Many Charlotte families are planning to travel during the Labor Day weekend. Chances are majority of those families won’t be able to take their pets along to join in on the fun, so unfortunately they’ll be left behind.
Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or a definite homebody, as an owner of a pet there will likely come a time when you are faced with deciding whom to safely leave your beloved pet with – Charlotte Queen City Petsitting is that perfect solution!
Separating a pet parent from their pet is always hard, but the most difficult part is choosing the right Charlotte petsitter. Charlotte Queen City Petsitting makes it easy for your pet to become comfortable with being away from their parent(s). Even better, Charlotte Queen City petsitters will come to your home to help ease the anxiety of being apart.
Serving the Charlotte area, Queen City Pet Sitting offers an array of services worthy of any pet owners respect. Jump onboard the Pet Taxi for a ride to the veterinarian, order a quick grooming, or even ask for an errand run to return your late movie rentals. Whatever the case may be, these pet care sitters promise to get it done!
If you are deciding to travel this Labor Day holiday, it is best to book Charlotte Queen City Petsitting as early as possible. You can visit our website for additional information regarding our services and holiday rates.
Charlotte Queen City Pet Sitting- Where your pet will be PAWSitively pampered like pet Royalty! Visit our website at www.queencitypetsitting.com
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Register Now: Local Search Engines
Small businesses and entrepreneurs are eager to reach their target markets for various reasons. In addition to getting a site listed in search engine indexes, it is also valuable for a business to turn up in the local-search results.
A lot of times, a business may appear within local-search results even if the actual business does not submit any information. Major search engines pull data from various sources, so a business’s information may find its way into the results from, for example, Yellow Pages data.
On the other hand, Yahoo, Google, and MSN/Live Search allow businesses to submit information about directly to their local search engines, doing so increases the possibility of being found during a local search and escalating the amount of information that is viewed. Search engines hunt through local search indexes and through the normal webpage index.
The type of information you provide depends on which system you’re submitting to. Below is a list of the typical elements submitted to a local-search engine:
· Phone and fax numbers
· Street address
· Link to your company website
· Description of company
· Payment methods accepted by your company
· Operating hours
· Year of establishment
· Languages spoken by company
· Brands which are sold by you
In most search engines, once you have entered your company’s information, you will be sent a letter or postcard containing a verification code. You are to log back in to the system and enter the code, then your information is accepted.
The Big Four Go Local
· Yahoo Local Listings – http://listings.local.yahoo.com
· Google Local Search – http://www.google.com/local/add/
· MSN Local Search – https://llc.local.live.com/BusinessSearch.aspx
· Ask Local – http://city.ask.com/
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
A lot of times, a business may appear within local-search results even if the actual business does not submit any information. Major search engines pull data from various sources, so a business’s information may find its way into the results from, for example, Yellow Pages data.
On the other hand, Yahoo, Google, and MSN/Live Search allow businesses to submit information about directly to their local search engines, doing so increases the possibility of being found during a local search and escalating the amount of information that is viewed. Search engines hunt through local search indexes and through the normal webpage index.
The type of information you provide depends on which system you’re submitting to. Below is a list of the typical elements submitted to a local-search engine:
· Phone and fax numbers
· Street address
· Link to your company website
· Description of company
· Payment methods accepted by your company
· Operating hours
· Year of establishment
· Languages spoken by company
· Brands which are sold by you
In most search engines, once you have entered your company’s information, you will be sent a letter or postcard containing a verification code. You are to log back in to the system and enter the code, then your information is accepted.
The Big Four Go Local
· Yahoo Local Listings – http://listings.local.yahoo.com
· Google Local Search – http://www.google.com/local/add/
· MSN Local Search – https://llc.local.live.com/BusinessSearch.aspx
· Ask Local – http://city.ask.com/
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Every Person Matters: Visitor Count
Zeroing in on visitors is perhaps one of the most meaningful website statistics. A visit is defined as a collection of hits and page views that relate to a specific person who requested files from a website. When counting visits, you are counting the number of people who stopped by your page.
Webmasters should always take into account all visits to the website during a specific period of time, such as the 15-minute time slice. It is important to ask yourself many questions when evaluating the number of visitors to a site. The answers to these questions will assist in understanding who is visiting your site and why.
The main questions you should ask are:
· What was the total number of visitors for this time period?
· What was the length of the average visit?
· What was the average duration of a page view?
· What was the average number of page views per visitor?
· What was the average number of hits per visitor?
· What domain classes and geographic areas are represented?
After you have tallied the answers to the above questions, now you can answer the all-important questions as to why and who is visiting your website. Below is a list of vital information that can help you make sense out of the stats discussed so far. They are meant to get you started thinking about how you can use these stats to promote your website and to make it a better place to visit.
· Visitor count: How many people are visiting? Used to gauge true popularity of a site.
· Length of the average visit: Indicator of if people are actually reading pages on a site or simply browsing.
· Average duration of page view: Another indicator of is people are browsing or in fact reading the content. Ask yourself, “are my pages highly textual, highly graphical, or both?”
· Average number of views per visitor: The more pages people view, the more interested they are in your site.
· Average number of hits per visitor: Eventually, you can use this information to estimate the number of visitors.
· Domain classes and geographic areas: Indicates where your visitors live and work – which is good information to have if you want to attract advertisers.
· Busiest hours of the day: The time of the day when most people visit a site. This can help you plan daily updates, promotion campaigns, and advertising.
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Webmasters should always take into account all visits to the website during a specific period of time, such as the 15-minute time slice. It is important to ask yourself many questions when evaluating the number of visitors to a site. The answers to these questions will assist in understanding who is visiting your site and why.
The main questions you should ask are:
· What was the total number of visitors for this time period?
· What was the length of the average visit?
· What was the average duration of a page view?
· What was the average number of page views per visitor?
· What was the average number of hits per visitor?
· What domain classes and geographic areas are represented?
After you have tallied the answers to the above questions, now you can answer the all-important questions as to why and who is visiting your website. Below is a list of vital information that can help you make sense out of the stats discussed so far. They are meant to get you started thinking about how you can use these stats to promote your website and to make it a better place to visit.
· Visitor count: How many people are visiting? Used to gauge true popularity of a site.
· Length of the average visit: Indicator of if people are actually reading pages on a site or simply browsing.
· Average duration of page view: Another indicator of is people are browsing or in fact reading the content. Ask yourself, “are my pages highly textual, highly graphical, or both?”
· Average number of views per visitor: The more pages people view, the more interested they are in your site.
· Average number of hits per visitor: Eventually, you can use this information to estimate the number of visitors.
· Domain classes and geographic areas: Indicates where your visitors live and work – which is good information to have if you want to attract advertisers.
· Busiest hours of the day: The time of the day when most people visit a site. This can help you plan daily updates, promotion campaigns, and advertising.
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Graphics & Search Engines
Besides frames, scripts, and tables – search engines also have trouble with graphics. From the search engine’s point of view, the only thing that is of any importance on website is the written content (text). Graphics and illustrations are all ignored. A web designer may create a stunning page that appeals to the visitors, but search engines won’t see a bit of it.
When designing a website, consider the importance of matching with content because it is the text-based content that search engines see and use to rank a site. One way to increase the success of graphics it is always good to provide a descriptive tag. The tag should include a site’s keywords and phrases for every graphic on the page. This way search engines will find it possible to read and index information regarding the written content.
Many websites make use of image maps as well as graphics. Image maps also present a problem for search engines. As stated before, the search engine crawlers will not be able to view links which are recognized via an image map and therefore will not be able to locate and index a site’s other pages.
Another valuable consideration is to create a site map (overview of the navigational structure of your website or a file that lists all of the URLs for a website). Submitting a site map to each search engine along with the main page helps to ensure that the engines will be able to locate every page on a website.
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
When designing a website, consider the importance of matching with content because it is the text-based content that search engines see and use to rank a site. One way to increase the success of graphics it is always good to provide a descriptive
Many websites make use of image maps as well as graphics. Image maps also present a problem for search engines. As stated before, the search engine crawlers will not be able to view links which are recognized via an image map and therefore will not be able to locate and index a site’s other pages.
Another valuable consideration is to create a site map (overview of the navigational structure of your website or a file that lists all of the URLs for a website). Submitting a site map to each search engine along with the main page helps to ensure that the engines will be able to locate every page on a website.
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Gain Their Trust: Privacy Policy
Before you begin to attract new visitors to your newly designed website, you need to first earn their trust. Very few people are willing to give you their name and email address for promotional purposes if they think you might abuse their information. To lessen these types of concerns and to make your users feel more comfortable providing you with their information, it is very important that a company develops a privacy policy.
A privacy policy is a legal document that discloses how a party retains, processes, discloses, and purges customer's data. The exact contents of a privacy policy will depend upon the applicable law.
Majority of privacy policies are located at the bottom of a website. It should always be displayed in a prominent location where visitors can easily find it.
When preparing a privacy policy, it is best to make sure that viewers know exactly what type of information is being collected about them and precisely this information is being used. It is also good to mention that you respect each user’s right to privacy and will agree with and abide by anti-spam laws.
A good way to begin crafting your own policy is to first take a look at other sites. Additional help in putting one together is available at http://www.privacyaffliates.com.
Example of a Privacy Policy:
Our Commitment to Privacy
Your privacy is important to us. To better protect your privacy we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used. To make this notice easy to find, we make it available on our homepage and at every point where personally identifiable information may be requested.
The Information We Collect:
This notice applies to all information collected or submitted on the [company name] website. On some pages, you can order products, make requests, and register to receive materials. The types of personal information collected at these pages are:
Name Address Email address Phone number Credit/Debit Card Information
On some pages, you can submit information about other people. For example, if you order a gift online and want it sent directly to the recipient, you will need to submit the recipient's address. In this circumstance, the types of personal information collected are:
Name Address Phone Number
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
A privacy policy is a legal document that discloses how a party retains, processes, discloses, and purges customer's data. The exact contents of a privacy policy will depend upon the applicable law.
Majority of privacy policies are located at the bottom of a website. It should always be displayed in a prominent location where visitors can easily find it.
When preparing a privacy policy, it is best to make sure that viewers know exactly what type of information is being collected about them and precisely this information is being used. It is also good to mention that you respect each user’s right to privacy and will agree with and abide by anti-spam laws.
A good way to begin crafting your own policy is to first take a look at other sites. Additional help in putting one together is available at http://www.privacyaffliates.com.
Example of a Privacy Policy:
Our Commitment to Privacy
Your privacy is important to us. To better protect your privacy we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used. To make this notice easy to find, we make it available on our homepage and at every point where personally identifiable information may be requested.
The Information We Collect:
This notice applies to all information collected or submitted on the [company name] website. On some pages, you can order products, make requests, and register to receive materials. The types of personal information collected at these pages are:
Name Address Email address Phone number Credit/Debit Card Information
On some pages, you can submit information about other people. For example, if you order a gift online and want it sent directly to the recipient, you will need to submit the recipient's address. In this circumstance, the types of personal information collected are:
Name Address Phone Number
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Monday, August 24, 2009
Usability Considerations
Web designers and their clients will find it almost impossible to please both site users and the search engine crawlers that determine page rankings. But, it is possible to work around problems. Of course, the needs and wants of viewers come first because you want them to keep visiting your site. It is very easy for users to fall away from a site and never look back.
When it seems that users’ preferences are dissimilar to crawlers’ preferences, there is a solution – a site map. There are two types of site maps which you should be aware of: basic site map and XML site map.
A basic site map is an overview of the navigational structure of your website. It is nothing more than just text and links to all of the pages in a site. Crawlers are very keen of site maps. It allows you to outline the makeup of your site down to the second or third level of depth, using text-based links that should include anchors and keywords.
A search engine crawler is able to locate the site map of a page and then crawl all of the pages that are linked from it. Those pages will be included in the search engine index and will appear on search engine results pages. Where they appear is all up to how well the SEO is done for each individual page.
The second type of site map, XML site map, is a file that lists all of the URLs for a website. This file is normally not seen by a site’s viewers, only by site crawlers that index the site.
All site maps should be thoroughly crafted in order to produce great ranking results. Search engine crawlers take in much consideration when evaluating a site’s map. Make sure that your SEO plan is well done before putting up a website.
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
When it seems that users’ preferences are dissimilar to crawlers’ preferences, there is a solution – a site map. There are two types of site maps which you should be aware of: basic site map and XML site map.
A basic site map is an overview of the navigational structure of your website. It is nothing more than just text and links to all of the pages in a site. Crawlers are very keen of site maps. It allows you to outline the makeup of your site down to the second or third level of depth, using text-based links that should include anchors and keywords.
A search engine crawler is able to locate the site map of a page and then crawl all of the pages that are linked from it. Those pages will be included in the search engine index and will appear on search engine results pages. Where they appear is all up to how well the SEO is done for each individual page.
The second type of site map, XML site map, is a file that lists all of the URLs for a website. This file is normally not seen by a site’s viewers, only by site crawlers that index the site.
All site maps should be thoroughly crafted in order to produce great ranking results. Search engine crawlers take in much consideration when evaluating a site’s map. Make sure that your SEO plan is well done before putting up a website.
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Friday, August 21, 2009
In or Out: Entry & Exit Pages
The entry and exit pages are the first and last impressions that a visitor receives from a company or entrepreneur’s website. It is very critical to understand that an entry page isn’t automatically the home page of a website. It can typically be any other page where a user lands – either by going through a search engine, clicking on a link from another site or online material, or by bookmarking or typing directly into the address bar of a browser.
In Search Engine Optimization, entry pages are important because they are the very first pages users see as they visit a website. A typical website consists of several smaller connected sites. It has a central point along with different topics. For example, say you are a book store. You would have hubs (central points) within your sites for fiction, non-fiction, African-America literature, children novels, etc. Each individual hub will have a main page – which will more than likely be your entry page for that section. The additional pages will all lead from that central page to other pages containing content of relevance.
Distinguishing between which pages are likely entry pages will help with optimization for search engine crawlers. When you add additional entry pages that dig deeper into your web structure, you will increase the number of times you can potentially end up with high search engine rankings.
Entry pages are very significant in the structure of a website. You should monitor those pages by using a website analytics program to guarantee that they are working correctly. A great program is Google Analytics.
Exit pages are those from which viewers leave a website either by clicking through an exit link, choosing a bookmark, or simply by typing a different web address into their browse address bar. An exit pages purpose includes: to drive users from their entry pages to a preferred exit page (also defined as the path that visitors travel through your site).
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at http://www.codank.com/
In Search Engine Optimization, entry pages are important because they are the very first pages users see as they visit a website. A typical website consists of several smaller connected sites. It has a central point along with different topics. For example, say you are a book store. You would have hubs (central points) within your sites for fiction, non-fiction, African-America literature, children novels, etc. Each individual hub will have a main page – which will more than likely be your entry page for that section. The additional pages will all lead from that central page to other pages containing content of relevance.
Distinguishing between which pages are likely entry pages will help with optimization for search engine crawlers. When you add additional entry pages that dig deeper into your web structure, you will increase the number of times you can potentially end up with high search engine rankings.
Entry pages are very significant in the structure of a website. You should monitor those pages by using a website analytics program to guarantee that they are working correctly. A great program is Google Analytics.
Exit pages are those from which viewers leave a website either by clicking through an exit link, choosing a bookmark, or simply by typing a different web address into their browse address bar. An exit pages purpose includes: to drive users from their entry pages to a preferred exit page (also defined as the path that visitors travel through your site).
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at http://www.codank.com/
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Competitive Analysis
Before beginning your SEO efforts, you should do a thorough competitive analysis. Analyzing your competition should be at the very top of your to-do list, along with tagging for your web site and keyword analysis. Essentially, as a small business or entrepreneur you should probably do a competitive analysis even before you begin tagging your site.
Analyzing your sites conversions, web statistics, and other elements as well as your competitors is an ongoing process. Similar to your web site, your competitors will also change over time. They may learn how to reach a certain search engine better or even approach their customers faster enough to stay ahead of you. Whatever the case may be, you should always take the time to analyze what they are doing.
When going through the analysis method, it is very important to keep in mind that you should not only look out for your direct competitors but also ones who are indirect. It is best to look at those competitors who are ahead of you in search engine rankings, even if they’re offerings are unlike yours.
A competitive analysis should cover the following:
Page titles: Is the sites page titles consistent? What keywords do they use, if any at all? How competition uses page titles should give you an indication of what you’re doing right or wrong with your own site.
Page saturation: Are their pages indexed? Look to see what you should include or exclude on your site pages.
Site rankings: Where in the SERPs is the competitor’s site ranked? Make note of the top three to five sites.
Meta data: Look at what meta data your competitors are including. How is it worded? You can access the source code of a site by selecting Source from the View menu on your web browser.
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Analyzing your sites conversions, web statistics, and other elements as well as your competitors is an ongoing process. Similar to your web site, your competitors will also change over time. They may learn how to reach a certain search engine better or even approach their customers faster enough to stay ahead of you. Whatever the case may be, you should always take the time to analyze what they are doing.
When going through the analysis method, it is very important to keep in mind that you should not only look out for your direct competitors but also ones who are indirect. It is best to look at those competitors who are ahead of you in search engine rankings, even if they’re offerings are unlike yours.
A competitive analysis should cover the following:
Page titles: Is the sites page titles consistent? What keywords do they use, if any at all? How competition uses page titles should give you an indication of what you’re doing right or wrong with your own site.
Page saturation: Are their pages indexed? Look to see what you should include or exclude on your site pages.
Site rankings: Where in the SERPs is the competitor’s site ranked? Make note of the top three to five sites.
Meta data: Look at what meta data your competitors are including. How is it worded? You can access the source code of a site by selecting Source from the View menu on your web browser.
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Give In Carefully: Submission Tools
Small businesses and entrepreneurs should know that getting their web sites included in search engines and directories is not as easy as they may think. It takes a lot of time and patience, and if you do not follow all of the directions and guidelines, you run the chance of being rejected from being listed. To help alleviate the process, a set of software tools – submission tools – has become known in the Search Engine Optimization market.
Submission tools are automated software programs and applications that remember the repetitive information that is required to get a website listed in a directory or search engine.
One of the major issues when dealing with submission tools is that they may try to scam website designers. They do this by agreeing to submit a site to thousands of search engines and directories for one low fee. The problem with that statement is that most of those search engines are either nonexistent or worthless to a company’s website.
It is best to look carefully at the claims the website submission tools are making. Then apply the golden rule, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Try to ask for a list of the directories and search engines which the tool will submit your site to. Once you have received the list, be sure to do a thorough research of each site before you actually invest in the program.
There are two types of submission tools: deep submission tools and multi-submission tools. Deep submission tools are those pages that are several levels down in the structure of a website. Frequently, these types of sites are missed by search engine crawlers. They are sometimes not even considered important, but isn’t always the case. Multi-submission tools submit a website to multiple search engines and directories. They help to ease the problem of getting a site listed. Rather than repeatedly going through the same process, multi-submission tools do the work for you.
Unluckily, it is impossible to know which submission tool is best to use. A small business or entrepreneur should consult with other program users before utilizing it. Because there are so many submission tools available, a company is bound to find the perfect one for their website.
Reasons to invest in a submission tool:
· Improve your ranking
· Save time
· More traffic to website
· Creates more backlinks
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Submission tools are automated software programs and applications that remember the repetitive information that is required to get a website listed in a directory or search engine.
One of the major issues when dealing with submission tools is that they may try to scam website designers. They do this by agreeing to submit a site to thousands of search engines and directories for one low fee. The problem with that statement is that most of those search engines are either nonexistent or worthless to a company’s website.
It is best to look carefully at the claims the website submission tools are making. Then apply the golden rule, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” Try to ask for a list of the directories and search engines which the tool will submit your site to. Once you have received the list, be sure to do a thorough research of each site before you actually invest in the program.
There are two types of submission tools: deep submission tools and multi-submission tools. Deep submission tools are those pages that are several levels down in the structure of a website. Frequently, these types of sites are missed by search engine crawlers. They are sometimes not even considered important, but isn’t always the case. Multi-submission tools submit a website to multiple search engines and directories. They help to ease the problem of getting a site listed. Rather than repeatedly going through the same process, multi-submission tools do the work for you.
Unluckily, it is impossible to know which submission tool is best to use. A small business or entrepreneur should consult with other program users before utilizing it. Because there are so many submission tools available, a company is bound to find the perfect one for their website.
Reasons to invest in a submission tool:
· Improve your ranking
· Save time
· More traffic to website
· Creates more backlinks
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
I May Not Always Be a Penalty
It is common for people to disagree as to whether or not search engines should penalize companies that do not follow their specific guidelines and regulations. If you hunt around on the Internet, you will also find that majority of search engines won’t even admit to the actual penalties that decrease your web site ranking. They only admit to that gets a page delisted from the search engine. However, both happenings can occur, but possibly not for the same reasons.
There are several reasons a search engine might delist your web site from its index. Keyword stuffing, cloaking, linking schemes, even over optimization – are all ways to potentially cause you to be delisted.
When your web site is delisted, it is possible to get re-listed. It’s best to correct the errors and then give search engine crawlers a chance to recrawl your site. Once this is done, you will be added back into the index. But, it may take a few months to see the results.
On the other hand, you may find yourself simply losing a higher ranking rather than actually being delisted. This is probably not the effect of a penalty from the search engine. This drop in ranking could because there is a problem with your site or web server.
Here are a few reasons why your ranking may fall:
· Broken or spammy links
· Another site is redesigned
· Server issues and hosting issues
· A search engine algorithm change
If you find your web site’s ranking decrease, it is best to start investigating and fix the problem quickly. And if you have been delisted, again, handle the issue as soon as possible. Try not to let the same problem happen more than once. More importantly, learn how to stay on a search engine’s good side!
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com.
There are several reasons a search engine might delist your web site from its index. Keyword stuffing, cloaking, linking schemes, even over optimization – are all ways to potentially cause you to be delisted.
When your web site is delisted, it is possible to get re-listed. It’s best to correct the errors and then give search engine crawlers a chance to recrawl your site. Once this is done, you will be added back into the index. But, it may take a few months to see the results.
On the other hand, you may find yourself simply losing a higher ranking rather than actually being delisted. This is probably not the effect of a penalty from the search engine. This drop in ranking could because there is a problem with your site or web server.
Here are a few reasons why your ranking may fall:
· Broken or spammy links
· Another site is redesigned
· Server issues and hosting issues
· A search engine algorithm change
If you find your web site’s ranking decrease, it is best to start investigating and fix the problem quickly. And if you have been delisted, again, handle the issue as soon as possible. Try not to let the same problem happen more than once. More importantly, learn how to stay on a search engine’s good side!
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Powerful Not Weak: Page Titles
Within search engine optimization, page titles are one of the most critical elements. When examining a site, which is done by search engine crawlers, the first part that it looks at is the page titles. When your web site is ranked in search results, titles on pages are again one of the top elements measured. Therefore, when a web designer and copywriter are constructing content for a site, they need to create good page titles.
Here are some of the key factors to take into account when creating your page titles:
· Try not to use your company name in the page title. A better alternative is to use a descriptive keyword or phrase. Using keywords will help to explain exactly what is on the page. It also helps guarantee that your search engine rankings are precise.
· Make an effort to keep titles to 50 characters or less, including spaces. Certain search engines will only index up to 50 characters while others might index up to 150. Yet, sustaining shorter page titles will keep you in search engine results.
· Do not repeat phrases and keywords in your title tags. Repetition may come across as SEO spam when a search engine crawler is examining a site, so avoid repeating certain words if possible. Never duplicate keywords in order to obtain a crawler’s attention. Doing so could result in your site being excluded from search engine listing.
· It is best to consider using special characters in the beginning and end of your title to increase notice ability. Characters such as, parentheses (( )), arrows (<< >>), and asterisks (****) often help to catch a viewer’s attention to your title page.
If your page titles are not tagged properly, chances are you should not even use them. Take the time out to ensure that your titles are short, descriptive, and tagged into your web page coding. By using title tags, you are increasing the likelihood of ranking high in search engine results.
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Here are some of the key factors to take into account when creating your page titles:
· Try not to use your company name in the page title. A better alternative is to use a descriptive keyword or phrase. Using keywords will help to explain exactly what is on the page. It also helps guarantee that your search engine rankings are precise.
· Make an effort to keep titles to 50 characters or less, including spaces. Certain search engines will only index up to 50 characters while others might index up to 150. Yet, sustaining shorter page titles will keep you in search engine results.
· Do not repeat phrases and keywords in your title tags. Repetition may come across as SEO spam when a search engine crawler is examining a site, so avoid repeating certain words if possible. Never duplicate keywords in order to obtain a crawler’s attention. Doing so could result in your site being excluded from search engine listing.
· It is best to consider using special characters in the beginning and end of your title to increase notice ability. Characters such as, parentheses (( )), arrows (<< >>), and asterisks (****) often help to catch a viewer’s attention to your title page.
If your page titles are not tagged properly, chances are you should not even use them. Take the time out to ensure that your titles are short, descriptive, and tagged into your web page coding. By using title tags, you are increasing the likelihood of ranking high in search engine results.
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Friday, August 14, 2009
Redirect Pages
Web site designers and their clients should always be attentive of the effects of redirect pages on their search engine rakings. The type of redirect that you make use of can have an effect on how your site is treated by the specific search engines. A redirect page is defined as sending your online visitors to another page for any given purpose. There are two types of redirect pages: permanent and temporary. The one a web designer decides to use has crucial implications for the site ranking.
The most common redirect pages include:
· 404 Error Pages: A 404 error page is used to redirect visitors to a page that displays an error message. The message is usually, “This page is no longer available. Please check the URL and try again or use the refresh button on your browser.”
· 302 Redirect: A 302 redirect is classified as a temporary redirect page. This page is displayed to users as they are redirected from one web site to another. The original page is usually temporary unavailable.
· 301 Redirect: A 301 redirect is categorized as a permanent redirect page. This type of page appears when users are redirected from one site to another. The original page that is no longer accessible will be removed within a few weeks or days when 301 redirects are used.
Some web site designers try to create custom redirect pages as a way to improve the SEO on their web sites. Unfortunately, doing so does not always work that way it should. If search engine crawlers are not able to read important information correctly, this could affect the search engine rankings in a negative way.
So, it is best to use redirect pages in the manner in which they are intended. Using them in any other way can jeopardize your search engine rankings.
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
The most common redirect pages include:
· 404 Error Pages: A 404 error page is used to redirect visitors to a page that displays an error message. The message is usually, “This page is no longer available. Please check the URL and try again or use the refresh button on your browser.”
· 302 Redirect: A 302 redirect is classified as a temporary redirect page. This page is displayed to users as they are redirected from one web site to another. The original page is usually temporary unavailable.
· 301 Redirect: A 301 redirect is categorized as a permanent redirect page. This type of page appears when users are redirected from one site to another. The original page that is no longer accessible will be removed within a few weeks or days when 301 redirects are used.
Some web site designers try to create custom redirect pages as a way to improve the SEO on their web sites. Unfortunately, doing so does not always work that way it should. If search engine crawlers are not able to read important information correctly, this could affect the search engine rankings in a negative way.
So, it is best to use redirect pages in the manner in which they are intended. Using them in any other way can jeopardize your search engine rankings.
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
CMS vs.SEO
How a content management system will affect Search Engine Optimization efforts is a big concern of many web site designers. Previously, content managements system applications often published content with lengthy, complicated URLs or created numerous copies. As a result, search engines often rejected the URLs and ranked them lower than normal. Today, CMS applications are a lot more SEO friendly.
Search Engine Optimization has grown into a large part of owning any kind of web page. Even entrepreneurs and everyday individuals are now considering how they are going to get their web sites to receive high rankings within search engines. These persons are seeking more and more technological assistance, which includes SEO help.
In the present day, majority of content management system applications are intended to improve a company or individual’s Search Engine Optimization rather than to deter it. It is still an aspect anyone should think about when looking for a CMS. You should ask specific questions such as, “How does the software or application help with my SEO?” and “What specific parts of the application or software will help to advance my SEO efforts?”
When looking into a CMS application, you should always take into account the structure with which it will help you develop your content. This is important because a CMS is designed to uphold your content in an orderly manner. It can also help to set your content strategy and your web site structure.
There are six main categories of CMS, with their respective domains of use:
Enterprise CMS (ECMS)
Web CMS (WCMS)
Document management system (DMS)
Mobile CMS
Component CMS
Media content management system
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com.
Search Engine Optimization has grown into a large part of owning any kind of web page. Even entrepreneurs and everyday individuals are now considering how they are going to get their web sites to receive high rankings within search engines. These persons are seeking more and more technological assistance, which includes SEO help.
In the present day, majority of content management system applications are intended to improve a company or individual’s Search Engine Optimization rather than to deter it. It is still an aspect anyone should think about when looking for a CMS. You should ask specific questions such as, “How does the software or application help with my SEO?” and “What specific parts of the application or software will help to advance my SEO efforts?”
When looking into a CMS application, you should always take into account the structure with which it will help you develop your content. This is important because a CMS is designed to uphold your content in an orderly manner. It can also help to set your content strategy and your web site structure.
There are six main categories of CMS, with their respective domains of use:
Enterprise CMS (ECMS)
Web CMS (WCMS)
Document management system (DMS)
Mobile CMS
Component CMS
Media content management system
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Be Careful What You Choose: Keywords & Phrases
When you choose to use keyword marketing to optimize your company’s web site, you may run into a few problems. Despite your best efforts, it is probable that the keywords and phrases you have selected are not producing the results you expected – traffic is not flowing in like it should. On the other hand, certain words that have worked in the beginning may just stop working for you. You can tell when this occurs because the numbers associated with your keywords and phrases decrease without warning.
There are many factors that can transpire and cause certain keywords to quit being as effective as they were in the earlier period. It isn’t always your fault, but you should always try to develop concepts, test, and implement new keywords for you PPC programs and for your web site.
Trying to come up with the perfect combination of keywords and phrases to drive in traffic to your site is one of the biggest challenges of SEO. It is not something that you just jump into one day and then expect to be successful. It’s better to start off slow and build your way to greater success.
Brainstorming and asking potential visitors what they look for when searching the Internet is one way to build a winning keyword strategy. You can also include all of the suggested words and phrases by keywords suggestion and search engine tools. Make sure that the words are relevant to the content of your web site or else it will affect your site ranking.
Once you have narrowed your specific phrases and keywords, it is time to start putting those words to work. Placing the keywords in the right place and using them properly will help you toward making your PPC campaigns successful.
Keyword Tips:
· Create a keyword list
· Combine and analyze the results
· Pick your keywords and use them on your web site
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to provide the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com.
There are many factors that can transpire and cause certain keywords to quit being as effective as they were in the earlier period. It isn’t always your fault, but you should always try to develop concepts, test, and implement new keywords for you PPC programs and for your web site.
Trying to come up with the perfect combination of keywords and phrases to drive in traffic to your site is one of the biggest challenges of SEO. It is not something that you just jump into one day and then expect to be successful. It’s better to start off slow and build your way to greater success.
Brainstorming and asking potential visitors what they look for when searching the Internet is one way to build a winning keyword strategy. You can also include all of the suggested words and phrases by keywords suggestion and search engine tools. Make sure that the words are relevant to the content of your web site or else it will affect your site ranking.
Once you have narrowed your specific phrases and keywords, it is time to start putting those words to work. Placing the keywords in the right place and using them properly will help you toward making your PPC campaigns successful.
Keyword Tips:
· Create a keyword list
· Combine and analyze the results
· Pick your keywords and use them on your web site
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to provide the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Your Focus: Choosing a Target Market
These days, people are connected by many common interests and beliefs. From basketball to blogging and everything in between, the correlation can be just about anything. But, what does the interest of people have to do with a business? Well, once a company decides to promote a product or service they need to choose a target market.
Deciding on your target market lays a significant foundation for your business. When it is clear who your target audience is, getting a clear understanding of them will make it a lot easier for you to market. You will be able to know where to focus your selling and marketing efforts and also your research efforts.
It is best to understand your market, the problems they have and the language they speak. The more you know and understand about your target audience, the more compelling you will become.
Once you have determined your targeted audience, the next step is to enhance it even further. What sort of people are they? Collect their demographics and psychographics. Demographics deal with basic facts such as age, gender, income, location, etc. Psychographics deals more with characteristics, values, beliefs, etc.
For example, if you are a web site company which allows its visitors to post photos, videos, and comments, more than likely you will target individuals who enjoying taking pictures (photographers; young or old), record their day-to-day life (aspiring videographers; teens; adventurous), and those who take pleasure in writing (bloggers; novelist).
Examples of Different Target Markets:
· Teens (Ages 12-16)
· Bloggers
· Native Americans
· Eli Manning Supporters
· Photographers
· Christians between the ages of 30-45
· Small Business Owners
· Scoot Coupe Lovers
· Low-Income Families
· Female Boxers
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to provide the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Deciding on your target market lays a significant foundation for your business. When it is clear who your target audience is, getting a clear understanding of them will make it a lot easier for you to market. You will be able to know where to focus your selling and marketing efforts and also your research efforts.
It is best to understand your market, the problems they have and the language they speak. The more you know and understand about your target audience, the more compelling you will become.
Once you have determined your targeted audience, the next step is to enhance it even further. What sort of people are they? Collect their demographics and psychographics. Demographics deal with basic facts such as age, gender, income, location, etc. Psychographics deals more with characteristics, values, beliefs, etc.
For example, if you are a web site company which allows its visitors to post photos, videos, and comments, more than likely you will target individuals who enjoying taking pictures (photographers; young or old), record their day-to-day life (aspiring videographers; teens; adventurous), and those who take pleasure in writing (bloggers; novelist).
Examples of Different Target Markets:
· Teens (Ages 12-16)
· Bloggers
· Native Americans
· Eli Manning Supporters
· Photographers
· Christians between the ages of 30-45
· Small Business Owners
· Scoot Coupe Lovers
· Low-Income Families
· Female Boxers
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to provide the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Friday, August 7, 2009
Sign Up Now: Creating a Mailing List
Creating a mailing list for your company’s website is a great way to draw in that much needed traffic. A mailing list allows you to restrict access to the whole site, a certain page, and files or original gallery images to a chosen list of subscribers. Additionally, you may alert all members of a mailing list as soon as new updates have been made available. The mailing list also offers an unsubscribed option which may be attached to the end of each message.
By using a mailing list feature, you may include email subscription forms to your site and send mass emails to all subscribers. Also, you can create an unlimited amount of mailing lists, and guests may subscribe to one or several of them.
An example of a mailing list tag – “Sign up Now” for CODANK Charlotte Web Design’s bi-weekly newsletter filled with tips, tools, and techniques. Many companies use different tags to catch the attention of readers.
Features of a Mailing List Include:
· Unlimited amount of lists – each customized with their own web pages, follow-ups, fields, and users.
· Timed follow-up emails sent automatically – days, weeks, and years after subscription.
· Personalized email with user info, formatted dates, custom text and more.
· Customized HTML - modify and remove pages to fully integrate with your company’s site.
· Link Tracking - see who hits what links and when
· Multi-part MIME messages - text and HTML email with or without file attachments.
· Double Opt-in - Each list can have a welcome or confirmation email
· Custom Fields – collect additional user information of your choice on signup.
· Unlimited users with no limits to the amount of email you can send.
· Easily add "Remove Links" to your messages with a simple message Code
· Bounce Handling – removes undeliverable email addresses from your lists.
· Scheduling system – queue your messages days, months, or even years in advance.
· Backup & Restore – protects against unexpected server failures and helps with site migration.
· User Selection - send to lists and/or sub-lists based on search results or custom SQL queries
· Queue Protection - in the event of an unexpected failure you can easily and safely resume your mailings, or do it automatically with the new auto-resume script
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to provide the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
By using a mailing list feature, you may include email subscription forms to your site and send mass emails to all subscribers. Also, you can create an unlimited amount of mailing lists, and guests may subscribe to one or several of them.
An example of a mailing list tag – “Sign up Now” for CODANK Charlotte Web Design’s bi-weekly newsletter filled with tips, tools, and techniques. Many companies use different tags to catch the attention of readers.
Features of a Mailing List Include:
· Unlimited amount of lists – each customized with their own web pages, follow-ups, fields, and users.
· Timed follow-up emails sent automatically – days, weeks, and years after subscription.
· Personalized email with user info, formatted dates, custom text and more.
· Customized HTML - modify and remove pages to fully integrate with your company’s site.
· Link Tracking - see who hits what links and when
· Multi-part MIME messages - text and HTML email with or without file attachments.
· Double Opt-in - Each list can have a welcome or confirmation email
· Custom Fields – collect additional user information of your choice on signup.
· Unlimited users with no limits to the amount of email you can send.
· Easily add "Remove Links" to your messages with a simple message Code
· Bounce Handling – removes undeliverable email addresses from your lists.
· Scheduling system – queue your messages days, months, or even years in advance.
· Backup & Restore – protects against unexpected server failures and helps with site migration.
· User Selection - send to lists and/or sub-lists based on search results or custom SQL queries
· Queue Protection - in the event of an unexpected failure you can easily and safely resume your mailings, or do it automatically with the new auto-resume script
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to provide the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Study Your Audience: Behavioral Targeting
When visiting sites such as Myspace and Google, have you ever noticed that colorful, flashing banner ad to the left or right of the page? Whether it was the shape of the ad or its actual content, something about it caught your attention. Advertisers strive to connect people to what they advertise by creating more relevant public notices to place on the Internet.
The question on everyone’s mind: how do advertisers know when and where to place their ads? Well, the answer lies in a technique known as behavioral targeting. Used by online publishers and promoters, the technique is used to increase the effectiveness of a campaign.
Behavioral targeting uses information collected on a person’s web browsing behavior. Certain activities include: the particular pages visited, performed searches, and how often an individual may stay on a web site. Advertisers make use of these behaviors in order to select which advertisements they should display to certain groups of people. Many believe that this helps them deliver their online ads to the users who are most likely to be interested.
For example, companies who sell items such as shoes and clothes place ads on Facebook. Conducted research has revealed that these students are the top customers at clothing and shoe stores across the world. Behavioral date can also be combined with demographic and past purchase history in order to produce a higher degree of targeting.
Majority of web sites use a unique cookie to identify visitors and to track them throughout their web journey. This helps the page to decide on what specific content it should display. Behavioral targeting techniques can also be applied to any online material on the principle that it either improves the visitor experience or it benefits the web site in an ethical way.
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to provide the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com.
The question on everyone’s mind: how do advertisers know when and where to place their ads? Well, the answer lies in a technique known as behavioral targeting. Used by online publishers and promoters, the technique is used to increase the effectiveness of a campaign.
Behavioral targeting uses information collected on a person’s web browsing behavior. Certain activities include: the particular pages visited, performed searches, and how often an individual may stay on a web site. Advertisers make use of these behaviors in order to select which advertisements they should display to certain groups of people. Many believe that this helps them deliver their online ads to the users who are most likely to be interested.
For example, companies who sell items such as shoes and clothes place ads on Facebook. Conducted research has revealed that these students are the top customers at clothing and shoe stores across the world. Behavioral date can also be combined with demographic and past purchase history in order to produce a higher degree of targeting.
Majority of web sites use a unique cookie to identify visitors and to track them throughout their web journey. This helps the page to decide on what specific content it should display. Behavioral targeting techniques can also be applied to any online material on the principle that it either improves the visitor experience or it benefits the web site in an ethical way.
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to provide the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Competitive Content
When you have decided to begin working on the written content of your web site, your audience is your customer or potential customer. Every word that is written should be for the customer. Your business should carefully consider what type of information and topics would be beneficial to the audience in order to attract them.
Once you have done thorough research and determined what is most interesting to your target market, it is best to start actually writing the contents of your site. While some businesses choose to write their own content, some prefer to hire a professional writer.
You should be attentive to the different elements of web site content because some are more effective than others. Certain types both attract more return visitors and please search engines. Content that is frequently updated and changed around helps to accomplish this.
Updating your content as often as possible is beneficial for your site’s success. It is not a good idea to just create content for content’s sake. Try to add at least one page of new subject matter per week. Doing so will keep your site in the minds of your visitors. Not updating regularly will more than likely make it harder for them to even remember your page name!
When you are writing the content for a site, there are some rules on how it is best written for the Web. Words tend to be viewed differently on a screen than those on a page. If it is possible, you should allow your visitors to interact with the words provided. So, include links and other interactive elements in your text.
Additional guidelines to follow when creating web site content:
· Make sure any content is contextually relevant
· Use original content
· Use proper spelling and grammar
· Try to use short sentences (10 words or less)
· Use short paragraphs
· Take advantage of keywords and phrases (SEO)
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to provide the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com.
Once you have done thorough research and determined what is most interesting to your target market, it is best to start actually writing the contents of your site. While some businesses choose to write their own content, some prefer to hire a professional writer.
You should be attentive to the different elements of web site content because some are more effective than others. Certain types both attract more return visitors and please search engines. Content that is frequently updated and changed around helps to accomplish this.
Updating your content as often as possible is beneficial for your site’s success. It is not a good idea to just create content for content’s sake. Try to add at least one page of new subject matter per week. Doing so will keep your site in the minds of your visitors. Not updating regularly will more than likely make it harder for them to even remember your page name!
When you are writing the content for a site, there are some rules on how it is best written for the Web. Words tend to be viewed differently on a screen than those on a page. If it is possible, you should allow your visitors to interact with the words provided. So, include links and other interactive elements in your text.
Additional guidelines to follow when creating web site content:
· Make sure any content is contextually relevant
· Use original content
· Use proper spelling and grammar
· Try to use short sentences (10 words or less)
· Use short paragraphs
· Take advantage of keywords and phrases (SEO)
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to provide the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Let It Speak For You: Domain Name
The name of your website is just as important as many of the other Search Engine Optimization elements which you have to concentrate on. Choosing an appropriate domain name is essential to the success of any business’s website. If anyone advises you otherwise, they have no idea what they’re talking about.
The question of what to name a site is always a challenge. Most companies think in terms of their name, personal name, or a word or phrase that has meaning for them. Many fail to realize that such names may not work for the site’s SEO. The name probably has nothing to do at all with the site nor does it present any benefit to its target audience.
A great test to use when trying to decide on an appropriate domain name is by using your favorite search engine. For example, type in a topic, such as “Charlotte Web Design”. Once your search engine results are returned, evaluate the top six results. Most of the time, web sites which contain those words will be placed in the top slots. Placing those keywords in your domain name usually improves your site ranking.
Domain names are relatively inexpensive these days, so there is no excuse for not having one. Purchasing one will help build your company’s brand and unique identity. You can promote your own website instead of someone else’s because you are hosting your own site. This will help to increase traffic from potential customers.
Additional Domain Name Tips
· Create a short domain name
· Domain name should be easy to remember
· Relate it to your business
· Avoid similarities to other domain names
· .com is the best
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to provide the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com.
The question of what to name a site is always a challenge. Most companies think in terms of their name, personal name, or a word or phrase that has meaning for them. Many fail to realize that such names may not work for the site’s SEO. The name probably has nothing to do at all with the site nor does it present any benefit to its target audience.
A great test to use when trying to decide on an appropriate domain name is by using your favorite search engine. For example, type in a topic, such as “Charlotte Web Design”. Once your search engine results are returned, evaluate the top six results. Most of the time, web sites which contain those words will be placed in the top slots. Placing those keywords in your domain name usually improves your site ranking.
Domain names are relatively inexpensive these days, so there is no excuse for not having one. Purchasing one will help build your company’s brand and unique identity. You can promote your own website instead of someone else’s because you are hosting your own site. This will help to increase traffic from potential customers.
Additional Domain Name Tips
· Create a short domain name
· Domain name should be easy to remember
· Relate it to your business
· Avoid similarities to other domain names
· .com is the best
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to provide the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Keep It Fresh: Site Updates & Changes
There are many things that can affect the way you or your company’s web site gains ranking within search engines. Dealing with updates and site changes can be very complex and time-consuming, so it is best to have a great SEO strategy. Your initial plan will eventually change over time and as a result you should always be prepared.
As your company grows so should your web page. Updates and changes should be frequent. Making those much needed adjustments will help you reach a high ranking. Modifications usually include: content updates, changes to site structure, and design tuning. When a site is amended, small details are sometimes overlooked. Links can be broken, tags may be changed, and keywords come up missing. When this occurs, a reduced ranking is usually the result.
Site crawlers are aware of site updates and changes. From your links to your tags, they take every aspect into consideration when tallying your pages final score. Take the time out to pay close attention to all of the details included in a successful SEO plan.
4 Easy Ways to Update Your Site
1. Interview an expert
2. Add a FAQ section
3. Post a few case studies
4. Publish testimonials
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to provide the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com.
As your company grows so should your web page. Updates and changes should be frequent. Making those much needed adjustments will help you reach a high ranking. Modifications usually include: content updates, changes to site structure, and design tuning. When a site is amended, small details are sometimes overlooked. Links can be broken, tags may be changed, and keywords come up missing. When this occurs, a reduced ranking is usually the result.
Site crawlers are aware of site updates and changes. From your links to your tags, they take every aspect into consideration when tallying your pages final score. Take the time out to pay close attention to all of the details included in a successful SEO plan.
4 Easy Ways to Update Your Site
1. Interview an expert
2. Add a FAQ section
3. Post a few case studies
4. Publish testimonials
About CODANK Web Design
CODANK is a top rated Web Design and Internet Marketing firm located in Charlotte, NC. We are dedicated to provide the highest quality, cost effective custom software development services, delivering a broad range of business consulting and outsourcing services. For more information, visit us at www.codank.com.
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