Setting Up Google Webmaster Tools Guide

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 116!

Google loves webmasters, and I proved that last weeks with out guide to Google Analytics. Have you tried Google’s specific tools for webmasters though? If you have not you might be missing out on a lot of good information on and about your web site.

Why Do I Need the Webmaster Tools?

Google Webmaster Tools Love YouBy using this series and set of tools you can see all kinds of information about what keywords are bringing people in from Google, the Google crawl rate, the last time your page was indexed plus around two dozen more cool tools and interesting resources. If your a webmaster who hasn’t done this your missing out on a free set of very helpful tools right from the folks at Google.

Create and Submit Your Site Map

To see what I am talking about visit the Google Webmaster Tools web site. Here you can submit your site map to Google so that have a better and easier way of crawling your information. It never hurts to give Google everything it needs, so best to play nice with them if you want to see yourself in the search results for your favorite keywords.

Got Sitemap?There are a number of tools out there to help you learn about how to create this special sitemap for Google to index. Here are just a few suggestions to help you get started:

Also if you are using a content management program (like Joomla, WordPress and others) you might be able to find a plugin that does all the hard work for you and spits out the sitemap.xml file for you.

Once the sitemap has been generated, go in and submit your domain too the Google Webmaster Tools page and then go to the Sitemap tab and then click “Add a Sitemap”.

Verify You Own Your Web Site

After you get your domain and your site map in the system then you must verify that you are the owner of the web site. You can do this either by adding some code to your index’s header information or by uploading a file with a funny name. I would say go with the second one as it is the easiest one to do.

Create your file with the funny name on your desktop, upload it to your “public_html” folder and then check to make sure it is there. Then you can go back to the Google Webmaster Tools web site and tell Google to check for verification. Once they do you are all set!

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What is Reverse IP Lookup

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 116!

Reverse IP LookupFinding out who you share your web hosting space with, if you are on a shared hosting plan can sometimes be a good thing.

It lets you know how many other people are on your server and it also gives you a few other URLs to check it something on your own domain isn’t working right. There are at least a dozen good reasons why you might need to know this information.

One Web Hosting Show listener named Neal writes in with this question.

Hey Mitch, I ran across you site while looking for some info. I’m trying to find a way to put in a web hosts company name and get a list of all the sites hosted by them. Is there any way to do that? Thanks! – Neal

In this case, what you want to do is a reverse IP lookup. This looks at your domain’s IP address and then goes out to the Web and sees how many other domains share that IP address. These would be your neighbors on that server. Now in the case of our listener’s question he would need to figure out a way to find all of the IP addresses this web host in question owns.

That might be a harder and a stickier situation.

Some web hosts own one or two servers.

Others own two hundred or three hundred servers.

As you can see this might be a pain in the rear job if you really got serious with it. One tool I can suggest to you to get the job done is found at SEOLogs.com. There you can do the lookup for free. Another good source is DomainTools.com. If the list is too long they do charge you for accessing it.

Either way you go you should be able to get the job done. Now you can see who you share your web hosting with.

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Search Engine Submit and Help – Episode 116

By Hosting Fan for Hosting FansYou know what a search engine is. They can either be your best friend or your most hated enemy. I’ll teach you how to play nice with them and get them to work for you instead of the other way around on this week’s episode of the Web Hosting Show.

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 116!
Running Time: 19 minutes | File Size: 8.69 MB

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Here are just a few topics that we discussed on this week’s episode of the Web Hosting Show.

  • Company Bio of FastServers.Net (Part 2 of 3)!
  • Google Webmaster Tools Setup Guide and Help!
  • How to Catch Hosting Friends with LinkedIn!
  • The Best Way to Submit Your Site to the Search Engines!
  • What is a Reverse IP Lookup?

Link of the Week: Add Mitch on Pownce!

If you really stop and realize it, you can get an entire education just by hanging out on certain spots on the Internet. There are sewing websites for those who love their needlepoint. There are music web site for those who want to learn to play a tune. This web site and podcast is all about how to learn about and get more from the web hosting and web development worlds that we all have to live with each and every day.

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Setting up Google Analytics Guide

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 115!

Google AnalyticsWhat is one of the best free solutions for tracking statistical information on your web site? Personally I like Google Analytics. It has just as many tracking and stats options as any of the expensive big boys out there but it is totally free for anybody to use. Free plus good equals a winner in my book.

The question is, how do you get it up and running on your own web site? I have seen a number of folks have trouble with this – so I figured I would go through the steps and tell you how to get it done, one on one.

Step 1 – Go to the Google Analytics web site and sign up for an account or login with your Google login information. After you login, click on the “setup” button to get started.

Step 2 – Next you load up a screen that wants you to put in some information about your web site. Type in your domain name, account name and set your time preferences. The account name will be the group name for the series of web sites you use Google Analytics on. Not really important at this time – so you could really jut call it “Charlie” if you wanted to.

Step 3 – The next page wants you to put in your contact information. If you don’t want to do this – just select your country and you should be good to go to the next step.

Step 4 – One of the last pages you will see is Google’s terms of service and legal agreement. Skim through it, read it if you want to. I know your probably not going to though. Click the “I agree” check mark box and move on.

Step 5 – The last step gives you a ‘bit of javascript to cut and paste onto all of your web pages that you want to track. Just copy it from there and paste it into your web site. Get past that step and your done! You have successfully setup Google Analytics.

If you did all of that correctly, in a few days you should have a lot of new statistical information to view. Google Analytics is an awesome free tool so there is no reason why everybody with a web site shouldn’t be using it. Have any other questions, comments or concerns? Shoot them over my way at mitch@mitchkeeler.com and I will be more than happy to help you out.

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Push Your Host to PHP 5

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 115!

It is time for the masses to look ahead in PHP support and development and move towards using PHP 5. Now I am not alone in my opinion – it seems that is the growing opinion of the masses out there. So what is the hold up all about then? Well, there is some PHP 4 support dropped with PHP 5.

Since it might break some PHP 4 web applications out there, not everybody is in a hurry to upgrade from PHP 4 to PHP 5. That much is understandable. I think if we really want to see a change we are going to have to push the web application developers to think ahead – and not the web hosts.

Support GoPHP5.org

One good place to check out to read more about “fighting the good fight” for PHP 5 is GoPHP5.org.

Here is a ‘bit of information from their mission statement on the front page.

PHP 4 has served the web developer community for seven years now, and served it well. However, it also shows its age. Most of PHP 4′s shortcomings have been addressed by PHP 5, released three years ago, but the transition from PHP 4 to PHP 5 has been slow for a number of reasons.

If you want to learn more about the debate, I would suggest checking out GoPHP5.org for yourself. While your there, if you are looking for a web host that supports PHP 5.2 or greater – check out their ever growing list of choices you have out there.

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Free Hosting With a Twist

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 115!

When it comes to hosting these days, you really have to pick up a more interesting business model if you want to succeed out there. For folks wanting to start a business – but might not have the capital to put up for advertising and marketing just yet – life can be tuff.

I got an e-mail the other day from Stanley, a Web Hosting Show listener and the guy in charge of All or Nothing hosting. He wanted me to pass the word along to all of you that he would be happy to host free clients, artists, designers, programmers, coders, who are in desperate need for hosting and end up stuck with craptastic free solutions.

What does All or Nothing provide that the crappy hosts might not? He promised e-mail, control panels, MySQL databases, PHP support, ect. Sounds like a good deal for free right? Well I have to ask the million dollar question after this point – where is the catch?

It is ad supported hosting. You live with them making a buck on your web pages – and you get free hosting that is better than your average free web host out there. Not too bad. Also if you can stay active in their forums then you might be able to ditch the ads all together. So that is a nice alternative to have as well.

So if your wallet is empty and you want to setup a new web site, give the folks at All or Nothing Hosting a call and be sure to let them know that it was the Web Hosting Show that sent you there.

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SEO Rankings and Score

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 115!

I am a web hosting professional I would say, or at least I play the part each week on this podcast. Nevertheless, I want to help you out with an often asked question that I get sent my way. Everybody wants to know how to be the best out there in the search engines. I have a few resources that will help you all get off on the right foot.

Getting ahead of myself though, first – here is the question everybody seems to be asking.

Search Engine Rankings“Where’s a good web site our source where I can get more information about my SEO rankings and get advice on how to make it higher?

I’d really like to optimize my web sites but don’t know where to start.”

Here Come the Tools!

I have a not one great source for you to check out – actually I have two! The first would be popuri.us. It gives you backlinks and information on Google, Yahoo, MSN, and everything in between. They even give you a widget that you can share on your web site and show off your numbers.

The second resource I have for you is WebSiteGrader.com. It gives you more output options than you could ever want or need. It tells you how you rank in just about every way, shape or form out there on the Web. It also hands out advice on how you can get yourself a better “grade” too.

If you want a good resource to read up and learn more about the search engine optimization business – check out SEOChat.com. It is probably one of the best resources on any and all SEO issues.

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Free Hosting’s Rubik’s Cube – Episode 115

By Hosting Fan for Hosting FansIs setting up Google Analytics really that hard? How did FastServers.Net start? Can you get good free hosting? Is it possible to make it to the top of Google? How do you solve a rubik’s cube under water?

One of these questions will not be answered by this edition of the Web Hosting Show, can you figure out which one it is?

Download the Web Hosting Show, Episode 115!
Running Time: 16 minutes | File Size: 7.46 MB

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Here are just a few topics that we discussed on this week’s episode of the Web Hosting Show.

  • Company Bio of FastServers.Net (Part 1 of 3)!
  • Week #1 of Web Hosting Triva!
  • All or Nothing, Free Hosting with a Catch
  • How Do You Setup Google Analytics?
  • A Handful of SEO Ranking Tips and Advice!

Link of the Week: HostingTalk.it – hosting talk in Italian!

It is time for me to join you yet again, from my secret underground recording studio and laundry room for another week’s worth or web hosting podcast fun and information. If you leave this show knowning a little more than you started out knowing – then I think my job is done.

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Web Hosting Anti-Popup Policy

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 114!

Stop Popup AdsThere is no doubt out there that everybody and their grandmother hates popup ads. They are annoying little problems that come up on some of the web sites you visit every day. Most modern day browsers have popup blocking enabled.

This is good for a few months – but past that point, the advertising agencies just figure out a way around it by using flash, javascript or other technologies.

As of this date I do not know one web host that has an anti-popup policy. Should they do it? Let’s look at both sides of the argument.

Yes, Web Hosts Should Not Host Popup Advertising Web Sites

I think this might be a very popular way to get some buzz if a web host figured out how to do it right. As I said before, everybody hates popups. We can go after it via the browser, but that is only a temporary fix. If we want to get rid of them from the start the web host is where to do it at. When you kill a weed, you do not just cut the top of it off. You want to jerk it out of the ground and get the root as well.

No, Web Hosts Should Not Start An Anti-Popup Policy

On the other side of the argument, you have the great problem it would cause for the web host to hire somebody to randomly view their hosted web sites to make sure they are not doing any popup advertisments. This alone almost makes this pipe dream a loser from day one. Another issue you would have is you would create a second breed of web hosts – maybe overseas that say they welcome the popup ad loving web sites and will gladly host them.

So, What Is The Solution?

The only reason these ads are around is because somebody out there is clicking them. It might not be you – but I bet your Uncle Elroy who just got his first computer is. As a society, we are the ones that created the pop up ads – because we found out ways not to click or to ignore the traditional streams of advertsing via the computer.

Now in our defense, we should have been served with better ads as a result I think – not more annoying ones.

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OneDump – Free Audio, Text and Image Hosting

Related Podcast Link: Listen to Episode 114!

When it comes to free hosting, OneDump hopes to have all of your bases covered. They deliver audio, text and image hosting for free.

The service, like many of the ones that came beore it, is very straight forward and simple to understand and use. A part of me would like to say they have an army of midgets in Singapore doing all the hard labor but they just would not be true.

So what are the rules of the OneDump service? You are permitted to upload upto 10 files at once, with each not exceeding 5 MB. It also supports these file formats:

jpg, jpeg, gif, png, bmp, tif, tiff, swf, txt, wmv, mp3, doc

OneDumpYou can use the service without feeling the need to register, but if you do sign up you can keep track of your uploads, view statistics of each file, add and edit captions to your uploaded data, create folders, and more. With the Quick Send feature you can also e-mail files into the service as well. This is a pretty neat addition that you do not see other free file hosts doing that often. As long as you follow the terms of service, they say there is no limit to the free files you can host here.

All in all, I would say they stack up with some of the best out there – they just need a good user base to get them going strong.

They have a lot to deliver, now they just need the audience to make all their hard work worth it.

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