Editorial: Is your business built on quicksand?
By Derek Gehl

I often get emails from people who are psyched to get started online, and have a KILLER product idea they want to base their business on.

Their emails go something like this...

Hi Derek, thanks for all your advice! I know with your help I can make great money online. I want to sell [INSERT PRODUCT IDEA HERE] because it's my passion -- any suggestions on what to do first???

Sure. Here's a suggestion:

FORGET ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT IDEA.

Seriously. Wipe it right out of your head.

Now, I'm not saying that product idea is going to doom your business to failure.

But what I AM saying is this:

When it comes to Internet marketing, it's not WHAT you sell that counts -- it's WHO you sell it to!

If you don't take the steps necessary to make 100% sure there is an easily reachable market of people online who WANT TO BUY something you can sell them, then there's a strong chance you're building your business on QUICKSAND.

That's why in all of our programs and courses, the first thing we always, ALWAYS urge you to do is...


By "niche market," I simply mean, a group of people who have a certain problem, and are ACTIVELY looking for a solution online without much luck.

(And of course, they must be willing to pay good money for that solution!)

If you can provide that group of people with a product or service that solves their problem, then your business has a good chance of making money.

BUT: No matter HOW fabulous your product is -- if no one is looking to buy that product -- or something like it -- online, then your business will collapse like a house of cards.

It's just that simple.

This isn't just for beginners, either... Even if you already HAVE an online business, you STILL need to make sure that you're targeting viable niche market. It's the only way to make sure your business is built on a solid foundation.

Click here to visit my blog to find out how to make sure you've identified a market with great profit potential?

To your success,

Derek Gehl

Spy on your competitors' PPC keywords -- so you can beat them at their own game!
By Nicole Ephgrave

Pay-per-click advertising is a GREAT low-cost way to drive immediate traffic to your sites.

... IF you know how to do it right!

A well-planned pay-per-click (PPC) campaign can get your website into the top search results -- and in front of a large audience of potential customers -- in minutes.

But used improperly, PPC advertising can be a quick route to bankruptcy.

Eek!

To make sure you're bidding the right amount of money on the right keywords, it helps to know what your competition is doing.

And now there are three great online tools that show you exactly that!

1. KeywordSpy

KeywordSpy is a great online tool that tells you...

• The keywords being used to advertise in Google, Yahoo and Windows Live
  
  
• The approximate cost per click for each keyword
  
  
• The ad position attained for that keyword
  
  
• The number of competitors advertising under the same keyword
  

KeywordSpy offers a free trial in which you give them a descriptive keyword and they send you a list of your competitors and the keywords they're using.

The full-price version costs $89.95 per month.

You can check out both the free and trial versions at: www.keywordspy.com.

2. KeyCompete

KeyCompete is a similar tool that offers a one-day trial for $19, plus a monthly rate of $39.

Two levels of yearly plan are also available.

You can learn more at: www.keycompete.com

Both of the tools above only show you the keywords your competitors are using for their PPC ads.

If you want to know exactly which keywords your competitors are optimizing their sites for as well, check out one of my personal favorites:

3. Spyfu

In addition to revealing the keywords your competitors are bidding on for their PPC ads, Spyfu also shows you the keywords they're optimizing their site for.

Spyfu offers a free trial, plus a 3-day subscription for only $6.75. A monthly subscription costs $38.50.

But in my opinion, it's well worth it -- this kind of information is pure marketing gold!

You can learn more about Spyfu at: www.spyfu.com

Note: Nicole Ephgrave is IMC's resident search marketing expert. You can get more SEO tips by clicking here.