Internet Marketing for Cyber Noobs

Keywords – can't live with them, can't live without them. These silly little creatures are some of the most discussed components of the internet marketing community, with most people wondering whether or not they really matter in the long run. A recent article in Business2Community revealed why keywords are relevant in the modern world and how you should go about incorporating them into your marketing content. Here are some key points from that article.

Approximately 90% of web users find sites through search engines. That means that it is your job to comply with the search engines just as much as you comply with the people. Since search engines are computerized devices, they rely on numbers and words, rather than general information. Thus you have to employ keywords in your content to make sure search engines find your site in the crowd.

Before you start shoving keywords into your content forcefully, you need to realize that search engines do analyze the overall value of your content. If you use keyword stuffing or deceitful backlinking in an attempt to trick search engines, your site may be banned from the directory for good. Stick with the standard 1-2% keyword rule for the information you create, and you should be just fine.

Long story short, keywords do matter. Take the time to research the ones that will work best for you, and then start putting them into action.

There are tons of different ways to make money online, more so than most people realize. No matter how old you are or how busy your lifestyle may be, you could at least earn a side living on the internet. One way to do that is through a process called affiliate marketing, where you basically promote someone else's site and get paid for the traffic you bring in. This may not be a source of financial security for everyone, but it could turn out to be a great option for you. The only way to know that for sure though is to give it a try. Here is some general information to help you learn if affiliate marketing is right for you.

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a form of promotion that sites use to pay for visitors. You can basically get a link for the site to post somewhere else online, and then you can make money every time someone clicks on it or buys a product as a result of it. The site benefits from the traffic coming in, and you benefit from the money coming in. It's a win-win situation.

How to Make Affiliate Marketing Work for You

If you want to make money through affiliate marketing, you first need to find a place to affiliate with. This could be a site like Amazon that sells thousands of products, or it could be a specific store that carries an item you love. Once you have access to banners and links that document the traffic you bring in, you can begin posting them on the web to make money.

Some people will open entire websites that are specifically for affiliate linking, but doing that may be out of your reach when you first start the process. In this case, you could run a blog about the products, post reviews about them online, or even make videos that feature the products. It's up to you. Just come up with a way to help people see the links.

Once people start clicking on your links, the site you're working through will calculate your earnings and send you a check after a pre-specified pay period. Some places will pay by check and others will send money through PayPal. Either way though, you can get money on the internet without having to put forth a lot of effort. As long as you have the ability to get people to naturally click on a link, you should be able to sustain a decent income.

The only way to get a website to the top of Google is to have well-ranking sites backlinking to it. In other words, people of authority have to be talking about your website on the internet. One of the easiest ways to make that happen is through guest blogging, where you post content on other people's websites with a link back to your own. The practice is pretty simple to understand, but it is not as easy to execute. Luckily, I have some quick tips to help you out. Here is a guide to guest blogging for first timers.

Find People Who Want Guest Blog Posts

You can join a community like My Blog Guest and instantly contact people who want guest posts. Otherwise, you will have to look into some popular blogs for your niche and ask the blog owners if they would want a free article for their sites.

Write Information People Want to Read

When you go to write your guest post, pick a topic that most people will want to read. They may be tired of articles like "How to Become a Police Officer," but they would probably respond well to "10 Sexy Celebs That Would Make Great Cops." Adjust your writing to fit the masses, and it will go over well.

Promote Your Work and the Other Site

If you manage to get your guest post on another site, promote the crap out of it. Post a link on your social network accounts, and consider adding the other blog to your blogoll. The more exposure you can give to both the post and the blog, the better off you will be.

Test out this process if you want your blog to get big. All it takes is a little effort to get the ball rolling.

I think some people assume that there is an internet marketing wand in circulation they can just magically wave over a website and build traffic. While the principles of internet marketing are fairly simple, the act itself is incredibly complex. There is a reason why so many people struggle to get websites popular on the internet. It's because they try what they believe to be successful internet marketing techniques, only to find out that this process is harder than it looks. Before you jump to the conclusion that this will be a walk on the park, you need to realize just how hard internet marketing really is. That may give you a greater appreciation of what the work is like.

Search Engines Change All the Time
Google is known for changing its ranking system on a regular basis. Sites that were once on top may no longer be there because of the way that Google ranks them now. Other search engines change as well, so marketing coordinators have to constantly adjust to the new formulas. To add insult to injury, search engines usually don't release a lot of information about their ranking systems because they don't want sites to try to get to the top. They think they should just get there naturally. Talk about a blow to the face, right?

Trends Change All the Time
Remember 10 years ago when Facebook wasn't even around? Now it is one of the key tools that marketers use to promote sites online. The way people use the internet changes every year, and internet marketers have to go where the people go. That takes constant observation, experimentation, and most of the time, a little luck.

Competition Changes All the Time
On top of everything mentioned above, internet marketers have to constantly worry about new competition. They never know when a site is going to come out with the same idea, and they have to do whatever it takes to stay above the competition.

The internet is a never-ending whirl of adjustment, and internet marketers have to change their strategies all the time to accommodate for that. This is not easy to do, but it is not impossible either. You can be a success with internet marketing if you are willing to weigh out all the factors above and more. Do that, and you will at least have an appreciation for the work that goes into this intricate promotional process.

If you spend more than five minutes working in internet marketing, you are going to learn about backlinks (also known as link backs). Backlinks are links to your website that show on other websites. If I put a link here for ScholarshipsNGrants.com and Yelp.com, I have created a link back to those sites. If you link this post to a website you own, you will be creating a backlink for me. This is all easy to understand, but there are other factors in link building that you need to keep in mind. Here are some tips to help you get a full idea of what this process entails.

Dofollow and Nofollow Links
If you want to launch a link building campaign, you need to know the difference between dofollow and nofollow links. Dofollow links are links that will help a site's rankings in Google and other search engines. In other words, these are links that actually count. Nofollow links are visible on a page, but they don't do anything for a site's visibility online. If you are trying to get backlinks for a website, you want to focus on getting dofollow links.

Quality Links and Crap Links
Don't assume that all links are created equal. They're not. You could have a million links on a million websites and still not be any higher on Google than you are right now. You need to focus on getting quality links from high ranking websites. Those sites will basically be "worth" more for your site, so you will show up better in search engines because you have the attention of the popular crowd. You can get links on low ranking sites, but the important ones are going to be on high ranking, high traffic sites.

Backlinks serve two purposes: improve search engine rankings and give new customers a chance to see a website. You need to think about where you can put links to best fulfill those purposes. When you find a setup that works well for your website, all you have to do is expand it as far as it will go. Think about the ideas above and do some more research so you can fully understand backlinking in all its glory. Using it for your website will do wonders for your success in the future.

Article marketing is a sector of internet marketing that focuses on using articles to create backlinks for websites. I have worked in article marketing for a few years now as a freelance writer, so I have learned the ins and outs of this field. Whether you're looking to promote your own website or you're getting paid to do this for someone else, you may want to learn about all that article marketing has to offer you. It won't take much of your tattoo artist salary to explore, so you might as well see what you can do with it. Here is a look at the art of article marketing so you can determine if it is right for you.

What Is Article Marketing?

Article marketing is a system that uses articles online to promote websites, products, videos, etc. Think of each article as an ad that subliminally convinces people that they need to see something, buy something, research something…you get the idea. Most forms of article marketing involve submitting articles to directories like the ones listed later on in this article. Those directories allow posters to put links in their articles, which turn into promotional tools for their websites. If you learn how to use this as a promotional method for your own site or service, you should be able to gain attention over time.

Why Do People Use Article Marketing?

Some people use article marketing to create a positive image for themselves online. They want to establish themselves as experts in their fields, so they put up helpful articles to show people what they know. This is not the only reason for using article marketing though. Some people use it purely for promotion, and others use it as part of a backlinking campaign. Backlinks improve a site's Google ranking, which means it will show up better in search engines. The more backlinks a site has, the more visible it is online. Since article marketing provides an opportunity for link building, most internet marketers use it religiously.

Where Do Marketers Post Articles?

Article marketing can happen anywhere, from a blog to a website and beyond. For the most part though, this process involves the use of article directories like the ones listed below. These directories are giant collections of articles on the web, somewhat like only libraries or magazines. If you want to work with article marketing in the future, you may want to use one of the following directories to promote your articles.

• Article Advise
• Article Alley
• Article Avenue
• Article Bin
• Article Cube
• Article Hub
• Article Locker
• Articler
• Articles Heaven
• Article Slash
• Article Slide
• Buzzle
• Ezine Article Submission
• Farticle
• How to Advice
• iSnare
• Lucrative Articles
• Marketing Source
• New Articles
• Self SEO
• Weeno

Explore article marketing in all its glory and see what it can do for you. You may actually get a little addicted to it if you find a way to make it work.

Internet marketing is a growing field that most people didn't know about 10-20 years ago. Now there are full blown degree programs for it at Full Sail University and the University of Phoenix online. Before you can settle into a career as an internet marketer, you probably want to know what that career is going to entail. It isn't the field for everyone, so it is important to know what you are getting into before you sign your life away to the World Wide Web. Here are some salary statistics for internet marketers hat should help you see if this career is right for you.

Salary by Location

The area you live in may not impact your pay as much as the area your client's live in. If you are working strictly on the web, you will simply be paid whatever someone else thinks you should logically be paid. Common salaries in this case include:

• Washington: $30,201 - $108,269 per year
• Texas: $29,696 - $118,359 per year
• Pennsylvania: $45,338 - $135,741 per year
• New York: $39,078 - $164,829 per year
• Florida: $29,154 - $122,813 per year
• Colorado: $48,980 - $94,250 per year
• California: $49,022 - $158,264 per year

Salary by Specialty

It is always a good idea to specialize in a career because it could lead to higher paying positions in the future. Common salaries in this case include:

• Adobe Photoshop: $25,342 - $48,742 per year
• Advertising: $25,808 - $49,316 per year
• Graphic Design: $24,822 - $48,738 per year
• HTML: $28,491 - $50,025 per year
• Marketing Communications: $27,793 - $48,542 per year
• Microsoft Office: $29,833 - $47,610 per year
• Microsoft Window General Use: $25,750 - $49,176 per year
• Microsoft Word: $25,000 - $47,427 per year
• Network Management: $42,253 - $48,920 per year
• PowerPoint: $24,832 - $46,309 per year

Salary by Years of Experience

As you gain experience in internet marketing, you will have a larger pool of clients to choose from. That is ultimately going to make a difference in your income. Common salaries in this case include:

• Less than 5 years: $24,463 - $74,190 per year
• 5-9 years: $40,396 - $116,870 per year
• 10-19 years: $58,466 - $142,213 per year
• 20 years or more: $49,851 - $147,392 per year

Salary by Company Size

Many internet marketers are self employed, but you may want to find a job with a large company instead. Statistics show that could lead to more money for you in the end. Common salaries in this case include:

• 1-9: $35,500 - $72,000 per year
• 10-49: $30,201 - $126,440 per year
• 50-199: $34,255 - $119,359 per year
• 200-599: $42,835 - $124,179 per year
• 600-1999: $90,017 - $122,084 per year
• 2000-4999: $69,000 - $119,482 per year
• 5000+: $69,489 - $142,980 per year

There is no real cap on what you can earn as an internet marketer because everything depends on what you do with your marketing skills. If you launch websites to make money online, you could earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a year just with the websites alone. An old client of mine makes $250,000+ a year from one website alone, and he has about a dozen of them to pull from. I think you get where I'm going with this. With the right ideas and the right marketing techniques early on, you should be able to make some really good money in internet marketing. All you have to do is start your career and see what happens.

Keywords are the blood cells of the internet. They are the fuel that search engines run on, and they are some of the most important elements of any internet marketing campaign. If you are thinking about venturing into web marketing, you need to have an understanding of how important keywords are. This will determine the success of your efforts overall. Learning to use these keywords is equally as important, so you need to get a full view of the process in order to implement it properly. Here is a guide to help you appreciate and use keywords within your search engine optimization.

Why Keywords Are So Important

When someone looks for something on Google, he or she puts in a keyword for the research. If I wanted to find a occupational health nurse in Sacramento, California, I would probably search for "occupational health nurse Sacramento California." I may use some alternative of that, but you get the idea. Once a person uses a keyword like that, Google proceeds to scour the internet for sites, web pages, articles, and other items that may contain those keywords. The top results almost always have the words in them exactly because the people creating the content put those words there. That is what you have to do in your work.

Keywords allow you to communicate with the internet and with the people looking for your content. If you can use keywords that they know and would logically look for, you will have a chance of being visible in a search engine. The more visible you are, the more your site can grow. The concept is pretty simple from there.

How to Pick the Keywords to Use

Now that you understand why you need keywords in your web content, you need to understand how to select the keywords you want to use. Start by thinking about what people would logically search for to find your site or web page. I would assume that people would search for internet marketing keywords, keywords in internet marketing, SEO keywords, or something along those lines to find this article. If you put yourself in the mind of your audience, you will be able to add the keywords your site needs to succeed.

If you need additional suggestions about the keywords you should use in your articles, try something like Google Adwords. It will provide you with stats about different words you want to use so you can choose the best ones for you.

How to Use Keywords in Your Web Content

As I mentioned before, keyword usage is just as important as the keywords themselves. Thus you have to learn how to implement the words into your articles so that they are easy to find, both from a search engine perspective and from a user perspective. Here are some quick tips to keep in mind:

• Try to use one keyword for every 100 words in an article. Anything more may seem too stuffed.
• Put major keywords towards the top of the article.
• Bold or italicize keywords when appropriate so people can find them easily on a page.
• Use keywords as anchor texts for hyperlinks.
• Vary the keywords throughout the article so they seem natural.

If you practice working with keywords for a little bit, you will eventually get into a rhythm with the process. I do this so much subconsciously now that I even use keywords when I don't have to. It's just a force of habit. Find the words that you need for your work, and start using them right away. They could make all the difference in your internet marketing.

Freelance writing is one of the top careers on the web, and it is one that can be highly profitable under the right circumstances. You don't have to be a genius or an English major to be a good writer online, but there are some characteristics that most successful writers share. Before you make this your profession for the future, you need to make sure that it is right for you. Once you get involved with it, you may never leave. I have been a freelancer for the past three years now, and I have seen good and bad writers throughout that time. I know what it takes to do well in this profession. Here is a simple analysis to help you determine if you are cut out for this field.

Do You Like to Write?

This may be obvious, but you have to have some sort of passion for writing if you want to be a freelance writer online. I'm not saying that you have to slave away at your keyboard 24 hours a day, but you need to at least be able to tolerate this process. I'm actually not a big fan of writing, but I do well at it. It's just a natural talent I have always had. Nevertheless, I am able to at least tolerate it enough to generate a paycheck every week. If you think you can stifle your vomit long enough to type for a few hours a day, you should do fairly well in this career.

Can You Stick to a Schedule?

Most freelance writers work at home, which means they have the ability to make their own schedules. This definitely has its advantages, but some people struggle to keep themselves on schedule. The internet is run on deadlines, and you have to be able to make every single one you commit to. Otherwise, you may lose clients, get bad feedback, or go through a lot of other negative effects that come along with procrastinating. You will only succeed in this career if you have enough self-control to stick to a timeline that you set for yourself. If you think you can do that without a problem, you should be in good shape.

Can You Manage Your Money Well?

Some freelance writing jobs pay on a scheduled basis – every week, every month, every day, etc. For the most part though, you will probably get paid whenever someone decides to pay you. That is one of the crappy aspects of working online. You never really know when you're going to get paid or if you are going to get paid at all. I don't want to scare you away from this career because there are a lot of trustworthy clients out there. I just want to make sure you know how to manage your money, in case you have to put back for projects when you don't get paid right away.

If you do manage to divvy up your money properly, you could make a very good living as a freelance writer. Here is a look at some of the average pay rates for freelance writers in America, courtesy of PayScale.com.

Salary by Years of Experience

• <5 years: $12,800 - $60,000 per year
• 5-9 years: $30,521 - $81,559 per year
• 10-19 years: $34,521 - $98,092 per year
• 20 years or more: $56,982 - $75,629 per year

Hourly Rate by Years of Experience

• <5 years: $12.02 - $42.71 per hour
• 5-9 years: $14.88 - $55.18 per hour
• 10-19 years: $21.50 - $75.00 per hour
• 20 years or more: $26.00 - $91.48 per hour

Do You Communicate Well with Others?

Above all else, you need to be able to communicate with your clients to deliver the right articles from the start. If you don't know how to talk to people, you run the risk of writing an article under a different set of terms than what the client requested. You have to keep your clients up to date on the status of your writing projects so they know they are getting what they paid for. If this and the other topics above are not an issue for you, you could be a great freelance writer in the future.

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