Lesson Objective:
To determine your personal objective in creating an online business and to start thinking
about which domain name(s) makes the most sense for your venture.
Skills Needed:
· Imagination
· Basic Surfing
· Basic Word Processing
Today’s Lesson:
Part 1 - Define “why” you want to launch and promote your business
online.
Motivational guru Tony Robbins teaches that the reason for doing something rates much
stronger than the methods you use to get the job done.
If you have strong enough “why” to go online and create a successful business - then you
will find the ways to get the job done.
Ask yourself - Why do you want to create an online business?
Do you want to create a stream of “passive” income – income that comes to you while
you work, sleep, play in the yard or drive down the road?
Do you want to create a sense of security for yourself about where your next check will
come from?
Do you want to supplement your income so you can afford some of the “finer things” in
life instead of living paycheck to paycheck?
In his “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” series of books, Robert Kyosaki advises against anyone
getting a part time job… he says you should always start a part time business.
Your own part time business can offer you many different tax, income and personal
advantages.
We’ll let you and your accountant decide the tax advantages for your particular business,
but we do know that an online business rates as virtually the best type of small business
to own.
Here’s why:
· You can operate from virtually anywhere as long as you have a computer, phone
line and a dial up Internet access account.
· You have the lowest startup and operating costs of virtually any business you
could run.
· You can start with almost nothing and work your way up to a business that
generates $ thousands $ in revenue within a relatively short period of time.
So I’ll ask you again - Why do you want to go online?
What does going online and making a “success” of it mean to you?
STOP! Take a moment right now and close your eyes… and for once don’t just pass over
an exercise like this lightly! Actually do the exercise I’m about to describe!
Close your eyes and visualize what having a successful online business means to you.
See yourself making sales every single day and having customers gladly send you their
money in exchange for your products, information or services.
Feel the great and relaxed feelings of having extra money in your bank account.
This visualization exercise will help you formulate a solid, worthy, personal goal and
keep you motivated and focused through the 33-day process.
Now – write out one primary goal you want to accomplish by sticking to this
plan for the next 33 days and really going for it!
Take that goal and write it on a 3 x 5 card and put it where you will see it when you wake
up in the morning and before you go to sleep each night.
If you really want to burn this goal into your subconscious mind you should read it aloud
once each morning and evening.
By the way, this is not some “corny” technique we dreamed up -- this is one of the key
techniques Napoleon Hill teaches in “Think and Grow Rich”, the classic success book on
how to turn your thoughts into riches.
All of the techniques we teach in the rest of this program will have MAXIMUM impact if
you know exactly why you want to take the necessary actions each and every day.
So do you have your goal clearly stated and written down? GOOD!
Let’s move on to part 2 of today’s lesson…
Part 2 – Analyzing “Keywords” to make your domain name selection
Your domain name represents one of the most important decisions you have to make in
going online.
Even if you only plan to promote someone else’s affiliate link… you must have your own
domain name (and tomorrow we’ll talk about website hosting for that domain) so you
have an “address” to use in promoting your product, service or information.
Your domain name is made up of a combination of words and or numbers. It serves
several purposes:
1. It is the “address” people use to find you online…
2. It helps create your identity online…
3. It helps the search engines determine how “relevant” your site is to a particular
keyword search.
Now, I know the next question on your mind right now is, “What about all these domain
names ending in .tv, .biz, .info and other names?
Should I get one of those?”
In a word - NO!
Don’t go with one of these domain names with a weird extension on the end. You want a
good old .com (pronounced dot-com) domain name.
Why?
2 Reasons:
1. The search engines seem to give better treatment to .com domain names.
2. The buying public gives more respect to a .com domain name.
Hey! When you think of a domain name or web address, what do you think of?
A name ending in “.com” of course!
So put it out of your head right now that you will get anything other than a .com domain
name.
Now, before you go off and start looking for one word domain names – which probably
have all been taken – you must find out the most popular “keywords” your potential
audience will look for and then you must craft those particular words into a domain
name.
Having a domain name rich in keywords is critical for success online -- especially with
the search engines.
We will now look at a tool you can use to determine which keywords rate the most
popular for your target audience.
NOTE: From time to time this link may go down, change or become unavailable. That’s
the nature of the Internet. We have used our best efforts to keep the information up to
date… but it can change literally in an instant.
If the link goes down, wait a while and try back later.
NOTE: You will need an active Internet connection to use this tool as well as other
links in the book.
You can do some truly amazing keyword research with the following link.
This tool allows you to see actual search terms people type in and will also suggest
related words they use.
Here you can see actual counts of how many times people searched for a particular
phrase last month on Overture. This will really help you compare the popularity of
various keyword phrases.
Click over and put in the most popular keyword phrase you think people would use to
search for what you sell.
One way to always have access to this tool is to sign up with Overture to deliver
traffic to your site… a technique we discuss in a few days.
Once you enter what you think is the most popular keyword phrase, each of these sites
will return a list of related words and phrases people have searched for. This allows you
to see -- without a doubt and without guessing -- which terms rank most popular.
Here’s a brief assignment you should complete as soon as possible.
Research which keyword combinations are most popular, then copy and paste the
50 most popular keywords into your word processor and rank them in order of
popularity. (Most popular first.)
Pick the top 3 to 5 keywords and combine them to make at least 5 different
domain names that would incorporate those keywords.
Here’s an example:
Let’s say we’re selling an ebook about selling antique cars and parts through car shows.
Our keyword research might look like this:
My first search was for “antique cars”
Overture returned these results:
16806 antique car
1578 antique car for sale
1565 antique car part
871 antique car price
699 antique car show
647 antique car values
370 antique car sale
307 antique car insurance
303 antique classic car for sale
283 antique toy car
272 antique pedal car
215 antique and classic car for sale
I would initially have these domains in the back of my mind – BUT I wouldn’t go buy
any domains until I went through Step 3 of today’s lesson… so put your credit card away
for now :-)
1. antiquecarsale.com
2. antiquecarpartssale.com
3. antiquecarsalevalues.com
4. antiquecarsaleshowvalues.com
5. antiquecarpartvalueprices.com
The actual domain name I chose would depend on what EXACTLY I was doing with
these antique cars.
Selling them? Restoring them? Selling parts? Etc.
NOTE: It helps if you keep all of this information in a word processing file so you can
simply copy and paste to and from the document as you go along.
Set that list aside for now… we’ll come back to it a little later.
Part 3 – How Google, Yahoo, and Dmoz (the Open Directory) affect your
domain name choice
Yahoo and Dmoz are the two most important directories where people go to search for
information on just about any subject you can imagine.
Google is now by far the most popular search engine on the Internet.
Directories classify sites according to categories – much the same way the yellow pages
list similar businesses together – whereas search engines classify sites based on
keywords, page text, links from other sites and at least 100 other factors.
Yahoo currently ranks as the most popular overall search directory in the world, while
NOTE: Coming up #1 for a keyword search in Google or Yahoo! (or any other
search engine) is different than coming up in a category search. Getting TOP
search engine placement is a topic that others have written entire books about!
We give you links to get more information about products that can help you get a
high listing for a keyword search later in this ebook, but it’s not possible for us to
cover this subject in any depth and keep the size of this book under 500-1,000
pages.
Google ranks as the number one search engine.
What does this have to do with your domain name?
The name of your business dictates how and where you get listed in a directory
category.
Our focus in this part of the ebook is to get good placement on the Category Listing
pages of Yahoo and DMOZ. We will give a basic overview of properly creating your
web pages for a higher probability of ranking well in Google in the next few days.
If you want to come up high (first) in the category listings of any directory then you need
to name your business correctly.
Here’s a summary of how the category ranking system works:
1. Names beginning with punctuation marks and symbols come before numbers
2. Numbers come before letters
3. Letters show in alphabetical order
If you want to show up at the top of a category, your name probably better start with a
number or the letter “A”.
Now, go to Yahoo and Dmoz and choose the category you want to show up in when
someone does a search.
You do this simply by logging onto both sites, doing a search for your most popular
keyword phrase and then choose the most appropriate category that comes up on the first
page of the search results.
If at all possible, you want to get into the first category that appears when you search for
your most popular keyword phrase. (The red arrows will take you to a category view)
Next, click on the category link to see what type of name you’ll need in order to come up
at or near the top of the alphabetical listings.
Does your name need to start with a number?
Does it need to start with the letter “a”?
Do you need to try to get a punctuation mark in your name like “!” or “#”?
Let’s keep going with the “antique car” example.
When I search for “antique cars” on Yahoo the first relevant category that shows up is:
Business and Economy > Shopping and Services > Automotive > Classifieds > Classic Cars
When I clicked that directory link these links appeared at the top of the alphabetical
listings.
· 1 in a Million Cars - designed to help people locate rare and collectible classic cars from around the
world.
· Affordable Classics Inc. - sell, purchase, appraise, and locate classic cars.
· Alex Classics - featuring classic cars and vintage vehicles, classifieds, collectibles, spare parts, and
more.
· All British Cars 4 Sale
· Antique Autos Online - marketplace for antique/classic cars, trucks and parts.
· Auto Classics
· AutoX - searchable databases of classic sports cars, restoration service providers, part suppliers
and specialty car dealers.
· Bad Boyz Toyzz - liquidators and locators of classic cars and custom built motorcycles.
Specializing in street rods, original and restored antique collectors cars, and replicas.
· Cars-On-Line - classic and exotic cars for sale by owner, featuring 50s and 60s, muscle cars,
Corvettes, Mustangs, and Harley-Davidsons.
In order to come up near the top of this category I would simply name my site and my
business something like:
· 1StopAntiqueCarSale.com
· 1SourceAntiqueCarShowSale.com
· 1StopAntiqueCarShowandSale.com
Any of these names would put me toward the top of the list… which gives me a much
better chance of getting found and clicked once a visitor shows up to the category page.
So now – based on what you see in YOUR category – what domain name do you think
would put you at the top of the list?
Write out at least 5 domain names and put them in your word processing
document as possible names to register.
Repeat the above steps of searching for your most popular keyword phrase and
clicking the first category with the Open Directory (www.dmoz.com).
NOTE: At this point you should now have a word processing document with:
· at least 50 keywords ranked in order of popularity
· your Yahoo category
· your Dmoz category
· 5 domain names that would put you at or near the top of both categories
Part 4 – Google and your domain name
Again, we need to point out that there are dozens of books and tools out there to help you
get placement in the Google search engine (this is completely different than Google “Ad
Words” which we’ll discuss on Day 13).
Depending on which search engine guru you listen to, having your main keywords in
your domain name may help you show up higher in the search results in Google, but will
by no means guarantee it.
Apparently Google does not care if your keywords are separated by hyphens (-) or not, so
the domain analysis we did for Yahoo and Dmoz will also get you a domain with a
fighting chance to make it to the top of the Google search results (though there are many
other factors that influence your placement besides a domain name).
Here’s a graphic (next page) that shows the top search results for the search term “antique
cars” in Google. As you can see, only the top one has even the word “antique” in the
domain name.
Google places more emphasis on your page’s title and page content, things we’ll talk
about later in this book.
Summary of Today’s Assignments:
1. Write out your personal objective for going online with your own business
venture – your personal and compelling “why”!
2. Type this “why” up and post it where you will see it every morning when you
wake up and every evening before you go to bed.
3. Research your keyword phrases and make a list of the TOP 50 most popular.
Rank them in order of popularity.
4. Go to Yahoo and Dmoz and pick out the best category for your business in each
one.
5. Write down at least 5 domain names that would get you at or near the top of each
of those categories.
6. Record all of this information in a word processing document so you can access it
easily.
7. Wait until tomorrow to register your domain name because there is one more
piece of information you need in order to register it correctly.
We have two feature articles for you today:
· The first will help you evaluate your current Internet skills…
· The second will help you avoid one of the most common pitfalls many
new online business owners encounter.
Feature Article 1 - Are you “E” Literate?
With so much happening at lightning speed with the Internet, e-mail, e-commerce, and
electronic information in general, a sense of “falling behind” has overtaken many people.
Though an integral part of our society, the sheer magnitude of all this new information
technology has many people feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and ready to give up.
It’s a fact the majority of people don’t know what it takes to survive and thrive in the “e-
world” of the new millennium.
The first step to “making it” in the electronic age: Become totally familiar with the basic
tools and information distribution equipment of the times.
Step two towards becoming an Electronically Literate Person (ELP) means accepting that
the e-world landscape will continue to change at a rapid pace and whining about it won’t
help.
The final step in attaining ELP status revolves around obtaining certain basic skills which
enable you to flourish on this ever-changing electronic landscape.
ELP’s concern themselves with four areas in gauging their level of literacy and
proficiency in the world of “e”.
All ELP’s possess the following skills:
Personal Computer skills-
1. Use a computer keyboard and mouse
2. Install and upgrade software
3. Maintain and update anti-virus software
4. Familiarity with scanners, digital cameras, printers, speakers, and cd-rom’s
5. Save documents, pictures and other data files to disk or writeable cd-rom
6. Creating basic documents in a word processor and html editor such as Front Page
Internet Skills-
1. Basic surfing and navigation using a web browser
2. Use Search engines and proper search techniques
3. Download programs, pictures, and other files
4. Print web pages
5. Upload html pages to the Internet using ftp
E-mail skills-
1. Compose, send, receive, organize, save, and print e-mail messages
2. Send, receive, and open attachments safely
3. Set up and maintain an e-mail program
4. Manage contacts in the address book
Keep up with changes-
1. Read about new tools and applications
2. Learn new skills, take classes
3. Use and improve skills daily
How do you rate as an ELP?
These represent the basic skills anyone who wants to succeed in business, let alone start
an online business, must possess.
Source: www.TheNetReporter.com - the Web’s #1 source for Online News
Feature Article #2 – Beware the Online “Bizz-Op”
Anyone with a lick of entrepreneurial spirit and a brand new home computer has
wondered at least once how to put both to work on the Internet making money.
The online world beckons more than ever with the promise of instant riches for the next
“million-dollar” idea.
For those who can’t think up their own product or service to sell online, thousands of
business opportunities tout themselves as the path to online riches.
To cash in and get your piece of the pie, they explain, all any self-motivated, self-starter
needs to do is hand over a couple of hundred dollars and they will instantly find
themselves in a “proven, turn-key” business on the World Wide Web.
Many online business opportunity sellers, “bizz-oppers” for short, fail to mention that the
real money for them lies in getting people to sign up for the opportunity itself.
These bizz-oppers have multiplied like fleas on a stray dog, and can open and close shop
online faster than a con man with a card table at the local swap meet.
Though many online opportunities seem legitimate, many represent little more than ideas
-- which might work if you devoted every waking moment to working them.
If you want to use your computer to make money from home, asking the following
questions should help you actually choose a business opportunity with a fighting chance
of success.
Though some of these questions may seem a bit abrasive, we’re tired of seeing people get
ripped off.
1. What is the business’s target audience?
Realistically, how many people can and will actually buy the product or service?
2. Why do they need you? Why don’t they just do it themselves and keep all the
money? (This usually exposes businesses only interested in signing people up.)
3. Is there a sign-up fee? If so, what does the fee buy you?
· Technical support?
· Marketing materials?
· A website address?
4. If the business involves using their website, can you modify the site or is it static?
You won’t benefit much from a site that looks like a thousand others if you plan on using
the search engines to promote it. Most of these sites are templates that rarely contain even
the minimum elements to make it appealing to the search engines.
5. How do they track your customers as opposed to another affiliate or distributor?
Sites that use cookies to track visitors and commissions only work as long as the
customer retains the cookie on their computer.
6. Will the company solicit your customer for other products and services?
If so, will they pay you a commission on additional purchases?
Not doing so isn’t necessarily bad… since most affiliate programs work this way.
But if you have to pay hundreds of dollars to sign up for an “opportunity” and the
company still owns the customers (who you found) and will make thousands of dollars
from them on the back end while leaving you out in the cold… go find another
opportunity!
Use common sense when investing in an online business opportunity.
Don’t come across with any money until you’ve had a chance to talk with at least ten
people who have bought into the opportunity, as well as ten people who were unhappy
with it and quit.
If the opportunity promoters won’t give you names of both happy and unhappy clients
you need to keep looking.
Source: www.TheNetReporter.com - the Web’s #1 source for Online News
Today’s Resources:
Domain Registration Services
Dotster – offers excellent domain name registration services at discount prices!
Domains Bot – Search for live expired, expiring soon and “on hold” domains.
Yahoo! lists just about every place under the sun to register a domain name!
Click here to go directly to the proper category on Yahoo!
Keyword Research
Ad Words Analyzer – EXCELLENT tool for researching keywords and organizing your
results based on Overture and Google Ad Words campaigns, cost and more. We use this
tool daily to research.
Good Keywords (FREE) – small, effective PC software that enables you to quickly
perform keyword research and save the results to text files and spreadsheets.
Getting the Right Mindset!
“5 Steps to Getting Anything You Want!” - "Discover The Incredible 5-Step Goal
Achievement System That Gives You A
Positively Unfair Advantage In Business...
and in Life!"
By the way - This resource has nothing to do with Internet marketing but yet it could be
one of the absolute secret weapons you need on your journey. You'll discover the
unstoppable mindset to let you achieve anything you want!
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