I knew the importance of keywords for drawing traffic to a site. Every article I read, stated that I needed to use articles rich in keywords. The articles, however left out some important information. Which key words should I use? I didn’t know, so I made up my own. I chose words and phrases that sounded good and devised ingenous ways to use them in my articles. If my article was about locating a work at home job, I was careful to repeat that exact phrase a couple of times in my article. Nothing happened. My traffic stayed the same. I soon realized my error. I had to use certain keywords. I needed to use words that people were typing in search engines. I also needed to use phrases that were not overly selected by other websites, because there were probably 500,000 sites using the same key words. In essence, I needed to conduct some Internet-based research to locate words that were searched for, but were not currently overused in other websites. Lucky for your, I found a sites to help you conduct your internet based research for your websites or blogs.

Adwords Type in your key words and this site will let you know how many searches have been conducted for the word in a popular search engine and what the competition is like if you would like to advertise using the keyword. If the green bar is completely filled, there is a lot of competition for the keyword phrase. I usually avoid those keywords or phrases. Now, if you see that the green bar for the number of searches is filled (even a little bit) and there doesn’t appear to be a lot of competition for the word (it’s only filled halfway) you can try using that search term in your site.

Posted by Claudine as Make Money at Home at 4:58 AM PST

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Hmmmm…. shouldn’t you be working?

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Posted by Claudine as Make Money at Home at 12:25 PM PST

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The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency As a Freelance Writer in Six Months or Less was an awesome addition my library. I couldn’t wait to try the techniques in the book, and I have to credit this book with helping me to land my first copywriting job. This book gave me the skills and the confidence that I needed to market myself as a copywriter. The Well Fed Writer gave me the guide to marketing myself as a freelancer and it gave me a guide for setting my price. My first copywriting assignment turned out to be such a good partnership, that the advertising firm that hired me out gave me additional contracts. Copywriters can earn $50 to $125 an hour, and The Well Fed Writer will tell you all you need to know to earn just that.

Hey, Peter Bowerman has updated The Well Fed Writer, and now has a second book, Back to Seconds. I can’t wait to read this book!

The Well-Fed Writer: Back For Seconds A Second Helping Of “How-To” For Any Writer Dreaming of Great Bucks and Exceptional Quality of Life

Posted by Claudine as Make Money at Home at 11:33 PM PST

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Question: How do I go about writing a paragraph?

Writing a paragraph isn’t as difficult if you organize your thoughts. Your first sentence should be the main topic of your work. It doesn’t matter if you are writing an essay, sales, letter, or an article. Your first sentence should tell the reader what you are writing about or for a persuasive sales letter, your first sentence should establish a problem that you need to solve. The first sentence could summarize your entire essay, letter, or article. The sentences which follow the first, are called detail sentences. These sentences support your topic sentence or they may answer questions which my topic sentence may pose. When writing a paragraph, you should have at least three detail-sentences. The final sentence in your paragraph concludes it. This sentence gives the reader the signal that you are going to now go into depth and discuss the details, mentioned in your supporting detail stentences. The last sentence of your paragraph can:
a) summarize the first sentence if you are only writing a paragraph
b) tease the reader into reading further (if you are writing a sales letter)

Posted by Claudine as Make Money at Home at 3:03 PM PST

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Now that you are here, the real reason I wanted you to visit is to give you a FREE eBook!

I am working on a new ebook. Simply sign up for my newsletter or e-mail me at claudine@kissdebtgoodbye.com and when my ebook is completed you will get it for FREE. This valuable book will tell you the truth about freelance writing and landing paid writing opportunities. I have more than 10 years worth of experience writing for newspapers, magazines and websites. I plan to share my secrets! You will also receive a monthly newsletter with advice to help you launch your freelance career.

So, not only will you get a newsletter with free tips and advice in my on how to become a freelance writer, but you will also receive a free ebook!

P.S. I hate spam. I can’t stand that mess! I will not sell, rent or give your e-mail address to anyone.

Writer’s Market 2007 (Writer’s Market)

Great Buy

Now, if you are trying to develop your writer’s library right away, I recommend that you buy a copy of the Writer’s Market. I remember the first and best professional writing book purchase that I ever made, the Writer’s Market. This book can’t be beat if you are trying to become a successful freelancer. You could go to the bookstore and find magazines that you’d like to write for, but the Writer’s Market list hundreds of magazine and other publishers that you probably won’t find in a bookstore. The book also tells you what editors are looking for, which magazines will cater to new writers, and which publications pay $1 per word. You won’t be able to find this information by reading the magazines! The Writer’s Market has enough contact information and writer’s guidelines to keep you busy this year and many years to come. Any serious person who would like to become a successful writer, and has an interest in selling her work has a copy of the Writer’s Market.

How did I get published in glossy magazines, making $1 per word? I used the Writer’s Market as my guide. How did I determine an appropriate fee to sell my copywriting? I looked up average freelance salaries in the Writer’s Market.

Posted by Claudine as Make Money at Home at 12:11 AM PST

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