Archive for ideas
Web Site Performance – Podcast 202
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Over the past few weeks, I have been doing a lot of looking around at web sites I run, and asking myself, “What can I do to make this web site better?”. Well, after some experiments, trial and error, I have a few solutions I want to share with you.
Today I’ll hand to you four areas of your web site you can improve to get more web site visitors, have the search engines love you, and get more visitors to your web site, right here on the Web Hosting Show.
Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 202!
Running Time: 13 minutes | File Size: 5.92 MB
Here are just a few topics from this week’s episode:
- How to Write a Better Title Tag – The title tag might be a feature many people overlook, but it is just as important as having a nice looking web site layout. Some might even say it is the most important thing, because it is often the first thing a web site visitors sees. Today I’ll be telling you what the title tag is and what you can do to make yours better.
- Basic Writing Advice to Improve Web Page Flow – Do your web pages flow? By flow, I mean can you read through it without asking yourself what is this about again? If you find yourself stopping and starting when reading your own web pages, take this basic writing advice and try it out on your own web site content.
- 6 Different Content Writing Ideas – Inspiration for a web site’s content is often hard to find. So when I find myself in trouble, I turn towards my own list of six different content writing ideas that should help inspire you to get that new page up and running.
- Effective Web Site Navigation Rules – A web site visitor should never be confused by your web site’s navigational layout. Every web page out there should have an easy way to navigate both to new web pages and categories, but also back out of them. Think of it as reaching a fork in an old country road, choosing to go down the left road – and then turning around and finding a pink hippopotamus in a tutu.
Quick Tip #3 – Your web site’s Meta Description should contain between 70 and 160 characters (spaces included).
Delays aside, I hope this web hosting podcast is one you can enjoy. Feel free to send me your web development or hosting questions on the submit a question page, and leave a comment to let me know you listened.
Shameless Plug of the Week – Web Hosting Show Coupons – Looking for a great web hosting deal or steal? This is the place to check!
Add me on Twitter! Come follow my daily antics, links, tips and more @mitchkeeler on Twitter!© Mitch Keeler 2010 | Check out my firefox help site and my tech blog too!
Mind Maps for Webmasters
Posted by: | CommentsWhen it comes to planning out a brand new web site, organizing your thoughts can be rather difficult. You might know that you want to design a web site about a specific topic, but can’t decide what else you might need in that web site to help it become successful. Mind maps are one great way to get your jumbled thoughts about your site organized.
What is a Mind Map? A mind map (or the process of mind mapping) is when you create a diagram using specific words, ideas or tasks and arrange them around a central theme or idea. By doing this, you can visualize, structure and classify ideas based around your central theme.
For an example, take a look at this mind map of my breakfast:
The centralized idea here is what I had for breakfast. You can see I had a slice of toast,a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice. To take it a step further, we could branch out even further with the idea of toast, like so:
What made up the toast? Well, it was a toasted slice of bread, with butter on it. So off the idea of toast, I listed bread and butter. See how easy taking one idea like breakfast and coming up with ways to visualize how it came to be?
How to Mind Map Your Site! Now that you are familiar with what a mind map is and how to use it, it is time to look at web site organization. You just got a Basic hosting plan from Lunarpages, and you want to start up a web site about super heroes. So with the super heroes topic, how could you divide it up? How about you split it into two for now, DC Comics and Marvel Comics – the two biggest comic book brands.
Now you have at least two pages planned out. Under DC Comics, you could list heroes like the Green Lantern, Batman and Superman because they all come from the DC Comics brand. For Marvel Comics, you could list super heroes like Spiderman, Iron Man, and Wolverine.
So that should be a good start as far as content goes. So what other specific pages does a web site need? What about a page that tells about the web site? Maybe, you could add a page with your contact information too.
See how organizing ideas in a mind map is helpful when it comes to organizing your web site? Much like a tree, you start at the trunk, and then break your web site into branches, and then those branches have branches, and then those branches have leaves.
What Tools and Software Can You Use for Mind Maps? Ok, so you know what to do and how to do it, now you’re probably just needing a way to get it done. You really don’t need anything too fancy to get this accomplished. For years, I just used notebook paper and pencil to sketch out my ideas into a mind map. There are some online solutions as well as software solutions you might want to check out to bring mind mapping into the digital age.
Bubbl.us is what I have been using for my screenshots above. It is an online tool that lets you drag and drop your ideas around on the mind map a very simple task. It might be a little confusing at first, but hover over anything you have a question about and you can get more information about it in the help pane in the browser. Wikipedia also has a long list of mind mapping software solutions worth checking into.
The Lunartics blog is a daily source for web hosting and web development tools, tips and tutorials. Be sure to check in daily to learn how to best use your Lunarpages web hosting account. You an also subscribe to the RSS feed or get the posts delivered directly to your e-mail inbox.
How to Turn a Complaint into a Feature
Posted by: admin | Comments Comments OffYou do not have to drastically change the way you do business though. If you are successful in one area of business, do not toss it aside to do something else that is more popular. I got a question submitted to me the other day from Matt, which touches on this very topic.
Here is what Matt had to say:
How can a free host become successful?
People are always skeptical when it comes to getting something for nothing, so as long as you give free services – you’ll always have somebody out there dismissing your claims of success because they think you’re a fraud. Thankfully, they might also think we never landed on the moon or one of the muppets assassinated JFK. The fact of the matter is there will always be somebody out there to complain.
My question is, do you have to pick one business plan, free hosting versus paid hosting, or can you have your cake and eat it too? I would suggest you keep your free hosting in place, it sounds successful, and you have happy customers – which is something many web hosts, free or not, can not claim. As a secondary service, roll out a paid hosting solution that offers a few perks over the free version. It could be in features, support or anything else you feel like you could offer a little more of to the people willing to pay for it. Then, once that is in place, start marketing your new paid hosting service to those customers you do have, and let them know that it is an option you are providing for them.
Some might bite at the proverbial worm you are tossing out there, and others may say no thanks. Past that point you can sell your new paid hosting option to the masses using the free service as a way to get your foot in the door, as far as seeing how great your hosting setup is. You might even sell it as you are so confident they will enjoy their hosting with you, you are willing to give it away for free.
Thanks to Matt for the question, and to check out his web site – or maybe send some more suggestions his way, be sure to check out ismywebsite.com.
Like This Article? Listen to it and more like it on podcast #200 of the Web Hosting Show!
Add me on Twitter! Come follow my daily antics, links, tips and more @mitchkeeler on Twitter!© Mitch Keeler 2010 | Check out my firefox help site and my tech blog too!