Sunday, November 30, 2008

The internet is full of websites offering various products, services and information. If you are planning to put up a website, it is important to do proper keyword research in order to find out what your potential customers, visitors or readers are looking for, so they may find your website quickly. WebComp Analyst does this for you.

WebComp Analyst is a keyword research tool that analyzes keywords that you want to investigate and returns to you very comprehensive data that will help you make an educated decision as to what keywords to optimize your website for.

WebComp Analyst shows you your competition for the keywords you want to target, and will reveal where they are getting their links. This powerful information is something you can use to build more quality links and defeat your competitors in the ranking game.

WebComp Analyst is available at only $67.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

The Hottest Trends in Web Designs

By Juan Hines

Are you a business owner that doesn't know anything about web design? You probably have a good idea of what you want to say to your customers, but when it comes to putting all of that information on the page in a way that is going to be easy for your customers, you fail. The reason is usually because it is your first or second try at designing a website and you just need a bit more practice. If you have a new business or if your website is on the verge of failing, here are some things that you might want to keep in mind.

The first step is to write down a blueprint for your website. Most people find that writing something down on paper makes it easier to follow and change than figuring out how it should look on the computer. Plus, when you have a hard copy of something, you can show it to others, ask them for advice and to proof it for any mistakes. It isn't essential that you put in every detail and every word of text in this mockup, just put in the basics of what will go where.

In the past, a lot of website design was to get your website to the top of the search rankings. Sure, it is still important to get your website to the top, but you are going to want to do it in a more subtle way. Before, there was a lot of keyword stuffing with a lot of nonsense and rubbish pages out there, and your website could be high up in the rankings, but no one would want to look at it. Now, getting your website SEO optimised is going to be done more stealthily, and it's going to end up being better for both you and your customers. Remember that web design isn't just about getting your website to the top of the search engines; it's also about it looking nice and being easy to use.

Finally, don't forget about your tags. If you don't know how to navigate HTML like a pro, you might want to ask a professional to do this step for you. Not forgetting to use page descriptions and meta tags as efficiently as possible and for each page is an absolute must.

Getting the best website design for your business is going to depend really on what you are selling. Keeping it clean, simple and easy for consumers to use is going to be your number one priority. If you want, a web design company can help you out and will probably give you some excellent advice, but most people should be able to do it themselves with little trial and error and a lot of hard work.

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Monday, November 24, 2008

Spyware, Things You Must Know

By Ricardo d Argence

Most people may not be aware that they have spyware on the computers and laptops. The spyware lurks in the background doing it deeds within the shadows of their computer's hard drives. The majority of people are unaware of the potential damage and measures you can take to protect yourself from spyware.

First, the article will define what spyware is. Second, it will explain how you can use it for yourself.

Computer programs that exist on your computer's hard drive are cald Spyware. They come in a variety of types and flavors. There are some spyware programs that will secretly stay in your hard drive, keeping track of every website that you visit, and taking notes.

When you visit a financial service website, some spyware watch and take note of your keystrokes. The spyware that sends your sensitve financial information such as your username and passwords to other parties across the internet is known as "keyloggers."

Most often, spyware is downloaded through the internet. The download can occur if a user click to some other software where spyware is attached and it will download to your hard drive. Other times, spyware can be downloaded by visiting websites. "Drive By's" are downloads that happen when a user simply visits a particular websites, without the permission of the user.

Spyware has an element of risk associated with it, even if some of them are harmless. Your financial livelihood can be compromised by spyware that monitors your keystrokes when you visit financial websites. Your banking information, your loan accounts, and your investments can all be accessed by these people if this happens. This could happen without you knowing about it or giving permission. Naturally, a situation like this could cause you a tremendous amount of distress and trouble.

There are additional kinds of spyware that can take control of your computer and give that access to other parties. Consequently, anonymous individuals could possibly get ahold of all the sensitive information contained on your hard drive.

Computers need protection from spyware. The most effective way to protect you and your computer is to research and use a program that is designated specifically to identity and get rid of such bus and viruses. Such programs include Search and Destroy software. Spyware creators are always becomming more savvy, so these kind of programs are helpful.

Some of the harmful spyware are disguised and stored in your hardware as if they are anti spyware programs. It is that item that causes the difficulty in identifing and removing them. Spybot and similar programs are updated on a regular basis. These updates contain the latest in spyware technology. This system will allow the program to easily acknowledge new spyware, and remove it from your computer.

If you have never scanned your system, there is a good chance that you have a spyware program lurking on your hard drive. It could be relatively benign, content to simply exist, or, it could be maliciously communicating your sensitive data to outside parties. Use a dedicated spyware removal program to get rid of these bugs before they cause any significant damage.

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3 Simple Ways For Buying And Selling Domain Names

By Dr. Kang-pang Chan

There are plenty of online businesses one can get involved in but many involve some risk and quite a bit of capital investment. But if you don't want the risk or don't have the capital to invest then you should consider buying and selling domain names. The cost of registering a good domain name is around $9.25 and to purchase them may only set you back a few cents. But by selecting the right ones within 30 days or less you could have made quite a substantial profit on them. Below we look at 3 simple ways to buy and sell domain names that could help you to make a profit from those you invest in.

1. Research Search Them Before Registering

If you choose to register a name that is poor then the chances of you being able to sell it in the future is greatly reduced. You may well find that you can sell it but often for the price that you paid for it and to register it only.

You should carry out as much research as you can into the domain names you are considering and keep the following factors in mind.

a. The domain name needs to be marketable so go for ones in specific niche markets. b. It has to be a name that people are going to easily remember. c. You need to use a generic one so it should be one that uses English words used every day and which are popular. d. It is important that these are free from infringement so there are no trademark violations against them. e. The words that you use should be short as again they will be easier for people to remember. f. Make sure that it is keyword or phrase rich as this will help it to rank higher in the search engines pages. g. Wherever possible purchase those that end in dot com but if not the go for those ending in .net, .org or .info.

2. Market Them Properly After They Are Registered

Each day there are thousands even millions of domain names being registered. It is crucial that you make sure the ones you are selling stand out from those of your competitors. The only way to do this is through marketing yours aggressively. It is going to cost but by placing your information in prime locations on auction sites and featured listings is the way to go. Through you creating awareness of your product you are creating the desire in others to purchase them from you.

3. Sell The Domain Name Following Its Appraisal

The best way of making sure that you get the best price possible for the domain names you are selling is to check out how much similar ones have sold for. If you don't have the time then use the services of an appraiser instead. They charge around $15 to $50 for this and you will then get a better more realistic idea of just how much you are likely to sell it for when you do.

Above we have looked at 3 simple ways to buy and sell domain names which in the future could ensure that you make some very wise investments. However, don't expect to start seeing returns immediately, it may take some time before you are able to market your product properly. But once you do you will begin to wonder why you didn't start buying and selling domain names online before.

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Promote Your Website To Increase Traffic

By Don Bethune

If you have recently constructed a website, it is important to promote it well and have a plan to make it succeed. It is pointless do have a developed website that virtually nobody knows about. Look into the good sources and techniques that will promote your site to increase traffic to it.

Good advertising does not have to cost a lot of money especially if you are someone who knows a little bit about websites. During construction of your website it is necessary to include Meta tags on the header of the HTML that you are using. This way if your site sells a product, when people search for that product they will be able to get good results.

Meta tags will provide more people to get your site as a result when they do searches in major search engines. In order to know what people are searching for it is good to look in the trends section of the search engines. This way you will have a good idea of Meta tags that will be effective for your website.

The rapid expansion of online videos is another good tool to use to make your site known. By using one of the many available free video websites, you can upload an instructional video, testimonials, or other relevant information and incorporate them into your website also. Using a lot of links between your website and these videos can draw in a lot of traffic.

RSS feeds are also beneficial to keep thing up to date and relevant on your site. This way of promoting is a fairly new technology and is sure to bring business. It simply allows current clients and visitors to keep up with current news on your site and will draw in more traffic to see your products.

Another beneficial program to use is those that are pay per click. This will also bring in traffic to your site because they are easy to use and join. This allows you to create more links with other websites that are bringing in a lot of traffic, in hopes that you can draw traffic from each other. This will also provide an alternative and beneficial source income.

While these suggestions are great, you might find yourself asking, how do I get website traffic that is targeted to my business? That has an easy answer. Online bartering networks are a great resource to find and share ideas with other business owners. If you are in widget sales, and you find a partner who sells widget accessories, creating a strategic alliance can help you pool together two sets of customers that you can prompt to by with your sister company. Pooling from their customer base, and lead base can mean a lot more traffic for you.

The answers for how to get website traffic might seem easy, but promotion does take a lot of hard work. Being dedicated and treating the promotion of your business just as seriously as you treat your business itself is extremely important to the success of driving traffic to your website. Using these tools and some ingenuity, you will be a widget millionaire in no time.

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Saturday, November 22, 2008

Getting a Web Design that Gets Great Results

By Troy Cruz William Engle Dawn Khoury James Nissen Robert Hill Chris Laning Jack Enders Bruce Gross Rick Bean Keith Wood Ray Johnson Alex Velez Juan Hines Paul Holtz Kenya Rios Peggy Dye Neal Dawes Lucas King David Hebert Karl Howell Jarrod Lucky Ruth Coats Doris Lund Ryan Hudson Henry Bush Lonnie May Arlen Bell Wanda Kuebler Kevin Stiles Nick Horton Jorge Pina Frank Vera Chad Copp Fred Brod Jose Cruz Jeremy Stanley Mark Jones Kelly McMahon Barney Bernard Ailleann Alan

A lot of web site owners are looking for a web design that is going to get them a lot of traffic. However, having a lot of traffic does not necessarily mean that you are going to get results and close the sale. Web design is a really complicated topic because there are so many different opinions and so many different companies that are willing to help you out, but are going to recommend doing totally different things to improve your site. Here are some things you should look for if you want to get your website designed so that it is going to get results, not just a lot of traffic.

The first thing you want to ask yourself is what results you want and write down the answer. Some web owners are just going to want to increase traffic, but other results that you might want to have are getting people interested in your product, getting them to buy your product, getting the word out about a service that you offer or just making money through advertisements on your site. If you know what you are after, you are going to be able to tailor your web design for that and you are going to have better (and faster) results.

Next, you are going to want to talk to a web designer. Only those who are sure that they know how best to design websites are going to want to do the web design themselves. A professional is going to be able to get a clean layout and edit the copy so that it gets picked up by the search engine bots and ranked higher in the results. Also, don't forget about search engine optimization at this point when designing your web site.

The third thing to do in getting a result oriented website is to keep it clean and simple. By keeping everything as simple and as orderly as possible, you are going to be able to change your website often. A website that changes often is going to look like it is active to the search engine bots, which means that it's not just going to look like an abandoned website and go down in the search rankings over time.

The final thing you want to do is to make sure that you track your results. If you are after results and you change your existing website, you should be able to see the results within a couple of months. If you don't see the results, make sure that you go and do some more changes and keep tweaking your website until it's perfect. Eventually you will get there.

When you are planning how your website should be, remember that you should plan it to get results, not just people to click on it. Sure, web traffic is important, but if the majority of surfers only stay for a couple of seconds, it isn't going to matter too much that you have a lot of them coming. By focusing on results, you are going to boost your profits and allow your business to grow.

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Web Design And How It Is Used To Create Successful Websites

By Chris Channing

Many people own websites nowadays. Many of these sites are just personal sites that do not need major improvements to keep up with the big dogs. For everyone else that owns a website that competes against others, you may find that you need to keep on edge with the many new features and services the web provides. Anyone that understands the dynamics of great web design will agree, that upgrading is inevitable.

Web design is a constantly evolving set of options that make a website successful. The aesthetics of a website can be designed by a web designer. Many other web designers focus on the functioning of the website's many links and how well everything works within the site. Not everyone will use the same browser or operating system and some web designers specialize in broadening the spectrum of the people you can reach.

Many websites have special elements added to them. These can be media in the form of flash, video or image data and special scripts to make the website work in order. These elements take time to develop and are generally not made by a single person. Many websites tend to copy others in an effort to look like they offer the same or better services.

Some requirements for some websites in terms of resources may be very intense. A lot of companies even upgrade their servers or choose a different hosting solution to get what they need out of their web design elements. Even if you used media and other elements hosted on other sites, your website has to be optimized so that the end user can use the elements easily.

Web designers love to make sites that will have renewing content. Visitors to your site may want to see something new each time they sign on and many users will check your site frequently. If you just need a plain static site to display your company history and whatnot, you may not need to focus too much on content. Websites that offer content that renews should be optimized to allow for easy updates for that content.

Many coding languages are evolving to include more features and have more complex functions. Sometimes a website will need an entire overhaul to keep up with the newer systems. Many web designers will be able to transition between these types of setbacks quite easily.

Closing Comments

Web design contains many special elements that can make any website successful. You really need to find out what type of site you want before you build it, otherwise it may be hard to use and become less popular.

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Friday, November 21, 2008

Web Hosting and Membership Sites

By Lin VanFleet

Starting a membership site is impossible if you do not have a hosting company that offers you the right tools to run your web site. At minimum the hosting company should allow you the ability to create forms, set up an ecommerce site, community development tools, recurring billing modules and access level controls. But that's not all you will need to build and run a successful membership web site.

While browsing through the prospective hosting company's site, look for a few additional necessary tools such as MySQL, PERL, CGI, SSI, CRON, Curl, FrontPage, PHP scripting tools, Python, GD and ImageMagik, which allows you to create streaming videos and music.

Everyone needs email - and especially membership sites. You will need one for the admin, support, information, etc. So don't overlook your email needs. Your hosting package should also come with auto responders, mailing lists, mail forwarding, web mail, Spam control, POP3, IMAP, and SMTP.

Does the hosting company provide you with a control panel? These control panels (often referred to as cpanels) usually offer you many tools and features such as hotlink protection, Fantastico, management of Search Engine submittals, and error pages. If Fantastico is provided you have at your fingertips access to instant blogging software, portals, PHP, Nuke, Instant Chat, Forums, counters, FTP, and so on.

Membership sites are private, so you simply must have password protection for your folders. Check to see if the hosting company's cpanel package has password protection; additionally, you will want .htaccess privileges.

The ability to track your website's statistics is very important Tracking statistics often include raw log or other access such as Awstats. Error logs and analogs are provided as well.

If your goal is to run a successful membership website, you really should consider purchasing the plan that offers ecommerce features, as well as Shared or Private SSL (this affords the consumer protection), Shopping Carts, Joomla, Mambo and other free membership scripts that are usually available if you have the Fantastico feature.

In addition to the basic tools listed above, you will also need to consider a few marketing tools for your site once you get setup. These will vary depending on they type of site you are building. In fact, there will be things you will need, but you won't even know what they are until you run into a problem or two. Just head on over to the search engine and start searching.

Whatever you do, don't give up your dream of owning a membership site. With the tips in this article you know how to find a good webhosting company. The time for hesitation is over. Just build it.

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Thursday, November 20, 2008

Dedicated Hosting for Beginners

By Amy Nutt

Dedicated hosting is different from shared hosting in that it resides on a server by itself. Shared hosting means that several websites are sharing the same server, but when there is a problem with that single server, all of the websites residing on that server will fall victim to that problem. That is why more and more people are turning to dedicated hosting.

A business can purchase their own dedicated server or they can lease it. There are other options available for those who choose a dedicated server and that is to have their hosting managed. That is why dedicated hosting is frequently referred to as managed hosting. Nevertheless, dedicated hosting is more flexible than shared hosting.

Return on investment

In many ways, dedicated hosting can result in a larger return on investment. This is due to the fact that there is very little overhead involved. If a company were to have their dedicated hosting in-house, they may be facing some pretty steep costs. However, employing the hosting company to take care of all of the administrative responsibilities can prove to be quite profitable.

For those who may not have the IT staff or be able to afford a staff to take care of the server, having the hosting company take care of technical issues and routine maintenance is going to be something you might find quite handy. Basically, that allows you to concentrate on those things that are important within your business. Not that your hosting isn't important, because it is. It's just that your hosting won't do you any good if you don't do the marketing activities that are needed to draw people to your business. It also won?t do you any good if you get a reputation for not being able to handle consumer needs because you?re too busy concentrating on your hosting.

A must for your business

So if you're not too sure about what to do as far as your Internet presence goes, dedicated hosting is a good place to start. You can get all of the assistance that you need to ensure that everything goes smoothly. This means that you don't have to have technical expertise about data centers and you don?t have to have knowledge of a lot of the technical turns. Your hosting company will explain things to you in ways that you can understand so that you know what it is you're getting. They will also not do anything drastic unless they let you know what it is they are doing, so you don't have to worry about some sort of unauthorized action being carried out.

If you're not on the Internet yet because you are not sure what it is you need to do, this is a great place to start. Once you figure out your hosting options, you can then work on getting a website built for your business. Many businesses find that they profit more on the Internet because they can reach a global audience. Reaching a global audience means global sales, if it is possible for your business. You'll notice a considerable difference in the amount of revenue that you bring in. What's great is that dedicated hosting does that for you.

So don't worry if you're a beginner or you know nothing about the world of Internet because you'll definitely catch on. You'll be able to learn as you go as someone else does the work. All you have to do is find a reliable company. Look at Internet reviews, talk to other businesses, and check out what businesses similar to you are using. Compare price plans and options. By doing this, you'll find the best dedicated hosting plan for you.

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Blogging Basics

By Blog Coach

Beginning to learn about blogging largely consists of learning the terminology used by bloggers. You'll need to understand these terms: blog, platform, domain and web host. Once you understand these essentials of blogging, you'll be able to talk about blogging as if you've done it for years. Once you know exactly what a blog is and how it works, you'll be ready to pass your blogging 101 exam with flying colors.

Blog is a short form of the word weblog. A blog consists of a series of posts which are organized by date. A blog is something like an online diary, but of course your blog can be about anything you like. While the majority of blogs are only text, you can see a lot of video and photo blogs out there as well. You'll need to know a bit about the technical aspects of setting up your blog to get started.

First, let's address platform. Your platform is a piece of software which lets you write your posts and upload them to your blog. Platforms will also include design tools to customize the look of your blog.

Next are web hosts. A web host is the server which your blog resides on; think of it as a file cabinet. Your computer will talk to the host every time you edit a post or upload new content to your blog.

The last term is domain; this is simply the website address of your blog, which usually ends in .com.

Now that you've learned these three important terms which all bloggers need to become familiar with, congratulate yourself- you have completed blogging 101.

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