Kelly Web Sales

Posts Tagged ‘area’

I spent lots of time reading about SEO. Getting clients to the first page of Google (the only one that really counts as of this date) requires something most webmasters do not have.

Most companies (not all) must be found for what they do and their local area. A quality listing from a website directory that is indexed well for the location and category is what is needed. Take a look at PAontheweb.com. If you get a Premium listing (not a simple nofollow free listing) to your location and in your category you will do better. Let them optimize your domain, template, title and description and they can virtually guarantee a first page Google rank.

Now, you know one of the main secrets to real organic search engine optimization. Since I own PAontheweb and 7 other state wide directories in NY, DE, MD, FL, TX, HI and NC I know how the systems work.

Let me start off by saying that I have no problem with my search results being personalized, because I understand that search engines want to deliver the best user experience so that users will keep using them. If I get results that are personalized well, that means I don’t have to look too far for what I’m trying to find. However, not all users are so thrilled with the evolution of search results pages, particularly with the personalization aspect. This week, Google announced the launch of a new feature that lets users star their search results for ones they like. This would lead to the starred results appearing at the top of the SERP in future searches, when appropriate. The feature is still rolling out, so if you don’t see it yet, you should see it soon. After reporting on this change, we received comments from readers like: “I really am getting hacked off with this bloody personalised search thing… the serps are full of bloody crap for 50% of searches and ultimately less relevent than before.” “I think that if they take into consideration the stars for serps everything will be a mess…” “I’m getting tired of Google forcing things on me. Over and over and over after I have said I do not want to be recognized for my geographical locations, it keeps asking me.” I’m guessing comments like these aren’t limited to this particular instance. I doubt that they represent the majority of opinions about Google’s SERP changes, but it does raise an interesting question: Is Google trying too hard to improve? To answer this with a yes, would indicate that Google’s results are already perfect (or were at least), and while Google has had a pretty good reputation for delivering quality results (and the market share to back it up), I don’t know if anyone would go so far as to call them perfect, including Google itself. There is always room for improvement. Things can always get better. Some ideas work, and others don’t. Sometimes you don’t know until you try, and if certain concepts don’t go over well with the majority, sometimes they are scrapped. In fact, the very release of this starring feature also represents the end of a less successful feature in Google’s SearchWiki . As for personalized search itself, I wouldn’t count on it going away anytime soon. I wouldn’t count on Google (or the other search engines for that matter) spending less time trying to improve in this area. Why would you want them to? If your results are tailored to you specifically, does that not increase their chances of being more relevant to you? If privacy is a concern, remember, you can always look at the Google Dashboard and look at everything Google has stored about you from each of the company’s products that you may use. Do you like personalized search? Should search engines continue to innovate in this area? Share your thoughts here .

Follow this link:
How Badly Do People Want Personalized Search?

Recommended WordPress Plugins

We are sure there are many plugins we have not investigated. If you find a plugin you find exceptionally useful feel free to let us know in the comments area.

You can search for and install the plugins below from the Plugins / Add New area of your WordPress admin area. Most of them need to be configured.

• All in One SEO Pack
• Google XML Sitemaps
  Akismet – API Key required
• WP-SpamFree – Great tools if you don’t want to keep a record of the spammers like Akismet does. It is fire and forget after a quick setup.
• Resize At Upload Plus – Great for resizing images so they don’t slow down your site or blow out your template.
• WordPress.com Stats – API Key required – Not the best stats program but great for a quick view.
• Custom Admin Branding – Want to see your own logo when you login? Takes a bit of work to set up properly.
• WP-DBManager – Can be a bit buggy but if you want your database emailed to you and you want it optimized regularly it is a great tool.
• My Page Order – Simply slide your pages and sub pages where you want them and save the order.
• Auto Tags – Requires some setup but I think 7 tags each is good. There is no recommended setting.
• Admin Management Xtended – If you want to save a post for later or change the date it is a great little tool.
• Page Links To – Allows you to link navigation to off site pages.
• Subscribe2 easy subscription widget – Must enable the Widget but has lots of great settings. Of course, you need a high end server or VPS if you have over 250 subscribers.
• No Comments On Pages – Easily enable or disable comments accross the board.
• MapPress – Needs API key for each site. Allows you to add one or more locations to a Google Map on your website.
• Custom Meta – Removes widget link to WordPress.org etc.
• SwfObj – Makes inserting Flash easier.TinyMCE – A good customizable tool bar. Requires some setup. Watch your screen resolution doesn’t interfere with how it displays.
• Email Users – Add Role Manager if you have several admins, authors, etc and want people to be able to send each other emails.
• WP -> Twitter – Have your posts automatically go to your Twitter page.

This is not a plugin but is a hand piece of code to make your WordPress site run faster:

Cache Code Put in wp-config.php found in the root. Paste below the firs set of PHP code:

// Enable the WordPress Object Cache:
define(ENABLE_CACHE, true);