Write 100 Articles in 100 days!

Ezinearticles is currently offering this challenge to writers, between Friday, January 1st, 2010, 12:01AM CST-USA and Saturday, April 10th, 2010, 11:59PM CST-USA. Each article must be at least 400 words in length.

And while I understand EZA's motivation for offering this challenge, I think it's a bad idea. In my own opinion, putting this kind of article writing challenge out there just encourages more poorly-written, low-quality articles. And that's the problem.

EZA is reportedly purging its directory of garbage articles. I personally don't see how this article writing challenge helps that cause. That being said, here are the details of the challenge:

TO QUALIFY: There’s no need to sign up! Just submit at least 100 articles of 400 words or more between 12:01AM CST-USA Friday, January 1st and 11:59PM CST-USA Saturday, April 10th. That’s only one 400-word article per day for 100 days. Once those 100 articles are approved, you’re qualified!

For more info follow EzineArticles on Twitter.

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By the way, check out my new website. It's called Reviews-by-Customers.com. It's a business directory that features reliable online services, such as Adsense alternatives, copywriting, hosting, logo design, website design, SEO services and more! Also, follow me on Twitter @CustomerReviews.

10 Must-Read Marketing Blogs

There are literally thousands of marketing blogs on the Internet. However, there are some that are so entertaining and brilliantly written that they are labeled "must-reads." Following are ten such blogs:

1. Brian Clark's CopyBlogger
http://copyblogger.com/

If you want to learn the art and science of copywriting, this is the place to go.

2. Dosh Dosh
http://doshdosh.com/

Maki, the owner of Dosh Dosh is a bit mysterious - but who cares. This entertaining blog is brilliant in its simplicity.

3. Conversation Marketing
http://conversationmarketing.com

Ian Laurie's blog covers all things Internet Marketing, and does so with Ian's own unique style. I love this blog!

4. ProBlogger
http://problogger.com

As its name suggests, this blog is all about blog marketing. If you want to learn how to market your blog, read Problogger!

5.Search Engine Guide
http://www.searchengineguide.com/index.php

When it comes to "on the money information" about search engine marketing, it's hard to top these guys.

6. Seth Godin's Blog
http://sethgodin.typepad.com

In case you haven't heard, Seth Godin' is simply brilliant! 'Nuff said.

7. ShoeMoney
http://www.shoemoney.com

Jeremy Schoemaker's blog is simply the best affiliate marketing blog on the Internet - period.

8. TopRank Online Marketing Blog
http://www.toprankblog.com

Lee Odden's blog never fails to deliver the goods. This blog is as good as it gets.

9. Unstuck Digital
http://unstuckdigital.com

Mike Tekula's blog is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Lots of good SEO resources.

10. Yaro Starak's Entrepreneur's Journey
http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com

Yaro bills his blog as "Down-To-Earth Advice And Tips For Bloggers And Internet Marketers." And that's exactly what it is - down to earth. Great, great blog!

10 Proven Success Principles For Internet Marketers

While there are a variety of factors that contribute to success, no one can dispute the importance of the following success principles. These principles aren't new, but sometimes, it helps to be reminded of them.

1. You must have a plan. The number one mistake that most marketers make is they don't have a plan of any kind. There's an age old proverb by Thomas Edison that accurately states:

"He who fails to plan, plans to fail. "

Develop a well-thought-out plan for what you want to do and how you plan to do it - a roadmap to your goals if you will. Write it down, and refer to it help keep you on track.

2. You have to work hard. Many people mistakenly approach Internet Marketing with the idea of making a quick buck - easy riches if you will. And while a rare few achieve instant gratification and realize success rather quickly, the vast majority get hit with a brutal dose of reality.

Internet Marketing is neither quick or easy. It often requires time, patience, discipline and hard work. There are no shortcuts. Famous philanthropist Andrew Carnegie once wrote:

"Anything in life worth having is worth working for."

Those are words I try to live by everyday.

3. You must be passionate. I am constantly amazed at how many people approach Internet Marketing without any passion whatsoever. Passion is like a high-powered furnace that exists deep inside of you. It just needs to be fired up. So how do you fire up your passion? Easy. Do things that you're passionate about - things that you truly enjoy doing.

Why? Because passion is a key component to success. It motivates you. It keeps you focused. It makes you determined to keep going against even the most astronomical of odds. It helps you find solutions to your problems.

It's been my experience that people who are truly passionate about whatever it is that they're involved with have a level of determination, discipline and commitment that most people simply don't have. It has been said that "the greater someone's passion, the greater their level ofsuccess."

I believe that to be absolutely true. If you're not passionate about what you're doing, you're merely spinning your wheels!

4. You have to believe in what you're doing. There's an old saying that states:

"Faith can move mountains."

And while that may not necessarily be true in a literal sense, belief can indeed be powerful. Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about. In the summer of 2008, Tiger Woods won his third U.S.Open championship and 14th major title.It was an unlikely victory for Woods, who was physically handicapped because he played the entire tournament with a broken leg.

Two days after winning the championship, Woods revealed that he would miss the remainder of the 2008 season because he was having major surgery on his leg. When asked by reporters why he jeopardized his career by playing with such a serious injury, Woods simply replied, "I wanted to win."

Now if that's not having faith in your ability to get the job done, I don't know what is. Bottom line: To succeed at Internet Marketing, you have to believe in what you're doing!

5. You must follow-up with prospects. Did you know that the average e-commerce website has a conversion ratio of around 1 percent? That means 99 percent of visitors to your website will leave without purchasing anything. That's why following up with your prospects is so important.

If you're serious about Internet Marketing, you absolutely, positively must collect your visitors name and e-mail address so that you can follow-up with them at a later date. The most effective method of following up is with a well-written, informative newsletter that not only provides your subscribers with useful information, but skillfully promotes your products and services as well.

An easy to use follow-up platform would be affordable services like Vertical Response or Constant Contact.

6. You must educate yourself. Do you know why most people go online? Believe it or not, most people go online not to buy anything, but rather to search for information to solve a problem they have.

So why is knowing this information so important? Because if you understand and realize that the Internet is driven by information seekers first and foremost, you can better harness its unlimited power and money-making potential.

How? You can become an information provider yourself, and provide people with the valuable, useful information they're seeking, in the form of articles like this one, e-books, reports, videos, teleconferences, etc.

Do you see how having a little knowledge can work to your advantage? Educate yourself on how the Internet works. If you're truly serious about Internet Marketing, in addition to reading articles like this one, read as many quality, online publications as you possibly can.

A few of my favorites include SiteProNews, WebProNews, PromotionWorld, ClickZ Newsletter and MarketingProfs Newsletter. Learn as much as you can about sales and marketing. It can make all the difference in the world to your bottom line.

7. Take the path of least resistance. Let me ask you a question: If you've been a janitor all your life, what makes you think that you can suddenly wake up one day and succeed at Internet Marketing by selling pet supplies?

Why not take the path of least resistence, and market products and services you have intimate knowledge of? The quickest and easiest way to make money online is to take the knowledge and life experience you already have and build a business around it.

You'd have a much greater chance at success if you took your janitorial experience and wrote an e-book or created a video about how to start and operate a janitorial service.

We all have something that we're good at and knowledgeable about. The key is being able to take that knowledge and convert it into a successful money-making enterprise.

8. Promote, promote, promote. You can have the greatest product or service in the world, but if no one knows about it, well, then it's not going to do you much good. That's why you must constantly promote the daylights out of your product or service.

Whether it's pay-per-click advertising, article marketing, press releases, ezine advertising, whatever. Consistent promotion is the key to making money online. Remember, "the squeaky wheel gets the oil!"

9. You must be consistent. In order for your car to perform at peak efficiency, there are certain routine steps you must do consistently. This includes changing your oil and filters, checking your belts and fluid levels, checking your tire pressure, keeping your engine tuned, and of course putting gas in the tank.

Well, if you want to succeed at Internet Marketing, you must also perform certain routine steps consistently.

That means you have to follow the ten principles in this article religiously. You can't just follow some of the principles some of the time. That's not going to cut it. In order for the principles to be effective, you must follow all of the principles all of the time. You must be consistent!

10. Don't Ever Quit. Author Norman Vincent Peale famously said:

"It's always too soon to quit." But yet, that's what many people do. They quit way too soon. Don't be one of those people who look back on life with regret. Give Internet Marketing your best shot right now. Despite any obstacles you might encounter, hang in there when the going gets tough. Remember, "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Don't ever quit!

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By the way, check out my new website. It's called Reviews-by-Customers.com. It's a business directory that features reliable online services, such as Adsense alternatives, copywriting, hosting, logo design, website design, SEO services and more! Follow me on Twitter @CustomerReviews for further updates.

How to Energize Your Mailing List

If your mailing list isn't producing the kind of results that you expect, here are are a few tips that may help energize it.

1. Make people opt-in to your list. Research has shown that when people have to opt-in to your list, they are more "qualified" prospects.

2. Provide valuable, interesting information. If the information you send your list is boring or crap, your customers and/or prospects will either ignore future mailings or opt-out faster than you can say "Hussain Bolt." Neither scenario is good.

3. Don't make every mailing a sales pitch. If you make a sales pitch each time you mail to your list, they won't respect your information.

4. Keep your list motivated. Conduct reader surveys and opinion polls. Let your customers and prospects know their opinions matter.

5. Keep your list clean. After mailing to your list consistently for two years, drop those prospects who haven't made a purchase. If they haven't purchased anything in two years, they're probably not going to.

Case in point: DEMC cleaned their list recently, and their list shrunk from 135,000 to 35,000. But here's the amazing part. Even though DEMC's list is 100,000 subscribers smaller, it's just as responsive as its ever been, according to DEMC advertisers.

Dropping a bunch of deadwood won't hurt your bottom line. It may actually help it.

6. Separate your list into two categories - customers and prospects, and mail your customers special offers to reward their patronage. If they purchased from you once, they'll purchase from you again and again. You just have to give them a reason to.

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By the way, check out my new website. It's called Reviews-by-Customers.com. It's a business directory that features reliable online services, such as Adsense alternatives, copywriting, hosting, logo design, website design, SEO services and more! Follow me on Twitter @CustomerReviews for further updates.

Free Marketing Tips: Article Marketing: It's Not For Everyone

One of my favorite methods of promoting my business is article marketing. I truly enjoy writing, and usually write at least a couple of articles every week. Done properly, article marketing is a very effective way to promote your business.

However, despite all the hype surrounding article marketing (and I'm one of its biggest cheerleaders), it's not for everyone. Though it may be hard for some people to face up to and admit, not everyone is capable of writing quality articles.

Unfortunately, there are a lot people writing articles that, quite frankly, shouldn't be. As a result of this, there are a lot of low-quality, incoherent, gobbledygook articles rampant on the Internet.

That's why article directories like EzineArticles is deleting thousands and thousands of previously approved articles. And it's only a matter of time, before other article directories follow suit.

Also, if you don't enjoy writing, you shouldn't engage in article marketing. Why? Because you won't stick to it. It's a psychological thing. Most people simply don't commit long-term to things that they don't enjoy.

And make no mistake, article marketing requires a long-term commitment of time, energy, dedication, and discipline that most marketers simply don't possess. Yes, you must be totally committed to article marketing, or it simply will not bear fruit.

So what does being totally committed mean, in regards to article marketing? It means that you must write articles - even on days when you don't necessarily feel like writing. You must strictly adhere to your writing sceddule.

Believe me, there are lots of days when the last thing I want to do is write another article. And it's easy to come up with all kinds excuses not to write. Either I don't feel well...there's something else that I'd rather do...I have writers block...etc., etc., etc.

There are a million excuses that I could use. But instead, I buckle down, and write. Why? Because I'm 100% committed to article marketing. And when you're committed to something, you find a way to get the job done - no excuses.

One last thing, if you're going to write articles, don't try to be all things to all people. Only write about things that you're knowledgeable about. I'm knowledgeable about marketing, so that's what I write about.

I don't attempt to write about aquariums, or animal breeding, or french cuisine, because I'm not knowledgeable in those areas. And if I tried to write about those things my lack of knowledge would be exposed.

Your writing will be much more credible, if you only write about things that you're truly knowledgeable about. If you do otherwise, not only will your obvious lack of knowledge be exposed, you will also be doing a terrible disservice to your readers.

And when it comes to writing articles, your readers should always come first - always!

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Discover the Secrets to Closely-Guarded Internet Marketing Tactics That Are Working Right Now! http://tinyurl.com/yekymys

The 10 Biggest SEO Myths Exposed

Let's face it, compiling a list of this type is always subjective. Trying to figure out what to include and what to leave off can have you second-guessing yourself, more than a few times. But in the end, being only human, you do the best you can, and let the readers judge for themselves. Anyway, I present to you my listing of The 10 Biggest SEO Myths Exposed.

1. Search Engine Optimization will put you on the first page of Google.

This is without question the biggest SEO myth floating around the Internet today. Here's the truth: SEO is a tool - nothing more. And any tool is only as good as the person using it. That's why some people have success with SEO, and others don't.

Can SEO help get your website on Google's first page? If the person doing the optimizing is competent, sure, it can help. But it's far from guaranteed.

Here's why: There are far too many variables that are involved in the ranking of a website - not the least of which are the age of the domain, relevancy and quantity of quantity of content, number and quality of inbound links, competition, and of course Google's ever-changing algorithms.

2. Getting on the first page of Google will guarantee your success.

This is false. Let me tell you something: Getting on the first page of Google guarantees absolutely nothing!

Every single day, thousands of websites fail and go out of business. Some of those websites were on the first page of Google's search results. So being on the first page of Google guarantees nothing.

Don't get me wrong. While being on the first page of Google's search results can definitely be an advantage, there are far too many variables involved that determine whether or not a website will be successful - not the least of which is the competency of the people behind the website. They're the one's who really determine a website's success or failure, not Google.

3. If you get a lot of traffic, you'll make a lot of sales.

Another popular myth - but just that - a myth. It's not how much traffic you get to your website that matters. It's the quality of traffic and what you do with it that matters. There are websites that get thousands of visitors every single day, that are not making a profit. Why? Because either their traffic is garbage, and/or they don't know to convert their traffic into profits.

Conversely, there are websites that get only get two or three hundred visitors a day that are doing quite well. How are these websites able to do so much with so little?

Three reasons: 1. Their traffic is quality, targeted traffic. 2. They've figured out how to maximize the amount of traffic they get. 3. They're working with a healthy profit margin.

If you're not getting a lot of traffic, you'd better be making a lot of profit for each sale. Remember, traffic is wasted if you don't have the ability to convert it into profits.

4. When your website tumbles in the search rankings, it's because Google is penalizing you.

While this may be true in some instances, it's not true in all instances. Here's the truth: Google is only interested in one thing... Delivering the best and most relevant search results that it possibly can. Its continued world dominance depends on it.

And all things being equal, if your website delivers more relevant results than other websites in its category, then your website will rank ahead of those other websites. Now are there exceptions? Absolutely. Does Google get it wrong sometimes? Sure they do. No system is perfect.

But despite any conspiracy theories you may have heard about how your website is ranked, there's really nothing conspiratorial about it.

5. All websites on the first page of Google are successful.

That's the prevailing theory of course, but it's far from true. The fact of the matter is some categories are more popular and profitable than others. Some categories simply don't generate as much traffic as you might think.

That's reflected in the price of pay-per-click advertising. Advertisers pay sky-high prices for some keywords, and mere pennies for others.

In addition, many businesses operate on extremely slim profit margins. That means they have to make an extraordinary number of sales to be successful. And if they aren't getting the traffic, it's difficult to generate the amount of income that they need to be successful.

6. Registering your domains for multiple years will help your search engine ranking.

It wouldn't surprise me at all, if it were discovered that a domain registrar started this particular myth. But that's all it is - a myth. While I was doing research for this article, I couldn't find any evidence that registering a domain for multiple years has any impact on rankings at all - none.

That being said, registering your domain for multiple years certainly can't hurt either.

7. Inactive or parked domains that are several years old have an advantage over newer domains.

This is false. A domain that's 10 years old, which is inactive or parked does not have a significant advantage over a brand new domain that is active.

Why? Because inactive domains, regardless of age, don't accrue links or trust. And inbound links and trustworthiness are significant determining factors when it comes to rankings.

8. Any link is a good link.

Nothing could be further from the truth. And if I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: ALL LINKS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL.

If you're under the mistaken impression that exchanging links with any and everybody is helping you - think again. While exchanging links may seem like a good idea, it always isn't.

For example, if you own a hosting website, how does it possibly benefit you to exchange links with a butcher, baker or candlestick maker? Answer: It doesn't.

The link has to be relevant to your website's overall theme, otherwise, it will do you no good. Also, reciprocal links and links from article directories just aren't as valuable anymore, as links from quality, relevant websites.

Because of rampant misuse, reciprocal links and links from article directories have been degraded over the years. And Google just doesn't place as much value on those types of links as it once did.

Google places much more value on links from quality, relevant websites. So those are the types of links that you should spend your time trying to obtain.

9. If you build it, they will come.

Just because you build a great looking website doesn't mean that people are going to be so impressed, they're going to virally push your website to the top of the search engines. It doesn't work that way. You have to get the word out.

Building your website is only the first step. You have to advertise your website to the world. In addition, you have to make sure that your website is properly optimized for the search engines. You also need to make sure that your website has plenty of fresh, quality, relevant content to keep visitors coming back again and again.

If you build it, they will come. But only if they know about you.

10. Submitting your website to the search engines will help you get indexed faster.

This is one myth that simply will not die. It has been written about in article after article after article that submitting to the search engines WILL NOT help your website get indexed faster.

What WILL help your website get indexed faster is getting linked to by a website that has already been indexed by the search engines - preferably a website that's popular. For example, forums, blogs, article directories, etc.

Why is the popularity of the website so important? Because popular websites get spidered much more frequently - giving your website the opportunity to get indexed much more quickly.

Domain Age: Does it Really Matter, When it Comes to Rankings?

Depending on who you ask, you'll get different answers to that question - even from the so-called experts. Not satisfied with the conflicting information that I was getting, I decided to do my own research.

Over the last month, I've viewed hundreds and hundreds of domains in dozens of different categories...cakes, candy, balloons, fruit, cars, books, auctions, insurance, pets, stuffed animals, restaurants, seo, beaches, real estate, marketing, etc., etc., etc.

My conclusion: The age of the domain is a significant factor in the ranking of websites. Don't let anyone tell you differently. And while my research is far from scientific, I'm absolutely convinced that domains at least 3 years old generally rank higher in the search engines.

Don't take my word on this. Do your own research like I did, and get your own answers. Now are there other factors involved? For example, number of inbound links?

Yes. Inbound links definitely play a significant role in the ranking of websites. That's certainly not news. However, it can take years for a domain to accrue thousands of inbound links. That's why it always seems to come back to the age of the domain.

But like I said, don't take my word on this. Do your own research, and you'll see that I'm right.

By the way, there's a myth on the Internet that registering domains for at least 3 years will give you an advantage with Google. This as absolutely false. During my research, I found no evidence that registering a domain for multiple years has any impact on rankings whatsoever - none. Methinks that myth was probably started by a domain registrar.

That being said, it can't hurt either.

Does Article Marketing Really Work?

I just received an interesting e-mail from one of my clients. She wrote that she had tried article marketing like I had suggested, and it didn't work for her. I e-mailed her back, and asked how many articles she had written. She replied that she had written five articles over a six month period, and hadn't received any traffic from those articles.

Because of those results, she erroneously concluded that article marketing didn't work. So the question is Does Article Marketing Really Work?

My friends, I've written dozens of articles that have been published on dozens of websites all over the Internet. And I can unequivocally assure you, if you do it correctly, article marketing not only works, it works exceedingly well.

But again, you have to do it correctly.

So what's the correct way to do article marketing? First of all, instead of submitting to article directories, which will accept anything, and where your articles get buried among thousands of other articles...try submitting to respected authority sites like SiteProNews, WebProNews, PromotionWorld and others.

Authority sites have huge, loyal readership. And if published, your articles have a legitimate chance to be seen by tens of thousands of people. Second, you can't write one article per month and expect it to make a significant difference in the amount of traffic, and inbound links you receive.

In order for article marketing to impact your traffic, you have to write many articles, consistently, over time. How many? You should strive to write a minimum of one article each week. That's the absolute minimum. Two articles per week or more is preferable. That means you have to be committed to article marketing, or it simply will not work.

I should also mention that the authority sites I previously mentioned are extremely particular about the quality of the articles they publish. After all, your article is a reflection of them. That means they don't accept just anything that is submitted to them, unlike most article directories.

So if you expect your articles to get published by authority sites, you'll need to up your game, and improve the quality of your writing.

Don't worry, you'll always have article directories to fall back on. But you should definitely strive to get your articles published by authority sites first. It really does make a difference - not only in the amount of traffic that you'll receive, but also in the way people view your articles.

Like I said earlier, authority sites are generally very well-respected, and if they publish your articles, you'll inherit some of that respect - which can lead to more quality websites linking to your site.

Does Advertising on Craigslist Work?

I just received an e-mail from a client of mine. She wanted to know if marketing on Craigslist works. Here is the exact e-mail I sent back to her verbatim:

"Yes, advertising on Craigslist works for some businesses - not all, but some. Would I use it to promote my business? No, but that's me.

So why wouldn't I advertise on Craigslist?

Because, in my opinion, it has a sleazy reputation, and might reflect badly on my business. But again, that's me. Obviously, thousands of other businesses feel differently.

In fact, several colleagues of mine who own hair salons, bakeries, check cashing stores, insurance agencies, jewelry stores, used car lots, hosting companies, etc., all tell me that advertising on Craigslist works reasonably well for them.

Conversely, I know of several online businesses that tried advertising on Craigslist, and their results weren't so good. So, my advice to you is this: Try it. You never know if something is going to work, until you try it. If it doesn't work, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

But if it does work, then you've found another effective method of advertising your business."