Do You Already Know All There is to Know About WordPress and Blogging? Can A Baby Boomer Explore and Learn More?

Posted on January 31, 2014 by blogcoach

Just when you though you had arrived in your blogging then you find that there is something more you need to know about WordPress and you get pulled back in. Well the fact of the matter is that we really never ever know all there is to know about blogging. At least that is my opinion.

That’s why I am going to sit in on some of this upcoming Web Camp by Armand Moran.

Now this training is not for the faint of heart. You must be willing to sit, get up, and sit again because it is for many hours over 3 days. That is why, although the training is free, if you want copies of the recordings that is where the price kicks in. Also, if you really like the training you can continue the learning by joining the monthly membership site.

But if your calender can be freed up for a couple of days and you have some great coffee, green tea or camomile you can hangout and refresh some points and learn other points. Also, if you are snowed in that will be the ultimate opportunity. So, think about coming to class again and Learn Boomer Learn.

Just click on the link below and find out more information.

FREE WordPress Blog Training

How To Get Dynamic Traffic to Your Blog Where to Put Keywords in Your Blog Posts-Part 2

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Ron Whitaker

This entry is part [part not set] of 3 in the series How To Get Dynamic Traffic To Your Blog

Greetings, boomer bloggers. This is Ron Whitaker, Guest Blogger, with part 2 of your series on keywords.

If you remember, last week I discussed the basics of keyword research.

Here’s a quick review:

If you remember my example from last week, I said that if you and I were having a discussion about my trip to Flagstaff, Arizona, throughout our discussion, you’d definitely hear me mention words like Flagstaff, Arizona, Northern Arizona, and Northern Arizona University.

I wouldn’t mention or discuss Paris, Eiffel Tower, or the Berlin Wall. Those words simply have nothing to do with Flagstaff!

Easy enough, yeah?

OK. So if you’re writing a brilliant blog post, where do you actually put the keywords or key phrases so that the search engines can find them and determine what your blog post is about so that it can be ranked well for that keyword or key phrase?

Well, that’s the point of today’s lesson. Let’s get started!

You asked for it…you got it!

Here’s where you’re going to need to place your keywords for best SEO practices.

Drum roll, please!

1. Page Title
2. Body text headers
3. Within links
4. Within the content
5. ALT Tags
6. Meta Description tag
7. File names
8. Domain name

Ta-da! There you have it.

Now, let’s discuss each one.

Page Title

What’s the page title?

If you’re familiar with HTML, the scripting language used to design web pages, the title of a website is found between the <title></title> tags.

And where is the title of the web page found?

Right here:

Take a moment and look at the very top of your browser. In Firefox, my browser of choice, it’ll be at the very top within the blue bar.

THAT’s the title. And it’s a critical place to include your keywords!

Now, do you need to know HTML and modifying the tag for each blog post?

The good news is no! Thankfully.

If you have a self-hosted WordPress blog, there’s a little trick you can use to get your keywords into your title.

Here’s how:

Under the Settings menu item along the left side of your screen, select Permalinks.

On the Permalinks Settings page, within the Common Settings section, select Post name.

When you choose this option, the next time you create a blog post, the title you enter in the Edit Post screen will become the title of your blog post within browsers.

Very clever…and helpful! (Thank you, WordPress!)

Body Text Headers

As you’re creating your content, it’s always a good idea to break it up.

How?

With headers.

For example, the headers so far in this blog post are “Where to place keywords revealed,” “Page Title,” and this section, “Body Text Headers.”

Not only is it a nice way of breaking up the text, especially if you’re publishing a long blog post, but it’s also a great place to include your keywords!

How do you include a header?

Here’s where some research into “H” tags will come in handy.

Within links

Here’s another great place to put some keywords: within links!

As you write your blog post, there may be times when you need to link either to another blog post on your own site, or to another site completely.

When including links in your post, go ahead and put a keyword in the link that relates to the post you’re writing, as well as the page you’re linking to.

Within the content

This one’s a no-brainer!

The most obvious place you want to include your keywords is within the content of the blog post itself!

Tip: When planning and writing your blog post, you don’t need to write the keyword in the exact same manner every time.

As an example, as I planned and wrote a post on relieving caregiver stress through journaling, the key phrase I determined I would use was “relieving caregiver stress.”

Along with that, I used a variation: “relieve caregiver stress.” I also used the phrase “caregiver stress” which also provides a good clue to search engines as to the intent and focus of this post.

The takeaway here is that once you’ve determined your keyword or key phrase, come up with some slight variations as well. Don’t worry, search engines like Google are smart enough to figure out what your post is about.

What do you do if you want to post a video?

That’s fun!

First, determine what topic you’re going to cover in your video. And yes, that’ll include determining a keyword you want to focus on.

Second, shoot your video.

Third, once you’ve finished your video and are ready to publish it, go through the video (or have someone else do it) and transcribe it.

Then put the video transcript beneath the video when you publish.

As an example, I wanted to let my potential customers know the focus and purpose of my website. I also determined that I wanted to present it in a fun video.

I decided that the keywords I wanted to concentrate on were what boomers can do with all the “stuff” they’ve ended up with.

So, I created the video, uploaded it to WordPress, then transcribed the video with the content used, which of course included the keywords.

Remember, Google can’t “grab” onto the content within a video. But, it can grab and index the text on a blog post.

Hence, the video transcription below the actual video is a great way to do this!

ALT Tags

What are ALT tags?

In a nutshell, ALT tags are found within <img> tags. The <img> tag is the tag you use to place an image within a blog post or on a static web page.

Mouse over any of the images I’ve used so far in this blog post. Let it sit there a second and you’ll notice text pop up near the mouse pointer.

This is a result of the ALT tag used in the <img> tag.

The good news is, you don’t necessarily need to know how to insert an <img> tag within your blog post.

Here’s what you can do:

The simplest way to insert an image into your blog post is to first place your cursor where you want the image to appear, then click the Add Media button located right above the text box where you write your blog post.

If you haven’t already, upload your image(s).

Select the one you want to insert into your post.

Notice at the right something similar to the following:

At the top is a thumbnail of the image. But it’s the section below that we’re interested in.

Two entries specifically—Title and Alt Text—are our new BFFs!

Simply enter a phrase—with your keywords, if it works—into each of these text boxes and WordPress will do the rest for you!

Meta Description Tag

Have you ever read those little descriptions below the title of a Google search result? Perhaps an image would better illustrate (pun intended!). Check out the chunks of text in red below.

Those chunks of text come from the Meta Description tag.

If you manually entered it into your blog post, it would look something like this:

Don’t worry, there’s a MUCH easier way to enter the text you want to be included in the meta description of your post. Please see The Best SEO Plugin Ever section at the end of this post.

For now, just know that putting your keywords in this section is a boon for you and those searching on your keywords.

File Names

What file name makes more sense as far as search engine optimization goes?

1) http://www.domainname.com/blog/?p=3234

2) http://www.domainname.com/blog/10-steps-to-easy-keyword-research/

Without question, option #2!

Why?

Simply put, it’s got your keyword in it?

So, how do you get your keywords into the name of the file?

Again, thanks to WordPress, it’s a snap!

Remember this image from the Page Title section above?

Notice the second arrow pointing to the Permalink line. The cool thing is that whatever you enter in your title not only will be entered as the title of your post, and therefore appear at the top of your browser, but it will also become the filename of the blog post itself.

So, if I’m writing a blog post titled “How to write a blog post” based on the image above, the file and URL of the blog post will look something like this:

http://www.domainname.com/blog/how-to-write-a-blog-post

How nifty is that?

Don’t forget, you’ll need to go into the Permalinks section of your WordPress admin and set Common Settings to Post name. See the Page Title section above.

Domain Name

Not sure what a domain name is?

The following are domain names:

www.microsoft.com
www.marthastewart.com
www.oprah.com
www.usa.gov

Sometimes it can be challenging to get your keywords into your domain name. As an example, look at eBay.

Granted, eBay is now a brand, but before it came onto the scene, I doubt many people were searching for the word eBay.

If possible though, your domain name can be a fantastic place to include a keyword.

The Best SEO Plugin Ever

OK. If keeping track of all the above seems a bit overwhelming, well, it is!

But, there’s some smart guys over at Yoast who’ve created this amazing plugin for WordPress. It’s called WordPress SEO, and I HIGHLY recommend you install it in your WordPress admin and use it!

It makes all this keyword stuff so much easier!

Once installed, the Yoast plugin will appear below the text box where you enter and write your blog posts.

Here’s what it looks like:

You’ll notice four tabs at the top of the WordPress SEO by Yoast section: General, Page Analysis, Advanced, and Social.

For this blog post, I’m just going to concentrate on the General tab.

When I first enter the Add New screen to write a blog post, the first thing I do is scroll down to the Yoast plugin section and enter my keyword into the text box next to Focus Keyword. Notice here a sample from my own blog. The keyword I was focusing on was “sandwich generation.”

From there, it’s pretty much downhill!

The Snippet Preview shows what your search result will look like in Google.

One of my favorite features appears below the Focus Keyword text box. Once you enter your keyword, Yoast will show you how many times your keyword was found within the Article Heading, Page Title, Page URL, Content, and Meta Description.

How awesome is that!

You now know exactly where the keyword has been placed and how many times it was found.

Remember above in the Meta Description section I referred you to this section? Here’s why:
Notice at the bottom of the Yoast plugin the Meta Description entry? All you have to do here is enter your description—using your keyword?and bam! It’s all done for you. Yoast will enter it automatically into your blog post.

Well, that is it for this week’s blog post and where to place your keywords for best search engine results.

Next week we’ll discuss how to be popular!

How To Get Dynamic Traffic To Your Blog Pt. 1

Posted on February 12, 2013 by Ron Whitaker

This entry is part [part not set] of 3 in the series How To Get Dynamic Traffic To Your Blog

Enjoy this powerful series by Guest Blogger Ron Whitaker

Image courtesy of winnond/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

OK, folks, history lesson time!

Back in the 1800s American humorist Josh Billings made the following famous quote (actually, a little rhyme!): “I hate to be a kicker, I always long for peace, but the wheel that does the squeaking is the one that gets the grease.“

Just FYI, in the 1800s, the word “kicker” meant someone who was a constant complainer.

Now, I’m not saying that all of you are complainers, but if you’re a blogger who is frustrated with a lack of traffic to your blog, you just might be a kicker! (Wow! That was so Jeff Foxworthy!)

OK, so let’s learn how to be the squeaky wheel when it comes to our blogs and getting better traffic.

In this blog post, I’m going to show you the basics of how to improve your ability to get found in the search engines using keywords and phrases.

In Part 2, we’ll discuss “where” to include those keywords.

Then in Part 3 we’ll learn some strategies [guest posting, guest commenting, link building] to get your blog in front of larger audiences.

How I Learned About All This Blogging Stuff

Back in early 2009, when I was a caregiver for my mother, I decided that at some point I wanted to start and run my own website. Now, I had a lot of web design experience, having been a web designer since 1996.

I didn’t know what type of website I was going to launch, or what my service or product would be, but I knew I wanted to start my own website at some point down the road.

Fortunately, I had a good friend, Darrell, who had a lot of experience starting and running websites.

One day, as I was speaking to him about my desire to start my own website, he told me that I would need to do SEO.

What’s SEO, I asked?

Searching Engine Optimization.

What’s that?

He explained that it included certain steps you take so that when someone was searching for a particular keyword or keyphrase, your website would rank highly in search engines, such as Google.

I suddenly realized that I had a lot of studying and learning to do before I even thought of moving forward with my venture!

So, I began studying.

And studying.

And studying…

…my brains out!

As I began studying the topic of SEO, I learned that you need to do something called “keyword research” and then implement those keywords into your content.

That’s the start of how to get traffic to your blog!

But there’s more!

What are keywords and how do I implement them in my blog posts?

Good question!

If you and I were having a conversation, and I was telling you about my trip to Flagstaff (Arizona), I would mention things like Flagstaff, Arizona, Northern Arizona, Northern Arizona University, the Arboretum at Flagstaff, the Museum of Northern Arizona, etc.

You wouldn’t hear me mention terms like Paris, Eiffel Tower, Wall of Berlin, Germany or the Louvre.

Those terms simply have nothing to do with Flagstaff!

So it is with our blog posts.

We need to focus on one (maybe two) ideas in each post.

And those ideas are communicated through words.

And we focus those ideas through what are known as keywords.

That way readers, as well as search engines like Google, know what the blog post’s focus is.

Starting a keyword research campaign

So, how do you get started?

Well, before writing a blog post, or even before launching your website, determine what the focus of the website or blog post will be.

Think about what words or phrases someone would use in a search engine that would lead someone to your site or blog post.

For example, when I started my website, a venue for baby boomers to list and sell “stuff” as they downsize, I considered words and phrases that people would enter into a search engine.

Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Phrases like “baby boomers,” “buy and sell,” and “selling stuff” came to mind.

Just as a tip, come up with longer worded phrases, as opposed to single word keywords.

Why?

As another example, if I have a website that sells t-shirts, trying to get the search engines to rank highly for the word “t-shirt” is going to be difficult.

First, it’s too broad of a term.

Second, it’ll be way too competitive.

Instead, consider a phrase like “red polo t-shirts.”

It’ll be less competitive and probably will be easier to rank in the search engines.

How do I know if anyone’s even searching on that phrase?

That’s where some online tools come in handy.

Once you’ve made a list of all the keyword phrases you can think of, take them to an online keyword research tool.

What’s that?

Keyword research tools show you how many people are searching for that word or phrase in search engines, as well as how competitive that keyword is. By competitive, I mean how many other websites are already using and ranking for that particular keyword.

Google offers a great keyword research tool. And best of all, it’s free!

You can find the Google keyword research tool by clicking this link.

Once you arrive at the keyword research tool page, simply enter your keyword into the “Word or phrase” box.

After you click the Search button, a list appears below, showing keyphrases based on your “seed” keyword.

The Competition column shows how competitive that keyword will be to rank for.

The Global Monthly Searches column shows the amount of searches performed worldwide on that keyword or keyphrase.

The Local Monthly Searches column shows the amount of searches performed locally on that keyword or keyphrase. Locally is based on the country you chose in the Advanced Options and Filters section above. The default is United States.

Google’s keyword research tool is a great free tool. There are also keyword research tools that come with a fee.

One of the best ones out there, and the one I use, is called Market Samurai. It’s an excellent tool, relatively inexpensive, that will definitely help you get laser focused with your keyword research.

The owners of Market Samurai also provide excellent training videos as well to help you get started with using their product.

Summary

If you’ve ever wondered how to get traffic to your blog, the foundation lies in the keywords you use.

In this post we learned that keywords are essential to showing viewers the focus of our websites and blog posts.

We learned that to focus a blog post on a particular topic, we need to discover which keywords will be the best, yet not too competitive, to include in a post.

We also learned that there are some excellent tools out there, such as Google’s Keyword Research tool, and Market Samurai, that can make the process of discovering quality keywords easier.

So, where do we go once we’ve discovered a keyword or phrase that we want to use in a blog post?

That’s next week’s topic.

Stay tuned!

Blogging Checklist Plugin-Was it Made for Baby Boomers?

Posted on April 10, 2012 by blogcoach

I love checklists! I still try to multi-task but finding it more challenging. Even while I write this post my husband is testing a record before posting on Ebay. Then he decided to video the record playing on the speakers he is also posting on Ebay. He turns to me and says ” These speakers are as beautiful as my wife”. I was startled and got distracted from the downloading of the Blogging Checklist plugin and my thoughts on what I was going to post. In addition, I was also traumatized that he would use the video of my poor posture on the laptop and unplanned punk rock hairdo.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. I am preparing for a blogging class with a local coalition group. I decided that I should add a checklist. In my research I came upon a really cool plugging with FIVE STARS called Blogging Checklist. Now, after you install the plugin it will live in your SETTINGS. (I am always looking for where to configure those plugins after I download them)

The plugin gives you great examples that you cut and paste into the in the dashboard.

Now you can add your own options by placing brackets around your choices. [sing a happy song]

Once you complete your checklist and finish your post those options are there for your next post. So, I am trying this out and if you do also let me know.

Meanwhile, the class I am teaching is for WordPress.com and I will need to give them an old fashion paper copy of this handy job aid for them to put by their computer. That is one of the good things about being a baby boomer, “You don’t forget the old way of doing things.” (I hope)

Link Shorteners-Are They All The Same?

Posted on June 11, 2010 by blogcoach

I found out that not all link shortners are the same Some will shorten more than others, some will not direct folks back to your site if you go viral..But let’s stop and take a breath. For those of you who may have no idea what I am talking about allow me to explain.

What is a Link Shortener?

A link shortner is service that allows you to put a loooooong url into it and magically it spits out a short link. They are really cool for Twitter. They are also great for other social networks that only allow you a few characters for your post. For example, suppose you were selling something on Ebay and you wanted to Tweet about it?

The link for that cool vintage record would look something like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300435489490&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

Now if I put it into a popular shortener like tinyurl.com this is what I will get.

http://tinyurl.com/28p6l33 Wow! It shortened it from 89characters to 26.

Yet, if I put the same link into a shortener called bit.ly I would get this link –http://bit.ly/9o82si which is only 20 characters. Not only is it shorter but this service provides tracking. I can see how many clicks it received plus some other data. (I read where they are nearing close to 2 billion clicks per month)

Both are very popular. Yet, there are others used buy different Twitter applications. And some shorteners produce something called a 302 redirect vs a 301. Don’t panic the only thing you want to be concerned with is that 301 is good (Both bit.ly and tinyurl use it) and 302 is bad.

So get ready to read an awesome article about link shorteners you may have never heard about. But note that this article is a year old. Some of the shorteners may not be in business. But the information in the article is comprehensive and revealing.

But before I link you to that article keep your eyes open for an annoucement from Twitter. THEY ARE LAUNCHING THEIR OWN LINK SHORTENER! It will provide analytics and supposed to be very secure.

Ok, as promised please read this post that compares link shorteners.

Will Using HTML Emails Help or Hurt My Business? Free Webinar Has Answers!

Posted on February 23, 2010 by blogcoach

A very good friend of mine , Toolie,is doing a FREE webinar on Thursday night. the title is “

Will Using HTML Emails Help or Hurt My Business? Free Webinar Has Answers!

This is what she says:

HTML Emails (e-zines, newsletters, email broadcasts) can be a great way to showcase your business, especially for markets that care about a professional appearance in every aspect of the business. However, having an email template that doesn’t LOOK like YOUR business can be a drawback! With a little HTML and CSS knowledge, you can create an email template that delivers not only your message but also enhances your brand recognition.

She will cover:

On Thursday night February 25th at 6 pm Pacific, 9 pm Eastern time, she will look at exactly how you “Brand Your Emails with Custom Templates.” She will take you behind the scenes of those pre-fab email templates and show you how you can attach your colors and images so your customer list recognizes YOUR message among all their emails

Also:

She will cover the details of her I Can Fix My Own Website, coaching, training and membership program.

Sign up now for the webinar, please tell her that Rosie sent you. Hope to hear you on the call. I promise, really promise you will learn a lot!

And yes, if you are a blogger, the cool stuff you learn will be invaluable!

Blog Food-Guest Blogger Series #1

Posted on January 14, 2010 by blogcoach

This is the final installment of the Top Ten Reasons to Manage Your Own Website and Blog Sites!

Reason 1 – Saving Money on Your Monthly Online Budget

By Toolie

Now we’re down to the number 1 reason to manage your websites and
blogs: money. It’s simply less expensive to learn how to handle most
website and blog tasks than it is to pay someone to do them for you.

The most obvious cost to your business is any ongoing website or blog
maintenance you’re paying to a web designer. I’ve heard from clients
that they’ve spent anywhere from $75 to $600 a month on maintenance.
The difference in pricing is related to the amount of work done in
those contracts.

•  A $75 a month charge included 1 major update a month, in this case,
my speakers association chapter adding their monthly meeting to the
site.
•  The $600/month charge was for website hosting, maintenance, and
keyword optimization; that’s what my dentist pays to maintain his page
1 Google status in his geographic area.
I hope your webmaster costs are either zero or somewhere between those
two numbers!

What other costs might there be? Well, you remember the true story of
my client whose website was shut down by a disgruntled team member,
yes? She directly lost revenue because her website wasn’t available.
It would have been difficult on short notice for her to replace the
site she had planned, but if she’d had control of her domain, she
could have pointed it to an alternate site until things were resolved.

What about creating opportunities BECAUSE you have HTML and CSS
skills? The Internet likes speed! Being able to come up with a custom
page on your website or blog that specifically addresses a new
opportunity provides a huge advantage over your competitors who can’t
or don’t provide such targeted information.

In fact, imagine being able to send to a prospect in email the URL of
a specially created web page on your website. Wouldn’t you sit up and
take notice if I said I have a message just for you at  such-and-such
a page? With a simple tool, I created custom pages with individual
names on them  for the folks on my mailing list, using a simple HTML
page and a tool that merges names into those web pages. Like so many
other highly-targeted messages, custom web pages have a big impact.
And this technique is easy and inexpensive to do.

So with basic HTML and CSS skills, you can not only save maintenance
costs, you can create opportunities for new business in targeted,
memorable ways. I hope by now that you’re all out of excuses now for
putting off  earning something that can make you money.

It’s time! The product is now available for purchase. There’s no time
like the beginning of a new year to make a difference in your business
by learning HTML and CSS. Head on over to
http://www.ICanFixMyWebsite.com and get all the details of this
program. I look forward to working with you in our coaching sessions,
and getting 2010 off to a great start.

You can choose to have $10 of the product price donated to the Red
Cross for Disaster Relief to Haiti. Just choose Yes on the Order Form
(near the bottom), and I’ll take care of the rest. — Toolie

The “I Can Fix My Website” program is up and running! Get your copy
right now at http://www.ICanFixMyWebsite.com.

Toolie®

Blog Food-Guest Blogger Series

Posted on January 13, 2010 by blogcoach

Reason 3 of Top Ten Reasons to Manage Your Own Websites and Blogs

Here is Reason 3 of my Top Ten Reasons to Manage Your Own Websites and
Blogs. by Toolie

Reason 3 – Controlling and Protecting Your Business Sites

"The story we're about to tell you is true. The names were changed to
protect the innocent."
(from the TV show "Dragnet")

I wish I were kidding about that. What I'm going to tell you IS true;
I'm just glad it doesn't happen very often.

I got a call last week from a client; I worked on her website last
fall. She is an author whose book wasn't yet available at that time,
but she was doing a number of things to prepare for the book launch.
My client had a social media site created by one of her team members.
After we handled a few updates to the site I had worked on previously,
she shared with me the debacle that accompanied the release of her
book.

After weeks of work on the social media site, the site was launched. A
few weeks later, my client and her team member had a misunderstanding.
This woman did not take the situation well, and in retaliation, shut
down the site for 8 days right at the time the book arrived in stores.
My client did not have the username and password to the site because
it was hosted with other sites owned by other people, and controlled
by the team member. She had no way of replacing the site in time for
her book launch.

A third party intervened in the situation and got the site back up,
but by then the damage was done. Fortunately my client has a loyal
following, and she didn't lose much revenue, but it was emotionally
devastating. After all her diligence and hard work, losing control of
her site when she needed it most was a situation she resolved to never
allow again.

In the "I Can Fix My Website" product, one of the first things we talk
about is the importance of having the domain registered in your name,
with your contact information, and for you to have control of the
domain account's username and password. The same is true of the
hosting account; it needs to be YOUR credit card and contact
information on file so that you can change it if (God forbid) your web
designer turns on you. (Some of my students have told me that I become
somewhat animated when discussing this, but it is for good reason.)

In the Action Guide that accompanies the product, I have space for you
to write down your usernames and passwords for all of your domain
registrations and web hosting accounts. You can also note whether your
domains are privately registered (where your personal details are
omitted so that you're less of a target for spammers) and which email
address you used with the registration. I have had to help reclaim
domain registrations for some clients because the domain renewal email
went to an account that no longer existed.

I understand the importance of keeping good records for your domain
registrations so that you don't lose them! With these simple
precautions (and some other advice I have for you), there's no reason
why you can't take control of your sites and protect your valuable
online business assets.

I want to see YOU confidently switching to the Code view in your web
editor and saying "Bring it on! I know how to use HTML...!" I look
forward to working with you on these and other important items during
our coaching sessions together in the "I Can Fix My Website" program.

Tomorrow: Reason 2 - Saving Time on Quick and Easy Updates to Your
Sites

Toolie®

Blog Food-Guest Blogger Series # 6

Posted on January 10, 2010 by blogcoach

10 Top Ten Reasons to Manage Your Own Websites and Blogs

Reason 6 – Jazz Up Your Website or Blog with Ideas from Other Sites

By Toolie

Have you ever seen a cool image, graphic, or feature on another site
and wondered how it’s done? With a little knowledge and some
curiosity, you can find out how it’s done, and maybe produce something
similar on your website.

On most websites, it is possible to view the source code of a site in
your browser, and even examine it in your favorite HTML editor. (I do
this all the time when I’m trying to diagnose a problem for a client.)
I also collect URLS to code for neat things like countdown timers,
background snow effects, and other features that I’ve spotted on other
websites. I don’t use the code, though, without first finding out what
the terms of use are, whether it’s free or licensed code.

Most of the time, the code that makes those nifty features appear is
code someone paid for, and with some investigation, I can go find the
site and buy it myself. I am in no way advocating theft of other
people’s intellectual property. (Did you hear what I said?) I’m
talking about doing research in the code so you can go do the right
thing (by buying the code), and enjoy the benefits.

There are sites on the Internet where you can go shopping for features
by the type of code you want to use. Let’s say you want to add a
background “snow” effect for your website during the holidays. My
favorite source for such things is www.HotScripts.com, a centralized
search engine for both free and paid scripts (Javascript, PHP, and
other languages). You don’t have to be a programmer to install the
scripts, you just need to know enough HTML to place the code in the
right spot (very much like you do to install a Facebook badge or
Twitter feed).

Some scripts on www.HotScripts.com are just features you add to your
websites; some are entire programs you can buy. Most of the free
scripts simply require that you keep their website URL in the code to
give them credit, which is absolutly the right thing to do. Some
scripts will allow you to remove that credit if you pay a registration
fee, which is also fair. Here are an example:

http://www.dseffects.com — will let you use the script for free if
you keep the author credit within the code. It costs $24 for a license
for one domain so you can remove the author credit, and $80 for up to
10 websites. (What a bargain!)

Some sites let you take their images as long as you make a copy,
rather than linking to their image. Here’s where I found a page of
animated snow GIF files:

http://www.scri8e.com/h/xmas/CICED/SnoAni/

The site owner allows you to make a copy for personal use, and
explains on this page why you cannot simply link to the images.

http://www.scri8e.com/5/1TermsOfUseNoLinking.html

If I decided to use one of his images, I would create a shortcut to
his website in the folder where I store the images so I remember where
I found them.

Now, to do the research initially, you need to know a little HTML. But
once you do, it opens up a whole world of possibilities. This isn’t
just about having the neatest effect to impress your friends; this is
about finding and utilizing features that will benefit your customers.

For example, I found a fabulous live chat program on someone else’s
site, and decided to switch. That allowed me to stop paying a monthly
fee for a chat program that was overkill for my little business. I
found that new chat software developer by inspecting the code,
tracking down the company website, and buying a license for all my
websites. I even recommend and install that chat program now for my
clients.

So what are you waiting for? It won’t take long for you to learn HTML
and CSS and be able to track down the features you’ve liked on other
sites. You don’t have to imitate, you can customize. Most of all, you
can assist and please your customers with the website and blog
features that help them buy from you. My website training program will
get you started learning HTML and CSS right away.

Next: Reason 5 – HTML/CSS Skills for More Than Just Web Pages and
Blog Posts

Toolie®

Blogging For Boomers

Blogging tips, tools and timely updates for blogging baby boomers and jonesers

Category Archives: Blogging Resource Tools

Do You Already Know All There is to Know About WordPress and Blogging? Can A Baby Boomer Explore and Learn More?

FREE WordPress Blog Training

How To Get Dynamic Traffic to Your Blog Where to Put Keywords in Your Blog Posts-Part 2

Greetings, boomer bloggers. This is Ron Whitaker, Guest Blogger, with part 2 of your series on keywords.

Page Title

Body Text Headers

Within links

Within the content

ALT Tags

Meta Description Tag

File Names

Domain Name

The Best SEO Plugin Ever

How To Get Dynamic Traffic To Your Blog Pt. 1

How I Learned About All This Blogging Stuff

What are keywords and how do I implement them in my blog posts?

Starting a keyword research campaign

How do I know if anyone’s even searching on that phrase?

Summary

Blogging Checklist Plugin-Was it Made for Baby Boomers?

Link Shorteners-Are They All The Same?

I found out that not all link shortners are the same Some will shorten more than others, some will not direct folks back to your site if you go viral..But let’s stop and take a breath. For those of you who may have no idea what I am talking about allow me to explain.

Ok, as promised please read this post that compares link shorteners.

Will Using HTML Emails Help or Hurt My Business? Free Webinar Has Answers!

A very good friend of mine , Toolie,is doing a FREE webinar on Thursday night. the title is “

Will Using HTML Emails Help or Hurt My Business? Free Webinar Has Answers!

Blog Food-Guest Blogger Series #1

This is the final installment of the Top Ten Reasons to Manage Your Own Website and Blog Sites!

Reason 1 – Saving Money on Your Monthly Online Budget

By Toolie

Blog Food-Guest Blogger Series

Reason 3 – Controlling and Protecting Your Business Sites

Blog Food-Guest Blogger Series # 6

10 Top Ten Reasons to Manage Your Own Websites and Blogs

Reason 6 – Jazz Up Your Website or Blog with Ideas from Other Sites