Search Engine Optimization

I have been throwing minor fits lately in between trying to further understand SEO (search engine optimization) techniques. I have still not been listed on Google, or Yahoo, or any relevant search engines about a month after submitting. I came across a FAQ article from the SEOChat Forum today that has many fine tips and is geared towards the absolute web novice (like myself). If this topic is of interest to you this article would be a nice place to start.

http://forums.seochat.com/seo-chat-faqs-64/seo-faqs-17418.html

Where's the Traffic?!

So far I have submitted this site to numerous search engines and blog directories, but I still have not been picked up by Google, and I receive very few hits on a daily basis as a result. I desperately need a better idea of how the process works and what exactly spidering entails. I have had this site up less than a month but I did submit it to Google in my first week. I have repeated this process a couple of times a search on Google will provide no results for my Blog title, or my URL. I will be doing some thorough homework over the next couple of days (Labor Day weekend) and will certainly let you guys know what I find out, and of course will keep my experiments and the corresponding results fully documented.

I have signed up with StatCounter.com for their free service which will keep track of my page hits, unique visitors, and other similar statistics. For those interested, the signup process and code integration is as easy as it gets. You can now check the counter at the bottom of my page to check out my depressing lack of hits. :)

Ready to Incorporate

Well I am getting very close now to incorporating and as you can tell I have been in NO rush to do so. The idea of having regrets or having to pay additional taxes in the future for simply not having done my homework does not appeal to me. One thing that does appeal to me however is learning how to write while avoiding these incredible run-on sentences. Anyway, I believe my final choice is registering through the state of Delaware as a Limited Liability Corporation. This seems to suit my needs just fine. I will more than likely employ a third party to handle the filing of the paperwork and for this I have been looking at Mycorporation.com. They are an Intuit company with a solid reputation and the prices seem quite reasonable.

Below I am including a link that will be of help to anyone seeking basic information on the different types of corporations including the pro's, con's, and comparisons. I have found this document useful as an introduction into the decision making process.

http://www.mycorporation.com/incorporation_guide.pdf

Accepted to Adsense

I apologize for my tardiness but I have had the pleasure of dealing with some funky health issues as of late. Don't worry though as I am three days off of my crutches and I never had to resort to amputating my own foot (although the idea was very tempting).

My last update here I had just applied for Google's Adsense program which I was accepted to, and I just finished updating the site. I would like to commend Google on making the process VERY painless and having a really simple, easy-to-follow layout once logged in to the system. I was quickly able to edit my ad's dimensions and coloros as I needed and had them live on my page within fifteen minutes. I suppose it doesn't hurt to have a general knowledge of image dimensions and a lack of intimidation when it comes to editing HTML. Nonetheless, without this I still would have easily had my ads up and running in no time.

Further information on the program can be found by clicking the following link.

http://www.google.com/adsense

Applying for Adsense account

Today I am applying for a Google Adsense account for this blog. As I know this blog offers a unique perspective of the little man's struggle to break in to big time e-commerce, I am hopeful they will see this same and accept my humble little diary. After reading the Adsense Program Policies I am pretty optimistic there will be few (if any) complications getting this thing going. My application has been submitted for review and I should be receiving a follow up via e-mail in 1-2 days. I will keep you guys posted.

10 Ground-Floor Tech Businesses to Start Now

Here is a link to an article on Entrepreneur.com about rapidly evolving communications technologies to certainly keep an eye on.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/0,4621,326809,00.html

If there is anyone out there who actually checks this blog, I apologize for not having any updates over the weekend. I have been crippled since Thursday and in and out of doctor offices. LOTS of fun!

Inspirational Blogs

I just thought I would post links to a few blogs that have really been a source of great information and inspiration recently. If my humble little diary is of interest to anyone than these three blogs will definitely do it for you. :)

Unusual Business Ideas That Work
http://uncommonbusiness.blogspot.com/

ProBlogger - Helping Bloggers Earn Money
http://www.problogger.net/

CyberWyre - Making a Living %100 Online
http://www.cwire.org/


All three of these sites have plenty of useful information to the aspiring entrepreneur and should be of value to almost anyone. Likewise they are all three updated often. Enjoy.

Possible Breakthrough

I today received word from a major distributor that they do indeed drop ship, and will allow for wire transfers per order. This means that I may be able to pay for each order as they come in, and work towards a credit line this way. If this business was based on my personal credit, and what faith I could find in my hopeful distributors there would not be a shot in hell. The representative gave me these details only and I hope to have a nice long conversation with this gentleman as soon as I can. Working full time prevents me from these sort of things during standard working hours, obviously. Things are feeling good now, and I will update you after my upcoming discussion.

Thoughts on idropshipper.com

I came across some pretty heated discussions today concerning a website by the name of IDropShipper.com as I was making my usual internet rounds. There seem to be a lot of people on the fence about trying to sell their products. One thing I would advise is looking these products up for a price comparison on E-bay. You are NOT receiving these items at wholesale and that is why the prices are listed on the catalog on-line. What is amazing is the amount of people routinely trying to mark these products up hundreds of dollars and wait for the next idiot (with too much money and a very low shopping IQ) to steal from. Where this is not an illegal practice it certainly is a scummy one, and these people ARE selling items. You can check these sellers, look at their feedback ratings, and in most cases link to the items they did sell. It is pretty sad and certainly a VERY suspect way to start a business.

Seeking Distributors

In searching for distributors who are willing to partner with a one man startup company, I am starting to really understand my place in the world of business. Responses to my e-mail inquiries are short and disinterested if they are received at all. It probably does not help that I have been writing these distributors from a Yahoo e-mail account as that almost definitely makes me appear as unprofessional or otherwise full of you-know-what. But I do not even plan to pay for my hosting solutions until I have a product to sell. I have decided that the people who treat the little man with an ounce of respect are worthy of doing business with, and the ones whom talk to me as if I should be cleaning their toilets are not the types to even attempt to establish a relationship with. This is all very new to me and I admit that I must possess a high level of naivete but that will be no deterrent. Through my homework I have certainly realized that any distributor that even advertises a drop shipment program on their website is more than likely someone to avoid doing business with. On the other side, the reputable distributors expect you to have an extended financial history and impeccable credit. Oh boy the fun is just beginning and rest assured I will keep you posted.

Watch my nightmare unfold!

Hello there everyone. My name is Justin Jones and I currently work in IT for a company based out of Dallas, Texas. This blog will chronicle my attempts and struggles to build successful online retail sites utilizing drop shipment arrangements with various distributors in the United States. For those of you new to the concept, drop-shipping is when a distributor ships a product directly to a customer you made the sale to. For small fish like myself this is the only way I can break into the business as I have neither the space or money to keep my own inventory. In the future I will blog about all of my experiences from starting a retail business in Texas, to trying to establish relationships and credit lines with the distributors I pursue. Hopefully in the future you guys can use this information to your advantage by following proven methods and avoiding my personal mistakes. I have the same dreams as many of you which is to make a comfortable living online, work from home, and hopefully avoid a fiery death in the unbearable rush hour commute. Thanks for checking out the blog and make sure to check back often for updates.