Free Traffic Tips Extra :: The Great List of Search News Bloggers
I'm not on it, but then I only talk about one search engine, once a week. Though as you can see below, that may change.

You may as well visit them today, I think I stayed up too long. :)

Here's a quote:

"One aspect of keeping up an updated Search Engine News site is the constant monitoring of RSS feeds, news stories, group emails, and, of course, blogs. Tonight I was skimming over Aaron Wall’s (a frequent contributor to Search Engine Journal) blog, SEOBook.com.

Aaron recently updated his working list of Search Engine Blogs and I thought it that publishing the list on Search Engine Journal would be a great tribute to Aaron’s hard work, and the hard work of all of the bloggers out there who are spreading the ever-changing news of the search engine industry."

And here's the link:
� Search Engine Blogs - The Great List of Search News Bloggers -
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/25/2005 05:52:02 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
[Audio Post of the Day] 02.24.05


In this mini-cast:

• Why I previously changed the site around to lose my top rankings for "free traffic" - and why I changed my site back to re-cover first page listing for the hard-to-acquire term in both Google and Yahoo.
  
  
• A tip you can use with your site to duplicate some of my results - no one is using this. Get the top spot for your desired keyword for yourself using this tip and the one below.
  
  ( It's something I've said before, but this tells you a little bit more about why you should use it.)
  
  
• Why this tip, used correctly with the method in the Google - Blog connection is a sure-fire way to get that first page listing in both Yahoo and Google. Every site I've ever seen use this tip correctly has been successful getting ranking for harder terms, including mine.
  

Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/24/2005 06:36:00 PM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Lucrative Keyword Research Step Three
Okay, time for the home stretch.

You can forget about the group thing, we're done with that. We're all going to do the same steps together.

For this step, you either need to

1- take a free trial of Wordtracker, or

2- go to Nichebot or another Keyword Suggestion Tool.

Once you've logged in to your chosen keyword suggestion tool, we're going to drill down into less competitive terms to focus on. Then I'll tell you my suggested process for using the tool, and what you'll need to read to make sure you get in Google, stay in for that term, and then leverage yourself into the best position to take a crack at ranking for harder terms that will get you more traffic.

Okay. Now we discussed earlier why you need to forget about the highest traffic terms for now.

We're going to go through this process twice, once for your alternate keyword that you picked today, and once for a subset of the keywords you wanted originally.

Type the keyword you picked today into your keyword suggestion tool.

You'll get a list of related keywords to that term. Select the second or third one down on the list (on the left side if you're using Digital Point.) Remember, you don't want the one with the highest traffic yield yet.

Next, you should be able to click on the hyperlinked term and see an even smaller list of terms. Save all these terms in Notepad or some other text utility. Even better, email them to yourself for save keeping.

Now, you're going to take those keywords and analyze them using Search Guild's Keyword Difficulty Tool. You need your API tool for this.

Now this takes your API key and uses it to access Google's database. It then analyzes it with their program to tell you the likelihood of you getting that term.

Analyze each one, and save the result with your keywords.

In that list, you should have some that are ranked as easy or intermediate. Those are the ones you want to target your site towards.

If you don't get one that is easy or intermediate, go back and put those keywords in the keyword suggestion tool you were looking and find subsets of that group. For example, if you picked "internet marketing" and got the result "practically impossible" from Search Guild, then you want to try the subset term "internet marketing services", which is ranked as intermediate.

Save the ones that are easy or intermediate for now. Then go back and repeat this process with the term you originally wanted before you started these excercises.

Now you have a list of keywords to use for your site.

So now you can use these keywords and re-target your site. You'll want to improve your site architecture, correct your meta tags to target one term for each page, get one-way links back to your site that are themed to your topic and optimize all the images on your site.

Sounds like a lot of work doesn't it?

Well, if you can cut, paste and type, I have a better solution.

Start blogging. And if you're already blogging and aren't getting the results you were promised, then have a look at my solution to your problem.

I'll be back later on today. I've been up 36 hours and I'm exhausted....
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/24/2005 01:48:00 PM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Lucrative Keyword Research Step Two
Ready? Let's find you a better keyword. The exercises are slightly different for each group.

Group One Exercises

If you were in group one, the group that had the same theme as the word you want to rank for, go to your browser, load up Google, and search for your site. If you're coming up with the keyword you wanted on the first page, and you're happy with the traffic you're getting from search engines, what are you doing here? Go count your money!

Seriously. If you're getting the traffic, you have the right product for the market that is searching for that keyword, and you're making good conversions to sales, then honestly, you don't need to do this exercise.

If you are getting the traffic but not making sales, go back to the research on your product, and have somone evaluate your site. You're losing visitors between your product/service and your sales page or site design. They either can't find what you sell or don't want it.

If you are making sales but not enough of them, then learn how to increase your conversion rate. It could be as simple as hiring a professional copywriter or doing some research in article directories.

So that takes care of that crowd. If you're still here because you didn't show up in Google, then here's where you're going wrong.

That's the wrong term to shoot for. Either it's too competitive, or not targeted enough.

So here's what you do.

Take that term and go to Search Guild. Find out what its difficulty ranking is. If it's harder than intermediate, you're wasting your time. You want "easy" or "intermediate" as a result. Later on, you should be able to climb into a hard or advanced keyword from there.

You can do the same at Wordtracker, just sort your results by KEI. The higher the Keyword Effectiveness Index is, the easier it will be to get that term. We'll take that term, as well as your originally desired keyword, and go to step three.

Group Two Exercises

What we need to do with your site is harder, and we don't have space to go in-depth here. You need to brainstorm better keywords. If you're having trouble with this, use the OneLook Dictionary Search we discussed on Google Tuesdays.

Start with the keyword you originally wanted, and brainstorm related terms. Take those results and the keyword you wanted at first, and go to Step Three. I'll be with you there in about twenty minutes.
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/24/2005 01:23:00 PM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Lucrative Keyword Research Step One
Okay, fire up those Keyword Research Tools and let's get your site some more traffic!

The first site we're going to is Spannerworks.com. We're going to use their Keyword Density Analyzer (Analyser for those in the UK :-D). This will determine what keywords your site is currently optimized for.

Click that link to load it up and enter your link.

Look at the second list of links, the two-word phrases. That, in all likelihood, is what Google or Yahoo THINKS your site is about.

If your site is about that, great. You can move on to the next step.

If not, you need to pick a better keyword. To illustrate why, grab your API key and let's go to GoRank.com.

Create an account, enter your Google API key (don't panic if you see some database errors at the top of the page. That's because your key hasn't been entered.)

Now use their Keyword Density Analyzer, which allows you to pick a keyword that you believe your site is related to. Pick one and put it in.

Surprised? You shouldn't be. Your site, as we saw in the last exercise, is not related to those keyword terms, as far as a search engine is concerned.

So what do you do now? We pick a better keyword for your site. You have a lot more work to do than the people in group one do.

Let's all, both groups, go to step two. Remember which group you're in.
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/24/2005 12:53:00 PM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Keyword Research Tools :: How to Use Them to Increase Traffic For Your Site
Okay, here's an overview.

(Make sure you've got your Google API Key. You'll need it for two of these steps. It should have been emailed to you instantly when you applied.)

In Step One, we're going to see what theme your site gives the impression that it's about. Then we're going to compare it to what keyword you want.

In Step Two, we'll pick a better keyword for your site.

In Step Three, you'll find out what you have to do to make your site better address the kinds of keywords you want.
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/24/2005 11:07:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Keyword Research: What You Need to Know First:: Excerpt :: Google Blog Connection
The following is an excerpt from The Google Blog connection.

As I was writing this post, deciding on the best way to impart to you the sensible do-it-yourself methods of choosing the right keywords for your site, I realized, I had already written it.


Enjoy!

Tinu

---

Forget about targeting for some highly competitive keyword that gets 10,000 visitors a day.

Right now.

You’ll be lucky if you rank in the top 100, and when you do, you’ll still get barely any traffic from it. If you have your heart set on that term, save up until you have $1500, and either buy the number of visitors you need from that listing, or pay a search engine optimization expert to do it for you.

I know some people don’t want to hear this, but I’m not writing books to be popular. I’m writing this book to help you, and the best way I know to be of help is to tell you the truth in plain English, and then tell you how to use it.

What you want to do instead is go for the path of least resistance. Decide how many customers you can reasonably handle a month. Multiply that number by 100. Find one or more high-yield, low competition keywords that will get you that number of visitors.

You’ll find that it is much easier to find one keyword, or a group of less than ten related keywords, that will bring you, say 4500 visitors a month.

If you’re making $30 a sale, and only 1% buys, that $1350 a month. With that you can invest in paid traffic methods, or work on your capturing and sales process.

It’s much easier to increase your conversion rate by 1% of 4500 targeted monthly visitors (which would make you $2700 on a $30 product) than it is to try and increase your traffic to 3000 un-targeted people a day and hope that one in a thousand buys, to make the same amount of money.

Instead, target some keywords you have hopes of ranking for. Then once you have the traffic, instead of increasing your traffic, increase your conversion rate (the percentage of visitors who take the action you want, whether that is subscribe, or buy).

So, if you’re looking to increase your income by increasing your traffic, realize: one doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the other. Even if you make money based on the amount of traffic you have, you still need to get the pursuit of in-demand keywords out of your head.

Yes, it is possible to do, eventually, and yes, you can do this with RSS Feeds and Blogs - study the other two books, and pick the right keywords. You’ll see the traffic. If you want the time you invested to return to you faster? Do proper keyword targeting.

---

So how do you target the proper keywords for your site? I'm glad you asked. We'll go over that in just a moment.

Or a few hours. I'm kind of tuckered out, you know?
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/24/2005 09:26:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Keyword Research Tools
Okay, before I get into the Whys and Hows, let's load up the proper tools in our browsers.

You probably want to do this in several windows, though not until around 9:30 a.m. because it may take me a minute to make these posts.

First, go to Google.com/api and get your free API key.

Next, go to Search Guild's Keyword Difficulty Checker.

Then open up either Nichebot, Digital Point's Keyword suggestion tool, or Wordtracker's free trial.

If you're really serious about getting ranked for an easy to intermediate keyword, I strongly suggest you use Wordtracker. A day there will cost you $8 - Wordtracker.com if you have something against affiliate links (I'd only make a buck if you bought a day. But you know me, I'm not just about the dollars.)

It's a serious tool for serious Do-It-Yourself SEO, so whether you use it through my link or not, if you really want good traffic, get Wordtracker. I learned about 20% of what I know about keywords just being on their site.

Also, we may use Go Rank today, or we may not get that far. Also, if you don't know what keywords to start with, look up the tool I put up on Google Tuesdays, and type in a phrase you think your site is about.

Back in an hour, maybe less.
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/24/2005 08:18:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Keyword Research Day
Okay, So I'm Back Early.

What?

Yeah, I know I said I'd be out til Friday...

Yeah, I know I should be resting. $#@! Me, why don't you?

(That wasn't the "f" word, in case there are any really creepy people accidentally afoot to offer to take me up on that. Ew.)

I just don't think "Bite Me." is a kid-friendly content, and that first part of the post can show up anywhere on the Net. Though this being a business help site, I would think that there wouldn't be any kids around...

But I digress.

Today, my friends, is keyword day. Since I got two questions this morning about keywords (Hi Tom and Andy!), I'm guessing that most of you don't get my bottom-up theory. So today we're going to go over the whys of keywords. I'm going to give you a short lesson that will show you just a few basic tips that will explain to you why I was able to get to the top of Google and Yahoo for a coveted, and, I'm told, hard-to-get keyword, "free traffic" - and also why I wasn't targeting it in the first place, initially.

So off we go. Back in a few!
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/24/2005 06:56:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
dupe post
damn you blogger!

ok. i didn't mean it.



really!
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/24/2005 06:56:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Free Traffic Tips Extra :: You Can Get Around Autolink
You can get around the Autolink with a script you can download, which I found out about through Micro Persuasion.

Of course, I don't think I should install something to my server just to keep from displaying links on my site that I didn't put there. According to Jeffery Zeldman, you can also ask Google to turn it off yourself, which I did below.

And before you ask me, yes, I really did mail this exact letter to Google.

---

Dearest Google,

You know how much I love you and want you to bear my children. I even dedicate a special day just to you on my site every week, telling the world, free ways to make nice with you and still get into your database.

As such, I've been quick to leap to your defense for every reason under the sun. Every time some peon made fun of Gmail, I pointed out its features. Anytime someone said something about how hackers use information at your site to get where they shouldn't be, I showed people how to protect their sites from prying eyes.

And when Google Desktop was accused of being too intrusive, I did my best to calm the masses, by stating that we all need to take more responsibilities for ourselves.

But this Autolink thing, I cannot bear.

I guess you found out about my lover on the side, Yahoo. (What do you mean what kind of name is Yahoo? What kind of name is GOOGLE? I get it and all, but really.)

Now, let's not fight. I can't help myself where Yahoo is concerned. You know I'm a Blogger and he, you know, I mean, I'm a blogger, and... without getting graphic, that RSS Headlines feature, just, turns me on. I get all.. hot... just ... never mind.

Whoo... what was I saying?

Oh yes. The Autolink thing.

Please, you must listen to reason. I work hard on my pages to get them a certain way. Anyone who doesn't pay to insert their content on my pages gets None. And I'm sorry, but that includes you.

Yahoo aside, you really, truly, are my first love. I'd rather you rob me of my coveted first page position for those hard-to-get-terms than bear this agony.

I know I made you sleep on the couch last night, but I'm really upset about this. I can barely stand to look at you, to be here now saying this to you. And yes, I appreciate all the people you send to see me. But I'd rather go get them myself than go through this daily trauma, wondering if you're sending people away from me, thinking I might need to edit myself.

I'm asking you, on behalf of all my fellow webmasters, site owners and bloggers, to end this madness. If this is your personal vendetta against me (which it feels like), while I can't lie to you and say I'll break it off with my lover, I promise to keep my affair with Yahoo low key.

It's really just animal lust... what you and I have is real. You know that, don't you?

Please, please hear us. You can give us a Meta Tag to exclude our sites, or at least open up the dialogue for comments on your blog. I still love you, Google.

But if this issue isn't resolved soon, you and I are getting a divorce.

Yes, it's an ultimatum. It's not that I won't talk to or about you anymore. Or that my heart isn't Eternally yours. I will, and it is.

But this is one thing I can't defend.

Thank you for listening so calmly. I'll see you at dinner.

Love Always,

Tinu

Noter: I was redirected by the above link to send my request through Gmail support. And I did. The suggestion for dialogue in the Google Blog wasn't my suggestion, it was Steve's from MicroPersuasion.com in his blog.
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/24/2005 05:59:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Winer says Google s AutoLink is Adware
And the author of this article Winer says Google s AutoLink is Adware: agrees.


"Dave Winer, who I'm not usually a huge fan of, has a wonderful summation of the arguments against Googles ham fisted attempt to resurrect Smart Tags - among many other great points he says it's adware. I agree."

And frankly, as much of a Google fanatic as I am, I have to agree, too.

I don't know enough about Dave as a person to be a fan or to dislike him, but either way, I'm on his side with this.

Here's what I'm doing about it. It's not quite a divorce from my hubby Google, but it's definitely the web equivalent of him sleeping on my couch.

I'm going to have a full-blown affair with Yahoo.

1- I'm uninstalling the Google toolbar in Internet Explorer, even though other people in my house use it. I won't have Adware, or anything that much like it, in my house, period. It's one thing for Alexa to track my site, it's quite another for my pages to be modified against my will.

2- I'm not displaying Adsense ads on my site until this is fixed. That's right, I'm putting my protest where my pocket is. I'm that upset about it.

3- I can still get the Google Page rank bar in Firefox, from the extensions page. So I have the one real useful tool.

That's stage one of my protest. I'm trying to be nice but I can't even believe that the buzz on this thing is that bad, and "dont be evil" Google is doing Nothing about it.

If bloggers and blogging can get people who mis-represent themselves fired, then I bet you they can make stock plummet. That's not a threat or anything, and I wouldn't go as far as to start something like that.

It's just something for Google to think about - reputation and trust on the Internet is the real currency... How about some conversation about this Google?

Feel free to comment and tell me that I'm over-reacting, or under-reacting, or for clarity about why this issue makes me so heated.

:-D

Ah, that felt good. Other than that, have a good day.

Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/23/2005 01:42:49 PM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Free Traffic Tips :: Status
I'm taking a brief haitus from the Free Traffic Methods series. We'll be continuing on Friday - but I should still have Free Traffic Tips Extras for you in the meantime. In the meantime, see the previous post to see how you can promote a link to your site on the front of my blog.
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/23/2005 03:10:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Record Your Message Like Armand Did - But Promote Your Site Please! [updated]
An message from down-under, Armand of http://www.Romantic-Gift-Ideas-Online.com



To leave me a testimonial message, you can click on this link - that way you can include a link to your site and a picture if you'd like.

*update* Remember to mention your name and your site first! I insist that you promote yourself before you talk about me. :-D
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/22/2005 11:11:00 PM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
You made me cry. You happy Richard?


So, sometimes, I'm just, a total and complete girl. I'm a poet - you know how sensitive we types are.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I was helping a client of mine, Richard Keir, with his site and he said something really nice about me, that I immediately asked if I could reprint on my site. He said, yes, of course, and then I remembered - I have a new testimonial number. I asked him if he'd call in his comments and he said yes.

Now, somehow, though we've talked about it repeatedly, I forgot that he lived in Rio, which means that when he calls a number that is toll free in the US, he's actually doing so on his own dime.

When I listened to what he had to say, my eyes misted up, just like they always do when I get your letters thanking me for my help. But there's something about hearing a live voice that really gets inside your soul.

Click the button above to hear what he said to me.

Or if you'd like to make me cry in happiness or bawl like a small child at how blessed I am to be in a position to help people, you can call get the number for the next several days by clicking on the comments link. Please mention the name of your site when you call - you know how I feel about shameless self promotion. :-D
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/22/2005 01:54:00 PM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
If You Missed It, It's on SearchEngineGuide.com
Just in case you missed my last article on Podcasting, you can see it on Search Engine Guide.

Yes, I'm bragging. No, I'm not ashamed. :-D
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/22/2005 10:25:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Pay no attention to the woman behind the curtain
I'm making a few changes here and there and building new pages over the next few days. The page was taking entirely too long to load, even for a blog, so bear with me while I make adjustments over the next few days. If I linked to you on my blogroll or elsewhere, it's all coming back, just on a different page.

If you see anything weird happen to the main page that doesn't include navigation changes, just refresh. If you read the site through your feed reader, this won't affect you until changes are final - and even then you shouldn't notice too much of a bother.

Thanks for your patience. :-)
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/22/2005 09:52:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Pretty decent article on getting into Google
Getting into Google is actually even easier than that - much easier & cheaper, not to mention faster - but I'll give the author this - the method is certainly innovative and lucrative.

You can read the whole article in the Free Traffic Tip: Members Resource Area - Google Takes Care of Idiots Too

Here's a quote.

"My strategy for getting traffic from Google is quite simple.

You see I don't go out of my way looking for link partners. My sites are basically 1-2 page sales letters, and nobody wants to link to me, unless they're getting paid.

Nor do I put a tremendous amount of effort into on-page optimization. I sprinkle my targeted keyphrase here and there, and I'm done with it. I write for my paying customers.

What I do is follow this process:

1) I find other established sites that already have good PageRank and adequate incoming links.

2) I make sure these sites add new content every day. Sites with frequently added content get visited by the Googlebot often... sometimes every day.

3) I then place an advertisement on these sites, promoting my actual web site. When the Googlebot pays these sites a visit, the ad itself (NOT my web page) is ranked in Google for the keyphrase I've used. On many occasions my ad's [sic] have reached the #1 position in Google for my targeted keyphrase, in as little as 48 hours."
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/22/2005 05:32:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Say Thanks to SEOBook.com for Free $50 Google AdWords Coupons.
Free $50 Google AdWords Coupons : SEO Book.com. For new accounts only. Rather than repeat what is said, I'll let you check it out on your own.
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/22/2005 05:20:58 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
SearchEngineGuide.com alerts you to a Behind The Scenes Google Video
Thanks to SearchEngineGuide.com for the location of another on-the-low video: Google: A Behind-the-Scenes Look.

From the final destination page:

"...Jeff Dean of Google ... discusses applications Google has developed, and highlights systems they've built, including GFS, a large-scale distributed file system, and MapReduce, a library for automatic parallelization and distribution of large-scale computation. He also shares some interesting observations derived from Google's web data."
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/22/2005 05:10:17 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
More About The Autolink feature and the controversy it has caused, from ZDNet
Google toolbar move raises online ire | Tech News on ZDNet: ".... some critics charge that AutoLink takes the liberty of modifying Web pages to direct people the way Google sees fit. Microsoft took the same approach with its Smart Tags feature years ago and eventually pulled it because of trust and trademark concerns.

'Google is to the Web what Microsoft is to PCs--the operating system everyone uses to search. It has nearly the same lock on consumers' share of mind...And millions use the Google Toolbar. They shouldn't get away with what Microsoft was unable to,' Steve Rubel wrote on Wednesday on his Micropersuasion blog."

(Thumbs up to Steve for being quoted in the article. See? Responsible Bloggers are also often credible and perfectly legitimate news sources.)

And I think he's right, by the way. My husband Google is going to have to sleep in the closet tonight - Strange Love style. I'll have to treat him like Brigitte Neilsen treats that dude Matia if this continues.

On the one hand, yes, we're all fabulously lucky to be listed in Google for popular keyword terms. After my latest experiment I cracked the top ten for two notoriously hard keywords in just under a month, following my own advice from the Google Blog connection, and I can't say I'm upset about the search engine surge of traffic to my blog.

Still, that's Google's main function in life - one could argue that if it weren't for sites with content, Google would also be off the map. They're just as much in our debt as we are to them, if you think about it. So, I have to agree with Steve.

I don't think Google meant anything evil by it. They should admit their mistake and give us a tag to surpress it from the meta header. No, I'm not going to boycott Google. But I almost went on strike today and made today Yahoo Tuesday....
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/22/2005 05:01:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
More About Gmails Invite Mania
Here's some speculation from Line56.com about Gmail's move. They quote some views of Google from people who don't like it so much.

Line56.com: Gmail Going Wider: "Gmail has officially been in Beta for nearly 23 months. 'They shouldn't play this silly hide-and-seek game forever,' says independent analyst Sabbaq Ahmed. 'What's the point of it? The hype is almost over.'

Google has not disclosed when Gmail will go public.

Last week Line56 discussed some of Gmail's potential in a small and medium-sized business (SMB) context. While the threading and search features have a lot of value to those interested in basic contact, content, and customer management, Ahmed points out that the absence of certain other features disqualifies Gmail (as currently configured) from being a solid business-class solution. 'They don't have antivirus protection, there's no notes feature, and it is tedious to download e-mails straight into your hard drive,' he says. The absence of antivirus protection is important given the security emphasis currently dominating the marketplace."

I don't think they were trying to build a "business class" solution - not for free anyway. And man, who doesn't like POP-email? Besides the fact that you don't have to use if if you don't want to - having an extra mailbox with a 1GB space limit is very handy for short business trips where you know a computer will be provided at your destination. Leave your laptop home and email yourself the files you need if you'll only be gone a day.

But hey, Gmail isn't for everyone. Try it for yourself, and then decide, I say...
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/22/2005 04:39:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
OneLook Dictionary Search Can Help You Find More Keywords
This tool can help you find synonyms and related words for unusual keywords to target that many other people overlook. Here's the one I did for
*:internet marketing :

The search results page says "(We're restricting the list to terms we think are related to internet marketing, and sorting by relatedness.)"

Interesting results, not all of them directly relevant to internet marketing, but great mind joggers all.
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/22/2005 04:35:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Google CEO, Eric Schmidt video - from adsecrets.blogspot.com
From Adsecrets.blogspot.com : Google CEO, Eric Schmidt video-- "Here is an interesting video of Google's CEO sharing some 'inside' secrets. You'll need Real Audio to watch it. You also might be interested in reading an interview with him."

Visit http://adsecrets.blogspot.com to read the interview, click the title to see the video stream.
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/22/2005 03:41:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Google Day - New in Google Toolbar
Go to Google Toolbar Help to see the new goodies in Google's toolbar. This is a direct quote from the help page, so don't go making fun of me... my typos aren't THAT bad. :-D

"New! SpellCheck

ARe yu a raelly bad tyipsst? Google Toolbar's new SpellCheck button finds any spelling mistakes whenever you type into a web form, including web-based email, discussion forums, and even intranet web applications. The AutoFix option even corrects all of your text with a single click."

"New! AutoLink
The online review of a great new restaurant has the place's address but no map. You could type the restaurant's street, city, and ZIP code into the search box, but why bother, when clicking the Toolbar's AutoLink button will automatically create a link to an online map (US addresses only)? AutoLink can also link package tracking numbers to delivery status, VIN numbers (US) to vehicle history, and publication ISBN numbers to Amazon.com listings."

"New! WordTranslator
Ever need to translate words on English web pages into another language? Don't bother looking up words one by one - just hover your mouse cursor over an English word and Toolbar's WordTranslator will tell you what it means in your own language. WordTranslator currently supports translation from English into Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Japanese, Korean, French, Italian, German and Spanish."
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/22/2005 01:54:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Smart Tag Creator Behind Google s New Autolink Feature
From Web Pro News ::"Smart Tag Creator Behind Google s New Autolink Feature: "

"...Jeff Reynar at Google is behind the Google Toolbar's controversial ...

... new Autolink feature. Ironically, he's the same person who was behind the similar SmartTag feature that Microsoft tried to build into IE. Reynar co-authored Microsoft's Smart Tag FAQ in 2001 and his home page identifies him as a current Google program manager. "

Hmmmm......
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/22/2005 01:52:00 AM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
[Audio Post of the Day] 02.21.05


In this mini-cast:

• What are the top Three Secrets to Using Giveaways as Promotional Vehicles?
• What are these new orange buttons in the right column of the screen?
• How can you get free publicity for your business-related podcast?
  

Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/21/2005 11:58:00 PM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Tips on The Right Way to Use Freebies to Entice
Here are some tips on the right way to give away freebies to create trust.

• to create trust or to entice subscription
  
  I give you something that has a dollar value, in exchange for something you give me that has some other intrinsic value, as in the example of giving away an ebook to get a subscriber. This should be the enticement to subscribe for people on the fence, not the whole point of the resource.
  
  As the relationship moves forward, you'll want to give a little more each issue - but the exchange relationship still exists. So maybe this time, to get your freebie, I'll want you to download a free ebook instead, and so on.
  
  
• to establish credibility or as a micro-scale example of how much better the paid resource will perform
  
  Showing that you can keep your word is one thing. Proving that your method works is a tougher one. How do they know if it works... if they don't know if it works?
  
  Give them a taste. What gets Chinese food in my mouth fastest is those little toothpick samples? If you specialize in infoproducts, you can give them a sample in an article.
  
  
• to get publicity
  
  This works best when you have discovered something that is a little bit too sparse to be a product, but is a little too good to be a one-time freebie. These are the best to leverage for publicity.
  

So there you have it. I'll get into a few specific tips in my mini-cast - these are specific to the types of freebies you should give away.

Hear me then! Later...
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/21/2005 03:02:00 PM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Special Money Mondays :: On with the Free Traffic Methods Series
Today, we're going to talk about giving away something free in order to draw traffic - the right ways, the wrong ways, and bumps in the road you should look out for.

So first, let's go over why you'd want to give away something from your site, a sample of your product, valuable information related to your industry, or an ebook or software of value to your audience.

My take on the situation is partly based on what some call the Platinum Rule - Do Unto Others As They Want to Be Done Unto.

I don't know about you, but I'm an info-junkie. And being addicted to information makes me quite particular... I want the Good Stuff. As a newbie, I was often unsure which way to turn, and what to invest in that would really make a measurable difference in my business. Like anyone else, I wanted results. I still do.

If you're marketing to new people, or you're the new kid on the block, one of the ways you can build trust with a new or newbie audience is to give before you get. For me, it's the golden rule behind my every move online. Even if I'm not sure what I want in return, even if I don't want anything specific from someone, even if I think that I'll nothing in return directly, I extend my palm face-up to give.

Take this site for example. 90% of my knowledge is freely given, as I strive to serve three tiers of audiences.

1- People who are either tire-kickers, or aren't in a position to move their business from part-time to full-time yet.

My goal there is to give those people a place to start, with the intention that the resources they get from me will help them leverage themselves into a buying position. They may buy from me eventually, they may become affiliates and sell my products, or they may never send money my way, in-directly, or directly, ever.

Any of the three scenarios is fine with me. Worst case scenario, if I can't help their business in any other way than through my free resources, if they sign-up for my newsletter or feed, they have expanded my subscriber list, which makes my resource more valuable to advertisers.

These days of extra-sensitivity about spam, fewer people are willing to give out their email address. And rightfully so - a person's contact information should be, in my opinion, something you have to earn. If I won't give Radio Shack my zip code, what makes you think you're getting my email address.

There has to be something in it for me.

Giving away something free is a great way to extend an olive branch of peace and trust. I like to give new subscribers an article with some type of free information they can use right away, and offer them one of my free ebooks in exchange for subscribing.

If they should find that what I offer isn't for them, they'll unsubscribe. If not, I've found that due to my hyper-targeting, they're here to stay.

My unsubscribe rate from my newsletter is less than a hundredth of a percent.

This is because not just the first issue, but every issue, gives information, resources or free tools important to their business.

The second tier of people are those who may be interested in some of my premium information, and will probably pick up an ebook or two during the course of their travels here. They see that my free information works, and realize that the ten percent I hold back is the valuable variable in the equation that will explode their results. (Hopefully bringing them into the next tier of clients that I have).

With this audience, in addition to the trust issue above, a key thing to establish is credibility. You want to be able to show that even your free information can be helpful - though it is incomplete without the crucial, missing component. Or you want to give away a free resource that does a small job completely and successfully.

The third tier of people are usually small to medium corporations, occasionally large ones, that don't have the time or the inclination for do-it-yourself jobs. A person whose time is worth $100 - $1000 an hour is more inclined to pay a specialist to do a project for them, rather than spend ten hours doing what someone who studies that field can do in two.

Trust and credibility is even more important here.

So, the reasons to give away (a little or a lot, whatever works for your business) are:

• to create trust
• to establish credibility
• as enticement to sign-up for a free resource
• as a micro-scale example of how much better the paid resource will perform
• to get publicity
  

Now you know why - what's the right way how?
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/21/2005 02:10:00 PM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |   

 
Free Traffic Tips :: M. Anthony wins
M. Anthony wins the free copy of the 401 page Free Traffic Tips collection, for correctly guessing that today, Money Mondays, I'd be continuing my discussion of Free Traffic Methods with the correct way to give away freebies at your site to draw traffic and subscribers.

Congratulations, Anthony. Be sure to tell me where to send your prize- I have two addresses on file for you.

The first of the three volumes will also go to Isis for a good guess.

On with the show in a moment.
Get weekly Free Traffic Tips | | |Timestamp : 2/21/2005 02:01:00 PM | Permanent Link to this Free Traffic Tip! |