http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/ Learn more about web hosting, domain names,  seo, webmaster tools, and other general web development. Fri, 25 May 2012 10:29:27 -0700 HostCMS http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/domain-names/tips-for-choosing-the-right-domain-name/  One of the biggest mistakes a business owner can make is carelessly choosing a domain name for his or her website, thus, we explore the importance of choosing the right domain name. Choosing a business name will be one of the most important decisions that you will ever make. You will toss and turn in bed at night trying to come up with the perfect name that captures the essence of your products and services. Friends and family members will bombard you with name prospects. Your four-year old niece may suggest the best name. You become so desperate to find a name that you resort to running a contest that provides the perfect moniker for your business. Eventually, you settle on a business name that people attribute to high quality products and friendly service.   The same level of attention to detail that you devote to creating a business name does not apply when you decide on a domain name for your website. You may take a few minutes, before coming up with a group of words that precede dot com. The words may or may not include your business name. The words probably do not convey much at all. One of the biggest mistakes a business owner can make is carelessly choosing a domain name for his or her website.   The Importance of Choosing the Right Domain Name   Think of your business website as the cyberspace version of your physical business. Your website is just a virtual replica of what you sell over the counter. Therefore, you must perform the domain name search with the same diligence that you perform for choosing a business name. You must be diligent for two primary reasons.   First, branding is a huge component of your marketing strategy. The name that you choose for your business is one that customers immediately recognize when they shop for the products and services that you offer. Your online brand, which is the extension of your business name, is the domain name that you choose for your website. You probably do not have the name recognition of a Wal Mart or Microsoft, so your domain name does not necessarily have to include your business name. However, when you brand via your domain name, you create a string of words that customers immediately recognize as either your business or an extension of your business.   The second reason for the importance of domain names is Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. You want a domain that incorporates the keywords that potential customers use to find your business online. Many times, this will include incorporating words that indicate a specific industry and/or geographic region. Search engines often return results that include domain name keywords. For instance, if you run an Asian grocery store in Denver, you could create a domain such as Denver Asian Grocer dot com. Some domain name experts do not place as much emphasis on SEO friendly domain names, but think about the logic of incorporating popular keywords into the name that represents your business online.   Domain Name Tips Avoid using letters that people had a difficult time typing, such as x,z,q,w, and p. This may sound like nitpicking, but put yourself in a potential customer’s shoes. The easiest letters to type sit in the middle of the keyboard. Furthermore, avoid using hyphens in a domain name. People often suggest websites to their friends and family members. When they suggest a website name that contains hyphens, they typically do not include the hyphens in their oral versions. A domain of eatorganicproduce dot com is much preferable to eat-organic-produce dot com.   Most website experts agree that short domains are preferable to long domain names. Yet, never condense your domain name, if a long name perfectly describes your business. Acronyms, while pithy in emails and online message boards, have no search engine value for your business. “How to treat foot injuries” dot com should never be condensed to HTTFI dot com. Remember that the longer the domain name, the more likely that potential customers will make a mistake typing the name into the URL box.   If your domain is rejected because it matches another domain name, resist the temptation to use an alternative suffix, such as net or org. You operate a business, not a non-profit organization or volunteer agency. Com signifies a commercial endeavor, and you should use it for your domain suffix. If you create a domain that already exists online, then slightly tinker with the words or word placement of your domain name.   Many business owners register their websites with website hosting companies. These companies provide the number and quality of services that benefit businesses when they conduct transaction online. Many web hosting companies provide an easy to use platform for accepting payments. While enticing, you should avoid allowing a web hosting company to choose your website domain name. Insist on a name that effectively conveys your brand image and incorporates some of the primary keywords that potential customers use to find your business online.   One of the most important decisions that you will make concerning your business is choosing the best website domain name. Many business owners do not understand the implications of choosing the wrong domain name. Your website may have appealing content, you may offer superior products, and you may provide the best customer serviced in town. However, if people cannot find you online, all of your other business accomplishments will be just a waste of time and money. Choosing the right domain is so important that many business owners pay consultants to create the right domain name for their websites. Fri, 25 May 2012 08:27:11 -0700 Domain Names http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/domain-names/tips-for-choosing-the-right-domain-name/ http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/general/put-an-end-to-internet-censorship/ Alas, the rippling in the ground under Virginia topsoil is not an earthquake, but James Madison shuddering in his grave. Politicians from both of the major political parties have eviscerated the Constitution by passing federal laws that encroach upon our free will. America’s Founding Fathers predicated the rights guaranteed in the Constitution on the concept of free will. In general terms, this means the right of citizens to conduct their daily business bereft of any government entity exercising undue control. The Bill of Rights forms the cornerstone of protecting the civil liberties that permits us to exercise free will. Throughout the seminal document, The Federalist Papers, co-authors James Madison and John Jay constantly refer to natural law as the guiding principle of the nascent American constitutional republic. An overwhelming percentage of Americans believe in the inherent free will rights guaranteed in the Constitution. Unfortunately, a few of the more influential Americans view the Constitution as a “living document,” as set of legal edicts that must change with the changing times.   Living document advocates disparage the Founding Fathers by insisting that the Constitution must change to reflect the changes in society. What these judicial activists really believe is that the Constitution must change to reflect the political objectives of a small ruling class. Hence, we have egregious examples of federal government overreach in violations of the second, fourth, fifth, and tenth Amendments to the Constitution. The Founding Fathers believed a well-armed citizenry kept the federal government in check. They believed the feds have no right to search and seize without probable cause. James Madison was a staunch proponent of protecting American citizens from self-incrimination, which makes filing a federal tax return a violation of the Constitution. Moreover, the Tenth Amendment forms the underlying principle of the Constitution, that the Sates govern, not an expansive and power hungry federal government.   Alas, the rippling in the ground under Virginia topsoil is not an earthquake, but James Madison shuddering in his grave. Politicians from both of the major political parties have eviscerated the Constitution by passing federal laws that encroach upon our free will. Look at the Patriot Act, the NDAA, and the Medicare prescription law and tell me this is what the Founding Fathers meant by limited federal government purview. However, the impingement on free speech is perhaps the worst usurpation of the Constitution. The federal government squashes protests with violent force. College campuses censor the opinions of students who write letters to the school newspaper. Even city governments, the last bastion for citizens to air it out, have clamped down on the First Amendment guarantee of free speech. The encroachment on the right to free speech goes way beyond the legal standard of yelling “Fire” in a crowded movie theater. It is all about control and the control freaks have now entered into cyberspace to infringe upon our First Amendment rights.   Censorship Roots Internet censorship began as a benign endeavor that involved the politically correct term, cyberbullying. Concerned educators wanted to curtail the online bullying of students who intimated other students. While the intent of cyberbullying laws may tug at your heart, the purpose of such legislation was to undermine the right of free speech. Since cyberbullying laws have been on the books, politicians have expanded cyberbullying laws to include other type of “hate” speech. These politicians are no different from the control freaks that George Orwell depicted in 1984. They want to control what we say, whether we say it verbally, in print, or via the Internet. Now, the same politicians want to expand their Internet censorship tentacles to include laws that allow the President to use a “kill switch” to shut down the Internet during a national emergency. The model used for the Internet kill switch legislation comes from our liberty loving friends in China. Of course, the law only provides an arcane definition of what constitutes an emergency. Thank Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham for devising this First Amendment stifling piece of legislation.   Creative Use of Acronyms The American government loves to pass laws that contain acronyms. Internet censorship laws are no exception to the acronym rule. We have SOPA, COICA, and PIPA, Internet anti-piracy laws that ostensibly protect purveyors of online content, mostly wealthy music and movie companies who do not like their intellectual property uploaded for free. While we can probably commiserate with these free enterprise role models, the overriding implications of anti-piracy laws are the free speech limiting clauses buried deep within each piece of legislation. Informed American citizens made such a vehement outcry against each acronym, that politicians had to go back to the drawing board to create another acronym that contains similar, though more muddled, free speech impinging language. Politicians have created the latest acronym incarnation called CISPA, or the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act.   You may not know this, but the federal government monitors the information that we put online. The National Security Agency (NSA) sends Internet packets through private enterprise routers, mostly AT&T routers, to data warehouses located throughout the country. Each data warehouse holds personal data that contains varying degrees of national security information. You can detect where NBA sends your Internet packets, but we shall save that lesson for another time. Just understand that NSA does this clandestinely, which means the federal government has to create a law that legitimizes this illegal Fourth Amendment undermining activity. Politicians have unveiled the legal legitimization of NSA’s illegal intrusion into our personal lives under the guise of CISPA.   Free Speech Crumbles CISPA essentially designates America’s cybersecurity as an intelligence activity. The bill breaks from a longstanding tradition as treating the Internet as a private and thus, free speech zone for individuals who travel through cyberspace. Thus, the feds now have the authority under this law to monitor electronic activity, whether it occurs in the form of Facebook Likes or commercial activity. This bill does not have language that guarantees oversight or accountability, giving the feds unlimited access to our personal information. If you wonder why the producers of spyware and malware detection software have become so popular, look no further than the federal government’s intrusions into our online affairs. What does the gathering of cyber intelligence, the Fourth Amendment eradicating activity, have to do with Internet censorship? The answer derives from the classic adage that if you give someone an inch, he or she will inevitably take a mile. Internet censorship created the inch that the federal government has now taken to a mile by tightly regulating our online activities under the guise of cyber security. The Internet became the thorn in the side of powerful people who are losing the information war. During a recent speech, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, referred to the federal government’s need to control the online information war. FOX News Chairman, Rupert Murdoch, repeatedly speaks of his contempt of how the Internet has leveled the information dissemination playing field. Throughout history, maniacal dictators have wielded their influence by first controlling the control of information. Now, the American government is turning the First Amendment to the Constitution into a fight over the information transmitted via cyberspace. Government censorship in any form sets the stage for tyranny. We must prevent this by speaking out against bills such as CISPA. We need to reduce the mile the federal government has taken from the inch that guarantees our right to free speech over the Internet. Wed, 23 May 2012 07:57:40 -0700 General http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/general/put-an-end-to-internet-censorship/ http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/general/using-an-online-site-builder-to-create-your-first-site-everything-youve-ever-wanted-to-know-and-more/ Online site building technology has been around for a while, and in recent years it’s really been making a name for itself. There are just about as many online site builders as there are web hosts today, which means it’s high time we broke down what it means to use such a platform, as well as what you should be looking for in a service provider. There’s a whole lot of overlap where online site creation tools and web hosting are concerned, which means—if you’re a regular reader—you’ll notice a lot of similar points in today’s discussion. If you’re new to the whole thing, you’ll still be able to follow along, though, so no worries! Indeed, we often spend a whole lot of our time educating you on the realities of web hosting. We sort of consider it our duty, like we’re your Batman to your Gotham. Yes, we ensure that you’re kept up to date on what to look for in a web host, what to expect with the service you find there, and what you’ll need to do exactly to ensure that your web hosting life is a good one. However, there are so many more aspects that exist to creating and owning a site, which is why we’ll be looking at one of the more abstract ways to build your own Web domain today: The online site builder.   Online site building technology has been around for a while, and in recent years it’s really been making a name for itself. There are just about as many online site builders as there are web hosts today, which means it’s high time we broke down what it means to use such a platform, as well as what you should be looking for in a service provider. There’s a whole lot of overlap where online site creation tools and web hosting are concerned, which means—if you’re a regular reader—you’ll notice a lot of similar points in today’s discussion. If you’re new to the whole thing, you’ll still be able to follow along, though, so no worries!   So all in all, if you’re looking to create your very first site, and want it hosted simply and without a whole lot of fuss, you’ve come to right place! We’ll be giving you everything that you could possibly want to know about an online site builder, including how to use it, what to expect, and what you should be keenly aware of before signing any contracts. We’ll also drop some of our choice names, in case you’re stuck at the Google search page in desperate need of some suggestions. So without any further ado, let’s dive right into the heart of the matter with a full-on look at exactly what an online site builder is—and what it means for you!   Understanding an Online Site Builder: The Basics   First out of the box, if you’re new to the realm of online site building, you’re probably wondering just what in the heck the technology even is. Thankfully, we’re here to help you out. Here is the simplest way we know to explain it:   An online site builder is a tool that you can use to easily create an entirely function and content-filled site: Without any coding knowledge whatsoever! It’s typically a software that’s run right in your browser, which you can obtain an account to use. Using that account, you’ll log in, obtain the interface dashboard, and edit the content of your site. When you’re done making the changes that you’d like to have implemented, the site builder will update your site with the necessary files, and everything goes live right then and there. It’s quick, simple, and requires no technological tomfoolery on your part to get the job done.   We’ll talk more about the specific methods an online site builder uses in just a second, but first, there’s one more thing you aught to know about these platforms:   Most of the time—and we mean nine times out of ten—an online site builder will also offer to host your site. Unlike developing a site on your own using your desktop computer, you will not typically have to find a web host to put up all of that code and content. Rather, the site builder allows you to create the site in-house, using your browser, and then automatically uploads the whole thing to your private server space. This is typically with a premium attached, though, and you’ll not likely be able to export your finished product for use with another web host. Site builders are somewhat narcissistic in that sense: An online site builder may look and act like a WYSIWYG editor, but at the end of the day, you’re most likely locked into their version of web hosting. This can be a tremendous boon if you’re looking for simplicity, but if you’ve already got some kind of web hosting that you’d like to stick with, you’re probably out of luck.   Understanding an Online Site Builder: The Deeper Cut   That’s the basic rundown of what an online site builder even is: However, there are still a few items we’d like to cover, just to be sure you have things nailed down. We’ll spare you any more prose by diving right into those matters now, starting with:   How a Site Builder Creates a Site:   Believe it or not, almost all site builders are really the same: They have different quirks and perks that make them better for certain needs over others, but when you get down to it, the way in which they create a site is almost universally the same. Here are the essential things to know about what’s actually going on underneath the hood of your chosen site builder:   a.   Template Construction: About 90% of all site builders using a template-based creation process. This is really quite simple to understand and works something like this: You sign-in to the site builder, and it then provides you with a simple, web-based editor to create your site with. Form there, you choose one of perhaps several hundred templates to begin with. The quality of these templates varies drastically from site builder to site builder, but if you’re paying for the services you’re getting, you can bet the templates have been designed by professionals. Once you have a template installed, you start removing the stock elements that come attached, and adding your own unique content. It’s a fairly restrictive way to go about things, but depending on the builder, you may have a little more fine-tuned control over the end results. Certain builders will even let you analyze and modify the actual code of the template, though that’s rather rare these days. A template-based builder will more often than note cater to the needs of the Web Newbie. b.  Drag-And-Drop: This is another popular method of site building technology, and we’d say it makes up about 5% of what remains. This is a simple concept to grasp, and it allows for a little more customization when you’re actually creating your site. Essentially, the builder will provide you with a toolbar filled with Web elements that you can drag directly into the editing space. This editing space may come with guides or grids to help you along, but for the most part you’ll be doing a lot more of the designing yourself. Typically the builder will also come with some pre-fab arrangements for you to start with. Either way, if you want to change an element, it’s a lot simpler to do here than in the template-based editor. Again, though, you’re limited by what the provider actually gives you to work with. If you want to add custom javascript components or other hard coded items, you may very well be out of luck. c.   Click-To-Edit: This is another very popular way to go about online site creation, and we’d say it takes up the rest of the 5% that remains—with a little wiggle room, of course! This is one of the cooler ways to go about creating and using an online site builder (in our not so humble opinion) but it definitely has its drawbacks. The basic concept is this: By logging in with your account details, you’ll have a direct, visual control mechanism over your site. You scan through your pages—usually first constructed using template—as if you were viewing them in your browser as a non-admin user. If you want to edit something, you simply click on it, make the changes, and then hit safe. It’s like using InDesign to create your website, only your editing platform is the site itself. It’s neat stuff, and if you’re new to the realm of website creation, it can be very easy to pick up and learn. However, you’ll be very restricted in what you can actually change, unless there’s some other kind of WYSIWYG editor running in the background. Furthermore, you’re fairly locked in with the template that you choose.   Understanding the Hosting Side of Things   We’ve talked enough about the creation and design aspect of an online site builder, which leads us to think it’s high time we talked a bit about the more business-oriented aspect of the process: The hosting and pricing that you’re likely to encounter. As we mentioned earlier, most site builders will require you to use their hosting services to get the site online. This may come as a bummer drag to a lot of our readers who have prior website creation experience, but for the absolute rookie in the field, this can really help you out. Why do we say that? For a number of reasons.   First, having your site hosted by the company you use to create the site has certain advantages. You’ll get immediate and simple hosting without needing to hunt around for another provider. Additionally, you’ll get better support for your site than you likely would with a third-party hosting provider, as the platform the host manages is also the backbone of your site. And lastly, the seamlessness of the entire process is really quite attractive. You can spend an entire afternoon working on a site, and then have it hosted in a matter of minutes. And to us, that’s a rather cool thing.   Pricing You Should Look For:   That being said, like web hosting itself, there are certain things you should look for when considering the pricing agreement of the online site builder you’re looking at. First off, see if the provider offers some kind of free plan to help you try out the software. There’s nothing worse than picking an online site builder because the plan is cheap, only to discover that the builder itself is so weak it’s not even funny. If you can try things out on a trial basis, do it!   Next, check out the pricing tiers that the company is offering. Most site builders (likely 98% of them) offer multiple pricing tiers that come with different services per dollar. What you’re looking for goes something like this: You want as much bandwidth and storage space as you can possibly obtain. If you’re paying to have your site hosted, you might as well have a free domain, too. And if the company charges extra for eCommerce or shopping cart services, they’re a total no-go.   Want specific price ranges to shoot for? Sure thing! Here’s our basic breakdown:   $4.95 - $9: This is what we call the bargain bin for an online site builder. Prices in this range are typically associated with the bottom tier of a company’s pricing agreements. At this range, you should have just enough space to get your site hosted and managed, but don’t expect wonders. This is in comparison to a third party hosting provider that could easily charge this price for a whole host of unlimited features. Site builders are different animals, so don’t expect the same features as with another provider.   $15 - $25: At this price range, you should be able to obtain all of the services that you might need to successfully start and manage an online business. This is not negotiable. If the provider in someway limits what you can do at this price range, they are not worth your time. This is typically the middle tier of the pricing page, but that does not mean you have to pay more to get all the features. If the site builder is lacking at this level, they’ll be lacking everywhere.   $26+: At this point, the benefits of actually paying this much are somewhat debatable. With most site builders, this is the price range at which you get totally unrestricted access. If you’re running a massive business, then this is the best range for you. Otherwise, you’re likely better off with the previous runner-up. That’s our opinion though, and if you want the security of being a VIP customer, then by all means, jump on this one like it’s hot!   3.  Who are Site Builders For?   At this point, we’d like to just take a moment to quickly dish out a brief overview of who a site builder should actually be used by. Online site creation tools are a great way to fashion up and manage a website, but they simply aren’t for everyone. So, with that in mind, here’s who should really be considering a site builder for their Web domain:   a.   Rookie Users: Are you somewhat of an hobbyist who has a passion, or maybe wants to start a blog? Have you got little to no actual technological experience, but still want to dabble with owning your own domain? If so, then a site builder is by far the best option on your plate. You can very quickly and easily create a site, have it managed, and possibly for less than $5 a month. That’s a great deal, and you won’t notice the restricted nature of the tools that you’re using. If you plan to grow in your own knowledge and skills, you can also upgrade to a proper host and design at some point in the future. b.  Small Businesses: If you’re a small business owner who very much needs a site to call their own, then perhaps a site builder is best for you. A lot of providers give you all of the eCommerce tools that you need to get the job done quickly, and if your customers are begging you to have a Web presence, you can simply set-up a site with no tech knowledge using a site builder. That being said, if you ever decide to add truly complex features to your site, you’re going to have to redo the whole design with a professional designer. c.   Web Designers: This might seem like a strange thought, but if you’re a web designer who needs a space to play around with a new concept or product line, one of the cheap to free site builders is a great way to go about doing so. You can save time by quickly using a pre-fab design, and then get the thing hosted for little to no money. From there, you have all the time and energy in the world to play around with your sandbox domain.   4.  Popular Site Builders and Their Perks   Yes, the time has finally come! We promised way back at the start of the article that we would cover some of our favorite site builders, and alas, we’re finally at that grand moment. So without further ado, here are some of our favorites, as well as what you can expect by signing up to use their services. Starting with:   A.  SquareSpace: First off the bat, we absolutely love SquareSpace, and not because we’re being paid to say that. You see, we work as full-time graphic designers when we’re not writing for Web Hosting Geeks, and out of all the contacts we know, a lot of our designer peers are swapping to SquareSpace. Why is that? Because it’s powerful, cheap, and  unbelievably user-friendly. The support and staff are all-around great people, and the interface offers the most customization you’ll find with any online site builder. That may not appeal to the rookie user, but for the designer in need of a quick creation tool, it’s unbelievably good. B.   Wix: Another one of our favorites is Wix, which has been around for a very long time. The site builder offers a flash-based alternative to a lot of the template-oriented site builders that we’re used to seeing, and in the end, it makes it one of the best ways to quickly and efficiently set-up a site with absolutely no—and we do mean none—technological experience under your belt. The interface is simple, the tools are powerful, and if you’re new to the game, you may never really know the power you wield in your hands. Best of all, the hosting plans are some of the cheapest in the game, with one of the best free hosting plans out there. If you’re looking to play around with the idea of owning your own site, we like this one a lot. C.   Moonfruit: This is another one of our favorites, though for markedly different reasons than the others. The interface is smooth, but it’s hardly the best we’ve ever seen. However, what Moonfruit offers that makes it a really great bargain is its fluidity. Any site you create using Moonfruit is automatically enabled for mobile viewing and Facebook performance. This means, the minute you’re done making your business’s new site, you can hit the button, have the whole thing hosted, and instantly have it on Facebook and the Mobile Web. This is a powerful tool that really shows Moonfruit’s attention to modern methods of Web development. Both social media and mobile optimization are drastically important for the life and security of your business, making the site builder one of the best out there. D.  uCoz: If you’d like something with absolutely no price tag attached, then consider uCoz. It’s not the best site builder we’ve ever looked at, by a long shot even, but it is completely free and comes with a lot of support to help you along. If you’re more a Web hobbyist, this is perhaps the best option for you, as hosting, creation, and everything else in between are simple and free. The tools are decent, and the interface is very template based with some excellent options. All in all, though, it’s the budget that calls us to this one.   Sat, 19 May 2012 12:42:12 -0700 General http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/general/using-an-online-site-builder-to-create-your-first-site-everything-youve-ever-wanted-to-know-and-more/ http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/general/use-wordpress-to-build-a-site-the-big-issue/ If you’ve ever wondered what all the fuss is about concerning WordPress, or are right now considering using it to power your site, you’ve come to the right place. Give us your confused, give us your wondering, as we’ll be dishing out all of the dirt from the ground-up. We like to talk an awful lot about how to develop a site of your very own, where to host, and even how to optimize it to meet your business’s or your own personal needs. And during all of this we keep casually mentioning something called WordPress. Yes, we’ve spent more than our fair share of time dancing around the issue, dodging any exact methods of how to use the content management system to construct a working site, much less one that’s been optimized for any and all media. However, we’ll be putting a stop to all of that today!   If you’ve ever wondered what all the fuss is about concerning WordPress, or are right now considering using it to power your site, you’ve come to the right place. Give us your confused, give us your wondering, as we’ll be dishing out all of the dirt from the ground-up. We’ll be explaining the technology and systems underneath WordPress, but most importantly, we’ll be giving you a functioning step-by-step guide that you can use to construct your very own, WordPress-enabled site. So if that sounds like a good time coming, then step right on up, Solider! We’ve got all the dirt and more just waiting for you below:   What is WordPress?   If you’re completely unfamiliar with what WordPress is, but have heard it mentioned around town, then buckle up: Here’s the most basic rundown of what the software is, as well as what it can do for you and your site!   Essentially, WordPress is a content management system. Actually, we should’t say “essentially” as that’s exactly what WordPress is: It’s a content management system! However, that phrase in and of itself probably deserves a little more explanation. With that in mind, here’s our best shot at it.   Back in the early days of being a web master, we had to do what’s called an “hard coding” for each and every page that we built for our websites. This meant we had to add bits of code line by line to define what our site would look like, how it would behave, and exactly what it would do. This got very arduous very quickly, especially if we were running a website like a blog that needed a whole lot of pages for one heck of a lot of content. Thankfully, though, we now have things called content management systems that streamline the whole thing for us.   A content management system is like an additional platform that you can install on your chunk of the web-server. This piece of software foundation allows you to add basic elements like themes, content, and posts, but without adding anything via code. All you have to do is fill-in the forms and fields that WordPress provides, add a custom theme of your choosing, and away your site runs: It’s really that simple to get an entire site up in the space of an afternoon! This means we never again have to hard code the same page fifteen times to accommodate fifteen blog posts. Content management systems like WordPress have greatly improved the quality of our Web-based life, and we could’t be happier about it.   Why Should I Use WordPress and not Drupal/Concrete5/Other?   At this point, we have a very basic definition of what WordPress is, as well as what sort of ease-of-life it can offer you. However, you’re very likely aware of the fact that WordPress is not the only name on the block. There are quite a few other content management systems all vying for attention on the global market, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. As it stands, it’s our opinion that WordPress is simply the best and strongest of them all. However, we’re not just throwing that out there because we feel like it! We have very specific reasons for thinking so, and they all look a bit like this:   1.  Plugins Galore: One of the greatest things about a content management system as opposed to an hard coded site is the fact that one can very quickly and easily add new features simply by installing a fresh plugin. These are small coded bits produced by other WordPress users that can be installed within the platform. These snippets than add a new feature, like a new photo gallery viewer, or even a counter for the website. It’s simple, efficient, and almost without fail, it’s also free. Which in turn leads us to our next point: 2.  Free as in WordPress: If you’re looking to setup a website using WordPress, you can largely expect to spend the most of your budget on the web hosting: Don’t worry about needing to shell out huge amounts of money to promote or develop your site, as most of that is already taken care of within WordPress. What do we mean? Well, look at it this way: WordPress itself is a free and open source software, which means you’ll never have to pay for it. Additionally, there are easily thousands upon thousands of free themes running around for you to choose from. On top of all that, most of the plugins we talked about int he previous point will cost you nothing to add. So essentially, you can create, skin, and flesh out your website with no money down, allowing you to save your budget for other, more important areas. 3.  It’s Bloody Simple: And lastly, WordPress is by and far one of the simplest content management systems that we have ever played around with. It’s not the most powerful by a long shot (for that, take a look at Concrete5) but it’s by and large the easiest to use if you have little to no prior coding experience. This means that, if you’re a newbie looking to get an online presence—but don’t want to take the time to learn a coding language or some basic software skills—even you can have a website in a number of hours. And to us, that’s true value personified!   How to Build a Site Using WordPress (and for Cheap/Free, Too!)   Okay! So at this point we’ve talked at length about what WordPress is, what it’s based on, and why you should even use it to run your site. If you’re still not convinced, at least we can say we tried our best. However, if at this point you’re ready to roll on your new website, you’ve come to the right place. From this point onward we’ll be explaining some of the best and quickest ways in which you an use WordPress to setup your very first site on the Net. It’s a lot simpler than you think, but just in case it gets confusing, we’ll break everything down into simple step-by-step instructions to ease the process. So without further ado, here’s how you can build a top-shelf website using nothing but WordPress and a spare afternoon!   1.  Get Hosting   First out of the box, you’re going to want to find a really good web hosting provider to house all of your WordPress data, as well as anything else that you plan to put up on your site. This is an extremely important step, as the web hosting provider you choose is like the apartment out of which you’ll found your very first business—if you don’t get a good location, you’re not likely to be going anywhere.   As such, when looking for a web hosting company to meet your needs, keep in mind that not all companies are created equally. There are very specific things you should be looking for in each and every option, and thankfully, they aren’t too hard to pin down. Here’s the basic rub on what you need in a quality web hosting provider to house your very own (and very first) WordPress-based site:   a.   Unlimited Features: Firstly, you’re going to want unlimited disk space and bandwidth to use with your site. You simply don’t want to be tied down by a metered amount of traffic or storage, otherwise you’ll very quickly find yourself butting your digital head up against a restraining wall. Softwares like WordPress use a lot of media and data, which can quickly add up to an headache if you’re trying to work within restrictions. As such, simply avoid the problem all together from the get-go! b.  Loads of MySQL Databases: On that note, one thing that you’ll need specifically for WordPress use is a whole lot of MySQL databases. You see, as a content management system, WordPress uses MySQL databases to house all of the data that you put on the site. This means text, photos, videos, you name it! All of it gets chucked into the database, where it remains for ever and ever. You’re very likely to accumulate quite a lot of “junk” in your WordPress database, which means you want unlimited disk space, as well as the option to introduce a few new databases should WordPress require it. This is easily the most important aspect of your hosting search, so keep a keen eye on it! Without a MySQL database to call your own, you won’t be using WordPress: It’s really that simple. c.   Easy Installation: And lastly, you’ll want a web hosting provider that helps you install WordPress quickly and easily. Typically this means a “one-click” installation, which really is as self-explanatory as it sounds. With a single click, you should be able to add the latest and greatest version of WordPress to your site. There are a whole boatload of services out there that give you this kind of support, and if your web host is simply too lazy to find one for you, then they’re very likely not worth your time. You should also never have to pay extra for this kind of service. This is a complimentary item that all quality web hosts will provide. As such, look for it and demand it in the host you sign!   That’s really it! So with all of these points in mind, go out and find a web hosting provider that meets your needs and that you feel comfortable hosting with. Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to move onto Step 2 of the WordPress Site Creation Process!   2.  Install WordPress   Yes, yes, we know we already talked about installing WordPress using a one-click installer! However, we still need to cover a few basic points before we can continue. So, with that in mind, just stick around for a bit:   Firstly, to install WordPress you’re going to want to figure out how your web host goes about doing so. If you’ve got a one-click installer on hand, you should be able to find it within your cPanel, Plesk panel, etc. Typically a web hosting provider will advertise this as a selling point, so it just should’t be too hard to find. Once you’ve located the bugger, go ahead and click that button!   Keep in mind that you may yet need to install a MySQL database of your own, first. Some web hosting providers won’t do this automatically for you, which is a tremendous drag: However, it isn’t too hard to work around. Once you’ve got the database christened and ready to go, install WordPress. Somewhere during the installation, you’ll get a warning message asking for the database to use. Point it to the one you like most, and the rest is easy as pie.   Another option that you may have to consider is a manual installation. We sincerely hope that you don’t have to pursue this route, but if you do (for instance if your web hosting doesn’t offer some kind of one-click installation utility) then don’t feel too terribly! It’s not the hardest process in the world, and every inch of it has been described in detail on the WordPress site itself. Essentially, you’ll just need to download the latest software, add it via FTP to your server space, run a quick installer from your cPanel, and then answer a few installation wizard questions to round out the whole affair. This should’t take more than five minutes, which means you’ll very quickly be ready for Step Three!   3.  Theme the Thing   This is where the process of owning and operating a WordPress site becomes really engaging and quite a lot of fun. From this point onward you should’t have to worry too much with complex, twist, or technical coding knowledge. Most of what we’ll be doing will happen right from the WordPress dashboard or menu. So, in other words, kick back and relax a bit! The hard stuff is done, and though you’ll still have to work, your creativity is what we’re going to be highlighting from here on out. Starting with the theme:   a.   Get a Theme: The very first thing you’ll want to do is locate a theme that matches what you hope to do with your site. Now, WordPress itself comes with quite a few of these themes, but if you’re hoping to stand out from the pack, you’ll very quickly want to abandon these, as thousands of other sites on the Net currently use them. Instead, just do a quick Google search for WordPress themes. There are thousands of sites out there that offer them, most of which will give you a rock-solid theme for free. If you’d like to pay for a custom-designed one, though, you can expect to pay no more than $50. Most themes that we’ve bought over the years have clocked in at about $25-35. In other words, you’re not looking at a massive expenditure here, so feel free to poke around and find the exact theme that meets each and every one of your needs to the letter. Once that’s done, head on to the next point! b.  Install the Theme: Unlike installing WordPress itself, installing the theme of your choosing could not be simpler! Just go to the appearance panel within your WordPress dashboard and click on the theme menu. Once inside, you should see a list of currently installed themes. Along the top you’ll find a button that allows you to install a new theme. Click this, and then locate the theme files that you’ve recently downloaded to your computer. Click that puppy, and WordPress will do the rest! It will even ask you if you’d like to change your current theme to the one you’ve just installed. Hit yes, and then watch the magic happen! You’ve now just installed a custom theme for your fresh-faced WordPress site! That wasn’t that hard, now was it? c.   Customize the Menus: At this point, you’re going to want to start to clean out all of the excess stuff that came with your theme. Now, some themes come with a whole lot of menus and categories, while others may be entirely bare bones. Most won’t require too much tinkering to get up and off the ground, but either way you should go ahead and check your menus. There’s a tab under the appearances panel that will let you do so. Once there, look over these points. These are the breadcrumb style links that will appear at the top of each and every page that you create—unless you tell WordPress to only add them to certain pages, but that’s a different matter. If you see any items that you do not want on your site, or do not ever need, go ahead and delete theme! You want to trim the fat here, so rearrange things as you want them too look on your site, and don’t be shy about it. This is your domain and your space, and you are not tied down by what the theme has installed from the get-go. Once you’ve done that, head on to the posts and categories. d.  Remove Excess Stuff: Like menus, sometimes a theme will come with a lot of example posts and categories that you simply don’t want. To analyze this, and remove any stragglers, go to your posts section and scan through both the posts and the categories. Remove anything that you do not want to modify, or anything that you will never need. These will only clog up the system, and will cause your site to run more slowly. Not to mention the fact that they might appear in your sidebars or elsewhere, confusing the flow of your site as well as the viewers that visit it. All in all, just get rid of things you don’t want or need. If you’re not sure about something, leave it there for a while as you flesh out the site. By the time you’re done, if you haven’t used it once, throw it away!   4.  Add Content   At long, long last we have finally reached the ending step! This is the last stop, but it’s also the step you’ll be repeating from here until Judgement Day. You see, the process of adding content to your WordPress site begins here, but it will almost certainly never end. You’ll always have new posts to add, new thoughts to scribble, and new items to adjunct to the site. With this in mind, we’ve created a few pointers below that will help to centralize and direct your creativity. Starting with:   a.   Create Stuff that Matters: If you’re looking to pull in a real audience, be sure to create content and posts that others will actually want to read. This is very important, so take the time to ask yourself what you would want to read on the Internet. b.  Discuss Often: If your theme uses a comments section, don’t just leave your user’s comments out on the dry dock! Talk to your readers and develop a personal relationship with them. This builds trust, and ensures your readers will return later. c.   Have Fun! Last but not least, be sure to have fun with the process! It’s your site after all, and you can write what you want. Enjoy that! Sun, 13 May 2012 21:54:52 -0700 General http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/general/use-wordpress-to-build-a-site-the-big-issue/ http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/hosting-news/intermedia-receives-cash-infusion/ Less than a month ago, one of the leading Cloud computing companies, Intermedia, announced that Dr. Prasad Akella would take the helm of the organization’s product management and marketing endeavors. The move sparked rumors that Intermedia was primed to grow its service lines. All the company lacked was a steady flow of capital for research and development projects. On April 25, Intermedia received an infusion of capital that will help it achieve its growth targets. Less than a month ago, one of the leading Cloud computing companies, Intermedia, announced that Dr. Prasad Akella would take the helm of the organization’s product management and marketing endeavors. The move sparked rumors that Intermedia was primed to grow its service lines. All the company lacked was a steady flow of capital for research and development projects. On April 25, Intermedia received an infusion of capital that will help it achieve its growth targets. The investment came from venture capital company, Nokia Growth Partners. Neither Intermedia nor Nokia has disclosed the terms of the investment agreement, but Intermedia CEO, Phil Koen, tied the investment to significant product launches. "We are delighted to welcome Nokia Growth Partners as our newest investor," said Koen. "Mobility and cloud computing are inextricably interwoven. We recently released two innovative mobile apps to make cloud management even easier for our customers' administrators and end users. Over 80 percent of our customer base uses Intermedia's mobility services, and that number grows monthly. Outside of hosted Exchange, mobility is our largest offering to customers. With Nokia Growth Partners we are excited to broaden our opportunities in the mobility space." More on Intermedia Intermedia is a worldwide leader in providing Cloud services to large corporations. The innovative technology company represents the largest Microsoft Exchange web host. Founded in 1995, the company has pioneered systems that offer secure business grade Cloud services that includes the partnership with Microsoft Exchange. The web-hosting component of Intermedia’s business model manages nearly 500,000 Microsoft Exchange email boxes. Intermedia utilizes over 10,000 global channel partners to distribute its myriad services to almost 50,000 business customers. While the company experienced erratic growth spurts during its first few years in business, investments such as the one made by Nokia Growth Partners have provided Intermedia with enough capital for sustained growth. In addition to its Microsoft Exchange partnership, Intermedia also provides back up, mobility, and collaboration services. The company’s trademarked Office in the Cloud software suite combines Microsoft Exchange 2010 email, Lync Secure Instant Messaging, and Sharepoint with its proprietary products and services. Customers can manage their mobile devices from one console using Intermedia’s proprietary technology. Intermedia has developed a highly reliable Cloud infrastructure that ensures client security. In May 2011, Oak Hill Capital Partners purchased Intermedia, providing the capital that allowed Intermedia to expand its Cloud computing offerings. The additional capital expanded Intermedia’s user base by over 40 percent during the course of one year. Because of its potential to integrate its services across multiple platforms and its certified support team, Intermedia attracted the deep pockets of Nokia Growth Partners.   Why Nokia Made the Investment   As a global venture capital firm, Nokia Growth Partners looks to invest in promising mobile communication companies that appear ready to launch new products and services. In addition to its vast financial resources, Nokia Growth Partners provides domain expertise in the mobility market. As Paul Asel, Managing Partner of the investment firm said, “Nokia Growth Partners invests in industry leading companies that are changing the face of mobility and whose businesses can benefit from a deeper relationship with Nokia. Intermedia is a leader in cloud based enterprise services, a rapidly changing market where mobile offerings will be important. We are excited to work with Intermedia to help them achieve their strategic goals and full potential in the area of global mobility."   Much of the funding provided by Nokia Growth Partners comes from parent company Nokia, one of the world’s largest and most successful manufacturers of mobile communication devices. Last year, Nokia forged a strategic alliance with Microsoft, launching four of its highly touted Lumia smart phone prototypes that integrate Microsoft’s Windows smart phone platform. Nokia Growth Partners seeks undervalued technology companies, such as Intermedia, that provide compatible services for Nokia’s vast product line. With a capital base of $350 million, Nokia Growth Partners can either concentrate its holdings on a few rising technology stars, or spread investments over a wider swath of companies that utilize Nokia’s proprietary technology. Nokia Growth Partners felt Intermedia fell into either investment scenarios.   The Future of the Nokia Growth Partners and Intermedia Partnership   The story behind this partnership story is how long the two firms will work together to realize mutually strong financial returns. Partnerships in the technology industry form and dissolve as a dizzying pace, as venture capital firms seek to find the next popular trend. However, as technology analysts have pointed out, the partnership between Nokia Growth Partners and Intermedia has real staying power.   The partnership’s staying power derives from the emergence of mobile communication devices, especially when it comes to how smart phone users search for local business information. A recent study concluded that 95% of smart phone users search for local information on their phones. That staggering number includes searches for local businesses. Intermedia’s mobility services should increase in demand, as users continue to move personal computing to mobile device communications.   Since the economic downturn that began late in 2007, the capital funds market has retracted from the record liquidity experienced during the stock market boom of the late 1990s and early part of the new millennium. The competition to find investors hurt Intermedia immediately after the housing and financial bubbles burst, but the company benefited from the deep pockets of new ownership to steady the rocky financial ship. Investments in new technologies enticed Nokia Growth Partners to form the new business relationship.   Mobile devices will dominate the communications market for the near future. Because of this, expect Nokia Growth Partners to continue funding new Intermedia technologies. As Asel recently said, “Nokia Growth Partners is in this for the long haul.” Thu, 10 May 2012 22:36:46 -0700 Hosting News http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/hosting-news/intermedia-receives-cash-infusion/ http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/general/what-is-cloud-computing-a-closer-look/ Cloud computing conjures up some obscure IT concepts hatched deep within the cavernous labyrinth of tunnels that run inside of Microsoft or Cisco. Cloud computing conjures up some obscure IT concepts hatched deep within the cavernous labyrinth of tunnels that run inside of Microsoft or Cisco. Investopedia.com tries to define what is Cloud computing as “A model for delivering information technology services in which resources are retrieved from the internet through web-based tools and applications, rather than a direct connection to a server.” Cloud computing refers to a general description of delivering myriad hosted services via the Internet. Traditional web hosting does not provide as much flexibility as a Cloud service. With a Cloud service, you can use as much of the service as you want, at any given time. Look at Cloud services as being similar to the Pay for View events on cable television. Moreover, all you need is high-speed Internet access and a personal computer. A Cloud service provider manages your account portfolio. Two general types of Clouds define Cloud computing. With a public cloud, you have companies that sell Cloud services to anyone who has Internet access. Amazon, Google, and Microsoft all provide public Cloud services. On the other hand, a private Cloud works as a proprietary network that provides services to a limited number of people, typically workers within a department of a large corporation. Only the designated workers have access to a private Cloud network or data center. Regardless if a Cloud is private or public, the primary objective of any Cloud service provider is to give clients easy access to computing resources and recently introduced Internet technology tools. Cloud computing involves services that most Cloud experts divide into three categories The Three Cloud Service Categories Without burying you in technical jargon, let us look at the three basic Cloud service categories. Infrastructure-as-a-Service gives companies, mostly large corporations, the flexibility to pay for as much capacity as a company needs. This category has become popular, because it allows companies to budget their hosting services needs. Many IT professionals refer to this model as “utility,” since it reflects the same usage principle applied to home water, fuel, and electricity utility consumption. Companies that do not want to invest in proprietary IT platforms use the Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) Cloud computing model. PaaS allows companies to have access to the latest computer software and development tools hosted on a Cloud service provider’s own infrastructure. Portability is an issue with this model, as some PaaS providers do not permit client created software to move from the provider’s IT platform into the client’s IT platform The final service model, and one that has gained traction with companies, is called the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. As the name implies, this model entails the provider supplying the hardware infrastructure and software applications for the user to gain access via a front-end portal. Another reason why companies love this Cloud computing model is that it has a wide range of services, from creating Internet based email systems to establishing bookkeeping controls. Companies can use this service model from anywhere, since the service provider hosts everything a client needs. Personal Cloud Computing Cloud computing first appealed to businesses, especially small businesses that did not have the capital to invest in IT infrastructures. Eventually, larger corporations implemented one of the three Cloud service models to reduce IT costs. Now, the evolution of Cloud computing has returned to its origins, as individuals have increasingly used the concept from their personal computers. Personal Cloud computing carries the same meaning that is does for businesses. You have access to Internet applications and services to manage your personal obligations. In keeping up with ever changing Internet trends, Personal Cloud computing has recently evolved to conform to mobile device standards. This means you can access all of your data from any mobile communications device. This portable and interactive way to conduct your personal business allows you to share data among your IT devices. For instance, you can gain access to important home refinancing information stored on your personal computer from your Smart Phone. Your personal Cloud consists of myriad possibilities. You can transfer address book information from Microsoft Outlook stored on your PC to your Blackberry. You can download music from your IPod and send the files directly to your PC. Look at personal Cloud computing as a way for all of your IT devices to connect, when and how you want them to connect. Connectivity includes social networking websites, college curriculum, and contacts with friends and families. One of the advantages of a personal Cloud is that it provides more security for you than the privacy settings created on social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook. How Personal Cloud Computing Affects You It took awhile, but the advent of Personal Cloud computing has morphed into the ideal way for consumers to assimilate business information. You know have the capability to mine data from your mobile phone, personal computer, even your work computer. Data mining has become easier to do since Microsoft launched Windows 7. You mine your own data, with the data provided by businesses that sell products and services that interest you. Personal Cloud computing allows you to receive a consistent consumer experience across every delivery platform. Cloud service providers, such as Grooveshark, Facebook, and Twitter, all provide services that are mobile device compatible.  Cloud and Your Career?  Another area that Cloud computing affects you is in your career. Have you ever wondered why there has been a rapid increase in work from home professionals? Cloud computing provides professionals with access to company networks and databases. There was a time when remote workers had to copy files into portable drives in order to access company information from home. Now, you can rise from bed, start percolating a pot of coffee, and turn on your PC to start your workday from home.  The interest in cloud computing has barely scratched the service in potential demand. Continued improved access to high-speed Internet, coupled with the weak economy, will fuel the increase in Cloud computing use. Virtualization innovations and the trend towards more distributed computing will also accelerate the demand for Cloud services. We are quickly moving towards a Cloud computing society, which makes it imperative that you stay abreast of every new trend that defines what is Cloud computing.   Wed, 09 May 2012 07:00:04 -0700 General http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/general/what-is-cloud-computing-a-closer-look/ http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/general/how-to-make-money-from-owning-a-website-the-big-issue-edition/ Yes, we’ll be detailing all of the quick, long, dirty, and downright awesome ways you can be making money off your website during the course of this article. If you’re reading this, then we can likely assume one or two things about you. Firstly, we can already assume that you either already own a website, or perhaps you’re considering founding one. Secondly, we can also safely assume that you intend to make a lot of cold, hard cash out of the website you either own or will own. And thirdly, because you’re reading this, you have a real desire to maximize your profits while minimizing your costs. All in all, from our deductions it’s also a safe guess that you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. And you’re also in good hands.   Yes, we’ll be detailing all of the quick, long, dirty, and downright awesome ways you can be making money off your website during the course of this article. We’ll be covering everything from advert revenues to affiliate programs and back again. Oh, and we will—of course—be giving you some hosting tips to ensure that your costs are kept at a minimum, and returns maximized. So if all of that sounds like a really good time, then strap in, Soldier: The wild ride is about to start! Beginning with:   Can You Really Make Money Off a Website?   To get to the short, straight and skinny of the issue, yes! It’s entirely possible to make quite a lot of money off simply owning and managing a website. The site you’re reading now is a good example of success in the field. Actually, consider just about any blog you’ve read recently. The owner’s income is, at least partially, based on the revenue of that site. However, we do feel we should give you fair warning.   Website revenue is slow to start in almost every case. What we mean by this is simple: Don’t expect to be paying all of your bills using nothing but the income from your website or website, at least not initially. These things take time, and above all, you’ll need to be gaining traction to see any real results. That being said, it’s nowhere near an impossible task to make money off your website. We’ll be showing you how, but do keep in mind that the process is long, hard, and occasionally quite technical. So with that warning out of the way, let’s go ahead and dive into some of the nitty gritty details that make money-driving on the Internet possible!   Save on the Overhead   Right out of the box we’ve got some money saving ideas that will get you well on your way to making bank from the Web. Most of which, incidentally, have to do with our area of speciality: Web hosting. You see, there are a lot of ways in which a web hosting provider will try to gip you out of a few dollars. If you know what to look for to avoid this, you can potentially save a lot of money that can be better spent elsewhere—or saved and stockpiled, if you’d prefer. Here are a few of the basics:   1.  Look for Cheap and Limitless A lot of web hosting providers out there claim that they will give you unlimited access to both bandwidth and disk space. We like these claims. In fact, we like them a lot, and in most cases, they are in fact true. As such, when looking for a web host to found your website with, try to pick one that clocks in cheap and offers a lot of unlimited features. This doesn’t just have to be memory space and server load: Email accounts, sub-domains, domains, IP addresses, databases, you name it! You want as bloody much as you can stand, and with good reason. Here’s the reason: When you’re main goal is to make a lot of money off your website, you don’t want to be tied down in any sense. Absolutely none. The reason for this has to do with scalability. New opportunities to turn a profit appear all of the time. This might be a new software, or a new advertisement agency. Or, it could simply be a new trick that brings more traffic to your site. However, all of this bobs and whistles come with space and bandwidth requirements. Not to mention software support that must be included. All in all, if you’re limited in what you can or cannot do with your server space, you’re selling yourself short within a very brief period. We guarantee you’ll find ways to grow, so be sure you have the attic space to do it.   To summarize, look for a web host that’s cheap (Under $5 a month) and comes with as much software support as possible, as well as the most limitless features for your bank. Get this, and you’re already on your way to paying the bills with the Net.   2.  Make the Most of Free Stuff   Believe it or not, free items do exist out there on the Internet. Driven by a zeal to create free software, or promote their designing name, a lot of developers are putting out really incredible stuff that won’t cost you a single dime to use. Take WordPress for instance.   WordPress itself is a content management system that’s available for free by the company that uses it. This means that any old webmaster like you and I can go, download the software, and install it for free. Oh, and we get to use it for free! That’s the tricky part. So now we have the backbone of our website, something with which we can add content, modify the items we’ve already got, and instigate the advertising and revenue driving procedures that will make us thousands of dollars. But, the fun doesn’t stop there!   As stated, a lot of designers are eager to get their names out there, hoping to earn more clients. As such, they will often produce one or two quality (these are professionals, after all) WordPress themes that you can have for free. You may need to leave their name in the address at the bottom of the page, but hey, it’s a free high-definition face for your site! And once you’ve got this custom theme installed and managed, you can move onto the next point: Plugins. Want to add a nifty feature to your WordPress powered site? Not a problem! Boot up the plugins gallery and create a quick search query. We guarantee you’ll find half-a-dozen unique plugins that add the items you need for free. It’s a powerful thing, this WordPress, and it’s easily worth a recap. So here goes:   Using WordPress and free stuff we have managed to set up, arrange, manage, and flesh-out a website that looks professional and suave without spending a single penny, minus the web hosting and domain name. And that’s just using WordPress! There are hundreds of other software platforms out there, all of which are guaranteed to come with a whole menagerie of free items to help you work with them. In other words, don’t spend a pence until you’ve had a good look about for alternatives.   Ways to Make Money With Your Site   Okay, so right off the bat we’ve now managed to host and create our site with very little overhead. All in all, you shouldn’t have spent more than about $100 to get everything going, and even that might be too high: This is all assuming the largest expenditure was in fact the web hosting, which can often be closer to $85 or so. Either way, you’re now primed and ready to start making money from your site! So, how does one do this? Quite simply, actually. And we’ve got all the methods and tricks lined out below:   1.  Sell Something As pointed out in the heading, the idea is relatively simple. Do you already own a business? Do you sell some sort of product that you could just as easily put up on the Internet? If so, then sell it! For pete’s sake, there are a million and two different eCommerce softwares out there that will help you set-up, run, and certify your online business. It’s quick, nearly painless, and serves as a great addition to your existing business.   But what if you don’t have a business of your own? That’s fine, too! Do you create something that you could sell, or invest in items that will sell well on the Internet? Either way you can just as easily create an eCommerce site to drive your profits. In addition, the process of setting up such a site isn’t nearly as complicated or as troublesome as you might be thinking. Let’s illustrate the steps:   a.   Get a Business: We’ve already been over this, but the idea needs to be said again. First, you need something of value to sell. This could be services, a product, or even items that you’re reselling for a profit. All in all, just have something you can catalog and sell via eCommerce. b.  Get Hosting: We’ve already been over this in full, so we’ll spare the details. However, be sure the host you pick offers eCommerce Software. These are items like Volusion, or CubeCart: Platforms designed to help you sell your products and sell it easily. These things behave a lot like WordPress does in the simplicity department, so you’re really going to want and need them. c.   Create the Site: Now for the tricky part. We’re going to, for the sake of argument, assume that you’re already using Volusion, one of the more popular eCommerce sites. If you’re using another platform, don’t fret: The same principles will apply here. But let’s assume you have the site up and running, and Volusion is installed. From here, you’re gong to want to make the most of the free stuff argument we made earlier. Volusion, like WordPress, comes with a lot of free opportunities, starting with your theme. Find a good one, and even if you have to pay $35 or so to purchase the rights to a really knock-out offering, don’t feel bad. Ensuring that your eCommerce site looks incredible is a good thing, and will drive traffic. Once all of that has been done, start adding high-definition photos of whatever it is that you sell. Make sure that these photos are the absolute best that they can be, that way your consumers know what they’re buying. And once that’s completed, move on to the next point: d.  Enjoy the Sales! Your work here is done, Gaucho. You’ve set up the site, so now just kick back and let the orders pileup. Sure, there are about a thousand other things you should do to ensure the growth of your business (SEO, traffic plugging, advertisements, etc.) but we’ll be cutting those out for now. In the in-between, just enjoy the fact that you’re now the proud owner of a revenue producing site!   2.  Advertise Like Nobody’s Business   eCommerce is great, but to be honest, not as many people pursue it as a main source of revenue as you might expect. It’s a bit odd, but a lot of the blogs out there that make a load of money (or at least enough to keep the lights on) use advertisements to fund their overheads. How do they do this? Well, in a number of ways, actually. But before we can get into the details of all that, you first need to understand how adverts placed on websites work in the first place. And at the core of it, the tune goes something like this:   Think about a magazine. A lot of the issue will be content that you’ll be interested in reading, presumably the vast majority. However, every other page or so you’ll run into an advert. This is the way things work, as sponsors purchase the rights to that space within the magazine and place their face there. In much the same way, Internet advertisers are just itching to put their label on your web space. However, things are a bit different on the Web than they are in the world of print.   For the most part, adverts that are placed on your site will not be paid for outright—more on this in a second. Instead, they will pay you for the number of clicks or views you generate. So in a lot of ways, the world of Internet advertising is significantly different than the world of print media. You can’t (most of the time) simply kick back and let your space out to a sponsor. Instead, you need to focus on putting in the work to draw traffic, raking in those precious clicks and impressions that will make you serious bank. There are a lot of ways to do that (again with the SEO and traffic drawing methods) but we’ll leave those out for now. Instead, here’s a more in-depth look at some of the processes you can use to make money through advertising on your site. Starting with:   a.  PPC Advertising   It’s important to remember that not all Internet advertising methods are the same. They come in very distinct varieties, and you’ll need to know exactly what you’re signing up for if you’re going to be making a living off your site’s income. So first out of the box, let’s consider Pays-per-Click advertising.   In all honesty, this technology really is quite self-explanatory. If you sing up for PPC program, the program will put adverts on your site where you specify them to be. Once in place, you will receive a weekly or monthly stipend according to the number of clicks through that the adverts received. In other words, when a user reads your site and clicks on an advert, you’re getting a very, very small kickback as a reward. Typically this is only half a penny (or much less) but if you have a thousand readers clicking on your adverts daily, this can really add up—no pun intended.   To sign-up for a PPC service, you will first need to locate a good advertisement placement company. Thankfully, they aren’t that hard to find, and all of them are rock-solid and trusted. For instance, Google AdWords is one of the biggest names in the game, and comes with such a reputation that it’s really hard to miss. Other names in the business are Yahoo! Publishers Network, BidVertiser, Clicksor, and Chitika. These sites working by taking the web slices you indicate on your site, and then filling them with adverts. These adverts will often even be catered to the specific category or keyword your site is associated with. However, PPC isn’t the only name on the block.   b.  CPM Advertising   There is another (and another, but we’ll get there in a second) way to advertise with the space on your website. It’s called Clicks-per-Mille, and it offers a slightly different approach to things. You see, the services that offer this kind of advertising revenue behave in almost the same way as a business like Google AdWords. They take a portion of your site, fill it with adverts, and then wait to see how well those adverts perform. However, the payment schedule is slightly different.   Rather than paying you when a consumer clicks on an advert, a CPM advertiser pays you for impressions. This is, more or less, every time a viewer even looks at your website. In this way, you could potentially make a lot more money, but the rates are typically lower per million views. For instance, you may get paid as little as $0.10 for every 1.000 views, or even as much as $10. So let’s take a site that gets 100.000 page views per month. That’s quite a lot, but with a $1 CPM, you’re only getting $100 monthly.   All in all, CPM advertising is a solid way to go, but you’ll really need to ensure you drive traffic to your site. That being said, getting a solid, steady readership is a great way to dip your toe into the next way of making money from advertising:   c.  Direct Banner Advertising   And at long last, we’re now at the Big Daddy of all Internet based revenues! Yes, we’re talking about direct banner advertising. Remember when we mentioned how a magazine can sell portions of itself to display advertisements placed by large sponsors? Well, the idea behind direct banner adverts is almost exactly the same, just kept within a browser, rather than a print media.   Essentially, you create a banner space, and then lease it out to companies that are willing to pay for it, just like you’re creating a billboard. This space can be tucked into the header or footer of your site, or it may be along the side. Really, this all depends on you. Larger sites (especially gaming oriented ones) will often sell out the entire background of their home page, giving an advertiser the whole space to promote their product. Obviously, this can earn quite a lot of money.   However, there are some real problems with banking on direct banner adverts. Firstly, like a magazine, you’ll actually need to have sponsors that are interested in promoting themselves on your site. The only way to do this is to develop a name for yourself and get some seriously high daily page views. Otherwise, you’re not likely to get clients in a queue, at least not the kind that will make selling a portion of your site out a worth investment. So with all of this in mind, if you’re planning to use banner adverts you’re going to need to pull all the stops: Optimize your site for search engines, fill it with incredible content, and above all get people to read the bloody thing. Invent new media items and reasons for your users to return, and only when business is really booming can you begin to make money from this killer method. Thu, 03 May 2012 21:19:57 -0700 General http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/general/how-to-make-money-from-owning-a-website-the-big-issue-edition/ http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/seo/seo-the-bootcamp-article/ May we present to you now the only guide to search engine optimization you will ever need. We consider it our sworn duty to keep you informed about all the various aspects of web hosting. We’ve covered everything from getting your site hosted to actually developing and designing it. We’ve even made it our calling in life to bring to light the issues our users have experienced with all the various hosting providers out there. However, there’s one important topic we have yet to cover in detail. A topic so often discussed that’s it about time we corrected that oversight. As such, may we present to you now the only guide to search engine optimization you will ever need.   Yes, we’ll be hitting all the important points about the technology, the methods and the flavors of search engine optimization. We’ll be detailing just how the idea behind this mechanic works, as well as how you can integrate some of the finer points directly into your site. In fact, we’ll even give you a few pointers on how you can boost the efficiency of your content management system-based website. All in all, it looks to be one hell of a ride, so if you’ve ever been curious about search engine optimization (what it is, who uses it, if you even need to fool with it) then stick around! We’ll be shoveling over all of the details we’ve got and then some. Starting with:   What is Search Engine Optimization? Before we can get into the nitty gritty details of exactly how you can use search engine optimization to increase the traffic headed toward your site, we feel we at least you owe you a brief explanation of what the SEO concept even is. If you’re new to the realm of being a web master, or have simply never bothered to learn about search engine optimization before, now is your time to shine. We’ll be explaining the ideas at work here in detail, beginning with:   Firstly, search engine optimization is exactly what the name suggest. It’s the idea that, through various methods and tools, you can increase the page rank of your website so that it appears sooner and more often within popular search engines. This could be a service like Google, Bing, or Yahoo!, but it could also be any other smaller search engine that tends to be left out. All of the pointers that we talk about today will work for the majority of search engines, so don’t worry about customizing your site entirely for Google. You’ll be covering all the bases if you stick to our suggestions, and stick with them to the letter.   So that’s a decent definition of what search engine optimization is, but exactly how does it work? What’s the underlying “trick” to getting your site a little more traction with places like Google? To be honest, it’s actually not an hard concept to grasp. In fact, it’s really as simple as this:   How does Search Engine Optimization Work Exactly?   To explain how one can use search engine optimization to improve their site, we first need to talk a bit about how a site like Google operates. We’ll illustrate it this way.   Let’s use a metaphor in which Google is like a telephone operator. You can call up the operator (then again, who has done that in recent memory?) and request to be connected to a business, a person, etc. It’s quick, it’s simple, and it all relies on the operator’s knowledge or database of names and numbers. Google, in a lot of ways, is exactly the same as this.   You see, when you perform a search using a site like Google, the search engine combs through all the various websites, pages, and content pieces it has logged away on its servers. These entries are summarized editions that have been tagged with specific keywords. For instance, Google has a million and two different sites logged for the keyword “steak.” When you search using that keyword, Google produces a sorted list of all the entries it knows on the subject of “steak.” But where does Google get all of that information?   To gather the sheer amounts of data, keywords, and content Google needs, it uses a technology called spidering. The root at the core of this is the spider bot. This is a tiny piece of software that does one thing, and does it very well. You see, a spider bot spends its time combing through the internet, scanning all the webpages it looks at for information. It looks for words that are mentioned often, links that are included, headers, footers, etc. It then turns all of this collected into a single category or set of categories that it reports back to Google. For instance, a spider looking at a site about steak will see the word repeated a lot. It will also see a lot of links and additional resources on the subject. The spider bot interprets this to mean that the site is about steak, and will give this information back to the main Google database.   In other words, Google uses small bits of software to catalog the entire Internet based on its content. Then, when you “call” Google up, the search engine directs you to the entries it thinks you’ll like most. This is extremely important for search engine optimization, and here’s why.   The whole idea behind search engine optimization relies on the fact that, as software, these spider bots behave in very specific ways. They look for certain things—like keywords and links—and use this to create page rankings back at Google. If you know the tricks you can use, then you can improve your chances of scoring highly with these spider bots. In other words, it’s like advertising your content and website in such a way that it’s more accessible, more easily read, and more easily understood by search engines like Google. How is this done? We’re so glad you asked! Here are some of the general ways in which spider bots work, and web masters use those tips to improve their page rank:   1.  Links   One of the primary ways in which a spider bot works is through links. Think about it this way: If your readers link to your blog post about steak a lot, the spider bots will see this. They’ll count up the total number of links, relate that back the central keyword (steak) and then determine that, because your site is being linked to so much, it must be a pretty good reference on the point of steaks. To summarize, having a lot of links at locations other than your site that point back to your content is one of the best ways to improve your standing with Google. This is why so many web masters work so hard to get their sites linked back to on other venues. This kind of link is called a back link or a one-way link.   Sadly, this idea has gotten a lot harder as the software Google uses has improved. Web masters used to be able to post their links to just about anywhere and still get the points for it. However, this is certainly spamming, and Google has worked hard to counteract it. Now, if your link is posted at a location that’s actively involved with your category (in this case steak) you’ll find the gains from that link are minimal. Remember that at the core of all this Google is trying to get an accurate picture of what real people are using and talking about the most. In other words, links are a great way to search engine optimize your site, but you can’t rely on them. Which leads us to:   2.  Keyword Density   One of the other primary ways in which a web master can improve their search engine optimization is through keyword density. As we’ve already mentioned, all those little spider bots use words that are repeated often to figure out exactly what a site is about. For instance, within your post about steak we’re willing to bet that keyword will take up roughly 3-5% of the total text. Remember that percentage, as we’re going to need it later.   If you’re being very careful, you can try to word your content in such a way that it is more easily categorized by Google. This is technically cheating, but you still have to play along with the rules Google has in place. For instance, if you post an article that uses the word “steak” 100 percent of the time, Google will in turn interpret that to mean your article is rubbish. And it would be. So how does one actually get the proper keyword density? This, my friends, goes back to that percent.   You see, the golden number for a typical article written by someone genuinely covering a topic will use the same keyword at about 3-5%. This means that a mere 3 to five percent of the words on the page will be the content identifier. So, when crafting your content to meet Google’s expectations, you should try to get that keyword density right in the 3-5 percent ballpark. With this in place, the search engines looking at your site are most likely to correctly identify what in the heck your post is about.   However, like links, this is not a full-proof way to get your site noticed by places like Google. In fact, just because every single page on your site uses the Golden Density Rule does not in the slightest mean your site will be ranked at the first page. That being said, it’s another step along the search engine optimization road, and if you’re doing everything you can to improve the SEO quality of your site, you can’t leave it out.   3.  Word Count   One of the last ways in which the spider bots working for Google behave has to do with word count. You see, the golden rule of Internet writing is that no Internet reader actually reads. This is laughable (and mostly true) but it does not mean that you should skimp on content. In fact, your posts need to be a certain length for them to be noticed by sites like Google. What is that length? Good question!   For Google to “take your site seriously,” you’re going to need posts that are at least 250 words long. This is sort of a bare minimum. Anything less, and Google will not treat you as a source of credibility, much less an expert on the topic. You’ll need to give the spider bots a lot of text to deal with before they’ll accurately place your content. So what are the numbers? Well, something like this.   Never write less than 250 words. Shoot for around 600 to 800, and know that anything longer than that and Google will start to look down its nose at you. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write longer entries (it’s far less detrimental than writing short ones) but it does mean you should keep an eye on what you’re saying. And, as always, keep a steady thumb on the keyword density of your post itself. Are you overusing your category? If so, scale things back a bit.   4.  Site Indexing   This last point is by and far the simplest to understand, and is actually one of the most effective ways to improve your site’s search engine optimization. The idea is simple: When Google combs through your site, it follows links between your pages. In this way, it creates a map of your site which it then uses to determine importance and content. So, what if you could provide this map yourself? We’re glad you asked, because you can!   The way to do this is to create an XML file. This file acts as a sort of roadmap to every page currently on your side of the server. It’s a great launching point that Google can use to get an accurate look at all of your pages. It can then use this to follow through with each and every post. In this way, you guarantee that all your pages are looked at, and all of them are considered. So, just how in the heck does one do this? To answer that question, we think we’ll need a new section, as it’s just about time we started giving you specific ways in which you can improve your site’s search engine optimization! Starting with:   How to Improve Your Site’s Search Engine Optimization:   1.  The Index   We’ll start here, since that’s the last point about the spider bots we made. You see, there are a number of quick and effective ways to create a site map, none of which require a lot of effort on your part. In fact, Google itself provides a utility to create an XML file out of your site.   If you’d rather use something else, though, most popular desktop coding platforms include a quick function to get the job done. With a quick Google search (irony there, mates) you’ll find about half a dozen online utilities to do the work for you as well. Once you’ve got this file, simply throw it into your root directory, and Google will find it the next time it strolls through your neighborhood.   2.  Remember the Content!   It’s a real tragedy, but too often those who get their heads completely soaked in search engine optimization tend to forget what lies at the core of all this madness: The content itself! You see, Google’s spider bots are not malicious, Matrix-style robots hell-bent on making your life hard. In fact, if your site is widely used, is being talked about a lot, and is absolutely fantastic, these bots will be your best friends without you having to lift a finger! What do we mean?   Consider it this way: Search engine optimization is all about using the ways in which spider bots work to your advantage. However, you can do much the same by simply ensuring your content is great to begin with. Write posts that are informative, clear, funny, and useful to readers. Then, the readers you have will start to share them. Once this happens, Google will notice, and follow those links. If your content has been well-written, the keyword density should naturally be in just the right place. Google will also see this, and will use it to your best advantage. And lastly, if a lot of people are visiting the site from Google itself, the search engine will keep a tab on the traffic and remember it to boost your page rank.   All in all, we’re simply saying this: Doing everything you can to search engine optimize your site is a good idea, but if your content is rubbish, you’ll be getting nowhere. Be informative, be good, and get noticed. This is hard, but it will go a long way toward promoting your site.   3.  Link to Resources on the Same Topic   On that note, one of the other things you can do to improve search engine optimization while writing content is to include links to other sites that deal with the same topics you do. For instance, if you’re writing about cooking a steak, feel free to drop some names and links to other sites that have recipes, formulas, etc. This gives Google a much clearer picture of what you’re on about, and also provides a network of links and references for you to work with.   However, don’t overdo it! If you add too many links, Google will treat your article as a piece of spam. Obviously, this is quite bad. Be sure to get the density just right, and when in doubt, cut back on your links.   4.  Use Social Networking   Do you have a Twitter account for your site? How about Facebook? If you don’t you’re missing out on a brilliant search engine optimization utility. You see, if you’re constantly re-blogging the content you create, then you’re not only adding links, you’re also presenting yourself to the public. We’ll illustrate this with a direct example:   Let’s say you get your post about cooking a steak finished. Then, you immediately slap it onto your Twitter and Facebook page. Right there, you now have two fresh links with added text leading back to your content. Remember how important one-way links are? Additionally, you’ve also given your readers on those social networks the chance to repost those items, adding even more links and more traction. In other words, your search engine optimization success with social media largely depends on your readership, but if you have a readership at all, you shouldn’t leave out the importance of the old Facebook and Twitter accounts.   5.  Use Metatags:   This is a very basic point, but one that so many people tend to forget. A metatag is a simple line of code that’s kept in the HTML of your site. It isn’t seen by viewers, and it won’t be noticeable to you unless you look at the hard code. However, metatags act as keywords for sites like Google to look through. They’re completely separated from the other lines of code, and are used as direct identifiers for search engines to look through. You can also add whatever words you like in this box to describe your site. In other words, it’s free categorization that takes two seconds to do. So do it.   6.  The About Page   Our last point is also a simple one, one that you should not overlook or forget. To get to the point, how does your About page look right now? Is it as solid as it could be? If not, then get to hopping, Soldier! This page is very important to sites like Google, as it spells out directly who you are, what you do, etc. This means you should do your damndest to make the page shine like gold. Include those personal links, add those bullets, and polish it up big time!   Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:11:08 -0700 SEO http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/seo/seo-the-bootcamp-article/ http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/seo/should-i-use-a-web-directory-for-one-way-links/ Today, we’ll be taking a look at one of the oldest SEO tricks in the book: Web directories. We’ll be listing all the pros and cons, and we’ll also be giving into a fair amount of discussion about your specific needs. We consider it one of our prime joys in life to keep you informed about what’s happening within the world of web hosting. We do this by providing you with in-depth reviews of all the latest and most popular hosting companies, but we also try to keep you educated about the various technologies running around the Net. Today, we’ll be taking a look at one of the oldest SEO tricks in the book: Web directories. We’ll be listing all the pros and cons, and we’ll also be giving into a fair amount of discussion about your specific needs.   All in all, if that sounds like a rip-roaring good time, then stick around, Pilgrim! We’ll have all the juicy details coming right up. But before we can get into the meat and potatoes of the matter, we feel we at least owe you a brief explanation of what a web directory actually is. We’ll have all of that and more coming up, and you can find it all just below the break!   What is a Web Directory?   Before we can discuss if a web directory is beneficial or essential to your site’s SEO, we very likely need to first explain what in the heck a web directory is. The easiest way we know how to put it goes something like this:   Search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing all behave in a very specific way. They use robots called “spiders” to comb through the Internet, logging away all those little codes and ticks that identify what a website is about. Furthermore, these spiders also use a technology called “page ranking” to organize the data they find into a comprehensible list. This list is what you get when you search for a keyword out at Google.com. Depending on a number of different variables, your website may be listed as the most important (taking that all-important first result spot) or it may be kept somewhere at the back of the line. Overall, though, this decision is left up to the spider bots, or automated software searchers.   A web directory on the other hand behaves quite a bit differently. Web directories have actually been around for far longer than any of the modern search engines. So much so that we remember a day when Yahoo! Directory was more popular than Google. This is because of the way these listings work.   If Google is one, big automated list of websites, a web directory is a more refined and humanly categorized repository. Yes, this means that an actual human combs through the Internet, logging away what a website or page is about on a single directory. In a lot of ways, it’s like creating the entire YellowPages, only for websites. Web masters can usually submit links to their websites or content to a web directory. The owner or worker at the directory then scans through the material. Once they’ve done this, they pigeon hole your media, and then file it away with other sites in this category. They also include a link back to your site, which is the important part for us.   So now that we have a basic understanding of what a web directory is, just why in the heck would we want to use one? The answer, my friends, is in one-way links.   Why Should I Submit my Site to Web Directories?   The simplest way to think about the pros behind submitting your content to a web directory is to keep in mind those spider bots from earlier. You know, the ones that basically run Google, Bing, and Yahoo! You see, these spider bots use a lot of different data to determine how “important” your website is. The more weighty the site is, the higher up the search results it goes. One of the variables used in these calculations is the number of available one-way links: These are links on other pages or sites that link back to either a portion of your site, or the home page itself. Obviously, if a lot of people are linking to your site, it’s quite likely that your site is important. Google then reads into this, and posts your site higher up in the search results.   If you’re a particularly careful web master, you can actually play this technology to your advantage. The basic idea is this: If you can create a whole load of one-way links ending at your site, then you’ve already gone the extra mile to ensure that your users can find you on Google. However, creating one-way links is hardly easy! In fact, as the idea is to assess just how much people are discussing your site, they can be downright tricky to introduce. However, web directories give us at least a small way out of the jam.   By submitting your site to a web directory (and having it sorted and categorized, of course) you have created a link back to your website. This is exactly what we need to climb the Google charts. However, there are a few other benefits to having your one-way links hosted by a web directory. They go something like this:   Pros to Having a Web Directory List Your Site:   1.  Keywords   Another element that Google looks for when it crawls your site is key wording. This means that all those little spiders comb through your data, metatags, and text, looking for identifying or repeated words that tip your cards. For instance, if you own a website that’s all about meat or meat products, we’re going to assume you used the word meat a lot. Google will notice this, and after enough repetitions, those little software hounds will label your site a “meat site.”   A web directory is like a ready-made ice cream sunday for this variable. What we mean is this: When a person at a web directory categorizes your site, they attach a lot of keywords to the entry. If you submitted your meat site to them, they’ll likely label it a meat site, just as Google would. However, being human, they’ll also notice a lot of other, more specific labels that can be applied. For instance, if you sell rare meats, that will be logged away. You may find your entry tagged with hundreds of these unique identifiers. Which, once that’s done, brings us back to Google.   Google, you see, has a bit of an hard time figuring out the finer points of your website. It’s good at picking out generalities, but it gets a bit confused with specifics like “exotic meats.” As such, having a one-way link supported by a web directory is perhaps one of the best possible ways to attach specific keyword entries to your links. Google will see the link, as well as the various tags, and will compile all of it into one, infinitely more precise entry. This means higher performance in the search results, and better recognition with the key words you want.   And if that doesn’t sound like a bargain, we don’t know what will!   2.  Increased Publicity   Let’s just go ahead and face it—no matter what you do, getting your name and website out into the public is a rough gig. You can advertise, you can promote, but if people cannot find you with a basic Internet search, you just aren’t likely to get anywhere. Which, as you might have guessed, brings us right back to the ye olden web directory.   Web directories are still used by consumers to find websites. Sure, most people will go to Google for a response, but there are still a few pioneers that like Yahoo! Directory more. The reason behind this is simple: With a web directory, users can look for whole categories of websites, rather than a single, specific entry. Want to find a whole slew of meat-based websites? Use a web directory to find an helping of many more than you can stomach. If you submit your site, you can use this to your advantage.   Firstly, merely having your name on a site that people use to look for new Internet homes is a plus. There’s always the off-chance that a user will simply stumble upon your website, and you’ll instantly gain their readership. However, much more likely is the second option: By being lumped into a category on a web directory (keep in mind that these can get rather specific) you’ve drastically increased your chances of being noticed by users who only have eyes for sites like yours. They’ll see the other posts, and by association, they’ll instantly have a better handle on who you are and what you do. And to us that’s a darn good reason to do anything!   3.  Cost is King   And lastly, depending on the web directory you choose, you may not have to pay a single dime to get your site listed in their stash. Yes, we really do mean that. With nothing on the front-end, you can enjoy all of the benefits we’ve talked about above, adding up to a lot of bang for absolutely no buck for all. This isn’t always the case, but if you hunt out the good ones, don’t be surprised to find a freebie tag attached!   The Cons to Submitting Your Site to a Web Directory   However, having your site listed and categorized on a web directory isn’t always sunshine, peaches and smiles. In fact, if you aren’t being careful, you may very quickly find yourself in a world of hurt because of your loose listing style. What exactly are the downsides to using a web directory? Why, we’re glad you asked! We’ve got the full scoop made up below, starting with:   1.  Cost . . . Again   You see, as we mentioned earlier, there are free web directories floating around the Net. However, these are sometimes few and far between, and what remains isn’t always pretty. Depending on the web directory you choose, you may be looking at a listing fee in the neighborhood of $200—or possibly more! And all of this simply goes to having your entry looked at, categorized, listed and labeled. That seems like a mighty high price to us, and unless you’re a mega-millions corporation with bank to spare, the benefits are far outweighed by the cost.   2.  Nofollow Links   Another element to look out for are the nofollow links. These can be very sneaky, and if you submit your site to a web directory that uses these, you’ll not only find yourself without a gain: You’ll also see the web directory benefit from your listing with no profit to you! We’ll explain.   Within HTML, there’s a code called a “nofollow” that tells sites like Google, Bing and Yahoo to simply not follow the proceeding link. Yes, that means that if your web directory hosted link is marked with a nofollow, places like Google will not use any of the data attached to that link. That means no increase in the search rankings, no added keywords, no gain, and simply no benefit. This is a dastardly trick that was originally used to block comment spammers, but has since created quite a fuss within the realm of web directories.   The worst part about all of this is that the web directory will still continue to turn a dollar from your listing. You see, most web directories make money from adverts placed inside the pages. So, if someone were to find your site on the directory—and were to click on a few advertisements, too—the directory would be making some chump change off a listing you gained nothing from. This is a terrible situation, and obviously you’ll want to avoid it everywhere that you can.   3.  Time Investment   And lastly, the sheer time investment it takes to get your site listed on a plethora of web directories can be downright stifling. To begin with, most directories will take upwards of several weeks just to get your link categorized and listed. This means that you’ll need to constantly check back to look for results. Not to mention the fact that merely submitting a listing can often be a real work of effort. And when one has several hundred of these sites in mind, the number of hours spent plugging in links and keywords can be awfully maddening.   However, this point is obviously most determined by you, the web master. If you don’t want to invest so much time into web directories, you simply don’t have to. So in this sense, our number three and final con for web directories isn’t so much a deal breaker as a word of warning to all those with a time-sensitive budget.   Do I Really Need to use a Web Directory?   Up until this point, we’ve been talking an awful lot about what a web directory is, as well as what it can do for your website, your search engine optimization, and your publicity. However, we have yet to cash in on the title of this article and explain exactly when and when not to use a web directory to promote your site. We’ll be rectifying that now, however! Below, you’ll find a few choice considerations to give a looking over before committing a lot of money or time to web directory listings. If you’re feeling confused, or simply don’t know if you need the added boost, below you’ll find the answers you need.   So without further ado, let’s dive right into our first point! Starting with:   1.  What Kind of Site Are You Running?   The very first thing we’d like to ask has a lot to do with the practicality of your goals and dreams where your website is concerned. You see, it’s very important to know what you’re sitting on. What we mean is, what do you actually want to do with your website? Are you running a detailed eCommerce front-end for a brick and mortar store? If so, would you like to move as much of your product over the Internet as you possibly can, or are you more just trying to give your Internet-enabled shoppers a Web-ready portal. On the flip side, are you thinking about promoting your own blog? If so, what are the reasons? Do you intend to make a lot of money out of your blog, or would you merely like to keep it a solipsistic and private matter for your dedicated readers? All of these are important aspects to consider, and with one, main reason: Traffic costs money, but traffic earns money after the investment. Think about it this way. If you’re setting up a complex eCommerce site that you would love to make a living off of, you’re going to want to do everything you can to promote said site. As such, spending a few hundred on web directory listings sounds like a solid investment. In fact, it’s a good idea, if nothing else. The added exposure and back-links may just be the difference between success and being marginalized.   However, if you’re running an amateur WordPress blog with no intention of going national (or making a tidy sum of money off the advertisements) then what would be the point in going the extra mile? Sure, you might rake in a few more readers, but if you don’t have the drive on the front-end to make a lot of money with your new traffic, then why bother getting the new traffic?   In other words, use some common sense. If you need the boost to your site, then go for it. At the very least, you can use some free listings to tide you over. However, if you care nothing about SEO or traffic, then save yourself some added pain and headaches.   2.  Are You Already Search Engine Optimizing? For some reason, a lot of the firms we work with that increase the search engine optimization of a client’s website tend to leave out the option to post to several web directories. What we mean is, they downright forget it. Why this is we’ll never be certain, but if you’re already in the process of optimizing your site for search engines, why not submit your site to a few directories? All of this goes back to that one-way link principle we talked about earlier. If your main drive is to increase your standings with Google, then you’re going to need all the help you can get. As such, spending a few additional hundred dollars on several listings isn’t just a sound investment—it’s the complete package! You’re already doing the rest of the work, so why not get the entire painting? It makes sense to us, anyway.   3.  Are You Afraid of Budgets?   Lastly, you’re going to want to consider what kind of budget you can put into a web directory project. What we mean is this: You don’t have to have several hundred dollars laying around to submit your site to a web directory. In fact, you could use nothing but free listings. If you’re scared of spending a little money to advance the search engine ranking of your site, then don’t—spend any money that is! Free web directories exist in the tens of thousands range. If you don’t believe us, then do a quick search on Google for “free web directories.” You won’t be disappointed. Either way, our point is this. If you really want the traffic, and really don’t have the cash, using a web directory chain can be one of the cheapest and most effective methods of getting your search engine rating up. We can’t promise any results, but if you desperately need the exposure on a shoe-string budget, there’s no better way to go about gaining traffic. But don’t take our word for it! Get to posting now, and then let us know how the traffic flow goes in the comments box below! Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:02:42 -0700 SEO http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/seo/should-i-use-a-web-directory-for-one-way-links/ http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/reseller-web-hosting/top-ways-to-design-a-better-reseller-website-part-2/ In a recent article we discussed the many ways to design a better resellers website. We discussed what your reseller website should have, and broke this down point by point. Now we are ready to delve deeper, starting with: In a recent article we discussed the many ways to design a better resellers website. We discussed what your reseller website should have, and broke this down point by point. Now we are ready to delve deeper, starting with:   Improve the Actual Design of Your Site   Okay, so up until this point we’ve talked a lot about what reseller hosting is, as well as what you should physically include to make your site a worthy opponent to your competitors. However, we have yet to follow up on the title of the entire article: If you’re looking for our top ways in which to improve the efficiency and design of your reseller hosting website, you’re now at the right place. We’ve got all those choice pointers lined up and ready to roll just below the break, so without further ado, it’s time to wax-on-wax-off, Grasshopper.   1.  Find a Niche:   The very first thing we tell any new hosting reseller to do is to find their niche within the market. No, this doesn’t mean you should go out and find the most obscure set of web users out there, and then cater exclusively to them—though we have seen this work for some of our friends. On the other hand, you should also shy away from being a simple general web host, with no special incentives or market bents. No, your absolute best method to hook clients is to instead find a core group of users that may have specific needs, and then pander as much as you can to those needs.   This sounds more complicated than it really is, and we promise it’s within the realm of possibility. Here are some quick examples to help you along:   Think about bloggers for a second, specifically first-time bloggers who have no real experience other than using a free Tumblr account to post their data. They’re now looking for a richer, more complex, and more personable way to get their name out and on the Internet. As a web hosting provider, it’s your job to cater to those needs. To do so with this target group, you could provide easy installations of popular blogging softwares like WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, etc. Furthermore, you should also make the process of establishing a domain name, setting up the website, and accessing data through FTP as simple and as idiot-proof as possible. If your target market isn’t very well-versed with computers, it only makes sense to ease their pain. This will win you more of a market share within the group, and will help to establish that all important niche that we’re talking about.   There are literally hundreds of different markets and people groups that you could cater to. Consider the elderly who may want to try hosting a website, or the graphic designer who wants a quick, personable, and creative web hosting company to manage his data. The possibilities are just about endless, and it’s up to you to decide who you want to work with, how you want to work with them, and what services you’re willing to offer.  2.  Brand it Hard, Cowboy:   On a similar note, the very next thing you’re going to need to do—and we seriously mean need to do—is to establish your own brand. This means coming up with a name, a logo and a tagline that sets you apart from the herd. This is much harder than you might think it is, and if your name sucks, so will the revenue stream. You have got to hit this on the head, which is why we’re going to explain how:   We have a lot of experience within the realm of graphic design, and we’ve helped more than one lonely business create a new image for themselves. As such, we like to think our tips are just about the best. And the very first tip that we pass along to a new client that’s in this position is simple—What kind of tone do you want to set? Are you strictly business, or do you have a creative side that might work best with your target audience? Who is your target audience? What sort of adjectives would you use to describe them, and how might those also apply to you, as the business they’ll be interfacing with? Keep these in mind, and then move onto the next paragraph.   The best thing you can do to arrive at a solid brand is to simply come up with a few brainstormed ideas. Then, sift through them with that list of adjectives from above. Which ones fit the best? Which ones fit the least? Can you improve your thoughts any more? Once all of that is out of the way, head onto the next point before tying a ribbon on the whole thing.   Once you have a solid idea of how you want to present yourself, simply do it! Use the branding options you’ve created as much as possible, especially the logo you’ve created, or a mascot if you have one. What sets sites like HostGator and GoDaddy apart? It’s the brand! It’s the gator, and the racy commercials. Use this to your advantage, and become a unique, quirky (or professional) brand.   3.  Flow the Whole Thing Like a Hawaiian:   We’ve spent a lot of time in the Hawaiian islands, and one of the things we like most about the state is the fact that all the roads on an island flow towards a destination. There are no excess options, nor any avenues that don’t lead you somewhere. We talk about this with reseller web hosting design, because it’s a vital concept to have down.   When designing your website, be sure to have everything (all the pages, posts, and links) flow towards a single, end point. Typically this will be the sing-up for services page, but then again, it doesn’t have to be. Either way, direct the flow of traffic from the landing page to where you would ultimately like your customers to end up. In this way, the user feels guided through your company’s statistics, and lead directly to the point they’re presumably after. It’s not rocket science, and when in doubt, just imagine a smooth, graceful road. It works for us.   4.  Simplify the Checkout:   We talked a bit about this earlier, but we really can’t harp on it enough. One of the first points you should strive for is a competent and capable checkout system. After all, if it’s nearly impossible for your clients to signup for your services, they aren’t very likely to do so. It’s all well and good for us to say that, though, but what does it actually mean? It means this.   Firstly, your prices should be spelled out in the clear without any excess room for interpretation. In no way should the customer feel like they haven’t got a good handle on how much this will cost them. Secondly, you want to reassure from the get-go that your site is secure, encrypted, and will not accidentally bankrupt your new clients. This is extremely important, as we’re sure you’re aware of: Assuming you’ve ever shopped online.   However, this also means that the client should be guided through the entire process. They’ll have to input information like their PayPal accounts, credit card numbers, etc. Lead them into this with a brief text explanation of what’s going on, and then the fill-in forms for their perusal. Once that’s been completed, explain in no uncertain terms what they’ll need to do to activate their accounts. Always mention how long this will take, too. If there are any softwares they need to install, or processes they should go through, mention this and be clear about what kind of a commitment it will require. There’s nothing worse than putting down a large chunk of change, only to find that one now must put in a whole lot of unmentioned work. Avoid that as much as possible.   5.  Be Personable:   And lastly, our final tip is more of a general rule than anything else. What we mean by that subheading is this: Make the site as friendly as possible. You’re a small company, not a huge corporation. Use this to your advantage by appearing friendly, comfortable, and accessible. How ever you can do this—essentially lightening the mood—do it. Your customers will be happier, and so will you without the added stress.   Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:06:18 -0700 Reseller Web Hosting http://webhostingrating.com/hosting-guide/reseller-web-hosting/top-ways-to-design-a-better-reseller-website-part-2/