Search Engines, What Are They Really?

Search engines have the main purpose to index thousands of millions of web pages. Once you look for a word or a phrase, the search engine scans automatically the entire database where it has the stored pages indexed and it returns to you as a result a list containing the most relevant results for that search. The only criteria the number of pages found and their relevance depend on are the capabilities of the used search engine.

Search engines appeared somewhere in the early 90’s when Alan Emtage, a student at the McGill University in Montreal created the first search engine. It was called Archie. Its purpose was to search through the information available on the FTP servers. The files on these servers were available for anyone, but one couldn’t use them unless knowing the exact address of the server and of the file. Archie looked through this database and gathered lists of files for each server. It was used by people to match phrases and characters in order to take them to the server address the file they were looking for was on.

Archie is now an old method, but its creation was the first step in the search engine rally that is going on now. As the public grew more and more aware of the existence of the internet, the need for a search tool became visible.

So, first there were some software robots, using the concept of spidering to index the web, following links from one site to the other and saving the text from all visited websites in a database.

Between 1994 and 1995 three important search engines appeared: Lycos, WebCrawler and AltaVista. At about the same time Yahoo! appeared but Yahoo! is not a search engine. Yes, it has a search engine function, but yahoo is firstly a director of data and articles, providing different services as email and hosting. Recently yahoo has signed contracts with other search engines as Google for both of them to provide more search results.

Today search engines are in a continuous competition. There are thousands of search engines, but just a few big ones. This small group of top search engines is responsible for more than 90% of online searches.

But the question arises: if search engines are free and they can be used by everyone what keeps them financially alive? The answer to the question is very simple: advertising and traffic. The more visits they have, the bigger the traffic then the more money they can make providing promotion space.

Search engines are competing to develop the best formulas and algorithms to evaluate the web pages accordingly to the keywords provided. If someone is looking for a top position in search engines, then he has to be sure that his site is projected in such a way that search engines would find it easily, being relevant for the keywords and phrases the owner wants it to be found by.

Using Online Video Websites to Promote Your Business

Are you a small business owner? If so, how is your business doing? Despite businesses that are a success, there are many business owners who want more. If you are one of those individuals, it is likely that you would do just about anything in your power to improve your business, especially if you sell a particular product or service. When working to improve their businesses, many business owners spend thousands, if not millions, of dollars on advertising. How would you feel if you learned that there was a free way that you could promote your business?

A free way to promote your business? Unfortunately, many business owners believe that there is no such thing. If by chance it is believed, there are many who would automatically assume that it was a wasted effort. Although many free advertising methods can be deemed time consuming and not worth the effort, there is one that you should try. That method involves the internet and free online video websites.

If you are an avid internet user, there is a good chance that you are fully aware of what free online video websites are and what they do. If not, you will want to learn. Free online video websites are websites that allow internet users to watch videos that are hosted on their website, free of charge. What is nice about free online video websites is that most will also allow internet users, just like you, to make, upload, and share their own videos. Depending on the type of business you own and operate, you may be able to use these websites to your advantage.

When it comes to using free online video websites to your advantage, you will want to familiarize yourself with the websites that are currently available. You can easily do this by performing a standard internet search. Your search should produce a fairly large number of results, including Google Video and YouTube. Before making your video, you will want to examine any of the rules and restrictions that are set in place. When doing so, you will find that most video websites do not have any rules or restrictions concerning the use of online videos to promote your business; however, you will still want to make sure that your video is tactfully done.

If you are an online business owner, especially one that sells a particular product, you could make a video showcasing your product. For instance, if your specialty is photo blankets, you may want to show your samples or even go over the process of making them. It may also be a good idea to mention the overall cost of photo blankets and who should own them. If your product would make a great gift, it is also advised that you mentioned that. When doing your video, you will want to refrain from making your video seem like spam. Although you may want to mention the price, you will want to refrain from promoting your business too much. At the end of your video, you may want to offer directions on how to make a purchase or learn more information.

Although products are the easiest to showcase in an online video, you can also use your video to help promote a particular service that you sell. For instance, if you offer assistance to those that are in debt, you will want to provide an overview of what debt is, who it hurts, and how help can be obtained. Providing general information on debt is a great way to keep your video from appearing too pushy. As mentioned above, you may also want to include information on your business at the end of your video. This may help to increase the number of clients you receive, especially if you provide a service that is used and needed by many.

To make your video, whether or not you plan on using that video to promote your business, you will need a few pieces of equipment. Perhaps, the most important is a recording device. For the best results, you are urged to use a camcorder, but you can also you a webcam. Movie making software is important, as well. Most computers already come equipped with movie making software. After you have made and saved your video, you will have to follow the instructions of the free online video website you wish to use.

What Is Search Engine Optimization? (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization is a process of choosing the most appropriate targeted keyword phrases related to your site and ensuring that this ranks your site highly in search engines so that when someone searches for specific phrases it returns your site on top.

It basically involves fine tuning the content of your site along with the HTML and Meta tags and also involves appropriate link building process. The most popular search engines are Google, Yahoo, MSN Search, AOL and Ask Jeeves. Search engines keep their methods and ranking algorithms secret, to get credit for finding the most valuable search-results and to deter spam pages from clogging those results.

A search engine may use hundreds of factors while ranking the listings where the factors themselves and the weight each carries may change continually. Algorithms can differ so widely that a webpage that ranks #1 in a particular search engine could rank #200 in another search engine.

New sites need not be “submitted” to search engines to be listed. A simple link from a well established site will get the search engines to visit the new site and begin to spider its contents. It can take a few days to even weeks from the referring of a link from such an established site for all the main search engine spiders to commence visiting and indexing the new site. If you are unable to research and choose keywords and work on your own search engine ranking, you may want to hire someone to work with you on these issues.

Search engine marketing and promotion companies, will look at the plan for your site and make recommendations to increase your search engine ranking and website traffic. If you wish, they will also provide ongoing consultation and reporting to monitor your website and make recommendations for editing and improvements to keep your site traffic flow and your search engine ranking high.

Normally your search engine optimization experts work with your web designer to build an integrated plan right away so that all aspects of design are considered at the same time.

All Limitations, Perceived Horizons?

Not so long ago, people thought the world was flat. They looked out
into the horizon, and it appeared to them that the earth ended
somewhere far out there, and at the end of the earth, one could
possibly fall off the edge and die. Therefore, people did not dare
to reach the horizon, for fear of falling off the end of the earth.
So they stayed where they were.

Their perception that the world was flat, that it had an edge (the
horizon), kept them from exploring far away from where they were
born. It was a limitation that appeared real to them. However, this
limitation was not real at all – it was an error in perception.

The horizon is not an edge, it is not an end.

In fact, you can never reach the horizon because it keeps moving
farther away from you the closer you get to it. The horizon is an
apparent end, yet it is grounded in infinity (you can never reach
it).

All of your limitations are horizons. All of them bar none. No
exception.

Even the Self has no limits, although it “appears” to be
encompassed by a limited body. In fact, is the Self a reality, or
simply an awareness of feeling? The Buddha argued that the Self is
a feeling that gets mistaken for an identity (that which is
‘having’ the feeling). Anyways, that is another topic altogether.
Let us get back to limitations…

Any limit that you think you have, whether it is financial,
biological, emotional, or whatever, is a horizon. For example, you
may have the belief that you cannot afford something, and so you
forever deny yourself that thing; you never buy it. That is
believing in the horizon. You believe you have limited funds and if
you spent them on that thing, you would suffer and die or whatever.
However, if you went ahead and purchased it, you would find that
you can indeed afford it, and because you have now created a new
gap in your money, you would quickly fill that gap with even more
money (so long as you don’t believe you are limited). This is the
difference between those who have scarcity (poverty) consciousness
or beliefs, and those who believe in abundance.

So what is the solution to limitations?

It comes in two steps:

Step 1: Replace your perspective. As long as you think the world is
flat and the horizon marks the edge of the world beyond which you
will fall off, all other thoughts and actions will be in error. So
you must train yourself to see the world a new way, to know that
the horizon is an illusion. If you skip this step and jump straight
into step two, you may burn your fingers because you cannot act as
if you have abundance as long as you believe in scarcity. Your
beliefs always become manifest. Thought is more powerful than
action in creation.

Step 2: Act in line with abundance. In the above example, we saw
that one who believes in abundance knows that the “limited” amount
of money in their pocket is transitional, it is a river that flows
and is hence not truly limited. But the one who believes in
scarcity is convinced that they have a true limit and hence they
don’t dare cross is. So what does it mean to act in line with
abundance? It means that you will be going beyond the horizon. You
will march to it and keep moving, knowing that the horizon will
never be reached. Know that all resources are cyclic in nature, so
that the more you spend the more you earn, and the more you earn
the more you spend. Keep that river flowing. Don’t erect a dam or
try to hold it. Keep it flowing. Open both hands wide, the hand
that receives and the hand that gives. The faster your rate of
exchange (giving and receiving) the better.

Horizons are a mindset. Poverty is a mindset. Wealth is a mindset.
Happiness is a mindset. Depression is a mindset. Health is a
mindset. Dis-ease is a mindset. It is all a mindset, with its
accompanying emotions. The secret is that the mind is limitless, so
you truly have no limits except those that you have accepted as
real. It is all just a horizon, and no matter how much you chase
the horizon, you will never fall off the end of the earth. So chase
it!

San Francisco Based Newspaper Goes 100% Digital

SAN FRANCISCO — Web Design Studios, commissioned by San Francisco National Black Newspaper of the Year ‘The SF Bay View’ has completed the re-design of SFBayview.com. The site attracts over 1 million hits per month and features stories otherwise ignored by the national media. After 16 years in business the SF Bayview stopped printing and decided to take the newspaper 100% digital.

WDS Launches Mp3 Search Engine

San Francisco, Ca — Web Design Studios known for its innovation and zeal launches its very own Mp3 search engine MushyMp3.com the site searches the internet for your favorite songs listing them in a simple cool web environment as well you can create your own play list. The site is free of charge and is currently in beta version.

Web Design Studios, The Dynasty Continues…

SAN FRANCISCO — “Just when you think i’m down, I rise higher than ever before” said Web Design Studios President/CEO Kwame Stewart in an interview on tuesday. The over-achieving web design company was forced to cease operations in 2006-07 due to internal struggles to take over the company last year. A buy-out deal was arranged with WDS’ ownership group giving back 85% stock ownership and 100% portfolio rights to the company’s original Founder on Monday. “I started this company with the shirt off my back and I wasn’t just going to lay down and give it up, this is a fresh start for this company i’m excited to be back at the helm”

Web Design Studios, Launches Web Hosting Company

Web Design Studios has successfully launched its own hosting company WDSISP.com With the increased demand for affordable and reliable web-hosting companies Web Design Studios is poised for growth in this industry.

Web Design Studios to Launch its own Music Label

Web Design Studios is set to launch its own independent record label & music download service. The small digital label will release a stable of its own artist distributed by Mandatory Media. A deal is in the works with Mandatory Business distributor Koch Entertainment but no agreement has been finalized. Thomas Reilly V.P. of Marketing & Promotions for the new label stated in an interview “Usually a move like this (launching a record label) would be a risky move but in the digital age breaking a new artist is much less expensive digitally than in the physical world which can be much more lucrative, that is why you are seeing digital retailers like Itunes.com becoming the largest music provider on the planet” No release dates from the label has been announced but the company has its eye on a few well known artist currently un-signed.

Web Design Studios inks Deal with Mandatory Business

Mandatory Business Magazine the company founded by JT & Snoop Dogg has partnered with Web Design Studios to create a new interactive website. The website will have a host of features including an online video channel.