The Main Characteristics Of A Profitable Website

When it comes to achieving success it seems that most people struggle and fail. This seems to be especially true when it comes to Internet business, but it does not not have to be this way. Successful Internet entrepreneurs understand what it takes to establish a profitable website and to achieve a considerable income from their online endeavors.

Whilst many people might say that in order to build a profitable website you must focus on design, must make your site search-engine friendly and must ensure that it is full of great content, there are other traits that you should also focus on when you are starting out.

Firstly, and this is where a large number of prospects fail, you must take action! Many, many people fall prey to “analysis paralysis” – quite simply, they just get stuck. There is an overwhelming amount of information out there and an unending line of “experts” who are ready to give you the latest and the best advice. Don’t be tempted to think that you must have all your “ducks in a row” before you get started. It is important to take action and establish your site. Publish, and you will have taken the first step towards greatness!

Secondly, be wary of those experts. You will hear a ton of conflicting information and you might be tempted to venture off into a variety of different niches. Remain focused at all times. Do one thing and do it well. If you try and diversify too much you will compromise your time and your efforts. There are a variety of ways to promote your website, but don’t think for a moment that you have to be a master of all these techniques. Just focus on one strategy and do it really well.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to make mistakes, but do try and learn from those who have gone before you. Research the work and websites of others who have clearly been successful in your niche and learn from their mistakes. Take advantage of those who have “blazed a trail” before you.

In short, begin your journey today, learn from those who have become successful in your niche and don’t be sidetracked by others who promise riches through an alternative approach. Once you have begun your journey, understand that you must be flexible and willing to innovate. The Internet continues to evolve and if you make sure that you are ahead of the learning curve you will remain ahead of the competition. Be focused and you will establish a profitable website.

How did you make your website profitable?

Adam Toren

The Top 3 Education/Book Sites

As the popularity of social media expands in the online community, it is little wonder that a variety of second-generation social bookmarking sites have materialized, dealing with a wide variety of categories. In the category of education and books, there are dozens of social bookmarking sites and we have determined the top three within this hierarchy. These sites serve as the perfect gathering place for millions of avid readers, creating a potentially attractive advertising arena for publishers; however, commercialization appears to be in its infancy.

When we were creating this list, we took into account a lot of information, including current levels of membership, visitor traffic, user-friendly accessibility, member features and innovation. So, the Blogtrepreneur Top 3 favorites - drumroll please…

1. LibraryThing

According to our research, LibraryThing has the highest number of unique monthly users and site visitors, and has some 650,000 registered members (according to Zeitgeist overview, January, 2009). This places LibraryThing well ahead of its rivals. We particularly like its interface and usability, though. LT allows you to keep a convenient catalog of book collections and browse others. They give book recommendations and hook you up with other book lovers. For true accessibility they allow you to access your catalog from places like your mobile phone. Further, their format allows you to catalog and categorize your collection simply and very easily.

2. Goodreads

Like LT, Goodreads allows you to catalog your entire collection within your profile. Their database is pretty comprehensive. The application is clean—but a little bare. Goodreads does offer you flexibility, though as you can arrange your books in a variety of ways – author, title, rating, etc. LibraryThing allows you to show which users are borrowing and who’s next in line to borrow each book. This feature is great for those who have large collections, and can allow you to keep track of your loaners; Goodreads should adopt something like this. This site does appear to focus more on ratings than actual formatting and cataloging. In their favor, however, they do have a nifty little widget, which allows you to incorporate your reading habits, according to your Goodreads profile, on a compatible social network or blog.

3. Shelfari

Shelfari’s design is very clean and appealing, They make it very easy to add books to your shelf, you can categorize and tag your books and friends and set up different groups. We think that the orientation of this site is maybe a little too laid-back for those who are seriously looking for a tool to organize their personal collection. Shelfari is arguably the more commercialized out of our top three, as it has enjoyed a considerable infusion from Amazon. They do have just a few too many “cutesy” effects and pop-ups for our liking, but this site is still one of the leaders in the growing field of more than 30 similar sites.

So do you agree? What would your top 3 education and book sites be? We want to hear your thoughts.

Matthew Toren

SEO companies are still in great demand

It seems that the recession is not having a negative effect everywhere. The field of SEO appears to be hardly hit at all. Recent studies carried out within the field of search engine optimization in the UK show that demand has continued to accelerate right through the worst of the current downturn.

Demand for search engine optimization companies, as measured by the amount of keyword – orientated Internet searches, has almost doubled within the space of only two short years. This reliable indicator shows an 83% jump in the number of people searching for the services offered by these companies.

Whilst marketing expenditure in general has fallen significantly during the recession as companies feel a necessity to cut costs, they are increasingly turning to more prudent forms of marketing, involving the ability to track a return on investment. As most savvy Internet marketers know, a well-planned SEO campaign can generate significant dividends and its results can be clearly seen within specified time frames.

The level of demand has been met with a certain increase in supply, but it appears that there is considerable potential here for Internet marketing organizations and competent technicians to bring their solutions to the marketplace. As it appears that companies will wish to streamline their efficiency for the foreseeable future, it is likely that more and more will turn to productive forms of marketing like optimization. These services can be highly personalized, according to specific requirements, with strategic goals set according to the business aspirations of the client. There can be few initiatives more effective in time of recession than a results-orientated service such as SEO.

In particular, it appears that organic SEO is being seen as highly relevant. As more and more people come to understand the importance of search-based, targeted results, so the need for optimization increases. The modification of site architecture, combined with good Internet marketing initiatives, can propel an organization’s website and help to achieve the benchmarks set by senior management.

Does spending on SEO offer good value for money?

Matthew Toren

Is Google planning to join the micro-blogging revolution?

Could the might of Google combine with the relevancy of Twitter in some way, soon? Rumors abound that Internet giant Google is working on some form of micro-blogging search engine. These rumors have leaked from the savvy folks who run an unaffiliated blog that focuses on Google’s operating system.

Google has long been rumored to be interested in the micro-blogging revolution and who would bet against them coming up with a viable platform, given that everything they touch seems to turn to gold. Apparently, their new micro-blogging search service would sort it’s results by relevancy and integrate them into Google’s web search engine. It will be possible to identify trends within these micro-messages and present the results through one of their recognizable and successful formats.

Twitter is, of course, the major player in the micro-blogging world. Whilst twitter is considered to be on the cutting edge in terms of social acceptance and “hipness”, the organization has not really come up with a compelling business model. If Google’s search-based business model is integrated in some way with the Twitter model, it could suggest considerable potential for advertising dollars.

Twitter has it’s own search engine, which is accessed through “search.twitter.com”, but this just trawls it’s users pages, rather than being also linked through and to sites that are referred to by its “tweeters”. Third-party, Twitter-plugin search engines also exist, including Tweetmeme, One Riot and Twitpipe.

Google’s new initiative is expected to work by ranking each micro-blog by relevancy. Results will appear in search based on frequently used keywords and will be integrated within Google’s main search engine. “Real-time information is important, and we’re looking at different ways to use this information to make Google more useful to its users”, according to a Google spokesperson.

A more direct quote, giving us insight into the company’s plans, emerged from search products guru Melissa Mayer. “We are interested in being able to offer, for example, micro-blogging and micro-messaging in our search, particularly in blog search and possibly in web search”. It is likely that Google sees micro-blogging search as a further opportunity to ensure that third-party content steers users into its arms.

Do we need another micro blogging site?

Adam Toren

Entrepreneurs Reveal Secrets To Their Success

If you have ever thought about working for yourself, or have leaned back in your cubicle, dreaming about life outside of the corporate drudgery, then you have wondered what exactly does it take to become an entrepreneur? What do you need to do to escape the 9-to-5, to fire your boss, and wander over to the land of the self-employed.

Successful entrepreneurs all follow the same basic principles. Sure, there are a myriad of ways to strike forth on your own when it comes to being self-employed, but you must follow the same basic principles and be fully aware of what’s ahead of you, before you even start.

Probably the three most important elements that you must address are vision, passion and focus. These are three of the most important secrets revealed by successful entrepreneurs.

As the road to self-employment success is paved with potholes, you must ensure that you’re passionate about what you are doing. You must ask yourself why you are doing it, what you’re hoping to achieve. Your passion will help you to get through the difficult times. Passion will ensure that you do not mind working those lengthy hours. There will be no more 9-to-5, it is more likely to be 9-to-9 or even more! Maintain your passion, be crazy like a fox, and this will ensure that you stay on the road towards that target.

You must be able to dream it, to live your dream in your mind. Vision is essential as without it you will not be able to maintain your passion or your focus. When you were sitting in a cubicle, you must have had a vision for the future — where you want to go in life. You need to be able to almost touch it, to have a really tangible vision, so that your hard work as an entrepreneur will carry you to that goal. Conjure up some examples of where you want to be, picture the good life. If you want to have material things, like a brand-new Ferrari, or an oceanfront home, print out pictures of those items and put them where you can see them on a daily basis.

Whilst vision and passion are important elements, you must also be focused. Realize that you can’t be all things to all men, nor a “jack of all trades and master of none”. Know what you are good at and focus on it. Get other companies or individuals to help you in areas that you are not expert at. This focus also means that you will not accept failure as an option.

All entrepreneurs who are successful share these same traits, these are the secrets to their success. It all started out with a vision, a clear picture of where they wanted to go and what they wanted to achieve. They exhibited passion, did not mind hard work, and were always enthusiastic about their business. Successful entrepreneurs are always focused once they have started their journey, and never look back!

What are the secrets to your success?

Adam Toren

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