128 Comments

• Gary Pettit said:
  

  Wow Eric…that was a GREAT lesson. I never knew how important blogs could be for marketing until recently. Can’t wait to start putting all this into action…thank you!
  
  Ps: By the way Eric, I just completed my first website through xSitepro(very first website period for that matter). I know it’s not perfect but any feedback would be much appreciated.One of the automation systems I promote in the membership area is your Push Button Marketer and also set my auto responder confirmation to PBM. Hopefuly it gets some traffic as well as business for you…oh ya, and me…lol
  http://www.InstantTrafficPaysites.com

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    cool thanks. It looks good, did you make your own header?

    [Reply]
    • Gary Pettit said:
      

      Nope(not entirely)…I did some of it with xHeader,animation factory,and snagit. A friend of mine finished it off with some of the graphic accents(like the gold mouse & flying money)

      [Reply]
  • http://www.kwameoforiatta.com said:
    

    Hi Gary, your site looks good. Nice graphics. Did you you do that. It looks nice and neat. Pretty good for your first site.

    [Reply]
  • Angie said:
    

    is your special offer still available. my computer said that link coming off was expired.

    [Reply]
• Erasmo Velez said:
  

  Love your lessons. Lots of details. I’m actually editing my blog as you go through this lesson.
  I have your RSS on my blog. Very helpful Tips.

  [Reply]
• latha said:
  

  Thanks Eric. You should charge for this information.

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    I probably will some day

    [Reply]
• Bryan Hee said:
  

  Blogging playing important role in the marketing. It’s allow two ways communication and build the relationship with your customers. Money is in the relationship you build with your customers.

  To Your Success
  Bryan Hee

  [Reply]
• Richard said:
  

  Thanks for the awesome information once again Eric, Just to add Gary, Xsitepro is a great tool for building websites thats what I use for my sites as well

  [Reply]
  • Gary Pettit said:
    

    Yep, I agree with you 100% Richard…it’s an awesome tool. By the way,I checked your site out and looks Great!

    [Reply]
    • Anonymous said:
      

      Thanks Gary

      [Reply]
• Alfonso Ruiz said:
  

  Thanks Eric as always you are teaching as a great master!
  Recently i wrote an article and need opinions from some readers. Please just go to http://alfonsoruizbiz.com

  God Bless,

  [Reply]
• Pete Moring said:
  

  Thanks for another great video Eric.

  Strangely enough, my main blog that’s associated with the business I’m trying to ‘drive’ at the moment is the one I find most difficult to write content for.

  I have other free blogs covering ‘personal interests’ and I have no problem there.

  Would one of your future blogging videos include a method, or methods ‘you’ might use to get your brain into gear and clear writers block. (Or maybe you don’t get it)
  Pete.

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    I probably will not be covering writer’s block, but there are quite a few helpful articles on the internet.

    Sometimes it just takes perseverance and discipline to break through the writer’s block. There are times where I don’t feel like writing for Eric’s tips, and I struggle to finish a post. But then I’ll hit a breakthrough and the words will flow again.

    On the other hand, this is one major advantage of choosing a niche that you’re really passionate about and can talk about easily. If your topic doesn’t excite you, it could be a problem.

    One way around that problem could be to hire someone or partner with someone who is able to provide the content. This works especially well in niches where you are not the expert. For example, suppose your niche is horse health, but you know nothing about horses. You could partner with a horse expert, and have them write for you, and lend credibility to your business. In return, they receive a percent of the profits, and the opportunity to share their knowledge with the world.

    [Reply]
    • Pete Moring said:
      

      I suppose my problem is, that my main interest is promoting ‘Quality-Driven-Businesses’ in my own area mainly. But as soon as I start writing something, it all looks a bit ’spammy’, which is obviously what I don’t want.

      I may well take your tip and out-source the job while I relax with my more diverse blogs that get no real views anyway, but allows me to let off steam

      [Reply]
• How To Make Money Blogging By Eric Holmlund said:
  

  […] his highly recommend series on how to make money online. This one looks at blogging, and it’s an excellent introduction to the various ways in which you can make money blogging. […]

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    Thanks for the shout out Neil

    [Reply]
• Graham Jones said:
  

  Good stuff. Like Gary Vaynerchuck, my blog makes me plenty of money and it has NO advertising and only very occasionally an affiliate link or an Amazon advert. All of the income I get from my blog is because it shows off my “expertise” in my subject area. Companies then see I know what I’m talking about (hopefully…!) and they then pay me for advice. That makes me much more money than advertising has ever done for me.

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    Very cool, glad to hear it!

    [Reply]
  • Ian Brodie said:
    

    Nice blog Graham.

    Blogging works for me in a similar way. It doesn’t hold out the hope of “making millions” in affilliate earnings - but (according to the recent problogger survey) the vast majority of bloggers make very, very little in affilliate money.

    However, the vast majority of writing and guidance on blogging is all about that aspect - how to bring traffic and monetize via ads/affilliate links. Rather than how to use your blog to credentialise yourself and your services.

    Ian

    [Reply]
• Luca Di Nicola said:
  

  Hi Eric,
  These lessons get better and better. Did you say that there will be 100 when you’re done?
  I’ve spent too much time looking at templates and trying to place ads on my site. Thanks for reminding us that it’s important to build traffic first before going to crazy with ads. I think we’re all to impatient especially me.

  Nice tease at the end of the video. So how does Gary Vanerchuck make money

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    Thanks, I keep trying to make them better

    Yes, my goal is 100.

    [Reply]
• Anonymous said:
  

  Eric,
  Another great lesson.

  A couple of questions.

  1) Static site in the root directory and blog in a folder OR
  wordpress in root directory with static pages in folder

  which is preferable, and I want to have uniform look both for static pages and wordpress blog.

  2) I want to create a static page as home page. Create more pages and do product review or comparison review of products.

  The landing pages where I send traffic through PPC, will not have distractions like nav bar. Otherthan that those will have the same content as other static pages in the site.

  I guess I need to put robots.txt to avoid duplicate content penalty too.

  Then have wordpress blog where I can keep adding articles or posts like a regular blog.

  How to do this?
  Thanks

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    It depends on your overall strategy for your site. If you’re selling an info-product on your site (like the example of Vince DelMonte in the video), then it may be advantageous to put the sales page or squeeze page on the home page, and put your blog in its own directory.

    But if it’s mainly a product review site, I would put WP in the root directory, as I’ve done on my site.

    There are actually certain themes (and perhaps a plugin) that will enable you to remove the sidebar from any WP page simply by checking a box. So you might not need to double up on those. Otherwise, yes you could use robots.txt, but if you only have 2 instances of the review on your site, I don’t think it will be a big problem for the SE’s.

    [Reply]
• Will said:
  

  Eric, I followed your link to Mike Filsaime’s Butterfly marketing. I have been trying to contact his company to cancel his newsletter with no success. When I go to login at his website, it says I am not in his database. That is very interesting because he keeps sending me emails at the same address.If this guy is a friend of yours, I suggest you get better friends, this is a scam.I would like you to post this to warn others.

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    It’s not a scam. You can cancel by email, phone or helpdesk. You can call to cancel future issues and payments by simply calling +1 (631) 615-4597 at anytime 24 hours a day / 7 days a week.

    Anyway I didn’t promote it because of the newsletter. As I showed in my bonus video, I promoted because of Butterfly Marketing, and because of how much it has helped my business.

    Those who avoid Butterfly Marketing because they’re afraid it’s a scam will miss out on a great tool that they have the opportunity to pick up for free.

    [Reply]
  • Luca Di Nicola said:
    

    I also took up Eric’s offer and ordered The Butterfly Marketing Course. Have not received it yet. You can try cancelling by calling 613 615 4597 or going to his helpdeask at thecustomerhelpdesk.com

    It may be that it’s just to early to cancel as all the products have not shipped yet.

    I hope this helps.
    Eric, I hope this info is correct

    [Reply]
    • Eric said:
      

      I just tested it, and you should be able to cancel.

      http://ericstips.com/bfmcancel/

      If not, I would suggest be patient with the helpdesk.

      [Reply]
  • Mark said:
    

    I believe you it is not a scam but it is impossible to cancel subscription at this time.

    I have called the phone # which tells you to go to cancelmetoday.com but that does not work and it asks for all my credit card info again even though I have been billed for shipping.

    I tried their help beck and that has produced no response or help.

    I am hoping that it will be corrected soon but it is a pain and way to time consuming so far.

    [Reply]
    • Eric said:
      

      I went ahead and tried it to see if that was the case, and I had no problem cancelling. See:

      http://ericstips.com/bfmcancel/

      I do not doubt that it didn’t work for you, but it’s not intentional on their part or anything like that. They’ll get it taken care of.

      [Reply]
      • Mark said:
        

        Thanks for taking the time to record that. I did everything you said but nothing to cancel on the cancel page.

        When I bought it, it was when 10,000 other people were trying. I will wait and see, hopefully they will straighten it up soon.

        Thanks Mark

        [Reply]
• Leanne said:
  

  Thanx Eric, another informative lesson, as usual. I got knocked out for a while from the ice storms we had. But thanx to you I’m back at it. Thanx for all your help. Without it I would have been totally lost. Still proves my newbie status, I’m afraid.
  Eventually, I want to add links to your site but I will need to go back and look at that lesson where you mentioned it. I’ll get there. See what I’ve done so far - http://1159online.com

  [Reply]
• marianne said:
  

  Very Interesting as always !! I too am trying my hand at blogging and would love it if you visit my blog. Your comments would be warmly welcomed !!
  http://iblog.at/marianne/

  [Reply]
• Colin Noden said:
  

  Loved the range of income options and the specific examples Eric. Sometimes it is hard to understand until I see a business model in action. By the way, I love the “Eric’s Tips” business model. I understand that you use affiliate promotions to fund this, so whenever I need a product or service, I check to see if you are promoting it. I also try to steer others to your links. It truly is win-win… I buy what I need and get great advice/education for “free”.

  Question. How is this working for you?
  Colin

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    Thanks Colin It’s working well. It’s a lot of work when you are the main content provider, which is actually something I’ve heard Gary Vaynerchuk talk about as well. But it’s worth it if it’s something you enjoy. The only thing I don’t like is how much time it takes. Yes the affiliate promos are essentially funding it. I could live off it of I wanted to. But once these lessons are done, I can also turn them into a product that I can sell in various formats. So I’m basically putting in the work now on something that will bring in income for years.

    [Reply]
• Innocent said:
  

  Thanks Eric for another great lesson. I would really appreciate it if you could find the time to take a look at my blog and see how I can improve on it, including its monetization.

  Thanks once again, I always look forward to your lessons.

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    Thanks. I just looked at your blog…

    First, I think you’re doing a lot of things correctly. I like like how you’re building a list by giving away the ebook.

    I also like how it’s very focused on the success theme.

    The text in your header graphic is redundant. You only need to state the 3 points once, but you have them each twice.

    The adsense link units are nicely integrated, but I question their value for monetization.

    My main concern is with your personal branding, as it relates to your target market.

    If you are targeting business opportunity seekers in general, particularly the USA, then I would recommend not branding yourself or anything on your site as being Nigerian. Do NOT take this the wrong way… I’m speaking purely from a business standpoint. The fact is that the biggest thing you need to create with this type of blog is TRUST, and you will have a major strike against you for being Nigerian.

    On the other hand, if you are targeting mainly a Nigerian audience (and I would imagine a few other African nations would be compatible), then I would recommend going all out with your personal brand. You have the opportunity to brand yourself as the honest Nigerian marketer with integrity, who provides excellent value, and really set yourself apart as a Nigerian guru.

    One other thing I noticed is I had a hard time getting to your home page from the interior pages. I would link the header to your home page.

    [Reply]
    • Innocent said:
      

      Thank you so much Eric for having time to give an honest and exhaustive view of my blog. I really appreciate it, and I will heed your recommendations. God bless you!

      [Reply]
• BlogMoneyMania said:
  

  Thanks Eric!

  Started my new niche blogging business and hope to become successful with it.

  I also am starting a new biz custom designing blogs & headers.

  [Reply]
• Graham in U.K. said:
  

  Hi Eric
  Another well explained video lesson!
  I’ve got my first site up, and need to add links to it - so I’m looking forward to the next lesson.I will use a blog to bring traffic to the site (I hope!).I’m still pondering about using autoresponder software on my site?
  Thanks for the lessons - they’re great!
  regards
  Graham in UK

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    Everyone should use an autoresponder service to build their list. I use and recommend Aweber. It should be a part of your blog, but I’m not covering it in this blogging module, because I’ll be doing an in-depth module on list building.

    [Reply]
    • Mark said:
      

      Will that be pretty soon?

      I was going to attempt it on my own but if that is not to far in the future, I will wait.

      Thanks Mark

      [Reply]
      • Eric said:
        

        I’m actually covering product creation before list building, so it will be a while yet. You could get started on your own. Aweber has plenty of tutorials for the basic stuff.

        [Reply]
• Mark said:
  

  After attempting to get Butterfly Marketing and being totally frustrated, I am so grateful how you handle things and how you deal with me here either in this format or even with your helpdesk response.

  Thanks again, your help is much appreciated.

  Mark

  [Reply]
• http://www.kwameoforiatta.com said:
  

  Hi Eric, great video, awesome information. Do you do one on one coaching? If you don’t and you decide to start let me know. If you have one in place just let me know how to get into it.
  Love your trainings. God Bless you.

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    I do offer one on one consulting:
    http://www.ericholmlund.com/consulting

    But within the next year I’m planning on doing a group coaching which would be more affordable.

    [Reply]
• Terrance Charles said:
  

  Powerful tips Eric, clearly demonstrated tips. Will put them to use on my blog, thanks.

  Terrance Charles
  http://www.twitter.com/TerranceCharles

  [Reply]
• Renee Allyson said:
  

  Very insightful lesson, Eric! I’m in the last stages of redesigning my current website (targetting large families), and I never thought about doing my own domain blog till now. I started 5 other free blogs (inorder to get links), but felt overwhelmed with updating all 5 with slightly differing material each time. Perhaps I should give up that idea, and just stick with my own blog? What do you recommend? Thanks for the super lessons!

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    If the reason for the 5 free blogs is to get links, that’s exactly the type of task you can outsource easily. Someone overseas could easily take your main content, change it, and use it to formulate blog posts for the “feeder” blogs.

    In the mean time, I’d say that’s fairly low priority. There are easier ways to get links.
    I’m currently testing out a service called Traffic Sage and so far it’s going well. They have two programs:

    $497/month (this is the one I’m testing)
    $297/month (you can see it if you try leaving the page)

    I’d focus on making the one blog as good as possible. I like the cheaper by the half dozen theme. Are you an Above Rubies subscriber?

    [Reply]
• kannan viswagandhi said:
  

  Hi Eric,

  Another informative lesson.
  Now,Blogging becomes an inevitable part of every business.
  In my opinion,content is the king for monetization.
  Gary is driving traffic to his winelibrary site through his blog.
  Looking forward for the next lesson.
  Thanks for sharing.
  Thanks,
  Kannan

  [Reply]
• Bounama said:
  

  Great Eric
  Honestly this is the most sensible
  course i have got from a guru.
  Not filled with hype, nothing to
  please and everything to educate.
  Sincerely

  [Reply]
• La Vie Viennoise said:
  

  This is good stuff. I don’t know how you can bring yourself to hype all those windbag affiliate offers when the reality is so much simpler.

  Thanks Eric.

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    thanks Alec I’ll take that as a compliment coming from you

    [Reply]
• Ginger said:
  

  As usual, can only say, Wow!

  [Reply]
• Aby said:
  

  Thank’s For Your Tips My Friend (^_^)..he..3x

  [Reply]
• Brent said:
  

  Always Good Stuff!

  [Reply]
• Mark said:
  

  This is a call out to anyone who uses XSitePro2. Seems to take 24 hours to show up when I make a change on my website using XSitePro2 and publish it. Did not have this happen until I installed wordpress.

  It has been over 24 hours since I published this time and the changes have not shown up when I view my website.

  Any thoughts or any help would be appreciated.

  Sorry for the newbie question that is off topic.

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    It should be instant. I’m wondering if perhaps it is a browser caching issue? Try clearing your browser history/cache, and you should then see the new version.

    [Reply]
    • Mark said:
      

      Thanks, that was it!

      Firefox was set before to clear my cache every time I shut it down but I had forgotten that I had changed that setting.

      I was loosing sleep over this racking my brain.

      So simple but I would not have figured it out.

      If I hang in attempting to do all of this it will mainly be because of you.

      If you do put all of this on a DVD I will be the first in line.

      [Reply]
• VIJESH said:
  

  CAN PLEASE SENT ME ALL THE LESSONS ON C.D.

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    I am planning on selling them on CD/DVD when the 100 are complete.

    [Reply]
• Michaela said:
  

  Hi! Eric and all of you, I was out of the picture, missing in action… for 12 days. I am back now, try to catch up I’ll be in line shortly. Talk to you soon!
  Michaela

  [Reply]
• Angelina said:
  

  Thanks Eric for another great lesson. Placing adsense on a blog is by far the easiest way to monetize it but looks like you need a thousand or so visitors per day to make a decent earning. This is true for other affiliate ads as well?… I’m looking forward to your next lesson.

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    This really depends on your niche and your overall business plan.

    For example, if you’re in a niche where AdSense clicks are worth several dollars per click (like legal, medical, etc), then you might not need much traffic to make good money.

    Or if your business plan is to build lots of blogs… you might have 100 blogs each getting a small amount of traffic each day, but each making a few dollars a day, which adds up.

    The same principles would apply to affiliate links as a form of monetization.

    But as you will see in the next lesson, I think there is a higher priority for a business’ primary blog.

    [Reply]
• Internet said:
  

  Mike from Butterfly marketing is very clever.
  I m not sure whether to believe him ssaying about that package.
  When he first came with the product he said 5000 copies won’t last long, and then after few days he came back and said that he had 5000 more copies left.
  Common—whats the proof he sold those 5000 copies in the first place. may be he was not able to sell 5000 and comes again making a story saying that he ran out of them and ordering 5000 more.
  And today he said he has around 250 left….
  Anyways—do not forget that its not free at all. You will be charged shipping and also subscription fee there after.

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    Dude… I could give you plenty of proof if I felt it was worth the time. He’s now given away about 14,000 copies. I personally gave away several hundred of those.

    [Reply]
    • Internet said:
      

      Eric–I can also show you proof that I make $14000/day . Will you believe if I show you the screenshot?

      I know you guys work hard and it needs lots of efforts. I have been involved with Internet since 93 and I also know what goes on…I m working on my blog also and just thinking whether to spill the real truth about all these affiliate marketing and related field. On the other hand there are so many internet users who are just beginners and have a no idea on whats going on. I can see that from the comments on your blog. I m also in the dilema..whether to spill the real honesty or just talk a lot…
      Anyways–no offence to anyone…

      [Reply]
      • Eric said:
        

        By all means, spill the “real truth”…

        In fact I think you should go to Mike’s office on long island and do an “expose” on the scam he’s running.

        [Reply]
        • KlondikeKate said:
          

          verrrrrrry funnnnnnneeeeeee!!!

          [Reply]
• eaglex said:
  

  nice info eric thx

  [Reply]
• Internet Marketing ABC said:
  

  Hi Eric,
  thanks for this great video for newbies - AND for WRITING DOWN THE MAIN POINTS.

  Look, I would have watched this video just from the title, but because I read your main points I figured I already know all this stuff. You just saved me from watching a 25 minute video that would have wasted my time.

  While I haven’t watched that video, I now subscribed to your blog because you demonstrated that you understand my needs and respect my time.

  Too many marketers don’t do that little extra step of summarizing their videos - I understand that from a marketing point, but if they want to educate and build a relationship, then your way is the best way.

  Keep up the great work, Eric!

  [Reply]
• Sriraj said:
  

  Pay per post should be a good option for a starter besides, direct monetization using Adsense and stuff… Sponsors only come up after you have an authority.
  Anyway, good to see you put up these in a video !!

  [Reply]
• Gary Pettit said:
  

  Eric,
  I already installed WP onto my website with an extention(/). However I want to change the extention to a new name now and I’m not sure how to do this. Am I stuck with the extension I chose or how would I change it?

  Best Regards,
  Gary

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    Its actually pretty easy to move it. you can move it to another location on your site without having to reinstall:

    http://codex.wordpress.org/Moving_WordPress

    Since all you’re doing is changing the directory name and not even moving the files, you basically just have to change the URI setting in your admin panel.

    [Reply]
    • Debbie said:
      

      I’m so glad this issue came up. A few weeks ago I changed my URL from my WP admin panel (I shortened it), then I was unable to access it. When I contacted Host Gator, they tried to help me find my files, but ended up erasing my database and installing a new WP site for me. I lost two months worth of content in an instant. I was so frustrated and angry. I finally had the blog looking good with some great plugins…all thanks to your lessons. So, if you have a step-by-step lesson on how to set up the directory and URL names correctly, please tell me which lesson it is so I can review it before I set up my next blog. Also, I assumed Host Gator was backing up my blog, I thought I was safe. But they only back up once a week and when they backed up my blog, it was after they erased my database. Please let people know how important it is to backup their files to their hard drives.

      Also, can you explain what a “text link” is exactly?

      Thanks for another fabulous lesson.

      [Reply]
      • Eric said:
        

        Instructions for changing wordpress directory are here: http://codex.wordpress.org/Moving_WordPress

        But my advice would be to just install it where you want it to be

        If you use the 1-click installation you should not have to mess with changing any directory names or anything.

        A text link is simply a hyperlink that you can click to go to another web page.

        [Reply]
• LESSON #38: Making Money with Blogs (Part 2) | Eric’s Tips said:
  

  […] In the previous lesson, we talked about how a blog can be integrated into your online business, and I covered several ways of monetizing your blog. […]

  [Reply]
• Don Moor said:
  

  Eric…

  Your series of training on blogs is outstanding. Very valuable info!

  I have a few questions re: blogs and blogging:

  [1] Are you permitted to have only one blog per domain? Or, can you have several different blogs that link back to your hub blog… all on one domain. Would each of the niche blogs just be in a directory of the main domain?

  [2] You talk about pages and catagories. If you have a hub blog (ie: a personally branded blog) and several other blogs in different niches, do you set up a catagory on the hub page for all those other blogs?

  [3] I notice that most of the themes that are available are written in .php. I can’t even spell .php so how do I customize my blogs?

  Thanks for all you do..

  Don

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    1) You can certainly have multiple blogs on one domain if you have a reason for it. But they would probably be worth more on separate domains. But if you have one strong domain with a good Pagerank, I could see some benefits of putting more blogs on it. It won’t give you SEO benefit from interlinking from between them though. In order to get good SEO benefit from the links, you would need to have them on seperate domains, hosted on different C-class IP’s.

    2) Rather than a category, you would probably just link to the other blogs directly. OR you could simply have one blog, and use different categories within that one blog for blogging about various niche topics.

    3) did you watch this one? http://www.ericstips.com/tips/lesson36/

    [Reply]
    • Don Moor said:
      

      Thanks a bunch Eric… I thought I had watched everything closely in #36… but I missed a couple of important things. After getting my courage up, I increased the font size in the body, added the opt-in (subscribe) box and changed some stuff in the footer. Pretty good for a guy that got kicked out of the first grade for shaving!

      [Reply]
• Dr. Lenny Sugerman said:
  

  Thank you Eric! You have been a great source of excellent content for me to learn internet marketing. I appreciate your lessons and integrity as an internet marketer. Keep it up!

  sincerely,

  Dr. Lenny

  [Reply]
• Keegan said:
  

  I liked the affiliate links section. It is a good technique. thank you

  [Reply]
• jobucks said:
  

  this video tutorial was very useful,anyways, I prefer direct monetizing using contextual ads(adsense,oxado)

  [Reply]
• Jason said:
  

  Thank you for that very clear and easy to understand video. Your steps are pretty valuable points. Looking forward to learning more from your post.

  [Reply]
• dawn said:
  

  good lessons eric. I just started my very first website. I finally took the step and got my own domain and hosting. I still have work to do on it but I think that is coming along nicely. I really want to thank you eric becuase if it wasnt for you I dont think I would be this far and I probably would have given up by now. Im not making money yet but I am get the clicks on the affiliate items.
  thanks again eric. I one day hope to help someone the way you have helped me.

  [Reply]
• James said:
  

  I am still waiting for Lesson #40 for almost 1 week and nothing happened till today. Eric, please help me. Many thanks!

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    Hi James. It’s because I was on vacation, sorry about that I am working on #40 now.

    [Reply]
• Gary said:
  

  Eric,

  Do you offer one on one coaching on the
  Subject of mktg and how to become successful
  At it?

  If not can you recommend where I can
  Learn real life mktg that works?

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    I am doing a limited amount of consulting:
    http://www.ericholmlund.com/consulting

    I am also hoping to launch a more affordable “coaching” option geared toward internet marketers by the end of this year.

    [Reply]
• Eleanor Liggens said:
  

  Eric I have not been receiving your tips through my email. I haven’t received one since lesson 39. Have you been sending them or was I in error to you receive your advise?

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    It’s because you are now caught up to me, as I am still working on the next lessons You will receive an email when it is posted.

    [Reply]
• Anthony said:
  

  Yes Eric a very good point on clean looking sites.
  It is quality content that works not quantity.

  Great Lesson

  [Reply]
• Ragnar said:
  

  Hi Eric,
  I fell blessed, well maybe not blessed but truly lucky to be able to watch your lessons before you put them on a Cd and start selling them. These lessons have really placed my mission on track.

  [Reply]
• Cecilia said:
  

  Eric i miss your silence…no more lessons and that is not very good. thank you very much for all your information you are the only one honest person that was able to show the backend of the internet. Can i ask for a suggestion…..I am very new on this can you please let me know if is important to have an email company or if isbetter to obtain a server and have it for ever. thank you for your response. Ceciilia

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    Unless you have massive resources to invest in your own email service (like if you’re a fortune 500 company), it is better to use an established service such as Aweber

    The reason is because there is a ton of technical stuff involved, laws you have to comply with, and relationships you have tp build with ISP’s in order to ensure email deliverability.

    [Reply]
• Terry said:
  

  The lesson 37 video isn’t working right now but no matter really. Based on what I was able to read in your notes for this lesson I have a question:
  I have a blog that’s intended to help present me as an “expert” and to give me a venue for presenting affiliate products I’m comfortable getting behind. The problem is that affiliate links form ClickBank look so obviously “affiliate” (and to me, Tiny URL links are just as bad). I like one affiliate product so much, I bought a domain to use on my blog to discuss the product. The link for that domain then redirects people to my affiliate page for the product. The thing is, once the person is redirected to the affiliate page, my affiliate link still appears in the browser (not the domain name that I got specifically to promote the product and use to redirect of course).
  Is there no way around this short of figuring out specific html script to put on my affiliate page which would mask the affiliate link. I’d have NO idea at all how to do something like that anyway, plusI’d really fear messing with the html would just end up with ClickBank not being able to recognize my affiliate code and my not getting my commission. But is there another method that experienced marketers use so that their affiliate id doesn’t show up in the browser?
  I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
  Thanks in advance. I enjoy your blog and happily refer it to others.

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    I wrote about this a few years ago:

    http://www.ericstips.com/tips/cloaking-affiliate-links-and-avoiding-the-tiny-url-syndrome/

    I generally use PHP redirects for my affiliate links.

    With clickbank, your CB ID usually still appears in the URL after the visitor lands on the vendor’s site. This can actually be remedied by the vendor on their end (by doing a silent PHP redirect of their hoplink target to another URL where the sales page resides). But in cases where it appears, I really don’t worry about it.

    There are ways that you can MASK your link entirely, in which case YOUR URL stays in the visitor’s address bar even after they arrive on the vendor’s site. However, I generally don’t recommend this because it can confuse the vistors, and can tick off the affiliate program providers.

    There are also other ways of doing it sneakily.. like putting your affiliate link in a FRAME, or simply embedding it on your website (cookie dropping), but those things are generally frowned on by affiliate program providers as well.

    So my best advice would be to learn how to make your own PHP redirects.

    [Reply]
    • Terry said:
      

      Just to check – Is a “PHP redirect” the same thing as doing a redirect via my web hosting, Host Gator (btw, I used your affiliate GetGator of my chosen Domain to the affiliate product page? If so, then that’s what I’m currently doing, and yes, the ClickBank ID still appears in the URL after the visitor lands on the vendor’s site.
      So, what’s all this I keep reading on different sites about the risk of affiliate links stolen by people looking to get other people’s commissions — If your affiliate link still shows up in the browser after the visitor gets to the vendor page, isn’t that still a problem? Also, does software like Affiliate Cloner do more than what PHP redirects alone can provide?
      Thanks very much in advance.

      [Reply]
      • Eric said:
        

        a PHP redirect is different from setting up a redirect within your hosting. That’s OK too, but I’ve found that sometimes the redirect setup in Cpanel has problems if there are certain characters in the URL like ? or &. So I prefer doing the PHP redirect. It’s real easy, once you set one up you can just copy it any time you want to set up another.

        About affiliates stealing commissions… here’s the thing:

        Commissions are not being stolen by malicious affiliates. It’s simply a matter of people deciding to order through their own affiliate link, which effectively causes you to “lose” a commission. But my philosophy is that anyone who really wants to order through their own link is going to do it regardless of how well you cloak your own link. So I personally don’t worry much about that aspect of it.

        Software like Affiliate Cloner can sometimes do a better job of masking your link, so it may be worth trying if you’re worried about it. But I wouldn’t worry too much.

        [Reply]
• dyuane said:
  

  thanks for some more great info…

  [Reply]
• Claudia said:
  

  Hi Eric, this lesson was helpful. A coach that I was talking to from Thrive said…”add a blog to your site because it keeps people ON your site…after all, people who hang around the barbershop at some point WILL get a haircut!!”
  How true! I have been trying to setup my company website to be the blog , and originally I had the idea that I wanted to blog about something my main topic but link to all my other sites…Do you think that’s a good idea?
  I guess I will hear in the next lesson!

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    Yeah I think it’s a good idea. And remember, the key to keeping someone on the site reading your blog is providing stuff that they really want to read. A blog on it’s own is not enough. It needs to be compelling. Most people want to read something with personality, and they are drawn to controversy.

    [Reply]
• Brenda said:
  

  Eric, Wow, another great lesson. I’m just paying attention and taking it all in at this point. I will take action when I learn more and feel like I know what I’m doing is correct! Thanks for your expertise…..

  [Reply]
• buren said:
  

  Hi Eric
  It was the most interesting lesson I ever had.
  Regards
  Buren

  [Reply]
• jim kelly said:
  

  Hi Eric, lesson 37. interesting you should mention Vince Delmonte.I have promoted a website and blog with his product,but unlike
  Vince who makes thousands i have not made a dime.My both sites have been sitting with rankings of 1,2,3 on each site with millions
  of viewers per month for at least 3 months but still no sales
  regards
  jim

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    That is interesting Jim. With millions of viewers per month (Assuming those are real visitors), you should be making at least tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars per month. If not, then the sites need to be monetized in a better way for the traffic that you’re getting.

    I don’t think the problem lies with Vince’s product, because it’s a fact that MOST of his sales come from affiliates (see the clickbank marketplace).

    If you’re talking about search rank of #1,2,3 but not actually getting the traffic, then you may need to hone in on different keywords, or else use a different method of getting traffic instead of SEO.

    But again, if you ARE getting the traffic then I would keep doing what you’re doing but figure out a better way of monetizing that traffic.

    [Reply]
• make own music said:
  

  Hello Eric… again, this was a great lesson. I will bookmark this one, because I really have to see that again. Thank you so much…!!!

  All the best,
  Arne

  [Reply]
• nelson said:
  

  every day i go thriough your lessons its just like an adventure.awesome great tips and help and mostly new great stuff you can not get anywhere else.its purely Eric’s original stuff. Nice Work.

  [Reply]
• Jack Condren said:
  

  Erick, your lessons are the best and easiest to understand I have been engrosed in each lesson to date, getting ready to build my web based blog. I had a problem with lesson 37 video it stops when it gets to the clickbank info about six pack abs am I the only one with this problem. Regards Jack

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    Thanks. Please try these solutions:
    http://www.ericstips.com/trouble-viewing-flash-videos/

    [Reply]
• Eileen said:
  

  Hi Eric,
  Love your videos. Very valuable information in them. However, I tried to listen to lesson #37 and for some reason it does not play and I wouldn’t want to miss it. Any suggestions? Thanks

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    Have you tried the solutions from the link in the comment above yours?

    [Reply]
    • Nicolas Tan said:
      

      Hi Eric,

      I have the same problem with Jack & Eileen above. I have no problem downloading all your past videos, but for today lesson, it just stop when you mentioned about the Click Bank, the same situation with Jack. what a coincidence?
      This time it took too long to download and it can’t completely downloaded. I have no problem with the text lesson just below the video.

      I have an updated flash player, but with your advice, I tried to re-install flash player but can’t download it either. Can you help me with my problem? Thank you.

      [Reply]
      • Eric said:
        

        It should work, as I’ve tested it and 1000’s of others have watched it. But sometimes certain browsers on certain computers produce glitches that I cannot explain. Perhaps try pausing the video shortly before it gets to the place where it gets stuck. And then drag the slider button slightly past that place so that you skip over it.

        [Reply]
• Sean Breslin said:
  

  Cheers Eric I found that one interesting, especially the blog/site comparisions between the market leaders. I had heard of the wine man but never saw his site! And you could be right about his income.

  [Reply]
• Mohamedelhassan Mustafa Ismail said:
  

  It very astonishing, and I have useful information from it.
  Thank you Eric.
  http://siragsoft.com

  [Reply]
• Johnny said:
  

  Hi Eric,
  I just purchase a PLR product with very detail and great grahic showing entire process from searching for niche to creating and launching an e-book successfully in the forum. Now I need to tweak it slightly to sell.

  I have HG reseller account purchased through you but yet to start an information product business. This will be my first attempt.

  Now the website.Can you advice whether I should purchase the Butterfly Marketing or the Socrate Theme from you for the WP platform. Which is better for me the novice?

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    Actually you don’t need to purchase either of them.

    Butterfly Marketing would mainly be useful if you wanted to make your website a membership website (see lesson #32). And the Butterfly script itself is now free: Butterfly script

    Socrates is a great WP theme for anyone who wants to monetize a blog. However, it sounds like you’re mainly going to be selling a product, rather than blogging. So you could simply use WP for free (see lessons 33-36). You can download some free WP sales page templates from me here: http://www.ericstips.com/EasyWpSalesPages.zip

    [Reply]
• fidel pavot said:
  

  Hi, Erik good lesson. you went to the point of the lesson in defining the different ways to blog that would benefit a business.thanks again for the lesson. i really appreciate your tips.

  [Reply]
• Nicolas Tan said:
  

  Hi Eric,

  It’s taking too long to load lesson#37 and can’t finish loading, just got black screen.

  I have no problem viewing all past lessons. Tried re-install flash player can’t load it either.

  Have cleaned all cookies and history. Retrieving emails also slow. Help!

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    Due to the problem re-installing the flash player, and retrieving emails, I think you are dealing with a computer issue not related to my videos. There are so many possibilities ranging from a virus, to a software program on your computer trying to update itself and tying up the resources. I would recommend rebooting your computer, make sure there are no unecessary programs running in the background, etc.

    [Reply]
• Nicolas Tan said:
  

  I am using firefox with my mac.

  [Reply]
• James Z said:
  

  The problem with blogging is that free information does not have much value and there is very little loyalty these days. What bloggers should be able to do is charge for access (like 50 cents per post) and provide very specific niche driven advice on targeted topics.

  [Reply]
• Joshuah said:
  

  Hi Eric. Would you recommend monetizing your blog in all of these ways at once? Wouldn’t a great strategy be to put up some ad-sense ads, some affiliate links and possibly getting some income through paid blogging?

  [Reply]
  • Eric said:
    

    I do not recommend starting with all of them at once. Here are two paradigms…

    1) If you’re very good at SEO and/or other free traffic generation and you know you’re able to get plenty of free traffic to your blog, then by all means use as many forms of monetization as possible.

    2) If you have a new blog not yet getting much traffic (and particularly if you intend to grow a natural, repeat readership) then I recommend avoiding ALL monetization as much as possible until your readership is established. The idea is that you want people to trust you and return to your blog and keep coming back for the content. And that can be difficult to establish if they feel like you’re just trying to make money from it.

    [Reply]
• vats said:
  

  Hey Eric…thanks a ton for all your lessons.
  In the current lesson you’ve mentioned google hates text links, but if I have NOFOLLOW links
  do you still think i might land in trouble???

  [Reply]
  • Micah said:
    

    Hello Vats,

    That should be fine! I believe that Yahoo still may follow, even with the NOFOLLOW tags. So, you may want to keep that in mind!

    [Reply]