How To

Favicons: How Can One Help You?

Did you know that adding a favicon (short for “favorite icon”) can give your site a boost in more than one way? A favicon is a small image associated with a website, and you can usually see it in one of the places:

– in the address bar
– in your bookmarks
– in your history
– in your tabs, if you use a tabbed browser

So, how can a favicon help you? First of, all, it brands your website and implicitly, you. How? Every time someone looks in their favorites/bookmarks, instead of seeing the standard web page image, they’ll see your specific image, because it will be different and it will stand out.

Here are some other favicon benefits:

– if you work with lots of tabs at one time, it will help you identify which tabs have your specific site
– your site will be easier to find in the sea of bookmarks we all have these days, and you will get repeat traffic
– it will decrease the number of 404 errors in your logs, since browsers look for the favicon

How to Create a Favicon

Creating a favicon is not hard if you have the image you want to use. You want this image to be as simple as possible, without fine lines or text, as it needs to look good in a small size, since the favicon size is 16 pixels by 16 pixels. You also need to match your favicon to your site’s logo and color scheme as much as possible.

Once you have your image, you need to convert it to the .ico type file, and this can be easily done with any of the free favicon generators found online.

Your next step is to upload your favicon.ico to your root directory. That wasn’t so hard, was it?

If you don’t have a favicon for your site, I suggest you go get one now: it’s easy enough and you’ll reap the benefits almost immediately.

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Challenges

Organize Your Home Office Challenge

desktop clutter

No matter how big or small your home business office is,you’ll benefit from an organized space.

I am finally joining the challenge Lynn Terry challenged her Elite Forum Members to do in January.

Here is what Lynn said:

Whatever your space, both virtual and physical, it’s time to get things in order for productivity & efficiency!

Yes, that means BOTH desktops – your hard drive and your desk/space!

Let’s have some before pictures. You can take a screenshot of your desktop, and pictures of your workspace. And when you complete the challenge, pictures again!

I’ve talked about the mess on my computer desktop when I first started this blog: you can see a picture of my desktop above, taken in October last year. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look any better today, so I really need to work hard this month.

As for my office desk, I’d like to think it a little bit better: you can see it below:

computer desk mess

I am confident that 1 hour of attention will do wonders for this desk, so that’s the plan for tomorrow. The problem will be keeping it clean afterwards, as my husband is using this same desk when needed.

My bookshelf with DVDs is looking really good: probably because I don’t use it that often. Here is a peek at it:

bookshelf with DVDs

My biggest problems by far are my hard drive and email, but I’ve been working slowly on both of them. For example, in just 1 week, I went from over 1500 unread emails in my in-box to less than 900. The plan was to have it all cleared by tonight, and I know it’s not going to happen, but I am happy that I’ve made progress.

I also removed several GB of old “stuff” from my hard drive: not nearly enough, but a good first step. And that’s what’s really important: take small, consistent steps towards your goals.

If you are taking your business seriously, Lynn’s Elite Forum is one of the best places to get help. Give it a try. And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to let me know.

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Free Niche Research

Free Niche Research: Winter Boots

free niche research

BRRRRR… It’s been really cold here and in a lot of other places.

So, winter is here to stay for a while, and that brings up today’s niche: winter boots.

There are so many opportunities for sub-niching in this niche, I can’t even begin to tell you. Read on to see for yourself.

Top 10 Highest Paying Keywords(from the Google keyword tool)

sorel winter boots $2.57

women winter boot $1.90

men’s winter boots $1.68

winter boots for kids $1.48

furry winter boots $1.43

baffin winter boots $1.42

tall winter boots $1.39

kamik winter boots $1.34

insulated winter boots $1.33

women’s winter boots $1.31

 Top 10 Most Searched Keywords(all phrases are exact matches in Google)

womens winter boots 74,000

mens winter boots 49,500

winter boots for women 49,500

women’s winter boots 40,500

kids winter boots 14,800

boys winter boots 12,100

girls winter boots 12,100

men’s winter boots 12,100

winter boot 12,100

women winter boots 12,100

Bonus Keywords (2,900 -8,900 exact searches /month)

ladies winter boots

sorel winter boots

winter snow boots

men winter boots

waterproof winter boots

cute winter boots

winter boots for kids

white winter boots

black winter boots

Resources

I would go to forums where people talk about their boots. Here is one I found interesting: http://www.styleforum.net

Also, create Google Alerts for your keywords and see what others are writing about then boot type you chose.

Shiver Boot

Possible Affiliate Programs
Amazon.com has boots of all kinds: boots for women, boots for men, boots for girls, boots for boys, tall winter boots, winter fashion boots, and so many more!

CJ.com has several merchants offering winter boots. Here are some examples: UggAustralia.com, MasonEzPay.com, marylandSquare.com, Shoes.com, etc.

Monetization Suggestions

I think this niche lends itself very well to a star gossip type blog: you can follow the latest boot fashion sported by your favorite stars, and blog about what you see. On that blog, have specific pages dedicated and optimized for the specific boots, and link to them from your blog posts. You can also ad an AdSense unit if you want to.

Or, create very focused sites for the specific boots with lots of searches.

Here are some domains available now for this niche:

WomenWinterBoots.net & .info: exact searches/month: 12,100 exact searches: WOW!

MenWinterBoots.com,  .net, .org  & .info all available: 5,400 exact searches monthly: this is amazing!

GirlsWinterBoots.org, & .info and BoysWinterBoots.org & .info, with 12,100 exact searches monthly each.

WhiteWinterBoots.com, .net, .org, & .info all available:  3,600 exact searches each month: this .com is pure gold!

BlackWinterBoots.net, .org  & .info with 2,900 exact searches monthly.

WinterFashionBoots.com,  .net, .org  & .info all available, with 2,400 exact searches each month.

This niche is absolutely hot & untapped: ready for you to move in!

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Affiliate Marketing

Learn Affiliate Marketing: Top 10 Free Resources for New Marketers

There is a lot of information on the Internet to help newbies learn affiliate marketing. Nearly everyone who’s ever earned a dollar online has something to say about it, but if you’re new to the field, how can you know what’s good advice and what’s not worth the pixels it’s written with? Here’s my pick of the top 10 free resources for new marketers to get you started.

1. WordPress. If you’re going to work online, you’re going to need a website, and WordPress is the easiest to use content management system available. Most web hosts offer one-click installs, which means you can have a professional site up and running in just a few minutes. Since WordPress is open source, there are thousands of developers busy building plugins to extend the functionality and make it even easier to use. No matter what your niche, you’re sure to find a free theme to fit. But if you want something custom designed, there are lots of talented designers out there who can help.

2. Google. Yes, Google. Not just the search portal, though that’s important. Google also provides analytics tools for webmasters and the best free keyword research tool online. They also have extensive help files and tutorials to teach you how to use the tools they provide.

3. Twitter. Twitter is not just for selling. It’s also a great research tool. If you use TweetDeck you can set up searches on your keywords, use the results to find new people to follow, new products to promote, and new topics to write about.

4. Ed Dale’s 30 Day Challenge. If you are starting at the very beginning and need some hand holding, you can’t do better than Ed’s 30 Day Challenge. Much like the Problogger program, Ed gives you daily tasks to complete beginning on day one with choosing a niche. He provides videos, software (free for 30 days), a forum, and lots of encouragement. He says his goal is for you to earn your first buck on line, but a lot of 30 Day Challenge graduates do much better than that.

5. Problogger.net. Darren Rowse blogs for a living, but don’t make the mistake of thinking all he does is sell ad spots on a high traffic blog. He is also an affiliate marketer. He promotes products directly on his blog and via email to his list, all while teaching new bloggers how to build a better blog. His 31 Days to a Better Blog program will give you step by step directions for an entire month of blogging. Finish the program and at the end you’ll have a great start on a sustainable blog, and 30 days of blogging momentum to keep you going.

6. Nicole Dean. As it says on her site, “Nicole Dean jumps out of bed every morning, excited about teaching others how to make money online.” Listen to her podcasts and you’ll know it’s true. Nicole is truly excited about what she does and is thrilled to share. She talks about service businesses, information products, affiliate marketing, blogging and just about every other business model out there.

7. Lynn Terry is one of the most down to earth, girl next door affiliates out there. She spells it out for newbies and veterans alike on her blog, and is always available in her forum, Self Starters Weekly Tips, to provide good solid advice. She also hosts a weekly webinar each Tuesday at noon Eastern.

8. Copyblogger.com. Copyblogger won’t teach you how to blog or how to be an affiliate marketer, but it will teach you how to write compelling copy that sells. Nearly all affiliate marketing models – blogging, email marketing, even selling via Twitter – require some form of copywriting to make it work. Brian Clark of Copyblogger is the master of online copy, and he and his writers freely share their knowledge with the world.

9. Warrior Forum. The Warrior Forum claims to be the oldest community of Internet marketers online today, and one look will tell you why. Most any time of the day or night you will find more than 2000 users online reading and posting and helping each other learn about all aspects of online work. Warrior Forum has a paid membership option as well as free. A warning, though: you could waste a lot of time in there, so be careful to only spend the time you need to learn.

10. SEO Fast Start. If you’re not sure what keywords are or how to use them, SEO Fast Start by Dan Theis will give you all the information you need. Dan has developed a system that will not only help you determine your keywords, but teaches you how to use them to drive targeted traffic to every page of your site.

There are thousands of sites online that promise to help you learn affiliate marketing. It pays to do your homework, and only take advice from those who are affiliate marketers first, and instructors second.

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Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing Strategy: 5 Tips for Long Term Success

Seems like everyone these days is talking about affiliate marketing. There are some marketers out there making big promises of nearly instant wealth while working twenty minutes a day from your beach house, and while that’s what we all want to believe, the truth is somewhat different.

1. Be prepared to work. Thomas Jefferson said “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” This is as true in modern affiliate marketing as it was of politics in the 18th century. Affiliate marketers who today spend a few hours on their business each week and earn money while on vacation are the same marketers who put in many long hours for months or years before achieving the successes they enjoy today.

2. Don’t expect instant riches. Along with needing to actually work at your business, you need to be realistic in your goals as well. Affiliate marketing is not a get rich quick scheme. Building a sustainable affiliate income takes time. Among other things, you need to publish content on your affiliate sites, grow your mailing lists, and build a network of links to and from your site to increase traffic. None of these things can be done overnight, but once you start the process you’ll begin to see it snowball.

3. Treat it like a business. A lot of people play at affiliate marketing. They dabble. They flit from one shiny object to the next, never really devoting the time and energy required to make their business work. Affiliate marketing is a business. Just because you do it from your laptop while you watch the Biggest Loser doesn’t mean you should treat it as a hobby. Consider writing a business plan, setting goals, and developing a step by step plan to help you achieve your goals.

4. Don’t be afraid to invest in your business. One of the biggest mistakes new affiliate marketers make is in wanting to do everything for free. While Internet marketing does indeed have one of the lowest start up costs of any business model, you will need to make some small investments. Don’t try to get by with free web hosting, for example, thinking you’ll move your site when it’s making some money. Set your business up with a solid foundation and you’ll have far fewer headaches in the future.

5. Learn from people you trust. There are thousands of products out there that proclaim to teach affiliate marketing, so how do you choose the one to follow? Simple. Find someone you trust, and follow them. Find someone who is demonstrably successful, is approachable, and who is not surrounded by hype, and listen to what they say.

Affiliate marketing can be a lucrative career. If you take the time to learn the strategies that work, put in the effort to build your business, and have the right attitude, you might just find yourself with the title of “super affiliate” one day.

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