Cyber Monday Deals 2009

The holiday shopping season is here and I would like to dedicate this post to some of my clients, my fellow network circle members and to all of the small website business owners.

They all have wonderful products to offer and have come up with sales and discounts for everyone to take advantage of on Cyber Monday.

Below you will find products in the following categories: Baby and Kids, Clothing, Handbags and Accessories for Men and Women, Hair Accessories, Gifts, Home and Garden, Jewelry, Organic Products, Pet Products and Photo Cards.

You will find 10 to 25% off products being offered, free shipping or a combination of both. Each sale begins on Cyber Monday which is November 30th this year, the Monday after Black Friday.

Most sales are only for one day unless specified elsewhere.

Make sure to use the appropriate coupon code when checking out so you can save big on items that you have been wanting to get.

I hope you enjoy the Cyber Monday list below and have fun saving!

Cyber Monday Deals and Sales 2009

Gifts for Baby and Kids

Barefoot Bella: Specializing in gifts for babies, toddlers and big kids. Find personalized gifts for kids, clothing and more.
Deal: 25% off anything store
Coupon Code: CYBER25
http://www.barefootbella.net

Something About Baby:
Deal: 10% off all items in the boutique.
Coupon Code: Use code SAB10. Offer expires 12/31/09
http://www.somethingaboutbaby.com

Dreamscapes Baby: Designer baby products.
Deal: 20% off
Coupon Code: Use Coupon Code: cyber
http://www.dreamscapesbaby.com

Heavenly Hold: Baby carriers, nursing pads and more:
Deal: 10% off
Coupon Code: Please use coupon code: code: NEWBABY
http://www.heavenlyhold.com

Milos Creations: Adorable Costumes for baby girls, boys, toddler
girls and boys , big kids and adults.
Deal: Free shipping on orders over $100.00,and FREE embroidered
name personalization of costumes. See Cyber Monday link for full details.
Coupon Code: Use code FREESHIP09 at checkout
http://www.miloscreations.com

Shop Baby Tree:
Deal: Store wide sale on baby products. Save up to 40% off.
Coupon Code: No coupon code needed.
http://www.shopbabytree.com

The Pitter Patter Boutique: Baby Travel Gear, Gifts for Mom and more.
Deal: 15% Discount
Coupon Code: Enter Coupon Code: CyberSave
http://thepitterpatterboutique.com/

The Crafty Moms: Girls hair accessories, binky clips, diaper wipes cases and more.
Deal: Free Shipping all day.
Coupon Code: No coupon code needed
http://www.thecraftymoms.blogspot.com/

I am the Princess: Princess and girly items for baby girls, little girls and big girls.
Deal: 15% off everything including sale items.
Coupon Code: Please use coupon code: cybermondayseog
http://www.iamtheprincess.com

Itzy Ritzy:
Deal: Celebrate Cyber Monday with 15% OFF celebrity loved
baby gear at www.ItzyRitzy.com
Coupon Code: MONDAY
http://www.itzyritzy.com

Katey Jades Baby Boutique: Christmas Clothing for kids,
personalized gifts, baby products and more.
Deal: 20% off
Coupon Code: hol20
http://www.kateyjadesbabyboutique.com

Lollipop Book Club: Children's book of the club month:
Deal: $10 off any 12-month package
Coupon Code:Please use Coupon Code: sale10off
http://www.lollipopbookclub.com/

Che Demis Boutique: Upscale and Baby boutique.
Deal: 10% off
Coupon Code: GIFT4U
http://chedemisboutique.com

Abby N Kay: Designer Baby Products: Diaper bags, crib bedding and more:
Deal: Free Shipping plus 10% off all Ride On Toys from Warehouse 36. No
coupon code need for the ride on toys.
Coupon Code: Use Code: FreeShip
http://www.abbykayboutique.com/

Merrimack Valley Diapers: Cloth Diapers and Accessories:
Deal: Good for $5 off a purchase of $50 or more plus free shipping.
Coupon Code: Please use Coupon Code CyberMonday
http://www.merrimackvalleydiapers.com

Snooty Booty Diapers:
Deal: Free shipping on any order, plus a $5 gift certificate for each $50 spent.
These offers will be inaddition to any product markdowns in the store.
Coupon Code: Use Code: cmonday
http://www.snootybootydiapers.com

Shabby Bebe: Designer Children's products
Deal: 15% off your order of $50 or more use coupon code: shabby15 and
10% off your order if less then $50 Please use code shabby10
http://www.shabbybebe.com/

Teacups and Mudpies: Trendy children's clothing, baby girl and
baby boy clothing and more.
Deal: Free shipping on all purchases.
Coupon Code: Please use coupon code: CYBER09
http://www.teacupsandmudpies.com/

Corn Bag Critters: A natural, earth-friendly, and non-toxic way to help children and adults soothe pain.
Deal: 20% off:
Coupon Code: Use coupon code: holi21109
http://www.cornbagcritters.com

Born Fabulous:
Deal: We will do free shipping on all orders.
Coupon Code: Please use coupon code:FREESHIP
http://www.bornfabulousboutique.com

Laughing Ladybugs Boutique: Couture Girls Clothing:
Deal: 10% off the entire store.
Coupon Code: Please use coupon code: CYBER10
http://www.laughingladybugsboutique.com

Little Fox Fashions: Designer Kids Shoes, Hair Bows and More!
Deal: 10% discount on all sales plus free shipping
on all orders over $100.00
Coupon Code: CYBER10
http://www.littlefoxfashions.com

Clothing, Hand Bags and Accessories for Men or Women

Get Dolled Up Boutique: Personalized and Monogrammed handbags,
diaper bags, garment bags and more.
Deal: 15% off plus Free Shipping.
Coupon Code: Please use coupon code: 15OFF
http://www.getdolledupboutique.com

QT Sunglasses: Designer Inspired Sunglasses:
Deal: FREE SHIPPING and 20% off on all orders. Free Shipping for US and Canada orders only.
Coupon Code: Please use coupon code:Cyber09
http://www.qtsunglasses.net

Gifts

Nanny Deprived: Gifts for Moms.
Deal: Free Shipping.
Coupon Code: Use coupon code: FREESHIP
http://www.nannydeprived.com

Lone Star graphics: Custom Vinyl Decals, Custom Shirts, Hats and More!
Deal: 20% off any order of $20 or more
Coupon code: cyber20
http://www.lonestargraphics.biz

Label Creations: Personalized Address Labels, Canning Labels,
Tic-Tac Labels, Bag Tags, Checkbook
Covers, Canning Labels, Bookplates, Favor tags, Note Cards,
Hang Tags for Crafters & Events
Deal: 20 % off and Free Shipping for US only.
Coupon Code: Use DISCOUNT COUPON: LC1115
http://www.labelcreations.com

Sassy Sparkle: Personalized Rhinestone Clothing:
Deal: 15% off any order
Coupon Code: cyber09
http://www.sassysparkle.com

Hair Accessories

Little Miss Julia: Hair bows, barrettes and more.
Deal:20% off everything
Coupon Code: Use coupon code: Promo20
http://littlemissjulia.com

My Bonita Boutique: Crochet Headbands, Flower Headbands,
Hair Bows and More.
Deal: 25% off all items.
Coupon Code: Please sure coupon code: cyber25
http://www.mybonitaboutique.com

Pop Tots Boutique: Fabulous hair accessories for girls and beanie hats:
Deal: Free shipping
Coupon Code: Please Use code: Cyber Monday
http://www.poptotsboutique.com/

Home and Garden

Scentsy Wickless Candles: Decorative warmers that fit into any décor and
OVER 80 FRAGRANT WAX BARS TO CHOOSE FROM.The WAX IS
WARMED BY A 15, 20, OR 25 WATT LIGHT BULB.
Deal: Free Shipping
*Email at* melturscentz@gmail.com with FREESHIP in the subject
http://www.melturscentz.com

Luxury Baby Nursery: Designer Nursery décor, Baby Furniture,
Crib Bedding and more.
Deal: 15% Off
Coupon Code: CYBERSALE
http://www.luxurybabynursery.com/

Jewelry

TLC Silver Jewelry:
Deal: 20% off Jewelry and Holders. Valid Cyber Monday only.
Coupon Code: Use coupon code: Checkout
http://www.tlcsilverjewelry.com

Caribbean Jewelz: Handmade Artisan Jewelry:
Deal: 25% off total purchase.
Coupon Code: Use coupon code: cyber60
http://www.caribbeanjewelz.com/

Pendora Pendants: Glass Tile Pendants:
Deal: 25% off all items.
Coupon Code: Please use coupon code: cybermonday.
http://www.pendorapendants.com/

Organic Products:

Tidbit Couture: Organic cloth diapers and Baby products.
Deal: Free Shipping. Plus, additional sales will be offered throughout website.
Coupon Code: Please use code: FREESHIP
http://www.tidbit-couture.com

Krave Natural: Earth Friendly products for Home, Baby and Body:
Deal: Free site wide shipping and there will also be additional savings on items throughout the
store.
Coupon Code: FREESHIP
http://www.kravenatural.com

Pet Products

Punk Luxury Dog Carriers : Buy luxury dog collars, high end
dog carriers and a Christmas costume or two for your dog.
Deal: Free Shipping for US buyers all day long.
Coupon Code: No coupon code needed
http://badasspetz.com

Photo and Greeting Cards
Fun and Sassy Designs: Modern Photo Cards and Personalized Gifts
for Adults and Kids:
Deal: Free Shipping on Orders over $50 + $15 off Orders of $99 or more through 11/30 at midnight EST
Coupon Code: Use Code: CYBER15
http://funandsassydesigns.com

Bunny Prints: Personalized Photo Cards for Birthday and
Baby Shower plus matching birthday clothing.
Deal: 10% off
Coupon Code: cyber09
http://www.bunnyprints.com

Photo Card Designs: Photo Cards for Weddings, Birthdays ,
Baby Showers and more.
Deal: Good for one day only- 5% off .
Coupon Code: Please Use Code: cybermonday
http://photocarddesigns.com

Pitter Patter Creations: Trendy birth announcements, birthday invitations,
baptism invitations and more!
Deal: Receive free shipping for orders over $30.
Only one promotional code may be used per order and cannot be combined.
May not be used on previous orders.
Coupon Code: Use coupon code: FREESHIP09
http://www.pitterpattercreations.com

Lemon Tree Cards:
Deal: 15% discount expiring 12/25/09
Coupon Code: Please use coupon code: LEMONADE
http://lemontreecards.com

Come Hop With Us!

Are you tired of not winning contest and sweeps that you have entered into? Are you a giveaway addict? Do you absolutely love to read blogs and meet other bloggers?

If you answered YES to any of the questions above then My SEO Gal's Network Circle's 1st Blog Hop event is designed specifically for YOU!

We have joined up with the best online bloggers to bring you giveaways for baby products, jewelry, personalized gift cards, business services and so much more!

From Giveaways to Vacation Pictures, you can take some time to browse each bloggers blog and see all the terrific things that are going on in their lives whether it be business or personal.

If you are a business owner or an online website owner, make sure to follow our blog by clicking on the Follow button located to the right hand side and keep up to date on ways to market your business online.

So Get Ready, Set and start entering giveaways and visiting the blogs listed below by clicking on the blog sites in the MCK LINKY box below. Once you get to each blog, you will find the same exact Mck Linky box so you can easily visit the next blog on the list.

Wishing you tons of Luck and We hope you have a fun time while Hopping!

My SEO Gal's First Blog Hop! Whoo Hoo

My SEO Gal is having it's very first Blog Hop of many To come! I'm so excited that we made the decision to get together and start a blog hop. Our first blog hop will start on October 5,2009. How To Sign Up to Participate in our Blog Hops: All you have to do to enter into the hop is enter your blog name and blog url below in our Mck Linky box located below and your site will show up in the box. Click on the Enter Your Blog Url Here link, then Leave a comment below that says you will be participating. Then add a post to your blog about the hop, you have the option to include a prize and post your rules. Come back and get the code for your blog or copy the code as soon as you enter in your blog's information and add the code to your Blog Hop post. You get the code by Clicking on the link under the Mck Linky box below that says Want to participate in this blog? Get instructions here. You can use this wonderful image designed for our Blog Hop by Jen at by J Bee Designs and place it at the top of your blog post or on the side navigation of your blog so all can see. Make sure to upload the image to your computer first then upload it to your blog. Here's a great example of a Blog Hop: http://tlcsilverjewelry.blogspot.com/2009/09/win-vaseline-glass-earrings-mcklinky.html 1 – What is a blog hop? Hop, hop, hop… that’s right! Imagine a themed blog posting in which many other bloggers are posting the same theme, with a list of participating bloggers links on that post that will allow you to HOP to other blogs and see the exact same theme, however different content. For example: Let’s say this week the theme given to us is “My favorite picture”. Everyone in the blog hop group will post their favorite picture and content and at the end of the blog, will post an HTML code that will have a list of all the blog hoppers. In this case, if I go to my blog, I’ll see a post of my favorite picture, my content and a list of all the participating bloggers. So, I can click on another blogger’s link and see their favorite picture...and then just hop from blog to blog…….. Everyone participating may insert the same HTML code so that we will all have the same blog hop list displayed. That way, the visitor will know which ones they have visited and which ones still remain to be seen… Now the question is…. 2 – Why should I participate? Exposure… !!! This is a creative and new way to increase the exposure of your blog, by receiving traffic from your fellow Blog Hoppers and from the visitors. It’s FUN and addicting. Think of our example. Wouldn’t you want to see what everyone’s favorite picture was? And wouldn’t you want to click on all the links to see what they were? And if you found the blog interesting, with interesting articles, wouldn’t you stop and read? Increase your blog’s traffic AND get more followers by participating in this program. It’s a win, win situation. 3 – I want to participate, but I don’t know HTML…. That’s fine!!! The HTML code (Mr. Linky) will be given to you, and if you have questions as to how to add the code, you can me at the contact link : Contact US and get assistance. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity. If you have additional questions in regards to this program, please e-mail Contact Me Otherwise…. What do I do after I sign up: 4.- What you would need to do is to create a blog post before this Sunday October 4,2009 and copy the Mck Linky code that you get below into your blog hop post. Your blog post should display the Blog Hop banner above. The post can be about the blog hop. You would mentioned something like We are participating in My SEO Gal's Blog Hop. If you are giving away a prize then you would say something like. "To celebrate the 1st blog hop of many to come I am giving away a prize. Then you would have your rules to win the prize. Let your readers know to visit other blogs in the MckLinky box to enter to win more prizes. Here are some giveaway entry rules people have used in their blog hops: * Follow our blog and leave a separate comment. * Follow our blog on Facebook's Networked Blogs, leave a separate comment. * For an extra entry Tell all your Facebook friends about our giveaway and leave a separate comment. * Tweet about our giveaway and leave a separate comment. * Post about our giveaway on your own blog, leave us a separate comment with your blog url. * Fan our biz page on Facebook and leave a separate comment. Please leave us a way to contact you in at least one of your comments. The blog hop ends on October 21st so you can put the end date in your contest rules and when you will be announcing the winner. If you aren't giving anything away, you can just start a post about the blog hop and use the image from my blog post in your blog post, make sure to still add the Mck Linky code to your Blog Hop post so people can jump from blog to blog. LET’S GET STARTED!!!! 5. – When the blog hop opens or if you want to add your blog now, you can add your link to the Mck Linky box below and get the HTML link code by clicking on the get your code link located under the Mck Linky entry box. The first week of our blog hop will not have a theme, but the blog hops after this one will have some type of theme that will be announced before the blog hop begins. Our blog hops will last for 7 days to 14 days. The first one will start on October 5 and end on October 21st. Remember to add your link below and don't forget to tweet or retweet about the blog hop by clicking on the little green box located at the bottom right hand side of this post. The blog hop doesn't actually start until October 5, but you can help us promote it by tweeting about the hop, contacting your facebook fans, telling everyone you know that has a blog and invite them to participate. The more blogs that participate the better! To keep up to date on our Blog Hop make sure to follow this blog by clicking on the follow button on the right hand side. So hope to see you while hopping! NOTE: If you want to participate in the blog hop, you MUST put a Mck Linky box on your site right after you add your blog below and you MUST mention the Blog Hop. I will go through the list and remove any links below that do not have the Mck Linky box listed or any blog that does not mention the hop. Carla Phillips My SEO Gal http://myseogal.com Got a Question or need help? Contact My SEO Gal Today for a FREE SEO Quote.

Stumble Upon Is Awesome : Tips On Getting More Exposure On Stumble Upon

You may be aware or not aware of a great site by the name of Stumble Upon.

If you have heard of Stumble Upon then you are already two steps ahead. If not, then you are about to take a huge leap towards online exposure.

So Just sit back and take a load off of your already busy day and take some time to read up on some tips about how your online business can benefit from using the every so popular Stumble Upon bookmarking site.

For starters I will take the approach that you may not know what a bookmarking site is.
A bookmarking site is used the same way you use your favorites or bookmarking button on the top of your browser. The difference between your favorites and a bookmarking site is that you are the only one who knows that a site is your favorite site or that you have stored a site on your computer to return to it in the future. When you sign up for an account on a social bookmarking site, you are allowing other members to view your favorite sites.

It's just like saying, "Hey, I love this site man! I think you may like it too!".

So in essence you are just sharing your favorite websites, news clips, blog post, products, services etc.. with others that share the same or similar interest as you. That is exactly what you can do on Stumble Upon.

Stumble Upon currently has over 8 million registered stumblers.

Stumblers or Stumble Upon members can go to a website and give a thumbs up or a thumbs down review. Once they review a site, that site is then indexed in Stumble Upon's directory.

When a site is reviewed, the reviewer has an option to add "tags" or keywords to the review which makes it easier for a site to be found while a member is stumbling through Stumble Upon's directory.

Once the tags are assigned to a review. That review is shown in Stumblers profiles or sent to their email addresses, as a recommended site. This all depends on a Stumblers interest. Interest are set when someone registers with Stumble Upon. If someone chooses Business as their interest, then they will receive Business recommendations and so forth and so on.

Have I lost you yet?

If so, don't worry, there is a point to this post if you are a website owner.

And here comes my point!! (Dun, Dun, Dunnnnnn.....)

If you own a website and someone stumbles your website and reviews your site on the Stumble Upon site that once again, has over 8 million members. You have the opportunity to get tons of exposure to your website!

If you own a site that is geared towards kids and someone reviews your site and places it under Stumble Upons "For Kids" category. Then your site will be recommended to those Stumblers who have chosen For Kids as one of their interest. Which means that the traffic to your site from that review will be individuals who are interesting in things about or for kids.

Now do you see where I'm going with this?

I think I've covered the basis about what Stumble Upon is and some of the benefits. Now I'll cover some tips on how you can get your site stumbled and reviewed.

Here are some simple and quick tips that you can use to get your site Stumbled:

First you have to get your site reviewed on Stumble Upon before you can get any exposure. You can do this by:

1. Adding a Stumble Upon button to your site or blog. When you do this, your visitors can review or share your site with other stumblers.

Here are a few sites you can go to, to get a Stumble Upon button or share button for your site or blog:

http://www.stumbleupon.com/buttons.php

http://www.addtoany.com/

http://www.addthis.com/

2. Ask your customers, business partners, fellow stumblers, friends etc.. to stumble your site. They can stumble your site by clicking on your share button that you just got from one of the sites above or if you don't have a share button on your site, then they can join Stumble Upon and download their Stumble Upon tool bar and stumble your site and others (I recommend downloading the toolbar).

3. Stumble other website owners sites. If they monitor their traffic stats, they will see that they have some traffic from Stumble Upon then will get curious as to what Stumble Upon is and why are they getting so much traffic from it. They may sign up for an account and then see that you were the one that reviewed their site and they may do the same for you. Just in case you've never seen a Stumble Upon logo they may look something like these or more creative (I like the more creative ones):



4. Want to know if your site has been reviewed on Stumble Upon? But of course you do. To check and see if your site has been reviewed. Simply copy and paste or use the following to check for your reviews. Make sure to replace the yoursitehere with your website name:

http://www.stumbleupon.com/url/yourwebsiteaddresshere.com

5. Sign up for a Stumble Upon account. I guess this should have been the first tip.

http://www.stumbleupon.com

That's it. That's all there is too it. Of course you will need to take some time to get reviews and add the buttons but it's all worth it in the end.

You can increase your exposure by simply having your site reviewed by one stumbler, can you imagine if you had your site reviewed by hundreds of stumblers. Oh the possibilities......

Need help getting your site reviewed? If you do you can either follow the steps at the link below or join My SEO Ga'ls Networking group and members will stumble and review your site and vice versa:

To add your website link to be reviewed, just click on the link below:

Stumble Upon Reviews

To Join the network group click on the link below:

Network Group for small businesses

I hope you get tons of exposure from these tips!

Carla Phillips
My SEO Gal
http://myseogal.com
Got a Question or need help?
Contact My SEO Gal Today for a FREE SEO Quote.

Twitter Buttons for Blogs, MySpace and Websites

I get a lot of emails asking about where to find Twitter Buttons that can be used on Blogs, Social Networking Sites and Websites.

Well,

I have scanned the web over and over and have always recommending the following sites to those who inquire about the buttons. I have decided to compile a list of sites that you can visit to get free twitter buttons. Some of them have really cool graphics, some of them provide you with the code you need to put on your blogs, social networking sites and websites and some provide you with the image but you will need the code to put on your sites.

Here are some examples of images you expect to find:








Here are some links you can visit to get some of these TOTALLY AWESOME TWITTER BUTTONS. You can click on the links by moving your cursor over the links:

http://www.twitterbuttons.org
http://www.twitterbuttons.com
http://mysocialbuttons.com/buttons/twitter
http://www.twittermysite.com/

This site has some really cool and different Twitter and other Social Networking Icons:
http://www.hongkiat.com

I hope you enjoy them and make sure to check back again over the next week for more social networking buttons.


Carla Phillips
My SEO Gal
http://myseogal.com
Got a Question or need help?
Contact My SEO Gal Today for a FREE SEO Quote.

Universal Search is Here!

I posted about Universal Search and what you need to do to get ready for it and stay on top of your search results in the beginning of the year. If you don't recall or if you just started following me then you can look at the post located below:

http://myseogal.blogspot.com/2009/01/are-you-ready-to-go-universal.html

I remember getting some negative feedback from those who thought what I was saying was bologna or thought what I was saying was insignificant or didn't apply to them because they already had this website marketing/SEO thing in the bag.

Well good for them!!!! Goody two shoes...... (P.S. I love those type of people, they make me want to work hard at proving them wrong!)

Well guess what guys, Universal Search is here now and very visible in the searches.

Go ahead, do a search, search about anything. Nine times out of ten I bet you will see a variety of options for your search. Unless you're searching something about pet rocks??

You may see Google's Shopping results first or paid advertising, nothing new there. Then you may see a display of images that are related to your search (this is part of the Universal Thing I've been talking about), then videos (Yup, still part of the Universal Search thingy), then the search results.

Now let's go over some things and answer a couple of questions and when I mean a couple I mean a couple! I'm not going to go deep into this right now. Please feel free to read my first post about it to find out more detail about it and what you can do to stay on top of your search results:
http://myseogal.blogspot.com/2009/01/are-you-ready-to-go-universal.html

Here's a common question I get all the time:

How do I get my images to show up in the search results?

Here's a quick tip:
When you upload pictures to your website. Are the images name something like IMG25687? or AzBe25E? Well if they are, CHANGE THEM. Unless someone is searching for an IMG25687 then the chances of you showing up in the search results is very, very, very slim. Try naming your image with your keywords in mind.

Example: If your image is a picture of a giraffe print purse, optimize or name your image with those keywords when you save it to your harddrive or your My Pictures located in your My Documents. Upload them to your website, then go to your Webmaster Tools in your Google Account and include your images in Google's Search. You can do this in your Settings in your Google Webmaster Tools. You can also create a sitemap with your images included and upload it to your Webmaster Tools.

How do I get a video to show up in the search results?

The same goes for videos. Make sure your video file is named with your keywords in mind. Add the videos to your site and to popular video sites like Youtube who just so happen to be owned by Google (wink, wink).


These two tips plus others included in the post I did a while back are really beneficial to your online search results success!

So work on getting those images optimized and those videos uploaded to your site!

Carla Phillips
My SEO Gal
http://myseogal.com
Got a Question or need help? Contact My SEO Gal Today for a FREE SEO Quote.

10 Absolutely Awesome Advertising Tips!

When you aren't seeing any orders coming in or when you are starting to bite your nails due to the current economy. It's a normal reaction to start looking at things that can be cut in the budget like marketing. Marketing should be the LAST thing on your list to cut out. If you make that choice to cut out marketing you are taking a huge risk of crashing faster than you thought you already were!

Marketing your business and attracting new customers should be an ongoing process, not something you do one month and then forget about for three or four at a time. You will never see a sale at that rate! Below are a list of low cost to free advertising options so you can succeed online.

1. Join the Social Networking Sites: This is a must. If you haven't gotten around to joining social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter. Now is the time when you should sign up for an account to market your products or services. Social Networking or Bookmarking Sites are great ways to generate traffic and to start a buzz about your business. They are free to use and get tons of traffic each month.

2. Be prepared for Peak Seasons
   You must be prepared for peak seasons. The holiday shopping season is already here!!! Do you have your holiday items on your site? Do you have your holiday newsletters and sales lined up. If not, don't start running around, pulling out every strand of your hair off your head. Simply sit down and write out your plans for this holiday shopping frenzy. What new products or services are you going to offer. Are they holiday themed products or are they gifts for people or pets even? Have a service that you offer to other businesses? Create a holiday package just for your customers. Offer a discount or an incentive. Research seasonal keywords that people are already using for the type of products or services you have to offer.

3. Unique items or services : Make sure that you have unique items or services offered on your site. Take a look at your competitors site and see what they are offering and what they aren't offering. Try to find products being offered by manufacturers in your niche that your competitors do not have yet. Don't forget about the “Small Business Owners”! Small business manufacturers have the most unique products and are looking for retailers to help distribute their products. Contact them to see if you can get a sole contact with them to sell their products online. If you do land a contract, make sure to state it in your products description. You can use words like “Exclusive” “Only Available” or Available Online Only. If your product is online available online then a buyer who is interested will be more inclined to make a purchase.

4. Get on top of your SEO: If you haven't done so yet, make sure to put SEO on your calender before the month is over. You really don't want to be left out in the cold or finding yourself closing shop the first of the year due to no sales. Take some time to research your keywords in your niche. If you don't take the time to properly optimize your site, just remember this big tip: YOUR COMPETITION WILL!

5. Reward referrals
   As you may know, some businesses thrive from referrals. I have found that one of the best ways to get referrals is by having others help you find customers for you. You can do this by offering a rewards program or a referral program. You can either give out free merchandise, give a discount off of their future purchases, or offer a percentage of your sales. It all depends on your the type of business you have and what you can give away. Now be realistic. Don't offer a 50% cash incentive if you can not afford to pay the incentive. If you send out a newsletter, include a section in your newsletter where your customers can tell a friend or you can set up a form on your site that will allow your customers to enter in the names of their friends. When you get a new customer from the referral, make sure to send the person a personalized thank you note along with their reward.

6. Send out a newsletter: Have a sign up form on your site and give a discount for those who sign up. Make sure the discount is automatic. You can do this by doing a custom thank you page and include the coupon code in the thank you message. It's important to keep your customers up to date on sales, contest, and new products. Keep your newsletter simple and straight to the point. Your newsletter can be themed based where you send out information that is geared toward one specific type of product or service. Make sure to get permission from everyone you send out a newsletter too and make sure to give them an option to unsubscribe from your newsletter. You don't want to take the risk of getting to many spam marks or you will not be able to send out newsletters because your email address will be marked as a SPAM address.
   
   

7. Sponsor a Giveaway or Do a Giveaway:

   Sponsoring a contest or doing one yourself is an excellent way to advertise your site. This is also a great way to collect email addresses, mailing addresses and any other information you would like to use to in the future. I have done plenty of contest advertising for clients and they ended up with over new leads over a period of a month. You can also participate in blog contest events. There are tons of blogs out here that offer Blog Hopping events. Make a note of all of the events and make sure you include your site or blog in the hopping event. You can gain a lot of exposure to your contest and website.

8. Start a Blog
   I should have posted this tip before the giveaway tip?! If you don't have a blog make sure to add that to your To Do List. A blog is another great way to bring traffic to your sites. More and more searchers are looking to see if a website has a blog when they visit sites. A blog is a good way for them to get to know more about the company they want to purchase a product or service from. You can keep your customers informed about any sales, new products or upcoming events you are having. Be as natural as possible with your post. Don't sound like a robot when you are promoting your advertising. Make your post as friendly and as engaging as possible.

9. Groups and Forums

   Join groups and forums that are related to the type of products you have to offer. Many forums will allow you to post your url in your signature. Be very cautious when using this as a method of advertising. Forum members do not like when a business gets on a forum and starts to post links to their site with no other communication. This is known as SPAM and most hate it, so stay away from it. If you join any forums or groups on Yahoo, Google or MSN. Make sure you are there to learn or contribute. Respond to questions that you are familiar with, especially those that pertain to your niche. Become an authority figure on the topic and people will start to respect you and even look for your comments.

10. Team up with like minded businesses or people:
    Find people online and offline who are within the same niche as you or who have a passion for the type of products or services you have to offer. If you sell pet products, team up with pet lovers or groomers. If you sell baby products, team up with new mothers, play groups or day cares in your area. If you are in the website designing niche, team up with hosting companies, SEO'ers, or other website designers. You can offer discounts to anyone you team up with for your products or services. Establish life long relationships and watch your business grow!

If you have read through these 10 tips and are thinking that all of them sound great but you just don't have the time right now. Times are hard right now for a lot of people and they just aren't shopping the way they were a year ago. Although money might be tight right now for a lot of consumers the need for making money is continuous. Try setting aside two to three hours each week to start focusing on advertising your business. When you actually take the time to market your business, and start to see a change in new orders, then believe me, you will be glad you did!

Carla Phillips

My SEO Gal

http://myseogal.com