Three ways to get more traffic to your website when times are tough.

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Long and short is that competitive space for search engine optimization is becoming further and further from a free venue. As more and more people compete for key terms, affordable SEO becomes a pay-to-play space. Sure there are things you can do to help improve search engine ranking, but the reality is that those who pay for online advertising, or those who hire full-time writers for their website will usually come out on top.
Traffic is one of the key components of your web site marketing strategy and is available in these three forms.

1. Borrow It. One method of borrowing traffic is called link exchange. This is where you put links to another website on your site and they put links back to you on theirs. The key thing to remember about borrowing traffic is that you have to give something in return.

2. Develop It. Articles are a great way of generating traffic. Once you have created your articles you can put them on your website or blog as content, a white paper, or eBook.

3. Pay For It. You can buy traffic typically using what is known as Pay-Per-Click advertising. You can define your target markets, your daily budget, and where you want your online ads to appear. Paid search marketing offers one of the best ways to control traffic to your website .

The Benefits of Local Search Engine Optimization

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Google introduced a “geographic box” at the top of its search results and found that its users value this component. The engine now displays ten local search results at the top of the listings for relevant queries, provided they have a geographic modifier attached. For example, if you type “Chicago accounting” in Google, you will see ten results bordering a map that shows the location of ten accounting firms in Chicago.

Take note; you will not see local search results for all queries that contain a local modifier. Google somehow “knows” when a geographic modifier truly means that you only offer services in a specific area. Yeah, those guys are pretty good.

Some benefits of using local keyword phrases to improve search engine ranking are as follows:

1. Higher search-engine rankings: Competition will be weaker for the local keyword phrase you have identified.
2. Higher conversion rates: Since you are using the actual local keyword phrase your visitors are looking for, the website traffic you get is highly targeted.
3. Make more money: Your earnings potential is higher when you pull in local search engine traffic because people who come to you are more serious about your product, service or information. Many customers prefer to deal with people that are local, even if the business is national, or even global.

It’s a red-hot consideration for your online marketing strategy right now to include your regional presence, so contemplate the impact of local search engine optimization for your business.

Pick the “right” keywords, the ones with traffic

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There are many Search Engine Optimization (SEO) consultants that will charge you an arm and a leg for their services, sometimes as much as $2,000 per month or more. They often make dubious claims that they can get you ranked on the first page of the search engines within a few months, and if not, they will kindly refund your money.

However, there is a catch. Once you pay the initial deposit and the SEO company begins working on your site, they will often optimize your website in such a manner so that you will be able to quickly rise to the top of the rankings for a keyword that is either not significant or will not attract any real traffic.

If you want to improve your ranking and attract qualified traffic to your website, you need to use a different approach:

1. Optimize your website for the keywords or phrases that people actually use when searching for products or services related to what you offer.
2. Modify higher volume keywords and search terms with phrases that are more specific to your services and industry.
3. Localize your keywords to your target market and client’s location.
4. Try to have a decent amount of free content on your website that relates to the keywords or phrases for which you want to be ranked higher.

Distinguish yourself with Quality Content Building

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Last month we discussed how to use consistent content building to improve your search engine rankings. Step #1 covered the importance of quality content because quality content on your site gives search engines the understanding that you are a destination for information and knowledge. What do you do next?

Step #2 – Keep it fresh.

The wide open web is ever expanding and constantly growing, is your website growing as well? Every day thousands of new sites launch, and that means fresh competitors presenting information in new and interesting ways. Content freshness helps web sites as it offers the benefit for users to have a look at new and useful information. Keeping your web site fresh is worth the extra effort, with the addition of new content; your website is adding value to the end users. While the “freshness factor” is very important to search engines like Google, what’s even more important is that your website continues to grow through content building. If you have not read your website’s content in the past few months, take a closer look. Is it still representing your company in the way that you think it should?

Localize target keywords for better search results

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Ranking with the search engines for local markets, requires a shift in marketing the big three search engines for global traffic. If your service is not global, then do not dilute your SEO efforts from targeted local online markets.

Your #1 goal is to use localized target keywords. Actual localized keywords will bring you a steady stream of natural traffic through local search.

Here are the steps involved for successful optimization in local markets.

1. Localize your target keywords. This includes prefixing or suffixing local terms, names, and names of areas, cities or zip codes with target keywords.

2. Make sure your website is submitted to local search engines, directories and web based yellow pages.

3. Display your mailing address with street address, zip code and complete. Once your site is indexed, these words gain prominence as a part of content.

Is affiliate marketing right for you?

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For the beginner, online affiliate marketing can be confusing, frustrating, and expensive.  Top internet marketing affiliate programs are a great way to earn income from your home via the internet. A successful affiliate marketing partner program takes time to build, but with a bit of effort it has the ability to increase your online revenue noticeably.

The key to success is choosing the right affiliate marketing partner program from the start and this may take some research on your part.
Two key things to consider before beginning an affiliate marketing program:

1. Find a niche you understand. If you have knowledge about the products or services being offered, you will be in a better position to relate to the people coming to your website. Passion about the niche does translate to the quality of your content and site.

2. Make it relevant. Make sure that the internet marketing affiliate programs you select are relevant to your website’s theme.

To become a successful affiliate, finding your target market is top priority. The general perception about internet marketing affiliate programs is that you simply have to pick an affiliate program to start promoting a product and you are instantly transformed into a successful Affiliate Marketer. Although adding relevant elements can certainly have a positive effect on your program, the ultimate success of an affiliate marketing program is based on the concrete development of a well constructed website. While affiliate marketing is one of the most popular means of web promotion for most online business, few people have what it takes to continuously improve their website to its maximum potential and many an affiliate marketing partner program ends up flopping in the early stages.

Define what products you know the most about, and which products you think you could do the best job of selling. Your next step is to select the merchants you wish to work with and analyze their affiliate programs. If you are signing up for a commission based affiliate marketing program then you need to understand how the term revenue is defined. Most affiliate marketing programs will calculate commission on the gross value of the sale. You’ll need to know if you’re going to be paid monthly, bi-monthly, or weekly. Be sure to check if there is a quota that must be met before you can be paid.  Also, make sure you know the method of payment up front. Some merchants choose to pay by check, direct deposit, or Paypal. Knowing how the compensation arrives can motivate many affiliate marketers to step up their marketing efforts tremendously.

You’ll be investing your own time and money into advertising and other expenses. The internet marketing affiliate programs  you seek should reward you well for the effort you spent. This means seeking out companies that have high-volume products that you can promote. Look for a commission in the fifty to sixty percent range. Do your research on the company: Is the company managed well? Is the company reputable? Is there a knowledgeable representative who can offer training and timely advice? How quickly do they respond to your inquiries? If the company is lacking in any of these areas, this could be a sign for you to move on to another venue.

Identifying the right internet marketing affiliate programs and keeping your affiliate partners satisfied is important for the success of your affiliate marketing venture. If you desire to work at home, but are sketchy as to whether your business skills are enough to succeed, think smart and master the business of affiliate marketing.