Sales from the EDGE
Back Issue #036
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Sales from the EDGE Issue #036
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Sales from the EDGE
Breaking Through the "White Noise" Of Selling on the Net
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>From time to time, the EDGE publishes important updates that
you need to SELL on the Net. Most "latest and greatest" Net
marketing & sales developments simply waste our time. Today's
"hot new technology" is tomorrow's "whatever happened to?"
Occasionally, though, something comes along that STICKS. It
might NOT even be NEW... but we need to be reminded. When
that happens, the EDGE cuts through all the "white noise" of
Web marketing. It explains the issue and outlines clearly
how YOU can best take advantage of it.
SALES FROM THE EDGE is sent ONLY to SiteSell product owners.
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April 24, 2003
Issue #036
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
o SITESELL NEWS...
1) SiteSell's Value Exchange (Part I) Launches!
2) The Countdown Begins...
HTML Compatibility Is Coming!
o FEATURED ARTICLES...
1) A Brief Link Exchanging Primer!
2) FLASH! "Advanced Link Exchanging" (from I-Sales)
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>>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SITESELL NEWS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>-News-
---1---
>-News-
SiteSell's Value Exchange (Part I) Launches!
The SiteSell Value Exchange is the simplest, fastest, most
efficient, and most REAL way of exchanging links. It's a
true use of the Net -- relevant quality sites linking to
related quality sites *only,* just the way Search Engines
want it.
And you do *NOT* need to own Site Build It! to use it...
... no charge (for now). :-)
-----SIDEBAR-----
Due to "trick" linking strategies employed
by some unscrupulous marketers, the term
"Link Exchange" has almost become synonymous
with "link spamming."
But make no mistake...
You need links. Not just any links, mind
you, but quality ones. These links, from
respected authorities in your field add
credibility to your site -- both in the eyes
of your visitors and the major SEs
(especially Google), who use "linkage" as a
part of their ranking algorithms.
In an article entitled "Is Free & Low-Cost
Traffic Dead? Not Even Close!" of the most
recent issue of Sales from the EDGE...
http://www.sitesell.com/edge/backissues-035.html
... I discussed how link popularity factors
into each SE's traffic-delivering protocols.
Please review that article if you need more
data on the importance of link-exchanging!
-----SIDEBAR-----
I deliberately did not use the term "Link Exchange" for this
new traffic-building tool. The SiteSell Value Exchange is
clearly *much* more than that. In a nutshell, the SiteSell
Value Exchange is a unique service -- indeed, it's the ONLY
service on the Net that encourages and facilitates the
exchanging of *valuable* business-and-traffic-building links
between high quality, similarly-themed sites.
The SiteSell Value Exchange generates *credible* matches so
that you only contact other sites who have SPECIFICALLY
expressed an interest in exchanging links with you, *if* you
have a similarly themed site (or related) -- talk about a
HUGE time saver! It also culls low-quality sites from the
program, and uses specially designed algorithms to ensure
you never receive off-target link requests or worse... spam.
Result?
Pre-qualified VALUABLE link requests from quality,
like-themed sites -- the REAL way.
Translation?
Headache-free value-exchanging -- no searching or begging
required. And *most* importantly... no tricks! We use
technology to *keep it real* and yet remove the tedium and
complexity of searching out and requesting links from
qualified sites. (In this case, it applies more than ever,
since managing a "link exchange" program is usually both
spammy and highly tedious and complex.)
In other words, you're going to do it "the real way," the
way the engines want you to do it...
... except in hyper-drive, with little use of your time.
And yet, it will be genuine, adding real value for your
human visitors *and* meeting everything the Search Engines
seek.
-----SIDEBAR-----
Why do I call this "Part I?" Because before
we can officially start this program, we have
to load up the database with tens of
thousands of sites.
Wait 'til you see how (in Part II) we'll use
these tens of thousands of sites to provide
fantastic selection of similarly-themed sites
for SBI! owners... a powerful traffic-builder.
-----SIDEBAR-----
And here's the best news...
SiteSell Value Exchange is available to...
o YOU! Take advantage of our "build the database"
phase now. Join the Value Exchange at no cost...
http://value-exchange.sitesell.com/
o YOUR target market... friends, colleagues, visitors,
subscribers, audience, etc. Tell them all about it.
And to really capitalize on this free tool, join the
5 Pillar Affiliate program and earn commissions for
spreading the word. :-)
If you're not a 5 Pillar Affiliate yet...
http://affiliates.sitesell.com/
-----SIDEBAR-----
SBI!'ers get a little extra with their
version of Value Exchange -- OK, OK, a LOT
extra! Not only are SBI!'ers provided with
sharply targeted matches, but a whole slew of
cutting-edge link management tools as well,
including our friendly, loyal "GoGetIt" bot...
o automatic submission, once, of all URLs
that link to their site, to all engines, just
to be sure that they know about them -- after
all, what's the point of an incoming link if
it takes the engines FOREVER to find them?
o specialized tools to easily manage the
exchanges -- wait until you see how these
turn hours into SECONDS.
o automatic link monitoring to assure that
an exchange partner has the link to your site
well-exposed, visible, and not "buried" (deep
in the site or with 100 other links) and not
"orphaned" (i.e., unreachable).
o automatic calculation of TRUE link
popularity, with a unique weighted index that
gives SBI!'ers a TRUE score of how well they
are doing.
o tracking of links IN and links OUT, as
well as clicks IN and clicks OUT, through the
Value Exchange Program, to make sure that
each SBI!'er is getting solid returns from
this program.
o other valuable tools, including a
wonderful new bot called GoGetIt, which,
together with the above functionality, will
boost SBI!'ers traffic even more...
... all done fairly and in a way that even
the most stringent of Search Engines
(especially Google) will *love.*
For a current list of the full functionality
of SBI!...
http://buildit.sitesell.com/
-----SIDEBAR-----
Yup, the SiteSell Value Exchange delivers the sort of
value-exchanging that Search Engines love and encourage --
the type of exchange that provides value to the engines, to
their visitors who search, to visitors of the sites they
find and visit...
... in other words, to *EVERYONE!*
Talk about WIN-WIN-WIN!
Register your site in the Value Exchange at...
http://value-exchange.sitesell.com/
>-News-
---2---
>-News-
The Countdown Begins...
HTML Compatibility Is Coming!
Well, it's that time again!
Time for me to summon all hands on the proverbial deck for
some heavy-duty, pedal-to-the-metal testing of SBI!'s
upcoming HTML Compatibility Editor functionality. It's
extra-crucial that this module be deep-tested rigorously, so
I'm requesting that all available staff make this their TOP
priority for the time being.
For that reason, we're putting ALL SiteSell e-zines on a
temporary hiatus -- the next time you hear from us (likely
in 2-3 weeks, if all our bashing proceeds smoothly), we will
be set to announce the launch of the HTML Editor
Compatibility Module.
Get ready for the fireworks!
The HTML Editor Compatibility Module will introduce the
power of SBI! to an entirely new and vastly enlarged
audience -- Webmasters, savvy marketers, designers, and the
list goes on... anyone who prefers to build a Web site with
their own HTML Editor (ex., DreamWeaver, FrontPage, etc.).
Let's set the scene first, though. Start by reviewing the
incredibly comprehensive functionality of Site Build It!....
http://buildit.sitesell.com/index.html#FEATURES
http://buildit.sitesell.com/compare/compare1.html
Now... imagine coupling all that power with the HTML Editor of
choice.
Even the word "awesome" does not do this new development
justice! About the only phrase that does is...
"Yes, you CAN have your cake, and eat it, too." :-)
-----
What prompted this addition?
As always... the needs of our customers.
Yes, for sure, many folks love the SBI! no-HTML
block-by-block through-the-Web SiteBuilder. And they will
more than likely stick with this tried-and-true tool,
thinking that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." And that's
the right decision, for them.
However, there are also some people who want or need more
flexibility... Webmasters, in particular. There are also
"all the usual (experienced) suspects" that I named above...
savvy marketers, designers, copywriters, etc. Many people
are really comfortable with their own "HTML tool of choice"
(whether that be FrontPage, DreamWeaver, etc.). So the
challenge was how to enable them to get all the juice they
wanted out of their own editor, yet still make their pages
work with all the power/functionality that SBI! delivers...
http://buildit.sitesell.com/index.html#FEATURES
Some Webmasters have used SBI! successfully, while wishing
they could use their favorite HTML Editor. They'll be
extremely happy when they can just pop their HTML pages into
SBI! like bread into a toaster... and get full SBI! results.
"Yes, you CAN have your toast, and eat it, too." :-)
Other Webmasters have held back from using SBI! for their
small-small business clients, just waiting for this feature.
Well, the wait is almost over. Very, very soon, they'll be
able to deliver their own HTML pages *AND* SBI! results...
http://buildit.sitesell.com/sbi-businesses/traffic-alexa.html
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SBI! is an absolutely indispensable tool for Webmasters...
http://buildit.sitesell.com/sbi-businesses/services-web.html
No, I am not saying that SBI! is the perfect fit for ALL
small business clients -- no product is right for everyone.
But certainly SBI! is perfect for that large percentage of
small businesses that we call the "small-small business"...
http://buildit.sitesell.com/sbi-businesses/
Even with SBI!'s power, this market group has neither the
time nor the inclination to do it themselves. And that's
where Webmasters (and our to-be-announced Accredited
Webmaster Program) come in. With the assistance of SBI! and
its unmatched productivity and results, YOU can provide
*THE* SOLUTION at a very affordable price.
SBI! will take the best design and formatting power that you
can make with your cutting edge HTML Editor, and seamlessly
integrate it into all the features and functionality of SBI!
-- from Search Engine Analysis... to Submitting and
Ranking... to Click IN and Click Thru Stats.
SBI! handles all the tedium and lets you move on to your
next client. And that's the biggest benefit of all...
Productivity -- with SBI!, you can create effective,
high-traffic sites *in less time.*
What could be better for your bottom line and your client's?
So get ready... the HTML Editor Compatibility Module is on
its way!
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>> THIS ISSUE'S FEATURED ARTICLES
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---1---
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A Brief Value-Exchanging Primer
It will be four weeks before we "turn on" SiteSell Value
Exchange (Part II). As noted earlier, we're building a HUGE
database to deliver top-notch, highly relevant
value-exchange requests.
In the meantime, let me give you the key theory, in
digestible chunks, to help you use your value-exchange
program to build your link popularity, which builds free,
targeted traffic from the major Search Engines, especially
Google (and therefore, Yahoo!, too)...
1) A limited number of high quality links is much better
than a huge number of low quality links. There are a couple
of reasons for this...
a) The more your reciprocal links look like an
artificial attempt to increase link popularity (instead of
providing an additional valuable source of information to
your visitor), the more likely a Search Engine will ignore,
or possibly even punish your site's ranking within its
index. So while it's a great idea to integrate links into
the context of your site, or even have a Top 3 or Top 5
"best resources" page, a page with zillions of links can
only be viewed by Search Engines (which are extremely
clever) as an artificial attempt to raise link popularity.
b) Your #1 priority must be the building of your own
business. In other words, even though all links should be
configured to "pop-up" in a new window, it's not a good idea
to distract your visitor from your MWR (Most Wanted
Response) too much! Don't lose sight of the ultimate goal
of your site... to build *YOUR* business!
2) Don't exchange links just for the sake of exchanging
links. Remember, who you link to reflects upon the
credibility of your own business. Linking to a low-quality
site will tarnish your credibility (with BOTH the Search
Engines and your HUMAN visitors). Don't feel that you have
to exchange a link with everyone who requests one. On the
contrary, every link request should be analyzed carefully
and thoughtfully...
a) Ask yourself... "Will exchanging a link with this
site add credibility to my site and provide a valuable new
resource for my visitors, without jeopardizing the success
of my own business?" If yes, it sounds like this is a great
opportunity for you! If not, there is no need for you to
oblige the other Webmaster.
b) Judge a site on its own merits, not on its Google
PageRank score. Do *YOU* think it's great -- remember,
this is the kind of behavior Google looks for. Over time,
truly well-done sites *DO* get recognized as such by Google.
So your early recognition of a "young gem" will be well-
received and rewarded.
c) On the other hand, be ruthless. If it's not related
to what your site is all about, or if it's not well-done,
accepting to give a link to such a site hurts. Remember...
you CANNOT be penalized for "bad links" coming INTO your
site -- that is NOT under your control. But you CAN be
penalized for the reverse.
-----SIDEBAR-----
Value Exchange steadily weeds out any poor
sites, so you'll be getting only good sites,
and better and better ones as you participate
over time. It's a fool-proof, and REAL,
program that the engines love.
-----SIDEBAR-----
So it all boils down to this...
STAY REAL! Keep it simple! Don't turn this exercise into
the high-effort, spammy, link-farming, low-yield effort that
it is today. Value Exchange provides genuine value to...
o you
o your value-exchange partner
o your visitor
o the Search Engine.
And it removes all the time and tedium to do it. :-)
-----
Stay focused on building your *own* business, and exchanging
links *only* with credible, similarly-themed sites.
And that's where the power and simplicity of the SiteSell
Value Exchange comes into play...
It will help you build a true value linking program. One
that works, without tricks...
... and will KEEP on working.
SiteSell Value Exchange does its business while you "do"
yours! Register now, while there is still no charge. For
those who register now, the SiteSell Exchange will be free
FOREVER. No other purchase necessary, and we'll never
contact you for any reason other than to send you more
high-quality site matches for you to consider.
So register now...
http://value-exchange.sitesell.com/
... while the time, and the price, is right! :-)
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---2---
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FLASH! "Advanced Link Exchanging" (from I-Sales)
So there I was this fine Friday morning, sipping my coffee
and checking the posts in I-sales, when what do I read?
-----SIDEBAR-----
I-sales, along with Ralph Wilson and Allan
Gardyne and Danny Sullivan, is one of my
"desert island" zines that I could not do
without. John Counsel does every bit as good
a job as John Audette did -- his passion
shines brightly, and his moderating hand is
gentle but firm.
A truly fine discussion group...
http://www.adventive.com/lists/isales/summary.html
-----SIDEBAR-----
Anyway, back to my coffee and morning I-sales...
"Geez," I'm thinking. "Great info on link-exchanging."
And then I see why. SiteSell's own Paul Crane had written a
brilliant post to I-sales about link-exchanging. Some of
the above information is included below, but Paul actually
did a better, more complete job than I did, I'm afraid to
say. So, without further ado, consider this your "graduate
course in link-exchanging."
===========================================================
Hi everyone,
Just a couple of comments regarding the discussion of
niche-linking.
As you know, it's critical your site have at least a couple
of quality in-pointing links to justify your existence to
the major search engines, specifically Google. These links
could be from similarly themed content or industry sites,
from Joint Venture partners, or a major directory like
Yahoo!. Linking works two ways, of course, and most sites
should have at least a couple of out-pointing links to
highly-regarded resources.
These days, however, it pays to be extremely selective to
whom you should choose as a linking partner. Here's why...
i) First and foremost, any out-pointing link is a reflection
upon your site, and ultimately, the respect you have for
your visitors. To maintain your own credibility, you must
only link to high quality resources that bolster your
visitor's confidence, and provide some sort of valuable
resource (be it as information / content, a product /
solution, or whatever), they can't obtain on your own site.
ii) Now more than ever it is quality, and not quantity that
is the order of the day. Vast pages of link directories are
more likely to hurt your SE rankings (as they may be viewed
as an artificial attempt to raise link popularity), than
help them.
ii) In order for a link to have any *real* impact on traffic
and on SE rankings, links need to be used within the context
of existing pages. I believe it was Danny Sullivan's Search
Engine Watch where I saw it explained along these lines...
A single page has one "vote" that it can attribute to
another page by linking to it. Should that same page contain
two out-pointing links, the value of that vote drops in
half. In other words, the value of the single vote becomes
diluted as it becomes distributed amongst all the links on
that page. Yup... the more links on a page, the less
valuable each link becomes.
Given these factors, the process of hunting down *truly*
viable link partners becomes more and more tedious. Tools
like Zeus can be helpful in compiling a large list of
possible contacts, but in the end, each prospective site
must be reviewed for quality, and each automated "linking"
e-mail *must* be customized to distinguish it from spam. And
then, of course, there's the miserable return rate on such
requests. In the end, most agreements go something like
this...
"I'll bury your link on my site,
if you bury my link on your site."
In developing SiteSell's new link exchanging solution
(called "The SiteSell Value Exchange"), we worked to develop
a solution that would encourage the best linking practices,
providing a headache free, time efficient, and search engine
friendly way to encourage quality sites linking to quality
sites ONLY.
In short, we focused on creating a *bona fide* business-AND-
traffic building solution.
Some of the highlights...
i) All participants in the program are pre-qualified as
being interested in exchanging links with other similar,
quality sites. No more tedious hunting down of potential
link partners and "begging" for a link.
ii) Participants receive targeted "link matches" according
to their site's description and keywords, which are stored
in a database and matched according to our proprietary
protocols. Participation in the program does not mean you
will receive offers from *all* other participants, only
participants with sites similar to yours. Nor can
participants spam other participants with untargeted link
requests -- we generate all the matches within our database
and provide them to each participant directly.
iii) Low quality sites that generate relevant "link matches"
but do not receive any reciprocal links are effectively
voted from the program by other participating Web masters.
This ensures the database is kept full of the type of sites
that you *want* to link to, and empty of the ones you don't.
Participation in the Value Exchange is free of course, and
although we do require some contact information, it is used
only to contact you with your targeted matches -- you will
not be added to ANY list. Currently we are building up the
database of participating sites, and expect to begin
delivering matches within 3-4 weeks.
For more information, and to participate in the SiteSell
Value Exchange, please visit...
http://value-exchange.sitesell.com/
All the best,
Paul Crane
Site Build It! Product Manager
http://buildit.sitesell.com/
===========================================================
Nicely done, Paul. And to YOU, dear reader, I can only
repeat...
Register now, while there is still no fee. If you register
now, the SiteSell Exchange will be no-charge FOREVER. No
other purchase is necessary, and we'll ONLY ever contact you
to send you more high-quality site matches for you to
consider.
So register now...
http://value-exchange.sitesell.com/
... while the time, and the price, is right! :-)
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SiteSell Discount Directory~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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http://www.sitesell.com/discount-directory.html
Please bookmark this page -- it's the only page that you
will EVER need to buy SiteSell products at an owners-only
discount. For owners of SiteSell products ONLY, it provides
discounts on all products, except for MYSS! 2002 -- if I
reduced the price on it, I'd have to pay *you* to buy it!
;-)
SiteSell Discount Directory
http://www.sitesell.com/discount-directory.html
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Contact info: E-mail us at support@sitesell.com
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Written by Ken Evoy, M.D.,
President, SiteSell.com
(c) copyright 2003 SiteSell.com
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