Wow, I’ll tell you honestly that one of the questions I tend to get asked a lot (and drives people to my website) is Why is a website so hard to make? Actually, that question (or a version of it) accounts for a few unique visits every day so to help answer the question, I’ve explain a few of the reasons that websites are so hard (or expensive) to build.
First, the Web is inconsistent.
This is possibly the worse news for people just starting out, but it’s the horrible and sad truth. Web sites are nothing more than code, it’s not terribly complicated once you understand the basics of it but it’s still just a bunch of gobbly gook until it’s read by something else … and there’s the problem. Each ’something else’ is different. Web code is read by popular web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome and FireFox but that’s only the tip of the iceberg because Internet Explorer has several versions in common operation today (versions 5,6,7 and now 8) which all display the web dramatically differently.
Once you get past the basic issue of browsers, you need to think about operating systems. How many computer operating systems can you name? Obviously there’s Windows and Mac right? Great … except … you also have Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows 7 and Windows Lite to content with, Macintosh OS X Leopard and Macintosh OS X Pather. That’s got to be it right? Not so fast, what about Linux and Unix? There are hundreds of variations of computer based operating systems, each running one of a dozen web browsers for countless combinations but at least that’s all there is to worry about … except for handhelds (iPhones, BlackBerries, Windows Mobile Devices) and gaming consoles (Nintendo Wii, Microsoft XBox, XBox 360, Sony PSP, Sony Play Station 3) and TV based internet consoles … I hope that I’ve made my point, one of the reasons the Internet is complex to publish for is because there are too many “things” to publish for, instead we’re forced to practice failing gracefully.
The Web lacks a standard language.
Problem number two for somebody just starting out in the great big world of the web is that there is no standard programming language for the Internet. At it’s core, the World Wide Web is programmed in a language called HTML right? Everybody knows this, except it’s wrong.
The web is published in a language called xHTML which is based on HTML, but some people in the community didn’t agree with xHTML so they created other strains of HTML. As a result, we have HTML 1.x, HTML 2.x, HTML 3.x, HTML 4.x, DHTML, xHTML, xHTML 1.1 and xHTML 1.1 SE. Soon we’ll also have xHTML 2.0 as well as xHTML 5.0 … don’t ask.
Now, as we discussed above, there are at least a few dozen major operating systems and each of those has at least a handful of web browsers, plus a ton of mobile devices all designed to interpret some or more of the languages that the web is built on but it’s important to note that not all web browsers agreed on which standards are acceptable or for that matter which codes, structure, text or tags from any standard would be accepted. As a result, a web page developed to be viewed in Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 may (or may not) be visible in other web browsers including other versions of IE.
Scripting on the Web
Now, once you get past the basic problem of coding for some browsers while ignoring others and you pick one of the standards to adhere to, you’ve got to take the time to start writing more than simple content and for that you need what’s called a scripting language of which … there are many.
Most scripting languages such as PHP, Python, ASP, ASP.net etc. execute on the web server (where the website is hosted) but some such as JavaScript execute on the web browser after being downloaded (not to be confused with Java which is not a scripting language but a programming language and completely different). These scripts are what power everything from a simple email form to complex social media giants such as FaceBook.
After you’ve picked the scripting language you wish to use and ensured that it’s compatible with your hosting account (where you store your website for others to access it) you’re all set and ready to start building your first website.
How to handle it all
I’m lucky, I’ve been building websites since 1996 which means that in my very (very) long career I’ve seen countless technologies come, go and die. So my advice to people getting started in the industry is a lot like Benjamin’s in Animal Farm, Web Masters much like Donkeys know that times change but stay the same, simply pick your standards and be the best developer in that selected field. You will be mocked, scorned, insulted and ignored by others in the industry for your choices but in just a few years … everything you know will be outdated and you’ll have to relearn new tools anyways so don’t worry so much.
“Only old Benjamin professed to remember every detail of his long life and to know that things never had been, nor ever could be much better or much worse – hunger, hardship and disappointment being, so he said, the unalterable law of life.”
- George Orwell, Animal Farm,
Mar
2009
25 Things to Do to Increase Your Website Traffic Right Now
Everybody wants to be successful on the Internet right? Of course we do, nobody want’s to be sitting at home on prom night especially when there’s money involved so how do we do it? Well, here’s a list of 25 things you can do right now to increase your website traffic …
Make Your Content Accessible
Use the SEO Checker I built to see what Google can see. This tool will also help you understand what visually impaired people in your community can see … they make up almost 10% of the population, so can you really afford to only appeal to 90% of the market?
Use Valid xHTML Markup
xHTML is the language web pages should be built in. If you write your page in sloppy code, it’ll be harder for web browsers to display it properly so just like a Word document, you have to save it in the right format for your audience to read it.
Translate Your Content
thisismyurl.com is available in 20 languages, 40% of my traffic comes from outside the US and Canada and is viewed in a language other than English using a free online translation service, I know it’s flawed but it’s the best I can offer and people learn from my postings.
Understand Keywords
Keywords are the heart and soul of the Internet, they’re like fresh pasta in Italian cooking or eye shadow to drag queens … if you don’t understand the value and application of keywords, get off the Internet.
Build Relationships with Other Websites
Almost half my traffic comes from Google, the other half? Came from other websites and referrals from great people that I taught something to and in turn taught me a lot.
Add a Google Sitemap
Google want’s nothing more than to know about you, it’s the companies only goal in the universe, so help them to help you.
Help People
Speaking of helping, help people. When you see a website with an error or run into a problem on a site, let them know. If you can fix a glitch, tell them how … I’ve picked up countless readers and sources of inspiration by simply being supportive.
Use Analytics
Back to Google for a second, they have a tool called Google Analytics. It’s free, it’s powerful and it’ll help you understand your audience.
Join Social Networking Sites
Websites like LinkedIn and Facebook are powerful tools to help people. Helping people leads to trust, trust leads to prospects and prospects lead to clients.
Add Fresh Content
Ask yourself, why do people come back to your boring old stale content? They don’t. If you ran a restaurant you’d have daily specials right? Well I think running a restaurant is easier than running a website, so make sure you have fresh content served daily.
Know Who’s Better Than You
There are a lot of web sites out there that are better than me:
Know who’s better than you and read them every day. The best way to learn is to know you need to learn. (btw, if you didn’t make the list don’t be sad I have hundreds of sites I read every week, these are just the first ones I though of)
Respond to Criticism
There’s a lot of things that I write on my blog that are not as well researched as they could be, and when I’m corrected I love it. You’ll notice if you pan through my comments that I don’t remove the negative … in fact I relish them. If people take the time to point out your flaws, thank them and you’ll grow.
Write Good Content
The best way to build traffic to your website? Make people want to come back. It’s harder to get new visitors than to keep your old ones.
Be Timely
Write about things that you know will be timely but don’t chase trends, it’s not relevant what others are writing about … only what your readers are reading about.
Get to Know Yourself
The past five months of blogging have taught me a lot about myself, I look back at some of the early pieces I wrote and know that I’ve changed. That’s part of what blogging is, it’s about growing not only as a business but also as a person and learning new things.
Make your Title Tag Valuable
Your title tag is a critical piece of the organic marketing puzzle, if you don’t understand how or why to use it properly … excuse my french but vous êtes vissé.
Add an RSS Feed
I don’t care what type of business you are … if you can add an RSS feed to your web site do it! Let people know what you’re up to if they want to know. Same goes for Twitter, use it to exploit your interests.
Give Stuff Away For Free
I love giving things away for free. I have website templates, plugins and artwork people can download for free as well as over 600 pages of advice here on my website. Guess what? It cost me nothing and it put me on Alexa’s radar without having to do anything complicated.
Respect Your Audience
There’s only one thing more important then you on your website, your audience. Take time to get to know them and help them.
Know Your Goals
Why do you own a website? You’d be surprised how many people have no idea why they want to run a website … it’s a little sad really.
Use a Content Manager
Websites that are build on a content management system (I use WordPress) make it easier for people to update their websites. Websites that are updated more often get more traffic.
Read Matt’s Articles
Matt Cutts is Google. Actually he’s not but he’s the face of Google, the man who talks to all of us and tells us what Google is thinking, explains what they’re up to and helps lowly web masters to interact better. His job … to help the public make the most of Google, so why don’t you read his blog?
Join Forums
Forums are a great place to generate free traffic to your blog. They help you build relationships with other bloggers, build respect in the community and get into endless conversations about topics that interest you.
Comment on Other Websites
One of the most overlooked methods for building traffic to your website is to simply comment on other peoples websites. Remember my point about helping others? Point out flaws or add to the conversation and you’ll be generating great traffic back to your website.
Analyze and Adapt
Finally … the most important point … look at your analytics often and improve your website to help your audience make the most of your content.
Tags: advice, analytics, blog, building, comment, content management system, content manager, Facebook, forums, google analytics, html, Learning, lorelle, matt cutts, organic marketing, Plugins, search, templates, translate, web browsers, web master, web masters, WordPress
Posted in Marketing Advice