Who Else Wants World Class Business Advice From Top Experts For Little or No Cost?

Well I’ll tell you, I certainly do! And why not? There’s plenty of it out there for the taking. As a matter of fact there’s more available these days than ever before in history. Why? Mainly because of the ease of access to both the material as well as those who have authored them… thanks mainly to the maturing of the Internet that is. There are educational and content rich web sites, blogs, podcasts, videos, seminars, teleseminars, and we can go on and on and on here. However, for all of that new technology that exists today, in my opinion, there’s still one medium that stands head and shoulders above the rest… especially when we consider getting the most bang-for-the-buck!

So what am I talking about here? I’m talking about books!

Books are one of the most effective and inexpensive ways of allowing you to climb inside the mind of someone who has been there and done that. Besides providing tremendous insight, they can save you years of struggle.

Personally on average I read about a book a week from either the “self-help”, “business” or “marketing” categories. I share this with you not to impress you in any way but to impress upon you the importance of reading. Does this mean you need to be as voracious a reader as I am? Absolutely not! I read as much as I do for a variety of reasons, one of which is just the fact that it’s one of my favorite hobbies… I do it for fun. It just so happens that my hobby brings with it a whole host of residual benefits for me and my business as well.

Now I am a firm believer that if you were to study maybe just a couple of great books from each of the categories I just mentioned to you a moment ago, and diligently practiced applying the wisdom they so generously shared, you would probably see a significant increase in your success.

Often when I’m working with a client I’ll recommend a book or two that would significantly further their success… some clients willingly take on the challenge by running out, buying the book and devouring it immediately. These are typically the clients that seem to move along their path to success the fastest. Then there are the other clients who kick and scream the whole way… making every excuse in the world why they can’t read what I recommended. Some of the excuses I hear the most are:

“I don’t have time to read.” Come on… isn’t your future worth a measly 15 minutes a day? At that pace, you could still finish about 26 books over the next year.

“But I don’t like to read.” Well then try an audio book and listen instead.

“I can’t afford to buy the books I want.” Well than fortunately for you, in America we have a place called a Library where you can borrow them for free.

Now I have to say my responses here were quite gentle… more gentle than I’d like to be because if you’re serious about taking your business and your life up a notch, there is simply no excuse for not reading.

So in closing, when was the last time you read a book on marketing? How about any business book for that matter? Or better yet how about a book in the self-help genre because if you’re anything like most people, it’s always best to get you out of your own way first; This way, the business and marketing strategies and tactics that you’ve picked up in the other books can stand a chance at succeeding. Ooh… that’s a bit harsh, however it’s said with only the best intentions for you!

Anyhow, let me leave you with a powerful quote from someone that many consider a guru to the stars in business and that’s Jim Rohn… and he once said, “Most homes valued at over $1,000,000 have a library. That should tell us something.”

© 2008 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then check out Long Island-based marketing coach and consultant, Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal' at http://www.MotivationalMarketer.com. Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute' at http://www.onlinemarketingmuscle.com/marketingminute/ , -- a weekly multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

Dean Mercado, Online Marketing Muscle, success articles, business advice, books, reading, web sites, blogs, podcasts, videos, seminars, teleseminars, self-help, marketing

5 Tips to Empower Your Web Site to Sell for You

Hey small businesses can use all the sales and marketing help they can get… am I right or am I right?!

The typical small business just doesn’t seem to have the means to hire the team they need to bring in the business. This is a big problem that typically forces the small business owner to try to go it alone… becoming the so-called “Chief Cook & Bottle-Washer”.

Now where there’s a will, there’s a way and there are ways around this dilemma. One way which we’ll discuss here is to empower your web site to become a virtual sales person. How? Well here are 5 tips to help make that happen:

1. Provide Lead Generation
It’s simple… Everyone loves free stuff. So the idea here is to offer something for free on your web site that your ideal prospect would love to get their hands on. In exchange, all you ask for is their contact information and the right to market to them going forward. Essentially you are dangling a carrot in front of them… a carrot in the form of a free special report, a free newsletter, a free eBook, free tips and tricks, free discount coupon, or a free whatever.

Chances are if they’re interested enough to sign up at your web site, they may be interested in what you offer at some point.

Keep in mind, you should be trying to build or solidify a relationship here with your prospects, not sell them; so this free giveaway must be value driven not sales pitch driven.

2. Establish or Further Your Credibility and Brand
Since people most often buy from people they know, like, and trust, your web site can be a great tool in helping build the comfort level needed to influence your prospects to buy from you.

Some great ways of doing this are by providing references, case studies, and testimonials of satisfied customers. These forms of unbiased third-party justifications are powerful at removing the fears out of doing business with you!

3. Provide Pre-sales and Post-sales Support
The possibilities here are endless. Tactics can go from as simple as a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page on your web site to more interactive methods such as blogs, forums, online chatting, and more. These tactics are great to help convert those prospects who are either “sitting on the fence” or just can’t seem to get enough information to make a decision.

4. Allow Prospects to Buy Your Products and Services Directly From Your Web Site
Hey if your prospect is ready to buy, they’re ready to buy. Why stand in their way? Give them the ability to buy whichever products or services that you see fit right from your web site using either their credit card or some other immediate means such as PayPal.

The bottom line here is that people buy first with emotion and then justify their purchase afterwards with logic. So capitalize on that emotion… Get them while they’re hot so to speak and help them justify their purchase afterwards with your stellar post-sales support.

5. Provide Full Contact Information
This final tip is one that may seem like common sense but I guess it’s not because I come across web sites all the time that either do not provide full contact information or hide it so well that it’s almost impossible to find.

The idea here is to make it real easy for prospects to find you both online and offline. Provide full contact information that at a minimum includes a phone number, a fax number, an email address, and a physical mailing address because the lack of providing one can make a prospect question whether or not you are a real business.

Best case scenario is to provide this information on every page of your web site this way you prospect has it at their fingertips if they want it.

So in closing, the key lesson here is leverage. If you got a web site, make it work overtime for you. Give it a chance to earn its keep. Why not? It cost you money to create it and even more to maintain it. Milk it for all its worth!

© 2008 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then check out Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal' at http://www.MotivationalMarketer.com. Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute' at http://www.onlinemarketingmuscle.com/marketingminute/ , -- a weekly multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

7 Tips to Become a “Rock Star” in Your Own Backyard without Breaking the Bank on Advertising

Let’s clear the air here. Advertising is not evil. In many cases it’s not even expensive… that is of course so long as it’s done right. However one thing I’ve learned by working with small businesses like you over the years is that you typically don’t have unlimited marketing budgets. Therefore wherever you spend your hard-earned marketing money must provide a sufficient return on investment (ROI). That being said, here are 7 tips that if leveraged properly, can save you a fortune in marketing dollars while still allowing you to become a “rock star” in your own backyard:

1. Be In the Know and Get Involved
Know what’s going on and rub elbows regularly with the who’s who of your local area. I’m a firm believer that wherever you choose to play... play hard.

2. Be a Connector
Now that you’re tuned into the local people, businesses, and events, always look for ways to connect them in ways that add value... people to people… people to businesses… businesses to people… people to events… and businesses to events. Trust me; your thoughtfulness will go a long way.

3. Educate, Educate, Educate
If you like to speak… regularly conduct local seminars and teleseminars. If you like to write… publish a blog or a newsletter. The key idea here is that regardless of the marketing medium you choose for delivery, position yourself as the local authority on your subject matter.

4. Become a Local Media Darling
Get to know, and regularly find ways to contribute to your local media. This goes for both online sources such as local web sites and Internet radio as well as offline sources such as radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and more. Remember, it’s one thing if you tell me you’re great. Maybe I’ll believe you, maybe I won’t. It’s quite another if an unbiased and respected third party such as the local media tells me your great.

5. Local Search Engine Optimization & Submissions
One of the first places people look… yes, even locally… for a business that provides what you do is online. They simply conduct a search in one of the many search engines like Google or Yahoo. Many of these search engines realizing the vast amount of local searches going on, as well as the potential revenue stream it brings, now offer local search engine counterparts (e.g. Google Local and Yahoo Local). In most cases this is a separate submittal process from the main search engine. Get listed in both!

6. Have a Content-rich and Useful Web Site
Face it, online color brochures just don’t cut it any longer. To be considered a viable solution for most consumers, you have to go the extra mile and provide them with clear-cut incentives to pay attention to and ultimately buy from you. Fortunately for small businesses, the Internet makes this very possible for a very reasonable cost. Think of your web site as an extension of your office or storefront… dress it up and nurture it the same way you would your physical space. Leverage it to magnetically attract your local target market by regularly providing resources to make their lives better.

7. Share the Wealth
Give back to the community… period! Regardless of how you give of yourself, at the end of the day, find ways to leave your community a little better than when you got there.

So in closing, just think about it for a minute… with gas prices continuing to rise… the costs of many products and services we use every day are as a result going up as well. We’ve got companies adding fuel surcharges to your tab now… costs of travel have skyrocketed… and quite honestly there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight… we’ll get there, it’s just going to take some extreme creativity and some time. In the meantime, as a small business it’s even more reason to step up your game locally. Customers are already incentivized by these rising costs to look for better deals. If they can save money by grouping together trips to several local businesses as opposed to spending the money traveling afar to get what they want, there’s a good chance they’ll look to fill their needs locally first. Be ready for this trend! Take immediate action on any or all of the 7 tips shared here to position yourself for success as the “rock star” in your backyard.

© 2008 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then check out Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal' at http://www.MotivationalMarketer.com. Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute' at http://www.onlinemarketingmuscle.com/marketingminute/ , -- a weekly multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

Social Networking: 10 Keys to Increase Your Networking Success Online (Part I)

Social Networking is all the rage! Web sites like MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Ryze, and more are popping up every day and working their way not only into our personal lives, but our professional lives as well. As a business professional, Social Networking can be your biggest boon… leading to new connections you may have not been able to make any other way – without great difficulty that is; Or, it can be your biggest bane… enticing you to continuously waste your most precious commodity, your time. The choice is yours. Social Networking can become whatever you want it to become for both you and your business. Now anticipating that you want value for your efforts, in this 2-part series, I’m going to share with you 10 keys that can help make your online Social Networking efforts a success.

1. Personalize Your Invitations to Connect
Just because you can hide behind your computer doesn’t give you an excuse to be lazy. Give people a reason to want to connect and network with you. Don’t send dry and impersonal invites to connect … ever! I don’t care who you’re looking to connect with. In my opinion, because of its already built-in cold nature, social networking requires even more personality and vitality injected into it, than traditional offline networking.

2. You’ve Got to Give In Order to Get
Nobody likes to hang out around the proverbial “taker”. You know… the type of person you don’t pick up the phone for when they call… thank you Caller ID! So to make sure you don’t end up like our friend “taker”, always be on the lookout for, as Dr. Stephen Covey says in his much heralded book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, opportunities to make deposits into the personal bank accounts of others.

3. Think Quality, Not Quantity
Social Networking shouldn’t be a popularity contest to see who has the most connections. You’re better off having fewer mutually lucrative and beneficial relationships than having tons of connections that bear no fruit.

4. Be Authentic
Nobody likes a liar… a cheater … a fake… a phony… or whatever you call someone who presents themselves as something they’re not. Be true to yourself and others and your natural magnetism will shine through. And it’s that magnetism that brings stronger more genuine connections that can really bring results. Yes we can all improve our game a bit here or there but, trust that you’ll bring more to the table when you’re being yourself.

5. Open the Door and Let Them In
The more you’re willing to share about yourself, the more parallels others can draw between you. These parallels can serve as a great stimulus for conversations to begin. Having things in common certainly helps break down comfort-level barriers. People tend to be more willing to connect and engage in conversations with others who share similar backgrounds, experiences, tastes, hobbies, et cetera. So be willing to share a bit about you. Just be careful not to share anything you wouldn’t want everyone in the world to know because once it’s posted online, it’s available to all to see.

So in closing, remember that these keys only work if you diligently and consistently apply them. And I firmly believe that much like the offline world, strong relationships lie at the core of any and all business success.

© 2008 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then check out Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal' at http://www.MotivationalMarketer.com Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute', -- a weekly multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

Technorati Tags: Dean Mercado, Online Marketing Muscle, social networking, networking, web sites, MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Ryze

A 4-Phase Approach for Ongoing Web Site Success

If I could help the business world understand just one thing about Internet Marketing and more specifically web sites, it would be that web sites have to be continuously nurtured in order to continually thrive on the Internet.

Your web site is not a set it and forget it type of thing. Well, I guess it could be, however it probably wouldn’t serve you very well for long -- if at all.

Now regardless of the type of web site you have, once it’s live, to ensure it’s continual value to both you and your target market, I highly recommend that you put it on a steady diet of what I call the “Web Site Success Cycle”.

Here’s how it works. In a nutshell the “Web Site Success Cycle” consists of 4-phases, “Drive”, “Convert”, “Analyze”, and “Tweak”. And essentially they get performed in a continuous loop throughout the entire life of your web site. Let’s take a look at each phase.

Phase 1: Drive

Regardless of how much money or effort you put into your web site, no traffic equals no value… for anybody. I mean how valuable can your web site be if no one sees it? And since the whole point of having a web site in the first place should be in one way, shape, or form to create value for both you and your target market, it’s critical that you leverage whatever marketing strategies and tactics that are at your disposal to drive traffic there.

Phase 2: Convert

So now you have all this traffic coming to your web site… now what? Well you need a conversion strategy that leads those visitors down the path you want them to take -- whatever that path may be.

For example, I recommend your conversion strategy at a minimum addresses first, turning each visitor into a qualified prospect… second, turning each prospect into a paying customer... and then third, turning each customer into a raving fan.

Phase 3: Analyze

As with any other of your marketing materials and campaigns, if your web site’s not pulling its weight so to speak, change it -- Time is money here. How do you know whether or not it’s pulling its weight? Well it all starts with having clear objectives of what you want your web site to do for you; Then establishing metrics that you can regularly analyze to determine if your objectives are being met.

Phase 4: Tweak

Based on your findings in the previous phase, this phase is all about making the changes necessary to meet or exceed your objectives for your web site. Whether those changes are ones to your web site or what you do in any of the other phases, it’s all about improving your bottom line.

You always want to ask yourself here, what else can I do to take my web site to the next level?

So that’s the 4-phases in a nutshell. And in closing I’d like to leave you with this last little tidbit of advice if I may… the better you work the “Web Site Success Cycle”, the better your bottom line!

© 2007 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then you won’t want to miss Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal'. Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute', -- a weekly multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

Technorati Tags: Dean Mercado, Online Marketing Muscle, internet marketing, web sites

15 Creative Ways to Make Your Business Card Sizzle

In my opinion, probably the most important and misused marketing collateral that small businesses have is their business card. Now I network an awful lot and tend to gather my fair share of business cards and I have to say, I’m often at a loss how people put such little thought and effort into constructing what very likely will become the lasting image that they leave me with. That being said, if you’re willing, with a little effort, you can use your expertly-crafted business card to easily stand out from the pack.

Let’s try a little exercise. Grab a handful of business cards that you’ve received from people you’ve met and spread them out on a table, face-up so that you can easily see all of them. Now take your eyes off the business cards for a minute and then look back at them. Select the top 5 business cards that for whatever reason just seem to catch your eye. Then analyze those business cards. What about them grabbed your attention and why? The idea here is to learn what works and what doesn’t work in terms of having an immediate WOW impact.

Now once you’ve grabbed their attention, at a bare minimum, I highly recommend that your business card contain the following staples: your name, business name, business address, phone number, email address, and web site address.

Now in my book, these should be a no-brainer. However, I can’t tell you how many times I get a business card from someone without one or more of them.

Another possibility for the above list of staples could be your “title”. However, I’m not crazy about titles and often they are more limiting than anything else. So unless they serve a dual purpose of maybe say communicating what you do, such as “Business Coach” or “Certified Financial Planner”, I’d leave it out and use the real estate for something more valuable.

Now are you ready to step up your game? Well alright -- here are 15 of my favorite tips that can make your business card really sizzle:

1. Use Both Sides of Your Business Card

I don’t know about you but the majority of the business cards I see very rarely take advantage of this precious real estate. Why? I couldn’t tell you. Just remember to leave a little white space if possible for the receiver of your business card in case they want to jot down a few notes about you.

2. Add Your Photo

Take it from a guy who networks a lot; don’t waste any opportunity to be remembered. A photo on a business card definitely makes your marketing work overtime for you and in my book should become a staple. Three of the most important benefits of doing this are one, that it’s personal, two, it establishes a comfort level with you, and three, it makes you easily recognizable.

3. State What You Do

Don’t make me guess. This is typically the kind of note someone will jot down on the back of you business card unless of course you make it easy for them and include it.

4. State Who You Do It For

Again make it easy for me to either hire or refer you.

5. State a Key Competitive Advantage -- Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Why buy from you? Give me a reason. What makes your product or service special? Include this little tidbit on your business card so your target market won’t soon forget.

6. Have a Call to Action

Clearly spell out for me what action you’d like me to take next (e.g. sign up for your newsletter, visit your blog, etc.)

7. Use an Odd Size or Shape for Your Business Card

Some possibilities may be a larger business card size, rounded edges, a specific and relevant shape like a flower if you’re a florist, etc.

8. Magnetize the Back of Your Business Card

People seem to have a hard time throwing away business cards if they are magnetized. As a matter of fact it’s pretty common that they’ll stick them on something like a file cabinet or a refrigerator.

9. Include Tips Related To Your Business

How about a list of 5 things to look for when hiring someone who does what you do? And obviously you can slant this towards your competitive advantages.

10. Include a Calendar on the Back-side of Your Business Card

This technique is one that can keep people referring back to your business card as often as possible.

11. Include Important Dates Hinting When Someone Should Think of You

If you’re an accountant serving small businesses, maybe you include important tax dates that they need to remember. If you’re a landscaper maybe you provide dates on when they should call you for specific services like mulching in the spring, pruning in the fall and so on.

12. Make It Serve Double-Time As A Frequent Rewards Card

Stamp it every time they buy something from you and after a certain number of purchases, give them something of value for free.

13. Make It Serve Double-Time As A Coupon to Use during Their Next Visit

Just leave a spot where you can handwrite an expiration date to cause some sort of urgency to purchase again soon.

14. Make It Serve Double-Time As an Appointment Scheduler

Just leave spots where you can handwrite the time and date of your next appointment.

15. Include Other Web Site URLs Where They Can Connect with You Further

For example your blog; your pages on Social Networking web sites such as MySpace, LinkedIn, or Ryze; Squidoo pages; etc.

So in closing, don’t miss this golden opportunity to have your business card work overtime for you. Implement one, two, or all of these techniques if they make sense of course and watch your business connections bear bigger and better fruits.

© 2007 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then you won’t want to miss Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal'. Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute', -- a weekly multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

Technorati Tags: Dean Mercado, Online Marketing Muscle, business cards, target market, blog, social networking, web sites, MySpace, LinkedIn, Ryze, Squidoo

9 Characteristics of a "Sticky" Web Site That Keeps Your Visitors Coming Back For More

It’s one thing to drive traffic to your web site once, it’s quite another to get those visitors to come back… let alone come back often.

Think about it, you get invited to a friend’s house for a little get together. How would you feel if all they did was talk about themselves all night? Probably pretty bored and maybe even a tad bit annoyed… right? Let alone be motivated enough to attend their next gathering. So why is it then that so many web sites out there do precisely that? They focus on me, me, me and not enough on the people who really matter… their target market.

And here’s a little secret for you. Your target market doesn’t care that much about you to sit their and listen to you go on and on about yourself. Their main concern is themselves and what you can do for them.

So let me ask you, is your web site all about you or is it all about adding value to your target market? Does your web site pass the “stickiness” test? In other words, do your visitors keep coming back? If so why? These are all serious questions that any small business with a web site needs to answer.

In order to answer questions like these, it’s important for us to discover what exactly makes a web site sticky in the first place. Well a great way to explore this concept is with an ad-hoc case study. So for me, I sat down with a pen and paper and just brainstormed a few different web sites that I frequented often. Who were they? And why did I keep going back? Let’s take a look at one of those web sites, Amazon.com. First off, I realized that I visit that site quite often, usually several times a week. Now the big question was why. So here’s what I came up with… 9 characteristics that made their web site sticky for me and kept me, the visitor, coming back for more:

1. They feed my insatiable appetite for what they offer… books… and they’ve got a phenomenal selection
2. They fuel my desire to consume more books by emailing me occasionally new recommendations based on my purchasing history
3. They make it easy for me to find out what’s new in the subjects as well as authors I’m interested in
4. I can express my opinions by both rating and reviewing books on their web site
5. They peak my curiosity by making me wonder what books they’re going to recommend for me each time I visit their web site
6. They personalize my experience by using my name on their web site and customizing the home page I see based on my preferences
7. They create a sense of community by allowing me to connect with other like-minded people as “friends”
8. They feed my ego by allowing me to position myself as an expert in any subject matter I choose by creating “Listmania!” lists and “So you’d like to…” guides
9. And lastly, they allow me to help others make great decisions by rating and reviewing books, creating “Listmania!” lists and writing those “So you’d like to…” guides

Now just to place some perspective on this exercise, I do understand that Amazon.com has a bit more money to spend on their web site than your typical small business; however there is still a lot we can learn from great web sites such as theirs. And not all of the greatness that their web site brings to the table cost big bucks. So take a closer look and see if there are any concepts you can learn from and model on your web site.

Also it’s important to consider what your target market would want from your web site. Maybe it’s all 9 of the characteristics I’ve shared… maybe it’s additional characteristics that didn’t show up in my ad-hoc Amazon.com case study. The best way to find out is to just ask your target market. Additionally, find out what web sites they frequent and why. You may be surprised at what you find out.

So in closing, I sincerely believe you will find that the more you continually look for ways to make your visitor’s experience a dynamic one, the more likely they will come back… over and over again. And the more they come back, the more likely they are to buy.

© 2007 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Liked this article? -- Then you won’t want to miss Long Island-based marketing consultant, coach, and entrepreneur Dean Mercado’s highly acclaimed marketing blog 'The Motivational Marketer’s Journal'. Additionally, for even more small business marketing and success tips, sample the latest edition of his FREE marketing tips newsletter the 'Marketing Minute', -- a weekly multimedia e-zine designed to give you a jolt of marketing wisdom in less than 5 minutes.

Technorati Tags: Dean Mercado, Online Marketing Muscle, web sites, target market, amazon.com, amazon, books

Secrets of the Internet Marketing Experts Series: 2 Keys to Higher Organic Search Engine Rankings

By Dean Mercado

I believe it’s safe to say that regardless of the type of web site you own, drawing the continual attention and favor of the major search engines is very important to your effectiveness on the Internet.

And since it’s never wise for a businessperson to leave their fate in someone else’s hands, it’s imperative that you continually take strides to improve yours.

Think of the Internet as a treadmill running at high speed, stand still and you will actually move backwards as your competitors who are willing to run, pass you by. To play the search engine marketing game, you need to keep your feet moving forward… not just enough to stay in the same place, but fast enough to keep you competitive by propelling you forward ahead of the pack.

That being said, it’s important to understand the motivation behind how the search engines work. Essentially, search engines are judged by you, the user, by their ability to bring you the best matches to whatever it is you’re searching for online -- their inability to do this effectively not only hurts their bottom line but also hurts the usability of the Internet in general.

So it makes a lot of sense that the search engines would take great care in ensuring they are doing the best job they possibly can to help you find what you’re looking for.

I have to say, they certainly have their work cut out for them though. There are tons of very smart people out there continually looking for and exploiting any and all loopholes in an attempt to slant the playing field in their favor. The search engines have essentially assumed the role of policing this activity in order to give all web sites an equal chance at achieving higher rankings. This is why top search engines like Google change their algorithms constantly -- if someone does manage to find and exploit a loophole, it won’t be available for very long. So unless you’ve got nothing better to do, trying to cheat the system is just not cost effective -- I highly recommend that you stick to the tried and true tactics.

What I’m about to share with you, are what I and many other Internet marketing experts consider the 2 most important keys to organically improving your search engine raking. Now are these the only things that the search engines take into consideration when ranking your site? -- Absolutely not! However, these two appear to be the main ones whose importance hasn’t waned over time. So here goes:

1. Fresh, Unique, Relevant Content

Ahh… how the search engines love this… that’s one reason they are so enamored with blogs… because blog content tends to be unique, focused on a specific topic, and updated frequently.

So whether though the posting of your e-zine issues to your web site, posting one-of-a-kind relevant articles, or hosting a discussion forum, just to name a few different things you can do, get into the rhythm and habit of adding in-demand content regularly – I’d recommend at least weekly.

2. Lots of One-Way, Incoming Links from Other High Ranked Sites

This is essentially social proof to the search engines that your web site is important -- and as we stated earlier, this is exactly what the search engines want -- they want to bring their target market the best matches available on the Internet.

Now for the most part, the more web sites that are linked to you, the better! Want to take it up a notch? Don’t just go for quantity, go for quality as well -- Get linked to by other relevant web sites. Want to take it up another notch? Get linked to by web sites that are ranked higher than you. Want to take it even further, have those web sites linking to you use keywords from your destination page as anchor text to represent your link… cool stuff here!

It also important to note that while one-way inbound links appear to be the best kind… this doesn’t mean not to do reciprocal links with other relevant sites… those are good too… they just may not be weighed as heavily as the one-way inbound ones.

So in closing, I’d like to leave you with the notion that if you want to get the most value out of your web site, it’s imperative that you put into place, and take consistent action on, both content and linking tactics for your web site immediately.

© 2007 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights Reserved.

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