Guest Posts

Unlocking Your Future – the Key to Working from Home

Posted on Mar 23, 2012 in Affiliate Marketing, Career, Guest Posts, Social Media |

Guest Post by James Martell

In my dad’s day, a businessman commuted from the suburbs to the office for hours each week, often traveling on business trips to meet with clients or suppliers, and spent more time away from home than he ever did with his family.  Those days are disappearing, and it’s time to embrace a new normal.

Blast from the past

Back in 1998, when I first started understanding how the internet would be the future of business, everyone was a bit leery of it.  When I did my first promotion for a company in the United States, everybody thought it was crazy for a Canadian like me to do business with someone from another country, not to mention someone I had never even met.  I must admit I had my own doubts about it, but they were all laid to rest when the first check cleared the bank.

Today’s Information Age

Flash forward twelve years and the internet is the way we all do business, so why are so many of us still leaving our homes and families to punch  a time clock in an office?  Working from home is the key to your freedom and happiness; you just have to follow some simple guidelines and success can be yours.

Create your own space

Start by creating your own work space.  Working from home is great, because it allows you the freedom to manage your own time and do with it what matters most, but you can’t treat your work time like home time.  Creating a separate space to be your work area is essential, and allows you to mentally focus on your work, as well as keep things organized.

Some people I’ve talked to prefer to create their own office, complete with a nice home office computer desk and filing cabinets.  Others prefer to make a section in their garage or a corner of the bedroom their work area.  However much space you need, or the tools you require, just make sure it is a space that is all your own, and dedicated solely to your work.  No setting up on half the kitchen the table and pretending you can eat dinner around it or the kids won’t scatter it.  It just doesn’t work!

Social marketing

Use the internet to work for you.  It’s important to realize that there’s a lot of competition out there these days, and you’ll need more going for you than just a well written landing page if you’re going to be a success.  You’re going to have to make what you’re offering look appealing to the consumer and convince them that others think it has value too.  Whatever you’re selling, whether it’s a product or a service, one of the best ways to sell it is with social marketing.

Just as our parents turned to the yellow pages or watched ads on TV, today everybody goes to search engines like Google when they want or need something.  It’s the first place many of us get our information now.

When we want to know if the information we gathered from the web is credible, we rely on people we know for endorsements.  The power of word of mouth has grown immeasurably since the advent of Facebook and Twitter. Millions of consumers are turning to these resources before making purchases and more and more of us are doing the actual buying or ordering on the internet as well.  I’m sure you’ve found this to be true in your own life just as I have. These are great tools that you can use to your advantage.  By getting people to talk about your product or service and consumers will seek you out.

Tools of tomorrow, here today

If all this sounds like a lot of work, just remember, you don’t have to do it all alone.  Working from home isn’t for hermits or the antisocial.  Thanks to today’s technology, it is as vibrant and active and social as you want to make it.

  • Increase knowledge and education with webinars.
  • Bring the boardroom right into your home by holding meetings and networking with them through business video conferencing or Skype.
  • Utilize smart phone apps or laptops to access everything you need anywhere you go.

Do all the things you want to do with your life, and still have the access to handle all your business needs and communicate with the people you need to accomplish it all.  Social networking is first and foremost about keeping social as much as you can.

Follow these guidelines and you’ll be on the path to success, and free to enjoy it when you achieve it.  Your future is just waiting for you.

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James Martell, author of the Affiliate Marketers Handbook works from his home office computer desk teaching others how to make money with affiliate programs utilizing powerful tools like business video conferencing.

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Technology and Today’s Social Interaction

Posted on Nov 23, 2011 in Guest Posts, Social Media |

Guest Post by Pat Tate

Two sides of the same coin

We all enjoy spending time chatting with friends. It is such a wonderful world, isn’t it? It is such a pleasure reading through micro-blogs written by our friends and looking through the photographs on Facebook. It probably makes us happier than anything when our display picture is ‘liked’ by so many people.

Board games were fun, but that was a long time back when there wasn’t much interesting online. But today, the world is different! Information sharing and networking has never been easier. E-bay is such a boon, when you can pretend like you have spent days looking for that perfect gift for your girlfriend!

And then comes a point in time, when you lose all the fun abruptly! Your mother asks you to get yourself out of that room and go along to the vegetable market. The heat outside makes you wish you could shop for vegetables also online! However, tough times do not last, and you get back into the protected and very comfortable zone of the air-conditioned room with your very own laptop!

Things get better with each passing second in from of the laptop with you over whelmed in the extraordinary world of Internet while you conveniently forget that you were going to purchase Lego Hogwarts Board Game for your best friend’s birthday!

This surely is not an uncommon event. Everyone must have had a similar, if not exact occurrence in life. And surely, we all try and ignore it as stress and infrequent absent-mindedness. But there is something else that researchers have to say about it.

Well, for one point, the scientists working on theories that explain about stress and depression hold an opinion that the high levels of stress are directly related to their addiction to Internet and computer based life. They say that slowly but surely the whole world is turning into a place of web-addicts.

They say that a group of people classified as ‘heavy users’ of computers in general and Internet in particular, are found to have severe stress and also in a lot of cases acutely prone to depression. They find it extremely difficult to mingle with the normal social groups and show a variety of signs of a consistent unhappy life. Of course, this is only in regard with people who are heavy users.

Also, taking into consideration the fact that this research was done was back in 1998, when Internet was a treasure for a limited lot, we have to be forewarned that these symptoms would have grown more common in today’s world. We need more surveys and statistics in order to know how the world today is faring against the Internet invasion.

Despite the fact that it is a very small fraction of people who suffer this syndrome critically, it is important to note that a large majority of us are prone to it today. Most of the users of computers already show typical signs of stress and depression though the effects are very mild.

Carnegie Mellon University was one of the foremost places in the world where the issue of computer addiction was taken up seriously as a matter of mental illness. Lots of work in terms of study, research and documentation has been done since. Also, surprisingly, even without Facebook or Twitter still active in the plethora of online applications researchers at the university had found an abject need to study the negative consequences of computer addiction.

Today, computer addiction has overgrown to a stage where it has become a threatening possibility of an epidemic. Think about a time when pastimes were still playing a game of chess with a neighbor or practicing music. Surely, they would have thought it lame to imagine a world obsessed with the electronic machine, trying to make friends with people you don’t even know.

An addiction beyond anything that man had ever known before!

They said alcohol was the root-cause to all problems in life. With alcohol came instability, monetary loans and losses, losing track of personal life, irresponsibility, gambling and other vices. Trust me, Internet addiction leads to all these vices; in fact, only more directly. With Internet addiction, you tend to lose track of life and most importantly social responsibilities and the tactics to deal with the society.

A medium of communication that keeps you from doing it!

Yes, isn’t that exactly what the computer communication is doing to us these days? Yes, we agree the social-media is in itself a massive tool for communicating what you think to the world. It gives us a variety of options through which you could speak up your mind to the world. You could speak to people; make friends, exchange information and shop on the web. You could actually even look for Top Toy Christmas 2011, right a click away on the Internet, instead of going all the way to the store!

However expressive the ‘smileys’ in Facebook might get they surely cannot bring forth the expression that dwells on your face. Communication in the face-to-face mode is often a mixture of facial expressions, mannerisms and mild modifications in voice and tone. All this cannot be accommodated into the set of words that make up your conversation during the online networking.

Scientists say that meeting people everyday makes one a more confident person in general. Face-to-face communication on a daily basis apparently, also serves as a magnet to pull you away from web-addiction. And then, there is of course the advantage of making real friends that know you better than just your words.

In fact, some scientists also claim that friends made over Internet break up too easily. They say that these bonds are based on unreliable factors which make them weak and easy to lose. In turn, a life full of such empty relationships tends to become superficial and fake. It doesn’t take too long for a person to feel distressed about being unable to make real friends and the end-result without exception is low confidence and depression.

Smart bloggers- Shy speakers

The young mind is often the devil’s workshop, because it is so easily influenced. Parents have relentlessly found a problem with their kids’ addiction to a lot of things- junk food, television- and now the Internet. It is not surprising that there are so many under-age owners of Facebook profiles today!

We shouldn’t forget that it is often more serious an issue than just ‘sticking to the laptop always’. What is more important is the adverse effect of this inappropriate addiction.

Youngsters today often suffer from under-confidence and lack of focus. In working environments they find solace in closed cabins instead team building activities. This is not checked in the right time could lead to isolation from social circles, which is not such a good thing, after all!

Real problems need real solutions

Life is never fair. Life is imperfect. You might feel that you are a little too heavy for your height. You might think you do not have the most perfect face. You might think your more successful colleague is a fake. You might not want to face embarrassment, failure or disgrace.

The Internet, in these problems, offers a quick and short-term solution- escape. Social-networking sites offer you a new world. In this world, you can afford to be everything you actually wish you were in real life. You can be your hero, and can hear everyone sign your praise.
However, what is not in place is the fact that however much we choose to run from real problems, they keep chasing us back. Solutions lie not in the glorified fake world of social media but in the dull and boring everyday life full of challenges and questions.

Realize that escaping to a virtual world will never solve your problem. Find the nerve to tackle your situations with smartness and positivity, life in reality is much more beautiful than any glorified fake.

The common-place thing

This has over the past two decades become the in-thing. Back then, there were board games for people to play. And they would have expected that we would be playing better versions of the same board game in the years to follow. What we did, is buying a Lego Hogwarts Board Game online or rather playing an online version of it, altogether!

Everybody loves chatting online and creating profiles on Facebook. Each one is busy interacting with a large bunch of online-friends. Everyone loves doing this, so this must be the right thing to do. With so much inspiration, we all definitely know what is right. Right?
Sometimes, it might also be the easier thing to do, to sit online, than go out and play basketball with a bunch of friends.

A good thing after all!

It is common sense to understand that if something were to get as popular as the Internet and other forms of computer usage, it had a reason why it did.

The Internet is a big mass of information. It connects you to knowledge and people from different parts of the world. It creates a platform over which you could connect to a diverse range of people from different countries and languages. This surely gives you an edge over the non-users when it comes to the variety of friends you make.
The Internet is a place that connects people. It connects people with friends, buyers with sellers, actors with fans, writers with readers, and you with the world! You could get anything by booking it on the Internet- from a fresh pizza to Top Toy Christmas 2011.

There have been researches, which say that people connected through the Internet to a wider population have shown to recover from ailments by mutual understanding and connection due to similarity.

So, what should you do? Is the Internet good, or is it bad?

It doesn’t take extreme smartness to understand that everything in the world comes with advantages and disadvantages. It is always a package of good and bad and in the end, it is for us to choose what proportions of these qualities we choose into our personalized pack.

  • Time limits are often easy ways to analyze your Internet usage. Once you know how much you are using today, you have your solution. They say, half the solution to the problem lies in understanding the problem itself.
  • Read, write and listen to music. Try and list out what you used to do way before the Internet became such an indispensable part of your life. Make them a part of your life now. It’ll help you de-stress in addition to getting you rid of your web-addiction.
  • Did you ever spend hours on the Internet changing pages and not sticking to anything in particular? It could be because of boredom. Maybe it isn’t really what you want to do, but end up doing as a mere matter of lethargy to think of options. Answer this question, and find a solution for many other unasked ones.
  • Make a detailed time-table as to how you would rid yourself of the addiction. Like de-addiction from alcohol or drugs, Internet-de-addiction also needs a serious forethought a plan. Make it a point to plan easy steps and achievable goals and begin the program right away. Tomorrow never comes!
  • Get yourself some exercise. Often it might happen that you might get stressed out working on the computer. Your mind might be tired, but the body not-so-tired. This is when it leads to insomnia and restlessness. Find the sport you enjoy most and engage a couple of friends to join you play it. This way, you’ll reduce stress and make friends; two birds in one catch!

We must always know and understand that the Internet got to our doorsteps all the knowledge in the world. It is a symbol of information and communication. It got to us people and places that would never have touched our lives otherwise.

We must take Internet as a boon and use it responsibly. Choose what part of it helps us become better people and carefully filter out the over-dependency. That is the key to a great, informed and happy life!

As a senior Pat Tate started to explore Internet Marketing. She uses her blog as a journal to keep track of the people and programs that she has met along the way. Grandma’s Internet Marketing/blog.  She is an avid golfer and invites women to join her to talk golf at Women’s Golf Center.  She has always loved toys and as the proud Grandmother of five beautiful Grandchildren she gets to play with new ones at Grandma’s Toy Review.

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How Does Content Monetization Work and Does it Matter?

Posted on Oct 17, 2011 in Guest Posts, Marketing | 2 comments

Guest Post by Murray Newlands

In short, content monetization is the process of earning money through written content.

There are a many ways to achieve this. You can earn money by either selling the actual content or by using internet-based writing tools. In the first method, potential buyers of your content can be anyone from news editors to artists to entertainment blogs. In the latter method, you can use one of the hundreds of possibilities available through the internet that enables you to make money from something aside from the actual content. Examples of some of these opportunities are the use of AdSense, sales of consultation or advertising for a small business.

It’s important to know these different techniques if you want to enhance your writing and reach your readers’ expectations. In order to grab the attention of your readers, you need to deliver the content while keeping your specific audience’s specific interests in mind. You need to convey to your readers the main reason you are writing the piece.

There are several ways that you are able to monetize your content. When writing for a newspaper, for examples, you need to write articles in a manner that can attract the reader’s attention. You earn money though writing a compelling piece that editors of the specific paper want to pay you for one time. You also need to make it an interesting, engaging article for those who want to advertise in the paper, so that the paper can earn from business relations, readers, advertisers, etc.

If you are an advertiser, you need to design the content according to the market—you need to make potential customers of your product or services know the qualities of your product. Your goal is to convince them to purchase your product or services.

If you want to sell your business ideas, you need to focus the content of the ideas. This enables your customers to see your ideas again and again and to get accustomed to them. And If you own a website, you can significantly raise your website’s income by advertising with the help of marketing tools such as Google’s AdSense, paid posts and link insertion.

But maybe you are a blogger that doesn’t make much money from your website. Why not earn money from your labor? Wouldn’t it be great if you could make money while working on your hobby? If you want to boost your blogging income, you can use link insertion as a simple tool for content monetization of your blog. All you have to do is to insert some java script code in your site and this can monetize your site automatically. The software will use words and phrases from blogs and use them to link it to relevant advertisers.

A useful tool for advertising is INTENTclick, which provides an alternative basis for your content monetization. This tool is especially useful for content, which are for advertisement of products or services in origin. You can find more details about these helpful internet advertisement techniques in the book “Content Monetization.”

So all said and done, content monetization really does matter, as it can be a great source of revenue for your website. Using the correct tools can help you reach optimization and make the most amount of money without upsetting your readers.

Disclosure: I am working for the company INTENTclick.

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Make PLR Unique Content

Posted on Sep 30, 2011 in Affiliate Marketing, Guest Posts, Marketing |

Guest Post by Pat Tate.

As the top search engine, Google makes regular changes to its algorithms to ensure users only find the most useful, relevant content. Just when site owners get used to how Google works and what the search leader wants, they change their game yet again. Their latest change shook up the world of article marketing more than a little.

In March 2011, Google released a major update, commonly referred to as Panda. The target of Panda was content mills or farms and duplicate content. The object is to provide users with original content instead of poorly written duplicate content. Anyone writing or using PLR content was instantly affected in some small or big way.

Some sites saw their page rank drop considerably and along with it, traffic. Budgets were created around using PLR content, which is much cheaper than exclusively written content. Now sites are wondering whether PLR has any type of future since Google decided to change the game.

What PLR Offers

PLR, or private label rights, content allows you to purchase or freely use content for your own needs. Numerous buyers can use the same content however they see fit. At this point, you already see the problem. However, PLR has so many benefits that no one really wants to stop using it.

Sellers love to create PLR content for purchase. Instead of having to carefully craft unique articles, they create one piece or set of pieces. They sell the same content over and over, profiting from a single job multiple times. While the content is sold at a lower rate, the seller saves time and is able to create more PLR content, earning them even more over time. Sellers definitely don’t want to see PLR disappear.

Buyers looking for PLR content are able to buy exactly what they need and get immediate access to it. There is no waiting, which is what happens when you contract out work for original content. For the cost of a single, unique article, buyers could get an entire package of PLR content containing as much as ten articles. They can also get content anytime. This is perfect for sites needing content on a trending topic. PLR content can be used on the site itself and on other sites to help market a site. It can also be used offsite as free reports and even in videos. Buyers want nothing more than to see PLR stay around.

Time For Change

A common myth, which quickly took fire right after the Google Panda update, was PLR was on its way out. Google wanted change; so old marketing techniques would no longer work. However, myth is the operative word here. While there is some truth behind the myth, PLR isn’t going anywhere. The only truth the myth holds is the fact change is needed.

You can’t use PLR content like you once did. It would be great to simply copy, paste and be done. Since you never know how many others have purchased the same content you are using, the odds are against you. Google may very well punish your site if they have duplicate content on it. The only exception is content which is only found on the author’s website and one article directory.

Make PLR Your Own

The key to bypassing Google’s new requirements is by actually making PLR content unique. Before you think you would be better off buying original content, take into consideration how little is needed to rewrite PLR content. Google looks at several different aspects of the content on your site.

The first is the title. The title should always be significantly different. It can contain the main keyword, but the others words should be changed. This part is the hardest. A title could be changed from ‘A Golf Driver for Your Game’ to ‘The Ratings for Golf Drivers.’

Next comes the first paragraph. If the first paragraph is unique, Google assumes the rest of the article likely is. Take the time to reword several sentences and you are set. For good measure, reorganize the article if possible and change a sentence here and there.

Rewriting isn’t difficult. You already have all the material to work with. There is no need for extra research. PLR content takes care of all the actual work. All you need to do is reword the article so it sounds original. You already have your topic and information. This makes PLR content the cheaper alternative.

When all the research is done for ‘How To Buy the Best Bassinet for Baby’, you can quickly rewrite the articles into unique content for your website.

Look For Quality

Some sites with duplicate content weren’t affected. The reason – they use high quality content. While you still can’t use multiple pieces of content without being affected in some way, the fact remains that quality is important. Before you try to rewrite any PLR content, ensure what you purchase is of the highest quality. Google wants content which is well written and relevant to your website.

Finding content, which already meets these requirements, makes your job even easier. If your content provides value to your visitor, you will receive more traffic. This helps with your page rank. Google is relying on a social aspect in addition to Panda, so popularity is important.

If you don’t have to worry about verifying information or editing for grammatical errors, you spend far less time on spinning an article for your site. This makes PLR content even more beneficial to your site.

Turn 2 to 1

With PLR content being so inexpensive, you can actually take advantage of something else Google is looking for. Google prefers content, which is longer. A 1,000 word article with useful information will rank higher than a 400 word one. So how does this possibly make a difference?

When you buy package content, you receive multiple articles on the same topic. Instead of publishing a single, duplicated article, take two or more and turn them into one longer article. You can reorganize paragraphs, change a few sentences and create your own title. Suddenly, you have a long, original article, which Google loves.

Turn 1 To Many

If you are able to write your own unique content, but find it hard to come up with ideas, use PLR content for ideas. A well written piece of PLR content can often be turned into two or more articles. For a small price, you receive numerous ideas. List type content is perfect for creating multiple articles. Instead of having to rewrite a single article, you actually get even more for your money.

This is also a good idea if you want content, but don’t have the time to research it yourself. Quality PLR content is already researched. You create your own articles from the research already done. You save both time and money without any penalties from Google.

Using Other Writers

If you don’t like writing your own content, rewriting services are still much cheaper than original article content creation. A single piece of PLR content can be rewritten multiple times for just a small fee. Do this regularly and you have a pool of content with which to market your website. While it is technically the same article, it is different enough to pass Google’s test. Numerous ghostwriters are available to turn PLR content into usable content for your site.

PLR‘s Future

PLR still has a very stable future. Google is constantly making changes to their algorithms. Panda has already seen multiple changes, which has benefited some sites and hurt others. The only way to stay ahead is to change with Google. As long as you follow their rules, PLR content is still a site owner’s best friend. Article marketing is still possible using PLR.

Sellers will have no problem selling their content. If they offer rewrites as an additional service, it is possible they will even increase business. To make sure you aren’t affected, make sure the content you provide is well written and researched. Buyers have nothing to lose by using PLR content. They just need to take the time to make it truly their own. Whether they do this themselves or use someone else, it doesn’t matter.

Google will do everything it can to be the number one search engine, regardless of its affect on websites. It is up to websites to make sure the methods they use fit in with Google’s vision. However, websites do not need to look elsewhere for content. PLR content is still king and will remain so. The key is to always make it original and high quality. Site owners who review Google’s new rules are likely to make the most of PLR content.

As a senior Pat Tate started to explore Internet Marketing. She uses her blog as a journal to keep track of the people and programs that she has met along the way. Grandma’s Internet Marketing/blog.  She is an avid golfer and invites women to join her to talk golf at Women’s Golf Center.  She has always loved toys and as the proud Grandmother of five beautiful Grandchildren she gets to play with new ones at Grandma’s Toy Review.

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Article Marketing After Google Farmer Update

Posted on Sep 27, 2011 in Guest Posts, Marketing |

Guest Post by Pat Tate

Google has tried to undo one of the most popular and effective marketing methods known to site owners – article marketing. In the past, when you wanted to market a new aspect of your site or just get new backlinks,  you created or purchased articles and submitted the same articles to numerous article directories. These articles were picked up by other sites and republished to give you more exposure.

Overall, it was a great way to market your site. Unless you purchased articles, the process was free or at least extremely cheap. Since other marketing methods often mean paying for ad space or spending time trying to build relationships with other sites for the possibility of a backlink, free and simple is definitely the preferable method.

So why would Google want to take away this power from webmasters? While you may have been benefiting from it, so were the wrong types of sites. Spam or low quality sites take full advantage of any types of free or low cost marketing they can. Your site may be legitimate, but if these other sites are benefiting just as much, it is possible your site may get lost in the middle of all these others.

Since Google can’t control which sites use these directories, the best way to eliminate some of the low quality search results is to banish article directories to the bottom of the search results pile. Where as many directories had high page ranks before the Google Farmer update, most are lucky if they even rank at all now.

The result for site owners was a drop in traffic. Some saw an increase and others saw no difference at all. If everyone who used article marketing saw the same results after the update, then the solution would be obvious. Just use other marketing methods and your site will be fine. Since the update created three different results for sites, the answer isn’t so cut and dry.

The most common question from site owners is whether article marketing can still be used or not. With many sites earning most of their profits through article marketing, the idea of giving up this lucrative avenue is devastating. The good news is you don’t have to give up article marketing at all. You will need to change a few things about how and where you market, however.

Change Is Good

As we discussed earlier, article marketing was used by all sites, both good and bad. Another problem with the marketing tactic was the inability to control where your articles were republished. While the second part is still a small problem, there is a way to keep it from damaging your site’s reputation. The issues caused by bad sites have made Google change its search algorithm. This is for the good of searchers, not necessarily for sites.

Google looks for what people actually want, instead of search engines. While this isn’t a perfect solution, it does take out some of the nonsense you see on many article directories. Bad articles typically equal bad sites. A high quality site spends more time on their articles to ensure visitors want to head back to their website after reading. With all the articles lumped together, the bad ones bring down an article directory’s page rank. If no one can find the directory, no sees your article from a search engine and no one republishes it. As you can see, this presents a major problem.

The solution is finding the directories which have quickly recovered from Google’s little change. Sites like Ezine Articles are still going strong. You may not see quite as many results, but many of the higher quality articles are appearing on the first page of results for many searches. This proves that article directories are still holding their own. As long as they are ranking, article marketing is still possible.

This is where one of the first major changes comes into play. Instead of submitting to hundreds of directories, choose a handful of high quality directories. Submitting to those who no longer rank is not going to help your site. More likely, it will cause your own rank to drop. Low quality backlinks should always be avoided when possible.

The next change is crafting high quality articles. This means you need to work on grammar, content, keyword placement and general structure. Google is looking for well written content. While you want search engines to find you, bad content full of keywords will get you dropped instead of picked up. A few well placed keywords which fit into the context of the article work much better. Take the time to familiarize yourself with Google’s guidelines to ensure your content fits the bill.

The final change is creating unique articles for every directory. Instead of submitting the same article to every directory, rewrite your article for each place. Google will see each directory as having unique content. Since one of Google’s rules deals with duplicate content, the more unique content you create, the less duplication you will have.

While you can’t control who will republish your content, high quality content does counter the duplication rule to an extent. There are no exact percentages or numbers, but if you submit to four directories with the same article, duplication will always be times four. Four unique articles means one fourth the duplication rate as before. Basically, you go from 100% duplication to 25%. A much better percentage to aim for.

What About Bad Sites

If you can change your marketing methods, why can’t bad sites do the same? In the past, these sites wrote extremely poor content, which likely took less than three or four minutes to put together. Use an article spinner and you suddenly have a batch of useless content floating through hundreds of article directories.

A high quality article with relevant content to your site should take roughly thirty minutes to write. Rewrites take far less time, especially if you use the best spinner software available. Bad sites always look for shortcuts. This is simply more work than they are willing to put in. Instead, they’ll hope bombarding the system with more articles will somehow fool Google into ranking them.

If you have ever run across an article which linked to a site unrelated to the content, you know exactly what I’m talking about. For instance, if your site was about golf, ladies clubs may be a great topic, not how to care for your teeth.

While a few will still try, the higher quality sites are the ones who will benefit. Instead of competing against spam, you can actually compete against real competitors. The better your article marketing technique, the easier it will be to advance past your competitors’ altogether.

Make Google Work For You

Google tried to kill article marketing and failed. Instead, they made it easier for legitimate sites to benefit. Many article directories are clearing out junk and have created strict guidelines for new content. By only accepting the best, they are able to rank high. A higher rank means more visitors for you. Since the directory will have a good reputation with Google, having a backlink through them will help your site too.

Some directories are even offering ways to choose which places republish your content. Though people can still bypass the rules and copy and paste, it will deter some. Control is always a great thing. Often times, sites will simply offer a preview and a link to the original article. This prevents duplication while still providing a link to your content, which contains a link to your site.

Regardless of your opinion on Google’s Farmer update, you can take advantage of it. With the trash falling to the bottom of the pile, you have the chance to rise far above it. Many sites are already seeing the results of their new article marketing efforts. The results are surprising to most since their rank is higher than before. If you have numerous low quality backlinks and articles, it may take longer to recover, but it is still possible.

Google will never be able to kill article marketing. It can change how it’s done, but never do away with it. Article marketing is here to stay. The results are just based around how you do it. The learning curve isn’t steep. Your site will benefit, your content looks better and readers are far more likely to click links in great content than poor content. Google can and will work for your site if you are willing to make just a few changes to your marketing technique.

As a senior Pat Tate started to explore Internet Marketing. She uses her blog as a journal to keep track of the people and programs that she has met along the way. Grandma’s Internet Marketing/blog.  She is an avid golfer and invites women to join her to talk golf at Women’s Golf Center.  She has always loved toys and as the proud Grandmother of five beautiful Grandchildren she gets to play with new ones at Grandma’s Toy Review.

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How Seniors Can Be Successful in Internet Marketing

Posted on Sep 16, 2011 in Affiliate Marketing, Guest Posts, Marketing |

Guest post by Pat Tate

When seniors were younger and pictured retirement, they most likely pictured themselves finally having the time and money to enjoy some their favorite activities. Maybe they saw themselves traveling, having more time to cook their favorite dishes, fishing at the beach or taking in extra games of golf. Or, maybe they imagined themselves finally having enough extra money to spoil their grandkids and buying them their favorite toys.

Despite careful planning, many seniors may need a little help supplementing their income. Others may just be looking to make a little extra cash. Some seniors are fortunate enough to reach their goals of financial freedom in their retirement years. Isn’t that, after all, what years of working hard and saving money were for? But, after a few years of having all the time they want to enjoy themselves, many seniors become bored and start looking for something to stimulate their minds.

Internet marketing is the smartest way for seniors to earn extra money and satisfy their need to be more involved. Seniors today are able to contribute more in their retirement years. They are able to be more physically active, energetic lives.

Nevertheless, learning how to start up and operate your own business can seem daunting for most seniors, especially when it comes to using a computer and the Internet. Computers are relatively new. And, while the younger generation has grown up learning about computers at school and even using them at home, they are still foreign to many seniors.

There are challenges that come with starting a new business and learning new skills. But, facing the challenges of learning to excel with computers and in the niche of Internet Marketing can offer a number of benefits for seniors.

Why Seniors Should Pursue Internet Marketing

Starting a business can take time away from retirement leisure activities like fishing, golfing, cooking and spoiling the grandkids. But, there are a ton of reasons to pursue computers and Internet Marketing. Here are the top five reasons to get started with Internet Marketing.

  1. More Money: Internet Marketing can help supplement your income and offer more financial freedom during your retirement years. You can start supplementing your income now so that the rest of your retirement years will be freer and more fulfilling.
  2. Be Your Own Boss: Best of all, with your own business, you have the freedom to set your own hours. You can choose how much or how little you want to work and when it will fit into your schedule. You can still pursue all of your leisurely retirement activities like cooking, crocheting, golf and travel and work when you want to.
  3. Feeling of Success: Having your own income and have authority over your schedule, can give you a sense of personal pride and accomplishment. Recognition and praise for your achievements may have been easy to come by during your career.
    But, just because you are retired, doesn’t mean that you don’t still need the thrill of conquering new goals. Whether your goal is to run a successful business or get extra cash, succeeding at something new can give you a fresh outlook.
  4. Cognitive Stimulation: Trying to tackle a new skill can seem like a daunting task, but conquering new skills like Internet Marketing can boost more than just your bank account.
  5. Learn a New Skill: Okay, learning a new skill might not appear to be a bonus. But, along with the fact that new skills keep the mind alert and boost self-esteem, learning to use a computer and the Internet can also be skills that boost the quality of life and add convenience.

Getting Started with Internet Marketing

Getting started with Internet Marketing can be as easy as performing a basic Internet search. If you already know how to perform searches, use email, create documents and other simple computer tasks, then you’re ready to learn the ins and outs of Internet Marketing.

When you perform a simple “search” on your computer through Google, Yahoo or another search engine, you can plug in the phrase “Internet Marketing” and virtually thousands of options will appear. You can narrow the search by entering “Learning Internet Marketing,” and all types of links to Internet Marketing lessons, video tutorials, eBooks and advice.

If you don’t know anything about computers, there are classes available at your local colleges, senior citizen centers, and even other locations in your area. Help is out there if you’re ready to get started.

One of the best ways to get started is to seek out reliable blogs and forums on Internet Marketing. If you’re familiar with computers, you’ll know how to perform simple searches, and you might also have friends within the Internet Marketing niche that can advise you on some websites, blogs or forums they’ve used in the past.

A suggestion to start with The Warrior Forum (www.warriorforum.com), which is one of the most widely used, powerful and communicative forums on Internet Marketing. When you join, you’ll be among a variety of other members, ranging from those who are new to Internet Marketing to those who have already built their success.

You’ll even find members of all ages. Even though you’ll find a variety of ages and levels of experience, members will have a few things in common— a desire to learn more about Internet Marketing and to help others by sharing their knowledge.

Here you’ll find experienced Internet marketers who can answer your questions, give you advice and help you get over the humps of getting started.

Facing the Challenges of Internet Marketing and Avoiding Scams

Seniors face many of the same problems that younger competitors face when trying to first break into Internet Marketing or start any new business venture. But seniors also face unique problems as well. Some of them are:

  • Many seniors are intimidated by computers and are hesitant to learn new things.
  • They didn’t learn about computers during school or when they were younger.
  • Slower mental capacity. It may take longer to learn some of the new terminology and technical aspects of computers and Internet Marketing.
  • Many seniors believe that they just can’t learn new skills, which is not true!
  • A lot of seniors who are familiar with computers and the Internet are afraid of getting scammed.

CautionDo you remember what it was like when you first learned to do many of the leisurely activities you enjoy now? Remember the first time you caught a fish, the first time your grandmother let you cook with her in the kitchen, or the first time you went to the practice range. You may have found learning to do these things daunting at first.
Learning to use a computer or learning new Internet Marketing skills now may seem overwhelming and difficult as well. But the challenges of learning can be overcome if you’re willing to put in the effort. One thing never changes; enthusiasm is the key to learning and to success.

Also, don’t let the fear of getting scammed keep you from exploring the benefits of Internet Marketing. Any time there’s money to be made from teaching, selling or promoting products and services, you can also expect a number of scams designed to take your money.
If you do your research and know where to look, you can detect the good from the bad on the Internet and avoid Internet Marketing scams.

On reliable sites like The Warrior Forum, you’ll find “Success, Power and Self-Improvement,” discussions, products and services and special offers. But, you’ll also find those who are successful and experienced with Internet Marketing and can offer advise and tips to point you in the right direction. Be careful and look into anything that promises “quick and easy” profit.

Turning Challenges into Successes

By simply changing your outlook about learning to use computers and the Internet, you’ll open doors to a world of financial, mental and social benefits. The challenges you’ll face when you decide to start you Internet Marketing business will becomes exciting opportunities that will enhance the quality of your retirement years.

Your mind will be taxed at times, and you might doubt your ability to take on to tackle obstacles when they come your way. But if you persevere, you might be surprised to discover what you can still achieve – even in your retirement years.

The best thing seniors have going for them is all the help that is available, both on computers and around your city and town. Take advantage of these opportunities to learn about computers and Internet Marketing and you’ll be surprised how your life will change for the better.

Don’t become overwhelmed! Some mistakes can be expected. But remember, you had to learn to tee up a golf ball before you could get a hole-in-one, and how to bait your hook before you could catch that catfish. Take it one step at a time; learn the rules first.

It takes time to master anything new, but the advantages for seniors to learn Internet Marketing are astounding!

Good luck!

As a senior Pat Tate started to explore Internet Marketing. She uses her blog as a journal to keep track of the people and programs that she has met along the way at Grandma’s Internet Marketing/blog.  She is an avid golfer and invites women to join her to talk golf at Women’s Golf Center.  She has always loved toys and as the proud Grandmother of five beautiful Grandchildren she gets to play with new ones at Grandma’s Toy Review.

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