Google's Webmaster Central Blog is a good spot to learn about changes in Google's policies and updates to Webmaster tools. Do like I do and subscribe to it with your favorite RSS reader - mine is Google Reader, but there are plenty of others out there, and your web browser itself may allow you to subscribe to RSS feeds.
A resource page for BiGAUSTIN web and e-commerce classes taught by Brent Buford. Notes and tips on e-commerce, search engine optimization, web marketing and basic website building for beginners.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Google's Webmaster Central Blog
Google's Webmaster Central Blog is a good spot to learn about changes in Google's policies and updates to Webmaster tools. Do like I do and subscribe to it with your favorite RSS reader - mine is Google Reader, but there are plenty of others out there, and your web browser itself may allow you to subscribe to RSS feeds.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
GoDaddy's Questionable Tactics
I've discussed the domain name selling game in numerous classes, as well as some of the tactics of companies like (GoDaddy competitor) Network Solutions. It's an odd business, and the real money is no longer in the registrations themselves, but in all the add-on services, auctions and other fees that the registrars try to extract from you.
A recent trip into the Network Solutions site management console for a client of ours who needed a domain redirected revealed an innovative advertising strategy: As a paying customer, I could not even reach the management screen for the domains without first viewing and opting out of an account security upgrade. I was given the choice of either purchasing the service or I could "Continue Unprotected." Talk about tasteless, fear-based advertising!
Sadly, this is becoming standard practice as domain registrars turn over every cushion to find those last bits of change. Your best bet is to buy just the services you need and studiously avoid the barrage of upselling.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Inbound Links
A new series of pieces are going up at the eBlox blog over the next two weeks regarding inbound links. I explain in layman's terms what they are, how to measure them, and how to obtain at least a few of them to assist you in your own search engine optimization efforts. Check it out.
Friday, October 31, 2008
More AdWords tweaks from Google
Google will also be making it easier for ads to appear above the search results – because a certain level of quality is required for an ad to appear on the top, the higher quality rankings from the first change result in more ads that meet the quality guidelines to appear above the search results. Result? More money for Google, of course, because more ads appear on top, which should result in more clicks.
Full story here. Google's complete explanation of ad ranking can be found here. Here is Google's AdWords blog post on the change.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Simple file sharing and syncing
Dropbox is about as simple and elegant as it gets; I've been using the beta for a few months and it's a breeze to move stuff around. It's nice to see something as complex as file synchronization handled so straightforwardly. Check it out here.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Using your Competitors' Keywords and Trademarks
With trademarks, you have to be a little bit more careful. A recent ruling points out that using competitors' trademarks specifically for search engine optimization can run afoul of trademark law. The ruling seems to rest on the standard that the use of the words can create confusion for consumers but, since I'm not a lawyer, I'll send you right over to this excellent blog post that discusses it in detail.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Keyword Tool
The tool is built primarily to assist pay-per-click customers in developing keyword lists but, if you are having trouble generating basic keywords for your product or service, it can be an excellent way to generate alternatives and evaluate their potential search traffic. Check it out here.
Friday, August 22, 2008
10 Resources for SEO
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Search Engine Optimization basics
I'm adapting a series of Identity Marketing magazine columns for blog posts over at the eBlox e-commerce blog. These articles focus on the basic search engine optimization for folks that are just beginning to try and optimize their content. The first article is available today, and subsequent posts should be out roughly every week or so. Check it out.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Another cool free web site creation tool
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Flash may now be indexed by Google and Yahoo
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
For those of you looking for more specific information on e-commerce and general articles on web technology, my company eBlox is now publishing a blog over at blog.eblox.com. Many of the web technology articles I write for Identity Marketing Magazine will be published there, as well as various strategies for e-commerce, search engine optimization and web marketing. If any of that interests you, head on over and check it out!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Ralph and Heather asked how to optimize their Flash-heavy website for search engines. A good collection of articles on Flash SEO is available here. Check it out if you've been struggling with Flash web site optimization. At our company we tend to avoid Flash for e-commerce sites, but those of you more focused on branding and imagery may need the animation and interactivity of Flash for your web presence.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Hubspot has published a free tool to help you analyze your web site's search engine performance: websitegrader.com. Just put in your URL (and, optionally, your competitors' web sites and keywords) and it will generate a report for free. It's full of really helpful information and clear explanations of what the various terms and statistics mean. If you're confused about how Google ranks your site, this is one of the best resources out there. Check it out!
Monday, January 21, 2008
A comprehensive (and somewhat technical) overview of all the factors that influence search engine rankings. Very detailed, and also acknowledges the disagreement over the significance of many factors. Good reading if you want to understand the details of search engine optimization. Check it out.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The DMA has a great tool for quickly creating a customized privacy policy online. Check it out if you need to post a privacy policy on your site (every site that collects any kind of information at all about visitors should have a privacy policy).