Web Design Discussion

You’ve probably seen offers saying something similar to “100 edu backlinks for $50″ or offering software that promises you a No 1 ranking on Google with automated backlinking software. The question is…

Should you buy backlink packages or automated backlinking software?

Most websites owners know they need backlinks to improve their rankings. The problem is they don’t have time or the energy to engage in conversations on blogs, forums and social media sites in their niche so they opt for an easy way….automated backlinking.

What is automated backlinking?

Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever visited a web page where you’ve had to scroll past the large header banner or ads to read the content?

Google recently made a page layout algorithim improvement where it rewards sites that display content above the fold. When an internet user searches for information they want to see it right away rather than having to scroll horizontally or vertically to find it.

7 ways to create a web page layout that is visitor and search engine friendly

Read the rest of this entry »

• Did you know that Google shows you results based on the location of your computer?
• Did you know that if you’re logged into Google it will show you Google Plus results?
• Did you know that the “Search Plus Your World” displays privately shared content together with public content?

Google’s search results have changed dramatically from several years ago. The search results you see may be different that what your client sees because they are using a computer with a different IP address. For instance a search on your main keyword may display your website on the first page of Google however if viewed on a computer at another location it may not appear at all.

With “Google Plus Your World” private and public search results are all mixed together if you are logged into your Google account. For instance when searching on a specific keyword you’re given the option of clicking an the icon on the upper right side of the page to show personalized or public results. This may make it easier for a person to receive content shared from friends and family along with public content but may cause privacy concerns.

Here’s a video on showing the features of “Search Plus Your World”

Read the rest of this entry »

In my previous article I discussed the benefits of backlinks but did not explain how to build them. If it’s not done correctly your website could be penalized by experiencing a drop in search engine rankings.

How not to backlink

Read the rest of this entry »

How do backlinks affect search engine rankings?
Are all backlinks created equal?
How does link building affect traffic generation?

Just building a website and hosting it on the net doesn’t guarantee you’ll get any traffic. In fact you won’t generate any traffic if you don’t market it. Besides optimizing your web pages (called on page optimization) one of the most important factors for gaining high rankings is how many links point to your website from other web properties. Links can be compared to votes. The more votes (or links) your site receives the more popular it becomes with a resulting increase in rankings.

Are all backlinks created equal?

The short answer is no. High quality links carry more weight than low quality ones. For instance a link from CNN would carry more weight than a site that has just come online because CNN has 1000s of links already pointing to it and is constantly adding new content. Getting high quality backlinks may take more time to acquire however they will boost your rankings faster and higher than low quality links.

Top 7 benefits of backlinks and their importance

1. Increase search engine rankings

When you first build a site it starts off with zero backlinks and won’t be found in the search engines. If you consistently build backlinks to it over several months your website will not only be indexed by the search engines but it’s rankings will increase. If you want to outrank competitors sites get more links than them.

2. Traffic generation

If you get a link from a website or blog that receives thousands of visitors a day some of those will be redirected to your website. If your site ranks on the first page of Google it will receive much more traffic than if it’s on the second or third page as most people don’t search further than the first page for information.

3. Generate sales and/or subscribers

More traffic increases the potential for generating sales. This is why you need to start a link building campaign for your website. As the quality and quantity of your links increase so will your sales and subscriptions. Keep in mind you still need to convert visitors into customers. Gaining more traffic won’t guarantee sales if you have weak web copy.

4. Become recognized as an authority in your niche

As you attract more backlinks the popularity of your site will increase. Instead of looking for backlinks webmasters will naturally want to link to your website because you’ve established yourself as an authority in your niche. For example if your site is about worm farming it could become the “go to” site for anything related to that subject.

5. Increase Alexa ranking

Alexa is a search engine that shows where your site ranks out of all the sites in the USA and the world. It also provides traffic statistics. If you rank within the top 100,000 websites on the net you’ll have reached a great milestone. Webmasters will often check your Alexa ranking before they link to you.

6. Sell advertising

When your website attains high rankings and receives lots of traffic you begin receiving lots of offers from other website owners. One of these is to advertise on your site. This could be in the form of a a banner or a link. The banner could promote a product while a link would help redirect some of your visitors to their website plus improve their rankings (because they receive a high quality link). If you do accept advertising offers only accept ones related to your niche.

7. Joint ventures

These are website owners who want you to help promote their product. They’ll often offer you a commission in exchange for promoting their product on your website. Avoid doing joint ventures with unrelated products and make sure you both agree on the terms before you begin a promotion.

The key to building a highly effective link building campaign is to build the number and quality of links constantly and consistently. Your rankings will increase over time as Google and the other search engines index new links.

******************************
Build High Quality Backlinks To Your Website Using These
Highly Effective Article Marketing Strategies

If you don’t keep up with the current web design trends your website may no longer attract visitors and/or the search engines. For example I haven’t redesigned one of my static html websites for at least a decade. Even though I still get new clients and some pages still rank well in the search engines I’ve experienced a drop in traffic.

Why?

Because the website still displays an old design, is not regularly updated and no new backlinks have been added. My suggestion is not to procrastinate redesigning your website if you’re not converting visitors into paying customers.

7 Web Design Trends To Watch For In 2012

Read the rest of this entry »

Recently I purchased the new iPhone 4S. Since then I’ve constantly been using Siri (the voice search command feature) to find local stores, movies, etc. It only takes a few seconds as I only need to speak into the microphone and Siri instantly provides the answers. I no longer need to be at my computer to search for information or check my email.

Does this mean the death of Local Search?

Read the rest of this entry »

What did you accomplish in 2011?
Have you evaluated what caused success or failure in 2011?
Have you created a road map for success in 2012?
Have you written down the goals you wish to accomplish in 2012?

Have you ever read the phrase…”If you keep doing what you’ve done in the past year you’ll still be in the same place the following year.” This is not necessarily a bad thing if what you’ve done has produced profitable results however there is always for improvement.

1. List your accomplishments

Read the rest of this entry »

In my previous article I discussed the Cons of Using Submission Software to distribute your articles however there are also some advantages as long as you do it correctly. Most marketers want to spend more time on the most important tasks of their business such as creating new content rather than manually submitting articles which is a boring and time consuming task.

The Top 7 Pros of Using Submission Software

Read the rest of this entry »

I have no doubt article marketing works as I’ve used this method for years to generate new customers for my web design business. It also helps build backlinks, raise search engine rankings and sell products. Many article marketers use submission software to blast their articles out to thousands of directories at the same time. This may get you some traffic however there are also some detrimental effect you need to be aware of.

The Cons of Using Submission Software

Read the rest of this entry »

• Jan 25 : Automated vs Natural Backlinking – Which Method Is Most Effective?
• Jan 23 : How Web Page Layout Affects Visitors and Search Engines
• Jan 19 : Google Plus Your World and How It Affects You
• Jan 15 : How to Backlink – 7 ways to build natural backlinks
• Jan 11 : Benefits of Backlinks and Their Importance