RSS Underground - RSS Resources - Dynamic Directory - Article Menu

Featured RSS Underground Content Filtering

Web Traffic - Is Your Content Making Your Web Site Invisible?

We Web content writers lead quiet lives peering at a computer monitor and tapping a keyboard. I even eat lunch at the keyboard, because it means that I can do some relaxing Web surfing without feeling guilty.

So drama was the last thing I expected on a cold winter's day when I bit into my peanut butter, raisin, and celery sandwich, and grabbed the ringing phone with my other hand.

A woman I didn't know sobbed into my ear: "My boss says our Web site's a disaster. We're not getting any visitors at all.... and I'm going to be fired."

I tried to tell her that it couldn't be that bad, and even if it was, we'd fix it, but it took ten minutes for her to calm down enough to tell me what the URL (Web address) was. When I looked at the site, I had a pretty good idea why her boss was mad.

It was a real estate site. Very nice. Tasteful -- elegant even. But clicking around the site, I could see that while artistically the site was fine, as a commercial Web site, it had big challenges.

No wonder the site wasn't getting any traffic. The site was almost invisible to the search engines.

At a guess, the site would be lucky to get five visitors a day, unless the real estate company bought traffic via Pay Per Click or other advertising.

Unfortunately, it turns out that they'd already spent too much on the site. Unless the sobbing lady got the site to do what had been promised by the developers -- get at least a thousand visitors a day and FAST -- her job was history.

Here's what I found on the site:

=> A Flash intro to the site

Flash animation was popular several years ago, but its popularity died when site owners realized that most Flash is just annoying. When someone comes to your site, they want information, and they want it right away.

=> Big images on every page

The images looked lovely, gorgeous homes, but only a few words of text. From a search engine standpoint, there was nothing to index on the pages.

=> Almost no text

Again, with very little text, there was nothing for search engines to index, and therefore no chance that the site would get traffic from the site search engines.

Register for a special 19 page Free Report on PDF that discusses article marketing and how real content will help you keep your site from getting banned! You'll also receive the highly acclaimed Article Marketing News Newsletter! It's free! Sign up today!

=> NO "real estate"-related keywords

The site was called (not the real name, this name is fictitious) "Thomas Fedeck Green and Smythe Incorporated". This name was on every page. I'm sure that the name was well known to the real estate buyers in the company's home city, but it meant nothing to most Web surfers, and worse -- there was nothing connecting "Thomas Fedeck Green and Smythe Incorporated" with the keywords "real estate".

Worse yet, someone had decided to create images of each property's listing so that a very fancy font could be used. Again, nothing for the Web search engines to index.

=> Flash movies

Every listing on the site was accompanied by a Flash movie of the property, with an agent showing off the features of each property.

=> My recommendation: get some text onto each and every page

"The site's fine," I assured my caller, whose sobs had calmed down. "You just need material for the Web search engines to index. The engines aren't psychic. They don't know what your site is about. You have to tell them in words. Get some words onto the site -- words about real estate, and you'll get traffic in no time."

=> The happy ending: a rapid uptick in traffic

I developed a Web content plan for the site, and within a few weeks the site got an excellent uptick in traffic. The traffic's been steadily growing.

My caller wasn't fired. When I heard from her just a few days ago, she'd been made a partner. A happy ending all around -- and a site that was made visible at last.

About the Writer of this Article

Angela Booth is a veteran copywriter and Web content expert. She writes Web site copy and content, and develops Web content plans for Web sites. Visit her creative copywriting site at http://angelabooth.com/ and her Creativity Factory marketing copywriting weblog at http://www.angelabooth.com/wp/

Where To Get Content For Your Blog

Blogs and web sites that have rich content are always going to do better than those that don't. I am sure you wondered where these blogs get their ideas, views and opinions. It is easy to write about something you are passionate about- but to do that most days of the week is extremely hard, since you would probably run out of things to talk about or you simply don't have the time. So how do they do it? Where do they get their ideas? Do they get help from tools and other sources available on the Internet?

The best way would be to provide the content yourself, and this is of utmost importance if your goal is to try to create traffic to an affiliated link. You'll definitely want to sell the idea about the services and products beforehand. What that will do is set the stage or the "mood" and give your recommendations authenticity.

Expounding on the uses of a particular service or product, with your own likes and dislikes, achieves this naturally. With an affiliate program, it is a good idea to have a personal anecdote that goes hand in hand with the product or service.

Using private label articles is a viable alternative. PL articles abound in the Internet and you can always buy some that are connected to your central topic and then place them in your weblog . One way of maximizing a purchased PLA is to cut it down into several pieces, thereby maximizing its content.

Utilizing RSS feeds to post on blogs is becoming very popular, although not everyone is familiar or willing to learn about RSS feeds. The advantage to an RSS feed is that your weblog is automatically updated with fresh news and content. The disadvantage is that it is not unique content and that anybody interested in the feed will likely click out on a story that appeals to them.

Putting in your very own content is the best way to go. One way to find fresh ideas is to look for an appealing news article and then do a summary write-up based on it. It's not as easy as it sounds, but you and your readers will find it the most rewarding way. If you feel that you just don't cut it as a writer or you genuinely don't have the time, then hire someone else to do it for you. There are many services out there who provide a "blog service" which includes daily posts of unique, engaging content and you can instruct these content writers as to where you want the links in your weblog pointing to- so that any burden of cost in terms of hiring them should be offset by the gains in your increased visitor base, the marketing of your other web sites and earnings from your affiliate programs.

These are the best ways to generate content for your weblog . It is advisable not to be going with the automated path. If you do decide to do that, you will probably have plenty of content- but the substance of the text is unlikely to increase traffic for you. Putting in some good, old-fashioned content work will yield better results for you. As the expression goes- "you get out what you put in...."!!

The Importance of Context in Content Filtering

Launching a search for "Breast Cancer Awareness" should not result in a flood of pornographic URLs, but if your filtering solution isn't capable of analyzing context as well as words, that might be what happens. Filtering pornographic texts may focus only on the word "breast" and not on the context in which it is presented. It is important that your company's Appropriate Use Policy (AUP) includes the specific definition of what constitutes Web sites that need to be blocked. Visiting the Breast Cancer Society's home page would probably be allowed by most company AUPs. However, making sure that authorized sites get through and inappropriate sites get blocked, can be a very tricky business, especially if your filtering solution looks only at words and not context.

The Hardware Filtering Option

One way to ensure that your AUP is accurately enforced is to implement a hardware filtering solution that is able to handle both words and context. In addition, an appliance offers other advantages that make it the ideal choice to perform complex filtering processes that are fast, accurate and flexible.

One advantage is that an appliance-based filtering solution fits easily into your network's topology while at the same time giving the company the flexibility of outstanding features. A hardware appliance is a dedicated and features pass by architecture that allows it to remain stable regardless of the load.

If load increases, the hardware appliance is infinitely scalable by simply adding another machine. Software filters are limited in both their performance, scalability and single points of failure.

Comprehensive Reporting

One of the most important components of successful Web filtering for any organization is the ability to generate relevant reports. You can get an instant snapshot of activity at your organization or produce management or compliance reports required by your organization. There is no better way to ensure that accuracy and reliability goals are being met. If you can find an appliance-based Web filtering solution that offers on-box reporting, you found the best product. With total on-box reporting you won't have to purchase additional hardware or software that drives up your costs. In addition, you will be able to prove that inappropriate content is not reaching your employees and that appropriate content is allowed to get through. Also, reporting allows you to fulfill the requirements of your organization's Acceptable Use and Security Policies and document your compliance.

The Importance of Human Review Automatic URL database updates are essential for providing secure and timely content filtering. It is particularly critical that these database updates are vetted by more than just name identification. By employing 100% human-review coupled with weekly, daily or hourly updates, your company is protected from dangerous sites and objectionable content around the clock.. Using human-review, sites with questionable content are reviewed daily and added to the database. Conversely, if a site such as the Breast Cancer Society or a site handling fertility treatment information comes up for review,a human interface can approve the content for the database.

Medical Mistakes and Business Operations

The accurate and secure filtering of Web content has serious implications for many different organizations. In the case of Medical facilities it is important to know that hospitals and doctors' offices are now governed by the HIPPA policy. This policy requires that no private medical data be distributed to anyone other than those precisely identified by the patient. If the internal or network security of a medical facility should be compromised, that facility would be in violation of HIPPA and subject to serious fines as well as the loss of patient confidence.

Pornography, phishing, spy ware, violent or racist web sites may share similar words with valid web sites, but they are negative and dangerous to the internal security of a company's network and to their public reputation. By using an appliance based Web filtering solutions, companies can implement the necessary tools and resources required to protect their best interests no matter what the nature of their business. There are inherent limitations associated with software solutions especially when a firewall is involved. A software solution combined with a firewall means that eventually the general purpose CPU of the firewall will become bogged down with the double duty it will be forced to perform. In the worst-case scenario, the network is slowed down by the software filter and the firewall device, leading to compromised performance and network security.

Cyberspace can be treacherous, but it shouldn't be frustrating and arbitrary. Software-based solutions that are inherently more complex and which employ heuristics rather than 100% human -review can only do so much. To ensure success, human interface is needed in order to judge context for content. The best solution for network security is a solution that is dedicated to providing the best service possible so that your organization can fulfill its interests and satisfaction.

While the danger of lost intellectual property and high-profile lawsuits float around in cyberspace, a hardware filtering solution keeps the dangers locked out while protecting access to vital content.

Five Places for Free Content

Most of the big marketers have already figured out how to add RSS feeds and stream free content into their web site. If you don't know how to add RSS feeds, then you need to read my other article, "How to Add RSS Feeds in Five Easy Steps!" If you need immediate content and ideas, here are five places for free content:

Why is this important to your traffic? The Search Engines want content that is consistently updated on your site. When their spider crawls your site, and they notice changes; they conclude that you are keeping it up to date. They want to give higher page ranks to fresher content!

If you cannot create a self-sufficient site and you do not have an unlimited supply of content that is self-written or staff-written, there is a third option. There are sites that contain a vast array of information. DO NOT go to any random web site and take the content and place it on your web site. Once you write a web site, it is automatically copyright protected with or without the notice. If you take from any web site that does not give you permission, this is a violation of copyright laws whether the content is registered or not.

There are, however, quite a few web sites that will provide you with content to put onto your web site. You can include comics and jokes or you can find relevant content to almost any subject imaginable. One very useful web site is Freesticky. This site allows you to find a large amount of content to put onto your web site. For other similar web sites, just go to www.google.com and type in "free web site content" and you will get several excellent results. Play around and see which ones you find most appealing.

I have a found a great FOURTH option. Do you need free content? Old books where the copyright has expired can now legally be copied for your web site. http://www.gutenberg.org/ is a FREE place which houses over 16,000 online books which you can copy for free and place on your web site.

Fifth Option: Most government web sites provide FREE information that you can legally copy and place on your web site. Here's the web site: www.pueblo.gsa.gov . The publications distributed through the FCIC are published or sponsored by a variety of Federal and private-sector organizations. While most of the information is in the public domain and can be copied and used for educational purposes, we can't provide a blanket assurance that all of the information is in that category. Have fun! Go to town with all this free content..

Making a Content Site

Basic Steps

Find a Topic. Think of what you like, or enjoy. If you have a passion for something you will find it easier to create the site, and will already have an advantage when moving onto writing the content, or advertising the site. You could go the alternative route and find a topic with really high paying keywords, but these markets are usually highly saturated.

Research. Find out how many people actually want information related to your topic. It's pointless to make a content site on something that:
a)doesn't exist
b)no one has heard of
Don't focus on the aspect that gets too many searches though, unless you believe you can get a good ranking still. Focus on mid-range search terms, for highly specific key phrases.
Note! Use variations of your keywords, some people use the term Soccer, whilst others use Football. For a good tool to check out how many people are search for what, click here.
Don't forget to check out your competition, see what they offer, and decide whether you can offer visitors more, or better content. If your site isn't an improvement, why would they visit?

Domain. Looking at what people are searching for and try to include those keywords/phrases in your domain, don't go overboard with something like golfbagsballsclubsshoespants.com - 2 or 3 words is usually a good length for a domain.

Content. The most laboring part of the content site process - the content. If you want the biggest profit you'll spend some time writing the articles yourself - remember clean, concise punctuation and grammar and no 1337 speak. If you: are lazy, have extra money, can't write well, then find an article writing company, you can usually get great articles for $15-$20 per article.

Media. I always like to add a media page to my content sites. Just a page with photos, drawings, diagrams, videos, or even downloads. You may not need one of these, but it's just something I like to do. It could make the users experience at your site more enjoyable also.

Site Design. You don't need to be a pro designer to make something that looks decent. Pick up a copy of Dreamweaver, use Frontpage, or go back to basics with good old Notepad. Make a basic, quick loading design that is still appealing to visitors. If you can't be bothered then just Google for 'free web templates' and you'll get thousands upon thousands of listings. After you have the design integrate all the content etc into it. I usually aim for 5 good quality pages, but that depends on your topic/laziness.

Optimization. Time to get your site optimized for search engines. Here are just a few basic things you can do to help:

• H1 Tags: Use h1 tags on each of your pages headings, and then h2on subheadings etc.

Advertising. Find forums, directories, top sites & web sites relevant to your niche.

• Top Sites: Not as common these days, but topsite lists are a decent source of traffic/page rank.
• Websites: E-Mail owners of relevant web sites and request a link exchange.

Ad Placement. When you start to receive traffic you can monetize your site. Sign up for a program such as Google Adsense and place your ads within, and above your content. Make the ads blend in with your content & links, and use the channels feature to decide which placements are working well or not.

News Feeds. An extra feature which is good to have is news feeds. Using RSS add some relevant news to your pages to keep your site contents fresh, and give your visitors a reason to come back.

Hey, please visit the Internet Marketing web sites:

Office

Kim Johnson Dancing With The Stars

Recently Added Internet Related Articles:

Content Managed Website - I was recently approached by a small business owner who wanted to find ways to maintain his web site but felt the cost of a content management system, even a small scale solution, was too high to justify. He recognized that his web site is an important part of his business and also recognized that he and his small group of non-technical employees didn't have the expertise to manage their web site themselves.

Blogging Subject - Blogging gets its name from the term 'blog', itself a short form of 'weblog', which again is a blend of two words, 'web' and 'log'. A blog is a repertoire of web publications stored in reverse chronological order, which means that a new entry comes on top of the one just preceding it. Anyone who looks after a blog, writes for and maintains it is said to be 'blogging'. Blog-posts are articles posted on a blog by a 'blogger'.

Blogging Software - When blogging hit the web, it did so with a bang. Blogging is now one of the most popular forms of communication via the web. Before, web surfers would simply browse through sites with preformatted text on them. There was very little chance for a surfer to comment on a site or to offer their opinion on anything. If a surfer wanted to voice their opinion via the web, they had to start their own webpage.

Resources Article - So you've decided to beef up your web site by adding an XML feed. This is a great idea; whether you maintain a personal blog or operate an independent news site, adding an XML feed is a surefire way to keep your RSS-friendly readers in the know.

Start Blogging - Blogging has captured the interest of many across the World Wide Web. The cold, robotic nature of the virtual world becomes warm and cozy when we see personality and real life thoughts appearing on our screens. Sometimes we make a connection with the blogger that leaves an impression. We're caught! Our natural curiosity will draw us back on a regular basis to get the juicy updates the blogger throws our way.

Editorial Content - Are you aware of how vitally important and valuable CONTENT is to your online business? In fact, content can do more to build your business and profits than just about any other resource or service available. Following is a list of 5 key ways that content can help build your traffic, subscribers, and customers starting today!...

Content Management Server - Resource directories used to be a great form of content. Yahoo actually got it's start as a resource directory. They are now the #2 most visited site on the entire Internet. The search engine ranking data (http://www.RankingFactors.com) shows that outbound links are still a positive ranking correlation factor (even though so-called SEO "experts" moan about PR leak and other such nonsense).

Content Writing Companies - Are you aware of the great potential that India offers in the field of web content writing requirements including technical writing, journalistic writing, editing of manuscripts, proofreading or any other related work? If you outsource your web content writing to India you will get the best possible research and web content writing that will enrich your web site considerably.

Content Article - Article directories have taken the internet by storm. That is a good thing, as it allows authors to distribute their content and allows publishers to grab content for their web site, but unfortunately, many article directories are offering a huge disservice to authors and publishers due to poorly designed directories.

Articles on the web

The man behind Social Power Linking
Jack Humphrey's Social Power Linking is an excellent membership. This incredible membership is seriously the best that most people have ever seen in learning and utilizing Web 2.0 and social marketing strategies. Jack Humphrey, who represents the Authority Site Center and brought the Authority Black Book to the world is considered the highest voice in [...]