I am still splitting my sides open from laughing at this one. I swear, some people are just too stupid to live. I'm going to tell you a true story and then I'm going to show you how not to make a total fool of yourself when participating at your favorite Internet marketing forum. If I were you, I'd take this advice to heart unless you want to be laughed out of the place.
Anyway, I was over at the Warrior Forum and I saw this thread started that read "I Need A HOT NICHE Idea." Well, I figured it was somebody who was new and needed some help. I figured, what the heck...let me give this guy a hand. Well, before I answered, I read some of the replies because I didn't want to repeat the same info. That's another great way to look like a fool, just parroting what somebody else says. Well, I got down to one reply and was dumbfounded. The reply said, "Why don't you check your signature?"
I had to find out what this person was talking about. So, I checked the original poster's signature and what do you think I found? I found a link to Niche Finder. This is a product that...ding, ding, ding...finds you niches. Can you see how, right about now, I'm scratching my head wondering WTF?
Hopefully, I don't have to continue this story any further a I am sure you got the point. Here this guy is, trying to pass himself off as an expert at finding niches and he's asking other members to give him a hot niche idea. You sir...are a FRAUD. And let me tell you folks, this goes on more than you know.
Everyday, people come to the forum asking "How can I make money online" and in their signature it reads "How To Make $3,000 A Month On Autopilot."
I mean for crying out loud...are these people for real?
Look, I'm not telling you how to run your business, but if you want to have any credibility at all, you won't pull bone headed things like this one member did, because it is the perfect way to destroy your credibility all in one shot.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Simple Methods to Efficiently Promote Your Forum Community Website
Many times, new webmasters assume that the activity level and member number will increase immediately but majority of forum owners eventually discover that this is very much not the case. Here are 5 tried and tested methods to efficiently promote your forum community.
1 - Keep the activity level high. At the very beginning, the activity level of the forum remains solely the administrator's responsibility. Your forum will start with zero posts so it is up to you to come up with interesting topics of discussion that will want visitors to join in. It is important to remember that nobody wants to join an empty forum. So make it a daily task for you to submit at least 5-10 new threads daily. Get your friends to help you out, and they might even decide to stay on as a regular member.
2 - Create a Facebook page for your forum. Anyone can do this and everyone is doing it. Best of all, it is absolutely free. Even if your forum is still new and might require a large amount of activity before you start noticing a good number of daily registrations, it is vital for you to have a Facebook page. Most netizens today use Facebook and many randomly join groups that they are invited to. Invite all your friends to your forum's Facebook page and get them to invite their friends and so on. If you have a beautiful, professional looking page with enough content that describes your forum you just might be lucky enough to obtain registrations from Facebook as a result.
3 - Be resourceful, then bookmark it. Keep updated with your niche's latest news and start discussions about it on your forum. It will even be helpful to touch upon highly controversial topics that others with similar interests might want to talk about. After composing your useful points, socially bookmark the thread page. Members of social bookmarking websites will find your page, read your post and if it is enlightening enough they will most likely want to join in the discussion. It is important to note that this method should not be overused as many social bookmarking websites ban and blacklist spammers so understand your limitations.
4 - Entice other forumers. Join other forums with a similar niche including competing communities that allow you to keep the link of your forum on your signature space. Many forums allow this and they are more willing to tolerate this from worthy members. Consider this method a 'give and take' type. Be sure to contribute a few posts on the forums before leaving your signature link. If a forum does not permit this type of promotion, you might want to steer clear from this method. However, this is one of the most efficient ways to get members to your community because forumers are the type of netizens who enjoy posting and this will help develop your community site.
5 - Announce your community in press releases and classifieds. Compose a few articles describing your community and its purpose, and submit them to press release sites. After that, promote your forum on free classifieds including Craigslist. Remember to not over do this as it might be flagged out as spam. Choose the most appropriate category for your niche and describe your community concisely.
Follow these 5 methods in promoting your forum and you are bound to get targeted visitors. If your forum appears active and enticing, there will be a boost in member registrations and returning visitors.
1 - Keep the activity level high. At the very beginning, the activity level of the forum remains solely the administrator's responsibility. Your forum will start with zero posts so it is up to you to come up with interesting topics of discussion that will want visitors to join in. It is important to remember that nobody wants to join an empty forum. So make it a daily task for you to submit at least 5-10 new threads daily. Get your friends to help you out, and they might even decide to stay on as a regular member.
2 - Create a Facebook page for your forum. Anyone can do this and everyone is doing it. Best of all, it is absolutely free. Even if your forum is still new and might require a large amount of activity before you start noticing a good number of daily registrations, it is vital for you to have a Facebook page. Most netizens today use Facebook and many randomly join groups that they are invited to. Invite all your friends to your forum's Facebook page and get them to invite their friends and so on. If you have a beautiful, professional looking page with enough content that describes your forum you just might be lucky enough to obtain registrations from Facebook as a result.
3 - Be resourceful, then bookmark it. Keep updated with your niche's latest news and start discussions about it on your forum. It will even be helpful to touch upon highly controversial topics that others with similar interests might want to talk about. After composing your useful points, socially bookmark the thread page. Members of social bookmarking websites will find your page, read your post and if it is enlightening enough they will most likely want to join in the discussion. It is important to note that this method should not be overused as many social bookmarking websites ban and blacklist spammers so understand your limitations.
4 - Entice other forumers. Join other forums with a similar niche including competing communities that allow you to keep the link of your forum on your signature space. Many forums allow this and they are more willing to tolerate this from worthy members. Consider this method a 'give and take' type. Be sure to contribute a few posts on the forums before leaving your signature link. If a forum does not permit this type of promotion, you might want to steer clear from this method. However, this is one of the most efficient ways to get members to your community because forumers are the type of netizens who enjoy posting and this will help develop your community site.
5 - Announce your community in press releases and classifieds. Compose a few articles describing your community and its purpose, and submit them to press release sites. After that, promote your forum on free classifieds including Craigslist. Remember to not over do this as it might be flagged out as spam. Choose the most appropriate category for your niche and describe your community concisely.
Follow these 5 methods in promoting your forum and you are bound to get targeted visitors. If your forum appears active and enticing, there will be a boost in member registrations and returning visitors.
An Ideal Website is Sweet and Simple
Websites, websites and websites! Suddenly there is a deluge of websites on the web. Now, one may ask what has prompted such a flood. The reason is that someone somewhere opened a website and became successful. So, everyone blindly desired to be part of the bandwagon ad joined it with his/her own URL. No matter, how boring your web design is and it looks like someone has just introduced some codes in HTML without realizing what an impact they could have on the website, you are just content with a website.
So, what do the website design UK gurus have to say about this craze? They just laugh at these copy-cat website designers who think that making a web design and stuffing it with some content can take them to the most coveted places on the search engine ladder. But, the truth of the story is that such websites can't get the niche results for you.
Simplicity means not using a corporate website as a blind show-off of your own flash skills. You put an enormous amount of effort in creating a website loaded with flash. But the end result was so disappointing, that customers could not load those pixels and the website failed. A simple website with fewer pixels not only requires lesser time from your side, but it's also easy to work on for the programmers. They don't need to put many hassles into debugging the website and edit it. Such is the beauty of simplicity. Also, these taut websites don't require much storage space, work well with all the browsers and in the end are understood by customers.
Talking something more about the web design patterns, let's elucidate on them further. Content is an important element of such design. No matter, how much strong might be your desire to interact with people, the most preferable communication strategy of a website should be to talk less. The customers don't devour words of a website; rather they just look for clues to interpret your message. So, keep the content as intuitive as possible.
So, what do the website design UK gurus have to say about this craze? They just laugh at these copy-cat website designers who think that making a web design and stuffing it with some content can take them to the most coveted places on the search engine ladder. But, the truth of the story is that such websites can't get the niche results for you.
Simplicity means not using a corporate website as a blind show-off of your own flash skills. You put an enormous amount of effort in creating a website loaded with flash. But the end result was so disappointing, that customers could not load those pixels and the website failed. A simple website with fewer pixels not only requires lesser time from your side, but it's also easy to work on for the programmers. They don't need to put many hassles into debugging the website and edit it. Such is the beauty of simplicity. Also, these taut websites don't require much storage space, work well with all the browsers and in the end are understood by customers.
Talking something more about the web design patterns, let's elucidate on them further. Content is an important element of such design. No matter, how much strong might be your desire to interact with people, the most preferable communication strategy of a website should be to talk less. The customers don't devour words of a website; rather they just look for clues to interpret your message. So, keep the content as intuitive as possible.
Avoid the Common Mistakes of Website Design
A well business website design that is built and marketed professionally is sure to bring in many leads and sales. If done badly, your website may receive little to zero traffic and nobody will see it. Below we discuss the biggest design mistakes you must avoid when having your website built.
1. Use title tags that are relevant. The use of meta title tags should include your target keywords and also information about what the web page is about. Remember that your title tags also appear in the blue bar at the top of the window and it what people see if they add the page to their "favourites".
2. Avoid filling your web pages with ads. Doing this will will both alienate and distract your visitors - and they may even leave your website. Make sure you try and keep web page advertisements and banners that flash to a minimum. This then leaves your customers focused on the important parts of the page.
3. Keep website navigation simple. Most websites have links on the left or top of the page to get around the website. Keep it simple and follow the same navigation that your visitors are already used to, and do not make it difficult for them to get around. Remember that your visitor is used to getting around a website in a certain way.
4. Dead links on web pages. When a visitor clicks on a "dead link", they get an error message and get very frustrated. Make sure all the links on your website work correctly - and that they point to the right place. Remember that having dead links on your pages can also get you penalised in the search engines.
5. Avoid using Macromedia Flash on your pages unless impossible. Flash does have a place on websites, but is mainly found in gaming or interactive sites where this cannot be done a different way. Consider using animated GIF's for moving images instead, as most people can view these in a web browser. Another consideration is you could try using javascript or java which is more supported that flash. Flash can take too long and by the time it has, your visitor has left your website.
6. Lack of a Search Box on your website. For a website with many pages, it is extremely important to allow users to search the site without having to find pages by going through every link.
7. Using PDF file links on the website. Using PDF files can good in the case of putting your glossy company brochure online, but it is better to ideally put the pages in HTML web format. More people will see the information then, as if site visitors do not have Adobe Reader installed, they will have to install it. In our experience, people usually click away instead of trying to download it. Keep the use of PDFs to a minimum.
8.Web links already clicked do not change colour. Most people surfing the Internet get used to a link changing colour once they have already clicked it. Make sure you keep clicked link colours familiar to visitors, and make sure the links change colour once they have already been clicked.
9. Text formatting that is messy. Lay the text out on your website neatly and clearly. Use formatted paragraphs and pictures to break the text up and make it easy on the eye.
10. Use larger fonts. The use of small fonts can put a strain on the eyes of anyone, but more so people with impaired vision. Remember also that blind people now read web pages with screen readers. Make sure your website is W3C compliant so that the latest screen reading technology can 'read' them.
1. Use title tags that are relevant. The use of meta title tags should include your target keywords and also information about what the web page is about. Remember that your title tags also appear in the blue bar at the top of the window and it what people see if they add the page to their "favourites".
2. Avoid filling your web pages with ads. Doing this will will both alienate and distract your visitors - and they may even leave your website. Make sure you try and keep web page advertisements and banners that flash to a minimum. This then leaves your customers focused on the important parts of the page.
3. Keep website navigation simple. Most websites have links on the left or top of the page to get around the website. Keep it simple and follow the same navigation that your visitors are already used to, and do not make it difficult for them to get around. Remember that your visitor is used to getting around a website in a certain way.
4. Dead links on web pages. When a visitor clicks on a "dead link", they get an error message and get very frustrated. Make sure all the links on your website work correctly - and that they point to the right place. Remember that having dead links on your pages can also get you penalised in the search engines.
5. Avoid using Macromedia Flash on your pages unless impossible. Flash does have a place on websites, but is mainly found in gaming or interactive sites where this cannot be done a different way. Consider using animated GIF's for moving images instead, as most people can view these in a web browser. Another consideration is you could try using javascript or java which is more supported that flash. Flash can take too long and by the time it has, your visitor has left your website.
6. Lack of a Search Box on your website. For a website with many pages, it is extremely important to allow users to search the site without having to find pages by going through every link.
7. Using PDF file links on the website. Using PDF files can good in the case of putting your glossy company brochure online, but it is better to ideally put the pages in HTML web format. More people will see the information then, as if site visitors do not have Adobe Reader installed, they will have to install it. In our experience, people usually click away instead of trying to download it. Keep the use of PDFs to a minimum.
8.Web links already clicked do not change colour. Most people surfing the Internet get used to a link changing colour once they have already clicked it. Make sure you keep clicked link colours familiar to visitors, and make sure the links change colour once they have already been clicked.
9. Text formatting that is messy. Lay the text out on your website neatly and clearly. Use formatted paragraphs and pictures to break the text up and make it easy on the eye.
10. Use larger fonts. The use of small fonts can put a strain on the eyes of anyone, but more so people with impaired vision. Remember also that blind people now read web pages with screen readers. Make sure your website is W3C compliant so that the latest screen reading technology can 'read' them.
Professional Website Design
As the owner of a business, you should know exactly how much a professional website design can add to your business. It can be an essential tool in drawing the attention of customers to your business.
A website can be an useful source of information for your potential and existing customers. Without a website, new customers will struggle to find you or your services. Hiring a professional website design company is an excellent investment for any business.
Designing a website yourself or in-house in a company can work, but in general, those that are built this way are ineffective. The main reason is that the website designer will not have the skills to design the website with the search results in mind so that it gets found.
An essential part of having a professional website designed and built by a design company is designing it so that the search engines can find it. This practice is also known as search engine optimisation.
Trying to trick the search engines with what is called 'blackhat' SEO which tries to trick the search engines will get you penalised. The purpose is to help the search engines be guided to your site when a user searches for a phrase. A professional website design company should be familiar with the basic approaches used to do this, such as setting up meta tags and titles.
Another thing that professional website design companies can do to help improve your site and get your business noticed is by writing focused content that is finely tuned to feature specific keywords in the written copy, so that search engines will find it and associate your site with those terms.
A professional web design business should be aware of the importance of search engine optimisation and have the skills to build good content for your website. Having the skills to also market your website is essential, helping to drive traffic to your website.
Including a contact page on your website can help increase website visitor trust. At the very minimum, you should include a contact email address and telephone number.
A website can be an useful source of information for your potential and existing customers. Without a website, new customers will struggle to find you or your services. Hiring a professional website design company is an excellent investment for any business.
Designing a website yourself or in-house in a company can work, but in general, those that are built this way are ineffective. The main reason is that the website designer will not have the skills to design the website with the search results in mind so that it gets found.
An essential part of having a professional website designed and built by a design company is designing it so that the search engines can find it. This practice is also known as search engine optimisation.
Trying to trick the search engines with what is called 'blackhat' SEO which tries to trick the search engines will get you penalised. The purpose is to help the search engines be guided to your site when a user searches for a phrase. A professional website design company should be familiar with the basic approaches used to do this, such as setting up meta tags and titles.
Another thing that professional website design companies can do to help improve your site and get your business noticed is by writing focused content that is finely tuned to feature specific keywords in the written copy, so that search engines will find it and associate your site with those terms.
A professional web design business should be aware of the importance of search engine optimisation and have the skills to build good content for your website. Having the skills to also market your website is essential, helping to drive traffic to your website.
Including a contact page on your website can help increase website visitor trust. At the very minimum, you should include a contact email address and telephone number.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Basic Blog Tools
You have decided you want to start a blog, and you understand that you have a certain amount to learn before it's actually up and running. Well fear not, because if you spend just a little time looking at your options in blog tools you'll be surprised at just how far blogging software has come and how much you can do with it, in terms of both form and function. And while there is quite a bit to learn, most people think it is a price worth paying in order to establish a good-looking professional website.
Blogging software: The first decision you have when starting a blog is determining what blogging tool is right for you. There are dozens of blogging platforms out there: Blogger, WordPress, Movable Type, Expression Engine, to name just a few. Take a look at some examples of blogs that were created with the tool you're considering, as an indication of what each makes possible. One thing is for sure: while you can spend money on a high-end blog platform, you have plenty of free options that are more than adequate to create a good-looking blog. WordPress, for example, is a free tool that enjoys immense popularity, and is even used by many large corporations for their online presence. I would encourage you to look closely at several before taking the plunge.
Blog themes: Most blog software uses themes or templates as a way to set the look and further functionality of a blog, once the basic installation has been completed. Design elements like columns and headers as well as fonts and colors that help to establish a blog visually, are largely controlled by the theme that you pick. The number of themes and templates from which you have to choose varies widely depending on the blog tool that you're using. Some web designers charge for themes they create, but as with your basic blog software tool, it is not necessary to pay for a theme to have a good-looking, bug-free blog installation.
Plug-ins: Plug-ins, or add-ons, extend the functionality of your site even further than themes. These are very small programs that are often created and shared by individual programmers to accomplish a specific task that they and others might find useful. A plug-in that adds a list of your blog's favorite posts is an example of a small bit of useful programming that you can add to your blog simply by pasting the code for the plug-in into your theme. I wouldn't want to sound too much like a advertisement for WordPress, but the available plug-ins for WordPress (in addition to the number of available WordPress themes) are almost endless.
Hosting for your blog: Once you have chosen a blog tool that you like, you have to determine whether you are capable of and willing to handle the hosting yourself. Some blog tools, like blogger and WordPress.org offer you hosted blogging solutions, in other words you set up your blog through their site and then simply start blogging! If you have no interest in the technical side of websites and would rather just focus on creating content, you should know that these free tools, as well as others, make it very easy.
One downside if you do not handle your own hosting is that you usually cannot use a unique domain name that you purchase, but instead will have a site URL that will include the word "blogspot" or "WordPress". If you do host your own blog you will need a little bit of technical proficiency at times to keep things running properly, although at least the initial installation tends to be automated nowadays through the web host you pick. Another downside of self-hosting is of course the cost. You can get basic hosting for just a few dollars a month, but for some people even this amount might be prohibitive.
There is plenty to consider when you're trying to decide on what blog tool to use for your online presence. There is a learning curve, but the good news is that once you've educated yourself a little bit and decided on a blog platform, you can simply focus on writing and creating content. But take your time. It can be difficult to change your blogging software later on.
Blogging software: The first decision you have when starting a blog is determining what blogging tool is right for you. There are dozens of blogging platforms out there: Blogger, WordPress, Movable Type, Expression Engine, to name just a few. Take a look at some examples of blogs that were created with the tool you're considering, as an indication of what each makes possible. One thing is for sure: while you can spend money on a high-end blog platform, you have plenty of free options that are more than adequate to create a good-looking blog. WordPress, for example, is a free tool that enjoys immense popularity, and is even used by many large corporations for their online presence. I would encourage you to look closely at several before taking the plunge.
Blog themes: Most blog software uses themes or templates as a way to set the look and further functionality of a blog, once the basic installation has been completed. Design elements like columns and headers as well as fonts and colors that help to establish a blog visually, are largely controlled by the theme that you pick. The number of themes and templates from which you have to choose varies widely depending on the blog tool that you're using. Some web designers charge for themes they create, but as with your basic blog software tool, it is not necessary to pay for a theme to have a good-looking, bug-free blog installation.
Plug-ins: Plug-ins, or add-ons, extend the functionality of your site even further than themes. These are very small programs that are often created and shared by individual programmers to accomplish a specific task that they and others might find useful. A plug-in that adds a list of your blog's favorite posts is an example of a small bit of useful programming that you can add to your blog simply by pasting the code for the plug-in into your theme. I wouldn't want to sound too much like a advertisement for WordPress, but the available plug-ins for WordPress (in addition to the number of available WordPress themes) are almost endless.
Hosting for your blog: Once you have chosen a blog tool that you like, you have to determine whether you are capable of and willing to handle the hosting yourself. Some blog tools, like blogger and WordPress.org offer you hosted blogging solutions, in other words you set up your blog through their site and then simply start blogging! If you have no interest in the technical side of websites and would rather just focus on creating content, you should know that these free tools, as well as others, make it very easy.
One downside if you do not handle your own hosting is that you usually cannot use a unique domain name that you purchase, but instead will have a site URL that will include the word "blogspot" or "WordPress". If you do host your own blog you will need a little bit of technical proficiency at times to keep things running properly, although at least the initial installation tends to be automated nowadays through the web host you pick. Another downside of self-hosting is of course the cost. You can get basic hosting for just a few dollars a month, but for some people even this amount might be prohibitive.
There is plenty to consider when you're trying to decide on what blog tool to use for your online presence. There is a learning curve, but the good news is that once you've educated yourself a little bit and decided on a blog platform, you can simply focus on writing and creating content. But take your time. It can be difficult to change your blogging software later on.
What is SEO?
Search engine optimization or SEO for short is the process by which websites improve their position in search engine rankings and returns. The concept behind improving a websites SEO is to increase the position in the search engine rankings and then generate increased levels of traffic.
If you are considering setting up a website it should be a factor that you consider prior to making the site live, as it can have long lasting effects on the results of the site if you make mistakes to begin with.
SEO is an important part of any internet marketing strategy, and before you build any site, it is recommend that you identify relevant keywords for the market or niche that you are focusing on. Google have a very good keyword research tool available, which you can easily use to discover how much traffic there is for a particular keyword or group of keywords, but just as importantly how competitive particular keywords are. If there is too much competition this can make it extremely difficult to feature in returns for particular keywords.
The algorithms that the search engine providers use to rank sites are increasing complicated and take into account a vast number of factors in determining which sites are so-called "authority" sites in relation to particular keywords. The main areas of consideration are as follows: Inbound links, and onsite optimization.
Fundamentally there are two types of SEO, on-site and off-site.
Onsite SEO is made up of the following factors: Tags, Meta-tags, H1 tags, keyword density (i.e. how often the keywords that you are optimizing for appear). Many WordPress templates will have SEO positive factors that are built in. Additionally there are some free plugins that are very useful. All in one seo is particularly useful.
Offsite SEO is primarily made up of different linking strategies. In the algorithms eyes (if these spiders have eyes), fundamentally the more links that point to your site the more popular it is perceived to be, particularly if the keywords that you are optimizing the site for appear alongside the link. There are lots of different linking strategy's which people adapt and it's probably fair to say exploit to some degree.
The important factors when starting a linking strategy in my opinion is to build up a list of sites that you would want to link to your site. This may include trade sites that are relevant, it's definitely important to have a social media presence (Facebook, Twitter etc), EzineArticles and other article submission sites provide another way of linking to your site and can create good sources of traffic. I have always tried to focus on blogs that are relevant to the niche that I am working in, and I would try to add good comments on other people's blogs. Generally blog owners do not mind you adding in a link to your site if you are making a worthwhile comment.
Additionally there are backlink packets that can be bought, these can be useful to build some significant links.
These combined features should offer an improved position from a search engine perspective.
If you are considering setting up a website it should be a factor that you consider prior to making the site live, as it can have long lasting effects on the results of the site if you make mistakes to begin with.
SEO is an important part of any internet marketing strategy, and before you build any site, it is recommend that you identify relevant keywords for the market or niche that you are focusing on. Google have a very good keyword research tool available, which you can easily use to discover how much traffic there is for a particular keyword or group of keywords, but just as importantly how competitive particular keywords are. If there is too much competition this can make it extremely difficult to feature in returns for particular keywords.
The algorithms that the search engine providers use to rank sites are increasing complicated and take into account a vast number of factors in determining which sites are so-called "authority" sites in relation to particular keywords. The main areas of consideration are as follows: Inbound links, and onsite optimization.
Fundamentally there are two types of SEO, on-site and off-site.
Onsite SEO is made up of the following factors: Tags, Meta-tags, H1 tags, keyword density (i.e. how often the keywords that you are optimizing for appear). Many WordPress templates will have SEO positive factors that are built in. Additionally there are some free plugins that are very useful. All in one seo is particularly useful.
Offsite SEO is primarily made up of different linking strategies. In the algorithms eyes (if these spiders have eyes), fundamentally the more links that point to your site the more popular it is perceived to be, particularly if the keywords that you are optimizing the site for appear alongside the link. There are lots of different linking strategy's which people adapt and it's probably fair to say exploit to some degree.
The important factors when starting a linking strategy in my opinion is to build up a list of sites that you would want to link to your site. This may include trade sites that are relevant, it's definitely important to have a social media presence (Facebook, Twitter etc), EzineArticles and other article submission sites provide another way of linking to your site and can create good sources of traffic. I have always tried to focus on blogs that are relevant to the niche that I am working in, and I would try to add good comments on other people's blogs. Generally blog owners do not mind you adding in a link to your site if you are making a worthwhile comment.
Additionally there are backlink packets that can be bought, these can be useful to build some significant links.
These combined features should offer an improved position from a search engine perspective.
Get Free Webhosting and Website
The following article will show you how to obtain A fully FREE functional website with mysql, php, webspace and even a fancy cPanel to control it all. While I won't go into great detail about each exact step I will try to link to resources to help get you along easier in the process. Keep in mind every thing in this guide is freely obtainable, how functional it all becomes is up to you!
The resources listed will require some technical skill but no real advanced knowledge is necessary if you have the basics of FTP, mysql databases and a general overview of how websites functions. Feel free to ask questions or leave comments on this guide! Lets begin! First off lets get some webspace for our upcoming new smash hit of a website!
Through out aggressive searching on the best free webhosting I came across x10 Hosting, it comes complete with subdomain 500MB storage space, 10GB monthly bandwidth, PHP, FTP access, cPanel! I've personally used x10 Hosting for a few personal project websites and its free every time you need a new website! Hurry along and sign up, I'll wait. Just go Google for x10 Hosting.
Now that you have some new webspace from x10 Hosting Its time to think what CMS you will want to run. There are quite a few very powerful free Content Management systems on the internet such as Drupal, Joomla, MKPortal, Wordpress, PHPNuke. Its up to you to decide which one to go with. I personally prefer Drupal however as it has an easy to learn interface, functionality and good scalability.
With a mixture of the above (webspace+CMS/Drupal) you now have a fully free operational website to begin adding content to! I hope this helps other people out there who have been seeking free website hosting and free websites! You do of course have to admin your own websites however! bye for now!
The resources listed will require some technical skill but no real advanced knowledge is necessary if you have the basics of FTP, mysql databases and a general overview of how websites functions. Feel free to ask questions or leave comments on this guide! Lets begin! First off lets get some webspace for our upcoming new smash hit of a website!
Through out aggressive searching on the best free webhosting I came across x10 Hosting, it comes complete with subdomain 500MB storage space, 10GB monthly bandwidth, PHP, FTP access, cPanel! I've personally used x10 Hosting for a few personal project websites and its free every time you need a new website! Hurry along and sign up, I'll wait. Just go Google for x10 Hosting.
Now that you have some new webspace from x10 Hosting Its time to think what CMS you will want to run. There are quite a few very powerful free Content Management systems on the internet such as Drupal, Joomla, MKPortal, Wordpress, PHPNuke. Its up to you to decide which one to go with. I personally prefer Drupal however as it has an easy to learn interface, functionality and good scalability.
With a mixture of the above (webspace+CMS/Drupal) you now have a fully free operational website to begin adding content to! I hope this helps other people out there who have been seeking free website hosting and free websites! You do of course have to admin your own websites however! bye for now!
Web Designing Part-3
Fonts
One of the most important parts of a web page is text. The way in which you display the text on your web page will have a great impact on your success. It can make your page look very professional or very unprofessional.When placing text within your web page, always be consistent with your fonts. In other words, don't use different fonts throughout your pages. The standard fonts used on the Internet are Arial and Verdana. The standard text size is 2. Arial and Verdana are the standard simply because they are the easiest to read on a computer screen.
Headlines, which require a larger font size, are a bit different. A popular headline font used is Georgia, as it displays nicely in the slightly larger font size.
Background and Text Colors
Use caution when selecting your background and text colors. Busy backgrounds make text difficult to read and draw the attention away from the text. In addition, always be consistent with your background theme on each page of your site.Select your colors very carefully, as colors affect your mood and will have an affect on your visitors as well.
Bright colors, such as yellow and orange, cause you to become more cheerful or happy. Colors such as blue and purple have a calming effect. Dark colors, such as brown and black, have a depressing effect.
A good rule of thumb is to use colors based on the type of effect you're trying to achieve. However, it's always best for your text areas to have a white background with black text.
Above all else, you must take the time to educate yourself before you begin. I can't stress this point enough. If you don't, you're honestly just wasting your time. Although it may take a little longer, it will be well worth it in the long run.
Web Designing Part-2
Your Storefront
Your main page is the storefront for your business and should specifically let your visitors know exactly what you're offering. If your potential customer can't find your product or service, they definitely won't waste a lot of time looking for it. They'll go on to the next site and probably never return. They're visiting your site for a specific purpose. They want something your site offers. Provide them with what they're looking for and you'll reapthe benefits.
Branding will play a major role in your success. Make sure you place your company logo and slogan in the top left corner of each page. This will not only assist your visitors in remembering your site, but it will also give your pages the same look and feel.
Instead of trying to cram all your content into your main page, consider creating sections. These sections can contain highlights of your information with a link to further information. You can set your sections up in tables with colored heading sections for information such as articles, products or whatever you'd like.
It's much better to keep your main page down to the most essential elements and link to the detailed informational pages.
A good rule of thumb is "less is more." In other words, keep your main page as small as possible and include your most important elements.
Navigation
When you begin designing your pages, keep in mind, your visitors may enter your site from pages other than your main. Make sure you include good navigational links on every page. Place your navigational links together at the top, bottom, left or right side of the page. Use tables to neatly align your links and maintain a nicely organized and uniform appearance throughout.Try to keep the number of clicks required to get from your main page to any other page on your site down to three or four.
Web Designing Part-1
Creating a Template
When you begin designing your web site, your goal should be to create a template that you can use to create each page of your web site. This will give your entire site the same lookand feel.
A template is simply a web page "shell" that contains your entire page design, logo, images, navigational links and a specific area for your content. However, your template won't contain any content, as each time you create a page with your template, you'll save it with a different page name.
Formatting Your Pages
I highly recommend placing your entire page content within HTML tables. Tables will enable you to have complete control over your content and how it will be displayed.For example, you can create three tables, stacked on top of each other, for each section of content. The cellpadding, cellspacing and border attributes should be set to "0" to enable your tables to seamlessly flow together. In addition, the widths for each table should be the same. The top table would contain your page header content, the middle table would contain your content and the bottom table would contain your footer content.
As placing your entire page content within a single table will significantly increase your site's load time, stacking your tables will enable you to benefit from the powerful formatting capabilities of tables, while at the same time, keep your site's load time down.
If you've ever designed a web page without using tables, you know how limited you are as to how your content will be displayed. Your text will be displayed right up against the left border and will span across the entire width of your page -- certainly not a good way to design a professional looking web site.
Tables will enable you to display your content in sections like a newspaper, set up a specific number of rows and columns, and even place additional tables within your main content table to create special content sections with colored backgrounds.
Basic Web Design Guidelines
The appearance of your web site is one of the most important aspects of your success. Your product or service will literally be judged by the appearance of your web site.
Poor web design is one of the leading causes of small business failure. There are literally thousands of home-based Internet businesses struggling to make a living online. Most, make very little or no money and end up closing their site in defeat.
I have received many messages over the years from struggling Internet marketers wanting to know if I could look at their site and tell them what they're doing wrong. Most of the time, I can tell them the problem as soon as their site has loaded -- poor web design. They failed to take the time to learn how to properly design their sites -- how to design a professional looking site specifically designed to sell their products and services.
If you really want to succeed, you must take the required time to educate yourself.
Poor web design is one of the leading causes of small business failure. There are literally thousands of home-based Internet businesses struggling to make a living online. Most, make very little or no money and end up closing their site in defeat.
I have received many messages over the years from struggling Internet marketers wanting to know if I could look at their site and tell them what they're doing wrong. Most of the time, I can tell them the problem as soon as their site has loaded -- poor web design. They failed to take the time to learn how to properly design their sites -- how to design a professional looking site specifically designed to sell their products and services.
If you really want to succeed, you must take the required time to educate yourself.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Domain Yahoo Renewals Increase to $34.95/year?
"First Microsoft tries to buy Yahoo!, now Yahoo! raises their domain renewal rates.
Apparently the above quote was sent by email to people who have their domains registered with Yahoo! I'm not one of them. But I just visited and they make absolutely no mention of the increase. They do have a plan that has domain name plus email for $34.95 a year
So if this is true, this is truly a smack in the face to a lot of people who use Yahoo! to host their domain. (Can you say mass exodus?) If it's not true, sorry to waste your time ."
Important note: Beginning on July 1, 2008, Yahoo!'s annual domain renewal price increases to $34.95 per year.If this is accurate would this be considered Highway Robbery? Or do they think their customers are fools? Can they really justify that large an increase? Or are they just being greedy and hope their customers don't Google for GoDaddy.com?
Apparently the above quote was sent by email to people who have their domains registered with Yahoo! I'm not one of them. But I just visited and they make absolutely no mention of the increase. They do have a plan that has domain name plus email for $34.95 a year
So if this is true, this is truly a smack in the face to a lot of people who use Yahoo! to host their domain. (Can you say mass exodus?) If it's not true, sorry to waste your time ."
Domain Yahoo : A Simple Web Site Solution
Having put up more than a few Web sites myself, one of the easiest ways I've found to get your domains set up and running is to simply go through Yahoo.
Yahoo will register your domains' names for under $10 a year, though as of this writing, Yahoo is having a sale on domains for $2.99 per year. That's a lot cheaper than some registrars I've seen that are still trying to charge $20 or more just for domains.
Once you get your domain registered, you still need to host it somewhere. Again, Yahoo has a simple answer, or several simple answers, in its Geocities service. You can plunk down your domains for free at Yahoo Geocities, but you'll have ads. For a nominal fee ($4.95 per month) you can get 500 MB storage and 25 GB per month transfer -- that's more than enough for most starter sites.
If you host your domains through Yahoo Geocities, you'll get plenty of tools to help you design and manage your site, enough to do just about anything legal you might want to do on the Net.
You'll have access to Yahoo web page templates as well as a point-and-click designer, in addition to the ability to manually play with your domains' HTML.
Yahoo also gives you choices for uploading, using their easy upload manager or the more traditional FTP for large sites. E-mail is part of the package.
A recent addition to the Yahoo Geocities tools is the ability to start and manage a blog on your domains.
All in all, registering and hosting your domains through Yahoo is an easy solution for a home user or small business.
Yahoo will register your domains' names for under $10 a year, though as of this writing, Yahoo is having a sale on domains for $2.99 per year. That's a lot cheaper than some registrars I've seen that are still trying to charge $20 or more just for domains.
Once you get your domain registered, you still need to host it somewhere. Again, Yahoo has a simple answer, or several simple answers, in its Geocities service. You can plunk down your domains for free at Yahoo Geocities, but you'll have ads. For a nominal fee ($4.95 per month) you can get 500 MB storage and 25 GB per month transfer -- that's more than enough for most starter sites.
If you host your domains through Yahoo Geocities, you'll get plenty of tools to help you design and manage your site, enough to do just about anything legal you might want to do on the Net.
You'll have access to Yahoo web page templates as well as a point-and-click designer, in addition to the ability to manually play with your domains' HTML.
Yahoo also gives you choices for uploading, using their easy upload manager or the more traditional FTP for large sites. E-mail is part of the package.
A recent addition to the Yahoo Geocities tools is the ability to start and manage a blog on your domains.
All in all, registering and hosting your domains through Yahoo is an easy solution for a home user or small business.
Picking a Domain Yahoo Name
You'll need a domain name for your store. A domain name is the "something.com" piece of a web address (or .org, .biz, .whatever). For instance, in the URL www.yahoo.com/index.html, the domain name is the yahoo.com piece. If you've already registered a domain name with a service, that's fine; you'll be able to point it to your Yahoo! store later. Or you can register a domain name during the sign-up process, and Yahoo! will throw it in at no extra charge. But how do you pick a name? Spend a little time thinking about this. It's not easy picking a domain name because most good ones have already been taken! Here are a few things to consider:
- Pick a name that is easy to understand. If you read the domain name on the radio, would listeners be able to understand (and spell!) it?
- If you already have a business name, you really need a domain name that matches (which isn't always possible, of course).
- If at all possible, pick a .com domain, not a .org, .biz, or .anything else. The world thinks .com, and if you select a different one many people may not notice and might end up at the wrong site.
- If all the domains you want have already been purchased, try combining words. Try mixing your primary word with a color or location name (city, state, etc.), a store-type word (store, depot, warehouse, shop, etc.), or something else. Sometimes the only way to get a domain that works for you is by building a combination.
- If your domain name can be confused with any other name-in particular plurals, singulars, and common spelling mistakes-you need to register both terms. You need the one you want and the "confused" term. Registering cooldoll.com? Then you also need cooldolls.com. Getting jobadvisory.com? You also need jobadvisery.com, jobsadvisory.com, and jobsadvisery.com.
- Yahoo! provides a pretty good "brainstorming" tool; you tell it what domain you want, and it suggests alternatives. Spend a little time to make sure you get a good domain name.
Why the Domain Yahoo is So Popular
The domain yahoo is one of the most popular in the world and it has become a market leader by providing the much needed access to many services for the customers. The first thing you can benefit from it is the establishment of an email ID which will go long way in launching you into a world where communication can happens with ease. You can open your communication links through the yahoo messenger and other benefits are having your own space for albums and have your file storage in which you can review them from any place. You can get a domain and begin the process of having your own web site.
Yahoo has therefore brought and continues to bring a world of difference by providing the free services. Through domain yahoo you will get to see all the products that provided and above the mentioned products are yahoo widgets, yahoo travel, yahoo tool bar, yahoo small business, yahoo shopping, yahoo search, yahoo real estate, yahoo photos, yahoo music, yahoo mobile, yahoo message board, yahoo local, yahoo groups, yahoo finance, yahoo bookmarks, yahoo autos, yahoo 360 and so many other products. Yahoo also provides another vital service pertaining to domains. Domain locking is the prevention of unauthorized transfers to another registrar. Domains that are registered through yahoo can access this service.
You can get access to so much more information through domain yahoo and some of the most common questions that are asked are on how to lock and unlock your domain and the effects of locking. People also want to know how to create a domain name and yahoo has all the information for you to read. Firstly, a good domain name according to yahoo should be clear and simple. People should not have trouble remembering it and, it should show the kind of business you do. Domain names are therefore very vital and to come up with a unique address, you need to spend some time and make sure you have the right name. Remember that domains should contain letters, numbers and hyphens.
You are advised to re angle your domain name if you find that it is already in use. It is also good to think of where you register the domain and make sure that it serves your purpose. At domain yahoo, you will find a private domain registration which will help you safeguard your personal information from the public. This is because many domain owners have their contact details exposed to the public because the information is required by the internet governing body. But, yahoo will make sure that before people access your information, you are first alerted by their business partner Melbourne IT. You will be overwhelmed by the possibilities yahoo has to offer. Take sometime and read about the domain and discover so much more, you will find a service you are looking for with ease. The name will continue to break new grounds as it becomes more and more popular to many customers.
Yahoo has therefore brought and continues to bring a world of difference by providing the free services. Through domain yahoo you will get to see all the products that provided and above the mentioned products are yahoo widgets, yahoo travel, yahoo tool bar, yahoo small business, yahoo shopping, yahoo search, yahoo real estate, yahoo photos, yahoo music, yahoo mobile, yahoo message board, yahoo local, yahoo groups, yahoo finance, yahoo bookmarks, yahoo autos, yahoo 360 and so many other products. Yahoo also provides another vital service pertaining to domains. Domain locking is the prevention of unauthorized transfers to another registrar. Domains that are registered through yahoo can access this service.
You can get access to so much more information through domain yahoo and some of the most common questions that are asked are on how to lock and unlock your domain and the effects of locking. People also want to know how to create a domain name and yahoo has all the information for you to read. Firstly, a good domain name according to yahoo should be clear and simple. People should not have trouble remembering it and, it should show the kind of business you do. Domain names are therefore very vital and to come up with a unique address, you need to spend some time and make sure you have the right name. Remember that domains should contain letters, numbers and hyphens.
You are advised to re angle your domain name if you find that it is already in use. It is also good to think of where you register the domain and make sure that it serves your purpose. At domain yahoo, you will find a private domain registration which will help you safeguard your personal information from the public. This is because many domain owners have their contact details exposed to the public because the information is required by the internet governing body. But, yahoo will make sure that before people access your information, you are first alerted by their business partner Melbourne IT. You will be overwhelmed by the possibilities yahoo has to offer. Take sometime and read about the domain and discover so much more, you will find a service you are looking for with ease. The name will continue to break new grounds as it becomes more and more popular to many customers.
