SEO: For Chicks!
Hi, my name is Vanessa, and I’m a chick who likes technology.
I don’t presume to understand everything about it, but I’m not afraid of it, and I love to try and understand new technologies and try to utilize them to improve work efficiency, workflow and ultimately improve the lives of work at home moms (WAHMs) and freelancers all around the world.
Many of my graphic design clients are work at home moms, stay at home moms, bloggers, entrepeneurs and small business owners, all of whom are trying to harness the web in some way to improve their business and lives.
So I’m passing on the bit of knowledge that I’ve gleaned from here in there in the hopes that it helps others.
So. SEO. For those who don’t know the term SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. A search engine is a web based thingamajig that allows you to search for information and products and just about everything else on the web. The most popular of which of course is Google. Another example of one that is gaining in popularity is Bing, which is a Microsoft product.
So here’s the lowdown at its most basic.
Let’s say you’re an ace at making childrens linen, and you start a business from home making custom linen and develop your own line of products that you want to market on the web.
So you find a designer, get a website made, and then marvel at it’s wonder and beauty.
A week goes by, and you wonder why the phone hasn’t rung, because after all, you just paid a handsome some, for the most beautiful website in the world. Surely folks should be tracking down your ip address, routing it to the GPS and virtually banging down your door to get their hands on your awesome stuff?
So, you go to Google, type in “Custom Childrens Linen”.
…
…
That’s odd, your website isn’t right at the top of the search results.
But why!? It’s a thing of beauty that website!
Hold on a second, it’s not on the second page of results either!
There must be something very wrong!
Surely after a week the traffic should be streaming in!
In fact your website doesn’t get picked up in the first 3.79245 MILLION results.
But rather than throw in the towel, and can the great business idea that was going to let you quit your dayjob, let me tell you that there is something that can be done to help you, and that, my friends, is SEO.
SEO is the very thing (along with a few others in hand) that directly seeks to improve your search engine rankings within search engines like Google and Bing.
At it’s most basic, there are several things you can do right up front.
- Keyword Selection: Choose several phrases that you want your customers to find your website with, when they go to google. i.e. “childrens linen” “childrens bedroom decor” “kids custom linen” “cute bedding for kids” my rule of thumb for all my new web design clients, is to pick ten and work on them. Focus. Analyze the results and either keep at it, or move on.
- Use of Keywords: Then you use those keyword phrases in the content of your website. Not excessively, but repeatedly and in a fashion that is pleasing to read.
- Blog: Yes, every business needs a blog these days. Why? Because search engines pay attention to fresh content. They are far more interested in websites that post new and exciting content (using your keyword phrases) on a regular basis rather than a static website that says it once, and keeps quiet for all eternity.
- Links: Inbound links are the best way of improving a websites ranking, and search engine listings. This means that you should be posting content to your website or blog that is so fresh and hot and interesting, that other folks are creating links to it. See how I linked out to the phrase “work at home mom” in the very beginning of this article? That creates good SEO for the website that I linked to. If a website that is ranked higher than yours, links to you, it counts heavily in your favour, but a link of any kind (except from a spam site), will count in your websites favor.
- Deep Links: Sometimes you post content, and want to refer back to a previous article that you’ve written, or a category of articles. This is great for SEO if you can refer back to your older articles to keep them fresh. When you link to content that you’ve already posted on your own site in the past in order to help folks find information more easily, it’s called Deep Linking. Take a look at the link I created at the very top of the article on the words “work at home moms” that link takes you directly to an article that I wrote about work at home moms and the challenges they face.
There are a multitude of ways in which search engine optimization can help your website and these five that I have listed have really only touched on the tip of the iceberg. For complete help in this area, you need to enlist the help of an SEO specialist, and usually your web designer can put you in touch with one, or will in fact be working in conjunction with one to optimize your site anyway. It’s not however your designers responsibility to provide this service as a matter of course, and should be requested by you. Also, SEO is not an overnight thing. It takes time, and quality interesting content. If you have those two ingredients then success will surely follow.
read moreWAHMs: You Need a Website, and here’s why…
If you are planning on starting a business, then chances are you will need a website, and the sooner the better.
What is the difference between a website and a blog? Nothing really. A blog is simply a particular type of website, and here are a couple of great reasons why you should have one.
- Blogs are relatively easy to set up.
- Blogs can be maintained by the owner (that’s you!), removing the need for going to a technical person to babysit it for you, or everytime you need to change something.
- Blogs that are updated regularly (it’s basically a series of chronological entries, kind of like an online diary) with good quality content, get better search engine traffic (more feet in the door) than websites which are made once, and then left there to languish for all eternity.
- Using WordPress as your content management system (you will hear people talking about CMS) is the easiest way to have complete control over your websites content, and changing things on your website is about as difficult as composing and typing an email. (i.e. not difficult at all!)
- Using the blog format, allows customers/clients/people to interact with you and leave comments/contact you for more information, and it encourages conversation and community, these are all things you want in a successful business.
- Word of mouth is still one of the best promotional tools there is, and a blog can be set up so that your users/visitors/clients can easily promote or send your information to their family, friends and network of contacts.
I started this website with one thing in mind. Helping people. I know that people often feel afraid to ask for help, particularly with things of a technical nature, and that’s okay. I understand how technology scares people who are afraid of messing things up.
You need not worry that you can’t do this, can’t have your own website, because I am going to help you along every single step of the way. If you need a website (if you’re starting a business or have a business, then this means you), then I am going to help you get one, set it up for you, and teach you how to use it.
I am a Work at Home Mom too, so I understand your concerns, the pressures you face (believe me, just typing out this post I had to deal with about 1.7 billion interruptions, including making about twenty pieces of toast “No, don’t cut it like that momy, I want triangles!!”) but aside from all that, I also understand what it is like to be a woman facing a technical challenge, and if I can share with you, the knowledge I have learned, and help you achieve your goals then I am going to do just that.
So What’s Next?
There are two essential ingredients in setting up your web presence.
1. You Need a Domain Name (your very own .com, .net etc).
A domain name is the name of your business as it appears in the web address. Eg. www.nessworld.com (nessworld.com) is our domain name. Having a domain name is all fine and dandy, and many people mistakenly think that once they’ve registered one that’s IT, they have a website. Not so. Having a domain name is like having a name for your house, but with no building to live in. Domain names are registered once, range in cost from about $8 to $12 for a new registration, and you re-register them every year that you want to keep them.2. You Need a Hosting Package (a place to put your website up).
A hosting package is the place where your website is housed. This means it’s on a server somewhere, and you can access it using a control panel, through your web browser. Hosting packages vary from very cheap, to very expensive (thank you Captain Obvious!), however, be warned; if you are serious about your business, and expect it to do well then be prepared to pay in the region of $5-$9 a month (USD).So Here’s the Deal
I use StartLogic for most of my webhosting. I have been with them for over 3 years, and have had only compliments for their service.
If you decide that today is the day that you take yourself and your business seriously and you sign up for a StartLogic Pro-Logic Package, then I will install and set up WordPress for you for free.
Here is Why StartLogic Pro-Logic is my host of choice:
- Disk Space: Unlimited (you can store as much information/photos/videos/text as you need to)
- Your Domain Name: Free* (free if you sign up for a year or two in advance, otherwise there is an $8.95 domain name registration charge).
- Email Accounts: Unlimited (everyone in your family can get a you@yourbusiness.com email address)
- Control Panel: Vdeck v 3.0
- Bandwidth: Unlimited (this means that they do not limit the amount of visitors to your site (very important for when you hit the big time!!)
- Money Back Guarantee: 30 Days (excl the domain reg fee, once registered it is yours for a year regardless of whether you use it or not)
- Domains you can host: Unlimited. This means that you can purchase additional domains and add them to your one hosting package – so you can have as many websites as you want all on the same hosting package.
What does it cost?
- 2 Year Plan: US$5.95/month + Free Setup + Free Domain Name (Total Upfront cost = $142.80 – roughly ZAR1035.89 for two years worth of hosting that’s just R43.16 a month!)
- 1 Year Plan: US$6.95/month + Free Setup + Free Domain Name (Total Upfront cost = $ 83.40 – roughly ZAR605.48 for one whole years hosting, that’s just R50.45 a month!)
- Monthly Plan: US $6.95/month + $30 Setup Fee + $8.95 Domain Name (Total Upfront cost $45.90/ZAR 328.28 then $6.95/ZAR 43.77 a month thereafter)
These are great options, because if you have the start up capital to pay upfront then it reduces your costs over the long run. When I started 3 years ago, I chose the third option, because I did not have the extra cash to ‘go big’ at the start. It just goes to show that having a business online does NOT have to cost an arm and a leg to get going. In fact the costs of starting a business online is far far less than if you were to physical premises and stock shelves.
So What Will I do For You, For Free?
- Install and configure WordPress software on your hosting package (i.e. set up the initial website/blog for you)
- Upload 5 themes for you to choose from to start off with (a ‘theme’ is your blogs ‘look and feel’) there are many out there to choose from.
- Install plugins that will give you better visibility with search engines, set up your rss feeds allowing people to subscribe, and another to prevent spam.
- Tell you how and where to login to your wordpress panel, and get you started creating your online presence.
Why am I doing this for free?
- Firstly, if you sign up with StartLogic for a Prologic Package, they pay me a commission. This enables me to offer you my initial help to you for free. (If you already have a domain and hosting and want help then see my services page for how I can help you)
- I believe in empowering woman to achieve their dreams, this is just a small way that I can help you get started. Being a work at home mom is very close to my heart and by helping other women, and particularly moms, I get to help whole families ! Or at least that would be my beauty pageant speech!
What technical services do I offer that are not free?
Please check out my services page (will open in new window) for more information, so that we can be clear as to what is free, and what is not.
My services include things like importing other blogs into a wordpress installation, personal tutoring via Skype on how to edit your websites content, create posts and make it look awesome, change the themes etc.
As well as graphic design services for designing all the bells and whistles that will make your blog look and feel amazing, and more importantly promote your business brand and identity.
These services are available as individual items, as and when required, but there is also an option for a monthly membership in the works, where I will also perform any upgrades necessary on the wordpress installation (they’re always improving it!) and on the plug-ins that we mentioned earlier as well as sending you monthly graphics to use on your site, tips on improving your blogs SEO (search engine optimization), and ideas for Social Media Marketing so that you can get more visitors and improve your business in every way possible, members also get my monthly newsletter which includes a lot of information about making money online using your website.
More details on this coming soon!
Do you have any reason NOT to take up this offer?
Get your business online host your web site with StartLogic! and start getting customers!
WAHM: A Great Way to Promote your Business
Being a Work at Home Mom can be one of the most rewarding things that you do.
But we also know how hard it can be all by yourself.
For example, where on earth would you even begin to find investors for your idea? A partner? A service provider?
You’re just starting out and you need to find every possible avenue to market yourself, your product and your idea. Current Social Networks focus more on YOU the person, as opposed to YOU the business. It can be a veritable zoo of information, and you rarely know which service to use and when to promote yourself.
However, we have found one, thanks to Darren Rowse at Problogger, called You Noodle, which focuses on both. Did we mention it’s free?
YouNoodle harnesses the power of social networking, and showcases start-ups, websites, new businesses and existing ventures.
Giving you an easy to use platform to showcase your ideas whether they are brand new and still in the building phase, or if you are already established and simply wanting to promote your products and services to a unique market of people.
Some of you may wish to keep your ideas to yourself, naturally the fear of being copied or beaten to market is frightening for some, but ask yourself, what guarantee do you have that you keep your ideas to yourself, and someone doesn’t beat you to market anyway? Why not put yourself out there, and put your stamp and your face behind your ‘big idea’ right from the start.
It is about taking ownership of your idea and seeking out like minded entrepeneurs, and more importantly POTENTIAL INVESTORS. As a WAHM what an amazing opportunity to be able to reach the ears of the people who may be able to help you launch your idea into the stratosphere, all while you are sitting at home.
Don’t forget to connect with NessWorld while you’re there, you can follow NessWorlds’ progress by following this link to my profile and connecting with us there.
Remember if you are going to promote yourself and your business, have your summary, most professional profile photo, and some business graphics ready. If you are in the Cape Town area and need help getting the perfect profile photograph taken, you are welcome to email me to arrange a quick low cost photoshoot (I will offer special rates to NessWorld fans), and of course I can also be of service in getting business graphics designed for you (graphic design services I can offer globally thanks to the wonder of the internet), and optimized for web use, again, please contact me via email with your requirements, naturally I will offer special rates for NessWorld followers and fans.
I started NessWorld as a way of helping other WAHMs (work at home moms) get access to these kinds of professional services at affordable rates (when you have a household to maintain, we know what kind of strain that can put on your marketing budget!) and this is my way of helping out.
NessWorld Holiday Gift Ideas
Yesterday is generally the start of the rushed holiday shopping, at least around here, given that it’s a public holiday, and most people are off work. Unless of course they work in retail! Many manufacturers, and indeed many mainstream businesses will allow the majority of their staff to take leave from this time until just after New Year. It makes sense to companies in the Southern Hemisphere, because it’s Summer School holidays too, and everybody gets to have some nice family time, with great weather thrown in, and of course Christmas!
So here are NessWorld’s Favourite Things (eh hem) this holiday season, from the rather expensive, to the awesomely affordable:
This years Top Buy!
Then again, I could be biased because I already have one, but you cannot go wrong, if you buy your significant other (or yourself!) a Apple iMac 21.5-Inch Desktop
They work. Right out the box.
Every last piece of Apple advertising is true. They are quite simply put, stunning in every way possible. Plus, did you know that their screens are LED? As in the best technology currently on the market, far outperforming LCD and Plasma? Yes, it *is* true, because why else would I be having to elbow the other parental unit away from it whenever there is a new (or old, and much loved) Sci-Fi movie in the house? Watching Star Wars on this sweet machine will be almost as good as watching it on the big screen again.
They come loaded with everything you need to get started including the classic iLife Suite (09) of programmes with which you can organise you digital life, including edit photos, produce photobooks, burn your home movies into professional dvd’s (perfect Christmas gift for the grandparents), a professional movie editing programme with iMovie, allowing you to edit your home movies to perfection. There’s way too much good to be said about the iMac (and in fact any Mac) than would fit in this piece. Trust me, buy it.
The Next Best Buy is:
You will be the envy of amateur and professionals alike if you haul out the Canon EOS 7D 18 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera 
For the less pricey items, the following three suggestions would make anyone happy I reckon!
The Classic Collection of:
What’s the one thing that everybody needs to make it through the holiday season, whether they’re in the cold northern hemisphere, or the warm south? Humour. This is the Friends – The Complete Series Collection
Something for Moms, Sisters, good friends, and any guy who is not afraid to be in the kitchen, then consider this:
Once you’ve tried her really tasty cooking, you will never look at butter with disdain again. Or carbs. Or red meat. Because day-yam, this lady knows how to cook. During an appearance on the Bonnie Hunt Show, there were guys coming out of the audience to taste what she was cooking. Kid you not. Do pick up a copy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks
and you will be forever happy and fulfilled. So will your jeans but that is entirely besides the point. It is also choc-full of her absolutely gorgeous photography, and anecdotes from country life. Just perfect for closet country girls like me.
Lastly but not leastl(y):
We have talked about this little number before, but it’s time we showed you again…
This is THE most wished for item on Amazon.com right now. The Kindle Wireless Reading Device
If you’re still unsure about what to get your nearest and dearest for the holidays, then you can always pick up a gift card!
read moreFree Resources for WAHMs: WiseStamp Email Signature
In the past, using free email addresses like Gmail and Hotmail, was the domain of travelers, students and people who needed their email to be mobile, and easily accessible from anywhere on the planet where you could find an internet connection.
These days email is pretty much accessible from anywhere, but in many cases having a more generic email such as a Gmail address is preferable to having to tote around information for more than one email address, and having to log into different control panels in order to access email.
Particularly if you have several email address for various roles, Gmail makes a perfect catch-all address so that you only have to check one email account to get all your information. This is particularly useful for Blackberry users for example, so instead of having five or six mail accounts on your phone, you just use the one Gmail address.
One of the ways that you can dress up your gmail account is by using the Wisestamp Email Signature. Its a great way to give your email that professional edge, even if you’re sending it from a web based source.
It’s available as a plugin for Firefox, so you can quickly and easily just click on the Wisestamp logo on the bottom right of your browser, and it will insert a very professional looking (and fully customizable) email signature with graphical icons linking your readers to your social networking links etc.
It looks like this (for example):
(Editor) www.nessworld.com
(Design) www.yoursitehere.com
(Photography) www.yoursitehere.com
(Mobile) +1 123 555 9876
Doesn’t that look much better than simply signing off with your name? Looking professional can make a big impact on retaining those good clients!
Remember, this works as a plugin for Firefox , so you need to be running the Firefox browser in order to make use of it. You can download it here.
read moreAmazon Kindle Now Available Internationally!
This may well finally be the best thing since sliced bread.
I kiddest thou not.
Amazon Kindle
For once, YES, South Africa, this means you!
Want to know what’s even better?
You can order them right here
So for those of you who have not yet joined us in the 21st Century, here is a little run down on what this little beauty of a gadget actually does…
It’s a small electronic device that allows you to download (wirelessly) any number of books, magazines etc, IN SECONDS, for you to read. Anywhere. The device on it’s own can store up to 1500 books (how many do you have in your house?), and with an added memory card, it can store up to 4000.
The thing that I really like about it, is that it is *not* like looking at a computer screen. The reading area is specifically designed to simulate the feeling of reading from a real book. There is none of that eye-strain business that we all get from gazing at our computer screens for too long.
Imagine taking a whole bunch of best sellers with you on holiday! In your handbag!!
Yes, even in conditions like the glare and bright reflections from being at the beach – you can still read your Kindle
Before you all go on at me, about how this will never be like holding a real book in your hands, let me tell you that these days, holding a real book in your hands is almost irresponsible. Think of the number of trees that will be saved by people switching to electronic books.
Imagine being able to download all of your university textbooks onto this lightweight device, instead of lugging them around in that very un-elegant, un-sexy backpack.
The Amazon Kindle
A new bestseller will set you back just $9.99! (that’s roughly ZAR 76.30!!) When last did you pay UNDER R80 for a new best seller?
A feature that may be of interest to South Africans in particular, is that Amazon, will retain proof of all your purchases. That means that if your Kindle gets lost or stolen, you don’t lose all the books you downloaded, so when you get a new one, you can get all your books back for free. (Everybody say hey-yo!!)
This is a device that 1) is helping to get people reading again 2) is saving a potentially incomprehensible number of trees and 3) is really good value for money… is there anything left to think about? Not in my mind.
I watched an Oprah show, a little while ago, where she talked about how this gadget had made her life so much easier, and in deed better. She told a story how her and Stedman were sitting on plane taxi-ing to their take off point, when she suddently decided she wanted the Washington Post (I can’t remember the exact title, but it was a newspaper), she simply went click, and had the entire latest edition in seconds.
I remember wondering when, if ever, we in South Africa would get access to that kind of convenient technology.
This little geeks wishes have been answered that’s for sure, and I know what I’m going to ask for in my Christmas stocking this year!
Amazon describes the ins and outs of the Kindle
Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines
Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback
Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered wirelessly in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
3G Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle; no annual contracts, no monthly fees, and no hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots
International Coverage: Enjoy 3G wireless coverage at home or abroad in over 100 countries
Paper-Like Display: Reads like real paper without glare, even in bright sunlight
Carry Your Library: Holds up to 1,500 books
Long Battery Life: Read for days without recharging
Read-to-Me: With the experimental Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read newspapers, magazines, blogs, and books out loud to you, unless the book’s rights holder made the feature unavailable
Free Book Samples: Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy
Large Selection: Over 350,000 books, including 104 of 112 New York Times® Best Sellers, plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs
Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases are $9.99, unless marked otherwise. When traveling abroad, you can download books wirelessly from the Kindle Store or your Archived Items. U.S. customers will be charged a fee of $1.99 for international downloads.
You can order your Amazon Kindle
GO! Click! Be at one with the Kindle
read more
