2003 was a big year for me, and for everyone on my team at The Internet
Marketing Center. We finished with a "bang" by launching the new Version
2004 of our flagship course, "The Insider Secrets to Marketing Your
Business on the Internet"...
... And as the new year begins, we're working like crazy, developing and
testing some really exciting new strategies and software to help you grow
your business in 2004!
As I'm sure you're aware, 2003 was a dramatic year for everyone involved
in Internet marketing. There were major industry changes in search engine
optimization, Internet marketing software, pay-per-click advertising...
just about everything related to selling products and services online.
And online sales continued to grow...
Here's one number that made my head spin: According to the latest
eSpending survey, holiday spending in the US came to a record 15.8 billion
dollars in 2003... That's up 37 percent from the same period last year!
With all this growth and all these changes, it's more important than ever
to stay on top of the latest industry developments.
So as my way of thanking you, our clients and subscribers, for making 2003
the best year yet for The Internet Marketing Center, I've put together
this special issue on key trends in Internet marketing for 2004. It
examines three big changes that you absolutely MUST know about if you're
planning to do business online this year!
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Keep Your Google Listings from Dropping Out of Sight!
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If you rely on search engines to drive visitors to your site -- and
especially if you're using search engine optimization strategies such as
link popularity -- then you've probably already heard about the changes to
Google that have been nicknamed "The Florida Dance."
Back when Google used to update their servers with new web pages once a
month, the monthly changes came to be called "Google Dances" because site
rankings "danced" up and down the search results pages.
Now that Google makes updates on an ongoing basis, the big "dances" only
happen when Google makes major changes to the way they evaluate pages. And
the latest one has damaged the rankings of so many web sites that it's
been nicknamed "Florida" after the destructive Florida hurricanes!
So if you haven't checked your Google listing recently, you might want to
do it now... because even if you've been ranked well with your Google
keywords, your site might have dropped by hundreds of positions --
literally overnight!
One marketer we know told us that her thriving online business had seen a
tenfold increase in sales in 2003... until the changes in Google dropped
her web site listing from a #9 position to somewhere below #999! Now she's
doing very little business, and she's desperately looking for a way to
bring her listing back up.
Here's why these changes are occurring: Like all search engines, Google
uses a variety of programs called filters and algorithms to rank web pages
in its search results.
The company is constantly changing and updating its programs to ensure
that listings are "relevant," meaning that they are actually related to
the keywords people are searching for.
Now, if search engines don't make these changes regularly, "search engine
spammers" can actually trick search engines into making unrelated sites
appear in the top listings.
(For example, imagine searching for "affordable gift ideas" and finding
that all the top listings link to gambling sites!)
But the newest changes to Google have done more than penalize search
engine spammers. A lot of online business owners who have been using
ethical, commonly accepted techniques to improve their search engine
rankings are finding that their Google listings have dropped right out of
sight.
The new changes have caused headaches for a huge number of online business
owners by penalizing "over-optimized" web pages -- meaning that if you've
spent time and money trying to push your page to the top of the listings,
you might actually be punished for your hard work with a diminished
ranking.
If your site listing has dropped in Google, you're probably scrambling to
figure out how you can fix the problem -- after all, a lower listing
almost certainly means that you're losing money.
So what should you do?
We've researched the changes and listened to the industry buzz, and it
looks like the best thing to do now... is to wait.
Google is still fine-tuning this latest round of changes, so before you
start overhauling your web site, you should wait until the final tweaks to
"Florida" have been made.
Frustrating? Yes. But if you've been burned by these changes, here are a
few things you CAN do to ensure that potential customers are still finding
your site while the dust settles:
1. MAKE SURE YOUR SITE OFFERS RELEVANT, HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT
Remember, Google's goal in making these types of changes is to ensure that
top positions go to sites offering valuable resources and information.
Google uses sophisticated software to measure the "relevance" of your
site's content to keywords that people search for -- so adding
well-written content to your web site is still an effective way to improve
your ranking.
2. BE CAREFUL NOT TO "OVER-OPTIMIZE" YOUR SITE
In the early days of search engine marketing, people found a number of
"loopholes" -- tricks that sent sites to the top of the search engines
even if they had little or nothing to do with the keywords being searched
for. These tricks include:
- Hidden links and text (i.e., white keywords on a white background)
- "Mirror" sites (copies of a site that are optimized for a single search
engine)
- "Link farms" (multiple web sites whose sole purpose is to link to each
other)
- "Doorway" pages (pages designed primarily for search engines, not for
users)
Google can now detect these and many other tricks, and it penalizes sites
that use them by dropping their ranking dramatically.
If you've hired someone to optimize your ranking, make sure they're not
using any of these outdated methods -- or they may actually be damaging
your chances of getting a top ranking!
Likewise, if you're using extensive affiliate links to create "link
popularity" for your site, you should be aware that indiscriminate use of
affiliate links can hurt your ranking under the Florida changes... so be
careful to link to sites with content that is related to yours.
3. CONSIDER USING PAID LISTINGS TO KEEP VISITORS COMING TO YOUR SITE
I know, I know... If you're still smarting after losing your coveted
position in Google, the last thing you probably want to do is pay them for
advertising! Still, as a short-term way of recouping your losses until
you're able to get your ranking back up, you just might want to look into
paid advertising.
If you do, be sure to do your research and calculate how much you can
spend while still making a profit. Pay-per-clicks can be an effective way
to get people clicking through to your site in just a few hours, but be
careful: A hastily implemented pay- per-click campaign can quickly get
expensive!
4. EXPLORE OTHER SEARCH OPTIONS
Google isn't the only search engine! While it's true that most searchers
go to Google first, you can bring new visitors to your site by working on
improving your search results in some of the other engines.
For starters, try looking at AllTheWeb, Teoma, Inktomi, and Dogpile.
HotBot is a neat site that lets you search Inktomi, AllTheWeb, Teoma, and
Google, all from a single location.
And there's always MSN and Yahoo!...
5. DON'T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET
Search engine optimization is just one of many ways to bring visitors to
your web site. If your business relies too heavily on search engine
optimization, you're putting yourself at the mercy of the search engine
algorithms -- which are constantly changing!
The best way to ensure that your site gets a steady stream of visitors is
to combine a variety of online marketing techniques. Consider adding some
of the following strategies to your plan (or if you're already using them,
try thinking of ways to make them even more effective!):
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Are You Wasting Money on Obsolete Online Ad Formats?
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As 2004 begins, a lot of people are struggling to predict the next big
trends in online advertising. And it's no easy feat! Technology is
changing, sometimes so quickly that we can barely keep up...
... And even though it's easy to track specific results such as click-throughs
for a single ad, there are so many variables to consider that it can be
difficult to tell if an online ad campaign is even making a profit!
In the offline world, trends may come and go, but the formats stay pretty
much the same: print, radio, and TV. But on the Internet, new technology
and software seem to spawn new ad formats all the time.
And although this rapid-fire development cycle can be rewarding for those
in the know, it has fallen into a predictable pattern.
A catchy new format comes out that gets dynamite results... Within a few
years, everyone is using it... And soon, the ads that were so eye-catching
stop getting noticed.
For example, in the early days of the Internet, people were excited about
banner ads, which got high enough click-through rates to make them useful
for just about anyone. But in 2004, you'll need a very good banner ad just
to break even with the cost of running it, let alone make a profit.
Think about it: People are so used to seeing banners across the top of a
web page that most of the time, they hardly even notice them!
If I've learned one thing about online advertising, it's that you can't
escape this cycle. The only decision you can make is whether you're going
to follow the pack... or STAY AHEAD OF IT.
If you're buying ad space on other people's web sites... or devoting space
on your own site to ads for your products or services... or using a web
form to collect the addresses of potential customers... in short, if
you're asking Internet users to take any sort of action...
... You'll only see results if people actually notice your ads!
That's why I think you'll be interested in a new ad format that I've been
experiencing a lot of success with. In fact, it's increased my own
subscription rate by 86%, putting me on track to increase my profits by
over $2 million this year!
It's a hot new advertising technology that generates online ads with
eye-catching motion. These ads can hover across a web page or float down
from the top; I've personally had incredible results from an ad that drops
to the middle of the page and "bounces" before coming to rest.
Plus, you get total control over the position of your ads -- unlike
banners, which always appear in one of a few basic locations. These ads
are generated using javascript that lets you precisely control the motion
and location of your ads... so your ads can move in any direction you
choose, and come to rest exactly where they'll be most effective.
If you're one of the people still using pop-up windows to drive visitors
to your site or collect e-mail addresses, you simply can't afford to
ignore this new development -- because if you're still using pop-ups,
you're almost certainly losing money.
Now, it's true that pop-ups were once a really effective way to get the
attention of Internet users. In fact, we had a lot of success in the past
using pop-ups to build our own subscriber list!
But it looks like the day of the pop-up is over. Too many sites have used
them to "blast" Internet users with unwanted commercial content, and as a
result, most people feel the same way about pop-ups as they do about spam:
They're fed up!
If that's not enough to change your mind, consider this: Companies
including Google, Alexa, Netscape, AOL, and Earthlink have all released
their own versions of pop-up blocking software. And what's more, Microsoft
has announced plans to build a pop-up blocking feature into its Internet
Explorer browser this year.
And according to market researcher OneStat, two out of three web surfers
worldwide use the latest version of Microsoft's browser,IE 6.0...
So if Microsoft introduces pop-up blocking features, you can expect to see
the effectiveness of your pop-up windows drop dramatically, whether you're
using them to encourage sign- ups, direct people to your site, or generate
sales.
In spite of this, a handful of marketing companies are scrambling to
create software that can "trick" pop-up blockers so they won't recognize
certain pop-up configurations.
Personally, I think these people are fighting a losing battle. It's time
to move on -- right now. Put the newest technology to work for your
business before the rest of the world learns about it, and you'll be
laughing all the way to the bank!
To learn more about this revolutionary new advertising technology, visit:
http://www.marketingtips.com/hoverad
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The CAN-SPAM Act: What You MUST Know
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If you're using e-mail marketing to promote your business on the Internet,
you know that e-mail is one of the most affordable, effective ways to
convert interested prospects into customers, and to develop valuable
relationships with your existing customer base.
But the e-mail marketing environment is changing -- and if you're not
already following a few basic rules, your promotions could actually wind
up costing you money...
... Or worse.
As you know, spam (i.e., unsolicited commercial e-mail) has long been one
of the biggest problems facing legitimate e-marketers -- and, for that
matter, anyone with an inbox!
And although everyone knows spam is a problem, we haven't had federal
legislation to deal with spammers... until now.
The new CAN-SPAM Act (which stands for "Controlling the Assault of
Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing") came into effect on January 1,
2004. It replaces a patchwork of more than 30 different state laws, and
will make it easier for officials and companies to go after senders of
illegal spam.
Take a look at the following list of deceptive e-mail marketing practices.
Depending on where you live, they may have been outlawed or just viewed as
unethical in the past... but now under CAN-SPAM, these practices are all
officially illegal:
-Falsifying headers (the part of a message message that specifies where it
came from)
-Using deceptive subject lines to trick people into opening messages
-"Hijacking" other peoples' e-mail accounts or computers to send spam
-Creating e-mail or IP addresses specifically to send spam
-Sending unsolicited messages with "inappropriate" content
-Sending e-mail to people who have requested to be taken off your list
-Neglecting to include a physical mailing address in commercial e-mail
messages
Some people in the e-mail marketing industry are saying that CAN-SPAM will
be difficult to enforce -- but the new legislation does pack a punch.
Serious offenders can now be fined up to $2 million or sent to jail for up
to five years!
So if you're currently using e-mail promotions to market your legitimate
business, should you be worried?
In a word: No.
The legislation was created primarily to help prosecutors go after the
worst offenders -- spammers who hijack bandwidth and use deceptive methods
to send millions of offensive, unsolicited e-mails.
Still, it's more important than ever that you make sure you're sending
responsible, legal promotions -- not spam!
The best thing to do is to stay informed and design thoughtful,
personalized e-mail marketing campaigns. If you follow these five
guidelines, you'll be on track to creating promotions that won't get you
accused of sending spam:
1. Send e-mail to people who have consented to receive it from you.
2. If you must buy or rent lists, be VERY careful about who you buy them
from -- and about how you contact the people on those lists.
3. Use a subject line that accurately reflects the content of your
message.
4. Include a real return e-mail address and a working "unsubscribe" link
in every mailing you send.
5. If you're sending "commercial" e-mail (i.e., promotions), include your
company's physical mailing address in the body of the message.
Make it your mission to stay educated about e-mail marketing and spam
laws. Laws and definitions are changing, so it's up to you to stay on top
of new developments and ensure that your promotions are responsible,
legal... and ultimately, profitable!
The world gets crazier and crazier everyday, doesn't it? The world that many
of us thought was there, isn't. The bottom has dropped out of everything. The
illusions have been revealed, we have found out who has been pulling the strings
behind the scenes. Millions have lost their jobs, have mortgage
problems, credit card issues, credit repair problems and
foreclosure. What can be
done? Amazingly, we have been mislead. We have been taught that we can control
government by voting. The founder of the Rothschild dynasty, Mayer Amschel
Bauer, told the secret of controlling the government of a nation over 200 years
ago. He said, "Permit
me to issue and control the money of a nation and I care not who makes its
laws." Get
the picture? Your freedom hinges first on the nation's banks and money system.
It's all about 'commerce'. Freedom is connected with Debt Elimination for
each individual. Not only does this end
personal debt, it places the people first in line
as creditors to the National Debt ahead of the banks. They don't wish for
you to know this. It has to do with recognizing WHO you really are in A
New Beginning: A Practical Course in Miracles, an informational study. Is
your credit rating bad for reasons that seem out of your control? There are
ways of credit repair,
so you can men those broken fences too. Do you want to keep your children protected
from outside forces, there are ways of protecting
your children. Do you want
to keep your sons and daughters free from 'the draft'? Check this out.
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