Everyone has been saying that Knol is the new Wikipedia. But is this comparison fair — or at least accurate?
I’m going to tell you what I think.
Knol is the new Squidoo
Let me tell you why I think so:
With so many similarities between Knol and Squidoo — and so many essential differences between Knol and Wikipedia –, I must return to this post’s title: why is Knol compared to Wikipedia? And why isn’t it compared to Squidoo instead? (more…)
As you surf the web take a look around at many of the sites you see. Do you notice anything that seems strange? Well, let me point it out to you. There are hundreds of thousands of web sites that just don’t get much traffic. Some of these sites house hundreds of articles, reviews, tutorials, tools, products, forums to mention a few things, yet still they do not receive large amounts of traffic. What is their problem? They have the content. What is left?
The problem is these sites aren’t optimized for the search engines. SEO, Search Engine Optimization, SE Friendliness, however you refer to it doesn’t matter, the fact is it works and I’m going to tell you what’s involved.
Before we continue let me familiarize you with some relevant terminology in my own words. (more…)
Many of you are reading this article because you would like to further promote your Internet business and are looking for new ways in which to do this. You have read lots of articles covering various Internet Marketing techniques and are still looking for the “Holy Grail” strategy that will take your website to a higher level. After all, others are achieving this so why shouldn’t you.
Here, I will describe a technique that, with some creativity and effort, can significantly boost your promotion efforts while at the same time setting it on autopilot. Is this the “Holy Grail”? For some it has been but like everything else it all depends on you.
“Less Work, Greater Results”
If this sounds good to you then do read on. (more…)
These last days have been extremely exciting for everyone who follows Google-related news. Speculations on Digg’s acquisition, experiments with a Digg-like interface, the release of Knol… Yes, the “googlesphere” is a hot place to be right now. And it seems that things will become even hotter in the very near future: Matt Cutts announced an upcoming toolbar PageRank update. Here’s what he commented on his own post:
I figured the SEO industry could use something to discuss, so I thought I’d give people a heads-up about the toolbar PageRanks.
Oh, really? As if we all didn’t have enough to discuss already. Not that we should complain. Much on the contrary: Google news are always welcome, especially when they come from one of the most reliable sources available on the Internet.
And if you’re preparing yourself for another whining season due to decreased PageRanks, you may have a surprise: of course many sites will be penalised as usual… but many others will have their penalties expired!
I don’t know about you, but I can’t hardly wait for this PR update. I’m sure we all are going to have a nice time browsing through forums and blogs, keeping track of the changes, speculations, predictions, complaints, success stories and all that stuff that makes a webmaster’s life funnier.
My previous post dealt with a business model especially aimed at service providers. Today I’m going to write about a type of site that also provides a service, but in a very specific manner and for a very specific audience: link shop sites.
1. What is this monetization model about?
Sites and blogs whose main purpose is to sell links to interested webmasters. A little bit of traffic may also be sent to link buyers. However, this is not a priority in most cases. (more…)
As promised, today I’m going to write about an online business model that has a certain resemblance to the visitor-oriented sites. Let’s call it client-catching sites.
1. What is this monetization model about?
Sites and blogs that are used to attract potential clients for service providers. Mainly used by small businesses, freelancers and consultants.
2. Examples
In my previous post I discussed the pros and cons of fast money making sites. Now I’m going to write about an online business model that is quite the opposite of the latter: visitor-oriented sites.
1. What is this monetization model about?
Sites built for long term results. They tend to be heavily based on informative, entertaining or otherwise helpful content. Developing and maintaining a good relationship with the audience and with peers is essential.
2. Examples
There are several different ways to monetize your blog or site. In this series I’m going to discuss four methods. My aim isn’t to write an exhaustive list, but rather offer you a basic guide. You can use it to compare the proposed business models and then develop a strategy for future web projects — or modify existing ones.
Let’s start with a business model that is suitable to entrepreneurs who want quicker financial compensation for their efforts: fast money making sites.
1. What is this monetization model about?
Fast money making sites and blogs are those created to generate profits as fast as possible (yes, you guessed it). They can either be part of a short term plan or be used to generate passive income for several years.
2. Examples
There are a lot of reasons to like LinkedIn. It has a clean interface, it’s easy to navigate, and you get the opportunity to network with various individuals to enhance your business (something that used to take thousands of dollars to attend conferences and a good number of hours burned on the golf course). Last year, LinkedIn grew by a phenomenal 319%, and by latest estimate is now valued at $1 billion. Clearly, the people behind it are doing something right.
LinkedIn’s most recent project is DirectAds, a way for members to post their own text ads on the website, and it really looks promising. See, the great thing about LinkedIn is that compared to Facebook, the average member age is older and the average income is certainly much higher. It’s an extremely targeted form of advertising to business professionals – the movers and shakers. Furthermore, the ads can be tuned to appear to a specific age range, gender, industry, and seniority. If you haven’t signed up with LinkedIn yet, you might want to take a look around.
There are a few things to note about DirectAds:
So far it all looks great on paper, except that if I was an advertiser, I’d be more comfortable if they used the CPC model (cost per click). Anyway, reviews will start to trickle in once more people start using it, and then you can decide whether it’s a worthwhile ad platform for your business. As for the site itself, it seems like it can only get better.
The bulk of AdSense earnings for most people tend to come from AdSense for Content banners, and this is why they are the prime focus of optimization efforts – the right blend of colors, placement and ad sizes, among others. But I think it’s high time we also pay attention to the AdSense for Search text box, the little workhorse that adds both functionality and monetization possibilities to our sites. If you don’t have it yet, I strongly suggest that you try to get it from your AdSense account. These are just some tips on how to set it up. (more…)
