If there is one audience out there that you want to impress with your site, it’s gonna be Mr. G.

Why?

Simply because Google is the King of all search engines. No, not the king but THE EMPEROR!

According to the latest report by Experian Hitwise, Google accounted for 71.43 percent of all U.S. searches conducted in the four weeks ending Aug. 1, 2010. While Yahoo! Search, Bing and Ask received 14.43 percent, 9.86 percent and 2.32 percent, respectively.

Based on this report, there’s no denying that Google is still the undefeated King of all Kings of Search Engines.

And when the “emperor” talks, everybody listen. This is the reason why we need to make our blog/website a Google-friendly site. Even the famous internet marketing genius, John Chow, bowed down to Google when his site was banned by the emperor.

There’s no other way to be a Google-friendly site but to follow the pointers that Google posted on their Webmaster’s tool site.

Here are the 3Tips for Creating a Google-friendly Site and Achieve Good Rankings.

1. Give visitors the information they’re looking for. Contents, good contents, quality contents.  Make sure your site or blog contains useful information specially the home page.  Provide unique content that is worth reading to your readers.

Encouraged, engaged, influenced your readers! Give them what they want.

2. Make sure that other sites link to yours. Links, good links, quality links. Are you familiar with the famous line “No man is an island”?  Do you know the meaning of it?  It means man cannot live alone. This is the same with a blog or a web site, you can’t make it without other linking to you. Links help search engines to find your site.

Make sure that you are getting natural links. Avoid participating in a link exchange schemes and watch out for “bad neighborhood” that are linking to as well. If you follow  tip no.1, other sites will surely link to yours.

Tip: Best inbound links are from those sites that pass PageRank and have the same niche like yours.

3. Make your site easily accessible. Don’t hide! Don’t ever be an invisible site! Don’t make it hard for the “emperor’s soldiers”to find you.Make sure that search engines can crawl your site. Structure your blog or website exactly what the search engines are looking for.  Every page should have a minimum of one static link. This is where off-page optimization comes into play.

Try considering a static cache for your blog.

Tip: For wordpress users, you may want to use WP Super Cache plugin – a very fast A very fast caching engine for  produces static html files. I’m pretty sure that your webhost will thank you for it.

The emperor’s soldiers hate broken links. Check for broken links and incorrect HTML.

There you are fellow internet citizens. I just presented to you the quick and short but very important 3 tips to make your site visible to the world. If you want the emperor to notice you -  be friendly, not only to the authority but to other citizens as well. Don’t forget to follow the rules if you don’t want your site ending up in prison (sandbox a.k.a. Google penalty). If you’re site is not friendly, the Emperor will surely banish your site from its search results.

Today is National’ Heroes Day in the Philippines. It commemorates the celebration of the national heroes. This day falls every last Monday of August. The president of the land usually declares this day as a non-working – meaning it’s a vacation day!

Unfortunately, I was not able to take advantage on this so-called vacation day. I was asked to report in our office. To make it fair to everybody, we were all called to report including our bosses.

We are actually fast tracking the re-launching of our new system. Sorry, I can’t divulge it yet for now but it has to something to do with short messaging system and email services.

Being the most senior software consultant of the company, our president gave me the tasked to look for a solution on how are we going to upgrade the servers of our systems.

Currently, our servers are located on two separate providers. Our main server is colocated here in the Philippines and the other server is in Europe since most of our clients are there. We have a 1/2 half rack colocation space which we are renting out in Manila while our server in Netherlands is being managed by other people.

During our informal discussion, I recommended that we need to look for another web hosting provider so we can have additional backup for our projects.

By the way, our system is currently processing 600,000 emails per month. We are projecting that this will past the 1 million mark in two months time. Ever since we started our company (yes, I’m one pioneers), we already decided that all our servers must be managed by an enterprise level service providers. Having a managed hosting setup like this, we can concentrate in developing our projects instead of worrying about the network infrastructure.

It’s already midnight here and yet I’m still busy looking and searching for another provider, most probably based in Canada or USA because we have plans to expand our business in North America. I’m not the hero type person but my boss told me that I need to submit my report tomorrow at 3PM during our meeting or else we can’t get a bonus for our project,

I must confess: I’ve made a big mistake. I was not able to write any post about this offering of 1&1.  They emailed on the last week of July about this offer and I’d totally forgot about it.

I am truly sorry about that.

But I hope you’ll forgive me.

So hurry, get your FREE Webhosting for 1 year only from 1&1. Just click the banner on top.

Did I mention that this offer comes with a minimum of 2 domains included in the package?

Limited Time Offer! Your First YEAR Free for Home Hosting Package!

Wow. Time flies so fast.

My last post was a week ago. I was busy in setting up 2 new websites this past week.

The first project is a website for a non-profit organization. I actually volunteered to this group to setup their website for free.

Yup, you’ve read it right! It’s free.

During our first meeting, after I discussed with them on how to setup their website from choosing the appropriate  domain name for their organization and looking for the best web hosting provider, I was a bit surprised when one of their officers took out a credit card from her wallet and quickly told me to registered their domain name right away.

Since we were online, we registered their preferred domain and after that we search for the web host provider. Before we signed up, I gave them the time to read some of customer’s web hosting review on the web host provider that they have chosen.

We ended our meeting with their website setup already.

The 2nd website which I’m doing is a paid one. Actually, this new client was referred to me by one of the directors of the first project that I’ve done. I would say that it’s a God given project. I was not really expecting this project.

I was in Bohol for a vacation when this new client called and wants me to re-designed their existing website. She told me that I was referred by one of her friends. Of course, I gladly accepted the project. You see, voluntarism does have benefits too!

July 2010 payment from Adgitize is my 20th already.

I was planning to  rephrase the title of this post to – “Received a Gross Profit of $403.87 from Adgitize“.

I’ll tell you why.

I just came back from Bohol and upon browsing my emails I saw the payment notification from PayPal . It’s not really big in comparison to other members. I’m just so happy to know from Adgitize founder, Ken Brown, when he pointed out on his blog that it’s my 20th payment  already. I was not even aware of it until Ken mentioned it.

So I’d checked my earnings on Adgitize dashboard and here’s what I saw on the Payment Page (I deleted the date and payment method to shorten the post):

Payment Amount: 13.55

The biggest payment I received for a single month was $35.81  on January of this year. Let’s do a quick calculation here:

+Gross Payment = $403.87
* Investment=$14 x 20= $280

where:

+ what I received from Adgitize
* $14 is what I invested to Adgitize as an Adverstiser and 20 is the total number of months

But wait…I’d signed up as an advertiser two months after I received my first 2 payments, so we should deduct 2 months from my total investment.

Investment=$14 x 18= $252

But wait..there’s more. I also joined a contest wherein I won a 1 month free from Adgitize. Oooppsss, one thing more, in November of 2009 Adgitize increased their advertisement fee to $24 but they rolled it back the following month.

To make it easy for us (or me) to calculate, here’s the final breakdown:

My total investment is = 16 months x $14+$24( Nov. 2009)= $248
And the total payment I received from Adgitize= $403.87

So I still earned a decent amount of $155.87.

Not bad isn’t?

I had an early meeting this morning with a group of people who are about to launch their website. The funny thing is, they really don’t have any website yet. They are still planning for it.

To give you some background, I’ve learned about this group last week when I heard on the radio that they’re launching a “values formation” organization. To give you a hint, these people are some of the major movers  who campaigned for the new president of the Philippines P-Noy. I won’t divulge their name yet but I’ll do that in the next few days.

When I heard on the radio that they are still planning to put up a website, I readily send an SMS to the person being interviewed by the radio announcer that I want to volunteer my services.  Of course I didn’t receive any reply right away but after some few hours, I think it was  one of their leader who responded to my SMS and they want to make me involve in putting up their website.

And so I’ve met with them this morning.

I presented to them the steps on how to put up a website from registering a domain name, getting a web hosting provider, designing the website up to the adding of contents and how to maintain it.

They were all passionately ready in getting the web site up this morning but I informed them that it’s not that easy. I told them that they need to secure first the domain name they want ,which they did right away!  They registered the  domain name already this morning during our meeting. Because of their eagerness, they also signed-up for the web hosting as well. I gave them the options to find other web hosting provider that will suit their requirements. I even advised them to search for cheap yet reliable web hosting provider on Google or look for web hosting reviews. Apparently, they just asked me what web host provider that I’m using,  and that’s where they signed up also.

They asked me a lot of questions about the website but there were also personal inquiries like why I’m helping them. I’m not really surprised with their questions, maybe they’re curious if I’m for real or not.  I honestly announced that I’ve  met with them with only one purpose – that is to help them in putting up their website for free and nothing else. The truth is, I’ve already setup a  number of websites for FREE!

WordCamp Philippines 2010 is just around the corner. Will you be there?

According to the email that I received today, WordCamp Philippines 2010 registration is closing soon with only few slots left. I wonder there’s only a few bloggers who is posting about WordCamp Philippines 2010.

WordCamp Philippines 2010

WordCamp Philippines is the largest gathering of WordPress users in the country. This year marks the third time WordCamp is held in the Philippines, following successful WordCamps in 2008 and 2009.  It is scheduled on October 2, 2010. And it is happening at the College of St. Benilde along Taft Avenue, Manila.

Aside from various experts on WordPress that you will hear,  the organizer is bring back none other than WordPress developer and Automattic founder Matt Mullenweg .

The registration fee is only PhP700. This entitles you to a ticket to the event, a WordCamp Philippines 2010 kit, lunch and coffee, and a campers’ shirt.  But wait, there’s more – the organizer is giving a discount for those who will register and pay on or before August 15, 2010. They are slashing 200 pesos.  So better hurry! You still have 10 days to get that special bonus.

Unfortunately, even if the badge that I’m using says ” I’m going, are you?”, I can’t really attend the event this year because of the church activity that I have to attend in Baguio which was scheduled a year ago even before WordCamp Philippines schedule has been announced.

Help spread the word about WordCamp Philippines 2010.

During our vacation in Hong Kong last summer, my canon 50D lost its auto-focus. This is the reason why most of my shots were taken from the distance. I thought it was the camera body that has the problem so I’d checked it together with my lens. The Canon technician told me that a mechanism on the lens was broken. It will take at least 10-14 days  for them to have it repaired and they still have to check if there is an available parts for my lens. I’m a bit disappointed when I heard that because I’m going to Bohol on the 2nd week of August.

My broken autofocus shot

For those who are in the Philippines, I’m sure you know that Bohol is famous for its white beaches aside from the Chocolate Hills.

I informed the technician that I’ve planned to bring my camera to Bohol and if there’s a  possibility if they can  have it repaired sooner. The technician told me that she will take note of that. After two days, a customer support agent of Canon told me that there’s an available parts already. Another two days passed, I received another call telling me that my camera is already for pickup. Of course, I was so overwhelmed when I’ve learned that.

So I went to Canon office yesterday and pickup my camera. It’s live again! The autofocus problem is gone. Thanks to Canon Philippines, they fixed my camera lens in less than 5 days!

I asked the customer support staff if they are offering a seminar on underwater photography. For those who are not aware, I’m a Certified Open Water Diver. Since I’m going to Bohol next week, I’ve planned to take some underwater pictures too. Unfortunately, the staff told me that the seminar they are providing are for those who recently purchased their camera. I was not disappointed because I know that there’s a lot of photography tips that I can surf online.

True enough, as I was searching last night for some underwater photos and tips, I happened to end up browsing at Matt Wier photography blog.  Aside from the really amazing underwater photos on his blog, he’s got an eye for details. I was surprised how he composed his shots. I’ve read his bio and found out that Matt attended Brooks Institute of Photography in California where he is currently based. His works have been published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Times, San Francisco Gate, Orange County Register, FoxNews.com, Santa Barbara News Press, and the Pottstown Mercury. No wonder he’s a seasoned photographer.

Here are 3 samples among the hundreds of truly amazing pictures  from his blog.

Volvo Cruise from http://mattwier.blogspot.com

And here’s one of the most perfect framed picture that I’ve seen. Who would have thought the focal point of your subject on the edge of the frame will make it a cool shot?. If you notice the black frame surrounding the picture, this is not a product of an imaging software. Did Matt shot this from a window?

Lifeguard picture from http://mattwier.blogspot.com

Last sample but one of the best shot. Again, I wonder how he did this.  For this kind of shot, you don’t only need the right tool such as a telephoto lens but the right attitude as well.  You need to have patience ( lots of it) and wait for the right timing to produce a perfect shot like this .

Pelican Flight from http://mattwier.blogspot.com/

How I wish I can master even just the 10% of what Matt’s knowledge in photography. By the way, all pictures posted in this blog belongs to Matt Wier Photography. These are all copyrighted to him.

UnionBank of the Philippines is having a promo for all their Visa Debit Cardholders such as EON, E-Wallet, ePayCard, GSIS, EZ Cash with a VISA Flag. There are actually 2 ways to win and 2 prizes as well.

1. Use your card at eBay and get a 5% rebate for all purchases.
2. Link your card to PayPal and you get a 2GO coupon worth 150.

Both promo period is from July 23 – August 22, 2010.

The mechanics are as follows (lifted from UnionBank of the Philippines website):

5% REBATE FOR EBAY PURCHASES

1. All eBay purchases made using a UnionBank Visa Debit card during the promotion period are entitled to a 5% rebate.
2. An eBay purchase is reflected when the term eBay is found in the cardholder’s Statement of Account.
3. The rebate will be credited to the cardholder’s UnionBank account in its peso equivalent.
4. The rebate computation is as follows: Amount in PhP multiplied by .05 = rebate to be credited. For example, a total purchase of P1,000 will have a rebate of P50 (P1,000 x.05 = P50).
5. The promotion rebate will be credited directly to the account of the UnionBank Visa Debit cardholder two (2) weeks after the purchase is made or reflected on the Statement.
6. All related taxes will be shouldered by UnionBank.

PAYPAL LINKING AND 2GO CARGO COUPONS

1. Any UnionBank Visa Debit Cardholder who links their card to Paypal during the promotion period from July 23, 2010 to August 22, 2010 is entitled to one (1) 2GO Cargo Coupon worth P150. No minimum purchase amount required.
2. Linking of the Paypal account to the UnionBank card is determined by UnionBank when the Expanded Use Number is reflected in the cardholder’s Statement of Account during the promotion period. The Expanded Use Number (EUN) is a randomly generated 4-digit number that PayPal issues to account holders to further “secure” their transactions. Reflection of the Expanded Use Number (EUN) on the Statement within the promo period will serve as confirmation for the delivery of the 2GO Cargo Coupon.
3. UnionBank shall deliver the 2GO Cargo Coupon to the preferred mailing address of the sender found in his/her Customer Information File within 2 weeks.