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How to check up on your
Web site
We
have discussed some of the responsibilities of Web site
designers and Web site owners in past columns. One sad
mistake I see often among Web site owners is they
believe that once they have a Web site, the world will
automatically come knocking on their door. They say
they aren’t getting any business from their Web site,
but do not know what steps to take in order to check
what the problems may be and to improve their results.
The purpose of this article is to give a small business
Web site owner an idea of how and where to check if a
Web site is being seen and being listed in search
engines.
Web
Site Statistics
A
good Web host will provide you with Web site statistics
that will tell you how many visitors are coming to your
site. They often are also able to tell you what pages
are visited, other sites or search engines that referred
visitors to the site, what keywords or search terms were
used to find the site, and other interesting and useful
facts.
If
the number of visitors is low, there are questions you
should ask:
-
Have we included keywords, metatags, keyword-rich
content that can sell our product or service and
other primary essentials of Web site design in order
to be search engine and customer friendly?
-
If so, have we submitted our site to major search
engines and directories so that they will include
the site in their databases?
-
Have we included our Web site address in all our
advertising from stationary and business cards to
print advertising campaigns?
Check
Up Tools
Here are a few of the free tools that are available
online to check on the position of your site in search
engines, its popularity and if the design features are
in place correctly. Rest assured all you need to use
them is an Internet connection and basic computer
knowledge.
The
sites mentioned offer these free services but are beyond
our control, and we do not guarantee the accuracy of the
results or endorse other products they represent. We
offer these research tools here to give you an idea of
what is necessary and what is available. You will also
notice if you use the tools, results will vary from site
to site. Use your own judgment about the results.
Domain Name Registration Information
A
critical problem clients of mine have had is not
realizing that a Web site domain name must be registered
and reregistered periodically. If the registration
lapses, your Web site will be off the air. Domain name
registration is a very different item from the monthly
hosting fees that you pay for your site to appear on the
Internet or the Internet service provider fees you pay
for Internet access from your computer.
If
you are not sure where your domain name is registered or
when it expires, you can find out by going to
http://registrar.verisign-grs.com/whois/ and typing
in your domain name. The site will check registration
databases and tell you the “who, when, and where”
information about your domain name. Be aware you should
keep the contact information listed with the registrars
up to date in order that they can contact you when
necessary. Today, many different competing companies,
at a variety of rates, can perform domain name
registration so you can shop for price and service.
Article by Lee Raine
A version of this article appeared in the March-April
2005 issue of Equestrian Retailer Magazine.
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