Have the search engines ever purchased anything from you? Forget the search engines! Focus on your customers!

When you write content, write valuable content focused on your customers. Focus on one topic (keyword phrase) only. Your keyword-containing tags should include that one topic (keyword phrase) only. Everything on the page should be focused on that one topic. Prove to the search engine that your page is about that topic. The page will then be very relevant for the topic. But it's valuable for the customers.

Don't ever create a page just for the search engines. The search engines aren't and probably won't ever be your customers. Keep your true customers in mind, and give THEM true value throughout your site and in your content.

John Alexander
Search Engine Workshops

One of the BEST ways to market your web site is to show the Internet audience that you KNOW your stuff!

If you would like to write an article about any of the following topics and submit it to our Newsletter, we would love to review it for inclusion in future issues.

Our topics of interest are...

Marketing (General)
Internet Marketing
Small Business Issues
Web Design
Web Hosting
Web site Programming

Contact us today about your article(s) and get yourself promoted!!

New Google Tools

In the last several months, Google introduced several new programs. Two of these programs benefit web site owners and web site marketers. I thought I would give you an explanation of what these are and how your website is affected.

Froogle Local

Here's how it works: When a shopper does a search on Froogle and clicks on the "Local Shopping" link on their results page, they'll be asked for a location, and then shown a map of nearby stores that sell their item of interest. Shoppers who visit the Froogle homepage and enter location-specific search terms like "digital cameras in San Francisco, CA" will see Froogle's local shopping results right away. For example, here are local shopping results for clothing or sofas.

What does this mean to the web site owner?

The web site owner benefits greatly from this extra added feature in Froogle! Remember, Froogle is a search engine for web sites that sell physical products. So, when someone searches on Froogle for a product they not only get the chance to see what you sell that product for but they also get to see where you are located (in case they want to come to the store to SEE the product). And best of all, Froogle is a FREE search engine.

What does this mean to the web site marketer?

In order to get your web site recognized in Froogle Local, an additional account has to be opened for your domain in Google (we do that for you) and an additional form or Froogle Feed has to be sent providing them with your address. Another factor is that for Froogle to "verify" that the address being given is the actual address for the web site, it's beneficial to have your address listed on every page of your web site. You'll notice that some sites are now listing their address, phone, fax and email at the bottom or the side of every single web site page. If your pages do not have this as of yet, let us know!

Google Base

Some of you may be familiar with Craigslist.org. It's an online advertisement and it's FREE. So, if you're looking to sell or buy a product or service, you can advertise it at Craigslist.org. Google, of course, was not going to be left out of a new concept, so they created their own free online advertisement and they call it Google Base.

What does this mean to the web site owner?

Although listings in Google Base or Craigslist.org may not bring you direct customers to your website, it does bring a link (in the eyes of the search engine) to your website. Of course, if you keep submitting your advertisement. Each entry is time limited, so after a while, the ad is removed from the website.

What does this mean to the web site marketer?

These types of sites are another way to add incoming links to websites. Of course, the more relevant links TO a website, the higher Google ranks the website. Of course, the advertisement has to use anchor text linking in order for this to work. This means that if your website's home page is marketing the keyword phrase "Funky Red Shoes" then your advertisement must have the phrase "Funky Red Shoes" in the ad and hyperlinked to your website's home page.

Sincerely,
Esther C. Kane
Eckweb Designs, Inc.
Improved Search Engine Rankings

This article is courtesy of Neal Wexler, Director of SiteLINK Sales at Dydacomp Development Corp. (http://www.dydacomp.com/). For over 15 years, Dydacomp has been serving the business automation needs of direct marketers with Mail Order Manager (M.O.M.) and their own completely integrated web commerce solution, SiteLINK.

Something I've seen occurring more and more are companies opening up multiple stores for the same company.

What they do is to set up one site for their main sales, then if they have many different types of items for sale on their, they may want to open additional sites that will focus the direction of sub-sets of products from their main site.

In this way you can make sure that the focus of the site is clear for those particular products. For example, a site that sells vitamins, might have their main site, for example, www.vitamins-vitamins.com. However, a big seller for them may be their line of sports related vitamins, so they set up a second store for www.sports-vitamins.com, and one for their line of children's vitamins called www.children-vitamins.com, etc.

Basically what you are doing is focusing the direction of those sites, so that you can attract customers looking specifically for those items that might miss your main site, since that item may not be the focus of your main site.

This also helps you to attract more sales, since the more avenues of orders and revenue you have, the more you can make, especially on the web where you can open up a virtual "new location" easily without the expensive of a new "brick and mortar" location.

Other examples would be if you are a site that sells collectibles (coins, knifes, stamps, etc), and you break out different sub-sites for each collectable focus. When someone does a search collectable knives, the search engine is more likely to display first a
Collectable Knives store than on a store that simply dedicated to all collectible items.

You can either promote the fact that www.sports-vitamins.com is part of the www.vitamins-vitamins.com family of websites, or not. If not, then you can literally be your own competitor.

Sincerely,

Neal Wexler
Director of SiteLINK Sales
Dydacomp Development Corp.
"Software Solutions for Direct Marketers"

Not Your Usual Marketing Tips

Welcome to Not Your Usual Marketing Tips -- your Official Online Marketing Ideas and Commentary Column Official Sponsor of the Year 2006.

There, I’ve now claimed the first commercial ownership of a Year…

It’s the first month, and that begs the question: have you made your New Year’s resolutions yet? I mean from a marketing, advertising and promoting standpoint. (I could care less if you’ve vowed to lose weight; trust me, it’ll only come back by this time next year anyway…)

Since first offering up this specific column at least twice before, it’s worn well as universal and timeless commentary. So, as they say, if it ain’t broke…

There’s a great scene in an old “Seinfeld” episode where Jerry has apparently telephoned reservations for a car rental. Except that when he gets there to pick up the car, he’s told there are none to be had. The girl at the counter explains that, for whatever bureaucratic reason, his rental was released to someone else. In his customary exasperated manner, Jerry then tries to “educate” her -- that although “it’s your business to MAKE the reservation…you also have to be able to HOLD the reservation..!”

It’s January of a New Year. From a marketing standpoint, presuming you’ve MADE your New Year’s resolutions, are you planning to actually HOLD them?

In no particular order, consider these 12 Resolutions for 2006 – vowing to proactively engage in at least one of them:

Guerilla Marketing: Think outside the box for ways to promote yourself. There are rules…and sometimes there are no rules.

Networking: Do more, by joining more…networks that is (associations, fraternal organizations, fellow hobbyists, etc.)

Publicity: Toot your own horn; no one else knows your “key” as you do.

Positioning: All things being equal…what makes you “more” equal than others?

Seminars: You think you know it all?? Well, maybe you do – to targeted markets with which you wish to do business and promote yourself.

Newsletters: Share your ideas, broaden your constituency; send out industry-relevant information either as hard copy…or electronically (such as what you’re presently reading).

Trade Shows: Go to them, be in them, mingle within them, and write a program article for them.

Event Marketing: Sponsor a cause, have an Open House; it’s good PR by “humanizing” your business.

The Newspaper: Remember that old-fashioned concept? For ideas, for client contact opportunities, for business reference, don’t rely on the 11:00 PM News alone. Read the newspaper.

Greeting Cards: It doesn’t have to be Christmas to send them. Get your name out year-round, with Valentine’s Day, July 4th, Arbor Day – whatever! – as the “excuse.”

Postcards: Along with greeting cards, postcards are a fast, convenient, economical way to let people know about your business (think Realtors…).

Website: (Here’s one I’ve added since last year.) If you don’t have a site, get one. If you already have one, concentrate more on the text this time, by focusing on Keywords to help facilitate Search Engine Optimization. (You do want people to find you on the Web, don’t you..?)

Joel Kweskin
JDK Marketing Communications Management
704.846.4835, office
704.575.8850, cell
704.841.2746, fax
www.jdkmarketing.biz

The Science of Trafficology
By Amy & Dearl at Nitro Marketing

I receive MANY articles daily (hundreds actually) and I've gotten VERY good at scanning and choosing the articles and sites that provide the best information. Trafficology.com is one of those sites that is a hit and miss as far as their articles go, but recently, they have been more hits than misses. I found this article interesting (although not necessarily NEW data - but yet, very worthwhile for many of my readers). This article is the first in a series of 6 articles.

Today I will introduce you to Trafficology - and explain why science is the key to making money online.

Then we will spend the next 6 lessons learning, step-by-step, the most important traffic creation & conversion techniques in existence.

In this lesson you will:
- Learn why science is important to your website
- Learn why people spend money online
- Learn the 4 different types of traffic
- Discover how to find the customers that will give you money

Web Traffic is a Science. It is not magic - it is not a trick - it is not a secret. There is a set of fundamental laws & underlying principles that govern why people visit a site and make a purchase online. We call that science 'Trafficology' - and the sole purpose of Trafficology.com is to teach you that science.

I know, I know....

You are probably saying, "Science, I don't need no stinkin' science!"

All right then, that's a fair reaction, I guess... but just for kicks, let's evaluate the alternatives to learning the art of this Web Traffic Science stuff:

1) You could use "tricks" - but most new "tricks" cease to work a couple weeks after invention, and many will actually hurt your business.

2) You can hire someone or "buy" traffic, but if you don't hire the right person or "buy"
the right traffic all you have done is thrown your money away - plus you STILL have to convince your visitors to buy.

If you want people to come to your site and buy your product or service - you need to know who they are, what they want, and how to effectively communicate why they should purchase your product or service.

No program or trick can do that - and most "experts" have no idea how to do it either!

FACT: 70% of all visitors that come to your website with credit card in hand, ready to buy - leave with out making a single purchase.

In a recent study people were given money to visit websites and make purchases. They knew exactly what they were going to buy - they had a credit card out to pay for the purchase - and they were getting paid.

Of these people 70% of them were unable to complete the sale - 70%!!

That's right - 7 out of every 10 people who know what they want & want to spend money online can't. They get so frustrated when trying to find what they are looking for that they give up and leave.

Go ahead - try it yourself. Take out your credit card and try to buy a pair of jeans or a wireless router. Let me tell you - I tried it myself and I did not buy anything.

YOU may be able to complete the sale online - but if you are reading this, then you are not the "average" online shopper. Think of your Mother or your Uncle Rufus who just signed up for AOL - this is the "average" online shopper - and they are not pleased with their online shopping experience, and therefore aren't buying.

We've got to do something about this and fast.

What if a physical store worked like this?
What if 70% of "average" offline customers (who are ready, willing & able to buy) could not find what they were looking for?

I guarantee if you wanted to buy a new pair of jeans or a wireless router and you went to the mall (with your credit card in hand) - it will be less than 7 minutes until you are walking out a satisfied customer.

What this means is most websites are not using the most basic business & marketing fundamentals. They are not thinking about their customers and they are not helping their visitors buy what they need and want.

SO, HOW IS TRAFFICOLOGY DIFFERENT???

When you start to look at things from a scientific perspective you begin to understand why things work and how to do things better.

Think about other sciences. When you have a heart attack do you see a hocus-pocus Witch Doctor or a highly-educated Medical Doctor?

You go to the hospital and see someone who understands what is happening and what you need to do to survive.

It's the same way with web traffic.

You can't risk your financial future on tricks and gimmicks. You must use sound web traffic fundamentals to build a consistent flow of traffic, apply time tested web conversion techniques to complete the sale and create another satisfied customer.

It is up to you - Science or Voodoo? Choose, but choose wisely!

WHY PEOPLE SPEND MONEY ONLINE

Most people get this completely wrong - they think that people buy online because it is
easy or convenient. Or, they think that people buy online because they like the taste of your product or the color of the fabric. Some even think that people buy online because of the prices or the selection.

Nope.

This is simple - this is so easy most "experts" just don't get it. People spend money online because they have a "want" - they have an inner desire that needs to be filled. Your job as a web marketer is to identify what your customer truly "wants" and then offer a product that fills their "desire".

Nonsense you say. Nope, just sound marketing fundamentals. This is not something exclusive to the Internet; this has been used since the turn of the century and has been taught in business schools for several decades.

Actually, it is usually taught with the word "need" not "want". They say that a customer
will make a purchase to fill a "need".

But, this is simply not true. Many people need to do many things that they will never do.

I need to stop eating apple pie - I need to get on the treadmill more - but I don't because I don't want to. I eat apple pie because I want to - and I jump on the treadmill once and a while because I want to - not because I need to.

So the reason why people buy online is because they have a "want" or "desire" that is filled by making that purchase.

Ok, but how do we "fill" their "desire"?

Well, that depends on whether you already have a product or you are starting from scratch. But first - let's talk about the 4 different types of visitors to a website.

4 TYPES OF WEB TRAFFIC

1) People who found your website by mistake - they have no desire that your product or
service fills

For these people - the only way you can help them is by clearly stating what you do have, so that you do not waste their time or your money. Also, by clearly stating what you do offer you plant in their mind your "brand". So, if they ever have a need for your product in the future, they will come back.

2) People who have a desire, but don't know what fills it and may not be ready for a
solution

It is your job to grab their attention and clearly explain what your product or service does to fill their desire. Not only do you have to sell your brand of the product, but you also have to explain how this type of product actually does what they want.

3) People who have a desire, know what type of thing fills it and are evaluating
alternative solutions.

These are people who know that your type of product is what they want - but are comparison-shopping the different brands. It is your job to clearly explain why they want your brand more - and how you do a better job at filling their want.

4) People who have a desire, know exactly what fills it and have their credit card
in hand.

These are people who are already sold on your product. You just need to make everything easy to find and help them check out as quickly as possible - we call them "Targeted Web Traffic".

Of this last group "Targeted Traf'fic" (people who know exactly what they want, have their credit card out and are ready to spend online) still only complete the sale 30% of the time.

7 out of every 10 people who want to spend money on a product you are selling leave your site unsatisfied.

Unbelievable - but true.

HOW TO FIND THE CUSTOMERS THAT WILL GIVE YOU MONEY

So now you are asking, "How do I get people to buy my product online?"

It is not hard - now that we know the different types of Web Traffic - we know where to
concentrate our efforts.

1) Bring more "Targeted Traf'fic" to your website
2) Improve your sale processes to increase conversion (turn browsers into buyers).

In lessons 2, 3 & 4 of this course you will learn how to bring targeted traf'fic to your site

In lessons 5, 6 & 7 you will learn how to improve your sales processes to increase conversion and turn more browsers into buyers.

And every month in the Trafficology member area we will provide in-depth, real world specifics in our coverage of these topics along with interviews of the top experts in each of the 13 areas of web traffic creation & conversion. Of course we will continue to publish 5-10 tips like always in the regular Trafficology news, but every issue will
also include real-life case studies of people who have learned web traffic science and applied it to their business.

Get some rest - in 2 days we will start your lesson on web traffic creation. You will
learn how anyone can get a top search engine ranking - and why NOT to pay an "expert" to do this for you!

Amy & Dearl
Nitro Marketing
Editors, www.Trafficology.com

SEO - Natural Linking Strategies
by Chet Holcomb

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be the difference between a small, barely profitable or visible website and a traffic magnet website. There are a lot of ways, both good and bad, to influence the search engines. Some search engines react to certain strategies better than others. Some even have conflicting strategies that they react to. To document all of these things would require a significant number of pages and research that goes beyond the scope of this article.

However, there are a number of things that can be documented that will work for most if not all search engines. And let's face it; there are really only 3 that make a difference between a successful and an unsuccessful SEO strategy. They are the big three: Google, Yahoo and MSN. These three search engines in any given month are responsible for over 90% of all internet searches.

So, what is this article about? It's about what you can do as a website owner that will influence the search engines using commonly accepted practices of linking to other websites (outbound) and getting website links (inbound) back to you. There are basically 4 strategies that a website owner usually will employ to increase their website value in the eyes of the search engine. They are reciprocal linking, one-way linking, multi-site linking and directory linking. A website owner should not think that using just a single strategy is the right answer - sure it will help your SEO but it won't be the Best answer. The Best answer is to employ all 4 techniques and to do it naturally.

Each of the four linking strategies has specific descriptions that can be summed up as:

1. Reciprocal Linking = Site A links to Site B, Site B links back to Site A
2. One-Way Linking = Site B links to Site A
3. Multi-Site Linking = Site A links to Site B, Site B links to Site C, Site C links to Site D, and Site D links back to Site A. Could be 3..N number of sites involved.
4. Directory Linking = Site Directory A links to Site A

That seems simple enough but it takes time and effort to perform all 4 strategies and most website owners aren't willing to spend the time or don't have the time to spend on it. As a website owner, SEO needs to be one of the highest priority tasks that you need to address, just after Order Processing and Fulfillment and Customer Service. Without free traffic from the search engines, other traffic generation strategies that usually require payment must be engaged.

Now doing the 4 strategies above is great, but it gets even harder because you have to do it in a way that doesn't trigger the search engines to enforce a penalty upon your website. No one except the search engine engineers know all of the exact penalties but we have some good theories for some of them.

The first is the rate at which links are created. There is a certain threshold for creating links that is too fast. It's possible that the threshold is a sliding scale and is related to the age of the website according to the engine. For example, a young low-traffic website should not normally be getting 1000 links a month whereas an older website that gets a lot of traffic could be OK to get 1000 links a month. As you progress in your linking strategies make sure you keep this in mind, especially if you are thinking about buying links.

The second is that having a link to every site that links to you will likely reduce the value of the links. In other words, if all you ever get is Reciprocal Linking, you will likely move up the SERP's (Search Engine Results Page's) but you won't reach your sites full potential. Having a mixture of all 4 strategies will appear more natural to the engines.

The third is having all inbound links to your site on 'linking' pages will make those links less valuable than having a natural link on a contextually relative page for a percentage of the inbound links. The higher you can drive this context percentage, the better your website will rank. These types of links are often some of the most difficult links to generate an exchange for because it requires more time and effort for both website owners.

The fourth is to have links inbound from all different ranking sites. If all you have linking to you is page rank 6 and 7 sites then you are likely to be sending the message that you purchased your links and that is not natural to the engines. Some would argue that purchasing links for driving traffic is just fine and it is. However, you should not expect the search engines to give those inbound links very much weight when calculating your SERP positions. It is significantly more natural for you to have a large number of rank 1 and 2 inbound links and a decreasing number of inbound links as you move up the page rank scale (0 - 10).

The fifth is to have the text of you inbound links varied. It isn't natural to have every website that links to you to have the same text on the link description. The natural tendency would be to have a certain percent be the sites name, but after that it should be a wide variety of description. Your link text description is a key factor for how your site/page will rank, so make sure that you keep that in mind as you specify your preferred link text description on your website.

Finally, it would be best for a good percentage of your inbound links to appear within the text of a page that appears natural for the reader of that site. And for those links to not all point back to the home page of your website. It's most natural for a good high quality link to appear in the text of a page and have it point internally within your site.

So, when you begin or continue your SEO activities keep all of these things in mind and don't be impatient. Impatience could incur penalties or worse. Your website could end up in the 'sandbox'. It is rumored and becoming more concrete that Google supposedly uses a sandbox that questionable sites are put in until they have aged to a point that Google no longer feels that they are being manipulated. Many of the search engines use similar protection schemes to eliminate spam sites and manipulation sites to keep their SERP's from being cluttered.

Chet Holcomb of http://www.internetpromotions.biz is a successful marketing expert providing advice for web marketers and webmasters on how to promote your website, or product using marketing tools that work.