It's easy to find information on-line, but finding worthwhile information on-line is quite a different matter. I am currently undergoing a research study of different on-line marketing tools, websites and books to determine which resources are worthwhile and what makes a resource worthwhile. I expect this to take several months, and when finished (ok, so you're never really done) I'll publish a free report on what I have found. In the mean time I thought I would share with you a few suggestions for digging through the haystack to find the needle you are looking for. These are mostly common sense (which is not so common sometimes) but have been effective for me so far.

1) When you are reading about a product, search for that product name in Google and see what comes back. Click a lot of links and read what is said about it. If the product name contains more than one word, be sure to put the name in quotes so your search is specific to that product (example "Scott's Book" as opposed to Scott's Book).
2) In another Google search for that product (again name in quotes) add the word "scam" outside the quotes (and other helpful terms like "rip off", "review", …) See if anyone is reporting it as a scam or great product.
3) Click a lot of the search links, go several pages deep on the search. Searches like this will often have informative links buried deeper in the search results.
4) Look at the advertising that accompanies your search. What does it say about the product? Is it being resold by a lot of people or just one company?
5) Pay close attention to the URL of the website selling the product. Does it look legit or a bit too cryptic?
6) If the site selling the product has a lot of other advertising on it, be cautious.
7) Single landing page sites are ok (example) but read them to completion and again, look for references. Does the site appear to at least be designed by someone competent? If not, it might be a red flag.
8) Search for forums on the product or industry that might mention the product. People tend to spill their guts on forums. However, they sometimes rant unfairly too.
9) E-mail the owner of the site selling the product and ask them a question (it doesn't really matter what), the idea is to determine whether you get something back from a human (not just an auto responder) in a reasonable period of time.
10) Search Google for the names of the people selling the product (again, full name in quotes). What can you find on that person?
11) Every good product should offer a money back guarantee if you aren't satisfied.
12) Consider the location of the business. Be extra cautious overseas though some countries such as Japan, Germany, Australia and Great Britain are safer than say, Nigeria who is notorious for scams.
13) Visit sites you trust that have information on the product or service and see what they say (hopefully this will become one of those over time).

I could go on for a long time (future e-book? :) with this list…

The hardest part isn't knowing "what to do" as most anyone could have written the list above. It's having the patience and persistence to perform thorough due diligence on whatever it is you are researching. Spend the time, it's a good investment that will pay you back.

Side note: One negative review you find about a product shouldn't necessarily turn you off, nor should one positive review make you a believer. Some websites are just poorly designed and some individuals (not just companies) are providing very good products so don't make a snap judgment either way unless it's clearly a scam. BTW, some big companies produce total crap too so don't just trust them either. Even if it is an individual selling something, don't be afraid to pay for information you have deemed worthwhile. People have a right to make a living, even off of "soft products" such as e-books with information for how to "do something." This is after all the "information age" and intellectual property has value.

The idea is to get a thorough, objective picture of whatever it is you are researching and make an educated judgment call based on that information before you throw down your credit card number.

I'd be interested to hear your suggestions for researching things as well so please share them with us.

Labels: research