How To Build Websites
Pacific Studios was built specifically to help those building or maintaining websites and the associated photography and video that are so common online now thanks to the proliferation of related online services, broadband internet access, cheap and easy-to-use digital cameras and video cameras, and hosting solutions that are easier now than ever before. This site is provided by David Campbell, Founder and President of MarineBio.org, Inc. where since 1998 he has been learning, building and running one of the most popular and important online sites concerning marine life and its conservation. This site contains what he has learned over the years from the countless people online providing their input, time, knowledge, and help to improve not only marinebio.org but all sites and therefore the Web itself. I thank you all for your tireless assistance and priceless skills that you chose to share with us all.
Your Goals vs. Visitor Goals
Building a website is often a painful experience. It can be expensive in terms of both time and money. Many put it off after becoming overwhelmed with the jargon like domains, ftp, SSL, ASP, javascript, flash, jpg, gif, SEO, etc. The truth is that you need a team to create and then run a successful website. What exactly is a "successful" website? A site that helps you achieve your business goals is one answer and probably the most important one. A site that helps visitors achieve their goals is one I like better and if done properly coincides with your business goals.
Information Architecture
In this section I'll explore first taking great photographs and video. "Garbage in Garbage out" is a saying I like, which means simply that if you start with bad photos or video there's little you can do to make them great and you might as well not even bother trying. I have wasted untold days trying to "fix" bad photos and video and the results are almost always the same, the delete key. Taking great photos or video or paying the experts for their skills is the way to go and today it is cheaper than ever to find great photos and videos online for reasonable prices.
Usability
Computers, cpus, RAM, video cards, firewire, scanners, monitors, flash media, etc. What's required, what's recommended, and what's new? I'll share where I go, who I ask, and what I use to produce what I need for marinebio.org and the other sites I manage. Hardware can be expensive, a real pain to work with, and even dangerous when it fails. I'll start with the basics that I've learned to help you keep your data safe and your black boxes of hardware happy. It starts with an understanding that there are no ghosts in the machine.... Bring your tea, you'll need it...
Content & Document Management
Computers, cpus, RAM, video cards, firewire, scanners, monitors, flash media, etc. What's required, what's recommended, and what's new? I'll share where I go, who I ask, and what I use to produce what I need for marinebio.org and the other sites I manage. Hardware can be expensive, a real pain to work with, and even dangerous when it fails. I'll start with the basics that I've learned to help you keep your data safe and your black boxes of hardware happy. It starts with an understanding that there are no ghosts in the machine.... Bring your tea, you'll need it...
Search Engines
Computers, cpus, RAM, video cards, firewire, scanners, monitors, flash media, etc. What's required, what's recommended, and what's new? I'll share where I go, who I ask, and what I use to produce what I need for marinebio.org and the other sites I manage. Hardware can be expensive, a real pain to work with, and even dangerous when it fails. I'll start with the basics that I've learned to help you keep your data safe and your black boxes of hardware happy. It starts with an understanding that there are no ghosts in the machine.... Bring your tea, you'll need it...
In addition to the Description meta tag, the HTML tags you should use are:
1. The Keywords meta tag. Although little used it only takes a second to put in, and does no harm. There is evidence that some search engines might use it. The rest of the meta tags are pointless.
2. The TITLE tag. This is the title of your web page, and should contain the primary keyword for the page. Each page should be written round one primary keyword that relates to the subject of your website or niche.
For example, if your niche is costume jewelry, the primary keyword for your home page would be 'costume jewelry'. You could then have a number of 'silos' with a main page title for each. The title of one main silo page could be 'simulated diamonds' and the first page title of that silo could be 'garnets'. All of these are the primary keywords for their respective pages. Another silo could be 'colored gem stones', with that as the primary keyword for the main silo page, and that for your first sub-page in that silo could be 'citrine'. And so on.
Each page must have one primary keyword, and it should be included in the Title tag for that page. The Title tag does not appear in the body of the article, but in the HTML between the two HEAD tags in your html.
3. The H tag. These are heading tags, with H1 being the most important. The heading for each main section in your page should be contained within H1 tags, and many pages have only the one set of such tags. Subheadings, containing secondary keywords, should be contained within H2 tags, and so on. Thus, in the example above, the heading or your garnets silo could be could be 'Garnets in Costume Jewelry' in H1 tags.
After an introduction to garnets, you could then have an H2 heading containing 'The Source of Garnets: Where Garnets Come From', then another passage of text headed 'How Garnets are Cut for Costume Jewelry', again held in H2 tags.
4. The ALT attribute. Use 'Alt = ' within the Img tags of your images and graphics. This lets the search engines know what the graphic is about: search engines do not read graphics, and the Alt attribute offers you the chance to use your graphics meaningfully with respect to SEO web design.
Text Formatting
That's all you have to worry about regarding the HTML tags. Your text formatting can be used to emphasize to search engines what the important text on your page is. Thus, if you use bold text, underscoring or italics, they indicate the important words and phrases. Thus, use the <STRONG> and <U> html tags in your heading.
Write Naturally
Don't worry too much about your keyword density (KD), other than having too much. Too high a KD could harm you if Google thinks you are making unnecessary use of them. Write naturally for human readers, and not robots. If your text reads well and makes it clear what the subject of the passage is about, then you will be fine. In my writing I ignore the concept of KD altogether. I use my keywords as indicated above, and also in the first and last 100 characters on the page (or at least in the last paragraph somewhere).
Good SEO web design is not keyword fixated, but contains good contextually related vocabulary that the LSI algorithm can use to target the relevance of the page to the search term being used by somebody using the search engine to find information. That's all a keyword is: a term used by somebody looking for information. If you cannot work without a target KD, then I would go for a max of 1 not 3%)
None of these are web design secrets, and I doubt if there are any such secrets left any more. I suppose the only thing even approaching a secret here is that my description meta tag is copied exactly by Google in the listing for my #1 placed website. That allows you to determine how Google users see the description of your site in the listing.
I have several more SEO web design tips, but these will be the subject of another article. In the meantime if you implement these search engine optimization tips for beginners, then you should soon see an improvement in your website's search engine ranking.
Graphic Design, Photography & Videos
Computers, cpus, RAM, video cards, firewire, scanners, monitors, flash media, etc. What's required, what's recommended, and what's new? I'll share where I go, who I ask, and what I use to produce what I need for marinebio.org and the other sites I manage. Hardware can be expensive, a real pain to work with, and even dangerous when it fails. I'll start with the basics that I've learned to help you keep your data safe and your black boxes of hardware happy. It starts with an understanding that there are no ghosts in the machine.... Bring your tea, you'll need it...
Software Tools & Hardware Required
Computers, cpus, RAM, video cards, firewire, scanners, monitors, flash media, etc. What's required, what's recommended, and what's new? I'll share where I go, who I ask, and what I use to produce what I need for marinebio.org and the other sites I manage. Hardware can be expensive, a real pain to work with, and even dangerous when it fails. I'll start with the basics that I've learned to help you keep your data safe and your black boxes of hardware happy. It starts with an understanding that there are no ghosts in the machine.... Bring your tea, you'll need it...
Team Effort
Computers, cpus, RAM, video cards, firewire, scanners, monitors, flash media, etc. What's required, what's recommended, and what's new? I'll share where I go, who I ask, and what I use to produce what I need for marinebio.org and the other sites I manage. Hardware can be expensive, a real pain to work with, and even dangerous when it fails. I'll start with the basics that I've learned to help you keep your data safe and your black boxes of hardware happy. It starts with an understanding that there are no ghosts in the machine.... Bring your tea, you'll need it...
Articles & Resources
This site will always be a work in progress, as are all good sites. I'll add articles by myself and others as time goes on to help you (and me) keep abreast of the latest developments and news concerning building successful websites and working with photos and video online.
I have used many of the same resources online for years and will share all I have and then keep an eye out for new ones. Most of what I've learned concerning building websites and working with photos and video online came from online sources and books and people I've met while working in the industry. One of the most beautiful things about the Web is that it is our collective mind and so many freely share what they know for no other reason than to share in the hopes to make the Web, and therefore our world, a better place. I hope, in some small way, that I can also contribute my knowledge to help make our world a better place too.
If you have suggestions, comments or would like to contribute to this website, feel free to contact me.
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