Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2003 1:07 pm Post subject: Matching Skills with Projects
Hello -
I'm in a bit of a rut.
I built my site, am still adding content and trying to figure out how to generate more traffic - and how to convert traffic into sales. I'm not expecting the site to make a profit for awhile. I am trying to be realistic. I offer free items and those have been popular, but it sort of stops there. I am being optimistic and telling myself that this is a good time to build a reputation and trust.
In the meantime, I am trying to figure out how to best match my skills to my website projects. I can write and have visual arts skills (painting, drawing). But how can those be used? I know that I can use the writing skill to write site rticles and newsletters. Does anyone know anything about how to syndicate articles to other web sites? A web address to a free tutorial site would be great.
I guess I am in a quandary because I have some good skills but I cannot figure out quite how to apply them to the Internet. They must be compatible somehow.
Thank you for your time in advance - and thank you for all of the motivtional posts. They're invaluable!
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2003 4:12 pm Post subject: Re: Matching Skills with Projects
Hi Shelley,
I think your site content is awesome and the colors are great definately what parents are looking for when they want to help their children. I would offer one suggestion when it comes to the usability of your site and that is not to have new browser windows opening when people click a link that goes to another part of your site. This is for several reasons:
1. Some popup blockers will block the new window and people will get frustrated and leave thinking the link doesn't work.
2. People like the "back" button on their browser, if they are unsure of where they are in a site, they "know" they can click that back button and start over. When you open a new window for each internal link, they lose the ability to use the back button. And, believe it or not, recent usability studies have found that a large percentage of surfers, who are not involved with the internet on a daily basis, don't even realize the other window sits underneath until after they got frustrated and left the site.
A frustrated viewer is in no mood to buy
Shelley wrote:
... trying to figure out how to generate more traffic - and how to convert traffic into sales. I'm not expecting the site to make a profit for awhile. I am trying to be realistic. I offer free items and those have been popular, but it sort of stops there. I am being optimistic and telling myself that this is a good time to build a reputation and trust.
All the time is the best time to build reputation and trust, so don't let that stop you from experimenting with different things to improve your traffic and conversion rate.
Free things can bring in traffic but will sometimes make it harder to convert. Don't give away the farm Use your free items, and articles, as teasers to lead your audience into your Most Wanted Response. What is your MWR? Is it signups for your newsletter? (say yes!) Is it better sales? (say yes!) Is it feedback from your viewers? (say yes, again! LOL)
Each page of your site should have an MWR. It can be different on each page, it can be the same throughout the site, or it can vary, with groups of pages dedicated to getting the MWR that best meets the content of those pages. But most of all ... don't be afraid to ask for your MWR on your pages! I know I was scared to ask the first few months my site was getting traffic, but I am not anymore! If you don't ask, you don't get ... at least not as much as what you would if you asked!
And, also, don't be afraid to offer a secondary MWR in case they just don't want the primary one at that time.
Side note: Don't make clicking Adsense ads one of your MWR's ... Adsense publishers who do that risk ejection from the program, and loss of earnings unpaid to date.
Re: traffic ... obviously the most important thing is to submit to the SE's and directories. But also, seek out portals that relate to children, education, and mom sites. Request link exchanges. This will not only help with the SE's in several ways (ranking and more frequent site indexing), but will also help you build referral traffic between your site and the sites with which you link.
Shelley wrote:
In the meantime, I am trying to figure out how to best match my skills to my website projects. I can write and have visual arts skills (painting, drawing). But how can those be used? I know that I can use the writing skill to write site rticles and newsletters. Does anyone know anything about how to syndicate articles to other web sites? A web address to a free tutorial site would be great.
I submit articles to a variety of sources that I found by searching Google for "submit article." Each of the sites offers instructions on how to submit the article (format, copy and paste, text file, etc.) I am sure you can find a nice assortment of places that will tie into your theme. Be sure and include your resource link and paragraph with each article you submit, and make it a requirement, to be included in the article, of anyone who wishes to post your articles on their sites.
If you want a do-it-yourself solution Willmaster.com offers a great selection of very top quality scripts, including Master Syndicator. There are also some free scripts there but they are all top quality.
You can also search out the various free script places to find scripts you need, but you need to be a little careful. Not all scripters are as careful about their coding as we might like.
Shelley wrote:
I guess I am in a quandary because I have some good skills but I cannot figure out quite how to apply them to the Internet. They must be compatible somehow.
Hmmm, thinking here ... you have writing skills, art skills, love children (obviously), know what they like to read ... have you ever thought about writing your own children's books?
They could be hardcover, printed (don't know how to do this, or how expensive it is though) ... they could be printable ebooks the parents can download and print right away (so very easy and doable at practically no cost to you!) You could even offer a small free ebook they can view or download right online as a teaser for your other ebooks.
Then, once you have a selection of ebooks to sell, you could start your own affiliate program for other sites to refer buyers to your site! With Clickbank you can do both the sales and affiliate program as one package deal ... set up is around $50 US, and they pay your affiliates directly and you, every two weeks. Refunds, once authorized by you, are also handled by Clickbank a relatively simple way to go. A lot of the top internet marketers use Clickbank to sell their how to books online.
The wonderful thing about ebooks ... is the immediate satisfaction the buyer gets when they don't have to wait for an item to be shipped.
Just a few things to hopefully help you along.
Best wishes,
Debs _________________ Learn how to turn keyphrases into quality, well-targeted articles your visitors and SE's will love with Gary Antosh's new ebook "Web Content Made Easy!"
Joined: 01 Aug 2003 Posts: 1126 Location: London, England
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2003 7:41 pm Post subject:
Hi Shelly,
Quote:
Does anyone know anything about how to syndicate articles to other web sites? A web address to a free tutorial site would be great.
Not exactly a tutorial, but they do have information about the sort of things that information article publishers look for. A great place to submit articles too.
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2003 7:58 pm Post subject: Re: Matching Skills with Projects
Hello Shelley.
Debs wrote:
I would offer one suggestion when it comes to the usability of your site and that is not to have new browser windows opening when people click a link that goes to another part of your site.
I agree. For internal links stick to the same browser window. For external links, it's another matter altogether. I don't like waving goodbye to any visitors, if I can help it.
Debs wrote:
And, believe it or not, recent usability studies have found that a large percentage of surfers, who are not involved with the internet on a daily basis, don't even realize the other window sits underneath until after they got frustrated and left the site.
Not sure I wanted to know that... terrifying, if true.
Debs wrote:
If you want a do-it-yourself solution Willmaster.com offers a great selection of very top quality scripts, including Master Syndicator. There are also some free scripts there but they are all top quality.
Will Bontrager is both approachable and human (not a geek).
Debs wrote:
...have you ever thought about writing your own children's books?
They could be hardcover, printed (don't know how to do this, or how expensive it is though)
Bob McElwain offers an interesting solution for short runs of real paper books. I haven't used his service, but I'm thinking of a paper book to help gain credibilty (as a real author) - shh! don't tell anybody - and this is where I'm going to look...
Charlie, excellent resource on printed books I subscribe to his newsletter and always find great tips ... no idea why I didn't think of him! LOL
Shelley, you can do the ebook thing, test the waters, then branch out into printed books to market locally ... the sky's the limit!
This is a link on the browser back button and usability studies from Jakob Neilson's Alertbox site (the most referenced resource for usability on the web)
Debs _________________ Learn how to turn keyphrases into quality, well-targeted articles your visitors and SE's will love with Gary Antosh's new ebook "Web Content Made Easy!"
Posted: Sun Oct 05, 2003 11:26 pm Post subject: Thank you
Thank you all so much for your helpful information. I printed the responses so I can read them over and over. It's a lot of info! I really do appreciate your generous help.
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definately what parents are looking for when they want to help their children. I would offer one suggestion when it comes to the usability of your site and that is not to have new browser windows opening when people click a link that goes to another part of your site. This is for several reasons:
