A Dozen FREE Tools and Resources to Give Your Online Marketing the Edge ...

Issue 50 This issue includes: A Dozen FREE Tools and Resources to Give Your Online Marketing the Edge it Needs Free content for your web site or ezine Visit our newsletter archives Send us your suggestions A DOZEN FREE TOOLS AND RESOURCES TO GIVE YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS THE EDGE IT NEEDS My customers and subscribers are always asking me about freebies on the 'Net... Can free resources provide solutions to their marketing needs? Are they a viable way to avoid some of the costs of marketing online? And many of you already know that I am not usually an advocate of freeware or free
online services, but persistently ask... "Aren't there ANY freebies I can use?" Allow me to restate my mantra: Your most important e- business tools must be
high-quality, dependable products and services. You will never establish your e-business as a serious presence on the 'Net if your pages are
filled with the garish advertising and sponsorships that typically go hand-in-hand with free
services, or if your site has too much downtime, or if the services you use are constantly
closing up shop... At the very least, you absolutely must have reliable web hosting, effective site design, and
good software. The better these elements of your e-business are, the more efficiently your business will
operate, the more easily you will establish your credibility, and the more money you will A Dozen FREE Tools and Resources to Give Your Online Marketing the Edge it Needs file:///C|/Mis documentos/MLM Newsletter/WWW/issues/issue50.html (1 of 12) [08/05/2004 10:43:18 a.m.] make in the end. You simply can't afford to cut corners here -- you get what you pay for with these products
and services, and paying for them is just the cost of doing business. However (now that you've been sufficiently warned!), there are A NUMBER OF VERY
GOOD TOOLS AND RESOURCES available on the 'Net that are FREE. And these can be excellent ways to complement your existing tools at no cost, helping you
to make your site stickier and more user-friendly, make your keywords more effective,
keep an eye on your competition, find potential business partners, and more... Of course, I recommend that you proceed with caution in the "free" world, and always be
aware of what you may have to give up (like reliability) or give over (like advertising
space on your site -- and potential customers). But the following 12 tools and resources can be effectively used to give your online
business that EXTRA EDGE YOU NEED TO STAY AHEAD OF YOUR
COMPETITION. ================================ LINK PARTNER EVALUATION TOOL ================================ http://www.alexa.com The Alexa toolbar is one of the most useful tools around for businesses on the 'Net. Alexa
provides a free, downloadable toolbar that opens in your web browser whenever you're
online. The most useful feature is a "site info" option. When you click on this button, Alexa lays
out all the details of the site you're on, including: - The traffic ranking of the site (this is also listed right on the toolbar itself) - A list of related links (two or three of the most popular links also appear on the toolbar) - The number of other sites that link to the site - The contact information of the site owner - All site/user reviews This is the exact information you need when you're researching high-traffic sites in your
industry and considering link partnerships or joint ventures. Use this information to... A Dozen FREE Tools and Resources to Give Your Online Marketing the Edge it Needs file:///C|/Mis documentos/MLM Newsletter/WWW/issues/issue50.html (2 of 12) [08/05/2004 10:43:18 a.m.] - Decide how much you're willing to pay for advertising - Make educated decisions about the worth of a joint venture partner - Determine the credibility and the perceived value of the site The list of related links -- which also has its own button on the toolbar -- is an excellent
way for you to find other popular or similar sites that might be good linking partners or
joint venture partners. Use this list to determine other popular sites that your Target market visits -- start by
looking at your own site with Alexa's toolbar, and see what related links are suggested! When you're establishing the credibility of a joint venture partner, be sure to check out
Alexa's "WayBack" button. The WayBack Machine allows you to see the past pages of any existing sites, or even see
sites that no longer exist, letting you check out the history of any online business and
understand how the business, the site, and the marketing approaches have developed or
changed over time. The toolbar also contains a Google search option, so you can jump directly into a search
without having to leave the page you're on. Alexa was designed to be used with Internet Explorer and Microsoft Windows, but the
toolbar may slow down or even crash your browser unless you are using Explorer 6.0. You can download the latest version of the Internet Explorer browser free at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/ie6/default.asp For Mac users or those
using Netscape Navigator, the Alexa "snapshot" is available as a free download from:
http://pages.alexa.com/prod_serv/snapshot.html ================================================== FREE IMAGE-REDUCING TOOL AND "TOOL KIT" TRIALS ==================================================
http://www.marketingtips.com/netmechanic NetMechanic is a "tool kit" resource offering a number of free trials that are great for
easily locating potential problems with your site and repairing them quickly. Address problems such as... - HTML code errors - Browser display problems - Lengthy load times A Dozen FREE Tools and Resources to Give Your Online Marketing the Edge it Needs file:///C|/Mis documentos/MLM Newsletter/WWW/issues/issue50.html (3 of 12) [08/05/2004 10:43:18 a.m.] - Broken links - Site downtime Some of these tools will even give you a free monthly update! However, you'll get a limited version of each tool unless you're willing to pay the fee. But
NetMechanic's image-reducing tool, GIFbot, is totally free and is a particularly useful
resource. Using GIFBot is an excellent way to reduce the file size of your images so that your web
pages load faster -- and you don't lose those impatient surfers. Image files can be reduced by as much as 50-85% in many cases, and it's so easy to do that
nowadays you'll look totally unprofessional with huge, lagging image files that take
forever to load on your site. ======================= FREE E-MAIL CLIENT ======================= http://www.eudora.com/download Eudora is a dependable, well-established e-mail client that offers a version of their
software free -- and without all the advertising that comes with most free e-mail clients and
services (including the "sponsored" version of Eudora). Eudora Light is a scaled-down version of the original, but still offers plenty of punch and
is available without all the ads -- although the newest version of Eudora Light MAY
contain the occasional ad or sponsorship. Using this free version, some of the regular features of Eudora will be removed, including: - spell check - statistics on how much mail you send and receive - multiple personalities - stationary - multiple signatures - advanced editing features - advanced filtering features ... But unless your e-business is large or your mailings are particularly complex, this free A Dozen FREE Tools and Resources to Give Your Online Marketing the Edge it Needs file:///C|/Mis documentos/MLM Newsletter/WWW/issues/issue50.html (4 of 12) [08/05/2004 10:43:18 a.m.] client may be all you need for now. ============================== FREE-TRIAL KEYWORD SERVICE ============================== http://newsletter.easy-home-business.com/hts/wordtracker.html Using a service such as Wordtracker allows you to easily discover which keywords are
frequently searched by your target market -- but are not being used by your competition. Wordtracker has compiled a massive database of terms that people search on, so all you
have to do is enter your keyword, and Wordtracker tells you... - How often people are searching that term - How many competing sites are using that particular keyword - How much they are bidding for keywords in the the pay- per-click search engines A tool like this will help you optimize your search engine ranking by targeting keywords
and phrases that are frequently searched by your best potential customers, but that few (if
any!) of your competitors are competing under. Capitalize on the streams of neglected and missed traffic that are passing your competition
by -- and even discover misspellings of your keywords that may be drawing traffic! The free trial version of Wordtracker, however, will only compare your keywords with
AltaVista, while the paid version compiles results from the top 24 search engines,
directories, and pay-per-click engines. If you're happy to limit yourself to AltaVista, you can use the free trial as many times as
you like. Otherwise, the paid version is available for $6.51 per day or $21.70 per week,
with monthly and yearly subscriptions available as well. You might also want to try out Overture's Keyword Popularity and Suggestion tool,
available free at: http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/ Overture's keyword service will give you a list of related searches that include your term
and tell you how many times those terms were searched in Overture in the last month. This is a good way to find out the popularity of your keyword, but Overture doesn't list
bidding amounts. If you're looking for great deals on your keywords, your best bet is to search in both
Overture and Wordtracker to gauge popularity, then use Wordtracker to determine your
bidding strategy. A Dozen FREE Tools and Resources to Give Your Online Marketing the Edge it Needs file:///C|/Mis documentos/MLM Newsletter/WWW/issues/issue50.html (5 of 12) [08/05/2004 10:43:18 a.m.] ====================================== FREE BROWSER COMPATIBILITY SERVICE ====================================== http://www.AnyBrowser.com The browser compatibility experts, AnyBrowser offers every tool you'll need to make your
site viewable, as the name suggests, in any browser. The most useful tool is the "SiteViewer," which allows you to see your web pages as
surfers will see them on multiple browsers. For example, your site may look different in Netscape Navigator 3.0 than it does in
Internet Explorer 6.0 -- images may be broken, tables may shift, and so on. With AnyBrowser you can ensure you meet the needs of every browser. You can also make sure your coding checks out and your links aren't broken, and view an
example of how your listing will appear in the search engines (what description will be
used, what the title will be, etc.). AnyBrowser is also a great resource directory, pointing you toward a variety of really
useful free tools. It's a great place to find online HTML tutorials, banner exchanges, CGI
scripts, free HTML editors, free classifieds, free fonts, free graphics, free Java scripts, free
message boards, and more. ==================== FREE SEARCH TOOL ==================== http://www.Atomica.com Atomica is a downloadable search tool that allows you to search multiple information
sources at once. After you've downloaded the personal (free) version, you'll have a search bar right on your
desktop. When you search on an item, you'll get results from some or all of the following resources,
depending on your search term: - Technology - Dictionary A Dozen FREE Tools and Resources to Give Your Online Marketing the Edge it Needs file:///C|/Mis documentos/MLM Newsletter/WWW/issues/issue50.html (6 of 12) [08/05/2004 10:43:18 a.m.] - Thesaurus - Translations - Quick Tips - Acronyms - User Links - Web Search - Encyclopedia ... All in just one step! No more messing around with multiple search tools; Atomica
consolidates them in one source to save the precious time of the busy netrepreneur. ================================= FREE SITE OWNERSHIP INQUIRIES ================================= http://www.betterwhois.com "Whois" inquiries will tell you the owner of a particular domain name. Just enter the URL and you'll get the name behind the web site (business name and
contact), administrative contact information, and technical contact information. Not only does this allow you to collect the contact information of your competitors -- it's
also a great way to collect the names and e-mail addresses of similar businesses for the
purpose of proposing business relationships such as joint ventures or link exchanges. ================ FREE CONTENT ================ http://www.FreeSticky.com/stickyweb This resource is a good place to find free (or cheap) content for your site, so you can keep
your site fresh and interesting for your visitors -- and keep them coming back. Find articles, news briefs, headlines, tickers, tips of the day, and more. The broad variety of topics ranges from financial advice to hip hop headlines, from travel
guides to lottery results. A Dozen FREE Tools and Resources to Give Your Online Marketing the Edge it Needs file:///C|/Mis documentos/MLM Newsletter/WWW/issues/issue50.html (7 of 12) [08/05/2004 10:43:18 a.m.] You can also give away free software applications directly from your site, many of which
are available for co- branding. Another good source for articles is: http://www.ezinearticles.com This site offers free
content designed for both web sites and e-zines. Watch that you don't just load up your site with a lot of stuff that you think is interesting.
The material you provide has to be relevant to your business and your customer base. Also be aware that the sponsorship information that is usually included can pull your
readers' attention away from your purpose -- and, most important, the sponsors' links can
draw traffic away from your site. It is always a good idea to have quality content on your
site, but be discretionary, and make sure it's worth the risk involved. ======================================= FREE E-MAIL CAMPAIGN ROI
CALCULATOR =======================================
http://www.MarketingToday.com/tools/roi_calculator.htm A very cool tool... Marketing Today's ROI calculator is an easy-to-use little device that allows you to
accurately estimate what kind of return on investment you can expect from your upcoming
direct mail or e-mail campaigns and promotions. The most accurate way to operate this tool is to use the response rate you received from
your previous mailings to calculate your ROI for future mailings. All you have to do is enter the numbers: the number of mailings you'll be doing, your total
costs, the response rate you expect, the conversion rate you expect, and how much you
expect each buyer to spend (i.e., the cost of your product or service). Hint: If you do not have previous response rates and conversion rates to base your figures
on, you should estimate much lower than you think necessary. If you guess too low, you'll just end up with extra cash on hand; guess too high, however,
and you'll be making a costly mistake. The ROI calculator is a simple tool that acts as an excellent reality check when you're
determining your marketing costs. ========================== A Dozen FREE Tools and Resources to Give Your Online Marketing the Edge it Needs file:///C|/Mis documentos/MLM Newsletter/WWW/issues/issue50.html (8 of 12) [08/05/2004 10:43:18 a.m.] FREE REFERRAL SERVICE ========================== http://www.iRecommend-It.com This free service can be used to create a "tell a friend" link on your web site, whereby your
visitors can recommend your site to their friends or colleagues. As we all know, referrals are the best influence... we are far more likely to be open-minded
about information that is presented to us by someone we know and trust. Having a referral tool set up on your site is one of the best ways to get the word out -- and
use viral marketing to your advantage. When a visitor wishes to recommend your site, they simply click on your "tell a friend" (or
equivalent) link and they're immediately sent to iRecommend-It's referral page, where they
can enter their name and e-mail address and recommend your site to up to eight people.
iRecommend-It offers sweepstakes, great prizes, and free newsletters as incentives to your
referees -- but do stop to consider that these may distract your visitors and lead them
further away from your site. Your visitors can also choose to receive news and announcements from your site by simply
opting in at the bottom of the referral form. =========================== FREE SITE SEARCH TOOLS =========================== http://siteLevel.whatUseek.com SiteLevel can set you up with effective, free search tools for your web site. If your site is more than a couple of pages and doesn't have a good internal search tool,
you're probably losing many a frustrated visitor. While appeasing your visitors, a site-level search engine also enables you to find out what
your users want and need. SiteLevel's search tools allow you to track what your visitors are searching for and see
what they are finding or not finding, so you can adapt to their agendas and increase visitor
satisfaction -- and the stickiness of your site. SiteLevel also lets you customize your own search results page to make it suit the look and
feel of your web site. The basic (free) version has more than enough "oomph" for the average small-business
web site, allowing you to index up to 1,000 pages and incorporating a variety of search A Dozen FREE Tools and Resources to Give Your Online Marketing the Edge it Needs file:///C|/Mis documentos/MLM Newsletter/WWW/issues/issue50.html (9 of 12) [08/05/2004 10:43:18 a.m.] strategies. ============================== MORE FREE MARKETING TOOLS ============================== http://www.TheFreeSite.com You got it... The Free Site is free stuff! And lots of it! Not everything on this site is e-business related, but you can find plenty that is. Probably the most useful section for e-business is the "webmaster" section at:
http://thefreesite.com/Webmaster_Freebies/ Here you'll find the "Internet Seer" site
monitoring tool that provides downtime alerts so you don't lose valuable customers. You'll also find: - Tools to help you check your keywords and your link popularity - Suggested methods of winning awards for your site - Scripts, banners, and polls - Guestbooks, message boards, and more... The Free Site also lists free technical support and online tutorials, free personal
management tools, plenty of Java script resources, free fonts, clipart, graphics, icons, and
buttons, plus much, much more. Again, be wary of freebies that ask for advertising space
in return... but you might want to bookmark this page! FINAL THOUGHTS: With this set of tools at your disposal and these great resources backing you up, you have a
number of ways to start getting the edge on your competition... at no additional cost! For those of you who are a little more technically inclined, you may want to check out
some of the many free CGI script resources out there. Two good places to start include: http://www.hotscripts.com
http://www.cgi-resources.com The tools I've recommended are personal favorites and I know you'll find them incredibly
useful. There is very little standing in your way with these tools -- in most cases, they'll do nothing
but improve your marketing techniques and your business. A Dozen FREE Tools and Resources to Give Your Online Marketing the Edge it Needs file:///C|/Mis documentos/MLM Newsletter/WWW/issues/issue50.html (10 of 12) [08/05/2004 10:43:18 a.m.] But remember to always weigh your options when you're choosing free services or
software. Find out whether any advertising will be included, whether you will be bound by
any restrictions or obligations... Consider what effect these "catches" might have on your marketing strategy or your
customers. Always be aware of the price you may have to pay for anything that is "free." Corey Rudl ---------------------------------------------------- ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Corey Rudl is the owner of four highly successful online
businesses that attract more than 6 million visitors and generate over $5.2 million each
year. He is also the author of the #1 best-selling Internet Marketing course online. To
check out his site that's JAM-PACKED WITH THE EXACT INFORMATION YOU
NEED to start, build, and grow your very own profitable Internet business, I highly
recommend visiting this site This guy really knows what he's talking about! To your success Dr. Roberto A. Bonomi FREE CONTENT FOR YOUR WEBSITE OR EZINE Would you like to have some fresh and free content to include in your web site or e-zine? You can reprint Dr. Bonomi's articles on your web site or in your e-zine as long as: a) The article is printed in its full form with no changes. b) You send us a quick e-mail to: newsletter@easy-home-business.com telling us where you'll be publishing it. c) You include the following text at the end of the article: A Dozen FREE Tools and Resources to Give Your Online Marketing the Edge it Needs file:///C|/Mis documentos/MLM Newsletter/WWW/issues/issue50.html (11 of 12) [08/05/2004 10:43:18 a.m.] ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Dr. Roberto A. Bonomi is the owner of the successful www.easy-home-business.com site and the incredible "How to Sell on The Web" e-book If you are looking for the best information to drive traffic to your website
and make more sales, then I higly recommend you to visit http://www.easy-home-business.com Easy Home Business' site is in the first 10 places of every important search
engine that you can look at! This guy really knows what he's talking about! VISIT OUR NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES Our newsletter archives contain every issue that we have published. If you missed one number or would like to read it in HTML format, you can do it here: http://newsletter.easy-home-business.com/issues/index.html If you are looking for free to use content for your web site or ezine, you will find it here: http://newsletter.easy-home-business.com/articles/free-articles.html SEND US YOUR SUGGESTIONS We would love to hear what you think about the Easy Home Business' Newsletter. And if you have any suggestions for upcoming issues please send them too! Just e-mail the editor at: newsletter@easy-home-business.com If you enjoyed this Newsletter, spread the word by inviting your friends, family and contacts to subscribe Here : http://newsletter.easy-home-business.com/mlmjoin.html More Free Issues - Easy Home Business A Dozen FREE Tools and Resources to Give Your Online Marketing the Edge it Needs file:///C|/Mis documentos/MLM Newsletter/WWW/issues/issue50.html (12 of 12) [08/05/2004 10:43:18 a.m.]

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