Online Success From Beanie Babies to Lobster Roaches

Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Kat Simpson of Kat's-Kloset on our 'Tips From the Top' podcast series.

Kat is a bundle of energy! She's an eBay and Amazon seller, an Education Specialist Trained by eBay and a podcaster. Kat had some great stories to tell from her online selling experiences. Wait until you hear how a lizard and a tarantula led to selling Lobster Roaches on eBay!!

Kat also shared a great tips on how to choose which online sites to sell on, how she keeps track of inventory and how to make Endicia pay for itself!

You can listen to the interview here:




The Chat Room notes for this podcast are available at Chat Grabber. Type in 19245.

How to Use Twitter & Facebook in Your Business & The Law of Attraction

It's time to mark your calendars for this week's awesome & FREE trainings!

2/24/09, Tuesday at Noon pst/3pm est

Law of Attraction with Sylvia McClintick

Are you repelling new opportunities with negative self talk? Learn how to attract new opportunities with a new vocabulary.

You can get registered at: http://www.ask-the-entrepreneurs.com/. Sponsored by OSI Rock Stars.

2/25/09, Wednesday at 11am PST/2pm EST

How To Use Twitter and Facebook for Your Business with Rich Brooks

Join Rich Brooks, Internet Marketing Expert & President of flyte new media as he explains how to use Facebook & Twitter for your business.

A Tips From the Top podcast from The Savvy Seller. Click here on Wednesday to listen to the podcast and join our Chat Room.

In Line Behind Me

The 'In Line Behind Me' site launched on Feb 8th.

It's an amazing site and I thought you might want to know about it.

The concept itself isn't new. In fact many people have been doing this for years. But this site, created by Janelle Elms, provides a way to share ALL of the stories with the world.

You can watch the story on a short video at In Line Behind Me (make sure you watch the 2nd video on that page) and you can view more details about it here.

Join Me on This Journey

Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing Cindy Shebley, CEO of Web Sellers Circle.

Our interview was about Cindy's new DVD, 'Making Money with the eBay Partner Network.'

Cindy shared lots of useful information and got me intrigued about the idea of making a passive income. Really now, who wouldn't want to make a bit of extra money for only a few hours of work?

Since many affiliate programs strike me as phony 'get-rich-quick schemes,' I'm normally a bit leery of them but I trust Cindy and this approach seems like it has potential. I even know a few people who are making some income from the program.

So..... I've decided to try it out! I'm going to keep you posted on my progress and hopefully I'll be able to report some success after my site is set up.

I invite you to follow me on this journey. I'll be starting this week and plan to follow the step-by-step instructions on Cindy's DVD.

This week I'm going to do some research to find a niche area. I'm doing this first so I know what keywords I'll want to use when I purchase my domain name.

Join me and see what happens!



If you'd like to listen to Cindy's podcast interview, you can find it in our 'Tips From the Top' series.

Increase Your Income with EPN

If you're looking for a new way to generate revenue, be sure to tune in to today's 'Tips From the Top' podcast with Cindy Shebley, CEO of Web Sellers Circle and Dany Byrne of Ghost Leg Media (Mon Feb 16 at 5pm EST/2pm PST).

Cindy's newly released DVD, Make Money with eBay Affiliate Web Sites, covers the 'set and forget' revenue generating possibilities available through the EPN (eBay Partner Network).

Affiliate sales can be a steady and reliable income stream & eBay's Partner Network gives you the tools to create links and widgets to eBay auctions. When someone clicks on one of your links and buys a product from eBay, you collect a commission.

During today's podcast Cindy & Dany will share some of the tips & techniques for getting accepted by the EPN (eBay Partner Network) and how to make money using the tools provided.

If you'd like to generate passive income with a low start-up cost, no inventory to purchase & no shipping, you won't want to miss this podcast.

Learn:

• how to avoid the Google 'slap'
• what type of domain to register for
• what email address to use
• about privacy policy pages
• what EPN looks for in bounce rate
• and much more!

Does That Email Address Still Exist?

Today's Tip:

If you've collected email addresses over the years and aren't sure if some of them are still valid, you'll want to try this free email verification tool.

Enter an email address and the tool will let you know if the address still exists.

By connecting to the mail server, the tool verifies if an email address is valid, properly formatted and really exists.

Unfortunately the mail servers for some domains don't cooperate (for example: yahoo.com).

What Signals Are You Sending? Tips For eCommerce Sellers

As part of The Savvy Seller's Tips From the Top podcast series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Henrietta, author of the widely-read redINKdiary blog and owner of Felicitations & Inspiration at 200 West Main.

During our call Henrietta shared a number of valuable tips about 'Buyer Confidence' and 'Self-Confidence for Sellers.'

Here is an overview of what we discussed -

• what signals are you, the seller, sending to your buyers?
• perception and feedback
• there's nothing wrong with small
• what is a fake seller?
• do you practice geographic discrimination?
• how to 'cowboy up'
• being diversified - are you competing with yourself?

To learn the details behind the tips, please click on the green button below to listen to or download the complete interview (approx 45 min).

You can also visit Henrietta at Felicitations and while you're there, be sure to say 'hi' to Larry!



Chat Room notes are available at Chat Grabber. Type in 19245.

What's Going On With Google?

Image via Wikipedia

What the Latest Shift in Search Engine Rankings Means for Your Site
By Edwin Huertas

The world of search engine optimization (SEO) is in an uproar these days. If you have an Internet-based business, you need to know what's going on - and how you can take advantage of it.

As you know, SEO is all about getting your site listed in the search engines' top results. The higher up in the results you rank, the better chance you have of capturing your prospective customer's attention. Get them to click on your link, and you are on your way to making a sale.

So knowing how to get those coveted high rankings is critical to the success of your Internet business.

The way that search engines currently spider, rate, and index a website depend on various factors, including link popularity, content, site structure, and a mixture of other variables. All of these can be manipulated by most webmasters and SEO specialists.

But this could be changing very soon!

The word on the Net is that search engines are changing the way they spider and index websites to help them serve better results to their search audience. They are incorporating new ranking algorithms that will take into consideration input that is submitted by "real people" (as opposed to primarily software calculations).

Google (and others) will give higher priority to sites that Web surfers vote for. The way a Web surfer "votes" for a website will be completely transparent. It will not be something that can be easily manipulated by webmasters and SEO specialists.

If this happens, we will see an entirely different pattern emerge - and it will affect thousands of websites across the Net. Many that were once showing up in the top 10 results will no longer be there. New sites (rated using the latest algorithms) will take their place.

Google currently asks Web surfers (normally users that are logged into their Google account) to move their search results around, based on the surfer's own idea of how important each one is. If they like a certain page in the search results, they can move it higher on the list so that anytime they search for the same keyword(s) they will be presented with their own personalized set of results.

Google claims that this data is not currently calculated in their existing algorithms, but I seriously doubt that. Search engines are constantly looking to improve their search results. By using actual feedback provided by their users, they can get a better understanding of what Web surfers consider relevant.

So that's the main thing that I think will make a difference in the way results are ranked in the future: Web users will have more influence. In addition, I believe the search engines will be spidering online videos, article comments, and social media.
Having videos on your website helps your SEO now. (Webmasters love to link to good videos.) But if a search engine can actually read the contents of a video, you might have to give more serious consideration to the content of the videos on your site than you have in the past.

According to many SEO analysts, search engines will be looking at criteria like these when scoring your Web pages:

How often have Web surfers moved (voted) your listing to the top of the results?

What type of searches have those users performed in the past?

How many times has your page been bookmarked (voted for) on a majorsocial networking site (i.e., Digg.com, LinkedIn.com, and StumbleUpon.com)?

How many other sites are talking about your site?

Does your Web page have video? If so, how long do people watch it?

How often do website visitors return to your page?

How many comments does your page have on it? (More people posting comments on your page means more popularity, as far as search engines are concerned.)

What YOU Can Do About the "New" Ranking Rules

The new search engine ranking methods are sure to bring a lot of changes to the world of search engine optimization. But don't worry. You won't have to learn a bunch of new SEO tactics. One thing will always hold true: CONTENT IS KING.

Plain and simple, if you have good Web content, surfers will bookmark it, comment on it, and talk about it on other websites. Whether you are offering useful videos or informative articles, people appreciate high-quality content. And search engines will take notice. This will continue to boost your SEO efforts more than anything else.

With that said, keep in mind that no one knows for sure what the search engines are going to do. They guard their secrets like the CIA guards theirs. We can only make an educated guess as to what the future of SEO holds, and try to keep on top of the latest changes.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

eBay Pictures Fee Changes on Feb 18th

Image via Wikipedia

Starting Feb 18th, eBay will be making individual pictures, Picture Pack and Gallery Plus FREE for items listed in the following categories—Collectibles, Art, Pottery & Glass, and Antiques on eBay.com.

More detailed information can be found on the eBay site.

Tip of the Day: You Would Never Think of This!

Today's Tip comes from Cathi Aiello, owner of Allegro Accounting and web-bookkeeper.com.

Tip:
Today's receipts are printed on thermal paper. The ink on thermal paper evaporates in approximately 2 years. Since IRS audits happen in 3-4 years you will have a major problem if you present them with blank receipts. The solution is to copy the receipts or buy an IRS approved receipt scanner.

Cathi was our 'Tips From the Top' podcast guest yesterday and gave us many other very useful tips during the call. You can listen to all of them here:

Taxes, Emergencies, Buyer Confidence & Jobvana

Please mark your calendars for this week's trainings (all FREE!):

2/10/09, Tuesday at Noon PST/3pm EST
Promote your Local Business with Jobvana

Come meet Nathan, CEO of new start-up Jobvana. Learn about the power of this site for local businesses. You can get registered at: http://www.askabouttools.com/. Sponsored by OSI Rock Stars.

2/11/09, Wednesday at 11am PST/2pm EST
Accounting for Your eCommerce or eBay Business

Join Cathi Aiello, owner of Allegro Accounting, as she gives valuable tips and discusses useful tools for managing your online business accounting. Join us for this 'Tips From the Top' podcast sponsored by The Savvy Seller.

2/12/09, Thursday at 5pm pst/8pm est
Is Your Business Prepared to Handle an Emergency?

From flu to death...from snow storm to hurricanes...from broken arm to hospital stay...is your business ready to handle an emergency? Join guest Stephanie of Katiyana's Collectibles as we talk about how to be prepared to handle these situations BEFORE they happen. Ask your questions and join us at: http://www.ask-the-entrepreneurs.com/ Sponsored by OSI Rock Stars.

2/13/09, Friday at 1pm PST/4pm EST

Meet Henrietta from redINKdiary

You may have seen Henrietta on Twitter, heard her on a podcast, read her blog or been to her shop on Bonanzle. If so, you know this woman has a unique & intelligent perspective on eCommerce and life in general. Join us as we discuss Buyer Confidence, Bonanzle, the state of eCommerce & more! A 'Tips From the Top' podcast sponsored by The Savvy Seller.

Tip Of The Day: What's In It For Me?

Today's Tip:

Write about the BENEFITS of your product or service.

When describing the product or service you're selling, be sure to let your buyer know how they will benefit from it.

Most sellers are good at describing 'features' but for a leg up on your competition, talk about the benefits. Let your buyer know how your product or service solves their problem, makes their life easier or fulfills a need.

Buyers have an agenda and when they consider making a purchase they want to know 'What's In It For Me?' Sellers who answer that question are more likely to make the sale.

Tip of the Day

Today's 'Tip of the Day' is actually several tips! They come from Charlene Anderson - Purveyor of All Things Creative.


Charlene was The Savvy Seller's 'Tips From Top' podcast guest earlier this week. For the full stories behind the tips be sure to tune in!

1. if you don't ask for it, you won't get it
2. if you can get it free & use it, get more of it
3. right now, register all the domain names you ever think you'll need
4. register your user name now on all the social networking sites so no one else will take it
5. you can't do it all yourself
6. the post office has a back door for business drop-offs - use it & save time
7. money talks
8. don't believe everything you read
9. never use copy & paste to sign up for online sites
10. don't loan money to family or friends
    
    
    

To listen to the podcast, click here:

TameBay & Things Learned The Hard Way #2

Mark your calendars!

You won't want to miss this week's 'Tips From the Top' podcasts!

Image of tamebay

Monday Feb 2 - 3:00pm EST (noon PST)
Meet Sue Bailey from TameBay

Sue Bailey is co-author of TameBay, the highly regarded eBay news blog that provides up-to-the-minute news, views, hints and tips for eBay sellers & ecommerce merchants. In addition to her eBay related activities, she is also involved in web design and web development work. Join Sue as she talks with us about TameBay, eBay and all things eCommerce.

Click here to listen and join us in the chat room where you can ask your questions!

Image of Charlene Anderson

Wed Feb 4 - 2:00pm EST (11am PST)
Things I Learned the Hard Way #2
with Charlene Anderson, Purveyor of All Things Creative

Several months ago Charlene shared an incredible list of 'things' she learned the hard way. These turned out to be practical and insightful tips for the ecommerce entrepreneur! This podcast has been one of the most popular ones we've done so far, based on the large number of downloads. Join Charlene as she shares more 'things she learned the hard way' so you won't have to!

Click here to listen and join us in the chat room where you can ask your questions!

More Podcasts coming up on 'Tips From the Top':

2/11 at 2pm EST

Tips & Tools for eCommerce Merchants with Cathi Aiello of Allegro Accounting

2/13 at 4:00pm EST

Meet Henrietta of redINKdiary

2/16 at 5pm EST

How To Make Money Using eBay Widgets with Cindy Shebley & Dany Byrne

2/18 at 3pm EST

Meet Kathy Simpson of Kat's Kloset

2/25 at 2pm EST

Using Twitter & Facebook For Your Business with Rich Brooks of flyte

3/3 at 4pm EST

Meet Mark Dorsey of Bonanzle

3/4 at 2pm EST

Examples of Social Networking for Business with Kelsey Foster of MySavvySpace

eBay Discussion Board Changes

Image via CrunchBase

eBay's Discussion Boards are getting a new look!

The new features include:

• more personalization and layout options


• time-saving features


• enhanced control over your experience

To make these changes, the Discussion Boards will be taken offline on Tue Feb 3 from 4pm - midnight PST.

You can check the Launch Board for a preview of what the boards will look like.