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Web Site Promotion – Keyword Secrets
What is the secret of finding the right keywords for your web site promotion? The quality of your keyword research will be directly reflected in the quality of your web site promotion. Quality research requires the right tools. The more tools in your web site promotion toolbox,the more information you will access. There is no such thing as too much information when it comes to keywords. The more informed you are about your keywords, the better chance you have to make your web site promotion a successful one.Keyword research is a unique form of market research. It is always dynamic, as are Google and the Internet itself. Keyword research skill should evolve and grow along with Internet marketing skill. It will correlate closely with your success as an Internet Marketer. Every owner of an Internet business should understand the importance of keywords and keyword research to their success.You don’t have to limit your choice of keywords only to a specific business you want to promote on the Internet. Your web site promotion could be a blog about something that interests you, and a subject on which you are knowledgeable. It may be possible to garner enough traffic to produce profitable results from a blog about almost any subject that you are interested enough in to write about. Your writing subject does not have to promote only your business opportunity. There are many examples of profitable blogs and web sites that started from a personal interest or hobby.Where can you find the right tools to research your web site promotion keywords ? A good place to start is with a simple Google search. Take a look at the numbers in the upper right hand corner of the results page from any Google search. This number indicates the total indexed number of web sites that have those keywords on their web site. Even though the number may seem very large, many of the sites just mention the keywords without specifically targeting them.It is important to know where the keywords appear on the site. Sometimes keywords may appear in the URL, (Internet address), in the title, or simply in the text of the page. A search for keywords in web page URL’s would be inurl:keyword where your keywords would substitute for the word “keyword”. A search for intitle:keyword would indicate which web pages used the keyword(s) in the title of the page. A search for intext:keyword would reveal the pages that listed the keyword(s) somewhere on the page in readable or visible text.By the way, one of the most important things on any web site in terms of search engine optimization is to use keywords in the title of the page. Note: search engine optimization or SEO, is the practice of using knowledge of Google to gain a high search engine position or ranking.For much more specific information on traffic volumes for particular keywords, there is a great tool from Google called Google AdWords Keyword tool. This is a free Google service that supplies a wealth of information. You can get a good idea of the traffic for your keywords in the previous month, and the average monthly traffic for the previous year. It also provides a long list of related or additional keywords, and the corresponding traffic levels.Another free tool you can use is the free keyword suggestion tool from Wordtracker. Note: the paid version is even better. This is a very interesting web site promotion tool that gives you a weighted number that indicates the value and level of competition for a particular set of keywords. A number between 75 and 100, or higher, usually indicates that your chosen keywords are good ones. A number closer to zero, indicates less desirable keywords.An additional tool available at no charge is the keyword discovery tool. It gives you one hundred of the best keywords related to your keywords. It claims to look across various search engines to give a broad view of search engine results. There is also a paid version that gives you a twelve month history.There are also various types of software that do keyword research. If you decide to invest in this type of software, it is recommended to find companies that offer a trial version. There are some software programs of this type that are merely marketing tools to sell search engine optimization services. Caveat emptor is the word here. (Buyer beware.)This it just a brief overview or introduction to keyword research. Any web site promotion effort should prioritize thorough keyword research, and recognize it as an essential element of success.
How to Design a Long Narrow Garden
The main problem with long narrow gardens is that they can feel like you’re standing in a corridor. In a long, narrow garden your eye is drawn straight to the boundaries making the space seem small and claustrophobic. This type of garden does not invite exploration and the furthest parts of the garden often remain dark, dank and unused. Counteracting the claustrophobic feeling and giving the impression of greater space and depth are the main challenges when designing a long, narrow garden.There are three main ways to deal with the problems of a long-narrow space. One strategy involves changing the perceived shape of the garden and tricking the eye into focusing away from the garden boundaries. Another method is to introduce drama by creating a more complex journey around the garden. The third way is to draw the eye upwards by introducing vertical elements that open up the garden by giving the appearance of more height.Although it seems counter-intuitive to close off a garden that is already feeling cramped, dividing the garden into separate areas is a very effective way to design a long-narrow garden. Creating separate garden rooms each with its own distinct character makes people want to use the whole garden and explore the next room. The garden will become more useable because each room has its own purpose. Breaking up the space is a great way of stopping the eye from immediately alighting on the rear boundary. This strategy creates a more stimulating journey and encourages exploration of the garden.Walls work well for creating garden rooms, especially if they have a window offering a tantalizing glimpse through to the next room. However, brick and block walls are expensive to build and other methods of dividing the space can be just as effective. Clipped hedges, pergolas, or a simple screen of posts and trellis with an archway through all make good partitions and may be more appropriate for the style and setting of the garden. Railway sleepers set on end like a huge vertical blind create a dramatic garden screen.The transitions between the garden rooms provide another opportunity to add visual and vertical interest. Circular moon gates add striking architectural detail, they also give height and their shape is excellent for focusing attention inside the garden. An arched doorway cut through a clipped hedge creates a dark outline that cries out to be explored.Circles and curves are a great for directing attention where it is desired. Using circular shapes for lawns and seating areas focuses the eye into the centre of the garden. An ‘S’ shaped path will draw attention away from the boundaries and give a more interesting journey through the garden. Placing some taller plants or trees in the deep curves of the ‘S’ creates informal divisions and stops the eye.Another design strategy that tricks the eye and creates a more exciting, indirect route around the garden is to set the plan on the diagonal. The lines of paths, lawns and borders set at 45 degrees to the boundaries draws the eye across the garden and gives the impression of greater width. Using zig-zag paths will provide a meandering walk around the garden.There are many different ways to create height in a garden, it can be done simply by including trees and taller plants. Pergolas are useful for creating instant vertical focus, they can be used as room dividers and give extra space for planting which is especially useful in a small garden. Clipped, formal hedges are also excellent for creating height, as a backdrop for planting and as walls for outdoor rooms.Long narrow sites can make fabulous gardens, but like any tricky space they need a good design that addresses all the practical issues, and includes a bit of wizardry to make them comfortable and inviting spaces to spend time in.