I am registered with Google and have signed up for 'Webmaster Tools' (this is all free!) here you can manage your site and submit new sites for indexing. You can also manage site maps and see how Google has rated your pages etc.. It's a good starting point, but you can get more if you also register for Google Analytics as well - here you can see where your visitors are geographically located and check visitor and page view stats. All free and well worth a look!
Now, the important thing is that you should submit your site - even if it is a blog - even if it is a google-related blog (like this one) so that google indexes your site and can drive visitors to you. I mistakenly thought that maybe as I was using 'blogger', had a google account and was registered for Adsense...that I wouldn't need to submit my blog...wrong! If you want to know whether your page is indexed by google, use the page-rank buton on google toolbar or enter: 'cache:http://YOUR DOMAIN' into your browser address bar, if it comes up with 'your search did not match any documents', then you should get the site submitted.
So how to do it?
Google will want to verify that you actually 'own' the site or blog. You can do this by adding a specific page to your site (html) you can't do this if you have a single-page blog, so the other method is to insert some html into the 'HEAD' section of your blog HTML template. Get your code from the google webmaster site and for 'Blogger' users go to the 'dashboard'/layout, edit HTML and insert the code as supplied after the 'HEAD' statement.
I tried this today, and Google has verified the page, in a couple of weeks (?) I hope to have the page indexed. I found a site the other day which will submit your site to a whole load of serach engines in one go - 'addme.com' - I have added a link in the form of a submission-box in the right-hand side of this page for your convenience... (sadly I don't get commission, but they did me a service, so am happy to provide the link). It looks like you can use this service for blogs also, so I would recommend giving it a go to get more visitors to your site. They submit to 14 search engines for free. One of the 14 requires an ROR file, which can only be added to a site rather than a blog, but still worth doing for the other 13 engines. If you opt for a paid service, they will submit to 100's of sites at regular intervals. I prefer FREE services myself!
Thursday, 25 January 2007
Thursday, 18 January 2007
Google gadgets
Just a short post today, but worthwhile I think:
I came across Google 'gadgets' the other day, and decided to try some on my blog - see the 'joke of the day' and 'photo of the day' in the right hand column of the blog...
There are a whole host of different gadgets and games you can use to make your site that bit more dynamic. If you are aiming to try to get visitors to use you as a home page, then this ype of content can really help guaranteeing fresh content on a daily basis.
The gadgets can be configured and come in javascript format to paste onto your site.
I came across Google 'gadgets' the other day, and decided to try some on my blog - see the 'joke of the day' and 'photo of the day' in the right hand column of the blog...
There are a whole host of different gadgets and games you can use to make your site that bit more dynamic. If you are aiming to try to get visitors to use you as a home page, then this ype of content can really help guaranteeing fresh content on a daily basis.
The gadgets can be configured and come in javascript format to paste onto your site.
Thursday, 11 January 2007
SEO - Linking
OK, let's take a more in-depth look at linking...
Firstly, you should set up a links page on your website, doesn't really matter what it looks like, but leave room for plenty of links...
This is what mine looks like: http://www.cassette2cd.co.uk/links.htm
Your search engine rankings are boosted by links back to your site from 'good', 'relevant' web pages. By 'good', I mean pages with a ranking of thier own, 'relevant' meaning more repetitions of your keywords and phrases, reflecting the content of your own site. Obviously the actual criteria used by google is secret, so we can only speculate as to how to maximise rankings.
First off you can get links from directories, depending on how you operate, you can link into general world-wide directories or directories that are concerned with your geographical region or the area of business you are in. One tip would be to look at your competitors to see if they are listed on directories - try searching for your competitors on google to see who is linking to them. Try this format in google search:
link:www.yourdomain (or your competitors) - this will show links on the internet to any domain, you can also use a google search with double quote marks around your domain ie: ''www.domain.com'' to find pages which mention your domain (this may produce quite different results as a straight 'link' search)
There are loads of different free directories out there, only use ones which have ranking points of their own. If you want to know the ranking of a site, get the google tool bar added to your explorer window and set the option to view page rank.
Reciprocal links are the type that boost your ranking, so if you get a directory to link to you, place a link back to them on your links page.
Directories are all well and good, but they are usually too general if your site has a specific focus. You will need to link to sites which are relevant, without being competitors and importantly, get them to link back to you. This is a lot harder than it sounds...I have found very few sites which will even reply to a request for a link never mind actually create one! This task alone will take a lot of energy. You may find this task a lot easier depending on the type of site you are setting up.
If you are selling goods in a region for a supplier ie. as a local agent, you should definitely get your supplier to list you as the local agent, unfortunately I can't use this type of linking as I offer a service rather than goods. My methods have been to search for my key themes in search engines and look to see which sites may benefit from a link from my site, and look for overseas sites offering a similar service who might want to trade links (this assumes there is a geographical element to your site - ie. I am only realistically offering a service to the UK, however US sites may attract visitors from the UK, and my site attracts visitors from the US who are probably never going to become clients).
I have another way of getting links and this can be hard work, but mostly enjoyable...again searching for key themes and words and looking for where these themes appear in forums and blogs - visit the pages and post replies including a link to your site. I have found that different forums have different dynamics and appeal to different groups. I have found that Yahoo answers is a good 'fishing ground' for this type of interaction, you may find Google answers more relevant or even Mylot (see link at top of right-hand column of this page).
These forums won't generally add to your rankings, but will hopefully add to the number of page impressions that you get.
Update: 15/01/2007 - I found out today that 'google answers' is no longer accepting new questions, however I guess you may still be able to post comments, but the site is just a static forum now.
Firstly, you should set up a links page on your website, doesn't really matter what it looks like, but leave room for plenty of links...
This is what mine looks like: http://www.cassette2cd.co.uk/links.htm
Your search engine rankings are boosted by links back to your site from 'good', 'relevant' web pages. By 'good', I mean pages with a ranking of thier own, 'relevant' meaning more repetitions of your keywords and phrases, reflecting the content of your own site. Obviously the actual criteria used by google is secret, so we can only speculate as to how to maximise rankings.
First off you can get links from directories, depending on how you operate, you can link into general world-wide directories or directories that are concerned with your geographical region or the area of business you are in. One tip would be to look at your competitors to see if they are listed on directories - try searching for your competitors on google to see who is linking to them. Try this format in google search:
link:www.yourdomain (or your competitors) - this will show links on the internet to any domain, you can also use a google search with double quote marks around your domain ie: ''www.domain.com'' to find pages which mention your domain (this may produce quite different results as a straight 'link' search)
There are loads of different free directories out there, only use ones which have ranking points of their own. If you want to know the ranking of a site, get the google tool bar added to your explorer window and set the option to view page rank.
Reciprocal links are the type that boost your ranking, so if you get a directory to link to you, place a link back to them on your links page.
Directories are all well and good, but they are usually too general if your site has a specific focus. You will need to link to sites which are relevant, without being competitors and importantly, get them to link back to you. This is a lot harder than it sounds...I have found very few sites which will even reply to a request for a link never mind actually create one! This task alone will take a lot of energy. You may find this task a lot easier depending on the type of site you are setting up.
If you are selling goods in a region for a supplier ie. as a local agent, you should definitely get your supplier to list you as the local agent, unfortunately I can't use this type of linking as I offer a service rather than goods. My methods have been to search for my key themes in search engines and look to see which sites may benefit from a link from my site, and look for overseas sites offering a similar service who might want to trade links (this assumes there is a geographical element to your site - ie. I am only realistically offering a service to the UK, however US sites may attract visitors from the UK, and my site attracts visitors from the US who are probably never going to become clients).
I have another way of getting links and this can be hard work, but mostly enjoyable...again searching for key themes and words and looking for where these themes appear in forums and blogs - visit the pages and post replies including a link to your site. I have found that different forums have different dynamics and appeal to different groups. I have found that Yahoo answers is a good 'fishing ground' for this type of interaction, you may find Google answers more relevant or even Mylot (see link at top of right-hand column of this page).
These forums won't generally add to your rankings, but will hopefully add to the number of page impressions that you get.
Update: 15/01/2007 - I found out today that 'google answers' is no longer accepting new questions, however I guess you may still be able to post comments, but the site is just a static forum now.
Sunday, 24 December 2006
SEO - content
There are a whole load of considerations when you are looking to optimise a web site for search engine rankings. The first thing you have to look at is simply content. Your content must be good and plentiful, referring to all the keywords you want to highlight. Think about different ways to say the same thing without being overly repetitive. Whatever else you plan to do to promote your web rankings, your content has to be the best it can be. Do loads of research around your topic and keep updating the site regularly. Search engines will be interested in a site that is regularly updated and start to visit that site more regularly. Add to your content and add more pages to add depth to your site, link the pages well to ensure that all the content is picked up by search engine ‘bots’. However, don’t ‘bury’ your pages in subfolders, keep everything either in the root, or not more than two folders away. EG: www.mysite.com/subdirectory1/subdirectory2/content.htm…. But no further..More pointers to follow on this topic.
Thursday, 14 December 2006
getting started..
I answered a 'yahoo' question the other day about getting a website up and running. The questioner wanted to know how to get a website 'posted' on Google. My interpretation of that is to assume the asker has a website built and a domain to host it, and is looking to get Google to crawl it and give it a rating.
I have gone through the process myself, so am happy to share my experiences...
Right from the word go, I registered with Google so that I had an 'account', then you have the option of submitting your site to google when you feel it is ready.. Having the google account means that you can also set up 'adwords' (your advertising to gain visitors to your site) for your site and 'adsense' (adverts placed on your site to earn you revenue). You can also use Google Analytics which provides data about your site visitors (including geographical analysis). All these services are free to use (there is a naturally a charge for adwords advertising, but access to the service itself is free).
I have tried all these tools on my own little site and can report that even on a small scale, these services are very useful, I would encourage everyone to register. I don't want to sound like I think Google is the bees knees or anything, but everyone is surely aware that Google is by far the biggest player in the world of Search Engines.
Be aware though, it takes a while to get a rating and then it will be low until you have worked hard on the optimisation...
There is a host of stuff you can do to your site for Search Engine Optimisation (at no cost), and I think that will have to be the subject of a subsequent post.....
I have gone through the process myself, so am happy to share my experiences...
Right from the word go, I registered with Google so that I had an 'account', then you have the option of submitting your site to google when you feel it is ready.. Having the google account means that you can also set up 'adwords' (your advertising to gain visitors to your site) for your site and 'adsense' (adverts placed on your site to earn you revenue). You can also use Google Analytics which provides data about your site visitors (including geographical analysis). All these services are free to use (there is a naturally a charge for adwords advertising, but access to the service itself is free).
I have tried all these tools on my own little site and can report that even on a small scale, these services are very useful, I would encourage everyone to register. I don't want to sound like I think Google is the bees knees or anything, but everyone is surely aware that Google is by far the biggest player in the world of Search Engines.
Be aware though, it takes a while to get a rating and then it will be low until you have worked hard on the optimisation...
There is a host of stuff you can do to your site for Search Engine Optimisation (at no cost), and I think that will have to be the subject of a subsequent post.....
Wednesday, 13 December 2006
web management
As a 'sole-trader' getting a website up and running you have to do all the jobs yourself (if you are starting small with no capital). This means not so much 'chief cook and bottle-washer' but webmaster, designer, accountant, administrator, researcher - and that's just the website, never mind running the service that you are offering on the web.
The only way around this issue is prioritisation and attacking one issue at a time. You can't do everything at once and if you try it you'll end up in a mess. Make a long list of stuff you want to/ need to do and allocate each task to a phase.
for example: Phase one tasks would be a basic website design, working on a name and logo, working out price lists etc.. Phase two might be finding the best webhosting package, looking into google 'adsense' etc.. Phase three might be uploading the site and getting friends to beta-test the site functions.
Once you have worked out this plan, review it on a regular basis and tick off the tasks as you go along. At the lowest moments, being able to see what you have completed so far should be an encouragement....
Your plan will inevitably change, but you need a base to start from anyhow. Having written this, I am now encouraged to get out my original plan to see how far I have come against what I was expecting, and see how much the priorities have changed. The next thing will be to do a new one for the coming year.
The only way around this issue is prioritisation and attacking one issue at a time. You can't do everything at once and if you try it you'll end up in a mess. Make a long list of stuff you want to/ need to do and allocate each task to a phase.
for example: Phase one tasks would be a basic website design, working on a name and logo, working out price lists etc.. Phase two might be finding the best webhosting package, looking into google 'adsense' etc.. Phase three might be uploading the site and getting friends to beta-test the site functions.
Once you have worked out this plan, review it on a regular basis and tick off the tasks as you go along. At the lowest moments, being able to see what you have completed so far should be an encouragement....
Your plan will inevitably change, but you need a base to start from anyhow. Having written this, I am now encouraged to get out my original plan to see how far I have come against what I was expecting, and see how much the priorities have changed. The next thing will be to do a new one for the coming year.
adsensing
I have been having some interesting results from google adsense. Adsense provides targetted adverts for my website - matching keywords from the site with advertisers keywords (Adwords). I have been impressed with the effectiveness of this service and the way that highly relevant ads are displayed on my pages, just waiting for my visitors to click on them. I have gone with the blatant style so they look like adverts, but used colour to integrate them into the site. Some users favour 'hiding' the adverts within the text so they look like part of the body text...not my style really... I'm not trying to hide anything, though I concede more visitors might click if I took a different approach. (Adsense users earn a small variable amount when a visitor clicks on an advert)
When I first got adsense on my site, I was averaging 10cents a day revenue, well I'm not going to be able to retire on that! After a few weeks, the average was climbing nicely to around 60 cents a day. My interesting episode started with a sudden jump up to $2.30 one morning as the result of only 5 clicks...I started to get quite excited by this (I wish I knew which advert was generating the income...) and by the end of the day, I had $2.77 after about 8 clicks. The other side of the story was that I had no clicks at all for the next three days... Strangely I got 3 cents added to my account over these three days even though there were apparently no clicks. I had plenty of visitors over these days, so my earning should have been around my usual average.
I note that often the adverts are the last thing to load on a page, so if there was a problem with the server, it could be that the adverts weren't loading before the visitor had already moved on??
I may look into scripting that can change the way my page loads up...
When I first got adsense on my site, I was averaging 10cents a day revenue, well I'm not going to be able to retire on that! After a few weeks, the average was climbing nicely to around 60 cents a day. My interesting episode started with a sudden jump up to $2.30 one morning as the result of only 5 clicks...I started to get quite excited by this (I wish I knew which advert was generating the income...) and by the end of the day, I had $2.77 after about 8 clicks. The other side of the story was that I had no clicks at all for the next three days... Strangely I got 3 cents added to my account over these three days even though there were apparently no clicks. I had plenty of visitors over these days, so my earning should have been around my usual average.
I note that often the adverts are the last thing to load on a page, so if there was a problem with the server, it could be that the adverts weren't loading before the visitor had already moved on??
I may look into scripting that can change the way my page loads up...
Tuesday, 12 December 2006
linking
What I really need to do now is get some relevant links (reciprocal) - these are really hard to come by, currently I have submissions in some directories ad a couple of links I have managed to blag - watch this space for developments.
Reciprocal links are a very important tool in getting your website ranked, my own links page is fairly heavily populated, but getting these sites to link back has proved fruitless in most cases.
http://www.cassette2cd.co.uk/links.htm
I need to do some spring-cleaning here and clear out some of the non-returned links - then I need to come up with a campaign to replace the useless links with some useful ones..the work never stops
Reciprocal links are a very important tool in getting your website ranked, my own links page is fairly heavily populated, but getting these sites to link back has proved fruitless in most cases.
http://www.cassette2cd.co.uk/links.htm
I need to do some spring-cleaning here and clear out some of the non-returned links - then I need to come up with a campaign to replace the useless links with some useful ones..the work never stops
starting out
Working through the painstaking progress of getting a commercial site of the ground. I began the http://www.cassette2cd.co.uk as a service site for conversion of tapes to CD's and then moved on to exploiting the popularity of the site for advertising revenue.
I have created subsections of the site at:
http://www.cassette2cd.co.uk/DIY
http://www.cassette2cd.co.uk/studio
and will continue to develop.
This approach may raise the question: why would you tell you customers how to do the task that you are selling? Good question, and the answer is that I feel my customers are people who don't want to, or can't do this them selves. The folks who visit the 'DIY' section are going to do it themselves anyhow, so why not make use of their visit to my website by advertising tools they might use.
I will enlarge on some of the thing I have done to maximise the website in later posts..
I have created subsections of the site at:
http://www.cassette2cd.co.uk/DIY
http://www.cassette2cd.co.uk/studio
and will continue to develop.
This approach may raise the question: why would you tell you customers how to do the task that you are selling? Good question, and the answer is that I feel my customers are people who don't want to, or can't do this them selves. The folks who visit the 'DIY' section are going to do it themselves anyhow, so why not make use of their visit to my website by advertising tools they might use.
I will enlarge on some of the thing I have done to maximise the website in later posts..
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