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Discover Secrets to Gain Fortunes Eliminating Writer’s Block, Forever

05 2008 Thursday

By Dan Lok in Writing

Book publishing, information publishing, however it’s called. It can create a wealth of fortune for you.

However, what most people understand about publishing means they have to do something big. They have to be really knowledgeable about the subject they want to publish. They had to be real good with writing.

But when does writing have to be a hard thing?

Here’s why: Long have we tried to write, and time after time we experience what we call writer’s block. The fact is, writer’s block can never have to be a problem at all - as you’ll learn why in a while.

Then, the world never cares whether you’re knowledgeable about something, they care when you’ve delivered to them in a value of some kind. Why do you think someone would want to buy a book from you? They wanted to learn something they can change their lives in, and further improve their quality of lives as well.

Here’s where researching comes in—but we’re not speaking about the average research. Sometimes people think research is a difficult feat requiring hours upon hours of effort, but with what you’re going to learn from me in later articles, you’ll find researching a petty little task to do, and you can create greater results from my technique!

We’ll talk about writer’s block here.

You see, the only reason why you have writer’s block is because you’re editing. It’s summed up in this one sentence.

Whether or not you’re editing doesn’t matter, but when you feel a block of your mind from writing amazing words, it’s because you’re giving yourself judgment over your writing process. It doesn’t have to always be this way.

And here’s a secret to eliminate writer’s block forever if you would but understand its true value and use it:

Write FAST. Write really, really fast.

I will teach you how to do this even clearly on the next subsequent articles I will be sharing with you which you can find on my web site, but right now here’s the most important thing you need to eliminate writer’s block forever.

To quote one of the world’s current greatest science fiction writers of all time, Isaac Asimov (featured in the Guinness Book of World Records for his prolific writing), here’s what he says when asked by a reporter what his secret is to becoming such a prolific writer: “I guess I’m prolific because I have a simple and straightforward style.”

Little did people really deciphered the true meaning behind his quote.

The way you can really have a simple and straightforward style is to write the way you talk… and if you want to write the way you talk, you better write fast because that’s the little trigger to unlocking your amazing writing abilities to have your readers feel as though you’re talking to them.

You know what they say? The best books in the world always makes it feel as if the reader is involved in the picture.

Well this is one of the biggest secrets to writing a book fast and publishing one you can sell on the Internet, or have them racked upon the booths of book stores you visit in the next few weeks, or months.

Believe it or not, you could publish your own book in 2 weeks and use it to change your life forever.

If you want to learn the subsequent chapters to really write fast, and how to use what you’ve written to create a multi-million information publishing business online even though you’re just an average person, be sure to wait or discover the next articles coming up for you.

A former college dropout, Dan Lok transformed himself from a grocery bagger in a local supermarket to a multi-millionaire. Dan came to North America with little knowledge of the English language and few contacts. If you’re ready to take your online business to the next level, go to: http://www.websiteconversionexpert.com/more.html

Against the rules - hints about how to create text for a website

05 2008 Monday

By Adam Nowak in Writing

I am sure that many people wonder what the secret of filling up a website with its content is. The recipe seems to be quite simple - clarity and an appropriate outline are crucial. However, there is one thing you cannot forget about. Those who have never published texts or documents outside the Internet will find it easier, as they do not have to get rid of their old habits while learning the new art of website publishing. In contrast, experienced publishers will have to agree that clarity and simplicity do not mean the same as they did in the past. Filling in a website with text is against the rules and principles which they regarded as a strong point of their work until now.

Knowing the audience

The most important thing to be remembered is that a web page contains messages for a particular group of people. The content is to satisfy the informational hunger of our potential website users.

The more we know about them, the easier it is to adjust the texts for their needs. For example we can do the following things:

* choose topics in such a way that they would be really interesting for our audience;

* arrange those topics, so that it would be easier to find them on the page;

* construct the text using the language of our users, not one of experts;

* choose the style of writing that is suitable for the reader;

* set up a form of communication - contrary to other media, the Internet allows us to use a more informal style on our webpage. It is up to us to establish the grade of familiarity, but in order to do it properly, you need to have thorough knowledge about the users.

In everyday situations, we pay attention to the way people react to what we say. In such a situation, we choose our words, tone and style of speaking to show our appreciation for the other speaker. We create a message that builds trust. Difficult as it may seem, our webpage needs to build the same familiarity. We have to guess what people think about us, how we should address to them and what they want to listen to.

Scanner or reader

The text screened on the monitor is less absorbed by the human eye. That is why it reads 25% slower than a text written on paper. Moreover, too many websites found by the search engine are not related to what the reader is looking for and they do not want to read them.

Therefore, we have to prepare our text in such a way, that it convinces the readers as early as the first glance, to read it and then to search through our service. Hereafter, little advice on the subject is presented.

1. Structural construction of the text

While preparing a text that is to be published on the Internet, we think about its structural construction. We start wondering about the template that is to be filled in. For example, if we edit a text about a company’s products, we prepare a scheme of the description. It can look like this:

Name of product Problem Solution Product’s function Benefits Price

The next step is to describe all the products by filling up the same template. Be consistent and try not to change the template for similar items. The reader will expect to find the same schema on each and every page describing all the products.

2. Reduce the text, as nobody will read it

If you want to be sure that someone will read your text, write less! Let’s reduce our text by its half preserving only the main core.

All important information, that is not closely related to the core, should be moved to the additional material. It is better to do it this way, because as we already know, Internet users rarely read long texts. Try to put each new thought into a separate paragraph, but do not make them too long. It is crucial with a reference to the above mentioned remark about scanning the text before reading. Short paragraphs will make it easier to evaluate the usefulness of the text for a particular person. The ideal paragraph consists of two or three sentences

3. Text easy to scan

As research shows, 79% of Internet users scan a page and eventually read it afterwards. Therefore, the headlines informing about the text’s content should be clearly designed. Using headlines and subheadings should be of primary importance while writing such a text. If you need to highlight one part of a text or a word, use bold type. It is the best solution. Do not use capital letters, italics or underlining (in the Internet, the last one is used for marking linked pages). If you highlight using a colour, be consistent and use the same colour every time. Do not exaggerate with highlighted items. It is enough to use it in one or two phrases per one paragraph. If you want to mark many elements of the text, you can put them into a list, but try not to make it a very long one. It is acceptable that the list is not longer than nine points and has no more than two levels of indentation for each point. If the list is long, it is worth dividing it into sections, each of them having a headline. As much as it is possible, let’s help our reader imagine the data and use charts, diagrams and graphs.

4. Paragraphs - short and pithy. Text - written from the end.

Remember that each paragraph is the beginning of a new thought. Therefore, press Enter each time you start a new thought. It would be suitable that a paragraph is given to one problem and answers one user’s question. Start with the easiest information and then move to the new and more complicated kind. Do not forget that the text is to be published on a website. Therefore, put conclusions and the most important information at the beginning of the text, so that it is faster to find out what the text is about and it could make the reader read it in full. Do not keep users in suspense. As a rule they are lazy and expect simple and quick information.

Turn the content on its head. Contrary to text published on paper, start with a summary or conclusions. The Internet user should know in advance what is interesting for him in the text. We have to remember, that our reader will, first of all, scan the text and only then may become its reader.

As we can see, meeting the expectations of our Internet readers is not easy, but still possible. What is important, we can ask ourselves whether what we have created on the website would interest us as Internet users. If we have any doubts about it, it is better to start everything from the beginning and once more have a look at the presented hints.

This article was translated by mLingua Worldwide Translations, Ltd. mLingua provides professional language translations in all major Western and Asian languages, software localization and web site translation services. Please visit http://mlingua.pl

Add Emotional Impact To Your Content

05 2008 Thursday

By Jennifer Horowitz in Writing

With the number of websites and Blogs growing daily you need to make sure your website stands out from your competition. Your product or service needs to be the best solution for their problem, and you need to quickly and clearly convey that.

Previously we talked about the importance of headlines to draw your prospects into your site. Once they are in your site and reading your content you can’t drop the ball. Your text needs to continue to compel and excite your visitors.

You need to remind them why they are there (usually your site visitors are looking for something they want or they are looking for a solution to a problem).

Your copy (text) needs to remind them of their pain and talk about the solution you offer.

Although your website is about you and your products and services, your copy needs to always relate back to them. It needs to make them feel like you understand them and have exactly what they need.

When you sit down to write your content you need to consider the following:

1. Why are they buying your product/service? What problem is your product/service a solution for?

2. What motivates your prospect to take action and look for a solution?

3. What is your target demographic? What style and wording will resonate with your prospects?

So, let me take you through this process. Let’s say you sell jewelry.

1. Why are they buying your product? What problem is your product/service a solution for?

You may think that there is no problem here but dig deeper. Why do men and women buy jewelry? They want to look nice. They like pretty things.

They want to apologize for something they did wrong and need a grand gesture such as jewelry. They use jewelry as an expression of love. They use jewelry as a status symbol.

Each of those things has emotions behind them - probably on a subconscious level.

There may be an insecurity, which can be eased by having flashy jewelry to show off to the world. There may be a desire for a reward for hard work.

Understanding the underlying reasons why people want or need your product can help you start to form ideas for your text and write copy that will have an emotional impact on your site visitors.

2. What motivates your prospect to take action and look for a solution?

Understanding the first question will help you understand what will ultimately motivate your prospect.

If there is insecurity the motivator will be the relief of that insecurity and the end result will be feeling happy and special.

If the jewelry is being purchased as an apology gift the motivator is to smooth over a problem and recreate harmony in a relationship - at least on the surface.

You get the idea, knowing why your prospects do things will help you write your copy in a way that will increase their motivation.

3. What is your target demographic? What style and wording will resonate with your prospects? Is your target market an older or younger crowd? Is there slang that can be used to help you connect with and relate to your prospects? Are they broke, rich, middle-class? Are they looking for prestige and airs of sophistication? Are they likely to pay more because they can? There are people out there that feel if something isn’t expensive it isn’t worth it.

Understanding how they communicate, what they are used to and making them feel like you understand them can help you create a feeling of camaraderie with your prospects.

Learning more about your prospect is one of the best exercises you can do to enhance your copy and really connect with your prospects. Now, keep in mind you aren’t going to address every problem and every need in every page on your site, you’ll need to think about what makes sense and what is likely the strongest motivator for each product/service.

Using the information that we established above, let’s look at 2 samples of web copy.

Sample 1: Produced with no thought for the “reason why” and the motivator.

We offer the best price on sparkling diamonds. We have engagement rings, anniversary bands, sweetheart and promise rings. You’ll be dazzled by the beauty of our diamond rings.

Sample 2: Considering the motivator and the emotions behind the purchase.

When you are looking for the perfect ring for that special moment in your life you want something as pure, clear and breathtaking as your love. Our unique diamond anniversary bands, engagement rings, and promise rings sparkle, although not as much as the sparkle in her eyes when you present her with the perfect ring. Clarity, cut and color are important; and we’ll help you with making the best selection in your price range. However, remember when you look at our beautiful rings that you are selecting a symbol of your love - follow your heart and pick the ring that will look perfect on her finger for a lifetime.

Please note, I’m no jewelry expert and this was just off the top of my head, but you’ll notice in the second sample I wrote the text for a romantic looking for that special piece of jewelry. I’ve tapped into his mindset and conveyed that I understand what it is he is looking for in a ring.

When you are working on your website copy, remember you don’t need to be a professional copywriter with years of training - you know your product/service and you know the benefits of it. All you have to do is take the time to learn a few simple concepts like the one outlined above to make small improvements in your copy that could have a big impact on your bottom line.

Jennifer Horowitz is the Director of Marketing and co-owner of http://www.EcomBuffet.com Since 1998, her expertise in online marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has helped clients increase revenue and achieve their business goals. Jennifer has written a downloadable book on Search Engine Optimization and has been published in many SEO and marketing publications.

How To Make Money On The Internet By Selling Ebooks Of Your Own

05 2008 Wednesday

By admin in Writing

It is incredible what lengths people will go to in an attempt to have success online without using any of their own ideas or products.

People are willing to go out of their way to buy pre-made web sites, purchase or find free ebooks to promote, and place affiliate links on their site to sell other people’s products. But if you really want to make money on the internet, try selling ebooks of your own.

I discovered this very fact out for myself. Much like many other entrepreneurs on the internet, I was moving along ok and making a few bucks here and there, but I certainly was not making the BIG bucks.

And that is when I realized what all of the top internet marketers were doing!

If you pay attention closely to some of the top internet marketers, you will notice that they all have their own products and ebooks to promote. i.e. They are all selling ebooks of their own.

There is no secret to their success. They were willing to put in the time to create fresh and enticing products.

There are far too many sites on the internet that have created duplicate content that is written in different wording. Unfortunately, most internet surfers can identify the same content that has been slightly altered. But if you can create something new, something that nobody else has touched on, or give a subject a different slant, you can have success.

There is nothing wrong with taking an idea that has already been created and going in a different direction with it. In fact, this can give people a different view of the topic. But the important thing is that you include new information and fresh tips and techniques on how to do something. If you can do this, you will sell ebooks that can bring you in a very tasty second (or even main) income.

Once you have ebooks and info products of your own, you can open up a whole new world of internet marketing. These are your ideas you can promote meaning nobody else has touched on them in just the same way. There are not hundreds of other people already approaching the idea in the same way as you are. But eventually there could be hundreds of other people promoting and selling YOUR ebook.

It is a completely different story once you have people promoting and selling ebooks for you because you are getting the credit.

Selling ebooks that are not yours can be difficult because you are selling other people’s ideas. It certainly is not easy coming up with fresh ideas and creating an ebook, but it is far more rewarding and much easier to sell.

So the secret behind selling ebooks is writing your own first. While it can be difficult creating your own ebook, (unless you have a good teacher), it can be even more difficult to sell someone else’s.

Save yourself the trouble and gain more recognition by writing and selling your own ebook.

Writing and selling ebooks of your own is now EASY! Check out the 6 week course that is changing lives! http://www.InfoProductsMadeEasy.com

Ezine Marketing: 5 Ways to Skyrocket Your Ezine Open Rate

04 2008 Friday

By Donna Gunter in Writing

Do you know the open rate for your email newsletter? The open rate is the percentage of people who actually open and read your newsletter. Most better email distribution programs can give you fairly detailed statistics about your open rate, including the percentage that opened the broadcast, the links that they clicked on (called click-throughs), the specific subscribers who opened the ezine, and in some cases, info about which issues were forwarded to others.

A good open rate is considered to be 30-40%, which means that between 30 and 40% of your list is actually reading your broadcast. That number mean seem disappointing, as you want everyone on your list to read your ezine. Unfortunately, a 100% open rate will probably never happen for most of us, as most people are simply too busy to pay close attention to the bulk of email that they receive.

If you’re using your ezine as your “stay in touch” device for your email list as the way your prospects get to like, know and trust you so that you’ll be the top of mind person they contact when they are ready to fix the problem that ails them, then you want to ensure that as many of them as possible open your ezine when it arrives. It’s a crowded world out there in the world of email newsletters and can be difficult to make yours stand out above the rest.

Here are 5 strategies you can use to increase the open rate of your ezine:

1. Publish regularly. Your list needs to be accustomed to hearing from you, so publishing on a regular schedule is important. Many studies have been done to determine the “best” day to send an email broadcast, and as soon as a bunch of email marketers follow those guidelines, then the days change again according to another study. In my opinion, it doesn’t really matter what day you choose to publish — just do it the same time every time. The more frequently you publish (preferably weekly), the more quickly your list will get to know you.

2. Personalize your ezine headline and body. What happens when you see your name in an email? You look at it, don’t you? That’s why it’s so important to use the customization features in your email broadcast program to insert your recipient’s first name in the subject line and in the body of the email. Many readers aren’t savvy to the world of Internet marketing strategies, so they think that you’ve crafted an email solely for them. And, of course, to personalize the broadcast, you need to request both a name and an email address when someone signs up for your list.

3. Create a compelling subject line. A great subject line (or headline) is just like a book cover — it will make people curious/compelled to open the email, or not. The subject lines that get the highest open rate are consistent, or are formatted in the same way each week. Secondly, they give a glimpse of what’s inside the email. Lastly, they aren’t too long — no more than 50-60 characters, which is the average subject line length that most email programs will display. I used to publish a month/year of broadcast and an issue number of my email newsletters and quickly discovered that I was wasting my subject line space. Now, I’d suggest your format to be: [Ezine name]: first name, subject line here.

4. Identify yourself to your readers. When you send an email broadcast, be sure to identify yourself in the “From” line so that the reader knows exactly who is sending the email. If you think your reader identifies more with your company name, then send it using your company name rather than your name in the From line. However, the majority of clients of small service businesses identify more with the company owner’s name, so I recommend that you use your name in the From line of your email broadcast.

5. Highly useful content. Typically most ezine recipients will give you 1 or 2 chances to make an impression on them. If they’re not “wowed” by your content, then they do one of two things — unsubscribe from your list, or let your broadcast languish in their email inbox until they get around to reading it, which may never happen. Every time you send out an issue, you’re making a first impression, as you’ve got new readers who join your list every single week. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, so ensure every issue is your best issue. Your primary article needs to answer a key question asked or issue encountered by the majority of your readers.

Despite the advent of blogs and other social networking platforms, I still believe the email newsletter is a great way to stay in contact with your prospects. By using the strategies outlined above, you’ll have more readers opening your broadcasts than every before.

Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals learn how to automate their businesses, leverage their expertise on the Internet, and get more clients online. To claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, visit her site at http://www.OnlineBizU.com. Ask Donna an Internet Marketing question at http://www.AskDonnaGunter.com.

Balancing SEO Against The Needs of Your Article’s Audience

04 2008 Thursday

By Hunter Waterhouse in Writing

Article marketing continues to be a proven method for generating traffic to our websites and developing good search placement, even after all of these years. I have been reading articles online since 1995, and I continue to read a few dozen articles per week on subjects that are dear to my heart.

Some Claim That Article Marketing Does Not Work

Now and again, I will read a thread in a forum somewhere where somebody claims that article marketing does not work.

Some article-marketing critics will admit that they have only distributed only one or two articles. Well yeah, I can see why article marketing did not work for them - because they did not work at making article marketing profitable for them.

Article marketing is like any other method of advertising. If you don’t make a real investment in it, then you cannot reap great rewards from it.

The Marketing Rule Of Seven

Advertising professionals speak of the “Marketing Rule Of Seven,” which suggests that a consumer must see your marketing message at least seven times before they start to pay attention to your message. The pros also suggest that once seven exposures have been achieved, the consumer will make a subtle, subconscious connection to the advertiser. Recognition brings rewards, in that after seven exposures to an advertisement, consumers will start to feel as if they know enough about the advertiser to trust their sales message.

If television, radio and print advertisers understand that a company’s sales message must be seen or heard at least seven times, then why would you - the Internet marketer - think that you can write a single article and see the full benefit of the medium?

Successful Article Marketing Requires A Commitment To The Reader

All commerce on the Internet is driven by information, such as written sales messages and information about products and services. Some websites also benefit from generic information concerning topics that their potential clients will be interested in reading. For example, if a website sells plumbing supplies, the consumer may find the availability of information about how to remove the old fittings and how to install the new plumbing equipment, as an essential element of their purchase decision.

Article marketing when done correctly will not be a boring, blathering of search engine optimized keywords related to a product or service line.

Article marketing, when done well, will provide information that will be of real interest to the person most likely to buy what you are selling.

For example:

If you are selling auction services, give the reader tips to help them make more money from the sale of their goods in the auction environment or how a buyer can find a good deal.

If you are selling auto warranties, tell the reader how to uncover the best value in an auto warranty plan and what features to seek.

If you are selling resume services, give the reader advice on how to write their own resume.

Article marketing when used well can help a company establish itself as an expert in the field, and it can help show a reader why hiring the author’s service might be better than a do-it-yourself project. As an example, with the resume advice article, once the reader sees how comprehensive your knowledge is and how detailed a resume should be, the reader may just decide that using your resume writing service will be much more productive than the do-it-yourself resume.

Just Like Lawyers, Writers Specialize Too

Beyond the cost of labor, content development is usually the second most expensive expenditure made by the online vendor. It is important to note that just as there are lawyers who specialize in one area of law, there are also ghostwriters who specialize in certain types of content creation.

People who write sales copy are referred to as “copywriters.” Copywriters are people who understand the nuances of how to make people buy what you are selling.

They understand that replacing a single word in the sales copy could mean the difference between lukewarm sales numbers and red-hot sales numbers, and they know which words to change.

Some professional copywriters have a proven track record of writing sales copy that has generated millions of dollars in sales - people such as Frank Kern, Dan Lok, and Joe Vitale. These guys know the value of their copywriting skills, and they charge accordingly. If you ask them to write sales copy for you, don’t be surprised when they quote you a price in the range of $5-20 per written word.

Other writers might specialize in writing books, brochures, and articles. Some writers specialize in the smaller word counts, like the folks who write greeting cards and book jackets.

Finding The Best Writer For Your Needs

The kid down the street who writes part-time for the newspaper may or may not be the best person to write your online articles for you. One reason is that people who write for offline publications seldom appreciate the importance of keywords in an article for search engine marketing purposes.

Note this article for example. Our purpose is to show you how you can use article marketing as a successful marketing tool for your business. We also want to show how the articles should appeal both to the reader and the search engine algorithms.

With these thoughts in mind, when you are finished reading this article, read it a second time to see how many variations on the following SEO keyword phrases can be found in this article: article marketing, search engine marketing, keywords, advertising, content creation, writers and copywriting. Of course, copywriting is not the kind of writing we do, but people who do not understand the specialization of writing skills might type “copywriting” or “copywriters” into their favorite search engine to find someone who writes informational articles.

One never knows precisely what the public will use as their search keywords when they go to the search engine to find information. That is the very reason why a good online article writer must strive to showcase a range of similar keywords within the context of an article.

Your Article Marketing Strategies Influence Your Overall Success

We know that some people tell you that the only reason to write an article is to get a link back to your website. What most of these people don’t tell you is that most websites that accept reprint articles do so, only after a human has reviewed or at least scanned the article.

An article that does not read well will never be published on a top-tier website. Yes, some websites may accept a poorly written article, but more sites will only accept well-written articles.

A reader who is not impressed with your article will seldom reach your resource box, so the link back in the resource box can only give value to your website from the search engines - maybe. The search engines generally only give value to articles on good websites or those placements that have lots of links pointing to the article within the website. Bad articles don’t get published on good websites, and they do not attract links.

As the Marketing Rule Of Seven should indicate, multiple articles generate a long-term wave of new links and potential visitors to your website.

Consistency is also important to a successful article marketing campaign, in that releasing weekly articles will enable your readers to see your marketing message regularly.

Finally, the smart use of a variety of related keyword phrases will strengthen the ability of your article to appeal to the search engines and the people who use them.

If you can balance the needs of your article’s audience against your need for search optimized content, then you can benefit handsomely from your article marketing campaigns.

Hunter Waterhouse is a ghostwriter and editor. Put his name in quotes and run it through your favorite search engine, to see the quality of the websites that have published his articles, and you will know that Hunter knows what he is talking about when it comes to article marketing. If you need ghost written articles, visit: http://www.reprintwriters.com If you have hired anyone to ghostwrite articles for you, confirm their honesty and the uniqueness of your articles, with the free Plagiarism Check Tool.

3 Features A Quality Article Should Have To Drive Traffic To Your Website

04 2008 Friday

By B Hopkins in Writing

Article writing and article marketing today are very effective means of getting traffic to your website. I look at articles that I have written over a year ago and still see traffic being sent to my website from these articles. The key is to write an article that is high enough quality so that web masters want to publish your articles on their web sites, and for your readers to have enough interest to go to your web site after reading your article. This article goes over the features your article should have that will achieve these results.

1. Your Article Should Provide A Solution Or Answer A Common Question

Your article should provide a solution to a common question or a problem that your target audience has. You can easily research questions that your target audience has by going to places such as yahoo groups or yahoo answers to see what people are discussing and wanting help with. Another great place is to find great topics is to search for niche forums within your target market and see what questions people are asking in these forums. This exercise will give you a goldmine of very relevant data that you can use as subject material for your articles that will be valuable to your readers.

2. Your Article Should Leave The Reader Wanting More

Your article should be useful and provide valuable content, but let’s face it, you can only do so much in an article, even if it’s 750 words or so. You should write your article so that the reader feels like they have received some value, however your article has now generated greater interest, and they would like to know more. I have found that using lists such as (”The Top 5 Things People Can Do To Relieve Stress”) and then make it clear to the reader that there are 5 additional things they can do that are also just as effective as the things listed in your article, is a good way to create further interest in the subject.

3. Your Article Should Give The Reader A Strong Call To Action

Your article should end by giving the reader a strong call to action. This is telling the reader where they should go to get more information (the rest of the stress reduction tips). Creating a strong call to action in the conclusion and stating it strongly in the resource box is a powerful way to create your call to action. Remember, your article is not a sales letter, so the call to action is really the only place that you have to get the reader to go to your website, sign up for your mailing list, call you on the phone, or anything else you want them to do.

If you are going to set up your call to action in the conclusion, then you should make sure you recap the article, and then just add a sentence or two that brings up a question or similar thought that would cause the reader to want more information. Most English teachers are probably rolling over in their graves right now, but you are writing your article to get more traffic to your website, not to win an essay competition.

A quality article will be published by others more often as well as demonstrate to your readers that you know what your talking about, so they would feel comfortable finding out more about what you would have to say on your particular topic. It is relatively easy to find topics that will be of interest to your target market, as well as structuring your call to action so your article drives visitors to your website in larger numbers. These tips combined with other tips such as how to structure your resource box and how to use keywords in your articles increases your traffic to greater levels. These are things that you need to keep in mind when writing your articles to make them even more effective in driving traffic to your website.

Discover more tips that will teach you how to write powerful articles that will drive qualified traffic to your website. Go to an article directory and access the goldmine of information on how to write quality and effective articles.
Article Resource Directory.

Avoid Duplicate Content Penalties

04 2008 Tuesday

By Sharon Housley in Writing

Large search engines attempt to filter their search results by removing any results that duplicate the content of other search results. Such filtering is referred to as “duplicate content penalty”.

It is important to understand and identify what “duplicate content” actually is. Duplicate content is generally defined as substantive blocks of text that are copied from one site to another. Some webmasters try to use duplicated content in an attempt to manipulate and influence search engine rankings. The search community still occasionally debates the legitimacy and existence of duplicate content filters, but whether they exist today, or will exist tomorrow, is really irrelevant. Most webmasters have simply accepted the fact that the duplicate content penalty is currently enforced by at least some of the major search engines.

With that in mind, how does the search engine determine which version of the content is the original, and which is duplicated? It is difficult for the search engine to tell which website is responsible for the original version of any content, and some innocent websites might find themselves penalized or banned for including duplicated content. After analyzing the behavior of search engines, it is safe to assume that the search engines will often retain the content listing from what it considers to be the most ‘trusted’ source. They may look at the number of incoming related links, the age of the domain, or any other SEO factors that reinforce the reputation of the domain that contains the duplicated content. If one of the ‘copies’ is considered by the search engine to be from a reputable source, they my find themselves ranking well, while the actual source of the ‘original’ version may find themselves unjustly banned or penalized.

Representatives from the major search engines have all made it clear that they prefer search engines that contain unique content. Webmasters who want to avoid any current or future bans will do well to follow these simple guidelines in order to avoid duplicate content penalties:

1. Redirects

If you redesign your website, use permanent 301 redirects. Redirects are a legitimate way of routing web traffic.

2. Unique

Each page within a website should be unique. The focus of each page on a website, even if it’s similar to the theme of another page, must contain unique and original content.

3. Multi-Language

If there are multiple language versions of a website, consider using a different domain for different versions; search engines do not view an article translated into a variety of foreign languages as being duplicated content — each language version is unique content in the eyes of the search engine.

4. Unique Meta Tags

Each web page should contain unique meta tags.

5. Robots.txt

If you do have intentional duplicate content on your website, be sure to have a “robots.txt” file for your site to prevent the search engines from indexing the areas with duplicated content (or any areas of the website that you wish to remain private, for that matter).

6. Affiliate Twist

If you are promoting products or services using an affiliate program, use unique and distinctive product descriptions and web copy. If you simply use the same descriptions provided by the product owner or service provider, it’s very likely that your copy could be viewed as duplicated content.

7. Copyright

Include a copyright notice on your website.

8. Enforce

If you discover that another website is scraping your unique web content and replicating it, enforce your copyright! Use CopyScape at http://www.copyscape.com/ , or use their “copy sentry” service to receive notification of any infractions. If you discover a copyright violation, contact the website and politely request appropriate changes.

If the changes are not made in a reasonable and satisfactory amount of time, contact the ISP (web host) of the infringing site, and file a DMCA complaint with Google http://www.google.com/dmca.html .

9. Avoid Identical Content

Do everything you can to avoid serving a web page that contains content identical or closely related to another page. If for some reason you have two pages that contain identical content, use a robots.txt to block the search engines from spidering one version of the page.

Other Tools:

Duplicate Page Checker - http://www.webconfs.com/similar-page-checker.php

While it may still be debatable whether all the major search engines currently employ a duplicate content penalty, all have made it abundantly clear that they do not have any desire to provide search results that rehash the same content over and over. Actively avoid any potential penalties by taking a proactive approach to building unique content.

Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com audio recording and editing software.

Create Headings That Sell

03 2008 Tuesday

By Zoe Price in Writing

I’m sure you’ve experienced this before. You hear from a friend about a great product and you hurry over to the sales letter to read all the details. Only when you get there, something isn’t quite right. You can’t explain it, but your excitement quickly fizzles.

It only took a split second for that sales letter to make a first impression and in this example, it wasn’t a good one. No matter how much your friend talked about this product, there’s just no way you want to slap down your credit card to buy. Then, a few seconds later, you’re gone.

Obviously that product owner just lost a sale but more importantly, you were a hot prospect because you came from your friend’s recommendation. So what happened? It really boils down to two words… “Professional Image”. The more time we spend online the more these two words become increasingly important.

You see, when you are selling products online, you have to think of your sales letter very much like a storefront. If there is nothing that grabs the reader and pulls them in… they’re gone. Likewise, if something turns them off, such as poorly designed graphics, then they’re gone even faster.

You have just a few seconds to make that first impression which is where many marketers drop the ball. They work so hard on developing the product and writing the sales letter that they forget those last few crucial details that make all the difference.

That’s why designing high quality header graphics is essential. It’s all part of branding. It paints a picture of who you are and helps build trust and credibility. However, creating header graphics by yourself can be challenging… especially if you don’t have any graphical knowledge.

Normally you have to outsource it to a professional designer. Depending on how many you want, that can get costly. The worst part is, if you want to make any changes afterwards, you’ve got to pay again. That’s why I would recommend using one of the available software applications (one that is reasonably priced) that will create professional header graphics for you.

These software packages are created for the “average person” which means you don’t need to have any graphical knowledge. To create your customized headers, you simply follow the instructions, press a button and save your image.

It’s really that easy with the most simple packages. This kind of software can mean the difference between spending all of your time trying to design your graphics the hard way or spending hundreds of dollars for a single header graphic to be created by a professional …versus… Having everything created for you so you just point, click and save. Seems like a no brainer doesn’t it?

It will be. You’ll will be very pleased with the quality of the header graphics as the majority of software packages are very professional looking. Remember, first impressions are important so make sure yours count by having an unlimited number of high quality graphic headers created for you and your business, all from one software package. There are a few on the market but shop around and check the quality of each one to ensure you get the product you are after.

To create headers that sell, check out the header software at http://header.generatorsoftware.com/x.php?af=426480

7 Really Good Bits ‘o Advice for Creating Consistent & Powerful Content

03 2008 Friday

By Lani and Allen Voivod in Writing

For business owners, lifestyle entrepreneurs, and otherwise savvy professionals, creating content to help get their message, mission, and vision OUT THERE can be daunting sometimes - especially if you don’t fancy yourself a “writer” or some other media-producing maestro.

And sometimes, we make things more complicated than they have to be. Heck, as “The Content Lovers,” we can obsess over this stuff like there’s no tomorrow. It gets in the way of taking action, and moving forward with our business and vision.

With that in mind, we offer you these seven really good bits ‘o advice for easily creating powerful and consistent content, regardless of whether you deliver it with text, audio, photos, or video. (Knowing, of course, we personally use this advice ourselves.)

1. Mine what you already have.

It’s excavation, not creation. Take content you’ve already developed - like the answers you’ve given to clients in emails, phone calls, and in person - and use those to develop content. If one person’s asking, others may be, too. Then, you not only look like an expert, but you never have to answer the question again!

2. Give ‘em bite-size chunks.

We all do it - overwhelm people with the knowledge we can share about our business or field. But at a certain point, people’s attention just turns off. Don’t try to shove 50 tons of diamonds into a 5-pound sack. Offer seekers of your content bite-sized chunks of knowledge, and the option to go deeper.

3. Leverage other people’s content to support your own ideas.

Ever hear marketers throw out headlines like, “What Steve Martin can teach you about your own marketing and branding”? They use the content generated around well-known events, ideas, people, and pop culture references as analogies to buttress their own messages. And you can do the same.

4. Use other people’s content outright.

With appropriate permission, of course, and preferably with an opinion to share. As the person who’s screening the entire realm of knowledge in your field, picking and choosing a select few to share with your audience makes you look like the expert who holds forth on the usefulness (or lack thereof) of the information out there. Be the filter. Be the trusted resource.

5. It’s about content over time.

Relationships don’t happen overnight, in love or in business. By making a list for yourself of the ideas, magnets, and solutions of your business, you can authentically share new and helpful information over the long haul.

6. Good enough is good enough.

In economics, there’s this thing called the Law of Diminishing Returns. In layman’s terms, it says that at a certain point, the effort you put into improving something will cost you more than what you get out of that effort. It’s the same with producing content. You can spend weeks, months, and years jiggering and editing and trying to get everything “just right.” Or, you can send your content out on a catapult, where it can reach your Ideal Audience, so you can get to work on your next endeavor.

7. Be conscious (and conscientious!) about what you put out into the world.

People have a way of finding content months and years down the line. This can be a very good thing…or a very, very bad one. If you’re less than impeccable with your word, it’ll come back to bite you in the proverbial posterior. As Bogie said in Casablanca, “Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life.” This is the Law of Attraction in action - what you focus on and put “out there” to the universe is what comes back to you. Act with honesty and integrity, and everything’ll be a-okay.

Good luck, fellow content creator! No matter how you choose to get your content out there - newsletters, webinars, comic strips, whatever - these seven tips will help guide you through the process of making those all-important connections with your Ideal Audience.

Remember, people aren’t sitting around trying to figure out ways to give you money. But they DO want to: learn, be entertained, find specific information, get more time, freedom, money, and pleasure, and especially AVOID PAIN AND MISERY. Help them do any or all of the above with your content, and they’ll reward you for it.

Lani & Allen Voivod, aka ‘The Content Lovers,’ help lifestyle entrepreneurs and million-dollar businesses ‘A-Ha Themselves!’ in fun and profitable ways. For immediate access to insider knowledge on more than 12 of the easiest, most effective, and most affordable ways to market your products and services for long-term success and profitability, check out “The ‘A-Ha Yourself!’ Action Guide” at http://www.epiphaniesinc.com/actionguide.php.

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