More Money, More Traffic - and Macs

============================== In This Issue: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1) How I Made PDCB 2) Pay Per Click Search Engine Update inc Special PDCB Owners Offer! 3) Fantastic Traffic Reporting 4) Wot - no PC? ============================== 1) How I Made PDCB ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've had so many queries about the technology under/behind PDCB that I will be adding a chapter on the subject. To summarize: I *was* originally going to use Adobe Acrobat to produce the e-book (and I do use it for other products) - but it became clear when prototyping that it was going to be very time consuming to update, version, etc as the process of producing an original document, export to PDF format and then modifying the PDF file in Acrobat was just too time consuming. I *do* need that kind of control in other technical e-books with interwoven text and graphics that don't change over time - so I use Acrobat there. And frankly, I don't need the degree of "look and feel" control that Acrobat specializes in. So I started researching the alternatives. There are a number of HTML compilers around that basically do the same thing - take a set of html pages and graphics and turn them into a self contained .EXE file that includes the content and the viewer. I *could* bore you with a feature by feature comparison chart - or I could just cut to the chase. The compiler I found with all the features I wanted - and a lot more I haven't explored yet (but I *can* see how I'll use them in the future) - also turned out to be the lowest cost of all those I considered ! How often does that happen? Not often enough eh? The software is called Activ E-Book Compiler. It really has been a dream to use - so straightforward and effective. Given some of my past experiences, I honestly couldn't believe it when my first "try it out" attempt produced a great-looking, working e-book. One of the great things about is that you can use it to make quick and easy simple e-books - especially if you are giving them away - or you can use the more powerful options to create a variety of charging models that are very sophisticated. Finally, in the best PDCB tradition, there is a version you can try for free - and use it to make real e-books! http://www.PracticalSelling.com/pdcb/0000/to.cgi?activ In fact - the publisher doesn't really want you to buy it UNLESS you have tried the free version first! PS Chayden Bates has updated his "E-Book Marketing Explained" book so I have an updated evaluation version available. Evn if you downloaded it from the link in PDCB already, it's worth getting the new version as almost every section seems to have been updated and expanded. It's fair to say that this book was the inspiration behind the PDCB idea, so I'm sure you'll see some of the new ideas in forthcoming editions! http://www.PracticalSelling.com/pdcb/0000/to.cgi?ebooksamp ============================== 2) Pay Per Click Search Engine Update ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'm going to have a lot more info on GoTo.com in the next release of PDCB. When I was producing the last version, a number of concidental events made me think that the PPC world was breaking open, but the fact is that GoTo have retained their supremacy in this field. Don't get me wrong - I'm still betting on BrainFox and others finding angles that are going to expand the sector (I've just sent them 1100 new search terms for example!), but you just can't ignore that GoTo is getting the vast majority of the searches at the moment - and their recent alliances with AOL and others mean that top positions can get very, very wide exposure now. At least the competitive pressure has led to special offers like the current GoTo $10 bonus at: http://www.PracticalSelling.com/go/to.cgi?gotobonus But no - that isn't the "Special PDCB Owners Offer" - hey, anyone can get the $10 bonus if they follow a similar link. THIS is special: Sunil Tanna is the guy who publishes the Activ E-Book Compiler. He had a look at PDCB (and said some very nice things about it ) and we exchanged some email on Pay Per Click search strategies. Then I found out that he was about to release an e-book of his own on the subject. (I like someone who practices what they preach =:>). I got my pre-release copy a few days ago and it is such an obvious fit for PDCB users that I had a chat with Sunil and here's what he's allowed me to do: PDCB owners can get a copy of "Buying Traffic for Pennies" up to 31 October 2000 for only $9.95 - that's $10 below the price it will go on general sale for. This is fantastic value at many times the price as it has real, practical strategies for getting the most out of a Pay Per Click Search strategy. The e-book concentrates on GoTo - for obvious reasons - but contains a very useful analysis of the other contenders. The book puts PPC in context with other search engines and gives real step by step advice that is invaluable for anyone starting with PPC - and a host of advanced techniques too. I found a GoTo tool that I didn't even know existed! Buy it, and try it for up to 90 days - if it isn't all you hoped - let me know and I'll refund your money. It includes a link to that $10 GoTo bonus - so you can get your money back right away! You can pay and download directly from my site - this is the lowest price you will see ANYWHERE for this e-book, so we're keeping it separate from any other sales =;> http://www.PracticalSelling.com/btp/index.shtml This URL isn't linked from anywhere else on the site - it is one of the benefits of "Practical DotCom Business" ! Oh and before I forget - this is for PCs/Windows only (see item number 4 below). ============================== 3) Fantastic Traffic Reporting ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Folks, this is getting way too long for a "brief" newsflash so I'm going to hold any more detail on this subject over 'til next time. But for the impatient among you ... I have discovered a great service that will provide you with important - I might say ESSENTIAL - information on your site traffic. The links people follow to get to your site. The paths visitors follow from page to page. Entry and exit pages. Loyalty and time-on-site figures. Browser and screen settings they use. There is SOOOOOO much you can do with this information. As long as you're willing to have a little graphic on each page, you can get the service for free. You can earn money if you go for the banner option, but I'd recommend keeping your banners for targeted advertising and put the graphic right at the bottom of your page. Make sure you keep it away from your content or its "Click Here" message might get confused for yours. http://www.PracticalSelling.com/pdcb/0000/to.cgi?hitbox By The Way - this kind of traffic monitoring should be used as well as - not instead of - the link response tracking that PDCB already refers to. ============================== 4) Wot - No PC? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As I said above, I had to sacrifice my cross-platform PDF ambitions for PDCB on the altar of practicality, and I know that the compiled format is useless unless you have a PC. So - the html files for the current version are on line at: http://www.PracticalSelling.com/pdcb/html/ ... from where you should be able to browse them from any system. This will operate very much like the e-book, with the following notes: *) I can't guarantee it =:> *) You do of course have to be on-line to view the book - although some browsers wil help you download and create an off-line version. *) Some instructions relate to the e-book (navigation etc). *) The HTML is designed to be viewed in the e-book (IE4+) environment and so isn't checked on other browsers. I can't guarantee to maintain this version like the e-book version, but it is my intention to place the latest version in this location at each update. If you have gone through the version check process and I have your email address, I'll tell you about any major updates anyway. The version.cgi pages have been updated to tell new visitors this at the point of download. ============================== That's all folks - keep the feedback coming as always. mailto:feedback@practicalselling.com ==============================