RainRain Wesite Help Blog

I want my site to rank high on Google.

bobmurphy@rainrain.com — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 01:00:00 +0100

This is a very common request. There is at least one important word missing in the above statement however .. and that word is the word �FOR�. This is a very important concept to get if you want to compete in Google searches ( or in the searches of any other search engine such as Yahoo, Bing, Etc. ). If you want your website to rank high in Google then it�s vitally important to express EXACTLY what you want it to rank FOR.

Imagine for instance you are the owner of a Japanese restaurant locat [...]

Blueprint for small business.

bobmurphy@rainrain.com — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 01:00:00 +0100

Essential video for any business developing a website. Deals primarily with basing a site on "Wordpress" however lots of issues touched on are of univeral value. ( click the youtube icon if you want to watch it full screen)

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6Q0nIM0AKY 400x300]

Company Email Via Google Docs

bobmurphy@rainrain.com — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:00:00 +0100

Get your company email on multiple machines using the Gmail interface

Consider the scenario, you have a company domain name, like yourcompany.com and you've got your email address(es) on this eg you@yourcompany.com etc.
To get your emails you either use a client ( Microsoft office, Euroda, Thunderbird, etc ) or use webmail. The main problem with using a client is that your mail must be on one and only one computer, (except in the case of relativly expensive exchange serv [...]

Google Calendar Tip

bobmurphy@rainrain.com — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:00:00 +0100

Do you use "Google calendar". I use "Google calendar" and wanted to display 5 weeks instead of the maximum 4 in the display. Here's the trick....

First of all you need to use the Firebug plugin for Firefox. If you're not using Firefox then there may be a similar system on other browsers, but otherwise you would need to install Firefox and the Firebug plugin (addon).
Next login to Google calendar and go to >> Settings >> Genera [...]

What effect do Keywords have on my Google Placement

bobmurphy@rainrain.com — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:00:00 +0100

The keywords metatag was invented as part of the www in the early 90's. The abuse began almost with webmasters "stuffing" it full of non related keywords in an attempt to drive traffic to their sites. May websites put popular terms like "britney spears" etc into their keyword meta tag in effect misdirecting searchers.
The importance of keywords in search engine optimisation ha [...]

Help - Someone already has my domain.

bobmurphy@rainrain.com — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:00:00 +0100

As you probably know if you are reading this, domain names are like telephone numbers - that is, they are unique and you cant just have any domain you like.
Some country specific domains ( including Ireland's dot.ie ) are available for purchase only if you can show that you have a rightful claim to the name, wheras dot.com's for example are on a first come first served basis.
So although your dot.ie domain may be reserved for you, there may be other people in the country w [...]

Adwords explained in 3 minutes

bobmurphy@rainrain.com — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:00:00 +0100

I came across this 3 (and a half) minute video today and thought it was a good quick explanation of Google Adwords

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qARWz0xzlUk&feature=player_embedded 400x300]

Domain name : dot.com or dot.ie

bobmurphy@rainrain.com — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:00:00 +0100

Dot com domains are less than half the price of dot IE domains so why would you go for a dot ie.
If you have a choice between the two then it really comes down to branding. You are saying you have a uniquely Irish product. It also adds a little extra class to your site and reassures people that you are Irish.

In point of [...]

Content Management System Use on Business Websites

bobmurphy@rainrain.com — Wed, 27 May 2009 01:00:00 +0100

Being able to change the contents of a business website ‘in house' can be a major advantage depending on the area of your business. Take for example a publican. He might want to run an events list on the pub's website, and change the food menu's occasionally.
With a traditional website, all changes need to be made by someone who knows web design. Even simple things like prices are effectively "in code". A content management system (C.M.S.) on the other hand h [...]

Is a Website worth it ?

bobmurphy@rainrain.com — Sat, 24 May 2008 01:00:00 +0100

While large multinational companies may not concern themselves a lot with the relatively small cost of a website; SME’s and sole traders usually need to be more sure of a return.

A marketing executive at Pepsi apparently remarked once that half of the money spent on advertising at Pepsi was wasted ... "the only problem was they could never work out which half !"
And that is exactly the problem. Unless you run an online shop or own a B&B that takes online [...]

How much do websites cost ?

bobmurphy@rainrain.com — Fri, 23 May 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Getting a website built ? Naturally you would want some idea of the costs involved, but it can be hard to get a ballpark figure.

How much does a house cost ? The analogy of a house is often used as an illustration. If you were building a house, you wouldn't ask a builder how much a house costs because he couldn't tell you without a lot more information.

You might be able to get per square metre price, but the builder would need fu [...]

A static or dynamic website ?

bobmurphy@rainrain.com — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Being able to change the website contents yourself can be a major advantage depending on the business you are in. This article examines Content Management Systems .

Take for example the owner of a small restaurant. He wants a website and would also like to be able to change the lunch and dinner menu’s on his website fairly regularly. He has three options:

A) Learn how to change the content himself (learn HTML )B) Have a designer make changes ea [...]

Domain names demystified.

bobmurphy@rainrain.com — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:00:00 +0100

Pizza.com recently sold for $2.6m; but I just want a domain for my business. Should I get a dot com or a dot ie or both. What are domains all about.

Basically a Domain Name is a name which points to a website. So for instance www.mywebsite.com or www.yourwebpage.ie etc. The www part of the website is standard but sometimes there may be 'Subdomains' e.g. shop.yourwebsite.com or forum.mywebsite.ie. The holder of the registered domain mywebsite.com would have sole ri [...]