Kristie T’s Home Business Blog Fun, mom-geared work-at-home tips and advice on making money on the net.

KEI: What a Keyword Effectiveness Index is  (Leave a Comment)

Posted on September 5th, 2008. About Search Engine Marketing - SEO.

If you have heard the term KEI and scratched your head wondering what it is, let me enlighten you.  KEI stands for Keyword Effectiveness Index.  If you are doing keyword research for your business, KEI can help you choose hot keywords and find out how many people are competing for those keyword phrases.  It offers a sort of index that tells you how hard it will be to optimize for those keyword phrases.

I found this great post on Derek Gehl’s blog that clearly explains what KEI is and how to use that number to choose hot keywords and find good niches for your product.

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Free SEO webinar: 30 SEO Strategies for Corporate Websites  (Leave a Comment)

Posted on September 5th, 2008. About Search Engine Marketing - SEO.

Just watched a kick ass webinar on SEO strategy by Omniture.  The webinar points out how SEO strategy for large and small sites differs.

According to Omniture, on page SEO techniques account for 80% of the ranking equation for a large corporate website.  For a small business website, on page SEO accounts for only about 20% of the ranking equation.

Here are 5 off page SEO techniques that I have found help newer, smaller websites boost their search engine rankings quite effectively!

1) Link building - the number and quality of backlinks to your website
2) Social Media
3) Blogs
4) Submitting Press Releases online
5) Article promotion in article directories

One of the key points I “got” in this video is the importance of using 1 keyword phrase per page and declaring that the authoritative page for that keyword.  So anytime you create a link to that specfic page, you need to use that exact keyword phrase as the keyword rich text for the link.

For example if I optimized my product page for “marketing consulting service” then anytime I make a link on my website or blog to that product page, I need to use the words “marketing consulting service” as the hotlink to that specific page.

Another thing that will boost your indexability is to create a Google site map.  If you go to www.google.com/webmasters it will help you create an XML feed that helps Google find and spider all the pages of your website.

Watch the free SEO webinar 30 SEO Strategies for Corporate Websites.  You’ll learn a TON.  I did!

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New Life as a Single Work at Home Mom  5

Posted on September 2nd, 2008. About Recent Posts.

Kristie TI want to apologize for being away for so long, but it’s been a really tough summer here. Turns out that I will now be joining the ranks of divorced work at home moms. This summer I filed for divorce. My ex is a really great guy, we had been married for 14 years and basically grew apart. We tried counseling for about a year and weren’t able to put the pieces together. I am so thankful we are able to remain good friends thru this all.

So now I am on my own. I am excited for this chance to create a life of my own design. Now I have a chance to pursue hobbies, personal interests, and live a truly authentic life. It’s really funny, for the past 10 years I spent so much of my life helping others to create a life they love with their own work at home business. Now it’s time for me to focus that energy on creating a life I love for my kids and myself.

I am doing great. Just learning how to enjoy time being alone. I am a pretty social person. I am trying to stay connected to friends and sticking close to church for support.

I am so thankful for the many friends I have made online. I truly have developed a wonderful sisterhood and network of friends on the internet. Thanks so much to all of you for your love and support. I truly feel loved.

I am so thankful for my online businesses. I am truly blessed to have passive income that has provided for my kids during this difficult time.

Mostly, I want you to know why I have been away. Also, I know there are a lot of divorced and single work at home moms in our Webmomz community. I am gaining a new understanding for your courage, tenacity, and what you do to be there for your kids and put food on the table with your at home businesses.

Are you a single or divorced work at home mom? Have you gone thru a divorce and learned how to support the kids on your own? What have you learned about yourself in the process?

The pain we suffer in life allows us to transform, to grow, and be more than we were before. Let’s share together our experiences and be stronger, bolder, braver women for ourselves and our families.

With much love,

Kristie T

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Press Releases: Big list of free press release distribution sites  (Leave a Comment)

Posted on August 27th, 2008. About Press Releases.

Do you write press releases to promote your business?  Just like how article submission is a great way to get a lot of backlinks to your site, press releases can do the same for your business.  So if you have something newsworthy to say, write it up in a press release.  There are a number of free press release distribution sites.  In fact, while I was Googling this morning I stumbled across Jennifer Mattern’s pr blog with a big list of free press release distribution sites.

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Budget tips for work at home moms trying to save a dime  (Leave a Comment)

Posted on August 18th, 2008. About Success Principles.

Sometimes when you work from home, the benefits are GREAT but the profit margins are slim.  That’s why it’s so important to create a budget and be smart with your money.  I came across this great post on 3 Sneaky Things that Blow Your Budget Every Time

When is the last time you looked at these 3 items in your budget?

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Payday Cash Advances: Good or bad for families?  2

Posted on August 14th, 2008. About Recent Posts.

I rarely dig into politics, but I have a bone to pick.

Have any of you ever had to use a payday cash advance service?  As a work at home mom, we are fortunate enough to write our own paychecks.  But I am curious about all the bad buzz about cash advance services.  I mean have you ever have a financial crisis where you needed money fast and didn’t know where to turn?  Payday lenders allow you to take a payday loan as a cash advance from your next paycheck.  And there is a lot of politics around this issue.

For instance, here is an example of a payday lender.

If you listen to Barack Obama, he is set to close down the payday lending industry. 

Here’s a quote from Barack Obama’s website regarding his payday lending policy.

“Cap Outlandish Interest Rates on Payday Loans and Improve Disclosure: Obama supports extending a 36 percent interest cap to all Americans. Obama will require lenders to provide clear and simplified information about loan fees, payments and penalties, which is why he’ll require lenders to provide this information during the application process. “

He says that payday lenders are a corrupt industry that feeds upon consumers, trapping them.  They get caught in an endless loop of one loan, then the next, and then finally defaulting on their personal loan or owing huge amounts of money for the interest on the loan.

But if you look at the flip side, cash advances provide a desperately needed source of income for people with real cash emergencies.  If your daughter got sick and needed an expensive medicine and writing the check would overdraw your bank account what would you do?  Not everyone has a credit card.  Cash advances provide an easy way for people to borrow the money they need for real emergencies to get them by until their next paycheck.

If you think about what it’s like when you face a real emergency like putting food on the table or making a mortgage payment.  Those are things you need to pay no matter what.  And some people if denied a cash advance may turn to desperate measures like pawn shops, crime, even selling drugs to get the money they need.

If you look at states where the payday cash advance industry has been shut down, it has had a devastating effect. For example take a look at Georgia.  Because the payday lending industry has been shut down, people are bouncing more checks, falling deeper into debt, and bancripty is at a new high. 

The way I see it, in anything there will be people who abuse the system.  People charge their credit cards sky high.  You don’t see them shutting down the credit card industry.

Ok moms - I want your opinion…

What do you think about payday cash advances?  If you had a corporate job and needed money before payday would you find a payday loan helpful?  Or do you agree with Obama that the payday lending industry this is a predatory debt trap. 

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Feel the fear and do it anyway and grow your business  28

Posted on May 21st, 2008. About Success Principles.

I saw this on a forum I visit frequently posted by Bobby.  I wanted to share it with you.  It was really inspirational to me.

You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.”

Next time…

-You wake up unmotivated to build your business…BUILD it anyway!

-The phone feels like 1,000lbs when you’re trying to pick it up and make that prospecting call…PICK it up anyway!

-You want to send an email, card, or flyer to someone but you get “too busy”…SEND it anyway!

-You see a business owner who know could benefit from your product/service but you get too nervous because of their “prestige”…SHOW it anyway!

Finally…

Next time you see your dreams flash before your eyes and it seems like they are too far away…DREAM BIG ANYWAY! Why? Because doing your daily activities in this business IS building your dream!

Remember, the sweetest part of the “dream” isn’t the end outcome. It’s the journey of who you become along the way.

Look fear in the face and always remember to…DO IT ANYWAY!

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Real Moms Making Money with Send Out Cards  7

Posted on May 19th, 2008. About Recent Posts.

Amy Kolln

Moms -

Are you looking for a way to make money from home? Have you heard about Send Out Cards and wanted to know more?

Join Kristie T of Webmomz and Send Out Cards leader Amy Kolln for this cool opportunity to hear how real moms are making money with Send Out Cards.

You will learn how …

  • one stay at home mom, has grow her Send Out Cards team to over 400 distributors
  • one busy mom entrepreneur sold her full time web design business to do Send Out Cards full time and now enjoys more balance as a mom
  • why Send Out Cards is the perfect home business for moms
  • real success stories from moms making money with Send Out Cards
  • strategies for managing a business while caring for small children
  • why there is huge potential for moms to join the top ranks in Send Out Cards
  • how running a home based business gives your kids valuable life skills and sets a good example for your children
  • how running a home business gives you more flexibility to be the kind of mom you want to be

Sign Up to attend this special call Wednesday, May 21st at 1 pm CT

http://www.webmomz.com/real-moms-send-out-cards.htm

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Congrats to Webmomz $500 Business Grant Winner Christina Sampson  6

Posted on May 5th, 2008. About Recent Posts.

Christine SampsonWebmomz is excited to announce Christina Sampson as this year’s business grant winner. Christina is the founder of The Traveling Pot Personal Chef Services.

With her business, The Traveling Pot Personal Chef Services. Christina helps families in the Atlanta, Georgia region by providing delicious, homemade meals cooked right in their kitchen so they can have better nutrition and have save time from meal cooking and preparation.

Special thanks to this year’s business grant sponsors RenegadeHouseCleaner.com and MomsMakingMoney.org for helping to make this gift possible!

Click here to find out more information about this year’s Webmomz business grant winner.

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Postage rates increase May 12 - postage stamps cost more  3

Posted on May 2nd, 2008. About Recent Posts.

Sending a letter will cost most starting May 12 with a scheduled postage increase.
Prices will increase in the following increments:
- Greeting Cards and Post Cards: +$0.01
- Newspaper and DVD Inserts: +$0.02
- Canada and Mexico: +$0.03
- Other International: +$0.04
Go to the USPS site for additional details
http://www.usps.com/prices/welcome.htm?from=bannercommunications&page=prices

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