How to Make A Website By the Numbers
January 5, 2010 by IBI · Leave a Comment
You’ve been thinking about it for a while now and it is finally time to learn how to make a website. If you think making a website is difficult, you might be surprised to learn that it is a rather straight forward process.
Step 1 – Planning
This is the most important part of learning how to make a website. Why? Because at this point you are either setting yourself up to make a successful website or for a great big disappointed. The reason we want to plan before we make a website is because we need to know what our website is going to focus on.
You may be saying to yourself, I want to learn how to make a website, I don’t need to pick a topic now. This is what most people say when they learn how to make a website. This is also why most people’s websites fail to rank very well in the search engines.
By picking a topic before you make a website, you can see how much competition you’ll face. This can be done by seeing how many websites you’ll be competing against. To do this, go your favorite search engine and search for the main word(s) that best describe your website. Is surfing your theme? Then search for “surfing”.
Once you’ve gone and found how many websites there are on the topic, you need another piece of data: search volume. There are plenty of resources out there you can use to get this number. Google AdWord’s Keyword tool is one of them you can use.
Now that you have these two pieces of information, divide the number of websites by how many people search for it. This can be seen as competition divided by search volume. The bigger the number the harder time you’ll have ranking when a user searches.
This is a very important step to understand when you learn how to make your own website. And as I’ve already said, it may very well be the difference between success and failure when you make a website.
Step 2 – A Fitting Domain Name
Since we’ve done our research and planned the subject for our website, we can now pick a fitting domain name. We’ll use the previous “surfing” example throughout the rest of this article on how to make a website. Seeing as this is our keyword fitting with our theme, we will want to make sure we use it in our domain name. This will also make ranking easier.
There are two ways you can make a domain name for your website. The first method is the one that you will most likely be familiar with. That is the none hyphenated version. It looks like this: www.mysurfingshop.com The second version is hyphenated, and is easier for your visitors to read. Unfortunately they may not remember it as easily. Especially if you place hyphens in such a way they don’t remember where they go. This example would look like: www.my-surfing-shop.com
When you make your own website, it might seem tricky at first, but once you’ve done it several times you’ll realize like everything else, it is very straightforward.
Step 3 – Website Creation
This is a very broad topic, and while it is still part of making a website, it is no longer the major part. Let me clarify, when you learned how to make a website years ago, the Internet was in its infancy (some still say that it is). There were fewer books and other resources for you to gain a handhold on, and unless you knew how to code… Well lets just say be happy you’re not trying to make a website then. Today when you approach the task, there are countless resources on the Internet you have instant access to. If you encounter a problem during the course of making your website, you can ask a question and get a fast reply.
But you can go beyond that. And that is what I want to make clear in this step. You don’t have to learn how to code a single line (though it is a valuable skill) to make a website. And in fact there are plenty of websites out there that would never have been made if this wasn’t true.
There are so many solutions for how to make a website, and a large number of them are free. Let’s look at WordPress. Though mainly a blogging platform, it is so customizable it can easily be enhanced to meet almost any need. It’s fast, you can literally have things setup and running within a matter of minutes, now how is that for learning how to make a website? Did I mention it was free? Oh yeah, I did.
Now I know what you may be asking yourself, how do I make pages, posts, etc? The days of coding pages from scratch in a text editor are over. Those tasks are often left to professional web designers. For many the creation process is done directly in their browser.
If you can type, then you can create a page or blog post without the need for a single line of code. If you want to try your hand at HTML, there is a built in editor, WordPress leaves the choice up to you. And relieves you of the task of building your website from scratch.
I use WordPress as an example because it is a highly advanced system that gives you access to features you would otherwise have to work very hard to implement yourself. Even in your beginniner’s phase, you can personalize your website with plugins and themes easily downloaded from within the software.
That’s how easy it is to make a website today. But there is just one small thing you should know. Read the next step to learn what that is.
Step 4 – Web Hosting
No matter what system you approach, when you learn how to make a website it boils down to two essential things. A domain name and web hosting. You cannot put up a website when either of them are missing. Without the domain name people won’t have a place to go, and without hosting they won’t have much to see once they get there.
When you learn how to make a website, this can be one of the more difficult areas to traverse. Why? Because there are lots and lots of companies blasting their sales pitch at you trying to get your hosting dollar. If they are the right host for making your website is another question alltogether.
So let’s look more closely at this final step in learning how to make a website.
As I have already said, there are many hosting companies to choose from. So are really well know, spending millions on Super Bowl ads. Does they mean they are the best? No, it just means they have money to spend. Others aren’t as well known and are equally less reliable, while others have built a name for being reliable and fair.
One trick I implement when I evaluate a new host is register for only one month. Why is this a trick? Think of it this way, if you’re learning how to make a website and you make the wrong decision, like picking an unreliable host, do you want to be stuck with them for a year?
This is something that I did when I was learning how to make my first website. It isn’t a pleasant feeling. And if you’re not careful and don’t pay attention, you may be slapped with another year. Before you panic, let me explain. Some web hosts, I call them unscrupulous companies, will renew your account for the same time period when it get close to expiring.
You’re now locked in to a new contract.
That is why I always register for the one month first. This may make you ineligible for some promotional offer for new users, but then wouldn’t you rather miss out on a few dollars savings than the alternative. Namely, paying for a service that doesn’t suite your needs to make a website.
Trust me, I have been through more than a few web hosts over the years, and this method of evaluation has saved me some money.
My current web host even allows you to evaluate their service for 45days for only one cent.
In conclusion, get a feel for the company before you buy server space from them. If you are truly serious about learning how to make a website, take your time at this step and do a little digging.
To Recap
Don’t underestimate how much competition there is on the web. Do some research and see if you can compete with the other websites in your niche. This is done by comparing how many websites there are for your main keyword by the number of searches performed for the same word each month. If the ratio is too high, pick another theme to learn how to make a website with.
Once you have your theme, register your domain name. Make sure to use your main keyword in the URL. This helps target your website to the theme and make it easier to rank. And that is the sign of success for any website, no matter if you’re making your first website or your 100th.
Coding would have been the third step only a couple of years ago. And don’t get me wrong, it is still a big part of the web today. But for you, in the beginning stages of learning how to build a website, it isn’t crucial.
There are so many opportunities that allow you to make a far more advanced website than if you learn how to code one from scratch. I mentioned one in this article, and while it has shown to be the most widely used, it is far from your only option.
And lastly, web hosting. Even though I run the risk of sounding like a broken record, I will say it again. Don’t jump into a contract for a long period of time with any host unless you’re certain they meet your needs. This part of learning how to make a website is probably the trickiest.
Consult a Professional Copywriting Agency to Market Your Services More Effectively
November 20, 2009 by IBI · Leave a Comment
No one can deny the fact that marketing is essential. Marketing has always been an important issue for companies, but, its important has really increased in recent years. Internet has played a great role in order to enhance the importance of marketing. This is because of the competition that is available over internet. To survive and to actually do well over internet, you will have to get noticed by as many people as possible. That’s exactly the point where a professional copywriting company comes into picture. A professional copywriting service would work wonders for your business by promoting your services in a better way. Today, people like to use search engines to know about a service provider. That’s where a professional copywriting company can use its expertise to give you higher search engine ranking. This will always assist you to get noticed which will ensure targeted traffic to your website. To actually present the idea that professional copywriting company can help, it is essential to throw some light on the ways that these companies use to market your services. Unique contents with highest QualityGriping people’s attention is the most difficult thing of this world. However these are the words of a layman as professional copywriting company can stimulate the interest of people with utmost ease. That’s exactly the quality for which they get hired and paid. Most of the professional copywriting companies entice people to buy your services by producing some unique contents with highest quality. Here, you must understand the fact that both of the features, i.e. uniqueness and quality, should be their in a copy to actually promote your services in a right way. Only a professional copywriting company knows about the tricks to achieve the task in a proper way. They know the fact that your services can only get promoted by saturating internet with unique and quality contents. They can do it well, because they know it. Search Engine OptimizationAs mentioned earlier that people use search engines, however, they go with keywords to search the internet. It actually implies the fact that SEO copywriting can help your business as this will be focused on keywords. It is pertinent to mention that in internet world, there will be human as well as digital readers. So, web copies should be created after considering both of them. Here, again, professional copywriting company can assist you in coping with the situation.Link BuildingLink building is an essential tool to market your services. For link building there is nothing as effective as writing in blogs. Actually, these blogs are easily caught by search engines which assist you to get noticed. This can not only increase the targeted traffic, but, it can help in order to get new customers. Apart from these ways, a professional copywriting agency can help you in several ways. For instance, they can help you in order to get press releases, sales letters, brochures and other related materials to promote your business. So, get some professional copywriting agencies as they will always work according to your guidelines to make your business better in their own special way.
Amber Smith is an expert author who writes SEO articles and strategies tips. She also works for copywriting company, Content Axis that offers premium copywriting services.
What In The World Do I Blog About?
November 19, 2009 by IBI · Leave a Comment
If you’re like most people who start a blog, you initially have a bit of writer’s block. Good news- it will likely go away, and you’ll find yourself thinking of new things to blog about frequently. In fact blogging becomes quite addictive.
This was certainly true of me. When I began blogging, I would often struggle with things to blog about. Now, I have the problem of not having enough time to post on all the things I want to talk about!
Here are a few tips to get you through that initial dry spell until you find your blogging voice.
1) Subscribe to other blog feeds for your industry/target market.
If you have a blog about babies and toddlers, you’ll want to have other similar (preferably high traffic) blogs on your RSS reader. It’s a good way to keep abreast of what’s going on in the collective consciousness of people. Just do a Google search for blog + topics of choice, and you’ll come up with plenty.
Keeping up with other blogs in your niche means that you can link to their posts (and you should always link to a blog that inspires your own post!) and add your own “spin” on the subject.
2) Look at trade magazines and newspapers in your niche
Again, going back to the baby/toddler theme, read parenting magazines. Magazines are a great place to look for inspiration…the articles are mostly short, pithy, “quick fix” and solution oriented (similar to blog posts). They also change to reflect what’s going on in the world and with your target market.
Keeping up with the news is also a good idea…you can find news feeds to add to your RSS reader too. When something is happening in the world that impacts your target market, blog it.
3) Keep a notebook (or file on your desktop) of blog fodder
When a thought or sentence hits you, write it down immediately. These sentences can be lengthened into blog posts (and later lengthened into articles…that’s another ecourse!). The more you do this, the more aware you will become of the unlimited topics you can blog about, even in your niche.
4) Milk Your Content
If you’re publishing a newsletter and write articles, then blog a short intro paragraph along with a link to the rest of the content on your website.
5) Product Reviews
Review products that you’ve tried and books you’ve read that relate to your niche. Anything that would help your blog readers make a decision (and we all need that help in a world with too many choices!) is a good thing.
6) Involve Your Visitors
Your newsletter subscribers and blog readers can be marketing partners and content generators for you! How? When they email you with a question, ask their permission to post it (along with the answer) on your blog.
May you soon find yourself in the predicament of so many blog posts, so little time!
Carrie Lauth is a work at home Mom of 4 who loves to blog to grow her business. To sign up for a free ecourse with tips from other successful bloggers, visit http://www.business-moms-expo.com/blogging-tips.html
Page One Google or Page One Bing Your Goal? – Then DO NOT Do Any of the Following – By M Collins
November 19, 2009 by IBI · Leave a Comment
So you want to be one page one google and page one bing? PAGE ONE GOOGLE are you kidding me? For any keyword?Yes, I am telling you it is entirely possible to be on page one of Google and page one of Bing and all the major search engines (and the minor ones for that matter-but why? hardly anyone uses those). First of all to get on page one of Google or Bing you have to think about this: There is already someone on page one of google and page two of google! So what does that mean? It means if there is already someone there, then YOU can be there! Someone has already done it!You just have to be as smart about getting there as they were, or smarter! ]I charge a ton of money to get people there because what I have discovered over the past 15 years works! plain and simple. For those who want to get their company and website to page one Google and page one Bing, listen up, I am going to tell you a few key points to help you get there……..or rather, what NOT to do!Why would you want to be on page one of Google or Bing anyway? All that traffic, all that attention……haven’t you worked long and hard enough so you now deserve to be hidden and not noticed? GET OFF of YOUR Quest to be on page one of Google……Make sure you are following these items exactly!Here are a few DO and DON’TS (Don’t do the following unless you WANT to be one page one Google or page one Bing)1. Do NOT put your keyword in your URL- Google doesnt like that, and when researching for relevancy, people always like to have to look deep for their answers, it makes them feel better.2. Do NOT include your Keyword in your domain name – It just confuses people and especially the search engine spiders3. Never include your keyword in your title tag – This practice is sure to get you banned!4. Don’t put you keyword in your description tag either! EVER!5. Don’t even think of including your keyword in your H1, H2, or H3 tags – They are there just for looks!6. Don’t use any keywords in your Alt test image tags – no one uses computers that are old or slower anymore!7. Over stuff your index page with your keywords, the more the better……..Google won’t even notice!8. Link your site to other websites that have nothing to do with your product, company or service.9. Immediately send your visitors to another page other than the one they clicked on, using meta refresh10. Place your keywords in invisible text on each page!11. Never use any anchor text in inbound links to your site.12. Don’t get listed in sites like DMOZ directory. People do not need to find you!13. Getting listed in Yahoo’s directory is way overrated, DON’T do it!14. If you have a site that is older than 1 year, dump it. Site age works against you, Google likes new and fresh sites! (call me before you do this and we’ll dispose of your old site, heh heh)15. Cloak your site so that when you present one page to the search engine spider, you present another to everyone else – Google loves to guess!16. Buy all your links from link farms! For sure! Google likes it when you “think outside the box”17. Be sure and put all your text into graphic format, so that the search spiders can see them better18. DO NOT build links over time and make sure, do not try to build links with other sites that have high page ranks or happen to be in the same industry as yours. Google likes diversificaiton.There you have it, the 18 Top Ways to insure that you will NEVER be on page one of Google, Bing, Yahoo or most any search engine.Now as you know, there are many factors to page one Google, Bing and Yahoo dominance, but this is a great place to start and get noticed. Seriously,each of these search engines, Google especially, are constantly changing the way they rank and show things…..this is a good thing. It makes it better for the user. More and more relevancy. Each time someone searches for something on the web, they want to find it, plain and simple.My hat’s off to Google, Bing and Yahoo for doing such a great job at this and continuing to fine tune what makes that happen. It makes the whole experience better for everyone and it makes it even more important when you are planning or redoing your website, to make it relevant and make it true to what it’s really about.Getting page one google placement is king. Start by being smart about and thinking like your customer or end user would think (and don’t forget to pay attention to the 18 things above!)Have Fun! I Wish You The Best of Luck in Your Quest for Page One Google! (Don’t hesitate to call on the pro’s when you need help)I’ll personally answer any questions you ask at mcollins@pageonebing.comCheers!Page One GooglePage One YahooPage One BingPageOneGoogle.Org
Marty Collins, developed a proprietary web optimization system that maximizes web ranking and usability. He is an entrepreneur and owner of Page One Marketing and Consulting and PageOneGoogle.Org and PageOneBing.Com, in addition to several websites and related companies. He works one on one with companies to get to the top. Contact him at mail@pageonegoogle.org
Page One Google or Page One Bing Your Goal? – Then DO NOT Do Any of the Following – By M Collins
November 19, 2009 by IBI · Leave a Comment
So you want to be one page one google and page one bing? PAGE ONE GOOGLE are you kidding me? For any keyword?Yes, I am telling you it is entirely possible to be on page one of Google and page one of Bing and all the major search engines (and the minor ones for that matter-but why? hardly anyone uses those). First of all to get on page one of Google or Bing you have to think about this: There is already someone on page one of google and page two of google! So what does that mean? It means if there is already someone there, then YOU can be there! Someone has already done it!You just have to be as smart about getting there as they were, or smarter! ]I charge a ton of money to get people there because what I have discovered over the past 15 years works! plain and simple. For those who want to get their company and website to page one Google and page one Bing, listen up, I am going to tell you a few key points to help you get there……..or rather, what NOT to do!Why would you want to be on page one of Google or Bing anyway? All that traffic, all that attention……haven’t you worked long and hard enough so you now deserve to be hidden and not noticed? GET OFF of YOUR Quest to be on page one of Google……Make sure you are following these items exactly!Here are a few DO and DON’TS (Don’t do the following unless you WANT to be one page one Google or page one Bing)1. Do NOT put your keyword in your URL- Google doesnt like that, and when researching for relevancy, people always like to have to look deep for their answers, it makes them feel better.2. Do NOT include your Keyword in your domain name – It just confuses people and especially the search engine spiders3. Never include your keyword in your title tag – This practice is sure to get you banned!4. Don’t put you keyword in your description tag either! EVER!5. Don’t even think of including your keyword in your H1, H2, or H3 tags – They are there just for looks!6. Don’t use any keywords in your Alt test image tags – no one uses computers that are old or slower anymore!7. Over stuff your index page with your keywords, the more the better……..Google won’t even notice!8. Link your site to other websites that have nothing to do with your product, company or service.9. Immediately send your visitors to another page other than the one they clicked on, using meta refresh10. Place your keywords in invisible text on each page!11. Never use any anchor text in inbound links to your site.12. Don’t get listed in sites like DMOZ directory. People do not need to find you!13. Getting listed in Yahoo’s directory is way overrated, DON’T do it!14. If you have a site that is older than 1 year, dump it. Site age works against you, Google likes new and fresh sites! (call me before you do this and we’ll dispose of your old site, heh heh)15. Cloak your site so that when you present one page to the search engine spider, you present another to everyone else – Google loves to guess!16. Buy all your links from link farms! For sure! Google likes it when you “think outside the box”17. Be sure and put all your text into graphic format, so that the search spiders can see them better18. DO NOT build links over time and make sure, do not try to build links with other sites that have high page ranks or happen to be in the same industry as yours. Google likes diversificaiton.There you have it, the 18 Top Ways to insure that you will NEVER be on page one of Google, Bing, Yahoo or most any search engine.Now as you know, there are many factors to page one Google, Bing and Yahoo dominance, but this is a great place to start and get noticed. Seriously,each of these search engines, Google especially, are constantly changing the way they rank and show things…..this is a good thing. It makes it better for the user. More and more relevancy. Each time someone searches for something on the web, they want to find it, plain and simple.My hat’s off to Google, Bing and Yahoo for doing such a great job at this and continuing to fine tune what makes that happen. It makes the whole experience better for everyone and it makes it even more important when you are planning or redoing your website, to make it relevant and make it true to what it’s really about.Getting page one google placement is king. Start by being smart about and thinking like your customer or end user would think (and don’t forget to pay attention to the 18 things above!)Have Fun! I Wish You The Best of Luck in Your Quest for Page One Google! (Don’t hesitate to call on the pro’s when you need help)I’ll personally answer any questions you ask at mcollins@pageonebing.comCheers!Page One GooglePage One YahooPage One BingPageOneGoogle.Org
Marty Collins, developed a proprietary web optimization system that maximizes web ranking and usability. He is an entrepreneur and owner of Page One Marketing and Consulting and PageOneGoogle.Org and PageOneBing.Com, in addition to several websites and related companies. He works one on one with companies to get to the top. Contact him at mail@pageonegoogle.org
Business Blogging – What is your Point?
November 18, 2009 by IBI · Leave a Comment
What has this world come to today with all this blogging stuff? Blog; let the world in on your business; blog to share up-to-date news and even blogging for money. Business blogging is becoming the new career that everyone is turning to. Blog counts are up dramatically, once 100,000 existing blogs turned into 4.8 million within a two year time span (Technorati). What does this mean for the future? For those that blog or write, the odds of building an online income stream are positive.
Develop your business blog There are numerous ways to develop your business blogging. If you are looking to earn well with blogging, it is crucial to research all the options before getting started. That is the hard part, but staying focused and keeping non believers of success out of your life means a greater chance to succeed. Here is a list of important things to consider for starting a business blog:
All points listed above are critical to any bloggers search engine ranking. Newbie or not, staying consistent and updated on your blogs is key. If you create a blog and leave it hanging out there in cyberspace, your rankings drop and people will never get to your site. How far people search online is becoming more known. For most people, clicking past the third page of Google is out of question. Time has become limited for humans more every day as we demand instant information.
Thanate Tan is a contributing member to Everything-Fine.com, helping online business reach their goals via Internet Marketing. To find out more visit his Website and Services.
SEO Facts
November 17, 2009 by IBI · Leave a Comment
When considering utilizing search engine optimization methods to help improve your website’s overall ranking in search engines, here are some “facts” and “myths” about SEO:
Fact: Google, Yahoo and MSN are considered the “Big 3″ when it comes to search engines.
Yes, it’s true. In fact, just over 95% of all Internet searches are conducted using either Google, Yahoo and MSN. This leaves less than 5% percent for all of the other search engines combined.
Myth: There are 1,000 search engines on the Internet.
Nope. Not true. If you see an advertisement saying “we’ll submit your site to 1,000 search engines”, then they probably also want to sell you a bridge in Brooklyn. Actually, there are only 40 or so true search engines. The rest of them are actually using search engine results from Google, Yahoo, MSN or a combination of all three.
Fact: Search Engine Optimization is not a “one-and-done” process.
Good SEO is an on-going progress. You have to do so many things – and do them right – to get ranked at the top of search engines. Then, once you have earned those high rankings, you have to work twice as hard to keep your site there. Afterall, when you moved into the top spots, you’ve bumped someone. Rest assured, they are going to start working harder to regain that spot.
Myth: You can trick search engines.
Go ahead and try. And, when you get caught, your website will be banned from search engines. There are all kinds of tricks search engine optimization consultants try and, yes, you might get ranked No. 1 in Google for your “black hat” efforts. But, when you get caught – and you will – your site will be doomed for a long time.
Fact: Search engines love fresh content.
Definitely. Just like people, search engine spiders (also called “robots”) will come back to your site often when you write and publish fresh content.
Myth: Search engines don’t look at Meta Tags anymore.
Wrong. Search engines do look at Meta Tags. Typically, they don’t put much faith in what you’ve written there as the gospel, but they’ll come back and look more at your site content to verify what keywords you’re concentrating on.
Fact: Links will help get your site ranked higher.
True. However, create “backlinks” with sites that have a Google Page Rank of 5 or better. Avoid link farms. Don’t pay for links and, if you can help it, don’t trade links with everyone on the web.
Myth: The more links you have the better.
Wrong. Be selective. Get good quality sites to publish a link to your site. Don’t pay to be listed in directories (with the exception being in Yahoo Directory). Avoid link farms (these are sites that are just a bunch of links).
Fact: A Sitemap is a good thing to have.
True. While a Sitemap, especially a Google Sitemap, will not guarantee a higher ranking in Google, it will help you make sure that all of the pages in your site are being crawled by Google.
Myth: Pay-Per-Click is not worth it.
False. If your website is not listed high in organic search engine results, then you should consider a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign. Yes, some click fraud does exist, but if you opened a retail store, you’ll probably be a victim of shoplifting at some point. Instead, create a smart campaign and stick to a budget. Then, perhaps as your organic rankings improve, you may consider backing off the PPC campaign. Or, perhaps not!
Steve Phillips is a search engine optimization consultant and CEO of Purple Trout, LLC. You can learn more about SEO at http://www.purpletrout.com
Blog Optimization for Profit – Part 1
November 17, 2009 by IBI · Leave a Comment
Optimizing your blog for fun and profit can be a daunting task. There are secret tricks of the trade that separate newbies from techies but that does not mean you cannot do some of it yourself. This article is one of a series that lifts the curtain on this shadowland of optimization.
If you read my article – “What Should You Blog About?”, and I surely hope you did, you should have a blog filled with content you have passionately written. It should be a very interesting grapevine for the community of your chosen niche, as opposed to a lifeless factsheet. So, how do you get your words where others can read them?
No matter how delicious your content is, if nobody knows it exists you can’t generate profit from it. Traffic is the lifeblood of your blog. In order to attract readers, you must offer exciting and unique information. Simple enough, right? Common sense? Not exactly.
You see, to get traffic onto your site, you have to think backwards. Where do people look when they need information? Yes, they search using search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN, to name the more popular ones.
So, to get these people to visit your blog, your blog needs to rank high on results pages of these search engines. When people search for information through the search engines and see your site among the top results, they will naturally click through to your blog!
The art of getting your blog or website high rankings on search results pages is called Search Engine Optimization or SEO. It is a complex and technical subject to master, but that will not stop you from learning some simple, yet effective techniques, to conquer the search engines for certain keywords. The more complex techniques are usually needed to fight for very competitive and general keywords such as “fat loss”. I’ll teach you how to overcome that later.
For now, let’s determine the best keywords to optimize your site for.
For example, your blog talks about tech gadgets. Now, you’d want to check in Google whether it is a very competetive keyword. At this time of writing, there are 29, 000 ,000 (twenty-nine-million!) search results. Think you can beat 29,000,000 sites at your first attempt? I don’t think so. In fact, I know absolutely that you cannot.
Let’s try to narrow our scope to keywords you can successfully optimize for. Let’s look for the keywords – “technological gadgets”. At this time of writing, Google lists 792,000 results. That’s more manageable but still not narrow enough. You would still need to search for more focused keywords. An example is – “technological lap top gadgets”, however, let’s optimize your blog for “technological gadgets” just for the sake of learning.
First, you have to pay attention to the title of your blog. Since you’re optimizing for technological gadgets, you need to have that exact phrase in your blog title.
For example, a line like “Your Best Technological Gadget Blog!” would work great.
You can change the title of your blog in the Blogger control panel or the Wordpress blog when you’re creating it. If you’re proficient with HTML, you can even do that on other blog engines like Moveable Type. Bottom line? Learn a little HTML! Note: You will find some resources in the sidebar of this site for optimizing your blog.
Other than that, your page heading should also contain the term you’re optimizing for. The page heading is the bit of text in your template code that is enclosed within the tags. This is important as it tells the search engines what your page is about (in this case, “technological gadgets”). Since we’re posting a blog, the tags are usually the post titles, so remember to include the term there whenever relevant. For example, write an article/post titled – “Cheap Technological Gadgets for Everyone!”. It has your keywords in the headline.
You should also sprinkle the words “technological gadgets” in your posts whenever possible. The frequent occurrence of that phrase in your blog will hint to the search engines that your blog is really relevant to that topic. But, don’t overdo it. Use of the term “technological gadgets” just a couple of times in your posts is quite enough. More than that and it may appear as spam to the search engines and, more important, your readers will feel the same way. The real downside to over use of the same keywords in a single article is that the search engines may de-list your blog and you will be cast out into the internet darkness.
So, keep this in mind: Write for humans, not for search engines, using your targeted keywords!
Yours for success in life.
Jim DeSantis
P.S. – Please forward this article to someone who can use it.
The Author:
Jim DeSantis is a retired broadcast journalist who provides trusted Self Help information. Most of it is Free!
For all Parts of this 6 Part Series go to Jim’s blog at http://on-line-tribune-you-can-blog-too.blogspot.com
Professional SEO Services are Beyond our Budgets
November 17, 2009 by IBI · Leave a Comment
Search engine optimization can seem like a big black hole to solo entrepreneurs. On the one hand, the cost of most professional SEO services are beyond our budgets; and it’s difficult to assess the effectiveness of these services before you buy. On the other hand, if we try to do it ourselves, the process can be bewildering! There is so much to learn about: new terminology; a myriad of “rules” for optimizing your website (that change constantly as search engine algorithms change); lots of tools for analyzing and measuring all kinds of things that may or may not be helpful. Below are a few tips I’ve learned over the last several years as a solo entrepreneur optimizing my own site; I hope they help you navigate the maze of search engine optimization, and save some money in the process. 1. Beware SEO services that promise to get you top ranking for a particular keyword. Aside from the fact that they are often quite expensive, what they are promising is often not even effective. It doesn’t help much to rank highly for “blue ceramic frogs” if only a dozen people search for that term in a month! Also, for more details visit to www.the20seotools.com search engine optimization isn’t a one-time activity; it’s an ongoing process. If you’ve paid someone to do the work for you, and three months later there is a change to search engine algorithms or in your website focus, you’ll be faced with paying for this service all over again!
2. Don’t fall for tools, tricks and “secrets” that attempt to game the system. Known as “black hat SEO”, these tricks are usually only helpful for a short while; they can also get you in trouble (i.e., lower rank) with the search engines. Examples include “keyword stuffing” (filling your page with keywords to the point that it no longer makes sense), tools that help you build links by blindly pushing content onto other people’s blogs, and automatic link exchange tools.
3. Be careful with accepting paid advertisements on your website. I learned this one the hard way earlier this year, for more details visit to www.keyword-swipe.com when I agreed to put 4 links at the bottom of every page on my site. The links turned out to have nothing to do with my website content; Google penalized me heavily for that mistake! That’s not to say that you can’t accept any paid advertising; just get advice from a professional before you do so.
4. Learn your keywords. Keywords and keyword phrases are the foundation of any SEO strategy. There are many keyword tools available to help you discover and evaluate potential keywords; try a few tools and pick the ones that make the most sense to you. Then use those tools to compare different keyword phrases. Check your website stats (if you don’t have Google Analytics yet now is the time!) to see what keywords are already bringing you traffic, and compare how well different keywords convert (i.e., the visitor buys something, or signs up for your newsletter.) Look at sites similar to yours to see what keywords they are using, too.
5. Write for your audience, not the search engines. Start with your keyword phrases, but don’t let them overly influence how you write your copy. It’s more important to provide content that is relevant to your desired visitors and easy for them to read. Get feedback and revise and improve; this is a never ending process! Hire a professional copywriter to help you. Even if you never learn anything else about SEO, if you keep tweaking your copy to be better and better for readers, you’ll do well – because ultimately, search engines want to serve up pages that their visitors will find helpful!
6. Keep your content fresh. Search engines love new content; it’s also what will keep visitors coming back to your site! A blog is an easy and efficient way to do this. If you add new posts often, the search engine spiders will visit more often, too – meaning that your latest post will get attention sooner, too!
7. Get professional help. Luckily, there are ways to do this that aren’t expensive; some are even free! I recommend the biweekly High Rankings Advisor newsletter, which explains SEO in a laymen-friendly way, all white-hat and practical. And definitely check out George Ajazi’s free search engine optimization consulting for small businesses! A SEO veteran with lots of big-business experience, George knows his stuff, and is willing to help the small business owner. The only thing he asks is for a link back to his site. I’ve worked with George, and highly recommend him.
Optimizing your blog for fun
November 15, 2009 by IBI · Leave a Comment
Optimizing your blog for fun and profit can be a daunting task. There are secret tricks of the trade that separate newbies from techies but that does not mean you cannot do some of it yourself. This article is one of a series that lifts the curtain on this shadowland of optimization.If you read my article What Should You Blog About, and I surely hope you did, you should have a blog filled with content you have passionately written. It should be a very interesting grapevine for the community of your chosen niche, as opposed to a lifeless factsheet. So, how do you get your words where others can read them. No matter how delicious your content is, if nobody knows it exists you ca not generate profit from it. Traffic is the lifeblood of your blog. In order to attract readers, you must offer exciting and unique information. Simple enough, right. Common sense Not exactly.You see, to get traffic onto your site, you have to think backwards. Where do people look when they need information.Yes, they search using search engines like Google, Yahoo, and MSN, to name the more popular ones. So, to get these people to visit your blog, your blog needs to rank high on results pages of these search engines. When people search for information through the search engines and see your site among the top results, they will naturally click through to your blog.The art of getting your blog or website high rankings on search results pages is called Search Engine Optimization or SEO. It is a complex and technical subject to master, but that will not stop you from learning some simple, yet effective techniques, to conquer the search engines for certain keywords. The more complex techniques are usually needed to fight for very competitive and general keywords such as fat loss. Ill teach you how to overcome that later. For now, lets determine the best keywords to optimize your site for. For example, your blog talks about tech gadgets. Now, youd want to check in Google whether it is a very competetive keyword. At this time of writing, there are 29, 000 ,000 twenty nine million search results. Think you can beat 29,000,000 sites at your first attempt. I do not think so. In fact, I know absolutely that you cannot.Lets try to narrow our scope to keywords you can successfully optimize for. Lets look for the keywords technological gadgets. At this time of writing, Google lists 792,000 results. Thats more manageable but still not narrow enough. You would still need to search for more focused keywords. An example is technological lap top gadgets, however, lets optimize your blog for technological gadgets just for the sake of learning. First, you have to pay attention to the title of your blog. Since youre optimizing for technological gadgets, you need to have that exact phrase in your blog title. For example, a line like Your Best Technological Gadget Blog would work great.You can change the title of your blog in the Blogger control panel or the Wordpress blog when youre creating it. If youre proficient with HTML, you can even do that on other blog engines like Moveable Type. Bottom line. Learn a little HTML Note You will find some resources in the sidebar of this site for optimizing your blog.Other than that, your page heading should also contain the term youre optimizing for. The page heading is the bit of text in your template code that is enclosed within the tags. This is important as it tells the search engines what your page is about in this case, technological gadgets. Since were posting a blog, the tags are usually the post titles, so remember to include the term there whenever relevant. For example, write an article post titled Cheap Technological Gadgets for Everyone. It has your keywords in the headline.You should also sprinkle the words technological gadgets in your posts whenever possible. The frequent occurrence of that phrase in your blog will hint to the search engines that your blog is really relevant to that topic. But, dont overdo it. Use of the term technological gadgets just a couple of times in your posts is quite enough. More than that and it may appear as spam to the search engines and, more important, your readers will feel the same way. The real downside to over use of the same keywords in a single article is that the search engines may de list your blog and you will be cast out into the internet darkness.So, keep this in mind Write for humans, not for search engines, using your targeted keywords.
Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to credit card, do please browse for more information at our websites.
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