| Creating Your First Web Site, Part 2 | | | | careful where you are linking. Many search engines |
| By Lisa Maliga | | | | and directories won't accept sites with adult themes, |
| © 2005 | | | | gambling sites, or anything advocating illegal activities, |
| In Part 1 you learned some tips about the basics of | | | | etc. Keep it clean. Oftentimes you'll read about a site |
| starting your site and finding a home for it, now comes | | | | having a Google PR [PageRank] of a number from |
| the time to properly name it and get it optimized for | | | | 0-10, with 10 being considered the best. |
| the search engines so that your home on the web is | | | | When one has reached a page rank status they will |
| easy to locate. | | | | usually not welcome newcomers which is what |
| Domain Name | | | | someone with a new web site is - a 0 page rank. But |
| This is one of the least expensive things about getting | | | | all sites begin that way and here you're learning what |
| online as many hosting companies charge nothing or | | | | Google looks for when it ranks pages so your PR can |
| only a few dollars. But it's also one of the most | | | | start moving up. PR is determined by many factors |
| important, as yours has to be descriptive and as | | | | including links coming from other sites to yours, |
| memorable as possible. For a family web site, simply | | | | longevity of site, quality of information and keywords |
| using your last name or a combination of first and last | | | | found within the site, and the number of pages your |
| name is fine. Domain names can also include numbers. | | | | site contains. In other words, Google's search engine |
| The minimum amount of time you can purchase a | | | | [or any major or minor search engine or directory] will |
| domain is for one year. But for an eCommerce site | | | | spot a 100-page site sooner than it will a single web |
| [meaning a site where you intend to sell products or | | | | page. |
| services], an appropriate name is essential. only | | | | Many web masters create a links page and add |
| charges $8.88 per year. | | | | anything that comes along. That's not always the best |
| Keywords = Power | | | | idea and Google doesn't list more than 100 links per |
| What will help drive people to your site faster than a | | | | page anyway. Others will separate their links page into |
| cable connection? Keywords! These words and | | | | subjects so that a gardening web site is grouped in an |
| phrases indicate what your site is about and contain | | | | appropriate category, as would a financial site being |
| more authority than a novice can imagine. Proper | | | | with others within the same category. |
| keywords will feature terms and words used in the | | | | A better way to add links is to have them on |
| text on your home page. Each subsequent page you | | | | appropriate pages that can be reached from your |
| create will also have its own set of keywords. If you | | | | main page. For example, if you're designing an |
| are selling products or services online, is a fee-based | | | | eCommerce site that caters to cat care products and |
| service that enables you to look up the latest | | | | have an entire page devoted to selling vitamins, it |
| information on what people are searching for online. | | | | would be a good idea to add links to that page for |
| has a fine feature where it will show you just how | | | | such related items as vitamins for children, vitamins for |
| popular the keywords that you've chosen really are. | | | | dogs, pet shampoo, health care products, and other |
| This is updated on a monthly basis, but you can also | | | | topics that are both closely and somewhat-closely |
| find the week's most popular keywords. | | | | related. This would be helpful for both you and the |
| What is your site all about? What words best describe | | | | other company' site you are linking with. It will also |
| your site, your products/services, your hobbies, etc.? | | | | ensure that your vitamins page will get more visitors |
| What words would a person use to find your web | | | | than if there were no links listed there. |
| site? For example, if you are building a web site to | | | | While it's more advantageous to have others linking to |
| show people in the Los Angeles area the fact that | | | | you, this is more difficult to do when you're an |
| you have used cars for sale, the term "preowned car" | | | | unestablished online presence. |
| was searched 2628 times, followed by "certified | | | | Announce Your Web Site |
| preowned car" 209 times. "Used car" brings up more | | | | When you have a new web site that you've spent a |
| than 1 million searches, with "buy used car" at more | | | | long time working on and think it's a significant addition |
| than 534,000 searches in the previous month. Other | | | | to the WWW, you want others to know it's out there. |
| terms that show up are: "used car for sale," "used car | | | | First, have it analyzed at Keep statistics on a weekly |
| prices," "used car financing," "cheap used car," "Los | | | | or monthly basis to monitor your web site's progress. |
| Angeles used car," "used car online" and "sell used | | | | 1. Press Release - Writing a press release is a great |
| car." On a highly ranked site these terms will be used | | | | way to increase your web site traffic and generate |
| along with others containing variations of used car and | | | | more interest in your web site and any products or |
| other terms related to a used car such as a dealership, | | | | services you might be selling. Below you'll find four links |
| blue book, classifieds, dealership, etc. Again, thinking like | | | | to major free press release sites. Additionally, they |
| a potential customer or viewer is the key to keywords. | | | | provide information on how to write effective press |
| Meta Tags Description | | | | releases. Your press release will be seen by more |
| When you accurately describe what is on each of | | | | people, get put into the search engines faster, and you |
| your web pages, this will help anyone who discovers it | | | | can follow the statistics and upload photos if you pay |
| in a search engine. You are doing your customer a big | | | | for the service. Here are four places where you can |
| favor and they will thank you for it by visiting your site. | | | | send out your information for free. |
| For that used car site, here is what you might add for | | | | 2. Write Articles - Getting your web site noticed by |
| the home page: "Low cost pre-owned vehicles that | | | | writing articles is another effective method for |
| hold their value. Located Los Angeles, California." This | | | | announcing your web site's arrival. Of course you must |
| comes to only 12 words, or 82 characters including | | | | be able to write well, or be able to hire someone, about |
| spaces. Some search engines accept up to 250 | | | | your chosen topic. Another candlemaking company |
| characters, others will allow far less. Keeping it within | | | | online will not provide tons of enthusiastic response, but |
| 100 characters or about 15-20 words is recommended. | | | | if you have been handcrafting candles for 20 years |
| Web Page Titles | | | | and can provide some helpful tips for those just |
| Titles aren't just for books, movies and royalty. When | | | | starting out, you will increase your audience and |
| designing your web site you'll be able to name each | | | | hopefully your customer base. Additionally, writing |
| page so that online visitors will locate your home page | | | | articles establishes your online credibility. |
| or other pages you've created. What you call your | | | | 3. Submit to Search Engines & Directories - This is a |
| web site is as important as what you name your | | | | way to make sure more than your immediate family |
| company. Be as descriptive as possible. You probably | | | | and friends see your site. When providing information |
| want your stamp collection web site to have the term | | | | about your site to these directories, you will oftentimes |
| "stamp collecting" or "stamp collection" in the title. | | | | have to include a reciprocal link on your site. There are |
| Perhaps you have a page that has advice for stamp | | | | paid search engines and directories that will get your |
| collectors, so you might want to label it "Stamp | | | | web site indexed within a matter of days, but many of |
| Collecting Advice" or "Postage Stamp Collecting." | | | | them will also do the same service, only taking weeks |
| The lack of understanding page titles has shown up on | | | | or month, for no charge. |
| my journeys online. I've seen web sites with "New | | | | The efforts you make to get your web site designed |
| Page" or "Page 2" appear along the top of my | | | | in a professional manner and put onto the web, |
| browser as the web designer clearly didn't fathom the | | | | whether it's to show your business as an online |
| benefits he or she had in naming pages. | | | | catalogue or your personal site as an inspiration to |
| Links | | | | others. For those of you launching an eCommerce site, |
| It's not just about having lots of links on your web site, | | | | following the above steps will get you more traffic and |
| it's having relevant links. If you want to keep your web | | | | sales. |
| site within the mainstream and family-friendly, be | | | | |