On The Eve Of The 2009 Thirty Day Challenge…

I thought it would be interesting to do a quick post, just before we begin the 2009 Thirty Day Challenge.  Over the next 30 days, we’ll learn a lot – about a lot of different topics.  We’ll hear about things like markets and niches, keywords and conversions – and one of those topics will be traffic.

Now this blog is not really focused on conversions – it’s a resource, and as such it gets a little bit of traffic.

A few months ago, I got an opportunity to use a tool to help with bookmarks and backlinks.  It’s called “Traffic Bug” – let’s see what happened to traffic once I started using it:

Traffic Stats Before And After Traffic Bug

I started using Traffic Bug in May, 2009 – you can see what happened in June and July…

From an average of about 300 visitors per month (September through May) to exactly 2,000 visitors in the month of July.

Is it all from Traffic Bug? Probably not entirely – there were also a few important mentions and links from the 30DC forums. But the fact is, I got serious about backlinks and bookmarks in May by using Traffic Bug – and this picture is worth at least a thousand words…

When we’re learning about the important of bookmarks, directory submissions and backlinks, remember how important they really are when it comes to YOUR site’s traffic.

And best of luck to you throughout the 2009 Thirty Day Challenge

-Steve

 

Why was 6 scared of 7…

Because 7 8 9 – (or seven ate nine)

I know – a silly little joke for small children (family friendly and thirty day challenge appropriate) – but since today is 07-08-09 I thought it would be funny to share…

 

Eliminating Constraints

Just a quick post today – I’m making a public resolution today. I don’t care if we’re halfway through the year. I’m just tired of banging my head against a wall…it boils down to constraints.

There are things everyday that get in the way. I start out with a to-do list and most days end up distracted, putting out “fires” pulled in a lot of different directions and when the day is done – maybe I checked a few things off my list…maybe not.

So – I’ve taken a step back and looked at the things that get in my way – the things that slow me down. It’s time for me to start eliminating constraints.

The first one on my list?

Let me give you a little background info. Last fall, I was fortunate enough to be able to switch from a PC to a MAC. And I love it.

For work – I still need to do a bunch of PC based stuff – so I use a program called “Parallels” and cloned my old PC hard drive for use on my MAC. No biggie, right?

Well, not exactly – there’s something wrong with that old PC – it hogs the processor (about 50%) on the MAC as soon as it starts up – so when it’s running (all day) the MAC is kind of slow.

So – I created a second virtual PC in Parallels to see how it would work. And it only takes 5% to 10% of the processor – way better. I’ve gradually pulled my documents and data over to the new virtual PC, everything but my e-mail.

I’ve been using Microsoft Outlook since 2000 – and I have e-mail archives going back that far. I know it’s crazy – tens of thousands of e-mails and house plans and pictures…Anyhow – it’s time for me to port that stuff over to the new PC and put the old one out of its misery (read, my misery). So that’s my task.

I will have it done by this weekend or else…I won’t – but seriously – It’s a bottleneck in my work flow that I need to get rid of once and for all…and now that I’ve made it public knowledge, I will.

As the 2009 thirty day challenge is about to get underway – What’s your biggest constraint? And what are you going to do about it? Please feel free to leave your comments below…

 

The New iPhone 3G is cool and all that – but can it pass a water test?

 

Here’s Why I Need An iPhone…

 

Thirty Day Challenge 2009 Preseason Preview

Vodpod videos no longer available.

more about “Thirty Day Challenge 2009 Preseason P…“, posted with vodpod

 

I’m Just So Tired Of The Fail Whale…

Forget About Twitter –

Flutter, It’s The Next Big Thing…

 

The Economy Doesn’t Have To Suck For You…

5 Ways To Make Money Online

Making Money Online

If you are looking for ways to bring in some extra money, (and who isn’t these days?) then you need to take a look at these 5 methods for making money online. Bear with me for just a few minutes because these money making methods are pretty simple to implement, they do not even require any money, you don’t have to have a list, a website, or even any experience to do this.

Get Rich Quick?

Now, it’s important to keep in mind, these are not get rich quick methods because, let’s face it, there’s no such thing. But the methods I am going to reveal to you are methods that hundreds of others have used to make money online. If you put in the effort, then very soon you’ll be making the money too.

eBay…

The first method is something that I am sure you have heard of, eBay has been around for years and it is still the biggest online auction site out there. Thousands of people are making their living selling on eBay and you can too. Take the time to learn all you can about selling on eBay. There are some great courses out there that can show you what you need to know. You can start by selling some of your own household items that you don’t use anymore. Then you can branch out by buying items at garage sales or auctions for re-sale on eBay. Some sellers even run consignments shops where they sell other peoples’ items and take a commission of every sale. eBay will be around for a long time and it is a good place to quickly and easily start making money online.

Affiliate Marketing – Think 30 Day Challenge

The next method is through affiliate marketing. This is basically the method taught in the Thirty Day Challenge. All you need to do is find some great products online that have a good affiliate program and start promoting these products. You will get a percentage of every sale you make. Now this sounds simple in theory but it does take a bit of work. You need to find a niche that people are willing to spend money in and then you need to find a good product to satisfy the needs of that market. Then you set up a website or blog that promotes your chosen affiliate products and send traffic to the site to make sales. The Thirty Day Challenge shows you exactly how this can be done. Affiliate marketing can make you a very good living if you do it right.

Provide A Service

Another way to generate online income is to provide a service to others, particularly other internet marketers. If you are good at web design or writing then you can do freelance work for others and get paid right away. You can even become a virtual assistant and do work for someone else’s business from the comfort of your own home. These types of services are in high demand and you can easily get started in these areas.

Freelance…

A spin on doing freelance writing work is to sign up for sites like Associated Content and Text Broker. These sites will pay you for articles that you write for them. You won’t make a huge amount of money doing this but it can be enough to pay a few bills and can quickly be done in a pinch.

Product Creation

And finally, here’s a method that will take some time, but can payoff for you in a big way. Instead of marketing other people’s wares as an affiliate, you can create you own product and have affiliates working for you. The most profitable way to do this is to find a high-demand niche, solve a problem and then recruit affiliates to do your promoting for you. Think about how much money you can make if you were to have a hundred affiliates promoting your products. The beauty of this is that you do the work to create the product once, and affiliates keep selling it for you over and over again.

If you want to get started building a business online or are ever in need of cash, try one or all of these methods. You may find that you will never have to worry about money again and you’ll have built a profitable online business.