Author: Julian Gooden

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How To Start Your Handmade Jewellery Business Online

Posted on by Julian Gooden
necklace

Step 1: Decide where to sell

(i) Decide where you want to sell your items. There are several options including Etsy, eBay and Amazon.

(ii) Create your account and corresponding social media accounts, which you will also use to promote your items.

Step 2: Decide what type of jewellery to sell

Once you have decided on the platform you would like to sell on, then you need to decide what items or types of jewellery you want to offer. Craftcount is a good place to check Etsy top shops; and see what is selling; also Amazon bestsellers for Amazon, and Pulse eBay gives indication of what items are more popularly searched on eBay. You can then decide whether you want to run with the masses or cater to a particular niche; the extent to which you will be able to do this, will of course be dependent on your skills set.

You could create a set a jewellery items or variety of products such as earrings, necklace, bracelets and PDF tutorials on how to make particular pieces of jewellery.

Step 3: Create your products

Buy your raw material and create some items, start with at least 25 to 50 items.

It might be better to start with one item at first, such as, earrings or bracelets.

Step 4: Get good pictures

Take pictures of your items. The quality of the pictures is important; you don’t need a high quality camera to get good pictures, most smart phones have reasonably good quality camera. Lighting is important, so make sure you take the pictures at the time of the day when you can capture them in ‘good’ light. If you can get them professionally photographed it might be worth doing especially if your item prices will be $50 and over per piece.

Step 5: Writing description

Write item descriptions including:
(i) general item description
(a) catchy headings, keyword rich phrases (should be relevant to item)
(b) avoid writing a one-liner
(ii) statement advising to visitors to view your other items
(iii) refund policy
(iv) shipping policy
(v) any other important information you want to tell your customer.

Step 6: Promote your items

It is highly competitive, especially when you are selling jewellery items, therefore, you must be willing to invest some time promoting. Social media is a great way to start, especially Facebook. Promote in groups and use Facebook advertising where possible.

Create business pages on  Facebook, a Google Plus, Pinterest and other platforms. Include the following in your profile or description:

  • Sample items
  • Direct link to your store
  • Your contact information
  • Link to other social platform

Conclusion

Promote! Promote! Promote!

Put passion into what you do and make sure you enjoy doing it, as this could affect your level of success.

I will be posting additional information that will further help – bookmark this blog so you won’t miss anything.

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Make A Living With Google

Posted on by Julian Gooden
Google logo

Technology is rapidly changing, and a part of that has to do with the internet…a large part of it! The way we do business has changed, and is changing; the way we buy goods and services has changed and so careers too are changing! Many of the jobs that existed are changing in structure, one machine can do jobs hundred of people used to do, so where does that leave many of us, how do we cope? How do we redefine ourselves in this atmosphere? Well, if you’re thinking of starting a new career and have some experience online – take a look at Google; they may just offer options to learn new skills and the career change you are looking for. In this article we will be looking at some ways in which you can use Google services to start a new career at no cost…yes, you got that right, for free.

The first step is to create a Gmail account, if you don’t already have one. You will also need to have at least a basic understanding of the internet.

1. Google Adsense

Google Adsense offers a free, simple way to earn money by placing ads on your website or blog. You first have to have a Google Account; if you have a Gmail account, that’s all you need to get started; and a blog of course. Use your Gmail login to sign up for Google Adsense. You will be able to create and add ads to your blog. You get paid per thousand impressions (CPM), cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-engagement (CPE), depending on the preferences of the Google Adwords advertiser.

If you are able to pay others to write great articles – on both evergreen and topical subjects, you could build a solid website that brings thousands of viewers daily and higher earning potential. In addition to setting up your own blog, you can also offer your service helping other people set up their own Adsense accounts, and create and place ads.

Career options include:

  • Google Adsense Specialist
  • Google Adsense Consultant
  • Google Adsense Expert
  • Google Adsense Certified Partner

2. Google Analytics

Google Analytics lets you measure advertising ROI (Return On Investment) as well as track Flash, video, and social networking sites and applications. This can provide critical information for businesses or individuals regarding visitors to their website and visitor interactions. Understanding analytics, how to use it, and interpret the reports can help a business boost their conversion rates and implement better SEO (Search engine optimisation) strategies to improve visitor volume, sales and website ranking. Companies are willing to pay, and do pay, sometimes substantial amounts for this kind of knowledge and expertise.

In addition to knowledge of Google Analytics it’s worth exploring Doubleclick – a business owned by Google that makes it money from online advertisers and publishers.

Start your Google Analytics career with free training that Google’s Analytics Academy offers.

Career options include:

  • Google Analytics Specialists
  • Digital Web Analyst
  • Web Marketing Analyst
  • Google Analytics Consultant

3. Google Webmaster

Google Webmaster offers service to track a web site’s performance.  It is a tool one can use to make websites more engaging,  improve user experience, as well as implement measures to improve website search results. It’s free to learn how webmaster works.

If you already have knowledge of web maintenance, even if it is in dealing with your own website, you can build on this knowledge by learning Google Webmaster. So, why not get familiar with Webmaster, and the ways in which it can be used to benefit website owners and users.

Career options include:

  • Google Webmaster Expert
  • Digital Web Analyst
  • Website Maintenance Consultant
  • Webmaster

4. Google Adword

Google Adword provides an opportunity for businesses and individuals to advertise and attract customers to a website, and the products that they’re searching for. Individuals and businesses pay to advertise with Google. Advertisers create ads to be shown through Google networks. They want to create great ads that will target the right customers and lead to maximum conversion. Many people don’t know how Google Adword work; not only can you become that one less person, but you can offer your skills to companies and other individuals who don’t know how to.

Google Adword skills are becoming more and more important as companies vie for the attention of online buyers.

Career options include:

  • Google Adword Expert
  • Google Adword Specialist
  • Google Adword Consultant

5. YouTube

Create a YouTube channel. Many people are using YouTube as a platform to establish themselves, share their knowledge, skills and experiences; while at the same time being able to earn doing so. Depending on the area you specialise in, success could come fast or very slowly. The more established you become, it opens the possibility for endorsements and of course, promotion of your own services and products for sale. YouTube isn’t a ‘get rich quick’ avenue, as many people may think. It is therefore important to do something you are passionate about or at least be hugely motivated by in some way, as this lessens the possibility that you will quit early. You have to invest time and effort in nurturing and growing your channel.

In addition to building your own channel, there are many people who are seeking others to help build their channel or take part in their channel in some way. You can help guide with content creation, filming, editing videos, writing scripts, reviewing products and channel management, to name a few.

Career options include:

  • YouTube Presenter
  • Video Content Writer/Editor
  • Vlogger
  • Social Media Executive
  • YouTube Executive
  • Video Editor
  • Scriptwriters (various genres)

 

Noted Links:
https://www.doubleclickbygoogle.com/
https://www.google.com/webmasters/learn/
https://www.google.com/gmail/
https://www.youtube.com/

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How To Use WP Simple PayPal Shopping Cart

Posted on by Julian Gooden
WordPress PayPal Shopping Cart

You may have installed the WP Simple PayPal Shopping Cart plugin and need help in setting up your product or services with it. The below information will help you get this done.

Item plus price
To add item name and price, use the below shortcode within the brackets [ ].

wp_cart_button name="Cotton dress" price="9.99"

Item plus price and variation
To add item name, price and product variations use the below shortcode within the brackets [ ].

wp_cart_button name="Cotton dress" price="9.99" var1="Size|Small|Medium|Large|X-Large"

Multiple variations
To add item name, price and multiple product variations use the below shortcode within the brackets [ ].

wp_cart_button name="Cotton dress" price="9.99" var1="Size|X-Small|X-Large" var2="Color|Black|Green|Blue|Pink"

Adding shipping
To add shipping amount to your item listing use the below shortcode within the brackets [ ].

wp_cart_button name="Cotton dress" price="9.99" shipping="3.00"

Product, price, shipping, variations
To add item name, price shipping and product variations use the below shortcode within the brackets [ ].

wp_cart_button name="Cool shirt" price="9.99" shipping="3.00" var1="Size|Small|Medium|Large|X-Large" var2="Color|Black|Green|Blue|Pink"

To show shopping cart on any page or post
To show a shopping cart on any page or post use the below shortcode within the brackets [ ].

show_wp_shopping_cart

In template files, use:
To add shopping cart in your template files add the below code within the brackets < >.

?php echo do_shortcode('');?

To add social media links
To add social media option to your listing use the below short code within the brackets [ ].

wp_cart_button name="Social media" price="25" var1="Social media account|Facebook|Twitter|Google+|Pinterest"
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Etsy Listing Bulk Editing Tools

Posted on by Julian Gooden

If you sell on Etsy you might find it quite tedious to make changes in cases where you have tens, hundreds or even thousands of items listed. There are however some listing tools that you could use to make the job less tedious and less time-consuming. I will look at a few of these tools – some of which I have tried myself.

1. Vela

Vela bulk editing tool for Etsy
Vela is an online tool. It’s quick and easy to get started. Sign up and follow the instructions to connect your shop. Once your shop is connected you will be able to go ahead and make individual or bulk changes to title, description, category, photos, price, quantity, tags, section, materials, occasion, style and recipient. You may all the items in one go or edit sections at a time. Once you have made your changes and click ‘Sync updates’ (top left hand corner) the changes begin to take effect. When you log in, in the early stages a video will pop up with instructions on how to use Vela.

Price: Free to register and use.

url: https://login.getvela.com/

2. ShopShaper

ShopShaper bulk editing for Etsy
ShopShaper is another great editing tool for Etsy. Downloads are available for Windows and Mac operating systems. Once you have downloaded the files – extract / run the programme to install. Once installation is complete, open on your desktop and connect your Etsy shop (make sure you are connected to the internet). It’s not as smooth or pretty as Vela but it is easy to understand and use. You can make changes to active, inactive, expired, and draft listings in bulk – titles, descriptions, tags, materials, quantities and prices, add shipping destinations to listings, change shipping costs of existing shipping destinations, delete, replace or add images and preview your changes before applying.

They also have videos on how to get started using ShopShaper.

Price: Free unlimited use for the first 7 days.
After 7 days:
1 day key – $1 (Valid for 24 hours, to be used with 1 shop, no operation limit)
1 month key – $14 (Valid for 31 days, to be used with up to 2 shops, no operation limit)
1 year key – $72 (Valid for 365 days, to be used with up to 2 shops, no operation limit)

url: http://www.shopshaper.net/

3. Zetsy

Zetsy - bulk editing for Etsy
Zetsy is a free Etsy listing tool for Windows operating system. It allows you to edit title, price, description, tags and shipping costs. You will need to download and install the latest version on your computer. Once you install and activiate it is ready to use. They have a tutorial on how to get started; please watch, as you will probably find it a bit confusing otherwise.

Price: Free

url: http://zimpro.co/ZetsyHome.html

You can check out and try these tool; see which works best for you.

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10 Ways to Build and Improve Your Online Presence

Posted on by Julian Gooden
Create an online presence

Things can sometimes change rapidly online, however to grow your business, you must keep abreast of the changes and continue to grow and learn. Here are 10 ways to improve your online presence.

1. Responsive website – create a responsive website, one which grabs the attention of the user. Images and videos are often very effective at doing this so use them when necessary to tell your story.

2. Branding and Identity – create a brand. You need a logo that is unique to you, one that will readily identify you and your product/service. Create a strap-line also, it is another way of making your band distinctive, like Nike’s “Just do it!”

3. Social Media — create social media accounts and create links to them from your website and vice-versa. Your social media links should be easily seen on the first page of your website. Many of us spend more time on social media than we care to acknowledge, and people might not readily come back to your website, if a link has not been established with one or more of your social media accounts – where they could follow, like, subcribe and keep abreast of your updates. Use social media and other online marketing avenues to build brand identity and consumer confidence. Post to your social media account often; everyday, if possible.

4. Blog – add a blog to your site. A blog will provide a means to post stories and updates.

5. About page – your ‘about’ page should not only say what you offer, but should say something about your team, what makes you stand above the competition and why people should buy your goods or services.

6. Call to action – a call to action should be placed on your site. It helps you quickly engage visitors, whether it is to take advantage of an offer or sign up for newsletter.

7. Content – Content is King. Your website content should be well presented. Your average user should be able to relate to the content and understand what you are trying to present. It should be nicely laid out with enough white spaces to make the content easy to read. Not only should attention be placed on the aesthetics, but practicality as well –  use readable, web-friendly fonts of reasonable sizes for headings and paragraphs.  Also, position videos and images for maximum user experience (UX).

8. Menus –  the position could vary based on the overall design of the site. However, visitors should not have to search for a way to navigate your website.

9. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) – wherever possible use SEO techniques to improve website ranking. Use relevant keywords in titles and articles. Create categories and tags that relate to your content.

10. Link building – create backlinks, add your website to high PR directories, make comments on other blogs – especially those that offer complementary goods or services to yours. Approach others who are willing to link exchange.  You will probably get offers every now and again – check them out. Make sure when you link, you do so with websites with a good online reputation and also if your site is say a PR0 (which it likely will be in beginning), try to link sites that are PR2 or above.

More could be added to the list, but start with these very important ones. You should definitely start seeing results. It is important to also say – be consistent, work at it. If you do it once in a while you won’t reap the potential benefits.

Have fun building your business!

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14 Websites Where You Can Sell Your Online Services

Posted on by Julian Gooden

1. FiveDollarr.com

Buy and sell services starting at $5 up to $20.
http://www.fivedollarr.com/

2. Fiverr

Buy and sell your services online for $5.
https://uk.fiverr.com/

3. FiverUp

Buy and sell services from $4 to $100.
http://www.fiverup.com/

4. Fourerr

Buy and sell micro gigs from $4 upwards.
http://www.fourerr.com/

5. GigBucks

Gigs range of $5 to $50.
http://gigbucks.com/

6. Gotask

Buy and sell online services; from graphic design to programming.
http://www.gotask.co.uk/

7. PeoplePerHour

Buy and sell buy or small jobs at hourly or fixed rates. There is no upper or lower limit.
http://www.peopleperhour.com/

8. Roundshelf

Gigs go from $5 to $20.
http://roundshelf.com/

9. SEOClerks

Gigs range from as little as $1 to $999. Sell services relating to online marketing and other web serivices.
https://www.seoclerk.com/

10. Taskarmy

Freelancers are not forced to sell their services for very little here.
http://taskarmy.com/

11. TenBux

Start buying and selling your services at $5 and go up to $20.
http://tenbux.com/

12. Tenrr

Buy and sell gigs up to $10.
http://www.tenrr.com/

13. Upwork

Buy and sell sevices – whether micro or big jobs.
https://www.upwork.com/

14. Zeerk

Gigs range from $5 to $1,000 for freelance and micro jobs.
https://zeerk.com/

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How to Cancel Direct or Automatic Payment on PayPal

Posted on by Julian Gooden

Here’s how to cancel a subscription or recurring payment from PayPal. Please note that depending on the layout you have there are slight differences. Although using either of the below will lead you to the same place, both are included nonetheless:

#1. Accounts with old layout.

  1. Go to www.paypal.co.uk and log in to your account.
  2. Click ‘Profile‘ near the top of the page.
  3. Select ‘My money‘.
  4. In the ‘My pre-approved payments‘ section, click ‘Update‘.
  5. Select the merchant whose agreement you want to cancel and click ‘Cancel’.
  6. Click ‘Cancel Profile‘ to confirm your request.

#2. Accounts with newer or updated layout.

PayPal setting icon
1. Select Profile (setting wheel at the right, highlighted above)
2. Click on ‘Payments‘ from navigation
3. Under ‘Managing upcoming payments‘, Select ‘Preapproved payments‘. You will see a list of your Subscriptions, Automatically billed payments, Installment plan payments in a list.
4. Select the ‘Merchant‘ name (in blue) from the left column.
5. At ‘Status‘ you will see, Active | Cancel, click ‘Cancel‘.
6. A ‘Cancel Confirmation‘ pops up, click ‘Yes‘.

It is good practice to check at intervals to ensure you are only paying for what you n

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Top 10 Social Media Websites

Posted on by Julian Gooden
social media sites

1. Facebook

facebookfacebook.com
An online social networking site that connects people worldwide, to register and create an account to use to keep up with family, friends and colleagues. Share status, upload photos, share links and videos.
1,100,000,000 – Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors

2. Twitter

Twittertwitter.com
Social networking and microblogging web interface. It enables registered users to send and read short ( 140-character) messages called “tweets”.
310,000,000 – Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors

3. LinkedIn

linkedin circlelinkedin.com
A business oriented networking tool to find connections, job candidates, industry experts and business partners. LinkedIn is really a huge database of professionals. It allows registered users to maintain a list of contact of people they know and trust in their area of interest.
255,000,000 – Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors

4. Pinterest

Pinterestpinterest.com
Pinterest is a visual online pinboard where users you can post collections of interest or things they love. Posting is known as pinning. Users can browse, repin and follow collections created by other users.
250,000,000 – Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors

5. Google +

google plusplus.google.com
Social network and microblogging site from search engine giant, Google. It integrates other Google services with an aim to make sharing on the web easy, fun and informative. It is a place to connect with like-minded people in groups called community. Create your own community, share images, videos, links and texts with the world.
120,000,000 – Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors

6. Tumblr

Tumblrtumblr.com
A microblogging platform and social networking website. It is a cross between a social networking site and a blog. It allows registered users to post text, images, videos, links, media to their own customisable blogs.
110,000,000 – Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors

7. Instagram

Instagram logoinstagram.com
Instagram is an online mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing, and social networking service. Snap and upload pictures to share with other users and also other networks such as Facebook, twitter and Google +.
100,000,000 – Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors

8. VK (originally VKontakte)

vkontaktevk.com
VK is not only the largest Russian social network, it also the largest social network in Europe. It is available in several languages, but is especially popular among Russian-speaking users. It is considered the Russian equivalent of Facebook. Registered users can have profiles and pages, much like Facebook – update status, post images, videos, text. Join groups of your interest and connect with others.
80,000,000 – Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors

9. Flickr

Flickrflickr.com
Photo management – hosting and sharing service. Host and share hundreds of your own pictures on Flickr for free. Join groups of interest and connect with others.
65,000,000 – Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors

10. Vine 10

Vinevine.com
Vine is a Twitter owned short-form video sharing service where users can share six-second-long looping video clips. The idea is to create quick, easy and interesting short films to share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and the world at large.
42,000,000 – Estimated Unique Monthly Visitors

Visitor number source ebizmba.com

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3 Best Free Blogging Platforms

Posted on by Julian Gooden
Wordpress, Blogger and Tumblr - 3 Free Blogging Platforms

1. Wordpess

Wordpress logoThere are two versions of WordPress you could use, worpress.com and wordpress.org. WordPress.org is the self-hosted version. It is free to download and install, to create your own website/blog. However, it is usually the case that you would need to have a bit of technical skills or hire someone who does, in order to help you get up and running properly. Many hosts now have a one click install option where you follow a series of step to follow in order to start up. Using WordPress.org, you will have more control over your blog, you host it and use your own domain name and can freely promote it the way you want to. With WordPress.com, the blog is set up on a preinstalled platform. Your website is hosted and the technical details are taken care of for you. Creating a blog on WordPress.com is very easy, within minutes you could be done with the initial set up.

Domain name
Wordpress.com allows you to start your blog with your username as subdomain of the already established wordpress.com, for example if your username is myprettyshoes, then your URL would be http://myprettyshoes.worpress.com. You can however purchase an available domain name through WordPress.com, to change your URL to http://www.myprettyshoes.com. The same is done for WordPress.org where you would need to have have purchased your own domain name if you wish to create your own website or blog. WordPress.com is optimized for SEO so you can follow simple principles in order rank your website on search engines such as Google and Bing. They offer support via chat, email, support pages, and forum. WordPress.com have millions of user who you can also connect and share with. WordPress.org has a very active, vibrant and developed online community, thousands of free and premium themes, plugins and tools to help you along the way.

Pros

  • WordPress software is free, you can get a completely free blog at WordPress.com and for WordPress.org all you might need to pay for is hosting and domain fees.
  • WordPress is completely customisable and has many plugins and themes to support it.
  • Can be used for just about any project.
  • Frequent updates.

Cons

  • A hosted blog version at WordPress.com is a good option, however, to get the most of WordPress it is best to self-host your website.
  • Sometimes you might need technical help in order to adapt or create the theme and plugin to look the way we you want it to.

WordPress.com – https://wordpress.com/
Wordpress.org – https://wordpress.org/

2. Blogger

Blogger icon - Free blogging platformBlogger is a Google owned blogging platform. You will need to create a Google account if you don’t have one already. Blogger allows you to create a custom blog. Design your blog the way you want. The templates are easy to use so you can create a beautiful blog that fits your style. Templates are easy to use. If you have knowledge of HTML and CSS you will be able to change the look even further. You can also use a custom domain name to promote an image or brand. Easily integrate with other Google services such as Google + and Google communities.

Blogger also provides an opportunity to earn from your blog through Google Adsense. It is easy to use, choose where you want ads to go and how you want them to look. Ads shown are usually relevant to users interest.

Pros

  • Blogger has strong support from Google which is integrated so you can benefit for different Google services.
  • Simple to understand, excellent platform for beginners.
  • Use Google Adsense to make money from your blog content and show ads relevant to your users.
  • Easy to integrate other Google services.

Cons

  • There is limited customisation, themes are limited in style and options and it isn’t easy to set up with your own domain name.
  • The community support is not that large, certainly not as large as WordPress.com.

Blogger – https://www.blogger.com/

3. Tumblr

Tumblr logo - Free blogging platformTumblr is another popular blogging platform with over 270 million blogs, so it always provides an opportunity to follow, link and share your interest, products or services with other awesome bloggers. You can literally find blogs on any subject. Post stories, photos, GIFs, TV shows, links, quips, dumb jokes, smart jokes, Spotify tracks, mp3s and more.

“Once you follow a blog, all of its posts show up in your dashboard. See something great? Reblog it to your own blog. Add commentary if you like. Make it your own. Other people will do the same to your posts.”

Pros

  • It is easy to startup, can take 3 – 5 minutes.
  • Create and run multiple blogs simultaneously.
  • A good number of theme options available.

Cons

  • The emphasis is more on visuals and less on text.
  • Slow loading time due poor caching.
  • Devalued content due to constant resharing.

Tumblr – https://www.tumblr.com/

These are three great free options to choose from if you are thinking about starting your own website or blog. Whatever you desire to do online one of these blogs will be able to satisfy that need. That being said, there are a number of other great blogs out there, some of which I will later explore.