Css Basics
Cascading Style Sheets, commonly called CSS, let you separate the content from the layout on html web pages. CSS is a way to make your HTML page more structured, letting you define the layout more effectively than with classic HTML, and making your life easier when wanting to update the style of your website.
A. How Does It Work?
CSS is a simple mechanism for adding and defining style (ex.: fonts, colors, spacing) of web pages.
Each style defined has a unique name called a selector. Each selector and their styles are defined once in a certain place, the CSS keeps you from rewriting the full style command each time. A CSS can be internal or external to the webpage. Whenever you want to activate a certain style, you refer to the selector in your HTML (in fact you call the style you want to use).
You can define a style once and then refer (call) it instead of rewriting the full style command each time.
B. Example : Defining a Simple Table
Classic HTML:
<table><tr>
<td bgcolor="#FFCC00" align="left"><font face="arial" size="2" color="red"><b>this is line 1</b></font></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#FFCC00" align="left"><font face="arial" size="2" color="red"><b>this is line 2</b></font></td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#FFCC00" align="left"><font face="arial" size="2" color="red"><b>this is line 3</b></font>
</td></tr>
</table> |
With CSS: (assuming that a selector called 'subtext' is defined)
<table>
<tr><td class="subtext">this is line 1</td></tr>
<tr><td class="subtext">this is line 2</td></tr>
<tr><td class="subtext">this is line 3</td></tr>
</table>
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How to Register a Domain Name and
Set Your Name Servers
A. Why would I want a domain name?
Because it will add credibility and trust to your business, and show that your site is indeed reliable and registered. People don’t trust the mile-long URL that is mixed with a free domain.
B. 5 Pointers to Choose a Domain Name
Choose a name that ...
- Is easy to spell.
- Is easy to remember.
- Doesn't contain hyphens.
- Isn't likely to have spelling confusion.
- Doesn't violate a trademark.
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C. Make Sure the Domain Name is Available
To make sure that your domain is available, go to: http://www.allwhois.com. Enter the domain name you want in the search box and click search. The search result will appear: it’s either taken or not. When the domain name is available, it can be registered today.
D. Buy the Domain Name
When you buy a domain name you need to keep in mind that you will need to pay an annual fee to use the domain name. Packages are available to reserve domain names for many years. You can register with any accredited registrar, to find one, simply type "domain registration services" in the search box in your favorite search engine.
E. How to Change a DNS Name Server
If your accredited registrar is different than your hosting company, you might have to change the DNS name server information.
Steps:
- Find out your DNS server names of your webhost
- This should be something like ns1.nameserver.com and ns2.nameserver.com.
- They may also give you a set of numbers commonly known as an IP address for each of these names (eg. 123.123.1.2).
- You should only use the host name of your name servers and not the IP address.
- If you use the IP address or enter both the host name and IP, then it will not work.
- Log into your domain manager, and change the option from Our NameServers to Your Own NameServers.
- Enter your name servers.
- Click on the Modify button to save your changes.
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Note that the options/buttons name might be slightly different depending on the hosting company you will be using, if this is the case please refer to the FAQ page of your hosting company.
Boost Your SEO Rankings with Blogs
What is a Blog?
This is a slang term for Web log. Think of it as an online news forum with the latest information being entered/updated on a regular (usually daily or weekly) basis. Blogs usually are about a specific topic and can be sorted by category. For gaming blogs, the authors usually showcase daily poker, casino tips or betting previews for sporting events. (Once again this would depend on their interest).
Blogs are naturally SEO friendly and enhance “spiderability” of your content. Syndication of your blog’s content can be done through XML feeds, also known as RSS feeds. The content can then be displayed on other sites of similar nature, and allows for critical link back to your site, hence resulting in a major component of a balanced SEM strategy. The XML feed then gets converted in html by using an RSS aggregator. The readers see the title and first few words of your article and, if they are interested, they click the link to read the remainder of the story on your web site.
Such an arrangement has several benefits, as it offers:
- Natural link backs to your site’s freshest content, something Search Engine spiders love and live on. The fresher the content, the higher your ranking possibilities can be. The point of a search engine is to remain relevant to its searcher’s needs. Stale content will eventually fall off the radar and your rankings will suffer.
- People will subscribe to your blog if the content is interesting to them, offering an alternate method to keep in touch with your readers. This will keep them coming back to your site.
- The content then becomes a canvas onto which you can place various advertisements for products and services related to your article. Your audience is captive and thus more likely to click on the offer.
- Most blog scripts allow for feedback to be left by your readers, offering you valuable input.
A blog strategy can be used as a cost effective way to spark up a tired pay-per-click campaign. Most blog owners allow other websites and personal users to display their content for free. In return they take advantage of the links and traffic that it brings in. (Kind of a link exchange).
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