WebSpeek Blog

It seems that the Google PR update is underway again. (Thanks Darren Rowse)

I don’t expect to see an increase in PR on this blog any time soon as it was just started a few days ago :)

In the mean time, you can check out your future page rank using the tool below, courtesy of SEO Chat.

Future PageRank Tool © SEO Chat™ URL Valid URL

Referring to Simon Owen’s post on the mysterious gadget, it seems that New Straits Times reports that thieves around Petaling Jaya are able to identify cars which have laptops in them by using a mysterious device, which even the cops are clueless about how it works. This will then carry out their theft on identified vehicles.

Malaysia’s New Straits Times reports that tech-savvy thieves in the district of Petaling Jaya have been using a “special gadget” in order to identify which parked cars have laptops hidden inside of them, with 255 laptops stolen from cars there so far this year.

The police, who have not been able to get their hands on one of these mysterious devices, are stumped and are recommending that people carry their laptops with them rather than leave them in their cars.

There have been a few (almost certainly) apocryphal tales of thieves using WiFi and Bluetooth to detect the presence of a laptop in a car or home, anyone have any idea what these guys are using? Are they shopping at the Engadget store, or are the police there just trying to come up with a fancy rationale for a crime wave?

This is a rather interesting news :)

Google Sitemap is a very important SEO tool for webmasters. It helps Google to index your site by providing a skeleton information of your site. Go on, register for an account at Google Sitemap now - it’s free!

After registering for a Google Sitemap account, all you have to do is submit a compatible XML file as your Google Sitemap. Creating these XML files are not difficult if you have the right script at your disposal, such as softSWOT’s XML - Dynamic SiteMap Generator.

If you have WordPress 2, then all you have to do is download install a plugin by Arne Brachhold. These are the steps:

• Download
• Unzip (Using programs such as WinRAR)
• Upload sitemap.php to /wp-content/plugins folder (Using FTP programs such as FileZilla)
• Login to your WordPress 2.0 Admin Interface
• • Go to the “Plugins” tab and activate the plugin
  • Now go to the “Options” tab
  • Then go to the “Sitemap” sub-tab
  • Click on “Rebuild Sitemap”

You’re done! You can now go to Google Sitemap to check the result.

Google Adsense can be regarded as a giant in the advertising industry with thousands, if not millions, of publishers working with them.

Google Adsense is mainly PPC advertisements. This means that you will earn a certain amount of money for each click you get on your Google Adsense advertisements. The amount may differ for each click. This depends on a number of factors such as advertisers’ demand, keyword popularity, and etc.

The question now is, how do you enrol yourself into the Google Adsense program?

First of all, I must say that joining Google Adsense is FREE of charge. All you have to do is register at Google Adsense and you’re done!

WAIT!

Do not register your site just yet! Google has laid out a guideline on the pre-requisites of websites that are to enrol into Google Adsense! A simple checklist is listed below (Complying with the checklist does not necessarily mean you will be accepted into Google!)

• Write original content. Plagiarised articles are despised by Google.
• No excessive links. Make sure your site is not a link farm, which is a page without content filled with an abnormal number of links
• Create roughly 10 to 15 pages of content. Each page should be about the main theme of your website.
• Register a domain such as .com, .net, .org and etc. Paid websites are generally preferred more than free websites.
• Make sure your navigation is clearly displayed. Vague navigation links will create a bad impression to the evaluator.
• Make sure your website does not contain content which are deemed illegal by Google, such as hacking, pornography, and etc. A complete list will be listed below, or you can check it out at Google Adsense’s Program Policies.
• Make sure your website does not serve other contextual advertisements. Preferably, remove all advertisements prior to registering for Google Adsense. You can add them after you’ve been accepted. However, their program policies clearly states that other contextual advertsements are not allowed to be displayed on the same page as Google Adsense’s advertisements.

Your site content may not include:

• Excessive profanity
• Violence, racial intolerance, or advocate against any individual, group, or organization
• Hacking/cracking content
• Illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia
• Pornography, adult, or mature content
• Gambling or casino-related content
• Excessive advertising
• Any other content that promotes illegal activity or infringes on the legal rights of others
• Pop-ups, pop-unders or exit windows that interfere with site navigation, obscure Google ads, change user preferences, or are for downloads. Other types of pop-ups, pop-unders, or exit windows may be allowed, provided that they do not exceed a combined total of 5 per user session
• Excessive, repetitive, or irrelevant keywords in the content or code of web pages
• Deceptive or manipulative content or construction to improve your site’s search engine ranking, e.g., your site’s PageRank
• Incentives (monetary or point-based) to users or third-party beneficiaries for online activity including, but not limited to, clicking on ads or links, performing searches, surfing websites, reading emails, or completing surveys
• Sales or promotion of certain weapons, such as firearms, ammunition, balisongs, butterfly knives, and brass knuckles
• Sales or promotion of beer or hard alcohol
• Sales or promotion of tobacco or tobacco-related products
• Sales or promotion of prescription drugs
• Sales or promotion of products that are replicas or imitations of designer goods

Now what? If your site has passed the check list, it’s time for registration! :)

After registering, all you can do is pray and hope that Google accepts your application. Before that, I think that you should take a peek into Google Adsense’s verification process.

First of all, all applications will be screened by Google’s robot. It checks the number of pages of your site, your content, and other important factors laid down by Google.

Next, applications that are approved by the Googlebot will be quickly reviewed by a Google employee (a real human :P). If he finally decides to accept your application, then you’ll receive a pretty e-mail welcoming you to Google Adsense. You will then jump with utter joy. :)

A word of caution though! There are a few important things that you need to take note of or else you might be banned from Google Adsense!

• Never ever click on your own advertisements!
• Never ever ask or endorse others to click on your advertisements! (The easiest way is not to tell any of your close friends, families, etc about your venture, or they might “help” you click the ads and cause you to be banned instead. You can install an adblock extension for Firefox to block your families from viewing the ads
• Never ever place your Adsense advertisements on an empty/”thank you” page!
• Always monitor your logs for abnormal activities. A competitor may click your ads repeatedly and cause you to be banned! You should report to Google whenever you spot any abnormal activity.

I shall quote you the old adage:

CONTENT IS KING

Create original content and you will see a bee line of visitors to your blog ;) (thus increasing your Adsense revenue when they click on them)