Hot New WordPress Script
** Newest information, questions answered and a step by step plan is posted on this other page – click here **
At what point, I wonder, did I start talking like a late night infomercial?
I made some videos for you on Friday night and finished editing them this evening. During review I hear this:
“Folks we just added 100 new products and posts to your WordPress blog, with your affiliate links embedded, in less than 20 minutes!”
At the time I was pretty pumped and the script is the coolest thing since sliced bread…
However, what’s even cooler is the fact that we didn’t need to add 100 products all at once. We could have spent that same 20 minutes and had 100 days worth of posts containing products (with affiliate links of course). After all, the search engines love that – websites that add new content every day…
This new WordPress script does it all for you! It imports the file you so painfully crafted and created (in 10 minutes), and posts products to your blog with your affiliate link embedded. You can post 100s all at once or let them trickle in (without a footprint) every hour, every x hours, every day, and so on.
Now when you put it all together – WordPress blogs, trickled content, affiliate income and only 20 minutes of your time, it can’t help but add up to a winner!
The diversity of products you could sell (in every imaginable niche) with these blogs is immeasurable. And practically no one is doing this yet because (a) they don’t know how simple it can be, and (b) the script that makes it simple was just released last week.
Words can’t give this new way of building websites justice – precisely why I created those ‘ghetto’* videos for you.
The technique involves:
- grabbing a merchant datafeed for 100s of product lines (I’ll show you where),
- making a few changes to them in some spreadsheet software (like Microsoft’s Excel),
- and running the file through a script (WordPress Datafeed Import script) that then
- posts the products to your blog (can anyone say cha-ching?).
Twenty minutes of video shows you how to do it.
Twenty minutes of time is all it takes to set one of these income streams up on an existing blog.
It’s all here, you can watch me do it in less than twenty.
And, of course, if you have any troubles, questions or concerns, I invite you to share them here where we can all learn from your collaboration.
I’ll leave you then to the affiliate datafeed videos now.
Keep on marketing!
Laura Childs
www.smartzville.com
p.s. Have you started working with video yet? It’s a fantastic tool for self awareness! I had never realized that I say “uh” and “um” so much. Nor did I know that I sniffle and lisp when I’m tired of talking!
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*ghetto videos is a term Frank Kern uses to describe his thrown-together, non-optimized, but highly-informative subscriber videos.
[...] While checking some statistics, I came across Laura’s link and what I discovered next left me speechless*. [...]
Can’t get 2nd video, page is blank. Wazzzupp?
Hey Mark, thanks for the heads up.
Those videos are driving me crazy. I had some technical issues, thought I worked through them all and then, well, more technical issues.
I think I shall have to re-do them as I revive another dying website…
All said (but not all done) I can’t believe how amazed and excited I am about this script. I’m thinking of later using the same technique I used with my RSS2BLOG installs (although this script differs from RSS2BLOG software), intermingling article content with the affiliate products.
At any rate, I apologize that the second video didn’t work for you (update: It’s working now – March 7). I’ve got some time tomorrow so I’ll work on it then, in the meantime if this script ‘feels’ right to you, grab it. You are sure to love it and if you run into any issues or have questions Teli is really good at replying to support calls (and I might be able to lend a hand with the simpler questions).
Cheers and thanks again!
Laura
Hi Laura, Just need to know if there is a way for me to check out the videos when I only have access to dial-up internet….the joy of living in the “boondocks” LOL! Thanks
Caroline
Hi Laura:
I sent this support email to Teli, but her hours are apparently over…. Wondered about your input…..
I’m very excited watching the demos and videos for WordPress Data Feed Import and am anxious to buy it and the OptiNiche package (which do you recommend buying first?) but have some questions about WPDFI first.
1) Can WPDFI be used on multiple domains? Are there restrictions on this? (I’m assuming these are all my domains – but also what about if I do contract work for a client?)
2) What’s the server load like? HostGator (my host) just banned a bunch of RSS to blog scripts for overloading servers, so I want to avoid this. I’m assuming there’s a good hit when I do the first import and all future posts are “ready” just timed to go?
3) How are “updates” to the datafeeds handled. Let’s say I import a datafeed today and in 1 month, it gets updated, but all I get is the full feed again. Is there any easy way to import just new items? Other than manually trimming.
4) What about updates to the script? Do you have updates planned and are you planning on charging for them? or is there mix of free and paid?
Thanks in advance to you and anyone else who chimes in.
Jeff
Jeff:
Thanks for your note. I can’t answer *all* of your questions, and you’ve probably received an email from Teli already, but I’ll post a few of my thoughts here in case others are wondering…
The WordPress DataFeed Script can indeed be used on multiple domains that you own (I’m using it in 5 different places at the moment). Now I’m not sure how Teli will handle contract work – if you’re building sites for others – but my guess would be that either the person you’re working for should buy their own copy, or to be ethical, you should run the script for them while you’re working on the site, then delete it. This secures your contract work as well – the site owner won’t be able to hire in another web master to “do what you do” with your tools.
Server load is minimal. Why? The script is code-slim, plus it doesn’t have to ‘fetch’ information from multiple sources and then post that information. WordPress DataFeed Import script takes the information you feed it from one source, then posts it. Anytime I’ve run this script I’ve not seen any spike in server resources.
RSS2Blog is a good program, but too many people using it, on multiple domains, from one host, fetching and posting numerouse times per day is why hostgator had such an issue with the software.
Your question about updates is a very valid point, I’d be interested to hear what Teli says. There are a few ways to look at how to handle that. One, depends completely on the merchant – a lot of merchants, when they discontinue one item will show an alternate item on it’s page. What matters here is that you got that visitor to their site – the cookie has been set – and if the merchant knows how to do business they will make that sale – on that or an alternate product.
There are many ways to ’skin the cat’ on updated or new products from merchants. It would all depend on the merchant, their feed management, your level of technical knowledge (refreshing databases), and/or experience with spreadsheet software.
For new products if you merged the old datafeed with the new datafeed, sorted them by name, and just deleted any that were duplicates – in under 10 minutes you could have a custom feed with just the new products. Yes, it’s manual trimming, but smartly done it doesn’t need to be a headache.
I’d be interested, as well, to hear if Teli has updates planned for the script. I can’t think of a thing ‘extra’ that she could do for it. It’s already tops in my books!
This script is brand new – there’s only a few of us using it right now. I imagine as more people start using the WordPress Datafeed Script and contacting Teli directly, we’ll learn of more innovative ways to use it.
Have fun!
Laura
Thanks Laura… here’s the important parts of Teli’s reply.
1) The script can be used on multiple domains, however, the license prohibits commercial use – that basically means you wouldn’t be able to use it for contract work or accept direct compensation for using the script.
3)The Data Feed Import Script is designed to ignore products with the same title and move on to the next one…so basically, only products with a new title will be imported into the data base (I designed it this way to avoid duplicates) – however, some merchants may change the title of the product though it’s the same thing and it will be imported a second time.
This can be beneficial if customers search under the old name as well
She’s been very helpful, and I appreciate both her and your answers. I did buy the script and her eBook yesterday and I just can’t wait to get started with a REAL project (still playing).
Hi Laura,
I just came across this info and had a question. Hopefully, it’s not too dumb or has been addressed somewhere already.
I’m new to the use of data feeds. Is it the case that some feeds are static and some dynamic or are they all dynamic? What I mean is, some merchants tell me once I post the feed, I never have to touch it again because it will update automatically. For example, I could have a data feed of the “best selling products”. As the makeup of best selling products changes, the feed would automatically update the new product mix on my site.
Would this plugin by Teli handle such a data feed or would I have to change something manually whenever there is a change to the “best sellers” list.
(Boy, it’s weird when you don’t even understand something enough to know if your asking a real question).
Thanks,
Eric
Laura can you and your team assist
We are trying to host an asp site on a linux server so we can incorporate wordpress cpanel and fantastico to make the instalation simple but generally asp is not compatible with unix Has any one resolved this problem
I have posted thisin another section but this area is active
Hi Peter, a little out of my geek range to be sure.
My limited knowledge of servers and such tells me that cPanel runs on Windows-based servers. The easies thing to do is switch hosts or get a new server that is capable of cPanel managed accounts.
You can still install and run WordPress on unix machines, it’s simply a matter of 5 minutes to install (as opposed to cPanel which is generally less than 1 minute).
Laura
Laura, do you still use this script? And do you think that search engines are kind to blogs using it?
Hi Dave:
I do still use this script and I still love it as much today as I did when I first grabbed it.
Actually, I probably like it better now since I’ve been making pretty easy affiliate commissions all summer long. Would I buy it again if I had to buy one licence per site? You bet I would!
Your second question, re: search engines and blog-based stores, is a little trickier to answer…
I believe the secret to my success with using this script (for both sales and for search engine positioning) is due to the fact that I always add a little more…
For instance I would never use WordPress’ default template, or product descriptions verbatim. It doesn’t take much to change things up a bit and give your site the ‘edge’.
Taking it One Step Further
Some of the advanced techniques I’ve employed with this script (but it isn’t really necessary, it’s just my way of ‘playing’ at my work) are:
- adding a few articles to my affiliate datafeed sites,
- mixing up the feeds (choosing only select products from any merchant feed, showcasing multiple merchants in one feed),
- doing a global search and replace in my datafeed for generic words (ie., replacing style with design, new with innovative, traditional with classic, etc.),
- and sometimes, when I have 1/2 a mind to work with (ie., watching TV with family or sitting with my daughter while she’s doing school work), I’ll often surf through my posts and add a personal comment on random items. (e.g., “This would look great as…”, “Change the whole look of your…”)
Perhaps these things take more time in the long run (changing a template=5 minutes, mixing up feed content=1 hour, adding the personal touch=whatever time you have to give your projects), but I believe that those ‘touches’ help to set your site apart from the others in the search engine robots’ and spiders’ eyes.
One datafeed blog site I launched in the Spring using Teli’s script had top 10 results for mid-level keyword phrases and a PR4 on google’s next update (two weeks after my launch). Although I don’t place much emphasis on PR, it does help to know you’re on the right track when you can get and keep that rank.
Now to be honest I have had a busy summer here on the farm and with local community work so now that the activity has died down I can get back to work on these sites (and building more) in the coming months.
It’s just such easy money and if you like the products or topics you target the work is actually fun.
My strategy is to spend 10-15 hours per site set-up (which will run on auto-pilot for 4-5 months at a time), then another 10 hours or so getting the site indexed, getting some good inbound links, and to promote the RSS feeds.
Since I switched hard drives this summer I’m without my old version of MS Excel so I’m struggling at the moment with using OpenOffice for my datafeeds. There’s definately something I’m messing up with saving the files and I’m waiting on Teli’s support desk’s reply.
But…this week I’ve also started playing with Michelle Timothy’s Amazon Feed creator. That is one slick piece of softare! It can grab customer reviews, create standalone RSS feeds, and/or create ready to use content for your RSS2Blog install – with product photos and your affiliate link embedded.
There’s just a pile of ways Michelle’s software could be used to earn affiliate income.
How to Choose?
If I was just starting out I’d choose the WordPress Data Feed script. It’s easy and versatile.
If I already owned RSS2Blog I’d grab the Amazon Feed software as a nice compliment and use both features of the software (1) to generate standalone RSS feeds and (2) to generate content for my blog.
And without trying to confuse anyone any further, I’ve heard through the grapevine that Michelle is soon launching a few more complimentary tools – watch for that announcement here next week!
Signing out,
Laura Childs
p.s. You can try-before-you-buy! Michelle’s Amazon Affiliate software has a free trial version here!
p.p.s. Late addition! Just launched this week – Michelle’s merchant datafeed software – check it out, you won’t believe the number of ways it will create money making content for your websites!
How do you know what things to delete from the datafeed script?
I opened zzounds one…
What things go and what things stay?
Oh forgot to add.. I tried the wordpress script its good but its not random and you cant interupt the settings you chose.
So if I want a post per day, one every 24hrs, I can’t go back in later and change that to one every 10 hours or 1 every hour.
Is Michelle’s Amazon datafeed software the same but better? Meaning will it work with datafeeds and post randomly?
Thanks, Mark
Mark,
Both scripts come with supporting documentation that explain which fields to keep and which to delete. In the affiliate datafeed video tutorials I made you can see how easy it is to select and delete entire columns with one click.
You only need a few fields to make these work for you. And, as you see in the videos in 20 minutes the entire thing was set up and posting regularly.
Laura
Mark, there’s a few ways you can get around this…(a) simutaneously run another feed through the script. One can be running once a day (per your original set up), while another runs every 3 hours (or however often you want).
Michelle’s datafeed software will perform a number of functions for you (a) create an RSS Feed of products with your affiliate link embedded, (b) create actual web pages of products with your affiliate link embedded, (c) create an RSS2BLOG post file of products with your affiliate link embedded (and if you know RSS2BLOG you know the huge versatility of that script!) – set it to run as often as you like, change it whenever you like – it’s that easy.
Laura Childs
Michelle’s merchant datafeed software is here. Currently selling at pre-launch prices.
Hi Laura
Thanks for the informative and well written articles!
Could you please explain what you mean by a ‘footprint’ in relation to using the Wordpress data feed script.
Thanks
Alex
Alex:
No trouble.
“What is a footprint in regards to search engine positioning?”
‘Footprints’ are a slang name for anything that makes your site appear automated to the search engine robots or spiders.
For instance, a footprint could be if posts are made to your blog exactly 12 hours apart. Or if every page has the exact same number of links or words. For that matter a really big footprint is if your website is an exact replica (also known as duplicate content – same format, same content, same metatags) as another website (often the case with ready built sites selling on ebay).
All scripts I suggest, Teli’s WordPress Datafeed Script, Michelle’s RSS2Blog, and Michelle’s Affiliate Datafeed Script, are easily footprint free.
Plus they’re a fun and lucrative way to build sites!
Laura
p.s. You don’t need them all to make money with your websites. If your skill set is strong in running blogs, then grab Teli’s script. If you like RSS, standard HTML, and/or blogs, then Michelle’s products are for you. Definately the part I love the most is that both of these business women offer excellent support and assistance!
Laura.. have you seen this by michelle http://associatefedgenerator.com/datafeed.htm
man this datafeed stuff gets confusing.. is this the same as the amazon one? or is the amazone one just work with amazon only..
p.s do you have a site where your running telis and michells scripts that we can see to the output.. if not no worries
forgot to add to my last msg too.. in what ways do you use RSS2blog as i own that and i found that many of my sites are penalized for using it.. so i guess you use it in a unique way
James:
Yes I have seen all of Michelle’s tools now and played with each (except the clickbank version). They are very good.
I know the datafeed stuff seems confusing at first, but once you get using these tools you’ll never look the same way at building income generating websites again.
I do have one example in my datafeed videos and another one on my latest post, here – http://www.smartzville.com/marketing-help/learn/make-commission-ready-pages-fast – my initial review is on that page as well.
Laura Childs
Hi again James:
I honestly didn’t think I did much different than other users of RSStoBlog…I just followed Michelle’s guidance and instructions. (i.e. don’t post at the exact time every day, alter your content, etc.)
The only sites I’ve had trouble with (penalized) are the sites that I haven’t ‘fed’ for the last 6 months, but that’s no fault of the program, it’s a serious user fault. And I do know that if I would just get moving on those sites again they’d move back up the ranks – just that I lost interest in them because the market I chose was dry.
I wonder…perhaps the sites you thought were penalized for RSStoBlog use were actually penalized for something else? There’s a whole pile of things google slams us for if we’re not mindful.
I hope that helps…just follow Michelle’s guidelines and assistance, she’s very good to her customers if you have to ask for help.
Laura
Thank you!
I learned a lot!
This is very good site!
Meridith
Very good site! Thank you!