Keyword research is a skill which is central to internet marketing. At it’s simplest:-

By knowing which search terms are used by our target market, we can position our products and services on the internet with a view to gaining maximum exposure and return on investment for our marketing costs.

In other words, keyword research is central to the goal of internet marketing, which is sending targeted traffic to relevant offers. It is also invariably linked with attempting to have our web presence rank highly in the search engines for those relevant topics.

The precise methods used to undertake keyword research, and the information we need to ascertain about potential keywords, will differ according to the use we intend to make of them. However, as keyword research is such an integral preliminary foundation to so many marketing practices, it’s worthwhile exploring the basics as a precursor to more advanced marketing strategies.

It is important to understand that keyword research is not as simple as ascertaining which keywords are most searched for on any given topic. There are three primary considerations/tasks when deciding which keywords you are going to focus on for your marketing.

First and foremost, it is essential to have some familiarity with your target market. In doing so, you can then brainstorm a list of keywords which can be used to promote your product or service using highly relevant terms. Some industries have terms which are specifically associated with that industry. Think of it as similar to using slang. If you know the vernacular used by the target audience, you have a better chance of getting their attention. Using an example, in Australia, filing for bankruptcy is often simply referred to as ‘filing a Part 10’.

Hot Tip – Public forums are a great way to gain familiarity with the language used by our target market. Try doing a search for ‘keyword forum’ where keyword is your relevant topic.

Search Volume is of course, important. If no one is using a keyword to search for a topic, it is of limited value. However, it is important to keep in mind that whilst keywords which are generic in nature might have high search volumes, and therefore can potentially result in large amounts of traffic, they are frequently highly competitive. In addition, they are often non-specific and may not result in the targeted traffic we need to generate sales.

As an example, if we were a company that specialized in selling ‘quad core processors’, the term ‘computers’ might not be the best term to use, even though the word computers has a massive search volume. A person who puts in the term ‘computer’ is just as likely to be looking to buy a whole new computer, or a disk drive, or memory, or a range of other things not really related to our quad core processors.

Generally, it is better to find keywords which may have a lower search volume, but which are clearly relevant to the product or service we are offering. In the above example, the term ‘computer’ is searched for almost 9,000 times per day on the primary search engines. Conversely, ‘quad core processor’ is searched less than 40 times. However, the latter keyword is far more likely to result in a person who is looking to buy our product clicking on our link as there is a high correlation between their search term and our product. This is also more likely to result in a sale (also known as a conversion).

This dynamic ties in with the points raised above in relation to search volume. Your goal in marketing is to gain exposure with your relevant market or audience. It is essential to find a balance between using keywords which generate targeted traffic, but which aren’t so competitive that your web presence gets buried in the search rankings.

Returning to our earlier example, a search for ‘computer’ on Google returns 1,430,000,000 results. Ouch. The prospect of us getting on the first page of Google for a search with that term are staggeringly unlikely. A search for ‘quad core processor’ returns only 550,000 results. Far better, but still a large volume of competition. Scraping our way onto page 1 is still going to take a lot of effort. How about we refine our keyword again? Let’s try ‘Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor’. This search term has 150,000 competing search results, and still gets around a dozen searches per day. This is still competitive, but a far cry from the one and a half billion results our first attempt gave us.

Let’s try another example. Let’s say we are promoting an ebook on aspergers. The term aspergers has 1,400,000 results and is searched for 1300 times a day. This is highly competitive.

The term ‘aspergers syndrome and definition’ however only yields 70,000 competitors but is searched for almost 70 times daily. Whilst not perfect, with good marketing practices it should be possible for us to rank fairly well for this keyword, and start to generate some of our own quality traffic.

Keywords with more than three words in them are known as Long Tail Keywords. Refining our keywords or key-phrases even more has the desired effect of uncovering keywords with lower competition but which still generate sufficient traffic.

Frequently it is far more lucrative to focus on a group of specific highly targeted long tail keywords which each generate a small number of leads each day, compared to one generic word which is so competitive it’s almost impossible for us to take a slice of the traffic pie. Quite simply, this is because long tail keywords have less competition, enable us to rank well in the search engines, and so generate ongoing organic (free) traffic. It also has the advantage of sending highly targeted traffic to our products or services, which increases the likelihood of their search converting into a sale or a new customer.

Whilst our analysis of competition must ultimately go further than a simple comparison of the numbers of competing sites for a particular term, it’s a good starting point.

In Summary

A careful consideration of these three factors will take us a long way in making certain that our keyword research ultimately yields results, and allows us to use good search engine optimisation techniques to improve our web presence. The next obvious question is how do we do it, and what tools are available to help us?

Everybody loves marketing software, particularly core software like keyword trackers, duplicate content trackers, and affiliate link cloaking software. People love them even more when they are free! Those very tools prove integral if you’re considering participating in serious online marketing, and there’s no harm in adding them to your arsenal sooner rather than later.

I had intended to focus on new content today and start developing my next thread, focusing on Affiliate Marketing, which is often the first stepping stone by which new marketers launch down the path of creating their own internet marketing empire (well….it was one of the first thing’s I tried anyway). But, since I’m in the unusual position of being able to help new marketers with a few handy little pieces of software, I thought I’d have a crack at that instead.  They are humble looking things, but do the jobs they were designed to do.

It’s stuff you could easily be coaxed into spending money on, and the sort of core software you can make use of every day. It does also make a great bonus or giveaway, because with this software you get 100% give-away rights.  Giddy up. 

Don’t forget to sign up for the mailing list, because I aim to spit out some more free marketing software for you to download on a regular basis.  Nah, I’m not going to force you to join the list to get your hands on this stuff, but you’d be silly not to.

So what’s on offer?

Guru Or Bust Keyword Tracker

-This keyword tracker adopts standard search engine keyword tracking to enable you to quickly choose the best keywords for your market, article, ad etc.

-For those who don’t already know, I’ll cover in greater detail in other posts why choosing the best keywords is integral to so many aspects of internet marketing.

-This little tool is particularly handy when searching for adwords keywords, and has some great keyword list management tools. The ease with which you can use this tool is it’s strongest asset.

Guru Or Bust Duplicate Content Tracker

-Compares two articles side by side and reveal to you the percentage of duplicated content between the two articles

-Shows you exactly which are the parts that are duplicated using different color highlighting

-Saves you time and effort when rewriting articles due to the easy comparison Displays the keyword density of each article for the keyword you’ve chosenHelps to check on your freelance writers work and ensure all your content are not duplicated and will never be penalized by the search engines

Guru Or Bust Affiliate Link Cloaker

With this software you can:-

-Hide your ugly affiliate links and boost your click through rate by at least 200%

-Protect your affiliate links and keep your hard earned commissions from being stolen from nasty affiliate thieves.

-Redirect your cloaked links to any site of your choice so that others won’t even notice it’s an affiliate link (and you still credited for your commissions!).

-Give you the ability to bypass merchant’s squeeze pages and send your prospects directly to their sales pages or even the order page.

-Provide you the luxury of linking to even your own sale pages that you’ve created or other marketing materials in the event your merchants’ sales pages are of inferior quality.

All Products Come With 100% Give-Away Rights

To Get More Free Monthly Software, Updates and Special Offers, Sign Up For The Internet Marketing Guru Or Bust Newsletter

Love him or hate him, when Richard Earl of Rising Dawn Marketing and “10k in 30 Days” sets out to silence his competition by giving away a swag of Internet marketing products, we fellow marketers can’t help but profit by jumping on the bandwagon.

The ‘Give Before You Take’ philosophy appears to be the driving force behind the self proclaimed success of this  marketer, who more or less exploded into the Internet marketing scene and hasn’t looked back since.  It’s his unorthadox approach to marketing, which is encapsulated in Rising Dawn Marketing, which seems to cause waves of support, interest, and even some opposition from the old guard.  His next project, Dominance Marketing, is assured of causing a feeding frenzy amongst established and would be marketing sharks alike. 

Richard Earl is currently giving free access to information, video tutorials, and software tools which ordinarily one might fully expect and be glad to pay for.  That of itself offers incentive for new marketers to obtain some solid, functional tutelage for the relatively paltry cost of your name and email address, which will see you subscribed to the Rising Dawn Marketing email list.  This of itself isn’t a bad thing, as it enables the chance to see the cut of Richard Earl’s jib and make an informed decision of whether making a fiscal contribution for more of his insight’s is likely to prove profitable. 

The current Rising Dawn Marketing package includes the following:

1. Traffic Gold Mines, which of itself normally retails for $97, includes some worthwhile video’s which cover traffic generation with a healthy emphasis on good keyword research, article marketing, and the use of social networking.  It also provides some advice on becoming seen as an authority in your chosen niche, and how to earn the trust of your prospective market. 
2. A section on rapid money making techniques designed to put some quick cash in your pockets whilst focusing on bigger things.   
3. A blog which has been regularly updated over the last few months which covers in some detail the elements of the Rising Dawn Marketing methodology, and compliments the manifesto which provides the tactics to be followed to start making money online.
4. A copywriting package which includes 5 Step Sales Letter writing and a guide on 26 psychological triggers any copywriters need to know.  Whilst this is a revamp of PLR material it’s still recommended reading.
5. A Camtasia Studio tutorial, the use of which ties in with some of the rapid product creation methods contained withing Rising Dawn Marketing. 
6. A Wordpress tuturial which helpfully catalogues the various aspects of successfully setting up your own blog, and which plug-in’s will take it to the next level.

 The Skinny

There’s no question that if you are after some solid information then the Rising Dawn Marketing package is worth taking a look at.  All you have to loose at this point is time.  Most of the information is based on grounded methods which help form the foundation of more enterprising money making techniques.  It’s not overly gimmicky…and you can take away from it that which you see fit.  It’s of course important to remember that even the best information is worthless unless we as readers act on it.  You don’t have to love everything about Richard Earl to benefit from his internet presence.  I’ve used a lot of the techniques you’ll find in the free package, and I’ll keep using them because they work.

Is there a negative?  Well…Richard is extraordinarily good at convincing people to part with their money.  You’ll do well to remember that whilst he is clearly prepared to give to the wider marketing community, the bottom line is that he’s marketing to make money, and that money needs to come from you and I.  If you’re on his list, it’s sometimes difficult to avoid the lure and promise of future gains to be made enrolling in his newest workshop, which at present is Dominance Marketing.  That being said, there’s a lot to be gained from Rising Dawn Marketing, especially if you apply yourself to it with equal measures of diligence and discretion.  Ultimately, the choice of what you do with it is yours, but by signing on to the free package, it’s a choice you can now have which ten minutes ago you didn’t.  Best of luck, and feel free to email me if you would like more information on what experiences I’ve had using the information.

You can sign up to Rising Dawn Marketing.

Alexis Dawes Desperate Buyers Only is simply a MUST HAVE for new or intermediate marketers.

At some point in our Internet marketing careers, it is inevitable that our eyes will be drawn to the potential to be had by creating our own Internet marketing products.  Let’s face it…if we get to the point where we can make money selling other people’s products, we would be crazy to leave money on the table by not taking the next step of creating and and promoting our own.

But for those of us looking to make the switch from affiliate marketing as a seller, to affiliate marketing as a merchant, the element of product creation which is so integral to the change can feel like a quantum leap.  The good news is, it doesn’t have to be that way.

The Good

Desperate Buyers Only has been one of the best investments I have made in my Internet marketing education.  It’s not just that the book has a bunch of great info, which it does, it’s because of the way it is set out.  If you’re new to Internet marketing, you are almost guaranteed to have a ‘come to Jesus’ moment.  Alexis doesn’t just spin through some concepts you can use to make money and leave you wondering how they apply to the bigger picture, she provides a structural framework which makes the process of creating and selling your own information products make sense. 

Quite simply, I was glad I made the purchase because if nothing else, it helped me understand what the hell I was supposed to be doing.  I already knew a lot of what was contained in the book from numerous gruelling hours spent surfing the net, trying to scrape back all the unadulterated piffle to find the odd pearl of wisdom underneath.  What I hadn’t figured out was how to fit it all together into a process that was practical, and that worked.  Desperate Buyers Only solved this to a huge degree. 

The book takes you step-by-step through an all important process:

1. Finding a suitable market;
2. Creating fast but compelling content in a style your readers will love you for;
3. How to reach your market and find your desperate buyers;
4. How to create that all important sales copy to convert browsers into buyers;
5. Setting up a site that sells.

Alexis even provides specific examples of sites with products she has created to better demonstrate how the process works. 

What I really liked was that Desperate Buyers Only leaves aside the typical self effacing diatribe which is just far too common in information products.  You won’t once be asked to purchase some other ebook the author has created or sells.  Most of what you need is right there in the 90 odd pages of rich content. 

The Bad

There are a couple of things that aren’t covered in the book which, had they been included, really could have made Desperate Buyers Only the mother of all products. 

For starters, the question of generating traffic to make your chosen market aware of your product is in my view a fairly significant ommission, although it may have been a deliberate one.  There are some outstanding suggestions which are aimed to generate sales, and whilst the topic is perhaps too broad to be explored in detail, it forms such an essential part of the sales process that it is perhaps more deserving of attention.  You can have the best product in the world, but if no-one knows about it, it will do you little benefit. 

Desperate Buyers Only also remits the question of managing your affiliate sales, or the potential for generating sales through joint venture agreements or like vehicles.  These too are important steps in maximising a return on product creation investment, but to be fair could easily form ebooks in themselves.  The options are perhaps too numerous to assign to a single chapter.

Fortunately, these are dynamics readers can overcome with a little additional research.  In fact, I’ve included an added BONUS if you decide to purchase Desperate Buyers Only from this site which should go a long way to remedying any potential problems. 

The Skinny

If you are in any way new to Internet marketing, you simply cannot fail to learn from this book.  Even if you are fairly IM savvy, there are elements of Alexis’ presentation of how to really hook in buyers which still makes the content worth the investment.  It’s a solid, straight forward insight into what it takes to expanding your own empire and adding to your repertoire. 

Additionally, the customer service I have personally recieved from Alexis Dawes has been exemplary.  Even recently I lost my hard drive, and even some months after the original purchase, I was able to email her and was sent a fresh download link within hours. 

I know $77 is a lot for an ebook.  It’s probably one of the more expensive purchases I’ve made.  It’s also one of the few I haven’t regretted.

Grab your copy of Desperate Buyers Only (aff)

Be sure and get your special BONUS, from Guru or Bust (see details below).

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BONUS

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-One major mistake 98% of all webmasters make… and how to avoid it. (If you ignore this, not only will your customers leave you but also Google will punish you.)

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-Learn why two-way links is NOT always the best solution to get better results at search engines.

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-Learn how world’s top online stores can help you to be an authority figure in your niche and drive TARGETED traffic to your website for FREE.

-Discover the two secret places where people are eagerly waiting to visit your website. (They obviously ASK you to guide them to your website.)

-Once you find happy visitors, how to keep them coming back to your website. (You’ll learn more than one technique to achieve this result.)

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-Three letters (actually two, one of them is used twice) that can change the way you promote your website. (HINT: Stop wasting time sending people emails who don’t want to get them and focus on people who are interested in your content, products and services.)

-A simple strategy that can DOUBLE and even TRIPLE your web traffic right after you start to use it. (HINT: Guess how many people don’t speak English or prefer to visit a website in their own language?)

And much more!

To claim your Desperate Buyers Only bonus, simply email your Desperate Buyers Only confirmation receipt to ben@internetmarketingguruorbust.com

I remember when I was just starting to get interested in Internet Marketing (I mean, really just starting…like, a few hours in), I was trying to figure out exactly what it was.  I mean, I understood the technical definition which you can find just about anywhere, but what I was really looking for was the ‘vibe’ of the thing.  I recall thinking ‘why doesn’t some bugger just give me the skinny on what this is all about?’.  I later came to appreciate why it is that there isn’t really a definitive explanation, and I’ll explore this further below, but I decided one of the first things I wanted to do with this blog is provide would be marketers with the down-lo on this thing called Internet marketing.

Ok…the technical answer (try to stay awake, it is afterall, kinda important).  Internet marketing, also known as online marketing, is an umbrella term for utilising the internet to market products and services. As is the case with many generic terms, Internet marketing holds different meaning for different people. Even in the area of Internet marketers themselves, there are vastly different perspectives on what actually comprises internet marketing practices.

Broadly speaking, Internet marketing refers to the techniques employed to market a product or service online.

Internet marketing can be a legitimate business practice employed in the commercial sector by companies who’se primary activity may be both online or offline, and undertaken with a view to converting internet users into clients, customers or purchasers. However, to a large extent Internet marketing pertains to a body of online marketers who employ strategies focused on driving we internet users (referred to as traffic) to their own or an associated web presence, where we are then encouraged to purchase the marketers product or service.  There is an increasing trend towards offering electronic or information products (eBooks) or like material.  To many, Internet marketing looms as an attractive but often elusive opportunity to make money.

End sermon.

For those of us who haven’t swallowed an encyclopedia this morning, information products, eBooks, or online business are frequently the more circuitous route by which people become exposed to the concept of Internet marketing. A search for the more generic terms by which Internet marketing may be referenced, such as “home based business” or “make money online”, reveals a plethora (some 100,000,000) of results inviting us to become part of the online marketing revolution, and take our slice of the preverbial income pie. Catch phrases guarantee we can make money with little or no effort, in no time, and at no cost (apart from, of course, the small cost of the information product being offered).

There are some brilliant products and services out there, but from the perspective of those of us looking to Internet marketing as a genuine source of income, many online ventures are best left alone until we have a good grasp on the mechanics behind the glitz, glam and guarantees with which Internet marketing is so readily associated. The resounding reality is that many of the would be methods on offer won’t quite measure up to the prospect of generating a financial return which is promised.  It’s not necessarily because they don’t work, they just work much better if you know what you’re doing (Which most of us newby marketers don’t.  Be ok with that, embrace it, don’t let it bother you…I guarantee you’ll save yourself a truckload of heart-ache and frustration if you can).    

That being said, it’s not all bad.  There are legitimate and workable means by which we can make money online. The sheer weight of numbers advocating Internet marketing for that very reason is of itself a form of mutated truth, and to that extent the problem speaks to the solution. What we as marketers ought aim to do though, is to arm ourselves with the knowledge necessary to put in place those legitimate means, and provide something of value to our online prospects.

Broadly speaking, the elements and forms of Internet marketing strategies include the following:

• Affiliate Marketing
• Keyword Research
• Google Adwords
• Google Adsense
• Article Marketing
• Social Networking
• Web Design
• Search Engine Optimisation
• Generating Web Traffic
• Blogging
• Niche Marketing
• Product Creation
• Copywriting
• List Building
• Viral Marketing
• Public Label Rights

Without suggesting that the above is an exhaustive list, being able to understand what each element means and how it applies to Internet marketing takes us at least part way down the road to being able to make the internet work for us.

There are some amazing resources online, many of which I aim to have featured in future articles, and these can provide new or would-be marketers with the information they need to obtain a working understanding of Internet marketing. From my own experience to date, I can’t emphasise enough the benefit of using those resources as a starting point as opposed to opting in to anything even remotely resembling a ‘get rich quick’ scheme without understanding how the whole process works.  You don’t have to know it all, but it does help to know the basics.  It’s just too easy for newby marketers to be taken advantage of otherwise.  There is a saying in one of my favourite passtimes, poker, which states “If you don’t know who the fish is at the table…it’s probably you”.  The same can be said for marketing.  Be pro-active, but be smart.   

My biggest tip for anyone looking to start out in Internet marketing is READ…READ…READ.  Once we have, we can then ACT, and act appropriately.  Without the background knowledge, it can be all too easy for your fledgling efforts as an Internet marketer to exact a financial and emotional toll, the likes of which can end your marketing career before it has really started. I’m assured that it makes for a lengthier process, but a more worthwhile one.

As I like to say…Internet marketing won’t make me rich quick…but it might make me rich eventually.

The following is an article written especially for this blog by Steven Wagenheim, one of the Senior Warrior Members of the Warrior Forum.  I’m indebted to Steven, who has contributed some of the more genuinely insightful commentaries on what it takes to become a successful internet marketer.  I have found his unapolagetically matter of fact approach to educating new marketers as to the right mindset refreshing.  From personal experience, I think it’s important to appreciate that by obtaining the right frame of mind and realistic expectations,  we can then move forward with purpose and focus, and avoid floundering in the sea of would be marketers.

Steven Wagenheim

This straight to the point article is going to give you a pretty clear picture of what it REALLY takes to be successful as an Internet marketer. I have no doubt that the words to follow are going to rub a few people the wrong way. The truth usually does that. Well, better you know now than find out down the road. Making money online is no cakewalk. After you’re done reading, you’ll know why.

For starters, you need a solid work ethic. I’m not talking about, “Oh, I’ll put in a couple of hours when I get home from my real job.” That’s not going to cut it. If you treat your business like a hobby, that’s all you’re going to get out of it…hobby income…if that. If you want to get a full time income from working online, then you have to work it…full time.In addition to that, you need to be VERY organized. Making money online isn’t a simple matter of slapping together some cheesy web site and sending out a few ads. The amount of work involved is so mind boggling that it is very easy to lose track of things. So top notch organizational skills are a must. A great memory helps but if you don’t have it…write it down. Write EVERYTHING down. Don’t go scratching your head wondering what’s next.

You’re also going to need to develop killer writing skills. I’m not saying you have to be a top notch copywriter or anything like that, but almost everything you do, in relation to your business, comes down to writing. Your sales copy, your email ads, your autoresponder content, the articles you write, even the replies you send to prospects who ask you questions. Think you won’t get them? Think again. And if your answers are not clear and concise, you’re not going to get many sales. What about just plain knowledge…especially knowledge of advertising tactics? You can’t even begin to imagine how much is involved with running a business. You have web design, Adwords, web 2.0, forums, and on and on. The amount of information that you’ll need to absorb in order to run a business is astronomical. You could spend a small fortune alone just educating yourself. And guess what? You better, or you’re going to be so lost.