Finding quality links, and determining what backlinks you will accept should be considered a very important facet of your own online business. With the many changes that Google has put into place and will put into place, it is very important to your online health to follow the rules or expect to be banned by Google.
As you will learn by my article, you need to be ever vigiliant and not solely rely on the good faith of your linking partner. I realize that seems a little harsh, but I'm speaking from experience. Keep a list of your linking partners, choose wisely, and check the sites where your link should appear on your partner's site , periodically.
What are Quality Backlinks?
By Vickie J. Scanlon
You hear a lot about backlinks and how important they are to gaining page rank. But what are quality backlinks? How do you get them? What do the search engines like and dislike? All are good questions that I hope to answer for you?
Quality Backlinks Defined
Backlinks are links that link back to your site. But the stickler is the linking partner. Yes, the linking partner is important to you and to the search engines. If you have a site that is about “Shoes”, you should look for linking sites that will complement your site and have at least an equal page rank as your own site. For example, if your site is about shoes, you could search and request a reciprocal link to a web page or site about “Shoe laces”, or “Shoe accessories”, or even “Specialty Shoes” that you don’t carry on your site or have any knowledge about.
Why is relevancy of your backlinks important to your own site?
Relevancy of links along with equal or better page rank of your linking partners will help your own page rank. Why? Because these quality, complimentary sites will help the search engines robots begin to notice the importance of your site.
Quality backlinks will help to increase targeted traffic to you and your linking partner
Backlinks to avoid
If you want to remain in good standing with the search engines, the quality of the inbound links should be considered.
1. No hidden links (blackhat tactics)
2. Link Farms – where they automatically generate web pages who’s only purpose is to provide links for websites. This is a major no-no. Why? Not only may the search engines disregard these links, but your website might be banned as well.
3. Interlinking of your websites from the same IP address. If you have several websites and you are interlinking between the two – you should keep the links to a minimum. The interlinking of websites can hurt you in the eyes of the search engine robots.
4. Be careful whom you link to. Google is working on a patent – who knows it may be complete, that will help them to determine the popularity of the sites being linked to, and the trustworthiness of a site that you link to, from your own website.
How Do You Get Them?
When you are first starting out, the best way to get quality backlinks is through:
1. Article writing
2. Forums
Then once you have a page ranking, you can begin to request links from other sites that are relevant to your own site. Please remember the word relevancy – you do not want to link to a site – nor does a site want to link to you – if you are directly competing with them. You want to be able to offer your linking partner a service or product that will compliment their site, as well as, give their visitors additional quality sources to visit. This should be reciprocated from your site as well.
Things To Be Aware of When Linking
With any linking program, be sure to have a list of your partners and the web pages where they have placed your link.
It is important. Why? If they take your link off their site without notifying you—you’ve just created a one-way link to them --they receive the traffic, you do not. Don’t think that will happen? From experience, I can say, it most definitely can. So, be forewarned – periodically check your links. But there are other nasty tactics. If you want to know some of the other nasty tactics that can befall you, just grab my free ebook on my site.
Though, not comprehensive in nature, this article should give you a great start in getting your own linking program started.
About The Author:
Vickie J Scanlon -- Visit her site at: http://www.myaffiliateplace.biz/ for free tools, articles,ebooks, how to info, affiliate opportunities, travel and tech accessories,software and computers -- all geared to help the affiliate/small businessperson online. Visit her blog My Affiliate Place Blog for more articles and personal insights.
Read more...
Friday, February 23, 2007
Friday, February 16, 2007
Web Design - Is Ugly Good?
I read Titus Hoskins article - and I must admit it hit a cord in me, since my first attempt at creating a website suffered from the "ugly baby" site look. It has gotten better-but with everything it can see some improvements.
Here is one paragraph that I felt that should be remembered - at least in my case-- grasping the big picture. He states:
"Grasp the Big Picture of your site's design and keep it in mind at all times as you expand your site and watch it grow. Always have a clear picture of what you want to accomplish with your site's design and point it in that direction. Never forget your site doesn't have to be perfectly designed to be successful; you just have to get your information across in a frank and friendly manner.
Sometimes you are hit by many advertisers that want to advertise on your site, but their product or service don't fit your site -- but sometimes you try to rationalize the thought that, yes, it will fit my site. Trust me, your customers will tell you rather quickly that it does not. There are times when it's good to think outside the box-but on the web-theme is everything.
There are a lot of helpful tips that can even catch the skimmer's eye. The question you may find yourself asking -- "hm-m will it work." And if you're game "Let's try!" Those last two words are key "Let's try". As the old saying "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" rings true. Enjoy the article.
Web Design Tips For Building A Successful Site
You probably already know the key to making any kind of income from the net is a well designed web site. What most people don't realize your site doesn't have to look perfect or be professionally designed to be successful.
Not by a long shot!
In the final analysis, any site that makes you money is a successful site. From a marketing perspective, any site which brings in an income can be considered a well designed site. Many people can't get their heads around this fact: some of the most basic/ugly sites can be the most profitable. You don't need a perfect site.
Believe me, I know from first-hand experience.
Your site doesn't have to be a design knock-out to earn you money. My first site www.bizwaremagic.com which I designed from scratch when I didn't have a clue what a perfect site should be or look like but my modest little site now brings in over 50,000 visitors a month and Google just upgraded it to a PR6.
All that is not really important, what is important my site brings in money each and every day!
It is a profitable site, it's not pretty but it works. I earn revenue from Google Adsense, I earn revenue from affiliate sales and I have even formed partnerships with other major sites and businesses on the web.
I get more and more companies coming to me each week asking if they can display their products/links on my site. I recently turned down a major fellow Internet marketer who wanted to put a link on the top of my home page and that guy makes millions online each year!
Why are they bothering with me and my site?
Because my site brings in targeted traffic and visitors who buy products and services which those companies are selling. My site is valuable to them. My site can deliver leads, customers and business to those other third parties. My modest little site is not perfect but it sells. It has value.
My Most Important Web Design Tip
Here's the main tip or advice I can give anyone starting a new web business: the only reason my site (any site) has value is because I have targeted certain keywords or keyword phrases with my site. Once these keyword phrases rank high in all the search engines you get targeted traffic to your site. Targeted traffic which companies would like to have a piece of to sell their products.
Actually if you do this one action right (get high rankings for your site's profitable in-demand keywords) then your site will earn you money. For example, if you get a top 10 ranking for 'Cell Phones' you will make money, regardless of how good or bad your site is designed!
Of course, this doesn't mean web design will not play an important role in the success of your site. You should always go for professional graphics, headers and logos if you can afford them, but you must realize other design elements will play a greater role in the success of your site.
You want a site that is easy to navigate with all links clearly visible and linking to your home page. You want a site that is easy on the eyes so keep all fonts and colors even and consistent throughout your site. Organize your content and material in a simple and straightforward manner featuring the one thing most surfers are searching for: information.
Please your visitors and the search engines by covering or discussing only one topic per page. Place a well defined page title at the top and include your main keyword phrase in your title and description. Feed the spiders but never forget you're writing for real human beings; the majority of whom will actually have a heart and a pulse!
Design For The SERPs
Keep your web copy and writing short, informative and witty. Some eye candy is dandy as long as you get your point across in the process. If you're selling from your web site, many professional marketers will suggest you start your marketing strategy not on your site but in the search engines' descriptions listing your site or page. Keep this in mind when you're writing your page descriptions, start to pre-sell to your potential customers in the MSN, Yahoo! or Google SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
These search engines, especially Google, will add creditability to your information or offer. This is one design trick or tactic you should be utilizing on your site to increase conversions if your goal with your site is to sell products or services.
Design For The BIG Picture
Along those same lines, I believe very few webmasters have a Big Picture when they're creating or designing their sites. You must look far beyond the actual pages you have uploaded to your web host... mainly because you must extend your site well beyond this limited concept.
You must fully understand your site's real power exists well beyond your web pages. You must extend the reach of your site to all corners of the web. You must build links, partnerships and content into these countless areas of the web. Use articles, blogs, social networks, viral marketing, directories, related sites and most of all you must pay attention to all your site's content in the major search engines.
Grasp the Big Picture of your site's design and keep it in mind at all times as you expand your site and watch it grow. Always have a clear picture of what you want to accomplish with your site's design and point it in that direction. Never forget your site doesn't have to be perfectly designed to be successful; you just have to get your information across in a frank and friendly manner. Just give your visitors what they're looking for and your site will be successful.
About the Author:
Titus Hoskins is a full time Internet Marketer, his main site is Internet Marketing Tools If you need further web design tips - one great resource is Marlon Sanders. He has a helpful Free PDF download here: Top 10 Design Mistakes.
Read more...
Here is one paragraph that I felt that should be remembered - at least in my case-- grasping the big picture. He states:
"Grasp the Big Picture of your site's design and keep it in mind at all times as you expand your site and watch it grow. Always have a clear picture of what you want to accomplish with your site's design and point it in that direction. Never forget your site doesn't have to be perfectly designed to be successful; you just have to get your information across in a frank and friendly manner.
Sometimes you are hit by many advertisers that want to advertise on your site, but their product or service don't fit your site -- but sometimes you try to rationalize the thought that, yes, it will fit my site. Trust me, your customers will tell you rather quickly that it does not. There are times when it's good to think outside the box-but on the web-theme is everything.
There are a lot of helpful tips that can even catch the skimmer's eye. The question you may find yourself asking -- "hm-m will it work." And if you're game "Let's try!" Those last two words are key "Let's try". As the old saying "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" rings true. Enjoy the article.
Web Design Tips For Building A Successful Site
You probably already know the key to making any kind of income from the net is a well designed web site. What most people don't realize your site doesn't have to look perfect or be professionally designed to be successful.
Not by a long shot!
In the final analysis, any site that makes you money is a successful site. From a marketing perspective, any site which brings in an income can be considered a well designed site. Many people can't get their heads around this fact: some of the most basic/ugly sites can be the most profitable. You don't need a perfect site.
Believe me, I know from first-hand experience.
Your site doesn't have to be a design knock-out to earn you money. My first site www.bizwaremagic.com which I designed from scratch when I didn't have a clue what a perfect site should be or look like but my modest little site now brings in over 50,000 visitors a month and Google just upgraded it to a PR6.
All that is not really important, what is important my site brings in money each and every day!
It is a profitable site, it's not pretty but it works. I earn revenue from Google Adsense, I earn revenue from affiliate sales and I have even formed partnerships with other major sites and businesses on the web.
I get more and more companies coming to me each week asking if they can display their products/links on my site. I recently turned down a major fellow Internet marketer who wanted to put a link on the top of my home page and that guy makes millions online each year!
Why are they bothering with me and my site?
Because my site brings in targeted traffic and visitors who buy products and services which those companies are selling. My site is valuable to them. My site can deliver leads, customers and business to those other third parties. My modest little site is not perfect but it sells. It has value.
My Most Important Web Design Tip
Here's the main tip or advice I can give anyone starting a new web business: the only reason my site (any site) has value is because I have targeted certain keywords or keyword phrases with my site. Once these keyword phrases rank high in all the search engines you get targeted traffic to your site. Targeted traffic which companies would like to have a piece of to sell their products.
Actually if you do this one action right (get high rankings for your site's profitable in-demand keywords) then your site will earn you money. For example, if you get a top 10 ranking for 'Cell Phones' you will make money, regardless of how good or bad your site is designed!
Of course, this doesn't mean web design will not play an important role in the success of your site. You should always go for professional graphics, headers and logos if you can afford them, but you must realize other design elements will play a greater role in the success of your site.
You want a site that is easy to navigate with all links clearly visible and linking to your home page. You want a site that is easy on the eyes so keep all fonts and colors even and consistent throughout your site. Organize your content and material in a simple and straightforward manner featuring the one thing most surfers are searching for: information.
Please your visitors and the search engines by covering or discussing only one topic per page. Place a well defined page title at the top and include your main keyword phrase in your title and description. Feed the spiders but never forget you're writing for real human beings; the majority of whom will actually have a heart and a pulse!
Design For The SERPs
Keep your web copy and writing short, informative and witty. Some eye candy is dandy as long as you get your point across in the process. If you're selling from your web site, many professional marketers will suggest you start your marketing strategy not on your site but in the search engines' descriptions listing your site or page. Keep this in mind when you're writing your page descriptions, start to pre-sell to your potential customers in the MSN, Yahoo! or Google SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).
These search engines, especially Google, will add creditability to your information or offer. This is one design trick or tactic you should be utilizing on your site to increase conversions if your goal with your site is to sell products or services.
Design For The BIG Picture
Along those same lines, I believe very few webmasters have a Big Picture when they're creating or designing their sites. You must look far beyond the actual pages you have uploaded to your web host... mainly because you must extend your site well beyond this limited concept.
You must fully understand your site's real power exists well beyond your web pages. You must extend the reach of your site to all corners of the web. You must build links, partnerships and content into these countless areas of the web. Use articles, blogs, social networks, viral marketing, directories, related sites and most of all you must pay attention to all your site's content in the major search engines.
Grasp the Big Picture of your site's design and keep it in mind at all times as you expand your site and watch it grow. Always have a clear picture of what you want to accomplish with your site's design and point it in that direction. Never forget your site doesn't have to be perfectly designed to be successful; you just have to get your information across in a frank and friendly manner. Just give your visitors what they're looking for and your site will be successful.
About the Author:
Titus Hoskins is a full time Internet Marketer, his main site is Internet Marketing Tools If you need further web design tips - one great resource is Marlon Sanders. He has a helpful Free PDF download here: Top 10 Design Mistakes.
Read more...
Friday, February 9, 2007
Clearing Search Engines of Negative Press
I found Linda Bustos article "Ten Tips To Clear Search Engines of Negative Press" a very interesting article. It is helpful to those who do have the negative press, but it is also helpful to those looking to improve their image in the search engines.
Negative Press is not a fun business for a business online or off-line. It's how you handle it, and your customers that will determine if you can succeed in repairing the damage.
For instance, I will not mention the company's name -- but, this company would monitor a lot of the product rating sites to see if there was any bad marks placed against their company- then, if there was a bad comment, the company spokesperson would send a follow-up comment to have them please contact them with the information, and they would resolve the issue. What does that show me? The company is customer-oriented and knows that the customer can make or break their business. (I bring this up because there are some companies that forget the customer, especially if they become too much removed from the customer-base.)
She also brings up the Wiki and the AboutUs.org and LoveToKnow.com -- to give people a little more information about your company. You can learn a lot from this article, whether you are a business or a sole proprietor looking to find ways to promote your business.
Ten Tips To Clear Search Engines of Negative Press
By Linda Bustos
What do you see when you search for your company or brand name? Is there anything on the first page of the search engine results that you wouldn't be proud to display on your home page? Consumer review sites, blogs and forums have made it easy for anyone to say whatever they want about your company, whether they be disgruntled customers or competitors who like to play dirty.
If you're in a situation where negative publicity is front and center in search results, there are ways you can reclaim search engine real estate for your corporate identity. Though you can't make negative results disappear from the search engine indexes entirely, the following strategies can help them slip off the first few pages of search engine results.
1. Good Old Fashioned Networking
Even if you take none of the advice following in this article, the first thing you should do is contact the webmasters of the sites in question with a polite request for removal of negative comments. There's a good chance they'll be willing to co-operate. Note that, even if they do remove the listing, the cached pages may remain in the search engine indexes for some time. But users who click through the search engine results will land on a page with the comments removed.
Check out some of the sites that already have something good to say about you. Send them an appreciation note, and offer them a link back from your site. You could even create a special page called "Gary's Garage On The Web" (if that's the name of your business) or "Press Room."
2. Tap Into the Power of Wiki
Wiki websites allow users not only to add their own content, but also edit pages. They get their name from the Hawaiian word "wiki wiki" meaning "rapidly." There are many wiki pages like AboutUs.org and LoveToKnow.com that you can use to create content about your company. If your company name is "notable" enough (meaning there are objective third party sites that already have pages citing facts about your company), you might also be able to create a page in Wikipedia. This is easier if your company is publicly traded.
3. Raise Your Profile
Some websites like PR.com allow you to post your company's profile. An annual fee might be required. It's not easy to find these sites, but you may find some opportunities by searching your competitors' names and discovering where they are listed.
4. Wet Your Pen
Articles can help you kill three birds with one stone. Not only can articles rank for your company name, they also build valuable backlinks to your site and position you as an expert in your field. You can use your company name in the resource box at the end of an article along with a link back to your site.
Using your company name in the article body gives it a better chance of ranking well. You can research potential sites to submit your article to by searching for one of your industry keywords in a search engine like this: "car mechanics" + "submit article." Or submit it to various article directories like Article Alley.
5. Become A Socialite
Using social bookmark sites like Netvous and Del.icio.us is an easy way to quickly create a page that ranks for your name. You can create an account for yourself that bookmarks all of your positive press, and anything interesting on your website, such as articles or videos. Make sure you use your company name in the titles of the articles (even if they are not the real titles) and in the descriptions. Although this may seem to be "spamming" the bookmarking sites, it really is not, as the purpose is to create a page that ranks for your name, and there is no ethical reason why you should not be able to create an account that keeps track of all your company's press.
You are simply choosing to make the list public for those that may be interested.
The links themselves are not given much weight by search engines, but you have an opportunity to use your company name in the titles and descriptions of your bookmarks and photos. Make sure you make good use of the tagging feature, using general keywords as these will also begin to rank for your name. For example, Gary's Garage should tag: "Garys Garage," "garage," "autobody," "mechanic," "mechanics," "body shop," "car," "auto body" and so on. When you are first starting out, the more popular tags will start appearing on pages 1-5 in Google. They will eventually drop off as Google finds and indexes your content as you get it out there on other websites.
6. Become A Lensmaster
A company blog is certain to rank well, and it's easier than ever to create one with Squidoo.com. When you create a "lens" for your site, you can easily upload pictures and also make use of tags. Unlike other blogs, Squidoo won't show the posting date, so your lens won't look neglected if you ever stop posting. You can build your blog's link popularity by submitting it to blog directories like LSBlogs and BlogHub, and linking to it from your site.
Once you've done that, why not drop some other lensmasters a line and exchange lensroll links (Squidoo's answer to blogroll). This may be a tactic that is passee in search engine optimization link building, but remember that Squidoo is a community. So it's not as much link building as networking. In my experience, Squidoo lensmasters are quite keen to cross-promote.
7. Broadcast Yourself
Do you have promo videos or other visual media about your site? Why not create a channel on ? .
8. Explore Shopping Engines
If you sell products online, consider listing them in comparison shopping sites, or "shopping engines" like Shopping.com, Bizrateor Nextag. If you are not ready to manage a new e-commerce channel for many products, you might consider listing one product in one engine to start.
9. Use Directories For Deep Links
Search engines still consider a page's number of relevant backlinks to be a strong indicator of quality and relevance to a search term. Octopedia, WorldSiteIndex and Microsoft's Small Business Directory are a few examples of solid directories that allow you to link to deeper pages of your own site, like your About Us page, to help raise their rankings for your company name.
10. Post An E-Help Wanted Sign
Leverage the strength of sites like Craigslist.org to post your company's current job offerings. Make sure you use your company name first in the posting headline: "Gary's Garage Now Hiring Junior Grease Monkeys," for example. This will ensure the title tag for that page is optimized, which is very helpful for SEO. And make sure to describe your company in the ad, repeating your name three or four times.
Tracking Results
I strongly recommend setting up an account with Google Alerts (free) which monitors the top 50 results, or with Google Alert, a professional tracking system that will monitor the top 200 results for you for as little as $4.95/month. You will be notified daily when new references to your name have been found in Google - not only to see when your articles, profile pages, blog posts and so on get indexed, but also to keep on top of any new negative or positive references to your name outside of your own reputation management efforts.
How Long Will This Take?
Results may vary but they won't come overnight. You will get out of your reputation management efforts what you put in. It could take anywhere from a few months to a year. Expect monitoring and tweaking your strategy to be a long-term activity. As new pages are being added daily to the Web, search results for your name can fluctuate daily, even hourly.
The danger with social media optimization for reputation management purposes is that whatever you create easily through social media sites can easily be re-created by users disgruntled with your company. Using sites like 43Things to quickly create a high ranking page using your name in the title bar for "Buy XYZ Product" can attract similar posts like "Boycott XYZ!"
Wrapping it Up
As the World Wide Web turns, you may come across new or different ways to help your cause, especially as social media sprockets keep creating new opportunities. If SEO's not your bag, consider hiring a consulting firm skilled in copywriting and public relations. The key is to look at reputation management as a long term activity and to take advantage of all the options you have to keep the search engine results positive.
About the Author:
Linda Bustos is the Marketing Director for Image X Media, a Vancouver web design and Internet marketing firm. She also blogs about social media and business.
Read more...
Negative Press is not a fun business for a business online or off-line. It's how you handle it, and your customers that will determine if you can succeed in repairing the damage.
For instance, I will not mention the company's name -- but, this company would monitor a lot of the product rating sites to see if there was any bad marks placed against their company- then, if there was a bad comment, the company spokesperson would send a follow-up comment to have them please contact them with the information, and they would resolve the issue. What does that show me? The company is customer-oriented and knows that the customer can make or break their business. (I bring this up because there are some companies that forget the customer, especially if they become too much removed from the customer-base.)
She also brings up the Wiki and the AboutUs.org and LoveToKnow.com -- to give people a little more information about your company. You can learn a lot from this article, whether you are a business or a sole proprietor looking to find ways to promote your business.
Ten Tips To Clear Search Engines of Negative Press
By Linda Bustos
What do you see when you search for your company or brand name? Is there anything on the first page of the search engine results that you wouldn't be proud to display on your home page? Consumer review sites, blogs and forums have made it easy for anyone to say whatever they want about your company, whether they be disgruntled customers or competitors who like to play dirty.
If you're in a situation where negative publicity is front and center in search results, there are ways you can reclaim search engine real estate for your corporate identity. Though you can't make negative results disappear from the search engine indexes entirely, the following strategies can help them slip off the first few pages of search engine results.
1. Good Old Fashioned Networking
Even if you take none of the advice following in this article, the first thing you should do is contact the webmasters of the sites in question with a polite request for removal of negative comments. There's a good chance they'll be willing to co-operate. Note that, even if they do remove the listing, the cached pages may remain in the search engine indexes for some time. But users who click through the search engine results will land on a page with the comments removed.
Check out some of the sites that already have something good to say about you. Send them an appreciation note, and offer them a link back from your site. You could even create a special page called "Gary's Garage On The Web" (if that's the name of your business) or "Press Room."
2. Tap Into the Power of Wiki
Wiki websites allow users not only to add their own content, but also edit pages. They get their name from the Hawaiian word "wiki wiki" meaning "rapidly." There are many wiki pages like AboutUs.org and LoveToKnow.com that you can use to create content about your company. If your company name is "notable" enough (meaning there are objective third party sites that already have pages citing facts about your company), you might also be able to create a page in Wikipedia. This is easier if your company is publicly traded.
3. Raise Your Profile
Some websites like PR.com allow you to post your company's profile. An annual fee might be required. It's not easy to find these sites, but you may find some opportunities by searching your competitors' names and discovering where they are listed.
4. Wet Your Pen
Articles can help you kill three birds with one stone. Not only can articles rank for your company name, they also build valuable backlinks to your site and position you as an expert in your field. You can use your company name in the resource box at the end of an article along with a link back to your site.
Using your company name in the article body gives it a better chance of ranking well. You can research potential sites to submit your article to by searching for one of your industry keywords in a search engine like this: "car mechanics" + "submit article." Or submit it to various article directories like Article Alley.
5. Become A Socialite
Using social bookmark sites like Netvous and Del.icio.us is an easy way to quickly create a page that ranks for your name. You can create an account for yourself that bookmarks all of your positive press, and anything interesting on your website, such as articles or videos. Make sure you use your company name in the titles of the articles (even if they are not the real titles) and in the descriptions. Although this may seem to be "spamming" the bookmarking sites, it really is not, as the purpose is to create a page that ranks for your name, and there is no ethical reason why you should not be able to create an account that keeps track of all your company's press.
You are simply choosing to make the list public for those that may be interested.
The links themselves are not given much weight by search engines, but you have an opportunity to use your company name in the titles and descriptions of your bookmarks and photos. Make sure you make good use of the tagging feature, using general keywords as these will also begin to rank for your name. For example, Gary's Garage should tag: "Garys Garage," "garage," "autobody," "mechanic," "mechanics," "body shop," "car," "auto body" and so on. When you are first starting out, the more popular tags will start appearing on pages 1-5 in Google. They will eventually drop off as Google finds and indexes your content as you get it out there on other websites.
6. Become A Lensmaster
A company blog is certain to rank well, and it's easier than ever to create one with Squidoo.com. When you create a "lens" for your site, you can easily upload pictures and also make use of tags. Unlike other blogs, Squidoo won't show the posting date, so your lens won't look neglected if you ever stop posting. You can build your blog's link popularity by submitting it to blog directories like LSBlogs and BlogHub, and linking to it from your site.
Once you've done that, why not drop some other lensmasters a line and exchange lensroll links (Squidoo's answer to blogroll). This may be a tactic that is passee in search engine optimization link building, but remember that Squidoo is a community. So it's not as much link building as networking. In my experience, Squidoo lensmasters are quite keen to cross-promote.
7. Broadcast Yourself
Do you have promo videos or other visual media about your site? Why not create a channel on ? .
8. Explore Shopping Engines
If you sell products online, consider listing them in comparison shopping sites, or "shopping engines" like Shopping.com, Bizrateor Nextag. If you are not ready to manage a new e-commerce channel for many products, you might consider listing one product in one engine to start.
9. Use Directories For Deep Links
Search engines still consider a page's number of relevant backlinks to be a strong indicator of quality and relevance to a search term. Octopedia, WorldSiteIndex and Microsoft's Small Business Directory are a few examples of solid directories that allow you to link to deeper pages of your own site, like your About Us page, to help raise their rankings for your company name.
10. Post An E-Help Wanted Sign
Leverage the strength of sites like Craigslist.org to post your company's current job offerings. Make sure you use your company name first in the posting headline: "Gary's Garage Now Hiring Junior Grease Monkeys," for example. This will ensure the title tag for that page is optimized, which is very helpful for SEO. And make sure to describe your company in the ad, repeating your name three or four times.
Tracking Results
I strongly recommend setting up an account with Google Alerts (free) which monitors the top 50 results, or with Google Alert, a professional tracking system that will monitor the top 200 results for you for as little as $4.95/month. You will be notified daily when new references to your name have been found in Google - not only to see when your articles, profile pages, blog posts and so on get indexed, but also to keep on top of any new negative or positive references to your name outside of your own reputation management efforts.
How Long Will This Take?
Results may vary but they won't come overnight. You will get out of your reputation management efforts what you put in. It could take anywhere from a few months to a year. Expect monitoring and tweaking your strategy to be a long-term activity. As new pages are being added daily to the Web, search results for your name can fluctuate daily, even hourly.
The danger with social media optimization for reputation management purposes is that whatever you create easily through social media sites can easily be re-created by users disgruntled with your company. Using sites like 43Things to quickly create a high ranking page using your name in the title bar for "Buy XYZ Product" can attract similar posts like "Boycott XYZ!"
Wrapping it Up
As the World Wide Web turns, you may come across new or different ways to help your cause, especially as social media sprockets keep creating new opportunities. If SEO's not your bag, consider hiring a consulting firm skilled in copywriting and public relations. The key is to look at reputation management as a long term activity and to take advantage of all the options you have to keep the search engine results positive.
About the Author:
Linda Bustos is the Marketing Director for Image X Media, a Vancouver web design and Internet marketing firm. She also blogs about social media and business.
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Friday, February 2, 2007
Buying a Desktop-What You Need to Know
With things changing all the time -- computers included, sometimes it's hard to know what to buy and what not to buy. My sister came to me the other day, and stated, "I want to buy a new computer, what should I consider?" Well, that's a pretty general question. So the best I could come up with, was to suggest that she concentrate on the 3 Ps' and then go after all the other bells and whistles she wants--you'll understand once you read my article. Thus, the creation of my new article --"Buying A Desktop Computer-What I Need To Know?".
With the new Vista operating system, you will be surprised what many of the computer gurus are suggesting as to ram--1 gig! There is a lot of bells and whistles on the new operating system -- and maybe, just maybe it could still be in the bugs stage. Anyway, most feel that Vista will take 5 years to take hold. From a business standpoint, I would assume that XP Professional will be the standard, at least until, more people learn of Vista's possible quirks and issues-if any, and the new computer peripherals software forces them to upgrade. I believe, for myself, I'll stick with XP Professional, it's efficient, dependable, and takes less ram to run.
Anyway, here is my article for you to review and read:
Buying A Desktop Computer-What I Need To Know?
By Vickie J. Scanlon
If you are working on the Internet or even if your job entails being in front of a computer on a daily basis, then you know that your desktop is an important asset to the way you make your living. With that being said --what exactly are some of things to consider when buying a computer?
First, you should consider the 3 "Ps" -- power supply, processor and price, then your operating system and ram.
Power Supply
I know it may seem strange for many to hear someone advise you about, of all things, your computer's power supply, but your power supply is important. Your power supply is the heart of your PC system, supplying the electrical power to every component in your system. In fact, without enough power you'll not have much success at running your peripherals. When you add another hard drive (add 25 watts max), CD drive (add 20 watts max), or even when you add something to your motherboard, it will increase the strain on your power supply.
Thus, if the power supply is not adequate, and your computer is running at peak capacity all the time, it can cause data corruption, random crashes, and complete computer failure (need a new computer). Remember, excess wattage on a power supply is safer than not having enough.
If you're planning on purchasing a new computer it is wise to keep in mind any additional peripherals that you may want to add to your system in the future. In most cases, 250 to 300 watts is adequate for normal uses. However, if you are doing road warrior type of work or into gaming and you're looking at purchasing an extreme PC or top-flight gaming system then 500+ and higher should be considered.
Things to consider when buying a power supply
1) Make sure power supply you are purchasing is compatible with system. If the power supply is not compatible, you may have a flaming torch in your room.
2) Keep in mind possible additional peripherals that you will add.
3) The purpose of buying the computer (gaming, etc)
WARNING: A computer power supply can hold an electrical charge for up to a week even when it has been shut down for a week. So have someone that is knowledgeable about electricity and computers-remove the old and put in the new power supply for you.
Processor
Every processor on the market can do the basics: such as web browsing, email, and can in fact, handle most tasks with ease. But for the power users wanting to upgrade their processor; take a close look at the DUO Core 2 -- that will give you the speed you need --it's like having two processors in one.
Tip: Vista operating system and it's many bells and whistles will run far smoother with at least a 800mHz microprocessor.
Operating System and Ram
At this moment and time, I would recommend Windows XP Professional for an operating system -- because it is a stable system with the bugs worked out. For either the XP Professional or XP Home Edition version you should have at least 512 MB DDR Ram to allow your operating system to run smoothly. If however, you are thinking about upgrading to the Vista operating system, 1 GB of Ram is suggested.
In addition, keep in mind the type of work you are doing, or will be doing with your computer, an adjust the ram to fit the bill. For instance, if you work on the Internet, work with multiple windows open at one time, or you're anticipating additional challenges down the road, move the memory up to 1GB if you can afford it. The 1GB of memory will allow you to run additional programs simultaneously, without jeopardizing your speed and performance level.
Tip 1: If you can finish a cup of coffee and your program is still loading -- you may need more memory.
Price
Since everyone's has a different budget, I will simply say, get the most computer you can get at the price you can afford. And remember; consider power supply, processor speed, and ram first, and then your peripherals. Why? It won't matter what peripherals you have if you don't have the power.
Hard Drive
The hard drive is another important factor to consider. If you have a small hard-drive and you want to do something like video editing -- you will be very hard pressed to getting it done. And since the new programs are getting larger and larger, more hard drive space is going to be gobbled up rather quickly.
For example, Microsoft recommends the minimum of a 20gb for computers to run the Vista Operating system. So if you are looking at the Vista Operating System, I'd get as large as a hard drive as I can -- with a hard drive minimum starting at 60 gb.
TIP 2: If your hard drive is half-full, don't be surprised to notice your information loading slower than usual. You'll be in need of a larger hard drive soon.
To conclude, when buying a computer always remember to take care of the 3 Ps, your operating system and ram. Then consider your wish list of peripherals, while keeping a close watch on your purse strings.
Click the link if you need a little more detail about buying a desktop
Vickie J Scanlon -- Visit her site at:http://www.myaffiliateplace.biz/ for free tools, articles,ebooks, how to info, affiliate opportunities, travel and tech accessories, software and computers -- all geared to help the affiliate/small businessperson online.
Read more...
With the new Vista operating system, you will be surprised what many of the computer gurus are suggesting as to ram--1 gig! There is a lot of bells and whistles on the new operating system -- and maybe, just maybe it could still be in the bugs stage. Anyway, most feel that Vista will take 5 years to take hold. From a business standpoint, I would assume that XP Professional will be the standard, at least until, more people learn of Vista's possible quirks and issues-if any, and the new computer peripherals software forces them to upgrade. I believe, for myself, I'll stick with XP Professional, it's efficient, dependable, and takes less ram to run.
Anyway, here is my article for you to review and read:
Buying A Desktop Computer-What I Need To Know?
By Vickie J. Scanlon
If you are working on the Internet or even if your job entails being in front of a computer on a daily basis, then you know that your desktop is an important asset to the way you make your living. With that being said --what exactly are some of things to consider when buying a computer?
First, you should consider the 3 "Ps" -- power supply, processor and price, then your operating system and ram.
Power Supply
I know it may seem strange for many to hear someone advise you about, of all things, your computer's power supply, but your power supply is important. Your power supply is the heart of your PC system, supplying the electrical power to every component in your system. In fact, without enough power you'll not have much success at running your peripherals. When you add another hard drive (add 25 watts max), CD drive (add 20 watts max), or even when you add something to your motherboard, it will increase the strain on your power supply.
Thus, if the power supply is not adequate, and your computer is running at peak capacity all the time, it can cause data corruption, random crashes, and complete computer failure (need a new computer). Remember, excess wattage on a power supply is safer than not having enough.
If you're planning on purchasing a new computer it is wise to keep in mind any additional peripherals that you may want to add to your system in the future. In most cases, 250 to 300 watts is adequate for normal uses. However, if you are doing road warrior type of work or into gaming and you're looking at purchasing an extreme PC or top-flight gaming system then 500+ and higher should be considered.
Things to consider when buying a power supply
1) Make sure power supply you are purchasing is compatible with system. If the power supply is not compatible, you may have a flaming torch in your room.
2) Keep in mind possible additional peripherals that you will add.
3) The purpose of buying the computer (gaming, etc)
WARNING: A computer power supply can hold an electrical charge for up to a week even when it has been shut down for a week. So have someone that is knowledgeable about electricity and computers-remove the old and put in the new power supply for you.
Processor
Every processor on the market can do the basics: such as web browsing, email, and can in fact, handle most tasks with ease. But for the power users wanting to upgrade their processor; take a close look at the DUO Core 2 -- that will give you the speed you need --it's like having two processors in one.
Tip: Vista operating system and it's many bells and whistles will run far smoother with at least a 800mHz microprocessor.
Operating System and Ram
At this moment and time, I would recommend Windows XP Professional for an operating system -- because it is a stable system with the bugs worked out. For either the XP Professional or XP Home Edition version you should have at least 512 MB DDR Ram to allow your operating system to run smoothly. If however, you are thinking about upgrading to the Vista operating system, 1 GB of Ram is suggested.
In addition, keep in mind the type of work you are doing, or will be doing with your computer, an adjust the ram to fit the bill. For instance, if you work on the Internet, work with multiple windows open at one time, or you're anticipating additional challenges down the road, move the memory up to 1GB if you can afford it. The 1GB of memory will allow you to run additional programs simultaneously, without jeopardizing your speed and performance level.
Tip 1: If you can finish a cup of coffee and your program is still loading -- you may need more memory.
Price
Since everyone's has a different budget, I will simply say, get the most computer you can get at the price you can afford. And remember; consider power supply, processor speed, and ram first, and then your peripherals. Why? It won't matter what peripherals you have if you don't have the power.
Hard Drive
The hard drive is another important factor to consider. If you have a small hard-drive and you want to do something like video editing -- you will be very hard pressed to getting it done. And since the new programs are getting larger and larger, more hard drive space is going to be gobbled up rather quickly.
For example, Microsoft recommends the minimum of a 20gb for computers to run the Vista Operating system. So if you are looking at the Vista Operating System, I'd get as large as a hard drive as I can -- with a hard drive minimum starting at 60 gb.
TIP 2: If your hard drive is half-full, don't be surprised to notice your information loading slower than usual. You'll be in need of a larger hard drive soon.
To conclude, when buying a computer always remember to take care of the 3 Ps, your operating system and ram. Then consider your wish list of peripherals, while keeping a close watch on your purse strings.
Click the link if you need a little more detail about buying a desktop
Vickie J Scanlon -- Visit her site at:http://www.myaffiliateplace.biz/ for free tools, articles,ebooks, how to info, affiliate opportunities, travel and tech accessories, software and computers -- all geared to help the affiliate/small businessperson online.
Read more...
Entry for February 02, 2007
Sap den Tet roi, di den dau cung nghi toi khong khi Tet ca. Moi nguoi trong phong thi lan luot ve que ca. May dua ban cu cung dze ca roi...
... con minh. Dao nay ban qua, ban qua luon. Chua bao gio minh phai hoc nhieu den the nay. Minh luon tu cam thay vui khi nghi den thoi gian on thi dai hoc cua minh, that hay khi trong thoi gian ngan do mang lai cho minh nhieu dieu. minh thi dau dai hoc va luon cam thay vui vi da hoc tot! Khi ay dong luc thi dau dai hoc thoi thuc minh phai luon co gang va trong thoi gian nay cung vay. Minh phai hoc wa troi luon, minh mo*' sach ma minh dang co nhieu luc minh cam thay ap luc ghe lam. nhung ma minh cung phai co gang thoi... Bay gio minh luon tin vao mot dieu tot lanh se den voi minh, du co the sap toi ket qua khong duoc tot cho di nua, minh van luon tu thoi thuc ban than phai luon luon co gang het suc.
Thang toi minh se thi tot!
Con Tet nay nua? voi dong sach vo nay roi minh se vui tet nhu the nao nhi... thui phai hy sinh cho tuong lai thoi.
Chang biet ban be minh nhu the nao nhi? Ra?nh lai, nhat dinh minh se toi ban be choi...
Chuc moi nguoi sap toi an tet vui ve nghen!
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