The big problem is spam. Spammers use automated tools to fool Google into listing them tops in their results. Odds are you've seen this – you click on something promising, only to be lead to a page full of spammy ads.

Even worse, Google is moving away from it's simple listing of 10 organic results. Instead, they're now adding Blended Results. These results feature books, videos, news and images related to a search query. And of course Google shows up to 13 sponsored results.

In simple speak, there's a LOT more competition on the first page of Google today than ever before. The bottom line is Google is crowded. And that makes it much harder for us to rank tops in their search results.

But here's the good news. Those same Blended Results that seem to clutter up Google results are actually the fast and easy way to show up first in Google. And best of all, hardly anyone is talking about this.

Over the last 9 months, I've been experimenting with ranking first in Google using Blended Image Results. And it's been quite worth the investment…

… Take a look at just one snapshot of my stats… here's a webpage I created about Jared Lee Loughner (the guy who allegedly shot Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords):

As we see, I'm getting a steady number of visits from a Google Image search. All I did was grab a few images off the web, tweak it for SEO purposes, and upload it as my own (this is 100% legal and ethical when you find the right images).

By getting my images ranked in Google's Blended Image Results, I've been able to attract 1,344 visits to my Jared Lee Loughner page since the shooting. That's amazing when you consider if I were to use pay per click to attract these leads to my site (and paid 25 cents a click using Facebook of Google), that would have cost me $336.00 (probably more.. a LOT more). But by exploiting Google's Blended Image Results, I got this precisely-targeted traffic to my site totally FREE!

What's surprising is those search for images are actually good quality leads… they subscribe at about the same rate as my typical traffic and buy my stuff, too.

Even better is this is "set it and forget it." Once you tweak your images, display them on your blog or webpage and alert Google about it, you start to see your first visitors in 14 days. The best part is the Google referral traffic keeps showing up… minute after minute – day after day. And (again) it's totally free.

If you're ready to exploit Google's Blended Image results and attract precisely-qualified visitors to your blog or website using this backdoor secret right now, you might want to click here and grab this tutorial I wrote to show up first in Google in just 14 days…

Important Lessons

1. Your competition is not your enemy - Competition is important in life and business. The moment our attitude moves towards enemies and camps, it affects the tone of our advertising. I have seen competitors putting up billboards next to each other's premises demeaning or undermining the value of the other solution provider? For what? Some want to call it aggressive marketing but this borders on the wrong emotions. Advertise what you have not what your competitor can not do. Change your focus and be real to your clientele who are after value not necessarily your raves and chants against your "rivals". As children we used to have "tale-tales" where we ran to our father as soon as a fellow "rival" did something against the father's principle. It brought pleasure to bring the other person down and the hope that one would have gained favor and immunity for future misdemeanor. Believe me, it is not worth it.

2. There is enough business for everyone - As mankind we generally harbor the feeling that "there is not enough around us". With such a mentality, anyone who shows interest in what we desire to possess and own is unnecessary. The truth is that in whatever area of interest, there is enough room to do business for everyone. There are untapped resources under the surface of the earth which we are endowed with. Our "shortage" mentality removes creativity to explore new avenues as we are always drawn to what is readily available not what is hoped for. Let competition come to help you meet the needs of people. If you came and put up the same kind of shop next to mine, I would not be moved into depression. I have actually had those experiences. My customers never tried because there was a level of contentment with what my business was providing. You can shake in your boots if you were taking customers for granted. My point remains, do not hate the competitor, there is more than enough clients to please. As a young boy I always felt that the more children were being added to this world by my father, indeed the more his resources were going to deplete hence I was gripped with fear. When it turned out that his savings were not spared by the record inflation in my country, it was like "I knew it, too many competing for one man's supply".

3. Competition is the ignition key to excellence & creativity – Sometimes monopolies bring about a level of complacency. In a sales department where you are the only sales person available, you sometimes set small goals and can walk away with excuses why it is "so hard and so impossible" to get into the market until two other sales executives are hired. Now the truth comes out as you jostle for recognition. The best in you comes out. As mentioned before, my dad had three wives and I remember he received three kinds of meals each time (my first encounter with a buffet). Our mothers had to ensure they made the best meals to please the "highest office" in the family. It brought some passive competition which of course benefited my dad immensely. Excellence came out even where is seemed unlikely. Note: I am in no way encouraging anyone to get more than one wife. I am using my own life as a case study for you to learn from.

4. Love your competition – it will confuse them if they don't know they should be loved. It takes you to break the myth that goes round. Everyone is born thinking that if we are both interested in one thing, we have to use enough energy doing PhD techniques ("Pull him Down" or "Purposeful human Destruction"). The virtue of love is usually never shared among people who are grappling for the same resource unless of course it is a popularity contest situation such as supporting the same soccer team, same political party etc. When love is expressed to the competition, it opens up avenues of synergy not speculative activity and spying missions. If the competitor considers you an enemy, no wonder you are encouraged to "Love your enemies". Take your competitor for lunch. You never know how a mentoring relationship can suddenly come up. It can be a peer to peer mentoring relationship where you teach me and I in turn volunteer a few coaching clinics unofficially for you.

5. Be different at what you do – stand out – Ask yourself what makes your business uniquely attractive, What is it that people will travel extra miles to come to you instead of the nearby alternative? When you identify your areas of uniqueness that draw people your way, you now know what to emphasize as you recruit more people to join you. If we both make loaves of bread, I would find creative ways of packaging, slicing, and keeping it fresh. Do those things that no ordinary service provider will do and guarantee yourself repeat business. You can enhance your security and comfort this way. I am the only child of the 24 who to this day has done over 20 different things uniquely. Some of the things have never been attempted in the history of my clan. Do not laugh at this but to me it is important as it illustrates my point of being different in the sea of competition: The first ever to have a wedding in the city, the first ever to venture into the risky idea of starting a business in a hyper inflationary environment, the first member of the clan to fly. I will reserve the rest for another article but I hope by now you understand the idea of being unique in your approach which leaves you secure and fearless.

6. Competition has sizes and levels – I often hear the classical example of how seed from a man is released in millions and the race towards the egg starts. Only one winner gets to create person you are today. No runner ups etc. "Winner takes it all". Competition can be between two individuals (for a position, for space etc.) or between two organizations or companies, or even between countries, e.g. competing to host the World Cup. At the time of writing this article we are actually 56 days closer to the World Cup in South Africa, only 1200 kilometers from where I live. (2 hour flight). You will come to terms with the fact that mankind is naturally competitive. The education systems have always glorified the "best student", the "number one" position etc. not realizing that all 40 passed even though the last one had a 5% pass mark. The education systems refuse to grade anything lower than 40%, they called it "U grade" or ungraded in some systems. It is vital to note that one of the people you should always try to compete against at all times is YOU. Your track record that you set, you standards you engrafted, your excellence from the last project etc. You should look at all those and say "I can beat whoever set that record" even though the person is actually you. It will catapult you to new levels and dimensions of doing business not the "usual way". People who have a strong INTERNAL competition "galas" make it well in life while those who rest on their resume of achievements will soon occupy the doldrums of history.

7. Competition can be either Cooperative or Destructive – Cooperative says "We will all win". You can have people who work cooperatively to improve their way of living. Common in my side of the world are money clubs where 5 women take turns to build capacity in each other. Each month one of the women walks away with $400 from all the women in the network. This does not leave anyone behind. They compete to see who will make the best of the $400 lump sum. Destructive competition seeks to gratify one person or one company by eliminating any opposing alternative. I am totally against the later type of competition. Why destroy a competitor who is helping you stay in check, leaving no stone unturned, through and excellent. My three mothers (my dad's wives) never did anything to destroy or back bite one another to the best of my knowledge. The managed to core exist right up to my father's death. If you are alarmed by the number "3 wives" speak of my grandpa whose children and grandchildren can certainly occupy a suburb on their own – he had 15 known wives and over a hundred of his own children. How did 15 wives exist in one competitive space, answer is that their competition was cooperative. They had a common goal, to keep my grandpa happy. Back to your business – your business units may be many but they need to realize they have a common undertaking – to keep you and your shareholders happy. They should cooperatively compete knowing when one unit does well, it benefits the whole group. There is a place for "Winner takes all" but I tend to desire that everyone gets a share of the pie in accordance to contribution and effort.

8. Competition brings value to the consumer – The main idea behind competition is that it brings efficient allocation of resources. When many suppliers compete for the business of consumers, prices gravitate toward costs of production and scarce resources are used for those goods and services for which there is real demand. Competition thereby produces maximum economic value from given resources, and uses minimum resources to supply a given demand. Consumers get better value where options exist. A monopoly sometimes rips off consumers because that is all the consumer has. It is a "take it or lose it" scenario whereas in a competitive environment it is your product that has to give value to the end user who has a choice to try next door. Competition brings the best value in terms of pricing, quality of service and general presentation. It is always for a consumer to compare and contrast when they go shopping. One should be able to get a low/high priced, low value item out of choice not being "forced" or having the item "imposed" for lack of alternatives. Sometimes all the consumer wants is something that is within the confines of the cash on hand in which case they choose quantity at the expense of quality. The coming of used clothes and used cars to Africa brought shock waves to boutiques and car assembly companies respectively. Now the client has choices on which lifestyle to go with. I love it when I have a buffet of products to select from.

9. Maximize the tool of Competitive Intelligence – Competitive Intelligence is a process of gathering actionable and crucial information in a competitive environment. In this you will be carrying out a research on the business climate and business trends and techniques that another business is following. This tool is primarily used to influence a strategy for business development. Bear in mind that while you should be aware of the direction a competitor is moving. I do not advocate copying a competitor. The tools I share with you above are to assist businesses in monitoring their competition. I am not suggesting that you replicate, duplicate, or copy anything that a competitor does. Use the competitive intelligence to make sound business decisions about the direction you want to take. If other businesses are moving with technology, you may need to likewise move with trends but not copy to the last dot every little bit of detail. If the business next door is ISO certified, find out how you too can attain the same licensing if you feel it will help keep your customers fulfilled and happy. As a torch bearer in my family, I have often encountered the question "How did you do it? How did you manage? What strategy did you put in place to accomplish this?" These are very sound questions that came from my very competitive brothers whom I have no doubt will surpass all I have done. Unknown to them they are engaging in some level of research to know what worked for me not necessarily for duplication but to help them create their own solid strategies.

10. Your competition may not understand you, but do you need to be understood? – One thing in life is that you will never be able to please everyone let alone be understood by everyone you meet. In a competitive environment there is a level of speculation, assumption and thumb sucking what the competitor really is about. When point 9.above is not done properly, people will assume things where they lack understanding or knowledge. You should never live to justify your actions or strategies to anyone. You take ownership and responsibility for what you are giving your customer. You do not owe your competition an apology for doing well. If you change focus towards pleasing your competition, seeking to be understood by them, you will lose ground that needs to be covered. Where direct tensions arise, certainly it calls for you to bring a resolve. It is not necessary to operate where there is "pollution" when it is in your power to eliminate it. Bottom-line is that you and your competitor are not fighting each other but are fighting other external macro-economic forces together. In so doing you help to bring a long lasting sustainable business environment for all parties in the same industry. Companies do this by formulating Unions for their line of business which lobby and engage authorities collectively. In such scenarios you should not isolate yourselves as a business but work with others for the common good of the industry.

You can thrive in the face of competition. You have to remain resolute on the fact that there is no shortage of business out there. Give your customer value and quality and watch how far your business will go.

Rabison Shumba is a writer, businessman and philanthropist. Writer of the book The Greatness Manual which you can preview on http://greatnessmanual.wordpress.com. Founder and CEO of Infotech Solutions and Greatness Factory Trust. Rabison speaks about success, leadership, motivation and inspiration. His trust works with disadvantaged school children supporting them with school fees and general livelihood. He also helps to network artists (musicians of all genres) to facilitate information sharing and building of future celebrities. Rabison is well traveled having been to Asia, America, United Kingdom and all over Africa. He is married to Jacqueline Edwards and they have two children. They reside in Harare, Zimbabwe, Southern Africa.

One thing I forgot to put on your survey about what I’d like to read in your blog is I’d be interested in reading about how you research for projects.  How you research your market, your product, etc. and how you put some of those ideas together for effective copy.

There are at least seven research methods I use on a regular basis…

Research Technique #1: Interviews

This is my favorite way of getting the research I need: interviewing the client.

Fact: Most clients are salesmen to one degree or another. They can pitch their product, they just can’t put their pitch in writing. So one of the goals of an interview is to get the client pitching his product to you over the phone.

A good sales pitch works whether it is spoken or written. In fact, I have taken entire paragraphs from a phone interview and used them verbatim in my sales letters. The genius wasn’t me writing anything; it was in asking the right questions.

The interview is where I uncover the story behind the product, the background and credentials of my client, what the benefits of the product are, etc.

Research Technique #2: Competition

In any profitable market, there will likely be competitors.

I like to study competitor’s ads for two reasons:

1. To find out what they’re saying that’s already working. In some cases, we may be able to one-up them.
2. To find out what they’re saying — so we don’t say the same thing. (Differentiation is key.)

This competitive intelligence is important because it will help you craft a pitch that’s both better and different.

Research Technique #3: Consume the Product

It’s not always possible to use or consume the product you’re selling. But when you can, you should. You literally become the customer.

With info products, the bullets come straight from the information in the course/ebook/interview. This often forms the “meat” of your sales letter.

And with consumer products, you will do a much better job of describing and selling the customer experience if you have experienced it yourself.

Research Technique #4: Search

Almost every pitch can be strengthened by statistics, quotes, and stories. This is where good ol’ Google enters stage right.

I will often have ideas for certain statistics and/or supporting quotes when I’m writing sales copy. I don’t know if they even exist. So I will go search for what I’ve imagined might exist and see if I can find it.

Google is a great starting point. I’ve also found Wikipedia and Yahoo! Answers to be enormously helpful.

Research Technique #5: Forums

Public online forums are a great way to access your target market and learn more about them — what problems they have, what they’re interested in, how they talk, and more.

Go see if there is a forum for the people who will most likely be buying your product. Create a new user account and start interacting with them. Ask questions. Get answers.

In short order, you’ll be thinking (and writing) like a member of your target market.

Research Technique #6: Customer Feedback

Some copywriters suggest interviewing customers to find out why they like or dislike products. This hasn’t worked well for me, mainly because:

1. It’s hard to get a client’s customers on the phone for a scheduled interview.
2. If you do get a customer on the phone, he will often be suspicious, as if you’re conducting an interrogation or something.

A better technique, I feel, is to review customer feedback and testimonials. I’ve often found great angles, bullets, and headlines “hidden” within testimonials.

Taking this to another level, I’ve found that collecting feedback on a blog to be extremely powerful. Even if it’s a blog set up only for the purpose of launching a product.

The moment customers and prospects start interacting with you in a natural, low-stress environment (like a blog), you’ll have x-ray insight that most of your competitors simply won’t have.

Perfect example: This blog post was a direct result of what you told me you wanted to learn more about.

Research Technique #7: Tap the Client

This last technique is probably the best of all because it shifts the burden of research from you and onto your client.

Is this fair?

Absolutely.

Clayton Makepeace says he requires research from his clients before he writes a promotion. His reasoning: His clients spend a heck of a lot more time staying on top of the latest research than he does (especially in research intensive markets like stocks and finance).

It only makes sense that his clients provide the research since they’re experts at it already and it’s part of what they do every day.

When a client provides research, it makes your job WAY easier. You can then focus more on writing the promotion and coming up with the best possible theme instead of digging up obscure facts.

Depending on the niche you write for, you may consider making it a requirement of your clients that they provide research for you, as Clayton Makepeace does. If it works well for him, it can work well for you.

So there you have it: Seven effective research methods, all laid out for you. I hope you find them useful.

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. Want to learn more about research? Then you might enjoy learning how to get inside your prospect’s head.