Resources
Here is a guide to the Resources that I utilize for the Car Lease Guide website and my other internet marketing projects, and I would recommend these to anyone looking to create a successful website or blog in order to build a passive income.
I hope you find them useful.
By the way, I’ll be updating this section on a regular basis, as I’m constantly finding and using new internet marketing resources. So you might like to bookmark this page for future reference.
Website Building |
| WordPress.org
All my websites, including The Car Lease Guide, have been created using the self-hosted WordPress platform. This brilliant (and free) Blogging and Content Management System can be used for creating blogs as well as static websites. It’s easy to use, is easily customizable requiring little or no HTML knowledge, has a great Support Forum, and is constantly being updated to improve its functionality and security.
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| WordPress Plugins
There are hundreds of useful WordPress Plugins, most of which are free, which add features to and improve the functionality of your WordPress website or blog.
Here are a few of my favourites: Akismet, SEO Ultimate, Google XML Sitemap, Google Analyticator, Image Widget, Widget Logic, WP Title 2, My Page Order, Broken Link Checker, Tiny MCE Advanced, and Fast & Secure Contact Form.
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| WordPress Themes
You can improve the look and feel of your website or blog by upgrading to a premium WordPress Theme. The two themes I am recommending here, Socrates and Thesis, have been specifically designed by internet marketers for internet marketers. They ‘re both great themes for optimizing your site for the search engines, and helping you make the most of your affiliate marketing efforts. The Car Lease Guide site is built using the Socrates theme.
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Email Marketing & List Building |
| The Car Lease Guide mailing list and newsletter are powered by AWeber, one of the most popular and reliable Email Marketing services, and one which is used by many top bloggers and internet marketers. It’s a powerful email opt-in service and broadcasting tool, great for building your subscriber list. You’re able to try it free for 30 days, after which it’s just $19 per month for up to 500 subscribers. |
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| InTouch CRM are a UK based company that have a great Email Marketing and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system all rolled into one, and I have been using this for several years for one of my sites. They have recently completed a major product upgrade, adding functionality and making it even easier to use. They offer awesome telephone support, and pricing starts at just £18 per month, including 5000 email credits every month. |
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| I recently installed Popup Domination on one of my sites and I noticed an immediate increase in the number of visitors subscribing to my Blog Newsletter. It works by opening a pop-up window when a visitor is viewing your site, with a gentle reminder of what the visitor may gain by subscribing to your list, and you can fully customize it to your requirements. It certainly does what it says on the tin! |
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Keyword Research |
| The Google Adwords Tool is a great free Keyword Research Tool. It enables you to find keywords relative to your niche, and check the popularity and amount of competition of those keywords.
However, if you want a more powerful Keyword Research Tool that seeks out those elusive keywords with high popularity and low competition, then Market Samurai is well worth considering. It is, in my opinion, the best tool available for keyword research, and you can now get it on a free trial.
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Books |
| Here are some of the books that have inspired and motivated me to develop my internet marketing activities, and have helped me get to grips with some of the technical stuff and marketing methods required to build successful websites. If you only read one of these books, make it ‘The 4 Hour Work Week’. |
The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich |
| by Tim Ferris |
Moonlighting on the Internet: 5 World-Class Experts Reveal Proven Ways to Make Extra Cash |
| By Yanik Silver |
Make a Fortune Promoting Other People’s Stuff Online: How Affiliate Marketing Can Make You Rich |
| By Rosalind Gardner |
WordPress 24-Hour Trainer |
| By George Plumley |
WordPress All-in-One For Dummies (For Dummies (Computers)) |
| By Lisa Sabin-Wilson |
Search Engine Optimization: An Hour a Day |
| By Jennifer Grappone and Gradiva Couzin |
Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day |
| By Chris Treadaway and Mari Smith |
Get to the Top on Google: Tips and Techniques to Get Your Site to the Top of Google and Stay There |
| By David Viney |
Don’t Make Me Think!: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability |
| By Steve Krug |
Get Up to Speed with Online Marketing: How to Use Websites, Blogs, Social Networking and Much More (Financial Times Series) |
| By Jon Reed |
Sams Teach Yourself eBay in 10 Minutes (Sams Teach Yourself…in 10 Minutes) |
| By Michael Miller |
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