Prosper Newsletter: November 2006 > Ecommerce
You understand that the following information is educational in nature and is not intended to be legal, accounting, or tax advice. You are responsible for your own financial decisions and should consult your own legal, accounting, and tax advisors before making your financial decisions.
Prosper Coach Received Much Deserved Gratitude From New Webprenuer!
I just want to thank you for all you have been doing for me. Even though my e-commerce store isn't quite ready to fly, I have a lot to be grateful for. I have been learning so much about things that I would NEVER have been able to figure out by myself. Right from the beginning, you showed me about meta words and how to utilize them. I didn't even know what "meta words" were. I have learned some about HTML and how it works. That was pretty neat, but I have a husband who does that for me since that's what he does for a living. The things that impress me the most are the websites you put me in touch with for building my business. The PR sites, the drop ship sites, and the blogging sites are really awesome! You are a GREAT teacher and I look forward to and enjoy our weekly class. I always learn something new and it amazes me to see how this will all change my life. Of course, even though you told me about giving back to the community that is something I have been doing for years anyway. It's just good to know that there are others who feel the way I do. I give of my time and finances and didn't need help there. I just want you to know that I agree with that. Thank you again for the good teaching job you are doing.
Your protégé,
- Rosemarie L.
Manassas, VA
Attain a minimum of 50 one-way inbound links from major directories* with 'page ranks' of 4 or above.
This is a concept unique to submitting to directories. We would like you to find directories with page ranks of at least 3 or higher. This will do much for your 'link popularity' (defined as the term used to describe the number of hypertext links coming into a website from other websites. This factor is being used by many top search engines to improve a website's ranking and is therefore an important consideration for any website, but especially for new ones who need to build up such links as quickly as possible) and 'page rank' and in turn get you better rankings in the long run for your major keywords. You can find lists of FREE directories at www.addurl.nu and www.seocompany.ca. Start submitting today and reap the benefits of some high quality one-way backlinks!
HTML 101
HTML is the language that is most commonly used to create web pages. HTML stands for hypertext markup language. There are many websites that offer valuable information about HTML. One website that offers tutorials and other information about HTML is www.htmlgoodies.com. Using this and other similar websites, you can find information for everyone from beginners to advanced users.
HTML Editors
In order to use HTML more effectively, you should probably invest in an HTML editor. Some of the common HTML editors are Dreamweaver, FrontPage and TextPad. The editor that you choose is generally a matter of preference. Many of the HTML editors offer a free trial so you can try out their product. Remember, you will be using the editor for updating and working with your website, not only when you are starting your website.
To begin, you can simply use Notepad as a basic editor. Notepad is found on most personal computers. In most cases you can find Notepad in the Start Menu by clicking 'Programs', then 'Accessories', then 'Notepad'.
HTML Knowledge
A basic knowledge of HTML is useful anytime you are running an Internet-based business. Generally, the more HTML you know the better it is. By learning HTML you can improve the way your website looks and the content you can add to your site. You can even improve your eBay listings using HTML.
Another feature that you can use to start learning HTML is to view the source code of different pages on the Internet. If you see something on a website and are not sure how they did something you can quickly see the way that someone else programmed their site.
HTML Tags
When you enter text into your HTML editor, the editor does not recognize the formatting that you input. It does not recognize fonts or colors or even each time you press enter. This means that many of the formatting options that you may be familiar with when using a word processor will not work when trying to create a website.
So, you may wonder how you can format your website and make it look like the professional sites that you see commonly on the Internet. The easiest way to format the text into a website is to use HTML. You need to learn how to use some simple tags that will format the text and allow you to make your website look like you want it to.
