Online for Success

Link Exchanges for Web Site Promotion featured link exchange softwares and services >>> The exchange of direct links between internet properties is a time honored tradition on the web, one that continues today. Doing so can garner two parties with complimentary sites some exposure, increases in traffic, and improved overall link popularity ratings - a key to enhanced listings on certain spider based search engines. The end result of a link exchange depends on a number of variables. Visibility of the link. Organization of the links area. The number of links being carried overall. The search engine listings achieved by the link exchange parties. When searching for a potentially valuable link exchange, keep link popularity top of mind. Look for sites that appear on the spider based search engines, thus ensuring that your link placement will be found, positively impacting your site’s link popularity. Try to determine sites that maintain a solid traffic base, and an easy to find, and navigate links area. Placing the expected reciprocal link on your site can also present certain challenges. Many of the larger web properties no longer incorporate link pages into their design, believing that in not doing so, an aura of professionalism is maintained. As well, for many ecommerce based sites, the idea of representing other sites offering products and/or services of any kind presents a level of competetive discomfort that simply cannot be ignored. In choosing to incorporate a links area within your site, ensure that a level of professionalism is maintained. Only support listings for properties that are both complimentary, and non-offensive to your client base. Keep the area well organized, and if necessitated by the number of links, categorized. Update your page regularly, to ensure that all links are active. If you want to participate in the area of link exchange, but are not comfortable in presenting a "links" page within your property, give consideration to incorporating the partner sites into your search results. Utilizing a search engine provider whose software can also spider, and incorporate, results from sites outside your domain is an excellent means of making your partner’s site information available to your clientelle, when requested, without clearly advertising that your property maintains a link exchange. Developing your internet business’ link partners list can be an arduous task, at best. Researching complimentary sites, with sufficient traffic numbers, and listing potentials, can at times seem to be like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. But don’t despair! There are a number of softwares available whose specialty is the scouring of the internet, sourcing properties whose nature matches specifications you indicate as of interest. Online has also sourced available services, whose sole purpose is to maintain your links pages, ensuring each link is active, that your link has been activated at the other end, even rotating links to ensure equal coverage for all your partners. Here are some samples of available software and services, to improve and simplify this process of web site promotion for your internet business. Arelis Link Popularity Software Zeus Link Manager Robot PopularityFarm.com LinksManager.com       Related Subjects: Internet Marketing - Making Use of MLM Internet Marketing - Promote Through Newsgroups     back to top

Submitting to Award Sites featured award submission sites >>> Since the dawn of the popular internet, and the growth of interest in being online, there have been those who have dedicated their time and efforts to the review of new web based properties. These critics have in turn garnered the respect and interest of web travellers everywhere, folks practically begging for information on the freshest new properties. Submitting your newly developed internet wonder can be rewarding in more ways then one. Firstly, there is the infinite satisfaction of being recognized for the serious efforts applied in the preparation of your web project. Secondly, there exists the potential for traffic… Award sites that have been in operation for some time can deliver the selected "site of the day" thousands of visitors in a very short period of time. Their online, and email publications are in demand, and those in receipt of the information waste no time in visiting the newest web commodity. Some sites offer no cost submission, while others may charge a range of fees depending on time of review. As in many pay per service internet areas, payment does not promise the featuring of your site, merely its review. When considering such a submission, it does the business owner good to keep in mind that all things are not what they seem. Many internet based award sites are merely intended to draw you, and your site visitors to their site, via visual awards that must be placed at your property in order for you to be considered. The traffic given in return is often minimal, and not worthy of the additional download time on your site relative to the added graphics. The award sites below are considered some of the premium honors available on the internet today. If you feel confident in your site’s leading edge appeal, consider a submission, and good luck with your review! Yahoo Internet Life Surfers Choice - 15% off Cool Site of the Day Yahoo Pick of the Week USA Today Hot Sites The Webby Award   Related Subjects: Establish an affiliate program Banner advertising and exchange     top of website aware directory page

Preparing Your Site for Directory Submission site optimization softwares and services directory >>> Successful submission of your site to major internet directories, such as Yahoo, Looksmart, or the Open Directory, require a specialized approach, significantly different from that necessary to success with the standard spider based search engines. The evaluation of your site by these properties will be done manually, via either paid or volunteer editors, who are charged with the responsibility for ensuring that only sites of the highest quality achieve listings in each of the directories. In this circumstance, overall site quality, in the areas of presentation, content originality, speed of download, and general navigational ease will present themselves as primary in ensuring that a listing is achieved. Rankings within that environment, once listed, will rely strongly upon only a few basic areas, including given title, description, and the category of listing. As many of these areas are entirely managed by the editor responsible for your selected category, ensuring basic site appeal and value can strongly impact their willingness to use your suggested title, and/or description, thus ensuring a high ranking. The following outline the basics of ensuring an appealing site prior to submitting: Rule #1 - Create Appeal A site that is clearly put together quickly, and unprofessionally, does little to interest an editor who spends his or her day reviewing all manner of properties, including the very best. Take the time to develop your site properly, or utilize a skilled designer if you have not the time, or the interest to do so on your own. As noted elsewhere at Online for Success, keep the navigation intuitive, the pages quick to download, and the content well organized. All of these factors serve to assist in achieving an editor’s approval. Rule #2 - Don’t Jump Too Quickly Before submitting your site, ensure that all aspects of its construction are complete. There is little that will turn an editor’s eye elsewhere more quickly than a site with non-functioning links, or "under construction" graphics. If the property is not at a state of perfection, save the submission until you achieve it, as to submit early will surely result in the denial of your listing request, and potential difficulty with re-submitting down the road. Rule #3 - Follow Their Rules Each directory property has their own terms of submission, which is generally incorporated into their submission page(s). Take the time to read and understand these rules, as a failure to do so can result in either non-inclusion, or at worst, permanent banning of your property from the directory involved. Once your site is fully complete, and of absolute value to the editor, and visitors it will achieve, it is imperative to understand the impacts of your submitted title, and description, as well as the category you select for the listing request. All directories follow a similar process, though the actualities of how listed sites are ranked during a search remain largely unknown. The most important factors to consider when preparing your submission to Yahoo, Looksmart, or the Open Directory include: Site Title The title associated with your site is often dictated by the given name of your business. In most cases, directory terms of submission will inform submitters that all business sites must use their given name for listing. This is to help avoid scenarios where all ranking-aware site operators suggest names that begin with "A", or "123". As listings are generally alphabetical in the directory area, these issues can have a strong impact on traffic from that location. It is also best to avoid listings that merely note your URL, such as onlineforsuccess.com . The combined format of this title would result in an inability of the search function to discern the keywords within that title, reducing the opportunity for search related success. Obviously, an important feature of your title is these incorporated keywords, which can often be dictated at the moment you select your domain name. Keeping this factor in mind early can be of substantial import at this juncture. Site Description As noted earlier, the final site description is always the decision of the editor involved in the evaluation process. It is imperative to recommend a description that will be effective, based upon standard keyword strategies, and satisfactory to the editor’s intent to provide only an accurate outline of your site’s content. Incorporate carefully placed keywords that relate entirely to your site’s content, in as appealing, and efficient a manner as possible. Avoid suggestions that are mainly hype, as they do little to impress the area editor, and can result in a description entirely generated by them, which may miss the mark you were aiming for entirely. Take the time to review other site descriptions in your category of interest, following their example to determine what the appropriate number of words, and keyword selections are effective for them. Do a search to see which sites rank highest, and determine the most potent mix of keywords and category to achieve that type of ranking for your internet property. Due care taken pre-submission will ensure a positive impact on your business via the traffic, and thus sales, that can stem from a solid directory listing on sites such as Yahoo, Looksmart, and the Open Directory. Research thoroughly, implement carefully, and then prepare for your own version of online success. Would you like to use this article on your site, or have it emailed to you?   Related Subjects: Site optimization software & services - more than just keywords Preparing your site for spider based search engine submission Analyze your site traffic - softwares and services directory Webposition Gold - free trial of the #1 search engine tool     back to top

Link Popularity Tools In this era of diminished banner value, growing internet marketing expenses, and a consistently expanding level of competition online, the need for new means of generating affordable visitor traffic has resulted in the creation of many a promotional resource. The exit exchange is one such resource, creating an opportunity for much needed exposure and branding for the startup web entrepreneur. Is an exit exchange the tool your property has been waiting for? Let’s explore the nature of this all too often maligned resource. What in the Blazes is it? Remember the good, old fashioned banner exchange? The banner exchange has been around nearly as long as banners themselves, and in the days where visitors would actually take note and visit the advertised properties, these exchanges played a strong role in the promotion of many a web site. A variety of ratios were offered by different exchange networks, with the most common being 2:1, or you show our banners on your site twice, we will show yours once somewhere within our network. The other 50% of available impressions were often relegated to the promotion of the network itself, or sold to outside interests. Enter the exit exchange. With the advent of the java based pop up window, many web sites took advantage of the opportunity to heighten value for advertisers by opening an additional window upon arrival to, or exit from a site, usually featuring information from an paying advertiser. With response rates to banner ads on the downslide, the hope was that pop ups would result in an improved reaction, and thus a higher potential revenue from advertisers. The reality was a little different. Though many properties continue to make use of page load based pop ups, the risk of doing so often outweighs their true value in achieving improved advertising revenues. Reaction to pop ups by internet travellers was inherently negative, often resulting in an immediate exit from the property as a reward for creating annoyance within their ranks. With visitor acquisition, and satisfaction playing such a strong role in Internet success, most customer savvy web businesses opted to discontinue the use of pop ups as an advertising medium, although many continue to use them as a means of bringing information of TRUE VALUE to the attention of their clientele upon arrival. But the pop up junkies were not yet done with us. If the page load pop up was too much of a visitor annoyance, why not load the ads when they leave? The thinking was that at the time of exit, the visitor has accomplished whatever they intended at your property, and therefore the annoyance would be of less risk to your revenue base, while maintaining the potential for advertising dollars. As an additional purported bonus, pop ups loaded upon exit avoid the problem of screened site content, an area of concern to those initially utilizing them upon page load. Isn’t this a fantastic idea? The correct answer here is… maybe? Research indicates a clear level of displeasure amongst Internet users with any advertiser based pop up window, be it generated upon entry to, or, to a somewhat lesser degree, exit from a property. To presume that the departing guest is no longer of value is like telling every customer you serve that you are only interested in serving them once, and have a nice day. The reality is that no business can thrive without the all important combination of repeat customer, and word of mouth advertising. As such, to deliver a negative experience following a potentially positive site experience otherwise should be weighed against the value of the inclusion of the exit exchange. With the exit based pop up window forming what is essentially your client’s final impression, a clear understanding of your visitor preferences, and their potential future value, must be added into the equation. There is without a doubt a time and place for everything. Pop up windows upon entry and exit continue to be utilized by thousands of site owners, and have proved their value in specific circumstances. The exchange concept itself can generate a tremendous amount of payback for the savvy webmaster. With a range of ratios available today, as well as the multi-tiered models that allow credits for traffic generated by other webmasters that sign up based upon your recommendation, the concept itself can assist the newcomer to the market in establishing their presence, and in ensuring their own online success. Take the time to research your options, and keep your visitors in mind throughout your decision making process. As is true in life, moderation can prove to be of ultimate value in business, and can make the difference in its ability to profit today, and in the future. Would you like to use this article on your site, or have it emailed to you?   Related Subjects: Online’s complete web site promotion directory Implement a banner exchange     top of link popularity page

Which Mistakes Are You Making with Ezine Ads? Jason Mann Ezine advertising has been glorified by experts the world over as the last refuge for the little guy/gal to make a buck online. Well, I hate to deliver bad news, and please don’t shoot the messenger, but there are some draw backs to ezine advertising. Let’s look at the most common mistakes and their solutions. Mistake #1: Not Tracking Your Ads Many business owners have no idea how they can track every ad they place. Whether for an affiliate program or their own product, they just don’t know. Not knowing what ad is working and producing the sale will cost you and your business thousands of dollars. When you know what ad produces and what ad doesn’t you can cut the worst of the ads and only keep the ad or ads that produce for your business. Solution: If you own your own web site and domain name, you can track every ad by creating a special redirect link that is only used in that ad. Or you can add a question mark to the end of the URL and check that on your stats page. A simple domainname.com/pagename.html?trackingcodehere will suffice in most cases. Check with your web host to see if have access to your web site stats log. Or sign up for one of the free/fee tracking services online. Mistake #2: Writing me-too ads When writing your ad you must take your ego, your desire to boast about you and your company, out of the equation. An example of a me-too ad: “Acme Law Offices have been in business for 20 years. Our staff of lawyers all graduated from Harvard Law School with honors. Call us at 1-800-acme-law today!” Solution: Write benefit and results oriented ads. Example: “Guaranteed Settlements! Win your settlement guaranteed and save 43% on attorney fees by calling ACME Law Offices at: (blah,blah, blah)” This ad focuses completely on the end result, the main benefit. Guaranteed Settlements. Which ad do you think would pull more responses? Mistake #3: Running Classifieds Since they don’t cost much, business owners tend to use classifieds to save costs. Classifieds are cheap, $5-$20 per ad, and in most cases run faster than solo or top sponsor ads because the ezine publisher runs 10-20 per issue. What’s not so commonly known is the fact classified sections are often times scanned by the reader (I scan past them every time) and get very little eye time. Solution: Run Solo or Top sponsor ads. These ads get more exposure. They are exclusive (solo mailings) or only have 2-3 (sponsor ads) per issue spaced out between the content. Mistake #4: Going for large subscriber bases Large subscriber stats are impressive. 30,000 subscribers is a ton of eye balls and the potential to return a profit is greatly increased. Well, this is completely untrue. A recent test we ran took our breath away. We spent $180 on a solo ad to a subscriber base in a general marketing publication of 30,000 subscribers. We ran that same solo ad for $65 in an ezine about pop-up marketing strategies with a subscriber base of 1200. Ad #1 to 30,000+ brought back $0! Ad #2 to 1200 specifically targeted subscribers brought back $900 in pure profit! Solution: While tons of subscribers may seem like the right way to go, before you invest money, check out smaller, highly targeted ezines and test your ads in those. You’ll save money and odds are your returns will be greater. Mistake #5: Running your ad once When I first started advertising ezines I would run one ad one time, if it didn’t produce results I would switch ezines and run the ad again. This was how I tested the ad. Many business owners are doing the same thing today. By running the ad only once, you’re cutting your chances to profit in half. By running it 2-3-4 times, even if the first run didn’t make a profit, gives your ad more exposure. Readers will “think” it’s producing because you ran it more than one time, therefore other subscribers must have thought it was worth looking at, helping your ad to produce. Solution: Run every ad at least twice. Then instead of switching ezines, switch ads. Run that ad twice. Do this with all your ads. You’ll be surprised to find the ezine actually produces profits for one ad and not another. So now you can run that ad 4-5-6 times and squeeze more profits from the ezine. Ezine advertising is profitable. It takes testing, tracking, solo or top sponsor placements, and more testing to pin point ezines with high sales ratios. Don’t give up on the ezine just because a successful ad from another test didn’t work. Place another ad, test it, test another, and so on. All you need is 5 to 10 profitable ezines and you’ll increase sales and profits for your business. About The Author: Jason Mann is a profitability consultant who works with small and medium web business to increase their overall profit using easy to deploy, cost effective marketing strategies. Visit his web site at: http://www.innersanctumeletter.com for more helpful information about web marketing. Related Subjects: Find niche Ezine Advertising opportunities in our directory Launch your online store - learn more on ecommerce     top of ezine advertising article