Thursday, January 7th, 2010
Last night, as I was doing my usual rounds of visiting my favorite blogs, I came across a very useful post written by none other than my uncle Bob. It was a blog post written about a really neat plugin for Wordpress blogs called “Broken Link Checker.”
This is one of those plugins that’s really easy to install. Just upload it to your plugins directory, activate it and let it do its thing. After a while, you can check how many broken links your blog has by visiting the broken links settings page.
So, uncle Bob has over 3000 posts and had only 16 broken links. I have 1290 posts and about 180 broken links. Something wrong here?
I will admit that most of my broken links were internal. Many were external, but the majority were of photos that I deleted from the server and links to websites that I have taken down. It felt great to “unlink” to these dead web pages.
Why is it even important to get rid of dead links on your website? Well for one thing, it is highly annoying for your visitors to click a link and have it go to a 404 page, or even worse, a page that doesn’t exist at all. For another thing, it makes the person who operates the website look a bit amateur. Lastly, search engines hate links to dead pages and punish accordingly. Trust me, I know. They don’t like it at all.
So, if you have a blog and think you might have some broken links, go ahead and install this plugin. You might be surprised at what it finds.
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Thursday, September 25th, 2008
This is a follow up post to my “Sudden Drop In Google Ranking post.
This morning, I checked the ranking of the website in question. To my surprise, the site had again ranked number 4 in the Google Search Engine Results. This was most definitely good news. In fact, all key phrases now ranked on page one of the Google SERPs.
I can only hope this persists. So, what did we do? Here is a short list:
- Noticed the website had dropped in Google ranking.
- Took a unique phrase from the website homepage and searched Google using quotes, “like this.”
- Found a direct copy of the website and discovered it had been “Proxy Hijacked.”
- Found IP address of website that Proxy Hijacked our website and blocked it using the .htaccess file.
- Submitted a “Reconsideration Request” to Google.
After about a week and a half, our website had regained its ranking in Google.
I read a long article about Proxy Hijacking and it mentioned that Google had fixed the problem. If this was the case with my friend’s website, this certainly isn’t true. While I can not be totally sure Proxy Hijacking caused this case of Google ranking loss, the facts seem to lead down this path.
What is my advice to you? Check either Google or Copyscape once a month to see if someone has taken text or Proxy Hijacked your website.
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Saturday, September 20th, 2008
As I wrote in a prvious post, duplicate content on your own website can come in the form of “www.mysite.com/†vs. “www.mysite.com/index.html.†The search engines see this same page as two different ones, but with identical content. As I also mentioned, most search engines are smart enough to figure out that these two pages are the same one, but still, they do share Pagerank.
What to do? That’s easy too. Just open up your .htaccess again and type in the following code:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^[A-Z]{3,9}\ /index\.html\ HTTP/
RewriteRule ^index\.html$ http://www.mysite.com/ [R=301,L]
You can do this with other pages that have the same problem as well.
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Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
There may be cases when you would like to see what your webpage HTTP headers look like. Why? Well, because they are kind of important. As Wikipedia states, the HTTP headers define what the returned data looks like.
Still you ask, “Why in the world do I care about that?” Ok, I’ll keep going. The main reason I look at the HTTP headers is to find out what the HTTP status code is. The reason the status code is important to me is because this is the code the search engines use for a multitude of things.
Let me give you a little example, and this related to my previous post regarding the sudden drop in Google rankings. As I was doing research into what the problem may be for this particular website, I came across an issue where someone had recently put custom “404 Not Found” error pages up on some of their websites. Everyone knows that custom “404 Not Found” error pages are cool, but what some people don’t know is that if those 404 error pages show a “200 OK” (successful HTTP requests) code, the site may be in big trouble, SEO-wise. The reason for this is because there are going to be many “404 Not Found” error pages on a dynamic website. If you have your custom “404 Not Found” error page showing a “200 OK” response code, the search engines will think that all the instances of this page are duplicate. You know as well as I do, that spells trouble.
What’s worse is if you set your homepage as your “404 Not Found” page. Your homepage is going to return a response code of “200 OK.” That’s not good, because now you have multiple instances of your homepage…all duplicate content.
It’s my opinion that the search engines are smart enough to figure this out. The page (such as your homepage) with the highest Pagerank will prevail. Still, I have some websites that I am working on that have multiple instances of the homepage and they all have Pagerank, which isn’t good, because the duplicates are taking the Pagerank from the real page. Now, again, that’s my opinion.
Here are two tips:
- How to check your HTTP headers – visit this website or just Google “Website header check”
- How to set a particular page as your “404 Not Found” error page in your .htaccess file – Just place this code in the file: “ErrorDocument 404 /404.php” without the quotes. The 404.php file is the actual error page in this case.
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Monday, September 15th, 2008
Today has been an interesting day. We have been taking a look at our websites and searching for duplicate content using Copyscape. After today’s findings, we might just go with Copyscape’s premium service.
Now, let me just tell you that duplicate content is everywhere. Actually, someone has probably written this sentence a million times. What we were searching for today was blatant and far reaching content theft. We found a few instances of one of our homepages and general website idea taken for someone else’s use as well as many instances of interior pages taken. Needless to say, we made screen copies of these cases and sent them to our attorney’s office. These are serious and can’t be ignored.
I would like to talk about two things you can do to help out a more subtle form of duplicate content, on your own website.
The first form of duplicate content on your own website is in the form of www vs. non-www. If you go to your website and type in “www.mysite.com” and then type in “mysite.com,” you may see the same page appear. In the search engine’s eyes, these are two copies of the same page. How do you fix this? It’s easy. Just open up your .htaccess file and type in the following code:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\.mysite\.com
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.mysite.com/$1 [R=permanent,L]
When someone types in “mysite.com” to visit your website, they will automatically be forwarded to “www.mysite.com.” The search engines will be forwarded as well.
Another form of duplicate content on your own website comes in the form of “www.mysite.com/” vs. “www.mysite.com/index.html.” The search engines see this same page as two different ones. What to do? That’s easy too. Just open up your .htaccess again and type in the following code:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^[A-Z]{3,9}\ /index\.html\ HTTP/
RewriteRule ^index\.html$ http://www.mysite.com/ [R=301,L]
When someone either types in “www.mysite.com/index.html” or follows a link like that to your website, they will be automatically be forwarded to “www.mysite.com.”
Now, here is the disclaimer. I used this on my server setup and it worked. Please check with your own hosting company to see if something similar will work for your too.
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Monday, September 15th, 2008
This article was written by Jay G on behalf of Iiamin.com, a popular job listings website.
If you’re looking for new employment, the Internet is an easy way to find it. Many employers have started using the Internet to find interested and qualified workers for their business.
Finding Employment Online
In tough financial times, finding employment can be like searching for the North Star on a cloudy night. Few open positions are listed in your local newspaper’s classified ads. While this is partially caused by a lack of new jobs, it is also caused by a shift in advertising mediums. Newspapers are a dying breed, and many companies have turned to newer methods of connecting with potential employees.
If you’re looking for new employment, the Internet is an easy way to find it. Many employers have started using the Internet to find interested and qualified workers for their business. This eliminates the hassle of filling out applications in the office and submitting resumes in person. By searching Internet classified ads, you can find the right job for you and continue your career today.
Many sites exist that offer job listings for every field imaginable. Some sites are pay-per-post, while others are completely free. The advances in online communication over the last decade have made it simple for businesses to connect with potential employees. Just go to your favorite search engine and enter the occupation that you’re looking for and you’re sure to find many matches.
If you’re not sure what type of employment you’re seeking, Internet classifieds offer a wide variety of open positions. Jobs from auto sales to plumbing positions are constantly opening. All you need to do is find the proper listing and strike when the iron is hot. You can start your journey down a new career path with a few clicks. Enter all the pertinent information from the comfort of your home office, instead of applying during office hours. This is especially handy if you are currently employed, but seeking something else. Your boss won’t know you’re looking elsewhere, so you won’t jeopardize your current job while you’re on the prowl for new employment.
Many listings offer home employment. While this sounds like a dream come true to some, be careful when applying to work at home positions. There are a lot of scams, so do some homework to make sure the business you’re applying to is reputable. Freelance writing is a great way to make some cash from home, but envelope stuffing is certainly a fraud. Look for testimonials from satisfied employees, and find examples of other reputable businesses in the same industry.
There are new listings appearing all the time on Internet classified websites. You will benefit from the paradigm shift to a technological society if you have the right skills. If you’re qualified to work on computers, employers are waiting to hear from you. If you specialize in the latest operating systems technology, you’ll have no trouble finding employment online. Keep your skills current and your resume updated, and you’re sure to find a great career opportunity that is perfect for you listed online.
Whether you’re a tech-head or not, online employment listings are a great way to continue your current career path or start a new one. It’s all up to you. Once you figure out what you’re looking for, get your resume ready and start emailing it to your prospective employers. Internet classifieds are the new way for the unemployed or under-employed to connect with great new job opportunities.
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Sunday, July 20th, 2008
I decided that today would be a good day to start configuring Joomla.
I logged in and began at the “Site” section of the Global Configuration area. I took a quick look and noticed that there wasn’t all that much to configure. Here is what I did:
- Changed the editor from Tiny MCE 2.0 to no editor. I don’t like giving others access to HTML on my sites.
- Changed the Global Site Meta Description to Fiixer. (Just a fill in word to get rid of Joomla)
- Changed the Global Site Meta Keywords to fiixer.
- Switched the Search Engine Friendly URLs and Use Apache mod_rewrite from no to yes. Search engine friendly URLs using Apache mod_rewrite is pretty simple if your server and system support it. Some people say doing this enhances your website’s indexing and ranking in search engines. Basically, it changes “index.php?a=aboutus&b=andaboutyou” to “index/aboutus/aboutyou.” It’s cleaner and gives your visitors a chance to remember your URLs. It’s up to you if it’s worth it.
Joomla 1.5 Global Configuration page.
Next, I visited the “System” section of the Global Configuration area. In this section, I mostly kept everything set as it came, but did change two areas:
- Changed the New User Registration Type to “Author.” (I think this gives the registered members the ability to submit articles and web links, but they must be approved by an administrator)
- Turned Cache on. (speeds up page loads on heavy traffic sites)
In the “Server” section of the Global Configuration, I left everything alone.
Ok, that was fairly painless.
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Thursday, May 22nd, 2008
Microsoft Offers Cash To Use Its Search Engine
Microsoft plans to entice advertisers and users of its search engine with savings on online purchases on a site called Live Search cashback. Microsoft unveiled plans Wednesday to entice advertisers and users of its search engine with cash back savings on online purchases, launching a site called Live Search cashback.
He Took a Polaroid Every Day, Until the Day He Died
Yesterday I came across a slightly mysterious website — a collection of Polaroids, one per day, from March 31, 1979 through October 25, 1997. There’s no author listed, no contact info, and no other indication as to where these came from. So, naturally, I started looking through the photos. I was stunned by what I found.
Top 10 Firefox 3 Features
The newest version of our favorite open source web browser, Mozilla Firefox 3, offers dozens of new features and fixes, but only a handful will make the most dramatic difference in your everyday browsing. It’s time to spotlight the biggest improvements that will make “Gran Paradiso” the browser to beat.
Cleanest Diesels on Earth Coming to US this Fall (+Timeline)
Later this year we will finally begin to see an influx of new model diesels in the United States. These new diesels will get better mileage (up to 60 MPG) and have cleaner emissions than your average car. When exactly can we expect to see them? Check out this detailed timeline.
10 of the World’s Most Luxurious Private Islands
Feeling a little cramped in your thousand square foot Manhattan apartment? Got a few extra million to blow? If so, you too can join the elite of the elite and buy your very own private island.
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Sunday, June 24th, 2007
Introducing the new Ask.com homepage
No doubt, it’s slick. Perhaps. I think I may have used Ask.com back when it was AskJeeves.com. I just wanted to try out the “Asking the search engine a question” trick. After I typed in a question, I quickly realized that all the search engine did was to strip out the question words, such as “how, why, when” etc…and give regular old search engine results. Well, that was my take on it years ago. It may have changed since then, but then again, I haven’t tried it.
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