Web Hosting Tips

Archive for May, 2010

What’s a Feed?
Feeds are a way of sharing content. When you make material from your web site, like articles and blogs, available for publishing on other sites, you have to provide them with a code that lets them post those things. There are different kinds of code — XML, RSS, Atom, etc. — but essentially, they’re all just different ways of accessing a feed.
According to Internet expert Sydney Johnston, of http://Auction-Genius-Course.com, “The great thing about a feed is everybody wins.” The article writer gains exposure, the reader learns about something valuable or interesting, and the online seller gets an endless source of pertinent content for their web site.
What Can a Feed Do for My Online Business?
Feeds are useful in a number of different ways:
• They Eliminate Spam Filters.
They’re 100% opt-in, so readers can subscribe and unsubscribe at will. Feeds are delivered directly to your subscribers, so you don’t have to contend with filters knocking you out of your customers’ inboxes.
• They Provide Free Content.
One of the best ways to differentiate your site is with quality content. Supply readers with interesting material; educate them on topics relating to the product you’re selling. If you sell preschool toys, you may not want to study child development and write numerous articles on the subject — so find someone else who’s already done that and make their feed available to your customers. The constantly updating, applicable subject matter gives your visitors a reason to come back again and again.
• They Can Improve Your Search Engine Rankings.
In the past, search engines were unable to read feeds, but software is now available to translate them into live links the engines can see (check out http://CyberWS.com). Search engines love fresh, dynamic content, so feeds are ideal. They provide relevant information that updates automatically. Not only do your customers get the facts they’re looking for, but the search engines like your site and give it better positioning.
• For Affiliate Marketers, They’re an Alternative to Banners.
You not only give your customer valuable knowledge, but if they click through and purchase something, you get credit. And unlike with banners, you don’t look like you’re putting up junk ads or spam.
• They Can Increase Your Traffic.
Anything you write, you should make available as a feed. When other sites pick it up, it’s free advertising for you. All their traffic is able to click through the feed to your site, so you gain new potential customers you wouldn’t have otherwise.
Feeds on any subject are easy to find. There’s a whole collection of search engines created just for feeds, like http://Plazoo.com and http://Feedster.com. Says Johnston, “The future of the Internet for entrepreneurs is feeds. If people don’t master them, they’re going to get left behind. Period.”

Affiliate link hijacking is a big problem, some people will change your affiliate URL to their own before purchasing a product so they themselves get paid the commission giving them a discounted product.
This problem is far worse if you are promoting to the affiliate marketers crowd as they can spot an affiliate link from 100 yards away! They will just replace your affiliate ID with their own and “hijack” your commissions.
Some people just simp

There are so many opportunities on the internet offering to set people up in their own home based internet business that it can be difficult to separate the real, legitimate opportunities from the ones that only want your money. Knowing what to look for hidden within the offers can mean the difference between finding a legitimate business to operate and ending up helping someone else make money while losing your own.
With most fraudulent offers for in internet business there are four red flags that need to be thoroughly investigated before signing up to work for the website. Understand that not all of the companies that make these claims are out to take your money, but these are four things that many less than honest companies have in common:
1. Large upfront investment
2. The chance to make big money with little work
3. Do not clearly state what you will be selling
4. Lack of available contact information
While it is not uncommon for business to want a fee to become a representative for their business, you have to consider the amount demanded from you before you can start selling their product or service. You should also have a clear picture of what you will get in return for your investment. It is common for the term training to be listed, but many times the training consists of links to other sites where you are expected to learn about the company’s business model.
The training may also focus on how to recruit others into the business, offering to pay a “bounty” for bringing in new people. A company that focuses on bringing in more people instead of selling the product may be on the border of being illegal.
Anyone who has ever been involved in a business knows it takes work. One of the most common pitches is the promise of a big payday without having to work more than an hour or two a day…or even a week. There is no such thing as a free lunch and those who try to convince you otherwise and not being totally honest. That disclaimer about income may not a representative of the potential earnings, should beg the question about why even bother to list it.
If you have been reading an online based business opportunity for several minutes and have no idea about the product or service you are being asked to sell, it could be an indication of a scam. Many keep it a secret until you have spent your money and find out there is no way you can sell this to others with a clear conscious. Know what the product is, and how much it will cost, before considering the offer any further.
Look for contact information. If the only means of contacting the company is through an email address, it could be they don’t plan to be around long enough to answer any questions or complaints. Money back guarantees are also only about as good as the contact information. Email addresses and post office boxes are not good contacts.

Using a web site template right out of the box is a very common mistake new web designer’s make. One of the cool things about the web is that it’s so visual. Using a web site design template can save any new web developer a lot of time and effort. But like any tool, you can get into trouble if you don’t pay attention.

Color combinations, layout, and graphics are the key design elements in any web site template. Each web site should be designed around the subject matter, ease of use, and accomplish any special goals or end result. A lot of new web site designers get lost in the visual effects, which can have negative effects on user friendliness and search engine optimization.

If you look at some of the most popular web sites, the common element is simplicity and ease of navigation. There are few dancing bears, flash intros, or exploding special effects. And almost everyone has text navigation for the most part. They may have some very well designed graphics, and a few design elements but keep it simple for the user.

User friendliness and easy navigation should adhere to the two-click rule. This is a simple rule that implies any user should be able to find what they want on any given web site in two clicks. With the short attention span and impatient attitude of most surfers, you need to give them what they want fast. You normally only have about 5 seconds to grab their attention.

I use templates a lot to save time and effort on a new design. Some I’ve developed myself, some I’ve bought that give me at least a 70% solution. They may have some graphics that go with my subject matter and/or some colors and layout that suit my purpose for the web site. But they also may be missing some key elements.

Most web site templates have great visual effects and good color combinations. But many lack several important elements for both users and our friends the search engines. Here’s a list of common mistakes I see all the time when a web designer uses a web site template.

1. Navigation – Menu issues
2. No Sitemap
3. Ignoring the fold position
4. No H1 or H2 designated headline and sub headlines

Graphic, pull down, popup or other methods of displaying menus can look good but sometimes confuse the user and are invisible to the search engine bots. These are two good reasons to use a text menu somewhere that show all necessary navigation links.

Sitemaps are important for the same reason as above. Both users and search engines can see a snapshot of everything on your web site and get to it quickly. This improves your chances to get indexed quickly and gives the user that two click ability.

The fold position is where the bottom of the monitor breaks off the view of the page. All important information should be displayed above that line if at all possible. Don’t make the user scroll if it’s not necessary. Any navigation, special links, attention getters, or critical information should always display above the fold line.

H1 and H2 designate important info to the search engine bot. A common good search engine optimization is to put your keywords in the first headline that the user sees. Of course the headline should also induce the reader to continue to read the web page.

It’s pretty easy to fix all these issues during the initial design stage. Even though I’ve created 100’s of web sites I still use a checklist. The devils in the details and everything you can do to make it easy for the user and the search engines, the more successful your web site will be.

A web site template can be a big time saver but you need to insure that the end result has all the necessary features both users and the search engines. Make your web site both user and search engine friendly by making these small changes or additions.