Please note this article was first published in 17 Aug 2009. Its content may now be out of date. We recommend taking a look at more recent website building blog posts or check out our comprehensive support pages. If you are looking for information on our 14 day free website builder trial we have a large number of webpages that guide you throug the process.
As we discussed in the last Blog, your Reason8 website is not only very clever when it comes to Search Engine Optimisation, but is also happy to work extremely hard, 24/7, to help you achieve the best position possible. However, there are a number of ways in which you can give it a helping hand.
Website verification is a must for any Website Builder. If you don’t have an account with Google, then now is the time to get one. Google relies on automated 'robots' or 'spiders' to crawl websites and capture information. However, this can take time and some pages, which are not “visible” enough, are never found. With billions of web pages to crawl, Google can't know when pages have been created or changed or which ones are most important, but we now have the opportunity to say, Hey! – Have a look at my site and here’s a map to help you.
As a thank you, Google will give you access to a whole set of Webmaster tools, which can help you boost your search engine optimisation even further. Verification also provides great security for your website by refusing access to its information to anyone else but you.
Top left in any of your main control panel windows (Step 1,2,3 or 4) you will see the Google verify button.
Click this and you’ll be offered the choice to either Get a Google Account or go to an existing Google Account. Follow the steps to login or register your account. You’ll then be offered two ways to verify your site; “Add a Meta tag” or the option you need to select – “Upload an HTML file”. Google will then give you the name of a file to upload. Copy this file; go back to the Google Verify window in your control panel, paste in the file name and click Submit. DotGO will create and submit the file for you. Now go back to Google and click “Verify your site”. Google will then confirm your site's verification.
Your DotGO website will also create a “Sitemap”. This is basically a detailed map of your site, which also allows Google to see when you make changes to your pages. DotGO will give you the address for your sitemap, which you then need to give to Google. The address is simply your website address with ” /sitemap.cfm “ on the end. Now every time you rename, delete, change or create a new page on your website, DotGO will automatically update your site map and notify Google of your changes. Even if you don't change your website, DotGO will re-submit your sitemaps to Google every 14 days to make sure they have up to date information.
We’ve covered Navigation in previous Blogs. There are many types of links. Internal Links are those inside your website, which connect your pages to each other. A great tip is to put a HOME link at the bottom of each page you create. Search Engines particularly like External Links, especially if these links are created using keywords in your content. A short, keyword rich description of what you do or offer at the bottom of your pages with an external link to your domain can add great SEO visibility to your page. To do this, highlight your word or line and click the yellow “Insert Link” button. Choose Webpage > External Webpage > then enter your website address in the window provided – Choose NO in the Open in new window option.
Other links, which can help SEO are the links that connect your website to another external website. The links coming INTO your website from another are the most valuable. The more INCOMING links you get the better, as each one is seen by the Search Engines as a vote for your website.
The relevance of your Incoming Links can be important as well so ask for links from Websites, which are related to your industry, such as suppliers, associates, partner companies, organisations or skill qualification associations. You can offer reciprocal links back to participating websites as an incentive, payment or appreciation.
We'd love these blog pages to become a handy forum for all DotGO Web Builders, so please add your comments or questions and let's get chatting!!
Please remember, this article was first published 17/08/2009. The content may be out of date and you cannot post comments any more. Please check out our new blog.
We have been in business since 2003. Back when the founders of Facebook were still in college, we were writing code and helping our users create great websites.
If you need help, why not check out our huge selection of videos, step-by-step guides and knowledge papers.
We have helped many thousands of our customers create great looking websites. Take a look at a few examples, created using our website builder.
These days, websites without background videos run the risk of appearing old-fashioned. Even dinosaurish,
There’s nothing wrong with dinosaurs, or with looking like one. Dinosaurs are cool. Unless they’re chasing you of course.
But our new background videos have landed, exploded and changed the game. They have wiped out the old standards for beautiful websites, and have replaced them with a new standard that will leave all other websites looking like fossils.
Luckily, both our existing clients and our new ones have access to this brilliant new feature we’ve introduced, and we’d like to share its benefits with you today.
A superhero is only super because he or she stands out amongst the crowd. If we were a planet of flying, teleporting, time-freezing super-strong aliens, then we wouldn’t think there was anything super about us. When it comes to using formatting methods such as bold, italics, capitals or centering, all of these little text-enhancing superheroes will only stand out if they are used sparingly, in the right place, and when absolutely necessary…
Reviews, testimonials, recommendations – we all seek reassurance in them. We might even skip past the good ones just to see if there are any bad ones.Other people are sources of information for us. They can tell us whether this product or service is actually any good or not. Reading their testimonials builds trust in your business.
If I have multiple domain names, will my website rank better on the search engines? Will I be more likely to draw in extra traffic? Will my website become a supercharged powerhouse bursting with domain names that will become a magnet for new business? The answer might not be quite as positive as you would expect, but hopefully we can answer your questions during this article…
Choosing a domain name for your new business may not be as simple as you think. Most people just use their company name, but unless your branding is well recognised, this may work against you…
Is it possible for your business website to look too good? Too polished? Too slick? Too posh?
Perhaps it depends on how slick and posh you already are.
“If a customer fills out a form and adds their email address, what can I do with it?” This is a terrible question, asked by non-GDPR compliant cavemen and cavewoman who still think it’s OK to treat other people’s info as if it’s their own…
You are building a GDPR-friendly email list, and now you want to start sending out newsletters, the professional way. Where do you start?
“Don’t sell your product. Solve their problems.” Mark Cuban’s wise words sum up the art of selling – it is about helping people, fixing problems and improving the lives of others…
iF we’re honest, not many people will accuse you of clownery for not having a proper business email address. But they might not call you professional either…
Building a professional website to grow your business should be easy and seamless from start to end. We offer to build your business website for you, in four easy steps…
When July 2018 hits, Google Chrome will make sure a strong warning will pop up on any website that has not yet updated from “http” to “https”. The warning will include something along the lines of “Website Not Secure”. Here’s how to avoid it.
We are the DotGO: where everything is included and everything is managed for you, all at no extra cost.
We design websites to grow your business and wow your customers.
We are a UK company filled with passionate website designers and clever writers.
Friendly, professional and fast customer service is at the heart of everything we do. Our designers and unique technology make your website quick, responsive and secure, giving you the best chance of ranking well on Google.
If you need a shop, our own powerful ecommerce platform integrates beautifully. We train you to use our simple tools to update your website yourself. Our UK support team are on hand to provide sensible support and advice whenever you need it. We even power your professional email service, so you stay in contact with your customers by phone, tablet or computer.
Oh, and the best bit? It's cheaper than you may think, and we can get started right now.