Archive for the ‘Getting Traffic’ Category

The site needs traffic

Thursday, January 3rd, 2008

For your site to do well for you there has to be a continuous inflow of traffic. Such a goal can be accomplished with the help of a seo specialists help. The seo expert will be able to incorporate your needs and market needs. The success of your site is largely dependent on the seo company you choose for this purpose.

Writing Ezine Articles: 4 Reasons Why You Should Do It

Monday, August 20th, 2007

Anyone who’s been in the business for 2 or 3 months certainly has a lot of information that he or she can share with others, especially newbies. So why don’t you take advantage of it?

Here are the 4 reasons why YOU too should start writing articles in Ezines to attract more visitors to your website:

1. It’s FREE!

Do you know that most of Ezine publishers don’t write their own articles? Most of them are always searching for good articles to be published in their Ezines! That means, you can submit your articles for FREE.

2. You can reach TARGETED people

It’s easy to attract as many people as possible to your website. The problem is, eventhough you have thousands of visitors (or even more), you still can’t increase your profit! Why? Because no one purchase your products/ services. Why? Because they are simply not interested in your business offer! Why? Because you don’t have targeted visitors! So, end your effort to bring just as many people as possible to your website. Instead, concentrate on how to bring targeted visitors! By writing articles in ezines, you will certainly reach targeted people. For instance, submit articles to Health Ezines in order to expect new members to your health therapy class.

3. The more articles you write, the more credibility you gain

Yes, people would think of you as an expert in your field! Think of the positive effect of this phsycological factor. This would certainly make them ‘comfortable’ to make business deals with you!

4. The more articles you write, the bigger the opportunity for you to get well posted on search engines

So, start writing articles! Choose the topics that you master. Remember to always make archives of your articles. Who knows, maybe later on you could make an eBook from those articles!

About the author:

Farid Aziz is a full-time Internet Marketer. Reveal more of his FREE tips and strategies on Internet Marketing and get a FREE Course on How to Make Money Online with Your Hobby at Internet Marketer Sells

What Posting Articles Online Did For My Google Page Rank In 90 Days

Wednesday, August 8th, 2007

Article Marketing Builds Momentum and Traffic

When I started submitting articles to ezines and directories I was happy just to get an occasional article written and widely posted online. I assumed that was the point. But I’ve since learned about equally important considerations–like the Page Rank of the site where it appears.

Each article was written to inform and appeal to the human readers. Search engines were incidental in my mind. I wasn’t systematic about submitting new ones on a regular basis so they built momentum. Nor was I careful to emphasize my website’s keywords and principal theme. But I do now–it matters. Despite that, the articles already posted have been hard at work for me.

My list of places for submitting keeps expanding. And it’s further refined with every article posted. After a year and a half, that’s a large list (nearly a thousand). And I’m a known quantity with sites and ezines that consistently post my contributions. My best-received article to date shows 181 Google mentions (with their related incoming links).

Starting from Zero Online Visibility

I launched a new website mid-June, 2004, using article marketing as the primary traffic-building strategy (Yellow Page Sage, getting your Yellow Page ad and website working together). The first article was a strong one, getting 135 Google cites.

Over the next three months I wrote and posted seven articles related to Yellow Pages or Local Search. The website also provided extensive information about Yellow Page advertising by other authors–making it very sticky and content-rich.

Creating an Article 12-pack

After they were submitted to my list, I combined those seven articles with five of my prior marketing articles - twelve in all (with a link to each article). Instead of offering them as onesees, I now send the whole batch (letting the receiver pick what they want).

I prepared a letter offering the 12-pack, asking if they want to receive similar future ones. That letter is only sent to websites I’ve visited. I’d never offer it to a site unless there’s a good fit. Sending out the 12-pack is an ongoing activity, and another way to expand my list. Some websites have posted the whole set - twelve return links from one letter!

Surprise! Google Noticed me!

Since I was busy getting the site polished and launched, it caught me by surprise that in two months my Google Page Rank was 3/10 (the first time I checked). And the following month it had climbed to PR 4/10 - without doing anything but post seven articles. I didn’t yet realize it was getting extra mileage because of the strength of my list. So moving to PR 5/10 can’t be too far off, can it?

Then I started paying serious attention to Page Rank–the posting site’s AND mine. Page Rank shows the extra importance that Google gives to the number and popularity of websites linking to yours. Links from higher Page Rank pages elevate your Page Rank.

Two Things I didn’t Know When I Started Posting Articles

First - I posted my articles to get website traffic and incoming links (via the Sig at the end of each article). I treated every article appearance as equivalent. But Google doesn’t. All those articles appearing in high-Page-Rank directories were giving an extra boost to my score.

So I’ve re-assessed my list. Websites with higher Page Rank are now my “A List.” Articles that they publish are doing my Page Rank way more good than other places. Of course, I still need to post widely and pursue both types of links.

Second - I didn’t realize that the “Page Rank of a website” doesn’t exist. Every page on a site has its own Page Rank. (Although there are ways to make every page on the website share the same Page Rank, it’s not widely done.) So a home page with PR 7/10 that links to mine from a PR 3/10 interior page only provides a PR 3/10 link. That awareness influences who and how I link with other websites anymore. And it dictates the way I organize external links on my own websites.

Get a Free a Page Rank Tool

To assess other sites, you need a Page Rank tool. You can compare multiple sites at

http://www.phplivesupport.com/google_pagerank.php

Lilengine.com provides a free Page Rank Tool. Use theirs, or you can post it on your own website.

http://www.lilengine.com/tools/pagerank-tool.php

Articles Give your Ideas a High Profile all Over the Internet

The benefits of article marketing are well documented. And if it can build your Page Rank as well, it’s even a better use of your time. Start writing and posting articles that show your expertise. And start getting the traffic and attention you’d been wishing for.

Dr. Lynella Grant http://www.promotewitharticles.com Use posted articles to build your business Expert in the “body language of printed materials” Author, The Business Card Book and Yellow Page Smarts grant@promotewitharticles.com (719) 395-9450

Why You Need an Article-Marketing Strategy before Posting a Single Article Online I

Wednesday, August 8th, 2007

First, Define your Bulls Eye

If you’re going to write and post articles on the Internet, be unambiguous about what you expect them to accomplish. Don’t start writing just yet. Think beyond the mechanics of writing an article or deciding where to post it.

It’s one thing to spin out an article or two. It’s quite another to incorporate them into a strategy that builds your website traffic, reputation, and business. All your marketing methods should work together - online and off.

Your Strategy Clarifies:

  • Who you’re trying to reach
  • How to find them
  • What you want them to do next (does your website support that aim?)
  • Your primary goal and message
  • How articles (with particular titles and keywords) mesh with your other marketing

Article marketing is nothing more than a way to get information (not advertising) broadly distributed on the Internet. It can’t compensate for a muddled or dull message. And it won’t build your site traffic unless it connects to readers in an interesting way.

Write Articles that Trumpet a Unique Business Message

A frequent business error is treating each customer-attracting activity as though it stands alone. Yet each method works better when echoing a common message that links to the others.

To quote Roy Williams, the Wizard of Ads, http://www.wizardofads.com “It’s hard to tell a powerful story badly. But it’s easy to tell a weak story well. I’ve never seen a business fail because they were “reaching the wrong people.” But I’ve seen thousands fail because they were saying the wrong thing… It’s amazing how many people become the “right people” when you’re saying the right thing. Believe it or not, it’s advertising third, customer delight second, strategy always first.”

Maximize your Customer-Attracting Methods

Last year I wrote an ebook showing how to make the business website and Yellow Page ad work together to bring new customers. It made the point that each promotional method has its own strengths, and reaches different groups http://www.yellowpagesage.com/smarts.html By them working together, each approach does a more persuasive job.

As an example, the directory ad should display a website address. A recent study found that over 60% of people surveyed only call Yellow Page ads that show a website (even if they don’t intend to visit it). Besides, the website lets the business provide information that won’t fit within the dimensions of an ad.

A single approach can’t cover all your bases. The same applies to article marketing.

  • Article Marketing Strengths
  • Ability to deliver an interesting “sample” of your expertise
  • Long enough to be informative (600-800 words)
  • Reaches and speaks to tightly focused interest groups
  • Quickly delivers the message throughout the Internet
  • Long shelf life - some websites keep articles posted for years
  • Builds on the keywords that your website uses
  • Incoming-links from websites that post your articles
  • Plan More than One Article at a Time

You can’t develop much momentum with one article. That’s like shooting a gun with a single bullet, or a PPC (pay-per-click) campaign for just one term. The odds of hitting your mark aren’t too good. Several articles written to reinforce each other generate more mileage. As you get more articles out there, people start paying attention, and you can target more keywords. Repeated publications develop a personality that readers recognize.

Plan a number of titles in advance, with a theme building from one to the next. Keep each one tightly focused, but related to the others. In that way, you develop the in-depth “voice” of an expert. And your information won’t lapse into ho-hum generalities. Write first-rate articles when you rely on the extensive free resources http://www.promotewitharticles.com at Article Marketing Academy.

Try writing some in a series (like, Part 1 of 3 parts) to build anticipation for future segments. Also, your message won’t be confined to the 600 to 800 word article limit. Since each article in the series resides on your website, readers needn’t wait to read them all (giving them an incentive to visit your site). Later, the whole series can be offered as a special report or ebook (once related material is added).

Write with your keywords in mind. Maintain your primary message, with a different twist for parallel niches. Go to the extra effort to say something new. That’s easy when you provide stories, examples, case studies from your own experience. As you dish out practical assistance in your articles, readers will be eagerly watching for your next ones.

© Lynella Grant

Part 2 includes posting articles, writing to please the search engines, and ways to re-use articles. Part 2 of 2, http://www.promotewitharticles.com/strategy102.html

Dr. Lynella Grant http://www.promotewitharticles.com - Article Marketing Academy - Promote yourself, business, website, or book with articles posted online. Author, Yellow Page Smarts, http://www.yellowpagesage.com/smarts.html (719) 395-9450

Guest Articles: Good for Some, Bad for Others

Monday, June 4th, 2007

A recent debate started me thinking about how some marketing strategies can be right for one Web site, but wrong for another — depending on the site’s purpose and the underlying reasoning behind the action.

If an action doesn’t directly and logically plug into site goals, then there are likely more profitable ways to spend that time and effort.

Publishing third-party articles on a Web site is one of those marketing strategies that can be right for one site, yet wrong for another.

Publishing Guest Articles as a Strategy

Publishing guest articles as one of your Web site marketing strategies can help broaden the amount and quality of content on a site, which in turn can lead to a more solid, stronger reputation. James Edwards of Umbrella-Consultancy explains:

IMO having quality articles on your site will show that you are…someone who embraces the industry and respects the work of others. Most research scientists post links to other respected scientists’ work… I think it can only be good to have quality material by other people in your field posted on your site.

Helping Web Site Visitors

Another situation where adding others’ articles to your site can make strategic sense is when a lot of visitors arrive looking for a solution other than the one you provide on your site. Rather than have them wander off, no closer to an answer to their problem, you can build goodwill and credibility by having articles on the Web site that give them more information.

For example, several types of people arrive at my site through the search engines:

Some are people researching marketing consulting services.

Some are students looking to write a paper or finish an assigned project for school.

Some are looking for marketing software.

Others are looking to buy printed material (e-books, templates, workbooks, etc.) in order to proceed, step-by-step, on their own.

The only ones that are going to be interested in what I have to sell are those in the last group. Instead of letting the majority of visitors go without a fight, I have articles on the site from handpicked individuals or companies.

Those articles are chosen according to how good the quality is, how well the subject matter fits, and whether I think the information will help site visitors.

Information Sites

If a site (or section of a site) is informational in nature, guest articles can be a viable Web site marketing strategy, for several reasons:

Repeat, purchase-related visits. A good information library can help potential customers through the decision-making process. If they find the information on your site especially helpful, they will be predisposed to coming back later, when they are ready to purchase.

Increased Web site revenue. Publishing others’ work can generate more revenue for your own site. For example, when I publish a third-party article, elsewhere on the page I include one or more of the following: AdSense; an advertisement for my own products; a newsletter sign-up box; or a relevant affiliate link. That way, every path off the page satisfies one of my own goals (direct ad revenue, new newsletter subscriber, or product sales lead).

Increased targeted traffic. Each new page of quality content has the potential to bring in a happy chunk of incremental traffic from the search engines.

Future collaborations or other projects. An indirect benefit from publishing others’ articles is contact and future collaboration with authors. For example, after one author received several new sign-ups to her newsletter through an article published on my site, she contacted me about collaborating on an audio product.

Poor Fit With Marketing Strategies

For some business models, including guest articles in a list of Web site marketing strategies does not make sense. For example, it can be counterproductive to include guest articles on Web sites where the primary goal is to sell.

Service Web Sites

If the goal is to generate direct sales and leads for your own services, it doesn’t make sense to dilute the message and call to action with diversions. Karon Thackston explains:

The purpose of my site is to get those in need of copywriting services and SEO copywriting services to contact me in order to do business. People who come to my Marketing Words site are looking for information about copywriting. They are also looking to hire a copywriter.

Therefore, you will find only material written by Karon on her site.

Product Sales Sites

Some sites have a single goal: to sell product. Every page on the site is devoted to product descriptions or copy designed to move a visitor toward a purchase. In these cases, where the predominant call to action is “buy the product,” articles could hurt sales by diverting visitor attention away from the products.

Visit your favorite online retail sites, and you are likely to find product descriptions, reviews, photos and other product-driven content — but little or no guest articles. Their absence on many e-commerce sites is an illustration of the poor fit of such articles as a marketing strategy for those sites.

Understanding how different techniques support, or sabotage, Web site marketing strategies can be critical to a site’s success. Align your strategies with overall goals, and your business is more likely to flourish.

About the Author

Bobette Kyle draws upon 12+ years of Marketing/Executive experience, Marketing MBA, and online marketing research in her writing. Bobette is proprietor of the Web Site Marketing Plan Network, http://www.WebSiteMarketingPlan.com, and author of the marketing plan and Web promotion book “How Much For Just the Spider? Strategic Website Marketing For Small Budget Business.” ( HowMuchForSpider.com/TOC.htm )

Copyright 2004 Bobette Kyle. All rights reserved.

Drive More Traffic to Your Web Site by Submitting Articles Online

Wednesday, May 16th, 2007

If your business has a website, you’re probably searching for ways to get people to visit. Search engine optimization is important, but there are many other simple things you can do yourself to help drive more traffic to your site.

I publish several online newsletters; my own as well as several for my clients. My clients write wonderful articles for their newsletters and most also have me archive the newsletters or articles on their website. There is also another way to get more mileage from the articles they’ve written, and that’s to submit them to article directories, other web sites, and other online newsletters. The author’s bio is listed after the article with a link back to their website.

Articles that provide the reader with great information and leave them wanting more will click on that link to find out more about the author and to see if he/she has even more great information on their web site.

Here is an example of an article that I submitted for my client, Mary Allen (www.LifeCoachMary.com). Self-Growth is a personal development website with lots of information and lots of web site traffic. The articles Mary writes for her eNewsletter, SoulFULLY Living is a perfect fit for this website. I submitted this article using their online submission form. I started submitting Mary’s articles in December of 2003 and her articles are still there, driving traffic to her website. That’s because at the end of the article is a bio with information about Mary and a link back to her web site.

Here is a list of a few sites that will accept article submissions. Please keep in mind that some websites have very specific themes and guidelines for submitting your articles so please make sure your article is appropriate for the site:

http://ezinearticles.com/

http://goarticles.com/index.html

http://www.articlecity.com/

http://www.authorconnection.com/

http://www.bpubs.com/cgi/add.cgi

http://www.ebooksnbytes.com/articles/submit.shtml

http://www.ideamarketers.com/

http://www.freesticky.com/stickyweb/submitarticle.asp

These are just a few sites out of dozens that I’ve gathered over the years. If you’d like to find more places to submit your articles to, simply do a search on the Internet for “article directories”. Good luck with your article submissions!

Copyright © 2002 - 2004, Jean Hanson, VA Office Solution(TM). Jean Hanson is a CPVA (Certified Professional Virtual Assistant). If you or someone you know is overwhelmed with the stresses that come from managing your business, it’s time to bring joy and balance back into your life. Discover how partnering with a virtual assistant will give you more time to do the things you love to do! For more information about virtual assistance, visit Jean’s website at http://www.VaOfficeSolution.com. Jean is also the author of the eBook, Virtualize Your Business - Secrets to Simplifying, Automating, Organizing, and Virtualizing Your Business. Over 1,200 links to resources that you can use right now! http://www.VirtualizeYourBiz.com.