OVBlogger: Blogging and SEO

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So, what’s the very most important part of creating your online business?

Hmm… You know already.

KEYWORD RESEARCH!

Why would you start anything online if nobody is looking for what you want to sell?

Monday evening at 8 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. Central, 6 p.m. Mountain, and 5 p.m. Pacific, I’m doing my very first slide presentation at Xiosoft and hoping it comes out well.

I’m totally excited! I did this cool Power Point that lays it all out, and I’m rarin’ to go.

So, if keyword research is something you haven’t mastered yet, you absolutely HAVE to come.

But there’s a catch…

Yep.

You have to be a Lifetime Member of Blogging4Boomers.com

If you come on over, you’ll get…

• 40 + Videos to Show you How-to, Step-by-Step
• Nearly 40 Articles About Blogging to Get You Going  in the Right Direction
• Audio Interviews with Some of the Brightest Minds in Internet Marketing
• 10 Mindmaps to Guide You Through Technical Aspects of What You Want to Accomplish
• Pat’s Personal Plugins and Ping List
• A Web 2.0 Directory to Point You to the Hot Sites
• 13 Great Bonuses to Help You Succeed…

And most importantly, you get me. Twice a month I get on the  phone and answer questions about blogging and Internet Marketing for my members. They’re an awesome group that wants to act on things and become successful, and I’m thrilled and honored to be part of their quest.

I think I’m a born teacher, though I never realized it.  My bosses always shoved me into the role from my first job to well… my current job. If you’re a member of Tellman’s ListBuilding Club, you hear me twice a month there answering questions, too. I love it! It’s probably my most favorite part of the job. ‘Course I love it all, but interacting with people is really fun.

But come on over to Blogging4Boomers.com, and check me out. Sign up, and if you absolutely hate everything, there’s a 100% full money-back guarantee. But you won’t. I think you’ll be happily impressed.

Let’s get busy and crack the Internet marketing code together!

Popularity: 27% [?]

Wow… Where do the days go? It seems like I’ve been back to work for a month, and it’s only been five days.

Not that I don’t love every minute of what I do because it is tons of fun, but the weekends are even more fun because I get to do and investigate stuff of my own.

This weekend, I have to prepare for a call I’m doing for Erik Stafford. That will be fun. We really had a blast on the call he did for me this week. So, I’m looking forward to that. If you want to hear the replay of Erik’s call with me, just go to http://easyseotricks.com/Erik . I’ll post information about the call I’m doing for him here ASAP.

We also had a product launch at Overcome Everything this week, and unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know it’s Whack the Recession.  You can check that out at http://easyseotricks.com/whack Great product! Smart advice and from Tellman, Harris, and Shawn. (Who didn’t know that?) I had to get transcripts made last weekend for it, so I can tell you it’s A-#1, the Duke. If you’re struggling to make money online, you really need to check it out.

I remember what struggling was like. I thought I’d NEVER make a dime because I just kept trying and trying and nothing was happening. Then, I met Tellman and my life is very, very different from what it was like two years ago.

I remember last year at this time, too. I was doing some consulting for Overcome Everything and ran into a cool guy named Don Griffiths. I’m doing a deal with him next week, so keep your eyes peeled for that. He’s a smart guy and he’s made tons and tons of progress since last year. Why? Because he took ACTION and now his list is exploding!

That’s the word, you know–A-C-T-I-O-N.

If you buy a bunch of stuff and don’t read it, listen to it, or watch it, or if you do and just don’t do anything about it, what’s your deal? I mean, are you going to be successful at this?

Hell, no. You’ll never be successful at anything. You can’t win if you’re not even in the game!

Take action to make it happen. If you want some periodic ass kicking, then just sign up for my list. :-)  I totally want to work with you.

So, I’m off! Get your stuff in gear and you’ll come to see how much fun it is to make money in your jammies.

I love it! You will, too.

Popularity: 100% [?]

“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear… And when it is gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear is gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” –Frank Herbert, Dune

Fear is indeed the mind killer.

Is fear stopping you?

When I think back to when I was starting out online, I can say that I was afraid of certain things. I didn’t want people to think I was clueless, which I was. I didn’t dare to think about playing in the big leagues because those guys are so much smarter than me. And spend money? I was afraid to do that, too, because I was afraid to lose it.  And my business was going nowhere.

Yet, I thought that without any help or direction, I’d still be able to crack the code.

But it wasn’t a code I needed to crack. It was my own fear.

Are you like I was? Does the tech stuff freak you out? How about talking to people? Are you scared to make videos or to do teleseminars? How about blogging? Creep you out, too?

Well, guess what?

You need to be less afraid and more aggressive.  Fear will kill your dreams. Fear will stop you dead in your tracks and you will be paralyzed in one way or another. It can be fear of loss, or even fear of gain. Yep. T. Harv Eker says that if you’re afraid of wealth or if you think it’s bad, you’ll never have it. It’s that old fear sneaking up on you again.

Get it out of your mind.

Bravery is forcing yourself to do something you’re afraid to do.

Be brave. Make your Brave New World. Visualize it the way you want it to be and then, take steps to make that happen. You’ll be amazed at what you can do when you just overcome your biggest obstacle… you.

Popularity: 31% [?]

So, I’m like having a vacation week next week, at least from my regular job. It’s been 2 years since I took any time off at all. Unreal. I feel like an Internet Marketing automaton.

And two weeks ago, decided… This has to stop. Just for a while.

I wake up in the middle of the night and think: Lord, I never wrote back to the guy asking me to coach him. And then, I promised I’d promote this thing, that thing, and that other thing. Oh yeah, and the content has to be updated at Blogging4Boomers? (Like my new banner? I have absolutely no clue how to make it clickable. Help! Anyone.)

And so, worrying about such stuff when I should be sleeping means that Pat’s had enough for a few days–at least.

If you don’t see me, don’t worry. As the Governator once said, “I’ll be back!”

Popularity: 35% [?]

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been watching the pre-launch of a really impressive and brand new video contest that just launched on June 1st.

The prize?

A complete business makeover worth over $15,000. The prize package includes airfare, hotel, and you get to spend a full day with Internet Marketing experts who are there to help completely transform your business.

For more details, go to: http://easyseotricks.com/MDO

Who should enter?

What’s really interesting about this contest, is that really anyone who does any business on the Internet could really make out well here. Not only could you win the grand prize, but there are many other prizes available as well.

And here’s the big one…

The amount of traffic this could drive to your website is mind-boggling. You’re not only entering a contest, but you’re also a part of a huge viral marketing campaign where thousands and thousands of people will see your video and your website.

Talk about an opportunity within an opportunity!

Once you enter, post the link to your video here and I’ll be sure to check it out and vote on it for you!

The contest ends on July 14, 2008, so hurry! Go to: http://easyseotricks.com/MDO

Popularity: 22% [?]

So… This morning I wake up. It’s my birthday! And so, I’m like, happy about it, but not like a kid, you know? When you’ve had as many birthdays as I have, it just seems like another day.

I call in to the manager’s meeting that we have every morning at Overcome Everything, and I’m waiting to tell Tellman what’s on our team’s plate for the day.

Then, my husband pokes his head in to say, “There’s a police officer here to talk to you.”

I’m like, “What about?” He just shrugs and looks worried. Here, I’m thinking it’s donation time again.

So, I walk into the living room, and there’s a guy in his mid- to late thirties, probably, in a uniform. He says, “Are you the owner of a 2008 black CTS with the license number XXX-XXX?”

“Yes. What’s this about? Would you like to sit down?” I ask him.

“No, that’s OK… I was up late last night and I should just keep standing.” Now, I can smell the alcohol on his breath, and I’m thinking, Wow! He’s probably hungover. What the hell?

So, he says, “Were you driving in Creekwood Shopping Center on Wednesday?”

“I guess,” I said. There’s a Starbuck’s in there and other stuff we’re always going to, so I figured I could have been, but couldn’t quite remember.

So he turns the page, and says that they had a complaint from the Sheriff’s aunt. She was driving a yellow VW and said that I cut her off and forced her into the grass.

Now, I’ll show you how dumb a person can be:

1) The guy was wearing a wrinkled shirt with his undershirt hanging out at the sleeves and neckline. My dad was a cop. He was always starched and pressed (’course that was the olden days, but…) with shoes shining so clearly that I could see my face in them.

2) This part of Bradenton is really unincorporated Manatee County. Bradenton Police don’t really have jurisdiction.

3) That shopping center has no grass to be driven into.

But I’m not thinking, right? I’m just like, “Well, that’s totally wrong. First, I wouldn’t do that and second, I never did that.”

So he says, “Well, if you can’t own up to this, I have to take you downtown.”

Now, I’m totally furious. It’s my birthday and I have to go to downtown Bradenton in a police car so that my neighbors could watch me walk out in handcuffs, to totally ruin my day. I mean, these folks get upset when a blade of grass isn’t standing at attention. This would be bad.

Not only that, but he tells me he has to frisk me to get up against the wall!

As he’s telling me to put my arm behind my back to be cuffed, a thought goes through my head…

TELLMAN

Big bright lights go off in my brain and it finally takes over and starts working. This is no cop!

I was PUNKED.

It was totally hilarious, after the fact, and when I got back on the phone we all had a good laugh over it. Tellman really made my day. It started out hilarious and just keeps getting better.

But do you see how you can miss the details of things when you let your emotions get over on you? I wasn’t thinking logically because I was so totally humiliated by the allegations and really angry because there was nothing I could do, though I knew I was innocent. The anger just infused my brain and made me stupid.

Duh.

Don’t let your emotions rule you. Don’t take failure personally. Don’t let it get you down.

Just remember that with every failed project, you’re a winner. You know what NOT to do again. Just consider whatever didn’t turn out the way you’d hoped as a learning experience and move on. Next time, it will be easier and work better.

Christine Comaford-Lynch has a great philosophy about accepting rejection, and I wont’ go into it because this post is really long, but you should check out Rules for Renegades at RulesforRenegades.com and go to the “Cool Resources” section.

But first…

I had a totally awesome day. And because it’s my birthday and I’ve been laughing and doing stuff I love to do all day, I thought I’d let you in on something totally free and totally cool.

Go to http://easyseotricks.com/IMG2

Get some cool free stuff to help you continue down your ultimate path to success. I have a really good ebook in there about keyword research. Go get it. Free.

And… ALWAYS remember to pay attention to the details, or you could get punk’d.

Popularity: 28% [?]

I had an email today from someone on my list who wanted to know how to get 100 people into his site. So, naturally, I’m thinking onto his list.

In itself isn’t terribly hard to do, right? I mean, put up a squeeze page with an ethical bribe and send traffic to it. Getting 100 people doesn’t take that long if you join a giveaway, do an ad swap, or run an ezine ad or two. There are tons of ways to get subscribers.

I know this doesn’t seem at all simple to people just starting out, and I was ready to go into more detail and help this guy to do what he wanted to do, but he sent me the page he wanted to build his list from…

A “You’ll make $2,000 a week! All you have to do is refer people to this program!”

And then, I felt sad.

I remember when I started online. All that stuff looked pretty good to me, too. I figured, well… If it’s working for them, it has to work for me, too, right?

And I built a pretty huge downline in one of those programs. It wasn’t quite as bad, not a wild claim. The site was offering tools that marketers can use. Trouble was, the stuff wasn’t happening. I mean, the site was new, but three months later, none of the tools were ready to use. So, I started thinking… Bull puckey, right?

As with most people who get caught up in stuff like that, it did absolutely nothing for me. Nothing.

I didn’t get the benefit of the list.

I didn’t make ANY money.

I had just built a nice big list for someone else. Plus, I had wasted my time and my money making it happen. I felt really dumb and very discouraged. I remember how that felt.

Had I know then what I know now.

If you’re still new and involved with one of those, “no work and all cash” programs, run fast in the other direction. Seriously. Don’t think that you can make money online overnight. It can happen pretty fast, if you go about it the right way, but you will have to work at it. There’s no free lunch.

So, for my friend (whom I already wrote to and suggested that he start with a squeeze page) and anyone else who’s involved in hoping for miracles that just won’t happen…

• Here’s step one: Learn about Internet Marketing from a trusted source before jumping in with both feet.

• Step two: Pick a niche, and it shouldn’t be Internet marketing, unless you love a whole lot of competition that is far, far ahead of you in the game. (Wish I’d known that one early on.) It’s possible to still do okay, but it’s a much harder niche to crack.

• Step three: Build a list. Put up a squeeze page and offer something of value for people to join. It can be a special report, an ebook, a teleseminar or even a series of teleseminars, a video, or a whole bunch of other things that can solve a problem that people in the niche you’ve chosen are having.

• Step four: Drive traffic to your squeeze page. Write articles, start a blog, make some videos. All that stuff is free to do and can help you to get traffic.

• Step five: Set up an autoresponder series with articles about your niche. Start with four really good bits of instruction or advice, and then, offer an affiliate product that is in line with that article.

• Step six: Deposit your checks in the bank.

Is that a simple plan or what? Seriously, it really is that simple. I didn’t say easy. It will mean work. And you won’t make money overnight, but you will make money. And you’ll build a list over time and build a steady income that you can depend on.

Pie in the sky? Nope. Just good, solid advice.

Popularity: 25% [?]

Remember when you were a kid and you missed the softball or stepped on a line in hopscotch or whatever, you’d say, “Ah… Can’t I have a ‘Do Over’?” I wasn’t really partial to allowing that. To me, it was kind of cheating. I mean, if you were just learning something and asked me for a Do Over, I’d say, “Yes.” But if you were good at something already and asked, well…

I never asked for Do Overs.

But imagine this…

You’ve been in Internet Marketing for a couple of years. You’ve bought a lot of information products, some of which cost you thousands of dollars. But you never read them. They’re sitting on your shelf and you never even freakin’ read them!

Or, you’ve spent money on advertising, like Google AdWords or some ezine advertising or you got caught up in that whole traffic exchange mentality and sat there clicking away all day like a zombie, just trying to make things work for you.

And it never happened. But you’re sure there’s a magic bullet, right? There has to be. You can count many more real honest-to-god millionaires online than you have fingers and toes.

THEY MADE IT WHY CAN’T YOU?!?!?!

You’re pissed. What are you doing wrong?

And that was me about two years ago. The first thing I did two years ago was to buy myself a mentor—Tellman. I paid him $497 a month to be in his coaching program. Of course, the payment part went away because I started working for him from there, but unless you have a mentor, you can only begin to imagine how quickly you “get” it when you have a go-by who’s been there, done that and has made millions of dollars online. After that, it’s all down hill, my friend.

OK…

So…

Let’s put that together—a “Do Over” and a mentor. No–a team of mentors.

And that’s what Nitro Marketing is offering.

Check this out: http://easyseotricks.com/MDO

Cool movie. And…

You can get your business going in the right direction.

Nothing to buy.

A contest.

Can you make the cut?

Do you have what it takes?

You’re smart. You have the desire. You have the bulldog tenacity that it takes to make that million bucks.

Get on the bus.

Popularity: 23% [?]

Reading around the blogosphere, I came on a great post at Independent Street, the Wall Street Journal’s blog, entitled “15 Entrepreneur Blogs Worth Reading.”

It states: “The best entrepreneur blogs – and often the most successful ones — do more than just promote the entrepreneurs or their projects. Star power can draw attention, but it won’t sustain it if the blog doesn’’t “give.’”

I’ve always figured that. Who wants to read constant sales pitches, hey look at how great I am posts, or reviews of products ad nauseum? For this reason, I always encourage students to use a blog for business, but to put some of your own personality  and life into it. Let people know what you’re thinking and what you’re up to.

People like to read about people, not products.

For example, I was at the DMV this morning with my daughter, who needed to take her written driver’s test for her learner’s permit. Yeah. She’s almost 19, but never wanted to learn. Now, it’s a necessity. So, we sat in line and waited…

For the third time!

The first time, she didn’t have a proper “certified” birth certificate. Grr.

The second time, she didn’t know she’d have to take the written portion of the test just to get her permit. Double Grr. OK, so it’s been decades since I went through that. She should have known that yadda, yadda.

But this was the third time we went! And the third time we had to wait in  line, and WHEW! This time, she passed.

But what frustration!

So, what if I told that story and then, told you about a product that would help new drivers before they got to the DMV? That showed them everything they needed to know and do before getting their permit and license?

Of course, this stuff varies state-to-state, but this is an example.

This kind of thing is frustrating for everyone! What if I had a magic bullet that would make it smooth as eel skin?

Well… that would be a perfect place to pitch. Now, you’ve given people a story, and you might say, “If YOU have a teenager, you might be interested in this.. before they turn 16.”

You see what I’m getting at? It’s a much more effective way of “showing.” In writing, we call it “showing” when you describe something without description. You lead readers to believe something without actually saying it.

Same thing with marketing. If I want to sell you something, I’m not going to scream, “Hey, buy this!” like a huckster. I’m going to lead you to realize that you want it first and why by illustrating the point.

And that’s what a good entrepreneurial blog does. The 15 in Independent Street’s list are all really incredible at doing that. It’s a post worth checking out.

Popularity: 30% [?]

Sorry guys, I know that I work in that world and love every one of you in it, but I just have to say something here… FOR THE WOMEN.

If you’re like me, you may have spent 70-hour weeks in the corporate world doing the same job that men did but making far less money. Didn’t that just totally piss you off?

And when I learned I was pregnant after 20 years of hard climbing up the corporate ladder, I decided to chuck it ALL and raise my own child.

So, then what?  My brain hadn’t died.

I became a writer. I did that for 10 books, and then, I found this world–one where I can pretty much do what I need to do. I still work hard, and I even have a full-time job, but it’s all from the comfort of my home, working with people I totally love and respect.

Well…

I met a woman at jvAlert Live and just fell in love with her energy. She’s super marketing savvy and just fun to talk to and be around. And she’s a mom, just like me, only she has 4 young children to my one now grown daughter.

Her name is Carrie Wilkerson and she runs Barefoot-Executive.com . When you get to that page, Carrie will be there to welcome you.

I just watched her two movies: TheBossMovie.com and CruiseBarefoot.com

The first is powerful and evocative. It totally tells our story, women. Check that out.

Cruise Barefoot is about a contest Carrie is holding. Get in on that. Sounds like a total blast!

And yes, Carrie walked around most of jvAlert without her shoes on. She’s great, and I encourage you to check her out!

Popularity: 21% [?]