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Table of Contents for this issue......

1.  Authors Comments

2.  Q & A, Suggestions and Comments

3.  Don ’t Make the Same Mistake I Did

4.  Google Commands (Operators)

5.  When Matt Cutts Speaks, Pay Attention

6.  Don ’t Forget to Change your eBay Affiliation

7.  To Blog or Not to Blog, that is the Question

8.  Information Marketing Mistakes to Avoid

Author's Comments

Another month has evaporated before my eyes.

I spent another week in China during April and I continue to be impressed with the progress in China .

I began to wonder if I would ever get to China since the day I was to leave on American Airlines, most of their fleet of MD80’s were grounded.  Guess what kind of plane I was to fly?  Yes, an MD80.  I finally got a flight a day later on United Airlines out of San Francisco .  In the end, I gained by learning about the United connection through San Francisco since it helps me fly out of Corpus Christi, TX (small airport with limited connections) and still have ample connection time between flights in Dallas and San Francisco.

It is amazing to me that I can get from Kingsville , TX to Shanghai , China in 22 hours and 25 minutes (18 hours of flying time) for under $1,000 round trip.

I received good news while in China .  Linda emailed me that the grandbaby we are anticipating in September will be a boy!  This will give Justin and Mary a son to go with Allison, their daughter.  We already have a grandson from Travis and Linda Lee so we will now have two males in the family to continue the Howe name.

On a final note.  Since our lives are so busy with house remodeling and our day jobs, the eZine may be a little shorter than usual for a month or two.  Since you are an entrepreneur, we do not have to tell you that there are only so many hours in the day.  Thanks for understanding.

Q & A, Suggestions and Comments

If you have anything for this section or you have a suggestion for a topic for an article, please use this suggestion form to give us your suggestions or your input.  With your help, we can improve the Boomer eZine.  This link will open a new page.  Close the page to return to Boomer eZine.  

Don ’t Make the Same Mistake I Did  

Last issue I wrote about people infringing on my copyrighted photo on the Retirement Jobs Online.com (RJO) website.  I posted a picture of the photo on Boomer eZine for clarity.  

I never dreamed that I would cause myself that same problem that other people cause me.  About three days after the issue of Boomer eZine was published, I noticed that the traffic to RJO had dropped.  When I investigated the cause, the picture of the Retirement Lane sign that I posted on Boomer eZine was the number one image on Google Images for the keyword “retirement” but it pointed to the picture on Boomer eZine, not to the picture on RJO.  

This rerouting of traffic from RJO to Boomer eZine lowers my income since the RJO site is better set up for Google Adsense than Boomer eZine.  

I deleted the picture from the Boomer eZine article and replaced it with a text box explaining that the picture was originally located at that spot, and why I had removed it.  

It took Google about a week to realize the image was no longer on that page and reroute the traffic to RJO.  In looking back, I should have known this would happen, but 20/20 hindsight is always perfect.  Lesson learned.  

If you search Google Images for the keyword “retirement”, you will now find the Retirement Lane sign which is first and it points to the retirement jobs online.com website as it should.  

Google Commands (Operators)  

Google has some operators that will assist you in some special searches.  You can read about these at  

http://www.google.com/help/operators.html

I like the “info:” command which brings back important information about the URL that you enter.  

Let’s talk about the information that is in this search result.  

Google’s Cache – did you know that Google has a snapshot of the home page of your website?  That is what is in the cache.  Click that link and it will show the view of your home page that Google has and the date it was recorded.  

Similar to – these are the pages that Google considers similar to your website.  

Link to – these are inbound links linking to your site.  We will discuss this in more detail later in this article.  

From this site – this is a list of all the web pages in the site.  This is handy if you want to really explore a competitor’s site.  You can see every page in the site.  

Contains the term – this lists all the web pages that contain the search URL.  You ask, “What is the difference between the “link to” and the “contains the term” operators?”  It seems logical that if the page contains the term “retirement-jobs-online.com” that it should be in a link.  Why is it not in the “link to” results?  

Google sorts out the links in blogs and articles and does not count these as quality links for the “link to” rating.  

Back when article marketing was just starting, you could get a link back to your website from every article you wrote so people were generating as many articles as possible and then posting them on every article website they could find.  Google got smart and asked the article sites to use a property after these links named “nofollow”.  This tells the search engines not to use the links as quality links that Google is looking for in the “link to:” operator.  

If you check the “link to:” search for retirement-jobs-online.com (RJO), you will see that it has 56 inbound links.  

If you check the “contains the term” for RJO, there are 4,140 pages that contain “retirement-jobs-online.com”.  Most of these are from blogs that reference RJO, from articles that I have written and posted on article sites, or from websites that use the articles and post them on their sites.  

New Command  

I learned about a new search command (operator) on Google this last month that is not on the Google operators list.  This is the “allinanchor:” command.  When entered into Google search with the keyword you are researching, this will bring back all the websites that have the highest relevancy for keywords used in anchor text.  

Great!  What is anchor text?  Let’s go to Wikipedia for the definition “The anchor text or link label is the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink.”  

So, this is the text in the web page you click to follow a hyperlink.  It is a key factor to the search engines for determining search ranking.   

How do we use this command to help us?  

If I enter “allinanchor:retirement jobs” into Google web search, I get the sites with the highest relevancy for “retirement jobs” used in anchor text.  

Now if Google has a command like this, don’t you think anchor text keyword relevancy is important to Google?  This is a major factor in the search engine optimization (SEO) formula.  On any page you create, you should have one link that has your keyword in the anchor text.  However, don’t think that if one is good, several are better.  One is all you should use.  If you abuse this, it counts against you just like keyword stuffing.  

On the picture above, I noted that Retirement Jobs Online.com (RJO) and PPPRetirementPlans.com are both Site Build It sites (SBI).  The reason these two sites rank so high on the “allinanchor” search is that SBI analyzes each page that is created and if you do not create a link with your keyword in the anchor text, SBI will remind you to do so.  

Logically, the top sites in the normal search (not using allinanchor) should be the top sites in the allinanchor search.  There may be a few differences that are caused by some other factors in the Google SEO formula.  

Now let’s use the “link” command that we mentioned previously.  Take the websites that rank above you and enter the link command into Google search in the form “link:www.thewebsitename.extension.  This will give you all the websites linking into the domain as well as any internal pages linking internally.  

Since retirementjobs.com ranks ahead of the RJO site we will enter it into the search.  

Notice that this site has 224 inbound links.  This is a business site and has a staff to pump out press releases and handle public relations.  The press releases and PR generate links on the Net that point back to retirementjobs.com.  

At the time of writing this article, the link command for RJO showed 56 inbound links.  For pppretirementplans.com it showed 5 inbound links.  

Google uses inbound links as “votes” for the popularity of the content on your site.  The more quality links (not links in link farms, articles or blogs) you have pointing to your site, the higher it considers the relevancy of your site for the keyword you are using.  

If you do not know about link farms, read the definition of link farm on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Link_farm.  

Use these Google commands to see where the links are coming from for your competition and to see how many inbound links your competitor has.  You need to work on a plan to get more than your competitor.  

The other new command is “related”.  Enter “related:websitename.extension” into Google search. Google will return the top websites it considers related to the search website that you entered.  This may give you related websites that do not show up on your keyword search.  

You might consider contacting the webmasters for these sites and proposing a link exchange.  If you are not competing for the same keyword, but Google considers your sites related, a link exchange could help you both.  

These operators are very helpful in analyzing your site against your competition and for finding out how many web pages your competitor has in her/his website.  Just remember where to find them on Google.

When Matt Cutts Speaks, Pay Attention  

Matt Cutts works for Google and is very good about sharing his recommendations about how to improve your website to make it more acceptable to Google.  

Matt likes to make videos and post them on Youtube.  

I have written before about the importance of using ALT tags with any picture that you post on you website.  Matt discusses the same subject on this video.

Search Google for more of Matt’s videos about Google.  They are worth the few minutes it takes to watch them.  

Don ’t Forget to Change your eBay Affiliation  

We wrote in last month’s eZine about eBay changing from Commission Junction to its own commission program.  

Don ’t forget to make this change.  The original deadline for the migration was April 30, but this has been extended to May 31, 2008 .  

I have made the change and opened the new account for John Howe , Inc. on the eBay Partner Network.  My problem now is to find all the old Commission Junction affiliate links in all my websites and change those links from Commission Junction to the eBay Partner Network.  Thank goodness, I do not have too many of them.  However, they are spread out over many web pages so it will take some time to identify them and replace them.  

This is just another “public service reminder” to make certain that you make the changes if this applies to you.  If you do not have any eBay affiliate links, perhaps you should consider setting up a few in your website(s).  You can start here:  

https://www.ebaypartnernetwork.com/files/hub/en-US/index.html  

If you are not a member of eBay, I recommend you get started on eBay.

To Blog or Not to Blog, that is the Question  

Ken Evoy, creator of Site Build It (SBI), recently added a web page for SBI affiliates entitled “Blog or Build”.  The web page is brilliant since it boils down blogging versus building a website.  

Some of the highlights:  

"Blogs usually have high Bounce Rates no matter what since
normal visitor behavior is to read the newest post and then leave."

I could go on and on, but the bottom line is if you channeled the effort required for a blog into building a content based website, you would leverage your effort many times over.  

Do not let me give you the impression that there are never applications when you might blog.  If you are providing news and current tips, blogging may be the answer.  Also, you can have a blog to complement your website and help drive traffic to your site.

If you are serious about building a successful website, I highly recommend using Site Build It.  I am working on my fourth SBI website and I plan additional ones as time permits.

Just as a wrap up to this, I just received an email from Affiliate Classroom that there are 112.8 million blogs.  175,000 new blogs are launched every day.  1.5 million blog posts are made everyday.

This just shows how fast the blog fad has reached “lemming status” as Ken Evoy wrote.  Let the bloggers waste that energy competing with each other while we create deep theme based content sites and pull the traffic away from bloggers to our web sites.

For the complete story about this subject, read “Blog or Build” on SBI.

http://blogorbuild.sitesell.com/boomer.html

Guest Author – Adam Urbanski

I subscribe to Adam Urbanski’s newsletter and blog.  I read this article on Adam’s blog and I thought the message hit home.   I emailed him for permission to publish it in Boomer eZine and he consented.  I am certain that you will find the message as good as I did

Information Marketing Mistakes to Avoid  

by Adam Urbanski  

Every day I get calls from my clients asking me questions about doing business online. Each time they cite something they just heard from some “Internet Marketing Guru.” Unfortunately, more often that I care to admit, what people are told about building a profitable online business - specifically information marketing business - is little more than a bunch of crap!

If you’ve followed a lot of that crappy advice, tried your hand at building an Internet-based business and haven’t yet reached the success you want, these 11 deadly mistakes and tips how to avoid them are for you.

Mistake #1 - Not Treating What You Do as a Business.

The difference between a hobby and a business is that a hobby doesn’t make you money - it costs you money.

If you’re serious about starting a building a profitable online business approach seriously and focus on generating revenue.

Treat your online business as if you would any regular business.

Mistake #2 - Being Distracted by Too Many Good Ideas.

You can light up a room with a light bulb, but you can cut through steel with a laser beam. The same is true with your effort and ideas.

Too many Internet-Entrepreneur-Wanna-Bes lack the will power to stay focused on one business venture from beginning to end. Chasing too many ideas at the same time often leaves them exhausted, frustrated, and with little results to show for their hard work.

The key to success is to select one business idea and to develop it completely before moving on to another project.

Mistake #3 - Not Selecting a Specific Niche.

Perhaps the biggest mistake of all is trying to be everything to everyone. You can’t - so stop!

It’s very counter-intuitive to focus on a smaller slice of the market and most people are afraid to do it. But when you do, your business will grow faster, and you’ll be more financially successful in less time.

Mistake #4 - Falling in Love With the Wrong Idea.

Even the most experienced entrepreneurs fall into this trap and develop products without doing any research. Before you devote serious amount of time and effort to developing your new ideas make sure there is a demand for the type of product, information, or service you want to launch.

And just checking how many people searched for a certain keyword isn’t enough. After all, not all the searches result in people buying stuff, right?

Make sure you can identify a specific group of people (your target market) that’s easy to find and reach. Make sure you understand what specific problems your target market wants to solve, and that they have the money to invest in the type of solution you want to offer them.

If you would like more help with this, I devoted a good part of my Info Profit Fast Track program explaining how to identify and research an ideal niche market.

Mistake #5 - Falling for the “Get Rich Quick” Scheme!

Remember the old adage “if something is too good to be true…”? It’s alive and well on the Internet.

Countless people buy into the idea of making millions online overnight. Sadly, they buy into programs hyped up with empty promises only to find themselves “out of cash and out of luck” a short while later.

Be aware of spammers, illegal money-winning scams, and buying “ready to profit from money-making businesses” that are “hot but will sell for cheap”!

Before you fork over your money investigate if those hot businesses have ever made a dime for their current owner.

No matter how “hot” and appealing the offers look, and despite the often present “urgency to act now or loose out” - always do your homework first. It will save you a lot of money and many sleepless nights!

Mistake #6 - Going Into It, Instead of Growing Into It.

While the Internet makes it easier to reach your potential clients, you’re still building a business - and that takes time.

So don’t tell your boss you’re quitting today because you started this hot new online business last night and you’ll be “rolling in dough in no time flat” until you make sure your business idea works and is profitable.

That’s one of the advantages of Internet Business - you can start small and step-it-up as your business starts getting sales and generating profits.

So first be sure your online business can consistently replace your current income before jumping ship and telling your boss to “beat it”!

Mistake #7 - Being a Copy-Cat!

Quickly - what is the most popular business on the Internet? You guessed it - it’s how to make money online!

It seems that everyone who has bought a course on making money online is credible enough to teach this subject a week or two later!

Don ’t fall for the allure of easy money - because it’s only a perception. In reality your chances of having a successful online business are much greater when you are different from the pack. 

There are plenty of small, untapped markets to “get rich” in. Every day I find people making money on websites teaching things like juggling, bunny breeding, making home videos, and a score of other “weird” topics.

Do a little soul searching and identify things you know a lot about and are passionate about. Chances are there is a group of people who would be willing to pay you to learn what you already know on those topics. And those are the business opportunities you should pursue online…

Mistake #8 - Wasting Time and Money on Developing Pretty but Useless Websites.

A bad idea is a bad idea - no matter how pretty you dress it up. Many people waste precious startup dollars on expensive but needless graphics, pretty logos and complex web design.

In reality, most businesses can be simple and inexpensive to get off the ground. In fact, a simple two, or three-page website with little or no graphics will often make more money than one with all the latest flashing bells and whistles.

Ask yourself what is the core concept of your business. Outline it on a single sheet of paper, then quickly implement it in its simplest form. You can always give it a makeover and spruce it up if it’s successful and profitable.

Mistake #9 - Not Building Relationship with Clients.

“Even though you don’t know me from Adam, I want you to take out your wallet and give me $20 - in exchange I’ll make you the King of the Universe!”

What!?

You don’t want to give me your $20?

What a surprise!

Most people think about starting an online business in terms of getting a quick sale - with no prior relationship with their potential clients at all.

In reality, you’ll be more successful when you make your first goal to collect contact information from potential clients and follow up with them on regular basis.

It’s much easier to “sell something for FREE” than trying to convince people to give you money at first.

Make it your goal to prove your credibility online. Make your business all about building relationship with prospects and clients and you’ll create a thriving online empire.

Mistake #10 - Calling It “QUITS” Too Soon!

If your new online venture isn’t making money at first don’t walk away from it too soon. Many entrepreneurs have multiple “failures” in their background - which in reality are lessons in what didn’t work.

Evaluate your ideas and get help with gaining a new perspective on what you’re doing. Sometime, with a few tweaks, you might find a new way to position your originally unprofitable idea differently and turn it into a real money-maker.

And don’t forget this simple truth - most ideas need enough time to germinate. So you simply need to give them time to gain the traction and momentum to get the payoff you want.

Mistake #11 - Being too cheap!

While it’s a good habit to be thrifty with your dollars, don’t confuse saving money with being cheap. Remember the price you’re paying for things isn’t always expressed in money. It’s also the time, effort, and lost opportunities you can’t take advantage of because you lack the know-how or are busy doing low-level tasks.

There are two things that consistently differentiate smart and successful online entrepreneurs from those who can’t make it.

The successful ones surround themselves with a winning support team and hire mentors to coach them in gaining new business skills. They continually invest in their education. They buy marketing training programs, time-saving software tools, and systems that allow them to grow businesses faster with less effort.

So there you have it - my top 11 deadly information marketing mistakes. And I’m sure this is only a short list. If you feel compelled to do so, feel free to comment below and add more “deadly mistakes” or good tips to avoid making them…

Here is to your success… Cheers!

Adam

© 2008 Marketing Mentors. All Rights Reserved.

The author, Adam Urbanski, Founder and President of Marketing Mentors, teaches professionals and business owners proven strategies to leverage their know-how into low-cost, high-profit information products and programs. For a four-hour fast track training go to his website at http://www.InfoProfitFastTrack.com  

That wraps up this issue.  Until next month, stay tuned.

John and Linda Howe  

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