Only Network

Considering a new host

2008-05-14T14:34:32Z

Things have been interesting around here recently, as ServerGrid has been having intermittent performance problems. Now, I do appreciate that I’m on shared hosting and that other websites will have an affect on the performance of my sites. However, the problems are getting more and more frequent and customer support are taking longer and longer to respond to my tickets. One of the things that had attracted me to them in the first place was their response speed whenever I had an issue. But that seems to have deteriorated over time, so I’m no longer a happy bunny.

So, I thought I’d have a look around and see what other alternatives are available. I found a website that has a number of web hosting reviews which seemed quite interesting. I particularly like the way they let people who actually USE the hosting put up their own reviews, which can really help guide people towards getting the proper hosting to suit their needs. This website, WebHostingGeeks, also has a number of web hosting articles which is a great place to start if you’re new in the web hosting arena and would like to know what things you need to watch out for.

Well, the interesting thing, reading through all the reviews is that most hosts seem to have up and down periods. ServerGrid has been pretty good up till now, I’m just not convinced that running WordPress on Windows is a good idea, is seems so much better suited for a LAMP environment. The thing is, I’m paid up till February next year, so I might just stick it out till then and decide. Maybe towards the end of this year I’ll pick someone else and start migrating my websites to a new service.

What about you, are you happy with your hosting provider?

Improve your Adwords campaigns

2008-05-13T10:20:49Z

I came across a great video recently by StomperNet with some great ideas to improve your Adword campaign and maximise the return you get from your website. The idea behind it is that instead of focusing on how much TRAFFIC you can get to your website, you should be focusing on the RIGHT kind of traffic to get to your website, the portion that are motivated to make a purchase. I’m not promising it’s going to be curtains for your competitors, but it can certainly help you make a few more bob. I wish I had watched this when I used to run The Joke Shop

Watch the video here

Link Popularity Tool

2008-05-09T22:01:49Z

Here’s an interesting tool to help find out just how popular your site is. The Link Popularity Tool lets you find out just how many backlinks you have on various search engines. Let’s say for example, you had a website specialising in Hilton Head rentals and wanted to find out how many websites were carrying a link to your website. Just put your website link in the URL box on the tool and within a few seconds it will come back with a list of different search engines and a count of how many other pages link to your website.

Check it out

Keyword Suggestions

2008-05-07T15:38:58Z

One thing you start to realise when promoting websites is the importance of finding good keywords for your website. It’s one thing sitting down and trying to make some up, but you can also use tools that utilise search terms on Google to provide you with more terms. One of these is this keyword tool here. It asks you to provide a keyword, then pulls back a number of suggestions based on people’s search terms.

For example, if I type in acne treatment, I get

Results for: acne treatment

Term	Relevance
acne	100.00%
treatment	68.29%
acne treatment	43.90%
skin	29.27%
natural	14.63%

Interesting tool, so bookmark it today.

Analyzing Backlinks

2008-05-03T14:55:28Z

My mate Carlo just sent me a link to a website you can use to analyze your backlinks. Analyze Backlinks, as the site is so aptly called, let you specify a URL, and comes back with a list of pages that reference the URL.

Using it is simple, just pop the URL in the text box specified, select the options you want, click Begin and just sit back comfortably in your massage chair (if you have one that is). Within a few instants it will come back with up to 1000 URLs that point at your page. I would have preferred getting some sort of indication as to the quality of the links, but it’s a good way to start.

What are you waiting for, Analyze your Backlinks now.

Who cleans your office carpets?

2008-04-29T22:05:00Z

It’s terribly important that your offices are always in tip-top shape. Not only does it have a positive effect on staff morale, but it also helps to give current and potential clients a good impression about your company and it’s services. If you live in the Dallas area, check out Dalwoth Clean, one of the better Carpet Cleaners Dallas has to offer. The offer a variety of services and guarantee complete satisfaction on the job.

Give your blog a boost

2008-04-24T21:13:14Z

If you’re just starting a blog today you’ll be pleased to know that there are a number of helpful websites out there that can help to drag traffic kicking and screaming to your website. Here are some places you should check out:

Technorati: Index of User-Generated Content - You really need to get on this.
Entrecard: An easy way to network with other blog owners
FuelMyBlog: A fun community for blog owners
BlogCatalog: One of the biggest blog directories on the Web
MyBlogLog: A social network for bloggers

Each of these is like a mini trampoline to help launch your website into the blogosphere. Check them out

Take a closer look

2008-04-18T23:15:05Z

Sometimes it pays to take a closer look at what you’re working on, so you can make sure that everything looks the way it should. One tool I like using is the Virtual Magnifying Glass. It’s a small tool you can download that turns the cursor into a magnifier you can move around the screen.

It works very nicely and a great way to take a closer look if you need.

Check for Broken Links

2008-04-18T23:09:04Z

It’s always a good idea to check that your website doesn’t have too many broken links. Your links should always point to an existing website, however sites move, pages break and it’s always a good idea to find out there they are. Some websites can use a scan more than an alcoholic needs a liver cleanse. Don’t let it get that desperate. You can use the W3C Link Checker to do this, just supply the URL to your website and off it goes.

New Alexa Rankings

2008-04-17T16:12:51Z

Ohh .. Alexa have just announced that they are changing the way their rankings work. They’re moving away from just using toolbar stats and getting other information from other sources. I’m never too sure about Alexa to tell you the truth. If you search for Orovo, for example, you’ll get the sponsored listings at the top taking you to the main site, but the results quickly lose relevance.

What about you? Do you use Alexa to search?