Cross Browser Testing

I’m guilty, yes it is true I have not tested my website in the different browsers to see exactly what others see if they don’t use the browser I use all the time. I am a creature of habit like many people are; it is the convenience, comfort level, ease of use when you are using something all the time. This is not good when it comes to your website!

www.GotRocks4Sale.com screen shot example:



I recently discovered http://browsershots.org It’s a handy webmaster tool to see, all in one place, how your front page looks in several different browsers. It is a free tool and very easy to use. You can type in any of your web pages not just your front page.

The process takes a little time to upload the screenshots but it is worth it. I discovered that the text you choose to use on your website is not necessarily the text that your viewers are going to see. If you have labored over which text to use on your web site you may be wasting your time.

Color can be another issue. There are colors you can use that are ‘safe’ colors and will remain true in any browser.

Success = Dig in and Do It

This morning while reading my email subscriptions from those who are "in the know" category, I came upon a well said statement from "ProBlogger". A statement worthy of passing on, unfortunately most of what I read is so redundant I wouldn't dream of passing on, anyway:

"The Internet makes it very easy for people to do favors for each other. Go meet everyone you can. One morning, you might receive an email from someone who thinks you are worth more than you do. When they tell you that, don’t argue.

Go go go.

Today.

Now.

Don’t look back

Don’t second guess.

You’re not the passenger, you’re the driver.

Refuse to deal with life. Make it deal with you."

Building confidence over a lifetime of "been there done that" means that we've tried, success or failure, we've tried. But we forget some of those successes when we fall flat on our faces. I don't see the take charge attitudes I once saw in people I meet online or offline. Hard work pays off as well as persistence, determination and of course the never give up attitude.

What I see to much of today is people with their hand out wanting someone else to do the work and they take the reward. I believe that is why all the "get rich quick" scams are so successful. The highway to happiness, speed to your dream destination can cost a bundle resulting in nothing but an empty wallet.

There are no short cuts and unfortunately there is little desire to take time, research, learn, attempt, etc. Whatever we do we need to share and build each other up. If someone gives you a meaningful compliment accept it and glow!

That being said I would like to thank all the people who have given me their kind words, compliments, and the like. You encourage me everyday and I sincerely hope at least some of the offerings in this blog help you.

That is why WebSitesWork! and so do www.privatestockjewelry.com, www.homebasedjewelersshowcase.com, gotrocks4sale.com, as well as my other websites and blogs. (But I just can't find the time to tweet.)

Tips and advice on how to get the most out of your classifieds

The title of your ad is arguably the most important aspect as this is what people see in the categories and search results and that is what is clicked on in order to view the rest of your ad.

By default, when somebody runs a search, it's your ad title that is searched so your title must contain descriptive words that describe what you're offering.
If your ad title doesn't describe what you're advertising, it can't be returned in the results when somebody runs a search.

Your title should be short and concise and should accurately describe what is being offered in your ad.

Bad titles include generic phrases such as "For Sale" or "Best Offer" as titles like those give potential buyers no idea what you're offering so they will be unlikely to click on your ad to view the rest of it.



Having a good description can be the difference between making the sale or not making the sale.

It's important to try and put yourself in the position of the kind of person you're trying to attract to your ad and ask yourself what information you'd like to see in the ad if you were the person looking to buy.

Short ads with little information rarely perform well while the most successful ads are the ones that include lots of information and descriptions and clear photo's which answer people's questions before they ask them.

It's important to include as much information as possible and include details such as shipping terms, costs, your returns policy if you have one, the total cost, when the buyer can expect to receive the item, if you provide tracking information etc.

Generally speaking, the more information the better as this helps the buyer make an informed decision without having to contact you for clarification on anything that you may have overlooked when creating your ad.

For more information on What makes a good ad?
The most successful ads are usually ones that have a clear concise title, a thorough and accurate description with good punctuation, clear pricing, excellent im...


What to avoid when creating an ad
When creating an ad you should avoid adding any irrelevant information that doesn't relate directly to the content of the ad as this can confuse buyers. Spelli...

Using appropriate images in your ads
Having a premium membership or a Photo Pack allows you to upload up to 12 images to each ad. Uploading multiple images of the item you're advertising allows yo...

My ad is getting a lot of views but not many replies
If your ad is getting a lot of views but not many replies, that's a good indication that you've created an ad with a good title which is attracting people to cl...

My ad is not getting many views
If your ad is not getting many views, it usually means that you've either placed your ad in completely the wrong category so the potential customers browsing th...

You can go here:
">classifieds to buy, sell or advertise anything!

Good Points Inspire

While doing a bit of research I ran across a Hub Page Title: Fifty ways to bring traffic to your website and blog. After reading the list, which had suggestive notes, I read the comments which were all pretty positive until the last one by someone named Thomas and I quote: "Your SEO tips are what people think are what needs to be done, but you're wrong, sorry.

It seems as though all you did was copy and paste a bunch of stuff and you have no idea what it means.

Alt tags in images? - No, worthless to search results

Proper SEO means 'making some adjustments' to your site? - No, SEO is a full time job, not a wave of a magic wand

Submit to search engines? - No, waste of time unless by this you mean submitting a proper sitemap

Link exchange? - No, takes too long to get each link and they normally amount to nothing worthwhile. Reciprocal linking is dead.

Here's some things you said that are true, but you don't know why they are true do you?

Organised internal linking? YES, but what does it mean?

Using sitemaps? YES, but what is a proper sitemap and what do you do with it?

Using robots.txt? YES! But how? Why? What is a 'robots.txt'?

You're not giving the reader anything useful, just spitting out keywords to get clicks."

Thomas

I'm not sure why Thomas had such a gritty tone but I get his point. I would guess he is an underworked, broke SEO.

With so many people trying so hard to "be seen" on the web; who's funds are at a minimum, it is a good time to ask How, and Why and What is. Since this blog is dedicatied to the "technically challenged" I think it would be a good time to start explaining some of these things. But not at this minute, I have two deadlines to meet!

But first I want to thank Thomas for great things to write about so I can save everyone that reads my posts some time and money!!

LOL Get this one = well dah!

Addurl-free.com is charging $40 for each URL review.

OR: Pricing:
•We make submissions at the cost of 14 cents per directory submission. This means, an order placed for 100 submissions would cost you just $14. This is a one-time, all inclusive fee. There are no hidden or recurring costs involved.

But: Save Precious Time in Getting Quality One-Way Links
Benefit from our experience of over 5,000,000 submissions oh please
There is a 24 page list of their submission targets. Hmmm. . . . I suspect something rotten in India here, but then maybe I am wrong.

Google says do not use submissions services, automated anyway.

Some advice: Beware of some sites that offer you submission to "350" directories or listings for money. They provide you with a list of hundreds of directories that "they" will submit your site and get you a listing. What I found from testing them is that most of the directories that they show you can be bogus, not there, charge for submission or a list of free url submission sites that are google ads that they are getting paid on. I don't have a problem (obviously) with google ads, but to trick you into clicking through to find the "free" submission is down right unethical.

Google Checkout store gadget (experimental)

It's about time! For the life of me I have not understood why Google with all their experience and expertise hasn't offered this before. Yes it might be experimental but hey, you have to start somewhere, right?

I'm excited about this because it gives all of use and EASY way to put a shopping cart on our blogs. You have choices now within your blog for placement and size etc.

Overview
The Google Checkout store gadget allows you to quickly and easily create an online store using a Google Docs spreadsheet.

No complicated coding or technical tasks are required. You can get your first online store up-and-running in under five minutes.

Get all the power of the Checkout shopping cart in just three easy steps:

Sign up for a Google Checkout merchant account
List the products you want to sell in a Google spreadsheet
Embed your new online store in any website

Get the details here

Delete A Blogger Comment 1.0

I found this utility Delete A Blogger Comment 1.0 on Blogger Tips and Tricks. It's a great site with lotz of information. The problem I have is a "jerk" who posts a comment on one of my other blogs Private Stock Jewelry.blogspot.com and makes some stupid statement, not derogatory, just stupid and then puts links to his site. It is solely for the purpose of recording his/her link. If the statement made any sense at all I'd leave it up.

Anyway, the reason for the utility is that sometimes that little trash can doesn't show up and you really need to delete a comment. On one occasion I had to delete the entire post and then re- post. Hope this helps someone.