New Strategy for Inbound Links

Editor of "The View From The Cabin" newsletter

http://www.online-business-centre.com/lan/newsbiz_blog_perm.htm

This article revisits the oldest Web marketing strategy - inbound
links. The importance of inbound links to your Web site
never diminishes. Search engines still value quality inbound links to
a Web site for higher rankings. However, the emphasize is now on
the quality, not the quantity of links. A dozen quality links to
your site from useful sites are more valuable to a search engine
than 700 links obtained through a link exchange program.

Before going into the details of how to obtain quality inbound
links to your site, you should know some don'ts of inbound link
strategy. Never participate in an automated or manual link
exchange program. These programs are useless; they don't benefit
you and sometimes the search engines may even penalize your site
for such links. Also, stop soliciting link exchange from other
sites where your links will be placed in a link farm on a page
along with hundreds of other links. The two don'ts are - link
exchange program and link farms.

The number one strategy is to write articles with your resource
box attached. Your resource box should mention your expertise in
the subject and only one link to your site's home page. If you
have already started frowning on the idea of writing articles to
promote your site, you are not alone. Most probably, you already
know that writing article for site promotion is not a new
strategy and it has been going for the past few years.

Thousands of articles are written everyday and distributed
through article directories and submission services. You can
still continue promoting your site using article directories and
submission services. However, this article will discuss a few new
twists to the old article publishing idea to distinguish you from
the pack.

Write original articles. If you buy private level rights to an
article, rewrite it to make it unique. You don't have to buy the
rights to private level articles to create original article.
Using the Internet, find good quality articles on the subject
that interests you and read those articles. It requires a few
hours of time commitment every week.

On the weekend, take an additional few hours and write in your
own words what you have read in the preceding week. Voila, you
have a good quality original article. Remember, you can always
write in your own words the ideas that you have read in other
articles. You cannot simply copy verbatim from other articles.
That will be copyright violation.

If you are good at writing humorously, do exploit that skill
while writing on any subject. Humor is very powerful and it
attracts more readers. People love a bellyful of laughs. If
possible, say something bold or controversial without being
a hate monger. This will also attract others' attention.

Once you have your original article written, find a few quality
content rich site (not article directories) and offer them your
article for free with your resource box attached. You are not
asking for any link exchange, you are just giving away your high
quality articles for free to a few selected sites.


Once you have a few good articles on the same subject, compile
them into an e-book. Write a short bio(less than 300 characters)
with your Web site link and ask a few selected site owners to
distribute your e-book for free to their visitors. You can also
ask other site owners to include your e-book as a free bonus in
some of their prime selling products. Ask the site owners to
distribute the e-book from their sites with courtesy notes and
links back to your site.

If your Web site has a forum, offer other sites to use it from
their sites. Setup your forum so that it has almost seamless
integration from other sites. Ask other sites to directly link to
your forum from their main menu. In return, tell them that
you will write nice reviews of their sites and their offerings and
publish those reviews in your site.

Develop a tips and tricks section on the subject of your Web site
and update it regularly. Allow other sites to publish your tips
and tricks for free with courtesy links to your site. Make the
process automated (using RSS other techniques) so that when you
update your tips and tricks page, all sites publishing your tips
and tricks are also updated.

Whenever you get an opportunity, use your cell phone to shoot
short videos and take pictures. You need to get a good cell phone
with a camera. Give your pictures and videos to other sites for
free. Ask them to put links back to your site below every video
and picture they publish in their sites.

Join a few social networking sites like MySapce, etc. Create your
Web pages on those sites with videos and pictures. Provide links
back to your site from those pages. Update your Web pages in
social networking sites periodically with fresh videos and pictures.

Publish link to your articles in community based popularity sites
like digg. A well "dugg" story can generate thousands of hits to
your site. If you have a controversial or humorous story, the
chances are even better for "digging" your articles from these
type of sites.

Write reviews of products and services, related to your site's
subject, that you have used and publish those reviews on different
review sites with a clever way to put links back to your site. Some
creativity is required to achieve this feat. You cannot simply spam these
review sites. Be genuine and at the same time marketing savvy.


Network and build good rapport with a dozen or so good site owners.
Help each other in site promotion, idea and content exchanges. For all
content exchanges, don't forget to include resource boxes with links back to
your site.

Tom Taylor

BSc, MSC, PHD (School of Hard Knocks and Real Lessons)

http://online-business-centre.com

Editor of "The View From The Cabin" newsletter

http://www.online-business-centre.com/lan/newsbiz_blog_perm.htm

This article may be republished so long as the resource informationis left intact.

Learn How You Can Overcome Procrastination Immediately

Editor of "The View From The Cabin" newsletter

http://www.online-business-centre.com/lan/newsbiz_blog_perm.htm

Problem:
People procrastinate because many are paralyzed with fear of
failure, loss, pain and some, success! What we fear becomes our reality.

Solution
1. Fear is “False Evidence Appearing Real.
2. 90% of what we fear never becomes reality.
3. The best way to overcome fear is to do what we fear.

4. It helps if you visualize the worst case scenario and accept it as
a possibility and realize it will probably never come to pass.
5. Our imaginations exaggerate negative fears completely out of
proportion and in most cases never occur!

Problem
Few have a strategy to accomplish their goals.

Solution
1. Make a contract with yourself.
2. Identify specific
rewards for positive action.
3. Establish certain penalties for procrastination.
4. Break your goals down into small steps.
5. Schedule
a time segment for each activity.
6. Give yourself rewards for correct action and penalties when you do
not follow through.

Problem
Many have a lack of discipline. It takes 30 days to break old
habits and establish new ones.

Solution
1. Create a Success-Habits-Reminder card with boxes for
checkmarks to record your daily activities.
2. Tape it to your bathroom mirror.
3. Stick it on your desk to keep track of your actions.

Problem
Most people do not have a plan or assign priorities.

Solution
1. Create a “To Do” List.
2. Determine immediate, intermediate and long-range goals.
3. Plan the goals that are in immediate reach of your abilities and
assign priorities: Important & urgent, Important but not urgent, Not
urgent or important.
4. Do the urgent & important tasks first.
5. 80% of your activities are not important to your goals.
6. Only 20% are urgent & important.
7. Learn to eliminate the 80% activities that do not help you attain
your goals.

Problem
Many try to complete the most urgent & important activities
at the last moment.

Solution Every day schedule a block of prime time to work on an important

activity that is due in the future. Soon you will find the time to
analyze and polish your projects many times before they come due.

Problem
There never seems to be enough time to contemplate your decisions

Solution
Schedule quiet time to make important decisions. Listen to relaxing
music that balances both brain hemispheres. If you do not schedule

time for exercise, rest, entertainment, fellowship and prayer your
will spin out of control.

Problem
You are overwhelmed.

Solution
Learn to say, “No!” to activities and individuals that do not contribute
to the attainment of your goals. Often, people take advantage of your
kindness and generosity without ever realizing you have better things

to do with your time.

Problem: Most people do not have a master plan.

Solution
1. Create a master list of all personal, spiritual, physical, emotional
and financial goals for 1 year.
2. Assign priorities for each.

3. Predict a date for completion.
4. Write everything in pencil so you
can change it.

Problem: Few people use an organizer or daytime planner to coordinate

their activities.

Solution
1. Transfer the things on your master list to the correct dates in your
organizer.
2. Check off each item as it is completed.
3. At the end of each day, reschedule the things that were not completed.
4. If an item is rescheduled twice, you are procrastinating.
5. Ask yourself, “What if I never do this?”
6. If the answer is, “No big deal!” Delete it.

Problem
Some people suffer from perfection paralysis.

Solution
1. Make the decision that you are not perfect and never will be.
Everything you do will be imperfect in some way.
2. Realize that if it is worth doing, it’s worth doing wrong until you get
it right.
3. Stop judging yourself according to your accomplishments.
4. Learn to trust yourself by developing intuition and following your hunches.
You will find your first premonition is usually the correct one.
5. Discover just how right you are by making predictions and observing how a
high percentage of them are correct. (Predict the line at the supermarket or
bank that will move the fastest and take action accordingly.)
6. Make quick decisions in 20 seconds or less.
7. Make your decisions the correct ones by believing in your choices and
acting with confidence.
8. In difficult situations, flip a coin, choose heads or tails and then observe
how you feel about the outcome of the toss. Your response to the coin toss will
help you make the right decision.

Tom Taylor

BSc, MSC, PHD (School of Hard Knocks and Real Lessons)

http://online-business-centre.com

Editor of "The View From The Cabin" newsletter

http://www.online-business-centre.com/lan/newsbiz_blog_perm.htm

This article may be republished so long as the resource informationis left intact.

If I Had Only Known Then What I Know Now!

Hindsight, we all know only too well, is a wonderful thing. For
example, if we had only known that the ceiling on membership at a
popular site was going to be subscribed so quickly - we would have
joined up the minute we heard about it.

If we had only known that niche marketing was going to be so
wildly popular we would have focused on that instead of MLM.

If we had only known that Google was going to change its algorithm and
the rules of AdWords were going to change we would have...

Stop. Stop, stop, stop.

In the world of Internet marketing, you can safely bet that the
only constant is the rate of change! There's always news of the
latest product dropping into your email inbox. There's always another
promise of quick and easy money. Google will keep changing its algorithm,
and new search engines are quite likely to pop up to challenge Google.

What can you do about this?

Four main things:

(1) Continue To Educate Yourself.

Understand that those who rise to the top of any field - whether
it's internet marketing or something else - are good at what they do.
This means that they never stop learning. There are always new
materials, new techniques and probably new 'experts' showing the way.

Most of us learn in three main ways:

(a) from experts who specialize in a certain niche related to our field;

(b) from others who are following the same path as we are, and

(c) by trial and error, from our own results.

You will find that the more you immerse yourself in the world of
internet marketing, the more you will be able to analyze which
products, services and opportunities are right for you.

(2) Focus. Pick One System And Give It A Fair Go.

Countless people who start out on the internet with high hopes follow
the same pattern. They get excited about a new product or system. They
throw themselves into it and invest long hours (and potentially quite
a bit of money) in getting it up and running. It might be e-books sold
from mini-sites; it might be setting up an eBay business; it might
be directory-type sites with text manipulators; it might be AdWords
or content sites optimized for AdSense.

Then one day they get wind of another new system (probably one created
by someone who claims "the gurus are angry with me for giving away all
their secrets..."). Discouraged by the lack of results with the
first "opportunity", they decide to let it rest for a while and try the
new one. Back they go into the cycle of
try-the-new-product, get-discouraged, discard-it-and-try-the-next-thing.

And so it goes on. Months pass. Perhaps years pass. They struggle to
pay the credit card bills mounting from buying into every new system
that comes along... with very little money coming in to offset their
'investment'. As they look back, they start muttering "If I had only
known then what I know now..."

If you can recognize yourself in this scenario, the good news is this:
Now you DO know better. You don't know what the next new product will
be that's going to set the internet world abuzz, but you do know
enough to choose a system that's right for you and stick to it.

(3) Take The Time to Plan.

Give yourself from two to four weeks to regroup. Go through all
the products you have on your shelves or on your computer. Make a
list. Decide which products you now know (so wise with hindsight!) to
be worth keeping. Then analyze the 'keepers' and pick on the best
system for YOU to use at this time. (This will depend upon your level
of knowledge and which one you would enjoy most. Work with
your strengths.)

Finally, devise a game plan. You are going to focus on this ONE method
and devise a practical time-line to achieve results. Don't be in a
rush. Make sure you give yourself enough time to see it 'take hold' so
the money starts flowing in. That will give you the motivation to
continue.

Clear the decks, physically as well as mentally. Put all the products
that don't fit in with your plan in boxes or on disk for safekeeping.
You may return to them one day, but if you've chosen the system that's
right for you, you probably won't.

4. Don't Get Distracted by New Products.

Resolve to buy ONLY products or services that will save you time or
money in implementing the system you have chosen. Never buy anything
on impulse. Print out the sales letter, read it through, then put it
aside. Read it through again the next day. Does it still seem so
appealing? Check out a few forums to listen to the buzz. If a product
doesn't deliver, you'll soon hear about it. If it is exceptional
value, you'll hear about that, too.

Some questions to ask: "Will this help me to streamline the business
I have chosen? Is it worth the money? Will it make a
significant difference?" And above all, "Do I need this, or is it just
another distraction?"

Resolve to make this the year you will succeed. No more pocket change.
No more "If I had only known..."

You DO know.

So make it work.

Tom Taylor
BSc, MSC, PHD (School of Hard Knocks and Real Lessons)
http://online-business-centre.com

Editor of "The View From The Cabin" newsletter
http://www.online-business-centre.com/lan/newsbiz_blog_perm.htm

This article may be republished so long as the resource informationis left intact.

How to Boost Your Traffic and Profits with Content!

Are you aware of how vitally important and valuable CONTENT is to
your online business? In fact, content can do more to build your
business and profits than just about any other resource or
service available.

Following is a list of 5 key ways that content can help build
your traffic, subscribers, and customers starting today!...

1. Boost your search engine ranking and daily visitor count by
posting keyword rich articles and content on your web-site. For
example, if your business involves offering products and services
related to fitness, posting fitness related articles and content
will attract unlimited prospective customers on a regular basis!

2. Generate double or even triple the number of newsletter
subscribers you do currently, simply by offering content in the
form of "special reports" or manuals as bonuses for subscribing
to your publication. People love freebies, so give them what they
want and watch as your results increase!

3. Create an automated cashflow by using content to formulate
multi-part email training courses with related web-site or
affiliate links "sprinkled" throughout each course. Use an
autoresponder service to automate the delivery of your training
course (such as a 5 part training course delivered over a 5 day
period).

Training courses can also serve as excellent bonus offers for
your prospective newsletter subscribers.

4. One of the most important keys to a successful online business
is not JUST having a list of mailing list or newsletter
subscribers... It's about building a trusting relationship with
your subscribers (ie, "cultivating" your list)...

By sending informative articles (content) to your list on a
regular basis you will establish yourself as an expert on your
topic of business, as well as gain the trust of your subscribers
over time. As a result, your subscribers will be EAGER to take
advantage of your "paid" product and service offers. (Just make
sure that you NEVER take advantage of the relationship you
develop with your list by offering products or services of poor
quality just to make a quick buck!)

If there is one "constant" in Internet marketing, it's this: A
cultivated list of subscribers is as good as money in the bank.
Write that down and never forget it!

5. Another excellent way to generate no cost traffic is by
submitting ready-made articles to "content hungry" web-site and
newsletter publishers with your "resource box" attached. A
resource box is nothing more than a little 3-6 line "bio" about
you and/or your web-site - including a link to our site (or even
instructions on how to subscribe to your newsletter)...

When submitting or offering your article(s) for reprint purposes,
just make sure to specify that each article is to be reprinted
"as is" with your resource box attached.

...Even one article can go a LONG way towards generating no cost
traffic and visitors for you. Just imagine your article being
sent out to a newsletter subscriber base of 100,000 individuals -
many of whom will be reading YOUR included resource box and
clicking on your URL to learn more about what you have to offer!

Well there you have it, 5 sure ways to build your online
business exponentially with the help of articles and content...

With the declining effectiveness of many of the online
advertising methods that we've relied on in past years, content
is only strengthening its position as the ultimate KEY to
generating unlimited traffic, subscribers, and customers!

Tom Taylor

BSc, MSC, PHD (School of Hard Knocks and Real Lessons)
http://online-business-centre.com

Editor of "The View From The Cabin" newsletter
http://www.online-business-centre.com/lan/newsbiz_blog_perm.htm

This article may be republished so long as the resource informationis left intact.

Writing Articles that Captivate Your Readers

You've heard it time and time again: if you want to get your name
out there, write articles and allow them to be freely reproduced
(with a resource box pointing back to you, of course). Largely,
that is true. A well-written article can:

- help you build your profile as an expert

- draw traffic to your site, and

- help you to build a database of potential clients through
associated e-courses or a newsletter.

So far you probably haven't heard anything you didn't already
know. What YOU are likely to be struggling with is the process of
actually writing the article. Sure, you can come up with the
content - but how do you really grab those readers? How do you
keep their attention all the way through? And most importantly,
how do you make them want to come back for more?

Let's assume that you understand the basics of constructing and
editing an article (it has a beginning, middle, and an end and
you know how to check the grammar and spelling.) Most of us can
manage that. But if you're not content with simply "getting
something out there" - if you want to WIN readers - then you need
to start thinking about what they want to know, rather than what
you want to tell them.

Put your readers first - every time. Give them what they want,
and they'll be queuing up to read anything you produce. Give them
something bland (or worse, blatantly self-serving) and they'll
blast by you so fast you'll be spinning in the back draft.

The following four steps will give you a blueprint for writing
articles that captivate your readers - whatever the topic.

== 1. Find Out What Your Readers Really Want ==

Sometimes you'll know what they want because you're an expert in
the field, and understand the problems. If you don't know the
subject area well, you'll have to do more research. Look for
forums on your topic and see what people are discussing. What are
the problems that need solving? Can you provide an answer? ("If
they have a headache, give them an aspirin.")
== 2. Start With An Attention-Grabber ==

Spend time working on your opening. Try to avoid trite questions
like "Have you ever wondered why so many people find it difficult
to lose weight?" Firstly, it's dull. Secondly, it's not targeting
the person reading the article - what do they care about the
difficulties "many people" have with losing weight? They only
care about THEIR weight problem!

Try to come up with an opening paragraph that gives the reader
that warm "Hey, this is about me!" feeling right away. Better
still; try to generate a rush of excitement - "This could be the
answer I've been looking for..."
Example: "The diet gurus make it all sound so easy: to lose
weight, all you have to do is expend more energy than you take
in. Huh! If it were that simple, the "Big People" stores would be
out of business in a heartbeat. Luckily for those of us who are
tired of diets, gyms and dull group meetings, there is a
back-to-basics way to tackle this. A way that won't cost you
a fortune or leave you feeling deprived."
== 3. Write As You Speak... Then Edit! ==

The sample opening above also illustrates the importance of the
tone you use in your article. You need 'meat' in each article, of
course, to make it worth reading - but make sure it's not
indigestible!

You're better off writing your article in a natural, relaxed
style that's akin to normal conversation. It doesn't matter if
the first draft is a little too informal - you can fix that when
you edit. Naturally you don't want to irritate your readers with
a too-breezy style, but too-formal is worse. Readers may want
facts, tips, and strategies, but they hope to be entertained,
too! Let your personality shine through.

== 4. End On A High ==

What's one of the biggest problems with most articles? They
fizzle out! Writers often don't know how to end on an upbeat
note. They either just stop dead or they come up with a trite
ending like: "So what are you waiting for? Get started today!"

The beginning and the end of your article are the two parts that
make the biggest impression. Start by creating a feeling of
anticipation... and leave them feeling satisfied (or excited)
when you finish.

If you are offering advice to help them solve a problem (like
obesity) gives your readers a reason to feel optimistic and good
about them. Don't make rash promises... but do offer hope. If you
are giving hints on marketing or business, sum up the benefits of
acting on your tips. You can also experiment with using a
pithy/humorous quote, or giving readers a specific action to get
them started. Be creative - and don't rush it.

Here's a final tip: create an article-writing cheat-sheet for
yourself. Divide it into beginnings/middles/ends and add more
useful strategies as you think of them. (For example, using the
tips in this article, you might write: ENDINGS - end on a high,
offer hope, use funny quote, suggest action to get
started.)

Do this, and you'll be steadily cranking out articles that
everyone wants to publish!



Tom Taylor
BSc, MSC, PHD (School of Hard Knocks and Real Lessons)
http://online-business-centre.com/
Editor of "The View From The Cabin" newsletter
http://www.online-business-centre.com/lan/newsbiz_blog_perm.htm

This article may be republished so long as the resource informationis left intact.

Internet Marketing Is DEAD!

INTERNET MARKETING IS DEAD AND YOU MUST EVOLVE!

Internet Marketing has kicked the bucket! The Internet, having gotten saturated with Marketing Ads, has drowned in its own filth.
There is a word for what Internet marketing spews forth...theword is GARBAGE! And it's a mess cleaning it up, often requiring spam filters, ad-ware & spy-ware removers, and pop-up blockers.
Internet Marketing worked for a while, and we put up with it fora while longer. The Internet was new, and everything about it was a novelty. We'd not only read spam, but actually get exited about buying from the money mongering website linked to it. It's a bit like never having watched TV...you would probably get mesmerizedeven by the commercials!
The thing about television commercials is they sponsor the REAL products which are shown. Internet spam on the other hand,doesn't support anything beyond the greed of the advertiser.
IT'S OUTRIGHT, OVERT, OUTRAGEOUS INSANITY!
While spam is filling up our "inboxes" and taking up space on ourcomputers, the friends, relatives, and co-workers we need to hearfrom can't get through.
Who should be blamed for all this? Internet Service Providers andISP's are doing what they can about the situation, but the viral parasites are still there. It's up to each one of us to resist as best we can, recognizing that Internet Marketing is not the get-rich-quick scheme some may say it is.
Learn how to spot internet advertisements by the words in their headlines. Then you will be less apt to waste time reading there maining ad copy. The advertisement can be put where it belongs...in the email delete folder!
WHAT INTERNET MARKETERS CAN DO ABOUT THE PROBLEM
If you are an Internet Marketer you can increase sales and starthauling in the extra cash! It's easy.
Just give people what they really want. Then you're no longer seen as a seller, but as a friend, a helper and someone that can be trusted.
This can be accomplished by answering people's questions, as on forums, where "How To" explanations can be provided. Put for thsolutions to problems. Reveal news that is of interest to your market.
Once you start to freely provide people with information they become open to what you have to say, open to what you have to sell. Soon you will be back in business big-time.
So, summing it up, you need to provide reliable written content to your clients. This will jump-start your business and promote trust in both you and your business.
Now that you know where to get content, it's up to you to deliverit in a responsible way to your customers. And, most importantly,to deliver the information without spamming!

Tom Taylor
BSc, MSC,PHD (School of Hard Knocks and Real Lessons)
http://www.online-business-centre.com

Editor of The View From The Cabin newsletter
http://www.online-business-centre.com/lan/newsbiz_blog_perm.htm

This article may be republished so long as the resource
information is left intact.