Web-Marketing Otimização de Sites e Servidores

Como desabilitar o uso do 3G no Samsung 5 Android

2011-01-10T04:11:00.001-08:00

Entre nas configurações (Config):

- Conexões sem fio e rede

- Redes Móveis

Pontos de acesso (APN):

Selecione o botão editar -> ( primeiro botão à esquerda do celular)

Selecione Novo APN :

-Coloque um nome : Ex. Sem internet

- preencha a APN : ex. vazio.com ( deve ser um nome invalido para acesso a net)

Selecione de novo o botão editar – e Salvar:

Depois disso já deve constar na lista de APNs do celular, podendo ser selecionada para acesso a redes.

Para ativar a net 3G novamente é só selecionar de volta a opção da operadora ativa. (ex. Vivo Internet = zap.vivo.com.br )

Problemas com libxml2.so.2 no fedora 12 32 bits

2011-01-04T05:50:00.001-08:00

I managed to solve this myself. I found that there were two installations of libmxl2.

Code:

# locate libxml2.so.2

/usr/lib64/libxml2.so.2

/usr/lib64/libxml2.so.2.6.26

/usr/local/lib/libxml2.so.2

/usr/local/lib/libxml2.so.2.7.6

I then deleted the old version and created a symbolic link to the new:

Quote:

# ln -s /usr/local/lib/libxml2.so.2 /usr/lib64/libxml2.so.2

Servidores Virtuais e Dedicados - Baixo custo e alta disponibilidade

2010-11-09T10:09:00.001-08:00

https://service.burst.net/aff.php?aff=610

Os "300 do Largo" se fizeram "Cem Mil" Ou: O templo da lei expulsou a legalidade e escolheu o crime

2010-10-25T10:34:00.001-07:00

Por Reinaldo Azevedo

Enquanto escrevo, na madrugada de domingo para segunda, o Manifesto em Defesa da Democracia, lançado no dia 22 de setembro, está a 1.557 assinaturas de atingir a marca histórica de 100 mil signatários. Clique aqui (http://www.defesadademocracia.com.br/) para ler, assinar e divulgar.

Eis uma idéia que mobilizou o Brasil. Na manhã daquela quarta-feira, impedido de liderar a manifestação no interior da Faculdade de Direito do Largo São Francisco, o jurista Hélio Bicudo leu o texto— um mísero microfone lhe foi negado — em frente ao prédio da faculdade e foi seguido, frase a frase, por quase 300 pessoas. Mas valeu a pena. Os 300 do Largo se transformaram em 100 mil. As dificuldades contribuíram para revelar a essência daquela oração em favor da democracia: um ato de resistência. Segue um filme feito com um celular. Volto em seguida:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eyEoSyohao&feature=player_embedded

Trata-se, como se ouviu, de um manifesto em favor do estado de direito, que cobra dos governantes o respeito às leis e à Constituição. Duas semanas depois, os petistas Dalmo Dallari, professor da São Francisco, e Marilena Chaui, do Departamento de Filosofia da USP, lideraram um ato ilegal no interior da faculdade, na Sala dos Estudantes, em defesa da candidatura da petista Dilma Rousseff, afrontando a Lei Eleitoral.

Para os legalistas, nada, nem a lei.
Para os “ilegalistas”, tudo, menos a lei.

Agora, sim, o manifesto, com toda a sua clareza. Volto para encerrar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D6Ocm9xbgo&feature=player_embedded

Os que seguiam a lei tiveram de falar fora das arcadas que simbolizam o direito, e aqueles que afrontavam a ordem legal puderam profanar o templo. As duas manifestações dão testemunho do nosso tempo. Os que celebravam a democracia denunciavam a mistificação; os que celebravam a mistificação estavam denunciando a democracia.

Por Reinaldo Azevedo

http://veja.abril.com.br/blog/reinaldo/geral/os-300-do-largo-se-fizeram-cem-mil-ou-o-templo-da-lei-expulsou-a-legalidade-e-escolheu-o-crime/

10 Design Tips for a Business Web Site

2010-08-11T05:07:00.001-07:00

I get this question asked all the time: "What do you think of my super duper galactic ninja in action business site?" In all honestly I really dislike this question because the expectation is for me to say "Wow, great site, nice design, and great layout."

Don't get me wrong, I do give honest praises for the design and the creativity especially if the person creating the site doesn't know that much about web design.

The person usually hears the hesitation in my voice and asks, "Well what's wrong with it?" To which I reply "I look at your web site and I have no idea what you do, who you are or how to contact you."

Your web site is the new resume. The World Wide Web is the new digital newspaper. Here is an interesting fact: 83% of all recruiters Google their applicants and 43% discard applicants based on what they see. If your web site suffers you suffer.

Here are some of my personal 10 Design Tips for a Business Web Site to avoid your visitors guessing what you do and who you are:

1. Before the designing begins you should have a good outline of content that will be on the site for its launch. How many pages, what those pages will be, navigation order, color scheme, etc.

2. Content should include:

- A full complete description of your services or product. Your content should answer those basic questions mentioned above - who are you, what do you do, how to contact you.

- A way for people to contact you - email address, contact information page, or a contact form.

- Post comments or feedback from customers who have bought your product or used your service.

- Images of related to the content. It could be as simple as stock photo or more preferably a photo of your product or services. In other words, your images should reflect who you are and your services that you represent and should have appropriate ALT tags.

- Post a page of other businesses you have worked with. Link to their site. Ask to get a link back to your web site.

- If your site is large with lots of content, add a search function. Some search engines like Google will give you a free web search and the code you can just plug in to your site.

3. Avoid overloading your pages. Web pages that a visitor must scroll down more than 2 times should be broken up into separate sections. Visitors jut won't read that much.

4. All pages should contain meta keywords and descriptions, and descriptive page titles. Meta tags are contained in the HTML code. Go to Wikipedia for examples and how to's

5. Avoid over doing the design. Keep it Simple. Don't mix and match colors. Use a design wheel to organize your color scheme.

6. Avoid gizmos, widgets and gadgets. Just because you know how to make text blink or scroll on your home page doesn't mean it is a good gizmo to have.

7. Avoid using Flash intro pages. I might be going against the grain here, but in my opinion Flash intros are a distraction and a detractor from your web site.

Visitors want to see and read about what you do and not a flashy advertisement.

8. Write and post articles relevant to your products or services. This will fill out your web site, keep visitors interested, and keep visitors coming back.

9. Don't let your site get stale. Keep adding to it in an organized way. Introduce new articles, press releases, new training, etc. A web site needs to be continually updated.

10. Use spell check and grammar tools in Word or other editors before you post your content.

About the Author: Larry Snow is the president of SJC Web Design LLC, a web design and marketing firm. He has been in the web business for the last 11 years and has written several articles on web design and web marketing. Just recently he has created a blog, Web Design Smarts, to share his advice and opinions on web design

Why virtual worlds are important for business

2010-08-11T05:04:00.001-07:00

Posted on 10 August 2010 by daleinnis

(“Ooh, an important-sounding weblog entry! Can we put in pictures of kittens?”

“No, no, this is important grown-up stuff! No kittens!”

“Maybe just at the end?”)

There is a ton of debate and discussion and information Out There about why virtual worlds are, or aren’t, or might someday be, important for business. Important, that is, to people who are wearing their money-making hats to know about, or to use, or to invest time or effort or money in.

There are a lot of smallish reasons that virtual worlds are important, today, for various businesses in various senses. They can fit cost-effectively somewhere between teleconferences and face-to-face meetings for some purposes; they can be at least potentially effective education and training platforms in some use-cases, and so on.

But I don’t want to talk about any of those reasons right now. I want to talk about a much bigger, if somewhat speculative, reason.

Virtual worlds are important for business, right now, because they are going to be extremely important, for just about everyone, eventually.

I believe, in a way that I can’t prove but through intuitions that I’ve come to trust over the millennia, that in the medium term virtual worlds are going to transform the way that we think of and use computers, computing, and information, and the ways that we interact with the world and with each other, in significant ways. At least as significantly as, for instance, the internet, or mobile phones, have done recently.

Even if I’m only halfway, only one-quarter, right about that, there are going to be some huge revenue streams associated with virtual worlds, and there are going to be moments at which pretty much any business that’s out there doing stuff is going to be in a position to capture, or to fail to capture, some part of one or more of those huge revenue streams.

In order to have a good chance of making that capture, a business organization is going to need to have enough people who, when an opportunity related to virtual worlds appears, will be more likely to think “hey yeah, that could work”, rather than “isn’t that that porn thing I saw on CNN last year?”.

So this doesn’t necessarily mean that a business should, today, be moving their weekly manager’s meetings into Second Life, or that your average high school drama class should have their own OpenSim region to meet in. (Those things might be true, or false, but this particular thought isn’t about that.)

What it does mean is that a business should have people who use virtual worlds. Who aren’t afraid to reveal the fact to their management. Who maybe even try using the technology for a business-related thing now and then. Maybe an IT guy who runs a little clump of four OpenSim regions on a spare server in the corner, and gives accounts to whoever happens to ask. Without getting in trouble for it.

And IT businesses, in particular, especially in software and especially in services, should have some pilots going, some studies. Maybe they’re on the shortlist to be cut when revenue is down, but they should be there. In the corner of someone’s eye. Being worked on in what’s left of the skunkworks. Being brought up in the last five minutes of executive briefings, under “ad-tech activities”.

The short-term benefits of virtual worlds have, I think, sometimes been oversold, and that’s led to us riding the usual hype curve more than once.

But if the long-term effects are anything like what I think they are going to be, businesses are well-advised to have, as well as any short-term stuff they’ve got going on with the technology, a culture in which the thought leaders have an eye on virtual worlds, are playing with them, and working with them. And management knows about it and is cool with it.

’cause, ya know, we won’t be selling buggy-whips over the counter forever…

RT: @botgirlq: Why virtual worlds are important for business http://j.mp/aepO05 Free cute kitten photo included!

Fix mingetty high CPU usage

2010-06-30T14:40:00.001-07:00

Develop with Geoff at GoSquared

If like us you've been noticing decreased SSH terminal responsiveness on your server recently, or high CPU usage by a process called "mingetty", you'll want to know why this process is eating up your valuable CPU time and stop it doing so!

The Problem

mingetty_high_cpu

For those of you who don't know, mingetty is, as the manual page puts it, "a minimal getty for use on virtual consoles" - it is the process that handles the activity of your virtual console (like PuTTY). If mingetty's CPU usage is high, and/or your console responds slowly (particularly while running certain programs like top), a likely reason is that your utmp log file is getting large, and thus opening and writing to this file becomes resource intensive.

The Solution

Simply delete/move your current utmp log and create a fresh empty one. We moved ours:
mv /var/run/utmp /var/run/utmp.BAK
touch /var/run/utmp

That's it! Let's see if this has solved the issue:

CPU usage level

Hooray, it worked! Our CPU usage has now evened out to an acceptable level. You can check the CPU usage of mingetty by typing "top" into your console.

The utmp log contains information on all logins to your console, so you may need to repeat this step every now and again to prevent this happening again. Although you should keep tabs on who is logging into your system at all times, you could also just remove the /var/run/utmp logfile completely so you don't need to keep repeating this method.

http://www.gosquared.com/liquidicity/archives/1104

SELinux with Apache

2010-06-30T14:23:00.003-07:00

Security with Apache is an important topic, of which SELinux is a part. However, the frustration that results in trying to manage SELinux and how it relates to an Apache Web Server is huge. Most of the time, administrators bail and shut down SELinux because they do not have the time to correctly configure the system. SELinux can be a key to good security for the Apache daemon. This tutorial with help you develop several skills that will provide some level of SELinux management for the Apache Web Server.

View Processes protected by SELinux
You may view processes which are restricted by SELinux with ps. While your Apache Web Server is running you can view the processes under management. Remember that by default Apache will start 8 web servers when it is initialized so that is why you see this number of processes running. The ps command had to be completely rewritten to provide these SELinux attributes.
# ps -ZC httpd
LABEL PID TTY TIME CMD
root:system_r:httpd_t 11759 ? 00:00:00 httpd
root:system_r:httpd_t 15899 ? 00:00:00 httpd
root:system_r:httpd_t 15900 ? 00:00:00 httpd
root:system_r:httpd_t 15901 ? 00:00:00 httpd
root:system_r:httpd_t 15902 ? 00:00:00 httpd
root:system_r:httpd_t 15903 ? 00:00:00 httpd
root:system_r:httpd_t 15918 ? 00:00:00 httpd
root:system_r:httpd_t 15919 ? 00:00:00 httpd
root:system_r:httpd_t 15920 ? 00:00:00 httpd
If you wanted to view the entire list of processes currently protected with SELinux you would use this command:

# ps -eZ
LABEL PID TTY TIME CMD
system_u:system_r:init_t 1 ? 00:00:00 init
system_u:system_r:kernel_t 2 ? 00:00:00 migration/0
system_u:system_r:kernel_t 3 ? 00:00:00 ksoftirqd/0
system_u:system_r:kernel_t 4 ? 00:00:00 watchdog/0
system_u:system_r:kernel_t 5 ? 00:00:00 events/0
system_u:system_r:kernel_t 6 ? 00:00:00 khelper
system_u:system_r:kernel_t 7 ? 00:00:00 kthread
system_u:system_r:kernel_t 10 ? 00:00:00 kblockd/0
system_u:system_r:kernel_t 11 ? 00:00:00 kacpid
---cut---

SELinux sees everything as an object. Access to objects are controlled by security elements stored in the inode, which now has extended fields. The security elements combined create a security context which consists of five elements.

user
The role is used to indicate the user of the context. If a user logs in as root they will have a user value of root. If they log in as a regular user, like tom, they will have the value of user_u. Users who su to root will continue to have the value of user_u. Processes also have a value, system_u.
role
This is used to define the role of the user. Files have a role of object_r and processes have a role of system_r. Users, like processes have the role of system_r.
type
Types are used to create a type enforcement which determines which process types can have access to which file types.
sensitivity
This is a security feature used by government agencies.
category
This provides a way to block access to categories of people including root.
user: role: type: sensitivity: category
If you view the settings for the index.html file in /var/www/html you will see these attributes listed.
# ls -Z
-rw-r--r-- root root root:object_r:httpd_sys_content_t index.html
user:                 root:
role:                object_r:
type:                httpd_sys_content_t
sensitivity:
category
It is important to note that the type:                 httpd_sys_content_t is required in order to view a SELinux object such as index.html. This type serves up content whereas if you wanted to use a cgi program or any other active page you will need a different type. Listed below are various types and also how to manage those types so they work.
If you are going to use the apache web server you will need to know how to adjust the SELinux for that daemon. The first step in this process is to evaluate the booleans that are set for httpd in SELinux. Here is a list of the types that are available for the Apache Web Server.

# getsebool -a | grep httpd
allow_httpd_anon_write --> off
allow_httpd_mod_auth_pam --> off
allow_httpd_sys_script_anon_write --> off
httpd_builtin_scripting --> on
httpd_can_network_connect --> off
httpd_can_network_connect_db --> off
httpd_can_network_relay --> off
httpd_disable_trans --> off
httpd_enable_cgi --> on
httpd_enable_ftp_server --> off
httpd_enable_homedirs --> on
httpd_rotatelogs_disable_trans --> off
httpd_ssi_exec --> off
httpd_suexec_disable_trans --> off
httpd_tty_comm --> off
httpd_unified --> on

Here is a brief description of several major types.
httpd_sys_content_t
Set files with httpd_sys_content_t for content which is available from all httpd scripts and the daemon.
httpd_sys_script_exec_t
Set cgi scripts with httpd_sys_script_exec_t to allow them to run with access to all sys types.
httpd_sys_script_ro_t
Set files with httpd_sys_script_ro_t if you want httpd_sys_script_exec_t scripts to read the data, and disallow other sys scripts from access.
httpd_sys_script_rw_t
Set files with httpd_sys_script_rw_t if you want httpd_sys_script_exec_t scripts to read/write the data, and disallow other non sys scripts from access.
httpd_sys_script_ra_t
Set files with httpd_sys_script_ra_t if you want httpd_sys_script_exec_t scripts to read/append to the file, and disallow other non sys scripts from access.
httpd_unconfined_script_exec_t
Set cgi scripts with httpd_unconfined_script_exec_t to allow them to run without any SELinux pro-
tection. This should only be used for a very complex httpd scripts, after exhausting all other options. It is better to use this script rather than turning off SELinux protection for httpd.

SELinux policy is customizable based on least access required. So by default SElinux prevents certain http scripts from working. httpd policy is extremely flexible and has several booleans that allow you to manipulate the policy and run httpd with the tightest access possible. Here is the process for changed the status of these booleans for the Apache Web Server.

Enable cgi
If you wanted to enable the server to run cgi scripts you will need to change the boolean to allow this type. And...this is important...you will need to alter your cgi scripts so that their type is this type for cgi.
# setsebool -P httpd_enable_cgi 1
Now that you have enabled cgi you will need to change the type for your cgi applications. Type Enforcement is the primary method of security for the targeted policy. The Type can be changed using the chcon command. However, the chcon command can only change to a Type that is defined by the policy.

# ls -Z
-rw-r--r-- root root root:object_r:httpd_sys_content_t myprogram.cgi

In this example the cgi program will not be able to execute as it is a content type not the cgi type.

# chcon -t httpd_sys_script_exec_t myprogram.cgi

# ls -Z
-rw-r--r-- root root root:object_r:httpd_sys_script_exec_t myprogram.cgi
Now the cgi should be able to execute.

Enable User home Directories and Change Context
You may want to allow users to show web pages from their home directory.
# setsebool -P httpd_enable_homedirs 1
# chcon -R -t httpd_sys_content_t ~user/public_html

Enable Access to Terminal
httpd may need to prompt for a password on a certificate file
# setsebool -P httpd_tty_comm 1

Disable File Control Contexts
# setsebool -P httpd_unified 0

Disable PHP
You will need to manage the PHP settings for SELinux in order to run PHP.
# setsebool -P httpd_builtin_scripting 0

Enable Network Connections from httpd
Disabled to prevent hackers from attacking other machines from httpd.
# setsebool -P httpd_can_network_connect 1

Disable suexec Transition
# setsebool -P httpd_suexec_disable_trans 1

Disable Protection for httpd Daemon

# setsebool -P httpd_disable_trans 1
# service httpd restart

Changing a http Port
You may want to change a port number for http. You cannot do this without editing the configuration for SELinux.

# semanage port -l | grep http
http_cache_port_t tcp 3128, 8080, 8118
http_cache_port_t udp 3130
http_port_t tcp 80, 443, 488, 8008, 8009, 8443
pegasus_http_port_t tcp 5988
pegasus_https_port_t tcp 5989

Change httpd to port 81 in the httpd.conf file.

Listen 81

Now restart, and you will see that it will fail to restart. Check /var/log/messages for output.

Dec 10 08:03:46 cent2 setroubleshoot: SELinux is preventing the /usr/sbin/httpd (httpd_t) from binding to port 81. For complete SELinux messages. run sealert -l 9d1872a0-da1f-48b3-b7bc-4ed7094387e5

In order to fix this you will need to use the semanage command to add port 81 to the ports allowed by SELinux.

# semanage port -a -t http_port_t -p tcp 81

Restart httpd and you will find that it works. Now verify that port 81 was added to the default allowed ports.

# semanage port -l | grep http
http_cache_port_t tcp 3128, 8080, 8118
http_cache_port_t udp 3130
http_port_t tcp 81, 80, 443, 488, 8008, 8009, 8443
pegasus_http_port_t tcp 5988
pegasus_https_port_t tcp 5989

Managing Context Problems
A common problem is when you create HTML pages in a user directory with the context of the user and then copy them to the http directories to be used as web pages. Here is an example. Mike build an index.html page to be moved into the root directory for httpd. The file is created in the user's home directory and as you can see it will have this context:

# ls -Z index.html
-rw-rw-r-- mike mike root:object_r:user_home_t index.html
That file is copied into /var/www/html as the main index page but still has the same context, at least in some scenarios if the user has rights in the directory.

# ls -Z /var/www/html
-rw-r--r-- root root root:object_r:httpd_sys_content_t index.html

Changing the Type
Type Enforcement is the primary method of security for the targeted policy. The Type can be changed using the chcon command. However, the chcon command can only change to a Type that is defined by the policy.

# ls -Z
-rw-r--r-- root root root:object_r:httpd_sys_content_t index.html

# chcon -t tmp_t index.html

# ls -Z
-rw-r--r-- root root root:object_r:tmp_t index.html

You may also want to use a reference file to change the Type using the chcon command. The idea is to locate a file with the correct settings and then use it as a reference to correct another file. The example shows that the index.html file is incorrect but that the test.htm file can be used as a reference to fix the index.html file.
# ls -Z
-rw-r--r-- root root root:object_r:tmp_t index.html
-rw-r--r-- root root root:object_r:httpd_sys_content_t test.htm

# chcon --reference test.htm index.html

# ls -Z
-rw-r--r-- root root root:object_r:httpd_sys_content_t index.html
-rw-r--r-- root root root:object_r:httpd_sys_content_t test.htm
Another way to correct the problem is to use restorecon. This command can be used to bring all files in a directory back to the required Type. In this example restorecon repairs the index.html file that would not work correctly. Be sure to put a “/*” at the end of the directory you want to fix.

# ls -Z
-rw-r--r-- root root root:object_r:tmp_t index.html
-rw-r--r-- root root root:object_r:httpd_sys_content_t test.htm

# restorecon /var/www/html/*

# ls -Z
-rw-r--r-- root root system_u:object_r:httpd_sys_content_t index.html
-rw-r--r-- root root root:object_r:httpd_sys_content_t test.htm

Reset Forgotten MySQL Root Password

2010-06-30T14:23:00.001-07:00

Have you ever forgotten the root password on one of your MySQL servers? No? Well maybe I’m not as perfect as you. This is a quick h00tow (how to) reset your MySQL root password. It does require root access on your server. If you have forgotten that password wait for another article. Original article posted on reset mysql root password.
First things first. Log in as root and stop the mysql daemon. Now lets start up the mysql daemon and skip the grant tables which store the passwords.
mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables
You should see mysqld start up successfully. If not, well you have bigger issues. Now you should be able to connect to mysql without a password.
mysql --user=root mysql
update user set Password=PASSWORD('new-password') where user='root';
flush privileges;
exit;
Now kill your running mysqld, then restart it normally. You should be good to go. Try not to forget your password again.

3D Virtual Worlds - Renting of lands on OSGRID

2010-06-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

http://www.osgrid.org/elgg/pg/pages/view/175640/

- 1 Week of Trial free for Full Sim ordering

- Full sim with 65536 m2 (256m x 256x)
- Full ownership
- Connected to OSGrid grid
- Land division allowed
- Full terraforming allowed
- Estate managers
- Parcel media streaming
- Website administration with :
   - Full restart / Kill instance
   - Region broadcast messaging
   - Backup to OAR files / Download

- Payments with PayPal
- Payments with SL Lindens

Packages :
1 - Mercurio - Low Prim 1000 prims - USD$ 10 / month or L$ 4500 / month
2 - Venus    - Low prim 2000 prims - USD$ 15 / month or L$ 6500 / month
3 - Terra - 15000 prims - USD 33 / month or L$ 15000 / month

Contact me by IM : Fernando Oliveira / email fernando@oliveira.eti.br

Website for Administration : http://oliveira.eti.br

Main region on OSGrid :
Festa 24H : http://slurl.com/secondlife/Festa%2024H/128/128/2

Cheap VPS (Virtual Private Server) Linux

2010-06-28T07:28:00.001-07:00

VPS #1 (Virtual Private Server) - vePortal - CPU: 1GHZ, RAM: 512MB, DISKSPACE: 20GB, BANDWIDTH: 1000GB/MONTH

$5.95 USD Monthly - $59.50 USD Annually

https://service.burst.net/aff.php?aff=610

Segredos para Propaganda I

2008-09-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

Aqui começa uma série de dicas para propaganda:

Como as pessoas se tornam mais imunes à propaganda, a importância de criar uma propaganda que cative a atenção do seu publico alvo e enconraja-os a responder se torna vital.
Uma propaganda ruim se perde no espaço enquanto uma boa salta à vista e à atenção:
Segredo 1:
Voce não precisa de uma agencia de propaganda para criar uma que venda

...

Hospedagem na Web Grátis

2008-09-16T13:52:00.001-07:00

Ola pessoal, achei este site de hospedagem grátis, se alguem precisar:

Hospedagem na Web Grátis, sem propaganda, sem letras miúdas.

O Que voce vê é o que voce têm.

Aqui o que voce pode ter :

350 MB Espaço em Disco

100,000 MB em Uso da banda

Subdominio gratis ou seu próprio dominio registrado

Instalador automatic (20 Scripts Populares)

Acesso via FTP e Web

Construtor fácil de Web

5 Bancos de dados MySQL Databases com suporte complete a PHP

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Search Engine Ranking: How to Improve your Search Engine Position

2008-08-12T05:50:00.001-07:00

Your search engine ranking depends on a number of factors: assuming you get listed in the first place. If you have managed to get that listing then you can improve your search engine position by means of links back to your website and also by improving your content.

Significant improvements, however, will likely involve radical restructuring of your website, and would have been better thought out before building your site.

Many so-called SEO experts will attempt to make sure that all your meta tags are in place, even though they have little bearing any more on your search engine rank, be that on Google, Yahoo, MSN or Ask.

They might even have a look at your internal linking, but once you have built your website it is too late for that. Your internal linking strategy should have been formulated prior to constructing your website. There are ways to design a site to be search engine friendly, and I use them all the time.

The very first two websites I tried these techniques on each reached page #1 on Google for their main keyword within less than a month. They were listed within two days due to other techniques I use, but their high listings were due to the site design. I then designed a third, and true to form, it reached page #1.

You want that success as well, and it is not difficult to achieve. However, it involves starting from the bottom up, although there is a lot that you can do with your existing website apart from just playing around with meta tags. I am not suggesting that you shouldn't make sure that you have meta descriptions and a title tag in your html, but they are nothing like as significant as the changes I make to my websites to improve their search engine ranking. Not even close!

There are a number of changes you can make to improve your search engine position, ranging from your internal linking to the way you lead the spiders around your site.

Just ask yourself one simple question: what determines your search engine rank on Google? How does Google calculate your search engine position? That's the first thing you have to learn if you want to improve yours. You have to know your enemy to beat him.

It's not only links, as many would have you believe, or I would never have achieved a Page 1 position so quickly. In fact of my two main websites, one is at ~1 and the other at #2 for their main keyword: the titles of their first page. I achieved that by using a silo structure in my website design, but not only that. Many people use silos without achieving high search engine ranking.

I added a little more, and made sure that the search engine spiders moved from one section of my home page to another, exactly as I wanted them to, before leaving for the next page at exactly the point I wanted it to.

It's not difficult, and you can do it too. In fact anybody can get a top search engine ranking, or improve their search engine position (everybody can't be top!), with just a little thought, and by using a couple of simple rules when designing their web pages.

One of these is by using a silo structure, and the other is by careful use of their html, and of their internal links.

About the Author: Peter Nisbet - If you want to learn how I achieve my high search engine ranking positions, visit SEOcious where I will show by means of screenshots of my html exactly what I do, and also how I lead search engine spiders as though they were on a lead.

32 Most Important SEO Tips

2008-08-08T04:50:00.000-07:00

Following these simple tips will definitely boost your traffic and search engine rankings for free.

1. Make sure your site is not under construction, incomplete, with little or no unique content.

2. When your site is ready, submit it to Google, Yahoo, MSN and ASK.com. Consider also submitting to other search engine but most of them are powered by these four leading search engines. Submit also your site to reputable high PR web directories, open directories, yellow pages and social bookmarking sites such as del.icio.us, furl, etc.

3. Submit your sitemap to Google, Yahoo, MSN and ASK.com (sitemap for search engines usually in XML format)

4. Offer sitemap to your site visitors for easy page navigation. (sitemap for visitors in HTML format)

5. Create unique and rich content sites. Avoid duplicate content. Do not create multiple pages, sub-domains, domains, mirror sites or sites with different domain names but same content.

6. Check your keywords and make sure they are relevant and actually are contained in your site. Avoid keywords stuffing.

7. Use text instead of images in your content, links and important subjects.

8. Make your TITLE and ALT tags descriptive, simple and keyword rich. Avoid irrelevant and repeated keywords.

9. Title tag should be 60-80 characters maximum length.

10. Meta tag description should be 160-180 characters including spaces. (about 25-30 words)

11. Meta Tag keywords must be 15-20 words maximum.

12. Optimize Pages with Headings (H1, H2, H3..) containing your site's primary keywords.

13. Validate your CSS and HTML. Check for errors and broken links.

14. If your site contains dynamic pages(i.e., the URL contains a "?" character), make sure you use SEO friendly URLs. Search engines' spiders having difficulty indexing dynamic pages.

15. Maximum links per page must be fewer than 100. Avoid the risk of being flagged as link farm by search engines.

16. Use Lynx as text browser to check your site. (http://lynx.isc.org/)

17. Allow search bots (good ones) to crawl your sites without session IDs or arguments that track their path through the site. Using these techniques may result in incomplete indexing of your site.

18. Check your web server/host if it supports the If-Modified-Since HTTP header. It tells search engines whether your content has changed since last crawled your site. It will save you bandwidth, resources and avoid server overload.

19. Use Robots.txt file to manage and control search engine spiders in indexing your site. You can allow and disallow spiders and choose directories you want to be crawled and indexed. But with bad bots or spam bots you need to modify your HTACCESS file to properly and effectively manage bots or spiders. Visit http://www.robotstxt.org/wc/faq.html to learn more about Robots.txt file.

20. Do not attempt to present different content to search engines than what you show to your site visitors.

21. Avoid dirty tricks and exploiting loop holes to improve search engines ranking.

22. Avoid links to bad neighborhood such as web spammers, link farms, phishing, hacker, crack, gambling, porn and scam sites. Linking to them will greatly affects your search engine rankings.

23. Do not attempt to join in link schemes, excessive reciprocal links or excessive link exchanging and link exchange web rings.

24. Do not use unauthorized programs or online tools to submit your site, check page rankings and other automated queries. Avoid the risk of being flagged as spam.

25. Do not use hidden text and links. Show to search engines what you show to your vistors. It will greatly affect your site's reputation.

26. Do not attempt to create pages that contains phishing, scam, viruses, trojans, backdoors, spyware, adware and other malicious programs.

27. Make your site useful and informative.

28. Improve your link building. Link to high PR websites. Quality of relevant links are far more important than quantity. Links will greatly improve your site's visibility, popularity and rankings. Search engines consider links as votes to your site.

29. Check your page link structure. Every page should be reachable by a single static text link.

30. Be extra careful in purchasing SEO services. Some uses illegal and questionable ways to improve rankings.

31. Do not buy or sell links.

32. Do not create sites that contains purely affiliate links and no valuable content that are useful to the users.

I hope these tips will add more popularity and visibility to your site. Enjoy!

About the Author: Edwin Reyes is a Web Developer and the Webmaster of Findmesoftware.com, a Philippine based website that provides free software downloads, tools, reviews, online tips, blogging resources, tutorials and Free SEO Tools and Software Download.

Visões de um Projeto

2008-08-07T12:13:00.001-07:00

Ten SEO Mistakes Made on Database Driven Websites

2008-07-30T04:45:00.000-07:00

Search engine friendly websites is one of those often heard phrases, both from web site development companies and from their clients. Everyone knows that this is important to have, and yet it is one of the things that is actually often overlooked.

Search engine optimisation companies actually spend a lot of their time analysing a website and removing barriers to the search engines ranking a site highly. At the web development level, it is possible to build a site that is perfectly search engine friendly. One of the hardest types of sites to get right though are database driven websites. Listed below are ten of the most common issues that are created, often unknowingly, in the development process of a dynamically generated web site.

1. Pages with duplicate content - not enough differential areas within the pages, so that only small areas of the page change from page to page. It is essential that enough of the page text changes for the search engines to see an appreciable difference between one page and the next.

2. Pages with duplicate page titles - the page title is a great indicator to the search engines of the primary content of the page. Whilst this is often unique on sites such as e-commerce websites, it is often overlooked in other sites, particularly where small areas of the site are generated from a database, such as news pages.

3. Pages with duplicate meta descriptions - again, this is easy to overlook and set a global or category level meta description. These give the search engines a reason to penalise your site for not giving them enough information, and again, creating a unique meta description for every page is an essential SEO task.

4. Using auto-generation of pages as a shortcut instead of creating good content. This is linked quite closely to point 1, where it is possible to create pages that have only a tiny percentage difference between them. Databases are fantastic ways of storing information, but you still need to put the work in to fill them with content. Unique information about the subject of the page will immensely help both the long tail and the ability of the search engines to determine that a page is valuable.

5. Creating pages that are hidden behind form submissions or javascript postbacks that cannot be accessed by a search engine crawler. This is far more common that is generally realised. For instance .NET creates postback links by default instead of proper links - potentially making huge sections of a site unreachable. Likewise, it is easy to hide lovely content rich areas of your site behind a drop down selector in a form that means certain areas of the site are not visible.

6. Too many query strings - this is a common bugbear of the professional SEO, where complicated database selections create deep levels of pages, but with seven or eight &id= type strings. Additionally, some bad development methodology can leave pages with null query strings that appear in every URL but don't do anything. The answer to this is generally URL rewrites, creating much more search engine friendly and user-friendly URLs!

7. Putting query strings in different orders when accessed through different places - this can create duplicate content issues, which can cause major penalties.

8. Not using user language to generate automated pages - if you are going to create a database driven website that uses words in the query strings (or better in rewritten URLs) make sure that you use words that will help you with SEO - if you sell widgets, make sure you are using the word widgets somewhere in the URL instead of just product= or id= - keyword research can assist with this.

9. Not allowing the meta data and title to be edited easily after the site build. It is possible to hardcode the generation of meta information into a database that doesn't allow it to be edited later. Creating a mechanism for modifying this information initially helps everyone at a later stage when the information needs changing without shoehorning it into an already developed structure.

10. Creating keyword stuffed pages by using auto-generation. Once upon a time, search engines quite liked pages with high densities of your keywords, but now these are likely to get you marked down rather than up. So be aware when creating pages that long pages with lots of your products on can create too high a density. For instance listing blue widgets, light blue widgets, navy blue widgets, sky blue widgets is going to create a page with a very dense page for the phrase "blue widgets".

These are just 10 of the most common potential optimisation pitfalls when creating dynamic websites. There are many more facets to producing a great database driven site, including user friendliness, speed, performance and security, but they all add together to make the best solution to your needs.

About the Author: Mark Stubbs is a freelance writer who specialises in internet marketing and web site development. For more information on database driven websites he suggests that you visit www.obs-group.co.uk.

How to Dominate Google Rankings; Easy as 1, 2, 3!

2008-07-22T04:45:00.001-07:00

Search engine optimization has changed a lot over the years. What worked a few short years ago can get your site banned from Google today.

Actually, let me rephrase that... Search engine optimization tricks have changed a lot over the years. But in truth, good solid SEO practices have remained stable and work better today than in years past. Why better? Because so many others keep trying to win with tricks that Google hates. This leaves you to reap the rewards of methods that Google loves!

The most important thing to realize is that Google, and other popular search engines place 90% and MORE of their ranking preferences on content and links. Keywords are still important, but only in the content of your pages; not in META tags like the old days.

It's that simple. And just as simple is how to accomplish that top ranking...

1.) First you need to find the best keywords and place them just right in your page's content.

2.) Next you need to find, get and manage great inbound links.

3.) Last, you need to closely monitor your progress (and your competition!)

Goal 1: Find the Best Keywords

Let's use Google's own keyword database to see what search terms are best to target. Go to https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal and enter any keyword or keyword phrase you think your future customers are looking for. Now get ready for a LOT of great results!

INSIDER TIP: Use specific and "long tail" keyword phrases whenever possible. One of my clients is in national floral delivery. Here's a real example of how my business partner and I put that business at number one ,on Google with the perfect keywords...

The client had been paying per click for the term "flowers" and barely breaking even after spending tens of thousands of dollars per month in PPC costs. We not only gave him much better targetd keywords for his pay per click campaign, at one tenth the cost, but also made jim number one for his new primary keyword using the methods described later in this article. Before we go too deep however, let's look at the new keywords and the logic used to get there...

Instead of just the word "flowers", which has 233,000,000 competing pages on Google, we looked at what he really wanted to attract visits for. Although there are lots of possibilities, we will stick with just one example that saves him about $35,000 per month in PPC expenses and gives him another $100,000 per month in profit. We first evaluated "send flowers", which has 1/10th the number of competing pages. Then we asked him to try "think like people speak" (I.E./ I'm "sending flowers" to my mom.) As it turns out, a lot more people are searching for "sending flowers" than are searching "send flowers" and "sending flowers" has less than 1% of the competing web pages as the search term he started with, "flowers". Now that's impressive!

Use this method of keyword determination (get exact and use longer keyord phrases when appropriate) and you have will have an instant advantage over about 99% of your competitors.

Once you have your keywords selected, take the top three or four and list them in order for best to second best and so on.

Goal 2: Develop the Best Possible Content

Content is King! The ability to create search engine friendly web content, optimized for real people, is the key to your success. Modern search engines (especially Google) can read a page just like any person would thanks to natural text algorithms. Now Google can tell in nanoseconds if your web pages were pages for real people or just to get better ranking. With the following tip, you can easily do both!

Step A.) Call a good friend and tell him or her what you want to tell your web visitors. Then immediately write it down as close as you can remember it. If you can record the conversation, it's even better.

Step B.) Now simply review your text and place your top keyword as close to the beginning of the opening sentence or two as possible. Then place your next most important keyword someplace else toward the beginning of that same first paragraph. Try to get your third keyword into the last sentence or two of your first paragraph or at the beginning of your next paragraph if it fits better.

Step C.) Now place just one instance of each keyword in the next few paragraphs, anywhere they fit well. So if you have six more paragraphs before the final, each keyword should be three times total (once in paragraph 1, twice in the remaining 6 paragraphs with one mention of a single keyword in each paragraph.)

Step D.) For the last paragraph, do the opposite of what you did for the first paragraph and place your least important keyword toward the beginning of the paragraph and your most important toward the end. This shows the search engine consistency of topic.

Step E.) Last but not least, don't repeat any keyword more than four times per page and always let the text flow naturally.

Part 3: Get Great Links and Monitor Your Site

Getting and maintaining high quality inbound links typically accounts for more than 75% of today's search engine optimization success on Google. Getting these links is the crucial step that will get you over the top and keep you there! But you also need to monitor your progress and your site's status (not just ranking but how search engines REALLY see it). This will tell you more than just where you are but also where you are likely to be. Back in the day we did all link work and monitoring by hand. And I can tell you that it took a long time (My business partner and I spent about sixteen hours each week, per site!) My advice to you is to do what we did and find a good SEO tool that does the heavy lifting and time consuming work for you. Buying the right product is easily the best money you'll ever spend on your site's marketing and publicity.

As for products, there are some good ones out there. I used one called WebPosition Pro for a couple years. I ended up switching to another called SEO Elite because it has automated linking, which is the most time-consuming aspect of my SEO efforts. However, both are fantastic products for tracking and reporting.

Number 1 Pick: SEO Elite

Cost = $167 (lifetime free upgrades and no annual fees)

Personal Results: 121 top 5 rankings on Google in 3 weeks; Mostly 1's and 2's

Favorite Features: Finds the best link partners, including special "Authority" link partners that count for more with Google; Automates link process; Provides great Site Monitoring

Comments: I bought SEO Elite in 2005 and have used every upgrade (all are free.) I got rid of my other products since this one did a better job for me and does not have any ongoing fees.

Number 2 Pick: WebPosition

Cost = $389 WebPosition Pro or $149 Standard (plus $99 per year subscription fees for either)

Personal Results: 44 top 5 rankings in Google in eight weeks; Mostly 3's and 4's.

Favorite Features: Site Monitoring; Great reporting; Site Critic

Comments: I stopped using WebPosition because there were no automated linking capabilities and did not want to continue paying the $99 per year in ongoing fees. I did however really like the reporting.

That's about it. Now you're ready. Good luck!

About The Author
Scott Jason has been an SEO professional since 1999 and is the founder of BestSEOcopywriting. Over the past nine years he has worked with hundreds of clients he has secured thousands of top placements on Google, Yahoo, MSN and more.

Web Designs Deadliest 4 Mistakes

2008-06-27T04:22:00.001-07:00

Some web designs are truly so repulsive that they actually drive people away from the site and prevent them from returning. Both you and your web design company must avoid these situations at all costs. Otherwise you run the risk of allowing your reputation to be diminished or being labeled and avoided by clients and customers.

Web Design's Scariest Backgrounds

The background of your website is one aspect that you have control over and you can easily change or alter to suit your client's needs. You must be aware, however, that some backgrounds are simply not attractive at all. Some of these backgrounds that should be avoided at any cost are:

A completely black background with light or white text superimposed upon it. Even the best web designers in the world have difficulty achieving an appealing look with this type of background. It gives viewers the impression that you are imperious and condescending and does not do anything to encourage readers to stay on your site. Also, some browsers, when used to print a page, also print background color. This could cause complaints from customers who are not happy about the amount of ink they used in order to print a single page.
A completely black background with dark words. This is an even worse background choice than the previous one because the words simply cannot be seen without great difficulty. In order to read the text, visitors to your site will have to first highlight the text, a task that will quickly irritate them.
Complicated, tiled images. Fresh web designers often use this type of background because it is convenient and looks good to them. They should also bear in mind, however, that this type of background can dramatically increase the amount of load time for a website.

Web Design's Scariest Text

The main reason people visit your site is that they are interested in the content contained within your website. If they are unable to read your text, then there is nothing for them to stay for. Your web design company definitely does not want visitors to find nothing worth reading on your site, so avoid the following pitfalls:

Centering all your text. A page with all of its text completely centered is unattractive and difficult to read.

Overly emphasized text. Some designers bold every other line of text and italicize the rest. This is self-defeating because in attempting to make everything stand out, nothing stands out.
Flashing text. Although some people find text that constantly disappears and reappears appealing, it is almost impossible to read, defeating the purpose of even having text in the first place. Text is there to be read!

Web Design's Scariest Content

As a web designer, you should never ignore your content. At the end of the day, the content of your web page is what either draws visitors to your site, or drives them away. You should make sure you include interesting and attention-grabbing content and avoid the following mistakes.

Pages consisting solely of links. Pages where every word is a link on its own do not serve any purpose other than to convince visitors never to return to your site.
"Funny" content. Including humorous content is risky, at best. Some people may not understand your humor and will need to have it explained to them or, more likely, they will simply leave your site in search of something more interesting that they can actually understand.

Web Design's Scariest Multimedia

Many designers find themselves in love with multimedia and attempt to use it in every project that they undertake. The web design company you work for probably does appreciate your talent with multimedia and, when the situation calls for it, you can showcase your talents to your web design company and your clients. However, designing using multimedia tools is a very time consuming process. You should not let your desire to show off your skills with multimedia compromise the work that you eventually hand in to your clients. You should do your utmost to avoid the following traps:

Image overload. Images of all forms, including icons, should not be present in large numbers. As a general rule-of-thumb, anything more than two images is overkill.

Overly large images. The readership of your site will not suffer if your images are not of print quality. Large, high quality images take a long time to load and most readers would not care if you had used a low quality image.
Embedded audio. Audio streams that play constantly while the page is open are very annoying for visitors who simply want to examine the content of your site. Worse, these audio streams are usually impossible to turn off. If you absolutely must include some form of sound with your web page, you must give your visitors the controls required to turn off the sound if they wish.

A scary web design is most definitely not what your web design company hopes that you will produce. The web pages you design should be appealing to readers and help keep them on your site, and not drive them away.

About The Author
Moe Tamani is a search engine optimization specialist for SEO 1 Services specializing in SEO web design Brazenwebdesign.com .

What Google Thinks Of Your Site

2008-06-24T05:50:00.000-07:00

How Google views your site does matter if you want to succeed online because Google has become the dominant search engine on the web. It now has over 60% of the U.S. search engine market. In other countries around the world that percentage rises to 80% or more. In addition, the Google Brand Name has solidly permeated the popular psyche and any top rankings within Google will bring much weight and prestige along with all that traffic.

If you're a webmaster, you will already know how vital Google is to the success of your site, especially if you rely upon organic keyword rankings for your traffic. This free organic traffic from Google is highly desired by webmasters because it is extremely targeted and delivers high conversion rates.

In trying to reach the highest rankings possible, I (like most webmasters) have to be constantly aware of what Google thinks of my site and content. As a webmaster and marketer I have always geared my onlíne marketing towards Google. I have spent years building my keyword rankings within Google; if you take out the fact that it has nearly driven me insane, it has mostly been a positive experience.

This experience has also shown me it is indeed important for anyone to know how Google views and rates your site or content. The more knowledge you have, the better able you will be to tackle any obstacles and challenges that will come your way.

SERPs Is The Only Opinion That Counts

And like most webmasters, I try to find out as much about Google as is humanly possible, but Google doesn't give up its secrets easily. In fact, many webmasters would argue the only true opinion Google has of your site is shown in their SERPs - if your keywords/pages are ranked in the number one spots in Google's "Search Engine Results Pages" then Google must think your site or content deserves to be there.

However, there are other ways of finding out how Google is viewing your content. Below are several Google webmaster tools and things you can do to discover just how Google views your site or pages. They will give you a better picture of what Google thinks about your site.

Checking Your Content/Keywords In Google

One handy tool that will show you what Google thinks your pages consist of is located here:

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Just type in your URL and tick off website content and you will get a listing of the major keywords Google has for your content. If your targeted keyword or keywords are not listed, then you have to do some re-writing.

Checking Your Backlinks In Google

If you want to find out how many backlinks your site has in Google, just open up Google Search and type in:

link:yourURL

and it will show you the number of backlinks you have.

Since Google doesn't give you all your existing backlinks, many webmasters also use Yahoo! to find a more exact number of links your site has on the web.

Just open Yahoo! and type in: linkdomain:yourURL

Now whether Google is using or considering all these backlinks is the big question? Finding the exact number of backlinks you have in Google has always been a problem because Google is not giving you the exact number or at least this is the general opinion of most SEO experts.

Another way I monitor my links in Google is to place quotation marks around my site name or my name "bizwaremagic" or "titus hoskins" and do a search in Google. This gives me the pages containing references to me or my site. This is usually 50,000 to 100,000 pages, I have also noticed my online income usually correlates as this number goes up or down.

Checking Your Indexed Pages In Google

Obviously, it is very important for you to know what content the search engines have indexed from your site. You can also check to see how your links are displayed and to see if any titles or descriptions are missing from your pages.

You can see how many of your pages are indexed in Google by using the site command.

Just type into Google Search:

site:yourURL

A little while back, having your pages indexed in Google's Supplemental Index caused webmasters much stress as it seemed Google was judging these pages as "second class" pages. Since then, Google no longer uses the Supplementary Label in grading pages but that doesn't mean a supplementary index doesn't exist; just that Google has promised to crawl and consider these pages as well in any search query.

Checking Your Google Cache

You can also check to see the Google Cache of your site by using the cache command. You will also discover when it was last retrieved.

Just type into Google Search:

cache:yourURL

Checking Your PageRank Within Google

Another tricky issue is PageRank. This is supposed to be the heart of Google's ranking system created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin; each link is considered a "vote" for your page and the higher the number of "votes" you have, the higher the PR your page receives. However, again Google is using "smoke and mirrors" to conceal your true PageRank mainly to cut out abuse and manipulation of their results. Some experts say PageRank still counts, other say it doesn't.

You can check your Google PageRank here:

http://www.iwebtool.com/pagerank_checker

From my own experiences, I have receíved more traffic when my site was at PR4 than I receíved when it was at PR6. What's important is getting high rankings for your targeted keywords... if you get top spots, it doesn't matter if your main index page (site) is PR4 or PR6, you'll still get the same amount of traffic. In other words, don't become too fixated on PageRank because Google in many cases is not letting you see the true PR of a webpage.

I would like to add one point to the whole PageRank issue and that has to do with perception. If you're running an online business, then having a PR8 site does matter for it will bring in more business and customers (especially if you're in the SEO industry) mainly because of the "perceived value" of your site or business.

What Google thinks does matter!

In other words, what Google thinks of your site can play a major role in your success. Mainly because, like it or hate it, Google has become the supreme authority on the web and what they say, counts. Therefore, you should always be paying special attention to just what Google is saying about your site and acting upon that knowledge accordingly.

What Google Thinks Of Your Site

2008-06-19T04:24:00.001-07:00

About The Author
The author is a full-time online marketer who has numerous websites. For the latest web marketing tools try: Marketing Tools. Everyone is profiting from Google, find out how you can too! Clíck here: Google Cash File

Copyright (c) 2008 Titus Hoskins. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.

Does Your Web Site Need a Workout?

2008-06-18T04:43:00.001-07:00

Here's an analogy for you. Yesterday, I was working my butt off in the gym on the cardio machines, panting wildly with sweat dripping off me and my face as red as a beet. Not the most attractive sight, but I figure, you're at the gym to work out right? I might as well "go hard" or "go home", as they say.

As I looked around me, I could see all these people simply going through the motions. There they were, minus perspiration in their shiny new lycra and expensive gym shoes, casually walking on the treadmill or lazily turning the wheels on a bike while reading a book or glued to the TV screens in front of them. Only a few seemed to be there for the actual purpose of working out. The rest seemed to be there to check out the talent or to simply keep up the appearance of fitness, while doing the bare minimum.

Huh? I don't get it. Why have these gym bimbos paid so much money for a gym membership and all the related gear if they aren't going to take full advantage of their investment?

Then it struck me - these gymbos were just like those companies who spend thousands of dollars on a shiny new website with all the bells and whistles like graphic design, blogs, shopping carts, web analytics, the lot and then fail to take advantage of it. I see it so often, regardless of company size. Web sites that could easily be bringing in loads of traffic and revenue simply wasting away because nobody can be bothered tracking visitor activity, analyzing trends or checking for search engine compatibility and usability.

These companies are simply keeping up appearances, investing heavily in Internet technology because their competitors are doing the same. But no thought has gone into the search engine compatibility of the site, how usable it is for visitors or whether it meets accessibility guidelines. They don't look at their site statistics, they don't check for broken links and they sure as heck don't investigate why their sites aren't converting traffic into customers. What a waste!

Is your web site working hard enough for you? Run it through the following 20 point fitness assessment to find out:

Is your site fully search engine compatible? Are all your pages being indexed by the major search engines?
Do you track your visitor statistics on a regular basis? Do you use the information provided by your visitor statistics to improve your site?
Is your web site accessible to visually-impaired visitors? Does it meet the international standards set down by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)?

Do you know which sites and search engines provide you with the most traffic? Do you use this information to improve your traffic further?
Do you track the source of all reported errors in your site statistics and fix them promptly?
Do you know which keywords your site was found for in the search engines? Have you conducted keyword research to determine what search terms your target markets are looking for so you can optimize for them?
Does your web site HTML code validate to W3 standards? Do you check for validation regularly?
Does your site contain zero broken links? Do you check for and fix broken links regularly?
Has your site been fully search engine optimized to integrate your target search terms into your Page Titles, META Tags and visible page text?
Have you created and submitted an XML sitemap to Google Sitemaps?
Have you created and submitted a sitemap to Yahoo Site Explorer?
Have you checked to see if your site meets Google's Webmaster Guidelines?
Do you measure your visitor sign-ups and conversions on a regular basis? Do you tweak your landing page copy to improve the conversion rates?
Is your site navigation intuitive and are your visitors following the navigation paths you intended?

Do you encourage feedback from your site visitors and provide an obvious way for them to provide such feedback?
Are there at least 250 words of text on your home page to satisfy search engines?
Does your site contain a visible, text-based site map to aid user navigation?
Do you have an ongoing link building campaign running to secure more incoming links to your site and improve your site's link popularity score?
Does your site have a high percentage of repeat visitors? Are the majority of your visitors staying on your site for more than a minute?
Do your search engine referrals and site traffic figures grow each month?

Unless you can answer yes to all the questions in the above checklist, your web site is not working hard enough for you and needs a workout. Get to it!

About The Author
Article by Kalena Jordan, one of the first search engine optimization experts in Australia, who is well known and respected in the industry, particularly in the U.S. As well as running a daily Search Engine Advice Column, Kalena manages Search Engine College - an online training institution offering instructor-led short courses and downloadable self-study courses in Search Engine Optimization and other Search Engine Marketing subjects.

Optimizing Tactics For Generating Website Traffic

2008-06-16T04:23:00.001-07:00

Internet marketing has been around for as long as there has been the internet. It really took off, though, once the World Wide Web caught fire in the late 1990's.

What many people new to internet marketing lose site of, or perhaps didn't know to begin with, is that internet marketing is based on the fundamental principles of marketing. It just so happens that internet marketers use those principles with a new medium, the web, to reach buyers.

The fundamental principle of marketing is - if you want to sell anything, you need prospective customers.

For many people, knowing how to generate massive amounts of traffic is the "missing link" to internet marketing.

Everyday there are lots of people who struggle to create websites and products, make them look pretty good and then... nothing. Everything was built and nobody showed up!

This is one of the biggest reasons people quit before they are successful.

It doesn't have to be that way. There is no exact strategy that is guaranteed to bring you millions of visitors everyday. However, there are proven techniques for generating huge amounts of traffic, some very quickly and some for free.

Higher traffíc increases the potential for sales and referral commissions. The goal is to boost search engine traffic because this means a wider audience and long-term profit from various sources like ads. That is why there is such a lot of innovation in the field of search engine optimization (SEO).

Long Tails and How They Help

One of the most recent techniques, and a very effective one at that, is the use of LONG TAIL keywords to direct search engine traffic to your website.

The term may sound intimidating, but all it refers to is a new marketing trend. In the past, a few major keywords were identified to pull traffic through search engines. In the new model, websites will be drawing their business from a large variety of low-volume search queries or phrases. So, it's goodbye to all those oft-used, clichéd keywords.

This brings about a paradigm shift in your strategy to identify keywords and phrases. Instead of opting for the most obvious keywords like 'Makíng money online', web marketers now have to identify several keyword phrases that attract streams of low volume traffic. The combined action of several streams of low-volume traffic will eventually add up to high revenue.

To identify Long Tails or multi-word search queries (for that is what they are), you have to pick out the actual phrases that visitors use to arrive at your website. These key phrases are more specific than general. They embody the specific information users are looking for. So, a phrase like "Top 5 SEO techniques to earn money online" will pull in more targeted traffíc than 'makíng money online'. Ultimately, such a strategy leads to an overall jump in web traffíc.

For example, 'Self-hypnosis' is a general keyword. The keyword phrases within this niche would be 'Self-hypnosis to lose weíght' or 'using self-hypnosis techniques to improve memory' or 'benefits of self-hypnosis for controlling anger'.

Methods to Identify Keyword Phrases

Use tracking programs: Certain automated programs generate a number of subject-specific keyword phrases. But you will still have to filter and select specific phrases from a long catalog of results. Further to this, you may have to run your selected phrases through a search volume analyzer, to zero in on the top phrases.

Keyword research tools: Tools like Google's Keywords Tool can help determine the popularity of keywords, thus enabling you to develop a wide variety of secondary keywords to improve web traffíc to your site. Stringing together these words should enable you to identify keyword phrases.

Search boxes: Using on-site search boxes will enable you to monitor specific keyword phrases your visitors are looking for. This way, you get direct feedback from your visitors. This is an amazing method you can use to learn more about the general public's search habits.

Check out your competition: Find out what phrases they are using. Search their meta tags, titles and headers. Here, all the work has been done for you. You only need to fine-tune the words and string them together to make phrases that will pull lots of search engine traffic. Keyword parsing tools help you analyze other websites.

Advantages

By using keyword phrases, you reap a number of benefits:

High search-engine rankings: Competition will be weaker for the phrases you have identified so you can easily climb to the top of search engine rankings for your particular choice of phrase.
Higher conversion rates: Since you are using the actual phrase your visitors are looking for, the website traffic you get is highly targeted. People who come to you in this manner are more likely to click the 'Buy Now' button than people who come in out of curiosity.
Increased inflow: Since you will be using many keyword phrases, you will build up several streams of low-volume customers. These streams will improve your search engine traffic.
Make more money: Your monetizing potential is high when you pull in search engine traffic because people who come to you are serious about your product, service or information. They are more likely to subscribe to your newsletter or RSS feeds.

Using Long Tails on your websites or Blogs will undoubtedly improve web traffíc to your site.

And of course, more traffíc is always good news!

About The Author
JD Reilly is committed in helping others succeed at marketing online products and implementing strategies for success. The success is built upon-- A focused target market, A product people are hungry for, A marketing strategy, Automation. Learn more Now: Silver Bullet System

SEO - Just Add Water.....NOT!

2008-06-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

I miss the old days....life was simple. Your TV had just a few channels, your phone was attached to a wall, and the computer was a cool thing to have for the few who could afford one. But times change, our world changes and technology grows. TV has 200 plus channels (and still nothing on), your phone is attached to your hip and you could not live without a computer and the Internet is filled with billions of pages.

SEO was an easy job then. It was a no brainer. It was fast, it worked and the stress was little. Well, those days are long gone and the facts of SEO are no longer as easy as it used to be. It is not a quick fix and it is an ongoing process.

Sure, there are hundreds of SEO companies available for you to choose from. Cheap ones that say they submit your site to 1000's of engines (big deal), ones that add 100's of doorway pages (look out for spam), those that promise fast top rankings (they lie). Let's face it, for SEO there is The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. But lets not focus on the bad and ugly....they may be cheap, but you get what you pay for...nothing!

SEO is not instant, not any more. You need to look at many factors, you need to be prepared to make changes, you need to be willing to work closely with your SEO expert and be willing to be in it for the long haul. SEO changes and you need to be ready to meet those changes.

You should be serious about your web site. This is your business and you need to treat it as such. Canned web sites, website templates that offer everything from stores to products to hosting and say you have no worries on updating the site and still can achieve rankings may be a bit misleading. SEO is ongoing work and one you need to be prepared to handle.

Your SEO Expert serves two purposes...to guide you in changes that you need to make to a web site and to help you optimize your web site by actually working within the site so that you can be found for relevant keyword phrases.

Your Web Site Design

It used to be that design aspects really did not matter. Well, now they do and it is a big deal. If your site is poorly designed, poorly coded and developed using complex databases or heavily graphic, you face issues. You may need to make changes, you may want to develop a new site...whatever the need, your SEO will inform you what issues may be causing the site from being read correctly.

Your Keywords

Please...generic words may seem like the best, but with billions of pages, is it really feasible? Keyword phrases are extremely important, phrases that target your audience are imperative. Your SEO expert should work with you on helping you to make the most important choices on good, targeted and precise phrases that will target your consumer or product line.

Your Content

Using your keywords in content is important for the engines. Having good content is important to your consumer as well. Lack of content is not going to help you gain on the engines and lack of content is not going to help your consumer understand your product line. Your SEO expert can provide you writing assistance for those do it yourself folks or provide you with their expert content writers. Do not be fooled...if you are not using keywords with content, how can you expect to achieve rankings for those phrases?

Your Site Link Popularity

If no one else thinks your web site is important, then why would a consumer. You web site needs to be found on relevant web sites. You need to get your site out there....it needs to be seen on other web sites. Not doing so means that even you do not think your site is important enough to share with others. Your SEO can help you achieve a successful link campaign or even consult with you on the process. This is a time consuming task, and it needs to be done right. I mean, you want your site to be seen on the best of sites, so take the time to consider getting a link to those sites that can help you be seen as an expert in your product field.

Your Blog

Funny word...Blog. I mean, what does it really mean? Who came up with it...well who cares. What is important is that they are fabulous for helping with your SEO campaign. They are informative, they are easy to navigate, they contain content and so much more. Bogs are the way to go to help enhance your site. Again, your SEO can help you by developing a blog. You can easily learn to maintain it, keep it fresh, and keep it current.

Conclusion

Sure, SEO is just part of your marketing game plan. But it is a vital one when used with your other online and offline marketing. Gone are the days of easy rankings. Just because you built it, doesn't mean they'll come. A website is a business and as such deserves your time and your professional SEO to help you achieve your goals and bottom line success.

About The Author
Jennifer Horowitz is the Director of Marketing for EcomBuffet.com. Over the past 10 years Jennifer's expertise in marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has helped clients increase revenue. Jennifer is the editor of the popular Spotlight on Success: SEO and Marketing newsletter. Follow Jennifer and stay current on SEO, marketing, social media and more: http://twitter.com/EcomBuffet

O Que não fazer no Link Patrocinado

2008-06-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

Há algum tempo eu li um artigo sobre um erro em uma campanha do Google AdWords, no qual usaram uma macro na campanha, e no resultado da pesquisa por “Mãe” apareceu “Compra Venda de Mãe” melhores ofertas.

Hoje estive pesquisando no UOL, e encontrei esse mesmo erro : é hilário:

A Perfect Link

2008-06-05T06:16:00.000-07:00

Webmasters are given the advice that they must attract links, but the key is not just to attract links... they need to attract good links. But what is the perfect link? The search for the perfect link need not be a quest in vain. Consider the following when attempting to attract links...

1. Related

The best links should come from related websites which contain similar and related content but not the same type of material or content. For example: A link for baby clothing would benefit from a link that discusses baby care.

2. Anchor

The anchor text (the "text" that is used in the link) should include keywords that relate to the topic covered on the web page that is being linked to. Anchor text should be varied; links that all have the same anchor text will appear manipulated and contrived to the search engines. Therefore, the text links should contain a variety of related words.

3. Deep Link

The links should direct visitors to a related page within the website. Do not make the mistake of directing all of the web links to a website's home page. Deep linking, and directing visitors to material that corresponds to content that is closely related to the text link is key. Deep linking appears more natural to search engines, whereas links directing all visitors to a single page or the home page seem unnatural, and could be interpreted as an effort to manipulate search engine ranking.

4. Domain And Page Authority

Search engines trust some websites more than others. Links from "authority" websites have more weight than links from lesser-known websites. Google is said to use PageRank as an indicator of authority. Keep in mind that PageRank is not the only factor used to determine a website's authority. Authority websites should still relate to the website it is pointing to.

5. Nix NoFollow

Links should not contain the NoFollow command. The NoFollow command directs search engines to not "follow" the link. If a link contains "NoFollow" there is no search engine benefit from the link; the only benefit to having the link is any organic traffic that results if the link is clicked. As a result, NoFollow links are nearly worthless.

6. Mix It Up

Links should come from a variety of sources. Fewer links from a larger number of websites will generally "weigh" more than a large number of links from a small number of websites.

7. Surrounding Text

Some search experts claim that the text surrounding a link can influence ranking. Whether this is true or not is difficult to determine. It is more likely that links containing surrounding text are more likely to be relevant, and as a result those links tend to be worth more.

8. Link Position

The location of the link on the page can also influence the value of the link. Some search experts claim that footer links carry less value than links which are integrated into the actual web page content.

9. Type of Link

There does not appear to be a difference between a "text" link's value and an "image" link's value, if the image link contains ALT text. The search engines use the image ALT text in the same way they use the anchor text of a text link.

10. Number Of Outbound Links

A page with fewer links is better than a page with a large number of links. This is because a webpage passes along what is referred to as "link juice". The more "link juice" passed along, the more valuable the link is. The link juice is divided up over all the links on a webpage, so popular websites with few outgoing links are more valuable than those with a large number of links.

11. Link Age

Search engine critics cannot seem to agree as to whether older links or newer links carry more value. When information is vague, it is best to garner both aged links and new links to websites.

12. Vintage Domain

The age of the domain is said to influence link power. More than likely the age of the domain simply contributes to the trustworthiness of the website, and links from trusted websites tend to have more value.

13. One Way Links

Links that are not reciprocal carry more weight than those which are simply link-for-link exchanges.

14. Page Content

A web page that is mostly just a líst of links has less value than a web page that contains a mixture of links and content.

15. Updated Pages

Web pages that are updated frequently will typically be spidered by search engines on a more frequent basis. The update will not influence the power of the link, but it will mean that the link will be picked up more quickly by the search engines.

16. Link Surges

Webmasters should be encouraged to gradually build links over time, rather than all at once. The gradual improvement is more natural and will have a stronger impact on organic search rankings.

The quest for the perfect link can be frustrating and elusive, but the fact is: the perfect link is logical, appears natural, and grows over time. Best of luck in your attempt to find the perfect link.

About The Author
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll audio recording and editing software.

Top Google in Record Time in 2 Simple Steps!

2008-06-04T04:30:00.000-07:00

I got into search engine optimization back in 1998. It sure has changed a lot since then. Back in the day you could use invisible text, load keywords to the point of overflowing and fill META tags with anything even close to what you had on your page. And you could do well on Google, Yahoo, Alta Vista; all the biggies. Not anymore.

Today SEO is about a 75% / 25% split between links and content, with inbound links being the most important thing. Especially on Google. When all is said and done, you can get to the top of Google in just two simple steps. Seriously. I've done it hundreds of times and it's easier than you'd imagine.

Step 1: Develop Great Content

Writing great SEO content is a snap if you follow this simple 5 step formula...

1.) Write naturally as if speaking with a friend. Record yourself actually speaking to a friend about the topic of your Web page and it will all come together automatically.

2.) Limit each page to 2 to 3 keywords or keyword phrases.

3.) Mention each keyword no more than 4 times per page and split the usage somewhat equally between paragraphs. Two mentions of your most important keyword in the first paragraph is the only real exception. And be sure you mention each toward the end of the page to show overall consistency and topic authenticity.

4.) Try to incorporate the first mention of each keyword into hyperlink anchor text. The link should lead to another page of your site. (Note: The keyword would then be the clickable text leading to your other page.)

5.) Have between 150 and 250 words of text per keyword. So if you have 3 keywords on one page, you will have about 600 words on that page, in total.

That's the quick and dirty SEO content writers course. And believe me, it works!

Step 2: Link Like the Pros (Part 1; Strategize)

Linking is a bit more involved. The main thing to remember is that you want as many high quality, topic relevant links as you can get. And you want them all using the same exact URL since Google sees URLs that begin with "http://www" differently than links that begin with just "www". In other words, even if you have 200 links to your page, if they are split between URL formats, you are not getting full credít for the links.

And forget all that stuff about links to the homepage being "a must." Sure, having inbound links go to your homepage is great but Google has smartened up. They figure your site overall is probably not that great if nobody bothers linking to your actual content pages. While it's true that Google ranks pages rather than sites, they do still base each of your page's worth on its supporting pages.

I won't bore you with a bunch of techno babble. In short, if you keep this in mind, you'll always be ahead of the game:

1.) Inbound links should be from pages containing relevant content of a similar nature.

2.) Links to your pages from outside pages with high Google PageRank (GPR) are most desirable. (Note: GPR is NOT the page's position on Google. It is a value, from 1 to 10, that Google assigns to all Webpages.)

3.) Links from (not to) a homepage are typically most valuable, unless they have a higher GPR page to link from. Focus on the GPR. If you use software like that mentioned below, it will do all this automatically. If you do it all manually, get the free Google Toolbar. GPR is shown for every page (that has any) on the Internet.

4.) Inbound links to your pages should feature your keyword as the anchor text triggering the hyperlink (keyword is the clickable part leading to your page.)

5.) Do NOT use generic text for your link's surrounding content. Make the sentence as relevant as possible.

6.) Use as many variations of your link's surrounding content as possible so the search engines don't view your inbound links as duplicate content.

Step 2: Link Like the Pros (Part 2; Do It)

As far as actually getting great links, avoid the automated script based reciprocal link services. A lot of these services link your pages to "gray barred" pages, which means your site can get kicked off Google as well. And to be honest, reciprocal links are not nearly as valuable to Google as they once were, especially the junk link pages most of these services create.

If you want the "set it and forget it" convenience of a linking service, but not the problems I just mentioned, you might want to try one like 3-WayLinks.com. Although I'm not a fan of any linking service, this one is the best I've come across so far. They set it up so your page links to another, which links to a third, which links to you. There is no direct reciprocal beeline back to your page and each link is counted as a one way inbound link by Google, which is the most valuable type of link.

Of course, natural linking is the way to go whenever possible. Google LOVES links that are part of page content (see the anchor text notes above.) And getting great links like this is easier than ever with the right software so don't sweat the time or effort. Both are minimal.

The product a lot of SEO pros use (myself included) is SEO Elite. It works great as both a full function link building tool and ranking checker for all major search engines. Even if you don't need the app, take advantage of the free videos on the site. They explain special linking considerations, like special reserved commands such as "allinanchor" and how to find Google "Authority sites." You can still benefit from the information, even without the tool.

Big Tip: When approaching other sites for links, try to get your link as anchor text in the actual page content, or a margin. Also do their link that way and explain the benefits and how much Google loves this type of natural content linking.

So there you have it; everything you need to get your pages on top of Google in record time. Best of luck. You'll do great!

About The Author
Mike Small is a ten year veteran SEO specialist with thousands of top search engine rankings to his credít. He is the author of seven SEO books and founder of SEOpartner.com .

Top 10 Reasons A Website Fails To Perform

2008-05-28T04:30:00.000-07:00

You've taken the time to finally build a website, and now it is online. Months go by. Maybe you get a few visitors now and again. Maybe you land on the search engines. Mostly though, it just sits there. Is the website you paid for pulling its weight?

A website is a tool and can be of significant help to your business. It can cut a lot of time you put into giving information to customers. It can answer questions and perform tasks for you. Find out where websites fail to perform and how you can figure out where to make it better.

1. Undefined Website Objectives

Some sites try to do way too much at once, or worse, they have no definable purpose. Many provide no clear objective. A site can do more than look good and flashy and have your contact information.

Websites can be informational, storing content and articles based on a topic. Sites can run eCommerce solutions that help you with your sales process. It can also generate leads, asking customers to fill out forms with their information and interests. It can also be a hybrid site, with mixed purposes, like offering a free ebook or free access to information (informational) in return for contact information (lead generation).

Defining the purpose of your website gives a clear direction to your customers. Where should customers arrive when they find your website? Where do you want them to end up? Using a clear path and clear objectives, you can lead them through your site, your products, and your information, depending on how you need to sell your products. Not all products or services can be sold directly in an eCommerce situation. Maybe you prefer just getting to know your customer a bit more, and being able to forward marketing materials, so a lead generation type of site might be more suitable.

Assign a secondary objective. Maybe after visitors sign up for free access, or an ebook, they are encourage to ask more by contacting your sales reps, or perhaps they can make a direct purchase online. Use a clearly definable call to action. "Email for more information." "Clíck here to sign up." Tell visitors where to go.

2. Unidentified Target Audience

Demographics have been used in marketing for generations. Marketers use the information because it works. Knowing who your audience is defines the purpose to your website and calls out those who qualify and would be interested in your products. Marketing is the one area where discrimination is actually a good thing! You don't want to waste the marketing dollars that draw people to your site who won't need your products in the first place.

Get to know who your clients are. Are they male or female? How old? Where are they located? What do they do for a living? Habits, income levels, preferences, they can all be discovered with a quick email, phone call or have your current customers take surveys and help you figure out what your clients want.

3. Building for the Wrong Audience

Your site can have a purpose and a select audience, but if it doesn't appeal to audiences, they tend to go elsewhere. Finding preferences is only the first step. Once you figure out what your demographic is, it is time to find out what appeals to them, and use that to your advantage. It could be something as simple as site colors and images, to where and how they prefer to use navigation systems and the type of content presented.

Maybe you need simple content, easy to read and understand for younger audiences. Perhaps you need something a bit more technical for professionals. You can even see if you need to add features for those who are visually impaired. Paying attention to your demographic and their preferences can mean building your website around their likes and getting more responses.

4. Oblivious to Web Traffic Sources

A link on a Harry Potter fan club forum to your website can bring in traffic, but does it really bring in the right customers? If you're not directing traffic from sites relevant to yours or where a matching market exists, you might end up with empty hits to your website. It looks pretty on stat pages but it doesn't really do anything.

Refocus your efforts on search engine optimization and focus on keywords that do fit, not just what might be popular. You can plan the sort of traffic you want and focus your outreach efforts on that. Planning your search engine campaigns can make them more effective, bringing the right customers to you. You don't need 1,000 random visitors a day, when 100 qualified visitors will do.

5. Underestimating the Competition

Who says you can't grab ideas from your competition? Find out what they are lacking and draw customers to your site by adding more features and information. Your target audience is searching the web for your product. Don't let your competition become more appealing.

Understand your competition by observing their sites. Where are your competitors linking? Where aren't they? What designs do they use on their site? Does your target audience like that type of design or do they want something better? Figure out how to improve your site and make it better than your competition.

6. Poor Site Communication and Inconsistency

If you're building a website, is one page orange and another blue? Does one page have your logo and another doesn't? People love consistency.

Does your content and images display the right message? Your website might have pretty pictures of your children, or a fun story about what happened to you last Christmas, but is it really what your customers want to know?

Skip the personal info, unless it's relevant and your audience wants to hear about it. You also need to make sure you present your brand in its best light, and consistently give visitors the same presentation every time and on every page. Let your brand stand out.

7. Outdated and Antiquated Site Features

Out with the old. Check your site for old content and images and delete them. Remove old links that go nowhere too. Forget pop ups and old methods of keeping visitors around. Content is great, but if it's so old that it's irrelevant, you'll lose respectability and your expert status.

Stick to new information. Don't be afraid to get rid of old articles and delete old images. Do an update on your site features, like navigation systems and contact forms.

8. Poor Overall Site Performance

You've plastered all there is to know about you on a few pages. Is this the right way to do it? Maybe not. Yes, you've given them something to look at, but you have to remember, your time to impress people on the Internet is limited to just a few seconds. Long passages of text, lengthy forms, even poorly constructed or confusing navigation can slow people down, which leads to people leaving.

Making your website flow is all about making your site easy to read, easy to browse and easy to find what you're looking for. Include a search function, highlight popular pages, and make it simple for people to give you their information. Start with short forms, only the essentials, and a few simple questions. You can get more info later.

9. Lack of Commitment

When was the last time you updated additional information to your website?

Remember those "Website Under Construction" images from the early years of the Internet? Over time, people have learned those images are pointless. Your website is ever evolving, ever needing updating. Your website is isn't ever finished.

You must make a commitment to update information and to improve interest in your site from visitors. It could be as simple as updating a blog once or twice a week, or updating about sales and special events. Give visitors something to come back to, and let them turn into regular guests.

10. Not using an Experienced Web Firm

You do a good job with what you do, and a good business and website owner knows when to call for help. Maybe you're okay with writing content, but you need help with creating navigation and setting up forms. It's okay to ask someone else for help, either with a few pages, or for the entire site design, and leave it to a professional.

It also saves money and time getting someone else to do the complicated things for you. Are you spending weeks on figuring out a web page design set up when it takes a professional a few hours to produce? When you're in business, you consult with professionals who will help you build a better website, develop methods of search engine marketing strategies, and find out how to appeal to your target audience. You save tíme, money, and plenty of headaches.

About The Author
Gary Klingsheim is the Vice President of Moonrise Design. Moonrise is a San Diego web design company specializing in flash web site design and custom web application development. Visit us online today or call us at 415.887.9240 to discuss how we can help you make the most of your online presence.

Visual Marketing Strategies to Help You Rise Above the Crowd

2008-05-26T06:46:00.001-07:00

You have a message to communicate to your prospective customer. Unfortunately, they're so overwhelmed by advertisements and other promotional information that the chances of your message getting across are slim to none. Indeed, studies show that the average consumer in this country is bombarded with nearly 3500 commercial messages a day.

So what can you do to make sure your target market takes notice? What can you do to make sure your organization is presented in the best possible light?

Speak Directly to Your Customer

Use delivery channels that allow for one-to-one communication. For example, it's more difficult to target a prospect or client through a mass media vehicle like television, versus direct electronic mail where your audience volunteers to hear from you. Untargeted, mass-marketing efforts are often disruptive to a prospect (think of the commercials you're thrown to when you hear the familiar, "right after these messages" from television game show hosts).

Media that allows you to communicate more directly to your audience, like variable-data printing (VDP), allow for the customization of text and imagery in print and electronic media. For example, with variable-data and digital printing, it's possible to retrieve an individual's area of interest from a database so that the photography and text in a brochure is tailored specifically to their needs. Always consider media channels that allow you to speak to your audience on their terms.

Be Unique

Make sure your visual marketing is as distinct and individual as your organization. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you see (or hear) a commercial for an automobile dealership? There seems to be an unwritten rule that they must all be loud and overbearing. You know which spots we're talking about: 20 font styles with 20 different colors; flashing, flying and spinning video and graphics; and an extremely loud voiceover. Does the similarity of these commercials help one dealership stand out from the others?

The same holds true for visual communication efforts that use templates, clip art, or overused formats. You deserve a visual presence that is as unique as your organization. Don't follow the crowd--rise above it!

Keep It Clean and Simple

Keep the visual design of your communication uncluttered and approachable. Whether it's on your website, a company brochure, or a billboard, less is usually better. This is particularly true for communication that is introductory in nature. Until a prospective customer becomes interested enough to dig deeper and learn more, present your message in an easily digestible format--most people get overwhelmed when they are presented with too much information. A clean and simple design helps them more easily find what they're after.

Be Consistent

Use a family of typefaces, colors, backgrounds and graphic elements for your communication pieces. Be consistent in your identity marks--make sure your logo is consistent in its presentation, including any associated type treatment. Make it easy on yourself--there's no reason to reinvent the wheel for every new communication piece you develop.

Once your organization has established an appropriate visual identity, you want to be consistent in your branding efforts. Make it easy for your customers to recognize your organization in all of your visual messages.

If you follow these guidelines in your visual marketing, your messages will be targeted, clear, memorable, and separate you from the crowd.

About the Author: David B. Coleman is a visual communications specialist and founder of Imagine, an award-winning visual marketing firm in South Bend, Indiana. With 25 years in visual communications, he has provided consultation for such noteworthy clientele as the Cleveland Clinic, the Quaker Oats Company, NBC Sports, Bayer Corporation, the Odyssey Channel, and the University of Notre Dame. Imagine can be found at http://www.imaginevisualmarketing.com.

Keyword and meta description tags

2008-05-21T04:56:00.001-07:00

Keyword and description meta tags optimization tutorial for better search engine rankings. Have you ever wondered why some web pages get higher search engine rankings than others? Of course you have, if you are a web developer. You may have read or heard of a hundred ways to improve your page ranking and tried them all. Only to see dismal results and wonder what the heck went wrong.

Been there and done that. So I thought I would let you in on the secrets I use to get my pages to rank high in the search engines. Once you read these tricks you might think that is so obvious I should have thought of it.

Here are the 10 rules I use to search engine optimize a page for keywords and description meta tags.

1. First let's assume that you already know what the page is about and have already created it. This is not a tutorial on how to write web pages. Rather guidelines for search engine optimization using your meta keywords and description tags.

Depending on the type of page you are creating determines how many keywords you should use. For instance a sales letter is typically 2000 or more words. In that type of page you need to describe all the advantages of your product and why it is the right solution. You will want to get testimonials and place them in appropiate places. You may even want to tell a story relating to how well the product has performed. Don't over do the page or you will lose your prospect to boredom.

The product page (different from the sales letter) should be between 500 and 750 words. All you are trying to do here is sell a product. Visitors that make it to these pages probably already know what they are looking for and are only looking for specific information. Your job is to convince them that your product is the right one. Beyond that and there is more opportunity for your visitors to disagree with your pitch and move on.

The article page should be at least 1000 words and not more than 5000 words. Okay some might say that 5000 is too long and others have said that isn't 1000 words aren't enough words to describe what they have to say. Too long - some say that 500 words is good for an article page. So lets look at this: a person who can read 10 words a second will be through your page in 50 seconds. Not enough time for them to soak up your message. A person reading 3 words a second will take about 2-1/2 minutes. Plenty of time for your message to sink in.

The average reader can read somewhere around 6 words per second. Which would take them 83 seconds to read your 500 word article. Barely enough time to get your visitors comfortable. At 1000 words the avearge reader will read your page in roughly 3 minutes. At 6 words a second your reader needs around 3 minutes to read a 1000 word article. This plenty of time for the reader to make a decision to click on your most wanted response.

At over 2000 words the average reader will need 5-1/2 minutes to get through it. This is stretching the limit of time most visitors will spend reading one web page. At 5000 words the average reader takes over 13 minutes to read your page. This is well past the amount of time a visitor will need to decide to click on your most wanted response. If your article is really good most people will read all the way through it. If not they are off to the next website in a flash. If you have more than 2000 words you may want to consider breaking the article into 2 pages.

Okay, back to rule #1 use the right amount of words for a particular type of page. Not too many and not too few.

2. Primary meta keyword (the first one) must be an exact match with the file name of your page. This lets the search engines match up your keyword with your page and give your page higher relevancy. Here is an example from: Ocular Defense Formula (Pr2 and #2 in Google). The first keyword for this page is "Ocular Defense Formula." This seemingly obsure product gets 33,000+ search engine results in Google alone. So it is not that obscure after all. And makes for a good example.

3. Use only 5 keywords in your meta keywords tag. More than that and the search engines might think you are keyword spamming and won't list your page. The search engines rank your keywords in the order that they appear. This makes the first one the primary keyword and the second one a secondary keyword and so on. You should line your keywords up in the order of relevance to the page. Here is the meta keyword tag I used in this example.

"Ocular Defense Formula, Lutein, Bilberry, eye health, vision"

4. Use all of your keywords in your meta description, with the primary keyword as close to the front as possible. Definitely within the first 5 words of your description. The search engines don't read your description verbatim, but can find and match them with your keyword list. So try to use them all but don't repeat them if at all possible. Again if your meta description repeats your keywords too often the search engines might think you are keyword spamming and not list your page, so don't do it.

5. Meta description should be between 100 and 200 characters. It is important to get a solid description of your page. Less that 100 characters and the search engine may not find it relevant enough to list. More than 200 characters and the search engines may truncate it. Which looks unprofessional on your part. Truncated meta descriptions may leave searchers with the impression that your content will be too wordy and full of you know what. Too short a description and your visitors may think there is not enough information on your page and move on to the next result. So try to get your description just right, not too long and not too short. Here is the meta description for ODF.

"Ocular Defense Formula with Lutein, Bilberry and herbs to support eye health and protect your vision from aging and oxidation. Learn how to improve your visual acuity."

6. Line up your meta keywords up too resemble a sentence. Although search engines don't read your keywords as a sentence verbatim, it should reflect well what your page is all about. See the meta keyword tag above.

7. Proof read your content twice. You should always proof read your work before you post for a lot of good reasons like spelling, grammar, placement and paragraph distribution. Once your page looks great proof read it again with your focus on keyword placement and repitition. You want your keywords placed in your content sparingly. What? you say. Again over use of your keywords might result in the search engines thinking you are keyword spamming. That isn't to say you shouldn't have too few. My rule of thumb is 3 uses of a keyword for every 300 words. This lets the search engines know that there is a lot of supporting content for the keyword.

As you are proof reading you may discover that you have a much better keyword for your meta tag than what you originally thought. For instance in ODF I discovered that I had left out the keyword "vision". After proof reading my page I added that keyword to my list and used it a couple more times in the page.

8. Put your meta description all on one line in your html code. This will ensure that the search engines reads it all. I have noticed that some search engine results leave off the second line of a description. That may leave out some of your meta keywords if that happens.

9. Never use more than 3 words for your primary keyword (and file name). People rarely search for a keyword phrase over 3 words long. Too many words in a keyword phrase and the search engines may not find enough relevancy to list your page in the results. Two words in a keyword phrase (and file name) is ideal. For Ocular Defense Formula, I thought 2 words weren't enough to describe the page. "Ocular Defense" would have been too vague and misleading. I could have named the page something else and optimized for those keywords, but, ODF is a product page and optimizing for something like "Eye Health" would have been misleading and probably not get listed high in the search engines.

10. Use your primary keyword in the first and last paragraph of your page. The search engines will give more relevancy to your page if they find your keywords at the beginning and the end of your page. Also your primary keyword should appear in the first 90 characters of your content.

Bonus tip - Use your primary keyword as a text link in your page only once. Not twice but definitely once. If you don't want your visitors to leave your page make that link an "add to favorites" bookmark. On a product page this works great because you don't want to give your visitors the opportunity to go else where.

In summary use these tips to increase your search engine rankings. Optimizing your keyword and descriptions should improve the relevancy of your page and boost your search engine rankings. Notice how I used my primary keyword and description meta tags in this last paragraph.

About the Author: Tim Koen - web developer, http://www.best-website-tools.com. Tool Time blog. All the best website tools, tips and techniques to grow your online business.

Social Networking with Training Wheels

2008-05-19T05:48:00.000-07:00

Look, I don't really think that the mySpaces and Facebooks of the world are that important for the typical small business as they stand today. There may be very practical business reasons for some to actually use these and other, what are called social networks, for business gain, but most people that have jumped on the social network bandwagon have found themselves left with a "is this all there is" kind of feeling.

To those, I say this, the value of the current public social networks for business folks is not what you can get out of them for gain today, but what you can learn by using them for practical gain tomorrow. That's why SpacebookedIn makes sense for you now.

The Facebooks of the world are busy teaching millions and millions of business folks how social networks work, how social networking works, how shared applications can be viral and ever-present. The real payoff in my opinion is that the wave to come after the Facebook bubble bursts is the "personalized business network." Once everyone of your customers and prospects knows how to use what are easily replicatable social networking tools, like building profiles, sharing video and connecting based on mutual interests, your job of building your own social business network around your own very specific community of niche will get a whole lot easier.

2008 will be the year of the personalized social business network. So, if you've decided to take a pass on the whole social networking trend, I would suggest that you use this handy list to start learning to ride this bike with the training wheels on.

Ten ways to get started with Social Networking

1) Read 10 blogs - sign-up for a Bloglines account and search for and subscribe to 10 blogs about social networking - you can return daily to your page on Bloglines to find and read all the new content on your 10. Of course you can add blogs about your industry and interests here too.

2) Comment on 10 blogs - posting relevant comments to blogs you read is a very simple form of social networking. It's also a good way to get some extra visitors your site or blog.

3) Join Facebook - Join and create a profile. Find and friend some of your existing contacts using tools on Facebook. You'll be surprised how many people you already know have Facebook accounts. Facebook has some real value for you because of the rich set of tools and large amount of active users. This is a great place to experiment with how people interact in social networks. Once you get your feet wet you may also find that Facebook is a great way to connect with business contacts you may never bump into otherwise.

4) Create a mySpace page - this service is really embraced primarily by musicians and the younger set. It also happens to have a large underbelly contingent so be warned, but it is a great tool for learning how to build a presence outside of your web site.

5) Join LinkedIn - this is a service that's been called Facebook for business. It is really about meeting and connecting with like-minded business folks. It is a great service for people looking for a job or to make connections with people who may be out of reach without an introduction.

6) Visit Ning - this is the largest custom social networking service that allows you to create your own community using a variety of tools that can be branded to match your current site.

7) Create a Workbench profile - this one's a little self-serving as this is my new social business networking site but it's a good example of the personalized business community that's the next wave for small business.

8) Create a Twitter account - this tool is pretty silly on the surface, it allows you to type in 160 characters or less what you are doing right now. It feels like a giant waste of time but a very large and active community has grown around this kind of micro-blogging and you should understand how people are using it.

9) Create a StumbleUpon profile - This is a social network built around discovering and recommending sites that you like. Active stumblers can send a lot of traffic your way.

10) Create a Digg account - this site allows you to keep up to the minute with what's happening in the world of business. Users submit and vote on what is believed to be the most important content.

You might also consider Mixx, Squidoo and Flickr as places to find and develop niche related communities when you're ready to really get out there.

Think of mySpace, LinkedIn and Facebook as your labs - get in there and experiment for the future. then start planning your own personalized social business network.

About The Author
John Jantsch is a veteran marketing coach, award winning blogger and author of Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide. You can find more information by visiting DuctTapeMarketing.com

Internet And Business Online And Stage Fright

2008-05-16T04:29:00.001-07:00

If you're a person who hates to even think about getting up on stage and performing for an audience then you may have some understanding of what it is like for some to consider starting their own online business.

For many people who experience stage fright there are two dynamics at work. The first is a feeling that they would love to be able to perform. In fact some might even believe they have everything it takes to be a great performer. The second is that they are fully convinced they would freeze on stage and not be able to perform. The potential embarrassment keeps them sidelined.

The idea of business ownership is very similar. If you visit enough brick and mortar stores you can begin to identify individuals who are gifted in multiple areas. They would be prime candidates for business ownership, but in may cases they would never seriously consider the idea although they may be equally certain they could make a business successful.

In most cases this dynamic may be attributed to the fact that the individual has never owned a business previously and may be uncertain that their present skills are enough to develop a business.

It may also have to do with a constantly shifting future timeline. For instance an individual may have a date of five years fixed in their mind to begin their own business, but that date is constantly on fast forward and the business idea never seems to be developed.

This process can be a bit like agreeing to play a part in a locally produced musical. You attend all the rehearsals and memorize your lines. You learn the music and are outfitted with a costume. However, after the dress rehearsal you go home and never return for the actual performance.

In the case of developing an online business a prospective owner can look at the potential of site development, hosting packages, product availability and a myriad of other issues and then just when family and friends think the business will launch the entire thought process stops and the business idea is simply referred to as "the business I could have started."

It really is a bold step to develop a business. You are assuming a variety of risks and rewards and you are placing a dream on a pedestal for all to see. What happens if no one likes your business idea? What will you think if the idea is ridiculed at some point? Wouldn't it be easier to just forget about it?

There are countless potential business owners who have shelved great ideas because they have developed a case of 'stage fright'. They would like to own a business of their own, but they find more comfort in the idea that playing it safe (and out of the spotlight) may be the only option they could handle.

Stage fright comes when anyone has to perform in a setting they are not comfortable with, but the great performers always find a way to ensure that the show will 'go on'.

You can be one of the great performers you just need to find the right stage and then confidently work through your performance.

About the Author: Scott Lindsay - Use the Website Builder with HighPowerSites.com or the Easy Website Builder at BuildAGreatSite.com. Make Money and Sell Ebooks at BooksWealth.com.

How To Get Improved Search Engine Rank Using Squidoo and SEO

2008-05-15T11:43:00.001-07:00

If you know how to use Squidoo to achieve improved search engine rank of your web pages, then you have a tool at your disposal that can be just as powerful as using traditional search engine optimization, if not more so.

One important facet of your Squidoo lens is that it could be listed on Google, or any of the other search engines, for your major keywords, and you should not lose sight of any promotional techniques that provide you with free exposure on search engines. If you Blink your Squidoo lens, you can win every way. Not just with Blinklist, but you can have it listed on just about every social networking site you can think of, Technorati and Deli.cio.us included. Also Furl, Craigslist, Stumbleupon and any of the many others out there.

For those not totally aware of what Squidoo is, I don't intend to go into the ethos of the site right here, other than to state that it can be used as a promotional tool as well as a being a virtual website. Your lens can also be given a Google PageRank. You can use your Squidoo lens in place of a minisite in order to promote yourself and your product, and improve your search engine listing. You can use it as a showcase for your products, your blogs or even your websites, and draw traffic to it and hence to those other online ventures you are involved in.

In order to use Squidoo as a promotional tool for your main website you have to know a lot about the topic of your site. It is not a tool to use to sell an affiliate product, for example, unless you are an authority on that product. However, if you have written a book on a certain aspect of SEO, and want to advertise it, then Squidoo is ideal for that. The reason is that you can give in order to earn. Hence, Squidoo is great for me, because I can provide visitors to my lens with useful information on SEO, while at the same time advertising my SEO site that offers my product. I then get visitors and a link from Squidoo, both of which are great for my search engine rank, and also listing position.

It might be possible just to advertise the product directly, but I prefer to provide information. That allows your visitors to become confident that know what you are talking about, and are not just a 'fly by night' that is trying to sell a product that you know nothing about. The objective of Squidoo is to provide useful information on topics to others interested in that topic. If they go to Squidoo and click on a category, they should be able to find all the info they are looking for.

They don't want outright adverts, but if they find that you are providing good information, then they might want to visit your website. You give them the link to do so, and then they get more information. Part of that might be the offer to purchase your product that will possibly solve their problem. However, neither you nor they know that it will, so you provide them with a guarantee that if it doesn't work for them, they get their money back. You have used Squidoo to persuade them that you know what you are talking about, that led them to your site and more information, and then to your product. They buy it, try it, and if it works fine. If not, they get refunded. In my book that is the proper way to conduct business, and you can use Squidoo to help you with that.

You can also optimize your lens for maximum search engine listing position, since your Squidoo lens should be based upon a single keyword or keyphrase to enable you to get a good listing. You can SEO a lens just as you can do a web page, and with the same effect. Free organic traffic from your listing position.

To achieve all that, sign up for Squidoo, follow their instructions and get your first lens up and running, and then use it to promote your regular website and improve its ranking. You must also make sure that your customers have an out if it doesn't work for them. Squidoo provide lots of help in designing your first lens, but if you already have website then you should find it easy. Optimize your lens for the search engines and you are all set.

By combining your web page, lens and blog optimization, and cross-promoting each in an intelligent way, it is difficult to see how you could fail to get high search engine listings and improved search engine rank using Squidoo and SEO.

About The Author
If you need more information on how to use Squidoo for improved search engine rank, here is a lens that does what I am suggesting you do. Check it out, and then sign up for Squidoo yourself from the same page. Copy what I do and you can hardly fail. The free info on the page is important, especially Improved Search Engine Rank dot com and might be all that you are looking for.

How to Fire up Your Link Building Mojo

2008-05-14T04:20:00.001-07:00

You know you need inbound links to your site to succeed in SEO. What you may not know is, you don't need to spend a dime to get them. In fact, I would advise you not to purchase links.

The recent Google shakeup is all about paid links. Stop paying for links now! Google is now "punishing" websites for having paid links, because they feel it's cheating the algorithm. You might be upset by this, but they are doing it to improve the quality of their results. Here is how you can take advantage of it.

Google is moving towards algorithms that favor sites that are "naturally" linked to. What is "natural" linking? These are links that a webmaster puts up because he or she wanted to, not because they were paid to. They saw something they liked, and put a link to it. This means all those shady SEOs who were buying links up by the hundreds can't cheat good sites out of the rankings anymore. So how you do get natural links?

Focus on Your Subject

There is a saying in marketing, if you market to everyone, you are marketing to no one. Maintain your focus, and keep your content within your niche. Don't try to spread yourself too thin.

I personally have been guilty of this sin in the past. At one time JeremyMorgan.com had SEO articles, PHP scripts, Ford Mustang News and photoshop tutorials, and pictures of my family and locations back home. Needless to say I didn't really dominate any of those niches. Focus your efforts, and try to stay on topic.

Give Them Something to Link to

Once you find your focus, provide content that others in your niche want to link to. It's really that simple. Think to yourself, "are people going to want to link to this?". As much as I think my speculations and opinions on industry trends are great, the reality is most people link to articles I write that actually tell you how to do something. If you really want to build links, give them something helpful or really interesting to link to.

Even pages that you cannot easily monetize. The more links you get, the better.

Join the Community

In 2008, they have a community for almost anything. Get involved in those communities, sign up for forums and comment on posts. Become an authority. Just by being helpful to others and bringing information to a community, people will link to your site out of respect, knowing that their audience will appreciate the link. Be honest, helpful, and maintain your integrity on the boards. Instead of making fun of that newbie, help them out.

Look for Places with High Quality Links

Don't be afraid to ask to exchange links with others who might benefit from your service. Links from sites like your local library or community-centric pages go a long ways. Even your employer may put up a link (be careful not to mess that one up!).

Get Deep Links

Deep links are very important. Try to get links pointing towards inner pages of your site rather than the front page. With enough of these types of links, you can dominate some of the serps related to that topic, as well as build your overall quality.

Write Articles

Chances are, you're reading this article on somewhere other than JeremyMorgan.com or Webfoot Central. That's because I submit articles all over the internet. Not only do you help build backlinks, but you contribute to your community, and make a name for yourself. Don't write spammy articles, or try to advertise too hard. Make something useful that others will want as content on their own site.

Issue Press Releases

I can't really comment on this one too much, because I've never done it, but for some sites it's a very useful tool for getting inbound links, and good publicity. Make sure you have something going on that's worth talking about!

Blog, Blog, Blog

Every site needs a blog. Even if your site is primarily about selling widgets, have a widget news related blog. Individual articles will get people linking to them, and will keep your site fresh and add content, which google and other search engines love.

If You Must, Sponsor Some Links.

There are a few sponsored links worth getting. Yahoo Search Inclusion is one example. If you are in a highly competitive industry, such as adult, SEO, mortgage, finance, or gambling you will need to purchase links to get an edge. There are a lot of people competing for your terms.

Conclusion

Use common sense. The best way to get ahead is by being honest, and providing a decent service. Stop trying gimmicks or tricks to cheat your way into good rankings. The best long term SEO plan involves taking the high road and doing things honestly. Check out the SEO book to see what I learned about ethical SEO. Now I don't have any problems getting people to my website. You can too, all it takes is a little effort!

About The Author
Jeremy Morgan is a Portland SEO who frequently blogs about SEO and how to earn a living online.

Color: An Important Aspect of Business

2008-05-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

The world was once black and white. The television had black and white programs and publications were mostly black. However, in the 60s, all that changed to what we see today. Therefore, we know color is now the best means of drawing attention to any media.

We each have our own tastes. Therefore, different people have different ideas in associating colors with products. There is no actual answer on what the best color would be for a product and at one time everything was done by chance. Now you can now find the best equipment and personnel in the design and printing industry that help produce beautiful labels. The same importance is now applied to producing the appropriate label as it is to producing a product. There are many family owned companies that guarantee in creating a label with 100% satisfaction and that gives a lasting impression.

Getting brand awareness that gives a lasting impression is a point of major concern for most companies today. By using a variety of logo or product colors you may decrease your marketing efforts.

Furthermore, the effectiveness of retail space is greatly reduced with the wrong colors. Sometimes, the variety of colors from different products may make a unique product blend with other products on the store shelf. Therefore, uniformity of a color is very important in creating brand awareness and a presence in the retail atmosphere.

The best way of making a product stand out from other products is with colors and materials that pop. Large manufacturers know that value and this is why they are always striving for color brilliance. You too, are sure to experience increased sales when your product has good shelf appeal.

Colors have a psychological influence in marketing The effect of colors in influencing the mind of the prospective customer is high. The moods and the sentiments are represented with colors. Symbolic representation is not blind, but an effective way of communicating the feelings spontaneously and strongly.

The changes we observe on earth with the advent of spring, the blossoming of the colorful plants and the joyful moods of the birds and other living beings. They all have been so synchronized that it stands testimony to the fact that color does have an effect on the human mind and the living beings. Therefore, as we verbally communicate to people in different dialects, so do the effects of colors in nonverbal communication.

The best example would be nature. As a creative artist, Mother Nature has made the best ever color combinations on earth. Whether it is color in flowers, in butterflies or in the other millions of living creatures. We as a civilized world had the basic lessons of the uses and impacts of the colors from Mother Nature.

While Mother Nature has used the same impact for its continuity, reproduction and sustenance, we today make use of the same for our selfish motives. Even more so in getting the target market attracted. To the ever expanding clientele, the language of the color has evolved as an effective marketing tool.

About the Author: Joann Snell is a freelance Graphic Designer. She specializes in print, corporate id, branding, and other marketing tools for small-medium sized businesses. For further information visit Jo's Graphic Designs at http://www.josgraphicdesigns.com.

5 Tips for Writing Website Content - That Gets Results

2008-05-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

I'm going to ask you to use your imagination for a moment.

Think of a topic that interests you. Maybe it's your favorite sport or hobby, for example. Now imagine that you're searching the Internet for information on that topic.

The first article you come across is related to the topic you're researching, but it doesn't offer much in the way of value. It's too general and full of pointless "fluff." It makes obvious points that a third-grader could grasp. And it fails to offer any related information or resources.

The second article you come across is much more in-depth. It explains several aspects of your topic with refreshing insight. It is helpful and useful, and it links out to many related articles and resources on the subject.

If you could only bookmark one of these pages for future reference, which one would it be? It would be the second page, right?

You, like most people, would probably prefer the second page to the first. It's an easy choice, and that's because the author of the second article understood (and delivered) the most important concept of website content development -- the value factor.

5 Benefits of High-Value Web Content

This kind of content has value for the reader, obviously. But it also benefits the author / publisher. Here are the top five benefits of creating high-value website content for your small business website:

1. It keeps people on your website longer.

2. It makes people more inclined to trust you.

3. It encourages readers to recommend the site to others.

4. It encourages other webmasters to link to your content.

5. It helps you improve your search engine ranking and visibility.

All of this sounds great, you say. But how do I create that kind of small business website content? Here are the top five guidelines for creating high-value website content.

5 Steps to High-Value Web Content

1. Choose the right author.

2. Choose the right topic.

3. Address all sides of the topic.

4. Add supporting graphics, pictures, etc.

5. Link to related resources, both on your site and elsewhere.

Let's look at each of these steps in greater detail.

1. Choose the Right Author

I once worked for a company who let their web programmers write the instructions for their online ordering process. Big mistake. If their audience were programmers as well, this might be okay. But most of their customers had limited technical skills. So when these people encountered online instructions such as "Validate parameters before advancing" ... the customers would often become dead in the water.

This is a prime example of choosing the wrong author for web writing. Sure, the programmers' input is important. After all, they built the thing. But they should not be the voice of customer guidance. A skilled web writer (someone with usability experience) would have "translated" these instructions to say something like "Please fill in all required information before moving to the next screen."

Here's the key to this. The best author for your small business website content is not always the person who knows the most about the product or service from a technical standpoint. Often, it's best to have an in-house writer who plays the go-between role of "consumer advocate," getting the information from one group and translating it for another group.

2. Choose the Right Topic

If your small business only offers one product or service, then that will likely be the topic of your web content. In this case, I would focus on choosing the right angle as well. Don't tell people what you want them to know -- this is an outdated way of thinking about public information, especially when it comes to small business website content. Instead, find out what people want to know about the types of products you offer, and use your web content to address those questions or concerns.

If you are writing web content for a company that has many products or services, you will have to spend more time choosing topics first and choosing your angle second. In this case, it becomes more about topic organization than anything. Large websites with many topics are ideally suited for a category and sub-category system: These are our products >> And this is product 'A' >> And this is a web page that explains product 'A' in detail.

3. Address All Sides of the Topic

Whether you're writing about one of your products, or you're creating a tutorial of some kind, you need to cover all the angles. There's nothing worse than website content that leaves the job only half-done, telling you why a certain thing is important but not pursuing that lead.

When you are close to a certain topic -- as is the case with people who create a product or service -- it's easy to assume everyone else understands it as well as you do. But the opposite is usually true, so you need to explain all sides of a topic when you write content for your small business website.

Want to keep your pages relatively short for easy reading? You can do that while still offering complete information. That's what hyperlinks are for!

4. Link to Related Resources

Here's the key to developing great content for your small business website. Try to create authority documents that others in your field would link to and recommend to others. One of the key criteria for a resource document is that it links to plenty of supporting information, both on the same website and elsewhere on the web.

In addition to being good for your readers, this kind of useful content will make other webmasters more inclined to link to your website. This adds to your link "popularity" and can further improve the search engine ranking of your small business website.

When writing a particular web page, try to think of it as "the ultimate guide to [blank]." This is the first step to creating the kind of authority documents that eventually dominate the search engines and drive endless web traffic for the authors. But it's rarely possible to create an "ultimate guide" to anything in just one page, so be liberal about linking to other sources on your own website and elsewhere (as long as they are not direct competitors).

5. Add Supporting Graphics, Pictures, Etc.

Reading online can be hard on the eyeballs. You can make the reader's job easier in two ways. First, you can format your content appropriately for web reading (short paragraphs, narrow text columns, lots of bullet points, headers, sub-headers, etc.). Secondly, you can add supporting images and helpful graphics.

Well-placed graphics can improve website content in a number of ways. Images are more enticing than text upon first glance, so they can help attract and retain readers. They also help you clarify your message with visual reinforcement.

Conclusion

I have a motto I use regarding website content. "If it's not worth putting online, don't put it online." This is my reminder to myself that I need to use the techniques outlined above to create superior website content. Because that's the kind of content that leads to online success. Apply these lessons to your small business website and watch your own success increase!

About The Author
Brandon Cornett operates a web marketing firm in Austin, Texas and is a web writer at large for dozens of websites and blogs. Learn more by visiting http://www.austinseoguy.com.

Cookies: Who Is Watching You?

2008-05-08T04:39:00.000-07:00

Behavior-Based Internet
Advertising: Who Is Watching You?
By Scott Buresh (c) 2008 Medium Blue

Have you ever been surfing the web and come upon Internet advertising that provides a direct solution for something that you've been researching lately? Did you think that it might be related to your computer cookies, or did you chalk it up to serendipity?

The fact is, it almost certainly wasn't a coincidence. Behavior-based Internet advertising is a relatively new and very powerful way for advertisers to get their message in front of potential buyers that they know to be qualified. The question is, how do they know that the surfer is qualified?

The advertisers know this because the Internet advertising network is tracking the surfers' online activity. With tracking, advertisers know what sites you like. They know what searches you make. They have profiled you, and, unlike in real life, profiling on the web is AOK -- so far.

Check Your Computer for Cookies

Before we get into the legal issues involved, perhaps a further definition of the technology is in order. Most (but not all) behavioral Internet advertising is based on computer "cookies." These computer cookies are tiny files that are placed on your machine when you visit certain websites. In the simplest form, you go to a web page. An advertiser has a blank spot, or placeholder, for a banner ad. But instead of serving up just any banner ad, the advertiser parses through your computer for cookies to discover your likes and dislikes, and then you are fed Internet advertising based on your online behavior.

For some people, this is no big deal. They like Internet advertising to be targeted toward them, and they don't mind computer cookies. For others, it's a little Orwellian and creepy. This leads us to the great debate.

Opt-in or Opt-out?

One big question to be resolved is whether ultimately this type of Internet advertising will be "opt-in" (meaning that a user has to sign up in order to receive targeted ads) or "opt-out" (meaning that a user will receive targeted ads unless they specifically ask not to).

It shouldn't surprise anyone to know which side the advertisers are on. If governmental regulators eventually require that all Internet advertising be "opt-in", the industry will be severely restricted. My guess is that it would relegate behavior-based Internet advertising to a fringe player in the online marketing world.

The privacy advocates, naturally, are on the other side of the fence. The vast majority of people assume that their online activity is not being tracked, they say. Why should they have to take a specific action in order to remove computer cookies and to not be tracked and profiled?

A Do Not Track List?

Recently, a group of nine consumer advocate groups proposed the idea of a "Do Not Track" list for Internet advertising, which would work in a similar fashion as the "Do Not Call" list works today. Naturally, this is an "Opt-out" scenario, but because of the attention that the formation of such a list would bring, it may be a suitable compromise between advertiser and advocate.

How to Prevent Being Tracked

It is fairly easy to prevent being tracked by advertisers. You simply prevent your machine from accepting computer cookies. Go to START, SETTINGS, CONTROL PANEL and click on INTERNET OPTIONS then the PRIVACY tab. (Note that these instructions assume you are working with a Windows XP system. The procedure will be similar, however, for other operating systems.) Slide the bar all the way to the top to where it says "Block All Cookies."

However, you should be aware that this change may limit your Internet experience. Some websites will not display properly (or at all) if you do not accept computer cookies. In my experience, at least one of the top five search engines will not work at all. Other engines have limited functionality when you block Internet advertising.

Even if you do manage to turn off your computer cookies, don't rest easy just yet.

The Newest Technology

Recently, it was announced that a Silicon Valley startup named NebuAd has created a new technology that does not require computer cookies. Under the NebuAd model, the company teams up directly with service providers and installs equipment directly at their facilities that allows them to track the behavior of individuals on the web, even if their machine does not accept computer cookies. This, of course, requires Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to embrace the new technology; naturally, they are given a piece of the Internet advertising revenue that is generated. Whether or not any of the major players embrace this technology will probably depend largely on public outcry, or lack thereof. Of course, if this does become the newest behavioral targeting standard, we will return again to the question of "Opt-in" or "Opt-out."

Conclusion

The future of this approach to Internet advertising is unclear, and will depend largely on public education and reaction. Will people see value in receiving targeted ads, even if it means that somewhere there is an "anonymous" profile of them sitting on a server? Will they feel outraged and push for a total ban? It's hard to say.

Will this new approach be the death of the Internet as we know it? Probably not. But it should at least be interesting.

About The Author
Scott Buresh is the CEO of Medium Blue, which was recently named the number one search engine optimization company in the world by PromotionWorld. Scott has contributed content to many publications including Building Your Business with Google For Dummies (Wiley, 2004), MarketingProfs, ZDNet, WebProNews, DarwinMag, SiteProNews, ISEDB.com, and Search Engine Guide. Medium Blue serves local and national clients, including Boston Scientific, DS Waters, and Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. Visit MediumBlue.com to request a custom SEO guarantee based on your goals and your data.

5 Tips for Writing Website Content - That Gets Results!

2008-05-07T13:24:00.001-07:00

I'm going to ask you to use your imagination for a moment.

Think of a topic that interests you. Maybe it's your favorite sport or hobby, for example. Now imagine that you're searching the Internet for information on that topic.

The first article you come across is related to the topic you're researching, but it doesn't offer much in the way of value. It's too general and full of pointless "fluff." It makes obvious points that a third-grader could grasp. And it fails to offer any related information or resources.

The second article you come across is much more in-depth. It explains several aspects of your topic with refreshing insight. It is helpful and useful, and it links out to many related articles and resources on the subject.

If you could only bookmark one of these pages for future reference, which one would it be? It would be the second page, right?

You, like most people, would probably prefer the second page to the first. It's an easy choice, and that's because the author of the second article understood (and delivered) the most important concept of website content development -- the value factor.

5 Benefits of High-Value Web Content

This kind of content has value for the reader, obviously. But it also benefits the author / publisher. Here are the top five benefits of creating high-value website content for your small business website:

1. It keeps people on your website longer.
2. It makes people more inclined to trust you.
3. It encourages readers to recommend the site to others.
4. It encourages other webmasters to link to your content.
5. It helps you improve your search engine ranking and visibility.

All of this sounds great, you say. But how do I create that kind of small business website content? Here are the top five guidelines for creating high-value website content.

5 Steps to High-Value Web Content

1. Choose the right author.
2. Choose the right topic.
3. Address all sides of the topic.
4. Add supporting graphics, pictures, etc.
5. Link to related resources, both on your site and elsewhere.

Let's look at each of these steps in greater detail.

1. Choose the Right Author

I once worked for a company who let their web programmers write the instructions for their online ordering process. Big mistake. If their audience were programmers as well, this might be okay. But most of their customers had limited technical skills. So when these people encountered online instructions such as "Validate parameters before advancing" ... the customers would often become dead in the water.

This is a prime example of choosing the wrong author for web writing. Sure, the programmers' input is important. After all, they built the thing. But they should not be the voice of customer guidance. A skilled web writer (someone with usability experience) would have "translated" these instructions to say something like "Please fill in all required information before moving to the next screen."

Here's the key to this. The best author for your small business website content is not always the person who knows the most about the product or service from a technical standpoint. Often, it's best to have an in-house writer who plays the go-between role of "consumer advocate," getting the information from one group and translating it for another group.

2. Choose the Right Topic

If your small business only offers one product or service, then that will likely be the topic of your web content. In this case, I would focus on choosing the right angle as well. Don't tell people what you want them to know -- this is an outdated way of thinking about public information, especially when it comes to small business website content. Instead, find out what people want to know about the types of products you offer, and use your web content to address those questions or concerns.

If you are writing web content for a company that has many products or services, you will have to spend more time choosing topics first and choosing your angle second. In this case, it becomes more about topic organization than anything. Large websites with many topics are ideally suited for a category and sub-category system: These are our products >> And this is product 'A' >> And this is a web page that explains product 'A' in detail.

3. Address All Sides of the Topic

Whether you're writing about one of your products, or you're creating a tutorial of some kind, you need to cover all the angles. There's nothing worse than website content that leaves the job only half-done, telling you why a certain thing is important but not pursuing that lead.

When you are close to a certain topic -- as is the case with people who create a product or service -- it's easy to assume everyone else understands it as well as you do. But the opposite is usually true, so you need to explain all sides of a topic when you write content for your small business website.

Want to keep your pages relatively short for easy reading? You can do that while still offering complete information. That's what hyperlinks are for!

4. Link to Related Resources

Here's the key to developing great content for your small business website. Try to create authority documents that others in your field would link to and recommend to others. One of the key criteria for a resource document is that it links to plenty of supporting information, both on the same website and elsewhere on the web.

In addition to being good for your readers, this kind of useful content will make other webmasters more inclined to link to your website. This adds to your link "popularity" and can further improve the search engine ranking of your small business website.

When writing a particular web page, try to think of it as "the ultimate guide to [blank]." This is the first step to creating the kind of authority documents that eventually dominate the search engines and drive endless web traffic for the authors. But it's rarely possible to create an "ultimate guide" to anything in just one page, so be liberal about linking to other sources on your own website and elsewhere (as long as their not direct competitors).

5. Add Supporting Graphics, Pictures, Etc.

Reading online can be hard on the eyeballs. You can make the reader's job easier in two ways. First, you can format your content appropriately for web reading (short paragraphs, narrow text columns, lots of bullet points, headers, sub-headers, etc.). Secondly, you can add supporting images and helpful graphics.

Well-placed graphics can improve website content in a number of ways. Images are more enticing than text upon first glance, so they can help attract and retain readers. They also help you clarify your message with visual reinforcement.

Conclusion: I have a motto I use regarding website content. "If it's not worth putting online, don't put it online." This is my reminder to myself that I need to use the techniques outlined above to create superior website content. Because that's the kind of content that leads to online success. Apply these lessons to your small business website and watch your own success increase!

About the Author: Brandon Cornett operates an web marketing firm in Austin, Texas and is a web writer at large for dozens of websites and blogs. Learn more by visiting http://www.austinseoguy.com.

Checklist de Usabilidade - Design

2008-02-28T05:53:00.001-08:00

A promoção pelos “Search Engine” é importante: a maioria dos visitantes usa um buscador para encontrar o seu site. Mas uma vez que chega nele, ele deve ser capaz de usá-lo e entender o seu conteúdo. Caso contrário, seu site é perda de tempo.

Nosso checklist de Usabilidade realça cinco componentes importantes para um site usável :

1. Desenhe um sistema de navegação simples e limpo. De acordo com o expert de Usabilidade na Web, Jakob Nielsen, um bom sistema de navegação deve responder três questões :

a. Onde eu estou ?

b. Onde eu estive ?

c. Para onde eu posso ir ?

O sistema de navegação do seu site responderá a essas questões se você incluir cuidadosamente estes três elementos :

· Mantenha-o consistente. O Sistema de navegação deve estar no mesmo lugar em todas as paginas e no mesmo formato. Os visitantes ficam confusos e frustrados se os links aparecem e desaparecem sem motivos. Considere Inclusão de Servidor para seu sistema de navegação principal para ter certeza que seu sistema de navegação se mantenha consistente.

· Use um texto apropriado para links. Não faça os seus visitantes adivinharem para onde os links irão levá-los. Os visitantes devem ser capazes de antecipar o destino de um link apenas lendo o texto do mesmo ou da imagem do botão. Esta não é a hora de ser engraçado ou obscuro – os visitantes não tem tempo ou paciência para isso.
Se há alguma dúvida sobre o destino do link, explique-o usando o atributo TITLE que explica exatamente para onde o link vai.

· Use CSS para enfatizar links de texto. Alguns designers não gostam de usar sublinhado nos textos das páginas, entretanto os visitantes esperam poder clicar em um texto sublinhado. Se você decidir remover esta pista importante de navegação, estilize os seus links com CSS para trocar o sublinhado por outro, consistente com a técnica visual como cor de fundo, fonte diferente ou cor de texto que indique um hyperlink.

· Sempre inclua links de texto. Você pode criar um menu fantástico usando JavaScript ou outra linguagem, mas você nunca se baseie completamente em um sistema de menu dinâmico. Alguns usuários tem problemas usando o mouse para navegar através do menu e outros podem estar ouvindo a pagina usando um “Leitor de Páginas”. Cada pagina deveria ter links de texto básico que ligue a todas as maiores seções do site.

· Adicione um Mapa do Site em formato texto. Sites grandes e complexos deveriam sempre ter um mapa do site em formato texto em adição aos links de texto. Cada pagina deveria conter um link de texto para o mapa do site. Visitantes perdidos irão usá-lo para se localizar, enquanto os robôs dos buscadores terão um acesso fácil a todas as paginas.

· Inclua um link para Home no sistema de navegação. Visitantes que entram no site por uma pagina interna, mas querem ir para a pagina principal em seguida.

· O Logotipo com link para pagina principal. A maioria dos sites incluem seu logotipo em algum lugar no topo de todas as paginas – geralmente no canto superior esquerdo. Os visitantes esperam que esse logotipo seja um link para a pagina principal. Eles freqüentemente vão até lá mesmo antes de olhar para o sistema de navegação.

· Inclua no site uma caixa de pesquisa. Um sistema de pesquisa robusto ajuda os visitantes a rapidamente localizarem a informação que querem. Faça uma caixa de pesquisa visível e tenha a certeza que ela pesquise todo o site e somente o seu Site. Nós nos deparamos com muitos sites na internet que incluem “Pesquise na Internet” na sua pagina principal. O resultado ? Os visitantes dificilmente obtem o seu site antes da função de pesquisa e os leva para outro site!

2. Mantenha o conteúdo limpo e simples. Você pode atrair visitantes com design de visual cativante, mas o conteúdo é que o mantém no site e o encoraja a retornar. Conteúdo também é a melhor maneira de melhorar o seu site nos rankings dos buscadores.

Mantenha os buscadores em mente quando escrever conteúdo, mas lembre-se que o seu objetivo é audiência humana. Crie o seu conteúdo com humanos em mente.

· Não guarde o melhor para o ultimo. Coloque o seu melhor conteúdo nas paginas principais. Pense em jornal: a historia principal é sempre mostrada na parte superior da pagina, acima da dobra. Verifique a visualização do seu site em diferentes resoluções de tela para ter certeza que o seu conteúdo mais importante é sempre visível quando a pagina carregar.

· Faça o conteúdo da pagina fácil de pesquisar e ler. Você gastará horas e talvez dias, escrevendo o conteúdo da sua pagina e realmente é desanimador que o visitante pode ler menos da metade dela. Formate o conteúdo para ser fácil de ler. Enfatize os pontos importantes (ou características dos produtos) com uma combinação de tags de cabeçalho, tipo negrito, cor ou listas.

· Evite usar textos dentro das imagens sempre que possível. Texto em imagens é invisível para os robôs dos buscadores e para visitantes que podem ter as imagens desligadas em seus navegadores ou usa tecnologia de assistência a leitura, com leitores de tela.

· Use os atributos ALT e TITLE em todas as imagens. Cada imagem deve ter uma descrição no atributo ALT e TITLE – particularmente imagens que também são links para outras páginas. Deste modo, eles podem rapidamente pular para a pagina que estão interessados sem ter que esperar a carga da pagina completa.

· Contraste, Contraste Contraste! Seja cauteloso com as imagens de fundo e cores porque eles podem obscurecer o conteúdo do texto na pagina. Tenha certeza que você tem uma boa razão para mudar de um texto de sucesso em preto com fundo branco. Os visitantes podem não comprar os seus produtos se eles não podem ler o conteúdo.

3. Ajude a sua marca. Uma boa marca cria o reforça a impressão do usuário no site. Quando o seu site tem uma marca forte, significa que os visitantes pensarão primeiro em você quando forem comprar produtos ou serviços.
Marca em um site leva tempo, esforço e muita atenção ao layout e design da pagina.

· Mantenha as cores e fontes consistentes. Os visitantes nunca devem pensar que ao clicar em um link interno do seu site, estariam indo para outro site. Escolha suas cores e fontes cuidadosamente e use-os consistentemente em todo o site.

· Mantenha o layout consistente. Use um modelo que reforce uma estrutura uniforme de paginas. Os visitantes devem poder prever a localização dos elementos importantes da pagina depois de visitarem uma única vez o seu site.

· Página de erro customizada. Crie uma página de erro que ajude os visitantes se eles clicarem em um link quebrado ou digite uma URL incorretamente. A pagina de erro deve refletir as cores gerais do site, tipos e estrutura de layout e disponibilizar links úteis para ajudar o visitante a encontrar o que procurava.

· Crie uma boa linha de slogan e use-o em todas as paginas. Um bom slogan limpo e conciso explica a sua “proposta de valores” ou faz o seu site estar a frente dos concorrentes. Deve ser fácil de lembrar e reforça a sua marca em uma só frase.

4. Crie um sistema de feedback ao visitante. Formulários são importantes para o sucesso dos sites de eCommerce. Sem formulários, você não pode ter uma cesta de compras. Mas qualquer site normalmente precisa pelo menos um formulário que permita o contato do cliente. Um formulário ajuda a esconder de robôs de email e ajuda a controlar como os retornos são formatados e enviados.

· Mantenha os formulários de feedback curtos e avise quais informações são necessárias para enviar o formulário. Tome cuidado em desenhar um formulário que todos possam usar.

· Lembre-se dos usuários internacionais e não peça informações que eles podem não ter, como códigos de área ou CEPs.

· Mostre a informação completa de contato, incluindo seu telefone comercial e endereço postal. O endereço é importante, mas você pode usar uma Caixa Posta se você tiver um negócio em casa. Os visitantes preferem contatá-lo via email ou formulário, mas se sentem mais confortáveis com um site que tem outros tipos de contatos.

5. Teste o seu site com usuários verdadeiros. Lembre-se que você é o designer e com certeza usa sem esforço o sistema de navegação, ama o conteúdo e entende o valor proposto. Mas agora é hora de obter retorno de usuários – antes que usuários on-line comecem a entrar nele.
Testes de usabilidade ajuda a replicar a experiência do usuário médio da internet e corrige os problemas antes que os visitantes on-line encontre-os. Também dá importantes respostas para outras questões:

· Os visitantes gostam do site ? Se gostam, ficarão mais tempo e lerão mais conteúdo ?

· Eles entendem o motivo do site ? Se não, não há razão para voltar.

· Há algum incentivo para retornar após a primeira visita ? O seu site deveria tentar em ser a ultima autoridade na Web na sua área. Um site com profundidade em assuntos encorajam os visitantes a gravarem seu endereço e repassar para os amigos do mesmo assunto.

· Eles podem se recuperar de erros ? O teste de usabilidade é a melhor maneira de testar quanto bem o seu site funciona em pesquisa, mapeamento, envio de formulários. Eles deveriam trabalhar juntos para guiar o visitantes durante sua visita e ajuda-lo a obter o que ele esta procurando. Visitantes frustados quase nunca retornam – nunca.

Usabilidade na Web significa desenhar para seus visitantes ao invés de para você ou seus clientes. Um site que supre as expectativas de usuário faz os visitantes mais confortáveis e mais aptos a visitar novamente e recomendar o site aos seus amigos.

Uma boa usabilidade é essencial para o sucesso do seu site.

Marketing viral: Funcionará para você? por Jim Swank

2008-01-30T03:21:00.000-08:00

Marketing viral largamente é elogiado como a nova maneira de aumentar penetração de mercado e constrói consciência de marca no espaço de internet. Marketing viral não é bem como contagioso entre consumidores como anunciantes gostariam de, de acordo com um novo relatório de Júpiter Pesquisa. Marketing viral também às vezes é chamado propaganda viral.

Marketing

O marketing na teia é uma nova arena inteira, e as companhias/pessoas tentarão algo a si promove. Marketing viral e propaganda viral referem a técnicas de marketing que usam redes sociais preexistentes produzir aumentos em consciência de marca, processos virais auto-replicantes, análogo à extensão de patológico e vírus de computador. [1] Marketing Viral é um fenômeno de marketing que facilita e encoraja as pessoas passar ao longo de uma mensagem de marketing voluntariamente. Marketing viral é baseado neste comportamento humano natural. A meta de comerciantes interessou em criar programas de marketing virais bem sucedido é identificar indivíduos com Potencial Social alto de ligação em rede (SNP) e cria Mensagens Virais que apelam a este segmento da população e tem uma probabilidade alta de passar ao longo de. Um exemplo de marketing viral bem sucedido é Hotmail, uma companhia, agora possuído por Microsoft, isso promove seu serviço e o próprios anunciantes mensagens em cada notas de correio eletrônico do operador. Marketing viral descreve qualquer estratégia que encoraja indivíduos passar numa mensagem de marketing a outros, criando o potencial para crescimento exponencial na exposição da mensagem e influência. Algumas estratégias virais de marketing trabalham melhor que outros, e poucos trabalho assim como o Hotmail simples. O meio que carrega sua mensagem de marketing deve ser fácil de transferir e de duplicar: correio eletrônico, sítio web, gráfico, download de software.

Vídeo

Promoções virais podem tomar a forma de presilha de vídeo, jogos com interação de Lampejo, advergames, imagens, ou mesmo mensagens de texto. Aqui estejam algumas diretrizes que nós seguimos. : Faça-o curto: 15-30 segundos é ideais; pausa histórias para baixo longas em presilha de mordida-calculou Projetadas para remixing: criam um vídeo que é suficientemente simples remixed milhares de vezes por outros. Análise útil de um grande exemplo de uma campanha viral online ajudada por anúncios curtos de TV que leva as pessoas a um vídeo minúsculo de 7. Em outras palavras, não todos vídeos vão viral organicamente - há um método à loucura. E Lee Jeans enviaram mensagens com notícia de um jogo frio de vídeo caracterizam caracteres de TV e anúncios de impressão. "É possível que seria camionete num vídeo oito meses depois que arejou, quando o assunto aparece na notícia.

Livre

Um exemplo bom de marketing viral é muitos dos serviços livres de email disponível na internet. Serviços livres de correio eletrônico, informação livre, liberta "esfria" botões, programas livres de software que executam funções poderosas mas não tão muito quanto você entra a versão "profissional". A estratégia é simples: Doem endereços livres de correio eletrônico e serviços, Unem uma etiqueta simples no fundo de cada mensagem livre enviou: "Recebe seu privado, liberta email em http://www . Recursos livres de marketing de Internet, seminários de desenvolvimento de local de teia, estratégias de comércio & soluções de software. Doa produtos valiosos ou serviços "Libertar" é a palavra mais poderosa num vocabulário do comerciante. Eles não podem lucrar hoje, nem amanhã, mas se podem gerar um vagalhão de interesse de algo libertar, eles sabem que eles lucrarão "logo e para o resto de seu vive" (com desculpa a "Casablanca"). A beleza aproximadamente todos isto é que é propaganda livre.

Artigo

O marketing de artigo não está mas plenamente entendido como está um das melhores maneiras de noticiar seu sítio web: mesmo melhor que salário por propaganda de estalido. Os artigos como uma ferramenta viral de marketing que UMA estratégia muito bem sucedido é o desenvolvimento de artigos e seminários tal como estes. Artigo Marketing: a nova fronteira de marketing de teia que trabalha. Os autores, que doa artigos livres, procuram posicionar seus artigos em outros' páginas de teia. Uma liberação de notícia pode ser colhida por centenas de periódicos e forma a base de artigos vistos por centenas de milhares de leitores. Submeter artigos a Artigo Arquivos e Editores de eZine submetendo artigos que você escreveu é um das maneiras mais rápidas e mais fáceis de ficar publicidade LIVRE instante a seu local de teia e é também uma maneira excelente receber elos apoiar a seu local sem ligar costas.

YouTube

O conceito de âmago de marketing de vídeo em YouTube é arrear o poder do trânsito do local. Há dezenas de milhares de vídeos carregado a YouTube cada dia (ouvi estimativas entre vídeos 10-65,000 por dia). Parece óbvio, mas as pessoas vêem centenas de vídeos em YouTube, e o título e unha do polegar são uma maneira fácil para editores de vídeo ativamente convencer alguém clicar num vídeo. Tenha-o jamais observou um vídeo com 100.000 pareceres em YouTube e pensou a si: "Como o inferno fez esse vídeo receber tantos pareceres. Quando pareceres começam arrastam-se fora depois de alguns dias a uma semana, está tempo de adicionar algumas etiquetas mais genéricas, etiquetas que sacam a cauda longa de um vídeo como começa aparecer em resultados de procura em YouTube e Google. Durante o semana primeiro que um vídeo é online, nós não usamos palavra que etiquetas chaves optimizar o vídeo para procuras em YouTube. Eu não converso sobre etiquetas obscuras; converso sobre etiquetas raras, etiquetas que não são usadas por qualquer outros vídeos de YouTube.

Amigos

Uma proporção grande de amigos do todo o mundo e membros de família estão agora online ou logo será. Uma Epidemia de "Marketing Viral" Recebendo operadores de Teia passar anúncios e promos em a amigos é eficiente e barato -- aperfeiçoa para hoje ponto-coms. Cientistas sociais contam-nos essa cada pessoa tem uma rede de 8 a 12 pessoas em sua rede próxima de amigos, a família, e sócios. Um comerciante faz algo e um consumidor conta cinco ou dez amigos. Três desses amigos talvez contem um amigo. E remeterei este artigo a meus amigos de marketing. Para comerciantes de anos tenha seus amigos em jornais quando querem vazar histórias, eu estou seguro não é um pulo elaborar que seleciona contente em vídeo compartilhar as companhias e os põe na lista de divertimento também.

Software

O meio que carrega sua mensagem de marketing deve ser fácil de transferir e de duplicar: correio eletrônico, sítio web, gráfico, download de software. Marketing viral "começou para fora como um negócio-a-ferramenta de consumidor para produtos de marketing de massa tal como música, livros, e software, diz Kim Córregos, consultor de Internet-Marketing em Bardo-Córregos Marketing, baseado em Kirkland, Lava. Se um é competente em criar programas de software para aplicações diferentes, ele realmente pode usá-los a como ferramentas de marketing. Um deve assegurar-se, embora, que o software contem algum tipo de anúncio contendo a mensagem de marketing. Embora naturalmente serve para libertar "comunicações" ou aplicações de rede, Marketing Viral também podia ser aplicado a software autónomo tradicional acelerar a palavra-de-extensão de boca de software bom. Vira pirataria de software numa oportunidade de vendas.

Marketing viral é um bit bom sobre corações ganhadores e mentes. Largamente é elogiado como a nova maneira de aumentar penetração de mercado e constrói consciência de marca no espaço de internet. Marketing viral não está sobre pessoas debilitantes tempo; é em vez disso sobre dar algo que quer passar tempo em. Só não põe se lá fora com algum libertar informação, mas seu utilizar que o fator de "frieza" por receber pessoas escrever sobre você e espalha a palavra, neste caso o iPhone. Marketing viral é sempre tão eficiente quanto outros di-lo se seria feito adequadamente.

Sobre o Autor

O autor é um escritor experimentado e marketier de rede. Mostrou seus métodos bem sucedido de marketing às pessoas todo sobre a internet para os passados 10 anos. Para mais informação em Rede Marketing na internet, vai a: http://www.MultiAffiliateIncomes.com

Camuflagem em Mosaico : Uma nova forma de SPAM nos motores de busca

2008-01-22T03:13:00.000-08:00

Webmasters envolvidos em otimizações obscuras de motores de busca inventaram uma nova forma de Camuflagem. Esse novo metodo foi chamado de Camuflagem em Mosaico e tenta fazer a camuflagem menos detectável.

O que é Camuflagem?

Camuflagem é uma técnica de otimização de motores de busca na qual o conteúdo apresentado para o robô de busca é diferente do apresentado aos internautas.

Quando um internauta é identificado como robô de busca, um script no servidor entrega uma diferente versão da pagina web, uma que contem conteúdo não presente na pagina visível.

Os Motores de Busca não gostam de Camuflagens porque o seu objetivo é enganar os motores de busca. Se o Google detectar que um web site está usando Camuflagem, ele removerá suas páginas do índice.

O que é novo em Camuflagem em Mosaico?

Enquanto a camuflagem tradicional entrega um conteúdo totalmente diferente aos motores de busca dos internautas, o novo método de camuflagem troca apenas partes da pagina. Por exemplo, um espaço em branco na pagina pode ser preenchido com palavras chave quando o robô de busca requisitar a mesma. O resto da pagina permanece inalterado.

Este novo método de camuflagem funciona?

Parece que obtêm resultados de curto prazo, por ser um método relativamente novo no qual os motores de busca podem não reagir ainda.

Entretanto, nós não recomendamos camuflagem para otimizar suas páginas web. Enquanto você pode ter resultados de curto prazo com camuflagem, é provável que sua pagina web seja banida dos motores de busca cedo ou tarde.

Os motores de busca sabem que esses métodos existem e empregam engenheiros altamente qualificados para tentar detectar esses web sites com algoritmos. E também um competidor pode denunciar manualmente o seu web site.

O Google deixa bem claro que esses métodos farão com que seu site seja banido se forem usados. Se você não quer que isso aconteça com seu web site, é melhor usar métodos éticos de otimização de motores de busca para colocar-lo no topo dos resultados do Google.

12 Passos para promover seu site usando a Mídia Social Online

2008-01-09T08:20:00.000-08:00

O último ano foi visto a chegada da mídia social online. Se você gerencia um site ou blog, você já foi aconselhado a explorar os sites de mídia social para aumentar o trafego.

Você também deveria introduzir no seu site mídia social porque os usuários da internet estão experimentando essas novas formas de interação em mais e mais sites e eles esperam o mesmo do seu site.

Se você quer atrair visitantes repetitivamente e mantê-los, seu foco nos próximos meses deverá ser nos aspectos sociais do seu site.

Mídia social usa tecnologias como RSS, blogging, podcasting, tagging, etc. e oferece rede social (MySpace, Facebook), vídeo social e compartilhamento de fotos (YouTube, Flickr) e ranking de conteúdo baseado na comunidade (Digg, MiniClip).

O tema central desses sites é conteúdo gerado por usuários para compartilhamento entre outros usuários. Os aspectos sociais desses sites permite configurar comunidades, convidar amigos e compartilhar interesses comuns.

Você não tem que mudar o seu site imediatamente para obter as vantagens dessas novas tecnologias. Introduza pequenas mudanças gradativamente e você estará bem no caminho para suprir as novas expectativas de seus visitantes.

Passo 1. Declare quem é você na comunidade online. As pessoas devem ser capazes de lhe contatar. A menos que eles conheçam mais sobre você, você será apenas uma identidade desconhecida, e as pessoas não gostam de lida com quem não conhecem. Crie uma página “Sobre mim” para lista as suas conquistas, qualificações e aspirações.

Passo 2. Crie uma pagina no site MySpace e ligue a sua biografia na pagina de perfil do MySpace. Também coloque um link de volta no MySpace para seu site. Gaste uma hora por semana para desenvolver sua rede social no MySpace. Convide alguns amigos para escrever artigos de blog para o seu site sobre os seus produtos ou serviços.

Passo 3. Instale um blog gratuito e comece publicando pelo menos um artigo por semana.Configure uma fácil maneira de marcar seu blog a redes sociais como del.icio.us. Isto pode ser feito colocando um botão de ação em cada artigo no seu site. Este botão de ação leva os usuários a enviarem a pagina para um site de marcadores.

Passo 4. Providencie um botão de ação para publicação direta dos artigos do blog para o Digg. Digg é um site de classificação de noticias. Assim como um artigo no Digg trará milhares de visitantes ao seu site.

Passo 5. Crie um fórum no seu site para que os usuários discutam seus produtos e serviços. Não apague comentários negativos porque eles informações para melhor servir os seus usuários. Entretanto, filtre comentários com excesso e sem sentido. Registre o seu fórum no BoardTracker. BoardTracker é um motor de busca de Fóruns.

Passo 6. Se você está oferecendo produtos, permita os usuários fazerem revisão e comentários neles. Isto ajudará você no gerenciamento do inventários porque permitirá descontinuar produtos com baixa classificação.

Passo 7. Forneça RSS feeds para seus novos produtos, blogs, perguntas de fóruns, etc. Um RSS feed provem uma prévia do seu conteúdo. Os usuários usam os Leitores de RSS para visualizar suas prévias e visitar o seu site se a informação lhes interessar.

Passo 8. Publique todos os seus feeds no Feedburner. Feedburner provem distribuição de media e serviços de obtenção de audiência para Feeds RSS. Eles também provêm rede de propaganda para seus feeds. Se você tem conteúdo de qualidade, poderá rentabilizar seu conteudo com esses serviços.

Passo 9. Crie um vídeo de “Como Fazer” ou de Novos Produtos e publique-os em sites de compartilhamento de vídeo como o YouTube e Google Video. Forneça no inicio uma introdução do seu site coma URL nesses vídeos. Coloque esses vídeos com títulos chamativos, descrições com conteúdo e tags fáceis de serem encontradas.

Passo 10. Coloque links para o seus vídeos hospedados for a no seu site. Isso irá economizar banda da sua conexão e armazenamento, porque os vídeos estarão armazenados nos servidores dos sites e não no seu.

Passo 11. Assim como vídeos, use sites de compartilhamento de fotos como o Flickr e SmugMug para compartilhar fotos relacionados com o conteúdo do seu site. Use a mesma técnica de titulo, descrição e tags discutidas antes para sites de vídeo.

Passo 12. Coloque “Envie para um amigo” para todos os produtos e serviços fornecidos. Este recurso é um link que envia o artigo, descrição do produto, etc., para um destinatário de email.

Mídia Social não é uma moda. Esta aqui para ficar e traz profundas mudanças na maneira dos internautas navegarem. Agora é a hora certa para implementar esses recursos que farão o seu site amigável como Rede Social. Também, usando técnicas de marketing que usa os sites populares de mídia social, você verá um aumento maciço no trafego do seu site.

Sobre o Autor
Dave Foster é dono e opera o Blog e Podcast "Solo Profíts, guiando empreendedores individuais e negócios caseiros para o sucesso on-line usando áudio, vídeo e técnicas multimídia. Dave também explorar o inexplorado campo da psicologia multimídia e como apresentar sua mensagem efetivamente através desses novos canais de comunicação.Quer ver mais Visite ==> SoloProfits.com

Métodos de Marketing Chaves para 2008

2008-01-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

Marketing On-Line não é caro por definição ? Não necessariamente. Negócios Online estão se apercebendo que ambientes orgânicos como a internet, Marketing Orgânico é necessário; pagar pelo tradicional ou marketing estático somente leva você tão longe do objetivo que se torna sem efeito. O consumidor agora controla o seu marketing.

O que está Errado com os velhos métodos ?

Os velhos métodos de marketing estão falhando porque os usuários estão ficando mais espertos contra a propaganda de força-bruta que tenta ganhar usuários através do volume, usando banners da web abrasivos, palavras não relacionadas no Ad-Words mostradas na pagina ou newsletters repetidos (a maioria restringida pelas leis de anti-spam).

Os velhos métodos não mais tem efeito por duas razões principais. Uma é o fato que ele é “fogo de palha”, direcionando usuários ao site somente enquanto você paga pela campanha, e a segunda razão é que os consumidores estão em um estágio que ou eles ignoram ou têm uma maneira de bloqueá-los (como plug-ins nos navegadores e filtragem de emails).

Vamos rapidamente ver alguns métodos “tradicionais” de marketing na web e suas falhas.

Campanhas Pagas - (Esta somente funciona enquanto estiver ativa) Campanhas pagas podem ludibriar as pessoas para o seu site, mas normalmente não direcionado ao seu público alvo e depois de chegarem ao site saem rapidamente (Alto nível de “rejeição”)
Propagandas com Banners – As pessoas odeiam propaganda por banners. A maior parte das propagandas da internet são detestadas porque são irrelevantes. Ver um banner de Seguros em um site de Jogos é desconectar sua audiência e uma grande parte dos textos das propagandas são “abrasivos” para os usuários. Enchendo um terço da pagina com banners não aumentará a probabilidade de alguém ligar para ela.
Ad-Words - Ad-Words (PPC, Pay Per Click) têm o mesmo problema dos banners de propaganda, entretanto menos extensivo. Ad-Words trabalha mostrando "resultados patrocinados," nos resultados do site de busca. Os resultados do Ad-Words são separados dos resultados de pesquisa, então não são muitos usuários que selecionam esses links e qualidade desconhecida na vista de um usuário pode causar interrupção da navegação (é como eu sei que resultado patrocinado é melhor que resultado orgânico). A concorrência é feroz, com preços subindo e o retorno se mantendo constante.
Para maiores informações veja o artigo “ article about Google marketing pitfalls.” (em inglês)

Newsletters – Em outras palavras: Spam. Por causa da epidemia de Spam, os internautas estão se tornando mais atentos quando recebem email de fonte online. A legislação e o aumento constante da habilidade dos filtros de spam significam a continua diminuição da audiência da internet (Restringindo a possibilidade de enviar newsletters, e filtrando-as antes de chegar a sua audiência).

O “Velho Mundo” do marketing reside em uma ou duas fontes de direcionar tráfego com grandes orçamentos e empresas de marketing. Você tem que ter pessoas para criar as “Novidades” e então pagar para outras pessoas para distribuir as “Novidades”, então você está puxando pessoas para sua “Loja” para mostrar a eles o que você tem (querendo eles isso ou não)

Novos Métodos para Marketing

Os dias que ter outras pessoas que criem e distribuam conteúdo está em voga, isto pode significar delegar seus artigos para outros usuários escrever, pagar outros usuários para revisar ou qualificar seus serviços, guiando usuários diretamente nos fóruns ou tendo usuários que assinem para receber informação exclusiva. Em todos os casos o trabalho braçal é delegado a outros.

Vamos rapidamente ver algumas novas maneiras em "Web 2.0" de marketing na web e as razões pelas quais você deve tentá-las:

Blogs – Os Blogs são uma mina de ouro, para os leitores e os escritores. Fazer Blog gasta menos tempo e é consideravelmente mais barato que o marketing tradicional. Blogs lhe dá a habilidade de conduzir seus pensamentos pessoais sobre os acontecimentos da industria e sua vida pessoal ou corporativa, deixando você realmente conectado com sua audiência. Outro ponto positive é o marketing viral onde você é referenciado através de vários sites sociais, motores de busca e outros blogs, aumentando a sua credibilidade e a “pesquisabilidade”, tornando fácil dos consumidores encontrar e confiar em você.
Fórum – Os Fórum lhe dá uma idéia do que as pessoas estão falando, direcionando você diretamente aos potenciais clientes. A maneira mais fácil de achar um fórum apropriado é perguntando a um cliente seu quais fóruns ele freqüenta. Entrar nas conversações, contribuir com a comunidade e se tornar um membro confiável, então você pode dar seus conselhos profissionais e mencionar o que faz para viver. Você deve usar essa maneira de obter o que as pessoas estão pensando, e o efeito de possíveis campanhas. Se você usar uma tática de marketing direto, a comunidade rapidamente lhe banirá ou criará uma maneira de colocá-lo de lado.
Artigos –Artigos são uma boa maneira de mostrar que você está atualizado com as novidades da industria e o mundo ao seu redor. Você pode tanto enviar seus artigos para um serviço de publicação como postá-los em seu blog; melhor ainda, é a combinação dos dois: Escolher um tópico que você gosta de falar e escrever um artigo (igual a este) com sua opinião pessoa ou alguma dica importante. Se for bem escrito e educar os leitores, você estará à frente da competição.

O tema dos novos métodos de marketing estão moldando a sua audiência. O intento é criar alguma coisa que os leitores queiram ler. O Marketing não é sobre truques ou insinceridade, é sobre comunicar as suas idéias com honestidade e autenticidade. Se é de valia para os usuários, então irão rapidamente falar a respeito do conteúdo e espalhar isso afora. Você tem que comunicar autenticidade com seu cliente e isto não acontece usando o método “tradicional” de marketing on-line.

Uma palavra de precaução: se você tentar qualquer dos métodos acima mas usar a perspective tradicional (como canal de marketing direto) então não somente irá incomodar um numero grande de pessoas, como também danificará a imagem da sua empresa. Novamente eu bato neste ponto, faça um conteúdo para que as pessoas queiram ler, e não somente material de marketing.

Velhos Métodos de Marketing que agora tem diferentes perspectivas:

Benjamin Franklin falava que insanidade é “fazer a mesma coisa repetidamente e esperar resultados diferentes”. Isto é verdade para alguns dos mais tradicionais métodos de marketing online. Não é muito “o que” as pessoas estão fazendo, mas o “como” esta sendo feito.

Vamos ver como devemos aplicar os velhos métodos hoje:

Press Releases – Antes de começar, sinto em dizer que a menos que você esteja nos 5% do Mercado que as pessoas prestem atenção, ninguém irá ler os seus press-releases – pelo menos nenhum potencial cliente o faz. Um grande percentual de companhias de marketing na internet usa os métodos tradicionais de entrega, ou imprimem ou colocam na seção de seu web-site. Considere mudar seus pres-releases para apresentar sua empresa e então enviá-los através de um serviço de publicação de papeis e empresas on-line de noticias para pegá-las e republicá-las.
Motores de Busca – Você deve previamente adequar o seu site para as especificações dos motores de busca (search engines) para assegurar que tenha um ranking alto nas suas páginas e sejam alocadas no topo dos resultados de busca. Para colocar de maneira simples, o fator importante é como o seu site é apresentado ao usuário. Nestes dias o visual da pagina tem um impacto, mas o conteúdo correto é de longe mais importante para o site. Os motores de busca agora consideram mais o seu conteúdo. Estruture as suas paginas logicamente e eficientemente com conteúdo apropriado para cada pagina e tenha certeza de colocar links para essas paginas em todos os lugares possíveis, especialmente se você estiver envolvido em um blog ou fórum de marketing.
Mailing Lists e Newsletters – Com as novas leis de anti-spam chegando, adicionado com o aumento de usuários importunados com qualquer coisa via email, mailing lists e newsletters estão se tornado de longe menos efetivo. Tenha certeza que a sua lista de emails e newsletters concordou em recebê-las. Você não precisa perguntar novamente pela permissão da sua lista, mas deixe um procedimento de remoção da lista no email.

Comunicação do “Velho Mundo” ainda pode ser efetiva, mas tenha a certeza que não é a sua única campanha.

A Conclusão?

Reavaliação é a chave para uma presença on-line saudável. Você precisa estar constantemente medindo e reavaliando os métodos do mercado para ter certeza que não está gastando dinheiro a toa, e deve tomar vantagem de novos métodos efetivos.

Sobre o Autor
Sam Law e Julian Stone - Project, Task & Time Management specialists para: ProWorkFlow, ProActiveSoftware & Julian101.com
Traduzido por Fernando F.Oliveira (www.oliveira.eti.br)