I ask myself that question about once a month.My website looks fine to me, but what are otherpeople seeing? And what are the Search Enginesseeing? Here's a checklist of 10 ways to keep yourwebsite at peak performance: 1. Browser Compatibility The first thing is to look at your website throughother people's browsers. I do this regularly and I'vesometimes been shocked at what I saw! ANYBROWSERhttp://www.anybrowser.com
2. Broken Links About 5% of all links on the Internet are broken. Asite that contains broken links gives a bad impressionto visitors and is a frequent cause of lost sales.Also, the major Search Engines and Directories will notlist your page if it contains any broken links or missingimages.
Here are some free link validators:LINK SCANhttp://www.elsop.com/linkscan/quickcheck.htmlNET MECHANIChttp://www.netmechanic.com/maintain.htmWEBSITE GARAGE DEADLINK CHECKhttp://websitegarage.netscape.com/O=wsg uneup_plus/index.html 3. Web Safe Colors Are the colors on your web site displaying properly onother people's browsers? You may have a beautifulshade of lilac on your index page but it could lookvery strange on someone else's computer. There are only 216 colors that you can safely use onthe Web. These colors display solid and consistent onany computer monitor or web browser that is able todisplay at least 8-bit color. The Web Safe Palette contains six groups of colorswith 36 colors per group.
These 216 web safe colorscan have any combination of the following RGB (RedGreen Blue) values: 0, 51, 102, 153, 204, 255 (eachRGB value must be divisible by 51). Here's a good palette of web safe colors: WEB-SOURCE SAFE COLORShttp://www.web-source.net/216_color_chart.htm
4. ALT Tags ALT Tags allow you to give an alternative to peoplewho have the 'view images' function turned off intheir browser. Let's say the navigation system on yourwebsite is a series of buttons that link to otherpages on your site. If you don't have ALT Tags, peoplewho have the 'view images' function turned off willbe unable to navigate through your site - in placeof your button they will just see an empty space.
But an ALT Tag allows you to tell those people whatthat button does. For example, if the button is a linkto your 'Site Map' you could insert the following ALTTag:
ALT Tags also allow you to raise your keyword density.For every image that is not hyperlinked you couldinsert your main keywords. For example:
5. Meta Tags Meta Tags are so important they deserve a wholearticle on their own. The most important Meta Tags arethe Title Tag, the Keywords Tag and the Description Tag.The Title Tag should be no more than 64 characters(longer than that and it will be cut off in someSearch Engines).
The Keyword Tag should contain about 5 to 10 keywordsthat appear on your page. Never include words that donot appear on that page - in some Search Engines your websitewill be penalized for this. Do not repeat the same keyword - this is called 'keyword stuffing' and is also frowned upon bythe Search Engines. Separate your keywords with spaces (not commas). Thisallows the Search Engines to combine your keywords into phrases,for people who do 'phrase searching'.The Description Tag should be no more than 200 characters.Include as many of your keywords as you can.
Remember also thatyour Description Tag must be enticing - it must make peoplewant to visit your site.Here are some programs that will generate your MetaTags for you: WEBSITE GARAGEhttp://websitegarage.netscape.com urbocharge/metatag/ META MEDIChttp://www.northernwebs.com/set/setsimjr.html MULTI-META-MAKERhttp://www.multimeta.com ools/multimetamaker.html 6. Load Time A slow-loading index page is one of the main reasonsfor lost sales. The generally accepted maximum timefor a page to load is around 15 seconds. Here is afree service that tells you how long your web pagetakes to load: NETMECHANIChttp://www.netmechanic.com/cobrands/FutureQuest/load_check.htmYour pages should be no more than about 30Kb in size. To calculate the size of your web page, highlight theHTML document and then click on 'File' and'Properties' and note down the file size.
Then do thesame for any graphics you have on that page. Then addthose figures together to get your page size. If your page is less than 30Kb and takes more than 15seconds to load, the problem is most likely with yourweb host. The solution is to change web host. Here are2 services that will check the speed of your web host'sserver and compare it with other web hosts:HOST COMPAREhttp://www.hostcompare.com esttools.htmCNET WEBSERVICEShttp://webservices.cnet.com/ping/7.
GIF (or JPEG) Cruncher Shrinking the size of your images is one of the bestways to get a faster-loading web page. You can usuallyreduce a GIF or JPEG image by 40% to 50% withoutlosing any significant definition or sharpness. SPINWAVEhttp://www.spinwave.com/crunchers.html 8. HTML Optimizer Another way to make your page load faster is tocompress (or optimize) your HTML code. An HTMLOptimizer removes all blank spaces in your HTML codeand also removes certain unnecessary tags.
On average, an HTML optimizer will reduce the size ofyour page by 15% to 20%. That percentage may not seemmuch, but the saving in load time is much higher, asyour visitor's browser will parse your page much moreefficiently. A word of caution: in most HTML Optimizers you willfind an 'Options' menu that tells the program toignore certain parts of your code. Make sure yourOptimizer does not compress embedded script tags - ifthey get compressed, the script will usually not work. ADVANCED HTML OPTIMIZERhttp://www.pcbit.com/htmlopt/
9.
WIDTH, HEIGHT and BORDER Tags The WIDTH, HEIGHT and BORDER attributes are essentialfor each image that you have on your website. When youhyperlink an image, always make sure that the BORDERattribute is set to zero (BORDER=0). If you don't dothis, your hyperlinked image will have an ugly blueborder around it. The WIDTH and HEIGHT attributes allow your page toload faster, as the browser knows in advance howmuch space the image requires. To find out the widthand height of any image, just double click on theimage file.
This will automatically open 'MicrosoftPhoto Editor' - your image will appear, with the widthand height of your image (in pixels) displayed on thetool bar. 10. HTML Validator Always check the validity of your HTML. Some SearchEngines give lower rankings to pages that have poorquality HTML (such as incorrect nesting of elements). Here are some free online validators: HTML HELPhttp://www.htmlhelp.org ools/validator/ BOBBYhttp://www.cast.org/bobby/ WATSONhttp://watson.addy.com/.
Travel Cheap - Travel Well
Travel Cheap! Travel Well! Finally traveling around the world is affordable for average income person.Victor K. Pryles revealed all the travel secrets that we must know on his latest book.There are thousands of books on travel, but a book devoted purely for budget travel rarely available.In his new e-book "Travel Cheap! Travel Well!" Victor presents a variety of ways to travel for the ?economically challenged' individual. He use his skills as a researcher and consultant to unearth ways to travel cheaply. Through his e-book he is hoping that the reader will takes great joy in developing wise, crafty and savvy traveling knowledge. That's the purpose of his e-book to guide the reader find the secrets and tricks of the trade he has learned to discover ways to travel that are unique and cost-effective.
An electronic book that every traveler should put on their laptop and carry around the world with them!All the travel hot spots, the unknown secrets, the special deals and comprehensive...
Travel Cheap - Travel Well
Avoid information overload when searching for airline tickets
No more information overload on travel!The importance of avoiding information overload when searching for the cheapest airline tickets online cannot be stressed enough theses days. This article will explain how you should take your time and do your research to be able to cherry pick your way through.What we Internet surfers don't seem to understand is that there are millions of travel sites out there claiming they have access to the lowest airfares. When its time to book your travel plans the first thing we think about is our budget (for those of us who have a budget). Most travelers don't want to pay more than they have to because they still need money when they get to where ever the destination is and the more the better..right!We all want the cheap flights that are enjoyable, not too many stops, with food and entertainment, frequent flyer miles, plenty of leg and elbow room...all for the lowest and cheapest price you can afford....now that would be perfect dude! Well dream on, unless...
Avoid information overload when searching for airline tickets
Find cheap tickets from all the major airlines.
All of the major airlines are now associated with different web sites allowing for you to find discount airfare and cheap tickets on the internet. One of the reasons the
airlines have done this is because so many people now have access to computers and the internet.What does that mean to you as a traveler? It means that as you search the airlines for tickets you can be very selective as to when you go and who you fly with.Airlines offer discounts on the internet.Here's another tip that many people don't know about. If you called an airlines reservation desk and asked for cheap airfares information to a given city, you would be quoted a rate that may not be the lowest you could find. Many times you'll find that the cheap airfares are only offered on the internet, because when booking your ticket online your not taking up staff time telephone expense.If you've never done it before, explore the exciting options available to you when booking your next trip by doing your research...
Discount International Airfare
As the war for the skies among commercial airliners is getting hotter by the day, the international airfares have taken a nosedive, with more and more discounts offered to travelers. Frequent flyers get discounts on airfare after they have accumulated a certain number of points by traveling a certain number of miles. Some airliners accept frequent flyer miles logged in by other airliners also. But generally, that only happens on routes where either one of them operate.
Another way of getting discounts on international airfares is to get to your ticket booked through a consolidator.
This can be easily done online. The consolidators are able to pass on the savings they get by purchasing tickets in large numbers.
Various tour and travel agencies also offer discounted international airfares in package deals. This means that a group of international travelers going to the same destination could get a discount for buying tickets in bulk. There are travel...
Tips To Get A Discounted Airfare
Traveling by air has become an adventure and one can get the best out of it by being in the know. Fierce competition among airlines and an increased number or flights as well as options just means added benefits for passengers.
There are ways and means of making considerable savings on airfares. Here are a few thoughts:
? If you are flexible about travel dates often you can make a saving of over $100 or more. You just need to visit sites like Travelocity http://www.travelocity.com which give flexible travel date airfares.
? If you are net savvy keep a watch on fare watcher on My Yahoo and you will learn how to monitor prices on a daily basis and how to snag a low price. In this case however, you will need to know your travel dates well in advance and be open to many options.
? Benefit by signing up for being intimated by e-mail of discounted fares for unsold flights and special promos being offered by airlines.
Airfares > Tips To Get A Discounted Airfare
UK Last Minute Cheap Holidays From a UK Travel Company For Cheap Package Deals
www.goingabroad.com seeks to be the new number one destination for last minute holiday deals in the UK. www.goingabroad.com is a travel company based in London that can provide you with cheap package holidays, tailor-made holidays, business and first class fares and late availability, City Breaks, Beach Breaks, Flights Only, last minute holiday deals to Spain, USA, New York, Mediterranean, Gran Canaria, Caribbean, Europe, Far East, Dubai, Thailand, Japan, Tunisia,
France, India, Cayman Islands,
and more www.goingabroad.com now has access to a huge number of great airfares with almost all international airlines and will always endeavour to provide a competitive quotation, rather than just quoting lists of fares. UK Last Minute Cheap Holidays From a UK Travel Company For Cheap Package Deals
Airfares > UK Last Minute Cheap Holidays From a UK Travel Company For Cheap Package Deals
Digital Camera & Flat-Panel TV Buying Guides Launches For Holiday Season
San Mateo, CA (ContentDesk) November 11, 2005 -- CE Buys, LLC has launched their new Digital Camera Buying Guide and Flat-Panel TVs Buying Guide on their web site. These guides come in the heels of their previously launched
Airfares > Digital Camera & Flat-Panel TV Buying Guides Launches For Holiday Season
What's Wrong With My Website? 
A Cruise may be just what you need!
Do you ever want to escape from reality, just Get Away? Then finding cheap cruises and discount cruises from among several different cruise ships is what you need to do. Cruise ships come in all sizes and themes. It doesn't matter what your age is, what your background is, everyone can enjoy the fun and luxury of being on a cruise. Searching for cheap cruises and discount cruises can save you a lot of money when planning your vacation. After all, why not take the money you save on sailing and...
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