Having a website for your business is presently as natural as having a car. The biggest point here is, if used properly, a website is an extremely powerful sales machine. Mind these words: If Used Properly.
Many "newly-born" site owners misinterpret the idea of having a website. A common mistake of inexperienced website owners is attaching to a site's design a higher priority than to its content.
Let us see why this is a mistake.
The thing is, most of the time people don't show up to a website accidentally. Statistics shows that in 80% of cases, the place from where users start surfing and searching for a product or service they need is a search engine, be it Google, Yahoo!, MSN or any other. This means that 80% of your potential clients will open a search engine webpage and type in some words, or keywords, in the search field to find what they need. After that, Google offers them 100 pages, with 10 results in each. And the first 10 sites people see in the results get most of targeted visitors. These visitors can be called organic traffic — or traffic that comes from search engines like Google. This is what you really need, cause the more traffic you get, the more people are likely to turn into big spenders and buy you product. Besides a million other factors that have to be discussed separately, your traffic depends on your site's Content! (Not on the way your pages look.) That's the biggest design-vs-content dilemma that us webmasters face.
And here's when the idea of search engine optimization or SEO comes forth. It helps bring together relevant content and people interested in that content, that is, to get thousands of unique visitors as organic traffic from search engines. Once you got their attention, it is thousands of times easier to sell your products or services.
Most companies don't want to produce high quality content for their websites. They will always come up with the "we don't have time for that" line. So much for these guys. The companies that have embraced organic website SEO have done very well for themselves. In the long run a successful SEO program not only gets more customers for the business, but helps keep advertising costs down to a minimum.
So if you have a website, it's high time to stop losing money and start search engine optimization.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Brad Callen’s Unfathomable SEO Success Stories lie?
The person most of us know, the guy who sells SEO Elite Brad Callen is doing magic things. Honestly, my hat is off to him! But not because of the software. I admire this guy, and in the end of this article I'll tell you why. And right now, I'll tell you how this smart guy nearly had me on :LOL:
The point is, I went to Brad's site to see what he has to offer. Anyone who saw the site will agree: looking at it couldn't be "just a glance".
I'm not a big fan of reading long copies, but the writing of SEO Elite's founder was so amazing that I couldn't help reading it throughout.
Believe me, I was thrilled. What I learnt about SEO Elite was exciting, promising and pushing to action. I nearly believed Brad Callen's story that an SEO tool can bring me 15,000 visitors daily and that I'd be collecting fat paychecks soon. Believe me, I was about to buy SEO Elite.
Did you see this?
My Clickbank Account # 1 — $655,414.50 from this account!
Brad shows his attractive bills and tells you that software will get you 15,000 visitors a day!!! This magic tool seemed like a cure to any website owner, and I was ready to buy. But then all of a sudden my SEO's instinct told me to stop.
Yes, it suddenly struck me that I'm not like most of the people coming to seoelite.com. Or rather I'm not EXACTLY the same. Sure like you or anyone else interested in SEO tools, I do have a website and want to make money from it ASAP. But I'm not an SEO newbie. That's why a bell rang in my head.
I nearly forgot that I'm an SEO myself and I've been through a lot of deal here. But then that's what I thought: I know some very nice SEO secrets, and I'm someone who used software for SEO and knows how it should work. And finally, I surely can sift out truth from false.
Believe me, today I'm mad at myself, because Brad Callen was smart enough to nearly fool me.
Now I re-read the copy and noticed exactly the things that rang the bell. Want me to share some?
Brad Callen's proof of SEO Elite's work is outstanding. He shows testimonials and offers you videos where people are telling you about their immense online success. It seems stupid not to buy SEO Elite after that.
But here's the first rule of thumb these days, if you're going to give someone your money: make sure you don't put it down the drain. Check all that you can check. $167 for an SEO tool would be a pretty good sum to simply waste.
So I just look at the first testimonial (whose video took 9 minutes to load on my 2Mbps internet connection and still didn't work for longer than 8 seconds — hey Brad if your paychecks look the way you say, can't you afford faster hosting?)
I'm talking about the testimonial entitled "I have first page Google rankings for keywords with over 2 BILLION competitors!" If you go to SEOElite.com you'll easily see it. It says that homebusinessresearch.com is on page 1 for "home business" — the keyphrase with over 2 billion competitors.
Well that's easy to check. I just go to Google and type in "home business".
That's pure truth: homebusinessresearch.com is on Page 1 in Google. It's number 8, to be more precise. But... is the competition of 360,000,000 more than 2 billion??? Of course it's not.
That's when I started to have a feeling that someone's having me on.
All these videos, you know… A neighbor guy once showed me a video clip on his cell phone, where it looks like he caught a water-nymph with his fishing rod. Should I trust that as well?
Who do you think I am? Buying a thing that promises to earn me millions, and paying my own $167 bucks to someone whose testimonials are lying?
Sorry Brad, I'm not that kind of a guy.
Check just a couple of SEO tools comparisons I came across on the web — they will give you a clue to alternatives to SEO Elite that at least don't pull your leg.
The point is, I went to Brad's site to see what he has to offer. Anyone who saw the site will agree: looking at it couldn't be "just a glance".
I'm not a big fan of reading long copies, but the writing of SEO Elite's founder was so amazing that I couldn't help reading it throughout.
Believe me, I was thrilled. What I learnt about SEO Elite was exciting, promising and pushing to action. I nearly believed Brad Callen's story that an SEO tool can bring me 15,000 visitors daily and that I'd be collecting fat paychecks soon. Believe me, I was about to buy SEO Elite.
Did you see this?
My Clickbank Account # 1 — $655,414.50 from this account!
Brad shows his attractive bills and tells you that software will get you 15,000 visitors a day!!! This magic tool seemed like a cure to any website owner, and I was ready to buy. But then all of a sudden my SEO's instinct told me to stop.
Yes, it suddenly struck me that I'm not like most of the people coming to seoelite.com. Or rather I'm not EXACTLY the same. Sure like you or anyone else interested in SEO tools, I do have a website and want to make money from it ASAP. But I'm not an SEO newbie. That's why a bell rang in my head.
I nearly forgot that I'm an SEO myself and I've been through a lot of deal here. But then that's what I thought: I know some very nice SEO secrets, and I'm someone who used software for SEO and knows how it should work. And finally, I surely can sift out truth from false.
Believe me, today I'm mad at myself, because Brad Callen was smart enough to nearly fool me.
Now I re-read the copy and noticed exactly the things that rang the bell. Want me to share some?
Brad Callen's proof of SEO Elite's work is outstanding. He shows testimonials and offers you videos where people are telling you about their immense online success. It seems stupid not to buy SEO Elite after that.
But here's the first rule of thumb these days, if you're going to give someone your money: make sure you don't put it down the drain. Check all that you can check. $167 for an SEO tool would be a pretty good sum to simply waste.
So I just look at the first testimonial (whose video took 9 minutes to load on my 2Mbps internet connection and still didn't work for longer than 8 seconds — hey Brad if your paychecks look the way you say, can't you afford faster hosting?)
I'm talking about the testimonial entitled "I have first page Google rankings for keywords with over 2 BILLION competitors!" If you go to SEOElite.com you'll easily see it. It says that homebusinessresearch.com is on page 1 for "home business" — the keyphrase with over 2 billion competitors.
Well that's easy to check. I just go to Google and type in "home business".
That's pure truth: homebusinessresearch.com is on Page 1 in Google. It's number 8, to be more precise. But... is the competition of 360,000,000 more than 2 billion??? Of course it's not.
That's when I started to have a feeling that someone's having me on.
All these videos, you know… A neighbor guy once showed me a video clip on his cell phone, where it looks like he caught a water-nymph with his fishing rod. Should I trust that as well?
Who do you think I am? Buying a thing that promises to earn me millions, and paying my own $167 bucks to someone whose testimonials are lying?
Sorry Brad, I'm not that kind of a guy.
Check just a couple of SEO tools comparisons I came across on the web — they will give you a clue to alternatives to SEO Elite that at least don't pull your leg.
Is free WebCEO really free?
Remembering there's no such thing as a free lunch, anyone could be surprised by what stands on WebCEO's (one of the top SEO software developers) website: "Free version: No time limitations. No nag screens. Yours for free for ever."
However, the free WebCEO version is indeed free. You are even getting 3 months of updates for functions and for search engines with it (though any tools from SEO PowerSuite, for example, have 6-month and lifetime offers respectively).
No nag screens? That's also almost 100% true in WebCEO. That's right - some of us hate screens saying "Sorry, you didn't pay for this so you're not getting it. Or how about paying?" In WebCEO, you won't see too many screens like this. Instead, many functions are simply inactive, mostly because they're limited by the free WebCEO version.
But where there aren't any nag screens, you end up scratching your head. Because you don't see the familiar "Please pay to us" message, WebCEO keeps you wondering, if it's a software limitation, or you'd just need to go and change something in settings.
The free WebCEO restricts competitor research to almost a nought, allows only 5 words for keyword research and puts strict limits on abilities to analyze.
From the restricted version, you can still make restricted reports. They will have WebCEO logo and their foreword, so they're only for your own use.
SEO PowerSuite has a different approach. The free edition of SEO PowerSuite tools won't let you pull all data from main view into reports. That means, you can't show reports to anyone and hold them in your hands printed out. But unlike WebCEO, SEO PowerSuite will never limit your ability to optimize your site. You can research any number of words, check any number of sites and analyze as much data as you need — you'll get all necessary info without restrictions and will be able to use it immediately.
Besides, despite the promises, in WebCEO you will see some nag screens asking you to purch the paid version.
But all right, let's give credit to the guys — sure they need to make sale. Here's where you'll find a detailed comparison of WebCEO and alternative SEO tools.
However, the free WebCEO version is indeed free. You are even getting 3 months of updates for functions and for search engines with it (though any tools from SEO PowerSuite, for example, have 6-month and lifetime offers respectively).
No nag screens? That's also almost 100% true in WebCEO. That's right - some of us hate screens saying "Sorry, you didn't pay for this so you're not getting it. Or how about paying?" In WebCEO, you won't see too many screens like this. Instead, many functions are simply inactive, mostly because they're limited by the free WebCEO version.
But where there aren't any nag screens, you end up scratching your head. Because you don't see the familiar "Please pay to us" message, WebCEO keeps you wondering, if it's a software limitation, or you'd just need to go and change something in settings.
The free WebCEO restricts competitor research to almost a nought, allows only 5 words for keyword research and puts strict limits on abilities to analyze.
From the restricted version, you can still make restricted reports. They will have WebCEO logo and their foreword, so they're only for your own use.
SEO PowerSuite has a different approach. The free edition of SEO PowerSuite tools won't let you pull all data from main view into reports. That means, you can't show reports to anyone and hold them in your hands printed out. But unlike WebCEO, SEO PowerSuite will never limit your ability to optimize your site. You can research any number of words, check any number of sites and analyze as much data as you need — you'll get all necessary info without restrictions and will be able to use it immediately.
Besides, despite the promises, in WebCEO you will see some nag screens asking you to purch the paid version.
But all right, let's give credit to the guys — sure they need to make sale. Here's where you'll find a detailed comparison of WebCEO and alternative SEO tools.
Website promotion tools – how to choose what suits you best?
On the web, among site owners you won't meet many guys who're so close with their money that they wouldn't spend a dime to speed up their sites promotion. We live in the 21st century, when most of the things we do can be done faster. SEO or search engine optimization is no exception — for each optimization task we've got tools, and to be most efficient, all you have to do is choose which ones suit you best.
The web is packed with SEO software, from absolutely free to very expensive, and from hardly-working-at-all tools to ones that one can call SEO magic wands. All right, if you know a couple of things about site promotion, and have funds to try out one tool after another, you'll learn to tell mediocre from pretty good. But when it comes to a choice of just one SEO software suite, you definitely want to get the best. Would you like to get a hand?
Briefly, if you want an ultimate suite of SEO software, it must help you with these 4+1 vital SEO tasks:
If your SEO software isn't best at any of these tasks — turn your head to seek for a new tool. To help you, here's a detailed comparison of two most powerful SEO softwares that you'll find now: SEO PowerSuite and IBP (Internet Business Promoter).
Besides you'll get a glimpse at more widely-spread SEO tools and check detailed reviews of best offers to be found on the Web — SEO PowerSuite, IBP, WebCEO, SEO Elite.
Choose what suits you best and speed up your business with quick and professional search engine optimization.
The web is packed with SEO software, from absolutely free to very expensive, and from hardly-working-at-all tools to ones that one can call SEO magic wands. All right, if you know a couple of things about site promotion, and have funds to try out one tool after another, you'll learn to tell mediocre from pretty good. But when it comes to a choice of just one SEO software suite, you definitely want to get the best. Would you like to get a hand?
Briefly, if you want an ultimate suite of SEO software, it must help you with these 4+1 vital SEO tasks:
- 1. Pick out the most profitable keywords to compete in your niche. These are the most widely-searched keywords at which your competition is the weakest.
- 2. Create a search engine friendly website with optimized content. There is software that helps website owners find unique working ways to use their keywords on a webpage to ensure top Google rankings.
- 3. Get high-quality links with right anchors — with minimum effort. There're dozens of search engine factors that determine the quality of a potential link. You've gotta find the tool that will check most of these factors.
- 4. Track your success over time. It's crucial to know at any moment how your SEO campaign is going. Whether you're moving in the right direction or got stuck and need to make some corrections to your SEO strategy - to know this you need to track your website's rankings in your targeted search engines.
- + 1 more task that a rare SEO tool will allow: Analyze your competitors' optimization strategies to create your own effective SEO plan. This may at least double efficiency of an SEO campaign, because competition research helps find the exact proven ways to promote your own website.
If your SEO software isn't best at any of these tasks — turn your head to seek for a new tool. To help you, here's a detailed comparison of two most powerful SEO softwares that you'll find now: SEO PowerSuite and IBP (Internet Business Promoter).
Besides you'll get a glimpse at more widely-spread SEO tools and check detailed reviews of best offers to be found on the Web — SEO PowerSuite, IBP, WebCEO, SEO Elite.
Choose what suits you best and speed up your business with quick and professional search engine optimization.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Why Financial Crisis is a Good Thing or How to Thrive in the Gloom and Doom
October 7th, 2008 Dow Jones took a dive by a whopping 508 points. Over the past three months global markets were hit by an $8.1 trillion loss in value. Banks fail one after another, panic in the Wall Street... That's what already came to be known as the biggest economy meltdown since the Great Depression.
The helter-skelter of the stock-exchange swiftly resonates everywhere. With media fuelling the buzz you need to have a steel nerve or live deep in the forest not to be concerned with the crisis thing. The home-grown economic prophets loudly predict 'the end of the world as we know it'.
The last thing you'd want to do in times like that is start a business, right? - Not quite.
Great Depression Creates Great Opportunities
History knows a lot of cases when economic meltdowns created opportunities for new ventures and bold startups as well as remarkably profitable marketing investments. The Great Depression turned out the golden ticket for hundreds of businesses. Disney, Procter & Gamble, Camel and Chevrolet, to name a few, were among the companies that bloomed and thrived while others were desperately fighting for survival. They saw an opportunity and seized the moment. They were advertising when others cut down marketing budgets. They offered new products when others thought no one could afford to buy. They stayed calm in the across-the-board market mess and they ended up outstandingly victorious.
What does it have to do with you? Everything. The ongoing crisis is your chance to start a new venture, grow your business and make money even when the economy seems to go wild. And the best place to do this is online. Against the background of economic downturn the prospects of the Internet market look especially promising.
Why Online Business is Recession-Proof
Although the cyberspace is tightly tied to the real-world economy, the negative market trends seem to turn out the positive way online. Both retail customers and investors seeking ways to safeguard their capitals end-up putting their money online. Here's the proof that Internet market is here to stay no matter what goes on offline.
* Shoppers go online
In every recession it is the low-to-middle class who take the biggest blow. When big companies go bankrupt it is the regular workers who suffer most. Off course CEOs and investors lose monstrous sums but at least they don't have to worry about how to feed the family.
In times like that people do their best to tighten the belts and cut the expenses. We go hunting for bargains and the first place to look at is the Internet. The reasons are obvious: you can compare prices without leaving the house; you don't have to waste time and money on the gas running around the shops and you can really buy cheaper over the Internet.
Offer the best price and people will buy. Make a discount on something they could do without but would rather own, and people will buy. What's even more important, even after the economy goes stable, your customers will stick with you. Read on to learn how to pick the right product and get a discount for it.
* Companies Invest in Online Advertising
However slow the economy is a business needs to invest into advertising if it wants to stay afloat. Under the tight budget ROI (Return on Investment) becomes the focal point. The Internet offers lots of measuring instruments other media lack. Computer technology allows tracking the money you earn from each banner or text ad up to the last cent. Therefore businesses cut down or completely abandon the press, and TV, but they'll never give up on SEO, contextual or banner ads.
Outsell Inc., The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), IDC and other research agencies all report Internet advertising growing at a galloping tempo (18.2% for the first quarter this year) while print, TV and outdoor ads lose their share of the market.
IAB reports that advertisers invested $5.8 billion in Q1 2008. Part of that money could be yours.
With marketing budgets zipped up businesses seek every opportunity to advertise online. If you have a website or blog with some traffic companies will line up to pay you for advertising. If you don't have any, it's very much the time to start one. Read on to learn how to create a successful advertising platform and promote it in the search engines.
Selling ads space is just one of the many ways to make money online. There are many more such as paid subscriptions, affiliate marketing, review posting, sponsored directory listings, etc. They all create great opportunities to start an online business. And of course, you don't need to put all eggs in one basket. You can combine various online marketing techniques into a powerful money making blend that would be 100% recession proof, no matter what goes on across Wall Street.
Here's a Step-By-Step Guide To Starting an Online Business
What does starting a business start with? Naturally before you start selling something you need to decide what that something will be. So your first step is
1. Choosing a Product to Sell
A product to sell is not necessarily a 'product' as such. It could be a paid subscription or a service and you don't even have to 'sell' it directly. You just need to offer something of interest: information or functionality that will drive visitors to your website and will make them wanna stay and come back. Get traffic and you'll have tons of ways to transform it into cash.
There are a number of things people are most interested in now. Here's a list of
What's Hot in Cold Economy:
* Information
People's desire to know what's going on doesn't cease in bad times. Moreover, the worse it gets the bigger their interest. The 'hottest' right now is financial information.
According to comScore Media Metrix the number if visitors to finance-related websites jumped 30% this year. European websites skyrocketed to record peaks of up to 141% in traffic growth.
Start a blog or website about anything in the finances from the market trends to personal investments and loans, promote it in the search engines and you'll see tons of traffic you can convert into money. Read on to learn how.
* Stress-Relief
During the Great Depression people went to the movies to relieve the stress and forget about their problems. Nothing has changed over time except for the movies. The general trend is when bad things happen people still pay for entertainment even though it's getting harder to afford.
* Discounts
With economy staggering and stock exchange falling down the bills still remain the same. And bills are to be paid. Naturally we want to save on everything. If you know how to show us the way to a good bargain we'll stick with you. And bargains are plentiful on the Internet. You just need to take the time to find them and gather in one place.
* Surviving the Crisis Guides
When it comes to our wallets we get emotional. When it comes to our wallets getting thinner we get extremely emotional and even start to panic. Surviving the financial crisis is a hot topic right now. Therefore if you read this article to the end you'll get a double benefit:
a. You'll secure a sustainable income for yourself and your family.
b. You'll be able to help others do the same.
Moreover you'll have an undeniable proof of your paycheck to show people the way, and they will follow. This will bring you not only money but also self-satisfaction of doing a good thing.
The list is just a small fraction of the niches you can take up with your business. Explore the web for a while and you'll get tons of other ideas to choose from.
Once you've picked your product(s) you can get down to launching a website.
2. Going Online
Depending on the focus of your online business you need to decide whether you will use a website, a blog or both. Blogs are easier to start and maintain. If you decide to focus your marketing efforts around information this is your best choice to go. You can set up a free blog at WordPress.Com or Blogger.com
Websites offer more functionality but may take up more time and skills to manage. You can hire professionals to have a website set up for you. In the slow economy the quotes should get very affordable. You can also explore the free options for there are plenty out there. There are even ones that will get your website up and running in about 5 clicks.
Google 'free websites' and you'll get one before you can say 'How do I make a website?'.
3. Getting Traffic
A website without traffic is a dead one though. Visitors are the blood of your website that gets its heart beating. So your first and foremost concern now is to attract traffic to your website. The only most effective way to do it is promote your website in search engines.
According to Pew Internet 84% of internet surfers use search engines. About 68 million Americans will use the search engines tomorrow. If your website appears at the top of search results a large portion of this traffic will come to you bringing you money.
Now the question is how do you get your website to the top of search engines? The answer is by optimizing it for natural search. The process is called Search Engine Optimization or SEO for short. Even if you hear the term for the first time, it won't take you long to figure out what it's all about.
There are a lot of do-it-yourself SEO guides out there. However they all seem to miss the most important point. It's actually doing SEO not just reading about it what drives your website up in search engine rankings and earns you money. Good news is that there's one SEO Book that tells you the exact things to do in a way that let's you get right down to doing them. The e-book is called SEO in Practice. It is the ultimate guide that will help you get your website to the top of search engine rankings in a matter of weeks. You can read this SEO book for free.
One of the great things about SEO is that it gets you traffic (read customers) free of charge. No fees, no bills. You do everything yourself and you reap the benefits of what you've sown. However, when doing SEO you'll most likely stumble upon the same problem all SEOs do: There's just not enough hours in the day to do everything by hand. The way out I found for myself is automating some of the SEO tasks with special SEO software.
There are a lot of tools out there. I personally use SEO Software by Link-Assistant.Com. It has all the functionality I need and I like it. But you can use any software (just make sure it's good quality) or no software at all. You can go and search around for free SEO tools. They are usually of limited functionality as compared to the paid versions, but can still be helpful.
4. Earning Money
After you've read and followed the tips outlined in the SEO Book you'll see a sustainable stream of traffic coming to your website. This is great but we're looking to make money not just traffic, right? There are many ways to monetize your website traffic, some of the most popular and effective are:
* Advertising
People pay you to put up a banner or text links on your website. The more traffic you have the more you can charge. Search around to see what the general pricing is and test several pricing options to see which suits your prospects best.
* Affiliate Marketing
I had been earning a good living from affiliate programs for several years before I completely jumped into the SEO services. The system is dead simple. You help businesses sell their products and earn a percentage of every sale. To achieve the best you need to pick a product you believe in (preferably the one you own and use). This way you'll be speaking confidently and with authority and people will buy from you.
* Paid Subscriptions
If you deliver quality info or analysis that is unique and is of value to your visitors you can offer paid subscriptions. The subscription can grant more info, earlier delivery or whatever bonuses you can think of.
As your online business gains momentum you'll find yourself living a new life. The one that is stress-free, recession proof and incredibly enjoyable. And what's more important you'll be living your whole life for yourself. No one can fire you; no one can cut down your pay. You're an independent entrepreneur and it's up to you when you come to work and when you leave. Your paycheck solely depends on you.
Please note, this is not a get-rich-quick kinda trash. You'll have to work first and most likely work hard. Not too hard perhaps, but hard enough. This is how it is and I strongly believe this is exactly as it should be. First you work for your business, then your business works for you. Invest into your future now and you'll be able to reap the benefits later. Do nothing and nothing will happen.
What are the Risks?
The word venture itself contains a pinch of risk attached to it. Starting a business certainly has its risks. But the world is like this:
"Sometimes you do something, and you get screwed. Sometimes it's the things you don't do and you get screwed." - Fight Club
You start a business and you may fail, and then start another one and still another one until you succeed. But if you don't try you never succeed. You may sit and wait for the economy meltdown to hit you in the pocket or for the company you're working for to go under. These are also the risks we take by just living in this world. And compared to them the risks of starting an online business are nothing. In fact all you invest is your time and effort.
You can start securing your future right now. Work for you business an hour a day at first, than more until you can finally go your own way.
So Why Financial Crisis is a Good Thing
Slow economy is sort of a market janitor. It gets rid of the mismanaged thrash and gives way to new players with fresh ideas and innovative approaches. The big and weak go under and the apt take over their place. This is your chance to change your life once and for good. Go pick your product -> set up a website -> promote it in search engines -> and earn the living you've always wanted to.
The helter-skelter of the stock-exchange swiftly resonates everywhere. With media fuelling the buzz you need to have a steel nerve or live deep in the forest not to be concerned with the crisis thing. The home-grown economic prophets loudly predict 'the end of the world as we know it'.
The last thing you'd want to do in times like that is start a business, right? - Not quite.
Great Depression Creates Great Opportunities
History knows a lot of cases when economic meltdowns created opportunities for new ventures and bold startups as well as remarkably profitable marketing investments. The Great Depression turned out the golden ticket for hundreds of businesses. Disney, Procter & Gamble, Camel and Chevrolet, to name a few, were among the companies that bloomed and thrived while others were desperately fighting for survival. They saw an opportunity and seized the moment. They were advertising when others cut down marketing budgets. They offered new products when others thought no one could afford to buy. They stayed calm in the across-the-board market mess and they ended up outstandingly victorious.
What does it have to do with you? Everything. The ongoing crisis is your chance to start a new venture, grow your business and make money even when the economy seems to go wild. And the best place to do this is online. Against the background of economic downturn the prospects of the Internet market look especially promising.
Why Online Business is Recession-Proof
Although the cyberspace is tightly tied to the real-world economy, the negative market trends seem to turn out the positive way online. Both retail customers and investors seeking ways to safeguard their capitals end-up putting their money online. Here's the proof that Internet market is here to stay no matter what goes on offline.
* Shoppers go online
In every recession it is the low-to-middle class who take the biggest blow. When big companies go bankrupt it is the regular workers who suffer most. Off course CEOs and investors lose monstrous sums but at least they don't have to worry about how to feed the family.
In times like that people do their best to tighten the belts and cut the expenses. We go hunting for bargains and the first place to look at is the Internet. The reasons are obvious: you can compare prices without leaving the house; you don't have to waste time and money on the gas running around the shops and you can really buy cheaper over the Internet.
Offer the best price and people will buy. Make a discount on something they could do without but would rather own, and people will buy. What's even more important, even after the economy goes stable, your customers will stick with you. Read on to learn how to pick the right product and get a discount for it.
* Companies Invest in Online Advertising
However slow the economy is a business needs to invest into advertising if it wants to stay afloat. Under the tight budget ROI (Return on Investment) becomes the focal point. The Internet offers lots of measuring instruments other media lack. Computer technology allows tracking the money you earn from each banner or text ad up to the last cent. Therefore businesses cut down or completely abandon the press, and TV, but they'll never give up on SEO, contextual or banner ads.
Outsell Inc., The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), IDC and other research agencies all report Internet advertising growing at a galloping tempo (18.2% for the first quarter this year) while print, TV and outdoor ads lose their share of the market.
IAB reports that advertisers invested $5.8 billion in Q1 2008. Part of that money could be yours.
With marketing budgets zipped up businesses seek every opportunity to advertise online. If you have a website or blog with some traffic companies will line up to pay you for advertising. If you don't have any, it's very much the time to start one. Read on to learn how to create a successful advertising platform and promote it in the search engines.
Selling ads space is just one of the many ways to make money online. There are many more such as paid subscriptions, affiliate marketing, review posting, sponsored directory listings, etc. They all create great opportunities to start an online business. And of course, you don't need to put all eggs in one basket. You can combine various online marketing techniques into a powerful money making blend that would be 100% recession proof, no matter what goes on across Wall Street.
Here's a Step-By-Step Guide To Starting an Online Business
What does starting a business start with? Naturally before you start selling something you need to decide what that something will be. So your first step is
1. Choosing a Product to Sell
A product to sell is not necessarily a 'product' as such. It could be a paid subscription or a service and you don't even have to 'sell' it directly. You just need to offer something of interest: information or functionality that will drive visitors to your website and will make them wanna stay and come back. Get traffic and you'll have tons of ways to transform it into cash.
There are a number of things people are most interested in now. Here's a list of
What's Hot in Cold Economy:
* Information
People's desire to know what's going on doesn't cease in bad times. Moreover, the worse it gets the bigger their interest. The 'hottest' right now is financial information.
According to comScore Media Metrix the number if visitors to finance-related websites jumped 30% this year. European websites skyrocketed to record peaks of up to 141% in traffic growth.
Start a blog or website about anything in the finances from the market trends to personal investments and loans, promote it in the search engines and you'll see tons of traffic you can convert into money. Read on to learn how.
* Stress-Relief
During the Great Depression people went to the movies to relieve the stress and forget about their problems. Nothing has changed over time except for the movies. The general trend is when bad things happen people still pay for entertainment even though it's getting harder to afford.
* Discounts
With economy staggering and stock exchange falling down the bills still remain the same. And bills are to be paid. Naturally we want to save on everything. If you know how to show us the way to a good bargain we'll stick with you. And bargains are plentiful on the Internet. You just need to take the time to find them and gather in one place.
* Surviving the Crisis Guides
When it comes to our wallets we get emotional. When it comes to our wallets getting thinner we get extremely emotional and even start to panic. Surviving the financial crisis is a hot topic right now. Therefore if you read this article to the end you'll get a double benefit:
a. You'll secure a sustainable income for yourself and your family.
b. You'll be able to help others do the same.
Moreover you'll have an undeniable proof of your paycheck to show people the way, and they will follow. This will bring you not only money but also self-satisfaction of doing a good thing.
The list is just a small fraction of the niches you can take up with your business. Explore the web for a while and you'll get tons of other ideas to choose from.
Once you've picked your product(s) you can get down to launching a website.
2. Going Online
Depending on the focus of your online business you need to decide whether you will use a website, a blog or both. Blogs are easier to start and maintain. If you decide to focus your marketing efforts around information this is your best choice to go. You can set up a free blog at WordPress.Com or Blogger.com
Websites offer more functionality but may take up more time and skills to manage. You can hire professionals to have a website set up for you. In the slow economy the quotes should get very affordable. You can also explore the free options for there are plenty out there. There are even ones that will get your website up and running in about 5 clicks.
Google 'free websites' and you'll get one before you can say 'How do I make a website?'.
3. Getting Traffic
A website without traffic is a dead one though. Visitors are the blood of your website that gets its heart beating. So your first and foremost concern now is to attract traffic to your website. The only most effective way to do it is promote your website in search engines.
According to Pew Internet 84% of internet surfers use search engines. About 68 million Americans will use the search engines tomorrow. If your website appears at the top of search results a large portion of this traffic will come to you bringing you money.
Now the question is how do you get your website to the top of search engines? The answer is by optimizing it for natural search. The process is called Search Engine Optimization or SEO for short. Even if you hear the term for the first time, it won't take you long to figure out what it's all about.
There are a lot of do-it-yourself SEO guides out there. However they all seem to miss the most important point. It's actually doing SEO not just reading about it what drives your website up in search engine rankings and earns you money. Good news is that there's one SEO Book that tells you the exact things to do in a way that let's you get right down to doing them. The e-book is called SEO in Practice. It is the ultimate guide that will help you get your website to the top of search engine rankings in a matter of weeks. You can read this SEO book for free.
One of the great things about SEO is that it gets you traffic (read customers) free of charge. No fees, no bills. You do everything yourself and you reap the benefits of what you've sown. However, when doing SEO you'll most likely stumble upon the same problem all SEOs do: There's just not enough hours in the day to do everything by hand. The way out I found for myself is automating some of the SEO tasks with special SEO software.
There are a lot of tools out there. I personally use SEO Software by Link-Assistant.Com. It has all the functionality I need and I like it. But you can use any software (just make sure it's good quality) or no software at all. You can go and search around for free SEO tools. They are usually of limited functionality as compared to the paid versions, but can still be helpful.
4. Earning Money
After you've read and followed the tips outlined in the SEO Book you'll see a sustainable stream of traffic coming to your website. This is great but we're looking to make money not just traffic, right? There are many ways to monetize your website traffic, some of the most popular and effective are:
* Advertising
People pay you to put up a banner or text links on your website. The more traffic you have the more you can charge. Search around to see what the general pricing is and test several pricing options to see which suits your prospects best.
* Affiliate Marketing
I had been earning a good living from affiliate programs for several years before I completely jumped into the SEO services. The system is dead simple. You help businesses sell their products and earn a percentage of every sale. To achieve the best you need to pick a product you believe in (preferably the one you own and use). This way you'll be speaking confidently and with authority and people will buy from you.
* Paid Subscriptions
If you deliver quality info or analysis that is unique and is of value to your visitors you can offer paid subscriptions. The subscription can grant more info, earlier delivery or whatever bonuses you can think of.
As your online business gains momentum you'll find yourself living a new life. The one that is stress-free, recession proof and incredibly enjoyable. And what's more important you'll be living your whole life for yourself. No one can fire you; no one can cut down your pay. You're an independent entrepreneur and it's up to you when you come to work and when you leave. Your paycheck solely depends on you.
Please note, this is not a get-rich-quick kinda trash. You'll have to work first and most likely work hard. Not too hard perhaps, but hard enough. This is how it is and I strongly believe this is exactly as it should be. First you work for your business, then your business works for you. Invest into your future now and you'll be able to reap the benefits later. Do nothing and nothing will happen.
What are the Risks?
The word venture itself contains a pinch of risk attached to it. Starting a business certainly has its risks. But the world is like this:
"Sometimes you do something, and you get screwed. Sometimes it's the things you don't do and you get screwed." - Fight Club
You start a business and you may fail, and then start another one and still another one until you succeed. But if you don't try you never succeed. You may sit and wait for the economy meltdown to hit you in the pocket or for the company you're working for to go under. These are also the risks we take by just living in this world. And compared to them the risks of starting an online business are nothing. In fact all you invest is your time and effort.
You can start securing your future right now. Work for you business an hour a day at first, than more until you can finally go your own way.
So Why Financial Crisis is a Good Thing
Slow economy is sort of a market janitor. It gets rid of the mismanaged thrash and gives way to new players with fresh ideas and innovative approaches. The big and weak go under and the apt take over their place. This is your chance to change your life once and for good. Go pick your product -> set up a website -> promote it in search engines -> and earn the living you've always wanted to.
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