Askpat 2.0: A Weekly Coaching Call On Online Business, Blogging, Marketing, And Lifestyle Design

Today's question comes from Ron, who asks about domain names. Should he buy up all the variations (.net, .com, .org, etc.)? In this episode, I mention Zen Habits (http://zenhabits.net) and LeadPages (http://leadpages.net). Do you have a question about managing domain names? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Chastity, who asks about whether or not she should pursue an MBA. In this episode, I discuss starting Green Exam Academy (http://www.greenexamacademy.com/). Do you have a question about running your online business? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Aaron, who has a question about standing out from the crowd. Does a professional appearance still have a place? Aaron’s site is http://freecustommusic.com/. To sign up for my email list, go to eBooks the Smart Way (http://ebooksthesmartway.com). In this episode, I mention a post I wrote for Fizzle about software development (http://fizzle.co/sparkline/five-lessons-learned-from-building-two-failed-wordpress-plugins-and-how-they-led-me-to-my-first-successful-software-venture). Check out Budgets Are Sexy to see J. Money’s distinctive look (http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/). Do you have a question about building a personal brand? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Saj, who is starting a new podcast. How do I promote my new podcast? You can find my podcast tutorial at PodcastingTutorial.com (http://podcastingtutorial.com/). In this episode I share my experience with podcast promotion. Do you have a question about podcasting? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Jordi, who is working to refine his target audience. Should his site be bilingual, with information in both English and Spanish? In this episode, I mention Google Analytics (https://www.google.com/analytics/). Share your experiences with bilingual websites using #AskPat360. Do you have a question about getting your website started? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Kristin and Britain, who are looking for resources for planning and developing an iOS game. How can they get organized and started with development? In this episode, I talk about Elance (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/elance). Do you have a question about app development? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Will, who asks about website startup costs. What does it take to get a new niche site up and running? Will is talking about my niche site, Security Guard Training (http://www.securityguardtraininghq.com/). For keyword research, I used LongTail Pro (http://askpat.com/longtailpro). Market Samurai is another keyword tool (http://www.marketsamurai.com/), as is the Google Adwords Keyword Planning (https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner). For domain hosting, I recommend Bluehost (http://askpat.com/bluehost). I used a free WordPress theme to start that. For email, I used Aweber (http://www.aweber.com/askpat). I used Elance for help with writing (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/elance). Do you have a question about starting a niche site? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Ken, who wants to know how to optimize his podcast metadata. Ken’s podcast website is http://www.gregbennettsales.com/podcastm/. For keyword research, the Google Adwords Keyword Planning Tool may be useful (https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner). Other keyword tools I recommend are LongTail Pro (http://askpat.com/longtailpro) and Market Samurai is another keyword tool (http://www.marketsamurai.com/). Do you have a question about podcasting? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Phil, who asks what five things I’d recommend for new bloggers. Phil’s site is http://selfdevelopmentjourney.com/. The episode of the Smart Passive Income Podcast I recommend is episode 145 with Kimanzi Constable (http://smartpassiveincome.com/session145). Do you have a question about blogging? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

AP 0355: How Do I Make a Professional-Looking Info Product? Today's question comes from David, who is ready to put out his first info product. He has the content—what’s the best way to make it look professional? The payment platform I mentioned is Gumroad (http://gumroad.com). The tools I recommend are WP Wishlist (http://member.wishlistproducts.com/), Zippy Courses (https://zippycourses.com/), and WP Courseware (https://flyplugins.com/wp-courseware/). Do you have a question about information products? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Fay, who is looking for a good, cost-effective video hosting platform. Here are my suggestions. YouTube is best for public videos and is the most cost-effective option (http://youtube.com/). Wistia is a more expensive option, but it will give you the best data and is ideal for paid communities (http://wistia.com/). Vimeo is another good option for videos in a paid course (http://vimeo.com/). Also, hear why I think you should upload videos directly to Facebook. Learn about creating great videos from my friend and videographer Caleb Wojcik (http://DIYVideoGuide.com and http://DIYVideoGuy.com). Do you have a question about video? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/. Also, share your advice with #AskPat354.

Today's question comes from Art, who needs advice on educating businesses on affiliate programs. How can he educate company owners on the benefit of affiliate programs? Art’s site is http://scapefu.com/. I’ve had experience with this problem with my niche site, Green Exam Academy (http://www.greenexamacademy.com/). For phone tracking, check out Call Rail (http://www.callrail.com/). I also reference episode 41 of the Smart Passive Income Podcast (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/affiliate-marketing-the-smart-way/). Do you have a question about affiliate programs? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Danny, who asks how long he should wait (or how many subscribers he should have) before releasing a course. Danny’s site is http://thehindsightjournal.com/. Share your experiencing releasing courses using #AskPat351. Do you have a question about courses? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Pim, who wants to interact with people who land on his sales page. What’s a good tool for this? In this episode, I talk about the live chat feature, Olark (https://www.olark.com/), the heat map tools that can help you improve optimization, Crazy Egg (http://www.crazyegg.com/) and ClickTale (http://www.clicktale.com/). If you have any suggestions for Pim, share them using #AskPat351. Do you have a question about increasing your sales page conversions? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Nicole, who has a podcast topic and wants to know how I first made money with the show. Nicole’s site is http://www.loveradianceskincare.com/. I talk with John Lee Dumas about podcast sponsorships on Smart Passive Income Session 97 (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/facebook-webinar-conversion-adding-sponsors-podcast/). John is from Entrepreneur On Fire (http://www.entrepreneuronfire.com/). Do you have a question about podcasting? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today’s question comes from Chava, who is looking for an alternative to Google Ads. What’s an alternative way to monetize her site? Chava’s site is http://www.ourkidscanthrive.com/. This is a great question. I talk about what I feel are the important things to keep in mind when monetizing your website. Do you have a question about monetization? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Bethany, who asks about editing old blog posts. Do I edit old posts? How do I keep on top of what needs editing? Do you have a question about your blog? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Lea, who asks about my podcasting workflow. What information do I send my guests? How do I do my research? What does the workflow during and after the podcast look like? Lea’s site is http://www.leapica.com/. In this episode, I mention Ramit Sethi (http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/). Listen to the whole episode to hear which songs my son loves. You’ll find the song soon by searching for #AskPat347.

Today's question comes from Butch, who is looking for a good support ticketing plugin. I have several suggestions for tools. We use HelpScout for the Smart Podcast Player (https://www.helpscout.net/) to track support tickets and provide a support database (http://support.smartpodcastplayer.com/). We use Rhino Support at Create a Clickable Map (https://www.rhinosupport.com/) to track support tickets. Zendesk is another paid option that integrates nicely with WordPress (https://www.zendesk.com/). A free solution for WordPress is WP Support Plus Responsive Ticket System (https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-support-plus-responsive-ticket-system/). If you have a suggestion for Butch, share it using #AskPat346. Do you have a question about providing service to your customers? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.

Today's question comes from Bill, who asks about time management. How should he split his time between working on the business and learning new skills? Bill’s site is http://www.traumamonkeys.com/. Bill mentions Fizzle (http://fizzle.co). I talk about advice from Jeremy over at Internet Business Mastery (http://internetbusinessmastery.com/). Do you have a question about time management? Record it at http://www.askpat.com/.