How to Move Blogger Blog into a Custom Domain

We all have almost started our blogging career with a free blog, as being working on a free platform helps in learning new things, exploring new concepts, putting our unsure beliefs into live experiment for gaining a factual result, but then a time comes when the passion of blogging turns into a different shade and somehow it becomes our identity in the online world. A period comes when we no more want to continue our passion with a free blogging platform but desire to start it with a custom domain. 

The foremost thing that every BlogSpot blogger would think is how to move my blog into a custom domain without affecting my rankings, traffic and users experience. The same situation I have been facing months ago when I took the decision to have a custom domain. So, via this post I will share my real time experience, as how I move my free BlogSpot domain http://tech-freak-stuff.blogspot.com with my new custom domain i.e. http://www.mytechietalks.com .

Note: Well, this entire procedure is recommended for those who want to use their custom domain with blogger hosting. I am using my custom domain name with hosting provided by blogger, as it’s free of cost which is an advantage and allows me to show myself as an owner of a blog.

Below given are step by step guide to transfer BlogSpot blog with custom domain, I have added the corresponding image with each step to make the learning easier for you.

First of all, you must have a custom domain name registered from any domain registrar. I had my domain booked from Godaddy as I kind of liked the services they offer and their support department is also very active.

So, once you have your domain booked, follow the given below procedure: 

• Login into your blogger account and navigate toward Settings

• Now select the third party set up option given below the URL

• Enter the custom domain name properly

• After entering the domain name, click on the Save option

• At this point many of us, almost everyone has faced this give below error

Even I have faced the similar issue, and then I realized that I haven’t done any DNS setting into my hosting a/c.

So prior redirecting your domain, first of all do the following settings in your hosting a/c

• Login in your domain hosting a/c, click on Manage domain section, Select DNS Zone Option, then select Classic out of the given options

• Now you need to make changes into Cname Alias, so select www option to begin editing

• Now you need to replace @ with ghs.google.com

• Select quick add and enter information provided in blogger section & save it

• Now edit a host file section, click on quick add

• Copy all 4 ips provided by Google

• Add all 4 one by one & save file zone

Your changes have been submitted.

In general, these changes take upto 1 hour to reflect in the account but it can take a time period of 48 hours as well in some cases. These time frames are not constant in every case.

• Now, you need to go back to your blog section & try to save it again

• You will see a successful message and your new domain gets configured, now click on edit option

• Now select “301 Redirection” option

Note: It is very important to select option only that way you can tell Google to consider this as your new domain and pass all link juice, traffic and other benefit to this new domain.

This is the easiest procedure for moving BlogSpot blog into your own custom domain and within few hours you can see your blog running into your own domain.  

Do let us know if you face any trouble or issue while configuring your new domain in the BlogSpot. Leave comment or contact us at admin@mytechietalks.com

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Most Efficient Ways of Image Optimization to Increase Website Traffic Via Google Search

Images have become a useful source to drive large no. of traffic on a website. Now you can generate users from different geographical locations with the help of images you use on your website.

Image Optimization – An Essential Task

SEO optimization for images used on a web page is a required task to do nowadays. There are some really effective factors that put a great contribution towards importance of image optimization in SEO. But the most general question among internet marketer is how to optimize images on a website from SEO point of view.

So, here are the top factors which are considered while optimizing an image to increase user’s traffic:

Image File Name

You have to give an appropriate name to the image you are using on a webpage. The name of the image should be consisting of minimum 2 or 3 words depending on the kind of the image. Use dashes or hyphens to separate each word from another and avoid usage of underscore while naming your image.

Points to Remember

·        Tech-Freak-Stuff = Tech Freak Stuff

·        Tech_Freak_Stuff = TechFreakStuff

If you are using hyphens or dash to separate your image name then Google will consider the hyphen as breaker or separator but if you have used underscore to name the image then Google will take it as joiner. The similar example is shared in the above Para.

Alt Tag

Image Alt tag is a part of HTML tag of images. In simple language you can understand it as description of image. As search engine bots doesn’t read images so to make them understand what the image is about we use alt tags in images like this:

<img alt=”Working of Browsers” src=” http://tech-freak-stuff.blogspot.com/images/How-Browsers-work.gif” >

Google also considers and uses this alt tag description to make your image visible in Google image searches that’s why it is very important to use the alt tag in right way.

Some of the important aspects you should consider before making alt tag description of any of your webpage images:

Use description upto 150 characters only (Google doesn’t show more than 150 character description in its searches)

• Make sure you use your main keyword in the alt tag description and add the keyword in the starting
• Use relevant words to describe image which is also matching with the content on the page
• If you want your images to be indexed in Google image searches then do use alt tag in your images

List of Top 10 Free Image Submission Sites to Submit Website Images

If you want to drive a larger no. of traffic on your site via Google search, then apart from using alt tag and other SEO optimization for your images you can also submit the images of your site on the top most free image submission websites.

Below, I have mentioned some of the online image submission sites which are free and also allow you to share your images online and generate users to earn global recognition in online market and drive maximum number of user towards your site.

Some of the top Image Submission Sites of Year 2014

• Pinterest
• Flickr
• Picasa
• Photobucket
• Instagram
• Imgur
• Smugmug
• Shutterfly
• Photoshop
• Phanfare+

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Why Https:// Protocol Considered Much Secured as Compared to Http:// Protocol

It is often seen users getting confused over https and http protocols as they are not aware of the exact difference between them. Before discussing the grounds on which we prefer to use https over http in the online market, firstly we will understand the working of web browsers through the below given image.

At first, we will understand the concept of http and https.

What is HTTP and how it Works?

The full form of HTTP is Hypertext Transfer Protocol and it is used by web browsers to specify how content or web pages are formatted and carried to the end users. Whenever any user type any address or site URL in the web browser then whosoever browser you are using turns the client and the machine acts as web server. So, HTTP protocol comes in use whenever client sends a request to web server to obtain certain information. Once the web server receives the request from the client end then it reverts back with a web page so whenever users type a web address in the browser and hits enter they get a web page in return.

What is HTTPS and how it Works?

HTTPs stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, it is basically an amalgamation of 2 entirely distinct protocols. First one is HTTP and second is SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocol, the request sent through this protocol is very secured and connection between client and web server is made in encrypted way so that nobody could actually understand the kind of information shared among the two. This HTTPS protocol is used where high level of security is required or which includes the personal information of the users. Such sectors which need this kind of protocol are banking websites, online shopping portals. Payment gateways as well as browser email clients.

Difference between HTTP & HTTPS and Why HTTPS used Over HTTP Protocol?

Now we will discuss the core different between http:// and https:// protocols and the most prominent query of the users that why Https is used over Http protocol?

Usually the website opened via HTTP protocol is considered less secured because it is navigated through regular language. So there are higher probabilities that when you are taking towards the website or page you have requested, someone hacks your machine in between and get the information entered by you in your web browser. If anything like this happens then the hackers can misuse your personal details and you can end up stuck in a mess.

But if you are using https protocols then the connection made between web servers and clients are in encrypted mode and in between no one can understand the information shared between the two.

So to run your website on https protocol you need to obtain a SSL certificate that contains public key (required while establishing connection with web server) that makes HTTPS websites run on transport layer. Once you get the certification then next time while navigating to a website having HTTPS protocol, the browser connects with web server first asks for SSL certificate which has public key and other required data and then they contact to CS (Certificate Authorities) to confirm whether the certificate is valid or not and once they get a green flag from the CAs then they take the clients to the requested web address.

This is how the overall working takes place when you are using HTTPs and these are the main reasons why HTTPs is generally considered as safer in comparison to HTTP protocol and mostly online shopping sites and internet banking sites uses HTTPs protocol.  

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List of top 10 free blog sites of Year 2014

Now you can acquire a free website without investing any money. Yes, here are top 10 best websites to create blog at free. So, if you are a beginner and want to start a website of your own without any cost, then you can create your blog by registering on any of these sites.

I have shared the top 10 most popular blogging websites to create a free blog website. If you have thought or information to share with other but don’t know how to start then here is the solution, what you all need to do is pick any of these best blog website and register your domain and start blogging.

Wordpress

Wordpress is the no. 1 choice for bloggers when it comes to create a free blog.  You can create any type of blog whether it’s personal or a business. It has over 200 themes available with customized option so you can use any of it and make the changes as per your requirement. Creating blog with Wordpress is very easier; you can add any no. of posts in it.

Blogspot

Blogspot is possessed by Google only and there is no doubt that Google gives some additional preference to the blogs created in it. It is also largely used blog creation website and offers its users hundreds of themes to use with their blogs along with modification option. You can also go for its premium packages whenever you plan to upgrade to a custom domain.

Weebly

Weebly is also one of the top sites to create blog at free. It has various unique and attractive themes that are available for everyone. You can easily link your social profiles with your Weebly blog and it is very simple task to create a blog with this platform. You can create a free website in few minutes without utilizing much of your precious time and can publish the site in seconds.

Tumblr

Tumblr is a very renowned name in blogging platforms; it’s one of those sites which give an extra ordinary experience to its users. It is a very simplified task to display your images, videos and important stuff in your blog. It has a very unique feature of re-blog which allows other to re-blog your post if they like it, so that the fan following increases and active participation as well.

Livejournal

Livejournal is also a good platform to start your blog. It has simple themes so here you won’t find much attractive themes. In this blog site you can have full control over the privacy section, like you can restrict the people from viewing your posts; you can also enjoy the liberty to utilize photo storage capacity that is offered with this blogging website, overall its good blogging platform.

Edublogs

As the name suggests, this blogging website is more devoted towards educational related stuff. So, if you are a teacher or a student or want to start a community pertaining to educational topics then this blogging platform is the best place for you. It has several captivating themes which makes the overall look and presentation of the blog much more enchanting.

Jimdo

Jimdo is a very old and popular website in creating free blogs online. It carries distinct appealing themes and allows its users to create a free blog website within minutes. You can add long texts, use images and can also create online stores in it if required. This site also allows you to upgrade to its pro version where you can get 5 GB storage and also a mobile-friendly website at low cost.

Devhub

Devhub truly deserves to be included in this list of top 10 best blogging website of year 2014.  There is no hosting typical formality associated with this lavishing blogger website. So, it’s a very good option for a beginner blogger who just want to create a blog with the purpose to display his work or thoughts to the outer world. Just a simple registration process and you are done.

Tblog

Tblog is generally used blogging site for designing blogs at free of cost. It has different themes available for users and allows them to check the preview of how website will look before making it live. You can also link your social profiles like Twitter, Facebook and Google + with your Tblog website. Get your website created in few minutes and enjoy posting online.

Webs

Webs is a great blogging website and also embedded with hundreds of professional templates. With its easy to use website builder you can design blog in a very less time. It also you to create blogs based on distinct categories whether its Business blog or personal blog or even Group/Org blog, all you need to do is select your site type and just register with your id.

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How Google Penalty Can Adversely Affects your Online Presence

Google penalty can cause a sever loss to your website and can badly effect your online business. There are various reasons when a penalty is uplifted to a website i.e. may be a site owner has used some manipulative methods to gain the good ranking in Google search results or may be put a false impression on Google by employing black hat techniques.

Today, the biggest challenge before Webmaster or site owners is, how to rank their website on top 10. Some techniques which are absolutely approved by Google and come under white hat but some are strictly prohibited and can cause severe damage if not followed correctly. Although Google has explained all the required terms and conditions in its Webmaster Guidelines but still some webmasters forbids the warning and hence face the penalization.

Now we will discuss the top penalty which can completely evaporate you from Google search even from the indexing.

Top 5 Google Penalties

Manual Penalty

Manual penalty is levied on a website when someone from the Google team manually reviews your website and found something fishy in it. If any of the Google guidelines are breached or manipulated then Google takes a serious action on those websites and can demote the ranking of it in search results or even remove it from their index. Whenever a penalty is imposed on a website, webmaster gets a message from Google in their WMT (Webmaster Tool) account.

Google Panda

It first came in February 2011 and brought a prominent change in the history of SEO. This penalty was related with “Content” and it influenced the ranking of large no. of websites. After this penalty hit the web, all the websites, blogs, directories etc who had low quality content or duplicate content got skeptically affected. All the ranking that these sites were holding since long became invisible and some of them faced permanently de-indexing from Google.

Google Penguin

Google Penguin at first hit the market in April 2012 and shifted the whole working strategy of backlinks creation into a different direction. This update majorly focuses on “Links” as we all know that approx 30-40% SEO is based on backlinks, so this updation affects the ranking of the websites that had backlinks coming from low quality websites or link farming or content farming site generally. Site having paid links were also became victim in this penguin update.

EMD (Exact Match Domain)

This penalty was introduced back in 2012 (September) and its motive is to stop the advantages that websites were having because of the presence of keywords in their domain name. Prior, having targeted keywords in your domain name was an added advantage for website owners as they get the privilege to rank on that keyword in top search results. Later Google observed that huge number of websites are ranking on top results not because of their quality content and strong backlinks but because they have keywords in its domain. So they brought in EMD update which has a motive to lower the rank of all those websites which has exact match keywords in their domain but failed to maintain the quality in it.

Humming Bird

Hummingbird is not a penalty but it’s more of an update introduced in September 2013. It is basically presented in order to make Google search more interactive and direct. Via this update Google is pushing search results in strategic way and preventing black hat techniques from being employed. It is beneficial for long tail keyword like queries related with how to, why so, what are etc.

Above the Fold Penalty

This penalty was enforced on websites having ads on the top section and the useful content in visible after that. There are websites that are showing ads before the content which affects the users experience and they don’t get what they were looking for. Google examines this trouble from the root and came up with a solution in the form of Above the Folder penalty which penalizes the websites having too much ad in their upper section.

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