At another blog community, I found a post stating that Blog Catalogue is a waste of time. I had to look twice, before I realized that the author was serious. Then, I went to their blog neighbourhood and found why.
1. This blogger never helped promote other people's blogs
2. There was no 'recent visitor' widget (high enough on the bog that the screen shot captures it and show other blog catalogue users) So, the big bloggers who will trade a 'view' for appearing as a recent visitor will over look him.
3. He did not collect a neighbourhood of similar blog communities - so no one knew he was there.
4. He obviously didn't appear on other blogger's 'recent viewed' widget (my neighbourhood is good - but it offers no incentive for people to repeatedly visit your blog)
5. He himself had not chatted with other bloggers or even participated at Blog Catalogue
So, there is nothing wrong with Blog Catalogue - there is something seriously wrong with this person's expectations. If you give nothing - you get nothing.
Showing posts with label Internet Marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Internet Marketing. Show all posts
Power of a Website Template - Free or Premium - Which one is Best?
Have you ever noticed that when you are focused on something it seems like everyone in the world is? Right now I am upgrading websites that were just 'hovering' in cyberspace until the search engines 'resolved' them. This basically means they actually stopped and took a serious look at the content.
It seems that everyone has been picking my brain lately about content management systems and authors web sites.
So - here is my brief on the world of creating a web image for yourself.
1. Don't make your own. Yes, I made the http://www.enspirenpress.com website, but you'll notice that there are a few hundred dollars of graphics on it, and I had help from a professional.
2. Content management systems are not a good idea for anyone wanting to start a viable Internet business - unless you pay to have the code changed.
Most people think that search engines do not read the template code. They believe search engines (to be accurate - crawlers or spiders) skip the template and go to the content ... wrong.
CMS, content management systems are a great idea. The problems is that the web templates are on every single site that uses the CMS. In some cases the template has so much code that the crawler never reaches the content before tagging the website as a duplicate and leaving.
There is a solution. Pay someone to change the code enough that the crawlers do not recognize it. This can be as simple as changing some table sizes, image names, meta information. Even changing the line 'powered by mambo' to 'this site is powered by the software program mambo' is enough to make the crawler slow down and take a second look.
3. Do not use free templates - for the same reason. They appear in hundreds of websites. Unless you can learn how to change enough of the code to make the template look different to the crawler, then free templates are not a good idea.
This is why it is worth buying a $50 template, or signing up for one of the services that let you download all the templates you want for $50. You do not need a $200 or $1500 template to make a good impression. All you need is something crisp, and clean code.
With Web 2.0 coming out, you can buy a optimized template - but they are very plain. We made our own at http://www.inspiredauthor.com. We made our own because we have the ability to make the template change through the site, so crawlers keep seeing different links, link bars, and even graphic names.
If you want to get tons of hits - get a Web 2.0 template
Avoid flash and swish web templates Maybe when Vista is the most popular operating system, the average computer can view these sites without crashing, but currently - too many people have trouble.
Most people have not even downloaded the new javascript - if you are one then go do it now at www.java.com - it will take a while, but your browsers will work better.
Next I am going to discuss the benefits of content management systems and I am going to help all the frustrated Wordpress users solve some of their problems.
My 'teaching blog' for people who want a 'real' freelance writing career.
Novel Writer Magazine
It seems that everyone has been picking my brain lately about content management systems and authors web sites.
So - here is my brief on the world of creating a web image for yourself.
1. Don't make your own. Yes, I made the http://www.enspirenpress.com website, but you'll notice that there are a few hundred dollars of graphics on it, and I had help from a professional.
2. Content management systems are not a good idea for anyone wanting to start a viable Internet business - unless you pay to have the code changed.
Most people think that search engines do not read the template code. They believe search engines (to be accurate - crawlers or spiders) skip the template and go to the content ... wrong.
CMS, content management systems are a great idea. The problems is that the web templates are on every single site that uses the CMS. In some cases the template has so much code that the crawler never reaches the content before tagging the website as a duplicate and leaving.
There is a solution. Pay someone to change the code enough that the crawlers do not recognize it. This can be as simple as changing some table sizes, image names, meta information. Even changing the line 'powered by mambo' to 'this site is powered by the software program mambo' is enough to make the crawler slow down and take a second look.
3. Do not use free templates - for the same reason. They appear in hundreds of websites. Unless you can learn how to change enough of the code to make the template look different to the crawler, then free templates are not a good idea.
This is why it is worth buying a $50 template, or signing up for one of the services that let you download all the templates you want for $50. You do not need a $200 or $1500 template to make a good impression. All you need is something crisp, and clean code.
With Web 2.0 coming out, you can buy a optimized template - but they are very plain. We made our own at http://www.inspiredauthor.com. We made our own because we have the ability to make the template change through the site, so crawlers keep seeing different links, link bars, and even graphic names.
If you want to get tons of hits - get a Web 2.0 template
Avoid flash and swish web templates Maybe when Vista is the most popular operating system, the average computer can view these sites without crashing, but currently - too many people have trouble.
Most people have not even downloaded the new javascript - if you are one then go do it now at www.java.com - it will take a while, but your browsers will work better.
Next I am going to discuss the benefits of content management systems and I am going to help all the frustrated Wordpress users solve some of their problems.
My 'teaching blog' for people who want a 'real' freelance writing career.
Novel Writer Magazine
Website Templates for Content Management Systems
Content Management Systems are a website built to take dozens of articles. We all know that both crawlers and visitors to the website want to read good content, so why not use a great content management system to make managing the articles easier?
One reason you shouldn't is because they are not as easy as they appear. We use mambo and b2evolution. We've tried others, including Wordpress, but we find these two are the most 'crawler friendly.' However, the template must be changed.
These sites are free, but that does not mean they are free. I spent two months working with a PHP programmer to get the blog we built on b2evolution to work right. Yes, it is a free software program, but these free programs are not always 'idiot proof.'
If you are going to use a site like Mambo - always keep a back up, because it will corrupt, eventually - and then you'll have a problem.
Also, do not be lured into getting a virtual server. Stick with a managed server, it is more expensive - about $5 a month, plus $12 a service call - but you will not be responsible for keeping it live.
We ran Bricolage content management system from a virtual server, and frankly, unless you are a PHP programmer then you don't want to touch Bricolage. - Ever -
It is not hard to find someone who can change your mambo templates to be original. It will only cost about $200 if you go to a site like www.ifreelance.com
Now - if you are an author or freelance writer, you can get around the problem by building thousands of links (like 50 000) to your website, and by building hubs (myspace, squidoo, hubb, etc). These will increase your rank and help you get hits. You should also join as many forums as possible (not yahoo and MSN) because the crawlers visit there as well.
Once your content management system is working you can upload dozens and dozens of articles. Each article you upload will help establish your website as 'executive quality' in the search engines and help increase your hits.
My 'teaching blog' for people who want a 'real' freelance writing career.
Novel Writer Magazine
One reason you shouldn't is because they are not as easy as they appear. We use mambo and b2evolution. We've tried others, including Wordpress, but we find these two are the most 'crawler friendly.' However, the template must be changed.
These sites are free, but that does not mean they are free. I spent two months working with a PHP programmer to get the blog we built on b2evolution to work right. Yes, it is a free software program, but these free programs are not always 'idiot proof.'
If you are going to use a site like Mambo - always keep a back up, because it will corrupt, eventually - and then you'll have a problem.
Also, do not be lured into getting a virtual server. Stick with a managed server, it is more expensive - about $5 a month, plus $12 a service call - but you will not be responsible for keeping it live.
We ran Bricolage content management system from a virtual server, and frankly, unless you are a PHP programmer then you don't want to touch Bricolage. - Ever -
It is not hard to find someone who can change your mambo templates to be original. It will only cost about $200 if you go to a site like www.ifreelance.com
Now - if you are an author or freelance writer, you can get around the problem by building thousands of links (like 50 000) to your website, and by building hubs (myspace, squidoo, hubb, etc). These will increase your rank and help you get hits. You should also join as many forums as possible (not yahoo and MSN) because the crawlers visit there as well.
Once your content management system is working you can upload dozens and dozens of articles. Each article you upload will help establish your website as 'executive quality' in the search engines and help increase your hits.
My 'teaching blog' for people who want a 'real' freelance writing career.
Novel Writer Magazine
Making Money Online
t is nice to be back. I wouldn't be surprised if dozens,or even hundreds, of writers found themselves blocked out after the January server repair/crash - which would explain why it is slow here.
How to Write Good Articles
At last night's chat we ended by talking about 'making time to write'. I told the new writers about niche writing, but I also brought up a few new things.
When most writers start to write, they hit free web content sites looking for articles they can 'harvest.' (remember, copy one article and it is plagiarizing, copy three and it is research)
However, this puts you 'behind' the professional writers. If you want to win full time clients then you need to be ahead of the professionals - people like me - and that can be hard.
The best place to find fresh information is 'news' and 'online stores'. The online stores do not need to worry about buying stock, so they can advertise high end products that can never be shown in the average store.
Get Paid to Write
I have written about copper ceiling tiles, ceiling molding, concrete mantles, natural grassrugs, silk wallpaper - and dozens more topics that you'd never find in a free content site or a home decorating site.
News is the next place to look. I never look more than 1 week ago. In fact, I've put a spin on a news release only to find that more than 1000 writers have already posted - ah well, you can't be the first all the time.
So, if you want to win long term clients, become a niche writer. If you want to become a professional writer then learn how to stay ahead of the pack.
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
How to Write Good Articles
At last night's chat we ended by talking about 'making time to write'. I told the new writers about niche writing, but I also brought up a few new things.
When most writers start to write, they hit free web content sites looking for articles they can 'harvest.' (remember, copy one article and it is plagiarizing, copy three and it is research)
However, this puts you 'behind' the professional writers. If you want to win full time clients then you need to be ahead of the professionals - people like me - and that can be hard.
The best place to find fresh information is 'news' and 'online stores'. The online stores do not need to worry about buying stock, so they can advertise high end products that can never be shown in the average store.
Get Paid to Write
I have written about copper ceiling tiles, ceiling molding, concrete mantles, natural grassrugs, silk wallpaper - and dozens more topics that you'd never find in a free content site or a home decorating site.
News is the next place to look. I never look more than 1 week ago. In fact, I've put a spin on a news release only to find that more than 1000 writers have already posted - ah well, you can't be the first all the time.
So, if you want to win long term clients, become a niche writer. If you want to become a professional writer then learn how to stay ahead of the pack.
----------------
Visit More Learning Sites:
inspiredauthor
Get Your Book Published
Get Paid To Write
How I Built a Career
Website Templates for Wordpress
Everyone loves wordpress. It is easy to use, and never crashes, because it lacks all the bells and whistles. You can use Wordpress to make a blog or a website. It can be used to mimic a content management system, or as a portal.
The versatility makes Wordpress one of the most popular platforms - however, it has so much garbage at the top of the page that very few - very few - wordpress sites ever rank high.
There is a solution.
Because wordpress is the most popular, it is also the most commonly used. That means the crawlers find each and every template at a million (a billion?) times when crawling the web.
One way to fix this is to have a programmer fix the template for you, and while s/he is at it, they will reduce some of the garbage code.
Another way is to spend $50 and buy yourself a Wordpress template. There are some very nice ones out there.
The crawlers love original content - but they read the whole page, including the template's code. That means, they want to see original templates too.
Another trick with worpress is to make the left side of the screen the content, and keep the links to the right.
Crawlers do not read from top to bottom. They read the top header, the left column, the center column, the right column. So, if the crawler is searching your website, and the content is in the middle, the crawler will read the top header and the right column.
By then, the crawler may have read 200 - 500 characters and finding nothing different from the page before, it will leave.
However, if the left column is the content, the crawler will read the header and then the content, seeing something new on each page.
It is important to remember that crawlers do not waste their time reading the entire page. They are programmed to stop reading and leave the page if there is no new content.
My 'teaching blog' for people who want a 'real' freelance writing career.
Novel Writer Magazine
The versatility makes Wordpress one of the most popular platforms - however, it has so much garbage at the top of the page that very few - very few - wordpress sites ever rank high.
There is a solution.
Because wordpress is the most popular, it is also the most commonly used. That means the crawlers find each and every template at a million (a billion?) times when crawling the web.
One way to fix this is to have a programmer fix the template for you, and while s/he is at it, they will reduce some of the garbage code.
Another way is to spend $50 and buy yourself a Wordpress template. There are some very nice ones out there.
The crawlers love original content - but they read the whole page, including the template's code. That means, they want to see original templates too.
Another trick with worpress is to make the left side of the screen the content, and keep the links to the right.
Crawlers do not read from top to bottom. They read the top header, the left column, the center column, the right column. So, if the crawler is searching your website, and the content is in the middle, the crawler will read the top header and the right column.
By then, the crawler may have read 200 - 500 characters and finding nothing different from the page before, it will leave.
However, if the left column is the content, the crawler will read the header and then the content, seeing something new on each page.
It is important to remember that crawlers do not waste their time reading the entire page. They are programmed to stop reading and leave the page if there is no new content.
My 'teaching blog' for people who want a 'real' freelance writing career.
Novel Writer Magazine
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