|
/pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> |
Turn Harmful 404 Error Pages Into Helpful 301 Redirects
It's a fact, Page Not Found, known as a 404 error, can harm your website Ranking with Search Engines as well as being a Turn-Off for Visitors.
A search engine that repeatedly gets a 404 error will de-list the page from its index. Too many 404 error pages on your website and its ranking with the search engines will suffer.
Visitors are always just one click away from clicking to another search and another website. Present them with a page not found 404 error and these days they'll not stick around long enough to search for your missing page.
How Many 404 Error Pages Do You Have Right Now on Your Website ?
Unless you check your web stat error logs regularly you'll never know just how many 404 error pages your site has. Even if you don't have a single 404 error right now, I can absolutely guarantee you'll get them.
How Can I Avoid 404 Error Pages ?
The simple answer is you can't, a 404 error can not be avoided.
They happen when you rename a page.
They happen if you delete a page.
They happen if you change the page file extension i.e. htm to html or php.
They happen if you move a page to another location.
They happen if other sites link to pages which don't exist.
They happen if visitors have bookmarked pages that no longer exist.
They happen if visitors mistype a URL.
How is a 301 Redirect Helpful?
A 301 redirect enable you to send you visitor or the search engine to any replacement page you specify. A 301 redirect is also important because it's what's known as a permanent redirect. A permanent redirect is the one preferred by search engines so they are the only ones you should use if you want your website to be search engine friendly.
How Do I Setup a 301 Redirect?
Basically there are two ways to setup a search engine friendly redirect. One is by directly modifying what's known as the .htaccess file found in the root directory of your website where your web pages are stored.
The second way is to use a software redirect script. The advantage of using a redirect script is that you can setup and maintain any number of 301 redirect 's through a control panel.
You can also do very clever and helpful things that will make your website even more friendly to visitors and the search engines, but more of that in the 2nd Part of this article.
Setting Up a 301 Redirect Manually
First let's deal with modifying the .htaccess file to setup a redirect manually just so you know what's required. Then I'll tell you a much simpler way to do this and a whole lot more.
First you must find the .htaccess file on your web server. There could be more than one, but you need to locate the one in the same directory as your web pages.
On some web hosts the .htaccess file is hidden, it's there but you just can't see it listed when you FTP to your host. On most web servers it's visible, so I'm only going to deal with the visible file. Download the .htaccess file as ASCII not Binary to your PC then open it with a text editor like Notepad or Textpad, not Word.
In the .htaccess file, type the following line but substituting your locations for the missing and replacement files shown in [ ] brackets, excluding the brackets.
Redirect 301 [relative URL of missing file] [complete URL of replacement file ]
For example:
Redirect 301 /directory/discover.html
http://yourdomain.com/adventure.html
For every other redirect required you must add a new line of code to the .htaccess file then FTP to upload it as an ASCII file back to the same location you downloaded it from.
If all this sounds quite complicated, you'd be right, it can be. But life gets a whole lot easier in the 2nd part of this article Setting Up a 301 Redirect with Redirect Script Software.
Tony Simpson, Advises on the use of Automation in Website Design, Promotion and Optimization of Websites. The 2nd part of his article is at: Setting Up a 301 Redirect with Redirect Script Software where the advantages of using automatic redirects is outlined.
Moving Things Around
How often, men, have you come home to find the living room furniture in different places? Your wife said she was ready for something different, so she moved some things around. It may have been inconvenient at first, but deep inside it felt good to have things a little different at home. Maybe by moving the couch over there it made the room seem bigger. By moving the TV over on that wall gave the room a sense of coziness.
Website Design: Redecorate Your Web Site To Increase Sales
Getting traffic to your website is not the only factor that affects your sales.
Give People What They Want And Watch Your Profits Soar!
Do you know why the majority of people use the Internet?
How To Choose A Website Designer
When you're self-employed, choosing a website designer is a crucial decision, as a good website can bring you more business and a bad one can drive away prospective customers. Below are some important things to consider when selecting a website designer for your new site or site redesign.
Creating A Quality Web Site Design!
In this article, I will attempt to cover the basics of creating a great quality web design template for your site. Now it's a known fact that the layout or "eye candy" as I put it will determine whether your visitors will stay more than 15 seconds or they will just become another statistic.
You Too Can Have Fun With Sepia Images!
If you are one of those who wonder how people come up with the cool looking sepia tone prints that you admire so much. If you are doubling up with jealousy over a sepia tone, here, we will give you tips on how you could achieve this sepia tone, too. Ready up your Photoshop software program, your PC and prepare to have fun with sepia! It's time that they envy you, too.
Top Ten Website Design Secrets for Internet Marketing Success
When it comes to marketing your website, you should really work on the design of your site and optimize it so it makes you the maximum amount of money per visitor as possible. The design of your website is very important and plays a huge role in your website's success or failure. Consider the following tips when designing your website:
What Does Your Website Say About Your Business?
QUESTION: My business is very small, just me and two employees, and our product really can't be sold online. Do I really need a website? -- Robin C.
Design vs Content: Who is KING?
Well it is not Elvis, that's for sure.
Dont Overdo it!
Have you ever been to site with so much ad clutter that you wanted to just leave? Odds are you have, and odds are even better that you did in fact leave! Always refer back to the KISS philosphy. Keep It Simple Stupid!
Tips For An Effective Website
A successful website is something that everyone venturing into the new arena of Internet marketing and communications wants to have. Your website will often be a potential client's first impression of you and your business. That being said, it is vitally important that your website represent you in a favorable manner. Your website is a component of your overall marketing strategy and should be reflective of your business and current marketing presentation. Just as your brochures and other print materials represent a level of quality and professionalism, your website should also represent that same level of quality and professionalism. As a point of comparison, you most likely wouldn't have just anyone design your company's marketing materials or for that matter, prepare your tax statements. Similarly, it is important that the person creating your website know how to effectively communicate both your message and style, and be able to create an effective experience for those visiting your site.
Technology vs. Usability
When JV Media Design was formed, the year was 1995 and the Internet was a very different place than it is today.
Effective Web Design Usability Principles
Website Design Usability Tips
5 Powerful Ways To Get Zero Sales From Your Website
I want you to imagine a lemon. In your mind's eye, see its yellow skin. Imagine cutting it in half with a knife. Now pick up the one lemon half and bring it up to your mouth and suck on the juices.
Save Thousands of Dollars by Creating Your Own Web Site
With the advent of the Internet a whole new vista of business has opened up. Many erstwhile opportunities otherwise not available to us, many markets which were previously inaccessible are accessible to us now. We can transact with anyone anywhere across the world sitting in the comfort of our home.
Dos and Donts in Web Design - part 1 (design)
Do use a consistent look and feel Your site should stand out as a whole. Use the same look and feel for all the pages at your site. This way your visitors have a sense of recognition when they visit various pages. Using stylesheets makes it much easier to maintain the look and feel of numerous pages.
Website Design For Small Businesses
There are many different website design companies, offering different facilities such as flash design, however what should a small business look for when seeking an internet prescence?
Does Your Website Induce Seizures?
QUESTION: We promote our web site in all our ad campaigns, but according to my website statistics program, we are getting very few visitors who click past the first page. The site has a cool Flash introduction page that the designer said would impress visitors, but it doesn't seem to be working. What can we do to get people to spend more time on the site? -- Christopher O.
Understand Your Color
Any design on a web application involves the effective input of color scheme in order to impress web surfers, instill a certain image or identity associated with the kind of web site it represents, and add impact to the web pages. However, very few possess the talent and skill of developing a harmonious color scheme. There are even very talented Web programmers who can develop just about any kind of application, but, for the life of them could not understand anything about color schemes.
Breathe New Life Into Your Half-dead Website By Using Words That Sell
This article may come as a surprise to you.