If you want your own domain or a blog where you have full control or a web presence for your business, you are likely looking for the web hosting services that meet your needs. You can design a website and have it residing on your hard drive, but until you have your site on a server, nobody will be able to access it. So, that is where web hosting comes into play. You pay a monthly or annual fee to a company to host all of your web pages, images, e-mail, etc.

You cannot count on the free hosts. I cannot stress that enough. Your best option is to find a web host that fits into your budget and pay for an account so that you have absolute control over your web content.

Looking around at all the thousands of options for web hosting can be confusing. I spent a good month researching my options before I settled on my current web host. I looked at their customer rating, prices, pre-installed scripts, availability of customer service, uptime, and a handful of other parameters. I feel like I made an educated decision.

When I compared companies, I will tell you that I stuck to the larger, more established web hosting services. I ruled out the small players and new companies. I wanted a company with a good track record and a reputation in the industry that I could see via multiple sources.

One of the companies I researched was Network Solutions, simply because they have been around since the dawn of time – at least in internet years. They are not a fly-by-night operation and their reputation is the most valuable thing they have to offer. Their monthly costs are reasonable and their plans offer adequate space and transfer limits. Plus, they have 24/7 customer support with live people available. That is a whole lot more than the smaller companies will offer you in the way of help and support.

Do your research. That’s my best advice. But, I do suggest you add Network Solutions to your short list of options.

I talked about several topics involved in getting your online presence up and running when you are a small business owner. I’ve gone over choosing a host, designing a logo, choosing a name for your business and ways to make sure you stay ahead of your competitors in the search engines.

So, how about taking a look at who is visiting your site, how much traffic you are generating and where that traffic is finding you? That is all as simple as making sure you have a good stats program installed on your site and then learning how to make the most of the data it gives you.

GoStats offers both free and paid professional stats for your site. Best of all, they are simple to install and even easier to interpret. I suggest at least signing up for the free stats and seeing how comfortable you are with the data presentation. You can always upgrade to a more advanced account.

The free account does give you access to information about when and where your visitors are coming. I find this to be the most useful part of my stats, because it tells me if advertising is driving traffic, if links from other businesses are successful, or if a particular search engine is returning results for me. It also tells me which days of the week are best for my target demographic and what time throughout the day those people are online and looking for the particular information my website offers.

If you know which pages on your site are most popular, you can gauge where you need to focus future efforts. If I see that a majority of my traffic is coming in to look at a particular product, I will add new products along the same lines.

If you already have stats, learn how to use them. If you don’t have them yet, sign on at GoStats and start learning more about your site’s traffic.

Did you know there is an entire website dedicated to the illustrious topic of poop? Neither did I – until tonight. That’s why I enjoy Marisa’s Scribbleonthewall.com blog. She pointed me the way to this unique website. About poop. I kid you not. Check it out for yourself (it’s non-offensive and actually pretty clever).

Why do you read blogs? I’ll bet you have more than one reason. I know I do. Back when I started reading blogs, they were not even called “blogs” yet. I think we were still saying online journal or online diary. And, that is what they were for the most part – diaries. They were little musings about daily life.

These days people blog about anything. You can use a blog to talk about political opinions, run a quasi-magazine, educate on a given topic, chronicle a journey or life event – the list goes on. I tend toward blogs that are catch-all starting points to find other blogs, websites, and current events. That’s why Scribbleonthewall.com appeals to me. She basically keeps a living history of the most interesting web sites she has found in her online travels. It’s like a fun virtual road trip.

Did you check out the poop site yet? You know you want to.

Some bloggers live for comments on their blog posts. There are those who simper and beg for feedback. There are others who go out of their way to post inflammatory link baiting articles just to incite people to comment.

The question really is:
What kind of comment is actually beneficial to your blog?

If you look at the numerous comments made by the worshipful simpletons over on Michael Arrington’s blog, you might think a string of 25 comments reading “me too!” or “I agree” or “Can you feel my pink lips kissing your hairy ass?” would be the ideal kind of comments to find on a blog. If you don;t know who Arrington is, there is a good introduction in the article I just linked.

I ask – What does that really get you in the end? A puffed up feeling of self importance, perhaps? What do those comments add, though, in the way of SERPs (Search Engine Result Positioning)?

I would rather have no comments or just one good, informational comment per post, when it comes down to it. When I look at my stats, I see that often there is traffic streaming in from the search engines that has found me because someone has added solid information to my article by way of their comment. Once a comment is published to my blog, it becomes part of the fabric of the article.

Here is an example
I wrote an article about chicken pot pie recalls and a reader commented that they would like to see my own recipe for chicken pot pie. That encouraged me to add an additional post to my blog with my recipe. Yet another reader commented on that second post, adding their own twists on the dish. Some of the language in the comment is actually how new readers found my site via search engines. Lots of readers. Thank you to my commentator for adding valuable content to my site.

Now, how would 25 comments on a post simply agreeing with my opinion add to the value of my content? It wouldn’t. That is why I am happier with a handful of solid comments rather than a plethora of empty comments. My traffic is awesome. It is climbing weekly. My repeat visitor count is on the rise and the search engines are indexing me like gangbusters.

Nothing to complain about here, folks.

This is something I meant to get around to about two weeks ago. One of my favorite bloggers, Prija of Blogging, The Movie (also fondly known as the Sneaky Bastard) pointed out that link trains and their ilk are technically “link Schemes” and as such, they are frowned upon by Google. But then, what does not Google not frown upon?

Ponder that one, my friends.

Keeping firmly within all said guidelines, Prija manned the engine and started a NoFollow Link Train contest. NoFollow is the key element here, but even more important is that the prizes include a copy of the 4-Hour Workweek book and some pretty hot exposure for your blog on the Blogging, The Movie website. So, without further ado:

***** Start Here ******

Prize

1. Free 4-Hour Workweek Book.
2. A chance to have a permanent link on front page of Blogging The Movie dot com.
3. Sign the Records Book as it travels to 10 different winners.

Contest

This contest is sponsored by BloggingTheMovie - A featured documentary about Bloggers. This contest contains no-follow links. So it is Google friendly and by creating an original introduction you won’t be dinged for duplicate content. This is an ongoing marketing campaign. There will be 10 winners at which each winner will be able to host their own contest which will be sponsored by Blogging The Movie. 1st Winner: Susan Suarez | 2nd Winner: Investing Adventures | 3rd Winner: Can be you!

Rules

1. Write an original short snippet introduction to avoid duplicate content.
2. Just copy the section between the start and end.
3. Add your 3 favorite blogs with rel=”nofollow” in between the link on the code page. i.e. <a href=”http://www.url.com/” mce_href=”http://www.url.com/” rel=”nofollow” target=”_blank” title=”url name”>URL.com</a>. This is extremely important to ensure that Google won’t ding us. Make sure you contact the bloggers and insist they participate so they can keep this going.
4. Email your URL of your blog post to Free4hourWorkweek@gmail.com
[Deadline: 12/31/07]

Favorite Blogs

Betshopboy | DerekSemmler | Enkay Blog | MsDanielle | JimiMorrisonsHead | Siteguide.us | Darin.cc | JonLee.ca | Samanathon | MrGaryLee | KellyCho | SusanSuarez | RobertaFerguson | Bloggrrl | TheKingKongBlog | TheBeefJerkyBlog | LifeisColourful | MarketingDeviant | MaleWail | RomanDock | 40hourstogo | TylerCruz | JonathanVolk | Egonitron | SuncoastScribe | Gnaka | WorldOfAngel | MyBlogContest | TheGeekBoys | ThinkingOutloud | TableForFive  | NanashiInc. | Add your 3 Favorite Blogs here (it is important that you change the link to rel=”no follow”)

If you were not tagged, you can still copy the list and add yourself on. No worries, it’s a win-win for everyone. So lets get ready. Get on the list to become the 3rd winner on the Train Contest

***** End Here ******

If you have a store or a restaurant or a school in a physical location I think the old adage “if you build it they will come”. When you have a website, on the other hand, you need to actually put effort into making sure your site is accessible, easy to use, and helps the user navigate the pages. Look at this custom search engine that was compiled for Collins College, for example:
http://www.google.com/coop/cse?cx=004734434582323036421%3A182liotgk9y

Collins has set up the custom engine to use for searching their website. It’s a great example of utilizing technology that already exists on the internet to integrate usability into your site. When your site visitors feel like they have a better handle on how to find the information they are looking for, they are more apt to spend more time on your site and consider your pages their last stop in their quest for an answer.

Consider integrating a customized search on your own website.

Up until recently, bloggers seem to have been able to get off the hook when it comes to issues of defamation. Blogging has been an unmoderated outlet for people express opinions and it often gets snarky, mean, and utterly raw. What started as basically an online dairy has evolved into not just a place to vent, as you would with a notebook you keep in your bedside drawer, but also a place where the blogger knows others will possibly see their thoughts and opinions.

Now, we see people trying to fight against the voice of bloggers using the legal system. Here in Florida, The New School of Orlando, a private school, is suing Sonjia McSween, claiming defamation. They say that a blog she wrote about her daughter’s experience at the school was critical to the point of going over the line.

The school wants McSween to stop publishing posts about the school and to pay damages. McSween says she simply wanted to share her experiences with others. The school accuses her of reporting fabricated information.

It’s a question about how freedom of speech applies to blogs. Blogs are a soapbox for the author. How far can we go and to what extent can others control what we say?

I’ve already experienced a lock of freedom of speech when two blogs I had on sub domains of Rainbow of Words were pulled offline. The owner did not like my content, and despite a lack of a TOS that outlined her actions, she exerted strong arm tactics to censor me.

There have been countless incidents of bloggers losing their jobs when someone at their company comes across their blog. And now, a school claiming defamation of interference with their business. This goes beyond public relations and becomes an issue of information control.

I think bloggers should use tact and wisdom when writing. I think we should do our very best to speak only the truth and not to perpetuate unfounded rumors and lies. But, I think a blogger’s opinion is their own. A fact is not an opinion. I am sure that the New School of Orlando is teaching even their kindergarteners that language arts lesson. Now, it needs to be put into practice.

Many of my readers may be aware that when I arrived back into town from my grandmother’s September 1 funeral, I was greeted by an almost impossible to comprehend message from the owner of the Rainbow of Words blog host telling me my accounts had been suspended. Apparently she did not agree with the statements I had made in one of my postings.

That two-week suspension turned out to be permanent, as the owner never once responded to me and has yet to allow me access to my blogs – blogs I had been writing in for close to a year.

Anyway, what it taught me is that if you love to blog, you need to have your own hosting account. I had already set this blog up months before and had intended to migrate my other two blogs onto their own domains on this hosting account. I’d been fearful about starting over in the race for Page Rank, but as we all know now – Google Page Rank is as close to worthless in the world of online marketing as it has ever been.

If you do not have your OWN hosting account now, get one. If you are using a free blog host somewhere or piggy-backing on a friend’s account, or any other situation where you do not have full and complete access to the files and the determination of your own Terms of Service, then you need to look into blog hosting accounts pronto.

While I personally recommend Wordpress hosting, there are also other blogging platforms that are just as well-liked and easy to navigate. Movable Type is one of the other popular blogging software packages. Several big hosting companies are able to offer accounts that cost close to nothing on a monthly basis. The benefits are many: control over your blog’s content, the ability to upload files and install plugins, sub domains, matching e-mail addresses, and more. AQHost is one provider, for example, that offers free instant installation of the blogging software and video tutorials to walk you through getting started. Since customer service is a MUST when considering a blog host, this is key information.

In light of the whole Google Page Rank Spanking that is happening right this very minute, I thought it might be a fine time to write a little about HOW we link when we blog.

There are two theories in linking best practices:

1. The site you link TO is what is important, so it does not really matter what actual text you using in linking. Hotlinking the words “click here”, “this link”, or “how now brown cow” all have the same outcome since all that matters is that the search engines pick up on where you are aiming your link.

2. Links that use highly relevant keywords carry more weight. There is a large contingent that believes firmly that using specific anchor text will help a site gain higher placement in the search engines for that particular anchor text.

Both theories have their champions and both theories very well may hold a portion of the truth, the full picture if you will. Many a blogger has proven that by asking their readers to link back to them using a random phrase, they soon gain the top spot in at least one search engine for that phrase. On the other hand, I have the top spot in my chosen keywords for at least two of my websites and I am reasonably sure that when people link to the sites, they use the titles of my sites. Those titles are not keyword rich, nor are they even reminiscent of the keywords for which I rank so highly.

What are your thoughts on HOW we link?

In the past two weeks, more sites than I can name have seen their well-established Google Page Rank take multiple nose dives. It seems to be happening one or two points at a time. Today, I am seeing report after report of people finally bottoming out at Zero. This blog seems to have found a new home at PR0, despite nice traffic and steady Alexa ranking. Page Rank is heavily dependant on how Google valuates your incoming links and how many pages from you site they have indexed in their database.

So, have you checked your Page Rank today? You might just find a while new score looking you in the face. I primarily hear stories of blogs bottoming out. My non-blog domains seem to be holding fine as far as page rank goes. The thing is, those sites are in the absolute top stop on all search engines for their keywords and I get tremendous traffic on all. I could care less about their page rank.

My blog, on the other hand, is a study in the importance of ranking. Like tens of thousands of other people on the internet, my blog is a source of income. I am not alone in this quest. There are people making six figures annually and their earning potential is almost entirely based on their current page rank.

People have been moaning for some time now, but I expect the roaring to commence. Google, you’ve lost favor.

Contextual advertising is absolutely what’s hot in the world of online advertising. Contextual meaning that an advertiser’s ads appear on websites or within text that is pertinent or related to the ad copy – in context. It’s what works.

One of the biggest bits of misinformation about contextual advertising is that can you just sign up for an account, zip through the details, and then sit back and watch your campaign bring you highly targeted traffic. If you are going to use tools like Google Adwords (the biggest PPC ad network online today), you need to know how to make a it work to your benefit.

You have to go into an Adwords campaign fully loaded with knowledge. There are several ways to accomplish this. You can:

• Spend countless hours online reading forums and blogs and attempting to cull the gems out of the endless mounds of information available.
• Hire a company to manage your campaigns for you.
• Get your hands on a concise guide written by a PPC professional on the subject who has already found the “gems” through trial and error and then do it yourself.

Steve Baker, an expert in the industry, as developed a free guide on using Google Adwords. His website also features his blog, case studies, and additional resources like his popular Google Adwords ebook AdWords Agency Secrets Revealed! His input will help you manage your own Adwords account, which means more profit for you and 100% control over your own campaign.

Before you go rushing into your next ad campaign, check out Steve’s site.

Bloggers love bullet points. In fact, those who blog about blogging have been singing the praises of the bullet point a lot lately. All the cool kids are doing it, right? They love their lists, their tasty tidbits of info. And, I’m all for whatever it takes to make a blog entry more readable. There are bloggers out there who have such a convoluted writing style that I nearly sign in relief when they finally slow down and break things down in neat bullet statements.

Bullet points are not always a simple task, though. You have to do it right. So, without further fanfare, here are some bullet points about Bullet Points (savor the irony):

• If you use complete sentences in at least one bullet point, then you need to use complete sentences for the entire list.
• Use the same verb tense in all bullet points.
• Ensure all bullet points in the same list are related in theme or topic.
• Make your bullet points concise. Your bullet list is not the right place for a full paragraph.
• Keep your list brief. Including more than 7 or 8 points destroys the validity of presenting an easy to digest grouping of information.

Now, go forth and bullet!

It figures that I actually have writing assignment to fulfill today and both the phone and the internet in our area are down. I have the Mac and am at the local library, but trouble still ensues. Upon attempting to submit my latest writing assignment, I am encountering an error at the other end of the system. Nothing I can do about it and it looks like by the time support gets to my ticket, my assignment will not only be overdue, but be released to the wilds and probably snapped up by another blogger. Technology is only as good as the programmers behind the software and I am not sure how I fell about said programmers just now.

I suppose I can take the Mac to a coffee house later. The library closes in about 15 minutes.

…and, I’m home and things are back online. But, as predicted my big writing job is lost and been reassigned to another blogger. What a waste of my working time today has been.

I love it when my readers comment on my blog. I installed a threaded comments plug-in so that I can converse with my readers and turn posts into a more forum like setting. The interaction lets me know what you are reading. What you like, what you think I should stop talking about and most importantly: when I make embarrassing typos.

I do not use a spam filter. I do, however, moderate each and every comment. Spam will never get through. I also do not approve comments from people who are obviously just trying t leave an outgoing link on my Do Follow blog. I know I have been added to a couple of the different Do Follow lists out there, despite not asking to be added. I also know that there are those who would exploit the Do Follow list. I’m no sucker. I catch on pretty fast.

Comments with value will be approved, but spammy links may be stripped. I invite you to contribute. Say what you are thinking, even if I won’t agree with you. Just please, don’t use my blog as a cheap way to add links to your resume.

He’s a lesson on why all bloggers need to have their own hosting accounts if they are serious about blogging.

Many of my readers will remember that in September I left for my grandmother’s funeral. When I returned home, I found my two oldest blogs non-operational. I had been given “free” hosting on the domain Rainbowofwords.com and apparently while I was out of town dealing with a very emotional issue that kept me offline, the owner of that site made the decision to pull access to my blogs based on the fact that her mother (yes, her mother!) had disagreed with a post I made that said I considered Benadryl an option to my daughter’s allergy meds during our travel. Its common knowledge that Benadryl not only helps with motion sickness, it also helps with anxiety. All in all, it would be serving three purposes if I gave it to my daughter. In the end, I never did need to. Her allergies were fine, as was everything else.

Anne’s removal of my blogs was supposed to be for two weeks, according to the one e-mail she ever bothered to send me about the issue. She refused to reply to the e-mails I sent to her; including those at the two-week mark asking if she would reopen access to my blogs. I have yet to regain access to my blogs and it has now been over 6 weeks. I do not expect Anne at Rainbowofwords to live up her word.

As someone who makes a living off of my freelance writing, the loss of my original blogs cost me right around $1000 in unpaid work. Anne is quite aware of what taking my blogs off line did to my income, as she is also a freelance writer.

Anyway, this all serves to say that blog hosting is something you need to have 100% control over. Get your own hosting account. Do not use the free services or accept free space from another individual. You need to have unfettered access to your files and know that as long as you are adhering to the Terms of Service of your professional hosting company, all will be well.

I personally recommend Wordpress hosting, as Wordpress is the most common blogging platform (along with platforms like Moveable Type), simple to navigate, and easy to customize. If you are just now starting a blog, do it the right way and pay to have your own account. There are various hosting packages out there for very reasonable prices. In fact, in most cases your monthly cost will be about the price of a cup of coffee from Starbucks.