As promised here is the fourth  Google video from their webmaster educational series - “Speeding up in a Slowdown”.

In this video you will hear tips from Jack Herrick, the founder of wikiHow.com, about how to attract new visitors to your site.

wikiHow is a collaborative writing project designed to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. wikiHow is a wiki, which means that any visitor to the site can create or edit wikiHow articles. wikiHow is currently ranked as the 100th most popular site on the web by Quantcast, and receives over 16 million unique visitors each month.

Jack shares three of his favorite tips to attract new visitors and I hope these tips will help you come up with new ways to entice visitors to your own website.

Tip #1: Produce great content

The first tip is obvious, but it’s also the most important. The articles on wikiHow vary widely in quality. We have some of the highest quality how-tos on the net, for example How to Hard Boil an Egg, and we also have some fairly ugly, unfinished drafts we call stubs. Interestingly, the high-quality articles don’t get just a little more traffic than the mediocre articles, they get hundreds of times more. When you can produce the single best page on the Internet on any given topic, people will find it and share it with their friends. Don’t settle for acceptable content, always strive to produce amazing content that your readers can’t resist sharing.

Tip #2: Learn to share

My second tip is more counterintuitive. To attract more readers to your website, consider putting your content under a Creative Commons license so it can be widely distributed. Everything on wikiHow is under a license that allows other websites to publish and even modify or adapt our content for re-use on their sites. In fact, we have a button at the bottom of every article that allows webmasters to copy and paste the HTML right onto their site. Many webmasters are afraid to share their content, because they worry they will only be aiding competition. By sharing, what you are really doing is encouraging your competitors to provide free advertising for you. The more people who see your content on other sites, the more likely they are to eventually come straight to you.

Tip #3: Make your community a team

Finally, I’d encourage you to allow real collaboration on your site. Lots of websites try to create online communities. To use a basketball analogy, most online communities are just groups of individuals shooting freethrows alone. On wiki websites, people play together as a real team. Humans are hard wired to want to work in groups and collaborate. By allowing this to happen, you can create a passionate community of people that will build something bigger than any one person could accomplish on their own. And that will in time attract a large audience.

Hopefully Jack’s tips will help you come up with some new techniques to attract visitors to your site. In addition to Jack’s tips, you may also wish to consider Professional SEO services or possibly an Internet Banner Advertising campaign to promote your site.

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Over the past few weeks, Google have been running a series of videos for website owners called “Speeding up in a Slowdown”.

I thought it would be useful to share this with you as it provides helpful information from Google on how to grow your online business, together with useful tips on how to use various Google tools.

I will be posting the complete series over the next few weeks, so remember to check back here on a regular basis, in order to catch the next installment.

In today’s post, you’ll hear from Avinash Kaushik, Google’s own Analytics Evangelist, about the importance of understanding your traffic, analysing how your site performs, and using data to make decisions.

Here are a few small to mid-sized ideas that — in Avinash’s own words — can add up to remarkable results for your website. They’re all things you can do today with free web analytics tools, like Google Analytics.

Idea #1: Discover what content and traffic sources keep people coming to your site again and again.

How many times does a visitor have to visit your site to be considered valuable? Use the Visitor Loyalty report in the Visitors section of Google Analytics to pinpoint the visitors who come to your site that many times or more. Put that data into an Advanced Segment and apply that segment to your core reports to understand things like where these valuable visitors come from and what content they consume. You can then use this information to optimize how you acquire new visitors and the content on your site for loyal visitors.

Idea #2: Figure out which pages to improve on your site.

Many people ask the question: “How do I know which pages on my site to improve?” Take a look at the Top Landing Pages report in the Content section of Google Analytics. This report tells you the first page people see when they enter your site. Sort this report by bounce rate. Bounce rate measures how many people come to your site, only see one page and leave right away (or as Avinash calls it: “I came, I puked, I left”). Once you identify which of your top landing pages are not able to get a single click from your visitors you know which pages need to be improved.

Idea #3: Find out where AdSense performs best on your site.

If you’ve linked your AdSense and Analytics accounts, the Top AdSense Content report in the AdSense section of Google Analytics will tell you where on your website AdSense ads get the most clicks. This is a win-win for your business and your customers, as it helps you identify what type of content to produce more of based on what content people are most interested in as well as where people most often click on your AdSense ads.

If you haven’t already, Link Your AdSense and Analytics Accounts in order to take full advantage of what Analytics can offer. If you don’t yet have a free  Google Analytics account, you can Sign Up Today.

For additional Website Promotion information please visit our main website.

As ever, please feel free to comment, if you found this post helpful.

Customers are tough cookies. They are extremely media aware and increasingly cynical and it is a clever marketeer who can get through to them. Online Surveys breath new life into the traditional survey format and offer a unique way of interaction – providing you with all the benefits of the Internet without the programming. Here are ten reasons why they may be the silver bullet marketeers’ need, complete with examples supplied by Martin Day, managing director of Survey Galaxy - one of a new breed of websites making online surveys quicker and cheaper

1. It’s cheap as buttons
Select the right survey website and creating surveys can be free of any charge and the cost to publish is minimal.
Useful information harvested from surveys can be reused and repackaged in other marketing and PR for use in press outlets making it a very efficient form of information gathering.

2. It’s easy peasy
Anyone can create and design an online survey. Create professional looking online surveys in a matter of minutes, no programming skills are required and when published the surveys are simple to complete.

3. Multiple deployment options
Once the survey is online it’s a simple step to promote it, either through email (with a link enclosed), via a link from a website or referenced by other forms of advertising. Anyone who has the link can be connected instantly to the survey, at a time that’s convenient to them, 24×7.

4. We’ve all got an opinion – and we like to give it
Customers do not often view surveys as spam and the majority welcome the opportunity to voice their opinion and the chance to have an impact on a brand. Online survey’s are an ideal way for broaching sensitive subjects with concerned employees; a survey asking a workforce on their opinion of change allows the key issues to be raised in a positive manner and encourages employee participation. Online surveys allow the message to reach each individual and invite feedback in a manageable form.

5. Get inside your respondents heads
With traditional advertising you can lead a customer to an advertisement but you can’t make them think. Surveys engage the respondent, who think about the question before giving their response.

6. Build a relationship
It needn’t all end once a survey has been completed – while you have their attention you can ask if they want to sign up for more information or a regular newsletter – making the most of the window when you have their interest.

7. Link your survey to other online information
Take the opportunity to maximise the interest of those responding to your survey by referencing related information. By embedding links within the survey to other websites that offer more detailed information you are able to reinforce the marketing message.

8. Subtly does it
Surveys can help associate, in the mind of the respondents, a product with a number of positive attributes. By listing the many features of a product and asking the respondent how important they are, regardless of their response, the product will be associated with the features; if they are rated as important the positive impact is endorsed by the customer.

9. Not just selling
A survey is an effective, quick and easy method to help promote and gain acceptance for a difficult proposal; such as a public body trying to gain acceptance and support for a particular scheme.
Take the example of a city trying to gain support from the general public for their bid to host a future Olympic Games. Being able to explain each benefit will put a respondent in a much better position to appreciate your argument and that may be enough to combat any negative aspects. As well as promoting the cause, useful feedback is gained that can be used to fine tune the overall marketing strategy.

10. Fresh topics engage interest
Think laterally and a lively and imaginative approach to surveys can provide a ‘hook’ to engage respondents. The survey subject can be focused towards a particular group on a subject close to theirs hearts. A survey’s marketing message can take the form of a simple brand awareness message by stating that the survey is being sponsored by brand name, or by finding a link from the subject matter to the product – something that is surprisingly easy and highly effective.

Discover the benefits of including in your website a Public Survey section as many people who enjoy completing crosswords and doing word puzzles enjoy completing surveys. Having a public survey notice board as part of a website is a low cost and automated method that helps to increase traffic and establish a loyal and returning following. Unlike discussion boards there is no opportunity for people to disrupt the site by inappropriate remarks as the survey results are displayed in summary form enabling them to dispense with moderators and maintenance.

Customers do not often view surveys as spam and the majority welcome the opportunity to voice their opinion and the chance to have an impact on a brand.

Many of the techniques and a few more are contained in the following Sample Marketing Survey.

As an Internet Entrepreneur, you may have most of the nifty gadgets required to be a hit in an online business. You may well have the necessary intensity and persistence, to be able to understand how to succeed online. You may posess most of the latest tools, necessary in sustaining your company, including an exclusive and entertaining website that can create wealth, if only hoards of Internet users could discover it. All this  is meaningless if you do not understand how to drive massive amounts of targeted internet traffic to your website. Your online business will sink into oblivion along with all your dreams of massive sales and fortune if you do not understand how to achieve this one critical task and you will therefore fail at Making Money Online.

Driving targeted internet users to your website can be difficult, especially if you are operating in a very competitive market place. With such a varied choice of websites to choose from, how do you ensure that you acquire the right type of traffic?

Here are seven best ways to drive laser-targeted customers to your website.

By following the techniques below, you will help drive targeted online users to your site.

Step one in driving traffic to your site is to ensure that you appear as high as possible in the search engines results. It’s a known fact that targeted online shoppers are known to convert better than any other type of targeted traffic. Having high search engine placement is crucial in amassing a money making venture, and the use of  targeted keywords is indispensible in attaining this purpose. Once a web page is on the top pages of the search engines, it is easily accessible to all those who are using your keywords to locate the services you offer. Web Page Optimisation is therefore critical to ensure your site appears in the top search engine results.

The second plan of action in driving traffic to your website is by contacting other webmasters for a possible link exchange partnership. Locating web pages that are related to your own page on the Internet is the primary undertaking. If the other Webmaster agrees on trading links, it is then possible to make reciprocal link exchanges that will benefit both websites.

The third way in getting Internet users to your site is via Article Marketing. This is an effective way to promote your site and will increase your link popularity. This method is used by some of the most successful Affiliate Marketers on the Internet and should be part of your development strategy if you’re serious about making money on the the Web.

Step four is accomplished by joint venture marketing. JV marketing is one of the most effective ways of promoting a product or a service. Using a Joint Venture partner through ad swap or link exchanges benefits both people as it allows them to reach a wide customer base in a short period of time.

The fifth plan of action is accomplished by joining affiliate program networks. Utilising other Internet Marketers to do the work means allowing them to bring loads of online users to a web site. Increasing sales have been realised as a result, and both the affiliates and the site owner will benefit from the partnership.

The sixth step is achieved by having a bank of subscribers that one can refer to every so often, because they may have purchased a product or service from you previously. As an existing customer they are more likely to trust your recommendations. Using autoresponders and personalised newsletters is one way of keeping track of them all, and holding on to them by letting them know about new products and services.

The seventh step is done by comprehending your market better than anyone. It’s necessary for traffic to be targeted to those who might have a special interest in the products or services that your website recommends. By doing it this way, a solid customer base is going to be created. Once a potential customer shows an interest in a particular site by paying it a visit, you should take every opportunity to make sure their visit is valuable to them. This way they are more likely to return to your web page, thus trusting you more than your competition.

Profit generating tactics are critical in trying to make your online marketing career successful. It is always advantageous to plan your moves in any business and lay out a roadmap so that you can duplicate your success everytime you implement your system.  If you learn how to convince Internet users to trust your website, then you’re well on the way to making more money than you thought possible.

For further information on Website Promotion please visit our main website.

How to create a survey using Survey Galaxy

Writing surveys is easy; isn’t it? The truth is that writing surveys is easy but writing surveys that will be effective is more difficult. The following are twenty tips that if followed will help you write more effective surveys.

1. What is the purpose of the survey?

Surveys are conducted for many reasons. By correctly phrasing the questions and structuring the answers surveys can be used in a multitude of ways and for a variety of reasons. When compiling a survey don’t lose sight of its purpose.

2. Give the survey a good title

The survey title is a golden opportunity to instantly summarise a survey’s objective and encourage respondents to participate. Respondents need to invest time in completing the survey so you need to encourage them that their investment will be worthwhile.

3. Ensure that you do not make the survey any longer than it needs to be

Every question asked should be asked for a reason. Focus on ‘need to know’ questions and minimise ‘nice to know’ information.

4. Use plain English, maintain consistency and avoid terminology, acronyms and asking questions that could result in ambiguous answers

Word the question carefully. There is every chance that if respondents can interpret any question that is not clearly written differently to that intended by the survey’s publisher, then any analysis of the survey results may be worthless or at the very least misleading.

5. Avoid long questions

Use concise sentences wherever possible. Long questions tend to cause respondents discomfort and can lead to respondents abandoning a survey.

6. Ask one question at a time

Avoid confusing the respondent with a question like ‘Do you like tennis and golf?’

7. Avoid influencing the answer

It is important to avoid loading the question. ‘Should irresponsible shop keepers who sell tobacco to minors be prosecuted?’ is unlikely to have any value.

8. Make sure that the selected answer format allows the respondent to answer the question being asked

Allow the respondent to answer how they really feel or they may be inclined to abandon the survey. As a last resort consider the benefit of including a “No comment”, “Don’t know” or similar response option.

9. While you are compiling the survey consider, when the survey is complete, how the compiled data is going be analysed

When asking questions that allow for a free text open ended response, such as when asking the respondent for their comments, appreciate that such information is likely to be difficult to score and/or summarise. Consider grouping answers. For example “How long have you worked here?” - ‘less than 1 year’, ‘between 1 and 6 years’ and ‘more than 6′.

10. Ensure that the questionnaire flows

Group questions into clear categories as this will make it easier for the participants completing the survey.

11. Target your respondents carefully

Sometimes you will want to target a specific group, in others a cross section. If you can’t control who responds to your survey consider including questions/answers that will allow you to filter out respondents who don’t match your target profile.

12. Allow the respondent to expand on their answer or make comments

Allowing respondents to make additional comments will increase their satisfaction level and the comments will also give valuable feedback on the specific questions and/or the survey as a whole. Remember that for large sample collections it may be difficult to analyse free text open ended responses.

13. If you are conducting a confidential survey ensure that your pledge for confidentiality is upheld

If you have guaranteed the respondents that the survey is confidential ensure that the individual data is not to be shared with anyone and the information is not going to be used for any other purpose. Confidentiality must be maintained at all times and any contact information destroyed after the survey is complete.

14. Weigh up the advantages of allowing respondents to be anonymous or identifiable

If your respondents are to be anonymous then you will be unable to follow up or match “pre” or “post” surveys. Allowing respondents to remain anonymous will however allow respondents to respond without possible peer pressure.

15. Give careful consideration to the best response format

Maintaining a consistency in the format used for responses is good practice. Keep in mind that when analyzing the data radio buttons are easier to analyze than check boxes that offer the respondent multiple responses. Do not use a check box if a radio response would do.

16. Inform the respondent as to how much time the survey will take to complete

Respondent drop out can increase if there is no end in sight to the survey questions. It is good practice to indicate how long the survey is likely to take so that the participants can choose the best time to complete the survey.

17. Inform respondents of the survey end date

Encourage respondents to complete the survey as soon as possible but advise respondents as to the survey’s end date so that they have the opportunity to schedule the necessary time.

18. Test the survey

Before publishing a live survey publish a pilot survey to check for questions that are ambiguous or confusing and to confirm that the survey is aesthetically pleasing.

19. Before publishing the survey proof read the survey several times

Check and then check again that a survey is grammatically correct and makes sense. If practical get a colleague to check the survey before you publish, if you are unable to do this then take a break before checking again.

20. Say ‘Thank You’

To complete surveys respondents need to invest their time and they should be thanked at the end of completing the survey or in a follow up letter. You may even want to consider an incentive such as a reward of some sort.

For further information please visit Survey Galaxy