Guest Posts Archives - Page 4 of 4 - Affiliate Marketing with Missy Ward, Affiliate Summit Co-Founder & Co-CEO

Rapportive is a Helpful Networking Tool for Gmail Users

by Shawn_Collins

Rapportive is a contact management browser plugin for Gmail that is really useful for networking online.

When you send or receive an email to a contact, Rapportive pops up a column on the right with details on the social networks for that person.

You can see their photo, recent Tweets, links to their Facebook and LinkedIn (who acquired Rapportive recently), and more.

I often meet people for lunch I’ve never met before, and it’s hugely helpful to get a picture of the person, as well as to be able to get more of a feel for them through their various social networks.

The same goes for meeting new people at conferences.

Sure, you could do that legwork on your own, but you might not find the correct accounts for a given name.

Also, it makes it easy to connect on these networks with the contact, and establish a rapport. Cool, free tool – check it out.

Get Rapportive at http://rapportive.com/.

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What’s the Value of a Hyperlink? Try $58,000.

by Oliver Roup

One morning this past November, as my team was reviewing highlights from the previous days’ customer metrics, something caught our eye: a purchase for $58,000. After a few minutes of digging, we found that on an evening earlier in the week, an individual browsing an automotive site had come across a post that discussed a particular pontoon boat — complete with floating bar and tiki torches. The visitor had clicked the link the site owner provided and ultimately purchased the item for a hefty $58,000.

We know that links within content have an intrinsic value, particularly from an SEO perspective. They convey authority, build relationships, and generate traffic. But, we often don’t pay enough attention to the revenue opportunity they present. In the case of the automotive site owner, he generated tens of thousands of dollars in revenue for an online merchant. In return (he was monetizing his content’s outbound links using VigLink), he saw his revenue on a per-click basis triple post-sale, soaring to over $1.20 per click. And while a $58,000 purchase is certainly substantial, it isn’t as uncommon as one might think; we regularly see publishers generating sales for computers, cars, and pricey collector items from $1k to $100k+.

It begs the question: if a single link can generate tens of thousands of dollars in business, why aren’t we giving more thought to the links we include on our sites? We obviously want to maximize a reader’s time on our site, and for links to enhance a reader’s experience, but why can’t they also be sensibly integrated into a broader monetization strategy?

Here are three areas publishers can invest their time in order to get more out of the hyperlinks they include on their site.

Tracking Outbound Links

The first step to incorporating outbound links into your monetization strategy is to understand where you are sending traffic. And what value is created after a reader leaves your site.

Omniture (paid) and Google Analytics (free — but requires a modification to the standard Analytics code you add to your site) both offer tools to help you understand what happens when a reader leaves your site.

Practicing “Sensible” Linking

Think before you link. Once you know where your readers are going when they leave your site (and even better, what they are doing), you are in a much better decision to decide what words to link and where to link them to.

A couple examples of what I mean by this:

If traffic sent to a particular retailer produces more actions (e.g. sales) than a comparable retailer, focus links on the former.
Links that never get clicked are just noise. Replace them with alternative text or remove them altogether and focus on adding links to other areas of the page.

When in Doubt, Link

It’s time consuming to determine what pieces of content on your site would benefit from an added link, but it’s well worth it. When speaking with publishers, I recommend that they air on the side of generosity when linking. If content references a product, service or brand, always include a link. And similarly, look for areas that indirectly reference these same products and consider weaving sensible links into those sections as well.

As long as you are careful not to rely on a link insertion service that adds only tangentially related links (which can negatively impact user experience), you’ll rarely encounter a reader that is turned-off by an additional link.

What’s Next for the Hyperlink?

In the near future, I wouldn’t be surprised to see links within content go the way of banner advertisements, with links being dynamically selected based on reader behavior and advertiser preferences. In the long-run, the shift will be a win for readers (fewer irrelevant links), advertisers (who will enjoy better targeting), and publishers (who will have better content and see a new revenue stream from their content). But first, publishers must realize the value they are creating with each hyperlink they add to their site.

About Oliver Roup

Oliver is the Founder and CEO of VigLink, a content monetization company. He has over 15 years of software experience and has previously served as a Director at Microsoft in charge of product for various media properties including XBOX Live Video Marketplace, Zune Marketplace and MSN Entertainment. Oliver was also an early employee at Internet Radio pioneer Echo Networks and has worked for Paul Allen at Vulcan, for iPlayer at the BBC and for the Founders Fund. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science from MIT and his MBA from the Harvard Business School.

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Kickass Resources for Women Entrepreneurs by @Sugarrae

by Rae_Hoffman

Sugarrae.com Rae Hoffman KickAss Resources for Women

Missy recently discussed how affiliate marketing shatters glass ceilings and I've echoed those opinions in years past with my note to fellow women of SEO. I don't now and never have seen “being a woman” as a disadvantage to my business success.

But, between running my affiliate marketing blog and co-owning a service that allows small business owners to incorporate online, I come into contact with many female entrepreneurs who DO seem to feel like being a woman is an “obstacle” they need to overcome.

But you know what? Being a woman in business can be an advantage – IF you embrace it and look to use it as an empowerment tool instead of an excuse – in the right places. Because the fact is that most successful female entrepreneurs that I know have a special place in their hearts for other female entrepreneurs and love helping them whenever possible.

So, without further ado, I give you five kickass resources (some paid, some free) for female entrepreneurs:

Ladies Who Launch
From networking opportunities to training opportunities to promotional opportunities to funding and finance opportunities, Ladies Who Launch is a ridiculously knowledgeable and supportive network with TONS of local chapters that hold “in person” events. This network is FILLED with successful women who've “done it” and want to help other women do it too.
Price of membership: 199-399 per year

National Association of Women Business Owners
Tons of local chapters offer local networking and training. The association has over 7,000 active members with over 70 local chapters. They have a ton of women who volunteer as leaders to mentor new female business owners within those local chapters too. Add that to their local leadership seminars and national conference and you have a powerhouse of female entrepreneur education.
Price of membership: Varies depending on your business category

The SBA Office of Women's Business Ownership and Entrepreneurial Development
The SBA's female entrepreneur division offers access to “Women Business Centers” throughout the United States. From training to grants, the WBCs offer women access to seasoned entrepreneurs and advice some female business owners may not otherwise be able to afford as well as offering a ton of free online courses to all new business owners.
Price of membership: Free

The National Association of Professional Women
NAPW, like many of the above, have tons of local chapters that offer you face to face networking opportunities with successful women business owners through local trainings and monthly lunches. In addition to their national conference, they also offer members online resources, such as their Women's Business Resource Center which offers detailed information for female start ups and walks you through everything from creating a business plan to planning for financial expenses.
Price of membership: Varies by level, but the first year is more expensive with your yearly renewal being much cheaper

SCORE
Now, SCORE is not a resource specifically for women, but it has amazing information and help available to any new small business owner. They have over 13,000 mentors in 364 chapters. SCORE pairs you with a mentor in your field who has experience with your specific business type. From planning to expansion to financing – they can advise on it all. I've been using the help of SCORE mentors for almost a decade now.
Price of membership: Free

Remember though that the key to these networking groups is GETTING INVOLVED. You have to attend the luncheons and make time for chapter meetings. But if you do, you will likely find that the knowledge, advice and referrals you get as a result are well worth the effort.

Lastly – a note specifically aimed at female affiliate marketers:
You are not a website owner, you're an entrepreneur. Follow publications like WOMEN Entrepreneur. Follow other female entrepreneurs on Twitter (women like @missyward and @soniasimone to name two that you should be following). Stop thinking of your smartphone as simply access to Facebook and Twitter and fill it with apps that will help you get ahead. Change how you view yourself internally and the rest of the world will follow.

Rae Hoffman-Dolan aka Sugarrae Rae Hoffman-Dolan aka “Sugarrae” is an affiliate marketing veteran and an (extremely) occasional Houston SEO consultant specializing in SEO audits and link building strategies. She is also the author of the often controversial Sugarrae blog and the SVP of Marketing for Speedy Incorporation Services. You can connect with Rae via Twitter.

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The Basics on Search Engine Optimization for Online Marketing

by James_Mowery

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a technique webmasters use to get search engines like Google to index and rank their websites well. It’s one thing to build a fantastic website, but if no one can find it, it’s useless. The goal for every webmaster is to have their website appear on the first page of a search listing for their product or service.

Search engines use web crawlers to index websites. This happens when a crawler visits your site and gathers information to determine its subject matter. SEO is when webmasters plant clues, such as keywords, within their websites so that crawlers are able to index and rank them correctly.

Keywords are words or short phrases that searchers use to find information online. The goal is to select keywords that are popular to searchers, but not so popular with webmasters.

Keywords should be added to every page, and within the HTML tags for “keywords,” “description,” and “title,” as well as the “alt” attributes for all images. When writing content, add keywords in headings (H1) and subheadings (H2-4), and within the first and last paragraphs on a page. Search engines recognize websites that are all keywords and no content, so don’t go crazy or your website may be penalized.

Links within a website are helpful for search engines to crawl around your site. Make sure your links take crawlers on an easy journey through your website, but don’t run them around in circles.

Back-links are links on the internet that lead to your website. The more back-links the better because they bring visitors to your site, and that looks good to search engines. You can add back-links by adding content to other sites and adding a link to your signature, or adding comments to blogs and adding a link back to your site.

Not only should your content have keywords, but it should be updated regularly. Search engines will continue to crawl updated sites in order to keep their indexing up to date.

SEO is a fundamental step in building a successful website. It is also a work in progress, so don’t be afraid to change keywords and content periodically to see what works.

About the author: James Mowery is a computer geek that writes about technology and related topics. To read more blog posts by him, go to http://www.laptopcomputers.org/

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