EzSEO Newsletter # 260
October 4, 2009 by Andy
In this issue:
1. A Simple Way to Design a Website Header
2. Jerry West’s SEO Revolution
3. A Good Adsense Course
4. Article Video Robot?
5. My Ranking Experiment from Last Week
Hi Again
This week has been another really busy one.? I’ve started setting up three new sites as well as some testing and tweaking on existing sites.? A couple of the sites I have begun work on are domains I ordered some time ago and haven’t done anything with yet – sound familiar?? Well one of the things I use to have problems with was designing website header graphics.? However, I came up with a simple fool-proof way of making these, so I recorded a video to show you.
I have also been spending some time editing video this week as last Monday my daughter turned 5. She had her party at a “theme park” with nearly everyone from her class.? I think there were around 25 kids, which meant 25 presents!!!? We have decided to put most of the gifts away and to give them to our daughter over a long period of time.
Before we get on with the newsletter, there is one other thing I would like to update you on, just in case you have a similar problem – my fruit flies.? You’ll remember that I was having problems getting rid of them.? Vinegar, fly tape and a couple of other methods worked great, but the supply of flies prepared to get caught in my traps never ended.
After looking for answers on the Internet, I found it.? On a forum somewhere, somebody pointed out that if you have a fruit fly problem, there must be a source of food.? Simple, huh?? I guess we already knew that, but we were sure we had removed anything that might be a food source.
I went searching and found an old bucket of potatoes in the pantry.? As I picked it up, I got surrounded in a cloud of flies.? After disposing of the bucket and its contents, the fly problem is almost gone.? However (and turn away if you have a weak stomach), I had a very ripe Mango that I noticed was attracting a fly or two, so I decided to eat it.? As I bit into it, I saw something wriggling – the centre was filled with maggots!? I wonder if they were fruit fly larvae?
OK, enough about my week.? In this issue I want to update you on the ranking experiment that started last week, as well as mention a couple of products I have been impressed with.
Let’s get on…
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1. A Simple Way to Design a Website Header
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One of the things I use to find difficult in creating a website was the header graphic.? However, I have come up with a simple formula to create great looking headers, quickly, and without having to think too hard, and for any topic.
Here is the simple logo that I create in this video:
And here is the video showing how I did it:
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2. Jerry West’s SEO Revolution
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Jerry West, the Google SEO Guru that the “Gurus” turn to for advice, is celebrating his 10 year anniversary.? It’s 10 years since he started his company “Web Marketing Now”.? Jerry is promising a lot great stuff to celebrate his 10 years in business, so I’ll probably be mentioning some of his stuff in the next newsletter.
In case you haven’t heard of his, Jerry is the author of the fantastic Google Best Practices, a guide that I refer to all the time.? At only $47, this guide is seriously a must have for anyone wanting to rank in Google:
Since I bought the book a few years back, there have been a number of updates, and these updates are based on Jerry’s huge network of test sites (nearly 600).? In fact, the last update was at the end of September.? If you have bought this guide in the past, make sure you download the update (Jerry will have emailed you download details).? This guide is 177 pages, so if you are pushed for time, here is where I would start.
*? Go through the SEO in a Box technique starting on page 7. Simple proven SEO strategies in a step by step format.
* Read the “Google Internal Linking Strategy” starting on Page 50.? This will show you how to get better results in only a few days.
* Learn the “three search filters”: anchor, title and text starting on page 67.
Jerry promises a major update this month, so I am looking forward to that.
Whether I was just starting out, or a veteran wanting to learn better SEO, Jerry West’s book is the book I would recommend above all others.? You can read more about it here:
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3. A Good Adsense Course
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As you know if you have been reading my newsletter in recent months, I am working on my own Google Adsense formula.? In my quest for a system that will provide constant, long-term income via Adsense, I have been buying and reviewing a large number of eBooks and courses.? I have to say that a great deal of them are a waste of time and don’t teach anything new.? However, one that I was impressed with is this one:
It was initially recommended to me via two people who read my newsletter.
This eBook teaches a system that is very similar to the one I am working on myself. I do have one or two concerns about this guys system, but hey, he is making up to $500 a day with Google Adsense, so I think there is a lot we can learn from his system.
I cannot go into too much details about his system (for obvious reasons), but suffice to say that I like 95% of his system.
What don’t I like about his course?? Well the sites he sets up are clearly built for Adsense.? The problem with that is Google does not like sites that are only built for the purpose of Google Adsense.? This is where my own system will differ.? BTW; You can stop emailing me about my own system, as I am working on it, and testing will take several months.? If after that time I have a system that works consistently, I’ll let you know!
In the mean time, if you want to learn some solid ideas from a guy making a lot of income from Adsense, this is the guide to get:
One of the things you will like is the 7 day action plan.? You will have learnt the system by the time you get to this section of the book, so John now gives you a 7 day plan to create and promote 2 sites.
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4. Article Video Robot?
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Every once in a while, something comes along that is very different, and quite exciting.? Article Video Robot is one such product.
If you want to order Article Video Robot, I have managed to get a discount coupon for you.
Simply enter:
ezseo30
.. at the checkout, and you’ll get a full 30% discount. This coupon is only valid for the next 7 days though.
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5. My Ranking Experiment from Last Week
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Last week I told you about two articles that I submitted to two different sites, and how those two articles were treated differently by Google.
Today I want to bring you up to date on the rankings of those articles, and what I have done to promote them during the week.
Before I do though, there was a comment at the bottom of last weeks newsletter from one reader who said:
“With regard to your diabetic site – are you making decent money from it? as the rankings you are showing don’t seem good enough to make this happen.”
Now, perhaps this is something I assumed you all knew, but let me just say it up front so we are all on the same wavelength.
When you create a page to your website, you will be assigned a ranking by Google.? However, you don’t have to be happy with that ranking, and you have the power to improve the rankings if you want to put in a little work.
e.g. In my article last week, my new article was ranking at #364 in Google for the term Humalog.? This one word keyword has currently got 253,000 competing pages in Google.? Clearly at #364, that term wont be bringing me any traffic.
However, I don’t have to be happy with that position, as I can work to improve it, and it is that work that I want to show you over the next few weeks.? However, also bear in mind that when I wrote that article, I was targeting 10 different main phrases, and some of those were ranking much higher than #364.? At the time of writing the newsletter last week, “humalog lyspro” was ranking at #17 in Google.
However, let’s look again at the complete list of phrases and where they ranked last week:
NOTE: Ranking reports are done with Market Samurai.
And today, I checked again and these were the rankings this week:
Here is a summary showing positions gained.? A “+” sign indicates the phrase has moved up the rankings, followed by the number of positions moved:
humalog lyspro: +4
humalog lispro: +48
humalog lispro insulin: +66
humalog insulin: +109
lispro insulin: +161
lispro: +173
humalog mix25: +13
humalog novolog: +72
lyspro insulin: +42
humalog: +134
So what did I do to make these improvements in ranking?
Absolutely nothing.
You see, the way the site is structured, publishing content to the site means that the content will automatically get some inbound links from other pages on the site.? As those links are discovered by Google, the rankings will improve.
I expect the rankings to improve a little further, but this week I’ll be adding a link or two to the page and we’ll see what difference that makes by this time next week.
OK; so what about the experiment on the non-authority domain.
Well, let me reminder you of where we were last week:
I re-checked the rankings today, and rather than show a screenshot that won’t mean much because of the phrases blurred out, I’ll just give you a summary of the 11 phrases targeted and there movement in Google rankings (note: a “-” sign means the phrase has dropped down the rankings):
Phrase #1: +1
Phrase #2: -2
Phrase #3: -3
Phrase #4: -2
Phrase #5: +7
Phrase #6: +15
Phrase #7: +35
Phrase #8: +57
Phrase #9: +4
Phrase #10: -2
Phrase #11: +99
OK, so what did I do here to try to improve the rankings?? We’ll, I used an article distribution service to post articles to get backlinks.? There are over 20 links now directed at these pages!? Was the effort worth it?
Compare the amount of work involved in the two setups.? The first experiment showed rankings improving simply because of the structure and quality of the site.? No additional work has so far been done.? The second experiment shows a poor quality site, with no authority, and a lot of work has made almost no difference to the rankings.
It makes you think, doesn’t it.
Next week I’ll bring a new update as I try to improve my humalog rankings.
Well, that’s it for this issue.? If you want to read the recent issues of this newsletter, you can read them online at my blog:
Have a great week!
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The contents of this newsletter is copyright 2009 Andrew Williams.? If you want to republish any of the articles, you must get permission from the author.
This newsletter disclaims all responsibility for the advertising copy or the product advertised. You cannot rely on the fact that the newsletter has examined the product or recommends or endorses the product, unless it clearly says that it has, when you make your decision whether or not to purchase the product or interact with the advertiser. You are advised to do your own investigation before buying. Additionally, this newsletter may accept articles that we do not write or investigate the accuracy of and for which we may receive direct or indirect benefit or compensation. We specifically disclaim any responsibility for the content of such copy.
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Hi Dr Andy, great pleasure to see the email pointing me to your new way of sharing news to your list. I really appreciated how you shared the google ranking of the two site and have been trying to build mine the way you have outlined in the fat Content creator Course I use of yours. Thanks a million. By the way when do you think you will have the next product you have been talking about ready for testing. Also any news about the Carp system not blocking up server space. Did A Roundy get back to you about that. I think thats his name. i do have his system but have not installed it on any sites just yet after you mentioned the problem you had last month.
Hi Claude
My products are taking longer than expected. I am hoping before the close of the year, but with so many things going on, I cannot guarantee it. The newsletter will be the first place you’ll hear about new stuff, so stay tuned.
Carp – no, I have not had a reply. I posted my question on the forum, and it remains unanswered. Maybe I should try a direct email. I just keep a list of links that I click once a month or so. I’ll probably end up running the scripts with a cron job so I can forget about them, but was hoping for a simple solution.
Andy, I’m glad the print plugin just gives you a clean layout, rather than sending the page to the printer. There was a lot of extraneous stuff at the bottom of the resulting page, but it was easy to copy and paste what I wanted to my OpenOffice 2-column landscape template.
That’s great Lane. Glad it meets your approval. One thing the print doesn’t have is the videos – then again, I know you hate those so maybe that’s a plus for you
Update: Got the videos appearing in the print preview, so at least you know they are there.
Enjoyed the ranking analysis, good points! As for the Adsense course and having lots of websites making small money, I don’t like that.
One can make $500 per day from a single site, focused around a topic with 200 and many more pages. It won’t happen in 3 months, but is definitely doable in 2 years. And if not from one, that maybe from 3 to 5 large content websites. Most Adsense courses like this one show you how to make 50, 100 or even more websites.
But anyway, the key is to have a system. Lots of systems work, as long as you master it and not stay a beginner in 10 different systems (because people keep looking for the next best thing.)
Tomaz
Totally agree, and I prefer your method, but a lot of people want quicker money, and spreading the risk. I’ll continue to build sites the same way as you do, but am starting to put some smaller ones in the mix. I know a couple of your sites, and they are really excellent models for anyone to follow.
Andy, Regarding your comment to Tomaz do you recommend the Adsense course for one who is needing to generated quicker (6-8 months) money, versus the large content sites?
Kind Regards,
Rick
In 6-8 month time frame, I would go the same route as Tomaz. However, the reason I like the Adsense course that works on the principle of lots of little sites each making $2-$5 a day each, is that you’ll see results quicker, and for a lot of people that is important in staying motivated. Tomaz has done an excellent job on the sites that he has developed. I only know a few of his sites, but the ones I do know are all fantastic authority sites that rank high in Google for extremely competitive phrases. He has put a lot of work into this, and it is paying off nicely for him, but not everyone has that commitment.
Thanks Andy, A lot to consider.
Rick
I have to say that after 3 years of of trying all sorts of tactics. The only strategy that really works long term are the ones that you promote.
Whilst I still subscribe to a number of newsletter and lists yours is the only one that I read from top to bottom and follow closely.
I have a number of sites ranking for very competitive keywords and they are improving all the time. A lot of this is thanks to your tips advice.
I am glad that you got your fruit fly issues sorted at last. We are having the same problem with kamikaze ants. They just keep coming.
regards
Lloyd
Having lived in tropical climates (Indonesia and Mexico) I am aware of how fast fruits and vegetables can ripen inviting a whole host of guests into ones home. It never ceases to amaze me how a potatoe can hide and become the source of a kitchen mystery.
Good newsletter as always. I tried video robot several months ago but didn’t pursue it at that time. Maybe I give it another look.
I am building a new site using your WordPress Affiliate course as the template. I am using the current version of Magazine which certainly does provide some interesting formatting possibilities for the home page. I had subscribed to the course when you first released it last year but only used the content to upgrade portions of existing WP sites. This current site will be the first time I have built one from scratch using your approach. Regardless of how familiar I am with your material I find that being able to replay the videos offers a real advantage.
Yes, I agree about videos. YOu can get a lot out of them if they are done properly.
Andy
Are they the stats from your google analytics account, or are you using something else to get the dets.
Regards
Kevin
Dr Andy
I don’t usually follow links to on line newsletters. However, for you I’ll always make an exception. As you say, yours works better online and I too no longer see the point of doing a text version as well.
I see that Video Robot are very cagey about how much it costs until they have your email address. I take it that it costs a lot then?
Can you give any clues please or will that upset their sales funnel?
Did I remember you saying you were going to updat Fat Content Creator along with your many other projects?
Thanks for yet another informative newsletter (including fruit flies).
Tony
Hi Tony,
I think its something like $47 a month, though with my coupon you’ll get 30% off that.
I am working on updates for a lot of stuff. More details when they are nearer completion .
Hi Andy,
What do you use to track your rankings.
Market Samurai
One more,
for every page that you add to the diabetes site,
how many internal links does it receive automatically
because of your sites structure.
thanks
Depends. Some pages will receive more than others. They will also receive links back from tag pages (if you use tags), sitemap, homepage, every page initially if you use a recent posts plugin, and so on.
Hi Andy
I’ve always thought that your instructional/demonstrational videos were some of the best found on the web, and done the way you do them, can cut learning time drastically. I don’t know what it is about your voice but it very believable and pleasant to listen to at the same time. So keep on making them! Do you promote your videos on YouTube?
On the comparison of your 2 sites: what about demonstrating a 3rd site with what could happen by combining an excellent site structure with article distribution and other linking strategies?
JC
Hi John
Thanks.
As for other experiments, I’ll be trying new stuff when I have more time. I have expect that the drop in rankings for the site that has had the article marketing done is because of rapid link growth. We’ll have to wait and see if those rankings bounce back or not.
Hi Andy,
Just a note about Article Video Robot.
This indeed does look like an interesting tool for video production and marketing so I signed up for a trial run. While I can say that the system works very well I was disappointed with the “text to voice” quality and I think that this is one of it’s diggest drawbacks. For common words the voice is pretty realistic but I tried with an PLR article that I have about Liposuction and here ther quality was underwellming. It sounder as if it was a Martian was trying to pronounce the word. I tried all 4 speakers and it was just the same.
I thought ‘text to speech’ had come a long way as has “speech to text”. My Dragon Naturally Speaking is up to about 99% now.
As for the fee’s it is $47/month for the basic version (4 speakers)and $97/month for the advanced (12 speakers). Does your $30 come off each month or is it a one off for the first month only?
I really thinks it’s something for the future but maybe a little before it’s time.
Peter
As far as I was told Peter it is 30% off the recurring price. I cannot guarantee that but its what I have been lead to believe.
Hi Andy,
Thanks for another excellent newsletter and the heads-up about the video creator (and discount coupon). Have signed up for the trial version and created a video fairly easily after some experimentation. Guess you could do much the same using Powerpoint and converting to video, but it’s always easier following a set of instructions.
I agree you need to edit, use own images where possible and preferably not the computer voices, although they’re better than some I’ve heard. For my test, the voice (not Life) of Brian seemed to work best, but I need to practise and try my own voice, but not sure how my accent (South African) will go down with mainly US visitors. As a regular creator of videos, any hints or tips about recording and using a mike?
Thanks,
Scotch
Hi Scotch
As far as using a mic is concerned, I dont really have any tips other than to use the best mic you can afford. A unidirectional one works best for me cutting out most of the noise (although you can still hear my kids occasionally, but that is because I sit with my back to the office door that points out onto the hallway where my daughter runs around and just opposite my son’s bedroom. I also point the mic side on (90 degrees to my body position) as I find that speaking directly into the mic can cause “wind sounds”. If you want more tips on using a mic, ask Michael Campbell. He’s the guy I turned to when I wanted info on this.
Sorry Andy, but I think that this may have been the first time, that you really recommended a complete utter DUD as far as IM material to use is concerned, as in Article Video Robot…
I truly don’t think it’s worth the paper it’s written on, or in this case, the website real estate it uses. And they have the audacity to ask for 47 bucks month? And like an earlier poster said already, they were very cagey of how they presented themselves as far as pricing..that in itself is very telling…
Firstly, the most experienced and expert Powerpoint presenters always say, NEVER read your text in your presentation word for word…it insults your audience, and it also confuses your audience, as they get caught between reading the text and trying to listen to the presenter repeat the exact same thing.
Now, this is typically about ‘bullet points’…so can you imagine a voice, an absurd sounding computer voice at that, which just diminishes your credibility moreso, (yes, I realize you can use your own voice, but that’s not the point), repeats an entire 500 word article, much less bullet points?!!
I’m always adhering to your suggestions Andy and I have always been happy with the stuff you direct us to, and I realize that everything you recommend is certainly not for everybody, but your thoughtfulness to at least exposing various tools to us, is much appreciated indeed.
However, I really feel AVR is complete rubbish – especially for the price..sorry, but just being honest, but it’s certainly not anything against you whatsoever.
Thanks for your time,
Marko
Hi Mark
Thanks for your opinion – like all opinions, it is welcome on my site
While I can see great potential for this product, I too have some reservations. Not so much on the text and reading bit, as I dont find it distracting, but certainly on the pronunciation of words. In my newsletter I was merely pointing out a new (and good IMO) idea, that has a lot of potential. Using this technology, it is easy to create good videos, though the more you work on them the better they will be of course. The submitting part also goes a long way to paying the monthly fee of $33 (if you use my discount).
Has anyone tried Big Mike’s GFX Video Writer? It’s only about $30 one off. I purchased it a few months ago when there was a special offer, but haven’t got round to trying it yet. Looks easy from the PDF manual, certainly easier than Windows Movie Maker but wonder what the finished product will be? Also not sure whether it will be possible to add a clickable link to the bottom as in Article Video Robot. I’ll try and get a video done this weekend and report back.
JC
Thank you for your reply and understanding Andy. I am so glad that you didn’t take my opinion the wrong way
Yes, I COMPLETELY agree with you, as far as the ‘idea’ and the ‘concept’..man oh man, if they just modified it to be more ‘human’ so to speak and less mechanical, then they may have something.
I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness Andy, regarding the discount, but I think I’ll stick to my standard way of article and video exposure- outlets and tools and maybe one day, I’ll look up these guys again if they fine tuned their present model and product.
Automation is truly a double-edge sword. It can work wonders and make life and your job a breeze, but other times, it causes more harm than good.
Take Market Samurai for example…one the greatest pieces of software that has come out in years and I couldn’t, nor wouldn’t give it up for the world..it’s far too valuable for me…however, some of the modules they have, I would never use, as they just aren’t as efficient as doing it manually, or using some other method that is more effective.
– gotta find that happy medium I guess
Best,
Marko
Thank you for your reply
Hi Andy,
As voiced in many other opinions in prior posts, I, too, enjoy your newsletter, courses and products (and, in particular, support).
I was wondering what tool or software do you use to find out where you are ranking in Google for your targetted keywords?
Thanks,
Jacquie
Andy, I too would like to know how you determine your ranking in Google.
As I have replied in previous comments, Market Samurai. I have a love/hate relationship with Market Samurai.. Its a great tool, but its an Adobe Air program and I have had to reinstall it twice in the last few months because AIR became corrupt. However, as a marketing tool, its got lots of cool features.
Re: your web site header video…
Can I do the same thing in Photoshop? I’m not keen about getting another graphics program.
Olivia
Hi Olivia
I am sure you can. I am not a Photoshop user myself (I have it but prefer to use other tools) but I am sure Photoshop people can work it out. I am thinking of repeating the tutorial using the freely available GIMP, which is much more like Photoshop. If I get time, I’ll do it.
Yes…I’ve been trying out GIMP myself, but don’t find it as simple as they promote it to be. Maybe I’m just thick.
Olivia
Hello Andy ,
I have purchased the “Micro Niche Adsense” pdf and broadly speaking I think it is worth the investment.
The one thing I found rather unusual was the author’s method when using article marketing. He states that he does not write any articles which are in any way related to the site’s subject but rather he just writes on a subject he enjoys writing about.
For example – if the site was about “cross cut saws” he would write a article about something he is familiar with like “weight loss and diets”. Admittedly he sort of covers this in the resource box but as a Platinum author with ezinearticles I wonder how they react to this.
Would appreciate your comments.
Regards ,
Norman Holden
Norman
I dont see anything wrong with this approach, and in fact I like to use it myself, for the reasons outlined in the Adsense course.
The resource box is there for authors to use as they see fit within the rules (2 links to your own sites at ezinearticles).
just bought article video and used your discount code,,,,,,,,,,,did not work
Terry,
I’m afraid that as I wrote in the newsletter, the code was only available for 7 days from the time of posting the newsletter. Today is day 8.