For widget-enabled themes only.

1. Add the Text widget to the sidebar of your choice.
   • Edit the Text widget.
   • Copy the iframe text provided by Google into the editing box. For example:

     • <iframe
       width="425" height="350"
       frameborder="0"
       scrolling="no"
       marginheight="0" marginwidth="0"
       src="http://maps.google.com/maps..."></iframe>
       <br /><small>
       <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps..."
       style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a>
       </small>

   • Click the Done button.
   • Click Save Changes in the widget area.
     • The iframe tag stays intact if you copy the code into a Text widget.
2. View Site to ensure you see what you expected.

Add any location map iframe tag to a Post or Page.

1. Copy the iframe code provided by Google.
2. Add New Page or Post.
   • Paste the iframe code into the editing box.
   • Click Save.
   • Click the HTML tab to view the code.
     • You should see the googlemaps tag genereated by WordPress. It replaces the code you copied into the box.
     • WordPress Support provides a visual tutorial.
   • Click Publish.
3. View the Post to ensure you see what you expected.

Make maps

Make your own annotated multimedia Google map

1. Know Your Audience.

2. Know Your Competitors.

3. Research keywords and phrases.

4. Buy a domain.

5. Design the site to help search engines.

6. Complete the content of your site.

7. Test users.

8. Submit your site to search engines.

9. Create online relationships.

10. Track statistics.

11. Keep up with trends.

12. Remind everyone of your domain name.

Avoid becoming a splog.

Final words of advice for new web authoring masters.

Create an Online Presence workshop at Linn Benton Community College

These links take you to new web sites created by attendees of the Building an Online Presence workshops. Watch the list grow!

Gorilla Grams Blog, Balloon Bouquets & Classic Decor, Costumed Delivery & Balloon Twisting

Dylan McMahon, Fine Arts

Carolee S. Clark, Painter blog, web site, collaboration web site by Carolee Clark

Donna Beverly’s blog, web site, collaboration web site by Donna Beverly

Rusty Van Rossmann’s blog by Rusty Van Rossmann

Procession of the Species (Albany) by Tia Swanson.

Herb Berman, oil painter by Regina Berman

Rose Gate Pottery and Boundless Gallery by Becca Lemon

Linda J. Edwards Visual Arts by Linda Edwards

Jan Maitland Portraits and Paintings and JanMaitland.BoundlessGallery.com, Jan Maitland

Barbara Levine and her blog, by Barbara Levine

Willamette Valley Farmlands by Ellen Hamill of Oregon Art Photos

Ted Ernst Pottery blog & website by Ted Ernst

Clay with Fire and Willamette Ceramics Guild by Steve Aulerich

Fibers of Faith by Cindy McNutt-Kaestner

Anita Cook Landscapes in Pastel and AnitaCook.BoundlessGallery.com by Anita Cook

Fine Fiber Press & Studio by Pat Spark and Kathe Todd-Hooker

SparkFiberArts and blog by Pat Spark

Noris Dairy, Angela Spalt

Umbrella Painting Journal by Diane Widler Wenzel

JR Young, PC

Readings

So, You Want A Web Ring, Huh?

Joe Burns, Ph.D. For HTML Goodies.

Webring.com

Browse, join, and create webrings related to your site’s topic.

What is a web ring?

Definition courtesy Scots Mist

A web ring is a group of Web sites with a common theme, configured in a loop, allowing a surfer easy access to subsequent sites in the ring by clicking on links. Some rings only allow users to access the next member in the ring or the previous member, thus maintaining the integrity of the ring concept. Others allow users to jump to the site of any member in no particular order. Many Webrings maintain standards for members so a user can expect a certain degree of uniformity and quality when visiting a member site.

To get more visibility from a ring, consider the following:

• Join more than one.
• Create one and be the ringmaster, to ensure your participating sites are of the same quality or better, as yours.
• Join rings that have few sites; those with lots may not provide you with as many click-throughs.

Readings

Search Engine Watch

Articles, reports, newsletters, for members and non members.

Robotstxt.org

Helping promote the Robot Exclusion Standard.

The Unusually Useful Web Book

June Cohen. New Riders. 2003.

Pages 310, 313 to 315.

250 HTML and Web Design Secrets

Molly E Holzschlag. Wiley Publishing. 2004.

Pages 354 to 355.

As you can tell from the first reading, the task of submitting to and monitoring placement on search engines changes often. Here’s the process I went through with my last client:

1. Build a table (or spreadsheet) with all major search engines listed. Add columns for:
   • URL to the submitting page(s)
   • Date you submitted
   • Notes about what you submitted
   • Placement after 1 week, 1 month, 1 year
2. Follow submission instructions for each major Search Engine. Sometimes submitting to one will list you in others. Check periodically to see which search engine is the most popular.
   • Google
     • Only resubmit to Google when you’ve had a major site change.
   • Yahoo
   • Dmoz
   • MSN / Inktomi / Submit-it.com
   • Bing
   • Industry-related directories.
   • If your location matters, then consider submitting to Geocities and similar geographical directories.
3. Save confirmation emails with userID and passwords if any. Keep them organized so you can quickly maintain the listings.
4. Search for your site within these directories regularly to see how you’re placing.
5. Adjust your site as needed to rank higher (see Launching and Promoting a Site).

Remember that search engines will find you when you least expect it; meaning you don’t always have to submit, and if you don’t want to be listed, you’ve better add the special meta tag that keeps the robots out:

• <meta name=”robots” content=”noindex, nofollow” />

Do some research:

• Find out how popular you are in different search engines by looking at LinkPopularity.com.
  • You might discover you’ve been listed on sites you don’t want to be listed on!
  • Or you might see new opportunities on one search engine that isn’t covered on another.
• Find out how popular your competitors are.
  • Look for opportunities; are there few other competitors listed on the site your main competitors is on? Perhaps this is a good place your to get listed.
• Sign up to get notified of your popularity on a regular basis.

Determine what sites would be great exchanges

Sites with excellent search engine placement may be good candidates for inclusion in your site, and visa versa. Many search engines rank sites higher if many other sites link to them. Consider these:

• Your clients
  and partners
  • Have a link to your client’s site and list your site either in the credits page, or in the footer as the webmaster to be contacted when maintenance is needed.
• Like sites with high ranking.
• Related sites with high ranking.
• Organization sites you belong to.
• Directory sites where you’re listed.

Readings

About.com’s definitions

and related information pertaining to domain names.

The Unusually Useful Web Book

June Cohen. New Riders. 2003.

Pages 33 to 39.

What is a domain name?

Juergen Haas, author of Your Guide to Focus on Linux and contributor to About.com defines a domain name as the unique name that identifies an Internet site. This identifier is the most important way you promote your site. I’ve bulleted Haas’ list of characteristics here:

• Domain Names always have 2 or more parts, separated by dots.
• The part on the left is the most specific, and the part on the right is the most general.
• A given machine may have more than one Domain Name but a given Domain Name points to only one machine.
  • For example, the domain names can all refer to the same machine, but each domain name can refer to no more than one machine:
    • matisse.net
    • mail.matisse.net
    • workshop.matisse.net
  • Usually, all of the machines on a given Network will have the same thing as the right-hand portion of their Domain Names (matisse.net in the examples above).
• It is also possible for a Domain Name to exist but not be connected to an actual machine.
  • This is often done so that a group or business can have an Internet e-mail address without having to establish a real Internet site.
  • In these cases, some real Internet machines must handle the mail on behalf of the listed Domain Name.

Read the Related Articles on About.com for information about:

• Domain Name Servers (DNS)
• Cybersquatting (see artichoke.com to see an example)
• Email Addresses

Purchasing a domain name

1. Be sure you’ve spent time addressing steps 1 to 3 on the Promotion checklist to help clearly define what domain name(s) your site will need. At what key word or phrase will your audience attempt to find you?
2. Once you have ideas, see if they are available by checking whois. Many domain registration companies will show you details about who owns a domain. Not all will show you all available domain extensions (i.e. .gov, .com, .net, .us, .us, .org, .tv, etc.).
   • If the domain you want is available, consider buying all available extensions which use the main name/phrase. For example, if you want pizza.com, then buy pizza.org, pizza.net, pizza.biz, etc.) This secures your name in cyberspace. Usually, the additional domains are redirected to your .com, or main domain.
3. Decide who’s got the best price for each domain and either:

1. • Have your web server host make the purchase/transaction and assign it to your server.
     • This generally works best; the two companies speak the same language.
   • Purchase it yourself and transfer the name to the server once you’ve chosen a host.
     • Be sure to keep the purchase info handy; it’ll include a login and password, which your host may need.

Using your domain name

Once you have a domain name assigned to your web server, put at least an index.htm page up that explains what your site will be about, or upload your site there if it’s ready to launch.

If your site host also handles your email, ask for the email addresses you’ll need and the number of separate accounts (one per person in your company, for example). These email addresses are to be used on all promotional materials–this is the second main reason for having a domain name! Having an email address consistant with your domain name means you’ve got double the “top of mind awareness” of your name.

<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" />
<meta name="Keywords" content="" />
<meta name="Description" content="" />
<meta name="Author" content="" />
<meta name="Copyright" content="" />
<meta name="Rating" content="General" />
<meta http-equiv="expires" content="0" />

Fill in your text between the quote marks.

If you don’t want search engines to find your site, then add these (or replace the others):

<meta name="Robots" content="noindex, nofollow, noarchive" />

OR

<meta http-equiv="pragma" content="nocache" />

Here is an example of complete content for a web site:

<meta name="Keywords" content="nw river tours, willamette river, willamette, osu, corvallis, oregon state university, boating, nordyke, hiking, nature photography, jet boat, north river boat, " />
<meta name="Description" content="Northwest and Willamette River Tours" />
<meta name="Author" content="PamVanLonden.com, CJ Nordyke, John Nordyke" />
<meta name="Copyright" content="2009" />
<meta name="Rating" content="General" />
<meta http-equiv="expires" content="0" />