The Work at Home Family Carnival - August 24, 2009

Welcome to the August 24, 2009 edition of The Work at Home Family Carnival.

This is a new blog carnival dedicated to the work at home family. Our focus is on internet marketing techniques, marketing and advertising tips for home based entrepreneurs, as well as family management for families with one or more work at home parents. We have many good articles this month which should help readers who are already working from home or thinking of starting a home based business.

This is an edited carnival and only quality articles which offer good content will be accepted. To keep this carnival manageable, please submit only your best 2 blog posts for inclusion. I had to exclude a number of very good articles because there were over the 2 submissions per author. I follow this rule for my own submissions. Also, all articles must be family friendly and be related to the topic of home based businesses and working at home. Sales pages with little or no content will not be included in the carnival nor will site with too much hype or excessive income claims. Also, starting with this month, I will no longer include long lists of resources e.g. the 100 best blogs for entrepreneurs, etc. which turn out to be advertisements for schools and other programs.

Our carnival is quickly becoming very popular, and I want to thank all of our authors for the many quality blog posts that I have received this month.

Internet Marketing

Helene Zemel presents Internet Marketing Basics - Creating a Website posted at Work at Home Mom and Dad, saying, "How to create your own marketing website. Follow these 7 steps for good results."

Debbie Foster presents Some Things To Know About Pay Per Click Advertising posted at Internet Income - The Journey, saying, “There are many steps you must master before you can become profitable with PPC. It is not a matter of throwing up something in ten minutes and seeing what works. You will need to research and implement each part of the process properly, otherwise your campaign will not succeed.”

Debbie Foster presents The Role of Inbound Links in SEO posted at Internet Income - The Journey, saying, “There are a number of strategies you can use to get high quality inbound links. Remember, the quality, not the quantity, is the most important factor you will want to take into consideration.”

Chris McClelland presents How social networking sites can also help you save some money posted at Lucrative Investing, saying, “Twitter has actually become kind of useful to those who are trying to save some money also. Companies like Sears, Fiji Water, and Gold’s Gym are looking to be your friend on popular social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.”

Christian Russell presents How to Use Social Networking Sites for Business posted at Next Level Blogger, saying, "I like to keep it simple. Simple is good. Know why? Because it works. Social networking for business is not rocket science, but for some strange reason, many of us WANT it to be! Perhaps it’s human nature. Perhaps if we think it’s complicated, then we will be able to figure it out…and after we figure it out, it will be easy. And our lives will then be easy. And money will fall into our laps without us ever having to lift a finger, because we’ve figured it out. We know the secret!"

Christian Russell presents Quick Start to Internet Marketing posted at Next Level Blogger, saying, "Many people out there are looking for a quick start to internet marketing. I understand. Most people in my network are business people, and we are the kind of people who want to get things rolling quickly. You know being online and marketing yourself with blogging, internet marketing and social networking is essential, but you don’t know the best way to go about it, and you have a million questions."

Jimmy Adames presents List Building Tips ? 3 Effortless Ways to Grow a List of Active Subscribers posted at Internet Business Building, saying, "Earning an income using the Internet is much simpler if you have a list of active subscribers. The key to making sure you succeed is to have reliable marketing tools and quality content to provide your customers and prospects. What is holding you back from building a list of active subscribers?"

Robert Alan presents Big Mistakes to Avoid with Your First PPC Campaign posted at Sell It on the Web, saying, "Here's a great list of things that must be avoided for newbies and budding online marketers who are considering paid search (PPC) marketing as a means to start and grow their businesses online."

Robert Alan presents Ultimate Twitter Starter Guide for Small Business posted at Bill Hazelton, saying, "Here's a great "starter guide" and how-to manual from Sell It! on the Web on how to get started using Twitter for your small business."

Sell It! on the Web presents Affordable Shopping Cart Platforms for New Business Owners posted at Bill Hazelton, saying, "Recommendations for several affordable shopping cart platforms for new website owners and e-commerce marketers."

Sell It! on the Web presents Guide to Optimizing Your Landing Page Copy posted at Bill Hazelton, saying, "Tips and recommendations on how to optimize the copy on the "landing pages" of your website or blog in order to convert more of your visitors into buyers."

Ben Dinsmore presents My Experience with Facebook’s Advertising Program posted at Trees Full of Money, saying, "If you're looking for a new medium to advertise your small business, you may have success with highly targeted ads on social medial sites like Facebook."

Golam Moinuddin presents How to make money on eBay posted at Internet Auction Coach. Editor’s note: The author provides 7 steps that you should follow if you want to be successful on ebay.

Jimmy Adames presents Internet Income Tips - 12 Critical Steps For Recovering Opportunity Jumping Junkies posted at Internet Business Building, saying, "Many people go online everyday looking for ways to make extra money and just as many have every intention of earning a long-term Internet income while simultaneously firing their bosses. Unfortunately, the high expectations of overnight riches turns people into dejected participants. How many times have you quit one money making opportunity for another?"

Rusty Shelton presents Solving the Internet Marketing Puzzle posted at My Internet Marketing Journey. Editor’s note: The author discusses the importance of knowing your why, tenacity, and hard work as the key to success in mlm and network marketing.

Brian Terry presents Does website design really matter? posted at Big Selling Website Design, saying, “I still believe that a visual brand identity is important, but the challenge is in creating graphics that not only look good but also sell. When you get the balance right and combine it with other proven direct response strategies the sky really is the limit!”

Simon Stapleton presents Why Don’t Graduates Get Jobs? posted at Career & Personal Development for CIOs, Technical Professionals and Self-Professed Geeks, saying, "The Recession has created massive competition for the fewer jobs that become available, and it’s graduates that are paying the price. Lack of experience in industry seems like an obvious reason why graduates are not offered job placements, but surprisingly, this is not the primary reason (according to a survey of 200 recruiting managers in the US, UK and South Africa).

Simon Stapleton presents The 12 Dumbest Mistakes Network Managers Make posted at Career & Personal Development for CIOs, Technical Professionals and Self-Professed Geeks, saying, "What are the 12 most stupidest gaffes a network manager can make? More to the point, have you made one, or experienced one yourself? See if you recognize any of these clangers?"

Marketing and Advertising Tips

Shawn M. Driscoll presents Real Growth in Unreal Times posted at Shawn Driscoll, saying, “You can position yourself for growth now and into the future by making a few simple and smart moves”

Kevin Blaikie presents HOW TO - BUSINESS IDEAS FOR BEGINNERS - WarriorForum - Internet Marketing Forums posted at jokijio. Editor’s note: Good advice from the Warrior Forum.

Sam Carrara presents The Seed Becomes a Big Tree posted at Sam Carrara's Marketing Education. Editor’s note: The author explains the maturity stage of the product life cycle.

Bobby Leong presents Complaints Can Be Good posted at Internet Marketing Solutions. Editor’s note: The author points out a problem with the Get Response autoresponder system.

Family Management

Helene Zemel presents AmeriPlan Half Price Discount Dental & Medical Benefit Plans posted at Health Plans Plus, saying, "Self employed entrepreneurs often have trouble finding affordable health benefits. If they have a pre-existing condition, they may not be able to obtain coverage at any price. A discount medical plan can help. AmeriPlan is offering new members who sign up on or before 5 p.m. Central Standard Time on September 14th and opportunity to receive benefits for 1 full year at half price."

Brian McKay presents Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for Dependent Care posted at MonitorBankRates.com, saying, "A dependent care flexible spending Account (FSA) allows you to save money pretax to pay for dependent care in the process also lowering your taxable income."

Eldon Sarte presents This is My Night Job posted at Wordpreneur.com, saying, "Writing is everything. Or is it? Sometimes, even with the best laid plans, it needs to take second place. Temporarily at least." Editor’s note: Some interesting commentary on balancing work at home with caring for a small child.

Chris McClelland presents Best buys of the fall posted at Lucrative Investing. Editor’s note: The author lists some good deals to be had during the Fall season.

Quick and Easy Recipes

Renee V. Rouse presents Family Dinner for under $5 - Deli Sandwiches posted at Frugal-Living-Skills Blog, saying, "...Weekly grocery circulars often read “feed a family of 4 for under $10!”. I’m sure most of you have laughed at this as I did. As a result, I began to wonder what does dinner really cost for my family of 8? So I set a challenge for myself and I figured if I kept it under $5, I was doing good..."

Belle presents How to make Fried Zucchini - with pictures posted at Homesteaderbelle's Blog. Editor’s note: This recipe sounds yummy. Good step by step directions are presented.

Working at Home

DeMarcus presents Creating A Personal Development Home Based Business posted at Self Improvement Articles, saying, “Should you consider a personal development home based business? If you are passionate about being a mentor to others, or have a good knowledge base of personal development skills or resources, then perhaps this is for you.”

John Crickett presents How To Start A Home Based Web Design Business posted at Business Opportunities And Ideas, saying, “Starting a web design business from home doesn’t have to cost much at all. Best of all you can fit in most start up activities around an existing job allowing you to test the waters before you jump in.”

Darwin presents Haverhill Home Staging Course - Have You Been Had? posted at Darwin's Finance, saying, "This article highlights a rapidly growing and heavily advertised "income opportunity" that you should consider further before forking over your money."

Leah Grant presents Things to Consider When Employing a New Strategy posted at Startup Success. Editor’s note: The author lists 7 key ideas that you consider when creating a business strategy.

nissim ziv presents Career Goals: Examples of Career Goals and Objectives posted at Job Interview Guide, saying, "It is only when a person has a clear thought about their career goals and objectives that they get ultimate satisfaction from their jobs and therefore progress faster. This article covers many examples for your career goals & objectives."

sagarika presents Skills that you should be learn for Success posted at Social Work for Mankind, saying, “True Success is simply the realization and obtainment of a worthy ideal or result that your heart is deeply connected to it & what you desired, results fruitfully in your life, business, wealth, or a worthy ideal.”

Tiffany Colter presents Getting Ahead of the Game posted at Writing Career Coach. Editor’s note: The author discusses some techniques for getting a jump start on a new writing project.
Gloria Booth presents Self Development and the Marketing Entrepreneur posted at MLM Marketing UK, saying, "Do you think that it's ok to set up in business then sit back and watch it happen? Or do you think there's more you can do, but not sure what? Find out how self development can make a difference."

Gloria Booth presents Donald Trump & Network Marketing posted at MLM Marketing UK, saying, "With the backing of business magnate Donald Trump, could this be the start of media acceptance of network marketing as a legitimate way to build a business and work towards financial independence?"

Gin G. presents Spotlight Ten Offers posted at Sense Scribe, saying, "Learn to use your computer for self-employment. Read more."

Miscellaneous

Ray presents SmartMoney 2009's Best Online Brokers posted at Money Blue Book, saying, “While I have written about the best discount online brokers in the past – reviewing what I believe to be the top brokerage companies out there for new stock and fund investors – it’s always good to check out what the financial experts have to say on the subject.”

fourleafclovergoodluckcharms presents Four Leaf cLovers posted at Four Leaf cLover Good Luck Charms.com, saying, "Luck plays a hugely significant role in many different aspects of our lives. Luck has the power to transform both our personal and professional lives. Do you feel lucky?"

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the work at home family using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: the work at home family, blog carnival.

The Work at Home Family Carnival July 18, 2009

Welcome to the July 18, 2009 edition of the work at home family.

We have some great articles that will really help you with your home based business. It is so nice of our authors to share their expertise and even some great marketing tips and secrets with the readers of this blog. In addition to articles on online and offline marketing, the Carnival has some good articles to help you with economic and family management. I am sure that you will find some valuable “nuggets” of information and some excellent resources as you review the selections.

Our new carnival is already receiving traffic and getting many submissions. In some cases I received multiple submissions by some authors. Since I am the sole editor for this carnival and I want to publish the carnival in a timely manner, please only submit 2 articles per author to each carnival. Also, all articles must be family friendly, be well written, have good content, and not be spammy. I have no problem with promoting your business, but a submission that is not a true blog, does not have useful information and good content, and is primarily an advertisement will not be published. Thanks for your contributions this month.

Internet Marketing

Helene Zemel presents Internet Marketing Basics for Work at Home Moms & Dads posted at Work at Home Mom and Dad, saying, "Whether you have a brick and mortar store or work out of your home, advertising on the internet will allow you to reach millions of people with your ads. Books and courses have been written on how to use the internet effectively for marketing, and each one of the tips below can be the subject of an article or even a book chapter. What I have attempted to do in this article is to provide you with some basics on getting started with internet marketing."

Kim Roach presents Hidden Traffic Sources posted at BuzzBlogger.com. Editor’s note: The author shares some great traffic building tips. I plan to try some of these.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Start an Online Business: Open an eBay Store, Build a Website or Blog posted at The Digerati Life. Editor’s note: The author presents some sound advice on starting your own online business.

Robert Alan presents 7 Website Design Flaws to Avoid posted at Sell It on the Web, saying, "Here's a great list for small business owners, bloggers and the work at home family of the top 7 website design flaws to avoid the most."

Missy Diaz presents 7 Elements Of A Successful Website posted at G34 Media. Editor's note: The author presents some good tips for website planning and design with an emphasis on WordPress.

barry walls presents Is Article Marketing The Optimal Way to Maximum Profits from Content for Newbies? posted at Strategic Outsourcers, saying,” Basic article marketing, also known as bum marketing is a form of generating cash which draws in many people who are new to internet marketing who have limited funds. Is this a smart way to earn money for newbie’s?”

Christian Russell presents 3 Simple, Killer Steps to Improve Traffic and Monetize Your Blog or Website posted at Next Level Blogger. Editor’s note: Some good information is presented here. The author suggests 3 Simple, Killer Steps to Improve Traffic and Monetize Your Site.

Christian Russell presents Use a Sales Funnel to Blow Up Your Blogging and Internet Marketing Sales posted at Next Level Blogger, saying, “The good news is that by developing a well-designed sales funnel, you will be able to truly maximize sales on your site.” Editor’s note: More good content from this author.

Barbra Sundquist presents How to Set Up an Aweber Autoresponder posted at HomeBusinessWiz. Editor’s note: The author provides step by step instructions on how to work with the AWeber autoresponder.

Andy Loverock presents Free Search Engine optimization Tips posted at Work At Home Opportunities, saying, "For anyone with plans to have their own website, or business owners who already have a website, search engine optimization is one of those areas that shouldn’t be overlooked.”

Robert Alan presents Features of Effective Shopping Cart Platforms posted at Sell It on the Web, saying, "For all those work at home business owners who want to start selling products directly from their blog or website, we've put together a list of features that you'll need to have in any new shopping cart platform."

Simon Stapleton presents Does Facebook Flunk Your Performance Review? posted at ACE Your Performance Review, saying, "Time Magazine recently caused a stir when they published the results of research that strongly suggested that Facebook (and other social networking sites) caused graduate students to suffer lower grades."

Joanne Collins presents The Google Story posted at Jo's Reviews And Ad Space. Editor’s note: The author reviews 2 books which should be of interest to internet marketers.

Brian Terry presents How to make your subscribers love you posted at Big Selling Website Design, saying, “it’s all about finding out what people want then giving it to them. That’s the bottom line and one so many people miss out on.”

alland smith presents Options for Memory Card Packaging posted at Memory Card Packaging's Blog, saying, “Packaging offers physical support and protection to products, particularly those that are considered sensitive or fragile and they also serve as a marketing tool, a means to display and promote the product they contain.”

Marketing and Advertising Tips

Ken McArthur presents If You Want to Be Noticed, It Matters Who Hears You posted at Ken McArthur's Impact Factor, saying, “Key people are waiting to spread your message right now. They interact daily in networks that exist today where their influence is felt far beyond your limited vision of what you can do. If you know who to target and where to find the influencers, you can create a firestorm of activity around your project, before you even launch.”

Tushar Mathur presents Whats The Best Way To Get The Word Out About Your Small Business - Word Of Mouth Or Social Media? posted at Small Business Resource, saying, "If you have a small local (niche) market, cheap local advertising is somewhat effective for the purpose of exposure. However, I’ve found that word-of-mouth exposure pays off the best." Editor’s note: Good discussion on the merits of Twitter, Facebook and Linked In.

GP presents Home Grown Hospitality « Musings from Montana posted at Manely Montana. Editor’s note: Some good marketing tips for the small business owner, especially in the hospitality industry. Tasty veggie omelet recipe presented as well.

Singing Steve Bermann presents How to Be Successful With Google Adwords Pay Per Click Marketing posted at Click-Here-Now.To. Editor's note: The author presents some good tips for running a successful Google Adwords campaign.

Chris McClelland presents Marketing Minute with Jennifer: The Marketing Mix and Q posted at Lucrative Investing. Editor’s note: The author provides a review of basic marketing principles with emphasis on the marketing mix of product, price, place (distribution), and promotion.

Kevin Blaikie presents HOW TO - THE SECRETS OF INTERNET AND ONLINE MARKETING - WarriorForum - Internet Marketing Forums posted at jokijio. Editor’s note: The Warrior Forum is always good place for checking out internet marketing strategies and techniques.

Fiona Lohrenz presents Formulating A Day Care Mission Statement posted at Child Care Only, saying, “You're starting a day care service and have everything in place, all the nuts and bolts are ordered, staff ready to go but have you considered one of the most important aspects of your infant business - formulating your mission statement.”

brian young presents How Retail Security Should Keep Your Business Safe posted at Retail Security Products. Editor's note: The author presents good information on security for your small business.

deborah davis presents The Challenge of Keeping Your Store Hand-Held Products Secure posted at Anti theft security systems. Editor’s note: Good information on security systems for the retail store owner.

Working at Home

Helene Zemel presents Despite the Weak Economy, Sales of Nutritional Supplements are Up posted at Work at Home Mom and Dad, saying, "Since the start of the economic recession, we read every day how retail sales are down for almost every product category including cars, restaurant meals, clothing, jewelry, and movies and entertainment. Despite the gloomy economic picture, there is one bright light. Sales of nutritional supplements have been increasing."

RemarkablyClever presents 10 REAL work at home jobs you didn’t know about (and they’re hiring now) posted at remarkably clever, saying, "Stuffing envelopes and posting ads online are not legitimate ways of earning money from home. Here are 10 real work at home (or flexible) jobs you may not have known about and the companies that are hiring for them right now." Editor’s note: This is a great resource for finding some good work at home opportunities that pay well.

Billeater presents Incorporate as an LLC, S-Corp or C-Corp posted at Billeater. Editor’s note: As your business grows, you will need this information on the differences between an LLC, C-Corp, S-Corp, and a Sole Proprietorship.

Simon Stapleton presents Freelancers: How To Increase Your Rates, Annually posted at Career & Personal Development for CIOs, Technical Professionals and Self-Professed Geeks, saying, "One of the hotly debated topics between freelancer and customer is the issue of rate escalation. Customers don’t want to pay more; they’re savvy enough to know that if you provide services year-on-year, you haven’t been subjected to marketing costs to land the gig. Nevertheless, your costs go up with inflation. What do you do?"

apply4-credit presents The Benefits of a Business Credit Card Still Ring True posted at Apply4-Credit, saying, “When you own a small business, one of the first rules of thumb is to separate your personal finances from that of your business. For many entrepreneurs, it can be difficult to undertake this task but a small business credit card may be just the solution you are looking for and one that will also help the credit score of your business.”

Shamelle presents How To Re-focus When You Lose Focus posted at Enhance Life. Editor’s note. This is a must read if you need help in staying focused in your home based business.

Andy Loverock presents Low Cost Business Ideas From Home posted at Work At Home Opportunities, saying, "More people than ever are searching for low cost business ideas in an attempt to overcome the effects of the recent economic downturn. The internet provides a great platform for people to develop low cost business ideas from home and there are some incredible success stories."

Lilycat presents Magical Gift Company (Crafting Work at Home) posted at JOBB...SOS!!. Editor’s note: This looks like a very legitimate opportunity for people that enjoy crafting. I am forwarding this post to someone that I know who was thinking doing some assembly for extra income.

Robert Alan presents Can You Build A Solid Virtual Team? posted at Sell It on the Web, saying, "Tips and advice on how to build a virtual team for your home-based business."

Jacquelyn presents Moneymaking Ideas for You posted at WParent.com - Wise Parenting Guide, saying, "Are you looking for a job to do part time or full time or you just want another source of income? Are you searching for moneymaking opportunities or ideas? Check out the great ideas found in this article."

Alisha Harmann presents The Healthy Living Guide for Web Workers: 50+ Resources posted at Nursing Online Degree, saying, “If you work with computers and the Internet or know someone who does, you may know already that online interaction can damage health. But, the upside to online interaction is that it brings the normally isolated Web worker into a somewhat “social” realm.”

Meaghan Montrose presents 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting Your Home Business posted at Colleen Palat. Editor’s note: 7 good tips to help you get your business started.

Kevin Blaikie presents Make money working from the comfort of your own home! posted at How To Make money working from the comfort of your own home!, saying, “Is it really possible to run a business from your own home that is more than a hobby or source of part-time income?”

Linda Jones presents 50 Useful Firefox Add-Ons for Job Seekers posted at JobProfiles.org - Job Descriptions and Online Schools to Start Your Career. Editor’s note: These Firefox add-ons will prove useful.

Martin Russell presents “Conspiracy of the Rich”- A Review posted at Word of Mouth Marketing. Editor’s note: An excellent review of this latest book by the author of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad.”

Family Economic and Time Management

The Smarter Wallet presents Why Work At Home? Top Reasons For Staying Home To Work posted at The Smarter Wallet. Editor’s note: This article discusses both the financial and personal costs of working outside o the home.

Chris McClelland presents Beware of Shifty Credit Related Phone Calls posted at Lucrative Investing, saying, “Be smart, be aware, and be conscious of the fact that there are thousands, if not millions, of companies and people out there who want your money, and especially your social security number. They are calling you everyday and one false move could compromise your financial wellbeing, either in a small way or a big way.”

Leave Debt Behind presents What is the Envelope Budget Method posted at Leave Debt Behind, saying, “The envelope budgeting system is becoming a very popular method for people to budget their income in a very visual way. Essentially, the envelope method is as simple as it sounds.”

Jack Schmidt presents Got Big Feet? You'll Just Have to Pay the Man! posted at SectorMatic Money Journal, saying, "SectorMatic - Personal Finance: Everything for the Big Spender on a Budget! Now you can live like a fat cat, even if you're on a money diet. Laugh all the way to the bank with Jack Schmidt and SectorMatic. It's for you!" Editor’s note: Despite the title, the author provides some good information on home refinancing.

Ben presents Discover Credit Cards in Cereal Boxes posted at Money Smart Life, saying, “When I went to recycle an old box of Honey Nut Cheerios last night a small silver package fell out of the container. I was certainly surprised to see what was what looked to be a Discover credit card!”

Kerry Fletcher presents City or suburbs posted at Houston Interior Decorating Examiner, saying, “With the price of homes currently low and government programs for new home buyers, many people are considering purchasing a new home. A big decision for most buyers will be whether to purchase a new home in the city or the suburbs.”

GoByOwners presents How To Write Ads That Will Sell Your FSBO Home posted at Sale By OwnersSale By Owners, saying, “When it comes to marketing your home, the ad you write is highly important as a first point of connection with your prospective home buyers.”

GoByOwners presents Homes For Sale By Owner - FREE LISTINGS posted at Sale By Owners. Editor’s note: This video provides advice on how to sell your home without a realtor.

Miscellaneous

Kakie presents Book Review: Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys posted at Bur Bur & Friends: Community Park, saying, "This book explores the state of raising boys in today society and shares how we can give them the tools to assist in their emotional literacy so they can thrive."

Kelsey Grace presents Best Sympathy Arrangements by Religion posted at Sympathy Plants, saying, "This article talks about the rules for sending flowers and or plants in the event of a funeral and looks at it through the lens of multiple religions. Which religion is accepting of flowers or plants, what kind, and where should they be delivered are covered in this article."
Knitting Needles presents How to control knitting needles & yarn posted at Knitting Needles, saying, "A fantastic article for people interested in getting involved in knitting."

Belle presents How to Pasteurize Goat Milk posted at Homesteaderbelle's Blog. Editor’s note: The author provides step by step instructions on how to pasteurize goat’s milk.

Joe Dale presents Accelerated College Degrees Online posted at Online Accelerated Degree Colleges, saying, "Dozens of top accredited colleges are now offering accelerated online degrees to help you earn a college degree at an accelerated pace."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the work at home family using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Internet Marketing Basics - Creating a Website

Internet Marketing Basics Part 2

In Part 1 of Internet Marketing Basics, I ended by stating that “content was king.” It is your good content that will entice your readers to visit more often, stay on your site longer, request information from you, and ultimately purchase from you.

Now that you have created good content and copy, what do you do with it? Hopefully, you have already written some good articles and blog posts. You may even want to take this one step further and create your own website. Of course, once you have created your website, you will need to build traffic for your website. How to build traffic will be the subject of Part 3 of this series.

Creating Your Own Website

If you have a big advertising budget, you can certainly pay to have a beautiful website created for you. If you are just getting started, you may prefer to create your own website. In fact, optimizing your site for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is more important than a glossy website.

Here are some steps that you can follow to create your own website:

1. First you will need to choose a good domain name. A site like www.godaddy.com will show you which URLs are available, make suggestions for you, and you can purchase a domain name through them.

2. You will also want to choose a website host. There are a number of good ones available. Be sure to choose a website host with good support. I have gotten good support from www.jumpline.com, but there are many others to choose from.

3. Select a Website Design Program. Depending on your level of expertise, you will need a program to build your website. There are some excellent programs that you can purchase such as Microsoft’s FrontPage or Adobe’s Dreamweaver. I was able to purchase a very easy to use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) website builder for just $49.00 at www.sitespinner.com.

4. Begin creating your website. Start to create your website. Pay attention to spelling and grammar. Be sure that each website is both readable and attractive to the eye. Include links to your offers and/or affiliate sites but don’t overdo. Check all of your facts for accuracy. You do not want to mislead your prospects. If you have already written articles or blog posts about your business, using this content can give you a quick start into building your website.

5. Set up each page for optimal SEO. Be sure to use the keywords that you have researched liberally; however, don’t stuff your website with keywords. Remember that your website content must always be readable to keep your potential customers coming back. Be sure to thoroughly proofread your website. If grammar isn’t your area of expertise, ask a friend or family member to proofread your copy. See July 2 post for more information on keyword research. Even more important is selecting a good title for your website. This is what will appear in the blue bar at the top of your website and this is how search engines find you. Be sure to include some keywords in your title. As an example, the actual title appearing in the blue bar of my www.workathomemom-dad.com website is: Business Opportunities, Marketing Tips, and Advertising for Work at Home Moms, Dads, & Grandparents.

6. Be sure that your website is pleasing to the eye. Do not crowd your website and use an easy to read font. Be sure to leave plenty of “white space” on your website to make your website more readable. Use of graphics and photographs also create an interesting look to your website. When using graphics, be sure to give credit to the photographer or illustrator. For an inexpensive source of licensed photographs, check out www.istockphoto.com. Many of the photos on this blog have come from this source.

7. Make it easy for your readers to contact you. You will want to make it easy for your readers to contact you. It is a good idea to have a Contact Us page as well as links that lead to either a shopping cart or a source for additional information. To help you build your mailing list, be sure to include a lead capture form on your website.

Internet Marketing Basics for Work at Home Moms & Dads

Part 1 – An Introduction

Whether you have a brick and mortar store or work out of your home, advertising on the internet will allow you to reach millions of people with your ads. Books and courses have been written on how to use the internet effectively for marketing, and each one of the tips below can be the subject of an article or even a book chapter. What I have attempted to do in this article is to provide you with some basics on getting started with internet marketing.

In my own internet advertising, I have used a combination of methods for getting quick results such as paid advertising, as well as internet marketing that takes longer to gain traffic such as creating my own website. Below are some ideas to help get you started in internet marketing.

1. Paid Internet Advertising – Paid internet advertising can take the form of classified ads, text ads, featured ads, and banner and button (square graphic) advertising. Which method you choose will depend on the website that you decide to advertise on, location on the website, and, of course, your budget. The site that you choose to place your ad on should receive good traffic and be preferably on page 1 of Google. The best place for your ad is above the fold i.e. that part of the website that is visible when you first view the website. In general, I like button and banner advertising because graphics easily attract the eye. If you need to create a banner or button, you will find that there are many good banner creators available on the internet. To save money, try a free trial of a banner maker and make the buttons and banners that you need during the free trial period. Some other paid internet advertising methods include advertising on ezines (internet newsletters) and solo mailings.

2. Start a Blog – It’s easy to get started with blogging. Blog articles are usually indexed in Google much quicker than websites. I have found that blog posts can become material and content for future articles and websites. It is just as important to use good search engine optimization (SEO) techniques for your blogs as well as your website. I will discuss SEO below. Both

www.wordpress.com and www.blogger.com provide good blog platforms. Both are favorably ranked by Google. WordPress is known for all of the plug-ins that are available to help your site look its best. On the other hand, I have found the Blogger blogs very easy to set up and have received quick Google ranking for my blog articles.

3. Write Articles – Writing articles establishes you as an expert. Your articles can help you gain exposure for your product or service. Most article submission services allow you to have a resource box where you can place 2 or 3 links to you websites or blogs. This helps you with search engine optimization. The best article directories are

www.ezinearticles.com and www.goarticles.com. Articles submitted to these 2 services do get listed on Google. After receiving approval from Ezine Articles or Go Articles, revise and vary your article, and submit to several additional article directories. Some internet marketers use article spinning software. This can be very effective; however, do be careful when using this automated software. Make sure that your finished (spun) article makes sense and reads easily.

4. Select your Keywords carefully - Be sure to find the keywords and keyword phrases that people actually search by. There are many good tools to use when doing keyword research. Just Google “free keyword research tools” and you will find several that you can use for keyword suggestions. You can also type a keyword or keyword phrase into Google and see how many searches actually come up. If there are over 1 million searches, the keyword might be too competitive for you to rank high in the search engines; however, with fewer than 10,000 searches, not too many people will be able to find you.

5. Create a Good Title – One of the methods that have helped my website and blogs to achieve good ranking in the search engines has been selecting a good title. Be sure to have some of your selected keywords in your title. Remember that title is more than your domain name. When you sign on to a website or blog, you will notice writing in the blue bar at the top of your website. That is your title. Stuff that with keywords. For example, I was able to achieve #1 in Google for my

www.healthplansplus.net website for the keyword: “discount health plans.” Although the main title of my domain name and website is “Health Plans Plus,” notice that the title in the blue bar reads: Health Plans Plus – AmeriPlan Discount Affordable Dental and Health plans.

6. Content is King – Be sure to write quality content in all of your articles, blogs and websites. People will revisit your site if you provide good content and solutions to their problems. Your advertising message should be subtle, and your focus should be on providing a solution to the reader’s problem. Also remember to proofread for grammar and spelling errors as well as readability. If English is your second language, have someone read and edit your finished work.

Part 2 of this internet marketing basics primer will discuss creating your own website and building traffic to your websites and blogs through social networking. For more information on marketing your home based business, visit http://www.workathomemom-dad.com/.

The Work at Home Family Carnival June 8, 2009

Welcome to our very first edition of The Work at Home Family Carnival. The purpose of this carnival is to provide moms, dads, and grandparents with resources and information to help manage their busy households and businesses. Some of the topics to be covered include working at home, internet marketing, family management, marketing and advertising tips, and quick and easy recipes.

I look forward to the growth of this carnival and your future submissions. To be accepted, all articles must be appropriate to the subject matter of this carnival, have good content, not be spammy, and be family friendly.

Working at Home

Helene Zemel presents Finding a Great Home Based Business posted at Work at Home Mom and Dad, saying, "Now that you have made the decision to work from home, how do you go about selecting a suitable and profitable home business?"

Shawn M. Driscoll presents Stop! Don’t Throw in the Towel Just Yet! posted at Shawn Driscoll. Editor’s note: The author focuses on the importance of having a clear mission, a good business model to follow, a good working environment, and the need to have a plan of action to implement your business.

Fiona Lohrenz presents Guidelines For Preparing A Day Care Safety Statement posted at Child Care Only. Editor’s note: If you are considering starting a day care or pre-school business, you need to read this important article.

Brian McKay presents Business Insurance Basics posted at MonitorBankRates.com, saying, "Whether you’re a business owner, a risk manager or an executive, have a large or small business or employ five people or 500, purchasing the right insurance coverage is essential to your business plan."

Ruoall Chapman presents Everything you need to know about how to Make Online Beats posted at Make Online Beats. Editor’s note: The author provides good information for those interested in the music industry.

Patti Blevins presents Are You Driving Your Life Blindfolded? posted at Patti Blevins, saying, "Believe In Yourself and Enjoy Life!"

nissim ziv presents How to start eBay business from scratch posted at eBay Business Guide. Editor’s note: If you are thinking of starting an Ebay business, you will find this step-by-step guide very helpful.

Catherine VanWetter presents To the Heart of the Matter - The Myth of Busyness posted at To The Heart of the Matter, saying, "Have you ever wondered who you are if you are not busy? Busy taking care of other people, busy working, busy doing “stuff”? In everyday life, how does one step off of the “dread mill” of busyness? Are you present?"

Sarah Scrafford presents 100 Terrific Productivity Tools for the Bored or Unemployed posted at Online College.org, saying, “These 100 tools will help you get busy doing just about anything from organizing your DVD collection to planning your potential future, giving you no excuse to be bored or unemployed for long.”

Internet Marketing

nissim ziv presents Best EBay business ideas for home based business posted at eBay Business Guide. Editor’s note: The author provides 7 helpful tips and ideas for making money selling on Ebay.

Jim DeSantis presents How To Get Low Cost Products To Sell At Fair Prices On Ebay! posted at Work At Home Programs Reviewed, saying, "If you have been selling products on eBay, you know how difficult it is to find products cheaply enough to sell for a fair profit these days. You may not have considered several good sources right under your nose in your own hometown. But, the question is: Which promise the least amount of hassle for the most profit? Let's consider the most popular sources."

Diego Cervantes presents the Ultimate Guide to Web Marketing for Real Estate Agents posted at Real Estate Agent Database Blog. Editor’s note: You will find some excellent sources in this blog post for marketing your real estate business. The author has also included some web sources that are helpful for all businesses including article marketing and social media.

Quick and Easy Recipes

Helene Zemel presents My Tomato Rarebit Recipe A Good Source of Lycopene posted at Health Plans Plus, saying, "Here is a very simple but tasty recipe that has been in my father’s family for many years and is a good source of vitamins A, C, K and lycopene. It is also very quick and easy to make for busy parents who work at home as well an inexpensive, budget lunch."

Family Management

Jacquelyn presents Financial Concerns For a Stay-At-Home Parent posted at WParent.com - Wise Parenting Guide, saying, "This article gives suggestions on how to make the transition to a one-income household when one parent decides to stay at home."

Jack Schmidt presents Health Insurance Can Improve Your Love Life posted at SectorMatic Money Journal, saying, "Personal Finance - Everything for the Big Spender on a Budget. Now you can live like a fat cat, even if you're on a money diet. Laugh all the way to the bank with Jack Schmidt and SectorMatic. It's for you!" Editor’s note: A humorous look at a serious subject.

Nancy Miller presents Top 100 Blogs for DIY Home Improvement posted at Construction Management Degrees, saying, Hiring a contractor can be expensive. With monthly bills climbing and income shrinking, the “do it yourself” movement has gained momentum. Below are the best 100 blogs for home improvement that provide inspiration, design ideas, advice, and much more from those just starting out or those that have a lifetime of experience.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the work at home family using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Technorati tags: the work at home family, blog carnival.