SuperTips Ezine: Issue 04
IN THIS ISSUE
2. Web Promotion Tips: "How I Increased
My Web Site Traffic 3. Readers Forum 4. Publications of Interest 5. More "Super" Tips 6. Next Issue
1. Greetings! Hello folks, Welcome to a batch of new subscribers, readers of the Link Exchange digest: a posting in a discussion list with your signature is a VERY effective method of promotion. I was answering a reader who asked what action to take against zine publishers who copied and adapted his articles. You may be interested in my reply:
Why is this? Because the reason for his action is that he fears that giving credit to another author will cause his own subscribers to link to that author's site or promotions and be lost to him. Nothing can be further from the truth! For my own ezine publication I take the exact opposite approach. I actively welcome good articles by others, sing their praises and am happy to give them whatever size 'resource' box they want, even if they promote competitive products. That's because I know my readers don't want a one-man band ezine where everything is written by the publisher: they want to see all those great ideas and tips about online marketing out there on the net. A rapidly growing circulation with *very few unsubscribes* convinces me that this is the best policy.
I think that Victoria Ring has given a new meaning to a 'large' resource box in today's issue, but as it's a great article we don't mind. Regards, Harvey
2. Web Promotion Tips
How I Increased My Web Site Traffic I personally make a living on the internet. But don't make the assumption that I have lots of money. I don't. Being able to stay home and work whenever I want is worth much more to me than a bulging bank account and 3 new cars sitting in the driveway. If you think along the same lines that I do, this article will help you to market and increase traffic to your web site. You are probably someone who truly loves your business and you have the desire to work at building it. The only problem is you don't know where and how to work. When I first got on the internet I would post classified ads to the free boards, participate in discussion groups, and do everything I was told to do by other internet marketers. But after a year, I really wasn't making any money. I was struggling to stay in business every day. One week I might make $50 and the next week $10. I was working hard every day, but the methods I used to market were not working for me. I knew I had to do something different -- but what? Here are a couple of things that worked for me: Posting to Web Site Directories I noticed a big increase in my web traffic when I get listed in a new directory. Take my ezine, BizLinks, for instance. I went to every search engine and did a search for the word "ezines." I then went through the entire list and read all the descriptions. When I came across a web site that offered a directory or a compiled list of different ezines, I would visit the web site. Next, I would take the time to look at the directory before jumping in and adding my URL to the list. This was necessary because I had to check and see if other ezines were listed in the directory relating to entrepreneurs and home businesses (my particular target market.) If I found ezines listed here for my particular audience, I would then send the webmaster my URL and description, asking to be placed in his/her directory. I normally said something like: "How can we get listed in your directory as a resource? We publish BizLinks for Entrepreneurs with a subscription base of 11,000+ located at http://youonline.net/bizlinks/ In compensation for listing our ezine in your directory, we would be more than happy to publish your URL and 30-word site description free of charge in the next issue of BizLinks. Just let me know by replying to this email." 9 out of 10 webmasters were more than happy to list BizLinks free of charge in their directory, resulting in a lot more traffic for the web site as well as new subscribers. You will also find, when going through web sites that provide directory-type listings that many of them have a place where you can suggest a resource or fill out a form and list your URL. Some ask for you to put a button and link on your web site (linked back to them) in order to be listed in their directory. Others just list you free. However, if no form is provided and no link for adding your URL can be found, search around until you find an email address or a "contact" link for the webmaster. This could take some time, but it's worth it. You will discover that some webmasters make it hard to find their email address on purpose, because they want to "weed out" all the spam-type mail. But most have links like "more about us," or "how to contact us", or "company info," etc. On these pages you normally can find some email address to contact the webmaster directly and request to be listed. If worst comes to worst -- you can always try sending an email to webmaster@__________. For instance, if you were on a website with the URL http://coolbreeze.com, you could try sending an email to webmaster@coolbreeze.com. This is no guarantee the email address is correct, but there is a possibility your email will be read by the webmaster since this is a normal, universal address for contacting the owner. It doesn't always work, but most of the time it does. Submitting Individual Pages to Search Engines I didn't stop at submitting my index page to all the search engines (http://youonline.net.) I listed every single web page on my site in the relevant category for it. (Example: http://youonline.net/youaward/ was listed in a "web award" category and http://youonline.net/bizlinks/ in the "ezine" category.) However, before submitting my web site to search engines, I spent almost 3 weeks going through all my web pages and getting my META tags in order. META tags are words that you encode at the top of your web page that do not show up when viewed normally. It's not as hard as it sounds. To encode your web pages in Netscape Composer, you simply click on "Format", then "Page Colors and Properties," then select the "General" tab button. Now, just fill in the form. You start by typing in the title of your web page. If the web page is an article, type the name of the article in this box. If the web page is an order form for books, type "Order Form for Books" in this box. In other words, type a unique title for this particular web page that singles it out and tells the person exactly what the web page consists of. This process could take you several hours, weeks or months, depending on the size of your web site, but it's okay to change this information at any time as you increase your marketing skills. Next, type in the name of the "author." I personally type my company name in this box, but you can type in your own personal name or the name of your cat. It doesn't matter. Next, type in the "description" of this page. This space is used similar to the way a "subtitle" would be used in a book. The title you typed above should be no longer than 10 words, but the description box can contain up to 25 words and should be used to further explain what this particular web page is all about. Finally, the most important box is the "keywords" box. Although I don't recommend that you use mine, I will provide the ones I use only as an example: advertising, classifieds, hosting, marketing, ezines, freebies, free, entrepreneurs, homebased, soho, biz, publications, business, books, graphics, clipart, homebased business, web design, start-ups, internet books, how-to books, how-to reports, technical support, training, Netscape, Windows 98, consulting, Honest Internet Business Community, Christian, Victoria Ring, Graphico Publishing, Columbus, Ohio, Bristol, Virginia, Bristol, Tennessee, how-to videos, Notice that I have separated each keyword with a comma and space. This format is necessary for the search engines. For those of you who don't use Netscape, here is the HTML code to use at the top of your web page to create the META tag: (Make sure this appears before anything else, at the very start of your web page.)
<HTML> When you have done this for all your web pages, it is now time to submit them to search engines. And I don't mean going to one of those free services that submits your web site for you. Those are fine if you only want to submit the main page of your web site. But I didn't stop here. I visited every search engine, typed in a keyword I used in my description, such as "advertising" and located a subcategory relating to the type of advertising I offered (internet advertising). I would then click on this subcategory and add my URL there. It took me several months, but eventually I had every page on my web site individually submitted to Yahoo, Lycos and Excite (three of the most popular search engines on the internet at this time.) This really boosted my internet traffic and I finally started selling products on a daily basis. But these two ideas are just the beginning. I'll tell you more about other marketing techniques that help me as I go along. You will come to understand that I never write an article about something I "think" will work just in theory. Instead, I actually live the experience, work out all the bugs and put my marketing theory to the test before I write about it as a personal experience. All I can hope for is that something I say helps a small business person to succeed and do well -- whether in my lifetime or the world that comes after mine.
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Article supplied by The Gallery at htpp://www.e-zinez.com
3. Readers Forum Andy Hanlon has asked ".. can the articles in this newsletter be republished" Andy, Usually you will find that the author attaches a resource box at the end and states that it can be used as long as the box is included. You may also find a statement with legal jargon such as "Copying of this article is strictly forbidden without the express permission of the author". I shall now translate for you what this means. The author is saying "as long as you include my details then please, please please use my article so that I can get lots of publicity" If in doubt just ask the author. It's a fact that article publication is one of the top ways of promoting yourself. It's a great deal for publishers too who are constantly looking for new material. Consequently, I will kill two birds with one stone and list you for my own articles, first so that they can provide you with lots of ideas that I have learned and second so that any publishers out there can use them - without asking !
1. Title: Why your website must have a Domain Name Explains the concept of a domain name, the benefits, how to choose and obtain a domain name, how to transfer to a domain web site. a01@sendfree.com 2. Title: How to succeed as a Reseller on the Net Explains reseller arrangements and how to choose a reseller operation. a02@sendfree.com 3. Title: One last chance to HOOK your customer Give your customer an irresistible choice. a03@sendfree.com 4. Title: How to Profit on the Internet A guide through the whole cycle of Internet marketing from choosing a product, how and where to advertise, through to setting up and promoting a web site a04@sendfree.com 5. Title: Win customers by giving away Free information A practical example of how this works. a05@sendfree.com 6. Title: How to attract Thousands of Customers A win-win idea that costs you nothing. a06@sendfree.com 7. Title: When your PC Backup is not enough Heed this warning or you could be out of business. a07@sendfree.com 8. Title: Newcomers: how to succeed on the Internet Explains the key skill required by newcomers to online marketing and how to attain it at no cost. a08@sendfree.com 9. Title: Save time and Win customers ... by 'Hiding' your Email address A neat variation on a standard idea to improve your marketing efforts. a09@sendfree.com 10. Title: How to transfer to a Domain site Make sure that you don't leave your customers behind. a10@sendfree.com 11. Title: Why you should NOT link to a reseller site Hold that link ! Here's a better idea. a11@sendfree.com 12. Title: When it pays to FORGET an item A second chance to get your sales message across. a12@sendfree.com ---------------------------------- Also, if you want to know how to use these articles in a way that can bring more traffic to your website then look at the article "How to boost your website traffic" a99@sendfree.com
Now, as you can see these articles are all available by autoresponder. Up till last week I was unable to provide them in this way . Why was this ? All will be explained in section 5 below: "More SuperTips".
4. Publications of Interest Here is our weekly selection of newsletters which offer useful free information: Subscribe to Marketing Adzine; Marketing, Advertising & Promotional Solutions for the Netrepreneur. mailto:adzine-subscribe@egroups.com (sample)adzine@web-source.net http://www.web-source.net - A Webmaster Resource Site. A MUST read for serious Netrepreneurs and online businesses -Information total, unique articles & reports, Internet statistics, E-Commerce news, reviews & resources, and a lot more.... No MLM, no "get-rich-quick", no hype. Simply reliable. Subscribe now: send blank email to <newsgim@linz1.net?Subject=ste> Build a Better Web Presence PromoNews helps the neophyte and the veteran webmaster build a better website. Articles, tips, ads, tools and advice to suit your need and speed. To subscribe: <mailto:turn_me_on@promo-dex.com> Discover the easy way to reach new customers! Advertise in the Netified-Classifieds Gazette! FREE Weekly Ezine with Marketing Tips, Featured Articles, Affordable Internet Advertising and Web Hosting. mailto: webmaster@Netified-Classifieds.com Subject=Subscribe "http://www.Netified-Classifieds.com" #1 Australian Wealth Report. Every Monday. Internet marketing and various articles, plus information, resources, advice and contacts beneficial for successful online promotion. Australian perspective. mailto:jprom@connect.net.au?Subject=AWR_SUB_ST or http://www.mjlmall.com/janahar to subscribe SUBSCRIBE to the "GWM Newsletter" packed with web design tips, money-making marketing tips, extra-income ideas, tips and strategies to build your business, and a whole lot more. We help people worldwide and we can help you too! IT'S FREE! mailto:webmaster@gulfwestmarketing.com?subject=SubscribeGWM or go to http://www.gulfwestmarketing.com
5. More "Super" Tips As I mentioned above, you can obtain my articles by sending an Email to the appropriate autoresponder. Prior to this they could have been sent automatically but you had to go to my web site to request them. I was using web site autoresponders which were difficult to set up and had the limitation that the visitor had to enter his Email address (a feature which is also open to abuse). I had always regarded this as a temporary arrangement, while thinking about using proper paid autoresponders or maybe free ones. The rationale behind free autoresponders is that when your article or message is sent it includes a sponsored ad.
Now this is not a great deterrent for me. But in the more serene offline world where most people tend to read their Email unhurried, untroubled by flashing links and mounting online costs, this should not be a distraction. If someone has requested a useful article then following up on an interesting ad will not prevent him from continuing with the article. But which free service should I use ? My (unasked) question was answered last week by one of my readers who suggested that I look at a new idea. It's the equivalent of banner exchanges but without the disadvantage mentioned above. It is an autoresponder ad exchange whereby whenever your article is requested (and includes somebody else's sponsored ad automatically generated) then similarly your ad will appear in another person's autoresponder message. Every two times someone requests your autoresponder message you are credited with one free ad. Simply put, the more you promote your autoresponder, the more people will read your information - and the more free email ads you'll earn. It sounded great but before rushing in I applied my own two basic rules: check out the product, check out the company. I have to say that I was very impressed by the superb design of the system. It is very easy to set up your free autoresponders, you can have 20 per account, you can view your stats online and have a daily digest of all enquiries. You can control who sees your ads and filter out other member's ads that are inappropriate for your autoresponder. But now for the acid test. What sort of service or support do the company, who are called Sendfree, provide ? I fired off a few technical questions: these were answered thoroughly - and by return of mail. No need for any more procrastination. Last week I converted all my articles to these autoresponders. I believe it will prove one of the most profitable 2 hours that I have ever spent. I don't think that the setup of this system could be improved. But I was wrong ! There is also an affiliate feature which means that when you sign someone up you start receiving a proportion of the credits that they earn. What more could I ask for ? If you want free autoresponders, earning you free ads every time someone requests your OWN (!) article, and more free ads for those you sign up, all at no cost then have a look here. I have also included there a simple tip which can help MULTIPLY your response.
6. Next Issue
I hope you enjoyed this issue. You'll have seen some of the tips that
help me promote my site such as
One of my favourite 'netrepreneurs' is Jim Daniels - the master of promotion.
You'll also see what happened when I didn't take Jim's advice ! If you have your own article or tip please feel free to contribute it, with your bio information, and you will receive full credit if it gets published. Also if you have any suggestions to improve this newsletter so that we can make it a great resource for all our readers please drop me a line. Thanks, Harvey
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