Search Engine Marketing and Blogging Techniques

By Peter Nisbet (c) 2008

Search engines are the web's most used means of driving traffic
to websites, and knowledge of search engine marketing is
essential to anybody wanting to succeed online. However,
knowledge of blogging techniques is also instrumental in gaining
you a high position in the search engine listings for your
chosen keyword.

Sure, you can promote your site in many ways and there are more
ways than a top listing on a search engine to drive traffic to
your website, but there is nothing to beat a top ten listing on
Google or one of the other major search engines such as Ask,
Yahoo or MSN to provide you with consistent sustained traffic
day after day after day.

It is not difficult to get listed in a search engine, but it's
not so easy to be listed in that all-important top 20 position.
The top 10 is the ideal, but if you are listed on one of the
first two pages of a major search engine, then the traffic will
come to you. That is guaranteed. Naturally, the higher you are
listed the better, and you will do an awful lot better on the
first page than on the second, but if the best you can do is
page three then you are going to need a lot more than search
engines to help you attract business.

So what are the main essentials of search engine marketing? You
have two objectives, the first being to get listed and the
second to reach the top 20. It is easy, as I stated earlier, to
get listed on a search engine. Many design their site, submit it
to Google and then wait for the Google Dance, when Google
carries out its World Wide Web search for websites.

Forget that: do not submit your site to Google or any of the
other search engines because that can delay your listing.
Instead do one of two things. The best is to write a few
articles on the topic of your website and submit them to the top
article directories. If you can't write, or if English is not
your main language, then use an article ghostwriter. There are
plenty people online offering article services at good rates.

Google and the rest frequently visit the higher ranked article
directories and will pick up on the link to your website in your
'author's resource', or bio. When they find your site, you get
listed, and that can happen in less than 24 hours. That is the
main way, but the other is blogs. Add a blog to your site, and
it will soon be listed. Google, especially, likes blogs,
particularly if it is a Blogger blog, since Blogger is owned by
Google. You are virtually guaranteed a listing. If you are not
too keen on Blogger, you can switch once your site has been
listed. Wordpress is arguably the most versatile blogging
software available at the moment, especially if you are running
it from your own web space.

Once you are listed, you can improve your position by
optimizing each website page for the topic of that page. Don't
forget that search engines list each page separately, and so
each page should be optimized separately. However, you should
initially focus on your index page, since it is that page which
almost invariably gets listed highest. Once your site does have
a reasonably high listing, it is possible that another page
could get listed higher than your index page, although this is
not generally the case.

You can then post a blog on the topic of the page and add new
postings on a regular basis. You should also include a link to
your blog from your web pages and a link on your blog sidebar to
your website. This will enhance the probability of your home web
page being listed, as it also will your blog, since your blog
can also be listed on Google and other search engines.

There are some simple things that you can do to make your index
page more attractive to the search engines. Bear in mind that
your listing is for one search term only, as used by someone
seeking information related to the topic of your page. You can
receive another listing for another search term (or keyword) on
a different index. So, what you must do is to determine the best
keyword for which to optimize your index page.

Once you have decided that, include it in the title of your
page and place the title in 'title' tags. Try to make the title
a bit longer than your keyword, so if your keyword is, say,
'lock design', make the title 'The History of Lock Design', for
example. The main heading for the page need not be the same, but
should also contain your keyword. A good heading, for example,
would be 'Lock Design from the 18th Century'. Place that in H1
tags to tell the search engine algorithm that the heading
contains important text relating to your web page.

In order to accentuate the fact the 'lock design' is an
important term in your web page, use it in the first 100
characters and again in the last paragraph of the page. You can
also use it once for every 300 words if you want, but don't
overuse it. Use plenty of words that relate to the term, in
order that the algorithm used to determine the relevance of your
page can decide what the actual subject is. Hence, in the
example used, it is still not clear if the locks referred to are
canal locks or security locks. You should make that clear in the
syntax of the page.

For example, your title could be changed to 'Canal Lock Design
from the 18th Century', and you could make lots of reference to
canals, barges, longboats, plan, construction, locks and design.
These words will make it clear to the statistical mathematical
formula that makes up the LSI (latent semantic indexing)
algorithm that determines the meaning of the words used on your
page, and determines that the page is about canal locks and not
locks and keys.

There are many other ways in which you can optimize your web
page to make it more relevant to the search term, and the more
relevant the search engine deems it, then the higher the listing
in the index for that specific keyword. Blogging can enhance the
effect of your SEO, and not only improve your listing position,
but also be listed itself, thus providing even more traffic to
your website.

Search engine marketing involves a good knowledge of search
engines and how they work, but if you get it right then the
rewards can be very high in terms of traffic highly targeted to
your product. The problem is, unless you know how, or have the
right advice from people who know what they are talking about
rather than trying to sell you a service, then it takes a long
time to learn.

Courtesy: SEO-News: http://www.seo-news.com

The Ultimate Guide to Directory Submissions

By David Eaves (c) 2008

Submitting to directories is a great way to build links and increase your search engine rankings. In semi-competitive industries it can produce great results. If you add article creation and social media marketing into the link building equation then you can achieve great results for any industry.

The Ultimate Guide to Directory Submissions

Free or Paid Directories?

When choosing directories going for the paid ones can be better, mainly because the links seem to last a lot longer. Many of the free directories seem to disappear or delete links after a year or so. However, there are a few free directories out there that should always be used - directories that have stood the test of time.

Niche or General Directories?

Submitting to a combination of both niche and general directories is usually a good idea.

For most industries there are a variety of niche directories out there - the best way to find them is through a search engine. Do a search on Google, MSN or Yahoo for directories in your niche area - those that come up in the first few pages of results are usually the best ones to use.

With general directories it's better to go for those that are more established. The older a directory is, the better.

PageRank - Does It Still Matter?

Because directories are generally quite large, they need a certain amount of PageRank to get all of their pages indexed properly. However a high PageRank isn't the be-all and end-all. Google's recent crackdown on directories has made visible PageRank even more irrelevant when it comes to choosing directories. There are directories out there that have no PageRank whatsoever that can offer value.

If a directory is ranking well in the search engines then you can rest assured that it has enough PageRank. If you're unsure then check how many links it has via Yahoo! Site Explorer or another link popularity checker.

Anchor Text

It's always best to get the main search phrases that you are targeting in the links to your site. However this isn't always possible and unfortunately many of the best directories won't let you do this. Sometimes you can get around this problem by slipping in a search phrase at the end of your company name.

Before submitting, have a good look around a directory and get a feel for what you can and can't get away with. Some directory owners will let you use a search phrase on its own, whereas others are very strict and will only use your business/website name. In between you have those where you might just be able to slip a search phrase in.

Doing your homework comes in handy - if you try to use a search phrase on its own and they change it to your business/website name then it's very unlikely you'll be able to get them to change it to your website name with a search phrase at the end. If you'd submitted it like that in the first place you may have got away with it.

Always try to get one of your search phrases in and vary the anchor text as much as possible - this will appear more natural to the search engines.

Varying Your Description

Many directories will provide you with your own page about your business. If you have the same description on every page across different directory websites, then many of these will be seen as duplicate content by the search engines and your links will get devalued.

To avoid this, write a unique and substantial description for every single directory (200+ characters works best). Make sure the descriptions accurately mirror your products and services and that they read well.

Deep Linking

Many directories allow you to add extra links directly to internal pages of your website. You should take turns in linking to different pages of your website using different variations of the phrases you're targeting on each page. Using the same anchor text to link to the same page over and over again will appear unnatural to the search engines and this could work against you.

How Many Directories Should You Submit To?

There's no fixed number of directories that you should get listed in. Work out a 12 month directory submission budget for each site and then do so many each week or month for the full duration.

When you're building links to your site via directories or any other method, you should do it over time. Submitting to 100 directories in a week and then forgetting about it won't be as effective as spreading the 100 directory submissions over a 3 month period.

The Top 10 Directories

Finally, here's a list of the top free and paid general directories to get you started.

5 of the best free directories include:

Open Directory Project (http://dmoz.org/)

World Site Index (http://www.worldsiteindex.com/)

Domaining.in (http://www.domaining.in/)

Web World (http://www.webworldindex.com/)

Search Sight (http://www.searchsight.com/)


5 of the best paid directories include:

Yahoo! Directory (http://dir.yahoo.com/)

Best of the Web (http://botw.org/)

Business.com (http://www.business.com/)

Aviva (http://www.avivadirectory.com/)

Ezilon (http://www.ezilon.com/)


About The Author: David Eaves has been working in the search engine optimisation industry for the last 5 years. More of his articles can be found at his SEO blog.

Courtesy: sitepronews.com, the Original article can also be found here.

A German Culture Overview

Fact file

Official name – Federal Republic of Germany
Population – 82, 424, 609* (July 2004 est.)
Official Language – German
Currency – Euro (EUR)
Capital city – Berlin
GDP – purchasing power parity $2.271 trillion* (2003 est.).
GDP Per Capita – purchasing power parity $27, 600* (2003 est.).


Overview

Since unification in 1989, Germany is Europe’s most populous nation and the continent’s largest economy. Situated at the heart of the European continent, and fundamentally shaped by Europe’s history, it it characterised by deep regional identities while at the same time also conveying a “national” German culture.

In today’s global business environment, developing successful business strategies and valuable business relationships, based on an awareness of this German culture, is essential for your organisation.
German culture - Key concepts and values

Ordnung: Most aspects of German living and working are defined and regulated by structures, for example, through laws, rules, and procedures, which are evident in all economic, political and even social spheres. In German business culture, for example, this is reflected in adherence to prescribed rules and, consequently, a low degree of flexibility and spontaneity.

Focus on Facts: Objective facts are considered essential in decision-making and problem-solving; in business negotiations, for example, the preferred approach to successful decision-making is based on logic and analysis of information, rather than on intuition and well-developed personal networks.

Focus on Tasks: In their approach to work, Germans tend to focus on achieving the task at hand. This, coupled with their well-defined structures, implies that interpersonal relationships play a secondary role in business dealings. The attention paid to targets to be achieved is evidenced, for example, in the precision of timetables, meeting planning and achievement of milestones. Close adherence to time schedules is also considered vital.

Communicating: A vital component to understanding business negotiations is the direct, seemingly confrontational, German communication style. In business discussions or planning, for example, openly-expressed criticism tends to be directed at aspects of the problem, project, or business at hand; it should not be considered as personal disapproval.

Individualist, yet consensus-seeking: As most Western European cultures, Germany is marked by a strong sense of individualism. Nevertheless, the desire to achieve one’s own goals and successes is coupled with a keen sense of responsibility for “the good of the community;” for example, in many business decisions, not only the financial benefits to the company are important, but also those of its employees. The structure of much German business decision-making requires consensual input from both employers and employees—which can render decisions comparatively slow.

Germany has played a central role in Europe’s history, and is today a major player in its economic and political organisations. Following the country’s reunification, Germany now has the world’s 3rd most productive economy in the world. Situated at the centre of Europe, Germany is an ideal base for tapping into all other European markets. However, before considering doing business in Germany, it is necessary to take into consideration a number of aspects vital for your success.

Germany Business, Part 1 - Working in Germany (Pre-departure)

* German working practices
o Punctuality is essential. Arriving even five or ten minutes after the appointment time is considered late-and disrespectful. If running late for an appointment, it is best to notify the person.
o Appointments are made for most situations, and sometimes several weeks in advance.
o Decision-making is often a slow and detailed process. Do not expect significant conclusions to be reached based on spontaneous or unstructured results.

* Structure and hierarchy
o German business culture has a well-defined and strictly observed hierarchy, with clear responsibilities and distinctions between roles and departments.
o Professional rank and status in Germany is generally based on an individual's achievement and expertise in a given field. Academic titles and backgrounds are important, conveying an individual's expertise and thorough knowledge of their particular area of work.
o In formal German business meetings, it is customary for the highest-ranking person to enter the room first. However, in more informal business situations this is less important.

* Working Relationships
o The Germans are very private, evidenced, for example, in the strict separation between private life and work. It therefore takes time to forge more personal relationships.
o Business relationships are often based on mutual advantage, with the overall task as the central focus.

Germany Business Part 2 - Doing Business in Germany

* Business practices
o First names are generally only used with family and close friends and colleagues. Therefore, always use last names and appropriate titles. You will often find that colleagues who have worked together for years still maintain this level of formality.
o Business meetings follow a formal procedure. German managers work from precise and detailed agendas, which are usually followed rigorously; moreover, meetings always aim for decisive outcomes and results, rather than providing a forum for open and general discussion.
o German business protocol requires that colleagues should be greeted with a firm, but brief, handshake on both arrival and departure.
o In German business dealings, it is important to provide solid facts and examples to back up proposals, given the German preference for analytical thinking and rational explanations.

* Business Etiquette (Do’s and Don’ts)
o DO take plenty of business cards with you and ensure they include full details of your background, qualifications, and titles.
o DO maintain direct eye-contact when addressing German colleagues, especially during initial introductions.
o DO use the formal version of you (“Sie”), unless someone specifically invites you to use the informal “Du” form. It is usually best to let your German counterpart take the initiative of proposing the informal form of address (this implies readiness to develop a personal relationship).
o DON’T discuss personal matters during business negotiations, as this is considered to deviate from the task at hand.
o DON’T attempt to continue negotiations after a contract has been signed. Your German colleagues may view this with suspicion, which could lead to an unsuccessful business agreement.
o DON’T use exaggerated or indirect communication styles during business meetings with you German counterparts. It creates an impression of insincerity and dishonesty.

German Culture Quiz - true or false

1. Germans sometimes gently rap their knuckles on the table instead of applauding at the end of a business meeting.
2. It is impolite to shake hands with one hand in your pocket.
3. At a dinner party, nobody may drink until the guest has made a toast.
4. The "thumbs up" gesture is not only a sign of appreciation and agreement, but also means the number
5. German executives prefer to keep their office doors open to create a feeling of openness and mutual trust.

Cultural Quiz - Answers

1. True
2. True.
3. False. It is customary for everyone to wait until the host has drunk first.
4. True.
5. False. You will generally find that Germans are very private people and will therefore keep their office doors closed.


Author: Jodie R. Gorrill, M.A. Intercultural Communication

To find out more about Communicaid's intercultural communication and awareness programmes, please
contact us.

* Source: CIA The World Factbook 2004

How the Company Logo Can Increase Website Conversion Rates

By Bill Haig - Fri, 01/25/2008 - 4:06pm.
Credibility and the First Glance

A small business friend complained the other day that his website really isn't worth the small amount of business it brings in. There are some estimates that say the majority of all small business websites fail to make money. Clearly there is a major problem in this early era of small business websites employed as sales tools.

The culprit is at the first encounter with a company website at a time which is crucial if the customer is to go on and buy something. The problem in a nutshell is the lack of trust in the company behind the website. This trust is missing at first glance.

Credible Company Logos Add Website Trust

Recent research (1) has concluded that the company logo can increase (or decrease) conversion rates at first glance on the company website. For most first time visitors to a new website, the company logo embodies the company brand image. The company logo on the home page (aka landing page) must communicate trust or the visitor will leave almost immediately.

In fact, most websites loose visitors rather than convert visitors to customers at first glance. Small business company websites, which are generally unknown to the visitor, loose over 90 percent or more visitors within a few seconds upon landing on a website.

New Google AdWords research concluded:

"So, you've refined your keywords, optimized your bids, and written AdWords text ads that pull in tons of targeted clicks, but after looking at your Google Analytics reports, you realize that your landing page has a bounce rate of 91%. Which means that 91% of the users coming to your site are quickly glancing around and leaving, deciding immediately that this site isn't for them. Recent research suggests that users decide to stay or leave your site in 8 seconds or less."

Further research by the author concluded that credibility-based logos will increase conversion rates over four times compared to logos which are not considered credible. With a credibility-based home page designed to non-verbally communicate company credibility consistent with the company logo, conversion rates are even more so. Company logo and home page design is a new opportunity for website effectiveness.

Websites at First Glance

What happens when visitors first click on a website? In this short time frame, visitors don't have much time to read anything about the site. Like most perception at an early stage, website impressions are a visual thing. What is going on? Research on website credibility by Stanford University's Dr. BJ Fogg concludes that people want to know whether the company behind the website is credible or not in an instant. Visitors are looking for expertise on the Googled subject and trust that the company can deliver. In a blink of the eye!

First Glance Web Optimization

Enter "first glance web optimization" where a credibility-based company logo communicates "trust" AND "expertise", the two requirements of credibility persuasion. Trust and expertise together mean "credible" which is important when it comes to website persuasion goals. Just being "liked" isn't enough when the goal is making a sale.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point and most recently, Blink, calls first glace impressions leaping to conclusions as "adaptive unconscious" or "thin slicing." Adaptive unconscious studies examine how we draw conclusions intuitively in an instant as apposed to careful deliberation and analysis. Thus the term "thin slicing." The author reminds us of meeting someone for the first time, interviewing someone or being interviewed, or reacting to a something new. We use our adaptive unconscious mechanisms to make judgments at first glace. It is our "gut feeling" about something or someone. On a website, this is "first glance" web turn on, or turn off.

Website First Glance "Thin Slicing"

Like other first time encounters, the visitor and vendor on a website do not have a personal relationship history. The visitor makes a first glance evaluation on what information, most often visual, is available. This is primarily based on the company logo, and the design of the home page. Otherwise, the vendor is faceless.

Credibility-based Logo Design

The company logo can be a credible face if planned and designed appropriately. Expertise and trustworthy define the two import credibility traits for a given company. Take Housen Painting, a small house painter in New York. House painting is the company's business. This is the company's expertise. The main symbolism in the company logo then is "house" and "painting". This is the "expertise" dimension in the Housen Painting logo.

The "trustworthy" dimension is communicated in the overall design. The Housen Painting logo above communicates "trustworthy" traits non-verbally through design with a clean contemporary style communicating efficient, cutting-edge and on-time. These credibility traits are also how Housen Painting operates, so substance and logo image are comparable. Specific company credibility traits communicated in a company logo is credibility-based logo design.

Credibility-base Home Page Design

The company home page must also be designed to communicate the same credibility traits as the company logo. Logos and home pages are perceived almost simultaneously. Thus, the company credibility-based logo design and the home page design must have a consistency in design. For example, the logo cannot have a contemporary design and the home page a dated design.

In Summary

The bottom line with first website impressions is that the visitor perceives a credibility-based logo and home page so the visitor continues the website experience. First impressions are key to credibility building and continued visitor conversions toward being a customer.

Stanford University has been researching web credibility for several years under the leadership of Dr. BJ Fogg. The research has concentrated mostly on web credibility from functional perspectives such in ease of navigation, no errors, and showing company credibility with an address and owner photo.

New research supports (1) that first glance web optimization can increase conversion rates applying a credibility-based company logo and matching credibility-based company home page. Further, the research concludes that at least four times as many visitors become customers when there is a credibility-based logo and home page compared to company logos and home page design which are not credibility-based. Using the company logo to communicate credibility is the new niche in website design.

(1) Research conducted by Dr. Bill Haig as part of his 2006 PhD thesis, How and Why Credibility-based Logos are Effective in Marketing Communication in Persuading Customers to Take Action: A Multiple Case Study Toward a Better Understanding of Creativity in Branding.`

About the author:
Dr. Bill Haig taught logo design, website design and branding strategy at the university level following over forty years developing successful company logos for companies such as AT&T and Rockwell. Dr. Haig is the co-author of The Power of Logos: How to Create Effective Company Logos , New York, Wiley Publishers, 1997. The book first introduced the concept of credibility-based logo design. For more on first glance web optimization and credibility principles in communication persuasion applied to logo and home page design visit Dr. Haig's website, www.powerlogos.com

Make Your Site Become Search Engines Friendly

A very important point made by Google, MSN and Yahoo (and the others) is that your website should be designed for humans, not for search engines. I agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment but you still need to make sure a search engine crawler can find it's way around your site.

You have to make sure every page on your site will be found by search engine crawlers and crawled properly. Your site and pages have to be set up correctly for this to happen. You need at least basic HTML knowledge to understand how to do the following.

Your website will need internal links that a search engine understands.

Your website should be linked together so that every single page can be found by clicking a link from another page. The best way to do this is to have a site map. A site map is a single page (or series of pages if you have a huge site) which links every page that exists on your website. If you use a javascript menu, you will need a "noscript" section as well. Another important point to remember is that, generally speaking, the more clicks away from the home page a webpage is, the less likely that page is to appear in the search index (but we'll cover the exceptions later).

Your web pages will need a unique title

Choosing titles for your web page is not hard - just choose a short sentence or phrase which accurately describes what your page is about. If your page is about growing cactus in the UK, there's your title... Growing Cactus in the UK. This is also what people will see in the search engine results pages, so if they see your relevant page they will click on your link, even if it is number four or five in the search results. Make sure every page has it's own unique title.

Your web pages will need a unique meta description

Make sure your pages have a unique meta description. An effective meta description is a short synopsis of what visitors will expect to see on the webpage. This is NOT a place for repeating keywords or telling lies about what the page is actually about. To use our example of growing cactus in the UK, an appropriate meta description would be "How to successfully grow cactus in the UK, with practical tips and examples". If you don't have different and unique meta descriptions for each page, the search engines may presume that all your pages are the same.

Your pages need < h1> and < h2> tags

These tags, as well as < strong> and < em> tags, emphasize to the search engines (and more importantly, visitors) the overall theme of the content of your page. Remember, use these tags honestly and appropriately. One heading with < h1> is enough. A < h2> or < h3 >for each relevant block of text is OK. One or two strong tag on a particular keyword or keyphrase is more than adequate. If your headings look ugly and contrived to a visitor, you will probably be penalized by search engines now or in the future for them.

Check for errors on your site

It's easy to check for errors on your site, and there are a couple of great tools available for free to do this. The first I use is Xenu Linksleuth. You can read about it and download it from here. Basically Xenu crawls your website like a search engine spider and reports any broken links. This is very valuable information, because broken links can stop search engine crawlers from crawling your site. Broken links can arise from misspellings or pages that were deleted.

Another useful tool is Google Webmaster Console. There are many useful functions in Webmaster Console which we will talk about later but right now we'll highlight their error reporting. (At this point don't upload a sitemap to the Webmaster Console, I'll talk about that a little later). Once you validate your website at Webmaster Console go to the crawl error screen and you will be presented with any errors the Google crawler encountered on your site. Obviously if the Google crawler has a problem navigating your site then other search engine crawlers will also have a problem.

Using these two tools gives you the opportunity to diagnose and fix any errors with linking on your site and ensure greater success when your site is indexed.

Courtesy: http://www.asktheblogger.info

Self Confidence Crucial To Business Success

By Wayne Hurlbert

Self confidence is important to anyone's success in business and in life.

It might sound obvious that having confidence in your future, and that of your business, is an essential ingredient, it's not a trait everyone enjoys. In many ways, self confidence can be described as self respect and enjoyment of life's challenges.

Self confident people are more successful in everything they do than those who lack confidence. Hanging back while others take a leadership position won't help your business or career succeed in the ways that you would prefer. Taking an active role assures your ideas get heard and implemented. If those concepts and proposals are helpful to the organization, they should be expressed openly, and with confidence. The company's profits could depend on your speaking up and voicing an opinion.

The bad news regarding self confidence is it takes some work to achieve. The good news is self confidence can be learned with practice, and by making a personal commitment to excellence. A lifetime of self doubt, often amplified by parents, teachers, and employers is a difficult habit to break. No one expects it to change overnight, but the attitude change can happen more quickly than most people think. It just takes developing a different outlook on life.

Do something that makes you happy and proud of your achievement. I'm not suggesting becoming an overbearing, arrogant, know it all. What I do recommend is you show passion in what you accomplish, and that you enjoy your job, business, and life in general. That passion will show in your face. Instead of slumped shoulders, and a perpetual frown, your head will be held higher, and wearing a smile. Life is much more pleasant when you smile and enjoy its gifts.


Set a short term goal to achieve in your job or your business. Once that goal is reached, take a moment to consider what you did, and how it will enhance the overall organizational plans. You will see immediately that your efforts make a difference. Set a new and slightly more challenging goal, and reach or exceed it as well. You will find that accomplishments grow and multiply, and you will become more confident that you can get the job done properly and well.

The first thing you notice as you feel more confident is how other people treat you at work, at home, and in the outside world. People will smile at you as you show your inner glow through your smile. You will be given more respect everywhere, and your ideas will receive the attention they deserve. Your enjoyment of work and of life will increase many times over. Life becomes more fun.

Practice achievement and boost your self confidence today. Wear a smile, and hold your head high. Look other people in the eye when you speak to them, and they will respect you for what you have to say. Self confidence can be developed, and can take your life and business to even greater heights.

About the Author:

Wayne Hurlbert
provides insigtful information about marketing, promotions, search
engine optimization and public relations for websites and business
blogs on the popular Blog Business World.

Check out Blog Business World for yourself.

Courtesy: ActivePro

Google Indexes Site in 24 Hours

By Michael Jensen

I created a new site on Friday, and by Saturday exactly 24 hours later it was in Google’s Index. I posted about this just over a month ago in my post, 7 Steps to Get Your New Site Indexed in 24 Hours.

I had a lot of comments about whether or not Adwords was necessary, so I thought I’d try it again without running Adwords this time. Here’s how it all played out:

1) I created 5 pages of content (Home, FAQ, About Us, etc.).
2) I put them in a simple template with site-wide links. I also linked to it from one of my other sites (it’s very relevant so it makes sense).
3) I added tagged the site on only 2 social bookmarking sites.
4) Commented in 1 forum, put the URL in one directory (niche specific), and submitted it to Digg.
5) Installed Google Analytics
6) Created a sitemap, pinged Google, and put the sitemap in my Robots.txt. Logged into Google Webmaster Central and submitted my sitemap there.

When I checked exactly 24 hours later I was sitting in the index and had already begun to get a few visitors from Google.

I had previously done Google adwords out of both necessity (get quick traffic) but also because of the trust factor I believe it gives to Google, and the fact that Google integrates a quality factor into their quality score (so they come to your site and look at it). Obviously this is just one test compared to several others I’ve done with Adwords, but it seems its very possible without running some ads.

Anyone else seeing 24 hour indexing for new sites?

About the Author: Michael Jensen is a co-founder of SoloSEO.com, an online service for SEO project management and do-it-yourself SEO tools. SoloSEO.com allows web marketers of any skill level to manage keywords, content tracking, link building, and competitor data.

.NET Framework 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5

Visual Studio 2008 (code named Orcas) supports 3 versions of the .NET Framework. Thats a great feature because in the past you needed VS2002 for .NET 1.0, VS2003 for .NET 1.1 and VS2005 for .NET 2.0.

The fact that VS2008 supports the three most important versions of the framework is essential for a smooth upgrade path. I notice that there is still confusion about the differences between .NET 2.0 and 3.0, and 3.5 (beta). Time to outline some differences!

	.NET 1.1	.NET 2.0	.NET 3.0	.NET 3.5
CLR Version	CLR 1.1	CLR 2.0	CLR 2.0	CLR 3.0
C#-version	C# 1.0	C# 2.0	C# 2.0	C# 3.0
Pre-installed on OS	Windows Server 2003	Windows Server 2003 R2	Windows Vista	Windows Server 2008
Foundations	N/A	N/A	WPF WCF WF WCS	WPF WCF WF WCS
ADO	ADO.NET	ADO.NET 2.0	ADO.NET 2.0	ADO.NET vNext= LINQ
Special editions	.NET Compact Framework 1.0	.NET Compact Framework 2.0	.NET Compact Framework 2.0 .NET Micro Framework 2.0	.NET Compact Framework 3.5 Silverlight 1.1 .NET Micro Framework 2.0
New features			The 4 foundations	Faster garbage collection Smarter, faster NGen requiring smaller working set RAM 64 bit client improvements ThreadPool performance improvements Security check caching during NGen New class additions in BCL BigInteger HashSet TimeZone2 (info) Cryptography Integration with Event Tracing for Windows New Addin hosting model for extensibility Workflow enabled Services (codename 'Silver'). Build workflow-enabled services using WF and WCF. This allows a .NET Framework developer to build business logic for a service using WF and expose messaging from that service using WCF Build Ajax style web applications using WCF services Project templates for WCF services, WF business logic, workflow enabled services, and AJAX services in Visual Studio 2008 More WS-* Standards support RSS and ATOM syndication API Partial trust support for WCF hosting Improved rules engine WF and supports C# 3.0 features Visual Studio designer for WPF WPF has smoother animations, faster startup and better overall performance New data types available for data binding with LINQ Integration with Silverlight (source) More info about the new feature can be found here.

Version 3.0 is basically the same as 2.0, but contains the 4 new foundations:

• WPF, Windows Presentation Foudation;
• WCF, Windows Communication Foundation;
• WF, Windows Workflow Foundation;
• WCS, Windows CardSpace

Version 3.5 of the Framework is a bigger change. It contains a new compiler in order to handle the new programming language features and LINQ.

If you are about to install the .NET Framework, its better to install version 3.0. All 2.0-applications are compatible and version 3.5 is still in beta. By the way, you can run all version side-by-side (SxS, = on the same machine).

• .NET 3.0 is not a major change to the core .NET Framework as was 1.0/1.1 to 2.0
• If you currently have only .NET Framework 1.0 or 1.1 and you are looking to install 2.0 or 3.0
• If you currently have .NET Framework 2.0, installing .NET Framework 3.0 is not a major change as the version numbers would suggest
• If you currently run .NET 2.0 applications, they will not know or care that you have installed .NET 3.0

By the way, .NET versions can coexist in the same machines in the following directories:

v1.0.3705
v1.1.4322
v2.0.50727
v3.0
v3.5.20404

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