Online Business Ideas Blog

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Name: Cynthia Minnaar
Location: Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

I am an affiliate marketer and work full-time from home running my Online Business Ideas website.

Monday, January 18, 2010

How Writing Your Own Articles Can Benefit Your Internet Business

One profitable strategy for building an Internet business is article marketing. If you write your own articles this is especially true. Here we take a look at five reasons you should write your own articles and how you can benefit from them.

1. The time it takes to write your own articles is the only cost to you. This is one free form of promotion that actually works and many internet marketers who are short of cash will benefit from this.

You certainly don’t have to write masterpieces either which is why anyone who takes the time to learn can write articles. A lot of the article directories offer training on how to write a good article. Learning how to write articles correctly is certainly a skill worth learning.

2. The main reason a lot of people write articles is to derive traffic from them. By submitting your article to the top article directories you have an opportunity to get traffic in a number of ways.

Many people visit the article directories to read the articles and learn from them. Also Ezine publishers frequent the article directories looking for content for their ezines. These two sources can give you an unbelievable amount of traffic to your website from the resource box in the article you have written.

3. Your articles will be picked up by the search engines as well. The chances are your website will not be spidered as quickly or as often as a large article directory will be.

Your articles will be ranked by the search engines based on the keywords they are written around. Depending on the number of searches being made for that keyword phrase, this gives you the opportunity to pick up hundreds or thousands of visitors.

4. Writing articles of your own is a great way brand yourself as an expert. After a while you become known as an expert on the theme you're writing about which can give you more traffic and website visitors too.

5. Writing your own articles is a great way to generate traffic from a long-term standpoint. The minute you stop purchasing paid advertising you will no longer benefit from it. But, well-written articles can continue to drive traffic for many years after the article was originally written.

You have a unique voice and the style you write in will be all your own. In terms of traffic and ultimately in the profits they create these five reasons for writing your own articles can benefit your Internet business. It is not difficult to do and something I highly recommend.



Article Marketing



Download a FREE copy of
Harness The Power of Article Marketing

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Monday, November 23, 2009

Easy Article Marketing Strategy Using One Article Directory

There are many people who avoid doing article marketing because either it all seems so overwhelming to them or they think it is something they just cannot do.

When I first started my online home business I avoided article marketing for the first four months because I really didn’t think I could write articles. It was only once I actually really pushed myself and started writing and submitting articles that my business started to make headway.

So here we will discuss an easy article marketing strategy in the hope that you too will overcome this hurdle.

The largest article directory in the world is Ezinearticles.com with over 100,000 publishers/members. With an Alexa ranking of 167 it makes them one of the most visited websites on the internet.

Now does that sound like a place you should submit your articles to?

There are numerous benefits to submitting your articles to Ezine Articles but I like the fact they only require an article to be 250 words. This is great for beginners because anyone can write short articles and submit them to EZA. If you want to get serious you could really step it up and submit 5-10 a day.

It really is just a matter of choosing one main point you want to write about and sit down and do it. All you then have to do is submit the article to EZA and repeat the process over and over again.

Some people have the problem of not knowing what to write about. You can collect article ideas from emails you receive or forum posts you read and save them in a swipe file for future reference. By doing this you will never be short of new ideas to write about.

To add more ideas to your swipe file join Twitter.com and start following people in your niche. Just watch the tweets and write down ideas for articles from that.

If you write and submit 5-10 articles a day and get them submitted to EzineArticles.com think about the backlinks you will get.

Have you stopped to think about the traffic you can get from other publishers, readers, and search engines? The search engines love EZA and so will you once you get started.

Because most people are thinking about all of the directories to submit to this is a very easy and unique article marketing strategy most people fail to do. Sadly they really miss out because this causes them to abandon article marketing altogether.

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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

5 Ways To Harness The Power Of Article Marketing


One thing for sure is that the power of article marketing remains constant whilst the internet moves forward at a remarkable pace.

The benefits of tapping into the power of article marketing are enormous. You can be rewarded with high page rankings from the search engines, which will result in free targeted traffic, plus free traffic from the article directories too, if you produce articles rich with keywords.

This article will provide you with five tips that are guaranteed to improve your article writing so that you can then experience the power of article marketing.

As with anything planning is important, so firstly start off by writing a long list of keywords for the niche that your online business is in. Spend time doing your research to build a list of quality keywords.

To put together a targeted list you can find keywords by using free keyword research tools available online such as Wordtracker and Google. Knowing what keywords to build your article around is the foundation for writing a good article.

Now we move onto the second and extremely important step in article writing which is the title. The more you practice the better your titles will become. To get some ideas have a look at the titles of some of the articles in the article directories.

When you see article titles that really catch your eye and make you want to read more jot them down or open Notepad on your computer and create a list of titles that will give you inspiration for future use. Be sure to have your keywords in your title to attract the attention of the search engines and word it so no searcher can resist clicking on the title to read more.

Thirdly, your first paragraph of your article is of utmost importance. Today, people speed read as time is short and precious and so this is your chance to capture their attention. Keep the paragraph short, but power-pack it with words which will make them want to read your entire article.

Fourthly, you will reap the rewards of focusing on writing the best article you can. If necessary, take the time to do some research. Your article does not have to be long, but rather precise and to the point. Instead of being long-winded make good use of your words.

Lastly, there are thousands of article directories on the internet but do not waste your time trying to submit to them all. Rather choose the best ones with a high Page Rank to submit your articles to.

Ezinearticles.com is the top article directory on the internet which gets a lot of traffic, so your article marketing results would improve if you consistently just submitted your articles to them. Alternatively, you could consider using an online article submission service such as SubmitYourArticle.com which includes the option of having your article submitted to 6 top article directories including Ezinearticles.com

To sum up then, you will see improved article marketing results if you take action on these five tips. Focus on writing good quality articles and be selective where you submit them and you will harness the power of article marketing and benefit for a long time to come.

About the Author:
Cynthia Minnaar runs her own
Online Home Business Ideas website full-time from home. She invites you gather more article marketing tips from her step-by-step internet marketing strategies guide.













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Saturday, September 20, 2008

So How Does Article Marketing Actually Work?



Article marketing is a very cheap way of getting targeted visitors to your site in the hopes that they will purchase your product or service. There are many sites where you can post your articles and here you will find details of how article marketing actually works.

Most websites will have already posted what topics they are looking for so bear that in mind before you submit your article and check if your work is relevant to what is being asked for.

You will usually find a set of guidelines as to the kind of articles that can be submitted and those that are not accepted. These guidelines will include such things as the minimum and maximum number of words per article, that they must be written in proper English with good grammar and that the article is original and not copied from someone else’s work.
Be sure to read the fine print before you submit your articles so as to avoid the possibility of having your article rejected.

You will notice that some sites that you submit to may reserve the right to edit your content. If you go ahead and submit to these sites and they do make changes to your article, there is nothing you can do about it.

With the exception of a handful of sites, you don’t get paid for any of the articles you submit because article marketing in essence is a free form of advertising and exposure. However, there are many advantages to submitting articles such as: making yourself known as an expert in your field, as well as the products and services you offer, plus a back-link to your website from the link in the resource box at the end of your article, where people can click through to your website, improved search engine rankings and targeted traffic.

Write the resource box in the third person and include your name, a little about yourself, what you are offering, your website address, and if required your contact number and email.

It does sometimes happen that your article may be removed form the site if it is no longer relevant, thereby allowing space for other writers to post their own articles. So be sure to review your articles regularly so you can add new information if necessary to keep up with the times.

After writing an article, the next step is to publish it by submitting it to the article directories. The majority of sites will require you to sign up and become a member. This is totally free and you are simply filling up the form to create an account with them. This also gives you the opportunity to check your statistics and complete an author’s profile.

You also have the option of using a free or paid article submission service which will distribute your article to hundreds of directories automatically.

After submission, a lot of directories manually approve the articles to check if they are in accordance with the guidelines, so it may take a day or two to appear in the directory.

Some article directories will notify you by email that your article has been accepted, but many do not, so you can always log back into your account that you set up to see the status of your articles.

Once your articles are listed in the directories then other webmasters can freely add your articles to their website or syndicate your content. However, they are not allowed to change your articles and must include the resource box. So by submitting good quality, informative articles can lead to them appearing on many websites all over the internet.

So you can see article marketing is actually very simple. You write an article based on a topic of your interest and then submit it to a site that is looking for that information. Although you receive no financial compensation for the hard work you put into writing the article, you will be rewarded with higher search engine rankings resulting in targeted traffic to your website.

If you would like more information on Article Marketing please visit my Internet Marketing Training Guide where you will also find a free e-book on Article Marketing.

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Article Marketing - An Important Way To Promote Your Online Home Business


The internet is not the only place that Article Marketing is used. It has been used for years in media publications, and it has shifted to the web making it very important in the digital age.

So why is article marketing so important? Not only does it enhance your online home business website with information and original content but creates quality backlinks that will increase the rankings of your website in the major search engines, which will result in targeted traffic.

You therefore increase your chances of people purchasing or signing-up from your website and you can target customers all over the world.

You can achieve this by simply selecting the right keywords in your articles which the search engines will pick up when someone decides to search for it.

You could also send your articles only to those that cater to it. You can do this by submitting to article directories, by uploading the article to your favorite online network or by submitting to article search engines free of charge.

Ask your friends who also have websites to post your articles on their site. The more exposure you get for your online home business the better chance you have of reaching a larger audience.

You can also create an e-Book containing your articles and give this away for free.

Also don’t forget the ezine sites, which also accept articles.

Article marketing is just one method that you can use to promote your site on the internet. You can market articles for free or pay a ghostwriter and submission service to do it for you, but it is a highly effective method and your articles stay around on the web for years.

Why is article marketing important? With just 300 to 500 words, you are able to talk to the reader on a more personal level better than what a banner or text ad can do. Plus people are looking for information and many times it is articles that provide what they are looking for.

You don’t have to be an expert writer to convey to the reader what your product is all about. By just explaining it simply in an article makes it easy for most to understand.

You may find it hard when you first start writing articles – but it will get easier. Think about what you would like to write about, jot down a few of the features or advantages and then write paragraphs around them. Add you keywords to your resources box hyperlinked to the page on your website.

Those searching for information online will type a keyword phrase into one of the search engines. If you want these searchers to find your site, you have to put yourself in their shoes and then provide factual information so you can be trusted. This is the essence of what makes article marketing is all about and why it is so important for anyone who wants to do business online.


Harness The Power Of Article Marketing is a free ebook that you are welcome to download if you are looking for some really sound advice on article marketing. Just click on the ebook image above for immediate download.



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Tuesday, June 03, 2008

The Freedom Of Working From Home


I just thought I would share some personal thoughts today.

The events of the last two weeks have really made me appreciate the freedom that I have working full-time from home online.

My Mum has just had lens replacement surgery in both eyes with a 2 week break between each op. (What incredible surgery that is - but I that is another topic). It was just so great to be available to take her to the hospital and for all her check-ups etc., etc., etc., without having to ask anybody for "time off" or having to worry about "taking too much time off work" or having the thought "I must get back to the office". Do these phrases sound familiar to you?

Having my own online business, that enables me to earn a full-time income working from home, has given me so much freedom. If my days do get disrupted, it is not a problem, because I can catch up with my work in the evenings.

It wasn't plain sailing getting my online home business to the stage that it is today, but it was definitely worth all the hard work. There were many challenges along the way that I learnt to overcome, I had a huge amount to learn and still do, and keeping the boss at bay motivates me to build my business bigger and better. I will never regret the day I decided to start a home business of my own.

I often get asked what methods I use to build my business and my answer is 90% Article Marketing - it is a magic way of marketing a business.

You are welcome to download a free copy of Harness the Power of Article Marketing and I hope that it helps you with the marketing of your online business too.




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Friday, February 22, 2008

How To Market An Online Home Business Free

When it comes to marketing an online home business on the internet there is no need to spend money as these highly effective methods are free.

Optimizing your online home business website with you chosen keywords

This first phase of free internet marketing is important as you will be laying the foundation of your online home business for years to come and therefore it needs to be laid on solid ground. The first thing you need to concentrate on when you first either decide to build a website or you receive a fully set up website on your own domain is choosing your keywords and optimizing your site for the search engines.

Optimizing your website will be the base on which to build your online home business using the following highly effective and free internet marketing methods to generate free targeted traffic from the search engines.

Many who are new to internet marketing will skip this step simply because they do not understand it, but it will pay you handsomely if you take the time to learn and apply it. You can find free keywords selector tools by searching on Google and you can find an excellent free e-book in my signature on how to SEO your website with your chosen keywords.

Having chosen your keywords and optimized your website you can then move on to the exciting part of internet marketing and that is building back links to your website in order to obtain higher search engine rankings resulting in free targeted organic traffic.

Article Marketing

Article writing and distribution can be totally free if you have the time to write your own articles and distribute them to the article directories. Even if you have to pay for a ghostwriter and distribution service it is a relatively cheap method of internet marketing.

If you aim to write and distribute two online home business articles each and every week with your keyword phrase anchored in the author’s resource box to your website you will see a constant, steady increase in back links pointing back to your website.

This is another area of article marketing that many people shy away from, simply because they believe they cannot write. But you can train yourself easily by starting off writing short posts on your blog and as it becomes easier you will soon find that you can easily write an article. They only need be 500 words long.

You can start off by writing about your experiences on internet marketing so far and as you learn something new write about it, as there are sure to be other people on the internet looking for what you have just learnt or mastered.

Forum Posting

This is another way to gather back links through your signature, where you can anchor your keyword phrase to your website url.

Join one or two forums in the beginning, get acquainted and aim to post constructively so that others benefit from your information.

Blogging

Aim to post on your blog on a daily basis or at least three times a week, again using your keyword phrases and where possible link to your main website – internal linking is also important. Don’t forget to ping your blog after each post to let the blogging world that you have just provided more interesting information.

Web Directories

Submitting your website to the web directories will gather further valuable backlinks and there are thousands out there. You can buy as well as get free submitters or submit by hand and aim for 10 a day.

By working on a daily basis on one or a combination of all of the above methods to build backlinks to your online home business website you will see an increase in your search engine rankings and targeted traffic.

About the Author
Cynthia Minnaar is the owner of www.cyns-home-biz.com, the site for
online home business ideas, online business opportunities, extra income opportunities and resources. Subscribe to her Free Online Home Business Ideas Newsletter and receive free internet income training and a free copy of SEO Made Easy.

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Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Write Your Way To Online Home Business Success

When one starts out with Article Marketing we tend to only submit our articles to the Article Directories, so my latest article entitled Write Your Way To Online Home Business Success includes some lesser known ways to market your articles to generate back links as well free advertising for your online home business.

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Sunday, July 01, 2007

Avoid Duplicate Content Penalties In Google

I came across this great piece of software that I thought you could use in your website marketing efforts - Jetspinner and Jetsubmitter.

Jetspinner is completely free and will allow you to create hundreds of unique articles for article marketing.

You can quickly and easily establish yourself as an expert in your field and create hundreds of backlinks that avoid Google's duplicate content penalties.

There are also great training videos included to help you set it up.

Bring your articles to life and get the backlinks you deserve. Click
here to find out more about Jetspinner.

They're also offering a $1 3-day trial of Jetsubmitter as a launch promotion.


Tags: article marketing, article spinning, article submission, duplicate content, avoid duplicate content

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Saturday, March 03, 2007

Ideas To Make Your Internet Home Business Flourish

Copyright 2007 Cynthia Minnaar


Your internet home business needs to be nurtured and nourished in order to provide you with a home business income just like an acorn needs to be fed and watered in order to flourish and grow into a huge oak tree.

Just as an oak tree takes time to grow, the same applies to an internet home business if it is given the attention it needs.

Firstly, ensure that your internet home business is nestled comfortably in the hands of a respectable and longstanding hosting company where you are allocated plenty of space for the roots of your business to become large and established. Something that could set your business back severely is transplanting it to a new hosting company, should the original one become too small, unreliable or simply vanish from the internet altogether.

In order for the roots and foliage of the sapling to grow it requires food and water on a daily basis for its whole life, the same applies to your internet home business.

Start by nurturing the roots in the form of optimizing your website for the search engines. Search engine optimization forms the foundation of your business to ensure easy indexing of your site in the search engines as well as preparing your site to appear on the first page of the search results for your chosen keywords. Spend time choosing your keywords carefully. Check your keyword density and html and general performance and layout of your site. Remember build your site for the visitors, not for the search engines.

Continue nurturing the root system in the form of regularly updating your website with fresh content and online business ideas that add interest to your site. Use more advanced optimization strategies to stay ahead of the competition and maintain your ranking in the search engine results. Join and participate in SEO forums to obtain additional internet business ideas that you can use to further enhance your website.

As the root system starts to develop so the foliage starts to grow. You need to now start providing different food to promote the strong and steady growth of the branches and leaves of your internet home business, so they spread far and wide over the internet.

Foliage food can be provided in the form of inter alia, article marketing, forum posting, social book-marking, pay-per-click advertising, classified advertising, ezine solo adverts, blogging, directory submissions. You need to select a few of the options that you are comfortable with and daily sprinkle the food that builds valuable back links to your website.

Your oak tree would grow quicker and more evenly if it was relieved of any hindrances such as dead branches or strangling ivy. The same applies to your website, so check for dead links regularly, remove unnecessary links too. Check that your auto-responder is working correctly by sending a test message to yourself. Check on all your advertising and tweak where necessary. If you exchange links with other websites be sure to check the reciprocal links on a weekly basis as you can be penalized by the search engines for linking to sites that do not link back. Link exchange software is ideal for this task.

Keep supplying your internet home business with a daily supply of good food and water and it will surely flourish and grow into a home business income provider.


About the Author:
Cynthia Minnaar is the owner and webmaster of www.cyns-home-biz.com, the internet business ideas site for internet income training, online home business opportunities, ideas to start an online home business and make an income online. Get your own online money making site set up free today. You may publish my article provided you include the resource box.

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