Why Back Links To Your Site Are Important

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I want to take a few minutes today and explain a few things about the importance of back links to your website.  Some people just call them "links".  Either way they are the same thing and all that they are is a link to your site from another site.

If you are not yet sure on the best way to go about getting links to your site then I highly recommend that you check out The Keyword Academy. They have an absolute compendium of free information that you can research and get a good general knowledge on how to go about doing that.

One thing I have to tell you is that I was pretty much lost on the proper way to promote the sites that I was building and get them ranked in the Search Engines until I came across these guys.  They also have a monthly subscription to all of their services and it starts with a $1 (30) day trial.  After that you have a couple of options, but the maximum subscription price for everything they offer is currently $33.00/month and it is so worth it that I can honestly say that I wouldn't still be in the business if it wasn't for them.

Okay.  Once you understand the importance of "back links" or "links back to your site" the next questions a lot of aspiring internet marketers have is:  "Are all links back to my site equal in importance?" or put another way "do the search engines see all links that point to a site the same?".  The answer is NO.  The search engines or SERPS do not see all links in the same light.  They pay a lot more attention to links that point to your site if they are coming from .edu and .gov sites of course as they see those links as being a lot more authoritive.

But no need to worry about trying to get those kind of links at all right now.  I have many sites (and more particularly "pages" within those sites) on the first page of Google that don't have any of those kind of links.  They are not all that important especially if you are doing your "keyword research" properly.  Once again I'll point you to the Keyword Academy to learn more about the importance of that, and especially the best way to go about it.

Why Back Links To Your Site Are Important:

The bottom line about back links is that getting ranked on the first page of any search engine comes down to the fact that The Internet is a Popularity Contest. That is the best way I can describe it. If you have more links pointing your site about any given subject (or keyword) than anyone else promoting the same or similar content then you will rank better than them in the SERPS 99% of the time.

Now that statement sometimes scares a lot of aspiring "I want to make money on the internet" personalities.  And it should.  It is the one reason that 98% plus of those trying to make money on the world wide web never make enough money to keep going.  They don't know how to get good quality links to their sites and even if they do they don't know how to get the kinds of links that not only hold up over time, but also give their sites a lot more authority in the eyes of the search engines.   That's why having a resource like the Keyword Academy is so important.  Not only do they teach you how to get the right kind of links, they also have the tools to help you do it as well as a community of people who will help you along the way.

A final note... Don't fall for all of the "Make $10,000 in 30 days" type promotions that are out there.  (you might even find links to some of them on this site)  While most every one of those e-books has quality information that you can use don't get yourself in the mindset that you are going to make that kind of money that quickly.  It takes time.  If you get to work following the principles taught at the Keyword Academy you can (and will) develop the ability to make that kind of money, but you have to be willing to put in the work and be patient along the way.

Return to the Home Page of JackFolsgood.com for more internet marketing articles.

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How and why to build an email list

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You've probably heard this common Internet marketing mantra a million times. The money is in the list. List marketing is probably the most powerful way to create a profitable home based business. You can't afford to ignore this powerful approach.

Why it works

In most cases, people need to see a marketing message more than once before they're persuaded to make a purchase. Repeated exposure is usually necessary to inspire action. You can create opportunities for multiple exposure by adding an individual to your list.

People are also more likely to buy from those with whom the feel a trusting connection. List marketing gives you a chance to develop a relationship with the people on your list. That increases your credibility, producing more sales.

How to do it

Internet marketing is a proven winning home based business for women or men when you implement a simple squeeze page. A squeeze pages has only one purpose. It should persuade the reader to become part of your list. Anything else is completely extraneous.

The use of a free gift is an effective way to persuade visitors to join your list. This time-tested strategy can substantially boost your bottom line.

Having a quality inducement won't automatically make your squeeze page a success, though. Building a squeeze page the right way is just as important. We know that specific squeeze page techniques generate optimal results. You should emulate those proven techniques. That means you'll want to follow these three guidelines.

Squeeze page basics

Initially, there should be no outgoing links on your squeeze page. You want people to sign up for your list, not to have them click away to something else.

Second, you'll need to write a short, powerful message. You want people to take advantage of your inducement and to become a subscriber, not to complicate the situation. Don't forget that your squeeze page only has one purpose - to build a list. You should choose every word with that goal in mind.

Third, you will want to approach the sign up process as if it were as important as a big sale - close that deal! Thus, your squeeze page's sign up form needs to include an extremely strong call to action. Clearly communicate the value of subscribing to those reading the page.

Summary

A good inducement and a squeeze page built with these three recommendations will get the job done. That will give you the opportunity to develop an effective relationship with prospects. You'll also have the chance to expose your subscribers to key marketing messages more than once.

You will take your Internet marketing efforts to the next level if you learn how to build an email list. It's not a coincidence that top marketers all rely on their lists. It's true - the money is in the list!

Return to the Home Page of JackFolsgood.com for more Internet Marketing Ideas and Information.

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7 reasons why you MUST have your own info product

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Think about this: What's the most common reason people get online each and every day? Simple. To get information. This is so ubiquitous a quest that Google handles 400 million queries a day! So what does this mean to you? Well, this is an opportunity for your to provide what people want - information. And when done correctly, you can get paid for it, too!

What is info marketing?

First, understand that this is the simplest kind of business there is. You create a product that provides information. And other people buy this product to get the info. Sounds simple enough, right?

How does it work?

OK, the concept is simple. But to make it a successful business there has to be value in the info you're selling. So step one is to discover what kind of info people want. How do you do that?

One very simple method is to do a little research. Visit answers.yahoo.com or similar sites and see what kinds of questions people are asking. You want to find something a lot of people are asking about. That people are having trouble solving. Then just give them the answer in your ebook.

Think about this:

If you're worried about how to write an ebook. Put it this way: An info product is just a bunch of articles strung together. So instead of sitting down to write the whole thing. Just write some articles for your blog. And when you've got a few finished, expand and embellish them and combine them into a single ebook.

So, what's so great about ebooks? Interestingly enough, we're back to the name of this article Here are 7 reasons for you:

1. Simplicity and ease

Once it's built it runs pretty much on it's own. Custom support is all but non-existent. So it's nearly a 100% hands-free business. It really is like and automatic money machine.

You have no physical inventory. You never have to deal with shipping. It's digital.

2. Product combos

When you have a created a few information products. You can put together bigger more expensive information products. It's very easy to package multiple ebooks together as one new one. And you'll be able to charge much more for this "new" product. People will be willing to pay a lot more for one big ebook. Instead of several small ebooks.

3. Resale rights

Since it's your product, you can offer other people the resale rights. Resell rights are very hot right now, because people just don't want to invest the time and money into making their own. And what's more you're selling the same product . . . but for 3 times the price for the rights!

4. Leverage

Leverage means doing something once and reaping multiple rewards. Break it apart and create a multi-part email series with it. You can use this to build a list that you can marketing to again and again.

5. More leverage

Utilize your content in as many ways as you can - like creating a few reports from parts of the ebook. These reports can then become lead generators for your ebook. You can give them away or even charge a small amount for them. And you're creating targeted leads for your main product all along. And if you're really clever, you'll let your affiliate use these reports as marketing tools. Which brings us to...

6. Affiliates

This one is huge. When you own your own products. You can get other people to promote it for you. Imagine having 100's or 1000's of other people promoting your products. You've got to have your own products to have affiliates.

7. JVs

OK, this is by far the biggest reason why. Setting up joint ventures is the fastest way to gain success. Period. So, I'd say this is the most important reason to have you own products. Without your own products, you can't do JVs.

Summing it up

If you're not convinced to start selling information products, then you haven't been paying attention. You'll become the ruler of your own fate. Because you're the boss! So just get started:

  • Go to answers.yahoo.com
  • Find out what people need to know
  • Write about the answers

Information product development really is that simple. And in no time you'll have an info product ready to go.

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Using Web Audio for Success

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It would be hard to argue against the fact that adding audio to a website increases your overall results. If you don't have audio in your arsenal, you're missing out. Audio increases opt-ins. And your sales.

Why does it work?

There's no real mystery. The web is mostly silent. It makes your site more "human". And makes people feel they're dealing with a real person. Audio literally breathes life into your website. And people like to interact with things that are alive!

The benefits of audio

You'll receive two immediate benefits to your bottom line when you employ the use of audio. First, you'll make more sales. And you'll spend less getting those customers. You won't have to hire someone to write your sales letter. Just record some audio and add it to your site. An authentic message from you will do more than the best ad copy.

And you will increase your subscriber opt-in rate. The reason this works so well is because people need to be told what to do. So you just add a simple audio that says: Put your email and name into the form and submit. That alone can increase opt-in rates up to 310%!

Some ways to use audio

Put a welcome message that plays automatically on your site, Most people abandon a website within just a few seconds. Your welcome message could make them stay when they would normally leave.

Lead them by the had. Just like in the opt-in example. You can use audio to tell your visitors exactly what to do. That includes filling in your order form!

Get testimonials for your services and products. It's good to get written testimonials. But an audio testimonial is better. It's pretty easy to fake a written testimonial. Using audio makes it much more believable. And will definitely increase your results.

Sneaky tick

Something you may not have thought of is using audio for the product itself. Audio is faster to produce than anything else. And it still has a high perceived value. Podcasts are still popular, so this is a great format. Plus you can get them transcribed cheap. Then you've got an eBook, too - but it was easy to create!

How hard is adding audio?

It's actually really easy. There's software that will show you how to add audio to a website. The software does all the work. The program records and then converts the recording and generates an audio button. You just copy and paste into your website. There's nothing to worry about.

Summing it up

Just a reminder of why you want to start using audio. Setting up some web audio will do wonders for all your results. You'll enjoy more customer sales. And your opt-in rate will increase. And you can quickly produce products and website sales copy. It's a less often used medium. But audio is a really big time and money saver. Get started right now and realize instant results.

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Sneaky Affiliate Tricks

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Affiliate marketing can be very difficult to break into. The reason is because there is a lot of competition. What you need to do is come up with methods no one else is using. It's also hard to figure out what to do because there's a lot of information out there. Here's one trick that almost no one else is using.

Video marketing

You can't deny that video is powerful. Video online is everywhere because people love it. About the only thing that keeps people's attention anymore is video. So you can put this to great advantage in your affiliate marketing.

Here's how to use videos for affiliate promotions:

  • Do a testimonial video
  • Record a walk-through
  • Record the order process
  • Record a preview of the members area

Do a testimonial video

This one is super simple. Just turn on your web cam and talk. Don't worry about quality. Seeing a real person on the other end helps your viewers make a buying decision. In truth, mistakes and mess-ups just make it more believable. So serious, just turn on the camera and talk. And if you don't want to show your face, use one of the next ideas.

Do a video walk-through

This technique works slightly more subconsciously. You're taking the role of teacher and showing how to use the product. And while they watch you use it, they think, "I should buy that." If the product is useful, watching the tutorial makes them want to buy it. So pick some really helpful aspect of the product and show how to use that.

Record the order process

This technique is super powerful. Record yourself placing an order. Nothing inspires your viewers to buy like watching you do it. In the first place it acts as social proof. People will feel more comfortable buying after seeing you do it. It also build your viewers trust. They are much more likely to take your advice to buy when you've taken it yourself. And let's not forget about good old fashioned envy. It's simple - you have it. Now they want it. To really cap this one off, end your video with: If you want to see the inside, you'll have to order it yourself.

Record a preview of the members area

Here's an easy way to show the value of the product. What you do is record a tour of the back end. And show them everything they get by ordering. And it helps soften the skeptics. Once they've seen the back-end, they know it's real.

It's easy!

There's no technical knowledge required. Anyone can create stunning videos with some easy-to-use software. The software really does all the work So you don't have to worry about the technical part of this at all. Remain focused on the benefits:

  • Increase sales You'll earn more affiliate commissions when you add video. Start using videos because people love them.
  • Lower refund rates Less of your commissions will be clawed back, too. Now they know what they get before they purchase. So, very few of them will cancel their order.
  • Rise above the competition! This is such a simple technique. But only a very small percentage do it. This puts you out in front of the rest.

Take your affiliate promotions to a higher level and getting started with this now. It's your profit that's affected by not taking action.

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Email List Building Strategies

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If you're going to be successful in internet marketing, you need to build a list. This is the most important factor in your long-term success. After it's built, it's yours to use any time you want. Just push a button and print money - literally.

OK, but how?

Here's what you need to build your list:

  • Your Landing Page
  • The Bribe
  • The Thank You Page

Your Opt-in Page - The landing page is the page that has your opt-in form on it. This page is the one that asks them for their email. So, obviously it has to be well designed. It's also got to be free from distractions. You've also got to make a strong "close".

If you fail to make a strong close, you're wasting your efforts. Your call to action tells the visitor what to do. You opt-in rates will take a dramatic nose dive without it. Oddly, if you don't make it clear, people will be confused and end up doing nothing.

If you want to add some extra juice to your opt-in page make it a video squeeze page. You only have a few second to get your visitors attention - video helps! And you can repeat the call to action several times int he video. And after the video, you can make it just say "fill in the form now".

If you don't know how to make video, don't worry. Hiring out-sourced help to do it for you only costs $150 - $250. You can also find ready-made list building tools that give you squeeze page templates.

The Bribe - The second component is the reason they are opting into your list. People won't give you their email for nothing. Most people are very protective of their email address. So you have to give them a good reason to do it.

The only way to make this work is to provide real value. Then it becomes something people want to get from you. And can benefit from. For example:

  • An eBook
  • Software
  • Training videos
  • An email training series

You've got to create some great content. Something that's useful and helpful to your visitors. It goes without saying it must be free. Bottom line is it's got to be worth more to them than their email address.

Once again, don't worry if you don't know how to create the freebie. Here again, you can hire freelancers to create this for you. You just pick the topic and they create the training. A 5-part email series is a good freebie. And you can get emails ghost written for about $20 - $25 each. So, a great premium will cost you around $100 - $150.

Or again, you can find complete list building packages for sale online that include an email series. Two critical aspects of using a follow up series. The first thing is that it delivers value to your subscribers. And second, it needs to make you money. The easiest way to do this is to market affiliate products in the emails. This is such a simple solution because you don't have to create the product. And you can earn some commissions immediately from your emails.

The Opt-in Success Page - The last bit is the thank you page. After subscribing to your list, your visitor is redirected to this page. A great thing to do here is provide some immediate value. Then they feel good about giving you their email address. It also sets the foundation for your relationship with them. Then they're more receptive when you email them.

You can use a "done for you" email marketing system. You can also put the whole thing together on your own. And do your own writing for this content. Or pay a freelancer to write the content for you.

Summary

It makes no difference whether you build your opt-in, bribe and thank you page. Or hire someone else to do it for you. Or if you get a ready-done package. The key is to start building your list. Because as soon as you've got your own list . . . You're free to make money at the push of a button.

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Traffic Generation Tips

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Everyone knows the number one thing you need to be successful online is traffic to your website. Of course you also need to have a valuable offer for your visitors - a reason for them to transact with you. Once the visitors arrive you can have them join your mailing list, purchase a product or subscribe to your RSS feed. The most crucial aspect of this process is getting the visitors to your site.

Here are some tips for generating website visitors:

Here are a few of the most popular way to get traffic to your site - for free:

  • Web 2.0 Methods
  • Article Marketing
  • Video

Let's talk about each of these.

Web 2.0 Methods

Web 2.0 simply means the new family of websites that have user-generated content. What this means for you is that you can join into the community and add your own content. Because these sites get so much traffic, Google and the other search engines treat these sites with greater importance in their algorithms. And that's important to you because it means that Google and the other search engines treat links from these sites as more meaningful than links from other sites. And any links in your content that point to your own sites count as a strong "vote" in favor of your sites - lending you credibility in the search engines. The direct traffic from the Web 2.0 sites themselves is only part of the benefit. There are many more web 2.0 traffic tactics we don't have time to get into here, but this will get you started.

Articles Sites

Article marketing really builds on the Web 2.0 concept. This is because article websites are really web 2.0 site. Article directories are sites where users (including you) can upload articles they have written. And because they are also considered authority sites by the search engines you get all the benefits of other web 2.0 sites just by putting your articles on them. But you also get the extra benefit of other users taking your article and putting it on their site. And along with your article, they have to include your author information and a link back to you - so you get more free traffic and SEO benefits. In order to get the most free traffic make sure you:

  • Do your keyword research
  • Write your article for the keywords you've chosen
  • Use anchor text links in the article and the "resource box"

Video

Our discussion would not be complete without talking about video. Just like article directories, video sharing sites also rely on user-generated content. So, just like article marketing, video marketing enables you to add content to authority sites. The extra top secret benefit of video marketing is that it's much easier to rank for competitive keywords than in any other medium.

OK, so how do you do effective video marketing?

  • Sign up for YouTube
  • Make your profile uncluttered by turning off all the modules
  • Use the tags in your profile to enter the keywords you want to rank for
  • Include a link to your main site in your profile
  • Upload at least 1 video
  • In the title, the description and the tags for each video, include your main keywords

Summary:

If you take action on the items listed here you'll have free traffic in no time.

Return to the home page of Jack Folsgood for more information on internet marketing.

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