Website Management: The Importance Of Quality Web Design

** Update 4th May 2018: Normal service will resume on Monday (7th May) on Derek's Home and Business Blog. Thank you again for your patience and understanding and for the continued support during the difficult period! Want to guest post on the blog? Visit the "Write For Us" page above for more details. **


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Changes in Web technology have changed the way that people design websites. It really is incredible to see just how much it has changed in the last couple of years. Nowadays, Web users want competitive websites that look and function at optimal levels. People do not stick around on sites that are low quality in design and usability. There are several reasons why quality Web design is an essential part of all websites.


Clear Communication

Communication is the main reason that people hire Web designers. They need all elements of the website to communicate effectively with people online. Sites have to be user-friendly and allow people to be able to get the help that they need right away. It is definitely essential for sites to be easy to use and super user-friendly. Designers start by choosing the right page layouts and templates with borders that define where the text starts and stops. Websites without page layouts have misaligned text that seems to run off the page and can be really hard to follow making the site seem confusing. Your site is certain to fail if it only has one block of text like this. It is also a good idea to be sure that you have enough space for ad banners and page tabs that are clear and easy to follow. With tabs, your visitors can move from one page to another with ease making it super easy for them to find exactly what they are looking for. At all costs you need to make sure that you avoid creating disorderly pages that make you look disorganized and irresponsible. Nobody likes a webpage that is hard to use and difficult to follow.


Interactivity

Websites are becoming more and more competitive every day. That is why when it comes to your site you really need to step up your game. Nowadays, the most visited and popular websites are interactive. Because of this, it may be a really good idea to try to incorporate a variety of multimedia layouts into your Web designs such as videos, pictures and sound files. Make your site interactive to provide interesting ways for people to gather information about your business. Professional website development includes a major focus on creative website designs. The right development company provides you with a variety of unique, interactive designs to choose from. Choose transition effects for users who want to move between different pages on your site. Place a different picture in the background of each individual page.


Marketing

When it comes to sites it is also essential to incorporate your Web designs into an effective marketing strategy. Design your website for the purpose of reaching your targeted audiences online. You may also want to use different templates and themes that relate to your particular type of business and services. You could even include stock photos of professionals working inside of an office building to appeal to business people and make your company seem super friendly and personal. Luckily, experienced Web designers have created themed websites before, so it helps to get suggestions from them as they may have some really good ideas that can help you easily find your way to success.

A good marketing plan is necessary to get more than clicks. You want visitors to convert and turn into regular customers. Make your site stand out among the millions of others made by companies exactly like yours.

To summarize, create your website with the use of high-quality Web designs. When you take the designs seriously, more people will take your business seriously, too. Work with a qualified Web designer to receive more visitors and stir up more interest in your business over time.


Did you find this article helpful? Please let me know by leaving me your valued comments in the comments section below.

Related articles:
Beginner Steps For Launching A Website
Mobile-Friendly Site Designing: Things You Shouldn't Be Doing
Five Keys To A Successful Web Design And How You Can Achieve It For Free


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar on the left-side of the screen or by using the "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

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You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
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Until my next post, have a great week ahead and thank you for all the support during my absence.

© 2017. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.

Warning: 5 Ways You Are Losing Engagement By Not Using Social Media For Your Business

The opportunities are endless for today's business owner to reach potential consumers and convert them into lifetime customers. But in this modern landscape, users want to engage in a virtual community where they can be advocates, share ideas, and get the latest scoop on new product offerings and services. Making your presence known in a social space is essential for growing your business.

Interestingly enough, some of the most successful business owners have learned how to use technology to gain an edge. Rather than shelling out thousands of dollars on prime air-time, companies are learning to generate buzz by creating viral content and encouraging shares and likes. If you are not currently using social media for business, there are five things you need to know where you may be missing out on engagement:

1. Let's face it - Anyone who's anyone is on social media these days - Not being on social media is like not listing in the Yellow Pages in the 1980's. If you aren't utilizing these channels wisely you are limiting your audience and making it harder for potential clients to contact your business easily. A social media page is now like using a search engine. Consumers want information that is easily accessible and they want it at the stroke of a key. You want to be ahead of the pack by greeting your visitors with amazing content that is up to date and ready to go viral at a moment's notice.
   
   
   1. 72% of online adults are using social networking sites.
      http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/08/05/72-of-online-adults-are-social-networking-site-users/
      
      
   2. In 2012, nearly 20% of respondents reported not using social media tools; in 2013 that number was down 11% http://moz.com/industry-survey
   
   
2. Maintaining your reputation - Be it positive or negative, engaging with your customers through social media can turn a potentially negative experience into a positive highlight for your business. Earlier in 2013 after a hacking incident, Buffer showed great poise in the management and response to such an experience. Customers sometimes just want to have a voice. We all know the reach a negative impression can stretch and often it goes unnoticed or unresolved. Having that personal conversation with the customer shows them that you are not only engaged, but place great customer value for the service or product your business offers. Making a positive customer experience allows your reputation to shine and in turn, social advocacy will start turning its wheels. Maintaining your reputation allows your fans or followers to make suggestions for improvements, share the latest updates, and voice opinion on which products or services they would like to see most often.
   
   
3. Beating your competitors at the game - Having a popular social media page with a large following increases your exposure over your competitors. Being able to engage directly with potential customers gives you a strong advantage over a competitor who isn't online.
   
   
   1. By being on social media when your competitors are not, you're already delivering better customer service.
      
      
   2. This is a great place to start developing trust for first time buyers. It signals that you care about your customers if something went wrong.
      
      
   3. Pushing content-based and promoted ads to the Facebook News Feed in 2014 will prove to give you that competitive edge. Even spending $1 on Facebook ads per day will get you in front 4,000 more consumers than your competitors. That's a win in my book.
      http://moz.com/blog/1-dollar-per-day-on-facebook-ads
   
   
4. Social media is a fun place to engage - Showing fans your authenticity is very important in the eyes of today's social media goers. Being in command of your social media page allows you to be more personable when it comes to interacting with your customers. You can reply directly to their comments and re-adjust your tone to accommodate the given situation. Just like a search landing page, it is important to make your content exciting and interesting. Your page needs to stand out, because it is typical for a searcher to spend less than 20 seconds, before deciding whether or not they will take an action in a buying decision. Make the page pop with visual appeal by utilizing photos, videos, and banners. Social media gives you an easy opportunity to improve brand awareness and build your identity. Be quick to the punch and put a human voice to your brand - one that people, your customers can connect with on a personal level.
   
   
5. Now more than ever Google is placing more recognition on social behavior - In a vast digital arena where Search Engines grade your rankings based off social interaction and reviews, really depends on a business owner's willingness to obtain technical prowess. Not having a social page can cause your presence to decrease on Google's radar and slip down the search results, potentially loosing visitors to your website. Social media will help you increase the amount of traffic your website receives. Social media is an SEO ranking signal and has grown increasingly important. Being talked about and mentioned on social sends a positive signal and drives Google to seeing your site as more authoritative, which will help you rank better in organic SEO.

So what are the main take-aways for your business to become social savvy?

• Be Proactive! - Build your social media page to fit your business' consumer base and start creating a buzz! Make your content engaging and most importantly, have fun!
  
  
• Engage your Customers and Create Social Advocacy - Personalize your brand to your consumers and let them know what real customer value is all about!

While it takes time to be a social media Jedi, social media engagement is no longer an option but an essential part of your online business plan.


About The Author: Anna Johnson is a Senior Digital Marketing Analyst at seoWorks and takes a great interest in everything marketing, social media and internet related and enjoys sharing her knowledge on these subjects.

Did you find this article helpful? Please let Anna and myself know by leaving us your valued comments below.

Would you like to guest post on the blog? Please use the Contact tab above to get in touch if you write business-related articles or articles on the topics of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing/Optimisation (SMO), Blogging, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

Related articles:
Facebook Branding For Online Business
Five Effortless Things Business Owners Can Do To Boost Their Social Media Presence
How Pinterest Can Help Your Small Business

For more business tips plus helpful articles on marketing your business on social media, use the following links:
http://www.derekjones.co/search/label/Business%20Tips
http://www.derekjones.co/search/label/Social%20Media%20Marketing


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar on the left-side of the screen or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
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You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
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Until my next post on the basics of business networking, I wish you every success with your business!

© 2014. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.

Facebook Branding For Online Business

Branding today goes far beyond logos on t-shirts, cute coffee mugs, or even expensive television commercials. The Internet has transformed the way branding takes place and businesses need to adapt. In particular, because so many people are active on the site, Facebook enables businesses with a strong branding strategy to move light years beyond the competition.


Importance of a Strong Logo

A vital part of successful branding on Facebook starts with a digital logo. The best designers keep color, visibility, and pixel-size in mind as they create business logos to best suit their brands. More than any other elements, simplicity and clarity are essential for a memorable, effective logo.

Next, businesses need to showcase their logos in the right places on Facebook to reinforce their identities. Because the profile and cover images on a Facebook page are focused on the most, the logo should be placed in either of these spaces to have the biggest impact. For example, on the Facebook page for the national restaurant chain Applebee's, what initially started as their name paired with an image of an apple has been reduced to only the apple; simplifying their brand identity for quick consumption. Importantly, the image is currently showcased as their profile image.

Although Applebee's 5 million likes on Facebook didn't come entirely from their logo, it can be assumed that the memorable, simple, red apple did help draw people in. Even for a smaller business, a strong, well-featured logo on the site will serve as an effective cornerstone to a comprehensive brand-building strategy. Good images are heavily featured on Facebook and are required for gaining new likes and user engagement on the site. Businesses that take advantage of strong logos will likely gain more followers on Facebook and solidify their brands.


Facebook Profile "Identity"

Brand identity on Facebook also relies on what is shared on a business page and the language used to share it. A business that creates a unique, relatable "voice" in their posts will be more likely to gain an identity and build their brand on the site. Applebee's, for example, recently posted, "Steak the long way home. Stop at Applebee's tonight" and featured a picture of one of their steak dishes. With the quick, humorous, enticing post, Applebee's helped build a memorable, unique identity for itself.

As a business increases visibility with an active and detailed Facebook page, their web presence also increases. Consistent and pertinent updates will keep a Facebook page high on the list of common search engines, which is essential to business success in the Internet age. Notably, this attention to branding is useful in increasing a business's Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ranking as well as increasing viral commercial activity. Better SEO means more business.


Reputation

Facebook enables clients or prospective clients to have an interactive experience with a company. As the marketplace is flooded with new businesses, the Facebook platform provides away for clients to compare services and goods. Ultimately, maintaining an accessible presence via Facebook shows brand consistency and company vitality.

Watching the competitors has also never been easier, nor has developing creative ways for a brand to stand out. With easy access through a few clicks and scrolls, the entire competitive marketplace is available to peruse. To take advantage of this, many companies are hiring new designers and using their most effective branding teams to scour the Internet - and Facebook in particular - to scope out the competition. With Facebook, the brand can easily evolve, keep up with trends, and maintain corporate quality assurance.


Company Identity and Lifestyle Branding

Facebook branding allows businesses to not only increase site traffic, but also strengthen their corporate ideals in a fun, non-threatening, "lifestyle" based fashion. This is seen through the incorporation of not only a strong logo and identity, but also good content. A well-executed, highly visible brand presence on Facebook only heightens traditional marketing principles. For steadfast branding with a modern flair, Facebook brings virtual commerce to life.


About The Author: This is a guest post by Sarah Brooks from free people search. She is a Houston based freelance writer and blogger. Questions and comments can be sent to brooks.sarah23 @ gmail.com.

Did you like this article? Please let Sarah and myself know by leaving us your valued comments.

Would you like to guest post on the blog? Please use the Contact tab above to get in touch if you write business-related articles or articles on the topics of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing/Optimisation (SMO), Blogging, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

Related articles:
Five Effortless Things Business Owners Can Do To Boost Their Social Media Presence
How Pinterest Can Help Your Small Business

For more business tips plus helpful articles on marketing your business on social media, use the following links:
http://www.derekjones.co/search/label/Business%20Tips
http://www.derekjones.co/search/label/Social%20Media%20Marketing


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar on the left-side of the screen or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/DereksHomeAndBusinessBlog

You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
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https://www.google.com/+DerekJonesUK

Until my next post on Monday with 5 steps to setting up your own business, have a relaxing weekend! See you back here next week!

© 2014. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.

Get A Head Start On The Holidays With A Home-Based eBay Business

It's only September but a slice of American consumers already have an eye on holiday shopping this year. A survey by RetailMeNot.com found that 10 percent of consumers interviewed said they were starting their holiday shopping before November. If you run a home-based eBay business or are thinking about starting one, now is the time to get a jump on the holiday shopping season.


Look Like a Business

EBay is a competitive landscape with thousands of others selling online just like you. Whether you're selling a few items or managing a large inventory (more on that later), you want an image that looks professional. Most of this starts at your auction template - essentially the design behind your online store. EBay gives a tutorial on creating and managing auction templates or third-party companies like Page Mage will create and manage templates for roughly $5 per month.


Inventory and Shipping

You should have a scope on your inventory before listing that first item. Listing a low amount of items (30 or fewer) is manageable without the help of extra software or auction management companies, but anything more than 50 might get overwhelming. Companies like Auctiva manage an unlimited number of listings for about $15 per month, a necessary opportunity cost if you want to sell big for the holiday season.

Shipping expenses could be one of your biggest financial downfalls if not properly handled. Miscalculating shipping costs can add up to a small amount per auction, but combined that loss can be devastating. Services like USPS will send you free boxes for shipping so long you use their priority service. Enterprise address software can help manage large-inventory shipments and cut down on shipping times, which is crucial for positive feedback and seller ratings since timeliness is a touchy subject around the holiday season.


Use 'Buy It Now'

Driving up an auction price is a great way to earn the most on each listing, but most shoppers want the same convenience they'd find on a retail site like Amazon. "Buy It Now" gives shoppers the ability to click once and be done with it, and it's an instant payment in your account. Every item you list should have a "Buy It Now" price that competes with the market price in other online stores.


Create a Social Presence

Don't just rely on shoppers to stumble upon your listings - create a brand for yourself. Social media is a power tool when it comes to marketing and turning a small business into a brand. Leverage a few of these networks to complete the social circle and draw more customers to your listings.

• Create a Pinterest account and "pin" images of your products as they go on sale.
• Use Twitter to connect with others and share stories behind the items you sell - start a conversation.
• Create a Facebook page to post listings and invite others to comment and share feedback.
• Join a Google+ community that relates to the type of items you typically sell. Most communities allow for some self-promotion.

Start Today

A lot of your competition is still riding the wave from summer sales. Take advantage by starting your holiday sales while the rest are wrapping up for Halloween.


Did you find this article helpful? Please let me know by leaving me your valued comments in the comments section below.

Related articles:
Using A Blog To Promote Your eBay Store

For more business tips plus helpful articles on marketing your business on social media, use the following links:
http://www.derekjones.co/search/label/Business%20Tips
http://www.derekjones.co/search/label/Social%20Media%20Marketing


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
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Until my next post tomorrow on what to consider when setting up a home business, enjoy the rest of your day! See you back here tomorrow!

© 2013. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.

11 Backlink Strategies That May Put Your Online Business In Trouble

Link building is becoming a very important (actually the most important) aspect of SEO. However, not all links are good for your website. Google recently introduced stiff measures to deal with people who use unscrupulous ways to boost PageRank. This move is, no doubt, bound to affect all who don't play by the backlinking rules. Talking about backlinks, here are some 11 mistakes to avoid like a plague.


1. Paid Links

Buying and selling links is normally seen as unnatural because there are hidden motives aside from user experience for either of the websites involved. This includes buying content that contains links or sending a "free" product to somebody in exchange for them including a link to your site in their future write-ups. So steer clear from this short-cut.


2. Unnatural Links are a plague

Please take good note of the word "unnatural". It is all right to link to other sites and have them link back to you, but it must be natural. Natural links are simply links that add value to your visitors. If you are a law firm, don't try to exchange links with a dolphin research company.


3. Avoid bulky content, add value instead

Publishing articles and guest posts in bulk is no longer fashionable. In fact if you do guest articles just to gain keyword rich backlinks, your site might just get penalized. The rule of the thumb here is to ensure that you're publishing posts on other websites if you have something valuable to share.


4. Avoid automated links

There are many tools out there that claim to help you gain thousands of backlinks in very little time. Google's spam team is always after websites that use such services to hyper-inflate their authority on the net. You don't want to be caught using these services.


5. Careful about text ads

Text ads are a popular way to market products nowadays. However, if they don't use the rel="nofollow" attribute, Google is likely to mistake them for manipulative backlinks and therefore punish you.


6. Avoid ads and advertorials that contain links that pass PageRank

Always use link with the rel="nofollow" attribute if you pay for an ad or article. This will ensure that the ad does not pass link juice to your website therefore keeping you safe from a possible penalty.


7. Avoid over-optimization

If you're fond of publishing content that is full of links - all appearing to be anchor text - you could get a penalty. Google is now, more than ever, very strict on value addition as opposed to just optimization.


8. Avoid linking to low quality article directories

Linking to directories that will never send a single visitor your way is sheer waste of time. These links will not in any way favor your search rankings. Only link to directories that send visitors to your website and ignore the rest.


9. Footer links are a no-no

Avoid putting keyword rich links in your footer. Such links are counted as "bad" in Google's rulebook and are therefore to be avoided at all cost. This however does not include links to the "about us" or "privacy" but rather links like "buy followers" or "visit our shop".


10. Be cautious when using widgets

If you normally use free widgets to market your website, you should be sure to use the nofollow attribute so the link does not appear spammy. Google does not like links that are embedded in such platforms and may punish you for them if you don't use the rel="nofollow" attribute. If a widget developer offers you a chance to market on their platform, try to avoid using links (only when this is not logically possible should you resort to rel="nofollow" attribute).


11. Avoid forum comments that are optimized

If you are fond of using online tools to post comments on forums then you're likely to get a Google punishment in the event that such comments are unnaturally written or abnormally optimized. So, be sure to always post the comments yourself.


The writing is clearly written on the wall

Google does not like artificial or bulky links. You definitely don't want to lose the authority that you've spent years building due to a backlink slap. To get good links that help you to achieve and sustain exponential growth, it is imperative to play by these eleven rules.

We wish you all the best in everything you do.


About The Author: Jason Smith is an online manager for Foley, Incorporated - Power Generator. He likes blogging about online strategies that are related to SEO, Content, PPC and Lead generation.

Did you find this article helpful? Please let Jason and myself know by leaving us your valued comments in the comments section below.

Would you like to guest post on the blog? Please use the Contact tab above to get in touch if you write business-related articles or articles on the topics of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing/Optimisation (SMO), Blogging, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

Related articles:
Keeping Your Pages Afloat On Google By Using The Disavow Tool
The Death Of Link Building?
5 Helpful Tips To Recover From Recent Penguin Update
SEO Link Building Techniques That You Should Avoid
How To Improve Your SEO With Backlinks

For a full list of helpful articles on link building and SEO, use the following links:
http://www.derekjones.co/search/label/Link%20Building
http://www.derekjones.co/search/label/SEO
http://www.derekjones.co/search/label/SEO%20Tips


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
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Until my next post on Friday on how non profits can embrace social media to expand their reach and increase donations, enjoy the rest of the week! See you back here on Friday!

© 2013. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.

Beginner Steps For Launching A Website

So you're ready to create your first website. You'll be joining quite a crowd. Royal Pingdom estimates there were 634 million websites online as of December 2012. More than 51 million of those were added throughout 2012. To make your website stand out in the crowd, you'll want to do some planning and learn how to direct people to your site.


It's All in the Name

Your domain name is how people will recognize you. It is also tied to the physical address of your website. If you already have a company name, your domain name will likely be some facsimile of it. Go to one of the hosting companies online to check if your domain is available. There can be only one of each domain, however the extension can be different. For example, there can be only one mikesplumbing.com but there can also be a mikesplumbing.net.


Pick Your Hosting Service

Research webhostingbluebook for reviews and comparisons of website hosting companies. This site also has articles on how to choose a hosting company. You want a company that is affordable for you now but offers services you can expand into as your company grows, such as shopping cart services, higher levels of security and dedicated server options.


Build or Assemble?

You can choose to create a website from scratch or put one together from existing pieces. To build from scratch requires knowledge of HTML, the language of the Internet, and a lot of time. Adam Dachis of Lifehacker has an excellent tutorial on building a website from scratch if you choose this route.

Or you can choose to put together a website from templates other people have built. WordPress is a common source. You will start with the WordPress foundation then add a theme, which is how the site will appear. Next you'll add plug-ins to do certain things such as display a calendar or a slideshow. WordPress has a number of tutorials to guide you through the process.


Getting Directions to Your Website

People will find your website through the search engines, such as Google or Bing. The list of sites returned from any search is displayed in a certain order determined by a complicated algorithm. If your site comes up on page one, that's good for you. If you're on page 110, that's not so good.

To better your page ranking, learn about SEO, or search engine optimization, to help increase the website's ranking in the search engines. MOZ has a good tutorial on SEO. It's worth learning even a little so you will know what the search engines are doing with your site.


Content is King

Content is still the reason people visit your website. Fresh content makes the search engines rank you higher and keeps your viewers coming back. If the content on your site is stale and unchanged, people will visit once and not come back. If it's interesting and they take away something each time they visit, they will become loyal followers.

There are techniques for writing content that use the SEO rules. Once you learn something about SEO, you can learn about writing SEO content. Elisa Gabbert has a good introduction to SEO content on Wordstream.


Planning Your Website

With some familiarity with these pieces, you can plan a timeline for putting together your successful website. Each step will be a fun learning opportunity for you. Don't get discouraged if you don't understand something - the Internet is full of articles on how to create your first website. There are also people who specialize in each of these areas. Don't hesitate to put out a call for help. You'll discover that there are many people out there willing to help you be successful with your website.


Did you find this article helpful? Please let me know by leaving me your valued comments in the comments section below.

Related articles:
Mobile-Friendly Site Designing: Things You Shouldn't Be Doing
Why Web Hosting Is Important To Your SEO
Five Keys To A Successful Web Design And How You Can Achieve It For Free
What Steps Should You Take To Make Sure Your Site Is SEO Friendly?

For a full list of helpful articles on SEO, use the following links:
http://www.derekjones.co/search/label/SEO
http://www.derekjones.co/search/label/SEO%20Tips


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/DereksHomeAndBusinessBlog

You can also follow me on Twitter @djones1509, Google+ and on Facebook at:
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Until my next post on Monday on social media success: the secret to enduring the evolving SEO world, have a wonderful and relaxing weekend! See you back here on Monday!

© 2013. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.

Mobile-Friendly Site Designing: Things You Shouldn't Be Doing

As smartphone and other mobile users are frequently accessing the internet, it has become mandatory for businesses and bloggers to design a mobile-friendly website to cater to mobile users effectively.

When it comes to mobile web designing, the site design should be able to incorporate elements of comfort and ease in exploring the site for mobile users. However, web designers tend to make some common mistakes mostly due to their ignorance or lack of skills and experience in mobile web designing. Their mistakes make the site design fragile and leads to poor mobile user experience. So, while designing a mobile website, you should be aware of such mistakes and avoid doing them for your site.


Ignoring the device's screen size

The mobile device's screen width is much smaller than the desktop's. So it is important not to ignore the screen size and the width of smartphone and other mobile devices when drafting the layout of your mobile website. Your website's width should support the small screen of mobile device.


Improper spacing of clickable links or icons

When using a desktop, we use mouse clicks for every function. We're able to easily click on a 16 x 16 icon and the process is too simple.

A mobile user, on the other hand, uses fingers as the tool for navigation and control. Webmasters do not consider these things while designing a mobile-friendly site. They tend to ignore the user's fingers while creating the mobile site layouts thus their designs are not compatible with touch screens. When trying to accommodate everything within a mobile screen, they tend to reduce the size of functional buttons. Since the minimum acceptable size for clickable targets or objects on touch screens is 30 to 40 pixels, the links or icons shouldn't be placed very close to each other. According to the Windows Phone UI, these elements need to maintain a distance of 8 pixels in your mobile site designs, which designers often ignore. Also, not everyone has the fingers of same size, so what works well for small fingers may not perform well for someone with large ones. So, by proper spacing of clickable targets, you will avoid frustrating users.


Adding too much of text

People visit your site because it is more interesting and informative to them. They also want to access the information as quickly as possible. Trying to transfer everything that is on your website into a mobile layout makes your web design look crazy for mobile users. You can do some modifications such as reducing the number of items in the menu, deleting any content that is unimportant, and simplifying the text size to a readable level. It is recommended to arrange the layout by using bullets or creating small paragraphs. Also, don't forget to place a link at the bottom of the page that allows the readers to browse the web-version of your site.


Visual overload

The mobile users don't have that much patience or time to wait for the slow loading websites when compared to the users surfing the web from their desktop screens. Hence, while designing mobile friendly sites adding too many animations, heavy images or visual elements, which consumes time to load, should be totally avoided. However, you can add only optimized images. But don't ever try to upload small images as they create the same dilemma as that of the heavy graphics. By doing this, you can improve the readability of your site.


Having long user-input forms

For mobile users, their device keyboard is not as user-friendly as the desktop ones. Many web designers while adding the forms over the mobile sites forget to consider this fact and perform the things in the same old format by adding large amount of data in these forms. You need to prompt the user to input data only into necessary fields. Sometimes, users may not have much time to type into all required fields. To simplify their task, you can add combo boxes, radio buttons, lists or check boxes.

So, if you are able to avoid these mistakes while designing any mobile friendly website, your user's mobile experience will be much better and focused.


About The Author: Gianna is a writer/blogger. She loves writing about technology, gadgets and social media.

Did you find this article helpful? Please let Gianna and myself know by leaving us your valued comments.

Would you like to guest post on the blog? Please use the Contact tab above to get in touch if you write business-related articles or articles on the topics of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing/Optimisation (SMO), Blogging, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

Related articles:
Five Keys To A Successful Web Design And How You Can Achieve It For Free


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

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Until my next post on Monday with six tips for improving your customers experience, have a fabulous weekend!

© 2013. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.

Five Keys To A Successful Web Design And How You Can Achieve It For Free

Are you into web designing? Or are you just designing for your clients or as part of your business?

Whichever you are, I know that you've had those situations wherein you are flat-out disappointed with the outcome of your design. I'm sure that at one point, you felt like your new design is going to be legendary but at the end of it all, you found that the totality of the design is mediocre or lousy.

If in case you are wondering how or why your design turned-out to be poor, then this article is what you need.

I'll share with you 5 keys to a successful web design and how to achieve it for free. But even before I do that, I'd very much like it if you'll share your own tips as well. I'm sure that we've had a different experience and you probably have something up your sleeve that some of us are missing. That said, your contribution will be greatly appreciated by the web designers who are trying to better their skills. You can share it in the comment section below.

Here are 5 keys to a successful web design that you shouldn't miss:

1. Choose the right color combination
   
   Add too many colors to your design and I assure you that your visitors will find it an eyesore. Some people mistake a dynamic or lively design with having too many vibrant colors. Nothing could be further from the truth!
   
   If you want your design to look dynamic, you should also make sure that the colors remain cohesive to the theme's overall design.
   
   As a general rule, most web designers would only go for 3 - 5 different colors to avoid making the site look untidy.
   
   
   
2. Don't confuse your visitors
   
   Now when I say don't confuse them, I meant that you actively guide your site's visitors. Your design should somewhat tell the visitors where they should look first and what to do next.
   
   By adding too many pop-ups, contents, arrows, or blinking images, your visitors get confused on where or what they should do. This is one of the most common reasons for visitors to lose interest in your site.
   
   This is a major contributor in increasing your site's bounce rate.
   
   
   
3. Make your page visually stimulating
   
   There are several things that you can do as a web designer to make the website visually stimulating. One of my personal favorites (and I know a lot of people won't agree) is to use pop-ups.
   
   Just make sure that your pop-up's content isn't spammy, is of good quality, and has an awesome color!
   
   Using the right color combination also plays a key role in this.
   
   
   
4. Give your site's navigation a lot of thought
   
   Always think as if you're the visitor. If you do that without being biased on how your design is laid-out, you'd pretty much have an idea on how to organize your site's navigation.
   
   As a general rule, you need to make sure that your navigation "makes sense" in the eyes of the visitors. The contents of your navigation should be plain obvious to them, otherwise they'll get end up getting frustrated.
   
   
   
5. Don't test your visitor's patience
   
   Make sure that your site's design does what the visitors think it should do. If your design sends wrong signals to the visitors giving them wrong impressions about what kind of information a tab or a link should contain, you can bet your family jewels that they'd end up really annoyed by it.
   
   This is especially true if you have links saying "free report/PLR/Plug-in" etc. but when they click it, it isn't free at all. This is really frustrating to the visitors and I strongly suggest that you DO NOT do this. If you intend to giveaway something, make sure that it's a giveaway and they won't have to pay for anything.

As you can see, web designing doesn't always have to be expensive. In-fact, if you base it on the tips noted above, you should be able to come-up with a good web design for free.

If you just focus on the things that your visitors wants or needs, your design will surely be on the right track.

These tips will surely do you wonders if you follow them since they're proven and tested to work. Once again, if you have any tips to share on how to make a successful web design, I urge you to share it in the comments section below. Spread some love to other designers. Share your tips now!


About The Author: Aileen Galsim is a blogger for Showcase Creative, a UK based printing company that provides Custom Presentation Folders, calendars, and other printed presentation products. They can be found at
http://www.showcasecreative.com

Did you find this article helpful? Please let Aileen and myself know by leaving us your valued comments.

Would you like to guest post on the blog? Please use the Contact tab above to get in touch if you write business-related articles or articles on the topics of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing/Optimisation (SMO), Blogging, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
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Until my next post on Friday on Twitter vs Facebook: the fight over Instagram one year on, enjoy the rest of the week!

© 2013. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.

Managing Duplicate Content And Usability Issues Of An E-Commerce Website

A consumer's compatibility with an e-commerce website is often a detrimental factor directly converted into the profit achieved by the website and this is exactly the point where the usability of the same comes into the contention. A customer's perspective is the biggest challenge while designing it, the simple reason being that it is their perspective we are trying to appeal to, also keeping in mind that improvisation is a constant process.

A quick reality check of the usability issues of an e-commerce website would be to analyze the demographics and make comparative statistic studies with other relevant websites. If a good look at the statistics suggests a 2-3 percent visitor-to-sale conversion rate, it is good sales otherwise a reformation is on the cards. Another important technical aspect, referred to as the funnel conversion rate is an ordeal in itself. The website is required to suffice the customer with user friendly processes which motivates the consumer to reach the end point of the order that has been started with. The average time frame for which a consumer visits the website is also an important aspect and a study suggests it to be between 3 and 4 minutes and anything beyond that is a disclaimer.


First Look and Speed Matters

Improvisations can always be played well if the right factors are kept in mind. Firstly the speed of the website contributes to the interest of the user which is directly proportional to the load that a server which has been opted for can take which can be optimized with the right usage of storage data space. Satisfying the eye of the consumer with respect to the texts and fonts should also be looked out for, while maintaining a low key in terms of animations, etc. This is very essential because today's population has become very progressive in terms of their outlook and expectations.


Easy and Clear Navigation Should be Mandatory

Steering through or navigation of the website should be an easy play, without which the efficacy is going to be deterred. Smooth navigation is mandatory without which the consumer will lose interest in merely browsing through the site. There should be complete clarity in terms of the conventional options offered for navigation as these obviously prove to be a testament to the user's patience levels. Categorizing the available options and easy retrieving options would be an added advantage. Other preferences like a shopping cart, homepage etc. should be in fact mandatory.

Coming to charges of products listed on the website, "hidden charges" are a big turn off to the consumer which effectively means that charges like handling charges, transportation charges and other similar charges should be accounted for in the start itself. The complete clear picture of the cost of the product can prove to be a trust building strategy on its own. A detailed outline of the entire process beginning from the choices offered to the payment before starting the process would be icing on the cake. Of course, the simpler the process, the better chances of a satisfied consumer. Other factors like avoiding extra registrations, etc. would elevate the user's satisfaction to higher levels.


Customer Feedback is more Vital

Maximum improvisation can be done by direct interaction with customers by virtue of valuable and personalized feedback which will give more perspective to the entire scenario. The customer's feedback which will be a mix of positive and negative points will not only help with customization but also motivate the brand factor in case of positive comments.


Managing Duplicate Content

Duplicate content can cater to being one of the biggest usability issues which if not taken are of can lead to serious consequences like low SEO rankings. However authentic and inescapable often exist which are not penalized as they can be detected by search engines by virtue of meta tags. The major issues which may seem like duplication to Google but is not in reality can make use of these meta tags to escape penalty.

Various examples of the above mentioned issue can be cited. For instance, in cases where the website offers product pages which are similar along various lines, canonical tags can be used on the pages to avoid duplication problems. Identical problems like certain products on multiple pages when a product search is made, can give rise to duplication and the same can be eradicated by pagination tags. Furthermore canonical tags can be made use of during multiple mobile and print versions also.

To conclude, duplication and usability issues might prove to be a major setback during online marketing but if the right management tactics are applied the issues can be solved.


About The Author: Alfred is a tech savvy who loves to write more about digital marketing trends. He writes for Dot Com Infoway, providing excellent Internet Marketing Solutions with the help of well-trained SEM Specialists.

Did you find this article helpful? Please let Alfred and myself know by leaving us your valued comments.

Would you like to guest post on the blog? Please use the Contact tab above to get in touch if you write business-related articles or articles on the topics of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing/Optimisation (SMO), Blogging, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

Related articles:
Marketing Your E-Commerce Business
Incorporating SEO Within The Design Of An E-Commerce Website
A Guide To Setting Up Your Own E-Commerce Business


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
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Until my next post on five keys to a successful web design, enjoy the rest of the week!

© 2013. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.

Learn The Key Formula That Makes An Affiliate Marketing Business Successful

Have you ever heard of people making money online? I have to say that when I first heard that I thought that it could be possible, but that money online was reserved for those big companies like eBay or Amazon. It was until a few months later that I learned that these internet corporations are not only earning great money, but also they are willing to share it with the average person like you and me if we simply help them to make a sale.

My name is Jose Lozano and I am an affiliate working with RC flying toys such as the F18 RC jet plane. I want to share with you how the affiliate marketing business can sky rocket your success and get you as high as the original version of the jet that I just mentioned.

Affiliate marketing is awesome; those who are current affiliates know that the power of this business relies in the fact that it drives passive income to your pocket, and even when the average commission is around 4% to 6%, this business allows you to earn that single commission multiple times a day. There are people in this business who make 5 sales a day, and there are other people who make 150 sales a day; if they sell a product that costs 100 Dollars, just do the maths and you will know that those are 20 to 600 Dollars a day; you may think that I am exaggerating here but the sweet reality is that I am not.

The opportunity on the affiliate marketing business is growing faster and faster each year, and the numbers of affiliates who are becoming super affiliates (those who make a lot of sales) are going up as well. It is not rare to know about someone who is making a healthy income from the internet these days, and the good news are that these guys are the average people; the skills that are required to run a business like these are not many and actually you don't have to go to college to learn how to make money online.


Get to know both sides of the coin - What are the risks as an Affiliate Marketer

This is a very important thing to explore, everything in life is a risk, and it is fair that you know what the downside of this business is. There are some challenges that you may face in order to make your online business a success story; I would like to give you some details about two of the major ones that I found when I first started, as well as my own advice to overcome these obstacles.

• Not believing in your business: Most people fail in this business because they have doubts about it and don't have a trusted source of information to answer their questions. The most common doubts that people have are:
  
  - What skills are required to run an online business?
  - How long does it take to make money online?
  - How long would it take to replace my current income?
  
  These are all great questions with a simple answer: it depends; the skills that you need to run an online business depend on the type of business that you want to run, don't worry for the technical side; that is the last thing you have to think about unless you want to run a website about technical skills. About the money questions, it will depend on how good you are to apply the key formula to achieve success as an affiliate. I will share this formula with you in a moment so keep reading.
  
  
• The "Get Rich Quick" solution: Some people make money online by cheating others about this whole idea of "Making Money Online", they sell junk products with the promise that your business will run on autopilot, and that one day magically you will wake up and see your bank account full of money. The truth is that this business is like any other business and it requires work in order to reap the benefits. Ask this to any serious affiliate and they will tell you the same thing, so don't fall into those scams that will only slow your way to success.

What is the secret to make money online? - Traffic + Conversion, the formula for success

Let's keep it simple here. Imagine a store where lots of good and high quality products are offered to the public, this business is nice, looks good, smells well, is in the best location and the prices are very low; this amazingly assembled store could be your website, well designed, with the best software, best products and the best content for everyone; but none of that will make you money if no one is visiting your store, you need people getting in so you can make sales; on the internet this is known as traffic. Now imagine that you have a lot of traffic, people is visiting your website constantly and now you are full of men and women watching your content and reviewing your products, but that doesn't make you money either, you need that the people who is visiting your site is actually interested in the products you offer, otherwise you won't make any sales and you will have no money. When a sale is made that is called conversion. In order to have conversion you have to have traffic first, then you can start measuring your traffic versus your conversion and make adjustments to increase conversions.

Some of the scams that are offered on the internet to help you make money are traffic based, and they promise to send you tons of traffic to your site or offer so you can convert, but think about it for a second and you will see that you need targeted traffic, and that targeted traffic is the one that actually converts. Targeted traffic means to have people on your site that is actually looking for the products you offer.


A piece of advice to start your Affiliate Marketing Business

My recommendation in order to learn how to get traffic and increase your conversions is to find a mentor, learn from people who are actually earning a living out of the internet, understand that making money online is easy and fast if you do the right work, it can be one of the bests experiences you have in your life. Remember this: You will be paid in direct proportion to the value you deliver according to the marketplace. That is known as the law of income, and it is shared by a very rich gentleman and coach by the name of T. Harv Eker, so you want to make sure you deliver value to your targeted audience through your affiliate marketing business.

What other risks can you identify about this business? If you are an affiliate, what other tips can you share with us? To your Online Success!


About The Author: Jose Lozano is a Successful Online Publisher and an Affiliate Marketer as well. Jose learned a lot about affiliate marketing and now he shares his knowledge with other affiliates as well. Jose belongs to a network of affiliates where some of the senior members have more than a decade of experience as affiliates. Follow Jose on twitter @RCHobbiesonAir.

Did you find this article helpful? Do you have any affiliate marketing tips to share? Please let Jose and myself know by leaving us your valued comments.

Would you like to guest post on the blog? Please use the Contact tab above to get in touch if you write business-related articles or articles on the topics of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing/Optimisation (SMO), Blogging, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

Related articles:
What Does Panda Mean For Affiliate Marketing?
Top 5 Services To Monetise Your Blog Or Website
7 Best Affiliate Marketing Promotional Methods
Top 5 Traffic Sources
Top 10 Affiliate Marketing Tips


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to +1 or share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

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Until my next post on Friday, enjoy the rest of the week!

© 2013. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.

How And Why You Should Start A Blog To Promote Your Business

The matter of "How" is the easiest to answer because there are only two methods that make any sense. The first is to build a blog into your current website. The HTML coding is different to a regular website, but is still readily available online. You may hire a web designer if you feel you may struggle to add a blog page to your website.

The second method is to use a free online blog creation service. There are websites that offer the tools to create your own blog for free. Usually the only thing you need to pay for is the web space you have to buy from a host. You may pay for a blog creation GUI or toolkit, but it seems silly when there are so many good ones online that are free.

The question of why you should create a blog to promote your online business is another matter. A blog to promote your business is not going to buy you a lot of traffic, and is unlikely to be a very fruitful endeavour. There are few reasons to create a business blog, but nevertheless here are a few reasons that you may consider.


It's personal

It is a very personal form of communication, which is unlike any other form of business communication. Most other business communication is headache creating in its professionalism, or mind numbing in its promotional tone. A blog may be used to put things back onto a more personal level. The business owner may engage with their customers on a more one-to-one level. This will mean that any of the blogs readers may be able to identify with and connect with the business and its products.


It is another company signpost

There is a small chance that people will attend your blog to research into your business. People who are clever shoppers are going to search around for extra details about your business or products. They are going to look at your website but that is only one resource. They can look at other blogs, review sites, and find more information about you too. Whilst doing this, they may stumble across your blog which is going to give them a second resource of information about your business or products, which is coming from a positive source.


It grows your marketing efforts

It helps you to mature your advertising campaign by forcing you to think about your business in more detailed terms. Your marketing campaign should be constantly moving forwards and growing. You are forced to think about your business, its online reputation and marketing strategy whilst writing blogs about your business. This is going to lead you towards epiphanies about your marketing efforts, and will point out any mistakes you are making.


Comments from others

Your comment section may help to improve your research and marketing efforts. The traffic you will receive on your business blog is unlikely to be high or consistent, which means that comments are going to be even less likely. Nevertheless, the comments you do receive may point out the concerns of your customers and supporters. You may use this information to improve your marketing and research efforts.


There is a chance of occasional traffic

The possibility of extra traffic to your site is negligible, and not worth the time it takes to write the blog, but is still a bi-product factor of your blog.


You can link from it and improve your websites SEO

It gives you a controllable domain from which you may link to your website repeatedly. The links will be strong because they are from directly related content. They will also be more permanent because they are unlikely to break unless you break them personally.


You will gain snippets of perfectly worded marketing material

Occasionally we all have little moments of pure genius, when we write something that is perfectly worded and concise. This may happen every now and again whilst writing your blog. That little snippet of marketing gold can be cut from your blog and integrated into your website so that it has a more powerful effect. It may just be one line, but it comes out so perfect that you decide to make it a tag-line for your website. You may have spent a lot of time coming up with your websites marketing phrases and tag-lines, but if you are forced to think about your business every time you create your blog posts, you are bound to think up new and better tag lines and marketing phrases.


About The Author: Korah Morrison, writer on essay writing services that helps students to write essays of any complexity. She writes about SEO, blogging, social media, internet marketing and other tips.

Did you find this article helpful? Please let Korah and myself know by leaving us your valued comments below.

Would you like to guest post on the blog? Please use the Contact tab above to get in touch if you write business-related articles or articles on the topics of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing/Optimisation (SMO), Blogging, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

Related articles:
How To Get Business By Blogging


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to +1 or share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

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Until my next post on Wednesday, have a wonderful and productive week!

© 2013. This article is DMCA protected. Republication is prohibited.

Negative SEO: What Startups Should Know About It

As promised, here is this week's second of the three articles on SEO: Negative SEO is a strategy used by a competitor to decrease the search engine ranking of a rival site. Some examples are security breaches that cause your site to appear spammy, directing bad links at you in an effort to make it look like you're purchasing links, and making spammy comments on other websites with links back to you. These are just some of the black hat SEO practices that are frowned upon, yet are still being done.

The following are some important things that you should know about negative SEO in order to combat it.


Know the Signs

Your competitors might be trying to wreak havoc on your site by targeting you with negative SEO. This can be easily done in a matter of weeks, after which you may find you have a de-indexed site if they were successful. Tools such as Google Webmaster Tools enable you to monitor if you have negative SEO activities by checking your inbound links to see if you have an increase of spammy looking sites pointing at you. Receiving a huge volume of traffic from low quality sites over a short period of time is a sign of negative SEO activity.

If your organic search traffic decreases, your website might have been de-indexed. If the total amount of traffic going to your website drops, it can also mean negative SEO activity. Checking when the links were generated should give an idea as to whether or not there has been any negative SEO activity. If these are unusual and recently dated, then you might be the victim of an attack. Negative SEO attacks also normally have a noticeable pattern to them.


Protecting Your Site from Negative SEO

It is best to have preventive measures implemented to counter any negative SEO attacks. Make sure that your link profile has a professional look to it. Since Google checks your traffic pattern and history, you will have no problem if your site originally has high-quality links. It will not be easy to damage your site with a short-term attack plan. New sites are more prone to being attacked because most of them initially have low-quality links. Although negative SEO is still possible, implementing good SEO can deter these attacks.

Think of it like this: If you are starting up a marketing business, you need to create a website. Since it's new though, no one knows about it, and one great way of getting people to know about your site is getting other websites to link to you in order to not only get in front of their audiences, but to also bump up your search rankings. If one of your competitors sees that you're new and they want to sabotage you, they can undertake a negative SEO campaign to potentially ground you before you even take off because your site does not have a high quality track record for search engines to look back on and determine that it is not in fact you building the low quality links.


Google's Position on Negative SEO

Until the recent algorithm updates, it was supposedly not possible to actually harm another website with negative SEO. Unfortunately, Google decided that they will now penalize sites that appear to be building low quality links. This is a change from the past, when they simply discounted the value of the links. What this means is that, in the past, building low quality links was simply a waste of time and money, and now, it's more than that. It's a tactic that hurts your website if you decide to build low quality links pointing at you, and it's a tactic that hurts your competitors if you decide to point low quality links at them.

Given this change, what do you think people in highly competitor industries might be doing already?


About The Author: Eric Pratum manages Inbound and Agile - a marketing, leadership, and growth website that specializes in inbound marketing, and exponential acquisition.

Did you find this article helpful? Have you been the victim of negative SEO? Please let Eric and myself know by leaving us your valued comments below.

Would you like to guest post on the blog? Please use the Contact tab above to get in touch if you write business-related articles or articles on the topics of Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, Social Media Marketing/Optimisation (SMO), Blogging, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

Other SEO articles published this week:
How To Hire A Good SEO Company


If you found this or any of my other posts helpful, don't forget to +1 or share the posts to your favourite networks using the toolbar below or by using the "+1" and "Share" buttons located at the bottom of each post.

As ever, if you want to stay up to date with the latest blog posts, don't forget to follow via Google Friend Connect (button on sidebar), on NetworkedBlogs, via Email (maximum of one email per day), on Facebook and Google+ or by subscribing to our blog feed at:
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Until the third and final article on SEO on Friday, enjoy the rest of the week!