Do you do SEO? Do you know the answer to these questions?

Ten Question Litmus Test for Professional SEOs from SEOMoz
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/ten-question-litmus-test-for-professional-seos

(via Instapaper)

Untitled

An interesting presentation on social media^

This video presentation on social media is out of date, however I’m not posting it up here for currency but for concept. If you want updated statistics I’ve heard that they can be found at this website called “Google“.

Reference: http://ping.fm/zVz1V

via Ping.fm

1 in 4 page views in the US is to Facebook

http://mashable.com/2010/11/19/facebook-traffic-stats/

I know what I'll be getting Harley to read tonight!

Googles new interactive and illustrated book on how the web works http://www.20thingsilearned.com/

Good and Evil in SEO - which side do you play in?

Beyond Good and Evil in SEO
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/beyond-good-and-evil-in-seo-11331

Untitled

Nic Lucas on Digital Marketing and Social Media^

This footage was taken at the World Traffic Summit on the Gold Coast in Australia.  It’s a quick 5 minute look at what I get up to when I’m on stage presenting digital marketing and social media concepts to business people.

Reference: http://ping.fm/WNOdF

via Ping.fm

More Than 250 Million People Use Facebook on a Daily Basis

It aint going away >>> http://mashable.com/2010/11/16/facebook-social/

Untitled

Just read the book by @Brent Leary & @David Bullock on Barack 2.0 and social media for business. http://barack20.com

via Ping.fm

Just read the book by @Brent Leary & @David Bullock on Barack 2.0 and social media for business. http://barack20.com

Untitled

Always invest in quality education^

When I first went to University, the Australian government had just introduced student fees. As I progressed through the university system, the fees increased. Lot’s of people were outraged at the introduction and then increases in fees – but I wasn’t. Sure it would be great it it were free – but it wasn’t and in the time I was studying I was more focused on getting a great education and getting out to work, than I was in worrying about the cost.

I’ve never objected to paying for high quality education. Once you have it, an education is something that you keep. You can’t get fired from it. You can’t lose it in a global financial crisis. It stays with you and enables you to do the stuff that you want to do.

Education – good quality education that is – speeds up your learning and helps you avoid expensive and lengthy delays. So, the cost of education shouldn’t just be weighed against the return on your investment but also against the opportunity cost of not getting it – because it will cost you.

It costs you in terms of time
It costs you in terms of opportunities
It costs you in terms of making wrong decisions and mistakes

Not getting educated can cost you a lot.

I have invested heavily in my education and as a result I now have a diverse ‘portfolio career’ in which I span across medical research, health care, education, publishing, consulting and providing services in digital marketing, and training business people in online business and internet marketing.

In terms of digital marketing and online business, I have trained with the best there is. I have also ‘trained’ with people who had no clue and whose training was appalling. I have literatlly travelled the world to find and study with authentic, quality people who deserve the ‘guru’ status that they’re given.

So, when it comes to online business who do I listen to and whose training do I attend? That’s kinda like asking a health professional which doctor they see – because you don’t want to risk any doctor – you want to see the doctor that the doctors go and see.

Well – there just isn’t that many people who I can recommend you to. I’ve got a small handful of marketers who I subscribe to, buy their stuff and recommend to other people. I open their email eagerly and subscribe to their RSS feeds. In fact, I even blew off an opportunity to see Tony Robbins and Sir Richard Branson to spend time at an event with one of my educators.

His name is James Schramko. He is one of the very few people I promote on this blog. Basically, his stuff rocks. He continually astounds me with his marketing knowledge and his business growth expertise. You simply can’t spend time with James and not get massive value.

It is without equivocation that I recommend the online business training that James provides. I would literally beat my friends about the head if they didn’t attend the training that he puts on. And I’m giving you plenty of notice. James runs very few events. He is only running one event next year and it’s in October. And you have a chance to attend.

When it comes to learning and training with James, it will cost you far more if you don’t do it. Far more. So, go and check out Fast Web Formula 3. There is no pressure. There is plenty of time to think about it, to ask around and do your own research. You can just pre-register if you want to – or not. It’s up to you.

I would say this, however. Next year you are going to spend some money on educating yourself for your business or online project and this is the event that you should put at the top of your list. Over the next few months, I will be promoting this event. I will keep reminding you because I firmly believe it is in your best interests.

I will be there, and when you attend the event because you found out about it and registered through this blog, then I will hook up with you at the event and we will form a small group. We will learn together and catch up before and after. Heck I might even provide my own training around his training to help you get the most out of it.

So, go now – and check it out. I’m sure that you will want to come back here and leave a comment or ask a question.

Reference: http://ping.fm/CXlo1

via Ping.fm

Untitled

Launches: How to kick start a real business – Part II^

Managing a launch from my iPhone in the rain on the way to a meeting!

In another blog post I wrote about online launches and why they are a great strategy to start or grow your business.  I also pointed out that an online launch isn’t just a matter of having the latest ‘launch’ software or platform for running a launch.  There are a bunch of other things that are essential to have in place before a ‘launch’.  I delved into market research and discussed getting traffic and now it’s time to discuss conversion – that is, how to get the people to do the thing that you want them to do.

Conversion – or being able to close the sale – is a very valuable skill.  In a launch, you have multiple ’shots’ at closing the sale and this is one reason why a launch is a great idea.  Instead of putting all your hopes on the success of one sales letter or one video, you’re increasing your chances by spreading out your conversion opportunities – something we call your “conversion spread“.

The other thing about a launch is that the first or even second conversion opportunities aren’t the ’selling for money’ part – they’re not where you close the sale in terms of a money exchange.  The first conversion opportunities are all about getting people to interact with you – your content – your product – and that is an easier sell.

“Oh – but there’s no money in that” you say.  “It doesn’t count if there’s no money.”

Well – yes it does count.  And here’s why.  One of the most important assets of any business, online or offline, is the list.  The database of clients or potential clients.  After speaking to thousands of people who are starting or running their own online business, one of the most common issues they face is “how do I get a list“?

Why is the list an asset?  Because whether or not they buy from you today, you may still be able to help them out with something later down the track.  I know this is a long play – but it’s a long play that will pay off.

So, during a launch you first want to convert people onto your list.  Then you want to engage them in conversation and you want them to try out your stuff.  Only after you’ve done this do you then try to convert them into a paying client or customer.

So, how to you get people to join your list, engage with your stuff, and then buy from you?

This is so simple it’s scary and it’s become a cliche. 

Give people what they want.

Think about this.  Even an extremely nervous animal will come to you if it’s hungry and you’re offering food.  It’s the same with people.

So, if we work backwards, the next question is, “what do people want?“

To find out what people want we need to listen to them.  Deep stuff I know.  Really rocking your world with these deep insights aren’t I?

Working backwards, “how can we listen to them?“  Now you’re getting to something useful – something practical that you can do.

You can listen to the people in your market in person – just by speaking with people.  You can listen to people in your market using social media – and this is the easy part.  What are people in your market saying on facebook?  What are they saying on twitter?  What are they saying on blogs and discussion forums?

To find this stuff out, simply go to Google and search for

• <your search term> + blogs, or
• <your search term> + discussion forums, or
• <your search term> + updates.

Heck, there is much more you can do with other tools, but just start here to start listening.

Once you’ve started listening, you can start asking intelligent questions.  You can ask those questions on your blog.  On facebook or twitter or youtube or linkedin or discussion forums.  You can ask them more formally using a free online survey tool, like survey monkey.  That’s how you find out what people want.  Now you just need to give it to them.

This doesn’t have to be hard or mysterious.  It could be quite simple and you could achieve this in a day or two.  In fact, if you already know your market, then you probably already have a good idea about what the people in it want – because you can put yourself in their shoes.

(Funny – my Mother didn’t like the sales process – but almost everything she taught me about how to treat people well is the basis of all modern sales and marketing)

Use this knowledge to create trial products or services that give people what they want – because if you do that, you’ll find it easy to convert.

Isn’t conversion all about the Offer?

No.  It’s not all about the offer.  It’s about making the right offer to the right people.  And this is worth thinking about.  One of the marketers I’ve learned some stuff from is Brett McFall.  I’ve seen him sell a bottle of half drunk water from the stage to a seminar attendee – and he did it by sweetening the deal with additional items that the person wanted.  So, I tried this the other day with my son.  I tried to sell him left over scraps on his very own dinner plate for $5.  He wouldn’t buy.  I then said that if he bought his very own dinner scraps for $5 that I’d throw in my iPhone.  Even that didn’t sway him – although you could see that he was tempted.  To this ridiculous offer I then added a new Nintendo Wii game every month for the next 12 months.  Even then he was reluctant, but he did go ahead with the sale.

I then reneged on the deal but let him play with my iPhone.  He knew I was kidding around anyway …

So, I then tried to sell him his dessert scraps.  No sale.  I included a years worth of new Cinderella dolls.  No sale.  I included Cinderella videos.  Barbie books.  No sale.  By the time I was done, I had an amazing offer – but it was to the wrong person.  If I’d been selling to my daughter I’d have have closed the sale just on the new dolls.

So, when you’re thinking about what you might want to give people to help them optin to your list and sample your stuff – and eventually buy from you – then think carefully about who they are and what you could offer that would meet their wants or needs.  And then make that offer irresistible.

Let’s just put me in the spotlight for a moment.  I’m giving something away for free on this blog.  The words you are reading right now are yours to read for free.  I’m giving them to you.  Then, up above, you can optin to receive my Guide (which, by the way is under renovation – but optin anyway to get hold of it when it’s finished – it’s good stuff).

I created a guide instead of a newsletter, because the people I spoke to didn’t want a newsletter.  To them, a newsletter implied that I was going to regularly send them more stuff to read – along with all the other stuff they have to read.

A guide, on the other hand, is a one off commitment.  They can handle it.  It’s not going to keep coming and hassling them each and every month.  In the end, they may want to hear from me every month, or more regularly – but at the beginning, why scare them off.  Give them something they can digest.  This is what they want.

Effective Communication for Action

None of this will work very well if you don’t communicate effectively with people.  Online, you communicate with people by text, audio or video.  Your aim is to convert them – to get them to do the thing you want them to do.  So, how do you communicate effectively?  I learned this simple script from John Carlton.

1. Tell them what you have and why it matters
2. Tell them how what you have will help them
3. Tell them what to do next

These three simple steps are a great place to start when you’re wondering what on earth you should write on a sales page, or on a squeeze page, or in an email, or in a video.  Of course, you can build this out with other content, but these are the basics.  I wont turn this post into a ‘how to’ copywriting course – I wouldn’t be so presumptuous.  But you don’t need to get overwhelmed by fancy copy writing.  You just need to start.  Get a pass first, and then worry about getting a high distinction by improving what you write or say.

In terms of a launch, you’re going to need to write quite a bit of ’stuff’.  There are emails to write.  Squeeze pages to write.  Videos to script.  Thank you pages to write.  Instructions.  Proof.  And all of this needs to be structured and

Reference: http://ping.fm/EMQvg

via Ping.fm

Untitled

Did you feel a shift in the force …?^

Everything I’ve been working towards for the last few years is culminating in a very special and exclusive event that Steve Ovens and I are running in Sydney December 4th and 5th.  Our Social Media Launch System is going LIVE at a 2-day workshop. People will walk out knowing how to run their first online launch.  They’ll also walk out with a date set for their launch.

If you haven’t realized it yet – a launch is the fastest way to build a list and build a business that can then begin to work by itself – with only a little input from you.

As we’ve been getting closer to the event, a couple of remarkable things have happened.  In particular, we’ve had the great fortune of confirming some special guests who are going to swing on by to give our attendees a dose of magic from the school of internet wizardry.

So … who’s dropping in?  Well, in this post I can reveal the identities of two official gurus.

The first is adwords specialist, Mike Rhodes.  Mike just happens to be in Sydney that weekend and has agreed to swing on by to see what all the fuss is about.  For those of you who don’t know Mike – you should.  Not only does he save people thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars on their advertising spend, he’s also responsible for millions of dollars worth of online sales using adwords – not to mention that he’s part of Perry Marshall’s inner circle.  Mike doesn’t normally speak at small events like this – his presentations are usually reserved for high paying corporates these days.  So, the fact he’s coming to hang out with us and share some of his knowledge is fantastic.  Do ya think that the people attending this weekend might extract some gold from Mike?

The second is sales guru Julian Martin.  Julian and I are working on a project of his together – and it’s a damn fine project.  Julian has an incredibly impressive background in sales, and like Mikey Mike above, he is responsible for millions of dollars worth of sales.  He has trained, and been trained by, the best sales people in the world (seriously) and eventually developed his own simple sales system that he can quickly teach anyone and that can double sales, or more.  Julian is a rare find – just the kind of person you wish you could meet but that you only read about in magazines.  Do ya think that people attending this weekend might be given some very useful instruction in how to sell stuff?

The third secret guru will remain a secret for a while longer.  This person is a genius.  A business growth expert.  A stealthy underground internet marketer.  The kind you don’t read about in mainstream media because mainstream media just doesn’t have a clue that he exists.  Getting access to him involves large sums of money.  Yet, because he believes in what we’re doing (and he likes us) he is swinging on by our event to hang out and answer a few questions.

The individual fee for this entire course almost covers his normal hourly consulting rate.

So, as you can see, our event is going to be a very special event for a number of reasons.  There are a few more places available but most of these will disappear at an event I’m speaking at soon.  If there are any places left then I’ll notify you on this blog.  Now, because of the exclusive nature of the event we have to be a bit restrictive about who we let in – the main criteria being action takers who are prepared to do what is necessary for a profitable online launch that starts their business off with a bang – or takes their current business to a new level.

We expect that that the strategies and tactics we share at this event will create some millionaires.

We don’t and can’t promise it – but we know it’s a very real possibility.

The other reason we’re being restrictive is that Steve Ovens and I have decided that we might give away something that ordinary amounts of money can’t buy.  We’re not announcing that yet because we’re still working out the final details, but let’s just say that someone who attends the event will get very lucky.

The Social Media Launch System LIVE is being hosted by Steve Ovens and I.  If you’re interested about what we do, then leave a comment or question below.  We read them and we will let you know if we are able to open this blog as a channel for you to come along to the event.

It’s definitely not for everyone.  But it is for those who want to make dent in the universe and are ready, willing and able.

To kick things off – please tell me what you want to know about how an online launch fits within an entire model of online business.  Let me know what you would want out of an event like this?  We’re going to develop a training course out of the event, so we’d like to know what you would want in it.

Reference: http://ping.fm/x6tR7

via Ping.fm

Untitled

Digital Marketing Made Easy^

Digital marketing to me, is just communication that is performed on digital devices and that has desired outcome attached to it.  You want to communicate something to people that results in those people taking some sort of action.

This is a simple but crucial point to understand for success in online business.  It’s all about human communication.  In fact, you could say that success is all about optimized human communication.

In the time I’ve been involved with internet marketing, digital strategy and social media I’ve seen many people – myself included – get sidetracked by the technology – the tools – and forget that what we’re really trying to do is to optimize our communication with other humans.

• We want to communicate with more people.
• We want to communicate with them more quickly – otherwise known as ‘faster’.
• We want to have more certainty about how people will respond to our messages.

And that’s it in a nutshell.  It’s that simple.  You must ask yourself, “how can I communicate to more people, more quickly, and in a way that will result in more of them responding positively?

To do this you need two main skills that traverse both the physical and the digital.

First, you need to know how to construct your message for optimal effect – as this is all you can do to modify the effect your message has on people.  Second, you need to know what digital tools are available to optimize your communication.   Digital marketing can affect all three of the above.

Digital marketing can optimize the number of people who see your message.  It can help you communication your message to more people more quickly.  And it can help give you more certainty about how how many people will respond to your message.

But, in the end, it’s still all just about effective communication.  How can I communicate to people in such as way as to create a desired outcome?  This should be the question of anyone who is trying to communicate anything.

Reference: http://ping.fm/RO6fh

via Ping.fm

Untitled

I sing and play guitar – are you game?^

When I worked as a health professional I consulted thousands of patients and many of them had problems with stress, anxiety and panic attacks.

Many of them.

Years ago I had panic attacks and anxiety and this has now completely resolved with some time and a little help from my friends. What I found as a health professionals was that many people suffer from this and they suffer in silence. They’re embarrassed about it and therefore don’t tell anyone about it. They wont buy a book because this would be a public admission that they’ve got anxiety. I used to tell patients my story of having anxiety and my ‘recovery’ from it. I’d poke a bit of fun at myself and then they’d often admit – sometimes for the first time – that they had anxiety that was having a really negative impact on their lives.

More than a few said I should write a book about it. I mean, how many health professionals are there who have written a book about their own personal journey with anxiety. So, I did write that book. And then it turned into a manual. And then it turned into a program with audio instruction.

Anyway … I was speaking to someone recently who has anxiety and I was again motivated to promote this program that I’ve developed. I’m just re-tweaking the program, but in the meantime I’ve recorded a song I wrote after crushing anxiety. It’s dedicated to Rhoda who helped me get through it. It’s embedded below.

10-15% of people suffer anxiety in a 12 month period. There’s a high chance that you – or someone you know – has it. Share this blog post with them or send them to the website From Anxious to Happy.

There’s nothing quite like putting yourself out there – but here it is. Nic Lucas – live online – with a song, Idolise You.

Reference: http://c.notify.me/rzMUBg

via Ping.fm

Traffic Smaffic. Networking is Just as important

Who you know is very often more important than what you know. 5 Principles of Effective Networking http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/business/effective-networking/

A Facebook iPad app? No no no

No plans for a specific iPad App for Facebook. http://www.tuaw.com/2010/11/03/dont-hold-your-breath-for-a-facebook-ipad-app/

Untitled

Launches: How to kick start a real business^

There’s a lot going on in the internet marketing world right now about ‘product launches‘. And for good reason. Smart people have been using a launch strategy to start their business – or launch something new – for ages – probably since business began.

So, let’s get this straight. There is nothing new or revolutionary about launching something new.

There are also quite a few new products on the market right now that can help with launching something online. New websites. New software. New video players. And these tools can definitely help with a launch. But there is a sting in the tail. There is far more to a launch than just a piece of software or a cool new toy.

Product Launch from a beachside Cafe

And this is where I come in. I’ve launched quite a few businesses – both small and local, and international – and I’ve done it offline and online. This is why I know that there is much more to launching something new than having a platform upon which to launch it.

From my perspective, the focus on a ‘launch’ as a business model is too simplistic. The ‘launch’ is just one of the most obvious steps in the puzzle of online business – but it is just one step. In reality, the ‘launch’ is just a great way to get lots of traffic quickly, and that traffic can really only come from one of the five key sources of online traffic:

1. Your existing list
2. A joint venture partner
3. Social Media / Networking
4. Search traffic
5. Paid advertising

If you are in business, or you want to be in business, and you are considering using a launch strategy, then you’ll want to have a business plan in place for long term success.  And that business plan is going to have the same structure and general content as any online business would need.  Let’s go through some stuff here.

Market Research

You’re business plan should be based on your market research, or at the very least should include market research as a first step.  When I first set up a small business in the Sydney CBD, I wanted to know the numbers.  I wanted to know that there was demand.  I wanted to know what the competition was like.  I wanted to know that the service I was planning to offer was what the market place wanted.

This is the basic stuff that often gets missed with online business – and I think that people might skip this because its so easy and inexpensive to start an online business that it’s easy to rush in without doing your due diligence.  With offline business there are usually some significant up-front costs and ongoing overheads – and so you’re probably more likely to do your homework.

Many people start online without doing this first basic step and set themselves up for failure.  It doesn’t matter how good the ‘launch’ platform you’re using or the software you’ve got or the website you’ve paid for – none of this can make up for a lack of market research.

Knowledge, experience and mindset

These three factors together are the reason for most successes.  Knowledge about your market place.  Knowledge about the other people in your market place.  Knowledge about your product or service.  Knowledge about your competitors.  Knowledge about your business – every part of it.  Knowledge about yourself.  Knowledge about managing a team.  Delegation.  It’s goes on.

Experience matters – and even more important is successful experience.  Very few people rock on up to a new business with no prior experience and make a success of it straight away.  And you only get experience by experiencing stuff.  Profound I know.

Mindset matters.  And what I mean by this is a disciplined way of thinking – not a magical type of thinking.  Your mindset – your frame of reference – has to be able to cope with your ambitions, your goals, and your responsibilities.  Of course, we all grow into our next stage of evolution and sometimes this can happen very quickly, but nevertheless, if you put someone in a role that is just too out of their depth they can implode.  Not everyone who gets thrown in the deep end can swim.

People who want to start an online business – a real online business – either have the requisite knowledge, experience and mindset – or they don’t.  And if they don’t, they either have to acquire it themselves and bring on other team members or consultants to help make it happen.

I’ve done it both ways – although more recently I’ve been far more willing to bring in consultants to help me because:

1. it saves time, and
2. increases my chance of success, and
3. increases my knowledge, experience and ‘grows’ my mindset

Traffic

If you’re going to launch something, then you have to know something about getting traffic – because as I wrote above, the whole point of a launch is to use it to get lot’s of traffic in a short period of time.

There are various reasons you might want a whole stack of traffic.  You may want to offer them a product or service.  You may just want to grow your existing list.  You may want to get traffic for market research.  But whatever the reason – you need traffic.

If you’ve already got your own relevant list – a database of people who you can send an email to or send snail-mail to – then this is the first source of traffic to your launch.  But to do this – and to do it properly – you need a good email management system - one that has high delivery rates, is compliant with spam laws, can send scheduled email, and can provide you with the numbers of people who received your email and opened it.  You’re going to need to have an idea about how to write a series of effective emails too, and how to integrate all this with your website – your confirmation pages, thankyou pages, and other pages that you use strategically to walk people through a launch sequence.

Next is joint venture traffic – which is simply gaining access to someone else’s list so that you can get your stuff in front of them.  This is a huge opportunity, but one that has to be planned and managed.  First and foremost, why would someone give you access to their list?  What’s in it for them?  Do you know them?  What’s in it for their list of followers, customers or clients?  Do they trust you?

Joint venture traffic is one of the key ways that I have launched several successful businesses.  From speaking, to publishing, health care and education – joint ventures can be your ticket to rapid results.  But they don’t just ‘come up’.  You have to facilitate these opportunities, and this is done by positioning yourself in the market place.  This is a huge topic in itself, but it leads me into the next source of traffic, which is social media.

You might be here, reading this, because of social media.  Maybe you came by here through a link on facebook or twitter?  A lot is written about social media as a source of traffic, however one of the things I haven’t really read much about is how social media can be used for strategic social networking.  Yes, I might be able to get thousands of followers on twitter, but of those thousand, there may be one person who can make a dramatic difference to a launch and therefore my business.

One of my business consultants is social media expert David Bullock – and David described to me how he uses social media for one-to-one marketing; not mass marketing.  This is important for launches and joint venture traffic because if you can establish yourself in the market place as an authority in your field – as a player – then you are more likely to create the opportunity for joint ventures.

Of course, social media can still be used to get your message – your launch – in front of many, many people – however I think it’s a great tip to think of social media as a tool for strategic networking as well.

So, how do you do this?  Well – it doesn’t matter if your website or launch software comes with inbuilt social media buttons.  What matters is that you have a mindset, strategy and tactical know-how to use these buttons to their full potential.

I had to have a word with a client of mine the other day who – despite my warnings – was using social media as a direct selling platform.  Every update was a sales pitch to buy something – and that just aint gunna work now is it folks.  Social media marketing is not about direct selling.  It’s about forming relationships in your market and positioning yourself in your market.  And funnily enough – if you do it right – it can be a very real and rewarding experience.

Next on the list is search traffic – with most people being familiar with search engine traffic from google, yahoo, and bing etc.  To get on the first page of google requires a bunch of knowledge, experience, tools, resources and time R

Reference: http://ping.fm/kC4yg

via Ping.fm

Check it out! Social media in space.

Like I say, the internet is like the Jetson's only better 'cause its real. Read this about NASA and social media. http://mashable.com/2010/10/22/foursquare-checkin-space/

What do you reckon? Should you put your keyword in your domain?

Read this great recent article by SEOmoz to find out. 

Are Exact Match Domains Too Powerful? Is Their Time Limited?
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/exact-match-domains-are-far-too-powerful-is-their-time-limited

Create amazing rich media pdf's for your online business

PDFs Become Contextually Amazing With Scribd's Apture Integration
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/pdfs_become_contextually_amazing_with_scribds_aptu.php

Google changes how you control your location settings

Google is getting so good at serving you up location specific results. Read this to find out how to control your location setting. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/MKuf/~3/hRwQD2zt8bk/more-transparency...

Free icon heaven: get your site looking cool n groovy

Anyone with a website who wants it to look cool will love this free resource I came across. It's free icon heaven LOL http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/1stwebdesigner/~3/sH8NKZXCCtE/

Analyzing the competition: a step you shouldn't miss in business

I found this the other day while I was going over my own system for analyzing competition. Thought this had some great tips in it.

http://www.1stwebdesigner.com/development/analyze-competitors