2009 May | Internet Marketing Explained

Archive for May, 2009

May

How to Create an Information Website Using WordPress

Posted by: Luca | Comments (3)

Welcome back

How to Create an Information Website Using WordPress

WordPress is perhaps the most popular blogging software available. It is the software of choice because it is:

Extremely user friendly
Infinitely customizable with thousands of templates
Easy to use
Regularly updated by developers
Part of a large community of developers who contribute top notch widgets and plug-ins
Modifiable with widgets and plug-ins
Hosted for free by WordPress or easily hosted/redirected to your own site for a nominal fee
Easily accessed and indexed by the search engine for good page ranking

WordPress themes have become so advanced, even the free ones, which it is quite a simple and inexpensive process to create a very polished and custom website. In fact, many internet marketers are using WordPress to build their website instead of standard website building software like FrontPage or Dreamweaver.

This is definitely the case for information marketers whose dollar is made by search engine optimization and where content can make or break a search engine page ranking. A WordPress website makes it easy for spiders to index new content.

Getting started

First you will need to register a domain name and get a web hosting account. I recommend that you check out Hostgator as they are affordable and have very good service. Hostgator has a one step install for WordPress that makes it very easy even for non techie types.

Once WordPress is installed you’ll want to either find a template which fits your subject, brand, and personality. WordPress offers hundreds of approved templates which are customizable or you can hire a graphic designer to customize or create a template for you.

Explore the widgets and plug-ins to determine which are right for your business. For example there is an all in one SEO widget which tags, codes, and submits your blog to the search engines on a regular basis. Widgets and plug-ins are typically free.

Add your pages. WordPress enables you to add pages. When considering what pages to include don’t forget your “About Me” page, “FAQ” page and your “Terms and Privacy Policy” page. You can also include forms, for example an opt-in form and any other tools a busy information marketer might need.

Keep your new site updated with new content on a regular basis and you’ll be ranking in the Search Engines in no time. To supplement content on some of my blogs I use PLR (Private Label Rights) articles. There are many sites offering PLR Articles but one that I recommend is Easy PLR – there’s no membership to buy, you can choose from many different subjects and the cost is very reasonable.

I personally use Expert WordPress for my Blog installs as it’s free and comes with all the Search Engine Optimization plugins included. There’s also a very useful video tutorial that walk you through installing wordPress and setting it up properly.

Here is an example of one of my Expert WordPress Theme blogs:

Home and Family Info

Finally, don’t wait for everything to be perfect. Start posting. It often takes some time to draw an audience and crawl up the search engine rankings.

Categories : Blogging, Internet Marketing, Make Money Online, WordPress

Comments (3)

May

Can Twitter Help an Offline Business?

Posted by: Luca | Comments (3)

Can Twitter Help an Offline Business?

Maybe you are not online but have a brick and mortar business. How can online applications help you? First of all, just about everyone is online these days. You can use online tools such as Twitter to enhance your offline business.

Marketing for offline businesses is not limited to offline marketing tools. You might think that since your business is stationary, you only have certain resources for growing the business. Not so. Your business is good but it can always get better.

Let’s say that you are a small business owner. You have done direct marketing, viral (word-of-mouth) marketing and used other advertising media like newspaper ads to get the word out about your business. You have a decent amount of clients but you can have more. You still haven’t tapped into the online world for customers.

It is a fact that some people don’t read newspapers or visit trade shows. They could be missing your valuable service. Those same people may stay connected to the world at large with social networking online. They could connect with you there if you have a Twitter account.

As an expert in your field of business, you can provide useful information to other twitterers on your business. More and more business owners are using Twitter as a business tool and you can find those people to trade business techniques. Improving technique can improve business.

Twitter is also a social network for personal enjoyment. People interact with others from their hometown, people with similar interests and others who post interesting tweets. Any one of these groups could use what your business has to offer. Those in your hometown, for instance, who don’t know about you, can learn about you. You might not be running an online business but you can create a webpage that tells about your business with contact information for anyone looking to use your services.

Just like an online business, Twitter can be used to answer customer service questions quickly. Many of your customers are undoubtedly online and Twitter is a way to answer their questions without them having to drive to your business location to get answers. And, you don’t have to sit in front of a computer to answer them. Twitter can be accessed from your mobile phone (with Internet support) so you can work on the go.

Twitter offers tools that can be used by offline businesses. The most popular applications are customer service and promotional tools but you will find a whole lot more.

Categories : Make Money Online, Social Media, Twitter, advertising

Comments (3)

May

Top 5 Tools to Streamline Twitter

Posted by: Luca | Comments (3)

Top 5 Tools to Streamline Twitter

The name sounds like what a bird’s wings do which is appropriate for Twitter. It is a micro-blogging website that has grown by leaps and bounds. Everyone who is anyone is now using Twitter. If you are interested in using it yourself, here are five tools that will help you make the most of your experience.

Twitter users can send short messages up to 140 characters that can be sent to anyone in any location. It’s just like text messaging only on your PC. Now that twitter has taken flight there are dozens of tools available in the Internet to help manage your tweets (the messages that you send and receive.)

1) TweetDeck – This application works on your PC desktop. It is a way for you to manage your Twitter account without having to visit the site each time. You can create groups for friends, business associates or anyone else you like with this application. Best of all, TweetDeck works in the background and also can be used offline at your leisure. Some cool things about TweetDeck to point out include:

The ability to post your Facebook status and keep up with your friends within your TweetDeck window.
You can group certain users together in one window so you don’t miss any tweets from them.
You have a separate window for your @ replies, direct messages and your main stream.
No need to refresh the page as it updates automatically for you and you can change the amount of time in between updates.

2) Twhirl - This handy feature works on the PC desktop as well. Instead of spending most of your day checking and rechecking your accounts, this handy tool notifies you when you have new messages. Also, it shrinks long URLs to more manageable shorter ones for anyone who wants to click on a link in your tweets. You can search tweets for interesting new subjects and there is a spell checker so you don’t send out illegible tweets.

3) TweetLater - Just like the name says it allows you to schedule your Twitter messages much like an email system. If you are using Twitter for business, it is helpful to schedule tweet delivery, create draft tweets to be used at a later date, set up alerts such as notification when certain users send tweets and tracking users you want to follow.

4) TweeTake – It is always important to backup files that you might need later. Computers can crash at any time. With this tool, you can backup your Twitter information. Us it to backup files, documents and photos. You can save a copy of Twitter account information as well as your tweets and group lists just in case your computer decides to give up the ghost.

5) Twitterment - Well, Twitter has its own search engine as well. Use Twitterment to search for tweets using keywords or phrases. It’s also a buzz tracker to see what’s hot and what’s not in the Twitter universe.

Twitter has caught on in a big way. If you are an avid Twitter user, the above five tools will help you manage your Twitter accounts without tying up your entire day.