Make Money Online

It is commonly known within the search engine optimization community that Google has been working on transcribing audio for some time. The question is just how long from now will audio matter in search engine rankings?

Judging by voicemail transcription compliments of Google Voice, they still have a long way to go before transcriptions become accurate. Anyone who uses Google Voice for voicemail knows that the transcriptions are not very accurate. But the fact that this is something Google is working on lets us know that eventually it will become a search ranking factor.

What should we do? In order to have lasting search results for videos, it is not too early to start optimizing content. Do your keyword research prior to video production and ensure the phrases you are targeting are clearly mentioned in the voice-over of the video. This way, once Google decides to start taking the audio into account for rankings, your videos will be optimized.

Excerpted from:
Optimizing Video Content

It is amazing to me that the very first .com is 25 years old today. Symbolics.com, was registered on March 15, 1985, and was the first dot-com web page. Today, there are more than 80 million dot com domain names, and today, owning a domain name is as easy as getting an email address. Following Symbolics.com, big companies like Apple, IBM, Intel and AMD bought their domain names. Today, the internet is more a necessity than ever before, and it’s definitely here to stay. I wonder how much traffic Symbolics.com will be getting today…

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The First .com Turns 25 Today

Jay Berkowitz, CEO of www.TenGoldenRules.com and Author of The Ten Golden Rules of Online Marketing will present, “10 Strategies to Make Social Media Make Money.”

Facebook has 400 million members! YouTube is the #3 site on the Internet! Twitter grew 1043%! This presentation will share 10 strategies to capitalize on the traffic you can generate from top social media websites.

* Learn the single best opportunity in social
* The first eCommerce strategies for Facebook
* Secrets to build your friends and followers
* Make social media money without facing FTC fines
* The 3 E’s of social media
* Amazing apps

This free webinar will take place on Wednesday, March 17, 2010 12:30pmEST – 1:30pmEST. To register and for more information please visit: 10 Strategies to Make Social Media Make Money

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InternetMarketingClub.org Presents 10 Strategies to Make Social Media Make Money

I teach an Internet Marketing Course for the University of San Francisco. Several of the students have asked me how to put their knowledge to work and get a job in Internet marketing. Despite the tough economy, one sector that is still looking for good people is the internet.

My best thoughts on finding jobs in this economy are on our website and an internet marketing podcast I recorded with 10 job hunting tips.

The 2 best suggestions I could share with you are 1. the vast majority of jobs come from relationships and 2. the best thing you can do to get a job in internet marketing is to do work in internet marketing (freelance and volunteer work count). Let me explain:

1. Relationships. The first thing most managers do when hiring is ask staff and friends ‘Do you know anyone who is great at X?’ The last thing we do is spend money on recruitment advertising. I love hiring people that I have worked with through volunteer committees or people I know form industry events. Get busy connecting with old friends and make sure people know what you’re good at and what you’re looking for. Also, find an excuse to stay top-of-mind each month. I love to help people out, but I am busy – you need to remind busy people that you’re still looking.

2. I prefer to hire people with relevant experience and a great positive team-based attitude. We hired our Social Media Guru because she had a great can-do personality and a personal fitness blog that had higher ratings than our company blog. Companies were sending her free fitness products to sample hoping she’d blog about them. So how do you get real, relevant experience? Pick a cause that you are passionate about such as a local charity or non-profit and ask them how you could help. For example, the calls is doing some volunteer work for Rescue Rehab Home, a charity that rescues abandoned dogs. Volunteer for your local American Marketing Association or Interactive Marketing Association. Doing real interactive marketing work such as blogging, search engine optimization or social media (Facebook Fan Pages, YouTube videos, Twitter) is a great way to build your resume and show off your skills. Many hiring managers are likely in senior positions on the Board of Directors for these organizations. Or, do some freelance work to put on your resume. Websites such as www.Guru.com or www.eLance.com offer you the opportunity to make money doing real projects for real companies. Lastly – make yourself interactive! Create a great personal blog, make sure your Facebook and LinkedIn profiles are top notch. Google yourself to make sure there is lots of good news hitting the first page – if not get busy creating Social Media profiles to hit the first page of a search.

If you are looking, good luck for your job search and please let me know if there are other ways I can help. If you know someone who is looking for an internet marketing job, please share these tips and a link to our podcast with them. http://podcast.tengoldenrules.com/10goldenrules-podcast-episode32.html

Photo Credit Pieter Baert Flickr

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How to get a job in Internet Marketing

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Twitter’s 10 Billionth Tweet

Taking advantage of extensions for your browser of choice is a great way to customize your browsing experience. I tend to use Google Chrome, and lately have been paying more attention to the ton of extension options offered. The great thing about utilizing extensions for any browser is that you tailor your browsing experience to your own needs. Of course everyone will have their own preference on how they browse, and this gives you additional abilities to do so. There are three basic types of extensions offered with Google Chrome:

•
These extensions add a button in the upper right hand corner of your browser which will directly interact with the pages you visit.

Click & Clean
“Deletes your browsing history, typed URLs and other tracks from your PC; allows you to clear browsing data when Chrome closes.”

This extension is great for the days when your browser has fallen ill to “lazy browser syndrome.”

Webpage Screenshot
“Fast and simple solution to save JPG screenshots of any webpage; the first extension that captures the whole page.”

This extension is a nice alternative to the “print screen” function.

Learn More
To learn more about Google Extensions, check out the helpful video they have provided on the basics.

Excerpt from:
Have You Checked Out Chrome Extensions?

If you spend enough time around people who use computers to make their living, eventually you are going to run into a Star Wars fan. Really, it is so obvious that it almost doesn’t warrant a mention. Nevertheless…

Mark John’s Law states that for every 1.272727 computer users, there is one Star Wars fan.

I have worked as a computer programmer, currently make my living in the online marketing business, and I am a Star Wars fan. Of the 14 people who sit within about 25 feet of me and use computers for programming, SEO, writing and design, 11 of them are Star Wars fans to one degree or another. That is 1.272727%. While this is a very small test group, I know, I am reasonably certain that one could extend this over a broader group and still get very similar results.

As a Star Wars fan, every now and then, when I am faced with a difficult task, I ask myself, “What would Luke Skywalker do?” And this morning, as I was thinking about writing a blog post, I asked myself that question and it got me to thinking that Luke Skywalker would make a great affiliate marketer. Here’s why:

He got the right training from a mentor
If you’re a new affiliate, I highly recommend spending some time with someone who knows the business. Make friends with them and ask them to show you the way. Luke had several mentors. He got training from Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda on how to leverage The Force to meet his needs. Without that training, he’d probably still be on Tatooine farming moisture. Just like young Skywalker, new affiliates need a mentor.

Talking to an affiliate manager who can spend some time with you is a great way to get your start as well. Those who know and understand The Force in affiliate marketing are often very willing to share their knowledge with new affiliates, so don’t be shy, get out there and ask for help!

He can sense disturbances in The Force
Affiliates have to stay in tune with current trends and practices. For example, the recent inclusion of certain types of social media in Google search results may take some affiliates by surprise, and they could end up losing out on some excellent opportunities if they’re not following the latest technology developments.

It’s also important to keep up with industry trends. Seasonal trends are just as important. Can you imagine getting to the holiday season and not using it to leverage your marketing campaigns? It is important for affiliates to understand what’s about to happen in the world of online marketing, and how to adapt.

Use your instincts. If Luke had not followed his heart and used The Force to destroy the Death Star, who knows what untold horrors would have befallen the Rebel Alliance!

He got his hand cut off and kept going
Many affiliates have seen their sales decline dramatically, or watched their rankings in search engines drop off. If Luke Skywalker had this happen to him, would he have given up? No way!

Tenacity is a quality that an affiliate marketer can’t do without. Regardless of what might happen, it is extremely important to hang in there and renew efforts to make affiliate marketing campaigns successful. Remember that no matter how bad it gets (and it can’t get much worse than your dad chopping off your hand with a light-saber), hang in there, and all will be well.

He made friends with robots
In the same way that Luke could communicate in robot language with R2D2, affiliates with websites need to make sure that they are communicating with search engine bots in a way that’s going to get them on their side. Make sure your code is up to date and you’re creating relevant, keyword-rich content that the bots and spiders can understand. When the robots are your friends, they’ll help you along on your quest.

He did not give in to the Dark Side
As tempting as it may have been, Luke Skywalker never gave in to the Dark Side. There is a lot of temptation for affiliate marketers to employ Black Hat SEO techniques to get business. Some affiliates use other questionable tactics to get traffic, but we all know by now that the most successful affiliate marketers are the ones who are straight up and honest about what they do. Take a cue from Luke and don’t give in to the Dark Side.

He had Han Solo and Chewbacca on his side
Make friends! This industry is blessed with a great community of affiliates who love to explore new ideas with each other. Of course, it’s not an entirely Utopian society where people are holding hands and skipping down the street with each other, but there are some great people to get to know. Take advantage of the great community aspects of affiliate marketing. You never know when you’re going to need a ride on the Millenium Falcon.

Jedi Mind Tricks
This is not about manipulating people into taking action on websites, but a call to action is imperative to making a sale. “These are not the droids you seek” is probably not exactly the kind of thing you’re after. However, you will find that your results will increase when using the right language in your Call To Action.

Can you think of any other reasons why Luke Skywalker would make a great affiliate marketer? Let us know in the comments section below!

May The Force be with you.

Related posts:

1. How to Become an Affiliate: Part 3—Types of Affiliates
2. Top 10 Working-from-Home Survival Tips for Affiliates

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Why Luke Skywalker Would Make a Great Affiliate Marketer

Join Marc Purtell and Michael Gustman from Ten Golden Rules to learn the “Ten Golden Rules for Blogging.”

This presentation will explain the significant business opportunities for blogging and how to build your personal brand with a blog.

- The benefits of blogging
- How to blog
- Optimizing for Google and the search engines
- How to generate traffic to your blog
- What to blog about

This free webinar will take place on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 12:30pmEST – 1:30pmEST. To register and for more information please visit: 10 Golden Rules for Blogging

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InternetMarketingClub.org Presents 10 Golden Rules for Blogging

To run a successful search engine optimization campaign, it is important to first clearly define the keywords to focus on. Simply trying to rank for a list of keywords you think are important is not always the best for your bottom line. You should be less focused on generating lots of traffic and more focused on generating revenue.

To develop your list of keywords to focus your efforts on, you want to consider a few things: how frequently are they searched, how competitive they are, and how well they convert for your business. Keyword research tools, such as Wordtracker, Keyword Discovery, and Google Suggest are useful in determining how frequently keyword phrases are searched and how competitive they are. While this information is valuable in deciding which keywords present the greatest opportunities for optimization (high search frequency, low competition), you also want to determine which keywords are likely to generate a lead or a sale.

If you run a pay per click campaign, you have a head start in identifying your best converting keywords (as long as you are tracking conversions). Go through your campaigns and see which phrases have the highest conversion rate. If they convert well from pay per click, there is a good chance that they will convert well in organic search.

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Choosing Keywords for SEO

I was recently developing a Facebook strategy for one of my new clients and figured it would be a great topic for this week’s post. Anybody can create a business or fan page for Facebook. What you do with the page is an entirely different story.

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Facebook Page Marketing 101

I thought it would be helpful to provide a post about some next steps for your blog writing journey. Before I do that though, check out Part 1 of this post; you will find this post is a beneficial supplement.

So you now have some blog ideas and a plan in place – but then you ask yourself – in what format do I put down all of my thoughts? Here are a couple of the best ways to format/structure your posts:

Lists. Creating your blog posts around a “list” format makes the information that much more digestible for the reader. You want to make sure you don’t lose your reader a few sentences into your post. Lists make it less overwhelming for the many on-the-go readers.

Segmented Paragraphs. Not every post you write is going to be short and sweet or able to be chopped up in a list format. A great way to write a longer post but still keep a reader’s attention is by putting each of the points you are illustrating under “headings”. Take a look at how this post has two separate thoughts broken up by preceding bold headings. The concept of this is that readers’ eyes will scan “headings” and skip to the section they are most interested in without abandoning your post altogether.

Think about some of your favorite posts and how they were formatted. What did you enjoy most about them? What about them enticed you to keep reading until the very end?

Excerpted from:

When it comes to best blogging practices, one of my favourite resources is Copyblogger. In fact, I took the format of this headline from some of their blog-writing tips: “[Fill in the Blank] That Everyone Ought to Know About”, because I trust that since it came from them, it might help my blog get some extra attention.

And that’s really the goal, isn’t it? Getting the most eyes on your blog, the most comments—and of course, ‘going viral’.

A lot of the affiliates that we work with in the Share Results network use blogs to generate traffic, and create a buzz around the product that they’re promoting.

We love blogging at Share Results, and because it’s a team effort, it’s always a lot of fun to bounce ideas off each other, and come up with some pieces that we feel are really going to be effective for our readers.

Most recently, our writing team teamed up with our SEO experts to present a training seminar on Best Blogging Practices. We got a lot of great feedback on this training, so we thought we’d include these tips on our blog to help out some of our blogging affiliates, and anyone else involved in blogging.

1. Make Sure Your Headline Rocks
In a world of RSS and Twitter feeds, where the headline of your blog is all you have to pique a reader’s attention, it’s so important that it be a good one. Take one of Copyblogger’s most recent blogs, for example: The Mr. Rogers Guide to Blogging from the Heart. I mean, as a blogger, I could barely click on the link fast enough. (Not to mention, I have a bit of special spot in my heart for Mr. Rogers). And really, that’s the effect you want to have every time.

A tip that I recommend when it comes to writing great headlines is, summarize your wow-factor. If one of the merchants you are promoting has a product that you have tried and made you look ten years younger, I suggest you get that in your headline—it’s your wow factor!

2. Hook Your Reader with a Great Lead
Ok. So you’ve managed to garner some reader excitement with your great wow-factor headline; next in line is your lead paragraph. In terms of best blogging practices, after the headline, your lead paragraph is the second most important element of your post. Readers are busy, and there is an abundance of really great blogs out there, so if they’ve given your blog a chance, based on your great headline, then the goal of your lead is to hook them into reading your whole blog.

Say something bold, get personal, expand on your wow-factor, but at all costs, engage your reader. Report on some unbelievable new research that is affecting the industry, the most interesting aspect of a product you’re promoting or state a product benefit that you know will be of interest to them. Whether you like to use humor, or prefer a more serious approach, be like Mr. Rogers, and convince your reader that what you’re about to share in your blog has real value, and that you care.

3. Keywords, Anchor Texting and Inter-Linking
Keywords are essential for obtaining blog traffic from search engines. Keywords should be incorporated into your headline, and then every 75-100 words in the blog post. In this blog, for example, I am using the keyword, “Best Blogging Practices”. You will find that keyword as part of my headline, and then I have used it throughout the rest of my blog. For best blogging practices, you also should bold your keyword on the second mention.

In addition to using keywords, interlinking to other blog posts should be done with every entry. You can use your own blog for this, and even link out to other blogs. You want to use an anchor text to link to the blog that uses your keyword from your article title, or if not, then a related keyword to the text of the entry.

4. Closing with a Strong Call to Action
A good call to action will not only prompt a reader to take the steps you are suggesting, but will get them to take that action NOW. You may want a reader to visit a merchant’s website, sign up to your newsletter, take a demo of your affiliate marketing software solution, or simply provide their feedback. Whatever it is, make it ridiculously clear what they are suppose to do, and what will happen when they do so.

Statistics show that incorporating “Click Here” into your Call to Action is the most effective way of getting readers to take the step you are suggesting. It’s even better if “click here” is at the end of the sentence, like this: “To sign up to my affiliate newsletter, click here.” But here’s the trick. Whatever link you use in your “Click Here” link in your Call to Action, HAS to also be used in the body of your blog, and must also be relevant to the page you are linking to. And a final word of caution here, I don’t recommend using this approach each and every time, as it can get a bit dry and predictable. So make sure to switch it up!

These are some of the best blogging practices that we try hard to incorporate into our Share Results blog. We’d love to know what practices have worked best for your blog. Tell us about them here! (That’s your cue to take action now!).

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Best Blogging Practices That Everyone Ought to Know About

To any pay per click advertising veteran, it is well-known that bidding on misspellings of keywords is a good way to cut down on the cost per click of your campaigns. In competitive industries, however, your competitors are also aware and even commonly misspelled keywords can become very expensive to bid on.

A misspelling that is often overlooked, but common in virtually any industry is leaving out a space between words in a phrase.

People are busy. They type fast. Look at a document you recently wrote quickly. It’s very likely that there is a space missing somewhere. The same holds true for your market.

Let’s say for example you are in online marketing. Bidding on the phrase “online marketing” will cost you about $5.72/click while bidding on “onlinemarketing” will only cost about $2.26/click.

If you decide to bid on misspellings like these, you should set up an ad group specifically for that and not use keyword insertion in your ads. Using keyword insertion when bidding on misspellings will cause your ad copy to contain misspellings and look unprofessional.

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PPC Tip – Remove the Spaces

Jay Berkowitz, CEO of www.TenGoldenRules.com and Author of The Ten Golden Rules of Online Marketing and Margie Schneider, Ten Golden Rules Vice-President will share Part 2 of “Ten Golden Rules of Web Video.”

Part 2 of this presentation will cover:

- Optimizing for YouTube
- Best practices for conversion
- Testing and Measurement

This free webinar will take place on Wednesday, March 3, 2010 12:30pmEST – 1:30pmEST. To register and for more information please visit: 10 Golden Rules of Web Video Part 2

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InternetMarketingClub.org Presents 10 Golden Rules of Web Video Part 2

Do you ever sit down to write a blog post, fresh out of ideas and scratching your head until that light bulb turns on? Or are you planning to start a blog but not really sure what to write about? It happens to all of us at some point, so don’t feel like you are alone. Here are some tips to get those blog writing gears going:

1. Set goals for yourself. Although this may seem like the obvious, it is easily overlooked. Why begin a blog writing expedition without an end game?
2. Do some planning. As part 2 to setting your goals, plan out your blog posts for the next week or month – whichever goal you set for yourself. The focus of this exercise is preparation.
3. Research. There are many sites out there that aid in curing writer’s block. Bookmark these sites to reference in those times of need.
4. Read! The more you read the more your brain muscles will flex. Reading will expose you to different writing styles and topics. Go ahead and set a goal for yourself with this as well – start a bit ambitious, such as reading a book a week, so you have plenty to strive for.

So, don’t get stressed or flustered. Even putting one of these tips into effect will result in blog writing improvements. Take a stand – combat writer’s block by proactively taking advantage of those days that flourish with ideas; and most importantly have fun!

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