Getting Established

Getting to grips with Google
Today I have been adding my new site to my free Google Webmaster Tools account and added a tracking code to the template so that Google Analytics can track it for me. These two free services from Google are invaluable - Analytics tells me where all the traffic comes from and how it got to my site, Webmaster Tools tells me if my pages are indexed, who is linking to my site as well as a brief analysis of search terms that reached my site. Having got my first pages up I have a better idea of how the site will be arranged and how I can develop the site for the future. I am also busy tidying up the template and have added a favicon just to add to the overall impression. Using the Google tools really requires the new site to be on it's own domain so buying a domain seems increasingly like it is a no-brainer. My sincere hope is that I can make it pay for itself at least... For the record I am paying £25 ($40) for a years hosting and a free domain included. I think this small investment will spur me on to make the most of the site so that the monetisation gets a chance to kick in... If it works, it is the type of thing I could do again based on very similar niches...