20 Free Resources To Help You Build A Webpage

With all the free resources on the web today it's not hard to find everything you need to design and create a webpage.

So rather than re-inventing the wheel, today I am:

1. Reminding you that Nvu is a good, free HTML editor that can be used on PCs running Windows™ or MAC™ . You can download it without even joining someone list!

2. Including a couple of videos on how to do some webpage building basics. And although FrontPage is the HTML editor used in the videos, you can do the same things with Nvu.

Click the pictures to watch the video.

3. Giving you a free set of 17 video ebooks to take your webpage building beyond the basics. All the links to get your video ebooks are in 1 pdf ebook, "Ultimate Website Videos"

Have fun with all your new resources and I expect to see a lot of your new webpages soon.

To Your Success,
Susan

P.S. After you've created your web page you will need a place to put it. And although they're not free, I highly recommend HostGator and Real-Marketing . I use both and have been happy with both their service and their cost.

P.P.S. If you found this tip useful, please leave a comment.

Tags: webpage design, mini-site, free html editor, free html videos, free webpage design, free resources, free tools, free videos

An Old Business Secret Many Have Forgotten

You've probably heard that it's much easier and less expensive to get existing customers to buy from you than it is to go find new customers.

And it's a true statement for all businesses whether they are on or off-line.

Yet many businesses take the approach that getting new customers is their number 1 priority. They actively seek out those interested in their wares, entice them to buy and then after they make the sale...

They treat them like D.I.R.T.

D - Disposable
I - Insignificant
R - Removable
T - Trivial

One of the things that has always confused and irritated me is how some businesses penalize their customers for their loyalty.

Here's an example of what I mean -

We used to live in the Denver, CO metro area and subscribed to both of the Denver newspapers. (Yes, there used to be 2 large, popular newspapers in Denver.) Almost every year we received notices that the subscription rates were going up. This went on for several years and we didn't think much about it since it seemed the price of just about everything was always going up.

Then 1 day I received a sales call for 1 of the newspapers. Like most telemarketing phone calls, they went through their entire sales pitch and offered me a "special rate" if I would subscribe before I had a chance to tell them I was already a subscriber. When I did tell them I was a subscriber they thanked me for subscribing and were just about to hang up when I asked - "Since I am already a subscriber can I get the special rate?"

This question seemed to shock them when they stuttered, "no."

I then asked them why not and their response was that the special deal was only for "new" subscribers.

Since the special deal was for more than 60% off the normal subscription price of several hundred dollars a year, I was, shall we say, slightly perturbed.

When we hung up I immediately called the subscription department for the paper and asked them about getting the discount that new subscribers were getting. They also stated that I couldn't because it was "only for new subscribers."

As soon as they finished the statement about only new subscribers getting the discount, I replied, "I see, then cancel my subscription - TODAY."

Did I ever take that paper again? Yes, 1 year at a time.

You see, I knew that every 6 months there was a subscription drive to get new subscribers. And even if I didn't get a phone call, I'd see a table set up at any of the grocery stores I visited where I could get a new subscription with a new subscriber discount. Plus, if I signed up at 1 of these tables, I'd get an additional gift.

Now I'm not opposed to giving gifts to get new subscribers. I do it myself. What does upset me is having a business that I'm paying on a regular basis tell me I have to pay more because I am already 1 of their customers.

To this day I don't understand why that newspaper and many other businesses treat their loyal customer base so badly.

The point I am trying to make is: while you're working so hard to gain new subscribers and customers, treat your existing subscribers and customers like the precious gems they are. Don't forget about them and don't penalize them.

As online marketers we are always looking for new and better ways of doing things so we can increase our profits. We look for ways to increase our traffic and ways to increase our conversion rates. We look for ways to build our lists and then for ways to get more of our subscribers to buy from us. Unfortunately, some of us forget that making our loyal subscribers and customers feel special is 1 of the best ways to keep and profit from them.

Over the years I've offered several different free gifts to gain new subscribers. However, when I put the gift online I also either send out a mailing to my list giving them the same gift or make it available inside the member area. When I've sent a mailing about the addition of a bonus on an existing sale, I've included information about how those who had already purchased the product it could also get the free bonus.

Am I obligated to give my existing subscribers and customers the new free gift. No, it's not an obligation. It's just good business.

Uunfortunately, too many businesses have forgotten the old business practice of: take care of your customers and they will take care of you.

To Your Success,
Susan

P.S. Please feel free to leave a comment about today's tip.

Tags: online business, customers, new customers, subscriber list, new subscriber, free gift, bonus, business practice, business policy, good business

The Road To Failure Is Paved With Affiliate Links

While there are many ways to become a successful affiliate marketer there are also many paths that will lead directly to failure. Two of the most common ways to failure are: starting out with too many affiliate programs and jumping from one affiliate program to another.

Too Many Affiliate Programs

There are many ways that an affiliate marketer can maximize their profits and many new affiliate marketers assume that joining multiple affiliate programs is a wise option. Because, it is very easy to join affiliate programs and there is really nothing to lose, affiliate marketers are tempted to join as many programs they can get their hands on. Thus, they fail to give their affiliate programs enough attention and work that they ought to receive. The maximum potential of the affiliate programs are not realized and the resulting income from these programs will almost certainly be disappointing.

The best way to achieve multiple streams of income is to concentrate on one affiliate program first. Choose a product or service that you can promote passionately. Pick a product in which you have complete trust. The best products and services to promote are those that you personally use. Your prospects will be able to sense your sincerity whenever you promote a product that you have experienced. This will greatly enhance your credibility as well as your product's marketability and will really encourage your prospect to purchase or avail of the product or service.

As soon as your first affiliate program is making a reasonable profit then you can proceed to joining another affiliate program and repeat the process. "Too much, too soon" is a common pitfall in affiliate marketing. Joining too many affiliate programs simultaneously in the hopes of having multiple streams of income simply does not work.

Jumping From One Affiliate Program To Another

Most affiliate marketers want to start getting commission checks as soon as possible. They promote their affiliate link once and when no one buys they blame the lack of sales on the merchant and the product. Because they think this product won't sale they drop that affiliate program and join another. When that product doesn't sell, they repeat the process of dropping and joining another. This cycle of promoting, dropping and joining continues until they finally give up on affiliate marketing.

The way to succeed at affiliate marketing is, again, choose a product or service that you trust and can promote passionately. If you don't get sales, examine your marketing methods and try again. Before you give up on a product you believe in try things like re-writing your ads, finding a more targeted audience for the product, and trying a different form of advertising. Only through trial and error will you find what works best for you and then you can repeat that method as you slowly join more affiliate programs.

Once you've figured out how to get sales with one affiliate program then you can apply what you've learned and join another. Giving up on an affiliate program and jumping to another and then another and then another is a common mistake and only leads to failure.

The way to make a good profit as an affiliate marketer is to focus on one affiliate program and work on it so that it makes a good profit. Then, go find another promising program and give it your best effort. With the right tools, the right actions, and perseverance you can definitely make a good profit out of affiliate marketing.

To Your Success,
Susan

P.S. If you found this tip useful please leave a comment.

Tags: affiliate marketing, affiliate programs, affiliate mistakes, earn money with affiliate marketing, joining affiliate programs, successful affiliate, affiliate links, why affiliates fail

2 Niche Marketing Web Design Tips

Sometimes it's easy to forget that internet marketing isn't just about how to market internet marketing products. In fact, if you look into what people are searching for online, you'll discover that internet marketing products are way down on the list and only account for a small percentage of searches.

The important thing to remember about internet marketing products is that most of them are written by someone who has actually made money in a niche outside the realm of internet marketing products.

For instance, did you know that Willie Crawford (author of "How I Boosted My Ezine Sign-Up Rate By 5200 MORE Subscribers Per Month - Virtually Overnight - And You Can Too") and Michael Green (owner of How To Internet Marketer Forum) have niche sites that make money and have absolutely nothing to do with any internet marketing products. Click on their names to see the niche sites.

If you did take a look at these niche sites you'll notice some big differences like:

1. 1 looks a lot more professionally designed than the other.


2. 1 is a member of iCop


3. 1 has a pop-up


4. 1 has an audio message


5. 1 has several pages with additional free content


6. 1 promotes their affiliate program


7. And so on

However, besides the differences, they both have some things in common like:

1. They're both sales pages for a product.


2. They both are building a list of people interested in what they're offering.


3. They both have words about who they are that give credibility for their expertise.


4. They both have testimonials.


5. Both use well known payment processors (Paypal and Clickbank).


6. And so on.

So the lesson to be learned by looking at niche sites of successful internet marketers is:

Don't look at the differences but identify the things they all do because those are the things that make them successful! And while everything on your list is important and should be done, remember, these...

2 Niche Marketing Web Design Tips:

1. Make it a sales page for both your product and your list.


2. Get your sign up form in front of your site visitor quickly and don't bury it somewhere on your page.

Yes, internet marketing products only account for a small percentage of online sales however, the techniques and information shared within them account for much of the success for online niche marketers. And while niche marketers do not need to use every new internet marketing technique that comes along, using the tried and true basics is a must.

To Your Success,
Susan

P.S. If you found this tip useful please leave a comment.

Tags: niche marketing, web site design, Willie Crawford, Michael Green, web design tips, sales page, build list

Can You Fish For Free Links? The Answer's Here!

We all know that getting other sites to link to yours can help your search engine rankings and we also know that it's not always the easiest thing to do.

You can do reciprocal linking which is free. But reciprocal linking takes time and work and you have to be selective about which sites you'll link back to.

You can buy links but that takes money so it doesn't belong in this tip.

And then there's link baiting.

Link baiting is the act of putting something on your site that "begs to be linked to."

No, I don't mean you actually beg people to link to you. I mean putting something so good or unusual on your site that people instinctively want to link to it.

What qualifies as link bait?

Just about anything can qualify as link bait: a useful tool, a cool widget, a great freebie (templates, audio, video, picture, etc), a fascinating article, an opinionated blog, a debate, a poll, a contest, a resource, and the list goes on and on.

And to show you what I mean, here are a few examples of link bait in action:

• http://www.toprankblog.com/tools/rss-buttons/(useful tool)


• http://searchengineland.com/070118-074231.php (good content)


• http://www.stuntdubl.com/2007/01/12/linkbaiting-hooks/(good content and lots more examples showing different kinds of link bait)

Now there some negatives to link baiting like:

1. No control over who links to you.


2. All the links point to 1 page and may not help the rest of your site.


3. It takes some time to create good link bait.


4. If certain types, like debate and controversy, are not done correctly it can backfire and actually hurt your site.

However, if done right and used with good, quality content, link baiting is effective and can provide you with enough links to really help with your search engine placement.

To help you decide if link baiting is something you'd like to try, you can use my Magic 8 Ball. In fact, you can use it as much as you'd like.

To Your Success,
Susan

P.S. If you found this tip useful, please leave a comment.

Tags: link baiting, link bait, linkbaiting, magic 8 ball, link building, get links