Free subdomains are tempting to web developers who want to develop a new website for their new business. However, before you embark on it, learn more about its pros and cons before your proceed.

Subdomains are easy to use:

It is easy to search free domains, especially when large numbers of them advertise about themselves. In addition, due to large traffic to their sites, they easily show up on very first few searches. In fact, it is very tempting to register subdomains on their sites, as they invoke very little procedural steps to do so. You are only required to fill out your email address and desired site address against password for theft protection. After filling out these details, you are redirected to your subdomains. However, only when you are redirected, you come to know about their real features and disadvantages.

Subdomains can be deleted without notice:

On contrary, it is difficult to judge which site might suit you best. With large number of domains available and sharing similar features, you may get confused choosing one over another. Most domain owners allow restricted uploading of few megabytes. This means you only get few megabytes of storage. This may add to your difficulty if you want to upload free content on your site in order to attract large traffic to site. To make the situation worse, you may receive notifications for deleting free content that is objectionable according to the rule of domain hosting. Sometimes, it happens forcefully. That is, your content is removed without notice. This can be problematic as all your hard work will be wiped out at the domain owner’s whim.

Start Charging on subdomains:

Most people who register on free domains experience unjust charging after their site runs on fully developed scale. With increase in traffic, website developers face the crunch, as they receive blackmailing from domain builders on making hefty pays threatening permanent deletion of their websites. It is quite difficult to mitigate such problems, as you cannot take a legal stand against domain owners. This is so because most domain owners purposefully make it a point to include terms and conditions that relieve them from carrying any responsibility or liabilities for malfunctioning before assigning the domain to you.

Loss of Search Engine Rankings:

If you want to move your site when it is registered under subdomain, you will not be able to keep all those backlinks and you will lose all the search engine rankings. This is because whenever you move a site or a page from one address to another, you need to inform the search engine with a 301 redirect (this is sort of like a change of address card). A 301 redirect will tell the search engines that your site or page has moved and it should transfer all of the “link credit” to the new address. However, with free subdomains, you won’t have access to .htaccess files -which is where you need to place the 301 redirect command for the search engines. Thus, you’re essentially stuck from a search engine perspectives.

Mutual Profit Models:

Most domain owners allow you to build subdomains only on the condition that you let them post their advertisements for free. This is fine, until you invest time building your site on their domain. However, once you complete your site, you lose opportunities to earn money from it. This is perhaps the biggest drawback of building sites over free subdomains. It not only hurts you, but also hampers your opportunity to earn money. However, there are some domain owners that provide you with genuine ways of making money. They allow you to make money on websites you built using their domains. In addition, they allow restricted access of adding advertisements to your site. Thus, they practice two-way mutual profit models. That is, they earn along with you.

Now that you know the cons of using free subdomains, it is entirely up to you on whether you choose to use free subdomains or not.

Search Engine Optimization or SEO is a procedure, wherein a website or a webpage is optimized in a way to enhance its search engine ranking and there are different types of SEO techniques available.

Once your website attains a good search engine ranking, it is capable to attract huge traffic and thus, your site becomes highly visible to a huge set of audiences. As a result, your business moves up to the next level. Therefore, SEO is presently one of the most crucial online marketing tools used by tons of organizations across the globe.

You need to choose the one that you feel can improve your website’s ranking effectively. For this, you may have to seek the assistance of a search-engine optimization expert, who can suggest to you the most appropriate SEO methods.

The amount of traffic your website will attract completely depends on the type of SEO techniques used. Given below are different types of SEO methods that you need to know about.

• Black Hat SEO

This type of SEO uses techniques like spamdexing and cloaking to trick both the search-engine robots as well as the customers. Black Hat SEO method compels one to believe what is not true.

• Inclusion of the right keywords

When users search for something on the website, they use specific keywords related to the product they are searching for. Therefore, you need to make sure that your website content includes the right density of keywords related to your product. This will take your website higher in the search results, thereby making it visible to a larger set of audience. As a result, the online traffic towards your website increases.

• Inbound Links are one of the different types of SEO services

Not many people are aware of the fact that search engines also rank a particular website based on the inbound links it has. Inbound link is a link to your website from various other websites. Therefore, the more the number of inbound links in your website the more will be its visibility.

• Simple Website Content

The content of website should be simple and easy to understand. Avoid using long sentences. The web content needs to have an appropriate flow, which means, the first paragraph should precisely link to the second one and so on. This compels the reader to read further.

By applying these different types of SEO methods, you will surely be able to see your website right on top of the search engine results page. Make sure you opt for a method that you feel is perfect for your website. So, which of the different types of SEO methods mentioned above are you intending to choose?

People who wish to promote website and do well at SEO need to understand the importance of building a strong network with the bloggers who could play a significant role in achieving good promotion of the website. Unless the right kind of steps are taken from the beginning itself, it is difficult to get the most of one’s association with bloggers.

Here are some tips that could be implemented to create efficient outreach:

1. It’s easier to sell on twitter
One needs to understand that use of link request emails is not always very effective, as it can showcase flattery and forced compliments. Since a compliment on the content of the website can seem unnatural at times, it is wise to look for other methods to promote website.

The use of social networking sites like twitter can be more effective in this regard, as there is always a lot of activity on these sites. Since people constantly keep track of each other’s activities by adding new friends, posting new content and commenting on the various things shown there, a business can benefit greatly from these sites provided they promote website of interest using the latest strategies.

As an illustration, the use of twitter to converse with each other for about a month before requesting for link is bound to produce better results than a link request email filled with flattery.

2. It’s not an easy task to get email addresses
Normally, it is seen that owners of a website try their best to hide their email addresses with the use of contact forms, generic addresses like contact@ website.com and images.

On the other hand, they try all possible means of advertising in their social media accounts by signing into directories, making use of the post section in their blogs to link to their social media account etc.

Thus, it goes without saying that people prefer being contacted through their twitter or facebook accounts as compared to email addresses and it is relatively easy to contact website owners through their social media accounts.

Thus, in the case where a person’s name is known, he can be easily located by typing in his name on the social networking site. In case the person’s job title is unclear, one may try LinkedIn to search with the name of their company and the kind of job he does.

The use of newer tools like WeFollow, FollowerWonk and special internal search options for social networks like Facebook and Twitter can be of immense help in this regard. People who are well versed with the use of importxml () and Google Docs can bring in more ease at work to get the required addresses from Twitter with WeFollow and Followerwonk directories.

3. Make the most of Twitter’s search options
It has become relatively easy to build links with the help of Twitter search. By looking for the right kind of hashtags like #HARO, journorequest, #journalistrequest and combining them with relevant keywords one can arrive at good opportunities. It is important to respond soon as speed is a crucial aspect.

Approaches like the search for guest post opportunities can provide great results as it aims at promoting content rather than searching for content. A search for “guest post”+ keyword or “guest blog”+ keyword yields the kind of guest content that falls in similar categories that they wish to buy provided the content is genuine.

Provided the above mentioned hashtag and search ideas are giving good results, setting them up as extra panes in Tweetdeck can enable regular scanning.

4. Plan your guest posting strategy
The inclusion of relevant ideas in the first step itself would ensure that one has a good success rate when he searches for bloggers with regard to guest posting options. Having a good idea about the kind of content that has helped the blogger in the past, would make it impossible for him to turn down your offer as he would not want to lose free post on his topic.

Looking up the OSE Top pages report can help one search for any themes that recur. As an illustration, a technology blog is more likely to be in need of content with regard to Smartphone, as it is a popular topic. Thus, having an idea about the ‘in vogue’ topics would help one make use of his ideas in the subject.

For advanced searches and better results, one can even make use of Postrank, since they take into account input from the comments by users and social media too.

For people who are well versed with Google Docs, building tools as illustrated by Tom Critchlow would help in gauging the social metrics by running the obtained list of pages.

5. Promote website- carefully name lists on twitter

One can make the most of twitter lists to promote website by ensuring that he prepares a private list for the outreach targets. This would help him create a pane which he may keep track of the recent activities of the bloggers and look forward to an opportunity to interact with them. Care needs to be taken to ensure that the people on the list do not get to know about the ulterior motives of including them on your list, as it would spoil the whole game.

Make the most of the public lists to flatter your outreach targets, by using titles like “the greatest bloggers about food and travel”. Though there is no guarantee that people will look at it, one who sees it is sure to be impressed.

6. Relationships through introduction
With the use of options like LinkedIn, one can avoid the scenario of the link request being too formal and boring. By checking the information with regard to the person you target, chances of getting an introduction through a friend or a colleague who already knows the person are high.

Thus, this enables one to take advantage of existing relationships, by requesting for an introduction which makes the entry easier.

7. Showcase your professionalism
It would be worth noting that the email address does not showcase credibility of the site apart from the domain name. Thus, effectively using the profile on social networking sites would be of immense help to showcase one’s professionalism to the clients.

Thus, it is a must that one invests time in shaping his social networking profile perfectly. Even the tiniest of aspects play their role in enhancing the credibility of the profile. Thus, the right kind of formal photo instead of a logo would be advisable. Being a part of the different discussions related to the niche would send a strong message to the clients as they get to know about the professionalism and interest you take in your work.

8. Set up RSS feeds for quality bloggers – key step to promote website

Usually, for niches that are vast, there can be smaller niches within the niche, thereby, demanding for more precision at work. For example, it is easy for a blogger who deals with food to associate with a blogger in cakes. Thus, one can use the option of RSS feeds to provide such bloggers with the content of their interest and thereby, promote website with the use of links from them.

It is imperative to have a website that is ranked high in order to get more traffic into it. However, it is a well known fact that getting traffic into a website is not an easy task. As one tries to attract customers on the internet towards his products, blogs and ideas; he has to make sure that he is better than his competitors in all aspects.

Though people spend time and money in order to increase the ranking of their site and to have more relative keywords, they often tend to overlook the steps that greatly determine the performance of their site. Once a visitor checks the site, chances are high that he may leave immediately if he was not provided with what he was looking for; thus, rendering all the efforts in driving traffic into the website a waste.

Talking about the people who are involved in PPC campaigns, it is imperative to look into the next steps after the visitor clicks on certain links, since clicks determine their revenue. These marketers can lose big time if the number of click backs are higher than number of visits. Many seasoned webmasters have already acquired the SEO knowledge and skills in this aspect except newcomers who are more concerned with the methods of ranking than thinking about what happens next.

Making the most of traffic into website

Before the time of internet
In the olden days, ruling over a market was relatively easier for producers. The very statement from Henry Ford with regard to Model T Ford, ‘One may have any color, so long as it is black’, talks about the monopoly over the market. The absence of competition and lesser number of choices available for customers were the reasons for such high security to businessmen of the olden times.

The state today is completely opposite
With internet having grown to the sate of the most powerful tool of the present day, anyone can set up an online store within a few days. Thus, this accounts for the fact that each day, hundreds of new websites come into being. Consequently, market of the present times has essentially become a consumers’ market. One can now sit in the comfort of his house and buy what he needs with a click of the mouse.

Taking the above factor into consideration, businesses need to strive to provide customer satisfaction. A business can stay on top only for as long as it is appealing to the customers. An unsatisfied customer can easily switch to its competitors products with ease. The worst part about such developments lies in the fact that since search engine takes all aspects into consideration, these click backs can result in lowering the ranking of the website.

Learn what makes the visitor connected to you
Statistics show that visitors hardly take any time to asses the quality of the site they visit. In the case where they visit a page that does not provide them with solutions they were looking for, chances that they click back to the search page are very high. Unless there are no competitors with regard to the keyword of their interest, they do not waste their time trying to understand complicated sites.

One has to understand the following points when designing a campaign and working to increase traffic:

Numerous options are available to visitors. Make great first impression.
Appropriate graphic design is an important part of the site, as it plays a major role in giving the visitor a good first impression. However, it is to be understood that the ‘appropriate design’ depends on the type of the site and the customers who are targeted. Thus, understanding the visitors’ mentality is the key. As an illustration, one may consider a comparison between two sites; one owned by a fashion designer, whereas the other one runs by a webmaster. It goes without saying that the former one has a better visual design with a glossy touch to it and the second site focuses more on providing academic information to visitors. The aspect common to both designs is that they make available to the visitor what he wishes to see. Thus, understanding the visitors’ needs is most important.

Visitors assess the quality of site quickly. Ease of use.
Once the website appeals to the visitor, next aspect that governs performance is the ease of use of the website. One has to ensure that complexity of any kind needs to be avoided wherever possible, making the site more user friendly. If the navigation of a site seems to complex and the visitor feels that he is unnecessarily wasting his time, he will leave and go to the competitor instead owing to numerous choices.

Visitors do not have the patience to think. Differentiate yourself.
The key point a businessman needs to answer from a buyer’s point of view is what differentiates his products from that of his competitors and provides the customer a strong reason to buy from him. This is an important aspect, as a customer would buy from a particular seller only when he feels that the best value for his money is provided.

Mentioning the exact reason as to why a visitor must buy from you, on the main page of the website, increases the chances of making the sale as compared to the scenario wherein the customer needs to search for the solution on his own.

How to use what you know to get more traffic into the website

1. Use of the right design
It is a rule in business to be better than the competitors in all possible manners. Thus, having a look at their strategy and implementing ideas from there with a newer touch would be of great help. Learn more about the targeted market. It would be wise to have an exact idea about the visitors and their demographic background. Use of various surveys and polls would ensure that a good analysis is achieved. Check out the response of people to two different designs with the use of tools like Google optimizer.

Rinse and repeat
The safest approach to web design would be to learn from the past and implement the ideas that have worked before. It would be a good investment to hire designers who understand the subject completely, rather than the ones who focus on unimportant aspects as compared to what is actually required.

2. Make sure that the site can be used with ease
Referring to the ‘ease of use’ section above would be advisable. Keeping track of the users and the pages they visit; looking into the pages checked by test users would ensure that complications of any kind are brought into light soon and are rectified.

3. Ensure that the site appeals to the user and provides him with a strong reason to buy.
Factors to consider here are the uniqueness of your offer as compared to that of your most successful competitors, appeal of the pitch and etc.

The key points need to be made evident to the visitor and the use of elevator pitch would come in handy. Prepare various pitches and then rehearse them with friends to arrive at the most compelling and appealing one. Once you get the best one, transfer it into a video or audio file before loading it on to the website.

In addition to the above mentioned steps, responding well to the queries and complaints put across by customers is also an important part of the guidelines that help in attracting traffic into the website.

Talking about the aspect of RSS subscribers and RSS feeds, it is a well know fact that the inclusion of RSS feeds option in the website makes sure that the website is more user friendly. It also helps a person keep track of the developments with regard to the blog and associated topics, so that he can read through the topics when time demands. Thus, to take your business to newer heights, it is important to make the most of RSS subscribers.

RSS subscribers – how do I increase the count?

It is true that there is no one particular method that can bring about drastic changes in no time. However, with the use of the right kind of methods, one may achieve a significant increase in the number of RSS subscribers and a few of the working methods are as mentioned below.

1. The size of RSS icon counts

This is a key step in ensuring that the RSS option that you make available to your readers works effectively. By having a more easily visible RSS icon, it makes it possible for the readers to grasp the icon and thereby subscribe to your daily updates. Thus, provided the icon is made of large font, the chances of more RSS subscribers getting associated with your blog are high.

2. Place the icon at the right place

Though this might seem to be a very simple aspect, the results that are seen on placing the RSS icon on the topmost portion of the web page or on the lower end immediately after the article, are significant. It is said that these are the two best places for RSS icons, where the chances of people choosing to associate with your blog are increased.

3. Make sure to place it in the very front page

This is a key step for every person who wishes to increase the number of RSS subscribers. Since the possibility is very high that the reader might land on any page of the website, the option of RSS icon should be made available in all pages. This provides the reader with an opportunity of subscribing immediately, in case he likes the matter in the blog.

4. Explain about RSS

One needs to note the point that people who come across his website can be from the non tech background too. Thus, it would be worth mentioning to this kind of people as to what is meant by RSS and how they may subscribe to this option on your website. This step can ensure that you do not lose out any RSS subscribers.

5. Work smart – use your RSS feed URL in comments to increase RSS subscriber count

This is one such method which if followed on regular basis can work wonders for a person in hitting on more number of RSS subscribers. One needs to make sure that whenever he comments on any post or blog, the mention of his RSS feed URL is done. This makes sure that many people come across the URL and thereby subscribe to your RSS feed. The point that needs to be kept in mind here is that the information posted on the net will work for you as long as internet is in vogue.

6. Subscribe to blogs on similar niches

This is an important step that will make sure that you get genuine RSS subscribers to your blog. By subscribing to another blog, you provide the people who own that blog with information about your RSS feed and they too will subscribe to yours.

Having a large number of RSS subscribers will greatly increase the number of people to purchase from your affiliate links and in turn increase the income of your website.

The methods mentioned above are simple to use and can ensure that the RSS subscribers to your blog increases exponentially.