Easy Site Guide

Easy Way To Create Your Website

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Prepare your website for Search Engines

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How Google and other Search Engines Work?

Sites that get traffic are on the first page of search results – top 10 listings. Think about it. When you search on google, do you check page 39 of results. Nobody does. So What your goal should be is to get ranked as high as possible for your chosen keyword. To do that you need to think like search engines do.

Understanding Search Engines and their "Algorithms"

Google as well as other search engines use a formula called "Algorithm" to rank websites in their index. Nobody knows the exact formula, but webmasters have learned from experience what works and what doesn`t.

When a search engine evaluates your website it looks for:

  • Page title
  • Page Content
  • Meta data (keywords, description,…)
  • Number of inbound links (links pointing to your site) and some other elements.

Page title is like a few words summary of the whole page. It needs to tell your visitors what they can expect when reading the whole page.

Page Content needs to be written for your visitors, but you also need to include your keyword a few times, so search engines will know what your page is about.

Meta data is a part of html code that is hidden from visitors, but visible to search engines. Some say meta data is becoming less and less important, but it is still good to include it in every page on your website. Common meta tags are keywords and description. It looks like this:

metadata

You can see meta data of any website if you go to View>Page source on your browser. Meta data is always at the top of website code.

Inbound links are very important. Google treats them as votes of confidence. But quality is more important than quantity. If your site is about cars and you get links from sites about gardening that wont help you much.

These four elements are the most important – and i guarantee if you optimize them properly, your website can only get higher ranking. I suggest you also read Google Webmaster Guidelines.

Conclusion

Remember, Google wants to serve its users with highly relevant results. Your goal should be to satisfy your visitors. Think about how they think, what are their problems, what are their needs, then optimize your content for them. If they find your site useful, google will know you are relevant and will rank you higher.

How to get listed in Google, Yahoo and MSN?

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In case you don`t know, search engines are best traffic source on internet. Ranking high for a specific keyword will bring you tons of free, targetted traffic. But first you need to get into their indexes. In the next articles I will show you some tricks to be listed and ranked faster.

Getting Listed in Google, Yahoo and MSN

First and the easiest way to getting listed is to submit your site directly to search engines. This is the easy way, but that does not guarantee when and if your site will be included.

Second option is to get listed in Yahoo Directory or Open Directory Project (DMOZ).

As far as i know this will get you listed directly in Google. But a listing in Yahoo Directory is expensive and getting into DMOZ is very hard.

 

Best option to get listed in Google (the super trick)

is by getting linked from a website that is already listed in google search engine. If a site is already listed, Google trusts this site. That means their spider will follow a link, because they want to include all good websites in their index. This is good news for you. But many webmasters fail in this step, because they dont know the rules of the game.

 

"It is not important to only get a link. It is essential to get a link from an established website with a high page rank."

 

The best way to get an extremely valuable inbound link (link that points to your website from another) is to write an article and post it on http://www.ezinearticles.com. Ezine Articles is a free articles database on all topics. When you submit your high-quality-super-interesting article you need to include link to your website in the author signature. This is super important. Why? Because Google crawls Ezine Articles several times per hour. Yes, you heard it right. Google constantly crawls Ezine Articles so thay can track all the new articles that get published. Another good news for you. Instead of waiting for weeks you can be sure google will know your site is alive in just a few hours. And what is even better – Articles submitted to EzineArticles.com get syndicated. That means even more inbound links for you! That is why I personally use this way when I launch new websites. And it is totally free!

 

These are threee ways to getting listed in Google, however that does not guarantee Google will include your site in their index.  In order to get listed and ranked high you need to know how search engines think. Learn how to prepare your website for search engines.

Part 1 – Start on Firm Ground!

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To Create a Successful E-commerce Website you need to:

  • Select an appropriate Domain Name
  • Present your Company and Build your Website
  • Build your Ecommerce store
  • Establish credibility through valuable Content
  • Promote your Website
  • Start Selling and Communicating with your visitors and customers

We will go in detail about each of the topics in a few moments. But before we do that – you will save lots of time if you have a clear vision of your business goals, purpose of your company and so on. If you need to define your goals read this article from an experienced usability firm.

1. Choose a Winning Domain Name for your Business

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  • You can register a Branded Domain Name – like your company name, or a name with major keywords you want to rank for in search engines.
  • Make your domain name short, easy to pronounce and easy to remember.
  • Make sure you do not infringe any trademark laws. Because laws are not so interesting topic, watch a video about it. In just 5 minutes you will learn everything you need to know about domain name laws.

Links from the video:

To check if the name you plan to register is protected go to: United States Patent and Trademark Office

Instructions:

  1. Select Search on the right side of page. New page opens.
  2. Now select New User Search Form.
  3. In the Field Search box enter name you want to check.

For more information read Icann`s Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy.

Register your Domain Name

Once you find your winning name go here to see if its available.

  1. Enter your name in the search box.
  2. Select domain name extension from drop down menu. Dot com – .com is best for commercial sites.
  3. If your name is available – register it right away to prevent anyone from registering it before you!

Buying your business domain name will give you 3 key benefits:

  • Unique place on the web – your domain name will become a synonym for your ecommerce business.
  • Brand Protection – once you own your domain name, the value of your brand is secured with your domain name.
  • Ownership – you become the sole owner of branded domain name and personalized email addresses. You can do anything you want with your domain name!

2. Create a Professional Looking Company Presentation

businessman_laptopBe Professional

Your visitors want to feel they are dealing with a serious company. Give them this feeling with Professional looking Web Templates. You don need to hire a web designer. You get 100 HTML Templates with every domain name ordered with Hosting Residence.

Create a simple and usable Layout

Use tested layout with navigation on left, header (with slogan of your company) on top and additional information in footer.

Create a Company Slogan!

If you don`t have one create it now! Slogan is a short, up to 7 words long, unique statement about your business! This site is full of slogan examples and will give you inspiration for creating yours!

Make good first impression

When people will come for the first time – thats when they will decide if they will come back or leave and never return.

Give your visitors a way to contact you!

Put phone number and email address on every page of your site.

 

Bottom line is to build trust and credibility. If people wont trust you, they wont buy from you. It is as simple as that.

 

I found a great article about Building Trust on Ecommerce Sites you should take a look at.

Part 2 – Secret to Ecommerce Success!

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3. Setup and Configure your Ecommerce store

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You can not compete with Amazon, Ebay and other big players when it comes to selling online. But you can cover a niche and copy their successful techniques. Do you know why these sites are so good? Because they have so many buyers? No. This is a consequence. They are so good because they satisfy their customers and give them so many options!

You can learn from their success and provide your visitors with a pleasant experience:

  • Add good product descriptions to your ecommerce store
  • Back them up with photos and user testimonials – people love user testimonials!
  • Offer various payment options – MasterCard, Visa, Paypal
  • Use the power of outsourcing and let UPS or USPS handle delivery.

Remember: More options you give to your customers more likely they will buy from you.

 

I recommend all my visitors to try Quick Shopping Cart – because it is probably the best ecommerce store for beginners. No technical expertise is required. It has integrated syncronization with QuickBooks® and connects with platforms like Ebay and Froogle in real time.

Building in Quick Shopping Cart is easy and very well documented, so even a total beginner can set advanced features such as special pricing options or taxation.

4. Ecommerce Web Store itself will not get you sales!buy_the_world.jpg

One of the common beginner mistakes is to buy a fancy ecommerce store and wait for sales to come in. It doesn`t work that way! Whatever product you are selling – you are probably competing with hundreds of websites. So how can you beat them and get people to buy your products?

 

YOU CAN ONLY DO IT BY PROVIDING UNIQUE, VALUABLE CONTENT!

 

You have to provide content about the products you are selling. For example: If you are selling wrist watches you need to create content about them. Tell people how they will benefit from them? How to find a perfect watch for water sports, how to pick a watch for a gift and so on. You need to give your visitors something they are highly interested in, something they didn`t know yet.

 

The reason you want to do this, is because people will find your content valuable. They will tell their friends and write about your site on forums. You will get new visitors. Google will see people like your website and will eventually rank you higher for your keywords. This will bring you more visitors and what your goal is – more sales!

 

There is no way to get sales only by buying an ecommerce merchant account. So don`t waste your money with that. What also works is to register the same name as for your web store only with .info extension. You should setup a separate site and write about your products on it. This will definitely give you lots of exposure!

Remember: People Buy from sites they trust so keep adding content and building credibility!

Part 3 – Spread the word and Start selling!

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5. Spread the news about your ecommerce website

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Start by submitting to search engines

  1. Google: Add your URL to Google
  2. Yahoo: Suggest your site to Yahoo
  3. MSN Live Search: Submit to Live Search

Continue with Directories

Free Directories

Try to get listed in DMOZ – it will get you backlinks and hopefully boost your pagerank. But make sure you read the instructions!

Paid Directories

Invest some money into paid ones like Yahoo! and Business.com.

Resources:

List of free and paid directories

Top Web Directories by Inbound Link Quality

Pay Per Click Advertising

If you are a real go-getter you should buy some traffic. Make sure your website can convert visitors into buyers, otherwise its wasted money. Start here to find out more about PPC.

Press Releases

Prepare Press Releases and send them to these websites:

www.pr.com – "Promote everything about your business. We get the word out."
www.prleap.com – "PR LEAP is a free press release distribution service to major search engines, web sites and newswires, since 2003."
www.i-newswire.com – "I-Newswire.com is your free press release distribution center."
www.24-7pressrelease.com – "24-7PressRelease.com is a free press release distribution service with the small to medium size Company in mind."

Here is a tutorial How to Write a Press Release.

6. Communication is the key!

callcenter

 

Email is a powerful way to communicate

  • Create meaningful business email addresses like:
    • Support@yourdomain.com
    • Contact@yourdomain.com
    • Sales@yourdomain.com
  • Set signatures for all emails
  • Answer your emails promptly, completely and with grace! People will remember if you reply them with a stylish email!

Create a Newsletter

Research shows you need to send your prospects over 7 messages before they will place an order. So you might be loosing 90% of your sales if you are not using newsletters.

Don`t be scared by the word newsletter. It doesn`t need to be a dissertation. Just put together a few useful articles of 300-400 words. At the end of newsletter include a link to a product you are promoting or anything you want them to do. Once people will get several positive experiences with you, they will become ready to buy.

Newsletter Software

The best tool for sending out newsletters is Aweber Autoresponder. It is a powerful but simple way to create newsletters. You can send email to 10.000 clients at once!

The tool I recommend to beginners, who don`t need so powerful tool such as Aweber, is Express Email Marketing. It is even easyer to use, but only a fraction of the price of Aweber

Thank you for reading!

Thats an Ecommerce website in a nutshell! I wish you big success with your ecommerce website! And remember: keep communicating with your customers and adding content!

 

Here is a little gift for you:

If you buy a bundle of Domain Name and WebStore from Hosting Residence, you will get a 5% discount!

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To redeem your discount enter "5NC25" at checkout.

 

How do I create a Personal Web Site?

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Creating a Personal Website

Creating a personal website is a very simple task, because Website Owners today don`t need to build a website from scratch. You don`t even have to know HTML, Web design or search engine optimization to build a beautiful looking website!

So how can I make it then, you ask?

The answer is: with Online Builders. These are Web Based Tools that let you build, design and publish content without any additional skills. All you need is move your mouse over pre-designed elements of your future website and click on them. Once selected, elements appear immediately in preview mode and you can see your progress in real time as you build.

As easy as Point and Click

I bet all of you use a Text Editor like Microsoft Word or Lotus Notes. Adding Content to your own Website is even easier. You simply type in your text, bold it where necessary, and click on publish. Thats it! No need to write it in HTML editor, upload it or anything! It is instantly online.

No need to hire a Web Designer

I get lots of emails asking for less expensive designer services, because most us are not good in Web Design. How could we be? Designers learn for years to develop a sense for colors, consistent layout and proportions. Even if I would learn for years, I won`t be so good as them, simply because I do not like to it. Period. Thats why I buy Web Design Templates. So Why should you do it? You don`t have to. Good Online Builders have Professionally designed Web Templates integrated in their core. All you need to do is select them.

I would like to expose one Builder that I recommend to any beginner who wants to create a personal website. It is called Website Tonight. As far as I am concerned – this Online Builder is the best you can get! It has been around for quite some time and it is constantly upgraded. Current version is 3.0 and now supports .MOBI domain names, RSS feeds, flash intros and what is most important over 800 Premium Web Templates! They are sorted in categories and I if could find one for me, than you can find one too.

Ok. Lets see what you can achieve by creating a personal Website

Motivations for Creating a Personal Website

Most people use a personal websites because they are the most effective and easiest way to express themselves. If you want to express your opinion, you don`t need to publish a book. You can post your thoughts on your website. And since on Internet news spread very quickly, your voice can be heard by thousands of Internet Users. Especially if you have valuable and unique content.

With your own website you can easily show others your creative work like poems, home made necklaces or present your hobby! It is the cheapest and easiest way in the world to present your talents in front of a big audience.

Do I need a domain Name?

I strongly recommend you get a domain name. Most users register their family name for domain name and this means you become an owner of personal domain name and personal email addresses. You are allowed to open as many email accounts for your family as you wish. It looks like this mark@spencer.com or anything you like. I already mentioned Website Tonight. The reason why it is so popular with beginners is because Web Hosting and Email is included at no extra charge.

If you are a beginner you should take a look at Website Tonight Showcase. Click on Get Started button on center of the screen for Templates to load.

Drawbacks of Free Personal Page Providers

A lot of people ask me if I could somehow help them transfer their current website that they have, to a new, stand alone domain name. Why would they want that, since they have no cost with their current page? The answer is simple, but not so obvious when starting a website.

Free Web Page providers like Blogger or Wet Paint give you an address like this http://yourname.blogger.com and your page is hosted on the same domain name with thousands of other users.

This leads to several disadvantages such as:

  • inability to get your personalized email,
  • no support,
  • your page is filled with advertisements and
  • risk of loosing all of your work in case they decide to close the website.

So in many cases it is good to foresee these disadvantages and start on your own domain name. Like I said – get yourself a domain name. It costs only about $10 per year and you will save a lot of time and money in the long run.

Who protects Domain Name System?

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A lot of people ask me what is this "ICANN"? You might have seen their logo at some sites that register domain names, or some sites that state they are ICANN accredited. But what does it mean?

Let`s see what is ICANN and how can you benefit from it?

ICANN is short for Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, and they are the organization which organizes the Domain Name System.

What is the purpose of ICANN?

It was formed in October 1998, mainly because of a need to manage domain names at international level. Before that time each country managed its own domain name system. Can you imagine what mess it was when there were different conditions to register .com domain names in every country? Thats why ICANN was born.

Does ICANN register domain names?

ICANN itself does not register domain names, but has the power to authorize institutions for specific domain extensions. So for every extension, like .com, .jobs, .info there is a company that takes care for all registrations under it. For example, VeriSign is the authoritative registry for .com and .net domain names. Anyone who wants to sell .com domain names must have an agreement with Verisign or sell domain names through reseller companies.

What means if registrar is ICANN accredited?icann_accredited150x150

ICANN accreditation means that accredited registrars are doing business that complies with rules and regulations set forth by ICANN. It also means they are a reliable domain name seller and you, as a customer are protected by ICANN.

An ICANN intervention happened on March 31 2007, when ICANN degraded Registerfly and it no longer was an ICANN accredited registrar, because they RegisterFly was providing a horrible service for their users. All users were transfered to other registrars and their domain names were saved.

Conclusion: What you need to know about ICANN?

  1. ICANN manages domain name system and protects domain name owners.
  2. ICANN charges a small fee (about $.20) for every domain name people register. So at checkout page you might notice the price for domain name is slightly higher. Thats ok! Everyone has to pay this fee, but I don`t mind because I know if there is trouble, ICANN will take care of it.

So next time you hear about ICANN, you will know what is about.

Register your domain name with reliable registrar

We are proud that Hosting Residence is providing a safe and secure services to our customers. See Legal Agreements.

 

Top 3 mistakes when buying a domain name

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attention

TOP 3 Mistakes when registering a domain name

  1. Do not reserve domain name unless you are positive registrar will be putting your information in the WHOIS (that’s the record every domain name has). Whoever`s address is listed in the whois is the real domain owner. You can check it by searching here. This is very popular with some web hosts that offer free domain names, so make sure YOU get what you pay for.
  2. Do not show your contact information to hackers. Instead – Protect your PRIVACY! When reserving a domain name you will have option to keep your domain name private – this will keep your name, email address, … hidden from the global database. A private registration will prevent a lot of spam so I warmly recommend to select this option.
  3. Do not settle with bad support. Support should be available to you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Period. They should be knowledgeable and answer your questions in time.

Register your domain name with Hosting Residence and have a great sleep, because your domain name will be safe.

How to select a Good Domain Name

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Great tips to choose a good domain name!

Keep in mind that domain names are meant to help users find you more easily. If you want a good domain name follow these simple rules:

  1. Shorter is better
    Reserve domain name that is as short as possible as long it remains recognizable. For example usedcars.com is far better than weofferusedcarsatlowprices.com. It is easier to remember and it also minimizes the risk of typing it wrong.
  2. Make it simple and memorable
    Avoid using abbreviations, hyphens or anything that could put your visitors in doubt how to spell or say it. If you can, choose domain name with less than 3 words. If you need to register a name with 3 words or more, use hyphens, but do it with caution. Domain name should be easy to remember. This is especially important when people try to find you the second time. The easiest way to follow this rule is to read your name over the phone to your friend and see if he got it right. If you have to explain anything than you have a problem. Change it, you will thank me later. 🙂
  3. Your domain name should tell users about you
    Really. The name of your domain should reflect the content of your website. Why? Because when people think of your website lets say its name is Rare flowers they will try finding you by that name. In this case rareflowers.com would be a good choice for your domain name. If you follow this rule you also gain some advantage with the search engines.
  4. What about extensions?
    My advice is use a .com. If you are serious about your site you should avoid various new domain extensions. It takes a bit more time to register .com since it is the most popular extension but you wont regret it. Dot coms are good domain names because its what people first think of.

Following these simple rules will put you way ahead of those who will register just the first name they can think of.

What kind of Website do You want?

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So many ideas but so little time…

There is lots of websites on the Internet, good ones and bad ones. So make me happy and create a good one:)

But first, lets see what options do you have when it comes to website types.

Two Website Types

Basically there are two website types. Ones that are created to make money, and others that do not have a goal to make money. These two types can be built with same software, run on same servers, but they are inevitably different. As they would have different type of chromosomes.

Business and Money Making Websites: Main goal is to create profit

Even websites that are created to make money are not the same.

  1. One type of Business Website is a presentation of a real world company. Such Website usually consists of company info, contact information and product portfolio.
    roofing

    Benefits     of such presentation is to make information about your products accessible 24/7. Such companies usually still operate in real world to deliver their goods and services. Example: JSroofing.co.uk.
    Additionally, websites can be e-commerce enabled to sell goods and services electronically.
  2. This Brings us to Second type of business websites. They do not necessarily have real world stores, because they sell products and services online. They are fully e-commerce enabled, accept credit cards and other electronic currencies, and ship their products via delivery services like UPS or Fedex.
    amazon
    Benefits of such companies is low costs and almost turn-key business operation. Example: Amazon.com
  3. Another business type is a website which does not sell its own products, but rather provides valuable information, which attracts visitors. Such Websites monetize content with advertisement or affiliate commissions. This kind of websites have become extremely popular, because everyone is good at something and can help others achieve what they want.
    problogger
    Benefits of such website is making money while working exactly what you want, independent from regular 9-5 job. There are lots of webmasters that do it for living. Example: problogger.net

Personal, Family and Community Websites

There are lots of non-profit website types.

  1. Most popular are personal websites that enable you to express yourself, post your photos from holidays, present your CV for job application or post your thoughts in Blog-like websites which are a revolution in creating websites.
    weddingsite
    There are special website types connected with all kind of events. Family Websites, Baby Websites, Wedding Websites, Reunion Websites and others. Example: myevent.com
  2. Than there are websites that present non-profit organizations like associations, communities, charity, church or any other.

What do all these have in common?

They serve a specific target audience.

For business websites it is essential to receive highly targeted visitors that are interested in products or information websites provide. To achieve that, business website has to be differently structured and planned than a personal website that is intended for sharing photos with your friends.

Personal websites on the other hand are not built for the masses, but rather for a smaller audience of friends, family members or relatives. Their goal is not ranking high in search engines, so they can have a more relaxed structure and style of writing. Learn how to create a personal website the easy way.