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There is one thing every internet marketer agrees on about making money on the net and that is, it is a numbers game! And this demands you being able to ...
It is authoritative. You can make money online without investing a dime! This has been proved over and over again. But the truth is what you make that way can ...
Celebrities are a bunch of admirable people. They command our respect. We look up to them in many ways. They are idols in their own respect. And most ...
After a careful search I've come to realize that the dream of many of us who are online is to be self employed. We want to escape the office politics. We ...
Freelancing has today, gained tremendous popularity as a growing work at home business trend. Before the advent of the internet freelancing has long been ...
Learn the simple strategy for using email marketing to build relationships with your clients, prospects and customers for greater success.
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Without being βfull of itβ? Can’t really get you there. Do you mean acting haughty? Please can you offer some explanations?
Hi Jeffrey,
I’ve looked at your auction and compared it with the first one you linked to, the $3.53 a day for 107 Blogs! π
I must say if you’ve read carefully my responses in the post you will agree that I’ve touched everything that has to do with the issues raised. You may not agree with that “product” but what I’ve said in the post is that, to sell a product you should be able to create a market, or a demand for that product. And that is done in your sales copy.
Do you noticed that his auction sold in 2 days while yours, though it remains just a few hours to expire, is yet to reach the reserved price listing?
Ok, it’s clear that, as you earlier said, this is not your market. But I’m one who believes that marketing is everything about succeeding in business. Though you may not agree right now because you have a lot of orders waiting to be fulfilled, you’ll definitely need to market sometime later.
So read this post again. I think you will get some ideas from it. But not minding that, you can decide that later, when you’re making the money big time and wants to increase your market reach, you may have to “dish” out some $2500 for some copy writer to write your sales copy! π
Btw. your last comment has given me an idea for another post. I may just be doing that very soon!
@cane furniture,
Except one or two software I use for daily planing I don’t really use goal setting software. I’m sure if you do a search on Google you will be able to found some useful ones. When you find one simply do another search for reviews. I hope that will help.
@cane furniture,
Don’t quite get you there. Do you mean these ideas make you think “online money making is a mere fake and it is only for persons who are scamming the web?”
Will love to hear from you so we can get this straight.
@cane furniture,
And that is why we must determine to be different. Let’s learn these lessons from Rev. King and be a blessing to the world!
@Leon,
It’s really clear that many more bloggers are thinking in this line also. Bloggers have seen that collaborating is better than trying to outwit the other person. Get it right and your blogging business will indeed be a thing of joy! Thanks for the comment.
Truth is that the entrepreneur is a dogged personality. Whatever comes, he/she will be ready to push through.
This is a sample comment used by Thank Me Later. It is not displayed on any blog posts.
You’re right on point Tim. Promoting affiliate programs that offer recurring commissions is a great way of putting in the work once and reaping the gains for years to come π
Thanks for adding your voice to the piece.
Hi Nathalie,
Thanks for your comment.
It’s really not about tactics. Before you talk of tactics you should know what you want and then develop a strategy. Tactics grow out of your strategy.
Glad to hear that Stuart π
Hi Lalti,
You’re correct about that. And that is the purpose of this post. If you use the tips in this post you can overcome this problem. Thanks for stopping by π
Hi Donna,
Great to hear from you again. Wishing you a glorious and fruitful 2018!
Hi Robin,
Thanks for the comment. Yes, these tips may indeed be great for newbie bloggers. But the truth is any experienced blogger can take these and turn his/her experience into a lucrative business. And, in my estimation the target audience for this post is actually the middle to advanced bloggers, or don’t you think so?
Hi Meenakshi,
There are actually many great places where you can purchase your domain. Do a simple Google search or visit the website I referenced in the post:
http://www.register.com/register-domain-names.rcmx
Great to hear that. Can you send me the link after the translation? Will like see how it looks in your language π
It’s a pleasure to know that this was helpful. Thanks for the comment Dhaval.
You’re definitely right Louis.Thanks for joining the conversation.
Hi Yulia,
Really don’t understand what you mean when you say, “how to make some money tomorrow!” I’ve always advised that we treat everything as a business. Making money online is not get quick rich adventure. If you treat this as a business you will want to take some time to make a list of businesses to approach, draw up a plan of how to approach these businesses, what to say when you contact them, etc.
Commit yourself to approach 10 – 15 on your list and you will definitely have one or two respond positively to you. Frankly, even if you’re able to sign up only one client in a month it will more lucrative than creating content on your blog everyday waiting for advertisers to come to you. From what I have seen on the blogosphere many bloggers hardly make any thing for years. But simply doing this can bring in result beyond expectation.
Any way thanks for the comment.
Indeed Google readily rewards you for frequent updates. This is one of the algorithm changes they implemented a couple of years ago called the freshness update. If you see a spike in ranking because of frequent update of your site you shouldn’t surprised.
It’s glad to know that this content resonate with you.
It’s a pleasure to hear that. Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Jack,
It’s a pleasure to see that the post was of help to you. On boasting about your product, I really do not understand what you mean by this. But it is worth noting that the prospect really do not care about you or your product. Instead of “boasting’ of what your product is, it is better to show what your product can do for the prospect. this way you can ‘arrest’ her attention and bring her to taking action!
You’re welcome Recomandat(?)
Of course, it it Valentine. This allows you to have traditional mails sent to you digitally π
It’s great to know you find this interesting. Can you let us know your experience of it after trying it out?
You’re definitely right Liam. Customers now demand more transparency and quick response to their questions. A live chat on your site is a good way to meeting this demand.
There’s actually more benefits in having a live chat on your business websites these when customers desire immediate response to their inquiries. Thanks for joining the conversation.
Hi Dan,
Glad to have you add your voice. Truly love your explanation about the difference between a website and a blog. Many most times confuse the two especially since most people only have a blog as their online marketing tool. But for a business, you definitely will want to make a definitely line between the two so as to understand your focus.
BTW, I understand you want to say, “Itβs almost unthinkable for any business to NOT have a website in this day and age.” π
Regards.
@Pankaj, Indeed, promotion tactics is actually the target of my next post which will publish in very soon. On businesses that have problems with Pinterest success, it usually the problem with social media marketing.
Most businesses are actually approach these things the wrong way and then when they don’t see good results they complain. I passionately believe that any business that will implement what we have laid out in this series on Pinterest will definitely see results if they implement them.
@Huntington Beach Chiropractor,
You’re definitely correct on that. If you are not ready to put in the sweat you mustn’t expect any good out of email marketing.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Mitch,
It’s obvious why email did not work for you. You must understand that email marketing is not the same as “mass email broadcasting.” Email marketing is about permission marketing. You will need to build a list and nurture it to be responsive. Buying email contact from some email merchant and sending out email broadcast with the hope that some will click and buy your offers is a recipe for failure. That is not what I’m advocating here. You will need to learn the basics again before you can really say if email works or not.
@Sagar Nandwani,
It’s good to hear that Sagar. Wishing you well in your endeavours!
@Emmanuel,
Frankly, it’s something that has gotten many bloggers thinking. Just earlier today while writing this post I simply did a Google search to see what others are saying about this and you will be surprised. Many bloggers are really concerned. It is truly an evolution and only those who make the proper changes on time will survive it.
Thanks for coming around to put in your voice to the conversation.
@Theodore Nwangene,
I agree with you that many bloggers make these mistakes. At a time I actually fell into the same mistakes because I was trying to conform to the blogging mold. Why I have decided to write about them right now is that I have realized that that road is really not the right one follow. I only hope enough bloggers out there will care about these things as you are.
Thanks for the comment.
@Shiv Saroya,
Yeah, Google Authorship is the sure way that Google associate every content on the internet with its author and so claiming your every one of your content through authorship will help you when your content is scrapped. Thanks for the comment.
@vanessa,
You can say that again Vanessa! It’s a pleasure to know that the article resonate with you.
Thanks for the comment.
@Reginald,
Thanks Reginald. Frankly, Google authorship is great. Ignoring it is throwing away a good opportunity to drive more traffic!
@daksh,
Frankly, profiting from your your social media marketing efforts start with targeting the right persona. Unfortunately, this is the area where many businesses have challenges. From your comment it appears you are really having challenges in this area. I’ll suggest that you look again at what your business is about and use that to figure out the type of people you want to target. There are few questions that you use to do this. Questions like, what is my product or service designed to achieve? Who will benefit with it? What pains are these people really having and how can I present my message to get across to them? Etc.
You can do a Google search for information on how to design a customer persona. Once you have designed one, you can then use the information to create your social media content to appeal to the right people. Once you are able to connect right with the right target group, your social media updates will begin to drive leads and loyal customers for you.
Hope this helped!
Thanks for the comment.
@Jennie,
That make it about 8 days! Well, you may not believe it that sometime ago, my blog was actually down for about two weeks because this same issue π Today, I really don’t care whether my host is there to help or not. When I was moving away from the VPS host, I simply searched online for another host, purchased the package I wanted and then proceeded to moving the blog without any need to inform the previous host. I was only after moving and they were reaching out to know how far about the problem I was having with my account that I informed them I’ve moved my blog from that servers.They were surprised and simply had to let me go! π
@ebimablog,
The pleasure is mine. I’ve to do this because I know many bloggers find it really difficult to move their blogs. I’ll appreciate it if you will help promote this post to your friends when they need to move their blogs. Thanks for the comment.
@Amrish,
I must say I very much aware of the “export” option in wordpress dashboard. I’ve used it a couple times. But I must say you cannot use that and get your site up within ah hour or less!
This post may be very long but that is because I wanted to give every detail so that anyone doing it for the first time can know what to do at every point.
Now, about using the “export” and “import” tool in the dashboard, you must understand that if you are using that option, you will need to upload or re-install all the plugins you were using in your blog one by one after importing the blog files. Again, if you want to keep your blog as it was before, you will need to work on the customization and if you are like me who most times customize my themes about 70%, that will take you another day or two!
But the method I have on the post here is so simple that if you work with it, you can get the blog back within an hour everything about the blog will be the same and anyone who is familiar with your blog will never know that the blog has changed hosts!
In fact, yesterday after publishing this post, I went on to try it again on one of my blogs and within 30minutes I backed up the files, deleted the old blog and then re-installed it, load up the files again, deleted the database and uploaded the old one, and the blog was back without any stress! π
When I said this is the simplest way to move a blog, I can tell you I have tried different methods and I’m saying this from experience.
I can say the only way of using the wordpress export tool is better is,if your database is corrupted either because of hacking activity and you don’t have a backup.
Any, thanks for the comment. It’s a pleasure for you to bring that up.
@Tom Nardone,
Hmm, must say I’m really amused by this! Since the towers came down never watched, listened or read a news story? That is a tall standard you set yourself. Why I do not agree with you that we’re all on a collision course to hell, I do agree that yes, there are lot of things that are wrong with our society. Besides, if you only stopped listening or watching or reading the news stories since the towers came down, I want to believe that you’re only responding to what must have happened then. And if that’s the case, don’t you think that there is more blessedness in letting go and helping to heal the world?
@Tom Nardone,
I truly appreciate your position. All of us are motivated by different things in life. But come to think of it, being rich or famous what is really the difference? When you make some people feel good and by adding value to their lives and they in return give you the high applause is not the same as paying you for what you are doing? (Remember riches is not just about money.) That of course is your own reward!
Again, that you will never follow any blog with advertisements because you would question its integrity or motivation, does that mean you will never listen to a radio station or tune in to a television station because they carry advertisements? Of course, they are there to entertain, educate and inform which is just what blogs are about. That is why blogs are today called the new media. And I hope you never follow any of the news blogs out there because they all have advertisements!
All the same thanks for adding your voice to the conversation.
@Ryan,
I agree with you Ryan. But as you know not everyone is on the social media sites with the same purpose. Of course, with more companies turning to social media for customers these things will continue to happen. But we do hope that they do it the right way.
Thanks for the visit and comment. Appreciate!
@sapna,
Thanks so much for the mention. I tried making a comment on the post but then the site returned a 500 server error. I will try and do that again.
@sapna,
I can’t say how happy I am to hear this from you. Frankly, this is something that has been a pain in heart for some time now. I know there are many who are blogging for fun but most of those people are using free blogging platforms like WordPress.com or blogger. But as some one who entered the blogosphere with the mind of building a business, my interactions have been with bloggers of similar interest. Unfortunately, what I’m seeing around leaves a lot think about.
How can you be paying for webhosting, domain name, one or two premium plugins here and there, autoresponder etc. and then you tell me you are only blogging for fun? No, no, no! Most of those people are only using that as an excuse to cover up their low ends! It makes me mad and I had to talk about it.
Right now, this post has caused a whole lot of debate on one of the groups I posted it on LinkedIn. While those who are entrepreneurial in mind are defending the post others are short of calling me rude for daring to tell them what to do!
Of course, I expected such reactions but I know for many its only a cover up. Deep in their hearts they know some day this post will come back to them as a turning point.
I’m glad for you that you are already working on something. I’m a believer in the fact that when you sow you should reap and enjoy the fruit of your labor. I’m wishing you well.
Thanks for the comment.
@sapna,
That is a great idea. I’ll definitely look around if I can get one and when I do, I’ll make that another post. Thanks for the comment.
@Susan Harjehausen,
Its really glad to hear from people like you. Yes, this post was really intended for entrepreneurs who are blogging and not anyone who is playing around in the name of blogging. Every entrepreneur has an eye for ROI if it is not there then something has to be done. And that is why this post.
I’m glad that the post is really a wake up call for you. Thanks for the comment.
@Rajkumar Jonnala,
It’s a pleasure to see that you love this post. Thanks for stopping by.
@John Barton,
You will be surprised the kind of dust this post has created on LinkedIn! Many are short of eating me raw for having the audacity to want to dictate what blogging should be.
Of course, I do agree with them that many blog for different reasons which I made clear in the post but these people wouldn’t accept it that if you spend so much time on your blog then it is also a wise thing to get something out of it. It’s really unfortunate but my joy is that there are people like you who understand these things. We are entreperneurs and no matter what, we want some returns for our inputs.
Thanks for the comment.
@William Jones,
Thanks for the comment. It’s nice to know the post resonate with you.
@Denny Mickelson,
Try it and you would be able to attest to its usefulness. Thanks for the comment.
@Theodore Nwangene,
You are right on spot my man. Chinua Achebe has impacted most of us in a very special well. I’ve read not less than 5 of his works and he really never cease to fascinate me with his insight. Thanks for coming around to put in your piece.
Happy Easter and looking forward to hearing from you again.
@King,
I agree with you 100%! If you don’t know what the readers want you cannot give it to them and there is no better way to know that than listening to what they saying either in their comments or through their contact with you.
Thanks for the comment.
@Adrienne,
I quite agree that the free classifieds can really be frustrating sometimes considering the number of ads that get posted each day. But not minding that I can testify that I’ve had some success even with free classified. May be the sites you are using also matters. If the site allows graphics, your choice of graphic will tell how much you get from it.
Thanks for letting us into your experience.
@Ansh,
That’s surprising to hear. Did you use any of the ideas presented in this post when you tried classified ads? Did you concentrate only on free ads or you did a few paid ones also?
I know that with the volume of ads that those sites get in a day you need to be more targeted and creative with your ads. Any way, hope when you try it again you will have more success this time.
@Aasma,
It’s glad to know that this post resonate with you. Frankly, I testing this out and so far the results have been encouraging. I think why many people have overlooked classifieds is the fact that there are thousands of ads most times in a free classified site. But if you know how to target your ads and how to craft catchy headlines, you can make great impact with your ads.
Thanks for the comment.
@Rudd,
I agree with you Rudd. When I started hosting sites, I used FTP but since I began blogging I simply use file manager and most times upload files from wordpress dashboard! I don’t really see the need for FTP right now.
@Ansh,
well, Ansh, I think that is a hard way to put it. Ok, they may not be able to get it right for now but there is room for improvement. If they can understand what they are doing wrong and then work to improve nothing is impossible, or don’t you think so?
@Aasma,
You are right on target Aasma. Anytime I read piece of content on a blog or any website, that is the first thing that comes to my mind, what is the purpose of this content? I doubt if many of the bloggers out there really understand this. Most simply publish a blog post because they need to meet up with their publishing schedule. I think every blog post should have a definite purpose, which is, helping the reader solve a pain while helping the blogger get her piece of the cake! π
@Theodore Nwangene,
You are not alone there. It took me about 4 months or so to learn about promotion tactics. Of course, even till this day, I’m discovering new tactics for promoting a blog post. Can you believe that a few posts which I wrote when I started and had not even a single comment then, I recently republished them and they pulled in nothing less than 20 comments? That is just the power of promotion!
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@sapna,
Glad to hear that Sapna.Frankly, if you are not able to settle on what your purpose is from the beginning,getting the best from your efforts will be a problem. In everything I do I always want to get my bearings right so that I do not flounder in my efforts.
Thanks for the comment.
@Ansh,
Yes, inbound marketing is truly a good thing for bloggers especially if you know how to do it and monetize your content. Today bloggers produce a whole lot of content but most of these is not really put to the right use. I hope you will be able to use this information in your blog marketing.
Thanks for stopping by
@Roger Weavers,
I’m really glad to hear that you are making money from SEO. Unfortunately, many online marketers thinks that it is a dead tactic not understanding what SEO really is.
And for inbound marketing, it is really the best marketing strategy for marketing online. Once you know what it is how to go about it making money from your content becomes much easier.
Thanks for the comment.
@Smith,
That is really great! Would you also advocate renting a blog (if there is really anything like that!)?
@sapna,
I agree with you there. i also advise business persons who wants to get into blogging because of the gains to get some career bloggers to help out if the money is there. Running a business and managing a blog is not really easy.
Thanks for the comment.
Btw. keep on giving us those funny and insightful infographic posts of yours! π
@Theodore Nwangene,
That’s really the truth. Most blogs on the blogosphere today are actually business blogs being used by savvy entrepreneurs to power their online businesses. Setting up only a static site these days is nothing. Only thing you have to be careful if not the blog will take your whole time!
Thanks for the comment.
@David Tucker,
You get the idea very clear indeed! It’s simply about you taking your blog readers as “customer” and as they say, the customer is king. Your part therefore is to package your content is such a way that the “customer’ is the king is satisfied with what you are offering.
Thanks for the comment.
@Lexi,
That is really the truth. One sure force on the blogosphere is the friendliness and comraderie amongst bloggers. But I must say this is one of the things that is also making it more difficult for many bloggers to make anything.
I must say, I got into blogging as a business and not just about friendship. I know this is hard to say but the truth just need to be said. Now, you will understand that when you begin to treat a business like some social gathering or when friendship now takes over the main aspect of business, making anything from that business becomes a problem.
Most bloggers who I interact have now come to take the friendship aspect of blogging as a bigger part than the business part. But I don’t really know how long they will be able to carry on with that.
For me friendship is not about making some profit so when I build only friends around my business it is going be difficult to sell anything to them. I don’t know if you understand my point here. But the fact, is that when you take blogging to be only about building friendships then you are not really in business. Or don’t you think so?
@Tim Bonner,
I really like your angle there: building relationships with your blog. I am sure that many bloggers will say this is one of the things they do on their blogs. But come to think of it, did you start the blog simply because you want to build a community? I mean, is the community the be all of the blog? Is the community you are building a means to an end?
Now, whether the community is the main focus or it is just a means to an end, I will say you are definitely treating your posts as products even when you do not mean to. I’m sure in every post, you definitely want to give something that your readers will read and come out saying,WOW, you’ve just made my day!
Even when they did not pay to have access to that post, but you have just given them what they truly wanted. Approaching your posts as products don’t really mean you will want give them something that answers the all time question: what’s in it for me! Fact is, it is when you take your post as a product (which if the need arises they will be willing to give their money for it) that your post can go beyond the average in the community.
@Joe Hart,
For sure when you have your own product you can always earn more than selling ads on your blog. But the fact is that not every one who is blogging has a product or will be able to put together a product. If you can find some ways of getting more advertisers to buy ad spots on your blog, I think it is not much of a problem.
Well, I was wondering how affiliate marketing can give one a bad reputation, but then I think your reason is clear. This is why is important that before you promote a product try as much as possible to know what the product is all about. If possible try it out.
Thanks for the comment.
@Katerina,
Well, I cannot really say if that is true but from experience it does appear that clients that are targeted in b2b settings are more in the know about email marketing and therefore better equipped to handle issues with maturity. That not withstanding, with more people getting involved in buying stuff online, b2c customers will readily be open to email marketing.
Thanks for the comment.
@Theodore Nwangene,
Exactly so. The fact is, when you part with money something in you is touched creating an attachment that will become a motivation. I discover that many bloggers who are quick to quit have not really invested anything into their blogs. Most of them were using nothing but free blogging platforms and free resources. Some do this with the mind of testing the waters before plunging in but if not done well that can really become a problem.
@Joe Hart,
You made a valid point there. In these days when we are bombarded with so much information of every side, knowing when to send your email messages is important. Post too often and you risk too many unsubcriptions. Post too less and you risk your subscribers forgetting about you.
@Tim Bonner,
Pagelines? I’ve really not heard about that theme. But from what you have just said, it will definitely be easy to customize. I think a drag and drop responsive theme is just the right theme for someone who is not very skilled in these things.
Thanks for stopping by.
@Theodore Nwangene,
Yea, I completely agree with that reason of being seen as an authority in your field when you create a product. But don’t forget that that authority actually start with your blog content. If on your blog you have not being offering valuable content and you go on to create an info product, no one will take a look because you have not been able to establish that authority in your blog. This is why I advocate that you must start with your blog posts.
No to worry my man, I’ll get across to you. My end has also been hectic.
@Jack Milgram,
You really captured it the right way. When someone willing opt into your list it is clear that such a person is interested in what you are offering. Such a person is more open to becoming a customer than the one who simply took a look at your site and went away.
The actual problem why many thought email marketing was going away was that of this aggressive and annoying email promotions. Of course, many are still doing it today but if we want to succeed with it, we just need to learn the right things.
Thanks for airing your views on this.
@Felix Lee,
Well, I think it’s now more easier for many to really believe that email is not dead because content marketers are now pushing it to be one of the tactics you must use if you want to succeed as a content marketer.
Thanks for the comment.
@David Croft,
Do you mean that we shouldn’t sell with our content? I will appreciate your answer.
@Khushal Rao,
That is just so and we must make our content useful to the readers. Thanks for commenting.
@Chimezirim Odimba,
Another great point, Chimezirim. I must say I was fooled at the time but now I really see the power of email marketing. The difference is clear.
Thanks for this insight.
@Sue Neal,
It’s really great that you were able to find something you could work with. I have of Flexsqueeze but have not really used it.
I think the beauty of any wordpress theme is the simplicity of customizing it. Many of these theme coders take it that when you have the theme it is ok to use that way but they do not understand that you need to separate yourself from the million other blogs out there.
Thanks for the comment and wishing you a great weekend.
@patrick,
Of content is what the internet is all about. Without content the internet ceases to be what it is!
Thanks for the comment.
@Theodore Nwangene,
That really is the problem of email marketing. From the beginning it has always been that way. You must remember that it is carried over from the days of direct marketing. The list was mainly a marketing tool and nothing else. In those days mailing out to a list was not about building relationships but for the purpose of selling some thing and this is what they have taken into this age of the internet.
Personally, I was subscribed to different lists but one of the things I am doing right now is unsubscribing from everyone that have not added any value to my life and business. But even with that I must say there are many that I have learned from.
So, the wisdom is being able to decide if a list will be useful to you or not. Don’t just subscribe because the person behind the list is a big name. Many of them are in it for the business of selling those list. That is why you sometimes start getting emails from someone you never remember subscribing to. Most of those giveaways where they do nothing but collect your email address are worst. The simple word here is, be careful.
Thanks for the comment.
@Chimezirim Odimba,
You’ve just hit that loud and clear! In fact, this is one of the things many of us a struggling with – simply copying what someone is doing. Like this issue of networking you raised, I’ve discovered that not even every blogging model needs it.
For example, if you are promoting some network marketing product it is really a good thing to build a large following of fellow bloggers who might turn around to join you seeing the success you are building.
However, if your focus is a product that is a B2C target, you may network with fellow bloggers and see a large following on your blog but no real returns because most of those bloggers are not looking to purchase such a service or product.
So, I really think as a blogger you must understand what your focus is and find the model that suits that market. Like I said, many have come into blogging with the mind of using it to promote a business but along the way they have abandoned their business to concentrate on blogging because of what is involved.
Thanks for joining your voice to this.
@Alex K,
It’s really great to hear that. Would you be kind enough to let me know when the blog goes live?
@Adrienne,
Hmm, I’m really impressed that you customized that your theme yourself. Frankly! One thing I must give to you there is the simplicity and look. From what I have seen from many of the blogs using the Thesis theme, it is one of the most customizable theme around. With the many child themes available you can do some pretty good things with Thesis. But without a child theme you have done a great work, I’m impressed.
About the offer, I knew very the beginning that it was to going to be something that could bug me down and that is why I have restricted the available slot to 5. I’m sure I can manage that number conveniently. π
@sapna,
Then the pleasure is mine! π
@Ehsan Ullah,
Yea, I have seen your blog theme and must say you have also done a great work with it. Like I said, I have seen different themes from Theme Junkie and when I saw yours I knew how much you have put in to make it unique. I also love Theme Junkie themes for that fact also. Many of the other theme providers restrict what you can do with the themes but not so with Theme Junkie.
About the particular theme I’m using, it is not the same with DearBlogger.org. I’ve visited that blog many times before but when I saw your comment I had to visit again but from all indication, they are not the same. I’m not using the Daily theme but Newswire!From the home page you will see that they are quite different.
Thanks for the comment.
@Theodore Nwangene,
Thanks my man. I’ve really thinking about that recent posts of a thing. I think I’ll have to take care of that soon.
@Jack Milgram,
Thanks Jack, it is really a pleasure to know that this post resonate with you. Ii is a desire that we make this best use of these tips.
@sapna,
Love to hear that Sapna. Like I mentioned in the post I referred, it really depends on what you are after. If your blogging business is making more for you than what you set out to do in the first place, then focusing more on blogging is just the best bet. However, if you are still very much interested in taking blogging as a tool to build your business, you simply need to find a way to do that without your blogging activities becoming a hindrance.
About building relationships and getting to know new friends in the blogosphere, this is really one big area where blogging can help you with your business. This community of friends and followers you create around your blog is what will turn out tomorrow to be a big business for you.
But come to think of it, don’t you think you are more of a graphics artist than a programmer?
@Kevin Carlton,
Thanks for pointing this out to me. =Fact is, I consider the comments section of a blog as the real community area where readers and the blogger can interact. I really love it when a reader say it makes them feel good whenever I reply to their comments.
Once again thanks!
@sapna,
I can understand your position there. In fact, a few days ago I wrote about this situation where many who got into blogging as a business marketing tool turned out to focus more on running their blogs than the business.
But anyway, do you now consider yourself a blogger than a programmer? Are you getting more from blogging than your programming business?
@Jack Milgram,
You are correct there. Like they say, the only constant thing in the world is change! If so, we must be ready to use change for our own good. Thanks for the comment.
@Cudjoe,
You can say that again. It’s really pathetic to see that many online business persons carry in their minds the picture of competition in every thing they do online. I really believe that collaborating with other businesses is the quickest way to getting what you want.
Thanks for the comment.
@candice michelle,
That is simply the truth. Without the traffic you cannot expect to make any useful impact. Thanks for commenting.
@Mohammad ismail,
Thanks Mohammad. It’s really a pleasure to know that this blog has given you something worthwhile. Just knowing that your visit was not a waste of time gives me great pleasure. Looking forward to seeing more of you!
@Diane Clark,
Oh it’s good to know that I’m being able to do this very well.
It’s hard as hell to give readers what they want? Yes, it’s really difficult but I think it’s simply about knowing your target audience first of all. When you know what they want and give it to them from your own experience it becomes much easier to achieve your aim.
For example, in your niche you simply need a knowledge of what those who wants to write essay truly want to achieve. Begin with some basic questions and then take it gradually to a higher level. As you focus on writing content that provides answers to those questions, you will be able to provide value to your readers and connecting with you will be a pleasure for them.
Thanks for the comment.
@George Nieves,
It’s really great to hear those good words π Yea, they are music to my ears but most importantly it is good to know that the little effort is making good impact. Thanks for connecting.
I must say also that you have a good way of expression and what you aim to do on your blog is something worth emulating. To be a guide for those who are lost in this internet jungle is worth a hug! Looking forward to seeing more of your.
@Dan Sumner,
It’s truly about your target audience. If your blog readers or clients/customers find your content useful then you have truly won with that content. But in a situation where you simply post what you want and not care about what the audience wants, you’ll simply be putting yourself up for failure.
I love that idea of putting yourself in the firing line. I think that makes it much easier for your audience to connect with you as they are able to relate with what you write.
Thanks for commenting.
@bjohn,
I truly see more and more useful content on the net. I think the time when you could just put up some lifeless site and post some piece of content hoping for the traffic to flow in is gone. Thanks for the comment.
@sapna,
It’s really great to know that the post resonate with you. I look forward to seeing you put these tips to work. Thanks for the comment.
@Sai Kumar,
I also agree that Matthew has given us a whole of lot of tools to work with. Since he posted this article I added these tools to my arsenal and must say they just superb.
@Kevin Carlton,
You truly got the vision of this post! π The internet is nothing but connectivity and collaboration. It’s about give and take. But many people look at it only on what they can take from others. I really think that why blogging is becoming so popular and successful on the net is because it has the spirit of the internet at its heart. It’s really about collaboration and sharing.
Thanks for joining your voice to the conversation.
@Theodore Nwangene,
You can say that again! Frankly, it’s been years of fun and satisfaction. I must say blogging is one great thing where you decide to hold up your head no matter the situation or get sucked in by the current and be drowned. The lessons of life I’ve learned as a blogger are truly more beneficial to me than the financial gains so far. I count them more beneficial because I know they will definitely be of great help to me in life.
I agree with you so much about that wise saying. You are true African teaching great lessons with a few words! May 2013 be great for you!
@bjohn,
And more than that, this is why you must put your business online and use the right tools and strategies so you can take a piece of the cake, or don’t you think so?
@Theodore Nwangene,
Oh yes my dear friend. I just wonder what those who advocate posting everyday have to say in their posts if not some of those ramblings you see on most blogs. When I did the 23 days of Christmas inspiration series, I know how much it took me to write those inspiring posts every day. Coming up with something worthwhile in every post is not easy and if you must be a helper then pushing out just your ramblings in the name of blog post is nothing. All the same it all bears down to your readers if they love those ramblings and feel good about them, while not. But if you must add value to the blogosphere, set a good time for your blog and give us something we can work with!
Wishing you all the best in 2013!
@Robert Koenig,
Oh you can say that again. Fact is, many are falling by the wayside even when they clearly see this note there! What do we do man? For me such comments simply get trashed!
But frankly, value is really the king. It has always been no matter what people have thought. People don’t just want content but value and so if anyone says content is king it is simply misunderstanding of the way things work.
Thanks for the comment and pardon me for this late reply!
@Ehsan Ullah,
Hi Ehsan, glad to see you around. It’s a pleasure to hear from you and thanks for the congratulatios!
I must say you got the flow wrong somewhere. I never said looking for new strategies is wrong. The point here is not to be always on the look out for new tactics when you have not done anything with the ones you know. For clarity here again is what I said:
“Now, if you are asking that question because you are already experiencing good success in your present blogging business and wants to expand, it is a good thing.
However, if you are asking that question only because you are seeking for the next tactic or strategy you want to try out in your present business, then my advice is, please DONβT!
Instead of looking for the next thing, take a second look at what you are already doing and do more of what worked for you in 2012.”
I hope that clear things up.
Once again, thanks for joining your voice to the conversation.
@Sue Neal,
I must say you have learned so much even when you have not been in the game for long. Must be honest with you many struggle for years without learning anything. Those two, taking it step by step and consistently taking action is just the sure recipe for success online. If you can steadily hit on a particular strategy, tactic or method until you make good success of it and never give up no matter the situation of things, the god of success have no option than hand you the success you desire!
It’s a pleasure reading your comment.
@Raplus,
Oh, shouldn’t wait any longer. Frankly, I’m just starting mine after much analyzing and trying to come up with the perfect offer! π But you know, there is really no perfect offer. You just have to “do it” and if need be readjust things as you go on.
Thanks for the comment.
@Sue Neal,
Hi Sue, first apologies for this late reply. Have my hands full of to do list that I’m finding it hard to keep up with things π
I must say you got it right there. Hearing from a readers how your content have been helpful is something that surely gives you the satisfaction that you have not wasted your time. Lately, have been seeing a lot of bloggers simply pushing out content without caring to know what their readers truly want.
I must say may be I’m too fastidious but the truth is that having visited and read different blogs and sites the first paragraph of many articles gives me the idea of what anyone is writing about and if it is something I have read before, that is enough for me to know.
Of course, I know there is nothing we write about that has not been written on but if you must write on that topic, make it unique to your situations and how it will be useful to the reader. Simply changing a few lines and phrases and thinking that you are creating content for people to read is simply a put away!
@Jack Milgram,
it’s really glad to know that many like you agree with this line of thought. Personally, I really think the idea of laying out a business plan before ever starting is nothing but a textbook one. Many of the successful entrepreneurs agree with this also. You see running a successful business is not something you can study in school for 3 – 5 years and then you say you now know it. In fact, when you are just starting out there are areas of the business you may not know anything about. Saying you have to write a business plan before starting will only keep you perpetually stranded!
We can leave that for the textbook entrepreneurs. Yes, when you have a business idea, look around, do some form of research of those already in the business. Get your own strategy in place and then hit the road. After you have some knowledge and experience about the business, you can now sit down and make those lengthy business plans.
Ok, sorry I’m not planning to go to anyone for loan, so may be that is why I just think this is the right thing to do. Of course, except you know what you are doing I don’t advise taking a loan to start a business. Start with what you have and build from there without anyone breathing down your neck.
Thanks for the comment.
@Adrienne,
I think a whole lot of content publishers truly know this. They must have heard it one way or the other. But the problem is that with the all the information flying around the net many simply lose track of what they should be doing. There is a competition to keep pumping out content without really caring to gauge what impact that content is having on the target audience.
Just as you said, even before I started blogging I knew valuable content is the route to making an impact with your target audience because that was the training I had. When I was doing article marketing, all my articles were “loaded” with benefits and I have always enjoyed big success with that. Most of my articles published in article directories then were picked up by ezine publishers.
I think bloggers as content publishers should really be the ones who should champion this call for valuable content. But if one does not know what it is all about, then championing that cause is out of the game. But like I mentioned in this post, the content publishing and content marketing game is changing and only those who will be prepared to go with the change will see good returns. I don’t know what Google will come with this year, but from all indication, the users experience will continue to be on the top rack!
@Chimezirim Odimba,
I agree with you Chimezirim. I’ve always looked at content as a vehicle to convey your value or solutions. But what I see online every day are content publishers and marketers who thinks content is the all in all. You could write a good content devoid of any grammatical error but if that content is not doing anything for the reader, it is nothing. So, all in all, it is the reader or your audience that truly determines if you are providing that value. It doesn’t matter what you think.
Thanks for joining the conversation and Happy New Year! Wishing you every success you deserve.
@candice michelle,
Glad to hear that Candice. Hope Brett would find time to follow up on this! Thanks for the comment.
@STEVEN J.,
You’re correct there Steven. This is just the biggest problem that many people are facing with social media promotions. My suggestion however, is this: have a strategy and plan before you ever start! Without a plan and strategy you will be lost. Decide on what you want achieve with your social media presence. Decide on how many hours a day you want to commit your social media activities and divide those hours among the different networks you want to work with. Again, you don’t have to take up all the social media networks out there. As you interact on these networks you will see the ones that are giving your good returns. You can decide to focus on them and devote less time to others. But all should start with a strategy.
Thanks for the comment.
@Michael Chibuzor,
I agree with you 100%. Affiliate marketing is not really about selling. As an affiliate marketer, you position is that of a friend helping another friend. I simply recommend products or services you know will be of great help to your contact lists. And for them to trust that your recommendations are worth it, there should be that trust element. It is therefore important to build that trust before you recommend any product or service.
However, I will like to say building relationships with your email list is only a subset of content marketing. Content marketing is a whole lot wider than just email marketing.Content marketing comprises of piece of content you will ever create. The value you create in your blog posts, site content, free reports etc. will determine the success you will produce with your email marketing campaigns.
Besides, one other thing that will ensure your email marketing efforts produce the right results, is that any product or service you recommend should be targeted. This means you don’t just recommend any product because you know you will be able to make some good commission from it. It should be something that is related to what the list is about in the first place. So, if you want to use your email list to promote an affiliate product, you should build a list that is related to that product.
@Aasma,
Good question there Aasma. I hope Michael will come around to give some insight.
@Kumar,
You are right there. Ecommerce is here to stay and there is no way we can ignore the internet any more. Any business that is still staying away from the internet is only sabotaging itself.
Btw. the post is not from me. It’s a guest post by Brett Gold!
@Ruben Corbo,
It’s a pleasure to see that around. Looking forward to seeing you feature here again. Thanks for such inspiring post.
@Diane Clark,
Rightly said, Diana. In a crowded market place like the internet simply comforming to someone else rules is the worst way to find your voice. It is better to observe very well what others are doing and then find a way of making yourself heard.
Thanks for the comment.
@Sapna,
You are definitely right there. With split testing only one element is taken into consideration at a time but with multivariate testing, just as the name indicates (multi-) you can take two or more elements at once. What this means is that you can arrive at a conclusion much quicker than when using split testing.
Thanks for the comment.
@Martin Casper,
Thanks for the comment. It’s really a pleasure to know that you agree with the points raised. Wishing the best of the season.
@Brady Partridge,
I want to agree with you there. Lately, I have been looking at most of the freelancing sites and must confess that what many freelancers are asking for their works really makes one to raise an eyebrow. Besides, a lot of employers now want to give peanuts for their jobs but the terms they give are really laughable.
Like you suggested, creating affiliate sites and putting up your content there could really be more profitable if you know what you are doing. I really do not visit freelancing sites for jobs anymore. Positioning yourself as the go to resource can make the difference. You can see my content writing site here as an example – http://www.seowebcontentscribe.com
@Theodore Nwangene,
I resonate with you on that, I’m one who has tried many times to do this but have not really brought it to a conclusive end! However, what Ruben is talking about here is not split testing. Like he said in the post, A/B testing (split testing) takes care of one element at a time but in multivariate testing you can handle different elements in your test at time.
Btw. the post is by Ruben Corbo and not Martin π
@Martin Casper,
Hi Martin, I must agree with you there. When I first saw this article that was just my reaction: “this is something everyone must read!” I really do hope that more and more marketers will see this and read it. This is really different from what we have heard about tracking and testing. Kudos to Ruben.
Thanks for the comment.
@Kend,
Well said Kend, and that is really what the post has tried to lay out. I’m one who believes that if we will only listen to Google making good points with SEO is nothing really serious. Thanks for the comment.
@Chimezirim Odimba,
Wondering why many are selling those tools when you can get better versions for free? Then you will still have to learn a few things about the internet! Truth is, internet marketing is nothing but finding someone who is too lazy to do something for himself and doing that thing for him while he pays you for it. QED!
Frankly, with a little careful look you can get nearly everything free online. And like you said, over the years I’ve personally concentrated all my keyword research on Google tools. Why go for some monthly packages when Google (the biggest of the search engines and the big daddy of them all) is ready to provide you with data from their own databases? Of course, this may take you a little more time than other tools since those tools have a way of gathering and doing research on different keywords at the same time but if you are not doing SEO as a company or you are running too many searches at the same time, Google tools are just ok.
About SEO for Firefox, I have used it many times, in fact, I’ve it installed, and I can say it is ok. It has a way of giving some deep insights which can be useful.
@Tim Bonner,
The truth is as long as the internet remains a source of information and we rely on search engines to get that information, we will continue to hear of SEO. It’s unfortunate that many content writers are still living in the past by trying to over use keyword phrases in the content.
I agree with you that focusing on quality content should be our first priority. We should write first for the human readers before the search engines. This way, the search engines will reward us for our good works!
Thanks for the comment and I too wish you a wonderful weekend.
@Smith Warnes,
Introducing links and a ranking factor is actually Google’s biggest problem. Since adding links as a factor for ranking sites, the SEO environment has become infested with all forms of blackhat SEO. But like you said, Google is actually trying to make all see that as much as they regard links as important, we should not over do it. Links should come naturally but any act that tries to force the system is only working against Google’s terms.
Yes, I agree that guest blogging and blog commenting are good ways of building backlinks, but as I tried to point out in the post, considered critically all of these are still not natural. We just to have be careful that we do not fall foul of Google’s hammer as use this strategies.
Thanks for commenting.
@Jack Milgram,
That’s great to hear. I’m really glad that this post resonate with you. Frankly, I will appreciate your mentioning us when you talk about SEO any time and why not, you can do that even now if you will only take a minute or so to share this post with your online friends!
Thanks for visiting and for adding your voice to the conversation. Look forward to seeing more of you!
@Aasma,
Concise! Complete!! Compelling!!!
Thanks for the super summary π
@Suzanne Day,
I totally agree with you that quality and useful content is the only way to survive any of Google algorithm changes. And frankly, this is what Google is actually looking for. If we all will commit to create only valuable content, Google will not have any reason to bring any more algorithm changes, except those that will improve our experiences!
What do you mean by, new content based on old content? Do you mean re-written content or spun content from old content? If that is what you mean, then of course, you don’t expect such content, no matter how “new” you may term it, to rank compared to the old!
Though I don’t really understand what you term as old original content, but I can say any content that is original, never been published any where before, will do very well any day any time if the right SEO tactics are applied. This is actually the time for originality!
@Veer Modi,
That’s my little way of saying thanks for the information you provided. You’ve added value to the post and there is no better way to recognize that than giving full credit to you. It’s really my pleasure!
@Veer Modi,
Wow, thanks for that comment! Frankly, I never knew Matt did something about Google’s view on guest blogging. I only did this post after observing what is happening in the market right now. Thanks for pointing this out. I’ve just updated the post with that video with the compliments going to you!
@Yeremi Akpan,
I frankly love your angle, make people love you and Google will have no choice but to love you too! Yea, that’s really good. I agree that creating content for people and not the search engines is paramount. For one, it is people who spend the money and not search engines.
However, we must understand that Google is not really changing the posts in the middle of the game. Search engine optimization has always remain the same with Google from the beginning. The problem is blackhat SEOs who have abused the system. The same ranking factors Google has used 3 or 4 yrs ago are still what it is still using. What is happening right now is flushing out of the chaff from the wheat!
My problem with just building relationships as touted by many bloggers is the fact that those you are building relationships with are actually the same bloggers whose purpose is also to build relationship with for the reason of trying to sell to you just as you are. There is a big flaw here which many bloggers do not see. Please understand me, but I really don’t fancy the idea of someone trying to build a relationship with me just because he/she is thinking of the financial gain out of that relationship. Relationships should be for mutual understanding.
This is one reason why many bloggers are struggling to make ends meet. You spend hours blog hopping and posting comments. Those same bloggers come around to reciprocate and the circle continues everyday. What is your ROI? Well, many will point to the joy of connecting. Good!
But, depending on your niche, if you, in conjecture with building those relationships, do a little SEO and begin to drive some more traffic from the search engines, you will be pulling another stream of ‘connection’ who possibly may be searching for a solution to a pain they have. Now if you content in any way have the solution they are looking for, you have gotten possible financial client!
This is really my logic in encouraging every blogger to never abandon SEO. I hope I have been able make my point. Or, what do you think?
P.S. You may just want to read my latest post referenced on the commentluv link below!
@Christopher Roberts,
You have totally expressed my view on this subject!. No matter what others want to believe, I still maintain that SEO is not going any where, not in the near future. Writing good content is great, but what Google is doing right now is a total endorsement of SEO best practices. Remember Google’s business is nothing but search engine. They are only strengthening this area because they know that’s only way their business can make more impact.
Ignoring SEO because of what is happening is ignoring a good source of free traffic. Like you said, SEO is common sense.
Thanks for joining the conversation and it’s really a pleasure to see you around again.
@Tim Bonner,
I’m with there on Google wanting quality content all along. What they are doing today is not just what they discovered now and want to implement right away. It has always been their business plan but the number of those who wanted to game the system were just too much and now they are coming out strong. I personally so a more humane environment after all this. Google is definitely going to invest in more of technology to fight this menace.
But may I ask why you do not focus more on SEO these days? Don’t you think this is really the time to do more of SEO seeing that the negative guys are being pushed out of the market opening more opportunities to those of us who are doing our best to stay within the rules?
@Adrienne,
I agree with you all the way! I’m an SEO frick but for one, I’ve learned from the beginning that optimizing content is not what many has made of it today. Thanks to Google and its various updates. Those who are now been affected by these updates are the ones who want the easier way (easier?) round but have realized that it is not what they thought.
Valuable content is actually what SEO is all about. The search engines don’t want to show search results that will not benefit searchers. They also want to be valuable to their users and that can only be if they returning results that benefit the searcher. But beyond writing quality content, letting the search engines know what your content is all about through implementing basic SEO elements like including keyword phrases, is necessary.
I must say on building relationships, you are doing great on that. It’s a specialty I would love to learn. Frankly! In face of the recent changes in search engine ranking factors, I think you will be doing great in the SERPs when social ranking factors are taken into consideration by the search engines.
Thanks for your insight.
@Johnny,
You definitely hit it on the head there, Johnny. When you are a freelancer you just need to know how to manage time and of course be ready to motive yourself because there is so much that may want to keep you down.
Thanks for the comment.
@Mia,
Thanks for the visit. I’m glad that you found this article useful for your needs. Unfortunately, we have not really done much on freelancing. I do hope that in the days ahead we will be able to do that. Please do stay tuned!
@Gabi,
Glad to hear that. I do hope you will put what you are learning to use!
@bj @ consumer lists,
I must agree with you there. The internet has opened a whole lot of opportunity to earn through freelancing. I really find Debra’s tips helpful.
@Bhushan,
You are right there. I think a freelancer who takes his/her business seriously should be able to respond with ease. Customer service is a big part of business success. Unfortunately, not many freelancers sees themselves as being in business.
On demanding more money along the line, I think in every contract there are terms. Once these terms are agreed upon, both sides are expected to respect them. However, where there is the need to review these terms both sides will of course do well to look into them again.
No freelancer will want to just demand for more pay without any cause. Anyone doing that will only end up failing because clients will understand what he is doing and then stay away from him.
@Recruiting Solutions,
Hey, do you mean, you need not spend or waste your time in installation?
@Alison Wood,
I agree with you totally that Google is helping us with a better web experience. If SEOs will only listen and restrict themselves to whitehat SEO tactics, the internet will be a better place for all of us. Thanks for the comment.
@Bhushan,
I agree with you about self-hosted videos. As much as Bill shows there is so much to gain from that I must say not everyone of us have the capacity to host of own videos. I think turning to sites like Youtube.com can do all of us a greater good.
Thanks for the comment.
@Bhushan,
Thanks for the observation Bhushan. I actually changed the theme over the weekend. I’m still working on a few things but once that is ok I’m going make a full post on it. I’m glad that you find it attractive.
@Bhushan,
Thanks Bhushan for the comment. I truly believe that Google is helping all of us to benefit more from the internet. As a content publisher, working within the rules of Google will help you gain more and info seekers, they get just what they are looking for instead of browsing through tons of content without any any hope.
@punta cana,
Too bad really. Well, I don’t really think he has forgotten his past. Like you said, maybe the court case and other things may have taken up his time. Besides, if you truly want to connect with him again, I think you can always use the social media sites like Facebook and Google+ to look for him.
You see, if you were really close nothing stops you from going out there and looking for. And like you mentioned, he could just be a help in your new project.
@Bonnie Smith, It’s mine pleasure!
@neha,
I’m glad to know that the post resonate with you. Thanks for stopping by and adding your voice to the conversation.
@Bonnie Smith,
Good I got you there. Hope you take the necessary steps and put this to use π
@Bonnie Smith,
Hi Bonnie, well sometimes you need to build up things before you start seeing the results. So if it is not working for now don’t lose heart. Learn more, act more and very soon you will be seeing the results.
Thanks for visiting.
@US Immigration Attorney FL,
You are correct. It is the internet that has given all of us this opportunity to take our stand in our little ways! Thanks for the comment.
@punta cana,
Yea, it’s true how time flies. You were just a young smart kid, right? Now that his is on top of the world, where are you? Weren’t you able to strike some deals with him?
@Kristine,
Yeah, there are definitely two sides to a coin and it’s definite that nothing is indispensable. As much as business plans are necessary they are not indispensable.
Thanks for the comment.
@Agi,
Thanks for drawing my attention to that. I have re-sized the graphic and it is better placed. Why don’t you take a look again?
@Elena Anne,
Thanks Elena. For me it’s really the animation. This taking infographics to another level! I’m sure that very soon we will be seeing more animated infographics on the net. Ok, maybe that is just my prediction, Lol!
Thanks for the comment.
@bj,
Thanks for that. Please do share!
@Simmeon,
Hmm, good try there Simmeon. I can go with you on the 3D connection. And about doing business online that is sure however, more people will be accessing the internet on their mobile devices that if your online business is not mobilized, you will be losing out!
Thanks for the comment.
@Bhushan,
You are welcome! Can look forward and give us some idea of where the internet will be heading in the next 10yrs? Can you give a try? π
@Martin Casper,
Oh Martin! More of content in an infographic post? In fact, my comments at the start of the post were rather too long. You were supposed to get the details from the infographic. Any way it does appear that you are for more content than this new craze about speaking in graphics! π
Thanks for stopping by.
@Susan Cooper,
Yea, I too found it rather long but the message was really clear. You know things could really change in just a space of 10yrs. Now, wouldn’t that be some incentive to begin to straighten your operations looking forward to something greater in the future?
Btw. I have reduced the size to fit into the blog space. Thanks for the comment.
@Patricia Weber,
It’s really a long infographic but an interesting one if only you will take the time to digest the message. Thanks for stopping by.
@Jenni,
Yes, good luck to entrepreneurs! I indeed agree that planning is necessary but not a written business plan where you are expected to follow some specific format. Those are text book requirements!
Thanks for the comment.
@Vera,
You have a point there Vera. Integrating social media into your blog will drive some quick burst of traffic to your blog but it is SEO optimization that will ensure that the traffic continue over the years.
Thanks for the comment.
@Tim Bonner,
Hi Tim, I can also say I don’t have a plan right now though I actually know what I want. And about blogging ever changing, I’ve over the last 3 years have course to alter both the look of my blog and also the marketing plan but in all of these I have remained on what has been in my heart. This is what I’m really pointing out here. Fact is, not every person who has a business idea really knows about business plans. I think in this our type of business where most of our operations are online and you don’t really need some financing from some corporation to run your business, trying to draw up some business plan before you begin is really a waste of time.
Thanks for the comment. I apologize for this late reply. I’ve been engaged in other things all this while.
@Bhushan,
Ok, Bhushan, I got your point there. I really love that idea of building a house and having a plan for that house. I’ve always referred to building a business as also building a house and for this I quite agree with you! Thanks for the comment and please pardon me for the late reply.
@Richa,
Well said Richa. Frankly, this is really the experience of many. Most of us never had an idea of what online business was about. We had an idea of what we wanted but not how we are going to make, which is one of things you need to lay out in your business plan. Following your heart as outlined in the post will get you on your feet and when the picture gets clearer you can map out your business plan.
Thanks for the comment.
@Patricia Weber,
Great to have you join the conversation. I quite understand your point there. Business plans are important but the question is are they imperative in creating success in your business? Do you really need to write a business plan before you start your business?
@Rick Salas,
You’re welcome!
@Rick Salas,
Sorry about the long comment? Never! I truly love it that way!
Yea, leadership is indeed important when it comes to building a successful business. You need people to succeed as made clear from the post, “The team is more important than any idea or plan. The top three priorities should be people, followed by people, and then people.”
Thanks for the reply.
@Simmeon,
Glad to hear that. Indeed, it is not the business plan that make for great businesses. Great businesses are made of ideas; a product of the heart! How much you are able to transform that idea into something useful will determine how much success you will achieve.
Thanks for the comment.
@Paul,
Good to hear that this post resonate with you. Only thing is, did you committed to writing your business plan before you started or you started and working with what was in your heart, you then detail out your business plan? Will love to hear from you.
@Mandy Allen,
Oh what a joy to hear from someone who has tried both ends! Frankly, your experience tells it all and your conclusion? Right on spot π
It’s really about you and not any business plan. Like you pointed out, you may lay out every detail in a plan yet end up with a flop but when it’s in your heart and you follow that, just as pointed out in the post, you will bulldoze your way through every form of obstacle!
Thanks for this insightful comment.
@Rick Salas,
Hmm, another lengthy one from you there. Though you have raised a whole lot of issues that has to do with the work place, I will try and restrict myself to running a business and that I want to pick up your point that, “Just because people [have] the best business plan doesnβt make them the best candidate for the job!”
And I agree with you 100% here. In fact this is the cruse of this discussion. It is not the business plan that will make you succeed it is your ability to handle the every day affairs and challenges of the business that will. And this is why focusing on trying to draw up a business before you start off will most times become a hindrance.
In fact starting off with what you know and then drawing up a plan along the way will better help you draw a business plan that is all inclusive and better designed to help you succeed.
Thanks for your input.
@Kate Brown Wilson,
Ok, Kate I agree with your point there. Yes it is crucial because the benefits are many. And yes, you will encounter a lot of problems before getting it right! Now, that is the point of the whole thing here.
So, the question is, do you need to go through all those problems and get them right before you start your business? Is the business plan your business or it is simply a document to help you with the business?
Can you now understand the point? The text book entrepreneur will tell you, you need it before you start but those who did it counter that. Who do you now follow? Want to answer me?
@business broker,
Make some interesting quotes about that business? What has quotes got to do with starting a business? Yes, you need planning but do you know planning take different forms? Let’s learn from those who are in the trenches rather than some classroom theories. In fact, I know of many who have wonderful business plans but till this day, they have not done anything about them.
Your getting up and doing what is in your heart will drive you to your success more than flexing out some business plan!
@Theodore.N,
Glad to hear from you Theodore. Frankly, we simply need to get our priorities right. That’s the point of this post! We are not saying a business plan is not necessary but you don’t need it before you can start your business. Those are classroom theories! The doing is more important than some document!
Thanks for the comment.
@Ehsan Ullah,
I quite understand your point, but I don’t know where we get the impression that it is those who make out a plan at first that have the quickest success. That of course is nothing from the text books!
Go out there and get to know from those in the trenches the story is the same. Of course, a business plan will be necessary in the course of the business but if you want to sit down at the very beginning and lay out that plan before you start you will only be wasting precious time.
Ok, you may want to say that is sharpening the ax so you could chop down the tree in record time, but that is not really the fact. The ‘sharpening’ you need is the knowledge to run that business. Take a look at those 5 points again and you will see that if you truly have that in mind when starting you will be heading in the right direction.
@Adrienne,
That exactly is my testimony! I tried to read and study a whole lot of stuff on how to lay out a perfect business plan but try as much as I could, it was all in vain. In my heart I knew what I wanted and how I was going to go about it. I knew the business model that I was going to run but I never draw up a plan.
Yes, a plan is necessary as you go on but that shouldn’t hold you back from starting!
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@port st lucie physical therapy,
Then we are on the same portal! π Thanks for the comment.
@Susan Cooper,
Very good points there. A business will definitely help you as a guide but the truth is you don’t have to wait until you have a business plan before you start a venture. This is what the findings have proved. Yes, you will definitely need a business plan as you go along but waiting until you have a business plan laid before you start is only trying to live the text book rules! If you have taken a good look at the 5 points listed in the post, you will discover that this is exactly how many started. Chances are, you even started this way! Or, you want to take a look again and dispute me?
Thanks for the comment.
@Kate Brown Wilson,
It’s a pleasure!
@praveen,
We can actually learn from every thing around us if only we will open our eyes. Thanks for the comment.
@business broker,
That’s great to hear! Congratulations to the people of India!
@Kata,
It’s a pleasure to hear that. Thanks for the comment.
@Mohammed Abdullah Khan,
Hmm, that’s great to hear. But come on, we are talking about making good returns as entrepreneurs and just about seo and traffic generation. In fact, we never inferred that in the post. don’t you think it will be good for you to let us know what you are a blogger or entrepreneur? Will want to hear from you!
@Yeremi Akpan,
This is really deep one my brother! The truth is that not many bloggers understand this. Your blog should actually be a way of you studying your readership and finding ways of pulling in some returns! π
I think that word is really great, blogpreneurs! Very soon that will be going into the blogging dictionary. π
Thanks for the comment.
@Simmeon,
Hmm, what an insight! Entrepreneurs focuses on Money; Bloggers focuses on People! π
That’s really a good way to put it. But the fact is that entrepreneurs do focus on people because ultimately they know it’s people who matters if you must make a profit. The main difference is what you first mentioned, the mindset. The bloggers mindset is greatly different from that of the entrepreneur.
The blogger, because he is not focusing on making a gain finds it most times difficult to make a sales pitch instead he will want to share and share! Thanks for the comment.
@buy seo services,
Actually it is the entrepreneurial spirit that will carry you far. You may make some money as a blogger but if you truly want to take your online business to the next level, you need to think and act like an entrepreneur. Thanks for the comment.
@Ehsan Ullah,
Got it really clear! That’s what I really expect of most of us who are blogging. There is the joy of connecting with other bloggers and sharing our knowledge but then we must also understand that we are entrepreneurs who wants to make a living online. Thanks for the comment.
@praveen,
Yea, that has always been the mind with which many took to blogging. But now that we are the wiser, it is definite that we put in more seriousness and of course do it as every entrepreneur would!
@Bhushan,
Exactly. You see, most bloggers are blogging because they want to make money with their blogs. But unfortunately not many are running their blogs like a business. Many take their blogs just as past-time or a thing of fun and yet want to make good money from it.
The post is to help us re-evaluate how we are really running our blogs. So, the question is, are you working on your blog as an entrepreneur or you just consider yourself a blogger who wants to share his thoughts with the world?
@Android App Developers,
The pleasure is mine. Thanks for stopping by.
@Geek Girl,
Glad to know that this post was helpful in a way. Wishing you good results when finally you decide to monetize your blog. Thanks for the comment.
@list of social bookmarking sites,
That is really the trick, getting good images to share with your network and more and more people are getting addicted to the site, or don’t you think so? You sound as if you are already addicted π
@John,
It’s a pleasure to be of help. Wishing the best on using pinterest!
@seo birmingham,
What’s confusing about the pinterest? Is it getting the right graphics to post or you just don’t know how to use the network?
@buy seo services,
The fact is as a business online you don’t have ignore any possible avenue that will help you with your business. Thanks for the comment
@bj,
That’s great to hear! There is always a difference between entrepreneurs blogging and just any other blogger.
Btw. in your response to the post about monetizing blogs, you specifically stated you don’t go for it. Now, considering that fact that many bloggers are entrepreneurs don’t you think such a one will always want to monetize his blog?
@Kate Brown Wilson,
I agree with you. Once you’re an entrepreneur who blogs then you are automatically both – an entrepreneur and a blogger! That’s what most of us are. The only difference is that we do not focus on our blogs as unto its self. It is a means to an end!
Thanks for the comment.
@Rick Salas,
Indeed, many quit too early. But it’s just because they have a wrong perception about the whole thing from the beginning. It great to know that this is really helpful!
Thanks for the comment.
@Patricia Weber,
Glad to know that this has been of help somehow! π Frankly, the issue of monetization was discussed on this blog a few days ago and I’m still surprised that many still believe that blogs should not be monetized. May be you were in this category and that’s why you have been focusing on great content without the mind of monetizing your efforts.
Any way I sincere hope you make good use of this new insight! Thanks for the comment.
@Susan Cooper,
I truly agree with you! That’s what I tried to put in as perseverance. Of course, it is patience that will help you to persevere. And like you said, this is really the biggest reason why many abandon their blogs. You never understand that Rome was not built in a day.
Thanks for your thoughts.
@Asma Khan,
Speaking for myself I must say, I was not really scared of the change. I only stayed away until I’m sure it can help my business. Don’t you think that is why some people are not using Pinterest for now? Or, I think some other possible reason may be the fact that you need to create some good graphic to make any impact on pinterest unlike other social networks that depend on basically text!
Or don’t you think so?
@Amanda,
That’s great. Personally, I’m really finding the site an interesting place. Really good pictures and I’m sure that’s why the place is so addictive for many! π
Thanks for the reply.
@Mandy Allen,
You’re definitely right. But how many people are really listening to this? Matter of fact is, many of us jumped into the bandwagon with the mind that making money with blogs is the most simplest thing anyone can do! But what a mistake. Right now we are wiser but many are still falling over heads to jump in. I only hope they are listening.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Adelaide trike tours,
Frankly, it will be very hard to find any internet marketing forum where you will not find any form of spam. The internet marketing niche is biggest when it comes to spam. But if you have not tried the warrior forum, I think you can try it. At least it has more reputation and because of the top level of moderation, it is really the right place where you can find usable information about internet marketing.
Thanks for your comment will be glad to have you around again!
@junaid,
That truly is the spirit of the Olympic games. Frankly, some of the news that is coming from the London Olympics shows that many of the participating nations and of course some of the athletes have not really imbibed this spirit. We hope things will change with time.
Thanks for your comment.
@Asma Khan,
Wow! That’s great to hear. I think you are the only one who has given a good report here so far. We’ll love to have more details from or wouldn’t help those who are still finding it difficult to find a foothold on pinterest?
@tissue microarray,
Really complex? Of course, every thing need time to master. Just give yourself to it more and more and very soon you will be making waves; π
@Tim Bonner,
Frankly, the copyright issue was one of the reasons for me staying away for this long. When I first heard of pinterest early this year, that was the first thing that came up in the article I read then.
However, from my research and what I can deduced so far, if you can use these graphics in your site and give due credit to the rightful owners, pinning the graphic on your pinboard is not really a problem. And if you’re pinning a photo from the web, the site showing the photo you want to pin definitely must have also given the credit to the rightful owner. So, you can see that somehow the issue of copyright has been taken care of. π
On using pinterest for business, I mentioned this on the post. I want to say it is just like any other social media site. Selling directly on the site or any thing like that will not work. I wrote a post sometime ago about using social media for selling,I think it does apply to pinterest also. Read the post here:
http://webincomejournal.com/5510/3-scientific-steps-to-social-media-selling.html
Using pinterest for business will demand you finding a way to lead the traffic back to your site and then “selling” them on your site!
Of course, I don’t know how long you used the site before you decided to look to twitter. But all the reports I’ve received so far speak well for pinterest when it comes to e-commerce sites. Of course, I can’t say much for myself for now since I’m just starting with it. But I look forward to creating some good results also. π
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@love guru,
Thanks for the “definition” love guru! Would you care to let us know if you’re using pinterest right now and how much success you have achieved so far? We will want to know.
@Bhushan,
You’re definitely correct. Successfully using Pinterest to drive traffic demands some creative use of graphic on your site/blog. But I don’t really think you will need to be a great graphic designer before you can use it. All you need is to search online for graphics you can use commercially or freely. As long as you give credit where neccessary, you can always pin these same pictures on pinterest and they will link back to your blog.
Thanks for the great comment!
@lenin,
Thanks for your comment and it’s glad to know that the post resonate with. About being a newbies, all of us have been and of course, we are still newbies in many areas.
About traffic from pinterest, so far I’ve not really seen much. But as you can see I’m only just starting with the network but from what I heard from other sites it is really a good source of traffic.
@Kevin,
That’s just what I’ve found out. Thanks for stopping by and for the comment.
@LLB Coaching,
Hmm, that’s good to hear! May be you are practicing how to shoot for the stars! π Lol!
@Michael Chibuzor,
Oh thanks. Love doing this.
@Amanda@BuySellWordPress,
Glad to hear that. Can you give some insight into her you are using pinterest right now? Will appreciate it.
@Amanda@BuySellWordPress,
Glad to hear that. Can you give some insight into her you are using pinterest right now? Will appreciate it.
@Aasma,
That is true. However, it doesn’t have to be graphics on you site only. You ca also pin interesting photos from the web. The more you get involved the more people who will be following and very soon it could lead to some traffic to your site.
And of course, what stops you from using graphics on your site, even if it is minimal!
@Myra Kirbi,
The issue of copyright is really a big problem on pinterest. But this is so because we have become used to just taking any graphic online and using it on our sites.
However, the fact is, if you have been using photo from flickr.com for example on your sites and attributing credits to the owners, doing the same on pinterest is not really a big deal. Or don’t you think so?
@Quack,
That’s was one of the reasons why I stayed away all this while! But you know as business persons you just don’t ignore any little opportunity that can impact on your business. If others are reporting good traffic from pinterest why stay away?
@LLB Coaching,
Hmm, I think by your own estimation. But can you give us details why you think so? You know, we all are learning and your opinion may just help some of us. Will you care to give details?
@Simmeon,
I quite agree with you that using Pinterest demands some ‘cunning’ tactics. And I must say that automated Pin it button is truly such a cunning tactic. You know it’s use is to encourage you to pin the graphic on which it auto displays.
On the other hand, the fact is that a graphic needs to be enticing enough to encourage such interest. I’m really looking forward to using more enticing graphics in the coming days.
Thanks for the comment
@Amit Shaw,
Oh what a joy to see you around again mate! Yea, I can understand that as the days goes by we just sort of get more busier because of more commitments.
I’ve read Michael’s posts on your blog and I can say his on this blog are still doing great also. Frankly, among the guest bloggers I have featured on this blog, his posts are only the few that I rarely edit because they simply agree with the standards on this blog!
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Ehsan Ullah,
It’s really a pleasure! Michael’s feat has been a challenge to me and that was why I decided to do this interview with him. I truly believe that many of us can learn from his story.
I’m glad that this is challenging to take guest blogging more seriously.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@RC Helicopter for beginner,
Glad to hear that. I do hope you are implementing these strategies right now!
@jackotomaker,
Well, it’s unfortunate that the issue of corruption is eating deep into the fabric of many nations right now. But that does not mean your athletes cannot do well in the gains. Besides, it’s not really about winning medals, I think the Olympic games is more about the peace and oneness or our world.
Thanks for the comment.
@Scott Dudley,
Thanks for the comment and I’m really glad that the post resonate with you.
Actually, this is my first time of doing an interview. Though I’ve attempted a couple of times before now, but they didn’t really work out. I’m looking forward to doing more in the new future.
I think a podcast that is focused on interviewing guest is really a great idea. But I don’t really have any experience in that! π
@Yeremi Akpan,
Hmm, can’t agree more! It’s interesting to know that you have had experience in what social media distraction can be. But like you said, there is really need to have a balance. I can say I’ve not been too involved with twitter and facebook. Though recently I’ve been on LinkedIn and discovered that it is more useful for my business. What I’m really planning of doing is have well laid out plans for all of the platforms to be better and gainfully involved.
Thanks for the comment.
@Adrienne,
Yea, I also went WOW! when I heard Michael has done 531 guest posts. Like you said, I have also been blogging for about yrs now and have never done that on my blog! π
I actually think it is the business model kind of a thing. For Michael his model is really working for him and I can also say your commenting strategy is also working for you because right now you are making a great success of your business. So, one has to really consider what he/she wants to accomplish and then seek out a route that help with that.
Thanks for finding the time to comment even when I know it is your celebration time! π
@Rahul,
Hmm, this is really another angle to this. Yes, I’ve heard of the issue of page rank linking amongst SEOs but using that to refuse guest blogging is actually taking it too far. This is blog is dofollow which means I’ll be losing a whole lot of page rank. But I don’t think so.
Beside, I don’t think your blog page rank reduced from 4/10 to 2/10 because of guest blogging. You just need to find other ways to increase the page rank. Produce more quality content that others will be eager to link to and you will again booster the page rank.
Any way, if you do have proof that it is guest blogging that cause the page rank reducing, you can always let me know. We are always ready to learn more. Thanks for the comment.
@Jeevan Jacob John,
I’m really glad that the post resonate with you. Even as the games are going on I’m still being impressed by these men and women. It is really a joy seeing them showcasing what they have. I know that as entrepreneurs if we put all of our mind, we also will bask in the euphoria of the same glory! Thanks for the comment.
@Amanda,
Of course, you can’t be in business for 4 yrs without some reward! The real lessons is that the dept of your preparation will determine the results you get. Thanks for the comment.
@Stephen Kavita,
Thanks for the comment. I’m really glad that this post resonate with you. I think that more and more people who really want to make money online are realizing that it is more than what they were told. Of course, many were too dazed that they have parked their load and left. But others, like us, know that the pudding is in the sweat!
@Loverboy,
You sure of that? Come tell us how many medals is your “a lot!” so that at the end we know if you were correct! π
@Michael Chibuzor,
This is sure a killer and I don’t see any reason they will not enjoy it. Thanks so much for your appearance!
@jacob,
Hi Jacob, it’s a pleasure to have you around. Just moderated 3 of your comments and must say, it’s your freshness here that moved me to approve the comments. As you can see from this post, we do not appreciate those who are out to post a quick comment. We appreciate a clear contribution to the conversation for that is what a blog is about. We are here to build a community.
And so, not allow us to put you in the bloggers hall of shame, we challenge you to be a better member of the community by making comments that will help others.
Will you do that or do we put you in the hall of shame?
@Kelvin Wealth,
Kelvin, I must appreciate your sincerity. It’s a good thing to know that having passed through that road some time ago, you have decided to go the right way.
I truly wish that every blogger will have such a mind and change. After running this blog for 3 years now, I know that the blogosphere is fast changing.
About pro-bloggers who still indulge in some unwholesome practices, such cannot really be termed as a problogger. All the same, I would have loved if you mention some of those things that these probloggers do. If you can please mention some of the things. I’m really thinking of doing something about this.
Thanks for the comment.
@bj,
It’s really unfortunate that after agreeing that it is the truth you still went on to conclude that it is not easy to follow.
How do you think these athletes are able to keep to their regular trainings? Do you think it is easy for them? Not at all! What you need is the determination. And instead of saying it is not easy, take a decision and make a declaration that it is the most easiest thing to do. When you do this, your whole being accept it to be so and of course, the unseen forces of the power of your WILL will take over and you will be surprised by what you can accomplish.
@Liability Insurance,
Yea, indeed we look forward to that. But beyond the winning, it’s really about the togetherness that the games bring to the community of nations. I pray that those who are war will cease hostilities and use the this period to negotiate for peace.
@Simmeon,
Absolutely! Take a closer look everyone of them and you will see that this is true. They put off everything that will hinder them make every effort to win the prize.
This is what I think we as entrepreneurs should learn from them.
@Bhushan,
Thanks friend. It’s really good to know the post strike a cord with you. Frankly, everyday my eyes and whole being is open to learn from every situation. I have found it to be a real good thing for me because with this I’ve been able to pick up a lot things from every day life situations. I really do hope that our esteemed readers will put these to use.
Once again thanks for the comment.
@Yeremi Akpan,
That is really interesting. We are really getting somewhere! π Most bloggers have not realized the community building aspect of blogs. I’m really surprised most times when I see blogs with less than 5 comments and yet the blogger never cares to reply those comments. Indeed, this is something we definitely need to include in the list. Thanks for the insight.
@Christopher Roberts,
I’m intrigued by what you want included in the list. And about running with the idea I’m already thinking of doing something about it. Let’s just hope it comes out great! lol!
@Simmeon,
Do you really think that our perception of what a bad practice is differ from person to person? Don’t you think that every bad practice being perpetuated by many bloggers today is spoken against by everyone? Is only that this bad guys really don’t care. They are more concerned with their results. To them the end justify the means. But should this really be the case?
@Chris,
Yes, we can only try and be the good ones! But you know as the blogging business of a thing continues to mature over the years, I think some form of sanity should be introduced. Best practices should be set so that when some one continues with these practices we will know such a one is an odd number, don’t you think so?
@Yeremi Akpan,
Hmm, that is really touching. Many marketers don’t realize the fact that customers are becoming more and more critical with online promotions. Knowing fully that any one can claim to be a guru in any field, many people only use what you are putting out as a yard stick for assessing you.
Thanks for the comment.
@Derek,
I agree with you that a single misspelling may not affect sales in such a high manner. But that was the result of a research. However, a page with more than 3 misspellings will lead me to asking questions.
On misspelt keywords by SEOs, this really happens. In fact, it is a tactic that many of SEOs teach as very effective. I’ve even believed it over the years until I saw this report and it came to my mind that, that tactic is faulty!
Thanks for stopping by and for the comment.
@Printing Kent,
Indeed many people are with you on this. Credibility matters and having misspellings in your e-commerce site does not in any way tell good about you. Thanks for the comment.
@Bhushan,
Yes, there is no short cut to success, everything requires time, patience and dedication.
Truth is everyone don’t have to agree with me. However, it is clear that except you are ready to give value, your efforts will one day end in vain.
@Yeremi Akpan,
Hmm, what good advice here,
“Your readers are more important than a sale. If that does not show through all your communications, then you may just as well be shooting yourself in the foot.”
Frankly, it’s unfortunate that many in the name of marketing do all kind of thing to make a sale. They never know that the purpose of marketing is not to make a sale but to create a customer who will ultimately result in a sale.
Go for the short term and your business will die very quickly!
Thanks for adding your voice to the conversation!
@bj,
Yes, giving the people exactly what they are looking for may be difficult sometimes. But, like you said taking care of the people with your marketing message is neccesary. It means therefore that you just need to know what the people are looking for!
Can you now see the connection?
It’s the most important element when marketing with web content and so even if it is difficult you just can’t ignore it. Now, the good thing is that knowing what your customers wants can be easily determined by implementing a few strategic steps.
In content marketing, this has come to be known as “listening.” And with the increase of online social media “listening” to your customers is becoming really easy if you know what you are doing.
Thanks for the comment.
@Adrienne,
Hmm, you couldn’t have said it better,
“The one thing Iβve learned about this industry is that you really have to care about people and if you donβt, I canβt see you building a lasting business.”
Thanks for the comment and this insight.
@Anton Koekemoer,
That’s really interesting but trying to pick up those digital footprints will prove tasking. However,if there is a consensus on what all of us regard as unwholesome and use these criteria, don’t you think that will help?
@Sandeep Kumar,
Hmm, that’s really going above the usual. Never heard such of things. But this clearly shows that many bloggers are now more than ever bringing in the negative side of humanity into the blogosphere.
Well it does appear that if we must succeed in stopping these negative traits, a more concerted effort must be taken. Only if some of these our highly acclaimed pro-bloggers will join this movement, then we will begin to see results very soon.
@Adrienne,
You’re definitely right that not everyone will agree on what is right or wrong when it comes to blogging. Of course, it’s this freedom that many are exploiting right now. However, as in every human relationship, there are etiquetes even when we may have our own ideas of what is right or wrong. I think the blogosphere is maturity to a point where certain standards will stand out as accepted norms.
As for getting this idea in front of everyone, I think that may not be neccesary. What could be done is may be, a group can decide to do this every year and then publish their findings of what bloggers considered as the most unwholesome practices amongst bloggers, just as I’m doing right here π
I know if some popular blog or a group do this, the blogosphere will over flow with the news and other bloggers will talk about it in their posts and by so doing more and more people will come to know of it. Possibly, over time, more and more bloggers will come to know that, doing this or that is not really acceptable to majority of bloggers. And this will help to reduce most of these annoying things that most bloggers are doing today.
Again, I agree with you that spam comments top the list. I’m really surprised that even when GASP is installed which ensures that the blogger visits the site before posting a comment instead of using some software, these spammers will not care to post something reasonable. Just imagine someone coming to a blog with a “ready-made” and then copy and paste without even reading the post! It’s annoying.
But wait, did you say our list will grow over the years? Do you mean by that instead of reducing, these unwholesome practices will definitely increase? But I was thinking if we speak out against them they will somehow reduce. So, you don’t think so?
@Ehsan,
I understand that MSN is focused on those mega companies, but come to think of it, are there no wrong practices that can actually be displayed in the bloggers hall of shame?
I’m not really asking that we begin to name bloggers or point fingers at anyone, rather that we chronicle some of the bad habits of bloggers with the mind that somehow it may affect some change. Or don’t you think this can help?
@futures trading,
It all shows that all of us have challenges but how we handle those challenges matters. Google will rather go back to their drawing boards and see how they can use their market insights rather than give up. And I believe that one tool that Google has given to us which we can actually use to the same is Google Analytics. We can use that tool to understand our market and give more value which in turn will return success for us!
Thanks for the comment.
@Eva,
It’s really great to know that you find this post useful. Visited you blog but I’m sorry that I couldn’t read it since it’s not in English. I hope you make good use of the knowledge you would be receiving as you make this blogging journey. Thanks for the comment.
@sandeep kumar,
Thanks. It’s a pleasure to hear that.
@bj,
it’s a pleasure to know that the post resonate with you. Thanks for the comment.
@Simmeon,
I agree with you totally. From what is happening it does appear that from the on-set Apple Inc. set out to create a monopoly that will restrict new entrants to the game. They were very much aware of the ease of copying technology and so they “smartly” registered these patents to keep other from bringing any similar product into the market. But it is clear now that that monopoly will not stand.
@Yeremi Akpan,
Glad to see you around. Frankly, any blogger who is not using Google analytics is either new to the game is plain ignorant of the power of that tool, except of course, if he/she is using something else.
I think knowing your customer is really the biggest lesson I’ve learned from Google. I’ve have always wondered why Google will spend money on some very good tools and give them away to online users. It was only when I saw the power in what Google was doing that I realized that Google was not really losing giving away those tools!
This is what I have been applying in my business too. For example, on this blog, I aim always to give only the best. Most times one will be tempted to package the same information and sell it as special report but knowing that by giving value and using it to assess your readership will ultimately bring more dividend than the immediate gain is something I’ll like to go for any time.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@sandeep kumar,
It’s a pleasure that the post resonate with you. Frankly, I try as much possible to give the little I can. I truly do hope that this post will achieve its aim, helping as many as will put the lessons into use.
Thanks for the comment.
@merry,
I agree with you Merry. That’s why I spend a good time researching before I write most of my posts. I really try to make my posts stand out.
@Ehsan,
The gathering of the ideas from various research is what actually took me most of the time. The actual writing took barely hours. But then after completing it I had to keep it away for some days when I occasionally come around to read it over and then put in one or two things here and there. But putting all together, I want to believe it was not more than those 5 days.
@viec lam hai phong,
It is clear that your friend did not think of the search engine value of that name before going for it. All the same, I think if the name is what is keeping away the traffic then it is time to choose something else. And why don’t you let him know this?
@merry,
Of course, as a human resource management student, your communication skills some thing that must taken very seriously. How can you interact or relate intelligently with others if you cannot communicate clearly. I think you are really in a good way to educate us in this area or don’t you think so?
@Christopher Roberts,
Oh, great Christopher, it’s simply what we are talking about here. It’s really a good thing that you brought this up. Thanks for the correction. That has also added to my knowledge! I would have gone ahead and corrected it but I’ll be leaving it there so that others who care to read it later can also gain something from it as I did! π
@Emily Williams,
It’s a pleasure to know that the post resonate with you. Are you using social media for selling? Can you share your experience with us?
@Anton Koekemoer,
Good insight there Anton. It’s unfortunate that very few businesses really understand this. Most of the marketing I see on social media are really unprofessional. That is why most will readily complain that social media marketing is a sham. But they don’t know that they are doing it wrongly. Without building the right relationships, selling on social media will produce nothing but frustration.
Thanks for this very insightful comment.
@Harshad,
It’s funny that you have experienced this yourself! And, I think you rightly figured out what is happening, too many SEOs getting into this game. But beyond that, I also think that those creating low quality guest posts are not really SEOs. They are simply career bloggers who doing those guest blogging services for other companies. For them any form of article is good enough. I spent too many hours trying to re-write some of the guest posts I received because I wanted to encourage some of them but since I did this guest blogging series any article that does not meet my requirements I simply ignore.
Thanks for the comment.
@Christopher Roberts,
Yea, I’ve actually seen that. Only thing is that I just discovered most of the posts in those categories really did not command the kind of attention those on “techie” subjects have! But like I said, I’ll definitely put something up for you. It will really be my pleasure!
@Christopher Roberts,
Oh, so you have taken that as Google’s darker side? That’s really funny. I did remember that post and of course the comment I made on it. In fact, I’ve just gone over to read it again and must say you don’t have to hate Google for that!
You rightly mentioned that “the story of send” was really a promotional for Google. And like I mentioned in the comment, you don’t have to expose the defective side of your products when you’re marketing. And besides, those defects you tried to point out, are not a strange thing when you talk of technology. There could be failures here and there any time. The only thing is that when that happens, there is room for improvement.
Any way, I’m really fond of Google and I just love what they are doing with their online business. I think what we should do, when we see some good point in those who are successful in their field, to find a way to incorporate those good points in our own operations.
Christopher, I must say I’ve just been considering doing a post for Technology Bloggers, frankly. You know I created an account some time ago but since I’m not really into this technology issues, I’ve not been able to bring myself to doing something in that line. I really want to write an article that will more appeal to the audience there. But not to worry I’m sure I’ll come up with something very soon.
Thanks for the comment.
@bj,
Yeah, I really saw the doggedness of Google in becoming a big time player in the social media game despite the challenges it has faced. There are definitely going to be great challenges in whatever we do, but in all we must our targets and never turn back!
@Anton Koekemoer,
Me too Anton. That’s why I spend so much time on my blog posts and every other thing about my blog. I always try to go beyond what is others are doing. Sometimes it’s really tasking but I know that ultimately, it will pay off!
It’s a pleasure to see that the post resonate with you. Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Faissal Alhaithami,
I cannot but agree with you. I’ve really seen this all over Google business products and I know its really an insight into running a successful business. Your customers are your best bet if you want to succeed.
Thanks for the comment.
@Christopher Roberts,
What beats me dry is that most bloggers want to argue that spelling or grammar doesn’t really matter especially since most bloggers do not have English as their first language. This is understandable but as I’ve always let some know, if you have decided to write your blog in English, nothing stops you from learning to use the language well.
But those are really extreme cases because even with those who have English as their first language, many do not care to proof read their work. This is bad. As it’s commonly said, first impression matters. If I come across a site with 2 to 5 errors on a page, I simply conclude that the person behind that site is not serious. And I believe I’m not alone here.
Doing business with someone who cannot ensure that his/her language carries the correct meaning is really taking a risk, especially when it comes to online dealings where, in most cases, every thing is done digitally.
Ok, never knew you are running another competition. Will just check it out.
@Sarah Mills,
It’s really funny that in one breath you say, “bad spelling and grammar will turn visitors away” but yet turn around to say, “the headline logic is flawed!” If you agree that bad grammar and spelling turn the visitor away, moving them (the customer) to ‘different’ websites, don’t you think that is losing the sale to another site? That is of course if you’re selling something on your site.
Ok, I may agree with you that spelling may not be the biggest problem, but come to think of it, don’t you think a wrong spelling will somehow affect the grammar therefore changing the meaning of a sentence?
For example, “you’re” instead of “your,” “there” instead of “their,” which are very common on most web copies as a result of automatic correction while using Microsoft Word in writing.
You need to understand that the aim here is not to put down anyone but a simple call for us to be more careful with our writing. It will not only make our readers more comfortable but also add to our bottomline as businesses or don’t you think so?
@Arbaz Khan,
It’s really a pleasure to hear that. Indeed after reading a few of the things being said online, both on blogs, news sites and on Google+, I just thought of putting it together in way that someone hearing it for the first time can really understand it. And the graphics? Truly great! Some of them made me laugh and that’s why I picked these ones to display here.
Thanks for the comment.
@Adrienne,
That’s really funny way to put it, “let the big boys fight it out!” π
And I can say it’s a fight that’s giving Apple Inc. some good battering. From all sides their cards are falling apart. One thing for sure is that there is going to be more competition and who knows, that may just be a good for us all.
Besides, this another test case for the patent laws in view the changes in our today environment.
@Trixie,
Must agree that these are not good times for Apple Inc. They are really receiving hard knocks for their patent battles. With the ruling that most of those patents shouldn’t have been granted in the first place, it does appear that more and more companies will be aiming to produce products similar to Apple’s which is going to give a tight corner to fight from – I mean competitively!
@Ehsan,
Good thinking! I just had to enter this post when I saw that he changed the rules to include posting on any topic you are familiar with. What matters really is how much promotion you put into it.
@Elena Anne,
Well spoken Elena Anne. I know as humans we from time to time let slip one mistake here and there but spending time to re-read and proof-read your articles will remove most of the mistakes. Most times I spend 2 or 3 days on an article. I truly care about the impression I create. π
@Matt,
The pleasure is mine. And I’ll truly appreciate it if you will help promote the article. If you find it so helpful why not share it with your social networks? Any way, just asking.
@thiqar,
And thanks for the comment. Btw. Did you help promote the article? Simple tweet or a share with your linkedin network will be appreciated or don’t you think so?:)
@bj,
Thanks bj. This issue of first impression is really very important. Creating a bad impression will only rob you of your success.
@Jamella Biegel,
It’s a pleasure to see that the post resonate with you and thanks for the good words.
On building a list, I’ll suggest that, as new blogger, the first thing you should really determine is what you want to target. What type of product/service are your eying to promote to your list? Are you thinking of providing a service or product along the way or you’re simply thinking of promoting affiliate products?
It’s when you have decided on this that you can now think of what you will give away to build a list and what type of people to target with your list.
Now, I’m supposing that you must have thought about these things before you started your blog. And if that is so, then I’ll suggest that you go through your published posts, select a few that you can repackage to produce a special report. I’m suggesting this because it is the easiest way to get your free offer ready now!
Once your free offer is ready, signup with any of the email service providers like Aweber or MailChimp and then put up the subscription box on your blog. Of course, building a list and nurturing the list is a volume of its own but if you use these tips you could be up and running in under 3 days. Remember, you should rewrite the articles to reflect your purpose in the report.
Sorry that I can’t really go too deep into details. But if you need more explanations, feel free to contact me.
Thanks for the comment.
@Adrienne,
Hmm, what an interesting addition here! I must say it’s only a few that are really using the phone to build business relationships instead of selling. And just considering it I can see so much potential in it especially in the area of putting a personal touch to the whole thing. Instead of just dealing with your prospects as some figure out there, you can relate on a more personal level thereby making the relationship more concrete.
And on the use of blogs, I can see your point. Of course, many who are just coming into the blogging arena have the wrong notion that making money blogging is about setting up a blog and running it solely as a business. This worked some years ago when blogging was in its infancy. You could build and blog and hope to earn money from ads and promoting affiliate products. But these days, doing that means you will have to compete with some of these big names in the game. Unfortunately, I was going in that direction until of recent.
Now, I see a blog as a part of the social media game. Your own place where you can have some form of control over your relationship building efforts. The blog should be a part of your over all business promotion plan. With this understanding, I now devote more of my time to other aspects of my business than I do with the blog because I’ve realized that throwing more of my time at the blog is depriving me of other things that needed to be done.
I appreciate your coming around and for this wonderful comment. Remain blessed!
@Melanie,
Hmm, I love that line about max out at a certain stage! There is no better option than to have your main hub where you can do what you really want to do. Of course, you know also that these social media sites could decide to pull the carpet from under your feet any thing if they think you are going outside their boundary!
I do hope someone is really listening! π
@Simmeon,
You are very right Simmeon. Being able to lead your social media connections to engage with you on your personal site is what really shows that they are interested in you. If all you are doing is socializing with them “out in the street” without them caring to check out how your “home” looks like, it means they are not ready to take the relationship to a deeper level!
@Ehsan,
Oh thanks. Must say your entry is really a great post too and seeing I’m entering late I’ll just have to do some extra work! π
Btw. thanks for bringing this to my notice!
@Trixie,
Thanks Trixie. Misspellings will continue to be a problem until we all stand up against this.
@Chris,
Hmm, “but it’s not so easy!” Yes, I agree that it is not easy. But the truth is that nothing great comes easy. What we need is to keep at it and put in all our best. Seeking to know the basics and working to put them to work is really the key to succeed with all of these. Or don’t you think so?
@kevin,
Hmm, it makes the website look less professional! I quite agree with you. Thanks for the comment.
@Romy,
Thanks for coming around to check out my entry. The promotion is already on! Let’s see how it comes out π
@buy seo services,
That is true. A simple mistake could change the meaning of the sentence. Thanks for the comment.
@Sandip,
That is really instructive. I really did not know that Google is also using spellings to rank websites. But like I said in the post, SEOs deliberately and misspelt words for the traffic benefit. They know many people make mistakes while using the search engines and they only want to capitalize on those mistakes. But I don’t really know if those same people who make such a mistake will really see it as a mistake when the visit the site.
Thanks for the comment and that great lesson! π
@Ehsan,
I like that angle Ehsan. I know that many bloggers will not really care if there are mistakes on your blog or not. However, let’s say you are blogger who promotes yourself as a freelance content writer. When someone comes to your blog and on a single post, there nothing less than 4 noticeable misspellings. What impression do you think that person will have of you? Or do you think it really does not matter?
Oh, it was really a pleasure. Must say you have a great blog there and I’ll definitely be visiting more.
@affordable seo package,
Must say spam comments is one thing I think will have to live with! I’ve tried various plugins but the spammers are growing more desperate by the day. Presently, I use the Growmap Anti Spambot Plugin which I know many bloggers use but, I must say that has not stopped the spammers. It has only reduced or given them an new style of doing it.
There are powerful ones I have tried but one thing I don’t like about them is the catpcha. I really do not want to subject my readers to all that because of some spammers. GASP is good since the spammer must visit your blog before he/she can post the comment. Only thing you have to do is simply delete it when you see. So the loser is the spammer because he/she visited and wasted time posting the comment! π
@Benaiah Marshall,
I agree with you Benaiah. In fact whenever there is a new update I always wait, say two to three days before updating. I think it sometimes pay to take the necessary precautions.
@Gareth Morgan,
That is definitely an experience! I think one way to avoid such a heartache is to check how long a web hosting company has been in business. If those web host have any experience at all, they would have known to deprive those with accounts from installing unallowed scripts.
@Aasma,
Do you know that of all you listed I’m very much interested in “establish yourself as an authority in your niche?” That can do a whole lot of things for you. If you aim for that in your guest post, every other thing will fall into place – other webmaster will link to your posts, readers will eagerly promote your articles on the social media sites … You can name more!
That is why in my series on guest blogging, I encourage everyone to decide on what they want before writing their guest posts.
@Car Accident Attorneys,
You are right about getting fresh and new opinion on your site with guest blogging. But for giving you a break from writing, I think that is not really it. If you stay of writing as a blogger because you are publishing guest posts, you will soon discover that your blog will lose readership. You know, guest post cannot really take the place of your own “voice” on your blog. Once your readers have come to identify with your writing style, staying off and publishing only guest posts will harm your blog. Or don’t you think so?
@Claire,
I agree with you totally about sending a ready-to-post article. When I send guest posts to blogs where there is no option to register as a user, I usually send a html format and a plain text format. This is to easy the work for the host blogger. However, if guest bloggers are expected to register (as it happens on this blog) it will be a good idea to submit your post taking the time to format it so the host blogger will not spend much time in reviewing it.
Thanks for the comment.
@FreeAgent,
It’s a thing of joy to hear that!
But the fact is, Facebook is big marketing platform because of the number of users on the social site. When your business can connect with a large number of potential customers in one place, that indeed is good prospect for your business. So when we talk about marketing on Facebook it’s actually getting your business before the large number of potential customers.
@Kate Brown Wilson,
It’s my pleasure!
@buy seo services,
Oh glad to hear that! Well, magnetic marketing is just that, magnetic marketing! π Ok, you know what a magnet is, right? When you use magnetic marketing tactics the purpose is not only to attract customers but also to ensure that those customers stay clued to your business just as the magnet will never let go! I hope you will be using these tactics in your business?
@buy seo services,
Has a solution of some big queries? Will be pleased if you can explain that.
@Robert Koenig,
You mean Google and the rest are just like the blind men in the story? Oh, that’s taking it to another level. But frankly, I think in that level we all are in the same boat.
You know, when you’re trying to achieve a result, until that result comes, you’re actually like a blind man except you have a guide, like someone who has achieved that results before and is ready to give the direction. I think this is the only area that Google and the rest can be compared to the blind men. Of course, Google has an idea of what the internet should be but because they are blazing a trial no other person has traveled before, they need, most times to move on using trial by error.
For the likes of Yahoo, I think they got it wrong when they thought everything should have a price tag! You can see that Google understands the internet better. Consider the different tools they provide for us free, all of these make them a darling of online marketers therefore expanding their potential clients base!
Yahoo expected us to get into their search engine only if we can pay them for it but Google opened their search for everyone and today Google has remained the search engine that everyone talks about.
I personally believe that there is so much we can learn from Google as internet marketers or what do you think?
@Kate Brown Wilson,
Mean you were never aware that Facebook Inc. has gone public? Well, that’s interesting because it has been in the news for the past couple of weeks. Anyway, it’s glad to know that you heard it first here! π
@Amit Shaw,
Hi, Amit glad to see you again! How was your exams? Hope you had a good holiday. You’re highly welcome!
@Glynis Jolly,
Do you mean these additions make the site more easier to use or you’re just enthusiastic about the new design?
@Terra@Girls Bedding,
I agree with you. Focusing only on creating content for ones blog may be good but getting some on other blogs is a sure way of generating a continuous flow of traffic. Thanks for the comment.
@Kate Brown Wilson,
I must agree also that mohdakthar has indeed given us some very useful tools that will help us with our blog performance. I personally have not used most of these tools before, but when mohdakthar did this post, I took sometime to look them up and I’ve included them in my resources file!
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Hen Dos,
Do you mean the best Webhost or best blogging platform? Which ever of these you meant, the fact is that depending on your need, you may choose any host that best suit what you want to achieve. You can google “best webhost” or “best blogging platform” and then take the time to analyze the results you receive. I think instead of just saying this is the best, when I know that there are various options out there will amount to being dishonest.
@Zara,
Just what I mentioned why replying Aasma’s comment. I’ve heard many people try to make light of it that Google is really the one who is making the money with these tools. As much as that is true, the tools help Google to know more about us all so as to better target users with their ads, but we must not fail to appreciate the fact that we are all benefiting using those tools. I cannot really imagine how much I would be dishing out every for such a tool if Google had not magnanimously provided one! Or, don’t you think so too?
@Aasma,
Tools like this provided free by Google for us are just one of the reasons I’m such a big fan of Google. Just imagine how much such a tool would have cost if provided by some of the online marketing companies out there. Can you really put a price to it? I think we must give kudos to Google for things like this!
@Rob Koenig,
That story had always intrigued me. Whenever,I consider the way some things are handled by different people in trying to make believe that they know much about those things, my always to this story.
Sarah have really cleverly made a point with this story in this article. I think we will need some de-glazing as regarding many of the subjects we read online if we are not to be like the blind men! π Nothing is more rewarding when you approach it knowing what you are doing instead of just speculatively. Or don’t you think so, Rob?
@Pete Goumas,
Must say, that bit about adding some humor in the post is really insightful! One good way of connecting with your readers is to make them relaxed while reading your post and humor can do that quite easily. Only catch is that you just need to know how to make the humor relevant to the post. Thanks for the comment.
@Beth,
Oh, it’s really great to hear that! I do hope you’ll be able to use these tips to do something great. Frankly, guest blogging can do a whole lot of things for you. You can get involved right away. I encourage you to read the other posts in the series and you’ll definitely be glad you did. Thanks for stopping by and for the comment.
@Eli,
It’s a pleasure to share and I’m really glad that these tips resonate with you. Thanks for the comment.
@LM Photography,
Yes, and it also opens the reader up to better recieve what you have to say! Make the audience more receptive and you will make good of your purpose. π
@Website Design Dubai,
Ok, that is really true when you’re running a blog. But remember that we’re talking about guest blogging here. Must you only guest blog on topics you’re passionate about?
@Becca,
I do agree with you that you blog about the subjects you’re passionate about. With this you’re able to more interact with readers. Nevertheless, a good writer can always do magic with just any subject. If you’re freelance writer you will understand that you will have cause to write articles on subjects you’re not really passionate about. But as a good writer it falls on you to produce something engaging. So the secret is really in your research and writing abilities. Or don’t you think so?
@Rizwan Sultan,
Yea, I do agree with you. Images actually make your post come alive especially today when Pinterest is a rave! Thanks for the comment.
@Kathrine.
Thanks for the comment Kathrine. It’s a pleasure to see that this post resonate with you. Your insights are really interesting. Google is working round the clock to sanitize the internet. We must work with it by providing good content instead of trying to game the show.
@ellipsometer,
Well, I wouldn’t really know because I’ve never used the SEOmoz tool. May be you will want to try this one out. You can download a free trial copy without providing any credit card information. Use it and see if they are the same or not. thanks for the comment.
@cmichaelsny,
Keywords is definitely the engine power of seo. Pick the wrong keywords and you will be heading for failure. Thanks for the comment.
@hire seo expert,
Yea, as the seo expert, can you help us with some insight into the subject? Wouldn’t be great if you can give us some details in your comments?
@Rob Koenig,
It’s great to hear that. It all goes to prove that these tips are really useful! Thanks for the comment.
@Kate Brown Wilson,
That’s great to hear! Maybe it’s just our nature. We always restrict change. Since I wrote this post, I’ve learned a few things that have made me more open the changes!
Thanks for the comment.
@Nik,
I understand your point there. May be you need understand that most guest bloggers are guest blogging as service providers. The article may be a paid guest post in which case the blogger is expected to provide those links to the paying site!
I’ve published a few of these before knowing fully well what they are. But refusing them outright because of the “irrelevant link” is not good enough. That is by my judgement any way. Those links are definitely in the resource box and not the body of the article. So if the content is okay the practice have always been, the writer promoting himself or business in the resource box.
Of course, you have your own reasons for refusing this type of guest posts. But for me, I’ll rather judge the article by the content and the topic. Once the topic is in my target niche and the content ok, I’ll publish the article.
You may want to give some reasons why you are so concerned about the links in the resource box.
@Eric,
Glad to know that the post resonate with you. It’s a pleasure to be of help.
@Hen Dos,
If you understand your question very well, you desire to guest blog on a blog hosted on the blogger platform. If that is what you mean, the answer yes, you can make a guest post in blogger. What you simply need to do is send the guest post to the owner of the blog and he/she will publish it as a guest post.
I don’t know if this answer your question. If not let me have details.
@Nik,
Yea, I can understand that. It’s definite that not all will stay afloat! However, if they are truly well optimized the traffic will continue over the years. This is why I personally appreciate what Google is going with their regular updates. Good content will continue to remain relevant no matter when it was published.
I also agree with you that the post should be compelling enough. When this happens some of the readers may want to reference it in their posts or share it with their friends on the social media sites. These promotions can work great for the article.
I’ve also seen some very good bloggers who will go as far as promoting their guest posts building backlinks to them so as to give the post some more seo power! I think this is really a good way of strengthening the post for the search engines.
Really don’t want to agree that guest blogging is becoming tricky. What is happening rather is that many bloggers want to submit substandard articles in the name of guest blogging. Besides, others go for niches that are not related to their niches. But I think this is not the way to go. Just today I have refused 2 requests from the emails I understand that their articles are focused on something quite different from my blog target niche.
I’ve mentioned this in the course of this series but my suggestion is always to research the blog you want to publish your guest post on to ensure it is related to your target niche. The benefits of doing this include:
1. Your request will be received more ease.
2. The traffic generated by your post will be relevant to your blog.
3. Your backlinks will be relevant (think of Pengium Google update!) and so the benefit of ranking.
There should be nothing tricky about guest blogging at all if your content is good. In fact if your content is good every blogger out there will be willing to publish the post.
Or, did you have any experience where you were refused even when your article was ok?
@Kate Brown Wilson,
Glad to have you around again and thanks for the comment.
On whether one need to have reputation before being a guest blogger, I don’t think it’s really necessary. In fact, guest blogging is a good way of building your reputation online. By the time you publish guest posts all over the web more and more people will get to know you and if your posts are really great, you’d be able to build a good standing with a wide audience out there.
So, if you’re really aiming to build a reputation, do some more guest blogging!
@buy seo services,
I can understand your point. I was once there! But it’s good thing that you can resonate with my points. I hope you will do better by implementing them in the future!
@pavithra,
Hmm, you’re not really alone even many who know about the effectiveness of guest blogging are just doing the wrong way. I’ll advise that you read through the whole series (check out the older posts in the links at the beginning of this post). I’m very sure that you will gain some useful knowledge from it.
Thanks for the comment.
@Venkat,
Thanks for the compliment. I do hope you put these tips to use!
@Dianna,
You’re welcome Dianna, it’s a pleasure to know that the post resonate with you. Thanks for stopping by and the comment.
@Aasma,
You’re just right on point Aasma. Unfortunately, not many who wants to guest blog really know this. Many are only focused on getting backlinks which is just a small fraction of the benefits of guest blogging.
If you’ve followed the series all through you will understand that my reason for taking the time to do this is so that all of us will benefit with our guest blogging efforts. I actually take the benefit of brand building very seriously as it can have both immediate and future benefits.
Thanks for stopping by and joining the conversation.
@Jasmin,
It’s glad to know that this post resonates with you. One of the reasons for the series is to help all of us become better in using guest blogging to drive more traffic.
BTW. This is series is still on-going and the latest has just been published. While don’t you check it out. I’m sure you will love it also! Thanks for stopping by.
@Voorbeeld CV,
I can really understand your point. Yes, too much of everything is bad! If not for anything, too much of graphics can slow down your site’s load speed which is not good for seo.
Thanks for this insight.
@mohdakthar,
Truly appreciate your understanding!
@Rob Koenig,
This distinction is really necessary if you want to connect with your readers. This is one thing that many who have submitted guest posts for publishing on the WebIncomeJournal have always missed.
Only a few knows how to use the white space to their advantage. But this is a must if you want your readers to flow with your writing.
What you called the educated reader are rare. Personally, when I read an article I like reading it all through to get the details, except of course if that article has nothing new to offer me! But I know only a few blog readers will do this. So as content creator, understanding this two groups and structuring your article to cater for both groups is a sure way to win the game.
Thanks for the comment I appreciate your visit.
@top movies,
It’s a thing of joy to know that you found this post interesting. Indeed, guest blogging is receiving good attention today because more and more people are coming to understand that the benefits are really great.
Guest blogging gives you good returns in terms of backlinks which is good your search rankings. Besides, it is also good for traffic generation and brand building which every online marketer would want to take advantage of right now.
This guest blogging series was started because, after publishing a few guest bloggers on this site, I discovered that many have not really come to terms with the many benefits that guest blogging can give them. I do hope that the series will help as many who will put the tips to use.
Thanks for the comment and I’ll truly appreciate if you can tell you friends about this series or don’t you think it will benefit them also?
@mohdakthar,
Hi, glad to see you again. Pardon me for what happened. It appears because your post was the last before the blog experienced the site down problem, all the comments in the post just went off. I hope the article can pick up its strength again.
Hi Genry,
Took a look and tried using it but must say it’s a little complicated. And frankly, I don’t think it’s really what I want to use. I’m better off with something more simple to understand. Maybe some other persons will try it out and let us know what they think.
Thanks for sharing the link.
@Aasma,
Glad to hear that. Do care to let us know what you think, will you?
@Ryan,
Frankly, I have heard of SEOmoz for sometime now but have not really used it. However, even if you’re already using SEOmoz you can also try out the free version of SheerSEO and compare the two. Though the free version have less features, you may just be able to know if you really need it.
Right now I’m still playing around with SheerSEO and I must say it’s just superb.
@Ryan Hanley,
Yea, like I said you don’t have to take my word for it. The free trial version is enough to really determine if it is good enough for you. I will be glad if you will be kind enough to share your experiences with us.
Thanks for the comment.
@Peter,
I agree with you on every point Peter. When it comes to content marketing you must do everything to make sure that your audience benefit from it and of course ensure that the conversation is a two-way thing.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Niko M,
Frankly, I believe also that quality is important, in fact, it’s to be the next in the series. However, from my experience quality alone will not do anything. Search engine optimization is still the strong base of driving long term traffic to your blog/site. Search engines do not rank sites simply on quality. They look for a few requirements and it’s your seo tactics that provide those requirements.
Hope you read the next entry when it is posted and you will know that I’m also for quality.
Thanks for the comment.
@Fabrizio,
Frankly, I was blown away with when I tried it out. Right now I’m still exploring the different features. Another good thing that I’ll vouch for the software is the email alerts that you receive periodically. These let’s you know how your keywords are faring. Whenever there is a change, whether a drop or rise in ranking, you’ll know from this emails. It’s really worth trying out.
@Becca,
You’re welcome!
@Mark,
“Writing quality content makes it even harder!” I sincerely think this is why many shy away from it and those who want to use it really want to put in the effort.
I quite agree with you about quality content. In fact SEO tactics without the necessary good content will amount to nothing because ultimately it is the content that will engage the reader. But you cannot shy away from the search engine optimization.
Thanks for the comment.
@Elena Anne,
That really sound great. More and more people are turning to guest posting for the better SEO results. You truly sound enthusiastic about this. Would you mind doing a guest post for this blog? Will love to have it published!
@Aasma,
You’re right Aasma. If you really want your guest posts to achieve your goals you must go the extra mile. Many do not realize this. Some do not even promote the post once it is live. They are content with having a link back to their site. I sincerely believe that building links to the guest post is a good way of ensuring that it rank high in the search engines.
Thanks for this wonderful contribution.
@Venus,
You’re definitely right Venus. It is no the date but what you receive from an article that really matters. And the only way you can really make your articles to stay relevant is optimizing them for the search engines. This way they can always get the attention of searchers.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Melanie,
First, pardon me for replying this late. On your comment, I must say you actually get it very right. Many bloggers have the wrong notion of just putting together any thing without really caring about optimization.
Personally, I believe in quality over quantity and I’m really glad that apart from the benefits I mentioned, you were able to add some very good ones! I truly look forward to seeing more quality guest posts on the blogosphere!
Thanks for your comment.
@Julie,
Frankly, it’s really funny that only a few bloggers who knows this are really doing it correctly. Many are still applying the dead article marketing strategies when they guest blog.
I truly hope this series will help a few to get better results with their labor. Thanks for the comment.
@Sheyi,
Oh thanks for those suggestions. I’ll definitely look into them.
@Christopher,
Frankly, time is always a problem for all of us. But as I always say it all bears down to self management. There is no way we are going to add any minute to the 24hr we have. Working within the time is just what we need do. I’m also having problems with this but I am learning to conquer it! π
@bjohn,
Thanks for those good words. It’s a pleasure to know that the post was helpful. Hope to continue to provide these tips in the coming parts.
@Srinivasan,
You’re welcomed. I hope this will be of help to all of us!
@Charleen Larson,
Frankly, I must say every time I noticed a new visit in my site stats and discover that the visit is from one of my guest post from the past, I never stop being amazed! However, because those guest posts were well planned out when I wrote them, I’m not too surprised.
Nevertheless, I’ll be dealing with another aspect that is really crucial to their success in the next post. Of course, you know even if the post rank high in the search engines and people click on the link, they will only be directed to the host blog. But how do they get directed to my blog?
That will be the angle we will be handling in the next post. I hope you read that also.
Thanks for adding your voice to the conversation!
@Pete Goumas,
It’s glad to know that this post resonate with you. What I’ve done here is to make things a little simple for everyone to understand. I know not everyone who will be reading this have the deep understanding about keyword usage. As someone who is familiar with keywords, getting this wasn’t really hard for you. I do hope it did for others.
Thanks for the comment.
@Syeda Mehwish,
Knowing and properly utilizing the right keywords is definitely important when it comes to driving traffic through seo. But should you really learn keywords before you become a big time blogger? I think that will come with different arguments. However, a blogger who really want to drive traffic through the search engines MUST learn the essentials.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Amit Shaw,
That’s good to hear. I really want to make this guest blogging series as helpful as possible. I’m glad that it resonate with you. I hope the forthcoming posts will also be helpful.
Thanks for the comment.
@Refrigerator Repair Pasadena,
Frankly, video is one content marketing tactic that is catching with the online audience. Unfortunately, I’m not very good with video but I hope to do more of it in the future. Thanks for the comment.
@Rishabh,
I’ll be glad to hear your success story! Will you care to post your results here when you finally try these tips?
@Paul white,
Of course, there are those who will want to argue it. But the fact still stands. Without content, and good content for that matter, no one will really connect with your site. Make your content to the user and your success will come easy.
Thanks for the comment.
@Syeda Mehwish,
It’s glad to know that this post resonate with you. I have using these tactics for some time now and I’ve always found them to be useful. Thanks for the comment.
@book keeping adelaide,
The pleasure is mine. Thanks for stopping by.
@Garden Seed,
The pleasure is mine and thanks for the bookmark. I hope you find time to be here again.
@cane furniture,
You have a point there. That is why marketing online demands building trust with your target audience. From experience so far, having a blog can really help in building this trust. As you interact with your readers you are more open to sharing what will keep the relationship going.
Thanks for the comment.
@Ryan Hanley,
That’s really great. Knowing that you’re already seeing some success already with the timelines is really a good thing. Like you said, you definitely will only want to star or highlight only the latest or very important stories.
Will be glad to see your page, why not give us the link here?
@vps,
You’re definitely correct there. From my study so far it does appear that Facebook in a way is giving us more power with our pages. Only thing is that it’s going to take some thinking outside the box to really use the timelines.
Do you have a facebook page? Will be glad to take a look.
@Balu,
How essential do you think guest blogging is to every blogger? Are you a blogger using guest blogging to drive traffic? Will be glad to receive some insight from you.
@Gareth Morgan,
Ok, I got your point. But as I mentioned in the reply, it actually depends on what you want to achieve. Of course, as a blogger you will want to write all of your content. But remember if your aim is to really get your name out there and you have the money to spend, what stops you from outsourcing your guest blogging activities? You could have hundreds of guest posts written for you by freelance writers and then you seek out the places to submit them! π
Besides, with the great results of traffic generation from guest blogging, many businesses are now using freelance guest writers to write and submit guest post on blogs right now. It will interest you to know that I personally offer that service as you can see here:
http://webincomejournal.com/strategic-seo-content-creator
So, guest blogging is really something that bloggers should get into. If you can become adept at it as a blogger, you could turn it into another stream of income, or don’t you have the mind for multiple streams of income?
@Pete Goumas,
My glad that you resonate with the post. As a content marketer or publisher one thing you should master is how to get into the mind of your readers. Except you are able to stir up their interest and desire your content will only fall on deaf ears.
The easiest way to get into the mind of your readers is to help them perceive that you’re truly interested in their welfare! That way you will be opening up easy channels for connection. Thanks for the comment.
@Anna,
Well, it’s good thing that you find this post, right? Of course most of the questions you have about guest blogging will be answered during this series.
Anyway, to the question of who will the guest post benefit, the simple answer is both parties. You as the host blogger benefit in that you have some good content posted on your blog without you lifting a finger! And of course, you know all the goodies about have fresh, unique content, right?
And to the guest blogger, you benefits through having a link back to his/her blog and of course some traffic also! Indeed there are other benefits but these are really the main ones.
If you want that blogger to submit his/her post make sure it is unique and well written. I hope this was helpful or is it?
@bjohn,
Yes, once you give the readers what they want you become endeared to them and of course you can achieve your desired goal! Thanks for the comment.
@JamesW,
Thanks for the bookmark. Be sure to check back for the remaining post when they come live. You’re going to love every bit of it!
@locksmith lowell,
Glad to hear that. I’ll truly appreciate it if you’ll let me know some of the areas this post is useful to you, or don’t you think that will also help you provide more interesting tips?
@Harleena Singh,
Sorry for the late reply. Frankly, writing guest posts is not really much of a difference compared to writing for your own blog. The only difference is in the fact that you’re publishing the post on someone else’ blog.
Of course, if you want to connect with your blog readers you must understand what they want and give it to them in a way in which they will be happy with you. This also goes for guest blogging.
However, if you really want to make an impact with your guest post you’re going to go beyond your usual self. Remember you’re now dealing with a different group of people who may be different in many ways from the readers of your blog who, in any way, must have bonded with you.
This is where studying the host blog is very important. I’m really glad that you got that message.
Thanks for the comment and the mention on twitter.
@Andy,
You’re right there. Of course, there are many tools out there that will help you understand your target audience but these are very simple ways and the good thing is that it doesn’t cost anything.
Unfortunately, many who want to drive traffic with their guest post never really care to understand if the readers of the blog will take their post seriously enough to visit their blogs/sites.
I think just sending a guest post for publishing without really taking the readers into consideration is a waste of time, or don’t you think so?
@Michael Chibuzor,
That is really something that will be of great help to all. Actually, I’m planning out something in the course of this series which I hope will bring you into the picture. Once I work out things I’ll let you know.
@Gareth Morgan,
If I understood you very well Gareth, you mean you’ll rather pay for advertising than outsource your blog content creation?
Well, guest blogging is not really outsourcing your content but all the same it demands you allowing others have their content on your blog! And of course, if you’re going to guest blog you may decide to have all the content created by you or allow freelancers to write the content while you submit them for the traffic!
Whichever line you decide to tow the results will come to the same.
You’re welcomed.
@Jim Luthra,
It’s my pleasure Jim and I’ll really glad if you will let us know your results once you start using the tips.
@Julie,
Truly love that, it doesn’t cost a cent! And when you’re in business saving some here and others there is sure to make the pocket fatten! π
Thanks for the comment.
@Michael Chibuzor,
That is simply succinct – βEvery guest post is by you, but not about you!β It cannot be said any better. Sometimes we could be too selfish that we miss the whole thing. Thanks for the comment.
Btw. Just read your A-Z post on guest posting and must say you have just done what I couldn’t do with a post! Like I mentioned while introducing this series, I planned writing just a post on guest blogging but had to decide on a blog series since there was so much to write about. But you have done it and very well too!
@Gareth Morgan,
I can say I was in those shoes. I never thought of how I will want to take one of my best post and stick it up someone’s blog! But today knowing the benefits of the guest blogging I never bat an eye before giving it away!
Thanks for the comment and I hope you really set your mind to do some guest blogging in these ahead! π
@Avatar,
You’re welcomed!
@Christopher Roberts,
You’re not alone on this. Most of us thought starting an online home based business was going to give us more time for everything we want to do. But that is really far from the truth. A business is a business and there’s just too much to do in a day.
The only solution, as I’m fast learning, is to have in place a plan for everything. I’m already restructuring most of my activities each day because of this. We definitely cannot add to the time we have each day but we can make better use of them!
@Becca,
It’s really a pleasure to hear that. I must say this is a series that is going to cover some weeks. If you can follow all of it then you definitely be learning more! π
@Harleena Singh,
The negative views I have really heard so far about guest blogging is not on the part of the guest blogger but the host blogger. There are bloggers who, seeing the value of guest blogging, have opened up their blogs for guest bloggers and now allow only the guest bloggers to provide the content while all they do is post an occasional article which most times is nothing but a product promotion. These type of bloggers are only exploiting the content of other bloggers and that is why most bloggers don’t want to guest blog since they see it as giving your best to someone else who is using it for his own gain.
But as Michael clearly pointed out, the gains on the part of the guest blogger is greater, that is, if you have a good plan of what you’re doing. Once you set your plan, you don’t have care since you will be achieving your purpose with every guest post you write.
@Stefan,
You’re dead right! This is the unfortunate thing that many seo do without considering the value they are offering to their readers. No matter how you look at it content remains the king.
@bjohn,
I must say I was really surprised that of recent many bloggers are beginning to talk about guest blogging. Why I’m not too surprised is that many more online marketers are getting to know the importance of content marketing and guest blogging is actually the most common among bloggers.
I actually thought of doing this series a few weeks ago. I only hope that I’ll be able to do justice to it the way it is welling up in my heart! π
Thanks for the comment.
@abhinav,
You’re welcome and thanks for the comment.
@Jeana,
It’s worth repeating that not all content is really king. Kings are meant to reign and it’s only those content that truly reign in their environment that are king! π
Thanks for the comment.
@Michael Chibuzor,
My man, you stand apart when it comes to guest blogging. Your posts here have always proved to be great traffic pullers. When you said, “beginners, intermediates and even experts have to read this” I agree with you because I really want to make a statement with this blog series. It’s going to be like no one else!
Thanks for the comment.
@waterpearls,
Once you’re marketing online, content is the driving force. Of course today more and more people are coming to terms with this fact. Unfortunately not many people are really doing it right. This is the purpose of this series. I do hope you’ll follow it through to get the details!
@Jen,
You’re right there. With the continuous changes in search algorithm building links through guest blogging remains the most natural tactic to employ. The search engines will just love you for it! However, like I mentioned in the post if you make link building your priority when guest blogging then you will losing out on the greater gains.
Thanks for the comment.
@bjohn,
You’re definitely correct. As the customer online is getting better informed and intelligent at deciding what he/she wants businesses are realizing that to get more attention you need to put something good out there. Besides, gaining online visibility in the midst of the numerous options available every wise business person will of course go for the power of guest blogging.
Though it was at first some way of bloggers to build backlinks and enhance their personal brand, guest blogging is now a big way of promoting your business online no matter what that business is.
My guest blogging series is going to be a powerful contribution to the blogosphere. I do hope that other bloggers will contribute to this series through their personal experience.
@Soras,
You’ve indeed raised a fundamental issue here, is it content that is king or like you said, backlinks? Now, this is definitely going to take a whole lot of debate with good points from both sides. But as for me I will never regard backlinks as the king. My reason? Backlinks are only a product of good content which you agree to anyway! π
You must realize that no one goes online looking for backlinks. People go online to look for information, good, useful info. And you can only provide that information with content. This is one of the issues I’m going to tackle in the course of this guest blogging series. I’ve discovered that many who wants to publish guest posts focus only on the backlinks which is really a wrong approach.We will talk more about this later.
Now, is content really the king? Again, it depends on the angle you’re looking at it from. If you really know what content marketing is, then you must know that for your content to achieve its purpose, you must be ready to produce valuable content. There is no shortcut around it!
I ask you to stay tuned as we take this journey. I’ll really be glad to have your opinion as we go along. I hope you will be, will you?
@Ryan Hanley,
Yea, the only unfortunate thing is that very few bloggers and marketers are really taking advantage of this great marketing tool. I hope to use this blog series to draw some attention what any blogger can do with guest blogging. Thanks for the comment.
@James Martin,
Well, Martins of course your comment appear to be off topic but all the same I think what you should do is to contact your web host. They are very good at helping out with things like this.
@Arun Singh,
You’re definitely right. And this is one of the problems that is cropping up on Pinterest. Many people are already using other people images without due credit. Besides, since most graphic online cannot be traced to any particular person because they have been circulated widely without crediting any particular person, it definitely means that copyrighting graphics will continue to be a problem.
Thanks for the comment.
@bjohn,
Succeeding with Facebook definitely needs a good knowledge of seo and smo. Unfortunately, many marketers are not taking this into consideration.
@Daniel, It’s more of a problem because of the free nature of the internet. We just have to find ways like the ones listed in the article to keep these content thieves at bay.
@sunil,
You really think so? There are many who will ignore that and copy your content any way. I think you will need to sometimes put your feet down whenever it happens.
@GADEL,
We all have that attitude. Of course the internet is free for all but courtesy demands that you give credit where necessary.
@GADEL,
Just right Gadel. Without passion and zest you will only fall flat like a deflated baloon. Passion will definitely help you fly high! Thanks for the comment.
@Janet,
Ok, that was clear enough. Instead of paying monthly fees continuously, get the appliance for a one-time cost and save big $$$! π
@NancyΒ H.Β Busch,
Frankly, Nancy you have brought up an important issue. The problem of copyright is a big one online. But the way the SOPA advocates are going about it is something that will strifle the internet. I think this most be made clear.
@Antonio,
thanks for the comment Antonio. Frankly, as a solopreneur the best way to go is to find a way of turning your skills and passion into a business. This way you will always enjoy the journey!
@Saikrishna,
Definitely, I’m passionate about creating marketing content and blogging has given my a voice to this. turning it into a business is nothing special. My only desire to do enjoy it while making some good income from it!
@Christopher,
That is really cool! And that point about getting products to review, that is where I see the potential in your blog. Ok, may be not now, I definitely see some day when you will begin to go for the cash! π
@Danyelle Franciosa,
Not in business? I visited the link referenced in your posts and that is definitely a business site! Any way, as you mentioned, you can always used this information in other areas π
@Christopher,
You know you surprise most times when you’re very certain that you’re not into this because of business. As I’ve written in some of my posts,any blogger can turn his/her skills into business online. I’ve also mentioned it that your blog has the potential of making good money if it is put that use. But all the same i admire your stand and thanks for wishing me googluck! π
@Amit Shaw,
You can access all the series here:
http://webincomejournal.com/search-engine-marketing/wordpress-seo
You may need to bookmark the link because some of the posts are really long and you may need to spend some days reading all!
Let me know how it goes.
@bjohn,
Online meetings are really becoming the in-thing these days and of course I look forward to hosting mine some day! π
BTW. what do you mean you have to examine your thoughts whenever you host online meetings?
@Janet,
Do you mean RHUB come free? I did a search for it and it appears there’s a cost to it. Can you clarify please?
@Amit Shaw,
I’m glad that this was helpful to you. You should understand that this post was part of a series on wordpress seo that ran for about 4 weeks. I suggest that you take the time to read the whole series. If you do I guarantee that you will have everything you need for basic seo implementation on your blog.
However, I’ll take a look at your and will let you know if there is any thing you can do.
@Andrew Walker,
I definitely agree with you Andrew. Webinars needs fast and reliable connections. Without this all your efforts will amount to nothing.
@Amit Shaw,
You’re welcomed!
@Harleena Singh,
Oh thanks. In fact, I’m already discussing with a few who contacted me earlier! Just want some opinions since there’s always room for improvement. As a freelance writer who have been in this for some time your opinion is gold to me! Again thanks for your kind words.
@books,
I will simply say when you’re not in the mood don’t push yourself. Take some time off. I do that occasionally. However, you have to be careful that it doesn’t progress into laziness that will handicap you. What i do to guide against this is to devote myself to reading a related subject. Reading gives me inspiration to write again. Simply sharing the thoughts of others in what I’m reading gives me ideas on what to write about next. So when you feel like not writing, take the time to go off and read what others have written. These could be blog posts or some real book!
@bjohn,
Thank you and for the best of Luck prayer, I echo a big AMEN!
@Lisa Donaho,
Unfortunately, I’ve not done any ebay selling before. But why not do a google search? You may just find enough information on how to go about it.
About selling anything online there are just some simple basic rules/tactics:
1. Know what your target market wants/needs and give them only that
2. Know who your target customer is
3. Know where to meet them
4. Know what language to use in marketing to them
5. Know what emotional buttons to press when selling to them
6. Know how to sell online. Package your product/service the right way
7. Know when to approach your prospect
Indeed there is more you should know but if you have these basics in place and work with them, selling online could be form.
@Ravi,
You’re tight Ravi, image theft is the greatest online. But again, because of the free nature of the internet if you want to restrict the copying of your images make this clear in your copyright statement.
@Harleena Singh,
Great, Harleena. This coming from you is sweet music to my ears! Of course as a freelace writer I understand you have to deal with just any topic. Now, this agrees with what I have said in the post. You don’t have to be passionate about the subject. As a freelance writer, you are passionate about writing. You love reading up new subjects. You love putting your own thoughts into those subjects and then bring those thoughts to live by “fleshing” them out with words!
That is the passion of a writer. Anyone who will only write about subjects he/she is passionate about can never be a freelance writer. It is where your passion is that matters.
Btw. Did you check out my offer page? Can I have your thoughts please! π
@Amit Shaw,
If someone uses your article and attributes the authorship to you with a link whether at the top or bottom of the article, that is not content theft. However, if you expressly restricted the use of your content, e.g. allowing only references that have written permission from you, then such a person will be going against your terms and you can ask for apologies or outright removing of the content by the person.
@Julie,
Of course, if you have a passion for creating content and you find blogging an exciting adventure, why not? The good thing is that you will be doing what you love and getting a good income from it. For me nothing is more than that. It’s satisfaction of the highest order! π
@NancyΒ H.Β Busch,
It’s my pleasure. And that you have been reminded hope you put it into use, will you?
@Lee,
Yea, great minds can really have a way of touching every area of our lives. That is why simply going through this speech, struck a cord in me and I couldn’t wait to share it with the world. Thanks for stopping by.
@Allentown Nightlife,
Can sense that from your comment but just wanted to be doubly sure! π
@Sandipan Mukherjee,
Thanks for the nice words. Looking forward to seeing more of you! And just to ensure that you never miss something good here, why don’t you subscribe to our RSS feed? Just wondering, you know! π
@Brett,
Yea, it’s really a great plugin. I tried it for some time but later pulled it out because I wanted a little personal arrangement of the related posts (just as you can see above). But all in all, it is worth using.
@Price per Head,
Glad to know that this was helpful. Just want to let you know that we have so much more for you. Why do you take a look at other articles on this site. you will just amazingly impressed! π And you can add us to your bookmarks too!
@Amit Shaw,
You’re always welcomed!
@Liezel,
Indeed, the internet is helping us do things in a much easier and quicker way. Thanks for the comment.
@Hursh,
You’re welcome. Hope you use the info to better your business operations on the web!
@Allentown Nightlife,
Hey, do I understand you here? Do you mean you agree with me but on a different note? What do you mean, “I differently agree with you?” Anyway, you must understand that I never disputed the fact that passion is needed to succeed. However, like you put it, you must love what you do. And this is what I’ve tried to present in the post. My stand always is, “Love what you do and not do what you love!”
@Amit Shaw,
Here is my quick suggestion:
1. Read more – Devote more time to reading English works, novels, magazines, etc. If you come across a new word, note it and look it up in a dictionary.
2. Listen more to English TV & radio stations. This will help you in grammar construction.
3. If you have the time and if you really want to, enroll in any online study that will help you. You can do a google search.
4. When writing your blog post, use MS word first before transferring to notepad. There are basic grammar and spelling corrections that MS word can help you with.
5. When you write any content, read it aloud to yourself and note any corrections.
Take any of these ones and work on it/them. In a matter of time you will see improvements.
@Amit Shaw,
Frankly, this is really a problem that many bloggers face. It is really a good thing to know that you’re working on this. But the fact is, it all bears down to what you want to achieve as a blogger. There is of course a minimum requirement but you don’t have to be some English language professor to become successful as a blogger.
@mrvoltas,
Thanks for those inspiring words! It’s my pleasure to be of so much help. Truly love to see more of you.
@Sandipan Mukherjee,
Well, I’m flattered! I’ve seen your comments on various articles here and that truly shows you love what we have here. Thanks for the support and the kind words.
@Saikrishna, Stories have always proven to be very effective ways of communicating ideas. Thanks for the comment.
@Sandipan Mukherjee,
That’s good music to my ears! π It’s really an enjoyable thing to be of help. Thanks for the comment.
@Step by Step,
I’m really glad to be of help and thanks for the good words. Hope to see more of you.
@peter,
It’s glad to know you find this article helpful. Thanks for the comment.
@EleonoraEOF,
I truly appreciate your kind words. Will love to see more of you. Thanks for stopping by.
@Justin,
I’m personally also working on that. In my search I discovered that there are many software that is available for anyone. Though most of them have a price tag, some have free trial options. However, there is one I think anyone aiming for free webinars can use. It comes totally free but add supported. You can read more about it here:
http://www.anymeeting.com/
I hope this is helpful.
@Agregador de link,
That’s great! But hey, I tried visiting that page to know what it is all about but discovered it’s not in English. Can you let me know what it says about me? Will be glad to know!
@BuySellWordpress,
It’s good to know that this was able to connect! π Examples are really great when it comes to passing across the message. Thanks for the comment.
@Get Free Templates,
Mindset is actually what matters.
@Vintage Diamond Rings,
It’s great to hear that! Would love to see more of you. Thanks for stopping by.
@bjohn, you’re definitely correct. Unfortunately many want to present the a front that they are experts when in fact that far from that. Just read many of the blogs where a blogger wants to give some expert advice and in the next minute he is seeking help in a forum that he is new to the game!
I think, we only need to seek out the areas where we are experts and concentrate on that.
@Amit Shaw,
You’re welcome Amit. It’s always my pleasure to be of help.
@Amit Shaw,
Tough question? That is really surprising to me! You know, I took a real good look at your site the first time I visited and I must say I was impressed with what you’re doing. You see, I’m not a computer geek so whenever I come across anyone who can put those codes together to build some program, I’m always very impressed.
I took a look at some of the tutorials you offer on blog and I thought this is something anyone can turn into some big business. And so you saying that’s a tough question, I’m really surprised.
Now, this is piece of advise for you. If you have really digested the message of this post then you know that what you need is a simple shift in your thinking. And so, I’ll suggest that you take another look at your blog and instead of seeing your self as just a blogger (this is a big problem for many bloggers) begin to see yourself as a business person. Approach your blog from the perspective of an entrepreneur.
With that mindset, you will begin to see opportunities or needs you can fill. The knowledge you already have and you are offering on your blog is a good product that could be of help to others. Package it in a way that it will benefit someone out there and you will quickly become an opportunity creator. π
Still need some clarifications? Let me know!
@Linda,
It’s a pleasure to hear that. I hope you turn that positive impact to something beneficial to your business this year 2012!
@Amit Shaw,
It’s my pleasure Amit. Just want to know, on which divide are you right now? Creator or seeker of opportunities?
@Cat Alexandra,
Lightbulb moment? Glad to hear that! I truly think that if only we can fully appreciate the power of our mind and put it to the right use we will not only astound ourselves but also help make the world better.
And about flipping the switch, it’s not really everyone that is ready for it. It’s only the prepared ones that will see the switch to flip it! π
@BuySellWordpress,
And that is why we do what we are doing! π
@Cat Alexandra,
I’m really glad to hear that. Connecting with other like-minded bloggers is one reason I run this blog. Though, I know many only want to drop a comment just because they want some link juice, it gives me pleasure whenever I come across those who really want to connect. Looking forward to a fruitful relationship.
@Catwoman,
It’s really a good thing for me that you find this useful. Biblical stories always do apply to every age. They are the same yesterday, today and forever! If only we can apply them they will always be powerful in the results produced!
Thanks for the comment.
@Amit,
You’re welcome. And thanks for the comment.
@Sheshnath,
Newbie or no newbie, we all are always learning. Thanks for stopping by and for the comment.
@Susane,
It’s my pleasure to be of help. Thanks for stopping by.
@Michael,
It’s a pleasure to know that this piece was able to speak to you in a way. Go therefore and do likewise! π
@bjohn,
I actually think everyone of us can learn from these. Whatever you vocation in life setting your mind to be of use to all will set you for life!
@BuySellWordpress,
And because greatness is not in what you have but in what you have been able to invest in the life of others, the drum major instinct is a great lesson to us all. Or don’t you think so?
@Divine,
I think there have always been programs that pay you for what you know and whom you know! It only bears down to what you are looking for. I’ve been online long enough to know that expecting to make money online without any commensurate input is nothing but a wild dream. Or do you have proof that this program is different?
@Cat Alexandra,
Must say your comment is not only insightful but blends wonderfully with the theme of the discuss. I agree with you that wisdom is a neccesary ingredient for creating any substantial success online. As the holy scripture says, wisdom is the principal thing. Wisdom will open the flood gates of increase. Wisdom will direct your path so that you will not err. Wisdom will help you to effective be of help to others.
It’s a pleasure to know that you have found my writing to be good fodder! π
@Harleena Singh,
It’s really a great pleasure that you can connect with this. I’m really open to learning and so, whenever I read or listen to people like Rev. King, I always make sure I get something to keep. These lessons spoke to me and I couldn’t wait to share them with my friends.
Thanks for the comment.
@Amanda Silver,
That goes for me too. But as one who is always open to learn from the things around me, reading that speech simply opened my mind to the truths contained therein. I must say I’ve learned greatly from those words.
Thanks for stopping by and posting your comment.
@Intraday Trading Tips,
Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be glad to have you around again.
@Amit Shaw,
I’ve seen your comments and must say you’re wonderful. It’s unfortunate that my articles just come out too long. I’ve tried the shorter route but since I always love giving it all in a post, I’ve really not been able to do something shorter. But thanks that you still find the time to read 3 of them at a stretch.
@Jesse McGreevy,
Combining facebook pages with twitter can really be very good for traffic. I think facebook pages are better when it comes to engaging with your target audience.
@Daniel,
Oh great, I hope you put one or two to use!
@Anita Richard,
Indeed, webinars do help in marketing especially these days. How exactly webinars help marketing?
I think just like the traditional offline seminars organising a webinar and asking prospects to signup for it either free or paid, depending on your subject package, is a good way of marketing your business online. Those who signup for the webinar are sure to become customers if your presentation is good enough.
@Wiliam Raymonds,
You’re welcome. I do hope you will put these ideas to use.
@Noella Christine,
It’s glad to know you are ready to implement these ideas. To me that is the greatest joy. Thanks for the comment.
@BuySellWordpress, that really is something most business people don’t want to do. Collaborate with your competitors? No way! But frankly in our today’s business world collaboration is a great idea. Only thing, know the terms on which you are collaborating.
@Jesse McGreevy,
Good talk Jesse. Customer feedback will not only help you to improve on things but also help you to serve better and when you do, you build more trust and grow bigger.
And talking about feedback, may I oblige you to give me your frank assessment of my blog’s design? Take a good look at it and let me know. You may post it on this comment. I’ll appreciate if you will be frank! Looking forward to hearing from you.
@Darci,
Good and insightful comment there Darci. Social media marketing is not going away any way it is going to be bigger and bigger! It may be intimidating right now for some folks but thanks for information like this, you don’t have to pay for them. Get the fundamentals and work with them but then if you want something deeper, then get help.
@bjohn,
That’s a fact bjohn, how can you really grow your business if you do not know and apply ideas like these? Running a business most times calls for creativity and that’s what ideas like these are about. And about listening in order to serve better, business people should understand that listening is a great art. You don’t have to a crocodile – with a big mouth and no ears! Talk less but listen real good! π
Thanks for the comment.
@Barbie,
And I will glad to give you more! π
Welcome Barbie, hope you signed up for the updates for that’s really how you can read more from me!
@Becca,
Thanks Becca and glad to have you visit.
@Mark,
Hi Mark, you may want to use “Simple Facebook Connect.” I use that on this blog and so far it has been working great. You can set it to automatically publish any post to your facebook page.
On selecting what to post to twitter and facebook, I think it is really a good idea to separate what you post to the two platforms as not everything you post to twitter will be good for your facebook page. I connected the two platforms sometime ago but I’ve discovered that most of the tweets appearing on the facebook page is not really worth it.
I think it is better to automatically send your facebook page posts to twitter but only post your tweets manually to facebook. This is to have control of what appears there.
I hope this is helpful.
@Jacob Hines,
Thanks for the encouraging words. The post is actually meant for all business people so it’s not a surprise that it spoke to you directly. My greater joy will be if you are able to pick any of these ideas and profit with it! How about that?
@Russell Davison,
It’s a problem we have to live with right now. The sad thing is that because of such shameless acts, the genuine ones are finding it an up hill task to convince prospects of their good intentions.
Thanks for adding your voice.
@Tessa,
It’s my pleasure. I do hope you do something about the info for that is the only way it can be useful to you.
@Adrienne,
I understand your position and it’s one of the reasons why I’ve not really joined most of the groups on facebook. I’ve actually thought of doing something by starting a group of my own but because I’m really lazy when it comes to spending time on the social media sites, I had to shelve the idea since I didn’t want to start what I will not be able to put in my best.
Any way I think you’ll do really great if you start something like that. I truly admire your ability to easily connect with both on your blog and on the social media sites. and I must say if you start one I will be among the first to join, frankly!
For the mention, I consider it worthwhile. So, it’s my pleasure to do that.
@bjohn,
That’s actually a good decision to make. Remember you can only get a mango fruit from a mango tree. It is the tree that determines the fruit and not the fruit that determines the tree. To produce the right kind of fruit the tree must therefore be the right type. Make the tree good the fruit will be good.
If you’ll indeed follow through with your decision then you should expect that your fruit will indeed what you desire!
@Farrell,
Motivation is actually the fuel to keeps us going. A little motivation now and then, will get us fired up and rearing to go! π
Thanks for stopping by.
@Claire,
Is that not ironic? I mean, you agree there that the competition in some local niches at the moment is low and that it would be the right time to profit from local searches. Yet, even when you say you work in seo all you are doing is wishing that there is some trade you could market to right now!
May I encourage you that you can not make the money simply by wishing. Just as you said it is the proper time to become an authority as the competition is still low. Even if the market is small for local SEOs why don’t establish your authority now as a local SEO in those markets? Don’t you think you would be able to squeeze some gains from it? And who knows what tomorrow will bring? If you establish your authority in the market now, you may just become a big player tomorrow. Or don’t you think so?
@Nancy H. Busch,
I agree with you that knowing ourselves is really a hard thing. But why so? It’s because, most times we are always lying to ourselves! Surprised at this?
But that is really the truth. If you will take the time to listen to your inner self you will soon discover that most times what you really want to do is not what you are doing. In times like that you are simply lying to yourself.
How do you know yourself? The simple way is to listen more to yourself. Spend more time in meditation. And like you said others really know us more than ourselves and so simply asking them to give an honest assessment about us will let us know some hidden things about us.
Nancy, I sincerely believe success begins from that level. Shying away from it will never help.
Thanks for comment and I wish you all the best of the year.
@Adrienne,
Glad to see you again, a great 2012 to you!
I read your post it was clear that you have all these laid out for the year. Frankly, that’s the best way to go. Without doing this there will be no way to monitor your progress through the year.
You’re quite correct about things that may come up without you anticipating them. That is the truth. Making plans does not mean you have everything set on stone. We are human and are limited. We see in part and know in part. Our plans are only a part of the whole picture. I’m sure having this mindset will greatly help as you already know and anticipate these things.
@BuySellWordpress,
It’s definitely true that in most cases we cannot know what tomorrow will bring. But think about, when you say make predictions and wait, don’t you think simply making predictions and waiting without doing something is leaving your destiny to chance?
Frankly I believe in the law of sowing and reaping. If you want some result you must be ready to work for it. This is the essence of making plans. You simply don’t make predictions and wait to see what will happen. Rather, assess what is on hand, decide on what you want and then work to make it happen.
Will all happen exactly the way you plan it? Maybe not! That is because there are conditions outside your control that may influence the results. But that should never hold you back from making plans. Or don’t you think so?
@Divine,
Great talk there! Nothing can be more satisfying to bask for sometime on your own success. You’ll not only be rejoicing in achieving that goal but also telling yourself something like, “If I can do this I can also do that!” And that is a great motivator.
Thanks for the comment.
@Aidan Booth,
Yea and thanks for stopping by. I do hope you have set out your plans for the year, right? π
@Darci,
Passion is really a great determinant when it comes to succeeding in life. Knowing your make up is important. Don’t run your business like an employee, going through the mechanical motions every day. Inject your passion into the business and no matter what is happening you’ll love doing what you’re doing!
Thanks for adding your voice to the conversation.
@Harleena Singh,
Frankly, from experience I’ve discovered that success actually begins and ends with YOU! Your business is only a vehicle to carry you to your destination – your success!
You may plan and make a whole lot of resolutions but if you’re not motivated to work out those plans that success will never come to you. It’s because of this I decided on doing this post. I hope it helps as many as will take it to heart. This is actually my focus for the year. I’m trusting that I will be able to surpass my expectations.
Thanks for your insightful comment.
@Srinivasan,
You are welcome, Srinivasan. Look forward to more from you!
@Ellie,
It’s glad to know you already know what you want to go for this year. Frankly making your blog popular is one of the biggest plan a blogger can have. I wish you the best as you do this.
@Cindy,
I quite understand your situation. This is just the same reason why many people will not “waste” time to plan at the beginging of the year!
But letting the fear of disappointment to stop you from planning is like saying there is lion is in the streets and therefore you will not do what you should do.
However, the idea of baby steps in achieving your goals will greatly help. That is actually the best way of doing it. Sit down and decide on what you will want to achieve for the year. Then working with that in mind, segment it into smaller units and work to achieve the smaller (baby plans) units within certain time frame!
If you work that way, by the end of the year you will discover you have achieved you over all goal!
Thanks for your comment.
@Christopher Roberts,
Oh thanks for the comment. I’ve discovered that why we are most times side tracked by the different attractions online is because we have not first taken the time to set our priorities. Deciding on a plan before we begin is a good way of staying on course.
Btw. Just seen the post. Oh, what a joy to be part of the winners of Technology Bloggers Community Awards for 2011 π Never was looking for that! I truly appreciate.
@Jesse,
The truth is success begins with YOU but many people waste their running around looking for solutions outside themselves. This year my resolve is to work more on myself so that I can be the better person I want to be.
Thanks for the comment and best of the year to you!
@Gabriel Gutierrez,
And that is really the purpose of the post, to help businesses better use social media for marketing. Thanks for the comment.
@Sergio Felix,
Hey, you have really made some very good and insightful comments on the subject of social media here. The truth is that right now, social media is more in connection with marketing than networking. 99% of those using the social media sites are there more for marketing than networking. This is the more reason why there are more of marketing pitches on these sites than real discussions!
It will interest you to know that it’s only a few (just like you) who are on the social media sites without a monetary gain in mind. I must also say that your point about understanding “properly what is leisure time from what is actual work” is really a great insight to succeeding with this social media of a thing.
If you’re able to differentiate this two areas and work on them with the right mindset, it will go a long way to helping one avoid being sucked in by the noise going on in the social media sites.
Thanks for such an insightful comment.
@Gregg Camp,
You’re truly in tune with the times! The internet has opened up more opportunities to earn with more niches as possible. Before now, trying to earn in more areas than necessary will only end up in frustration because of the time energy involved. But with the internet, you chose any niche you wish and use freelance writers to produce content that will help you get the better of that niche! Thanks for the comment.
@bjohn,
Continuous learning is the only way to keep abreast of what is happening in your area of focus. Stop learning and you’ll be left behind! Thanks for the comment.
@Gregg Camp,
Glad to hear that. For me I have learned long time ago that mistakes are not to be a problem. I’ve so many things and learned a lot because I never consider my mistakes. Like Edison said when someone mentioned he had failed a thousand times trying to invent the light bulb and if he was going to continue with his research, I think we could just look at what we call mistakes and say, I’ve never failed but have learned how not to do that!
When you do something and you made a mistake, just learn from it and never do it that way again.
@Cindy,
That of course is very instructive. This is really the problem of our word today. When in the guise of personal rights we are undermining the rights of the generality of the people, we really need to again look up the meaning of liberty! Thanks for the comment.
@John Armstrong,
Hey, you just need to know that in those reflections I’m really kind of speaking to myself! Those speech really touched me that I’ve to reflect on it for some time and having assimilated those lessons for myself I thought it could also help someone out there. I’m glad that you have been able to pick one from them.
@Sylviane Nuccio,
You definitely must have some emotional attachment to this then! Great speeches like this have moved men to do great things and the fact that they are immortal, ringing down the corridors of time, is something that really touches me. Thanks for the good words about my work here. Appreciate!
@Darci,
Oh, and we all truly have what it takes to win the fight! Great words from you there Darci. Thanks.
@Gregg,
You’re definitely right there. I fell into that situation and I’m still trying to work my way out it. Maria’s tips are really helpful to me.
@Apple Mango,
Collecting inspirational quotes is one of my pasttime. I’m glad that you love that also. About that Roosevelt saying, I’ve learned that making mistakes could really be the greatest teacher! Instead of being afraid of failing swallow your fears and take the bold step. When you’re unable to hit your target, you will definitely learn from the experience you will be the better for it.
@Amanda,
That is very true. When you’re prepared whatever comes can actually be welcomed as a teacher to take you the next level. It is when you’re not prepared that you will be thrown off balance and panic comes in.
Thanks for sharing with us.
@Darci,
And that progress is something that we can look up to. Google has already given us a powerful way of meeting online using video chat, what they called hangout on Google+. With this we can really be in different continents and still meet real time. And I see more of these in the days ahead. Our technology is moving at light years indeed!
@Submitcube,
Oh, I’m blushing! π
@Annie,
Oh yes, and you know it’s only the dead that do not grow. If you want to stay green, you must continue to learn and, of course, grow!
@Peluang Bisnis,
So, did you learn anything from this? Will love to know.
@Better Business Tax Debt Relief,
One great lesson we must learn in life is that when you stop learning you stop growing. That is true whether you’re a business or an individual! Thanks for the comment.
@Darci,
Love that, “The world is getting bigger, and smaller all at the same time!” And that really i s the truth. And another truth we must learn from what is happening online is that, the way we interact and do business is also changing. We must indeed learn how to use social media in building successful businesses.
@DiNaRa,
Must say I’m glad to have you around once again. Thanks for adding your voice to the conversation.
One thing I’ve learned is to always begin with the end in mind. This way you can be able to set out steps that will take you to that “end.” It’s just like taking a trip, you need to know where you’re going and the purpose so that you’ll be able to know what you should take with you and what route to take.
@Aanchal,
You’re definitely right. Social media marketing takes a little longer to show results but once the results starts coming in, it could be “forceful!” Thanks for the comment.
@Adrienne,
The simple way to really understand Google is to look at them from the angle of a search engine and a marketing outfit. Everything they do is done from that angle. All the tools and resources they give away to us to help us with our online marketing, is all done with the mind of helping them better understand the market and then place them in a better position to further dominate the search engine niche. I think I can see them applying just what you mentioned in your post about building a successful business, help as many people as you can and you’ll succeed π Google know that secret very well and they are using it to their advantage.
When G+ was launched and many bloggers were writing about the rivalry between Google+ and Facebook, wanting to know which will dominate the social media market, I wrote a post and made it clear that the competition is not about Google+ and Facebook but Google as a business entity against Facebook and I said then that it will all work out for a better experience for all of us. Here’s that post:
http://webincomejournal.com/3753/google-plus-vs-facebook.html
I think we are now really seeing Google’s plan gradually unveiling. I believe there is still more to come.
@sureshpeters,
That is really a savvy way of using social media to build trust, a very powerful and necessary ingredient in marketing online. I think I might just working on that. Thanks for the comment.
@Marco Eitel,
G.A.S.P. is truly awesome. I was only concerned when I began to see some funny comments even while using it. However, I’ve come to allow it do the work the best way it can! π
@Kate Brown Wilson,
I hope you truly do that. I believe social media is really opening new ways for us to generate traffic and succeed with our online marketing. Ignoring social media and seo is not taking advantage of a powerful marketing strategy.
@Joseph,
Oh, thanks for the comment. I’ve truly found the quote valuable and just can’t help sharing it all!
@Adrienne,
“I knew when Google announced the +1 button that it would eventually make itβs way into the search engine results.” That indeed is foresight! Many do not understand that Google is about search. Even their recent move into the social media circle with G+ is not really much about social media networking. They are only enhancing their capacity for a more robust search experience. Just imagine what they are doing with Google plus fan pages.
Always love to hear your voice π
@BuySellWordpress, You’re definitely right. Unfortunately not many are seeing it in this light. Many who believe you don’t need seo to generate traffic will continue to ignore this powerful combination.
Ok, there’s really no dispute about Google being the grand daddy of search!
@Kate Brown Wilson,
No matter how small you think your business may be using social media the right way can be a surprise. But don’t forget the big names are using it also backed with their big budget. Many are already using extra hands to make themselves visible on these sites. But you can always win in your small corner! π
@Internet Marketing Service India, the secret of social media success is truly in the popularity you can create by it. It’s as your reach widen with your social media activities that you reap the benefits. Thanks for the comment.
@Mark Allen,
You mean seo for mobile devices, right? That cannot be far from the truth. Since more and more people are using their mobile devices to browse the net, there is definitely going to be a way of optimizing content for those devices. Thanks for the comment.
@free radicals,
Thanks for the good words. I’m pleasure is that you have gained something from our contribution here. Will be glad to see you again.
@maricel,
The power is really in the sharing and recommendations. If you have a good number of people doing this for your content, then the search engines would pay more attention to your content. And the end result is better rankings for your business site/blog.
@Removal Companies,
Indeed, the issues of virus and other spam activities could be frustrating when using the social media sites. However, with the recent happenings with the search engines, ingoring social media in your business marketing suicidal. I’ve just done a post on this. Follow the link referenced on the commentluv link to read it.
@movers edmonton,
Oh, I’m greatly touched! But where did you cast your vote, if I may ask? Why don’t you do something I can vouch for, like a +1 from you? π
@Cassy,
I think your idea have some weight in it! Googling top 10 selling products sounds like a quick way of determining what is selling right now. In that wise I think you will be positioning yourself to sell what the market already wants. Great idea!
@Sell My Car,
I indeed agree with you that doing a good research is neccsary. However, I don’t think you need to spend months for that research. But taking the two comments together I think we can use the ideas expressed to find a buying market and profit with it.
Thank for sharing your thoughts.
I’m really thrilled by this! Please I’ll be glad to hear from you when you start implementing any of these ideas. Feel free to share with me you experience. Will you?
@Andrea Clark,
I do hope you find it useful. Will be glad if you can update me about it!
@Jeanie,
Thanks. I’m glad that you agree with these ideas.
@BuySellWordpress,
It’s great to know that you’re already using social media for your business. It will be greater if you can share your experience with us, or don’t you think so?
@Steve,
Thanks for the kind words. I truly want everyone to read the post instead of just scanning and I’m glad that it worked, at least for you! π
On using social media without a strategy, you’re not alone. Frankly, I was confused about many things. I was doing what I call “hit and run!” Some days I will be there firing off and then some weeks I will be off. And all of these without any real purpose. But I’ve learned my lessons. I’m setting up a structured plan which I know will help me greatly.
I appreciate your comment.
@avinuity,
You can say that again. The search engines are definitely pointing us to recognize the social media sites as a place to be. Thanks for the comment.
@Aanchal,
The importance of social media is really being brought out right now with what the search engines are doing. Most traditional seo are realizing that optimizing social media is really the way to go for now. Using out dated seo tactics will only affect you negatively.
@Reese,
There is no doubt that online social media is changing the way things are done in our lives. Like Alia mentioned in post, we can really apply social media to better build our online reputation. Thanks for the comment.
@reeha,
Yeh, he never changed his mind because he knew very well what he wanted. Just like Edison and the like, he will not turn around because of difficulties but push on until the aim is realized!
@Ted,
You have put it just the way it is. It is who you are that will determine what me will say after you’re gone. For someone who saw beyond the present as far as our today technology is concerned, Jobs was a heaven sent angel to our world!
@Andrew Walker,
Must apologize that I’m replying to this very late but as they say, it’s better late than never!
Any way, we must understand that all of us can never be the same. Jobs came, did his part and is now gone. I don’t believe it when people say the next person should step into the shoes of the one who has gone before him. Of course, I know people are going to judge Mr. Cook by the achievements of Mr. Jobs. But that shouldn’t be.
Mr. Cook may decide to choose his own direction which is not the one that Jobs followed. All we have to do is support him whichever direction he choose to go. Of course, we expect that he will do much much that Jobs did whatever the direction he decided to face!
Thanks for the comment.
@waterpearls,
Frankly, I think this is useful even for those who have already established themselves in some areas only. But all in all, it’s a good article.
Sorry, this article is written by Lauren and the credit goes to her!
Btw. why use waterpearls as your name? You know this blog has keywordluv installed and so you can use your name and your keyword, like YOURNAME@YOURKEYWORD to take advantage of your keywords. Or do you have some special reasons for not using your name?
@Pete Goumas,
Thanks for the comment Pete, this is indeed a great article that touched an area which many of us never thought about. However, the credit should really go Lauren Bailey. This is a guest post by her and she is the right person to take the credit!
Anyway thanks for joining the conversation.
@Aaron,
You’re definitely right there. Blogging success is not just about picking the “right” theme. There are thousands of themes out there, most of them free, you can choose from. However, the onus is on your content. You should be able to craft some usable content for your blog visitor to devour!
@Kristina L.,
Indeed there is much for us to learn from him. However, there is one thing I will want to point out here, nobody dies too young! If you indeed watched the video you’ll understand that Jobs had a philosophy which he refered in that video. He said before he did anything he always asked himself if what he going to do will be of any usefulness knowing that he had a short time to live! I think we should have this mind also that life is not forever. We have just a short time and the more reason that we don’t know how short that time is, we must use every opportunity to the greatest good.
@DiNaRa,
I actually believe his is one of those that the creator of all things has sent to help the world move forward. He succeeded in playing his part. We too can take a cue from people like him so that one day when we leave the scene others will say, that was a great woman/man!
@Julie Hayes,
Few of his type has really worked this earth. He took us from where we were and brought us to a place where the world is indeed better. He was a visionary! Let’s continue to remember him.
@Kate Brown Wilson,
Some of us did not see this problem when we started on facebook. The good thing is that there is always room for adjustment!
@Kate Brown Wilson,
Definitely, Steve Jobs is one man who the world will continue to remember years to come. We’ll continue to carry his memory in our pockets, handbags; on our desktops, in the office, homes and just every where. Indeed we can say rest in peace, Steve Jobs!
@Aaron,
That’s actually one of the things I did wrong when I created my facebook about. I truly wish I have this type of info then. There are a few things I’m really trying to work out about marketing on facebook right now and information like these are gold to me!
@Rammesh,
I say a big AMEN to that! Life indeed is short and Jobs played his part for the betterment of humanity and now he must rest in peace!
@Aaron,
You can say that again Aaron. He was indeed a man who came before his time and he made us live our tomorrow, today! Most times I wonder why men like these always bow out too soon. It does appear that they have a mandate to revolutionize our lives and once they have done that, they return home before we can truly appreciate them!
@Kim Maureen Medel-Datumanong,
Great words there. You may be pushed down but when you refuse to take no for an answer, success will be sure.
@Fatima Hipolito,
Of course you cant just jump into getting a loan for your business. You must be prepared for it. Thanks for the insight.
@Hen Dos,
Yeah, XML Sitemap genarator is really great. I used it for about two years but right now I use BWP XML Sitemap another plugin that does the work plus some other things for you.
@Adrienne,
First, this post is a guest post by Michael. Personally, I’m not really much on twitter. I occasionally post updates and do a little sharing there.
But I think your observation is valuable. I have barely 1,500 followers on twitter but frankly, I find it difficult staying up with just 30 of them. So I’ve always wondered how those with 5,000, 10,000 and even more followers are doing it. I think this whole idea of social networking is being abused somehow.
However, I’m thinking of prioritizing my activities on twitter to be able to better use the site. I’m still learning about this whole thing though! π
@Victoria,
It’s my pleasure Victoria and thanks for the comment.
@bjohn,
Yeah, the secret is really in the action taken. Nothing is really beneficial until you put in the needed effort.
@Kim Maureen Medel-Datumanong,
A good and inspiring post like this one will always be loved by everyone!
@Danica Stone,
You don’t expect everyone you follow on twitter to follow back. Besides, you should aim at building relationships for that is what will increase the response rate as Micheal clearly show in the post. Thanks for the comment.
@Kim Maureen Medel-Datumanong,
Yeah, learning from those who are successful is a good way of avoiding the failure path. Thanks for this.
@Jawed,
Thanks for the comment. Just want to ask, do you mean hire a professional copywriter to write your emails?
@Madeline,
Of course there are different software in the market that the spammers use. My confussion though is that G.A.S.P. was created to stop these software. Why most of these spam comments were going through is what made me write this post. Do you have any idea?
@Sandip,
You’re definitely right. Succeeding with any business takes a whole lot of relentless determination. The road is always a rough one that only the determined can really make it.
@Josh,
It appears you really mean persistence because it is that which will help you keep on keeping on even when you feel like not going any more. Yes, hard work is important unlike many will want you to believe that making money online can be done without putting in effort. Thanks for the comment.
@Aanchal,
Passion is actually a powerful force. When it is lacking success can be an alusive thing.
@Gregg Camp,
That indeed is the truth. It’s only those who do not know the value of a website in today’s business that will overlook it. Thanks for the comment
@Russell Davison,
I can understand that part about being guilty of visiting just a couple of dozen blogs every month. But, apart from the fact that they are not related to your site’s subject, I think there are some advantages in really building some solid relationship with those dozen blogs. In the long run that can also turn out beneficial.
@SEO Company,
You’re correct. Long urls have a bad standing with the search engines and it’s really a bad idea to use your keyword phrase, say, two times in the url. Do you really think someone will want to stuff the url with keywords?
The spammers are not just intelligent but they are desperate and will do anything to achieve their aims.
That’s simply the truth. That’s why I don’t just ignore anything even when I know something about the subject. With an open mind you can always pick up something new.
Thanks for the visit. Truly appreciate.
@Russell Davison,
Once again, thanks for pointing this out.
Despite the fact that I quoted some figures in the post, I personally use both “common sense” and the figures to decide on my target keyword phrases since I know those figures are not all “real”.
I only hope someone will read this comment and add the knowledge to what they have learn in the post. But if not, well as it is said, it’s to those who are prepared that the teacher appears. So it’s to those who are prepared for this that will read and add the knowledge to their “data base”. Maybe that’s why it “slipped off” while I was writing the post! π
@SEO Services, nothing good come easy, you know!
@Gregg Camp,
Of course all of us have our different opinions when it come to these things. I personally don’t advise anyone to use autoblogging software in their regular blogs. I only use them for my niche sites. You’ll discover that my ongoing seo series is all about white hat. I know the value of that. Thanks for the comment.
@David,
Indeed on-page seo tactics can be handled easily by you. But you need both strategies to make a head way with optimizing your blog. Thanks for adding your voice to the conversation.
@Ianira Baccino,
You made a good point there. Even if you’re hiring others to do seo for you it’s definitely a good idea to also know the basics so when you’re negotiating with them you’ll be on a better stand. Thanks for the comment.
@Nasrul Hanis,
That is really the idea. There should be a plan to follow. Once you get these things in place you can easily create the links you desire. I’ve just published another post that detail some ways of creating one-way links. It’s referenced below.
@Jordan,
Well said Jordan, a hit and run style of link building will amount to nothing! Thanks for the comment.
@Ana,
Thanks for the comment. I checked out your post and must say that’s a superb giveaway you have there.
@Russell Davison,
From all indications you definitely know much about what to do when it comes to search engine optimization. Manually doing seo takes experience and practice. If you’re using wordpress then because of the seo deficiencies of wordpress which I’ve mentioned so much during this series, you definitely will want to use these plugins.
On keyword density, you’ll notice that I never mentioned it throughout the post. This is because I don’t focus on it. I simply use synonyms in my post with a little focus on the target keyword phrase.
I must thank you for bringing up the issue about Google’s Keyword Tool. I had the mind of mentioning this while doing the post but somehow it ‘slipped’ from the writing.
Now, I don’t think those figures are wrong. What I think is happening is that because more internet marketers use this tool for keyword research, they simply key in phrases that are not actually true searches by those looking for information but marketers doing research!
For example in writing this post I did a whole lot of search in Google which Google has recorded as searches but are not in the real sense. All of these are of course added to the search queries in the coming month. But I cannot really vouch for this. So if you have another explanation I will really want us to check it out.
@James,
Glad to hear that James. I hope I’m giving you what is benefitial to you?
@Divine,
Well don’t really know what you mean by working for years. What you should know is that as with other plugins it depends on how long the programmer is ready to keep it updated. I believe as much as he gets the support the plugin will be available.
@DiNaRa, thanks for the comment. It’s a pleasure to be of help.
@Russell Davison, frankly, this is one of those things we have to accept with “blind faith” π However, one thing I’ll want to point out is that link popularity as a system built by Google is one of the secret ways the search engines rank sites. As you know they keep most of these things from us. But if Google says these major sites give more authority than less visited sites who is me to dispute them.
As for evidence, I’ll simply point you to search results which I’m sure you may have experienced. Most times when you enter a keyword in google you’ll discover that wikipedia.com always come top on the results. Do you think wikipedia.com took care of all the seo details? What google is using to rank it up on the SERPs is link authority. You may have implemented everything about seo for your page but wikipedia will still beat you to the top because it’s link popularity is much high than your page’s. So can you see what we are talking about here?
Like I mentioned in the post, when a another page link to your page it is simply saying it vouch for your content. I called it a vote for your content. And you know when two people act as your surety the personality or authority of the two people will determine how others will accept such a surety. It’s just the same here. So it’s not about just everyone is saying it but we’re taking it on authority from those who are matters,the almighty Google!
@Aiko,the truth is seo is a wide subject but as a blogger I’m simply focus on a few areas. If you want to do a comprehensive seo for your site you may need to hire an seo experts since handling all may be too much.
@Technology Bloggers, glad to see you after so lnog a time! Was really wondering what was going on. Glad to know you took some time off and what more, that you were on our great continent π Was this your first time? And how did you find the place? Oh, don’t say Africa is great, I know that I just want to know how you feel about the place. π
@James H,
Frankly, for me this is much better not because of any other thing but that with it I’m able to do much more as you can see from the post. WordPress seo by Yoast have every function that all in one seo plugin has but the extras are what gives it the higher mark! π
@Christopher,
Hey, that’s really great. Never really thought you’d simply want a blog as a pet! π But frankly, that’s really a great mindset to have about making money online. I’ve discovered that many of the big money making blogs out there started out without any thought of making money. But then when the money started coming the focus changed.
I must confess that I’ve seen TechnologyBloggers as potential big money blog. Even if you do not have that in mind right now, don’t overlook it. Advertisers in the technology market always have an eye for such babies. Trust me on this!
@Alex,
I think that is really good marketing gimmick! Indeed some bloggers knows how to make things a little different for better results.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Alex,
Oh yes, uniqueness really does not mean is something new. It’s all about putting in a new spin. Check around the web and you will know that there is nothing new!
@Russell Davison,
You nearly gave up on twitter? You’re not alone. In fact, at the moment I hardly use twitter. It appears everyone on twitter is out to sell something to their followers. But I know as a blogger twitter could really be a great source of traffic.
@Pedro Cardoso,
You’ve just made a point there Pedro. Twitter is presented populated by marketers all of whom are pushing one product or the other. Presently, less than 20% of what is going on there is networking the remaining is nothing but marketing. It’s really funny that most times affiliates promoting the same product will be sending tweets to fellow affiliates trying to sell that same product. π
I think a strategy that someone advocated sometime ago is what is really good on twitter – register different accounts for networking and for promotion. This way I think you will not be offending your contacts with too many marketing messages.
@Gregg Camp,
Viral marketing is definitely a powerful system for marketing online. Most of the social media sites are very good with viral marketing. Video marketing could also be a good way of viral marketing.
Hi Christopher,
Ok, seo is nothing to really worry about but not really doing anything about it is something I hear bloggers talk so much about. Why so? Because many believe the search engines love blogs. Fine!
There are of course other alternatives to driving traffic and that is what you’re exploring. With other bloggers contributing to the posts and conversation every day you’re sure traffic is always flowing. That always explain the rise in PageRank.
Now, PageRank is not really the basis for judging how a site is doing. You can google that and check what the experts say about PageRank. The volume of traffic flowing on the Technology Bloggers and the interaction is what is giving that PageRank jump. Of course that is good as some good things can really come from that. Many advertisers still look for PageRank before buying ads!
But, frankly here is the biggest reason why I encourage seo. Getting ranked on the search engines gives you one of the easiest and cheapest ways of getting traffic that is ready to spend money – most of the times, that is!
I’m sure you already know that most of the bloggers who read and post comments only do so to promote their blogs. However, someone who search on google with the mind of getting info about a product is doing so for two reasons, either to know more about the product or to spend money! So traffic from search engines are quite different from traffic from blog comments!
All in all, it depends on what you’re driving at. Do you simply want other bloggers to come around and make you feel good or you will want some prospective money spender find your content now and then? Your decision will determine what you should be doing.
@Nicholas Scott,
Wrong manner? What do you think is the right manner?
@Nicholas Scott,
Please can you explain what you mean by the social posters. Really have not heard of those.
@Russell Davison,
Wow, wrote the code from scratch for your first blog? You definitely know what you’re doing! And frankly, when you write that code for meta tags on blogger header I’ll love to have it. Seriously, that’s one of the things I truly love to see in blogger. Some time ago when I used the service I tried entering meta tags manually but there was a problem as the theme I was using will not accept it.
@Christopher,
Google Webmaster Tools is truly a good tool for taking advantage of what is already working for you. I recently installed JetPack wordpress plugin and that is proving a great one for also.
About getting #1 with “Russell Davidson” how many people are searching that? I think what Russell mean is the game is much harder now than before. There are some “big guns” who have entrenched themselves up there using the advantage of the domain age and the power of other resources.
But for me I consider 4th position a great feat. You can actually “steal” the traffic from the other top contenders if you know how to craft a good description for your article.
@Nicholas Scott,
It’s my pleasure. And talking about any good post, the series is still on and you can read the follow-up articles!
@Auf Rechnung,
Of course, many of the newsletters out there are really rubbish. But don’t you think there are those who are doing so good work with their newsletters?
@Jong Uychiat,
It does appear you have some very tactics of marketing with twitter. Will you be generous to share them with us here. You could post your guest article here. Let’s know if you will want to do that.
@Celine,
Let me on behalf of Kaushal accept that compliment. But I do hope Kaushal will be here to do it.
@Andrew Walker,
Oh yes, even the offline businesses are not seeing the good in twitter and the rest of the social media! π
@James H,
G.A.S.P. is actually the plugin that asked you to “check” the box if you’re a human π It’s really great since you have to be on this site before you can post a comment. Using only Akismet is not really a good idea again since many bloggers have resorted to using automated programs to post comments and they can easily game Akismet.
@Fatima Datu,
All is well! π
@bjohn,
Thanks for your understanding. I’m trusting that with more and more bloggers standing against this practice, we’ll see less of it.
@bjohn,
Thanks for your understanding. I’m trusting that with more and more bloggers standing against this practice, we’ll see less of it.
@Bless Tabudlong,
That’s the purpose of research. You don’t rush into starting a business no matter how much you think you know of that business. The good thing is that there is so much information about starting a business out there on the internet. It’s you duty to go get it and then put it to work.
@Divine,
There is so much about search engine optimization on the web. What I’m trying to do is make it a little down to earth! I’m not a technical person and I believe not all of us are. So let’s pull out the technical mumbo jumbo and get ourselves some ranking on the search engines, or is that not what we want? π
@James H,
I agree with you James. Unfortunately it appears you’ve not read the first part. What I discussed in the first part touched on the issue of patience. In fact, I took sometime on that. You may want to read it also. Just follow the link referenced in the article.
@Kent Mauresmo,
Oh yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing now deleting anything that clearly shows it’s out of point with the post. However, there are some comments running about 4 or 5 lines and not clearly showing that it’s not on point. These are the ones I want to check up on Google. So far about 99% of these ones are the biggest culprits. In fact, during my check on Google I’ve seen some very reputable blogs already hosting these comments. That’s to show how clever these ones are.
My checking is to be on the safer side that I do not delete some genuine comments with the bad ones! Thanks the input.
@Adrienne,
Okay, the next entry is tomorrow, hope you find it interesting also. And thanks for the good words.
@coachmbzq,
Glad to hear those good words! Encourage us to keep the doors open. If you find us so interesting why not share our posts with your friends? That will really be appreciated! π
@Kent Mauresmo,
I think that’s really the problem. Most of these spam bots are created to target dofollow blogs. What is paining me really great is the time spent of going through the spam folder to fish out every comment and checking them on google. I really think that should be time spent on doing some other things.
@Adrienne,
it great to hear this from you Adrienne. Frankly there is so much everyone wants us to do but most times we never know why. When I set out to write this series this was one of the things in mind. Like I said in opening post, considering the fact that so many people have written about this subject it would be unneccessary to do any post on it again. But, I’m glad that there is so much more that I can still offer.
To every strategy and tactic there is a science and there is an art. The science tells you what you should do but the art tells you how to do it! What I want to do in these series is to tell you what to do, how to do it and why you should do it.
The next post is on using the right WordPress seo plugins. Watch out for it. And don’t forget to join our other readers by adding us to your RSS Reader. Ok, just want to say that because I’m sure this your first time of commenting here. Will love to know how you feel about the other articles.
Thanks for the good words.
@airan,
Ok, airan, all of us were sometime in that shoe. Learning is something that we are doing every day and I’m glad that you’ve learnt something here. Well, it does appear you’re visiting for the first time. I hope you sign up for our free updates as not to miss any of the subsequent series. We’re just beginning this journey! π
All the same welcome and thanks for adding your voice to the conversation.
@waterpearls,
I appreciate your comment. I simply want to make these series as informative and simple as possible so that everyone can really benefit with them. Watch out for the second part. There is so much juicy content there that you’ll simply love it!
@Christopher Roberts,
Oh yes, it’s really a war especially for dofollow blogs like ours. I’m really thinking there is another solution that will take care of all these.
@Christopher Roberts,
Ok, I know you talked about using Akismet and G.A.S.P. together some time ago. And frankly that’s what I’m using. The two are installed and working. But what I’m concerned about is this: the purpose of G.A.S.P. is to remove automated comment spams that uses spam bots. That is the purpose of the check box in G.A.S.P. It is expected that every commenter should be able to check the box for the comment to go through, either into the spam folder or awaiting moderation. But from what I’m seeing I don’t here, I don’t think these comments were posted by someone who visited this blog. I’ve the feelings that they were posted using a bot. This is what I want some one to help me with. Am I right in my thinking or these people really visited the blog but decided to “copy” and “paste” these comments once they are here?
But do you think someone will be visiting blog’s and posting the same comment. Just imagine the one with 2320 comments already out there!
@Jeffrey Morgan,
I truly want you to explain what you mean by,
“Iβm not so sure that I want to provide a Blogging Product to someone who is buying a product from me ( or else they would be building their own ) and then have them find out that there is a crushing amount of work for them to do to earn any type of appreciable income.”
and,
“Be forewarned. Any Internet Marketing effort be it Auto-Blogs or You-Tube Affiliate Marketing does not suffer fools.”
@Jeffrey Morgan,
Glad that you came around to clear things for us. Frankly, I’ve been expecting you.
Any way, I’ve checked out your sale and must say that was great.
But what are you trying to do? In one breath you said, “First let me clarify that Iβm not offering any Auto-Blogs” and then right under you said, “107 Auto-Blogs β¦β¦β¦. $3.53 a day income average. Sold for $1700.00” π
But not to worry I checked out some of those blogs and I know what they are and even the software you used! Some of the content there came from Yahoo Answers π Indeed you may have put in some more work but who do you want to decieve? Did you create 107 blogs in 2 months manually?
Now, I’m not trying to say you don’t have your own idea of what you’re doing but let’s be open and sincere. Others may not know but as one who is into autoblogging I know.
Any way, most of your comment only showed us how happy you are with your sale. Still I want to know, did you picked some ideas from this post? Do you think this will help you in the future?
One thing you mentioned in the previous comment that prompted this post is that you were telling your prospects the work they need to put in. I really did not see that in your sales copy at flippa. I’m wondering if you redid it after posting your comment here. We are all learning you know. Maybe your ideas will also help someone here.
So, come tell us some thing more! π
@Jeffrey Morgan,
Ok, you are more clearer now. Your comment only led me to thinking that was what you were talking about. I apologize for that miss up. I’ll definitely look at that and give me comments.
@Christopher Roberts,
Compliments accepted. :)Thank you.
@Christopher Roberts,
Frankly, I’ve learnt over the years that the best way to learn is to admit your ignorance. It was one of the great philosophers who said, “What I know is that I know nothing!” Why prove to know when I know that I know nothing about it? Of course, it will definitely show in my comments so there is no need trying it. Besides, the power of words in the truth conveyed. Lies have no weight but truth is HEAVY! π
Now that I put that there I’m hoping that someone will come around who will help us with some insight about WP-Robot.
@Affiliate Marketing Coach, Glad to know you’re doing well with your affiliate marketing. And must say article writing service can really be good way to start making some money online quickly. Once you get the experience needed you can always go into more detail task.
@Cheolsu, Oh thanks Cheolsu. I’m really glad that you did not only return but you also subscribed. Looking forward to seeing more of you.
@Ira, Yeah, this is what many online entrepreneurs must understand. Making money online is not just about puting together some reharshed information product with the mind of selling to a few and then moving on. It’s about building a business and if that’s so then laying a solid foundation is a must. There is really no shortcut to success online.
@Stuart, Thanks a lot. I truly appreciate the offer to help. I’m still watching the way things are going. Will get back to you if the need arise. And thanks for finding the time to check us out!
@Melanie@Dating Help, Thanks Melanie, glad to know you love the post.
@Cheolsu@Myspace Login, Glad to hear that Cheolsu. I’m sure you will love what we have in store for everyone!
@Christopher@Technology Bloggers, Hey you sure of that? Please check again. This blog is still a dofollow blog because the dofollow plugin is implemented. So check again and let me know your findings.
@Christopher@Technology Bloggers, You’re welcome Christopher. Looking forward to your new post.
@Salary Singapore@Salary in Singapore, “Learn to let go and move on to greater income ideas” great advice indeed. Thanks for the comment.
@Radz, that old saying, never keep your eggs in one basket, is true anyway π We just need to know how to apply these things for our good!
@Payday loans no credit check, you can be sure of getting more. Simply subscribe to this blog π
@Kim@themafeestjes, that’s why your mindset must be re-aligned to pursue shadows but focus on the real issues that will help you succeed. Thanks for the comment.
@Intranet Solutions, thanks. Glad to know it was of help!
@seo birmingham, well you must know there are some risk that need taking when it comes to business. You simply need to learn to trust others. However, I will advice that you seek the services of a legal adviser. You may need one to help draw up some legal agreements that will be of help.
@Delena Silverfox, I agree with you Delena. Before approaching any one to be your mentor you must have watched what that person is doing and the result being produced. Care is definitely necessary.
@Mahesh Rathi, Truly love the way you put it: all things are possible for those who believe! That simply is the spirit. We are bound to face a lot of problems along the way but having the mindset that all things will work out fine can really be of great help. Thanks for the comment.
When the marketing budget is very little I’ll go for seo and sem always. Learn to implement these very well and you will not only be setting up your business for success right now but also for sometime to come. Banner ad is not really effective as it used to be. But if you can find some free ways of doing it nothing stops you from using it. Affiliate program is really great but it will require some money. If it is virtual product, you can use clickbank.com I think the start up is really ok compared to the results. But of all these SEO and SEM is my take.
Hey Kris, you got me confused there. In one breath you seem to favour newsletters butΒ you don’tΒ likeΒ to receive the alerts and yet you agree that content and constant update is important. How can there be constant update when you don’t want to recieve the alerts?
@Kim, it can never be said better. Dedication and hard work is required.
@Anna,
You have just touched something that many people overlook when we talk of mentorship. That’s you can really get so much from resources like books and other online resources. I think what you really need is a mind that is open to learn and that can really work on what you read and cook up your own knowledge bank!
Thanks for joining the conversaion.
Thanks.
@Jane, glad to be of help.
@David,
You’re welcome David! I’ll really love to see you around again. And maybe also see a pic behind that name!
@Ira, thanks for joining your voice to the compliments! As we can never be tired of hearing of these things, I’m not really tired of hearing the compliments!
I think you already have an idea of what you should be doing – make it good, fresh and engaging! Of course, you should know that succeeding in such a common theme demands going beyond just settng up the blog. My only advice is to do all you can to know that subject as the back of your hand. Then commit to producing nothing but unique content. Put a spin on what you do on that blog and ensure that you have something fresh every time. If you are really not very experienced as you said then go out and learn some more. We all are still learning and so never be afraid to learn. Study what others are doing but never copy others. Be yourself. That way you will be unique on your blog.
I hope this can help. Thanks for the comment.
Rightly said. Vision, plan and the persistence will get you where you want to go from here!
Hi Russell,
Glad to have you around once again. And for this comment I must say you are one of a kind that is really hard to find on most blogs. I’m serious about that! Like you said, I try my best to reply to every comment because I desire to know what my readers are saying. But I must say most of the comments I have shows that not every one really read through the post before posting their comments. But I’ve seen a difference in you. I think I will just have to put together a reward package for people like you! π
I agree with you that creating your own products from scratch helps you put your personality into it. However, you will agree that there is no product you want to put together that someone else have not written about. And in gathering ideas for your product you definitely will be referencing most of these ones. It’s business sense therefore if you can save some time by using PLRs. But like I said, you will need to re-write them. In rewriting you can actually put your personality into the product.
Hey, you sure Lady Gaga’s secretary only follows 5 people on twitter with all those millions following? Then if those people are hoping to ride on the back of Gaga’s popularity they are definitely on the wrong boat!
I felt some warmth in my stomach reading that piece about Benjamin Franklin using the same principles! But of course these are not my principles, they are ancient but moderm principles tested over the years.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@Christopher, marketing is definitely the backbone of every business. If it’s done right you can really be sure of making it. But like you said, attracting people your way is getting more competitive online. Yes, time was when setting up a website means getting a whole load of prospects finding you with ease. But if you really know much about how this internet marketing thing works you can make a head way with your marketing.
Now, I must say it’s not just about how people find out about your business. Before you spend money on your marketing efforts there are a few things you need to work out first. Like, what is your business about and then who needs the product or service your business is offering. Once you work these ones out you’ll know with much ease where to look for your prospects. All of these will help you to know what seo strategies to employ, which of the social networking sites to focus on and when you are there what to really do. Well I think I cann’t do much about this on this comment. Maybe that will an idea for a post sometime later! π
@Matt, and you were not interested in cartridges, right? That shows that job was not for you! π You know sometimes we get ourselves doing what we are not interested in. That happens most especially in a job as most times the only motivation is the money from that job.
But truth is even when talking about cartridges were not interesting to you, there are people who will see everything interesting about that subject. It is in situations like this that I advice, love what you’re doing. Note, I did not say, do what you love!
Let me explain a little. In that job what you should have done is take a deeper look at the cartridges and focus on what benefits they have for the prospect. See how helpful they are, how they can save them money, how they can produce better results for their own jobs, etc. By the time you see all of these and you discover that you’re actually helping someone to get better results and save money, your focus will not be on the cartridges but the person you’re helping. I bet you, you’d be excited that doing something worthwhile and that job will be exciting and the interest will be there. Know what you’re doing? You’re being creative in that job. So the interest can always be created no matter the subject you’re talking about! π
People with good social skills so snappy and intolerant? I don’t think so. That’s actually the other way round! Anyone with good social skills always have ways of getting “connected” even with strangers. They have ways of warming their way into the lives of others. So I think you got it wrong when you say, people with good social skills are so snappy and intolerant. Anyonw with that type of temperament is not really socially skilled.
Did I hear you say fast? Hmm, that’s interesting. But not to discourage you, you can surely make money online fast. I encourage you to read this blog very well there are lots and lots of ways of making money online. Read other blogs also that have this type of advice. But I always advice is build on a solid foundation.
Having said that, let me point you to one of the ways I truly think you can make money fast online. That’s writing articles or using any other skill you haveΒ at sites like elance.com. Go there and study what others are already doing and join the market. The truth is if you may just get yourself a job the first day.
Truth is, never allow what happens to you (external forces) to determine your success for that way your success will depend on others. The best bet is what you make of each opportunity matters the most!
Thanks for joining in this discussion.
@Christina, Oh yes, and do you know I have a real big dose of patience! 100 million blogs vying for attention tells you the competition out there. But for me it’s not really the competition. It’s more about who I am and what I’m out to achieve.
Please can you tell us those “few legitimate reasons” why a new blog cannot succeed? For me there are a millionΒ legitimate reasons why a new blog can succeed.
@raverture, definitely I think what those of us who are trying to hit the mark doing everything we can should really do is, take a real concerned look at what those who have succeded in this business are doing. You don’t have to re-invent the wheel but I believe you can always build on the wheel! You can add a little here and a little there!
@Andrew Walker, I like those good words my man! Thanks a million! π
@Techlinking, do you mean therefore that experience do matter?
@Matt, Interest is definitely necessary to business success. Your interest will fire up your enthusiasm which in turn rob off on your prospects. And whe you’re able to get them to be enthusiastic about your product/service you’re on the road to success.
Hey, are you in any way refering to us? If it is then I consider myself highly honored! π Thanks for the compliment!
@Shivam, that truly is the idea. It’s just being prudent and not putting all of your eggs in one basket!
@Dana, ok I think I will need to look into that! Thanks for the comment.
@Sandy, I love it when you said,Β Β “I am going to start implementing them ASAP!” It’s unfortunate that many get these useful tips and do nothing about them. For me that means you really did not place any value in them. But when you take the decision to implement them so that you can try them out and enjoy the benefits then you’ve really shown that you value them.
Will be glad to know how useful they are to you. Thanks for joining the conversation.
@MOhammed, I’m glad you found this article useful. thanks for the comment.
@Pariui,
Not sure about what you mean. Why do you think it’s not healthy to build relationships on the web?
Thanks Delena, my greatest joy is that I didn’t lose anything. I must appreciate the support everyone has shown. I’m grateful.
@Andrew, you’re welcome. It’s a pleasure to know that this is helpful.
The pleasure is mine!
There is why is rightly said that opportunity comes to those who are prepared. What many consider to beΒ luck is actually the opportunities you’re able to capture because you’re prepared. Thanks for joining the conversation.
Thanks Junrose, for the comment. I know everyone has an opinion as far as luck is concerned. What I’m really trying to say is this: don’t wait expecting things to work out. You need to put in the neccessary work to recieve your desired goal. Yes, somethings do appear to be luck but a careful analysis will reveal that something done in the past has produced the result. We must note the law od motion: nothing moves until an external force is applied!
Ok, I’ll wait!
Hi Calli, we are in the same boat on this! This is why I’m having a struggle with this thing. I also think you provided a pointer on what we can really include to make things a little different. We definitely will have to research this topic a little further!
Hmm, I think more people believe bloggers should publish a newsletter. But in what way does it really maximize success?
Hi Hajra,
Those are really great tips. I think most of us can use them!
Definitely newsletter truly have their uses but I’m really concerned that instead of simply putting the information whichΒ can beΒ posted on the blog while notΒ leave it out?
Maybe you will want to provide some ways we can make our newsletters different as bloggers.
Oh, you make me … ouch! Thanks, thanks, thanks so much! π
It’s my pleasure. And thanks for the comment.
Thanks Usman. The fact is that marketing is taking a new turn online. As much as the search engines remain powerful in generating traffic, mastering and implementing social marketing can really make a whole difference these days. Like you said these successful bloggers definitely know how to do just that.
Hi Christopher,
Yes, videos are really a good way marketing online as it adds some genuineness to your offer. But I don’t think videos can really show much about your personality as a blogger. Yes, it shows who you are, your appearance, but personality is about your character, the inner you!
All the same I look forward to seeing your video shots!
Hi Lenny,
Thanks for the comment and the good words! I’m really pleased that I’ve been of help. Hope you come around again!
You’re right Justin, our personality must definitely show as we interact with people. And that’s why we must work on them if we know that will kind of hinder us from achieving our aims. These probloggers may have truly been in the game for sometime and have succeeded in sharpening their social skills. But don’t you think we should study from them so as to fasttrack our own success? Should we wait five or more years to also build our own skills? I don’t think we should really do that. That’s why I’m always studying those who are successes in my area of focus.
Rightly said Delena. And I must say that your strategy of askingΒ friends and family for a true assessment of your actions matched against yourΒ words is one that will always take you far in life.
Don’t just blow your trumpet let others do it for you and you can be sure that you’re making progress.
Thanks so much. I’m glad to be of help.
Hi Terje,
Glad to have you join the conversation. Just want to get something clear. Do you mean the reason many do not succeed as entrepreneur is just because they have not cared to put their ideas into practice? If that is it, then I agree with you. Actions is definitely neccessary. But that action must be backed with these traits mentioned.
Thanks for commenting.
Hi Andrew, I’m glad to be of help. Wishing you the best of luck!
And oh, I sincerely love that your gravatar π
Hi Tony, do you mean that hot and interesting info cannot be posted on the blog?
I think we are agreed here. But from some of the comments here it appears that some of these bloggers really do not know what the newsletter should be used for. A business running a static website may use its newsletter to do some of the things that these bloggers are doing that is providing insider info about their business and also offer some tips and strategies, but a blogger can use the blog to do that and not offer a seperate newsletter. But if a blogger should offer a newsletter then the purpose should be well spelt out.
I can never agree with you more! “A newsletter should focus exclusively on giving useful and valuable information to the readers.” And that is the reason why I was really concerned. Cant that information be posted on your blog? Of course many will want to simply make that info exclusive in order to “force” people signup for the newsletter but should that be so?
And that maxim about the money not being in the list but in the keywords, I think that is something we may want to explore more. Any further thoughts on it will be appreciated.
There were actually issues that I was contending with. But from the comments I think I have been educated enough!
That was really the problem I’ve been having with this issue of publishing a newsletter. Of course newsletters are supposed to be used in making announcements and giving news about your business or service, but we know that online newsletters are now being used also to build relationship with our subscribers. So most are used as tutorials and giving more indepth info about what you know. But if that info can be published on your blog why move it to the newsletter.
But as Jezza mentioned, it’s not just about duplication but letting your subscribers know you are still there. I quite agree with that.
Thanks mfahmi for stopping by and posting a comment. Visited your blog but discovered its not in english. Wouldn’t it be of good idea if you can add a translator to it?
Thanks steven, for the comment. Success is definitely relative. Not two persons will define success in the same terms. However, once you are cut out to be an entrepreneur you definitely will think differently and with a mind for achieving more. Stagnacy is something that is not in an entrepreneurs bible!
I’d gladly have done that but after working with different themes I’ve discovered that there often different the codes sometimes differ. However, I’ll be sending you an email on what we can do about it.
Hi Russell,
I’m really glad that you’ve finally joined the discussion. Been waiting for you to say your mind you know! π
But did you say we need a good moderator? But why would any one be offended anyway! We are in a free world and we are entitled to our different opinions.
On to your analogy of 2 bloggers who eachΒ writes seven good 500-word articles over 80 hours per week but produces two different results, is quite correct. But attributing that to luck on the part of one is not truly appreciating what goes into succeeding with blog marketing. You may be surprised, when you look critically, that one of the two bloggers is doing some other things that the other is not doing.
When most of us say you must be ready to create your success, it’s not about working “hard” as you’ve just pointed out in that analogy. It’s about you doing what needs to be done and not just folding your hands and expecting to produce results likeΒ others. IΒ hope I’ve made myself clear.
@jezza101,
Hey did you say, “In a past life?” I wonder when that was because I’ve never heard of any other time in human existence when there were website marketing! π
Ok, that was on a lighter mood.
From your comment I’m really convinced that a blogger can publish a newsletter. Of course I am not against building a list for a know the importance of the list. However, I’m concerned about the issue of duplication. But from what you said, that’s not the issue, is about always reminding your contacts that you exist. I think that really is good business sense! Thanks.
Hmm, that’s interesting. If I understand that very well it means don’t just do what you love but do what will produce results! I think that agrees with what I’ve always pointed out when some business coaches teach that if you want to start a business start a business based on what you love. But I believe that you don’t have toΒ start a business based on what you love but on what the market love. You simply need to love what you do! Yes, love what you do and not do what you love.Β So even when you don’t love the work just do it if the market love it, for in that you will make yourself rich!Β Quote me π
Oh thanks Shivam, for that addition. I believe a newbie can definitely be able to make money much easier with freelancing and elance.com is a good place to do that. Thanks for adding your voice.
Oh thanks waterpearls π Knowing how to really manage the money is very important in every business. I’m very particular about spending money on any thing. If that thing will not be helpful to making more money I don’t invest in such! But do you have a few more ways a newbie can make money online on a budget?
Hmm, that is luck indeed!Β I advice that you build many more sites and sit down to repeat that lucky experience! At least, if it worked before it will work again. π
Quite an interesting quote there. We just need to understand that we have to do what we need to do and then wait for the luck to happen! That just brought back some other saying to my mind. It goes something like: Work as if you don’t know how to pray and pray as if you’ll never work!
I quite agree with you in most areas. For example, this is not a guide to make money in the IM/MMO niches. But who is expecting a newbie to target the IM/MMO niche anywsy! Of course, that’s why many struggle for years and later give up without making anything.
But to some of your observations:
1. “Everything about it screams newbie.”Β I agree with youΒ here also. But I think you’re looking at this from your present position. I don’t know how you began but like I said in the post I did most of these when starting out. Of course many of us today advice against using a free blog but many seasoned bloggers are still using them! For example I still use blogger to do some affiliate promotions even now. It all bears down to how you use it.
2. No traffic? I really do not understand what you mean here but if you read the post carefully I refered to a few ways of generating traffic. Every internet marketer understands that this is most crucial area of making a profit online. Of course you don’t expect a newbie to get it all right the first time. It’s Β actually about focusing on a few strategies and building on that.
3. No name for themselves yet. Oh yes! Is this newbie thinking about branding himself or about making some money right now? Ok, I know many of us are made to believe that you should brand yourself in whatever way possible. But frankly, there is no branding like you mastering a particular area of making money online, make some money in that area and then later package that information inΒ an ebook and selling it! If you can prove your expertise in that area you’ll become a brand in no time!
4. Using simply the product description page? Seriously? Yes, seriously! πΒ I must say this is what many affiliates do. If you take a look at most of the sales pages on clickbank.com you’ll agree that everything about the product is laid out. Take a look at the bullet points, the benefits of the product are there. Read through the page, there are testimonials. All of these could be used to craft a powerful review copy. But don’t forget I mentioned doing your market research before choosing the target market. The most important part is knowing if that market is spending. Once you know people are spending money in that market, pick any product in clickbank marketplace that you think will sell based on those common sense questions I listed in the post.
But again, I agree with you that this is not for the IM/MMO niche.Β Like IΒ said in the post my first commission on clickbank was earned in the relationship niche. In fact it was an ebook about saving a marriage relationship. If you search carefully that is a niche that’s reallyΒ HOT because marriage breakups are in the increase with many people looking for ways to save theirs! Of course that niche is kind of saturated right now because many internet marketers are targetting it to hell. But still, it is a profitable niche if done the right way.
Oh Dennis, thanks for “squeezing” this out of me! This is really what I wanted done to this post. I do hope others will air their doubts about the workability of this plan. In fact we can make it into something bigger by our contributions!
Wow Delena, you’ve just made me fall in love with blogger! π
But seriously, did you say you tried moving to wordpress three times and didn’t do it because you were put off by the dashboard? That’s really intereting. As it’s always said, different strokes for different folks! For some of us who have used blogger and then later switched to wordpress, we can always shout it out loud that wordpress is the way to go π
But frankly I understand your point. That’s why I recommended blogger in the post for beginners. Bloggers is much easier to learn and work with. You seem to have everything you want to add in one place. Even now I still use blogger for promoting some products. But forΒ a blog like mine where most of my articles appear, I prefer wordpress because I have more control over things here.
Hi Christopher, I must say ruthless is a hard word to use for this. Of course nothing can take awayΒ working “hard” but as I mentioned in the post, there is always the time for leisure. You definitely need to push yourself to succeed but never push yourself too hard! π
On the author box, it actually came with the theme but coded in the sidebar. I simply did some “tweaking” and then added a few things like the date, category and share link and moved it to the top. I think most of the theme these days have something like that. The info in the box comes from you user profile in your dashboard.
Ok Shivam, as I mentioned above in my reply to Dennis, luck is a chance happening. It’s like a gamble that something will happen or not. And of course in gambling, some do win from time to time. But instead of the 80 to 20 ratio I’ll go for a 98% to a 2% ratio! π
@Christian, you’ve just used two words that I’m really fond of, visionary and creativity! Frankly every entrepreneur must possess these two. Being a visionary will help you what others can not easily see and creativity will help you take what is already there and creatively build something new! It is important to know that entrepreneur is not really about inventing something new but taking what is common and turning it around to make a profit! In this wise you are right on target.
@DiNaRa, I thought you’d give Dennis a reply. Why are you keeping silent about this?
@Christopher, then you need to remember the saying that the shortest pencil is longer than the longerst memory! Meaning? Any time an idea hit you hard on the head π take a pad and scribble it down!
Hi Anna, you’re definitely right! Infact the Bible is so rich about life that not reading it is like not reading a manufacturers manual before or during operating a particular machine. The Bible is our manufacturers manual if we truly want to make it big in this life.
Frankly, I don’t think that the blog going down while I was away is anything about being unlucky. Like I explained in my email to you and of course in the blog post, I have neglected checking the stats for some time now. If I had done that before proceeding onto other things the unfortunate incidence wouldn’t have happened. So from the bigger picture it bears down to what I have done or left undone!
@Dennis, ok so you regardΒ running into a problogger at the bar as luck and notΒ some coincidence? But did you notice that what led to his mentioning you in his blog post is not because you and him found yourselves in the same bar but because you took the initiative to get involved with him by buying him a few drinks?
So, it’s not luck that is bringing you those gains but your taking the initiative. And like you concluded, it’s about the work!
For better understanding I want to say luck is somethingΒ which happens to one seemingly by chance. And you know chance is taking a gamble that a thing may or may not happen. It is a pure risk with a possibility to win based on that imaginary thing called luck.
Here is what Voltaire said about luck: “There is no such thing as luck. Everything has a cause.”
And back to your point, your taking the initiative to buy those few drinks is the cause that provoked what you now refer to as luck!
@DiNaRa, you’re right luck is what you make with your own hands!
Thank you very much. One thing I always like doing is reflecting on the things around me. So at every opportunity I want to put mind to some “roaming” thoughts that will help me in any way!
Hi Christian, you truly understand what I’m aiming at in this post when you said, “luck is something we create!” It’s unfortunate that many thinks that those who are succeeding with their businesses are just lucky when in fact these ones has paid their dues in one way or the other. What many call “luck” is nothing but opportunities seized by those who are prepared!
That’s really encouraging Justin. We only hope that many of those who are online with the mind of making money will really understand that starting a business online goes beyond buying a domain name and a hosting account. All in all succeeding in building a business starts and largely depends on who you are.Β It’s really about you!
Thanks for the comment.
That’s true Dan. It’s unfortunate that many who wants to build successful businesses online are too quick to “abandon ship.” They give up easily when faced with problems. But as you said, if you’re not afraid of failure but rather learn how to gain something from every experience you pass through, you can always come out more experienced and better equipped to succeed as an entrepreneur. Thanks for joining the conversation.
@DiNaRa, you’re correct there, theseΒ traits can be traceable to bothΒ online and offline entrepreneurs. It good news really to know that others already notice these traits in you. What you need therefore is work on them and with them to produce the liffe you want!
@Dennis, I think she’s only trying to point out the areasΒ that touches her personally!
Hi Russell, this your comment has elicited some debate. There is a blog post built around the issues you raised. Read it hereΒ and add your comments.
Hi Anna, the good thing is that most of these claims are gradually fading out as more and more people are getting to know the truth about making money online. Before now most people thought the internet was a magic tool that spills money once you set up a website. But with more information being revealed by a few bloggers who, having experienced these things for themselves, a whole lot of things are getting into shape. Thanks for stopping by.
Frankly, Christopher when I took a look at your profile and saw the different things you were involved with, I wondered how you manage all of it!
@Christopher, it’s the working darn hard that many are missing. If you understand what working on one blog entails, think of what working on 3,4,5 blogs will do to you. But theΒ truth is, if you want to make money online forget the hype they have sold you. Roll up your sleeves and get ready to sweat! π
@DiNaRa, glad to have been able to make an impact on you and I appreciate your comment. When you get the picture right things really fall into shape. I think many more people are seeing the picture much more clearer now than some years ago. Making money online is not bread and butter. It’s building a business and building a business takes time, resources and energy!
Thanks for joining the conversation. And by the way, will love to see you around again! π
@Delena, who really have that patience! π But I do think you have a very good plan there. Put down some good notes and outline and then let them work on it. You know you could cut down the time of release by half! Think like an entrepreneur.
@Dennis,Β Oh then it’s notΒ aΒ ‘secret’Β then!:)
When you are in a situation of such then working it out by yourself is important. Start somewhere and plough back your earnings. It all takes your vision and persistence.
@Justin, rightly said, “I expect that this trend will continue for a long time.” And that make room for those of us whoΒ focus on that market! Thanks for the comment.Β
Hi Justin, you got right there. I think that’s one of the reasons why many of us are into this online thing π But what many do not know is that there is so much work involved especially when you’re just starting out.
Glad to see you open the comments!
@Barossa Tours, can’t understand what you’re pointing out here. Can you please explain?
@Chris,
Good tip there Chris. Cost management is one aspect of running small business that the home business entrepreneur must also learn to focus on. There are actually many benefits to that.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
Thanks Aleena, it’s my pleasure!
@Nasrul Hanis, that exactly is the point. Business principles both off-line and online are just the same. Unfortunately many because of the ease in starting and running an online business throw over board the principles of integrity and disciple. And that’s why there are so many scams online. Thanks for the comment.
@Mavis, that’s it Mavis. I think is all about deciding whether you’re going to use the generally accepted seo strategies or you will want to use some underground blackhat tactics and when things turn against you, you start all over again. Of course the path of wisdom is do things the right way and steadily and persistently climb up the ladder: π
Thanks for joining the conversation.
@ Russell, must say this is well laid out analysis of the topicΒ at hand! I quite agree with every bit of your point. This is why I said in the post,
“Unfortunately, blogging generally requires a lot of work! Gaining a large readership for your business blog requires much of your attention and a big dose of patience. And this is where many entrepreneur bloggers give up their dreams becauseΒ many of them started with the wrong notion that making money online does not involve much work.”
If those who wants to start a business on the net understand most of what you’ve just said, then they would know that what they need most is persistence and a big dose of patience.
I’ve just read this a few minutes ago,
“Success is out there for those who get up each morning and make a conscious effort to move towards it. Work hard for it, everyday. Think about it everyday. Want and desire it more than anything else. Remember, successful people didn’t get that way by accident. They made the necessary changes in their life, and worked hard for it everyday.”
I think all success-minded people know the importance of persistence which of course comes from knowing that everything worthwhile in life takes time to build.
Thanks really great for the insight.
Hi Jasmine, just want to say you may want to read my reply to Lynn. Well you said adding a business blog to the equation makes it seem “cool” or “hip” but I don’t think so. I think using a blog, like a self hosted wordpress blog, gives you more control over your content.
Indeed passion is neccessary for blogging success but you know that passion must be coupled with some expertise on your area of focus. This is why I think business owners should really use blogs for marketing and promotion. If you’re alreading running a business you definitely have both of these qualities. You couldn’t be running a business without some measure of passion and expertise, so blogs are really great tools for business owners if they know what to do.
You’re definitely correct Lynn, social media may be somehow much easier for offline businesses. But do not forget that social media also has its technicalities need to be mastered. Frankly, I suggest having a blog and using it in conjuction with social media marketing. I love having control over my content anyway!
@ Russell, you are definitely correct there that blogging takes time to bring in the financial gains. But, think of it, how many business persons wants to wait that long before they see the benefits? That’s why the tips in the post are there for anyone who wants to use blogs for promoting their business online. Thanks for joining the conversation.
Hi Jeffrey, just want to say thanks for including a quote from this post on your blog’s quote section. Truly appreciate it.
It’s actually a thing of joy to look back and discover that in the midst of all the challenges you were able to scale through! I wish you all the best.
You’re definitely right Delena. You know most of us IMers takes some of these things for granted having worked with them for sometime now.
But for any one thinking of running a business (especially a service business) and thinks he/she can do all these things without help is simply courting trouble.
The pleasure is mine π
You can say that again. But never underestimate the fact that what probably is basic to you are sometimes advance to someone else π
Hi Susan,
Well I don’t know if the internet really can discriminate between the Americans and the developing world π
But seriously, if you are searching the net using google where ever you are in the world and you’re able to get the results you want without any discriminate, it means that the same google can correctly assess what is high content from the developing world.
Maybe we will need to research this a little further or don’t you think so?
Frankly, blogging can really add value to your business when done right. That is why every online entrepreneur should add a blog to his/her blog.
Hmm, love to do that. Let’s see what we can do about it.
Thanks for the kind words. Truly appreciated!
Yeah, you’re very right; sort of overlooked that. So you have it there π
Ok, Dennis got your point. You definitely must be given the kudos for inspiring this post. I’m really grateful. Do I say, thanks a million? π
Hi Russell, you’re definitely right. For too long we have allowed those who thinks stealing the work of others to profit with what they call working smart. But now the tables are been turned.
We definitely need to ask for more of these changes. Other search engines should join with google to ensure this battle is totally won!
Yeah, e-commerce sites must also seek to rank high on the search engines and so knowing what to do is definitely important. Though there are other ways of promoting e-commerce sites on the search engines what is happening right now with google is that if you want to drive organic traffic to e-commerce sites you will need to find ways of adding more content to the site. One way of doing this is actually adding a blog to the e-commerce site and the linking to your products from the blog. The blog will ensure constant addition of fresh content while promoting the main site.
Hey Dennis, “Btw, glad I could help!?” can you explain?
Delena, the Panda update has definitely come but gone? No! If you’re concerned about seo then you definitely would be checking to know what this update is all about so that you can make the best use of it. That simply is what all these articles are about.
Talking about best practices, google sure have that but many people either do not know about them or plain ignore them! Like I’ve mentioned so far on this subject know what google wants of you and will never have problems.
100% success rate, right? Well that’s possible but watch out for the marketing in that talk! Of course they need to pull in more clients, you know π But depending on what they are doing that success rate is absolutely possible.
Hi Kelli, you’re right there. The google algorithm really do not have a way of determining your site’s design however, there are other things google really uses to determine this. You must understand that they have many other free tools they are offering to us all. What many of us do not know is that these tools have a way of giving google much information about us. For example google analytics. If you have that tool installed on your blog google know much about your site more than you do!
So, like I said on the post google, simply uses these tools to read what your site users doing on your site. The point about site design therefore is to help you create a more user friendly site that will give google a positive point about your site.
Thanks for the comment, Kelli.
You have a point there Deepanshu. Most times I actually give more attention to traffic from the search engines. This is because I consider them to be more open to going for your offers since they were searching for information when they came across your blog.
From your comment you already knows where your traffic is coming from. Updating more and using the right keywords will definitely increase your traffic. Besides, you can really turn them into fans and followers by providing usable content and offering optin incentives that will help you build a relationship with them. So if you can’t get them from the social networks you can get them from the search engines! π
Anything false is always a recipe for failure. Is those who are not in it for the long haul that cut corners but a true business entreperneur will always do what will endear him/her to his/her business.
Yes, paying for your ads is something that can really be rewarding however, without the basics of targetting the right keywords your ads will amount to nothing.
Thanks for the comment Richard.
Frankly marketing is an important aspect of blog success. I think I should really rank it higher than updating your blog regularly. So for me you’re doing more to succeed than many bloggers.
By updating your blog regularly, it doesn’t mean you have to post every day. You may decide to post once a week or twice a week depending on your niche. When this is done and you devote other days to marketing as you’re doing then success is sure!
Thanks for the comment.
That’s what blog commenting is all about – interaction with your readers!
Oh Chris, must say you got me flat out there! Frankly, saying quick was intentional. I wasn’t trying to make it look that you can easily and quickly create a deluge of traffic with these tips. As we all know there is always some work involved. I simply used the word quick to show that I was not going to go into any details. I was only throwing them out expecting that you can always do some more research and get the details.
Any way I’m glad you were able to still see that there are a few you need to take some more detail look into. I hope you achieve some thing with them.
Thanks for joining the conversation.
Hmm, that’s interesting. I must say I’ve really not being active on facebook for now. I’m into a few groups there but not much activity but simply talking about these tactics has given me more push to get more involved.
The biggest problem to email marketing is actually that of false claims and lack of trust. I wonder what those who send those spammy emails really want to achieve. Any way, I think it’s because there are still some people out there who, because of greed, still fall for those pranks. But any business entrepreneur who really wants to promote online using email marketing should take into consideration these points.
Hi Dennis,
Ok, I know this question is for Michelle but let me offer some answer π
The truth is that local SEO can go as local as you wish depending on your offer. For example if you’re promoting a service business, you may want to restrict you’re offer to those who are around you locality. In a situation like that you simply target your seo using local terms. However, if you want a wider coverage then open up your reach by using a wider range of keywords.
Yeah Delena, submitting your url to the search engines is not enough. You will achieve more results if you submit your individual pages also.
Never heard of it? Ok, maybe so but if you’re using the wordpress and you have google sitemap generator install then you’re already submitting your individual pages.
Yeah that’s right Christian. Quality content will always pull in traffic however, never under estimate the power of using keywords in your content. That’s how the search engines classify and file away your content in their database. Thanks for joining the conversation.
Exactly, keywords in the domain name can really be powerful as the search engines uses it to better determine what your site is all about. However, even when you pick the ‘wrong’ name from the onset, you can use plugins to try and correct it some how. Then doing more of keyword research and writing content with those keywords can force the search engines to recognise what you doing!
I understand that what many bloggers are very familiar with when it comes to seo is putting their keywords in the article title. That of course is very important as it carries more weight than other strategies.
Hi Delena, I can see you are taken in by the idea of ebook directories. Well the fact is that are many of such directories that will host your free ebook for free. And they are really good at publizing your ebook.
About some free hosting site for your ebook, though I’ve not really used any but there are many of that also. Simply do a search on google for something like “free file hosting”. What most of them do is allow you to register for a free account and then you can upload your files (whatever it may be) and then you can now share that file with others, either for download or viewing.
And yes, you can also google “free ebook directory” for the directories!
Hi Nasrul, I truly love the way you put this, “What you need is patience, hard efforts and creativity!” I think we need to really understand that. Patience is something every blogger must learn to imbibe continously. Thanks for saying your mind.
That’s exactly it, innovation and creativity! You don’t just do what every one else is doing. Learn from others and add your own spin to things.
Hi Dennis, took sometime to think on your comment. How do you define ‘blog successfully’ andΒ ‘earn money blogging’? From the post you’d understand that I’m not speaking to bloggers whose main purpose is write a personal blog but business bloggers, the ones who are out to earn some income with their blogs.
That being so, to me every action taken by such bloggers is for the one purpose of achieving their dream of earning an income. This is the premise from which this article is written.
On point two I quite agree with you. Just updating your blog is not a guarantee that you will make money with your blog. But again, I made it clear that this will ensure constant traffic. And what more as every one online agrees, the more traffic you generate the more the potential of your making some income. Maybe, I should have just added the fact that your blog must first be set up to make money. But I think that has also been taken care of in the opening paragraphs! π
Of course, ready to learn is paramount to succeeding in anything we do in life. Having the mind of knowing it all is the sure way to failure! Thanks for pointing this out.
Thanks so much for bringing this up. I actually noticed it some days ago and planned removing it but just forgot about it.
I think that is very insightful. My past experience with it sound a little similar. You need to spend a whole lot of time and of course post something that is really attention grabbing for others to take a look at your signature line. Thanks for the insight.
Oh that’s just what I’m looking for. #1 targeted visitors and less bounce rate? That’s it for me! π
Hi Murlu, great seeing you around. First let me say happy new year! And thanks for that tip. I’m really out to make some impact with forum marketing this year. Once again thanks.
Hi Dennis, that is something I’ve tried to do something about a long time ago. As you suggested I’ve already done a post about it when I noticed this a few months ago. In fact, I’ve also installed a plugin that reminds anyone trying to post a comment without a gravatar to get one. You may not see that message because you already have a gravatar. But anyone without a gravatar sees that message. I just don’t understand why many bloggers don’t want to put a face behind their comments. Possibly many are not looking out for networking but just want to get a backlink.
Following your comment I may have to pull out that post and stick it up front for sometime!
Yeah, driving traffic is not a one-solution thing and that’s what I’m out to do. I’m all out to explore different ways to achieve my aim. And you know what? I’ll be happy if you can offer some tips π