Optimize Your WordPress Site By Adding It To Google Webmaster Tools

Posted on by

Adding your WordPress site to Google Webmaster Tools is one of the important and best ways to optimize your site for search engines. In this article we will tell you how to add wordpress site to Google Webmaster Tools.

Google Reporting Server Response Time

Webmaster’ s stuff – source

Google Webmaster Tools

Google webmaster tools are a set of tools provided by Google to facilitate us at how our website will be seen by the search engines. With this set of tool you get different data and report with which you can understand how each page of your site is appearing in search results. The Search Query section in Google Webmaster Tools demonstrates the performance of each page of your site, how many times each page is clicked, where your site ranks in search results for each keyword etc. It also permits you to submit XML sitemap of your site, leave out URLs and help search engines to display most imperative content of your site. It also informs you if your site is discontinue crawling and indexing your site’s pages.

Step by Step Process of adding your WordPress Site to Google Webmaster Tools

If you don’t know the exact way of adding wordpress site into Google Webmaster Tools then follow the step by step process given below:

1. First open the Google Webmaster Tools website and sign in with your Google account. If you don’t have Google account then signing in for an account. After signing in, add your website and click “add new site button”.

2. In next screen your verification will be done in order to verify the ownership of domain which you are adding. This can be done either by uploading HTML file in the root directory of your site by FTP or by getting the Google provided Meta tag which you can add in your website’s homepage.

  • If you want to add Meta tag in your wordpress site then make use of Insert headers and footers plugin. For this go to Settings and then Insert headers and footers and add the provided Meta tagline into the header field. Meta tagline looks something like this

<meta name=”google-site-verification” content=”VerificationKeyCode” />. Now save the changes done and return to Google Webmaster Tools site and click “Verify site” button.

  • On the other hand if you want to use wordpress SEO plugin then the simplest way is to  copy the verification key from meta tagline and paste it into wordpress SEO plugin. Save the changes done and return to Google Webmaster Tools site and click “Verify site” button.

3. After the verification of your ownership to domain, the next step is to add XML sitemaps which you have created in WordPress. If you have not created any XML sitemap for your site then it is good to create it because it helps search engines to display the important content of your site. After adding XML sitemap, it may take a moment to show your site data.

So, these are step by step process to add a wordpress site to Google Webmaster Tools. Hope this article will be helpful for you if you are thinking of doing the same and little bit confused how to start with it. You can also find more help on: http://en.support.wordpress.com/webmaster-tools/

Matthew Anton is an expert in giving strategies and tips on Online marketing, SEO and WordPress site optimization.

WordPress vs Joomla: Which is the Best Online Content Manager?

Posted on by

Whereas there are a large number of content management systems to choose from in the modern day software market, very few of them can match up to the effectiveness offered by WordPress and Joomla.  Some people might argue that these content managing systems are only popular because they are the oldest but that is really not the case.  If you take some time to examine the web development tools of the day, you will actually realize that these two software tools are not even the oldest and neither are they the pioneers of the content management systems space.  In fact, there is a large number of CMS platforms which were in use before these two came into the picture.

One thing that is for sure is that both of these platforms have been growing in popularity pretty fast since they are generally easy to use.  The birth of these open source solutions a few years ago more of opened the doors to possibilities of creating dynamic websites and blogs.

So, between Joomla and WordPress, which one is the best? Here is a brief overview of pros and cons of each:

Wordpress Button Closeup

are you a WordPress fan? source

WordPress

Pros

·        WordPress is Open source. The open source aspect is one of the main reasons why it is a preferred option for many beginners and advanced web developers both.

·        WordPress is easy to set up.  This is another major advantage that makes this a good option for many web developers.  In fact, many proponents of the platform love to make use of this tagline when marketing WordPress.

·        WordPress is easy to customize.  Even the most inexperienced users can make use of WordPress to customize their websites.  Therefore, if you want to personalize your website to suit your needs and preferences, this is the kind of platform to use.

Cons

·        Security is a major concern for any open source content management system and so it applies to WordPress.

·        Best plug-ins are not free

 

Joomla

Pros

·        Easy set up. Just like the case is for WordPress, Joomla is much easier to setup and deploy.

·        Powerful extensions; Joomla offers a wide range of plug-ins so as to help you in managing and enhancing your web contents.

·        Extensive user permissions; Joomla offers you a range of resources so as to manage user permissions and privileges.

Cons

·        Requires the user to have a more advance knowledge of web application for customisation

·        Joomla is not SEO friendly as WordPress

 

 

 

Search Engine: The Most Powerful Marketing Tool Ever Invented

Posted on by

Digital marketing is rapidly taking place of traditional advertising: newspaper ads, radio and TV are not as popular as they were a decade ago. There are several good reasons that stand behind company’s choice to run Google Ad Words campaign and pay for sponsored links rather than invest in a newspaper promotional text. Traditional commercials principal is “the more the better” focusing primarily on massive exposure, being unable to track and measure user engagement in the advertised product. The internet, however, allows following people’s online activity and displaying targeted ads based on user search history.

Here are three main reasons why search engine proves to be the best marketing tool.

Being Online Is Vital From Marketing Perspective

Web search is the most popular way of receiving and sharing information of any kind. Statistic shows that the majority of users check out local stores and businesses on the web before making a call or visiting the place. Companies with highly ranked websites significantly benefit from the search engine and the search process, as they are easily found by potential customers. This is why every business and organization today finds it essential to maintain online presence: a website, a blog or a social page.

Targeted Audience On A Global Scale

Traditional marketing, such as TV commercials or advertisement boards, is usually applied to the masses without considering the interest of a particular consumer. This results with high exposure but low involvement rate. Local promotion activities such as mass mailing or flier distribution have their own disadvantage, being restricted to regional populations only. Unable to target the potentially interested customer, 90% of these leaflets and letters end up in the garbage.

Internet marketing, on the contrary, allows tracking users’ activity on the web and building an online behavioral pattern for each individual. Based on cookies and cache data files, Google Ad Words, for example, displays only targeted ads on the browser page – ads that go in line with the user’s browsing history and search queries. People who see these ads have been previously looking for the keywords mentioned in the commercial text. The relevance is what makes the difference and increases the chances the ad will be clicked through.

Cost-Effective: Control Your Expenses, Monitor Your Data

The enormous range of marketing campaigns available on the internet gives a business owner the freedom to determine their actions according to the budget, scale and goals. Google Ad Words PPC, for example, has flexible pricing model varying from $0.1 to $1.5 per single click. Keyword research tools help identify the most influential and competitive keywords and price them accordingly.

Most of the campaigns include search engine optimization (SEO). Every webpage has its own rank based on keywords, tags and links. Google Webmaster Tools is a free, user friendly application which allows monitoring website activity and experiencing with keywords in order to improve the page placement.

***

Web marketing has several significant advantages over traditional advertising. Cost, flexibility and targeted ads are the most recognizable ones; however, other benefits lay under the surface: the customer feedback system, multiple content formats and social features – to name a few.

Getting acknowledged by users and search engines requires time and dedication, but in the end of the day the effort is definitely paid off.

 

 

 

 

 

Three Reasons Why All Local Businesses Should Be Online

Posted on by

A growing number of users today take actively participate in online discussions, reviewing and ranking individuals and organizations they deal with – shops, medical specialists, travel agents – to name a few. Most of the consumers make an online research before buying a product, booking an appointment or even using a local service: 85% of all deals and purchases begin on the internet. Therefore, online presence is vital and its significance only grows bigger as more and more people have access to the web. Whether your business is local or international, big or small – you ought to think in terms of online recognition.

Local Business Listing: It Is Important

About 20% of all Google searches are associated with a certain location. Placing an online business listing can only enhance exposure, especially if your target audience is the local population. Read estate agencies, dental clinics, lawyer’s offices – these are just a few examples fitting into this category. An accurate listing will help potential customers identify your organization whenever they make a search related to a specific geographic area.

Owners of verified business listings get access to the insight data covering users’ interaction on the listing for up to ninety days. That includes number of views, areas from which people have checked out directions to business location using Google Maps, keywords which were used to discover the business and many more. Analyzing these statistical graphs and numbers ought to give a better picture on business online activity and development.

Google Business Places and Google+ Local

Google Business Places is a free mapping application allowing business owners to create local listings, similar to those on Yellow Pages. Easily manageable and customizable, a listing contains all the necessary information: map, photos, customer reviews, specifications and points of interest.

Starting from May 2012, Google has officially launched its social network, Google+, where users can create two types of pages: a business listing and a socially featured local Google+ page, analogous to a Facebook profile. When a listing gets verified, the local Google+ page automatically merges with previously existing business listing on Google Places and a new check marked profile is created.

How to Use Google Listing Wisely

There are several effective ways to optimize a business listing ranking. To get the most of your website and Google+ account, use special keywords to describe your professional specialties and points of interest. Adding extra categories is one way to do it – each category should stand for a different qualification. A real estate agent, for example, may add categories such as “foreclosure”, “investment” or “rentals” – depending on their specialization.

Placing photos of the business is an exceptional way to make your listing stand out. Photos are displayed next to each listing on the search result page of all the specialists in your area, creating a visual distinction between you and the others.

Another powerful approach is publishing trusted feedbacks from existing customers. People tend to rely on reviews from reliable sources – friends or followers – rather than browsing anonymous referrals. There is nothing wrong in asking some of your clients to leave a brief description of their experience.

***

A strong online presence and internet marketing are the ultimate ways to run a successful business. Google Places and Google+ are business locators throughout the world. Keeping a well-organized Google+ account is essential for to keep b a local business up and running.

 

 

Why blogging is essential for your business.

Posted on by

Blogging continues to soar in global popularity. In fact, it is an essential tool for new and existing businesses that want to establish a strong online presence. With blog writing, you can effectively generate a lasting buzz about your website and its services. You can also engage visitors with compelling content that helps promote your brand across vast networks. In this challenging and competitive marketplace, securing higher visibility is the key to commercial longevity and success. While strategic keywords and captivating websites are still important, blogging is also a vital part of any online marketing campaign. With content creation, you can generate recurring businesses and increase web traffic across the board.

365.14 (Blogging)

Establish yourself as an expert.

Blogging can also establish yourself as an expert in your particular field or niche. Whether it is health, sports, electronics, or even entertainment, blogging is the perfect way to showcase your skills and subject mastery. As an expert in the field of your choice, your readers will look for timely and relevant content. This can include reviews, along with product descriptions and even personal editorials. Blogging is also serves as a portal to answer questions and concerns from loyal readers and visitors. According to industry experts, fresh and engaging content is the key to ensuring a successful and lasting blog. In other words, you need to blog on a consistent basis in order to attract readers and potential customers.

Content and organic search

With content creation, you can increase web traffic to your sites and blogs via organic searches. In fact, blogging can connect visitors that are looking for your particular products and services. While there are no restrictions when it comes to blogging, experts do recommend plenty of links within your content. This enables your content to be both readable and easy to scan. With pertinent and important links, readers can easily find the items or information they seek as well. This helps save time, while keeping your readers on visitors on your respective pages. While blogging has helped countless businesses establish brand validity and awareness, it also utilized to display your social and community activities.

A blog will boost your social marketing efforts.

When it comes to SEO, social media integration is simply vital. Without tapping into the social networks, you are literally marketing your sites to only 50% of the market. Blogging is designed to correlate or market your social media activities. This can include new product promotions, along with sales and special events for friends, colleagues, customers, and especially clients. Not only is blogging a great way to express your innermost thoughts, it also helps put a face on any new or existing or brand. According to industry experts, the less is more approach should be taken with any blogging post or endeavor. This means short paragraphs that are concise, precise, and straight to the point. As always, you need to include links and contact information that is easy to read and access.

If you are pressed for time, simply check the Internet for blogging templates and ideas. While originality is important, you can find some fascinating ideas and concepts about blogging on the web. If you are struggling to attract readers and visitors to your site, blogging can truly meet your needs within time and budget. All it takes is a few minutes a day to formulate content that your readers want and demand.

The importance of building content for your website

Posted on by

Gone are the days when websites can rank high on Google just because of numerous quality back-links. These days, the famous worldwide search engine has revamped its Google guidelines in order to lean more toward favoring those sites with compelling, relevant content. This is why it is important for webmasters to focus more on content creation rather than beautifying the site, spreading the word in social media sites, and coming up with quality backlinks.

Content Reigns as King Today

As the popular web saying goes, “Content is King”. It indeed reigns as king today because even with the amazing marketing strategies that you employ, you will not be given that spot on the front page of search results if your website provides substandard articles and does not seem to be an authority on the subject.

It’s very important that you supply your website with relevant content regularly. It doesn’t have to be daily, but perhaps 3 to 4 times a week would be good so that Google will be able to detect it. An active website with wonderful content is always better and will definitely boost your ranking. You must always put the experience of the readers first instead of trying to play with Google’s search algorithms.

Coming Up with High Quality Content

So how do you come up with high quality content in your niche website? Yes, you can still rehash some articles but it is always better to provide unique content that’s well-written and valuable for the readers.

You might think that a few spelling and grammatical errors can be overlooked, but these and other English writing conventions contribute to your ranking too. This is why you must always subject your posts to careful editing and proofreading first before publishing them.

It would also be helpful for you to take a look at your competitors’ sites or those that offer similar content to yours in the same niche. Your goal is to come up with better quality in terms of content. Visuals come second.

Whenever you post something new, make sure to check if you believe that this will provide value to your targeted readers. How can it help them? It’s definitely good to do relevant research for your content creation to make your articles seem substantial and of great value. Of course at the same time, you ought to also aim for popular and current topics in your niche.

Studying the Google Guidelines

If you would like to improve the search rank of your website, you must take the time to study Google guidelines. This will help you keep in mind important factors to consider whenever you publish anything on your site. Furthermore, it will train you to continuously provide relevant content that Google loves.

Take note that SEO techniques will not play a major role anymore if you want Google to see you as a top quality website. Just do your best in content creation.

How The Web Is Changing The Wine Industry

Posted on by

Like every industry alive today, the internet is changing the wine industry. While selling wine online is difficult, wine has found a number of interesting and unique niche’s in online communities from tasting chats on Twitter to huge Facebook daily deal site’s specifically tailored to wine.

That being said, the wine industry is being changed inexorably by the internet, perhaps in more ways than anyone can count.

Here’s what I see:

Easier Access for Winemakers:

We are undoubtedly in the era of superstar and travelling winemakers.  Perhaps never before in our history has the ease of travel made it possible for winemakers to consult on multiple continents during the same growing season. We won’t even start to talk about the huge number of winemakers spending part of their year in California and the other part in Chile, that’s happening more and more every year.  Part of the ease has come about because the internet allows the instant transfer of information.  Winemakers can now login to their computer from anywhere in the world and not only see a live view of fermentation in action, but also understand the exact measurements of heat, sugar levels and much more from that fermentation.  No longer will winemakers waste time driving to the winery, only to find that fermentation hasn’t started yet and that they should come back tomorrow. That access and information can allow a winemaker to pick and follow fermentation Sauvignon Blanc in Bordeaux one week and then Napa Valley in the next, only to do the same months later when red wine grapes come in.

Cheaper Wine:

We’ve all seen the rise (and usually the fall) of daily deal sites like Groupon.  The wine industry has done well on many of those sites and they are without a doubt, part of the reason we’re seeing cheaper wine.  That being said though, the pressure placed on wine prices by the internet goes much further.  There was a time when a single retailer in San Francisco could put a specific wine on sale, without anyone else having any clue about that arrangement.  Now, because of the internet and sites like Wine Searcher, a single retailer can be responsible for driving down prices of a wine across the entire country.

Better Consumer Choice:

A generation ago there were about 20 nation wide distributors of wine.  Those 20 companies were able to largely pick winner’s and losers in the world of wine, by deciding the wines carried at virtually every restaurant, wine store, grocery store and drug store in America.  After the economic bubble burst in 2007 though, that number has shrunk to 4 nation wide distributors.  Luckily, the internet allows consumers the ability to exchange information with each other, talking about who is making good wine and who isn’t.  If you want information about an obscure vineyard you passed on your last trip to Italy-the internet is going to be the only place to find something like that.  Of course, online you’ll also be able to see the wines available to you locally from that winery and how much they cost.

Mark Aselstine is the owner of Uncorked Ventures, an online wine club based just outside of San Francisco.

Why is everyone using google?

Posted on by

Google: More than Just a Search Engine

Today, Google search engine is unquestionably the dominant tool in the market. Initially built for queries and data research only, Google nowadays has many other features and power tools to allow its users obtain and analyze targeted information quickly and easily.

There are several major points standing behind Google’s immense popularity.

Google Food

google – source

High Quality Search Results

Google search engine provides timely, relevant results in split of a second. By using the secret algorithm and PageRank™ technology company’s developers have managed to almost completely eliminate spam and shallow-content pages from appearing on top of the search results. Pages are ranked by relevancy, domain age, inbound and outbound links and their trustworthiness.

Google is also very effective with misspellings: has a user made a typo in a common word or phrase Google will offer to replace the term with a correct one at the same time displaying search results for the original query. This option is essential when the query is difficult to spell, or when it contains a person’s name that might be spelled in more than one way.

Google ads that appear on the sides of the pages are, too, related to the query topic and are often as useful as the search pages. Ads and sponsored links are explicitly marked as such and do not clutter the search result page.

Google Search Services: Different Results Formats

To deliver faster and more accurate results, Google offers other service search options through tags that appear on the top of the Google homepage. “Web” tag is the default option, and if a user is looking for an image, a book, a map or a video – all he has to do it click on the relevant tag and type the query in the search box. The search results will appear in the relevant format: image, map, book list, video and so on.

Another helpful search service is Google Translate. Sometimes, the most relevant search result appears in a foreign language. It happens when a user is looking for a corporate web page of a company located in a different country, or when the query itself is in foreign language. By clicking “translate this page” next to the URL on the search result list, Google will display the landing page in English providing a reasonably good translation quality.

Google Advanced Search and Search Operators

Google search operators are certain words written with a colon, followed by the query term. The operators restrict the search process to specific areas on the landing page. For example, if a user starts a query with allintitle: operator, Google will search all query terms that appear in the title of its indexed webpages. The displayed results will only contain pages that have the desired query term in their title.

Search operators are extremely useful when looking for specific file types, definitions or information from a specific source. This option allows skipping several steps and getting a detailed result on the first search attempt.

Google advanced search is another search-restricting option that narrows the results by specific criteria set by the user: certain words, phrases, geographic location, language and even usage rights. Advanced search tool does not require the knowledge of operators.

***

Google is a mighty instrument that has become much more than a basic search engine. Its multiply functions, services and tools practically encompass all of the internet activity: searching, rating, analyzing, translating and even predicting future trends. Google tools enable end users and webmasters to work with different types of information, build websites, run blogs and analyze keywords to improve traffic and sales.