My PageRank Dropped To Zero February 16, 2010
Posted by jgompert in SEO.Tags: dropped to zero, Google, PageRank, penalties, SEO
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I know that everyone tells you not to worry about your Google PageRank that much anymore and they are right, you shouldn’t. First of all it is only updated a few times a year, but also it is only one of about 200 relevant factors to your place on the SERPs. Still, there is just something about that little green bar that makes it sometging special. It is kind of your reputation on the Internet, and even though Google has said to stop focusing on it so much, its hard to ignore it. I know that it is one of the first things that I check for on a site. Something tells me, I can trust a site with a higher PageRank, and I should stay away from anything with a PageRank of Zero.
That is why when I checked the home page of one of my sites AG Photo Art and Photography – Anchorage homepages suddenly dropped down from a PageRank of 2 to a 0 it hurt me pretty bad. I was almost certain that this would hit me hard in the SERPs, so the next thing I did was searched my site for the usual keywords, and to my surprise my listing was actually a position higher than normal. What does this all mean, is PageRank really that useless that a two point drop has no effect on my listing at all, or was this drop an artifical drop? Right now, I’m not sure. I do know that the only page affected is my homepage. Other pages on the site, such as my links page has actually gone up to a PageRank 3. Hopefully my loss will be readjusted on the next update, but until then, I will just have to listen to Google and try to forget about that worthless little green bar. My advice: take your PageRank with a grain of salt, you have to or little things like these will just mess with your head.
WordPress For Your Blackberry February 11, 2010
Posted by jgompert in BlackBerry.Tags: apps, BlackBerry, smartphone, wordpress, wordpress blackberry app, wordpress for your BlackBerry
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Everywhere you go one thing is for certain, your phone is sure to go. If that phone just happens to be a BlackBerry, I have great news for you. There is a new wordpress app for your BlackBerry. Now you can literally blog anywhere about anything you want. Whether you are waiting in the doctors office lobby, or taking a long roadtrip, you will be able to stay on top of that blog you have been slacking off on. No longer do you even need to bring your laptop. The possibilities are endless. Bloggers get and BlackBerry lovers alike, warm up your thumbs, download the BlackBerry wordpress app, and blog away. Don’t take my word for it the app is free, and on BlackBerry App World. Check it out, because blogging has just became that much easier for us all in this increasingly connected and smartphone driven world.
Blogging For Backlinks February 11, 2010
Posted by jgompert in SEO.Tags: Backlinks, blogging for backlinks, Google, PageRank, SEO, SERPs
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The one part of creating a website that we all hate and love at the same time: Search Engine Optimization or SEO for short is more or less the most important aspect of owning your own site. Lets face it without visitors your site is just going to site around in cyberspace collecting cyberdust. How do you get traffic, well just ask yourself, how did you find this blog, or anything else you visited in the last few weeks. Unless you already knew the site and are a loyal visitor the answer is probably one word Google, and if you didn’t find it from the google search results then you stumbled upon the link while surfing the endless world wide web.
When it come to getting on the first page of Google, because nobody goes past the first page, let alone the top half of the first page, keywords, content, and backlinks are king. When used together they can really help you reach the top of the SERPs. So, what do you need to do? Its been said time and time again. You need relevant links from high quality pages. Everyone says it like its the easiest thing to do, but in reality it is really hard and that is why there is an entire enterprise known as SEO.
Now, another pearl of wisdom is BLOG for Better Listing On Google. What does this mean. Does Google just love bloggers so much that they just ferry their results to the top of page one. I don’t know all of Google’s algorithms, but I’m pretty sure that is not one of them. What it does mean is that the more content that you have on the web the more likely people are to find it and the higher chance that someone will naturally link to it. But, besides just having more content on for people to find on the web their are other ways that blogs can help you, getting backlinks.
Probably the easiest way to get a link from a high quality and relevant blog is to comment a dofollow blog. The only thing you have to worry about is that many blogs have spam filters and use nofollow tags on the links. The easiest way see for yourself is just check the source code of the blog you want to comment on. If you see other comments do not have the nofollnks with almost no effort on your part, does not require a reciprocal link, and can be from relevant and high qualitow tag, it is probably a good place to leave your comment. The benefits of this approach is that it gives you liy sources.
The other approach that you can use is to create your own blog post on the multitude of free blogging software that is available on the Internet. This method is great in that you can completely control the links coming into your site. You get to chose the anchor text, you chose just how relevent the site is, and you know that it will give you good links that will not be deleted by some webmaster in the future. The only downside to this approach is that it will take a little more effort than just commenting on other blogs and the blogs themselves will start out with no pagerank to give.
What I suggest is use blogs, and use them in every way possible. Blog for content, blog for keywords, comment on blogs for backlinks, and even blog about your site using free blogging software and free subdomains. Remember, a site without visitors is a waste for everyone. Let people know you exist on the web, blog for backlinks!
Top 5 Free Tips To Promote Your Blog January 19, 2010
Posted by jgompert in SEO.Tags: Blog Promotion, Internet Marketing, Link Building, Link Exchange, SEO, Top 5 Free Tips
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I came across this article today – hopefully it will help some of you trying to promote your blog.
I think the question most bloggers want answered is:
“How do I get more people to read my blog?”.
So here they are for your reading pleasure:
The Top 5 free tips how you can promote your blog.
Tip 1: Write Interesting Content
It might seem as if this had nothing to do with promotion.
But the content of your blog is the central part of your blogmarketing. You need to write the most compelling posts you can think of in order to get people interested in what you have to say. You can really stand out if you have something unique to offer on your blog.
Tip 2: Use the Right Tags
Many people who read blogs find postings they’re interested in via tags. So make sure you include five to ten tags relevant to your post every time.
Tip 3: Swap Links with Other Bloggers
Do you already know other writers from the blogosphere?
Great – why not ask them for a link exchange?
But be sure to never send spam when doing this – bloggers hate spam as much or even more as non-bloggers.
Tip 4: Write Articles
Do you have a topic you are passionate about? Why not write an article about it and submit it to various article sites? As you might know you can add your link into the “About the Author” box at the end of your article which brings you extra visibility and traffic. You can even repost your article on your blog for extra content – and traffic.
Or vice versa: Take one or more blog posts you wrote and make them into an article.
Tip 5: Try Video Marketing
This might not be for everybody but if you’ve already made a video on YouTube in the past you might try this approach: Make a video in whichyou sit in front of a camera and talk about a post you made on your blog. Add your link to the info box that appears to the right of your video and mention your blog’s URL at the end of the video to reach moreviewers – and hopefully prospective readers.
The author helps bloggers by offering a free blog marketing service.This article may be republished, provided it is done so in its entirety including this author’s resource box.
Contact the Author
Georg Goehner
Link Building For Dummies – How To Increase Google PageRank January 18, 2010
Posted by jgompert in SEO.Tags: Backlinks, Google, Google PageRank, How to Incease PageRank, Link Building, PageRank, Search Engine, SEO
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Anyone who has released a website has come to that first glorious moment when your first site goes online. Then, comes the realization that no one knows about your site at all. You may have a few visitors to your site that first day, those will be your friends and colleges that you probably told “hey I put out this great website, come and check it out”.
After the initial rush, you will need to find visitors and quick. There are a few ways to do this, but in the end it all comes down to your web visibility. The first step will be to get indexed by Google, because lets face it when it comes to the Internet, we all know that Google is king of the search engines. You can do this two ways.
- Submit your site to Google and then wait for them to crawl it.
- Let Google find your website by itself.
I almost always take the first approach, it just seems the safest, but let us discuss the second option and how that happens. Firstly, you have to understand how Google indexes pages. It does this by crawling the web, its already indexed sites, and then it follows the links that are those sites. If your site just happens to be one of those links then you will end up on Google. However, when you try to search for your site you will probably be around result 1000 or worse for your keywords. It hurts, but why is this happening. One reason, Google just doesn’t like new sites, so give it time. Also your website may not be Search Engine Optimized (SEO). And then the other reason – your websites Google PageRank.
What is PageRank? PageRank is Google’s measure of your sites worth on the web. It is calculated by the PageRank of and quantity of backlinks to your site. So, it can be safe to say that at first you will have no PageRank. Then as you have been around for a while and your backlinks grow, you will see it change from no PageRank to 0 and then 1, and if you have one of the most popular sites on the web all the way up to a PageRank of 10. But, lets face it. If you are reading this article you are not anywhere near a 10 so lets talk about getting your PageRank up past 0.
At first this may seem difficult, when you have no PageRank no one really wants to link to you (you can actually get penalized from linking to a PageRank 0 site, so be careful). How can you get quality backlinks (high PageRank and relevent to your site). Here is the beginner’s list of how to increase PageRank:
- Get active in forums – put links to your website in the signature block
- Submit your site to directories
- If you have a blog – submit to blog directories
- Comment on blogs – some will allow you to put a backlink to your site
- Link to it from any other sites you own
- Look for links from high PageRank sites that are relevent
- Conduct a targeted link exchage with quality sites
While you are doing all of this here is what you need to avoid:
- Excessive linking from your site to bad neighborhoods on the web (Look for low PageRank)
- Conducing irrelevant link exchange – not all links are created equal
- Watch for webmaster tricks – JavaScript links, Flash links, and nofollow tags on links or the robots.txt file
- Using scripts or paying for links – Google will penalize you if it thinks your links are bought
- Linkfarms or Webrings
If you do all this your should be able to sit back and watch your PageRank and your position on the search engines rise, but be patient. Google is trying to tell us to stop worrying so much about the little green bar and has stopped updating PageRank but a few times a year. Good luck and happy hunting.
What Makes a Web Developer January 3, 2010
Posted by jgompert in Web Development.Tags: how to be a web developer, html, JavaScript, web developer, web development vs web design, xhtml
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Today I was reading around in a forum when I came across a post of someone claiming to be a web developer. What struck me as odd was that the person making the claim was looking for a freelance developer to help him with his website. That is not the part that struck me as odd, he then stated that he did not know JavaScript, Flash, PHP, or any server side language. How I took this was that the kid knew HTML and that was all. Yes, it is true that knowing HTML or xHTML is definitely one of the most important parts of web development it is by no means the be all end all of web development.
I know that it may seem harsh, but to tell you the truth it is actually quite insulting to hear someone that only knows how to mark up a document call himself a web developer. The developer part of the name insinuates that he knows how to program. HTML is not programming, it is just structuring a page to look a certain way. All of the functionality that we have come so accustomed to is actually the result of a programmer using some sort of client side or server side scripting language like JavaScript, PHP, or ASP.NET. The difference might sound quite subtle, but in reality it is like night and day. My point is this, if you truly want to call yourself a web developer, and not just a web designer, don’t stop on HTML. There is so much more to the world of programming, and web development then just marking up a document. Study hard, read a lot, code a lot, always seek to keep learning and then you can be a true developer.
Internet on the Go – TetherBerry for BlackBerry December 24, 2009
Posted by jgompert in Internet.Tags: BlackBerry, How to use your blackberry for internet, Internet on the go, Mobile Modem, No data transfer cap, No monthly fee, TetherBerry
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I have been on the road now for a couple of days. I had to say goodbye to my house and goodbye to my Internet connection, or at least that use to be the case. I downloaded and installed TetherBerry for my BlackBerry, and I have to say that I am definitely a satisfied customer, so far. Turning my BlackBerry into a mobile modem for my laptop was actually very easy to install. All you need is to download a few programs, run them and they you are browsing the web on the go, from your laptop. You might think that it would be a slow and choppy version of the Internet, but from what I have seen so far it is working great and at a speed that is very usable. Now here is the best part about everything:
- You don’t have to pay an additional monthly fee.
- There are no additional data caps.
- TetherBerry uses your current data plan.
- You can try TetherBerry for free.
- It is faster than surfing the net on your BlackBerry.
With all of this I see no reason why not to spend the $50 now, and have internet on my laptop for the remainder of its life. It sure beats paying the monthly fee and dealing with the data rate cap that I would have if I used my wireless provider’s tethering plan. As for me, I am going across the country from Arizona to Alabama and then to Alaska, so I will have plenty of opportunity to see just how well TetherBerry works in a variety of different locations. I will keep you posted on how well my BlackBerry works as a mobile Internet connection.
Why I Hate Godaddy.com December 21, 2009
Posted by jgompert in Web Development.Tags: ASP.NET hosting, Bad Hosting Company, C#, godaddy.com, Where not to Host your website, Why I Hate Godaddy.com, Windows Hosting
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When I was new to the world of web development, I needed a place to host my sites. I did not really have much of a criteria for a hosting company except for price and the type of hosting that I wanted. I knew I wanted cheap, Windows hosting, and godaddy was the perfect choice. At the time all I was putting on my websites was static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I was pleased, for the time being.
The first trouble I had with godaddy.com arised when I switched over to classic ASP, but the problem was easily solved and I was content again. Then I decided to get with the times and started the much needed transition to ASP.NET, it was the whole reason that I had went with Windows hosting over Linux hosting in the beginning anyways. With ASP.NET I had the power of C# and the entire .NET Framework at my had. I loved it, but then I hit the brick wall and have been banging my head against it ever since.
The first issue I ran into was trying out form email for my websites. I would develop the program on my home computer, using the SMTP server that godaddy.com had supplied to me in the first place. I configured it just the same way I would as if I was using outlook to send email. This worked just fine from my home PC. I was happy with my new found ability, then I uploaded the code to my hosting account, and bam an error message. I guess that godaddy did not want to allow me to set my email port, or for that matter even use the same SMTP server. Instead, I had to switch over to a relay-hosting server and use the defaults they supplied. It was annoying, but I found workarounds to my email problems, godaddy.com would keep my business for a while longer.
Then I discovered the real pain of godaddy hosting: medium trust. While this is designed to make it a better hosting experience for everyone, all I have found it to be is a pain in my neck. Sure godaddy will work if you stick to the basic server controls that ship with ASP.NET, but the second that you start playing around with what you can actually do with C# and ASP.NET all you will see on your site is “Server Error in Application”. It is so frustrating, and so restrictive, I just can’t stand it. Just today I released a program to conduct a ping over the Internet. Doesn’t sound that complicated, and on my home PC running Windows Vista Home Premium, it worked just fine. Pleased with my work I transferred the code over to my hosting account, went to test it out, just to make sure, and once again I got the error.
That was the last straw. I can not stand to host with a company like godaddy.com any longer. Tonight I will start my search for a better alternative, and that should not be hard to find.
Why the Developer’s Notes December 20, 2009
Posted by jgompert in Web Development.Tags: css, JavaScript, joshnet web development, Visual Web Developer Express, web design, Web Development, xhtml
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Hello, my name is Joshua Gompert, and web design and development is my passion. My main site is Joshnet Web Development and there you will find out a lot about me and my work. First of all, just a little about me and why I started this little blog. About two years ago I decided that I really needed a hobby. I always had been interested in computers, but I had never really sat down to learn about them. That is when I decided I wanted to try my hand at web design. I got online and searched around for anything that would help. The first peace of software that I found was a great tool – Microsoft Visual Web Developer Express. With VWD I had the tools, but I still did not have the knowledge. For this piece I tried to look around on the web, but in the end I settled on getting a book on xHTMLl, css, and JavaScript. From there I went on to create my very first website from scratch. The result was AG Photo Art and Photography. It had to be one of the ugliest sites ever created at that time. The code was sloppy and full of errors, but I did not really care. I had created a website and that to me was an amazing task. It is two years later now and I now have a couple more sites and more are getting created all the time. The purpose of this blog is to keep you updated on my trip through the web development world, so that maybe you can learn from the challenges, and there where a lot of them, that I faced as I started out on becoming a web developer.
Joshnet Web Devlopment - Developer's Notes 