web hosting

How Does Search Engine Optimization Relate to Your Web Host?

Search engine optimization is perhaps the most important marketing aspect in online business. If you want a successful website, then you need to be at the top of the search engines. There is simply no other way to get tons of targeted traffic on autopilot. The problem that most people have regarding search engine optimization is the sheer density of it. There is just so much to know and it seems as if there is not enough time in the day to devote to it. As soon as you think you know it all, you find out you’ve been doing something wrong all along. Search engines have been developed over time to index and catalog every aspect of your website, both internally and externally. Therefore the factors that affect your search engine ranking are innumerable. One factor that most people overlook is the relationship between their hosting company and their search engine optimization effort.

Server Reliability

Perhaps one of the most fundamental aspects of your web host that will affect your search engine ranking is the reliability of your web server. The main problem that you need to be aware of is server downtime. Search engines crawl the web at various points throughout the day. No one can know for sure when the search engine spider will visit your site. This means you need to make sure your site is up at all times. If the search engine spider attempts to crawl your site while it is down, then all of the recent changes you have made to your website will not be indexed., This can greatly hinder your search engine optimization progression.

Robot Text

Another important factor of search engine optimization that closely relates to your web hosting account is your robot text. The robot text is a document that tells your server how it should deal with outside influences such as website visitors and search engine crawlers. This document will differ depending on the hosting company that you’re with. Some web hosts will have the document set to allow search engine crawlers while others will not. It is extremely important to make sure your robot.txt files allows crawlers to index your site, otherwise the site will not even be indexed at all!

IP Address Reputability

The final SEO factor that is directly related to your web host is your IP address. Every website online has an IP address that it is associated with. With some hosting plans you share an IP address with others, and some hosting accounts give you your own dedicated IP address. If you decide to share an IP address with others then you need to understand that you are taking a substantial risk to your search engine optimization efforts. Since you are sharing an IP address with other sites, if these sites are penalized by the search engines your site could lose some of its value within the search engine as well, especially if your site is in anyway linked to the non-reputable site on your IP address. For more information on this make sure you talk to your hosting company about dedicated IP addresses and how they can help you.

The Unique Advantages of Plesk

The current control panel market is extremely competitive in nature and constantly expanding with new software. These software titles claim to be the best, or the most suitable for a certain situation, yet only a few actually can come close to fulfilling this promise. One of the few control panels that could be placed in the top 3 would be Plesk. Parallel’s Plesk is a unique and powerful control panel that simplifies administrative tasks and improves the functionality of your website. Since the features of Plesk are so diverse, we deemed it necessary to create a full overview of Plesk’s most unique and powerful features.

Compatibility

Perhaps one of the most notable features of Plesk is it’s unique ability to work with both Window and Linux operating systems. Plesk is also compatible with virtually any server environment and thrives in the VPS server environment. Plesk can also be used with any web hosting account, letting users take their control panel with them when they decide to change web hosts. Plesk also includes a language pack that lets users customize the software using their own language, making it a multilingual control panel as well. This compatibility truly makes Plesk a suitable option for any user, regardless of their nationality or system/server configuration.

Reselling

Another unique feature of Plesk is the ability to customize the look and feel of the control panel for re-branding and reselling. Users can change the color of the control panel and many other options, and then rename it and resell it under a different name. Of course to do this, you’ll need to purchase the appropriate Plesk plan, but it is a feasible and plausible way to make extra money with your control panel, especially if you’re already reselling hosting packages.

Stability

Plesk is also one of the most stable control panels, protecting your site from hackers, server crashes, and dreaded downtime. Using Plesk gives you the ability to relax knowing that you control panel is secure and therefore the administrative interface of your site is protected. Plesk’s performance also adds to the stability of the program, as each feature can be learned with ease and use to it’s maximum capabilities by even the most novice user. Plesk also has integrated troubleshooting features that automatically catch and repair errors within the administrative system, ensuring maximum reliability.

Site Builder

The patented Plesk site builder includes a variety of extremely useful tools that let you create, edit and organize your web pages with ease. The entire control panel is fully expandable and can be enhanced with the few clicks of the mouse and the addition of a few web applications, although the default settings are more than capable of carrying out complex tasks. The site builder itself is extremely simple to use, due to it’s user-friendly five step wizard that walks users through the process of creating a web page with ease.

Although many people prefer solutions such as cPanel, Plesk has proven itself as a worthy competitor time and time again. If you’re using dual operating systems, or if you just need a highly capable control panel solution, then I would highly recommend Plesk.

X-Cart Reviewed– eCommerce Shopping Cart Solution

A good shopping cart is perhaps the single most important feature of an eCommerce hosting plan. Having a user-friendly, convenient shopping cart is one of the best ways to convert targeted traffic into sales. One of the best new shopping cart solutions on the market is X-Cart. X-Cart is offered in several versions, including a free version and a more extensive X-Cart Pro edition. Some of the more appealing aspects of X-Cart is that it can be tried for free, it is a server-based solution, and it comes equipped with all of the features needed in a competent shopping cart software. In this review, we’ll cover some of the more notable features of X-Cart and offer a comprehensive overview of it’s capabilities.

Administrative Interface

The administrative interface of X-cart is categorized into six main sections; Administration, Affiliates, Management, Your Profile, Authentication, and Help. All of these sections can be accessed with ease from the main interface, in the web browser of your choice. Although the navigation and functionality of the software is relatively simple once it is setup, it may be difficult for the novice user to configure the software to match their server’s needs. It should be mentioned however that users do have the option of having the software configured for a fee of $50.

If you’re new to eCommerce web hosting, then it may be optimal to spend the $50 to avoid any hassle involved with installing and setting up the software. Most users find the installation and setup fee is worth the amount of features offered by X-Cart. Once the software has been configured, you can install it on any hosting account you’d like, and there are no limitations to it’s uses. If you’re having trouble finding a web host, you could also refer to the list of recommended web hosts on X-Carts site.

Category Manager

One of the more notable features of X-Cart is the Category Manager, which is a user-friendly administrative toll that lets you effectively organize your product catalog. With the Category Manager you can add as many categories as you’d like. You can also add subcategories by simply adding a slash to the category directory. For example, you could add a Horror sub-category in the “Movies” category by typing – Movies/Horror. This aids in site organization by providing a feature that is usually seen in content management systems, but rarely employed in shopping cart solutions.

Traffic and Sales Analysis

X-cart also offers a unique traffic analysis tool, providing detailed reports of the shopping carts use. For example, the conversion funnel report shows you the specific point in time when potential customers abandoned the shopping process. The software tracks the habits of customers as soon as they enter the site, noting which products they add to the cart, how long they shop, which products they view, and other crucial statistics. This information can be very useful in optimizing your site for maximum sales.

Expandability

One of the best aspects of X-Cart is it’s expandability. The user can expand the abilities of the software by adding modules that improve the overall functionality of the shopping cart. The amount of modules you’ll receive will depend upon the version of X-Cart you purchase. Although the software is fully customizable, novice users may find it somewhat difficult to edit the templates and design of the software without prior training. Fortunately, the software includes reliable and extensive support.

Joomla 1.5 Review – Installation and Improvements

Joomla Is one of the most commonly used content management systems available, originating from the CMS pioneer – Mambo. In recent years Joomla has since surpassed it’s predecessor in both popularity and ability. The latest version, Joomla 1.5 is quickly becoming the industry standard for content management systems, with a host of improvements and a simplified installation that is unmatched in the CMS market. The new installation tool and improved user interface has earned this CMS an extensive overview. To find out if the content management system really lives up to the hype, we examined it from start to finished.

Pre-Installation

Before the installation the software examines the user’s current software and hardware configuration and presents a list of possibly problematic issues that may need to be resolved. The RED items on the list are problematic, and will need to be corrected before beginning the installation. An example of a problematic issue would be using a shared host instead of a VPS. To resolve outstanding issues, you may need to contact your hosting provider.

Installation

When beginning the installation, you’ll need to enter a few details. Don’t worry, as each field is thoroughly explained. After you’ve entered your information, you’ll have the option of adding FTP configuration, letting Joomla correct any permission issues automatically. You can also choose to bypass this option and fill in the information manually later. Next, you’ll enter your site name and a few basic details, and then decide whether or not you’d like to install sample data. If you decide not to install sample data, then your website will be completely blank, so it is best to use sample data if you are not very experienced with web design. Installing sample data will let you experiment with a fully populated website. Once you have made this final decision, the installation will be completed momentarily.

Functionality and Appearance

If you chose to install sample data, you’ll notice that the default them provided by Joomla is very visually appealing. The administrative interface is also substantially improved, and is very user-friendly, employing a variety of dropdown menus. Although the software is very easy to use, the amount of features can be a bit overwhelming initially. For this reason, novice users may find it easy to lose content in arbitrary places, or become disassociated with certain areas of the CMS in some instances. Once you’ve gotten used to the plethora of functions, you’ll discover the true functionality of this award winning CMS.

Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of the CMS is a becoming familiar with the vast array of sections and content categories. Figuring out where the article will be published may be slightly difficult initially, but as you become familiar with the process, you’ll notice the design of the software actually maximizes efficiency quite well. One feature you’ll find particularly useful is the new universal installer, which lets you install a zip file form a single central box, rather than having to choose an install type. Previous versions of Joomla required you to select whether the install was a theme, component, module or mambot, so this new feature definitely improves upon the software’s simplicity.

Conclusion

Ultimately, this content management system is definitely a capable solution for any VPS user. On thing you are sure to like about the software is the fact that there is readily available Joomla themes and tutorials online, as there is a very large Joomla community. The vast amount of knowledge and material pertaining to Joomla on the web make it an excellent solution for novice and experienced users alike.

Improve Your SEO Efforts by Choosing the Right Web Hosting Plan

The success and sustenance of every website begins with the server on which it is hosted, and the performance of that web server relies entirely upon the competence, reliability and capabilities of the web hosting provider. Perhaps even more essential to the success of a website is it’s ranking in the search engines. Without traffic a site may as well not exist, and it is a well known fact that having a high page ranking search engines is the bet way to get constant traffic automatically. Many people do not see the correlation between their web hosting plan and their search engine optimization efforts, but I assure there is a valid connection. Every web hosting plan comes with certain features and options, some of which can directly impact your site’s ranking in the search engines.

Geographic Targeting

Many people seem to overlook the importance of targeted traffic. Getting traffic to your web page can be easy, especially if you accept any kind of traffic. However, getting traffic that is actually going to convert into sales is another story. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative to go after traffic that will be beneficial to your business. One of the ways you can do this is by targeting your traffic geographically. If you are trying to sell a product or service that is going to be popular in the UK, then you wouldn’t want a lot of your traffic coming from China. For this reason it is important to choose a web a hosting provider that is located in the area you would like to target. I.E. -  If you are in the US, then try to pick a web hosting provider in the United States.

IP Addresses

Another important aspect to consider is the IP address of your web site. Search engines often look at the IP address of a website to determine it’s relation to other websites, which may directly impact it’s rankings in the search engines. In other words, choosing a web hosting plan that offers only shared IP addresses may not be the best decision. You may find it too expensive to purchase a dedicated hosting plan, however you can still get a dedicated IP address with your shared hosting account. If you share your IP address with other websites then you are risking the search engine ranking of your site, since the actions of those websites could be directly connected with your site’s behavior by the search engines. When you have a dedicated IP address you will not have to worry about such occurrences, as your IP address will only be used by your website.

Site Building Tools

You’ll also want to make sure you have access to all of the website building tools and languages that are standard in today’s technology. For example, you’ll need to be able to use PHP, MySQL databases, FTP clients and other standard tools. You’ll also need access to your .htaaccess file and PERL if you want to have a fully functional and reliable website. These tools are also extremely important in the search engine optimization efforts of your website. If your web hosting provider does not offer these tools then you may want to consider a different web hosting company.