Archive for August, 2008
Friday, August 29th, 2008
I’m going to preface this post by stating I have more questions than answers regarding the topic so if you have answers by all means post a comment.
It is pretty well known that Google does give some preference to a ccTLD site when searching from Google in the same country. As an example, a local business in the UK will have a bit more preference in Google.co.uk SERPs with a site based on the .co.uk (or other UK ccTLD) extension. I think the concept very solid and really gives a better overall search experience.
Does the .US extension fall in Google’s search algo?
I ask because I don’t know and haven’t been able to find any information regarding the question. Google.us redirects to Google.com so by default US users get Google.com as their search engine. I have have no problem with this but from all the searches and comparisons I’ve made I don’t see any bump given at all to sites on the .US extension. This leaves me with a few questions.
Is .COM assumed to be the native extension of US users?
Is there any .US preference when searching from the US?
- If no, is this because the .US ccTLD hasn’t caught on as heavily as other ccTLDs?
-If no, will .US ever get Google search preferences from searching Google.com from inside the US?
As an internet marketer and “domain collector” this topic is fascinating to me. I’ve never been too public about it but I am a fan of the .US extension and think it will become a solid option for US citizens as an alternative to .COM over .NET and .ORG. The extension is already much more relevant from a business perspective and as all TLD registrations continue to rise it may be the only option.
My Opinion
I personally do not think that Google currently gives any preference in it’s algo to .US sites for US based searches. However, I think that as more and more US based businesses see the .US extension as the best alternative to .COM we will see a lot more small to medium sized businesses in the US running on the .US extension. Because of this, I feel Google will eventually make a tweak in the algo to provide a better search experience for US users by giving some preference to .US based sites.
Unless there is some info out there from Google that I have missed or unless Matt Cutts responds to me directly I’m not going to get a definative answer on this any time soon but I’d love to hear what experts in the SEO industry have to say about it. If you feel I’m way off by all means let me know.
Posted in Domains, SEO | 1 Comment »
Thursday, August 28th, 2008
Microsoft currently has its IE8 browser in Beta 2 and available for download. While MS does seem to have made some changes for the better regarding how IE handles CSS the one feature that really sticks out to me is a new addition called InPrivate Browsing. The idea is that if turned on a user can browse without storing cookies, history, temp files and other identifying data.
The cookie thing is simply not cool from an affiliate perspective. There is no doubt affiliate programs need to implement more cookieless methods to track affiliates but I think it is going to take a good amount of time to see such changes. Unless there is an outcry from the affiliate community merchants don’t have all that much motivation to initiate a change. After all, when traffic comes without cookies commissions aren’t paid.
Looks like a bit of a rough patch is ahead.
Posted in Affiliate Marketing | 1 Comment »
Thursday, August 28th, 2008
As competition continues to increase on the internet it is the attention to detail and small efforts that create separation from the crowd. All webmasters operating for a profit should be making the most of every visitor by optimizing their advertising strategy. This can be achieved through regular ad testing.
I’m big on diversification and because of that I’m involved in quite a few niches that couldn’t be more different. Over the years I’ve learned that different audiences react to ad placements and formats quite differently. Just because something works for a financial investment audience doesn’t mean it’s going to work on the MySpace crowd.
This is exactly why it is critical to test and optimize your ads. I know it is easy to just leave things as they are when money starts coming in especially considering ad testing is not exactly “Fun” work, but making the effort to test your ads is one of the best uses of your time from a monetary aspect. I’ve typically found that from my initial baseline ad setup I can increase my income by at least double digit margins.
So What Needs To Be Tested?
There are a lot of answers to this question but I like to focus on placement, medium and revenue model.
Ad Placement: This all really depends on how many ads you have on your site but the key is to put the highest paying ads in the best spots. Typically this spot will be centrally located around content but that is by no means a given.
Medium: This refers to the type of ad. What ad medium does your audience respond to? Text ads? Banners? Lead Forms? Can you get away with interstitials? Find out.
Revenue Model: This one takes the most amount of effort but can bring the biggest returns. Options to consider are PPC (Adsense), CPM or per impression advertising, eCommerce, Time based rates (monthly banner or link), affiliate advertising or a rev share model. There are lot of options to get creative with private ad deals as well.
So How Can I Test My Ads?
Ad testing involves data analysis and some subjectivity. Sometimes the winners are obvious and sometimes it’s a lot closer. There are many ways to quantify what works but I like to keep it fairly simple by comparing my revenue stats with my Google Analytics data and heat map activity.
The ability to measure varies depending on the type of advertising. I like to set up goals in Google Analytics to measure click through rates and conversion rates if I don’t already have them. I also keep a close eye on how ad changes impact user data such as bounce rates, average time on the site and impressions per user.
As far as the heat map goes you can get a visual picture of visitor activity on your site and adjust accordingly. There are several heatmap options out there but I’ve been using ClickHeat (free) as of late and am pleased with it.
Ad testing is really a must for any serious website owner. It’s not something that you can sit down and do over a couple of hours as much as it is an ongoing process and a task that becomes part of the routine. There is no manual on how to test and optimize advertising because it differs from one site to the next. I hope this post can serve as a primer to encourage you to maximize the return on your efforts through ad testing.
Posted in Advertising, Making Money | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
As a domain nut it’s no surprise that acquiring a good keyword domain is a top priority for me in any new venture. While .com is always my primary objective other extensions are also an option. This is especially true with affiliate sites where branding isn’t as much of a concern. With all other SEO aspects being equal a nice keyword domain can give you the edge in the SERPs for very competitive terms and can allow you to dominate tight niches.
Here are a few examples:
The Long Tail Search Term
Earlier this year I went on a big domain regging spree picking up several thousand 2-4 keyword terms based on search volume. I knew I would end up dropping many but at the same time I also knew I would find a few nuggets. I parked all the names at Fabulous.com as they seem to have the longest window with the SEs before getting the parking ax. The goal was to see which terms would rank and what returns they would bring. So far there have been several winners which I’m not going to disclose because they are such tight niches.
One domain in particular was very strong and showed good potential for development as an affiliate site so I spent about a week researching and making affiliate relationships for the niche.
Today I dominate the term and related terms in Google and Yahoo. That hand reg from earlier this year with about 30 hours of development work is making over $150/day from SE traffic.
The Other Extensions
In early 2007 while doing some of my regular traffic research I noticed a keyword domain that got a lot of traffic and didn’t have any site up, MySpaceLayouts.org. Upon further investigation I saw that it was once a website. The domain was no where to be found in the SEs but did still have some incoming links. I contacted the owner to see what the deal was and if he was interested in selling. Come to find out he was a first time webmaster and had gotten a bit overwhelmed with the whole experience and had let the site go down about 5 months earlier. I’m not a big fan of the MySpace niche and I know the traffic isn’t overly valuable but I also knew there were several people bringing in over $1000/day with resource sites so I was interested. While the MySpace niche is arguably the most saturated on the internet the term “MySpace Layouts” is also one of the most searched terms making a good opportunity to pull the Keyword Domain trump card (Note: it also helped that .com and .net were not developed).
After backing the owner off his $200,000 asking price we finally came to a deal at $16,000. Pre-Development the domain was getting about 2,000 uniques/day with a large majority coming from direct type in. A couple of months later and about 30 minutes of work per week the site was starting to rank and has been holding steady with about 15-20,000 uniques/day. MySpaceLayouts.org has enjoyed a top 3 spot for the term in Yahoo for quite a while but is unfortunately in some sort of penalty with Google and doesn’t rank well. Even with Google problems the site still gets over 70% of it’s traffic from SEs and obviously there is potential for more. The site easily clears $200/day and has for a while making the investment quite sound.
Even in one of the most saturated niches on the internet a non .com keyword domain can pull the Keyword Domain trump card. 
Posted in Domains, SEO | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
As I’m laying the foundation for this blog I feel a duty to give some credit where credit is due and there is one person I’d like to thank specifically. Chris Beasley.
While I could make a list a page long of people that I could thank for helping pave my path to becoming a full time internet marketer Chris takes the lead.
When I first had the idea of making my own websites I became an obsessive reader of webmaster related content. My first destination every morning was the Sitepoint Forums. I was learning more and more every day and built a nice foundation of knowledge to get started. More often than not the really good advice came from a poster using the handle Aspen (Chris). The thing that drew me to what Chris had to say was that unlike a lot of other “Gurus” Chris based all of his statements and opinions on data and a strong logical base.
I have learned a lot from Chris especially in the areas of SEO and Monetization.
For any newer people to the game I strongly recommend you head over to Chris’ main site Website Publisher and take the time to read EVERY article (specifically the SEO Guide) and join the forums. I can promise you it will be time well spent and it won’t cost you a dime.
Thanks Chris!
Posted in Props | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008
I have the best job in the world.
There is no doubt in my mind the statement above is 100% true. I love my work. I can take it in any direction I wish without consulting anyone. I can take off whenever I want to spend time with my family or do anything else I want to do.
Many of my friends and family don’t really understand what I do for a living and tend to focus on what I don’t do. I don’t drive to work everyday, answer to a boss, need to request days off, get dressed before the crack of dawn or a slew of other things many people have disdain for. I think it’s this lack of understanding that generates the comment I get now and then that I despise more than anything……..
“You’re So Lucky”
It’s been phrased to me many different ways and I know it isn’t said as something insulting but it absolutely is. I can see it coming from a mile away and it just pisses me off when I hear it. REALLY? REALLY?
Do people think I fell face first into this job? I guess so.
Nevermind that for 5+ years I got up at 4 a.m. everyday to work on my sites before work or before my family woke up. Nevermind that I’ve spent hours and hours reading forums, books, blogs and guides to self learn everything I know. Nevermind that this is 8 years in the making. No, just set all that aside and call it Luck.
Whatever.
Posted in Online Lifestyle | No Comments »
Monday, August 25th, 2008
What is Silly Money?
If you look it up on Wiktionary.org you’ll find this:
A ridiculously large (or, less commonly, small) sum of money.
It’s interesting how the phrase can be used to mean a lot or a little amount of money. What better way to describe the world of making money online. Some people couldn’t be more excited to nab a few $5 commissions from their blog every month and others are disappointed if they don’t clear 6 figures.
For the purpose of this site “Silly Money” is a relative term based on the monetization goals of your online ventures. Be it enough money to have a nice dinner every month or enough to quit your day job.
For me it all started with a few domain sales and an Adsense check from my first forum. I couldn’t believe I was able to make money doing something I really enjoyed. It’s likely that I will never achieve my definition of Silly Money because I make it a number that is always just out of my reach like a dangling carrot. That’s OK though. I’m a goals oriented type of person and such challenges motivated me to put in the effort and sacrifice to make this my full time gig.
So what do you consider Silly Money?
Posted in Making Money | No Comments »
