Free Glide

A page optimized for your Pay Per Click campaigns can increase your sales or desired action by 400%. I’ve witnessed it myself.

I’m going to reveal some very exciting techniques and tactics in this article that will explode your ROI by showing you how to optimize your landing pages way beyond what you might expect.

So here goes.

Your landing page should be seen as part of your ad. They should work together.

For best results you should build or modify a page specifically for your Pay Per Click campaign. Optimize the path you want people to take on visiting your site. It may make sense to strip out almost all your navigation, certainly remove any banners or links to other offers you may have.

Here’s a quick list of key points to consider -

• Keep your original objectives (sales, leads, opt ins) in mind.

• Refer to specific keywords, offers, and calls to action on your landing pages.

• Make your landing page navigation as simple as possible. Even to the point of removing all links bar the required action link e.g. the buy or submit button.

• Remove unnecessary distractions, streamline your page to get the required action.

• Help people get what they want in three clicks or fewer.

• Don’t create obstacles that discourage easy sales transactions.

It seems like a lot to remember but most of it is common sense.

Focus on getting your prospect to do one thing, simple single page sales letters work. I’ll reiterate we are focusing here on making your prospect do the one thing you desire of them, don’t distract them away from that.

Consider your site design. When it comes to website credibility criteria according to Joe public design is no1 at 46%. Believe it or not this is above a privacy policy, the copy or even the name and reputation of the company your prospect is dealing with. Superficial as it is having your site professionally designed will help win you customers.

Choose a landing page related to your ad don’t just link to the homepage unless it contains the relevant action you are trying to achieve.

Double check your ad url takes you to the correct page if your not linking directly to your home page. The last thing you need is to work hard on a campaign only to discover you’re sending prospects to the wrong page. Again put yourself in their shoes and go through your page the way they would. What would they like to see what would reassure them, entice them and encourage them to take action?

Remember to check your log files for browse patterns. If you find a lot of prospects add a product to their basket but then leave, it could be that your checkout process is missing some vital ingredient e.g. you’re not reassuring them that they’re totally safe in using their credit card on your site.

Or what if your site breaks for some unknown reason at some point. Maybe people are trying to buy but getting an error on clicking through to your checkout. Run through everything. Check all your links are working on the landing page at least.

Most of all be upfront with your visitors strive to give them confidence in your page and your site. It’s always good to have contact details prominent, phone numbers, email and even your address. It gives the impression this is a real and accountable business.

For even more insider information on Pay Per Click landing page optimization and many other Adwords secrets and tactics, brought together after 3 years of using the Adwords system, visit my PPC Software site for the free Adwords Mini Course.

This is an eternal question. Search engine optimizers would remain glued to their computer screen to take in the first hint of any PageRank update as and when that occurs. And when it occurs, it will be an anxious wait till the dust settles, before scurrying off to rework ways to claw back in ranking in case the new PR reduces.

Why so much bother? Does PageRank really matter? The short answer is yes, PageRank does matter, but not as much as it is made out to be. Let us talk things over.

What we know
The first lesson on PageRank will be an unquestionable reference to what Google says. According to Google [http://www.google.com/corporate/tech.html]. The underlying idea is to provide surfers as accurate search results as possible. The ‘life of a Google query’ though lasting barely a second, is a mind-boggling go-between through several stages before an answer is delivered.

What we do not know
Howsoever revealing may Google’s explanations be, the bottom-line remains that for most of us, calculation of PR continues to be an enigma. Does any one know for sure how PR works? Ian Rogers of IPR Computing has in this essay [http://www.seochat.com/seo-tools/future-pagerank/] will be.)

Why the hype
And herein lies a superb marketing strategy. Ever wondered why Google thought it pertinent to let PageRank displayed in its toolbar? On the face of it, there is no need really, except to ’stoke’ the fire of chasing a mirage. You see a mirage as much as you know how PR is calculated. But try as best as you would, you cannot decide your PR.

In the process Google gains. An enormous volume of writings (like this one) centers around Google. Whatever Google does is news in an instant. There is a whole lot of ‘pure’ Google-watchers out there whose job it is to only report on the giant search company. Publicity sans cost, not bad that.

The link companies
Google’s wish notwithstanding, there is no denying that PageRank mystery has given birth to thousands of link-related business. Since Google is explicit in explaining at how it looks at links, it has been easy for link-making companies to work out their preliminary business strategy. Beyond that it’s purely rat race of garnering share of link-hungry websites. All the time, Google remains unfazed, except occasionally churning it topsy-turvy to keep PR mystery alive.

What would you do
You need not overly bother about PageRank. Do not get me wrong! PageRank is very real. What is not is your ability to alter it any sooner. There should not be any express-effort to ‘acquire’ links. Instead, maintain focus on adding and enriching your web content, for that and that only would create a permanence of interest among your viewers over a period of time.

Emphasis must be on creating value to your viewers’ time, so that there is always something new to learn, something more to know. Along the way if you pick up a good link or two every now and then, that will be more than welcome.

What, if you are in hurry
Not everyone is destined to wait for a hike in PageRank. Then again, even a high PR may not instantly lead to bigger traffic. So pretty soon, you may ponder how long it will be to profit from your web venture. Profit may be to earn publicity (blogs for example), to make your readers giving consent to your paid newsletter, to sell your products or services (or even selling others’ products or services), or suchlike.

If indeed you want to cut short your long wait so as to profit from your web venture, Google has a ready solution. It is about targeted keyword advertising program, called Google AdWords. In sharp contrast with PageRank, Google lets AdWords users to actually control their accounts in order to attain more visibility. But that is another story for another day.

A freelance web designer and content writer, and an avid web watcher, Partha Bhattacharya owns and operates WebInfo, a free hot internet web marketing and webmaster resources. Ideal for both start-ups and regulars alike. Dealing mostly on current topics, Partha’s blog is a good primer to understand tricky issues on search engine marketing.

Think about the last car purchase you made… Did you watch closely for advertisements that explained all of the features before you bought the car? Probably not. In fact, studies show that most of us notice the ads AFTER we have purchased our new car.

Let’s face it… consumers are emotionally driven. They make purchases for the feeling they get, and then look for the logical benefits to justify the purchase. That’s why we notice all of those ads after the fact!

Wise marketers make good use of this insightful knowledge. Good advertisements get the benefits in front of the customers so vividly that they experience the benefits before they even buy the product. Once they see themselve enjoying it, they’ve just “gotta have it!”

1. Make It Picture Perfect

Forget about your product or service for a minute and focus on the consumer. What will he enjoy when he has dug out his money and taken home your product? Put yourself in his shoes, and then describe the experience in vividly dramatic detail.

What does it feel like to be a stay-at-home mom and still be able to make money? Describe the freedom, the confidence, the things she’ll be able to afford. Tell the story in bright words that compel the reader to enter and experience it for themselves.

You’ve caught them… hook line and sinker once they’ve experienced those feelings. Chances are they’ve dreamed about them, and now the know they can fulfill the dream through your product or service.

2. Throw In The Logic They’ll Need to Justify Themselves Later

You’ve probably met up with the “after the sale jitters.” You make the purchase, enjoy it for a day or two and then it hits home… you’ve got a payment to make and start wondering if you’ve made the right choice.

Sure, your customers will second guess themselves after they make the purchase too… that’s why you need to supply the logic for the sale upfront – even though you know they buy for emotional satisfaction.

Let them know that it’s a special, reduced price… if they buy it now. That’ll make them feel better about not waiting.

Tell them about other customers who are “glad they did” to make them feel like they aren’t alone. Others thought it was the thing to do too so it must have been.

Hey, the customer who enjoys the product, and can feel good about the purchase is one satisfied customer who’ll do business with you again. Take care to set your advertising campaign up for success.

Copyright 2005 Cutts Group, llc

Who is Allyn Cutts, and why should you care?

Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers. Allyn is a marketing and sales fanatic, providing measurable marketing solutions that drive huge results for small-to mid-size business clients. Allyn works personally with clients to design and deliver off-line and on-line direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn more about Allyn Cutts at http://www.AllynCutts.com and you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Never mind the irritating, but effective, pop-up window. There is another type of interruption advertising that is much more subtle, much less annoying, and just as effective.

It is the negative interruption.

A negative interruption is when an expected pattern is removed or “restrained” from an expectation causing a noticeable non conformity.

I’ll give an example, and then I’ll show you. (And I’ll bet you a buck you’ll want to use it for yourself.) Here goes:

You’re viewing a web page and you scroll down a bit to see more. But a small image off to the side, instead of moving “with” the page, “stays” in the same relative position.

It doesn’t move, while everything else moves. It doesn’t conform, thereby causing a persistent interruption, forcing you to notice its quaint existence until you act on it. It’s like a child that just stands there and stares at you until you respond.

I am in the act of witnessing a marvelous phenomenon, as people not only just “have to have one” but I’m watching the results grow daily. Let me give you two examples, so you won’t think I’m pulling your coat tails.

By the way, neither of these is mine. I’m just a monkey in the middle watching this unfold like the crazy magic I told you so. In one of these you’ll be able to see with your own eyes how effective it is.

First is the “Instant Buzz” plug-in/ad-delivery system. It’s free, and highly contagious. You’ll likely get this from a small floating window that can’t be ignored, though you can dismiss it with a click.

It works so well, that in the last two days I’ve seen a mushroom of new subscribers to it. It’s a truly beautiful and contagious and viral method of getting your ad to potentially thousands yourself. Take a look:

http://www.SeducingTheBuyer.com/tools.htm

Now, what if you could use this very viral, persistent negative interruption method with YOUR OWN message, going to your own ad? And what if you didn’t have to share this technology with others? And what if you didn’t have to sign-on!

You can. And here’s the second tool.

It is a persistent child with many faces and many locations, and you can edit with any message you want. And you can include with it any picture you want.

And you can include a “hide me” button, or you can make it appear only on the first page view, or every X duration of time, etc. And you can open it to a pop up or a new page, or in the same window, if you want to.

In short, you control every aspect about its presentation to your prospect AND you can make it viral because its code is in the HTML of the page. Or, you can refer the code like a site-wide CSS sheet that would be off-page, if you wanted to do that instead. Its versatility is phenomenal.

Here’s a live example: http://www.seducingthebuyer/Persistent/example-1.htm

As you can see, the sky’s the limit with your imagination and creativity. But most importantly, you can have the power of the pop-up without the annoying side effects. Now, isn’t that a gift worth respecting your customers with?

About The Author

Dorian Greer is the publisher of Top Articles on Marketing. Discover the most up to date techniques on Internet marketing from over 340 sources twice-monthly.

http://www.TopArticles.com

Copyright 2004 Dorian Greer

I’m what we in the business (the “business” being journalism) call a poacher turned gamekeeper — that is, a journalist turned press officer. As a reporter I spent a huge part of my day sifting through a slush pile of press releases, all sent out by eager business owners desperate to get some publicity for their latest project. As a press officer, I was the one writing the press releases and trying desperately to get them published.

Quite apart from leaving me with some pretty good conversation openers, it left me with a good understanding of what kind of story makes the news, and what kind of press release gets filed straight under “bin”. Here’s how to make sure your press release is one of the good ones…

1. Get your story straight

Before you even think about writing a press release, you need to make sure you have the right story. The fact that you’ve just started a business isn’t a good story. Trust me on this. At the last newspaper I worked on, I lost count of the number of press releases we received, which basically boiled down to, “Hey! Guess what! I started a business!” Well, so did a lot of people. If you want your press release to work, you’re going to have to find an “angle” that your target publication will be interested in. There are various different ways to do this:

- Tell a strange/funny/touching story about how your business started, or how you helped one of your customers.

- Run a competition, offering your products or services as a prize.

- Offer your expertise in an “ask the expert” feature or column (if your paper isn’t running one, offer to write it for them)

- Conduct a survey and present your findings in the form of a press release.
Sponsor a local student or organisation

- All you need to get your “angle” is a little bit of imagination. And once you have a story to tell, it’s time to start selling…

2. Writing your press release

First things first, remember it’s a press release you’re writing, not a novel. Of course, you want to make sure you get all of the relevant facts across, but try to do it concisely. It’s worth bearing in mind that the newspaper will probably re-word your release to make it fit their style or the space available in any case, so don’t worry too much if you’re not exactly Stephen King. Focus on your main points. Tell the reader:

Who Where Why What When How

These are the building blocks of any story: as long as you get these down, you’re off to a good start. And speaking of starts…

3. Get your opening paragraph right

It’s a sad fact of life that editors are overworked individuals, and their time is precious. If the opening paragraph of your press release doesn’t grab them, they probably won’t bother to read the rest. In newspaper journalism, the convention is to make the opening paragraph short and snappy, and to use it to sum up the story as best you can.

4. Use quotes

Quotes are more interesting to read than straight text, and if you don’t include some, the journalist who receives your press release will have to find them for herself. Including a few ready-made quotes in your press release will reduce the amount of work the reporter has to do, and that will give your release a better chance of being used.

5. Include your contact information

No matter how hard you try to get it right, there will inevitably be some small point which the journalist writing your story will want to clarify, and to do that, they’ll need to be able to contact you. Making things easier on the journalist, makes it easier for them to give your business some publicity.

6. Follow up!

If your press release doesn’t appear in the very next issue of the newspaper you send it to, don’t panic! Sometimes it can take a few weeks for a release which isn’t time-sensitive to appear, but it doesn’t hurt to give the paper a quick call to make sure they received it, just don’t go overboard and take up too much of their precious time…

Amber McNaught is a director of Hot Igloo Productions. Hot Igloo are small business specialists, offering website design, online marketing, public relations and more. Their new press release writing service is now available – visit http://www.hotigloo.co.uk/publicrelations.htm for details.

As we’ve discussed, targeted traffic is the lifeblood of any website.

And while it is definitely worth optimizing your website for the search engines, you’re likely to come across the following obstacles:

1) It takes time. It will typically take at least a couple of months before your website starts showing up in the search engines.

2) The top positions in any search engine can be very competitive. This means when your site does get listed, you’ll usually start off lower down the list of search results.

This is where Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising can be a real life saver.

Pay-Per-Click advertising is the fastest way to start driving quality traffic to your website.

What is Pay-Per-Click Advertising?

A commonly asked question about the Internet is:

‘How do Search Engines make money?’

The answer is simple – search engines make their money by selling advertising space to website owners.

This type of advertising is known as ‘Pay-Per-Click’ and it is a very effective and affordable form of promotion.

The concept of Pay-Per-Click (also known as ‘pay-per-performance’ or ‘paid search’) is based around the simple concept of matching buyers with sellers.

How does Pay-Per-Click Work?

When someone types in a keyword or keyword phrase into a search engine, they receive two kinds of results; Natural Results and Sponsored Results.

Search engine optimization focuses on improving your ranking in the natural results. Pay-Per-Click advertising focuses on the sponsored results area.

Natural Results (also know as ‘Organic Results’)

Natural results are free listings which are generated from the search engine’s database. They are also sometimes referred to as ‘organic results’.

The characteristics of natural results are:

- Listings are free. Website owners don’t pay to be listed in the natural results.
– There are often millions of results for each topic, but most web surfers don’t go past the first 30 results.
– With popular search terms the competition can be fiercely aggressive for the top positions.
– You have no control over the results – your position is determined by a search engine ranking formula (also known as an ‘algorithm’).

– You can, however, use legitimate Search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to give yourself a better chance of getting a good position (refer to search engine optimization).

Sponsored Results (also know as ‘Paid Results’)

The second type of result is Sponsored Results.

The characteristics of sponsored results are:

- Listings are paid for by advertisers.
– Listings appear at the top of the page and along the right hand side of the screen.
– Unlike natural search results, you get to specify your ad description and the keywords that make your ad appear.

Differences Between Sponsored and Natural Results

1. Fast set-up

Sponsored results can be set-up immediately, whereas natural results often take months to show a new site listing.

2. You have total control over your ads

You control the appearance of your ad, what position it appears in and how often it is displayed to web surfers.

Once you have your ad up and running, you are free to update it whenever your want. This differs from the natural search results where you have no control over your listing or its position.

3. You choose the keywords that your ad will appear for

Sponsored results allow you to specify exactly which keywords your ad will appear for. You can also specify which keywords you do not want your ad to appear for.

For example, if you sold Harley Davidson motorbikes then you’d want you ad to show up for searches related to ‘Harleys’ or ‘Harley Bikes’.

At the same time, you wouldn’t want your ad to show up for other searches that include the word ‘bike’ like ‘mountain bikes’ or ‘racing bikes’.

4. You determine how much you are willing to spend

Pay-Per-Click advertising allows you to specify exactly what you’re willing to spend on a daily basis. Generally, the higher you bid, the higher your ad will appear on the page.

Adrian Mullan is the author of ‘The Internet Demystified’ and founder of WebDummy.com – a popular Internet marketing resource for small business owners.

Of all the festivals in the year, it is Christmas season that is the most popular worldwide. A warm feeling spreads through you with the thought of the long holiday season looming excitingly large over the horizon. It is all about love and sharing, giving and graciously receiving. In that spirit you pull out your list of gifts to get family and friends.

Shopping early helps you enjoy every minute of it, because isn’t it all about the spirit of joy? Then again, even if you are running behind schedule, settle down in the warmth and luxury of your own home and let Spacify do the rest. This website has Christmas gifts, home décor ideas and something for just about everyone you can think of, in a range to suit every pocket and requirement. There is nothing more satisfying than a well-planned budget to add to that already warm feeling of giving and sharing. All it takes is a quick glance through the new range that offers attractive and excitingly unique gift items.

Start with the budget gifts for the discerning. At under $50, the Streamline Cab (Black) is a shiny-nosed smoothly crafted temptation that any child would love to possess. This classic wooden toy makes a pleasant change from molded plastic that has flooded their little world. Then again, when you wish for that little extra indulgence for your niece or nephew, at under $ 250, the Rocking Horse (Red) is a steal. This Playsam’s glossy piece is completely child-safe and a must-have to brighten any child’s heart. You would go right to the top of the list as ‘favourite’ uncle or aunt.

Benign and happy thoughts take you beyond family and friends to colleagues at work. You remember a kind deed you would like to repay beyond a mere ‘thank you’. Then why take that mandatory vintage, when you can take the wine rack instead. Stand by and watch as the bugsy look creates a stir. This Wine Bug sits, it stands, it pours, all for under $50!

As your long list gets shorter, treat yourself to a personal piece of furniture you know will grab the attention of all who visit. The Pantone chair in Red for under $100 can add the right festive tone to your existing modern chair collection.

When it comes to family, the sky’s the limit, though this time you don’t have to go all that way. The Wine Sequoia at under $250 could be the answer as an unusual gift idea that will give them something you know they would truly appreciate and this particular tree stacks a stronger punch than the beautiful Christmas tree sparkling in the hall.

Holiday gifts for the family can get tricky. Do you know their tastes? It is an adventure you begin that ends satisfactorily at Spacify. Delve deeper, let the colours of Yule tide guide you in your choice through the range of under the $500 items of unique Christmas gifts that will remain a silent reminder the whole year through. Take the sturdy Flo ladder for instance. With this, you just cannot miss your step! Compact and elegant it is this year’s choicest for any home.

Who wouldn’t love a funky Shower curtain! This transparent sheet is covered with the designer’s own signature, the Space Monkey. While it may not be in the colours of Christmas, it carries all the warmth of a personal gift.

The Good Luck Fireplace tools come packaged with the magic words…easy to clean! As a home décor gift, this set will surely be warmly received.

Since 2000,we at spacify.com have been delivering a unique online service offering our customers stylish, affordable contemporary furniture, modern furniture, European furniture, Italian furniture, Bauhaus furniture and designer furniture with outstanding customer services. We have all kind of bedroom furniture, bathroom furniture, kids furniture, seating like leather sofas, contemporary chairs, Chaise Lounge chaires, contemporary rugs, outdoor furniture to shop for. Contemporary office furniture has never been so goodAdd elegance to your home with our contemporary leather furniture. Our product range includes furniture for every room and unique gifts and accessories. Your search for gifts ends at http://www.spacify.com.

I often get asked what the secret is to making money with Google’s AdSense program. This often comes from people who are dreaming of setting up websites chock full of high-paying keywords for particular niche subjects and then sitting back and watching the money roll in. “What’s the magic formula?” they ask me. If they’re non-technical, I point them straight to my book, Make Easy Money with Google, and assure them that they’ll learn everything they need from it. They may think it’s hard, but it’s not.

But what about the technical people? By this I mean the people who’ve already set up a blog or website, who have registered domain names, who are comfortable with basic Internet terminology and concepts. What is the “AdSense formula”?

The only AdSense formula that you need to know is this:

earnings = number of clicks * average price per click

This is what I call the Fundamental AdSense Formula because you can derive almost every AdSense “secret” directly or indirectly from this formula. Do you want to earn more with AdSense? You have two ways of doing it:

1. Increase the number of clicks, and/or

2. Increase the average price per click

Your earnings will only go up if you do one or the other, and ideally both. It’s an obvious formula, yes, but it’s amazing how many people lose sight of it in their quest for increased AdSense earnings.

Increasing the Number of AdSense Clicks

Increasing the number of times the ads on your site or blog are clicked is the most obvious strategy. There are two general strategies you can follow:

1. Increase the traffic to the site, and/or

2. Adjust the ads to make them more “clickable”

Getting traffic is hard and takes time, so don’t look at it as a quick fix. The best way to get traffic is to provide useful, unique content and to rank highly in search engine rankings for keywords related to that content. In other words, use standard search engine optimization techniques. DO NOT “buy” traffic or use “link farms” or other dubious techniques. Other tips for getting traffic:

1. Publish articles, even free ones, with links back to your site.

2. Include a link to your site in the signature at the bottom of your emails or in any forum postings you make (if the forum allows it).

3. Participate in forums/groups related to the content of your site or blog. The key is to participate, not lurk, and don’t just post messages promoting your site.

4. Add comments (relevant ones only, please) to other blogs, you can usually link back to yours. (This won’t help your search engine rankings, but it may allow others who are reading those comments to find your own site.)

5. Syndicate your content (trivial if you have a blog) and make sure that the content is registered with syndication aggregators.

6. List your site in relevant directories.

Adjusting the ads is something you can do almost immediately:

1. Position the ads on the page in order to make them more noticeable. Google even publishes a helpful heat map (see https://www.google.com/support/adsense/bin/static.py?page=tips.html ) for AdSense publishers.

2. Choose the best AdSense ad format that works for your site.

3. Change the ad colors either to make the ads blend in with your site or to make them stand out. Again, it varies depending on the site.

Whatever you do, DO NOT ENTICE VISITORS TO CLICK THE ADS. Google is very strict about this, see the AdSense program policies (found at https://www.google.com/adsense/policies ) for the details.

Increasing the Average AdSense Price Per Click

Increasing the average price per click you receive from AdSense is the other strategy for increasing your overall AdSense earnings. You can do this by:

1. Carefully targeting your content, and/or

2. Filtering out and avoiding low-paying ads

Content targeting isn’t just about creating relevant, unique content. It’s also making sure that that content is written to target the higher-paying keywords associated with a given topic. This means:

1. Figuring out which keyword variations for that topic pay more. Often the more specialized variations and phrases pay more than the “generic” terms.

2. Ensuring that the keyword density of the content favors the higher-paying keyword variations. See http://www.MakeEasyMoneyWithGoogle.com/vioxx-lawsuit.html for an example of well-targeted ads due to appropriate keyword density.

And to reduce the occurrence of lower-paying ads, consider these two strategies:

1. Use AdSense’s competitive filter mechanism to screen out the ads that you don’t want.

2. Show fewer ads on a page. The fewer ads you show, the more the higher-paying ads get displayed and clicked.

Many publishers also report that their earnings increase if they remove ads completely from pages with few or no clicks. Again, the “less is more” strategy favors the higher-paying ads.

There’s No Magic

As you can see, there’s no magic involved to increasing your AdSense earnings. The Fundamental AdSense Formula is easy to understand, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to apply the formula. It takes time and effort to do it, just like most things.

Copyright 2005 by Eric Giguere. Permission is granted to reproduce the article in electronic newsletters or on websites provided that the complete article text is included, unchanged, and that neither the copyright declaration nor this license are removed. This article was originally published at http://www.MakeEasyMoneyWithGoogle.com/adsense-formula.html.

Eric Giguere is the author of Make Easy Money with Google: Using the AdSense Advertising Program, an introductory AdSense book published by Peachpit Press. Find out more about the book from the companion site http://www.MakeEasyMoneyWithGoogle.com or by contacting the author directly at eric@makeeasymoneywithgoogle.com.

The biggest sales meeting of your life lurks. A sales meeting where you’re career may well skyrocket if you close the deal. You’re psyching yourself for the big ‘Sales’ day.

You press your clothes so crisply; you could swear the folds could cut you. When you’re done, you lay in bed rehearsing your day tomorrow. You visualize yourself closing the biggest sale ever. Then after a few minutes, you slowly doze off.

Then you rise early still thinking sales.

You climb in the shower still thinking sales.

You put on your finest clothes, new shoes, spend 20 minutes on your hair and are meticulous about everything looking perfect.

As you grab your folder to head out, you give yourself a quick glance over in the mirror.

You think to yourself, you clean up pretty well. You quickly rehearse a few lines, poses and smiles. A few bursts of your best fragrance and you’re set!

And yes, you’re still thinking sales.

You get to the clients office and are warmly greeted. You take pride they noticed how immaculately groomed you are. They welcome you into their office and gently push the door until it clicks shut.

After a few words and glances around the office, it falls eerily silent.

This is it.

It all boils down to this.

You collect your thoughts, clear your throat, stand, take a deep breath, and look at your client square in the eye and you…

Just stand there. You don’t say a word.

They raise their brows in puzzlement. Then tilt their head inquisitively wondering if you’re ok.

And you just stand there rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet, lips curled inwards but looking great with your new clothes and shoes.

Ok, what does this have to do with your sales materials or website?

TOO MANY SALES MATERIALS AND WEBSITES JUST STAND THERE DECORATED WITH THE MOST AMAZING GRAPHICS, FLASH AND DESIGN BUT DON’T TALK TO THE CLIENT!

Well, you won’t sell a damn thing looking pretty. You must “talk” or you will simply lose the business. Not just any talk. The right talk your clients respond to.

You may think

“Well, I do have content on my site and sales materials so ‘I’m not just standing there, I AM saying something”

Re-imagine the above scenario. But you’re mumbling and the client’s face is squinting in aggravation trying to understand what you’re saying. Or using abrasive language the client doesn’t appreciate. Or present yourself in a way that makes you appear unprofessional, insecure or not confident. You don’t mean to come across that way of course, but you do. Bottom line: You need help.

A professional copywriter will know exactly how to give you the best sales presentation possible for your product/service. They will grab your audience’s attention, hold it and engage their minds towards buying from you. That’s their job. They answer questions, overcome objections, ease fears and strengthen confidence in your business.

Isn’t that a lot more valuable to you than just looking good?

It’s no accident materials professionally written consistently outsell materials written by those who think there’s nothing to it.

There’s plenty to it because the fact you’ve read this far, proves engaging copy does what I claimed in this article!

Sammer Hakim is a Dallas-based copywriter serving clients worldwide and helping them with their sales materials. He can be reached at http://www.marketing-commando.com.

Choosing your domain name is a no-brainer, right? Not so fast. Your domain name, or URL, can have vast consequences in both the online and offline marketing arena. Long or difficult to spell domain names can be the death toll for any website, long before its even been given a chance at success. Short or clever domain names can make people remember where to go more easily, while keyword domain names can often bring in unintentional, yet quality, traffic as people type in whatever.com.

If you already operate a successful business it’s important that you purchase a domain name that will compliment any branding strategy that you have already put in place. The most obvious thing to do is to get your business name as your URL, however if you’re late getting into the game you may find that your business name is already taken by another similarly named business or by a domain name squatter, or possibly a future competitor. Purchasing a business name domain name isn’t always the right way to go, and when left without that option, a keyword domain name might work just as well, if not better.

If you have not yet established your business, you may want to wait on deciding your business name until after you have found an available domain name that is suitable to your marketing efforts. The following are some things that you need to consider in regard to what domain name will best help you achieve your marketing interests.

Build Your Brand

Whether you like it or not, your domain name is an important part of your branding efforts. Your domain name goes on your letterhead, business card, printed materials; it must be spoken verbally over the phone, presented in email communications, and appears in the search results when your site ranks well on important keyword searches. Because of all this, your URL must be able to fit into your long-term branding strategy.

Keep it Short & Memorable: The best domain name is one that is relatively short and memorable. Long domain names or domains with hyphens are often just too cumbersome for someone to remember or even pass along to others. Are you better off telling a potential customer to visit debbies-hair-care-supplies.com or debshaircare.com?

Secure a .com

I strongly recommend purchasing a .com domain name as opposed to a .net, .info, .biz or anything else. If your chosen domain name is not available in a .com, keep looking until you find one that isn’t taken. You’ll find it worth the extra effort as .com domain names are by far the most common and most remembered. When telling a potential customer to go to your website, you may tell them to go to mysite.net, but what they may actually hear is go to mysite.com. If that happens, which is often the case, you’ll be sending someone to a competitor rather than your own site.

Once you secure your .com domain name, you might also consider purchasing the .net and other extensions as well. Securing the alternate extensions, whenever possible, can be a great strategy to keep a competitor from purchasing and building a site with a similar name as yours.

Don’t Hyphenate

Avoid getting stuck with a hyphenated domain name as your main website address. While it may be easier to read in print, it is very difficult to speak it. Try telling someone to go to “window dash coverings dot com” or “window hyphen coverings dot com.” See what I mean? Most of the time people will type in windowcoverings.com which would again direct them to a potential competitor.

Spell Words Properly

It is usually not a good idea to use incorrectly spelled words in your domain name, even if you’ve done that to create a clever business name. The exception to this rule is if you have secured both the correctly spelled and incorrectly spelled URLs. You’ll want to make sure you use proper redirects to send visitors from the correctly spelled URL to your main (misspelled) address.

Here is a quick example. Without using a search engine, find a website which would be verbalized as “On Site Graphics.” Where did you end up? Did you find onsitegrafix.com? Most people probably won’t, which clearly demonstrates why you want to use proper spellings of words in your domain, at the very least as a redirect to your real domain.

Before going out and buying the first domain name that comes to mind, take a step back so you can think it through first. While you can easily change your domain name before your site goes live, once you’ve begun the work of establishing your web presence changing a domain name is not quite a simple. The best possible domain name is one that is both a keyword domain and your business name such as outdoorsportinggoods.com.

Stoney deGeyter is president of Pole Position Marketing, a search engine optimization / marketing firm providing SEO and website marketing services since 1998. Stoney is also a part-time instructor at Truckee Meadows Community College, as well as a moderator in the Small Business Ideas Forum. He is the author of his E-Marketing Performance eBook and contributes daily to the E-Marketing Performance marketing blog. (ez)