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What Is Outsourcing And How Can You Benefit?

Written on March 8, 2011 by
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Recently, I reached a point in my business where I felt that I needed to start outsourcing if I really wanted my business to grow.  I’ve heard the term outsourcing so much that I wasn’t sure what it meant exactly and how it could apply to me, so I decided to do a little research.

What is Outsourcing?

Entrepreneur Magazine defines Outsourcing as:

” The practice of having certain job functions done outside a company instead of having an in-house department or employee handle them; functions can be outsourced to either a company or an individual”

So for instance, if you spend a lot of time social bookmarking your websites, you can easily contract that task out to a third party.   While outsourcing is similar to subcontracting, the term generally refers to hiring an international company as opposed to a domestic company.  If you want to hire a telemarketing service or appointment setting services to build your book-of-business and lead generation lists, it is important to understand the benefits of outsourcing as opposed to hiring in-house employees.  While you will have to pay for the services, the costs for outsourcing are much lower than the costs of hiring and training employees.

Benefits of Outsourcing

One of the main benefits of outsourcing is the fact that you can save a lot of money, this is especially true if you outsource to overseas companies or individuals.  I outsource some of my article writing to a woman in the Philippines and the cost savings I have achieved by hiring someone overseas as opposed to here in the U.S. has been staggering.  Saving money, though, is not the only benefit of outsourcing.  Outsourcing can help a business to increase their profits as well as their productivity.  When you outsource repetitive and time consuming tasks,  you can spend more time focusing on  ways to  expand your core business model .  When you are able to spend more time on your business as opposed to wasting time on inconsequential tasks, you can really brainstorm and grow your business.

“When small and mid-size businesses outsource work, it allows them to focus more on their core competencies. In many cases, this approach to outsourcing is a smart way for businesses to add value to their operations.”
~ Nancy Pechloff

What do I Outsource

Currently, I outsource the following tasks:

Website Creation/Maintenance – I’m not that fond of WordPress because I always seem to “break” something while I tinker around with it.  Whenever this happens, It used to take me hours to figure out how to fix it.  So now I pay someone to maintain my WordPress blogs (setups, periodic backups, etc..)

Content Creation – I write a lot of article for the purpose of obtaining back links.  This takes up a lot of my time and is also boring as hell.  I now outsource most of this work.  The Filipino woman I hired can bang out hundreds of articles every week.

Video Creation – When I need a high quality video, I outsource this task to a guy I know who makes great videos.

Link building – In the past I have hired people to do link wheels for me.  Most recently, I hired someone to do a backlinking campaign for a few of my niche sites.

Graphics – I suck at creating good graphics, so I have hired people to do them for me.

More on outsourcing in a later post. :)

Do you outsource?  What type of tasks do you outsource?

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What Internet Marketing Tax Deductions Can I Take?

Written on February 28, 2011 by
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“But in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes. “
~Benjamin Franklin

internet marketing tax write-offsSo it’s that time again here in the U.S.  – tax time!  As an internet marketer, documenting all of your expenses is very important if you want to use them as tax write-offs.   This article is aimed at those that do most or all of their business online, but any business that has an online presence should be aware of the expense claims related to their online presence. In this article, we will look at a few things you will want to keep in mind, when getting your information together, consulting with a tax professional being one of the big ones.  Also please note, I am not a CPA, Enrolled Agent or Accountant.  The information I am providing here is for your information only.  Laws vary somewhat from state to state, so you will want to have the professional advice of someone in the know, but these guidelines will help you cover the major bases.

Most importantly, you will need to keep thorough records of every expense and every transaction. I make note of every penny that comes in, and keep receipts of everything.  I use the free online accounting tool Outright, to keep my records nice and tidy. Without an accurate accounting of your income and expenses, it is impossible to take advantage of all the incentives for doing business online. Even if you think that a receipt may be unimportant, if it has anything at all to do with your business, you should keep it and file it. Every cent is important, and when counting your deductions, those pennies add up. Keep track of your mileage, gas expenses, and pretty much every penny that moves in or out of your business.

Brick and mortar business  deduct the rent or mortgage for the property the business conducts itself in, so if you use the internet for your business, you should take advantage of as many internet marketing tax write-offs as you can. Your web presence is rented space as well, with a domain name and a server that are, for all intents and purposes, the virtual location of your internet presence. Deduct it. Your internet service is a business expense as well. Also, if you run your business from home, you can deduct a percentage of your home’s rent or mortgage too. Talk to your accountant about the specifics – there is a complex formula to figure this all out, and a competent professional should be able to help you maximize your internet deductions.

Advertising expenses can also save you money at tax time. If you pay for any marketing, whether it is with adwords, Facebook Ads or any paid advertising on (or off) the net, that expense should be tracked and claimed to the fullest potential. If you run ads in the newspaper or in the yellow pages, you should claim that expense, and if you post flyers in your community, it would be wise to deduct the expense of design, printing and distribution of the advertising materials.

There are other miscellaneous expenses that can make good internet marketing tax deductions. If you purchased a computer in the last year, or if you use a video camera or digital camera for your business and bought one in the last year you should take that expense also. Software, scripts, WordPress plugins, and any outsourced work such as articles used for backlinking should also be included.

Gasoline, business related mileage – even if it is just to the bank, and if you use your vehicle to advertise your website, you can claim some of the car payments on your expenses too. Keep all of your expense records, and claim as much as you can. As discussed before, always take your accounting to a tax specialist or CPA to insure that you are in compliance with the tax laws that apply.

Education is deductible as well. If you spend money on information for the purpose of educating yourself or those who work for you, you can usually deduct all or some of that cost from your tax liability. Some examples of this would be eBooks , seminars or memberships to websites such as The Keyword Academy. If you do a fair amount of business online, there are probably numerous subscriptions that you utilize to gain advantage in the competitive and sometimes confusing world of internet sales.

Want to learn more?  There is a very good book entitled – Home Business Tax Deductions: Keep What You Earn, that is very helpful.  You should definitely check it out!

Here are some of the things I will be deducting this year:

  • Internet Access – In order to run a business online, I need internet access, so this is definitely a tax write-off.
  • Domain Names and Web Hosting Fees – without these things, I would not be able to have a presence online.
  • New Computer – I purchased a new, faster, more powerful computer last year which definitely qualifies as a tax write-off.
  • Software – word-processing software, virus protection, and keyword tools are things that can be deducted.
  • Link building services – I use Build My Rank and a few other services for link building, so I will be deducting the subscription fee.
  • Outsourced Articles – This is a huge expense for me.  I have outsourced hundreds of articles in the past year and will definitely be using this as a tax write-off.
  • Subscriptions to paid membership sites – I am a member of the Keyword Academy and will be deducting the monthly membership fee.
  • WordPress Plugins – I don’t purchase a lot of plugins, but if you do, you may be able to deduct the cost.
  • eBooks – eBooks can be considered to be educational expenses if the particular eBook is teaching you something that is helpful for your business.
  • Travel to and attendance at Seminars and Conferences – another great tax write-off.

Did I cover all deductible expenses?  Am I missing anything?  Let me know.

-Diane-

Photo Credit

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Online Income Diary Now Powered by WordPress and Headway

Written on February 3, 2010 by
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When I first started this blog, I chose to publish it on the Typepad platform  solely because I thought WordPress was just way too technical for me.   While typepad is an ok service, I feel that it is geared more towards beginners as their platform is not very flexible. I was never really that happy with Typepad though, and as you can tell I really didn’t post very often because of this.  So I finally decided to take the plunge and try the WordPress thing.  At first I was thinking of hiring someone to install WordPress on my server because my current host provider does not use the popular cPanel management system and therefore I had no access to the Fantastico script which I hear makes it easy.  But I wanted to get my hands dirty and at least try to install it myself.  I followed the instructions on the WordPress site and successfully installed the wordpress database with no issues.  Surprisingly installing wordpress wasn’t very hard at all.

Next, I did some research on themes. There are so many pretty themes to choose from so this was a hard task indeed. After hours of research, I decided to go with the Headway theme.  Why?  First and foremost, as I mentioned before, I’m not a very technical person.  I needed to go with a theme that would be easy.  I didn’t want to have to mess around with CSS and PHP coding just to get my site to look decent. Well the Headway theme is very easy to use and customize.  Because Headway has a visual editor where you can drag and drop different elements on the page, you can choose font styles, colors and more to get your blog to look the way you want it to very quickly and easily. With this theme your blog does not have to look like everyone else’s.  You can easily transform it to a magazine type blog or a very simple blog just with a few clicks. I was able to set up this blog on WordPress and customize the theme in about 30 minutes.  Not bad for a first time WordPress user!

So as a final note, what I would say to others who are scared to try something new is to just do it!  It may not be as difficult as it looks!

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Google AdSense Adds Tremendous Value to Your Web Site

Written on October 15, 2009 by
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Nowadays with the economy being so bad many, many people are heading to the internet to find ways to make money online.  New blogs and websites are popping up every day, but just putting up a website or blog will not make you any money.

If you are looking to make money from your blog or web site, Google AdSense can be a powerful way to get started. Learning about the program can not only generate revenue, it can help you gain a better sense of your audience and focus your web site accordingly. People who are just getting started with web publishing can get the equivalent of a college course in web marketing just by exploring the possibilities AdSense offers. The difference is that the program is free and, if you play your cards right, could actually pay big dividends and your passive income can explode.

What Is It?

AdSense is an application that scans your web page’s content and finds keywords – words or phrases commonly used by people who use search engines. The application then places ads on your page that match those keywords. To be most effective, you need to be extremely conscious of the keywords on your pages. Before publishing content, it’s a good idea to check for the most common keywords used to search for your page’s topic. AdSense has a free service that allows you to do just that.

Though Adsense can generate image and video ads, content-rich web sites are usually best served by AdSense text ads. People tend to be suspicious of flashy web advertising and tend to eschew banner ads. The wonderful thing about text ads is that they feel like casual, friendly suggestions.

So that’s an overview of how the program works. There are many other ins and outs that you can learn about on the AdSense information page. But in order to get the benefits of the AdSense program, you have to own a web site and it needs to be generating traffic. If nobody is clicking your ads, you’re not making money.

How Much Can You Make?

The potential for profit with AdSense is unlimited. Traffic is one part of the equation; another is the value of your topic and keywords to advertisers. Companies that advertise through Google bid on keywords based on which ones they think will generate the most clicks. Google then pays users of the AdSense program a commission on what the advertisers have paid for the privilege of having their ads associated with those keywords. Depending on how valuable your keywords are, the amount you make per click could be as little as 2 cents or as much as 15 bucks. The more traffic you have to your site, the more this adds up.

There are some bloggers who are very, very successful with Google Adsense.  My favorite make money online blogger, Grizzly earns thousands of dollars every month solely from this program, so it is doable.

How Do You Join?

Because so many people have abused AdSense in the past, Google has tightened its standards for sites allowed to use the program. If you are using a free blogger service or are using a free web hosting service, you don’t qualify for AdSense.

Happily, there are many services out there where you can put up content on their web servers and still earn money from the AdSense program.  One such service is HubPages.   Their interface is extremely user-friendly and includes many free tools and applications that will help you maximize your site’s potential for AdSense profits.

How Do You Generate Traffic?

The best way to get people to visit your site is to find a niche topic that you enjoy writing about and researching. Ideally, this niche will be something that a lot of other people are interested in as well and are seeking information on. If you don’t already have that niche in mind, you will need to do research.  In fact, doing research is the only way you will learn how much you can learn about the earning potential of a particular niche.

Once you’ve found a topic, you should learn about SEO – Search Engine Optimization. This is a style of writing that incorporates keywords into the text. The more keyword-rich your content is, the higher it will rank on search engines. Ideally, you want to be in the top-10 ranking. If your site is about kittens, for example, you want anyone who searches for information about kittens to see your site in the 10 listings on the first page of their search results. People generally don’t look beyond that first page.

It’s also important to update your page with original content on a regular basis. If your site becomes stagnant, it can drop off the search engines’ radar.

Keeping Content Fresh

If you have found a niche market that you enjoy writing about, you may not need to worry about updating your site; writing meaningful, relevant articles will be a pleasure. But if you’re having trouble incorporating keywords into your writing in a way that sounds natural, there are content provider sites where you can purchase articles on your topic for very little money.  Sites likeTextrboker.com and vWorker have thousands of freelance writers, many of whom are adept at SEO writing. For five to twenty bucks you can have original content written to your specifications. These sites also give you full usage rights; you own the material and can even credit yourself as the author if you wish.

Have Fun

By generating ads based on content, Google AdSense allows site owners to make money – sometimes a lot of money – publishing content that is meaningful to them in ways that go beyond profit. Making money online doesn’t have to be a cynical exercise in avarice. With AdSense, you can generate profits by following your bliss.

So this is just a brief overview of the program.  I hope to provide more tips and in depth information in future posts on how to really make money with Google Adsense.

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Learn to Make Money Online – Join The Keyword Academy

Written on August 24, 2009 by
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If you are new to Internet marketing, then you might already have encountered major road bumps along the way. While traditional marketing principles can still apply to the Internet, there are actually Internet marketing techniques that are designed for the sole purpose of making your marketing strategies online more powerful effective.

One of the most popular Internet marketing strategies that many marketers do is to create a series of niche websites that focus on a specific product or service to draw in their target market. However, creating niche websites is not as simple and straightforward as one may think. It requires a lot of brainstorming, because you need to choose the right topics for each website, as well as the right keywords and the right phrasing to use so that you will make it easy for your target market to find you.

In order to succeed, you have to have a good understanding of how to make use of keywords. This is of utmost concern if you are working on your niche marketing and need to dominate a keyword or keyword phrase.

Niche marketing is intertwined with keywords; it’s like two pieces of the same puzzle.

To drive customer traffic to your online store or niche website, you need to use the right keywords. Having the right keywords is like money in the bank, and will bring more traffic to your site.

Finding the right keywords can be accomplished, by doing a little research. If you do not have the right keywords, your website will not make money. The best approach is to learn from others who have already made money online, and know the ins and outs of the game.

However, those who have already made it in the business oftentimes do not want to share their information. This could be the difference between your business succeeding or failing.

Lucky for me, I recently came across a great new program, and I want to share it with you.  Although I have been dabbling in internet marketing for quite a while, there were some areas that I needed help with.  Signing up for this program has taught me the exact steps I need to create niche websites and build traffic to them.

The program, called The Keyword Academy, was developed by Mark Butler and Courtney Tuttle. They are full-time internet marketers and full-time internet marketing educators who have been there, and done that, and want to share their knowledge with you.

Mark and Courtney, two experienced Internet marketers, have made it easy for beginners with The Keyword Academy, their own guide on how to create a series of explosive niche websites online that will guarantee you maximum hits, page views and sales.

The program is a comprehensive combination of video tutorials and other powerful tools and resources that will help you get those niche websites up and running in no time. There are a total of 10 powerfully-packed videos in this program, each discussing a specific topic that is relevant to niche marketing.

  • Videos 1 and 2 will help you in how to maximize your brainstorming sessions to get ideas that will really work.
  • Videos 3 and 4 will give you detailed and step-by-step instructions in building your very first website, which will come in handy for HTML newbies. It will also teach you how to create website content for these sites in the quickest possible way.
  • Videos 5 until 7 will teach you about the value of linking to other websites so that you can get the highest possible clickthroughs and web traffic imaginable.
  • Video 8 will teach you some simple steps on appearing number one in web rankings and search results.
  • Video 9 teaches you all about Google’s free ad publishing program, AdSense, and how you can incorporate this with your niche website to increase exposure.
  • Finally, Video 10 will give you tips on how to sell your niche website when it has been established for more money than you actually paid for.

Just a few months after signing up for this course, my income has increased and has become steadier.

I know it can be frustrating when you want to make money online and don’t know where to start, that is why I am here to help you. You can immediately start to create niche sites, by taking the Keyword Crash Course at The Keyword Academy.

When you take the course, you will learn how to effectively and easily make a great living on the Internet. This does not mean you don’t have to work. The truth is you will have to work hard to accomplish your goal of making money online.

However, if you begin by following the step by step system, you should be fine. This is something that once you learn it, you can use it time and again; in any niche you wish to build. This is like hitting the jackpot, over and over again, as you will now have the skills to succeed. I think it is a great course and think that you will like it as well.

The Keyword Academy will teach you advanced and basic techniques on ways to make money online. Plain and simple, if you use the methods they will work.

So here’s a recap of what the Keyword Academy covers:

Keyword Research

This is the where it all begins. You will learn how to pick a niche for yourself and understand the value of the keyword.

Creating Content

How to setup the content on your website, to draw in the right traffic to your site or online store. You do this by using the correct search terms, phrases, and keywords.

Building Links to Your Web Properties

They will teach you to make the best internal linking structure. How to get inbound links to your website.

Article Marketing

Learning how to use the proper keyword phrases to create more traffic to your site.

Configuring the Internet Marketing Tools You Need

Statcounter, WordPress, Adsense, the list goes on and on.

You can try the program at an amazing rock-bottom price of $1. Of course, if you want to become a regular member, it will cost a still-reasonable monthly membership price of $33. The membership is a really great way to learn more from experts around the world as it includes great customer service and a helpful community where you can get more expert advice and tips from people who have been there and done that.

All in all, The Keyword Academy is a highly-recommended program for Internet marketers, as they will learn a lot from the well-executed resources included in the program.

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