Tag Archive: Google


Blogger Custom Domain 404 Error From Google Apps

Filed Under: Blogger
Apr.09, 2010

Got blog on Blogger using a custom domain? Curious how you can possibly adapt Google Apps to use with your blog on your custom domain? Sometimes our curiosity gets the best of us, which was the case for me a while back when experimenting with Google Apps. My experiment took place just prior to Blogger providing the ability to create pages.

My curiosity and experimentation with Google Apps broke my Blogger custom domain, leading to a dreadful 404 error on the front end! Panic of course set in, assuming I was not going to be able to quickly remedy the problem. The downside of using Blogger is of course the fact that you don’t have access to files or settings in the back end of your site, when such a problem can arise.

Today I discovered a blogging friend who also gave in to the same curiosity of using Google Apps to attempt to create a page with Blogger, so I knew I wasn’t alone with getting a bit too creative! :o If you experimented with Google Apps, or perhaps broke your Blogger custom domain resulting in a 404 error, the solution is a quick one, assuming you can still get to your Blogger dashboard.

Here’s the quick solution to correcting the 404 not found error:

  1. Select ‘Settings’
  2. Select ‘Publishing’
  3. Where it says, ‘Your Publishing on a Custom Domain’, select ‘Switch to blogspot.com.’
  4. Go to the front end of your site, which should now be back to normal. If the 404 error is still there, clear your browser cache.
  5. Return to the same area in your dashboard, and select to redirect to your custom domain. All should be well again!

It’s always nice to learn from the challenges others have faced, so I hope this was of help to you if you find yourself with a 404 not found error using a custom domain with Blogger. As for creating pages with Blogger, make use of the Blogger page feature, to stay out of trouble – lol. :D Happy blogging!

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RSS Feeds 101 and Google Reader

Filed Under: Blog Master Tools, Google
Jan.29, 2010

Confused about RSS feeds, what they are, and how to use them? Subscribing to RSS feeds can save you time and energy, so you are notified of updates rather than you having to go search for the updates on your favorite sites and blogs. However, like me I found the whole RSS feeding frenzy thing to be confusing, and I’m sure some of you have as well. I came across this RSS feed video, which I thought was one of the best for making it easy to understand RSS feeds. Plus it also explains the basics of using Google Reader to read the feeds you subscribe to.

I’m sure you’ll find this RSS feed video helpful if you want to learn the basics in an easy-to-understand way! After you finish viewing the information, this is where you can tour Google Reader,  if you prefer to use their reader for your RSS feeds. Speaking of RSS feeds…. Have you signed up to receive LinkandBlog RSS feeds?

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Using Google Alerts to Increase Traffic

Filed Under: Keyword Strategies
Jan.16, 2010

Got blog? Need more traffic to your blog? Like me, most likely you could use more traffic! Here’s a quick tip on getting more traffic by making use of a basic free tool combined with your comments added to other blogs.

  1. Head on over to Google Alerts and make use of their free tool, shown in the image below.
  2. Type in your keyword phrase or term into the text field near the top.
  3. Select the type of search (should be “blog” search if your goal is to comment on freshly published blog posts, but you can do other searches as well).
  4. Select the frequency for the search, which can be as frequent as, “Up to the Minute”!
  5. Enter your email address to receive the notifications from Google.
  6. From the results of your keyword search, head on over to the blog results where you can then leave a comment, which will hopefully be linked to your blog url.
  7. Sit back and watch your traffic increase over time from your added efforts each day you use this strategy!

By signing up for specific keyword alerts, you have a greater opportunity to be the first to comment on some blogs that may have just published a fresh post about your blog topic. In that many blog templates have the first comments stored top to bottom, your comment will be the first one their readers will view! This of course, could result in more traffic to your blog, and that’s a good thing! Happy blogging! :)
google-alerts5

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Google Insights for Search

Filed Under: Blog Master Tools, Google, Keyword Strategies
Jan.05, 2010

Got blog? Using Google tools? Most likely you are making use of Google’s free services such as Google Webmaster Tools. Have you utilized Google Insights for Search? It’s another great tool to use in order to determine both past and upcoming trends, for specific keywords.

If you haven’t given the service a try, head on over to Google Insights for Search program, and you can see for yourself what some of the upcoming searches are for the keywords you’re interested in. Happy blogging! :)

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Google PageRank vs MozRank Linkscape

Filed Under: Link Popularity
May.29, 2009

Eventually, someone rises to the opportunity to compete against a large entity such as Google. Although they may not be a true competitor in the sense to Google, MozRank provides what I’ll refer to as “an alternative way” to determine your page rank vs Googles PageRank system, utilizing the MozRank Linkscape program, from their free SEO Tools.

As many bloggers know, their page rank was dropped by Google in 2007 from participating in PayPerPost’s program, which payed bloggers to publish advertisements in their blog posts. Unfortunately, PayPerPost did not disclose to any bloggers the potential consequences of advertising for them, creating a violation of Googles webmasters policies. For those of you who do not know, what occurred were sites being penalyzed by posting advertisements for money, utilizing the “do follow” attribute, which passed page rank to the advertisers. This resulted in many of us (yes, I included) losing page rank to our blogs. I, like many other blogger’s did not understand that we were violating any type of policy with Google, and for those (like myself) who submitted a request to Google for reconsideration, that may not have returned their page rank back to its prior status.

Although my prior paragraph here may seem like a rabbit trail, the point I’m wanting to make is that there is still hope to see your blogs having page rank, but perhaps not yet through Google. I guess you could say that MozRank is a competitor to Google’s pagerank system, although they rate things differently. Their algorithm for the page ranking must work differently, otherwise they would be violating Google’s patent for the specific manner and algorithms used when Google establishes page rank.

So, if your blog(s) experienced a penalty from Google or you lost your page rank for whatever reason, such as no longer receiving fresh backlinks, there is another resource to check your page rank. At the very least while you await for Google to re-evaluate your blog, you have something to make you feel a bit brighter!

This blog had attained a PR 3 according to Google’s page ranking system, prior to Google’s drop, and since that time I’ve been fighting the Google PageRank blues since. :( There were other reasons though too that I lost my page rank, which included a year away from actively posting to my blog or building links, due to significant changes on the home front. At least for now, MozRank’s Linkscape evaluation has made me feel a bit brighter these days as I checked my page rank with their beta system. If you’re experiencing the page rank blues, head on over to MozRank to check out your blogs!

There are two ways you can check your blog ranking with MozRank, using their Linkscape Beta program. The first obvious one is to check it directly from their site, and the second option is to install the page rank plugin for Firefox to see the rankings from MozRank while you’re on your blog, or any other site. To give you an idea of comparison, my blog TallSailsAdventure.com, which is currently at a PR1 is rated at PR2.67 using the MozRank Linkscape system.

Just a side note, for anyone who may be wondering, this post is NOT an advertisement for the above mentioned site, but simply something I came across and thought I would share with my readers. Now chin up, and don’t give up on your blog, which may have lost Google PageRank, because now there is another way to evaluate your blog with an alternative page ranking system. Happy Blogging! :)

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Keyword Linking to Increase Blog Traffic

Filed Under: Google Analytics Strategies, Keyword Strategies
May.28, 2009

It takes time to develop a blog or other website, and it may seem to take forever to gain and increase blog traffic, which in turn increases people linking to your blog posts. Google Analytics provides you with greater insight to assist you with strengthening your keyword strategies for your blogs, which will result in more organic traffic and more links to your blogs. Here’s a step-by-step approach to make use of Google Analytics data to determine which keywords are bringing in your traffic, and how you can capitalize on those keywords by a proper linking strategy from your own blog.

If you haven’t already done so, you will need to establish your Google Analytics account. If you already have one, login to your account and let’s begin a keyword linking strategy based on your Google Analytics results!

Step 1. LOGIN TO YOUR GOOGLE ANALYTICS DASHBOARD

Step 2. SELECT THE FIRST BLOG YOU NEED TO BOOST TRAFFIC WITH, BY CLICKING ON “VIEW REPORT” FOR THAT BLOG

Step 3. SELECT “TRAFFIC SOURCES”

Traffic Sources

Traffic Sources

Step 4. SELECT “KEYWORDS” FROM THE TRAFFIC SOURCES MENU AS HIGHLIGHTED BELOW

Keywords

Keywords

Step 5. LOCATE THE LIST OF KEYWORDS FROM THE LOWER RIGHT AREA OF YOUR ANALYTICS PAGE WHERE YOU SEE THIS HEADING

google-analytics-3

Step 6. From the list of your keywords, select ONE of the keywords or keyword phrases which best represent your targeted traffic goal for your blog. Be sure to wisely choose the phrase or keyword that best represents your sites niche! Once you identify which keyword or key phraseto use, you have one of two choices to make.

A. Write a new blog post (fresh posts are always good!).

B. Or, from the Analytics list select one of your top landing blog posts which best represents the keyword or key phrase you selected.

Step 7A. (If you selected option A above) Write a new blog post and be sure to utilize the keyword, or keyword phrase EXACTLY as shown in the Analytics report several times within that blog post, and utilize the keyword or keyword phrase for the first words in your blog post title. From the keyword or keyword phrase, create at least one hyperlink to an existing blog post you wrote earlier about the same keyword. Publish the new blog post and locate the new blog post permalink. Go on to step 8 below.

Step 7B. (If you selected option B above) Review your existing blog post you chose to use. If necessary, edit the blog post to ensure you have made good use of the keyword or key phrase you chose to use from the Analytics report. Be sure to utilize the keyword, or keyword phrase EXACTLY as shown in the Analytics report several times within that blog post, editing the post if necessary. From the keyword or keyword phrase, create at least one hyperlink to an existing blog post you wrote earlier about the same keyword. Publish the revised blog post and locate the new blog post permalink. Note: DO NOT change the blog post title of your existing posts involved in this strategy. Now go on to step 8 below.

Step 8. Add a link within your blog sidebar from the same blog, to the new blog post permalink, or to the existing blog post permalink, whichever option above you went with. Be sure to use the keyword or keyword phrase for the link text (hypertext), and again EXACTLY as shown in your Google Analytics report. If done correctly, the keyword link to your blog post will really pay off by bringing in more traffic from organic search results.

Step 9. Moniter your future Google Analytics reports to see how this strategy has increased your traffic, and sit back and enjoy the brighter future your blog will have.

Step 10. If this information has helped you, please comment here to let me know! Thanks!

You may also find these to be good resources to learn from about this topic:
Using Keyword Segmentation in Google Analytics
Analytics Basics and Keywords
Reoptimize Posts using Analytics and Keywords
Keyword Tools Using Google

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Widget Language Translator

Filed Under: Technology
Aug.31, 2007

One of our members of Link and Blog Challenge wrote about a Google Tools Widget, which enables you to provide a language translator widget on your blog for your readers. You may wish to give the widget a go depending on widget way you like it! (pun intended).

Widgetbox is a service provider for a large variety of widgets for a vast array of uses, whether it be for your blogs or other website. Either way, widgets are addicting, and if you wish to add the language Google tools widget, check it out!

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