May 17
Finding innovative and unique ways to distribute your information about your product or service is key to success on the Internet. Here are five ways to help you increase your success. 1. Directory Linking Create separate directories for each topic on your web site. No more than 25 -- the major search engines will bounce you out, or black list you, if more than 25 on any one page. A few years back the search engines didn't make this distinction, however, now they do. Always request that your ...
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May 15
1. Give people a free subscription to your e-zine. Almost everyone is publishing a e-zine nowadays so it's important to give something extra with the free subscription. You could offer a free gift or advertising when people subscribe. 2. Provide your visitors with free content. Your content will be more attractive to your visitors if it's up-to-date or original. You could also offer people the option to reprint the content in their e-zine or web site. 3. Offer a free online directory. The ...
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May 14
A recent online news article entitled 'Five Reasons Why Ad Agencies Hate Search Engine Marketing' struck a responsive chord in the search engine marketing (SEM) community. Lots of posts, both critical and supportive, showed up in online forums. The article made some points that I have noted myself in previous articles. The most important ones are that good SEM is labor intensive and expensive, that profitability is hard to achieve, and that the search engine companies keep moving the goal ...
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May 11
Here's an easy way to backup your web site's files and database (worth thousands of dollars, no doubt) that costs $0 to learn and perform. It only takes seven easy steps. You don't need to know a lot about how to use Unix or how to use databases like mySQL. The only real tool you need is a telnet client. Also, you need to know a few commands which I'll show you now. (You could even write the commands I'm about to give you on a cheatsheet.) STEP 1: CONNECT & GET IN THE RIGHT FOLDER The web host ...
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May 8
If you ask most people what frustrates them most about the Internet, many of them will tell you "It's the little things!" It seems like all the great tricks and tips that make people exclaim "STOP! How did you do that?" never make it into any manual (at least where I can find them). My father (and co-author of "Turn Words Into Traffic") calls it the "reverse oral tradition" of computing, where children teach parents the survival skills of PC life. Well, if you want to look good to your kids ...
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May 6
I can't tell you how many times people have asked me, "How to do I get my site to come up in the top ten of the search engines so I can get hits and sell my product?" What they really want to know is, "How can I get people to show up to my website without spending any money on advertising my site!" People usually don't like my answer because accomplishing a "top ten ranking" on any search engine always requires careful thought along with a significant amount of work. Three types of "Search ...
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May 5
There has been widespread speculation about the new legislation that is being introduced, which will ensure that websites are accessible to disabled users. Trenton Moss, Managing Director of Webcredible (http://www.webcredible.co.uk), a web accessibility and usability consultant, says, 'No seems to know what these new law require you to do. Try to find specific information about the requirements on the Internet and chances are you'll come up empty handed.' He has a point. The RNIB (Royal ...
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May 2
Simplify Your Web Site for Clarity and Ease of Use There are plenty of web sites out there in which basic elements of design are ignored. The viewer may experience overkill and frustration, instead of gently receiving the message or information. Here are some simple ways to help clarify your web site's message for your company or organization. Use the web as a tool for sales, community contact, and to improve, rather than detract from a business entity's image. Choosing Your Images Choose ...
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Apr 29
Sell More by Testing your Web Headlines and Home Page Judy Cullins c. 2004 All Rights Reserved. A client asked me, "At what point do you change your Web site when not making enough sales?" My answer? Within a month or so because as long as your ad copy is weak, those weak sales numbers will continue. My Web master says "It depends on how much traffic you're getting. If you are getting a lot of traffic but no sales, you should change it a lot sooner." Your coach is number three on Google and 35 ...
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Apr 26
"Nothing last forever but the Earth and sky." - from Dust in the Wind by Kansas. Evolution In the past decade search has went from not existing, to general file matching, to machines so complex that few people understand how they work. As they evolve in complexity there will always be a new and better way restructure the worlds largest data set. As old horses such as AltaVista limp toward extinction, now at 5, Google is a seasoned veteran in the game. Google has spent the last year evolving ...
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