Content

Content on site is a must. The more pages of relevant content your site provides, the more pages the search engines will index. Index pages equal search engine saturation. The more pages of relevant content you provide on your site, the more of an authority you become to the spiders and bots.

Linking

This is another important way of getting your site seen. By trading links with other relevant sites, you reinforce your sites content, thus making your site “important”. The more relevant the links you trade with, the more important your site becomes. If you are a gaming site trading links with a pharmaceutical site, you are not going to appear very relevant to the search engines.

As it sounds trading links is a link swap.. you post my link on your site, I’ll post yours on my site. However, there are places you may “purchase” a listing without reciprocation.

Remember, the more friends a person had in high school, the more popular they were. Link exchanges are a similar concept. The more links you have (remember, stay relevant) coming into and going out of your site, the more “popular” your site becomes.

What’s your Niche?

Narrow down your topic. “Computers” gives a Google search result (as of this moment) of 1,720,000,000… the chance of being found in that ocean of results is about a good as finding a penny in the Atlantic ocean. Narrow down your topic, get more specific. A search for laptop computers receives a Google result of 106,000,000 - that’s better, but still an ocean. Get the picture?

Build your keywords around your niche. If you are aiming your site at light weight laptop computers, build your keywords around that… “Computers” as a keyword isn’t going to be very helpful. Get specific.

Articles

Writing articles and listing them on free reprint article sites allows for other web publishers to print your article, with your author byline in-tact. Author byline would include a link(s) to your site(s). This gives “links back” to your site.

Become an Authority in your field. :)

There are also paid article submission sites. The more you pay, the higher in their site your article is placed.

Remember, basically what you are doing is offering your knowledge and free article for a link or advertising for your site.

Blog

A web log (later shorted to just blog) started as an online journal for personal websites, but have begun to infiltrate the online business world. They give a business a quick, easy way to update several times a week, daily, or even several times a day. Search engines like blogs because they are typically updated often. Therefore, they send their spiders to those sites that are most frequently updated.

There are blog directories to which your blog could be listed – free.

Keywords, Site Description, Title

Make sure each page has a relevant page title, relevant keywords and a good over-all description.

Search Engine Smarts

Search engines look for site relevancy. Each page must relate to the site topic/theme. Each individual page must have a specific topic. Where possible, name the page specifically for that topic. If your page is about Light weight Sony laptops, name it accordingly. Ex: http://www.yoursite.com/light-wieght-sony-laptops Note: Hyphens signify to spiders and bots separate words.

Make use of h1, h2, h3 tags header tags within your content pages. Why? This tells the search engine bots and spiders that this is keyword, a relevant topic.

Use title tags in any links and alt tags in all image tags.

Use CSS to style a page - this reduces clutter within the page code making it cleaner for the spiders and bots to navigate the pertinent information. Too much clutter and the spiders and bots are likely to hit the road.

Frames are NOT search engine friendly. They are difficult for spiders and bots to index, because of the way they are put together. If you want to optimize your site, ditch the frames.

Flash - it’s flashy, visually fun, appealing to some… but it’s a killer in the search engines. Spiders and Bots cannot read flash. If they cannot read your page, how do the index it? Again… when it comes to optimizing your site, if search engines spiders and bots can’t read the file, why bother? Just because it looks good? Sure, ok… but if the search engines can’t or won’t spider your page, and you aren’t in the index, no one knows your site is out there, who is going to see it? You have a great looking site sitting there doing nothing.

Splash page - this is the page you come to that has a cool flash file, cute image, etc and says “Enter” (or similar). Re-read the Flash information and ditch the splash page.

WWW or not?

If you type “www.microsoft.com” and “microsoft.com” into your browser window, you get the same page right? We see it’s the same page, we know, as site builders they ARE the same page. But search engine bots and spiders DON’T know that. They view with and without www as two different sites.

Why does this matter? If your site is out there on the web with both links, you stand the chance of penalization from certain search engines - they view it as duplicate content. Duplicate content don’t typically get indexed, at least, not very high in the rankings.

The work around on this is a redirect, or an .htaccess mod rewrite. Tell your server to point to one page, either with the www, or without it. Ex, point to www.mysite.com and when someone types in mysite.com (less the www) it will automatically add the www to the link.

Is it absolutely necessary to do this? Maybe, maybe not, maybe one day the search engines will be programmed to view with and without www as the same. Until then, do you want to take a chance the search engines dump all your pages because they can’t figure out which is the original?

Advertising

How many times have you moved past the first couple of pages when doing a search? Chances are, not very often. Yet, as a site/business owner, it may take forever and a day to get your site to the top 20 in a search engine for any given keyword. Are you ready to get your name out there NOW? Consider advertising on the major search engines. Google has Google Adwords, Yahoo has Yahoo! Search Marketing. Both will get you listing within the first couple pages, depending on your willing bid amount.

Newsletters

Now, you have visitors coming to your site. Is your site sticky enough to keep them coming back?

How many times have you been to a site you liked, wanted to browse more… so you bookmark it, never to return again. Life is busy, we forget. And you lost a visitor and potential customer.

Offer a free newsletter subscription. Entice visitors to join by offering free tips, valuable information, free products, etc. Once a week, or every other week, send out a newsletter to encourage and pull those subscribers to your site. They may turn from a newsletter subscriber to a customer.

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Judi Cox is a work at home mom living in the Ohio Valley with her husband and 4 children. Judi’s interests include working websites (two of her websites http://www.momslittlegarden.com and http://www.mommamuse.com). She enjoys gardening for fun and for the birds, playing with the kids, reading, website design and promotion.

Attracting Orioles

Similar to other homemade wild bird and butterfly nectar recipes, Oriole nectar requires only two main ingredients; water and white sugar.

Oriole nectar feeders are available through wild bird retail shops. Feeders are similar in look to a hummingbird feeder, but are orange rather than red and have larger feeding holes. Designs vary, but some include an area to put fresh fruit (oranges, mashed bananas, grapes, etc). Or, if you prefer, skip the nectar altogether and just feed fresh fruits - there are other more specific feeders for fruit.

Directions for Homemade Oriole Nectar Recipe

Oriole nectar is made in a ratio of 1 part white sugar to 6 parts water.

1. Bring your water to a boil.
2. Add sugar.
3. Stir and remove from heat.
4. Let cool.
I like to let fresh nectar cool in the feeder, but I don’t put the feeder outside until it’s completely cool.

Nectar storage: it stores up to 2 weeks in the fridge or several months if frozen. I put my nectar in a clean 1/2 gallon (obviously empty!) milk jug, which clearly I write Oriole Juice on the side.
(Tip: Use an ice cube tray. Once frozen remove and store in a freezer safe baggy.)

Beyond nectar, Orioles like to munch on a variety of bugs (caterpillars, beetles, wasp, etc.) and are particularly fond of grape jelly. I have read they are fond of cherries (maybe some cherry jelly next to that grape?) and blackberries (some jam, perhaps?). They also like fresh ripe fruit, such as oranges, raspberries, cherries, mashed bananas, apples, pears, …. etc.

Enjoy! Have fun attracting wildlife and happy bird watching!

Homemade Hummingbird Nectar Recipe
[http://www.mommamuse.com/2006/04/23/homemade-hummingbird-nectar/]

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Judi Cox is a wife and mother of 4 children. Her hobbies include making handmade soap from scratch, gardening, crafts, web design and maintaining Mom’s Little Garden ( http://www.momslittlegarden.com/ ), an online resource for pregnant mothers, as well as her personal website, Momma Muse (http://www.mommamuse.com/ ).
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Copyright (c) 2006 Judi Cox
Permission is granted to copy and reprint this article keeping author byline in tact.

Attracting Wild Birds

No need to buy the powdered Hummingbird Nectar mix from the store for this rewarding hobby. Instead, make your with this simple hummingbird nectar recipe. You only need water and white sugar - super simple and easy to make.

Use the following proportion:
1 part regular white sugar to 4 parts water.
Example: 1 cup sugar, 4 cups water

1. Boil the water.
2. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
3. Let cool.
4. Refrigerate in a designated hummingbird feeder pitcher.

Using a microwave works too. Put the water in a microwave safe container and heat to boiling point. Carefully remove and add sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. I fill my clean feeders and set them aside to cool and let the rest cool a bit before storing in the fridge.

Nothing extra: There is no need to add anything extra to the mixture, i.e. coloring, honey, etc. It’s not necessary and could be harmful. Honey will quickly ferment becoming poisonous to the birds.

Storing hummingbird nectar: I store all varieties of my wild bird (Orioles, Hummingbirds, Butterflies, etc) “juice” up to two weeks in the fridge, but generally need to make it more often than that.
Tip: I use a Rubbermaid container or a clean milk carton, clearly marked, to store my hummingbird juice in the refrigerator. Another idea I recently read is to freeze the extra. I may try this by putting it in a freezer bag and freezing flat. Once it is frozen, it would break up easily to place into the feeder.

Discard: If the juice in the feeder(s) becomes cloudy, or mucky, empty, clean and refill.

Cleaning: Make sure bird feeders are cleaned every few days to a week to prevent any ickies. Cleaning with a solution of vinegar and hot water is good.

Location and Feeders: More than one feeder, placed strategically around the yard, will encourage more hummingbirds to visit at a time. They are territorial birds, so place feeders out of the line of sight of each other.
note: however, I have had more than one at a feeder at time with no ill-will directed towards each other. Experiment a bit.

Enjoy your visitors!

Want to attract Orioles? Here’s our Homemade Oriole Nectar Recipe - and a few other Oriole feeding ideas.

—
Judi Cox is a wife and mother of 4 children. Her hobbies include making handmade soap from scratch, gardening, crafts, web design and maintaining Mom’s Little Garden ( http://www.momslittlegarden.com/ ), an online resource for pregnant mothers, as well as her personal website, Momma Muse (http://www.mommamuse.com/ ).
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Copyright (c) 2006 Judi Cox
Permission is granted to copy and reprint this article keeping author byline in tact.

Spring and summer come and everyone starts opening their doors and windows, bringing in the fresh air.  Tree leaves are full and flower blooms abound; birds are singing, building nests and taking care of their chicks.  I am drawn outdoors by the lure of warmer days and the call of the dirt and new sprouts.  Not to mention, as a mom, the kids are clamoring for more room to play.  It’s a perfect time to pull out some fun out door family crafts.

Here are a few, easy to personalize, summertime craft ideas for summer fun or to celebrate May Day, Mother’s Day or a holiday weekend.  All craft supplies are easily attainable from craft supply stores or online suppliers.  While making these crafts is a fun family activity, some are available in pre-assembled kits, or already made.  Use your favorite search engine for more information on various ideas – keyword suggestions are offered below craft each idea.

1. Terra cotta clay pot bird bath.  Invert terra cotta clay pots, from larger on bottom and smallest on top.  Add a clay saucer (the part the pot sits in to catch the drained water).  A waterproof saucer is necessary.  Set the clay saucer on top of the inverted stack of pots.  Paint or mosaic the pots if you feel especially creative.  For more bird fun, add a mister.  Birds love to play in the water.  Note: Make two similar stands and use one for a bird feeder.

Keywords: clay pot bird bath; clay pot bird feeder; terra cotta bird bath.

2. Plant and grow an herb garden.  Include herbs such as basil, thyme, sage, chives and any other favorites.  You’ll have fresh herbs to add to your recipes all summer long.  Herbs are easy to grow, making this an easy garden for kids to help.  Take it one step further and create a “kitchen garden”, including lettuce spinach, tomato, cucumber or other salad favorites.

Keywords: growing herbs; kitchen garden; easy herb gardening; gardening plans; container gardening.

3. Build a toad abode (toad house).  Use a terra cotta pot and a rock. Invert a clay pot and prop edge on a rock.  If you have a chipped pot, that would work great too and wouldn’t require propping.  Paint and decorate to your liking.

Keywords: clay toad abode; toad house; frog house.

4. A handmade stepping stone.  Personalize with stones, marbles, or other memorable items.  Make the project a tradition.  Mark the stone with the year and include items to remember the year; a key (house or car), a toy, etc.  A footprint each year could signify the walk of life and would be fun for young children to mark their growth from summer to summer.

Keywords: stepping stone craft; handmade stepping stones; stepping stone kits.

5. Personalized necklaces.  Letter beads (for names or initials), a few spacer beads, a charm or two added to a simple chain makes a lovely, personal necklace for any mom or grandmother.  For fun, make matching necklaces one for mom, grandmother, and daughters.

Keywords: personalized mother’s necklace.

6. Bookmarks make a great craft for rainy days.  Get creative – use paper, dried flowers, ribbons, needlepoint thread.  Use beads and charms attached to chain or yarn to create a “book thong”.

Keywords: handmade bookmarks; handmade book thong.

7. A decorated throw pillow.  A pre-made throw pillow with light colored fabric, decorated with fabric paint.  Fabric glue will easily adhere buttons and other small mementos.  Start from scratch and decorate your fabric before making a pillow – tie-dye, iron-on colored pictures made with fabric crayons or reverse dying using a darker fabric and bleach provide many creative ways to decorate any pillow or piece of fabric.  Another variation would be decorating pillow cases.

Keywords: handmade throw pillow; throw pillow craft; decorative pillow craft; fabric crayons; iron-on transfers.

8. A tie-dye party is fun for family or a gathering of extended family and friends.  Supplies are readily available online coming in easy kits.

Keywords: tie dye supplies; reverse dying.

When doing a search, try searching images also. Often time pictures of an already made item will spark some creative thoughts. 

There are so many fun activities to be done outdoors during nice weather.  For more ideas, or to submit your own, visit http://www.mommamuse.com/2006/04/21/summertime-craft-ideas/

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Judi Cox is a wife and mother of 4 children.  Her hobbies include making handmade soap from scratch, gardening, crafts, web design and maintaining Mom’s Little Garden ( http://www.momslittlegarden.com/ ), an online resource for pregnant mothers, as well as her personal website, Momma Muse (http://www.mommamuse.com/ ).
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Copyright (c) 2006 Judi Cox
Permission is granted to copy and reprint this article keeping author byline in tact.