5 Ways To Increase Your Page Rank
This is one of the questions that I get asked alot by some of my clients , and so , I decided to write do a quick wrtie up on this topic. There are way more than 5 ways to increase your page rank ( however I am only going to cover 5 of them ).
What is Page Rank , and Why Do I want it ?
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PageRank reflects our view of the importance of web pages by considering more than 500 million variables and 2 billion terms. Pages that we believe are important pages receive a higher PageRank and are more likely to appear at the top of the search results.
PageRank also considers the importance of each page that casts a vote, as votes from some pages are considered to have greater value, thus giving the linked page greater value. We have always taken a pragmatic approach to help improve search quality and create useful products, and our technology uses the collective intelligence of the web to determine a page's importance.
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1. SHARE YOUR CONTENT VIA YOUR SOCIAL NETWORKS
You have written a great article, so why not spread the word ? By using social networks ( Twitter, Facebook, and of course Google+, you can spread your news \ article to a much larger audience. and in turn, increase the likelihood of someone retweeting your link , or even linking back to you. What does that mean ? Increaasing your visibility to a network of people you previsouly would not have access to
2. USE APPROPRIATE KEYWORDS (keyword stuffing is a Big Google no-no)
Some people have the notion that the more keywords they "stuff" in their meta tags the better. In theory that sounds right , but that could be further from the truth. Google frowns upon this practice , and could penalize your site ( by taking away whatever page rank you have and even pulling your website from the search engine). Using clear, accurate keywords for your web site is very important. When adding keywords for your page \ website, please keep the following points in mind
- Using clear, accurate keywords for your web site is very important.
- The words you use as your keywords will determine how you are found.
- Use only keywords that are distinctly related to the main focus of your web site.
- Using the same keywords does not increase your relevancy.
- Avoid using keywords that are too vague or too specific.
- You are found by any coombination of the keywords you choose.
- Changing your keywords often increases your visibility.
- Do not use names of other companies in order to capitalize on their existing exposure.
- Use only one word per "Keyword Field." No spaces or punctuation are allowed.
Here is an example of the proper use of keywords
Exotic Gift Baskets, Inc. sells gift baskets which contain exotic coffees, candies, nuts and flowers. Their claim to fame is a line of gift baskets known as "Quick Baskets," which they can usually ship within 6 hours. The corporate office is based in New York and ships to anywhere in the U.S. and Canada. The majority of their business is done during the holiday season.
Examples of good and bad Keywords for a listing:
Good Keywords:
- gifts
- baskets
- exotic
- quick
- flowers
- unique
- Christmas
Bad Keywords:
- free – (Using the word "free" is misleading)
- Starbucks – (Do not use other company names unless authorized and relevant)
- FTD – (Do not use other company names unless authorized and relevant)
- Web – (Too vague and not directly related)
- chrysanthemums – (Too specific and not directly related)
3. Include Signatures
Including signatures whenever you post is a great way to get backlinks to your site. After posting a comment on a forum, a website ,etc. Here is an example:
John Doe
john.doe@email.com
http://www.johndoe.com
to easy right ?
4. Submit Your Website To Search Engines
5. RSS FEEDS – ( Rich Site Summary)
In addition to making it easy for other sites to distribute your headlines and content, your RSS feed will be indexed by popular Blog search engines, including Technorati, BlogSearch, and Ask.com Bloglines.
How To Remove Border From Images in WordPress
So this weekend I was working on a clients website ( taking an html website and converting it into a WordPress template). As I was uploading and adding images , I realized that WordPress was automatically adding a border to the images. Normally it wouldn't matter , however since the background of the site that I am working on is blue , white borders could be an issue.
Here is some html code to fix that little bugger 
<img src="http://www.yourwebsite.com/picture.jpg" style="border: medium none ; padding: 0pt;" alt="Picture" />
That's Great Christian , but how do I use the code ?
- Go to the post \ page you wish to fix
- Click on Source ( if using Ckeditor) , or if you are using the default WordPress interface , click on the Html tab.
- Go to where your image URL is , and replace it with the code above.
- Once your code is replaced , simply swap out the URL and pop yours in its place .
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Click Publish , and now grab yourself a beer , you deserve it lol . ( grab a Presidente , Hillary Clinton drinks it so its cool
The Shoe String Budget Client
So , I was working on my blog the other day, and I came across a blog post that brought a smile to my face. It was actually one of the first blog posts that I wrote for this blog ( you can view it here) and it talked about some of the different type of clients that I have worked with. It was not an all inclusive list , just a primer of sorts.
In any case, I realized that there is another breed of client. I like to refer to them as the "Shoe String Budget " client. This breed of client wants a super high speed , flash website , with all fixings' , but is not willing to pay the price. In other words , they want to low -ball you. They want this .jpg)
, but only have a budget for this .jpg)
.
Still Don't get it … Check this video out , so that you can understand what I mean "Shoe String Budget Client"
When you work as a freelancer, you are your own boss. you set the rates for your projects. Shoe String Budget Clients ( aka Cheapskates)
will constantly try to talk you down from your price . Just as you can't walk into Best Buy or RadioShack and tell them what you are willing to pay, expecting them to accept your offer, clients shouldn't be able to come in and undercut your rates.
There is nothing wrong with negotiating, because in the end everyone wants to feel like they are getting there money \ times worth.The issues arise when you allow a client to dictate how much your time is worth. So , you let it happen just one time right , no harm in that is there ? If you let one client do it , more are sure to follow.
(Keep in mind , that this logic does not just apply to web designers , but to anyone that does freelance work)
Different Types of "Shoe String Budget Clients"
- Constantly try to talk you down from your rate
- Offer you less than you charge
- Offer you cute anecdotes or sob stories in hopes of you lowering your rates ( I love these lol)
I have even had clients act rude, and question my professional rates because " Someone they know on craigslist" is willing to do your 1,000 dollar project for a mere 150. Some will even try the whole passive \ aggressive tactic in hopes of getting you to lower your rate.
Some will even justify there rates y offering to allow you to place a link on the bottom of there website because of all of the "potential traffic" that they will receive. ( I am not even going to touch this one lol)
How To Deal With "Shoe String Budget Clients"
- Justify your rates – You didn't spend hours learning HTML and Flash for nothing did you ? Show your clients samples fo your work and explain the work that goes into each project.
- Offer Alternatives- Maybe the client really can't afford your rates. Try offering them other options that will fit there budget.
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Remind Them : If someone is cheaper , it doesnt always mean its a better value. ( do you think that you can get quality like this
.jpg)
, when you only are willing to pay for this .jpg)
?
- Refer The Client Elsewhere- Since they can't afford your rate ( or just won't pay it ) you can always refer them to a student that would be more than happy to take the project on.
- Keep It Moving – Its ok to turn down a client. If after showing and proving to your potential client your work and resume , thy still insist on a lower rate , just keep it moving. its clear that they cannot afford a professional , and have no idea of what they actually want. You should never fee like you have to take a project on.
Figure out what your demographic is- Who are you targeting ? What do you offer ? Knowing these things will help you streamline the way you do business , and avoid dealing with these types of clients. Do not be afraid to stand y our ground. Only you know what you are worth 
Free Site Builders – The quickest way to kill your brand
Dramatic name for a post right ? Let me explain. I think free site builders are wonderful tools that help simplify life for people looking at a quick way to get web presence.
Whether you are blogging about tofu , or showing off pictures of your trip to cancun and want to share it with your friends , then yes free site builders are an easy , inexpensive way to get the information that you need out.
However , if you are trying to jumpstart a business , sell products online , or even become the next "it" model , then you could be digging your brand and business an early grave.
But why Chris ? How does using one of those free site builders "Kill" my business ? There really is no nice way to put this , so I'll just say it : It looks cheap , and makes the user experience very impersonal.
Some free site builder sites include :
Now , don't get me wrong , I am not totally against using them , but I think that if you are investing time into your "Business" and are looking to make your mark on the internet , then using those free site builders , or even using free hosting for that matter , then it shows your potential clients , that you don't take your business seriously. Take a look at the following so that you can better grasp what I am getting at :
Which site would you purchase a new computer from ?
1.) www.wix.com/computerstore or
2.) www.computerstore.com
Some of these free site builders brand the site with unsightly advertisements encouraging you to upgrade your plan. And some give you a site with some foul extension ( www.weebly.com/yourbusinesshere )
I will leave this thread open for discussion , as I would love to hear some input on this topic.
Another Installation in Progress Windows Error Message
So I was working on a clients site and I needed to edit some pdf's. The editor I use ( Nitro PDF Proffesional ) Had an update available , so I thought I would go ahead and help myself to the free update. I downloaded the program and went to run the install.
However the installer gave me this error message "Another Installation in Progress error 1500".
I have had this headache before and I thought I would share a quick fix for it.
Right-click on the Computer icon, wherever it exists on your system, and select Manage. This opens the Computer Management utility.
Select Services, right click on Windows Installer in the list and select Properties. If you’re having the problem, the Windows Installer service is started, and the Stop button is disabled. Simply rebooting doesn’t stop the service. Here’s how you stop it.
In the Properties dialog, change Startup type to “Disabled”, click OK, and reboot your computer. This stops the service. After your computer reboots, again open Computer Management (right-click on Computer and select Manage), open Windows Installer Properties, and change the Startup type back to Manual. Now you’re good to go and can start a new installation.
Tada 
Hotmail has a new look
The sometimes awesome people at Microsoft are offering a sneak peek this week at the new version of Windows Live Hotmail, which is scheduled to be released sometime this summer. I got a chance to look at it , and I have to say that I was impressed .
One of the new features that I saw that I liked was a new spin on an old idea. Many people still send images through via email , but as we all know , most webmail providers have a cap on the file size of which can be sent. Microsoft is now implementing a consumer cloud service ( no registration required ) which will allow users to "attach" images to the email , and Hotmail will automatically convert the photo into an album. On the recipients side there will be a link in place for the viewer to see the image.
The Sweep function is touted as a simpler alternative to e-mail filtering, enabling you to quickly organize the e-mails that aren’t exactly spam, but that you don’t want at the top of your inbox. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s simpler than Gmail’s filtering options. ( see screenshot below )
The new Hotmail is also integrated with Office Web Apps, meaning that you can edit documents directly from your inbox. You can also store the documents and photos you send on Microsoft SkyDrive, which means you don’t have to worry about size constraints because your documents reside in the cloud.
But then there’s other stuff, like taking a Word or Excel document and uploading it to the Web version of Office so it can be edited and shared for collaboration. Gmail has been offering to upload docs and spreadsheets and so on to Google Docs for sometime. Likewise, Microsoft touts being able to run Hotmail through the built-in mail client on smartphones, the same way exchange mail can be routed into the device. That’s not new at all – web-based mail clients like Yahoo and Gmail have been able to do that for some time.
The company said the rollout of the new product will be done over several weeks this summer.
Review on M-Audio StudioPro 3 Monitors
Review on M-Audio StudioPro 3 Monitors
So , I had to do some vocal recording for a client , and wouldn’t you know it my studio monitors conked out on me . I didn’t have time to actually go out and pick them up ( because I’m always working on a clients website or on here blogging lol) So I ordered them from the good people at Musicians Friend. These monitors where supposed to be a quick fix to replace my babies ( Tascam VLA5 series) .
Tascam VLA5 series
I immediately fell in love with them when I opened the box. The speakers come with mounts for you to place the speakers on so that you can angle them (especially handy when you are doing some serious mastering and post production engineering work) The speaker stands also come with 4 strips of ¼ inch foam padding ( so as not to scuff your work space ) very nice touch I might add.
The connection is pretty straight forward. 1/8 inch trs plug from the right monitor to the left , and then the power plug out from the left monitor. From that point you have the option of either connecting your speakers with RCA cables in the back , or you can plug 1/8 inch tsr plug in the front via the the aux input.
The sound quality was not what I expected , but it definitely serves it’s purpose , and does it well. The highs are very crisp , and the lows sound at best above average. However , if you flick the bass button on the back of the left monitor , it more than makes up for it
Monitors shown with stand
front and back view .
Luv Jawn by Ackryte
I am a Senior Web \ Mobile Developer residing in sunny Orlando Fl. I love developing awesome mobile apps, fresh web designs, playing my bass guitar and watching Robot Chicken ( Adult Swim rocks lol) .Uber Twitter addict, and leopard gecko owner.
-Christian Martell
