Hosting Impact

Web Hosting

Every enterprise or website business owner wants to increase their business in one way or the other. With the onslaught of the internet entering our world, ecommerce has now flourished and will continue to do so. Traditional brick and mortar businesses are now investing money into their websites to sell and promote their stock and or services. This investment is all aimed at increasing their brand awareness amongst their customers. In fact, small businesses can now compete effectively and efficently against the big corporations and more importantly get their message out.

It is one thing to have a good website that is selling your widgets, however, you need a reliable web hosting comany to ensure that your website is live on the internet. There are literally thousands of web hosting providers that are available in the market today.

The question remains  of how to choose a good web hosting provider for your website.

Good web hosting

To choose a good web hosting provider one needs to ascertain and lay down their own needs and purposes of why they want a website. First and foremost though, is to completely avoid free web hosting companies. Why? Because, a good web hosting company has got nothing to do with inexpensiveness, though yes budget is an important aspect but there is cost efective and then there is cost effective.

Although obtaining free web hosting can benefit you initially, in the long term however, how secure are they, how reliable are they, do they offer prompt response to any or all questions, how often do they go off line ? In short, understand the difference between a free web hosting company and a good web hosting company.

Identify Hosting providers that are able to grow with you as you expand and are able to offer solutions to your problems. In the event that your website is database driven and requires huge resources to drive it, ensure that your hosting company can accomodate those needs. Ask for a test account first and then when satisfied with the speed, ability and support aspects, then purchase.

From Hosting Impact’s point of view, we do not believe that there should be any hosting contracts. A customer should want to stay with a hosting company because they want to stay. All to often, we hear of this client or that client are locked into a 2 or 3 year web hosting contract. Should not be allowed.

Choose a hosting provider that gives you the most value for your dollar but that value does not mean that it is free.

SEO Professionals to assist you in improving your Website Rankings

A number of our Hosting Customers have contacted us of late regarding emails they have received from at least two companies apparently located in China and Hong Kong, urging Our Hosting Customers to register their exisitng Domains into the Asian equivilent. We advised our customers, not to respond to the emails and under any circumstances, do not click on any of the links.

At the same time auDA had also received questions from concerned Domain Name owners and as a result, auDA sent the following email to Domain Name Registrants,  which we include in it’s entirety:

Misleading unsolicited emails from Asian domain name companies

30/Apr/2009

auDA is aware that at least two companies apparently based in China and Hong Kong have been sending unsolicited emails to people with .au domain names, attempting to mislead them into registering their name in a number of Asian domain spaces.

Examples include:

We are a domain name registration service company in Asia,

Last week we received a formal application submited by Yadu Investment Co Ltd which wanted to use the keyword “***” to register the Internet Brand and with suffix such as .cn /.com.cn /.net.cn/.hk/ .asia/ domain names.

After our initial examination, we found that these domain names to be applied for registration are same as your domain name and trademark. We aren’t sure whether you have any relation with this company. Because these domain names would produce possible dispute, now we have hold down this registration, but if we do not get your company’s an reply in the next 5 working days, we will approve this company’s application

In order to handle this issue better, Please contact us by Fax ,Telephone or Email as soon as possible.

and

We are a professional domain name registration center in asia, mainly dealing with the domain name registration and internet intellectual property rights protection.

We received a formal application from a company who is applying to register “***” as their domain name and Internet keyword on Apr 2th, 2009. Because this involves your company name or trade mark so we inform you in no time. we would like to confirm if this company is your partner, subsection or some one you authorized, if it is not, pls inform us if these domain names and internet keyword are important to you and it is necessary to protect them by registering them first or not, thanks for your cooperation, looking forward to your reply.

auDA does not have jurisdiction to handle complaints about these emails, as they do not involve the registration of .au domain names. We have been advised that authorities in Hong Kong are investigating at least one of the companies sending these emails.

In auDA’s view the claims made in these emails are most likely false and misleading, and we advise people to disregard them.

END OF EMAIL

We have not included the name of the auDA Officer that sent the email, for Privacy reasons, however, for additional information regarding the above email please contact AUDA or visit their website www.auda.org.au

We trust this has assisted in getting the message out in some way.

Until Next Time

Happy Blogging
Steve
Hosting Impact

SEO Professionals to assist you in improving your Website Rankings

We often get asked what are the best things to do to get a higher ranking on Google, Yahoo or MSN for that fact.  We don’t believe that there is just 1 thing to do to achieve a higher ranking, but a combination of a lot of little things.

The Search Engines use a complex range of algorithms to achieve the findings that they have and rightly so, they are very protective and cautious in regards to the integrity of those findings and the algorithms that are used. With that in mind, it would be then fair to suggest that they have the right to constantly change, alter, amend or rectify the code at any given time, to prevent spammers and people with unethical motives from dominating the search results.

In our experience, we have found that by utilising the guidelines, albeit very loose, and making your website, a website of worth and value, will over time ensure you of the high rankings you desperately seek.

Please find enclosed a list of 3 things, that we consider, to be of consistent value in true SEO Results:
1. Title Tag … Yes, we know, you have heard this time after time after time. Sounds like a Cyndi Lauper song, doesn’t it, however, We can assure you, it isn’t. The importance of Title Tags can not be overstated. Not only does it provide a clue to your intended audience of the information contained therein, but, it also enables the search engines to index it accordingly.
Classic example: We wrote a blog some time ago, with the Title Tag  “4 steps to make money online” and out of 151,000,000 Google results, Hosting Imapct’s particular Post is number 2 world wide and number 1 within Australia with only 2,850,000 results, as of today’s date March 15 2009.. The result and impact of that particular post can not be under rated, simply because, we receive emails and phone calls weekly, because of it.
Although we can find no fast rules to confirm or deny it, the most accepted figure is that the Title Tag should be ideally set at 65 characters or less.
2. Meta Description Tags - Although meta description tags are no longer considered major search engine factors, they most certainly should not be omitted off the page. In simple terms, the meta description tag is basically a brief and concise summary of your web page’s content. The general consensus is that the meta description tags should be anywhere between 140 and 200 characters or about 20 words. Once again, this has never been confirmed or denied .
3. Anchor Text - is the visible series of text that you give for a particular link, coming back to your website. This has been and is continuing to prove to be a prominent factor in increasing your website presence. You can check your Anchor text results by typing the following into the Search Engines                 allinanchor: creating your website presence                     or whatever keyword phrase you desire.

We trust you have found the above points of benefit and please feel free to test and check your results accordingly. Should you require additional information or assistance, contact our Professional Support Team.
Until Next Time …
Happy Blogging

SEO Steve
Hosting Impact Support

Google Analytics and monitoring your website statistics

It never ceases to amaze us how, when, where and why our website visitors find us. We constantly track, monitor and record all avenues and are constantly surprised yet delighted on how they do find us and in particular our Sub Domain pages.

One of the many monitoring tools that we use is Google Analytics. We have heard all of the conspriacy stories about Google, however, love them or hate them, they do provide outstanding data about your website. Google understands the importance of monitoring and benchmarking your website and your website visitors and they do not leave anything to chance, so would should you.

A brief sample on some of the keywords and or phrases used to locate Our Sub Domain Pages:

melbourne hosting

Hosting

Sydney Hosting

Web Hosting Australia

Ballina Web Design

Gold Coast Hosting

Melbourne Web Hosting

Web Design Melbourne

Businesses in Wollongong

Ecommerce Web Site Port Macquarie

We haven’t even touched upon the SEO components such as:

Search Engine Optimisation Professionals

SEO Preview

and the list goes on. We can not stress the importance of checking and monitoring your website statistics. All Hosting packages should provide you with some form of web stats, if not leave. After you have dissected your stats and understood how and why they are visiting you, it is extremely important that you action those results.

There is absolutely no point in having this vital information if you do not use it accordingly. If you don’t know how to use it or what to do next, contact Hosting Impact and we will provide you with the necessary assistance.

Until Next Time
Happy Blogging

SEO Tools to assist you in improving your website

Have you ever sat down and truly considered just what is your website’s main purpose and what you want your website to accomplish for you?

Does your website sell a product? If it does, it has been designed with a decisive purpose. It will

• Present your product/s in the best possible light.
• Invite visitors to join your mailing list or newsletter.
• Answer all potential questions about the product.
• Provide details about shipping, returns and payment options.
• Provide a clear pathway to purchase.
• Make the sales process as simple as possible for the buyer.
• Thank the customer for their purchase.
• Even upsell with another offer.

Does your website sell or offer a service?
If it does, it has been designed with the end result in mind. In otherwords, a clearly defined purpose. It will

• Present the service in the best light possible.
• Invite visitors to stay in touch with you through a mailing list or newsletter.
• Answer all potential questions about the service itself.
• Provide Testimonials
• Provide specific details about the service and delivery and payment options.
• Provide a clear pathway to purchase.
• Make the sales process as simple as possible.
• Thank the customer for their purchase or enquiry.
• Even upsell with another offer.

Does your website provide useful content as its main purpose ? A content based website takes many forms but its main role is usually the delivery of high quality relevant information. As the webmaster or owner who is providing the content, you would ideally have a goal
in mind for the presentation of this relevant content. There is something that you desire from those who come to consume your
content. Therefore you want the website to:

• Deliver the highest quality content possible.
• Deliver the content in an acceptable format and layout.
• Invite visitors to join or subscribe to your mailing list or newsletter.
• Establish your reputation for providing good quality relevant content.
• Promote suitable affiliate links.
• Promote related products and services of your own or trusted third party products.
• Collect appropriate information
• Provide a way for visitors to interact.

Your website may be a combination of any of the above, however, whatever format you adopt, ensure that the content is relevant and up to date and is updated on a regular basis.

Please feel free to obtain our Free Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Report This detailed report compiles an analysis of your current website and gives you an indication of your websites strengths and weaknesses.

Contact Hosting Impact for additional information or assistance on your website.

Until Next Time …
Happy Blogging

SEO Steve
Hosting Impact
“Creating Your Website Presence”

Free SEO Tools to assist you in improving your website

Owing to a limited amount of time available to me this afternoon, I will only list the Top SEO Tips for your consideration. When time permits, I will come back and expand upon the list and provide reasons for them. This is simply because, I have spoken with 4 Customers today and each conversation and response has gone along the same lines.

So here they are and in no particualr order of importance:

Website Title - Relevant Title Tag for that Page
Tags - Correct use of H1, H2, H3 and of course Alt or Alternate Tags
Relevant Original Content on each page - Keyword rich - 1 subject (Ideally) per page
Incoming Links -  Incoming Links from Authority Websites
Internal Links - Linking to pages deeper within your website
Keyword Density- Correct keyword ratio per page is extremely vital. DO NOT KEYWORD STUFF IT.
Sitemap - Helps to direct Search Engines and Visitors to all of your website.
Meta Tags - Do not overlook this often overlooked component.

Please find below a number of links directing you to Free SEO Tools that you can utilise:

Keyword Density Checker

Keyword Suggestion Tool

Meta Tags Generator

Free SEO Tools

We trust you have found this of beneift and when time permits, We will update and expand upon these accordingly.

Until Next Time …

Happy Blogging

SEO Steve
Hosting Impact

Free SEO Tools to assist you in improving your website

Please find information on another Free SEO Tool by Hosting Impact. This time it is the Alexa Traffic Rank Tool.

Click on the link for  Alexa Traffic Rank Free SEO Tool

What is Alexa Traffic Rank Tool?

This Free Tool allows you to view and compare Alexa Traffic charts. You can select a data type from Reach, Rank and Page Views.

What is Traffic Rank?
The traffic rank is based on historical traffic data from millions of Alexa Toolbar users and is a combined measure of page views and users (reach).

What is Reach?
Reach measures the number of users. Reach is typically expressed as the percentage of all Internet users who visit a given site. So, for example, if a site like yahoo.com has a reach of 28%, this means that if you took random samples of one million Internet users, you would on average find that 280,000 of them visit yahoo.com.

What are Page Views?
Page views measure the number of pages viewed by Alexa Toolbar users. Multiple page views of the same page made by the same user on the same day are counted only once. The page views per user numbers are the average numbers of unique pages viewed per user per day by the users visiting the site.

Click on the link for  Alexa Traffic Rank Free SEO Tool

For other Free Search Engine Optimization Tools please follow the link

We trust you have found this of benefit and please feel free to contact us should you require additional information or assistance.

Until  Next Time ….

Happy Blogging

Helping You To Make Money Online

Twitter has come a long way in such a short space of time. Why one program becomes a huge success compared to others, who knows, however, what we do know is that Twitter, it’s followers and Apps developers have contributed largely to it’s success.

There are literally 100’s of worthy Twitter applications and we have only named a dozen here and in no particular order. 

Tweetwasters - As the name suggests, it shows you how much time you have wasted / invested in Twitter.

Twittervision - A visual look of tweets around the world.

Twitter Search - See what’s happening right now.

Tweetscan - Tweet for a particular subject or heading for example: SEO, Golf, Dancing etc. A great way to focus on a particular group of Twitters.

Mr Tweet - Mr. Tweet looks through your extended network to assist you in building effective relationships on Twitter.

Twitthis - An easy way for people to send twitts directly from your website. A very cool tool.

TwittGroups - Create your own twitter Groups and invitre your friends to join you.

OutTwit - Microsoft Outlook + Twitter - OutTwit. In the proces of testing this now. Will let you know.

Twitter Digest - Lets you read updates in a more manageable fashion.

Twitt Twoo - Update your Twitter status right from your blogs sidebar. Pretty cool. Still testing.

Qwitter - Qwitter emails you when someone stops following you.

Twitter Local - Find out what Cities Tweet the most.

Thats it…There are literally, 100’s more outstanding Twitter tools that I could include but I will save them for another time.

Trust you have found this of benefit and I would love to hear from you, regarding your favourite twitter tool.

Until Net time…
 Happy Blogging

SEO Steve
Hosting Impact - Twitter Fan

Free SEO Tools to assist you in improving your website

Congratulations, you took the first step, in building your website and promoting your products and services. Where are your website visitors and more importantly, where are the sales. It has often been said that first
impressions are the most important, so it is best to make the best impression that you can, because there won’t be a second one.

It is estimated that you have approximately 45 seconds to make a good first impression. Your website visitors will judge your site in that short space of time. They will judge it on colour, load time time, layout and professionalism.

Prior to unleashing your website onto the unsuspecting masses, ask for unbiased, brutally honest opinions from family, friends and business associates. Listen to their feedback, step aside and look at it from a customers point of view.

Does it pass the test of professionalism? Does it truly represent you, your business, your products and services in a professional light. Are your graphics of a high quality ? Is the information written in such a way that is easy to understand.

If your website is not completed, do not upload it with “Under Construction” banners all over it. If you must launch prior to completing it totally, leave the unfinished pages off. The added advantage of uploading them at a later date, when they are finished, is simply that the search engines like fresh relvant content and will spider them accordingly.

The following is a personal opinion and should be treated as such. I detest grubby little Hit Counters on the bottom of web pages AND poxy little animated gifs that have no place, in my opinion, on a professional website. How many times have we seen a website, built in Front Page and has a counter, proudly displaying that 245 visitors have visited here since 1st April 1876.  Animated gifs have a place, I grant you that, however, I do not believe that a little dog or car or flower magically appearing on a page and bouncing up and down will increase your sales. 

It looks like your Cousin’s, 2nd Nephew’s apprentice mechanic’s son built the website for you.  Everything on your website should be subject to “K.I.S.S” “Keep it Simple Stupid” or “Keep it Short & Sweet”

A lot of hastily built websites, neglect to include the most important aspect for the customer “W.I.I.F.M” Factor and that is What’s in it For Me. Make it easy for your website visitor to know what you are offering or selling and that there is a clear precise course of action. Do not be afraid to ask for the order or at least to get them to subscribe to your newsletter. Don’t have a newsletter, that’s OK…Get One.

Please remember, you only have one chance of a First Impression. Make it count. Deliver your message or point of view in a powerful, positive, effective manner. 

As usual, we have given more than 3 tips but that’s ok, consider the extra ones a bonus.

We trust that you have found this of benefit and should you require additional information or assistance please do not hesitate to contact us accordingly.

Until Next Time…
Happy Blogging

SEO Steve
Hosting Impact - Australian SEO Specialists 

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Free SEO Tools to assist you in improving your website