At the very heart of how you promote your shiny new website online is the issue of links.

A couple of years ago the question of links was easily answered - just get more links than your competitors pointing at your website (assuming your website has reasonable content) and you’d get higher than them in the search engines. You could do link swaps, sitewide links and links on completely unrelated sites and it would get you the result you wanted.

All that is changing now though.

For a start, affiliate links (link swapping) no longer hold any clout with regards to how your site ranks in Google. It has been abused by the spammers and Google in particular does not give it the same emphasis that it used to.

Links from unrelated directories and spams sites similarly hold no clout. Usually your link is placed on a page with no pagerank and a hundred other links going who knows where. Save your energy and don’t bother with these either.

Sitewide links still hold a bit of clout in Yahoo, but not in Google. So, if you are buying a link from a website save your money and just buy a link on one page. Buying a link on every page might not bring the same rewards.

So how do you get good links?

First you’ve got to identify pages within sites that rank highly for the search term you want your site to rank for. This just takes research.

Next you have to contact the owner of that site with a personal email asking if they’d consider giving you a link from said page. Webmasters of popular sites get loads of these emails every day, so you need to make your request attractive. Try and find out the name of the person you are requesting the link from. Praise their site. Say something to let them know you’ve actually looked at their site. Then make your request. But you need to offer something in return.

So what can you offer in return for a link?

1. Cold hard cash. This is often the simplest option and generates lots of results, but doesn’t work in all cases. Anywhere from $10-$50 is average.
2.  Offer a discount voucher on your products. If you are selling online, offer a decent, one time discount voucher. Who knows, they might never use it but at least it will get you the link.

3. Offer a discount on services. Same as above.

4. Offer a free trial of your service, software, subscription etc. This is a great way to get links and spread buzz about your service.

If you don’t get a result, don’t despair and move onto the next site. Perseverance will pay off.

All in all, it is much harder to get links these days, and will cost you more, but keep to high quality related pages and a few links will pay you back much more than the 8,500 links you had listed in Yahoo in the bad old days.

A few mornings a week we send our kid to nursery. He loves it loads and indeed runs into the place once he gets to the door. No backward glances.

Sometimes though I can’t help feeling guilty that I’m dropping him off and then returning home unfettered to get on with some work. I know I shouldn’t because he loves nursery and the social interaction is really important. Also, I get on with loads more work at home when the house is quiet.

So why do I feel guilty? I guess it’s because this is his home too and I guess I feel like I’m pushing him out the door so that I can use it for work without interuption.

I needn’t worry though, it’s a daft notion that passes quickly. Before I know it it will be time to pick him up and the smile on his face will show he’s had a great time.

Anyone who’s visited this site before might notice it’s changed around a bit. I’ve moved the whole thing over to use the software Wordpress. Why? Well because it allows me to update the site a lot quicker, provides a stable platform and allows a bit of reader interaction. You can comment on any of the posts I put on the site, or ping them by linking to them from your own blog. So from today Daddy Works at Home goes Web 2.0 - whoda thought it?

This post includes basic guidelines for attributes and features to include in new HTML sites and Flash sites. If you are not competent in HTML it may seem slightly complicated.

HTML Sites

URL’s
Use static URL’s whenever possible, or if using dynamic URL’s, ensure you do not use session ID’s as they block search engine spiders.

Title, Meta-description, Meta-keywords
Provision should be made for the inclusion of individual title, meta-description and meta-keywords on every page.

H1 tag
Include best search terms for the page in an H1 tag near the top of the page. Format the font and size by redefining the H1 tag in your stylesheet.

H2 tags
Use H2 tags to highlight any subheadings. Format the font and size by redefining the H2 tag in your stylesheet.

Text content
Include high quality text content on each page. Aim for 200-500 words on every page. Identify your main search terms and include them near the start of every paragraph.
Try not to hide your text content within images – it cannot be read by search engines.

Bold text
The first few times you use your main search terms in the text content, format each instance in bold.

Contextual hyperlinks
Examine the text content for any terms that may relate to another page, or even another website. Hyperlink these terms to the appropriate place.

Alt-tags on images
Ensure all images can have an alt-tag applied to describe them

Navigation
Where possible use text links for navigation rather than image buttons. Give each link in the navigation a title or id tag.

Drop-down navigation
Sometimes drop-down navigation is necessary. Depending on the way of implementing it, it can block search engines. Avoid JavaScript, Java or Flash to create these drop-down’s. Ensure the main link that generates the drop-down also links directly to the top level page for that category.

Sitemap
Include a sitemap for site users and search engine spiders to use. Also provide an xml sitemap to aid indexing by Google Sitemaps.

Links page
Often the process of exchanging links is required to boost search engine listings, so make provision for having a links page on the site.

Flash Sites

Flash sites are notoriously bad at gaining search engine results. Although most search engines can now read the text within swf files, they are not generally applied to the index because of the opportunity for hiding spam text within the file.

The general advice for Flash sites is that title and meta-tags should be included on each page that shows a Flash file. The rest is down to inbound links.

Flash Site Inbound Links

A links page should be applied as an HTML page, and linked to from below the Flash file, not within it. A link swapping campaign is then recommended to help attract inbound links from other subject-related websites.

Link swapping campaigns are notoriously time consuming and involve identifying appropriate sites, collecting the site details and contact details. Adding the outgoing link to your site then contacting the site owner to request an inbound link. Verification is then required and any denied requests would then have their outgoing link removed from your site.

HTML Mirror Site

We always recommend creating an HTML mirror site to sit alongside the Flash site, using all the recommendations for a standard HTML site as detailed earlier in this document. This site should mirror everything that is possible from the Flash site.

Each page within the HTML mirror site should point out that it is a text representation of the main Flash site and should provide a link into the Flash site. This allows visitors arriving from search engines to access the main site.

If you cannot create a full scale mirror site, it is wise to create an HTML page to describe each of the main sections in detail within the main Flash site. This will act like a mini-mirror site and will still attract visitors from search engines.

The main home page of the site should provide an HTML link to the HTML mirror site. This would normally be a small link below the Flash that reads “No Flash” or simply “HTML”.

What is the sandbox?The Google sandbox is a theory that has been bandied about by frustrated SEO’s and new website owners since 2004. It would appear that some newly registered domains go into a holding area and never achieve any good Google results until a certain period of 6 months or more has expired. This could be a way for Google to filter out sites that only exist to make a quick buck before disappearing again. Google has to protect it’s users as much as it can.

So how do I avoid the Google sandbox?

Well, you can’t. Not if your site is on a new domain and you seem to be at the end of the listings. You’ll just have to apply standard SEO to it, then leave it alone. Nothing more you can do will bring you to the top of the SERP’s.

Don’t employ an SEO if your site is already optimised and contains good information. There is nothing they can do either - trust me, SEO is my business. It’s just a waiting game. 6 months to a year in my experience.

Register your domain and get a site on it ASAP. Then submit it. Even if you are just planning your business, get a site live, and the sandbox timer will start ticking away. While you are planning the rest of your business you are getting closer every day to achieving your google rankings.

If you already have a domain that you’ve used in the past and you think it might be applicable to your business, use it. Chances are it’s already out of the sandbox and ready to start gaining listings in Google.

Don’t base everything on Google. Use other online marketing, Yahoo, MSN, Adwords and Overture. Offline marketing, mailshots, customer emails etc all help prop up your business and ensure that your customers keep coming in if you find one search engine drops your listings in the future. It only makes sense to do all this anyway.

What is blogging?

Think of a blog as a noticeboard where you can post any thoughts you like online. Blogging services are usually hosted by someone else, and are generally very easy to use. When you keep a blog, your most recent post goes at the top of the page and previous posts follow that in reverse date order.

Generally you don’t need to worry about the technology behind a blog because it all runs automatically, all you do is fill in a box and hit publish each time you wish to blog. The software takes care of moving the previous blogs down a bit and archiving older blogs. Superb.

You can find blogging services at www.blogger.com and at www.typepad.com as well as countless other places. Try a few out and pick the one that seems easiest to use.

OK, I’ve started a blog, now how is it going to help my small business?

There are two ways your new blog will help your business:

1. Readers become customers

If people reading your blog like what they see, there’s every chance they’d consider giving you their business. No longer are you a faceless website out in cyberspace. By sharing your thoughts you are personalising the customer experience and if they like what they read in your blog, they are more likely to buy from you.

2. Each blog entry relates to your main website and helps boost the ranking of your site in search engine results

By blogging about your business you are creating a page of text full of key phrases relating to your business. If you make sure every blog entry has a link to a page of your main website, then each one counts as an inbound link. And what’s better is that all the search terms are used in context, so each link can be worth more.

So what are you going to blog about? That’s up to you, and your business, but remember, everything view you express says something about you and how you do business. Be honest in what you write, but don’t start on a rant about a customer or client as this may just turn off new customers.

Good luck and happy blogging.

An internet merchant account in the UK is a contract that allows your business to collect online payments by credit card.

Most internet merchant accounts in the UK are provided by the main banks, though you do not need to apply for your merchant account at your own bank, allowing you to shop around.

The application process for a merchant account in the UK can be fairly involved, but you should persevere as the savings over the other options can really mount up over the course of the year.

You should expect to pay around 2.5% to your merchant account handler for the privelage of using their merchant account services.

What if I want a merchant account in the UK quickly? If you are desperate to start trading immediately, several companies offer what might be called bureau merchant accounts. This means they take the strain of providing the merchant account is shouldered by them and in return they charge you a bit more for each transaction. The most popular of these payment services are Worldpay, Paypal and Nochex.

OK, so I’ve got my UK merchant account setup now, what else do I need to trade online?

You’ll need a Payment Gateway

Once you’ve got your merchant account you need a way to process the transactions that come from your website. A payment gateway is an online service that allows the credit cards to be processed immediately then transfers the proceeds to your bank account.

Many payment gateways are provided along with merchant accounts, by the banks, but if you take the all-in-one merchant account and payment gateway package, you are more likely to be paying over the odds for the services. So shop around - one payment gateway that we’ve used recently that has excellent fees for small businesses is PROTX.

You’ll also need a website and shopping basket

Finally don’t forget that you’ll need to build a website and bolt on a shopping basket. This will let your customers shop happily and let you handle your orders. Don’t be tempted to try and reinvent the wheel by developing your own shopping cart, it is unlikely to be as good as anything you can buy off the shelf. Try Romancart, Actinic or OSCommerce for top quality solutions.

Dropshipping sounds like a fantastic idea. You take orders for products, take the profit and forward them onto your supplier. No postage, no stock to be held. Sounds great? Well yes, dropshipping is a fantastic concept as long as you can find a reputable dropshipping company.It takes a bit of searching to find a good UK dropshipping company but they are out there. Before commiting yourself to any UK dropshipper, make sure you have researched them, checking bulletin boards, web pages and hopefully finding decent referees who have used these dropshippers.

A search on Google will turn up any number of UK dropshipping companies, but you have no idea who to even look at. In this case we’d recommend buying the UK Dropshippers report produced by Brian Macgregor at Workwinners.com. He has researched the subject in some detail and a few quid spent now to get this dropshipping list will save you hours of frustrated dealings with less than reputable dropshippers.
Click here to find Brian’s UK Dropshipping report.

We have been dealing quite successfully with a UK dropshipper selling mobile phones and accessories. They are called 2U. 2U give you a free website to market and process all the orders automatically on your behalf. Their support system is very good and some of the advice is excellent. Click here to find out more about UK dropshipping with 2U.

As is normal in business, the American’s are way ahead of the UK in dropshipping, and browsing US dropshipping sites might give you ideas on how to find the best UK dropshippers, in terms of their policies, the rates they charge etc.

You may find that browsing the ebay message forums will turn up lots of advice on dropshippers in the UK. I believe UK ebay sellers are starting to use dropshipping a lot more these days as it becomes a more accepted way of serving your customers. Click here to find the ebay community forums where you should be able to find UK dropshipping answers.

Somebody’s told you about affiliate programs, and how his pal is making thousands of pounds a month for one hour’s work a day – all of it down to running an affiliate programs website. You want to do it too? No bother, easy money – em, yes and no.

Making a few quid each month out of affiliate programs is easy money – with relatively little effort you should be able to pay for your website hosting and maybe have enough readies left over for a meal from time to time. Place some links on your website and forget about them.

If you really want serious income from affiliate programs though, you will have to apply yourself as hard as in any other business. It takes a long time and a lot of effort to build up the traffic to a website to the point where your advertisers are paying you hundreds or even thousands per month.

Where do I start with affiliate programs?

First off you need to have a website. Preferably a website that focuses on a niche subject that people are interested in. That might be football, underground fusion jazz, looking after tropical fish or anything else. It is pretty much guaranteed that there is some knowledge in your head that the rest of the world would find useful. Buils the website. Lots of pages, lots of text. Avoid bells and whistles at this stage, they will just trip you up with search engines.

Once you’ve got a site online you need to find some advertisers who’s adverts complement your site. The best way is two go through one of the big affiliate marketing networks.

Commission Junction
Tradedoubler

By signing up with one of these large networks, all your earnings go into one pot and are paid out as a lump sum at the end of each month. This is great if you have several adverts earning small amounts each.

Both of these affiliate network companies have detailed instructions on getting the best from your adverts. They will keep you updated on new programmes and some have specific tutorials aimed at maximising your affiliate revenue over peak selling times like Christmas and January.

So I sign up and the affiliate marketing money just pours in?

No. You really do have to work at this bit.

First make sure everything in your site is optimised for search engines. You’ll find more in the rest of this site about optimising your website, or go to a site like www.searchenginewatch.com for really detailed instructions.

Get links pointing at your site. Contact people who’s sites complement the subject of your site and ask to swap links with them. This is a crucial step, and is very time consuming. Set yourself a task to contact a few people every day to swap links and before too long your site will start to perform very well, attracting not just visitors from the other sites, but search engine spiders, resulting in high rankings for your affiliate marketing website.

Use all other standard practises for promoting your site. Advertising, flyers, business cards, mailshots. Watch the return on investment on everything you spend though. If your affiliate revenue doesn’t match your spend, there’s not much point in continuing with that method of marketing.

Submit your affiliate site to search engines, directories, and anyone else offering free listings.

Increase the content of your site. Write new articles all the time. Set yourself a goal. Add one piece of new information to your affiliate website every day. Not only does this increase the content, but it also helps with search engines as they see your site as an active site, and deserved of higher rankings.

Check back to your affiliate network regularly to see what your income is, but also to look for new advertisers for all your new content.

I’ve heard Adsense is a good way to make money? Yes. very good, but it is not strictly an affiliate program, more an advertising program and we’ll look at that in more detail in another article.

All of the above can be studied in much more detail and we’ll follow up on key points in future articles.

What you need to get started with Adsense: If you’ve already got a website generating lots of traffic, Adsense from Google is an excellent way to make it pay for itself. With Adsense, you add a selection of adverts from Google to your pages and each time someone clicks one of the links, you earn some money.Sign up for an Adsense account at www.Google.co.uk/adsense . You’ll need to let them know your site details so they can review it to make sure your site is appropriate for their content. The adsense approval process takes from 24hrs to 1 week.

Once you’ve been approved you can start adding the Adsense code for whatever banner style you choose, to your pages. You can change the colour and style of the ad’s through your control panel. Then all you do is upload your pages to the web. Google senses what content is on your page and displays appropriate adverts from their advertisers.

Should you find that a direct competitor is being advertised on your site you can block their Adsense adverts through your control panel.

Play around with different placements of the adverts and different colour schemes to see what gives the best click-thru rates. The more traffic you’ve got, the more chance of gaining those clicks, so make sure your site is optimised and submitted to the search engines.

Once your account is over $100USD at the end of a month, a cheque is generated 30 days later and sent to you.

If you live in the UK, ask your bank how to lodge your Adsense cheque. Most banks make a charge of £5-10GBP. If you’re making plenty of money from click-thrus though, this wont bother you much. Depending on the deposit method of the Adsense cheque into your UK account, it could take a couple of days to 6 weeks to credit your account. Ask your bank for the quickest method.

UPDATE: Adsense now send cheques in GBP so you can deposit them straight into your UK bank. They also now offer a EFT - electronic funds transfer to cut out the post delays.