August 21, 2009
Out with the Old, In with the New...Newsletter
Last issue! Keep reading to learn why...
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I'm redirecting my energies to a new site with a new newsletter. Read up to see if you might want to come along!
2) FEATURE ARTICLE:
Proof That Google Expects More From You
Something surprising happens when you Google best search engine, and there's a lot to learn from the results.
3) Keyword Research
It's no coincidence that I just started up a new site. I made the decision as soon as I discovered a new and improved tool for success that inspired me!
4) New Pages on the Site
When you signed up for the newsletter, you were promised an update on new pages to the site. Here they are!
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Functionality Alerts!
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If any links in this newsletter don't work, it's probably because your email software cuts off the link text at a line break, then prints the rest of the link as plain text. To use one of these links, try copying the WHOLE link then pasting it into your browser.
This email was designed to be read in an email reader that reads html. If you don't have one or yours is turned off, this letter might not look great but I'm guessing you're still smart enough to make sense of what I'm saying!
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If The Shared Self Publishing Experience has taught me anything, it's that I have a real passion for helping people figure out how to use the Web to their advantage.
So many people with so many sites that just don't work.
That's why I've decided not just to direct my rants and ravings at self published authors. You'll find my new site at IncreaseOurTraffic.com. You'll also find a subscription form for my new newsletter. (Look in the right column.)
If you take a look, you'll see that I'll be having a little fun with this new site. I've created myself an alter ego, an internet Drill Sergeant with an attitude. (The new newsletter is called, "Hello, Maggots!")
I'm a fiction writer at heart. This new site will allow me to get a little closer to my roots by letting me spend some time in the voice of a fictional character.
So while the newsletter won't be directed at authors per se, it will be highly focused on attracting traffic via the web, just as this newsletter has. In fact...
If you happen to have a life outside of your role as self published author, you might find the new site has additional internet applicability!
So I hope you'll join me over there. There isn't much content yet, but there will be. And please know that your links at The Shared Self Publishing Experience are safe! The site will remain up and running. (After all, it's making me money!)
So please visit the new site and subscribe to the newsletter. It'd be great to have you along for my new adventure!
2) FEATURE ARTICLE
Proof That Google Expects More From You!
I just Googled best search engine. I'm sure you think you know who had the top ranking.
Well, did you guess Dogpile? If not, you got it wrong. None of the top ten results lead to Google's home page.
Does this mean that Google thinks Dogpile provides better search results? Of course not. But it's a valuable reminder that Google doesn't review books; it ranks websites based on set criteria.
When you put up a site devoted to your book, it's not your book competing for traffic...
It's your website.
If (as just proven) even Google is a slave to its own algorithm (its search formula), then certainly you are too.
Still have hopes for your site? Then what have you done today to please the algorithm?
It didn't surprise me that Dogpile came in #1
After all, I'm the guy who told you that devoting space on your site to other books in your genre is an excellent way to attract traffic. Do you know what Dogpile does?
It's a meta search engine. It compiles results from multiple search engines. In other words, just as being a good source of information on books in your genre is a good way to attract traffic from fans of your genre...
Dogpile gets the respect of Google's algorithm by being a good source of information on all the top search engines. And there's more written content on Dogpile's home page than there is on Google's. So...
If Google won't even let their own site cheat its way to the top of the search rankings, why would they let yours?
So what should you do?
Think hard about that reader who would love your book if only she knew about it.
What information is she looking for that would lead her to your book? (Remember, she doesn't know your book exists.)
Let's say your book is about desert gardening. Your site might
- offer information on exotic cacti
- list southwestern U.S. plant nurseries by city and state
- provide planting instructions for fruits and vegetables that can be grown in high heat and low humidity
Your goal? Lure in likely book buyers with what they're looking for, knowing that you provide even more of what they're looking for in your book!
Can it work with non-fiction?
Sure! Though the things your potential reader is looking for might not be as immediately obvious. Let's say you've written a spy thriller.
- You could have real-life spy tales on your site
- You could have a page that draws from Google News any stories containing the word spy
- You could list the top spy novels of the last 10 years, or all the spy novels that were turned into movies
- You could interview a spy
- You could devote pages to spy gear (and actually make money on the sale of it!)
60,000 people a month Google spy equipment. As the next Robert Ludlum, don't you think among them is a significant portion of your target audience?
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If you make these kinds of additions to your existing site, will you get more traffic? In all likelihood. More content leads to more traffic. Will it be enough traffic to make you happy? To sell books in big numbers?
Probably not.
See, your site probably wasn't built with these additions in mind. When Google's algorithm encounters a site (named after your book) called the-bourne-tonsillectomy.com featuring
- a sales page about your book
- a blog about your family's 2004 trip to Puerto Rico, and
- a guide to telephone bugging devices...
That algorithm doesn't know what the heck is going on! That means its unlikely to rank you highly for any of the subjects you're covering. You'll probably rank higher for strep throat than for spy books.
For best results, always start from scratch. Do the keyword research that tells you which query phrases searchers use to find the information you want to offer and build your site accordingly.
(And, as you probably know by now, these are the guys I recommend for showing you how to do it.)
In a world in which Google reports that Dogpile is the best search engine (and Bing agrees!), there are clearly some rules applying that may not be common sense but that are going to have to be followed if you want to succeed.
Make sure your website offers information your potential buyers are looking for.
3) Keyword Research
Speaking of keyword research...
A month or so ago my pals at Site Build It unveiled their new and improved keyword research tool. It's no coincidence that I decided the day after I saw it that I just had to start a new site!
Keyword "brainstorming" is at the heart of what SBI offers. You're guided through a process that results, in essence, in a writing assignment:
Here are the subjects in your niche that you need to write about in order to guarantee a successful, well-trafficked site.
Why do I say, "Guarantee"? Well, because it's always worked for me. And because Site Build It promises unimpressed customers a 100% refund within the first 30 days of purchase and a pro-rated refund after that. If SBI isn't working for you...
Say goodbye!
For more on the new keyword research tool, visit SBI's tools page, then click in the box that reads, Brainstorm It, V3. Powerful stuff!
4) NEW PAGES ON THE SITE
When you signed up for this newsletter you were promised updates on new stories posted to The Shared Self Publishing Experience. Below you'll find the new pages added to the site since the last newsletter.
Remember to read the comments! (Because when writers write back in response to my questions, sometimes that's where the best information is.) And please post your own comments as well!
Self Publishing Christian Fantasy
Book, Doll Download and More (At my other site, Best Children's Books)
Fresh Out of Graphic Design School
Christian Fantasy Author
WRAPPING UP
Don't forget to sign up for my new newsletter at IncreaseOurTraffic.com!
THANK YOU
Thank you for subscribing to and reading this edition of Advanced Self Publishing. If you have any comments or suggestions, I hope you'll contact me.