New Niche Finder » Internet Marketing Research

Tips for making the most of Market Samurai

New Niche Finder — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:32:30 +0000

I still love Market Samurai and use it all the time. The rank tracker module alone is worth having this niche software installed. That said Market Samurai sometimes has issues. Often the issues are related to changes with how Google reports data but not always. Here are some tips I’ve learned for optimizing your Market [...]

Tips for making the most of Market Samurai is a post from: New Niche Finder

Google’s Gameplaying Creates Problems for Market Samurai

New Niche Finder — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 17:48:41 +0000

Update – All clear. Things do appear to have settled down and everything is working again as it should. And please read my comment below on how the Rank Tracker Module in Market Samurai saved the day…well worth the upgrade folks. ______________________________________________________________________ Bottom line = Don’t try or buy Market Samurai right now because Google [...]

Google’s Gameplaying Creates Problems for Market Samurai is a post from: New Niche Finder

More Free Training in Keyword Research

New Niche Finder — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:00:46 +0000

If you've been following along here at New Niche Finder, you know I'm on a mission to educate, and these videos are great even if you don't use the software (you can sign up for a free trial and keep the keyword research module for free and forever even if you don't buy the software). So in line with my mission to educate, here are the training videos I recommend. All of them augment what I've been teaching over the past few weeks so I hope they'll reinforce and deepen your understanding of what all this keyword stuff is about.

More Free Training in Keyword Research is a post from: New Niche Finder

The Surprises in Keyword Research

New Niche Finder — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 13:30:41 +0000

I just want to show you the range so you can see how important it is to do this kind of keyword research. Though you may be able to guess some of the results especially at the high end, I'd be willing to bet you'll be surprised along the way.

The Surprises in Keyword Research is a post from: New Niche Finder

I hate it when people say keyword research doesn’t matter

New Niche Finder — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:59:14 +0000

I got another one of those horrible emails today...deriding keywords and keyword research because it's just about SEO. I hate these emails especially when they come from people who should know better. All it does is spread a whole lot of misinformation that leaves new online business owners confused and overwhelmed as they try to sort it all out. It's not right. So let me see if I can shed some light on the issue without adding to the confusion. First, keyword research is not just about SEO. Second, SEO does matter if you want traffic to your website. - Keyword research is first and foremost the best way of identifying a niche market online (and it could be argued offline as well). It's a way of doing market research that tells you what people are looking for and how much competition you have to deal with in that niche market. Once you have identified a niche market, keywords can be used on your website to improve your organic Google results and they are essential for pay-per-click advertising (AdWords). But first and foremost, keyword research is about finding a profitable niche market. What used to cost large companies thousands of dollars can down be done by solo entrepreneurs and freelancers for a few hundred dollars. - SEO doesn't matter if you have no interest in getting traffic to your website through the online searches of your customers. If you have other ways of driving large amounts of traffic to your site then go for it...though IMHO none of them leverage your time as effectively. It's a choice, but why on earth would you ignore 2 major sources of traffic....organic search results and pay-per-click search results...when they could make the difference between online success and failure. It just doesn't make any sense to me to ignore something so important. Furthermore, the basics of SEO are easy, and the basics can take you a very long way. You don't need to hire an "SEO expert" who's spouting a whole lot of hocus pocus, and is as likely to get you banned in Google as ranking well. The basics mean using a little bit of knowledge, some great Wordpress plugins, and a good list of keywords. Honestly that's all you need to get on to page 1 in Google. I know because I've done it repeatedly.

I hate it when people say keyword research doesn’t matter is a post from: New Niche Finder

Niche Finder Definitions

New Niche Finder — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:23:32 +0000

For non-business people going online the terms and acronyms can be daunting. So often you've got geeks who are immersed in this stuff defining terms with more geekish geekese (not sure which describes the language of geek better) To hopefully save you from the same frustration, I am starting a series of posts that define terms used in internet marketing. Many of these stumped me for the longest time. Either I couldn't find a clear definition or I just wasn't grokking it...probably a bit of both. So let me know what's stumping you and I'll do my best to define it.

Niche Finder Definitions is a post from: New Niche Finder

Have you found your sweet spot yet?

New Niche Finder — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:26:53 +0000

Sweet spot? What's that? It's that spot where your passion for what you offer and the needs of the people you serve intersect. SWEET SPOT = YOUR CLIENT'S NEED + YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE It's really that simple, so why does it go so terribly wrong for so many people when they take their businesses online? The experience of strangers passing in the night is far too common. It's so frustrating and discouraging when all you want to do is help people, but you're never able to make a connection with the people who need you most. The most common reason businesses fail online is because they fail to do any market research, and online market research is the only way to identify a profitable niche (the sweet spot). I've made this mistake more times than I care to count, and I see other people doing exactly the same thing. Don't be that person. In order to succeed online, it is absolutely essential for you to identify what your clients want and what they're actually searching for, and then go meet them where they are...in the Google search results (organic search and pay-per-click) Even with a good list of keywords, you may still end up missing your potential customers if there is too much competition for those phrases. Think of it like a crowded room... In a room packed with people, you may see the person you want to meet, but you may not be able to get across the room to actually meet them. On the other hand there's no one to meet in an empty room. You don't want to be there either. The best place to be is the room that's filled with the people you want to meet, but has enough room for you to move around and actually mingle. And when you do meet them, you have a choice...talk about yourself or find out about them. Whether you're at a party or marketing online, reaching out to find out about someone is always going to make a much stronger connection than talking about yourself. Internet marketing research combines keyword research and competition research so you know before you ever head out the door (or put up your website)...where to go, who to meet and a little bit about them before you do. Beats the hell out of cold calling don't you think? So in order to find the sweet spot for your business, you want to know... 1. What your potential clients are searching for...the actual keywords they're using. 2. How much competition there is for those keywords...too much and it takes too long to compete...too little and it's probably not worth your time. This information will tell you what products and services to offer, how to talk about your products and services, and how to get your site to communicate clearly with Google (Yahoo & MSN too). Knowing everything you can about your keywords and your competition solves the majority of problems facing new online businesses...and many established ones.
"But, but...I just want to do the work. I don't want to be some techno geek. I don't have time to learn all that. Besides my eyes glaze over every time I try." I get it, and lucky for you, I'm a closet geek and have been for a very long time. I probably first heard about internet marketing somewhere around 2001. I don't remember exactly but it was around that time. Since then I have learned all of that impossibly geeky stuff like how to design websites & blogs, send broadcasts, use shopping carts and all the rest. I must say some of my early efforts were pretty bad and I've been down more than a few dead ends, but I am persistent and I love figuring this stuff out (and I have). Go figure. Let me tell you websites, shopping carts and autoresponders are minor compared to the big stuff I've learned...keyword research, online market research and SEO (more on that in a moment). Finding keywords has always been relatively easy. Finding the right ones and knowing what to do with them, not so much. Learning how to evaluate keywords so you find the right ones for your niche market and then knowing exactly what to do with them is the most important part of all, and the most challenging. Then there are the blogging platforms. I am proficient in Typepad and Wordpress (the #1 choice) and I know how to optimize them. SEO or search engine optimization just means learning to speak Google's language so your website and Google can communicate. For all the reputed complexity (not to mention misinformation), the basics are pretty simple and extremely powerful once you know what to do. So as of June 2009, I am out of the closet in all my geeky glory providing web business services and online business consulting/coaching for reluctant and technically challenged entrepreneurs who really just want to focus on providing great service to their clients and customers. To celebrate I am rolling out New Niche Finder which is a service that will do the online market research (keyword and competition research) for you, and show you exactly what you need to do with the information once you have it (not very useful otherwise is it?). I'm setting aside 15 hours a week for this project, and right now it's wide open so you can get a list of high traffic/low competition keywords in less than a week. You'll even get a personalized consultation at the beginning so I'm clear on exactly what you need, and a personalized consult at the end to make sure you understand what the research means and what you're going to do with it. Interested? Then let's set up a time to talk. The first 30 minutes are on me with no obligation to continue. If you choose to hire me, a basic keyword/competition report which includes your customized strategy suggestions, is a flat fee of $195...at least for now. It's way too cheap but I want you to get this information and I don't want the price to stop you from getting it. So for now, that's the price. Sign Up for a FREE New Niche Finder Consultation

Have you found your sweet spot yet? is a post from: New Niche Finder