My Rich Pickings

Looking to Buy Subbuteo?

2010-03-01T10:44:00.000Z

The latest site to join my growing number of BANS affiliate Websites is Buy Subbuteo. I just love the way it is so quick and easy to create a nice looking site that is full of content. Just a bit of work in Photoshop or whatever graphics editor is available for a header image. Perhaps a bit of editing on the style sheet to alter some colours etc and hey presto! A brand new Website that looks good and earns a few quid too. What more could anybody want? Check it out at http://www.buysubbuteo.info/

If you're still not convinced how easy it is then check out Build A Niche Store and find out for yourself. Click here to get started now...

Still Quick and Easy to Make Money

2009-12-22T16:12:00.002Z

As I've mentioned before there are plenty of readily available tools for creating money-making opportunities and one of the best in my opinion is still the BANS package - provided you know how to use it. It has been around for a while now and continues to be a very simple way for anybody with little or no technical knowledge to quickly set up an affiliate marketing Website.

The main focus of any site created with BANS is the eBay affiliate program as it pulls live listings from eBay itself; but it is also incredibly simple to include Adsense or any other PPC ads. It would appear to be fairly common knowledge that Google doesn't particularly like BANS sites and routinely penalises them in the SERPS. However, the trick to getting traffic is to focus on a small niche and create a site that visitors will find useful - which means adding plenty of non-affiliate content.

You can view an example of a niche store at Buy Militaria and I think most would agree that it looks very professional. Apart from the fairly basic header image (which most people could quickly knock up in any graphics program), the whole layout is template driven from the simple to use BANS admin panel. Another great thing about the Build A Niche Store software is that you only need to invest in it once and you can build as many money making Websites as you need - this means that you could multiply a number of niches into a very nice income.

If you are interested in quickly and easily setting up affiliate marketing sites then follow this link >>

Creative Problem Solving

2009-12-17T18:08:00.003Z

How long does it take to come up with a solution to a creative problem? Well perhaps I should say; 'how long is a piece of string?'... But one thing I have learned is that banging your head on a brick wall seldom accomplishes anything. So my advice is to go for a walk, have a cup of tea, go to the gym, watch TV, in fact; anything that will take your mind off the problem for the time being.

What I always find is that a little time away from the problem allows the subconscious mind to work on the solution in the background. Then suddenly as if from nowhere the answer 'pops up' into my mind. Easy! If you're in the UK and you want to find more info about Creative Problem Solving take a look at Gareth Morris Associates >>

I've also become a big fan of Tony Buzan's Mind Maps too. But more of that another time...

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari - Book Review

2009-11-16T15:43:00.004Z

“A spiritual fable about fulfilling your dreams and reaching your destiny”

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma is a bestselling fable about Julian Mantle, a highly successful lawyer, who finds his frantic lifestyle pulled up short by a heart attack during a court appearance. After recovering and deciding that his life is going nowhere except to an early grave; Julian Mantle opts out of his current existence and goes off travelling in search of happiness, fulfilment and the meaning of life. He finds the answers in an ancient Himalayan culture and returns home to share this wisdom with his closest friend and ex business associate John.

What’s in it?
If you feel there is something missing in your life, or perhaps that that there is too much work and not enough time for enjoying yourself, or even that people irritate and bore you, then this could be an important book for you.

Inspirational quotations start each chapter and help to give a sort of overview of the message to come. This seems to be quite a common theme in books of the same genre but I think it is a nice touch and fits in well.

The book is easy to read and the characters are likeable enough. Although, perhaps it is just me, but I found some of the dialogue a little trite and occasionally even a touch silly, which I felt detracted slightly from the overall message. However, it has to be said that the lessons learned by both the characters and the reader remain nonetheless in my opinion positive and worthwhile.

Conclusion
There are many so called ‘self help’ books which convey similar messages to those found in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari some of which impart their wisdom from a personal vantage point and others, like this one, that prefer to use fictional characters and settings to tell a story.

If like me you’re not a newcomer to self development, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari may simply serve to boost your already positive mindset and you might find that it serves no more than to pass the time as an enjoyable ‘feel good’ read. And if that is the case, then what is wrong with that?

To anybody who is on a path of personal development and seeking individual happiness, or who simply enjoys positive thinking and enlightening reading, then overall I would highly recommend The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari.

Find The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari on eBay

Buy The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari on Amazon

Review - Harmonic Wealth by James Arthur Ray

2009-06-22T11:19:00.004Z

If you have read the book or seen the movie The Secret then you will have already seen or read James Arthur Ray’s opinions about the Law of Attraction as he was one of the many contributors. However, Harmonic Wealth is far more than another of the countless books that have sprung up in the wake of The Secret’s incredible success.

The content and structure of Harmonic Wealth is divided into the so called “five pillars of wealth” which the author believes are essential to a harmonious and wealthy life. On the face of it this makes perfect sense as it is pointless in having lots of money if we are in poor health or have nobody to share it with.

In order to grasp more of what the book is about it might be a good idea for me to outline the five pillars:

Financial – income, savings etc. These are the obvious things that spring to mind when most people think of wealth; but have you stopped to consider exactly how much you need, or more specifically, want?

Relational – your relationship with yourself and those around you. Not just your marriage, your children and family, but also the relationships you have from day to day with everybody you come into contact with; including work colleagues and even the checkout operator at the supermarket.

Mental – are you of the opinion that your education finished when you left school or college? Or perhaps you are a voracious reader and have a constant hunger for knowledge? Personally, I would tend to agree with the author when he suggests that working on your mental ‘pillar’ can only help when it comes to increasing your overall wealth. It seems obvious, but is it really?

Physical – It stands to reason that if you are fit and healthy then you will have more potential to make the most of your time. After all; a person who is in poor health will not have the energy or inclination to enjoy any of the more physical pursuits that life has to offer. Have you paid attention to your physical well-being recently?

Spiritual – Just what does it mean to be more spiritual? Do you have to subscribe to one of the long established religions and keep up a structured routine of worship, or is there another way? James Arthur Ray’s writing on the subject will certainly give you some food for thought.

Conclusion
All in all I found Harmonic Wealth very enjoyable and at times enlightening and motivational reading. However, I did get the impression that the author was at times on his ‘soapbox’ – particularly when he is enthusing about his diet and his obvious obsession with wholesome and natural foods. I personally would not wish to subscribe to a carbon copy lifestyle as I believe that most things taken in moderation won’t do any harm. It’s only a minor criticism though, and does not detract from the overall quality of the book.

If you’re like me and like to regularly top up your positive thinking levels while also relaxing with a good book, then Harmonic Wealth will be right up your street। The five pillars of wealth seem like obvious good sense and I’m sure that paying attention to each of them, with a sprinkling of common sense, can help us all to live happier and wealthier lives.

Buy Harmonic Wealth on Amazon

Find Harmonic Wealth on eBay

Is Magento the Rubik's Cube for Web Developers?

2009-03-13T13:07:00.002Z

If you haven't heard of it, Magento is the latest all singing and dancing open source eCommerce solution. The features are far and away the best available for any serious online store and quite frankly blow the competition clean out of the water. Being open source, it is also FREE (which as you might know, I am always keen on!). So for a tight-wad Web developer it would appear to be the ideal platform for creating new eCommerce sites.

However, there seems to be one huge problem which is scuppering many potential users before they even get into the starting gates... The installation process is an absolute nightmare!

Me, myself, and indeed I, (left brain, right brain and no brain) have wasted more than a couple of hours trying to install a working copy of Magento. Initially I was quite excited at the prospect of having such a wonderful open source eCommerce platform to experiment with, but my excitement has now made a hasty retreat and I am left feeling very frustrated and wondering if Magento is really worth the investment of time and concentration required - If you think I'm overstating things, then check out the Magento help forums where you will see all sorts of queries and virtual head scratching from equally frustrated wannabe Magento users. In fact; at the time of writing there are currently 4026 threads in the Installation Problems topic alone!

Now I'm not new to installing scripts and I have successfully negotiated my way around quite a few different eCommerce, Content Management, PHP and MySQL packages and there are occasionally little 'quirks' which have to be addressed. But Magento is in a whole different league IMO and makes the Rubik's Cube look like one of those kid's join-the-dots puzzles.

Call me cynical, and many do, but I can't help thinking that this difficulty is sustaining the professional installation service touted from the Magento home page and currently costing $149. If this Open Source package is as good as it is supposed to be, then the price of installation is small beer and I wouldn't begrudge it for a moment, but I really would like to try before I buy.

How To Link To Your Website From eBay

2009-01-09T16:14:00.002Z

Ever wondered how you can link to your own Website from an eBay item listing without breaking the rules and getting your listing, or even worse your account, banned?

It's not difficult if you follow some simple steps and I have put together a simple guide at www.easyprofits.co.uk called Linking to a Website from an eBay Listing. Check it out!

Easy And Quick Money Making Website

2008-12-17T11:14:00.003Z

There really are plenty of tools online for creating money-making opportunities and one of the best in my opinion is still the BANS Website building package. It has been around for a while now, but unlike others, it has been updated and continues to be a very simple way for anybody with little or no technical knowledge to quickly set up a Website that will earn money from affiliate programs.

The main focus of any site created with BANS is the eBay affiliate program as it 'scrapes' live listings from eBay itself. Of course, this means that you could be in competition with a lot of others using the software, but the trick is to focus on a small niche and create a site that visitors will find useful. In addition to the money making potential of the eBay affiliate program; it is simplicity itself to put Adsense or other advertising in various positions on your site's pages.

You can view an example of a niche store at Buy Beatles memorabilia and I think you will agree that it looks very professional. Apart from the custom header, this has all been accomplished from the very powerful and easy to use BANS admin panel. Another very persuasive feature about the Build A Niche Store software is that you only need to invest in it once and you can build as many sites as you need - this means that you could multiply a number of low earning niches into a full time income.

But is it worth the bother of building multiple sites? Well you should probably ask yourself how else you are going to earn money on the Web and if you come up with a better answer then probably not. However, it is one way that a lot of people are earning a living and once the initial work is done the system will run practically on auto-pilot!

Learn more about how you can quickly and easily set up money-making sites using BANS >>

Every Wondered How They Do It?

2008-12-10T12:34:00.003Z

It often surprises me when people tell me they never win the items they want on eBay. Perhaps it's because I have been a keen eBayer for quite a few years now, but I sort of imagined that everybody had sussed it by now. It is not a secret, but there seem to be plenty of people who miss out simply because they don't follow a very simple strategy.

If you are one of those people and you would like to know what this simple strategy is then I have written a short guide and published it on my Easy Profits site. Read all about it at How To Win eBay Items...

I hope it helps and good luck!

Get Cash For Shopping Online!

2008-11-28T08:02:00.000Z

This service is completely free to use and allows online shoppers to claim money back when buying items at certain Websites - and incredibly that even includes eBay! Unlike other similar services, there is no commission to pay and you get to keep 100% of your earnings. There is also no minimum balance required before you can withdraw money which is also a bonus.

Some of the biggest earnings can be made with financial services such as taking out a new home insurance policy, but don’t rule out the money making potential of consumer goods and smaller domestic purchases as it all adds up.

Easy Profits Verdict:
A simple to use system that can enable anybody to earn cash back either by cheque, bank transfer or Paypal; (or, if you’re feeling generous, you could even donate your earnings to charity). Check it out at topcashback.co.uk

FREE Domain Names, But Hurry!

2008-11-06T14:26:00.002Z

Just a very quick post to mention the fact that you can get a couple of quality domain names absolutely free and with no catch either. Yes, it's true so check it out and get your own free domain name now!

How Fast To Index?

2008-11-06T14:19:00.002Z

Working with the Web leads one naturally to an interest in SEO and regular readers will know that I have done much previous study and even produced a Website devoted to the subject (www.ultimatewebtraffic.com). So I was quite surprised when a simple one page Website had not been indexed after almost 3 weeks.

I followed my usual tactic of getting some inbound links from pages of sites that are crawled regularly, but despite excellent success in the past with this method, this time it hasn't worked out quite as well.

The site in question is Pleavin's who are Independent Floor Removal Specialists based in Wirral (maybe linking out from here will help ;) I suppose it just goes to show that you can't always rely on search engines to behave as you would expect. Watch this space...

Free Games (But Don't Tell The Boss!)

2008-10-03T18:29:00.002Z

I love playing games on the PC, but then who doesn't? It can be very relaxing to while away the hours with a good computer game. The time seems to fly by when I am totally absorbed in a shoot em up or puzzle. And as you know I'm also very fond of freebies, so it was nice to find a Website offering free online games this week.

The site is very well designed with a nice uncluttered layout and features obvious navigation at the top of each page to each section featuring the various style of online game such as puzzle, racing, shooter and strategy. I was gobsmacked at just how many games are on the site – definitely plenty of choice for any taste and each one is quick to load on screen and requires no additional software apart from the Flash plugin which just about everybody has already.

Mind you, I have to be careful because some of the free retro games are so addictive I can often forget what I'm supposed to be doing as my work goes out of the window – not good at all!

If you have the urge to kill some time playing games you can find plenty at www.online-games-zone.com

World Of Electronics

2008-10-03T18:24:00.002Z

This week I stumbled across the Elatec Vertriebs GmbH website for the electronics distributor. The company was founded in 1988 and has branch offices in ten European countries and since 2006 they have had a joint venture partnership with KAGA Electronics, a leading Japanese independent distributor. Elatec develops RFID Readers as modules, OEM boards, PC cards and as complete devices in housing.

Well designed and simple to use, the site is navigated via links at the top and also at the left hand side of each page and there is an excellent download section containing a multitude of PDFs. I feel that the site would benefit from a design update as it does look a little dated compared to a lot of contemporary “Web 2.0” sites out there. However, this does not detract from it's useability and the site has obviously been built to be standards compliant.

The Industrial Computing section features some excellent stuff about Elatec's Embedded Computer products with very useful hyperlinks for order enquiries or to request further information. All in all the Website is certainly fit for purpose and definitely lives up to the company byline of “electronics is our world”. Check it out at www.elatecworld.com

Travelling in Central Asia?

2008-09-27T16:02:00.003Z

I like travelling and I always enjoy discovering new places and cultures. However, I haven't as yet done much travelling in central Asia, so it was useful to find a Website featuring exactly that. If you are looking to travel central Asia then you will probably find the East Site useful. It offers a plethora of information about visiting and touring a variety of places in central Asia including Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan and more.

The site is very well designed with a nice menu structure and features lots of hyperlinks offering easy access to all sorts of information such as Silk Road Tours and on-line hotel reservations. There is even a forum where users can discuss all aspects of travelling in central Asia – although it has to be said that being new, there aren't that many members yet, although I'm sure that will be rectified in the near future.

One area of the Website which may be of particular interest is the About Silk Road page which explains the history and geography of the great Silk Road and how important it continues to be for travellers and traders in central Asia. Fascinating stuff!

You can find the site at www.east-site.com

The 7 Day Affiliate eBay Course

2008-09-26T12:22:00.001Z

“Build Your Own Niche Store From Scratch!”

The 7 Day Affiliate E-Bay Course consists of a 69 page PDF manual, an example Website with some alternative themes, some extra example files and lastly a folder containing 5 useful bonuses. The course explains how to create a Website designed to generate income through the eBay affiliate program and also includes sections on incorporating Google Adsense and other online money making systems.

The first chapter is titled Introduction to Affiliate Marketing and does exactly that. If you already know this stuff then you can skip this section. But if you are new to generating income as an affiliate then you will probably find it invaluable as it explains just how the system works and the various ways of implementing affiliate links on a Website.

I'm not sure if the details of how to register with eBay and the eBay Partner Network featured in the second chapter are really necessary here, but more info is always better than not enough and the sections can always be skipped. Having said that; the section describing how to create a Website affiliate widget will be very useful to anybody who hasn't done it before and is certainly relevant.
If you are looking for a simple way to set up a money making Website then the Introduction to HTML and Web Page Layouts will probably leave you cold as it gets very techy by describing the intricacies of HTML and CSS – there is even an explanation of the Hexadecimal coding used for specifying colours in Web pages! I can't help thinking that this section could have been left out and perhaps substituted with a link to an online resource for those who are interested. Similarly the section describing how the example Website was created will appear very complicated to anybody not familiar with coding Web pages by hand. However, if you love getting down and dirty with a text editor then this could be right up your street and after all; this is a course that explains how to create a niche affiliate Website.

The manual contains some very good information about finding a suitable niche to target with a store, and it has to be said that without this info it would be very easy to miss out on the most profitable money making opportunities. And the section about marketing will be particularly useful to newbies as even the best site in the world will fail without promotion.

The course also comes with 5 free bonuses, including AdSense Revenue Exposed, AdSense Empire and Affiliate Money Machine which are not to be sneezed at and complement the main package very well.

Conclusion: Yes, there are 'out of the box' solutions available, including the excellent BANS or PHPBay Pro products, which in fairness will be far simpler to use for the complete beginner. But what the 7 Day Affiliate eBay Course offers is a full instruction manual that with a bit of effort will enable anybody to create their own niche money earning Websites to exact specifications – it is also far cheaper than the alternatives.

The author, Jonathan Castro has obviously put the hours in creating this course and the accompanying software, but I feel that it tries to cover far too much ground and would benefit from some simplification. However, after studying the course you will have a complete understanding of Internet money making as an affiliate. If you want a proper understanding of how the system works and wish to build your own affiliate niche sites from scratch you won't find a more comprehensive tutorial than the 7 Day Affiliate E-Bay Course.

Can you make money with the resulting Website/s? The answer is a resounding yes! But it has to be said that this isn't the easiest solution out there.

Find out more on the 7 Day Affiliate E-Bay Course

Rewards Despite Financial Catastrophe?

2008-09-22T06:38:00.002Z

The recent financial catastrophes in which we have seen the collapse of big banks in both the US and the UK have provoked much comment among newspaper journalists. Talk of the "credit crunch" is rife and many are proposing belt tightening en-masse in order to try and offset some of the hardship which will inevitably follow.

We’ve already been witness to frightening price rises in our supermarkets over the past year so it is worrying to think that things are set to get even worse. (Strange how inflation is still being quoted at around the 5% mark when staple foods such as bread and rice have risen by as much as 40 or 50% in real terms. But I digress…)

Typical recommendations from the literary harbingers of doom are to avoid foreign holidays, buy cheaper brands at the supermarket and generally cut down on spending - as if anybody had the choice but to cut down when money won’t buy nearly much as it did a year ago.

Just a thought, but if we are to do without holidays abroad; does it mean we should not have a holiday at all or perhaps stay in our own country? Anybody living in the UK will know just how expensive it can be to check into a hotel or rent a holiday property in a popular area; in fact the cost of a package holiday abroad is more often than not a cheaper alternative to a holiday in the UK. Ridiculous when you take into account the price of flying to another country! Perhaps there is a clue there somewhere – something is definitely wrong with that situation.

But regardless of how we should be compensating, why should any hard working person have to cut down and do without in the first place? Life is for living after all. I’m not proposing that we should all take out loans and get further into debt in order to fund a couple of weeks in the sun. But I do say that a working person deserves some reward for his/her efforts.

Is that really too much to ask?

Are You Robbing Peter To Pay Paul?

2008-09-19T18:20:00.003Z

Paying Paul is an online resource dedicated to helping you pay off debt without resorting to robbing Peter or filing for bankruptcy – quite topical at the moment with the daily news reports of the 'credit crunch' and of big banks going broke. I suspect that more and more people will be looking for the vital information that will help them to pay off debt.

The site is reasonably well designed with navigation consistently featured at the top of each page. Despite a great logo, I feel that some more images would break up the considerable amount of text and make it easier on the eye. Having said that though, there is a plethora of debt advice articles and information all hyperlinked throughout the site making it pretty straightforward (and perhaps even unavoidable) to find the info you need.

If you are looking for information about debt management, debt consolidation or bankruptcy then this site could be the one you need to see. It appears to have everything you need to learn how to get out of debt. You can check it out at www.payingpaul.com

Web Hosting Solutions

2008-09-19T12:06:00.002Z

I found a useful site today offering affordable business Web hosting, design, etc. The company are Mckremie Solutions and they accept Paypal payments which is always handy for those of us who do business online. Their philosopy is to provide excellent customer support, fast reliable servers and to always be available to the customer – a nice promise in these days of poor service where too many companies will take your money and run.

The site is well laid out and intuitive to use featuring a main menu across the top. One feature I particularly like is the Cpanel demo – ideal if you are considering buying hosting but want to see what you will get before committing yourself. There is also a 30 day unconditional guarantee which provides reassurance.

Standard hosting is at $7.95 per month (about £4.45) and business hosting at $12.95 (£7.25) per month. The importance of web hosting uptime cannot be overemphasised and McKremie promise 99.8% uptime. Overall the hosting features look excellent.

McKremie Solutions also offer free web design quotes with no obligation. I'm not sure what price range they are working in but the example sites look pretty good so it might be worth getting a quote if you're in the market for a new site.

Real Success Without a Real Job

2008-09-15T09:26:00.003Z

Real Success Without a Real Job aims to describe how it is possible to escape a traditional working life and avoid the corporate existence most people fall naturally in to – hardly surprising when you realise that our education system and culture is geared towards preparing us for exactly that.

The author; Ernie Zelinski claims to work only 4 or 5 hours per day while earning a considerably better living than more than 80% of the corporate world. How does he do that? By writing books such as this one for starters.

If you are hankering to escape the 'rat race' then you might just find some inspiration in Real Success Without a Real Job and in fact the book goes to great lengths to describe how good an alternative way can be. However, if you simply want to sit around and do nothing then I suspect you won't find what you are looking for here; although Ernie's obvious zeal at staying in bed until early afternoon will probably appeal. In fact this is one area where I totally disagree with the author because I relish my early mornings (yes, even in winter!) and I find it difficult to understand anybody, but especially a writer, who doesn't enjoy the peace and stillness of our world as it gradually wakes up to another day. But perhaps that's just me.

I think the book lacks any real ideas or advice for living this idealistic alternative life without a corporate job, aside from becoming a writer or some brief allusions to making money on the Internet, and it does seem to draw heavily from Zelinski's previous publications; The Joy of Not Working, and How To Retire Happy Wild and Free. It is nicely laid out though, and features inspirational quotations and jokey cartoons on each page to break up the text making the book easier going on people who don't like reading pages of 'dry' text.

I know that people become institutionalized and conditioned to corporate life as this is borne out by the shock that many feel upon reaching retirement age and suddenly finding that their lives don't seem to have any real purpose. So I believe that Zelinski's ideas do have some validity and the book will certainly be inspiring reading for anybody contemplating an alternative lifestyle. However, if you are looking for definite answers or perhaps a 'blueprint' for achieving your own Real Success Without a Real Job then you might find that some further study elsewhere is necessary.

In conclusion: An entertaining read with some good ideas but critics could perhaps quote the book's subtitle There Is No Life Like It! as being more literal than the author intended.

Buy Real Success Without a Real Job on Amazon

Find Ernie Zelinski on eBay

The Answer To Life The Universe And Everything

2008-07-21T10:30:00.007Z

In the superb HitchHiker's Guide To The Galaxy, written by the late Douglas Adams, it is revealed that the answer to the meaning of life is 42. However, this is wrong. Talented and wise though the late Mr Adams was, I think I may have discovered a better answer (the Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy was a work of fiction after all.).

Ok, I'm not the first person to discover this. Far from it, in fact; there have been countless books written about the very subject. some of them are in my opinion essential reading. Inspirational classics like The Power of Positive Thinking, Think and Grow Rich, The Magic of Thinking Big, Awaken The Giant Within and more recently The Secret; all reveal a more satisfying solution than 7 times 6.

So just what is the answer then? Quite simply it is this:

KNOW WHAT YOU WANT

Is that it? I hear you cry. Well, hang on it's not as simple as it sounds. Think about it for a moment... If there were no restrictions such as how much money you have, or how your actions might affect family members, or even where you live, just what is it that would make you truly happy? You should give some thought to things like:

Where in the world would you live?
What would you do with your days?
Would you go to work? If so, what would you do?
Who would your friends be?

Now think about this for a while, but above all, leave aside all restrictions and believe that whatever it is you want you can have. Then when you've done some thinking make a list. yes, that's right; actually write down exactly what it is that you want.

Now here's the good part:

Hard though it might at first seem. You can have all of the things on your list. Yes, you can actually achieve all of your hopes desires, dreams and wishes. You simply have to know what they are.

You see I believe that most of us just coast along through life without giving it too much thought. I know I did for a very long time. We go to work on a Monday morning not particularly liking it and in some cases actually dreading it. But we go all the same because we need the money to pay our bills and maybe have some left over for shopping and leisure pursuits.

Each day might bring thoughts of how much better life would be if we didn't have to do that job. But at the end of the day comes time to go home and relax, watch some TV, maybe have a walk or go out for the evening, perhaps even have a glass or two of wine. Then the weekend arrives and the excitement is at fever pitch. We all know that 'Friday feeling' when the working week is nearly over and we are anticipating another weekend of leisure.

Perhaps during our weekend we go shopping or take part in sports such as with a local football team. In the evening we might go out and celebrate with a meal, or drown our sorrows with too much alcohol at the local pub - It's an easy and comfortable routine to fall into and most of us do exactly that. Then in the blink of an eye it is Monday morning again and time to return to work.

The important thing to understand is that carrying on in this fashion means that life passes by without anything ever changing. If you keep doing the same things then things will always stay the same.

I don't know about you, but I have a fear of reaching the end of my life and regretting that I had never tried to achieve my dreams. It has been said that we don't regret what we did in life; only what we didn't do. So if that's true, there is nothing to fear from change.

The point is; if you really want to change things then you have to grasp the nettle and take action! And the time to take action is right now, this week, today, right this minute in fact. Whatever it is you want you can have - but only if you take action!

So, to sum up there are only 4 steps to achieving the life and the happiness you desire.

1. Decide exactly what it is you want
2. Plan how to achieve it
3. Take action
4. Be consistent in achieving your goals

Your plans might change along the way, but this is a natural part of the process and you will come to realise that as they do you are actually living the life you wanted to all along.

So have you started your list yet or are you waiting until after the weekend?

I Can Make You Rich - Book Review

2008-07-18T18:50:00.003Z

Paul McKenna has put his own stamp on the Self Help genre and created a series of books with accompanying CDs on the most popular subjects of self development such as Self Confidence, Weight Loss, and Quitting Smoking. Each title features a mix of thought provoking examples, quotes from famous people, and self-hypnosis or mind programming exercises. The latest; I Can Make You Rich is now available in paperback.

I Can Make You Rich is in two parts: Part One, The Psychology of Wealth, focuses on analysing just what it means to become “rich” and then examining our attitudes towards abundance and wealthy people. As one would expect from Mr McKenna there are self-hypnosis exercises throughout. The ones in this book focus on programming the mind to accept and invite wealth and encourage us to focus on richness in a more healthy and positive way. If you have been brought up with phrases such as money doesn't grow on trees and you believe that you have to work really hard to make money then you will find this section useful.

In all there are six chapters in part one:

Getting Rich is an Inside Job
Transforming Your Relationship with Money
Reprogramming Your Wealth Thermostat
Overcoming Emotional Spending
Tapping into the Flow of Wealth
Creating a Rich Vision

Part Two, Let's Go Make Money! Turns to the more practical aspects of becoming wealthy and is obviously in part influenced by earlier works on the subject from the likes of Napoleon Hill and Robert T Kiyosaki. On the whole there is some good advice in this section although the so called 'business plan' would not win a fledgling enterprise any serious funding.

The second part of the book features another six chapters:

How To Make Money
Assembling Your Wealth Team
A Proven Formula for Success
The Simplest Business Plan in the World
The Three Skills that Lead to Riches
The Secrets of Living Rich

Conclusion:
By analyzing just what it means to be rich and how that could apply to our own lives, and then outlining the methods and philosophies of wealthy and successful people, Paul McKenna has produced a very readable book in the Self Help genre. Drawing inspiration from some of the many other excellent books on the subject such as Think and Grow Rich and Rich Dad Poor Dad, McKenna goes a step further and actually attempts to provide a sort of blueprint for becoming rich; which is something that I suspect many would shy away from for fear of not delivering.

But does the book actually deliver and fulfil McKenna's boast of being able to make you rich? Well, I am not aware of anybody who has attributed great success to reading this book alone and it probably remains to be seen if anybody ever does, but if you have a desire to live a more abundant lifestyle then I Can Make You Rich will certainly put you on the right track. And if you are in the process of studying the many books written about the methods of acquiring wealth and success then it will probably be an essential part of your reading.

Overall I would recommend I Can Make You Rich

Buy I Can Make You Rich on Amazon

Find I Can Make You Rich on eBay

Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Any Good?

2008-06-16T11:48:00.001Z

“The main reason people struggle financially is because they have spent years in school but learned nothing about money. The result is that people learn to work for money… but never learn to have money work for them”

Why is Rich Dad Poor Dad a world number one bestseller and why does it continually attract top ratings and excellent reviews at Amazon?

Quite simply because the author Robert T. Kiyosaki is writing from his own experience about a subject that should interest all of us - and especially visitors to this Website. That subject is money; or rather how we choose to obtain it in order to live our lives (or indeed just how we choose to live our lives).

Robert explains how as nine year old boys, he and a friend decided they wanted to become rich. The obvious place to turn for advice was to their fathers. From one corner they were told to work hard and get a good education so that they could get good steady jobs, and from the other they were told that good jobs were the last thing they needed if they wanted to become rich.

As you would expect, Rich Dad Poor Dad extols the merits of investing in property and the stock exchange. But this isn’t a 250 page economics lecture and it won’t bore you rigid with dry facts and figures about investment portfolios either. It is rather more of a novel than a book about business; although the lessons learned by the boys (and the reader) are solid foundations for accumulating wealth.

Through six powerful lessons we learn, amongst other things, why the rich don’t work for money and why the poor are sucked into a trap that means they spend their whole lives not just working hard, but also paying back most of what they earn in taxes.

CONCLUSION:
If you have ever wondered about developing passive income, paying less tax, or why the latest pay rise will never be enough then you should read this book. There is a trap that most of us are taught to fall into at an early age: And that is to get a good job and work hard until we retire – but there is another way and that is to learn what the rich teach their kids. Rich Dad Poor Dad reveals all.

Buy Rich Dad, Poor Dad at Amazon

Find Rich Dad Poor Dad on eBay

Free SEO Web Traffic Guide

2008-05-22T08:24:00.004Z

You may remember my eBook about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and getting traffic to a Website called Web Traffic in Black & White which I released at the tail end of 2006 and updated in 2007? Well, not to worry because most (but not all) of the content is now available online for free! (If you're impatient to find out what it's all about hurry over to www.ultimatewebtraffic.com straight away.)

I took the decision to convert it to a website format for several reasons; but mainly because although the sales page was getting plenty of visitors, the conversion rate was very low. Is this because it was a rubbish product? Absolutely not. After all, how would a prospect be able to tell in advance? No, I think it is because there is already a plethora of freely available SEO information and some excellent Websites out there, so people are reluctant to part with hard earned cash in return for what may or may not be of value to them, and what they might be able to get for free elsewhere. Besides, I think my decision to develop The Ultimate Web Traffic Guide as a Website allows for growth and evolution of the site as it can be updated on a regular basis - something which a hard copy book, and an eBook, cannot.

I believe the site offers excellent SEO and Web traffic information primarily for newbies, but there are also some snippets which seasoned Webmasters may have overlooked. My intention when writing was to tell it like it is without fluff and filler, and present the information in an easy to understand manner. Have I succeeded? Well, that is for the reader to decide. You can learn about SEO right now at www.ultimatewebtraffic.com

The Blogging Habit

2008-04-25T10:13:00.002Z

It has been an awful long time since my last post. Where have I been and what have I been doing???

It's no great secret - just the usual stuff building websites, earning a crust and as ever learning new stuff. One site I recently finished is for a Villa in Calis Beach, Turkey. If you're looking for somewhere to stay in those parts for your summer holiday then check it out quickly because judging by the huge number of interested people the prices won't stay at their current bargain levels that's for sure! If you're interested it's at www.villaorchid.co.uk (tell them I sent you!).

I've read a couple of good books recently too; including The Millionaire Course by Marc Allen. Don't be put off by the title; this isn't some heavy going business book about finance and investing, but a rather more 'spiritual' (in parts) title which will help you to live the life of your dreams without necessarily becoming insanely rich first - although if that is your ultimate goal then the book will help you to achieve that too. Self help? Well, yes it does fall into that category but some are better than others and I personally found this one to be a very enjoyable read.

Well after losing the habit of blogging for the last couple of months, it looks as though I might be blowing off the cobwebs. As the big man said in that film; "I'll be back!"

Happy New Year

2008-01-02T16:03:00.000Z

Wow, 2008 already! Where did 2007 go? It seems to have passed so very quickly...

I've got lots of plans for the new year, including a fully re-designed TDL Web Developments site, a new ebook especially for small business owners who want to know the ins and outs of marketing on the Web, and a whole host of other money making stuff. Not to mention some of the projects that have carried over from last year, such as Web Traffic in Black & White.

I suppose I should get to it then, no rest for the wicked as they say. Catch you soon, but in the meantime; Happy New Year!

Waterproof Golf Suits Save The Day

2007-12-06T11:50:00.000Z

Golf anybody?

I was talking to a friend of mine recently who runs a golf equipment shop attached to a golf course. He was telling me that because the weather in the UK has been so wet in 2007 there have been fewer people turning up to play - this has had a knock on effect on sales in the shop. Poor weather = fewer golfers = fewer sales.

His solution has been to set up an online golf equipment shop (www.hoylakegolfstore.co.uk), and it's early days yet but so far so good; things seem to be working out quite well. In fact, inspired by his plight with the poor UK weather, he is now launching a new more specialized golf store which will stock all manner of waterproof clothing for golfers. It will be called (appropriately enough) Golf Waterproof Suits. Hopefully promoting special waterproofs will get more people on the course and into his shop, but failing that; the power of the Web will save the day (and yes, this post is also a bit of a plug for his business).

My conclusion for today (apart from if at first you don't succeed etc) is that if things look pear shaped in business, whether it be online or off, then a bit of lateral thinking can often turn up trumps. Now, I could do with a boost so where did I put my lateral thinking cap?...

Easy WTBW Affiliate Resources

2007-12-03T20:58:00.000Z

Finally, the updated and revised version of Web Traffic in Black & White is now available to download. For anybody who has been wandering the desert without a wifi connection, WTBW is my fully featured SEO and Web Traffic guide, and is now completely up to date for 2008. I've had some excellent reviews already and sales are quickly picking up.

You can get a piece of the action (50% to be precise) just for referring people to the sales page (www.ultimatewebtraffic.com). I've even created a full promotional kit which includes banners, forum links, articles and more. So if you fancy earning an easy few bob simply check out the affiliate resources page at www.ultimatewebtraffic.com/affiliate.htm

Don't forget; this isn't the usual ebook rubbish, but a well written and very comprehensive guide that explains all about getting visitors to a Website. It also contains more Web references than you can shake a stick at and I guarantee readers will find it and invaluable resource. Adam Sussman, from www.reviewsandratingsguide.com said; "Not only do you get the foundation required to understand and practise good SEO, you also get the tactics to compete with the best. This guide is one of the few that I will print out and no doubt deface with my highlighter pen."

And that's just one of the many fantastic responses so far! Check out some more at www.ultimatewebtraffic.com

Are You Searching For The Magic Bullet?

2007-11-30T10:46:00.000Z

There is a trend amongst Webmasters and especially new contenders to the Internet Marketing scene to hunt out what I call 'the magic bullet'. They are all looking for the same thing - an instant solution that will bring them immediate success and quick riches.

Yes, there are apparent 'overnight' success stories (remember the student with his one million pixels?). But they are few and far between. The reality is that behind the vast majority of successful endeavours lies a longer process of planning and gradual growth.

It is natural in the often confusing world of the Internet to imagine that successful competitors must be closely guarding some secret that they don't want you to know, and all too easy when faced with the facts for a newbie to dismiss them and immediately look for an alternative 'easier' solution. And this is precisely what many of the so called Internet Marketing 'gurus' thrive on. The same people continually looking for an answer that will make life easy and catapult them to the dizzy heights.

If that sounds like you then wise up right now; there isn't one.

While there are some methods that are not immediately obvious to the newbie, there is no 'magic bullet'. No instant solution that will bring immediate results. That goes for every aspect of online business. Having the best software is not going to help you build the best Web site if you don't understand the fundamentals of Web design; and spending thousands of dollars on Adwords is not going to get results if you don't understand how direct response marketing works.

This is going to come as a bitter pill to swallow for those looking for quick solutions, but the fact is that to get the success craved for will take time, effort and above all... Work.

There, I've gone and said the 'w' word!

I imagine that most people dislike work, but the incredible thing is: If you can find something that you actually enjoy doing it doesn't feel like work at all. For instance; I saw a firefighter being interviewed on TV last night and he described how he loved being 'on the hose' and how they would have to drag him away when it became his time to retire. Anybody could see in his eyes that he meant what he said, and you could almost feel sorry for the guy imagining when that day came.

I believe that we are all capable of enjoying our work – we just need to be doing the right thing for us. And as many wise people have been saying since time began: What you get out is in direct proportion to what you put in.

For now, if you find yourself looking for the 'magic bullet' then perhaps you should re-think your strategy. There's no substitute: So gird your loins, grit your teeth, grab the nettle and get your head down to some good old fashioned WORK (but remember that it doesn't have to be an ordeal).

What A Mistaker To Maker!

2007-11-02T10:14:00.000Z

Oh dear, looks like I messed up with my last SEO experiment. You see, I forgot that by using the unique keyword in my post that My Rich Pickings would also be indexed for it. And as posts from this blog are also syndicated elsewhere, it means that the SE results were skewed. Doh! Not what was intended at all. Mind you, it was interesting to see that the page at the number one spot was the one with the alt tags. I'm not going to draw any conclusions until after the next experiment though.

Anyway, as the old saying goes; "if at first you don't succeed, try try again". So here we go again:

Page One

Page Two

Remember that the only difference in the pages is the image alt tag. I'll give it a couple of days and report back.

Cute Doggy Images To Test SEO

2007-10-31T16:11:00.000Z

I am currently in the process of updating and revising my best-selling eBook Web Traffic in Black & White. This is an essential job as I intend it to become one of the most useful and accessible SEO and traffic related resources available online. Of course it will be difficult to compete with something like the technically excellent SEOBook, but I'm not trying to compete as I believe Web Traffic in Black & White caters to a different market who are perhaps less technically minded and more interested in easy to understand explanations and quick results.

One of the things I am doing is creating even more real world examples and experiments to show exactly how the techniques in the book work in practice. My current experiment involves the use of image alt tags, and whether including them or not affects search engine rankings.

To this end I have created two almost identical pages:

CuteDoggyPix and CuteDoggyPix

Can you spot the difference?

Naturally I will be analyzing the results asap. Watch this space...

Money For Nothing - (and your time is free!)

2007-10-19T13:38:00.000Z

Regular visitors to My Rich Pickings will know that I am keen on the idea of passive income. i.e. making money by doing very little in return. Sounds great doesn't it? Sure beats the sh1t out of breaking your back in some lousy factory job that's for sure!

Anyway, I've had some quite good success in that I make money on a pretty regular basis for articles I've written and also from Google Adsense on a couple of Websites I own. But I have to confess that it isn't exactly predictable. One month I'm in the money and the next I'm not - well, until recently that was...

You see I have now discovered a way of generating regular subscription payments like those you would expect from a membership Website. The difference with my method is that I do almost nothing in return. Yes, you read that right; I get regular monthly payments for doing almost nothing. How so? Read all about it at my Subscription Profits Goldmine page.

More Money For The Good Things In Life

2007-09-28T10:23:00.000Z

One of the things I like to write about here at My Rich Pickings is saving money and especially saving money with the help of online resources. Recently I checked out my finances and discovered that simply by switching a couple of service providers I could save just over £50 per month. That might not sound much (or maybe it does?), but over the course of a year it is £600 - and that is a fair chunk of cash to add to the holiday or Christmas fund.

The first thing I looked at was my telephone account. I found that by switching to a combined broadband and telephone provider I immediately saved £25 per month, certainly not to be sneezed at. The account I have is with Tiscali but there are other offers out there.

Next, I looked at life and home insurance policies and was stunned to learn that the joint life assurance policy I have with my wife could be cut by almost 50%! (This was helped by the fact that I gave up smoking almost two years ago). The home insurance wasn't quite so stunning but I did save over £5 per month very quickly and easily.

All in all this adds up to a very respectable amount of cash that I wouldn't have, and it was saved simply by checking out my direct debits and then seeing if there were cheaper offers out there. The great thing is that it is so easy to compare prices nowadays with price comparison sites such as www.moneysupermarket.com and www.gocompare.com

I could go even further and see if I could save even more money on my mortgage, car insurance, gas and electricity, etc. In fact that's exactly what I'm going to do! But not before I pay some very close attention to what is probably the best money saving Website on the whole Internet - www.moneysavingexpert.com - This guy (Martin Lewis) certainly knows his stuff.

Try it yourself and see just how much more money you could have in your pocket for the good things in life...

The Ultimate Cash Conversion Kit

2007-09-19T09:01:00.000Z

One of the essential skills for product vendors and affiliate marketers is creating a good sales page. In fact, it is not 'one of' the skills it is THE skill!

If you want to learn the elements of creating a successful sales page then you might be interested to know that I have put together a unique package featuring 10 colour co-ordinated sales page templates, a range of superb ebooks and the incredible copywriting software that will practically write your sales copy for you. And all for only $10.00!

I call it the Ultimate Cash Conversion Kit - you can find out why at http://ultimatecash.easyprofits.co.uk

Five Steps For Basic Search Engine Optimization

2007-08-11T09:58:00.000Z

The comparatively low cost of building a Website makes it one of the most cost effective ways of promoting a business. Even the smallest business can benefit from an online presence; provided it is an effective one.

One of the basic necessities of promoting your business with a Website is that it must be able to be found on the search engines. Without this simple thing your site is effectively invisible to the general public and may as well not even exist. Disillusionment can soon set in when the company Website does not appear to be 'performing' or bringing in any customers.

For this reason, it is essential when contracting a Web designer to ensure they have some knowledge of search engine optimization. There are many who don't. Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is not some black art (although many would have us believe so) and there are many simple tips and tricks that can easily be carried out to optimize a site.

Here are my five steps for basic search engine optimization...

1.Optimize your site around the most popular keywords – A keyword or keyword phrase is what a user will type into a search engine to look for the information they need. So spending some time anticipating and researching the keywords related to your business will not only be worthwhile; but is a vital step towards the success of your Website.

2.Know your target audience – One of the basics of marketing is to advertise to the people who are likely to be your customers. This applies also to your Website, so make sure it is built to be appealing to them.

It is also a good idea to look for ways of getting your existing visitors to keep returning to your site such as a regular newsletter, promotions, giveaways, etc. Again; knowing your target audience will be a big help in deciding the most effective methods.

3.Don't give up on your existing Website – If you already have a site that is not performing as well as you would like, don't abandon it. Instead get the site looked at by a professional and find out what improvements can be made.

There will more often than not be more value to search engines in an existing site than in a brand new one.

4.Make sure your site is designed to be 'user friendly' – There are many superb guides that go into great detail about effective Web design. But some of the more obvious things to consider are: Colour schemes, easy navigation, page layout, text sizes, etc. Without a user friendly Website your visitors will not stay long enough to find out what your business is all about.

5.Add content to the Website regularly – A site that is updated regularly encourages repeat visitors and also gets looked upon more favourably by search engines. A simple way of adding fresh content to a site is to incorporate a blog. This can then be posted to on a daily or weekly basis.

Following these five steps for basic search engine optimization will help to ensure that your Website gets noticed and attracts the customers you need for your business. Good luck!

Free eBook Reveals Money Making Secrets

2007-08-02T13:06:00.000Z

If you are at all interested in making money on the Web then you should read Internet Money Machines. It's a free eBook that shows you exactly how to use videos on sites like Youtube to generate easy cash. And what's more; you don't even need a Website to take advantage!

I've just finished reading it myself and I am impressed. But don't take my word for it; download your own free copy from the link below (right click and choose 'save as') and see for yourself.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Two Dollars Worth of Information

2007-07-26T09:26:00.000Z

Information is valuable. If it wasn't we wouldn't have newspapers, magazines, or even book shops. But I believe it has to be priced accordingly, and that is where many people trading information on the Web go wrong - they see info products as a way to quickly 'cash in' and sell rubbish at outlandish prices.

Which is precisely why I am delighted with the recent success of my two dollar reports. I know, $2.00 is not a great deal of money to sell an item at, but when you are selling a large quantity it soon builds up. After all; that was the business model that Mr. Woolworth used (sell lots of cheap items) and look how successful that turned out to be.

I think the reason my $2.00 Reports are so popular is because people don't mind 'risking' a couple of bucks, whereas when it is $49.99 or more it becomes more of a risk. And because there are so many scams on the Internet, people are always wary of being ripped off. So as I say; two dollars isn't much of a risk.

Of course there are more benefits than just the couple of dollars per sale as any Internet Marketer will know. I will probably write a report on the benefits of the $2.00 report (and sell it for two dollars!), but for now my most successful reports have been How I Went From 28 to 1774 Unique Visitors in Less Than 24 Hours, and How I Make $40.00 Over And Over Again With A Simple Web Page.

My point is: If you are thinking of making some money from information based products, whether eBooks, audio, or whatever, make sure it is priced according to the value of the information it contains. I do and it seems to work for me.

How I got a 'Freebie' Website to Rank 3rd in Google after Just 3 Days...

2007-07-10T09:57:00.000Z

The most important aspect of any Website is ensuring that it receives plenty of visitors and the best way of getting those all-important visitors is to make sure the site shows up in search engines – and preferably near the top of the SERPS (search engine results pages).

The example I am writing about isn't one of the most difficult SEO accomplishments – not like trying to get a site ranked for generic terms such as “insurance information” or “make money online”, but my brief was to build a new website for a local organisation and get their site to show up on the front page of Google when prospective customers searched for them by name.

You may be wondering why the website is making use of free hosting when 'proper' paid for web space under its own domain is far superior and offers more choice in the development of the site? Well, quite simply; it was because the organisation didn't want to spend any money if they could possibly avoid it. Fair enough, they are a charitable body and every penny counts. Anyway, mine is not to reason why and all that, but hence the freebie account.

So, where to start?

When starting any new site it pays to do some keyword research. In this case the main keyword phrase was obvious: It was anticipated that anybody searching for the organisation would type their name directly into the search engine. Of course, the site will eventually rank for other more generic keywords too, but it was decided that to be found by name was the immediate priority.

The first part of the process took part while creating the Website. I always use clean markup that passes the W3C validation standards. My preference for coding web pages is to do it 'by hand' with a text editor, so keeping the code 'clean' is easy. If you intend to do the same (and I recommend you do) then you absolutely must learn HTML.

When laying out the content of the Web page I used the organisation's name in an H1 title tag at the top of the page, in bold text in the first paragraph, in anchor text for internal links, in image alternative text and at the bottom of the page in the copyright statement. There are plenty of guides which go into far more detail about on page optimization which mention ideal keyword density, etc etc etc. I find these ideas have become too contrived, and although it has been important in the past, the search engine algorithms are becoming far more advanced. Personally, I believe that writing for human readers, but including keywords where it is natural to do so is the best way to optimize a Web page.

Once the page has been set up it is then a straightforward job to get the essential meta tags right. These are the meta description and keywords tags. Make sure the description is no more than 150 characters and try to make it appealing to readers as you would a short classified ad. You should also ensure that your meta keywords can be found in the actual page content – this will give them more weight unlike the tactics of a few years back when stuffing an abundance of loosely related keywords into the tag was routine practice.

To get a site indexed by the search engines really quickly, don't waste your time submitting your URL through the conventional search engine pages. Instead; anounce your new site in a blog post, or a press release or a syndicated article (remember to include the URL though!). Another sure fire way to get a new site indexed quickly is to buy a link on a high PR Website.

My tactic for the freebie site was to write about it on a couple of different blogs.

The most important part of SEO is what is happening off the page. Yes, it helps to format pages correctly and include relevant keywords in the right places etc. However, it can be seen that there are many sites that rank highly despite seemingly paying no attention to any of the on-page recommendations. The reason this happens is due to inbound links.

Ok, so it's not really a secret and most Webmasters know that it's important to get plenty of backlinks to their sites. However, one thing that many fail to realise is that in order to make the most of incoming links we need to make full and proper use of the anchor text in those links.

For example:

The most important keyword phrase at this point in time was the organisation's name, so an effective link would follow this format:-

<a href="siteURL">Oranisation Name</a>

Anyway, for the freebie site, I set up a links page so that there was somewhere to put reciprocal links, and then emailed the Webmasters of several related websites asking if they would be willing to exchange links. My email looked something like this:-

Hello,

I am contacting you regarding exchanging links with the new Wirral Mind website. As you are probably aware, Wirral Mind is affiliated to the National Mind organisation, and I expect the new website to quickly become highly ranked.

If you check out our links page at http://home2.btconnect.com/wirralmind/links.htm you will see that I have already added your link to the page, and I would be very grateful if you would reciprocate with a link to the Wirral Mind site.

Here is the HTML for linking to the site:

<p><a href="http://home2.btconnect.com/wirralmind/">Wirral Mind</a> - Supporting people on Wirral who experience emotional difficulties and distresses in their lives.</p>

Thanks in advance,

Tony Williams
Webmaster Wirral Mind

For the most part, I received a very favourable response – with the result that I quickly built up some important backlinks for the site.

The process of anouncing the new site and getting about 20 very important backlinks to it took me a couple of hours. I could have carried on building links and promoting the site, and for a commercial venture that is precisely what I would recommend. But I had other work to do, and besides, I figured that I'd done enough to fulfill the brief.

Just three days after the site went live, it was ranking third in the Google SERPS. The reason it wasn't at the number one spot was because of the national organisation's Website which has been around for a while and has naturally built up a lot of very important inbound links. I expect this situation to be remedied in time (but it would help if the site was hosted properly under its own domain).

But after 3 days I would call third place a pretty good result, wouldn't you?

Save Money With FREE Stuff!

2007-06-21T12:54:00.000Z

I thought it was time to pass on another money saving tip today. This one is fantastic, so I suggest you check it out regularly.

What is it? Oh yeah, today's money saving tip is a website called Giveaway of the Day where you can download software for free. It's not the usual Open Source or shareware stuff either; they actually give away commercial software for free!

There is only one drawback that I can see, and that is that you are usually not allowed to use any of the software for business or commercial purposes. I guess this might vary with individual software, so always check the end user license for details of each download.

It sounds almost too good to be true to actually get something for nothing these days, but believe me it's not. Check it out at www.giveawayoftheday.com

Secret of the Perfect Best Man's Speech

2007-06-05T11:20:00.000Z

I'm going off topic here, but I wanted to mention what a great experience I had last Saturday at my friend's wedding.

It must be well over a year ago now that Geoff originally asked me to be his Best Man for the occasion. Of course, at the time I was delighted and honoured to have been asked and didn't really give too much thought to the responsibility that I had accepted – all I could think of was how we were going to enjoy the Stag do!

But as the day grew nearer, the thing that worried me the most was not getting the groom to the wedding on time, or losing the rings, but making the Best Man's speech.

I even bought a book on the subject, which only made things worse as it pointed out that the Best Man's speech was expected to be the 'grand finale' to the wedding breakfast, and everybody would be waiting in eager anticipation to hear what I had to say. Perhaps I should point out that, like most people, I had no experience of public speaking and was quite frankly terrified of becoming tongue-tied, going red in the face, and forgetting what I should be saying.

So, no pressure then. I simply had to deliver a heartfelt, entertaining, and hilarious speech in a confident manner. Was I nervous? You bet!

Anyway, I will let you in to my secret...

Two weeks before the event I downloaded an MP3 hypnosis session on the subject of Confident Public Speaking and listened to it as often as I could leading up to the day. Now, I have to confess to being a bit of a skeptic about these things and I don't know if the hypnosis was directly responsible or it just made me feel more prepared. But I figured that I had nothing to lose by giving it a go.

Anyway, whatever the reason, when the time came I stood up and delivered my speech perfectly. I know I'm blowing my own trumpet somewhat, but I can't tell you how excited I am that it went so well. The guests laughed hysterically at my jokes and applauded enthusiastically at the end. And the best bit was that I actually enjoyed the whole experience – especially as people shook my hand and congratulated me afterwards!

So, as I write this my thanks go out to HypnosisDirect.com who provide a range of downloadable hypnosis sessions, including giving up smoking, weight loss motivation and more; but the one I can highly recommend to anybody facing a Best Man's Speech is Confident Public Speaking.

Warm Glow From Voluntary Web Design

2007-05-27T08:32:00.000Z

It is great to have the knowledge and skills to be able to make money online, but sometimes it is nice to use those skills not for profit, but to give a little back to the community and perhaps benefit others in ways that are far more valuable than money.

Recently, I have been volunteering my time and Web design skills to Wirral Mind, the organisation for mental health in my local area and an affiliate of the National Mind organisation. Yes, you guessed it; I have been setting up a new Website for them. It is nice to be able to offer something that will hopefully benefit both the organisation and the local community and I look forward to seeing how successful (or not) the site becomes.

Check out the new Wirral Mind Website!

Increase Website Revenue with Auction Ads

2007-05-16T09:22:00.000Z

If you have been here before you will know that I am very keen on eBay, and I have a website containing free tips and tricks for eBay sellers at www.easyprofits.co.uk.

This morning I discovered a new contextual advertising system that enables Website owners to increase Website revenue by featuring eBay listings on their pages. It is very simple to use - in fact; it is very similar to Google Adsense in that it allows complete customisation of the border and text colours etc - and simply requires the addition of a small snippet of code to your site's pages.

My first thought was that these ads would be ideal for Easy Profits with Ebay and I added the code immediately, but actually I think they would be more suited to information sites devoted to products that are sold regularly on eBay. So I'm going to put some ads on a couple of my other sites and see how it goes.

If you have a Website and want to increase your revenue from it you might like to try Auction Ads yourself. And let me know how you get on!

Click here for details...

Stealth Income Secrets

2007-04-30T10:58:00.000Z

You may be interested to hear that my ebook "Stealth Income Secrets" now includes re-sell rights. This wasn't a decision I took lightly because most ebooks with resell rights very quickly lose their value as competing sellers try to outdo each other on price. On the other hand, the guide does reveal profit pulling techniques of a professional information business, and explains where the no-hope newbies are going wrong, so it remains to be seen whether Stealth Income Secrets follows the usual trend.

You can find full details of what is included in the Stealth Income Secrets Reseller Package at www.easyprofits.co.uk/stealth/

The Proper Way To Peel A Banana?

2007-04-27T11:58:00.000Z

Are you peeling your bananas correctly?

Perhaps you think that is a bizarre idea and I've lost the plot. After all, everybody knows that there is only one way to peel a banana - it is the way I have been peeling them for the past (too many) years and it would be ludicrous to imagine there could be any other way. But, now you come to mention it, is it the only way?

Well surprisingly not. You could have knocked me sideways when it was suggested by my 10 year old daughter that peeling from the bottom was easier. What? I've been peeling from the stalk end ever since I was old enough to feed myself so surely I would have known about it if it was true. Perhaps I should have done, but I didn't.

Of course, once I heard about the 'new' peeling technique I was eager to give it a try – if only to prove it wasn't easier at all. I obtained a hand of finest bananas at the earliest opportunity, which just happened to be during the weekly shop the following day, and (once I got them home) keenly snapped off one of the fruit to give it a try.

Was it easier? I suggest you try it for yourself, but needless to say I am now a devotee of upside down banana peeling.

But what has all of this fruity nonsense got to do with making and saving money online? Quite simply that there is more than one way to go about things and sometimes a bit of lateral thinking can reap dividends. Don't assume that because many are raving about Google Adsense or affiliate marketing or selling ebooks that they are the only ways of making Internet riches. And don't get stuck in a rut or be afraid of change. Just because we have been doing something a particular way for a long time doesn't mean there is no better way to accomplish the task.

So to finish for today – try it upside down, back to front, inside out, any which way you can. But make sure you try it, because you never know: It just might work!

Web Site Traffic Secret Uncovered

2007-04-10T08:33:00.000Z

Where does web site traffic come from?

It is a question that leaves many new Webmasters scratching their heads in frustration and bewilderment. After all, traffic is the life-blood of any website and if your site isn't getting any then you have a problem. But it need not be that way because there is more than one solution and some are much easier to achieve than others.

The biggest secret to getting web site traffic is... wait for it..., backlinks. Yes, I know it's not much of a secret, but it is the type of inbound links and how you go about getting these all-important links that is important. Get it wrong and, at best, you will be wasting your time, at worst, you could actually damage the credibility of your Website. Alarmist I know, but true all the same.

How do you damage the credibility of your site? By procuring links from sites that have been given a black mark by search engines for using questionable SEO tactics such as hidden text or keyword spam. Such sites are known as 'bad neighbourhoods' and as the name suggests; should be avoided. In fairness, the search engines know that you have no control over who chooses to link to your site, so don't get paranoid about the idea, but do try to concentrate your efforts on links from good neighbourhoods.

So if backlinks are so important to the success of a Website then surely it would be worthwhile spending some cash to achieve the desired results, which begs the question: Is it worth paying for links?

The short answer is that it can be. But before you reach for your wallet you should be aware that some paid links are more effective than others, and there are of course plenty of ways of building backlinks for free. So, before spending any cash perhaps we should determine just what a 'quality' inbound link is.

A worthwhile, or indeed 'quality', inbound link is one that will add some value to your website. That value could be click-through traffic or page rank that will boost your own site's ranking in the SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages), but preferably; both. If you haven't already done so, then you should install the Google toolbar (you can find it at http://toolbar.google.com) so that you can check the page rank of prospective link partner sites. But be aware that page rank does not necessarily equal traffic! However, it can be a good indicator of a site's worth.

If you do intend to buy a link on another website then it is perfectly reasonable to ask the Websmaster for some evidence of traffic statistics. A quality site with a good amount of traffic should happily provide this information in return for a paid link. If not, then look elsewhere; it is their loss.

In conclusion: one way of building traffic to a website is to invest time and effort in building inbound links, or backlinks, from other quality Websites. Avoid 'bad neighbourhoods' and concentrate instead on getting quality links. Finally, if you are going to pay for a link then try to get some evidence of how many visitors the linking site is getting.

For more SEO and Web traffic building secrets check out: http://webtraffic.tdlwebs.com

Web Traffic Generation Secrets Revealed

2007-03-11T16:16:00.000Z

Readers may remember that I have been working on a book about getting traffic to a Website? Well, finally it is finished and now available in ebook format. It is called; "Web Traffic in Black & White".

Currently it is for sale in the special offers section of the excellent Warrior Forum at the reduced price of only $10.00 - quite a saving on the planned retail price of $27.00. This is partly to thank fellow members of the forum for all of the help and information I have learned from them and partly to test demand for the product before I fork out the $50.00 to list it at Clickbank.

So far, sales are going well and I've had some excellent feedback from buyers. I have always been convinced that it was a very good resource for Web developers who want to learn how to drive traffic to a Website and it seems that many agree with me.

You can read some of their comments and take advantage of the WSO (Warrior Special Offer) by joining the Warrior Forum and then checking out Traffic Generation Secrets Revealed. But hurry, because this offer will expire soon!

Quick Easy Ways To Make Money Online

2007-02-22T16:17:00.000Z

I thought I would pass on a couple of quick and easy online money making sites today.

The first one is called daytipper (like the Beatles song but without the 'r') and I just made a quick and easy $12.00 for less than 10 minutes work. It's very simple to use once you have registered and all you have to do is submit one of those money or labour saving tips that are popular in women's magazines and Sunday newspapers. You know the kind of thing; keep warm by staying indoors this winter or some such. Anyway, it's at www.daytipper.com if you are interested.

My second easy money maker is perfect for writers as you can build up a residual income from articles and short stories. It works by revenue sharing - in other words the site owners make money from advertising on the site and if revenue is generated from a page where one of your articles appears, you get a share. The best thing is that it doesn't matter if you have already used your articles elsewhere, so if you are into article marketing to promote your Website you can re-use the same articles to earn a few dollars extra. It doesn't pay a king's ransom, but the earnings are ongoing. check it out at www.helium.com

Til next time, happy online money making!

Make Money Selling Text Links

2007-02-12T19:32:00.000Z

If you have an established blog or website you could make some easy money by selling a couple of text links on the site. It's not difficult to do and can generate a regular monthly income for very little effort on your part. In fact, the only difficult part is knowing where to sell links and finding buyers happy to buy them - and that's where a service like Text Link Ads can help make life a whole lot easier.

This is a site that has a network of publishers and advertisers and actively works to put each in touch with the other. So, because they earn commssion from selling links for you, they will work hard to sell link space on your site. Critics could argue that 50% is a huge commission for them to take, but when you consider that they are doing the work while you do nothing, then the balance starts to look a lot more evenly weighted.

It is free to sign up for an account and it is ok to use text link ads if you have Google Adsense on your pages (so no worries there!). There is even a link calculation tool that will quickly work out how much your Website or blog could be earning from text links, so you can see before you commit yourself just how much revenue could be made and whether it is worth going ahead and making a site available for the service.

So, in conclusion; if you think your site could earn a few bob by selling links then it's a no-brainer - check out Text Link Ads!

Travel In Chauffeur Driven Style

2007-02-05T08:48:00.000Z

How does the thought of being chauffeur driven grab you? It may be something you already enjoy; but I'm guessing that the majority of us either drive ourselves or take public transport to wherever we need to go. After all; chauffeurs are for rich people aren't they? Well, that's probably true of employing full time chauffeurs, but my eyes were opened to some possibilities for 'the rest of us' last week when I was asked to develop a website for some friends who run a local chauffering company called; "Where to?".

Ken and Lynne are an extremely friendly couple and are keen to establish themselves as the premier chauffeur driven MPV hire service in North West England and Wales. They have access to a fleet of Mercedes Benz Vianos all offering extreme comfort for the business or leisure traveller and all containing air conditioning, fridge and power points for laptops and mobile phones. Ken is a professionally trained advanced driver and a member of the UK Chauffeur's Guild. The service they offer is second to none, and includes onboard refreshments and even optional gourmet buffets for that really special experience.

Where to? can fulfill business trips, vip transfers, sporting events, and just about anything else that requires comfortable travel from A to B. They promise me it is a first class service without the first class price tag. And if you are planning to visit the UK from overseas and would like a planned itinerary of sight seeing, you guessed it; they can do that too! Anyway, have a look at the website and see what's on offer from the best chauffeur hire service in Wirral! It's at http://www.whereto-chauffeur.co.uk

Create PDFs Easily For Free

2007-01-29T15:27:00.000Z

The PDF (Portable Document File) is probably the most popular format for eBooks and other documents. That's no surprise given that they are compatible with PCs and Macs alike and it enables the canny self publisher to create widespread exposure for publicity or plain old profit. Adobe's PDF creation software is undoubtedly the definitive leader of the pack when it comes to creating and manipulating PDFs, but it is prohibitively expensive for anybody on a budget; so it should be said that there is a (much) cheaper alternative...

The easiest and also the cheapest way to convert a Word document into PDF is to use the FREE word processor contained in the "Open Office" suite. Not only is this superb office suite compatible with Microsoft files such as Word and Excel but it also has the ability to create a PDF document directly.

I have been using Open Office without problems regularly now for the past couple of years, and can vouch for its stability and high quality. But why is it free you may ask? Quite simply because it is 'Open Source' software - if you need an explanation have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source

It goes without saying that I highly recommend you visit www.openoffice.org to check out the excellent "Open Office" software and see for yourself just how easy it is to convert Word documents to PDF without any hassle or extra expense.

The software can be downloaded from http://download.openoffice.org/index.html so if you want to create PDFs but can't afford expensive software for the purpose, check it out today!

Passive Income Streams - What are they and how can you get them?

2007-01-15T14:36:00.000Z

It sounds fantastic, doesn't it? The very idea of a stream of income that is passive is incredibly attractive and seductive to any thinking person. But just what does passive income really mean? Definitioins of the term "Passive income" on the Web vary, but my personal favourite is found at Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_income) which seems to cover most bases.

One obvious example of passive income is the interest accrued by a savings account – this is all very well while you have savings in place, but the problem with this kind of income is that it is residual, meaning that in order to maintain the income stream, only the residual part can be used. If you fall upon hard times or the interest rate drops dramatically you might have to start spending your lump sum, then of course the passive income disappears along with your savings. Not an ideal situation and it demonstrates the fragility of residual income.

The best kind of passive income then is continuous and does not rely on a lump sum. Once the wheels have been set in motion then no further action is required for the income to be generated, or as the Wikipedia definition states; "without continuing effort" - Quite simply, it happens all by itself! Sounds good to me, but how is that kind of passive income model created?

There are a number of ways, but probably the most well known are royalty payments earned for creating popular songs or best-selling books. We've all heard of the massive royalty cheques received by songwriters and top authors. But hang on a minute; does that mean you have to write a hit record or a bestselling novel in order to generate passive income? Well, if you have the talent, along with the patience and perhaps a bit of luck on your side, then by all means go for it. However, most of us fall short of one or more of the required criteria, and the number of people earning a living through this kind of passive income alone are in the minority.

One thing that cannot be overlooked is work. Don't be fooled into thinking that just because your time is not directly traded for cash that no work is required on your part. In most cases a great deal of time and effort has to be expended before even the smallest amount of passive income is realised, and this kind of 'up front' work without any obvious instant rewards will put many off before they even get started – after all; who wants to spend their evenings researching and writing articles for a Website when they could be out socialising or relaxing in front of the TV? Only the very dedicated, I believe.

However, the Internet, or more specifically; the World Wide Web offers up opportunities for the passive income seeker that would have been unheard of not so very long ago. Many unseen and unknown Website owners are silently raking in huge profits as a result of allowing advertising on a popular site. Imagine the earning potential of PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising on a site that pulls in 100,000 visitors per day, or the fee that could be commanded for a prominently placed banner on such a site. That kind of result surely justifies any amount of up-front work? Let's not forget though that a successful Website requires ongoing work to remain popular so it might not be considered the perfect example of a truly passive income stream model.

Some passive income streams can also be very small, requiring a combination of streams to make up a full time living. This can again be seen on the Internet when a webmaster has a number of Web sites each making a small amount of money from advertising (most recently Adsense has been the favourite) – In examples such as this it is the combined force of these smaller revenue streams that make up the overall income. On the face of it, this is not such a bad idea when you consider that if one of the sites fails it does not have a major effect on the overall earnings of the site owner, thereby avoiding financial catastrophe. For the belt and braces approach a number of different advertisers would also be combined, so that (as in this example) Adsense is not the only source of revenue.

The conclusion is that passive income although desirable to most in theory, will require some up-front effort to achieve, and not everybody has that discipline. For the person that is both disciplined and determined there are different ways of creating passive income streams and the World Wide Web offers one of the greatest opportunities of our time including the possibility of drawing income from a number of sources and combining them together into one larger sum - this is the model used by many successful Adsense devotees. However, it has also been seen that it is not always wise to put all of our eggs into one basket, and that a combination of different income streams could be the sensible option long term to cover the expenses necessary for living a fulfilling lifestyle.

More:

Nick Marks' Multiple Streams of Income

Easy Chair Millionaire

Free eBay Tips and Tricks

2007-01-12T16:04:00.000Z

Keen eBayers will be interested to hear that the latest Easy Profits With eBay newsletter is now online.

This time I outline some of the benefits of installing the eBay toolbar and I reveal another money spinning link that can help you make bonus profits from eBay sales. There is an up-to-date UK wholesaler's guide in eBook format you can download completely FREE and also a little known eBay link that leads to a wealth of goodies.

If you have an interest in eBay and want to learn about ways of maximising your income, or even if you just want a free e-book, you must visit the free eBay tips and tricks newsletter straight away!

The Secret Desire Revealed in Internet Entrepreneurs Everywhere

2007-01-10T08:56:00.000Z

Today's budding entrepreneur is invariably drawn towards the Internet; either as a standalone business, or for marketing an existing offline business, and with potentially millions of customers online it is easy to understand why this medium is so attractive. Online marketing is readily available to anybody with a PC and an Internet connection and offers what is probably the most cost effective and low risk method of promoting almost any product or service to a worldwide audience.

Gone are the days when massive investment backed by a huge advertising campaign were the only pre-requisistes for a successful product launch, now homespun publishers everywhere can compete. Energy and creativity are often the substitutes for big financial investment in a brave new on-line world. This energy and creativity combined with a positive outlook and craving for success are the fuel and fire that drive the entrepreneur towards the ultimate goal.

Reaching for the stars has never been easier for the impoverished self publisher perhaps working from the confines of a kitchen table at home. Indeed, this scenario only serves to illustrate the all-consuming hope that the Internet has given to many of these hard working optimists. Competition, on the other hand, is fiercer than ever with many more budding on-line business owners appearing daily. Hang on in there though, don't be disillusioned by the amount of competitors because many are simply dipping a toe in the water and have no real desire to dive in and really go for it.

Quite simply, it is as it always was in business; those with the real commitment and single-minded will to succeed will win out in the end. Understanding and believing this simple rule is the key to unlocking an inner strength that will serve as nourishment on the often long and lonely road ahead. Ignoring this fact though would be foolish, leading only to demoralisation and, ultimately, ruin. Capitalise on your strengths and forget about any weaknesses, for others will have your weakness as their strength, so it would be folly to do otherwise. Kick those old beliefs into touch and start afresh if necessary; you will know if it becomes so. Look again closely at the words in this article, for although they may appear at times disjointed or archaic, you will find a hidden message that reveals the uppermost desire of many an Internet entrepreneur. Yes, it really is that simple!

Read on for the Solution...

Now that you have read my article titled “The Secret Desire Revealed in Internet Entrepreneurs Everywhere” you may be wondering what the hidden message is, or in fact if there really is a hidden message. Well, yes there is, but it was just a bit of writer's fun really and doesn't convey any great meaning or anything, so I hope you aren't disappointed with the result. Anyway, here is the solution:

Solution to The Secret Desire Revealed in Internet Entrepreneurs Everywhere

It really is very simple: Just take the first letter of each sentence in the article and spell them out in order, like so:-

TOGETRICHQUICKLY

Put some spaces between the words where the spaces between the paragraphs in the article are and all becomes very clear:-

TO GET RICH QUICKLY

Simple eh?

If you like this kind of thing you might enjoy reading another of my articles; "Secret Revealed In The Business Code".

Further Study into the World of SEO

2007-01-09T10:51:00.000Z

You might remember my little SEO experiment a while back involving 3 identical web pages but with differently formatted title and meta description tags? If not you can read the details HERE. Anyway, I thought it was time I had a little look at the results to see how the pages fared with the three major Search Engines (Google, MSN, Yahoo).

As expected, the Googlebot was the first to crawl the experimental pages and the first SE to index them. Google has also followed 'the rules' in that the page with the 'correct' format comes out on top. This is all good stuff, especially given that Google remains head and shoulders above the competition and therefore the most 'important' search engine for site owners and SEO specialists. So it would appear that following 'the rules' when formatting Web pages will pay off with Google.

However, not all of the SEs follow the same principles with their algorithms...

MSN has yet to index any of the pages, even though the msnbot has crawled the links several times. Perhaps the MSN algo requires more than one inbound link for a page to be considered important enough to index? Or perhaps a single web page with only one link to it is regarded as irrelevant?

Yahoo, on the other hand, has indexed the page with the nonsense title and irrelevant meta description. Quite why is a mystery to me as it seems to make no sense whatsoever. Perhaps with the different title and description the page is viewed as having more content than its competitors? Or maybe the title and description are simply ignored? Either way I don't like the idea that sloppy and badly formed pages can rank higher in the Yahoo SERPS.

In conclusion, it would seem that my little experiment has raised more questions than it answers, especially with regard to MSN and Yahoo. Although it is comforting to see that the world's most popular search engine appears to be playing by the rules. This reinforces the popular opinion that creating good quality content is the best long term strategy in getting a site to rank highly. One thing I have learned for sure from this little experiment is that I will have to make further study into the world of SEO.

Watch this space...

Cut Price Article Marketing

2006-12-23T11:29:00.000Z

If you have been here before then you will know how enthusiastic I am about writing and distributing articles to promote a Web site. it really is a cost effective and reliable method of generating targeted traffic when it is done properly and I've written about the best techniques many times. If you haven't read this info you might like to check out:

Why Articles Fail To Deliver Traffic To Your Website
The Secret Gold Hidden In Articles
Who Says Articles Don’t Drive Traffic To Your Website?

In order to get the most from your articles it is necessary to have them spread around the Web as widely as possible; which can be very time consuming if you are attempting to run and promote your online business alone. So if you want to use your time more productively in other areas of your business then it is useful to know that there is help at hand in the form of article submission services; which, as the name suggests, will submit your articles for you. There are several available and the one I use myself and continually recommend is Article Marketer.

So it was nice to receive an email this morning from Chris Ellington of Article Marketer advising me of a great discount offer in celebration of Time Magazine's person of the year for 2006. Currently if you subscribe to the full distribution service for one quarter you will get the second quarter absolutely free - that is fantastic value for getting your articles distributed automatically (with the resultant increase in targeted traffic).

Check out the full story and take advantage of this great offer at Article Marketer now and enjoy a New Year full of increased traffic to your Web site. Click here for more...

Is It Possible To Make A Good Income Working From Home?

2006-12-08T10:58:00.000Z

It's a good question isn't it?

The good news is that it is entirely possible to make a good income working from home. The bad news is that you will have to be careful in how you achieve it because there are many scams out there and lots of unscrupulous people who are all too willing to exploit home workers. This situation occurs in the workplace too of course, but there are usually rules and regulations that don't apply to people working from home.

If you are intent on earning a living by working from home, then it would be wise to do some prior planning. First off; think about your interests and skills - Do you like to write? Are you a good photographer? Can you proofread and edit copy? Perhaps you enjoy composing and recording your own music? Do you have programming or Web design skills?

All of these things have something in common: they are 'creative' pursuits; and that is the key to making a good income working from home. You must leave behind the idea of trading your time for money as you would in a job, and instead concentrate on selling your ideas and creativity for the best possible price.

So where is the best place to sell your creative ideas? The great thing is that now we are living in the 21st Century we have access to the greatest communication medium of all time - the Internet. And with this all powerful tool at our disposal the whole world is at our fingertips.

The result is that anybody with enough persistence and determination can make a good income working from home by following three simple steps:

1 - Leave behind the notion of trading time for money

2 - Work at being creative

3 - Sell your ideas to the highest bidder in a worldwide market

By leaving behind any pre-conceived ideas and embracing the power of the World Wide Web it is entirely possible that you too can make not only a good income working from home, but a VERY good one. You won't be the first and you certainly won't be the last..

What's In A Name?

2006-11-27T13:44:00.000Z

I'm sorry I mentioned the celebrity thing now. For one; I'm tired of trying to find ways of incorporating the theme into my blog and for another; far too many visitors are arriving here expecting to see something that isn't here (FBT). But hey ho, we live and learn eh??? Anyway...

My regular reader will know that I am currently researching a book on Website traffic and this is proving to be quite challenging. There are so many opinions and hearsay (No, not like Myleene!) in the various SEO forums that it dilutes any genuine information - even worse; it misleads people. So perhaps the only way to find out the genuine facts is to carry out my own experiments into the murky waters of SEO. My first little test looks at what's in a name, or more specifically the TITLE tag in HTML.

So just how important is the TITLE tag on a web page then? Is it vital for SEO, or can you get away without it? Well one way of finding out is to see how the search engines will view identical web pages with different title tags. For the purposes of this experiment I have created three web pages; all identical except for the TITLE and META DESCRIPTION tags and uploaded them to a test folder.

It will take some time for the search engines to visit and index the test pages. So in order to get the ball rolling I will list the pages here:-

Now all I need to do is keep an eye out for the pages to appear in the SERPS. Once that happens I can analyze the results.

So more on that when the time comes, but in the meantime I'm not going to mention the large parts of an evicted jungle guest as I have no intention of improving on my current number two spot in Google for the keyword hinted at and mentioned in a previous post.

Is Jan Leeming On Target?

2006-11-21T12:39:00.000Z

You know, I really can't get over the number of extra hits My Rich Pickings is getting as a result of people searching for Faith Brown's tits. I just wish I had mentioned Myleene's m**** or something! (Far more appealing to my eyes.) Anyway, not that it is doing anybody any favours, because my blog has nothing whatsoever to satiate the demands of eager Faith Brown fans - so I presume most of them simply hit the 'back' button immediately.

Which brings me to mention targeted traffic. The fact is that it matters not if your site has 20 or 20,000 visitors per day - if those visitors have not arrived because they were looking for that something your site has to offer, then your site is not a success and ultimately you won't profit from it. So what can you do to generate visitors who are actually interested in your site and didn't arrive by accident?

It is a complicated subject and one that I am going into great detail about as I research my new book on Website traffic. But one worthwhile method that every Webmaster worth their salt knows about is PPC campaigns, whether that be with Google's Adwords, Yahoo's Search Marketing, or whoever, the fact is it works in getting targeted traffic to a site if used correctly.

But for today it is enough to wonder: Will Jan Leeming parachute jump out of that plane or not?

What Are You Looking At?

2006-11-19T13:45:00.000Z

Checking my stats this morning I discovered that there had been quite a few extra visitors to My Rich Pickings so I decided to investigate where they had come from.

What surprised me was that they were all (yes ALL of them) from a Google search for "faith brown tits". Now I'm not surprised that people are searching for the term, but I am surprised that my last post, Design Consistency, Get Me Out Of Here! currently gets a no.6 position on the first page of Google for it. Mind you, I'll bet that most of the visitors were disappointed when they discovered what the post was really about!

I guess it proves the theory that writing something controversial about a topical subject can boost your ratings, so perhaps I should try more of it.

Come back next time for Dean Gaffney Plays Footsie With Crocodile In Hot Tub!

Design Consistency? Get Me Out Of Here!

2006-11-16T11:11:00.000Z

Maybe I lost the plot or took too much medication or something, but I seem to recall that I was going to look at a popular TV show and try to find elements that can be transferred to a website in order to try to repeat this popularity?

Oh yes, it was just a feeble excuse that would allow me to mention the antics on "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!". Ah well, I'll just have to run with it now...

So just how can the show be compared to a website then?

The first thing to notice is the opening titles - they are consistent. As the show starts the viewer is drawn in by familiar imagery and titles with an appropriate 'jungle' colour scheme. It is the same for every episode of the show with the celebs appearing in the same order each time. This can be transferred to a website by providing a consistent layout with the logo and navigation in the same place on each page and a harmonious colour scheme.

Then there is the order of the show; the 'teaser' film of the celebs at the beginning followed by the 'welcome' talk to camera from Ant and Dec and then another look at what has been happening in camp. This is then followed by more observations which are backed up by more film of the antics in camp, and so on. Again it is consistent from one day to the next making the experience easy for the viewer. One way of transferring this 'easiness' to your website is by making sure that every page on your site is easy to find and doesn't require any radical thinking. Make it 'easy' for the user.

Incidentally, who decides which celebs get to bungy jump out of the helicopter and which ones take the lily livered option of canoeing up a river? Obviously Faith Brown couldn't have bungy jumped because her tits would have battered her to death before she reached the ground, but just how that decision is made I would like to know. Comments please...

Anyway, back to the webby stuff:

I think that overall the thing that should be drawn from today's observation (apart from that mental image of Faith Brown's bazookas violently flapping in the wind) is CONSISTENCY. Just as "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" uses familiarity in its opening titles and maintains a consistent format with the same things happening in the same order, so we can utilise this consistency in our website designs. It is not rocket science and the idea is at the very core of good web design, but it is worth pointing out for the benefit of the many who think it is cool to have a new layout and colour scheme on each page of their site.

Until next time, take a look at where else you can see the same sort of uniform design consistency: newspapers, magazines, books, buildings, shops????

Oh, and try to get that image of you know what out of your mind now!

I'm A Celebrity so take the piss!

2006-11-13T15:31:00.001Z

Finally the new series of I'm A celebrity Get Me Out of Here kicks off in the UK tonight, and...

Hang on a minute, am I on the right blog here? My Rich Pickings is supposed to be about making and saving money online and Websites and stuff, isn't it?

Well, yes it is but I think there is an analogy in here somewhere that it would pay for us to look at.

As we all know; a Website (or blog) is only successful if it gets plenty of visitors to its pages, and a TV show is only successful if it gets plenty of viewers; so there should be something we can draw from this; i.e. if we figure out what makes people watch a successful TV show, then we might have an idea of how to create a successful Website (or blog).

Now, I can't help it, and I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I am a fan of "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here" despite the fact that I hate almost all other so called reality TV shows (although how dumping people in the jungle and then filming their every move relates to reality I'm not sure). So what makes the difference between this and the other 'reality' TV shows, and is it relevant to successful Websites?

For me, the thing that makes "I'm a Celebrity" appealing where others fail is Ant and Dec taking the piss - I don't care two hoots about the so called celebs, but watching some stardom hungry has-been chewing on a wichity grub while Ant and Dec wet their pants laughing is what I call entertainment. And THAT I suspect is what makes so many other people tune in too - laughter.

Go on, admit it: you'll be talking about something you saw on "I'm a Celebrity" tomorrow, and more than likely laughing about it too - and that means the people who didn't see it will be tuning in tomorrow night to see what all the fuss is about. Talk about viral marketing!

So over the coming three weeks I will be analyzing and blogging about how "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here" can be compared to a successful Website. Oh, and probably laughing about it too! Watch this space...

Long Live the Google Search Engine

2006-11-09T14:14:00.000Z

My regular reader will know that I spend a lot of time writing. It's obvious I know but, in order to write it is regularly necessary to do some research and I find that the World Wide Web is the ideal medium for it because I don't have to leave the office and break my concentration in order to look up some fact or statistic. My preferred tool for this research is usually the Google Search Engine (not for nothing is it the most popular on the Web).

When researching a certain topic on the Web I regularly come across a lot of junk and irrelevant nonsense (I know, I know, I should make more use of the advanced search feature at Google.). And a lot of the time I will find a page that exists only to sell me something; it may go into a lot of detail along the way but ultimately at the end of it all there is a 'buy now' button. Nothing wrong with that, after all we all have to earn a living, but it is not usually what I was looking for at all.

So it is always nice to find the information I am looking for nicely laid out on an accessible Web page without having to delve deeply into a site and run the risk of being side-tracked along the way. It's also a great bonus when it just happens to be FREE too! Naturally when I find a great resource my first instinct is to pass it on. So if you are at all concerned with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) you might be interested in my latest find:

It is Ron Castle's article "How To Become Number One At Google". Yes, I know that ultimately he is promoting a service, but if you are a Webmaster and know what you are looking at, then you will realise that there is a great deal of information about SEO beyond the visible words in the text ;o)

In conclusion, my message for today is a simple thanks for the Google Search Engine; without which the Web would be a whole different place, and I might still not have found what I was looking for......... (cue Bono et al...)

Increase On-line Earnings By Filtering

2006-11-07T15:24:00.000Z

Catching up with some on-line reading today I came across a very interesting post from John Chow called "Using the competitive ad filter to increase Adsense earnings".

Basically he claims that the so called 'MFA' (Made For Adsense) sites that contain little or no proper page content are buying their traffic through Adwords and other PPC services and using low cost per click keywords. The point being that if you are getting low value clickthroughs from your sites (typically 3 or 4 cents) then the chances are that it was a MFA site responsible and you would have got a higher value from a legitimate site.

I think it is a risky business buying traffic from Adsense in order to earn from Adsense because it could end up costing far more than was ever earned. However, there are many black hat tactics abound and there are many ways of exploiting the earning potential of Adsense; so I don't doubt that it happens.

What intrigues me is the idea that by blocking some ads we can increase overall revenue. Can it be possible? Well I am experimenting with the idea right now.

Watch this space...

Please buy my articles, anybody?

2006-10-18T12:39:00.000Z

I tried a little online money making experiment this week. Basically, it involved writing some articles and then selling them. As usual, I had high expectations that my offer would be very popular and make me a nice few quid in a short space of time (the old entrepreneurial spirit!).

Anyway, being as I am a member of the excellent Warrior Forum it seemed natural to offer my articles for sale in the WSO section with PLR rights. If you're wondering what PLR is then it means Private Label Rights and basically gives the purchaser carte blanche to do what they want with them; e.g. put their name on the bottom as the author, use them as content on a Website, re-edit them, compile an e-book, etc.

I figured that by offering the articles as PLR at a low price rather than exclusivity at a higher price then the number of people who bought the PLR articles would raise the overall profit margin. It sounds like a good idea and I notice that there are others doing the same, although it wasn't something I had tried before (If you're interested you can view the sales page for a limited time HERE.).

I bet by now you're wondering how it went? Not as well as I would have liked. Perhaps there is a limited demand for PLR articles on the subject of Credit Card Debt? Whatever the reason, it was a real buyer's bargain getting 5 articles for only $6.00 and I won't be repeating the experiment in a hurry!

We live and learn...

Free eBay Tips and Tricks Newsletter

2006-10-07T07:24:00.000Z

Regular visitors to My Rich Pickings will know that I am also the webmaster of Easy Profits with eBay, the site that offers free tips and tricks for eBay sellers. But if you don't subscribe to the Easy Profits newsletter you will be unaware that the first ever issue is now available to read online.

To celebrate the first issue I have included not one but two FREE downloads. There is also a feature on the benefits of the eBay Turbolister program and I reveal an often overlooked money spinning technique that can make you bonus profits from eBay sales.

If you sell on eBay and are interested to learn about ways of maximising your income, you should visit the free eBay tips and tricks newsletter straight away!

Unbeatable Service and Prices!

2006-10-04T13:32:00.001Z

Just a quick one today...

With all of the delays and poor service I have experienced lately during my business start up phase, I thought I would mention an excellent online printing service based in the UK.

www.goodprint.co.uk supplied me with 200 business cards of superior quality and meeting my exact double sided design specification. The whole thing took less than 3 days from the time I uploaded my design to receiving the finished cards. And the price was a very reasonable £26.85 too - cheaper than my local high street print shop can supply single sided business cards!

Well done guys, and thank you. I'll be back for more!

What, no customers?

2006-10-02T13:12:00.000Z

If you remember, today was supposed to be my official first day of trading? Well, there have been a couple of setbacks and I still haven't been able to do any advertising, mostly due to the fiasco with my new phone line. After a further two weeks delay and a hole in the road, it was finally connected and declared to be in working operation on Friday.

I bet Alan Sugar wouldn't have to wait a month to get a phone connected.

Anyway, as you can imagine I haven't got much time for hanging around here, so I'll keep it short for today.

Despite the setbacks and being behind schedule, the doors are now open at TDL Web Developments. God bless her and all who sail etc...

Making Plans for Business

2006-09-19T09:18:00.000Z

It is a very busy time taking the steps needed to becoming self-employed. There are so many things to organise and sort out. For example; what business are you in? Where will you work from? How will you market the business? Who and where are your customers? Etc, etc, etc...

Incidentally, am I an entrepreneur or just somebody who works for himself? And is there a difference? The answer has probably got something to with the amount of money to be made - although I guess there is a difference between the person launching an innovative new product and somebody working as a plumber. According to the guy who lectured at the business start up course I attended; an entrepreneur is a 'risk taker' - but surely anybody starting a business at whatever level is taking a risk? And therefore anybody starting in business is an entrepreneur? I'll get my dictionary...

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, very busy trying to get organised. Well it is still early days in my journey and trading doesn't start officially until 2nd October so I've got a couple of weeks yet. Then I should have all of the elements in place and can start advertising and handing out business cards.

Actually, there are things that really hold up your progress when you decide to start a business. One of them being the time it takes to open a business bank account - I was lucky in that I didn't want to borrow any money or have an overdraft facility (we'll see if this changes at a later date), but it still took a couple of weeks from filling in the forms to receiving my cheque book, cards, etc.

At the moment I am waiting for BT to install my new phone line (should be later today) and until they do they will not confirm the number. Naturally this means I haven't been able to have any business cards or other stationery printed - one more spanner in the works that delays the process still further.

With all of the stuff to do first in setting up and then actually running the business it is more essential than ever before to set goals and have a plan to work to. Hey, we could call it a business plan! What do you think?

Swimming in the Sea of Self Employment

2006-09-12T06:35:00.000Z

After more than twenty years in a steady job with a large organisation I decided to quit and dip my toe in the water of self-employment - Actually, there is no such thing as dipping a toe in the water when it is your only source of income; more like plunging head first into white water rapids. From here on there is no life boat!

Maybe I'm a bit crazy for giving up a steady wage, and doubtless many think I am, but after spending the majority of my working life (and almost half of my actual time on earth) toiling for a global motor manufacturer I felt it was time for a change. My decision was helped by the fact that the organisation appears (to those in the know) to be on borrowed time in the UK - and also by a separation package that more than covers my start-up costs.

Anyway, I've had a nice holiday and some time to sort myself out; so now it is onwards and upwards as I continue with my preparations - trading starts officially on 2nd October! Watch this space to see if I sink or swim...

It Wasn't Me; Honest!

2006-08-07T09:33:00.000Z

You may have noticed that I haven't updated this blog for over a week? Thks is because I have been on holiday; a fantastic fun-filled week in/on Mallorca, the largest of the Ballearic islands. I love getting away from it all and recharging the batteries. I always find I am stimulated with new online money making ideas too; but more of that later this week...

Anyway, imagine my shock when on my return home I discovered that a thread had been started at the Digital Point forums about a guy called "Tony Williams" - and included in the same thread was a link to My Rich Pickings! (You can read it HERE)

Of course, the thread is not about yours truly, as I very quickly pointed out, but another "Tony Williams" who looks as though he has a bit to learn about Google's Adsense TOS (Terms Of Service). The thing I found worrying was that my reputation could have been sullied (albeit unintentionally) and I had absolutely no control of the situation.

But as with everything there is always a negative and a positive: In this case the positive was an increase in visitors who were clicking through from the link in the DP post. So thanks to Kevin Boyer, one of my link partners, for asking if it was me!

How To Avoid Crippling Energy Price Rises

2006-07-29T10:52:00.000Z

If you live in the UK then you will be aware that British Gas are raising prices for the third time in a year. This further 12% price hike due in September means that British Gas prices will have increased by 50% in the past twelve months, and the company are charging the average household up to £170 more annually than their competitors for the same service. It doesn't need to be spelled out that price increases like this could mean catastrophe for household budgets; even the government are urging consumers to switch providers!

Ok, so it's obvious; in order to avoid the 12% price hike being introduced later this year then British Gas customers will need to switch energy providers. But which one to choose, and can you be bothered with the hassle? The good news is that I have found a fantastic web based service that compares energy providers and makes the whole process simple.

EnergyHelpline help customers save money on their gas & electricity, home phone and heating insurance through a price comparison service. The service is only available for UK residents and it is a simple matter of answering a couple of questions via an online form to find the right service. You can then sign up by filling in a few simple details and the rest of the admin is taken care of by them.

The service is free of charge, impartial and independent and is certified by Energywatch the regulatory body. So what are you waiting for? Switch to a cheaper supplier with Energyhelpline.com

Get Rich Click

2006-07-12T11:44:00.000Z

“Get Rich Click” is a great phrase isn’t it? It is obviously a pun on get rich quick and usually refers to the activities of young Internet entrepreneurs who are making a fortune online; often to the bewilderment of older more traditional business people. Another description coined is “Entreprenerd” a derivative of entrepreneur and nerd; which again has been coined by a generation that can’t quite get their heads round the idea of young people generating massive income seemingly overnight from the World Wide Web.

Naturally, when these more traditional business minds become aware of just how much money is being made by some of the get rich click successes, then it becomes a ‘serious’ business venture and not just kids mucking about online for pocket money. Once that happens, the competition hots up as lots of people jump on the bandwagon and it gets increasingly more difficult to make the huge profits enjoyed by some.

Take Google’s Adsense programme as an example: Pretty much all that needs to be done to earn money with the contextually generated ads is to find some high paying keywords and then deliberately create or amend a website to rank well for those keywords. Obviously there is work to be done and techniques to be learned, but the process is so simple that it is almost child’s play. Consequently it now seems like everybody wants to join in and there is so much competition out there that it can be really difficult to find a new Adsense niche to exploit.

So if you really want to make a lot of money online, then maybe you should ignore what has gone before and instead be looking to blaze a trail with your own Get Rich Click scheme?

Get rich with a FREE copy of Stealth Income Secrets!

2006-07-04T11:28:00.000Z

What does it mean to be ‘rich’, and how do you know if you are? Is being ‘rich’ measured by the amount of money you have? Maybe for some, but I don’t think so… For me, it is more about freedom – being where I want to be and doing exactly what I want to be doing at a particular moment.

And so it was yesterday when my wife and I decided to have a day off and visit one of our favourite places, Llangollen in North Wales. The weather was glorious and the views absolutely spectacular as we drove through the Horseshoe Pass and down the winding mountain road toward the beautiful little village on the banks of the Dee – I don’t care what anybody says; all of the money in the world could not have improved this experience, and I felt truly ‘rich’ indeed to be able to enjoy the privilege.

Perhaps it is middle age catching up with me, because I know it wouldn’t have had the same effect when I was twenty and taking so much of life for granted. But now I realise that simply noticing the enormous diversity of experiences that life has to offer, combined with the freedom and health to enjoy them, are the true ‘riches’ we should be seeking. It is so easy to get bogged down with the process of earning a living and striving to improve our lot that maybe sometimes we should just take some time out and be grateful for what we already have…

Anyway, that’s enough of my amateur philosophy for today. Lastly, I am offering 5 free copies of Stealth Income Secrets ($37.00 value) to the first 5 people who can correctly identify the famous 1960’s movie that inspired the rather swanky photo above of me taken on the Horse Shoe Pass yesterday.

Answers via email to competition@myrichpickings.co.uk

The Guts To Grasp Opportunity

2006-06-21T15:09:00.000Z

How many times have you heard people make excuses for not living the lives they want to lead? If only I had more money, or if I had a better job, or if things were different then I could start my own business, etc. I have to confess that I have been very guilty of this kind of negative thinking in the past, and today I thought I would write a little about opportunity...

My mini Oxford dictionary defines the word opportunity as circumstances suitable for a particular purpose. Hmm, that’s an interesting definition, and one which I’m not completely sure describes such an important and potentially life changing thing. But just what is ‘opportunity’ and where can you find it?

It is a strange intangible thing opportunity. Some spend a lifetime searching for it, some fail to see it when it arrives, and yet others are completely afraid of it; perhaps fearing that to try to take advantage of opportunity could perhaps make everything a whole lot worse; almost as if they think they are not worthy.

But I believe that everybody is worthy of opportunity, and I also believe that everybody is presented with plenty of opportunities throughout their lives. It is whether a person chooses to recognise and use that opportunity that makes the difference, and in fact; whether they are ready to do so.

If it were not for the optimists in the past having the guts to grasp opportunity when it entered their lives, and being ready to do something with it, we would never have seen any progress in the world and we would all still be living in caves and foraging for food.

And the fact is that, more often than not, opportunity is actually created by those who seek it – I know this to be true from experience.

So my thought for the day is this:

Are you ready and willing to grasp opportunity when it presents itself?

Whip Drive Free Targeted Traffic Directly To Your Website

2006-06-17T11:24:00.000Z

Most webmasters know that writing and submitting articles is one of the crucial tactics that must be used to drive targeted traffic to their websites. Done properly, this technique alone will have hoards of hungry visitors clambering over each other to get to your website with the result that your earnings are skyrocketed into hyperspace and crowds of admirers come begging for the secrets of your success.

Ok, maybe that’s a little bit of an exaggeration and I wouldn’t like to be accused of getting carried away, but the principle is the same. The fact is that relevant and well written articles will deliver honest to goodness targeted traffic to your website – and that is crucial to the success of any online business.

But if you are writing and submitting articles, and not getting the results you hoped for, then perhaps there are one or two things you should be looking at more closely. So let’s have a look at the main points and try to discern just what makes the difference between a Mr Popular Website and a Billy No Mates Website.

Relevancy
Keep your articles on topic – for example; if your website is aimed at guitarists then make sure your article is about something related to guitars such as playing techniques, guitar construction, must-have accessories, etc.

Make sure also that your title appeals to your chosen audience – It is no good having a title that doesn't immediately identify your niche. By all means you should write eye-catching and appealing titles but keep them relevant!

Quality
Is it well written? It really doesn't take any effort these days to spell check a document, so there is no excuse for sloppy spelling. You could also consider having somebody else read through your article to make sure it means what you think it means.

Make sure your articles are long enough! One of the things that will get your article bounced right back from a directory is if it does not fulfill the submission requirements, and all directories have a minimum word count. For maximum impact, and to fulfill any word count criteria there are, I would recommend making your articles 500 words or more.

Resourcefulness
Target your resource box – If you are submitting articles for more than one website then change your resource box accordingly.

Always remember to submit your article to the right section of a directory – It's obvious, but an article about potholing activities in South Wales is not going to draw much attention in the cookery section.

Put Yourself About
Submit to more than one directory – It is not illegal or disloyal to submit your articles to more than one directory; heck this is about promotion, right? Consider also using an article submission service to save time and effort and really spread your articles around the web.

Don’t think that one or two articles will be enough. Write and submit as many articles as you can on your chosen theme and watch the resulting traffic grow exponentially.

In conclusion; writing and submitting articles to article directories is a very effective way to boost traffic to a website, so it is worthwhile spending some time perfecting the process to gain the maximum benefits. I don't pretend that this post in itself is a complete guide to article writing success, but I hope it goes some way towards helping you to succeed with your website promotion strategy.

Til next time, here's to your success!

Finding The Inspiration To Make Money

2006-06-07T11:39:00.000Z

Making money online for many involves creative writing and it might involve producing advertising copy, short stories, topical articles, or news from exotic locations. But regardless of the genre, what do you do when faced with a lack of inspiration and the onset of the dreaded writer’s block?

Perhaps you have never experienced it, and if so then all well and good, but it is a very real problem for many people, and especially those who may be attempting to earn a living from the written word. And that increasingly in this day and age of the World Wide Web includes bloggers.

So with this in mind I thought I would try to come up with a list of creative solutions to the common problem of writer’s block. Here (not in any particular order) are my top ten:

Change the order - when stuck on a particular part such as an introduction; move on (to the first chapter for example) and come back to the bit you’re stuck on later.
Talk about it instead – rather than writing about your subject, try talking to a tape recorder and getting your ideas out that way. You can organise it into written words and paragraphs later on.
Change your audience – instead of writing for adult readers, change tack and write with children in mind or vice versa.
Do something easy first – start with a part of your project you know will be easy and enjoyable.
Go for a walk or have a cup of tea – taking a short break is often all that a busy mind needs to get organised.
Sit in the park with a pen and paper – It becomes routine to fire up your PC or Mac and get to work in your word processor, so try changing your scenery and your methods.
Write some random words – choose several words (from a dictionary perhaps) and then write whatever comes into your head about these words.
Take a break – This could mean resting for several days or even weeks. This is not always practical but some theories suggest it may sometimes be essential to refresh the creative juices.
Do some research – you can try this right now by going to your favourite search engine and typing in “writer’s block”.
Write about writer’s block – Hey, isn’t that what I’m doing?

In conclusion, if you find yourself searching for some money making inspiration then try working through some of these ideas. They do work as I believe that this article proves…

More Targeted Traffic For FREE!

2006-05-23T12:42:00.000Z

Just a quick one for today. You may remember that a couple of weeks ago I talked about using the Google Adwords program for getting targeted traffic to a website, and also how you could get £30.00 worth of PPC ads for only 99p. Don't worry if you missed it because you can still read it at Save Money Getting Targeted Traffic.

Well hot on the heels of Google are Yahoo with their "Search Marketing" program. It works in the same way as Adwords and the long established Yahoo search engine will ensure you get plenty of targeted traffic provided you set it up properly. But perhaps the best part is that they are currently offering £50.00 of credit for new accounts. If you want to take advantage of the offer just click the link below:-

Start with £50 credit in your new Yahoo! Search Marketing account. See your company top of the search results on Yahoo!, MSN and Lycos

Stealth Income Secrets - Save $27.00!!!!

2006-05-15T10:00:00.000Z

Readers of My Rich Pickings can take advantage of a very special offer. For the next seven days you can buy Stealth Income Secrets for only $10.00 – a saving of $27.00 on the regular selling price (view the sales page here).

Stealth Income Secrets is the guide that explains how to dramatically increase earnings from the sale of e-books. So if you are currently selling or considering selling e-books on eBay or another auction site then you will find it contains essential knowledge that can make the difference between success or failure. You can visit the special offer sales page and download a FREE ‘taster’ copy of the e-book HERE.

Please note that this is a time limited offer that will expire on the 22nd May – so hurry and GET YOUR COPY NOW!

Save Money Getting Targeted Traffic With Adwords

2006-05-12T09:19:00.000Z

If you have an e-commerce or business website then you will know that getting traffic to your website is all-important. But the casual ‘surfer’ that stumbles upon your website, looks around and then leaves, is neither use nor ornament because he/she doesn’t arrive with the intention of spending any money – this is the classic untargeted traffic.

Most webmasters sooner or later will start to look at PPC (pay per click) advertising to increase targeted traffic to their sites. Let’s face it; contextual advertising, when used correctly, is the bee’s knees for getting targeted traffic - and Google’s Adwords is the daddy of them all for delivering in volume. However, like most things worthwhile it has to be paid for.

The good news is that if you are thinking of opening a new Adwords account then you will be pleased to hear that Google issue vouchers as an incentive. Where do you find these vouchers? Well, one place to look is on my old favourite eBay – last time I looked there were plenty of £30 vouchers being offered as a ‘buy it now’ for 99p. How could anybody pass that up? £30 worth of targeted traffic for 99p sounds like a bargain to me…

Could you make the sale?

2006-04-27T13:13:00.000Z

In business, whether it is online or off, sales of products and services are crucial to the success of the business – without sales, the business doesn’t make any money and therefore will not thrive. All very straightforward and obvious you might think, but sometimes there is more to sales than meets the eye, and any person in business worth their salt will always be looking out for ways to increase their sales.

Anyway, I received this amusing little story about an extraordinary young salesman in my email this morning, so I thought I would pass it on:

A young guy from Minnesota moves to Florida and goes to a big everything under one roof department store looking for a job.

The Manager says, "Do you have any sales experience?" The kid says "Yeah. I was a salesman back in Minnesota."

Well, the boss liked the kid and gave him the job. "You start tomorrow. I'll come down after we close and see how you did."

His first day on the job was rough, but he got through it and after the store was locked up the boss came down. "How many customers bought something from you today?" he asked.

The kid says "One".

The boss says "Just one? Our sales people average 20 to 30 customers a day. How much was the sale for?"

The kid says "$101,237.65".

The boss says "$101,237.65? What the heck did you sell?"

The kid says, "First, I sold him a small fishhook. Then I sold him a medium fishhook. Then I sold him a larger fishhook. Then I sold him a new fishing rod, a tackle box, and fishing line. Then I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down the coast, so I told him he was going to need a boat, so we went down to the boat department and I sold him a twin-engine Chris Craft, and told him if he didn't want to get lost, he better buy the latest navigational equipment too. Then he said he didn't think his Honda Civic would pull it, so I took him down to the automotive department and sold him that 4x4 Lincoln Navigator."

The boss said "A guy came in here to buy a fishhook and you sold him a BOAT, a TRUCK, and all the rest?"

The kid said "No, the guy came in here to buy Tampons for his wife and I said, 'Dude, your weekend's shot, you should go fishing.

Some people are just natural-born salesmen eh?

Til next time, remember;

People who cherish understanding will prosper Proverbs 19:8

Making Blogs Pay Their Way

2006-04-25T09:39:00.000Z

If you have read My Rich Pickings before then you will know that I have a keen interest in making money online, and that includes income from my other websites and indeed this very blog. This is achieved primarily from website advertising and promotion of affiliate programs. But which ones are the most successful?

As I have been maintaining My Rich Pickings for almost a year, I am now in a position to offer some practical advice about which ones work and which ones don’t. But please bear in mind that there is a certain amount of experimentation involved; and just because something doesn’t work for me doesn’t mean to say that it won’t work for anybody else. And ALWAYS remember that very basic rule of web advertising; i.e. keep it on topic! (I know there are exceptions, but on the whole it pays to keep your adverts in line with the subject matter of your blog.)

Now I’m not going to make a big song and dance about exactly how certain advertisers have performed, and I don’t want to single out any particularly bad performers, but suffice to say that the 2 website advertising / affiliate programs consistently at the top performance-wise for me are Google Adsense and Commission Junction. There has been some sporadic success for others, but these are my top 2 and I will keep on promoting them on my sites.

Admittedly, Commission Junction takes more work to get right than Adsense, which is basically a ‘plug and play’ solution for any content based website, but with a little experimentation the results from CJ can be far more rewarding. I suggest that if you don’t see immediate results on your own blog then it is worthwhile checking out the huge diversity of different advertiser’s banners and text links and finding the ones most suited to your blog. It is worth noting that if an advertisement offers something of value to your visitors it will get clicked on.

I believe that the ‘secrets’ of making blogs pay their way are experimentation, monitoring, updating and refinement. Never be afraid to make changes, but remember to monitor the results of any changes to see if they are positive or negative and then adjust accordingly. Once you find a winning formula then milk it, and above all, enjoy!

Make A Start

2006-04-11T09:03:00.000Z

I overheard a strange and quite amusing conversation yesterday about Monday mornings. To save any possible embarrassment I will call the 2 guys Bill and Ben. It went something like this:

Bill: “I hate Monday mornings.”
Ben: “Me too, the start of another week of the rat race.”
Bill: “Yep, another week in hell.”
Ben: “Wouldn’t it be great to win the lottery and give up working?”
Bill: “I dream about that!”
Ben: “Me too.”
Bill: “I fantasise about collecting the cheque, telling my boss to stick the job up his arse, and booking a world cruise.”
Ben: “Wouldn’t that be fantastic?”
Bill: “Too right!”
Ben: “The only problem is I never buy a lottery ticket. Let’s face it; the chances of winning are millions to one.”
Bill: “I know. To tell the truth, I never seem to find time to buy a ticket.”
Ben: “It’s a mug’s game anyway...”

I swear this is a completely true story and the conversation above really did happen.

But what has this got to do with making or saving money online? Not a great deal really, except a little reminder that just like the lottery; you’ve got to be in it to win it. The best thing you can do is make a start - do it, and do it now!

New Stealth Promotion Tools Available

2006-04-10T11:28:00.000Z

Just a quick update today for anybody who may be interested in becoming an affiliate for Stealth Income Secrets.

I have added a couple of new promotional tools this morning. So there are now ready made banners, email, tell a friend, and forum sigs available so that anybody promoting the package won't have to work too hard ;o)

And don't forget I pay you 50% for each and every sale you make! How could you refuse an offer like that? Check out the sign up page HERE now!

Make your music website pay for itself

2006-03-30T13:04:00.000Z

I have always had a great love of music, so it happened naturally that my first website turned out to be music related. I admit that the idea of it earning money didn’t even occur to me at the start, and I believe that just like mine most music related websites are started because the owner has a passion for music and not as a deliberate business venture.

But after a while it became frustrating paying for hosting etc (not to mention the time and effort expended keeping the site up to date!) and seeing no return for my effort. The realisation that many webmasters were making good money from their sites only added to my frustration and I resolved to learn how to redress the situation.

Without a product to sell, the obvious solution for monetizing my website was with some sort of advertising, so I eagerly signed up with an affiliate marketing service and proceeded to fill every available space on my pages with various sized advertising banners. I then smugly sat back and waited for the cash to roll in.

When the money failed to show up (I made about 20 cents in 3 months!) I realised that there was more to it than simply plastering any old advertising on my site, so I started to look for specific music related advertisers. I figured that giving my site visitors something relevant to their interests would help the CTR (click through rate).

What I discovered was that there are some very effective and lucrative affiliate programs in the music niche, and in fact when I started to exploit this I made $40 in my first week, which was a big improvement on the previous 20 cents.

If you have a music website then have a look at what is probably the best guitar affiliate program on the web and see for yourself how you can make your music website pay for itself. Click Here Now!

Cut Out The Crap And Profit!

2006-03-22T15:39:00.000Z

As you know, I’m always on the look out for opportunities to earn some extra money, so it came as quite a surprise to learn jut how much extra I could already have just by doing nothing. If that sounds like an odd statement, let me explain:

I recently quit cigarette smoking and cut down on my alcohol consumption. The cigarettes were an old and out of date habit that was not only a health hazard to me and the people around me, but also burning a large hole in my pocket. And the alcohol had gone from social drinking perhaps one or two nights a week, to at least a bottle of wine in front of the TV every night (that was when I wasn’t out drinking elsewhere!).

Now I’m not writing this to lecture about the health benefits of giving up smoking and restricting alcohol intake, but purely as a financial exercise. So if you are a smoker and a drinker then don’t take this the wrong way. But, like me, you might be quite surprised to learn just how much money can be spent fulfilling these ingrained habits – money which is easy to overlook.

To see how much profit it is possible to make by looking at existing habits and cutting down, it is necessary to examine how much it costs:

The current price for a packet of 20 cigarettes in the UK is about £4.50 – so with a habit of 20 a day, it would cost £31.50 per week or approximately £136.50 per month.
The cost of the wine varies depending on how much it costs for a bottle, but taking £3.50 as a ball park figure for a bottle of cheap supermarket plonk, then this amounts to £24.50 per week or more than £106 per month.
Add the two monthly figures together and we get a whopping £242.50!

Now I don’t know about you, but £242 per month extra money sounds like a pretty substantial sum to me, and certainly not one to be sniffed at. But I’m not advocating denying oneself any pleasure altogether – after all, what is money for if we can’t use it to enjoy ourselves from time to time?

Anyway, that’s enough of my rambling for today. Simply put:

Sometimes there is money to be had simply by doing nothing…

I'll Pay You 50% Of Every Sale!!!!

2006-03-18T09:40:00.000Z

If you've read My Rich Pickings before, then you will probably have seen that my e-book, Stealth Income Secrets is currently available HERE at $37.00 but what you might have failed to notice is the affiliate program which will pay you 50% for every successful referral you send to the sales page.

The program is controlled by Paydotcom so you can be sure everything is above board and will be reliably tracked - thus ensuring you get your deserved commssion payments regularly and on time! And there are different text and banner links that you can put on your blog or website. Of course, if you don't have a website you can simply include a link in your outgoing emails or maybe even forum signatures. How you choose to promote your affiliate link is entirely up to you.

So if you want to earn some easy extra cash take a look at the Stealth Income Secrets affiliate program and start earning today! If you have any questions before you sign up then please contact me using the link in the menu to your right -->

I Don't Want To Give You My Wage

2006-03-03T09:59:00.000Z

Today I am excited! I have completed and uploaded my latest project. It is called "Stealth Income Secrets" and reveals the techniques being used by successful e-book sellers to cash in where others are failing - especially on eBay.

Selling e-books seems to be very popular on eBay, and there are plenty of people selling e-book websites, or guides on how to sell e-books on eBay. Funnily enough, I noticed one listing for a £9.99 e-book which was an original guide written by the seller about his experience of selling e-books. He had titled it something like "The Pitfalls and Rewards of Selling E-Books", which on the face of it is not a very inspiring title. However, I decided to delve deeper and read on to see what was on offer. Well, not much by the look of it, his listing states a lot about how you will not get rich and how you will still have to pay the bills, and that it is not possible to make a lot of money selling e-books.

Well I beg to differ. I have no doubts about the sincerity of this guy, and I'm sure his guide explains quite clearly where you can go wrong selling e-books on eBay. But there are others who are clearly having a great deal of success, and I guess a lot of that is down to how you approach things. Having a negative attitude will influence the things you do in a negative way whereas a positive attitude and optimistic thinking will shine through and help to lift you up to greater things. Think about it, it's true!

Unlike one successful eBay e-book seller, I don't want to give you my wage, but I would like to show you how you can be more successful selling e-books (especially on eBay). If you want to find out how and learn the secrets for yourself then have a look at Stealth Income Secrets now!

Adsense Websites Make Money!

2006-02-15T10:16:00.000Z

It is no secret that website owners are making good money from Google Adsense, the only questions are; why isn't everybody doing it? and when will the bubble burst?

Possible answers are that not everybody is aware of just how easy it can be to make money, or that some lack the skills to make their websites benefit from Adsense (If that is the case then why not buy a ready made Adsense website? There are some great offers available including "AdsenseReady" which offers an incredible 150 Adsense Websites for only $117.44!).

In answer to the 2nd question; it doesn't look likely that the bubble will burst any day soon. With Yahoo and many other search engines jumping on the PPC contextual advertising bandwagon, the potential to earn money this way will be around for a long time to come. Ok, there may come a time when Google don't lead the field, but I doubt it.

As I've said before, targetting high paying keywords is the way to make the most money with Adsense (or their competitors programs). But don't bother buying lists because they just aren't necessary. In fact, one of the ways to find out what the high paying keywords are is to become an advertiser with your own Adwords account. Another way is to use the Yahoo equivalent at http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/rc/srch/ and check out the 'View Bids' tool. Try it and you'll see just how much money is on the table!

Good Luck!

1000s Of Ways To Make Money Online!

2006-02-04T13:22:00.000Z

If you are interested in making money online you might have considered the possibility of working as a freelancer. But it's not always a straightforward process to find the type of work you are looking for on a regular basis, and there are some rip-off merchants out there who will get you to complete work and then disappear without paying you. Not an ideal situation I'm sure you will agree!

However, there are some organisations trying to bring order to the chaos of online working, and one of them is Freelance Work Exchange; an Internet based employment agency where thousands of freelance opportunities are advertised daily. It is free to register and they are currently offering free reports, courses, ebooks and even a desktop toolbar so that you can see fresh jobs available each day.

Using an online agency such as Freelance Work Exchange it becomes simple to find suitable work at home jobs if you have the necessary skills and an Internet connection (which you must already have to be reading this!), and the bonus is that you can pick and choose exactly which jobs you are prepared to take on - so you don't need to be a qualified computer programmer or have any technical know-how to find work. In fact, one of the advertised jobs is offering $1200 per week just for contributing to discussion boards!

To find thousands of freelance jobs and perhaps discover the secrets of earning a six-figure income working from home have a look at Freelance Work Exchange

Website Traffic From Articles

2006-01-29T10:49:00.000Z

Just a quick one today. But I thought it was important for anybody who might be looking to build traffic to a website and was considering using Article Marketer.

Anyway, I received an email off Chris from Article Marketer this morning. He asked me to let all of my readers know that the current special offer for a lifetime subscription is about to end. Plus if you act on this special, by-invitation-only offer right now, you'll save a further $100.00!

Visit the special offer page now for details: Click Here

And remember; this is a time limited offer, so act quickly!

Who Says Articles Don’t Drive Traffic To Your Website?

2006-01-26T12:21:00.000Z

Whoever it was that said articles don’t work in driving traffic to a website was talking out their hat. I wrote and submitted just one article to promote my eBay website just two days ago and already it is sending a steady flow of visitors to the site. Admittedly it’s not exactly mega traffic yet, but it is very early days and only a single article – the best results are obtained by submitting multiple articles all promoting the same site.

There are some things you need to get right in your articles if you want to see results though, and I wrote about that in a previous post called; Why Articles Fail To Deliver Traffic To Your Website. So if you’re not sure then click the link and read that post before you get started.

And don’t forget that it’s all about quantity – the more your articles are distributed around the web then the more backlinks your site has, giving it a higher Google page rank and of course a higher chance that somebody will click through to your website.

I also wrote in The Secret Gold Hidden In Articles about the best way of submitting to multiple article directories. I still think Article Marketer is a fantastic time and labour saving tool - the benefits are obvious for anybody who wants to concentrate on growing their business without wasting time on promotion.

Anyway, articles do deliver traffic to a website and even more so if you take a little time to get the process right. Obviously the person who said they don’t wasn’t doing it properly!

Poor eBay Feedback Destroys Sales

2006-01-24T15:36:00.000Z

Unfortunately it is true; poor eBay feedback can leave many newbies wondering just what all the fuss is about. How come so many people are raving about making money with eBay, when I can't even give my stuff away? they might ask:

The fact is that without a healthy feedback score, many prospective buyers simply will not trust you as a seller. Of course, the easiest way to build up your reputation as a reliable eBayer is to buy some items first. But what if you want to sell your items to raise some desperately needed cash, and really can't afford to buy at the moment?

Well there is a cheaper way around it; a way you can get ebay feedback fast, but it is perhaps not entirely ethical and I think it may leave the eBay feedback system open to abuse. I suppose nothing is foolproof and it has to be said that the vast majority of eBayers are reliable honest people in my experience. However, I do wonder why the powers at eBay haven't cracked down on this apparent loophole?

Get the best FREE tips, tricks and more and Make Easy Profits With eBay by visiting: www.easyprofits.co.uk now!

Do You Make Money With eBay?

2006-01-21T17:19:00.000Z

It's been a busy couple of weeks for me getting my new website up and running. I code everything by hand with notepad and it's not the fastest way to create a new site, but I just don't like the output from WYSIWYG HTML editors.

Because I've been so involved with the new site I'm afraid I've neglected a few other things recently (including this blog), but things should get back to normal now so you can expect more regular post here - that's if you're interested ;o)

Oh yes, I expect you are wondering what the new site is about? Well, it shouldn't be too much of a surprise to learn that my obsession with eBay has again borne fruit. The site is based on an eBook I wrote featuring tips and tricks for eBay sellers and is called Easy Profits With eBay.

Actually, I've had the domain name for quite a while and it wasn't really working for me, but now I'm happy to put it to good use. Check it out at www.easyprofits.co.uk

Multi-tasking?

2006-01-11T08:28:00.000Z

How are you at coping with more than one thing at a time? I ask this because I have been very busy of late; I have several live websites to maintain and a new one in development - not to mention that I am also working on a new idea for a digital product (details coming soon).

I guess with all of this going on it is natural for some areas to be neglected slightly. So if you are wondering why I haven’t posted here more often; now you know.

All this thought of multi-tasking reminds me of when a friend was debating the issue of whether women were better at it than men: “I can drink my beer, smoke a cigarette, watch football on the TV, and still admire the barmaid!” he quipped.

That answers that one then…

Develop Keyword Content With Care

2006-01-04T15:53:00.000Z

Every book, manual or article I have read on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) goes into great detail about the importance of keywords and how search engines analyse a web page for them. Not so very long ago it was a simple matter of getting your page meta-tags right to please the search engines, but nowadays things are a bit more complicated.

I’ve read about how vital it is to put your keywords in urls, page titles, headings, outbound links, internal links, alt image descriptions, bold text, italic text, etc etc etc. There needs to be enough keyword weight on the page, but not too much or you run the risk of overcooking the page and being penalised by search engines for keyword spamming, and so on, and so on.

Keyword usage and density can often become the be all and end all for webmasters trying to navigate the tricky river of SEO and find a route to the kingdom of website heaven – possibly even to the detriment of the actual users of the site. In fact, the worst case scenario is a website that hasn’t been built for human readers at all, but is merely the latest all powerful technique of the unscrupulous Internet Marketer, seeking clicks on the page to generate advertising revenue. The site offers no value, except for a paid link to a site that may be what the reader was looking for in the first place.

With this never ending battle for supremacy in the search engine rankings it is easy to get bogged down by SEO and lose track of the basic reason we are focusing our attention on keywords in the first place. The reason is of course that we are anticipating the words people will use to find our website using a search engine. Smart website developers will painstakingly research the ‘right’ keywords long before designing the pages; usually with the help of tools such as wordtracker to aid the process.

Nowadays the search engine algorithm is so powerful that it can instantly recognise many of the ploys used by keyword spammers and unscrupulous Internet Marketers and automatically pass over these spam sites in favour of another more worthy and content-rich offering. So be careful of using techniques that may have worked very well a year or two ago, because you just might be penalised because of them. Of course, it would be foolish to overlook the importance of keywords when developing a website; but use some common sense and make them a part of the content – not the content itself.

Free eBook - Think And Grow Rich

2005-12-29T13:31:00.001Z

Written by Napoleon Hill and first published in 1937, Think And Grow Rich is one of the classic success and motivation books of all time. Hill interviewed 504 of America’s most successful people over a period of 20 years to find their secrets of success. The result was the 13 step formula found in Think And Grow Rich.

Readers today may find some of the writing a bit old fashioned, but don’t let that put you off. Think And Grow Rich is pure gold and positively essential reading for anybody embarking on a journey of self improvement. The ultimate conclusion of the book is that the acquisition of wealth starts in a person’s thoughts, and how very true that is! If you are thinking of growing rich then you’ve already made a start so read the book and develop your thinking to the next level.

To get your own digital copy of the book in PDF format right now, just click the link below:

Think And Grow Rich

Is Financial Independence The Same As Rich?

2005-12-22T15:12:00.000Z

How much money do you think you will need for financial Independence? One million? Two million? Many people are under the illusion that it would take many millions to achieve financial independence, but examine the figures and it can be seen that this is not the case, and in fact the amount needed is surprisingly less than you would think.

It all depends on your lifestyle choice of course. Rich idiots like Michael Winner have been quoted even recently declaring that £1 million or even £10 million is hardly worth having, and that to be truly rich one would need to be in the billionaire league. Utter nonsense! Unlike Mr. Winner, we don’t all need original Van Goghs hanging on our walls or yachts in the Med to impress slobbering cronies and bolster our self esteem.

In this day and age, when so many people are living from month to month making mortgage payments and seeing climbing credit card debts as they struggle to get by, I’ll bet that most would be happy to be debt free, live in a nice home and take a couple of good holidays each year. The added bonus of not having to work for it would seem like paradise – truly ‘rich’ indeed!

Anyway, just how much will you need for a financially independent lifestyle? The figure to start with is your current yearly income. For example, let’s set this figure at £25,000 for the sake of calculation. If you had just £527,000 in a savings account paying 4.75% interest, your income would be £25,032 per year, i.e. you would not have to work to collect your current salary!

Ok, I know this is a simplistic calculation and it is still a heck of a lump sum to acquire, but bear in mind that the current average house price in the UK is £194,589 and it starts to look attainable. Naturally, for long term financial independence you would have to take into account interest rates and inflation, so it isn’t really a figure to bank on for the rest of your life. However, it does put the whole financial independence thing into some sort of perspective and debase the myth of needing many millions. (If you're interested you can read some tips for financial independence here)

But perhaps the greatest luxury that can be had from financial independence is time. Time to do with as you please without worrying about getting to work each morning or spending 40 hours each week toiling just to get by. Now imagine how much more money you could make with your own Internet business if you had all of this time to devote to it.....

Monitor Your Stats For Free

2005-12-19T15:26:00.000Z

Everybody knows how important it is to monitor their website stats (you do, right?). Without visitor statistics it is impossible to measure how many visitors are coming to your pages and where they are coming from. A good stats package is far more accurate and effective than a simple hit counter and will enable you to see your top referrals and which keywords are proving most effective, along with the search engines that are sending you the most traffic.

If you haven’t already got a statcounter on your blog or website, then it is a simple matter of signing up and then cutting and pasting a very small amount of code into your pages. My Rich Pickings is not only about making money, but also saving money, so for the best FREE statcounter I have seen available, have a look at www.statcounter.com. For the price, it is unbeatable!

Speed Is Of The Essence For Getting Web Traffic

2005-12-16T19:19:00.000Z

We all know that making money online with a website means getting plenty of traffic to the site, so I recently searched for ways of increasing web traffic to see if there were any exciting new ideas out there. The thing that struck me was that one of the top Google results was a site that took ages to load.

Statistically it has been proven that surfers will only wait on average 7 seconds before hitting the back button and trying another site, and that is regardless of connection speeds. So it was quite intriguing to see that a self proclaimed authority on increasing web traffic was probably losing a heck of a lot of visitors simply because their home page didn’t load quickly enough.

So why is it that some web pages are slow to appear in a user’s browser?

Obviously, there are differences in the equipment used. Older operating systems, slow dial up connections, out of date browser software etc can all contribute to the problem. But sometimes even broadband users experience pages that are painfully slow to appear, and this is more often than not due to bad design.

Some things to bear in mind for fast loading web pages:

Keep it simple – Fancy designs with a multitude of tables and background graphics can look spectacular, but only if the surfer waits long enough for the page to load. If speed is your goal (and it should be) then keep the design simple.

Optimise Image Files – beware of using large photographs and images on a page, sometimes the file size can be huge, and for fast pages we really want our file sizes as small as possible. For a free guide on achieving this you might like to download Supercharge Your Web Images.

Specify Image Size – If images are essential to your web page then make sure that the HTML includes width and height attributes. This will allow the user’s browser to display the rest of the page while waiting for the image to download.

Use A Good Hosting Company – Sometimes it can be a false economy to have your site hosted on free or cheap web space as the server will often be slow and unresponsive. Use a good quality hosting company and reap the benefits in speed. The one that has proven consistent for me and I have no hesitation in recommending is One and One.

In conclusion, if you want to make money with your website you will need to get plenty of traffic, but make sure your pages are quick to respond or the visitors will leave before they even see them. Good luck and may you prosper!

Google Adsense Myths Revealed

2005-12-10T13:47:00.000Z

There seem to be far too many eBooks and audio courses offering the 'secrets' to making riches with Adsense, and although most of them undoubtedly contain some great tips and advice, it is really not necessary to spend money in order to gain this information. Even worse, the ads and promotion for some of these eBooks and courses can be a bit misleading - there is really only one circumstance under which you can make 'overnight' riches with Adsense, and that is if you already have a well established website with lots of daily visitors (if this is the case then stop reading and sign up immediately because your site could be earning now!).

With this thought in mind I think it is time that some of the myths surrounding Google's Adsense program were dispelled...

First off: Can you make money from Adsense? Yes you can. Can you make a lot of money from Adsense? Yes, but there are some determining factors that have to be taken into account.

So what are the determining factors that make the difference?

High paying keywords - Adsense is contextually generated, which means that the ads appearing on your site will be relevant and fit in with your site content. So if your site is about financial services, or medical insurance (for example), you can bet that advertisers will pay a heck of a lot more than if it is about something that anybody can get for free - and the more the advertisers pay, the more you will get paid.

Clever use of ads - There is some debate about whether to disguise the Adsense on a page to make it appear like navigation or to make it stand out. Both can be achieved easily, so experimentation combined with regular checks on your stats will reveal the answer that best fits your own circumstances. But be very careful that you don't violate the Adsense TOS (Terms Of Service) because Google can easily kick you off the program without warning!

Traffic - Quite simply; the more visitors your site receives then the more money you will make from Adsense. It takes both time and effort to build a high traffic website and that is why eBooks promising overnight riches can be misleading.

But of course, Google already know all of this and there are a lot of useful tips from the the Adsense Support Site.

To learn how other webmasters are making money with Adsense and to save paying out for the 'secrets' you can find all the information you need from some of the popular webmaster forums. One I would recommend which even has its own section devoted to Adsense is at: http://forums.digitalpoint.com/

Good luck!