While investment strategies require a great deal of care and planning, they can be a great way to supplement or replace your current income, if so desired. Investing is also an alternative way to work from home. With that said, I strongly encourage you to do your due diligence and invest wisely. ~ Alan

Finding some truly great covered call option investment strategies is not as simple as many people might think. The reason for this is that although the internet abounds with numerous opinions and advices with regard to investing money in covered call options, they are so diverse that choosing the best one is almost impossible. However, what you can do is to get the top investment strategies and decide on the best possible alternative for you. In order to help you with this, the current article presents the top 7 investment strategies, which can teach you the most important things that you must know about investing in covered call options.

The Top 7 Covered Call Investment Strategies for Falling Markets

Unfortunately, the specialists are talking these days about falling markets and the disasters they engage. Everywhere we look, we can see the international indices increasing a little bit only to fall more than before. But, even in this financial environment, there are specific covered call strategies, which can help investors to get some hefty profits. Most strategies can be implemented with the help of three distinct methods, which include LEAPS, index futures, and ETFs bought on margin.

Although these methods relate to the same financial objective – which in this case is generating profit – their mechanics are completely different. This thing actually means that they suit various situations and requirements based on the investors’ targets. However, as the main scope of this article is to reveal the most important covered call option strategies that you can apply in order to register some great profits even in falling markets, the methods that you may use for implementing these strategies are not that important. The rest of this article concentrates on explaining the top 7 strategies for covered call options.

1. LEAPS Covered Call Strategy

The LEAPS covered calls are those options that include a minimum period of nine months until the expiration date. In most cases, these calls can be purchased based on underlying security. The short calls that belong to LEAPS processes are usually sold monthly and the operation repeats until the covered call expires at the end of the nine-moth period. The cost of these options is determined by a few factors, including long-term volatility, expiration date, interest rate, and intrinsic value.

2. Index Future Strategy

Another strategy is to get covered call options with index futures. The index futures actually refer to futures contracts, which give investors the chance to get security in order to set prices in the future. In most cases, the prices incorporate the cost of invested capital – that is equal to the call rate – from which the broker extracts the dividend yield. Thus, as you can easily comprehend, the futures calls are actually securities, which give institutional investors the chance to become retail investors and earn more profit than if they would use other strategies.

3. Covered Call Options in Margin Account Strategy

Margin account allows investors to buy different securities with the help of borrowed money. If an investor possesses options and margins in the same margin account, the person in cause can use a leverage strategy. This thing can be done by purchasing an ETF or stock on margin and selling monthly covered call options. It is essential to know that this strategy highlights some potential pitfalls, which underline situations when the interest rates vary widely and call options decline in value. Therefore, before opting for this strategy, an investor must ponder any related risks carefully.

4. Leverage Strategy

By choosing leverage investing strategy, an investor can complete various investment tasks with borrowed money. Usually, an investor, who chooses this investment plan, must use covered calls with low volatility, which ensures increased returns.

5. Covered Call Return Strategy

In most cases, this strategy pairs a short call option with a long position. This combination is able to deliver high returns of investments due to low volatility. The reason for this is that, even in the falling market, the covered call premium usually reduces the effect of negative returns, making them positive.

6. Complete Option Report Strategy

By simply using a Complete Option Report, you can make money in different markets. This thing can be done by trading stocks based on the markets’ weaknesses and strengths. If you regularly check the Complete Option Report, you can choose the most profitable covered call option trades.

7. “Naked” Call Strategy

This strategy teaches you to use an interesting twist. You can write a call option without having 100% stock shares. This thing indirectly means that you write a “naked,” also known as uncovered call. It is important to know that this strategy may be implemented with the help of a contingent buy order, which helps you to purchase a stock at the call’s strike price.

If you succeed to apply these strategies, you can be sure of the fact that you will record some hefty profits even in falling markets. If you opt for one or more strategies, you can increase your profits with about 12% more than you usually generate.

While we have seen a boom in online marketing, it is still subject to the same issues as any other marketing when we are marketing to existing customers. To remind your customers you are in business, and get more money from them, it takes a little more effort. Working on different principles will be essential. You should think about appreciation, reminders, distributing new content, new offers, and you should also keep track of what they have purchased in the past.

Here are 5 ideas to help you with marketing to your existing customers.

1. Reward Programs

Customer programs have become essential for so many businesses. Not only do you encourage your customers to stay with you, you also keep a detailed record of what they purchased. Building up knowledge of your customer’s behaviour will help you to predict what they will buy in the future. You will also be able to predict when. If you take this to the next level, you will know when to make certain offers available.

2. New and Fresh Content

Web-based marketing is always an excellent way to stay in a conversation with your clients. Facebook marketing, Twitter marketing and blogging are excellent ways to distribute new and useful content to your clients. Your content could even instigate more business because you are covering more areas than your clients are aware of.

3. Seasonal Gifts

Online printing services make light work of your business card and other company printing needs, but have you had a look at other services normally available? Tea and coffee cups are an excellent gift to give each year. They are just one of the best long-term marketing investments to take advantage of, no matter what business you are in. Everyone will use them, and everyone will see your business name and contact details for a very long time.

4. Support Programs

By creating a support program, you give yourself another reason to stay in touch with your clients. A support program could include a client review of your services, and a self-review of your client’s current business. Support programs are an opportunity to increase your sales, especially when you have updated products and services.

5. Personalization

Personalization is essential. Your customer loyalty will help you with this. Always remember customers are people, and if you have been doing business with them for some time, it is important you know how to address them.

Re-marketing and marketing to existing customers can get very complicated. Cold calling new customers can be much easier when compared with approaching existing customers for more business. Having real offers that supply solutions to real needs will be extremely important. You know them, and now is the time to demonstrate that.

The following is a guest post by Rachel Hyun Kim. If you would like to write for this blog, please checkout the guidelines here.

For many individuals, abandoning the corporate or office life in favor an unconventional lifestyle is a common goal. Instead of the traditional 9-5, many people want to pursue their lives towards what they love to do. However, this path may seem like, at best, a risky endeavor.

However, turning a hobby into a business is not an impossible goal; in fact, many people are using this as their sole means of living. Various platforms, such as Etsy, thrive solely from individuals who have created a business from their side projects and hobbies. Nearly any hobby, side project, or passion can be turned into a business; the trick is to simply find the right path.

5 Tips for Turning a Hobby into a Business

It may be tempting to completely devote yourself into a hobby, combining what you love with a way to make money. However, like any business, this move requires considerable time investment, dedication, and a well-constructed business plan. The following are useful tips that will help anyone create a business from their hobby:

1. Do What You Love

At first glance, it may seem like a dream to turn a fun hobby into a business. Some individuals fully embrace this idea, but others quickly burn out and grow to hate their hobby. Before starting a business, individuals need to consider whether they can spend more time and effort converting a hobby into a full-time endeavor. In short, you should make sure that your passion and enthusiasm is enough to carry you throughout the long hours and low points of your journey.

2. Consider the Demand

You may have heard a great deal of praise for your hobby, from loved ones, friends, and colleagues. However, praise is not a solid foundation for a business. Regardless whether you have the passion for the hobby, this dedication is nothing without actual demand and a defined market. While generating ideas for products and services, try to pinpoint the ideal customer profile. Understand the demographics, and whether your product could appeal to a specific niche. Carefully understanding the various aspects of the market will allow you to further conceptualize and carry out your business.

3. Create a Business Plan

Without a well-constructed business plan, a prospective business is unlikely to succeed. A typical business plan consists of the various details of the business, such as an executive summary, the company description, and the organizational structure. Entrepreneurs also need to determine whether they have sufficient capital, and if this money will sustain the business until it becomes profitable. In addition, the individual should also create a projection of the business into the future, as well as the anticipated profits and remaining capital.

4. Build an Online Presence

Nowadays, most small businesses have a website and an online presence. For the budding hobbyist-turned-businessperson, the Internet can be an extremely valuable tool. Not only will a website provide a virtual storefront, it can also serve as a foundation for building an online presence. Social media and online marketing can allow the entrepreneur to directly connect with their customers, creating a dialogue between the two.

5. Take It Seriously

One of the most important tips for the entrepreneur is to take their business seriously. Because the foundation of the business stems from a casual hobby, it may be tempting to allow the endeavor to take a backseat role. However, if the individual is serious about creating a business, they must have a similar attitude about the experience. Register the business as a legal entity, and create a side bank account associated with the business. By taking the hobby seriously, the individual can take the first step down the entrepreneurial path.

Converting a hobby into a cash cow can be a daunting task. But with enough dedication, a budding entrepreneur can turn his or her hobby into a profitable business.

About the Author:

Rachel Hyun Kim is a writer on topics ranging from phone systems to background checks. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including B2B lead generation for small business owners and entrepreneurs at Resource Nation.

Travis Sago, the BUM Marketer, has a free eBook available called Blog Blueprint for Beginners. It’s not very often I recommend blogging eBooks, but I’m huge fan of Travis and his work, and I use various services that he either owns or uses himself, and also recommends to others.

His free guide is top-notch, and I’ve been given the opportunity to pass it along for free to all of you. This guide is full of put-it-to-use information about starting a blog and making money with it. There are 86 jam-packed pages of content inside.

If you’re not aware of who Travis is, he’s one of the guys behind the BUM marketing method. Travis is also the creator of one of the most successful relationship products on Clickbank, The Magic Of Making Up.

Simply put, Travis knows what it takes to create websites, drive traffic to those websites and make money with them.

Originally, the eBook was going to be used as a free bonus to those who signed up for Travis’s InstaCash Keywords Membership, which I’m also a member of. Instead, they decided to make it available to anyone who wanted to learn a step-by-step process on how to build their first website or improve upon one they already have.

Blog Blueprint for Beginners

As I mentioned before, the eBook contains 86 pages of content you can put to use right away.

Here’s just a small sample of what you’ll find inside:

• Choosing Keywords to Target
• Registering Your Domain Name
• Purchasing a Web Hosting Plan
• One Overlooked Secret to Making Your Blog Sell More… (and get more traffic)
• Setting up WordPress on Your Website
• Adding Plugins (with a Recommended Plugin List)
• How to Covert Your Traffic into Buyers with a Button
• Creating Disclaimer Pages
• How to Get Quality Articles Written Dirt Cheap (the same method I personally use)
• Introduction into Affiliate Marketing
• Using Banner Ads
• Adding Google Analytics

And MUCH more…

You can download the eBook for free here.

I would recommend this guide for complete beginners and also for novices. You may find that there are some resources Travis links to or various strategies he talks about that you didn’t already know.

For example, a couple of sponsors that made the guide possible include iWriter.com and Ken Leatherman’s MakeBacklinks.com. Both are services I use and would recommend to anyone who needs high quality content written and backlinks created to help grow your business or site. You can’t beat the price, either.

Again, you can download the eBook right here. I recommend right-clicking the link and choosing “Save Target As” or something similar (depending on your browser) to download directly to your computer’s hard drive. The file size is kinda big.

Another eBook I recommend if you’re a beginner or experienced marketer is the Nomad’s Guide To Make Money Online. I’ve written my recommendation on this eBook in the past, and you can view that post here.

I feel both guides compliment each other well and would serve as a great arsenal for anyone to start up a website or blog and begin making money online.

Disclaimer: I am in no way obligated to recommend Travis’s Blog Blueprint for Beginners guide or any of the resources he recommends and that I linked to in this post. I receive absolutely nothing in return. No commission of any kind, no mention, etc. This recommendation is based solely on the helpful content and links contained within the eBook.

I do, however, receive a small commission if you decide to purchase the Nomad’s Guide To Make Money Online guide based on my recommendation.

If this is your first time here on my blog, first of all, welcome. Every month I do a detailed income report, showing you exactly where my income comes from. This gives you an idea of the various income streams that are available, as I strongly believe you shouldn’t place all of your eggs in one basket.

This is also a way for me to measure my success (or failure) from month-to-month. Each month will vary in income, and that’s all part of working from home as an affiliate and internet marketer. This acts as a motivator for me to keep pushing forward to reach my goals.

I hope you find these income reports helpful and give you encouragement that it is possible to make money on the internet.

Let’s see how I did last month…

Income from ReplaceYourSalary.com

• PayDotCom – $220.67
• Clickbank – $11.96
• Google Adsense: $138.97
• Project Payday: $33.60 (commissions earned from promoting the program, not actually using it)
• AdFish – $115.20
• Advertising Sold – $200
• E-Junkie – $14.80
• Paul’s Backlink Service Affiliate Program – $172

Total = $907.20

Google Adsense Record

I yet again hit a new Adsense record, bringing in $138.97 last month. Right now I’m just over $50 for this month, so it doesn’t look like I’ll break this record, but $100+ seems achievable at this point.

Income from Proofreading/Editing Services

It’s an honor for me to be able to provide a high quality and much needed service, and it’s been an honor serving my clients. You can learn more by visiting the link below.

• Professional Proofreading Services

Total = $478

Income from My Micro Niche Adsense Site

Google Adsense earnings for this month from the site totaled $7.70. This amount is included in my total Adsense income as reported above.

Total Online Income

Total online income IS…

$1,385.20

How Well Did You Do Last Month?

If you feel comfortable, I would love to hear how well you made out with your online endeavors last month as well. Feel free to share with us by leaving a comment below…

The following is a guest post by Dean Woods. If you would like to write for this blog, please check out the guidelines here.

Choosing the right niche for your blog can be a tricky thing. You have to pick a topic that’s popular and potentially monetizable. You should be able to write a great deal on the topic as well, so it’s necessary to pick a topic with which you feel totally comfortable.

This can be a taxing job for anyone, which is why we’ve provided 10 steps that’ll help you choose the perfect niche for your blog.

1. Make A List Of Topics You Know Well

Niche bloggers need to earn subject matter expertise in their chosen area and have the ability to research information. It’s important therefore to blog only on topics with which they are comfortable. Dig through your knowledge base, your hobbies, interests and pursuits and come up with a list of 15 topics for your niche blog.

2. Test The Topics For Longevity

Trendy topics such as current politics, policies and so on will not hold user interest over time. If you plan on monetizing your blog and building a name for yourself, you need a niche that will stand the test of time. Review your list of 15 topics and shortlist 10 or 8.

3. Perform Keyword Research To Check Niche Viability

Search engines index your site based on a number of factors, but primarily, they look for targeted keywords. Locate specific keywords that pertain to your niche topic shortlist using Wordtracker’s Keyword Tool.

4. Check If The Niches Are Popular Or Not

You need to know if people are going to like your blog once you’re up and ready. Run the keywords you isolated through Google Analytics to find out exactly how many people are searching for related topics. You can use this method to compare different topics and gauge the popularity of each one.

5. Check Out The Competition

Search for the most popular keywords from your isolated keyword list and check out the blogs that correspond to them. By doing this, you can find out two things; the popularity of certain niches, and the presence and density of competition in each area.

6. Fine-Tune Your Shortlist

Set aside those niche-specific keywords for which there are fewer competitors. Fine-tune your shortlist of topics based on these results; at this point you should have no more than 5 topics on hand. You know that your final shortlist of topics will work in the blogosphere. There are few competitors, but the niches are popular and there’s scope for interest.

7. Check If The Markets Are Buying Markets

After your keyword research comes market research. Find out if the topics you’ve shortlisted are part of the buying market. Many bloggers who started blogging years ago started their blogs on a whim but found that it takes hard cash to sustain their blogs over time. There’s no point in doing all this research if your niche is not part of the buying market. Who knows, doing this exercise might even open up a few new ideas of niches for you.

8. Check Out Market Segmentation

If you have a number of popular keywords for your shortlisted topics, find out how segmented the market is. One of the most important steps in marketing is to divide your audience based on their interests. You can then craft a customized, targeted message to grab more eyeballs.

For example, if you want to blog about movies, find out how many people are searching for “top movies 2011,” or “download movies 2011.” If more people are interested in watching movies and talking about them than downloading them for free, a blog targeting movie fans will probably get you more traffic.

9. Further Fine-Tune Your Shortlist

Review all your research up to this point. At this point, we suggest that you create a worksheet with the following columns: Niche Topic, Popularity (out of 10), Competition, Keywords, Audience Segmentation, and Monetizability Scope. Bring your shortlist down to 3 or 2 from 5. Make sure you document every aspect of your process in your worksheet. You never know when you might need to start another blog or take up a different niche.

10. Follow Chosen Niche Blogs ON Social Media Sites

Make a list of the blogs that correspond to your shortlist of 3 and follow them via social media. Find out how each blog is faring. Study their posts regularly and subscribe to their feeds. Take a few days time and pick the niche that’s most successful out of your list of three. Now you’ve done everything you could to pick the best niche. You know your niche is popular, the competition is bearable, you know your audience, you know the keywords to target, you know who your biggest competitors are and therefore who to network with. In short, you have all the info you need to start the blog.

About the Author:

Dean Woods is a freelance writer and writes on topic related to conversion rate optimization, landing page optimization and online marketing.

The following is a guest post by Evan Fischer. If you would like to write for this blog, please check out the guidelines here.

If you’re in business to make money (and most of us are – even non-profits have to pay their staff), then you could be looking forward to another year of bringing home the bacon.  And yet, this little hitch in the economy (you know, the Great Recession?) could be seriously affecting your ability to stay afloat, much less increase your earning potential.  This could leave you working twice as hard for half the income and losing clients left and right in the process.

However, here are 5 easy ways to focus on keeping the business you have and even attracting the interest of a few new clients this year.

Here are some ideas that are sure to get you on track for a fiscal year that is better than the last.

1. Word of Mouth

There’s no better way to drum up guaranteed interest in your goods or services than through word of mouth, and your current clientele could become your most important asset in this respect.  If you deliver superior service to your clients by way of personal attention, innovative solutions, and speedy delivery, they’re not only going to keep coming back for more; they’re also going to spread the word.  And because they’re trusted emissaries, their business associates will no doubt take them at their word and seek you out.  In this manner, you can virtually turn your clientele into brand ambassadors, and all you have to do is behave in a professional, ethical, and proactive manner that keeps your clients happy.

2. Advertising Efforts

Okay, so many small businesses don’t have anywhere near the advertising budget that their corporate competitors enjoy.  But, that doesn’t mean you have to stand on a street corner with a sandwich board in order to get your name out there.  While you should certainly put money back into your business with advertising efforts, you don’t necessarily have to blow your entire surplus on local television ads to be successful.  Thanks to the internet, there is a whole world of marketing possibilities that won’t cost you much at all (ad sharing, industry forums, even viral video campaigns).  The more you know about online advertising, the better chance that you can stretch every dollar and reach a much wider client base.

3. SEO

If you are one of the last to hear about the benefits of search engine optimization, it’s not too late to jump on the bandwagon.  So you have a website… now what?  Doesn’t it just run itself?  Sadly, no.  Self-run websites are about as far off as self-driving cars (although Google is working on at least one of them right now, and it’s probably not the one you think).  It is for this reason that you need to learn the basics of SEO so that you can bring in targeted traffic, raise your page rank, expand your web presence, and ultimately, reach more potential clients.

4. Self-Promotion

Cold calling, advertising on job boards, and sending out mailers and promotions as a way to check in with potential clients may not sound like much fun, but considering it could mean the difference between padding your bank account and closing the doors (so to speak), you really can’t neglect basic self-promotion.

5. Branding

Many small businesses mistakenly believe that “branding” is some nebulous no-man’s land of marketing lingo that helps corporate employees justify their overblown salaries.  Okay, that’s actually kind of true.  But if you haven’t considered how creating a brand image can benefit you, then you’re a bit behind the curve.  The truth of branding is that it’s more than just a business sign or a logo.  It has to do with the principles that your business is based on, including the customer experience, how you interact with your community (business or otherwise), and your stance on giving back to the industry that supports you.  In short, everything you do reflects on your business, which means it has the power to help or hurt you.  So, it is essential to track how your business is viewed if you want to figure out how to best attract new clients.

About the Author:

Evan Fischer is a freelance writer and part-time student at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California.

This post will serve as an official notice to all who are subscribed to my blog, either through an RSS Reader or by Email.

It is with great regret and sadness that I have changed the RSS feed to only show a summary, or excerpt, of posts rather than the entire post content. This means that rather than being able to view and read a new blog post from your favorite RSS Reader or by email, you will now have to actually come here to the blog to read new posts in their entirety.

Why Have I Done This?

Honestly, this decision was not made lightly. If you’ve been subscribed for more than a few weeks, you will know that all posts were shown in their entirety on the feed. I originally started this blog that way, and I truly wanted to keep it that way.

Sadly, it had gotten to a point where I could no longer jeopardize my blog and its content by keeping the feed as it was, so I was left with no choice but to change it.

You see, out there in the great distance of the internet, there lies a few dishonest, unethical people who like to outright steal legitimate blogger’s RSS feeds and use the content as their own on their blogs. Through plug-ins or other methods, the content from the feed can be published to a WordPress blog just as a normal blog post.

Their blogs, if you even want to call them that, are basically the result of multiple RSS feeds being scraped for content. These scraper/farming blogs are completely worthless and usually never rank in search engines.

The problem, however, is that my blog posts are showing up on sites like this, sometimes instantly after I publish a new post. This bugs me, alot.

I have links pointing to my site and blog that I DO NOT want on those kinds of sites. If a search engine like Google were to find my scraped content and index it, I can only imagine the consequences. Perhaps nothing bad will happen and Google would deem those sites useless like everybody else does, but really, why chance it? I can’t take the risk.

I realize this is a huge if, but I do not want to jeopardize my blog and everything I’ve worked so hard on to be penalized based on the actions of an unscrupulous few.

What This Means for You

I fully realize the inconvenience this puts on all of you, and I sincerely apologize. Believe me, I would prefer to keep the full content shown in the RSS feed. As a reader of many other blogs in the industry, I prefer to read entire posts through email.

I guess what I’m saying is, I understand the hassle. Really, I do.

From now on, if you want to read the entire post with all content included, you’ll be required to visit the actual post page. A link is included to make this step convenient for you, however.

There’s a slight chance I could change it back to showing full posts. More on this later.

Previous Steps I’ve Taken to Avoid This

Implementing an RSS Footer

If you notice on the feed, I have a footer in place that links to the home page, the blog’s home page, and the page where the specific post is located. I implemented this RSS Footer a long while back to serve a few purposes.

• Provide links to you for quicker access to my site and blog.
• “Thank” you for being a reader. I really do appreciate the support.
• If someone did steal my feed and use my content as their own, the footer would be included, making it obvious that my content was stolen.

Blocking Specific IP Addresses

A neat little tool I get with my web hosting is an IP Blocker. It comes handy when I need to block certain people for spamming or other mischief, based on their IP address. This can also be done through your .htaccess file if you don’t have an IP Blocker available.

Since the beginning, I have blocked the IP addresses of those I’ve known to rip my RSS feed and blatantly steal my content and use it as their own. This is usually done when I see that it becomes a habitual act. Comments in the form of Trackbacks from the offending sites show up in the comments waiting to be moderated, so if I see multiple Trackbacks originating from the same site, I block them so they can no longer pull my feed and steal my content.

What Now?

What will happen now is that whenever a scraper/farming blog does steal my content using the RSS feed, they will only get a short summary of the post, along with the RSS Footer attached.

My goal in doing this is that it will deter offenders (I’m not holding my breath), and that it will also keep my content in its entirety along with any links off of these types of sites (This I know is true).

Now that this is said and done, I want you to chime in and let me know what you think. I would appreciate any feedback or experience you can provide in how to deal with this issue, and if you can answer any or all of the questions below, I would greatly appreciate the help and support.

1. Will this have an impact on whether or not you read my blog? Be honest, please!

2. Do you agree with my decision based on the circumstances I presented, or do you feel I’m being too irrational?

3. Could you provide any cold-hard evidence to suggest that this isn’t necessary and that it is ‘OK’ to keep full posts in the feed?

I’m really curious to see who has an answer to that last question. Seriously, if you can provide evidence to show that this move isn’t necessary and that I’m just being silly about this whole thing, I’m all for changing the feed back to showing full posts.

Okay, let me know below in the comments, and thanks again for being a reader!

The following is a guest post by Amanda DiSilvestro, If you would like to write for this blog, please check out the guidelines here.

First and foremost, you should be writing for your readers. Your content should be centered on your target audience, and your aim should be toward giving advice and adding value to your readers that find your site.

However, many companies write for reasons aside from reader experience; in particular, SEO. For those who are unfamiliar, SEO stands for “search engine optimization” and is a way for search engines to find content and determine where it falls on the search engine pages. The search engines use an algorithm that looks for several different components — duplicate content, keyword stuffing, doorway pages, etc. — and then it ranks the pages according to quality.

Now, every company knows that it is important to show up on search engine pages. Whether you’re starting a small business or are a veteran business owner, this is a great way to drive traffic to your site. For this reason, many companies write specifically for SEO purposes. They do keyword research, write content based on that keyword, and fit in unnatural keywords into an article just so the search engine bots will find the article and deem it “quality.” In some cases, there is nothing wrong with writing for SEO, but there is something wrong for writing only for SEO.

Here’s why:

• Search engines do not like websites that write strictly for SEO. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be hard to catch this, and sites have been getting away with it for some time.
• Readers do not like sites that write strictly for SEO because the content is not catering to their needs.
• Your website will surely never win any awards or special mentions in the online world. Editors and other website owners don’t like when content is written specifically for SEO.
• You will have a bad reputation. Although you may show up on page one of a search engine page, no one will want to stay on your page for more than a few seconds because there is nothing of value.
• You run the risk of getting penalized if the search engines do find out you’ve been writing (or even creating pages) specifically for SEO and not readers.

What many businesses don’t realize is that it is possible to get to the top of search engines if you write for your readers. This will boost your traffic, people will want to link back to your site when writing their own content, and you will eventually find your way to the top of search engine pages. If you think you’re ready to change your ways and start writing for readers instead of bots, consider a few of these changes you’ll need to make:

5 Ways Writing for Readers is Different than Writing for Search Engines

1. You need to write content that will get shared

When you write content for readers, readers will want to share this content via their social networks. This means that when writing, you need to be conscious of what you promise and what assumptions you make. If you’re writing strictly for SEO, you are likely writing in generalities, but writing for your readers is more personal. You cannot say “all of the customers at my last job weren’t nearly as much fun as you” because this could get back to your old customers! You also can’t offer a great deal to some people one week and then a mediocre deal to some the next week. I think you will find that writing in this way really does take a conscious effort.

2. You must be completely open and honest when you have made a mistake

If you’re really going to focus on writing for your readers, you have to acknowledge when something bad has happened with your company. If someone has a complaint, you cannot simply keep quiet about it because that customer won’t keep quiet about it. They will surely put a negative comment on your website and share it on all of their social networks. For this reason, it is important that your content changes as things like this happen. If there is something that needs to be addressed, you will need to address it through the content on your website (mainly because it probably began through content on your website).

3. Variety is important when it comes to content

Generally when a website is only focusing on SEO, they are focused on one or two specific keywords. This can get boring for readers because the general topic of the content is so similar. When you’re writing for readers, you want to make sure you have a variety of different topics on your website. The topics can fall under a general umbrella such as “business,” but each article should be something different about business. Not only that, but it helps to have content written in different forms. For example, you do not want an entire website full of “Top 5 Things” type blogs or a website full of only opinions.

4. The content will not always be about you and your company

While SEO is focused on your company, writing for readers is about being honest. Giving credit where credit is due is a great way to show that you are active in the online community. This will increase your exposure because whomever you are discussing will likely want to pay it forward and do the same for you. Even if they don’t, you have their audience looking at your content because they recognize a name or a blog you are referencing. All in all, this is a great way to connect and seem “real” to your readers.

5. Have a conversational and informal tone

You don’t always have to sound informal when trying to write for your readers, but it can help. Even if your website is very serious and centered around facts, you can offer a conversational tone that will help make things easier to understand. After all, if you’re writing for readers, you want to sound like a reader. If you’re writing for the bots, well then you will sound like a robot.

About the Author:

Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from social media to workers compensation insurance. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including phone systems to small businesses and entrepreneurs for the leading business directory, Business.com.

I know what you’re thinking, and no, this does not have to do with dating. Unless of course you’re looking to date a work from home opportunity, then you’re in luck.

All kidding aside, I’m always on the lookout for new ways and opportunities to make money online. Well, sometimes they end up finding me instead. This one came in the form of an email that introduced me to LucrativeMinds.com. A little bashful I never heard of the site before, I had to inquire more and find out what it’s all about.

What is LucrativeMinds.com?

Probably one of the most notable features on the site is the work from home compatibility match. Yep, you read that right. Basically, you spend about 5 minutes to fill out a questionnaire, and at the end, their proprietary technology will match you with the make money opportunities that you have the best chance of succeeding with.

Sounds pretty cool, right?

Here’s more, straight from the site:

This Lucrative Minds^SM patent pending technology is a unique aggregation of labor intensive manual research and the world’s most trusted web and business research data sources.

They offer management tools so you can mange the opportunities you’re matched with using their Lucrative Score^SM. Combined with a Compatibility Engine^SM, these opportunities are ranked so that you can pick and choose which ones you want to go with, assuring you a higher success rate, since they’re based on the information you entered into the questionnaire.

Their main goal, which is parallel to mine, is to help people avoid scams and common internet fraud. That’s been my primary goal since the first day I launched this site. There are numerous scams and thieves out there today, so whatever we can do as a whole to make people aware of them is a good thing.

What You Can Expect To Find

LucrativeMinds.com is also a huge work from home resource, not to mention they dub themselves the ‘Work From Home Research Professionals.’ Here’s just a little of what you’ll also find on the site:

• List of Work From Home Opportunities
• Blog
• Forum (Must be a subscriber to gain access)
• Resources Page
• FAQs
• LM Investigator Page (Goes more into detail about what the site is about and their stance on scams)
• Articles and Education
• And More

You’ll also want to read the Why Trust Us page, which fortifies a lot of what I’ve stated already. There’s also a short video clip with President and Co-Founder Greg Carter, who I had the pleasure of emailing back and forth about the site.

Advantages Over Other Sites

LucatriveMinds has many advantages over other work from home sites, most notably the innovative technology they use to match people to specific opportunities. But, there are some other distinct features that set them apart from the crowd.

From the words of Greg, they:

• have APIs that go out and gather data, most on a daily basis.
• let the community chime in and provide ratings.
• provide an unbiased score to each one of their opportunities.
• are 100% free.

The ratings system is what stands out to me. Members can rate every opportunity and resource they come across. By offering member ratings, this provides assurance among members that the opportunities are reliable and that members had a positive experience (assuming the rating is positive, of course).

I could go on and on, but honestly, just go to the site and see for yourself. There’s nothing to lose but 5 minutes of your time. You may just find the opportunity you’ve been waiting for, that is, if you haven’t found it here first.

Disclaimer: This post was written in agreement that Greg will showcase my site on LucrativeMinds.com’s blog in exchange for my positive review of his site. With that said, I fully believe that LM is a credible and reliable resource for money making opportunities.