Carlo Selorio’s Internet Entrepreneur’s Journey

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After reading a fair bit of articles about Google’s pagerank, I’m starting to finally realise the importance of increasing your traffic by having great quality content and links.

I’ve gathered a few good article posts with their views about the pagerank from Google.

Courtney Tuttle talks about Options for Google to Legitimize Pagerank

Courtney also talks about John Chow gets Google Slapped Again Yaro Starak talks about the Pagerank Update in Progress

Bryan Clarke talks about Google Pagerank Updates In Progress

Darren Rowse really gives a good insight about Pagerank and to build a better blog

Lessons learned… Continue to provide quality content that will be eaten by the search engines specially Google. I was given the analogy about having to growing plants, when you provide good care and nourishment, good sunlight, and a good environment, The actual plant grows stronger and better and a greater chance of living a longer life span.

You can use this analogy with your websites and your blogs. If you provide:

• Great and unique content
• Stronger planned out articles
• Helpful tips and tricks for your readers

Your site will grow dramatic by:

• Visitors coming back regularly,
• Search engine bots soaking up your links.

As long as you maintain the quality and integrity of your site, You will automatically become an “Authority” in your niche.

If you do the time, you reap the benefits in the future.

To your Success,

Carlo Selorio

Popularity: 28% [?]

Have you ever taken a long trip and once you got where you were going, instantly forgot about all the discomfort associated with your journey because “it was worth the trip?” You forgot about the heat or the cold, cranky kids, impossible traffic, and the lousy food because you were just so glad to be where you were going. Now, I’m not going to try to tell you that the people that go to your website have made a long trip, unless of course, they have a slow connection, but the principle is the same. If you don’t make it “worth the trip,” they’ll leave and they won’t come back.

We spend a lot of money, time, and energy on search engine optimization to make sure we are driving traffic to our websites. However, SEO can only do so much. Unless your site exists merely for the purpose of generating visitors as opposed to customers, you’ve got to offer them something compelling once they get there. There’s one thing you can count on and that’s competition. If visitors don’t like what they see at your site, they know they’ll be able to find what they’re looking for down the Internet street.

Take a few moments to think about your favorite sites. Why are they your favorites? What do they offer? If they are like most successful sites, whatever they offer, they offer it “fast” “fresh,” and “hot,” because, in most instances, that’s what people are looking for. It’s because we’re all spoiled rotten, of course. We want it now, we want it to be easy to get, and we want it to do what it promises.

If we’re looking for information, for example, we want to be able to find it quickly and we want it to be well-written. It must be up-to-date and factual also. If your site is peppered with grammatical and spelling errors, people who can’t spell any better than you can will take a hike. Why? Because, like most of us, they’ll assume if you couldn’t make the time and effort to present an attractive site, that whatever else you’re offering must be second-rate also. It’s just common sense and good business. Dust off your shelves and make your wares shine.

If your site has products for sale, have you listed all the specifications and presented a clear picture? Can I tell exactly what I’m getting, how much the shipping will cost, and how long it will take to arrive? If you’re selling furniture, for example, have you clearly spelled out your delivery methods? Don’t promise delivery without telling me “delivery” means curbside delivery only. While customers sometimes get disappointed because they don’t read the fine print or even the not-so-fine print, don’t complicate things by being less than candid. It’s crucial if you expect to obtain repeat, revenue-generating customers.

Make it worth the trip. Make sure your customers are glad they found your site and have a good time while they are there. They’ll remain customers and best of all, they’ll remain your customers.

Popularity: 24% [?]

It’s easy to get caught up in the constant inundation of the thousands of dollars others are making every day, week, or month by working at home on the Internet. It sounds good anyway, and maybe we’re sick to death of working for someone else, however there’s something about being an Internet marketer we hear little about.

It’s hard work! Did you see that part in the sales letter that promises you can make thousands of dollars in a mere 30 days? Did anyone mention the sacrifices you’ll have to make, like not going to the grocery store until you make a sale? I doubt it. If you’re thinking of making this your livelihood, however, there’s one thing you’ll have to get before you’ll be successful.

You’ll absolutely have to get “real.” Before you become an Internet marketer, you need to ask yourself some serious questions and be prepared to come up with some serious answers. First of all, do you even like this type of work, or did you just fall in love with the dollar signs in all those sales letters you’ve read? While technology has made it easier and much cheaper to open an Internet storefront than a brick and mortar storefront, the work involved isn’t necessary any easier. You’ll still work backbreaking days, make tons of sacrifices, and wonder what the heck you were thinking.

However, if this is your niche, and you believe in what you are doing and actually enjoy it most days, then almost no amount of sacrifice is too much. You’ll be working hard to build something you may have dreamed about for years. You’ll do all the research necessary to launch the best website and/or storefront possible and you’ll be willing to constantly learn new things.

If you’re selling products, you’ve researched the market, you know your target audience, you’ve designed an optimized website and yet you’re still looking for ways to improve your business. That’s how success stories are made. Even after you’ve done all the work to have the best product and site available, you’ll then have to turn yourself into an entire marketing department and vigorously market your site to keep traffic moving. Just about the time you get it all figured out, it will be time to update your site and start the entire process over again.

Don’t forget, you’ll also be expected to do the work of an entire customer service department. You’ll need to handle customer complaints, be prepared to give refunds, answer questions and remember; the customer is always right. Are you ready for this? But then again, it’s Tuesday morning and you’re lounging in your hammock laughing at all the poor schmucks still putting up with your old boss. You may be working your tail off, but at least you get to decide when to give yourself a break.

There’s no doubt whatsoever that whatever sacrifices (within reason) you have to make to make your dream of being an Internet marketer come true are worth it. Being your own boss just doesn’t compare to working for someone else. As long as you know what you are getting into and resolve to do what it takes, you can enjoy the success you’ve always dreamed of.

Popularity: 26% [?]

Enhancing Your How-to’s with Video

Seeing is believing isn’t it? While thousands of savvy Internet marketers are taking advantage of the latest the digital age has to offer, thousands more haven’t yet realized the enormous potential of setting their words to video.

Long before the Internet was even thought of, society has recognized the need for visual aids in sales promotions. We see this when we see a product demonstration at a local retailer and we’ve seen this idea explode in infomercials. While how-to books and articles have always been popular, now that we have the means to add video to our Internet presentations, we should seriously consider the impact this marketing tool has to offer.

Look how popular cooking shows have become in the last decade. Who wants to merely read a recipe when we can watch it being prepared right before our eyes? Besides, think of all the unasked questions that are being answered when we are able to watch something being done as opposed to merely reading about it. Another perk to using video to enhance your offerings: mega marketers now troll the Internet looking for the next commercial. While your video may not make the next Geico commercial, it could have a serious and positive impact on your sales.

Remember the Video Professor commercials? That’s an example of someone who understood the positive impact of visual aids. This company produces videos that show people how to perform the simplest computer functions, as well as other material. While an article about how to do such and such using Microsoft Word or Excel can be quite helpful, there’s nothing as powerful as seeing the required actions come to life on the screen in front of you.

Internet marketers promoting almost any type of how-to can benefit from the added impact a video will produce. While an article, blog, or ebook teaching others how to maximize gas mileage, especially when gas prices are so high, is an interesting read, how much more powerful would your product be if you included a two minute video showing exactly how some of these methods can be carried out?

You don’t have to be a professional videographer with thousands of dollars in equipment to offer this value adding supplement to your product. Just take a look at some of the videos on YouTube and other video sites. While some are clearly produced by amateurs, many others look pretty good.

You’ll also find plenty of free video editing software online that you can play around with if this is a new niche for you. You might also consider hiring someone to do a short video if you’d like to offer it as part of your how-to package but don’t want to go to the trouble to film the segment yourself. You can always post the job on a number of bidding sites and ask to see samples of video work before you actually hire someone. Make sure the rights transfer to you upon the sale and you’ll have added a punch to your package.

To your Success,

Carlo

Popularity: 20% [?]

I’ve been testing Social Networking sites as a way to drive traffic to my blog. The results has been incredible to say the least. For the past two months, I’ve been submitting my articles to atleast five to seven social networking sites, depending on the actual content I’m writing about. I’ve checked my stats and to my amazement, I’ve doubled my traffic each month!!!

Enjoy this post and let me know what you think..

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People are always looking for new ways to make money online. One of the newer ways that is available is through social networking sites.

Social networks allow different groups to connect with each other and share information. The social network is mad up of the individuals and the links that tie them together. It can be a group of family members scattered around the country, to governments and even professional groups. Here are some of the ways that you can make money using social networking sites.

Social networking allows for several people to communicate, and one of the fastest modes of advertising is through word of mouth. If one person gives another a positive review of your website, product or service, this second person in turn may stop by to check it out. By getting involved with networks that are focused around similar interests as your website is you can use this word of mouth communication to your advantage. The hardest part of social networking is finding the sites that cater to your interests that will still be profitable. Choose a genre that is too broad, and you are sure to have a lot of competition. Choose one that is too narrow, and you will not have a broad enough customer base to profit on. You need to find the balance of exclusivity and popularity.

Social networking sites are also a great place to find new potential customers. Finding the right people for your product or service is half of the battle of promoting your website. Since people that have similar interests tend to stay together, but may operate in different interest circles. You can use this to your advantage in two fashions – one, you already have a core group of potential customers to start with. Plus, if they enjoy your products or services, they will tell friends in other circles as well, expanding your sphere of influence like ripples on a pond.

Social network sites also allow your customers to get the feeling that they “know” you - and people tend to purchase items from people that they know or that they are more comfortable with. In order to use this most effectively, you have to be a prominent character on the social network site. Be an active poster in good standing and keep your name as one of the leaders of the group.

Along similar lines, you have to remember that the most successful social networking relationships are long term. If you want your social networking to be productive, you need to develop lasting friendships with the people in your social networking groups.

Another positive about social networking sites is that it allows you to keep your finger on the pulse of consumer wants and desires. Who better to get ideas from of products to sell or services to offer than the people who will actually purchase these from you? You may get ideas of products and services to offer that are different than what you currently offer, or ways that you can improve your products and services to stand above the rest of the competition.

You will also find that social networking sites are one of the more cost effective ways of generating your customer base. While you can always find a one time only customer online, you best way of making money is through repeat business, since you do not have to spend the advertising dollars to attract someone else. You can use social networking sites as a way to improve customer relations and prove your reliability to your clientele. On top of this social networking sites are always continuing to thrive and become more popular. Places like MySpace and Friendster attract new members everyday, giving you access to new and potential customers daily.

Popularity: 50% [?]