How to get listed on top in search engines?

How to get listed on top in search engines?

Everyone (me included) wants their website to move to the top in search engine ranking. Search Engine Optimization or SEO is the buzzword these days used by those who know, and those who don't know to discuss anything and everything about getting listed in search engines.
We all started our website and blogs and the likes to fulfill some objective or goals. No matter what these objectives are for you, it may be personal, official, financial or business need, we all want our website to show up on top whenever any internet user is searching for something.

So what are the things required to move to the top in search engine rankings? There are loads of softwares and websites selling the tricks of the trade, there are genuine folks out there who analyze your content and modify / restructure what has been written in your web pages and then recommend changes, there are softwares that compare the keyword density in your website vis-a-vi your nearest competitor and give you inputs. These are just a few options that I have listed, in real life there is no end to available options (and advices)

In my experience what I have found (I am not the first one to find this though... it is all there on world wide web :)) in order to move your website to the top you must do the following basic things

a. Generate visitors / Get eyeballs!!!
b. Satisfy eyes to make them stay on your pages for long
c. Convert them into buyers (of your products or services)

Easy !!! Though the steps are easy, to execute them is requires patience, time and perseverance (when it is needed the most)

So how would YOU generate vistors and get the hits to your web pages or your website?
1. Identify a suitable place for your target audience.
If I want to sell boats, I should not do so in a desert, unless my boat is named CAMEL. There is old adage, birds of same feather flock together - and I totally agree, so should you!!! I don't want you to agree because I ask you to, but because that is common sense. If you want to sell one kind of service, you should do so where there is already a ready audience available. It makes your task rather easy when you enter a room and you know that everyone in that room is looking for the same thing that you are selling. Imagine going to a mall and you don't know who needs what and you would have to spend hours to even connect with one person who is really keen on stuff that you provide. So - use search engine, locate a forum / community / place where people gather and discuss things that you provide.

2. Go ahead and create a name for self
We all like to know from others what they feel about something. Free advice - though is not valued, but it does allow you to create a name for your self. Start responding to questions (genuinely), give your suggestions or feedback. It is not difficult to review a website for someone who has asked users to review his / her website? Go ahead, give him your view point and not only would you get a thank you, search engines would also register you and the conversation, should any keyword catch search engines attention!!!

3. Start talking about your domain / service / site that you wish to promote.
Create your own thread in forums or communities and allow others to come to your post and give you inputs, discuss issues that you need addressed. Start a web log where you may write informative articles and post your views for the world (and search engines) to pick up.

4. Give links in your discussions that point to your website.
I often create web pages for simple how to whenever I find that I can't do justice to the query in rather restricted forum features. Then I simply point a link to my webpage where user gets to see details on HOWTo do something from the forum and they find more things out there!!! Even after 6 months, people from forums come to my site to fix their os-commerce bug which got introduce due to MySQQL5 upgrade and this page often gets more hits than my website home page!! Incidentally only one link was posted in oscommerce forum, but it has served its purpose well.

5. Invite others to review your website / content.
Ask others to do what you think would help your site to get some traffic, and some good advice. Even a color theme may make a difference to the overall look and feel. Also when you create something, I know it looks oh so beautiful, however you are often blind to things that others may see and let you know. So please, do get feedback and reviews from others and act on them if you are convinced that the person who commented has provided valuable inputs and is not there just to promote his viagra brand medicine using links in his post.

6. Include link to your website in your signature.
Each response you give on any website, if allowed, put a link to your site. This helps search engines to associate keywords on a page with the available links and you never know when someone would like to know more about you and go to your website because you have made a post / comment which they like. Similarly your email must carry a link in your signature to create a brand for your website.


Satisfy eyes to make them stay on your pages for long? Is that possible?
Recent studies indicate that most of the web-surfers close or move away from the site just based on presentation and amount of advertisements on a page, or the time it takes for a website to load. I have seen websites that have good information, however there is an overkill and 3 google ads really don't help to make it dear to me. You want to read something, and the pop-up makes an entry just as were about to read the first line!!! So you close the advertisement, and I don't know about you, but I generally close the site as well. Make money with the ads, but please when I am looking for information, I don't want to be reminded that I can earn $$$$ or win a car or I am the lucky 9999999th visitor to the site that entitles me to do whatever I wish to do. I generally close the windows. I am sure you would do the same if you get 5 ads for each sentence on a page. If you wish to promote your site, initially DO NOT populate the website with advertisements. Fill the site with relevant content, information that is crisp and short and it should all be wrapped in a pleasing format. Use colors that are friendly to eyes, an overall structure that is easy to navigate and content that is easy to understand and available in shortest clicks. Trust me, you would get opportunity to make money using ads and banners and adwords. However when you are building your website, you should not wrap content around ads.

If you have done the first bit to get good amount of eyeballs to your site and second bit to retain them on your site for a considerable length of time, next stage is to convert regular visitors into buyers (of your products or services). You have freedom to place ads, and start negotiating with companies that would like to advertise on your website. You have the hits to show how frequently folks flock to your site and now you can start doing what you would like your website to do. Incidentally by the time you reach here, you would also notice that search engines would rank you better. Increase in hits is a genuine indication that your website has been listed in search results, and you can run a counter and use analytics to identify where does the traffic come from, and what needs your attention to sustain the hits / traffic to your website.

I am fully aware that information provided here has been on the internet for ages, but often we miss out on basics for creating a decent site and generate traffic on our own before search engines start to rate us and point to our site. Until we can get good eyeballs, search engines won't!!!

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post, please feel free to give your feedback and review to me. I would certainly love to hear from you.

Regards,
GS
Free hosting web master

Where are all good Domain Names gone?

Often when your creative juices flow and you get the grand idea for a domain name that is just right for you, your organization or anything that you intend to do ... and you want to buy it for yourself, you often end up doing a search only to find that someone has already bought it. Not only did that someone buy it before you, they did it long long back, when you didn't think you would host a website, or even register a domain name. It is frustrating, I know so what are the choices when you don't get a domain name of your choice?

A. Check if domain name which you want to buy is available for selling by its existing owner. There are many people who register domains only to sell it back at a premium. They invest their money with the view that someone would be interested to pay extra to get the domain name from them.

B. If domain is parked with SEDO or GoDaddy for sale - you can bid for the domain name. This is open auction, and entirely dependent upon the top bidding.

C. Check forums for domain sellers - DNForum is one place where folks auction the domains in their possession. There are many forums where the transaction is directly between seller and buyer. Word of caution though, you may get duped (pay and never receive your domain name because the seller never owned the domain)

D. If the cost of buying from options above is prohibitive, explore other options!!!

I would continue on what these options can be in next post. For now, if you have identified a name that should go with your hobby, goal, business or whatever and if you want to buy that domain name, check if it is available. If it is not available, check the web site and see if it is a parked page or is there a valid portal / content. Based on your research if you feel owner would be willing to sell, contact them (will cover how to find the owner later). If the domain is parked, you may have to enter bidding or outright purchase from brokers like Sedo.com who would assist you in buying a domain available with sellers.

Watch this space for more!!!

2008 2k8 - what lies ahead...

Day 1 / 365 - public holiday spent with sms'ing folks all over, calling those who don't use a cell phone, and watching idiot box to see who did what and where all over the globe. Not a single greeting card sent by snail mail... years ago I remember the shopping we had to do for cards that had to be sent to all relatives and friends. Now internet has taken over with eGreetings being flushed to every tom, dick and harry. No need to give a call, forward sms is the in-thing with generation neXt with mobile and internet dominating every sphere of our life.

No new year resloutions for me this year... don't even remember when did i last make any resolution, not to mention i have absolutely no clue when did i ever complete any resolution... part of growing up and maturing I guess, priorities would be set as things come, as future unfolds, and as destined...

Time to move on with life, hopefully 2K8 would be better than 2007, would have added another year to my age, one more journey around the sun with all twists and turns, fresh set of 24hours each day guaranteed by the ONE for ever, how I utilize it ... would keep updating this place for my own memories...

Good luck, best wishes, and greetings for 2008.
From
Webmaster
pubdomains.com, pubdomains.in, finehost.in, pubdomainshost.com and pubwebhost.com

Reflections... 2007

Last day of 2007, and I must admit, I haven't really done justice to blogging. I intended to use this blog to share my views on everything I felt I had to discuss and share... but then, things don't happen the way you want them to happen!
A quick review of what each month brought in my life
January 2007 - It was supposed to be a memorable occasion with couple of siblings getting married and starting new life graduating from bachelorhood and earning the degree on marital bliss. It turned out to be tragic month though, one that I would remember forever for the personal loss it brought in my life. I lost my father after a prolonged illness, and thus was one of the worst time of my life...

February 2007 - Started picking the threads, how does world change around you, when suddenly you don't have your mentor around you, and you have to act as the head of the family!!! Life has never been same again, the luxury of taking risks, the freedom to do things since you know you had an elder at home to take care of everything, you saw them making decisions all your life, and now you are on the cross road to really think about everything ... Wasn't expected, but that is how you suddenly wake up one day to find that you are now the elder...

March 2007 - Continuation of bad run... The company I am employed in allows our rivals to buy us out... No immediate threats, but uncertainty all around. Folks in office are gloomy.

April 2007 - We have been sold... This is the 3rd time I have to go through acquisition.

May 2007 - Deal Sealed. Some exodus, some firing, some blood bath. This place would never be the same again.

June 2007 - Time to unlearn what ever had been acquired over the period of time. Our work culture was different, our philosophy was different... We Were Different folks, small in size, but efficient and excellent. Time for us to get used to new masters, old master has been asked to vacate the seat... not a pleasant time to be in, watching your mentor pack bags and bid adieu, and thanks to acquisition, you have to switch your loyalty to the new leaders. Do i have a choice... not at this stage, but I have already started searching for my resume stored somewhere on my hard drive. I may need it anytime now...

July 2007 - Uneventful month. Just the same cycle of unlearning - re learning.

August 2007 - O my god, what have you put me in... I am on the verge of saying sayonara... I have had enough of new management style. I no longer have any authority, control or the domain that I was hired for... alternative strategy saw birth of my web hosting and domain hosting services. Sooner or later I would get in this field as a full time entrepreneur. At least I have started domain name registration and web hosting service under the name of pubdomains.com - a shortened form of public domains. It's worth a risk...

September 2007 - Office is quiet, and so am I. Do not want to draw any unwanted attention, bidding my time, since the time is not right. I studied internet marketing strategies for promoting my business of domain registration in my free time... search engine rankings are no where even in bottom 100 :( . And this is when pubwebhost.com takes birth - for free hosting services, a minor expense of $10 and I am free web hosting service provider!!!

October 2007 - Can't take it no more. I belong to old school, I am old fashioned, and I dearly loved the company before it got acquired. Conflicts have started to show up, and I am desperate break free. It's a matter of time before I loose self control and put down my papers. I still need the regular income, domain registration is picking up, added .in domain registration services with pubdomains.in coming to life to cater to indian market. Also an excellent extension for getting catchy domains!!!

November 2007 - Time for a vacation. Need to review where I am headed for, I know I am being stripped off my responsibilities one by one and it wouldn't be a surprise if I get the pink slip ... all ominous signals from all quarters. Time to talk.

December 2007 - It's time to say goodbye... goodbye to 2007, goodbye to this company, and goodbye to this city. I chose to start afresh, and I am glad I am doing this. I don't know what is in store for 2008, but I am confident, I can make it better than 2007. Move back to my own city, my own house, and focus on my business now... Watch out internet, I am going to charge full steam ahead.

I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2008.

Tips for Webmasters

At some stage, we all need a review of what we wish to achieve from our sites, however, very few folks do it in a systematic manner.
For the un-initiated, here are my views on what you need to do to get more traffic for your site. I would elaborate on specific points in my future posts... keep watching this space :)
+ What’s the point with your site?
+ What’s your goal?
+ Let people know that you exist!
+ Give your site a good layout that makes people feel ‘welcome’ when they enter the site
+ Make connections with similar sites
+ Get a staff with useful knowledge
+ Be a good administrator
+ Treat other people as you want to be treated yourself (with respect i.e)
+ Ad’s / banners
+ Get Famous

If you remember these points and ponder for a little while before rushing to register your domain name, and host a site, you would not feel the pain of hosting a site without any visitor coming to your site.
Well Begun is Half Done