Red Hot Internet Marketing

… online business for the rest of us

Get Noticed With Google Keyword Research

The most important ways to generate website traffic via Google is by using a keyword tool just like  Google AdWords Keyword Research; used effectively and along with some organic traffic development both these techniques should deliver enough leverage to give the highest level of traffic. But whatever method you select to employ you will still need beneficial  Google keyword research.

To be able to explain accurately; organic listings are the sites shown on the left hand side of the page in answer to the chosen keyword or keyword phrase. Many factors contribute to the ranking of each site, though Google continues to be fairly secretive about the different criteria, but there are specific characteristics that most of the top search results for any particular keyword share.

Domain age is crucial; the older the website the more trust given by Google. The more one way links to the site, the higher it ranks. Good authority one way links are also popular important factors. Also, related on-page SEO; the website must display page content related to the keyword submitted by the searcher. Accomplishing a well ranked site can be challenging specially when using competitive text so pick them thoroughly, possibly choose those with low competition. Google keyword research is the key and there are zero cost programs to help, however, most of them will be incapable to identify the hidden goldmine of low competition but well searched keyword phrases. Given your page is optimized for its included keywords your site will have traffic and become favorably indexed.

The right hand side of the page is reserved for paid for advertisements; in this spot any individual can buy ads from Google, you just bid on words you think will be famous then create an ad, when a search is started for that keyword resulting in a click on your advertisement you pay Google the money that you bid for that particular keyword. Whilst Google AdWords is among the most basic ways to produce traffic it can prove costly; clicks on the more competitive words can be expensive because many fully commercial companies use this method.

Seasoned advertisers are well aware of accurately which are the most profitable, having dumped the ones which were costing money rather than earning it through a process of trial and error. It is sad but clear that a lot of money could be spent needlessly bidding on highly competitive words or by bidding on some people that get clicks but don’t succeed to convert into sales. Within Google AdWords there are tools that will help you to find keywords that you might not have considered that not just get a good search rate, but possess little competition and will therefore cost fewer.

To stay away from staying at the mercy of the lengthy trial and error process when searching for the best phrases you could get help from Google by using their keyword research software. A number of the  Google Keyword Research software is awesome and will actually permit you to steal, with complete legality; the most profitable phrases form your competitors for that reason letting you bid on low value but highly money-making keywords.

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Deleting Your Contacts in iPhone

My contacts had become bloated with syncing between iPhone and Outlook so it was time for radical action.  I found no way to delete contacts from within iPhone. I did find ways to use Windows Address Book or Yahoo email but they seemed more convoluted so  how I did it.

  1. Export contacts from outlook to a dos csv format
  2. Check contents of export file
  3. Delete all contacts in outlook
  4. Sync iPhone again and choose to overwrite the contacts with the (now empty) Outlook
  5. Import contacts back into Outlook from the csv file (after cleaning up any duplicates and errors)
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DropBox – Store files in the cloud

I love dropbox. I use my 2gb free account to automatically load my website backups so I always have the latest copy available if things go wrong.

I also use it’s public folder feature to make certain documents accessible to clients which they can then easily download.

Apart from simply storing data and files or photos, here are a few other ideas;

http://storecrowd.com/blog/dropbox-hacks/

I reckon Dropbox is brilliant. It’s easy, smart and keeps me sane!

Get Dropbox for yourself – it’s absolutely (2gb) free!

Dropbox-20090130-154132

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Productivity: Remember The Milk!

I am loving RTM.

I will admit it now. I am a list-maker. I am a BIG list-maker. I make mega lists and they get so big I get overwhelmed and get lost in the volume of what has to be done when.

Robert Plank has tried to get me to stick to the FOUR THINGS philosophy.

I’ve tried lots of to-do list systems, the egg-timer method, the pomadoro technique, Getting Things Done and all types of productivity systems like Franklin Covey, Priority Management and more.

Here’s what I know: ALL the systems work. It’s just that we (I) do not work the system! And hence we get out of control quickly, forget things, procrastinate, end up in a time crunch and don’t get enough done. You know the story.

Well, I rediscovered Remember The Milk after flirting with it years ago. And I think I am about to be a convert. Each time I use it I find a new little way it works and that makes it work so much better. Here’s what I love so far:

  • I can have different lists for different things. (I’m trying to keep these minimal so I don;t get crazy with 101 different lists)
  • I can move things between lists if I get it in the wrong one (select the task, select ‘more actions’ and select ‘move’, or get the Firefox add-in)
  • I can easily set times and dates things are due to be done
  • it automatically sorts my tasks into ‘today’ ‘tomorrow’ etc and I can sort it by a whole lot of other criteria such as priority
  • I can set up Firefox to automatically load my page on start by using LastPass to automatically log me in – that way I start the day with all my tasks for the day as the first thing I see.
  • I can view my tasks in offline mode so I don’t need to be online. I can also print them off if necessary
  • One of the best things is I loaded the iPhone app for RTM and now I have my tasks with me wherever I go and if I get an idea I can jot it into RTM and it will sync with my online task list
  • RTM emails me when a task is due so I won’t forget.

It’s like having a PA, really. So long as I set up the tasks and plug in the info I need I’m good to go! There are a whole lot of other cool things RTM can do as well. I’ve only scratched the surface. The trick is in making the system work for you without becoming a slave to the system. So far so good!

What I also like is that from memory, RTM was the brainchild of some savvy Aussie girl but don’t hold me to that memory chip – it goes back a while.

My Top 7 Productivity Tips

  1. If you want to be more productive, you HAVE to find a system that makes sense to you and that you can work with.
  2. Don’t quit on the system too soon.
  3. Find a system that doesn’t rely on you to make it work (Once I enter the data, RTM takes over!)
  4. When your system tells you to do something, do it, reschedule it, delegate it or delete it
  5. When you schedule, don’t overfill your day or you’ll be forever deferring items
  6. When setting up your tasks make them ‘complete-able’ tasks, ie things you can finish in one sitting – that may just be a chunk of a bigger task.  Tip – thinking, planning and researching are not complete-able tasks! Draft outline of strategic plan is. Identify 5 topics for future blog posts is. Decide and purchase 2 new domain names is. Get the picture?
  7. Schedule some time every day to review your tasks, add new ones and tick off the ‘done’ ones.
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"No One Tells Me To Shut Up!": Cool Graphics From The American Labor Movement

Saturday, you’ll recall, was International Workers’ Day aka May Day aka day on which trust-fund commies throw bottles, torch cars, and yell “Die yuppie scum!” In tetchy parts of Europe, any way. We’ve compiled some of the best Yankee prole propaganda around with help from Lincoln Cushing, coauthor of Agitate! Educate! Organize!: American Labor Posters (and himself an erstwhile union guy).



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Easily manage ALL your WP Sites

Wow.

There is a fairy-godmother after all, and her name is Vlad!

I have a growing list of WordPress websites and it has been getting tedious updating each one of them and monitoring them, even with using a password manager to automatically login.

Then along comes Vlad with a very cool tool.

 

 ManageWP is both a plugin (which authorises the software to centralise your sites) and a dashboard which not only shows an at-a-glance status of your sites but also has increased functionality. You can do bulk updates and upgrades, bulk posts and pages, and other activities including automated backups of your entire site – outstanding safety feature.

And you never have to leave.

From within the dashboard you can then step into any of yoru sites and do the usual stuff.

This is a beta-model at the moment and so it’s use is temporarily free. Which is a good move on Vlad’s part because even after only 30 minutes playing with this, I’m sure most people will not want to go back to the manual method when he sets a price for it.

So head over to managewp.com and try it out for yourself – no affiliate links at all. Just passing on a tip – it works for me!

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Membership Sites – Learning Set 1

I’ve been focusing on building membership sites lately. They serve a real purpose for my offline businesses. Not knowing much about them I enrolled in a program with a couple of young guns who have a good handle on this space.  The course is great  I’ve learned a lot already but I’ve also noted some issues that come with running these sites.

In this case, the guys put the course together from a live class which was conducted over a period. Now they have reopened the course to (what’s the opposite to ‘live? not appealing!) … let’s say a canned class. That is our program is not live but we use the same material that was derived for the original group. No issue with that  – leveraging product for income is perfectly fine.

But here are the things that, as a consumer, I notice. Continue reading

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How To Write a Book: Eat an Elephant (Pt 2)

Great, so we have chapter one underway and indeed published!  Read on for the next instalment of this clever plan to finalise your book and build your business.

Now to phase two.

  1. Write the next 10-20 pages by choosing another sub-topic.
  2. When complete, email it to your list of 10 customers as a bonus for buying the first chapter.
  3. Update your sales page to include benefits from the second chapter,
  4. Sell the new chapter at $11 and promote the offer.
  5. Limit sales to 10 buyers (they will be different to your first ten buyers because they already have the bonus copy!)

So, now you have twenty customers and another $110.

Continue in this fashion. Each week, write the next chapter, up the price by $1 and limit sales to ten buyers.

rinse Rinse and repeat.  Same process each week. New chapter each week. For as many chapters as you need.

By the time you get to your tenth chapter, you will have 100 new customers on your list and have a revenue total of $1450

Now that’s pretty nifty, isn’t it?

Alright, so you never really wanted to write a book. That’s ok. Each week’s chapter can be an audio instalment or a video instalment. I’d just argue that in addition to any audio or video media that you have a supplemental printed material, even if it’s just a ‘cheat sheet’ or ‘quick guide’.

I’ve been asked will this work for other than information products? Absolutely. Just add to the content each week, provide regular bonus upgrades for your previous buyers and sell each new issue to new buyers. That way you build your revenue, build your list and build your business.

By the end of this you will have your book, or equivalent. Then you can sell that as a single product as well for a much more appropriate amount.

The key to this magical system is to ensure you provide original, quality content that people want to buy. Make sure it is informative, applicable and well written.

Off you go then and grab your knife and fork to start dining on your elephant, one mouthful at a time!

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Be Productive, Not Busy

At times, we get caught up in the little things that we feel need to be done. Right now, for example, I am in clean up mode in my office. I can get so productive that I jump from one thing to the next and before I know it my space looks like a war zone, or a teenager’s bedroom!

In cleaning up I cam across this quote I plucked out of Tim Ferris’s 4-hour Work Week book:

“The size of your bank account doesn’t change by the number of hours you log in handling unimportant email or minutiae” Tim Ferris

Every now and then I think we all need to be reminded of the priorities.

It can be easy to focus on the easy things to do, like trolling through email and tidying up things so they are just so. In the end what matters is whether you are attending to the important things like client proposals, client reports, delivering value, publishing articles, building links, putting up sales letters, adding opt-ins, connecting the pieces together and maximising their utility.

stop[1]So, every now and then stop and check in with yourself.

  • Is what I am working on right now building revenue now?
  • Is there something I am better spending my time on now?
  • Can I reschedule what I am doing so it fits better with my priorities?

Make sure you are productive, not just busy.

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Are you using copyright-free content?

An exploding issue in the online world is the use of material which is protected. All original material is protected by copyright law.  Yet people fail to pay heed to that and blindly re-use information and images.

Similarly, if you are repurpsing PLR content, you need to make sure that it is not a blind copy, or face the consequences from search engines who slap you for lack of originality.

Here is a list of tools which can help you with both of these scenarios. Most if not all cost nothing to use.

So, you found someone has copied your content.

What do you do about it?

Follow the instructions here:   http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/stopping-internet-plagiarism/

DupeFree Pro: Avoid Duplicate Content & Online Plagiarism!
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