SEO and Web Hosting: How Are They Related

If your web host is a poor one then it is possible that it will affect the SEO value of your website. If your website is due to draw a lot of traffic then a poor host may also limit the SEO potential of your website. Mostly all SEO matters revolving around hosting are negative, since there are no real web hosting qualities that will help you to raise your websites SEO. But, first things first, what is web hosting and SEO?

SEO

This stands for Search Engines Optimization. It revolves around how your website is read and subsequently indexed by the search engines. This notion is often described as a value, where a website that is likely to be ranked higher in a search engines results pages is described as having a higher SEO value. A website may also be called SEO friendly, which means it is correctly set up so that it ranks higher in the search engines results pages.

Web hosting

This is where you purchase some server space from another company. The server is always online and available for anyone on the Internet to see. This means that you can put information into the space on the server (such as an HTML page) and other people using the Internet will be able to see it.

Restricted bandwidth

Your host may only offer you a certain amount of bandwidth. This is okay if you have small numbers of traffic, but if your website becomes heavily attended it is going to mean your viewers are going to be staring at a blank screen. If this happens too often, the search engines will lower your websites ranking and push you further down their search engine results pages.

Security

If your host does not run a secure server then it may come under attack from hackers, which is going to mean multiple system crashes, and you may even lose the information on your website. This means that your website is going to be offline for long periods of time, which is going to negatively affect your websites SEO value.

Viruses

It is up to your host to make sure that the server you are using is not infected with viruses (unless you are responsible for maintaining the server). If they do not do a good job of this then you will again be at the mercy of system crashes, which will lower your websites ranking on the search engine results.

Updates

Again, unless it is up to you to update the server, the host is supposed to do it regularly. If your host does not update on a regular basis then the server will be vulnerable to hackers and will have compatibility issues with current software. Both of these situations are going to negatively affect your websites SEO value.

Page completion time

Google judges some of your SEO value on how long it takes your website to finish loading. A lot of this responsibility falls on you and how you design your website, but your host may also add a drag factor, which will slow your progress onto the first page of the Google search results. If the host only provides a slow bandwidth then your page completion time is going to be slow. If the server is rarely defragmented and poorly updated then it will run slowly and cause problems. If the server is poorly maintained and poorly optimized it will slow down your page complete times.

The Up-Time

This should not be a problem unless your host is a really bad one. Your website is supposed to be online at least 98% of the time. If your host is not running your website for at least 98% of the time then you are going to suffer the consequences when the search engines notice. As you can imagine the longer and more often you are offline, the harsher the SEO punishment. Sadly, there is little you can do about this besides changing hosts (which many would recommend that you do).

The reaction of others

Do not forget that if you experience any of these problems it may seem temporary, but the people who link to you may notice your problems and break their links to you, which is going to negatively affect your websites SEO value.

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

Newest Trends in Holiday Marketing

The Internet has become primary for shoppers and not less so in the holiday season. This infographicreveals the way in which consumers are more frequently employing the Internet either through shopping, price comparison, or product research.

There are several major trends that determine how sales are made that have to be accounted for by Internet marketers in order to maximize the important holiday shopping season.

First is the increase in online shopping reflected by today’s “cyber-Monday” marketing campaign. Online shopping may account for up to half of this holiday’s purchases.

Then there’s the increase in the role of the Internet for shopping in physical stores. Someone shopping in a department store might utilize their mobile device to compare prices before making a purchasing decision. Or, they may have researched various products and prices online before heading to the store.

What does that mean for current Internet marketing over the holidays? First of all, it means your site needs to be accessible for mobile devices, but it also needs to be easy utilized for shopping. How do the search functions on your site work? Are they forgiving on spelling errors or imprecise search queries? How specific and advanced a search do you make available to customers shopping at your site?

The easier a site is to navigate and shop on, the more likely it is to draw in customers. In fact, smaller businesses can still draw advantages over larger competitors who haven’t learned how to design their sites to draw traffic and be user friendly.

Another major development is in the fact that for a customer looking to shop online, a small business with an expansive and helpful site can appear as resourceful and helpful as a much larger company.

Where larger companies are finding advantages with new opportunities in online marketing is through emails and social media. With the latter, companies will create contests and promotions or use ads to reach online shoppers in their own homes on their own terms.

More results are still coming through emails though as people follow emails for deals, coupons, and ultimately sales. The trend amongst big companies for the holidays is to utilize their larger resources on social media, big expansive sites, and emails.

However many of the trends in holiday marketing can also favor the smaller business. Besides the large gap they can fill with a strong website over the larger chains, specialized shops benefit tremendously from search engine shopping.

Someone shopping for a specific item and looking to learn or compare prices will use search terms for that item. So, websites with a specific product can rank higher on searches and draw customers who make specific searches. The larger stores can’t get rank as high on a specific item due to unspecialized search engine optimization.

Much like in a physical store, a website can be further catered to meet the demands of someone looking for a particular product. For instance, a website selling Science Fiction books can draw in readers that search for specific books or the genre, and then cater the website towards that same audience with Science Fiction art, quotes, etc.

The ability for online shopping, shipping, and search engine optimization provides small businesses unique advantages in today’s world to market themselves via the Internet for the Holidays.

By taking note of these trends, both large and small companies can take advantage of the supremacy of the Internet for holiday marketing.

Author Bio: IanB writes for US Business week where national business news is always up for discussion.

Create Successful Ads with Google AdWords Express

Google rolled out an express version of their popular advertising service AdWords. They claimed it was the fastest and easiest way to advertise online. The whole shebang is auto managed so that your ads are only seen by those who would be looking for what you are selling. For example if you are a seller of organic vegetables located in Brownsville PA, a user searching for organic vegetables in Brownsville or even organic vegetables, would see that ad; a user looking for wholesale ice-cream suppliers in Philadelphia would not.

Exactly how different is the Express version from its parent, Google AdWords?

The most significant difference is that AdWords Express is specifically targeted at local businesses that find PPC time consuming but yet want some kind of visibility on the search engine giant.

In the original version you have to come up with your own keywords, and administer the bids. In Express, it is all taken care of by Google.

So now the million dollar question is, if you’re a small local business, is this tool going to provide you with any real benefits? Let’s see what the good and not-so-good sides of AdWords Express are:

Benefits

Definitely its ease of use is its biggest advantage. Set up takes less than 10 minutes, over 4 simple steps. Once that’s done, it’s done! In just a few minutes your ad can go live on the web. Saves time for sure. The bid prices assigned to you are taken from Google’s bid auction model. The monthly budget recommendation is also made for you, depending on the search volume.

The ads are also targeted depending upon your geo location. Cool huh? Now you don’t have to worry about categorizing according to country, state city and so on. This feature also saves you a lot of time, not to mention headache.

Disadvantages:

Well its advantages can also be its disadvantages; you have to completely rely on Googles’ assumptions about your business!

Then again if you are a small business on a shoestring advertising budget and looking to do business only locally, then perhaps AdWords Express will work out perfectly for you. 

How you can set up Google AdWords Express:

1) Open your account 

If you already have a Google account, you can use that email when signing up for your AdWords Express account.

2) Make the advertisement 

In the advertisement category in the account, chose the appropriate option.  After that comes the title and body of your advertisement. This is what will be displayed to online searchers so do this part carefully and well. Try to think of words people would use while searching for a product like yours, and include that in the text. Also mention any notable events in your business (maybe your business was declared the best local business in the county a couple of years ago), as well as promos. Remember to have newspaper clippings or other supporting docs to corroborate your claims! Don’t forget to incorporate a call to action in the ad itself, as this will make it easier for the visitor to make a purchase. It could be in the form of a complimentary assessment, a demo or any other thing you can come up with that will catch the attention of the user.

3) Decide on your budget

Though Google recommends a monthly budget calculated on the basis of competitor expenditure, you do have the option to decide how much you want to spend every month. What’s great is that you have to pay only when a user clicks on the ad. 

And you’re all set to go!

Michael Rae a freelance writer for www.adt.com - offers full home security to help protect your family, assets from burglary and other crimes. adt.com 

Anticipated Digital Marketing Trends in 2013

Marketing rules of the yester-years just don’t apply anymore. Gone are the days when simple pamphlets or huge hoardings were considered sufficient for promoting a brand. Since the increase in usage of the World Wide Web, marketing trends have changed drastically.

Everything’s going viral. The world has become so immersed in this digital age that they just can’t do without, now.  So organizations have decided to go the same route, with a “if that’s where they are, that’s where we’ll be” policy.

Health care organizations have taken to educating the public on various diseases. The Government uses it to promote tourism. Even restaurants have realized the importance of ‘digital marketing’ and now handle online deliveries, or even just post their menus online to help narrow down your options. We, the consumers, have the upper-hand now, and companies are beginning to come to terms with that.

But even in the digital world, trends change drastically over time. We may not be able to ascertain the exact outlook of this field, in the coming years. One can only presume, based on current fads.

Social Media

It goes without saying that this is where it’s at these days. Almost everyone is on some ‘social media platform’ or the other. Organizations have taken to promoting their wares on said sites, but on a smaller scale. 2013 may just see an increase in those numbers as more and more of them are hopping on to the bandwagon.

Establishments of all sizes, the world-over, are starting to see the brighter implications of advertising on such platforms, as the consumers spend a huge chunk of their day browsing through these websites.  Hence, they can advertise to a much wider audience than ever before.

‘Word of mouth does wonders for a business’. Way before our world became connected in such a ‘complex-spider-web-like’ fashion, that statement would’ve been on a more literal note, and reached a very small portion of the public. Nowadays, thanks to social networking, word spreads with the blink of an eye, simply by ‘sharing’ or ‘liking’ a page. It’s that simple.

Content Marketing

Now, content marketing became a fad, fairly recently, when establishments came to realize that their consumers are getting smarter by the day. No longer are ‘blind-investments’ made. People have started doing their ‘homework’ before doing so.

The Web allows one to do an extensive research on products/services, thus enabling smarter purchases. These researches comprise mainly of articles or blogs that are posted by other consumers.

So, organizations decided to go ‘one-step-ahead’. They got into ‘content marketing’, wherein ‘approved-content’ on their merchandise, are posted all over the Internet, so as to lead the consumer on from the very onset of their ‘decision-making’ process.

Gaming

This is a new concept that organizations are just beginning to see the possibilities, in. It works wonders on a ‘younger’ target audience, as an interest of this sort prevails only among such age groups. It’s simply promoting their brand name via games of various kinds…either in relation to their merchandise, or not.

Location Based Marketing

In this form of marketing, companies rely heavily on the various gadgets that we use, that have some form of connectivity on it. Say for example, you walk into a mall, and the Bluetooth on your mobile is switched on. You are instantly bombarded by messages that inform you of the various ‘red-ribboned’ promotions or offers that are available to you, in the stores, should you be interested.

Also, various huge department stores, have introduced the concept of ‘in-store’ GPS, wherein, instead of having to go on a long, cumbersome search for a particular product, the GPS simply points you in the right direction.

Online Shopping

It’s all the rage now. In this busy world, people hardly find time to ‘schedule-in’ shopping. So when ‘online-shopping’ was 1^st introduced, it was like a ‘God-send’ for them. They could get their shopping done within minutes.

True, this has been quite popular since a few years now, but up until now, online shopping didn’t include everything ‘under –the-sun’. Now you can even order a ‘home-cooked-meal’, to be delivered to your doorstep within hours. It’s quite the ‘super-hero’ that saves you from having to step out doors, anymore.

So, brands have taken to selling online. ‘Online shoppers’ are a huge sect in themselves, and catering to them is a boon for companies. 

Digital marketing is going forward in leaps and bounds. Up until recently, we were relying on those rare TV ads, or jingles on the radio, for more information on companies. Now, it’s all there at our finger tips, making our lives all the more easier.

This guest post is brought to you by Chad Bauer of timewarnercable.wedocable.com, a site that offers savings and current information on time warner internetdeals.

What to Know About Facebook's New Local Search

Local search capabilities throughout social networks started out small but have gained more and more attention throughout the year. With the growing popularity of mobile utilization in many markets, there is a new emphasis on keeping local search even more widespread as we go into 2013.

In fact, Facebook just updated both their iOS and Android apps to improve on the “Nearby” feature that many have already become familiar with. The update just happened this week, and it is now allowing users to look into businesses that are close by based on a number of different factors. Users have long been used to being able to see who has been checking in among their friends, but there has never been quite an elaborate level of suggestion making. 

According to Search Engine Land, the metrics that these recommendations run off sound be crowd-sourced. Combining factors such as check-ins, ratings, Likes and others will determine what recommendations the user sees.

Based on some screenshots of the iOS update, users should have access to many subsets of local services. Users can look for nearby coffee shops, bars, arts-related venues, shopping and more. Each of these categories break off into more specific subjects. Businesses that are looked up will come with a profile that highlights how many of the users friends have been there, including a brief synopsis of their experience. An overall rating of the location can also be seen. 

If you are a business owner and weren't quite up to the times to create a Facebook page, then you're going to be out of luck with showing up “Nearby”. That doesn't mean that it is too late either though – simply get a page created with clear information that indicates your type of business, as well as any other type of contact information that you can supply. 

Changing the Game in Local Search

Some might think that Facebook is a little too late in the game of joining local search, especially with other social networks like Yelp and Foursquare already taking the lead. However, Tech Crunch reported today that Yelp's stock has already taken a little dive with the news of Facebook's mobile updates. 

This is a pretty significant occurrence being that the update hasn't even been made completely available just yet. There's no saying just how well-protected Facebook's program could be against spam. However, those who use Yelp and others know that it is pretty dependable. Seeing where your own friends go and recommend on Facebook could be a big winning ticket for Facebook, and others have pointed this out as well.

Having this sort of more relatable connection could be a big driver for Facebook Nearby, especially given the natural tendency to float towards Facebook in the first place. 

As stated, the update should be made available this week on both Android and iOS.

Author Bio – Being the principle writer of DX3, Ezra Melino writes extensively on the happening in social media, Google and of the vanguard of technology. Get in touch with Ezra @DX3tech or in the comment section below.

Christmas snowfalls with breeze for Blogger 2012

Christmas is one of the largest festival celebrate all over the world. Christmas is the much awaited festival that knock the door of all Bloggers. And all are thinking about decorating their blog. How to decorate the blog with snowfalls and clouds ? Do you like to decorate your blog with beautiful snowflakes and clouds? Then here there is a article about how to add snowflakes with breeze to your blogger blog.

If your Blog has a dark interface then this widget serves better.The Snow flakes and the breeze are  in white color so dark background will be better to get a good look.


If you want to get dark Christmas background ,set the following picture or search darker Christmas backgrounds.
Do you want to know how this work
Click below to view the demo

View Demo

• Sign in to your Blogger Account
• Go to Template > Edit HTML
• Find ]]></b:skin> (Find using ctrl + F)
• Copy the following CSS code above it [Alternate Way to copy css code]

/*-- Breeze for Snow flakes --*/
#mbl_snowflakes {
position: absolute;
height: 950px;
width: 966px;
overflow: hidden;

}
#snowContainer > div
{
position: absolute;
width: auto;
height: auto;
-webkit-animation-iteration-count: infinite, infinite;
-webkit-animation-direction: normal, normal;
-webkit-animation-timing-function: linear, ease-in;
}
#snowContainer > div > img {
position: absolute;
width: auto;
height: auto;
-webkit-animation-iteration-count: infinite;
-webkit-animation-direction: alternate;
-webkit-animation-timing-function: ease-in-out;
-webkit-transform-origin: 50% -100%;
}
@-webkit-keyframes fade
{
0% { opacity: 1; }
95% { opacity: 1; }
100% { opacity: 0; }
}

@-webkit-keyframes drop
{
0% { -webkit-transform: translate(0px, -50px); }
100% { -webkit-transform: translate(0px, 650px); }
}
@-webkit-keyframes clockwiseSpin
{
0% { -webkit-transform: rotate(-50deg); }
100% { -webkit-transform: rotate(50deg); }
}


@-webkit-keyframes counterclockwiseSpinAndFlip
{
0% { -webkit-transform: scale(-1, 1) rotate(50deg); }
100% { -webkit-transform: scale(-1, 1) rotate(-50deg); }
}

•  Search <body and copy the following below it

<script charset="utf-8" src="https://netoopscodes.googlecode.com/svn/branches/Js files/snowfall.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

<div id="mbl_snowflakes">

<div id="snowContainer">

</div>

</div>

• You are done... Save the Template

SEO for YouTube - Best Practices

Simply uploading your videos on YouTube is not enough. You need to optimize them so that they pop up when people conduct a related search. YouTube is the second-largest search engine on the web, so make sure you get it right.

Here are a few tips that will push your videos upwards.

Closed Captions: Noticed the small button called “CC” on the bottom video bar? Well, closed captions are used by YouTube to find relevant videos. That means if you have unique text strings in the captions file, then your video will be chosen over many others.

With YouTube’s speech recognition technology, all you need to do is upload your audio script and syncing will take place automatically. Videos with CC will surely receive more exposure than ones without.

Video file naming: This is one of those small things that usually go unnoticed. When you upload a file to YouTube, the video file name remains the same as it was on your desktop, e.g. MOV0123.AVI. Even though viewers don’t get to see this, it still makes a difference to YouTube rankings. Make sure you change it by adding the right keywords. It adds a lot of weight to your video.

Creating interesting content: Did you know that YouTube rates videos based on how long a user watches it? This means that videos with similar content will be ranked depending on the average duration that viewers have lingered on a particular video.

If your videos are highly engaging, then you can be rest assured of better rankings. This is a point that most YouTube users are not aware of.

Your channel: A website that has quality content on a particular topic will always generate more traffic than others. The same rule applies to a YouTube channel. If you have a collection of fresh videos for people to view, then every new one you upload will garner a lot of interest. From an SEO perspective, this will help increase views.

Going HD: Standard Definition videos are easier to upload, but quality becomes an issue here. However, many YouTube channels still prefer putting up videos that are not too sharp. This could be detrimental to your YouTube rankings in more ways than one.

First of all, viewers enjoy watching High Definition videos because of the clarity it offers. Besides offering a better viewing experience, HD videos are always higher ranked than SD ones. This is mainly because YouTube considers HD videos to have better content. 1080P videos should be your target.

The description: If you have the audio script of your video, then adding it to the description could help with optimization. A description can be more than 2-3 lines, but it should contain relevant keywords connected with your video.

Adding a URL at the beginning of your description will increase traffic to your other online addresses (such as the official website of your company or the Facebook page). Description Tip: Make sure you include “http://” while adding a URL; this gives you a clickable link in your description.

Tags: Any YouTube SEO expert will stress on the importance of video tags. The video site allows you to add innumerable tags and you can even choose from a few automated options. A good idea is to choose a few YouTube tag suggestions along with some of your own. This gives your video a good boost.

It’s all about exposure on the world’s second largest search engine. 60 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute while 4 billion hours are watched every month. This is enough to get you thinking about the perfect SEO moves to make on everybody’s favorite video site.

Ryan Larkin is writing for www.broadbandproviders.com - the leading provider of the best value broadband internet. He writes about the Internet and the latest happenings in Technology.