Blogging Lessons Part 6 – Offpage Blog SEO Continued

by Barry Smart

In the last article, we talked about how getting high quality links from authoritative websites in your field can boost your search engine rankings. This time, we’re going to explore further into linking strategies, and how to determine and obtain “high quality” links. We’re also going to talk briefly about Google’s PageRank.

First, let’s examine a regular link. It’s a piece of text (or image, but we’re going for text) that links to your blog, and some of the factors that matter are

1) The address which it links to 2) The text of the link 3) The PageRank of the page on which the link resides

Let’s analyze this information one by one. First, you’d naturally want the link to link to your blog, but to which page of your blog? To an individual post or to your blog’s home page? Since your blog is a constantly updated website, it is always wise to accumulate all the links to point to your main page instead if individual posts because they tend to be very time-sensitive.

The text of the link also affects your rankings for a certain keyword. Let’s say your blog is about technological gadgets and another site has a link that says “Barbie dolls” and links to your blog. Doesn’t make much sense, right? If a lot of links that link to your site contain the terms “technological” or “gadget”, it will greatly boost your rankings for those keywords. Hence, it’s essential to put some thoughts when requesting links from other webmasters as you want them to link to your blog with appropriate keywords.

Now, about Google’s PageRank. It’s basically a scale set by Google to measure the popularity of websites. You can read more about it on http://www.google.com/technology/. What is interesting is that the higher the PageRank of a certain website, the more frequent Google’s robots will visit the website to index it. Of course, the PageRank of a page will also help it to rank higher in Google’s search engine results. In short, having a high PageRank will bring you many benefits SEO-wise.

Your blog will start with no PageRank (which is different to PageRank 0) because Google has not yet indexed your blog. Once Google’s robots find your blog through links on other sites, your blog will show a Page Rank of 0 and depending on the PageRank of the referring page, your blog’s PageRank will also rise eventually.

Getting high-quality links to your blog will help direct targeted visitors who are interested in your niche to your blog, enable search engines to find and index your blog and ultimately rank higher in search engine results.

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Blogging Lessons Part 9 – Even More Monetizing Options

by Barry Smart

We’ve discussed about using Google Adsense program and other merchants’ affiliate program to generate profits from your blog. However, we have a lot of other options ot monetize your blog, so we’re going to look into that today.

The first option we’ll be looking at is Chitika (www.chitika.com). Chitika is a very innovative contextual advertising program because it can serve very detailed advertisements. For example, on your technological gadget blog, Chitika will show advertisements for tech gadgets such as iPods. The way they show it is in different tabs: one for “Best deals”, another for “details”, another for “reviews” and so on. This way, it is more of an informational section for your visitor rather than an advertisement, and naturally the click-through will be higher. You can apply here: https://chitika.com/application.php?type=mm

You can also be an affiliate for Amazon.com. Amazon offers a wide range of products but its predominant domain is in books. Whatever your niche is about, you can probably find a book about it on Amazon.com. Join their Associate program here: https://associates.amazon.com/gp/flex/associates/apply-login.html/

Once you join them, you can refer visitors to them and earn up to 10% commission. It’s not a lot but if you can manage to refer big volumes of visitors, Amazon is for you. This program really shines when it comes to the ways you can refer visitors: you can use their predefined templates to pull up recent items that match a certain criteria you set, you can target your ad to show a specific item on sale or you can just simply weave your referral links into your blog posts.

Last but definitely not least, you can sell advertising space on your blog if your blog is truly popular. Just take a look at blogs like http://xiaxue.blogspot.com. That blog receives over 10,000 page views every day and naturally merchants will want to strike a deal with the blog’s owner to post their advertisements there. If you manage to pull in huge amounts of traffic like that blog, you can definitely get people to buy ad space on your blog for prices from $150/month upwards, depending on your blog popularity. To gauge how much page views and visitors you get everyday, just use the free tool available at www.statcounter.com. They have a very detailed setup guide there so I won’t go into it.

If your blog has not acquired large amount of visitors yet, you can still sell ad space on your blog on a per click or per impression basis. Just visit sites like www.adbrite.com. For a complete list of these sites, visit http://performancing.com/node/60.

Hopefully, that will help you maximize earnings and profits from your blog!

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10 Reasons for Switching your business to VOIP

by Drew John

Lets face it, VOIP has been ‘muscling in’ on conventional telecoms for some time – here are some of the reasons why:

1. Low Call Rates to Terrestrial Numbers – many Voip call carriers offer low rate or free calls.

2. Cheap Mobile Rates – offered on short commitment – even lower using GSM gateways.

3. Lower International Call Rates – most ITSPs offer very low cost or inclusive international calls.

4. Reduced Line Rentals – many VOIP call carriers offer unlimited outbound trunks which could cut your line rental fees.

5. Free Calls to Remote Offices & Workers – calls between VOIP enabled remote workers & offices would be free.

6. Much Longer Call Recording – record more calls over longer periods.

7. Keep Your Number – by porting geographic numbers to voip you can move your business anywhere without changing numbers.

8. Automatic Call Diversion – your calls will be diverted automatically upon any failure of service.

9. Shorter Contracts – most VOIP suppliers have short contracts.

10. More Control – apply your own call diverts and modify your phone system remotely

If your VOIP solution is correctly set-up then you shouldn’t be able to differentiate between conventional & VOIP calls – see voip call quality for more info. It’s not always plain sailing as telecoms companies sometimes cause number porting delays & broadband services will vary with location – success or failure will in most cases will boil down to the experience or incompetence of your installer.

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Paint Techniques

by Ben

Interiors can be effectively paintedwith a Quality Platinum Sheen paint.This product can be tinted and comes in white and mony other colours, available at your local distributor to your requirements. Platinum Sheen is a high quality, high washable, sheen, silky smooth paint, ideal for any interior coating. An even colour distribution for raw plaster can be applied and requires wo coats on a PVA undercoat paint.

It is suitable for interior and exterior surfaces.A unique blend of acrylic and selected natural minerals, Liquid Naturals paint creates a rich combination of density and uniform colour giving exceptional coverage and opacity. Liquid Naturals withstands temperature extremes and will not flake or peel, on a suitably prepared surface.

Unlike conventional acrylic paints, Liquid Naturals unique characteristics allows the product to breathe, eliminating the risk of delamination of the paint from damp surfaces. In addition, no primers or undercoat are required thereby reducing costs. Liquid Naturals also eliminates streaking on parapet walls and fascia panels, common with cement based coatings.

Over a short period of time Cement Naturals develops a unique naturally mottled finish and is available in Coarse, fine and ultra fine textures. The exciting aspect is that each application is unique. Its soft appearance belies its extreme durability and water resistant strength and high resistance to the effects of the sun, rain, wind and salt air.

Africote’s Cement Naturals is available in powder form and is a specially prepared cement based exterior paint, coloured with iron oxides.This durable economical water resistant coating is suitable for application on all masonry surfaces such as cement plasters and and sand or bagged brickwork.

Internally, Ivory Cement Naturals are used for a rustic homely appearance. The ability of Cement Naturals to be applied directly onto masonry surfaces without an undercoat is a great benefit. Other paints like PVA and some gloss paints must be pre-coated with a slurry coat which is also available from the Africote range.

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Easy Social Marketing Traffic

by Jeff Goodwin

To make any kind of income online today there is one thing you really can’t survive without. It doesn’t matter you have a business or what niche market your in, if you have no traffic, you won’t make any money.

What is the fastest and easiest way to get traffic?

By applying social marketing tactics to social media sites.

There are users in the millions using the Social Marketing sites like the famous MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter, Digg, Propeller etc. If these sites are used in the correct way, You can get a tidal wave of traffic headed to your site on a daily basis.

You may now be asking the question…. “Just what is Social Marketing or Social Networking?”.

Social Networking or Social Marketing sites like the ones mentioned above differ from other every day websites in the way that they are run by the users and not by the owners.

The only way people get big on these sites is by becoming popular to the readers and are rewarded with people digging there site, or giving positive comments and sharing it with others in the Social Network Community.

This is how social media sites thrive. Don’t get the wrong idea though, if you put poor content onto these sites you will get burned or even banned.

Now, If you stick to quality unique content that the community finds intriguing they will suggest it to others and the process repeats giving you an snowball effect with more “Diggs” comments etc. In doing so you receive an increasing amount of quality backlinks directly to your site allowing you to rise in the ranks.

To use Social Media sites the right way you need to know the proper way to get set up with your profiles, and the proper way to use each individual Social Media Sites the way that they are supposed to be used.

How can we learn to use social networking sites the right way?

Well…..we can:

1) sign up accounts to all of the social media sites.

2) Get into the communities within the sites and see what others are doing and how to properly use content. Eventually you could learn how to submit your own content and not get banned.

You need to find the proper balance between submitting your content and commenting on others. And you do not want to submit your content too much.

Getting familiar with all of the social networking sites can be extremely time consuming but there is a quick shortcut you can take to cut your time down dramatically.

I found complete course called Social Traffic Explosion. It covers everything you would ever need to know in step by step videos, audios, and guides. It really gives it all step by step.

It will show you:

1) The best way to setup profiles on Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter.

2) The best way to set up your pages.

3) The best way to get targeted visitors to your site fast!

4) How to get loads of traffic to your site fast with social bookmarking.

Social Traffic Explosion will show you how to create a social marketing plan, and how to get free traffic coming to your site fast. Also I can’t stress this enough, you need to know how to use the social networking sites the right way or you can get banned for good.

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How to Report Identity Theft

by Paul Wilcox

Identity theft is a huge problem in our society today. This is a problem that is growing every year and it can have the effect of nearly destroying peoples lives. If a person is affected by this problem they need to know how to report identity theft. Also, a person should remember that this is a problem that will never be solved unless they report identity theft ” keeping silent will only hurt yourself and future victims of this crime.

Steps to Take to Report ID Theft

There are several things that you can do to report ID theft as well as protecting yourself financially as well.

Report your situation to your local police department. If they do not have the ability to help you, they can refer you to someone who can. They may also be able to direct you on who you should contact (on or in addition to this list) and how to contact them.

Notify the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You can do this via their toll-free phone number 877-IDTHEFT or via their website form at their site. This should be one of the first calls you make as the FTC can help you through the entire process.

Let your bank and credit card companies know. Close all your accounts and credit cards but remember to let the financial companies know what’s happening. They will appreciate knowing as soon as possible and will be more willing to help protect you.

Notify the Social Security Administration (SSA). By letting the SSA know that your social security number has been compromised they can evaluate if you qualify for a new number and make sure that your earnings reports are still correct.

If the theft has any potential ties to terrorism or buying or selling social security numbers, make sure you contact the Office of the Inspector General.

Contacting your credit reporting agencies is also a must. They can watch for further activity on your reports and by informing them, you are more likely to recover from this problem with your credit still intact.

If a person does not notify all of the necessary organizations they run the risk of making their situation even more complicated. Report identity theft as soon as possible to help authorities have a better chance of apprehending the people (or persons) responsible. This may help other individuals that they could have victimized after you.

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The Right Mentor Can Make All The Difference In The World

by Mike Schwartz

When you first get started having the right mentor can make all the difference in your success.This is the best thing you can do when starting a home business. It is definatily true if you are doing it for the first time.

If you hit a roadblock there will be someone there to guide you on the right path. This will save you precious time and money. When you are working from home having the answers just a phone call away can be a great comfort.

The best business people in the world rely on their mentors and are not afraid to admit it. Your trainer can help keep you from making mistakes. From them you get answers that put to an end all the excuses.

If you have an excuse as to why you can’t do something they will show you how you can! If you are new your mentor can help put you on the path of success. A trainer can show you their path to success.

Your not going to reinvent the wheel. You are just going to copy someone else that has been successful. They will hold your hand and guide you towards a successful outcome.

Having a mentor over time will save you a lot of money and the end result will be thousands of dollars in sales. Put youself in a position to be successful by following your mentors advice. You will always be more successful with a mentor is what I firmly believe.

But how can you find a great mentor if you are totally new to this? Well, you can try searching for training and mentoring services. But most of these will not garantee your success and can be very expensive.

If you are new I recommend that you choose a home based business that provides all the training and mentoring for free. The reason that a home business would do this is because it would be to their advantage to make you successful. This is a fresh new way in the world of home based businesses.

There is a reason why this is to every ones advantage because when you get paid they also get paid. The same applies to you, if the people you sponsor sign up someone else you also get paid. This is called GTP or Get Paid Today.

This business is designed with the total beginer in mind. This business pays you $900.00 when you personally sponsor someone else. If your income goals are high we wuold be happy to help you achieve success!

Thank you for letting me share what I have learned!

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Some Tips To Become Successful

by Mike Schwartz

Find a program with a solid business plan when starting a home based business. You can always tell the good one from the bad ones. You can try to contact them.

If you can’t reach them by phone to discuss there business that’s not a good sign. You’ll want to ask them some questions about there business. One of your biggest questions will be how will you make it work after you join up with them?

If you are new find out if they have the neccesary training so you can be successful. Your best chance is if you have a personal mentor to guide you. He will help you acieve success with a solid business plan.

Your mentor will show you how to skip the learning curve and show you the things that work. His experience is something you will benefit from. Once you get started he’ll keep you from dragging you feet.

Your mentor can also help you set some very achievable goals. You can achieve success quicker if you avoid costly mistakes. When searching for a good business see if they include live training.

This can be a great advantage to get you going fast! Live webinars and conference calls are something you would benifit from. With these you are trained with top people in the company.

Remember you are going to invest you time and money so a company that provdes the training for you would be a smart choice. I belong to a fantastic home business opportunity that provides all the live training and support for free. We have live training every week with webinars and conference calls.

We are trained by the company CEO and other top trainers. Another thing to consider is what kind of commissions are you going to be paid? If you are going to invest your time and money doesn’t it make sense not to do it for some little 50 dollar check?

Doesn’t it make more sense to work for $900 checks? These are some things you will need to consider. Your goals are important and your time is precious!

Have a great day and god bless!

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Never overlook to invest in any of the life insurance policy.

by Todd Martin

Did you ever ask yourself a simple question about what would happen if ever you lost your life today in an accident? What will happen to my family after my death? Will they be able to live a peaceful life with all the luxuries they are having now? Just imagine all those pictures and you will find your family in a miserable condition if you have not invested in any of the life insurance policy. No one can ever run away from the fact that we all have to die on day, then why not be prepared for it.

So now it was a double loss because not only his house was sold but also he had to face many problems with his father’s business also. He had his own family to look after. But anyhow he managed and struggled very hard for the comforts for his family’s life and after a few years he was a successful man. This time fate was in his favor and he is now a successful business man. But just imagine all the pains he had to go through all these years just because his father had not taken a decision to invest in any of the life insurance policy. Would not his fate been something else if his father had invested somewhere in any of the life insurance policy?

Now my neighbor acted wisely after he had to go through all these pains. As soon as he stood stable in his business, the first thing he did was, he invested in a term life insurance policy so that his family would not have to face all the problems once more in life. He as well took a health insurance policy for his whole family. My father already had invested in a life insurance policy when I was very small, and even when I got married the first thing I did was I took a term life insurance policy so that my family will also be secured in future.

Even I never thought of buying a policy until I saw my sister in law struggling, when my younger brother suddenly passed away in an accident. It happened like this. One day my younger brother was traveling in a car. Suddenly he realized that the brakes of his car got failed. Then what? He met with an accident and he was killed on the spot. It was really a great loss for the family because my brother was very young. He had a wife along with a son behind. Though his wife was also earning, but his son was too small and above that he had not invested in any of the life insurance policy.

It was really very hard for my sister in law to take care of the child and his studies as well. However she was a strong lady and she did not give up. After two or three years she managed that everything was going on the right way. Then she immediately invested in a life insurance policy so that her son does not have to face all the problems in life again. It was then I also took action and I invested in a life insurance policy so that my family will not have to face the difficulties which my sister in law and her son had to face in life.

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Part 1: Setting Up Your Blog

by Barry Smart

Blogging is a lucrative source of profit and blogs are easy to set up and maintain. Imagine a life where you are paid to write on stuff that interests you, whenever you want, wherever you are. The mere flexibility of blogging makes it easy for you to just kick back, relax and go on a vacation whenever you feel like it.

In this article, we are going to look into the profitability of a blog and set up a blog of our own at no cost! Interested? Read on!

First, we need to obtain a blog. There are several options – host a blog on your own domain or get a free blog. For starters, let’s talk about the free blogs. You can obtain a free blog at www.blogger.com or the newer (and better!) www.wordpress.com. If you are a techie, you must have heard of WordPress, a free blog engine that is robust and infinitely expandable.

Blogger.com is actually owned by Google, so it will be detected on Google’s radar faster and you will be indexed faster. WordPress.com, however, is a relatively new option so I have no comparison on the speed of getting indexed by search engines. However, WordPress is better in the sense that it has more advanced features such as Trackbacks and Categories. You can also manage your sidebar links more efficiently (more about this later).

Get a free blog at either Blogger.com (http://www.blogger.com/signup.g) or WordPress (http://wordpress.com/signup/). Then, familiarize yourself by posting your first post on your blog and tinkering around with the options and templates.

Here are a few common “blog-related” words to help you out:

1) Permalink – Permalink stands for permanent link, which is a URL (uniform resource locator) that leads to an individual post that you make in your blog. 2) Trackback – When you post about someone else’s blog post elsewhere, your post will show up in their “trackback” section. This feature, however, is not available with a Blogger.com account. 3) Pinging – Blogging seems to be paired with pinging almost every time either one is mentioned nowadays. Pinging is actually the action where a certain aggregator is notified whenever your blog is updated, so that the aggregator may show the newest post of your blog on their website. This is a useful way to gaining traffic, which we shall discuss later.

For now, I shall leave you testing out your new blog and the features that come included with it. In the next articles, we shall discuss the many ways we can gain profit from a blog, as well as tips on how to write posts that keep visitors glued and keep coming back for more!

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