Yesterday I was lucky enough to be invited to a seminar held by BusinessLink, A government backed initiative to improve your business skills.
This seminar was all about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). The two speakers at the event are at the top of their game in this field as they run a multi million pound advertising company whose clients include many top known household name companies. They specialise in getting these companies to the front of search engines without the use of PPC programs wherever possible.

During this seminar they explained the importance and nessessity of doing every step needed in making your website google spider friendly. It was explained and shown in a step by step fashion on how to get your website a page ranking of 3 or above (any pagerank of over 3 is highly regarded by Google) The pagerank is how Google rates and places websites – nothing to do with ppc or whereabouts on Google search pages a website appears.As an example did you know that having a pagerank of 1 can bring you more visitors than being at No 1 on a search page.
*Note: Googles pagerank is 8

We were also taught all about Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) showing how having your SEO done correctly can produce a traffic increase, even just 1% can mean a dramatic increase in your profits.

Overall, everything needed doing  is easy to do yourself but you must keep on top of it in order to maximise the exposure.

I thought I would share this with you as these seminars and others are held all over the UK so if you wish to attend any then you can get the details from your local BusinessLink or go to http://www.businesslink.gov.uk and find your nearest office.

I am going to write a report on everything that was covered as a lot of myths were dispelled and the knowledge gained by this seminar has really opened my eyes regarding SEO and the serious ability to build up your online presence.

I hope you have found this information useful as I feel I am slowly learning about the holy grail of marketing.

P.S. Even though this is primarily for the UK it still worth checking out the BusinessLink site as there is loads of free info worth reading.

Do you sell products online? Whether you run an online retail store or if you sell on eBay, internet marketing should be a component of your business plan. When you market your products, you increase your earnings potential.

In terms of internet marketing, there are many successful approaches. These approaches include article directories, purchasing advertisements, banner exchanges, and search engine optimization. Yes, you should implement each of these steps, but also examine unconventional approaches, such as Twitter.

Twitter is a social networking website. When you register for a free account, you can search for other users. You can then become a follower. This means that you will receive their messages, also known as updates or Tweets. Many will do the same for you. Search for contacts on the Twitter website based on name, location, or email address. Also, exchange contact information on online communities, like internet forums.

As previously stated, Twitter is a social networking website. All types of posts are allowed, but many expect social messages online, not advertisements. This does not mean that you cannot use Twitter as an internet marketing tool. It means that you must take the clever approach. As for how you can do so:

Ask for feedback. With an advertisement, your Tweet may say “Buy eco-friendly products at affordable prices.” Yes, this may work, but you will find some individuals who think “great, another advertisement.” So, instead ask for feedback. Provide a link and ask your followers to review the product in question. Do they think it can help the environment, is the price affordable?

Offer promotional codes. Even if you use affiliate links to generate income, you should be provided with moneysaving promotional codes. Offer these to your members. For example, your Tweet could include the message “Eco-friendly products available for sale with a moneysaving discount for all my Twitter friends.” Yes, this is still an advertisement, but you are offering an incentive.

Host contests and Tweet about them. A great way to generate traffic to a website, including a website where products are sold, is to offer something free. Whether it be a free sample or a contest, people love free stuff. Instead of advertising a product you have for sale, highlight a contest on your website. This will get people to your online store. To increase sales, have your contest landing page filled with products.

Incorporate personal messages into your advertisements. As previously stated, the use of promotional codes is a great way to not only increase your sales and website traffic, but to generate interest. Instead of just staying “Save $25 with a promotional code provided by me,” incorporate a personal message. Mention you are extending the offer to your Twitter friends because you want to help them save money. This extra personal message goes a long way.

Use @replies. Mentioning the products you sell is okay to do on Twitter, but be limited in your messages. Do not send 10 messages a day highlighting the products you sell. Instead, try one a day. Also, rely on the use of @replies. You can reply to those who send you updates or use Search.Twitter.com. Only reply with a clever advertisements when the situation calls for it.

The key to using Twitter as an internet marketing tool is to do so cleverly. Internet users tend to sway away from advertisements, so make yours advertisements in disguise.

If your interested in Twitter as a marketing tool then keep checking out my posts as I have been delving deep into the workings in order to evaluate its effectiveness in building your business.

Subscribe to Keith Alston’s Info Blog by Email

I’ve been doing some research on this topic, and now I think it’s time to share my findings. It seems like Google Ad Sense is the default income source for many publishers and bloggers. Keep in mind there is nothing wrong with Ad Sense, and I think it can be extremely profitable. But, to maximize your earnings it’s wise to diversify which ads you’re running, and to explore other networks.

What if Google bans you? This doesn’t necessary mean you did anything wrong..sometimes the Google gods just react and sites get banned. If this is your only cash flow..things could turn out a little rough.

Another good reason is perception. If I run across a site that has Ad Sense plastered all over it, I automatically get a little skeptical…”their just trying to make a quick buck; probably useless information.”

We’ve all heard the phrase, “don’t put your eggs in one basket,” well…consider the following so you don’t have to. Here are some networks I would keep in mind while trying to ween off of Ad Sense:

#1 – Chitika: A great ad network recommended by top bloggers and publishers alike. Chitika works with Ad Sense, while giving you the ability to capitilize on your search traffic.

#2 – Advertising.com: They offer a ton of options for large and small scale publishers. Mostly CPA Offers.

#3 – Yahoo Publisher Network (YPN): A direct competitor to Ad Sense. YPN is known to pay a slightly higher CPC vs. Ad Sense. I would recommend experimenting with both and see which pays better.

#4 – Ad Brite: In my former life I used Ad Brite alot. As their inventory has grown, they’ve become more respected around the industry. You have the option of choosing flat rate, CPC or CPM payouts.

#5 – Burst Media: This network has been around since 1995, and is still on the short list for top publishers and bloggers.

#6 – Value Click: With a reach of over 83% of the internet, Value Click offers a wide range of income options, including affiliate and CPM based streams.

#7 – Link Share: The Link Share affiliate program and publisher network are pioneers of the online marketing industry. I would give them a look.

#8 – Video Egg: Concentrating solely on video ads, Video Egg provides a new medium of displaying ads. Based on a CPE rate (Cost Per Engagement) this opens up an entire field of marketing.

#9 – Adtegrity: Known for their prompt customer service, Adtegrity is becoming a major player in the online advertising industry.

#10 – Brightroll: Just like Video Egg, they are both unique in their inception of video media.

#11 – Tribal Fusion: Tribal Fusion is another network I have experience with. Known for their solid pay outs..they represent thousands of sites in a variety of categories.

#12 – Casale Media: I’ve also used Casale Media from the advertiser side..and in doing this, I know they stick up for their publishers, going to extreme measures not to compromise the integrity of the network.

#13 – Morning Falls: With a low traffic requirement and solid customer service..this CPM based network is great for new publishers.

#14 – CPX Interactive: Being a new player to the online marketing game, they offer a relatively new network to it’s publishers..however they are kinda strict so keep that in mind.

#15 – Ad Dynamix: With minimal requirements for publishers, this is a good network for newbies. I’ve never used them but some say they have poor customer service. This is one of those you can experiment with.

#16 – AdsDaq: With CPM ads to selected countries, this would make for good testing ground for your sites.

#17 – Click Booth: Another company I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Rated #1 network in the world by Website Magazine, they offer plenty of options for affiliate marketing and network publisher solutions.
___________________________________________________________
Even though there were hundreds of networks I had to filter through to come up with these ones, I feel like you’ll get the best deal for your dollar with the companies I mentioned above. If one doesn’t work for you, then keep trying and nail down the high performers.

As always, let me know how it goes