Author Archive for Emma

WordPress 3.0 Menu Manager

If you have recently updated your sites to WordPress 3.0 you probably haven’t noticed a huge difference in the functionality of your site. That is because even though WordPress 3.0 comes with some awesome new functions, unless your theme supports those functions you won’t be able to use them. Anyone who has read my sites knows I’m a huge fan of the SoloStream themes. Michael Pollack the smart designer behind the original SoloStream has created updates for all of their premium themes, so that we can take advantage of all of the new function in WordPress 3.0 with the premium themes we are already using.

One of the new functions that really stands out is the menu manager. With 3.0 we can create custom top and category navigational menus. We can even create custom links and drop then into any navigation window. Anyone who has ever tried to create a page that is just a link in the past will appreciate this function. For instance have you ever used an older theme that didn’t have a home page? With the custom menu button you can easily create a home page custom link.

The category and navigational pages can be reordered in a drag and drop fashion. You can even create subcategories and parent child pages. These new functions brings WordPress one step closer to being an inclusive CMS. If you want to use these functions you need to make sure your theme supports them. The new 2010 supports all of the new functions, if you are using a premium theme make sure it supports 3.0 or has an upgrade available.

Here is a SoloStream video that gives a great visual example of how to use the new menu manager. Below that video is a WordPress video that highlights the new functions of 3.0

Popularity: 8% [?]

Edit Images Within The WordPress Image Editor

Uploading images and videos in WordPress is so much easier than it used to be.  To add an image just click on new post and upload insert and go from there. You can even upload headers and banner images just by uploading and then copying the image url. In fact you can even edit images within WordPress now. I was going to make a quick video about this, but instead I found a video by my favorite theme designer, Michael Pollack.

Popularity: 12% [?]

My New Favorite Theme From Solostream

I just purchased a new developer version of  Wp-Ellie the latest theme from Solostream. Themes have come a long way recently, but Solostream is still at the top of their game. If you have purchased one of my new sites chances are this is the theme I based it on. Here are some helpful tips in using the new theme and navigating and posting on your site.

Installation and plugins here is a list of the plugins that have built in compatibility with Wp-Ellie.

How to set up the featured content. You can turn featured posts off or on from the theme settings in the WordPress dashboard. If you would like to make a post a featured post all you have to do is add the featured tag to the posts tags. The ideal size for featured images is 500px wide by 220px height.

From a design point of view you should always resize your images properly. I constantly see siteson Flippa  with images that have been stretched to fit in the featured windows, when proper resizing will make the difference between an amateur looking site and a professional looking site. 

As far as the recommended plugins definitely install Get The Image because once it is activated it will make the first uploaded image automatically become the featured image and the thumbnail image. You don’t even need to put the image in the post just upload the image in the post and click publish and Get The Image will do the rest. If you have more than one image in your post just reorder them by changing the order numbers, the featured and thumbnail images need to be number 1.

The only other recommended plugin that I always use is Yet Another Related Posts Plugin this keeps the content fresh and gives your readers more relevant options to explore, plus when combined with All In One SEO Pack the combination helps with the SEO of the site.

Popularity: 17% [?]

So You’ve Purchased A Site…Now What

After working on the web for awhile buying and selling sites becomes second nature, but if it’s your first purchase it can be a little daunting. Once a site is purchased arrangements need to be made for the site hosting and the domain transfer. Usually if you purchase a site you will need to transfer the site files to your hosting account and the domain to your registrar account.

If you purchase a site from me, here is the process we need to take to insure that the transfer goes smoothly.

Transfer Site Files

I usually use cPanel hosting and if you use the same, the transfer should go fairly smooth. The easiest way to transfer is for me to give you ftp access to the site and then have your hosting account do the transfer for you. So the first thing you need to do is get hosting. Then I will send you the cPanel user name and password then you will contact your hosting accounts support and give them the url of the site and the cPanel user name and password and they can transfer the site for you.

It is also possible to transfer the site manually. With static html sites it is easy, all you need to do is upload the site files on the server of your host. WordPress sites are a little more complex because you not only need to transfer the site files with your theme and settings, but you need to transfer the database as well. Having a database is what makes WordPress so versatile. Here is how to transfer a WordPress site manually.

Push The Domain To Your Account

The next step once we have decided how we will handle the site transfer is to transfer the domain. Most of my domains are registered with GoDaddy which makes it easy because all you have to do is give me your Go Daddy user name or user number and your email and I can have the domain pushed to your account. Once I do the initial push then Go Daddy will contact you and you can take it from there.

When the site is moved to a new server the DNS needs to be changed to point to the new server. If you are having HostGator move your site you will need to leave the DNS pointing to my site until they download the site files and database, then they will tell you to change the DNS so that the domain points at the new server. Once the site files and database are moved and the DNS propagates to the new server, the site transfer will be complete and then I can delete the cPanel account on my server where your site was previously hosted.

I will not delete the old account until the site is transferred properly. If for some reason there is an issue with the transfer the DNS can be changed to point back at my server, then we can get the site files and database again, then install the site files and database on the new server, and change the DNS back to the new server. So you see transferring sites is not that scary, because even if a mistake happens it can be fixed.

Other Site Moving Options

If you are an experienced Internet worker and want to transfer you own site I will gladly give you cPanel access and push the domain to your account and let you take it from there. If you would like help transferring the site  I can transfer the site manually using the method describe above. I will need access to your hosting account and user name and passwords to do so.

The Transfer Is Done…Now What

Now that the transfer is done and you have a new site what do you do now? The site is yours you can do whatever you want with it. If you have any questions about WordPress or the premium themes used, or issues with uploading images, setting up subscriptions, or any of the plugins used, be sure to send me an email and I’ll try to find the answer for you. Also make sure that the affiliate IDs are changed to your IDs. If I sold you the site and it is populated with many Affiliate IDs all you will need to do is supply me with your ID and I will make the ID change in the database before transfer. If you don’t supply me with your ID and request an ID change then you are on your own. If you change your own IDs the easiest way is to replace the old ID with new ID in phpmyadmin.

Will I Make Money?

Most people who purchase sites are interested in making money. It is competitive out there so if you really want to earn you will still have to put some work into the site and the site promotion. By buying a pre-built site you will save some time when it comes to getting the site set-up and also if the site is aged that is helpful too. If you are interested in organic Google traffic then you may want to choose some low competition keywords to focus on in the beginning.

As you rank for low competition keywords it becomes easier to rank for more difficult more profitable keywords. Many of my sites use keyword rich domains and I often include a low competition keyword list to get you started. Once you have your keywords you can sprinkle them throughout the posts and then create links for them with internal linking and external linking.

When we talk about external linking that is getting links from other sites. These can be sites that link to you naturally because your information is good. They can also be links from social bookmarking sites and article directories and guest posts. The more links you have pointing towards your site the more authority it has for those keywords.

Steps For A New Purchase

1. Decide how you want to do the site transfer.

2. Exchange Usernames and Passwords.

3.  Accept the domain from Go Daddy and change DNS.

4. Promote your site.

5. Good Luck! 

Popularity: 12% [?]

FTC Endorsement Guidelines

Starting December 1st 2009 the new FTC endorsement guidelines will go into effect. There has been, and will be, a lot of speculation about what these guidelines will mean to bloggers and affiliate marketers. I am not a lawyer and this article is to help us become more aware of these guidelines.

 I assume as long as you are ethical, and don’t try to deceive would be customers, with false claims, endorsements, and free offers that are actually a monthly subscription, you should be OK.

But here is the actual information from the FTC so you can decide for yourself. I also found some useful links on the Commission Junction blog, including a link to this information from lawyers Jeffrey D. Knowles and Thomas A. Cohn. You can also find useful information at the Performance Marketing Alliance, which also has all of the updated information on the affiliate tax.

Anyway, please be aware and do your due diligence, to make sure your marketing efforts are meeting the FTC endorsement guidelines. To sum it up, here are 5 points taken from the paper written by Jeffrey D. Knowles and Thomas A. Cohn, that shouldn’t be too difficult to implement.

1. Ensure that affiliate advertising of any merchant’s products or services is truthful,
substantiated and not deceptive or unfair.
2. Do not publish “flogs” (fake blogs) or other false content, false or unsubstantiated
product claims, or offer incentives to consumers in return for their response to any ad,
unless the offer’s terms and conditions of the offer are clearly and conspicuously
disclosed.
3. Do not publish fake news articles or other fake media titles, without clearly and
conspicuously disclosing that the content is an advertisement.
4. With respect to any endorsement (third-party promotion of an advertiser’s product to
consumers), do not publish false or unsubstantiated endorsements, and be sure to clearly
and conspicuously disclose any material connections with the merchant and/or the
network.
5. Do not infringe on the personal rights, trademark, copyright, patent rights, service
mark or any other intellectual property right of any third party mentioned in published
content.

Popularity: 33% [?]

Custom Niche Offers

What is Custom Niche Offers?

Custom Niche Offers is a service that will design a niche blog with 5 original keyword rich SEO articles. The site will feature a premium theme with custom colors and a custom designed header. This service is open to everyone but it is specifically designed for Keyword Academy members.

Why would anyone use this service?

If you are just starting out all of the new information can be overwhelming. The most important aspects of building your niche empire are keyword research and building links. Yet too many people get bogged down with the technical aspects of everything.

In order to have a successful online business, sooner or later everyone needs to learn how to create sites. Including, using WordPress, Hosting, Design, Copy-writing, and the basics of coding. You don’t have to be an expert in everything but a good general knowledge will take you far.

Technical issues often create a bottleneck for new Internet Marketers. Yet, for your sites to be successful they need to age and gain authority. It’s kind of an Internet Marketing Catch 22. With the help of Custom Niche Offers you can get your site up and running right away.

That frees up your time to focus on link building. Once your site is up and you have your beginning links out of the way. Then you are free to focus on learning all of the ins and outs of Internet Marketing.

Now your site is aging and gaining authority and moving up in the SERPS, while you are still learning about all of the technical issues.

This service is also useful for those who just don’t have time for all of the writing and optimizing. But still want a quality site up and running. It’s also great for those who are still struggling with the ins and outs of Photoshop.

What do you get with Custom Niche Offers?

1. You will get a custom site designed just for you, with custom colors, a custom header, 5 unique original SEO articles, and a one premium graphic from iStock photo or somewhere similar.
2. The theme will be based on a premium theme, that would cost 99$ for a single use license fee, if purchased separately. This theme has been SEOed according to Court’s standards. There will be no hidden links, the sidebar code appears after the posts code, titles will use H2 tags while the sidebar will use H3 tags, and there will be a link to the main keyword on the home page. This theme is also configurable through the WordPress dashboard so you can make changes yourself, with out ever having to touch the code.
3. Plugins will be installed and configured for maximum SEO benefits and ease of use. You will get a privacy policy and contact page. All in one SEO will be installed and configured as well as a related posts plugin and an Automatic Links SEO plugin. This will create a properly SEOed internal linking structure on the site. We will also install a Simple AdSense Insertion plugin which will make placing your AdSense code easy from the start.
4. You will also get reasonable tech support. I will answer your questions through email or make a video on the site explaining how to use the theme and the plugins. I want to help everyone as much as possible and will do my best to answer your questions. Although the demands do need to be kept reasonable.

Will your niche site make money?

The answer to that is maybe, if you have chosen your keywords well, and you continue to get links and move up in rankings, and have some form of monetization on your site, then the odds of it being profitable are very good. If you haven’t chosen good keywords, or you never build links and promote your site, then the odds of turning a profit are very low. If you are serious about niche marketing then you will have to do the work in order to be successful.

Can I see some examples?

Here are some sites that are similar to how your new niche site will look. Two of these sites are ones I recently sold so I have no control over the current look, but the basic design is still in place. The 3rd site is my writing site and it is also based on the same theme. As you can see the site will be customized according to the type of site and the niche it is focusing on.

1. Camping Crossing
2. Baby Trends Now
3. It’s Write Now

How much does it cost?

The current price is 200$ per site. With this you will get a customized site using a premium theme, with a custom header and 5 original SEO articles. You will also get the graphic used for your featured article and the psd file of your header.

What do I need to do?

You need to be the brains behind the site. Figure out what niche you want the site to be about and find a main keyword. Purchase a keyword rich domain if possible.

Also since keyword research is the backbone of Internet Marketing and this quality site will always have the potential to be expanded into a super site you may want to choose a keyword and 3 cousin keywords for each of the SEO articles that will be on your site. There is no need to let that writing go to waste and the more words you can rank for the more traffic you will get.

Once you have your domain and keywords, let me know if there are any other preferences you may have. Often times, I base the site colors on the graphics I use. But if you have a color preference or a certain graphic you would like used, send it to me.

I also need to know if you want the custom header to fill up the entire header or if you may want to add a 468 x 60 banner. If you think you may want to add the banner then I will make sure that any text and graphics will leave room for the banner. If you look at my 3 sample sites you will see what I’m talking about.

Once I know what you want and the keywords then all you have to do is point the dns to my server. I will build the site on a HostGator reseller account so it will have it’s own cPanel account. Once the site is done and you are happy with how it looks. I will give the cPanel username and password to you and you can have HostGator move it to your HostGator account and you will change the DNS back to your server.

We could use other methods for transfer or I could even build the site on your account, but the above mentioned method would be the easiest and most secure. If you are just starting out I recommend GoDaddy for domain registration and HostGator for hosting. These are the services I use. It makes transfers easy and I know how they work so I can assist you if any problems arise.

How Do I Order?

If you would like to order a Custom Niche Offer site or have any questions just use the form below and I will contact you today or tommorrow.

Additional Services Available:

Upon request I can also set up category blocks with Amazon auto poster. This is the free version of Amazon Auto Poster and the plugin devoloper will take the commision of every 15th sale. You can always upgrade to the paid version and this won’t be an issue. You can read my post about WP-Robot to get more info about this plugin. If you would like me to set this up I will need your Amazon affiliate ID.

I can also set up a news page with an auto updating feed and a video page with relevant videos.

Some fees may apply to the above services.

I will also set up a site map page free of charge.

Popularity: 37% [?]