About eight months ago, I hired a programmer. This programmer, who I can’t name, worked on a software which I had assigned him to.  It was a software which would process my entire sales process, so I know that this kind of project would take time.

We both agreed on the requirements of the project, like how often to report to me, service fees etc. The programmer estimated the project to take 2 1/2 months, based on my requirements.

I didn’t find this programmer through any freelance sites like elance.com or the like, I found him through a friend, so my initial impression of this programmer is that if I trusted my friend, I trusted this programmer.

I was wrong.

A month went by and I didn’t see any progress.

Another couple of months went by, and still, I didn’t see any progress with the software.

What was even worse was that I didn’t receive any reports from the programmer.

We both had conversations via Skype and he told me that that the project is going to take longer than he had thought.

He kept giving my excuses of why the delivery of the software kept delaying.

It was understandable to me, but not seeing any progress or work done feels like I had wasted my time and money.

So another few months went on until I finally had enough and told him what he should’ve heard months ago. I told him I need to see something or I would need to call this project off, and his services.

With that intention, I was informed that the software was accessible but not yet completed. To me, it was only a quarter of the way, and this was after six months.

I felt insulted because he only gave me a little piece of the pie to keep me happy. You can imagine how furious and angry I was.

So, ten months had gone right now and my final decision is to let this programmer go from my team.

Yes, I’ve made my own bad and silly mistakes.

What did I learn from this experience?

• Trust is important. In this scenario there was none. What I should’ve asked for is proof of whether the person I’m hiring is competent enough to handle this project, i.e. -portfolio and projects this person has done in the past.

• Hire the right people in your team. It may not be your time or budget to hire someone, but hiring the right people in your team is important. A self-managed person would save you so much time and hassle.

• When hiring a programmer, pay for what they have actually created, in my case I paid on a monthly basis, which was a bad idea.

• I made the mistake of hiring someone directly, not through a freelance site. Freelance sites have a system which works so that both parties will get what they agreed upon. An escrow system is common in this situation. Places to outsource work: elance.com, scriptlance.com, rentacoder.com, guru.com. Personally, I’ve only tried scriptlance.com for graphics and have had good experiences.

• You pay for what you get. I paid a fairly decent amount every month to hire this programmer, but compared to a programmer who is more skilled, it was cheap.

• Communication is important. In my case, I had little or poor communication with the programmer.

All-in-all, I have lost trust in this programmer and will not hire this person anymore, but what hasn’t changed is outsourcing my business. I have learned from this lesson and, hopefully, will not make the same mistakes again.

What are your thoughts on this situation?

What are you experiences with outsourcing? Have you had any bad experiences? Let me know by posting your comments/feedback below. As awalsy, I’d love to hear from you…

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Here’s how it works…

You tell me your biggest problem in Internet marketing (your biggest).

I’ll create short but meaty 15-30 page reports based on your problems. This, of course, depends on the demand.

Your response will help me better answer your problems in greater detail.

A few things to note:

• Be specific
• Don’t expect me to make you rich
• Be aware that I do have my own set of expertises, and they are: Graphics, traffic generation, creating products, list building, blogging, productivity, technical areas of setting up your website, joint-venturing and some copywriting. The fact is, I can’t be everything to everyone.
• Every month I’ll release one or two new reports based on this campaign.

That’s all

Please post your ”biggest problem” in the “comments” box.

Thanks in advance, and looking forward to hearing from you.

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One of the biggest mistakes of internet marketers relates to how they overlook the nuances of the language. Despite our developed expertise on SEO jargons and profound methods of internet marketing, we sometimes make the silliest grammatical errors making an otherwise fine web print go awry. Our efforts in marketing our content are futile if we cannot present them in readable form.

As web marketers and writers, we adapt a conversational tone to make readers understand our message perfectly. What we speak is what we write, and what our readers see is what they hear. I don’t mean to lecture, but this “dumbed-down” version of the written language can only go so far. When you cross the threshold of the frantic grammar police, you will start to lose credibility among your readers and subscribers.

Here are seven critical mistakes that we should avoid in our web prints:

1. There, Their, They’re

Playing with contractions is risky if you quickly type what you think. “There” is a multi-functional word that denotes a point, place or space. Since “there” is used as an adverb, noun, pronoun, or adjective, we woefully abuse the usage of the word making it a possessive pronoun (their) or as a contraction of “they are” (they’re).

Examples:

There - “Why are you going there?”
Their - “Without their help, we  can’t get this done”
They’re - “They’re going to the beach this afternoon”

2. Affect and Effect

It could be typo for some, but others make this mistake that stops the reader on its tracks. “Affect” is a verb while “effect” is a noun. Nouns and verbs have different usage. Verbs have a past tense (affected), while we usually put the word “the” before a noun (the effect). The difference in usage should serve as a hint when you encounter these words. Examples:

Affect - “The weather affected our summer holiday”
Effect -  “The effect was unbelievable”

3. Than, Then

“Than” is used to compare objects and ideas, while “then” is used to organize events chronologically. Examples:

Than - “Mary is prettier than Linda”
Then - “John’s going to do some shopping and then fill some gas on the way back”

4. Your, You’re

“Your” is a possessive pronoun just like “their”, while “you’re” is a contraction of “you are” just like “they’re”. Examples:

Your - “It’s your problem that you missed out”
You’re - “There’s thirty minutes to go and you’re still here”

5. Its, It’s

Like the point above, “its” is a possessive pronoun. “It’s” is a contraction of “it is”. Examples:

Its - “That dog is a Labrador but I don’t know its name”
It’s - “It’s fascinating how big the universe is”

6. You, Me, I

“You”, “Me”, and “I” are interchanged because the writer is sometimes confused with what he writes. “What can you do for I?” instead of “what can you do for me?” will bring a top quality content many notches down. The thing is, whether you say you and me or you and I, etc depends on whether these personal pronouns function as subjects OR objects in the sentence:

* You and I should go see Africa some time.
* Mrs Jones has said she wants to interview you and me.

Whatever happens, these words should not be interchanged since it is painful to read.

7. P.S. and P.P.S against P.S.S., P.P.S

Have you ever stumbled upon a salesletter or email where the writer uses P.S., P.S.S instead of P.S, P.P.S ?

When we want to add a section to our blogs or web copies, we add P.S. in the end of our articles for effect. However, some writers feel the need to put an extra “S” after the “P.S.” just to be cute. Strictly speaking, P.S. means post scriptum and P.P.S. means post post scriptum, which are critical elements of formal correspondence.

Everyone trips up once in a while. Even I had a fair share of nudges from my editor when I make the same mistakes. Most of these common hiccups can be fixed with careful proofreading and keen observation in finding these mistakes.

Remember that marketing and content go hand in hand. Marketing builds the flair, while content builds the substance.

P.S. Do you know of other common grammatical mistakes that we must avoid? Share it with us or give a shout out with your comments.

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I wanted to take the time to learn more about you, and basically start a discussion about the topic of starting out online. In addition, I hope it will help you refocus, reallign and learn why you started this business in the first place.

So…

How did you first find out about online marketing/this type of business? Was it an ad you saw while you were surfing the ‘net? Maybe a friend influenced you about the opportunity.

What made you decide to pursue this business? Is it the lifestyle? Had enough of your job? To diverse your offline business by going online?

I’ll kick start this post off by starting first…

I first found out about online marketing from a banner ad which read “60 minute money! You can make a full-time income working at home with just a computer, an Internet connection and 60 minutes of work a day. Click Here!” As cheesy as it may sound, I clicked to find out more. Don’t sit there laughing. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were triggered to click on this type of ad, too
I decided to pursue this business because I hated studying “theory” at school and working at a job, where I was limited to what I could earn. Two things led me to this ultimate decision - 1) Robert Kiyosaki’s ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ book 2) How school theory applies in the real world. You may argue about this but that’s my thought.

So that’s my mini story. Whether you’re doing this business part-time or full-time, feel free to share your story by posting in the comment box below. I’d love to read yours, and I’m sure others will, too. (You don’t need to reveal anything personal)

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Faced with flurries of task, messages, and concerns, each of us need to contend with heaps of work. We can wilt or we can get over the hump. Either way things need to get done! Here are some habit-changing schemes to increase your productivity…

1. Have an intensive work space. There is a time for work and a place for work. Make sure you define your space where no one will disturb you.

2. Organize your work space. Some prefer a minimalist approach while others draw a system in their work space. A tidy work space allows you to focus on what needs done.

3. Eliminate distractions. Figure out what takes your focus away from your work (email, IM’s, cellphones) and turn them off.

4. Plan the next day before you sleep. Night time is the right time to visualize what you should be doing tomorrow.

5. Break large projects into small tasks. Understand what it takes to accomplish a large task and outline them in manageable sets.

6. Focus on having a good start. What you do when you wake up sets the tempo for the day. By being in the right “place” physically and emotionally, you can focus on your tasks for the day.

7. Have a “To-Do list” system. Some independent workers adhere to David Allen’s GTD (http://www.davidco.com), while some work better with just a pen and paper.

8. Define your break period. Sometimes we forget when we need to stop, which drags our productivity and leaves us tired for the next tasks. Moderating your breaks is very important.

9. Understand your work pattern. Do you work well in the morning? Do you peak after sunset? Know what time of the day you are most productive and work a schedule around that.

10. Delegate. Strip out tasks that you can pass to your colleagues and focus on what you do best.

11. Use online to-do lists. Start with Remember the Milk (http://rememberthemilk.com), Vitalist (http://vitalist.com), or Simple GTD (http://simplegtd.com).

12. Manage your contacts. Organizing your contact list saves you time when you need a specific name and number from your list. GMail (http://gmail.com) has an excellent contact management feature.

13. Set a personal deadline. Aside from the deadline made by your boss/client, create your own personal deadline and take it as a challenge.

14. Track your time. Your schedule in theory may not be what you spend in practice. Track your time with online tools like David Seah’s ETT (http://davidseah.com/tools/ett/alpha/), or Rescue time (http://www.rescuetime.com/).

15. Work with a purpose. In the long run, facing your computer takes a toll if tasks become routine. Find the bigger picture in these tasks and use that as motivation.

16. Minimize. We only have so much that we can handle. Take your tasks one at a time, focus on the present, and block out succeeding tasks.

17. Organize incoming information and tasks. It is beneficial to absorb each detail of your project so that you won’t leave anything behind. Capture what needs done, and prioritize the information at hand.

18. Offline Tools work best. Lots of web apps abound, but the classic pen and paper or moleskine (http://www.moleskine.com) might be a better choice for you.

19. Strike quick, strike effectively. Each step of your task must lead to an action or help you move forward with your project. Small steps lead to bigger leaps.

20. Develop a work rhythm. Get things done at your own pace. Find an optimal work speed where you know you can give your best quality while not dilly-dallying over the deadline.

21. Work with your computer. Most people cannot get things done because of their “special relationship” with their computer. If you want to get things done, just install the minimal tools that will get you moving.

22. Develop a spontaneous yet structured work pattern. You cannot always free up your time with distractions, but you cannot have too rigid of a schedule either. Find the right balance by thinking ahead.

23. Be aware of your laziness. Each of us has laziness within. Discover why you take these down times and block them out. Laziness is also good if you plan your breaks carefully.

24. Review your day. What have you done right? What went amiss?

25. Just Start. Take the first step and do not look back once you start.

26. Remember: Tools are tools. To do lists, PDA’s, and notebooks help get things done. They should not take the bulk of your schedule as you organize stuff.

27. Use an alarm clock. A clock that rings will always keep you on your heels. Set up an alarm on key parts of your schedule.

28. Simplify. Work towards the best way to get your job done without cutting corners. Keeping things simple is a good start.

29. Attack the big tasks first. Prioritize what needs to be done during the day and accomplish the big tasks first. This will give you a sense of accomplishment earlier in the day.

30. Nifty calendars plan and organize your medium-term plans. Google Calendar (http://www.google.com/calendar) is a heralded tool, but offline workers still like their iCal or Microsoft Outlook.

31. Use Time Blocking. Time blocking or time chunks allow you to focus on a set of tasks without requiring you to have an elaborate schedule. Learn about time blocking here (http://www.focuslearninggroup.com/resources/tips/generaltips/timeblocking.php).

32. Work together. Even if you are working on different tasks, having the right company will help you feed off each other’s energy.

33. Develop a Routine. A routine gives you a better handle during your work day. Realize what things you tend to do daily and organize it.

34. Define the contexts of your actions. Categorize your tasks, whether it is your job, school, family, leisure, home, etc.

35. Take only what you can for the day. You cannot take all tasks in one day. Your time is a renewable resource, but in the end, it is still 24 hours in a day.

36. Wake up early, Start Early. It might not be for everyone, but it is a nice feeling when you accomplish what you have to do before lunch time.

37. Focus on the essentials. Doing what is most important to you and blocking out the “bloat” in life will free up more time and benefit you in the long run.

38. Do not stop when things do not go well. Each task is a hurdle with a set of sub-hurdles as you complete a specific task. It is nothing new though. You just have to reload.

39. Do not neglect other parts of your life. Your career is only one aspect of life. If you ignore more essential things, it will come back to haunt you and distract you from your work.

40. Be an optimist. Tasks should not bog you down - always find a positive side in what you do.

41. Set Goals. Of course, goals are the culprit why we do what we do. There is no shortage of goals - use them as motivation.

42. Have a productivity meeting with your friends. There is a science and art to getting things done. It is always a worthwhile and productive discussion. Share and learn.

43. Take note of your accomplishments. Crossing out an item on your to do list gives a sense of accomplishment. These little victories do not hurt.

44. Bring less baggage. When it is time to buckle down, have every tool that you need in arm’s reach. Minimalist work is focused work.

45. Commit to your TO-DO list. Planning on paper without action is meaningless. Treat your list as a contract.

46. Read Blogs like these. Burn your RSS feeds, and read an article or two daily. They serve as constant reminders that you need to be on top of your game.

47. Discover what makes you work. Our goals are our large motivators, but there might be small motivators that can keep you going.

48. Take Notes. Online note taking applications such as Evernote (http://evernote.com/), and Google Notebook (http://google.com/notebook) have nifty tools to capture everything.

49. Work with Passion. No amount of productivity tips will replace your love for your work. Find your passion and let the chips fall.

50. Printable CEO. This is a shoutout to David Seah and his Printable CEO tools (http://davidseah.com/pceo/).

51. Finish what you have started first. Multi-taskers might disagree, but having too much loose-end gives more stress since the unfinished task may still be in the back of your mind.

52. Clean Your Inbox. Your email inbox is a microcosm on how you organize yourself. Prevent your inbox from overflowing.

53. Getting things Done is a Habit. Being a doer cannot be done in a snap, work your way and buy into the philosophy slowly.

54. Plan by the day, by the week, by the month. A calendar organized your month, while to do lists organizes your days and week. Have a separate list for a specific day.

55. Do not react to your list. While your to do list is a contract to yourself, make the crucial call and take action when things go wrong in your list. Ultimately, your to do list is just a tool.

56. Use key browser tools. Firefox have various tools to make you more productive like

• Customize Google (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/743),
• All in one Sidebar (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/743)
• Delicious bookmarks (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3615).
• Go to Eriwen.com (http://eriwen.com/firefox/firefox-add-ons-for-productivity/) for a starter’s list.

57. Clear time to review your work. Aside from the daily reviews, schedule a time chunk once a week (or once a month… it is your choice) to review and evaluate your goals.

58. Make quick decisions as much as possible. Tiny tasks like throwing out the trash, or answering an e-mail should not be postponed. They snowball if left unattended.

59. Reminder: Procrastination is not getting things done. You may sit and procrastinate on your task and beat the deadline, but the wasted time sitting may cost you missed opportunities.

60. Physical Block out when you work. Be proactive in making sure distractions will not get to you. Turn off e-mail notifications, plug the internet cable if necessary, turn the music up and wear your headphones.

61. Computers get cluttered too. Customize your computer, and clear your desktop. Simple PC tasks may cost you minutes if you don’t organize enough.

62. Learn keyboard shortcuts. Using a mouse is just slower.

• Learn MS Office shortcuts (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA011407361033.aspx),
• Firefox shortcuts (http://www.mouserunner.com/FF_Shortcuts1Printable.html),
• GMail shortcuts (http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=6594)

• Windows (http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/help/2503b91d-d780-4c80-8f08-2f48878dc5661033.mspx),
• Mac (http://en.onsoftware.com/200-leopard-shortcuts-for-the-new-year)

63. Manage Interruptions. Despite your efforts to block distractions, there are times when they are inevitable. If you are in the middle of the task, handle interruptions quickly before you lose your drive.

64. Take notes while in the middle of a task. If you are in the thick of your work, you may remember things/ideas that can stall you. Write your ideas down so that you can clear them from your mind then get back to work.

65. Recharge and Drink Water. Even if you are not doing an overtly physical activity, always drink water. Have a glass on your table.

66. Use Breaks as small rewards. After your task, take a breather and use the time to do your work distractions - read e-mail, blogs, IM. A 10 minute break every hour works for me, but you can set your own break pattern.

67. Work in Bursts. Be “in the moment” of your work. You can get a lot done in 30 minutes of focused work than 2-hours of erratic work.

68. Write Deadlines in bold. In our job, deadlines are important. When you have a to-do list make sure you have the deadline written in clear black, highlighted letters for emphasis.

69. Have clear deadlines. Some tasks have deadlines that are neither here or there. If the client does not give you a clear deadline, challenge yourself and make your own deadline.

70. Understand what you have accomplished. It is easy to cross out a task, but it is harder to put the accomplished task in perspective. Know why the task is needed so that you know you are going somewhere when you are done.

71. Learn from your mistakes. If you fail in completing a task, do not brush it off. Analyze what went wrong and avoid the mistake next time.

72. Overextend sometimes. Sometimes you just have to get down, get dirty, or stay late until the job gets done. That is reality and no other productivity tip can change that.

73. Be creative against repetition. Repetitive tasks are unavoidable (that is why we repeat it). Get over the hump by placing them within your work day strategically or delegate them.

74. Cut non-producing projects. You might get small victories from elaborate tasks, but it might amount to nothing when you put these tasks together. Understand what projects can give you more impact.

75. Monitor Energy Drains. Subtle and seemingly harmless things might put you in jeopardy and leave you tired before you even start work. Less sleeping time, more TV, dragging relationships, are energy drainers that take productivity away from your work.

76. Put a “Do not Disturb” Sign on Your Door. Your colleagues or family members will get the message.

77. Automate. Whenever you face a familiar task, have a contingency to get the task done faster.

I hope this post is timely and will help you get more done right now and in the future.

Enjoyed this post? Let me know by posting your comments and feedback….

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Has it ever happened to you that while discussing your job with friends or family people don’t have any idea about what you do.

Or your classmate who you haven’t seen for ages, talks about career and suddenly asks: “And you?” “I’m an Internet marketer” (here you feel a surge of pride), “Sorry, what?” Not “Wow!”, not even “Really?! Tell me more about it!”, just this humiliating “What?”.

I know the reason why they do so. You may be surprised, but many people are still ignorant of the Internet, let alone SEM, PPC and other 3-letter online businesses. To believe them, Internet marketers are those who

• sell e-books (btw, what does “e-book” mean?);
• flood your inbox with spammy messages, like “Order 9 $1 bottles for $10 and get one more absolutely FOR FREE”;
• just scam;
• waste time in front the computer screen, looking through multiple stupid pages (this refers to all the three).

The thing is that people who don’t use the web treat it like something unreal: you can’t try on sneakers from a virtual shop or hear the ring of coins sent to your online account.

And unreal allegedly stands for unreliable. Have you experienced such an attitude?

All in all, how to convince your relatives/friends that you are neither a spammer nor scammer, but a serious businessman?

Don’t try to explain the inexplicable. Don’t show them your website(-s) and stats reports. Don’t answer their naive questions.

Just invite them some day to voyage in the yacht (not that I have one) you bought from your online revenue and they’ll believe, I bet!

I’d love to know if you’ve ever been in this situation or simply tell me your thoughts about this, even if you’re a part-time Internet marketer…

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So many projects, so little time…

Does this sound like you?  You start a project and then you’re stuck at a certain point so you start on another project without even finishing your initial project.

This, as you may have experienced, can lead to a waste of time and resources.

Which one should you start or, perhaps, continue on?

I must admit, I am guilty of starting and stopping projects but after much failure and experience I’ve overcome this type of situation.

Let’s first start off with the two graphs, below.  These are, of course, hypothetical but are used as examples only:

Graph #1: Shows a person who’s working on multiple projects at the same time (four in this example).  It takes this person four months to see any result.

Graph #2: Shows the same person working on the same projects, except one project at a time.  It only takes one month to see results.

The moral of these graphs indicate that by focusing on one project at a time you can get more done, see faster results, stop procrastinating and build momentum.  It’s practical.  It’s common sense.  Being in the shoes of the person on graph #1 is dangerous.  You’d probably quit before you even finish your project because you would not see results.

Often, we all go through a stage in our project where we’re stuck, for instance, not knowing how to work an FTP program or write a piece of advertisement.  These types of things can prevent you from moving forward.  Don’t let these things get the better of you.  There’s always a way around it if you try hard enough to find the solution.  Those who see the light at the end of the tunnel will succeed.  Persistence is a key factor when you’re in a scenario like this.

It’s important to note that it’s not always necessary to pursue all of your projects.  What I mean by this is that just because you believe in your product, thinking that it’s going to change people’s lives, it doesn’t mean your market would think the same.  If everyone had the same belief about your product then it wouldn’t have any value.  The point is to be certain that the project you’re pursuing is something that your market wants and at the same time you also need to be passionate about it. 

It’s ok to quit projects.  I did it many times, but I did it strategically.  You need to think ahead of time i.e. - before you start you project.  If you quit when you’re at that stage where you’re ’stuck’ you’ll end up wasting your time and resources.  You’d probably make better use of it on projects worth pursuing.

Here are five questions you should evaluate when starting or continuing your project:

1.  Will this project give you long-term benefits? For instance, I wrote reports (which included resell rights) with the intention of them getting spread and distributed by others.  The results? More traffic to my sites and subscribers to my newsletter.  The reports are out there and I can’t stop them, which is a good thing.

2.  What do you wish to get out of this project when completed?  Is it a sense of achievement? More money in your pocket? To build your reputation?  Whatever it is define it, write it down. If you fail to plan you plan to fail.

3.  Is your persistence going to pay off in the long run?

4.  Is the project worth the time and resources you have?

5.  Average is boring. Being number one is better than number two.  Will your project lead you to your ultimate goal or is it delaying you from reaching it?

All in all, you need to decide, right now, which projects you should prioritize and make clear what your intentions are for each so you’re always in a productive state.  Work on one project at a time, until completion.  You’ll gain momentum doing it this way, like a snowball. Tweak and fine-tune your product to maximize the results.

Enjoyed this post? Post your comment/feedback/opinion…

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Books I just bought:

“All marketers are liars” - Seth Godin
“Small is the new big” - Seth Godin
“Unleashing the ideavirus” - Seth Godin
“Purple Cow” - Seth Godin
“Words that sell” - Richard Bayan

Highly Recommended Books:

“Think and grow rich” - Napoleon Hill
“Rich dad, poor dad” - Robert Kiyosaki
“Good to great” - Jim Collins

Post your comment/feedback below and tell me what your favourite books, ebooks or homestudy courses are that have helped you with your business and life…

Looking forward to your list of recommended reads!

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Struggling to get people to your site?

After mulling over the prospect, you finally made the decision to create a website. All in all, you are happy with the look, think the information is excellent, and think that anyone who visits the site will enjoy it so much that he or she will be back again regularly.

However, the next task is getting the word out and driving some traffic to your website. After all, having a fantastic website doesn’t do much unless people know about it.

You won’t find a list of traffic generation ideas, in this unique compilation, anywhere else.

So here they are, in an easy-to-read format: a hundred and ten tips to help you spread the good news about your site and generate some interest. I guarantee that you’ll find some of these tips don’t work for you. But I’m sure you’re intelligent enough to piece out the stuff that’ll give you that traffic boost you’ve always wanted…

Think Old School

1. Print up some business cards with your URL featured prominently. Leave them at restaurants, on the community bulletin board at the supermarket, in public restrooms, and hand them to the person sitting next to you on the plane. The word will get around.

2. Send out a postcard or two. Postcards announcing your new website can be sent to friends, relatives, business acquaintances, and old flames, even the ones you broke up with. A postcard is more likely to be read than a form letter. An online postcard service, you can use, is SendOutCards

3. Print up some flyers. Hand them out at public events. Check with local laws in your city to make sure this is okay.

4. Put an ad in the newspaper. Believe it or not, people still read the classifieds. You can pick up a visit or two that way.

5. Make an announcement in the local shopping weekly. Usually only costs a few dollars and will reach a market of folks who look for all sorts of things, maybe even stuff you have featured on your website.

6. Invest in some promotional materials. Pencils, note pads, golf tees, and other stuff with your URL can be distributed in all sorts of venues.

7. Hit the Chamber events. Membership in the local chamber of commerce will allow you to network with other business people in the area and generate some interest in what you do.

8. Print up a brochure. Make it a nice trifold that fits into a business envelope. Makes a nice follow up piece to the postcard.

9. Set up at career fairs. Take your business cards, flyers, and brochures and set up an information table. Your site will have several new hits the next day, with more to follow.

10. Use word of mouth. Get friends, relatives and acquaintances to spread the word about your web site. That cute waitress at the coffee shop might let you place some cards at the register if you leave her a decent tip next time.

11. Do some talking yourself. Find ways to work the name of your web site into casual conversation. Just try to do it with different people, not the same folks all the time.

12. Talk to the business editor at the local paper. If the subject matter of your web site catches his or her interest, you can get some great free publicity.

13. Sponsor a local event. Being on a list of sponsors for a competition or event that will pull in a lot of people is a good way to get your name in front of a broad range of people in the community.

14. Write letters to the local paper. Make sure to include your company name and URL in your signature. You will be surprised how many papers will print the web address right along with your company name.

15. Hire a public relations firm. It will be expensive, but they will take care of everything and provide you with a lot of name recognition in a short period of time.

Get The Most From The Search Engines

16. Ideally, your domain name should include your keywords. For instance, if you’re in the Dog Training niche, your domain could be something like www.DogTraining123.com. Search engines will position your domain closer to the top search results, despite your competitor’s site having a higher Pagerank. If their domain does not include the keywords, your site will win against their’s in the search results.

17. Make sure to include your keywords in your webpage title. Again, if your niche is Dog Training, in between your title tag () you would put something like Dog Training Tips, News and Articles.

18. Pepper your web content with keywords that will attract the attention of search engines. That will help your site to show up in a lot of searches and also help you show up higher on the results.

19. Use keyword research tools to find those relevant words. Chances are you will learn a few new ones that will make your site look even slicker.

20. Register with every search engine you can find, large and small. It may take some time, but the effort will pay off in the long run. Just go to Google and type in “site submission”.

21. Use every descriptive word and phrase you can think of when entering search words into the site description. No matter how remote the connection to your site, toss it in. People use all sorts of search phrases, some of them pretty wild. Capitalize on that.

22. Although it’s been said that services who offer SEO for your website, like getting you into the top 10 search results, may be too good to be true, experiment and test to see yourself. Some may actually deliver what they promise.

23. Add new content from time to time and update the search words in your site description to include some of the new verbiage. Search engine spiders will crawl your site more often when you regularly add new content.

24. Popular cities and states can become good keywords, no matter where you live. Mentioning New York City, Chicago, and London may seem odd when you live in Bent Fork Falls, but find a way to work them into the text.

25. Compare your products and services to a competitor. This will give you some useful search words for the engines to pick up on. Just make sure whatever you write is correct and current.

26. Drop popular celebrity names. You may not know much about Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake, but work a casual reference to them into the text on your website and the search engines will pick up on it.

27. Check major search engines that feature the most recent top ten searches conducted with their engine. This will give you some other great ideas of words or ideas to work into your site somehow.

28. If you don’t trust your own writing skill, find a freelance writer who can turn out some SEO articles for you to rotate on the web site.

29. Mention current events on your web site. Referring to a news item that is currently hot will help people to find your site and hopefully like what they see.

30. Check your rankings from time to time, so you have a handle on what type of searches are working best for you. This will help you come up with ways to improve the process.

31. Get some feedback from friends and fellow web site owners. They may have some ideas on how to get the most from search engines that have not occurred to you.

32. Be on the lookout for any changes that search engines make. In some cases, updates and changes will mean you will have to tweak a few things in order to keep appearing high on the search results.

Blogging Can Be Your Friend

33. Create a blog of your own. You can promote yourself as much as you like, as long as it is tasteful and doesn’t drive people away.

34. Look for blogs that have some connection to what your site is all about. You will not only get ideas for blog entries of your own, but also often can have a chance to comment and leave the URL for your site.

35. Ask questions in your blog entries. Publish some of the best responses. People like to see their words in published form and will come back again and again.

36. Use your blog to announce something new you are doing with your web site. People will want to click over and see what they think about the changes.

37. Have a guest blogger from time to time. His or her loyal audience will come over to take a look, and will likely want to find out more about your and your website.

38. Be a guest blogger yourself. You can expound on your view of the world and pitch your site at the same time.

39. Participate in blogs where you can answer questions and leave contact information. You will get a reputation of being knowledgeable and somebody worth doing business with.

40. Expound on holidays. The good thing about blogs is you can write about all sorts of things and manage to tie them back to your web site. Holiday thoughts and stories are always a good opportunity to promote your web site and its core business.

41. In like manner, don’t let a season go by without scrutinizing it at one time or another on your blog. Winter, spring, summer, and fall all offer a wealth of ideas you can use to capture attention and then redirect it to your web site.

42. Post new articles on your blog on a consistent basis. If people know they can depend on at least one new article by Thursday each week, they will get into the habit of checking your blog before leaving the office on Friday.

43. Be a little controversial. Pressing a hot button now and then will stir up interest, and make people come back to see what else you have to say.

44. At the same time, select your controversies carefully. Go for something that captures interest, but is something you can discuss without alienating a huge section of your target audience.

45. Don’t be afraid to admit you have changed your mind. If you take a stance and several readers come back with some great reasons to think otherwise, acknowledge them and admit you have rethought the issue. People will appreciate your honesty and will be confident to return.

46. Jazz up the look of the blog now and then. Just changing the basic colors and using a different font on the headers will help keep the look of your blog fresh.

47. Write about whatever you want, but always tie it back to your core business somehow. After all, that was the point of the blog in the first place.

How ’bout Online Classifieds Boards?

48. Find the free online classified ads and place a short and to the point ad. Make sure to include the URL for your web site. A good place to start is Craigslist.

49. Keep in mind many of these free classified sites are part of specialty sites. If they have a free membership and the customer base of the members is a good fit for something you offer on your site, then sign up and post the ad.

50. Keep up with which free classified sites you post, and when. You may need to go back periodically and place an updated ad if they purge ads every so often.

51. Once you exhaust the free classified sites, turn your attention to the ones that charge a fee. Look for paid classified sites that tend to cater to the clientele that you want to attract to your website.

52. Make sure the classified sites will allow you to ad a hot link to your website. People are much more likely to click on a link than they are to cut and paste the information into their search engine.

53. Check on the costs for adding graphics, such as a logo. This will give your ad a little more visual interest and make it harder to skim over.

54. If the cost for the paid classified is a flat rate, then use as many words as you need to make your point.

55. If the site charges a per word fee with a minimum word limit for the ad, then meet the minimum, but don’t go much beyond that.

56. Remember to use an opening that will catch the attention of the reader. Get them with the flash, keep them with the substance.

57. Check on the ability to post more than one classified at a time on the site. Ads in several different sections will increase your chances of grabbing some attention.

58. Don’t design one ad and use it forever. Adapt your ad a little for each classified site you post on. Even tweaking the header a little will make a nice change.

59. Along with general ads, toss in an ad that promotes a special of some sort, either a free download or some other trinket. It doesn’t have to be expensive to draw traffic to your site.

60. Always have a point to the ad. If there is an obvious reason for your ad, other than wanting business, it is more likely to catch attention and motivate people to check out your site.

61. Don’t be afraid to try something different. If you ad on one site is not getting a response, go back and rework it a bit. A few changes may turn the ad around and gain you some attention.

62. If at all possible, track the responses you get. Knowing how people found you will give you a good idea of what sites are worth continuing to use, and which ones need tweaking or replacing.

Use The Power of Message Boards

63. Join some Yahoo groups where interested people are likely to visit. Depending on the nature of the group, you can probably include a link to your website in your signature.

64. Scour the Internet for entrepreneur message boards, and join up. You can reach other people who have an interest is buying from and selling to other entrepreneurs. Plus, you might pick up some tips on traffic generation there.

65. Find message boards that are focused on subjects that touch on your core business in some manner. Even if the main subject is administrative assistants and you offer teleconference services, remember that admins often choose conference call carriers for their bosses.

66. Don’t just join message boards and hope somebody will check out your profile. Dig in and post some messages that are likely to generate some responses.

67. At the same time, don’t post only in topics you start. Participate in other conversations as well.

68. Balance promoting your site with participating in the discussions. Too much promotion will turn people off and they will begin to skip over your posts.

69. Offer constructive advice, citing an article you have on your website as a reference. People will want to link over and check it out.

70. Stay away from arguments on controversial issues. It is too easy to lose your temper and alienate readers.

71. Be professional at all times. It may seem like fun to craft responses using Internet abbreviations and slang, but remember what you write will be viewable for years. Use those words to enhance your reputation as being poised and knowledgeable, even in a casual atmosphere.

72. Always thank people for their responses to your comments, especially if you have asked a question. That little courtesy will help people think well of you and increase the chance they will visit your website.

Pick Up Traffic From Free Article Sites

73. Put your knowledge of doing things to work. Post short articles that tell how to do something. You get no pay, but you do get publicity and sometimes the ability to include a link to your website.

74. Find niche market article sites that will connect you with the right clients. For example, if you sell old records then posting a couple of articles on an article site devoted to pop starts of the 1960’s is a natural fit.

75. If the article allows a place to list references or sites of interest always include your URL. The easier it is to click something and get to your site, the better.

76. Pepper your articles with words and phrases that also happen to be the keywords and phrases that you used to describe your website to the search engines. It will increase the odds that somebody will use those phrases for a search and find your site right there in the top end of the results.

77. Make the articles interesting as well as logical. People will come back to read them again and recommend your articles to their friends, which means more exposure for you and your website.

78. Go with articles that are timely. If your topic is on a lot of people’s minds currently, it is likely to attract more attention and you will pick up a few more hits to your web site as a result.

79. At the same time, work in a few articles of enduring interest. While you are less likely to experience a quick spike in hits due to the piece, it will provide you with a consistent flow of visitors over time.

80. Always go with free article sites that allow you a byline. Stay away from any of them that will not allow you to use your name and post a link to your website. After all, the idea is to get people interested in visiting your online business.

81. Always respond to any email your articles generate. That is an opportunity to include your URL as part of the response.

82. Post new articles on a regular basis. People who visit the article site regularly will get into the habit of seeing what you have come up with recently, and might also be reminded they have not visited your website in a while.

How ’bout Some Video and Web 2.0?

83. Sign up for several of the online profile sites that allow members to upload homemade videos. Joining at least three sites of this type will allow you cover a wide range of the population. Some suggested video sites - YouTube, Google Video and MetaCafe.

84. Make a few short general advertising videos that get right to the meat of what you do. This will help to establish your name in the minds of people who visit your page.

85. Along with the basic video ads, think about a how to video. If possible, use the products or services you sell in the video.

86. Try a video presentation or two that show your products being used in different settings. Show them being used in an office, on the road, at the beach, or any other place they would work.

87. Keep the videos short. Thirty seconds will do the trick nicely and you will likely hold the attention of the viewer all the way to the end.

88. Also, configure the streaming so people on dial up connections can access and enjoy the videos. That will also enhance chances of viewers linking over to visit your website.

89. Always include your contact info at the end of the video, as well as having links to your website on your profile. The visual reinforcement will pay off over the long run.

90. Record and upload new videos on a regular basis. This gets people back each week to see what you have been up to.

91. Get social! Join sites like MySpace and Facebook and embed your links throughout your profile.

92. Just as you change up the look of your website from time to time, do the same with your profiles on these types of sites. It will keep things fresh and also give you the chance to do something a little different now and then.

93. Create a Squidoo lense. Besides how flexible and powerful this free service is, your lenses will get indexed quickly in search engines. Google just loves Squidoo lenses. You can create a Squidoo lense on just about any topic you’d like. To get more traffic to your Squidoo Lense: Digg, Stumble and Delicious your Squidoo Lenses. This is called “Social Bookmarking”

Random Ideas

94. Write an Ebook and offer it as a freebie with a minimum purchase, or as an incentive to visit your website. You can build trust and credibility if you present useful information in your ebook. This will get more attention from your readers the next time you recommend something to them.

95. Create a 10-30 page viral report and give it away for free. Make sure you note, inside your report, that the person reading it may pass it to their friends. You also want to make sure that you include links which go back to your site.

96. Consider banner ads as a way to publicize your site. It may cost a few dollars, but the return can be excellent, if you have the right advertising partner.

97. Participate in some of those quick answer sites that are relevant to what you do. Or, try some of the general question and answer sites, like Yahoo Answers. Your name will become more familiar and people will be more likely to look for your website if they have heard of you before.

98. Donate an item to a silent charity auction. You get a chance to pass along your URL, get a tax write-off, and do something good all at one time.

99. Print up tee shirts or sweatshirts with your URL prominently displayed across the back or chest. You can become a walking billboard for your web business. You start your own store at CafePress

100. Invite current readers and clients to participate in a contest. The current client who refers the most people to your site (based on verified data) over the course of a month gets a free good or service from your site. Remember to set a limit which items are eligible for selection.

101. Do an email campaign. But don’t use those worn out lists that have already been used a million times and are probably less than 40% accurate. Use only a qualified and current email listing for the campaign.

102. Put a signup page on your web site. This allows visitors to opt in to receive emails when you update the site or have something special going on. They can pass the notifications on to friends and family members as well.

103. Don’t overdo the promotional specials. Too much of a good thing will kill the excitement and make it easy for people to take a “so what” approach when you have a special every week or month. Pace yourself.

104. Watch for new technology or kinds of websites. Both can present opportunities to promote yourself and your site that may not have been possible or practical in the past.

105. Ask friends, associates, and other entrepreneurs about other ideas for generating traffic to your website. Chances are you will pick up at least a couple more great ideas you can use.

106. Consider hiring a cartoonist to draw “funny cartoons” that are related to your niche. Post it on your blog and let others share it. Make sure that they link back to your site if they’re using it.

107. Write or get someone to write a press release and submit it to press release sites, like www.PRWeb.com.

108. Submit to DMOZ.org. This large, human-edited directory is one of the fastest tickets into Google. Make sure you get listed here.

109. Start an affiliate program for your product/service. Find and recruit affiliates and JV partners to promote your website to their list and give at least 50% commission

110. Purchase a link on a high page rank site. This is an excellent way to both build links and increase traffic at the very same time.

Here’s some resources to help you with your traffic generation:

Some great places and resources to get articles written:

- www.Need-An-Article.com
- How to get articles written for you for $4 - Great article
- www.warriorforum.com/forum - request for a writer in the “Main” forum
- DigitalPoint.com “Content Creation” section

and, of course, there’s:

- Elance.com
- Guru.com
- Scriptlance.com
- RendACoder.com

Let’s Wrap it Up…

I’m glad you made it this far!

You don’t need to apply these tips all-at-once. But rather than sitting on this and waiting until you think you’re “ready”, do something TODAY to increase your site’s traffic and continually grow your business.

Did you enjoy this article? Let me know by posting your comments and feedback.

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