STI 200

Another great plugin this week, it is called ‘Landing Sites’. What this does after you activate it is highlight the search terms that the user searched for on your site. It works with several search engines and will make the visitors you get from search engines be able to find what they are looking for alot easier.

As an example, if you do a google search for Home Business Blogger, you will see my blog as the top result:

If you click on that result, you will see the words home, business, and blogger highlighted:

10 ways to get more traffic

“How can I get more people to visit my blog?” This is like a book-length question, so I am not even going to try to answer it completely, and I am only going to give a very brief list of ideas tonight. YOu let me know which ones most intrigue you, and these are the ones we will explore in more detail in future posts. Unless you don’t say anything, in which case I will just post pictures of myself picking my nose to get even. (Please don’t make me do that.)(It would not be pretty, really.) Ok, here we go

What would he do? He would make it super easy for a new visitor to be welcomed and subscribe to his blog. See, the title is actually the name of a plugin, strange name, great plugin. This plugin uses cookies to determine if they are a first time visitor and then shows a text box (like the picture below) With a brief welcome and a reminder to subscribe to the RSS. To see it in action visit either one of my Blogs, Confessions or Home Biz.

The plugin is extremely easy to set up, you can download it from this link. Once you have it uploaded to your host and activated, you are set. (If you need help in downloading/uploading/activating, please reference this post. Once it is activated all you need to do is customize the options page, which you can get to from your wordpress admin panel > Options > WWSGD. If you use feedburner for your feed, you will need to change the address in the text box to your feed address. You can also customize what is said, just be sure everything is within the paragraph tags – <p></p> If you wanted to you could also change the number of times it displays.

There you have it, you are doing What Seth Godin Would Do! Let me know if you have any problems, we are here to help!

If you’ve ever been to work at home research website or small business starting discussion website of any kind chances are you’ve heard Lynn Terry’s name mentioned at least once. If you haven’t, well then I’m mentioning it now so yes you have. LOL Lynn Terry is a full time Internet Marketer with over 10 years of experience in online marketing and home-based business.

My favorite part about Lynn’s blog and forums is that she is very realistic. If something is hard she will tell up front that it’s hard. She’s not afraid to admit that even at her level of success she needs help with certain things, and she tells what those things are. A lot of internet marketers want you to believe that it’s easy and it happens with the wave of a wand. She also doesn’t try to over explain things or load her posts with jargon and keyword stuffing, she talks to you like a normal person so that it makes you want to grab a cup of coffee and sit down and read some more, as if you were sitting in the living room talking about it in the middle of the afternoon.

I’ve learned quite a few things from reading Lynn’s blog ClickNewz. One of the things I learned about was PayPerPost, one of the paid blogging companies. I signed up under Lynn after reading about it on her blog one day. She has some great advice about affiliate marketing and how to get started. All with a realistic outlook on what to expect when you’re just getting started. I’m always on the lookout for anything that Lynn reviews and recommends because I know that she likes programs and products that are easy to use and beneficial to your business and/or website.

When talking about paid blogging options, one company that comes to mind is CreamAid. They don’t do things like most of the other paid blogging companies. In fact, you’ll write a post, and hope yours gets chosen so you will get paid! What? That’s right, when you go to the CreamAid site, you’ll see a list of possible jobs to write about. They call the jobs “conversations”.

When you select one that is open, you can click on the little tab and see how much the job pays. It will tell you the royalty, which is what you’ll be paid “if your post is selected”, and you’ll see a referral amount. The referral amount means that if someone reads your post on your blog, and then clicks on your widget to write about that conversation on their blog, you’ll get that referral fee. You will receive emails telling you if your post has been submitted, and if it’s been selected.

That’s a mouthful, but I’m going to break it down a little more for you.

1. Go to CreamAid and choose an open conversation to write about

2. Click on the little blue tab at the bottom, read the terms of service, enter your email address, and click the style of widget that you need.

“Whoa! Widget, I don’t want a widget!”

I can hear you all ready, just stay with me here. You’ll choose the style of blog you have, so you’ll get the proper code for the widget to appear on your blog. Nobody is forcing you to choose this company, but some people enjoy it.

3. Sign into your blog, and write a post linking to the company that it’s about. You’ll then add your widget to the bottom of your post. Simply paste the code, and the widget will do the rest.

4. When you finish and save your work, you will see a regular post, and at the bottom of the post, a small widget will appear. It will contain and show selected posts for that particular campaign.

If you’d like to see one in action, you can see one here.

If you’d like to read the rest of my series on paid blogging, you can go here: Paid Blogging.

I’ll be away next week, so I won’t be adding anything until the following week. Yes, I know about timestamps. I’m taking the week off. Cheers!

What do you get when you work with paid blogging services, besides extra money? There are other benefits that you may not have thought of.

Networking is an added bonus. Some of the paid blogging companies offer blogs, message boards or links to check out some of the blogs they offer. Working to network with other bloggers is always to your advantage. Find blogs that are similar in topic to your own and link into each other. See what other bloggers are doing to i

You may find an increase in traffic. As more people get to know you and your writing, they may frequent your blog more often. This all ties back into the networking. You may also find that you’re anchor and keyword targeted article is showing up well in search engines, which may in turn bring you more traffic.

With some companies, the more work you do with them, the more they know they can rely on you. You may get extra work, when they know you work in a timely manner, and write strong posts for them. Also work to go above and beyond what is asked of you, and you may find extra work in that inbox.

The more you write, the more comfortable you get writing. You may find yourself writing stronger pieces than you had before you started. On the other hand, this can backfire if you choose to get lazy. Think of your long term goal for your blog, and keep strength in mind.

TwitterTwitter and applications just like it are changing the way we communicate. It is a great tool to help you keep in touch with your friends. It also allows you to promote your blogs in a quick, straight to the point, fashion.

Here is an excellent example of just how to do it, and do it right. My friend Fave runs a podcast. Every time he makes a podcast, he allows his Twitter subscribers to “watch” the process of him making the podcast and be notified the minute it has been completed. He even gives a little count down to when the post will show up on his Friday Favecast blog. He uses Twitter to ensure that he has repeat visitors/listeners for his podcast. No wonder he just won the prestigious Black Weblog Award for best podcast of 2007.

I have just begun to use Twitter, myself. I can already see the enormous possibilities. It’s not just about keeping in touch. It is one of the fastest ways to garner free advertising for whatever project you are working on. Those of us who use the web as a means to support ourselves know all too well that promotion can make or break your online business.

There are plenty of ways to make Twitter more user friendly. I have downloaded Twitterfox to use as an add on for my Firefox web browser. I also have also downloaded Twitterbox to my computer, so I don’t have to even have my browser open to get updates and send them. You can find Twitterbox and many other applications like it through the Twitter website.

In response to Jenn’s question as to what Twitter is, I have added some pictures so click

I’m sure some of these folks are just itching for Google to update PR so they can have some of that green bar loving. I figured we could at least give them some linky love and a quickie review while they wait.

lisa reviews product and shopping review blogLisa Reviews ~ this is a shopping and product review blog. You’ll find everything from toys to bedding to popcorn and goodies for the kitchen. If you can buy Lisa will review it. I love product reviews, and I might be a little biased in that opinion because I often write similar style posts on one of my blogs. But, if I want to buy a product and I hear good reviews from other people then I’m more inclined to purchase it. I like to know things are good before I go get them. Shopping is hard enough to do with four kids in tow with me, I like to hear these things before I go to the store. I love the fun theme on this one too! Nice choice Lisa.

blogsweluv blog review blogBlogs We Luv ~ this blog is about …. blogs! LOL Mostly blog reviews. They have a nifty thing called 10 questions that you can fill out and submit, and they’ll post it up and give you some linky love as well. Mike and Tish are great … what’s that I see in the screen shot? Just Not Martha, wow that sounds like an interesting blog that they reviewed! *wink wink* They’ve currently got a contest going to win a review so make sure while you’re there you join their MyBlogLog community, as the winner will be drawn at random from that pool of bloggers.

talking to myself blogTalking to Myself ~ this is a personal aspect blog about regular everyday things like your kids growing up too fast and what kind of music is filling your life right now. Stuff that we like to talk about. If you don’t have a regular everyday blog that isn’t about regular everyday stuff I recommend you go get one, it’s a great outlet to have to write things down on. And Kim, if you’re reading this I remember when you only had one blog LOL ~ just teasing you. I think having more than one blog is great and you’ve been doing a great job of putting them all together. I’m not sure about the black background on this theme though, my eyesight is pretty lousy these days and after a couple clicks I started getting blurry.

the purrfect website cats blogThe Purrfect Website ~ where cats take over the blogging world. Christine loves her cats, and it shows. They get their very own blog. I know my Maurice likes to type too, but it usually consists of smacking my hand off the keyboard so he can lay down on it and get his tummy rubbed. He’s far too lazy to actually blog on his own. I think I count 7 kitty writers at Purrfect! And they are all adorable, I could just snuggle them all day. I often wonder what my cat is thinking … now that I read these cats point of view I don’t know if I want to know what my crazy kitty is thinking or not!

with sugar and spice cooking blogWith Sugar and Spice ~ a blog about cooking of course. With a very cute name, I wish I had thought of it. I’m a bad cook as I admit on my blogs, so there are several cooking blogs in my feed reader. I just added this one to the mix as well. It’s still pretty new, but I’d say the potential is there for being a great cooking blog. I love it when I see pictures of the steps it takes to make something because I need visual confirmation that I’m not totally screwing things up! I try to do the same when I write a cooking post up. I just made not of the breakfast quiche recipe too, hubby loves that kind of thing so I might be nice and try to whip that up this weekend.

So, there you have it. 5 totally unranked blogs that I thought were pretty interesting. Remember page rank isn’t everything people. It’s just a boring old number. Don’t sweat the update, we like with or without your PR

This is the third in a series of posts designed to help prevent fallout when dealing with buyers that bring their own lenders to the deal. Part I discussed down payment, and Part II income documentation.

No one wants to start a new client relationship off with an argument about lenders. But if they arrive with a pre-qual letter from someone you don?t know, don?t automatically put them in the car. These questions will help you determine if that letter is really worth the paper it?s written on.

Remember, if the borrower really is pre-qualified, they?ve been through these questions and should have some very clear answers.

Question #3: What are your Fico scores?

There is no mortgage-related topic that generates more myth and new, old wives? tales than credit scoring. Most consumers are somewhat aware of the condition of their credit, and some may even be able to tell you their scores. Many people now subscribe to services that keep them updated on their scores. Others recently bought a car, refinanced the old house, or obtained a free on-line credit report. That?s not enough for our purposes.

Each of the three major credit repositories?Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax?issues a score. Lenders generally look at the middle score of a single borrower or the lower of a couple?s middle scores. But there are differences between consumer credit scoring models and mortgage credit scoring models. I?ve seen the results vary by 100 points. That can make the difference between a prime and a subprime loan. So don?t assume that the score number your prospect tosses out is the right one.

Unless the borrower has had a recent mortgage credit report and knows their middle score, send them immediately to your favorite lender. And if they complain about another report hurting their scores, don?t buy it. They are misinformed. And get a copy of the report, or at least the page with the scores. Old Republic Credit?s reports have a separate page for disclosure purposes that reveals only the borrower?s scores. If the lender isn?t willing to share this with you, your Spidey sense will tingle.

Stay tuned for Part IV.

Preventing fallout is a high priority right now in this shaky market. Escrows are falling apart at unusually high rates. The usual issues, repairs, property values, and buyer?s remorse, are now coupled with short-sales, bank REOs, and contingent offers. These are professional realities for those of us in the business, and much of this stuff lies beyond our control.

But one factor within every agent?s control is buyer pre-qualification.

Over the past few years we successfully taught buyers to get pre-qualified before they go home shopping. Then we kicked back, thinking the job was done. Today, buyers show up already pre-qualified, and they don?t necessarily want to talk to your lender.

No seasoned agent I know today would think of putting a buyer in their car without first knowing they can qualify. And yet most will accept a pre-qualification letter from a total stranger. So, to better control that which we can, here are 5 Questions Every Agent Should Ask when a borrower comes to you pre-qualified by someone you don?t know.

Question #1: Do you have a down payment?

You?re looking for a yes, but don?t stop there. You need to ask how much money they have and where it?s coming from. Lenders prefer seasoned funds, money that has been sitting in bank account for 60?90 days. They may also require reserves as well. If the money is really a loan from uncle Charlie, an advance on the Visa, or in the Folger?s can buried in the back yard, you may have a problem.

Lenders do sometimes allow gift funds but may still want the buyer to have some skin in the game. Borrowers are often vague about cash, but this is no time to wimp out. Pretend your a doctor and just tell the patient they need to take off their clothes.

If the answer to the cash question is no, ask if they have any money for closing costs and reserves so you?ll know in advance whether a seller credit will be part of your price negotiation. Then move on to Question #2. Keep in mind that 100% financing is becoming very difficult these days. Borrowers will need high credit scores and they?ll have be able to fully document enough income to keep debt to income ratios reasonable.

I?ll end the first installment there. Stay tuned for Part II.