laptopmanpaul.co.uk

This blog is currently on vacation

December 14th, 2008 Posted in Interesting stuff | No Comments »

This blog is taking a temporary break while I fully explore a new website building product which I’ve discovered called Site Build It!

Please feel free to browse away as most of the information isn’t time sensitive.

If you don’t find something of interest here, please try website-academy.com

Alternatively you can watch my Site Build It! website as it develops at web-work-at-home.com

Back soon!

laptopmanpaul

Pre-Christmas report … more features uncovered in SBI!

December 12th, 2008 Posted in Building my websites, Interesting stuff | No Comments »

I’ve reached the 30 page milestone with Site Build It! which is a key point in the creation of a new site using the system.

If this is the first of my Site Build It! posts that you’ve read, you should check out post 1 and post 2 before reading on.

This is a mini-update to bring you up to speed with my progress to date … and to let you know about a special offer for Christmas in case you think that Site Build It! might be for you.

I’ve uncovered a few new features now as a result of having generated 30 pages of content - you don’t get to use many of these features until you reach that crucial stage.

If you take a look at web-work-at-home.com you’ll notice that I still haven’t monetized … that doesn’t come until later, at the point where I’m getting at least 20 visitors a day.

I’m getting more than that on some days, and fewer on others, and I’m only listed in Google, Ask.com and Yahoo! search engines at the moment, Live Search hasn’t picked me up yet, so it doesn’t feel like the right time to be putting adverts on the site.

Let me bring you up-to-date with the latest features that I’m using as part of my SBI! package …

1) RSS feeds

RSS feeds are a key part of getting your website ‘out there’ and I discovered their value when starting this blog.

Prior to this blog, which began life as an experiment and kept on growing, I made static sites with no RSS feeds.

Within a few months, this blog was outperforming all of my static sites, getting much more interest and response and ranking higher with Alexa.

Site Build It! looks like a regular static site, but it works like a blog, informing the search engines every time you create a new page.

It’s incredibly easy to set up within the Site Build It! control panel and requires no technical or specialist knowledge.

2) Ezines

Elsewhere on this blog, I’ve called these newsletters, but they’re a key marketing technique for websites.

Once a website user signs up to your Ezine or newsletter, it enables you to reach out to them and communicate, even though they might have forgotten about your site already.

You can pull them back in, reminding them of what they’re missing or what’s new.

Previously in my posts I’d suggested using phpList for newsletters as it’s an excellent tool, if a little complex to get to grips with.

Well, Site Build It! integrates all the features of phpList - including subscribe/unsubscribe management and ‘Thanks for registering’ and account authentication functions.

It’s a superb resource, easily set up and you can see how it works in the left hand navigation on the ‘About this site’ page on web-work-at-home.com.

3) Link Exchange

This is one of the most tedious parts of marketing your new website.

To get higher ranking in the search engines you need to get good quality, content related links to and from other websites.

Normally this is a process of surfing the web, finding good sites, emailing and keeping your fingers crossed.

As part of its integrated features Site Build It! manages the entire link exchanging process.

It finds SBI! sites and external websites (which have paid to register), matches them by your keywords and lists them automatically in your control panel along with contact details, site info and URL and the matching keyword.

You then go through each site and see which ones you want to link exchange with - I got an initial crop of 82 returned from 30 pages of keywords.

You sort them into a ‘Yes’, a ‘No’ or a ‘Maybe’.

All the sites in the ‘Yes’ pile get sent an automatically generated email inviting them to link exchange.

The ‘No’ and the ‘Maybe’ piles get tucked away for later.

I’ve had an immediate response to three of my five requests and I sorted out those requests and the reciprocal links over one weekend.

Another thing about the Link Exchange tool … it allows you to monitor links into your site, showing whether they’re good or incorrectly coded … it also means somebody can’t get away with exchanging a link then removing it later.

Another small, but useful feature is the information about Link Directories which you’re given in SBI! … a simple thing, but I wouldn’t have known where half of these resources are if I hadn’t been told.

4) Keyword performance

Site Build It! gives me constant feedback about the performance of each of my keyword-based pages, showing me how I’m ranking for each in the four major search engines as well as giving me data about the alternative keywords web surfers used to arrive at my pages.

It’’s early days yet and I’m not well enough established in the search engines to be getting a lot of valuable data so far, but this is going to become a vital resource as my site establishes itself over the next few months.

5) Broken links

I hadn’t even realised this was a feature of SBI!, but the other day I got an auto-generated email telling me I had broken links on my website.

The search engines hate these - they’re ‘dead ends’ and indicate a poorly maintained site.

I had a few, but courtesy of this email, they were rectified in minutes.

What now?

I’m currently on a ‘30 page break’, which doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped working.

I’ve submitted my website to the ‘Review a site’ section of the SBI! forums.

I’m continuing to make Link Exchange contacts and submitting to the relevant Link Directories, including Dmoz - the big player!

I’m proof-reading my pages, creating search engine friendly links between pages and making sure my navigation is sensible.

I’m generating ideas for my first Ezine, which I’ll publish when I have enough subscribers.

In the New Year, I’ll begin content creation once again and wait for my site to become properly established in the search engines.

What’s the big deal about SBI?

I’ve been asking a couple of my ‘teccie’ friends to give Site Build It! the ‘once over’ because I keep raving about it, and want it independently verified that I’m not barking up the wrong tree.

One colleague, when hearing of the price, dismissed it straight away saying ‘There’s the disadvantage, look at that price tag!’ (it costs about £175 … depends on the dollar conversion from $299)

The key thing about SBI! is that you have to get over comparing it with simple hosting costs which could amount to less than £20 each year.

Anybody can have a website, not everybody can have a website that does any business.

Site Build It! is rich with useful features, and I haven’t even used all of them yet - there’s still much more to come.

So if I haven’t convinced you yet, check in once again when I write my first update of the New Year … and if I have convinced you, you might want to take advantage of the ‘Buy one, get one free’ Christmas offer that’s running at the moment.

Buy one for now and one for later, get another member of the family involved or give one away as a present … and if you don’t like it, there’s a money-back guarantee.

Site Build It! … an interim report

November 22nd, 2008 Posted in Building my websites, Newspaper articles | No Comments »

Can you tell I like it?

It’s nearly a month since I started building my new website web-work-at-home.com using my new discovery Site Build It!

I really can’t rave enough about this product, it’s absolutely superb and I can’t believe that it’s not more widely-known.

It incorporates everything I’ve ever read about SEO best practice in a fully integrated console … the tools it makes available for the subscription fee are quite simply brilliant.

Let me talk you through it … and I’ll try to find a few negatives too just to balance out my full-on enthusiasm!

What I’ve been up to …

Site Build It! guides you through the entire process of building a website with detailed commentary, excellent video presentations and easy-to-use tools.

It’s suitable for complete novices and total experts … you can either use their templates or upload your own HTML.

You start with what I find the most tedious part of the process, but let’s be clear, it is the most important part of the website building process.

This is the niche choosing part, where you search keywords, sift, search again, find off-shoots of keywords and examine demand, supply and profitability.

I nearly went spare doing this, but persevered and now have three sound ideas as a result of it, though I’m only working on the one at the moment of course.

Once this bit is over - and my goodness it takes some time to get it right - the fun bit begins.

Where I went wrong with my other web projects is in putting the website building and monetization in front of everything else.

Site Build It! is absolutely immovable on this issue … no monetization until you’ve built 30 or more content rich pages based on high demand, low supply, high profit keywords.

The fun bit …

You’ve got to get the keyword bit right, it’s the foundations on which your entire website project are based.

As you’ll know if you’re a regular reader of this blog, I’ve used Wordtracker’s and Google’s keyword tools, but didn’t really get on with them.

Site Build It! provides a superb tool which allows you to store all your keywords, listed alongside demand, supply and profitability figures.

For each keyword you can search the top 10 competitor sites in Google, Windows Live and Yahoo!, you can make notes for each keyword and study monetization options.

You can export this information as a spreadsheet, re-order keywords by most profitable, ones with least supply and profitability.

I would pay the fee for this tool alone.

For anyone who’s ever gone through the hell and self-doubt that is keyword and niche-choosing, it’s an absolute godsend, I can’t believe that somebody hasn’t made a standalone version available.

With this tool, you carve up your website into sections - determined by the high demand/high profit keywords for your niche - then you create pages around these headings.

Here comes the next superb tool.

When you create each page you use a tool called ‘Analyze It!’ which tells you if you’ve used your page keyword enough times, too few times or if you’ve ‘over-stuffed’ your page.

It won’t let you ‘pass go’ until your page is absolutely right for the search engines.

You can use the process with Site Build It! pages or your own HTML.

Once again, I’d pay the fee for this tool alone, it’s priceless if you want to get your website foundations just right.

Some negatives

I’m in danger of spotaneously combusting with enthusiasm about Site Build It! so in the interests of balanced reviewing, I’m going to throw in a few negatives.

Firstly, the templates are a bit basic.

I’m not hugely keen on my current template for web-work-at-home.com but I’m determined to make my first Site Build It! completely ‘by the book’ so I can assess it properly.

However, there’s a great support network based around Site Build It! (sorry, that wasn’t negative was it?) so you can get redesign work done really easily.

Here are two SBI site designs that I particularly like which don’t use standard templates:

toddler-ideas.com

updatexp.com

I’ll get back to my template at a later stage, in the first instance the content is what’s important so I’ll entirely focus on this for now.

Time for another negative?

Errr … the product is very Americanised, but I would urge you not to be put off by that.

As a reserved Englishman(!) I looked at Site Build It! with suspicion at first … the language made me wonder if it was a scam, or too good to be true.

However, the more I read, the more I watched the videos I couldn’t resist giving it a try.

It was about £175 for one year - this includes your hosting and your domain name and absolutely everything you need for your website - and it’s refundable, so I thought ‘what the heck’ and paid my money.

I reckon it could be the best thing I’ve discovered web-wise.

That’s it for negatives I’m afraid.

Look, I tried okay?

I’m very impressed with this product!

More great things about Site Build It!

Site Build It! offers one good thing after another … you get built in forms with spam protection, social networking links built in, custom email with auto-responders built in, auto RSS feeds built in, submission to the four major search engines built in … in fact virtually everything I’ve ever recommended in this blog comes built in with Site Build It!.

The other great thing I’ve spotted - yes there’s another one - is the brilliant analysis tool you get which shows you how each page ranks for your keyword on Google, Windows Live, Yahoo! and Ask.

And do you know what?

I’ve only just started building my site.

There are loads of things still to come which I haven’t even looked at yet.

I’ll provide another interim report when I’ve got a bit further.

So far I’ve made about 10 pages and under Site Build It! guidance, that means I can create my RSS feed now.

The proof of the pudding …

A word of warning …

I’m only just starting the Site Build It! journey.

I’m 100% impressed so far but the proof of the pudding will be in the tasting of course.

I’m not going to get a proper feel for that for another couple of months, so you’ll have to bear with me on that one.

At this stage I feel that I found Site Build It! at the end of my yellow brick road.

It brings together everything I’ve learned whilst working on my website projects.

I feel that if this doesn’t do the job, goodness knows what will.

So keep checking in, subscribe to my RSS feed on web-work-at-home.com and make up your own mind.

If you’re serious about making websites, please give Site Build It! the once-over at least - don’t be put off by the language used.

There are loads of demo sites, videos and testimonials to check out before you even have to think about parting with any cash, so read, view, re-read, check out and make up your own mind.

In the meantime, I’m convinced … see you when I reach the 30 page milestone!

Site Build It!

October 26th, 2008 Posted in Building my websites | 1 Comment »

Readers of this blog will know that I’ve been doing much work recently on search engine optimisation and techniques for getting a website as close to the top of the search engine results as is possible.

My reading and online research resulted in me discovering a new service which I’d never heard of before, but which seems to pull together best practice in one product.

It’s called Site Build It! and it helps you to build websites from the keywords up.

Take a look at this video for a quick overview …

The key concept behind Site Build It! is that there’s no point building a brilliant website unless people can find it.

You can spend as much money as you want and throw as many flash animations at your front page as you can, but if no-one is interested in your website, you’ll do no business.

It seems so basic, but it’s actually THE crucual point about making a website.

Site Build It! reverses the usual process that you’d go through to build a website.

It starts with keywords … you generate three ideas, keyword search them, then work out what niche online searchers are looking for but not finding … and that’s your business opportunity.

The range of tools built into the package is superb.

You get Wordtracker with your annual fee, along with many other tools which help you to spot and refine your niche, then work out its profitability.

It completely removes the ‘finger in the wind’ approach to website building … you know you’re onto a winner before you even start to build your website.

Site Build It! uses a system called C>T>P>M … full details are available by clicking the info banner below:

C>T>P>M involves:

a) creating content that you know people want to find … because you started the entire process by doing your niche keyword research.

b) creating traffic because your nicely keyworded content is being found in the search engines.

c) your pre-sell to customers, because they’re already interested in the subject covered by your website and you’ve built a relationship of trust.

d) finally (and not firstly as in most websites!) you monetize your website … and hopefully create a good income stream.

Site Build It! uses a step-by-step, systematic process.

You bolt in searchable keywords to each page you build - as you go along - and your ads and extras reflect these niche keywords too.

The system is also suitable for beginners - templates and ‘hold your hand’ guides are provided - but you can also use the system with Dreamweaver, Wordpress or whatever you use to make your own websites, making it good for webmasters too:

Having built your website, you then sign up through Site Build It! to a number of RSS feeds, which effectively blog your content.

Readers of this site will know how I’ve been instantly impressed by the results delivered by RSS and blogging.

The entire blogging/RSS system is integrated into the package, saving time, effort and removing the need for technical knowledge for people who are new to the web.

It’s even got a built in newsletter manager … as far as I can see everything that I’ve discovered as ‘best practice’ whilst looking at how to market websites effectively is in this package.

And if you don’t like the modular/formulaic look to the templated sites? You use the tools, but author your website with your favourite software package, whatever that is.

So why am I resting this blog?

Well, Site Build It! seems to offer absolutely everything that my research has recommended … and to be honest, I think the sites that I’ve built so far haven’t done brilliantly because I left the SEO and the ‘niche’ bit until last.

So I’m going back to basics.

I’m parking this blog for a while so that I can give Site Build It! a good run for its money.

I’m going to follow it through from beginning to end, build a niche site, and see if it performs as well as the Site Build It! say it will.

It’s cost me £175.23 GBP for 1 year … which includes all the tools (Wordtracker, template builder, hosting costs and so on) and the support and resources available for that money are superb.

It’s a tad ‘Americanised’ but don’t be put off by that, it really is rooted in best practice and there is lots of evidence to show that it works as a system.

Check out some of the demo websites and look at their Alexa rankings - you can’t fake those figures!

If it doesn’t work, I’ve wasted £175 … though there is a full refund on offer if I don’t like the product.

If it does work, I’m going to Site Build It! all my existing websites. Although they’re beginning to do some business, it’s not enough and they’re just not making the progress that they need to.

So, once I’ve built my new niche website, I’ll be back on this blog, talking you through it and letting you know how it goes.

In the meantime, take a look at Site Build It! yourself and see what you think.

They claim 62% of SBI! sites, in a recent study, were in the top 3% of all websites.

That’s quite some statistic, the ’science’ seems to add up, so let’s see how I get on with it.

If you’ve had experience of this product, I’d be interested to know how you got on.