Search engines do not immediately crawl newly created sites. Therefore searching for a new site may not produce any result in the search engine result page (SERP) even if you type the full URL of the site. It takes some time for such to happen. Frequent hits on your site, and back-links (referrals) can also help your site to be crawled faster. Therefore, besides search engine optimisation of your site, you should submit your site to search engines for the search engine spiders to begin the process of crawling your site.
Submitting your site to major site engines like Google, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, AltaVista, are free. However, it is instructive to note that frequent multiple submission of the same site to a search engine may be considered as spamming. Your site can be banned by one of more search engines should it be considered to be spamming the submission process. For users of blogger.com (blogspot.com) blog template, your chances of having a high page rank in Google are very high. This is because, the site blogger.com (blogspot.com) belongs to Google, and there is an option to submit site to Google search engine at the time of creation. Hence, the crawling process of blogs and pages on the sites are faster with Google search engine spiders.
I recently learned this the hard way when I searched for my new blog in Yahoo. I was surprised that while my site has a substantially high page rank in Google, and Ask Jeeves, it was not found listed in Yahoo search result page even though I used the URL in the search field. I tried to remedy that by submitting my site’s to yahoo search engine. Nevertheless, beyond submitting sites to search engines, quality content, and links to your site by several sites is a good indicator of the importance of your site. The more referrals you have from associate and affiliates sites the better your chances of being ranked higher in search engine result, and better the quality of traffic your get. More traffic also reinforce your site popularity and hence your ranks in searches.
Here are the URLs where you can submit your site.
Google
Yahoo Search Engine
Alta Vista
Dmoz
Digg
delicious
After submitting your site, check the result for at least 3 to 6 months before attempting a resubmission.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
How to drive traffic to your site
It is said that ‘changing to a lion is not the problem, but getting the tail of a lion.” Honestly, I don’t know what is so special about the tail of a lion. But I do know that creating a blog is so easy, that it has become a pastime for so many people! But getting people to visit your site is crux of the matter. That’s the hard part!
A lot of publishers claim they have ‘secrets’ used in driving traffic to their sites , and many are offering one e-book or the other containing these ‘secrets’ at different prices. But the fact remains that driving traffic to your site is not that simple or that difficult. It is important rather that your site (or blog) grows organically as a direct result of superior contents and appeal. However, slow growth of your site also infers slow flow of income.
Experts are however of the opinion that certain amount of publicity be done by you to promote your site. The list of such recommended activity is very exhaustive. Here are some I intend to use to promote my site:
1. Contents
A good content will not only attract traffic, but will keep them coming, and might even earn you good free links. I have linked to several sites that I found very useful content wise. I have also bookmarked various. Ensure your site is updated periodically, and keep enough content in the archive to sustain traffic. An advertiser once rejected my application because I do not have up to 30 pages of content! Another expert once said, you should have at least 100 pages of quality content before lunching your site. Content is key! Quality content is invaluable, this cannot be over emphasised.
2. Link Exchange
Exchanging links with similar sites is one sure way of getting traffic. If search engines crawls those sites, they’ll find your link as well. Link exchange can be direct or indirect. You can send a direct request to be linked to a site. Or you can comment on a related site, and sign off with your name and URL (your link). Of course comments should be purposeful in nature, and meaning. It should not be an opportunity to spam.
3. Search Engines
Most people get to a site through search engines like Google, Yahoo, AltaVista. Making your site easy to find by the search engines is by no means an easy task. There are billions of web pages out there, and thousands, perhaps millions offering the same (or similar) products or contents as yours. Most searchers hardly go beyond the second page of Search Engine results. Making your site appear in the first page (with a good page rank) is very critical. This is the domain of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) experts. However, whether you are an SEO expert or not, you must have a fair idea of SEO to succeed as an online small business owner, or blogger.
Submit your site to as many search engines as you can. This will help speed up the time it takes for search engines to locate and crawl your site.
4. Link baiting
This refers to the strategy of creating controversy to generate interest and traffic to your site. Opinions that contradict popular beliefs is sure to generate reactions. This strategy if tactically deployed may generate steady follow of traffic to your site. Be careful though not to breach the terms of agreement of your site host, your adverts providers, or break the law. The first time I tried link baiting with this poem, the love struck friend deleted me from her facebook friends list. I got 21 new hits, and 2 new followers from the unexpected furore that followed before I was deleted! Is it worth it? Be the judge!
5. Affiliate Programs
Having affiliate program sites link to your site can also be very rewarding in terms of traffic flow. However, affiliate programs come with banners, and adverts many which may not be related to your site content. So when signing up for affiliate programs, be careful not to allow banners to clog your pages. My visitors are interest in contents of my site not in adverts, and banners! I’m sure same will apply to your visitors.
6. Advertise!
The adverts run on my sites by Adsense or the alternative like Albrite, and Chitika are placed by sites like mine. So depending on budget, advertising may be a good way of getting steady traffic to your site.
7. Forums, and Social Networking site
Posting in forums, and social networking sites, like facebook, MySpace, twitter, dig, etc can be a very good way to promote your site. Helpful comments in forum discussions relating to your site contents can help generate interest and traffics to your site. Attach your site URL to relevant postings and comments. Again, here, be careful not to spam! Spamming is generally not ethical beside some search engines can ban your site for spamming.
There are of course many other ways of driving traffic to your site. A combination of some of these methods will help your site to gradually witness an increase in traffic. This therefore serves as a guide of how you may go about it.
A lot of publishers claim they have ‘secrets’ used in driving traffic to their sites , and many are offering one e-book or the other containing these ‘secrets’ at different prices. But the fact remains that driving traffic to your site is not that simple or that difficult. It is important rather that your site (or blog) grows organically as a direct result of superior contents and appeal. However, slow growth of your site also infers slow flow of income.
Experts are however of the opinion that certain amount of publicity be done by you to promote your site. The list of such recommended activity is very exhaustive. Here are some I intend to use to promote my site:
1. Contents
A good content will not only attract traffic, but will keep them coming, and might even earn you good free links. I have linked to several sites that I found very useful content wise. I have also bookmarked various. Ensure your site is updated periodically, and keep enough content in the archive to sustain traffic. An advertiser once rejected my application because I do not have up to 30 pages of content! Another expert once said, you should have at least 100 pages of quality content before lunching your site. Content is key! Quality content is invaluable, this cannot be over emphasised.
2. Link Exchange
Exchanging links with similar sites is one sure way of getting traffic. If search engines crawls those sites, they’ll find your link as well. Link exchange can be direct or indirect. You can send a direct request to be linked to a site. Or you can comment on a related site, and sign off with your name and URL (your link). Of course comments should be purposeful in nature, and meaning. It should not be an opportunity to spam.
3. Search Engines
Most people get to a site through search engines like Google, Yahoo, AltaVista. Making your site easy to find by the search engines is by no means an easy task. There are billions of web pages out there, and thousands, perhaps millions offering the same (or similar) products or contents as yours. Most searchers hardly go beyond the second page of Search Engine results. Making your site appear in the first page (with a good page rank) is very critical. This is the domain of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) experts. However, whether you are an SEO expert or not, you must have a fair idea of SEO to succeed as an online small business owner, or blogger.
Submit your site to as many search engines as you can. This will help speed up the time it takes for search engines to locate and crawl your site.
4. Link baiting
This refers to the strategy of creating controversy to generate interest and traffic to your site. Opinions that contradict popular beliefs is sure to generate reactions. This strategy if tactically deployed may generate steady follow of traffic to your site. Be careful though not to breach the terms of agreement of your site host, your adverts providers, or break the law. The first time I tried link baiting with this poem, the love struck friend deleted me from her facebook friends list. I got 21 new hits, and 2 new followers from the unexpected furore that followed before I was deleted! Is it worth it? Be the judge!
5. Affiliate Programs
Having affiliate program sites link to your site can also be very rewarding in terms of traffic flow. However, affiliate programs come with banners, and adverts many which may not be related to your site content. So when signing up for affiliate programs, be careful not to allow banners to clog your pages. My visitors are interest in contents of my site not in adverts, and banners! I’m sure same will apply to your visitors.
6. Advertise!
The adverts run on my sites by Adsense or the alternative like Albrite, and Chitika are placed by sites like mine. So depending on budget, advertising may be a good way of getting steady traffic to your site.
7. Forums, and Social Networking site
Posting in forums, and social networking sites, like facebook, MySpace, twitter, dig, etc can be a very good way to promote your site. Helpful comments in forum discussions relating to your site contents can help generate interest and traffics to your site. Attach your site URL to relevant postings and comments. Again, here, be careful not to spam! Spamming is generally not ethical beside some search engines can ban your site for spamming.
There are of course many other ways of driving traffic to your site. A combination of some of these methods will help your site to gradually witness an increase in traffic. This therefore serves as a guide of how you may go about it.
Alternatives to Google Adsense
It can be very frustrating from my experience getting approval for Google AdSense. What’s more, there have been numerous complaints from bloggers (publishers) of been unfairly banned by Adsense. Some complained of having their earnings not paid to them, because Google suspects or believe that have breached some of the AdSense usage policy. Whichever the case, putting all your advertisement hope in one vendor, might not be entirely good for your online business.
You can still make money online by joining affiliate programs, sell products, etc, but without adverts on your sites, the potential for full monetization of your sites is greatly reduced. Hence it is important to research on alternatives to Google AdSense as you embark on your money making venture. Besides, some of the alternatives can actually be used to complement your earnings with AdSense. Some of the Alternative I found include but not limited to the following:
The ultimate choice of which you choose depends of you. Personally, I added Albrite, and Chitika as secondary advertisers on my blogs.
In the next blog, the journey continues!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
The trouble with Google AdSense
Google AdSense is a superpower in online adverting. With several billion dollars in online advertising market shares value going through Google, who wouldn’t be interested in the advertisement giant? So naturally, having created my first two blogs, I thought it wise to get advertisement on it. I wanted first to see how the adverts will affect my web pages. And of course to start earning money online!
The www.blogger.com blogs sites comes with a monetize link that takes you to Google AdSense site for registration. Among other fields, you will be required to provide a country, and valid postal address. That was the beginning of my problem.
I live and work in Accra, Ghana. The house numbering system here in Accra, is almost non-existent, in some places, street names don’t even exist! Postal mails are however routed through an efficient P.O.Box system.
However, Google AdSense requires detailed house address with numbers. I tried using my office address, to no avail. Google AdSense rejected my application three times due to this problem. For each rejection I reworked the address, adding more descriptions (or taking from it). The option to change country was not enabled for modification. It was frustrating as well as confusing. Finally, the account was disabled before it was even approved. And once Google AdSense disables your account, you cannot use the email associated with that account again for AdSense. There is a link option to complain and get your account reactivated. I filled and submitted one explaining the problem with street numbers in Accra Ghana, hoping that AdSense will reconsider. They never did!
I needed adverts on my sites; otherwise, the plan will be stillborn. While I awaited decision on my appeal, I started looking for other alternative to Google AdSense There are of course claims of several other good alternatives; I will provide you links to some of them in the next blog.
However, it occurred to me I could use my yahoo.com e-mail address. My blogsite is attached to my Gmail address, and also the disabled Adsense Account. I use the same gmail account for the Google AdSense, as it would provide me with a single login. Now using my yahoo account, I also opted to use my address in Nigeria as the postal address. Five days later or thereabout, I stumbled upon a mail from Google AdSense that my account has been approved! What a relief! It was supposed to have been approved within 1-3 working days, but like they say: “better late, than never.”
Now that was the trouble with Google AdSense. Unfortunately, as I learnt from my researches, that is not the only problem with Google AdSense. The next blog will highlight some other problems bloggers do encounter with Google AdSense, why you should try alternatives, and link to sites with good articles on alternatives.
The www.blogger.com blogs sites comes with a monetize link that takes you to Google AdSense site for registration. Among other fields, you will be required to provide a country, and valid postal address. That was the beginning of my problem.
I live and work in Accra, Ghana. The house numbering system here in Accra, is almost non-existent, in some places, street names don’t even exist! Postal mails are however routed through an efficient P.O.Box system.
However, Google AdSense requires detailed house address with numbers. I tried using my office address, to no avail. Google AdSense rejected my application three times due to this problem. For each rejection I reworked the address, adding more descriptions (or taking from it). The option to change country was not enabled for modification. It was frustrating as well as confusing. Finally, the account was disabled before it was even approved. And once Google AdSense disables your account, you cannot use the email associated with that account again for AdSense. There is a link option to complain and get your account reactivated. I filled and submitted one explaining the problem with street numbers in Accra Ghana, hoping that AdSense will reconsider. They never did!
I needed adverts on my sites; otherwise, the plan will be stillborn. While I awaited decision on my appeal, I started looking for other alternative to Google AdSense There are of course claims of several other good alternatives; I will provide you links to some of them in the next blog.
However, it occurred to me I could use my yahoo.com e-mail address. My blogsite is attached to my Gmail address, and also the disabled Adsense Account. I use the same gmail account for the Google AdSense, as it would provide me with a single login. Now using my yahoo account, I also opted to use my address in Nigeria as the postal address. Five days later or thereabout, I stumbled upon a mail from Google AdSense that my account has been approved! What a relief! It was supposed to have been approved within 1-3 working days, but like they say: “better late, than never.”
Now that was the trouble with Google AdSense. Unfortunately, as I learnt from my researches, that is not the only problem with Google AdSense. The next blog will highlight some other problems bloggers do encounter with Google AdSense, why you should try alternatives, and link to sites with good articles on alternatives.
Friday, August 21, 2009
The Grand Plan
I said I was going to reveal my grand plan. Well, the truth is that, the plan in not novel in its entirety. Several people in one way or the other have implemented it. This blog owned by Frank Apokwu is one example of one of such efforts at online business.
My plan therefore involves.
a. Creating sites for my intellectual
b. Drive traffic to the sites
c. Sell adverts, and make money
d. Go big!
However, since my interest lies in poetry, and articles, I have to build my plan around both. This means I have to get someone to pay me for my writings – simple.
The first part of the plan is about the easiest to implement. Many writers, and interested online publishers however get stuck at this point – getting a site. They erroneously believe they need a full-blown website to have an online presence. The cost (time, money, logistics, and stress) of setting up, and running websites put many people off, even before they get started. However, let me say it here: creating a blog is as easy as creating an e-mail account. In addition, there are several free blog-hosting sites out there. Beside some websites even claim they can offer ‘’free website hosting” service. So far, I haven’t tried any. A blog is not a full website, but you can make your blog look like a website, if you so desire.
I chose www.blogger.com to create my blog-sites, initially because of its popularity and affiliation to google. With google in their drive seat, I expect ease of use and innovations. ‘Iron sharpeneth iron’. Don’t forget that. I also discovered that they have several good templates for blogging. This brings up the issue of html, and java scripting knowledge. Don’t get bamboozle by those jargons, you don’t need to know them if you intend to blog with www.blogger.com, it’s like plug and play.
So, I created two blogs sites
1. Extra mantra and
2. Salient Mantra (you should visit them, and let me read your comments)
On the Extra mantra, I posted some of my poems. While, the Salient Mantra, I choose to post my articles.
Having created the blog sites, I decide it’s time to involve one of the biggest online advertising company – the Google AdSense. The earlier I start earning money, the better and more motivated I will feel.
However, getting google AdSense to approve my registration was not easy. As a matter of fact, I gave up on google ADSense. What I did to get a Google AdSense publisher account, and other alternatives I thought of, is a story for another blog.
My plan therefore involves.
a. Creating sites for my intellectual
b. Drive traffic to the sites
c. Sell adverts, and make money
d. Go big!
However, since my interest lies in poetry, and articles, I have to build my plan around both. This means I have to get someone to pay me for my writings – simple.
The first part of the plan is about the easiest to implement. Many writers, and interested online publishers however get stuck at this point – getting a site. They erroneously believe they need a full-blown website to have an online presence. The cost (time, money, logistics, and stress) of setting up, and running websites put many people off, even before they get started. However, let me say it here: creating a blog is as easy as creating an e-mail account. In addition, there are several free blog-hosting sites out there. Beside some websites even claim they can offer ‘’free website hosting” service. So far, I haven’t tried any. A blog is not a full website, but you can make your blog look like a website, if you so desire.
I chose www.blogger.com to create my blog-sites, initially because of its popularity and affiliation to google. With google in their drive seat, I expect ease of use and innovations. ‘Iron sharpeneth iron’. Don’t forget that. I also discovered that they have several good templates for blogging. This brings up the issue of html, and java scripting knowledge. Don’t get bamboozle by those jargons, you don’t need to know them if you intend to blog with www.blogger.com, it’s like plug and play.
So, I created two blogs sites
1. Extra mantra and
2. Salient Mantra (you should visit them, and let me read your comments)
On the Extra mantra, I posted some of my poems. While, the Salient Mantra, I choose to post my articles.
Having created the blog sites, I decide it’s time to involve one of the biggest online advertising company – the Google AdSense. The earlier I start earning money, the better and more motivated I will feel.
However, getting google AdSense to approve my registration was not easy. As a matter of fact, I gave up on google ADSense. What I did to get a Google AdSense publisher account, and other alternatives I thought of, is a story for another blog.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Follow the e-money...
Here we go again.
In the first blog, I wrote of my mission to make some money online - legitimately. Please note again that the key word here is legitimately. Many are aware of the notorious email scam letters, in its many variations. I pray the law catches up with anyone involved, sooner than later.
Let me not digress further. I said in this mail I will tell you what I have done so far. Remember, nothing is made out of nothing - except God of course.
Someone once wrote, "Find something you like doing, and get someone to pay for you for it." That’s the basic idea, I intend to experiment on.
What do I like doing? Several stuff, is the answer. But basically, I like writing articles, and poetry at the moment. That is when I'm not browsing, posting on forums, chatting, blogging, or watching movies. I enjoy those little stuffs too.
The great idea I have, and which many have successfully made money from is simple - get paid for your writings!
You wonder, why I don't simply get publish if I'm that good. That's a good question. I have it in mind to get publish eventually. But with so much money flowing online, the temptation to tap into this multi-billion dollar online industry is very tempting. A temptation no money desiring sane man will resist. Especially given the fact that much more will be done online in the not so distant future, and by extension, more money. So strategically positioning oneself in cyberspace is a very good starting point, if you intend to follow the e-money.
Let me summarize, so far I have written a couple of poems, experimented with articles, posted in forums, made a lot cyber friends, and of course cyber enemies. That’s what I have done so far. But I have not gotten a dime doing this.
Now how do I make money writing poems, and articles, posting in forum, and all these stuff that I do? Is it that simple?
In the next blog, I will unveil my grand plan.
In the first blog, I wrote of my mission to make some money online - legitimately. Please note again that the key word here is legitimately. Many are aware of the notorious email scam letters, in its many variations. I pray the law catches up with anyone involved, sooner than later.
Let me not digress further. I said in this mail I will tell you what I have done so far. Remember, nothing is made out of nothing - except God of course.
Someone once wrote, "Find something you like doing, and get someone to pay for you for it." That’s the basic idea, I intend to experiment on.
What do I like doing? Several stuff, is the answer. But basically, I like writing articles, and poetry at the moment. That is when I'm not browsing, posting on forums, chatting, blogging, or watching movies. I enjoy those little stuffs too.
The great idea I have, and which many have successfully made money from is simple - get paid for your writings!
You wonder, why I don't simply get publish if I'm that good. That's a good question. I have it in mind to get publish eventually. But with so much money flowing online, the temptation to tap into this multi-billion dollar online industry is very tempting. A temptation no money desiring sane man will resist. Especially given the fact that much more will be done online in the not so distant future, and by extension, more money. So strategically positioning oneself in cyberspace is a very good starting point, if you intend to follow the e-money.
Let me summarize, so far I have written a couple of poems, experimented with articles, posted in forums, made a lot cyber friends, and of course cyber enemies. That’s what I have done so far. But I have not gotten a dime doing this.
Now how do I make money writing poems, and articles, posting in forum, and all these stuff that I do? Is it that simple?
In the next blog, I will unveil my grand plan.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
A man on a mission...
Let me begin at the beginning, as they say.
I am called Emeka, I chose though to write as pen_down. I have often heard people say they do make money, genuinely online. How do they do it? Can it be done by just any one? What can one do to make money online? Are there short-cuts? Are there fast tracks?
This blog is more or less about my attempt to make money online. To follow the trail of those who have been successful at it. Do not mistake it for a make money online blog. It is not. Rather you should see it as social experiment. To show how possible it to make money online.
But these are not rhetorical questions. They are serious questions, that I need answers to. All I have is a desire for another income.
Armed with this desire, and a little talent for writing, I like to see how these can translate to money.
So, in my next blog, I will tell you what I have done so far.
See you then!
I am called Emeka, I chose though to write as pen_down. I have often heard people say they do make money, genuinely online. How do they do it? Can it be done by just any one? What can one do to make money online? Are there short-cuts? Are there fast tracks?
This blog is more or less about my attempt to make money online. To follow the trail of those who have been successful at it. Do not mistake it for a make money online blog. It is not. Rather you should see it as social experiment. To show how possible it to make money online.
But these are not rhetorical questions. They are serious questions, that I need answers to. All I have is a desire for another income.
Armed with this desire, and a little talent for writing, I like to see how these can translate to money.
So, in my next blog, I will tell you what I have done so far.
See you then!
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