NOTE: An updated version of this page can be found at:
http://www.AuthorsandSpeakersNetwork.com/webstuff.html

If you are doing your own website, there is no need to pay for marketing services that YOU or your webmaster can easily do. I do it myself. There are numerous tutorials on the Internet to walk you though the correct proceedures.

You don't need a high-cost search engine consultant to analyze your new tags to ensure they are optimized for the search engines. Go to Meta Tag Analyzer.

Check out what your competition is doing. If you are wondering about your keyword placement in comparison to your competitors, use Keyword Count. It allows you to analyze the keyword frequencies of the top words on any URL -- yours, or more importantly, your competitors'.

Dead links a problem? If you frequently change file names or add new ones, no matter how careful you are, you may end up with dead links. You can check your links, HTML, page load time (very important) and even spelling for free at NetMechanic.com. Also visit WebSiteGarage.com.

If you would like a report of your site's accessibility to people with disabilities, check out a free service called Bobby.

Building your own website? Wanna be a "webmaster," eh? Here are several sites that can help:

Microsoft bCentral - This site breaks Website construction into three segments: Start, Market and Manage. Most resources are free.

Master the Web - A premium resource for anyone looking to build a top-tier website. Articles cover everything from site design to promotion and marketing. Also an incredible array of resource links.

The Elated Web - This site offers a variety of "kits" to help build or improve your site. Lots of web design tips. Pointers for both PC and Mac users.

MyComputer.com - This collection of tools provides a wealth of services for creating and maintaining sites. Most are free with registration, some are not.

123Webmaster.com - One glance at the number of free resources on this site - more than 2,200 on our last visit - and you'll know this page is all about bulk.

Not all free services are worth it. Be leary of any free service that offers to submit your website pages to the main search engines. Not all search engines accept submissions this way. TIP: Always use the specific instructions given in each search engine's "Add URL" section.

Check out Search Engine Watch for search engine submission tips, engine listings and searching tips. Click here for tips for searching CelebrateLove.com. You will also find a list of the best search engines and links to their submit pages.

Choose "Fetch" if you are a MAC user: If you do your own website, may I recommend a super-fine ftp program. It's not free, however it worth the $25 for the shareware. It's called, "Fetch." And it does. It has been named the "Best Macintosh Program" for 2001 by SharewareJunkies.com. For more info go to: http://fetchsoftworks.com.

Who is linking to your web site? Link relevance is becoming a major factor in getting good search engine placement. The theory is that if you have more web sites linking to your content than your competition, it must be more relevant.

You can actually use several search engines to give you a nice report of who is linking to you and more importantly exactly how they are linking to you. You can see the exact page on a site that is linked to your site and how they are representing you. Here's how:

• Google and AltaVista:  Type "link:www.yourwebsite.com"
• AOL, HotBot, iWon and MSN:  Type "linkdomain:www.yourwebsite.com"
• AllTheWeb:  Type "link.all:www.yourwebsite.com"

www.SearchEngineColossus.com/ - Search Engine Colossus offers you links to search engines from 195 countries and 38 territories around the world! Conduct extensive web searches.

Often the above free services are the same ones used by the consultant who charges high fees. The great thing about them is that they are quick and easy. No waiting, no fees, no hidden costs, no tricks. Most only require your e-mail address.

Another of my personal gurus in the "Internet Marketing" arena is Philippa Gamse. Philippa is a professional speaker and e-commerce consultant. She helps her clients develop e-business and marketing strategies to gain maximum competitive advantage. Check out her "Beyond the Search Engines: 17 FREE Ideas That Work!" article. Click here. Philippa can be reached on (831) 465-0317, or at www.CyberSpeaker.com. Philippa's Internet articles are featured in "Larry's Technology Center." Click here for a complete list.

One more highly recommended Internet professional is Tom Antion. Subscribe to Tom's "Great Speaking" eZINE, the electronic magazine for presentations skills, tips, public speaking, speaking for money, speaking business referrals, speaker marketing, speaker humor, training, and other speaking related features by clicking here. Lot of FREE stuff on Tom's website:  www.Antion.com.

If you plan to publish your own eZINE, be sure to go to www.EmailUniverse.com. As a resource for marketers, this site provides list management tips, distribution guides and writing advice to assist in eZINE and newsletter publishing.

Are you noticing more "bounced" undeliverable e-mail in your inbox? See if an e-mail address is valid instantly, plus other important Internet contact info. Click here.

The FTC offers many free, easy-to-understand guidelines about e-commerce and the internet at www.ftc.gov.

Are you a "techno nerd?" Don't know the meanings of the latest Internet terms? What's an IP, ASP, CAT5, RAM, etc.? Definitions for thousands of the most current IT-related words (Internet Technology) can be found at www.WhatIs.com in the following categories: software, hardware, computing fundamentals, Internet, PCs, networking and telecom.

Need a bar code for your ebook or print-on-demand book? You can find a FREE online barcode producer at www.cgpp.com. This could save you another $10 to $30 per published title and there is no waiting. Some book cover producers will include the bar code in the cover price. This is especially good if you are publishing an ebook.

HTML CheatSheet! - HTML, or Hyper Text Markup Language, is the language used to create web pages. Here you will find a handy reference chart of HTML tags and examples of each tag. Click here.

Webmaster Tools - Free of charge resources of available webmaster tools and accessible online tests on the Internet. Click here.

Resist the urge to fall for New.Net's domain registration scheme. I hate to admit it, but I got suckered in. CelebrateLove.love looks nice and "is" registered, however there is very little chance that anyone will ever find it. Click here to find out why!

Be sure to read "Top 21 Web Site Mistakes" by Corie J. Conwell. A great checklist to use to made needed adjustments to your own website.

Have fun. Save $$$'s. Do your own stuff.

You are welcome to use my Links Trade Plan as a model for putting up your own links plan on your website.

Live in Arizona? - Here is a valuable "Arizona ONLY" search site. Search by name, business, or by counties and cities. Check to see if your site is listed, if not, add your site by clicking here. You can also check out events and Arizona travel sites.

This one is NOT a freebee, but a valuable service and worthy of mention. I use it and it's terrific. It is especially great if you are doing your own website. CelebrateLove.com has in excess of 590 pages with more than 33,777 links (both internal and external). Making sure there is no "link rot" (dead links) used to be a chore. No more. I use www.SEVENtwentyfour.com. They send me a weekly report that tells me everything I need to know to fix any links that might have gone south. - Larry James

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Attention: Authors & Speakers