Volume 1 Issue 47 3-2-07

For those who would like to read this in HTML format, this issue of Boomer eZine is posted on the Boomer eZine website at http://www.boomer-ezine.com/V1I47_030207.htm and on the Boomer eZine Blog at http://boomer-ezine.blogspot.com.

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Table of Contents for this issue.....

1. Authors Comments
2. Q & A, Suggestions and Comments
3. Overture Bid Price Tool Has Been Discontinued
4. New Free Keyword Search from Wordtracker
5. Free ebook from Wordtracker
6. Google Webmaster Central
7. Five Ways To Spot A Great Product – by Charlie Page

Author's Comments

The Internet is a very dynamic place. What was a standard tool for years is now gone. The Overture Bid Tool was discontinued by Yahoo on February 12. When you follow the link to the tool, you get:

Gone

The requested resource
/d/search/tools/bidtool/index.jhtml
is no longer available on this server and there is no forwarding address. Please remove all references to this resource.

That is pretty final. Don’t you think?

More about the Yahoo Bid Tool in an article to follow.

Q & A, Suggestions and Comments

Frank Struck wrote to Boomer-eZine asking for advice in Volume 1 Issue 41. He and Sharon have taken the giant step and now have their own website. Our sincere congratulations for their accomplishment and we wish them good luck in the future.

Email from Frank ….

Hi everyone:

I would like to announce that Sharon and I have just published our new website www.healthtips4boomers.com Our goal is to provide information for the baby boomer generation (and everyone else) on how we can make informed decisions to live healthier and happier lives.

We hope you visit our site often, forward this to your friends, and find the information useful.

To your good health,

Frank & Sharon

We really like to see our subscribers succeed. Go Frank and Sharon!

If you have anything for this section or you have a suggestion for a topic for an article, please go to http://www.boomer-ezine.com/Suggestion_Form1.htm and give us your input. With your input, we can improve the Boomer Video eZine.

Overture Bid Price Tool Has Been Discontinued

In several previous articles, I have written about the Overture Bid Price Tool. This was an extremely handy tool that allowed you to see the bid price for all of the Yahoo Search Marketing bids. Well, this tool has been discontinued by Yahoo.

This is logical since Yahoo has changed the way that it handles ad position in the Yahoo Search Marketing Program. Under the old program, the position of an ad on a search results page was totally dependent on the price of the bid. The highest bid was in the first spot. The second highest bid was in the second spot and so on.

Yahoo has changed the program so it is similar to the Google Adwords program. The location of the ad is dependent on a formula which evaluates the “relevance” of the ad. This takes into account the bid price and the number of clicks that an ad gets. An ad with a lower bid price that is getting a lot of click through traffic will rank above an ad with a higher bid and not much click traffic.

You can see that with this change in policy, it is not possible for Yahoo to be able to publish the bid prices anymore since that is not the only variable in the establishment of ad position.

This is too bad since this was a handy tool, and I used it often when evaluating a PPC campaign.

New Free Keyword Search from Wordtracker

Wordtracker is considered the ultimate site for accurate keyword search data. Boomer eZine has mentioned Wordtracker in several previous articles, but we have never done a full article on it.

We have used Wordtracker both directly and through Site Build It.

Twenty Wordtracker searches are included in the Site Build It fee. The Brainstorm It module of SBI accesses Wordtracker to get the keyword data for its work. I have not used all twenty of the SBI Wordtracker searches for my SBI sites. If you do use the twenty, you can purchase more searches through SBI for a very low fee.

I have used Wordtracker directly for some PPC research for Google Adwords campaigns.

Wordtracker had a free demo that you could use to do some very basic keyword research, but it was so slow and cumbersome that it was not used very often.

Well, Wordtracker has added a free tool and you can get 100 keywords very quickly and easily using this new free tool.

Check out the tool at http://tinyurl.com/2bt8rr

While we are speaking about Wordtracker, it has a very good free ebook about how to do keyword research.

Free ebook from Wordtracker

I have read this ebook and granted, it is a sales pitch for Wordtracker. However, it will teach you about keyword research and how to use any keyword research tool – not just Wordtracker.

It is a little outdated since it still refers to Overture and Google Keyword Sandbox, but don’t dwell on that. It is timeless in the lesson that it teaches.

Click this link to read the book: http://tinyurl.com/2kz4yr

If you really get into serious keyword research, you should use Wordtracker. The costs for Wordtracker in USD are:

· One year - $274.00
· One month – $54.82
· One week - $27.41
· One day - $8.22

You can do a lot of keyword research in a day. I have used both the weekly and daily plans before. I recommend that you purchase a day of service when you first start. From that start, you will get a feel of the best way to purchase it in the future.

At the very least, visit the site and read about Wordtracker at

http://tinyurl.com/282tfg

Google Webmaster Central

Are you aware that Google will let you check the last time that Google crawled your website (or any website)?

It is Google’s Webmaster Central at:

http://www.google.com/webmasters/

Go there and click on the Site Status Wizard to see the date that Google last successfully accessed your home page. It will also tell you if pages from your site are included in Google's index.

There are many other helpful tools available to you at Google Webmaster Central.
If you have registered your site with Google, you can sign on to your account and check to see if Google encountered any errors when the spider crawled your site. I logged on today to check. Guess what?

I am embarrassed to say that Google told me that I have three 404 Not Found links in www.retirement-jobs-online.com. That is something that I am glad to know since it is a surprise. I did not know that I had broken links on the site.

I recommend that you go to the Google Webmaster Central and learn what it can do for you. Let’s face it. Google controls the majority of searches on the Internet. If your site depends on search engine traffic, you need to do everything in your power to make Google like your website.

There is a lot of information at Google Webmaster Central, so plan to spend some time learning what is available and how you can use it.

Guest Author – Charlie Page

We subscribe to many of the marketing newsletters published on the Net so we can see what is current and learn the latest “hot” item.

Charlie Page is publisher of the “Directory of eZines”. I have read his newsletter for some time. He always has good content. I especially liked this article. I emailed him for permission to reprint it in Boomer eZine so here it is.


Five Ways To Spot A Great Product
© Charlie Page
http://www.RealWorldTactics.com
------------------------------------------------------

Funny things happen in the Spring.

* Flowers bloom.
* Student go on Spring Break.
* Internet marketers introduce new products.

It's true, Internet marketers know that spring is
"prime time" for selling products - especially products
about how to do business online.

With so many products out there, and more being
introduced every day, how can we spot a GREAT product,
and avoid wasting money online?

Here are the five things I look for when buying
products. I hope this list helps you too.

===> Is It Guaranteed?

This is an absolute essential in my book. If someone
offers a 30 day guarantee, I usually won't buy. The
reason for this is two-fold.

1. If they won't stand behind what they sell for more
than 30 days, it really does indicate that they are not
in business for the long haul.

2. It sometimes takes me 30 days just to TRY what I've
bought. Like you, I'm busy. And the worst thing is to
be busy, delay trying something, find out it won't work
for you, and then get stuck because you had to wait.

Look for a rock-solid guarantee when shopping online.

===> Does It Meet A Real Need?

When I say "need" I don't mean a basic need like food,
but rather, will it help me accomplish my goals?

Sometimes there are products that help us accomplish
our goals by providing much needed information,
information that it would take time and money to get
otherwise.

Sometimes a great product is one that saves time. One
of my absolute favorite tools is ShortKeys. If you find yourself typing the same thing over and over, you'll love ShortKeys. Best of all, you can get it free at this link.

http://www.shortkeys.com/lite.htm

===> Is It From A Reliable Source?

Considering the source of a product has become a MAJOR
factor in buying things online ... especially when
buying information.

One example: There is a LARGE group of people pushing
"how to make money" products who have never made a dime
online. I know, because I talk to these people every
day.

Here are two quick ways to know if a source is
reliable.

1. Look at their sites. If they have one hyped-up site
that promises the moon, look out. Even worse, if they
don't have their own domain, run ... don't walk.

2. If you are concerned, or don't know the person, try
to contact them. How they handle your contact will
speak volumes about who they are trying to serve, you
or themselves.

If a site owner answers every question with "buy my
product" (or worse - doesn't answer) hide your Visa and
count your blessings that you found out BEFORE you
paid.

===> Does It Work As Promised?

This is, of course, for after you have bought, but it's
still a valid point. If you bought something that does
not perform as promised, don't just give up or get a
refund.

There are many products that will work like wings once
we know what they are supposed to do. If you don't
understand how to use what you bought, or have
questions, be sure to ask.

If you find it does not work as promised, return it and
find something else that will meet your needs.

===> Is It Cost Effective?

The trend among marketers today is to create ever more expensive products. Two years ago products often cost $47 or $67. Today it's not unusual to see $497, $697, or even $1000 priced products.

If these products deliver BIG value, then the price is
fine.

But for MANY people, $500 is an impossible amount to
spend.

Before you spend your hard earned money, take a look to
see if you really can afford it, and if the product is reasonably priced.

NOTE: Buying something today because it's on sale
today, even if you don't need it until tomorrow, is a
wise move. You really can find bargains online if you
look.

Use these five guidelines when you shop online and
you'll not only find GREAT products, but you'll pay
less too.

And that's a beautiful combination!

--------------------------------------------------
Charlie Page helps people succeed in their Internet
businesses. Visit Charlie at
http://www.RealWorldTactics.com

Author’s note: Charlie is a “real” person who lives in College Station, Texas, USA. I have emailed Charlie several times about eZines, etc. and he has always answered me. He has helped us get Boomer eZine up and running.

Thanks, Charlie for your help and your article.

That wraps up our issue for this week. Until next week, stay tuned.

John and Linda Howe
www.boomer-ezine.com
www.boomer-guru.com
www.boomer-entrepreneur.com
www.boomer-marketplace.com
eBay Boomer Retirement Store
(http:/stores.ebay.com/BOOMER-RETIREMENT-STORE)
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(http://www.boomer-ezine.com/Amazon_Page.htm)

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