MarkTse.com Internet Marketing Blog

Featured Article By Mark Jordan Berger

There are many misconceptions between webmasters exactly what is good content. While some believe they know good content when they see it, there is a distinct difference between not only good and bad content, but also useful content and useless content.

USEFUL CONTENT: Do you really “know it” when you see it?

The Internet is a boundless playground. And while I’d like to say that the majority of these websites contains useful content, the fact of the matter is that the majority of websites on the Internet contain useless content. So when it comes right down to it, what characteristics does useful content exhibit? Can you tell the difference?

Characteristic 1: Have Someone Who Is Familiar with the Target Market Write the Content

While it’s possible to research any subject in order to write “quality content” on the subject, webmasters know the best, most useful content comes straight from the horse’s mouth. I own a website based on ceiling fans. And while it’s quite likely I could research and write all the artlces myself, I have an editor to do so. This editor fixes ceiling fans in his spare time. He answers all the questions related to ceiling fan problems on that site’s forums, and writes quality content for the website. Now, do I know enough about ceiling fans to answer technical ceiling fan related issues? Do I know enough to even reply to one post?

Perhaps. Dan’s in-depth knowledge about ceiling fans though is helping to grow that forum (which in turn brings repeat visitors to the site) and the content he writes is slowly but surely making our ceiling fans website the premier source of information related to all things ceiling fans on the web.

Characteristic 2: Long Articles with Keyword Optimization

Yes, longer articles are usually best. The longer an article, the more keywords you can fit into it, as well. Google, Yahoo & MSN all have content filters, where a certain number of words are required for the engine to even take the page into consideration. The greatest thing about writing long articles is engines (especially Google) will take all the keywords into consideration. So when you have a longer article with a great factor of keywords, you can start ranking on Google for keywords that may be in one of your articles. Even if you didn’t optimize for that keyword or nessecarily plan on ranking for it.

For example, the mentioned ceiling fans website ranks on Google now for a “litex fans” search, even though we don’t have a page on the phrase. Google simply caught the keyword phrase on one of our recently uploaded articles.

Characteristic 3: “Unique” Content

Unique content is something your website has that other websites do not. Simply researching your articles before you write them is not enough. You’ll want to offer your visitors something they can’t find anywhere else – either the lowest prices, the best files, the most up-to-date listings on whatever it is your site is about. And go RSS! Stop thinking about it and do it. Syndicating another writer’s feed (or your own) gives the writer all kinds of exposure, while at the same time gives you new self-refreshing content all the time. Googlebot is now beginning to eat up RSS too.

Characteristic 4: Return Visits

Return visitors are always the best becase you know they like you. They might even go so far as to tell others about you, if they like your website enough. But in order to capture a residual traffic margin – what can you do? The answer is always interactivity. Interactivity is anything that captures the user’s attention by asking them to interact with the environment. This could be games, forums; constantly updated bits of information such as news (sports or otherwise), etc.

But let’s expand on the etc., just to give a few people ideas. In fact, site reference is a good example:

User Feedback on Content

Site Reference has a link on each article to submit what the user thinks about the article. Likely in the future the webmaster will enable it such that when a user clicks this link, it goes straight to the post on the forums related to the article. Or perhaps if there isn’t one, it automatically enables a user to start a post on the article subject.

These kind of things enable interactivity between the user and the site, not to mention gives a link each time to said forum/forum post. Which can help to relate PR to different parts of the website as well.

Updating Feeds

RSS is great for things like sports writers because an RSS feed can keep the website updated with the latest wins, losses, etc. It’s something that is interesting, somewhat important, but really easy to do too. The latest information can spark new forum posts related to ongoing events, it gives people ideas.

Games & Pictures

The first website I ever built when I was forteen years old in grade seven, and it was about pokemon. Somehow, I made $5 one summer when a visitor purchased some books through one of my Amazon links. I think that’s what got me started on my way to E-commerce, but my pokemon site was popular among other kids because it had some games, like skateboarding and hockey. Just simple games off Yahoo. I also added new pictures all the time of new and evolving pokemon I found in the game.

I don’t think that website is around anymore, but it helps to relate the idea.
—————————————-
Click Here to Discover the Easy Way to Increase Traffic to Your Website, Convert More Cicks into Bona Fide Buyers for FREE:
==> www.marktse.com/recommend/traffic-info.php
—————————————-
Mark Berger is a 21 year old aspiring webmaster. I am always seeking new partnerships, please contact me for more information.

Featured Article By Stuart Reid

AdSense is Google’s advertising service for webmasters. WIth this you place AdSense ads on your site or Blog, and Google will pay you for each ad that is clicked.

The money earned is a percentage of that which the Advertiser paid to display the ad. The rate is a secret, and it seems to vary.

Google AdSense Ads are context based, so the ads that are shown should be related to the page they are displayed on.

Google AdSense is free to join but you must be approved by Google first.

Here’s 10 Tips on Making the Most of Adsense.

1. AdSense Sites should be designed to be Search Engine Friendly. The main goal is to get a good ranking, and to attract hits to the site. More hits = more clicks = more commissions! Good keyword research is essential, and a site full of content over multiple pages will work best. Use free or private-label articles for the content and use keyword-laden names for the site and page addresses. Of course your site must be listed at Google too. Submit a Sitemap or get your site linked from a site that is already indexed. If you can’t get a link that way, consider posting to Forums, Blogs and Directories.

2. For the best click-thru rates try to make the Google Ads blend with the content. The best way to do this is to use the larger ad formats, NOT the banner or tower ones. Incorporate these ad-blocks into your main content with a colour scheme that makes it match your site.

3. Stick to Google’s rules! You WILL have your account suspended if you don’t play fair. Providing content, with ads, is fine. Don’t try to force clicks to your ads, don’t use scripts or software to simulate clicks, and don’t try to run ads on Gambling, Porn or other illegal sites.

4. AdSense Ads can display as graphics (if available) or text. You can set this option in your preferences. Text will work better, because of point 2 above. Graphics may look more impressive, but scream “ad” to a potential clicker – so be careful.

5. Take the time to set different channels in your AdSense prefs. These are part of the tracking system and without them all your clicks will show as one. If you use multiple sites this is essential so you know where the clicks are coming from.

6. If Google doesn’t have an Ad for the content of your page they will show a public-service ad. You can overwrite this and specify an ad of your own to show. You could, for example, use an Affiliate Link. Scripts exist to replace a public-service ad with other options, such as Clickbank Ads.

7. For a page to show context-ads that page has to be in Google’s index. If more than a few of your pages end up showing the Public Service Ads consider submitting a Sitemap to Google to ensure ALL your pages are indexed. By careful use of keywords within your page it is possible to influence the AdSense algorithm to favour certain ads. You can also stop certain ads appearing on your page from your account. You can block domains (such as your competitors – you don’t want them at your site!) and you can use `section` code in your page to block keywords. This can help ensure the right types of Ads appear on your site.

8. Another source of revenue from Adsense is the `search` option. This will show the familiar Google search-box on your site, but show some sponsored (and paying) links in the search results. This Search Box is a useful addition to your page but can tempt your visitors away. A better use for this is in an exit-popup, since once someone leaves your site their first port of call is usually a search-engine to find more information. Let that search engine pay you!

9. Google is picky about how many AdSense ads are displayed on a page. Check your account for the current details. Usually you are safe with 2-3 ads, perhaps utilising Google’s Links Box as well as the usual Ads (the horizontal links format can work well). They also won’t let you display AdSense on a page with other context-ads, for example Yahoo!’s Search-Marketing system.

10. If you are a member of the Google AdWords program (where ads are placed) you can access some useful tools. For example, you can get an estimate of how many hits certain Keywords receive, and how much revenue they generate. By carefuly designing your page to use high-traffic and high-paying Keywords you can increase your revenue.

11. You can refer other people to join the AdSense program, and when they do you will earn $100 as soon as they do. There are buttons you can use from your AdSense account but Google won’t provide you with a straight link.

=============================================
Stuart Reid is the webmaster of “Ultimate AdSense”. Here you can get over 340 pre-made niche AdSense Sites and the tools and books you need to create more. Two free AdSense Sites and the “Maximising AdSense” video just for visiting –>
www.marktse.com/paydotcom/go.php?id=7303

Featured Article By Marige OBrien

Thanks to adsense, blogs, rss feeds and their listings — not to mention an arsenal of free types of advertising — it’s possible to make a very good income without spending a penny and with minimal effort. The trick is to optimize for it.

PLEASE NOTE: Though adsense may have originated with Google’s system, there are many other adsense-type programs available, all of which are as viable — some even more so — as theirs. The information included here applies to most of them.

While everyone else is busy optimizing for search engines, by optimizing for adsense, a site can feasibly pull enough traffic that simply clicks on the ads to forget about other forms of sales.

However, bear in mind that most adsense TOS agreements prevent any unfair or “fraudulent” clicking, even so much as a note saying, “click here to support this site,” which risks banishment by most adsense companies. This, of course, is to protect those adwords customers who pay to have their ads displayed. It is they who are robbed (not the companies) when an ad is clicked irresponsibly. Furthermore Google, for one, can track clicks effectively enough to detect any artificial or irresponsible clicking will garner any income received this way.

With that in mind, by understanding how adsense-type programs work, one can optimize a page, legally, to create a substantial income. And while guidelines are designed primarily focused on adsense, many of these strategies will increase a sites’ general revenue as well.

1. TOP SEARCHES

The first step is to design a site around the top searches. There are various tools (keyword selectors and zeitgeist, for example) that help gather this information. Of course, there is also the “niche marketing” school of thought, i.e., to find a smaller group that has less page-per-click competition. In this case, the ideal is to find a large audience-small page ratio. But after more than a year of marketers scouring the web for them, finding one is rare and searching for one can take a LOT of time. Not hours or days, but weeks or months.

2. HIGHEST PAYING KEYWORDS

Lists of these can be found simply by searching the internet. Of course combining the highest paying adsense keywords with Top Searches may make a very strange mix. Afterall, the top search (at the time of this writing) is Britney Spears while the top-paying words relate to mesothelioma and asbestos cancer. So, unless Britney Spears speaks out on mesothelioma, there’s little chance these could be combined legally*. But, by looking down the lists there are more feasible combinations. The main thing to understand is it’s only a combination of the two (high-paying keywords & top searches) that will bring enough traffic to garner any measurable LEGAL income from adsense.

3. PLACES, PLEASE

Placing the ads prominently on the site is a no-brainer, though some marketers still tend to hide them toward the bottom of the site. Another TOS factor, too, is a content-to-ad ratio that adsense programs used to insist on, but seem to be slipping. Generally the policy was no more than two banner ads per page though many sites that end up at the top of searches seem to flaunt this rule. But who knows how long they last, too. Traditionally, putting one banner across the top, just below the title, and one “skyscraper” down one side, with content in the middle is the best.

4. MULTI-PAGE IT

One pase allows for 2 ads, but more ads can be placed on each additional page on the site. For those lacking ideas for additional pages, the simplest page would be a separate contact page, as well as an “about us” or testimonial page, all of which are viable additions.

Incidently, it’s ironic that so many marketers create mile-long splash pages rather than a group of pages and never add one adsense ad to them. As if, by doing this, it will garner more sales, when the truth is, they sacrifice as much as gain because these pages are rarely indexed and annoy visitors as many as they attract, simply because of their set up. Understand this: adsense is a way to profit from EXIT traffic, something that WILL occur at one point or another, no matter how wonderful the page.

5. HIGHLIGHT OR BLEND

Some prefer the adsense to blend into their site, almost hiding it from visitors. But this diminishes its effectiveness. Rather, by highlighting it, visitors will be more aware of it, allowing it to stand out. Of course, we’d all prefer our visitors to stay at OUR site, buy OUR product, etc. But the fact is, many won’t. Isn’t it better to gain something from their departure?

6. ADSEARCH

This feature is only available from some of the larger adsense programs. If it is available, placing it at the bottom of a page offers the visitor the convenience of doing a search without having to first go to the SE. Of course, many SEs and browsers offer toolbars that diminish the effectiveness of this. But adding it will create another exit point that is to your advantage– and seems like a service, too.

7. AFRAID OF COMPETITION?

Some adsense programs offer a “block competition” option, one in which specific sites may be barred. However, to believe it’s possible to effectively block ALL your competition is naive. Though it may at first seem outrageious to help advertise for the competition, again, at least one will gain from their advertisement (and, for those who need payback remember: the competition is paying you).

Each of these strategies increase a site’s adsense revenue. By using all of them, the adsense ads will create a steady revenue stream which will increase with the site’s traffic stream.–mo

*Also, this combination uses Google’s rates, which may vary in other adsense programs.
———————————————————
Are you happy with what your website is earning? What if I told you I knew someone who makes $19,156 a month just from AdSense? You need to see this:
==> www.marktse.com/recommend/adsense-videos/
———————————————————
MARIGE O’BRIEN works as a writer, web designer and Internet Marketer. Visit her newly re-designed website, Tracker Mo’s Den (www.trackermo.com) for her latest recommendations in i-marketing tools and biz opps. Sign up for her own 100% original newsletter, Tracker Mo’s Report.
———————————————————
You may reprint this article for free by reserving the resource box. Thanks