Category: Design
3 SEO Steps that Work For Every Web Site
Posted by Gracie Browning in Affiliate Marketing, Design, SEO Monday, 17 September 2007 16:29 3 Comments
Many of the self-appointed experts out there would like for you to believe that there is some secret formula to get your site into the top ten search engine results listings.
There is not a secret formula, but there are some techniques that can help. SEO is an on-going task that you will not ever really successfully complete, and don’t expect it to be easy.
The first step is Long-Term Thinking: Remember that nothing happens overnight and your website isn’t going to be in the top listing of the search engines quickly. It will take time so you must expect to stick around long enough to succeed. The search engines recognize this to some degree. The point is that you will need to spend money on advertising long before you begin to make a profit. There is an old saying, “It takes money to make money”. This is true where SEO is concerned. You must invest in yourself. You don’t have to deplete your bank account but you do have to advertise regularly.
The second step is Intelligent Site Structure:
Don’t let anybody tell you that your site structure doesn’t matter. It does! A sloppy and poorly designed site is never going to get top search engine ratings. It is super important to make certain that every link on your site works and that you site is easy to navigate. It is also vital that you make sure that you title, meta description and meta tags are optimized.
The third step is Consistently High Quality Content: Haven’t you heard? Content is king on the internet. That is true but it doesn’t refer to just any old content. High quality, relevant content make your pages link-worthy. There is simply no substitute for strong titles and well-written articles that contain your keywords - and real information that real people can use.
None of these steps will put your site into the top ten search engine results over night…but then there aren’t any steps that will do that!
The Simple First Website Goal
Posted by Kathy Jackson in Affiliate Marketing, Design Friday, 31 August 2007 12:14 3 Comments
Knowing where you are going is the first step to getting there! And this is true even when planning a web site.
I know people who want a website, but have no idea of what their goal of having a website is. They buy every site building software that comes down the pike, they subscribe to this and that and after months they not only didn’t have a website, they still didn’t even have a clue what they would do with that website if they ever actually built one!
So the first thing you should have before starting your first website is a goal. What do you want that website to do for you? The goal can and should be simple if it’s your first site. Here are some simple goals:
* My site will review products.
* My site will have content and Google AdSense advertisements.
* My site will give away viral marketing products and to build my list.
* My site will sell a product with a sales letter.
Can you state your website goal in one short sentence? If so, then you will know where you are going so you will have a pretty good chance of getting there.
Just remember that your goal, like the first website that you will build, needs to be simple and basic.
And, if this is your first website, make it a very simple affair. Don’t go for an elaborate thousand-page website right out of the starting gate. You don’t need to add complications like feedback forms, news feeds, floating pop-ups or any of the other multitude of options available.
There is an old saying that says, ‘Success breeds success.’ Once you have successfully accomplished building your first website, then you can move on to the more complicated features with greater confidence. With a goal, both the site and your outcomes will stay focused.
Is Site Stealing Black Hat Affiliate Marketing?
Posted by AC Editorial Team in Affiliate Classroom Events and Products, Affiliate Marketing, Design Monday, 23 July 2007 13:08 6 Comments
I’m a little confused. I just found out about the new course called Siite Stealer. With a name like that, I kind of expected to learn some secret black-hat stuff that I really would never use as a legitimate marketer.
But since I’m the curious sort, I just had to have it!
Well, there’s really nothing shady or black hat in it at all. It’s all stuff I can use.
I especially enjoyed the part where the book shows how some of the big marketing gurus copy each other’s business models. I guess that makes sense – why reinvent the wheel when someone else has already done all the research and testing.
Some people think his Sopranos-style character (or should I say caricature) is a bit over the top, but his video will make you laugh (if you like politically incorrect humor).
It’s informational, entertaining, and 100% legitimate. Sal, the site stealer is going to teach you how to LEGALLY steal people’s websites and make a small fortune from them – that’s his claim at least (he also threatens to hit you over the head with a bat).
But the TRUTH of the matter is that it’s not about stealing anything.
It’s a very well put together course about how to observe your market and find the business models that are working.
Furthermore, he shows you how to get started with re-sell rights right away. You’ll learn from Sal even if you don’t have your own product or web site.
In fact, AC will be implementing some of these tactics into their marketing very soon (so when we tell you that Sal taught us this, just know that he never really did hit anyone over the head with a bat).
Yahoo Launches Customizable Search Engine
Posted by AC Editorial Team in Affiliate Marketing, Design Friday, 13 July 2007 15:00 No Comments
Yahoo might be a little behind Google, but I see they are trying to catch up by launching their own customizable Search Engine.
If you look at our AC Blog sidebar, you will see the Google AFFoogle box (cute huh!). This engine allows the owner, in this case Affiliate Classroom, to customize the search results shown to the searcher.
The AFFoogle Search Engine will show only the search results that AC recommends. It’s really a handy, customizable search tool.
The Yahoo Search Builder is similiar and allows you to create your own Search Engine.
If you don’t want to check it out right now, the three cool things about having your own Search Engine is that you can:
- Easily add web search and site search to your site
- Tailor the look and feel of the search experience to match your site
- Enhance the search engine algorithm to focus on your site’s topic
It’s another money-making tool that you might want to take a few minutes to add to your site.
Smoother Sailing Through Better Navigation
Posted by Matt Van Atta in Affiliate Marketing, Design Friday, 9 March 2007 13:20 No Comments
To continue with (and hopefully build on) the theme of my last post, regarding the importance of website navigation, here are some additional tips on how to build a website that allows visitors to sail through your site, and right into your cash register…
An affiliate marketing website ideally should have the following pages:
The home page;
Content pages, full of SEO keywords and pertaining to the products being promoted;
An opt-in form for collecting email addresses;
A site map page (more on that in a minute); and
Policies and disclaimers pages.
Allowing visitors to access these pages on the web is crucial. (Otherwise, why build them?) Ensuring that access is easy is what good navigation is all about. So how do you create good navigation?
First, consider what is “above the fold.” Above the fold is the part of a web page that a visitor can view in a browser without having to scroll down or to the right. It’s the “high-rent district” of your site, because that’s what the visitor will see first. Above the fold is the place for your most important links, whether the links go to viral content, or the opt-in form, or possibly the all-important merchant’s site.
In addition, most well-designed websites maintain navigational links neatly in a horizontal bar across the page; a sidebar, or column running along the side of the page’s main body of content (preferably the left-hand side in this case); or a combination. (The sidebar also contains other links to content that may not warrant a more prominent place on the site, but that are still important to visitors.) In all cases, the links are separated enough from the main body of text to be seen clearly.
Finally, the site map can be the item behind the glass you break in case of emergency. This page contains links to all the pages on your website, presented either in a single list or a more complex category breakdown. In lieu of a search function on your site, the site map is your last line of defense against the departure of a visitor from your site.
Obvious advantages exist to embedding links within specific content. But links to the most important pages on your site should always be in plain sight. A good navigation system on your site will guarantee that your visitor knows where he or she is going once they arrive.
And, who knows, it may help persuade them to purchase.
