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Article Marketing Doesn't Work

seoservicepro — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:57:11 GMT

First let me explain article marketing for those that do not know what it is. Let's say your website is about widgets. You write an article on interesting ways people can use widgets.

In the footer of your article there is an author bio section. In the author bio section you place links to your website about widgets.

You submit that article to as many article directories as possible. You can use a service www.isnare.com ISnare.com who for two dollars per article will submit your article to hundreds of article directories.

Once you submit to all of those directories, remember the link in the author bio section, each of those directories is now a one-way inbound link.

Now none of those links is related to widgets, so they are not relative links, but they do still count for link popularity, just not as much as relative links do.

But the second reason that article directories exist is to provide free content to website owners. These website owners can take your article and use it as content for their website as long as they leave the links in the author bio section active and intact.

Article Marketing Doesn't Work. That is exactly what some old-time experienced SEO people are still saying. Yet, one of the clients I wrote articles for went from a link popularity of 1 to a link popularity of 457 in 8 days.

I received an email today from a client I wrote an article for on "Free Credit Repair" 3 days ago. He did a search in Google today for "Free Credit Repair" and the article was in the top 100. Tough category, but it was written 3 days ago and appears in Google for his search term with links to his website.

I can continue to provide dozens of examples where article marketing works and works fast. Once those articles are picked up by other websites besides the article directories, the real benefit comes.

Those websites that pick up and use the articles as content for their websites would not use the article if it were not related to their own topic. That means relative one-way inbound links for your website.

If you have no use for quick link popularity and relative one-way inbound links to your website, then article marketing is not for you.

If you would like to know more about article marketing or would like to have someone write articles for you, then visit my website at http://www.articlecontentprovider.com/

Article Marketing and Content Cheapskates

seoservicepro — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:49:49 GMT

I see this everywhere and still cannot believe that people do not get it. Content is still king on the web. The most important thing you will ever do for your website is to put in good content. Great content will get you links and your position in the search engine results will be because of the content you put into your website.

Hundreds of back links will not get you ranked well with poor content. Great content will get you good keyword positioning with or without back links, therefore, content is still the most important aspect of your website. Great design, flash, graphics, and a cool banner will not get you ranked well for your keywords and phrases. Great content will!

Let's first look at the content in your website. Images are great with alt tags. That helps. But it is the text on the pages that, when done correctly, will help your search engine results. This text is also what will convert your customers into sales.

This text is what your customers will read or not read based on it's quality. This same text is what the search engines will analyze when they decide how relevant your WebPages are to the search phrase you wish them to send you visitors from.

Now, let us talk about article marketing. If you know about article marketing at all, you know you will be submitting articles all over the web. The links in the author bio at the bottom return visitors to your website if they read and like the articles, you write or have written for you.

Just having your articles in thousands of article directories is not the goal of article marketing, although there are article-marketing gurus out there who think it is. The goal is for webmasters to find those articles and place them in their blogs and websites. If they use your article, their website or blog is likely related to the same topic as your website.

You are looking for these quality links. The links for just being in the article directories do not hurt you, but they do not help nearly as much as those from related websites do.

Your other hope is that thousands of people read your articles. Do you really want people to read poorly written articles and associate that poor quality with your website? Well-written articles get people to read them all the way to the bottom where your links are located. Well-written articles reflect well on your website.

If the articles are of great quality then likely your products and services must be great as well. The reverse is also true in the reader's minds. If the articles are written poorly, then likely your products and services are of little or no value as well. It is not only about the number of keywords and phrases placed into the article folks.

With all of that being said, I still find all over the web, especially at freelancer websites, people going in and saying things like; "I need 400 articles written for SEO and I'm willing to pay $1.50 per article." Or they say something like; "I need someone to write content for my website and I'm only willing to pay $10 per page."

I really try to refrain from telling people they are, well . . . stupid, but I am finding it harder and harder each day when I read this stuff.

They will spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars to have their website designed so it looks really pretty, but the text, the stuff that will actually get good search engine results and sales, they don't want to spend any money on.

Writers that know how to write text that not only is appealing to the reader, but that is also written with the keywords and phrases in mind, are worth being paid well. The moment you start hiring better writers and paying for text that converts sales, you will begin to be successful on the web. That cheap content is not going to make you any money.

More about article marketing at http://www.articlecontentprovider.com

Some Benefits of Article Marketing

seoservicepro — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:22:31 GMT

With information technology on the rise and gaining relevance in the world today, article marketing has become a very significant tool to promote businesses on the Internet. While it is well-known that articles make consumers understand a product better, a well-written article can be one of the main reasons why any product sells. These days, article marketing is so advanced that it has become the foremost advertising strategy for many online businesses.

Central to the effectiveness of article marketing is the implementation of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The primary function of this form of article writing is to achieve prominent rankings on the search engines by utilizing keywords which are popular among Internet users. When a user enters a search term which is identical to your keyword, the web page of your article will be displayed as a search result. With effective SEO strategies, you can rank among the top search results and benefit from a steady flow of incoming traffic, which will ultimately lead to increased sales.

Due to the fact that SEO article writing involves a great deal of research and expertise, most website owners prefer to employ SEO experts to manage their web content. These specialized professionals will provide you keyword-rich articles that will dramatically improve the visibility of your website and win customers over with their convincing content. SEO article marketing is such a proven success in the world of online business that many website owners are willing to hire the services of top SEO experts to help them launch their businesses into greater heights of profitability.

Other than its overall contribution to the betterment of sales, article marketing also brings professionalism and prestige to your website. With comprehensive articles that offer expert information about your products, your website will be widely regarded as an authoritative entity. It will assume a position as the favored destination for consumers seeking specialized knowledge pertaining to your products. As reputation grows, your brand will be established as a trusted name in the business and this will in turn translate to a long-term influx of web traffic.

Compared to other forms of online advertisements which incur quite a substantial amount of financial investment, article marketing is basically free advertising. Since your articles are included in the information base of search engines, they will automatically show up whenever a search term coincides with one or few of their keywords. In a way, an article is a living advertising implement on the Internet and it grows in recognition from time to time, without you having to pay extra for each and every appearance. Web owners who understand the full potential of article marketing will also post their articles in directories and ezines to boost their chances of drawing more visitors to their websites.

As the Internet continues to extend its influence in our livelihood, article marketing will prevail as the most important means to distribute information, whether for a product or a mere matter of general interest. There is nary a website that can communicate effectively without web content, and articles are indeed the most significant bridge between webmasters and users. By adopting an elaborate article marketing strategy, you can be sure that your business will achieve new heights of success.

Learn more about Article Marketing at http://www.articlecontentprovider.com

Too good to be true incentives, and nothing is free in life

MSIMarketing — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:45:10 GMT

I have been working in marketing for a long time and in our world the company that offers the best product wins. Well this isn't the case. We offer incentive certificates to businesses. We often hear "this sounds too good to be true". Well nothing is free in life. Our product has been around for a few years and there has been companies that take advantage of the product. Charging a registration fee to register a certificate is wrong. When you give a gift to a consumer for shopping with you, a gift is a gift. We base our product off of the data that is provided on the survey in the registration. We help people with this data that is gathered. If you are not familiar with our process here is an example:
Joe Bob's Furniture store puts out an ad " Buy any dining room set and get $300 in groceries" Mary Sue goes in to joe Bob's store and gets a dining set. She goes online and enters in the pin code on the certificate. She answers less than 20 questions and prints out her first months voucher. She shops at Publix grocery store and saves $100 in receipts. She mails them in and gets a $25 master Card. She will do this for 12 months (25X12=300) She had to do something that she is already doing. We all have to eat right? Yes there is some natural breakage involved but that is not our intent. Now she answered a few questions in the beginning of the registration that businesses pay for those leads. Only one business per question. ADT security asks if you are interested in a free home security system. When the consumer answers yes to that then they get the lead. This is how an incentive program should be funding their program instead of making people jump through hoops and charging registration fees for a free gift. So next time you see an ad for an incentive when you are shopping make sure that you are not paying for something you should be getting free. The rebate and redemption companies want you to forget to send in the rebates. 66% OF CONSUMERS DO. With Black Friday just around the corner you are going to need the edge to get people's attentions. I have found it to be easier to advertise the week after Black Friday because people are always on the look out for deals. Just because Macy's is opening at 6am doesn't mean that everyone has to. No one likes to wait in lines. Especially when it is cold out. If you offer an incentive that can offset the cost of the item and give at least a week for the program to expire, you are going to have better results. And less angry customers.

A Better Business Bureau for Businesses

bizbeware — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:26:36 GMT

For the past 25 years, I have been involved in the service industry, with most of those years, owning my own business. As a young man I was taught that in life and in business, you were to have integrity. This has been a mainstay for my foundation in life and in business. The problem is that there are an increasing amount of people who do not hold these same values. I grew up during a time when most people were told �the customer is always right�, but that isn�t always true anymore.

The idea for Business Beware came from years ago when I was eating with a fellow friend and business owner. We sat there talking about our businesses when we both said that there was a customer that had given us such a headache while trying to work with them and we both soon realized we were talking about the same person! That�s when the idea about a site where businesses can warn each other about these certain �hard to please� customers came to me. I researched to see if there was anything already available for businesses, and there was nothing.

I told my daughter Ashley about the idea, and she thought it was a great idea, so we started looking into everything we needed to do to make this idea into a reality. We launched the site in May �08 and since then have had nothing but positive feedback from everyone that has come across it or heard about it. Most will say �I have been looking for something like this for years!�

For so long customers have had many outlets available for them to rate businesses. All of them are great sites for consumers, but what about the business and their side? With Business Beware, we want to give your business a voice where you have the chance to tell your side of the story too. Not all customers are bad, there are just some that literally take advantage of businesses any way they can. Even restaurants deal with those that eat their food then try and get out of paying for the dish they just consumed� Businesses need an outlet they can warn fellow businesses about these certain type of customers for future reference.

In the same way the Better Business Bureau works, Business Beware allows...... businesses and contractors to file complaints against(hard to please) customers in their area throughout the US and Canada. Customers are also able to file a rebuttal if they want to tell their side as well. Our goal is to shed light to businesses who are trying to work hard and do a good service for customers, but have had to deal with slow paying customers, customers who will not pay, and customers who you cannot please.

Each day we have more members join from all over and we receive numerous testimonials from people that love the site and are so thankful to have this tool for their business. For example: �After I joined Business Beware, I started using the site to search and post about customers I have dealt with in the past or here recently. When I sent out late notices and received notes back with excuses for why they (the customer) were not going to pay, I kindly wrote them back but also said there is a site where we can let others know about non-paying customers. They quickly sent a check that following week! Use this site to your advantage and maybe the customer will cooperate with you! Thank you for this great tool that has been made available for business owners!� We also have started a new section where we spotlight small businesses all across the US and Canada. Small businesses are the backbone of America and sometimes they stay in the background while the larger corporations and businesses get the attention and spotlight. We decided to spotlight the small businesses and tell their stories of how and why they started their business. It doesn�t matter what type of business you own, because behind every business is a great story.

Business Beware is ultimately for businesses. Unlike other forums, it is not for ranting and raving about customers. The site is to warn fellow businesses about certain customers that might take advantage of them as a business owner. The site is about businesses networking together to provide information to help prevent future problems with customers.

Visit us at www.businessbeware.biz

10 Ways to Increase Your Blog�s Pageviews

seoservicepro — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:45:34 GMT

With Google Adsense or Yahoo Publisher, having people click onto more pages helps your revenue immensely, but how do you get them to read more than one page when they visit your website? Here are a few tips;

1. Create pages within the blog that contain reference material you refer to often in your posts. These static pages will also get crawled and indexed by the search engines and as you write posts about your topics you can refer people to these static pages as references to what you are posting about.

2. Use articles as static pages. You can reprint articles on any topic for free by visiting one of the many article directories like http://www.articlecontentprovider.com/articlesubmit/ Then refer people to read the articles that relate to the post you are making. You could even add one article as a new page every time you make a post.

3. Refer to other posts you have made on your blog or on another one of your blogs while posting. This gets the reader to click over to previous posts. You can even decide your posts by browsing previous posts and deciding which one to follow up on. Those archives are not to be lost and forgotten. Its great material, (you wrote it right?), so use it.

4. Create a page that links to your favorite posts that are timeless. You browse your old posts, find posts that you want readers to find easily, then build a links page with those posts directly linked. Then add a link to that page from your front page. Call it favorite posts or whatever and you will benefit by those that click through and follow those links.

5. I've posted here before about the "more" tag. You write your post as normal, then decide where you want to break the post up onto a new page. You put the more tag in and readers have to click to a new page to read the rest of the story.

6. Write once per week special projects. These are a series of articles on a particular topic. You will be offering it once per week giving readers a week to comment on it, then have them hanging on for next weeks special post in the series. Each time add links to previous posts in that series.

7. Using your content from your other websites or blogs is also a great way to get more pageviews for all of them. Use the target new tag and refer to material on your other blogs and websites. It will open a new window leaving the current blog open while they visit your other website or blog. You can quickly double up your pageviews while also introducing your readers to your other websites and blogs.

8. Make a list of 10 previous posts and the links to those posts. Make a post in your blog about 10 things you want your readers to know and read in case they have not done so before. At your suggestion they will at least go see if they have read those posts before, increasing your pageviews once again plus bringing old material to new readers. That also lets them know they should browse the archives for things they have missed.

9. Using that same list of 10 posts or a new one, visit other blogs on your topic. Find posts that talk about something similar to one of those 10 posts, then instead of adding a link in your signature to the home page, make a comment there and refer to the post that is similar and that contains helpful information to that blogger and their readers. You will also be increasing your link popularity while doing this. Do not spam the link. Make sure it actually contains useful information. Don't be trolls or spammers and you will end up with new readers and more page views for your blog.

10. Do not stop being creative. Use the tips in this article, plus invent some of your own ways to interlink your blogposts together. Create pages. Don't just post and forget. That content is valuable, use it. Do not make people search your blog. They are lazy and busy. Bring it to them. That is just good customer service.

I hope this article helps you learn there is more to blogging than just writing a post once in awhile or even daily. If you employ the tips I just gave you into your blog I guarantee you will increase your pageviews which in turn will increase your revenue if using an ad program in your blog.

Visit http://www.BlogContentprovider.com for professional business blog management.

Passion that started my Success in my Business at age 19.

hairsecret — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:18:41 GMT

I grew up playing with barbies with whomever was around me. I love socializing and had eyes for beauty. I never imagined that I would be a young and successful entreprenuer for about six years now and I'm still loving it! What's the secret?.....Hair Secret! Come and find out. Our friendly and professional team works together to provide quality products and services to meet and exceed our client's satisfaction. Check out our website www.hairsecretsalon.com.
I love what I do for a living. I make people look good and feel good. Because I have passion in my industry, the economy today doesn't get me down, well maybe sometimes due to laying off some staff members but when our loyal clients have enough money, they come and we get busy. Our staff is real loving, and we work in harmony. We have understanding and we are patient. When times are slow, we talk and try to stay productive. Economy will get better. We just have to ride the waves. Use this time to rest and grow so we can be prepared and ready for everybody when they are ready. When times are tough, I personally go to Abundant Living Family Church in RC and love pastor Diego when he speaks. He is funny and real. I always walk out feeling good and keep my faith being a better person as much as possible. I always look forward to my Sundays. During my working days Mondays through Saturdays, I do what I do best....Hair and talk to my wonderful clientele who are mostly referrals for as long as 11 years now....! So keep doing what you love to do and remember to keep the faith and don't give up during bad economy. Keep your passion and sharing is caring.
I hope my story inspired you and helps you get to know me and my business a little more. Please feel free to email me at HairSecret@live.com with any comments, questions, advice, or appointments. It's best to call though:
Upland (909)920-9999
Pomona (909)455-2090
Direct (909)455-2853
***MENTION THIS STORY AND GET A FREE SCALP TREATMENT BY APPOINTMENT ONLY!

Blessed with Success,
Sophie Kim

A checklist for successful business management

visuals4u — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:09:55 GMT

It amazes me how many companies are still using outdated technology and volumes of paper documentation to conduct business. With any sales process, the goal is to close the customer. However, many business owners are at a loss when attempting to calculate a profitable price for their products or services. Others are confused when determining how to get their products to the customer. Should I sell online? Should I open a retail store? Would it better to sell through another business already established? No matter how many times the questions are answered, thousands more pop up everyday.

A business owner, small or large, has countless details to resolve to stay afloat. The majority opinion in the business world is that there are seven areas to strategize when developing a management plan:
A. Marketing
B. Finance
C. Production
D. Distribution
E. Research & Development
F. Government Regulations
G. Labor

Here are few of suggestions. Keep up with your receipts so tax deductions can be taken later. Don't make your customers pay for shabby services. Dependability will add a premium value to your business. Your customers will notice and start talking about your merchandise (or service) to their family & friends. Tap into the power of social media and internet marketing to promote your company. You can always find ways to create a "well-oiled machine." Improvements typically translate into returns on your investment. This is an excerpt of my article,* "10 Business mistakes for start-ups to avoid." To read the full story, go to http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2321982/10_business_mistakes_for_startups_to.html

Beats The Tweet Outta Me

Strategist007 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:23:35 GMT

Back in July, Best Buy Co. Inc. launched a major advertising campaign built around its bold decision to use Twitter as a scalable customer service tool. Their so-called Twelpforce currently has about 14,000 followers, and hundreds of Best Buy employees are answering approximately 75 to 100 consumer electronics questions per day.

QUESTION: Is that what Twitter was built for?

Simple answer - NO. Twitter wasn't built to be a customer service tool, but the minds at Best Buy looked at Twitter's platform and its RAW application and said.... Hmmmm, I wonder what else we could do with it. Now they may not be the first to explore this possibility, but they're the first one that comes to mind.

Is this news to you? No. Did you give it a second thought or did it even make you stop and think when you heard or read about it? Well, aside from saying "hey that's a pretty cool idea", probably not. Putting these rhetorical questions aside for a moment, the thing that you really need to ask yourself is - Why not? Why didn't something like Best Buy's approach to Twitter make me stop and think? Is it because something like that is for big corporations? Maybe it's because you don't have the bandwidth or manpower to even consider using Twitter like that.

UGH! - FORGET ABOUT WHAT BEST BUY IS DOING WITH TWITTER - IT DOESN'T MATTER!!!

I'm not suggesting that you turn Twitter into a customer service tool for your company and copy what they did, what I'm suggesting is that you get your head out of the sand, strip Twitter down to its bare bones like you just had a team of developers build a customized application for you, and THINK about what you could actually do with it!

Honestly, have you ever given any serious thought, I mean really thought about what Twitter is, what it does, or enables you to do; or did you just fall in-line when you got to the party and played along like everyone else? If so, that's okay. You're just like the other 30 million users out there.

Off the top of my head, I attempted to make a short list of just some of the things that Twitter and/or its platform was designed to do:

You can create a self-defining marketable name: @YourName, @YourCompany, @YourProduct, @YourSpecialty @YourNiche that is searchable by tens-of-millions of people. You can even create multiple accounts.
You have the ability to create a billboard of sorts as a background or "landing page" that introduces you to everyone that you encounter, to help reinforce your personal or corporate Brand.
You can introduce yourself, your interests and strengths in a 160 character bio.
You can provide a link to your company website, blog or latest promotion and drive traffic.
You can search for specific people to connect with and add them to your network.
You can send direct messages that people will actually receive in their inbox. Messages that won't be considered spam.
You get instantly notified when someone has elected to follow you, and you can elect to block them if you so choose in the event that they're just not the audience that you were looking for.
You can send messages and stay in touch with your network from your phone (SMS).
You have an instant searchable database of millions at your disposal from day one to choose from.
And oh yeah - it's free!

In addition to all of this, there are hundreds of spinoff websites and applications that have built their model around Twitter. From sites that allow you to search Twitter bios, to applications that allow you to schedule the time of your posts in advance and tweet for you. Please don't get me started on automation.

However, with all of this laid at your feet, chances are you created an account that includes your bio, a link to your website, your photo and maybe even a custom background. You follow, they follow you, you each say "Thanks for the follow" and then you never hear from each other again. Then it's off to the races to see who can reach 100,000 followers without any rhyme or reason or game plan in place.

Today I challenge you to strip Twitter of its name, just put it aside for a moment, and forget about what everyone else is using it for. Think of how these features, like Best Buy, could be tailored to suit your business model or personal needs. Remember, Twitter wasn't designed or intended to be used as a customer service tool, but Best Buy saw it differently.

Come on, isn't it time that you stopped taking things at face value?

SOURCE: http://www.MarketingCouch.com

How to Stay Ahead of Your Competition With a Smart Website

iQuestDesign — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:11:33 GMT

Slow-loading graphics and web pages, old-style �framed� coding, and the use of graphics for text instead of pure HTML text�all these indicate that your site was designed in 1995. It may also look like you could not care less about the appearance of your business. You recognize that your current design is not perfect for your purpose and what once seemed like a good idea may not be as beneficial or practical now. There is always room for improvement. If web design trends are changing, so should your site. It is a very good idea to stay ahead of your competition. If direction of your business has changed since you have designed your web site or your business has grown significantly then it is very important to reflect those changes in your new web design. Your web site is a reflection of you business. A modern and fresh looking website design will certainly increase its credibility.

Making your site user-friendly or customer friendly is a valid reason for changing a site�s design. This will not only improve a visitor�s experience but also make them stay longer on your website, which in turn will beneficial to you. By adding text and images over time, the site becomes confusing or unwieldy. If the navigation can be restructured, visitors will be able to easily find their way around your site and few clicks can take them where the need to be. If your site has broken images, poor design, or out-of-date information it reflects an unprepared and unprofessional image.

Take advantage of the latest techniques that was not available at the time of your website creation. The newer techniques can help to improve loading speed, increase the site�s ranking in a search result, and to obtain a variety of detailed reports. It can also improve the accessibility of your website by the use of the right colors, the right text size, and the proper naming of all the images, so that those who are visually impaired (color blindness, poor eyesight, blindness) can access information from your site with less trouble.

Poor design choices and coding can result in low ranking in the search engines. If the HTML codes on your current site are not clean, then the search engine optimization (SEO) task becomes very difficult. SEO is one of the major reasons why you should redesign your site with easy to read text, fresh images, and a clean HTML coding. Atlanta Web Design Company can help you achieve your goal by assigning a skilled web designer to design your site. It will not only improve your page ranking but also make site navigation easier.

The latest web site technique can do a lot more then just display your business. It can help you attract new prospects, close sales, and make your business easier to run. Your website is your sales person so dress him up according to your business image; it will pay off. Encourage you visitors with calls to action such as signing up for newsletter, price alerts, or just contacting you. Estimating tools, forms, downloading articles or specs sheet, surveys, and an auto responder email series can help you stay in contact with your prospects and clients all the time.

If your existing site is costing you a fortune to maintain or update then you should consider redesigning it with a content management system (CMS). With this CMS you or your staff can make changes to your site such as adding, replacing, or updating text and images with just a few clicks. If your website has up-to-date information, a fresh look, improved accessibility, and easy navigation, your visitors and clients will believe your business is reliable and is a good fit for their web designing needs.

ShaiQuest is experienced in sales and marketing, web design, graphic design, and search engine optimization with www.iQuestWebDesign.com, an Atlanta Web Design firm, offers affordable website services.