When it comes to specific tips and tricks to increase the traffic that a website receives, everyone seems to have a different theory. However, there are five basic principles likely to remain applicable through time:

1 – Choose the correct keywords and use them in the correct places

Keyword choice is one of the most crucial aspects of a successful SEO campaign. It is important to note that the best SEO techniques favor quality over quantity. It is not about increasing the amount of traffic per se, but about increasing the amount of relevant traffic.

In other words, it is preferable to start with small amounts of valuable traffic, rather than with large amounts of untargeted traffic. One of the best ways to achieve that is by selecting the most appropriate keywords. [Read more…]

As a website owner you are more than likely aware that having links pointing to your website is very important for good search engine rankings. This is all very well but how do you increase the number of sites that link to yours in a natural way? Here are three great tips for doing just that:

1 – Make Use Of Your Business Contacts

Most of us have a network of business professionals that we relate to on a regular basis. Maybe these are our clients, suppliers or even our friends who have business.

If you offer a service or product that these people really believe in then it is likely that they won’t mind publicizing it for you by linking to your site from their own. The more relevant their website is to your own site, the more valuable the link will be to you. [Read more…]

If you’re planning to start blogging or building a website of your own, you might be wondering if it’s possible to set up and run your own web server. Well yes, indeed it is, and you can get the software needed to do it for free! The question however is… “Should you?” Here are a few things to consider when deciding whether or not to set up your own web server:

1 – Do you possess the skills required to keep a web server online, updated and secure? Installing Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP for a standard “LAMP” configuration is relatively easy, and you will be able to find a number of great step-by-step tutorials online that will guide you through the process.

The hard part is keeping hackers out and your server software packages up to date. The skills required to do this can certainly be learned, but it’s a daunting task to say the least, especially if you plan to “teach” yourself.

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The Google Adsense program has allowed thousands of webmasters to turn what once were simple “hobby sites” into serious money-making enterprises. Simply sign up for the program, paste a snippet code on the page, then sit back and watch your visitors click to YOUR heart’s content. It really is that simple.

The key to success with Adsense is making sure the ads displayed perfectly match the topic of the page on which they’re placed. About 95% of the time the Google Media Bot does a great job at determining the theme of the page, and the ads are right on target. But the other 5% can have you pulling your hair out on a daily basis. Off-topic ads don’t usually get clicked, which means they don’t earn any money for you.

Google has provided a fast and easy way to block off-topic ads from showing up on your site(s). All you have to do is log into your Adsense account and add the landing page URL for the offending ads to the Competitive Ad Filter. But how do you find out what the landing page URL is without clicking on your own ads (which will quickly get you kicked out of the program)? Well, here’s the fastest way I have found to date:

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Let’s face it, at some point most webmasters will need to switch web hosting companies for one reason or another, and the success or failure of your web business just might depend on choosing a good one. Here are five tips for choosing a great web hosting company:

1. Ask for referrals and follow up with them. The best indicator of the quality of a web host is the satisfaction of their existing customers. If the vast majority of their customers are happy, chances are you will be too. You can also check out the more popular webmaster forums and ask for opinions about the companies you’re considering moving your site(s) to.

2 – Call the company’s customer service line and ask a technical question. Be sure to evaluate factors such as hold time and the representative’s attitude and technical expertise. If you’re satisfied with the experience when the call is over, wait 15 minutes and call again. You’ll more than likely be connected to a different rep. If the experience is good once again, you’ll probably be in good shape as far as the company’s customer service goes.

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