OVBlogger: Blogging and SEO

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So, I was at jvAlert last weekend, as you know, and Simon Leung was telling us how Google prefers short copy and that they see long copy as spam. Hmm… That’s total crap. Not that Simon is telling us fairy tales, but that Google AdWords wants advertisers but they aren’t supposed to sell things? What?

Well…

I proved that what Simon said was right.

I started an AdWords campaign on Friday for a social marketing product, right? All of the keywords I used were rated “Great,” and I just knew it wouldn’t last. They probably do that for all new keywords, until human eyes evaluate your campaign.

But, here’s the thing: This particular campaign was based on a long copy sales letter, which I had doubts about, but thought I’d try it anyway because creating landing pages for each ad group (though Simon says you need to create them for each keyword… argh) is a bit of a logistical issue (won’t go into that, but it’s not a simple upload to a hosting account for various reasons) and we just wanted to get something up there.

Sure enough, Saturday morning when I buzzed in to check the campaigns, every keyword was turned off and Google wanted $10 a click!

Well… Hmm… Proof.

I didn’t really need that proof, but there it is. I mean, $10 for words that should cost about 33 cents? Argh. What better way for Google to say they hate you?

I created those new landing pages today, issues or no issues, and our tech department is working on getting them up. I’ll let you know what happens when they hit and I can alter the campaign. This is totally interesting to me.

I can be such a geek.

I want to go even further and create pages for each keyword to see how well that works for at least one ad group. If it works, guess what Pat will be doing all week? And into infinity?

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In our local paper today (the Bradenton Herald-Tribune), there was an article from the NY Times by Brian Stelter, suggesting that Comcast, AT&T, and Time Warner Cable are intent on charging for bandwidth used. In fact, Time Warner has already started a program that is doing just that in Texas.

Here’s how it works:

For example, someone who downloads videos and/or music all the time uses more bandwidth than someone who just comes online to check email. The short-time user pays less than the all-day user.

Stelter says, “All three companies say that placing caps on broadband use will ensure fair access for all users.” What? Give me a break. Without the high bandwidth users, the Internet will be a very different place. We’ve just started getting into video as a viable source of content.

So, might this poppycock have something to do with the fact that people are just spending more time online communicating with people around the globe, gathering information and entertainment, and not watching as much cable TV? Egads! The sponsors don’t like that. Not at all.

Hmm…

If they start charging for bandwidth, think about it.

YouTube might become less cluttered, but think about how it will inhibit creativity. And you can’t tell me that email checkers never read the jokes in their email or follow links to funny videos because they do.

And, what about video bloggers or podcasters?  And then, there’s iTunes? Wonder how Apple feels about all this. Does it mean there will be less to put on our iPods because we won’t be able to afford the connection? Blockbuster will still deliver, but not as much and at higher expense to meet the cost.

Oh, and let’s not forget Grandma who likes to Skype with her family and see her grandkids in another state. It will cost you more, Granny, winnowing down that already skinny Social Security income you can’t even live on.

Charging for those of us who use more bandwidth will definitely smote online commerce.  Video is a primary source of information product dissemination these days. And what about those videos that go with eBay products? Even if you’re just an email checker, it will mean higher prices for you because there will be higher prices for us.

You will end up paying more for every online activity you do. Your bank will have to pay more, so bye-bye free online banking, right? Think about it. And gamers? Go back to TV and the PS2 because you’ll have to get a job to pay for your connection.

So, the big companies are positioning it that there needs to be equality for all users, like light usage or water usage. It should cost the “bandwidth hogs” more.

Feh…

Don’t tell us that you’re going to squeeze us “big users,” and neglect to tell everyone that even if they just check email, they’ll be paying more, too–in the long run. My back is wet here, guys, and it’s a perfect sunny day outside, if you know what I mean.

To me, what it boils down to for Comcast, AT&T, and Time Warner is nothing more than a bigger bottom line and sponsor security.

I can tell you three services that I want NOTHING to do with. I suggest you let your voices be heard, too. Vote with your feet.

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I got a comment from a new friend, Alex , who has an awesome blog at (http://www.howtospoter.com/). He’s the guy that Mike Paetzold (of http://mikepaetzold.com) twisted his arm to tell my my theme sucked. LOL. That was 3 on the suck side, so as you see, it went. Thanks very much for your input. I sometimes forget that it’s not about me.

What I mean by that isn’t that I’m all self-absorbed or anything like that (at least I hope not), but it’s not about what I like. When you’re communicating with an audience, you owe it to them to do what THEY like. So, forgive me if I inconvenienced you with my very hot blue ball theme. I understand that it was hard to read.

And what a cardinal sin, eh? I mean, if you want people to read your blog, you should make it easy for them. People don’t really love to read, so if you’re boring or if it’s too hard to read what you write, POOF! Audience dries up.

I know these things.

And yet, I stuck to my very hot blue ball. My daughter says that when I see cobalt glass (which I collect), it’s like a dog whistle. I go right to it. So, you see, it’s NOT something I can help. I have the “blue” gene. So, I was distracted. Argh!

But I changed things around here, just for you. I appreciate you.

And talk about cool appreciation stuff. I just got a card in snail mail from Carrie Wilkerson of TheBarefootExecutive.com, who I met at jvAlert. Very cool. Wish I was that on top of it. Snail mail! How cool is that? What a gal.

Relationships. Internet Marketers need those. And I want to have one with you.

Like the new theme? Let me know. If you hate it… It’s gone.

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So, you can tell I’m back to work, eh? Yep. Running like mad, as usual. But…

I just had to write and tell you about my friend Mike Purvis’s new website, called The List Auction.

Even if you’re new to the Internet marketing arena, you’ve probably heard this more than once: “The money is in the list.”

It’s the mantra.

Guess what else?

It’s the truth.

If you don’t have a list, you had better start building one TODAY. Without a list, no money.

Yet, if you’re just starting to build your list, no matter how long you’ve been online, you won’t have a sizable list overnight. So, what can you do?

You can try co-registration. I have been a List Builder Pro member for a couple of years and it’s grown my list tremendously.  It’s reasonable and it works.

But it’s a monthly expense that some folks starting out just can’t afford.

What’s the alternative? Safelists. These are groups of people who belong to one website and who mail to each other. Some are non-credit based and some are credit based, meaning that you have to have enough credits in your account to mail to the other folks in the program. You usually earn credits by reading other members’ mails.

Well, The List Auction twists that notion a little and makes it more fun. You should check it out.

But don’t be surprised if you get a bunch of emails. That’s what safelists are for. So, set up a separate folder in Outlook to catch them all or open a GMail or Yahoo account for the purpose of just getting safelist emails. Then, go in and read them when you can.

I rarely use safelists anymore, but The List Auction might be something worth upgrading in and using religiously. I know for a fact that Corey Lewis uses them all the time and says they work great for him. I’ve decided to take a second look. Maybe you should, too.

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OK… You guys happy now? I changed my theme.

I kind of like this new one, and don’t plan any changes for a least oh… the next quarter at least. Let me know what you think… Especially those of you who were hating the last one. You’re my review crew!

So, got home today from jvAlert, and I have to tell you that the last day was totally rockin’.

I was there for Simon Leung. Whoa. The guy knows the backroads of Google because he used to work for them. There are things he can’t tell you because he signed a non-disclosure agreement, but what he can tell you and told us was invaluable.

Believe this…

Simon says (no pun intended) that you should have a different landing page optimized for EACH keyword that you have in AdWords. Whoa. He even said it’s a lot more work, but that’s Google. He gave us about 12 strategies about what Google wants to see. Since I run the AdWords campaigns for Overcome Everything, it was a pretty cool perspective. I think I’m going to study Simon quite a bit more.

“Million Dollar Mike” Morgan was up next, and I just think the world of him. He’s been great to me in the past and I can’t wait until the call on the 19th. He gave some pretty awesome copywriting pointers and made everyone smile. Mike just rocks, and I finally got to meet him in person. kewl

I got a lot more than just information at jvAlert, folks, with the most valuable being a whole new bunch of friends.

The first day, I made a friend from Slovakia named Lucia, who is just starting out. (You’ll be hearing from her; I have no doubt. ) Lots of newcomers like Kevin Puls, Bonnie Cramner, and Steve Leadbetter. Lots of people coming on in some pretty interesting niches. Keep a lookout.

And totally lookout for Carrie Wilkerson. She’s a hoot! And a very smart business lady, who walks around without her shoes on. She runs… what else? TheBarefootExecutive.com I really enjoyed spending just the little time with her that I could.

And there were my old friends, Brian Edmondson, who introduced me to Jason James and other friends of his; Cyndi Parker of TrafficMOM.com and Birgit Ratz Cheung and her husband Eugene. All tops. Oh, and how could I forget, my old friend Charles Burleigh? I’m was so glad to see him out and about, meeting folks and having fun. Of course, Mike Paetzold was there, ribbing me about my old theme (Happy now, Mike?) and Steve Roye, who never fails to make me laugh harder than I should. Har. And Ross Goldberg and Eric Stafford were there, too.

I also made new friends Willie Crawford, who I was fortunate enough to sit beside at dinner the other night; Alan Bechtold, Laurie Steffen and Jeff Wark, and even met Bob the Teacher.

But the coolest thing was when someone came up to me and told me that they were on my list and asked what I was working on. I totally enjoyed meeting Bonnie and having a long chat with her.

And another long chat with Deremiah, a truly incredible man. In an world with an overwhelimgly high percentage of “me firsters,” this guy is “you first.” He never fails to ask what he can do for you, and that’s pretty cool. He’s gaining lots of respect by this attitude in the IM world, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he WILL go far. And sing? The man sings better than Stevie Wonder. We got to hear a really great Deremiah version of Happy Birthday at dinner on Saturday. Nice.

Ken McArthur is wonderful, of course, and everyone loves him. What’s not to love?

But the whole weekend, the question I kept hearing was, “What’s with Tellman’s hair?” LOL I told him we love him both ways–with or without.

So, that’s about it. jvAlert totally rocks the block, I’m telling you.

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So, today’s the last day of this awesome conference and I’m totally looking forward to it. First up is Simon Leung, who’s really brilliant. Think we’ll learn something? Hmm… No doubt.

And then, one of the nicest people online and off, Mike Morgan. I finally get to meet him, which was totally cool. I’m so looking forward to the call we’re doing together on June 19 at 8 p.m. EDT. You won’t want to miss that one. He has something very special for my listeners. If you haven’t yet signed up for the teleseminar calls, you can get in under the wire for this one at Blogging4Boomers.com

Anyway, it’s always hard to stop being in conference mode, and get back to the real world, but hey…

I’m looking forward to that, too.

That’s how it is when you love what you do, eh?

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So, this is my week for the double smackdown.

I type that in all jest, as I know folks are offering some valid criticism and I totally welcome that. So…

Now, it’s my theme. Apparently people hate it. Sigh.

Not only that, but it’s a total disconnect for my target audience. My site Blogging4Boomers and I have a “young” theme. Mike Paetzold told me that and I told him, “Ah well…” Not that I didn’t take his comments into consideration because I respect him totally. And I really did consider it and realized he was right, but I have an affinity for this color blue. My mom used to say that I loved any color as long as it was blue. Un-huh

And like, here’s me… In my brain, I am a kid. That’s kind of why I was able to write for kids. I mean, I listen to music my 18-year-old daugther recommends and love it. I often have Fallout Boy, Dido, or even a Rob Zombie tune playing while I work.  Oh yeah, we totally relate and it’s probably why I can work with people young enough to be my kids and have a great time doing it.

Anyway, Alex, who commented on my last post, found me, introduced himself and agreed that my theme sucked. Of course, he was totally sweet about it (and told me that Mike put him up to it, but well… Who didn’t know that?) So, that was the killer. Three people who hate my theme? It’s gone.

<sigh> When I get home, a new theme will be forthcoming.

Damn.

Love that blue ball.

I may try to keep that and alter the code to make the background, at least the text container lighter.  But I don’t see that working for the design.

Anyway…

Today was a great day at the conference. It started out with Alan Bechtold, of the Franklin Guild and so much else, showing us his new book and a clip of a movie that will go with it. Wow! Very cool. I loved it. It’s like Bill Nye the Science Guy meets Internet marketing and I for one, am anxious to see the finished product. I’m now an official member of The Franklin Guild for the next year. Whoo-hoo to that.

Then, Ken McArthur spoke about, what else? Making an Impact. He totally rocks and if I can pick a handful of people who have made a difference in my life, Ken would be one of them.

After lunch, we had Yanik Silver. I’ve never seen him speak in person before, and it was a real treat. I knew he was brilliant, but he’s funny and really enjoyable to watch and listen to. He gave us the great motivators for copywriting. Pretty sweet to see his take on everything.

Then, Jeff Johnson. I never heard him speak, either, and I’m like, loving the SEO stuff. Most of it, I already knew, but there are a couple of twists that he teaches that will make a total difference. Can’t wait to try some of his ideas. Awesome

The whole conference is, as always, totally awesome.

I don’t think I’ll be going to Long Beach, but I’ll definitely be in Orlando in February or whenever Ken decides to do it again there. These are just way too much fun. And, you get to meet tons of people you’d never have access to, sitting behind a computer monitor.

Get social! This stuff isn’t extravagance. It’s an investment in your future.

But it’s OK to have fun, too.

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Yeah. So like, I got the smackdown for not practicing what I preached in a comment from my last post. Ah… So right. I haven’t posted since the 2nd.

Here’s why…

JVAlert. I’m in Philadelphia right now having a really great time, but because there are so many Internet marketers here, the signal is totally weak. I’ve found it hard to get mail, and do my usual stuff. But no excuses…

The commenter was totally right to press the “No B. S.” button, so I appreciate it. What I should have done, like my good friend Mikey P. (Paetzold) pointed out was that he time stamped his posts to go out while he is here. Coulda, shoulda, woulda…

Didn’t.

So… Here’s what’s going on here.

The first speaker today was Larry Benet, who’s referred to as “The Connector.” He knows folks that are household names just because he’s really good at buiding relationships with total strangers. He made some great points and gave some pretty cool tips about connecting with people you care about and people you want to do business with.

Cool and very useful stuff. Just common sense, but we just don’t do it. Shame on us.

The next thing that happened was kind of a “hot seat” deal where two folks who got tips on what to do to improve their businesses from a panel of experts, which included some pretty influential marketers and a good time was had by all. We’re talking Willie Crawford, Michael Angier, Brian Edmondson, Bob the Teacher, Elsom Eldridge, Warren Whitlock, Ross Goldberg, Frank Sousa, Donna Fox, Jane Mark and of course, Phil Baston, Frank Sousa, Alan Bechtold, and Jason DeVelvis. Lots of good strategies…

Then, we heard from Stuart Tan after lunch. He’s incredibly successful in Singapore and online, and he talked about building a multi-million dollar business and what it takes. Great stuff. He’s totally brilliant about building a strong company, and I enjoyed his talk very much. Thank you, Stuart.

And then, a new acquaintance, Sanyika Calloway Boyce, a financial advisor who has become a TV personality took over and told us about getting our mugs on TV. That was totally interesting. Though I’m not really interested in doing that myself, I know someone who’d be perfect for that. Hmm…

So, that was just Day 1, folks.

If you’ve never been to JVAlert, you’re missing something special. Ken McArthur has truly created a family and people I met last time are here, so it was great to meet up again.

And for my disappointed friend, DPS…

One great way to add content to your blog is by reading other blogs in your niche. When you find something interesting, write your take on the subject. It’s great because it give you something to write about and it builds relationships with other bloggers in your niche. That’s what Web 2.0 is all about, eh? Interacting.

When you do that, send a trackback to the post you’re writing about, and even quote part of it, giving proper credit, of course.

Other bloggers love that stuff!

I don’t encourage you to do it in every post you make, but when your stuck for an idea, it works out great.

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Do you know what a very big secret is to getting traffic to your blog on a regular basis?

It’s so simple, you probably haven’t thought about it.

In fact, you may be a pretty casual blogger. You do it when the spirit moves you, right? Or when you have time.

Well…

I’m here to tell you that one HUGE factor in getting traffic to your blog is by posting every single day.

Argh! You think. Easier said than done. What do I write? How will I find the time?

There are two ways you can post to your blog every day and not feel too pinched.

When it comes to the writing of posts, that can be pretty simple. You can read something online and write a post about that. I love to do that. When I find something that’s pretty cool or interesting in my niche, I love to tell people about it. Those are easy posts to make because someone has already given me the material.

Or, you can take a PLR product and break it down into articles that you rewrite. Don’t just slap up the stuff without rewriting first, or it probably won’t do you much good with the search engines. PLR products are sold to tons of customers who may all be using the stuff verbatim. Don’t do it. You’re just tossing out duplicate content.

You can also someone to write blog posts for you. That’s the easiest way yet.

So, let’s say you have content and no time. That’s simple, too.

In WordPress, right in the “Publish Status” box, there’s a phrase that says, “Publish immediately.” And beside it, a link that says, “edit.” When you click that, you can set your post to publish at any time of the day or night on any day of the week, month, or year. It’s really sweet.

So, like you have 5 articles and you have a weekend or a block of time  you’ve scheduled in for blog posting. Post all of the articles at once, and set them to go out whenever you like.

In my mind, that would be 5 days, back to back.

Here are the facts…

In April, I had 50% more visitors to my blog because I posted every day. I decided to slow it down a bit in May to see what would happen.

People forget you. People unsub because you’re not adding new content fast enough. There are all kinds of reasons.

Just keep posting, every day, though, and you’ll see an enormous difference in the traffic to your blog, your opt-in numbers, and even your sales.

Come on… It’s really not that tough. Tomorrow, I’ll give you a few more ideas for posting content…

Stay tuned.

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