There’s a bit of an uproar this weekend about Google and the use of ‘nofollow’. I’m seeing a lot of posts about it.

It seems that Google not only wants paid links in sponsored posts to be ‘nofollowed’, but they want any links in sponsored posts to have the ‘nofollow’ attribute. After all, the post wouldn’t exist without the pay, right? So they want any other links to be treated that way.

Not many webmasters are pleased with this.

The impact can be seen all around. Techcrunch put a nofollow on their links thanking their sponsors. Andy Beard is talking about it. So is Ted Murphy at Izea… well, he’s very much in the middle of it in a lot of ways. There’s a post about it on Graywolf’s blog.

And now here. Just can’t forget here.

I have to agree with a lot of the comments I’ve seen on this topic. Google needs to figure out a better way to determine the quality of a link. Any link from poor quality content shouldn’t count. But if a review is well-written and informative, should it really matter if the review is paid or not? A good quality review is something that benefits visitors whether or not the writer was paid.

And what about people who write about something as their job? They’re getting paid for it too, just not in a way that can be easily seen by Google or other search engines.

I’ve done paid posting. Heck, this blog here even lost its PR over it. I don’t care.

I only do a paid post if I like the topic anyhow. That’s why I do relatively little of it. I’m far more concerned with providing good content than with earning a few meager bucks for a paid review. But apparently Google thinks I should suffer for that.

Google is deeply offending many webmasters with their current policies. And as much as they claim webmasters are not their customers, they are a part of Google’s business model, one they’re trying to enforce some standards on.

Sometimes that’s a good thing. Other times Google, dear, you go overboard.

Technorati Tags: google, nofollow, paid links, linking

Here it comes… 2008. Have you figured out what you’re going to do for your home business in the new year?

I’m not much for New Year’s Resolutions. I would sooner just make changes when I realize they need to be done. But this is a very easy time to look back and assess how much progress you’ve made.

I have a lot of plans for the new year. Some are just refreshing goals I didn’t reach this past year, such as my earnings goal. Didn’t reach the goal, but I’ve gone from having a really poor year for much of it to earning well again. It helps that I new have multiple sites bringing money in, when before only one was really doing much of anything for me, thus subject to the whims of search engines.

In the new year on this site I want to do more direct posts on getting a home business started online and how to keep building it. I’ll be sharing more tips on making the most of BANS, which I am loving (making some money from those sites already) , especially once they come out with BANS 3.0. I hear the beta will be in January, and the release soon after. I really love the BANS software right now.

I don’t know that I’ll be posting heavily this week. My big plans right now are to work up some heavy duty articles, longer than what I normally do. But this tends to be a quieter time traffic-wise anyhow.

Here’s to a productive and profitable new year!

Technorati Tags: new year, home business goals, bans, build a niche store

When you have a home business, time off for the holidays can be a rare commodity. You can feel bad about taking off any time at all. Yet it is necessary. What’s the point of working from home if you can’t sometimes take time for your family?

How much time you can take for Christmas very much depends upon the kind of business you have. If you deal directly with customers, you can’t be professional if you suddenly drop all support for them, especially if orders aren’t complete and should be.

Many online businesses, however, can more easily take time off, especially in affiliate marketing where you rarely deal directly with customers.

I got thinking on this topic because I know that as of this weekend and until after Christmas I won’t be doing much with my websites. Too much to do in real life. There’s the house to get company clean, a Christmas dinner to plan and shop for, gifts to wrap and family to see. Things are a bit spread out because my sisters will be coming into town after Christmas.

That doesn’t mean I’ll be off work completely by a long shot. But I also want to spend more time in planning new posts, so that I can start the new year off well. There are several major post ideas I have for some of my blogs, a couple series I need to figure out in detail, that kind of thing.

That’s another advantage to taking a break from active posting. I can take some extra time for thinking.

This time of year for many people should be about enjoying time with family and celebrating their faith. Balancing these with a home business is challenging, but what better time?

Technorati Tags: home business, christmas break

I don’t open much junk mail. I suspect I’m like a lot of people that way. But yesterday I got a piece that did get my attention… more as someone generally interested in advertising than as a customer. Even so, I would expect that it would catch a lot of people’s attention.

The envelope had a nice soft blue/white snowflake theme. The outside of the envelope didn’t make it too obvious that it was an ad, although one could notice the stamp, while real, was a bulk rate one, as well as a couple other indications. But it really didn’t look too different from what I’ve seen Christmas cards arrive in.

But inside was more clever. Yes, an ad, but they included a recipe for hot chocolate with a quick ad at the bottom. 4 copies of the recipe in fact, so that you could share it with your friends. I thought that was a particularly good touch.

So How Does This Apply to Me?

I rarely analyze ads that come in my mail. I haven’t tried that particular sort of advertising, but some factors can translate well to other media.

Consider the way this ad was set up. Seasonally appropriate, and while sent at a time that a lot of families are sending and receiving Christmas cards, it is specific to winter rather than the holiday. This allows it to potentially appeal to people of other beliefs as well.

Then there’s a recipe for a nice treat for cold, cold days. It’s ready to share with others, so if you like the recipe you spread their ad too.

Could It Work Online?

Of course it can. If you’ve marketed for long at all online, you’ve heard of viral marketing. That’s what a lot of free ebooks are really about.

If you have a list already, that’s a start. Alternatively find someone willing to send your product to their list. If it’s good, relevant and free, you have a fair shot at it. Never a guarantee, of course, but if you target your potential partners well it can happen.

The hardest part is standing out well enough that people pass your ebook around. This doesn’t happen as often as some would like you to think. There really has to be something that wows the reader.

Think useful. Think funny. Think unusual. But don’t think so long that you never get moving.

Technorati Tags: viral marketing, mailing campaign, online marketing

The new year is coming! Are you planning for it?

For many people a new year is the time to make changes in their business. It’s an easy time to think of it, even though you should really be watching for changes you should be making in your home business year-round.

But the new year is almost here, minds are switching from getting those last few holiday sales to making next year even better.

Those day at a glance and similar planners don’t work for everyone, but for some people they’re a wonderful choice. It’s a way to set those daily goals that can help you to keep things moving.

The trouble with a lot of planners is that they don’t meet your particular needs. Most of us have an old planner stuffed into a box, the back of a drawer, or somewhere in the house. They just don’t always meet your needs.

For this reason I love the planners that you can refill and customize. For my own purposes, for example, I want enough space to plan on individual days, and space to plan out standard weekly and monthly goals.

Some general pages are good too. A place to keep track of where you’re advertising, where you are posting on forums and so forth can be very helpful.

A planning system on paper is not for everyone. But if you’re good with Excel or other spreadsheet programs you can create something that serves much the same function. This is how I’ve handled my planning for about the past year and a half.

Different tabs track different goals. I don’t so much have a daily calendar, but a goal sheet that lays out what I would like to accomplish every day of the week. It’s a good motivater to say I need to post on x, y and z sites, write 4 articles for submission, participate on forums, a and b, and so on.

However you do it, find a way to get more organized in the new year. It’s a big help to know that you are meeting your goals or that you’re overextending yourself.

Technorati Tags: work at home planner, organizer, organization, planning, home business

Having links to your site can make a big difference in whether or not you succeed. Not only do search engines like seeing good quality links pointing to your site; so do users.

It’s important to note that distinction… good links. Not junk.

Good links come from relevant reputable sources. They not only attract search engine spiders, but real visitors as well. They should be a part of your marketing strategy.

Some links are harder to come by than others, of course. Others turn out to not be such a good idea. Google went after paid links hard earlier this year, much to the dismay of many a webmaster. While you cannot be sure that a particular source will always be reputable to all search engines, thinking about how and why you are getting the links, and what else you can see on that site, can help to minimize any trouble you may get into.

Some kinds of links take the building of a good reputation to gain. The challenge is that you need a lot of readers to build that reputation, and that can mean needing a lot of links. It’s a circle that can be difficult to break into.

Other links are easier to get. Their quality can be controlled by you in that you decide which to go for. Sometimes they will have the “nofollow” attribute, but if you’re focusing on links that real users will follow as well as search engines, you may see that these can be worth your time.

Relatively Easy Links to Get

Blog Comments

These can be time consuming to get, and saying “good post” is not enough to get more traffic even from highly ranked blogs. The earlier you can comment on a post the more people may read your comment and follow your link.

Do not overdo the use of keywords in the “Name” field for your comments. Most blog owners prefer real names. Use your website name if you must, but do not cram in keywords. Think of it as building your brand with a name, not trying to get more keyword links back to your site.

I like using Comment Sniper to know when new posts have been made at blogs I read. I don’t comment unless I have something real to say. This tool allows me to be an early commenter anytime a post is made on a blog while I’m at the computer.

Participate in Blog Carnivals

Blog Carnival.com has a great list of these. You find appropriate ones, and submit your articles. Maybe it gets chosen, maybe not. Some have high standards while others seem to take just about anything. But when you’re posting the information anyhow it certainly can’t hurt to submit it to carnivals to get more attention.

Submit Your Site to Directories

This one may or may not do a lot of good anymore. A lot of directories lost PageRank recently, and links from them may not carry any search engine benefit now. But other directories may still give you a benefit.

A big question arises in the free vs. paid directory issue. Free ones are of course quite kind to your budget, but if they allow a lot of spammy links you do not want to be listed with them.

Paid directories, on the other hand, tend to be pickier. They probably will not guarantee that they will accept your site. The fee for the best paid directories is for review, not for inclusion. Make a quality site to give yourself the best chance to be accepted.

Be on the lookout for directories specific to your area of expertise. More focused directories may be more beneficial to your website.

Participate in Forums

Another time consuming one. In some areas it can be hard to find sites that will allow you to have links to your business in your signature line, but others do not mind at all. Some just require you to pay a fee for the priviledge.

Do not just advertise yourself. People do not come to forums to read blatant ads. They come to forums to relax with friends, learn solutions to problems and often just have fun. Be there for that even as you market. The better you are as a forum member and resource the more likely people are to follow your signature links.

Give a Testimonial

Bought anything online recently? Give a testimonial and include a link to your website. The person you bought from may be happy to include that link because it makes you into more of a real person when people read your testimonial.

Make Online Friends

Online friends may be willing to link to you, even as you link to them or do something else to benefit their website.

Use del.icio.us

Well-tagged pages can bring in some very good traffic from this source, and all it takes is a del.icio.us account and a little time. The links may be “nofollow”, but if people follow them the bots don’t matter too much.

Use Other Social Marketing Networks

Which will be best for you depends on your topic. Digg is definitely not for everyone. Make friends and use the networks honestly, only trying to include your best work. Plopping your everyday efforts into the social media sites really won’t benefit your site that much. Focus your efforts on your standout pieces.

Link Out

The more freely you link, the more freely people link to you. It won’t work every time, but it can increase the overall quality of your site and help it to get noticed.

Ping

If you’re blogging, make sure you are thorough with your pinging. There’s a great list of sites to ping at Daily Blog Tips that I won’t bother to repeat here.

Harder Links to Get

Article Writing and Submission

Writing high quality articles gives you a great chance to bring attention to your site and your knowledge. I’ve seen loads of articles submitted to article directories that are so poorly written they give me a negative view of the website owner, not a positive one.

Let me make this clear. You can get links with junk articles easily. Quality links from quality articles that good sites want to publish is hard. But if you write good articles, submit them to the better directories and directly to relevant webmasters, they can do a lot of good for a very long time without costing you anything other than time. For some that’s easier than it is for others.

Guest Blogging

Guest blogging can be a great way to network. Not only do you get your article published on someone else’s website (potentially a much more popular site), you can make a great contact.

A guest post needs to be some of your best work. You need to impress the other blogger as well as their readers. Show your stuff so that they see you as an expert whose blog they would like to read too.

Write Authority Articles for Your Site

This is tough. They take a lot of work, and then you still have to get it noticed so that it builds the links for you. If you haven’t started building your name, who knows whether or not this will happen. A solid authority article can do a lot to make your reputation as an expert.

The beauty of this is that people like linking to authority articles, and the links are of far superior quality than your typical forum or directory link. Jim Boykin had a great post about this in 2006.

Linkbait

In theory easy, in reality hard.

All you have to do is create something that people want to link to. They might not even be in your general field, depending on the bait offered.

A lot of people have a dislike for obvious linkbait, but if it works you may not particularly care. But the very best linkbait is so useful or interesting that people aren’t particularly worried about that.

This is far from a comprehensive list, but I like to think of it as a nice start. Keep brainstorming and researching and you can come up with plenty of other ways to get links to your site. Even with all these tips it is not always easy, but taking the time to work on it and being persistent can pay off in the long run.

Technorati Tags: link building

About a month ago, I switched the optin form on this site to a design from OptinDesign. The idea, of course, is to increase the number of subscriptions to my newsletter.

Is it working?

While I’m not going to discuss actual numbers, I can tell you that I had about 70% more subscribers join my list over the past month than in the month before that. Traffic was up slightly, but not nearly by 70%.

In other words, I’d say the results are pretty good.

I did check earlier months, and the subscription rate was pretty consistent. The increase I’m seeing since starting to use OptinDesign is quite definite.

I’m definitely going to make the time to add this to more of my websites. Anything that brings in more qualified subscribers legitimately is a good thing for a home business.

Technorati Tags: optindesign, newsletter subscribers, list building

We’re approaching the peak of the Christmas shopping season, at least online. Pretty soon it’s going to start costing more money to get things shipped in time for Christmas, and many people are hurrying to place their orders.

Even so, it’s not going to be time to slow down that holiday marketing. People who need what you have badly enough won’t be that bothered by added shipping costs. Or if they are, it’s a reality they will need to deal with.

Last minute shoppers are an interesting crowd. I spent six years working in a jewelry store, and while much of the time I disagreed with the business decisions the owner made, one decision did make sense, even if it was hard on the employees.

On Christmas Eve, we could not close until all customers left.

This meant we had a lot of people in the store who needed to buy something, but had no ideas. Great time for good salespeople to make recommendations to customers who just needed to buy. Sometimes you could get really good sales. Other times you’d get the ones who just wanted something cheap, but they still needed to buy quickly.

While online options don’t vanish the way options do in the real world as stores close for the day, the less enthusiastic marketers giving up can open up possibilities for those who keep plugging away.

As shipping dates pass, start thinking on the other options you can recommend. Online gift certificates, for example. Netflix subscriptions. While these don’t look too glamourous under the tree, they can be great presents.

Prepare your marketing plans to cope with the differing needs of shoppers throughout the holiday season. The more prepared you are, the more advantage you can take of your traffic.

Technorati Tags: holiday shopping, christmas, last minute shoppers