Website Helpers.com

  Articles, tips, and resources for webmasters

a project by Michael Bluejay | email

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

• How to get good search engine rankings
• Myths & Facts about SEO
• Choosing good keywords
• How NOT to request reciprocal links

Programming

• Getting started with Perl CGI

Email

• Get your Email Driver's License!
• How to protect email addresses from spambots

Design

• General web design tips
• Problem Websites. My companion site where I document sites that or broken or unreasonably hard to use.

Video

• Choosing a video format for online videos
• Video file formats compared
• Putting video on YouTube

Security

• Having a unique password for every site you use, without having to memorize them or look them up
• Why your bank's login page is probably not secure

Resources on other sites:

• Webmaster Forum. WebmasterWorld covers every issue of interest to webmasters, from beginning to advanced. I give and get help there.
• Webhost. Dreamhost is the host I use. Pros: Best control panel in the business, integrated backups, incredible value. Cons: Mediocre support. You can't call them (email only), and may have to go round-and-round by email to get a resolution.
• Design.
  • Web pages that suck. Learn good design by looking at bad design
  • Which font to use? Surveys of users show which fonts and sizes they prefer.
• Small Business Help. Nolo's Small Business Center has lots of free articles on every aspect of starting and running a small business, including legal structure, bookkeeping, legal issues, marketing, home-based business info, and more.
• Business philosophy. When you chase the money, you make less money. But if you focus on the customer, the money will follow. This article by Jennifer Laycock provides a good example.
• E-Commerce: Increasing your conversion rate. 101 tips on how to turn visitors into customers.
• Affiliate Programs. Even sites that don't sell anything can make money by carrying advertising. One way is with affiliate programs, where a webmaster links to a merchant site, and then gets a commission when someone clicks over to the merchant and buys something.
• Website Marketing Tips. Stoney deGeyter, one of the best writers on web issues, has written the The Best Damn Web Marketing Checklist, Period! Here also are tips from Saul Arora and WebmasterWorld.
• Website Marketing Books. I went to Amazon to find some books to recommend on how to market your website. I haven't read these titles myself but I hand-picked them from the dozens that were available after scrutinizing the descriptions and publishing dates.
  • 101 Ways to Boost your Web Traffic
  • 33 Days to Online Profits
  • The Complete E-Commerce Book
  • Starting an Online Business for Dummies
• Copyright. Ten Big Myths about Copyright, and International Copyright Law.