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CMS, computers, HTML-XML-CSS, eLearning, open sources

CMS, computers, HTML-XML-CSS, eLearning, open sources

WordPress Search Engine Optimization

May 23, 2011 by Roy Johnson

tips on settings, plugins, and page tweaking

WordPress SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the art of improving the quality of web pages in order to increase their rankings in search engines – and thereby obtain more site visitors. And it is an art, because despite the mathematical complexity of the algorithms used by Google and others to calculate page rankings, there are many variable features which decide the ranking of a web page. This means that experience and fine judgement are required in deciding which are most important. That’s true even for WordPress, which has plenty of ib-built assistance on SEO.

WordPress SEONevertheless, there are basic principles that can be followed, and this manual offers a guide to what’s required. The first part of the book is an explanation of how SEO works – the manner in which search engines measure the value of your web pages; what information about them they store; and most importantly, which features of your pages can be tweaked so that they will receive a higher rating. This is all delivered in a thorough, clear, and jargon-free style.

Michael David covers the main content of your site, how pages are built, and how its navigation is arranged. It’s very reassuring to have the basics explained – particularly because of the ambiguous terms WordPress uses for its features. You need to know the difference between a ‘post’ and a ‘page’, even though they both look the same. And it’s helpful to learn that an ‘excerpt’ of a post only becomes a chunk of your page if you don’t fill in any text during the creation process. If there’s nothing in the excerpt box Google will grab the first 55 words of the page – and this will create duplicate material, which search engines penalise. With clever SEO however, the excerpt can be used as the summary of a post – or even an advert for it, using key words.

Michael David claims that the issue of key words is the crucial part of SEO. There are plenty of free sites and software to help you determine the search terms customers are using to locate the products or services you have to offer. The important point here is to put on one side the terms you use, and look at the terms your customers choose.

If there’s a weakness in Michael David’s approach it’s that in the practical examples he creates for discussion, he repeatedly chooses local businesses. ‘Denver Air Conditioning Units’ might be an easy company to get to the top of the search results – because you are limiting the reach of your web site to only that city area. But a company called ‘H.P Lightbrown Ltd’ that sells paper technology or architectural design services to a worldwide audience is a different matter. Nobody is going to search on the company name and you are competing with similar businesses throughout the world.

Many of the topics he covers are amazingly simple to effect – especially with all the help that WordPress offers – but they require careful thought. For instance a post contains a title, a permalink (URL), a slug, a description, an ‘excerpt’, and of course key words. All of these should be as brief as possible, but – here’s the rub – they all need to be slightly different to avoid repetition, for which your pages might be penalised.

There’s a short section on Google Analytics, explaining the information they feed back from spidering a site. This would have been more useful if it contained some practical examples of how this information could be used to tweak pages and increase their rankings.

He also includes a good chapter on writing the content of web pages with SEO in mind – the importance of being succinct and accurate, and how to include keywords without undue repetition. It’s all excellent advice – though it has to be said that this very little to do with WordPress.

All of this is only a prelude to the real business of improving your page rankings – which must be done by generating inbound links – in other words, getting approval from other people’s web sites. This is not easy, because it involves a very laborious process of making multiple submissions (requests for inclusion) to directories such as Yahoo.com and DMOZ.com. Alternatively you can try to attract links by generating content which is irresistibly popular or focused on something very popular or controversial.

The most common help you will be offered to deal with this issue is an invitation to join link farms. These are sites that are composed of nothing but links to other sites. Don’t bother – because as Michael David explains, they are valueless. He also provides other warnings again what are called ‘Black Hat’ techniques.

There is the by now almost obligatory chapter on using social media tools to promote your website. This too involves generating content that will ‘go viral’ (attract millions of viewers) which is much easier said than done – and it’s another chapter which has little to do with WordPress.

Fortunately Michael David finishes with a really useful appendix listing a selection of the most valuable WordPress plugins (all free) that can help you automate the processes he describes. I was mightily relieved to note that I had most of them installed on this site.

If you’ve got a WordPress blog or a full web site, you need to understand all the marvellous features WP offers to deliver good SEO. This guide not only shows you how to configure the software; it also explains why the strategies recommended are to your advantage.

WordPress 3.0   Buy the book at Amazon UK

WordPress 3.0   Buy the book at Amazon US

© Roy Johnson 2011


Michael David, WordPress 3.0 Search Engine Optimization, Birmingham: Pakt, 2011, pp.318, ISBN: 1847199003


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Filed Under: CMS, e-Commerce, Open Sources, Technology Tagged With: e-Commerce, Media, Search Engine Optimization, SEO, Technology, WordPress

XHTML 1.0

June 20, 2009 by Roy Johnson

Guidance manual for moving from HTML to XHTML

It’s the sub-title of this book which is most significant. ‘The Next Generation of HTML’ signals its overall purpose – to explain how you can make the transition from HTML to XHTML. Why is this important? Because HTML has been superseded as the language of web design by XML – and XHTML is a version of it which will help you to move from one to the other. Ian Graham starts by explaining the difference between HTML and XHTML as markup languages, then describes basic document structure. This might seem tedious at first, but these issues are becoming increasingly important.

XHTML 1.0Document definitions are crucial once the X element [extensibility] is introduced into HTML. The new markup language opens up lots of new possibilities – particularly if you want to make your Web pages available on a variety of platforms and devices. After all, you can now write a page once, then adapt it for a variety of purposes by using different style sheets.

He covers all the basics of text presentation, hypertext links, graphics, then the spacing and layout that becomes possible by using style sheets. All the techniques he discusses are illustrated by both screen shots and code – so you can easily try out your own versions of effects – from layering to the tricky issues of styles within tables. He also very usefully provides illustrations of the same page viewed in different browsers.

He deals with the more advanced issues of frames, floating elements, tables, and forms, plus the possibilities of scripting and event handlers in dynamic pages.

The last part of the book contains two comprehensive reference lists – XHTML elements and cascading style sheet specifications, plus a section which explains the important differences for those people who wish to make the transition between HTML and XHTML.

There is even a website version of the book available which he promises to keep up to date – and I particularly liked the fact that he lists the (often free) development tools you will need if you plan to go down the XHTML route.

© Roy Johnson 2003

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Ian S. Graham, XHTML 1.0 – Language and Design Sourcebook: The Next Generation HTML, London/New York John Wiley, 2000, pp.692, ISBN 0471374857


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Filed Under: HTML-XML-CSS Tagged With: Computers, Technology, Web design, XHTML, XHTML 1.0

XHTML Example by Example

July 15, 2009 by Roy Johnson

convert from HTML to XHTML in easy stages

This book demonstrates how XHTML bridges the gap between yesterday’s HTML-based Web pages and tomorrow’s more sophisticated XML-based applications. The authors (including W3C guru Dave Raggett) start with a brief account of why XHTML has come to replace HTML. They include detailed coverage of the latest style sheets plus forms and scripts to create pages with ‘smart’ capabilities. One useful feature of the book is that there’s a summary list of relevant URLs at the end of each chapter – as well as an immensely heartening selection of free and shareware development tools listed amongst the appendices.

XHTML Example by ExampleThese include Raggett’s own program ‘HTML Tidy’, which will automatically convert HTML to XHTML. All stages of coding are spelt out and explained in almost relentless detail. You will be in no doubt where you’re up to with XHTML after reading this book. It’s suitable for experienced HTML coders and new Web developers alike into the state-of-the-art XHTML world

As the title implies, the information is presented through examples. The code in question is highlighted in blue for quick comprehension. Unlike some tutorials, however, the code examples are accompanied by plenty of explanation for a well-rounded learning experience.

As the book progresses gradually into the more sophisticated elements of XHTML, it explains the differences between HTML and XHTML and defines key terminology.

You’ll get a feel for rich media formats like MPEG-4, SMIL and SVG, plus some pointers to valuable tools for authoring this advanced content.

An appendix includes detailed information on XHTML development tools such as tag editors, validators and converters to get your code from HTML to XHTML.

XHTML has the accessibility of HTML and the power of XML. This title provides an example-based introduction to the XHTML language. It contains practical techniques and tips for the developer to get started.

© Roy Johnson 2002

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Aaron E. Walsh and Dave Raggett, XHTML Example by Example, Upper Saddle River NJ: Prentice Hall, 2002, pp.745, ISBN: 013040005X


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Filed Under: HTML-XML-CSS Tagged With: Computers, Technology, Web design, XHTML, XHTML Example by Example

XML Hacks

June 18, 2009 by Roy Johnson

one hundred industrial-strength tips and tools

XML is everywhere today – from web pages to mobile phone messages and automatic feeds from blog sites. On the surface it’s simplicity itself: just put everything between tags. But as Michael Fitzgerald admits here in this excellent new guide XML Hacks, once you get below that surface it’s complex stuff. Fortunately, his approach simplifies matters by splitting up his explanations of how to get the best from XML into easily digestible chunks.

XML Hacks Each explication or hack covers a single topic, and each one is followed by suggestions for further reading, free downloadable resources, and web links to either specifications or other tutorials on the topic. And all the working examples he discusses can be downloaded free from the book’s own web site – which is a very good idea.

He starts off by explaining the basic structure of an XML document and how its content can be displayed in a browser using style sheets. There’s also a brief discussion of the free tools available for XML editing, and where to find validators to check your results. I liked the fact that the outcome for each new line of coding is shown in a screenshot, so you can see what you are doing at each stage.

It’s assumed that you may wish to convert existing data into XML format, so there’s plenty of advice on using a whole range of conversion tools, and even the latest version of Microsoft Word.

Every now and then you’ve got to be prepared for some of the abstract language in which these explanations are often expressed

XML has a concept of a document entity, which is a starting point for an XML processor. A document entity, from one standpoint, may exist in a file with an associated name. However, from the standpoint of the XML spec, a document entity does not have a name and might be an input stream that has no means of identification at all.

Fortunately, each separate topic is given a difficult rating – beginners, intermediate, or expert – so you can pick your way through at whatever level suits you best.

He includes discussion of new features in the XML spec which were still being ratified by the W3C consortium whilst the book was being written. You couldn’t get much more up to date than this.

As the book progresses he gets into the more advanced features of XPointer and XSLT (Extensible Stylesheet Language). These made my brain hurt, but are obviously useful for transforming documents from one form into another.

The examples range from generating PDFs and spreadsheets from XML documents, to grabbing data out of your iTunes Library files, and even generating scalable vector graphics (SVGs).

After XML Schemas, Relax NG, DTDs, Trang.jar, and XForms, it was something of a relief to reach a practical application I could understand – syndicating the content of blogs and web sites using RSS (really Simple Syndication). This describes the available software for receiving news feeds and for creating documents which can be sent for syndication. There’s also a nifty freeware program for adding other people’s syndicated news to your own site.

He ends with some advanced hacks featuring programs such as Cocoon, Ant, Wikis, SAX, and Genx. The mind boggles. Well, mine does anyway.

As you can probably tell, there is something here for everybody – from beginners (where I felt reasonably comfortable) to intermediate (something of an aspiration) and advanced (which I imagine will remain terra incognita to me for some time to come).

© Roy Johnson 2004

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Michael Fitzgerald, XML Hacks, Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly, 2004, pp.460, ISBN: 0596007116


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XML, HTML, XHTML Magic

June 27, 2009 by Roy Johnson

practical web design tutorials using XHTML

Most books on web design cover coding and leave it to the reader to figure out how to use it in real-life projects. This book uses real practical projects as the context for understanding how to implement XML, HTML, and XHTML coding. It kicks off with a brief survey of where HTML and XML are up to at the moment. This includes the need for cascading style sheets. There then follows a series of applied case studies. Each chapter deals with a separate ‘project’ – a series of web sites with different purposes. These range from personal sites and blogs to weekly news sites, community sites with feedback, and even information sites driven from databases.

XML HTML XHTMLThis is what I would call an intermediate level book. It assumes you already know HTML, and is introducing you to the next stage of style sheets and XHTML. It certainly shows you the important coding details. That’s to the book’s credit. The opening example of setting up a daily news site is an excellent tutorial in creating a multi-column table.

The contributors also show how to design pages which combine XHTML and Javascripts, how to control text within table cells, and how to produce printer-friendly versions of pages. They also show how to combine static and dynamic elements within the same table – allowing it to flow and expand to fit the screen. Clever stuff.

This book might have been called ‘Designing with Style Sheets’ – because that’s where most of its emphasis lies. In fact there is very little on XML. But then XML is the easy part: it’s controlling the appearance of what appears on screen that’s difficult.

This book will appeal to people who are comfortable with HTML basics, but who want to go further and explore what XHTML has to offer. The structure of offering eleven tutorials gives you the opportunity to either select one similar to your own web project, or to work your way through from beginning to end.

© Roy Johnson 2002

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Molly E. Holzschlag (ed), XML, HTML, XHTML Magic, Indianapolis (IN): New Riders, 2001, pp.223,ISBN 0735711399


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Filed Under: HTML-XML-CSS, Web design Tagged With: HTML, Technology, Web design, XHTML, XML

YouTube: an insider’s guide

July 3, 2009 by Roy Johnson

an insider’s guide to climbing the charts

YouTube didn’t start until 2005, but now it’s mainstream New Media. Why? Because it allows small time punters like you and me to upload video clips which – if they’re interesting enough – will be watched by millions of viewers. And that, if you work the system right, can be converted into a generated income. YouTube has gone from hobbyist niche to big business in just a few years. It was so successful, Google snapped it up for a cool $1.6 billion a year later, and now everyone from hobbyists and amateur daydreamers to semi-professional film makers is posting stuff up there – at the rate of ten hours of video every minute.

YouTube: an insider's guide If you’re not used to searching for stuff on YouTube, you’ll be amazed at the variety. There’s everything from instructional how-to films, reviews of new products, personal diaries, stand-up comedians, and extracts from movies, to recordings of live theatre and musical concerts. This is a book of technical guidance written by two insiders (or ‘Tubers as they call themselves) showing you how it’s done. They make their purpose very clear right from the start:

You don’t need money or corporate backing to go viral. You simply need a very good, or very bad, video and the know-how to get viewers to your video – both of which you will learn how to do in this book.

After a quick introduction they pitch straight into the main issue of how to make good short films – which is the very basic issue of storytelling. And the emphasis is on brevity. Your maximum upload is only ten minutes, but if you can’t make your point in two you’re dead.

Sometimes people get lucky and video their pet kitten just as it falls of a table chasing a fly, or they might capture a car just after the driver has turned up a one-way street. But these are just one-offs. This book assumes that you want to make regular short films until one gets you into the most-watched slot.

Actually, most of the instruction is already in the form of YouTube visual content. There are lots of clips available showing you how to direct and edit films. They also realistically assume that you want to do all this with minimum expense. That’s not a problem. You use yourself or your friends as actors, and you only need a cheap digital video camera. In fact professional film makers such as Mike Figgis and David Lynch already use them for creating full length feature films.

There’s also advice on microphones, lighting, props, background music, and of course editing. Then once you’ve got something to share, they show you how to create your own channel (profile) on YouTube, and how to customise it and start attracting viewers.

There’s a good chapter explaining the significance and differences between fair use, copyright, parody, remixes, and mashups – then on to the all important business of generating an audience. This can go from responding to visitor comments and participating in user groups and collaborative video projects, to all sorts of semi-legal and downright illegal hacks which can result in your account being suspended. YouTube does its best to make the popularity figures genuine for the materials it hosts.

The logical extension of all this is making money from your work – monetization if you want to use the current jargon. This can be done via YouTube’s partnership program or by running Google Ads. And finally, although they remain loyal ‘Tubers throughout, they end up by showing lots of alternative outlets where you can make your work available. There are also interviews with successful YouTubers who have gone viral and even landed jobs as the result of a two-minute spoof of some TV ad or pop promo.

© Roy Johnson 2008

YouTube   Buy the book at Amazon UK

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Alan Lastufka and Michael W. Dean, YouTube: an insider’s guide to climbing the charts, Sebastopol (CA): O’Reilly, 2008, pp.281, ISBN: 0596521146


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Filed Under: Computers, Media, Publishing Tagged With: Communication, e-Commerce, Media, Publishing, Technology, YouTube

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