How To Breathe New Life Into a Dying Website
Do you have a website that is losing income and traffic? Perhaps Google did a little algorithm change that caused the site to lose ranking and therefore visitors, or perhaps it’s pure neglect.
Don’t worry – it can happen to the best of us! We get busy and distracted if we have multiple projects or sites, and it’s hard to keep all those plates spinning. If this ever happens to you, don’t worry too much. You can turn things around rather quickly, especially if the site in question is already well established. Here are some of the things you can do to breathe new life into a dead website.
Launch a blog on the domain
If you haven’t heard already, search engines love blogs. The frequently updated content is also interesting to human visitors, too. Have a blog installed on the domain and start blogging with regularity. If you can do so, throw a little money at the problem and hire a ghostwriter to write quick blog posts for you. This is more cost effective than hiring writers to create entire articles. You can send the ghostwriters lists of keywords to write about so they can quickly come up with content. Of course, doing some keyword research first is a good idea. Once your ghostwriters send you their work, you can then expand on what they wrote. This will enable you to add a lot of content to the blog very quickly.
Write new articles
Write several new articles to direct traffic to the site. You can use some of the ghostwritten content you used for the blog posts if you like. Then, submit these to article directories and sites like iSnare for distribution. Where appropriate, publish the articles on another site you own. You can also write different versions of the article for use as guest blog posts for others.
Get more incoming links quickly
You can do this in a number of ways. You can pay for incoming links. Contact people who have websites in your niche and offer to pay them for text links. This can be fairly inexpensive. Writing articles will also get you more links. It also helps to go through your site and make sure your site has good internal navigation, meaning your pages are linked to other appropriate pages inside the site itself.
Use Google alerts
Sign up for Google alerts in the keyword(s) you want to rank for for this particular site. This accomplishes a couple of things. Each day (or week) you are sent an email telling you where bloggers are talking about this keyword phrase, so you can check out their blog and leave a comment if you can add something useful to the conversation, linking to your site. You also get ideas for new topics because you can see what’s going on in the news in your niche.
After adding a new page to the site, tell your Twitter followers about it. If you have a particular page you really want to send traffic to, ask your friends to “Retweet” your update.
I have a confession to make. I recently had the experience I talked about above – letting one of my highest earning sites go neglected. I’m pleased to say that after applying the suggestions above, the traffic in the first month increased by 80%, with a corresponding increase in income too. Of course, these very same tips would work not only to resurrect a dying site, but also for growing traffic to an established site or a brand new one!
Carrie Lauth is a work at home mom who created the Natural Mom Business Guide – the internet’s only complete how to tutorial for women who want to start an online business marketing to green minded families. She also offers coaching for those who need one-on-one assistance. Click here to see how she can help you turn your struggling site into a full time income.
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For Moms: Make 2009 The Year You Make Money Online
Becoming a mom – it’s the most life-changing event we go through. Our children become the center of our lives, and we must make adjustments to in our schedules and priorities make sure they’re cared for. Instead of hiring nannies or using day care services, more and more moms are choosing to start their own online businesses so they can be there for their kids and still contribute to the family income.
This is especially true right now during the tough economic times we’re living in. Even if you’re comfortably existing on one income, you may find yourself on no income soon enough if your husband gets laid off, downsized, rightsized, outsourced or whatever they’re calling it these days. Do you have the recommended 6 months’ living expenses tucked away in savings in preparation for this event?
Statistics show many of us do not. This is all the more reason for mom to look for ways to make money online before the disaster strikes.
Starting an online business has a number of advantages for moms. These include:
* Start-up costs can be kept low. So even if you are not currently working outside the home, starting an online business is usually within reach with small adjustments to the budget. Setting up a website means acquiring a domain name and hosting space – and with tools like Wordpress available at no cost, you can literally be up and running for around $20. You will also want to invest in some education. Learning the basics of how to market your website online are not difficult, but be careful where you get your information.
The Natural Mom Business Guide (Click here to learn more) is one solid source of info. It includes an ebook with detailed information about researching your target market, the various ways to make money with a website, and how to get the traffic you need to earn income. It even has video and audio tutorials as well as printable “cheat sheets” you can keep by your computer to remind you of the essential steps you need to take in your business to build traffic and make more income.
* Doing business online doesn’t require one to keep regular hours. You can work early in the morning before the kids get up, during the baby’s nap, or late at night when everyone is in bed. And with the automation that the Internet has to offer, orders can be processed and virtual products delivered while you are sleeping or taking care of the kids.
* You can get some work done with the kids right by your side. Older children may even be able to help you with simple tasks. Did you know that the IRS allows you to deduct wages (up to a certain amount) paid to a child who is age seven or older to work in your home business from your taxes? I have even trained my oldest son to add articles to my websites. He earns a nice wage for doing so, far more than an allowance, and is providing a valuable service to me.
There are all sorts of online businesses that are great for moms. You could sell your crafts or start a recipe website, or you could start a podcast. You might offer services such as writing, transcription, web design or virtual assistance to customers around the world. Or you could create and sell information products. Even blogging offers impressive money-making potential. The possibilities are many, and there’s sure to be something out there that’s just right for any mom.
Moms make up a large portion of the people who are making money online. This allows them to take a hands-on approach to raising their children while still making money to support the household. They don’t have to count on a sitter to take care of their children’s needs, and they don’t have to make a commute part of their daily routine. It’s no wonder that the number of moms starting online businesses is growing in leaps and bounds.
If you need some assistance choosing a niche, get some coaching (click here to learn about coaching) from an experienced online marketer. Take the leap – you’ll be glad you did!
About Carrie:
Carrie Lauth is an internet marketing mom who loves to help other moms launch profitable websites. She created the Natural Mom Business Guide for women who want to market to the “natural family” niche. To learn about how she can give you one-on-one coaching, click here.
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Direct Sales And MLM – Are you a marketing vampire?
Direct sales and multi-level marketing businesses are quite common among work at home moms, and that’s not surprising.
These types of businesses offer an effective business model with a plug and play marketing system, and if the company has been around for awhile, a product that has proven itself in the marketplace.
They also typically cost very little to join and have the benefit of a support system with the upline organization.
Then why do direct sales and mlm have a poor reputation?
Sadly, it often has to do with the methods the consultants and representatives use. Some of them can be quite vampirish in nature.
Are You An MLM Vampire?
I compiled a list of some of the more unsavory tactics I’ve seen people resort to in an effort to build their mlm or direct sales business online.
Since these are decidedly unSweetie like, I trust that none of the readers of this blog have succumbed!
1) Troll message forums for fresh blood.
If you are a member of dozens of message boards but have the number “1″ in the “number of posts” field in your profile, if you come to an internet message board or email group simply to blast your ad and then leave, offering nothing of value to the community, and if your Introductory post reads something like:
“”Just wondering if there are any other ‘XXXXXXXX’ reps here.”
Sorry, but you might be an MLM Vampire.
2) Not minding your manners.
If you prospect long lost high school buddies and unsuspecting grocery store clerks, instead of looking for the people who are actually interested in your business opportunity and product, and if you view everyone as a prospect, you might also be an MLM vampire. Also true if you ignore culturally acceptable standards of conduct (like the one that says it’s bad manners to ask someone how much money they earn) in order to push your business on everyone within “3 feet” of you.
3) The dark side.
If you use pseudo-science, urban legend, and scare tactics to enlighten potential customers, then sorry – you’re a vampire.
If you promise recruits that they will work once and get paid for life (which is probably not true, given the high turnover in MLM and other factors)…
Guess what? You might be an MLM Vampire!
4) The freaks come out at night.
What if you join newsletters of legitimate online marketers then spam them with your biz op? While you’re at it, don’t require an opt in for your newsletter. Just use your email client, and make sure all the other people’s addresses appear in the “CC” field in your email program. Then, get defensive when someone with a real email marketing plan politely asks to be removed.
Will you come to the light?
Direct sales guru Kim Klaver encourages reps and consultants to build a real, sustainable business. She says they should first figure out who their target market is. (Sound familiar?!)
Then, search for those people to sell the product to. This will build a solid customer base that provides you with recurring income.
Sounds like a great plan to me.
And no garlic required!
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Escape Velocity and Your Internet Business
My 7 year old 2nd grader, who is homeschooled, is particularly interested in space travel and airplanes. So, we read a lot of books on the subject for science.
One day while doing some reading with him I came across this concept of “Escape Velocity”. I was immediately struck by the implications of this principle for internet business and had to share this with you. (See how these great ideas for blog posts come at the funniest times?!)
What is Escape Velocity and what does it have to do with your online business?
Wikipedia puts it this way:
“… (escape velocity) is commonly described as the speed needed to “break free” from a gravitational field (without any additional impulse)…
… the escape velocity is the minimum speed an object without propulsion needs to have sufficient energy to be able to “escape” from the gravity, i.e. so that gravity will never manage to pull it back.”
Explaining this to a 7 year old, I basically said that the space shuttle has to take off SO FAST with all the power the rocket boosters have so that it can break away from the earth’s atmosphere. Then once it gets free of the pull of gravity, it’s in orbit and it takes very little energy to stay up there.
Do you see any implications here for your business?
What are you doing to create escape velocity?
Everyone loves to talk about “passive income”. What they don’t say as much is that while passive income is very possible, it takes a whole lot of WORK to create it.
It ain’t passive in the beginning.
We have to “escape” the “gravitational pull” of the following:
- Our own procrastination
- Time restraints (we have other stuff going on besides our business)
- Learning curves
- The competition
- Our fears, insecurities, lack of confidence
- Insert your own gravitational pull here
So, the question is: How do we create escape velocity?
Here are a few ways to get into orbit.
Getting good coaching from someone who is already AT where you want to BE is a wonderful way to shave months (years?) off your learning curve. Why do Olympic athletes hire coaches – people who were once top athletes themselves? Because they know their stuff. If you want to get to the top you must learn from others who are already there.
Hanging out with other successful people is also important. One of the things that can drag us back to “earth” are our negative thoughts. If you don’t know anyone offline who is making a full time living from the Internet, you won’t have much of a cheering section. Get with people who are a few steps ahead of you and observe what they do. If they can do it, so can you.
Create a challenge for yourself that stretches you. As an example, I recently launched a challenge on my blog. I planned on writing 30 articles to promote my business in 30 days. When I first heard about someone else doing this, it sounded unreasonable. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized it was actually quite doable. So to make it more fun and create accountability for myself, I issued a challenge on my blog. Surprisingly, almost 50 people have joined me. We’re cheering each other on and the majority of us will get it done because we want to be able to brag about it at the end. 
There are challenges like this all over the internet. You can join a group doing it or create your own – how hard was it for me to simply write a blog post? You can pay to get “in” to a challenge group or do it for free. Doesn’t really matter. Just look for the opportunities that scare you just a little bit!
Do NOT wait until everything is perfect to get going. Right now I’m helping my mom launch her blog. While she is articulate, funny, a great writer and entertainer and has had several successful businesses through the years, she thinks she won’t have anything interesting to say on her blog! That’s utter nonsense of course – but what many newbies don’t realize is that the best education comes in the process.
If you wait until your blog/website/information product/etc are perfect, you will never get going. It’s like waiting for the perfect time to get married or have a baby – the perfect time doesn’t exist!
What’s more – the thing about procrastination is that it’s often more fatiguing than the actual work involved. We are so creative at coming up with all the “reasons” we can’t do something. One of the participants in my 30 Day Article Writing Challenge kept twittering about why she couldn’t do it – until she joined us and DID. I sent her a message that teasingly said, “I was wondering when you would stop wasting energy saying No and just say Yes”.
I hope these tips help you realize the importance of getting going and getting ON with it. Think about how you can create Escape Velocity in your business – and come back in a month and tell us how different your business looks.
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What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do
While it’s pretty rare, I have had everything on my to do list completed a few times. Everything checked off. Nothing screaming at me to be done.
It’s at this point that I’m sitting at my computer scratching my head, wondering what now?
There is always room for improvement – we’ve all heard the joke about the biggest room in the world, right? So here are a few ideas of what you can do for your business when you’re out of ideas and don’t know what to do. These will keep you from booting up your computer and wasting time twittering and visiting message forums.
Write Something.
Have some great blog posts you’ve written lately that could be turned into an article to distribute? Or even a press release?
If you’re out of ideas, try checking your website stats. See if the keyword searches people are using to find you spark something.
Test Something.
Hopefully you’re keeping an eye on what’s working in your business and what’s not working. If you’re not doing this already, now is a great time to start.
If you are an affiliate marketer, take a look at which products you’re recommending – which ones are converting better for you? Maybe it’s time to drop some programs that aren’t making sales and find new products to test out.
If you’re an information marketer, test out a new headline on your sales page and see what happens. If you publish AdSense ads, track which pages of your site are getting the best click through rates.
Email Something.
Add an article to an autoresponder you have. Make a product recommendation or send a quick tip to keep the list fresh.
That article you wrote earlier? Send it to your affiliates and let them use it to earn more commissions.
Improve Something.
Take a good hard look at your website. Is it looking a little stale and outdated? Too busy or crowded?
Think about what your major goal is with each of your sites. Is it to sell a product? Get an AdSense click? Make an affiliate sale? Get a new subscriber? Make sure each of your sites makes that goal obvious. Do the same thing with each page on your site. What is its major goal? Is it leading the visitor to that objective?
Brainstorm Something.
Sometimes the most profitable times you can spend in your business are the times you are away from your computer. It’s ok to give yourself permission to take a day off. Go somewhere quiet with a pen and fresh pad of paper and do a brain dump.
Is there someone you would love to joint venture with? Think about a product you could work on together. Browse through a bookstore and look for good content ideas for your market (best sellers and magazines are great fodder for this!).
The days that don’t come at you with a lot of busyness and fires to put out are often some of the most valuable times. Use the time well and you might take your business to the next level.
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Blogging When You’re REALLY Out of Ideas
Every mom has a repertoire of easy dinners she can pull out of her pantry when she’s out of groceries or out of ideas. You know the ones – those easy, never fail, always please family favorites you can throw together with a can of this and a box of that. Great for those busy nights or when you’re feeling tired.
When it comes to blogging, it’s also a good idea to have some blogging “cheats” for those inevitable dry spells. Here are a few ideas that have worked for me and other bloggers:
- Recaps. This might look like a “week in review” roundup of excellent blog posts you’ve written or read in the last week. This one is great for establishing goodwill with other bloggers you admire. You might like this one so much you decide to do it on a regular basis.You can also publish your greatest/most commented on/etc posts on a particular topic. This is particularly valuable to your new readers who may not have read some of your best work. It allows them to see some of your archived content.
- One year ago… Similar to a recap, this one is a list of some of the popular posts you published one year ago. It’s easy to simply search for all the posts you wrote a year ago inside your blog’s control panel. Find the best ones and spotlight them.
- Twitter roundup. Consider copying and pasting some of the best, funniest, or most interesting Tweets that are relevant to your market.You could also ask a question of your followers, and paste their answers into your blog. Lynn Terry, Kelly McCausey and our very own resident Sweetie Alice have all done this with success.
- Ask a question. Oh this has got to be the easiest of all the cheats! Simply ask your readers a thought provoking question and leverage the power of your blog as a survey tool. Let THEM do all the work creating content for a change!You can also publish a question your subscribers or readers have emailed you. Get their permission first or publish it anonymously. People love to feel like they’re helping others. Let them be the experts.
- Memes. Participate in memes like Wordless Wednesday (and Tell Me Thursday), Thankful Thursday, Monday Motivation, and others. If you’re feeling a bit of blogger’s block, these are great for keeping things fresh.
- Interview someone. Have you read a great book lately? Email the author some questions and post the interview on your blog.Is there a reader who leaves great comments on your blog? Introduce them in your post. Publish success stories, case studies, etc… these again create goodwill but also give you interesting content that you don’t have to work really hard for.
- Be an editor. Instead of always being a writer/blogger, consider serving as editor from time to time. Accept content and publish it if that makes sense for your market.For instance, on a parenting blog, you could accept parenting tips and advice, funny stories or photos, embarrassing moments, birth stories, product reviews, etc. For a wahm blog, publish wahm success stories and press releases.
Even the most prolific blogger occasionally runs out of ideas. Keep these ideas in your virtual pantry and pull them out to create something tasty for your readers.
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Do You Have Blog Envy?
Several weeks ago Alice Seba wrote a great article asking if any of her readers had blog comment envy.
I admitted that yes I do sometimes envy people whose blog posts get tons of comments. Her point was that popularity isn’t as important as results.
Being a popular blogger who gets hundreds of comments on their blog posts is kind of like being the most popular kid in high school. It really doesn’t matter once that kid gets to college or once they enter the adult world.
When it comes to your blog, the important thing is the bottom line. Is your blog accomplishing what you want it to?
Still, I’ll go farther and admit I have a twinge of general blog envy.
Occasionally I come across a blog that makes me want to cry because of its awesomeness.
Ok perhaps it’s more admiration than envy but still. When I feel that way, I take a minute to figure out why the blog in question is eliciting that particular response from me. I’ve noticed that there are a few things that those blogs that have in common.
Focus
Good enough to bring tears to my eyes blogs are very focused. It only takes a second or two to know what they’re all about.
Uniqueness
Is that a word? You know what I mean anyway. Really great blogs are unique. Really great bloggers are not afraid to be different. They aren’t afraid to make you laugh, cry or get mad. They’re not afraid to tell you the good, the bad and the ugly. They’re honest and more than a little bit transparent.
Content
Simply put, great blogs have awesome content. Content that makes your life better in some way. That doesn’t mean each post is a tome… a mixture of long, spill-it article length posts and quick thoughts is nice too. In addition to blog posts, there is additional content available in other formats such as audio, video, ebooks, reports and the like.
Clean
Great blogs are organized well. They are uncluttered and clean. They look modern (not like they haven’t been updated in years). That doesn’t mean you have to change your theme every week though. Consistency is a good thing. Clean also means you know where to find everything that the blogger has to offer with just a couple of clicks.
So the next time you get blog envy, what can you learn about bloggers who rock?
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Beating Back Discouragement
Hello Sweetie readers!
Before I dig into the topic of this post, I want to take a second to introduce myself and tell you about how I came to know the illustrious Ms. Seba.
6 years ago when I built my first website (one of those point and click type of things), I decided to try making a little more money with it. At the time I was hosting these offline events for women in direct sales, but I knew that people were somehow making money with their websites – even when they didn’t have a physical product to sell.
Now I now know that’s affiliate marketing, but I had to learn that! It was a Google search that led me to one of Alice’s sites way back then, and it (and her) have been a wonderful source of inspiration and information ever since. Another thing I happened to stumble on was the power of the press release. Again, thanks to Ms. Seba and her free press release template, I found myself (and my website) on the front page of my local newspaper.
I’m very thankful for that bit of serendipity! Now that you know a little bit about how I ended up being a Sweetie devotee, on to the topic of Discouragement.
I don’t think I’m assuming when I say that every online business owner experiences discouragement from time to time. Even the most successful online entrepreneur has setbacks and frustration.
The difference between those that keep plugging on and those that give up (other than a stubborn streak!) is that those who persist have learned not to let discouragement get the better of them. I’m no stranger to discouragement either. I have learned a few things that have helped me keep discouragement from making me want to give up, and hopefully sharing these will help you too.
Don’t Compare Yourself with Others
Because I have 4 kids and have also chosen to homeschool my crew, I’ve had to be content with my business growing a little more slowly than other women who may have more time to work their businesses (or more money to invest in its growth). In the past when I’ve observed moms who launch their business and start earning a full time income within several months, I have to admit I’ve felt a twinge of envy. I have had to remind myself that we’re all on a different track and that we all come to our business with a different set of skills and circumstances.
The takeaway message is that if you find yourself comparing your results to another, train yourself to stop it! You WILL meet your goals if you keep at it. If you had told me a couple of years ago that I would be supporting my family as a single mom with my business, I probably wouldn’t have believed you – but here I am doing it. So instead of feeling envious, learn from what others are doing. Network with them, ask questions, observe, interview them on your website! It’s a far more productive use of your time and energy.
It’s Ok To Ask For Help
During my time at Mom Masterminds, I’ve noticed that most of the members there get to a point in their business where they are quite discouraged and desperate to get to the next level. At that point they will post a very heartfelt message asking for the community to give them suggestions and assistance. This is really exciting to see. Not only does it give the rest of the community a chance to help out (and we all love to help other people when we can) but it shows that everyone, no matter how shiny and happy their business or life appears, has bad times.
While no one would take you seriously if you were having a crisis every week, reaching out to your network can produce powerful results. It can remind you that you have far more resources available to you than you thought, and that’s a big discouragement fighter. It can also help you see that you have more value than you might realize. If all these other people you admire and respect are willing to promote you, perhaps you haven’t been promoting yourself enough.
It’s Not About The Business
Remember that your business is just one aspect of your life. If the real problem is your marriage or your health or poor money management, then deal with THAT. The results you get from your business might be showing up the stresses and strains of some other issue in your life.
In addition, if you have a real mood disorder then take care of yourself and get help from a trusted health care provider. It might be as simple as getting out in the sun more and exercising and eating better (instead of spending so much time in front of the computer!) or it might be more serious, but either way have it checked out.
Celebrate Your Successes
One of the reasons why it’s easy for me now to give negative thoughts the boot is because I have a catalog of successes in my mind to draw from. If you’re still in the early days of your business, you might want to keep a success journal. Just write down somewhere every time you achieve some goal for yourself. Brag a little on a forum where other people can high five you virtually. This way when you have a bad day, you can recall these things to mind and it will give you the strength to keep going.
Get Into Action
Finally, I find that the best antidote to feelings of discouragement is action. Instead of giving in to your feelings and slowing down (as if you’re waiting for good things to show up?), get really busy.
The menfolk please pardon my illustration but for the ladies who understand – it’s kind of like those pushing contractions. When you finally get permission to start pushing against the labor pains instead of passively “relaxing”, doesn’t it feel great? (Sorry, I find labor and birth to be an excellent metaphor for many things!)
Maybe your business is going through a bad patch because you’ve not been taking enough action, or not taking the right kinds of action. This is where coaching can be really helpful.
Hopefully these tips will help you fight discouragement so you can keep going until you meet your business goals. If you have any tips to share please leave them in the comments!
And thanks to Alice for letting me guest blog while she finishes brewing that baby
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