TipJar.Me - Recently Updated Pages

Using RSS Feeds

mjesales — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:40:00 CST

RSS stands for really simple syndication. Basically it is just content without form. To see a pretty good explanation of RSS and web2.0 please watch this video.

Open Ads (Open X)

mjesales — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:06:58 CST

Hosted Open X

The hosted version of openx is free up to a certain number impressions per month - currently 100,000,000 ad impressions per month. There are also several paid versions of this that include guaranteed uptime and various levels of support.

This version of openx performed faster than the self hosted version when we ran one - and frankly is very easy to use once you get it setup and start going. It offers great flexibility to create channels, campaigns, etc.

Self Hosted Open X

Open source ad serving software that you run on your own hardware.

Ad Mangement

mjesales — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:01:20 CST

As your site grows - so will the amount of time that you spend managing the ads that are displayed. Fortunately though - there are several tools available to help you make sure that you are making the most of the ad inventory you have on your site.

Most people do not think of working with an ad server, until they are serving up hundreds of thousands or millions of impressions a month.

There are advantages and disadvantages to every service, some are free, some aren't. Some allow you to put in any ad, some are limited to some networks and some allow you to easily sell your own ads to other people and manage the campaigns.

Article Marketing

mjesales — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:13:37 CDT

This is a template page

One very important form of marketing and promoting your website on the internet is called article marketing. The concept of article marketing is actually quite simple, write content, share with directories and allow others the free use of your content - so long as they agree to keep your links in tact.

Article Directories are places where you can submit articles to in order to help get the content out to people who are looking for content to use on their site. Ezine publishers, newsletter publishers, website owners, magazineeditors, newspaper editors, etc browse through article directories looking for things that they can then republish. It is a win win for all parties involved. The author gets the publicity and the promotion of their site, the publisher gets content without having to hire a writer.

Some of the common misconceptions of article marketing is that it can be done quickly and immediately see results the very same day. While this can happen, it is more often the case that the author will see benefits with time, quality and volume. If you are looking for traffic for the long haul, then article marketing should be an integral part of your strategy.

Some Article Marketing Tips

Write about what you know
Submit your articles to several directories - its like fishing with several poles in the water. Just think of the AP - same news story shows up on lots of newspapers, they never know which one will attract the readers.
Use all 3 links in the resource box (some sites allow more/less), drive people to your home page, but also include links to one or two sub pages on your site to help build deep links
Brand yourself as the expert
Promote your articles
Use a submission service like Isnare or Article Marketer to really get your article out there
Think long term, article marketing is very much about branding and long term strategy.

Recent Article Marketing Articles

A to Z Internet Marketing

mjesales — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:21:07 CDT

This will grow into our complete A to Z guide to internet marketing. We will show you everything that we have learned and hold back nothing. All you have to do is do it.

Please bear with us as we continue to expand on what is published here. If you would like to contribute, please feel free to make an account and add suggestions. If your area of expertise is outside of internet marketing, please feel free to create a separate section of the site.

If you would like a great book to read to get started check out Quirk's eMarketing Textbook - weighing in about 150 pages - its a nice start to the whole world of online marketing. Don't worry its free.

Local Search Optimization

mjesales — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:38:07 CDT

For any business that is looking to be found when someone is searching for a business in a locality, local search has to be part of your strategy. Where as a website that isn't focused in one geographical location, might not need to focus on this, but it can't hurt either.

For example a typical pizza shop has a limited area in which they serve. They would probably like to show up when someone does a search for pizza followed by their zip code or the town in which they are located. If the pizza shop also sells pizzas and other suppliers through the mail then of course they will benefit from their web presence more than a pizza place that just sells pizza locally.

To start out with - its important that the address of your business be listed on your site. If you have a smaller site with just a few pages, consider including it at the bottom of the page in a tasteful way. Alternatively make sure to include it on your contact page and perhaps a page with a map and directions to your business. These are 2 more great ways to make sure that your address is easily found.

You can create a free profile on MerchantCircle and several other sites to get started.

Google Local also has an easy way to add your business if you are not already included. Just search for your business and click on add so you can add your own store to the site. Once you have done this, Google Local will also allow you to publish a fair amount of information about your business including store hours, items offered and methods of payment. Best of all you can also put up a coupon free of charge, so you can track when customers come in from your Google Local ad.

After you have setup a few basics - consider also an Adwords campaign that targets traffic specifically from a zip code or geographical area which your business serves.

Commission Junction (CJ)

mjesales — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:31:00 CDT