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In my last post I talked about some of my goals for 2009.  At the suggestion of my friend Dennis Edell, I’m going to talk a little about how I plan to achieve them.

After all, what good is a goal without a plan to reach it?

So here is my game plan for 2009…

1. Increase revenue.  That’s pretty much everyone’s goal right?  I’ll keep plugging away on my mini-sites and also look to monetize this blog a bit which I haven’t done at all yet.

2. Increase readership of this blog.  Basically I’m going to keep posting solid content in the hopes that my audience will grow.  I’m also going to continue commenting on other blogs and networking to make friends and find readers.

I’m also working on a short report that will be available only to my email subscribers.  Maybe I’ll hold a short contest too.

3. Building up a new mini-site.  I’ve just started working on a nw niche that I think will be really profitable.  Its got tons of potential and I think it will be earning me a few hundred a month pretty quickly.  Just gotta move forward with it.

4. Lauching my first membership site.  I’m not quite ready to announce this one yet but I expect to have it all ironed out in the next couple of weeks.  Keep an eye out for it…it’s a must-have for article marketers/bum marketers, ppc marketers, etc.

5. Spending more time with my family is my ultimate goal.  The increased revenue I’l see from my efforts will let me work less and play more. 

Well we’ve just about reached the end of 2008…time to look to the year ahead.  I think its important to set goals for yourself so you have something to strive for.  I have certain things that I’m shooting for in 2009, including:

• Increased revenue…I have a monthly figure in mind that I want to hit for 2009.
• Building up readership of this blog.
• Building up a mini-site I’m currently working on and generating a certain amount monthly. 
• Launching my first ever membership site!
• Taking advantage of my increased revenue to spend more time with my family. 

But what about you?  What do you hope to accomplish in 2009?

I’ve been pretty busy with the holidays and a couple of other projects I’m working on so its been too long since I posted here. But I’m gonna keep it short today.

I don’t usually bother with “link love” types of posts because they don’t add much value to the reader…but in the holiday spirit its time for a little shout out to some of my friends and fellow bloggers…

Franklin Bishop talks about 8 blog headlines guaranteed to get your reader’s attention.

Caroline Middlebrook discusses a pay-as-you-go business model.

Learn how to comment your way to success from Danny Cooper.

Ben Pei lists his 16 must have Twitter tools.

Watch a tutorial by Christopher Ross and learn how to make awesome 3D icons.

Check out Yan Susanto’s massive list of 101 blogging tips.

Dennis Edell is running a neat contest with a $100 prize.

Josh Spaulding proves that duplicate content can rank in the SEs.

I originally wrote this for another blog of mine but I’ve decided to repost it here…

Whether you’ve just launched a new site or already have an established blog with hundreds of posts, you should always be on the lookout for new links. Backlinks increase your Google PageRank, bring new visitors to your site, and (hopefully) increase your revenue.

But link building can be a frustrating experience for even the most seasoned marketer. It takes a lot of time and hard work, which is why so many bloggers and website owners do a half-ass job and never see the benefits of a well-constructed link building campaign.

My goal in this post is to create a definitive list of link building strategies. I’ll come back to update it from time to time so make sure to bookmark it so you can use it as a reference.

Note - In this article I’m not concerned [...] Continue Reading…

I absolutely marvel at the mindset of some people.  They’ve obviously never heard of the old saying “Penny wise, pound foolish”.

Perhaps the best way to describe this type of person is by giving an example.

Link building expert Danny Cooper recently released a report called the Blog Comment Blueprint in which he reveals his methods for building links via blog commenting.  It’s a powerful yet easy to use strategy that can quickly bring you thousands of free backlinks and a steady stream of traffic (which is exactly what so many of you are struggling with!)

Now I’ve seen at least a half dozen positive reviews of Blog Comment Blueprint and when I read through the comments after the review I see the same thing again and again…

“Sounds great!  It’s just not in my budget right now or I’d pick it up right away.”

“I really can’t afford to splurge on it.”

Now, I [...] Continue Reading…

Today I just want to give you a quick heads up that Mike Young’s Website Legal Forms Generator software is about to double in price, so if you want to grab a copy do it quickly before its too late.  And I’m not an affiliate so I have nothing to gain by promoting Mike’s product.  I just want to do what’s best for my readers. 

I recently purchased a copy of Mike’s software to create a new privacy policy, terms and conditions, and other legal disclaimers for this blog as well as my other web sites.  In today’s “sue everybody” society, I strongly recommend you do the same to protect yourself from frivolous lawsuits. 

Mike’s software is ridiculously easy to use.   Just fill out a few fields and ask a few questions and you’ll have everything ready in just a few minutes.  Mike says it takes 17 minutes, but it [...] Continue Reading…

I’ve been thinking a lot about blogging lately and I’ve come to the decision that a running a blog is not the best business plan for long term success. 

Yes, there are some notable exceptions…but overall I find bloggers work waaaay too hard for little financial reward.  Of course, making money is not the only reason to have a blog…

Maybe you just want a place to share your thoughts on a subject. 

Or perhaps you use your blog to network and make contacts. 

Do you blog to promote your main website?  Or an offline business?

Are you trying to make a name for yourself so you can cash in on your notoriety down the road?

For me, making money off of this blog is not really important.  I have other sites that generate income and this blog  is just a way for me to share my thoughts and internet marketing strategies while making some friends.  If [...] Continue Reading…

If you’re into affiliate marketing then odds are you know all about Clickbank.  If you’ve never heard of CB you should know that they’re probably the largest online retailer of digital products and they have thousands of products to promote.  Its where most newbies start their affiliate marketing journey.

Unfortunately there have been some rumblings in the past few weeks about orders not being processed correctly.  More specifically, vendors and affiliates alike are afraid that they’re not getting paid for their sales.  Conversion rates for some products have tumbled and while some may shrug it off as a fluke a lot of people are concerned.  After all, if you’re spending money on a PPC campaign your profit margin may be pretty small.  Losing a few sales could mean the difference between a tidy profit and a huge loss.

Personally, I did notice a very quiet two weeks from my affiliate sites, [...] Continue Reading…

Well its been about six weeks since I launched my review style case study and I have good news and bad news.

My Best Web Host Ratings site uses the WPReview site plugin to let vititors leave their own comments and ratings about the web hosts they’ve used.  The idea is that people who are shopping around for a web host will find my site, read some of the reviews and comparisons, and click on one of my affiliate links.

The bad news is that I’ve really underpromoted it…I had planned a good sized article marketing campaign but I’ve only written two short articles.  I’ve only gotten 128 unique visitors to the site and there aren’t that many customer comments.  I added a few myself for the hosting providers I’ve used and some I got thanks to a forum post telling people they’d get a free link in return for a [...] Continue Reading…

As financial markets around the world continue to go up and down like a yo-yo, a lot of people are scared.  Companies everywhere are laying off employees, freezing open positions, and cutting back any way they can…including salary increases and bonuses. 

I personally know a lot of people with hefty mortgages who are worried they could be out on the street if they lost their job (or if their cost of living continues to skyrocket while their salary remains the same).  They feel like they’re on a wild roller coaster ride that has gone out of control.

This lack of control is one of the primary reasons I started my own business to make money online.  The thought of being completely reliant on the whims of some faceless corporation scares the hell out of me.  I need to know that if times are tough I can fend for myself. 

That said, a [...] Continue Reading…