Jul
29
2008
One of the biggest mistakes many bloggers make is putting auto-loading audio on their blog. This can range from songs to short speeches. This is a huge turn off for many viewers and could cause the visitor to just leave. There is nothing more annoying than surfing the Internet and have a song start to blast through the speakers.
Other things to consider when adding audio is the time factor involved in the page loading. There are still many people using dial-up service. Some of these audios cause hug delays in the time it takes a page to load. When I was still using dial-up, I would close the wiwebmasterndow if it took too long for a blog or site to load. Now I am on DSL, I just click out of most sites that have auto-loading audio.
If you insist on using audio on your blog, install it so that the viewer can start it if they wish to listen to it. It you insist on it being automatic, make it as short as possible to allow for quick loading of your page.
When creating a blog, the purpose is to draw traffic to your site not to scare it away. Think twice before adding audio to your blog.
Jul
20
2008
The biggest dream that most webmasters have is to earn lots of money and become rich. They seek the next big trend and they look for that magic eBook that will tell them how to make millions. The truth is, there are very few d who become rich.
Looking for your dream in a $19.95 eBook is useless. I have read many and reviewed a few and most the information is so vague and does nothing but earn money for the author or seller of the eBook. Very few people who have truly became rich will take the time to sell an eBook. Rich people are not willing their secret methods for small amounts of money unless their system is no longer working well. Think about it, if you were making $5,000-$10,000 a day, why would you sell that idea to others? Most times the idea is a possibility to earn money but no proven track record. The author does not want to take the time and energy to try it out so they make their money by writing an eBook.
I once read and reviewed a eBook on a not so well known referral program. The book was well written and gave you tools to help with the program. However, the author had not made money from it and it was purely a possibility. This is common in many eBooks.
I can tell you how to make millions of dollars on any affiliate program. Basically, you have to have targeted traffic and get lots of sign-ups and sales. That sounds too simple, doesn’t it? Well it is not that simple but many of the eBooks will make it sound like that. They fail to tell you that millions of others are competing for the same sale or sign-up. They fail to tell you that you will be spending a lot of time and in many cases money for advertising just for the chance to make money.
I am not saying you can not get rich. I am not saying that you can’t pull a nice above average income from being a webmaster. What I am saying is that it takes lots of work, sometimes a lot of risk, and at all times it takes patience. The people who tell you that you can build a site and put it on auto pilot while you sit on the beach of your private island are feeding you a long of BS. You will not get rich overnight! It takes time. In many cases, it takes a lot of luck and being in the right place at the right time.
Be a website or blog owner because you enjoy it. Look for every opportunity for making money but make the best website or blog you can. There is money to be made but you have to be willing to open your eyes and not fall for every get rich quick scheme that comes along. Follow your dreams not the dreams of others!
If you have a success story to share or some words of encouragement for other webmasters, please leave a comment for others to read.
Jul
08
2008
Google offers some of the best webmaster tools in the business. Without a doubt, they are the leader when it comes to Internet search and webmaster related stuff. However, wake up webmasters, Google is not a God.
I am a member at many webmaster forums and I am always seeing threads started asking of this or that is allowed by Google. Some stuff is related directly to Google’s services like Adsense and Adwords. However, many times webmasters are asking what they can or can not do on their own site. You, the webmaster, own the site! Google may lower your search rankings but with the right marketing and advertising, that will not mean the end of your website.
Look at John Chow’s blog. He does not even rank for the words “John Chow.” His blog is still one of the most profitable on the Internet. I am not saying you should not try to rank high on Google. I am not saying you should say, “FU Google.” What I am trying to say is that your site should be built for you and your readers, not for Google. You should not spend your whole time worrying rather anything you say or do is going to have you removed from Google.
Truth be told, they need us as much as we need them. Their rules are generally fair and try to prevent spam sites from reaching the top. If you are an ethical webmaster, there should never be a problem. If you are trying dishonest tricks to beat out the competition, you may get caught.
Be the best webmaster you can and do all the honest link building and advertising you can and your website will be successful. Above all, remember, Google is not a God!
Jul
07
2008
Finding good quality hosting is always a challenge. There are many hosting sites that off free or super cheap rates and when you start using them, you end up with slow loading, massive downtime, and no support when you need it. This can be super frustrating. That is why it is important to look for a company you can trust.
The good news is that there are affordable web hosting companies that will provide excellent service and provide great uptime. The key to finding this is to read all terms of service and read what they promise to you.
There is a limit to everything when it comes to hosting. Packages that promise unlimited everything for $1 a month is the type of stuff you should avoid. Cheaper is not better and you should look for reliability. The company should offer at least 99% uptime and 24/7 support. Problems do not always happen between 9 to 5 weekdays so their support team should be there when you need them.
Be sure that the plan you pick covers what your needs are. How many sites will you have? How much space will you need? How much traffic will you have each month? These are all questions you need to answer and than ask upfront if the plan you choose will cover that. Remember, if you use a lot of big images or loads of video, this will require more bandwidth than just a text site.
Ask everything up front and make sure you know what you are paying for. One thing to consider is who is in charge of keeping back ups of your site. If the host provides back ups, this is a huge plus if anything every happens. You also want to know if the price is discounted if you pay by the year instead of the month. This could save quite a bit of money for you.
Good hosting is out there and with the right research and the right questions, you can find the best for great prices.
Jul
04
2008
Posting on a blog or a website is a lot of work. When going through all the work of writing articles, it is important to check and edit prior to posting them. This is quite easy if you use a word processor or use the various spell checkers available for both Fire Fox and Internet Explorer.
Even the best bloggers make some mistakes. The key is not to have all your posts look like they were written by a third grader. The extra few minutes it takes to check your grammar and spelling could mean a world of difference in how many readers you have.
Blogging is for all age groups and for people from all walks of life. All blogs do not need to be professional but it does not hurt to take the time to make your posts legible. This is one of the biggest forms of advice I give to any new blogger or webmaster when first starting out. I for one will quit reading a blog if the first post is loaded with mistakes. There are too many blogs to read that are written with care. I do not have the time to try and decipher what someone is trying to say.
How do you feel about spelling and grammar errors? Be sure to leave your comments.
