Make Money Online – Do Not Forsake The Search Engines

Posted by Brian Lett on June 14, 2010 under Home Based Business | Be the First to Comment

If you want to make money online consistently, then it is of the utmost importance that you take steps to rank in the search engines. If you have not yet achieved high rankings in the search engines, the first thing that you should look at is your website. If find that far too often online marketers have a decent understanding of the importance of link building, but only a rudimentary understanding of what is involved in on-page optimization.

On-page search engine optimization (SEO) serves the purpose of telling the search engines that a website which is relevant to certain key phrases exists at that domain. For example, the targeted keywords should be included in the title tag. The title tag is what you see on the tab of your web browser. It is also important that your targeted key phrases be placed both at the top, and the bottom of your web page, as well as throughout the body of your the page’s content. All of this is relevant because search engines because search engines index websites for particular key phrases based upon reading these key phrases in the areas mentioned.

The fact of the matter is that SEO can be quite expensive. I have seen websites state that their starting rates at the low end are $450 per month. Of course, the better the track record, the more that they charge. With that being said, if you are unable afford such rates, then it is actually very possible to learn all that you need to know about SEO online. The fact of the matter is that this topic is covered extensively on the internet. It will be important that you become well versed in on-page optimization, which is what we have been discussing to this point, and off-page optimization, which involves creating links from other websites to your website. This is otherwise known as “link building.”

Essentially, link building is the compliment to on-page SEO. Whenever another website links to your website, the search engines view this as an affirmative “vote” for your website. Simply put, the more votes that your website has, the more relevant it is in the view of the search engines. Everyone with aspirations to make money online must be keenly aware of this fact. Especially if you opt to employ an SEO “expert”.

I really hesitate when I hear someone refer to themselves as an SEO expert due to the fact that it is not very easy to check one’s credentials. Sure, they can refer to websites which they have achieved rankings for, but every website is different. How can you be assured that they are doing what is right for your website? This is why it is important that you have at least a basic knowledge of search engine optimization. Keep in mind that nearly all of these so-called experts require some sort of retainer up front, but will not provide you with any sort of guarantee.

The truth is that any SEO campaign must be monitored. This is the case whether you have hired someone to conduct SEO on your behalf, or are doing it yourself. Remember that your primary objective is to rank high for your targeted keywords so that your website will be flooded with traffic. Therefore, if you see that half a year has passed, and you still are not in the top five-hundred in terms of ranking, then it is time to figure out what you are doing incorrectly, and head in a new direction.

The fact of the matter is that nearly 80% of all traffic for a particular search term does not click past the first three results. Therefore, to optimize your ability to make money online, you have to work to occupy one of these top three positions.

If you have an ambition to Make Money Online, then you have to really give a lot of weight to achieving search engine rankings. This is something that most Work At home professionals overlook far too often. Swing by and see us at SOSComplete.com

Home Based Business – Getting A Handle On Targeted Traffic

Posted by Brian Lett on June 13, 2010 under Home Based Business | Be the First to Comment

One of the biggest challenges which any home based business is faced with is generating targeted traffic. While there are in fact many free ways to generate the targeted traffic which is desired, they are not as readily apparent as one would hope. Others come to the conclusion that the traffic which they seek is too costly, leaving them with a very slim profit margin, if any. This is something which several online marketers often struggle with, and is often the reason why they end up abandoning their home based business.

Hence, it is apparent that if you can send a steady flow of targeted visitors to your website, your home based business should do very well. Unfortunately, most online marketers never clear this hurdle. Much of the time it is because they are unwilling to put forth the requisite effort, or conduct the necessary research to obtain such traffic. However, if you are willing to do the research and put forth the effort, you will get the traffic that you desire. Once you have gotten to this stage, you will make sales and generate a profit.

With that being said, there are several ways to direct targeted traffic to your website. The thing that you must keep in mind is that there is not magic traffic button that you can just push. You are going to have to put forth some time and effort. For example, one of the best steps any home based business owner can take, is optimizing their website for the search engines. This is commonly referred to as Search Engine Optimization, or SEO for short. SEO puts your website in a position to rank well in the search engines, thus driving targeted traffic to your website. However, SEO takes time and consistency. No one can get to the first page of the search engines for competitive key phrases overnight. Often times it takes 6-12 months or more to achieve such rankings. This might be a problem for the home based business owner who is willing to put forth the effort, but from a monetary standpoint, does not have 6-12 months to wait for targeted visitors. Fortunately, there are some solutions. We will discuss such solutions below.

For starters, I am going to begin with what I view as the number one solution. I rate this solution as number one because it serves a dual purpose. First, it enables you to direct targeted traffic to your website immediately. Secondly, it is a key strategy in enabling your website to rank prominently in the search engines. This strategy is what is know as article marketing. Essentially, article marketing involves composing articles which contain valuable information for your target market, the submitting these articles to several article directories and niche blogs. The reason why you will receive instant targeted traffic to your website, is because the article directories receive a high volume of traffic. Each article that you submit to the directories will include a link back to your website. Thus, readers will click this link to be taken to your website. As you may know, the search engines rank websites in large part because of the number of links which point to the website. Each article contains a new link to your website, giving it link value in the search engines.

Another method which provides similar benefits to article marketing is what is known as social media marketing. This method involves submitting your writings to social bookmarking and social networking websites such as Reddit, Delicious, Mister Wong, Propeller, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, Google Bookmarks, etc. Taking such steps provide you with targeted traffic to your website, one way links, as well as the branding as an expert in your field. Just make sure that what you are bookmarking is of value to your niche market, and you are not purely spamming for self serving purposes.

The truth is that you have several options which will enable you to drive traffic to your home based business. The key here is to not just seek any traffic, but rather targeted traffic. This will require that you recognize the niche market which you home based business caters to from the outset. Once you identify this market, show them how they will benefit from what you have to offer.

You are going to need targeted visitors who are interested in the products of your Home Based Business. While Business Opportunities are important, they will not get off of the ground without traffic to your website. Swing by and see us at SOSComplete.com