The Death of Google (1996-2012)

Posted by Jim in Finding Cutomers, Hot Niche Markets, reputation and influence, SEO: Search Engine Optimization, Traffic Generation 10 comments

A bit dramatic perhaps, but if I’m right you’ll REALLY thank me.  I’m not foolish enough to predict the actual demise of Google, but they are changing dramatically right before our eyes and I think I can help us all win if we understand what’s happening.

My last article told you why I thought CONTENT was king and how to rank high in Google search results the right way. This article is my supporting proof to hopefully convince you I’m right.

My title could be a bit less dramatic, sure.  More accurately stated, this article is about the massive changes I see coming in Google search, and while I’m almost certain it will impact Google’s bottom line in a BIG way, I’m much more interested in helping you know what to do about it NOW to be in a great position as it starts to happen. Even if I’m wrong, I’ll have golden advice for you at the end of this article that will make total sense to you (I hope).

Summary:  This article is about how Google search will inevitably change very soon (I predict) and how to benefit from it starting now.

I’ll cover three things:

1. The facts we know
2. The only obvious conclusions I can think of as a result of these facts, and
3. What you can do NOW to position yourself for traffic, wealth, influence and greatness as Google changes.

Not only do I think trends are in play to wipe out a chunk of Google’s cash flow (Billions annually as browser users “mature”), I also think that the famed Google search engine algorithm is in jeopardy of being increasingly irrelevant very soon for billions of search terms.  Even if these observations are well ahead of their time, I’ve got some golden advice for you anyway. If I’m right about the time-line though, I think you’ll be calling me a genius as early as a couple years from now.

Bold predictions perhaps, but see if you can find any holes in my logic.

We know these facts:

• How Google Makes it’s cash: Google generates most of its revenue currently from Ads running via Adwords/Adsense etc.  If you search for “how to build a dog house” you’ll get paid ads mixed in with what Google thinks are the best sites on the web on the subject based on it’s complex and highly secretive ranking algorithm.
• We are starting to ignore ALL ads: The WHOLE WORLD (especially online) is caring less and less about what advertisers have to say about themselves (paid advertising), and they are caring more and more about what other users and independent reviewers have to say. It’s an undeniable trend.
• We (Google users) are getting smarter and we have opinions: Google users will learn soon (and most have already learned) that the “organic” or “unpaid” results on Google are where the true experts and most respected results are. Sure, paid search results are monitored by Google for “quality score”, but it’s still a game of who has the most money and time to put into writing creative ads. The paid ads do not reflect the quality of the business, knowledge of the expert or usefulness of the content behind the ad. In other words, for good reason we as consumers are caring less and less about paid ads even on Google.
• Google wants us to rank content online and WILL increasingly respect our choices: Google recognizes the need to get end users into the game of “ranking” content, providers, businesses, experts and everything else.  This is why Google came up with the +1 system you see everywhere now. Those ranks will inevitably begin to mean more and more over time. How do I know this? Why else would Google allow us to “vote” on virtually every piece of content online if Google plans on ignoring our votes? I think we’ll see some anti-fraud measures added to the +1 system and Google will take the votes increasingly seriously over time. Sure, they may keep their “algorithm”, but just as with Local Search we’ll start to see the customer feedback really driving the ship. The challenge for Google will no longer be tweaking the algorithm, but will become preventing +1 fraud.
• Ignoring consumer preferences and FORCING us toward paid ads would hurt Google: Any unbiased ranking system can not possibly allow “paid” positioning to be confused with “most popular” results. Sure, Google will still run ads, and sure, some people will still click, but who do you trust more if you are buying a book about building a dog house,  1,000 of your voting peers, or a slick ad writer?

The big question:

If I’m right, where are we heading given the above facts that I think are indisputable?

What will Google do as all these trends unfold and the changes begin to effect their bottom line?

Some of Google’s options once this loss of ad revenue scenario plays out (these are my theories only):

• Start charging us a pay per use/membership fee to use Google (not likely)
• Stop allowing us to vote on content and hope we’ll trust their super secret ranking algorithm forever instead – while also hoping that we’ll accidentally continue to click on and respond to paid ads (this option would almost certainly lead to Google being replaced by a better search engine that allows and respects our votes)
• Google will find a way to snap up experts, top content producers etc. like they snap up small companies now and find ways to cash in on their content. Don’t think they’ll do it? That’s how they run YouTube now with “invitation only” revenue sharing. It won’t be Adsense either – that’s already “uncool” in most corners (and fewer of us will be clicking ads remember?)
• Get a govt. bailout because they are too big to fail (joke)

Regardless of whether or not it plays out exactly like I’m betting it will the following advice is pure gold:

• Create great content and post it all over the place online. Content will clearly RULE both short term and long term online. Any SEO tricks, built in a week websites, set-it-and-forget-it marketing efforts etc. will all DRY UP and be useless at an increasingly faster pace.
• Actively seek the votes and support of your audience as you crank out high quality, low cost (or free) content.
• Monitor your influence and take steps to increase it.
• Engage with your audience. Be in constant conversation. Ask for tangible feedback and support from them.

What if you are not an expert at anything yet? Tap into this trend anyway by helping other true experts capture and share their great content online. I’m always looking for creative people with creative ideas that will expand my reach online and I’m willing to reward their efforts. I’m not the only one in that position either!

You’ll also find many “clueless” experts and content rich businesses in the world that could use help getting into position for the shifts that are happening. Convince them that content is king and then help them get it out there to their eager audience.

Author: Jim Cockrum+

Interview with an eCommerce expert – Mark Mathis

Posted by Jim in Creative Ideas, Hot Niche Markets, inspiration 29 comments

Use Twitter? Let others know about our interview! ->

Mark has dozens of successful eCommerce sites in a bunch of “inch wide / mile deep” niche markets and I just spent over an hour with him on the phone as he spilled the beans on how he does it. The full interview and more details are at this link.

You’ll love how stable and easy to get into this biz model is. He uses drop shipping for product delivery, and he’s not the expert on the products he sells. He does virtually NO customer support himself either. His model is very slick and very scalable.

If you have any questions about eCommerce sites please leave a comment! You can ask questions here on my blog and Mark will help answer them (use the comment button at the top of this article)!

How to be known and trusted by thousands online

Posted by Jim in Creative Ideas, Email Marketing tips, Hot Niche Markets, Information Marketing, Offline Biz (IM for Brick-n-mortar), reputation and influence 12 comments

Use twitter? Click the green “tweeted” button and spread the truth  ->

It’s a strange story to start with, but did you know that I have a partner that I’ve never met?

Actually we’ve never seen each other or spoken to each other and yet he and I run an active, growing, profitable (five figures monthly) website as 50/50 partners with thousands of adoring fans visiting the site weekly as paid members.

How is all of that even POSSIBLE?

Here’s a new business truth you MUST grasp in order to “get it” so that you can then benefit from it:

TRUTH:  For the first time in human history it is now possible for any of us to establish rock solid trust with individuals or even large groups of people globally without ever meeting them, speaking to them, or seeing them in person.

You can get as large as you’d like online once you grasp that TRUTH.

This one truth is probably the biggest “game changer” that the Internet has brought to the world.

I’ll cover “how to do this” in a moment, but first…

What impact has this truth had on us all?

This single truth is behind the movement away from “old advertising” methods where advertisers tried to interrupt their way into our life without any trust being established first.

Now we expect far more from those that we do business with. Without even noticing it your own standards have likely risen dramatically.

For example, why do the vast majority of us now go to Google to find the services we need instead of just opening the Yellow Pages?

Is it just the “speed” of the research? Maybe, but there’s another factor that has lead to us chucking the yellow pages.

I think a big part of the answer lies in the fact that we want to make sure that we do business with someone that has a good reputation and is trusted by others. It’s pretty easy to do online – but the phone book can’t do that for us.

The 50/50 business partner I mentioned above is Andrew Cavanagh. He and I run a very successful membership site at offlinebiz.com. We have over 9,000 members, and make multiple decisions weekly as a team, but we’ve never met.

Better yet, we’ve never even spoken because he lives in Australia and I live in the United States. The time zones just don’t accommodate a whole lot live phone calls (neither of us like working late, or getting up early), so in the four years we’ve been working together we’ve never spoken–not even once.

For the first time in human history it is now possible for any of us to establish trust on a big scale with individuals or even large groups of people globally without ever meeting them or seeing them in person.

Do Andrew and I trust each other? Yes, implicitly. As much as any two business partners ever could. How is it possible to go into business with a total stranger and put tens of thousand of dollars seemingly at risk with them? Are we both just crazy? (perhaps, but there’s a better theory…)

Here’s what we know that you should know by now as well:

It didn’t take Andrew very long to research my reputation and see that I was among the most trusted experts in Internet marketing. It also didn’t take me very long to do the same research on him and see his expertise being freely shared on popular discussion forums in our niche. We agreed to a partnership within about two days of having swapped our first email.

How can you set about building a reputation online that positions you to be instantly trusted? It really is simple.

• Find discussion forums where people that you can help hang out. Help them.
• Find experts that have large audiences of people that you can help. Support and help that expert.
• Find popular websites that attract the sort of people that you could be helpful to. Be helpful.
• Write a useful report and give it away – while growing your email list of course. More info on that in the “Email Marketing Tips” section of my blog)

Establishing trust can happen faster, and on a bigger scale than ever before, but it still starts with proving that you are trustworthy and capable.

In my own business I frequently invite my own top customers and proven followers to join me in growing my business. How do I find these people? It’s easy, they are the ones that spend time helping others, and truly enjoy doing it.

If you aren’t the type of person that enjoys helping others, you will struggle to ever establish a noteworthy presence in the new economy.

Learn how to add a Facebook “like” and “send” button to any webpage like I just did in this 2 minute YouTube Video

Enjoy this article? Please leave a comment by clicking the comment button at the top of this article.

The Main Street Marketing Machines: 2.0 Fusion offer has ended, but there is good news!

Posted by Jim in Creative Ideas, Hot Niche Markets, Offline Biz (IM for Brick-n-mortar), Social Media 179 comments

MSMM is no longer available, but OfflineBiz.com is still here for you and still growing every day! With over 9,000 members and the top experts in the business on our forums, you are sure to find the help, ideas, and partnerships you are looking for at OfflineBiz.com.

If you are interested in helping “real world” businesses with their Internet Marketing, or even if you just want to explore the idea, Come check it out!

If you purchased MSMM recently be sure to fill out the below opt-in box and send us your order number for confirmation.

My bonus offer for MSMM buyers

Did you order using my affiliate link, or upgrade because of my prompting? Sign up NOW below for bonus notification! If you have your order number, you can use a different email address when signing up – we’ll still find your order!

Has Amazon.com just delivered a silent body blow to eBay? (And the launch of the ‘Proven Amazon Course’)

Posted by Jim in ebay tips, Hot Niche Markets 90 comments

Use Twitter? Give me a tweet! ->

Update Sept. 2011: To get the best selling course about selling on Amazon creatively visit: ProvenAmazonCourse.com (the course is 50% off temporarily!)

Original Recording In the below recording I talk about one of the major advantages that Amazon has over eBay now and how you can benefit. This is the “body blow” that Amazon gave eBay in their ongoing struggle for dominance in online selling.

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