[Update] - Seniors, Crazy Eggs

Another new month! And I'm busier than ever. I had to force myself to break off from my latest project (more of which later) or I wouldn't get this edition out to you.

First, a big "thank you" to all the crazy subscribers who entered my "Webmaster in Kenya" competition. I ended up giving away four prizes, instead of the two I'd intended. You can see the results and the prizewinners' entries here:

For the lucky winners, I decided to give away copies of my latest product release - my "Smart Site Web Kit". If you were not lucky enough to win one of these, you can still pick up the Kit at my special subscribers-only price from here:

.. but only until December 13th. Then that page disappears! By the way, sorry (on behalf of PayPal) for the glitch that hit the payment system on the same evening that I sent out my "Special Update" announcing the release of the Kit. Loads of people tried to purchase it, only to be thwarted by 'technology melt-down' - and it wasn't my fault!

Everything's OK now, so if you're still interested, find out more about this massive website resource from here:

Now - what am I currently working on? What did I have to break off from to write to you?

Well, actually, it's one of four which I'll be launching within the next week. And each one will generate revenue from AdSense, Amazon, ClickBank - and the sale of an eBook.

As you might have guessed, I have not produced these websites. They came ready-made. Only a few people are allowed to purchase them. And they are extremely easy to customise.

Now I've tried loads of ready-made content-filled niche websites, designed to generate AdSense revenue. I've joined (and left) more membership sites supplying them than I care to remember. And there's just one that I've stayed with, happily paying my monthly subscriptions for the past six months. That's "Niches In A Box", produced by Jean-Philippe ("JP") Schoeffel. You read about it here (but don't sign up.. read below..)

JP's sites have always been very easy to configure. Here's one which took me about an hour to put together - including designing my own header banner:

But now, JP has come up with software which enables me to configure any of his sites, in just minutes.

But I'm rather cross with JP right now. I've been paying him $97 a month for six months (and been happy to do so). So what does he go and do? He's letting a limited number of people get four of these niches, plus a load of other goodies, for a one-off payment. You can read about it here:

But before you do, let me tell you a bit about my Dental Insurance website. It will help you to understand why JP's "firesale", although it might seem a bit pricey, is really a very good deal.

The Dental Insurance site is just one of a dozen insurance-related sites which came with my July membership of Niches In A Box. I've been too busy to get them all up on my server. JP's system was a little more complicated then than it is today.

But that one site, although it doesn't get a huge number of visitors, pulls in around $50 a month in revenue - maybe $600 in a year. And I've got a good number of those low-volume sites doing about the same. Set 'em up, forget 'em - and look forward to the Google AdSense payment each month :-)

So.. back to JP's latest firesale. In the package, there's 4 niches, each with ten websites - 40 websites in total. Even if you only do 10% of what I'm earning per site - well, do the maths: 40 x 5 x 12 = $2,400 per year. And that's assuming you get only 5 dollars per site per month. And that's also ignoring any other revenue coming from the built-in Amazon and ClickBank links and from the eBook sales.

So, when you look at JP's firesale, and you scroll down fast to see the price - as I'm sure many people do :-) - just bear the above figures in mind. Go and scroll away!

Suddenly, the amount that JP is asking seems very small. If you are serious about generating AdSense revenue, this is one product I suggest you get. Oh, and you don't need to be an expert webmaster to get these sites running. You don't need to touch HTML at all. Just follow instructions, that's all!

And what are the first niche websites I'm setting up? The "Senior Living" niche, of course! I've just registered the domain name "seniorlivinggoldenyears.com", and when the domain name is live, I'll be up and running.

Come and compete with me! But don't leave it too late. JP is restricting the number of people who can get the package, and it's selling out fast:

The site is open! Mark Hendricks' "12 Days Of Christmas" give-away event has started. Remember the idea? One gift on the First Day Of Christmas, two on the second day, and so on. It should add up to 78 gifts in total.

But already on the First Day, there's 9 gifts waiting for you. What the final total will be I've no idea!

If you've registered for the event, you'll already have got an email from Mark. But if you haven't registered yet, here's where to go:

I know from emails I've had that some subscribers are a bit apprehensive about all the different sign-ups that might be involved. So here's a few ideas to help you get the best out of the event:

Some headline, eh! I've just been playing with a new f'ree service provided by CrazyEgg.com. It shows you just where people have been clicking on your web pages. And, as I've found, the results can sometimes be surprising - and educative.

I found that on my City of York website, people were clicking on an image which I had not hyperlinked. I would not have thought that people would try to use it in this way.

It's easier to show you than to describe the process, so here's a couple of screenshots showing how CrazyEgg overlaid my web page with a "hot spots" map:

Also, on that page, I've put a link to a video made by a guy called Jeff Mills. I was going to make one myself, but Jeff has done a good job in showing how you can test and track websites using CrazyEgg.com

I suggest you check this service out. As I said, it's f'ree - but you can only track 4 pages with the service. If you want to track more simultaneously, there's a small monthly subscription to pay. Here's where to access the service:

This is a new service I'm offering to "Update" subscribers. Every month, I'll review one or two websites owned by subscribers. The review will be published on a new website devoted to this newsletter, and can be viewed by all subscribers.

So you may have to have a pretty thick skin. I can sometimes be quite blunt in my comments!

The first volunteer is John Witherspoon, who runs "The Net Marketing Guide" website, aimed primarily (but not exclusively) at affiliate marketers.

"I learned more about design in your review than I've learned from all the reading and testing I've done on my own. Every thing I've done to date is without much help except what I've read about and seen on other sites. I guess now I've really got my work cut out. I'll make a lot of changes to the website as per your critique.You've helped me more than anybody or any books ever could."

On this new site, www.marketing-update-newsletter.com, you can also apply for a review of your website. But, as yet, there's nothing else on the site except the website review. But watch this space!

Last week, our guest writer, Robin Nobles, took us to task on the sloppy use of the English language, so frequently found on web pages.

This week, she continues her onslaught! How many grammatical mistakes do you make? Read Robin's concluding article here:

I haven't had the chance to update the Library with the December gifts (although I know exactly what's in store for you).

So this really is your last chance to download the November gifts.

One of them is "Cam Studio - Internet Marketers Version" - the software on which the famous "Camtasia" was based. I invited subscribers to send me a video which they had created with Cam Studio, and frankly, I was not pleased with the response.

So the only person who has the oppor'tunity to expose his video to the thousands of "Update" subscribers is Rev. Bill McBride, who has produced a highly professional promotional video with his newly acquired Cam Studio. Watch his short video here - and wait until the end! Then you can see the power of the "Internet Marketers Version" of the software:

http://www.IanSays.com/CamStudio/RevBill.html

Closing date for entries was supposed to be today. But if you send me a link to a Cam Studio-created video before next Friday, you, too, can gain from this valuable publicity. Go and make a video now!

The other November gift, if you haven't yet downloaded it is a report (with Master Resale Rights) called "15 Of The Biggest Questions In On-Line Marketing - Answered!". It makes good reading.

Access the Library here. You'll need the username and password which were sent in the email version of this newsletter.

Have a great week! I'm off to finish the customising of my "Senior Living - Golden Years" website!