Marketing No Brainers » 2008 » May| Cost Effective Internet Marketing |

What To Do When Your Blog Breaks

May 29th, 2008Blogging No Comments

Recently I noticed a feed on one of my blogs, Bizaddy.com, was not coming up on Netvibes, which I use as my start page in Firefox. I have all the feeds from my blogs displayed there.

On going to the blog, both sidebars of a 3 column template had just disappeared. Luckily, all the post content was still there. I had installed WordPress from the Fantastico script in my cPanel hosting, which allows upgrading WordPress if originally installed by Fantastico.

After thinking about it for a while, taking in mind that I needed to update my WordPress anyway, and considering the best way to procede, this is what I did:

1. Backed up the blog MySQL database in cPanel.

2. Deactivated all plugins in the WP dashboard.

3. Found that my sidebars’ code was still in the theme editor, so copied that into notepad.

4. Clicked the Fantastico Upgrade for WordPress 2.5 in cPanel.

5. Checked the blog, all content remained, so no need to use the back up. Phew!

6. Installed a new theme and tweaked it.

7. Reactivated my plugins and updated those that the new Wordpress dashboard showed upgrades for.

8. Used the Widgets in WordPress 2.5 to add back my sidebar content, now newer and better, and much easier to change when needed.

9. Decided to let the site sit for a while before making any more changes.

The only thing remaining is to find some more pertinent header graphics for the site. And, as always, add more content.

I hope your blog never breaks. But if it does, make sure you have a backup. Then take your time, do things in a logical progression, and use it as an opportunity to make your blog better like I did at Bizaddy.com.

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Wordtracker Plus Google Trends In One Free Tool

May 24th, 2008Niche Research No Comments

Ewen Chia put me on to this. I have long been using Wordtracker for keyword research, and have blogged about the free Wordtracker tool before. It’s a great replacement for the now long dead Overture search tool.

When you combine Wordtracker with Google Trends you get the real picture of a niche and the keywords people search for. For example, type in “acne” and wait for the results. Click on the little bar graph next to a keyword result and you’ll get an instant picture of activity. For “acne,” you’ll see that search activity is flat to down since 2004. You’ll also see a lot of competition.

But drilling down in the niche, looking down the page and selecting the results for “hot to treat acne,” we get a different picture, here the interest has increased, especially over the last two years.

I used this to research a niche that I’d received a PLR offer for this morning. I decided not to buy the PLR, based on my use of this new Wordtracker/Google Trends tool. But it gave me the go ahead on the niche, based on other keyword and trend results I found.

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A Mind Map for Information Marketers

May 21st, 2008Strategy No Comments

One of the problems that online Information sellers have is that the process can be quite complicated. Without some way to plan how you’re actually going to sell your product, and what is actually necessary to do at each step of the process along the way, it is very easy to get bogged down. You’re not making any money online when you’re in that bogged-down place.

I’ve published my own mind maps of the list building process, so I know it helps to have a plan in place before you start any project. I tend to use the legal pad method, starting from scratch every time. I draw out the process, and pretty soon my legal pad is basically unintelligible to anyone but me, with boxes and arrows everywhere.

So I was very glad to get this information from Doug Hudiberg about his IMos Treasure Map and Videos.

I think this Mind Map is going to be an essential part of my marketing toolbox from now on. It breaks down the marketing path into it’s most basic building blocks. I got a lot out of this even though I know all the steps.

But even though I know the steps, my problem is that I don’t remember to use them all when I start a new Info Product project. Doug’s Imos Treasure Map and Videos solved this problem for me. I found it well worth paying for. It’s just a dollar.

Please take a look at Doug Hudiberg’s IMos Treasure Map and Video Tour. This is the core information anyone selling digital products online needs to know.

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Protecting Your Email Address From Spammers

May 18th, 2008Site Building No Comments

Savvy Internet Marketers know that their inbox is one of the most important tools they use in their online marketing efforts. But if your inbox is full of SPAM, it blunts the tool.

One way to keep your email address off your web sites is to use a support desk for all email contacts. I use the excellent one included with Kavi Kodiraj’s integrated online marketing system EBizAC.

If your business is going to greow, instituting integrated systems from the beginning is the way to go. But not every online marketer is ready to take that step.

For those that aren’t, a far simpler way is to use the service at reCaptcha.net to put a Captcha on your site that must be solved before your email address is revealed. Sweet!

Now there’s just no excuse to leave your email address hanging out on your web site, waiting for that Spambot to come along and nab it. Protect your email address, please.