Many websites are turning into collections of regurgitation; material and sell sheets taken off other websites, reworded and posted again. While it is true that there are only so many ways that we can describe the selling points of a laser printer, a collective white noise is creeping into the webscape. Web pages on certain subject matters are blurring; not only in the message they communicate, but in the style and words chosen, until the tone sounds like Ferris Bueller's history teacher, calling role (anyone? anyone?).
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Glenn's Desk, Web Content

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We talked before about the need for professionally written content on your website, but what we are talking about here is the need for content which will attract those looking for information which relates to the services or products of your website. For example, if you are selling lingerie on your website, then having articles relating to massage, oils, types of lingerie, gift giving, size issues, and other information which relates to lingerie itself as well as topics of interest to those who may also be interested in lingerie will attract even more people.

While it is true that many people may be searching for lingerie (886150 searches in November for lingerie), it is also true that other interests would gather more possible hits and sales. 724222 in November for massage, 22424 in November for massage oil, 29032 in November for romantic gift.

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Web Content, Web Design

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Creating and Maintaining Sitemaps

First off, what is a site map? Generally when we are talking about a sitemap file for a website we are discussing a index file listing all of the pages on your website which you desire to have searched by Google and other engines. The file is typically a HTML file, and called ‘sitemap.html’. The pages are listed on this HTML file with hyperlinks to each page file. Very simple. Sitemap files like these are created for both human benefit (allowing your visitors to scan the website looking for information), and for the search engines. Most of the major search engines look for these files and use them if the robots find them.

The other type of sitemap file is an XML index which Google also calls a SiteMap file. This file is strictly for the Googlebot to use and index your file from. These files would typically be created by the professional you are using to create your website. You can read more about these in an article I wrote here.

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Web Content, Web Design

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Marketing a website, any website, is basically the same as marketing anything else, anywhere else. Customers are still human, they still respond the same way to particular levels of communication, and react predictably to certain situations. For example the typical consumer will take personal references about a product far stronger than the best commercial on television, whether that personal reference is from someone we know or not.

Most website owners tend to believe their website must be listed high on the search engines for the site to be noticed and make a profit for their business. In reality what needs to happen is that they are noticed and found. While search engines are a very good way of getting this result to occur they are certainly not the only way, or even the most effective way.

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Web Content, Web Design

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The new release of SWING DocPublisher – agile content management software for IBM Lotus Domino – helps organizations publish and maintain internal documentation, such as policies and procedures, product specifications and knowledge bases.

(PRWEB) December 7, 2005 -- SWING Software today announced the availability of SWING DocPublisher 2 – agile content management software for IBM Lotus Domino. The new release improves the way companies organize, distribute and maintain their documentation online.

SWING DocPublisher targets companies that are standardized on Microsoft Office and Lotus Domino. Unlike traditional document libraries, DocPublisher automatically converts Word documents into web content, so no additional skills are required to publish to corporate intranets and websites. Original Word documents are retained for future updates.

(Read the rest of the article here)

If they really have created a viable Documentation creator, this could be a wonderful thing for internal company documentation. The website is http://www.swingsoftware.com

It has been my experience in the past that many such Universal answers to the growing documentation problems of large companies, are not easily come by. Of course it is nearly 2006 and we've been trying to get a real answer for this problem since 1995 ... ten years I would guess is not "easily come by".

Web Content

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