Is Your Money Tree Nake?

My post for today is spawned by the phone calls I've been receiving from extremely nice people who've joined this or that program and now wonder what they should be doing to promote it.

In some cases, additional resources are included for a fee, resources designed to pull in the leads to be converted to sales for this or that person.

My advice in a nutshell is to go to the source of the program. Find out what their resources are, how they are being used, and how the heck you personally benefit from their advertising on your behalf.

If you've joined the program (whatever it may be) and paid a fee to join, you have a god-given right to expect answers to your questions. I really don't care of whether you've spent a lowly $5 or mortgaged your home for $50,000 to become involved (I pray you did not do the second!). When money changes hands, the person doing the paying has a right to ask questions and expect answers - replies in a decent amount of time that answer the question.

Making someone submit support tickets one after the other with no reply is a poor way to do business - I think we'd all agree on that... right?

One last remark for today... no matter what the web site claims "join and do nothing and we'll make you rich" cannot possibly work. Sheer common sense should tell you you can't fill a basket with air and expect money to come raining out. One must promote - individual members must promote. It is unrealistic not to understand that most basic of marketing, banking, financial concepts.

After thoroughly researching any program, and I mean takes days or weeks to mull it over and investigate, and making the decision to sign up be sure to also allot within your budget for the much to be needed advertising you most certainly will need to do to hold up your end of the air-filled basket.

Money does not grow on trees nor does it rain from the skies. It comes from hard, diligent work and patience. Making wise choices helps :)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads, Online Advertising Co-Op, a true one-stop spot for ezine ad advertising, solo ads, targeted traffic, and more!


Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds

Search Engines and Trust Featured Article

Once again the folks at SiteProNews have put out another great article to help those in their efforts to gain a foothold in Google and other search engines. I'd also like to suggest that while you most definitely pursue a great search engine like Google, there is a quick and easy and FREE way to get a foothold into an Alexa-ranked (25,000!) search engine. Click here to get yourself - for free - a top position keyword or keyword phrase for your own web site or affiliate program!

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3 Things to Help Google Trust You
By Mark Daoust (c) 2006

Google is all about trust. Who knows, maybe they were in a bad relationship, but if you want to rank well with Google, you need to be trustworthy. And let me make the bold assumption that you are currently not trustworthy (most sites are not – especially new sites).

So how do you get Google to trust you? The most obvious answer, and most commonly quoted answer, is to get inbound links from trustworthy sites. Any webmaster who has been around the block a couple of times knows that this is a bit of a catch-22. Sites that are high in Google's trust typically do not just hand out links to small startups – those go to sites that are already established.

Unfortunately, while this is probably the most frustrating answer you can receive, it is also the lions share of building trust with Google. There are, however, a few other things you can do to help Google trust you more. While having these things may not rocket your site to the top of the rankings, they will bring you closer to finding a good relationship with Google.

Define a Privacy Policy

A privacy policy is a page that explains to your users what information is collected, how it is being used, and what options they have to access or change that collected information. It may be a bit ironic that a major search engine would place any emphasis on privacy in light of the recent AOL data release scandal, but having a privacy policy in place shows a certain level of trustworthiness.

This may seem like a very small step when we look at the big picture, but keep in mind that Google is looking for responsible and reliable websites to send their users to. A privacy policy, while non-consequential for many websites, shows an attention to detail and a sense of responsibility to user's privacy.

For many small website owners, this is a step that can be quite tricky. Offering detailed contact information on your site shows that responsibility and reliability that Google is looking for, but at the same time many small website owners are not running their websites as a full-time business.

You should always offer some sort of contact information on your site. At a minimum, you should offer an email address (I was surprised at how many websites – specifically blogs – did not offer any contact information at all). If possible, you should include your address and a telephone number where people can contact you. Of course, if the only phone number you have is your home phone number, this may not be the most ideal option.

Show Consistency Over Time

This may be the single most important tip in this article. Google has shown an affinity towards sites that remain consistent in structure, growth, content, and popularity. At the risk of sounding prosaic, outside of receiving highly trusted inbound links, the best way to bring Google to trust you is to show Google over time that you are trustworthy.

Think about your relationship with Google as you would any other relationship. Relationships take time, they take commitment over time, and trust in a relationship needs to be cultivated. If you happen to screw up, it takes time to regain any trust that was lost.

With your website, show Google that you are consistent, that you are dedicated, and that you actually care. Do not change your website's structure or focus entirely just because you feel like it. Spend time every day for months, even years, growing your site and promoting your site. Take the time to make sure it is as user friendly as possible taking into account issues such as accessibility. And whatever you do, do not take the chance of trying to cheat on Google by using a 'shortcut' – it can and will set you back in your relationship several months, if not longer.

It May Not Be the Best Model

Far be it from me to be a Google apologist – I certainly do not agree with everything that they do. The move towards a trust-based system is one that has received both praise and criticism, and both praise and criticism is deserved. While Google might be doing well in fighting search engine sp@m, they have simultaneously (if not inadvertently) hurt the small business owner who does not know any better.

There are many who complain about Google being 'unfair' towards website owners. Whether or not they really are being unfair is ultimately a moot point, Google is what Google does. If you choose to continue to care about having quality rankings in Google, complaining will not bring you higher rankings, adapting to their changes will.

These days Google wants to know that they can trust you. If you have been around long enough, they may already trust you, but if you are starting fresh, or if you have made mistakes in the past, you may have a long road ahead of you to prove to Google that they should care about your website, and that it is suitable for their rankings. Keep in mind that high trusted, one way in bound links will always be the fastest route to rankings, add a privacy policy and good contact information, follow the typical guidelines that make a site reliable (see Google's webmaster guidelines), and be consistent with your site.

About The Author:

Mark Daoust is the owner of Site Reference. Recently he just launched the nice site Brewing KB. Take a moment, if you will, to visit Brewing KB, a community for home brewers.

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Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds

You ARE Serious About Marketing... Right?

Good Evening!

If you are truly serious about marketing online, and not just hoping, then you're going to really appreciate, understand, and want to get in on this... definitely make it a part of your marketing toolbox!

First... it's FREE! Yep a free honest to goodness chance to immediately get yourself to the TOP of a medium-sized and growing search engine for your key word or phrase associated with your program, product or service.

Click Here

Sure you COULD submit to the search engines every month for a few years and finally, finally with luck (but this won't work with affiliate programs in most cases) get a semi-decent placement in a few search engines online.

OR you can cut to the chase and become the proud owner of a FREE keyword or key phrase for your program... yes, not years from now, TODAY. And OWN YOUR OWN search engine site (in essence).

Pay YOURSELF to search! Honest, this is a no brainer :)

Click Here

I talk and email back and forth with wonderful people who, just like me, are always looking for additional ways to get the word out about their programs.

Most serious marketers make sure they are covering the bases with ezine ads, solo ads, targeted traffic, article writing, blogging, etc.

The thing they tend to forget is going after a good place in the search engines!

Well here's that chance :)

Act NOW before the keyword you'd really like is GONE forever! It wouldn't be the end of the world, but if you have a certain one in mind... act RIGHT NOW to get it. If yours is gone, try variations on the same idea... it's sure to still be available and it can be YOURS.

Sign up! Do some SEARCHES. See the results come back for your key word or phrase. For the most part, this works in reverse of stuff like adwords and overture (both programs that can be extremely expensive!). You want terms (words) that have a LOT of people using them...

The reason? You will be FIRST in line for that search each and every time.

And... as an added bonus remember search engines also pick up OTHER search engines. The ramifications are must LARGER than just FREE (that is just a wonderful bonus to the original idea).

For me I've spent YEARS getting into the search engines and fighting to maintain my keywords placement. I'm not giving that up, but I'm sure as heck not turning down the opportunity to own out-right top keywords for my site at:

Click Here

If YOU have YEARS to wait and hope, do NOTHING.

If you do NOT have years to wait... what are your waiting for...????

All the best,
Theresa

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Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds

Question: Should you do something just because you can?

My post this evening is more concern about a growing trend online - and I'm wondering "just because you CAN, should you?"

This week has seen the launch of several major marketing programs by major players. These guys (and gals) have magic fairy dust surrounding them, literally everything they touch - and throw out there - turns to gold... for them.

Now that in itself is not a bad thing. I'm all for free enterprise :)

The problems I'm wrestling with tonight are small potatoes I'm sure to the guy pulling in literally millions.

The thing is... I get phone calls ALL the time from people who've tried this and that on the net. People of limited means - financially - yet those same people still strive to discover something that will truly work for them. Help them make their mark on the internet.

Enter the newest "launched" products.

Some are extremely useful, heck maybe all of them are, and for the most part many are affordably within the means of the average marketer.

My dilemma harkens back once again to the phone calls I receive. I've literally heard from hundreds of people who have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars scarfing up this program and that program. With still nothing to show.

Let's face it... if you know how to write good sales copy, and you team up with the right individuals, the skys the limit on what you can get people to buy... and spend. Even if YOU SHOULDN'T!

I'm just praying to the force this evening that every would-be marketer who jumped on the various bandwagons today was given the time to speak one on one with the other guys on the other end. The guys raking in the BIG bucks.

Did they take the time to PREQUALIFY their buyers? I doubt it. Should they, when you're selling pie in the sky, anyone can do this, types of programs? YES!

I'm not badmouthing what's out there. I'm sure the time and effort to develop the product, hype the media, and get the crowds coming compensates for most costs.

The thing is though... while the THING itself may be better than sliced bread any day, after one spends the HUGE bucks to get it is the buyer aware that 10 to 1 he or she (the buyer) does NOT have the list the big guy(s) have... it's the LIST that pulled the sales. It doesn't matter what you just bought, if you have no list you will have to spend more money to see if you can recover your costs. So many who truly should not have bought will have to incur even greater debt trying to justify what they just did... A truly vicious and unnecessary cycle if responsibility is shouldered by all.

FACT:

Once hundreds or thousands of dollars are shelled out, without the benefits of these hugely responsive lists, more often than not the buyer is left holding basically a big expensive bag of nothing.

It's going to cost even MORE money to advertise (since he or she doesn't have the same high pulling lists). Were these buyers qualified, financially, to purchase? God I hope so...

Watching people spend money when they are hanging on by a thread at home with kids to raise and food and shelter to cover... and still being bamboozled to add even MORE debit to their credit cards on a HOPE... it just wrings my heart.

I truly hope that if you DO make the financial commitment online that the ones behind each and every program will continue to BE THERE for you. I hope they make a true commitment to make sure all these "money back guarantees" never have to happen.

I'd love to see hundreds of thousands of "NOBODIES" make it big online. I'm also just afraid that it very rarely happens :(

I DO hope I'm WRONG!


Copyright 2006 - All Rights Reserved

====================================
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads, Online Advertising Co-Op, a true one-stop spot for ezine ad advertising, solo ads, targeted traffic, and more!


Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds

Keys to Increasing Your Sites Search Engine Ranking

by Maxine Hough
(c) 2006 All Rights Reserved

When you discuss search engine ranking, the first thing you need to think about is the market place. Many people ask, how many keywords should I put in my anchor text? What is the keyword density that I should have on my page? Should I use 200 words on my copy or should I use 600 words? Can I use flash? How many keywords should I put in my "alt" text? And so forth and so on.

Generally speaking there are no magic numbers. The most important thing you can understand as it applies to search engine optimization is that algorithms change. Just when you think you understand what is going to make you number one for a search phrase in a search engine, something changes, and you end up spending months or years trying to find out the engineering of the algorithm again.

It is better not to try to reverse engineer the algorithm instead do something much easier, observe your competitors. All you need to do is to understand what elements your competitors are using that are making them rank on the top positions.

So what those things are?

- Number and quality of inbound links pointing to the site
- Keyword density
- Fresh content

The first thing to observe from your competition is their back link index. This would be the number of sites that have a link pointing to their website. You can easily measure it by going to Google and typing:

"link://www.yourcompetitorssite.com"

But it would be a mistake to limit this only to Google since Google discriminates sites much more than other search engines. Yahoo and MSN are much more accurate for measuring the back link index so do include these engines when you check back links.

Observe not only what the links say, but where the links come from. What categories do those links come from. If you start seeing recurring patterns, you should start actively searching for links coming from those categories.

Some marketers use special software for robotic content creation. They generate thousands of pages with links pointing to their sites. This practice is very dangerous because Google often penalizes unnatural linking as a violation of their terms of service. If a site has 50 links one day and the following day it has 2,050 links, all saying the same thing and coming from the same IP address, this sends up a red flag with Google and can get you penalized or banned.

If you understand how to observe, this will never happen to you. You will learn how to look at your competitors, and observe how they are getting linked to.

The second thing you’ll want to observe is the keyword density of your competitors. How many times should we repeat our main keyword? In which part of the web page should our main keywords be mentioned? Remember there are no magic numbers, it's all about observing and measuring against your competitors. So what should we measure?

- Meta tags
- Alt tags
- Titles
- Names of the images on the page
- Highlights: h1, h2, h3...
- Frequency and position of the keywords on the body text

Each one of these items should be measured independently. There are tools to run keyword density against your competitors. If you run them against the top 3 or 5 sites, you may start to understand the secrets of top rankings.

Again, your keyword density needs to look natural, otherwise you may fail in over optimization. This is when you use keywords too often or too early. If you look unnatural, your page ranks will suffer as a result.

The key to success is to understand what Google likes about their top 5 pages, and to apply this to your own website promotion.

The last thing to observe is how much fresh content the top sites have. If they have many articles and they are continuously adding new content to their sites, then it is a sure bet that the search engines like content and are ranking those sites better which have more updated information.

People surfing the web are searching for one thing: information, and web marketers know that content is the "fuel" or “king” of internet traffic. If you want to attract more customers to your site, then you need to make sure that you provide enough content that is relevant to their interests.


Copyright 2006 Maxine Hough

----------------------------------------------------------
Looking for effective internet marketing tools that work?
Maxine Hough has created the ultimate web site of "cutting
edge" internet marketing tools designed to increase your
sites traffic flow and revenue significantly!
The Internet Marketing Tool Site


For more great articles or to submit your own:
Visit the My Wizard Ads Library



Keywords: search engines, advertising, marketing, classifieds

Checking Out the Competition - Site 2 Review

This is a heads up on my recent
"let's see what the competition is up to"
research I conducted on August 20, 2006
(I do not name names)

Let me first tell you that investigating this competitor's site had me almost losing my mind.

Should you find yourself investigating this service and trying to research each ezine listed, you will be driven absolutely nuts with the number of popups that have nothing whatsoever to do with trying to get the information you would be after...

Truly, this investigation and the frustration levels I experienced, would have sent me running to the hills without ever looking back... let alone thinking of placing an order.

The Results:

One Group - 20 Ezines (all my sanity would allow me to do)

Actual Publications Your Ad Would Be Shown In: 6 ezines

Breakdown of the 14 ezines not qualified to be listed:

1. 8 of the 14 did not have a website at all

2. 2 of the 14 were obvious google adsense websites

3. 1 of the 14 was a shopping site/search engine site

4. 1 "ezine" site was For Sale

5. 1 website probably publishes, but advertises hosting (no ezine in sight)

6. I'm adding the owner's ezine itself only because it's impossible to tell what the most recent issue is... taking a guess and stepping inside one of the archives, there is no date anywhere telling me when it was published.

Of the 6 qualified ezines, 2 of the publishers work with me here at My Wizard Ads. The other 4 are unknown to me.

Again, due diligence choosing any service please!

All the best,
Theresa Cahill
Owner of My Wizard Ads
Doing Business Online Since 2001
(c) 2006 - All Rights Reserved

My Wizard Ads, Online Advertising Co-Op, a true one-stop spot for ezine ad advertising, solo ads, targeted traffic, and more!


Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds

Building Affiliate Marketing Websites

Here are some myths regarding affiliate marketing (which, unfortunately, too many people believe to be the truth):

o Managing an online business is easy,

o One can make a fortune through online marketing in an instant.

Fact: Less than 10% of online affiliate marketers see any sort of returns, quickly (let alone "overnight").

Fact: Setting up your own program and having your own affiliate marketers working for you is a much better solution.

Developing a product, finding the right niche, having a plan of action, creating your own merchant accounts and affiliate program, working your buns off to get it all off the ground... these are all viable ways to make money online.

Here are a few (most very obvious) pointers for starting your own affiliate program:

o Choose a theme or niche of your website. It would be better if you already have an idea what products or services to promote as this would help you plan the design and lay-out of your web pages.

o Pick a great domain name and get yourself great hosting. Hosting is not something to scrimp on... support and features are your best allies for choosing the best hosting service (trust me!).

Your domain name should be a unique name used to label the actual address of your website on the Internet. In deciding what domain name to register, look into the type of products you are endorsing and the theme of your site. Having the right keywords in your domain name would give you better chances of drawing more visitors to your website. Also, choose a top level domain or extension, such as .com because it is more popular. In selecting your web host, consider the security of servers and up time guarantees.

o Create your own website. Make sure that it is not just an ordinary website. Take the time to build (or have one built for you) a professional looking one. An outstanding tool for easy web site building (and maintaining and updating!) is XSitePro. Even a novice can quickly master this easy to use program. Even more importantly, it is a breeze when it comes time to update or move or delete information from your site!

The key to driving visitors to your website is high quality content; several other factors contribute to the success of your affiliate marketing site, but great content tops the list.

o Write interesting articles related to your theme.

o Look for affiliate programs that complement your site.

o Add links to business sites and other good, informative web sites.

o Do not hype your product. Keep your readers interested by presenting lots of relevant and useful information.

While this article only skims the tip of the iceberg, there are plenty of free resources online to keep you growing in the right direction. Not all resources (information) need be bought. Learn the keywords associated with what you are seeking to find, use the top search engines to hunt for results, and continue your web master education.

Soon you’ll find yourself successful with your affiliate marketing.

* * * * * * *

Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads, Online Advertising Co-Op, a true one-stop spot for ezine ad advertising, solo ads, targeted traffic, and more!


Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds

Checking Out the Competition

Checking Out the "Competition" Overiew
Please Do Read This First So You
Understand My "Why"

Click Here to Read My August 19th Findings

August 19, 2006 - This morning I received an email from a marketer asking for help. His response to ezine advertising was marginal at best (dismal is more like it). His email got me thinking... thinking led to researching... researching led to writing this...

A co-operative venture - like an ezine ad directory - is only as good as the owner or owners of the web site make it.

In the past, MWA has had as many as 190 publishers and their ezines listed. Today, the number hovers consistently in the 40-50 range and frankly, I like it that way!

Why you ask?

Because claiming more - and knowing full well that my list is not current - is NOT an option for me.

I've stated over and over that if My Wizard Ads only listed 10 ezines, but all 10 were hardworking, dedicated individuals doing their job - that would be good enough for me!

Lucky for me, I've got a true dedicated bunch of professionals doing their job (which is publishing and running your advertising - at the same time!).

I take updating extremely seriously - ask any of the publishers kind enough to work with me and list their ezines.

I'm actually quite ruthless when it comes to listing or not listing an ezine. The Publisher must, of course, be publishing - not just using MWA as a fishing spot for more leads for themselves. He or she also must respond to my emails and update in a timely manner each month. I also maintain a subscription to each and every ezine listed at My Wizard Ads, and each of those ezines has their own personal folder in my email account. To top that off, everything is kept color-coded in my Excel file.

No ezine, no email replies, no update... no listing.

My goal is not to provide a LOT of subscribers,
My Wizard Ads' goal is to provide you with REAL advertising resources.

Please do your homework. It's very easy to believe what you're told (at face value) and spend money.

My suggestion is investigate then spend if it's appropriate.

Click Here to Read My August 19th Findings

All the best,
Theresa Cahill
Owner of My Wizard Ads
Doing Business Online Since 2001
(c) 2006 - All Rights Reserved


====================================
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads, Online Advertising Co-Op, a true one-stop spot for ezine ad advertising, solo ads, targeted traffic, and more!


Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds

Featured Article on Integrating RSS Into Your Marketing

Once again I present to you some truly outstanding information written by Kim Roach. I know the value of this article because I've been making diligent use of RSS feeds and blogs for a while now. Please read and/or visit the url above for all her valuable information.

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How to Integrate RSS Into Your Marketing Mix
By Kim Roach (c) 2006

RSS is changing the way we consume information online. Instead of being overloaded with mounds of information in our inbox, we can pick and choose exactly which content providers we want to hear from.

On the other side of the story are the publishers. Not only is RSS changing the way visitors view information, but it is also opening up vast opportunities for publishers wanting to syndicate their content across the Internet.

RSS is turning into one of the most popular distribution channels for webmasters, publishers, article writers and news syndicators. With RSS, you have the opportuníty to have a continual digital conversation with your readers. You can use RSS to syndicate a wide variety of media formats including text, video, and audio.

No longer is the Web all about text. You can use RSS to syndicate your very own talk show, weekly podcast, or a collection of video tutorials.

With over 100 RSS and blog search engines available online, it's time that you started integrating RSS into your marketing mix. This article will outline how you can combine the power of RSS with your current marketing activities.

To begin, let's start with email marketing. Some people have predicted that RSS will one day overtake email as the top communication model. However, this is not likely to happen considering the differences between these two technologies. Instead, the two should be combined to form a powerful marketing duo.

Email Marketing and RSS Intertwine

You can complement your email marketing campaigns with one or more RSS feeds. By providing your readers with alternatives, you will reach a much largër number of subscribers.

There are a number of ways that you can integrate RSS into your current email marketing campaign.

1. Use RSS to announce each new issue of your ezine. Announce your e-zine in your RSS feed as a single RSS content item. When your subscribers click-through, they can access your newsletter in full on your website, drawing additional visitors to your content.

2. If you are currently using email autoresponders, provide those very same autoresponders as RSS feeds. You can do this at http://www.zookoda.com .

Using RSS, you can syndicate a wide variety of content. One of the most obvious uses of RSS is to deliver content updates to your users. RSS is an excellent communication medium for delivering daily updates of your web site content. You can't expect your visitors to come back to your site every day to chëck for updates, but with an RSS feed they can quickly pick up any changes that interest them.

However, this is just the beginning of what is possible with RSS.

Deliver Content Updates, News, and So Much More...

You can also use RSS feeds to deliver news announcements, forum discussion updates, new product releases, quick tips, quotes, new coupons, job listings, classifieds, and real estate listings.

RSS can even be used to deliver content that is not available on your site. Let's face it, you cannot possibly publish all of the great information that is available on your site's particular topic.

However, you can supply your users with a content aggregation service that directs them to the best content within your industry.

With all of the digital junk that is currently being delivered online, you would be delivering an extremely valuable service simply by syndicating the most important and relevant information within a particular niche.

Keep in mind that relevant information goes beyond whether or not the content relates to your visitors' interests. Relevant information can also speak to each individual user. Just like email marketing, you can use personalization within your RSS feeds to increase your response rate.

Speak Directly to Your Visitors with Personalized RSS Feeds

One of my favorite examples of personalization can be found at Babycenter.com. As soon as you enter the site, you are asked for two pieces of information:

Your due date or your child's birthday and...
Your email address

After you submit your information you start receiving a weekly e-zine that is relevant to your pregnancy stage or the age of your child. If you have a 2-year old, you'll be receiving articles, tips and product recommendations for that age.

Do you see the power in this? By using profiling, webmasters are able to send information that is highly relevant to their readers on a case-by-case basis.

You could use this same idea with your RSS feeds.

Basic personalization might include elements such as the reader's first name, while more advanced personalization might deliver personalized content, product recommendations and so on.

Once you have decided on what type of content you would like to syndicate, you must then start organizing content for your feed. If you want to use RSS to its full potential, then I would highly advise you to create multiple RSS feeds for your users.

Use Multiple RSS Feeds to Increase Your Exposure

You can do this by creating RSS feeds for each category of content you cover. This extends your reach and marketing capability. Do not pack all of your content under one generic RSS feed. This is not beneficial for you or your visitors. By breaking your RSS feeds into categories, your visitors will be able to tap into the exact information that they are looking for.

For example, visitors who only want to keep up with forum updates shouldn't have to sift through articles, news, and other content.

When you begin marketing your RSS feeds, keep in mind that this is still a fairly new technology.

RSS Isn't Quite Mainstream, So Educate Your Visitors

Take your visitors step-by-step through the process of locating, subscribing and reading an RSS feed. By doing this, you are informing your website visitors and helping to promote the use of your own RSS feed.

To see a really good example of this, go to BBC News.

There is one last step to integrating RSS into your overall marketing strategy. This one is often overlooked, but can be extremely powerful when executed properly.

Take Your RSS Marketing to the Next Level with Your Affíliates

Provide your affíliates with an RSS feed of your product catalog. They can then use your feed to syndicate your latest product releases on their own websites. Whenever someone clicks on a headline, they would be directed to your web store. If they decide to make a purchase, the referring affíliate would make a commission on the sale.

Of course, this type of RSS would most likely need to be customizable, allowing the affíliate to carry only the products updates they feel would be a good match for their website.

Amazon.com has implemented this very same technique and it's time that the rest of us do so as well.

RSS is one of many ways to communicate with your customer base. RSS should not be your only communication mechanism, but rather simply a piece of the marketing puzzle. When RSS is combined with other communication models, including email and postcard marketing, your message will finally receive its true potential. When any of these techniques are used alone, they löse much of their marketing power.

About The Author

Kim Roach is a staff writer and editor for the SiteProNews and SEO-News newsletters. You can contact Kim at: kim @ seo-news.com

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Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds

What Google Offers to Marketers and Surfers Alike

Today I added a quick resource page to My Wizard Ads, with short explanations on the various products and services Google offers the internet user.

Let's face it, the search engine with the current highest kick is... Google!

Google makes products and services designed for the web site owner and the online advertiser. Teaming up with Google just makes good, common sense.

From Google adsense (web site owners make money showing ads on their site), to Google adwords (pick and choose keywords specific for your programs, products, and services and get them on the front pages of Google by paying per word), to using the latest browser Foxfire with the Google toolbar, all the way to their Google Pack, there is definitely something for everyone.

Click the title above to visit the web page directly :)

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Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds

Once Again... It Only Took 4 Hours to Build a Web Site

My post for tonight is to once again sing the praises of XSitePro!

If you read my post on August 8th, you'll already know that it takes next to no time to create web sites with this amazing program.

Tonight, just for the fun of it, I bought a new domain name, added it as a subdomain to one of my accounts, and started making a new website on slimming down and losing weight.

I'm a big Atkins nut so this is right up my alley :)

Granted, I'll be adding to the web site off and on over the next few weeks. But, by and large, there's a full-fledged web site sitting there with some really good information and a product on getting your flabby abs into shape :)

Honestly, if you've been wondering how in the world to make your own web site and you haven't followed my advice and at least looked at XSitePro, please do so now.

The only person you're hurting is yourself... having your own web site is really the only way to go online.

Oh... if you're wondering "what web site?" just click the title of this post to take a peek :) Remember it's still a work in progress (and will continue to be), but it's up and functioning... in less than 4 hours!

All the best,
Theresa

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads, Online Advertising Co-Op, a true one-stop spot for ezine ad advertising, solo ads, targeted traffic, and more!


Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds

Tonight's Featured Article on Hidden Content Sources for Your Website

As it pushes midnight here in the desert, I wanted to make sure to post the latest article I received from SiteProNews. Kim Roach is one of my favorite authors, lots of great information written so everyone can follow it :) Enjoy!

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Hidden Content
Sources for Your Website
By Kim Roach (c) 2006

As I travel through the Google search engine, there is one element that defines almost all of the top-ranking websites. It's great content. People come online for information and those that offer the best content reap the greatest rewards.
Unfortunately, this type of content is hard to come by. In most cases, you either have to spend hours in front of the keyboard or outsource the job to others. Both of these options are very costly. One requires your valuable time and the other requires an ínvestment of around $10 - $20 per article.

That's why I have scoured the net in search of valuable frëe content sources. I'm still not quite sure why I'm revealing my treasured piles of frëe content, but I certainly hope you enjoy them.

One of my favorite sources of content is public domain. This comprises the body of knowledge without a copyright. Anyone can use this material for commercial or non-commercial purposes. Below are some excellent sources for public domain material.

Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg is a library of 18,000 frëe ebooks whose copyright has expired. "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", "Pride and Prejudice", "The Time Machine", "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", and "The Canterbury Tales" have all passed into the public domain.

This means that you can put these on your website or even sell them in electronic or book format.

Explore a wealth of frëe content at Gutenberg.org.

Archive.org

At Archive.org you can find thöusands of works that are currently in the public domain. Want to put some cartoons on your web site? Take a look at the "Film Chest Vintage Cartoons", which is full of classic animated cartoons from the 1930's and 1940's. The collection includes Popeye, Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, The Three Stooges and Betty Boop. They also provide tons of other reproducable content including:

Brick Films: Commonly called "LEGO Movies". Brick films are dedicated to the art of stop motion animation.

SabuCat Movie Trailers: The world's largest collection of theatrical trailers.

Feature Films: A large number of classic feature films and shorts.

Universal Newsreels: Newsreels were shown before every feature film in the pre-tv era.

Computer Chronicles: Was the world's most popular television program on personal technology during the height of the computer revolution.

Net Cafe: Television series covering the revolution during the height of the dot com boom.

All of these content sources are available for you to put on your website. You can find them at Archive.org.

Another popular public domain destination is Wikipedia.org. Here you will find over 1 million articles ranging from Greek mythology and Egyptian history to business, health, and technology.

Go to Wikipedia.org for a huge collection of articles you can reprint on your own website.

Creative Commons

Every creative work receives copyright protetion as soon as you put pen to paper, hit save, or press record. Because of this, no one can use that work without express permission from the author.

Creative Commons provides a new content license that allows you to share your work with others. If you want, you can even allow other people to expand upon your existing work. This allows for creative co-authorship.

The Creative Commons license has made piles of content available for use on your web site. Whether you are looking for audio, images, video, or text, you can find an abundance of reusable information within the creative commons.

To search for content to put on your own web site, go to CreativeCommons.org.

Government Web Sites

Works produced by the U.S. Federal government are not copyrighted. If you obtain a government document from the net, you are frëe to copy and distribute the document. I have found plenty of great content about finance, retirement, health, business, and traveling on government websites.

To search for content offered by the United States government, go to http://www.google.com/unclesam.

Article Directories

There are thöusands of writers on the internet and many of them would love for you to reprint their articles on your website. You can find thöusands of frëe web articles at the following article directories.

GoArticles.com
EzineArticles.com
ArticleCity.com

Interviews

I consider interviews to be one of the best sources of quality content for your site. Simply interview industry professionals and post the recording and transcript on your website. This allows you to create original content very quickly.

Don't be afraid to ask for an interview, most experts would be delighted to speak with you. Remember, this is probably one of their greatest passions. If you ask them politely, your chances for landing an interview are good.

You can conduct an interview in person, over the telephone, or even through an e-mailed questionaire.

RSS Feeds

RSS is changing the way we consume information online. In addition, it has also provided thöusands of new content sources for the online publisher. RSS is simply a file format similar to XML that is used by publishers to make their content available to others in a format that can be easily understood by web publishing software and content aggregators.

By using RSS feeds, you can enhance the content on your site without ever writing a single word. And remember, on the Internet, content is King.

Want to put Amazon products on your site, updated news from the New York Times, financial advice from Motley Fool, or press releases from PRWeb?

This is all possible with RSS. No matter what type of information you are looking for, RSS can provide you with a constant stream of updated content for your web site.

To search for an RSS feed to enhance your own website, go to Syndic8.com. You can even mix and match a variety of rss feeds at RSSMix.com.

Facts & Statistics

Looking for facts or figures to put on your website? Take a look at some of the sources below. You'll likely be surprised how many facts, figures, and definitions are available in the public domain.

The CIA World Factbook provides a number of statistics on countries, territories, and dependencies. Each profile tracks such demographics as population, ethnicity, and literacy rates, as well as political, geographical and economic data.

http://www.census.gov/: One of the largest repositories for data and statistics related to the U.S.

http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Main_Page: One of the best encyclopedia's ever written was published over 90 years ago. Search over 40,000 articles, all of which are available for publication on your own site.

http://www.bibliomania.com/2/3/257/frameset.html: A searchable interface of the 1913 public domain Webster's dictionary.

Private Label Articles

Private label articles can be bought for pennies per article. This is possible because they are sold in bülk.

Many people criticize these articles and have declared them as worthless. However, I am here to tell you that private label articles can be very powerful when used appropriately.

Unless you have hours of frëe time every day, it is unlikely that you are going to be able to create the amount of quality content that your web site deserves. This is where private label content enters the picture.

You can use private label articles to:

Add content to your web site.
Acquire hundreds of inbound links by syndicating the articles to article directories.
Create a frëe report for your visitors and other website publishers.
Create an information-packed RSS feed.
However, the key to using private label articles effectively is to optimize them. Straight out of the box, these articles are near worthless. To give them value, you must add your own touch.

Inject your personality into the article. Combine multiple articles and do some additional touch-ups to ensure that the article is in top shape for your readers.

Once you are finished you can add your resource box and send it off to article directories and website publishers.

If you are looking for one of the top private label article providers, go to InfoGoRound.com.

Images

Quality images can make your content much more inviting and keep people at your site for longer periods of time. Fortunately, there is a site that offers thöusands of pictures completely frëe of charge. Find it at Stock.XCHNG.

Quotes

Quotes can give your website a special touch. Quotes provide interesting content in addition to an element of credibility. I often like to add related quotes to my web site simply to engage the reader's attention.

To find some quotes for your website, go to QuoteLand.com.

In the end, you always want your content to be unique. Not for the search engines, but for your visitors. With quality content comes quality links. Once you have built up a reputation for delivering unique content, you will nevër have to worry about having an audience eager to visit your website.

Did You Find This Article Useful? Then Digg It.

About The Author
Kim Roach is a staff writer and editor for the SiteProNews and SEO-News newsletters. You can contact Kim at: kim @ seo-news.com

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Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds

Popular Arts and Crafts - New Website with a story

Well I did it... After posting my "learn html the easy way" article this morning, I proceeded to purchase a domain name, set up my hosting, and create a "by hand" website on arts & crafts.

I'm actually quite proud of it. I search out the articles myself (on beads, gift basket making, starting your own home craft business, crafts for kids, macrame and more). No automation was used in creating the website - everything was hand selected by me for me.

When I mentioned earlier today that XSitePro was incredible, I thought I'd prove it... put my money where my mouth is and show you just what can be created in the space of a few hours.

Sure I could have run one automated program after another, but I choose to hunt out true arts and crafts content. I went to the best source for arts & crafts articles, and hand picked the best complimentary products for an arts and crafts website.

So voila! I hope you enjoy visiting it... and seeing just how fantastic XSitePro really is :)

All the best,
Theresa

My Wizard Ads, Online Advertising Co-Op, a true one-stop spot for ezine ad advertising, solo ads, targeted traffic, and more!

Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds

How to Learn HTML Without Even Trying

by Theresa Cahill
Copyright - All Rights Reserved

Today I'd like to ask... do you have your own website?

You've heard all about the importance of having your own site to promote from - it's easier, all your interests rest on one site and promoting one url (one site) is always easier than trying to keep track of several.

You should also know about how important it is to have a site that is easy to navigate, and from your standpoint, easy to update at the drop of a hat!

For years, I "did it myself." I learned HTML from scratch. Hand coded everything on the MWA web site (other than java scripts and forms)... and I LIKED doing it myself.

I didn't use frontpage or dreamweaver (DW costs an arm and a leg and frontpage is too glitchy for me - I'm very picky about spacing and other things that both programs think you are too stupid to be able to do yourself).

BUT... after years of insisting only I could get the look I wanted... I've switched and I'm loving it.

(The title of this posting will take you to what I'm talking about... I'm having trouble posting this article... sigh!)

This most a.mazing web site builder is designed with a highly effective tutorial (which for a change I actually took the 2 hours to do) and a system so advanced I have yet to find something that I needed that was left out... there just isn't anything.

I speak with many people who know they should teach themselves HTML and build their own sites. Yet, they are overwhelmed and feel it's something they can "put off 'til later."

No it is not.

Do this for yourself. Get out from under the necessity of promoting affiliate urls and only af urls. Teach yourself a new skill - today - in 2 hours or less and have a brand new web site all your own this week.

Heck, I converted MWA in a weekend and that's because I'm picky as can be... it really took less time but I just love to tweak LOL!

You CAN and MUST do this some time... and some time is most definitely now.

The title of this posting will take you there.

That's my tip for today... see ya soon!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads, Online Advertising Co-Op, a true one-stop spot for ezine ad advertising, solo ads, targeted traffic, and more!


Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds

What Advertising Direction is Best? Is there a best? What should I do to succeed online?

This evening, after spending a very long night last night and all of today converting my web site (still in progress), as I was calling it a night, I received the following email (thank you Stephen!):

Hello My Wizard Ads!

I hope you are doing well. I ran a couple of Ezine Advertisements with several companies that over promised and under delivered. Unfortunately I received no Real traffic to my site www.SimpleCashSystems.com.

I know there are no promises in this Industry, but when you spend hard earned money and see no return, it kind of hurts.. :) If you had a Business Opportunity, what direction should I go??

I have heard great things about your company, and I am anxious to begin working with you. I feel this will be a great partnership for both of us into the future. If you can guide me to the best options for home-based business opportunities, I will go with what you say! Thank you for taking the time out today, and I look forward in working with you soon!

Yours in Prosperity,
Stephen Scott

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PRELUDE TO MY REPLY:

I don't want to say I have a "standard" reply, but if you've spoken with me on the phone or written back and forth by email, you just might recognized my response this evening. Please understand, this is the ONLY thing I know to tell anyone. Regardless of what gurus tell you... you and I are destined to WORK at our jobs online. Money will not fall into our laps, but that's okay... hopefully, like me, you like what you're doing.
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So here was my reply:

Hi Stephen!

Unfortunately your story is very familiar - lots of promises and than WHAM!

I do not make any promises or guarantees... I can't. There's no way to compare apples to oranges. I can tell you I have many returning customers and new people happy with the customer service and advertising I provide.

Others are not as fortunate. Some pick winning things to promote and others are fighting a hopeless battle. The hopeless cases I truly encourage to keep looking - even better to take the time and build their own websites and find something they would be truly happy keeping busy with... hence the niche sites that do so well.

Affiliate programs can be really tough unless you can turn a special angle with them that others are not doing.

My suggestions are basic and simple:

1. Submit on a clockwork-like basis to the search engines - starting every 15 days and in a month or so going to every 30 days... but you MUST remember to do it http://www.submitplus.com has a fr.ee program submit tab, use it, they are good. Also, http://www.google.com/addurl and don't believe them when they say "thanks you don't need to do this again." You do. Over and over - could take upwards of a year.

2. Get involved in the social bookmarking sites and "craze" that is not going to disappear. Search engines love those. Read everything (for free!) that you can about it. http://del.icio.us is a great place to begin. Yahoo thought this up and delicious is Yahoo.

3. Get traffic. You might not make sales initially, but you need to show the search engines (read Alexa) that traffic is coming your way in a steady stream. This also takes time and patience, but must be done. Shop carefully for this... I am a direct path to a primary source online, not a seller of a reseller of a reseller. The prices I've seen jacked up make my head spin. Either I'm too stupid to do it, or they are criminal in the pricing.

4. Always, always, always run a classified ad in ezines and newsletters. Become a part of the readership. Provide feedback, articles, suggestions, etc. Every time you do, include your name and web site url and ask (beg if need be, but you won't need to) the publisher to include your remarks. Make them intelligent informed and caring replies and get YOURSELF know to the other readers as a reliable person with good remarks and insight. People do tend to buy from people they feel they know. It's that simple.

5. Make sure the programs, software, ebooks, whatever you are interested in promoting have been read and used by you. If it's junk, get a refund. If it's not, write informed and insightful reviews on why someone should check it out. Be helpful.

6. Write. Write articles. Get someone else to write them for you for a fee if need be. Good articles worth taking someone's time to read. Ezine article directories are plentiful on the net and a great place to sign up and get yours included. I have one myself at www.mywizardads.com/library. My personal article library is at www.mywizardads.com/ArticleLibrary.html. Read a few of them. They aren't rocket science, but do tend to help people more often than not :)

These are the basics. Setting a schedule to get it all done is primary and critical. Keep at it and sooner or later - and it does take a lot of doing - things will begin to "pay off."

Hope this helps LOL!

In fact, you've just given me my post for the night to my blog at:
My Wizard Ads HowTo Marketing Tips and Resources for Online Enrepenuers (you're reading it right now *smile!*) Thanks!

All the best,
Theresa

================================================

I hope YOU found this useful, too :) Magic exists in fairy tales. You CAN do this... but it takes persistence and the drive to DO IT. Even in the not so good times, until you "get it right."

* * * * *

Keywords: advertising, marketing, classifieds

No Longer a Fan of Norton Antivirus

After last night, I (a diehard Symantec Norton Antivirus user) have forever cast Norton and Symantec products into the bottom-less pit of never-to-be-retrieved online products.

You would not believe the hell I went through last night!

Actually, it started a few days ago. Nothing definitive, but definitely something "not quite right" as I used one program or another or surfed online. Of course the first thing I did was scan my hard drives. Nothing wrong (according to the 2006 version of Norton's Antivirus program).

But still the lagging and odd this and that persisted. Running out of virtual memory at the drop of a hat, on and on, problem after problem. Scan, scan, update, scan, scan. Never one little thing did 2006 find.

In reverse, I also ran my spyware sweeper from my Zone Alarm Pro (and before you think that was my problem, it's not - these two programs had been working quite harmoniously on my computer for years, the problems only started AFTER I upgraded to Norton's 2006 version!). And... each time Zone Alarm found spyware and typically things that Norton, if working correctly, SHOULD HAVE ALSO FOUND.

Hmmmm... So, having spent the extra bucks and also had Symantec ship me a backup disk, I started the (now) unthinkable. I uninstalled everything - both Norton and Zone Alarm for good measure.

At around 8:30 p.m. last night the fun began.

By 3:00 in the MORNING, after repeatedly trying in vain to get Norton to fully install on my computer, and with only my lowly Zone Alarm Pro to protect me against the bitter outside world - in total disgust and RAGING ANGER I turned everything off and went to bed.

Five hours later, I was at it again.

Only this time, I was SO smart! I headed straight to ZoneLabs never giving Norton another backwards look.

I called the wonderful folks at ZoneAlarm, received some OUTSTANDING support, help (and sympathy which I sorely needed by then), and upgraded to ZoneAlarm Security Suite 6.5.

I did my homework. I read around. C/Net has actually moved Norton way down the list (it might even be past McAfee at this point), and clearly proclaimed ZA's Antivirus program superior.

As a current customer, it's an easy upgrade to the ZA Security Suite - and a financial savings to boot.

Fully installed on my computer SURE ENOUGH there was a big bad bundle of trouble that ZA caught - the first time around (!) - and fixed and eliminated. Since spyware checking also comes with this suite, along with a bunch of other things, I ran that, too. A total of six spyware sneaks eliminated.

I am a paranoid individual when it comes to me and my computer. I don't want you to get the idea that I wasn't updating or wasn't scanning or using Norton's Antivirus 2006 properly. I was. The rotten part is I THOUGHT it was protecting me. It wasn't. Glitchy, nasty, stinking rotten program - and it takes a lot for me to say that... I've been using Norton for years. However, if you currently have 2004 or 2005 on your computer my advice is DO NOT upgrade it to 2006. It's like a bad beta program that should never have left the shelves without a lot more research.

On the other hand, my computer is SO happy now - and my stress level has dropped to the point where I'm pretty sure I won't have a stroke today just by making the wonderful decision to switch over to ZA's Security Suite.

Thank you ZoneLabs! Live long and prosper :)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Theresa Cahill is the owner of My Wizard Ads, Online Advertising Co-Op, a true one-stop spot for ezine ad advertising, solo ads, targeted traffic, and more!


Keywords: antivirus, computer, security, spyware, mywizardads