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.

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!

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.

Meta Tags for Newbies

When you are new to putting up a website you may not know about Meta Tags. I'm not so sure if it is absolutely necessary to know all the gory details about Meta Tags as it is important to have them on your website. I've posted an Advanced Meta Tag Generator for you in the side bar. The tool is from SEO Chat. It is all "no charge" information. You will find it helpful in regard to your traffic and building and updating your website(s). There are other tools and analysers to help you there; far more extensive than I can elaborate on here. In case you don't know the meta tags go in the Head of your web page. They identify you and the content of your website so the search engines can find you.

Copyrights

While viewing Sue Runyon Designs I noticed a small picture at the end of the page. After clicking on it I found a remarkable resource for copyright information.

If you are going to do some article writing to promote your site(s) you might find this helpful itscopyrighted.com If you are creating jewelry or writing articles make sure you are not violating copyrights. There is a hefty fine for doing so. Ignorance is no excuse!

What we have here is a Lack of Communication!

Feel the need to communicate your expertise? Need Traffic? Need Links?
Try: http://www.buzzle.com/ With categories covering everything from animals to tourism, Buzzle.com is your complete source for news, articles and information. Get the latest buzz, interact with authors and other readers on message boards, or add to the buzz by becoming a Buzzle.com author.

Here is another great way to get "your words" out: Ezine Articles

EzineArticles For Authors
Submit Articles
Members Login
Benefits
Expert Authors
Most Emailed
Most Viewed
Article Rating
Read Endorsements
Send Testimonials
Editorial Guidelines
Author TOS

This is an enormous site, well organized with very helpful information. You can communicate 'til your heart is content! Give and Get Back.

Link Referral Update

If you are unhappy about reviews, your rating or any other problem you can remove your listing by going to the "contact page".

You will see:

"I wish to discontinue mailings or retire my account: login to your account and change your preferences and follow the instructions."

However, if you want to share your reviews you can post them on your site, html will be generated for you so you can copy and paste the reviews. If you scroll down on the side bar you will see and example.

Link Referral

The Linkreferral Concept (from Linkreferral website)
We (linkreferral.com) are striving to provide an affordable alternative to search engines and banner ad campaigns which give sometimes slow results. Our four pronged approach to developing free traffic for our members is described below:


Members directory traffic - By joining, you will be included in our members directory which is visited by our community of over 200,000 members, and thousands of outside visitors on a daily basis. You'll have the opportunity to earn a ranking at the top of your category, absolutely free! Receive valuable feedback from visitors of your website, network with your peers, and give your opinion on other websites in the directory. The more you participate, the more you get in return!

Referral based traffic - You are probably familiar with the concept of network marketing, well this is a free version of that marketing method - by registering and promoting your linkreferral affiliate link, an exponential growth of 5 levels of referrals can be created (ex. you refer 10 people who refer 10 people each who refer 10 each....), potentially 10,000s of visitors/day all viewing your link prominently in the top spot of our 'Featured Sites' section on our home page for your referral ID. It works because its free, fast to register, easy to implement and no risk. People that are referred from your site will have nothing to lose and everything to gain, just like you.

Search engine traffic - By registering, you'll benefit several ways, including,

1) having your web page listing indexed more quickly - the major search engines continuously spider our site, and the sites listed in our directory.
2) Improved search engine rankings and SEO optimization.
3) Indirect search engine traffic via linkreferral.com. Pages such as your directory listing and your affiliate page listing feature your link and description, are picked up by all the major search engines. Your sign-up description, combined with our strong traffic base (a prime ranking factor for most major search engines) can pull in a significant immediate steady stream of traffic to your listing on linkreferral.com and then on to your web site.

Straight from Blogger Buzz!

Third Party Templates for Blogger

BTemplates.
A free directory of user-submitted templates, classified by type and/or features.

The Cutest Blog on the Block
Run by Becky and Ashley of 2 Moms Talk, this site offers free, premade layouts, as well as customizable backgrounds.

Blogger Styles
Gallery of submitted templates, ranked by visitors and includes detailed configuration instructions.

FalconHive
Conversions of WordPress templates upon request, along with archive of past conversions.

All Blogspot Templates
Templates in 1-, 2- and 3-column options. Also includes AdSense-ready templates.

Zona Cerebral
Spanish site with dozens of templates to choose from, including several converted WordPress themes.

Quite Random
A number of free templates, and several Blogger-specific tutorials regarding setup and layout editing.

ChicaBlogger
In Spanish, templates designed primarily for women.

Deluxe Templates
Hundreds of templates, including many converted WordPress themes. Also has a nice "tips & tricks" section for customizing Blogger.

Pyzam
Thousands of templates, browsable by category and sortable by recency or popularity.

Our Blog Templates
160+ free templates, all well-labeled for easy browsing to find the one you want.

eBlogTemplates
Combination of free and premium templates, and a wealth of tips for tweaking your Blogger blog.

You must understand blogger.com does not provide support for third party templates. When I imported the template for Wear My Blues I had great insturction from the website eBlogTemplates.

I also started with a blank Blog, I did not move anything. The entire setup was a breeze!

How to make your blog unique

Article by: ~David Cowgill
Founder, eBlog Templates
http://www.eblogtemplates.com


Having a unique design for your blog can cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars to have made by a professional designer.

Most people that I know (including myself) don't want to spend that sort of money and end up searching Google for free blogger templates (isn't that how you found eBlog Templates in the first place? :-) ).

Well now that you've got your nice free template, it's time to customize it so you've got a unique blog, right? Easier said that done.

One of the top questions people ask me on eBlog Templates is, "David, how can I create a beautiful header image on my blog?". It's a good question because everyone wants a unique blog and any template that you end up using, isn't personalized for you.

Sure, the template usually looks good (that's why you downloaded it in the first place) but you just aren't satisfied until you can get a design just for you or your business.

After having to answer this question literally dozens of times through email and responding to comments, I decided to write a detailed article on my recommendations. People's feedback has been great and it's amazing what some have done to their blogs. Now I invite you to try the same and impress me with your creativity.

The article includes several free blogger header image sites and also a few pay for image sites. If you can find something for free, then great. If not, then you at least have some more options to choose from.

http://www.eblogtemplates.com/free-blog-header-images/


To Your Blogging Success,