Welcome Back Fellow WA Buddies!

Today's post expands on that cumbersome topic HANDLING DOMAINS.  It can be one a nit-pick topic that slows you down.  It can feel like a "little brick wall" that prevents new marketers from "just doing". Whenever you're dealing with a domain and you're stumped, I recommend you head straight to customer support with your domain host. They can usually tell you where to point, click and enter 2 little lines of code of less in a few minutes.

The key to Internet marketing is to keep advancing.  Your brain won't problem-solve these smaller questions until you relax some. Then..., "out-of-the-blue" when you're stumbling across something other question, you'll find the one you meant to solve 3 months ago.  So...just hang in there.

NOTE:  Everything you get at WA helps you piece together a larger puzzle.  Sometimes you don't get everything in it's proper order even when you try.  That's why Kyle, Carson, Marcus and others are here to assist.

Last Post -- Masking VS. Shortening a Domain

So in my last post, I promised to deliver more help.  If ...when you're reading this content, your brain totally freezes..., just get a caring pat on the shoulder from me. You have a friend here.

Your goal is to GET EXPOSED to the content first.  You will be amazed how your brain fills in some gaps when you're really ready to go.

But..., more specifically ...,

1) You have domain masking -- it doesn't show your real link (like...perhaps yourdomain.com..., but it shows another name instead (some name that's relevant to website content...like..."buyyourshoeshere.com" for a shoe website. That's a basic description.

2) Then you have shortening a link -- This is the first thing I learned when I was new...how to shorten a link to present to people in the social networks or in 1-on-1 e-mails...just to move people to a blog (so they can view your content to see what you're about).

When a URL (pathname leading to a website or to a blog or to a landing page) looks ugly to the human eye, we shorten it. 

I suggested in my last post using the FREE tinyurl.com. 

Find it at Google.

Click on tinyurl, enter the ugly URL pathname (or website name) in the space tiny url provides ...,

EXAMPLE: 

* Pick a website link...

* Find any link to some place you like most...,

* Head over to tiny..., 

* Enter that name in the space provided,

* Hit "TINY IT"..., and blammo --  you get a short URL. 

* You can this same exercise for what will be your own URL in the near future

* And..., you can tiny it to mask a link you don't want others to see (like an affiliate link). With affiliate links, it's better to get into REDIRECTS.  I'll talk about that subject in my next few posts because it requires more explanation.

* I use TINY URL to shorten blog links to blogs I own...rather than seeing http://www.bb-home-based-business.blogspot.com..., it shows up as tinyurl.com/6fg52e (I made that up).

OR...,

Cloak An Affiliate Link

Affiliate Cloaking -

Works like this.  We can automatically create clean and professional looking redirects that increase what are called conversion rates (people who opt-into your newsletter for more information... closing on something you will offer on the back end).

Cloaking an affiliate link protects you from theft.

First -- as a rule -- use the WA tools to get the job done in the easiest way possible.  If you don't know how to use some of these tools, head to the tutorials.  If you still have no results -- 

I will cite use of Word Press to clarify. There are 2 forms of Word Press Blogs. 

* If you start your Internet marketing campaign with first blogging, you have  Word Press (.com), (FREE) ...and you're also limited in how you can use that blogging platform. 

* Internet marketers who own 5 or 6 blogs or more will switch to the .org version.  Later -- if you pull in Word Press (.org), this self-hosted version   expand usefulness of your blogging because you can add what are called plug-in's.  It helps you develop your blog and increase navigation so the blog works and acts more like a website.  

In the Word Press (.org) version, you need a main domain name. 

You can get domain at any web hosting service where you'll register the name of your website. If you don't have a website, you still need the domain.  As mentioned earlier, the main domain works like the address plate on your apartment or house door telling people where they can find you.  

But..., when you connect your domain name to a Word Press.org blog, you'll have reasons to protect that name.  

123 Linkit Affiliate Plug-In Tool At Word Press (.org)

There is a 123 LinkIt Affiliate Plug-In Tool at the self-hosted version.  It is tool which gives you the ability to increase automation of your blog to ease payout commissions connected to Clickbank and Commission Junction.  That's the bottom line.  When you need to cloak an affiliate link, again...you can do it here at WA by using their cloaking tool.  Check out tutorials on that subject...masking a domain...hiding it and so forth.

By Word Press.org Definition

Their plug-in does "protect you from affiliate theft".

Links include:

1) No Follow Tags -

2)  Word Press.org "defends your PageRank and ensures you don't get penalized by search engines with the nofollow tags that are automatically added to your affiliate links".

3) NOTE -- You may not need to do this right away until you've completed the earliest steps in your marketing.

a) find your hungry market

b) find content they're clammoring to get

c) know precisely what they buy but FIND OUT WHAT THEY'RE NOT GETTING AND WANT...

d) align content to the "things they'll buy in line-up order on the back end"

e) do this by talking about "a product or service review" on your blog...or talk about snags people get when they use product Z VS. what you know works (that's where your affiliate link comes in)...

f) offer recommendations where people can click on 2 of your affiliate links (cloaked)...

g) use embedded affiliate links in Word Press content to send inquiring minds to that link (leading to an affiliate site)..., for example.

So take everything in stride. 

If you start out with Word Press.com..., they are picky about presenting affiliate links directly in front of someone's face.  Usually, that's when you might pull in your blog.  Know that -- if you do this, it will decrease conversion rates because it means "just one more step for an inquiry".

But..., the most helpful thing you can do as a newbie is align your BIG, BIG passion to a niche you're crazy about, go to ezine articles, searchwarp, and goarticles... seeee who's publishing what kind of content under which niche (for ideas),

....see how others write, set up a basic blog (Word Press.com) for starters..., focus on writing content that will attract people to your messages

....but keep your content helpful, then carry your ideas over to the self-hosted version if you like.

In your earliest marketing, you want to:

1) get content published under your name (blogs and articles), 2) move people to your sites (use free means first like tapping into Twitter and Facebook)..., 3) capture their contact information (through your A-Weber account or GetResponse)..., 4) form your weekly or monthly newsletter..., 5) place affiliate links into content where allowed (blogs, newsletter.., and eventual website if you deem appropriate).

RULE:  Always read which directories allow you to present a direct affiliate link.  Squidoo used to be ok about doing that.  Word Press was at one time, now they're getting a bit stricter.  Blogger works well for that purpose.  Go articles doesn't care (yet).

To be a solid Internet marketing, you must be subtle.

If you have any questions about the smallest questions, please let me know.  By asking questions, that's how you advance! Keep working on your profile at WA.  It's very important.

Toasting Your Success Using Proven Internet Marketing Means,

bkb2012

P.S. - Happy 4th of July!! Don't worry. Everything will work out ! Keep your other job going.  Stay here.  Just keep learning, ask for help, connect to buddies daily, blog on your main blog here or outside of WA (or both), and pick up the WA TURNKEY system.  It is astounding. I will offer live updates in about 20 minutes on that topic!