do NOT open this post!

[mtnman]

Ah, so you came over to the Dark Side, eh? Well many of you
are crossing over into the dark side of ebusiness as well, but
it doesn't have to be dark forever for you! Often times,
learning about the internet and websites can be a daunting
task.

This thread will make that easier for you.

You will always have to continue to learn about an
evolving technology, but this will jump start the learning
process for you!

In an effort to help fellow fastlane members, I will be
compiling a list of FAQ's for web beginners. Once completed,
this will be available free of charge to all fastlane
members to reference.

This will also be used later on for something else, like a free
opt in product or lost leader.

So I can talk about websites and the internet all day long,
but it might not actually be helping you. The only way to
do that for sure is to hear from YOU!

So what do you need?

What's that term or system you don't know?

What is that one thing holding you back right now from reaching your next step?

Post your questions below!:fastlane:


*note- everyone is welcome to contribute to member questions, especially in the area of programming.

 

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[Banthaman]

I am kind of curious as to the intricate differences of php/.net/jsp embedded with Java/C#/Ruby (on rails or not). Of the three I'd say I know PHP the best though I'm going to get into Java after shell scripting, and just wondering where the future is. I've heard a lot of buzz about Ruby on Rails but don't really know much about it.

 

[mtnman]

LOL I should highlight the word "beginners." I don't know off the top of my head. I will say up front I'm no expert in programming. I'm a bit short on time but will try to answer your question in full later today when I get back home (if I can, in full). Any of the programmers here can chime in in the mean time.

With a quick check of my favorites, I have these tutorials from the ruby site, not sure if they're on target with your question though...

http://www.freezzo.com/

http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2006/12/14/revisiting-ruby-on-rails-revisited.html

http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2007/01/05/revisiting-ruby-on-rails-revisited-2.html

edit: I'm sorry, I don't know the specifics enough to give you an intricate answer. The ins and outs aren't common to me, so I wouldn't want to add to any confusion. As for the future, it's hard to say when things like FPGA's are being developed. Not that software won't be needed, but some software functions could become hardware in a sense.

 

[WheelsRCool]

Banthaman, no expert here (yet ) but have you tried www.w3schools.com ?

 

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[Quagzmort]

Thank you for taking the time to do this for everyone. Here's my contribution.

One of the things that is daunting for my wife and me is how to create our website. We want to develop our own, but know the value of hiring out to a reputable developer (saves time, professional looking, etc...). The business we are starting (launching in early September 2008) will require updates to the webpage on a regular basis, including the addition of new pages for new products or services as we develop them.

We will buy software and books at some point. My questions are:

1. Should we spend the $200-$500 on development software and books pre-launch or pay a developer to create the site for us now and buy the software after the business starts.

2. If we have the site made for us, is the site automatically ours to do with as we wish, or do we need to specify that in our contract?

3. We registered our domain. It's specific to a certain field. When we open up to other areas, should we point the new registered domain to the existing website or modify a "copy" and run two separate sites? Or is it possible to point the new domain to a page on the original website giving the appearance of a separate site?


Please feel free to modify or exclude these questions to fit the scope of your FAQ.

Thanks!

 

[Dejan M]

1. Get a developer.

2. I´d specify it in the contract.

3. Depends on the content. If it´s a different field then make another website. If it can go under one domain, keep it there.

Drupal, Joomla, Wordpress and many other open source free content management systems (CMS) are very easy to operate when developed.

I´d suggest you download and install all of these and try them out to see which suits your needs. All three will be able to run any content-driven website so just make sure you get a good programmer.

 

[mtnman]

Thank you for taking the time to do this for everyone. Here's my contribution.

One of the things that is daunting for my wife and me is how to create our website. We want to develop our own, but know the value of hiring out to a reputable developer (saves time, professional looking, etc...). The business we are starting (launching in early September 2008) will require updates to the web page on a regular basis, including the addition of new pages for new products or services as we develop them.

We will buy software and books at some point. My questions are:

1. Should we spend the $200-$500 on development software and books pre-launch or pay a developer to create the site for us now and buy the software after the business starts.

2. If we have the site made for us, is the site automatically ours to do with as we wish, or do we need to specify that in our contract?

3. We registered our domain. It's specific to a certain field. When we open up to other areas, should we point the new registered domain to the existing website or modify a "copy" and run two separate sites? Or is it possible to point the new domain to a page on the original website giving the appearance of a separate site?


Please feel free to modify or exclude these questions to fit the scope of your FAQ.

Thanks!

I'd have to go along with Dejan a bit here...

It's really up to you for number one. If I were in your position, I would think two things. One, I don't want to spin my wheels for months learning about web design, so a developer would be necessary for me to move forward with my plan.

Two, I would want to learn the basics, especially the lingo, so I can effectively communicate what I want, and what I don't want. Additionally, I would want to know how to make changes to my content, as my business changes. This is also important so at any time your web developer might have a delay, your business isn't waiting on him/her.

Additionally, I don't know exactly what software you're referring to. I'm guessing just a WYSIWYG editor. If that is the case, I would pay a developer to get you rolling, but use a free web editor in the mean time to see if it's something you want to pursue. Examples would be www.nvu.com , http://www.kompozer.net/, etc...

Always, ALWAYS, make sure your content is yours. The site (domain, hosting, server, etc..) is yours, but you need to be sure about the content when you have something created. This is especially important with hosts that offer development as well (one stop shop). Why? You want a unique website, not a design you pay top dollar for, and is then resold or modified for someone else. So always clarify, every time.

For additional domains, as long as everything is in the same industry, it would be likely that you'd want to redirect variations of your domains back to one main site. There is an exception, because there are riches in the niches. But, if you're going after one specific field, and just coming up with new ways to hit it, I would redirect additional domains. Or, have landing pages on them catering to that target group. The idea is to lead them to your main site as well.

 

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[mtnman]

See- this is where there are gaps in my knowledge! I always thought that if a person did a blog, they would want it's own domain and not have it hosted on wordpress.



As for email campaign, I have always used constant contact (www.constantcontact.com) with great success. The templates are pretty easy to use and they have webinars showing you how to use their different products.

I wasn't clear. Wordpress is a blogging software. You can use this software on any domain. In an effort to promote their software, Wordpress allows you to host a blog, free of charge.



You can also download their software for free and host it on your own server. If you have a hosting account with a Cpanel and Fantastico (standard these days) it is preinstalled, and setting it up is just as easy as a .wordpress blog (free).

Thanks mtnman! I guess that wordpress is just the softaware, right?



In any case, I am sorry but I was unable to give you speed, as I need to spread it around...

The above should clarify. No need for speed...you should know we don't just do things for speed around here. If we did, we'd all be cruising around at 200mph and know nothing!

 

[Quagzmort]

Additionally, I don't know exactly what software you're referring to. I'm guessing just a WYSIWYG editor. If that is the case, I would pay a developer to get you rolling, but use a free web editor in the mean time to see if it's something you want to pursue. Examples would be www.nvu.com , http://www.kompozer.net/, etc...

Great. I looked at MS Expression, Adobe Dreamweave and a few others. I will definately go with your reccommended What You See Is What You Gget editors.

Thanks for the information!

 

[Luke12321]

Mtnman, I have a website idea to where essentially, I am offering a easy way for a certain niche of business owners to get a website online. I would have say 8 templates for them to pick from, they choose a template, pick the domain name, and send me the content.

My question is, what web editing software would you suggest for this? I would need it to be WYSWYG for me to add the content (and I could more easily outsource the work this way eventually) and to where I can upload onto a server very easily.

Any suggestions?

Only thing I have is FrontPage 03 right now and I have heard that FP does not produce a very clean code.

Thanks!

Luke

 

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[CactusWren]

Awesome !

What I'd like to know (definitions):
SEO, SERPs, RSS, landing page, CMS,CPC, organic search, social networking, different open source programs for ecommerce, social networking and blogs...

Also how to:
merchant account, paypal , google check out, press releases, directories, digg, stumble pon delicious, facebook, etc.

 

[mtnman]

Mtnman, I have a website idea to where essentially, I am offering a easy way for a certain niche of business owners to get a website online. I would have say 8 templates for them to pick from, they choose a template, pick the domain name, and send me the content.

My question is, what web editing software would you suggest for this? I would need it to be WYSWYG for me to add the content (and I could more easily outsource the work this way eventually) and to where I can upload onto a server very easily.

Any suggestions?

Only thing I have is FrontPage 03 right now and I have heard that FP does not produce a very clean code.

Thanks!

Luke

I personally don't like frontpage, or the front page extensions when hosting those pages. It really depends on the templates, but most likely they would just be html. Any one would do for that.

I like Dreamweaver, but I'm not well versed with all of it's functions just yet. I just haven't used it enough to use it to it's full potential. I'm taking a Dreamweaver specific class middle of the month, so I should have some more tricks to pass on for that one in particular later on.

There's a couple free ones mentioned in the post above yours, or try this list...

:smx19:edit: actually, everyone interested web design software, check out the linked list above. Quick breakdown of both free and paid.

 

[mtnman]

Awesome !

What I'd like to know (definitions):
SEO, SERPs, RSS, landing page, CMS,CPC, organic search, social networking, different open source programs for ecommerce, social networking and blogs...

Also how to:
merchant account, paypal , google check out, press releases, directories, digg, stumble pon delicious, facebook, etc.

I think a description of how each of these are used would make much more sense, but it's late, so definitions will do for tonight.

SEO = Search Engine Optimization

SERPs = Search Engine Results Pages

RSS= Really Simple Syndication or "web feed"

Landing Page= *stripped from another one of my posts* (formal def. coming)
To put it a different way...

A landing page is just a sales medium. It's a way for you or your company to speak to your visitor -- be it about sales, a product, service, whatever.... Just as a terrific salesman always speaks to his customer in a very fluid manner, always proposing accurately, even on the fly.

A landing page is no different...this is the reasoning for layout & design, subconscious mission statement, that speaks to a target user. Moreover, a landing page may not be your product or sales site, but a carefully designed page that caters toward a specific user, problem, solution, etc. to execute a specific action, whether it be a sale, sign up (opt in), introduce a sale somewhere else (ie hyperlink) whatever your intent is, etc...

CMS = Content Management System

CPC = Cost Per Click

PPS= Pay Per Click

Organic Search= Search ranking or results organized by non paid search. Basically, when you go to google, all the results under the paid listings that appear at the top, are organic. These pages have been ordered in terms of usefulness. There are theories however, that paid search affects organic search. Meaning, if you list your sites on both, the algorithm's used by the search bots are affected, thus, changing your rankings.



Open source CMS's for:

ecommerce- depends on what you want to do first....1shoppingcart, 2checkout, authorize.net, goecart, esc, authorize.net, oscommerce... there's a lot, first three are really common.

socical networking- Don't know off the top of my head. Jonlee has mentioned some good ones somewhere here. I know of two I like (haven't used), I'll get back to you, as I can't remember the names

blogs- (currently shrinking huge list lol) Mostly Wordpress is standard everywhere, next would be blog software integrated into CMS's, as far as commonalities in my experience. Other may have a different opinion, but I don't do much blogging myself.


When you say how to, you mean you want a description of how each is used, or something different? Like what is a merchant account or Paypal used for, how to use it for yourself, or how to use Paypal on your website, such as IPN? ViArt is open source.

 

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[Jonleehacker]

mtnman, you have the patience of an angel :smx3:

My response, when seeing that list of definition requests, would have been to post a link to the Wikipedia search box :0)

Although there is some merit in being an angel, sometimes it's better to teach a newb how to fish, rather than supplying a 3 course meal every time they get hungry.

 

[Jorge]

Mtnman, I have a website idea to where essentially, I am offering a easy way for a certain niche of business owners to get a website online. I would have say 8 templates for them to pick from, they choose a template, pick the domain name, and send me the content.

My question is, what web editing software would you suggest for this? I would need it to be WYSWYG for me to add the content (and I could more easily outsource the work this way eventually) and to where I can upload onto a server very easily.

Any suggestions?

Only thing I have is FrontPage 03 right now and I have heard that FP does not produce a very clean code.

Thanks!

Luke

I don't know if you already know enough about programming and web design but you might want to check this out:

http://www.speaklight.com/

 

[Diane Kennedy]

mtnman, you have the patience of an angle :smx3:

Typos can be such fun...

So, is it an OBTUSE angle or ACUTE angle

(I suspect you meant angel)

 

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[royemunson]

I would like to know:

1. Graphics

2. When to do it yourself and hire out

3. Sales copy writing

4. Researching a niche and how to choose a niche

I think when putting something like this together you'll want to include all phases of the process. I would imagine that you'll get questions that pertain to all steps in the internet business and marketing process.

Another thing that would be good would be a review of the various development tools like nvu, site build it, xsitepro, dreamweaver, and other ones mentioned and what they'd be best used for.

Thanks

Joe

 

[mtnman]

mtnman, you have the patience of an angle :smx3:

My response, when seeing that list of definition requests, would have been to post a link to the Wikipedia search box :0)

Although there is some merit in being an angle, sometimes it's better to teach a newb how to fish, rather than supplying a 3 course meal every time they get hungry.

Agreed. This is very abnormal, as I'm not always a very patient person. I'm already reiterating many threads and what a very simple google search could accomplish. This has a purpose though, as I mentioned in the beginning.

 

[mtnman]

Typos can be such fun...

So, is it an OBTUSE angle or ACUTE angle

(I suspect you meant angel)

Calling me obtuse now. Gee thanks!

 

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[mtnman]

I would like to know:

1. Graphics

2. When to do it yourself and hire out

3. Sales copy writing

4. Researching a niche and how to choose a niche

I think when putting something like this together you'll want to include all phases of the process. I would imagine that you'll get questions that pertain to all steps in the internet business and marketing process.

Another thing that would be good would be a review of the various development tools like nvu, site build it, xsitepro, dreamweaver, and other ones mentioned and what they'd be best used for.

Thanks

Joe

Tsk Tsk for not following the thread. Editor reviews were covered above and #2.

Finally, someone asked about copywriting! #3 Bingo!

How can anyone expect to have a converting website without it? Unless you learn to write salescopy or find someone that can, you won't. This does not apply to everything. Take merchant sites for example, those are a little different.

The best way to start learning about conversion and copy are: to find the best converting sites on the web and study them.
These books will also help....

The Copywriters Handbook by Robert W. Bly

The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joe Sugarman

Hypnotic Writing by Joe Vitale

Web Copy That Sells by Maria Veloso

Those should get you started, but the list goes on...

#4 is a great question as well. You always want to make sure there is a need for what you're about to do. Determining how big of a need by searches, groups, forums, questions, keyword searches, etc.. can give you a good scope. Get into the minds of your target, and see what they need.

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

http://technorati.com/

http://blogsearch.google.com/

http://www.boardtracker.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com/

http://www.keywordspy.com/

http://tools.seobook.com/keyword-tools/seobook/index.php

http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/

http://www.keywordspy.com/

http://technorati.com/

http://www.digitalpoint.com/tools/suggestion/

www.compete.com

How to choose depends on your personal goal, what your site is about, offers, and intends on accomplishing. To say the best way without an intent would be far to generic. What works in some situations, is not good advice for others.

Wanting to promote a small niched ebook to a tiny demographic is far different than a website that offers a service to a "large and in charge" market.

With a bit of specifics, I'm sure we could get more detailed here, but to say one way or the other would be very generic.

 

[longview]

I've heard a lot of buzz about Ruby on Rails but don't really know much about it.

With Ruby on Rails (ROR), you can quickly get a simple functioning website built with just a few commands, however there is a complexity to getting this simple template or 'scaffold' site into something that looks like you want and has the extra functionality you want.

Within about 4 commands you can have a simple site that has a database and 2 tables created, and pages to allow creation/edit/viewing of the records. This is with the "InstantRails" development environment installed. Otherwise you need to install Apache, a database backend, some helpers like 'mongrel' and a deployment framework like capistrano etc.

However given this early site, you will need to work on the code to get a website that will be suitable for your job. Depending on what your site does, it will help to be familiar with sql (database) and css (look/feel) which are two seperate technologies. CSS is a must with web design regardless.

As Ruby on Rails is a relative new comer it is undergoing some significant changes that can trip up someone learning the language, and it can be hard to find the correct information on the web due to the sometimes subtle changes to the language. If you want to learn Ruby on Rail, the book "Agile Web Development with Rails" is a good intro and walkthrough as well as useful 'best practices'. The book is up to version 3 (in a beta state now) due to the changes in Ruby. As has been stated on the web, the latest major version of Ruby on rails (v2) at the time broke every good 'beginner' tutorial currently out there.

If you want to learn ROR, get "Instant Rails" which is a good development environment and go through the book. Interestingly it would be 'nicer' to program ROR on a Mac, and all the Rails core team develop on Mac.

However, once you get over the learning hump, it is amazing how much ROR provides for you, so programming can be quite quick compared to other languages. There are also a lot of useful 'plugins' that you can utilise so you don't have to reinvent the wheel.

Programming a website from scratch isn't a menial task and to get something that looks good and works well and can't be compromised takes effort.

For people that want to save money by developing their own websites, you need more than just the development language, you should have a source control repository such as subversion etc.

So it can be a big job, look to see what is out there already as open source and that has good developer support and user base, you won't end up reinventing the wheel, and will be on the web quicker doing the business you planned.

 

[Banthaman]

LOL I should highlight the word "beginners." I don't know off the top of my head. I will say up front I'm no expert in programming. I'm a bit short on time but will try to answer your question in full later today when I get back home (if I can, in full). Any of the programmers here can chime in in the mean time.

With a quick check of my favorites, I have these tutorials from the ruby site, not sure if they're on target with your question though...

http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2006/12/14/revisiting-ruby-on-rails-revisited.html

sorry I've been working with HTML fro a while but for for a serious e-Business site, IMO, dynamic is the way to go, from what I do know about java scripting and php knowing better competing technologies is the beginning for me. ails from that totorial looks pretty sweet very lean yet robust enough for complex tasks. Now I thijnk I'll take a closer look at Ruby (though Java is still the required learning at most Uni's).

I run, or rather used to run my own apache server for development (once I get a new computer for that I'll be back up with a LAMP server again. SQL though familiar is still on the to do list as I'm more of a networker than developer. I just don't have time to "play" at school (doesn't fit into my plan). I'm looking for a current job to get deeper into where I want to go tech wise, other than that it's just a means to an end.

 

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[yveskleinsky]

I wasn't clear. Wordpress is a blogging software. You can use this software on any domain. In an effort to promote their software, Wordpress allows you to host a blog, free of charge.


You can also download their software for free and host it on your own server. If you have a hosting account with a Cpanel and Fantastico (standard these days) it is preinstalled, and setting it up is just as easy as a .wordpress blog (free).

I get that wordpress is blogging software, but I thought that if I had a blog thru them, the URL would be something like: www.wordpress.com/yves. So then any traffic generated from my blog would not help to generate traffic on my site. I always thought that I needed my own domain: www.yvesiscool.com/blog (for example ) to reap the benefits of any traffic my blog might generate.

Now here's an even more basic question: Can you explain the need of blogging software v. just a blank page I would keep adding blogs to?

Thanks again for your time!

 

[yveskleinsky]

Another question about keywords here. I found about 500 keywords that are related to my industry. The number of searches ranges from 2-20,000. Should I draw a line and not bother with words with under 10 searches?

Also,how should I best utilize these keywords? Should they go in meta tags, my blog, newsletter and articles as well as other areas of my site- if so, is there a certain formula I should follow? ...I read an article yesterday that said something along the lines of making sure that each page of a site focused on related keywords, like if the site was for travel writing in Paris- then some keywords should be Paris, Paris hotels, specific names of Paris hotels.

Thanks again for helping me out. :thankyousign:

 

[mtnman]

The first expression is not accurate. Using wordpress software and using a free wordpress blog are two different things, but they both utilize the same software.

You can generate traffic either way, but a free blog means you don't own the domain, nor have full control over your long term traffic if a policy were to change.

It's always better to use your own domain. You're also building that domains value, whether or not you use wordpress makes no difference.

Your last question is a matter or current skills and opinion.

Why blogging software? Good SEO, easy to use and install templates for customizing with no programming skills, easy to update and use plugins that install easily to expand, good learning tool for beginners, etc...

There are so many reasons that sway both ways. Basically, blogs are easy for users to follow, and easy for the owners to update.

Can you achieve the same with standard html? Yes. Most of things mentioned above would have to be added in the code or use a code editor. Neither of those are difficult after you've spent some time learning the basics, but to get moving on your fastlane faster, many people opt to use something like a blog, open source (joomla), or anything that is relatively easy to modify and has mass amounts of templates available.

lol I typed this and then re-read your last question. I'm not understanding exactly what you meant...."adding blogs"?

You may be talking about using blog software (Wordpress here) as either a blog or just static pages?

I get that wordpress is blogging software, but I thought that if I had a blog thru them, the URL would be something like: www.wordpress.com/yves. So then any traffic generated from my blog would not help to generate traffic on my site. I always thought that I needed my own domain: www.yvesiscool.com/blog (for example ) to reap the benefits of any traffic my blog might generate.

Now here's an even more basic question: Can you explain the need of blogging software v. just a blank page I would keep adding blogs to?

Thanks again for your time!

 

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[mtnman]

Another question about keywords here. I found about 500 keywords that are related to my industry. The number of searches ranges from 2-20,000. Should I draw a line and not bother with words with under 10 searches?

Also,how should I best utilize these keywords? Should they go in meta tags, my blog, newsletter and articles as well as other areas of my site- if so, is there a certain formula I should follow? ...I read an article yesterday that said something along the lines of making sure that each page of a site focused on related keywords, like if the site was for travel writing in Paris- then some keywords should be Paris, Paris hotels, specific names of Paris hotels.

Thanks again for helping me out. :thankyousign:

Pretty much everything you said is dead on for certain types of SEO.

As for the keyword searches, I'm assuming you mean 10 per day? That's too low imo. I have no idea how you're hitting those prospects, and that makes a difference in your target market, keywords, and presentation.

Ask yourself how good you are at your current approach, then run the numbers against availability.

If that percentage is slim, then you need to target more traffic (closer to trampled ketwords) to increase your chances for now and to help you learn. There are riches in the niches, but when you're learning and you can't capitalize on those very few prospects, it doesn't really teach you anything. Of course it shows you what IS NOT working, then if you follow that route, everntually you will probably figure out something that does work. It would be better to branch out into more competition and once you see something that starts to work, refine it, and start narrowing in. This can be repeated for every target that applies to your ebiz.

(I feel like I'm talking jargon with no sleep, lol, so if this doesn't make sense say so and I'll repost tom. Also, my thinking may be skewed toward one of my current projects too)

By running some analytics programs, you can try a bunch of things, and then chase the traffic source -- meaning, shift your efforts toward what is working and continue to test. Everyone can say this and that, everyone will get different results, as we all do things differently. This means to truly do the best you can with your website, you must test.

For example, if you know you're targeting a keyword for 50 searches per day, the topic is suited to people in their 30-40's, your approach and methods would be different than something totally opposite. If you can deploy a quick marketing plan to convert well off of those, rinsing and repeating adds up.

There is money in these tiny niches, but it may or may not be a waste of your time, depending on how it fits into your plan.

 

[yveskleinsky]

The first expression is not accurate. Using wordpress software and using a free wordpress blog are two different things, but they both utilize the same software.

That's where I was confused, I was thinking that the software and the site would both show up as a wordpress URL, so I didn't understand the benefit to doign either... your answer makes TOTAL sense now!

You can generate traffic either way, but a free blog means you don't own the domain, nor have full control over your long term traffic if a policy were to change.

It's always better to use your own domain. You're also building that domains value, whether or not you use wordpress makes no difference.

Your last question is a matter or current skills and opinion.

Why blogging software? Good SEO, easy to use and install templates for customizing with no programming skills, easy to update and use plugins that install easily to expand, good learning tool for beginners, etc...

There are so many reasons that sway both ways. Basically, blogs are easy for users to follow, and easy for the owners to update.

Can you achieve the same with standard html? Yes. Most of things mentioned above would have to be added in the code or use a code editor. Neither of those are difficult after you've spent some time learning the basics, but to get moving on your fastlane faster, many people opt to use something like a blog, open source (joomla), or anything that is relatively easy to modify and has mass amounts of templates available.

lol I typed this and then re-read your last question. I'm not understanding exactly what you meant...."adding blogs"?

lol, what I meant was just adding a blog in html format to a page.

You may be talking about using blog software (Wordpress here) as either a blog or just static pages?

Thanks for straightening me out! ++rep

 

[yveskleinsky]

Pretty much everything you said is dead on for certain types of SEO.

As for the keyword searches, I'm assuming you mean 10 per day? That's too low imo. I have no idea how you're hitting those prospects, and that makes a difference in your target market, keywords, and presentation.

Ask yourself how good you are at your current approach, then run the numbers against availability.

If that percentage is slim, then you need to target more traffic (closer to trampled ketwords) to increase your chances for now and to help you learn. There are riches in the niches, but when you're learning and you can't capitalize on those very few prospects, it doesn't really teach you anything. Of course it shows you what IS NOT working, then if you follow that route, everntually you will probably figure out something that does work. It would be better to branch out into more competition and once you see something that starts to work, refine it, and start narrowing in. This can be repeated for every target that applies to your ebiz.

(I feel like I'm talking jargon with no sleep, lol, so if this doesn't make sense say so and I'll repost tom. Also, my thinking may be skewed toward one of my current projects too)

By running some analytics programs, you can try a bunch of things, and then chase the traffic source -- meaning, shift your efforts toward what is working and continue to test. Everyone can say this and that, everyone will get different results, as we all do things differently. This means to truly do the best you can with your website, you must test.

For example, if you know you're targeting a keyword for 50 searches per day, the topic is suited to people in their 30-40's, your approach and methods would be different than something totally opposite. If you can deploy a quick marketing plan to convert well off of those, rinsing and repeating adds up.

There is money in these tiny niches, but it may or may not be a waste of your time, depending on how it fits into your plan.

Ok, good advice. So we'll start out with the more frequent keywords, and analyze/test from there. The keywords that I've been searching for seem pretty broad; I've been surprised that more searches haven't been done for them considering this is a really large market. ...This is SO fun! Thanks again for all your time.

 

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[mtnman]

Oh I almost forgot... if you're targeting some of those low volume keywords, do some bum marketing. Harnessing the power of other websites SEO with a link to your own can be very interesting.

I think these links will give a quick overview. I think one is sales copy for some stupid opt in or product, pay no mind to that or the IM hoopla, the sites listed are accurate and it should explain it half way decent.

http://www.bummarketingblog.com/

http://www.bummarketingmethod.com/Article_Marketing.html

 

[Jonleehacker]

Bum marketing is great, the methods are sound EXCEPT the parts where they tell you that you don't need to have your own website, that is foolishness in my opinion.

I've had good success with this service for article marketing:

http://www.uniquearticlewizard.com/ - it's breaking my heart to not post an affiliate link