My answer to one of your questions Lynn in webinar

[jgbama]

Lynn in the webinar you talked about moving from one thing to another and how we needed to stay focused. I want and need my efforts online to show results. This is how I started what I’ve done and where I’m at now.

Like most newbies I started reading how to make money online. I read about bum marketing and decided that was the way I would try. All I had read said this was a good way to make money when you first start. I pick an affiliate program and started writing articles a lot of them. No results.

I tried to find out what I was doing wrong and read I needed to learn good copywriting to get readers to my affiliate site and then to the vendor. I started reading and learning how to write better copy. Wrote more articles still no sales.

While doing this I had read I needed to learn how to do deep keyword research learn buying words check competition learn to build black links to articles and the list goes on. I read where I needed to have more than one product to promote and learn how to do redirects. Still no results.

I read that I should make lenses and have landing pages on free sites. Tried that too. I’ve tried so many things trying to find out how to make things work. Since I was totally new to all this I had no idea what was the right way so I thought I must be doing something wrong because they say I should be making money.

Now with all the things I’ve learned I’m still not making any money. Giving up is not an option but I do need to know what it is I’m doing wrong. If I stay with article marketing how many articles do you write to know it’s enough ?

And the question that always stays on my mind is I know people are making money doing this and some with far less time internet marketing than me What am I Doing Wrong. It’s not knowing what to fix that is so frustrating not the hard work or fear.

This is where I’m at right now.
Sorry for such a long post but you wanted to know what was hindering some of us.

I know you are trying to help each and everyone of us and I do appreciate that more than you know.
Thank you so much Lynn

[angienewton]

Jerry,
Just wanted to quick link to the blog review post (http://www.selfstartersweeklytips.com/members/showthread.php?t=2411) you started a few days ago so it's easier to keep up with your questions.

You'll get there, Jerry, no worries!

[Lynn Terry]

Hi Jerry,

It's really interesting to hear about your journey, and what you encountered along the way. And that helps me understand the situation and mindset even more, so thank you.

I hope that nothing I said during the webinar made you feel bad. I know that you are very new to all of this still, but I was speaking to people who have been around for awhile and still haven't committed to a specific online business.

All the things you mentioned are methods. And there are hundreds of methods. Nowhere in there did I hear you talk about your market, or how you plan to serve that market. I think that's your missing piece. The methods don't make a lot of sense until you decide what the purpose of your business is.

Consider how you would approach an offline, local business. Online business is pretty much the same. It has to have a market, and an objective.

[jgbama]

Thanks Angie and yes I will get there thanks for the support.

Hi Lynn
No you didn't make me feel bad you give very good insight into things. One thing I've learned I need to proof read before I post sorry for misspelling webinar.lol Lynn I've read almost all the post on your site. The one you wrote passion or profit stuck out to me. First thing I need to do is make a profit then I can decide upon what business site I would like to try and brand myself in. Here is what I'm trying to do and if my thinking is wrong for internet marketing please set me straight. I find a need or want that enough people are looking for then find a product that can really meet that need or want make a landing page tell them what the product offers from the research I did and let them see if it is what they want. Do all the things I talked about above to drive traffic and hopefully sales. This is my business plan. I already see there are many technical things you have to know to put up a good site and the need to outsource what you don't know how to do. Now if my mind set is wrong in how I'm going about this then tell me. I'm not saying I just want to sell something to make money I've seen too much copy that preys on peoples pain and fears and I don't like it even if it sells. I only want to promote something that will really meet a a person wants. I feel if I give them information then it's up to them if they decide they want it. For now this is the only way I see that I can make money online and it seems that I'm missing something on this so far.
Sorry again for the long post I'll try to post short ones from here on out.

Thanks for your thoughts on this and Lynn don't worry about my feelings I just need to fix what I'm doing wrong

Jerry

[lisamariemary]

Please don't feel sorry for long posts - the more you tell us ('we' tell Lynn and the group) about where we are at - the more they everyone here is able to help!

I'm so glad that you wrote all that out! Really! :)

[wade_watson]

Yea, I think Lynn was talking about me and not you, Jerry. I've changed gears more times than a semi on an mountain pass, but you seem to be fairly focused (BTW, I completely appreciated everything you said, Lynn. You always make me stop and think).

In spite of the success stories you hear, article marketing can be tough. The majority of articles published are not viewed more than a few hundred times per year. Even at a 10% rate, that's not many clicks. I think you have to test more than one niche and even then it can take a whole lot of articles to make significant income. One thing I learned doing eBay, though, is the best teachers are the most successful marketers in your niche-- or similar successful niches. ID them all and scrutinize to understand how they succeed. If they do 5 articles with the same keyphrase, you do it. If they go for an opt-in rather than a sales link, you do it. Only veer from the proven path when you've mastered the basics. Sooner or later, you're bound to hit paydirt.

I think article marketing is mostly about titling and channeling to the resource link. It helps if you give them some compelling content in between. Good luck. Let's compare notes now and then.

[constance]

Hi Jerry. I did look at your blog and I see you are focusing on providing people with woodworking projects, right? Great topic! I'm guessing (without doing any research) that this is a good market. Wouldn't it be better to develop around 30-50 or so great blog posts on YOUR site rather than to write articles which bring people back to an almost empty site? Or am I missing something here?

[jgbama]

Thank you Lisa glad you like to read. lol Wad I'm trying the Edison Method of IM I'm at finding 500 hundred ways that doesn't work almost to Edisons 999. lol kidding aside you have a great idea on watching the best. Lynn does make you think and has great insight. Wade have you found a method you are seeing results in? It sounds like you are doing or have done article marketing also do you still do it? As far as focused I have no doubt that I will learn this it's just that mountain pass I have to get through. Would like to share notes with you most of mine are already on this post.lol

Constance you are and that is direction I was thinking of when I started it. The more I read the more it seems I need my own domain and webhost. I can't even to get blogger to do what I want, so to make a wordpress site and to do what I would need to do to make it look right is not an option right now. I should have just made a landing page with it but like Wade said I shifted gears to try something else. Quest thats 501 Wade.
Constance thank you for looking at the site and what you suggest is right.

Thanks to all of you
Jerry

[wade_watson]

Oh, boy! Don't use me as your role model! Use Lynn. We'll be the blind leading the blind for sure.

I'm a much faster researcher than article producer, so I can't tell you I've proven any niches. But, I've learned some super insightful things about niches on Ezine Aricles using my magical powers and I know exactly which niches are doing super well and many that are doing moderately well.

One thing you have to remember about sites like Ezine Articles and Squidoo is that it's actually very democratic. While a small site with an article on table making might have trouble ranking against heavyweight sites, when you post on one of those, you are the heavyweight site. But the trick is that only 2 EZA article links for each phrase can come up in a search. And, as best as I can see, nobody has special rights to that spot. Thus, if someone is ranking #1 for the phrase "table making", you should be able to bump them, simply by writing another with the same phrase. There may some Google hocus pocus involved, but my point is that, in theory at least, you should be able to do well with any niche that does well on EZA-- but you might have to write a lot of articles to do it. That's how the way the top pros (in the top niches) work. Many of these guys turn out from 20-100 articles per week. Most of them do poorly (in page views), but once in while one hits paydirt and it's worth their while.

A theory I'm currently aiming to check out is that some niches do better on niche websites than in EZA, even when EZA ranks higher. There are many sound niches that don't seem get page views to speak of in EZA. My guess is many people see the URL and skip over it for a tablemaking.com or something.

I'll give you a couple of hints. If you like to write about goofy ailments, sex, and cell phone lists, you've got a chance at the top. Actually, the cell phone thing is way over-saturated, but that is the #1 niche. One guy has an article that's gotten over 2 million views in 2 years. It may be possible to do well with an obscure long tail niche in EZA, but most of them tank.

I'm rambling. See you folks in the morning.

Wade

[Lynn Terry]

The thing is, the article marketing is just one method of getting inbound links and traffic. It's not a business model in itself.

I agree with setting up your own blog before you get too much further on blogger.com. See: http://www.clicknewz.com/782/blogger-vs-wordpress/

Also, you can set up your own domain and hosting for about $10 the first month, using a coupon code. I have the checklist for that here:

http://www.clicknewz.com/1872/how-to-start-a-wordpress-blog/

Your goal should be to write great content on your topic, and then lead them into a specific call to action. Then you do link building to get those pages ranking well in the search engines... so people find & buy :)

[jgbama]

Thank you Shelwriter for looking at my blog and the suggestions you made I appreciate you taking the time to help. Lynn I've given a lot of thought to what you and the others have said.I read the post you wrote on wordpress and blogger and have reread a lot of your other post today. Thanks for taking the time and having the patience to help me understand a different approach to IM than the one I had in my head. I'll get a domain after thanksgiving and as you already know have more questions.

Thanks again Ever one have a Happy Thanksgiving
Jerry

[StephenT]

I completely understand what Jerry is saying. You try everything you read about or hear about and nothing seems to work. I am a firm believer that there is some magic threshold that one must go through and then all the lights go on and you get it; at least I am hoping.

A ll I can say, Jerry, is listen to Lynn and the rest and just keep on keepin on.