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When it comes to talking about links and link marketing, I like to think I know a thing or three but when it comes to pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns well, not so much. As a matter-of-fact, I have a hard time spelling PPC never mind understanding all the various components involved so when my dear friend Aaron Wall showed me the new PPC Training and Community Forum he was developing, I was thrilled! Finally I had a place to learn PPC from top to bottom at my own pace from people I knew and trusted.

Aaron teamed with noted PPC expert Geordie Carswell who was the founding CEO of the RevenueWire software affiliate network & Safecart payment processing platform, a start-up that went from zero to $51 million in PPC-driven sales in less than 18 months. Geordie has hands-on experience managing PPC accounts at high volume levels across multiple platforms, he wrote the killer 50 (that’s right 50!!) training modules and moderates the PPC Community forum.

In addition to the 50 training modules, the training program gives you access to 11 PPC tools:

• Google Adwords Mass Campaign Builder New!
• Keyword List Comparison Tool New!
• Competitive Research Tool New!
• Keyword List Generator.
• Keyword List Cleaner & Number Stripper
• Typo Generator
• Keyword Match Type Wrapper
• PPC Mass Ad Generator
• A/B Split Test Validation Calculator
• PPC ROI Calculator
• RoAS Calulator (Return on Impressions)

If you’re like me, you learn best by doing and being able to ask questions as you go.  The PPC Training program allows you to do just that, you can read and implement the modules at your pace and ask questions (ask Geordie directly!) in the Community forum.  I moderate the linking forum on the SEO Book Community Forum and share what I learn/experience/implement daily, we don’t hold anything back and neither will Geordie or Aaron.

Bottom line?  If you want to learn PPC from the ground up from knowledgable and respected PPC masters, head over to the PPC Training center and sign up today.

(Obligatory Debra disclaimer:  I was not paid to do this. I do not have a financial stake in the PPC or SEOBook Training programs.  I do it because the programs are good.)

Earlier this month the Wall Street Journal ran an article on how businesses were using Live Chat to make incremental sales. 

This bit caught my eye:

 In late April, home improvement e-tailer Improvement Direct Inc., of Chico, Calif., used a chat feature on its site to converse directly with customers about its products and services. The response was overwhelming. “We got flooded,” says Brandon Proctor, vice president of marketing. “We couldn’t believe how many chats we were getting.” In July alone, the company had more than 300 chats daily and converted them into sales at a rate of 9%

Way to go Improvement Direct!    Since I suffer from link tunnel vision I immediately started to wonder how I could use the live chat application to get people to link.  Here’s what I came up with:

1.  At the end of every chat have the operator ask the customer if they’d like to have a permanent discount code for the product you’re selling.  All they have to do is link to your site and you’ll send the code.

2.  If you have a product requiring assembly instructions or a “how to use guide”  provide these links in the chat.  On the pages hosting these “how to” guides, make a push to link to your site.

3.  Do an email blast to current customers annoucing the new chat feature on your site.  In the correspondence drop the “link to us” offer and include a giveaway as a thank you.

4.  Issue a press release annoucing the new feature and your company’s committment to customer service and using advanced technology.  

While it’s a good idea to look at everything as an opportunity to promote your website,  it’s not a good idea to go overboard and become a pest asking for links.    Keep the number of times you ask to a minimum and use  the elements with the highest visibililty for a better chance of link building success.

P.S.  If you’re interested in the technology, the article mentioned Meebo as a free live chat software and search on the phrase “live chat software” for the paid companies.