5 Google Tools For Researching Your Market

by Pete Moore

Internet marketers and webmasters have always had a love/ hate relationship with Google. Whatever you think of them they do provide website owners with some great market research tools.

No matter what market you are in or plan to be in, you will find these free tools provided by Google very useful when researching your market. You should be researching your market constantly, NOT just when your setting up your site. The internet is ever changing and if you're not keeping up with those changes you will be left behind.

Market Research Tool 1 - Related Searches And Wonder Wheel

When you start typing in the main Google search box you should see a drop down box appear giving you some alternative search terms related to the word you typed. Note these phrases down in a notepad file or write them on a piece of paper. They will be useful as you part of your keyword list used in the next tool. You will also see more related search phrases after you click search, scroll to the bottom of the results page you will see "searches related to:" note down any new phrases shown there.

Recently Google has released Wonder Wheel which is also a related keywords tool but is shown in a mind map format. You can also click on the related phrases to find more useful search terms. To access wonder wheel: enter your keyword in the standard search screen, then at the top of the results on the left you should see a show options link. Select that and it will reveal a menu, near the bottom of the menu you should see wonder wheel.

Market Research Tool 2 - Adwords Keyword Tool

We all know how important keywords and search phrases are, let's face it it's what drives the internet. Google have provided us with a tool that tells you what keywords and phrases people are using to find what they are looking for. You are able to search an individual country, more than one if you hold down the ctrl key on your keyboard as you select or all countries.

The adwords tool is now more valuable due to the fact it shows actual search numbers. Previously you only had a green bar to indicate how much traffic the search term received. You can also see how competitive each keyword is amongst adword advertisers, showing us which keywords are commercially viable.

Market Research Tool 3 - Google Trends

Now we have an idea what keywords our market are using you can use the trends tool to check the history of that keyword / phrase. Google trends supplies data for the last 5 years giving you an idea if the search term is consistent. We can also see if the search term is popular at a certain times of year also known as a seasonal keywords.

Another important function of trends is the section that tells us what countries, cities and language the keyword is most popular, very useful if we are targeting particular countries or even cities. Market Research Tool 4 - Google Alerts

Alerts is underused by webmasters. If you want to stay in touch with what's hot in your market you can, by using Google alerts. All you have to do is enter the most popular phrases in your market Google will then send you links via email depending on what type you select.

The types are news, web, blogs, video and groups if you would like a mix of all you can select comprehensive. You can decide how often you want to be updated by selecting either: as it happens, once a day or once a week. I hope you can see how powerful this is if you want to be seen as an authority in your market. Market Research Tool 5 - Google Websearch

Last we have Googles standard web search which is not standard in my eyes it tells us lots of information if we know what to look for. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an important part of running a website. By performing a search of your market keywords Google will tell you what type of content it sees as important.

If you see videos, blogs or images this gives us another way to reach the top 10 of Google. If you see web 2.0 style sites such as digg that could be another avenue. If there are adword ads on the right side of the screen that tells us the market is commercially viable and more importantly that the keyword we entered is good enough to pay for especially if there are 10 ads or more.

As you can see even if you don't have money to buy the latest tools. I have shown you there is a way to get some very important information using free tools from google, are you starting to love them now.

Thanks for reading.

About the Author

Do you need content and products for your website, if the answer is yes check out http://www.publicdomainresource.com . We show you how to profit from public domain information in our FREE Public Domain Profits Report here http://www.publicdomainresource.com/public/134.cfm

Website Headers - 10 Tips To Make Them Benefit Web Designer's

by Kabir Bedi

Headers are an intrinsic part of website design. They occupy one of the most prominent and most viewed areas of the web pages and hence can contribute highly to communicate with the visitors. Here are some tips to improve the effectiveness of headers and in turn enhance the user experience on the website.

Highlight the Headers

The headers need to stand apart from the content of the web pages. Therefore, you need to highlight them accordingly. The idea is to make the headers look distinct and therefore more noticeable. You can use a different set of fonts or colors to bring about this difference.

Use Bright Colors

Headers are supposed to attract attention. Therefore, make sure they do that. Use bright colors like red, yellow, orange etc. that are aggressive and attention grabbing and stimulate reaction in visitors. These colors appear to stand out from the regular scroll of the web pages.

Make them Bigger in Size

To enhance the prominence of the headers, one thing that you can do is to increase the type size of the headers. This will increase its visibility as well as inform the visitors about its importance.

Do the Correct Labeling

Just because the headers enjoy more importance, it becomes necessary that they are used correctly. Label the sections of your website correctly. However, make sure that you don't use trendy titles that serve to confuse the visitors. Labels of the headers should explicitly explain the content that follows.

Keep them Crisp and Concise

The headers should be short and crisp so that they attract visitor attention and at the same time impress them with their crispiness. Omit any articles like 'a', 'an', 'the' etc. The headers should essentially aim to inform all about the following contents in the least possible words, ideally a phrase or something.

Include the Correct Semantics

When headers are concerned, don't skip from H1 to H6 straightforward. H1 heading are the most important followed by the subsequent ones in descending order of importance.

Maintain Consistency

There are generally many headings in the web pages and everyone of them can have a different style. But that is not advisable if you need to maintain a professional look and feel of the website. Moreover, consistency throughout the header design create a feel of familiarity and makes visitors feel at ease.

Place Headers near the Content

The placement of the headers is very important. Generally, web users expect to see the relevant content very close to the headers. Don't disappoint your visitors by making them guess too much. Place the headers and the related information in close proximity to one another. When the visitors pause to look at the headers, they shouldn't search to find the following information. It should be right there.

Separate Headers from Unrelated Content

If the headers point to the wrong information, it can be very harmful for your website. Therefore, create clear demarcations between content headers and actual content. Make sure the headers are followed by relevant information only.

Include Keywords

Even search engine place increased importance on the headers of the web pages. That is why it is a good idea to include keywords in the headers. Not only will it capture the attention of visitors but also the website will have high ranking in search results.

About the Author

Kabir Bedi is a senior web consultant at LeXolution IT Services, a professional web design company based in India. He leads a team of Indian web developers and advises them to create powerful web solutions for their clients.

SEO Analysis and Research: The First Step to Web Marketing

by Collyn Floyd

Research, planning and analysis are paramount to successfully starting any business endeavor. Think about this: architects draw up blueprints before building structures, physicians order tests and x-rays before operating, athletes create game plans and survey the competition before game day, and retailers scout out the best locations before opening up shop.

Similarly, before starting a Web Marketing campaign, you need to create a marketing "blueprint" for your website through research and analysis. This is an important first step in any Web Marketing campaign because it helps identify key issues and metrics within a website, helps you make better informed choices moving forward, and makes creating an accurate marketing plan much easier.

From keyword rankings to website structure to competitive research information, a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) analysis should give you an excellent idea of the size and scope of the web marketing campaign you'll need. If done correctly, an SEO analysis should give you a good idea if your site needs "the works" or just a few tweaks, and if your level of investment will be large, small, or somewhere in between.

If you want to improve any of the following on your website, then you should seriously consider a website analysis:

* Keyword rankings in the search engines

* Branding/online visibility

* The quality and amount of traffic to your site

* Overall appeal and ease of use of your site, including site architecture, copywriting, etc.

* Sales and lead conversions

A good SEO analysis to assist you moving forward should also include the following detailed information:

* Keyword rankings: Does your site just need a little nudging to get to the first page of Google? Or are you nowhere to be found? Find out where your site ranks in the Big 3 search engines (Google, Yahoo!, MSN), as well as if you are targeting the best keywords for your site. You'd be surprised how many businesses unknowingly target the wrong set of keywords. Knowing this information will have a dramatic effect on the type of campaign you'll need moving forward.

* Online competition: Who are your competitors? Are they aggressively using the Web? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Knowing this information gives you powerful information that can give you a head start on the competition.

* Problem areas: A good site analysis should uncover areas of your site that may be hindering you in the search engines. Maybe pages of your website aren't being indexed by the search engines or you have navigation that isn't user-friendly. These are common examples of problems that are identified in a site analysis.

* Analytics: Who is visiting your site? Where are they coming from and how long are they staying? What pages are visiting most frequently? Analytics programs, such as Google Analytics, help provide answers to these questions

* SEO recommendations: A good SEO analysis should give you recommendations and suggestions to use moving forward. Just like an architect's blueprint, this should guide you as you undergo your Web Marketing campaign.

A reputable SEO firm is the best place to go for this type of reporting because they have access to the best, most reliable tools, not to mention the needed professional and analytical experience.

If you want to maximize the effectiveness of your Search Engine Optimization campaign, it's critical for your success that you begin by doing SEO analysis and research on your website and your competitors. Remember: if you don't know where your site stands currently, how can you successfully gauge where to go next?

About the Author

Collyn Floyd is a marketing and public relations specialist with The Karcher Group, a web development and search engine marketing firm based in North Canton, OH. She is passionate about helping The Karcher Group's clients achieve greater online traffic, leads and sales through search engine optimization and marketing.

5 Secret Keys to Cut Your Adwords Cost By Upto 95%

by Chris Ball

There are so many people out there claiming to be able to provide you with ways to make money with Google Adwords and PPC advertising, but the simple truth is 98% of all people trying to work from home with online income, fail to even make a single dollar in profit. Most often they end up spending more on their advertising campaigns that they earn as an affiliate. This is because they are often paying as much as 20 times the amount they could for there Google Adwords. Cutting the cost of your advertising is crucial to making a profit with affiliate marketing, so if you want to make a serious online income and work from home, you need to learn these 5 Secret Keys to low cost Google Adwords.

Key 1: Relevance

When you put together an ad on Adwords one of the key factors Google uses to determine the price you will pay for that ad to be places is relevance. If the keywords you have bid on appear in the ad AND if the site they go to seems to be on the same subject. Therefore research which keywords are important for your target market and make sure that you have one ad for each keyword. As an affiliate you may not be able to control the sales page, but you can always create a content rich squeeze page to capture subscriber.

Key 2: Click Through Rate

The Click Through Rate (CTR) of your Adwords Ad is monitored by Google and the amount you pay per click will be determined by the Click Through Rate. Google has determined that the CTR is a key factor in how relevant you ad is to the searcher, so if you get a high click through rate then your Adwords ad cost will go down by as much as 95%! If you find that Google has set your ad as inactive, it could simply be because they see it as not relevant. They will simply tell you to bid more, when in reality all you need to do is reword the ad.

Key 3. Experiment with the unusual

As mentioned in the other keys, Google uses relevance as a significant key to setting the price of your Adwords ad, and you can appear above a more expensive ad if Google sees your ad as more relevant to the audience. It is very common for a simple change in the wording of and ad in some cases one word or switching the order of the lines around can make the Click Through Rate increase 2000%. And as the CTR will very much determine the cost of your Adwords campaign it is worth experimenting with different ads. Look at it this way, if you are paying $0.75 per click for an add, with a CTR of 0.5%, but another add you ran had a CTR of 3.5%, then you have increased your relevance by 700%. Google will see this and will want to keep you high on the page. Therefore you can now start to lower your maximum bid and see what happens to your position in the page. It could be that you can cut your Adwords costs by as much as 50% and still stay at the same level on the page.

Key 4. Bid on lots of keywords

One mistake most new Internet Marketers make is that they bid on a narrow range of keywords, which often happen to be the same keywords that everyone else in that niche is bidding on. In order to make Google Adwords super successful it is important to get those 5 cent clicks. For example: if you are bidding on the key word "Digital Camera" you are competing against possibly hundreds of other marketers and the cost per click will be over $2 a click, but if you bid on "Nikon D90 digital" the cost is just $0.05, a saving of 97.5%! If you want to make real profits with your Google Adwords PPC campaigns then you really need those 5 cent clicks!

Key 5. Profit from the traffic.

So far we have been talking about the getting traffic at the lowest price, and those are vital keys to successful Adwords campaigns. But if you truly want to work from home with a successful Internet Marketing business it is vital that the site you are sending your traffic to is converting those clicks into sales - either directly or by capturing their name and email address and then selling to them later. If you are sending traffic to an affiliate marketing site then it is vital that you monitor the conversion rate of the site, but better still put your own squeeze page up and create your own niche list. So no matter how successful you are at getting cheap clicks you must ensure that the value of the site you are sending them to ensures they become customers.

There are many thousands of people on the internet trying to make an online income that will allow them to work from home, and Google Adwords is for most of them the first and last place they try. It is not unusual for them to work for months or even years without making a single penny of profit. Getting your Adwords campaign right is about the little things, these 5 keys will guide you through the process fast.

About the Author

Successful internet marketing is about getting the best information. http://www.hotinfobase.com/maverickmoneymakers/ - get the right information.

A Few Simple SEO Tips to Help Your Search Engine Rankings

by Anna Agnew

Want to improve your search engine ranking? Follow these simple SEO tips that will keep you from making some common mistakes.

Importance of text
The first important rule that one must know about search engines is SEARCH ENGINES ONLY INDEX TEXT. When designing your website, you must always keep this important rule in mind. Search engines do not index images or flash very well so it's a good idea not to overuse them - use images and flash only when necessary and vital to your website. Search engines are becoming smarter in their ability to index files like PDFs and captions on graphics but the general rule of thumb is to remember that search engines only index text. To ignore this rule would seriously hurt your search engine ranking.

All images should be using the required ALT tags
Because search engines only index text, it is very important to label every single picture on your website with a text description. This text description is call an "ALT tag" - ALT being short for alternate. Most browsers will display the ALT tag for a picture when you pass your mouse over the picture and hold for a few seconds. Wherever it is possible and wherever it makes sense to do so, make ALT tags contain your main key word phrase.

Original Text
All site copy (text) should be original. When creating your website you should never duplicate text on more than one page and never copy your text from other websites. Search engines will lower your ranking if it spiders duplicated text. Search engines rank your website based on how relevant your content is. Therefore, it is extremely important to put content that is not only original but changed, adapted and updated every few months. If you keep content fresh then the search engines will be more inclined to spider through your site content more frequently. Putting original content is a "Must" if you want to be placed in the top search results.

Avoid html errors
A good tip that will make the search engines more inclined to spider your content is to ensure that all your html code is correct. For example, make sure all tags open and close properly and that you never have empty html tags - e.g. An example of a unclosed html tag would be complicated nested tables - search engines find these extremely frustrating to index and may just give up trying to read your content.

Fix all broken links
It is important to review your website links on a regular basis to make sure that none of them are broken. Search engines do not like links that go nowhere. If a dead end link comes back as a 404 error, the search engines qualify this page as one that does not exist, cataloging all the pages that link to it. If the broken link to the 404 error is not fixed for a long period of time, then the 'Quality Score' of that page that links to the 404 error will be negatively affected.

Minimize the use of JavaScript
Search engines are unable to read the parts of a website that is created with Java or Flash elements. A Flash introduction is certainly impressive to view on the home page of a website, but a website that greets its visitors with plain old html will most likely get all the traffic 100% of the time. So keep your JavaScript to an absolute minimum and make sure that you call them from an external .js file.

Use Standard HTML Code
Websites that use valid html code - proper coding practices - are viewed with more favor by the search engines. Search engines must sort through your html code to read the content on the page. The search engine crawler programs follow the html standards and they can only index your website if it also follows these html standards. If your code contains errors, the search engines will be unable to "crawl" your site and may even lose what they've gathered so far because of the code error.

Another important tip would be to try not to use links that are not standard html (js links, image maps, dynamic links, etc.).

Keep away from popup windows
From the visitors standpoint, pop up windows are extremely annoying, distracting and a interference to whatever they are trying to do on your website. To many they are seen as "Junk Mail" and discourage visitors from continuing to view, or from coming back to your website. Google has gone as far as to block sites that annoy visitors with pop up windows and the newer versions of AOL have a program that kill pop ups as a service to their customers. For this reason it is advisable to not put important information in pop up windows and avoid their use in general.

Link back to full URL
When creating links on your website that need to link back to your home page, always link to your home page using the full Website URL. Do not link to your home page with a link to index.html. Link to http://www.YourDomainName.com/

ALWAYS use the www in absolute links
When using absolute links, ALWAYS use the www. in the URL. You do not want the spiders thinking that you have two websites instead of one. For example; if you use the link: yourdomainname.com and the link: www.yourdomainname.com, the search engines will view these as two separate pages within your website therefore penalizing you for what it views as duplicate content.

Use Absolute URL's
Without affecting the security of the site and whenever possible use absolute URLs for links and images.

Always use external CSS style sheets
It is important to reduce the code clutter of your documents so as not to confuse the search engines. A tip to improve your ranking is to move your page content up to as close to the start of your html code as possible. When search engines find words near the start of your html code, they consider these words to be more important than words that are lower and buried deep within the file. In keeping content up close to the start of your html code, it is important not to clutter your HEAD section of your document with big sections of JavaScript code or embedded Cascading Style Sheets as this cluttering of code just serves to push your content/keywords further down the html file.

Use an external CSS Style sheet for all fonts, colours and layout formats including tables. Using external CSS and JavaScript files will make your site faster and the search robots will only see your content, which is all they really care about.

Keep images sizes low
Keeping the size of your images low is a key consideration when populating your web pages. Large graphics are a big factor in slowing down your page load time. Not only are search engines deterred by a slow loading website, but visitors keen to view your site are no longer willing to waste their time waiting for a page to load as they are a click away from viewing a faster-loading competitor's site.

Remove old files
Remove old files off your server that are No longer in use. Improve the speed of your computer and free valuable space taken by your computer's history files. Sometimes as much as gigabytes of disk space can be freed up.

Avoid using tables for formatting
Avoid using tables for formatting and never using embedded tables. Drawbacks to the nested tables is that they push down relevant content, wasting space in the top part of the code which may be all the search engine spiders are interested in. Nested tables add more code to your document, slowing down load times and forcing the spiders to work harder to find the relevant content. Another drawback is that these nested tables may also break the semantic connections in the text which would affect word proximity - what looks like a properly set up text on your monitor may be widely separated when viewed in code.

Make Two websites into One
It's quite clear that search engine spiders do not like content that is duplicated on web sites, but you could be serving them duplicate content unknowingly, and it happens quite frequently. Problems occur when the search engines index your site as Two websites: 1) http://www.YourDomainName.com/ and 2) http://YourDomainName.com/. The difference is in the www. Also, search engine spiders find your site through various different URLs that go to the same page. Some examples of this idea is:

• yourdomainname.com
• www.yourdomainname.com
• yourdomainname.com/index.html
• www.yourdomainname.com/index.html

The search engines all view these different URLs as a different page in your web site with content that is duplicated. This can cause your website to be penalized with resulting lower search engine rankings until the search engines figure out eventually that these are the same page.

You can fix this problem with a htaccess rewrite 301 rule that tells the search engines that they are the same page.

In thr htaccess file use the following code:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^yourdomainname.com
RewriteRule (.*) http://www.yourdomainname.com/$1
[R=301,L]

Redirect Gone Command
The htaccess file is also good for telling the search engines that a page is no more. You can use the redirect gone command for that.

Put Keywords in heading tags
Headings are weighted heavily in the search engines. Many of the search engines are set up to search for the key words in headings more than anywhere else in your web site. When you use Head Tags, your browser shows your text bigger and makes it stand out from the rest of the text. So when you create your web site, use Head Tags and make sure your headings contain the main key word phrases for your site.

Get High Quality links Back to your Site
An important tip that will assist the search engines in finding your site is to increase your inbound links. The search engine robots go from page to page on the web through hyperlinks, so the more number of websites that you have linking to your website pages, the higher the likelihood of the search engine robots finding your site.

After your website is created and put up on a server and registered with the search engines, go out and find as many other websites as possible, with relevant content, that might have an interest in linking from their site to yours. You would then send a personal email requesting a link and perhaps explain why this link would be beneficial for both web sites. You may have to offer reciprocal links back to their sites in order to convince them. That's not a problem as you WANT lots of links from your site to other sites--that's one easily-provided free service you can give away.

Google provides a tool that is useful in checking how many web sites are linked to yours. In the search, type link: www.yourdomain.com and see the number of links to the site. Keep in mind that link: yourdomain.com and link: http://www.yourdomain.com will all give different results. You can do this search for any domain.

Don't Use Frames
Although many search engine spiders today are able to read the content inside frames, the perspective of an SEO is that it is still a very bad idea for a couple of reasons. To refresh your memory, frames are pages that consist of individual html pages that are put together in such a way that it appears to be one page. Frames were used by web designers to maintain a consistent and standard look among all the other pages on the website and for the purpose of navigation. The confusion for the search engines occur because they don't reconcile the content in the frame with the page that the frame sits on - while the viewer may see the information as being together, the search engines may view it as a completely separate page.

Another reason it is a bad idea to use frames is that some of the older browsers find it difficult or just plain impossible to read. Don't take the chance of alienating visitors who don't happen to have the latest software/hardware combinations. Say it with me, "Frames are Bad"!

About the Author

Anna Agnew is an author for The Computer Geek Custom Web Page Design. The Computer Geek is a web design company that prides itself in professional service at a fraction of the cost. The Computer Geek specializes in Custom Web Design, PHP & MySql and Ecommerce.

Eight Signs It's Time for An Extreme Web Site Makeover

by Lauren Hobson

Let's face it - if your small business web site is outdated, looks unprofessional, or doesn't meet today's user needs, you are probably losing money and driving away new customers every single day. If you're like most small businesses, you've already invested a considerable amount of time and/or money into your web site, so you need your site to work FOR your business, instead of working against it. If it's time for you to take an honest look at your web site, here are eight signs to help you determine if your site needs an extreme makeover:

1. The site is image-based, Flash-based, or contains too many graphics. The biggest issue with these types of sites is that they are invisible to the search engines and cannot be effectively read or indexed by the search "bots" that visit the site. Another issue with these sites is that they are nearly impossible to update in-house, and even the smallest change requires your graphic designer to re-create the image for the page. Instead, use standards-based content and go easy on the images. That way, the site is much easier to maintain going forward, the search engines can actually see your content, and the page will download faster for your visitors as well.

2. The site has the same information as it did a year ago, six months ago, or even a month ago, and nothing ever changes. What is the incentive for your visitors to come back to your web site if they have already seen what is there? Why would users want to come re-read the same info that was there the last time they visited? If your site is just sitting there with nothing new, it's definitely time for a change. Create new content for your site, or re-use your other marketing materials as content on your site. Update it regularly with interesting, useful content and you will give your visitors and the search engines a reason to return to your site and take notice of what you have to offer.

3. It's all about you, and nothing about them. Visitors don't really care all that much about your company, but they care very much about your ability to solve their problems. If your site is filled with content that talks about your company, its history, how the owner got his or her start, how your products are developed, how great your service is, etc., you're missing the point. People come to your web site to see if your company can help them solve their problems, so you need to focus on how your products and services meet their needs, solve their problems, and provide BENEFIT to them.

4. The site looks unprofessional or has an amateurish design. You might be able to save a few bucks by having your neighbor's cousin design your web site, but it's just not worth the negative effect it has on web visitors and potential customers. It takes visitors less than four seconds to form an impression of your site and decide if they should stick around and explore what you have to offer, or if they should click on the "back" button and visit your competition. Don't represent your company with a web site that looks amateurish or contains unprofessional web elements like hit counters, time/date stamps, or template based designs - these can send your potential customers straight to the competition and cost you considerably more in the long run.

5. The site is hard to use, or has inconsistent navigation. Web site usability is critical in turning visitors into customers, and if your site is confusing to use, your visitors will simply give up and go somewhere else. Be sure that your navigation system is consistent across all pages on your site, and that the pages are well organized, making it easy to find information. Users should always be able to find their way back to the home page or other key pages, and nothing should be more than 2 or 3 clicks away from the home page.

6. The site is a "static" web site, with no interactivity or updated features. In the age of social networking, web widgets, mobile messaging, and web video, users today expect to have at least some level of interactivity on the sites they visit. At the very least, try to include a blog on your site, or an interactive online calendar or photo gallery. Use the web 2.0 features that make sense for your target market (e.g., insurance sites that offer instant quotes, customer service pages with how-to videos, etc.), but offer your visitors something more than just static, brochure-like web pages.

7. The site is not integrated with anything else useful. (Also related to "static" sites, above.) The most useful sites today are the ones that offer users additional value beyond the web site itself. Integrate your web site with your blog, and with your social networking profiles on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Use e-mail campaigns and e-newsletters that direct recipients to specific landing pages on your site with information on special offers or coupons. Use online response forms and surveys that provide users with an easy way to give you feedback.

8. The site cannot be found in the search engines. If your web site cannot be found in the search engines today, that is definitely a red flag. There are many reasons the site may not be listed; such as an image or Flash-based architecture, improper coding and non-standards-based practices, not enough inbound links, or incorrect keyword densities, just to name a few. But search engine visibility is critical to the success of most businesses, so if your site cannot be found in the search engines, it may definitely be time to consider an extreme makeover!

About the Author

Lauren Hobson, President of Five Sparrows, LLC, has more than 16 years of experience in small business technology writing, marketing, and web site design and development. Five Sparrows provides high-quality, professional website and marketing services to small businesses and non-profits at affordable prices, giving clients access to customized services that meet both their needs and their budgets. More at www.fivesparrows.com.

Traffic Exchange: Back to the Basics

by Tim Rash

Traffic exchange is one of the most popular ways in generating traffic to the web sites or web pages. It has been proven by a lot of internet marketers, and online business owners. It works with a system that allows a member to browse on other members' sites in order to gain credits that will gauge how that member's site will be shown to others.

There is a term called credit ratio in traffic exchange programs. Most of them have the 2:1 or 3:1 ratio. This means that for every 2 or 3 sites viewed within the program, a member gains 1 credit. This credit is the number at which the member's site will be viewed by other members. One credit is equal to one site or page view. More credits can be earned by surfing on more and more sites within the program. Though the main aim of every member is to surf to generate traffic to their own sites, they basically help each other bring traffic to their sites.

This is typical in a free traffic exchange membership. Looking closely, it means that there must really be a lot of time devoted to browsing in order to get the desired huge traffic. However, if funds are available and time is really constrained, it is possible to just buy credits at a minimal cost. In this way, traffic will be brought to sites without needing to browse for hours.

Furthermore, it is recommended to show a landing page is traffic exchanges instead of the main site. This is similar to making a 15-seconder television or a billboard ad in the physical world. The landing page is like a summary of the business and the benefits it offers. It must contain simple graphics, a headline, and a brief list of what the consumers can get out of the business, product, or service. This landing page may contain a link leading to the main page, or even an opt-in form where people can leave their contact details.

The link to the main site allows the potential customers to explore more about the business. The option to leave the contact details is a part of the lead-capturing process. It is not very easy as everyone wants security from fraud and spam; but when a free offer goes with it, chances are, people will leave their information to get the free offer. The free offer could be free trial, free membership, free reports, newsletters, or anything that can be interesting with the prospects.

Moreover, this strategy is very effective as people may not instantly make a purchase upon seeing an advertisement but they will most probably take advantage of a free offer. In relation, their contact details will be used in keeping in touch with them. This is to establish a relationship until the proper time to sell comes.

On the other hand, if the main aim is to generate huge traffic to the site, traffic exchange is surely a powerful tool to use. Additionally, it is also a very good tool in lead gathering and site promotion. Better try traffic exchange with free membership in order to experience the great results it has for the business.

About the Author

Tim Rash has been engaged with Traffic Exchange for years. His business venture has been helping a lot of aspiring entrepreneurs towards success. To know more, click on Free Website Traffic