<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>MoneyPoint Live</title>
	<atom:link href="http://moneypointlive.com/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://moneypointlive.com</link>
	<description>Money Management, Planning for the Future, Your Online Business</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:04:01 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6</generator>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
			<item>
		<title>The Beauty of IRAs &#8211; Individual Retirement Acccounts</title>
		<link>http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/the-beauty-of-iras-individual-retirement-acccounts/</link>
		<comments>http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/the-beauty-of-iras-individual-retirement-acccounts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:04:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Planning for the Future]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[401(k)]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Income Tax]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Individual Retirement Account]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mutual fund]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pension]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[roth IRA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tax]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional IRA]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/the-beauty-of-iras-individual-retirement-acccounts/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[




An IRA is a great way to save for the future, but only about 14% of eligible Americans are contributing to one. That&#8217;s a shame, because an IRA is a tax-advantaged investment tool that can help you invest for retirement — whether you&#8217;re just starting out, in the middle of your working years or headed [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<!-- AdSense Now! V1.83 -->
<!-- Post[count: 2] -->
<div class="adsense adsense-leadin" style="float:left;margin: 12px;"><div style=”display: block; float: left; margin: 5px 5px 5px 5px;”><script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "pub-9666350927170721";
/* 200x200, fusion mpl sites */
google_ad_slot = "5959298635";
google_ad_width = 200;
google_ad_height = 200;
//-->
</script>
<script type="text/javascript"
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
</script></div></div><p>An IRA is a great way to save for the future, but only about 14% of eligible Americans are contributing to one. That&#8217;s a shame, because an IRA is a tax-advantaged investment tool that can help you invest for retirement — whether you&#8217;re just starting out, in the middle of your working years or headed toward the finish line.<br />
What is an IRA anyway?</p>
<p>First things first: an IRA — actually, <strong>&#8220;Individual Retirement Arrangement,&#8221; </strong>though most people call it an account — is not an investment itself. Instead, think of it as a container that can hold any type of investment.</p>
<p>You get to choose the investments that go into your IRA, often with the help of a financial advisor or broker. You can fill it with a mix of things such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, cash, CDs or annuities — the same things you put in any other type of investment account.</p>
<p>The difference is that because the government wants you to save for retirement, IRAs give you a legal way to keep more of your money from Uncle Sam. Depending on what type you choose, you either save on paying taxes now, or you&#8217;ll enjoy tax-free earnings in retirement.<br />
<strong><br />
Why do you need one?</strong></p>
<p>An IRA should be considered if you don&#8217;t have a 401(k) through your work. But even if you do, an IRA still makes sense. With the future health of Social Security under scrutiny and company pension plans becoming obsolete, relying only on your employer&#8217;s plan may not be enough to build the savings you&#8217;ll need for retirement.</p>
<p>An IRA gives you more investment choices, too. For example, some 401(k) plans don&#8217;t offer index funds, a collection of stocks whose goal is to match the performance of a particular index. Because index funds don&#8217;t have active management, many of them offer lower fees.</p>
<p>If you switch jobs, rolling your 401(k) assets into an IRA — rather than into your new employer&#8217;s 401(k) — gives you more freedom to choose how to invest your hard-earned money.<br />
<strong>Roth vs. Traditional</strong></p>
<p>There are two basic types of IRAs: traditional and Roth. In a traditional IRA, the money you put in is deducted from your taxable income. Once you retire, you&#8217;ll pay income taxes on your withdrawals.</p>
<p>If you are an active participant in a company-sponsored plan, then a traditional IRA is deductible only if your income is below certain thresholds: $55,000 to $65,000 for single taxpayers; $89,000 to $109,000 for married filing jointly; and $0 to $10,000 if you&#8217;re married filing separately. Deductibility is phased out between those numbers.</p>
<p>With a Roth IRA, your contributions are not tax-deductible, but you get to enjoy your earnings tax free in retirement. To be more specific: All earnings in the account for five years or greater are not subject to federal income taxes if the account has been open for at least five years and you are at least age 59½ when you start making withdrawals. Please consult with a tax adviser for your specific situation.</p>
<p>To be eligible for a Roth IRA, your annual income must be less than $120,000, or $176,000 if you&#8217;re married filing jointly. Single filers who earn at least $105,000 and married filing jointly who earn at least $166,000 can&#8217;t contribute the full amount.</p>
<p>The 2009 and 2010 maximum total contribution for both kinds of IRAs is $5,000 a year, or $6,000 if you&#8217;re age 50 or older.<br />
How to choose?</p>
<p>Which IRA is right for you? Most financial experts say it depends what you think your future tax rate will be.</p>
<p>If you believe income tax rates will rise or that your personal income will go up in retirement, putting you in a higher tax bracket, then choose a Roth and pay taxes on the money now. If you expect to be in a lower tax bracket in retirement — or you don&#8217;t qualify for a Roth — a traditional IRA is a good choice.</p>
<p>And remember, no matter which one you choose, both types of IRAs offer a major advantage over almost every other type of account: tax-free money.</p>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/0920215e-3535-88d1-9ae5-d1ef088833da/"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" style="border: medium none; float: right;" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=0920215e-3535-88d1-9ae5-d1ef088833da" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" /></a><span class="zem-script more-info pretty-attribution"><script src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" type="text/javascript"></script></span></div>

<p><strong>Possibly Related Posts:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/the-401k-plan-is-the-ultimate-retirement-saving-plan/">The 401k plan is the Ultimate Retirement Saving Plan</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/traditional-vs-roth-ira/">Traditional vs Roth IRA</a></li>
</ul><br />
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/the-beauty-of-iras-individual-retirement-acccounts/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>10 Tips to Mastering Your Money</title>
		<link>http://moneypointlive.com/money-management/10-tips-to-mastering-your-money/</link>
		<comments>http://moneypointlive.com/money-management/10-tips-to-mastering-your-money/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:46:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Money Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[atm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[automated teller machine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[credit card]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[debit card]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[overdraft]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[savings account]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneypointlive.com/?p=47</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[




Want to save more of what you earn, but just can&#8217;t figure out how? Follow these easy tips and watch your cash grow.
1. Set a Target
Shoot for having three to six months of your regular expenses available for unforeseen emergencies.
2. Make Your Money Work as Hard as You Do
Keep idle cash in an account that [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/23813062@N08/4318894671"><img class="alignright" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/4318894671_dd936d6a2f.jpg" alt="" width="190" height="126" /></a>Want to save more of what you earn, but just can&#8217;t figure out how? Follow these easy tips and watch your cash grow.</p>
<p>1. <strong>Set a Target</strong><br />
Shoot for having three to six months of your regular expenses available for unforeseen emergencies.</p>
<p>2. <strong>Make Your Money Work as Hard as You Do</strong><br />
Keep idle cash in an account that pays interest.</p>
<p>3. <strong>Slim Down Your Checking</strong><br />
Keep just a little more than you need to pay the bills until your next paycheck, and move the extra to a savings account that pays more interest than your checking account.</p>
<p>4. <strong>Put Savings on Autopilot</strong><br />
Set up an automatic monthly transfer into your savings account, and you&#8217;ll be surprised how quickly the cash stacks up.</p>
<p>5. <strong>Boost Your Rate</strong><br />
Some savings and <a id="aptureLink_x2sesIyie6" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money%20market%20deposit%20account">money market accounts</a> pay competitive interest rates. Get the best deal for your average balance.</p>
<p>6. <strong>Say No to Fees</strong><br />
Find checking and savings accounts with no minimum balances and few, if any, nuisance fees.</p>
<p>7. <strong>Look for Freebies</strong><br />
Some checking accounts provide free checks. Credit cards often offer rewards. And some banks give cash rebates when you use their debit card. USAA does all three and even offers rewards on debit card purchases.</p>
<p>8. <strong>Make Every ATM Your ATM</strong><br />
Find a bank that refunds those pesky ATM fees.</p>
<p>9. <strong>Balance That Checkbook Online</strong><br />
Take advantage of banks that show your transactions online. This allows you to balance your account when it&#8217;s convenient for you, rather than waiting for your monthly statement in the mail. By viewing your documents online instead of receiving paper statements by mail, you lower your risk of identity theft.</p>
<p>10. <strong>Get Overdraft Protection</strong><br />
We&#8217;re all human — avoid fees by having overdrafts covered by your credit card or savings account.</p>

<p><strong>Possibly Related Posts:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/money-management/fix-your-credit/">Fix Your Credit</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/money-management/choosing-the-best-credit-card/">Choosing the Best Credit Card</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/money-management/identity-theft-protection/">Identity theft protection</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/money-management/personal-budgets-are-the-key-to-financial-success/">Personal budgets are the key to financial success</a></li>
</ul><br />
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://moneypointlive.com/money-management/10-tips-to-mastering-your-money/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The 401k plan is the Ultimate Retirement Saving Plan</title>
		<link>http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/the-401k-plan-is-the-ultimate-retirement-saving-plan/</link>
		<comments>http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/the-401k-plan-is-the-ultimate-retirement-saving-plan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:54:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Planning for the Future]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[401k plan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Income Tax]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[investment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pension]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[retirement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneypointlive.com/?p=43</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Free money from your employer can be termed as one thing &#8212; a 401K plan. This is an employer sponsored retirement plan where employees contribute a percentage of their salary into an account, with employers providing a matching percentage.
Motley Fool describes it as “one of the best ways to save for your retirement. Few alternatives [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Free money from your employer can be termed as one thing &#8212; a 401K plan. This is an employer sponsored retirement plan where employees contribute a percentage of their salary into an account, with employers providing a matching percentage.</p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Motley Fool describes it as “one of the best ways to save for your retirement. Few alternatives are better.”</p>
<p>Basically your contribution is automatically taken from your paycheck before taxes. These contributions along with any match that your employer may or may not provide are invested into selected funds. The funds will grow without being taxed and can be withdrawn when you reach age 59 ½. At that time you must pay income tax on the withdrawal. Some plans will allow you to withdraw the money before age 59 ½ without a penalty to buy a home or to pay for education.</p>
<p>401K plans are grouped into two categories, defined benefit and defined contribution. With a defined benefit plan, employers vow to pay a specific amount to eligible retirees. It’s based on a formula of earnings and years of service, and employees can usually predict their monthly retirement income.</p>
<p>A defined contribution plan uses a formula of employee and employer contributions and the condition of the market to determine a retiree’s income. In this case even though an employee contributes say 5 percent of their salary into a plan and the employer contributes 10 percent, there is still no definite number for what the employee’s monthly retirement income will be. The state of the market will be the final determining factor.</p>
<p>The number one reason for participating in a 401 K plan is that it makes saving and investing easy. Since the money is automatically taken from your pay check, you don’t see or miss the money. For the new investor, you can choose what funds to invest or your employer can choose for you, but the options are prescreened, minimizing the risk.<br />
<strong><br />
Getting the most from your money</strong></p>
<p>Once you’ve decided to participate, be sure to contribute the maximum you can afford and that’s allowable or at least contribute the amount necessary to get the company matching funds. It’s a payment to yourself. The earlier you start this, the more money you will accumulate at retirement because you will have time to recoup from market fluctuations.</p>
<p>And don’t leave it all up to your employer. Do your homework, learn about the funds offered, and keep researching them so you can be ready to rebalance your plan if necessary.</p>
<p>Yes, you’ll need to rebalance on a regular basis. Always reassess your goals and risk factors then look at your investments to see if they are in line with what you want. If not, companies have open enrollment yearly and at that time talk to a plan sponsor on finding new investments that work for you.<br />
</span></p>

<p><strong>Possibly Related Posts:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/the-beauty-of-iras-individual-retirement-acccounts/">The Beauty of IRAs &#8211; Individual Retirement Acccounts</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/traditional-vs-roth-ira/">Traditional vs Roth IRA</a></li>
</ul><br />
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/the-401k-plan-is-the-ultimate-retirement-saving-plan/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Traditional vs Roth IRA</title>
		<link>http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/traditional-vs-roth-ira/</link>
		<comments>http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/traditional-vs-roth-ira/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:51:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Planning for the Future]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adjusted gross income]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health insurance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Income Tax]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Individual Retirement Account]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[internal revenue service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[roth IRA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tax]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional IRA]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneypointlive.com/?p=41</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The difference between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA comes done to one word – tax-deferred vs. tax-exempt.
Both will allow you to accumulate wealth without paying taxes, but with the traditional IRA you will get a tax bill for the profits and contributions when deductions are made.
The Roth IRA, on the other hand, doesn’t [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The difference between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA comes done to one word – tax-deferred vs. tax-exempt.</p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Both will allow you to accumulate wealth without paying taxes, but with the traditional IRA you will get a tax bill for the profits and contributions when deductions are made.</p>
<p>The Roth IRA, on the other hand, doesn’t do that. As long as you follow the rules, you never pay taxes on the gains. However, you don’t get a break on your yearly income tax. For this reason, many experts say the Roth may work out to be better.</p>
<p>Let’s say for example, you made $30,000 last year and of that you put $2,000 into a traditional IRA. You would only pay income tax on $28,000. While with a Roth IRA, you would end up paying income tax on the full $30,000 even though $2,000 is in an IRA account.</p>
<p>Both will allow your deposit to grow tax free throughout the years However, when you withdraw the money from a Roth IRA, none of it –not even earnings &#8212; will be taxed, provided you meet two rules – the account has been open for at least five tax-years and you are older than age 59 1/2.</p>
<p>With a traditional IRA, when you finally withdraw the money &#8212; after age 59 1/2 &#8212; you&#8217;ll have to pay income tax on whatever earnings the $2,000 have accrued. There is also a 10 percent penalty fee for funds withdrawn before reaching 59 1/2. The good news is there are exemptions such as paying for higher education expenses. Other exemptions include:<br />
</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Permanent disability of IRA owner.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Death of IRA owner.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Withdrawals are used to pay non-reimbursed medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of adjusted gross income (AGI).</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Withdrawals used to help pay for first-time home purchase.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Money is used to pay back taxes to the IRS after a levy has been placed against the IRA.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Withdrawals used to pay medical insurance premium.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">The traditional IRA also has penalties for not receiving distributions once you become 70 ½.<br />
You must begin receiving yearly distributions at that age based on your life expectancy, or pay at least a 50 percent penalty on the amount you should have withdrawn. A Roth IRA doesn’t have a mandatory distribution age.</p>
<p>It’s for these reasons most financial experts favor the Roth IRA because in the end, you will be able to draw more money out. It also provides greater flexibility by allowing you, in most cases, to withdraw your principal contributions at any time tax-free, without penalty. First-time homebuyers can also pull out $10,000 in profits penalty free and tax-free if the money has been in the Roth IRA for at least five tax years.</p>
<p>The downside to a Roth IRA is meeting the qualifications for it, especially if you are single. To qualify a single filer must make up to $95,000. It’s a lot better for couples. They are required to make up to $150,000 jointly.</p>
<p>Basically, if you can qualify for a Roth IRA, go for it, but if not a traditional IRA is a good retirement saving tool also.<br />
</span></p>

<p><strong>Possibly Related Posts:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/the-beauty-of-iras-individual-retirement-acccounts/">The Beauty of IRAs &#8211; Individual Retirement Acccounts</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/the-401k-plan-is-the-ultimate-retirement-saving-plan/">The 401k plan is the Ultimate Retirement Saving Plan</a></li>
</ul><br />
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://moneypointlive.com/planning-for-the-future/traditional-vs-roth-ira/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Best Idea for your small or home business</title>
		<link>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-idea-for-your-small-or-home-business/</link>
		<comments>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-idea-for-your-small-or-home-business/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:38:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Your Online Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fast food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[small business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[telecommuting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[website]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneypointlive.com/?p=38</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For nearly 20 years Boris worked as a fast food manager. There were days when he would go to work at 8 a.m. and not leave until midnight. He hated it. “The long hours, the demands – it was all so overwhelming,” he said.
Eventually, he quit and started a consulting business. He still worked 60-80 [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>For nearly 20 years Boris worked as a fast food manager. There were days when he would go to work at 8 a.m. and not leave until midnight. He hated it. “The long hours, the demands – it was all so overwhelming,” he said.</p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Eventually, he quit and started a consulting business. He still worked 60-80 hour weeks, coming home so exhausted some nights that he goes to sleep fully clothed.</p>
<p>But not once did he complain about how much he hated his work.  Sure the long hours and overwhelming demands were still there, but Boris looked forward to going to work each day.</p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>“I was finally doing what I loved,” he said. “It made the hours all worthwhile.”</p>
<p>Boris’ story mirrors a study by Srully Blotnick.  The study tracked the careers of 1,500 business school graduates from 1960 to 1980. The graduates were grouped into two categories. The 1,245 people in Category A were focused on making money first so they could do what they wanted later. Those in category B, all 255 of them, pursued their interests first, sure that the money eventually would follow. After 20 years, there were 101 millionaires in the group. Only one came from category A, 100 from category B.</p>
<p>Keep this in mind when deciding what business to start. Following the trends and anticipating what consumers want are all good strategies, but first you must love what you do.</p>
<p>If you don’t, you will lack the commitment and dedication needed to make the business succeed, possibly dooming it to failure.</p>
<p>The advantage to doing what you love is that you are already an expert in the field.  Successful entrepreneurs usually have a deep knowledge of their niche, they know the history, the early players and they can usually pick a need in the market that has previously gone unfulfilled. This need can be something as simple as finding an inexpensive version of an existing product, or in Boris’s case, reaching out to people in low income neighborhoods, who had previously been ignored.</p>
<p>It’s also going to take all your heart promoting, refining and getting people to fall in love with your product. If your heart is not in it, how can you convince others to believe your product or service is worthwhile? It’s for this reason you can’t easily switch from say hunting to writing just because you think there is a market for writing.</p>
<p>Work at home mom, Michelle Schill had a passion for hair styling and with the help of SiteSell.com launched a website that helped her to bring her passion to the world. Her story was recently featured on the company’s website, and her advice is simple – find your passion and pursue it.</p>
<p>It’s the first step to any successful business. If you love what you do, coping with problems, dealing with vendors, frustrated customers, working 12 hours each day, will just be part of the process. In fact, like Boris, every thing you do will just be a delight – part of a new fun-filled adventure.</span></p>

<p><strong>Possibly Related Posts:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/learn-to-build-websites/">Learn to Build Websites</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-online-home-business-opportunity/">The Best Online Home Business Opportunity</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/yahoo-publisher-network-will-help-you-earn-money-with-your-website/">Yahoo! Publisher Network will help you earn money with your website</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/reach-for-the-top-of-search-engine-rankings/">Reach for the Top of Search Engine Rankings</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/marketing-your-website-for-increased-traffic/">Marketing Your Website for Increased Traffic</a></li>
</ul><br />
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-idea-for-your-small-or-home-business/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Learn to Build Websites</title>
		<link>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/learn-to-build-websites/</link>
		<comments>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/learn-to-build-websites/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:35:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Your Online Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[affilate marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web hosting service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web page]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web search engine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[website]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yahoo]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneypointlive.com/?p=36</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Let’s face it. This is the technology age and few businesses are going to get anywhere if they don&#8217;t take the time to learn to build a web site.
Fortunately, there are a lot of tools available, such as Dreamweaver and Site Build It that can help any beginner build and market a website. However, before [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="color: #000000;">Let’s face it. This is the technology age and few businesses are going to get anywhere if they don&#8217;t take the time to learn to build a web site.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Fortunately, there are a lot of tools available, such as Dreamweaver and Site Build It that can help any beginner build and market a website. However, before doing anything you will need to answer questions such as:<br />
</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Why do you want a website? </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Will it be to sell products and attract new customers or will it just be a brochure for your company?</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Will the website publish a newsletter? </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">How much are you prepared to pay to build and maintain the site, and will it be something you do yourself or outsource? </span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">These questions are important because they help you to determine the purpose of your website and a site must have a purpose, otherwise it can do your business more harm than good.</p>
<p>Once you have a good understanding of your website’s purpose, you are going to need to decide where you will host the site and its domain name. When choosing a web hosting company, don’t go for the cheapest or the one with the most features. Go for what you need at the time, and always go for a provider that will allow you to upgrade your package seamlessly. Most providers bundle basic web hosting with a variety of web services like email, newsletters, databases and combine them into packages or hosting plans.</p>
<p>Choose your domain name very carefully. It’s your company’s identity on the web so make it relevant to your company, product, or project. Keep the name short and simple, and if possible keep to about five characters. Also include keywords; keywords are what people enter when searching the net. The Internet is global so choose a name that has positive connotations in all languages.</p>
<p>As a business, it’s best to have your own domain name, which you will have to pay for. Most ISP connection packages along with web hosting space, offer free personal websites. The problem is, your domain name shares their name. For example, you have probably seen websites with an address like, mysite.yahoo.com . This kind of domain name is common for personal or hobby sites, but not ideal for a business.</p>
<p>The credibility that having your own domain name, such as mysite.com, brings to your site is worth the extra cost.</p>
<p>Now you have your domain name and where your site will be hosted. The next step is designing and building the site. A complicated, hard to navigate design will only turn visitors away. Here is where the less is more concept works well.</p>
<p>Watch your choice of background colors. Make sure your background/text color combination is readable. You don’t want readers to squint to see the words on the page, and use black text, or very dark colored text on a white or very light colored background. Save the white on black backgrounds for pages that don&#8217;t have a lot of text on them.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is setting the tone of your website by using mood colors.</p>
<p>It’s believed that certain colors invoke a certain mood so take advantage of that. For example, green is usually referred to as a &#8220;concentration&#8221; color. You can use color to make your visitors feel energized, relaxed and focused. Here again remember, simplicity is the best.</p>
<p>Ok, now your website is designed and up, it’s time to start promoting it. This is where answering the questions about the purpose of your website comes in handy.</p>
<p>If the purpose of your website is to serve as a brochure, then your best bet is to advertise offline and just refer your clients to the website for more details instead of sending them a brochure</p>
<p>However, if the purpose of the website is to bring in new clients and sell more products, then you need to actively promote your website. At the very least, submit your website to the three major search engines – Google, Yahoo and MSN. These are free.</p>
<p>Other promotional options include banner advertising, feeder sites – using other sites that you own and link them to your website – and RSS feeds &#8212; &#8220;Really Simple Syndication.&#8221; It is a new way for content publishers to distribute content.</p>
<p>The idea behind promoting your website is to monetize, which means using the site to make money.</p>
<p>Contextual advertising, such as Yahoo! Publisher Network is by far the easiest way to monetize a website. It’s because you just need to paste code provided by Yahoo! into your web page.</p>
<p>Contextual advertising, not only generates revenue, but provides valuable resources for the website visitor, as the adverts are target adverts that relate to the web page content.</p>
<p>Another option is affiliate programs. It can be very lucrative, but they are not the easiest method to use for beginners. Affiliate programs are an arrangement in which a company pays you a percentage of the sale for every online customer they get through a link from your website to theirs.</p>
<p>With all these tools set up and working, you just need to maintain and monitor your site from now on.</span></p>

<p><strong>Possibly Related Posts:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-idea-for-your-small-or-home-business/">The Best Idea for your small or home business</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-online-home-business-opportunity/">The Best Online Home Business Opportunity</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/yahoo-publisher-network-will-help-you-earn-money-with-your-website/">Yahoo! Publisher Network will help you earn money with your website</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/reach-for-the-top-of-search-engine-rankings/">Reach for the Top of Search Engine Rankings</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/marketing-your-website-for-increased-traffic/">Marketing Your Website for Increased Traffic</a></li>
</ul><br />
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/learn-to-build-websites/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Best Online Home Business Opportunity</title>
		<link>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-online-home-business-opportunity/</link>
		<comments>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-online-home-business-opportunity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:33:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Your Online Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[affiliate marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[amazon.com]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[authoring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web design and development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web hosting service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[website]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneypointlive.com/?p=34</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In November 1994, CDNow created a new and revolutionary form of internet marketing with its BuyWeb program. The idea was simple. Music-oriented websites would review or list albums on an artist’s website that visitors might be interested in purchasing and offer a link that would take the visitor directly to CDNow to purchase them.
Now, each [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In November 1994, CDNow created a new and revolutionary form of internet marketing with its BuyWeb program. The idea was simple. Music-oriented websites would review or list albums on an artist’s website that visitors might be interested in purchasing and offer a link that would take the visitor directly to CDNow to purchase them.</p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Now, each year, millions of people make their living by applying this concept called affiliate marketing. Think of it as the modern version of a finder’s fee, where people who introduce a new client to a business are compensated. But in this case, online merchants work out a deal with publishers of independent websites to promote their product and in return, the publisher gets paid for each person that goes to the merchant site and makes a purchase or fills out a form. It’s been touted as “a low-risk, high-reward environment for both parties&#8221; and represents the the best online home business opportunity for most people.</p>
<p>In Affiliate Millions, Anthony Borelli and Greg Holden introduce readers to this concept and show them how to join an affiliate network and make it work for them.</p>
<p>Merchants like affiliate marketing because they don’t incur an expense unless results are realized. This model is called pay for performance, and business like Amazon.com have succeeded because of it.</p>
<p>Affiliate marketers like what they are doing also because, it’s a way to earn lots of money and they don’t even need a product. All they need to do is find a product that they like to promote, get some promotional links, and start getting traffic to affiliate links.</p>
<p>MyNetMarketingland.com says “nothing is easier than starting affiliate marketing,” and that it can be done in less than five minutes. You just need the following ingredients:<br />
</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Determination, Motivation and 2 Hours a day.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Website (or Blog) :    Free, to less than $300</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Domain Name      :    Less than $10 / year</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Web Hosting        :    Less than $10 / month</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Autoresponders    :    Free, to less than $20/month</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">If you decide affiliate marketing is something you would like to do, start by choosing a topic you know about. It makes it easier for you to build a site and draw people in if it’s a subject you know about and are interested in. Think of how challenging it would be if you tried to sell something you know nothing about.</p>
<p>Use multiple merchants in the same niche. Use your knowledge to promote three to four merchants on the same site and it gives your visitors a variety of destinations to choose from.</p>
<p>Consider an affiliate network, but remember there is no best network. Just make sure that whatever network you join, it has the merchants you want to work with. You may also want to try a merchant from all the main networks, see what works for you, and then focus your time accordingly.</p>
<p>In an overcrowded market, small niche products, although they don’t get a lot of traffic, might still be a good option because they are less crowded and it’s easier to make a quick sale.</p>
<p>Finally, don’t make the mistake of thinking that this will be easy work. Not only are you going to have to constantly update your site, you will need to keep educating yourself, doing market research, reading stats , and the pay-offs aren’t instant. It can take a few months before you&#8217;re even making enough to cover your costs. Many affiliate marketers struggle to get their first commissions, and a majority give up before making any sales.</p>
<p>This is a field that takes perseverance and dedication. Hold onto those two qualities and you will succeed. </span></p>

<p><strong>Possibly Related Posts:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-idea-for-your-small-or-home-business/">The Best Idea for your small or home business</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/learn-to-build-websites/">Learn to Build Websites</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/yahoo-publisher-network-will-help-you-earn-money-with-your-website/">Yahoo! Publisher Network will help you earn money with your website</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/reach-for-the-top-of-search-engine-rankings/">Reach for the Top of Search Engine Rankings</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/marketing-your-website-for-increased-traffic/">Marketing Your Website for Increased Traffic</a></li>
</ul><br />
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-online-home-business-opportunity/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Yahoo! Publisher Network will help you earn money with your website</title>
		<link>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/yahoo-publisher-network-will-help-you-earn-money-with-your-website/</link>
		<comments>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/yahoo-publisher-network-will-help-you-earn-money-with-your-website/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:31:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Your Online Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[advertising]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[promotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web design and development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web search engine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web traffic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[website]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yahoo]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneypointlive.com/?p=32</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yahoo! Publisher Network could fund a comfortable life style for web publishers, with potential earnings anywhere from $1 to $1,000 daily.
Yahoo! Publisher Network is an advertising program by Yahoo! where website publishers allow Yahoo! to place ads on their sites. Each time these ads are clicked on by visitors, the web publishers earn a share [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Yahoo! Publisher Network could fund a comfortable life style for web publishers, with potential earnings anywhere from $1 to $1,000 daily.</p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Yahoo! Publisher Network is an advertising program by Yahoo! where website publishers allow </span><span style="color: #000000;">Yahoo!</span><span style="color: #000000;"> to place ads on their sites. Each time these ads are clicked on by visitors, the web publishers earn a share of the revenue that </span><span style="color: #000000;">Yahoo!</span><span style="color: #000000;"> makes from charging that particular advertiser.</p>
<p>Basically it sets up your site to operate like a magazine or newspaper would. You have content/articles mixed in with ads.  Only instead of an advertising department generating the ads for you, </span><span style="color: #000000;">Yahoo!</span><span style="color: #000000;"> provides the ads and share part of the profits with you. The ads would also correlate with the specific keywords or subject matter of the site.</p>
<p>A lot of web publishers use it because it’s free and easy to join. All you have to do is paste a code into your pages, and as mentioned earlier, you don’t have to find the advertisers, so you are free to concentrate on providing the content. It&#8217;s suitable for beginners or marketing veterans, and it provides simple easy to understand stats.</p>
<p>However, the challenge for the web publisher will be getting people to the site, which goes back to using the right keywords, finding a niche market and improving your search engine optimization, web building, web linking and copywriting skills. </span><span style="color: #000000;">Yahoo! Publisher Network</span><span style="color: #000000;"> just makes it easy to make money once you start attracting readers.</p>
<p>For these reasons, first concentrate on your website’s content and design. Sites accepted into the </span><span style="color: #000000;">Yahoo!</span><span style="color: #000000;"> program are usually easily navigable, have an adequate quantity of text based content. It suggested that you have your website up for a few months before signing. In that time work on building up your web traffic and readership, which takes patience and hard work.</p>
<p>Ways to attract more traffic include:<br />
</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Linking to other sites and blogs. Usually these sites will link back to you, hence drawing more traffic your way. More traffic means a monetizing website, thanks to </span><span style="color: #000000;">Yahoo!</span><span style="color: #000000;">. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Optimizing your site for search engines.  Making it so search engines put your website in the first two pages of results is a surefire way to get more visitors to your website, and that’s more people who would click on those Yahoo! ads.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Add a signature with your website to your outgoing email. It’s a simple and effective marketing tool. </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">Start a newsletter; put an option on your website where readers can subscribe to the newsletter.  The good thing with newsletters is that they are frequently forwarded from one person to another, drawing more traffic to your site. </span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">When you finally have a good number of people visiting your webpage and you are ready to participate in </span><span style="color: #000000;">Yahoo! Publisher Network</span><span style="color: #000000;">, take a moment to read their policy. There some obvious stuff such as forbidding sites containing profanity, pornographic, illicit drug use and other vices, but it also warns against invalid clicks, such as clicking on your ads, using robots or automated clicker.  These are reasons to get banned from the program.</span></p>

<p><strong>Possibly Related Posts:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-idea-for-your-small-or-home-business/">The Best Idea for your small or home business</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/learn-to-build-websites/">Learn to Build Websites</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-online-home-business-opportunity/">The Best Online Home Business Opportunity</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/reach-for-the-top-of-search-engine-rankings/">Reach for the Top of Search Engine Rankings</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/marketing-your-website-for-increased-traffic/">Marketing Your Website for Increased Traffic</a></li>
</ul><br />
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/yahoo-publisher-network-will-help-you-earn-money-with-your-website/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Reach for the Top of Search Engine Rankings</title>
		<link>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/reach-for-the-top-of-search-engine-rankings/</link>
		<comments>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/reach-for-the-top-of-search-engine-rankings/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:28:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Your Online Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[html]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meta element]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[meta tag]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[search engine optimization]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web search engine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[website]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yahoo]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneypointlive.com/?p=30</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Rosa wants to learn about dogs – Cocker Spaniels in particular. She goes online, visits Google and types in Cocker Spaniels, and in return Google spits back a list of sites on her subject. This is done by millions of people every day using a variety of search engines, Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.. But what [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Rosa wants to learn about dogs – Cocker Spaniels in particular. She goes online, visits Google and types in Cocker Spaniels, and in return Google spits back a list of sites on her subject. This is done by millions of people every day using a variety of search engines, Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.. But what factors determine which sites rise to the top of search engine rankings?</p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is about making sure your site is listed on the top of the search engine’s results. Search engines are compiled of databases put together by computer programs called spiders. These spiders crawl all over the web, going from site to site, indexing each site they visit.</p>
<p>Some search engines list the results of a user search according to link popularity – which site has the most links from other sites. Others organize data according to information contained in the sites meta tag, while others base their results on common themes. Usually a site will use a combination of these and other methods to sort the results, so it’s to your benefit to also use a combination of factors. Just a word of caution about overusing anyone of these methods, it will only work against you.</p>
<p>Link popularity is like a kid in school. The more people who hang around you the more popular you are. In this case the more other sites link to your site, the more popular you are and the higher your rankings on search engines.</p>
<p>Like in school, you can improve your popularity by developing a campaign asking other kids to be your friends/ other websites to link to you. Unfortunately, if you remember from your school days, this is not always successful; it’s the same on the World Wide Web. Link popularity campaigns can be time-consuming and complicated if you don&#8217;t have a clear plan of action.</p>
<p>Try instead to make “friends” with those sites that are relevant to your web site. Think of it as making friends with people that like the same things you do. Do a search and look at what the search engines rank as experts in that field. Contact the owners of these sites and ask to link to them and maybe in return they will link to you. Also check out your competitor site and see who links to them. </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><br />
For those who aren’t familiar with HTML this may just be gibberish, but it has a name. It’s called a Meta Tag, and having it in your HTML coding helps search engines immediately get an idea of what your site is about, and incorporate the tags in their algorithms. Some search engines also list a summary on their results pages, so readers can see what the site is about and what keywords apply to it. For this reason choose your words carefully, make sure it’s something that will entice the reader to read more.</p>
<p>When describing the site in a meta tag, place the keywords at the beginning of your description and close to each other to achieve the best possible ranking, and try limiting the number of characters you use between 150 and 250. Limit the number of keywords you repeat in a meta description to three to seven times. Anything over that could be viewed as spam by the search engines, and the site will be banned from most of the major search engines.</p>
<p>Finally there are themes, which are actually important keywords used consistently throughout the site. These keywords can be placed in Meta Tags, the website’s title or in the body. Search engines look for these keywords to get information about the site’s themes, which also plays a part in the ranking process.</p>
<p>As with meta tags, avoid spamming. The general suggestion is to repeat keywords in the title or meta tag three to seven times, and in the body, keywords should make up three to seven percent of all the words in text.</p>
<p>For those who would like more information on SEO and how to make it work for them Search Engine Optimization for Dummies can serve as a good starting point. </span></p>

<p><strong>Possibly Related Posts:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-idea-for-your-small-or-home-business/">The Best Idea for your small or home business</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/learn-to-build-websites/">Learn to Build Websites</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-online-home-business-opportunity/">The Best Online Home Business Opportunity</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/yahoo-publisher-network-will-help-you-earn-money-with-your-website/">Yahoo! Publisher Network will help you earn money with your website</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/marketing-your-website-for-increased-traffic/">Marketing Your Website for Increased Traffic</a></li>
</ul><br />
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/reach-for-the-top-of-search-engine-rankings/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Marketing Your Website for Increased Traffic</title>
		<link>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/marketing-your-website-for-increased-traffic/</link>
		<comments>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/marketing-your-website-for-increased-traffic/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:25:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Editor</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Your Online Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[aol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ask.com]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web search engine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[webpage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[website]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yahoo]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneypointlive.com/?p=28</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You have spent months preparing your website. You’ve got the text, the wording, the images just right. Finally your small business has an online presence. Now all you have to do is sit back and wait for the visitors to come in. This seems to be the common belief people have about a website. They [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You have spent months preparing your website. You’ve got the text, the wording, the images just right. Finally your small business has an online presence. Now all you have to do is sit back and wait for the visitors to come in. This seems to be the common belief people have about a website. They think once they build it; the traffic, and the money will automatically follow.</p>
<p><span style="color: #000000;">Not true.</p>
<p>To really be successful on the web, a small business owner is going to have to go out there and promote his/her website both online and offline. Fortunately, they are a number of popular marketing tools that make it easy to increase traffic. A lot of theses strategies are discussed in Justin Michie&#8217;s Street Smart Internet Marketing.</p>
<p>One of the best things you can do for yourself is to make sure your website has content.  Many businesses use the web as a billboard ad, which in the end can be annoying and a waste of time to visitors.  You need specific information to generate traffic. For example, if your website is about a pizza place, then list the company’s menu, background information about the owner, and directions to the store.  This is the sort of information visitors will find useful.</p>
<p>There are also a number of simple and inexpensive things you can do to make your website rank high on search engines such as Google and Yahoo. Basically, you want to give the search engines an abundance of clues about your webpage, so it easily pops up in a search.</p>
<p></span></p>
<ol>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">First write a descriptive title for each page of 5 to 8 words, and remove any filler words such as “the” and “and” if possible. This page title will appear hyperlinked on the search engines when your page is found, and the more people see that which interests them in the blue hyperlinked words on the search engine, the more likely they are to click on the link. Also make sure that the title is in the text of your website, not just within a graphics file.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #000000;">The same text rule applies for keywords which is the second way to give search engines clues. Write a sentence or two describing the content of the webpage, using main keywords and key phrases. Also make sure to use keywords in the first paragraph of the body text because search engines look for and expect this, and make sure these keywords are hyperlinked. Hyperlinks in the body text is usually viewed as being important and is emphasized by the search engine. Finally, develop several webpages on your site, each of them focused on a different keyword or key phrase. These pages will rank higher for their keywords since they contain targeted rather than general content. </span></li>
</ol>
<p><span style="color: #000000;"><br />
Once you’ve done all this, don’t forget to submit your URL to search engines that automatically index the web such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL Search, and Ask.com.</p>
<p>Other ways to use the web to market your website is by linking to key directories using online discussion groups that you are actively a part of. Look for other sites with the same key interest or in the same industries and ask the webmaster that specific page(s) of theirs be linked.</p>
<p>By participating regularly in online groups, you will help to build a reputation for your website as a valuable resource. As a word of caution, don’t just use the board to make announcements about your website, be a member of the community. It will only benefit you in the long run.</p>
<p>Also don’t underestimate the power of your email, so establish a signature. Most e-mail programs such as AOL, Netscape, and Outlook allow you to designate a &#8220;signature&#8221; at the end of every mail you send out. Limit this signature to company name, address, phone number, URL, e-mail address, and a one-phrase description about the company.</p>
<p>This same principle works offline. Make sure to list your website on all literature and publications &#8212; business cards, letter head, newsletters, fax cover sheets. Even add the website address to the company’s voicemail message.</p>
<p>Basically, use any way you can to get your website address out, blogging, podcast, taking out ads in your local newspaper. It will all work with some patience and persistence.</span></p>

<p><strong>Possibly Related Posts:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-idea-for-your-small-or-home-business/">The Best Idea for your small or home business</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/learn-to-build-websites/">Learn to Build Websites</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/the-best-online-home-business-opportunity/">The Best Online Home Business Opportunity</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/yahoo-publisher-network-will-help-you-earn-money-with-your-website/">Yahoo! Publisher Network will help you earn money with your website</a></li>
<li><a href="http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/reach-for-the-top-of-search-engine-rankings/">Reach for the Top of Search Engine Rankings</a></li>
</ul><br />
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://moneypointlive.com/your-online-business/marketing-your-website-for-increased-traffic/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
