Wizard of the Websites

How to Start Link Building

2011-05-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

If you don't already know, link building is a very broad term describing anything a webmaster does to point inbound hyperlinks back to one or more of their own websites (Also known as building backlinks). This can be done by posting comments in forums, submitting articles, submitting links to directories, posting links on social websites, etc. Link Building not only can generate traffic and bring awareness to your website, but is also a very large part of the Search Engine Optimization (SEO for short) world. Search Engine Optimization is the main reason so many webmasters spend countless hours and dollars on promoting and building backlinks to their websites. The concept is pretty simple, the more optimized your website is for search engines, the more visitors your websites will receive.

Their are numerous ways to build backlinks to your website and it all depends on what you, the webmaster, is looking to accomplish. I say this because when building backlinks you need to have a plan, and a goal set before you start, in order to stay on the right track. Before you start you need to ask yourself what type of backlinks you want to create for your website. Knowing this will not only help you speed up the link building process, but also help optimize your website faster.

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How to Spot Adertising Scams on the Internet

2011-05-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

In today’s world advertising on the Internet is a huge business that can yield positive returns for both people who sell advertisement and for people who look to buy advertising space. Unfortunately there are also people who HAVE found ways to manipulate the system and take advantage of the internet advertisement business through scams and false terms of conditions. Below you will find steps you can take to avoid these internet advertising scams and hopefully come out on top.

Terms and Conditions
Always read the "terms and conditions" before you accept or sign up for anything. If there are no "terms and conditions" listed or to be found, then ask for them. Doing this will help you greatly in the long run because many internet advertising scams you can sign up for will start to charge you after a period of time even though they advertise as "absolutely free". Usually it is free for the first few weeks or month, but after that they automatically bill you for their services.

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Guest Editorial on Network Solutions

2011-05-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

It's something of an exciting prospect when you're about to set up your own website for the first time, and sometimes it can be a slight shock when you realize just how much there is to organize. Luckily, there are companies out there that can not only help you make sense of the various intricacies of managing a successful website, but can often give you the services with which to engage every aspect of your little slice of the web. One of those companies is Network Solutions.

Priding themselves on the best possible customer service, a slick web interface and countless well-priced services, Network Solutions is the ideal choice for anyone from a first-time webmaster to someone setting up their thousandth website with a long career that revolves around the web. Ensuring that your services are of the highest quality, however, can make the difference between a success and a failure, and Network Solutions gives webmasters access to premium services that allows them to relax, knowing it's all well taken care of. At Network Solutions you can register a domain name, and much more.

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Search Engine Optimization Tips and Techniques

2011-04-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

In building a website there are important things that we have to consider. It is given already that a great web design with the right web page hosting is the key for a good website, but to make it more effective and evident in search engines, one should also take into consideration, SEO.

This article explores what is known about website optimization and discusses helpful SEO best practices to help achieve a higher rank with Internet search engines. How do those search engines work and how do website owners increase their ranking in the mysterious world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

No one person alone knows exactly how search engines determine rank. Each search engine has its own set of algorithms and methods for website ranking. There is no defined standard that can be followed to ensure that your website will be raised to the top of the list. But, with that said, there are many known actions a web developer can take that will definitely raise a website's ranking. The topic of SEO has been an area of study and experimentation by many. Much has been discovered over the years and, in response to how web pages have been developed, much has changed with how search engines decide their ranking.

The best place to begin is to understand the history of how the web has evolved over the years in the area of search engine ranking.

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Byline

Ciara Sawyer is a contributor writer for Hosting Observer – a web hosting comparison guide with only one objective; bringing you the best web hosting companies.

Gearing your website for Google Adsense

2010-05-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

If you want to create a website for the sole purpose to make money through Google Adsense then there are a few things you need to learn in order to maximize your potential earnings through attracting large amount of visitors.

Right off the bat you need to establish a topic for your website that you are interested in and is easy for you to write lots of content on. Creating a website can be very time consuming. In order to stay enthusiastic about your website it is easier to write about something that you like or are interested in. An example of this would be a hobby of yours or a past career that you enjoyed.

Once you have chosen your topic you then need to write tons of content. Not just any content though, you need to write unique content in order to attract search engines. Search engines love to find websites with unique content that is different from other sites and will reward these sites with a higher page rank. The higher your website is ranked, the more visitors you will attract.

Writing lots of content will also help Google Adsense to place ads on your website that are better targeted towards your visitors. This can potentially increase the amount of clicks the ads may receive in a given day.

Next is to make sure your website is well organized. Organization is a key factor in determining what position your website ranks in popular search engines. When search engine bots crawl your site, it helps to have it well structured so they can find each page with ease. In doing this you have a better chance of having the pages of your website indexed.

Last but not least you want to make sure the design and placement of your ads from Google Adsense match the design and placement of your website. With Google Adsense you have the option to change several things in the ads like font type, color and size. Ideally you want these things to match the font type, size and color of you website so they flow with the overall design.

Placement of Google Adsense ads is a very important part of making money. If your ads have poor placement on your website then the amount of clicks each ad receive will probably be very low. However if you place the ads in key locations throughout your entire website then they will receive more clicks and in turn make you more money. The most common key places to see ads on a website are usually located at the top below the title, going down the page on the left and right side, and after certain sections throughout the page.

In the end, Google Adsense can be a powerful way to make money with your website if you know how to attract a large amount of visitors. Keep finding ways to increase your website's traffic and your adsense income will gradually increase into a something your proud of.

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Finding the Right Host Provider

2010-05-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

Finding the right host provider is a crucial step in the development and implementation of your website. Whether you are designing your own site or paying someone else to do it, you should first look into hosting sites and the plans they offer. I say this because most host providers have many different packages that they offer with many different features. In choosing the right provider you should pick the one that fits your needs and the needs your website.

Pricing seems to be the number one issue when people are looking for hosting for their site, especially if they are working on a tight budget. This is a factor to consider, but is not recommended overriding all of your other priorities. Sometimes, but not all the time, host providers will offer cheap prices, but will lack in other areas like customer support or the amount of space you may receive. Most quality host providers will offer a good package that not only has what you are looking for technically, but also what you are looking for financially. These “all around” packages will usually run between $3.99 and $7.99 a month. If you require additional technical specifications then the price may go up. There is of course providers that offer even lower prices, but there again you need to look at what you are getting with that price.

Technical specifications are another major feature to look at when choosing the right host provider. If you want to create a massive website consisting of hundreds of pages, images and databases you are going to need a lot space in order for your site to run smoothly for its visitors. If you want to create a smaller, more personal website, you are not going to need as mush space in order for your site to operate efficiently. If you have no clue how much space you may need, almost all host providers allow you to start off small and add on as your site grows. Other technical specifications you may need to look at when picking the right hosting are; number of domains allowed, number of email accounts, number of databases allowed, percentage of serve uptime, and amount of traffic allowed.

If you are a newcomer to starting your own website and are having trouble with the technical side, you may want to look into hosting that provides you with design templates. These templates help you develop the design of your site by allowing you to customize a pre-made webpage to fit the content and feel of the site you want to create. This feature requires no knowledge of programming skills and is great for people who want to test the waters. If you do have some programming knowledge though, these templates will also allow you to still edit the HTML source of the webpage if needed. This feature is usually included in the monthly price and is a quick and easy way to get your site up on the web.

Last but not least, customer support is a big issue when choosing the right host provider. It can be an even bigger issue if you are purchasing hosting for the first time. All hosting companies will have some sort of customer support, but not all will have the type of support you may need. Most customer support levels include; 24 hour phone support, email support and live chat support. The best would consist of all three and the worst would consist of only having email support. Email support is not usually bad, but when dealing with host issues most people prefer constant live interaction like over the phone or in a live chat. This way customer concerns can be addressed and answered in a timely manner. In order to find out about host providers and their customer support you can do internet searches on testimonials concerning certain host providers in order to receive a more accurate account of how well their customer support is.

In the end choosing the right host provider can be a tricky process if you do not take your time and evaluate what you need and what type of features meet those needs. Low pricing is always going to catch your eye at first, but make sure you compare and contrast other features they may offer in order to find the right host for you. Here is a sample list of popular host providers and the features they offer for you to compare and get an idea of what they have. Remember that there are tons of host providers on the web today so if at first you do not find one that fits your needs do not get distressed.

Free Website Hosting. Is it Good or Bad?

2010-05-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Whether you are creating an informational website or starting up your first Ecommerce site you are going to need a good and reliable host provider. For most people when doing their first general search on Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc, they will find plenty of listings for free and paid websites that offer hosting. Many will ask, what’s the difference? And only a few will find out before it’s too late. Free and paid hosting have their advantages as well as their disadvantages, and in order to pick which one is right for you and your website you need to be able to differentiate between the two.

Price is the most obvious difference between free and paid hosting and is usually why many beginners jump on the free ride. If you have a very limited budget and would like to spend you money on other areas of your website then free hosting always looks appealing. In the long run though, paying those few extra dollars a month can be very beneficial because most paid hosting come with extra features like; site builders, content management, enhanced functionality, and email accounts. These extra features can end up saving you a lot of time and even money as time goes by.

Both free and paid hosting also have their limitations, but with paid hosting you always have the option to upgrade if your website starts to demands more. With most free host providers you have a limited availability of space, file size, and support. Once these numbers have been reached you have very few options, if any, to choose from. Free hosting would not be recommended if you are planning on building an Ecommerce, social, or file sharing website. This is because these types of websites usually require the most space and support that is offered by hosts that you have to pay for. If you do try to go the free route with these types of sites, then in the end you will probably wind up purchasing hosting from someone else in order to keep your website going. If you are building a blog, informational, or personal site then free hosting maybe the way to go, because these site usually require the least amount of space and support.

Another difference between free and paid hosting is with paid hosting you have more control over your website and the content that’s on it. There is a catch that comes with many free host providers, and that is they will post advertisements on your site in exchange for their free hosting. Advertisements for other products and services are where they usually make their money since they are not charging you for their services. It’s also almost definite that you will not get your own unique domain name when pursuing the free side of hosting. Usually your domain name will end up being their sites name followed by the name of your websites. This can sometimes be looked upon as unprofessional from the Internet community and people visiting your website. With paid hosting however you have total control over your site and you can do as you please when it comes to having your own unique domain name and the content and posting of advertisements.

So which one is better for you? Well it all depends on what type of website you want to create and how far you want to take it. Most webmasters will tell you to go with paid hosting because in the long run its better and comes with more options and flexibility. Whatever road you do decide to travel down make sure you do your homework first and know exactly what you are getting into before you make your final decision.

Source:
http://www.wizardofthewebsites.com/Finding_a_Website_Host.html

Free Website Traffic Versus Paid

2010-05-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

When starting up a website for the first time you have a very big decision on whether or not to pay out the dollars for generated traffic, or to go the free route and do it yourself. Both choices have there advantages and disadvantages depending on many factors that can incorporate you, your time, and your money (if any).

If you are working with some type of budget that you have set aside for marketing purposes and you do not have a lot of time to spare then throwing out a few dollars may be the way to go. If you have decided that you do not have the necessary funds to pay for this service but have the time, then you are probably looking to do the promoting yourself.

Paying for traffic to your website is definitely the easiest and less time consuming way to generate large amounts of traffic. In doing this, you are essentially paying someone else to handle your marketing needs so you will have a lot more time to concentrate on other areas of your website that may need attention to. Doing this service yourself however will allow you total control over the marketing aspect of your website and help you gain a better understanding on the methods that are used for generating large amounts of traffic. This means though that you will be concentrating a large portion of your time in order to make this happen and become successful at it.

Another subject that you may need to be aware of when deciding whether or not to pay for website traffic is the long term/short term effects they come with. When paying for traffic you must look at it as a sort of investment. Yes, as soon as you hand over the dollars visitors will start rolling in, but if you ever decide to stop paying then the generated traffic from those paid sources will also stop. In order to keep those services and visitors rolling in you will need to keep paying the bill for it. To justify paying for traffic over a long period of time you must make sure you are making a profit off of your investment in order to keep that investment going. If you can keep funding these paid sources then your visitor traffic will only increase as time goes on.

Doing it yourself however will have a more positive and longer lasting effect on the amount of traffic you bring in over a long period of time. If you are posting links in Forums and Blogs, or submitting articles that list your site as its source, then those links will continue to bring visitors to your site time after time with absolutely no more effort to you. So even if for some reason you stop promoting your site, the tactics you used will continue on since they are free and already in place.

What it boils down to is investing time and money. If you don’t have the time, but have the money then you should pay for it. If you don’t have the money but have the time then you should do it yourself. Just remember that if you do pay out then make sure you can continue to pay, and if you do it yourself make sure you can invest in the time it takes.

Quality Content is Key

2010-04-26T08:54:00.000-07:00

When discussing link building in Blogs and Forums it seems all I ever hear about is the same old tactics like; posting, article submission, social bookmarking, etc.. What many people tend to forget is that no matter what tactics you use or how many backlinks you have out there, quality content is a major factor in deciding if all those links are even any good. If you think about it quality content is a link building tactic all on its own. If you take the time to provide your viewers/visitors with relevant up-to-date information then they will be willing to share and link back to that information for others to view. What got me started on this topic is an article I came across called "SEO-Another Proven, Yet Underground One Way Link Building Strategy". Check it out and feel free to comment here and let other people know how you feel on the matter.

How to Start Your Own Website

2010-04-11T16:43:00.000-07:00

Since this is the official first post of Wizard of the Websites Blog I figured I would start from the beginning. So if you want to start your own website but don't know where to begin, the following steps below will show you everything you need to help you begin the process of starting and operating your very own website. For your convenience I have added a link below each step which provides more in-depth information.

Step 1. Decide what type of website you want to create. Today there are more than 186 million web sites on the Internet, with 31.5 million of those added just during the year of 2008. Luckily you can categorize the 186 million into Seven common categories; Personal, E-Commerce, Informational, Blog/Forum, Social, File Sharing, Mobile Device.
Choosing a Website Type

Step 2. Select a domain name for your website. When choosing the right domain name for your site be sure to choose one that pertains to the content that is associated with what your site is about. Try not to make one that is confusing or hard to spell. This may give you problems latter on with attracting visitors. Also be sure to have a few options for a domain name when you go to buy one. A lot of times your first choice is already going to be taken. Most common domain names can usually be purchased for around $4.99 to $12.99.
Selecting a Domain Name

Step 3. Find the right web host that suits your needs. There are plenty of website hosting companies out there on the World Wide Web. Whether you are building your site yourself or paying someone else to do it for you, you need to find a host that will meet the needs of the type of website you want to create. Hosting plans are usually fairly cheep and come with loads of extra stuff to help you with your site. The link provided below shows several paid and free host providers that you may want to check out.
Finding the Right Website Host

Step 4. Find the right design for your website. The Design of a website is extremely important to its survival no matter what type it is. Remember that everything that is involved with your site is incorporated into its design, from attracting visitors to advertising. The most important thing to remember is to make your site easy to navigate and not confusing to your visitors.
Helpful Tips on Website Design

Step 5. Attract visitors to your site. Once your site is up and running you need to be able to attract visitors in order to make your site successful. Several ways you can accomplish this is by; Submitting your site to search engines, posting comments on Blogs/Forums, trading links with other web sites, social book marking, submitting articles, and listing with web directories. Be sure to include your sites URL when submitting articles and posting on Blogs and Forums.
How to Attract Visitors to Your Website

Step 6. Attract advertising to your site. This step is optional of course, depending on whether you want to make money of your site. If so, the first thing you need to make sure of is that people are aware of your site. No one will be willing to advertise with your site if it does not have a steady flow of visitors. Signing up with an affiliate program is a good and easy way to earn money for your site and at the same time attract those visitors. Last, you can offer advertising space on your website by displaying a small image that says "advertise here" somewhere on each page of your site. Be sure to link the image to your contact page so potential clients can reach you.
How to Attract Advertising to Your Website