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Niche Marketing will Drive you Crazy!

August 31st, '07

In the SEM (Search Engine Marketing) arena, keeping an eye out for that killer niche is a necessities. And I've found one that I'll share with you! You've heard it here first, O Great Reader - it's the rental car niche. Over at RentCentric.com, they have Car Rental Software that you can use to actually take orders for the rental of your car fleet. The car rental niche is a hot one right now, and if you jump on this - as they have great pricing options available, you can also include RV Rental Software to your niche arsonal.

Rent Centric Car Rental Software offers the SE Marketer the options you'll need to successfully run a highly lucrative rental car niche.

Want My Card?

August 21st, '07

I have been looking around the internet to find a good place to update my business cards that I had made. Those first cards were made by myself, oh, about 6 years ago. And let me tell you, I really thought those cards were very cool, because I created them with Photoshop. But the honest truth of the matter is that they were not all that professional looking. I mean, I had tons of info crammed on that poor card.

Well, I'm thinking about new business cards, and I've stumbled on a killer site - LateNightPrinters.com - as they have tons of card templates. I even found many card templates for Avon. I have a few Avon associate friends whom I am going to refer to that site!

My Anniversary!

August 20th, '07

At the end of October, my beautiful bride and I will be celebrating our 9th wedding anniversary! I'm not very good at selecting that "perfect" gift, but I was thinking of getting either a new microwave oven, a new set of bathroom rugs, or maybe - just maybe...some jewelry. I have found a great website that showcases David Yurman replica jewelry. So most likely I'll be picking something up from there. They have some pretty necklaces that would look fantastic on my wife.

Actually, I've found the David Yurman necklace that I should get my wife. She'll love it! What I love is the low prices.

I think I'm all set for our romantic 9th anniversary after that purchase I'll be making. Now I just need to find a really great restaurant to kick off the night's celebration!

Comparing Quotes

August 13th, '07

Sometimes even in the world of Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing, real life issues have to be dealt with. You know the kind... I'll explain what I mean. I need to get car insurance for my truck, but looking for the best deal in insurance has always been a pain to deal with. Until, that is, I stumbled upon GoCompare.com, where they make it way easy to compare car insurance with their services online.

I would make a whole lot of phone calls before I used online services to get cheap car insurance quotes, but that would leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. But now it's really easy to get a quote.

So take the opportunity to minimize the time and bad taste of getting insurance quotes...so thanks GoCompare.com!

Lost in The Keys

August 6th, '07

Let me travel away from Search Engine Optimization discussions for a second, and let me (day)dream with you for a bit. I have an awesome friend who lives in Florida. He's actually a real Geek! And so since I live in sunny California, we tend to compare the beautiful state of California with that of Florida. Bottom line is that we agree to disagree! But, I wouldn't mind a Florida Keys Vacation! Can't argue there!

I've always thought that a vacation in Florida would be way cool, and now I've come across a great research website that has great information about a vacation in Florida, and I found specific info on a vacation in Marathon, Florida.

The folks at FloridaKeysNews.info have sold me on my next vacation. It'll be in the Florida Keys...

Bidding For Position!

August 5th, '07

Bid for position. You know something? That sounds like you're bribing a NASCAR circuit authority to get your car placed closer to the starting line, doesn't it? Well, when you bid for traffic, what you're doing is visiting a bidding directory site, and spending a few dollars to remain on top of a categories listing.

I was visiting Bid4Traffic, and found that there you can achieve a wonderful ranking, just by bidding on your anchor text link you buy there. It's a great idea, and I know that it's a real money maker for a niche site, not to mention great for your incoming backlink count!

Go Play (your Xbox)!

August 4th, '07

I know many comupter computer users, and let's be honest, we're Geeks, we're Gamers at heart. So, since you're Geeky enough to be reading my SEO blog, then you're prime candidate for latest in Gaming News and gaming technology.

GamersEvolved.com is one of the authoritative sites when regarding the most recent and cutting-edge gaming and Xbox 360 information. Heck, even my kids want a new Xbox. My feared is that they're going to get so much better on it than I am, that every game we would play would end in my great defeat! My Pride just can't handle such a major blow to my ego! But with this site I've just found, I can be sure that I'll be read up on the newest information in the gaming world.

So all of your hardcore gamers out there, you should check this site out.

Blogs and WordPress Themes

August 4th, '07

Using a Content Management System (CMS) makes creating, running, and managing websites much easier to...well, create, run, and manage. I prefer to create and run my sites from scratch, as I hand code most of my sites, I have to admit that when it comes to Blogs, a CMS like WordPress really comes in as a time saver.

In regards to SEO, Blogs are a great tool when used effectively. You can achieve returning visitors, which basically means more traffic, to your site. But the other side of the coin on blogs is that you really want to make your blog both stylish and fit your persona. When you begin working with Wordpress, which is one of the biggest CMS for blogs, it usually takes some time before you find a perfect theme. From all the Wordpress Themes that are out on websites, you can find a great collection on BlogSavy. See, they take the time that you would of spent yourself to centralize both hosting your blog for free, as well as provide some great Wordpress Themes for you to select from.

I'm going to see what they can offer me!

Funny Jokes Anyone?

August 4th, '07

Have you ever noticed that there's many SEO Marketers who lack certain things in their personalities? Usually, what it boils down to is a lack of a sense of humor! The one thing that all of us can use more and more of is a health dose of Jokes. I love telling jokes! I remember when I was the lay preacher at my old church. What I would do was to throw in a joke or two within my sermons. But, I always had a hard time trying to find funny jokes.

But guess what I've found on the internet? FunnyandJokes.com has tons of funny jokes and other funny stuff you can use. As a matter of fact, here's a knock knock joke I just learned:

• Knock Knock
• who's there?
• Queen!
• Queen who?
• Queen as a whistle!

Funny!

Real Supercars!

August 4th, '07

Supercars...I always thought that my dad's old '67 Mercury Comet was a very super car! Even today, when I think of supercars, my 1982 VW Cabriolet nick-named, "Porklet" comes to mind. Well, even though talking about Cool Cars on my SEO site may seem a funny subject, let me tell you that a site that spotlights real Supercars just has taken me!

The folks at Cool SuperCars.com have displayed every amazing super cool car made. Some of the cars they have featured on their site are:

• lexus
• Lotus
• Maserati
• McLaren
• Mercedes
• Noble
• Panoz
• Porsche
• Supercar News
• Supercar Reviews
• Supercars

My 2nd personal favorite cool car is the Ferrari F40, pictured here:

Man, that's cool! If I could afford that car, you would see me driving down SEO lane, waving my hand as I passed by. Actually, I'd be driving so fast, you wouldn't even see my hand!

Modded Mustangs

August 4th, '07

I'd like to take a side road from my typical Search Engine talk, and discuss what I've been thinking of lately...I need to get away! But not just for the sake of getting away, no. I'd like to get away in a Mustang! In my younger days, when I lived dangerously, I drive one of my bro's Saleen Mustang - from Salinas, California to San Jose. Man, that car could handle!

Well, just for you all great readers, I've come across a fantastic site for all of you Mustang enthusiasts. This cool site covers areas such as Mustang articles, engines, powertrains, parts - you name it, they cover it. This definitely is a Mustang authoritative website.

They even have a forum that covers a broad range of topical Mustang areas. Get this, they even have an entire thread specifically on Spark plug list for Mustangs!

Now I just need to go out and buy a 'Stang!

Recent Filesharing News

August 3rd, '07

I've been very interested in the latest filesharing news, besides the other Search Engine Marketing and Optimization topics that I follow. And I'm stoked, because I've found a great website for filesharing software. They also run the latest news on the world of P2P filesharing. The articles are very informative. From their prospective, they seem to be an authority on the topic. They have the best and latest filesharing news anywhere!

What I'd like to find out is if their software runs on Linux. I've made the switch to the latest version of Kubuntu (running KDE, which I've found to be better than GNOME) this week, but if it does run on my install, I think I'll try it out, just to test it's speed and network!

The Perfect Date

August 3rd, '07

I thought I'd take a break from the SEO Geek Speak, and talk about my wife. Besides Jesus Christ, she is the best thing in my life. And so with that, I feel that all the time spent together could be, and should be, the best time of my day. And I hope that all the husbands out there say Amen brother!

So what I've put into place is a Wednesday night wife date night with her and I, with no kids, no work, no anything but the two of us together. But to fill that time with a great date place, well...I definitely need help. That's when I found How To Romance Your Wife - 10 Tips To Build The Love And Romance In Your Marriage. Great tips, so read up all you men!

Date ideas

I also read some great tips on whitewater rafting. All in all, this site has some of the best tips regarding romance that I have come across.

Now just to hide this site from my wife...

One Stop Hosting and Internet Company

August 1st, '07

Everyday, and I do mean everyday, I'm on the lookout for a better web host. One that offers a true one-stop-shop. And you know what? I've tried them all, well, that's the way it feels anyway, from the very big companies, to the lesser known ones. You know, the ones found on Google's 100th page. Well, I've been visiting many shops that offer windows hosting, but I've found that they usually specialize in only one thing, like hosting. Or SEO services.

To register domain name, you usually have to buy from one of the Big Boy Registrars. Well, with Triple.com - they handle all of that for you! You literally can start your internet business all at their site!

I'm going to surf their site some more, so join me!

Get Your Credit Where Credit is Due!

July 16th, '07

As with you, I pay my bills online sometimes. And with the ease of internet payouts, it seems that folks don't worry too much about internet security. Well, I've found a site that is a credit card application center. But more than simply applying for credit (which you can do very easily there), they have a host of great resource articles themed around their niche.

Repairing credit, payday loans, air mileage loans, and even student credit card articles! I know I'll be reading that one, as my teenage daughter is all grown up now!

PHP, Meet Your New Friend eBay!

June 28th, '07

My lovely wife would like to sell fully created scrapbook pages on eBay, just like our very talented friend who does so, and who's had mild success at it. Now, my being an SEO, I've been thinking about how to allow greater exposer to their online stores. Since I can't scrapbook very well, the least I can do is offer something I can do for them. And that's where Wired Studios comes in.

I've been using PHP scripts for a while now, but have not put PHP and eBay together in my head, which can make much more sales on eBay if done properly. PHP Ebay script, which I found on the Wired Studios website, will queries eBay's XML services which allows you to incorporate eBay auction listings onto the website. They even have a WordPress plugin! Really! So for example, on my PR6 website, I could add this script to enable my users bid, watch, or even better - buy my auction items via the online eBay auction interface that phpBay will generate.

I'll let you all know how my PHP on eBay throughout the course of my testing!

Web Hosting with Toronto SEO

June 22nd, '07

I've been looking (I'm always looking!) for a great web host. And during my internet travels, I visited Toronto SEO for their multiple SEO services. And guess what I've found? They have very reasonable hosting accounts to choose from. Now, I'll put my SEO reputation on the line here and tell you that having multiple websites on one host is not as beneficial as those same sites on multiple web hosts. Why? Because my friends, unique IP addresses are a great SEO tactic. If I had available Marketing funds (I'd buy myself a Baskin Robins ice-cream cone everyday!), I'd be sure to have at least two sites on one host. That means having allot of hosts if you plan on building your 1000 MFA site empire! Anyway, these folks have three plans to choose from, but all of them include:

• 1 domain
• 5 email accounts
• 2 FTP accounts
• 100MB Storage
• 1000MB Transfer
• 2 MySQL databases
• 5 subdomains
• $3.99/month
• $43.09/year (10% savings)

Perfect! Now on to their other services!

Flash, Can You Use It?

June 22nd, '07

I would double think my use of flash animation for my website's navigation schemes. And since I've thought twice about it, I won't use it! It's horrible for SEO! Not to mention horrible for accessibility. With that, let me say that you can make flash accessible, but for the majority of web designers who really don't care, or don't know about accessibility and SEO, flash remains one of the web's greatest challenges!

Why is flash, when used as website add-ons, so much of a challenge? Simply because it's not indexable for SE's, and accessibility is almost null with it. But, when used properly, it can add real "eye-candy" benefit to any design. For example, if you have your Web Standards Hat on, and setup a webpage with valid HTML (like I do), and validate every bit of code for accessibility, you can ad flash-replacement techniques to add Flash - Addons, and even a helpful script or two!

So yes, use flash in your applications, and within your websites - as long as you validate their accessibility and use.

Off-Topic Pains!

June 21th, '07

I've had a lot of time in front of my PC lately ever since I've was told by my doctor that I've either torn something in my knee, or "soft-tissue" damage. I don't mind saying ouch, as it really hurts!

Since I'm approaching my 40th birthday - and please, no saying, "You're Over the Hill Martin!" - I've been thinking about my health. With everyone having an opinion as to what I should do, I've begun my internet research on health topics, including taking vitamin supplements. And the folks over at Herbal Life have just what I need!

A direct quote from their site says, "Would you believe it? Herbal life does. For over 20 years, Nature-inspired Herbalife Products have helped millions of people manage their weight, improve their health and enjoy life to the fullest. It's only natural that you'd want to do the same."

That's what I want for myself and family, so I'll be checking on their products and pricing. I'll let you know how it goes!

Can You Hear Me Now?

June 21st, '07

Can you remember way back when you were out on the town, and needed to talk to someone? You spend time driving around, looking for a pay phone that actually worked! Well, that was quite a few years ago, and it seems that by todays standards of communications, that time was back in the stone age!

Now in today's world of instant communications, from fax machines to mobile phones, I really feel that our world has gotten allot smaller. So what's my point? It's actually very simple, and a bit off topic for my site, but...I suggest you look at the Samsung u600 that Mobiles.co.uk has to offer. They have very affordable prices.

It's actually one of the choice phones for a person who's on the go constantly. Check out the features the phone has, "The Samsung U600 is part of the new Ultra Edition II range. Measuring an incredible 10.9mm, the Samsung U600 may be thin on size but it is not thin on features. Samsung have managed to incorporate a 3.2 megapixel camera, MP3 player and stereo Bluetooth support into U600. The Samsung U600 has embedded memory of 60MB which is expandable with the addition of a micro SD memory card. The TFT QVGA screen supports 256,000 colours and offers very sharp image presentation"

Site Review for Real Estate Niche (Off-topic)

June 21, '07

We buy houses fast - Now that is bold statement! But that's just what the folks over at Cash Home Buyers will do! I kid you not, in my neighborhood, there are quite a few homes for sale. Many people in the semi-small town that I live in are commuters. They travel 3 hours round trip daily to get to work! Really! Now for me, as a renter, this would not be good news. But for those fortunate enough to have bought homes here in my town, they had a plan. Their plan was to buy a great house, and rent it out to some local for way too much money... But that changed when allot of people have been moving back to the big city because gas is so expensive now. Anyway, homes are up for sale all around me!

That's why I was interested in reviewing Cash Home Buyers. I wanted to see if the real estate niche would be profitable for me. But if I were in the real estate game, where to find motivated sellers would be top on my list to do. I mean, if you lived in Maryland, guess what? We buy houses Maryland is what you'll hear from them.

SEO Surfing

June 17th, '07

I was SEO Surfing the internet today, after a bit of poking around, I found 3 sites I wanted to check out. What's SEO Surfing? That's when you visit those SEO sites you've been wanting to check out, but have been too busy with other things to much about it. Well, now I have worked in the 3 sites below.

The first site on my surfing tour was "Search Engine Optimization Toronto", and their SEO services. Their site is a very user friendly, valid XHTML site. I always appreciate the KISS mentality, and their left-side quote is just that. It states, "Most Internet traffic is currently brokered by search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN. To do well in business on the Internet, you must do well in the search engines." That's right! Their 3 SEO packages include your standard On-page/Off-page SEO services, and if I weren't so good at SEO, I'd hire them myself!

Another site was a PR5 (as of this writing) directory site, "Add Link" - I'll have to add all my sites to their directory when I get more time! Along with this directory site, I visited "Top Ten web sites and services in Toronto GTA". Now, I know a few people from Canada, and my sister regularly vacations up in the "Great White North" - so I'll tell them to surf that site!

My Content Website

June 15th, '07

I've been to My Content Website, which I've bookmarked, and there you'll find some great posts regarding SEO and SEM. Specifically, the Marketing and Advertising category is really great. I can sum up their simplistic approach with this quote, taken from one of their posts, "It does not matter in which area of your online business you are trying to be different - all areas are important."

I'm always interested in other opinions and advice, especially in the every changing world of SEM, and I agree with their site's advice. Not to mention that the site is pretty well niched within the webmaster theme. I'm always looking for real content, real sustenance, real good stuff, and I say, "Great job to them!" Remember, I've bookmarked them myself, so you can too!

When is Internet Marketing Worthwhile?

In general the answer to this question is always but the answer is much more involved. Sure Internet marketing is worthwhile but as with any type of marketing it is only worthwhile if it is done well. For example you can spend thousands of dollars on a television marketing campaign but if no one sees your commercials or your commercials do not reach your target audience and generate sales, the advertising was not worthwhile. So perhaps a more appropriate answer to this question would be that Internet marketing is worthwhile when it works. This is a rather vague statement but this article will investigate the issue further and explain how you can make Internet marketing work for your business.

One of the most basic principles of marketing is to make sure you reach your target audience. This is so important because your target audience is the people who are most likely going to be interested in purchasing your products or services. It is much easier to sell your products or services to those who already have an interest in the products and services you have to offer than it is to convince those who are not interested in your products or services at all. As an example consider a business who sells fishing rods. You will want to market your products to those who enjoy fishing either competitively or as a leisure activity because among this audience you are likely to find people who may be interested in purchasing a new fishing rod. It would make sense to place an advertisement for your business on a website selling bait and tackle or a website which organizes fishing trips in exotic locations. Conversely it would not make sense to place your advertisement on a website selling telescopes because you are not likely to reach a large target audience here.

There may be some stargazers with an interest in fishing but your advertising dollars and efforts would be better spent placing advertisements with websites more closely related to your business.

Another factor to consider when purchasing advertising space on another Internet website is traffic the amount of traffic the other website receives. This is significant because you want to place your advertisement on a website which is closely related to your own and likely to attract a similar audience but you also want your advertisement to receive a large amount of attention. For this reason it is important for your advertisement to appear on a website which receives a great amount of traffic each month. This will help to ensure your business is getting a great deal of exposure through this advertising.

When it comes to Internet advertising, there is a fine line between great advertising and spam. Some business owners get carried away trying to get as much exposure as possible and can sometimes go overboard and wind up being considered spam. Internet users who see your advertisement in a couple of key locations will likely notice the advertisement and may be compelled to visit your website immediately or may keep your website in mind for future use. However, Internet users who see your advertisement everywhere they look are likely to view your advertisement as spam. This can be harmful because they are not likely to visit your website because they expect it to not be worthwhile.

In any Internet marketing campaign it is important to carefully monitor the results of your marketing efforts and make changes to your campaign as necessary. This is important because you want to make sure your marketing efforts are paying off and the best way to do this is to evaluate the results of your advertising carefully. One way to do this is to place specially coding in each one of your advertisements so you will know which advertisements are generating business for you and which ones are not. You can use this information to decide whether you should modify the ineffective website or stop running these advertisements. If you decide to modify them you will want to continue to monitor the results to determine whether or not the changes made the advertisements more effective.

Carl Hoffman has over 20 years of sales and marketing experience. He has many online ventures and author of many articles on sales, leadership and marketing.

Visit him at http://www.CEHoffman.com | Shopping for gifts? http://www.pennywarehouseonline.com

User Friendly SEO

Natural flowing keywords in relevant content-rich copy - with authoritative sites linking into your content area(s) - that's simple to understand. And to implement. Really, there is no need for "black-hat" measures on a site that is meaningful and relevant to a particular audience. Now, I'm not saying that the use of "black-hat" techniques don't work, in fact they do. But, they are the best way to get your site banned from the Big 3, Google, Yahoo!, and MSN.

Here are great Search Engine Optimization tips and other resources:

• what is SEO Articles - and how to achieve it!
• what is anchor text - and how important it really is!
• backlinks - and the techniques to implement them!
• are you using keyword-targeting to target your keywords?
• is your site ranking in the top ten? what you can do about it!

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