Ultra Business Cell Phone Site Relaunched

One of our business sites, which has been in existence under a couple different names, just re-launched. We have been happy with the direction of this site, especially since we managed to sell the original domain and re-acquire it 2 years later for less than 3% of what we sold it for. Here is the press release, which was originally here on "DeadlyPR":

 UltraCellSaver Offer Cell Phone Upgrade Deals UltraCellSaver.com are extremely proud to announce the launch of their new and enhanced website. Since their business first launched, Ultra Cell Saver have been giving power to consumers who are looking for cell phone upgrade deals. Now, in an attempt to better serve their visitors, they have redesigned the website to show all of the information in an easily view able manner. Their front page lists all of the information visitors need to know about getting better cell phone upgrade deals. Currently, Ultra Cell Saver actively collects and scours the internet for the best deals. They list opportunities where consumers can pick up completely free phones – including smartphones in some circumstances.

Because Ultra Cell Saver works with different carriers, they are able to present and display the absolute hottest offers from around the United States. As their page explains, consumers are able to pick up great AT&T phones, and other phones for just a mere $0.01 when taken out with a 24-month contract.

To learn more about Ultra Cell Saver and their selection of cell phone upgrade deals, head over to: http://www.ultracellsaver.com/

You, Yes You, Can Go to College for Free

It's been quite a while since I've written here, but I've found some inspiration to write this post since this subject is something I have to explain to people on a regular basis.

So many people are amazed when they hear that my wife and I go to college and don't pay a dime.  So many people claim they either can't afford to go to school, or don't know how or where to start.  For anyone that doesn't know I will state it here....grants and loans are readily available and easy to get, you just have to put in the SMALL amount of effort to get it done.  "Yeah but don't you have to pay that back?" is THE most asked question that comes next.  To explain this you have to understand the types of financial aid available.

Grants are financial aid from the Government that you receive based on your income, and you do NOT have to pay these back.  Depending on your situation, you can attend school using grants alone to pay for tuition and books.  Also available if need be are loans from either the school you choose, or also numerous other financial institutions.  Personally I only went with loans from my school since the interest rates are very reasonable and the entire process is very easy and workable.  You DO have to pay loans back, but not until 6 months after your graduation from school in most cases.  And keep in mind, you are going to school to earn a degree that will help you get a better job/income, so this is an investment to better your situation in the long term.

Now the big question that everyone seemingly wants to know...."Where do I start?"  Many people get this info., and even though they claim they wish they could go to school for free like I do, they STILL never follow up on it.  All that is required is to obviously go to your school of choice and register (this can be done online on the school's site, just follow their instructions,) then go to FAFSA.gov (which is the website for Federal Student Aid) and fill out the info.  THIS is how you get the ball rolling, all the information you fill out determines how much aid you are eligible for.  These 2 simple steps can get you in college, and at no cost.

Keep in mind the information I have provided is for the Federal Student Aid site, but there are tons of ads out there offering loans and grants for college.  Some of these ads could be trying to talk you into high interest loans and taking things in a confusing direction, so be sure and do your research if you are going to look into any other grants and/or loans.  If you are unsure and just want to stick with the actual government grants and loans, stick with FAFSA.gov.  And keep in mind, ALL schools have a counseling office for the express purpose of helping you!  If you are 100% lost on the idea of college, 1 trip to a counselor can answer all your questions and point you in the right direction.

So there you have it, college for free, available to just about anyone that isn't making 6-7 figures, and in the case do you really need financial aid?  I will answer any questions in the comments below if anyone still finds any of this confusing or would like anything clarified.

Unintentional Typo Domains and Longtail Keywords

One thing I like to do is collect keyword relevant domains. I have a running list of keywords I am looking for and update it when certain ones are available. Keep in mind I develop every site I register, and I go for generic phrases. There is no "squatting" involved.

Unfortunately my laziness has caused some unwanted registrations. This is due to typos and errors copying and pasting names,etc. Typo domains can be useful and valuable- IF they are generic and usually very short. In other words, the type of word that might get type-in traffic and likely misspelled or misstyped.

However, I made this careless mistake with 3-4 long longtail keyword domains. Let's say I researched the keyword "classic digital widgets" and meant to register classicdigitalwidgets.com, but instead I registered classicdigtalwidgets.com.. Sucks. And I didn't catch it until a few weeks later. I COULD still develop that domain, but it would be a waste of time if the correct one is available.

The good news is I've only done this a couple times and they were during sale ( 99cents, usually) registrations. But if you are going to do anything seriously in business, PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS! You don't have to be a perfectionist- that can be wasteful. However, avoid really stupid mistakes and careless errors.

Scratch Pad, Brainstorming, Link Development, etc

I am just writing down some thoughts here that I might make into a more proper post or series.

Right now I am thinking out a certain web development strategy and need to write down some thoughts somewhere.

#1- I am thinking about links. If you know what I'm talking about you know what I'm talking about. Link building for a nice website in this case. I assume I have done research and developed a domain based on niche affiliate marketing. I have a KW domain with search volume and now it's time to rank and make money. I need links. I have a strategy with link sources, diversification,etc.

In this case I have a site called "best pi charts." I want to be the authority on this term. I also want power for "pi charts" and "pi" by itself. it doesn't matter what this is or what it means. Think of it as widgets. I just used "pi" something because I wanted a phrase with a very short word, under 5 characters and preferably <3. OK. Then I just used something that wasn't complte gibberish. In addition to these terms, there are a few phrases only partially within the domain- let's say "pi graphs, free pi charts, 3d pie charts, cheap pi charts, pi pictures, purple pi,whatever,etc"..plus various assorted long tail terms. I want to be THE site for the best pi charts. I sell pi charts. People search for pi charts and then I make $$$.

I want to create or influence links to my site. I am not interested too much in social traffic other than very relevant traffic ( posts on "pi forums" by interested customers) and the secondary benefit ( someone sees a social bookmark or post and then chooses to create a link to my site or spread word of mouth,etc).

I want diverse links. Preferably I want high quality relevant links with strong anchors. If the Government Bureau of Pi Chart Standards website links to my site as the "best pi charts", fantastic. This is valuable. And Not Going to Happen. SO I'm going to settle for links from crappy sites, some with good anchors, some with urls and no anchors, some that say might site sucks, some highly relevant sites, and some with no relevance. most will be 1 way, some might be reciprical. I mostly care about the overall value. Of course I will focus my resources in the most efficient way when possible. But some sources and methods are preferred for certain types.

I am mostly looking at the following types of links: Links I Create and Control ( internal links and crosslinks from owned or controlled sites), Links I Create but do NOT Control( comments, forums,etc), Links I request/Submit (directories,webmaster requests), Recips I request ( manual or automated requests to fellow webmasters), Link I do Not Control at all ( "natural" links, linkbait response,etc).

1. Links I Create and Control

Pros:
I Control everything, the quantity, the type, the anchors
Can easily create very relevant content and links

Cons:
I control everything-

Creates a Footprint. If someone wants to manually penalize all of my sites and declare them a "link farm" or spam, Bye Bye. Doesn't matter if they are high quality and relevant or not. Someone can click a mouse and send my sites to Hell. I am sure even many automated systems are in place that detect and act on this. I also risk damaging my other sites if they participate in any seo "gaming."

Strategy:

if "one" were to do this, one could make many different kinds of websites, pages and blogs that are relevant to a topic. You can go broad vertical, niche, sub-niche,etc. One could make many different blogs hosted on a variety of hosts and platforms and well as "regular" static sites. Mini-sites, big sites, informational sites, full-on huge commercial sites,etc. Then you leverage them together. Use domains you host yourself as well as "free" blogs, sites,etc. Control exactly what terms are used in linking and from what content pages. You can basically develop a building with many floors that add value to each other and the building as whole. You can get relevant link power.

Specific things to target- When you get links from sources you DON'T control, it is very difficult to get a few types of links. For example, if you are trying to rank for a promotional phrase, like "BEST" Anything. Directories and others will not want to link to you with promotional sounding language. Take advantage of pages you control to get some links for "best pi charts." You may have to settle for "pi charts" or "pi charts store" or whatever from outside sources. Just make sure you do not exclusively create promotional links like that.

Short words are hard to rank for and get links for. One word links are hard to get, especially 2-3 character ones. You will not be able to submit to thousands of directories or other link sources and get many links ot your site using "pi." You may not want to rank for such a short term anyway. But maybe you will. Focus on 2-3 word and longer phrases that include the short word. But on the sites you CONTROL.... Throw in some contexual "pi" links where they make sense.

AVOID sitewide crosslinking among all sites to all other sites. Dont use a sitewide footer, for example. Some people stll get away with this, but I prefer natural looking relevant and informative links within text. And the process should be deliberate but not automated or overdone. Put things where they "fit." This includes linking to many other sites you do not control, especially well known high quality sites. Don't be afraid to link out when it adds value. Don't write a 200 word page/article and link out to 20 of your own sites/pages. But writing a 800 page article that links out to 10 sites, including 2 of your own and a couple internal links..thats probably effective. Numbers aren't hard/scientific. just writing what I feel as it comes.



2. Links I Create but do NOT Control

Pros: Have control over anchors and placement


Cons: Links can be removed for the owner. Links can be rejected.


Strategy: I am mostly thinking of links like blog comments ( which honestly can really be called blog spam), and forum posts. Places where you can make a link and choose how it shows up, but you dont control IF it goes up or stays up. The site could undergo a remodel, the webmaster could decide to remove it or change your anchors, the site could cease to exist, etc. You also have "No Follow" considerations.

Really in this circumstance, I would limit your links to relevant posts at sites and forums where you are part of the community. This can mean a lot of time creating a reputation. Therefore its more natural for subjects your truly enjoy. If you are a gamer and run a gaming site, maybe you are a member on some forums. You make posts on appropriate topics. You might occasionally insert a link, maybe a review you did or something of interest. You don't join a gaming forum and never contribute, but then create a post in an irrelevant forum that says "Hey guys, what do you think of this?" and then link to your porn site. Not good. The same goes for blogs. If you are going to spam them, at least make sure you are respected in the community and it's "high quality spam" that makes up a very small % of your contributions.

Different places have different criteria. Some blogs advertise as "do follow" and encourage keyword linking in the "name" field. this may sound good, but these can actually be ones to look out for. Personally I dont want a comment link in a post where there are many fake and irrelevant comments that all link to gambling, adult, enhancement products. Etc. If it's a Pi blog and all the comments are from the Pi Chart community to relevant topics- that's what you want. Often you will have to settle for links with your real name ( or a reasnable psuedonym) to your blog/site. Do not automatically reject this opportunity. While anchors are most valuable, any links will probably have some value, especially if they are relevant. If you post on Thw World's #1 Pi Chart Blog and link to your pi charts site with your name "John Smith", this still helps. It might not help as much as if your name shows "Best Pi Charts," but it is still worthwhile. Others including the blog owner may even choose to link to or write about your site if you show something of value.

I also believe in diversity of link anchors. Some people will tell you to only get links with your preferred keyword as anchor text. Bullshit. I do not want a whole bunch of links to my site that say "best pi charts" and nothing else. I want keyword links, site name links, etc. I want many natural looking links from people who are not search engine marketers and places that are not part of a deliberate SEO scheme. This means some people will link to me with my name like "John's site." People will write "here." People will typein the domain "bestpichartsdotnet" or whatever and some will only have the url with no anchor text like http:bestpichartsdotwhatever. That's Ok. You also dont want every anchor text to say "best pi charts," especially if "best pi charts" is an industry with a lot of spam sites and high paying keywords. "pi" "pi charts" "best pi charts" "free pi" "purple pi eaters" whatever. You dont want it all deliberate and exact. Of course you don't want a whole bunch of terrible anchors either, but you want some mixture.




3. Links I request/Submit

Pros: Have some control over placement, description, anchors
You can build a lot of links, often for free with little effort



Cons: Anchors can be limited to certain criteria
Page placement criteria can be sub optimal
Site might be considered worthless providing no vaue to link
Often very broad categories and sites that are not relevant to your niche
Links can be rejected or removed for whatever reason


Strategy: I am mostly talking about directories here. The more relevant and less spammy, the better. Try to avoid directories that seem to accept every submission and use tricks like linking through a redirect or no-follow without passing any link juice. At the same time, the more picky you are the more likely your site is going to be rejected. If you submit to a high number of lower quality sites, do not use the same title and description for all. Personally I use at least 5 different descriptions, plus shorter and longer versions ( the character limit and minimums vary)and at least 5 distinct Keywords and variations. Submitting "best pi charts" or "pi charts" 1000 times is probably not going to end well. "best" might be rejected right away for protional language any way. See above for where to get more of those links. Alternating titles like "pi charts, pi chart store, pi graph information, order vintage pi charts, free pi chart reviews,etc" might work better and pick up a wider variety of longtail combinations as well. You get the picture. When you request these links use a name and a domain specific email. I like the create catchall email accounts with forwarding to a main account. What I mean is if someone emails anyname@yourdomaindotcom it all gets forwarded to one account with a lot of room. You can control all your email confirmations from one account.

I have found this mthod to be both the Best and Easiest as well as worst method to build links depending on the niche and site. The same goes for reciprocal links, or at least used to. I have seen sites dominate fairly competitive keywords and niches with almost exclusively low quality directory backlinks. I have also seen sites that ranked fairly high and then drop off the face of the earth after acquiring a high number of directory links.




4. Links- Recips I request

Pros: You can pick anchors
You can add links fast
Can choose to focus on relevant exchanges


Cons: Time Consuming and Labor intense
Automated options usually don't work well
You will get a lot of terrible links and requests that are trash
People will try to scam you by removing your links or placing on orphaned pages
Not as valuable as one-way links
Even if they don't hurt ( debatable), they often help very litte
You could link out to a page that you regret


Strategy:




5. Links I do Not Control at all

Pros:


Cons:


Strategy:

BlogRush is Shut Down - Bye Bye!

A couple of my posts here on this site have been dedicated to "BlogRush," a program that promised to bring all bloggers more traffic, and related traffic at that, and everyone would benefit. Well first I wrote about how BlogRush was a great idea that would help us all get traffic, then I wrote about how BlogRush kicked us out for no reason, and never let us back in. Well now I'm writing to say that BlogRush has said screw it and just shut down. I figured since the "big timers" like John Chow and Shoe Money said that BlogRush was going to be great, it would surely be useful to some degree. You just put their widget on your site, and they exchange traffic with other relevant sites...seems great, except the fact that the started getting spammed, which most programs like this do, and then they went manually accepting sites into their program, which sounded good, but somehow it got all of our sites kicked out, with no reason or explanation, and they were never allowed back in. So yeah, farewell blogrush, the minute they decided to kick out hard working people like ourselves and couldn't get your shit together, it was all downhill from there. So BlogRush goes to the cemetery along with other programs that will supposedly help you skyrocket your business, as we keep on plugging away with straight up hard work, and the use of the everyday methods that are out there for everyone to use like link building and some social networking sites when needed. Maybe someday a program that actually works and helps will be created, but BlogRush, you are officially NOT it.

MuellerDeals.com Returns Home, and The Journey Continues.

It's been a few months since I've updated here, and there's no better time for an update being that I recently was able to secure my original website, MuellerDeals.com, after having sold it a few years ago, which i wrote of in my very first post here on Ultra Business Ramblings. As explained in my first blog, I sold MuellerDeals.com after accepting an offer from an interested party who had seen the work and presence in search engines we had achieved with it. Well I guess after a couple of years, the person did nothing with it, it became available again, and we have now secured it and plan to bring it back to it's original level of success, and even further. This is a big thing to make a nice profit off hard work on a site, then be able to bring our flagship site back into our family of business sites.

Aside from the return of MuellerDeals, it's been more of the same as far as keeping focus on building and improving money making sites, and getting college classes under my belt. College is still something to do on the side to help me through this building period until sites are making sufficient money. So that's my Business Ramble for now, I'll be back in the next few hours or so with news on the BlogRush, which I've posted on before here, but I'll only be posting one more time on it from the looks of things.

Stay Away from the MLM BS Kids

People who should know better always seem to fall for these MLM scams. No matter what "product" is being sold or the type of pay "matrix" when it comes down to it all this garbage follows the same script. We mentioned Amway failures before, but there are many opportunities just as bad or worse. MLM by any other name still smells like shit.

What I really hate is there really ARE legit ways to Make Money at Home on the Internet. But most people are uninformed or just plain lazy. No one wants to do any actual work but everyone wants a "business." It's too bad that so many people would rather ripoff people and even scam their family than put in some time and effort doing something productive.

Let me give an example by comparing 2 Home Business Opportunities. I would think this one is a no-brainer but I guess I am wrong.

Opportunity 1:
No fees; $0 to join
Get paid commissions on sales of actual services
Allowed to use competitive vendors/programs to offer the best deals
Your market is the world- serve millions through online or offline marketing
No need or pressure to recruit other agents- Compensation based on your efforts
Commission is very high- either a very high residual or % or high double digit spiff

Opportunity 2:

Pay $500 to join
Get paid commissions mostly on recruiting, services are secondary
Has one offering, no competition on quality or price
Prohibited from selling online or marketing in any way, can only sell to warm market
Only get paid anything significant if you talk SEVERAL people into parting with 500 bucks
Commission on services ( similar services to opp # 1) is pennies

Now do you know which one of these people seem more likely to choose?

Don't do it, kids.