Business - JudyCruse.com » JudyCruse.com

5 Crucial SEO Tips For Getting Traffic To Your Site

Mar 192012

A native of the American southwest, Karen Randau lives and works in Arizona, from where she enjoys writing about topics that inspire others.

Karen also has a serious side and has spent time researching and writing about search engine optimization. Karen says, “If your website isn’t getting the traffic you hope for, maybe you’ve not properly optimized it to be found by search engines. Search engine optimization (SEO) is an important step for getting your website listed in the top 10 search engine listings when someone is searching for a keyword that applies to your business. That makes SEO a key small business marketing strategy for you to consider.”

As Karen points out in her post it all starts with keyword research.

Once you’ve got your list of possible keywords, you’ll need to look for words that have 3,000 to 5,000 searches with a low amount of competition. Ty Tribble (check out the sidebar) calls those words the sweet spot!!

Karen discusses the importance of:

HTML Tags
URL
Body Copy
Linking
Social Networking

According to SEOMoz, here is the weight of the various factors considered in search engine optimization. Take them into consideration and make them part of your small business marketing strategies.

Trust/authority of your domain – 23.87%
Link popularity of specific pages – 22.33%
Anchor text of external links to specific pages – 20.26%
On-Page keyword usage – 15.04%
Registration and hosting data – 6.91%
Traffic and Click Through Ratio (CTR) data – 6.29%
Social graph metrics (the popularity of your site in social networks) – 5.30%

A good graphic and blog post from SEOMoz that illustrates this topic further can be seen and read here.

Is Converting Readers Into Paying Customers Kicking Your Butt?

Business 30 Responses »

Feb 162012

I was busy reading some articles at GeekWire.com and came across an article that seemed to speak to some of the questions I’ve been getting in the comments section of my blog so…I decided to share what I found with you.

Author Neil Patel

I certainly can’t claim to have mastered these techniques, but as a new blogger I’m still trying to learn all I can and put what I learn to work for me. If that’s what your goal is, then Neil Patel’s 7 tips should help you.

Neil says that in the beginning he learned how to get visitors, and then he learned how to turn visitors into loyal readers. Even new bloggers know that turning visitors into loyal readers takes time and effort! But, turning readers into paying customers seems like the impossible dream!

Here’s what Neil said it took…”In the last ten years, however, I’ve learned how to move those visitors to readers, and those readers to customers through countless research, tests and successes…and I’ve broken what I’ve learned down into seven simple steps.”

I don’t know about you, but I prefer to learn from people who have been out in the trenches learning from experience. No doubt Neil’s done the work!!

Here are Neil’s Tips:

Embed your blog on your website
Write about what they care about
Arrive early and stay late
Write seductive headlines
Link out to authority blogs
Qualify leads through email newsletter
Qualify leads through email newsletter segmentation

You can probably tell which things I’ve accomplished and which things I still need to work on….I know you want a newsletter, but I’m just not ready for that yet. You can see Neil’s complete article by clicking here. Neil gives a lot of great detail and examples in his article so…click over and enjoy!

Outsourcing – The Best Way to Boost Your Productivity

Business 78 Responses »

Jan 182012

Since I work full time as a Controls Designer and blog part time in the evenings, I’m starting to understand why so many of my readers are asking about sources for writers! As I was looking around the Internet, I came across an article by Kurt Henninger that I thought would benefit all of us!

If you’ve been in Network Marketing, you know exactly what Kurt is talking about when he talks about “building a list” and “getting really, really, really, serious” about your business. You’ve probably even heard “treat your business like a business”.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never heard anyone in Network Marketing talk about getting really productive. According to Kurt the way to get more productive is to outsource.

Here are Kurt’s three favorite outsourcing sites:

These sites are where you can go get little “Mini-Me” versions of you to go out and do all the grunt work for you.

Elance.com – You can get just about anything imaginable done at Elance. Just sign-in for a free account, and place a job “bid” out there. You will be very surprised at how many bids you get for any particular job.

Textbroker.com – Kurt has A LOT of his content written here. They have varying levels of content you can have written, and will write about anything under the sun. For anything that actually goes on your site, Kurt recommends a 4-start article.

Kurt points out that on sites where you are branding yourself writing your own content is probably best. But for a site you are building for lead generation using keywords or SEO, outsourcing is probably the better idea.

Fiverr.com – Kurt says, “As funny as it sounds, you will find thousands of people who will do anything, all of them offering it for $5. You can actually get quite a bit of marketing done by people on there who are eager to work. Some of the stuff on there is downright hilarious that they will do, but, if you are looking for a particular service done cheaply, this is a virtual bazaar of mini-job seekers.

Now, one thing to keep in mind, particularly with Elance.com and Fiverr.com is that you need to do your diligence and read peoples reviews before committing to them. The quality of the work on there does vary, and I usually need to try out 2 or 3 people until I find one that does decent work for what I want them to do.”

I really appreciated the information Kurt provided on his site and look forward to learning more from this very experienced marketer!

Wow!!! Dave Wood Really Bust My Bubble Today!

Business 114 Responses »

Jan 142012

According to Dave Wood he is a bit of a wild man, who started building his online empire out of the ‘mid-section’ of a green 1996 Dodge Caravan (that he lived in) on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii – since then, he’s become the #1 all time producer in MLSP, the #1 recruiter in multiple Network Marketing companies, and has made as much as $85,000 in a single month!

Dave wrote an article, called “Is It REALLY Possible To Grow A Seven Figure Residual Income In Network Marketing Using NOTHING But The Internet? (Not Really)” that I was reading this evening. I must tell you that I was not ready for what Dave had to say about this topic!! I’ve heard so many people talk about making insane amounts of money by marketing online and “how to” put your business on automatic that having someone that I believe knows what he’s talking about say quite plainly and I quote ”What DOES exist in our industry, and has existed for more than sixty years are thousands of people earning seven figure incomes who built their incomes almost entirely through business networking and warm market prospecting. What DOESN’T exist is ANYBODY who has created the same brand loyalty, RESIDUAL wealth, and leverage through ONLY the internet, or ONLY through any other kind of advertising.”

What’s worked for the last 70 years shouldn’t be abandoned just because the internet came along and gave us another tool! It’s also important to remember that we want duplication in our downline and blogging and other internet related marketing strategies won’t work for everyone. Let’s just keep it simple!!

SEO+RSS Means Rankings and Revenue for WordPress Sites

Business 269 Responses »

Jan 102012

You probably run WordPress because you want your site to rank well on Google. (That makes you smart — WordPress is GREAT for that.)

Well, what would it be like to watch your Google ranking creep up and up every day for a while…and then to watch your rankings, your traffic, and your site’s profits steadily decline to near zero?

Well, it can happen when Google realizes that your posts and pages are STALE, or that the content is NOT TARGETED to your keywords.

Here’s how to avoid that rank-reducing, money-losing problem.

=> http://judycruse.relatedrss.hop.clickbank.net

It’s a new WordPress Plugin that my friends Dan Nickerson and Mark Widawer have secretly developed in their SEO lab. It helps you do three very important things.

1) It puts fresh, relevant and related content on every page of your WordPress blog — totally automatically, each and every day.

2) It avoids duplicate content issues that most RSS plugins actually create

3) And it actually causes Google to come index your site more often, and rank your site higher.

Oh, and it is absolutely NOT a robot of any kind that puts junk content on your site.

I’ve seen this plugin in action and have even started installing it on my own sites. It turns out that it works GREAT with the Socrates theme — or any other WordPress
theme for that matter.

I won’t say more, except that Dan and Mark are quietly launching this new plugin at a big discount this week — kind of as a “bribe” to get an even longer list of great
testimonials than they already have.

Go see how it works and what it does on the short 7 minute video here:

=> http://judycruse.relatedrss.hop.clickbank.net

To Your Success

P.S. My favorite SEO gurus are calling this plugin “The *smart* RSS plugin for WordPress, and I think they’re right. If the Panda update messed up your rankings, it could be because your posts and pages are getting stale or have un-targeted content.

This plugin will fix that for you. See the short video here
=> http://judycruse.relatedrss.hop.clickbank.net
And after you download the plugin, install it. It takes about 4 minutes from “download” to “done”.

4 Things Your Prospects Really Want by Ann Sieg

Business 59 Responses »

Dec 272011

Ann Sieg

I received an email from Ann Sieg today that really spoke to me! In fact I just couldn’t leave it in an email and not share it with everyone that might be following my blog so…here is what she sent:

In this email you’ll discover a timeless, proven, and very powerful sales secret that’s virtually guaranteed to help you unload more product each month… no matter what MLM company you’re with – and no matter what products you’re selling!

Once mastered and wielded properly, this secret can make you money hand over fist, leaving other distributors in your company dumbfounded – wondering how you consistently pull it off!

The secret which I’m about to reveal, applies to anyone…selling anything… in any industry. It’s NOT exclusive to just network marketers and the MLM industry.

After reading this, you’ll view “what” you’re peddling to your prospects in a whole different light.

Want to know what it is?

Well… it’s only 6 words – and comes in the form of a question:

”What Do My Prospects Really Want?”

It sounds simple I know, but let’s delve beneath the surface and really get our hands dirty – because there’s A LOT more to this question than meets the eye.

TO BE THE BEST AT SOMETHING, YOU HAVE TO LEARN FROM THE BEST

When I was struggling to sell stuff early in my MLM career, I stopped taking sales advice from my company and started getting it from real experts. The advertising pioneers…the persuasion professionals…people who HAD to know what they were doing because their job was to sell thousands of products BY THEMSELVES – using nothing more than words on paper.

I think you’d agree with me, I’d have to be crazy NOT to copy their wildly successful and proven advertising secrets (… strategies that had already made them millions in other industries) and use them in the MLM industry – with my own business!

The following was hands down one of the most important things I’ve ever learned from these marketing legends and is something I’m constantly asking myself:

“What do my prospects really want?”

Let me give you an example.

Women don’t want cosmetics… we really want to improve our appearance, become more attractive, and maybe (hypothetically speaking here) hide a few wrinkles and imperfections while we’re at it!

Plus, it is always nice to get compliments from others – especially that special someone – on how beautiful you look.

Charles Revson, the make-up mogul who created and managed Revlon for over 50 years, clearly understood what his prospects really wanted. He was once quoted saying: “In the factory we make lipstick, in our advertising we sell hope.”

Let’s look at another one.

Elderly folks don’t want just another bottle of arthritis pills… they really want relief from the uncomfortable pain they’re always in.

And more than that, they really want to live their lives independently – without relying on someone else’s help… to be able to freely move about in the garden… to be capable of keeping up with their grandkids…to finally get a refreshing nights sleep!

Here’s one more – it’s one of my favorites!

Back in the 1800′s, Daniel Webster an American statesman, was asked by a friend to auction off his farm.

“Neighbors,” he said, “we’re not auctioning Tom Brown’s 34 good milk cows… or 80 acres of fine land… or a sturdy home that’s seen 20 winters…

“No,” continued Daniel, “I’m offering you the chance of biting into a red apple with the juicy sap running over your lips… the smell of new mown hay… clear mountain stream water on your table… the crunch of snow under your feet… and the best neighbors in the world…”

After he was finished, bids from the townsfolk came pouring in – because Mr. Webster knew what his prospects really wanted!

So please, take some time (maybe even a couple of hours) and really ask yourself:

“What Do My Prospects Really Want?”

Be sure to scribble down everything you come up with. Don’t stop until you’ve got at least a couple of pages of answers.

ARE YOU SURE THAT’S ALL YOU CAN THINK OF?

If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas and find yourself staring at a blank piece of paper, here are a few suggestions from master copywriter and advertising great, Victor Schwab.

1. Your prospects want to GAIN:

Self-confidence… Fame… Compliments from others… Sense of accomplishment…Improved appearance… Comfort… (the list goes on)

2. Your prospects want to BE:

Recognized by others… Friendly and outgoing… Stylish and fashionable… Proud of what they own… “First” in things… Influential over others… (the list goes on)

3. Your prospects want to DO:

Uniquely express themselves… Resist being controlled by others… Emulate the admirable…Acquire things… Win the affection of others…Improve themselves generally… (the list goes on)

4. Your prospects want to SAVE:

Time… Money… Work… Discomfort… Worry…Doubts… Risk… Personal Embarrassment… If you can combine the benefits of what you’re selling with what your prospects really want, then your products will grow wings and fly off the shelves – literally!

I sincerely hope this lesson turns out to be as valuable to you as it was to me.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************

Friends, as you can see there is a lot to be learned from Ann Sieg! Check out Ann’s book “The 7Great Lies of Network Marketing”. You won’t be disappointed! Go ahead click on the red book to the right and download Ann’s free ebook!

Not Making Money Blogging? Maybe You’re Missing The Point

Business 244 Responses »

Dec 152011

The one thing that I’ve been trying to figure out this week is how a blogger is able to translate traffic into customers for his business. Trust me this isn’t an easy problem to solve!

As Sonia Simone points out in her post “Why You Can’t Make Money Blogging” having a huge amount of traffic on your site won’t translate into sales if your readers aren’t coming to your site for solutions to real world problems. If your readers are just looking for entertainment or a good way to kill a few minutes, they most likely won’t look at your banner ads.

So if a huge amount of traffic isn’t how bloggers make money, exactly what are they doing? I’m glad you asked! Brian Clark, Executive Director of Copyblogger, made four suggestions in his post “Blog Money: The Income Outlook for 2009” that I thought were outstanding suggestions:
1. Direct Sales – Having something to sell your audience that they have told you either directly or indirectly that they are interested in buying.
2. Affiliate Marketing – Brian points out that the key to successful affiliate marketing is to pick a product or service that is perfect for your audience and then stand behind it 100%.
3. Integrated Sponsorships – If you’re passionate about a product or service, seek out fee based sponsors and then work out some kind of contest, bundled deal, or discount that will benefit your readers.
4. Network Marketing – Very similar to Affiliate Marketing except you need to use and be passionate about the products of the company you choose. If you’ve read Ann Seig’s free e-book “The 7Great Lies About Network Marketing”, then you already know the benefits of doing Network Marketing online!

I think Sonia sums things up pretty well, “If you don’t offer customers something they dearly want, whether it’s to gain some great pleasure or escape some great pain, you’re not going to make any money.”

Promoting Your Blog For More Traffic – It’s Important!

Business 166 Responses »

Dec 072011

While looking for information about promoting a blog, I came across an article at Search Engine Journal that really hit home for me! According to Wasim Ismail of SEJ, “Other than writing relevant content, driving traffic to your website is also essential and it is not an easy task. It takes time and persistence to build online history and gain consistent traffic. No traffic, no money.” That’s pretty sobering, isn’t it? No traffic, no money!

Wasim talked about the importance of your blog’s appearance, and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and then pointed out five important areas of Social Media Promotions.

Twitter
Facebook
Other Online Communities and Blogging Sites
Commenting on other blogs
Forums

In order to be effective in these areas you need to do your homework. Be sure that the information that you are passing along on these sites is accurate and helpful to your readers.

Wasim also discusses the importance of email marketing and guest blogging.

One of the suggestions that Wasim made was to offer games, rewards, or other promotions to attract visitors to your site. I must admit, I am at a loss. I’ve hunted for games used on websites in the past without success. If you have information that would help me in this area, please pass that information along to me!

What’s better than retirement? Financial Independence!

Business 138 Responses »

Nov 262011

Work Towards Financial Independence!

I was hunting around the internet and was surprised to find an article that ties in perfectly with what I posted yesterday! The article written by Aziz Jangbar is about the fact that financial independence is better than retirement. I couldn’t agree more! I’ve never felt that depending on the stock market for my retirement was wise and have lost more money than I care to admit in my 401K plan while invested in mutual funds.

I’ve come across several people in my own profession that have retired and ended up going back to work because they were board! They had spent time with their grand children and traveled, but simply ran out of things to do. As Aziz points out we are happier when we are productive. When we feel good about what we’re doing we enjoy our vacations and everything else more! Click here to read the entire article; it will be worth the time spent!

As I pointed out yesterday, we as a society have become way too dependent on the government and large corporations. We need to move away from the idea that we are supposed to work for 30 or 40 years and then retire and enjoy the fruit of our labor. Instead you should consider doing something that you love and that is so fulfilling that you would never consider retiring.

MLM or Network Marketing creates a large number of independent small businesses and as a result can help to stabilize our economy. So when you start an MLM business you’re not only helping yourself you are helping society as a whole.

Obviously you need to do some research and find a company that not only produces a product that you have an interest in, but also has a good compensation plan and has shown some stability in the market place.

JudyCruse.com