Saturday, January 6, 2007

Google AdSense

AdSense is an ad serving program run by Google. Website owners can enroll in this program to enable text, image and, more recently, video advertisements on their sites. These ads are administered by Google and generate revenue on either a per-click or per-thousand-impressions basis. Google is also currently beta-testing a cost-per-action based service.

Google utilizes its search technology to serve ads based on website content, the user's geographical location, and other factors. Those wanting to advertise with Google's targeted ad system may sign up through AdWords. AdSense has become a popular method of placing advertising on a website because the ads are less intrusive than most banners, and the content of the ads is often relevant to the website.

It currently uses JavaScript code to incorporate the advertisements into a participating site. If it is included on a site which has not yet been crawled by the Mediabot, it will temporarily display advertisements for charitable causes known as public service announcements (PSAs). (Note that the Mediabot is a separate crawler from the Googlebot that maintains Google's search index.)

Many sites use AdSense to monetize their content and some webmasters work hard to maximize their own AdSense income. They do this in three ways:

  1. They use a wide range of traffic generating techniques including but not limited to online advertising.
  2. They build valuable content on their sites; content which attracts AdSense ads and which pay out the most when they get clicked.
  3. They use copy on their websites that encourage clicks on ads. Note that Google prohibits people from using phrases like "Click on my AdSense ads" to increase click rates. Phrases accepted are "Sponsored Links" and "Advertisements".

The source of all AdSense income is the AdWords program which in turn has a complex pricing model based on a Vickrey second price auction, in that it commands an advertiser to submit a sealed bid (not observable by competitors). Additionally, for any given click received, advertisers only pay one bid increment above the second-highest bid.

Google Begins Web Hosting

Google is more inclined to be the repository of consumer data with each release it announces.
The beta launch today of Google Page Creator adds personal pages to the hosted offerings from the search Goliath.

Google already hosts blogs through its Blogger service; photos via Picasa; e-mail sent to Gmail accounts; video uploaded to Google Video; and all sorts of miscellaneous files uploaded to Google Base.

Now, here comes Google Page Creator, a free, browser-based tool for creating Web pages that are stored by Google.

The WYSIWYG interface eliminates the need to know HTML. Users need a Gmail account to begin building pages, which will be accessible to others at a URL that begins with the Gmail user name.

Google Page Creator is available via Google Labs, but demand was so high that the company already has a waiting list for registration.

Google Page Creator follows Yahoo 360 and MSN Spaces in the personalization niche that both Yahoo and MSN offer. Both personal publishing and communication services can be linked and accessed from one place. Page Creator is the second Google service to link to another; the company recently linked Gmail and the Google Talk messaging applications.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

How To Do A Secured Domain Registration To Ward Off Internet Predetors

A good investment option is starting an Internet-based business. It could attract different clients not only around the United States but also outside the country as well. If your site is highly-trafficked, other businesses will be posting their advertisements on your website instead of promoting it using other forms of communication media.

But Internet advertisers prefer websites that invests in their own original domain. You should keep it in mind in order to gain the trust of advertisers and have them display their ads in your website. You need a reputable domain registrant.

This article will focus on the secured domain registration and other considerations concerning the subject matter. Read and learn about it here.

Domain Name and Registration

First define what domain name is. Is also known as the web address and it is your unique identity address and will serve as the proof of your site’s existence on the web. It takes the form of series of characters followed by a period (.) and then by another set of characters, usually com, org, or net. It’s called as Top Level Domain (TLD). Technically, your domain name is called as Second Level Domain (SLD).

You need to register it for ownership in order to formally own a domain name. It allows you to exclusively use the chosen domain name within the given contract period that usually lasts for about a year or two. Before your contract lapse, you have the option to renew your registration or dropping the domain so that other individuals can register it.

Security in Domain Registration

You should consider some fundamental aspects in registering your chosen domain name and establishing your site’s presence on the web. This will avoid unnecessary impediments that can affect both you and your clients. Security is one of these important aspects.

Secured registration is very important because it guarantees you that your domain is protected against so-called domain predators that will transfer your domain to another registrar without your authorization.

Some registrars neglect the offering of security to their clients. This is why you need to be knowledgeable on key areas regarding domain registration security that will help you assess and decide which domain registrar company that suits your preferences and expectations. You need to consider some key areas:

Password-based security – the communications regarding the retrieving lost of forgotten passwords are encrypted or secured in any other form. The owner may gain access of his own personal domain account and will prevent predators from resetting your account password.

Payment – non-cash transactions must be made through a secured server. It should be kept confidential to avoid being used by other individuals.

Account lock – this permits you as the domain owner to alter personal information on your account and transfer domains to another registrar or client.
Make sure that your domain registration is secured. Ensure that it is at safe hands with a reputable domain registrar.

How To Make Use Of Domain Registration Search

Some things you should consider if it’s your first time to put up your own website. You should know that you need to register for a domain name. To get a domain name easily, a domain registration search will get you your own unique domain name.

Thousands of domain names that are used in the market and other thousands of people are registering everyday so it may be hard to come up with a unique domain name. You can try out different matches of domain names which have not been used by all the other websites with the domain registration search.

Coming up with a domain name with a single phrase in the English Language and all other major languages is very difficult. Here are some tips on how to start your domain registration search.

First tip is to make sure that you avoid messing up with the domains that are new in the web sites. Mostly already registered and are owned by someone domains are good domains. Don’t settle on the number-ridden and those which have a hyphenated domain name.

The search will give you a lot of choices that you can use. You might not have any choice but to use those names with hyphen or numbers when all else fails. This will make people not remember the domain name for good and is a major disadvantage.

You can make use of a domain name that is already registered you find in your search in a few days or months after its registration expires. Search engines sometimes ban some sites because of duplicates or did not get through the spam filters. You may use the domain name of these sites. Just try and go on with your search and see if the domain name is made available. If not, you may resolve to other domain name alternatives. There is just one domain name waiting for your approval which will bring luck to your site and be known to the world.

The expireddomains.com is a good domain registration search. It’s a good source for those that have been deleted or that are about to be deleted in the coming days. You can also get tips about ranking and other popularity issues which will be useful to your site. Other websites like snapnames.com provides an original backordering service for those who wants to get their own domain name.

When you have finally decided for a perfect domain name that attracts you, you can pay for it and it’s yours instantly.

Internet Domain Registration

Every computer that has access to the Internet has its own unique address and identification number. This unique address is known as its IP address, which stands for Internet protocol address. The domain name helps Internet users use the Internet more easily. So, instead of having to type the IP address, you are now allowed to use a name instead. For example, if you want to visit a website, instead of typing 206.121.156.3 you can now use www.domainname.com.

What does it mean to register?

A domain name registration company has a directory, organized hierarchically, of all domain names and their corresponding computers registered to particular companies and persons using the Internet. Your computer is associated through that domain name when you register a domain name on the Internet. You can then create a website from that computer that can be seen by people all over the world.

How to register a domain name

You can register your domain name through many different companies known as “registrars.” All of these companies compete with each other to get you to use their services. There is a directory list online of all the registrars available.

When you choose a registrar to work with, they often ask you many questions before they register your domain. The information they ask you consists of your contact information and some technical information. They then take the information you provide to them and keep those records in a central directory known as a “registry.” This registry is what allows Internet users to send you e-mail or to find your website. You are also required to enter into a registration contract that states the terms and agreements of your registration of the domain name.

Domain Registration Searches

Domain name registration is similar to registering the name of your newly established business?the name needs to be unique. Unlike a business name, however, you are not legally required to register a domain name that actually describes your website; although it would serve your cause to have a name that somehow relates to your company.

Whenever you register for a domain name, your choice is subjected to a countercheck against existing registered domain names. This process is usually free, whether or not you actually intend to purchase the name. You have to understand, though, that if you type the URL address in your browser and no site loads, it does not necessarily mean that the domain name is available. It is possible that the domain name has already been registered to an owner but no website has been set up yet. It is also possible that there are people or organizations who have purchased the name because it a name that companies will most likely take interest in.

Domain names accept alphanumeric characters and hyphens, and consist of a suffix that uniquely identifies the site. A domain name such as yoursite.com is different from yoursite.org. It is not impossible that you will see a site yoursite.com and yoursite.org representing two kinds of content that are different from and unrelated to each other. However, it is possible for a company to purchase all the possible variations of a domain name and configure them to point to only one site. You can use hyphens to distinguish your site from another similarly named site. So, instead of having yoursite.com, your domain name could be your-site.org instead.

Even after thorough research, there is still a risk that you will encounter certain difficulties regarding your chosen domain name. There have been incidents of disputes over a domain name due to trademark clashes. An example of such is the well-publicized lawsuit against the World Wrestling Federation, filed by the World Wildlife Foundation. The latter demanded that the former drop the URL address www.wwf.com, because of the conflict of interests between the two organizations.

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

How to Change to a New Domain Name

When changing over to a new domain name, there are some precautions you should take before doing so. You must determine whether it's important enough that you change domain names to possibly lose some established customers and efforts you've made to gain traffic to your website.

If you already have a number of visitors coming to your website, then please think really hard before getting a new domain name. Consider the risks. If you're still sure this is the route you should take, then read the tips below for a smooth domain name transition.

What You Should Do Before Changing Your Domain Name

Below is a quick checklist of things to do before changing your domain name. Do these BEFORE you cancel your current domain name. Otherwise, you could lose valuable information or content on your website!

1. Create a thorough backup copy of your entire website.
This includes autoresponders you may have created in the email portion of your hosting control panel. Don't make the same mistake I made when changing to a new host. I forgot about the email section completely. There were several emails and two autoresponders I used on a regular basis. These were, of course, deleted when my website's hosting was shut down. I had to try and remember all the emails I had created and re-write my autoresponder messages! Imagine if I had 20 to 30 autoresponders or emails. What a nightmare that would be!

Check with your hosting company before changing domain names to see what is involved in backing up your site. If you have special programming features stored for your site, you'll need to back up these as well.

2. Re-design your web pages with the new domain name inserted in all your links. Before switching to a new domain name, be sure your site is designed with its links all changed to the new domain name. When you upload the new domain name to the Web, the website should be fully functional under the new domain name.

Redirect to Keep Good Search Engine Rankings

Understandably, a brand new domain name will be subject to the "aging delay" at Google and other search engines. The aging delay for your new domain will happen because search engines will not recognize it as your "same old" website. They will assume it's a brand new one because of the new domain name.

To help things move along faster, keep your old domain name for a while until your new one gets established. Only, do a "temporary redirect" on your old domain name. You can create this through your domain hosting control panel or by contacting your host if you're not sure how. The search engines will recognize the website as your old one much quicker.

Once your new domain name starts getting indexed in the search engines, change the redirect to a permanent one for a while. A "permanent redirect" should be left at your old domain name until your new one has been established at the search engines and any other sites or directories that were linking to your old domain name.

Your goal is to hang on to the old domain name while waiting on the new domain name to get established. It's well worth the effort, even if it costs you a little more each month for a while!

Changing a Large Company's Domain Name

If you own a large company or corporation with many employees using your website, this process can be even more complicated. Your employees' log-in information must be updated on the new domain name. Check with your hosting company and in-house programmers to find out what needs to be done.

Changing over to a new domain name is a pain, but sometimes needful. Decide if it's right for you and use the tips above to simplify the process.