If your hosting server has a cPanel, you’ll find your Web site’s stats located in Logs | AWSTATS. Every host is different so if you cannot locate your stats, just ask your hosts where they are located.

When most folks login to their stats they are overwhelmed with all the data displayed — graphs and menus abound explaining pretty much every bit and byte of activity on your site. Many express surprise at how much is being tracked on the server side with the next comment being “what do I do with all this?”

Below are the five criteria, that if you work towards becoming familiar and comfortable with — you’ll have a very good idea as to what is going on with your site.

These five criteria will help you determine what is working, what isn’t and what to add more of. There is a ton of other information contained within your server logs that is pretty self-explanatory. The more you understand your stats the better you are able to notice trends and differences in site activity.

Make a point of visiting your stats at least once every month. This allows you to be more proactive when considering the growth and nurturing of your site.

At your service,

Your WordPress Consultant

WordPress Site Stat Tips You Can’t Live Without is a post from: WordPress Consultant: Judith Kallos, At Your Service...

“With so many e-mails stating for a fee I can have top ten rankings and get on the top page of Google, why do I have to do all things you claim?”

Back in the day, sites created with a target market in mind by considering keyword terms and phrases in code and copy produced relevant rankings. See I was waaaaay ahead of my time and determined targeted phrases before I typed a bit or byte of code. I came from corporate sales/marketing background so to consider how you wanted to be ranked, to me, was a no brainer.

Fast forward to present day and the whole process has been mucked up with misinformation and hype catering to those who don’t want to deal with the reality of what attaining relevant rankings entail and one can understand why most small businesses are frustrated. But what many don’t like to hear is…

Getting good rankings is an ongoing process that has to be monitored, tweaked and worked at — that’s simply part and parcel of having a Web site.

The healthy portion of site owners are not open or willing to embrace the reality of what attaining top of page; above the fold rankings require. Regardless of how often I explain the facts as to what is involved or send them to SEO links on my site so that they can read at their convenience and benefit from a solid understanding and realistic expectations — they just won’t have any of it. “There just has to be an easier way!”

“I should be #1 if that site is! Why is that site #1 when I am not?”

I feel your pain — but all you can do is your due diligence and keep working your program.

“Do what you do for your sites — they all rank very well — I don’t have any time to deal with this and make it happen!”

I do not do SEO for hire — I help site owners understand what they need to do and consider. And what I do on my sites is what I preach on this site — I work at it constantly, always and never quit. In addition, I strongly believe it behooves site owners to understand all the variables, be involved in their site, and have a long term consistent plan to improve their rankings over time.

“I have to add new information all the time?”

Yep! Brochureware sites just don’t cut it! Only those sites that offer value and unique content will be ranked highly in the eyes of the search engine gods. Just this week Google added a freshness factor to their algorithm. Have outdated old stuff — you cannot expect to compete for rankings.

“I don’t want to Blog — can you Blog for me?”

Really? Only you know your business, product and market well enough to know what type of information your current and potential customers would benefit from and appreciate. There are all kinds of things most folks don’t “want” to do when it comes to their business but we do it anyway. That’s part of running a successful business on or off-line. Like accounting and legal issues for example. You need to plan on blogging at least once each week — not just for search engines — but more importantly for your customers!

I get an e-mail almost every day that claims they can get me top ten rankings or on the front page of Google. So clearly that must be easy, so tell me how!

That’s called spam. Ethical and credible SEOers do not spam to get customers — period. And to make things worse, being on the top page of Google isn’t all it is cracked up to be. You need to work towards being “above the fold” on that top page if you really want to benefit from great rankings. I explain to folks how to work their rankings by virtue of the 95 SEO/SEM articles here on this site. Read and Learn.

I know — SEO sucks. It isn’t easy. It isn’t as cut and dried as many would prefer and unless you have deep pockets to throw four figures at true SEO professionals so they may assist you to attain good rankings over time, there is no way around the hard work.

But for those who understand how search engines work and take that into consideration when creating a site that caters to their site visitors, they will rule the day.

I look forward to seeing you on the top!

At your service,

Your WordPress Consultant

Guaranteed Top Ten Search Engine Rankings! is a post from: WordPress Consultant: Judith Kallos, At Your Service...

There are those that prefer to surmise that what I advise is a “Judith thing” when they can find information elsewhere that doesn’t require the investment in time, energy and resources necessary to gain the rankings they obsess about. And they are obsessing.

The bottom line is, if you want the rankings you say you do — it is really pretty simple what you have to do — that is if you are as serious as you say you are about getting the rankings you desire.

The “big kahuna”, the one thing you need to know, the single most important part of your SEO efforts is that you must know what your target visitors are searching for and what information they need.

That’s easy enough to find out because there are free keyword research tools available for you to use so you know this critical info.

Because…

SEOing Your WordPress Site is About
Your Customers First

You then proceed to write for your visitors, and because you know what they are seeking, you follow these three simple steps.

1. Write quality engaging, helpful and useful content.
2. Write some more quality engaging, helpful and useful content.
3. While you are at it, write some more quality engaging, helpful and useful content.

That’s what it takes. Good writing, about topics your site visitors can use. By knowing what they are looking for and writing about it — you are naturally SEOing your site! Keep a few simple WordPress SEO tips in mind when creating your content and the rankings will happen.

But it takes time and a consistent effort. A passion for your business, a willingness to share your experience and the ability to make the commitment to spend the time and effort to create the engaging content that makes visitors jump for that contact button — instead of their back button.

Time and effort that sadly many do not want to expend. Instead they fall for the hooey…

• I just have to change titles, keywords and descriptions to what I want to be in the “top 10″ for.

  Changing meta keywords (which are ignored), titles and descriptions alone without ensuring they are relative on a page by page or post by post basis, is ineffective. Titles and descriptions have to be page/post specific — the more specific the better!

• The more Blog posts I have, the better my rankings!

  Blogging nonsensical boring regurgitated content that is not well written, unique or helpful just to “Blog”, does not improve rankings — nor will it encourage contacts or return visitors. Quality overrides quantity here.

• I’ll exchange links with friends and unrelated sites because Google likes links.

  Linking to non-related sites that offer no value to your site visitors does nothing to build your popularity or authority in the “eyes” of search engines. No popularity or authority — no increase in rankings.

Being niche (the less you are about, the more you are about one thing and therefore can be more relevant for that one thing), writing quality, helpful content you know your visitors are seeking (because you took the time to do your due diligence), and being approachable and involved is how you gain the rankings you desire.

Here a few more resources on the reality of SEO from those I follow:

Search Engine Optimization vs. Customer Connection

Link Building’s Glass Ceiling

Setting Realistic SEO Expectations

The fact is you can SEO your WordPress site so that those seeking what you have to offer will find you. You just have to write about what they are seeking!

Everything you need to know is on this page to experience improved rankings with your consistent efforts. If you want to read more about the reality of SEO (not the hype and hooey), I’ve got close to 100 articles on the topic of Search Engine Optimization available for your reading pleasure.

At your service,
Judith

The Facts About SEOing Your WordPress Site is a post from: WordPress Consultant: Judith Kallos, At Your Service...