Google Analytics for Tracking Google Base (Froogle) Visitors
Posted by reviews on Dec 3, 2007
For those of us that sell products via an ecommerce site, you probably are familiar with Google Base (formerly Froogle) where you can list your products on Google Product Search. You may wonder if you are getting many visitors from Google Base. You will likely get visitors if your pages are fairly well designed in Google Base and the pricing and attributes are good. The question would be; how does one track Google Base visitors using Google Analytics?
Google has an answer on their Official Google Base Blog, however their advice is odd and a pain in the arse at best, and very bad advice at worst. Their answer is to create another page just for the Google Base visitors, thus creating duplicate content, which contradicts Google’s own webmaster guidelines. Nice.
Regular landing page: http://example.com/page1.html
Unique Base landing page: http://example.com/page2.htmlBy creating two versions of the same page on your website and submitting the unique landing page URLs to Base, Google Analytics can show you exactly how much traffic is being sent to your website from Base. Just make sure to include the unique landing page URL in the link attribute of your bulk upload file.
A much, much better answer was supplied by Scott Horne over at WebProNews. They even provide great graphics to help you. He suggests adding a query string to the end of the url link in Google Base, such as ?ref=base.
It would look like this: http://www.example.com/nifty-product.html?ref=base
You would then log into Google Analytics, go to the specific domain, go to Content, Top Landing Page, and do a search for ref=base.
Very simple!
Leftover Stuff from Airports Security - How to Buy!
Posted by reviews on Nov 1, 2007
Looking for a great way to find inventory to resell or just some nice gifts for yourself or others? Here’s some great possibilities!
Since 9/11, the TSA has collected tons of items at airport security checkpoints. What happens to all that stuff? Here’s how to buy TSA contraband.
Since 9/11, the Transportation Security Administration has collected tons of items at security checkpoints; in 2006 alone, screeners took in more than 13 million items. What happens to all that stuff? The TSA turns it over to state surplus property agencies, which tend to sell it online or at retail stores. (Sometimes the contraband is sold in bulk.)The agencies say they’ll reunite you with your prized pocketknife, if they can locate it. But they would much prefer that travelers figure out the rules and abide by them. “Our goal is for passengers not to bring this stuff on anymore, so we won’t have to deal with it,” says Steve Ekin, Georgia’s surplus property division director. Here’s where to look, and what you might find.
Quote from Yahoo! News
Here’s some contact info:
Alabama
Airports: 14 in Florida and Alabama, including Miami, Orlando, Huntsville, and Birmingham
Where to buy: eBay (seller ID: alstatesurplus)
Typical deal: Golf driver $100
Craziest items? “There are always lots of plastic fake swords that people buy at Walt Disney World, so there are probably lots of mad kids.”
Info: adeca.state.al.us/surplus%20property
Georgia
Airports: Atlanta, Savannah/Hilton Head
Where to buy: Stores in Tucker (Atlanta Surplus Center, 770/414-6468); Swainsboro (Swainsboro Surplus Center, 478/289-2623); and Americus (Americus Surplus Center, 229/931-2407)
Typical deal: Hammers $3, cordless drills $10
Craziest items? “We get flatware and kitchen knives stolen from restaurants, and we’ve received a bowling pin, a chain saw, and a few circular saws.”
Info: surplusproperty.doas.georgia.gov
Illinois
Airports: Chicago O’Hare, Chicago Midway, and occasionally four more in Illinois and Michigan
Where to buy: Auctions held at ibid.illinois.gov
Typical deal: 25 pounds of Swiss Army knives for $250
Craziest items? “On occasion, we’ll see big bowie knives and ninja swords. And nunchucks–a lot of those come through.”
Kentucky
Airports: Eight in various states, including Orlando and Miami (Alabama shares the loot), and Louisville
Where to buy: eBay (seller ID: kysurplus)
Typical deal: 50 Swiss Army knives for $250
Craziest items? “We’ve collected about 500 mini Louisville Slugger bats bought at the Louisville Slugger Museum.”
Info: finance.ky.gov/internal/surplus
Oregon
Airports: Portland and Eugene
Where to buy: eBay (seller ID: oregontrail2000)
Typical deal: 10 Leatherman multitools for $75
Craziest items? “Golf clubs and machetes.”
Info: oregonsurplus.com
Pennsylvania
Airports: 13 from various states, including New York JFK, Newark, Philadelphia, and Cleveland
Where to buy: eBay (seller ID: pastatesurplus)
Typical deal: Deer-hunting kit (gut-slitting knife, multitool, pocketknife, large safety pins, rope, flashlight) for $50
Craziest items? “We’ve received hundreds of pairs of fuzzy handcuffs and other … paraphernalia–I wanted to create funny Valentine’s Day kits, but folks here thought taxpayers wouldn’t like it.”
Info: dgs.state.pa.us/surp_prop
Texas
Airports: Seven across the state, including Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin
Where to buy: Austin Storefront in Austin, 512/463-1990
Typical deal: Scissors and corkscrews 25¢, knives 50¢, multitools $2.50
Craziest items? “Brass knuckles, crutches, and piñata sticks. And we once got a cane with a knife inside it.”
Info: tfc.state.tx.us/communities/supportserv/prog/statesurplus
Washington State
Airports: Seattle-Tacoma, Spokane, and Tri-Cities
Where to buy: Auburn Retail Store in Auburn, 253/333-4912
Typical deal: Corkscrews for 25¢
Craziest items? “Lots of ulus–round Eskimo chopping blades. Also, a Sit’n Putt. It’s a short-handled putter designed to be used while you’re on the potty.”
Info: ga.wa.gov/surplus
Matt Cutts New Startup Idea
Posted by reviews on Sep 20, 2007
Interested in a new internet business startup idea? Here’s an idea straight from a Google employee!
Matt Cutts, the well known Google employee that blogs about all things internet, has come up with his own internet money making venture. Realizing that most people have a ton of their favorite songs in an mp3 format, only not necessarily legally downloaded. His idea is that people may like to have a higher quality, legal format and would go for the opportunity to upload a list of all their favorite titles and have them converted. The mp3 conversion internet business would charge the customer to cover the cost of making the songs legal, etc
Here’s how he thinks it could work for you:
- offer people ringtones of songs on their hard drive
- charge a penny or two for each song that is converted to “legitimate.”
- run some banner ads or AdSense
- anonymize the data and license the anonymized data to various businesses
- get people to sign up with Pandora, Last.fm, or Rhapsody.
- don’t make any money on it. Use it as a way to build brand recognition or positive karma.
I actually could see how this could work! However, the biggest incentive for people would be a huge assault by the RIAA with lawsuits and other penalties. Also, if they offered higher quality sound and a full catalog of data, since many mp3 downloads don’t include much information and have incorrect spellings.
So, all you audiophile, internet entrepreneurs better get a jump on the competition and do it now!
As a sidenote, Matt Cutts has hinted before that Google would not be a lifelong pursuit when he said “I love working at Google, but at some point my wife is going to wake up and smell the coffee. She’ll say ‘Hey, we agreed we’d try this Google thing for four or five years, and then I’d get to pick what to do next. It’s been like eight years now! When do we move on to our next adventure?’” Maybe he’s considering finally doing one of his ideas.
Are You Losing Motivation for Your Internet Business?
Posted by reviews on Sep 17, 2007
Someone raised a good concern on the Digital Point Forum the other day about giving up and “waving the white flag”. This happens to many people that are searching for a way to make a living or some extra income via the internet (among other places). Part of it comes from the type of people that are attracted to internet businesses, and that is that they are looking for “easy money” or they want a way to earn an income with little to no work. Rarely is this true. As the saying goes, “if it were easy, everyone would do it.” Well, many people do try, but give up once they realize the effort it takes to succeed. The truth is that the average internet user is becoming more savvy and discriminating as to what sites, opportunities, or products are worth their time. With this realization, we must continue to evolve and perfect what we create.
Perseverance
By simply sticking it out, you will notice many of the people that started along your side will have given up. For those remaining competitors, you must improve on your good ideas and make them live up to the standards of the savvy internet user.
“Don’t be discouraged. It’s often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock.” ~Author Unknown
Passion
Another important part of success is do something in which you are passionate. When the going gets really tough, it’s often our passion that keeps us going. In other words, do something you really enjoy. Don’t make life harder for yourself by doing something that you have very little interest in doing in the first place.
As Jenn Mattern said in her response in the forum thread, “Don’t worry about a saturated market. Just find a niche you’ll love (if you won’t keep your drive to keep it going, it doesn’t matter how much it could potentially make), and one that you could be considered an authority in, and take it from there.” That is some sound advice.
Learn from Others
Improving on an idea can be a worthwhile undertaking. The USA become what it is today by “standing on the shoulders of other great men” and always trying to improve on what came before. However, make sure you are not simply “reinventing the wheel”. The greatest mistake you could make would be to fall into the same trap as others.
Make a Plan
Another famous quote is by Benjamin Franklin, “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” How true that is? Flying by the seat of your pants may work for a fighter pilot, but it rarely works for a business. Take the time to formulate a plan so you don’t stray from your original goals. That is not to say that you should not be flexible, but that you should have a guide to follow along the way.
The last lesson that I will mention is that it is important to focus on only a few ideas at a time. Do not spread yourself thin and make your projects suffer because you did not allow yourself the time and energy to see them through.
5 Great Tips to Increase Your Adsense Revenue
Posted by reviews on Aug 24, 2007
If webmasters want to monetize their websites, the best way to do it is through Adsense or a similar program. There are plenty of webmasters that are finding it hard to earn decent amount of money via their websites. However there are the other ones, the ones that seem to be raking in the money. What makes these webmasters different from the rest?
The successful ones often can provide some great tips for making money via their websites. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. It’s time for you to learn from the successful ones and not repeat their mistakes.
Here are 5 great methods to improve your Adsense earnings.
1. Concentrating on one format of Adsense ad. The one format that has worked well for is the Large Rectangle (336X280) size. This format tends to have a higher Click Through Rate (CTR). The benefit of this ad format is that it look like normal web links. People are used to clicking on this layout since it is visually similar to most websites that they commonly use when browsing the internet. They may not know they are clicking on an Adsense ad.
2. Location, location, location! Do not put Adsense on the bottom of the pages of your site. Put them at the top, center, or sides, where people can see them more quickly. You will be surpised at how much a location matters.
3. Create a custom palette for your ads. Choose a color that will blend with the background of your site. If your site has a light blue background, try to use light blue as the color of your ad border and background. The idea to pattern the colors to make the Adsense ads look like they are part of the various web pages. By blending the ads with your content you will increase the likelyhood of people clicking on the ads.
4. Content is king! Keep them coming back for more with relevant and interesting content. If you can’t think of something interesting to write or add to your site, hire someone to write for you. Also, write something in which you know something about. The Digital Point Forum has people wanting to write original content, and at reasonable prices.
5. Some have found that less content means a higher CTR. The belief is that you are leaving your readers wanting more and that they will click around looking for more information. Unfortunately, others disagree with this theory. You may want to experiment.
Generate Tons of Traffic for Your Site!
Posted by reviews on Aug 20, 2007
1) PPC Traffic
Pay-Per Click traffic with Google Adwords and the like can bring good, traffic however it can be a very expensive method of bringing visitors to your site.
2) Writing Articles
Writing articles and submitting them to sites or Article Directories can be a great way of generating backlinks and possibly some targetted traffic to your site.
3) Social Networking websites
The first one that springs to mind is StumbleUpon. However, the traffic from stumbleupon is not targeted.
Here’s a huge List of Social Networking websites
Yahoo Answers! - This is an excellent resource to get traffic. It is indexed daily and you will have a very good chance of getting some targetted traffic. It is nofollow, so you will not get any link juice.
5) Blogs, Forums, Press Releases
The more ways you can announce your website or talk about your product, the better. If you can generate some buzz and get people talking, you will find an increased number of visitors.
6) Forum Signatures
Take part in related forums. The more active you are, the more other users of the forum will likely see your posts and therefore your signature.
Starting an internet based business
Posted by reviews on Aug 6, 2007
Being an unmarried mother with kids could be really difficult. The battle to gain some income to back your tiny kids could be really taxing on you that you may not truly get a better character of living. If you have been having then more problem balancing your moment between your career and you kids, you might need to regard starting an internet job so that you can remain at house and go maintenance of your kids while earning some income to back your household. The better issue about getting a net work is that you have a danger to be a lot of income while staying household with your kids. Starting a net work and staying at household is a good alternative especially if you are the unmarried earning income to support the house. If you do non get adequate savings to support you house while you are getting a net work, you might require to go keeping your job for the second being. It will non have you and your kids any better if you go out of work. Besides, relying on the welfare organisation is really a truly terrible issue
Now, if you are truly discriminating on starting an internet online job, you will require the cooperation of your kids. If your kids are already older enough to realize what you are doing, you should ask them to an encounter and let them into your program. Explain to your kids that you would care to consume much moment with them but since you will require to gain some income to repay the bills and purchase nutrient, you will require their assistance. Tell them that you will require to get some moment to make at house and would not need to be disturbed on sure times of the day or night. Since most kids would truly enjoy to get their mothers at house then you will not truly get more problem convincing your kids to collaborate.
Now, in lawsuit you have really tiny kids who yet could not realize what you are doing, it would be a better thought to place the tiny kids to sleep early at night so that you can get much moment to make o your plan. You can begin working on your online job at night while the kids are sleeping. Although this establish upward may need a plenty of sacrifices on your region, this may be the alone manner for you to be capable to consume much moment with your kids subsequently on. Spending some moment every night to have your online job upward and running will shortly repay away, then be really diligent. More and much women are leaving the joint reality behind to seek their hand at conventional homemaking.
Many women select to make outside of the house to supplement their husbands income and experience private fulfilment through success in their chosen community. The two income household is now the norm. This can ensue in guilt and depression in the over burdened woman. It may not be a happenstance that divorce has get more rife and kids more overdue since the hike of two income families.
Women are often finding themselves drained emotionally and physically from the dysfunctional patterns of behavior that are imposed on them by today’s society. Many women are fighting back by starting a home based business.
By working from home, women can now set their own hours, save time and income and spend more time with their kids. With a little help, home based businesses can bring in a decent supplemental income with less hassles than the corporate world offers. Mothers can hire part time nannies instead of full time sitters and can arrange for childcare to be done in their own homes.
This allows peace of mind for the mother and a chance to squeeze in quality time with the kids during breaks, have picnic lunches on the lawn and never miss another chance to kiss away a fresh boo boo. Hiring some childcare help during busy seasons in your business can help you keep your sanity. On slower days, the kids can so quite well if they are kept in a structured environment and on a schedule.
By working from house, women can now establish their own hours, rescue moment and income and consume much moment with their kids. With a less assistance, house based businesses can take in a respectable supplementary income with little hassles than the joint reality offers. Mothers can employ region moment nannies instead of complete moment sitters and can organize for childcare to be done in their own homes. This allows peace of psyche for the mother and an opportunity to pinch in character moment with the kids during breaks, have outing lunches on the lawn and never miss another opportunity to kiss off a sweet hoot hoot. Hiring some childcare assistance during active seasons in your job can assist you hold your sanity. On slower days, the kids can then rather easily if they are kept in an organized surroundings and on an agenda.