Investigating an Internet marketing course and author

too good to be true?

[bluecorr]

I've come across an internet marketing course from a guy (I won't mention his name or his course just in case I'm breaking the rules) that looks awfully attractive. It's just been launched last week, it's expensive but if it contains the information it says it does then it's worth the money.

I'm not the type to fall easily for scams. I'm very skeptical about it, sounds too good to be true (and it probably is) and his flashy words in his "letter" are too flashy for my taste. He's got testimonials from people who attended his seminars but I still remain skeptical.

Did a search for his name, lots of affiliate sites and press releases came up but little else. Could be all one big set-up so any ideas how I could investigate him and his "expertise" further before I decide to spend big money for his course? He does offer a guarantee but not sure I believe it.

If you have a suspicion of who I'm talking about or have information about him, please contact me in private if the mods don't allow this to be posted.

[roitracker]

He's a real person & the guarantee will be legit (just remember you'll have to send it all back & pay for shipping though). However, I don't know how much value you'll get from it if you're not a marketing newbie.

He certainly knows how to get joint ventures - the course has been promoted to death in the last week. So much so that I have set up an email filter to delete any reference to it.

[freshfish]

Stay away from these cats...they are only trouble most of the time. The seminars is how they make their money and they reel you in with a fancy 'course' but they end up trying to sell you on seminars and there they try to sell you on 'mentoring'. Before you know it, you have spent a couple thousand dollars.

Purchase a few marketing books online by REAL authors who don't use the flashy stuff to attract folks.

I apologize for the negative attitude but I had my share of experiences with these types back when I was a newbie. You may need to buy a few books and do a lot of reading, but you will gain sooo much more from the real research/experience the authors rely on.

Hope that helps

[bluecorr]

This guy's course is specifically about getting traffic. It would take me a lot of hours to figure all those things out through my own research - if the info is as good as it's supposed to be.

Nonetheless, could you recommend some good books that have helped you in your ventures? I already purchased some but always looking out for interesting reading.

Thanks.

[stuntdubl]

I may be a bit biased, but I honestly feel that WW is the best learning resource there is for Internet marketing. I attribute near everything I know from spending at least an hour per day reading at this forum.

Here are of my favorites that taught me a lot.

WebmasterWorld Welcome Guide to the Basics [webmasterworld.com]

SEO History [webmasterworld.com]

Brett's 26 Steps to 15k a Day

[url=http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum5/3918.htm]Building the Perfect Page I & II [searchengineworld.com]

Search Engine Theme Pyramids [searchengineworld.com]

A Dropped Site Checklist [webmasterworld.com]

Search Form on WW [webmasterworld.com]

There is also an "SEO Instruction Syllabus" [webmasterworld.com] available in the supporters forum. I have a more complete list of my "supporter's forum" favorites if anyone is interested. There are some fantastic threads there, but it's difficult to find them since supporters is not searchable.

Keep reading here. There is no shortcut to success, and I'm sure almost anything they will teach you in a seminar is written about in depth somewhere at WW. Without sounding like a total skeptic, my mother always told me, "if it's too good to be true, it probably is". It's always been good incentive to fully investigate something before making a decision for me, and held true many, many times.

[ToneLeMoan]

Thanks for the links stuntdubl - I'm fairly new to WebmasterWorld so pointers to the best stuff are very welcome.

[freshfish]

stuntdubl had some great links and there are a ton of articles around that talk about traffic generation...most are free.

And I have been told numerous times...if someone has some special secret to getting traffic, then why share it...unless it's not proven.

Here is a brief list of what he will probably go into:

mini sites/mini networks

keyword rich domains & domain name speculation

using ezines and other sticky fetaures

writing articles for niche sites

meta tags, headings, etc (SEO stuff)

running CREATIVE contests/prizes

use a signature in emails/posts

affiliate program

quality content

Basically, all this info you can find all over. Unless this guy has tested each 'trick' and is able to tell you that trick X increases your traffic by Y%, then he is just echoing what others have said