It is often much easier to drive traffic to your website in areas where the competition is relatively low. the best way to accomplish this is to focus on tightly defined niche markets related to your line of business.
Ideally you can find a market which has strong search volume with low competition. One of the most effective way to drive traffic to your website in these cases is by publishing unique niche articles.
Niche articles are simply articles that are designed to focus on one particular niche-related keyword or keyword phrase so that it makes good use of the interest and demand within this niche. For example a broad market might be "mahjong".
If you attempt to drive traffic to a site you have developed on "mahjong", you may have a difficult time due to the high level of competition in this market.
However if you decided to focus on a subset of this market such as "Japanese mahjong sets", you will almost certainly find that you will have much better and much faster results.
If you develop niche articles which discuss different aspects of "Japanese mahjong sets", you will find it much easier to get your articles and target web pages indexed by the search engines and ultimately your website will rank highly for different search terms related to this niche market.
The important thing to keep in mind is that you always want to develop unique niche articles for the keyword you are targeting. This is because the search engines look very favorably on fresh content that is relevant and unique as opposed to information which has already been written about or articles that are simply copied from one place to another.
You should always try to write completely new articles when seeking to rank high for specific niche markets rather than making minor modifications of existing content that has been published elsewhere on the Internet. Not only do you risk plagiarism by copying other people's content (unless you have specific permission to do so) but your results in terms of search engine ranking and traffic delivery to your website will not be nearly as effective.
So, if you want to drive targeted traffic to your website, start slicing and dicing the market into its respective niches and then start writing your own unique articles with keywords targeting those specific niches.
David Hurley
Free Business Websites
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
How To Set Up A Free Business Website... (Its Easy!)
It is very easy to set up a free business website nowadays. And it just got easier for two reasons...
1. I just made a video-article to show you how to do it yourself using free web hosting...
2. If you want something that goes beyond the limits of free websites I will make you a Free Wordpress Website complete with unique content to your own specifications.
As the old song goes... "It's crazy but it's true..."
To find out more, click the link on top of the video:
David Hurley
Free Business Websites
1. I just made a video-article to show you how to do it yourself using free web hosting...
2. If you want something that goes beyond the limits of free websites I will make you a Free Wordpress Website complete with unique content to your own specifications.
As the old song goes... "It's crazy but it's true..."
To find out more, click the link on top of the video:
David Hurley
Free Business Websites
Saturday, October 16, 2010
"Free Wordpress Website" Facebook Ad Campaign Set To Break Even...
I can't say that the results for my first ever Facebook Ads campaign for my Free Wordpress Websites offer are "great," but having made one sale so far, the campaign is set to "break even".
Since my previous report I made two more changes.
Firstly, I added a question mark to the title, so it now reads,
Secondly, I added three extra keyword phrases to the criteria so now the ad should be appearing on general Facebook pages of people with an interest in "business" but who do not necessarily have a website. I'm hoping to find people who do not yet have a business website and who would like to set up an online presence for their business.
However, the result is that while my ad is getting more "impressions" the "clickthrough rate" has slumped to an average of just 1 per day for the week.
Here are the latest stats:
Impressions = 142,607
Clicks = 49
CTR = 0.034%
CPC = $0.81
CPM = $0.28
Total cost = $39.79
Subscribers = 4
Sales = 1
With one sale, I can afford to run the ad for four weeks and break even. However, I need to find a way to improve the clickthrough rate.
In the coming week I am going to set up a second ad and run a split test.
More about that in my next Facebook Ad update...
David Hurley
Free Business Websites
Since my previous report I made two more changes.
Firstly, I added a question mark to the title, so it now reads,
Free Business Website?
Secondly, I added three extra keyword phrases to the criteria so now the ad should be appearing on general Facebook pages of people with an interest in "business" but who do not necessarily have a website. I'm hoping to find people who do not yet have a business website and who would like to set up an online presence for their business.
However, the result is that while my ad is getting more "impressions" the "clickthrough rate" has slumped to an average of just 1 per day for the week.
Here are the latest stats:
Impressions = 142,607
Clicks = 49
CTR = 0.034%
CPC = $0.81
CPM = $0.28
Total cost = $39.79
Subscribers = 4
Sales = 1
With one sale, I can afford to run the ad for four weeks and break even. However, I need to find a way to improve the clickthrough rate.
In the coming week I am going to set up a second ad and run a split test.
More about that in my next Facebook Ad update...
David Hurley
Free Business Websites
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Three Ways To Bring Free Traffic To Your Online Business Website - & Keep It Coming Back
It can be difficult for someone who's just starting an online business on a shoestring budget to know how best to promote their website and their products or services.
However, there are a number of tried and tested ways to bring traffic to a website that are either free or cheap to do, so the good news for low-budget Internet marketing newbies is that - yes, it is possible for you to promote your website and make a lot of money on the Internet.
By the way, if you don't yet have a website set up, I create free Wordpress websites for my clients, complete with unique content written specifically for their marketing niche.
Here are three ways an Internet newbie can build an online business without busting the bank.
1. Article Writing.
The first thing a newbie Internet marketer should do is to get into the habit of blogging and posting fresh content on his or her website. Then, each time you post a fresh article, tweet about it on Twitter and share it on Facebook and other social marketing sites.
When writing articles for your website be sure to include some keywords and keyword phrases that will appeal to your potential market. You can research keyword phrases at:
adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
Next, take the article you posted on your website, rewrite it and start posting it on some of the major article directories such as Ezinearticles.com. When you post an article on an article directory you will be able to add a "blurb" at the foot of the article about your business and also include a link back to your website. Again, you can share your article on social marketing sites when it is published. Click this link to read a more in-depth article about article marketing.
If the idea of writing good quality articles seems daunting, I offer a low cost, limited membership, high quality PLR article service so you won't have to think up your own ideas for articles ever again! As part of the service you have access to an Internet marketing training forum which includes a lot of tips about article marketing and also traffic exchange marketing (see below).
2. Traffic Exchanges
Another way to get traffic to your site is to use traffic exchanges. When you join a traffic exchange you will be able to post your web pages and then view other members' pages in order to earn "credits". If you have 100 credits, you can have your page shown 100 times to surfers on the traffic exchange.
There is a right way and a wrong way to use traffic exchanges. Most people fail to use them the right way and then complain that traffic exchanges "don't work". Actually, traffic exchanges are very effective, if you know how to use them.
Typical viewing time on a traffic exchange is 6-10 seconds and most traffic exchange surfers will immediately click to the next page because they are only there to earn credits to have their pages viewed.
The trick is to create a "splash page" to catch the traffic exchange surfers' attention in just a couple of seconds. Obviously, a full blown sales page will not work on traffic exchanges because it takes too long to read. A "splash page" is a much simpler page that uses a few bold words to create curiosity and interest in what you have to offer. It will also include either a link for them to click through to your main sales page, or a short form where they can enter their email address, subscribe to your list and get further information from you.
With some practice, you should be able to get 30-60 new subscribers onto your list each month from each of your splash pages, if you consistently work 5-6 traffic exchanges. Once you can do that, it will be worth saving your time clicking for credits and upgrading your membership on the traffic exchanges. As an upgraded member you receive several hundred credits each month and a better click rate when you work the exchanges. Click here to read about traffic exchange tactics in more detail.
3. Build Your List
Getting first time visitors to your website is important, but the key to succeeding with Internet marketing is to turn first time visitors into visitors who return to your website again and again and converting those visitors into customers - regular customers if possible.
The way to do that is to offer them an incentive to join your mailing list, some kind of freebie which you give away when they join your list. If you don't have a mailing list, start building one today! You will need an autoresponder. There are some free options out there, but an autoresponder is so important for your success that you should not mind paying to get a good one.
An autoresponder provides you with the ability to create forms to place on your website and capture the names and email addresses of your visitors. You can them contact them via regular broadcasts or a preloaded series of emails, such as a special training course, which you use to build up your relationship with your subscribers.
This article has discussed two ways to get traffic to your website and one way to turn that traffic into your client base. It is well worth taking time to do further research on article marketing, traffic exchanges and list building via a good quality autoresponder if you are serious about achieving Internet business success.
David Hurley
Free Business Websites
However, there are a number of tried and tested ways to bring traffic to a website that are either free or cheap to do, so the good news for low-budget Internet marketing newbies is that - yes, it is possible for you to promote your website and make a lot of money on the Internet.
By the way, if you don't yet have a website set up, I create free Wordpress websites for my clients, complete with unique content written specifically for their marketing niche.
Here are three ways an Internet newbie can build an online business without busting the bank.
1. Article Writing.
The first thing a newbie Internet marketer should do is to get into the habit of blogging and posting fresh content on his or her website. Then, each time you post a fresh article, tweet about it on Twitter and share it on Facebook and other social marketing sites.
When writing articles for your website be sure to include some keywords and keyword phrases that will appeal to your potential market. You can research keyword phrases at:
adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
Next, take the article you posted on your website, rewrite it and start posting it on some of the major article directories such as Ezinearticles.com. When you post an article on an article directory you will be able to add a "blurb" at the foot of the article about your business and also include a link back to your website. Again, you can share your article on social marketing sites when it is published. Click this link to read a more in-depth article about article marketing.
If the idea of writing good quality articles seems daunting, I offer a low cost, limited membership, high quality PLR article service so you won't have to think up your own ideas for articles ever again! As part of the service you have access to an Internet marketing training forum which includes a lot of tips about article marketing and also traffic exchange marketing (see below).
2. Traffic Exchanges
Another way to get traffic to your site is to use traffic exchanges. When you join a traffic exchange you will be able to post your web pages and then view other members' pages in order to earn "credits". If you have 100 credits, you can have your page shown 100 times to surfers on the traffic exchange.
There is a right way and a wrong way to use traffic exchanges. Most people fail to use them the right way and then complain that traffic exchanges "don't work". Actually, traffic exchanges are very effective, if you know how to use them.
Typical viewing time on a traffic exchange is 6-10 seconds and most traffic exchange surfers will immediately click to the next page because they are only there to earn credits to have their pages viewed.
The trick is to create a "splash page" to catch the traffic exchange surfers' attention in just a couple of seconds. Obviously, a full blown sales page will not work on traffic exchanges because it takes too long to read. A "splash page" is a much simpler page that uses a few bold words to create curiosity and interest in what you have to offer. It will also include either a link for them to click through to your main sales page, or a short form where they can enter their email address, subscribe to your list and get further information from you.
With some practice, you should be able to get 30-60 new subscribers onto your list each month from each of your splash pages, if you consistently work 5-6 traffic exchanges. Once you can do that, it will be worth saving your time clicking for credits and upgrading your membership on the traffic exchanges. As an upgraded member you receive several hundred credits each month and a better click rate when you work the exchanges. Click here to read about traffic exchange tactics in more detail.
3. Build Your List
Getting first time visitors to your website is important, but the key to succeeding with Internet marketing is to turn first time visitors into visitors who return to your website again and again and converting those visitors into customers - regular customers if possible.
The way to do that is to offer them an incentive to join your mailing list, some kind of freebie which you give away when they join your list. If you don't have a mailing list, start building one today! You will need an autoresponder. There are some free options out there, but an autoresponder is so important for your success that you should not mind paying to get a good one.
An autoresponder provides you with the ability to create forms to place on your website and capture the names and email addresses of your visitors. You can them contact them via regular broadcasts or a preloaded series of emails, such as a special training course, which you use to build up your relationship with your subscribers.
This article has discussed two ways to get traffic to your website and one way to turn that traffic into your client base. It is well worth taking time to do further research on article marketing, traffic exchanges and list building via a good quality autoresponder if you are serious about achieving Internet business success.
David Hurley
Free Business Websites
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
First Modification of my "Free Wordpress Website" Facebook Ad
After I set up my first ever Facebook ad campaign (see previous blog post) I received some excellent advice from the mentors of the Affiliate Power Group and made the following changes:
At the moment it is still pointing to my main sales page although these things usually work better if you take a preliminary step of pointing the ad to a "warm up" page.
Here is a squeeze page I made as a possible landing page for the ad, pending feedback from the Affiliate Power Group mentors:
http://www.free-wordpress-websites.com/FWWsplash.html
One other thing I did was to add a newsletter sign-up box to the top of my sales website, Free-Wordpress-Websites.com with a free Wordpress course and a couple of free e-books as an incentive for visitors to join my list...
I'll keep you posted as the results come in!
David Hurley
Free Business Websites
- I changed the ad title from "Free Wordpress Websites" to "Free Business Websites".
I changed the image graphic from my "mug shot" to an icon of an open lap-top computer with UP arrow busting out of a graph on the screen...
- I shortened the ad text and turned it into a question:
Who else wants a FREE, Done for YOU, online business?
At the moment it is still pointing to my main sales page although these things usually work better if you take a preliminary step of pointing the ad to a "warm up" page.
Here is a squeeze page I made as a possible landing page for the ad, pending feedback from the Affiliate Power Group mentors:
http://www.free-wordpress-websites.com/FWWsplash.html
One other thing I did was to add a newsletter sign-up box to the top of my sales website, Free-Wordpress-Websites.com with a free Wordpress course and a couple of free e-books as an incentive for visitors to join my list...
I'll keep you posted as the results come in!
David Hurley
Free Business Websites
Monday, October 4, 2010
A Trial Run With Facebook Ads...
I have been wanting to try out Facebook Ads for some time and finally took the plunge last week.
A Facebook ad is very easy to set up. All you have to do to get started is to hit the green "Create Ads" button on the Facebook Ads page:
http://www.facebook.com/advertising/
I set up an ad for my offer to build a free wordpress website complete with unique content targeted to any niche market, which I promote at:
http://free-wordpress-websites.com
I set a budget of $2 a day and decided to see if I could get a reasonable, and cheaper click-through rate using CPM (cost per thousand - "M" = 1,000) rather than CPC (cost per click). In other words, I was paying for impressions, not clicks.
If you choose CPC, you also bid on how much you are willing to pay for each click within your daily budget.
If you choose CPM, you also bid on how much you are willing to pay for every thousand impressions, again within the limits of your daily budget.
You can also target your ads by geographic location, age, marital status and of course, by keywords.
My ad targeting was as follows:
The biggest problem I had was with keywords because I suspect that people who mention "affiliate marketing," "Internet marketing," "online business" on their Facebook sites already have websites set up... I'm not sure yet how to appeal to people who WANT to start an online business but don't know what to do...
Here's my first Facebook Ad:
=====
Free Wordpress Websites
[Photo] = My mug shot (This was partly laziness - Facebook provided it as a suggested image and I thought, "good for branding" so left it at that...)
Who else wants a FREE,
professionally designed
Wordpress website
pre-loaded with expertly
written, unique,
keyword-specific content?
=====
My idea with the ad content was to call out to my potential market...
I pointed my ad to my main sales page:
http://free-wordpress-websites.com
Finally, I reported my activity on the Affiliate Power Group forum and am receiving a lot of good advice from the mentors there and encouragement from the members.
I'll report on the changes I have started to make in an upcoming blog post. In the meantime, here are how my stats looked BEFORE I made any changes:
Impressions = 60,105
Clicks = 34
CTR = 0.06
CPC = 0.51
CPM = 0.29
Sales = 0
=====
Total expense = $17.38
=====
The "good news" is that my cost per click is much cheaper than had I opted for CPC ads over CPM. Of course, this might be a "false economy" over the longer term...
Already, I can see that there is a lot of room for improvement in this campaign. Like anything else, although I've read the theory, when it comes to learning to do something, you really just have to jump in and do it yourself and then start making corrections.
David Hurley
Free Business Websites
A Facebook ad is very easy to set up. All you have to do to get started is to hit the green "Create Ads" button on the Facebook Ads page:
http://www.facebook.com/advertising/
I set up an ad for my offer to build a free wordpress website complete with unique content targeted to any niche market, which I promote at:
http://free-wordpress-websites.com
I set a budget of $2 a day and decided to see if I could get a reasonable, and cheaper click-through rate using CPM (cost per thousand - "M" = 1,000) rather than CPC (cost per click). In other words, I was paying for impressions, not clicks.
If you choose CPC, you also bid on how much you are willing to pay for each click within your daily budget.
If you choose CPM, you also bid on how much you are willing to pay for every thousand impressions, again within the limits of your daily budget.
You can also target your ads by geographic location, age, marital status and of course, by keywords.
My ad targeting was as follows:
Targeting
- who live in one of the countries: United States or United Kingdom
- age 18 and older
- who like affiliate marketing, internet marketing or online business
- who speak English (UK) or English (US)
The biggest problem I had was with keywords because I suspect that people who mention "affiliate marketing," "Internet marketing," "online business" on their Facebook sites already have websites set up... I'm not sure yet how to appeal to people who WANT to start an online business but don't know what to do...
Here's my first Facebook Ad:
=====
Free Wordpress Websites
[Photo] = My mug shot (This was partly laziness - Facebook provided it as a suggested image and I thought, "good for branding" so left it at that...)
Who else wants a FREE,
professionally designed
Wordpress website
pre-loaded with expertly
written, unique,
keyword-specific content?
=====
My idea with the ad content was to call out to my potential market...
I pointed my ad to my main sales page:
http://free-wordpress-websites.com
Finally, I reported my activity on the Affiliate Power Group forum and am receiving a lot of good advice from the mentors there and encouragement from the members.
I'll report on the changes I have started to make in an upcoming blog post. In the meantime, here are how my stats looked BEFORE I made any changes:
Impressions = 60,105
Clicks = 34
CTR = 0.06
CPC = 0.51
CPM = 0.29
Sales = 0
=====
Total expense = $17.38
=====
The "good news" is that my cost per click is much cheaper than had I opted for CPC ads over CPM. Of course, this might be a "false economy" over the longer term...
Already, I can see that there is a lot of room for improvement in this campaign. Like anything else, although I've read the theory, when it comes to learning to do something, you really just have to jump in and do it yourself and then start making corrections.
David Hurley
Free Business Websites
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