OVBlogger: Blogging and SEO

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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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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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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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There’s a really huge giveaway happening now. Reed Floren, one of my Facebook buddies, and a featured speaker in my telseminar series (He’s speaking on May 29), is running it, and more than 1,700 marketers have added gifts.

Pretty sweet.

To get them, just go to http://easyseotricks/IMG and sign up at zero cost.

I like giveaways because they help me build my list of subscribers, and nothing is more important than list building. It’s the single most important thing you should be working on, no matter what you’re doing. If you don’t have a product to giveaway, it’s time to create one!

I have been using my 7 Secrets to Writing Killer Articles, and if you go to that site, you can see that I normally sell for $37. Good gift, huh? And that’s just one of the gifts you can get. There are over 1,700 of them.  It will take days to decide what you want.

It’s like having a key to Neiman-Marcus, and being told you can go in after hours and take home anything you want without charge. Shopping Nirvana.

For Internet Marketers, this giveaway is even better. The more you learn, the better your business will be. Take advantage of getting this stuff free or you’ll be paying for it down the road.

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Well, I’m not totally sure it’s new, but it’s really awesome.

If you don’t have “Speed Dial,” go and get it here: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4810

Here’s how it works…

There are sites you go to every day, right? Some sites more than once. If you have an enormous bookmark file, as I do, it gets rather tedious hunting for those bookmarks time and time again. Well, Speed dial  puts them all on one browser tab for you.

You just program in the sites that you visit by adding a URL. Speed Dial comes up with a thumbnail for you. You can add as many sites to it as you want to add, and you can make speed dial your home page, if you want, but it also has a small icon that you can click to get there instantly.

When you do, you see thumbnails of the sites you visit often. Mine has AWeber, StomperNet, The ListBuilding Club, this blog, Blogging4Boomers admin, AdWords, SEOBook, and others. And it’s so cool. When I want to create a broadcast message for my list, I just jump onto AWeber by clicking the thumbnail. I love it!

I got a few other add ons last week, too:

Bookmark Duplicate Detector: Who needs more than one bookmark for the same site?

Shareaholic: Allows me to Twitter, Digg, and other sites with the click of my mouse.

Foxmarks: I’ve had this one a while, but it’s really cool. It syncs up my desktop bookmarks with my laptop whenever I turn my laptop on. If it were only that easy to sync up all my files without paying through the nose, that would be sweet.

ColorZilla: Allows me to get R,G,B and HTML color codes, just by placing my mouse on a color I want to duplicate. I love it!

But I also love Pixie by Nattyware. It’s a tiny little program that does the same thing as ColorZilla, but you can use it outside your browser. Get it at http://nattyware.com

For someone who went into Firefox kicking and screaming, I couldn’t be happier with this browser. The only trouble is that IE doesn’t always display code the same way; so, when I’m developing a page, I have to remember to check it in both browsers to make sure it looks the way I want it to in IE.

Grr… I forget a lot.

But, there’s another add-on called IE Tab that you can get that allows you to switch rendering engines with a click. You don’t have to open a new browser, and I’m lazy. It rocks.

Anyway, I’m not just a convert anymore. Now, I’m a damned evangelist for Firefox. If you don’t use it, start. You’ll be amazed at how much better it works and how you can adapt it to do just about anything you want.

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I’m so totally excited…

This is it!

Bill Clinton has thanked her for “fostering American entrepreneurship.”

EVENT:  Mystery Guest (You’ll have to come to see who she is!)

DATE & TIME: Wednesday, May 7th at 8:00pm Eastern
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast — it’s your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW…

http://Blogging4Boomers.com

This mystery woman is what some would call “visionary.” Not only has she served been on the board of directors or actually working to see the success of 36 startup businesses. Her investing acumen includes 200 startups (including Google) as a venture capitalist or angel investor.

But wait…

She has been a consultant for the White Houses of Clinton and Bush.  She has also consulted for 700 of the Fortune 1000, and over 300 small businesses. And she has been on the cutting edge, supporting new ideas long before they became popular in the marketplace.

Don’t miss this call! I’m so excited to have her I can hardly believe she’s coming! This is HUGE! And I’m so glad I got her for you.

Clear your schedule for 8 p.m. this evening (EST). Get on the phone or come to the webcast.  Go to

http://Blogging4Boomers.com

and get in now.

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