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Webmasters struggle everyday with the question of how they should advertise their website. There are so many advertising venues; it is hard to know which is the right venue or the right combination of advertising venues.

The answer to this question is actually simple. The right venues are the ones that allow you to earn enough sales from the placement of your advertisement to make a profit. Your advertisement should earn more money for you than it cost for you to buy the advertisement.

Choose Your Words Carefully

“If it takes a lot of words to say what you have in mind – give it more thought.” — Dennis Roth

With advertising of any type, you must learn to choose your words carefully.

Most online advertising is in the form of a classified ad. With a newspaper, you can choose any size of advertisement to communicate your message to readers. The newspaper charges you based on the number of words in your classified ad.

Online, you don’t get the option of buying additional words. Instead, you buy an ad, and the publisher tells you how many words or characters you are allowed to use in your advertisement.

Here is how the different search advertising options break down:

ExactSeek.com through the ISEDN.org network:
Headline Length: 30 characters
Description: 100 characters

Google Adwords through Google.com:
Headline Length: 25 characters
Description first line: 35 characters
Description second line: 35 characters

Overture.com through the Yahoo network:
Headline Length: 40 characters
Description: 190 characters

As you can see from these numbers, you generally do not have that much space to tell your story so you need to select words that best tell your story, using as few words as possible.

Most products or services cannot be sold in just a few words so your goal should be to get people to your website and let your website do the selling.

On your website, you can tell your story in the way it needs to be told. Your website can also answer all of the questions that the reader might have about your products or services.

Choosing The Right Formula For Your Advertising

In your own mind, you might think that people need to know all of your credentials. But, advertising should not be viewed as a “brag fest”. People do not care what you have done; they only care about what you can do for them.

So tell them how you can help them and give them a reason to visit your website for more information.

If you understand why your customers buy your products and services, then you can answer their questions and help them solve any problem they might have.

If you can solve their problems, they will buy what you are selling.

Pre-Qualify Your Visitors

If you are engaged in PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising, you definitely need to pre-qualify your visitors in your advertising. Why pay for people to visit your website if they are not likely to buy what you are selling?

If you are engaged in selling wholesale products to retailers, why would you want to pay for visitors people whose sole intention is to buy one of what you are selling at retail prices? You wouldn’t, would you?

Provide enough detail in your advertisement to help people make an informed judgment as to whether you can actually help them accomplish what they want to accomplish.

Give your prospect enough information to skip your advertisement, if he or she will not benefit from your offer.

Even if you are using other types of advertising like pay-for- inclusion, you will still want to pre-qualify your visitors, because if you don’t, it will skew your website conversion numbers. Too many unqualified visitors to your website might give you the erroneous idea that your sales copy is not performing as well as it should.

Use Power Words In Your Advertising

“Let thy speech be short, comprehending much in a few words.” —
Aprocrypha

Copywriters are always talking about “power words” or “power phrases”. These are word combinations that influence the reader to take an action.

One example of using power words in your copy is to substitute the word “children” for the word “kids”. Parents are more influenced by the reference to children than they are by the reference to kids.

“Guaranteed” is another power word. It gives your reader an added incentive to buy what you are selling. Prospects take comfort in the idea that if they discover later that they have made a bad decision, they can always get their money back.

“Proven” is another power word. It tells your reader that you can back up what you are saying with “proof”. Your prospect can see “scientific” or empirical “evidence” that you are telling the “truth”. These are more power words for the person who is paying attention.

Power words attract attention, spur reader curiosity and compel readers to take the action that you want them to take.

Pay More Attention To Your Headline

The 25 to 40 characters that are available to you for your headline are the most important part of your advertisement, hands down.

On most websites, the headline is in bold print. The truth is your prospect will not see your description at all, if their attention is not captured first by your headline.

“Speak properly, and in as few words as you can, but always plainly; for the end of speech is not ostentation, but to be understood.” — William Penn

Test and Track Your Results

If you do not take the time or effort to track your advertising, you will never know what is, or is not, working for you.

Set up different landing pages for your ads to determine which ads are producing results and which ads are failing to deliver on their promise.

This one step will save you more money than you can imagine. It will allow you to dump the dogs and build upon your successes.

Shades Of Gray

Ad tracking will enable you to pinpoint the effect of the slightest changes in wording and presentation.

Changing one word in your headline or description could make the difference between selling one unit and selling 500 units, but without a tracking system that might never be apparent.

Let’s compare two headlines:

* Read Our Wealth Tips,

* Read Our Wealth Secrets.

Which of these two headlines is more compelling to you?

Do you see how much of a difference one word can make in your copy?

Play around with your copy to find text that is more likely to compel your reader to visit your website.

The words you use in your copy can make all of the difference in the world.

Stand Above Your Competition

The PPC advertising companies are going to hate me for telling you this, but you don’t need top placement in their search advertising results, if your ad is written better than the ads of your competitors.

The company with the most compelling headline is going to draw the attention of the reader. It’s not uncommon for the advertisement in position five or six to get the click because of a compelling headline and an attention grabbing description.

Fortunately for you, most of your competitors probably do not understand how to write an effective advertisement. This will allow you to quickly jump to the head of the class without spending more money for those higher spots in the PPC bidding process.

Start Small and Take Care With Your Advertising Budget

When you are testing new advertising copy, you should start small. You don’t want to spend $1 a click in a pay-per-click advertising venue, using an advertisement that hasn’t been tested or proven successful. To do otherwise is a waste of valuable resources.

Google Adwords ( http://adwords.google.com ) and Yahoo’s Overture( http://www.overture.com ) systems both require you to start your bidding at five cents a click.

At http://www.7search.com , you can buy advertising for as little as one cent per click.

At http://www.ExactSeek.com, the founding member of the ISEDN
(http://www.ISEDN.org), you can build an ad around a specific keyword phrase for as little as $12 per quarter or $36 per year. Your ad is then displayed through more than 200 ISEDN member websites.

After You Have Mastered The Art Of Advertising

After you have mastered the art and science of advertising, you will learn the most important lesson of all.

All venues can produce exceptional results, if you have written a compelling and effective advertisement.

When you write effective advertising copy, you will be able to convert anyone’s traffic into sales.

Author:  Bill Platt is the owner of http://thePhantomWriters.com He has been ghost writing articles for clients since 1999. And he has been providing his article distribution service since 2001. Bill can be reached by phone from 9:30am to 6pm CST, Monday through Friday at: (405) 780-7327. If you would like to learn more using article marketing to promote your online business, Bill’s website is a treasure trove of information. You may now register at his site to receive daily, weekly or monthly summaries of the articles he distributes for his clients.

The old cliché is wrong. All our lives we’ve heard, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it.” That may occasionally be true, but for the most part it’s what you say AND how you say it. Case in point: Announce It!, a custom candy-bar-wrapper manufacturer, had copy on their home page that was acceptable. It mentioned pretty much all the important things a site visitor would need to know about ordering candy wrappers. Yet the copy wasn’t pulling as well as it should have been.

The Problems

The target audience consists mostly of women. In addition, these women order favors for special occasions. That means (stereotypically speaking) you have people who ask a lot of questions and are especially cautious of buying something they can’t touch, feel or see (in person) for use at a major life event. Communication (what the copy says as well as how it says it) is vital.

The text had to convince women that they could trust “Announce It!” to produce something they would show off in front of all their family and friends for important occasions such as birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, weddings, showers and more. That meant answering the questions these women have as well as instilling confidence that their party favors would be the hit of the event.

Technically, the copy was OK. But it lacked excitement. No, not hype… excitement. It needed to reach out to women and make them feel welcome while also reinforcing that “Announce It!” was the perfect solution for them. You can see the original text here:.

As I’ve always said, you never want to “we” all over your copy. The content needed to speak to the site visitor, not talk about the company. The old text was full of “we” and “our” and hardly even acknowledged the site visitor.

From a search engine standpoint, the site was bouncing around a good bit. According to the site owner, “For a long time, I held the #1 position for many of my keywords. As search engines evolved, my site started bouncing. It was time to hire a professional.”

The Solution

The plan was to make the text more inviting and supportive while providing information that was easy to immediately identify. I wanted to help “Announce It!” differentiate itself from other candy-bar wrapper and favor sites. That meant making important benefits clearly visible. In addition, a glimmer of excitement would be added to the copy to get the women in the mood to buy.

A complete change of focus for the copy would also happen. Rather than “we” and “us” the copy would be directed toward the visitor while still communicating important benefits about buying from the company.

Lastly, correcting an elementary mistake would help the copy read better and assist with SEO. The hope with SEO was to give “Announce It!” some stability, as it had a history of bouncing back and forth between the first and second pages in the SERPs.

The overall goal was to increase conversions for this site. As the site owner herself said, “Without conversion, your rankings don’t mean as much. You really have to convert the visitors once they get to your page.” Oh so true!

First I introduced you to Announce It!, an online candy-bar-wrapper manufacturer that was seeking professional help with their search engine copywriting. Facing an audience that consisted primarily of women who were purchasing favors for special occasions, “Announce It!” copy had to be spot-on with its communication. The primary problems were that the copy did not convey a sense of excitement or answer all the questions customers might have. It also focused too heavily on the company rather than communicating with the site visitor.

Let’s see how the changes were worked into the copy and what the results were.

The Rewrite

You can see the original copy at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/customcandybarwrapper-original.pdf and the revised copy at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/customcandybarwrapper-new.pdf.

Headlines are one of the most important elements of advertising copy and of search engine optimization. The original web page didn’t have any type of headline — a fundamental mistake that needed to be corrected. The introduction of the text now begins with using a key phrase and stating a benefit. The headline reads:

Creative, Custom Candy-bar Wrappers Designed To Make Your Event a Hit!

Since “Announce It! key phrases all deal with candy-bar wrappers, it’s obvious that visitors who find this site are already familiar with the general product. (At least to the point of knowing what a custom candy-bar wrapper is.) The question they still have is, “Why should I buy from “Announce It!” instead of all the other candy-bar-wrapper sites?”

As the visitors read on through the copy, they find reassurance that their idea of using custom-designed candy-bar wrappers is a good one. Visitors are also provided with several benefits available from Announce It! that other companies don’t offer. For the sake of scan-ability, bullet points are used to further highlight differentiating factors about Announce It!. (Low minimum orders, free color proofs, free photo inclusion, etc.) This all helps to clearly explain why this site is the better choice over others the visitor may have gone to previously.)

Because the product itself is graphic, it was important to retain the product images used on the original home page. Certainly, customers would expect to see samples of the wrappers. However, to create a greater impact, each image was captioned with a short bit of occasion-specific, persuasive, keyword-rich copy. For instance:

“Custom candy wrappers are a truly creative way to send your retiree off in style.”

The finished product now speaks directly to the site visitor, sounds more professional, outlines important benefits and uses key phrases in an appropriate way so as not to hinder the natural flow of the copy.

The Results

The results showed improvements in both conversions and rankings. According to “Announce It!” their conversion rate quadrupled! They also report, “[The copy] has really made a difference in the way the site is perceived and how the customer reacts. I have gone from a one-person operation to a full-fledged business with five employees. The traffic and orders continue to increase every year!”

You couldn’t ask for much better than that!

Author:  Copy not getting results?  Learn to write SEO and online copywriting that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Already know how to write, but need help using keywords?  Get Karon’s report “How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy)” at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.

Many companies’ help lines are usually crowded with customers trying to find an answer for their questions. Some of these questions are legitimate; others seem to be made just to annoy the help staff. FAQs are supposed to prevent such situations by offering potential help line “customers” the chance to find the information they are looking for on their own, without necessarily picking up the phone or sending e-mail.

What Are FAQs?

FAQ is the abbreviation for Frequently Asked Questions. FAQs are organized “collections” of valuable information that usually comes from questions (and their corresponding answers) for the most common issues raised by users, on various topics. Companies make up such information compilations in order to fulfill their customers’ need for answers.

They are also a means to ease the burden of the customer support group by providing answers in written form to the most commonly asked questions.

FAQs can be available online or offline, burnt on CDs or DVDs. The second choice is more viable for people who don’t have access to the Internet, though this is a highly unlikely situation.

Writing an FAQ

Why should you write an FAQ?

The most common advice when it comes to writing FAQ documentation is that, if you have some experience in a particular field, if you have ever come across issues that you finally managed to solve, it’s good to let other people know it too. FAQs are basically about sharing information in a non-selfish manner.

When you submit your FAQs to the appropriate newsgroups, you stand a good chance of getting good feedback on your work, and thus your efforts will be rewarded.

An FAQ will almost automatically make you an “expert” (more or less) in your field. People will contact you and will help you maintain your FAQ up-to-date either by asking yourself more questions (in this case you’ll have to do some research and update your work), or simply by getting hold of more relevant information, based on their own experience that can be added to your FAQ.

What should you write about?

The possibilities are endless. Practically, any subject will do. There will always be questions, let’s say, regarding the compatibility between a particular piece of hardware and some software, or about configuration errors, etc. If you figure out which could be the most common problems and you have the answers for them, just go ahead and write.

Special considerations

It’s a good idea to include a disclaimer in your FAQ. You should mention there things like the fact that, that as far as you know, the information provided in the FAQ is accurate (or was accurate at the time you posted the respective FAQ on the Web or in a newsgroup), but that you cannot be held liable for any inconvenience caused by following those instructions or using that information.

You can also copyright the information in the FAQ that you submit for public use. Specify the terms under which the information can or can’t be used without your specific consent, under penalty of law. It can give you the legal basis just in case.. Yet, experts say that this usually does not work since there are numerous companies that gather loads of FAQs from directories on the Web, burn them on CDs or DVDs, and then sell them.

A Few Tips for Writing FAQs

When you set out to write an FAQ, it is good to follow a few guidelines. Among these, we consider that it’s worth mentioning:

• Put yourself in your audience’s shoes; figure out what questions might be asked and provide the answers that you’d like to hear/read
• Mind your grammar and spelling; always remember to review what you write, or have somebody else do it for you
• Be concise enough to offer the necessary information in the least amount of words and time, but don’t be as concise as to leave the reader under the impression that they have gained nothing by reading what you have written. Check also an article about writing good software documentation
• Remember to use bullets when you have lists

Author:  Adriana Iordan, Web Marketing Manager at Avangate B.V. Avangate is a complete ecommerce provider for shareware sales incorporating an easy to use and secure online payment system plus additional software marketing servicesand sales tools.

Newspapers, both online and print, are inundated with hundreds of press releases every day. With that kind of capacity, you’ve really got to make sure that yours stands out from the pack if you want it to catch the eye of the editors and make it in front of their readership.

Don’t start at the top

One of the best ways to increase your chances of getting published is to hunt down the person at the newspaper who cares about what you’re trying to say. The editor-in-chief probably doesn’t have the time to look over every press release that comes in, and if you’ve got a press release about a new pet product, chances are that the business editor won’t care too much.

Whether you’ve got a story that needs to get into the right hands, an unusual topic that needs a special reporter, or you just want better coverage for your piece, finding the right person at the newspaper can make all the difference.

Good things take time

Unfortunately, building a press list is not exactly an instantaneous process. Finding the right person at a newspaper can take quite a bit of time and research, but if it can get your press release wider distribution, it will all be worth it.

In addition, you’ll have the contact information for future releases, and if you’ve treated your newspaper contact right, then you’ll have an established relationship, which could be mutually beneficial in the long run.

Search for similar stories

Initially, try searching Google News and Yahoo News to locate individual reporters who might be interested in your story. If you’re looking on a national level, look for people who have written several articles on subjects similar to yours, without a regional focus.

Don’t just look at titles, and don’t just look at one story. Actually read the stories to get a feel for the writer and the tone they take. That will help you make your decision about who to send your release to.

Broaden your focus

Think outside the box. You may have a press release that hits multiple categories. For instance, a technologically advanced gizmo that vaporizes dog poop would probably be of interest to both a pet writer and a technology reporter.

One exception to that rule is writers who work for the same publication. Tempting as it may be, don’t send your release to more than one writer at a publication. This is a serious faux pas, and will build a very bad foundation for future press relationships. Rather, take the time to figure out whose style best fits your piece, and send it to them.

Make it easy for them to contact you

Above all, make sure that no matter what, your contact information is clearly printed on every press release you submit. Few things are more frustrating to a reporter than having a good press release and no way to contact the company for more information about it.  

Searching for the right person is going to take a long time. But finding the right person for your press release will make it a lot easier to promote your business in the long run. Ensuring your release gets into the right hands is an investment that’s well worth the time spent.

Author:  Jessica Cox and Michelle Pierce are graduates of the University of Oklahoma’s College of Journalism with a background in Internet marketing and writing for the Web. They currently provide PR services at Xeal Precision Marketing. Sign up for a free 25-point website evaluation and pick up crucial tips at Xeal’s free Thursday webinar at http://www.xeal.com/webinar.

Did you know that publicity is supposedly seven times more effective than advertising? And it is free – that is if you do it yourself. If you know the elements of writing a good media release to capture the attention of journalists, you can cash in on no cost editorial coverage. Here’s a few tips to help you write a media release.

The Beginning

The first and most important thing is to have something interesting to say. Consider your USP – just like in sales. It’s your unique selling proposition. After all publicity is “selling”. You are selling a story idea to the media. I like to call it the unique shining point. It really needs to stand out, shine, be compelling – not an advertisement, not a boring product plug.

Another element that will really hook the journalist in is to consider the ESP the emotional selling point. Often it is the human element in the story that will capture the reader’s attention therefore the attention of the media. Think about what your story is. What is your background? Have you overcome any obstacles to get where you are today? Any achievements or milestones? Where is the human interest?

What’s more compelling? An announcement about a wedding limousine service, or the 30th anniversary both in marriage and business of the couple who run the service? This is a story I helped someone uncover in a seminar I conducted. The couple later went on to get a full page color photo and editorial story in a wedding supplement in their local paper – for free, just by working out the human element of interest to readers.

WIFM

What’s in it for me? Or what is in it for them. How does your product or service help others? You media release needs to state that key element. How will the reader benefit?

It’s uninteresting to just say, “Jones & Smith Accountants today announced the launch of their revolutionary new accountancy software package… Better to state – small businesses now have a better way to measure, monitor and manage the costs involved in running their business, thanks to Jones & Smith’s new online measurement & analysis accounting system.

The Heading

Write a catchy headline with a short, punchy phrase. Observe how headings are written in newspapers and magazines. You need to grab the reader’s attention. Of course that is if you are planning to post your media release snail mail with your product sample or full media kit. But most releases these days are emailed. However, the same principles apply. Use a compelling subject heading or the journalist will simply hit delete. Make it provocative.

The Content

Have a bright opening; start with your strongest point first. Instead of the conventional “today announced that” lead, you should make your release stand out from the crowd with a strong, compelling lead paragraph. As editors and journalists get so many releases every day, you only have seconds to grab their attention. The first paragraph is where your important information goes but it needs to be written in an exciting, creative, interesting way.

Consider the 5 W’s – Who, What, When, Where, Why; This is an easy formula to remember when writing your release but it is still not enough without some “zing” or compelling elements to “hook” the reader in.

Again - how does it help? Remember the benefit to the reader and perhaps include some “how to” tips on whatever your product or service is.

Use memorable quotes; either of you or someone well-known who can endorse your product. Quotes are often used by the media as they make the story more “real” or personal. A good quote can include why you’ve started this business or developed your product or how it helps your target audience.

The Format

Title it “Media Release” and always include the date. Include your contact details of telephone, mobile, email and website address. Use letterhead and keep the content to one page – any more and you will lose the journalists’ attention. When using email, cut and paste into the body of the email – don’t send an attachment.

The Contact

Send your release to the appropriate person – be sure to do your research. Check that the “food editor” is still just that and not now the “finance editor”. Find out the name of the person and their direct email.

Always follow up with a phone call or email and keep your media liaison consistent. If you provide good information you are not a nuisance, you are providing a service. Journalists and editors need our information to fill their newspapers, magazines and radio shows.

Supply a creative photo or suggest a photo opportunity that will add to the impact of having your information publicized.

Gaining publicity in the media will help you become known as an expert in your business field; it will enhance your image and reputation and help you to grow your business.

Author:  Sue Currie, the director of Shine Communications Consultancy and author of Apprentice to Business Ace – your inside-out guide to personal branding, is a business educator and speaker on personal branding through image and media. Sign up for free monthly tips on personal and professional PR at http://www.shinecomms.com.au/contactmanager/default.cfm and learn more about how you can achieve recognition, enhance your image and shine.

Everyone is a bit skeptical of anything they read on the internet. I, for one, am leery of almost any claim or offer I come across. Therefore, while writing persuasive website content, I find it is important to think of what appears suspicious or convincing on the websites that I come across. Often, it is not just an enticing deal that will persuade a reader like myself on the internet. I will almost always look for some verification of authenticity. These are some of the things I look for:

Credible testimonials. Un-attributed or unrealistic testimonials often do the opposite of what they should do. A specific name or some other identifying blurb (hometown, occupation, etc) is reassuring. The best testimonial is a comment left by a user, complete with email address and contact information. On retail or auction sites where products are being sold, a testimonial from an actual user is much more persuasive, even if it is partially negative.

Balance Strengths and Weaknesses: You always want to write about your strengths. That’s a given. You need to tell the reader why, and how you will be the best provider they’ve ever had. However, everyone is saying that. Everyone claims to be the best and the brightest. So, to stand out, and make yourself sound legitimate, sometimes you might want to throw in a few of your weaknesses. Nothing that would scare off the customer, mind you, but do say what your minimal faults are. For example, if you are a realtor, tell them how you will look out for their best interests and work hard to find your client the best new home in City X. Then, maybe throw in something about how you are only licensed to practice in City X, so therefore you give that city and market your full attention. Or, throw in something about how you are a dedicated family man/woman and while you will work tirelessly for the client, you also find that a balanced personal and family life helps you serve your customers better. There is a fine line to walk here, so tread slowly and carefully and have a third-party review your claims.  

Guarantees. Although I have never actually asked for my money back from a product, it gives me a sense of security to know that there is little risk involved if I make a mistake. Most other customers feel the exact same way. Although they have no intention of actually getting a refund if the product doesn’t meet their expectations, they feel a company must be confident in their product to offer a money-back guarantee.

Legal Information. This should not be in the forefront of the content, but a visible link or fine print shows that a company is legitimate and responsible. Few people have the patience to actually read the legal information, but its absence is always jarring. Providing legal information is like offering a contract to a customer and without it, the transaction seems shady and unofficial.

Details, details, details. No one is going to buy a product or sign up for a service that is vague. It is important to repeat benefits and qualities, but it is doubly important to not limit the information to selling points. Often times, a product seems appealing but a customer has questions or worries about certain aspects. Few readers are willing to go to great lengths to contact a company with their questions before buying, rather they’ll just change their mind. Provide ready details for customers that might be interested. Include a Frequently Asked Questions section. Provide contact information, and of course reply promptly to any questions before a customer loses interest.

Dispel myths. Anticipate your customer’s doubts and allay their fears before they fully develop. A skeptical customer will be especially wary, but if you beat them to the punch they will be both impressed and comforted. Keep your finger on the pulse of current consumer scares and address these issues directly, rather than avoiding the topic. I.E. Assure a customer that their credit card information will be safe (give details why,) acknowledge scam artists on the internet and disassociate yourself from them, advertise a product as improved or renovated (if there were previous complaints about the product.)

In the age of identity theft, unfair business practices and general customer uneasiness, the majority of persuasiveness in web content is gaining trust and making a customer feel comfortable with their transaction. Think of what makes you feel secure, and give that to your readers and customers.

Author:  Devin Hansen: Owner of SEO Copywriters, an American company specializing in unique, quality content.

It all started when I chose to ’stumble upon’ my own article in my blog, Kolkata Musing. The article was a humorous post - Effect of worms and viruses - of just 16 words accompanied by a fun photo taken from Funlok that showed a skeleton of a computer mouse.

I didn’t plan the action. It was a Sunday, and so I thought let me give it a try. Earlier too I ’stumbled upon’ my articles in categories like Offbeat News but no noticeable traffic resulted.

The same was the trend when I tried my luck with other social biggies like Digg and ‘del.icio.us’ . Reason enough for me not to expect much when I made this new effort with StumbleUpon.

What happened then was simply delicious. Within 15 minutes of my posting in SU the first torrent of visitors started rushing to my site. This continued unabated for the next 2 hours.

Since I use PMetrics stats apart from MyBlogLog and Google Analytics, it has been easy to precisely track the onrush of visitors.

What did I find? Well, it proved to be a test of sorts for me using a raging social network site, and the results have been fascinating. Here are my findings recapitulating the events that ensued as the visitors came rushing in from StumbleUpon:

1. Not all categories attract instantaneous visitors, certainly not the ones like World News or Offbeat News unless the postings are truly eye-catching or jaw dropping. In welcome contrast categories like Humor or Bizarre or suchlike have comparatively high rate of success in SU. After this posting in Humor I did another in Bizarre with similar success.
2. Nothing can take away the importance of heading and description. Both should be such that there is an air of suspense in them prompting visitors to vigorously click the link to your site to find more.
3. The main action doesn’t last for more than a couple of hours, which conveys to me that as long as the story remains on the first page of StumbleUpon’ s related category, there will be a torrent of visitors. Thereafter it’s a steady trickle petering out gradually.
4. Most visitors don’t stay more than a minute. Perhaps that is perfectly in order because they come to a site they’ve never visited before, and do not find anything of more interest that can retain them longer. In all probability an overwhelming majority of these guests will never again put their feet in my site.
5. Do they click on other links, especially the ads when they are in my site? Sure they do, and for me that’s very important. I’ve the AdSense ads that when clicked fetch me money. After the initial stampede is over, I rush to check the AdSense figures.

   I first checked MyBlogLog stats and I found that in those 2 hours the AdSense CTR had been 11% of the page-views, which is pretty encouraging. Or is it?

   I rushed to AdSense figures and there alas only 2% conversion is shown. Which lead me to believe that Google doesn’t like sudden spurts in CTR and therefore filters out most of them.

6. Did I gain anything? My answer is nothing really. It’ll be too naive to imagine that those visitors who came hotfooted to my site from StumbleUpon and left equally hastily would come back again remembering what a great site they have been to.
7. Did I loose anything? Oh yes, the large volume of traffic gifted by SU ate away a good amount of my precious bandwidth.
8. Will I try it again? But of course I will if only to set adrenalin pumping through my body. Who knows some visitors just may come back for repeat visits..! No harm dreaming that, don’t you think? Provided of course SU doesn’t put a limit to stumbling upon my own articles.

Author:  Partha Bhattacharya specializes in content writing. This article on StumbleUpon traffic (http://www.words2content.com/ stumbleupon-traffic.html) is his one among many on content writing. His blog on search engine marketing (http://www.prioriti.in/blogs/) is a true help for small website owners.

If you know even the basics of internet marketing, you in all probability already know the benefits of article marketing.  You are most likely aware that by submitting your article to various article submission sites, your articles may get high search engine rankings for certain keywords, and you know that since these articles have a direct link to your site, you improve your traffic.  You also probably already know that overtime, with frequent submissions, you will gain multiple backlinks to your site, thus improving your website’s search engine rankings.  And most importantly, you know that article marketing drives targeted traffic to your site.  So, if you already know all of this, why aren’t you doing it?

Many entrepreneurs simply don’t have enough time to sit and write articles on a regular basis, while others don’t feel the desire to write.  Some business owners feel that they can’t effectively convey their message in writing because they don’t have the skill.  Whatever your reasons, they are, quite frankly, not good enough.  The traffic that is gained by article marketing is the most valuable kind of traffic you can get.  The individuals who read your article are people who have searched for the topic that you have written about, and if they click your link, they are interested in what you have to say, or in a product or service you describe in your article.  This is a qualified customer who is much more likely to buy from you than someone who randomly clicks on your link from another source.

So, what can you do if you are one of those entrepreneurs that have the desire to write, but lack the confidence?  My first suggestion would be to try it.  You never know, you could unleash a hidden talent.  Doing some research will help you to gain confidence in your abilities.  Read books and articles on writing, and on how to write articles that drive targeted traffic to your website.  Of course, not everyone can write effectively, and if you discover you are in this category, or if you have no time or no will to write, you still don’t have to miss out on this opportunity.  Consider hiring someone to write for you.
Outsourcing will allow you to get your message out and gain the benefits of article marketing, while saving you the effort of actually composing the article yourself.  A ghostwriter will write articles for you, allowing your name to appear as the author.  The resource box will link back to your site and the ghostwriter’s name does not appear anywhere in the article.  Since you are paying for the writer’s service, these articles will belong to you, not the writer, so you can use and reuse them as you see fit.

Of course you are the expert in your field, not the writer, so it’s always most effective if you provide the points you want to make in the article and the way you want to convey your message.  You can simply write a brief point by point synopsis of what you want included in your article and give that to the writer, or provide him/her with a voice recording with your instructions.  If you don’t even want to be this involved in the process, you could also pay the writer to research the topic you would like to have written about and have the writer submit the articles to places online that your target market frequents.  You can hire a professional Writer, or a Virtual Assistant that offers ghostwriting services.  Some Virtual Assistants also offer internet research services and many are knowledgeable about the best places to submit articles online.

Before hiring anyone to carry out your writing for you, ask for samples of their work.  You don’t want to hire someone to write articles in your name when their writing style does not suit your personality, or if you simply don’t enjoy reading their work.

In short, just about anyone can use article marketing to increase their search engine rankings and drive qualified traffic to their website.  If writing is not your forte, you don’t have to miss out on this opportunity.  Hire someone to do your ghostwriting for you, be they a professional Writer or a Virtual Assistant.  Just be sure that you are hiring the right person for the job, and that you have them writing articles on the topics that your target market would read.  Not being a writer shouldn’t prevent you from taking advantage of opportunities to drive countless potential customers to your site.

Author:  Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of Be Successful News, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business.

If you have a website and you aren’t worried about having solid, rich content, you are missing out on one of the best tools to create revenue that any website owner could have. Having a content-rich website is a must when it comes to making any money from the web these days; if you don’t have useful content on your site you don’t stand a chance to have solid revenue coming in from your site and who couldn’t use some extra money?

Article writing is one of the most solid ways of garnering traffic from the web. This can be done either by your hand or by hiring a ghostwriter to write the articles for you. This is more of an accepted practice than it seems, as not everybody has the ability to be a master writer and that is okay. After all, it is important to write articles because you want to establish yourself as an expert in your field and if your articles display a lack of writing ability that can definitely ruin your chances of being regarded as an expert.

Also, if you are going to have a content rich website that matters, you have to make sure that your writing is targeted toward a specific audience, and that it is that specific audience that is going to be going to and using your website. Create the type of website that your audience will want to bookmark. You can only do this by finding a niche and sticking to it, and catering either to a specific audience or everybody.

The only way that a person can create a content rich website is to do the research. Use research tools like overture to find out what keywords people are hitting up in search of information pertaining to your niche and make sure that you make use of the appropriate keywords when it comes to your content. Without keyword rich content, you can only hope that word of your site reaches the world by word of mouth, because when it comes time to use search engines most users will have no idea that you exist.

You can also drive traffic to your site by using the same search engine optimization techniques to create content for the article directories. Article directories are important because they gain valuable backlink traffic to your site, and people will move from the article to the site with ease. This is an excellent and cost effective way of helping to drive website traffic to your site, because most article directories are free and if you have time, there are tons and tons of directories that you can submit articles to. As a matter of fact, some services will even distribute your articles to the directories for you, so you won’t have to worry about having to go through the trouble.

No matter how you use your article content or whether you choose to do it yourself or hire a ghostwriter, there are certain things that a content rich website should and should not include in order to be the most effective for its intended use just as there is a certain way to go about it.

First of all, make sure to write in short, concise sentences that any reader can easily understand without having to decipher through a million and one punctuation marks. Use words that people all over can understand and try to keep it free of slang or words that only appeal to people from a certain area of the world or United States; unless they are pertinent to the particular audience you are looking to get the attention of.

Also, if you want to keep your reader moving through your article, be sure to write in short paragraphs of just a few sentences and include as many lists, headings, and bulleted points as you can; this gets the attention of the reader the most and makes your content jump out and matter.

Creating rich content for your website is what is going to matter in the end. Colorful pictures and a real purpose are great, but rich content that gets traffic is key to the success of any type of website out there. Be sure to make your content as rich as it can be, and you will find that you have more traffic than you ever thought possible.

Author:  Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of Be Successful News, a site that provides information and articles on how to succeed in your own home or small business.

There are basically three types of content you can use for your site. Fluff, leased, or custom. All three have their pros and cons, but which would work best for ranking well with Google and the other major engines? Let’s first explore the definitions of this varied content:

Fluff: Written cheaply by non-native-speaking writers, and used to fill up a web site with inexpensive content.

Leased:Identical articles that are well-researched and written, but sold to numerous web sites.

Custom: Well-researched, authoritative content that is tailored specifically to meet the needs of you and your business.

Fluff content is fine for businesses just starting out. It helps you to at least get a place in the race to the top of the search engines, but for long-lasting results, fluff just won’t cut it. The wording is often choppy, incoherent, and doesn’t achieve your primary goal which is customer conversion. Also, if the content of your site is sloppy, it will not instill confidence in a potential customer.

Leased content works well because it is professionally written, topical, and easy to find.

Search engine algorithms favor content that has keywords and phrases that are strategically placed but those words and phrases must also be imbedded in text that is lean and carefully crafted for consistent results.

The drawback of leased content is that it can be found in a wide variety of other websites and cannot meet the unique needs of your business or specifically target the audience that you want to attract.

Custom ContentCustom content is content that has been professionally crafted to feature the keywords and phrases that you and an SEO expert have chosen to rank well with search engines and attract your target audience. The strengths of custom content are:

Specificity 

You can consult a copywriting firm to construct your content exactly the way that you want it to convey the unique products and services that your business offers and organically build the rank of your site which leads to lasting results.

Readability

Custom content will engage the reader and invite them to read further which entices them to linger at your site and explore the other content.

Credibility

Custom content immediately lends legitimacy and lasting brand recognition to your site because discerning readers can see that you have taken the extra steps to tailor your message specifically to them.

Lasting Results

Web statistics consistently suggest that the best way to earn placement on that key first page of search results and retain your ranking is customized content.

As search engine bots become more and more sophisticated, keyword stuffing and other gimmicks get sniffed out and dismissed because they do not offer the reader any rewards for investing their time.

So, how do I hire a quality content writer? Sure, anyone can write and practice keyword stuffing. You see it on hundreds of sites everyday, full of fluff-content that was written cheaply, and reads cheaply. Even the most basic conventions of writing are abandoned, simply to reach a high word count. Because of this, readers are having a hard time finding good, quality content. They want information, not gobbledygook.

Ask for Samples

The first rule in hiring a good content writer is reviewing their work. Ask for writing samples, as well as references. They should know the basic conventions of writing, and excel in creating informative, easy-to-read content that people will understanding.

Work EthicGood content writers, like any job, should also have a good work ethic. Meaning, they respond quickly to emails, meet deadlines, and keep in constant communication with the customer. People that are conscientious and prompt in their correspondence are likely to be quick and efficient in their work. This reduces the chances of procrastination as well. A good content writer will use the entire time to work on an assignment and produce good, thorough copy, while a sloppy or lazy writer will wait until the last moment and squeak in an unpolished product right before the deadline.

You Get What You Pay ForAs the old saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” There are plenty of desperate writers out there that will work for peanuts, but it is an investment to hire a more proficient writer at a higher rate, and you will have much better results on your investment. If you need quick, cheap content, then there are plenty of people willing to produce it. But again, if it is written cheaply, it will read cheaply. 

Knowing the AudienceA good content writer should also have a feel for their audience. Any good writer can complete an assignment, but someone that is in tune with their audience can connect with readers much better by tailoring their copy specifically to them. A sympathetic writer should be able to imagine a piece of writing from the audience’s perspective and detect what that reader wants or needs from it. This comes from in-depth interviews with the client, and really learning what message they want to convey to their readers.

TrustworthyLastly, a good content writer should be trustworthy. While representing a company or employer, a writer must be privy to certain information in order to write effectively. Make sure the writer you are hiring has a good business ethic and won’t turn his back on you or exploit your ideas one he is gone. Although it is possible to work with someone and still withhold sensitive business tactics or information, it is much easier to work with someone that can be trusted in an open correspondence. And even if you do trust the writer, it is always smart to get a signed contract.

Author:  Devin Hansen is the owner of SEO Copywriters, a web-content development company based in Illinois . With a staff of American writers and editors, they produce high-quality, unique content for any business in any industry.