All the search engine optimisation tasks can seem like a never ending road. That is why it is important to stop once in a while and review your progress and evaluate what you should do next. This blog post is a guide to helping you supercharge your SEO efforts and if required put yourself back on the right tracks.
Change your focus
It is easy to produce content, but are you investing in producing high quality content?
Quality can be:
The amount of time you set aside for SEO work.
Investment (time / money) in content such as video and photographs that can aid SEO efforts.
Hiring a SEO expert to help.
Moving a website forward is all about achieving the right balance and successfully juggling different tasks. Achieving a higher Google Page Rank can equate to hundreds or even thousands of links, it is about moving the whole website forward, rather than having a narrow focus.
Equip yourself with the right tools
Whether you are not optimising your website images, using keyword research tools or any number of other tasks, make sure you have access to the right services and software to help you. SEO takes time, but making sure your efforts are maximised is important. Cutting corners in a rush to produce your content will reduce the impact the content should have had.
Outsource work
Neogain do offer SEO marketing services which naturally we think you should use, but outsourcing is a valid option, especially for those time poor or lacking the require expertise.
If you are spending hours per week that would be better utilised working on other aspects of your website or even doing something else entirely, then you should consider hiring outside help.
Tips:
Make sure your outsourced help doesn’t use SEO techniques that could get your website delisted from Google search and other search engines.
Ask for a report outlining what was actually accomplished for your money.
Seek advice from the SEO expert and learn from them as well as asking them to accomplish specific tasks.
Schedule time for your work
Whether you are writing a blog post, link building or performing other SEO important tasks, make sure you set aside enough time. SEO is an important part of any successful website, it shouldn’t be neglected, but instead prioritised.
Hire Neogain!
Neogain are SEO experts and we can help you! Our business is based in the UK and we have a great team of SEO specialists who can move your website SEO forward. Why not send us a message today and tell about your website and what you require. We will respond quickly. Click here to contact us.
Thursday, 7 July 2011
Build Quality Backlinks
Building quality backlinks counts more than just trying to achieve backlinks any which way you can.
Backlinks serve two purposes:
Attract actual visitor click-through from the link.
Boast your ranking in search engines.
You could spend hours, days and weeks generating random backlinks as part of your link building campaign, but they will not be as good as focused effort.
Example:
Becoming a guest poster on a well-known blog related to your topic that has a higher Google Page Rank, plus achieving a SEO dofollow anchor link as well as being listed elsewhere on the same blog.
So what does the above example achieve?
Their higher Google Page Rank with the help of the ‘dofollow’ will help contribute to your own Google Page Rank and search engine position.
Readers of their website might click through directly to your site.
Search engines will view the link as more relevant due to the shared topic.
The anchor link with SEO text will contribute to a search engine deeming your site more relevant.
So when you are creating backlinks you should set out to achieve some of the above mentioned bullet-points.
Conclusion
Some people will tell you there are shortcuts to achieving high search engine rankings. It is true there are many different types of SEO techniques you can use and each take a different amount of time to accomplish. However to truly rank well you need to produce relevant quality content that is not only search engine optimised, but on a site that Is search engine optimised and have a marketing strategy in place that has quality firmly at the forefront.
You can gain some results from linking anywhere you possibly can, but with extra focus you could achieve more.
Remember your website needs to provide relevance to your visitors and search engines assess via various means whether it does. So you could have a successful backlink campaign, but then have visitors walk away quickly due to the content and presentation. It is about achieving the right balance.
Hire Neogain
Neogain are website marketing experts who can help you take your online marketing campaigns forward. We run Google AdWords campaigns and also have skilled writers who can help you.
Why not contact us? Just send us a message and tell us about your website, your objectives and what you require. We do provide backlinking services amongst other SEO services.
Our business is based in the UK and we help both domestic and business clients. We are used to working with Joomla, Magento and WordPress contact management systems and we have the website and online marketing expertise you require.
Click here to contact us.
Backlinks serve two purposes:
Attract actual visitor click-through from the link.
Boast your ranking in search engines.
You could spend hours, days and weeks generating random backlinks as part of your link building campaign, but they will not be as good as focused effort.
Example:
Becoming a guest poster on a well-known blog related to your topic that has a higher Google Page Rank, plus achieving a SEO dofollow anchor link as well as being listed elsewhere on the same blog.
So what does the above example achieve?
Their higher Google Page Rank with the help of the ‘dofollow’ will help contribute to your own Google Page Rank and search engine position.
Readers of their website might click through directly to your site.
Search engines will view the link as more relevant due to the shared topic.
The anchor link with SEO text will contribute to a search engine deeming your site more relevant.
So when you are creating backlinks you should set out to achieve some of the above mentioned bullet-points.
Conclusion
Some people will tell you there are shortcuts to achieving high search engine rankings. It is true there are many different types of SEO techniques you can use and each take a different amount of time to accomplish. However to truly rank well you need to produce relevant quality content that is not only search engine optimised, but on a site that Is search engine optimised and have a marketing strategy in place that has quality firmly at the forefront.
You can gain some results from linking anywhere you possibly can, but with extra focus you could achieve more.
Remember your website needs to provide relevance to your visitors and search engines assess via various means whether it does. So you could have a successful backlink campaign, but then have visitors walk away quickly due to the content and presentation. It is about achieving the right balance.
Hire Neogain
Neogain are website marketing experts who can help you take your online marketing campaigns forward. We run Google AdWords campaigns and also have skilled writers who can help you.
Why not contact us? Just send us a message and tell us about your website, your objectives and what you require. We do provide backlinking services amongst other SEO services.
Our business is based in the UK and we help both domestic and business clients. We are used to working with Joomla, Magento and WordPress contact management systems and we have the website and online marketing expertise you require.
Click here to contact us.
Website Template Design Tips
A good website template often has simple touches that make it just right for a site design. Below are three common issues that people often battle to try and work out how to achieve.
How to remove the last border of a list
Often you will use borders to separate top or bottom navigation menu items. However you don’t want to have a ‘divider’ at the end or a beginning of a menu list.
All you have to do in your CSS code is add a ‘last-child’ and tell the right border to be ‘none’.
Below is an example:
#topnav li:last-child { border-right: none;}How to create a tiled image for a background
Sometimes a plain colour or a fancy graphic just isn’t suitable for a website template, but you need something that adds just a bit more depth to a design. Well a tiled background image might just solve the issue. Tiled images can be extremely small in pixel size and in file size, which is great for website performance and they are easy to create.
Below is an example 9×9 pixel image enlarged:
Example CSS code:
body { background-image : url('background.gif') ; background-attachment:fixed; }
The fixed option has been used as it is a small background image and means a ‘blurred’ effect isn’t created when people scroll down a page.
How to create an image silhouette
Sometimes you need a template image or two without vibrant colours to distract from your content. On occasion an image silhouette serves the purpose. Using graphic design software you can change the ‘threshold’ to create silhouettes.
Tips: Try and use images that have a white or light background colour. You also might need to reduce the brightness before you change ‘threshold’ levels.
Example:
Conclusion
If you are not following the Neogain blog then I highly recommend you do. Each week we publish plenty of useful CMS, Design and SEO tips that help people across the world. Also why not check out our archive of blog posts? You will find great content just waiting to be read.
Plus if you need some expert help then why not hire us? We are a UK firm and have expertise in content creation, design, marketing and website administration. We are used to building sites from scratch or turning around poorly performing websites. We know how to increase website traffic amongst many other website skills.
Just send us a message and tell us about your requirements. We will respond quickly and we look forward to hearing from you.
How to create an automated header image
Often the header area of a website is left static and often is left quite plain. On many websites the header area is often wasted space and should be put to use. By regularly changing images you can enrich the website. If you are clever and use the right images you can add content that compliments your site content.
For instance every month you could ‘program’ the template to change the header image. You can even change the image based on the day. Why? Well first of all it adds variety to your website even if the ‘main’ content is not regularly changing, but also it could help with promotion.
Example – The Online Shop
You could use the area to promote seasonal items you regularly sell or link to a section promoting a range of goods. Items related to special occasions such as Mother’s Day, Christmas or Summer Holidays all spring to mind.
Example – The location site
A website covering a location could have a different photo per month covering the location at that time of year.
The code
The example code below queries what the month is and then an image is displayed based upon the result. The template / theme index file needs to be a php file. i.e. index.php and in this file place towards the top area:
<?php
$month = date("m");
if ( $month == "01" ) $photo = '1.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "02" ) $photo = '2.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "03" ) $photo = '3.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "04" ) $photo = '4.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "05" ) $photo = '5.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "06" ) $photo = '6.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "07" ) $photo = '7.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "08" ) $photo = '8.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "09" ) $photo = '9.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "10" ) $photo = '10.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "11" ) $photo = '11.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "12" ) $photo = '12.jpg' ;
?>
Then in your header div place the following:
<img src="<?php echo $photo; ?>" alt="header">
Hire Neogain
Neogain are website experts and know how to program php. Our business based in the UK has the administration, content creation, design and marketing expertise that your website requires. We are used to creating websites from scratch or improving existing sites.
For instance every month you could ‘program’ the template to change the header image. You can even change the image based on the day. Why? Well first of all it adds variety to your website even if the ‘main’ content is not regularly changing, but also it could help with promotion.
Example – The Online Shop
You could use the area to promote seasonal items you regularly sell or link to a section promoting a range of goods. Items related to special occasions such as Mother’s Day, Christmas or Summer Holidays all spring to mind.
Example – The location site
A website covering a location could have a different photo per month covering the location at that time of year.
The code
The example code below queries what the month is and then an image is displayed based upon the result. The template / theme index file needs to be a php file. i.e. index.php and in this file place towards the top area:
<?php
$month = date("m");
if ( $month == "01" ) $photo = '1.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "02" ) $photo = '2.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "03" ) $photo = '3.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "04" ) $photo = '4.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "05" ) $photo = '5.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "06" ) $photo = '6.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "07" ) $photo = '7.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "08" ) $photo = '8.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "09" ) $photo = '9.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "10" ) $photo = '10.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "11" ) $photo = '11.jpg' ;
if ( $month == "12" ) $photo = '12.jpg' ;
?>
Then in your header div place the following:
<img src="<?php echo $photo; ?>" alt="header">
Hire Neogain
Neogain are website experts and know how to program php. Our business based in the UK has the administration, content creation, design and marketing expertise that your website requires. We are used to creating websites from scratch or improving existing sites.
How to turn a WordPress blog into a website
Want to turn a WordPress blog into a website? The lines are getting blurred, because in reality a WordPress blog is a website. Essentially what this article is referring to is making minor changes to a self-hosted WordPress blog, and then turning it into a standalone website that happens to have a blog aspect. So first I will cover the why and then give essential tips.
Unlike many contact management systems WordPress is regularly updated. Those security holes get fixed, new improvements get rolled into the package and the community continues to grow. Companies such as Neogain become WordPress experts and what can be achieved through WordPress is remarkable.
Require a shopping cart? No problem. Need a download plugin or a gallery? They are free and easy to use. The flexibility of WordPress and the fact that the developers allow a high level of configuration without touching code, has attracted many to use WordPress for more than blogging.
Step 1 – The Front page and post page
From the WordPress dashboard create two new blank ‘pages’ and name one home and the second oneblog. Again from the dashboard visit the ‘Reading’ section and select ‘A static page’ for ‘Front Page Displays’. Then select your home page for the ‘Front Page’ and blog for the ‘Posts page’.
This means that all your blog posts will now only appear on the blog page. On the home page you should now fill in your content for the front of the website.
Step 2 – Excluding pages from the top navigation menu
By default all new pages are placed in the top navigation menu. This is far from suitable and there are many pages you will want to not have selectable from the navigation, instead linking to them from within pages or posts. To get around this you can use a plugin that enables you to select which pages to exclude from the navigation bar.
Step 3 – The Sitemap!
A sitemap will help search engines crawl your site and inform them when they should return. We’ve covered it here: http://www.neogain.com/how-to-create-a-sitemap-for-your-wordpress-self-hosted-blog-website
Hire Neogain!
We regularly setup and administrate websites created using WordPress. We have skilled writers to produce content and a strong marketing team who can help promote and attract visitors.
Why not contact us to see how we can help you? Just send us a message and tell us about your plans and we will quickly respond. We can either setup a new website or turnaround an existing site. We look forward to hearing from you.
How to improve the average website visitor time
You’ve created a WordPress blog / site but perhaps the average visitor time is quite low? How can you improve this? There are WordPress specific changes you can make as well as changes that are suitable for any website.
Content Relevancy
It is one thing attracting the visitors to a website, it is another making them stay to achieve the objectives of the site.
The tips:
Hire a copywriter to research and write high quality content.
Write at least 250 words per page, but make sure each sentence contributes, rather than acts as ‘filler’.
Add graphics occasionally, such as photos.
The website links
Sometimes websites have an overwhelming amount of links and other times not enough or they are inappropriately placed. When people have had to scroll down a web page, you can’t expect them to scroll back to the top for links. For WordPress sites make sure you take full advantage of the widget area.
General Tips:
Keep your menu system simple and easy to access. i.e. avoid dropdowns when possible.
Have a footer section that contains a small selection of important links.
Place a link or two in a web page and make sure one is towards the end of the content to encourage click through once a page has been read.
Is the current site theme hindering rather than helping users moving around the website? It doesn’t matter if a theme ‘looks’ great if it distracts or makes it harder for people to find suitable links.
WordPress Tips:
Use a widget to display a number of posts from within a specific category. So instead of listing all recent posts you can target a specific category such as sales.
Placement of widgets is important and you can use a ‘text’ widget to display important links in the sidebar.
Don’t be afraid to use graphics within the sidebar or differently coloured text to attract attention.
‘Yet another Related Post’ is a WordPress plugin that will automatically list related posts at the bottom of a post. This clever plugin can help encourage click through.
WordPress Plugins:
Category Posts Widget http://jameslao.com/2011/03/24/category-posts-widget-3-2/
YARPP (Yet Another Related Posts Plugin) http://www.yarpp.org/
Conclusion
At the end of the day you need to produce content that meets the demand of your visitors and tweaking how it is presented will play a major role. Continuously monitor your website statistics and don’t neglect your WordPress website.
Hire Neogain!
Neogain are WordPress experts who can help you move your website forward. We have a team of writers who produce great content. We have the administrators who can make the site perform well. Plus we have the marketing experts who can help your website perform well in search engines and also attract visitors.
Send us a message and tell us about your website and what you require. We will respond quickly.
Content Relevancy
It is one thing attracting the visitors to a website, it is another making them stay to achieve the objectives of the site.
The tips:
Hire a copywriter to research and write high quality content.
Write at least 250 words per page, but make sure each sentence contributes, rather than acts as ‘filler’.
Add graphics occasionally, such as photos.
The website links
Sometimes websites have an overwhelming amount of links and other times not enough or they are inappropriately placed. When people have had to scroll down a web page, you can’t expect them to scroll back to the top for links. For WordPress sites make sure you take full advantage of the widget area.
General Tips:
Keep your menu system simple and easy to access. i.e. avoid dropdowns when possible.
Have a footer section that contains a small selection of important links.
Place a link or two in a web page and make sure one is towards the end of the content to encourage click through once a page has been read.
Is the current site theme hindering rather than helping users moving around the website? It doesn’t matter if a theme ‘looks’ great if it distracts or makes it harder for people to find suitable links.
WordPress Tips:
Use a widget to display a number of posts from within a specific category. So instead of listing all recent posts you can target a specific category such as sales.
Placement of widgets is important and you can use a ‘text’ widget to display important links in the sidebar.
Don’t be afraid to use graphics within the sidebar or differently coloured text to attract attention.
‘Yet another Related Post’ is a WordPress plugin that will automatically list related posts at the bottom of a post. This clever plugin can help encourage click through.
WordPress Plugins:
Category Posts Widget http://jameslao.com/2011/03/24/category-posts-widget-3-2/
YARPP (Yet Another Related Posts Plugin) http://www.yarpp.org/
Conclusion
At the end of the day you need to produce content that meets the demand of your visitors and tweaking how it is presented will play a major role. Continuously monitor your website statistics and don’t neglect your WordPress website.
Hire Neogain!
Neogain are WordPress experts who can help you move your website forward. We have a team of writers who produce great content. We have the administrators who can make the site perform well. Plus we have the marketing experts who can help your website perform well in search engines and also attract visitors.
Send us a message and tell us about your website and what you require. We will respond quickly.
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