Andy Beard - Internet Business Systems Discussion - Latest Comments in Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Coach Gogo — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:15:43 -0000

I'd experimented with WordPress.com websites, and built 2 SBI websites (one for myself and 1 for a client) before I decided to delve into a hosted WordPress.org blog website (see link on my name).

All I can say is that I'm very thankful I had the knowledge, experience and basic HTML knowledge from Ken's E-books, SBI and the SBI forums before I ventured into building my first blog website.

While it did not take me long to set up the blog, it was definitely not as uncomplicated as many would have you believe. Between the WP updates (which require "backing up your database"), working with plug-ins and trying to figure out how effective SEO, blogs for business are definitely not a newbies game in my humble opinion.

Comparing SBI to WordPress is definitely a complete Apples-to-Oranges deal. If you're only interested in personal blogging, with no serious traffic or business building needs, then I say go ahead with the lower up front costs of a WordPress blog, stumble and learn and aggregate all the resources you need at your own pace, and keep at it till you make it work.

However, if you have a standing local business, or want to make money by building an Internet Business, SBI is virtually a must-have, even if you never build an SBI website. As far as SBi websites all looking alike, many do, but a few points to think about:

Your clients will be drawn to your content and value proposition and not comparing you to an imagined list of 200 other SBI sites.

The ever-improving SBI can be customized with 2 or 3 column templates at $50 bucks or so (for those who care) and the company is actively updates to many features virtually everyday. In the 2 years or so since I've been a client (after studying it for 2 years before making my decision), there have been tons of improvements, and extensions:

You can now have a WordPress blog attached to your site, along with Ning websites, phb forums and all sorts of other resources with SBI's infinIT functionality.

The company is also working on other template customizations such as 3-column templates for those who care as much about sophisticated design as they do about business functionality.

In the interests of full disclosure, I am an SBI affiliate, and have been for about 2 years. I also find the "SBI-evangelist snobs" you occasionally find on the forums a bit overbearing, but, to be fair to them (and in all honesty), you will rarely find a CEO, product and customer in as much alignment as SBI and Sitesell are with their target market.

Who's their target market?

The beginner to the internet who is not a programmer, doesn't want to spend time and money "playing part-time programmer" and wants an all-in-one solution for building an internet business at an affordable price.

Hope this helps someone.

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Melissa Taylor — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:19:47 -0000

Andy,

If you are not an SBI affiliate, you should be! Ken would love this rant_ for or against or... I lost the point and purpose of this page and fury... I believe this proves Ken and SBI without a doubt. I certainly would not want to toil, work and monitor this fuss and mess just to plant a single sale--especially when the greater number of respondents here are only after a link back, which I do not seek.

Cheers :)

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Melissa Taylor — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:19:47 -0000

Andy,

Cheers :)

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

William Millott — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 05:41:03 -0000

I am very hesitant to post a link because of the no spam policy, but I have found reading these comments absolutely fascinating, and I wonder if any of you guys had used Terapad?

I use it for my sites specifically because it bridges the gaps between blogging and websites and works perfectly for SEO and all the latest Web 2.0 stuff. Before I used Terapad I was on wordpress, but frankly it was too complicated for me if I wanted to set up the full CMS, and whilst I haven't tried SBI the pricing does seem to be extraordinary.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this.

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

William Millott — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 05:41:03 -0000

I am very hesitant to post a link because of the no spam policy, but I have found reading these comments absolutely fascinating, and I wonder if any of you guys had used Terapad?

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this.

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Yves Marie Danie Baptiste — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:42:44 -0000

I think that perhaps many got into blogging because it was such a buzz and everyone wanted to be a part of it and not necessarily to make an income. As time went on and people learned they can generate profits from it....those with the discipline to learn this craft soared and the rest are left behind.

Sales Letters

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Yves Marie Danie Baptiste — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:42:44 -0000

Sales Letters

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Yves Marie Danie Baptiste — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:38:42 -0000

I think Ken Evoy is an absolute genius. I've thoroughly studied his work for close to 2 years now and there is no other internet marketing 'guru' on the internet whom I feel gives more BEEF backed up by real evidence. I've bought his products, read his newsletters and he is usually, from what I read in his materials, on the money and way ahead of the times. He is a true visionary.

And no, I'm not paid to say any of this. :-)

Sales Letters

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Yves Marie Danie Baptiste — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:38:42 -0000

And no, I'm not paid to say any of this. :-)

Sales Letters

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Rex — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 11:34:37 -0000

There are successful bloggers who are doing well financially because they are delivering value on a large scale.

SBI is a great place to start for those without a technology background. The primary focus is on what Evoy calls "keyword focused content pages". These focus on keywords which are in demand but also in short supply.

I had previously built several websites that got no traffic so found it refreshing that with my SBI site I did get traffic and started making money.

What I did not learn from SBI was effective linkbuilding. My site was doing well on MSNSearch but no Google traffic at all. The Google traffic only came after I learned linkbuilding which I learned from other sources.

What really matters whether you blog or build a traditional site are: basic principles. You need to master the basics just like you would in any other endeavor whether it be chess or baseball. Most bloggers have not mastered the basics and so are making no money at all. To learn the basics requires study and work and, ideally, having mentors.

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Rex — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 11:34:37 -0000

There are successful bloggers who are doing well financially because they are delivering value on a large scale.

I had previously built several websites that got no traffic so found it refreshing that with my SBI site I did get traffic and started making money.

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Don — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 -0000

I am a strong supportor of blogging, to me it is the best way to create conversations with potential clients or even fellow business owners.

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Don — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 -0000

I am a strong supportor of blogging, to me it is the best way to create conversations with potential clients or even fellow business owners.

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Jag — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:43:09 -0000

Hi Andy,

I have a lot of respect for Ken Evoy. Learnt a lot from him.

Having said that I'm not too sure if we can call denounce WP sites and blogs.

Personally, I've used Niche Marketing on Crack method to great effect with blogs.

Blogs, if used properly, together with an opt in form, can still be a cost effective way to build a site that pulls.

At the end of the day, the blog or website must offer value. If not, the visitor ain't coming back.

Best,
Jag

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Jag — Mon, 12 May 2008 16:43:09 -0000

Hi Andy,

I have a lot of respect for Ken Evoy. Learnt a lot from him.

Having said that I'm not too sure if we can call denounce WP sites and blogs.

Personally, I've used Niche Marketing on Crack method to great effect with blogs.

Blogs, if used properly, together with an opt in form, can still be a cost effective way to build a site that pulls.

At the end of the day, the blog or website must offer value. If not, the visitor ain't coming back.

Best,
Jag

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Jim DeSantis — Sun, 11 May 2008 23:21:31 -0000

Internet Business Blogger echoes my experience.

I too looked at SBI a long time ago. I too went another route. I went the blogging route and my mistake was to use Blogger instead of getting my own domain, and, hosting a Wordpress blog there. But, hey, I was a total newbie!

The hit on blogging by Ken and others is unwarranted. Blog traffic does not only come from search engine love. There are a multitude of ways to promote that are not much different from promoting SBI websites.

For me, a blog and a website are just different vehicles to get from home to the bank. Blogs tend to be more personalized and, thus, attract their own audience.

SBI is comprehensive but does not have every possible aspect of the WWW covered. No one system does. SBI is one system. Blogging is another system. Email marketing is another.

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Jim DeSantis — Sun, 11 May 2008 23:21:31 -0000

Internet Business Blogger echoes my experience.

For me, a blog and a website are just different vehicles to get from home to the bank. Blogs tend to be more personalized and, thus, attract their own audience.

SBI is comprehensive but does not have every possible aspect of the WWW covered. No one system does. SBI is one system. Blogging is another system. Email marketing is another.

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Herman — Sat, 03 May 2008 07:21:15 -0000

Geat comments!

I've been a fan of Ken's formula of pre-selling content to sell your products and still model. As a web designer I don't use SBI but have a main site and a blog.

Whatever you use depends on your purpose...it's not really the tools you use but how you use them. The purpose of my blog is to freely and easily write quick posts, even articles that provide traffic to my main site and provide fresh content for visitors. The beauty of the blog is that I can spend only 15 min updating it with good content without FTP

The purpose of my main site (static) is to offer long term content and services.

Sidenote - the blog takes more work however I enjoy writing so it's actually a joy to do it.

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

Herman — Sat, 03 May 2008 07:21:15 -0000

Geat comments!

I've been a fan of Ken's formula of pre-selling content to sell your products and still model. As a web designer I don't use SBI but have a main site and a blog.

The purpose of my main site (static) is to offer long term content and services.

Sidenote - the blog takes more work however I enjoy writing so it's actually a joy to do it.

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

SEO Web Design — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:39:34 -0000

Great marketing article, would love to hear more about how this might be implemented online and your thoughts on that aspect. Keep the great articles coming.

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

SEO Web Design — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:39:34 -0000

Great marketing article, would love to hear more about how this might be implemented online and your thoughts on that aspect. Keep the great articles coming.

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

JackHumphrey — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:41:19 -0000

After I read the thing I wanted to rip into it with vigor. But Ken defeated me ultimately because there was so damn much spin in that thing to sell SBI it was like watching FOX News.

Just thinking about taking the 20-30 points that were so clearly set up to sell an old school system on the new web and explaining why Ken has completely lost his mind was exhausting.

So I waited for people like you to respond, Andy, and then you were far too diplomatic in your response.

So I'm still waiting for someone with more time than Ken (and who has that kind of time?) to write so much about a topic that you lose interest in life itself by the time you are halfway through.

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

JackHumphrey — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:41:19 -0000

After I read the thing I wanted to rip into it with vigor. But Ken defeated me ultimately because there was so damn much spin in that thing to sell SBI it was like watching FOX News.

Just thinking about taking the 20-30 points that were so clearly set up to sell an old school system on the new web and explaining why Ken has completely lost his mind was exhausting.

So I waited for people like you to respond, Andy, and then you were far too diplomatic in your response.

So I'm still waiting for someone with more time than Ken (and who has that kind of time?) to write so much about a topic that you lose interest in life itself by the time you are halfway through.

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

George Manlangit — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:44:40 -0000

I have learned a great deal from SBI free guides. Ken does a good job of a educating people on strategy for creating websites in an internet based platform. The key point that I learned most from Ken is Preselling.

And I agree with you Andy when you mentioned that WP have intangible cost associated with it aside from the base install on CPanel's Fantastico.

As for me, I employ both approach. I use WP as a way to create a sense of connecting to visitors which is not normally existent on basic websites. The blog could be both content and traffic builder depending on one's strategy. The blog then leads visitors to the main site where you have the preselling staging and monetization. The SE traffic that it creates at most times, leads to the main selling site.

I think the premise that blogs would earn you money, by itself, is misleading to beginning bloggers. The end result is a frustrated blogger who thought they would make money because Fantastic Guru said so.

I'm not a user of SBI although I'm an affiliate, so I could not assess the methods that is being used by the product itself. If one is a techie, I believe with much WP theme pages tweaking, you could create a website from the WP platform. I am currently experimenting on this combination of WP + bbPress as a forum.

Just my opinion....

Re: Ken Evoy Attacks Blogging & WordPress

George Manlangit — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:44:40 -0000

And I agree with you Andy when you mentioned that WP have intangible cost associated with it aside from the base install on CPanel's Fantastico.

Just my opinion....