I will give you my opinion on what a squeeze page means to me.

It’s like when you squeeze an orange our intent is to get the juice out and you need to squeeze it really hard to get the most of it, right? So it’s the same thing with a squeeze page for your business.

On this page is where you persuade and tell your visitors the benefits or what they’re going to get if they signup, and in order for them to give their information like name and email address.

You have to show them that they can’t live without what you have to offer.

Basically the main purpose of this page is to collect names and emails to build a list so you can market to this particular crowd or market in the future which is great idea if you’re selling a product or services.

Let’s say within 6 months you manage to build a list of 10,000 potential buyers, you can then email these people to offer or promote your products.

Out of 10,000 people if you have only 3% of them that buy your product, which is 300 people and you’re selling your product for $25.00 that’s a whooping $7,500 in one email blast.

Of course this is just an example to elaborate on my explanation. But you see the potential though! So really if your selling something on the internet either a product or services you need to utilize a squeeze page to gain all the advantages in the future.

The biggest question though is how are you going to create a squeeze page that is effective and have your visitors to signup with out hesitation? OK! Stay with me and I will show you in a sec!

You know if you’re one of my readers or subscribers I always make things easy for you to understand and most of the time I show you or demonstrate what I’m talking about to make your life easier right?

So here you go! To create an effective squeeze page it’s not that difficult but it requires multiple testing’s and what I usually do is run a split test and find out which one will give me great results.

But first you need to come up with something to giveaway in exchange for their name and email, this can be a short report, ebook, MP3 (audio), or Video, and tell them that they can download or access this valuable information when they signup.

Below are the guidelines that I personally use when I create or build a squeeze page.

Header Graphic: Plays a big role in catching your visitors attention so the graphics should be clear (not too busy) and it needs to convey your product and deliver the message to grab their attention as soon as they see it.

Headline: Your headline should answer the question "what’s in it for me" tell your visitor what are they’re going to get. Your headline should be compelling and powerful so your visitor will read the rest of squeeze page.

Benefits: Here you can explain a little bit about how your product or service is going to help them and how you’re going to solve their problem and you can bullet point each one of them.

Graphic Caption: This represents the product or services that you’re giving away. It could be graphics of an ebook, video, software box or 3D box and so on.

Optin Form: This is where your visitor needs to signup and fill in the form with their name and email. I usually put this in the top fold of the page on the right hand side also at the bottom of the page as well.

ALBERT [Q:] Willie, you’re one of the pioneer online, very respected and well known all over the internet, you’ve helped thousands of people to start their own successful Online Business. But just for the record…

Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself? What did you do before you became involved in Online Business and Internet Marketing?

WILLIE [A:] After growing up on a tobacco farm and making my way through college with a degree in Business (with a heavy concentration on Economics) I went into the U.S. Air Force. In the Air Force, I was a crew member on C-130 transports, which allowed me to travel to more than 47 different countries.

Which I had a full career in the Air Force and did fairly well, in 1996, I was ready to start my own business. I did that by surfing the internet in my spare time, filtering what I discovered through common sense, and just got started.

I built my first websites using site builders on some of the free hosting services, read a lot of ezines and just started DOING!

ALBERT [Q:] Was there a particular reason that you chose this avenue of Online Business?

WILLIE [A:] I was told that you needed a niche. So, the first website that I put up on my own domain was WillieCrawford.com

I was told that Internet marketing wasn’t the best niche to be in, so the second site tapped into my knowledge and experiences of cooking the rustic dishes that I learned while growing up. I built a site around soul food and southern cooking.

I applied the very Internet marketing techniques being taught in the ezines and course to my cooking site. My list or people swapping recipes asked if I had a cookbook, so I wrote one.

Using basic Internet marketing techniques, that quickly grew to six figures and garnered the attention of some in the Internet marketing world. That pulled me back into teaching what actually works in Internet marketing.

ALBERT [Q:] How long did it take for your Online Business to start making profit? I earn a little money right from the start.

WILLIE [A:] My cooking site was always profitable.

ALBERT [Q:] Everybody makes mistakes in the beginning. What were the worst mistakes you made that prevented you from generating profit? And what did you learn from it?

WILLIE [A:] I took too long to register my own domain names. Using throwaway emails and free hosting meant that it took me longer to build credibility.

I often joined affiliate programs for Internet marketing products and then advertised those products in the same ezines that everyone else was advertising the same products. It became a contest of who could create the cleverest ad for the same product. That was insane!

ALBERT [Q:] Willie, I’ve really wanted to ask you this for a long time even before I started NetBizReview.com What is your secret recipe for being number # 1 in all of the major search engines? And what tools or resources do you use?

WILLIE [A:] The secret is just basic webpage optimization. Each of my pages that ranks #1 really focuses on just one keyword phrase and everything about that page is very focused.

Many of my pages have lot of relevant external links pointing to them. Those links are often the result of forum posts, articles, press releases, and in a few cases, link exchanges.

For SEO, I’ve used WebPosition Gold. Right now I primarily use SEO Elite, but I don’t focus on search engine optimization very much. It’s too time consuming.

ALBERT [Q:] There is a tremendous demand for Joint Venture and affiliate programs choosing the right one is not easy. So what is your procedure or screening process on choosing the right Joint Venture or affiliate programs .

WILLIE [A:] I simply look for things that I know my list or website visitors will want. I look at what they have purchased from me in the past, what they ask me for in emails, and what problems they talk about on the discussion boards. That tells me what to sell them.

If something is not selling, I simply stop trying to sell that item. It’s the same for joint ventures and affiliate products. I do look for fresh products that I know my lists will appreciate me telling them about. I look for things that I know will improve their lives.

ALBERT [Q:] Joint Venture and affiliate programs are really creating a buzz on the internet and many established online merchants are now turning to Joint Venture strategies as a means of maximizing their profit. But we wanted to ask an expert like you. Can you actually make money through Joint Venture, and HOW?

WILLIE [A:] Yes. Joint ventures allow you to reach people that you otherwise couldn’t reach or that it would take you a long time to reach.

The most common joint venture that I can think of is simply getting a list owner to promote your product to his list, usually for a higher than normal commission. It’s a special arrangement that you make with only a limited number of people

The JV leverages off of the trust and the relationship that the list owner has with his customers. It also works because the list owner takes good care of his list members.

ALBERT [Q:] And can you please tell us, what are the advantages of Joint Ventures?

WILLIE [A:] It’s risk free, and win-win-win. The product owner doesn’t generally have to invest any money upfront to reach a lot of potential customers.

The list owner earns a higher than normal commission, gets to tell his list about something that’s really going to help them, and with some products even sets up a residual income stream. The customer gets just the product that he needs, often at a bargain price!

ALBERT [Q:] Do you think there’s room on Online Business for Newbie’s who want to start their own business?

WILLIE [A:] Yes. The majority of the world still hasn’t discovered ecommerce or the Internet. It’s only going to grow and billions will be made. It’s just another product distribution channel but a very powerful one.

It’s just important to get into the right business and to make sure that you’re selling something that people actually want!

ALBERT [Q:] What special skills and tools does a newbie need to have to succeed with an Online Business?

WILLIE [A:] A willingness to take risk. A burning desire to have a better life and a willingness to put in the effort that it takes. Also, the newbie needs to acknowledge that it is a business that will take a little time and hard work to figure out. Expect to start out slowly.

You don’t really need any special tools or skills since you can learn it online and all you really need is access to a computer to get started.

ALBERT [Q:] And are there any problems we should watch out for?

WILLIE [A:] Yes. Don’t get involved in businesses where there’s just a pretty site, but YOU have trouble figuring out what it’s actually selling. Sites like those actually just sell a dream, and you’ll have a hard time explaining it to others. You can’t sell what you can’t even explain. Only sell things that you would personally buy.

Look for things that people are already buying and offer them the same or similar products. Don’t innovate too much, it’s too expensive.

ALBERT [Q:] Where do you see the Online Business headed?

WILLIE [A:] It will grow extremely fast, and will probably grow faster in other countries than in the U.S. China is just starting to wake up for example, and they now have the world’s second highest online population.

It’s just going to become more of a global marketplace, and with the right product (something people want and are willing to pay for), you can do extremely well.

ALBERT [Q:] What do you see as some of the biggest challenges facing Online Business over the next couple of years?

WILLIE [A:] Getting your email delivered as spammer cause ISPs to fitter email heavier and heavier.

There will always be scammers and dishonest people looking to make a quick buck off the unsuspecting. So, I see that as always being a problem, especially since the internet allows digital product to readily flow across international lines.

ALBERT [Q:] What are your future plans? Will you set up new business or services? Any big projects?

WILLIE [A:]
I have a membership site  at  TheInternetMarketingInnerCircle.com that I will really focus on the first half of 2007. I’m also very active in The International Association of Joint Venture Brokers.

I’ll help them to make that who industry more professional, with more unified standards. I’ll help do that by working with and providing guidance through InternationalAssociationOfJointVentureBrokers.com

I’m launching a television cooking show, with a partner in the Spring.

I’m rolling out a course detailing how I earned $1 million in 90 days using ordinary Internet marketing techniques. I’ll probably release that course in late January.

I do and will continue speaking at a lot of seminars in the U.S., The U.K., Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and will probably venture into Thailand, The Philippines, China, and South America soon.

ALBERT [Q:] Before we say goodbye, can you tell me what has been the most rewarding experience of your Affiliate Marketing Business career, and why?

WILLIE [A:] It’s teaching others how to find affiliate products that will actually sell, and then showing them methods of selling them that work best.

I’ve watched a lot of affiliates spend too much time using ineffective marketing methods and trying to sell items that the marketplace simply didn’t want. It broke my heart to see people struggle so hard to reach their dream while charging down the wrong trail!

ALBERT [Q:] For our final thought, what advice would you have for our faithful readers & subscribers who are starting out with their own online business?

WILLIE [A:] Only sell products that you really believe will better your customers lives. Only sell products that your customers tell you that they want. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. We all make mistakes. Just don’t keep making the same mistakes over and over again.

As soon as you can, get out and meet other online business people. Seminars and conferences are the best place to do this. Just associating with people doing the exact same thing that you’re doing and discovering that you don’t have to do it all yourself, will change your life.

You can do so much more when your do form partnerships and joint ventures. These are easiest to set up in person.

ALBERT [Q:] Willie, I want to thank you for taking time from your day to do this interview for our subscribers and me.

WILLIE [A:] My pleasure.

  Editorial