Archive for November, 2008

Free Ways to Generate Traffic

Traffic

Generating traffic for your website can be a tricky task, unless you know many different methods to use. Some of the most popular methods for generating traffic to websites is article writing, link exchanges, PPC advertising, and classified ads. These methods are free, but some require more work than others. Writing articles is a completely free method of generating traffic and can have a huge impact on your site. Writing articles which are submitted to databases such as EZine encourage visitors to your articles to click your link to your website in order to view more information on the topic. The articles also serve as aback link to your site, which counts as a vote in the Google Page Rank system.

Link exchanges are good for this as well, as the more incoming links you have coming to your site ranks your page higher on Google. The page rank is very beneficial for you, as the higher your Rank is, the more important Google deems your site, which moves you up for your relevant keywords in a google search. Another great way is using pay per click search engine advertisements. Although this method isn’t free, it’s a great way to send targeted traffic to your website, which usually means conversions. This method can also be a great way to test new ideas for your site so you can make sure they’re profitable before you decide to go all out with the idea. If your idea generates no traffic using this method, it’s probably safe to assume it will also generate no sales.

Posting classified ads is another great way to entice visitors to your website. Websites like Craigslist allow you to posts goods and services, so advertising here is a great way generate back links, and get your website known in your niche. This method is very similar to PPC search engine advertising. In order to get the most from your site, you should use a combination of these advertising methods to drive visitors to your website.

The Differences Between Image Formats

PNG The GIF, JPEG, and PNG are thee of the most popular image formats on the web. The JPEG format was originally created to be used with photos displayed on the internet. Both the GIF and the PNG formats are used to support lossless data compression. Using these formats correctly can help your website maintain sharp, crisp colors.

JPEG

The JPEG format is great for websites which display multiple photos, as it supports a smooth transition between the colors in photos, and realistic art. If you’re working with text or logos which havecharp color contrasts, JPEG isn’t the best image choice as they don’t look visually appealing. Generally speaking the JPEG format saves photos at the best quality in relation to the size of the file. The JPEG format also loses a bit of data each time you save the image because of the compression process, so editing the file as a GIF or PNG and saving it as a JPEG only when you are sure you are finished is a great way to avoid this data loss.

GIF

GIF’s are the other most popular format used in web images. GIFs are mainly suited for images which don’t require a huge color palette, as they support a limited 256 color palette. All text, logos and banners are best when saved inGIF form, as they generally only have a small amount of colors which can be saved with lossless compression and resizing images. Saving photos as a GIF is a bad choice because of dithering, which is a process of converting colors to what’s available in the 256 format. GIF photos are generally much larger in size than JPEG, also.

PNG

The PNG format is relatively new, but it’s supported by all major browsers. The PNG format works in direct competition to the GIF format, as it offers better image quality and uses less space than the GIF format. It also offers transparency channels. The difference between PNG and GIF is that the PNG format is not limited to 256 colors and currently, the only major advantage GIF has over PNG is the fact that GIF can be used in animation. Eventually, the PNG format may work to replace the GIF format in displaying standard web images.

Things you should know

Site

In order to be successful online, you’ll need to have a basic understanding of how to rank in search engines. Optimizing your pages for a search engine can maintain your priority in your keyword category, leading to more clicks for your website, which usually means more revenue. Here are a few SEO tips about your website tags, to ensure the success of your website.

Title Tag
This tag simply tells search engines what your page is about. These words are what’s at the very top of your browsers’ screen. The title tag is crucial when it comes to on-page optimization and should include as many of your main keywords as possible while remaining under 63 characters in length. This ensures your title will appear in its entirety in Google.

Meta Description Tag
This tag is for a brief description of your website. You should write this as if you were marketing your website to a stranger, inviting them to check it out. It should be no more than 140 characters. You should include several of your keywords here without being spammy and unreadable. Making your description stand out can work wonders in a crowded niche.

Backlinks
One of the most important keys to getting a higher ranking in a search engine like Google is building quality links from other relevant sites. Google essentially counts these organic links as votes for your site and ranks your site accordingly. Experts say you should include main keywords in anchor text from these links in order to make the most from backlinks.

Associated Keywords
Because keywords are how consumers find your site, you should be aware of all keyword terms which could direct them to your site. You should be able to find several variations of your main keywords in order to completely conquer the market. You can use the tilde ~ command in Google to find out the various keyword phrases which are associated with your selected keywords in Google.