How to Register a Domain Name

Internet has effectively made the world a much more close-knit global market. But, how do you get an address on this virtual real estate? By getting yourself a domain name. So let us see, how to register a domain name.

“Feature Enterprises is a new firm. They are marketing consultants and have several local clients. Now, they have decided to implement their expansion plans. They plan on getting in touch with their global network and working with MNC and global clients. Knowing their skill, this should not be a tough task for them to crack. The only glitch in the master plan being, that they don’t have a web domain. When they go about trying to get a domain name, they make a mistake in selecting an effective domain name. Due to this, they lose out on a lot of good business.”

What was the mistake that Feature enterprises made? They failed to register their domain name at the right time and hence lost out on the right domain name. Result – they lost out on the benefits that they could have reaped out of the domain name.

A right domain name, is a very major brand creating idea. Yes, many take it for granted. However, the domain name is like the name of your virtual real estate. There are a few domain name rules and domain name registration procedures to go through, in order to register your domain name.

How do I go about selecting domain name?
You need to make sure that the domain name is the same as that of your organization. This way, even someone who is not very sure of your exact domain name, will be able to reach it fairly easily. You can check out all the domain names, that you could use on search engines and domain name generators, and select the most appropriate and favorable one.

Where can I register the domain name that I have selected?
There are several websites that are domain name registration service providers. The charges and terms and conditions along with the domain name rules, may slightly differ from service provider to service provider. Either ways, the charges will be reasonable. Make sure that they provide the domain space, that would be applicable for your business. It is mostly favorable to go for a dynamic domain rather than a static one.

What all are the procedures involved, while I register a domain name?
As per the normal procedure followed by most of the domain name registrars, the procedure followed is:

  • Select a domain name.
  • Select the domain name registrar, that you wish to register your domain name with.
  • Read the web hosting terms and conditions carefully.
  • Make the payment and make sure that you have the control of the domain name.

Once the control of the domain name is in your hands, you can upload your web-content as per your choice.

What are the options that I have for my domain name extensions? Which one is proper for me?
There are many common and new types of domain name extensions. You could go for a .com, .org, .us, .edu, .uk, .in, .name, .net, .info, .pro, .biz etc. Your domain name registrar will furnish you with the individual domain name registering rules for each of them. However, they all have certain specific importance. Like, .com, .org, .net, are most appropriate for business. Others like, .edu, .info, .biz, are more appropriate for and informative or education based website. Domain names ending with .name are mostly private websites. The website that end with two alphabets like .us, .uk, .in are country specific and have a separate set of rules and procedures for them.

Once the domain name is registered, you can upload the web content on that virtual location through internet technology. Many domain name registrars also offer to create and upload the website with an additional charge. You could opt for that option as well. Anyways this is where I sign off! I hope, that now you know how to register a domain name. Have fun in your domain!!

By Rashida Khilawala
Published: 8/12/2009

Facet Internet now Pagerank 0!?

Facet Internet is now down to pagerank 0 (but still getting around 200 visits a day…) I don’t think that pagerank is worth much anymore, but….

I thought creating a blog was supposed to make Google happy, not upset them! FacetInternet.com was Pagerank 4 when it was parked on SEDO. Ah well, unless Google introduce minus pageranks at least they can’t take it any lower….. 

Does Google PageRank Count Anymore?

Being a full-time SEM (Search Engine Marketer) I have been conditioned like Pavlov’s dog (not a pretty picture) to jump every time Google twitches. Lately Google has been doing a lot of twitching.

Specifically, the rather startling news from Google Webmaster Trends Analyst Susan Moskwa that Google has ditched PageRank from Webmaster Tools.

“We’ve been telling people for a long time that they shouldn’t focus on PageRank so much; many site owners seem to think it’s the most important metric for them to track, which is simply not true,” states Moskwa. “We removed it because we felt it was silly to tell people not to think about it, but then to show them the data, implying that they should look at it.” (Source: WebProNews)

Now, for SEO reasons or for ranking in Google’s index, PageRank has long been eunuchified by Google. However, even missing a few dangling bits, history has shown us, eunuchs still wheel tremendous power. PageRank is no different.

Regardless of what Google wants to happen, PageRank is still extremely important to anyone marketing on the web, especially if you’re selling SEO services or operating a web business. Try selling SEO services when that little green bar on your site is pointing to PR0 or worst yet, pointing to a solid gray bar.

Obtaining a high PR7 or PR8 simply means more business and revenues… regardless of how Google is or is not using PageRank. People know how to count and they learned long ago, a ten is a lot more than a big fat zero.

Placed against a PR1 site, a PR8 will win more respect in the eyes of potential clients and can produce enormous profits for the site owner and we won’t even mention the still widely practiced habit of selling links, which Google is desperately trying to stop. Total and full elimination of PageRank would be an honest start but it will still be an uphill, if not an unwinnable battle, for Google to fully eliminate link selling.

Even with my modest sites, I have turned down a small fortune by not selling text links on any of my sites. When I had a PR6 site instead of a PR4 – those link requests were nearly doubled. So one can easily understand Google’s position and the need to downplay PageRank, if they want to put even a small dent in all this link selling and buying, which is still running rampant on today’s web.

PageRank is Google’s creation, and unless they remove it fully from their system and the Google toolbar, then PageRank still Counts. Actually, in the whole scheme of marketing your website on the net, PageRank counts big time. And in more ways than one.

There are several reasons why you shouldn’t count PageRank out.

For years Google has been downplaying the important of PageRank and states it’s only one of about 200 ranking factors which determines how Google ranks its index for keywords. Obtaining top organic rankings for popular lucrative keywords in Google simply means money in the bank. Actually, even a movement of only one or two places on those first page SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) can make a major difference to any online marketer’s bottom line.

Now while you can have a lower PR number and still rank above other higher PR pages for your chosen keywords, I have even had many times when my PR drops but my actual SERPs rankings in Google goes up, mainly due to building related relevant backlinks. So PageRank counts little towards your keyword rankings but it can’t be totally dismissed.

Mainly because, even if PR is just one ranking factor, in close competitive keyword battles (I am presently fighting tooth and nail for some very choice keywords) just one ranking factor such as high PR can make the difference of whether or not you get to the top spot. Big dogs are still jumping and for those of us who know how to count, getting a number one spot in Google makes all the difference in the world.

Not only because Google controls roughly 80% of all search engine traffic, but more importantly Google has established unmatched credibility and brand recognition in the eyes of potential customers visiting your site. Web users trust Google. Web users look to Google for guidance and direction. Web users believe what Google is telling them. In the online world, rightly or wrongly, perception is everything.

As an online marketer, I am completely amazed each day at the marketing power Google now commands with web surfers and with the general population. Google is king of online search and no other search engine even comes close to Google.

PageRank is Google’s ranking system, and in the eyes of those who notice these things, it still wheels tremendous influence and power. By default, PageRank is Google’s opinion of your site, and web users can count (at least to 10) and if Google believes people are still not counting when it comes to PageRank, then they are fully mistaken.

Copyright (c) 2009 Titus Hoskins

Top 10 SEO Tips A Website Designer Need To Know

A beautifully written and designed website isn’t much good without built-in SEO elements. Is your site lacking search engine optimization? If so, it’s like a 5-star restaurant on an uncharted tropical island. People would love to go there, but they don’t know how to find it. A good website designer “puts you on the map,” incorporating SEO in every step of the design process. But not every designer is up on the SEO skills needed to create a site that will rank highly in the search engines.

I have to admit, I dragged my heels on tackling the SEO side of website design, until l realized that it’s not hocus pocus or a matter of tricking the search engines into noticing you. It’s about supplying the right language to help them deliver relevant information to users. When you apply precise, descriptive wording throughout your site, it allows Google, Yahoo, Bing and the rest to understand your content.

How to boost your visibility with built-in SEO

For a greater online profile and a more effective website, make sure your designer or web developer incorporates all 10 of these critical SEO elements:

1. Key phrases and keywords

My keywords are pretty obvious – graphic designer, SEO websites, logo design, etc. By why should I try to compete globally, with every graphic designer and web design firm on Earth? I narrowed my market so I rank higher in my own neighborhood by adding geographic terms to the mix – San Francisco graphic designer, Bay Area SEO websites, East Bay logo design…

2. Descriptive page URLs

Replace generic page descriptors with keywords. Rather than calling a page “donohuedesign.com/services,” give the search engines some substance to grab onto – “donohuedesign.com/email-newsletters” tells more of the story.

3. Keyword title tags

Another chance to identify the content on your page lies in the page title that appears at the top of the browser window. You have 8 to 10 words to describe the page and include search terms your customers will use to find you.

4. Relevant alt tags

If you leave the alt tag blank, or simply name a photo “image 1″ or “123.jpg,” you’ve wasted an opportunity. Instead, describe graphics and images in relevant terms and keywords. My portfolio samples, for example, might have alt tags such as “San Francisco caterer logo” and “Palo Alto software company website.”

5. Meta descriptions

While it may not make a huge difference in search engine rankings, it’s still wise to include a unique meta description for each page. The best reason is because the description often appears on the search engine results page and acts as a mini ad, enticing people to click on your site. A distinctive explanation per page also avoids the appearance of duplicate content and helps search engines distinguish between pages.

6. Text vs. graphics

Make sure you’re using a balance of images and text, with your keywords appearing both in the copy and the image file names. Beware of embedding important content inside a graphic image, where search engines can’t read it.

7. Hyperlinks

Incoming links from other sites are very important, but don’t forget to link from page to page within your site. Because Google places highest value on the home page, links from there to interior pages help spotlight other key content. And be sure to make links between your pages descriptive and keyword-laden. Replace vague “click here” and “learn more” links with “see SEO website portfolio” and “learn more about email marketing.”

8. Site map

A great navigational tool, an HTML site map gives search engines and site visitors a quick overview of the categories of information they’ll find on your site. The map also provides a list of links to each page.

9. Linguistics and natural writing

To attract search engines and visitors to your site, write content that’s clear, focused and above all, written for humans. Don’t overdo it by stuffing multiple keywords into awkward, unreadable sentences. While it’s Google’s software, not their staff that reads and ranks your site, the sophisticated system recognizes the difference between real, naturally written content and keyword gobbledegook. Concentrate on providing good information for your readers, and vary your language by replacing some keywords with synonyms. Google will get it.

10. Google Analytics

Measure your results! Your website developer can set you up with this free site analysis service from Google. Then, log on any time and get detailed reports that track the amount and sources of traffic to your web pages. This valuable data tells you which pages are working effectively and which need improving.

Add these 10 SEO elements and you elevate a good website to great – bringing you increased traffic and improved sales results.

 

About the Author

John Balthazar is an SEO expert. he currently lives in Johore Bahru and gives away SEO tips at his website.

 

Seo Techniques Can Kiss My Bee-hind!

This is an Article About SEO Techniques. You Might Be Surprised by What I Have to Say. A Question Awaits You
1 X Break free.

Boy Oh Boy! The SEO thing sucks the life out of me and my freedom of expression.

Are SEO or Search Engine Optimization techniques important? Well it depends on what you are trying to achieve, does it not?

If you want to earn, ‘Money, money, money / Must be funny / In the rich man’s world’ (Love Abba!), then yes SEO techniques are important. Only if your articles have all the tricks and trades of SEO, will they be picked up by Search Engines like the All.. Mighty Google. ‘Hail Google!’ ..LOL

But today I am not in an SEO frame of mind, because of two things.

1- My head hurts. No clue why. I should not be in front of the laptop I guess, but I am a silly like that.

2-’I want to break free.’ (Oh I love Freddie Mercury and Queen!). I am taking a break from ‘SEO techniques’ today.

If you comment on this, could you please tell me if you stick to SEO techniques in all your articles? Waiting to hear from you.

I have decided that at least 2 days in a week, I will write for the absolute love of writing. I may get 2 visits or 10 visits and those articles may just sit there. Perhaps with time, no one will remember them, but I will still enjoy writing, the way I always did.

It is so much better to write for the love of writing. For some strange reason, I almost forgot what I was here to do for the past 2 weeks or so. I forgot that I was here to write because I loved writing. I forgot that I was here because I wanted to express myself. I forgot that I loved how wonderful it feels to share my little ‘writer’s corner’ with you all.

Today, thanks to my headache I realized the core purpose of being here. The core purpose being- Enjoying the freedom of expression through my works.

So I will go back to my roots as a writer, even if for just a few days each week, and enjoy every second of it. Cheers!

Credit: anitapatterson  |  © morguefile.com/anitapatterson

How to Choose Professional Website Templates

After you have decided to buy a website template, now you are scrambled with all the websites offering these website templates. Some are free, some are packaged into tens or maybe hundreds but all of them share the various sales pitches that is marketing these professional website templates and pushing you to buy. All this is offered to you without the hints on how to choose from these templates the template that will create your niche website that you have always dreamt of.

The beautiful designs of website templates does not necessary make them professional website templates. At this point of your web design search, you should by now know that the looks of the website is a major thing but it is not everything. The looks of the website will become a minor concern when it comes to the other factors that are going to affect your website existence, such as functionality, readability, content and search engine optimization.

When shopping for professional website templates, you should look to see if the website templates are really professional! In other words, you should look to see if the website template takes into consideration all other factors of a professional website design.
The first major thing to look for is the theme of the template. Most of the website templates that are sold on the internet are of a general theme. These kinds of templates usually look very attractive to you but you would want to know if it is attractive to your targeted clients. professional website templates do not only look beautiful but also have a theme!

Do not over look a website template theme, the theme of this template is going to present your website theme. The theme should match your business or ideas that are going to be presented in your website. If you are still confused, dedicate a couple of hours to research color representations, for example, red says stop and green says go. What does the website template that you have chosen say? Does that match or approach your websites theme?

Colors are good, but too many colors are annoying. professional website templates will have fewer colors and a professional use of colors. Colors can distinct separate areas in your website and can emphasis the difference and level of importance of your websites content. A professional website template designer knows this fact and uses it wisely. If colors are only used for decoration, then the template in hand is not a professional website template.

Colors are not only found in text and bars, colors are found also in pictures, that also differentiates professional website templates from just website templates. The colors of the images inside your website should also reflect the theme of your website and they should also flow with the colors of it. Not only that, pictures in professional website templates are enhanced for users and search engines. Web surfers will run away from your website if it takes forever to load not to mention that your website has lesser chances to appear in search engine results if the whole website is made of images.

professional website templates do not necessary need to be search engine optimized simply because this is not the web designers’ job to optimize a website for search engines, but professional website templates surly must take search engine optimization into consideration; especially if the websites theme is informative or intended for content. To make this point clearer, when it comes to search engine optimization, it makes a big difference whether you have chosen your template to have buttons as links or images to act like buttons. Search engines prefer words over pictures, so again it comes to your theme and your priorities.

Readability, or in other words layout of a website template, is also a major factor when distinguishing professional website templates. When choosing your website template, you would want to avoid getting glasses to read text; you also do not want to get dizzy trying to find an important section that does not stand out in the layout of the website. Professional website templates takes the layout of a website very seriously and usually offers you few pages to put your content without damaging the flow of the design. You will usually find in addition to the main page, a content page and maybe some other pages depending on the theme.

Also, a website template does not have to be so complicated to be professional. Choose usability over complexity. Your client should be able to identify the theme of your website theme at the first glance and then easily find what he is looking for at the second. He must not feel at any point that he is lost, otherwise bye bye! See if the website template you are buying takes this method into consideration seriously. If you can’t see what you want from the template, your client most likely will not.

Choose a website template with familiar internet navigation system. That is, from your browsing experience on the net, where do you see the buttons? Most likely buttons are at top, left or right. As mentioned complicated templates are not necessary professional.

Make sure that your template will serve its purpose especially when buying a template for a system. For example: if you are buying a template for a shopping cart, you would want to make sure that all instructions of installation are available and error free. Functionality becomes a frustrating issue if you did not plan for it right. For this purpose, try to look for samples of the website templates you are buying, take the time to install the sample and see how it works. If errors shows up, see how easy it is to deal with them, then go for the purchase phase.

One more thing that should be mentioned is that some work will be required from your side after purchasing a website template. You will need to replace texts, images and information on the template to match your website theme. professional website templates will come with all sources and software requirements to make the necessary modifications to the template. After all, you do not want to end up with a template that you don’t know how to use. Also, you might not be able to find a template for the exact theme of your web site, but something close. You should look at the things that you are going to replace in the template and how that affect the design of the template. For instance, if you are going to replace major images in the template, check to see if your images can fit into the color scheme of the template.

Do not over look a website template and since this is a one time investment, I think it is ok to spend few extra dollars to buy professional website templates instead of buying cheap website templates, then ending up with a cheap website and hence paying multiples of the price on the long run.

Another option for Domain Name parking

Today I started to experiment with Noomle as an option for parking and getting income from domains. Basically its a way of developing minisites and it’s free. I have developed a Noomle site for NetInclusion.com. Expect a review when  have more information.

Backlinks are the best for ranking in Google.

It is well known that it is not enough for a excellent ranking to only have an optimized website for the keywords. More important are links from other sites to your website. It is for sure not bad to know something about the special kinds of Links.

If you find a site with witch you want to exchange links get in touch with the webmaster and offer him a link from your site. You get a backlink pointing from his site to your website if he agrees. Because both sites link to each other there are Two Way Links or reciprocal links. Keep in mind to ask for a link from related sites, they are more important to Google. The best links are links from your competitors because they are most related. But you would rather sell your own product and do not want to advise the product of your competitors. more..getting many backlinks

By the way a Two Way Link is not very significant for a good position in Google, sure it is still better than no link. Google loves One Way Links. This is a link from another site to your site and there is no link from your website to the other site. Web directories give you such links. But they are not very significant for search engines. Since they are very related, One Way Links from your competitors would be again the best. But no one wishes to link to your site and get nothing in return.

You can proceed quite special if you have 2 partners, B and C. You (A) link to B and B doesn’t link back to you (that would be reciprocal) he links to C. C then links to A. Everyone gets an incoming link, but for which there is no direct outgoing link. All are linked in a triangle: A -> B -> C -> A. Search engines evaluate each incoming link as a one-way link. This is the best for your ranking. more..getting many backlinks

So with intelligent linking you can achieve better ranking if you have many websites. What do you do, if you have only one ore a few sites. The solution for this are Link Networks. Thousands of sites of the members are linked all together. The three- or polygonal linking takes place over the network for a moderate monthly fee. more..getting many backlinks

Your Auction Headline – The Most Important Part Of Your Auction

The words you select to describe your item will have a tremendous impact on the final price it receives or if it receives any bids at all. This is because no matter how great the item is you have up at auction, if you use words that don’t lead prospective buyers to it, no one will ever see it. You have a total of 45 spaces to use for your auction headline to get people to visit your auction, so it’s extremely important that you use each space wisely.

The vast majority of buyers search through eBay listings by entering the item they are looking for into eBay’s search engine. The main auction search engine only searches for words listed in auction titles. If a person selects a word that isn’t in your auction title, your auction won’t come up as a result of their search.

This means that by far the most important task you have when composing a title for your auction is to use words that are relevant and specific to the item you are listing. While this may seem obvious, a lot of sellers don’t do it (in fact, searching for listings in which people have ineffective or misspelled titles can often get you some great items which you can resell for a profit).

If you are going to spend any extra time on your auctions, thinking through the best key words for your title is where you should spend that time.

With a limit of 45 spaces, writing everything you want in the title just isn’t going to be possible. For example, say you have a complete set of four bobblehead giveaways, sponsored by Mountain Dew, that the Minnesota Twins gave away at select home games during the 2002 season.

Although accurate, that description is way too long for the allowable number of spaces. The key is to think through an accurate description that includes everything and then taking the most important words out of that and using them.

A simple title might read “Minnesota Twins Bobbleheads”. However, that title would be ineffective because it isn’t specific enough. While there are many buyers who are looking for Minnesota Twins memorabilia and bobblehead dolls, the categories are too large and your auction will be lost among all the listings. You will have a very limited number of people who will ever see your auction.

A better title might be “2002 Complete Set Minnesota Twins Bobbleheads”. This title uses every available space and gives a specific description of what you are selling. It will also now appear in results for a narrower search.

Another possible title might be 2002 Minnesota Twins Bobblehead Bobble Head”. People searching for this item type bobblehead into the search engine, while others type bobble head. A search for one will not bring up any results for the other, so at times it’s to your advantage to list two different spellings of the same word.

Take a few minutes to think about who would want the item you are selling and, if they were searching for it, what words would they be most likely to type into the search engine.

You will find many sellers using what some call Power Words. These are words such as RARE, LIMITED, VINTAGE, UNIQUE, WOW, GREAT, WONDERFUL and AWESOME. Many sellers seem to think that using words such as these will attract more bidders to their auctions.

I”ll guarantee you right now, that no one types any of these words into eBay’s search engine. The use of words such as these does nothing but take up valuable space that could be used for words buyers do search for. Avoid them like the plague.

The same applies to the symbols so many sellers use in their headlines. They try to make their headline stand out by using symbols such as $,#, %, and @ in their auction titles. A particular favorite of many is L@@K!. Once again, all of these are a complete waste of valuable title space.

The only symbols you should ever use are & or + when their use will save you valuable title space.

Acronyms and abbreviations are another matter however. Collectors of certain items have developed their own abbreviations and acronyms for certain commonly used phrases within their specific collecting specialty. It is to your advantage to learn at least some of these.

NR, for example, means “No Reserve.” To a Star Wars collector ROTJ means “Return Of The Jedi.” Becoming familiar with some of these that are common with the type of items you sell will allow you to get more key words into the limited space which will result in more people viewing your auction.

Spend some time browsing the titles that others have created for their auctions. Look for both good and bad examples of titles. Just spending a few hours doing this and thinking about where the seller could have improved their title will help you enormously in writing titles for your own auctions.

Never forget – the first step is getting buyers to your auctions because if they can’t find them, they can’t buy anything from you.

Domain name tasting

Determining the real commercial value of an aged domain is quite difficult and tedious. Merchants domain that is a point to grab domains from auction houses only to prove the occult powers and commercial advantages. However, traders experienced and seasoned domain always doubts about the commercial viability of these domains. According experts in domain names, taking into account the actual age of a particular expired domain is a very small factor.

Expired domains that are very old, for example 12 years, can offer some undeniable advantages due to its maturity, old; Most people can identify his name to an old acquaintance. Now the big question is why what traders domain name on the will of the issue of age so badly? Is there anything that you and I do not know? A bit of conventional thinking says that all quality domains have been registered first and in fact should be too good to be forgotten. This seems a valid argument and a sensitive issue as regards the question of age.

Moreover, some operators of domain names are very skeptical about the domains of age, just because you have nothing to offer, except that they have a history of continuous and consistent renewal. A domain age domain can only be a simple, no established history of traffic and links entrants. Experts also suggest that an older domain could belong to two categories of owners-an established business or industry that will never let your domain slip out of their hands, or of an old domain owned small businesses or individuals that may have lost control over their domains due to some reasons unknown.

However, there is a significant advantage only domains associated with age, especially when they concern themselves with the main engines search. Google has a verifiable system of grading domain names according to their age, their massive search algorithms and a big technological guarantee that really old domains are placed in positions relevant to your search engine ranking. However, what domains get such a position in the ratings yet is uncertain and insecure.

Fixing the actual price of these domains are actually quite difficult and you may decide that going by current market trends, while that the purchase of a domain such. However, one thing to note here is that people are willing to pay a fair price for these domains, only to be used for development Website significant. If you want to buy an old expired domain, ensure that you are protecting your age, if age or more than 8 years, definitely You can go for it. Age factors can help determine the quality of generic drugs, since this is a better indicator to find the value of an expired domain name. Most of the best premium quality domain names sprout from an era of Internet boom in late 1990.

However, buying expired domains in depending on their age could be a misleading perception issue and may need to learn and understand how the age of a given expired domain can really help you in your commercial business domains.

About the Author:

John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is the owner of the path breaking web site called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.