Self-Marketing Ideas: Search Engine Optimization

If you’ve been researching into digital marketing and SEO for any length of time,you will have seen that this arena is constantly changing. Staying up-to-date is a full-time job,which is why so many businesses are turning to digital marketing agencies such asfive channels.

Whether you are thinking of going it alone or having a company take care of your needs,here are some things you should be aware of.

1. Voice Search

Voice search refers to services like Siri,Alexa and Google Assistant,which can make recommendations based on organic search results. To take advantage of voice search,businesses should optimize their keywords,so they appear in conversational phrases; the more precisely,the better.

2. Video Engagement

The popularity of video content has skyrocketed. This is partly due to better internet speeds,more social media,and the use of smartphones. Creating content your audience loves will boost your search engine rankings.

3. More Structured Snippets

Google encourages users to click on the best result via custom widgets and Structured Snippets on the search engine results page. If you have top-ranked content ranking for high-volume search terms,Structured Snippets may deliver that info to the user without them even visiting your site.

4. Google Prioritizing Mobile

Modern businesses must get on board with mobile to be competitive. Mobile-friendliness,such as fast loading times and AMP,is a major ranking factor for Google.

5. Social Media and Searching

While there is a lot of focus on search engines,don’t take your eye off social media. Increasingly,people are using social media platforms as search engines. Your business can make the most of this trend with organic and paid targeting.

Digital marketing and SEO help your business not only survive but thrive using solid data and metrics to maximize your online presence.

As you’ll see,there are many ‘flavors’ of affiliate marketing: different approaches,different platforms,most of which can rightfully be termed “affiliate marketing”.
You probably have your own notion of what affiliate marketing looks like,what comes to mind when you think about the business of affiliate marketing – product review sites,Amazon affiliate links placed on a blog or within articles,promoting affiliate products to a mailing list,etc.

This is not intended to be an almanac of disparate affiliate marketing tactics.

Overview

1. Choose Your Niche / Topic
2. Develop Your Keyword List
3. Create Your Content
4. Build Your Website
5. Monetize Your Website
6. Drive Traffic
7. Optimize & Improve
8. Expand

Conceptually,affiliate marketing like this is fairly simple & straightforward: Choose your topic,determine which keywords & phrases are used to search in that topic,write articles optimized for those keywords,build the site using the content you created,add links to related affiliate products,then get the attention of people interested in the topic. For additional help on this affiliate marketing process:-

Visitors show up to browse the content,and some percentage click through and buy from your affiliate links,thereby generating your profits.

Here,we will break this down into a series of digestible and doable steps,building one on top of the next,until you have your business up,running,and generating revenues.

None of these steps is terribly complex or mystical; in fact,most have many ways to accomplish them,even many ‘right’ ways. But the difference between just ‘doing’ them,and doing them in a way that gets the results we’re after,while often subtle,are absolutely the difference between success & failure.

There are many ways to choose a niche,build a site,and drive traffic,but only a few will that result in strong,continuous conversions – the sales that produce your profits.

What is a niche anyway?

Your niche or topic is the basis of your website – it’s what your site will be about,it’s “Reason For Being”.

Choose the ‘wrong’ niche,and the best you can hope for is a constant struggle; more likely you’ll simply fail.

Choosing the ‘right’ niche won’t,by itself,insure success,but it is the single biggest determining factor,and what drives all subsequent steps.

If there’s anything ‘hard’ about picking your niche,it’s having to choose from so many excellent potential opportunities.

Once you know how to come up with and qualify niche ideas,the real fun begins – because as you’ll see,there are a near-infinite number of
good,lucrative niche site ideas waiting to be exploited. Your biggest problem will be deciding which to pursue

That said,I often hear from people who are just starting out that choosing a niche is difficult or frustrating – even mindboggling.

The four most common “complaints” I hear are:

1. Not knowing where to begin;
2. Not being able to come up with good ideas;
3. Not knowing if an idea will be profitable;
4. Not knowing if an idea is achievable.

One of the most important aspects of choosing your niche or topic is your “Reason For Being”.

Your Reason for Being is the reason your website exists,the justification for visitors to go there. Without a good,clear Reason for Being you’re sunk before you even begin.

Reason for Being answers the question “why would someone take the time & effort to visit your site”,shapes the approach you take,and dictates your content.

Suppose I have a passion for animals,and decide I want to create a site in the ‘pets’ niche.

After brainstorming,looking around online,thinking about my own experiences,etc.,I decide to create a site about keeping pets for apartment dwellers. Having lived in big cities and being a pet lover,I know there are unique challenges and restrictions for pet lovers in the city. Large or very active dogs,for instance,don’t typically do well living in an apartment. If it’s a walk-up,that poses additional challenges. Even tropical fish can pose problems – very large aquariums are immensely heavy and require firm,strong flooring underneath.

If I were to simply build a site without consideration of my Reason for Being,it would end up being a hodge-podge of marginally-related articles,with little cohesion or connectedness.

Looking at this example,however,I can come up with a clear,strong Reason for Being: addressing the specific challenges facing apartment dwellers who want to have a pet or pets. Now,instead of assembling a hodge-podge of articles,I can map out a strategy that will dictate my content:

• Dog breeds that adapt well to apartment living
• Desensitizing your dog to noise & activity
• Treadmills: exercising your dog when you can’t take him out

Your Reason for Being provides the reason for someone to visit your site. The clearer and more specific your Reason for Being,the better off you’ll be.An easier,obvious example is a review site. A site reviewing coffee makers would have as it’s reason for being,comparing different coffee makers in order to make a purchase decision.Improving the Reason for Being,we might instead build a review site around a narrower,more specific choice,for example “Home Espresso Makers”.

While there may be less people looking,it will be considerably easier to get and convert visitors looking to find out about and purchase a “Home Espresso Maker” than just a generic “Coffer Maker”.Taking that a step further still,”Home Espresso Makers For Price-Conscious Shoppers” is a clear,direct,and specific Reason for Being.

Someone looking for a low-priced home espresso maker will literally light up if they find a site devoted to “Home Espresso Makers For Price-Conscious Shoppers”.Examples of strong Reason for Being’s include:

Review & comparison sites

‘How To’ and tutorial sites

‘Top X’ and ‘best of’ sites

Unique solutions (i.e. ‘home remedies’,or our example above,etc)

Expertise sites

Unmet needs

‘Better mousetraps’

Whatever niche or topic you decide on,make sure you frame it with a clear,specific Reason for Being.

The confusion of home plumbing can easily be avoided if homeowners take certain precautions and perform proper maintenance. Prevent a visit from a costly plumbing repair service and show your home plumbing system a little love over this Valentine’s Day by partaking in these easy tasks suggested by residential plumbers:

1. Check for leaks.

Even the smallest leak in your faucets and pipes can lead to unmanageable flooding if not noticed or taken care of immediately. The resulting damage can require substantial home and plumbing repair which can be quite costly. Therefore,it is important to check all exterior walls,unheated basements,garages and crawl spaces,especially those areas that lack insulation. Little to no insulation leaves pipes more vulnerable to the elements and therefore they are more likely to crack and leak. Getting in contact with a residential plumber can also be useful as they can help you scope out trouble areas and can give you an overview of how to prepare and maintain your plumbing over the winter months.

2. Drain and insulate.

Draining and insulating all outdoor faucets and pipes in your home plumbing system before the winter sets in is a must as any water that gets trapped in those pipes can freeze,expand,and then crack,break,or burst the pipes. Securing these exterior pipes can help you avoid dealing with property damages and unpleasant plumbing repair.

Here are some ways to prepare your exterior pipes for the winter:

– Drain and disconnect all garden hoses and use a hose bib or faucet cover to insulate your outdoor faucets from freezing temperatures.

– For irrigation systems,shut off the water flow into the system and drain all water from the pipes.

For further assistance in preventing costly plumbing repairs,most residential plumbers can help you with the draining and insulating process for your home plumbing.

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3. Weatherproof trouble areas.

The next step is to look out for areas containing exposed plumbing. Doorways,windows,and vent fans should be checked to make sure their seals remain tight. If a seal is loose,it can be fixed up with caulking to avert your home plumbing from freezing. Also make sure to repair and cracked windows as they can lead to freezing temperatures coming in contact with your plumbing and will result in expensive plumbing repair costs.

4. Insulate exposed pipes.

Instead of sealing off all airflow in your home,which can potentially lead to mold growth,you should make sure your pipes are properly insulated so that they can stand up against cold winter air. As an easy and inexpensive procedure,insulating your home plumbing is the way to go. It can be as easy as installing foam tubing or towels around your pipes and can help your water heater retain heat (and therefore lower those pricey energy bills). Vulnerable pipes near electrical sources should be insulated with electrical heating tape. Heat tape,which can be wrapped around the pipes,is a great tool for providing just enough heat to keep your pipes from freezing.

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5. Keep indoor pipes warm.

Though many of the wintertime home plumbing issues are due to outdoor pipes,you mustn’t forget about your indoor plumbing. Indoor pipes can also freeze in cold weather,so doing things such as opening cabinet doors to expose your pipes to your home’s heat can help prevent internal home plumbing issues. For when you plan on being away from home for an extended period of time,make sure to set your interior thermostat to a minimum of 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Letting your indoor faucets drip steadily when the temperature outside drops below 30 degrees Fahrenheit can help prevent pipes from bursting and causing serious damages.

6. Sign up for a home plumbing maintenance program.

As residential plumbers recommend,keeping a close eye on and maintaining your home plumbing system regularly can save you from spending lots of time and money on damages and repairs. You can also consider signing up for a plumbing maintenance program so that you will know what to do in case of a plumbing problem. These programs can help extend the life of your appliances and ensure your plumbing warranties stay up-to-date. Partaking in a plumbing maintenance program will set your mind at ease as your home plumbing will be in capable hands.

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