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Home » Site Promotion Articles » Red Hot Book Sales On The Internet

Red Hot Book Sales On The Internet

It's no secret that the 'Net keeps changing all the time; what is a secret to many is how to make the most of the 'Net and sell some books. When it comes down to it, that's the #1 focus of publishers and authors alike. The 'Net has become the place to go for book sales, but it's more than just having your book listed on http://Amazon.com or your own website, it's about getting people to know about it. With millions of websites coming online every month, that task is getting tougher and tougher each day.

It seems like only yesterday we were telling you that reciprocal linking was *the* way to go to get traffic. What is reciprocal linking? Well, it's where you give a link on your site to someone else and they give one to you. This tactic may have worked in 2006 but it's no longer a good idea. Why? Because search engines are now looking at high quality one-way (inbound) links. Says Susan Gilbert, AME's SEO expert: "Google has declared 2007 as the year of the incoming link – high quality, one-way links. Now more than ever, it is important to create a long term site building presence that focuses on the community aspect of the World Wide Web."

A backlink is a link which directs others towards your site. They are sometimes referred to as inbound links. These are links that go from another website to your website. But it's more than just that, it's also about having backlinks that matter. If you haven't done a vanity search on yourself in a while try this: Google your name and see what sites come up (when you Google your name use the "+" sign between your first and last name for a more accurate search). Now take a quick peek at the list of sites and see how they rank according to Google, are they on the 20th page of a Google search or are they on the 1st or 2nd page? These are all indicators of high quality, high traffic sites. Now look at the sites that are in your topic/market. Ideally, you want every site linking to you to be your market. That's the definition of a high quality, high traffic site.

The number of backlinks that your site has is an indication of how popular or important it is according to the major search engines. Backlinks are important for SEO, because search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN, will give more credit to those sites with a good number of quality backlinks. They will then consider these sites more relevant than others in the results pages of a search query.

Most search engines will want websites to have a level playing field, and so will more often than not look for natural links that have been built slowly over time. Link farms or companies that promise hundreds of backlinks will do nothing but get your site delisted by the search engines. Once this happens, it could take months, and even years to get it back online. (Delisting means that the site no longer comes up in search engines).

Although it can be fairly easy to manipulate the links on a web page in order to achieve a higher ranking, it is a lot harder to influence a search engine with external backlinks from another site. This is why these feature so highly in a search engine's algorithm.

According to research we've done, there are a number of ways in which you can get additional backlinks to your website.

1. Reciprocal Linking.

This is where you link to another site that provides the same service or product as you and they in turn have a link to your site on theirs. While very popular in the past, this exchange of links is not as valuable as one-way links.

2. Site Submissions.

Submit links for your site to directories which allow free submissions, or if you can afford it, some paid directories. There are many sites which offer a service where you can submit your site details to numerous sites. Plus, if you want, you can always create your own directory of similar websites.

3. Blogging.

This has now become an integral part of the Internet, and is one of the most effective ways of linking.

You either have the choice of placing a few words of comments on to someone else's blog, or you may want to link to them from your own blog. However, with so many people creating blogs and wanting to link to each other's blogs, this can be extremely time-consuming.

4. Articles.

This is another way of getting great backlinks. It's vital that any articles you write are on the subject, informative and thorough in relation to your site.

Quality articles published on article sites are a great way of getting even more backlinks to your site.

Always include a resource box at the end, as this will include that all important backlink to your site. This resource box should also include a short biography regarding you and your site.

5. Social Bookmarking.

This is a way to record your favorite sites online at the various social bookmarking sites, and that way the search engine spiders pick up your bookmarks and follow these backlinks to your websites.

6. Creating Feeder Sites.

Adding a MySpace or Squidoo page with links back to your website is extremely beneficial and expands your online presence at the same time.

The above are just a few ways that you can get backlinks to your websites to help them rank more highly in the search engines and attract more traffic. Using these techniques you should see an increase in the volume of traffic arriving at your website.

The important thing is to take action today. Things are getting more and more competitive, with thousands of websites coming online every day. If you want to succeed online (and everyone needs to be online), you'll want to get started now.

Increasing ranking and traffic are going to be our continued focus in the months and weeks to come. As offline markets become more populated and less accessible, the Internet is the place to go to sell your book.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Face Time: When You Can't Stay Past 5:00

"Now what should I do?" a reader laments. "I've instituted many of your productivity techniques, and now I'm getting out of the office on time. I arrive before my boss does in the morning, so she doesn't see how hard I work when I start my day. Now that I'm leaving by 5:00, she thinks I'm slacking. But I'm actually getting more work done than ever before!"

Though some companies understand the realities of time constraints due to day care, most are still measuring employees the old-fashioned wayâ€"by the clock. The truth is the more indispensable you are and the more you can distinguish yourself, the more likely it is that you can gain some flexibility. Here are some ideas on how you can draw attention to the work you do in the morning hours:

1. Speak up. If you have a conflict that forces you to leave earlier than most people each day, talk to your supervisor. Have an open conversation, explaining how important it is for you to be productive and do a good job, and why you must leave on time each day. Point out that you're the first one to arrive each day and how much you get done without people interrupting you. One hour of uninterrupted work can equate to three hours with intermittent interruptions.

2. Use email as proof of performance. Send an email to your boss about a business issue as soon as you arrive at the office. The time displayed on the message is proof you were working early. Similarly, email will also document the late night or evening hours you worked yesterday from home.

3. Think inside the box. Drop completed work in her in-box by 8:00 a.m. with a message and the time written on a sticky note.

4. Just say Joe. Start the office coffee pot before others show up. They slyly ask your boss if she enjoyed the special Kona coffee you brewed. After all, you are the first one in to the office each day, so you have to get the Joe going.

5. Track your time. Use a time log consistently, so you can prove how much you're getting done in the early-morning hours. Track your accomplishments as you go, so that you have good material for your performance review.

6. Become indispensable. Just because someone works longer hours than you doesn't mean that person is more productive. The truth is the more indispensable you are, the more you can distinguish yourself, and the more likely it is you can gain some flexibility and still move ahead.

7. Use metrics. Devise a way with your boss to measure your results and value, not simply the number of hours you are at your desk. Explain how you often work in the evenings at home after the kids are in bed, using your Internet connection to check and respond to email. When you consistently accomplish your performance objectives, your boss will care less about when and how you get your work done.

8. Develop a reputation. Be the one people can always count on. No matter what, leaving on time does not affect your ability to get your work done, on time, every time.

9. Stay visible. Volunteer for special committees, especially those involving other departments. Make it a point to talk about the value you add to the committees you're on, and the projects you're doing. Soon, people will look to you when new projects come down the pike.

10. Focus on outcome. Write out a list of the top ten responsibilities you have and rank them in priority order. Have your boss do the same. Compare the two lists. Are you working on activities and tasks that aren't valued by your boss? Are you spending too much time on tasks that don't move the company's main agenda forward? If something has to drop off your plate, make sure it's something less important. Once you're completely focused on outcomes, face time is less important.

11. Keep your nose to the grindstone. Politely let chatty co-workers know that you have a limited time to work today, since you must get out on time. Show your manager how committed you are to your job by truly working hard all day and not engaging in excessive socializing. When you demonstrate that kind of clear-cut dedication to getting the job done, co-workers are less likely to questions your productivity.

12. Use technology to your advantage. Clearly communicate, "I leave at 5:00 p.m. every day to go pick up my child from daycare. However, that doesn 't mean I'm out of touch. If you need me, my cell phone is on until 6:00 or you can leave me a voicemail or email. Be willing to do what it takes to stay on top of business that is conducted after you leave the office.

In the long run, the workplace will inevitably move away from the concept of face time to a more flexible, results-oriented workplace. Until then, try one of the tips above to beat the clock-watchers. Make it a productive day! â„¢