Month: May 2010

Engaging Your Readers Starts with Your Biggest Fan…You

It’s not always easy to figure out what is palatable when it comes to public consumption.  In terms of writing a blog, you have to ask yourself many questions.  Should I choose a topic that interests me, or one that might interest my readers?  Do I keep it strictly informative, or inject some humor and personality?  What, exactly, will engage the minds of my readers?  These questions are difficult, if not impossible, to answer at the outset of your blogging enterprise, but as time goes by, you will find that certain things appeal to a mass audience while others lean towards the niche.  What you really need to ask yourself, when it comes to writing your blog, is which type of reader you’re looking to attract.

Of course you want your blog to reach a large audience.  For one thing, if you’re trying to make money, you need that all-important traffic to stay constant (or better yet, grow) in order to draw the advertising dollars that keep you afloat.  That said, you really have to write something that appeals to you.  If you don’t care about the topics you’re covering, it will almost certainly show in your posts, and chances are, it will not engage your readers any more than it engages you.  So try to choose topics that you would like to read about while sticking to the mainstream whenever possible.  Most readers will forgive a little meandering (and even encourage it) if it means your blog is consistently entertaining.

In addition, you don’t want the material to be too dry.  It’s one thing to keep your articles informative, but remember that readers can probably go to any number of blogs that cover your chosen subject matter.  You want to make yours stand out from the crowd and that means putting something unique into the mix, mainly yourself.

Don’t be afraid to make it about you.  If you have an interesting opinion, it will attract more readers (and spawn debate), which will fuel your hits.  There’s nothing worse than being generic, so spice it up!  On that note, you also need to keep your posts new and exciting.  The best way to do this is to stay on top of current trends.  Checking out other blogs is not cheating, it’s market research and it’s absolutely necessary to know what your competition is up to.  You can also look to news blogs and sites like YouTube to cash in on what is popular now.  If your readership knows that they can count on you to keep up with whatever is in vogue, they will be more likely to come to you first, rather than flirting with other sites.

The main thing to remember is that what you want and what your readers want is almost the same.  If a topic interests you and makes you ask questions, chances are good that others in the blogosphere will feel the same way.  And if you take a strong stand on an issue, it’s bound to be more attention-grabbing than a wishy-washy attitude, so say it loud.  Over time, you’ll gain a better understanding of what works for you.  Until then, try anything and everything to keep it entertaining!

Guest post by Sarah of Maxi Dress Mania where you can find a long maxi dress for your body type.

Amazing $5 Deals

I am a lifetime member of Mom Masterminds and can’t even begin to tell you about the benefits of having such a great support group. One of these benefits is getting to participate in events like the 10 Days May Madness which started just today.

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Free Niche Research: Weight Loss Tips

free niche research

Today’s niche was requested by @simonj007 on twitter after last week’s post. He said: “Ever done one on the ‘weightloss’ niche?” The  wight loss niche is huge, both in terms of searches and audience. The research I am doing today here is pretty general: if you want to get into this niche, you’ll want to do more in-depth analysis and pick a sub-niche of this large market.

Top 10 Highest Paying Keywords(from the Google keyword tool)

100 weight loss tips $3.13

loss weight tips $2.84

weight loss tips $2.84

rapid weight loss tips $2.72

best weight loss tips $2.67

holiday weight loss tips $2.67

free weight loss tips $2.41

quick weight loss tips $2.27

weight loss diet tips $2.20

free fast weight loss tips $2.14

Top 10 Most Searched Keywords(all phrases are exact matches in Google)

weight loss tips 60,500

quick weight loss tips 6,600

fast weight loss tips 5,400

weight loss tip 1,900

free weight loss tips 1,600

healthy weight loss tips 1,300

easy weight loss tips 1,000

tips for weight loss 1,000

rapid weight loss tips 880

best weight loss tips 720

Resources

There is a lot information about weight loss everywhere, but you need to make sure you get your facts form trustworthy places like health magazines,  industry papers, health professionals, etc.

If you, a family member or a friend are on a weight loss journey, this niche may be perfect for you, as you’ll have first hand knowledge and experience.
If I'm So Smart, Why Can't I Lose Weight?: Tools to Get it DoneIf I’m So Smart, Why Can’t I Lose Weight?: Tools to Get it Done
Possible Affiliate Programs
Amazon.com has lots of options as always.

Don’t forget to search CJ.com & Shareasale.com for affiliate programs as well.

Monetization Suggestions

This niche is mostly informational. Attract visitors with lots of great free information, and make sure you build a list. People who struggle with weight are hungry for ways to deal with it, and if you can stay on top of the newest, and most efficient ways to manage weight, you can be an amazing asset for your list, and make good money at the same time.

Warning: You need to be careful with your suggestions, and definitely have a disclaimer on every page of your site/blog.

Now, as you can imagine, there are no domain names with high numbers of searches, but I found some domains available for this niche at this time that look promising:

WeddingWeightLossTips.net & .org

TheBestWeightLossTips.net & .org

SmartWeightLossTips.net & .org

How A Keyword Generator Tool Can Help Build A Good Website

Market Samuray Software

When you start an Internet business there is a lot to consider. The first and most obvious is learning how to build a website. Today that is easier than ever because there are so many inexpensive tools at your disposal. The real trick is getting those tools to work for you literally. One of these tools is your keyword generator.

Keywords are really more than just simple words. You aren’t going to get much traffic from a single word search as a matter of fact its pretty safe to say that you wont get any traffic from a single word search because they are too broad. Search engines like phrases that are keyword rich.

Keywords are actually key phrases. Keyword phrases are those phrases that directly relate to your business. If you are an internet marketer, then your keyword phrases will include any phrase that would be used and searched for in the world of internet marketing. Think about how you would search for something. What are the various phrases that you use to narrow your search to find what you are looking for?

How does one choose the right keywords? This is where a keyword generator tool comes in. When you are thinking about your content, this tool takes the guesswork out of the equation for you. You give it your information and it comes back with the keywords and phrases that are most associated with your business.

Because a keyword generator works with known information based on recent web searches, you can be assured that the information it gives you is accurate. Some keyword tools will even show you seasonal statistics, allowing you to change your content during those times when people are most likely to be searching using particular phrases. Many of these tools are free, but if you want to pay a small fee, you can get even more from keyword generator software.

Once you have a list of keywords and phrases, its time to turn them into good web content. Good web content is a big part of drawing the right traffic to your site. While it may seem obvious, the number one mistake that people when optimizing their site is lack of targeted keywords and phrases!

Keywords should be used all throughout your website, not only on the homepage. Remember that people can enter your site from any page, so be sure that you have your keywords on every page.

We have said once before, but we are going to say again for emphasis: write good content. If you don’t feel comfortable writing the content for yourself, hire a professional to do it for you. It will be well-worth the money you spend.

Don’t use Black Hat techniques to try and get better rankings. Black Hat techniques include keyword stuffing, inserting invisible text, and creating fake doorway pages. While using these techniques may get you higher rankings in the beginning, over time you may be penalized for it.

About the Authors
—————–
Lena Morrish and Dima Nikolayenko are the publishers of the popular website http://www.InternetBusinessBTS.com and the owners of Bridge to Success, an internet marketing company committed to helping you succeed. If you are interested in how to start a small Internet business from home they can teach you how to make websites that are profitable, how to use your keyword generator tools, your marketing tools and much more. Already in business? They have all the latest tips to keep you informed!

Keyword Analysis for Your New Niche

market

A few days ago, I talked about how to effectively research a niche market and then suggested a few places you could go to start getting the ideas flowing.

Today let’s see how you can do keyword analysis for the new niche you found during your market research.

What is keyword analysis? – It’s basically a “big picture” of your market through thorough keyword research.

To do this, you need a good research tool: Google keyword tool and WordTracker are free, or you can use one of the paid ones. I like and use Market Samurai (BTW, Market Samurai has a free version of their software, which you can get right now at this link).  A good tool can potentially save you a lot of time and money. So it’s worth paying for this service rather than simply using the free tools. Free tools can be a good starting point but can’t really replace proper keyword analysis.

Fire up your keyword tool and type in your niche topic. Your keyword tool should then give you other keyword ideas and include profitability ratings for each keyword phrase.

Most tools let you keep digging even further to find even more profitable keywords. Dig as much as you need to until you come up with a good substantial list of keywords.

Armed with your keyword list, you should now have a good idea for whether or not your market is a viable one.

You can then use these keywords to structure your website, your products, your content, your advertisement, and to help you connect with your target market. Keywords mean so much to your business which is why it’s important to take the time to do this step as properly as possible.

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