Archive for the ‘More Website Traffic’ Category

It’s Passing PR That Google Objects To

I just finished watching a video that Google’s rep, Matt Cutts created. The one thing that stuck out in my mind was this… If you sold links from your site or are currently selling links, you are passing PR to the site that paid you to add their link.

Now then… all is not lost. Matt says all you have to do is remove those links, then request a review from Google to get your site reinstated. READ Matt Cutts full article, click here.

What about selling Ads from your site? If you have a high PR site and you sell advertising, does Google fault you for that? HM…. I’ll have to ask Matt this and see what he says.

[kc_heading_pac_10_headline_5 size="46" color="#dd0d0d"]Zombie GEEKS AHOY![/kc_heading_pac_10_headline_5]

In my previous post you learn about my weekend without Internet connection. This was due to my laptop NOT connecting.

In my business I simply cannot afford to wait around for my computer to be fixed so…
I thought I had better get a backup PC ASAP.

I went to Bestbuy to snag a new laptop. And of course they PITCH the GeekSquad coverage. Here’s how THIS conversation goes…

“Bla bla badditty bla, get our GeekSquad 800 Support for an extra $50.00″ or somewhere around that price.

I say, “Okay, HERE’S the THING!”…

“I’ve tried these so called Geeks out and I have to tell you they are …. pardon my expression, a team of halfwits trained to look up the ‘possible solutions” and tell you it will take 3 weeks to fix, try-to-get-you-to-pay $97.00 to backup your DATA on your PC.. all dressed nice and spiffy shirts” DorkusSquad.

The sales dude confesses to me, “Yah, I give those guys behind the counter a hard time ALL THE TIME.

But the 800# has people who are IT techs and have a DEGREE!”

I say with a heavy french accent…”OH REALLY” ?

“Yah, just give them a call and they will get the job done”.

Hm… I turn my eyes upward imagining the possiblities…

Still not convinced I reply, “Well, I have hired the GuruAids dudes online and they have gotten me out of some VERY helter-skelter-SCARY malware problems. You’re saying your GEEKSSQUAD can handle super tough techi problems over-DUH-PHONE??”

He totally says, “Yes, this IS what I’m saying”.

OKay, so well, I give in, I buy and then go home and CALL these apparently IT-Degree-Guaranteed Geek-by-phone squad.

I describe the problem – you know… how my laptop will NOT connect. The booby on the other line did not LISTEN when I said I had already gone through the connection process of which I am a bit on the TECHNO SAVVY side so I already tried the solutions she had.

And of course the end result – TAKE IT IN TO BE FIXED! Which means a THREE WEEK WAIT!

After THAT familiar conversation during which she put me on hold to do a search on her own PC to get directions to helping me, which failed…

I had an AH-HA! moment.

I then proceeded to dig into my computer BIOS (a little geek-speek for you there) and discovered that my connection to the Internet had been disabled from the BIOS which is your PC brain.

I reconnected it, then restarted my laptop and guess what happened???

VIOLA! It connected to the Internet!

OKay, so here’s the THING!

I’m really NOT that techno savvy, but I am slightly above average techi. I don’t have a degree, and YET, I figured this problem out when the seriously missnamed GeekSquad could NOT.

I am going to request a REFUND on the GEEKSQUAD addon of which I am not sure I’ll get.

MY RECOMENDATION? GuruAid.com I am 100% positive those guys would have solved this problem for me within a few minutes.

GeekSquad – THUMBS DOWN

GuruAid – THUMBS UP

So, you wake up, you make your coffee, and then sit in your favorite lazy-boy chair to begin your day.

Then it happens…

Your computer just doesn’t seem to understand “connect”.

When you have customers expecting their downloads, clients wanting their digital-paper work filled out, and a variety of other tasks just waiting for you to manage, losing your Internet connect is rather.. UPSETTING!

I actually do have a back up PC, but it’s old, breaths really heavy when I tell it to multitask, and I’m sure it’s about ready to blow some type of memory board gasket any day now.

What do you do?

Ah well… you just head on over to BestBuy, slap down that 18 month interest free Visa and VIOLA! You’re back online and deeper in debt.

However, the good news is… it’s a business right off and my business is certainly going to pay for it over the next 7 months!

How about you? If you woke up one morning and found your PC wouldn’t connect, what sort of day would that be for you?

[kc_heading_one size="30" color="#000000" align="center"]Gmail and the Spam Folder[/kc_heading_one]

In my last post I mentioned to you how just ONE LITTLE “thing” like using a GMAIL or YAHOO email address will put your emails into the spambox.

As an update, my broadcasts are back to normal. I am happy about that.

Today I’m going to give you some quick tips to help decrease the percentage of your broadcast emails that end up in the spambox.

TIP ONE: Do not hide your unsubscribe. Gmail requires this to be prominently displayed. Some people like to put the unsubscribe waaaaaay down the page after a lot of blank space. I’m SURE that is RED FLAG.

WAIT that is NOT enough… Gmail rules want a LIST UNSUB HEADER! WoW, what nerve. Every email address I have comes from people “giving it to me. Now I have to YELL at them and make it headline news that they can unsubscribe? **lip-pinching grumbles*

TIP TWO:  Formatting…

Okay, this one is really a bit on the WTHECK?? response.

Gmail recommends that you let your readers know in the “From” email that it’s bulk email. Huh? I want people to know it’s from “me”. This one is a bit “out-there”.

Imagine this:

Your email is from: BULK EMAIL
You can UNSUBSCRIBE NOW HERE

If I receive an email that tells me upfront it’s bulk email I’m most likely going to think it’s spam. Perhaps Gmail has something else in mind here. I dunno… *Deep Sigh*

TIP THREE: No missleading subject headings.

Well, this one I agree with. I’m getting subject headings like, “Thank you, your order is complete”

I don’t like misleading subject headings so Thumbs Up on that suggestion.

There are more but they are annoying and if you want to get the scoop, click here to read them right on Gmails suggestions page.

My Broadcasting Headache…

Up until about a week ago things were running quite smoothly regarding my list delivery process. My subscribers seemed to be happy as I was getting a nice above average “open” rate from each of the broadcast messages I sent out.

Suddenly things changed. My open rate droped about 65% overnight!

I scrambled to figure things out. I emailed Aweber… “What the heck” ???

I spoke to some friends, “WHAT THE HECK”!!!

Then today, one of my good buddies online sent me a screen shot of my broadcast. It was in his spambox.

NOW I understood!

The problem is that when you use “Yahoo” or “Gmail” as your “From” email address, you trigger the SPAM collector. Away goes your email from their Inbox to their Spambox.

Ah well… live and learn… and learn… and keep on learning….

With the speed of the Internet and technology, you simply have to keep up with the changes. No way around it.

Hope this has helped some of you who may have wondered why you get such low open rates. Or like me, why they may have dropped over night.