Contextual Advertising vs. Social Media

The Internet is gradually progressing towards a more interactive experience everyday, with music, movies, games, and video clips being the extremely popular. It seems as if a lot of internet user just don’t feel like reading, and many of them would rather watch YouTube for the entire afternoon than learn something new by reading an article. Of course, the average webmaster like yourself looks at the internet in a very different way, and is able to recognize the power of viral videos when used for internet marketing.

Contextual advertisement is not to be underestimated however, as many lucrative online businesses have utilized contextual advertising services like Google Adwords for years, and it continues to work today when done properly. However, the applicable uses of contextual advertising differ greatly, which is why it is important to consider the following information about the differences, advantages and disadvantages of contextual advertising and social media.

What is Contextual Advertising?

Contextual advertising may come in the form of strategically placed text blocks, banners with flash animations, and even small videos in the sidebar of a page. This type of advertisement bears its name because it is served based on the context of the web page, hence the name ‘contextual advertising’. A prime example of contextual advertising is Google Adwords, an advertising services that let you place ads for your site on another person’s web site in your niche.

How Does Contextual Advertising Work?

Google uses bots to index data on web pages, and when they detect certain keywords (which you bid on) they serve your ad wherever the webmaster decides to put their Google Adsense ads. The problem with contextual advertising for many novice webmasters is that it requires some investment and some expertise in order to bring substantial success quickly. Literally every major company uses contextual advertising, so your competition is usually fierce.

What is Social Media?

Social media is any form of media that is marketed on a social site with the intention of driving traffic to a certain web page, or to advertise a specific brand. Social media can be a free and easy way to generate traffic instantly without any monetary and very little temporal investments. Simply making a an interesting video and putting it on YouTube could result in thousands of visitors to your web site over night. Social media has become enormously popular because it is the best way to generate an incredible amount of intention with the least amount of effort.

Using Web Hosting Tools for Search Engine Optimization

Web hosting is a complex and extensive industry that encompasses nearly every aspect of site creation, management and organization. However most people overlook some of the tools and resources provided within their web hosting control panel. These tools can be sued to improve the design and functionality of your web sites, which will keep your visitors coming back routinely. If you have been struggling to find tools that can help you with search engine optimization then you may need to stop and survey your web hosting control panel for a moment.

Traffic Analysis Tools

One of the most important aspects of search engine optimization is traffic monitoring. Without an accurate depiction of your site’s daily, weekly and monthly traffic levels it is impossible to see what is working and what is wasting time. By using web hosting tools such as AwStats you can view the tangible results of your search engine optimization efforts, which will give you a good idea of what you should focus on.

For example, if you make an adjustment to your site and begin targeting a new keyword, and shortly after your traffic levels begin to climb, then you know that you should begin adding more content to your site that pertains to that keyword. It is important to carry out one change at a time and monitor the traffic levels of your site over several days in order to receive an accurate and thorough analysis of the results of each change individually.

Cron Jobs for SEO

Another section of your web hosting account that can help you improve you search engine optimization efforts is the cron job section. Cron jobs are scheduled tasks that can be completed automatically based on a set command and a specified date and time. If you have been practicing search engine optimization for an extended period of time then you’re probably familiar with the tedious nature of the repetitive tasks that are often involved with keeping your site fully optimized.

For example, you can create a cron job that will automatically populate the site with content from RSS feeds, which can help you improve the keyword density and overall theme of your site. If you want to save time whilst enhancing your SEO skills then you should definitely research SEO and cron jobs.

CMS Scripts for SEO

Although most people recognize the benefits of a content management system for site organization management and creation, most people do not realize how powerful these tools are for SEO. Using your web hosting control panel to install a CMS like WordPress will give you access to a massive library of plugins that are specifically designed to help you receive more traffic and optimize your site.

Plugins like the Platinum SEO pack and PingCrawl can help your site reach the top of the search engines by giving you more control over meta tags, outward linking and much more. If you want to see the full potential of your site then you may want to consider using a CMS that is included with your web hosting account.

The Release of SmarterMail 7.x Mail Server

SmarterTools, Inc. recently announced their release of SmarterMail 7.x Mail Server. The release of their most recent software contains a new design interface in addition to other add-ons that grant the use quicker access and to communication, synchronization tools and collaboration.

SmarterMail allows users to find and utilize a plethora of built-in features to improve productivity. Also, this software was developed with the goal of a more stable environment and increased performance of the mail server. These enhancements allow system administrators to easily mange the mail server.

The new features found in SmarterMail 7.x Mail Server include:

• A synchronization center
• File storage
• Better searching
• New webmail interface
• Linking tasks
• Follow-up flagging
• Mailbox migration
• Enhanced contacts

The synchronization center helps users with other applications and software that can be synchronized with the mail server. Upon access, users will be able to view different protocols and a list of the current connections. Another new feature is file storage. Files that are too large to be transferred via email will be uploaded to the server and shared through a public link.

Improve searching of messages, appointments, contacts, tasks and notes is another addition. A new indexing engine allows for faster, more accurate searches. The new interface is aesthetically pleasing and reduces the number of clicks to get to certain areas of the software. Several UI enhancements and less JavaScript make for quicker page-loading times.

SmarterMail 7.x also has a feature that links messages to tasks. Each task displays start and due dates on the calendar and are available in the special tasks screen. Follow-up flagging is important in all email programs. Emails with a red follow-up flag can easily be accessed from the special-view follow up selection.

Another helpful feature is mailbox migration. This allows new users to import contacts, emails, tasks and calendars from another email provider. This tool makes it easy to transfer these features. Finally an enhanced contact view givers users the most recent messages, attachments and appoints for each contact.

SmarterMail 7.x is a fairly innovative piece of software. It takes the normal email functions found in an application version, enhances them and adds them to the web. This software has many advantages with numerous features and will be a great addition to any business. With constant upgrades and patches, the software will improve productivity and further help businesses.

The Benefits of Virtualized Hosting for eCommerce

When most people think of virtual web hosting they tend to associate it with VPS hosting, or cloud hosting. However a new wave of webmasters are now using virtualization software within their web servers to bring both the Linux and Windows operating system to a single web server. This practically eliminates many of the limitations previously associated with Windows and/or Linux web hosting by removing software restrictions and releasing the true power of a VPS or dedicated hosting plan. Using this for eCommerce can have profound effects by enhancing SEO efforts and allowing the webmaster to use any eCommerce software available, whether it be for Windows or Linux. If you are interested in the benefits of virtualized web hosting for eCommerce the you may want to consider the following information.

Unlimited Compatibility

Today’s virtualization software has unlocked new possibilities by unleashing any compatibility issues that may have previously been a problem when choosing a specific operating system for your web hosting plan. Now webmasters can install any software they’d like in their hosting account, as long as the hosting provider gives them the permissions to do so. It is important to note that virtualization software cannot be used in a shared hosting account because you’re not allowed to change the server configuration. If you’re planning on using visualization software like VMware then you need to shop around for a good VPS or dedicated hosting plan that gives you full control over the server’s software.

Cost Benefits

In the past, if you wanted a web server with Windows and Linux you would need to purchase two separate hosting accounts. However, with the advent of virtualized web server software, it is now possible to have both operating systems running simultaneously for half the cost. Now you no longer have to debate about the pros and cons of Windows web hosting vs Linux web hosting, because you can have the best of both worlds. Since Linux hosting costs less than Windows hosting, it would be ideal to purchase a Linux hosting plan and then install a partition of Windows within a virtualization software.

How Do Virtualized Operating Systems Work?

Virtualized operating systems are actually separate from the original operating system of the web server, Which means any damage done to a virtual operating system will not affect the native operating system. Think of it as a computer within a computer, both completely separate and unique. Some people use virtualized operating system to test out suspicious files that may contain viruses, as even the worse virus will not affect the native operating system or the rest of the computer. Virtualized hosting is also perfect for webmasters that need several operating systems to test and develop compatibility during the construction of new web based software.

It is important to note that you’ll need to consider the amount of RAM your server has when installing additional operating systems. Virtualization software does not enhance your server’s capabilities, it simply splits them up amongst several operating systems.

Hybrid Servers: Helping the Environment One Byte at a Time

Internet solutions provider, Future Hosting, recently announced the addition of hybrid servers to the Washington, D.C. and Chicago areas in an attempt to further expand the company’s global environmental footprint. Future Hosting provides online solutions to international enterprise systems. They have also developed the Future Engineer product.

Hybrid Servers

A hybrid server is a high-end VPS found on other hybrid servers. The difference is the share of the CPU given to the customer is much higher resulting in maximum speed and performance.  Hybrid servers offer many advantages including reliability, flexibility, performance, ease of use and constant upgrades.

The Goods

The new hybrid servers are top-of-the-line virtual private servers that offer high availability, first-rate bandwidth, access to the best control panels available (cPanel or Plesk) and come with full management abilities. These servers provide one CPU per server accompanied with high-quality RAM, network connections and a large amount of storage space.

The servers are automatically backed up by Future Protect, a company-owned data protection program. The initial hosting plans include 80GB of storage, 2GB of RAM and 2,000GB of bandwidth. The company guarantees their uptime at 99.9%.

Future Hosting’s Goal

Their goal is to provide solutions for clients globally. Over the past two years, the company has quadrupled their international authority by offering high quality solutions across the world. Adding hybrid servers to two international cities boosts their geographic diversity to expand in the future.

Future Engineer

Future Hosting developed Future Engineer which is an automated technical support system created to repair tasks on virtual private servers as well as computerize server configurations.  This will help to decrease the amount of time it takes for systematic configurations and give clients a higher level of support. Since technicians will no longer be spending their time completing basic tasks, they can focus on larger, more complication problems.

DNS System

As recently as June, Future Hosting launched a DNS management addition to their Future Hosting Management Portal (FHMP). This gives dedicated server customers control and customization over their server from a remote location. In the future, FHMP will also incorporate the newly installed hybrids to give clients the ultimate control.

As Future Hosting expands, they continue to connect the world by providing international internet solutions. With additional hybrid servers available in London and Dallas, they are slowly growing so all areas of the world are covered.

Content Management Systems for Multi-User Blogs

Multi-user blogs have become incredibly popular as more webmasters are realizing the countless benefits of creating and administrating a multi-user blog. A multi-use blog is basically a web site that lets people become authors and have their own section of the site. These authors make contributions to the site by blogging their opinions, having discussions and staking their piece of the internet.

Fortunately for the owner o the multi-user blog, all of this content helps their search engine ranking, and it is absolutely free. Advertisements then generate profits for the owner of the blog, and are placed above, under, beside and even in the middle of article sand posts made by the guest bloggers.

Controlling Authors with a CMS

The abilities of the bloggers to edit content on the site can be limited by setting preferential restrictions and author permissions within content management systems. In fact, content management systems are an integral part of the development and management of multi-user blogs. If you’re interested in building your own multi-user blog then you may want to consider the following information about relevant content management systems.

WordPress MU (Multi-User)

WordPress is generally the most popular multi-user blogging platform, which is not surprising considering its ease of use, non existent cost, and overall flexibility. The WordPress plugin library is perhaps its most appealing aspect, with thousands of plugins available for easy install. WordPress MU supports unlimited users, domain name mapping, supportive administrative functions, and a plethora of other features. WordPress also has a lot of compatible themes available, which will help you design your site quickly and efficiently.

Movable Type Multi-User

For webmasters that want a more ‘professional’ (read: ‘paid’) solution there is movable type multi-user, which is a $1300 software that has a user limit of only 50, but comes with integrated robust features that can be utilized on an unlimited amount of blogs. Unlike WordPress, Movable Type publishes actual static HTML pages, which are considered to be much better for search engine optimization. Movable Type also lets the user manage and build hundreds of blogs from a singular interface, and all of these blogs can be maintained within the same control panel. Although the installation is somewhat difficult, and the cost is undeniably high, the software comes with a 30-day money back guarantee and comes with unlimited tech support.

Conclusion

Aside from WordPress and Movable Type there are many blogging content management systems available that can help you manage multiple blogs and multiple authors. In fact, any open source content management system can be amended to support multiple users if you have the right development assistance or expertise. If you’re a novice webmaster looking to establish your first multi user blog, then you may want to consider a solution like WordPress MU or Drupal MU.

Multiple Domain Hosting for Improved SEO

Keeping track of all of your scheduled tasks as a webmaster can be extremely difficult, especially when you own several web sites and you have to continuously log in and out of various hosting accounts. Search engine optimization is hard enough when you only have one site to focus on, but when you have several, all of which are separated in different control panels, the process is simply tedious and counter-productive for serious webmasters. Multiple domain hosting is offered in nearly every type of hosting environment, from dedicated to shared and everything in between. The following information outlines the most notable benefits that multiple domain hosting has to offer for improved search engine optimization.

Centralized Organization

Maintaining a good SEO campaign requires detailed organization and precise planning. Multiple domain hosting lets you associate all of your SEO campaigns with a single hosting account, which makes it easier for you to schedule mundane administrative events using cron jobs and other tools within the hosting control panel. It can be extremely easy to become confused when trying to manage several different sites in separate control panels. And in many cases you may inadvertently perform a task for one site’s SEO campaign that was intended for another. Having a centralized control panel for all of your sites will ultimately save you time and frustration in the long term.

Monitoring Progress

Most people gauge their success as a webmaster and SEO professional by how much web traffic their able to pull from the search engines. Fortunately, all web hosting accounts gives you access to basic traffic analytics that can be used to view detailed reports about the daily, weekly and monthly traffic levels of your web sites. However, with multiple control panels to log into, even simple tasks like checking the amount of web traffic can become confusing as you try to keep each site’s statistics separate while also grasping the bigger picture. Multiple domain hosting lets you view all of your sites’ traffic statistics within the same control panel, making it easier for you to monitor your SEO progress for all of your campaigns simultaneously.

Cost Saving Benefits

Of course, multiple domain hosting also eliminates the multiple hosting bills at the end of each month, which can add up to a ‘small fortune’ if you own more than 10 web sites. With the additional money leftover each month you could purchase a piece of software or a guide that could drastically improve the SEO attributes of your site in the near future. Multiple domain hosting can cost anywhere from $10 per month to $300 a month, depending upon the hosting type you choose. Although dedicated hosting costs more than any other type of multiple domain hosting, most professional webmasters feel as if it is well worth the additional cost because of the amount of server resources that are available, and the freedom you are given over the software configuration of your server. If you only have a few sites that you need t manage SEO campaigns for then you may want to consider a VPS or shared hosting plan.

The Advantages of WordPress 3.0

WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems in the world, if not the most popular, with tens of thousands of devout users and hundreds of new people joining the community each month. If you have been looking for a simple solution to manage your web site then you have probably heard about WordPress, but have you considered WordPress 3.0.

Why the Delay?

There has been a lot of mystery surrounding this new edition of WordPress, with many people wondering exactly what new features will be introduced. WordPress 3.0 was set to be released on May 1^st, however the official release was delayed until June due to some bugs. To prevent any unnecessary upgrades the WordPress development crew has created one of the best versions of WordPress to date, without completely changing what everyone loves about this content management system, its simplicity.

What is the Future of WordPress?

The graphical interface of WordPress is expected to stay relatively similar, with the only major difference being the incredibly improved functionality. The WordPress development team at WordPress.org is doing everything within their power to keep WordPress the most popular CMS available by extending its capabilities even more through the development of the WordPress API, plugins, Codex, and theme directories. The goal is to make the software more compatible and easier to deal with for both the developer and the end user. In basic terms, you should expect the most powerful content management system available for free, with a seemingly unlimited library of plugins, and an exponential growth in interest amongst independent plugin developers.

What are The Major Improvements of WordPress 3.0?

At first glance it can be difficult to discover the major improvements of WordPress 3.0, primarily because the improvements are being made below the surface, where only a developer can see. This doesn’t mean that there are no new added benefits for the end user, in fact it means there will be more improvements to come for many years. By making it easy for developers t work with WordPress and improve it, the WordPress team is essentially growing their network of WordPress builders to bring you what will eventually be the best possible content management system available. Expect more plugins, more themes, and more functionality in all. The WYSIWYG editor is expected to be drastically improved, making it easier for web site owners to manage page formatting and other important aspects of content creation.

Conclusion

Although the major differences between previous versions of WordPress and WordPress 3.0  are not readily apparent, they will become more pronounced as the year passes and more plugins are introduced with the new WordPress framework. With each upgrade WordPress users have come to expect more functionality and greater capabilities, and WordPress 3.0 has lived p to these expectations and more by reshaping the way the program works as a comprehensive and robust content management system.

Shared Web Hosting vs Free Web Hosting

Shared web hosting is the cheapest and most common type available, which is one of the reasons it is often compared to other hosting types. Free web hosting on the other hand is often despised by serous webmaster, and many people do not believe it is worthy of any comparison. However, both free and shared web hosting have their applications, and many people use both of them with success on a daily basis. If you’re wondering whether you should spend money on a shared hosting plan, then you may want to consider the following comparison between shared and free web hosting.

Reliability

Many people have problems with the reliability of shared hosting because shared web servers have a tendency to experience server down time. Shared hosting plan are often criticized by experienced webmasters because of the lack of reliability in comparison to VPS and dedicated hosting plans. Free web hosting on the other hand is nearly as reliable as shared hosting, as long as the limitations of the hosting plan are not exceeded. Unfortunately, the limits of free and hared hosting plans differ greatly depending upon the provider and the specific plan.

Limitations

Although each plan is unique, in general shared hosting plans have far less limitations than free web hosting. Free hosting plan are designed for novice webmasters that need a way to get a little bit of hosting experience without spending money on a hosting plan. There are very few web sites on the internet that utilize free web hosting for an extended period of time, simply because there are too many limitations involved with nearly every free web hosting plan. Nonetheless, a lot of personal sites and portfolio sites do utilize free hosting, as it is certainly possible to host several pages on a free hosing account without having any problems.

Choices

In general, shared web hosting provides many more options because there are a wide variety of plans available. However, free web hosting also comes in many forms, as there are many ways to establish a site without ever setting up a hosting account. For example. Web 2.0 sites lie Squidoo and Hubpages give individuals the opportunity to set up their own pages, or as many pages as they’d like. If you are just looking for a way to put your opinion on the internet then web 2.0 is undoubtedly your best option. Most people don’t realize that they are spending money unnecessarily on shared hosting, when in fact they don’t even need a hosting plan. If you do not foresee the need for expansion then you may ant to investigate some of the free options available before purchasing a shared hosting plan.

Conclusion

If you’re planning on using free web hosting then you may want to consider the benefits of setting up a simple web 2.0 property. Shared hosting plans are great options for novice webmasters, and should only be considered by individuals that are planning to operate their we site regularly. Purchasing a shard hosting plan does not make sense if you do not intend to utilize it to its full potential.

The cPanel Software/Services Area

The cPanel Software/Services area of the software is one that allows the user to install Perl and PHP packages, view the PHP information and plenty more. The section tends to focus more on the programming aspect of your website in conjunction with the behind the scenes actions of the web hosting environment.

The section is broken down into eight areas. These include:

• CGI Center
• Site Software
• PHP PEAR Packages
• PHP Configuration
• Perl Modules
• Optimize Website
• Ruby on Rails
• RubyGems

The CGI Center is short for Common Gateway Interface and allows a web server to run small segments of software code called scripts. cPanel’s CGI Center provides pre-loaded scripts that can be extremely beneficial to a website. Some commonly used scripts include, creating a guestbook, hit counter, clock and banner ads. These spruce up websites and make them more functional and attractive.

The Site Software area allows for the addition of useful software to a website. The web hosting provider offers different types of software for necessary functions. The PHP PEAR package can help users add and manage various types of PHP packages. Similarly, the PHP Configuration area contains functions that allow the user to view information regarding the server’s PHP configuration.

The Perl Modules mini-section provides an easy-to-use interface to add and manage Perl modules to any site. The Optimize Website area has settings which can automatically compress a website when specific content is accessed by visitors. This allows for a much quicker transfer of information from server to guest due to a smaller file transfer which most customers and visitors will greatly appreciate.

The Ruby on Rails is a unique area that is a document tutorial on how to create and install a Ruby on Rails application to a website. Finally, the RubyGems area is a package manager for the Ruby programming language. It creates a standard format to distribute programs and libraries, manage gems and provides a server for distribution.

The Software/Services is a tremendously vital section that is not commonly found in competing control panels. These small areas with so much functionality and customization are the primary reason cPanel is the most widely used, popular control panel available to web hosting providers. As cPanel continues to grow and expand, they will find new functions to add which will help users be more efficient in their website creations.

3 Steps to a Successful eCommerce Site

As eCommerce continues to expand around the global, ordinary people everywhere are trying to find their gold nugget in the internet gold rush. Some domain names are currently worth more than prime time real estate, and in today’s digital age, web sites are the cyber alternative for real estate properties. If you want to be successful it eCommerce, the first step is choosing the right domain name. However, the domain name has to pertain to the topic of your chosen niche, which makes the crux of the first step niche selection. The second step is finding the right web hosting plan, as your hosting account will directly determine the capabilities and functionality of your web site. The third and final step is using the right tools and resources to build and market the site. All of these steps and more are elaborated on in the following paragraphs.

{Note: If you already know what niche your site is going to be in, skip to step 2.}

Step 1 – Niche Selection

This is an extremely intricate topic, considering all of the factors that must be considered when selecting the right niche. Sadly, most of the valuable niches are undiscovered, which means it will take some creativity if you want to find a true golden nugget. However, there are a lot of tools available that will help you find the most popular keywords that have the lowest amount of competing web sites in the search engines. Thus, the majority of your focus during niche selection should be aimed towards keyword research. If you want to be successful quickly with your eCommerce web site then you will need to stay away from heavily saturated niches and do some real brainstorming to find the perfect niche.

Step 2 – Find the Right Web Hosting Plan

The web server that you lease from your hosting provider will play an integral role in the continuity and reliability of your eCommerce site. If you want your site to perform like a professional online store, then you’ll need access to comprehensive server resources and the necessary tools and resources. eCommerce web hosting is specifically designed to aid webmasters of all skill levels in the construction and promotion of online storefronts. eCommerce hosting includes store building utilities, product catalog managers, payment processing functionality, integrated shopping carts, and free advertising credits for Google, Facebook, Yahoo and Bing. If you need an all-inclusive package for your upcoming eCommerce project then you should strongly consider an eCommerce hosting plan from a reputable hosting provider.

Step 3 – Building and Promoting the Site

Building the site is perhaps the most difficult aspect of creating a prosperous online business for the novice webmaster. Fortunately, it’s not nearly as difficult as it was in previous years, when everything had to be built manually. eCommerce hosting plans provide robust site building tools that let you design your own site using pre-made templates that can be adjusted according to your own preferences. eCommerce hosting plans also give you the tools and resources needed to begin advertising immediately using free advertising credit, and some hosting providers even offer SEO assistance for an additional fee.