In order to succeed on the web you need the proper tools. It doesn’t matter if your goal is to operate a website just for a hobby or whether you’re trying to earn a part-time or full-time income.

You need the right marketing tools.

These tools can be very simple or very complicated; it will mainly depend on the kind of online marketing you’re doing. Someone running a simple website can get by with very few tools; whereas someone operating a PPC enterprise or a SEO consulting firm may need more sophisticated software programs to effectively run their businesses.

Internet marketing tools is a subject I know something about for I have been studying, testing and using countless marketing tools for over 8 years now. I run two websites devoted to online marketing tools. If you search Google for “internet marketing tools” you will find my two sites on the first page.

Google Screenshot

Although I am always wary of pointing out my sites in Google, mainly because they can move off the first page overnight… and you end up with egg on your face. The only reason I point out these Google listings is to prove that I at least know how to get my pages and keywords on the front pages in Google.

Frankly, when you’re talking about Internet marketing, what other benchmark or measurement do we really have to show that any marketer or SEO expert knows what they’re talking about? Not counting sales stats of course, which is really the ultimate benchmark for online marketing.

In this blog post, I thought it would be fun to use my acquired knowledge to discuss and list those important tools I have found most effective and most useful in my marketing. Never know, they may also prove helpful to you and your marketing.

Let’s start at the very beginning. I am assuming you have a reliable PC or laptop with an Internet connection or service. Obviously, you need these if you’re going to work on the Internet.

Now here are some marketing tools you will need:

1. Domain

This is your online calling card and the name of your site or business. This is your URL or your address on the web. Most SEO experts suggest you place your main “keyword” or “keyword phrase” in your domain name. If you are doing a site on “engagement rings,” you should place this phrase in your domain name. I have found using your site’s main keywords in your domain will give you higher rankings faster - especially in Google.

There are many domain sellers on the web; since I have numerous domains I use GoDaddy mainly because I manage most of my online purchases thru Paypal, which GoDaddy accepts. I also use GoDaddy because it has a proxy service. I have never had a problem with them and I even host 5 or 6 of my sites thru GoDaddy.

2. Website

Your need a website to go with your newly created domain. If you can afford it, get a professionally designed site from a professional website designer. I am purposely using the word “professional” because that is exactly what you want your site looking and feeling like from visitor one. In that split second of arrival at your site there must be no doubt in your visitor’s mind about the quality of your site. Besides, if you’re new to online marketing, you will want your site designed by a website designer because they will optimize your site for all the search engines.

You can get away with using templates, but I would suggest you at least invest some funds in a professionally designed logo or header for your site. This will at least give your visitor a good first impression. Even though I have an art background, I personally use Ryan Jackson (aka designgururyan) for my important graphics, mainly because he’s very good and because he caters to the Internet marketing crowd.

3. Hosting

Once you have your website created, you will need somewhere to host it. I have only used shared hosting for my sites (shared hosting is as it sounds, you will share your site IP address with around 200 - 300 other sites). The other alternative is to get dedicated hosting, which is more expensive, but you have your own IP address and faster download times. My advice, go with shared hosting first; if your site becomes extremely popular, you will have to upgrade to a dedicated server just to handle all that traffic.

There are countless hosting companies to choose from on the web. Keep in mind, the cheapest may NOT be the best choice. What you’re really looking for is good quality service with support that you can contact at any time of the day or night. Do some research of your own before you pick your web host. A little homework done now will save you major headaches down the road.

I have used many web hosts over the years and the ones I find good, I have kept. Moving a site from one web host to another is a major hassle if you have a large site. As for web hosts, I would recommend Bluehost and even GoDaddy - these have worked out nicely for me, but keep in mind I only have simple sites which need very little maintenance.

4. Autoresponder

One key element you must have if you’re into online marketing is an autoresponder service. The money is in the follow-up. You must collect the contact information of your site’s visitor and get them subscribed to your ezine or newsletter. You need an autoresponder service so that you can automatically follow-up or send emails/information to the people interested in your site or product.

Again, I have used many AR services over the years, including those that are usually included in your hosting packages. However, I would recommend you invest in a more robust unlimited autoresponder service like those offered by GetResponse or Aweber. I have used both and found them to be very professional and very effective.

5. Credibility

Might sound a bit strange but without a doubt your main marketing tool on the web will be credibility. You and your site must establish credibility with your visitor or it’s game over.

The web is still a very untrustworthy place; you must build and establish credibility with your visitors.  You must establish trust. You or your site must be seen as the place to go for information on your site’s area of interest.

Many webmasters and online marketers solve this problem by becoming an expert on their site’s topic. Actually, this is something that happens quite naturally. If you keep and run a site on “engagement rings” for 7 or 8 years - chances are you will become an expert on that subject. Of course, nothing establishes your credibility more than writing articles and books on your subject area. Spread these well-informed and helpful articles/books around the web and people will be calling you an expert faster than Tom Cruise can jump on a couch.

Only added that last comment to remind you to be careful of what you do on the web, credibility usually takes some time to build, but it can be lost in one careless moment.

 

Internet Marketing - Tools of The Trade - Part Two

Now here are some Internet marketing tools that will make your job and life much easier.

1. Keyword Research Software

Without a doubt, one of the most important online marketing software I have used deals with keyword research. The core
foundation of any online site or business will be picking and targeting the profitable keywords related to your industry or subject matter. It is vital to choose the right keywords if you target free organic traffic from the search engines, and it is just as important if you’re going the much faster PPC (Pay Per Click) route.

You must do your keyword research in order to place high in the search engine rankings. You must know your competition.
You must know how to optimize your pages for your chosen keywords. I find Brad Callen’s Keyword Elite to be very helpful in finding the right keywords and getting those keywords to the first page in Google. I mainly concentrate my SEO efforts towards Google simply because it delivers the most quality traffic. Good software makes a tedious job simple and easy. Keyword Elite fills that bill.

2. HTML Editor

You need a good HTML editor or program to create your web pages. I use the free version of Note Tab Light and it suits my needs nicely. I have never upgraded my version and have been using if for years. There are probably more robust editors out there… but this one has made creating my websites a breeze. If you want a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor, try Adobe Dreamweaver.

3. FTP Software

Around a year ago, I heard of this FTP client or software from Marlon Sanders, and it has saved me the most time/money of any software I have ever used. You see, I have countless sites on many different servers/webhosts and keeping track of these different sites, multiple passwords, and uploading files was a real pain. I had to go to the web hosts or open up the control panel for each site… then find the page in the directory on my computer and upload the file.

Real Hassle.

All this took up an enormous amount of my time. I didn’t realize how much time until I bought 3D FTP and started using it. From this one FTP software I can login to all my sites and upload files quickly and easily. It keeps track of all my sites and passwords. Updating 10 or 20 sites can be done within minutes!

The feature that I really like is that it will queue up the last file I have been working on so it is at the top of the list when I upload. I don’t have to search thru files to find the last file I updated… it finds all these files and puts them at the top of the list for me,
ready for uploading. Another cool feature, it tests in 3D the download speed of your site’s server.

4. WordPress/Blogging Software

For now, blogs and blogging is it. You must be taking advantage of this keyword rich way of placing content on the web. I find the free WordPress blogging software to be very effective for keyword positioning. Keywords are called tags in the blogging world. I have at least one blog on all my sites, and I find Wordpress is very easy to install even if setting up server side scripts
scares the BeJesus out of you!

Your online marketing will be much more effective if you use the whole blogging networks. And don’t forget all the social bookmark sites that will greatly increase your web presence; I have found simply placing the Addthis.com button on your pages will get your site book marked for you by your visitors. Simple marketing tool that works.

5. Knowledge

You can have all the carpenter’s tools on the planet, but if you don’t know how to use them you will never be able to build a house. The same goes for marketing tools. You must have some knowledge of how Internet marketing works to really use any tools effectively.

But where to find this knowledge can prove more of a minefield than it ought to be. There are plenty would-be teachers and info-products to get you started, but usually newly christened or beginning online marketers are bombarded with so many learning options it all becomes a blur. Who do you believe? Who do you trust?

In over eight years online, the best online marketing training I have found would have to be the whole Site sell products created by Ken Evoy. Granted, he is trying to sell you a hosting product by offering all these free training manuals, but that doesn’t negate the fact that, in my opinion, these “Sitesell Products” are the most comprehensive Internet marketing knowledge you will ever find.

Ken has just made “Make Your Words Sell” a free product, a book he used to sell for $30 bucks. Still one of the best sources of Internet marketing knowledge - regardless of the price!

………………….

Internet Marketing - Tools of The Trade - Part Three

Now here are the free Internet marketing tools and/or sites that give me the most joy. In my shallow world joy and money are synonymous.

1. Google Analytics

Google Analytics gives you an overall picture of what is happening with your site or sites. It tracks your visitors and tells you where they are coming from and what they do on your site. It simply shows how to improve your site to get higher conversions.

Simply put: this free service from Google is a MUST HAVE for any online marketer. The more information you have about your site and how well it is performing is vital to increasing your sign-ups and sales.

Google Analytics

2. Microsoft’s Online Commercial Intention Tool

If you’re into online marketing, you want visitors coming to your site with their wallets/purses open and ready to buy. You want to mostly attract buying customers to your sales pages and online content.

Microsoft, as part of their adCenter system, has a great little tool that lets you check the “Commercial Intention” of a URL or search query. In other words, you can type in a phrase or keyword and it will tell if the person making that search is likely to buy or not.

For example, if you type in “Corporate Business Gifts” the probability for commercial query is 0.96604 or around 96 per cent, which is very high and it’s likely that person has intentions of buying something.

How cool is that?

If you’re designing a website or doing PPC advertising, it is vital you pick the keywords where people have commercial intention - likely to buy something.

Online-Commercial-Intention-Tool

3. SEO Book Keyword Suggestion Tool

As you’ve probably gathered by now, choosing the right keywords is vital to your online success. If you go the free organic traffic route, then the keywords you target are essential to your site’s success. SEO Book has a handy keyword suggestion tool that you can use to find out how many searches are made each day for your keywords.

This site also has many other handy search engine optimization tools you can use to improve your site.

Keyword Suggestion Tool

4. iWebtool Visual Pagerank

When I first discovered this little tool, I couldn’t believe my luck. It gives you the “Visual Google Pagerank” of every link on a URL or web page at one glance, both internal and external links. Now the jury is still out on the importance of Google Pagerank, but I believe it is still important in the whole scheme of things as a matter of perception if nothing else; what people perceive about your site can have positive benefits.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, this tool was not functioning properly - maybe due to Google constant Algorithm updates). However, this site also has many helpful marketing tools you can use.

Visual Pagerank

5. Gurus

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, the big name online marketing gurus are the most effective marketing tools on the web. These marketing powerhouses have the large contact and customer lists necessary to turn any product into an instant best
seller. They operate vast multi-million dollar marketing networks that would make the average webmaster blush with envy.

Creating a JV (joint venture) with these gurus can instantly put any product or site on the Internet map. However, be warned, all the marketing hype and promotion surrounding many of these gurus have turned a lot of people off - especially those who have payed an arm or leg for the latest info-product that’s supposed to give them the keys to online wealth. In many cases, these products are too advanced or require additional skills that the buyer simply doesn’t have… resulting in negative feelings and bad press.

From my own experiences, when I was first starting out, I did have a few bad experiences and wasted more than a little cash on products that didn’t work out as planned. However, I quickly discovered solid online marketers like Ken Evoy, Marlon Sanders, Neil Shearing… which as that old poem says, “And that has made all the difference.”

Hooking up with the right online marketing expert can be the best marketing tool and move you will ever find and make on the web - the ultimate fast forward!

Source: By Titus-Hoskins in Titus Hoskin’s Blog

 

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