In Memory of my Dad - Paul Avila

August 3, 2008 was the 20th Anniversary of my dad passing away. It’s hard to believe 20 years have passed by so quickly. He was a very hard worker, great Dad and Husband, leader in the Hispanic community and was liked as well as respected by his peers.

After his cancer diagnosis at age 49, we had 10 short months together. I was only 16 at the time and I remember how he did everything he could to to teach me as many life lessons as possible during those final months.

Looking back I can remember a few instances while I was growing up when he would say … son you have to “Make Things Happen.”

During the past 20 years I sometimes hear that same phrase “Make Things Happen” in conversations, in movies, commercials etc. It’s like a sign from above reminding me of my Dad and this valuable lesson.

“Make Things Happen” implies to me:

- No one is going to do it for you.
- No one is going to come to your rescue.
- No one is going to hand you a winning lottery ticket.

We are responsible for our own success.

Take Action and “Make Things Happen!”

Wish you the best!

Robert Avila

Share with a friend

As you are growing your Internet Business using Google AdWords it’s important to know your numbers.

You will want to dedicate time towards tracking your impressions, click thus, number of orders, sales revenue, click thru rates, conversion rates and ROI goals. This may seem obvious, however it’s easy to lose site of the numbers when you are busy adding new content, testing new web designs and finding new ways to create value for your visitors.

What happens if you don’t know your numbers?

Well, you are flying blind. There is no way to truly know where are at in respect to your sales goals, traffic goals etc. Is what you are doing working? Who knows unless you are tracking your progress.

So let’s say you have started tracking your numbers in Google Adwords and are documenting your results in a spreadsheet. You now have an ongoing view of your impressions, click thru’s, cost, revenue etc.

Now What?

What does all this mean?

If your click thru’s are low, then revisit the Keywords you are bidding on and review your Google AdGroup Titles and Descriptions. Perhaps the terms you are bidding on aren’t as relevant as they could be to your AdGroup Creatives? Are your AdGroups specific enough? If not tighten them up so that your Keywords are highly focused and relevant to your Keywords being searched.

Once your click thru’s are respectable, now lets take a look at your conversion rate.

When you see low conversions it’s time to do some investigating and find out why? Review your landing pages. Are your Google Ads driving traffic to the most relevant pages on your site? Is the page you are sending visitors to giving them what they want? Is the landing page answering the question they are searching for? If not make some changes to the sales copy on your landing page or choose different landing page to send visitors to.

Now the other hand, if your click thrus are great and you have high conversions it’s important to understand why you are successful so that you can duplicate your results in the future.

Here is a quick review:

Low Impressions – Your Keywords are receiving a low search volume or your bids are set too low. Keyword research and reviewing your bids will help you identify what is causing low impressions.

Low Click Thrus – You ad copy titles and descriptions are not enticing your visitors to click on your ads. Revise your creative and include the Keywords you are bidding on in the title and description. Continue to test different ads until you see improvement.

Low Conversions – Review your landing pages and sales copy. Is the Keyword you are bidding on relevant to the landing pages you are sending visitors to? If not revise your sales copy headline. Sometimes a headline change can yield a higher conversion by drawing in the visitor to read the rest of your sales page. If you are still not seeing an increase, revise the body of your sales copy.

You can apply reviewing and understanding your analytics to: Conversions for opting in subscribers to your mailing list, selling products on your site or how well the traffic you are sending to an affiliate site is converting.

Wish you the best!

Robert Avila

Share with a friend

This may be the most important formula you will ever come across in your Internet Marketing Career:

Great product + no marketing = no income

When I first read about this formula in a post by Steve Pavlina , it was like getting smashed in the face with a 2X4!

I had been spending hundreds of hours working on all the wrong things for months. My priorities were all focused in the wrong direction. Content and web design are important aspects to Internet Marketing, however the best looking website with the most amazing content won’t generate any online profits without traffic. Many of us tend to focus our efforts on creating great content and building traffic gets bumped to the bottom of the list.

Be sure to read Steve’s Post he lays out a game plan on exactly how to build traffic!

Wish you the best!

Robert Avila

Share with a friend

Derek Gehl - The CEO of the Internet Marketing Center is going to document starting an Internet Business from scratch…..step-by-step.

To prove that it is possible to start an online business and generate sales from scratch, Derek will start a new business by finding a niche market and document it on video for everyone to see. Derek will use his Be Biz program to prove it works!

If you are interested as I am in seeing him do this….generate online sales from zero be sure to check out this short video.

Derek Gehl’s Free Be Biz Videos

Derek will identify a niche market, create a product, build a website and drive traffic. This free series will consist of 4 free videos.

Wish you the best!

Robert Avila

Share with a friend

If you currently have a blog or are interested in getting started, then “Blogging for Dollars” is a must have!

“Blogging for Dollars” will walk you through everything you need to know about starting a blog, setting up RSS feeds, how to monetize your blog, and provides examples of what to blog about.You will be able to follow along step by step in the comprehensive manual and learn how to increase traffic to your site using blogs by watching a DVD of a live training!

I actually attended the live training while it was being filmed. Even though I was there “live”, taking notes like a maniac….there was so much detailed information that it was a challenge to get all the information down in my notes.

By watching the DVD, you’ll be able to follow along at your own pace and start building your first blog in a matter of minutes!

Click here: “Blogging for Dollars” to find out more.

Good Luck Blogging,

Robert Avila

Share with a friend

More and more people are looking to start an online business.

As we approach the end of 2007 with 2008 rapidly approaching, most of us begin reflecting on the past year. If starting an online business was on your to do list and you haven’t started or you have been struggling it’s time to get started now.

During the last few weeks, I have had several people ask me:

Where is the best place to start?

My response is always the same.

You will want to start with “Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet.”

This course is by far the best resource you will ever find that will walk you step-by-step on how to build an online business the right way.

Follow though, click here and get started today!

Yes, I am done procrastinating and want to start an online business now!

Wish you the best!

Robert Avila

Share with a friend

Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization are often used interchangeably, however they are two similar but different aspects of Internet marketing.

Search Engine Optimization involves optimizing web pages to ranking naturally (organically) in Search Engines.

Search Engine Marketing refers to marketing your online business using PPC advertising (pay-per-click) on Search Engines.

Google Adwords usually comes to mind with Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

Based on your bids and quality score, your ad will appear in sponsored listings along the right hand side and on top of all the natural search results for Google. Your ads will also be syndicated on other Search Engines and websites within their network as well.

Stay tuned for more details and resources to enhance your SEM and SEO initiatives.

Wish you the best,

Robert Avila

Share with a friend

Search Engine Optimization can be an overwhelming aspect of Internet marketing that tends to intimidate most people.

Due to the dynamic nature of Search Engine algorithms there are some basic principles to follow, however there are no magic formulas.

Optimizing your web pages for targeted keywords, including H1 tags, including keywords in your landing page URL’s and building relevant links from relevant web sites with anchor text that are keyword rich are just a few.

One thing to keep in mind is the goal of Search Engines.

What does Google want to accomplish?

Google wants to provide relevant results for Keywords and Keyword Phrases their visitors query.

This will build loyalty among their visitors by providing a positive user experience.

So how do you achieve this?

It all comes back to the basics mentioned above.

When you focus on offering something of value to your visitors you will accomplish just about all of those Search Engine Optimization principles.

Relevant content updated regularly that is seen as a valuable resource to it’s visitors will attract incoming links.

Relevant content will also contain Keywords and Keyword Phrases naturally.

The titles of your web pages will also contain relevant topics.

Like everything else in Internet marketing it all comes down to doing the work and staying consistent.

Wish you the best,

Robert Avila

Share with a friend

I was recently talking with someone about making their online business more efficient.

Sometimes it can be a challenge starting an online business and working from home.

Avoiding distractions, setting work hours, setting deadlines and making a profit online are just a few of the challenges many of us face.

When starting out….. Make Sure You Have A Plan.

I have a friend that is currently working on launching an online business. Now I think very highly of my friend and know he has what it takes, I see the market potential, I see the work involved in launching the site, I see the challenges ahead…but the one thing I don’t see is a business plan with deadlines!

The result - This “launch” has been in the works for nearly 5 years now!

There is even talk of a “bricks and mortar” store being unveiled.

How can this happen?

Last year….maybe even 2 years ago there was discussion about choosing the design for a gift card.

A Gift Card? A What?……Yeah….a gift card for a website that doesn’t exist yet.

Gift Cards and physical locations to compliment a website that isn’t live yet.

In any business there needs to be a vision. Having a vision of gift cards…multiple bricks and mortar locations all of that is a great thing.

One needs to know what the end result looks like. If you don’t know where you are going it will never happen.

However….

You can’t do everything right now. You can’t focus on everything and ever see any measurable results.

Everything has it’s time in place along the continuum.

Have the big vision…and also have the pieces laid out in a logical fashion.

Focus on what’s important right now. Don’t jump ahead.

Don’t plan what celebrities will endorse your product when you haven’t even registered a domain name yet =)

When setting your deadlines, do your best. You can always make adjustments. You may not know exactly how long each step will take. That will come from experience. Don’t let not knowing how long something will take prevent you from laying out a plan with deadlines.

A open ended deadline will postpone your success.

Specific goals get specific results.

Wish you the best!

Robert Avila

Share with a friend

I recently met a couple of friends for lunch.

We getting caught up with each others businesses and began discussing Internet Marketing.

I was asked:

“Knowing what I have learned over the past year, What advice would I have for some wanting to start an Internet business?”

The first responses that came to mind were: Finding a viable niche market, providing value to your visitors, building relationships with your online customers and having the time and money to invest in your online business dream.

The #1 recommendation I would make ….That sums it all up is…

There are no shortcuts with Internet marketing.

Starting an online business is similar to starting any business….It will take time and money….and most of all allowing your efforts to compound.

It will take a lot of sowing….Before you can have any reaping.

This is the biggest challenge for most people.

Most people can’t stay in the game long enough to see any success.

There are so many millions of potential clients out there on the Internet and it takes several months and years to reach them..to build your brand.

Do the work…..There are no shortcuts.

- Robert Avila

Share with a friend