Cheap Web Tricks Table of Contents

Cheap Web Tricks: Build and Promote A Successful Web Site Without Spending a Dime
by Anne Martinez
ISBN 0-07-219099-X

Detailed Table Of Contents

Part 1: Building Your Web Site
1. Your Mission: A Dirt Cheap, Fabulously Successful Web Site
Steps to Successful Web Site
The Other Half: Promotion
In Pursuit of Profits

2. Defining Your Mission Plan
Pinning Down a Purpose
     Personal Reasons for Creating a Web Site
     Noncommercial Reasons for Creating a Web Site
     Business Reasons for Creating a Web Site
After Why Comes Who
What Does Your Target Audience Want and Need
Web Site Revenue Models
     Selling Information
     Selling Products
     Selling Services
     Selling Advertising
Passion Counts

3. Getting Connected
Free Internet Service
Connection Options
     Dial-up Connections
     Cable Modem Service
     Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)
     Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
     Satellite Systems
How to Decide

4. Finding a Home for Your Web Site
Free Web Site Hosting
     Free Hosting Communities
     ISP-Provided Page
Paid Web Site Hosting
     Hosting Packages
Setting up Your Own Web Server
Flavors of Hosting
Your Web Site Address
     How Domain Names Work
     Sharing a Domain Name
     Your Own Domain Name
     The Rest of the URL Story
URL Forwarding
The Bottom Line

5. Choosing Site Creation Tools
Instant Web Pages
Advanced Site Building
Authoring Tools
     HTML Editors
     Site-Building Packages
     Commercial Authoring Tools
FTP Programs
Graphics Tools
     Graphics Editors
     Image Crunchers
     Other Graphics Gadgets

6. Effective Web Site Design
A Model for Web Site Structure
     The Home Page
     Main Topic Pages
     Detail Pages
     Navigation
The Model in Action
Information You Must Include
Defining the Structure for Your Site
Creating Eye Appeal
     Choosing Colors
     Using Fonts and Text
Design for a Variety of Viewers
     Monitor Size and Resolution
     Web Browser Differences
Wise Use of Graphics
     GIF vs. JPG vs PNG
Accessibility

7. Creating Your Web Pages
A Web Page You Can Put Up Today
Crash Course in HTML
     HTML Document Structure
     Tags Can Have Attributes with Values
     Commonly Used Text Tags
     Adding Images
     The Magic of Linking
     Creating Bulleted or Numbered Lists
     Using Tables as a Layout Tool

8. Housekeeping for Webmasters
Organizing Your Files
Organizing Your HTML
     Writing Pretty Code
     Adding Comments
     Creating and Using Templates
Take Notes
Back It Up!
     Simple Back Up Using Floppy Disks
     Building Archives
     Comprehensive Backup and Archiving Strategies
     CD-ROM, Tape Drives, Zip, and Jaz
     Remote Backup Services
     Automated Backup Software
     Practice Restoring a File
Going Beyond HTML

9. Publishing Your Site
What You Need from Your Hosting Service
Connecting to a Web Server Using FTP
The FTP Program Interface
Uploading Files
Gotchas That Don't Have To Getcha
The Next Phase

10. Building Traffic with Search Engines and Directories
Search Engines vs. Directories
     How Search Engines Work
     How Directories Work
     Hybrid Search Portals and Shared Indexes
Preparing Your Site
     The Power of Keywords
     Meta Tag Magic
     The Title Tag
     Free Meta Tag Tools
     Additional Touches
     Search Engine No-Nos
     Robot Exclusion
Choosing Your Targets
     Start with These Key Search Sites
     Round Two
     Getting on Specialized Sites
     Automated Search Engine Submission
Free vs. Paid Listing
     Pay for Inclusion
     Pay for Ranking/Click
Frequently Ad Questions
     How Long Will It Take for My Listing to Appear?
     How Do I Tell If I'm in a Particular Search Engine?
     Can Submission Services That Promise a Top-10 Ranking Really Deliver?
     Where Can I Learn More about Search Engines?

11. No Cost Promotion Tips, Tricks, and Techniques
Ad Swapping
     Banner Advertising Networks
     Webmaster to Webmasters Trades
     How to Make an Advertising Banner
Web Rings
Award Programs
     Winning Awards
     Displaying Award Logos
     Offering Awards
Free-for-All (FFA) Links Pages
     Getting Listed
     An FFA Page Of Your Own
     How to Set Up An FFA Page
Press Releases
     How to Write a Press Release
     Distributing Your Press Release
Newsgroups, Mailing Lists, and Your Signature
     Creating an Automatic Signature
     Using Your Signature on Discussion Forts and Mailing Lists
Make Promoting Your Web Site a Habit

12. Evaluating Your Progress
Web Site Traffic Statistics-- A Gold Mine of Information
     If Your Hosting Service Doesn't Provide Statistics
     Reading and Utilizing Statistics Reports
     Keeping Statistics in Perspective
Finding Sites That Link To You
     Finding Links Using AltaVista or Excite
     Finding Links Using Google
     Finding Links Using HotBot
     Finding Links Using LinkPopularity.Com
Determining Your Position in Search Portals
     The Manual Method
     Automatic Position Checkers
Obtaining Visitor Feedback

13. Making Money with Affiliate Programs
How Affiliate Programs Work
     Payment Terms
     Tracking Methods
     Reporting
Selecting Affiliate Programs
     The Wrong Approach to Affiliate Marketing
     The Right Approach to Affiliate Marketing
     After You Sign up
Realistic Expectations

14. Selling Products or Services on Your Web Site
The Big Picture Alternatives
Displaying Your Wares
     A Product or Two
     A Whole Catalog
Ways to Take Orders
     Orders by Phone, Fax, or Mail
     Orders by E-mail
     Secure Order Forms
Payment Methods
     Low-Tech Payments
     Accepting Credit Cards
     Accepting Checks Online
     Digital Cash
Remember the Red Tape
A Matter of Trust
     Don't Hide Behind Your Web Site!
     Make Sure Your System Operates Correctly and Fast
     Give a Guarantee
     Provide All the Necessary Information (and Then Some)
     Send a Confirmation
The E-commerce Challenge

15. Selling Advertising on Your Web Site
Your Site as an Advertising Venue
Types of Web Site Advertising
How Web Site Ads Are Priced and Sold
     Cost per Thousand (CPM)
     Cost per Click (CPC)
     Term Pricing
     Setting Your Prices
The Technology of Serving Ads
     Ad Serving Software
     Ad Networks
Additional Advertising Resources

16. Cashing Out
Preliminary Work
     Do You Have a Salable Property?
     Is It a Good Time to Sell?
Finding and Approaching Buyers
     Researching Possible Buyers
     Opening the Door with an Alliance
     Preparing Your Pitch
     Approaching Buyers
Making the Sale
     Talking Terms
     Legal Issues

17. Goodies You Can Add
Where the Goodies Come From
     Remotely Hosted Applications
     Prewritten Scripts
Popular, Useful, and Nifty Goodies
     Discussion Forum
     Visitor Polls
     Chat Room
     News Feed
     Free E-mail
     Search Tools
     Miscellaneous Ad-Ons

18. Starting and Running an E-mail Newsletter
Newsletter Content and Format
     The Teaser Method
     Full Text
     Text Vs. HTML
     Critical Elements
     Frequency
Getting Subscribers
How to Distribute Your Newsletter
     Your Own Software
     Use a Service

19. Staying on Top
Keep It Fresh
Content Plans
Link Patrol
What to Do If Your Site Goes Down
A Final Word on Security
The Beginning ...