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An Entertaining Investment with an Increase of 900% in Eight Years
I used to have a friend whose hobby was writing to well known people asking them to autograph photographs. Recently he decided to sell his collection which I thought would be worth a few bob. But, to my surprise, when you deduct all his costs and allow something for his time, he barely broke even. How could this be? This week I thought I would investigate.In 1997 you would have paid ?125 for a signed photograph of Paul McCartney. In 2005 t

argue that people might not use the 'Limit to results' option - that they might search world wide. That might be so, but here is another curveball: Even when presenting world wide results, the regional Google search engine gives a preference to local domains.

So here is the bottom line: - When you have a .com website, make sure that the physical servers that they are hosted on are locat

Follow the Long Yellow Copy: Do Long Scrolling Sales Letters Work?
Have you ever sat through a movie and got to the point when you counted the minutes till its ending? Unfortunately, you can't speed it up or leave it for another show (although, some people do try switching movies). When long Web copy leaves your eyes glazing in that same way, what do you do?As you read a long, scrolling sales pitch do you read it and make the buy? Read it and lose interest? Click away? Skim it and do nothing?Welcom

A few years ago it did not matter whether you had a .com type domain or an extension specific to your own country.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that it was probably considered quite 'cool' to have a .com domain. It gave the impression that you were serious about your business.

Then Google decided to go local and now most local country searches would probably go through the version of Google specific to your own country.

When Google launched my country's local version of Google (www.google.co.za) I investigated the matter of having a .com domain versus having .co.za domain and how that would affect where you would show up in the SERPS (search engine result pages).

I searched through various forums (on Google itself) as well as other big forums like WebHostingTalk. I also did my own tests. The consensus seems to be that you will only show up in the regional search engine of Google (and I specifically refer here to using your country's local Google to LIMIT results to your country's results) if 1) your domain extension (e.g. .co.za or .co.uk etc.) corresponds with the region, or 2) your IP of the hosting server falls in the corresponding geographic region or

The implication of this is that if your domain ends in a .com AND you happen to be hosted physically on an internationally located server, your .com domain will NOT show up in www.google.co.za when the search is limited to South African results. (How do you know whether your domain is hosted locally or off-shore? There are technical ways to find out but the easiest would be to ask your hosting service provider!)

Now you might argue that people might not use the 'Limit to results' option - that they might search world wide. That might be so, but here is another curveball: Even when presenting world wide results, the regional Google search engine gives a preference to local domains.

So here is the bottom line: - When you have a .com website, make sure that the physical servers that they are hosted on are locat

Marketing Tip: Delay Gratification
A crucial concept in marketing (as is in life) is that of delayed gratification.Stick with me for a moment through a general discussion of this behavior, and it will become obvious how it applies to your marketing.The ability to wait for rewards is a classic characteristic of anyone who is going to be successful. In fact, psychologists have identified this ability as the key indicator of a child’s future success. Because rewards do

specific to your own country.

So here is the bottom line: - When you have a .com website, make sure that the physical servers that they are hosted on are locat

Turn Your Favorite Hobby Into A Successful Home Based Business
Anyone who would like to be independent of a boss could start a home based business of his or her own. It is just a matter of knowing what you would like to do and how you will achieve your goals. Give yourself a time limit so that you know within a certain time you must have made your plans to get started on your business.If you do not have a clear picture in your mind of what you would like to do, take some time to think about it and l

sts. The consensus seems to be that you will only show up in the regional search engine of Google (and I specifically refer here to using your country's local Google to LIMIT results to your country's results) if 1) your domain extension (e.g. .co.za or .co.uk etc.) corresponds with the region, or 2) your IP of the hosting server falls in the corresponding geographic region or

So here is the bottom line: - When you have a .com website, make sure that the physical servers that they are hosted on are locat

Networking Know-how
Successful networking requires the understanding from the get-go that it is about what we can do for each other. Networking requires time, patience, and a commitment to helping others. Honest networking is not just meeting as many people as you can with the intent of citing a "mini-commercial" about what you need. No room for selfishness here; networking requires showing an interest in others that will help build credibility and tru

is that if your domain ends in a .com AND you happen to be hosted physically on an internationally located server, your .com domain will NOT show up in www.google.co.za when the search is limited to South African results. (How do you know whether your domain is hosted locally or off-shore? There are technical ways to find out but the easiest would be to ask your hosting service provider!)

So here is the bottom line: - When you have a .com website, make sure that the physical servers that they are hosted on are locat

Beat the Crowd with Winning Resume Cover Letters
Far too many people underestimate the importance of resume cover letters. In a sense, a well written cover letter works like an agent on your behalf. It tosses a sales pitch for you to the employer, explaining why you should be at the top of the list for interview calls. Taking the time to write a cover letter tells the employer you are willing to go above and beyond; not just simply slap a resume in an envelope and mail it.Not All Res

So here is the bottom line: - When you have a .com website, make sure that the physical servers that they are hosted on are located locally in your own country - If you have the option (and your business is aimed at your local market), always register a local domain for your business website.

If you currently have a .com domain that is located off-shore, you will NEVER show up in the local results of Google (if you specifically limit the searches to your own country's results only), and even when people do not limit the results to your country only, you will compete against millions of other .com domains, while your local competitor with a local domain extension will sneak right up to the top results in Google because Google gives more preference to those domains when using its local version of the search engine.

What can you do about this? I would suggest that you register a local domain and start migrating your webiste over to the new domain. You can leave your business cards and company brochures with your .com extension until you run out and have to print new ones in any case - all you need to do is ask your webhosting provider to put a forward on your .com domain to your local domain name.

It will take a while for the transition to show up in all relevant search engines and to be frank, this might not be a painless process! But you need to decide how important it is to you to show up on the first pages of the local search engines - there are other ways of marketing your website too. But if you think that you might be losing out on targeted traffic, I suggest you bite the bullet and go for it - rather sooner than later!

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One has to be fairly careful when advertising in trade journals because the costs can get prohibitive, yet if you are selling to the industry, the percentage of readers who might be interested is large. If you have a company, which is not selling to the industry but rather participating in it

Many Internet entrepreneurs have difficulty making money online. Although it appears that everyone else is achieving success, their cash cow has not come home. If you are seriously looking to achieve success with your business, model the habits of successful entrepreneurs.

An uncensored look at the position many people find themselves in. Aspects covered include the effect the daily chase has on families and loved ones. Includes some potential answers and perhaps, a way out.

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