|
|
How To Build An Online Business On A Shoestring
Free Tips, Tricks and Tools Issue #3 Jan.12, 2000
In this Issue:
PROMOTIONAL TOOLS
FEATURE ARTICLE: "Keyword Focused Content Pages"
CLASSIFIED ADS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry for the delay in getting this newsletter out, but with travel and a bronchitis from the pits of hell, I am waaay behind in tasks. In fact, I am still suffering mightily as I write this ezine (don't you feel bad for me:-) so please be kind in your review of it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ever hear of the Beverly Hills Hotel? Sure you have! It's one of the most glamorous, famous hotels in the world. Go there at the right time, and you may even find yourself in the cabana beside Mick Jagger at their legendary pool.
However, their Web site is not 10% as great as the hotel, according to Ken Evoy (of "Make Your Site SELL!" fame). A while back, Ken wrote a brilliant article that took their site apart and put it back together again.
That article received a flood of responses. So now he's expanded and "html'ized" it with pointed graphic examples. I've just read it and yes, the article has become even better!
What are *you* selling on the Web? Software or hard goods? Your services? Affiliate-based products? Whatever it is, read the Beverly Hills Hotel article...
I guarantee that the lessons in that article apply to *YOU*. You'll find more than one lesson that will help you sell more on the Net, whatever your product is. I did. :-)
There are a lot of free Web marketing e-zines out there. But folks, SITE-SELL! is a must-read... and it's free. As you'll see from the Beverly Hills Hotel article, it truly lives up to its billing of...
"THE WORLD'S MOST USABLE E-ZINE"
If you have not yet subscribed to SITE-SELL!, you are missing some great, original, USABLE and totally free, site-selling ideas!
It would cost you thousands of dollars to get Ken to analyze your site like he did in this article. But now Ken will personally tell you how to multiply your sales, FOR FREE! How? Easy!...
Just enter the "MYSS! 'Analyze This' Sweepstakes"! Here's what to do... After you read the Beverly Hills article, visit the site (just click on the link at the bottom of any page of this powerful article). Once you're there, click on "A Special Invitation" (bottom of left margin once you're on the site) to get to the Sweepstakes Page.
*********************************************** One other thing, folks, if you would like to get the $49 "The Ultimate Link Tracker" (it tells you where your visitors are coming from, forums, ads, sigs, banners...) don't buy it! Join the Five Pillar Club for free and you get it for nothing! Not only that but you get the best affiliate manual anywhere. Do it now as they are going to stop taking affiliate applications in the next few months to protect the integrity of the program. There are some very exciting products coming out in Feb. (One is not a 'category enhancer' but a 'CATEGORY MAKER') simply join the Five Pillar Club as an affiliate. It's free and you get one of the most informative ezines published.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Free Counters and Trackers! Looking for a counter or tracker for your site? Review each site and see which one is best for you.
* Side Note: Personally I don't use visible counters as they usually show your visitor how few visitors your site has had :-) And they look tacky.
This is the best one I know of. Tells you where your visitors are coming from and other great info.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Keyword Focused Content Pages by Dan Farrell "As a Web Marketer, it is natural to want to maximize traffic to your site. But this instinct can put you at odds with the Search Engines' goal of delivering on-target searches. If you do anything to fool a SE's algorithm into delivering off-target results to its customers, it will take that as personal attack on its livelihood. What would you do to someone who attacked the very core of you business?......Exactly. You'd fight back, no holds barred!" Ken Evoy, M.D., Make My Site Sell!"
Dr. Evoy has seen his hits go from <5,000/week to >60,000/week by properly designing a gateway page, so we should heed his advice :-)
Keeping those words in mind, I would like to discuss a very popular topic read in a lot of e-zine and discussion groups these days...Doorway or Gateway Pages.
Simply put, these specially designed pages are specially designed for two purposes-to attract visitors from Search Engines and for search engines to rank your page in the first two pages of a keyword. Search engines have never developed protocols for eliminating true content pages! However, Infoseek for one, has eliminated doorway pages with little content and no value to its' customers.
However, this is where many people diverge, some feel that you need to create these pages for ONLY search engine's, using what some would call trickery or less than honest tactics. I would like to focus on what Ken Evoy professes after changing his attitude toward search engine's, which can be summed up by his saying, "make them your friends, not enemies". After all, how would you feel if everyone submitted hundreds of no value, no content doorway pages to search engines that offered nothing to their customers and created more work for the search engines? What would you do if you were Excite, Infoseek...? Wouldn't you start a campaign to rid your database of this kind of doorway page?
To design a high value/content laden doorway page, we need to examine what makes up a good doorway/gateway page. It needs a title, which is snappy and benefit-oriented. In other words, 'WIIFM'. You know, that old radio station, 'What's In It For Me' attitude that most consumers have today.
Of course, before anything, it is important to plan how will these pages fit into your sales effort from the opening page to your closer. Your opening page must achieve your sales objective while maximizing priority keywords while weaving keywords with a few keyword 'combo's.
With a good title, you need a value laden copy. This will increase your relevancy ranking which will please both search engine algorithm's and customer's. The page needs to hold the customer's interest so they click to your home page which leads them toward your "Most Wanted Response" closer page. In other words, a visitor would need to first, find your page, then click on it, and then click on a link to your closer page. Of course, if your page is not in the first two pages of the search engine keyword results, FORGET IT!
Again, your gateway/doorway page must be content laden with one or two keywords laced throughout. These "Keyword Focused Content Pages" use your top priority keywords that you have determined is most relevant to your product(s). Use them often and everywhere.
With a title on your gateway page, you place Meta Keywords, Description Tags, main body copy, headlines, links and alt tags. These are all covered in depth by Dr. Evoy's incredible book, found here.
Some search engines score tightly focused, shorter copy better than longer text (Infoseek), but most search engines look for greater numbers of keywords but in lower density (keyword diffusion).
The bottom line is that Doorway Pages should offer unique, valuable content already on your site, yet serve to attract an extended target market. Each page should be customized from scratch...from the title to the last word of body.
In summary this type of doorway page will benefit you by being:
----------------------------------------------------------------- Dan Farrell MHG Consulting Ask Me What My Favorite Affiliate Program Is. OK, You Asked, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This Week's Free If you don't have Real
Audio
Visit the Home Business
Mastery
|
