Choosing a 'Great' Blog Name

If you are keen to set up a new blog you are probably already aware of the most difficult part of the process... deciding what to call your blog.

At worst, a bad name will put people off ever going to your blog, while a great name will mean people are more likely to engage with you and revisit your site again and again and again.

I come across all sorts of blog names in my search travels that you may, or may not, find inspiring:

• some unusual "Alcatraz Gardens",
• some funny "Chook Minder's Quill",
• some clever "Paris (im) perfect",
• some self-deprecating "Dear Stupid Blog",
• some nonsensical "Flibbertygibbet",
• some straightforward, "Memoirs of a Food and Travel Addict",
• and some rather snappy, "The Pop Cop".

We have all heard some good advice for choosing a name that is unique, creative, descriptive and memorable. Which is your favourite blog name? I think the most successful name of the above examples is "Paris (Im)perfect", short and attention-grabbing but has some meaning to it beyond the obvious.

Put simply, I think the common factor of the greatest blog names are those that give me, a new reader, an instant insight into the person behind the blog before I have even visited the blog.

Chris G. points out that naming a blog with the SEO formulaic domain name of "keyword+blog" is in the long term a disingenuous strategy, people don't search for 'anything blog' unless they are looking for your blog already and, let's face it, you are not going to come across as all that likable if you are only after search rankings.

Google is also onto the old keyword domain stratagem, saying that they will reduce the ranking power they once had over other domain names.

Also don't think you can get around having a domain name that is search engine optimised with keyword laden terms and then having a different blog name on the page itself. Having a different blog name to your domain name is confusing for searchers who only remember one or the other.

Instead, put SEO on the backbench and build a blog name as a brand name. Aaron Wall from SEO book has long since noticed that Google likes strong brands. A great blog name has character. And with a good brand comes loyal regular readership and ultimately steady reliable advertising revenue. Most of all have fun choosing a name that reflects what you are about not just what you want to rank for (everything in good balance though).

The advice of an SEO hero for the blog naming process: put yourself in the position of someone who has never visited your site, would you go there based just on the blog name and would you be able to go back there easily should you like what you find?

If Alexander had a blog what would he have named it in order to put it on the path to victory?

By Freddy Naged   |  Source

How To Setup An Amazon Affiliate Account

Helpful video for setting up your Amazon Affiliate Account. 

3 Devastatingly Effective Blog Marketing Strategies For Ultimate Traffic

There are 2 main blog marketing strategies to get maximum traffic! I know I say 3 in the title, but don't worry, I'm splitting one of them into two parts!

The first one is syndication. Essentially, this means finding as many different places that you can to display your blog post, or even just a link back to your post.

This strategy works because obviously, the more places people can find your content, the more volume you'll get back to your blog. And because search engines are always looking for new content, posting your articles everywhere scores points with Google.

The second main strategy is creating a network of marketers to share your content with their people. Basically, you're trying to create as much "social buzz" around your blog as you possible can. This strategy works because you're able to leverage the work of others, plus it creates more social validation for you and your blog.

Which of these blog marketing strategies works better? I personally like syndication, but I'll let you decide for yourself. Here are the strategies:

Blog Marketing Strategies: Syndication

For this one, I'm splitting it into two parts. Obviously there are thousands of places on the net to send your content to, but here are a few of my favorites.

The first strategy is to submit to article directories. These websites host content that people like you and me write and then submit to them. These are great because you can have your entire article out there on the internet for people to find and it never goes away.

Furthermore, you're allowed to create what's called a "resource box" which allows you to have links pointing back to your blog. That creates more traffic, and also shows Google that your post is popular, and they're more likely to display it in the top rankings.

I submit to several different directories, but by far the best one is EzineArticles.com. They are the largest and most trafficked on the internet, plus they keep great statistics to show how your articles are performing.

The second strategy is to post a blurb about your post with a link in niche-related Facebook groups. If you're in network marketing, simply type in "network marketing" in the search bar at the top of Facebook, click "see more results" and then sort by groups. Join as many of these as you want!

This works very well because you know that the people in those groups seeing your blog blurb are extremely targeted. They're virtually all going to be people within your niche!

Blog Marketing Strategies: Social Buzz

The best way, bar none, to get other marketers to share your content is to first share theirs. A lot of bloggers check out who shares their content, and then returns the favor.

Also, be sure to leave a comment on their post, and you can even mention that you shared it. Don't say you want them to share yours too, or it looks like you're just in it for yourself.

So, just head on over to Google and you can search for other blogs in your niche. For network marketing, there are several great tribes on Facebook. These are basically places where people show up and syndicate everyone else's content. Just search for these in the search bar in Facebook, and type in "network marketing tribe" or "MLM tribe". The key here is to share others' content before you post any of your own.

These are easily my 3 favorite blog marketing strategies, and the ones that get me the most traffic! The more you do each of these, the more they compound and snowball on each other until you have a very high trafficked site! I've met marketers that do just these three things (or even just 1 or 2 of them) and have very high ranking blogs.

Your success starts with you, so make it happen!

By Erin P Smith  |  Source

6 Simple Tips For Better Facebook Marketing

Facebook has over 1.7 billion active monthly members so it makes sense to use Facebook for marketing. It can help you build awareness, create a community, stimulate a purchase and launch a new product or service.

But is doesn't have to be complicated. Use these 6 simple tips below to leverage the power of Facebook marketing for your business.

1. Build A Following

The first step for using Facebook for marketing is to build a good following. Invite people to like you page or to join your Facebook group. Provide as much value as you can with your posts and links to encourage your followers to like, click, share or comment on your posts.

2. Set Up A Facebook Page For Your Business

Don't use your personal Facebook account for your business. Your family and friends may not have any interest in your business activities. Likewise, your potential customers probably don't want to see your personal holiday photos. As your business grows and you have more people "friending" you, you'll run out of room. Facebook only allows 5,000 friends per personal Facebook account. That sounds like a big number but many online marketers have reached that limit and then had to delete people and move them over to a fan page.

3. Engage And Interact

Facebook marketing is only effective if your followers feel they can trust you. They'll learn to like you and trust your brand if you deliver useful information on a regular basis. For example, post a daily tip or motivational message onto your page. Post offers and promotions they can benefit from or create a one-time promotion for your Facebook followers only.

4. Integrate Effectively

When you integrate your Facebook marketing strategies with your other marketing tactics, you'll receive the better results. For instance, you can add a Facebook feed to your website or blog. You can add a "post this on Facebook" feature. Insert a "find me on Facebook" button or call to action to your email signature.

5. Facebook Ads

Facebook ads are inexpensive and they do work. Facebook allows you to target your individual audience down to their interests and gender. However, Facebook ads will only work if you plan them out and spend the time ensuring that you run relevant ads. They must be of value to your audience, grab the attention of the viewer and include a powerful call to action.

6. Start A Facebook Group

Facebook groups are a popular tool for business owners to reach an online audience for free. Facebook groups are much more visible in News Feeds. You have total control of the flow of information and communication. Facebook groups are great to generate leads, build your email list and eventually sell your products and services.

Creating and managing your own Facebook Group can do wonders for your business. It can generate leads, build your email list and eventually sell your products and services.

By Jon Allo  |  Source

Twitter Can Quickly Drive Targeted Traffic to Your Business If You Are Tweeting Properly

Everyone's talking and tweeting about Twitter. But, sadly, most tweets are either meaningless drivel or they are useful information that gets ignored or not noticed by the intended audience. This article explains how to make sure your little 140-character bursts get noticed, passed around among friends and associates within your target market, and ultimately how a consistent regimen of tweets can grow your customer base virally. Most small business owners and online marketers are just blasting random tweets out there with affiliate links in them and hoping to make a few bucks. However, like most endeavors, by thinking through it a little more than the average person, you can massively improve your results.

The ideal tweet is one that gets immediately re-tweeted (forwarded) around among your exact target market like wildfire. This is only going to happen once in a while, but when it does, it's powerful. In this kind of dream "tweet" scenario, you might get 200 people added to your list, rather than just an average of 2-5. You need to consciously shoot for this result every time you send a tweet, so that you increase your chances of it happening. Most of your tweets will fall short of this ideal result, but as they say on those ever-present motivational posters, "Aim for the stars, and you'll land on the moon".

The goal is just to grow your following and your attention level online, and with a consistent routine of tweets in the same niche, you can do this without a ton of time or effort. If you are sending one tweet per day for 30 days, you could expect to add let's say 200 people to your email list (if you're directing people to a squeeze page) or 200 people to become your follower on Twitter. If you're not getting this result, you are probably missing something important, like your tweets are all over the place topic-wise, or your links aren't working, or your market is simply not on Twitter, etc. For example, if you are selling medical lift chairs to people that are in the age group 80-100, you are going to have a lot tougher time on Twitter than if you are selling an iPhone app that helps college students tweet faster!

Here are the most important things you need to know to make sure your tweets are actually noticed and re-tweeted by people in your target market, which is what will lead to sales online:

1. Make sure your tweets are consistently incorporating keywords that are used in your niche; and make sure your niche is a tight, narrow niche. For example, your niche should be "Florida-friendly gardening for women", not "gardening".

2. Don't have all of your tweets be "commercial" in nature. That is to say, don't put shortened affiliate links or sales pitches in most of your tweets. Only be commercial in about 20% of your tweets. The majority (80%) of your communications should be helpful or entertaining information that is about your tight niche topic.

3. Write your own, original tweets. I can't stress this enough! Most people are tweeting quotes by famous people. That is a ridiculous and lazy strategy. Just take the 1 minute and think up something in your own words. It doesn't need to be an original idea or concept, it just needs to be in your own words. That makes it original. IMPORTANT - that is also Google's definition of "original", and original content gets ranked much higher than a bunch of re-hashed quotes by famous dead people!

Here are some examples of original tweets, just off the top of my head, again using this Florida gardening topic example:

"Don't forget to water your in-ground plants twice as often as your potted plants"

"The spring is a great time to buy XYZ type plants"

"Miracle-Gro is the professional's choice for plant food"

Not exactly ground-breaking stuff, right? Seriously, anyone can do it!

4. Don't tweet too often, and don't tweet too little. Specifically, if you tweet too often, people will stop reading your tweets as soon as they see your username come up at the beginning of the tweet. You don't want that of course! If you tweet too little, people will forget who you are, and then will never look at your tweets or they will un-follow you on Twitter because they figure you're irrelevant if you never tweet anything. So, you should be tweeting anywhere from every other day to twice per day. That's the range: 0.5 tweets per day to 2.0 tweets per day.

5. Switch up your times of day for tweeting. This is because people check twitter at different times of day depending on their jobs, children, lifestyle, etc. You don't need a special system to vary your tweet times, just don't track it and by nature you will tweet sometimes in morning, afternoon, and evening. That's great, nothing more complicated than that is needed.

6. If you're including a link to an affiliate product you're selling, or to your blog, or whatever, use a "link shortening service" like bit.ly or bud url. These services will allow you to track where clicks are coming from as well. You don't want to burn up a bunch of your 140 characters on a URL unnecessarily. Plus, when people see a long affiliate type link they rarely click on it because it looks like a commercial site or a spam/virus type site not an informational site. People want to be entertained or informed on the internet, they don't actually want to be "sold" anything, unless they're ready to buy! Don't you feel the same way? I sure do.

Okay folks, that's what you need to know to use Twitter for more than just blasting little bits of chatter and drivel around the universe. This is one of the few strategies that really is fast and easy to implement. Video marketing, article marketing, blogs, etc. all take many hours to really get up and running, but you can start getting some traction with Twitter in just days or weeks of spending about 15 minutes a day. So have fun with it and don't work too hard. May the little blue bird of Twitter bring you many targeted, happy customers that re-tweet your tips and information to even more customers!

There are many ways to find new customers and make more money on the Internet, but nothing makes sense unless you are implementing the critical, fundamental strategies that are available to you right now. Once you have tons of relevant traffic and customers that are raving fans, you can chart your own course. Discover how to harness the power of the Internet to create your own cash-producing machine.

By Taylor Garland  |  Source

Building Snapchat Following the Smart Way

Hearing about Snapchat may not be new to you. What you might not be aware of is its being a part of the mix in marketing. This fact is something you should not ignore as it can help you in building the online presence that you have always been coveting.

Get a Handle on Snapchat

The first step that you should do is to get on this platform. Regardless if you are planning to use it for your digital marketing strategies as of now, you should still sign up now. This way, you have already reserved a username for your business and accessing it will be easy when your marketing plan change soon.

Promoting Your Account through Your Website

When it comes to promoting your Snapchat account, your website is a spot with high visibility. This makes it easier for your customers to find your account on Snapchat and know the benefits. To make it more effective, it would be ideal to ask them to send you their snaps too. This way, they will feel that they are valued and the exchange will not be just one way.

Posting Contents via Other Platforms

On the social media accounts that you are maintaining such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, you can also promote your account on Snapchat. The result may take longer to come, but it will be a great one. Those who will follow you to your Snapchat account are those who are interested in interacting with you and your business. Just post your Snapchat contents there and wait for the result.

Promoting On Niche Sites and Relevant Forums

Niche websites and forums are great spots to promote your Snapchat account too. Promoting here is just like the same with how you do it in your social media accounts and website. Just make sure that the name you tell them are accurate. If you can offer some reward for following you, you can also try that.

Get Social Influencers

Find a famous social media personality that you can collaborate with for your business. Find someone who has the capability to draw more traffic to your Snapchat account and convert the traffic to become followers.

Word of Mouth

In Snapchat, the contents do not last long. With that, people who found interesting contents in it immediately tell their friends about is so as they will not miss the chance of seeing it themselves. Thus, a good Snapchat content goes viral through the word of mouth even when no one think of it that way.

In the social media-marketing world, Snapchat may be new. In obtaining your followers here, you are required to be creative. It is very different with other platforms, as it does not offer ways to gain that following you want. Through following these tips though, building that dream following for your Snapchat account will be easy. All you need to do is put some effort to it and be patient with waiting for the excellent result they can provide for you.

By Antonio Mendoza  |  Source

Insane Traffic Boost With Google Images

A seldom used technique to drive traffic to web sites is image optimization for search. The success of the Google images directory has made it possible to gain increased market share with just a small amount of work on your site's images. Specifically, you can increase your traffic substantially by appropriate naming and tagging of your display images (by "display images" we are referring to the images that highlight your content, not the images that make up your site's look and feel elements)

Google images optimization Tip #1 > Add ALT tags to your images now

The key is that the image's ALT tag needs to be the same as your site's main KWP (keyword phrase). Most importantly though, each alt tag should be unique. Only include your KWP on an image once on your page. You can use your KWP in other places, content for example, but only include it once in an image. This eliminates any potential search penalties for keyword stuffing.

Google images optimization Tip #2 > Add Title tags to your images

A good title tag serves to further define the purpose of the image and add context relevancy. Just as with the ALT tag, the title tag needs to be unique. Do not repeat it in your page on any other images TITLE tag.

Google images optimization Tip #3 > Follow your image with text containing your keyword.

You will want to include text next to or following your image. The text needs to include your KWP. This is critical to this strategy. Here is an example:

<img src="yourkeywordphrase.jpg" alt="your keyword phrase" title="your keyword phrase">

Then immediately following that, you want to include your text containing your KWP.

Google images optimization Tip #4 > Break free from the Frame!

Once Google indexes your page and your newly optimized images, you will begin to see referrals and traffic to your site from images.google.com. The real beauty of this is, if your site ever slips in the main index (not likely if you are optimizing and back-linking regularly) your Google images referrals should stay consistent during this period or vice versa. It provides an excellent way to hedge against the infamous "Google Dance" that we are all subject to from time to time

In conclusion: Always optimize one image on your page with your site's main keyword phrase in the image name, image ALT tag and image TITLE tag. Also place text in close proximity or directly adjacent to this image that contains that same keyword phrase. Optimize any additional images on your page with your secondary keyword phrases. Only optimize one image per keyword phrase. Happy searches!

Winston Wolf is recognized expert on search engine marketing. To see a site optimized for search, he's created the Kettler Rowing Machine [http://kettlerrowingmachine.net] site at [http://kettlerrowingmachine.net]

By Winston Wolf  |  Source

Affiliate Marketing For Dummies [IN PLAIN ENGLISH!]

Interesting style and a bit of 'blue' language but great content. 500,000 views!

Leveraging Google Traffic With the Hashtag

Valued Reader,

It is impossible to share all the traffic tactics I have discovered in a single post, for now we will take a look at leveraging Google Traffic with the Hashtag. What this ultimately result to when leveraged correctly is Google Page One Exposure. Not Page One Ranking, but Page One Exposure and there is a huge difference between the two.

There are several methods that will result in Google Page One exposure, which is also how you build High Authority Backlinks to your site. This in turn boost the Google Ranking of your site, everything online has a purpose, but more importantly a sequence.

By using this same Hashtag tactic and literally pressing a "button", to see what happens. To my surprise I found my posts with Google+ on the first search result page. You are going to be using the keywords you wish to target as Hashtags, no more that 2 - 3 Hashtags per post. Remember that content is the only magic wand to conversion of any kind.

Targeting the Highest Converting Hashtags

If you would like to know which Hashtags are trending on Twitter, then you need Hashtags Dot Org. Simply log in with your Twitter Credentials, you may also want to Follow Hashtags Dot Org.

You will see the following options; Trending on Twitter, Twitter Terminology, Why Use Hashtags?, What's The Point?, What is a (#) Hashtag?, How To Start a Hashtag, History of Hashtags, Allowed Hashtag Letters, Hashtag Analytics, Twitter Etiquette 101.

For the purpose of this demonstration you want to click on "Trending on Twitter". You will the results to the Upward or Downward trending Hashtags, but more importantly the Most Popular Hashtags. Please base your selection of Hashtags not only on your profitable niche, but also the keywords you wish to rank for.

So now you know how to obtain the most popular Hashtags, great. Now what, where and how can you use them to focus on Google? All you will need is your free Google Account.

Once inside your Google+ Profile you will see two options which you want to focus on next. They are "Collections" and "Communities", which are pretty much like Facebook Pages and Groups. A collection is like having a Page, and the Community will mirror a Group. Just to give you a basic idea of the difference between the two.

Creating a Google Collection

This is done by simply clicking on "Collections", and then easily create a Collection. But similar to a blog or website, you want your title and content to target all 3 categories of Keywords you wish to target. Short Tail, Long Tail and Anchor Text.

Now your Graphic content is equally important, if not even more so because you wish to attract attention. Colour plays a very important role when it comes to conversion... just a thought. But also you want to share royalty free images, so you don't step on any toes.

There are several sites that will provide you with high-definition images within just about any niche you can think of. You simply enter "Royalty Free Images" into your web browser, and check out the sites on the search result page. Take your time and find which sites will provide you with exactly what you are looking for based on your profitable niche.

Now a great idea would be creating a collection focusing on something like your blog, so you share your blog content and expertise within the collection. Never share Any Affiliate Links Anywhere on the Internet, a professional post will always present a link to a dedicated domain like a blog or website. Your aim is to get those visitors to your own personal site, and get recognized as a Professional.

Once your collection is created, you are ready to create your first Community too. But don't post anything yet, we will get to that. For now you just want to create One Collection and One Community, so we can work from there.

Creating a Google Community

Pretty much exactly the same as creating a collection, but bear in mind the similarity to a Facebook Group. Again you must target your keywords in your Community Title.

Once you have successfully created both your sites, it's now time to add the "Secret Sauce" by adding your first posts. But don't just flood your profiles with random posts, be objective and target your audience.

While using the Hashtags you selected, you will now need interesting and useful content to populate your Collection and Community. You need to inspire an audience's curiosity to want to know more, once that happens you will gain followers automatically. And when targeting is done correctly you will gain followers who are actually interested in your content and solutions.

Once you have populated your Collection and Community with keyword rich content and the Hashtag, you also want to share your posts to all your social profiles. Google allows you to share your posts to your Google+ Profile, Facebook and Twitter or even copy the post link should you wish to present it elsewhere.

A Collection and Community is like a sub-domain within Google, so when your posts show up on the first search result to a certain keyword then those visitors are ultimately directed to your blog or website. Remember, always try to share posts with links to your personal domains like blogs and websites, your affiliate offers should be promoted only there.

There is only one other place you should promote cloaked affiliate links and that is to your own email list subscribers, but that is an entire eBook on its own.

Remember that this is a traffic tactic and not a magic button, you need to sacrifice the time to master the sequence. This includes establishing the best dates and times to post that will result in the best conversion. This article is like a structure for you to build from.

Wishing You Prosperity,

Successful People Are Only Dreamers Who Refused To Give Up

By Deon Christie  |  Source

There are two ways to win in online marketing and online businesses

There are two ways to win in online marketing and online businesses. One is to create a fantastic product that gives value to consumers. Another is to get enough traffic to get to your website or your landing page that contains your sales copy. Getting the traffic is the harder part, as it requires a deep knowledge on how search engine works. Here are the top 2 tips on how to use Google keywords to get massive traffic to your website or sales page.

Tip #1:

Get your landing page ranked high on Google search results. Sounds easy, but it entails a lot of hard work. The tip here is to get as many quality back links from your friends' sites, forums and blogs to your sales copy web page as possible.

One example is writing articles for EzineArticles. You can then include a link back to your landing page, where visitors will get to read your sales copy and decide if they will buy your products.

Another optimization technique is to put the right and correct keywords in your landing page. Make sure that you research on the best and most suitable keywords that will get enough searches from online visitors, without too much competition from similar websites. Put your keywords in your content, title and header tags.

Tip #2:

Use pay per click advertising with Google AdWords. Write a short sales copy to get people to click on it, but also ensure that you do not spend too much initially by limiting your spending cap with Google AdWords.

Your pay per click ad will check the search keywords from online visitors. If there is a match, your ad will appear. If visitors click on it, they will be transported to your landing page to read your sales copy.

Again, the key is to have the right and optimized set of keywords.

Experiment with the two tips above, and fine tune them to get you more success with your online businesses.

The whole internet marketing game takes time to master, so learn from those who have been there to shorten your learning time, and avoid painful mistakes.

Gab Chu has helped hundreds of Internet Marketers create wealth from their own online information product empire using strategies to better product creation, and traffic tactic, secrets and techniques.

By Gab L Chu  |  Source

How To Promote Clickbank Products Without a Website with Free FAST Traffic

Secrets make $10,000 A Month by Affiliate Marketing Part 1

Tony Robbins on my favourite subject... making money! 

Why a Personal Recipe Makes Online Marketing Taste Great

What makes your marketing approach different - unique? Really, can you define the tactics that set you apart? Maybe it all comes down to the ingredients and technique.

There are some great restaurants that sell some awesome food. Well, at least some of the time. I can go to one steak house and spend close to fifty dollars on a meal that I will talk about for days, but the next time I visit I may not be entirely sure I ever want to come back.

I'm sure they started out with great cuts of quality meat. I'm thinking they have some quality seasonings. I might even be able to admit the food smelled really good, but in the end it was dry and cold. No one left satisfied.

On my grill out back I can hand select the exact cut of beef I like from a meat market I trust. I can use marinade and seasonings that bring out bold flavor and exceptional taste. I can wrap veggies in an aluminum bag and create a feast that tastes better, costs less and satisfies more.

This is the strategy you might want to take with your online marketing. Find exceptional ingredients and learn techniques to 'cook' those ingredients well and allow the world to sample your masterpiece. Your marketing strategies may not fit a cookie cutter mentality. Then again good marketing isn't always about following the crowd, but defining the need and meeting it is what it's all about.

If you have a superior product or service you could ask an expert to come in and devise a rather standard and tasty marketing plan to satisfy your objectives - or - you could pull together ingredients that you believe compliment the marketing motivation and develop your own business 'stew'.

Of course this means you need to have some idea what those ingredients are. If you don't then maybe you might be better off dining out. After all, I had to learn the skills of both grilling and marketing. There were moments of trial and error and I had questions along the way.

Successful marketing doesn't have to work like your competition - it just has to work. It doesn't need to be homogenized and fortified with marketing vitamins to taste great. This is where many can misunderstand the approach.

Use the tools you have and create something great with what you can deliver. There are lots of different tools involved in online marketing find a few that work for your situation and push forward - alone if you have to.

Connect with your potential customers to the best of your ability. Be the first on your server to try out something new. Be innovative and see how many follow. Learn new skills and integrate them into the marketing mix.

If you are willing to take a risk you may find that you fail miserably - or you may find that you are more successful than you thought possible. This is the value of marketing without a neatly crafted five-step plan of action.

By Scott Lindsay  |  Source