If you are looking for a quick increase in traffic to your website, particularly if you have a new site, it is a relatively simple process to get some REALLY fast action. Even more important, is that you can get this traffic "completely Free!"
Trying to get your website listed with the major Search Engines is often a long, complicated, and sometimes expensive task. One sure of increasing your presence on the web, is to write your own articles.
What do I write about?
Select a subject that you are familiar with, or one that relates to your website. If it is a subject that you are interested in, then it is normally quite easy to write about it. Keep your article to between 500- 600 words. You may have already written something similar, that you have included in your website.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Get away from it all
Haven't you ever had time you wanted to get away from it all? In March/April 1978, www.motherearthnews.com published a story about a couple who bought McLeod's Island - a 90-acre island off the coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.
They have a few animals, spend very little on groceries, and are pretty well sustained by the island itself. Although it does present them with some challenges:
"The sea, you know, is not called "restless" for nothing. A glass-smooth bay (as we've learned so well!) can churn-sometimes seemingly in seconds-into a windswept chaos of currents and combers. We've also seen that same bay (the one in which our island is located) thaw and then completely refreeze in just hours on a single December day.
Winters up here can be especially variable. Continual spring-like thaws throughout 1976's cold season, for instance, kept our bay filled with slushy ice that was too thick to push a boat through ... but too dangerous for even a fox to walk on. We were marooned for three full months, from the first of January until the end of March. Last winter's record cold snap, on the other hand, filled the bay so solidly with pack ice that we could hike back and forth to the mainland for our mail and toboggan loads of supplies any time we wanted."
For some of us, we find the Internet gives us the freedom to be able to work and live almost any place we want to. These people didn't have that luxury. I use the past tense as I can't find any current information about them. Who knows? Maybe the tide swept the out to sea.
Life is full of sacrifices. Some are just more dear than others. Still, I don't think buying an island is in my future.
You can read the whole article here.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/1978_March_April/We_Homesteaded_an_Island
They have a few animals, spend very little on groceries, and are pretty well sustained by the island itself. Although it does present them with some challenges:
"The sea, you know, is not called "restless" for nothing. A glass-smooth bay (as we've learned so well!) can churn-sometimes seemingly in seconds-into a windswept chaos of currents and combers. We've also seen that same bay (the one in which our island is located) thaw and then completely refreeze in just hours on a single December day.
Winters up here can be especially variable. Continual spring-like thaws throughout 1976's cold season, for instance, kept our bay filled with slushy ice that was too thick to push a boat through ... but too dangerous for even a fox to walk on. We were marooned for three full months, from the first of January until the end of March. Last winter's record cold snap, on the other hand, filled the bay so solidly with pack ice that we could hike back and forth to the mainland for our mail and toboggan loads of supplies any time we wanted."
For some of us, we find the Internet gives us the freedom to be able to work and live almost any place we want to. These people didn't have that luxury. I use the past tense as I can't find any current information about them. Who knows? Maybe the tide swept the out to sea.
Life is full of sacrifices. Some are just more dear than others. Still, I don't think buying an island is in my future.
You can read the whole article here.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/1978_March_April/We_Homesteaded_an_Island
Making Your Blog Stand Out And Look Professional
If you are attempting to create a successful blog for personal or business reasons, you should know that looks do count. Many bloggers make the mistake of thinking that looks are not as important as content, since readers are essentially reading your blog for the words, not the way it looks. This is true to some degree. The fact is however that people will not take your words seriously if your blog looks less than attractive. To have a successful blog you have to have it all. You must have interesting content as well as a great look. If you want to update the look of your blog, consider these areas of importance.
Easy To Scan
The way your blog reads on a page is an extremely important part of your blog's look. You should always remember to keep your blog posts short and to the point. If you are treating your blog as a personal diary, your posts may be a little longer than normal. But, if you are trying to get more traffic to your blog, then you really want to focus the attention with short posts that offer the main point easily. Most blog readers will only scan your posts, not read them word for word. So keep this in mind when you are writing. The shorter the post, the more likely they are to read the entire thing. If your blog is easy to scan because the posts are short and the breaks are clear, you will have a great looking blog.
Professional Edge
When designing or redesigning your blog, try to make it as professional looking as possible. Even if the blog is not for a business, the more professional it looks, the more seriously people will take it. Not everyone knows a lot about programming, so you may need to research a bit. If you have the extra funds, you might even want to get a professional to program it for you. No matter what you have to do, just keep a level of professionalism in your mind throughout the designing process.
Friendly Colors
Most people don't think twice about what colors they choose for their blog. The facts are that some colors come across better on the web than others. Blue and black are easy to see, so they are always great choices to use. Sea-green, beige, or purple are also great soothing colors to use for a blog. You should stay away from using colors like pink, yellow, or any neon varieties. They are extremely hard on the eyes when reading them online and can deter people from reading your blog. Keep these color tips in mind when you design your blog to get the best results available.
Appropriate Graphics
It has been noted that the use of pictures on your blog is a great way to boost traffic. Blogs that offer pictures that correlate with their content are fantastic. Readers love to connect with the content further through pictures. With most blogging software offering ways to easily add pictures, it should not be a problem for most publishers to add them right into the blog. If you do have trouble, consider checking the "help" area in your blogging software for more information. The information there should provide you with step by step instructions to help you get on your way.
Successful Layout
Most people who design blogs and websites will tell you that the layout does matter as well. The way a blog looks to the reader in important in terms of layout. The layout should be clear and defined. If the reader is confused by the layout, they will likely not stick around to explore. They will most likely go right on to the next blog available. If you are letting a professional design your blog, you will likely not need to worry much about the layout. However, if you are doing it yourself, take a look at other successful sites to get ideas about what works and what doesn't. Look at your site like a reader would to get the best advice you can. Lastly, simply test different layouts on your friends and family to see which ones they find the most suitable for your blog.
If you are attempting to create a successful blog for personal or business reasons, you should know that looks do count. Many bloggers make the mistake of thinking that looks are not as important as content, since readers are essentially reading your blog for the words, not the way it looks. This is true to some degree. The fact is however that people will not take your words seriously if your blog looks less than attractive. To have a successful blog you have to have it all. You must have interesting content as well as a great look. If you want to update the look of your blog, consider these areas of importance.Easy To Scan
The way your blog reads on a page is an extremely important part of your blog's look. You should always remember to keep your blog posts short and to the point. If you are treating your blog as a personal diary, your posts may be a little longer than normal. But, if you are trying to get more traffic to your blog, then you really want to focus the attention with short posts that offer the main point easily. Most blog readers will only scan your posts, not read them word for word. So keep this in mind when you are writing. The shorter the post, the more likely they are to read the entire thing. If your blog is easy to scan because the posts are short and the breaks are clear, you will have a great looking blog.
Professional Edge
When designing or redesigning your blog, try to make it as professional looking as possible. Even if the blog is not for a business, the more professional it looks, the more seriously people will take it. Not everyone knows a lot about programming, so you may need to research a bit. If you have the extra funds, you might even want to get a professional to program it for you. No matter what you have to do, just keep a level of professionalism in your mind throughout the designing process.
Friendly Colors
Most people don't think twice about what colors they choose for their blog. The facts are that some colors come across better on the web than others. Blue and black are easy to see, so they are always great choices to use. Sea-green, beige, or purple are also great soothing colors to use for a blog. You should stay away from using colors like pink, yellow, or any neon varieties. They are extremely hard on the eyes when reading them online and can deter people from reading your blog. Keep these color tips in mind when you design your blog to get the best results available.
Appropriate Graphics
It has been noted that the use of pictures on your blog is a great way to boost traffic. Blogs that offer pictures that correlate with their content are fantastic. Readers love to connect with the content further through pictures. With most blogging software offering ways to easily add pictures, it should not be a problem for most publishers to add them right into the blog. If you do have trouble, consider checking the "help" area in your blogging software for more information. The information there should provide you with step by step instructions to help you get on your way.
Successful Layout
Most people who design blogs and websites will tell you that the layout does matter as well. The way a blog looks to the reader in important in terms of layout. The layout should be clear and defined. If the reader is confused by the layout, they will likely not stick around to explore. They will most likely go right on to the next blog available. If you are letting a professional design your blog, you will likely not need to worry much about the layout. However, if you are doing it yourself, take a look at other successful sites to get ideas about what works and what doesn't. Look at your site like a reader would to get the best advice you can. Lastly, simply test different layouts on your friends and family to see which ones they find the most suitable for your blog.
PHP , Internet Business Marketing , & Good Web Content Go Hand In Hand
Everyone has heard that content is king when it comes to search engine optimization and just good old plain web site marketing smarts. But how you present that content on your site can also make a world of difference.
PHP is a server-side, cross-platform, HTML embedded scripting language that lets you create dynamic web pages. PHP-enabled web pages are treated just like regular HTML pages and you can create and edit them the same way you normally create regular HTML pages.
Now here is were it gets interesting. Search engines like Google Yahoo and MSN love fresh new content that is changing on a daily basis. But if you are using a java script snippet the search engines will not be able to read the content. If however you are using a PHP type script the content will automatically be transformed into HTML and the search engines will be able to pick it up and read it.
The first thing you will need to do before you jump onto the PHP bandwagon is to make sure your web host provider has PHP support. Most do but if you are only paying for basic services or using a free host you may have to pay for an upgrade. It's well worth it trust me.
One of the best PHP based scripts you can add to any web site is the forum or bulletin board. Forums will take on a life of their own after several 100 members have joined and are posting threads on a daily basis. If 100 members seems like a lot think again. I have one work from home internet business forum and after just 2 month I already have over 70 members. Each time someone posts to the forum the HTML changes and the search engines treat it as new content.
Another great PHP script you can add is the link directory. You can actually set up a categorized reciprocal link directory with 20 links on each page and the process is completely automated. I have mine set up so that I have to approve each link first but if you want you could by pass this so that once your script is set up the directory will just start to grow all on its own with no additional work on your part. Again each time someone adds a new link you HTML page is changing. Make sure you add categories that are relative to your main theme. My directory for example has categories for work from home , internet business and business opportunities because that's what my web site is all about. Also make sure you have added instructions on how they can link back to you. This is the reason why I like to approve all my liks first. No reciprocal link back to my site NO directory listing.
PHP can also be used for blogging. Wordpress is one of the most popular PHP script based blogging tools. I have not used Wordpress but I do use blogger for all my blogging. A weblog (usually shortened to blog, but occasionally spelled web log) is a web-based publication consisting primarily of periodic articles (normally in reverse chronological order). Although most early weblogs were manually updated, tools to automate the maintenance of such sites made them accessible to a much larger population, and the use of some sort of browser-based software is now a typical aspect of "blogging". With a blog or web log you can make daily posts on almost any subject matter creating new content for the search engines to crawl. To date Yahoo seems to be giving a bit of an edge to all my blogs incuding my work form home internet business news site. Ironically most of the post on that blog come from yahoo and or Google news. This is a great way to get free content on a daily basis for your blog. Just go to Google news or yahoo news and type in the keywords you are using for your blog. Each day there will be a new news article that you can legally use on your blog.
There are many more PHP scripts that you can use on your website to automatically create fresh new content with. The ones listed above are the ones I have downloaded for free and installed to my web host. If you are not using PHP now is a good time to get started.
PHP is a server-side, cross-platform, HTML embedded scripting language that lets you create dynamic web pages. PHP-enabled web pages are treated just like regular HTML pages and you can create and edit them the same way you normally create regular HTML pages.
Now here is were it gets interesting. Search engines like Google Yahoo and MSN love fresh new content that is changing on a daily basis. But if you are using a java script snippet the search engines will not be able to read the content. If however you are using a PHP type script the content will automatically be transformed into HTML and the search engines will be able to pick it up and read it.
The first thing you will need to do before you jump onto the PHP bandwagon is to make sure your web host provider has PHP support. Most do but if you are only paying for basic services or using a free host you may have to pay for an upgrade. It's well worth it trust me.
One of the best PHP based scripts you can add to any web site is the forum or bulletin board. Forums will take on a life of their own after several 100 members have joined and are posting threads on a daily basis. If 100 members seems like a lot think again. I have one work from home internet business forum and after just 2 month I already have over 70 members. Each time someone posts to the forum the HTML changes and the search engines treat it as new content.
Another great PHP script you can add is the link directory. You can actually set up a categorized reciprocal link directory with 20 links on each page and the process is completely automated. I have mine set up so that I have to approve each link first but if you want you could by pass this so that once your script is set up the directory will just start to grow all on its own with no additional work on your part. Again each time someone adds a new link you HTML page is changing. Make sure you add categories that are relative to your main theme. My directory for example has categories for work from home , internet business and business opportunities because that's what my web site is all about. Also make sure you have added instructions on how they can link back to you. This is the reason why I like to approve all my liks first. No reciprocal link back to my site NO directory listing.
PHP can also be used for blogging. Wordpress is one of the most popular PHP script based blogging tools. I have not used Wordpress but I do use blogger for all my blogging. A weblog (usually shortened to blog, but occasionally spelled web log) is a web-based publication consisting primarily of periodic articles (normally in reverse chronological order). Although most early weblogs were manually updated, tools to automate the maintenance of such sites made them accessible to a much larger population, and the use of some sort of browser-based software is now a typical aspect of "blogging". With a blog or web log you can make daily posts on almost any subject matter creating new content for the search engines to crawl. To date Yahoo seems to be giving a bit of an edge to all my blogs incuding my work form home internet business news site. Ironically most of the post on that blog come from yahoo and or Google news. This is a great way to get free content on a daily basis for your blog. Just go to Google news or yahoo news and type in the keywords you are using for your blog. Each day there will be a new news article that you can legally use on your blog.
There are many more PHP scripts that you can use on your website to automatically create fresh new content with. The ones listed above are the ones I have downloaded for free and installed to my web host. If you are not using PHP now is a good time to get started.
For newer sites, Web Marketing depends on "titles" & "links"
We all start out the same. Some have budgets, some don't. The one true factor out there is that we all want to expose our business. For 99% of us, starting out in the world of web marketing means a few things:
* - A huge learning curve
* - Endless nights working
* - Trial & Error
* - Learning the ropes
Compared to older more established sites out there, a brand new site without a network of well established web sites to back it up will need to depend on good quality links pointing to it. This will commence the search engine ranking strategy.
See most "grand father" sites out there have already gone through the trials and tribulations of getting recognized. Since this is true, they don't always have to depend on the "Title" of the link pointing to their site, nor do they have to depend on the "Title" tag within their site.
Now here's the [kicker]. Let's say Joe has been doing this for 2 years now, 9 times out of 10, if Joes web site is still promoting content about "Web Marketing", he probably doesn't have to add "Web Marketing" to his main title anymore. He can now add it further down within another link on his site.
So the moral is???
If your site is new, you'll need to depend on the "Titles" of many things to get your rankings up for something specific. If you're site is more mature and has been established, you can work on other search terms you've been longing to get for your site.
Just keep plugging away and try to keep your "titles" the same for new sites and mix it up for older sites!
I hope you enjoyed the article!
Read more of Martins articles online here:
http://www.smartads.info/newsletter
* - A huge learning curve
* - Endless nights working
* - Trial & Error
* - Learning the ropes
Compared to older more established sites out there, a brand new site without a network of well established web sites to back it up will need to depend on good quality links pointing to it. This will commence the search engine ranking strategy.
See most "grand father" sites out there have already gone through the trials and tribulations of getting recognized. Since this is true, they don't always have to depend on the "Title" of the link pointing to their site, nor do they have to depend on the "Title" tag within their site.
Now here's the [kicker]. Let's say Joe has been doing this for 2 years now, 9 times out of 10, if Joes web site is still promoting content about "Web Marketing", he probably doesn't have to add "Web Marketing" to his main title anymore. He can now add it further down within another link on his site.
So the moral is???
If your site is new, you'll need to depend on the "Titles" of many things to get your rankings up for something specific. If you're site is more mature and has been established, you can work on other search terms you've been longing to get for your site.
Just keep plugging away and try to keep your "titles" the same for new sites and mix it up for older sites!
I hope you enjoyed the article!
Read more of Martins articles online here:
http://www.smartads.info/newsletter
English In The New World
From its early British heritage, the English language has evolved and it will continue to do so as it creeps its way into societies all over the world. The English you know may not be what another person, who lives in another country, knows. Marquez Comelab, author of The Part-Time Currency Trader , explains.
From its early British heritage, the English language has evolved and it will continue to do so as it creeps its way into societies all over the world. The English you know may not be what another person, who lives in another country, knows. Different countries have developed their own unique way of using English. For example, the Australian English, a dialect I have grown accustomed to, uses the letter ' u 's in certain words. They use suffixes such as – ise instead of – ize as well as – t instead of – ed . Below are some examples of the common differences between how Australians spell words and how these words are spelt elsewhere.
• Centre rather than Center
• Endeavour rather than Endeavor
• Colour instead of Color
• Armour instead of Armor
• Dreamt instead of Dreamed
• Spelt instead of Spelled
• Learnt instead of Learned
• Jeopardise instead of Jeopardize
• Organise instead of Organize
• Organisation instead of Organization
When I wrote my book: The Part-Time Currency Trader , I had to think about who my audience was. People who might be interested in this book were not just going to be Australians. In fact, currency trading is big in America , Europe and Asia . I would have to communicate with them as well. Therefore, I had to do a little researching and what I discovered for myself would be relevant to all writers, website owners and anybody who wishes to communicate with the global community and compete internationally.
From its early British heritage, the English language has evolved and it will continue to do so as it creeps its way into societies all over the world. The English you know may not be what another person, who lives in another country, knows. I found it most intriguing that there are so many English dialects.
Below are the types of English dialects (Source: http://www.wikipedia.org):
Types of English that evolved from the British Isles :
• English English
• Highland English
• Mid-Ulster English
• Scottish English
• Welsh English
• Manx English
• Irish English
Types of English that evolved from the United States:
• AAVE (Ebonics)
• American English
• Baltimorese
• Boston English
• California English
• General American
• North Central American English
• Hawaiian English
Southern American English:
• Spanglish
• Chicano English
Types of English that evolved from Canada :
• Canadian English
• Newfoundland English
• Quebec English
Types of English that evolved in the Oceania :
• Australian English
• New Zealand English
Types of English that evolved in Asia :
• Hong Kong English
• Indian English
• Malaysian English
• Philippine English
• Singaporean English
• Sri Lankan English
Types of English that evolved in other countries:
• Bermudian English
• Caribbean English
• Jamaican English
• Liberian English
• Malawian English
• South African English
Other Classifications of English:
• Basic English
• Commonwealth English
• Globish
• International English
• Plain English
• Simplified English
• Special English
• Standard English
With this many types of English to cater for, writing can get complicated, especially when it comes to spelling words. If you are writing a book, people expect you not to make any spelling errors. None of us are perfect and I'm sure there are mistakes in most manuscript or on most websites but the last thing you need as a writer, is that your readers attribute spelling mistakes to you because of these basic differences in English.
If you want to know how I got around this problem, I simply wrote my book in my local dialect, Australian English. Then, I added a page in my book where I explain to the reader the most common differences between the Australian English and the English they may be accustomed to.
I just thought I would let you know and I hope this helps when you are reading or writing.
- END OF ARTICLE -
Please activate all hyperlinks and include the paragraph below if you are republishing this article online or in print.
About The Author:
Marquez Comelab is the author of the book: The Part-Time Currency Trader . It is a guide for men and women interested in trading currencies in the forex market. Discusses analysis, tools, indicators, trading systems, strategies, discipline and psychology. See: http://marquezcomelab.com. His other articles are also published at http://thefreedomtochoose.com along with other helpful articles.
From its early British heritage, the English language has evolved and it will continue to do so as it creeps its way into societies all over the world. The English you know may not be what another person, who lives in another country, knows. Different countries have developed their own unique way of using English. For example, the Australian English, a dialect I have grown accustomed to, uses the letter ' u 's in certain words. They use suffixes such as – ise instead of – ize as well as – t instead of – ed . Below are some examples of the common differences between how Australians spell words and how these words are spelt elsewhere.
• Centre rather than Center
• Endeavour rather than Endeavor
• Colour instead of Color
• Armour instead of Armor
• Dreamt instead of Dreamed
• Spelt instead of Spelled
• Learnt instead of Learned
• Jeopardise instead of Jeopardize
• Organise instead of Organize
• Organisation instead of Organization
When I wrote my book: The Part-Time Currency Trader , I had to think about who my audience was. People who might be interested in this book were not just going to be Australians. In fact, currency trading is big in America , Europe and Asia . I would have to communicate with them as well. Therefore, I had to do a little researching and what I discovered for myself would be relevant to all writers, website owners and anybody who wishes to communicate with the global community and compete internationally.
From its early British heritage, the English language has evolved and it will continue to do so as it creeps its way into societies all over the world. The English you know may not be what another person, who lives in another country, knows. I found it most intriguing that there are so many English dialects.
Below are the types of English dialects (Source: http://www.wikipedia.org):
Types of English that evolved from the British Isles :
• English English
• Highland English
• Mid-Ulster English
• Scottish English
• Welsh English
• Manx English
• Irish English
Types of English that evolved from the United States:
• AAVE (Ebonics)
• American English
• Baltimorese
• Boston English
• California English
• General American
• North Central American English
• Hawaiian English
Southern American English:
• Spanglish
• Chicano English
Types of English that evolved from Canada :
• Canadian English
• Newfoundland English
• Quebec English
Types of English that evolved in the Oceania :
• Australian English
• New Zealand English
Types of English that evolved in Asia :
• Hong Kong English
• Indian English
• Malaysian English
• Philippine English
• Singaporean English
• Sri Lankan English
Types of English that evolved in other countries:
• Bermudian English
• Caribbean English
• Jamaican English
• Liberian English
• Malawian English
• South African English
Other Classifications of English:
• Basic English
• Commonwealth English
• Globish
• International English
• Plain English
• Simplified English
• Special English
• Standard English
With this many types of English to cater for, writing can get complicated, especially when it comes to spelling words. If you are writing a book, people expect you not to make any spelling errors. None of us are perfect and I'm sure there are mistakes in most manuscript or on most websites but the last thing you need as a writer, is that your readers attribute spelling mistakes to you because of these basic differences in English.
If you want to know how I got around this problem, I simply wrote my book in my local dialect, Australian English. Then, I added a page in my book where I explain to the reader the most common differences between the Australian English and the English they may be accustomed to.
I just thought I would let you know and I hope this helps when you are reading or writing.
- END OF ARTICLE -
Please activate all hyperlinks and include the paragraph below if you are republishing this article online or in print.
About The Author:
Marquez Comelab is the author of the book: The Part-Time Currency Trader . It is a guide for men and women interested in trading currencies in the forex market. Discusses analysis, tools, indicators, trading systems, strategies, discipline and psychology. See: http://marquezcomelab.com. His other articles are also published at http://thefreedomtochoose.com along with other helpful articles.
Article Services And Search Engine SEO
Article services and search engine SEO can be used together to provide a powerful means of attracting a high volume of traffic to your website – if you know how to do it.
It is not possible to provide a course in SEO or in article marketing or writing in an article such as this, but you can get the rudiments from appropriate web pages on the internet that are interested in showing you how. Initially, however, here are a few tips on how to make a start in combining these two powerful facets of internet marketing to your advantage. To make it work you have to get up and do it, and not expect it to come to you.
Achieve Nothing by Doing Nothing
My father used to say to me that nothing will ever be achieved by doing nothing but thinking about it. He said that when he was fighting on the destroyers in the Russian convoys protecting the merchant ships attempting to maintain supplies to the Russians in Archangel in 1942 it would have been easier to do nothing, but a job had to be done and they all did it by knuckling down and getting on with it, no matter what it cost.
Compared to that I find spending a few hours on a website simple and trouble free, and I have never forgotten the lesson he taught me. I work the hours I need to complete a task: the clock does not exist. The failures in internet marketing are those that give up too early. If you haven't finished your day's work by midnight, then stay up till you have finished – whether it is 2 am or later. OK, you might have the day job in the morning but nobody said it was easy, unless you believed the guys who offered you to get rich quick.
My dad didn't help supply the Russians by bunking down at midnight. You won't make a success of your new internet business by doing the same. That's the reality of it. However, if you do knuckle down, and if you do apply the effort, then you will succeed since all it takes is the hard work then the rest will happen if you do as you are advised. Do what the winners do and you will join them.
Get Writing: Or Get Me Writing
If you can write then start writing. Write at least two articles a week on the subject of your website. More if possible. If you can write 50 then do that, but you will get success with just two. I have proved that to myself. If you can't write, get a ghost writer. If you can't afford a ghost writer contact me and I will help you if I have the spare time of the 24 hours I have each day.
You must also have more than one website, so get yourself two at least. The more the better, but two will do to start with. If you can't afford two web hosts, then get one that allows unlimited subdomains and you can have as many independent websites as you want. eMail me for info on parked subdomains if you don't know how to use them.
Optimize each page on each website as well as you can, and link one to the other. The topics or niches should be complementary, so that one is relevant to the other. Optimize the links between the pages on each of your sites to maximize your internal Google PageRank, and design the sites logically. If you use classic search engine SEO techniques, and tie them up with good internal and external linking strategies, you should soon start to see your traffic steadily increasing.
Build Up Your Website
There are several offsite actions you can take to improve the chances of your web pages appearing high in the Google listings for the keywords each page is optimized on. You should have at least 10 pages on each site, preferably more. It is easy to keep adding pages if you design one page to use as a template for the others, and add all the links to it that you want to have on every page.
Then all you need do to add a page is to change the article content, page heading, page title and graphics Alt text. The change the keywords, description and title meta tags and you are all set. You can do it in 10 minutes. Imagine: a new web page every 10 minutes!
Now write articles on the topic of each new page on your site and submit them to as many article directories as you can. You will get an initial page rank rush, or at least a rush of clicks to your site, until Google starts to take note of all the duplication of your article on multiple web pages (article directories). It will then begin to penalize these in the Google listings but not, and this is VERY IMPORTANT, not from the directories because Google cannot decide what content article directories hold. Your articles will remain on each directory until it decides to remove it – that could be years hence.
Do the Hard Work and Reap the Benefits
These are the basics of how to use article services and search engine SEO. The hard work is the writing and generating of the websites and web pages. However, if you are like my dad, and get on with the job even though your hands are frozen solid to the breach block of a five inch gun of a destroyer in the Arctic Ocean at 3 am on a cold February morning, then you will succeed. Work will get you there, not paying hundreds of dollars for software that does it all for you – it never does. Get the right guy to point you and you should be OK.
It is not possible to provide a course in SEO or in article marketing or writing in an article such as this, but you can get the rudiments from appropriate web pages on the internet that are interested in showing you how. Initially, however, here are a few tips on how to make a start in combining these two powerful facets of internet marketing to your advantage. To make it work you have to get up and do it, and not expect it to come to you.
Achieve Nothing by Doing Nothing
My father used to say to me that nothing will ever be achieved by doing nothing but thinking about it. He said that when he was fighting on the destroyers in the Russian convoys protecting the merchant ships attempting to maintain supplies to the Russians in Archangel in 1942 it would have been easier to do nothing, but a job had to be done and they all did it by knuckling down and getting on with it, no matter what it cost.
Compared to that I find spending a few hours on a website simple and trouble free, and I have never forgotten the lesson he taught me. I work the hours I need to complete a task: the clock does not exist. The failures in internet marketing are those that give up too early. If you haven't finished your day's work by midnight, then stay up till you have finished – whether it is 2 am or later. OK, you might have the day job in the morning but nobody said it was easy, unless you believed the guys who offered you to get rich quick.
My dad didn't help supply the Russians by bunking down at midnight. You won't make a success of your new internet business by doing the same. That's the reality of it. However, if you do knuckle down, and if you do apply the effort, then you will succeed since all it takes is the hard work then the rest will happen if you do as you are advised. Do what the winners do and you will join them.
Get Writing: Or Get Me Writing
If you can write then start writing. Write at least two articles a week on the subject of your website. More if possible. If you can write 50 then do that, but you will get success with just two. I have proved that to myself. If you can't write, get a ghost writer. If you can't afford a ghost writer contact me and I will help you if I have the spare time of the 24 hours I have each day.
You must also have more than one website, so get yourself two at least. The more the better, but two will do to start with. If you can't afford two web hosts, then get one that allows unlimited subdomains and you can have as many independent websites as you want. eMail me for info on parked subdomains if you don't know how to use them.
Optimize each page on each website as well as you can, and link one to the other. The topics or niches should be complementary, so that one is relevant to the other. Optimize the links between the pages on each of your sites to maximize your internal Google PageRank, and design the sites logically. If you use classic search engine SEO techniques, and tie them up with good internal and external linking strategies, you should soon start to see your traffic steadily increasing.
Build Up Your Website
There are several offsite actions you can take to improve the chances of your web pages appearing high in the Google listings for the keywords each page is optimized on. You should have at least 10 pages on each site, preferably more. It is easy to keep adding pages if you design one page to use as a template for the others, and add all the links to it that you want to have on every page.
Then all you need do to add a page is to change the article content, page heading, page title and graphics Alt text. The change the keywords, description and title meta tags and you are all set. You can do it in 10 minutes. Imagine: a new web page every 10 minutes!
Now write articles on the topic of each new page on your site and submit them to as many article directories as you can. You will get an initial page rank rush, or at least a rush of clicks to your site, until Google starts to take note of all the duplication of your article on multiple web pages (article directories). It will then begin to penalize these in the Google listings but not, and this is VERY IMPORTANT, not from the directories because Google cannot decide what content article directories hold. Your articles will remain on each directory until it decides to remove it – that could be years hence.
Do the Hard Work and Reap the Benefits
These are the basics of how to use article services and search engine SEO. The hard work is the writing and generating of the websites and web pages. However, if you are like my dad, and get on with the job even though your hands are frozen solid to the breach block of a five inch gun of a destroyer in the Arctic Ocean at 3 am on a cold February morning, then you will succeed. Work will get you there, not paying hundreds of dollars for software that does it all for you – it never does. Get the right guy to point you and you should be OK.
Mental Training - A How To Guide
Mental Training In Simple Rules
Simple rules, used habitually, can enhance your brainpower. For example, if you're considering investments, you can apply the "rule of 72." It's a formula for determining how long it takes to double your money. Divide the rate of return you expect into 72, and the result is the number of years it takes to double your money. If an account pays 6% interest, you divide 72 by 6 and you know that it will take about 12 years to double your money. The rule is based on the compounding of interest, and assumes that you reinvest all interest or investment income.
Real estate investors use simple rules such as "Don't pay more than 100 times monthly rent for an income property." This isn't a replacement for real analysis, but when you train your mind to use such a rule, it speeds up the process. You can eliminate properties selling for 150 times monthly rent, even while an investor with a better brain for numbers is still analyzing them.
Mental Training In Simple Questions
It's not all about mathematical formulas. Simple questions can also help you more quickly reach the result you want. For example, comedians use such questions unconsciously, and write jokes even more efficiently if they consciously use them.
Suppose a friend mentions that having children gives him a sense of immortality. The comedian's question, "What's wrong with this picture?" makes you realize it means dying, so you reply, "I don't want immortality through my children. I want to immortality by not dying!"
"Mental algorithms" for a comedian might include asking questions like, "What if I take this to the extreme?" "How would this look to a dog?" "Which words in this have double meanings that I can play with?" or "What is the stupidest part of this situation?"
Mental Training In Simple Techniques
Use problem solving techniques enough, and they become a habitual part of your thinking process. For example, try the powerful problem solving technique of challenging assumptions. It's an especially effective way to bring more effective brainpower to personal issues, where there are so many hidden assumptions.
Suppose your kids are fighting over the television, and you're tired of it. Perhaps you are assuming the following: 1. You need to have a TV; 2. Fighting over the TV is the problem; 3. The fighting needs to stop; 4. It's your problem.
The process of challenging these assumptions may suggest the following solutions: 1. Get rid of the TV, or limit it's use; 2. Deal with the general issue of the kids' behavior; 3. Leave the room, close the door and let them fight; 4. Tell the kids it's their problem, and they have a week to come up with a solution, or the TV goes.
Each human activity has it's own most useful rules and guidelines that you can train your brain to use. Then there are general "life rules" that can help you make better decisions. For example, you might train yourself to ask, "How does this advance me towards my important goals?" and "Is there a better alternative?"
We all have patterns and mental habits in our subconscious minds, but they are not necessarily the best ones, are they? Why not consciously train yourself to use the questions, rules, and patterns of behavior that are most useful? This can start with simple mental training.
Simple rules, used habitually, can enhance your brainpower. For example, if you're considering investments, you can apply the "rule of 72." It's a formula for determining how long it takes to double your money. Divide the rate of return you expect into 72, and the result is the number of years it takes to double your money. If an account pays 6% interest, you divide 72 by 6 and you know that it will take about 12 years to double your money. The rule is based on the compounding of interest, and assumes that you reinvest all interest or investment income.
Real estate investors use simple rules such as "Don't pay more than 100 times monthly rent for an income property." This isn't a replacement for real analysis, but when you train your mind to use such a rule, it speeds up the process. You can eliminate properties selling for 150 times monthly rent, even while an investor with a better brain for numbers is still analyzing them.
Mental Training In Simple Questions
It's not all about mathematical formulas. Simple questions can also help you more quickly reach the result you want. For example, comedians use such questions unconsciously, and write jokes even more efficiently if they consciously use them.
Suppose a friend mentions that having children gives him a sense of immortality. The comedian's question, "What's wrong with this picture?" makes you realize it means dying, so you reply, "I don't want immortality through my children. I want to immortality by not dying!"
"Mental algorithms" for a comedian might include asking questions like, "What if I take this to the extreme?" "How would this look to a dog?" "Which words in this have double meanings that I can play with?" or "What is the stupidest part of this situation?"
Mental Training In Simple Techniques
Use problem solving techniques enough, and they become a habitual part of your thinking process. For example, try the powerful problem solving technique of challenging assumptions. It's an especially effective way to bring more effective brainpower to personal issues, where there are so many hidden assumptions.
Suppose your kids are fighting over the television, and you're tired of it. Perhaps you are assuming the following: 1. You need to have a TV; 2. Fighting over the TV is the problem; 3. The fighting needs to stop; 4. It's your problem.
The process of challenging these assumptions may suggest the following solutions: 1. Get rid of the TV, or limit it's use; 2. Deal with the general issue of the kids' behavior; 3. Leave the room, close the door and let them fight; 4. Tell the kids it's their problem, and they have a week to come up with a solution, or the TV goes.
Each human activity has it's own most useful rules and guidelines that you can train your brain to use. Then there are general "life rules" that can help you make better decisions. For example, you might train yourself to ask, "How does this advance me towards my important goals?" and "Is there a better alternative?"
We all have patterns and mental habits in our subconscious minds, but they are not necessarily the best ones, are they? Why not consciously train yourself to use the questions, rules, and patterns of behavior that are most useful? This can start with simple mental training.
Servers: Just What Are They And Why Do We Need Them!
Servers at Your Service
Servers are what make it possible for you to view what you wish to view on the Internet. At its most basic level, what happens when using servers is that browsers connect to servers, requesting that a Web page be displayed. The servers then send back the pages requested. Internet browsers are what form the connections to Web servers that allow the page to be requested and then received by the end user.
There are three parts to a Web page address, better known as a URL. The first part of this URL is called a protocol. The first part of the address is called the protocol. Http is a protocol and stands for Hypertext transit protocol. The next part of the URL tells you the name of the server. In http://www.myWebSite.com , the server is MyWebSite. The file name is something like web-server.htm, for example.
Browsers communicate with name servers to translate those server names into IP (Internet Protocol) addresses, which is the way they connect to the machine that is acting as the server. Browsers connect by means of ports, all of which are numbered. Port 80, for example, is a common port number.
Every machine has its own unique IP. These addresses are made up of 32 bits, and are usually expressed in four groupings in a dotted decimal number. These groupings are known as octets. An example of an IP address written as an octet is 327.38.72.248 .
Servers have IP addresses that are static and seldom change. A home computer getting online through its modem often has an IP address that the ISP assigns when the machine gets online. The IP address is unique only for that session, so it can change each time the user uses it to get online. This is more efficient for the ISP, as it only needs to have one address for each machine that has dialed in, rather than saving a particular IP for each machine.
After the HTTP protocol, the browser sends a request to the server, called a GET request, which asks for the file. A GET request can also send cookies from browsers to servers. The next step is when the server sends the HTML text for that requested Internet page back to the browser. The HTML tags then read by the browser and subsequently format the page onto the user's screen.
The Internet is made up of a huge collection of computers – millions of them – that are all linked by one common computer network. This computer network makes it possible for the computers to all talk to each other. A home PC can be linked to this Internet through dial up (a landline telephone carrier's line), through DSL line, or a cable modem. All of these systems communicate with an Internet Service Provider (ISP.)
Generally, organization or business computers are linked to each other by means of a network so that they can share information in-house back and forth. They do this by means of a network interface card. This NIC then connects directly to a local area network (LAN) that is housed within the organization or business. This LAN is then connected to the associated ISP by what is known as a T1 line, a very fast and powerful connection to the servers.
ISPS connect to each other. The largest of these ISPs maintain the backbone of the entire system across the region or perhaps the country. This backbone is fiber optic. Through these fiber optic lines, satellite links or undersea cable, various backbones connect all over the globe. This is the way servers and clients the world over connect all to each other.
Servers are what make it possible for you to view what you wish to view on the Internet. At its most basic level, what happens when using servers is that browsers connect to servers, requesting that a Web page be displayed. The servers then send back the pages requested. Internet browsers are what form the connections to Web servers that allow the page to be requested and then received by the end user.
There are three parts to a Web page address, better known as a URL. The first part of this URL is called a protocol. The first part of the address is called the protocol. Http is a protocol and stands for Hypertext transit protocol. The next part of the URL tells you the name of the server. In http://www.myWebSite.com , the server is MyWebSite. The file name is something like web-server.htm, for example.
Browsers communicate with name servers to translate those server names into IP (Internet Protocol) addresses, which is the way they connect to the machine that is acting as the server. Browsers connect by means of ports, all of which are numbered. Port 80, for example, is a common port number.
Every machine has its own unique IP. These addresses are made up of 32 bits, and are usually expressed in four groupings in a dotted decimal number. These groupings are known as octets. An example of an IP address written as an octet is 327.38.72.248 .
Servers have IP addresses that are static and seldom change. A home computer getting online through its modem often has an IP address that the ISP assigns when the machine gets online. The IP address is unique only for that session, so it can change each time the user uses it to get online. This is more efficient for the ISP, as it only needs to have one address for each machine that has dialed in, rather than saving a particular IP for each machine.
After the HTTP protocol, the browser sends a request to the server, called a GET request, which asks for the file. A GET request can also send cookies from browsers to servers. The next step is when the server sends the HTML text for that requested Internet page back to the browser. The HTML tags then read by the browser and subsequently format the page onto the user's screen.
The Internet is made up of a huge collection of computers – millions of them – that are all linked by one common computer network. This computer network makes it possible for the computers to all talk to each other. A home PC can be linked to this Internet through dial up (a landline telephone carrier's line), through DSL line, or a cable modem. All of these systems communicate with an Internet Service Provider (ISP.)
Generally, organization or business computers are linked to each other by means of a network so that they can share information in-house back and forth. They do this by means of a network interface card. This NIC then connects directly to a local area network (LAN) that is housed within the organization or business. This LAN is then connected to the associated ISP by what is known as a T1 line, a very fast and powerful connection to the servers.
ISPS connect to each other. The largest of these ISPs maintain the backbone of the entire system across the region or perhaps the country. This backbone is fiber optic. Through these fiber optic lines, satellite links or undersea cable, various backbones connect all over the globe. This is the way servers and clients the world over connect all to each other.
10 Critical Press Release Writing Tips
1. Start strong: Your title and initial lines should briefly and directly convey what you want to say. Include the "who, what, where, when and why" in the lead of your press release. The remaining part of your press release should include supporting facts and examples.
2. Make it easy for the media: Some media agencies and journalists will grab your press release and carry it in their publications with slight editing or no alteration. But even if it's not used word for word, journalists may use it as fodder for other stories or to create their own story ideas. The more information and details you include, the less work the media has to do.
3. Think like the reader: Your press release should be able to keep the reader's interest. Put yourself in the reader's shoes. Would you want to read your press release?
4. Make it relevant: Try to point out real examples to support the message you want to communicate. Show why your information is important and how it benefits the reader. If your release isn't newsworthy, don't expect anyone to read it.
5. Support your story with real facts: Facts make your point stronger and tell the journalist you've already done much of the research for them. If you pull facts from other sources, make sure you attribute them. Avoid fluff and add-ons. And never make anything up. If content seems too good to be true, tone it down or you could hurt your credibility.
6. Include company information: The press release should conclude with a short description of your company, including where your company is based, what products and service it provides and a brief history If you are creating a press release for more than one company, provide information for all the companies at the end of the release. Also include contact information, both phone number and e-mail, for each company's spokesperson
7. Be concise: Avoid using superfluous adjectives, extravagant language, or unnecessary clichés. Get to the point and tell your story as directly as possible.
8. Get permission: Companies can be defensive about their name and image. Get written permission before including information or quotes from officials or associates of other companies/organizations.
9. Avoid exclamation points: The use of exclamation points may hurt your credibility by creating unnecessary hype. However, if you have to use an exclamation point, use only one! Not several!!!
10. Avoid industry jargon: The harder your press release is to understand for journalists and laymen, the less likely it is to be picked up. A limited use of industry terminology is ok, if you're trying to optimize the news release for internet search engines.
Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for http://www.1888PressRelease.com, the premier website to Submit Free Press Release for any announcements including launching of new product or services, new website, announcing new hires, sponsoring a special event or seminar and more. His articles can be found at http://www.1888articles.com/author-paul-wilson-7.html.
2. Make it easy for the media: Some media agencies and journalists will grab your press release and carry it in their publications with slight editing or no alteration. But even if it's not used word for word, journalists may use it as fodder for other stories or to create their own story ideas. The more information and details you include, the less work the media has to do.
3. Think like the reader: Your press release should be able to keep the reader's interest. Put yourself in the reader's shoes. Would you want to read your press release?
4. Make it relevant: Try to point out real examples to support the message you want to communicate. Show why your information is important and how it benefits the reader. If your release isn't newsworthy, don't expect anyone to read it.
5. Support your story with real facts: Facts make your point stronger and tell the journalist you've already done much of the research for them. If you pull facts from other sources, make sure you attribute them. Avoid fluff and add-ons. And never make anything up. If content seems too good to be true, tone it down or you could hurt your credibility.
6. Include company information: The press release should conclude with a short description of your company, including where your company is based, what products and service it provides and a brief history If you are creating a press release for more than one company, provide information for all the companies at the end of the release. Also include contact information, both phone number and e-mail, for each company's spokesperson
7. Be concise: Avoid using superfluous adjectives, extravagant language, or unnecessary clichés. Get to the point and tell your story as directly as possible.
8. Get permission: Companies can be defensive about their name and image. Get written permission before including information or quotes from officials or associates of other companies/organizations.
9. Avoid exclamation points: The use of exclamation points may hurt your credibility by creating unnecessary hype. However, if you have to use an exclamation point, use only one! Not several!!!
10. Avoid industry jargon: The harder your press release is to understand for journalists and laymen, the less likely it is to be picked up. A limited use of industry terminology is ok, if you're trying to optimize the news release for internet search engines.
Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for http://www.1888PressRelease.com, the premier website to Submit Free Press Release for any announcements including launching of new product or services, new website, announcing new hires, sponsoring a special event or seminar and more. His articles can be found at http://www.1888articles.com/author-paul-wilson-7.html.
Intelligent Design - Basic Design Guidelines
When talking about intelligent design, we are not talking about the creation of man. Nope, this is more important! The creation of your media and site products.
There are some very basic things about design that one can learn that can vastly improve one's ability to make appealing and intelligent creations. Some of those things are:
1. Lining Things Up
2. Using Variation
3. Giving Breathing Room
4. Using the Grid
5. The Golden Section
6. Lining Things Up
Things that line up look nice. Things that are all over the place don't look nice. Of course, one must know rules to know which ones to break, so these rules are only guidelines. In general though, straight or smooth lines are appealing. Jagged and inconsistent lines are less likely to be appealing. A design with many elements lining up and a few elements that don't can create nice contrast, yet starting with things that line up is a nice easy rule for beginners.
To support these statements, lets look at examples of man-made objects. Roads, desks, walls, buildings, orange juice containers. The forms of all these objects are straight or consistent and any deviation from this norm is considered mildly repulsive. On roads, the matter is quite important to health. There is a merge under construction from the 60 East (that's how we identify freeways here in California) to the 215 South, where the turn starts at one size circumstance then abruptly veers a few degrees tighter to another sized circumstance. This slight change in curvature results in a driver having to adjust for this change with a slight, and apparently unexpected, turn of the wheel. I say apparently because road barriers prevent a driver from seeing the whole turn going into it and
there are a bunch of tire marks etched up the construction barrier right at the point of the change in curvature.
Lets look at desks. Obviously straight and even desks are good for writing, fit against straight walls well and look nice, at least to me. Buildings, like desks are convenient shapes for space efficiency, map drawing, road creation, furniture and room modularity. Sure, curved buildings are beautiful too, yet the curves are often very even, and more often than not, the curve is accompanied by a straight line in another dimension.
OK, orange juice - very nice to ship little square boxes. Long rectangles make a nice canvas for marketing. If the straight lines are not straight, but crumpled or dented, chances are you won't buy that carton.
All of these are man-made objects that benefit in usability from straight or evenly curved lines. Lets take a look at nature. Trees are basically straight lines. The trunks of a redwood forest all go in one direction with remarkable consistency. (That direction is up, by the way, unless you are on the opposite side of the Earth, in which case it would be down.) Again, this is usability for the tree - a competition in height to get to the sun. Leaves - straight veins out to the tips - same idea, get some (light). Curvature of the earth - smoother than the curvature of an 8 ball. Something to do with gravity which, for existence as we know it, is quite useful.
OK, OK, but how does this apply to my intelligent ___________ (fill in the blank - web site, ad, package design, solar electric car, hair)?
For your designs, line up your stuff in straight lines. Line up images so that image edges are lined up with image edges and lines, text with text, and other elements inline with other elements. This is a fundamental design principle yet, some websites are all over the place with every image and section of text every which way.
Using Variation
Things that line up and have no variation are boring. For example, straight long roads with no turns are quite boring. The 58 zigzags across the arid Southern California desert, between mountains, with every few miles a turn. The 5 goes in one straight line for mile after mile after hour after hours. Which would you rather drive?
Likewise, with web sites, if everything lines up on the same line, the page is likely to look very boring. You can change it up with:
1. Bold Titles
2. Lists of items
3. Indented text
All these things break up the monotony of straight lines and can add rhythm to a design. Yet if there is too much breaking up of the lines, the design can become junky looking noise That is hard to read. Hey, no doubt - some people are into that.
Giving Design elements Room to Breathe
Even things that line up do not generally look good if they can't breathe. Putting text right against the edge of another element has a claustrophobic feel. Some sites pack in so much information on one page that there are no margins or breathing space between elements. The result is in uncomfortableness and unreadability. Give your images and text margins, frames or room to breathe.
Use the Grid, Luke
To help you line things up, use graph paper, the Adobe Photoshop grid or draw a measured grid yourself. In the final design this grid is usually removed, but used in layout to ensure things line up nicely. Experienced designers often intuitively use a grid without physically having a grid in the design.
The Golden Section
There is a thing called the golden section, the golden ratio or the divine proportion. If you're really into math, you can do a search to learn more. For those of us not so into math, the Golden Section is a little more than a third. If you take a picture, it just happens to look real nice if you show a little more than two thirds sky. The same applies to many forms of composition. This golden section has some relation to basic geometry that seems to resonate with a human's sense of beauty.
Conclusion
When designing things, remember: Line things up, but don't get boring. Use grids to line things up. The golden section looks nice. Peace.
There are some very basic things about design that one can learn that can vastly improve one's ability to make appealing and intelligent creations. Some of those things are:
1. Lining Things Up
2. Using Variation
3. Giving Breathing Room
4. Using the Grid
5. The Golden Section
6. Lining Things Up
Things that line up look nice. Things that are all over the place don't look nice. Of course, one must know rules to know which ones to break, so these rules are only guidelines. In general though, straight or smooth lines are appealing. Jagged and inconsistent lines are less likely to be appealing. A design with many elements lining up and a few elements that don't can create nice contrast, yet starting with things that line up is a nice easy rule for beginners.
To support these statements, lets look at examples of man-made objects. Roads, desks, walls, buildings, orange juice containers. The forms of all these objects are straight or consistent and any deviation from this norm is considered mildly repulsive. On roads, the matter is quite important to health. There is a merge under construction from the 60 East (that's how we identify freeways here in California) to the 215 South, where the turn starts at one size circumstance then abruptly veers a few degrees tighter to another sized circumstance. This slight change in curvature results in a driver having to adjust for this change with a slight, and apparently unexpected, turn of the wheel. I say apparently because road barriers prevent a driver from seeing the whole turn going into it and
there are a bunch of tire marks etched up the construction barrier right at the point of the change in curvature.
Lets look at desks. Obviously straight and even desks are good for writing, fit against straight walls well and look nice, at least to me. Buildings, like desks are convenient shapes for space efficiency, map drawing, road creation, furniture and room modularity. Sure, curved buildings are beautiful too, yet the curves are often very even, and more often than not, the curve is accompanied by a straight line in another dimension.
OK, orange juice - very nice to ship little square boxes. Long rectangles make a nice canvas for marketing. If the straight lines are not straight, but crumpled or dented, chances are you won't buy that carton.
All of these are man-made objects that benefit in usability from straight or evenly curved lines. Lets take a look at nature. Trees are basically straight lines. The trunks of a redwood forest all go in one direction with remarkable consistency. (That direction is up, by the way, unless you are on the opposite side of the Earth, in which case it would be down.) Again, this is usability for the tree - a competition in height to get to the sun. Leaves - straight veins out to the tips - same idea, get some (light). Curvature of the earth - smoother than the curvature of an 8 ball. Something to do with gravity which, for existence as we know it, is quite useful.
OK, OK, but how does this apply to my intelligent ___________ (fill in the blank - web site, ad, package design, solar electric car, hair)?
For your designs, line up your stuff in straight lines. Line up images so that image edges are lined up with image edges and lines, text with text, and other elements inline with other elements. This is a fundamental design principle yet, some websites are all over the place with every image and section of text every which way.
Using Variation
Things that line up and have no variation are boring. For example, straight long roads with no turns are quite boring. The 58 zigzags across the arid Southern California desert, between mountains, with every few miles a turn. The 5 goes in one straight line for mile after mile after hour after hours. Which would you rather drive?
Likewise, with web sites, if everything lines up on the same line, the page is likely to look very boring. You can change it up with:
1. Bold Titles
2. Lists of items
3. Indented text
All these things break up the monotony of straight lines and can add rhythm to a design. Yet if there is too much breaking up of the lines, the design can become junky looking noise That is hard to read. Hey, no doubt - some people are into that.
Giving Design elements Room to Breathe
Even things that line up do not generally look good if they can't breathe. Putting text right against the edge of another element has a claustrophobic feel. Some sites pack in so much information on one page that there are no margins or breathing space between elements. The result is in uncomfortableness and unreadability. Give your images and text margins, frames or room to breathe.
Use the Grid, Luke
To help you line things up, use graph paper, the Adobe Photoshop grid or draw a measured grid yourself. In the final design this grid is usually removed, but used in layout to ensure things line up nicely. Experienced designers often intuitively use a grid without physically having a grid in the design.
The Golden Section
There is a thing called the golden section, the golden ratio or the divine proportion. If you're really into math, you can do a search to learn more. For those of us not so into math, the Golden Section is a little more than a third. If you take a picture, it just happens to look real nice if you show a little more than two thirds sky. The same applies to many forms of composition. This golden section has some relation to basic geometry that seems to resonate with a human's sense of beauty.
Conclusion
When designing things, remember: Line things up, but don't get boring. Use grids to line things up. The golden section looks nice. Peace.
Get A Web Hosting Merchant Account
When you started your business, perhaps you thought it was enough to make your goods available to a few neighbors in the community, with no thought of ever applying for a Web hosting merchant account. Then you might have expanded the company's range by advertising in the newspaper or on the radio to get the word out to those who did not drive by your company in a typical day's time. But now you're poised to enter the electronic age as your company moves into the e-commerce era. It's time to put up a company Website for all the world to see.
But you may lack the skills and perhaps even the funds to design, set up, and maintain a professional Website via a Web hosting merchant account. Perhaps you don't even know where to begin to find someone who can consult with you about what the site should look like and how it should operate. You can't begin to understand how to process credit card payments or manage other electronic functions to better serve your customers. But rather than admit any of this, it may be you are sitting back, resting on the old ways of doing business, and watching your colleagues' profits climb while yours hold even or occasionally droop.
If this scenario describes your operation, maybe it's time to inquire about a Web hosting merchant account. A bank or another financial services provider can explain the terms and conditions of operating a merchant account. Once you find out if your company is eligible to apply, you can look for the lowest rates and best service before making application, taking care to avoid various setup and maintenance fees that can be calculated in addition to your monthly transaction costs. When your application for a merchant card is accepted, you can get help in locating a Website designer, one who will work with you to represent your company the way you want it to be. Then you can equip it with software that will let you accept customers' credit card payments when they shop online so they can pay for their purchases immediately rather than mail a check. Your merchant services underwriter will arrange a gateway coordinator to funnel customers' credit payments directly into your preferred checking account. All you will need to do is pay a monthly rate for each credit card transaction or a low overall percentage rate.
You can design a Website that will stand apart from the competitors' sites. It could feature product descriptions, price lists, sale dates, FAQs, testimonials, and links to related sites if that will support your company goals. The site should be error-free, contain easy-to-read chunks of information, and not be littered with so much information that the customer will feel overwhelmed. You can arrange to add an email site in case visitors have questions or problems, and you can let them pay by credit card online, which is perhaps the most essential feature of all. Ask your banker for details about a Web hosting merchant account.
But you may lack the skills and perhaps even the funds to design, set up, and maintain a professional Website via a Web hosting merchant account. Perhaps you don't even know where to begin to find someone who can consult with you about what the site should look like and how it should operate. You can't begin to understand how to process credit card payments or manage other electronic functions to better serve your customers. But rather than admit any of this, it may be you are sitting back, resting on the old ways of doing business, and watching your colleagues' profits climb while yours hold even or occasionally droop.
If this scenario describes your operation, maybe it's time to inquire about a Web hosting merchant account. A bank or another financial services provider can explain the terms and conditions of operating a merchant account. Once you find out if your company is eligible to apply, you can look for the lowest rates and best service before making application, taking care to avoid various setup and maintenance fees that can be calculated in addition to your monthly transaction costs. When your application for a merchant card is accepted, you can get help in locating a Website designer, one who will work with you to represent your company the way you want it to be. Then you can equip it with software that will let you accept customers' credit card payments when they shop online so they can pay for their purchases immediately rather than mail a check. Your merchant services underwriter will arrange a gateway coordinator to funnel customers' credit payments directly into your preferred checking account. All you will need to do is pay a monthly rate for each credit card transaction or a low overall percentage rate.
You can design a Website that will stand apart from the competitors' sites. It could feature product descriptions, price lists, sale dates, FAQs, testimonials, and links to related sites if that will support your company goals. The site should be error-free, contain easy-to-read chunks of information, and not be littered with so much information that the customer will feel overwhelmed. You can arrange to add an email site in case visitors have questions or problems, and you can let them pay by credit card online, which is perhaps the most essential feature of all. Ask your banker for details about a Web hosting merchant account.
Build a Professional website in 5 Minutes
Site Rubix is a Product of the founders of The Wealthy Affiliate's Kyle and Carson. The Duo and there staff spent nearly an entire year and well over $100,000 in development costs to perfect Site Rubix. After much planning, development, and beta testing, development is complete and a version will be made available to the public on October 9th, 2007!
Site Rubix went into development because it can be very difficult to use Standard HTML website development tools to achieve the end result you are really shooting for. So, Kyle & Carson dedicated the time and energy necessary to develop the cleanest, easiest to use website builder available. Site Rubix WILL change the way Internet Marketers and Website Developers work. It will level the playing field for people who struggle with web development and put them on par with seasoned web developers. Site Rubix will make building campaigns of any size a piece of cake!
take a look at
http://www.siterubix.com?a_aid=002PFW7K
Now there is an Easier Way To Build Websites! Even New Marketers will be able to Build Professional, Content Rich, and Profitable Websites in a fraction of the time.
The days of needing to know html codes will come to pass with this revolutionary Web Development Tool.
Opt-in now and get your FREE Site Rubix 7 Part Website Building Guide
Site Rubix went into development because it can be very difficult to use Standard HTML website development tools to achieve the end result you are really shooting for. So, Kyle & Carson dedicated the time and energy necessary to develop the cleanest, easiest to use website builder available. Site Rubix WILL change the way Internet Marketers and Website Developers work. It will level the playing field for people who struggle with web development and put them on par with seasoned web developers. Site Rubix will make building campaigns of any size a piece of cake!
take a look at
http://www.siterubix.com?a_aid=002PFW7K
Now there is an Easier Way To Build Websites! Even New Marketers will be able to Build Professional, Content Rich, and Profitable Websites in a fraction of the time.
The days of needing to know html codes will come to pass with this revolutionary Web Development Tool.
Opt-in now and get your FREE Site Rubix 7 Part Website Building Guide
Free Is Good! Five Ways To Give Away Free Stuff And See Website Traffic Increase
Everyone loves to get something for free. This is true of almost everyone who frequently surfs the web as well. Website operators are constantly looking not only for ways to attract new visitors, but also ways to keep them coming back. If you are looking for a way to increase website traffic, consider using a tactic such as the "Give Away". By giving away free stuff on your site, you will likely attract many more visitors. You can also keep these visitors coming back frequently by offering new free stuff each month. If you are interested in see the results of your website traffic improve, then consider using these five ways to give away free stuff.
Donated Goods
You may be interested in trying to give away free stuff on your website, but you may not be willing to spend your own money in doing so. If this is the case, there are options for you. You can always network with other companies who will essentially give you their products to showcase and give away from your site. Local businesses are the first place to look, as they usually are very willing to help fellow town citizens. You can also go to larger corporations if you know exactly who to contact and make sure they realize that they too would be receiving free advertising from allowing you to showcase their products. Usually you won't get enough products each month to offer to every visitor, so make sure you mention that only the first 30 (or the equivalent of products you have) visitors who sign up will receive the products.
Monthly Contests
Website visitors love contests and many of them are willing to visit the same sites each day just to enter to win something free. Therefore, by offering free stuff through a contest, you are likely to get visitors to return on a daily basis. Set the rules to state that each visitor can only enter once a day if you like. Purchase a good prize or get one donated and give it away to the random name drawn from the entries. This is a great way to get the attention of many consumers, especially if your prizes are extra interesting and worthy.
Personalized Items
One interesting tactic is to give away merchandise with your website's name or your business's name on them. Items such as shirts, hats, towels, cups, and key chains are perfect for this task. The idea is to keep people coming to your site for free stuff as well as to look around. The extra perk with this strategy however, is to allow them to be your advertisers as well. If they wear one of these items out in public, there are likely thousands of people who will be exposed to your business passively. This is a great idea and can be done through many methods including contests or loyal customer incentives.
Referral Prizes
If you really want to spread the word on your website and get more traffic than ever, you should consider giving referral prizes. You can set your system up to allow each visitor to send an automated email from your site asking him or her to visit. If the visitor is willing to offer up 10 or 20 valid email addresses, then you can offer them a free prize. The prize can be as small or large as you wish. This is the perfect way to get more traffic while also rewarding those that are helping you along the way.
Reminder Emails
After you choose the method of how you plan to give your free stuff away, consider offering reminder emails to those who love to participate. You can offer initial free stuff to those that sign up, like a key chain. This is a great way to get that traffic to continue after the visitor's initial visit. You can remind them monthly that there are new things to see at your site and they will likely visit more often. You can also use this not only to remind them of free stuff being given away but also to tell them about deals or other offers you have for them as well. They are likely to forward these emails on to friends they think might be interested as well.
Donated Goods
You may be interested in trying to give away free stuff on your website, but you may not be willing to spend your own money in doing so. If this is the case, there are options for you. You can always network with other companies who will essentially give you their products to showcase and give away from your site. Local businesses are the first place to look, as they usually are very willing to help fellow town citizens. You can also go to larger corporations if you know exactly who to contact and make sure they realize that they too would be receiving free advertising from allowing you to showcase their products. Usually you won't get enough products each month to offer to every visitor, so make sure you mention that only the first 30 (or the equivalent of products you have) visitors who sign up will receive the products.
Monthly Contests
Website visitors love contests and many of them are willing to visit the same sites each day just to enter to win something free. Therefore, by offering free stuff through a contest, you are likely to get visitors to return on a daily basis. Set the rules to state that each visitor can only enter once a day if you like. Purchase a good prize or get one donated and give it away to the random name drawn from the entries. This is a great way to get the attention of many consumers, especially if your prizes are extra interesting and worthy.
Personalized Items
One interesting tactic is to give away merchandise with your website's name or your business's name on them. Items such as shirts, hats, towels, cups, and key chains are perfect for this task. The idea is to keep people coming to your site for free stuff as well as to look around. The extra perk with this strategy however, is to allow them to be your advertisers as well. If they wear one of these items out in public, there are likely thousands of people who will be exposed to your business passively. This is a great idea and can be done through many methods including contests or loyal customer incentives.
Referral Prizes
If you really want to spread the word on your website and get more traffic than ever, you should consider giving referral prizes. You can set your system up to allow each visitor to send an automated email from your site asking him or her to visit. If the visitor is willing to offer up 10 or 20 valid email addresses, then you can offer them a free prize. The prize can be as small or large as you wish. This is the perfect way to get more traffic while also rewarding those that are helping you along the way.
Reminder Emails
After you choose the method of how you plan to give your free stuff away, consider offering reminder emails to those who love to participate. You can offer initial free stuff to those that sign up, like a key chain. This is a great way to get that traffic to continue after the visitor's initial visit. You can remind them monthly that there are new things to see at your site and they will likely visit more often. You can also use this not only to remind them of free stuff being given away but also to tell them about deals or other offers you have for them as well. They are likely to forward these emails on to friends they think might be interested as well.
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