Page Rank Explained In Layman Terms

Most people would like to get ranked on the first page of Google but have trouble learning what Search Engine Optimization is all about.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is actually a very simple concept if you can get past all those jargons and terminologies.

I’ll explain how page rank works in simple, layman terms.

Page Rank is a ranking system used by Google to rank sites (among other criteria) on their result page.

In other words, the higher your page rank, the better your chances of ranking on the first page of Google for a particular keyword.

(Bear in mind, there are many other factors when it comes to SEO, but I’ll just talk about page rank in this post!)

So how does Google’s ranking system work?

A website is given a page rank based on the number of incoming LINKS pointing to them.

The weight of each link is judged by the AUTHORITY of the site pointing to them (in other words their page rank).

Here is a simple illustration:

Websites are ranked just like movies.

Some people watch movies that are recommended by friends and family.

Others may only watch movies that are highly recommended by a movie critic.

Like websites, when someone gives good reviews about a movie, naturally the movie will be ‘ranked’ higher, correct?

Your websites are just like that. When another website ‘recommends’ you by linking to you, you get a vote.

The more votes you have, the higher your page rank (or the better the movie)

Now, Rotten Tomatoes, Yahoo! Movies and Metacritic are examples of well known and credible critics.

Most people would believe these credible sources compared to any Tom, Dick & Harry, don’t you think?

The higher the authority of the critic, the more credible their review is.

In other words the higher the page rank of the person pointing to your page, the better your rankings will be.

Google ranks pages on a scale of 0-10. Zero is where all sites begin. 5 or 6 is a very good page rank. 7 or beyond is for big players.

It is better to get ONE link from a Page Rank 6 or PR6 compared to 20 sites pointing to you with a PR of 1 or 2.

Here is another way to illustrate it.

When you watch American Idol, who is the most credible judge? Simon, Paula or Randy?

I think most people would say (unanimously) that it is Simon.

Why Simon? Because he TELLS THE BRUTAL TRUTH! He doesn’t sugarcoat the truth like Paula or spew nonsense like Randy. He just tells the truth and is brutally efficient at that.

So in layman terms, it should mean that regardless of what Paula or Randy says, If Simon says that the singer is good means the singer is good. If Simon says that the singer is bad means the singer is bad. (Simon carries more ‘weight’ compared to the other two and hence is more credible)

Makes sense?

That is what page rank is like. We should focus on getting links from a few GOOD credible sites compared to tons of sites that are not credible.

But don’t just go around getting credible links from irrelevant sites.

Google has a rule - you must link to relevant sites.

If your blog is talking about cars, it should make sense that you should link other car related news or blogs.

Example: Paul Tan Dot org talking about cars.

It wouldn’t make sense if you are talking about cars if your site is NOT related to cars! Google doesn’t like that and if Google finds out, you will wind up getting penalized when it comes to page rank or on the result page.

So it is not advisable to get links from sites that are NOT related to cars (in this example).

So make sure you play by the rules.

Here is another scenario. People ask me on this topic all the time…

You see, they usually post articles to article directories because it is a good way to get credible and related links.

They ask, “Can I use the SAME article to post into multiple directories and get the same effect?”

You are using duplicate content.

Google doesn’t like people using duplicate content and you might NOT get credit for your links if too much of the content is a duplicate.

Here’s another simple illustration.

If different movie critics review your movies, it will sound credible. But what happens if the SAME critic talks about the same move over and over again?

Wouldn’t this sound ‘weird’ if the same person raves about the same movie over and over again? The authority is diluted and the same applies with Google as well.

The best way to overcome this problem is to use unique content.

Ranking on the first page for the search engine is not difficult. To simplify things, getting lots of link love from other credible sites for a particular keyword (anchor text) is the fastest way to climb the ranks.

Technorati tags: Page Rank, What is page rank?, how to get page rank

Visualizing Versus Wishing

This was written by one of my favorite self-improvement authors - Andrew Matthews, who published the following books - Being Happy & Making Friends.

Here is his article:

Lots of us use visualization to achieve goals.

It’s where you:
a) choose a goal, and then
b) continue to imagine yourself with the goal already achieved - until you actually achieve it.

Whether you want to:
* lose weight
* gain confidence, or
* get better at anything

experts agree that visualisation works. “As you think, so you become.”

Regularly picturing success - AND putting in the necessary effort - hastens results.

So we might ask, “Why not just WISH for things?” Isn’t that similar?

No!

Visualising means:

You choose a goal, eg. a flat stomach, an interesting job, a change of lifestyle.

You picture your goal already achieved in the present moment.

This image becomes fixed in your subconscious.

You continue to work toward your goal. You keep moving forwards.
Wishing means: You tell yourself, “I hate what I’ve got.”

You wish for more money, or more happiness or Brad Pitt. Your mind drifts around in the future. You have no strategy. Nothing happens.

Key point: we change our life by putting energy into the PRESENT MOMENT.

When we wish for things, our mind is in the FUTURE.

So the more we wish for things, the more we stay STUCK!

Don’t wish! No matter how bad your situation! Set your goal, make a plan, picture your improvement, put in the effort.

In the meantime, be happy with what you have got.

While you are saving for the Ferrari, be happy with the old clunker.

In a Nutshell

As you think, so you become.
As you wish, so you become … frustrated.

I guess at the end of the day, as Internet marketers, we should stop ‘wishing’ that we will pull of a 6-figure launch, ‘wishing’ that JV partners will promote their product, ‘wishing’ that Google will rank all their sites on the first page and ‘wishing’ affiliate commission notifications will appear in their e-mailbox.

Law Of Attraction At Work Even If You Deny It!

This post is a self-reflection on how the law of attraction has worked behind the scenes in my life and how it will affect you too!

Having strong belief in success and undoubting faith doesn’t come easy at all.

I will be perfectly honest with you. I didn’t believe in it at first but it certainly believed in me!

With my 29th birthday coming up, I’ve decided to update my ABOUT ME (due to some information being obsolete and a reflection of the last year) and as I was reading through it, I discovered new things because I realized that the law of attraction was at work even though my conscious mind didn’t believe what was happening!

In life, we can become so entrenched with fear and negativity that we’ve grown to become skeptics and unbelievers of success. The drudgery of life derails our directions from the true north of success that it is even prevalent in people within the Internet marketing niche because they are filled with negativity. (Bear in mind - Internet marketing is nevertheless, still a gold mine)

I was facing many struggles, but the dream didn’t die.

Deep down, I knew that there were forces at work, like a complex jigsaw puzzle, we become so focused on the individual pieces that we lose sight of the big picture.

Call it divine providence, call it God’s will, call it… whatever - the good things in life just fell into place without me realizing it.

It just worked out for me somehow and I can’t explain it.

I hope what I write here will inspire you because people (myself included) may lose sight on little blessings…

• I love writing and my rates are much higher than the average writer, but there was one problem with this business model - it was an active income model even though it paid me very well but when I stopped writing, my income stops too no matter how high my rates were. I knew that I had to diversify my income and build businesses that will work for me rather that the other way around (me being a slave to it).My mission was clear - create PASSIVE income… OR ELSE!

  Earlier this year, I saw opportunities in building blogs that generate residual income. I had to overcome a lot of mental barriers - most of them technical and learning new stuff like Search Engine Optimization (SEO). My first profitable blog didn’t even bear fruit in the first 4 months. But after 6 months of toil, it has started to show results and I’m finally reaping the harvest on a daily basis.

  I now own a hundred blogs and I knew that if I stopped writing a single word today, I do not need to worry about my next ‘paycheck’ anymore

• For years, I had to put up with people calling me fat and being obese is no ’small’ matter at all (pun intended). In fact, I’ve gotten so used to being fat that I didn’t even care what people were calling me. (Trust me, being called fat is considered mild compared to my other nickname which I would not mention in this blog post). After going through an intensive 4 month workout with my friend and trainer - Qunling, it has helped me to overcome the impossible which is to lose significant weight.

  Please believe me when I say this - it IS possible to lose a LOT of weight even if you don’t believe it can work for you. At that time, I was probably much fatter than you now but I had one thing - a burning desire to lose weight and it really paid off.

  But losing weight was only the beginning. I’m turning 30 next year and although I embrace the big three with open arms, I know that there would be a disadvantage when it comes to sports (I’m a big fan of basketball and weight training). So what must I do? What else - workout harder! Make the best of my youth and enjoy sports as though I was still in high school! So don’t ever let age be a barrier!

• I’ve always wanted to appear in a local publication - since 2007. As I saw other marketers being featured in books such as Gobala Krishnan’s ‘The New Internet millionaires’, I knew I wanted a piece of the action. I didn’t know how to pull it off because I knew very little credible people ‘offline’.But one day, out of the blue, Personal Money - a prominent financial magazine in Malaysia came knocking on my virtual door. I was interviewed and for 2 months, I didn’t even believe that my article would be published. I was worried that I wasn’t credible enough. But I was persistent. My interview and my content was checked and re-checked several times. I gave them more than enough information about the industry so that the layman would understand clearly what making money online was about.

  My efforts paid off.

  It was a dream come true. This goes to show that the law of attraction works. If you want something badly enough, somehow, some way, it will come to you… but you MUST do the necessary preparations to make sure it works. In other words, if you want to be lucky make sure you have enough coins for your slot machine and a bag that is big enough to hold all your winnings (I’m not asking you to gamble, but I think you get the point - use your imagination!)

• If there was one thing I feel that most Internet marketers should try at least once, it would be a chance to get involved with Internet marketing seminars.I got my chance when Steven Wong and Melvin Ng approached me to work together with them for Asia Online Mastery.

  I saw huge improvements in my skills. I used to have stage fright and I don’t know what to say to people, but after speaking in front of a crowd over and over again, I have gotten better when it comes to public speaking.

  Not only that, my sales skills, blogging skills, teaching skills, social skills and copywriting skills improved as a result of my active involvement and it has been a great blessing not only to get an opportunity to run seminars, but also to balance my life a little because it is not good to spend ALL your time in front of the computer away from people.

• This goes out to all you singles out there. If you haven’t found the right one in your life, then don’t fret. It took me 5 years (since I broke up with my first girlfriend), to find someone that I can spend the rest of my life with.How I met my wife was completely the will of God. We had to put in a lot of effort into our relationship to get what we have today. We had many challenges such as a long distance relationship, language barriers, financial challenges and other personal challenges, but at the end of the day, it still worked out.

  My wife, Yuenn, is a piano teacher who have never been to university. I thank God that she is supportive and willing to learn. Only God knows how much she had to put up with because when I first started out in Internet marketing, it was hard to imagine any form of success was possible because we’ve spent all our life savings on ‘business opportunities’ and Internet marketing was a shot in the dark at best (at that point in time).

  When I first started out, I even had to borrow money from her to ‘invest’ in my Internet marketing education - that was how financially challenged I was!

  Trust me, at that point in time, if I were her, even I would have bailed out from the relationship! But somehow things always turn out for the better… because I had a burning desire to succeed.

  I place marriage one of my life’s highest priorities and it came true for me in spite of all the odds (meeting her and overcoming the challenges).

  If you are reading this and you have a spouse who is struggling with a ‘business opportunity’, make sure you encourage him/her because you will never know - he or she could be on the verge of success and your encouragement will mean the world to them (just look at my example)…

  On the other hand, if you are the one praying for the support of your spouse in your business opportunity, then don’t worry as well because once you achieve success, your spouse will join/support you, just like my wife is supporting me in all that I’m doing today.

God willing, I know that there are many more opportunities out for grab out there and I must keep my momentum going.

But I’m glad that I’ve learned one thing…

You must let the law of attraction work for you so you can achieve your dreams. Sometimes, even when your desire for something is strong enough, you will still attract what you want even if you don’t believe it will happen.

Hope this inspires you - and if it did, please leave a comment and share your experiences, whether success or failure, to inspire others as well.

Technorati tags: Inspiration, Law Of Attraction, The Secret

Life In The Seminar Business

For those of you who are not sure what I’ve been up to lately, I’ve been spending more of my time organizing seminars for Asia Online Mastery and busy applying the techniques taught in their Profit Blogging Boot Camp. Melvin Ng, Alfred Ko and I have been building blogs by the batches as it is one of the easiest and most profitable ways to build a business online.

Melvin and Steven had ran the show successfully in the previous boot camp and they are here to stay for another round (and many more to come in order to build up the blogging industry in Malaysia).

To date, my partners and I have created a hundred profitable niche blogs within 3 months using the very same techniques taught in the boot camp.

I’m one of the trainers in the seminar and here are a couple of screen shots of the previous boot camp:

Students learning step-by-step how blogging works. The one standing at the back is Clement Chee.

Steven Wong explaining how to configure the admin panel.

Helpers walking around to assist students who are facing technical difficulties.

Practical session - students configuring their own blogs by themselves (with guidance, of course!)

Towards the right, that’s me at the white board assisting Steven with his presentation.

Melvin getting a bird’s eye view of things (the cameraman captured Melvin’s butt in the photo :p)

Melvin’s turn to take the microphone as he teaches students about advanced blogging techniques, finding profitable niche markets and search engine optimization strategies.

Melvin answering questions during a Q & A session as he reveals more niche marketing strategies and monetization techniques.

Melvin having a good laugh as students are discussing about some ’specialized’ niches!

Group photo of half of the first intake.

I strongly encourage you to attend their free preview here at The Free Profit Blogging Seminar. Seats are limited so click here to register your seats now.

Khai - Featured In Personal Money (The Edge)

2 months ago, I was interviewed by Celine Tan - a prolific writer for Personal Money (a local magazine under The Edge that teaches people how to manage their finances)

The article was published and released to the public last Saturday (If you’re at a news stand, make sure you grab a copy)

It is a cover article that talks about 6 ways to create passive income streams.

I was chosen to represent the cyberspace community and talk about how I generate passive income using the Internet.

Now I must admit, I never expected to be interviewed, much less featured on a prominent financial magazine.

But on the other hand, I was very happy to share my thoughts and gain some exposure ‘offline’.

Generating passive income is a topic that I’m very passionate about.

In Celine’s article, she states that in the Malaysian economy, rising prices has forced the people to get a second job or create additional streams of income. Since time is limited, it seems only wise to diversify your income sources so that your income works for you rather than the other way around.

Once you are able to separate yourself from investing your time, you are basically generating money on autopilot and you can free yourself up to create new projects or more passive income streams.

But of course, getting the ‘engine’ started isn’t easy - you need capital to invest and you need to put in a lot of time into your passive income project.

In the article, Celine talks about how I started off as an author and a self-publisher. I didn’t have large capital to begin with but blogging and self-publishing are one of the most cost effective ways I used to get my assets built.

Here’s the irony about passive income:

We’ve been brought up in a world where people are conditioned to work 8 hours a day and in order to achieve more, they should be working HARDER (but we only have 24 hours in a day).

Sometimes, people who make MORE money without working harder are frowned upon. It’s as though getting money for doing ‘nothing’ is something evil or lazy…

Now to be brutally honest, deep down we would all admit that we are all lazy people at heart. After all, who doesn’t want to get something for nothing?

However, I’ve come to learn that there is nothing wrong with laziness because laziness in and of itself isn’t something bad, otherwise people wouldn’t invent the light bulb or the telephone and we would resort to the use of candles and carrier pigeons. (I cannot imagine sending an SMS on a piece of paper that says, “Where r u?” and wait for the bird to fly it over to my friend…)

I guess it is all about working smart. If you want to be lazy, at least do it in a smart way so that you will still be making money while you are lazing off somewhere else.

According to Robert Kiyosaki, anyone who creates enough passive income that exceeds their expenses (rent, expenses, loans, etc), have basically achieved financial freedom and have entered into the fast track of life!

I was shocked when I realized this… but even though my passive income has indeed exceeded my active income and my expenses, I wouldn’t consider myself financially free yet, and I’d rather spend the time creating more assets. It’s great that I don’t have to wake up and go to a job, but the biggest temptation is to take it easy and remain stagnant.

It also goes to show that the theory about the law of attraction works.

Years ago, I’ve visualized myself generating enough passive income, losing weight, and even appearing on a newspaper or feature article. Before this article, I was glad that 2 out of 3 of these goals were achieved (for my weight loss adventures, you can see it here).

This article has made my dreams come full circle (thanks, Celine!).

Now I hope to amplify my three goals (more passive income, getting six packs and hopefully - appearing on television).

If you are still chasing after the ‘dream’ of passive income or pondering if it is still even possible, then I strongly urge you to check out Asia Online Mastery and listen to their free seminar about generating passive income with blogging.