Get started creating web pages using text files and HTML code! This article is a continuation of HTML Explained: Part 1, which gives a general overview of HTML. Here, we’re going to get into the nitty gritty of the code itself. Once you see how simple it really is, you should RUN, not walk to the nearest bookstore and grab your own copy of a handy HTML manual. All right, let’s begin.
In viewing the source of web pages, you may have noticed a lot of these things: < >. They’re called HTML tags, and they’re what the computer uses to interpret the HTML code.
NOTE: in this article I had to add spaces to all of my HTML tags so that I could display them without actually having them work. There are two HTML tricks to actually "shutting off" HTML tags, but neither of them function properly in this submission box.
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Want to save money while promoting your web-based business? Of course you do. Here’s some advice on the matter, from a freelance copywriter who knows: it pays to learn the basics of HTML.
If you’re like me (stubborn), you’ve probably been dodging HTML for many years. All that code mushed together… it’s distressing to look at! But here’s the thing: HTML is your friend. He might be ugly, but he’s a good guy to have on your side.
Once you get a basic understanding of how HTML works, the gibberish starts to make sense. And that’s when you’ll realize how easy it is to create web pages for your own business without having to 1. pay a designer thousands of dollars, or 2. purchase one of those expensive web design programs.
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Search engines have become so intimidating lately - most people think that search engines are just out to get them - everyone’s becoming afraid… They also think that getting #1 rankings is near impossible.
Yes, if you’re trying to trick search engines, THEN - they’re out to get you - BIG TIME.
BUT, if you’re willing to work with them and help them, then they can seriously be your business’s best friend.
Here’s how:
Writing Articles for Search Engines
Actually, you’re writing articles for TWO people.
1. Search Engines
2. Your Potential Customers
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Affiliate programs are a brilliant idea. For the owner of the product, they’re a way of recruiting a veritable army of salespeople to promote your product without having to pay them a dime unless and until they generate a sale. For the affiliate, they’re a great way of earning extra cash from an existing, high-traffic website with virtually zero additional effort.
Only problem is, most affiliates don’t HAVE an existing, high-traffic website and they’re suckered into thinking that it’s a simple matter of signing up for an affiliate program and "driving traffic" to the product owner’s site using a uniquely-coded URL. Well, it IS that simple. And it isn’t.
If you don’t already have your own high-traffic website, how do you think you’re going to drive traffic to the product owner’s site in the hope of generating a sale?
Well, there are a few ways, actually. And all of them are going to cost you either time or money.
First off, you’re going to have to spend money on advertising. How much? Well, consider this. Estimates vary but, roughly, only 2-4% of people who see your ad will actually click on your link. Of that 2-4%, only 1% or so of THEM will go on to buy. In addition, it takes, on average, 7 or 8 exposures to your ad before people will click on it. AND to achieve even these piddly numbers your market must be targeted in the first place. This is, as you can see, nothing but a numbers game. Pure and simple.
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When designing a website, it is important that webmasters ask some general questions before they begin the design process…
What Is The Purpose Of Your Website?
Many companies use websites to establish their brand. Others use websites as a communication tool. Some companies see websites as sales vehicles and “billboards”. Still others use their website as an educational tool. And some may be any combination of the above. The website must have a purpose in order for it to be effective.
What Is It That You Are Trying To Accomplish With The Website?
A strong understanding of the website will allow a webmaster to emphasize the action they want the website visitor to take on the website. By defining and understanding the purpose of the website, webmasters and publishers can better structure the information on the website. Information can be provided with the appropriate emphasis and navigation. An ideal website will lead the web visitor to take the action the webmaster wants.
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Let’s set the stage…
You’ve just invested valuable time and money by completing your hands-on SEO Training. You are now sitting back in your office contemplating all the wonderful information you just gathered, but you’re really confused on where to start. You pick up your notes leafing through them hoping something will inspire you to know what to do next. You start to drift back to class wishing you where still there. You hated to leave, you didn’t want it to end, you silently wish your instructor was there telling you where to begin.
Good news! I am going to share with you a detailed search engine optimization and internet marketing plan to get the most out of your seo training and to get you started today.
Step #1 – Setting Goals
Before you can really get started you have to know what you want to achieve with your Web site. There could be a number of goals that you have in mind but your first step is get a clear picture of what you want the outcome to be. It could be:
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With millions of sites in existance, How do you get yours noticed? The best way it to have your site high up in the rankings of useful and relevant sites. Google is the most widely used and well known search engine online today. There are a number of ways you can get your site noticed and it wont happen with out a little effort on your part. People just dont come by themselves.
Google has a system to determine how important websites are. Their automated spiders crawl the net everyday gathering and indexing all the information they collect. That information is used to calculate page ranking. The page rank is determined by how many sites link to your site. The more links the higher your page is ranked. The links that have relevance to your site have heavier weight that just any old links. Recently people who have been using paid links and selling text ad links have been penalized by google and their page ranks dropped dramatically.
This is where sitemaps come into play. Simply put a sitemap is a guide to everthing that can be found in your site. It contains all the links to everything contained in your site. The navigation your users need to move from page to page. Does the sitemap help you to have it better ranking in google? It can because google counts internal links as well as external links. the more pages you have in your site the more internal links you have, the higher your page rank will be.
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Choosing the right web hosting company can be really hard. There are so many and each of them offer so many different options. You want to get the best service for the least amount of money. Just recently web hosting companies have begun to offer unlimited space and unlimited bandwidth for a very low monthly price.
There are websites that offer many hosting companies on one site. It makes it easier for you to look at the deals all of them offer and make an informed decision. One of those websites is www.hostsgate.com . The site has forty five companies listed in five different categories in an easy to navigate format. You can visit the web hosting companies check out what they offer, and for each site there is a review page with alot of helpful information.
What i suggest and I do it myself before i make my final decision, when you find a company that appeals to you go to their website and talk to their online help. Have a list of questions you want answered. Check to see if they can answer all your questions. Then send an email with more questions. Check the response time. Were you happy with all the answers. You can even call them on the phone. Don’t make a decision unless you are completely comfortable.
Your relationship with your web hosting company can be long and enjoyable as long as you do your homework. The best consumer is an informed consumer remember that and you will be ok.
Don’t be afraid to ask others about their experiences.
Having your site indexed by google 10 hours after you bought the domain and set up your blog is the coolest thing don’t you think? What did we do to get it indexed that fast? First we purchased a domain from name.com, the company we always use for domains because of the real time DNS name change . Then I set up a wordpress blog on hosting i already had. I upgraded to the newest version and installed a nice theme. I installed all the normal plugins such as google analytics and a sitemap generator so that it makes a new sitemap after each post.
Then I did these 5 steps:
1. First I added the sitemap to my google webmaster account and i pinged other search engines with the sitemap, I included the sitemap path in the robots.txt file.
2. I added the blog to some directories at have fast approval, there are alot of those so just add to a small number. It should be more than enough.
3. I added an RSS Feed to the RSS directories, 20 or 30 should do it.
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