Online Business Info

5 Important Rules in Website Design

2009-04-07T01:03:00.001-07:00

When it comes to your website, extra attention should be paid to every minute detail to make sure it performs optimally to serve its purpose. Here are seven important rules of thumb to observe to make sure your website performs well.

Do not use splash pages.

Splash pages are the first pages you see when you arrive at a website. They normally have a very beautiful image with words like "welcome" or "click here to enter". In fact, they are just that pretty vases with no real purpose. Do not let your visitors have a reason to click on the "back" button! Give them the value of your site up front without the splash page.

Do not use excessive banner advertisements
Even the least net savvy people have trained themselves to ignore banner advertisements so you will be wasting valuable website real estate. Instead, provide more valuable content and weave relevant affiliate links into your content, and let your visitors feel that they want to buy instead of being pushed to buy.

Have a simple and clear navigation
You have to provide a simple and very straightforward navigation menu so that even a young child will know how to Justify Fulluse it. Stay away from complicated Flash based menus or multi tiered dropdown menus. If your visitors don't know how to navigate, they will leave your site.

Have a clear indication of where the user is
When visitors are deeply engrossed in browsing your site, you will want to make sure they know which part of the site they are in at that moment. That way, they will be able to browse relevant information or navigate to any section of the site easily. Don't confuse your visitors because confusion means "abandon ship"!

Avoid using audio on your site
If your visitor is going to stay a long time at your site, reading your content, you will want to make sure they're not annoyed by some audio looping on and on on your website. If you insist on adding audio, make sure they have some control over it volume or muting controls would work fine.

eBay Sellers from Bidvertiser

2009-03-14T01:11:00.001-07:00

Pay per click advertising on sites of your choice
With BidVertiser, you choose the categories to place your ad on. Simply browse through our categorized directory of sites and choose the appropriate ones for your ad.

Pay only for the clicks you receive
We use a pay per click advertising (ppc) model which means that you only pay for the clicks you receive. You choose how much you are willing to pay for each click, in each of the categories you have chosen to display your ads on.

Set the max price you are willing to pay per click
We automatically adjust your cost-per-click to just $0.01 above the next closest competitor, so you get the best price available for your traffic.

Choose your geographical targeting
BidVertiser allows you to display your ads within a geographic range you determine. Simply choose your geographical targeting and we will show your ads only to users located anywhere in the country or countries you selected.

Monitor the performance of your ads
Use the Advertiser Center to monitor the performance of your ads by customizing dozens of online reports such as the number of page impressions, clicks, click-through rate and the total amount you've spent.

From www.bidvertiser.com

Five Benefits of Affiliate Marketing

2009-02-19T23:23:00.001-08:00

Affiliate marketing works as well as it does because it is mutually beneficial to the merchant and the affiliate marketer. It is a great way for both to make money selling products on the Internet. Let’s take a closer look at five of the benefits of affiliate marketing from the point of view of the merchant and the affiliate marketer.

1. As an affiliate marketer you do not need to create your own product. The merchant takes care of that for you. For this reason you are able to get started very quickly as an affiliate marketer making money online once you have joined the merchant’s affiliate program. From the merchant’s point of view, there is no need to engage in time consuming interviews or vetting procedures. On the Internet, anybody who can complete the affiliate sign up form with valid data and accept the terms and conditions by ticking a box will most likely qualify automatically.

2. Most affiliate marketing programs are free to join. That is good from the merchant’s point of view because it means many more people are likely to join. It is obviously good for the affiliate marketer because there is no financial risk involved in signing up to the program.

3. Affiliate merchants make it very easy for their affiliates to make money online. They provide everything the marketing materials, they collect the money, deal with product shipping and customer service. Your one job as an affiliate marketer is to promote your affiliate website.

4. One of the biggest benefits of affiliate marketing is the opportunity it gives you to earn money 24 hours a day. Unlike a traditional business you do not have to open a retail store to sell products. On the Internet sales are not dictated by your personal working hours. This is a benefit to the merchants because they can provide you with an affiliate website at little or no cost to themselves and you can promote around the clock. Any time and every time someone makes a purchase on your website both the merchant and yourself benefit from it.

5. One benefit the Internet provides affiliate marketers is the option of responding swiftly to new developments. Many affiliate marketers choose to capitalize on what’s going on in the world today and make product sales around that.

The Internet literally allows you to be promoting online in minutes with such marketing tools as Google Adwords, social networking, blogging and so on. So if you can find an angle to a big news event that fits in with your product niche, the quicker you post a blog or publish an article about it the better!

The real benefit to affiliate merchants is that when they recruit active and determined affiliates they get their products promoted instantly without doing anything themselves. They leave it up to their growing team of committed affiliate marketers to handle all of the advertising and promotion for them.

These five benefits of affiliate marketing from both the affiliate merchant and affiliate marketer’s point of view demonstrate that affiliate marketing has the potential to be a powerful form of online income generation. Whether you are a merchant looking to get your products sold, or whether you are a marketer looking for more ways to make money, the benefits of affiliate marketing are many and evident.

Darrell Howell is the webmaster and owner of Blue Ridge Money
http://www.blueridgemoney.info His blog can be found at:
http://www.blueridgemoney.info/blog

Making Money with Articles: Free Article Content

2009-02-08T21:31:00.001-08:00

The following article covers a topic that has recently moved to center stage--at least it seems that way. If you've been thinking you need to know more about it, here's your opportunity.

Some webmasters try to use articles from free content directories to get visitors to their site again make some money. This is mostly important for those who have just begun working over an affiliate for several companies and do not yet have any funding, yet need to built small niche websites to visitors to their site so that they can begin making revenue.

Although this can sometimes be the only option for those who are running on a non - existent budget, it is not a way that will effectively build your website or revenue. There are a few potential reasons why this may be detrimental to your game building efforts.

Problem #1 - Search Engines

Search engines will only look down upon your site if it has the exact same duplicated content than other sites. The more sites that share your content, the less it will help you achieve good search engine rankings.

Good search engine rankings are essential in getting visitors to your sit so that they have a chance to click on your affiliate links. If you cannot even get visitors, then bequeath never make an revenue. Working on the search engine optimization of your site so that you will eventually be tremendous enough in the results to get customers, should be priority one.

Problem #2 - Getting visitors to click

Although getting your site high on search engine result pages and acquiring site visitors is hard work, unfortunately this is only half of the battle. You must further be able to convince those visitors to click on your affiliate links. If your visitors see the same content they have seen on a multitude of other sites, they will be least likely to click on your links.

Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:

This is because most people want to buy things that are recommended by people that they trust or whom they feel like are an skilful on the subject.

If your content is just duplicated from other sites, you will be exposed as someone who does not really know what they are talking about and therefore will not look heavily on your product recommendations. This will reduce the number of website visitors who will be willing to click through.

Problem #3 - Author Bylines

Conspicuously free content is unequaled given to you if you agree to place the authors byline under the article ( you can get into trouble if you try to use it without following the stipulated rules ). This poses a problem because most author bylines include links. When a reader gets done reading a really groovy article, there is a strong possibility that they will click on the author’s byline link rather than your affiliate links. This is the entire reason why these authors offer free content to begin with, therefore that they may get their name also links out trained to the understandable. Using this type of content may mean shooting yourself in the foot and losing possible profitable website visitors.

Once you put these three problems together, you are looking at a serious decline leverage revenue simply because you used free website content from article directories. Although it may act for the only option for some, if you have the funds to buy your own original content, ergo you should vivacity this route. If you don’t have the finds, however, you may be larger off writing your let on content and then hiring professional services once you have made a mitzvah to work with.

As your knowledge about continues to grow, you will begin to see how fits into the overall scheme of things. Knowing how something relates to the rest of the world is important too.

Source : www.adsense-success.co.cc

Secret Top 10 AdSense Tricks To Boost Your Commission

2009-01-17T00:16:00.001-08:00

Google AdSense is fast becoming the preferred way for people to earn an income online. Forget eBay and multiple affiliate programs - Whether you are a work-at-home mom trying to make a little extra cash or an Internet entrepreneur with hundreds of monetized websites, AdSense is truly the easiest way to earn money.

Simply sign up for a free account, grab your ad code and paste it in your site. But here's the amazing thing - no matter how much money AdSense is making for you right now, a few simple tweaks can increase that amount considerably. And I should know, after learning about these tricks, I more than doubled my AdSense commissions!

The self-proclaimed AdSense gurus and experts are sharing this insider knowledge, for a fee. You can learn all these secrets from them, as long as you buy their e-book, sign up for their seminar or purchase their newsletter. But I'm going to share all their AdSense tricks for free. Here they are:

1) Color code your ads to match your web site palette *exactly*. Don't use frames around your ads. Instead, in the AdSense code generation interface, make sure you choose the same color as your page background for the ad frame and the ad background.

When choosing the ad heading colors, match them to the *exact* color of your page headings. Use the exact same ad background shade as your page background. Use the exact same ad text font and color as the text on your pages. You can see an example of this color-matching on my search engine advice blog notice the 4 link ad unit and skyscraper text ad unit on the left hand side under the headings Ads by Google as you scroll down the page? The link and text colors are identical to the color palette used throughout the rest of the page.

Near enough is NOT good enough. If you can't quite get the color matching right, use Google's built in color palette together with the RGB to HEX or vice versa color converter on this page. That handy little tool was a life saver for me.

This is probably the one single tweak that made the most difference to my commission levels.

2) Try not to use the traditional horizontal banner style or leaderboard image ads because people are blind to them.

3) Use Google's own AdSense optimization tips and visual heat map to assist you in deciding where on your page to place your AdSense ad code.

4) Research competitive keywords using a keyword research tool such as Keyword Discovery or grab a list of the most popular keywords from various sources and use them in your web site pages where relevant. This article is a good source of frequently searched keywords. Targeting popular keywords should trigger AdSense ads on your pages that utilize those keywords. The more popular the keyword or phrase, the higher AdWords advertisers are generally willing to pay per click for it so the higher your commission on those clicks.

5) Incorporate the AdSense code into your page so that the ads look like a regular part of your site. You can see an example of this on the Internet Dating Stories site where link ads are incorporated within the regular left hand navigation of the site under the heading "Feature Links".

6) Use Google's new 4 and 5 link ad units wherever possible. They seem to have a much higher Click Through Rate (CTR) than regular ad styles. You can view all the AdSense ad formats here.

7) Place arrows or images next to your ads to draw attention to them. You can see two different versions of on this search engine article library page at the top (where a pointing hand directs your eye to the ad) and the bottom where 3 images draw your attention to each of the three AdSense ads.

8) Use the full allowance of multiple AdSense ads on each of your pages - 3 regular AdSense ads, plus 1 link unit. Use careful placement of these ads so they blend into your site and don't distract from your content. Clever use of this allowance can be seen on this page about bad Internet dating stories where you see:

- 1 horizontal 4 link ad unit towards the top of the page under the first paragraph
- 1 vertical skyscraper text ad unit about halfway down the left hand side under "Sponsor Links"
- 1 vertical skyscraper image ad unit down the left hand side under "Sponsor Links"
- 1 horizontal text banner unit at the bottom of the page with images above each ad to draw attention to them.

You can also include 1 AdSense referral button in addition to the 3 other units.

9) Tailor your page content to a particular niche or focus. Page content that is tailored towards a specific theme is more likely to trigger AdWords ads that closely match the content and are therefore more likely to interest your visitors and inspire them to click. Don't create pages merely for the sake of placing AdSense ads. Visitors (and search engines) can see through this ruse in an instant.

10) Use custom Ad Channels for each of your ad placements, for example, "Top 5 Link Unit Blue Palette" or "Left Side Navigation Image Skyscraper" etc. Tweak, track and measure the success of each of these custom channels so you know what gives you the highest CTR. Some ad formats and colors will work better than others, but you won't know which until you test, test and test some more!

Source : searchengineguide.com

Online Web Page Design Course In ExpertRating

2009-01-09T21:39:00.001-08:00

(leading to ExpertRating Web Design Certification)

ExpertRating is one of the world's only ISO 9001:2000 Certified companies (from TUV America) offering an ExpertRating Online Web Page Design Course (leading to ExpertRating Web Design Certification).

ExpertRating is a trusted name in online testing and certification with over 200,000 certified professionals in over 60 countries in more than 200 skill areas. ExpertRating offers its testing services to the world's best companies such as Convergys Corp, UPS, GAP, Sony, Coke, Citrix, Deltek Corp, IKEA Systems and Ericsson to name a few. See where ExpertRating Certified Professionals are working.

It is very safe to buy from ExpertRating. Apart from being an ISO 9001:2000 company, it is a member of the BBB (Better Business Bureau) Privacy Program, Square Trade business member since 2002 and HackerSafe approved. ExpertRating has certified Several thousand individuals who are working with leading companies across the US and other countries. View list.

When you choose the ExpertRating Online Web Page Design Course you can be sure that you are buying a premium International certification that is recognized by hundreds of employers and Government bodies in the US and other countries.

With ExpertRating you get certified quickly online and you are equipped with a store house of information through the in-depth ExpertRating Online Web Page Design Courseware which has been developed by experienced Web Page Designing Experts.

The ExpertRating Web Page Design Certification is by far the best value for money instructor led WebPage Design Program at $99.99 .

Some Popular questions and answers about this ExpertRating Online Web Page Design Course and Certification:

How much does the Web Design Certification cost and what does it include?

You can buy this ExpertRating Online Web Page Design Course leading to Web Design certification at a special offer price of only $99.99 which includes the in-depth ExpertRating Online Web Page Design Courseware and exam fee. This is the best value for money Web Design Program available till date. You get the following services within the USD $99.99 fee.

In-depth ExpertRating Online Web Page Design Courseware including scenarios and case studies.

An instructor to guide you through the course and to whom you can direct your questions.

World wide airmail delivery of the hard copy Web Design Certificate. The Web Design Certificate can be used to prove your certified status and does not mention the words "online".

An online transcript that can be used to prove your certified credentials on the internet at any time.

How do I get certified?

The process of getting yourself certified is very simple. All you have to do is buy the ExpertRating Online Web Page Design Course for $99.99 . Log in to the instructor led course using your password. Go through the ExpertRating Online Web Page Design Courseware (which would take you 6 weeks) and complete the final Web Design Certification exam at your convenience. You can complete the exam within 2 months of buying the Web Design Certification. The result of the exam appears as soon as it is completed, and your Web Design Certificate is mailed immediately.

What learning aids will I get?

The ExpertRating Online Web Page Design Course includes the following learning aids:

24 x 7 hour access to the courseware. A printer friendly version of the ExpertRating Online Web Page Design Course is also provided

A friendly instructor to answer your questions online

A discussion area to have your questions answered

Chapter end quizzes to ensure that you are learning important aspects of every chapter

Chapter assignments to help you practically use the Web Design that you will learn during the Web Design Course.

What is the final exam like?

The final exam is fully based upon the ExpertRating Online Web Page Design Courseware that is provided along with the Web Design Certification. If you have gone through the courseware properly you should not have a problem clearing the exam. The exam consists of multiple choice questions from all chapters of the ExpertRating Online Web Page Design Courseware.

What are the course start dates?

ExpertRating instructor led courses commence every month, you can always choose a suitable date for your course commencement in any month. To see available course start dates, please click on the "Enroll now" button. All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.
A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Buy the ExpertRating Online Web Page Design Course- $99.99

Secrets to a Successful Blog In Online Business

2008-12-31T22:09:00.001-08:00

We decided to sneak in an extra interview for Online4Offline’s online marketing expert interview series. Our goal is to help you supercharge your business as we enter the last 100 days of 2008.

During this series we will introduce you to proven techniques and tools to expand your business online and offline. Our presenters will include coaches, marketing consultants, authors, software providers and other “in the trenches” entrepreneurs.

This week we’ll interview James Tervitt and find out his secrets to building a successful blog – even if you’re non-technical.

James resume is impressive — a seasoned consultant, 22 years working for Royal Bank Of Scotland, France Telecom, Qatar Telecom, NBC Universal and consulted with the senior management of Manchester United, Scottish Football Association on telecom branding for the last 18 months.

He have decided to leave corporate consultancy behind, studied blog technology around social equity at the beginning of 2005 and setup a feasibility this year 2008 taking 4 non technical individuals and empowering them with a blog platform, which has gained an authority on google inside 7 months and also gaining recognition from music publishers in East LA http://www.eastlarevue.com through rampart records producer steven chavez and a local Edinburgh publisher http://birlinn.co.uk/book/details/The-Sensational-Alex-Harvey-9781846970887/as a resource for Alex Harvey a seventies beat band.

Recently he pulled together 10 individuals from all backgrounds through a friendfeed room which was set up by Debbie Prenner of http://photo-lifestyle.com , she invited him to talk about his system for blogging which he was using to build a social blog community around the 4 C’s of marketing, Content, Creativity, Communication and Community, subsequently he has registered 4cees.com

Too many non-technical people set out to blog on their chosen subject only to be delayed by technical, marketing and distribution challenges along with practically no choice in service provision, his 10 blog executives all focus on writing and the output in the last 10 days has produced an amazing array of content from flying advice, recipes, photography, audio advice, health advice, expert knowledge on cricket, artistic portfolio and our first customers from the music, banking and sports sectors are already being discussed.

270+ Tools for Running a Business Online

2008-12-09T19:30:00.001-08:00

by Cameron Chapman on http://mashable.com

Last August we featured a post with more than 230 online apps for running your business. Since there are hundreds of new apps coming on the market every year, we figured it was time for an update. This year we came up with more than 270 additional apps. Some are completely new since last year, others might have been overlooked, and still others made significant improvements that gained them a spot on the list.

Accounting, Billing, Invoicing, Estimating & Contracts

LiteAccounting - Invoice and track payment from your customers without a bunch of extra, useless features.

Invoice Journal - Free invoicing program.

endeve - Issue invoices, manage clients and check revenues all in one place.

ContractPal - Take your contracts and forms paperless and have them completed, validated, signed and processed online.

Bootstrap - Online bookkeeping software that lets you track sales and expenses, organize your records for tax time, and more.

Citrus - An online billing website that allows your customers to view, download and pay their invoices by credit card or direct debit.

Zapproved - Create and send proposals, manage the approval process and reach agreements without any hassle.

Mumboe - Online contract and business agreement management app.

FinanciFY - Easy to use online financial management tools for small businesses and individuals.

Invoice Place - Online billing software that lets you track invoices, quotes, receipts and more.

Zoho Invoice - Manage invoices and payments, format invoices and quotes, set up recurring invoices, and more, with free and paid plans.

GoToBilling - An online app that manages invoices and payments, marketing, customer relationship management and more.

NetBooks - Marketing, sales, inventory and financial control in one place.

Pulse - Cash flow management app for small businesses.

Shoeboxed - Online tracking and organizing of your receipts.

FreeAgent Central - Accounting and money management app for freelancers.

CurdBee - An online billing application that integrates with payments through PayPal or Google Checkout.

Clarity Accounting - Online accounting for small businesses and professionals with multi-user support.

Calendars & Scheduling

Appointy - An online appointment management tool.

SuperSaaS - This is online scheduling software that allows you to accept appointments booked directly on your website.

BookingPad - An online bookings system that can be integrated into any website.

clickbook - A free online booking and scheduling program.

eXpireTrack - Track and plan for the date that products are to expire.

Scheduly - Add your business to their directory and then let your clients pick their own appointment time slots (from your available slots).

When is Good - Find out the best time for everyone to meet without the hassle.

Shiftboard - Online scheduling for businesses to coordinate worker schedules.

Robyn - Easy online scheduling for service providers.

ScheduleOnce - Scheduling engine to get everyone who needs to meet together at one time.

TimeBridge - See the availability of everyone you need to meet with.

Charts, Diagrams, and Whiteboards

Exploratree - Online mind mapping software that provides ready-made thinking guides.

Wisdomap - A simple mind mapping application.

Best4C - An online charting and diagramming tool.

Scriblink - A simple, free online whiteboard.

Gliffy - Online diagramming and charting software.

Mindomo - Free online mind mapping software.

Mapul - Online mind mapping that allows you to create organic looking mind maps.

WiseMapping - Free mind mapping software that allows you to publish and share your mind maps.

Collaboration & Workgroups

Homecourt - Homecourt is a Web-based collaboration tool.

blogtronix - An enterprise social platform that includes blogs, wikis, documents and social media so that users in large and small organizations can collaborate and build communities inside and outside their company.

WorkflowPerfect - A Web-based business process tool that facilitates collaboration.

ClientSpot - A project collaboration and time tracking software specifically for virtual assistants and other freelancers.

skrbl - Online collaboration and white board space.

Planzone - Secure and private collaborative project workspace to share files, manage tasks, and communicate with others.

Nuospace - On demand collaboration software that provides online document management, allows you to edit pages in your browser, and offers tools to engage your colleagues.

DeskAway - An online project collaboration app aimed at small businesses and teams that organizes, manages and tracks your online work.

Mentat - A free project-sharing service accessible from a browser of supported devices (including BlackBerry).

Easy Projects .NET - Project collaboration software that offers both a downloadable option and a hosted version.

Ecto Connect - An online collaboration, communication and content sharing app.

Clearspace - An online collaboration suite that includes documents, blogs, discussions, projects, and more.

Twiddla - An online conference tool that allows you to mark up websites, graphics, and photos, or brainstorm on a blank canvas.

Sosius - Online workspace that includes a contact & group manager, custom workspace, file management, calendar, blog, discussions, chat, and more.

CollectiveX - Create free group sites for collaboration and networking.

Yammer - A twitter-like app for getting updates from your co-workers.

BrightIdeasLab - An online home for all your brilliant ideas that also offers collaborative brainstorming space.

Ximdesk - Collaboration and social networking platform for enterprise.

Status - A Twitter-like app for keeping your work group connected.

GroupSwim - Social collaboration and community tools to bring your employees, customers, and partners together.

Kindling - Idea management and collaboration tool that lets you vote on ideas.

Conferences, Presentations & Meetings

Expectnation - A conference program organizing software.

KinetiCast - Create online presentations, deliver them, and then track who’s watching.

Gretastudio - Create on-demand presentations for your company’s products, record training and e-learning materials, or other types of presentations that require audio or video content.

280Slides - A free online presentation software that allows you to import existing documents, download to PowerPoint, publish to the Web and more.

SlideRocket - Design professional quality presentations and then deliver them in person or over the Web.

vcasmo - Presentation software for business presentations, academic teaching, seminars, conferences, sales pitching, live events and more.

slideboom - Allows you to share PowerPoint presentations live online.

Empressr - A visual storytelling and presentation application.

Zoho Show - Create embeddable presentations online, present from a remote location, or share and collaborate on presentations.

slidelive - Present Microsoft PowerPoint presentations live online with this browser-based meeting solution.

Text The Mob - Collect feedback during presentations and seminars by posting polls or message boards on a large screen and having your audience send their input via their cell phones.

ReadyTalk - Online Web meeting and audio conferencing solutions.

Persony - Inexpensive Web conferencing service.

Calliflower - Conference calling tools that include Skype integration, invitations and reminders, and more.

GoToMeeting - Online meeting and conferencing software.

buzz2biz - A free online meeting platform.

MyCommittee - Online tracking of meeting agendas and minutes.

GroupLoop - Web-based committee organizing software.

Crowdsourcing, Networking & Community

Wild Apricot - Online tools for clubs, associations, and communities that include email newsletters, blogs, discussion forums, a member database and more.

OctopusCity - Build your online business network, keep in touch with people through mini-feeds, messaging and free teleconferencing, and save time by keeping one universal address book system.

LittleEngine - A community of small businesses and their patrons that are committed to buying locally and supporting local businesses.

Advisor Garage - A social network that connects entrepreneurs who need advice with advisors on just about any business-related topic.

Xing - A global networking and contact management site for business professionals.

Cambrian House - A free crowdsourcing app.

Socialcast - Private online communities of all sizes to help organize enterprise communication that allows employees to decide how to find and use information while reducing email clutter and unproductive communications.

CEOWorld.biz - Global networking for managers, entrepreneurs, and senior execs.

cmypitch.com - Online networking for entrepreneurs, investors and service providers that helps connect people who can help each other succeed.

Customer Relationship Management, Customer Service & Contact Management

Mojo Helpdesk - Mojo Helpdesk allows you to track customer requests, keep your customers and your staff informed about what’s happening with their accounts, and deliver better service.

TagTicket - This hosted helpdesk software is great for managing customer problems as well as in-house issues. There’s nothing to install, and it allows you to manage, track and share your emails and files with other staff.

RightNow - RightNow is an on-demand customer relationship management program that integrates sales, service, marketing, feedback and voice functions.

sfa finity - This CRM software offers all the regular features, plus account-centric, contact-centric and opportunity-centric perspectives, allowing you to view information the way you prefer.

LinkingUniverse CS - This progress-oriented CRM tool helps you work toward your customer goals. They also have a blog with tips for using the program.

Stazzle - Stazzle is a basic CRM that allows you to track information from birthdays and anniversaries to favorite ball teams and restaurants. It also allows you to track who referred which client and why.

HelpSpot - This help desk software allows support staff to easily manage requests from multiple sources in addition to providing powerful self-help functionality.

CRMdesk - This help desk software allows you to automate your online customer support.

insidesales.com - InsideSales.com provides a lead management CRM suite that incorporates an auto-dialer and allows coordination between multiple departments dealing with a single customer.

Free CRM - This is a Web-based customer relationship management software that allows for sales force automation. Track leads and manage your sales pipeline.

bConnections - This is a simple, easy to use CRM system that allows you to shorten your sales cycle, provide better customer service, make informed decisions, and increase your sales.

salesboom - This is a CRM and back office solution that’s user friendly and provides seamless integration.

SalesJunction - SalesJunction is a highly customizable but easy to use contact management system that’s very affordable.

Leadvine - LeadVine can help you increase sales by allowing you to post sales leads and have the community find you new customers.

Bizroof CRM - A free, Web-based contact management program.

Bizzvo - Bizzvo offers contact management, email marketing and invoicing solutions.

BatchBook - BatchBook is a small business CRM that manages contacts, communications, and to-do lists, and offers list and report functionality (including creating things like mailing labels and email lists).

Solomon - Solomon is a simplified Web-based CRM and contact manager.

ClairMail - ClairMail provides account management, mobile payments, customer service, and more, all on your mobile phone.

Appature CRM - A marketing-focused customer relationship management program.

Helperoo - A simple email support system geared toward small teams.

Mzinga - A full set of comprehensive social media and enterprise learning solutions that address talent development, enable support staff to communicate and collaborate with customers and partners, and helps your marketing team increase brand visibility, demand for products and services, and more.

Oprius - A contact management software designed for independent sales people.

b2b CRM - A Web-based CRM that manages contacts, activities, and your sales pipeline, and integrates with Outlook and Word.

zendesk - A branded online customer support system.

helpdeskpilot - Help desk software that includes email integration, a knowledge base and more.

Tactile CRM - A cost-effective CRM that tracks sales, deals, emails and customer contacts.

Nuebbo - Online contact and virtual business card management.

Simple Sales Tracking - An online sales tracking app that offers free and paid plans.

Soocial - A simple contact management app and address book.

Database, File Storage & Information Management

Pixily - An online service that lets you aggregate, organize, find and share your documents.

ThinkFree Docs - Online document sharing.

.docstoc - An online repository of free documents you can download, or upload your own documents to share.

Thinkfree - Online access to files, collaboration space for your team, and the ability to edit documents and post to blogs with a Web-based editor.

SpringCM - Online contract and document management.

ProofHQ - Online management and review of designs, artwork and documents.

Xythos - Online document management and storage.

NomaDesk - Online virtual file server with offline continuity.

Middlepost Docs - An online document manager that also allows you to sign docs.

AirSet - Online document management and sharing.

Email

MailChimp - Email marketing app that includes subscriber management, advanced coding capability, tracking and reports, and more.

Ping82 - Control, manage and track your email using tools made to improve communication between people working together on a project.

eMail Manager - A Web-based email management solution for high volume email environments.

IFM Campaign Manager - A Web-based email list management and marketing tool.

Xpenser - Record your expenses with email, SMS, Twitter, IM, and more.

Synergymail - Online email marketing app that includes campaign tracking.

Mad Mimi - Email marketing utility that allows you to create branded email newsletters and promotions.

EmailBrain - Email newsletter management app.

Employee Management, Payroll & Human Resources

Taleo - Taleo is e-recruitment and talent management software.

Zapoint - Zapoint is a Web 2.0 enterprise talent management platform with integrated performance management, skills mapping, organization mapping, recruiting and succession planning.

Halogen Software - Halogen offers talent management and employee performance solutions.

SuccessFactors - An on-demand talent and performance management platform that gets everyone in your company working together by aligning goals.

Cornerstone OnDemand - This is an on-demand talent management suite.

paylocity - Online payroll, human resources, time tracking and tax services.

Litmos - Create, deliver and manage online training.

Akken - Staffing and recruiting management software that includes email, CRM, accounting, human resources, and more.

TalentMaze - A marketplace for employers to find top recruiters to find the best employees for their businesses.

Rejose - Applicant tracking system that’s simple, efficient and cost effective.

Catch the Best - Online resume and applicant tracking solution.

Feedback

Kumquat - Quickly and easily solicit feedback from clients, superiors, peers, fans, family, or anyone else on projects, plans, on-going activities, blogs, or whatever else you want.

Feefo - Feefo is an independent customer feedback system that is transparent and comprehensive (and doesn’t allow business owners to edit customer feedback).

RivalMap - An online app that helps you monitor and share market news, maintain knowledge of your industry and competitors, and discuss information.

Feedback 2.0 - Collect opinions, expectations, and suggestions from a selected audience and discover the consensus.

ConceptShare - Share media with colleagues and have them leave feedback, reply to comments, approve artwork, and markup on visuals.

Backboard - An online feedback tool that allows users to markup documents (including images, text and websites).

Marketing & Publicity

StartPR - StartPR allows you to monitor your brand on social media sites including blogs, social networks, and more.

Prospect Insight - This is a Web marketing automation suite that provides information to your sales team on where to spend its time in order to maximize your return on investment.

HubSpot - HubSpot is an Internet marketing suite that integrates with your website to track your online marketing efforts.

iKarma - A reputation management service that allows you to compare customer comments, display testimonials, get customer referrals and manage your word-of-mouth.

Survelio.com - An online survey service.

Sonar - An online polling software.

formatpixel - Create your own online magazines, catalogs, brochures and more.

Traceworks - Online marketing software that helps you set goals, plan, execute and optimize your marketing activities.

ReputationHQ - Online reputation management app that searches for your desired information across millions of websites.

WordJot - Business blog hosting platform.

IncSpring - An online marketplace for businesses to purchase brands and logos directly from designers.

Anthillz - Professional relationship and reputation management.

BrandDoozie - A DIY online marketing material creation suite that helps you create professional-looking business cards, brochures, logos, and more.

Shoutlet - Distribute and track viral marketing campaigns across social media outlets.

Money Making & eCommerce Solutions

GoodBarry - An integrated system that runs your website, email marketing and online store that also automatically grows your customer database.

Scrobbld - PayPal and eBay order management app that keeps all your transactions in one place.

Office Applications

Celum Imagine - Software that lets you manage and distribute your photos, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs and multimedia content.

gOffice - They offer Web Word Wizard, a true online word processor.

PDFHammer.com - An online, free PDF editor that allows you to merge/combine files, rearrange, reorder and delete pages, lock your PDFs and more.

Organization & Management

OrderMotion - An order management system for online businesses.

MagSuite - An open source marketing automation, sales force automation, accounting, service automation and inventory control system.

Process Maker - Organize your company’s work flow and eliminate paperwork.

Alfresco - Open source enterprise content management that offers collaboration, record management, knowledge management and more.

minutesinaminute - An online app for keeping track of your company meeting minutes.

SyncWizard - Synchronize your contacts, calendars, bookmarks, and more with your portable devices.

analysis-one - Online tool to help you monitor your financial and non-financial business performance.

Phone & Voicemail

Phonesheet.com - This is a Web-based phone call and contact management program that allows you to track incoming and outgoing calls on a daily basis.

Vontoo - Vontoo provides automated voice messaging on demand.

Task Lists, Planning & Project Management

Torch Project Management - Torch allows you to collaborate using messages, e-mails, files, tasks, Google Docs, and other methods. You can bid, track your time and invoice clients directly. Offers seamless work flow (connecting bidding, project management, time tracking and invoicing).

PlanPlus Online - An online calendar, time management, project management, and contact management suite from FranklinCovey.

Wrike - Practical project management software that allows you to create tasks from emails.

Comindwork - Project management, knowledge management, and collaboration software.

No Kahuna - Project management with no unnecessary features.

Teamness - Organize project data and share it online with customers or colleagues.

Teamwork Project Manager - Online project management that includes custom views and quick access tabs.

PriorityTrack - Gather ideas, prioritize, collaborate, and keep projects on track.

ProjectPipe.com - Project management for small-to-midsized teams.

Planix - Consistently and accurately estimate resources, scheduling and costs of software development projects.

Pelotronics - Project organization and collaboration app.

Task2Gather - Free online task and project management.

ididwork - Keep track of the work you actually do, see what other members of your team are doing in real-time, and get feedback from your manager.

Gtdagenda.com - An online planner for Getting Things Done.

Undone - An online to-do list manager and project management app.

Qcron - Project management and time tracking app.

OnStage - Online project management, workspace and collaboration tool.

Joint Contact - Project collaboration and management tool.

Viewpath - Manage projects and events online.

5pm - An online project management tool with a customizable interface, an interactive timeline, time reports, email integration and more.

Flempo - An online to-do list with the ability to assign tasks and keep track of progress, collect tasks from other systems (using the Flempo API), and more.

TaskAnyone - Assign tasks to anyone via email, and TaskAnyone will follow up until they follow through.

TaskBin - Manage group tasks in a single shared to-do list.

ProjectOffice.net - Online project management that includes issue tracking, expense tracking, and knowledge management.

Lighthouse - Simple issue tracking and project management.

@task - Online time tracking, work flow and project management app.

Jumpchart - Online website planning app.

LiquidPlanner - Team management, task management and project scheduling all in one online app.

eloops - Online project management software that includes a calendar, data backup and social networking software.

XPLive - Project management app that focuses on individuals and interactions over processes and tools.

Project Spaces - Project management and online workspace that includes a document library, task list, calendar, announcements and email lists.

Goplan - Simple online project management.

TargetProcess - Project management software that features real-time progress tracking, communications features, and more.

Staction - Group project management and communication app.

Collabtive - Easy to use collaborative project management software that tracks milestones, task lists, time tracking and more.

LessProjects - Project management from the people who created LessAccounting.

Jumptree - Project management that updates you by email, manages accountability and more.

Project2Manage - Free hosted project management that includes milestones, to-do lists, and more.

Mingle - Project management and team collaboration app.

Time Management & Tracking

TrackMyPeople - Track your time and your employees’ time online.

Office Timesheets - Web-based time and expense tracking that’s easy to use and available anywhere.

Tick - A time tracking app for the service industry.

TSheets - Simple online time and labor tracking for small business.

Tempo - Simple time tracking with reporting features.

myHours.com - Online time management, tracking and timesheet solution that is accessible online or via mobile phone.

LiveTimer - Online time tracking service with reporting features, iPhone/iPod Touch interface, and more.

Paymo - Time tracking that includes online invoices and expense tracking.

Time59 - Online time and expense tracking and invoicing.

Paybackable - Online expense tracking that includes mileage expense calculations and expense reporting.

motismo - Online time tracking for creative professionals.

Virtual Office Platforms

WORKetc. - A suite of online tools including employee timesheets, document management, customer support, sales management, project management, billing and invoicing, and more.

ConcourseSuite - This open source online suite of programs offers customer relationship management as well as online presence management, team collaboration, and customer service.

OpenGoo - An open source Web office with text documents, spreadsheets, presentations, task lists, email, calendars, contacts and more.

Website Tools

Outlandish - Landing page management tool for small to medium-sized advertisers.

VersoChat - An all-in-one solution for Web analytics, chatting with online visitors, live Web statistics and more.

LeadLander - Allows you to see exactly which companies are visiting your website to investigate your products.

LEADSExplorer - LeadsExplorer allows you to capture what companies your website visitors are coming from so that you can turn them into leads.

Sharedbase - An online tool to manage your members-only website and your membership database.

SmoothStart - Create online landing pages for generating, managing and tracking new leads.

Industry-Specific

Gympro - A program for personal trainers that allows you to manage your client information, assessments, workouts and schedule.

Practice Fusion - This is a free online electronic medical records software.

Buildium - An online property management program for property managers and associations.

TopSchool, Inc. - A Student Lifestyle Management system for schools.

ekklesia360 - This is a content management system designed specifically for churches to help increase new visitors and provide up-to-date information to their congregation.

Body-Quest.net - This is a business management solution for personal trainers that allows you to track your clients’ progress.

TenantWIZ - A property management program for vacation homes that works whether you own a single property or a large hotel or condo operation.

booktoeat - booktoeat allows restaurants to accept online reservations and bookings.

restaurantdiary - restaurantdiary is a restaurant booking and reservations system with no commission charges and flat monthly fee.

ClubReady - ClubReady is a fitness club management service that helps increase revenues and dramatically improve client and employee satisfaction.

ServiceBeacon - ServiceBeacon provides a Web-based car dealership marketing application for both new and used car dealerships in addition to their consumer services.

openSIS - An open source student information system that tracks student demographics, contact information, scheduling, gradebooks, report cards, transcripts, health records, attendance, cafeteria management, state reporting, and more.

RdEXpress - An online restaurant booking system for single unit restaurant operators that also includes a CRM and marketing system.

Music Arsenal - A business tool specifically for indie bands that helps you manage tasks, projects (tours, albums, etc.), concerts, records, and more, all online.

Plaid - On-demand ministry management software that organizes contact lists, tracks visitors, sends emails to targeted contacts, prints attendance sheets, and more.

Scriggle-it - An online fan management and music marketing solution for bands and musicians.

DonorDrive - Constituent, donation and event management software for non-profits. Includes reporting and exporting capability, e-mail marketing, message forums, and more.

Ministry(Starter) - A content management system geared toward Christian ministries.

RealProEdge.com - An email tool specifically for real estate agents.

fourthbook.com - An easy to use online church management software.

Massage manEdger - An online suite of tools for massage therapists that includes a website with online booking, electronic client files, streamlined daily accounting and more.

rezgo - An online booking software for travel tours and activities.

carbonmade - A free online portfolio showcase.

Planning Center Online - A church worship services planning app.

Creative Manager Pro - Online ad agency management software.

Rentomatic - Simplified property management app that includes an online rent-payment system.

Tuggle - Online ministry management suite that includes communication and event management tools.

CollabTrak - Project management specifically for Web designers.

N2uitive - An online insurance claims interview management software.

Macrocasa - Manage your real estate website and business.

Propertyware - Online property management software that organizes property and lease information, records income and expenses, lists vacancies, and more.

RentYield - A property management tool for landlords and real estate investors that allows you to stay on top of your rental income and track performance of your properties.

Shockfolio - An online portfolio site for actors, musicians and photographers.

Weefolio - A free online portfolio creator.

Streetfolio - Property management app that manages cashflow, insurance, mortgages, and more.

Miscellaneous

GigTide - Online creation of resumes, that also allows you to publish, manage and track your resumes, contacts and cover letters.

RB-Apps - RB-Apps provides customized, DIY business mini-applications based on the RB-Apps Platform.

lumifi - Use lumifi if you need to compile research and collaboration from multiple sources, discover information you might otherwise miss, and assemble that research into a well stated case.

Unleashing the Potential of your Pay Per Click Marketing

2008-12-05T04:58:00.001-08:00

Presented by Christine Churchill

When you have no budget, search is your friend.

Christine is a big believer in a balanced approach: PPC, SEO, social media, blogging, etc.

When it comes to PPC, you really have to roll up your sleeves and get started. There are foundational things even big sites forget about, so it's important to keep the fundamentals in mind.

Google has commanding share of search marketing. If you're trying to get your product out there, Google is huge. So, Google is probably a good place to start for paid search.

Paid ads show up across the top and down the right hand side in Google. Pretty similar in other SEs as well.

Why use PPC?

Immediate search presence -- organic SEO can take months to kick in
Great for seasonal items and time-sensitive promotions
Great for sites having a hard time getting SEO listings
Great for new sites to get traffic
Great for sites with "spider traps" (sites that are hard for spiders to index)
Sometimes an easier sell to management because concept is similar to traditional advertising
Easy to track measures of success
Great for testing (keywords, marketing messages, site design, etc.)

Downsides to PPC?

Can be expensive, depending on how competitive your niche is
Bid prices are going up (and will continue to go up)
Getting more competitive
Time and resource intensive to set up and monitor -- not a "set it and forget it" proposition. Google sometimes makes changes that people don't expect, so you need to monitor constantly to ensure you know what's going on.
Benefits end the moment it's turned off -- unlike SEO, which can lead to long-term ongoing benefits.
Becoming more complex to run PPC campaigns -- a lot more than just signing up and entering your credit card info. Campaign management should be a full-time job for most companies.

Advantages of PPC over Organic

Minimal ramp-up time
Control over placement on search results page
Better control over titles and descriptions -- match creative and landing page to the exact query; increased relevance means more conversions.
Many users don't distinguish between paid and organic results

Advantages of Organic over PPC

Users show preference for organic listings, especially when doing research
Trust bias -- belief by users that #1 ranked site is the best / most authoritative ("halo effect")
Almost all users look at top organic listings (heat map eye-tracking studies -- "F" pattern visual scan)
Long term benefits

Balancing Paid and Organic

Most searchers start with organic listings, but 40-50% will go to paid listings if they don't find anything in organic listings
Searchers will try more focused searches
More "real estate" you occupy on the search page, the more clicks you get
Higher exposure builds brand and legitimacy

SEO combined with paid search (and social media) is a powerful combination. Use PPC to get a fast start, use SEO to get long term results. Use PPC at a higher level until the SEO shows results. In many cases, you can decrease PPC expenditures as you start to rank higher in organic listings.

Things Christine Wishes She Knew When She First Started PPC

Don't treat all PPC engines the same. They're very different in how they work, target audiences, and search volumes. Google is good for tech stuff, home stuff might be better on MSN, for instance.
Cannot overstate the importance of keyword selection. Single words rarely do well; longer word phrases often convert better; brand terms are often great converters. Discussion of whether to let affiliates bid on brand terms; Christine is generally against this -- if you own the brand, you should be the one bidding on brand terms.
Use negatives (excluded terms) to save money if you're using anything other than exact matching. Prevents your ads from matching on irrelevant or poorly matching terms. Negatives behave differently in different engines, so be sure you understand how to set them up. Example: if you sell chocolate candy, you would set "labrador" as a negative keyword to prevent your ads from showing up on search for "chocolate labrador" dogs.
The SEs change their rules over time. Stay on top of what's going on.
Have a bidding strategy. Don't just automatically buy the top position. Test where you get the best results.
Don't get into a bidding war. The only people who win in a bid war are the search engines. Waste of money.
Know how much it really costs you to produce your product. You need to know this to be able to bid and budget your campaigns.
Monitor the first few hours of a new campaign -- this is the critical time.

Optimize your PPC Campaign

Keywords: go very broad (unlike SEO where you tend to be more focused)
Write better ads. Be different, interesting. Use emotion. Well written, captivating ads get more attention.
Provide incentive to click: mention compelling offer or special discount.
Add sense of urgency: time sensitive offer encourages visitors to act now. (BTW, people with direct marketing backgrounds make some of the best ad writers around because they know how to use these principles.)
Use keywords in your title. Keywords will appear in bold. Single biggest factor on ad performance.
Include a call to action. Too many people forget to tell folks to click, call, whatever.
Talk about benefits.
Differentiate your ad. What makes you special or different from everybody else? Go back to your Unique Selling Proposition. If you can work this into your ad, great! (And reconfirm on the landing page.)
Pre-qualify your visitors. Remember, you pay for every click, so make sure they're serious clicks. Discourage &lduqo;freebie hunters." Balancing act -- you don't want to scare away too many people.
Test each ad. Find out what works and what doesn't.

Landing Pages: Why Should You Care?

Landing page is the destination when user clicks on an ad.
Landing page acts as bridge between the ad and the sale.

Making a Good Landing Page

Should be continuity between ad and landing page. Use the same words on the landing page that were in the ad.
Don't send visitors to a general/generic page (such as the home page). You've caught visitors with a unique ad, so don't send them to a general unfocused home page.
Focus on one action per landing page. Decide one thing you want the visitor to do and focus the page on that one thing. Remove distractions -- other links can still be below the fold or on the thank-you page.
Increase the size and prominence of the call to action. Make it obvious and distinctive.
Use calls to action that imply less committment (instead of "buy now" use "try now" or "add to cart").
Include your unique selling proposition in the landing page. You should be able to say in your own words what makes your company different/better than your competitor.
Make copy easy to scan. Most important stuff should be high on page and easy to scan.
Include trust factors. Testimonials, years in business, full contact information, privacy policy, product reviews and awards, guarantees, secure server indicator, trust seals or certifications, etc.
Use a professional site design. 46% judge site credibility based on site design and layout.

6 Myths and Realities about Making Money with Affiliate Programs

2008-11-29T02:27:00.000-08:00

Ever seen an affiliate program that claims to do '99% of the work' while all YOU do is advertise?

Yes, the company handles the inventory, billing, product delivery, customer service, website maintenance ...

... While your only job is advertising. And for every sale you make as a result of your advertising, you're paid a commission. Sounds pretty easy, doesn't it?

Don't be fooled into thinking that affiliate programs are an easy way to make money. If that were true, we'd all be rich instead of scouring the 'net to find new ways of earning an income. Even if it IS true that you're only doing '1% of the work', you're doing the hardest 1%!

When I first started online I dreamed of how much I would make: $1000 a month with this affiliate program, $2000 with that one ... and hey, since they told me all I had to do was put up a few links and banners, I was expecting sales pretty much right away.

Sadly, it didn't work that way. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you consider becoming an affiliate:

More Isn't Better.

One common mistake is to join every affiliate program that looks good, hoping that you'll be able to make more money that way. It's just not true. Focusing your efforts on a few good programs is the best way to steadily build your affiliate income. The article, 'Are You Guilty of Affiliate Greed?' addresses this issue, http://www.buildyourhomebiz.com/articles/affiliategreed.html.

Don't Depend on a Monthly Pay Cheque.

Many affiliate programs require you to earn a certain amount in commissions each month before they pay you. If you don't reach that minimum commission level, your earnings are rolled over to the next month. You get paid whenever you reach the minimum threshold.
This can be very frustrating; after hours and hours of hard work, you may not see the money you rightly earned at the end of the month.

One suggestion I often make to 'newbies' is to join Commission Junction, an affiliate management website that consolidates all your earnings into one pay cheque. < http://www.buildyourhomebiz.com/commissions.html > That means you'll get paid more often! With over 1000 affiliate programs to choose from, you're sure to find something that fits your target audience.

Advertising is Hard Work.

Sure, your only job is to advertise - but that requires a great deal of learning and effort. It's nowhere near as simple as throwing up a banner on your website or placing free classified ads. You have to put forth a consistent effort in order to make money; if you're not motivated, you won't do well. Take the free Affiliate Masters Course for surefire ways to improve your profits, mailto:tamsbenefits@sitesell.net.

Your Downline Will Not Make You Rich.

Two-tiered affiliate programs tempt you with notions that you can make more money 'with no more effort on your part' just by signing up more affiliates.
Don't depend on it. Unfortunately, most affiliates don't make money and assuming that your referrals WILL is just setting yourself up for disappointment. Some of your referrals will make money, of course, and may even make quite a bit if you're lucky. Just don't count on it: concentrate on your maximizing your own efforts, rather than on dreaming about the efforts of others.

No Product Will 'Sell Itself'.

We've all come across websites claming to have products or services that 'everyone needs'. Regardless of whether or not this is true, people on the 'net are impulsive creatures and buy what they WANT, not what they 'need'!
No product will sell itself. It might be the most wonderful product in the world that can wash your hair, balance your checkbook, walk the dog, and feed the kids ... but you have to SHOW your visitor how it will enrich their lives and make them WANT to buy.

This is even true when you're giving away free stuff. Why should your visitor bother to request your free gift unless it can do something for them? It's much easier to surf away with a simple click-of-the-mouse!

You Probably Won't 'Make Money Instantly'.

Put up a link on your website or place a free ad, and presto! You'll instantly make sales.
This isn't very likely to happen unless you have a high traffic, targeted website that is a good fit with your affiliate program ... and even then, it's not guaranteed. To sell ANYTHING online, you need to have lots of targeted traffic, quality products, and strong copy that persuades your visitor to buy.

Depending on the individual, making money with an affiliate program may take a week to several months. Put forth a consistent effort and you'll see your earnings gradually increase over time.

This article isn't meant to discourage you from joining affiliate programs. To the contrary, affiliate programs are a great way for the average person to make a solid income on the web. But, like everything else, you need to venture into the opportunity with your eyes wide open; don't get caught in the hype. With hard work, motivation, and persistence you can soon be well on your way to earning a good living online!

Selling Ads: Regular Income... or Limited Income?

2008-11-27T20:26:00.001-08:00

Many online businesses publish some sort of newsletter or announcement list. This presents an opportunity to make some extra income by selling ad space. It's popular because it's fairly straightforward. You provide the demographics / statistics about your publication; you set the price; a customer places an order; you send out the ad.

Selling ad space can be decent money, but there's still a price to be paid. Selling "reputable" ad space takes time and effort. I don't understand editors who don't screen the types of ads that go into their publications (nor do I understand why someone would want to spend the money to place an ad to a generally uninterested audience). You need to review ads and weed out those that are inappropriate for your list. If you don't, people come to expect crappy or useless ads and will ignore them.

The advertiser won't be happy either -- poor results means no repeat business. Your time could have been better spent acquiring a long-term customer rather than a one-shot deal.

There's also the customer service part to selling ads, too: proofreading, scheduling, sending confirmations, handling ad changes, etc.

Another problem is the availability of ad space. If there's lots available in your market, you're likely going to have a harder time selling it -- and you may have to settle for lower rates, too. It's hard to rely on ad revenues, which can change dramatically depending on market conditions.

Remember, too, that with email newsletters it's getting harder to find a responsive list. Not that there aren't quality lists available -- there are -- but email delivery is simply getting much more difficult, what with filters and fed-up people whose email inboxes filled with junk mail. People have to at least read an ad before they'll consider visiting a business, let alone making a purchase. Unhappy advertisers won't buy again, and acquiring new advertisers takes time, effort, and money.

Selling ad space may actually limit how much you can make off your list. Essentially you'll make whatever profit you can from these sales.

If you use the "ad space" for yourself, though, you have the potential to make even more. Combined with quality content and credibility, any recommendations or specials you run in your own publication can really help sales.

So how do you use your publication if you're not going to sell ad space? Try:

Use editorial space to recommend a product or service. Great for joint ventures or for affiliate programs.
Place an "editorial-style" ad in the publication. Good for promoting your own stuff.
For instance, one of my other newsletters has never sold ad space. It's steadily brought in sales, issue after issue, without any blatant advertising. Then, once in a while we'll mention a product, and sales will spike after that issue. We don't even have to worry about writing an "ad" - we just write a few comments about a product and let it be.
Send a stand-alone mailing, promoting a) your own product or service; b) an affiliate product (endorsements work well); c) a product you're promoting through a joint venture. Don't overdo these types of mailings -- bombard your subscribers with them and they'll likely get used to hitting the "delete" key (or unsubscribe altogether).

Be selective if you choose to endorse products or services in your publication. Readers will be much more likely to listen, than if you're constantly pushing one product or another just to try to make a few bucks.

Of course, selling ad space has its benefits. One of the advantages is its simplicity. It can be a relatively stable income source if you have a group of loyal customers who will regularly place ads. That's one nice thing about selling ads -- after a while, if you have a group of customers who keep coming back, you need to be very little promotion. In that sense I guess it could be called "easy money".

It comes down to making a business decision: are you able to earn regular, loyal advertisers who you're comfortable relying on for the income? Or do you prefer to take more of a risk and try to earn higher profits by using the ad space for your own stuff?

www.onlinebusinessbasics.com

Success With Affiliate Marketing

2008-11-24T01:47:00.000-08:00

What is Affiliate Marketing?

An affiliate-marketing program is an agreement between a company that has products or services for sale and anyone who believes they can help to sell those products and services for the company. In short, if you have products and services, consider using an affiliate system to get the word out about your products. Alternatively, if you have a popular website, consider putting someone else's products or services on your site and earning commissions on your sales.

Who Should Sell Through Affiliates?

If you offer any products or services on your website in such a way that customers actually make the payment on the website, then you are a good candidate for selling through an affiliate program. If you tend to "close the deal" over the phone, then the affiliate management company will be unable to know when sales occurred and will not be able to administer the program for you.

Your product should have appeal to people throughout the nation or even the world. Local products are harder to sell through affiliates although it is possible.

Why Sell Through Affiliates?

Imagine having ads for your products placed on hundreds of websites throughout the nation or even the world. Companies such as NetFlix.com are very successful with their affiliate programs.

Who Should Sell Products Using Affiliate Marketing?

If you have a website that is rich in traffic but poor in generating cash in your pocket, then you are the perfect candidate for adding affiliate marketing to your website. Affiliate programs are ideal for anyone that already has content and visitors. If your site is not very popular then an affiliate system may not be worth the trouble. For this article, we will assume you are the ideal candidate for affiliate marketing.

The KEY to success is to ad products to your site that are highly appealing to the people that visit your website. If your website does movie reviews, you want to partner with NetFlix.com and other video or entertainment programs. If your website focuses on gardening, then add gardening and home improvement products to your website.

How to Get Started

Whether you buy or whether you sell, it all starts by joining an affiliate marketing management company. These companies do all the hard work of tracking sales, paying commissions, and matching product companies with webmasters who want to add affiliate products to their site.

cj.com - Commission Junction

ClickBank.com - Click Bank

LinkShare.com - Link Share

Secrets to Success

It is important to consider the many factors affecting the success of an affiliate marketing system. There are so many factors that we cannot go into them here. We will consult with you about your particular needs. What is important is to do lots of testing. Try different ads, different products, different placements on the page, and keep switching things around while you carefully track what is working and what is not. With a little practice you will likely end up with a lucrative system.

How To Make Money From Adsense

2008-11-20T01:43:00.000-08:00

Many people ask me same question , how do you make that much from Adsense , now i will share my tricks , do not worry not Adsense tricks but SEO tricks. Because its all about SEO , you have to get traffic to your website. So this article will be about my SEO and Adsense tips.

See the future!

Create blogs or blog about upcoming stuff or news , for example Apple announces that they will produce a new product called iPhone as soon as you read this news go and open a blog about iphone like appleiphone.blogspot.com ( owner of is appleiphone.blogspot.com turk and made a lot of bucks only from this blog ) , or Amazon announced Kindle then hurry and register amazonkindle.blogspot.com and blog about it.

Titles are important!

Do not waste your time to find apropriate title for your article , just type keyword for title , for example if your article is about iphone , think the possible keywords that people may use to find news about iphone and type it , do not type Apple’s new phone for title , type Apple iPhone pictures videos because most people will search to see how it looks.

Use Digg!

Or other famous bookmark sites in your language. But aim for using Digg is not to get visitors from Digg ! We digg to get our blog indexed by Google. Because Google bots checks this digg-like sites regularly and releases spiders to new links to index them . Once your page is indexed you can see your blog on search results at that time.

Do not exaggerate!

Title is everything! You do not need to type tons of keywords to labels , because it may cause SandBox for your blog and also you may be banned from Google Adsense. Type the most apropriate keywords to title as i said before.

Template for money!

Doing everything above is not enough , you have to have a template for Adsense . Need examples? Here and Here , check and understand how i make that money.

Optimization for visitors!

If your visitors are mostly men and adult , make your ads distinguishable from your content. Because most of them know its ad and it has to take attention of them to click your ads. But if your visitors are kids and women optimize your ads with your content and show your ads as if they are part of your content , optimize colors with your template colors to get accidental clicks.

Text ads or image ads?

If your blog contains mostly videos , flash games or pictures you should use picture ads , otherwise use text ads since in text ads there are various advertising one of which may take attention of your visitor.

http://gosublogger.com

Prospecting; Extra Money for Freelancer

2008-11-17T01:37:00.000-08:00

Hi there we meet again, what can we talk right now? OK we can talk about the quality of our action to get important information quickly, so what can we do to get recent news and the most update knowledge. How fast we got information very influence how big ability to steps ahead from our competitor. We could starting first about our business next year, or use our information to make some idea to get some success in business.

Don't confused with how we can get the most update news and knowledge? There are many writers to share their idea, or some scientist to share their knowledge and experiment report. Don't doubt their dedication to produce a great experiment or research and result with what they write about.

Now we learn how to freelance writing, and who can developing essays, term papers, theses, and dissertations that meet customers’ unique needs? Projects requiring original field research and qualitative studies are also accommodated. Another point is our research generally accepted editorial and style standards used in some countries like UK, US, etc. Freelance writer customers must request work at a high school level or above with many Masters and Doctoral-level writing available. Job For Writers is very prospecting but we need to give more excess to make better research.

OK when we talk about what the man whom writing as their hobby can do to get job, freelance job is a interesting job which could be their part time job to get extra money. Freelance Writing Opportunities always exist for them.

Source : http://www100x.blogspot.com

Affiliate Marketing on The Internet

2008-11-12T23:14:00.000-08:00

If starting an internet home business with your computer sounds appealing but you don't have a product to sell yourself, you might want to consider affiliate marketing on the internet. Affiliate marketing is a very doable internet business model that doesn't require having your own product, there's no shipping or inventory involved and there is no customer services details to sort through. Becoming an affiliate marketer essentially means partnering with an online merchant whereby you promote their goods or services. If you make a sale -- you receive a commission.

But is affiliate marketing a real "honest

to goodness business" that you can actually make money at? ABSOLUTELY, I do it every day! And after having been involved with several internet marketing business models prior to affiliate marketing, this is the one I enjoy and love doing the most. But let's delve into this extremely profitable business model a bit more.

How affiliate Marketing on the Internet Works
Affiliate marketing is similar to a revenue sharing business whereby you promote a product of your choice and receive a commission for every product you sell.
You begin by finding a product or service you would like to promote, then find an affiliate merchant that sells the product.

You can find affiliate merchants through popular affiliate networks like Commission Junction, LinkShare or Clickbank. You can also find products through private sites that offer affiliate programs as well but I find that it's easier to start out with affiliate networks, payments are more on schedule and products are easier to find. Once you find an affiliate merchant you can sign up for their affiliate program which is typically free to join -- beware of merchants that charge money to join their affiliate programs, these are generally not affiliate programs. Once signed up, the affiliate merchant will assign you an affiliate link for you to promote.

How you promote that link is up to you, however I strongly suggest that you create a web site for promoting your affiliate product(s). There will be some costs to creating and hosting a website and the purchase of a domain name, but these costs are typically minimal.

How to Earn Money with Affiliate Marketing

There are three ways to earn money through affiliate marketing:
Pay Per Click — Any time a potential customer leaves your affiliate website by "clicking" on your affiliate link that leads them to the merchant's website. Money is then deposited in your affiliate account. The amount of money deposited depends on the what's in the affiliate agreement.

Pay Per Lead — Any time a potential customer leaves your affiliate website by "clicking" on a link that leads them to complete a registration form or register at the merchants website. Money is then deposited into your affiliate account. The amount of money deposited depends on the what's in the affiliate agreement.

Pay Per Sale — Any time a potential customer leaves your affiliate website by "clicking" on a link that leads them to the merchant's site where they make a purchase. A percentage, or commission, is deposited into the affiliate's account depending on what's in the affiliate agreement.

Look for Residual Income Programs
One of the things I encourage all affiliate marketers to be on the lookout for is affiliate programs that will provide you with residual income or income that is paid to you month after month.

Residual income comes from promoting products that sell things like monthly subscriptions or monthly services. For example I promote a hosting company called Thirdsphere hosting. Thirdsphere is a monthly hosting service and I get commission every month as long as the customer continues his/her subscription. Thirdsphere is just one of the residual income programs that I promote. There are many residual income affiliate programs that you can promote as well. Promoting residual income products or services is an excellent way of ensuring you keep a steady income arriving each month.

Benefits of Affiliate Marketing

When starting up any business there's a lot of time, work and risk involved. Developing a product requires research, marketing materials, getting established, branding and the list goes on.

With affiliate marketing the risk to you as an affiliate marketer is minimal. That's because you have the benefit of having all the business building work already done for you. All you need to do is find reputable, quality products to promote.

What's more, a good affiliate program will provide you with all the marketing tools and materials you need to promote it, things like banners, ads, email salescopy, branded materials, ecourses and many others, making your job that much easier.
But what makes affiliate marketing one of the best online businesses to start?
* No costs to make or purchase products.
* There's no inventory to stock or maintain.
* No payment processing for you to set up
* No shipping hassles. Your affiliate merchant takes the orders,
processes them and deals with customer service.

The products you can promote as an affiliate are endless. But don't make the mistake of trying to promote everything to everyone. Find a profitable niche which means finding a topic or theme that is tightly focused around the products or services you wish to promote.

For example, instead of developing a business around losing weight, focus on a more narrowed topic such as body building, dieting for women only or tighter abs. Once you find a focused topic then you can build a niche web site around that theme or product. Your next step will be to know and understand precisely who your audience is and what they are looking for. Once you know that, your marketing efforts will become tightly focused and your sales will be much greater.

Promoting Your Affiliate Marketing Products/Service
There's a little more than meets the eye when it comes to marketing or promoting affiliate products or services. Newbie affiliate marketers will often start out by getting their affiliate links, building their website and displaying their links hoping to make quick immediate sales. Be warned -- it rarely happens that easily. Why? Because I've done it and can tell you from experience that the search engines don't find favor with that type of promotion. Building a site that merely promotes affiliate links by sending viewers to the official site is not adding value to the viewer's experience, it actually makes your affiliate website nothing more than a third party advertiser.

Instead create a website that offers value and content, then support your content with affiliate products or services that will give your reader what they are looking for.
I love affiliate marketing and there's lots of money to be made in the business but first train yourself on how to effectively pre-sell by providing quality content, ideas and information, then learn how to find and promote affiliate products and services that are worthwhile, not only for your customers but for you as a promoter as well.

It makes a world of difference for those affiliate marketers that make an outstanding living at it and those that say it doesn't work.
Helpful Skills To Acquire : Copywriting, internet Marketing,
PPC (pay-per-click advertising)
Best Online Training : Affiliate Classroom
Best Ebook or Guide : Super Affiliate Handbook
Best Free Training : Affiliate Masters Course
Affiliate Networks : Listing of Affiliate Networks

Source: www.homenotion.com

Online Business Dictionary

2008-11-01T03:56:00.000-07:00

Use this list to look up commonly-used terminology in the world of internet business.

Ad Tracker: A software program that allows you to create "coded" URLs that will show you how many people click on a link, amongst other useful statistics. Used to monitor results from marketing campaigns.

Affiliate Program: An opportunity where you are paid a commission for every click, lead, or sale you generate from a special coded link.

Article Bank: A site that accepts or finds reprintable articles and makes them available to others. Some article banks focus on one topic only, while others accept articles on topics of all kinds.

Autoresponder: An email address that will automatically reply to any request with a predefined message that you set up. Autoresponders can be programmed to send out 'follow-up' messages at various intervals.

Back-End Products or Sales: Anything you sell to a customer after the initial purchase. For example, many businesses offer a low-priced product for their initial sale, and more extensive or comprehensive products or "upgrades" as a back-end sale.

Banner: An electronic 'billboard' advertising a product, service, website, etc.

CGI Scripts: Computer programs often used to add interactivity to websites. For example, CGI scripts can send you data that a customer types into a request or order form.

Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of visitors that click on an ad. For example, if you place an ad in a newsletter with 1000 readers and 20 of them click on your link, your CTR is 2%.

Conversion Rate: The percentage of visitors your website or ad converts into paying customers. For example, if 1 out of every 100 visitors places an order, your conversion rate is 1%.

Cookie: A small file placed on your computer by a website. This file is used to identify the user and often used to display customized web pages for them. For example, instead of seeing a generic "welcome" page, you could instead see a welcome page with your name on it.

Cost Per Action (CPA): The price you pay to get someone to take action (subscribe to a newsletter, place an order…). For example, a $20 ad that gets 5 orders gives a CPA of $4.

Cost Per Click (CPC): The price you pay to get someone to click on your link. For example, a $20 ad that results in 100 clicks on a link would give you a CPC of $0.20.

CPM: Cost per one thousand ad impressions.

Demographics: Information on your website visitors, useful for analyzing your traffic and the effectiveness of your site. Examples include most popular web pages; time spent on each page; referring URL (ie. how did they find your site?); number of page views and unique visitors, etc.

Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL): A form of high-speed Internet connection. DSL allows you to connect to the Internet without using your telephone line. It does not give you a second line; it merely allows you simultaneously talk on the phone and surf the web.

DNS: An internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses (the internet is based on IP addresses, but domain names are much easier to remember).

Domain: Your address on the web. For example, onlinebusinessbasics.com is a domain name.

Double opt-in: A subscription process that requires two emails: the initial subscription request, plus a confirmation of the subscription request. Recommended to help build a cleaner, more responsive list. Double opt-in also helps to ensure subscribers are added to your list only with their knowledge and their consent.

Download: The transfer of a file from the Internet to your own computer.

Downline: A multi-level marketing (MLM) term. Members you recruit to join an opportunity 'under' you; typically you make a percentage from the sales made by your downline. Often hyped up as the 'easy way' to make extra money.

Dropshipping: An opportunity where you can sell tangible products without holding inventory, by working with a distributor who allows you to buy products at their wholesale price. The difference between the retail and wholesale prices is your profit.

EBook Compiler: Special software used to create an "electronic book" that people can read on their computers.

eZine: An electronic newsletter.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP): An agreed-upon "format" used to send files over the Internet. FTP programs are available to help you transfer files to and from your server.

Firewall: A program that helps to protect your computer from unauthorized connections to or from the 'outside world'. In this context, it protects you from programs that try to connect to the Internet without your knowledge or consent; similarly, it protects your computer from incoming requests for information (eg. a hacker trying to scan your computer).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Exactly what it sounds like: answers to common questions. Most business sites have a FAQ page.

Hit: A request for an 'object' on your website. For example, a web page with 2 graphics on it will generate 3 hits: 1 for the HTML page + 1 for each graphic.

Hype: Misleading, unreasonable or unsubstantiated claims, such as 'Make $5000 in three days with just a $2 investment! Guaranteed income, no selling involved!'

HyperText Markup Language (HTML): The formatting language used to create web pages. Although often referred to as a 'programming' language, HTML is really just a simple formatting language that's similar to what the old word processors used.

Index: A list of web sites grouped together by category. One of the best known indexes is Yahoo!

Internet Service Provider (ISP): The company that provides you with access to the Internet, via dial-up service or high-speed services such as cable or DSL.

IP Address: A numeric identification number that refers to a specific computer or device on a specific type of network.

Joint Venture: A mutually beneficial business arrangement between two companies.

Keyword or Key Phrase: The words or phrase you enter when you're looking something up in the search engines. For example, if you're looking for a scratching post for your cat you might use, "cat tree" as a key phrase.

Link: Those 'clickable' pieces of text you see on web pages (made clickable through HTML, the web page formatting language).

Link Popularity: How many other relevant / complementary sites link back to your own. Search engines love popular sites!

List Manager or List Host: A program that automatically handles subscription management for a mailing list such as a newsletter. It also handles the mailing of messages to the addresses on the list.

Merchant Account: Allows you to process credit card orders on your website. A more popular choice with fledgling online business owners are third party credit card processors.

Message Board: An online forum where visitors can post and read messages to and from one another.

Mini-Site: A site that consists of just a few pages, that's completely focused on getting the visitor to perform just one action (make a purchase, subscribe to a newsletter, complete a survey, etc).

Mirror Site: A site that has been duplicated on another server.

Moderator: (in the context of message boards) The person(s) who is responsible for monitoring posted messages for appropriateness. Moderators remove inappropriate messages and are used to maintain the quality of the board.

Multi-Level Marketing (MLM): Any opportunity where people can make commissions from the sale of products and services, and can recruit others into their downlines to do the same. You make a percentage of your downline's commissions.

Name Server: A computer that maps domain names to IP addresses.

Newbie (slang): Someone new to the internet business / marketing area.

Newsgroup: An interactive discussion group focused on a particular topic. People post messages and others respond. Also called message boards, discussion lists, discussion forums, and others.

Opt-In: The process of getting someone's explicit permission to send them email. For example, when you subscribe to a newsletter through a form on a website, you are opting-in to receive it. Also see double opt-in.

Opt-Out: The process of requesting users to indicate that they don't want to receive further email. For instance, someone may add your email address to their 'newsletter' without getting your permission to do so. If you don't want to receive it, then the onus is on you to unsubscribe. Many people believe that opt-out is synonymous with spam.

Page View: The number of times a web page is viewed on your website. Each time your page loads, you have one page view.

Park: As in, 'park a domain'. A domain name has to point to a name server to be "valid" (although it might be registered). Parking a domain allows you to point it to a certain website. For people who don't yet have their websites designed, domain registration services often allow you to park your domain free of charge on their servers - people who type in your domain name would then typically see an ad for your registrar. Similarly, you can choose instead to park one domain "on top of" another. For instance, you could park www.YourDomain.org on top of www.YourDomain.com. Both website addresses would then display the same site.

Persistent Visitor Tracking: With regards to affiliate programs, the ability to track a customer from one visit to the next, so that the affiliate receives his or her commission regardless of whether the customer purchases immediately or at some point in the future.

PDF: Stands for 'Portable Document Format'. A document that's formatted in PDF is viewable by anyone who downloads the free Adobe Acrobat Reader. Many online documents are published in PDF format.

Privacy Policy: A statement indicating what types of personal information your company collects and what it does (or doesn't do) with it.

Profit: The difference between your income and your expenses. For example, if you sell a product for $20 and it costs you $5 to produce and deliver it, then your profit is $5.

Pyramid Scheme: An illegal 'opportunity' where the focus is on recruitment rather than on the selling of products and services.

Reciprocal Link: The trading of links - eg. You link to me and I'll link back to you.

Reserve: (in the context of third-party credit card processors) A percentage of your income that's temporarily held back in case of future returns, refunds, or chargebacks.

Residual Income: Income you continue to receive after making the initial sale. For example, let's say you're a reseller for website hosting services. Assuming that your service is good, a percentage of your customers will continue to renew their hosting accounts with you year after year.

Revenue: The amount you make in sales. For example, if you sell 100 items for $50 each, then your revenue is 100 x $50 = $5000.

Search Engine: A website that indexes sites from all over the Internet. Visitors use search engines to look for specific information; if your website is indexed and fits the search criteria, it is listed in the search results. Google is a very well-known search engine.

Secure Server: A server that can encrypt (or decrypt) messages to protect them from tampering. For example, most ordering forms are secure to protect the customer's credit card information.

Shopping Cart Software: A program that allows users to add items to their online shopping cart. Good for sites that sell a number of related items. For example, an online bookstore can use shopping cart software so that customers can browse and add several books to their cart before buying.

Sig file: Short for "signature file"; a few lines of text about your business and perhaps contact information as well. Typically included at the end of email messages or at the bottom of a message board post.

Spam: Unsolicited, untargeted bulk commercial email. It's the 'four-letter word' of Internet marketing!

Spyware: hidden software that transmits information about you or your surfing habits over the internet.

Stockless Retailing: see Dropshipping.

Subaffiliate: Affiliates you personally 'recruit' into your second-tier of an affiliate program. You typically earn a percentage of their sales.

Superaffiliate: Someone who is knowledgeable, experienced, and very successful at earning money with affiliate programs.

Targeted Traffic: Visitors who already have an interest in the information and/or products available from your website. For example, pet owners visiting an online pet store are targeted traffic, while people searching for sports memorabilia are not.

Third-Party Credit Card Processor: A company that processes online credit card orders on your behalf. A good choice for fledgling businesses since they are both easy-to-use and cost-effective (although there are also risks to using them).

Traffic: Visitors to your website.

Two-Tiered: Usually used in reference to an affiliate program. A two-tiered program lets you make money off the sales of people you recruit. For example, you may get paid 25% on all of your personal sales. If you recruit Joe and he makes a sale, he gets 25% and you get 10% of the gross sale. Commission rates vary from program to program.

Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE): Another name for spam. There is actually a difference between UCE and spam, but most ISPs and web hosts do not differentiate between them.

Upload: The transfer of files from your computer to your web space.

Upsell: To try to convince a customer to purchase a more expensive product or service. For example, when you order a "combo" meal at a fast-food restaurant you may be asked if you'd like to purchase a larger size of fries or drink at a discount.

URL: The short form for 'Uniform Resource Locator'. Refers to the addresses you see on the web, such as http://www.yourcompany.com or ftp://www.yourcompany.com/.

Viral Marketing: Any marketing technique that 'empowers' someone to tell others about your business. For example, a freely distributable eBook embedded with your links is a popular viral marketing technique.

Virus: A destructive program that can be transmitted to your computer via email, downloading from the web, or running a program. Investing in good anti-virus software will help keep your computer virus-free.

Visitor: The number of unique visitors to your site. For example, if someone visits your site and views 5 pages, that is still only one visitor.

Web Host: A company that provides you with server space and makes your online business / domain accessible to the world. They give you a place to store your files and scripts.