Web Familiarization

SEO - Search Engine Optimization

2009-10-11T22:51:00.001-04:00

My current web optimization focus of study lately is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I have decided to devote most of my effort on the search engine with nearly 90% of the share, Google. The first challenge I am finding that needs to be overcome is to get the Googlebot to index my site. It is not instantaneous.

First thing I do is get the site verified with Google's Webmaster Tools and submit a sitemap. Looking at other people's experiences it may take a while and I am finding that out with my first blog site taking nearly one month to get indexed. My next step will be to participate in related communities and get the blog linked with credible sites. After the Googlebot gets the sites indexed, I plan to employ the techniques detailed in the Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide to see if I can get my blog sites more visible.

All this makes me wonder if a blog, such as Blogspot sites just are not as important to the Googlebot. So, my plan is buy a cheap domain name to see if the Googlebot initial index time is cut down. A domain also allows me to maintain, control, and monitor my own domain that is not part of other sites. That way I can start to learn more about the infrastructure type things to keep a website up and running on my own.

Google Local Business Center

2009-10-04T16:09:00.001-04:00

As I learn more about web strategy, I question why companies do not use certain services, applications, or features available. One of the biggest head scratchers is the non-use of Google Local Business Center. This is a totally free service that just makes your business website look more important and more professional in Google's search results.

All you have to do is enter the address, phone number, and category of you business. Then, select from a several options to let a customer get a quick glimpse of your business from a search results. Things like payment options, hours of business, photos, videos, and other specifically stated information. I feel business hours alone should be boost because I find myself frequently looking for hours of a business only to dig around on their website and ending up calling, which is a very frustrating process.

Google Local Business Center is a no-brainer if you want to get more search exposure for your business on Google. And, Google even provides a short video succinctly detailing how the service works and how easy it is to get setup.

Seattle Seahawks

2009-10-04T15:41:00.000-04:00

As a venue to vent, the Seattle Seahawks are terrible again. After last year's embarrassing and injury riddled they went out and got some new parts by trying to bolster the defense, giving Hasselbeck and new target, and drafting a stud LB. With all the new personnel, coaching staff, and aggressive attitude there was hope, but it is looking like this season is going to be no different than last. They are injury-riddled AGAIN and no one can figure out why this is happening. With Seneca Wallace in there they have no chance offensively, so you lean on the D, but they are playing uninspired and injured. Looks to be another long year.

The other thing I am finding odd is how the team is plain awful on the road no matter who is coaching. Makes me wonder if there is something deeply rooting within the culture of the team that hopefully goes away as guys under the Holmgren regime retire or move on. I don't understand how you can play with fire, passion, and inspiration at home and then play purely crappy as though they are just running through the motions, biding time until they get to go home. Does not make sense.

If this is a complete disaster of a season they will get a high draft pick plus Denver's first rounder to help try to shore up some holes from injuries and age. They definitely will need to find Walter Jones' replacement because Jones is done. The other areas that will need attention are RB, QB, and secondary. I believe you can get a very good RB in the 2nd or 3rd round, so QB may be on the docket for that other first-round pick. Let the QB learn under Hass for one season, then let Hass walk the next. The good thing is this draft class should be very rich in talent and deep with the looming NFL labor issues and potential for a 2011 rookie slotting system.

This is definitely early to think like this, but I have seen this all too often and the team just starts to go through the motions as the losses pile up. Especially when you lose like you did today against the Colts. Go Hawks! Let's hope you can get this all figured out before it is well too late.

Adobe's Acquisition of Omniture

2009-09-29T13:41:00.001-04:00

Being a user of the Omniture Insight (formerly Visual Sciences) product this purchase does resonate a bit with me. Especially considering the uncertainty that goes along with an acquisition such as this with the product I use. The Omniture Insight product is an upgraded and re-branded version of Visual Sciences, a powerful application to perform deep dive analysis.

From all I have read from the pundits and bloggers Adobe is acquiring Omniture to be able to provide a one-stop shop to build, maintain, and monitor your website. Site Catalyst is great for providing that metrics dashboard which companies require, but the question is "what will Adobe do with Insight?"

If Insight is raking in money then one can assume it won't get touched. The next question is whether Adobe will even spend any money or effort upgrading the product. It will have to get re-branded with Adobe's stamp, but how far will they go?

Some other speculation milling about is that Adobe could sell the Insight piece to one a company such as Oracle or Microsoft because those companies have been hot for the Visual Sciences piece for a bit now. This may be their opportunity to make Adobe an offer they cannot refuse for this piece. Insight's strengths do not lie in its automated reporting and dashboard display capabilities. It seems as though Adobe would be more interested in the Site Catalyst piece. But, then again cash is king and if Insight is raking in the dough, then I am sure Adobe will keep that piece.

No matter how all this turns out, it should be an interesting few months as things shake out.

Google's Tools

2009-09-25T20:52:00.000-04:00

This is stating the obvious to much of the masses, but Google's offering of tools is vast and great. Most people are familiar with the insight Google Analytics provides and there is are also Adwords, Adsense, and Web Toolkit to name just a few.

The one tool I am trying to get familiar with are the Webmaster Tools. I have my site setup and verified and crawled by Google. But, my site is still not indexed. Most recently I tried adding my URL manually to Google to no avail at this point.

I have read that at times it takes weeks even months to get your site indexed in Google and others say it is best to have your site linked on sites that already popular. So, now I have a new challenge; learn the best methods for linking my website and what other techniques can I employ to get my website indexed by Google and people coming to my website.

Managing The Edge Podcasts

2009-09-22T06:24:00.000-04:00

One of my major reasons to start a blog is to learn and practice how to run a website and I figure a blog is a cheap and easy place to start. It is also a place where I can journal my quest for learning the web in a much deeper fashion than I already do. This will also serve as a place to practice using all the great tools available (especially Google’s) to optimize and monitor a website.

In this quest for getting a deeper understanding for the web, I ran across a series of podcasts called Managing the Edge with hosts Doug Mitchell of createWOWmedia and Andy Brudtkuhl of 48web. These guyes produce a new podcast on a weekly basis and now have 24 podcasts available to download (as of typing this post) where they have in-depth discussions of aspects of running a successful website such as optimization, pay per click advertsing, and using Twitter for business.

I have been listening for about six months and have listened to most of the podcasts now. All of podcasts have been informative, but in my opinion the podcast really started to get good around the 19th episode discussing Local Search Optimization. In this episode Andy and Doug go in-depth about how to make your business visible in the most relevant searches within Google along with Google’s Local Business Center. I have read books and read blog posts regarding this same thing and they are not as simplified and in-depth as this podcast. Very impressive.

This is just one example, but the podcast is getting progressively getting better and now they are bringing in guest experts to enhance the podcast and infuse knowledge and expertise of the topic. The most recent podcast (The Best PayPerClick and AdWords Podcast You’ll Ever Listen To) is a great example of how they have evolved and a must listen if you are interested in learning about PPC campaigns and Google AdWords. I have listened multiple times now just to make sure I get all the nuggets from that podcast.

I realize this is not the only source of information on running websites, but I feel it is the best I have run across. Check it out when you have a chance, I am sure there is something that you do not already have a firm grasp on.

Layhill Animal Hospital

2009-08-27T08:06:00.000-04:00

Judging by my most recent experience with them, Layhill Animal Hospital in Maryland is one of the most incompetent businesses I have had to deal with.

This place provides two services, veterinary and boarding. We took our dog their to spend the weekend and receive some needed inoculations. Sort of a two birds with one stone situation. They now have a new policy when boarding a dog where you pay for half or full up front when dropping the dog off to be boarded. Okay, whatever, I understand the possibilities of people skipping town and not picking up their animal.

Long story short, when I picked the dog up they had no record of the payment. Huh? Why charge if you have incompetent people working the front desk and they will screw things up?

Their solution was to credit our account with them for 3/4 of the payment. First, it isn't full payment and second, what makes them think I want to continue doing business with them?

Now I have to make time out of my busy day to drop by and show these people my receipts and demand my money back. Very frustrating and the kind of the thing that makes me take my busy other places.

First Post

2009-08-26T21:49:00.000-04:00

My first blog post. Something I have been resisting for years. I want to use this blog to practice using various web analytics tools, along with optimization and other tools to advance my knowledge of running successful websites.

Suggestions welcomed.