Article Writing Increases Your Web Traffic: Here are the Basics

Article writing is one of the best ways to generate traffic to your website or blog. It really isn't that difficult once you learn the basics and the results will pay off. You don't have to be an expert to compose an effective article that gets read and creates traffic. The first thing to consider when writing an article is to pick a specific topic. Compose your article beforehand, then just copy and paste it to the article sites and make the necessary adjustments once logged in to that article site.

The best method is to use a conversational approach as if you're talking to a friend. This will ease any pressure you have in composing the piece, as well as, ending up with a more effective final product once it reaches your audience. Do not "pitch" your opportunity in the article directories. In fact, you don't have to mention your opportunity at all.

Write about an area of expertise you know about, then compose four to five short paragraphs about it. Most article sites have a resource box that you can give a short pitch, introduction, or bio that can contain a link or two to your opportunity. The article directories are particular about obvious pitches and I have had a few articles denied because of even mentioning benefits of a program, but there are ways around this. Like I mentioned, write about a related skill and do your "pitching" in the resource box. Or write an "unbiased review" of the opportunity you are promoting.

Some basic topics that just about anybody can write an article about are, "How Online Marketing is a Great Way to Earn Extra Money", "Top 10 Reasons to Start a Home Based Business", "Why Stay-at-Home Moms Are Turning to Home Based Businesses", or "Recession Proof Businesses".

The first paragraph should be an introduction and present a problem. The second paragraph should offer solutions to this problem. For example, the economy is tough, what is a way to make an extra income? An online business. Or, what are the most common Craigslists mistakes? Then go on to explain the solutions. Offer an example or two and a testimonial about how it worked for you or someone you know.

Then simply conclude your article by reinforcing the main points. So you want to be conversational, include examples and ways to overcome obstacles, and increase your credibility with endorsements. These are the basics and will work as a basic guideline until you become more comfortable and develop your own writing style.

Finally, an important but overlooked element, is the call to action. This applies to the spoken word too. A call to action is simply directing or asking the reader what action to take. Whether subtle or direct, do not omit this step. Whether it is to buy, sign up or support something, be sure to include instructions as to what you want them to do in the first place. On article sites be subtle and save this for the resource box.

If these bases are covered, your article will do the job. Why does this work and How does this help you? Well, article sites have subscribers, so when you submit and get an article accepted it automatically gets read by that subsciber base in the related subject. This increases your web presence and credibility. Also, your article will get picked up by other sites who use these sites for fresh content on their own sites with your links in tact. Lastly, and best of all, the search engines can pick up the content within your article and give you free and organic page ranking. It also creates backlinks to your site, which further helps your page ranking.

Here are some things to remember when submitting an article:

1. Don't pitch or sell.

2. Write articles in advance and change the title and a few sentences around when submitting to different article sites to avoid duplicate content.

3. Have a premade paragraph saved to use in your "resource box". Here is an example, John Q. Public lives in Pine View, Kansas with his family and has found out how to make an income from home. Visit Here (LINK) to see his latest opportunity or visit his blog HERE(LINK)to learn more.

To create a clickable link on these sites, just VIEW THIS VIDEO as I cannot create an example without it creating a link. This is about the only HTML you need to know if you don't already know HTML.



Find more videos like this on zero2riches


Click Here or What you want link to say

The http:// is where you want it to go, and the CLICK HERE between the >< will show up as a clickable blue link.

4. Abide by the Terms and Conditions. Most of them are the same and allow no more than two links in resource box. You can put links in the body but the rules get complex.

5. The first 3 words of the article title are the most important-make them count.

Some Article Sites I submit to regularly:

ezinearticles.com
amazines.com (you create your "resource box" as your last paragraph in the body)
articlebiz.com
articlecube.com
articlecity.com
articledashboard.com
goarticles.com

If you absolutely do not want to write articles, there are services that will help you with this. I would highly recommend having at least a few articles out there, as they will increase your web presence and credibility.

[Election 08] , Who knew?

Here's something pretty wild. Although I have no political aspirations I still thought this was worth posting.

Explorer vs. Firefox?

I like to consider myself somewhat in the loop as far as internet trends and technology go, but I guess I've been a little stubborn when it comes to switching to Firefox exclusively. Of course I'm referring to the internet browser offered by Mozilla that most internet users are either already using are switching from Explore to anyway.

I don't know if this is a huge debate or issue, since it does not after all, require a total commitment to switch from Microsoft's standby. You can indeed use one, or the other, both, or even both at the same time. Just lately, however, it has really become an issue.

I heard ramblings a year or so ago about how even Bill Gates himself admits that the platforms and applications on today's internet are not compatible or supported by Explorer. Still, I just ho-hummed all this and went on with my business.

My question is why not? Why would the very anchor of internet accessibility not be on or ahead of the curve. Who knows? Anyway, lately I have gradually started using my Firefox, even though it's been on my desktop for some time now. Mostly out of frustration with Explorer. The results have been quite favorable, even though, it takes a little getting used to change. But online, of course, that is the name of the game.

There are also a whole host of other browser services too, but that is the subject of another entry. I just know I ignored what I had heard and stubbornly clung to my familiar Explorer and will more than likely say goodbye all together if it is not updated.

I don't know why it has gotten so difficult for Explorer to perform lately. It has seemed to work fine, then slow, then slower, than really squirrely, then fine again. I just thought it may be my computer or something. The bottom line is Firefox has saved me on many occasion lately and I guess that can't be a coincidence.

I still don't know the what or why or what Microsoft intends to do, if anything. All I know is I'll still have Explorer on my desktop and Firefox as the primary vehicle for my work. Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts or just enlighten me as to what your experiences have been related to this issue.

Keywords Tip : Long Tail Keywords Improve Your Ad Copy

Keywords are the foundation to any copy or text you have on the internet. Since that is the case it is important to know exactly what they are and the function they perform. What's the big deal aren't they just words? Well yes and no. Keywords are the specific words you expand the rest of your copy around so that when people are searching for specific subject they are presented with results related to what they are looking for.

This sounds easy enough but the truth of the matter is certain words are very profitable and as a result very competitive. This can deter the inexperienced from entering the game all together. Some incredibly competitive categories are 'making money online', 'auto insurance', 'home loans', 'lawyer', and 'mesothelioma'. Meso what? That is or has been the number one and most competitive keyword for some time now, based on the million dollar court settlements related to this disease. Big law firms vie for top ranking with this keyword every day. The point is certain words and phrases are competitive for a reason. Money.

It is important to grasp this concept early on in you internet marketing journey to avoid a lot of wasted time and money. There are experts who do nothing but target these top profitable keywords making it seem impossible for the novice to carve out their position. You can do one of two things. You can learn the strategies and become an expert yourself or you can find ways to attract the overflow of people who are searching for related topics, but just not the exact keyword.

What I'm referring to specifically is 'long tail keywords'. There are tools that allow you to create these long tail keywords that have many people searching for them but little competition. That is the key and I'll repeat it. Heavily searched words and phrases with little competition. Let say you're offering vitamins and natural supplements on your website or you have an affiliate link to such a site, you might be ready to promote it. When composing your page copy or ad; find ways to use the lesser used word combination. For example, the word "vitamins" is very competitive, as well as the word "health", so find a phrase like "new homeopathic remedies" or "family health solution", or discount vitamins in Dallas, Texas".

Finding just the right combination won't happen instantly but once you find it run with it. This is what the top internet earners do. It takes experimentation and split testing but the results of the extra time spent is quite rewarding. A well written ad will bring in more traffic and well written copy will call the reader to action. It is also more likely that that copy will be crawled and appear in the result and rank higher natural when people are searching for that phrase. This is referred to as ranking organically.

Some more steps to take when composing an ad for a pay per click campaign are to make sure your keywords appear in your ad title and somewhere in your two-line description. Google will bold the keyword wherever it appears, so the more often you include it in your ad, the more your ad stands out. Google will also consider your ad more relevant to the keyword which can translate into a lower cost per click for you. Plus, your ad will appear more relevant to the person who typed in that keyword, so they’ll be more likely to click on your ad.

Another important tip regarding Google Adwords which is the main pay per click service is to set a daily budget and to use the adwords tool to set your bid for those words. Bidding of cours determines how often your ad will appear in the results. This is why it's best to look for those combinations that only cost around .05 versus $15 or $20 on up per click. Set your budget options to the standard delivery method so your ads show evenly over time. Then set the ad serving option to “rotate” so your ads are displayed more evenly. These settings will give you the best variety of searchers.

Keep all of this information in mind when composing page copy or ad campaigns. It will make the difference in how far your ad dollar goes. It will also make the difference in being organically ranked which is better than paid traffic to begin with. Just remember to use long tail keywords instead of the competive expensive words and to try a variety of combinations.

Animoto: Video Marketing Tool That's Edgy, Fun, and Easy to Use

Here is a Press Release available on the new Animoto slide/video creation site animoto.com. I can already see the value in a resource like this. It took me all of ten minutes to create my first test video. Be on the look out for more videos. I will also post a few vids here, my test was just some photos I had on file so I'm not posting it, but wanted to go ahead and get the word out about this awesome site.

Animoto allows you to upload photos and your own music or music from their library. The music is offered by artists that allow to have their music publicly played without royalty fees. Then there is a cadre of features as far as what to do with this video. For example, uploading it to Youtube, Facebook, Myspace, your website or blog, etc.

I highly recommend this site to anyone looking to enhance their video making skills and especially for internet marketers. I still recommend simple videos that reveal who you are, but this is just another complement to your arsenal of tools to market online.

Animoto Press Kit Material:
With all that's possible with TV & film these days, how is it that we are still in the "next slide please" stone age of image presentation? This question prompted the guys at Animoto Productions, a bunch of TV/film producers and techies, to lock themselves in a room and nerd-out. Their mission? To make the type of stuff they did while producing shows at MTV, Comedy Central & ABC available to everyone.

Their first release, Animoto, does just that. Animoto users simply choose which images they'd like to display and a song. Animoto then produces a fully customized & unique video to them. Produced in a widescreen format, the result is a video that has the visual energy of a music video and the emotional impact of a movie trailer. Welcome to the end of slideshows. Best of all, no two videos are ever the same. Ever.

Even videos generated with an identical set of images and music selection will each have an entirely distinct set of motion design. Sharing them is easy too, as they can be emailed, downloaded, and embedded on websites including social network sites like Facebook and MySpace. The heart of Animoto is its newly developed patent-pending Cinematic A.I. technology that thinks like an actual director and editor. The technology takes into account every nuance of a song - the genre, song structure, energy, rhythm, instrumentation, and vocals.

Whether it's punk, pop, hip-hop or a classical Mozart piece, every Animoto video is totally customized. Animoto is inspired by the digital camera revolution where taking dozens, even hundreds of pictures at a time gives people the ability to think more like a video producer capturing an entire experience, not just individual moments. As users are discovering the limits of traditional photo services, the guys at Animoto are innovating new ways for people to share their stories and express themselves through media.

Animoto is also dedicated to supporting new artists and music. So while users can upload their own music, the guys at Animoto also proudly feature a regularly updated selection of fresh music that they truly dig. No stock music, no cover bands and no elevator music. Animoto's front end is built on the open source web framework Ruby on Rails, facilitating rapid "Web 2.0" (Ajax, etc) application development.

Animoto has partnered with Amazon to leverage multiple offerings in their Web Services (AWS) platform which, in conjunction with Animoto's own render farm, constitutes the Animoto web infrastructure. Based in New York City with an office in San Francisco, the founders of Animoto have worked in the entertainment industry, studied music in London, and played in indie rock bands. They share a passion for helping people better share their stories and express themselves through online media by innovating technologies in the field of video production.
End of Press Release

Flip Mino: Press Release

Below is a press release provided by Pure Digital Technologies of the new Flip Mino. Be on the lookout for my review of this exciting and useful new product. In the meantime please subscribe to my blog and visit my Youtube channel and subscibe to it as well.


Pure Digital Technologies introduces Flip Video Mino, the company’s latest innovation in its popular, critically-acclaimed Flip Video family of camcorders. Weighing in at just over three ounces, the remarkably slim yet powerful Flip Video Mino raises the bar for high-quality, portable, and easy-to-use video. Smaller than most cell phones, Mino fits neatly into a jeans pocket to capture life’s stories whenever and wherever they happen – at a party, a concert, the beach, even on a bike ride. The $179.99 (MSRP) Mino also features Flip Video’s built-in software that allows consumers to simply plug the camcorder’s signature flip-out USB arm into any computer for immediate editing and sharing. For the first time, the Flip Video software enables users to upload video directly to MySpace as well as to YouTube and AOL Video, making it even easier to share video.“Flip Video Mino delivers the perfect combination of high-quality video, sleek design, and ease of use,” said Jonathan Kaplan, CEO of Pure Digital Technologies. “For the millions who share their lives online every day, it’s more than a camcorder – it’s a fun tool for communicating and creatively expressing themselves.”With 2GB of on-board flash memory, Mino allows consumers to capture up to 60 minutes of high-quality video using the camcorder’s intuitive new touch-sensitive buttons to record, play, fast forward, rewind, pause and delete. Users can instantly play back video on the camcorder’s 1.5-inch anti-glare LCD display. Mino uses an internal, rechargeable lithium-ion battery that conveniently recharges whenever the camcorder’s USB arm is connected to a computer and provides more than four hours of recording time on a single charge. Using Mino’s built-in software, consumers are able to edit and share videos instantly from a PC or Mac. In addition to quickly posting videos on sharing and social networking sites, they can email videos and video greeting cards; create custom movies with their own music; capture still photos from video; save and organize videos on the computer; and, for the first time, seamlessly order and send DVDs anywhere in the world. “Video is a major part of the MySpace experience and the Mino’s portable design means MySpace users can capture their life as it happens,” said Josh Brooks, vice president of marketing for MySpace. “We are excited to partner with Flip Video to make it easier than ever for MySpace users to directly upload and share content on MySpaceTV.”
Flip Video Mino Features
Weight: 3.3 oz.
One-touch recording with 2x digital zoom
Touch-sensitive buttons for instant recording, playback, fast forward, rewind, pause and delete
Built-in software compatible with PC or Mac:
Instant upload to MySpace, YouTube, and AOL Video
One-click emailing of videos and video greeting cards
Custom editing of movie mixes, with the option to set them to your own music
Capture of still photos from video
Order DVDs online and have them shipped anywhere in the world
TV connection for instant viewing (cable included)
Tripod mount
Available accessories (sold separately): AC power adapter, tripod, action mount, and pouch
At retailers nationwide including: Amazon.com, Bestbuy.com, Circuit City, Sears, Walmart.com, and TheFlip.com
Available in black or white; suggested retail price: $179.99.
End of Press Release.

Broadfoot will test and review the Flip Mino. The review will appear on this blog as well as on Youtube.

Top 10 Ways to Save Money For Your Home Based Business Investment

1. Sell stuff on eBay : Although this may seem obvious, following through and parting with that old watch or collectible can bring you a quick profit.

2. Have a Yard Sale : It takes work, but when it's all over, you've got extra money and less junk.

3. Pawn Valuables : Everyone has something of value they never use.

4. Borrow from a friend or family member : Not the prefered method, but if you set up a payback schedule and present your idea, this is a way many empires are started.

5. Get a Business Partner : This not only combines financial resources but you now have two different skillsets to draw from.

6. Approach an Investor : Present a formal Business Plan to an investor and work out a formal loan repayment aggreement.

7. Get a Bank Loan : Like investors, banks invest in entrepreneurial enterprises when they are presented professionally (seek out a cosigner if needed).

8. Government Grants : Depending on the nature of your proposed business, there may be free money or low interest loans available. Try grants.gov or govbenefits.gov

9. Save : This often takes a while but with concerted effort and sacrifice you may have your money sooner by stashing away an extra 10% than just wishing you had the money.

10. Use Your Credit Card : Don't go overboard with this but a well spent couple of thousand bucks can make the difference between having a profitable online business or not.