put into the top, all comes out the bottom at its own pace and in its own timing.

The added benefits are the curiosity seekers, new followers, increased traffic, the potential hot new sales/leads, and maybe even some joint ventures, not to mention the new friendships and partnerships that will form.

Content, Websites

Your Website is a Broadcast Channel

rss-bullhornMany conversations these days pertain to what the website is for, where the web is going, whether the same strategies from five years ago hold true today. Before the buzzword social media and web 2.0, everyone knew the importance of a list and having regular email communication to their clients and audience. In larger organizations, the web and email may have had much less prominence, as they opted for the traditional print media channels for the client / audience communication.

Today, so much more is possible directly online.

Any business can start small and scale up to meet the needs of a growing business. First and foremost, this must be pointed out. In that same vein of thinking, this list of ideas starts with the beginning entrepreneur in mind, and evolves toward a sophisticated internet site for the business, complete with its own social engagement functionality tied in, and an employee intranet behind a secure login.

  • Basic Page: Static home page introducing a new business, complete with an embedded YouTube video, and a newsletter sign-up box.What this achieves is minimal, although for some entrepreneurs and products, extraordinary things have happened. At the very least, you have created a landing page with some brief interesting content, with a call-to-action that invites them to sign-up for more information. Ideally, you will send them a Whitepaper or Free Report as a token of appreciation.
  • Basic Site: Home Page ~ About / Information Page ~ Products / Services Page ~ Contact ~ BlogAt the very least, when you add more to your website and ready to take on the web role more seriously, you want to fill out the information pages with more detail. The About / Information page is not one to be neglected anymore either. With the number of scam artists on the web as well, people are also looking to confirm your identity. Any and all information you add, personalizes the relationship to the web visitor. Speak to the audience that will resonate with you.

  • The Blog is a key feature to be nurtured on an ongoing basis. Blogging daily is a major plus for search engines, and continually improving your ranking. People hear this all the time. While this holds truth, blogging daily isn’t a reality for most, and not really going to have such a significant impact when reduced to once or twice a week. It’s when you don’t blog at all that it really hurts you. Regularly updated content ensures the search engines are always coming to your site and indexing its pages, thus improving chances of searches landing on your website.

  • Member Sites: These allow visitors to the website to sign-up, become members, and participate in an online community. When done well, this results in significant opportunities for responding to the market / audience, building loyalty, gaining product insights, and increasing a market-share potential through simple relationship development — not management.

  • Intranet Sites: These allow companies to extend the social engagement, knowledge share, and employee development across wider regions, improving company performance, business intelligence and process or product improvements through well executed intranet site plans.

 

These summary points are all about websites intended for one purpose:

Engage Your Audience!