Hi Friend!

Last month, I asked for some feedback on Quikonnex - as I said, I am looking to offer alternative options to those interested in reading the Takanomi Newsletter.

The response was simply phenomenal, and I outline the general tone of the feedback below - firstly though, my thanks go out to every one of you who took the time to send me your thoughts. I managed to reply to many of you, though couldn't manage replying to all, so if you didn't hear a response back from me, I hope you understand.

Here's a general outline of the feedback I received:

• Some of you thought I was ditching email - no, sorry for any misimpression, but my interest in Q, and other 'email alternatives', does not mean that I will stop publishing via email - I just want to offer you different ways of receiving it, and reduce my own dependency on email as a delivery mechanism.

  The more flexibility I can offer the better. And when people subscribe, but then can't receive the newsletter due to ISP filters, so-called 'spam' preventers, general email overload, and the like, it doesn't seem quite right.

• It was apparent that there would be a learning curve involved in receiving the newsletter via alternative means.

• Many of you said, after taking a look at Q, that you would prefer to receive the newsletter in this way, rather than miss it amongst thousands of other messages. Plus, you liked the opportunity it provided for increased two-way communication between publisher and subscriber.

• Some of you already publish on Q, and indicated you receive a good response, which is reassuring for any publisher.

• Some of you suggested other alternatives, such as :
  • RSS feeds, which Q supports and which are receiving a lot of attention lately - one major ezine publisher has recently added RSS feeds to provide an alternative to email delivery.

  • Web page update notification technology, which means visitors to my web site can register to receive an alert on their desktop when a particular page on my site updates (eg. a web page showing the latest edition of the newsletter).

So, what are my conclusions?

1. It's unlikely I'll be using Q as an additional publishing channel for the newsletter - in my opinion, it would require too much of a learning curve for 'subscribers', and I believe there is a better alternative.

2. It is likely that, at some point, I will publish via RSS (Rich Site Summary), as well as via email.

   Yes, this no doubt sounds scarily technical to many of you, but it's just another option - and I'll still be publishing via email, so no change unless you want it.

   It is after all just another acronym, like 'HTML' or 'CGI', and it's not as bad as it sounds. For example, the QuikView tool from Q can pick up RSS, there are several other RSS readers already freely available, and it's likely that the next version of Windows will be able to include an RSS reader on it's desktop.

   It's flexible, it's easy, it's free, and major publishers and web sites are already using the technology with great effect . It's quickly becoming mainstream technology.

   Want to know more? I don't blame you. This article on RSS by Merle from mcpromotions.com, gives you pretty much everything you need to know:
   Everybody's Talking About RSS

   And if you have any doubt on the direction of this technology, just read this from the Beeb in the UK.

   I'll keep you informed about developments.

The article this month looks at how to use popups with Google Adwords - bet you thought they were banned, right?

To Your Success,

Steve Shaw, "Technical eMarketer"
Publisher of essential systems and software for effective e-marketing, including

• "PopUpMaster Pro" - for popups that beat the popup blockers and boost your response rates; and

• "SubmitYOURArticle.com", the automated article submission service that can rocket your traffic and sales

How To Use PopUps With Google Adwords

One of the common issues that marketers face when using Google Adwords, is that the use of popups on the target page for their ad is not permitted. Many Adwords advertisers just completely remove popups from their web site, which can not only significantly damage the profitability that results from other traffic sources, but, as we shall see, it is also not entirely necessary.

This article looks at alternative solutions, which when implemented can virtually double the ROI (Return On Investment) for Adwords ads.

It is well recognized that by capturing the visitor's email address, and then following up with them via an effective auto-responder campaign, marketers can more than double their chances of clinching the sale. Popups can be a very effective way of doing this, often helping to convert 50% of more of visitors to subscribers.

With Google Adwords however, because popups are not permitted, you need to look for other ways in which you can maximize the visitor-to-subscriber conversion ratio, and thereby also maximize the value you get out of each click-through to your web site.

Here are three main ways in which you can do this...

Read Full Article...

A sample from the postbag this month (used with permission of the sender):

"Just a note to let you know that I appreciate your news letter. Why? Your facts are right on. My Internet Schooling taught me the things you say, so I know they are true.

"Add to that the fact that you don't go into a 10 page glamour me news letter with why I should buy your products, that leaves me more confused than when I started reading...

"Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for your news letter without being too wordy.

"Warm regards,

"Larry, http://www.gibraltarproducts.com"
 

If you have feedback, please just let me know.
 

How you can ... track anything on the web

A good friend of mine, Allyn Cutts (cuttsgroup.com) alerted me to this, and I was surprised I hadn't seen it before.

Check out Google Alert that allows you to keep track of Google search listings, for free - you'll get the results of searches you want to keep an eye on direct to your inbox, every day.

If you're performing the same searches every day or two at Google, for example keeping an eye on your own listings, this service can do it for you and send you the results via email.

Can be a real time saver, and a valuable research tool.

Quick update

Remember that report on the New Google Algorithm I told you about last month?

Here's what I said:

"Following these simple tips has enabled me to get my SubmitYOURArticle.com site to number 13 on Google (at time of writing, out of over five and half million results pages) for the keywords submit article, in little over a month since it's been online.

"Yes, I know it's not top ten, but with five million pages to compete with, it's pretty close - and with the help of Dan's report, I should be able to get it even higher."

Well, good news. I have got it even higher. It's now hovering around #4 in the listings.

And, even better for my PopUpMaster.com site, where for the keywords 'popup generator' it plummeted from a top three position last autumn, to a hundred and something following Google's algorithm update. Good news there too - it's now around #8, back in the top ten, and (hopefully) climbing even further.

(Even my ClickBankToolkit.com site is at around #8 for the vital keywords ClickBank! That one hasn't seen the top ten for months.)

So if you wanted proof that the information in the report works, there you have it. It's a powerful report, and if you haven't done so already, you can read it here:
New Google Algorithm

...Create Any Kind Of PopUp In Less Than Three Minutes!

He is a programmer by trade - he was awarded with a Masters Degree with Distinction in Information Technology, and is proficient in virtually all web development media.

He possesses a unique understanding of the technology that lies behind effective e-marketing, and has worked closely with leading figures in the industry including Jonathan Mizel of Cyberwave Media.