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Archive for the ‘Strategy’ Category

Getting “Authority” Links

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

Many people in the SEO community talk about the difference between simply getting a link back to your site, and getting an “Authority” link.

While most affiliate marketers are just interested in cranking out dozens of small sites that make $100/month (or promoting trashy CPA offers for a quick buck), this technique has helped tons of affiliates get high rankings for super-targeted terms that significantly boost their income.

I’ve seen quite a few cases where simply posting a comment on a blog that a merchant writes regularly on can boost my rankings for “product name review” from page 3 to top 3 on page 1, which is pretty sweet!

Now, it’s important to note that PageRank is NOT what it’s all about. Many times the relevancy of a website (theme) to your own can play a factor, and it can also have to do with the specific nature of the site linking to you. This is why PageRank and Authority are different, with regards to backlinks.

The key takeaway with this concept is that focusing on Quality THEN Quantity with backlinks, will help boost your rankings with less work.

For example, would it be easier to write 5 simple articles and submit them to 5 directories each, or to contact a website owner and do one value-added guest post on their blog with a link back to your site? To be honest, it seems much easier to take the first route, and it sounds like you’ll get a lot more backlinks, but the Quality is so much lower that your rankings will most likely not get the increase you’re hoping for.

BUT, and this is essential, it’s not just about getting a small boost in rankings! Sometimes the fact that your link is coming from an authority’s website can mean huge traffic & sales directly from the post, and the networking can help you get more exposure and better rankings in the longterm because of the relationship you can build with the site owner.

In the end, Google & Yahoo! want us to stick with useful, relevant content and natural links to and from our pages (that help their visitor), so the people searching will continue to search and click ads. However, by networking with authorities in your niche(s), you can “Google-proof” your business by simply playing by the rules and worrying less about rankings than adding value.

It sounds tough at first, but start with less projects, do them all the right way, and you’ll make WAY more money in the longrun.

Posted in SEO, Strategy, Traffic | No Comments »

Multiple Business Models

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

If you’re like me, you have quite a few different opinions on how to run a business (models, strategies, tactics, etc.), and sometimes they tend to blur together.

Lately I’ve found myself questioning the credibility of affiliate marketers, so I decided to start blogging to spread the word about adding legitimate value as an affiliate.

I have also been thinking a lot about how adding value is actually REALLY easy for us (Affiliates: People who love the Internet, and know every service/website you can imagine, for absolutely any purpose…all the time).

It’s easy for people like us to provide a service, in many ways:

  1. Save the visitor money by pointing them to a cheaper alternative
  2. Save the customer time by doing the research for them
  3. Telling them about a service that solves their problem, that they didn’t already know about

In the end, the industry we work in is based on commission percentage, CPA, search volume/demand, and competition.

While those things are all essential to our business model, and we simply don’t have the time or energy to crank out content and do all the things we do everyday without promoting affiliate programs, there is an easier way!

Here are my Business Models:

Both of these models allow me to stay focused on the same group of tasks, but also branch out to help people in my community and keep more stable income.

How do I do this?

I help local business owners get more value out of their websites as a consultant.

At first I was worried about being too spread thin building my own business while helping others, especially because I wasn’t sure how to bring in a steady flow of clients that provide a stable flow of cash.

After some tweaks to my strategy it dawned on me:

I can use my Affiliate Marketing skills for local business websites, dominating low-competition terms in the SE’s, and they’ll pay me every month!

Think about it: would you rather try to get ranked for “piano lessons for beginners” or “piano lessons charleston sc”? I know I know…the search volume is lower, but the key here is that business owners love to see themselves ranked in Google, and their conversions tend to be higher since their terms are geo-targeted.

It’s not always the case, but I’ve found that by charging a flat rate for some services, an hourly rate for design & site optimization, and a monthly fee to manage PPC & SEO campaigns, companies are happy to see their results improve on autopilot over time (which means we’re happy with a steady $500, $1,000 or more every month just for crushing it with some insanely-easy keywords)!

Point being:

Don’t hold yourself back by sticking with only one model like so many claim is the key. Instead find a way to strike a balance between your passions & talents and what puts food on the table.

There are countless ways to incorporate your favorite elements of one business model into another to earn more money, and as long as you’re not spread too thin, it’ll be more than worth it.

Posted in Philosophy, Strategy | 1 Comment »