Friday, December 23, 2005

Wishing you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

After a heavy week at work, I'd no time to build my SBI! site. It was a shame as I'd line up several things to add this week. Alas, a sudden influx of tasks made it impossible to even think of SBI!

Yesterday, I and a few other colleagues gave a Christmas lunch to all staff. This was the first time I'd been so generous to be the main initiator and sponsor as all of a sudden, I'd this feeling of giving and sharing. Either it must be the season or a sign of old age and mellowing down?

The lunch was great. The turkey was great - very moist and tender, as I like it. All other food was excellent, and the 'party' turned out to be a great success, attended by almost all staff. Actually, it took my mind away from work momentarily.

One thing I learnt from throwing the lunch: the greatest thing to do in this world is TO GIVE and TO SHARE, and when 'giving' and 'sharing' with a sincere heart, you will feel the joy and appreciation of others and the respect they have for you.

I guess this will apply to any business, online or offline. Think about it...

Over the next few days and perhaps till the New Year, I'll be rather busy with work (can't even take off from work) that I might not have a chance to blog. So, I guess I better the opportunity to wish all that are celebrating Christmas, a Merry Christmas. And to all, a Happy and Safe New Year, 2006.

Wow, 2006 already? Time seems to sprint pass this year.

Happy Holidays.

Monday, December 19, 2005

SEO - Are you wearing a Gray Hat?

If you visit my e-business website at richadz.com, you will notice that a lot of the articles as well as recommended free Keyword Suggestion tools are focused towards Search Engine Optimization.

Why?

Simply because Search Engine Optimization is the poor men's no. 1 traffic builder technique.

If you properly optimized your site for the top Search Engines, then, you will get in return a lot of free traffic.

However, in today's fast moving world, netrepreneurs are normally impatience and tend to want to rush into making money from their web site.

As such, they tend to be attracted to the risky world of Black Hats SEO, which normally promises a lazy way to getting more traffic.

The problem is that most netrepreneurs don't even know what is Black Hats SEO and the risks involved for their web business.

And if you do know the merits between White Hats and Black Hats SEO, do you know that the majority of us tend to practice Gray Hats SEO?

Now, if you are not too clear what I'm trying to stress above, you are most welcome to read a recent article of mine entitled: The 3 Hats of Search Engine Optimization and How to Make Sure That You Wear a White Hat.

Friday, December 16, 2005

"Buy-1-Get-1 SBI! Free" Is Back On!

If you have been sitting on the fence about getting a Site Build It! (SBI!), it's the perfect time of the year to buy one.

Ken Evoy is again offering "Buy-1-Get-1 Free" Christmas Promotion which literally cuts SBI! price in half.

Buy a SBI! package and the second SBI! site is TOTALLY free!

Valid from now until midnight, December 25, 2005.

You can play Santa during this festive season and give it as a gift to your friend, relative or children.

After all, what could be a better gift than Site Build It!?

Think of it -- give someone a life skill.

Give them a business that will change their lives.

Or perhaps, give yourself a future of freedom.

Keep SBI! as a gift to yourself (you are permitted to start your 2nd SBI! site anytime you like but no later than 9 months from the date of purchase).

If you are worry about the technical side of using SBI!, you can see from this blog that it's the easiest and most cost-effective way to start a profitable online business. You can always refer to this blog for help or simply sent an email to me. I'll be glad to assist in any SBI! related questions.

If your (lack of) financial resouce is the main reason for waiting, just team up with a friend to get two sites and split the cost.

If YOU have been thinking about SBI!, stop procastinating. Do it now.

There will never be a better time to get started with SBI! than right this instance.

Here's your chance to make 2006 your best year ever.

Grab Site Build It! before the dateline on midnight, December 25, 2005.

Thursday, December 15, 2005

RSS/Blog It! Launched - My View

A useful marketing tool was added to SBI! a day ago. It's called RSS/Blog It!

RSS/Blog It! essentailly blends the complexity of blogging/RSS and the tedium of pinging every site update to many resources into the ease of SBI!.

RSS/Blog It! is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting SBI! modules to date. While RSS remains a mystery to many online marketers, the ultra-simple point-and-click functionality of RSS/Blog It! puts the power of site-blogging and RSS feeds at the fingertips of every SBIer. If you do not yet appreciate the ramifications of this, please review this site...

http://rss.sitesell.com/kbusiness.html

Before it was launched, I thought it has the exact function of any blog such as Blogger.com but having looked at how it works inside SBI!, I was amazed by its simplicity.

Now it appears, everyone can blog..., with SBI!

How RSS/Blog It! works is that, once you have finished with the minor settings (like "name for your blog", "description", introductory text", etc. - format is just like filling in a form, simpler than even blogger.com - no complicated set-up procedures), your SBI! site becomes an automatically-updating blogging machine and RSS feed generator.

What RSS/Blog It! actually does is to merge the building of your web page with the publishing of your blog entry (or technically called site-blogging).

You can also add an item or "Bloglets" - similar to the current function of most standard blogs. This is where RSS/Blog It! goes "one blog step" beyond Site-Blogging - a step better than the standard free blog features. You can insert additional items into your RSS feed/blog without creating or modifying one of your content Web pages.

SBI! will also generate the RSS/XML subcription buttons for you (so that your visitors can easily subcribe to your feed). My Yahoo! and My MSN subcription buttons also an option to be added. SBI! do this almost automatically (upon your command) and seamingly merge the subcription buttons into your main navigation bar - that is, if you want to.

However, I must point out that those who are quite well verse with blogging may not find RSS/Blog It! usability to their liking. It is more for the complete "idiot". Forget about audio-blogging, video-blogging, and other fancy stuff.

But when you think about it, SBI! is a one-in-all tool that suppose to free you from all the technical stuff and let you focus almost completely in running/growing your business. That is why RSS/Blog It! has simplified the process of blogging so much that the "experts" may not feel too at home.

Just like the block-by-block SiteBuilder or Analyze It! modules, the so-called "experts" feel so confined and constrained. Not much freedom to do whatever you want - like making web design or SEO mistakes, perhaps?

In the final analysis, my personal view of RSS/Blog It! is that it will give SBIbers an extra edge in terms of Search Engine Optimization, and thus, higher rank at the Search Engines, not only for the SBI! site but also for the SBI! blog, which is currently easier to be indexed by most Search Engines. In addition, you can also submit your SBI! blog to the Blog Directories - more inward links, higher page rank.

I'm excited about the potential of RSS/Blog It! already although I've yet to add it to my SBI! site yet. Simply too busy with the day job and adding more content. Hope to get to it soon.

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

When Do You Monetize Your New Web Site?

As I briefly mentioned previously (i.e., Fastest Way To Get Listed for Free at Zeal/LookSmart and DMOZ), before submitting to the main directories like Zeal, Dmoz and topical hubs, it is best for your web site to remain as non-commercial as possible for a brighter chance of your site being listed.

This means no banner/text advertisements, especially Google Adsense ads, and no affiliate links. Your content must also not be a sales page, but offers quality and helpful write-ups.

But when do you start to monetize your web site? After all, the idea of building a site is to make money.

Personally, I'm very tempted to at least add some Google Adsense ads into my SBI! site as it had been 4 months since I purchased SBI! (and 3 months online). But I have to be discipline and toe the line the SBI! way.

In any case, as a general rule of thumb (as per the SBI! Action Guide), do not monetize before you...
  • have at least 30 pages
  • are accepted into two or more directories (ex., Open Directory Project, Zeal, niche directories)
  • have started to receive a steady stream of visitors (at least 20 per day).

The SBI! Action Guide specifically stated that there should be "no rush to monetize". And, while you may be planning five different Monetization models, add them one at a time, weeks or months apart. Assess each one. And more importantly, after you introduce your first income-generator, during the early weeks, even months after that...

Focus on building more targeted traffic for your primary monetizer. Then when you are ready, plug your next "visitor-to-dollar converter" into your site.

Multiple income opportunities should never be introduced at the expense of your main business, or at the expense of building great content.

Before you can effectively monetize your site, you must have a solid traffic base. Why? Because...

No traffic = No income.

You may be thinking... "Hey, I don't want to miss out on any potential income. I want to build a commercial site right from the start!"

Mistake. Big mistake.

Do not jump straight into a calm water as it does not mean there no crocodiles beneath. The same thing applies here.

Do not rush to monetize your site. Traffic-building (and lots of it) comes before Monetization. Do not over-commercialize your site and do not commercialize it at the beginning.

Tempting it may be for someone like me, who already have several income-proven monetization models (at my other web sites), I have to subscribe to the SBI! Tortoise principal.

Let's focus on traffic building for the time being, I guess.

Pewww..., but hopefully, patience will reward me at the end of the day/month/year?

We'll see...

Friday, December 09, 2005

Submitting to Specialty Hubs and Directories

With Zeal, DMOZ, and both the Google and Yahoo! Sitemaps out of the way, the next step I need to do is to submit my SBI! site to Specialty Hubs and Directories. It is important for my SBI! site at Borneo Tropical Vacation to remain as non-commercial as possible for successful inclusion.

This is essential in a way, to get more relevant and higher rankings at the Search Engines as your link is from a directory that has the same topic or theme as your web site. It will likely pull in more targeted traffic from the Search Engines and Directories.

In my case, I need to find a travel and/or related Directories. Better still, a Tropical Vacation Directory (if any).

Previously, I would need to spent countless hours searching the web for the Specialty Hubs and Directories (I'm not refering to the general Directories here, as they are easier to find - just search for some site that list out all the leading free Directories).

With SBI!, it's less time consuming to perform this task via Search It!, another excellent tool provided for keyword brainstorming, traffic building research, monetization options and much more. Search It! function is also available for the public/non-SBI! users. Try it for yourself to find out its invaluable functions.

I simply highlight 'Specialty Hubs and Directories' under the "Specialized" section (for Step 1 - Select Search Category), and for example, select 'ISEDB Directory Database' or 'SE Guide to Topical Directories' (for Step 2 - Select Search Type), and enter "travel" (for Step 3 - Enter 1st Search Term). Click on the 'Search It!' button and all the details of the travel directories will pop out for my convenience.

Or if I want to be more specific, I can also search Google and Yahoo! (for Step 2 - Select Search Type) for "tropical" (for Step 3 - Enter 1st Search Term) and "vacation" (for Step 3 - Enter 2nd Search Term).

Personally, I found the results from 'ISEDB Directory Database' the most helpful, but to my surprise, searching Google and Yahoo! for Tropical and Vacation (and its variation) could still provide info on Directories, more specific to my overall Site Concept (as well as the main Keyword/Keyphrase for my site).

Although I still need to apply/submit my site to relevant Specialty Hubs and Directories, at least Search It! saved me a lot of time doing the researching and searching.

Ok, now I just have to find some peace and quiet and submit my SBI! site, and gets ready for some relaxation during the coming weekend. And not forgetting that I really need to spend more quality time with my family, especially the kids who are on their year-end school holidays.

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Submitting SiteMap to Yahoo! also made simple by SBI!

After submitting my Sitemap to Google, I also did likewise for Yahoo!

Yahoo! has actually copied Google Sitemaps by offering an easier way to submit all your Web pages. It's a simplified version of Google Sitemaps.

Instead of an XML file, you only need a TXT or text file that contains a list of your site's URLs. SBI's WorldSubmitter creates this Yahoo! text file for each SBI! site.

This file is updated, once per day, if you add, delete and/or modify a page on your site. Text file creation and updating are done according to the same rules as for Google Sitemaps.

However, like Google Sitemaps and any submission process, it does NOT guarantee that Yahoo! will crawl or index your pages, nor will it influence rankings for your keywords. But it sure is a great way to put all your pages in front of Yahoo! in a single submission!

Aside from a simpler format and lack of reporting (for now), the concept is the same as Google. At least, they know a human with root access to your site is telling them about all the URLs. This will definitely saves a lot of submitting and spidering time.

Just like Google, you would need to have a Yahoo! account in order to submit your Sitemap to Yahoo!

Boy, it had taken me almost 4 months after I purchased SBI! to reach this stage. I will be anxiously waiting for the result. But somehow, I trust that SBI! will deliver something fast for my site.

SBI! makes it easy to submit to Google SiteMaps

One of the ways to get your site crawled and listed faster by Google is to submit your Sitemaps.

Google's new service called Google Sitemaps is an automatic way to submit all your pages to Google at once, and to resubmit them whenever you update your site. Google provides this functionality, but it's a bit technical for most.

The standard Sitemap file is in atom or XML format so that any additional web page you created is also automatically updated in your Sitemap.xml file (you can also submit your Sitemap in html format, but this will not be dynamically updated).

Most webmasters have to either utilize a software (or find a free web-based tool) Sitemap creator. Of course, if you are an expert in RSS (Really Simple Syndication) or technically inclined and have the time, then you can perhaps do it yourself.

For the rest of us, most likely, we have to pay someone to do this or folk out some cash to buy a software.

The beauty of SBI! is that this function is already (recently) included.

WorldSubmitter, a tool in SBI! automatically create or generate a Sitemap for you (without you having to do anything) once you publish a web page. The location of your Sitemap file can be found in the SE HQ (Search Engine Headquarter), a module under Site Build It! Traffic Center.

The only hassle nowadays is that in recent months, Google introduces a verification process, which adds a second level of proof that a human (you!) is uploading and verifying access to the Sitemaps XML file and root directory of your site.

This proof allows Google to provide private information about your site to you in confidence. They also check and report any URLs that their spider can't visit.

What it means is that you would need to start the process by first manually submitting your Sitemap (i.e., the one already created by WorldSubmitter) and then verifying its status.

To do this, you would need to create and upload a blank HTML file something like "google3931b64da726e4f6.html" into your root directory, and then go back to and verify it at Google Sitemaps. SBI! also provides a Google Sitemaps template and explains in detail the various steps involved.

I've just submitted my Sitemaps to Google (note that although it's not necessary, it would be advisable to have sufficient web pages first before you submit even though Google may have alreadyindexed one of your earlier pages).

Also bear in mind that you would need to have a Google account (a gmail account will suffice) in order to utilize Google Sitemaps.

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Fastest Way To Get Listed for Free at Zeal/LookSmart and DMOZ

Now that I have enough pages on my SBI site at Borneo Tropical Vacation, I started to work the free major Search Engines (and re-read Day 7 of the SBI! Action Guide - Build Free Traffic).

"The Search Engines will provide you with lots of traffic as long as you work with them rather than against them. The SBI! process is not complicated but it does require some patience and motivation on your part."
Compared to the normally tedious (and boring) tasks, SBI!'s integrated tools make the traffic-building process a snap...

SBI! automatically submit my site to some of the major Search Engines like Google, Yahoo! and MSN. Once I am finished building a page (optimized with the help of Analyze It!), WorldSubmitter submits my page to major free Search Engines (and some regional engines).

I'd purposely let SBI! do all the job as I concentrated solely on building web pages. I also wanted to gauge its effectiveness. I must say I was impressed with the placements so far as I virtually did nothing on my part.

My site has already been listed/indexed and ranked for several keywords (mostly in the 3rd or more pages in the Search Engine Ranking Placement) at last check. I'd one no. 1 ranking, but for a low demand keyword. Will tweak on the page later. The beauty of SBI! is that you can easily go back to a page you'd build to improve on its optimization and later re-analyze it (using Analyze It!).

But SBI! is only a tool to cut short most of your tasks. It doesn't do everything for you. Some tasks need to be performed by a human, someone who is the "expert" on his/her web site.

I reached the stage where I must put in some efforts to get higher ranking (and more traffic).

So I firstly, submitted my site to two major directories - Zeal and the Open Directory Project (DMOZ).

Both Zeal and DMOZ are free. However, it's not easy to be accepted into the non-commercial directories. They love non-commercial sites.

The key here is that my site must remain non-commercial, so I did not add any monetization options - no affiliate links, no Google Ads, etc.

You can get into directories more easily if your site is "pure content" when you apply. This is a really important point.

You can even get into the LookSmart Directory for free through the "non-commercial back door," Zeal. This accomplishment alone is a high-quality link to your site, and will even send some traffic. But...

Your site must be non-commercial when you apply.

It's easier that way to get into any directory, including serious niche directories/hubs. Yes, the perfect time to apply is when you are first building your C -> T -> P and have not yet "commercialized" your site with M.

Submitting to Zeal took a bit longer as you have to be registered first as a Member and get through a 20 questions Member Quiz (90% or more to qualify - get 18 or more questions correct) in order to add sites. Although I registered before years ago, once I logged in, I still have to re-take the quiz.

After that, adding the site was a breeze.

Submitting to DMOZ is less tedious but if you have never submitted a site before at DMOZ, it may take you awhile to locate the best sub-sub-directory to list your site.

It normally takes several months for both Zeal and DMOZ to list your site. In the mean time, I still have to ensure that my site remains as non-commercial as possible for the time being. I still need to submit my site to niche travel directories.

In the meantime, let's wait to see if the SBI! way is the fastest to get listed for free at both Zeal/LookSmart and DMOZ.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

"Monetize It!", an exciting new tool for SBI!

There was a lot of buzz for "Monetize It!" or MI!(another extremely promising tool for SBI!) in the past several weeks. MI! was beta-tested in mid-November 2005 by SBI! owners themselves.

Thus far, work progress for MI! is said to be imminent. But Ken and his team are taking a bit longer than expected to finetune MI! as "it has grown considerably beyond the original concept".

For those who is just a bit curious of what is MI! - from a recent Site Build It! Xpress newsletter (specially for SBIers), MI! is essentially a "complete re-work of PPC, top-to-bottom".

Monetize It! is divided into three main modules as follows:

1) Content Yield (for everyone)

Helps SBIers to find "content" holes. It suppose to show high-Keyworth keywords for which SBIers could utilized to create more "profitable" content, as well as how/where to get more out of existing content. Ken mentioned that "If this sounds rather basic, wait until you see how it does it!". He certainly sounded exciting.

2) Ad-Selling (ex., for those of you who place Google AdSense and/or the beta of Yahoo! ads on your pages)

Assists in Maximizing ad revenues. MI! is expected to show SBIers where to place AdSense and Yahoo! ads. It will also find "AdSense holes", high-profit Keyword-Focused Content Pages that should sell ads ("sell high"). Wow, I am excited now.

3) PPC-Buying (for those buying PPC from Google/Yahoo!)

MI! will help SBIers to find cheap, targeted keywords for a Pay Per Click campaign to drive more targeted traffic to their high-ROI goods and services ("buy low"). I guess this is not for everyone (like me, a tight budget person), but seems very powerful indeed.

The following is what Ken promised:

Nothing, but nothing, exists like this "triple threat."
While it HAS grown, the practical results and the ease of
use (due to the increasing "smartness" and three separate
levels) are quantum leaps ahead of what we had planned.

Together with early-2006 Brainstorm It! releases (SiteSell
Supply and SiteSell MORE!), SBI! delivers a keyword package
that is better, by far, than any standalone. And the best
standalones cost US$500+.

Excellent Ken. I am very eager for MI! to be fully released and for the updated version of Brainstorm It! next month. Just the right time perhaps for me as I'm finishing the main pages of my SBI site, and looking to create more content?

But, my concern is - will SBI! price go up? How much extra for all this?

This is what Ken has to say:

The same..., it's all included. :-)

No wonder Ken always "boasted" that SBI! OVER delivers...

Well, even though I have no complaint so far, I have to be objective here. After all, I'm still testing or experimenting SBI! (my site at the moment still has no direct monetization link).

Let's see whether the first major introduction of a powerful module since I purchased SBI!, will also OVER deliver.

Will keep you posted...

Friday, December 02, 2005

Who is the TOP Internet Marketing Guru?

When I first started to ponder about making some extra income via the Internet many years ago, one of the first things I did was to look for a widely acclaimed web guru - more of a guide or mentor for my journey into the unchartered territory of Internet Business.

Back in the prehistorical days of the mid-1990s, credible gurus were hard to find. Simply because the Net was still very new and there were too many scam artists.

Internet millionaires were mostly confined to the dot.com pioneers whom I can't relate to anyway as their business models are not practical to the small business (more of a speculative-type towards a quick gain in the stock market).

And most Internet marketing gurus do not really teach you how to start, build and succeed in your own online business. They only teach you how to promote and market their own products, sell for them and give great feedbacks/testimonials to them.

I think it took me about 3 years of researching, experimenting and 'getting to know' the many gurus on the Net until I am truly confident with the following two standouts:
  • the incomparable (late) Corey Rudl who gave me the most workable strategies, tips and more importantly, confidence to venture into making money online (now succeeded by Derek Gehl at the IMC), and
  • a doctor named Ken Evoy, who made me realize that even a small-small-business with a small but profitable niche can succeed online by utilizing the right mindset, knowledge and tools.

How I wish there was a site that independently and unbiasedly review and rank the so-called gurus so that I don't have to spent so much time and money to search for the best and most appropriate guru.

Today is so vastly different from the a decade ago.

There are ranking authority like Alexa which you can use to determine the popularity of a guru's web site (an indicator for his/her credibility).

There are so many avenues to get comments, feedbacks and testimonials about the guru and/or his products (e.g. newsgroups, discussion boards, etc.).

And recently, I found a very useful site that is dedicated to helping us find the best guru. The GuruDAQ Index ranks the gurus by a share price which is "based on the rankings of their main site, backlinks, news items and the gurus general popularity on this site".

This share price value is calculated every 15 minutes and comparison is made over the previous 24 Hours. More like a stock exchange index with ups, downs, losers and gainers - hence the name GuruDAQ as in NASDAQ. Creative, and really comprehensive.

This makes me a bit jealous of those who are just thinking of venturing into a web business. Probably, you will only take 3 months or 3 weeks to finally decide on the best guru that can assist you or your business. But, I guess John Sikora, the owner of GuruDAQ was still in shorts when I first thought about making some money online.

The only consolation for me is that my first two and most important gurus (or successor) are still top of the list at GuruDAQ.

My Wedding Anniversary

Today's my Wedding Anniversary and my wife is on the other side of the South China Seas in Kuala Lumpur :(

So, this will be the first anniversary I'll be celebrating alone.

Well, not quite.

She'll be flying home later tonight and expected to touch down in Kota Kinabalu before midnight. At least we have an hour to reminisce about the 10 great years we had spent together as husband and wife.

Wow, has it been 10 years already? Time passes so quickly.

One of the things we will surely recall is how broke we were in the early years of our marriage. How we barely made ends meet. How we have to dig down deep to support two babies. And how this predicament prompted (or rather forced) me to look into making some extra income online to complement our monthly salary.

Today, our financial burdens are lessen although our financial obligations have increased. We have more time to enjoy life and watch our two young daughters grow up gracefully. They even started their own little blog called Land Below The Wind.

Ahhh, I think I'll take the girls out for dinner tonight to accompany me, a lonely husband.

This is life, I guess. You have to go through hard times to get to the good times...

I'm actually talking about my marriage.

But it is still applicable to my/your online business as well. You can only be truly motivated to fully focus on starting a business or expanding it during rough times.

So, anything bad should always be looked upon as a blessing in disguise.