View Full Version : links
A little birdy told me that "A long time ago, the original intent behind WhiteBlaze was to form a network of AT related personal websites anyway." And so.. I got up the nerve to start a thread.
I am suggesting people who want links to their hiking-type websites, post their personal website address link here, on this thread.
If people having websites, have a website along the same lines, or just like the website listed, then they could add it to their own website links.
Then, it is just a matter of cut-n-paste.
My website has loads of links, because I think the links enhance the content and meaning of my special interest website: lightweight and ultralight backpacking :sun
I also suggest people having personal websites give whiteblaze.net a link.
If you do not have a link "back" from whiteblaze.net this will help whiteblaze.net move up to the first page in search engine listings.
Example 1: whiteblaze.net "homepage" http://www.whiteblaze.net (http://www.whiteblaze.net/)
Example 2: whiteblaze.net "forums" http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum
Although I have not hiked the AT, I really love this forum: I think adding a one-way "non-reciprocal" link would be nice !
My suggestion is this: let's help our websites be seen !
Connie
Streamweaver
08-13-2004, 14:30
Or you could just go to the members list and look to the right of their name and if they have a website just click the link.lol Streamweaver
That is kinda "soliciting" you know !
I have a non-business website, nevertheless, I think it would be wrong to send people emails. I know I just hate getting unsolicited emails. I "route" all I can to Trash. I just delete them unread.
This is okay. I asked first: the "little birdy" is a great big SGT.
Before that, I asked a website consultant, one that gets big money, because I read at the forum here whiteblaze was moving up in the search engine listings, and hadn't made it, so far, to the "first page".
I happen to think whiteblaze should be on all the search engine's first page.
I don't mind making people aware of another way to help out, hiking and backpacking interests, without having to dig deep in their pockets.
Maybe some people have "discretionary" money, for donations: some don't.
Connie
WOW, Streamweaver, there are really nice websites over at the membership list !
I am still not going to send them an email. I think people should select their own selves.
But, WOW ! there are great websites.
Streamweaver
08-13-2004, 15:49
That is kinda "soliciting" you know !
I have a non-business website, nevertheless, I think it would be wrong to send people emails. I know I just hate getting unsolicited emails. I "route" all I can to Trash. I just delete them unread.
This is okay. I asked first: the "little birdy" is a great big SGT.
Before that, I asked a website consultant, one that gets big money, because I read at the forum here whiteblaze was moving up in the search engine listings, and hadn't made it, so far, to the "first page".
I happen to think whiteblaze should be on all the search engine's first page.
I don't mind making people aware of another way to help out, hiking and backpacking interests, without having to dig deep in their pockets.
Maybe some people have "discretionary" money, for donations: some don't.
Connie
What is kinda soliciting?? If they didnt want you looking at their webpages they wouldnt have a link to it ! Streamweaver
If I wrote a member website, asking them to give me a link, on their website, isn't that "soliciting"? I think so.
I am asking some commercial websites, if their website relates to my website content, to give me a link. If they give me a link, great !
I have got my first one-way link today: http://trailjournals.com/Links.cfm
They let you put up you own link: amazing..
Connie
Mausalot
08-13-2004, 22:02
I need to add a page of links to my page
http://homepage.newschool.edu/~at2k/
But the one above is mine for info on my DVD (http://homepage.newschool.edu/~at2k/)2000 Miles to Maine. So if anyone wants to swap links, let me know and I'll get cracking on my own links page.
Cameraman :dance
I don't think anyone will mind you having there link on your web site. It would not hurt to ask. But that is one of the ways that you get your web site rated high on hte search engines. The more people that own web sites and have your link on ther web site then that helps you get closer to page one or I should say higher in the search results.
Mausalot,
swapping links will get you a special interest community ..one-way links "incomming" to your website will get you higher ratings and closer to the first page, on a search engine results.
I would think link-swapping, in your situation, is a good idea, because your DVD is for a "special interest" :)
I hope more people put their website's on this thread, and ask what they want!
I, for one, had absolutely no idea there were websites listed on the membership list.
I don't know if you want to give me a oneway "incomming" only link to my website, but if you do put up a Links page I know I would like to be on it.
It looks to me like you have a nice DVD there.
Actually, it was a Lynne Welden video I ran across at REI that really sparked my imagination to go "ultralight" and I had never heard of Ray Jardine !
Connie
Streamweaver
08-14-2004, 19:42
Mausalot,
swapping links will get you a special interest community ..one-way links "incomming" to your website will get you higher ratings and closer to the first page, on a search engine results.
I would think link-swapping, in your situation, is a good idea, because your DVD is for a "special interest" :)
I hope more people put their website's on this thread, and ask what they want!
I, for one, had absolutely no idea there were websites listed on the membership list.
I don't know if you want to give me a oneway "incomming" only link to my website, but if you do put up a Links page I know I would like to be on it.
It looks to me like you have a nice DVD there.
Actually, it was a Lynne Welden video I ran across at REI that really sparked my imagination to go "ultralight" and I had never heard of Ray Jardine !
Connie
Lynn Whelden is a member here but I dont think hes ever posted. I even posted a question for him but he never answered. Just doing research for his gear I guess. Streamweaver
Kerosene
08-14-2004, 19:46
Every so often I stop by the Seven Wonders (http://www.penncen.com/7wonders/7wonders.html) website to see their latest list of interesting websites out on the Internet. I ran across the Traffic Ranking website (http://www.trafficranking.com) that measures site traffic and links, establishing a ranking across all sites. Whiteblaze.net ranks #342,893 and has 377 sites linking to it.
eyahiker
08-15-2004, 06:29
Meta-tags will help also :) Bots read them when folks search.
Like for instance if you search for WB it comes up first!
On Google, if you search for AT it comes up on page three, whereas trailplace comes up third, reason? His meta tags are:
<META content="Information about the Appalachian Trail and planning hikes on the Appalachian Trail." name=description>
<META content="Appalachian, Trail, appalachian, trail, hike, hiking, hikers, thru-hike, thru-hikers, thru-hiking, backpacking, trekking, trek, backpack, backpacker, nature, wildlife, history, photos, books, handbook, guidebook, journals,wingfoot" name=keywords>
<META content=all name=robots>
meta name="description" content="Information about the Appalachian Trail and planning hikes on the Appalachian Trail."
meta name="keywords" content="Appalachian, Trail, appalachian, trail, hike, hiking, hikers, thru-hike, thru-hikers, thru-hiking, backpacking, trekking, trek, backpack, backpacker, nature, wildlife, history, photos, books, handbook, guidebook, journals, wingfoot "
<META content="Information about the Appalachian Trail and planning hikes on the Appalachian Trail." name=description>
<META content="Appalachian, Trail, appalachian, trail, hike, hiking, hikers, thru-hike, thru-hikers, thru-hiking, backpacking, trekking, trek, backpack, backpacker, nature, wildlife, history, photos, books, handbook, guidebook, journals,wingfoot" name=keywords>
<META content=all name=robots>
White Blaze's are:
meta name="keywords" content="appalachian trail, appalachain, trail, hike, hiking, hikers, thru-hike, thru-hikers, thru-hiking, backpacking, trekking, trek, backpack, backpacker, photos, white blaze, whiteblaze, appalachian trail forum, Appalachian Trail Photos"
meta name="description" content="WhiteBlaze.net is a Appalachian Trail discussion forum and information site, it also contains an exclusive photo section of Appalachian Trail photos. If you are preparing to hike the Appalachian Trai this is the site you want."
<META content="appalachian trail, appalachain, trail, hike, hiking, hikers, thru-hike, thru-hikers, thru-hiking, backpacking, trekking, trek, backpack, backpacker, photos, white blaze, whiteblaze, appalachian trail forum, Appalachian Trail Photos" name=keywords>
<META content="Information about the Appalachian Trail and planning hikes on the Appalachian Trail." name=description>
<META content="Appalachian, Trail, appalachian, trail, hike, hiking, hikers, thru-hike, thru-hikers, thru-hiking, backpacking, trekking, trek, backpack, backpacker, nature, wildlife, history, photos, books, handbook, guidebook, journals,wingfoot" name=keywords>
<META content=all name=robots>
This may not be an instant fix, but I would suggest that the description content, and it's placement order in the tag be changed to better help the bots find WB - at least so it comes up next to or above TP (Tyrrany Place;) ).
Although I must say, this site ( WB) itself is really well managed and organized and I could use some help from Attroll on how he does some of his magic here!
Meta-tags will help also :) Bots read them when folks search.
Like for instance if you search for WB it comes up first!
On Google, if you search for AT it comes up on page three, whereas trailplace comes up third, reason?
Although I must say, this site ( WB) itself is really well managed and organized and I could use some help from Attroll on how he does some of his magic here!
eyahiker
Do not take this wrong as I mean nothing by it. But I have tried all the variations in our Meta-tags. I even copied what Trailplace had in their Meta-tags back in about January and left it for about a month or so and my Google search rating never changed in fact they dropped a little. I have done a lot of reading on Meta-tags. I have written to Google (with no luck).
What I think our reason for being on page 3 of the Google search engine when you do an "Appalachian Trail" search is due to other web sites not having a link to WhiteBlaze. One of the things that the search engines check for is how many other sites have links to your site and that also bring you up in the ratings. Trailplace has been around since 1997 and they were an good informational and sharing site when they first started because they were the only one. So for 7 years people have been linking to Trailplace. But we have only been online for 2 years. So we do not have the years of online presence that they have.
I could be wrong but this is what I have come to for a conclusion. I have done a lot of reading and tried a lot of things with our Meta-tags. But I am willing to try different things also to help with making our presence known. But I am not going to just do something wild because of a suggestion. If you have had experience with this and I have not done what you have suggested then I will try it. But I don’t want to change something now that will drop us in our page 3 search ratings. Because once you drop it takes a while to get back up there again. I don’t want to lose the search ratings we have now.
So I don’t know if you really know anything more or are just suggesting things? If you have had experience and can prove you can change my ratings then I will give your ideas a try. This is the part I did not want you to take wrong.
I heard that the big three search engines are abandoning metatags, or writing algorithms to "weight" metatag keywords, because of keyword "spamming".
Nevertheless, search engines are still using metatag keywords.
I tried Google AdWords. It isn't necessary to purchase, and the application process for participation in this kind of advertising at Google, the websites on the right hand side listing, involves you making selections: you put your best keyword or keyword phrase.
In my case, ultralight backpacking.
I arrived at this phrase by looking at Google "Advanced Search".
I tried all my best keywords, and discovered the most accurate keywords "ultralight backpacking" had only thirteen personal websites, like mine for the most part, cached at Google.
I started my AdWord selection using "ultralight backpacking".
Their pages offered more relevant keywords and additonal keywords.
I selected from the two lists any relevant keywords.
Next, I watched the ad placement, and, I bid lower and lower until the hit placement was between 2 and 5 because the AdWords ads are the websites placed on the right hand side of the Google search results page and I specially did not want to be "hidden" up in the top right hand corner.
I put a maximum bid, based on placement.
However, you can stop right there ! Look at the keywords.
I opened another window and "googled" the keywords: did I belong on that page ? Yes or No ?
I deleted the keywords that brought first page results that seemed inappropriate.
I put all the keywords, in order of predicted hits, at the beginning of my META NAME=keywords !
I have: ultralight backpacking, backpacking, mountaineering, utralight backpacker, ray jardine, ultralight backpacking equipment, ultralight backpacking gear.
Is this helpful ?
Is this good strategy ? I think so.
But I know incomming links are more important.
The most important is having good code.
I tried for CSS and HTML 4.0 Transitional "with accessability", however I wrote my website using MSIE>View>Source and Notepad and is a website "cobbled together" by trial and error !
I have tables ..tables are bad for search engines ! I have atrocious HTML code !
I asked that highly paid consultant, so far, no charge, if he would rewrite my website in a CSS stylesheet and HTML 4.0 Transitional "with accessability". He is considering it. I haven't heard if he will, and, what he will charge for his services.
He has suggested having off-site "incomming link" special interest web pages. I have two other domain names, placed in subdomains at my host, I could offer: ultralightweightbackpack.info and lightweightbackpack.info
I am allowed 500MB traffic per month, I haven't reached.;)
But know this, the search engines will not force through bad "coding" to evaluate and rank a website.
Connie
attroll - Unless you wanted to use the misspelling of appalachian intentionally (which isn't always a bad technique so long as you ALSO have the right spelling), your meta tags for content include: appalachian trail, appalachain, trail...
attroll - Unless you wanted to use the misspelling of appalachian intentionally (which isn't always a bad technique so long as you ALSO have the right spelling), your meta tags for content include: appalachian trail, appalachain, trail...
Yes it is misspelled intentionally. I have to admit I stole the idea from Trailplace (I mean borrowed) and also because I also catch myself spelling it that way when I type it in a hurry. But the correct spelling is also in front of the incorrect spelling if you noticed.
Thanks anyway.