Jean Touboul Blog

12. Write Articles for eZines, Blogs and Other Web Posting Destinations

If you like writing, you may be able to achieve the best marketing of your Web site all by yourself. The idea is to literally spread the word and get some traction by writing articles, comments, reviews, blogs, opinions, etc. in as many places as possible.

First, create a blog and write a few relevant articles to have some content, postings, etc.  Then, list it on the search engines. Do the same for Ezine and any other forum where you are able to create content that is relevant and interesting to that destination. What is again critical with blogs and postings is to have one or more links to your Web site in anything that you publish. However, do not create content for the sake of creating content. Try to respect the forum or posting destination where you are providing your input by staying within context with the subject matter discussed and following the rules.

Once you have written a few articles or have three or four posts, submit it to the search engines as you would do for a Web site. It’s that simple. However, you must maintain your blog by continually adding new or updated content.

Of course, the idea is to get people within the network or Web/blog to read what you have produced, so pay particular attention to your post title and description.

Resources:

http://wordpress.com/
http://www.ezinearticles.com
http://www.goarticles.com
http://www.articlecity.com
http://www.a1articles.com
http://www.ideamarketers.com
http://www.searchwarp.com
http://www.isnare.com/
http://www.amazines.com
http://www.articledepot.co.uk
http://www.articledashboard.com
http://www.easyarticles.com
http://www.articlebin.com
http://www.articlebeach.com
http://www.articlehub.com
http://www.articlegarden.com
http://www.articlesphere.com
http://www.articlealley.com
http://www.articlesfactory.com
http://www.articlewise.com
http://www.articlegeek.com

Again if you would rather read the entire manuscript all at one feel free to downloaded from my website at jtouboul.com

7. Create Content for your Web site

This is probably the most extensive and most interesting subject of all as far as I am concerned.

Many people think that they are great at writing content. With this false sense of confidence in mind, they go on to write long missives about their Web sites and businesses; thereby, losing the point, let alone the attention of the visitor.

Others read a few SEO articles about content and learn that the key is to include as many keywords as possible. So they load their text with so much stuff that it becomes a weird concoction of words that barely make any sense.

Yet, others who may have tried both approaches and failed hire a Web copy writer to do all of the above. Or worse, they pay for some automated text generation via a distribution system or publisher.

In my opinion, the secret of great content for a Web site starts with something that has been around for centuries and that is very common in all newspapers, TV shows, etc. It’s a simple headline… if you have a great headline that grabs the visitor’s attention, you already have done half the job.

How does it work for a Web site? Simple: capture the description of your Web site in a few words. In other words, whatever made you decide to start this business in Step 1 should now be explained in a few words in your headline.

For example, if you are selling used technical manuals online because no one else does, your headline may read: “The Only Place on the Internet for Used Tech Manuals”

No matter what your business is, you must encapsulate what you do in a very short statement. This statement should be in a prominent place on your index page (I suggest doing similar things with the other pages).

You may find some excellent examples of headlines in Web sites that specialize in publishing articles and writing.

Here are some resources:

http://www.articlehub.com/

http://www.articlecity.com/

http://www.articlehub.com/Marketing/

http://rdf.dmoz.org/

http://www.moreover.com/

http://www.advertisingknowhow.com/members/articles.php

http://www.magnet4web.com/content/affiliate-marketing/what-is-affiliate-marketing-and-how-do-i-get-started.php

Once you have your headline, it’s time to write some content. The content should explain your product or service, what you offer, detail any relevant case studies, white papers, etc.

In all instances, I suggest that you write or have someone write articles that are easy to read, not too long and that include calls for action, such as signing up for a newsletter, clicking on something to get more information, etc.

What I also recommend is to limit your index page to teasers that will tell viewers about an article and give the outline of what is in it, but requests that the visitor clicks on “read more” or “read full article” to see the rest. This has many advantages and that includes putting more items on your index page, expanding the size of your Web site to many pages, allowing you to show various aspects of your services or products on each page.

Tip — In the event that you need content in a hurry, as a temporary solution, Wikipedia allows you to use its content as long as it is recognized as originating from and credited to Wikipedia.

Finally, while this is not directly related to content, don’t forget to check the option to add a search capability to your Web site. This can only add value, especially when a Web site has many pages, products, etc.  Here are some free and paid search solutions that you can use.

Additional Resources:

http://www.freefind.com/

http://www.fusionbot.com/

http://www.spiderline.com/

http://www.phpdig.net/

http://www.atomz.com/

You can download a complete copy of this manuscript “Plan Your Internet Success” on my website at jtouboul.com

6. Create a Web site

Some people spend a fortune on this, which is not very smart unless there is an absolute need to have a very specific look and feel to create an image or ambiance. Most people on the Internet do not seem to care much about Web design, if you believe what you see.

Amazon, Yahoo!, and Google are not exactly the most attractive sites on the Net, yet they seem to work just fine for the people who use them and that is the key. They work because they accomplish exactly what they set out to do: deliver on their audience’s expectations! If anything, look at Google.com (www.google.com) below.

Can you imagine less than that? Yet, Google commands close to 70 percent of the all Web searches. And, in my opinion, it works because this page is all about searching and nothing more.

Are the results that Google delivers better than Yahoo! or Bing (MSN)? Frankly, I am not sure that most people can tell, but Google does not try to get you involved with everything and anything as Yahoo! does (www.yahoo.com) (illustrated below).

It seems that Microsoft has learned that lesson and is doing what Google does with its newest home page (www.bing.com), and that is to focus on its core business, search.

The lesson here is that you want to start with a simple, highly focused Web site, and then you can take it from there. There are plenty of sources for free templates and I encourage you to take them into consideration.

For those interested, I have made available free templates and other resources at www.planyourinternetsuccess.com/resources.html and I encourage you to check them out. The only issue with templates, or any Web site for that matter, is to make sure that it is W3 Compliant (W3C – www.w3c.com). This ensures that most search engine spiders will be able to recognize and “read” your Web pages properly. The way to tell if your template or page is compliant is to look at the very first line of code on the index page (index.html or index.php) and note if the compliance statement is provided as shown below:

Where I believe your money would be better spent is on a program that allows you to properly manage your Web site. There are free ones (open source) like Joomla, Drupal, Magnolia, as well as paid ones that are often specialized solutions, such as Salesforce, but be aware that these solutions cost a bundle. I personally use neither and rely on Macromedia Dreamweaver and my knowledge of HTML programming, as well as the assistance of a PHP programmer when I need it, since I like 100 percent control over my Web sites. As a result, I recommend this approach, as well as a basic understanding and ability to program in HTML.

What is critical is to focus on learning the basics of building and maintaining a Web site, and not allow yourself to get bogged down with too many details. While it is not the easiest route to take, you always want to be able to understand what a Web site designer or programmer is talking about.

Resources:

http://allwebcodesign.com/

http://www.templatetuning.com/

http://www.flash-template-design.com/

http://www.dreamlinestudio.com/

http://www.oswd.org/

http://www.zerodollartemplates.com/

http://www.webmastersplaza.com/

http://www.dreamlinestudio.com/

http://watson.addy.com/

http://www.whitegyr.com/flash-templates.htm

http://www.freeflashsites.com/

http://www.templatepark.com/

http://www.bizweb2000.com/

http://www.roopletheme.com/

http://drupal.org/

Finally, you must have noticed that some Web sites show a small icon next to their domain name. If you want to create something like this, it is relatively easy. Simply create a logo (keep in mind that since it is tiny, it should be something easy to recognize, like a letter) and go to http://www.favicon.cc/ and follow the instructions. You’ll be surprised to see how easy it is to do.

However, whatever you decide to do, do not waste too much time re-inventing the wheel on this one. What you need is a simple, easy-to navigate Web site that is attractive and pleasing to the eye, fun and, above all, has something relevant to say (covered on next part).

Note: You’ve probably noted that I only cover the basic in this chapter and do not go into more advance programing concept for dynamic web site (php, MySQL, ASP, Java, etc.). Selecting a language, environment, way to manage your website, etc. are complex issues that no one cannot explain in a few sentences, and for which many books are available. Furthermore different web sites require different approaches as far as programing language and data base management and this is something that I cover during the Success Group Sessions, and in even greater details during the one-on-one Success Guidance Sessions that I offer.

To read the complete manual go to my website jtouboul.com (http://www.jtouboul.com).