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Whats Wrong With My Website?
I ask myself that question about once a month.My website looks fine to me, but what are otherpeople seeing? And what are the Search Enginesseeing? Here's a checklist of 10 ways to optimizeyour website for peak performance:
1. Browser Compatibility
The first thing is to look at your website throughother people's browsers. I do this regularly and I'vesometimes been shocked at what I saw!
ANYBROWSERhttp://www.anybrowser.com
2. Broken Links
About 5% of all links on the Internet are broken. Asite that contains broken links gives a bad impressionto visitors and is a frequent cause of lost sales.Also, the major Search Engines and Directories will notlist your page if it contains any broken links or missingimages.
Here are some free link validators:
LINK SCANhttp://www.elsop.com/linkscan/quickcheck.html
NET MECHANIChttp://www.netmechanic.com/maintain.htm
WEBSITE GARAGE DEADLINK CHECKhttp://websitegarage.netscape.com/O=wsg/tuneup_plus/index.html
3. Web Safe Colors
Are the colors on your web site displaying properly onother people's browsers? You may have a beautifulshade of lilac on your index page but it could lookvery strange on someone else's computer.
There are only 216 colors that you can safely use onthe Web. These colors display solid and consistent onany computer monitor or web browser that is able todisplay at least 8-bit color.
The Web Safe Palette contains six groups of colorswith 36 colors per group. These 216 web safe colorscan have any combination of the following RGB (RedGreen Blue) values: 0, 51, 102, 153, 204, 255 (eachRGB value must be divisible by 51).
Here's a good palette of web safe colors:
WEB-SOURCE SAFE COLORShttp://www.web-source.net/216_color_chart.htm
4. ALT Tags
ALT Tags allow you to give an alternative to peoplewho have the 'view images' function turned off intheir browser. Let's say the navigation system on yourwebsite is a series of buttons that link to otherpages on your site. If you don't have ALT Tags, peoplewho have the 'view images' function turned off willbe unable to navigate through your site - in placeof your button they will just see an empty space.
But an ALT Tag allows you to tell those people whatthat button does. For example, if the button is a linkto your 'Site Map' you could insert the following ALTTag: 
ALT Tags also allow you to raise your keyword density.For every image that is not hyperlinked you couldinsert your main keywords. For example:
5. Meta Tags
Meta Tags are so important they deserve a wholearticle on their own. The most important Meta Tags arethe Title Tag, the Keywords Tag and the Description Tag.
The Title Tag should be no more than 64 characters(longer than that and it will be cut off in someSearch Engines).
The Keyword Tag should contain about 5 to 10 keywordsthat appear on your page. Never include words that donot appear on that page - in some Search Engines your websitewill be penalized for this. Do not repeat the same keyword - this is called 'keyword stuffing' and is also frowned upon bythe Search Engines.
Separate your keywords with spaces (not commas). Thisallows the Search Engines to combine your keywords into phrases,for people who do 'phrase searching'.
The Description Tag should be no more than 200 characters.Include as many of your keywords as you can. Remember also thatyour Description Tag must be enticing - it must make peoplewant to visit your site.
Here are some programs that will generate your MetaTags for you:
WEBSITE GARAGEhttp://websitegarage.netscape.com/turbocharge/metatag/
META MEDIChttp://www.northernwebs.com/set/setsimjr.html
MULTI-META-MAKERhttp://www.multimeta.com/tools/multimetamaker.html
6. Load Time
A slow-loading index page is one of the main reasonsfor lost sales. The generally accepted maximum timefor a page to load is around 15 seconds. Here is afree service that tells you how long your web pagetakes to load:
NETMECHANIChttp://www.netmechanic.com/cobrands/FutureQuest/load_check.htm
Your pages should be no more than about 30Kb in size. To calculate the size of your web page, highlight theHTML document and then click on 'File' and'Properties' and note down the file size. Then do thesame for any graphics you have on that page. Then addthose figures together to get your page size.
If your page is less than 30Kb and takes more than 15seconds to load, the problem is most likely with yourweb host. The solution is to change web host. Here are2 services that will check the speed of your web host'sserver and compare it with other web hosts:
HOST COMPAREhttp://www.hostcompare.com/testtools.htm
CNET WEBSERVICEShttp://webservices.cnet.com/ping/
7. GIF (or JPEG) Cruncher
Shrinking the size of your images is one of the bestways to get a faster-loading web page. You can usuallyreduce a GIF or JPEG image by 40% to 50% withoutlosing any significant definition or sharpness.
SPINWAVEhttp://www.spinwave.com/crunchers.html
8. HTML Optimizer
Another way to make your page load faster is tocompress (or optimize) your HTML code. An HTMLOptimizer removes all blank spaces in your HTML codeand also removes certain unnecessary tags.
On average, an HTML optimizer will reduce the size ofyour page by 15% to 20%. That percentage may not seemmuch, but the saving in load time is much higher, asyour visitor's browser will parse your page much moreefficiently.
A word of caution: in most HTML Optimizers you willfind an 'Options' menu that tells the program toignore certain parts of your code. Make sure yourOptimizer does not compress embedded script tags - ifthey get compressed, the script will usually not work.
ADVANCED HTML OPTIMIZERhttp://www.pcbit.com/htmlopt/
9. WIDTH, HEIGHT and BORDER Tags
The WIDTH, HEIGHT and BORDER attributes are essentialfor each image that you have on your website. When youhyperlink an image, always make sure that the BORDERattribute is set to zero (BORDER=0). If you don't dothis, your hyperlinked image will have an ugly blueborder around it.
The WIDTH and HEIGHT attributes allow your page toload faster, as the browser knows in advance howmuch space the image requires. To find out the widthand height of any image, just double click on theimage file. This will automatically open 'MicrosoftPhoto Editor' - your image will appear, with the widthand height of your image (in pixels) displayed on thetool bar.
10. HTML Validator
Always check the validity of your HTML. Some SearchEngines give lower rankings to pages that have poorquality HTML (such as incorrect nesting of elements).
Here are some free online validators:
HTML HELPhttp://www.htmlhelp.org/tools/validator/
BOBBYhttp://www.cast.org/bobby/
WATSONhttp://watson.addy.com/
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Michael Southon has been writing for the Internet for over 3
years. He has shown hundreds of webmasters how to use this
simple technique to build a successful online business. Click
here to find out more: http://ezine-writer.com/
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Marketing Basics for the Webmaster
What is the relationship between Marketing and Web designing? How can a better understanding of Marketing help the web designer manage his business more profitably?
Recipe For A Good Looking Web Site
We've all surfed the web and seen some awful web sites. Sites that never completely loaded. Sites with too many photos. Sites with no easy way to find what you wanted. Another way a site looks bad is when each page looks different. You're not even sure you're at the same site. It doesn't have to be that way. Templates are the solution.
Fast Web Design For The Skint Webmaster
About two years ago, I had a go at commercial web site design. I put a medium-sized ad in a London classified ad paper. Nothing fancy: "Web designer seeks work ..." etc. This was expensive, about £500 for a month's run.
Pages to Include in Your Website
What pages need to be included on your website? The answer varies for each type of business and depends on how informative you want your website to be for potential clients. Below is a list of sample pages for you to review while you plan out your website.
Effective Website Design For Massive Traffic
STEP 1:Do your homework
Learn the Truth about Your Web Design Company by Its Portfolio
When you start building your online business and search for a web design company that will implement all your needs for the web site you must understand that it is a very serious step because you are entrusting your business along with its reputation and future.
Understanding How HTML Color Codes Work
Ever wonder how HTML color codes are put together? For the beginner, it can look like lots of numbers and letters that make no sense. In reality, HTML color codes are written that way for a specific reason that we'll look at in this article.
Design Matters in our Visual Culture
FIRST IMPRESSIONS.
Speed Up Or Lose Out! How To Improve Your Websites Download Speed
So your web site's online and you've got high rankings in the search engines attracting lots of visitors. But the statistics tell you most of them are leaving after viewing just one page, what's gone wrong?
Website Design Considerations
Q: Should I build and maintain my business Web site myself or pay someone else to do the work for me? -- Wesley L.
Web Advertising: 10 Little Known Tricks To Help Convert Your Traffics To Buying Customers
You may not believe it, but people still judge things by their appearances.
Congratulations! You?ve Gotten Visitors To Your Site! Now, Can They Find What Theyre Looking For?
As search engine marketers, we spend an enormous amount of time trying to get targeted traffic to our site. But, once those visitors get to our site, can they find what they're looking for? If not, guess what? We've lost a customer.
Bad Design Characteristics For A Website
Making a poorly designed website is one of the easiest things you can do as a webmaster! You barely need to try! If you want to run a successful high traffic website there are many different elements of design that you need to implement, and ones you need to avoid.
Is Your Website?s Copy Up to the Mark?
The Internet is a relatively new medium. What works for you in your printed offline brochures and advertising materials may or may not work on your web page. If you have already invested either time or money or both in your website you should carefully scrutinize the written words on your pages to see if they can really deliver a return on your investment. Here are five important questions to ask to when making a review of your website's copy.
Create A Web Site That Builds Trust
If someone doesn't know you personally, will they trust you enough to do business with you just by visiting your web site?
Choosing A Color Scheme
When you begin the design of your Web site, one of the first things you need to do is decide on a color scheme. Although choosing colors seems like a relatively easy proposition, it's not easy at all. In fact, it's hard.
Custom Web Site Design Strategies
Web site design has certainly, in the past decade, evolved tremendously. More clients now are demanding custom design, as opposed to the 'cookie cutter' sites of yesteryear.
Love at First Site: Giving Your Website Visitors the right Impression
Think of the people who visit your site as blind dates. When you open the door, your blind date usually knows whether they are attracted to you within the first minute. How do they know? Easy. By how you look, what you say, and how you treat them. If you open the door wearing the same clothes you wore in 1987, say, "Wow, from my friend's description, I thought you would be a lot better looking," and sneeze in your dates face, not only will you never get a second date, your date will run for his/her life.
5 Instant Tips for More Online Sales
Even after you've managed to bring traffic to your site you may be losing sales because of problems with your site's usability. What's "usability"?
Using Graphic Design on Your Website
Almost everything is available on the web? products, services, e-books, software, audios, videos, membership sites, or newsletters. Regardless of what you're promoting, there's a never-ending supply of prospects and customers on the world-wide-web. Your goal is to capture and turn those prospects into paying customers.