Author Archive
Link Juice
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Link Juice, what is it? Is it comparable to V-8, apple or orange juice? I had a friend explain this to me before I got more internet savvy, and I didn’t understand it. I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about to be exact. If you’re anything like me, it takes time for ideas to come together and for things to “click.” I am glad things are finally clicking and coming together for me. I am learning more about SEO and how important and easy it is, to get your site ranked. So… I bet you are still wondering what link juice is, right?
I link, you link
It is important to get backlinks to your site. Backlinks raise your status in the eyes of Google and other search engines. For example, if you look at google there are only 10 spots on the first page. You really want to be on the first page! It’s no secret the majority of website traffic is received from the first ten slots. I have consciously made an effort to pay attention to the times I have gone past the first google page when searching for a keyword and i can say without hesitancy… zero! If you aren’t on the first page, chances are no one will find your website and you’ll be hanging the “closed for business sign”soon. How can you protect yourself against it? Get you some links!!!
“Spider” Web 2.0
I’ll be honest with you. When I first heard of web 2.0, I thought about the old commodore 64 and Atari 2600. I thought it was some kind of game or basic programming language. I didn’t know what it was, but now I do. Web 2.0 are sites which will help you get backlinks to raise your status in the search engine rankings. Here are some examples of these sites: squidoo, Linked In, and yes even good ol’ Facebook. You’ll need to access these sites and use your keywords and anchor texts so these sites will point back to you and raise your seo rank. It can be time consuming but its something you’ll need to do to get traffic to your little corner of the world.
It came together
If you’re a newbie or someone with a bit of experience, Internet marketing can be overwhelming because there are so many terms to learn. Hang in there… it will come together. It did for me after I learned it in The Challenge. My recommendation is to take the Challenge when you get a chance as it is an excellent program to teach the basics of online marketing promotion. On a side note, Michelle MacPherson taught some of the backlinking modules and I found her to be a great teacher and she made it easy to understand. You can have a look at Michelle’s blog HERE. I’ll see you on the other side and don’t forget to drink your link juice!!!!
Darren McDuffie
“Internet Marketer”
“Who says Jocks aren’t smart?
Writing 101
Posted by: | CommentsHave you ever suffered from writer’s block? If you have a blog, I’ll be willing to bet you did at some time. I know I’ve had it before and it can be frustrating. I always wondered if there was a way to cure writers block and gain more confidence in my writing. I think I finally found the answer.
Simple Simon
Do you remember the first time you learned how to write? I can recall sentences that sounded something like this,“the cat is big.” I would then put all those sentences into a paragraph and a writing star was born! As I got more mature, my writing matured as well and I learned more of the mechanics behind it. In high school, I learned about having a rough draft. A rough draft is like having an etch a sketch where you can make a mistake then shake it, and wipe the slate clean. Are you following me? A rough draft can serve as a place for you to try out your ideas before you put them on the real stage. The “RD” can get loss in the writing process because most people want a perfect article the first time out. This just doesn’t happen. Did you know you use different sides of the brain to edit and write. So…how can you do both at the same time? It makes sense do them at different times, right? You can save yourself frustration by using the free writing technique.
Free Writing
I discovered the idea of “free writing” in The Challenge. Ed Dale described it in a module dedicated to article writing. I have never had much trouble writing, but I know it frightens some people. I guess it can be intimidating to have to write on a subject you may not know anything about for the first time but can it be fun? Yes, it can if you let it! Ed Dale describes the process like this: grab a timer and put ten minutes on it and just start writing whatever comes to your mind. Don’t stop writing until the timer goes off. That’s all you have to do! The secret lies in getting your ideas on paper then expanding on those ideas through revising your drafts. Its an easy process and it works! I have used something similar myself and it has never failed. If the “free writing” process doesn’t work for you, what is your alternative?
Me and my Memo Pad
My Idea Book
When I first started writing my blogs, I had trouble finding things to write about, but now I rarely do. How did I solve my problem? I carry around a small memo book and jot down ideas in it. I get topics from conversations with friends, radio and TV. I take my memo pad with me everywhere because you never know when inspiration might strike. The next time you have a case of writers block don’t get frustrated just remember you have options.
Online Marketing Promotion: The Symphony
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Back in the day, I was into hip hop or what some people now call rap music. I don’t think I was the only one as everyone my age was crazy about it at the time. I can remember coming home from school and siting in front of the television just to get a glimpse of the latest rap videos. I can also remember subscribing to the first magazine solely dedicated to hip hop and its musical artists. It was called “The Source” and every month I would receive one in the mail and I couldn’t wait to read it! I am sure everyone has experienced that feeling at some point, because each one of us had some band or group who made them bonkers. I can remember one particular song and producer I absolutely loved! His name was Marley Marl and the song was called,“ The Symphony.” “The Symphony” was a collaboration of the greatest rappers of the late 80’s and early 90’s. I liked every one of them and had all of their tapes. Yeah… I am “dating” myself a little here because there were no cds at the time, those came a little bit later. In “The Symphony,” every rapper would take his turn and say a verse until the song ended. It was what I like to call the first hip hop masterpiece.
The Symphony of Internet Marketing
“The Symphony” I enjoyed as a youngster brought back memories when I joined Ed Dale’s Challenge 2010. Ed sent out an email called the Symphony of four parts and it struck a chord with me. In the email, he talks about the average internet marketer and how they fail at online marketing. I can certainly see how this happens as he goes on to explain what every Newbie does. Most Newbies pick something they’re passionate about and go online hoping to make it and when the results don’t come, they quit! Ed breaks it down into four parts in which he explains how you must have a demand for your product or service and do the necessary research to ensure you are successful online. I can relate to this as I did the same thing he described when I started out online. I went after something I was passionate about and knew enough about, so I could feel comfortable. Does that sound familiar? We all want to fall into our comfort zones because it requires less effort on our parts, but to do it right it requires research.
The code of the Samurai
How do you do your research? I have a tool called Market Samurai. I mentioned this in a post I did some time ago. My main reason for doing the Challenge was to learn how to use this tool a little better. The guys who are sponsoring the Challenge are the ones who invented Market Samurai. I have had this tool for a few months and know how to use it, but I can always get better. I am going to have fun and learn as much as I can and hopefully strike a good niche and in turn strike it rich!!! Enjoy the clips below of The Symphony and Shogun Assassin. I am a big fan of martial arts movies and Shogun Assassin features a samurai… maybe Market Samurai? Seize the day!
P.S. Sign up for the Challenge… it is well worth your time.
Darren McDuffie
Internet Marketer
“Who Says Jocks aren’t Smart”
Online Marketing Promotion: All in one SEO Plug in
Posted by: | CommentsDon’t forget this!
Hey… I have had my blog for quite some time! I have to admit I am still learning some things because there is so much to learn. I wanted to warn you about something I have been overlooking for quite some time so you won’t make the same mistake I did.
Ranking for keywords
Are you ranking for your keywords so people can find your blog? I thought I was but it just so happens I wasn’t doing it at all. How do I know? When I first started my blog, I downloaded the All in One SEO pack and never used it. I was very unaware that you had to go in and configure the panel for the keywords you were ranking for, in the home keywords section. Its very simple to do just get the plugin and go to the configurations panel and once you are in go to home keywords and insert them.
What keywords?
What keywords to choose? You can go for the bigger keywords like internet marketing, etc. but chances are you aren’t going to rank on google’s first page by targeting this word. You may want to use a tool like Market Samurai to dig a little deeper into sub niches of internet marketing such as online marketing. If you do this, it can and just might get you on google’s first page where people can see your blog. This is just a very elementary way to research keywords and there is more involved with it. You can always use Market Samurai’s tutorials to find out more on keyword research and better your chances of rising to the top page of google. In the meantime, just make sure you are using the All in One SEO plugin. You will be glad you did!
Online Marketing Promotion: Follow and not Lead?
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Back when I was growing up, being a follower wasn’t such a good thing. Why? Following usually got you into trouble well at least, for me it did. I can remember countless times when people “dared” me to do something and I did it only to suffer. The suffering had to do with my mom’s belt on my a**. Oh well, I had to learn the hard way, and it wasn’t always comfortable for me to do so. I think it hurt my mom more than it hurt me. ( smile) I can remember her telling me,” be a leader, not a follower.” As I matured, I became more of a leader and fiercely independent. I was so independent it stopped me from reaching out to others when I needed help.
Who Needs Help?
As a leader, I never thought I needed help. I figured if I was a leader why would I need it? In college during my freshman year, I was asked to participate in study groups and I always declined. I had this air of arrogance surrounding me, and I thought leaders never followed groups, and did their own thing. It served me well until the courses got harder, and I needed to reach out for help. It took everything I had to bury my pride and join the group, but it was worth it. I developed some great relationships, and I learned you can be a leader in a group setting. I even noticed some people like to follow more than they like to lead. I guess there is nothing wrong with that.
Modern followers
In this world of “twitter chitter chat”, following has suddenly become cool. Do you agree? I follow several people on twitter and some of them I know, but the majority of them I don’t know. I guess I don’t have to know them and should be glad they are following me, right? Well, I am very thankful people want to follow me, because it means I am doing something right. I follow a few people who are very important to me and my success as an internet marketer. Who do you follow out side of twitter? Do you have a mentor? In the days when I was unsuccessful in internet marketing, I was a leader who didn’t like to follow anyone. I guess this is why I never succeeded. I had to take a cue from my early days and bury my pride and start following someone. Dean Holland and Alex Jeffreys were the two I chose to follow. These guys have given me a great foundation to build upon for my internet marketing future. Who do you follow and why? If you aren’t following anyone, maybe you need to start to be successful. Remember: no man is an island.
Darren McDuffie
“Internet Marketer”
“Who says Jocks aren’t smart?”
