A landing page is a web page that is used specifically to focus on a single value proposition (or offer) for; 1. generating a sale of a specific product or service, and/or 2. capturing information for future marketing efforts.
Why are landing pages important?
As a resource for focusing your marketing efforts, landing pages are necessary for all marketers wanting to promote a single product or generate leads using the Internet. If you are planning on offering a product such as an ebook, audio CD, DVD or a service such as a training seminar or monthly newsletter, you will want to develop a landing page system.
A landing page is sometimes referred to as an offer page, sales page, or squeeze page. This can become confusing for people who are new to landing pages. An offer page is a generic term that is interchangeable with landing page. They both refer to a page that is focused on a single offer or value proposition regardless of whether you are selling a product or service or using the page to generate leads. A sales page is a page that if focused on selling a product or service whereas a squeeze page’s sole purpose is to capture key demographic information from the prospect with an opt-in form. Squeeze pages usually provide the prospect with something free in exchange for personal information for future marketing efforts. A free report, ebook, or white paper are the most common offers for generating leads.
A large number of people are using Google AdWords to promote their product or service through search marketing (i.e.; advertisements listed next to search results). These ads typically send people directly to the homepage of their website. Then, the marketer is confused that they are not producing enough results.
Homepages are, and should be, focused on presenting the entire corporate image. This will mean that the homepage will send people to many different places within the larger corporate site. The larger the company, the more places you can go.
What about Blogging?
A lot of authors, consultants, and other Internet entrepreneurs are buzzing with blogging. But what is blogging? Generating text-based communication with the hope that someone chooses to read it. Many people consider blogging as the only marketing approach and their motto seems to be “Blog and they will come.” This approach is about as effective as creating a website and hoping people will find it on the Internet consisting of billions of web pages. As a longterm strategy, blogging can be an effective element in your marketing mix, possibly to promote yourself as an expert and gain a following. But when used as an approach to market a product or service, it will be ineffective at generating results.
If you’re an avid blogger, I would recommend using a landing page system and instead of blog entries, start writing articles and use a distribution service to generate traffic to your landing page. See Section 5 for more information on using article distribution to market your landing page.
I Sell Through Amazon.com, I Don’t Need A Landing Page
This is a typical response I receive when discussing the importance of the landing page to marketers who have created a product they are selling through popular ecommerce websites. Marketer’s feel that if they eliminate the middleman and send people directly to Amazon.com (usually from their blog), they don’t need to create a landing page. With respect to book marketing, having a landing page that has one purpose—providing potential buyers with access to your book summary, testimonials, table of contents, bio, a nice picture of the author, and possibly a free chapter—can only help you sell more books. This doesn’t mean creating an entire website for your book. This is one page that provides all of the necessary information to someone who is interested in purchasing your product.
Next Generation Marketing Strategy
In summary, the landing page is a necessary element in the next-generation marketing strategy. Rather than previous approaches that directed prospects to the homepage of larger website, the landing page system is replacing outdated and ineffective methods of marketing products and services.
Summary
Landing pages are websites or web pages that are used specifically to focus on a single value proposition (or offer) for; 1. generating a sale of a specific product or service, and/or 2. capturing information for future marketing efforts.
Guest Post by Kris Kiler who is an experienced marketing strategist and design consultant. Kris is the author of Ready, Aim, Capture!: The Secret to Successful Internet Marketing.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
More on the UnTrafficked Domain Names
So anyone who is keeping track, the few who regularly visit this secret work blog, might have noticed that almost all of the untrafficked domain names that were parked and seeing no traffic now have websites and a very few backlinks.
Sadly my workload has interfered with the experiment but I am seeing an increased amount of visitors across the board and now have a system setup where it takes only a day to do keyword research, build a website and start promotion all within a regular work day.
And once I get the promotion angle fine tuned I may be able to see a profit off of each domain name within a single day instead of months.
That would be awesome.
Anyway one of the domains I'm not too happy with is a 4 letter domain that I tried to convert into an informational website. The pages are great but some of the keywords and the site navigation just seem to suck.
Hey I built it I can say whatever I want.
Plus I'm having coding errors with no time to work on them (Because of my work with some of the untrafficked domain names I got thrown a Western Cowboy Hat website).
So anyway just venting while I wait for someone to come over and I've already checked my email.
Sadly my workload has interfered with the experiment but I am seeing an increased amount of visitors across the board and now have a system setup where it takes only a day to do keyword research, build a website and start promotion all within a regular work day.
And once I get the promotion angle fine tuned I may be able to see a profit off of each domain name within a single day instead of months.
That would be awesome.
Anyway one of the domains I'm not too happy with is a 4 letter domain that I tried to convert into an informational website. The pages are great but some of the keywords and the site navigation just seem to suck.
Hey I built it I can say whatever I want.
Plus I'm having coding errors with no time to work on them (Because of my work with some of the untrafficked domain names I got thrown a Western Cowboy Hat website).
So anyway just venting while I wait for someone to come over and I've already checked my email.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
5 Reasons Why Article Submitting Software is a Worthwhile Investment
It's tedious, right? Finding your bookmark or typing in the URL for any of the hundreds of article directories out there. Then you have to navigate through to find the proper submit article or author login link. Then trying to remember your username and password. Then copying and pasting the title, then the summary, then the article content, then your resource box information. Woo. After 20 minutes, you finally hit submit and have to start all over.
If only there was a better way.
Well, there is, of course. There's a couple of better ways.
First, you could hire a company to submit artcicles for you. For example, one company will submit your article to 357 article directories for only $14 per article. You buy credits via Paypal or Credit Card, and they can submit the articles under your own account (you have to provide the usernames and passwords) or their account.
It's a good option. Especially if you are short on time. To submit articles manually to article directories takes a ton of time. Fourteen dollars for 357 directories is a steal.
But there are some drawbacks.
One drawback, you lose some control over the category selection. If the subject of your article is something like, article submitting software, and your submission is put under the category, business, well, that's just not good enough. You want it placed under something more in line with Search Engine Optimization or Link Building, or at the very least, Internet, right?
Another drawback is you lose your ability to edit the article later; or see stats for the article if you choose to use the article directory's username and password.
If your plan is to become an aggressive affiliate marketer, you will be writing and submitting tons of articles to market your website. You are in it for the long haul, right? If you crank out 5-10 articles a week, paying someone to submit articles for you could become REALLY expensive.
In this case, article submission software is not just a luxury, it is a must have. Here are five points to consider...
TIME SAVINGS
Since content is king, your time is best served creating content for your sites. Any extra time you can save is time you can be using on some other way to promote your business. Article submission software will save you hours of tedious manual submitting. No more copy paste, copy paste. You copy paste ONE time, and you are off and running.
OVER 1400 DIRECTORIES
It would take you almost two days working non-stop to submit to this many directories manually. The best article submission software cuts this down to just a few hours. You can pick every directory in the list, just a few, or add your own depending on what kind of time you have. Google Pagerank for each directory is listed, so if you want to submit to only PR6 directories, you have that option.
USERNAMES AND PASSWORDS SAVED
If you don't always use the same username and password, remembering these for different article directories can be a nightmare. Most article submission software stores this information for you so you don't have to remember.
CATEGORY SELECTION
Some of the cheaper article submitters ask for you to give you a preferred category up front. Then when you submit, you're not ever sure what category your article is submitted under. This is bad. The best article submission programs allow you to hand pick each category. No more articles in random categories.
PRECIOUS ONE WAY LINKS
What every affiliate marketer needs to be shined down upon by the search engine gods is credible one way links. There is no better way to get these links than article marketing. The more articles you can crank out and send to article directories means:
* the better your standings in the search engines
* the more traffic you receive
* and the more PROFITS you make.
So, what are you waiting for? Time is money.
Guest Post by Cherie Stirewalt , a successful affiliate marketer and freelance writer, operates a practical guide to affiliate marketing. Providing in-depth reviews of affiliate marketing tools and easy-to-use tips for maximizing success on the internet. Get her in-depth analysis of the best article submitter software.
If only there was a better way.
Well, there is, of course. There's a couple of better ways.
First, you could hire a company to submit artcicles for you. For example, one company will submit your article to 357 article directories for only $14 per article. You buy credits via Paypal or Credit Card, and they can submit the articles under your own account (you have to provide the usernames and passwords) or their account.
It's a good option. Especially if you are short on time. To submit articles manually to article directories takes a ton of time. Fourteen dollars for 357 directories is a steal.
But there are some drawbacks.
One drawback, you lose some control over the category selection. If the subject of your article is something like, article submitting software, and your submission is put under the category, business, well, that's just not good enough. You want it placed under something more in line with Search Engine Optimization or Link Building, or at the very least, Internet, right?
Another drawback is you lose your ability to edit the article later; or see stats for the article if you choose to use the article directory's username and password.
If your plan is to become an aggressive affiliate marketer, you will be writing and submitting tons of articles to market your website. You are in it for the long haul, right? If you crank out 5-10 articles a week, paying someone to submit articles for you could become REALLY expensive.
In this case, article submission software is not just a luxury, it is a must have. Here are five points to consider...
TIME SAVINGS
Since content is king, your time is best served creating content for your sites. Any extra time you can save is time you can be using on some other way to promote your business. Article submission software will save you hours of tedious manual submitting. No more copy paste, copy paste. You copy paste ONE time, and you are off and running.
OVER 1400 DIRECTORIES
It would take you almost two days working non-stop to submit to this many directories manually. The best article submission software cuts this down to just a few hours. You can pick every directory in the list, just a few, or add your own depending on what kind of time you have. Google Pagerank for each directory is listed, so if you want to submit to only PR6 directories, you have that option.
USERNAMES AND PASSWORDS SAVED
If you don't always use the same username and password, remembering these for different article directories can be a nightmare. Most article submission software stores this information for you so you don't have to remember.
CATEGORY SELECTION
Some of the cheaper article submitters ask for you to give you a preferred category up front. Then when you submit, you're not ever sure what category your article is submitted under. This is bad. The best article submission programs allow you to hand pick each category. No more articles in random categories.
PRECIOUS ONE WAY LINKS
What every affiliate marketer needs to be shined down upon by the search engine gods is credible one way links. There is no better way to get these links than article marketing. The more articles you can crank out and send to article directories means:
* the better your standings in the search engines
* the more traffic you receive
* and the more PROFITS you make.
So, what are you waiting for? Time is money.
Guest Post by Cherie Stirewalt , a successful affiliate marketer and freelance writer, operates a practical guide to affiliate marketing. Providing in-depth reviews of affiliate marketing tools and easy-to-use tips for maximizing success on the internet. Get her in-depth analysis of the best article submitter software.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Investing in SEO Tools
Search engine optimization has become an increasingly popular form of advertising, especially if you are just beginning to start your online business or want to launch your career in Internet marketing. However, if you’re not experienced with the basics of SEO, then you could face a few challenges to your success, such as identifying the correct keywords for high rankings or acquiring solid inbound links to your site.
However, you don’t have to be overly concerned about these challenges. They can be overcome simply by using some easily obtained SEO tools.
What are SEO Tools?
SEO tools can take many forms. Most are software programs that you can download from the Internet for a low price. The tools are designed to help you with varying aspects of your SEO efforts. For example, some SEO tools can help you identify sites that are eager to do link exchanges with similar sites. That way you can increase the number of your inbound and outbound links thus boosting your search engine rankings.
You’ll also find SEO tools that will help you do keyword research, identify keywords that are being used by your competition, and that will help you improve the keyword placement in your content.
Should I Use SEO Tools?
One of the most common questions asked by people who are new to search engine optimization efforts is whether or not they should even use SEO tools. That’s a good question but it’s difficult to answer and depends mostly on your level of experience with optimization and search engines, in general.
However, most people who do use SEO tools do find great success with them. They can provide you with easy access to information that might be available elsewhere but which would take more time and effort to compile. The information can also be more comprehensive and thorough which also enhances your rankings.
Another advantage is that most SEO tools do have trial periods in which you can use them for free and decide whether or not you benefit from them. If you don’t, then you haven’t lost anything. If you do, then you can complete the transaction and move on to continued success.
Are SEO Tools Better Than SEO Professionals
Some people do hire SEO professionals to handle all of their search engine optimization efforts. This professional is paid to identify your keywords, to direct their placement in the content, and to make sure that your site scores relatively high in the rankings.
While that may all sound phenomenal, it doesn’t come cheap. The majority of us who have started out on the Internet don’t begin with the money necessary to hire one of these professionals, regardless of how helpful they might be. As you’re beginning your efforts, you should probably focus on doing the SEO work yourself or investing in much less expensive SEO tools. You may not generate the same level of results as you would from a professional but you will definitely improve your rankings.
Now that you know more about SEO Tools, take a look at http://www.goodinternetmoney.com/SEOElite for a little more clarity on this subject.
However, you don’t have to be overly concerned about these challenges. They can be overcome simply by using some easily obtained SEO tools.
What are SEO Tools?
SEO tools can take many forms. Most are software programs that you can download from the Internet for a low price. The tools are designed to help you with varying aspects of your SEO efforts. For example, some SEO tools can help you identify sites that are eager to do link exchanges with similar sites. That way you can increase the number of your inbound and outbound links thus boosting your search engine rankings.
You’ll also find SEO tools that will help you do keyword research, identify keywords that are being used by your competition, and that will help you improve the keyword placement in your content.
Should I Use SEO Tools?
One of the most common questions asked by people who are new to search engine optimization efforts is whether or not they should even use SEO tools. That’s a good question but it’s difficult to answer and depends mostly on your level of experience with optimization and search engines, in general.
However, most people who do use SEO tools do find great success with them. They can provide you with easy access to information that might be available elsewhere but which would take more time and effort to compile. The information can also be more comprehensive and thorough which also enhances your rankings.
Another advantage is that most SEO tools do have trial periods in which you can use them for free and decide whether or not you benefit from them. If you don’t, then you haven’t lost anything. If you do, then you can complete the transaction and move on to continued success.
Are SEO Tools Better Than SEO Professionals
Some people do hire SEO professionals to handle all of their search engine optimization efforts. This professional is paid to identify your keywords, to direct their placement in the content, and to make sure that your site scores relatively high in the rankings.
While that may all sound phenomenal, it doesn’t come cheap. The majority of us who have started out on the Internet don’t begin with the money necessary to hire one of these professionals, regardless of how helpful they might be. As you’re beginning your efforts, you should probably focus on doing the SEO work yourself or investing in much less expensive SEO tools. You may not generate the same level of results as you would from a professional but you will definitely improve your rankings.
Now that you know more about SEO Tools, take a look at http://www.goodinternetmoney.com/SEOElite for a little more clarity on this subject.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
7 Ways to Recession-Proof Your Online Content
With the downturn in the economy encompassing nearly every aspect of our lives, businesses large and small are feeling the pinch. MarketingSherpa recently published a survey stating that over 60% of large companies are planning on slashing their marketing budgets significantly this year.
With smaller marketing budgets, companies are hunting for cost-effective, measurable solutions to sagging sales figures. This naturally leads to online marketing in order to generate new prospects and customers. The goal is to recession-proof your online content and marketing.
"It all starts with a powerful, search engine-friendly website that converts," says Jon Wuebben, author of "Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web" (Encore Publishing). "Companies today need to focus on the words they use to communicate with their prospects and how they leverage this content to maximize their online exposure. When more companies are chasing fewer prospects, you need to ensure your online copy is strong and that you’re using the viral nature of the web to promote it.”
Wuebben says if you want to harness the power of cost-effective online marketing, there are 7 steps to follow:
1. Embrace the Basics: Web Content 101. Start with the easy stuff. Take a look at your existing copy. How is your site performing? If you haven’t done it yet, perform some keyword research and use Google Analytics – how are visitors making their way through the site?
2. Expand the Breadth of Your Content. A few years ago, a website was all you needed. But the web has continued to evolve. Are you writing optimized press releases? How about a newsletter? Do you have a blog? Consider these other ways of recession-proofing your online content and marketing.
3. Create New Content Directed at Your Existing Customer Base. Building your relationship with current customers is huge. Consider newsletters or email marketing. This is money in the bank during a recession. Develop new content and then get it to those who are most likely to respond.
4. Put Together a Content Distribution Strategy. What channels are you using for your online copy? All linking happens because of great content that everyone wants to be a part of. Get your optimized content out there. Use search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. Start blogging. If you have a great product, consider an affiliate network.
5. Leverage Your Content. Once you write a blog post, a press release, a web page, an article or a white paper, you can use it in other ways. Of course, you don’t want to use it verbatim – change it up so you don’t have duplicate content. Ideas need to be communicated in different ways. Don’t re-write it every time – leverage it. It’s a great way to recession-proof your online content and marketing.
6. Optimize Your Online Content for Social Media. What types of content are hot on sites like Digg, Stumble Upon and Facebook? Submit this exact content so you can get in the game and maximize response.
7. Make Your Content “Conversion-Friendly” - Ask for the Sale. Make sure that the copy includes specific "calls-to-action" which compel your visitors to the next step in the sale. Are the words "Order Now" next to your product? How about “get your free newsletter" now? Add these calls-to-action so visitors will take a more active and involved approach.
If you have a site that converts visitors into buyers and continually improve the conversion rate, you decrease your cost per acquisition and spend less on advertising. In Wuebben's book "Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web" he also emphasizes a good balance between design and copy and improving usability to impact website conversion. "The combination of winning copy, strategic SEO and off-page factors will put your website on the right track to make your business a success – no matter what the economy is doing."
Guest Post by: Jon Wuebben is a veteran copywriter, speaker, entrepreneur and online marketing leader. He has an MBA in International Marketing from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management and a BS in Management from California State University, Chico. The company he founded, Custom Copywriting, is one of the fastest growing content providers in the industry (www.customcopywriting.com). Custom Copywriting has written website copy for hundreds of companies in many different industries since 2003. His articles on online marketing, SEO copywriting and other topics can be found on thousands of sites across the web. “Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web” is his first book and is aimed at helping businesses write their own content and learning the tricks of SEO copywriting and online marketing. www.contentrichbook.com
With smaller marketing budgets, companies are hunting for cost-effective, measurable solutions to sagging sales figures. This naturally leads to online marketing in order to generate new prospects and customers. The goal is to recession-proof your online content and marketing.
"It all starts with a powerful, search engine-friendly website that converts," says Jon Wuebben, author of "Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web" (Encore Publishing). "Companies today need to focus on the words they use to communicate with their prospects and how they leverage this content to maximize their online exposure. When more companies are chasing fewer prospects, you need to ensure your online copy is strong and that you’re using the viral nature of the web to promote it.”
Wuebben says if you want to harness the power of cost-effective online marketing, there are 7 steps to follow:
1. Embrace the Basics: Web Content 101. Start with the easy stuff. Take a look at your existing copy. How is your site performing? If you haven’t done it yet, perform some keyword research and use Google Analytics – how are visitors making their way through the site?
2. Expand the Breadth of Your Content. A few years ago, a website was all you needed. But the web has continued to evolve. Are you writing optimized press releases? How about a newsletter? Do you have a blog? Consider these other ways of recession-proofing your online content and marketing.
3. Create New Content Directed at Your Existing Customer Base. Building your relationship with current customers is huge. Consider newsletters or email marketing. This is money in the bank during a recession. Develop new content and then get it to those who are most likely to respond.
4. Put Together a Content Distribution Strategy. What channels are you using for your online copy? All linking happens because of great content that everyone wants to be a part of. Get your optimized content out there. Use search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. Start blogging. If you have a great product, consider an affiliate network.
5. Leverage Your Content. Once you write a blog post, a press release, a web page, an article or a white paper, you can use it in other ways. Of course, you don’t want to use it verbatim – change it up so you don’t have duplicate content. Ideas need to be communicated in different ways. Don’t re-write it every time – leverage it. It’s a great way to recession-proof your online content and marketing.
6. Optimize Your Online Content for Social Media. What types of content are hot on sites like Digg, Stumble Upon and Facebook? Submit this exact content so you can get in the game and maximize response.
7. Make Your Content “Conversion-Friendly” - Ask for the Sale. Make sure that the copy includes specific "calls-to-action" which compel your visitors to the next step in the sale. Are the words "Order Now" next to your product? How about “get your free newsletter" now? Add these calls-to-action so visitors will take a more active and involved approach.
If you have a site that converts visitors into buyers and continually improve the conversion rate, you decrease your cost per acquisition and spend less on advertising. In Wuebben's book "Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web" he also emphasizes a good balance between design and copy and improving usability to impact website conversion. "The combination of winning copy, strategic SEO and off-page factors will put your website on the right track to make your business a success – no matter what the economy is doing."
Guest Post by: Jon Wuebben is a veteran copywriter, speaker, entrepreneur and online marketing leader. He has an MBA in International Marketing from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management and a BS in Management from California State University, Chico. The company he founded, Custom Copywriting, is one of the fastest growing content providers in the industry (www.customcopywriting.com). Custom Copywriting has written website copy for hundreds of companies in many different industries since 2003. His articles on online marketing, SEO copywriting and other topics can be found on thousands of sites across the web. “Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web” is his first book and is aimed at helping businesses write their own content and learning the tricks of SEO copywriting and online marketing. www.contentrichbook.com
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Best ways to publish RSS
As RSS news syndication gains popularity among users, new ways for publishing RSS are emerging. In this article, I examine the three most popular methods, and help you decide which one works best for you.
1. Blogs
Weblogs, or blogs, as they are commonly called, are the primary reason RSS gained popularity. In fact, one of the earliest uses for RSS was for bloggers to monitor other blogs for updates.
Most blogging systems will produce RSS newsfeeds automatically. All you need to do is enter content, and the blogging software will build a newsfeed based on the information you enter. No extra work is needed. Just add content to your blog, and you have a newsfeed.
But there is one major disadvantage to using a blog for publishing RSS: you do not have complete control of the RSS output. Most blogging software will simply take an excerpt of your blog entry (e.g. the first 15 words), and use that to create your RSS item. As you can imagine, this can lead to problems. The first 15 words of a blog entry do not always capture the essence of that article.
2. RSS Publishing Software
Because of the inadequacy of blogs as a reliable and accurate RSS tool, new stand-alone software was developed. This software has one purpose: to provide the user with an easy way to create and publish RSS newsfeeds from their desktops. No longer do you have to write a long article in your blog to produce RSS feeds. All you have to do is enter a title for your news item, and (optionally) a couple sentences to describe that headline – and your feed is better than the blog-produced feed.
Examples of RSS publishing software for Windows include FeedforAll (http://www.feedforall.com) and Newzalert Composer (http://www.castlesoftware.biz/NewzAlertComposer.htm). Mac users have their own tool in Orangebox for Macintosh (http://www.globalsyndication.com/orangebox-for-macintosh).
3. Online RSS Publishing Systems
While subscribers to feeds generated by RSS software enjoyed the simplicity and clarity of the new feeds, some publishers began to run into problems that came with the publishing software. They missed the convenience of blogging’s online publishing that allowed them to add news -- regardless of whether they were at their home computer.
News publishers wanted the accessibility of online blogging with the accuracy of RSS publishing software. The new demand lead to the emergence of online RSS publishing systems such as FeedServer RSS Hosting (http://www.globalsyndication.com/rss-hosting). This new format of RSS publishing allows webmasters to login to an online control panel and publish their news – without having to worry about restrictive software licenses. Since most online RSS publishing systems run on a subscription basis, you can make use of the free trial or subscribe for one month and evaluate if the service meets your needs.
So which system should you use to publish RSS? It depends on your needs. If most of your readers manually visit your site to get new information, a blogging system may be sufficient. However, if you plan to take advantage of the full capabilities of RSS news syndication, you would do well to use a stand-alone RSS publishing system. RSS publishing software will satisfy your needs if you plan to use one computer only. But if you’re looking for flexibility and a lower startup costs, look into the new online RSS publishing systems.
For more useful tips to guides on software, advice and problems do please browse for more information at our websites.
http://www.infozabout.com
http://www.software.infozabout.com
1. Blogs
Weblogs, or blogs, as they are commonly called, are the primary reason RSS gained popularity. In fact, one of the earliest uses for RSS was for bloggers to monitor other blogs for updates.
Most blogging systems will produce RSS newsfeeds automatically. All you need to do is enter content, and the blogging software will build a newsfeed based on the information you enter. No extra work is needed. Just add content to your blog, and you have a newsfeed.
But there is one major disadvantage to using a blog for publishing RSS: you do not have complete control of the RSS output. Most blogging software will simply take an excerpt of your blog entry (e.g. the first 15 words), and use that to create your RSS item. As you can imagine, this can lead to problems. The first 15 words of a blog entry do not always capture the essence of that article.
2. RSS Publishing Software
Because of the inadequacy of blogs as a reliable and accurate RSS tool, new stand-alone software was developed. This software has one purpose: to provide the user with an easy way to create and publish RSS newsfeeds from their desktops. No longer do you have to write a long article in your blog to produce RSS feeds. All you have to do is enter a title for your news item, and (optionally) a couple sentences to describe that headline – and your feed is better than the blog-produced feed.
Examples of RSS publishing software for Windows include FeedforAll (http://www.feedforall.com) and Newzalert Composer (http://www.castlesoftware.biz/NewzAlertComposer.htm). Mac users have their own tool in Orangebox for Macintosh (http://www.globalsyndication.com/orangebox-for-macintosh).
3. Online RSS Publishing Systems
While subscribers to feeds generated by RSS software enjoyed the simplicity and clarity of the new feeds, some publishers began to run into problems that came with the publishing software. They missed the convenience of blogging’s online publishing that allowed them to add news -- regardless of whether they were at their home computer.
News publishers wanted the accessibility of online blogging with the accuracy of RSS publishing software. The new demand lead to the emergence of online RSS publishing systems such as FeedServer RSS Hosting (http://www.globalsyndication.com/rss-hosting). This new format of RSS publishing allows webmasters to login to an online control panel and publish their news – without having to worry about restrictive software licenses. Since most online RSS publishing systems run on a subscription basis, you can make use of the free trial or subscribe for one month and evaluate if the service meets your needs.
So which system should you use to publish RSS? It depends on your needs. If most of your readers manually visit your site to get new information, a blogging system may be sufficient. However, if you plan to take advantage of the full capabilities of RSS news syndication, you would do well to use a stand-alone RSS publishing system. RSS publishing software will satisfy your needs if you plan to use one computer only. But if you’re looking for flexibility and a lower startup costs, look into the new online RSS publishing systems.
For more useful tips to guides on software, advice and problems do please browse for more information at our websites.
http://www.infozabout.com
http://www.software.infozabout.com
Friday, August 15, 2008
Is Domain Parking Worth the Trouble?
If you’re thinking about getting into the domain parking industry then I’ll let you in on a little secret: The odds are stacked against you. This business has been dominated by a few big players for a while. If you’re starting from scratch, then you have as much chance to succeed in this game as a Tibetan monk with violent garlic allergies has at establishing himself as a dominant player in the Italian Mafia.
The domain parking industry is fundamentally flawed because it is passive. Any business plan that involves a lot of sitting around must eventually fail. It’s similar to any get-rich-quick scam that uses the phrase, “Just sit back and watch the money roll in!” I’ve heard countless eCommerce, Adsense and affiliate schemes that make this claim. They will tell you to have faith in their system, they will warn against doubters who want to steal your get-rich-quick dreams away from you. But I tell you: Don’t buy into anything that says, “Pay me $99.95 and I’ll tell you the secret to making money without having to work.”
Obviously some people make a living in the domain parking industry. I will tell you how they do it. First of all they have tons of awesome domains such as gardens.com or love.com. They do not depend on domains such as “ilikegardensalot.com” or “ireallylikelovealot.com.” Any domain with two or more words will probably never make back the money you spent to register it.
Be wary of buying domains that seem clever right now because they probably suck. You will discover this after it’s too late to cancel your domain choices and get a refund. It doesn’t even matter if you and all your friends think your domain names are clever. What matters is what the general masses think is clever.
Keep in mind that you need people to type your domain names manually. Search engines won’t help you because they hesitate to even acknowledge your parked pages. So you have to ask yourself honestly, “What are the chances of someone typing in ireallyreallylikegardensalot.com?” In order for your domain, ireallyreallylikegardensalot.com to pay for itself an average of one hundred separate people will have to type that entire domain every day.
You might try buying thousands of dollars worth of domains in hopes that they make more than what it cost to register them in the first place. If you purchased a domain from scratch that made $5 dollars more than what it cost you to register it per year, that would be a miracle. So what if you could find 10,000 similarly miraculous domains? Then you would have an administrative nightmare on your hands.
Another option is to purchase domains that are already popular. Suppose you bought a kick-ass domain for $20000. Suppose this domain was so awesome that it made you $1000 dollars per year on cash parking. How long will it take for this domain to pay for itself at that rate? 20 years.
Try to maintain a shrewd, business mindset. What’s the payoff here? What’s the timeframe before this investment starts to make a return above its original cost? Will the internet still exist by then?
There are a few domain parking companies that will do you right, such as NameDrive.com, Sedo.com or Godaddy.com. I am currently with Godaddy.com, making an average of 15 cents per click, which is unbeatable as far as I’ve seen. At this rate, I only need 10,000 clicks to break even. I’ve spent weeks’ worth of income and months’ worth of brainstorming energy to come this conclusion about domain parking: It’s not worth it.
Guest Post by Patrick Roberts http://www.booksbypatrick.com/
The domain parking industry is fundamentally flawed because it is passive. Any business plan that involves a lot of sitting around must eventually fail. It’s similar to any get-rich-quick scam that uses the phrase, “Just sit back and watch the money roll in!” I’ve heard countless eCommerce, Adsense and affiliate schemes that make this claim. They will tell you to have faith in their system, they will warn against doubters who want to steal your get-rich-quick dreams away from you. But I tell you: Don’t buy into anything that says, “Pay me $99.95 and I’ll tell you the secret to making money without having to work.”
Obviously some people make a living in the domain parking industry. I will tell you how they do it. First of all they have tons of awesome domains such as gardens.com or love.com. They do not depend on domains such as “ilikegardensalot.com” or “ireallylikelovealot.com.” Any domain with two or more words will probably never make back the money you spent to register it.
Be wary of buying domains that seem clever right now because they probably suck. You will discover this after it’s too late to cancel your domain choices and get a refund. It doesn’t even matter if you and all your friends think your domain names are clever. What matters is what the general masses think is clever.
Keep in mind that you need people to type your domain names manually. Search engines won’t help you because they hesitate to even acknowledge your parked pages. So you have to ask yourself honestly, “What are the chances of someone typing in ireallyreallylikegardensalot.com?” In order for your domain, ireallyreallylikegardensalot.com to pay for itself an average of one hundred separate people will have to type that entire domain every day.
You might try buying thousands of dollars worth of domains in hopes that they make more than what it cost to register them in the first place. If you purchased a domain from scratch that made $5 dollars more than what it cost you to register it per year, that would be a miracle. So what if you could find 10,000 similarly miraculous domains? Then you would have an administrative nightmare on your hands.
Another option is to purchase domains that are already popular. Suppose you bought a kick-ass domain for $20000. Suppose this domain was so awesome that it made you $1000 dollars per year on cash parking. How long will it take for this domain to pay for itself at that rate? 20 years.
Try to maintain a shrewd, business mindset. What’s the payoff here? What’s the timeframe before this investment starts to make a return above its original cost? Will the internet still exist by then?
There are a few domain parking companies that will do you right, such as NameDrive.com, Sedo.com or Godaddy.com. I am currently with Godaddy.com, making an average of 15 cents per click, which is unbeatable as far as I’ve seen. At this rate, I only need 10,000 clicks to break even. I’ve spent weeks’ worth of income and months’ worth of brainstorming energy to come this conclusion about domain parking: It’s not worth it.
Guest Post by Patrick Roberts http://www.booksbypatrick.com/
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