Don's Blog

Don's Blog http://activerain.com/blogs/dahams35 Shreveport Home Inspections, Shreveport Home Inspection, Shreveport Home Inspectors, Bossier Home Inspections, Bossier City Home InspectionsShreveport Home Inspector, Bossier Home Inspector, Bossier City, Louisiana, Home Inspections, Home Inspector, Shreveport , Inspectors, Real Estate Inspections Shreveport Bossier, Real Estate Inspectors Shreveport Bossier, Shreveport Real Estate Inspections, Shreveport Real Estate Inspector,Bossier City Home Inspector, Bossier City home inspection, Bossier City Louisiana home inspecting, Shreveport Louisiana home inspecting. en-us http://activerain.com/blogsview/647710/quiet-lovely-benton-la-3-2-home-on-cul-de-sac-only-5-min-from-cypress-lake Quiet, Lovely, Benton LA. 3/2 Home on cul de Sac only 5 min. from Cypress Lake <div style="padding:0px 0px 20px 0px ; background-color:#f7eedd ; background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/bodyBg.gif) ; text-align:center ; padding-top:20px; padding-bottom:20px; "><div><a href="http://www.vflyer.com/links/links?linkType=ecf1b28e4b7927f242cda0a777d5d85b74a9dda31c18b66bb04e031b527d19fb049755adea227d10a9de78fbd9d2b5dfb92ddef61dc06c4ba74755b91163b4f9acadef62fd4b8459bfaee79f460ddba5&id=111" shape="rect" style="" target="_blank"></a><img src="http://stats.vflyer.com/stats/stats?linkType=5e65cf08fc04555242e1287da23a7db57571285e7ec4c28addd0cd59961b9a6b68b09b91794d0b9ec1e78b3988dfe969b98fd2543e7d753190731a60a09025ae8c4fa6e1db34285b" style="visibility:hidden"></img></div><div style="width:800px ; text-align:left ; margin: 0 auto ; background-color:#ffffff ; font-family:Verdana ; "><div style="padding:0px 20px 0px 0px ; background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/brd_r.gif) 100% 0px repeat-y ; background-color:#ffffff ; "><div style="padding:0px 0px 0px 20px ; background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/brd_l.gif) 0px 0px repeat-y ; background-color:#ffffff ; "><div style="padding:20px 0px 0px 0px ; background-color:#ffffff ; "><div></div></div><div style="border:1px solid #dddddd ; background-color:#f4f4f4 ; padding:8px ; "><div style="border:1px solid #dddddd ; background-color:#ffffff ; margin-bottom:8px ; padding:8px ; font-size:12px ; _height: 1% "><div style="font-size:14px ; color:#ffffff ; font-weight:bold ; background-color:#00aaec ; margin-bottom:5px ; padding:3px ; _height: 1% "><div style="font-size:14px ; color:#ffffff ; font-weight:bold ; "><span>Quiet, Lovely, Benton LA. 3/2 Home on cul de Sac only 5 min. from Cypress Lake</span></div></div><div style="_height: 1% "><strong>Location: </strong><span>Benton, LA.</span><div style="font-size:12px ; color:#7a7a7a ; line-height:18px ; "><span><span>Beautiful, Spacious, Home built in 2007. 2028 sq. ft. 3 bedroom 2 bath home on .6 acre shaded lot. Open floor plan with neutral colors and lots of windows. Big kitchen with breakfast area, Center island with bar and separate formal dining room. Great cabinets and closet space. Oversized master bath with large garden tub. Large living room 20' x 27' with stone corner fireplace. Large 8ft x 24ft deck. Storage building. Exceptional Benton schools.</span></span></div><div style="clear:both ; "></div></div><div style="clear:both ; "></div></div><div style=""><div style="width:227px ; float:left ; "><div style="border:1px solid #dddddd ; padding:8px ; background-color:#ffffff ; margin-bottom:8px ; _height: 1% "><div style="background-color:#00aaec ; font-size:11px ; color:#ffffff ; font-weight:bold ; padding:3px ; height:14px ; "><span>Information</span></div><div style="font-size:11px ; color:#7a7a7a ; line-height:18px ; padding:0px ; "><div style="font-weight:bold ; color:#00aaec ; height:14px ; "><span>Contact Information</span></div><div style=""><div style="margin-top:3px;"><img title="My Pic" src="http://www.vflyer.com/accounts/1/3/7/7/0/0/8/images/2937867_acctPhoto_thumb.jpg" height="57" alt="My Pic" style="border:1px solid #aaaaaa ; padding:2px ; background-color:#ffffee ; " width="100"></img></div><div><span>Don Rider</span></div><div><span>(318) 364-7218</span></div><div><a href="http://www.vflyer.com/links/links?linkType=748591d22d5bf77ff4b9ae96378b2c4921e40f305fef2b630bf385aaae20d3b2e143d68ca7484002a05f14fd82d50f4c3affcf4200f6894f18e8a1c8ece50ca70e29786cdad97aea9a9338ec738b3195" shape="rect" style="">Contact Reply Form</a></div></div><div style=""><a href="http://www.vflyer.com/links/links?linkType=dd0651962c1febb1437476e388bf870f309a5cb4446f0e271c26453f4a4e88b1a88c674b24807fed6a3118dc5cef4d0f9194ced71cc133588a24020f0941fded17051d899b46562ce2dbe7131ea8a3a9" shape="rect" style="">Forward to a Friend</a></div><div style=""><a href="http://111amy.vflyer.com/home/Listing.jsp?acctId=1377008" shape="rect" style="">View Other Flyers</a></div></div><div style="border-bottom:1px solid #dddddd ; margin:3px 0px 3px 0px ; height:1px ; font-size:1px ; color:#ffffff ; "></div><div style="font-size:11px ; color:#7a7a7a ; line-height:18px ; padding:0px ; "><div style="font-weight:bold ; color:#00aaec ; height:14px ; "><span>Pricing</span></div><div style=""><div style=""><span style="font-weight: bold ; ">Asking Price: </span><span>$109,000.00</span></div></div></div></div><div style="border:1px solid #dddddd ; padding:8px ; background-color:#ffffff ; margin-bottom:8px ; _height: 1% "><div style="background-color:#00aaec ; font-size:11px ; color:#ffffff ; font-weight:bold ; padding:3px ; height:14px ; "><span>Property Location</span></div><div style="font-size:11px ; color:#7a7a7a ; line-height:18px ; padding:0px ; "><div style=""><span>111 Amy Lane</span><br /><span>Benton, LA. 71006</span><br /><a href="http://www.vflyer.com/links/links?linkType=73fd606f40871c69e2464285e6c2155218f8de552092cb9339a0f1996d6813d5613ac080ed67437eb9b28115e8d995644910fd73b27cee54f054a4664c5ab13a837f9aefed2edb42" shape="rect" style="">View Map</a></div><div style="clear:both ; "></div></div></div></div><div style="float:left ; "></div><div style="width:507px ; float:right ; "><div style="border:1px solid #dddddd ; padding:8px ; background-color:#ffffff ; margin-bottom:8px ; _height: 1% "><div style="background-color:#00aaec ; font-size:11px ; color:#ffffff ; font-weight:bold ; padding:3px ; height:14px ; "><span>Features</span></div><div style="font-size:11px ; color:#7a7a7a ; line-height:18px ; padding:0px ; "><div style=""><div style="float:left ; width:221px ; "><span style="font-weight: bold ; ">Bedrooms: </span><span>3</span></div><div style="float:left ; width:221px ; "><span style="font-weight: bold ; ">Bathrooms: </span><span>2</span></div><div style="float:left ; width:221px ; "><span style="font-weight: bold ; ">Parking: </span><span>2</span></div><div style="float:left ; width:221px ; "><span style="font-weight: bold ; ">Year Built: </span><span>2007</span></div><div style="float:left ; width:221px ; "><span style="font-weight: bold ; ">Lot Size: </span><span>.6 acre</span></div><div style="float:left ; width:221px ; "><span style="font-weight: bold ; ">School District: </span><span>Benton</span></div><div style="float:left ; width:221px ; "><span style="font-weight: bold ; ">Square Footage: </span><span>2028</span></div></div><div style="clear:both ; "></div></div></div><div style="border:1px solid #dddddd ; padding:8px ; background-color:#ffffff ; margin-bottom:8px ; _height: 1% "><div style="background-color:#00aaec ; font-size:11px ; color:#ffffff ; font-weight:bold ; padding:3px ; height:14px ; "><span>Attributes</span></div><div style="font-size:11px ; color:#7a7a7a ; line-height:18px ; padding:0px ; "><div style="font-weight:bold ; color:#00aaec ; height:14px ; "><span>Appliances</span></div><div style="border:1px solid #ffffff ; _border:0px ; "><div style="float:left ; background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 6px no-repeat ; _background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 7px no-repeat ; padding-left:13px ; width:140px ; "><span>Range/Oven</span></div><div style="float:left ; background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 6px no-repeat ; _background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 7px no-repeat ; padding-left:13px ; width:140px ; "><span>Full Refrigerator</span></div><div style="float:left ; background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 6px no-repeat ; _background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 7px no-repeat ; padding-left:13px ; width:140px ; "><span>Dishwasher</span></div><div style="float:left ; background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 6px no-repeat ; _background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 7px no-repeat ; padding-left:13px ; width:140px ; "><span>Satellite</span></div><div style="clear:both ; "></div></div></div><div style="border-bottom:1px solid #dddddd ; margin:3px 0px 3px 0px ; height:1px ; font-size:1px ; color:#ffffff ; "></div><div style="font-size:11px ; color:#7a7a7a ; line-height:18px ; padding:0px ; "><div style="font-weight:bold ; color:#00aaec ; height:14px ; "><span>Interior Amenities</span></div><div style="border:1px solid #ffffff ; _border:0px ; "><div style="float:left ; background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 6px no-repeat ; _background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 7px no-repeat ; padding-left:13px ; width:140px ; "><span>Fireplace</span></div><div style="float:left ; background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 6px no-repeat ; _background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 7px no-repeat ; padding-left:13px ; width:140px ; "><span>Kitchen Island</span></div><div style="float:left ; background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 6px no-repeat ; _background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 7px no-repeat ; padding-left:13px ; width:140px ; "><span>Vaulted Ceilings</span></div><div style="clear:both ; "></div></div></div><div style="border-bottom:1px solid #dddddd ; margin:3px 0px 3px 0px ; height:1px ; font-size:1px ; color:#ffffff ; "></div><div style="font-size:11px ; color:#7a7a7a ; line-height:18px ; padding:0px ; "><div style="font-weight:bold ; color:#00aaec ; height:14px ; "><span>Exterior Amenities</span></div><div style="border:1px solid #ffffff ; _border:0px ; "><div style="float:left ; background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 6px no-repeat ; _background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 7px no-repeat ; padding-left:13px ; width:140px ; "><span>Secluded setting</span></div><div style="float:left ; background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 6px no-repeat ; _background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/subItemListImage.gif) 0px 7px no-repeat ; padding-left:13px ; width:140px ; "><span>Tool Shed</span></div><div style="clear:both ; "></div></div></div></div><div style="border:1px solid #dddddd ; padding:8px ; background-color:#ffffff ; margin-bottom:8px ; _height: 1% "><div style="background-color:#00aaec ; font-size:11px ; color:#ffffff ; font-weight:bold ; padding:3px ; height:14px ; "><span>Photo Gallery</span></div><div style="font-size:11px ; color:#7a7a7a ; line-height:18px ; padding:0px ; "><div style="margin:5px 0px 5px 0px ; "><div style="background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/pFrameT.gif) 0px 0px no-repeat ; padding-bottom:0px ; padding-left:20px ; padding-top:17px ; "><div style="height:110px ; "><span style="margin:0px 10px 10px 0px ; float:left ; "><img title="Living Room" src="http://111amy.vflyer.com/1/images/2949862_preview.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="border:1px solid #aaaaaa ; padding:2px ; background-color:#ffffee ; "></img></span><span style="margin:0px 10px 10px 0px ; float:left ; "><img title="Living Room" src="http://111amy.vflyer.com/1/images/2949863_preview.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="border:1px solid #aaaaaa ; padding:2px ; background-color:#ffffee ; "></img></span><span style="margin:0px 10px 10px 0px ; float:left ; "><img title="Living Room" src="http://111amy.vflyer.com/1/images/2949864_preview.jpg" border="0" alt="" style="border:1px solid #aaaaaa ; padding:2px ; background-color:#ffffee ; "></img></span></div></div><div style="clear:both ; "></div><div style="background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/pFrameB.gif) 0px 0px no-repeat ; height:15px ; "></div><div><a href="http://www.vflyer.com/links/links?linkType=29a51a0b0720b0b76c11f8d857a8b5044b3814bb1644f754c5f5cce2f8d2b44ffe01fb7a3ce192451464c275313924fa8469e61d0d4c9cfc9ff6b753b8226b4dc4414a1869245a101ca2ea3573f7a12e0f50d57eaf74e62c" shape="rect" style="">View as Slideshow</a><a href="http://www.vflyer.com/links/links?linkType=6ccf210bf7627fc54479953fb893ae94cf508656e8b710b36558d0ecd4f3389df07b900a9ad73e00c8983adccf19bc3b2ce540b45bd0053321674df02cc3ea3a15464f8ff22ce4b6f424b0a7a0bf4fd5" shape="rect" style="">View Photo Gallery</a><span> (10 Photos)</span></div></div><div style="clear:both ; "></div></div></div></div></div><div style="clear:both ; "></div></div><div style="clear:both ; "></div><div style=""><div></div></div></div></div><div style="background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/brd_r.gif) #ffffff 100% 100% repeat-y ; "><div style="background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/2/images/brd_l.gif) 0px 100% repeat-y ; "><div style="font-size:11px ; color:#c2baae ; line-height:18px ; text-align:left ; margin:0px 20px 0px 20px ; height:23px ; padding-top:5px ; background-color:#ffffff ; "><div style="float:left ; "><a href="http://www.vflyer.com/main/index.jsp" shape="rect" style="" target="blank">Powered by vFlyer.com</a></div><div style="float:left ; margin-left:175px ; padding-left:20px ; text-align:center ; background:url(http://themes.vflyer.com/common/images/house.gif) left 54% no-repeat ; "><a href="http://www.vflyer.com/help/eho" shape="rect" style="" target="blank"> EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY</a></div><div style="float:right ; "><span style="">VFLYER ID: </span><span style=""><a href="http://111amy.vflyer.com/home/flyer/home/1846075" shape="rect" style="" target="blank">1846075</a></span></div></div></div></div></div></div> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:07:30 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/647710/quiet-lovely-benton-la-3-2-home-on-cul-de-sac-only-5-min-from-cypress-lake http://activerain.com/blogsview/601780/water-heater-explodes WATER HEATER EXPLODES <p>This is a great video of what can go wrong with water heaters if they are not installed correctly. It also shows what happens without proper maintenance. Please do not try this at home, as it may be hazzardous to your health</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <div align="center"> <object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GF_Wrm-Ns0I&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GF_Wrm-Ns0I&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>Don Rider</p> <p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogs/www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/" title="Shreveport Bossier Home Inspectors" target="_blank"> <img title="Shreveport Bossier Home Inspections" src="http://activerain.comhttp://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/6/8/4/0/ar121624450904863.gif" height="126" alt="EZ Rider Home Inspections" width="252"></a></p> <p> <a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/">EZ Rider Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Sun, 20 Jul 2008 18:52:40 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/601780/water-heater-explodes http://activerain.com/blogsview/596225/web-designs-deadliest-4-mistakes Web Designs Deadliest 4 Mistakes <p>Some web designs are truly so repulsive that they actually drive people away from the site and prevent them from returning. Both you and your web design company must avoid these situations at all costs. Otherwise you run the risk of allowing your reputation to be diminished or being labeled and avoided by clients and customers.</p> <p><strong>Web Design's Scariest Backgrounds</strong><br /><br />The background of your website is one aspect that you have control over and you can easily change or alter to suit your client's needs. You must be aware, however, that some backgrounds are simply not attractive at all. Some of these backgrounds that should be avoided at any cost are:</p> <ul type="square"> <li>A completely black background with light or white text superimposed upon it. Even the best web designers in the world have difficulty achieving an appealing look with this type of background. It gives viewers the impression that you are imperious and condescending and does not do anything to encourage readers to stay on your site. Also, some browsers, when used to print a page, also print background color. This could cause complaints from customers who are not happy about the amount of ink they used in order to print a single page.</li> <li>A completely black background with dark words. This is an even worse background choice than the previous one because the words simply cannot be seen without great difficulty. In order to read the text, visitors to your site will have to first highlight the text, a task that will quickly irritate them.</li> <li>Complicated, tiled images. Fresh web designers often use this type of background because it is convenient and looks good to them. They should also bear in mind, however, that this type of background can dramatically increase the amount of load time for a website. </li> </ul> <p><strong>Web Design's Scariest Text</strong><br /><br />The main reason people visit your site is that they are interested in the content contained within your website. If they are unable to read your text, then there is nothing for them to stay for. Your web design company definitely does not want visitors to find nothing worth reading on your site, so avoid the following pitfalls:</p> <ul type="square"> <li>Centering all your text. A page with all of its text completely centered is unattractive and difficult to read. </li> </ul> <ul type="square"> <li>Overly emphasized text. Some designers bold every other line of text and italicize the rest. This is self-defeating because in attempting to make everything stand out, nothing stands out.</li> <li>Flashing text. Although some people find text that constantly disappears and reappears appealing, it is almost impossible to read, defeating the purpose of even having text in the first place. Text is there to be read! </li> </ul> <p><strong>Web Design's Scariest Content</strong><br /><br />As a web designer, you should never ignore your content. At the end of the day, the content of your web page is what either draws visitors to your site, or drives them away. You should make sure you include interesting and attention-grabbing content and avoid the following mistakes.</p> <ul type="square"> <li>Pages consisting solely of links. Pages where every word is a link on its own do not serve any purpose other than to convince visitors never to return to your site.</li> <li>"Funny" content. Including humorous content is risky, at best. Some people may not understand your humor and will need to have it explained to them or, more likely, they will simply leave your site in search of something more interesting that they can actually understand. </li> </ul> <p><strong>Web Design's Scariest Multimedia</strong><br /><br />Many designers find themselves in love with multimedia and attempt to use it in every project that they undertake. The web design company you work for probably does appreciate your talent with multimedia and, when the situation calls for it, you can showcase your talents to your web design company and your clients. However, designing using multimedia tools is a very time consuming process. You should not let your desire to show off your skills with multimedia compromise the work that you eventually hand in to your clients. You should do your utmost to avoid the following traps:</p> <ul type="square"> <li>Image overload. Images of all forms, including icons, should not be present in large numbers. As a general rule-of-thumb, anything more than two images is overkill. </li> </ul> <ul type="square"> <li>Overly large images. The readership of your site will not suffer if your images are not of print quality. Large, high quality images take a long time to load and most readers would not care if you had used a low quality image. </li> <li>Embedded audio. Audio streams that play constantly while the page is open are very annoying for visitors who simply want to examine the content of your site. Worse, these audio streams are usually impossible to turn off. If you absolutely must include some form of sound with your web page, you must give your visitors the controls required to turn off the sound if they wish. </li> </ul> <p>A scary web design is most definitely not what your web design company hopes that you will produce. The web pages you design should be appealing to readers and help keep them on your site, and not drive them away.</p> <p>Don Rider</p> <p><a href="www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/" title="Shreveport Bossier Home Inspectors" target="_blank"><img title="Shreveport Bossier Home Inspections" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/6/8/4/0/ar121624450904863.gif" height="126" alt="EZ Rider Home Inspections" width="252" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/">EZ Rider Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:44:17 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/596225/web-designs-deadliest-4-mistakes http://activerain.com/blogsview/596218/6-qualities-of-a-good-domain-name 6 Qualities of a Good Domain Name <p align="center"><strong>Choosing a good domain name is crucial</strong> to the success or failure of your business. You may wonder how something so small and slight could have an impact on your business, but the best way to compare this is to think about how important location is to an offline business? If you do not have a good location, you are likely not going to get many visitors. The same holds true for a good domain name as well.</p> <p>Here, you will discover the six qualities that a good domain name must have to ensure maximum success.</p> <p><strong>1.) Memorable</strong></p> <p>A good domain name must be memorable. Yes, we have the option of bookmarking a site that we enjoy; however, the hard truth is that many people do not take advantage of bookmarking. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that your domain name is one that is easy to remember and makes an impact. It should be easy, memorable, and straight forward.</p> <p>Avoid complexity and it is usually a good idea to avoid initials in most cases. The only exception to this rule would be if the letters represented the website name or business and was still easy to remember.</p> <p><strong>2.) Short and Sweet</strong></p> <p>Twenty characters is the maximum that you should use for a good domain name, ten is even better. A long and complicated domain name is not going to help you. Your best bet is to keep it short and sweet. A great domain name is less than ten characters; a good domain name is less than twenty characters. A bad domain name goes over twenty characters.</p> <p><strong>3.) Be Choosy On Your Extension</strong></p> <p>There are several domain extensions available to you such as .com, .net, .org, .tv, .info, .gov and so on. However, some of these work better than others and are more memorable at the same time. It is important to understand that some extensions also have restrictions such as .gov is reserved specifically for government websites. The .com domain name extension is the best by far, because it is the most widely used.</p> <p>The .net extension is the second best, but be prepared most people will type .com before they will .net if they cannot remember which extension you use. The type of extension you use might also have a bearing on the type of website. Some people have come to expect certain things when a particular extension. For example, .org is typically used by not-for-profit organization and educational websites. The .info extensions are generally used for informational websites.</p> <p><strong>4.) Spelling Means Everything</strong></p> <p>Having a difficult to spell domain name could cause you some trouble. Again, many do not even make use of bookmarks; therefore, if your domain name is hard to spell, they may end up at a competitor's website.</p> <p>A good domain name contains only words that are easy to pronounce, have a good combination of words or letters that are used in every day language, and does not contain foreign words that may be difficult to non-native speakers.</p> <p><strong>5.) Tells a Story</strong></p> <p>A good domain name should be descriptive and tell a story. In other words, when your visitors, customers, or potential customers see your domain name they should instantly be able to tell what they are going to find. For instance, if it is your business, a business name is good.</p> <p><strong>6.) Avoid Fancy Symbols</strong></p> <p>It is never a good idea to use numbers or hyphens within your domain name. Even if your domain name is memorable, many people will not pay attention to the symbols, which could lead them to someone else's website.</p> <p>Don Rider</p> <p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/596225/www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/" title="Shreveport Bossier Home Inspectors" target="_blank"><img title="Shreveport Bossier Home Inspections" src="http://activerain.comhttp://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/3/6/8/4/0/ar121624450904863.gif" height="126" alt="EZ Rider Home Inspections" width="252" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/">EZ Rider Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:37:42 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/596218/6-qualities-of-a-good-domain-name http://activerain.com/blogsview/596153/my-new-logo-i-need-input- My NEW Logo --- I need input --- <p>I am constantly hearing that a good logo makes you stand out above everyone else. So with this in mind, I recently changed mine. I think it is very eye catching.  I am interested in hearing from everyone, does not matter to me if you dislike it or like it. Let me know whatever it is that you feel. Here it is:</p> <p><img title="Louisiana Home Inspections" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/6/7/2/6/0/ar12162410706276.gif" height="126" alt="EZ Rider Home Inspections" width="252" /></p> <p> </p> <p>It was designed by Rob at <a href="http://www.logorama.com/" target="_blank">Logorama.com</a>. They are very competitively priced and do great work.</p> <p> </p> <p>Thanks a lot for any input.</p> <p> </p> <p>Don Rider</p> <p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/">EZ Rider Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:54:50 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/596153/my-new-logo-i-need-input- http://activerain.com/blogsview/508070/great-tool-for-home-sellers-move-in-certified Great tool for home sellers Move In Certified <p align="center"><strong>Easily add value to your home for sale by having it </strong></p> <p align="center"><strong>Move In Certified.</strong></p> <p align="center"> </p> <p align="center"><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/Shreveport-BossierCity-Home-Inspection-movein.htm"><img title="Move In Certified" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/9/0/7/0/5/ar121068771350709.gif" height="200" alt="EZ Rider Home Inspections" width="200" /></a></p> <p align="center">Move In Certified homes have been pre-inspected by InterNACHI certified inspectors and the sellers confirm that there are no major systems in need of immediate repair or replacement and no known safety hazards.</p> <p align="center"><strong>Advantages of selling a home that has been Move In Certified: </strong></p> <ul> <li> <p align="left">The seller can choose a Move In Certified InterNACHI inspector to inspect the home properly before the buyer's inspector arrives.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">The seller can schedule the Move In Certified Inspection at the seller's convenience.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">It might alert the seller of any items of immediate personal concern, such as radon gas or active termite infestation.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">The seller can assist the Move In Certified Inspector during the inspection, something normally not done during a buyer's inspection.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">The seller can have the Move In Certified Inspector correct any misstatements in the inspection report before it is generated.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">The report can help the seller realistically price the home if problems exist.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">The report can help the seller substantiate a higher asking price if problems don't exist or have been corrected.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">A seller Move In Certified Inspection reveals problems ahead of time which:</p> <ul> <li> <p align="left">might make the home show better.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">gives the seller time to make repairs and shop for competitive contractors.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">permits the seller to attach repair estimates or paid invoices to the inspection report.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">removes over-inflated buyer procured estimates from the negotiation table.</p> </li> </ul> </li> <li> <p align="left">The Move In Certified Inspection report might alert the seller to any immediate safety issues found, before agents and visitors tour the home.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">The report provides a third-party, unbiased opinion to offer to potential buyers.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">A seller Move In Certified Inspection permits a clean home inspection report hosted on <a href="http://www.fetchreport.com/">www.FetchReport.com</a> to be used as a marketing tool.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left"><em>Move In Certified</em> yard signs attract potential buyers. </p> </li> <li> <p align="left">A seller Move In Certified Inspection is the ultimate gesture in forthrightness on the part of the seller.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">The report might relieve a prospective buyer's unfounded suspicions, before they walk away.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">A seller Move In Certified Inspection lightens negotiations and 11th-hour renegotiations.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">The report might encourage the buyer to waive the inspection contingency.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">The deal is less likely to fall apart the way they often do when a buyer's inspection unexpectedly reveals a problem, last minute.</p> </li> <li> <p align="left">The report provides full-disclosure protection from future legal claims.</p> </li> </ul> <p align="left"> </p> <p>Don Rider</p> <p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/">EZ Rider Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspectors</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p> <p align="left"> </p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Tue, 13 May 2008 09:07:01 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/508070/great-tool-for-home-sellers-move-in-certified http://activerain.com/blogsview/508059/now-offering-free-home-waranty-with-inspections Now Offering FREE Home Waranty With Inspections <p><strong>Included with your home inspection</strong> is a 90-day limited home warranty.  Effective January 1st, 2007, a warranty is provided by the American Home Warranty Company.  Your inspector will hand you your signed warranty form at the inspection.  Keep it for your records.</p> <p><strong>Read the Warranty</strong> in PDF format, click....  <a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/images/ahwa90.pdf" title="FREE Home Waranty" target="_blank">Warranty</a></p> <p>The <strong>90-day</strong> limited home warranty is effective from the date of the home inspection for a period of 90 days.  If closing should occur after the expiration of the 90-day period, the warranty will extend to 21 days following closing.</p> <p><strong>What is covered?</strong>  Drain lines, gas lines, faucets, electrical, heating, air conditioning, poured concrete foundations, water heater, floor joists, framing, roof structure, roof covering, load-bearing walls, garage doors, range, oven, dishwasher, microwave oven.  All coverage's are subject to the exclusions and terms set forth in the warranty in detail. </p> <p><strong>What if something goes wrong?</strong>  Send a written notification to the American Home Warranty Company describing the problem.  Send a copy of the itemized estimate or repair bill.  Send a copy of the inspection report.  Send your signed warranty form.  Then claims will be processed.</p> <p>Don Rider</p> <p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/">EZ Rider Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspectors</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Tue, 13 May 2008 09:02:23 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/508059/now-offering-free-home-waranty-with-inspections http://activerain.com/blogsview/504865/a-little-information-about-radon A Little Information About RADON <p><strong>Radon</strong></p> <p>This section is meant to provide a short overview only. Those wishing to know more should follow the EPA link at the bottom of the page. </p> <p><strong>What is Radon?</strong></p> <p>Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas which is a product of the natural decay of uranium located deep underground.</p> <p>Lighter than air, it rises through cracks and fissures in the ground and can enter a home through cracks, joints and openings in a concrete slab, or move easily through floor, wall and ceiling framing assemblies. Homes with concrete slab floors, basements and crawlspaces are all vulnerable to radon entry.</p> <p>Although some radon problems can come from water sources, most are from soil gas.</p> <p><strong>What Are the Health Risks?</strong></p> <p>Because it's a radioactive gas, radon will eventually decay. When radon decays it emits tiny radioactive particles. If radon has been inhaled and is inside lungs, these particles can strike lung cells, causing abnormal lung cell replication, otherwise known as cancer.</p> <p>The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calls radon the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S.</p> <p>No "safe" level of radon exists and the effects may be delayed for years, may affect children more than adults, or may never cause health problems. Generally, exposure to higher levels and longer exposure times increase the odds of developing radon-related health problems.</p> <p><strong>Where is Radon Found?</strong></p> <p>Some parts of the U.S. are more likely to have elevated levels of radon than others. The <a href="http://www.epa.gov/radon/zonemap.html">EPA National Radon Map</a> provides great information on U.S. radon levels nationwide.</p> <p><strong>Radon Measurement</strong></p> <p>The only way to determine whether a home has levels which may pose a health risk it to <a href="http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/hmbyguid.html#5.a.">have the home tested</a>.</p> <p>A number of testing (radon-measuring) devices are available, ranging from simple do-it-yourself charcoal canisters found at most hardware stores to sophisticated monitors with security features which provide immediate results at end of the typical 48-hour test.</p> <p>Testing for real estate transactions should comply with EPA protocols and be performed by a qualified neutral third party. Qualifications may vary <a href="http://www.epa.gov/iaq/whereyoulive.html">by state</a>.</p> <p>Testing requires "<a href="http://www.arra.state.az.us/radonweb/test-closed.htm" title="Closed House Conditions">closed house conditions</a>," and under certain conditions, opening windows in upper levels of the home make actually increase radon levels in the home due to "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stack_effect" title="Wikipedia definition">stack effect</a>," or the rising of heated air.</p> <p align="center"><img src="http://www.education.nachi.org/images/upload/stackeffect.jpg" border="1" height="371" alt="" width="336" /></p> <p align="center"><em>Stack effect can pull gas out of the soil.</em></p> <p><strong>Test Results</strong></p> <p>Radon levels are measured and described in picoCuries of radon per liter of air, typically shown as "pCi/L". The EPA action limit is the limit at which the EPA recommends that mitigation take place. At this time (2007) this limit is 4 pCi/L.</p> <p><strong>What is Mitigation?</strong></p> <p>The process of lowering radon levels is called "<a href="http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/consguid.html">mitigation</a>." Mitigation may involve different approaches or combinations of approaches, depending on the situation and severity of the problem.  Mitigation is often very successful.</p> <p>For more information, read "<a href="http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/hmbyguid.html#9.">A Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide to Radon</a>," an excellent guide by the EPA.</p> <p>Don Rider</p> <p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/">EZ Rider Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspectors</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Sat, 10 May 2008 16:07:25 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/504865/a-little-information-about-radon http://activerain.com/blogsview/503662/lighting-bulb-and-fixture-types Lighting: Bulb and Fixture Types <h3>Energy Use in Home Lighting <p> </p> <p>Lighting accounts for 30% to 50% of a building's energy use, or about 17% of total annual U.S. electricity consumption. Ninety percent of the energy emitted by incandescent bulbs is in the form of heat, and only 10% is in the form of light. This means that not only is money wasted on inefficient lighting, but using incandescent bulbs lights increases cooling costs.<em> </em></p> <p>TYPES of LIGHTING</p> <p>Compact Florescent</p> <ul> <li>Generate 70% less heat, they're safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling. </li> <li>Use at least 2/3 less energy than standard incandescent bulbs to provide the same amount of light, and last up to 10 times longer. </li> <li>Save $30 or more in energy costs over each bulb's lifetime. </li> <li>Must turn on instantly, produce no sound, and fall within a warm color range or be otherwise labeled as providing cooler color tones, in addition to other quality requirements. </li> <li>Are available in different sizes and shapes to fit in almost any fixture, for indoors and outdoors. </li> </ul> <p>Where to Use CFLs:</p> <p>To get the most energy savings, replace bulbs where lights are on the most, such as your family and living room, kitchen, dining room, and porch, with CFLs.</p> <p>Although they are manufactured for use in recessed light fixtures, some CFLs have trouble operating in enclosed fixtures.</p> <p align="center"> <img src="http://www.education.nachi.org/images/upload/CFL_2.JPG" border="1" height="120" alt="" width="160" />      <img src="http://www.education.nachi.org/images/upload/CFL_3.JPG" border="1" height="120" alt="" width="160" />      <img src="http://www.education.nachi.org/images/upload/compact_flourescent_1.JPG" border="1" height="120" alt="" width="160" /></p> <p align="center"> <img src="http://www.education.nachi.org/images/upload/CFL_4.JPG" border="1" height="120" alt="" width="160" />      <img src="http://www.education.nachi.org/images/upload/CFL_5.JPG" border="1" height="120" alt="" width="160" />      <img src="http://www.education.nachi.org/images/upload/CFL_6.JPG" border="1" height="120" alt="" width="160" /></p> <p align="center"><em>Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs are available for different applications</em>. </p> <p>NOTE: Because they contain small amounts of mercury, CFLs must be disposed of properly.</p> <p>Halogen</p> <p>Although they produce significant amounts of heat and cost more than incandescent light bulbs, halogen lights last much longer than incandescents, give high-quality light and are 50% more efficient. Halogen lights are good for task lighting. Task lighting refers to lighting a small area where a particular task will be performed, such as reading.</p> <p align="center"><img src="http://www.education.nachi.org/images/upload/halogens_1.JPG" border="1" height="235" alt="" width="314" /></p> <p align="center"><em>Halogen Light Bulbs<br /></em></p> <p>Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)</p> <p>Light emitting diodes are a relatively new technology in residential lighting. They emit low levels of heat, consume little electricity and last for tens of thousands of hours.</p> <p align="center"><img src="http://www.education.nachi.org/images/upload/LED_lights_1.JPG" border="1" height="328" alt="" width="430" /> <img src="http://www.education.nachi.org/images/upload/LED_lights_2.JPG" border="1" height="328" alt="" width="434" /></p> <p align="center">This LED recessed light fixture had been on for about 5 hours when these photos were taken.</p> <p>The 12-watt LED fixture in the photos above emitted light intensity comparable to a 60-watt incandescent, will last approximately 50,000 hours and was close to room temperature</p> <p>Full-Spectrum Bulbs</p> <p align="left">Full-spectrum bulbs emit light waves which cover a wide spectrum and are meant to simulate natural light. These bulbs may be either compact or tube fluorescent, incandescent or halogen bulbs. They can be recognized by markings reading "Full-Spectrum" or which indicate a Kelvin temperature above 5000.</p> <p align="left"> </p> <p align="left">This is information came from InterNACHI.</p> <p><strong>Don Rider</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/">EZ Rider Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p> <p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a></p> <p><a href="http://shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p> <p align="left"> </p> </h3> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Fri, 09 May 2008 14:55:59 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/503662/lighting-bulb-and-fixture-types http://activerain.com/blogsview/503600/thanks-for-invite Thanks For Invite <p>Scott,</p> <p>Thanks for the invite. Hopefully we will have a great time. If not we will just enjoy everyones company. Maybe you or other might even want to exchange links. I keep hearing that this is a great way to increase our Internet exposure.</p> <p>Don Rider</p> <p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/">EZ Rider Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspectors</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p> <p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Fri, 09 May 2008 14:18:51 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/503600/thanks-for-invite http://activerain.com/blogsview/496007/mud-bug-madness-returns-for-it-s-25th-year Mud Bug Madness Returns For it's 25th Year <p> </p><p>This festival occurs this May 25th - 28th, in downtown Shreveport. Most all of the locals compete to eat the most "mudbugs," which to most yankies normal people is really a crawdad. Their little nasty bodies litter the streets while roudy Cajun hicks hoot and holler and participate in such events as the crowning of King and Queen Mudbug. It is fun for all. There are three stages with live music almost all the time. There is even a kids stage, for the little ones.</p><p><strong>Driving Directions:</strong></p><p>From I-20 West:Take Spring Street exit. Festival Plaza is located underneath Spring Street Bridge at Crockett Street (approximately 2 blocks from the interstate).</p><p>From I-20 East:Take Spring Street exit. Festival Plaza is located underneath the Spring Street Bridge at Crockett Street (approximately 2 blocks from the interstate).</p><p>From I-49: Take I-49 north to I-20 east. Follow directions from I-20 east.</p><p><strong>Admission:</strong></p><p>Admission is free till 6 from NewsChannel 6!</p><p>Thursday Free from 11am until 6pm; $3.00 per person after 6pm<br />Friday Free from 11am until 6pm; $3.00 per person after 6pm<br />Saturday & Sunday 11am until closing $3.00 per person<br />* Children under 12 are free at all times </p><p> </p><p>Come and enjoy!!</p><p> </p><p>Don Rider</p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com" target="_blank">EZ Rider Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspectors.com/" target="_blank">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p><p><a href="http://www.bossierhomeinspections.com/" target="_blank">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://www.shreveportbossierinspection.com/" target="_blank">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/" target="_blank">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a></p><p><a href="http://www.shreveport-home-inspections.com/" target="_blank">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Sun, 04 May 2008 09:47:31 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/496007/mud-bug-madness-returns-for-it-s-25th-year http://activerain.com/blogsview/472034/summary-10-ways-to-raise-your-site-on-google Summary 10 ways to raise your site on Google <p>Last week I did a blog on each one of these. So today for those that don't like to look for things I am putting them on one page.</p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/446935/1-Ways-to-raise" rel="nofollow">10 Ways to raise your site on Google Part 1</a> <br /></p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/447338/1-Ways-to-raise" rel="nofollow">10 Ways to raise your site on Google Part 2</a> </p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/447346/1-Ways-to-raise" rel="nofollow">10 Ways to raise your site on Google Part 3</a> <br /></p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/448083/1-Ways-to-raise" rel="nofollow">10 Ways to raise your site on Google Part 4</a></p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/448089/1-Ways-to-raise" rel="nofollow">10 Ways to raise your site on Google Part 5</a> <br /></p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/448117/1-Ways-to-raise">10 Ways to raise your site on Google Part 6</a></p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/448957/1-Ways-to-raise" target="_blank">10 Ways to raise your site on Google Part 7</a></p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/448996/1-Ways-to-raise" target="_blank">10 Ways to raise your site on Google Part 8</a></p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/457137/1-Ways-to-raise" target="_blank">10 Ways to raise your site on Google Part 8a</a></p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/450105/1-Ways-to-raise" target="_blank">10 Ways to raise your site on Google Part 9</a></p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/450109/1-Ways-to-raise" target="_blank">10 Ways to raise your site on Google Part 10</a></p><p> </p><p><strong>Don Rider</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/"></a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a> </p><p><a href="http://shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p><p> </p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Wed, 16 Apr 2008 21:38:32 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/472034/summary-10-ways-to-raise-your-site-on-google http://activerain.com/blogsview/471011/i-finally-made-it-to-the-10-000-point-mark I finally made it to the 10,000 point mark <p>Well to all my AR friends. I finally made it to the 10,000 point mark. I always hear the first 10k is the hardest. I have learned that the points just come naturally if you just want to share with people what you know.</p><p>Thanks to all who have read my posts.</p><p><strong>Don Rider</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/"></a></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/">EZ Rider Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a> </p><p><a href="http://shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p> <style type="text/css"> body {width:950px;margin:auto;} .site_button {border:0px; background:url(http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/images/arbutton.gif); height:60px; width:180px; padding-top:10px;} </style> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:56:20 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/471011/i-finally-made-it-to-the-10-000-point-mark http://activerain.com/blogsview/471004/disable-right-click-on-your-website Disable right click on your website <p>One of the things you can do so that people will have a harder time copying your information, put the following css code in right after your . Just copy and paste it.</p><p><script language="JavaScript1.1"><br /><br /></script></p><p>I hope that this will help someone.</p><p><strong>Don Rider</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/"></a></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/">EZ Rider Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a> </p><p><a href="http://shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:49:50 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/471004/disable-right-click-on-your-website http://activerain.com/blogsview/469595/active-rain-blog-customizer- Active Rain Blog Customizer <p>I just wanted everyone to know how much i appreciate <a href="http://activerain.com/realestatewebdesign" target="_blank">Brad Carroll</a> for his developing the <a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/463206/ActiveRain-gives-the-Green" target="_blank">B<strong>log Customizer</strong></a>. It is very easy to do and everyone can make their blog look great. The link to his blog on this is  <a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/463206/ActiveRain-gives-the-Green" target="_blank">http://activerain.com/blogsview/463206/ActiveRain-gives-the-Green</a>.</p><p>Thanks again Brad!!</p><p> </p><p><strong>Don Rider</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/"></a></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/">EZ Rider Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a> </p><p><a href="http://shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:19:52 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/469595/active-rain-blog-customizer- http://activerain.com/blogsview/468750/what-not-to-do-in-designing-your-website What not to do in designing your website <p>In the last few weeks I have been discussing items that you should perform on your website to increase your search engine rankings. This week I'm going to list a few things you shouldn't do!<br /><br /><strong>1. Don't copy content!!</strong> I've seen many of you who are using a few hosts that load your site with tons of content. The problem is that they load the other sites in the industry with the exact same content. These hosts are giving you a template to get started with, which is great. You are responsible for editing the pages and making them your own. If you don't you're hurting your rankings. If search engines see your exact content on other sites, then what makes you so special that you should be ranked highly? Start editing those pages!!<br /><br /><strong>2. Do not hide text on your website. </strong>Sometimes when people hear that it's good to include your keywords on your page they load up the bottom of their page with the names of every city within 100 miles and make the text the same color as their page background color so that humans can't read the text. The problem is that search engines are much smarter now than they used to be. They check to make sure the color of the text is not similar to the background color. If it is, you get PENALIZED. They know you're hiding stuff. Don't do it.<br /><br /><strong>3. Don't overload your page</strong>with the same keywords over and over. Having your target keywords on your page are extremely important to getting prospective client clients to your site. But if you go overboard and include the words 'Realtor in Los Angeles' 50 times on the same page you'll get dinged for keyword 'stuffing.' Your usage of keywords within your page needs to be realistic.</p><p><strong>Don Rider</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/"></a></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/">EZ Rider Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a> </p><p><a href="http://shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p><p> </p> <style type="text/css"> body {width:950px;margin:auto;} .site_button {border:0px; background:url(http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/images/arbutton.gif); height:60px; width:180px; padding-top:10px;} </style> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Mon, 14 Apr 2008 17:36:58 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/468750/what-not-to-do-in-designing-your-website http://activerain.com/blogsview/458175/green-certified-home-inspections Green Certified Home Inspections <p align="center"><strong>I am pleased to announce my new certification.</strong></p><p align="center"> </p><p align="center"><strong>Green Certified Home Inspections</strong></p><p> </p><p align="center"><img title="Shreveport Bossier Inspections" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/9/6/3/6/ar12075847763692.gif" border="0" height="181" alt="Green Certified " width="180" /></p><p> </p><p>This certification was created through the joint efforts of the <a href="http://www.internachi.org/" title="InterNACHI" target="_blank">International Association of Certified Home Inspectors, Inc.</a>(InterNACHI), the <a href="http://www.iac2.org/" title="IAC2" target="_blank">International Association of Certified Indoor Air Consultants, Inc.</a> (IAC2) and <a href="http://www.moveincertified.com/">MoveInCertified.com</a>. MoveInCertified.com's <strong><em>Green Certified</em> </strong>is a designation for homes that use design features, technologies and products that:</p><p> </p><ul><li><p>improve energy efficiency, </p></li><li><p>reduce pollution, </p></li><li><p>provide healthier air, </p></li><li><p>increase comfort, </p></li><li><p>reduce water usage preserve natural resources, </p></li><li><p>increase durability, </p></li><li><p>make a home quieter, </p></li><li><p>reduce maintenance, </p></li><li><p>lower monthly costs, and</p></li><li><p>improve resale value. </p></li></ul><p><strong><em>Green Certified</em></strong> homes are healthier, more environmentally friendly, and economically smarter that average homes. To find out more information on <strong>Green Certified Home Inspections,</strong></p><p><strong>Don Rider</strong></p><p><img title="The Best Home Inspecor in Shreveport Bossier" src="http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/2/6/9/6/2/ar120758500426962.png" height="50" alt="EZ Rider Home Inspections" width="156" /></p><p><a href="http://ezriderhomeinspections.com" title="Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector" target="_blank">EZ Rider Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/"></a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a> </p><p><a href="http://shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p><p align="center"> </p> <style type="text/css"> body {width:950px; margin:auto; background-color:#C3D9FF; } #header, #footer {background-color:#356D9E;} #header {background-color:#fff; padding-bottom:60px; margin-top:30px; padding-top:100px; background:#C3D9FF url(http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/images/ezrider-logo-new-web-1.png) no-repeat scroll 0px 0px; border:0px; margin-top:0px; } .footerText {color:#ffffff; } td {background:#ffffff} #footer td {background:transparent!important;} .site_button {border:0px; background:url(http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/images/arbutton.gif); height:60px; width:180px; padding-top:10px;} #logo {position:relative; top:-10px; left:330px; width:950px;} #member_count {display:none;} .nav {padding:4px;0px!important; text-align:center!important; background:#356D9E; width:930px; border:1px solid #2f4165!important; margin-left:5px; } h2 { color:#356D9E!important; font-family:Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:24px!important; font-size-adjust:none; font-stretch:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:0pt; line-height:24px; margin:9pt 0pt 0px; padding:6px 0pt 0px; } h3 { color:#356D9E!important; font-family:Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:20px!important; font-size-adjust:none; font-stretch:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:0pt; line-height:24px; margin:9pt 0pt 0px; padding:6px 0pt 0px; } a { color:#356D9E; text-decoration:underline; } p{ margin-top:2px!important;} a:hover { color:#ffffff; text-decoration:none; background:#356D9E; border 1px solid #DDA603 } </style> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:27:10 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/458175/green-certified-home-inspections http://activerain.com/blogsview/457137/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-8a 10 Ways to raise your site in Google Part 8a <p>As promised, last week I covered how to add RSS to your site in a very easy way that makes your site a little more interesting, but doesn't give a huge boost to your SEO. This week's method is a little more difficult but will help out your rankings A LOT more as the actual text will be on your page for the spiders to see. <br /><br />Using this method you can insert news stories about local cities, improving your search engine rankings for those terms. Creating one page per city would work great. You will notice if you look at the source code that the actual text is there which means the spiders will see it.<br /><br /><strong>Note, this method will not work on all web servers. You will need to try it out to find out. Some free servers don't allow the method behind this to work. Your server must allow php files.</strong><strong><br /><br /></strong>So, here are the steps.<br /><br />Setup the files:<br />1. Download this file <a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/rss.zip" target="_blank">rss.zip</a>. If you don't know how to unzip it download WinZip at <a href="http://www.winzip.com/" target="_blank">http://www.winzip.com/</a> . Then upload the two files to the main folder of your website.<br /><br />2. Change the file permissions on codelock.php to 777, if you're using a check based system for file permissions that means check all the boxes. Change the file permissions on magicrss.php to 544, if you're using checkbox system, this is: Owner: (R)ead, e(X)ecute; Group: (R)ead; Other: (R)ead.<br /><br />3. Your web page MUST be able to process Server Side Includes (SSI). Usually, any web page that ends with .shtml will work. Your server may also work with pages that end with .sht, or even .htm or .html. You can find this out by experimenting, or ask your system administrator. However, as .shtml will most likely work (most your other pages are .html or .php). <br /><br />4. To test, you can use the code below; it will insert the top news stories on yahoo's site onto a webpage. Paste it anywhere in the actual code of your webpage and see if it works. You can try it in an .html file, though you might need to save the file as a .html as I mentioned above.<br /><br /><br /><br />Get the RSS Feed URL<br />5. Go to <a href="http://news.google.com/" target="_blank">http://news.google.com/</a> (you can use Yahoo or another RSS feed too) Type into the search box the name of your city: "Shreveport" you might want to use Shreveport Louisiana if your city is a popular name (yes, I'm talking about those of you who live in Springfield). Note put the city name in quotes if it's two words and you want them to appear together.<br /><br />6. Click Search News<br /><br />7. A page will appear with stories about Shreveport. Scroll down until you see the word RSS on the left hand side.<br /><br />8. Right click on the word RSS and click on "Copy Link Location" in Firefox or "Copy Shortcut" in Internet Explorer. <br /><br />Insert RSS into any page on your site. Preferably one named after the city you're using like shreveport.html or shreveport.shtml<br /><br />9. Now go ahead and change the text after the url= in red in step 4 to whatever the rss url is you got in step 8 by pasting it into the file.<br /><br />For more info on these 2 files, and other ways to use them (like to create a scrolling news reader), check out <a href="http://www.magic-rss.com/" target="_blank">http://www.magic-rss.com/</a> .</p><p><strong>Don Rider</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/" shreveport title="" inpector home></a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a> </p><p><a href="http://shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p><p> </p><p> </p> <style type="text/css"> body {width:950px; margin:auto; background-color:#C3D9FF; } #header, #footer {background-color:#356D9E;} #header {background-color:#fff; padding-bottom:60px; margin-top:30px; padding-top:100px; background:#C3D9FF url(http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/images/ezrider-logo-new-web-1.png) no-repeat scroll 0px 0px; border:0px; margin-top:0px; } .footerText {color:#ffffff; } td {background:#ffffff} #footer td {background:transparent!important;} .site_button {border:0px; background:url(http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/images/arbutton.gif); height:60px; width:180px; padding-top:10px;} #logo {position:relative; top:-10px; left:330px; width:950px;} #member_count {display:none;} .nav {padding:4px;0px!important; text-align:center!important; background:#356D9E; width:930px; border:1px solid #2f4165!important; margin-left:5px; } h2 { color:#356D9E!important; font-family:Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:24px!important; font-size-adjust:none; font-stretch:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:0pt; line-height:24px; margin:9pt 0pt 0px; padding:6px 0pt 0px; } h3 { color:#356D9E!important; font-family:Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:20px!important; font-size-adjust:none; font-stretch:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:0pt; line-height:24px; margin:9pt 0pt 0px; padding:6px 0pt 0px; } a { color:#356D9E; text-decoration:underline; } p{ margin-top:2px!important;} a:hover { color:#ffffff; text-decoration:none; background:#356D9E; border 1px solid #DDA603 } </style> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Sun, 06 Apr 2008 15:51:13 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/457137/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-8a http://activerain.com/blogsview/450109/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-10 10 Ways to raise your site in Google Part 10 <p>And now the last part.</p><p> This is part ten of a ten aprt series on how to increase your website rankings on Google. That being said, there are tons of things webmasters can do to help their sites perform better in search, so this list is not by a long shot finished. It is, though, what I think are the top ten strategies for better search engine-and by "search engine" I mean "Google" - placement.</p><p><strong>10. Don't Forget Humans</strong> <br /><br />This is so important, it probably should be higher up on the list. There's an art to designing a site that is friendly to both Google crawlers and the people you ultimately want to convert. Without people, what's the point? So first design for them, and then tweak to please the spiders, not the other way around. <a href="http://www.useit.com/">Jakob Nielsen</a> is a usability guru you'll want to check out. He's been telling people how make user-centric websites since web directories were still phonebooks-you know, <em>on paper.</em> </p> <style type="text/css"> body {width:950px; margin:auto; background-color:#C3D9FF; } #header, #footer {background-color:#356D9E;} #header {background-color:#fff; padding-bottom:60px; margin-top:30px; padding-top:100px; background:#C3D9FF url(http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/images/ezrider-logo-new-web-1.png) no-repeat scroll 0px 0px; border:0px; margin-top:0px; } .footerText {color:#ffffff; } td {background:#ffffff} #footer td {background:transparent!important;} .site_button {border:0px; background:url(http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/images/arbutton.gif); height:60px; width:180px; padding-top:10px;} #logo {position:relative; top:-10px; left:330px; width:950px;} #member_count {display:none;} .nav {padding:4px;0px!important; text-align:center!important; background:#356D9E; width:930px; border:1px solid #2f4165!important; margin-left:5px; } h2 { color:#356D9E!important; font-family:Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:24px!important; font-size-adjust:none; font-stretch:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:0pt; line-height:24px; margin:9pt 0pt 0px; padding:6px 0pt 0px; } h3 { color:#356D9E!important; font-family:Trebuchet MS,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:20px!important; font-size-adjust:none; font-stretch:normal; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; font-weight:normal; letter-spacing:0pt; line-height:24px; margin:9pt 0pt 0px; padding:6px 0pt 0px; } a { color:#356D9E; text-decoration:underline; } p{ margin-top:2px!important;} a:hover { color:#ffffff; text-decoration:none; background:#356D9E; border 1px solid #DDA603 } </style> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:54:18 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/450109/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-10 http://activerain.com/blogsview/450105/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-9 10 Ways to raise your site in Google Part 9 <p>Now part nine. </p><p> This is part nine of a ten aprt series on how to increase your website rankings on Google. That being said, there are tons of things webmasters can do to help their sites perform better in search, so this list is not by a long shot finished. It is, though, what I think are the top ten strategies for better search engine-and by "search engine" I mean "Google" - placement.</p><p><strong>9. Start a Blog</strong> <br /><br />A great way to establish yourself as an authority voice on the Internet is to start a blog about the industry you're in. Maintaining a blog means another entry point with regularly updated content that eventually with some authority helps pull up the main site via targeted links to the site, or specific pages within the site. It's not a spam blog, which will be zapped eventually, if there's useful content on it and legitimate linking. You can use this one and link it from your site, or you can use <a href="http://www.blogger.com" target="_blank">blogger.com</a>.</p><p><strong>Don Rider</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/" title="Shreveport Home Inpector" target="_blank"><img title="Shreveport Bossier's Best Home Inspector" src="http://activerain.comhttp://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/2/4/3/1/ar120693586613428.png" height="50" alt="Bossier Home Inspector" width="156" /></a></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/"></a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a> </p><p><a href="http://shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:50:34 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/450105/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-9 http://activerain.com/blogsview/448996/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-8 10 Ways to raise your site in Google Part 8 <p>And now part eight. </p><p> This is part eight of a ten aprt series on how to increase your website rankings on Google. That being said, there are tons of things webmasters can do to help their sites perform better in search, so this list is not by a long shot finished. It is, though, what I think are the top ten strategies for better search engine-and by "search engine" I mean "Google" - placement.</p><p><strong>8. Frequently Updated Content</strong> <br /><br />You could start a site, slap some content on it, and let it sit there in cyber space. It'll be indexed, most likely. But you really expand your credibility as a devoted, relevant source if you update regularly. In addition to spiders, it gives people a reason to come back, too. </p><p>Having new content on your website is important for search engine rankings. Search engines are more likely to crawl your website and crawl it more often if you change your site often. Being a home inspection website though, how is that possible? You put up a few pages on your site describing you, your business and what you do, and that's about it. What is there to change?<br /><br /><br />The trick is called RSS, which now stands for Really Simple Sindication. I'm going to show you how to add news stories about your local cities to your website, and have them AUTOMATICALLY UPDATE THEMSELVES, WOHOO!!<br /><br />So, I'll create an imaginary new page, <a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/shreveport-bossier-home-inspection-rss.shtml" target="_blank">Shreveport.html</a> and set the design to look like the rest of my site. At the top I'd write a few things about Shreveport, maybe the population, my favorite restaurant, whatever. Then under that we're going to add news stories about Shreveport, La!<br /><br />You can get RSS feeds from multiple sites like Google News and Yahoo News. I'll use Google News for this email.<br /><br />There are two ways to do this, the easy was is listed now, I'll post the more complicated way tomorrow after I do a few things to make it easier. It won't help your ratings as much but it MUCH simpler. The easy way relies more on the paragraph you type ABOVE these news feeds for the SEO and the feeds just make the page look more relevant.<br /><br />Steps for the easy way:<br /><br />1. Go to <a href="http://news.google.com/" target="_blank">http://news.google.com/</a> Type into the search box the name of your city: "Shreveport" you might want to use Shreveport, Louisiana if your city is a popular name (yes, I'm talking about those of you who live in Springfield). Note put the city name in quotes if it's two words and you want them to appear together.<br /><br />2. Click Search News<br /><br />3. A page will appear with stories about Shreveport. Scroll down until you see the word RSS on the left hand side.<br /><br />4. Right click on the word RSS and click on "Copy Link Location" in Firefox or "Copy Shortcut" in Internet Explorer. <br /><br />5. Now go to <a href="http://www.rss-info.com/en_rssinclude-simple.html" target="_blank">http://www.rss-info.com/en_rssinclude-simple.html</a><br /><br />6. Right click on the empty line next to RSS URL and select paste. My url looks like this: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=shreveport,+Louisiana&ie=UTF-8&output=rss</p><p>7. Now the other options are up to you. You can change the width, color and more.<br /><br />8. Click create html.<br /><br />9. Copy the code in the box and paste it on your site where you want the stories to appear.<br /><br />You can see an example for what I did here: <a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/shreveport-bossier-home-inspection-rss.shtml">http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/shreveport-bossier-home-inspection-rss.shtml</a></p><p><br />Try it out and let me know how it goes. I will be posting the second method tomorrow and explain the difference. If you feel you are a total beginner to web design and you're using a site like grassfrog, you must use the method above. The main difference is the code above is pure javascript so search engines really don't see the text from the news stories (but your users will), so make sure the paragraph above it includes your city name a few times. The alternate method will actually include the text for search engines to see.</p><p><strong>Don Rider</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/" title="Shreveport Home Inpector" target="_blank"><img title="Shreveport Bossier's Best Home Inspector" src="http://activerain.comhttp://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/2/4/3/1/ar120693586613428.png" height="50" alt="Bossier Home Inspector" width="156" /></a></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/"></a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a> </p><p><a href="http://shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p><p> </p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:31:24 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/448996/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-8 http://activerain.com/blogsview/448957/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-7 10 Ways to raise your site in Google Part 7 <p>Time for part 7</p><p>This is part seven of a ten aprt series on how to increase your website rankings on Google. That being said, there are tons of things webmasters can do to help their sites perform better in search, so this list is not by a long shot finished. It is, though, what I think are the top ten strategies for better search engine-and by "search engine" I mean "Google" - placement. </p><p> </p><p><strong>7. Site Architecture</strong> <br /><br />There's a lot to consider here, but the goal is creating a site spiders can easily access, a site that tells them where to go and what to index. Sitemaps are vital for this purpose, as is proper use of Robots.txt. Google's Webmaster Trends Analyst Susan Moskwa posted <a href="http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2008/02/7-must-read-webmaster-central-blog.html" target="_blank">7 must-read Webmaster Central blog posts</a> about these very topics. For those of you who do not have a sitemap, <a href="http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/" target="_blank">this sitemap link</a> will make it for you, then add it to your site. After running it I just used the first option, Download un-compressed <strong>XML</strong> Sitemap and saved it to my site, then uploaded to my server.</p><p><strong>Don Rider</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/" title="Shreveport Home Inpector" target="_blank"><img title="Shreveport Bossier's Best Home Inspector" src="http://activerain.comhttp://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/2/4/3/1/ar120693586613428.png" height="50" alt="Bossier Home Inspector" width="156" /></a></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/"></a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a> </p><p><a href="http://shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p><p>My previous blogs on this subject:</p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/448117/1-Ways-to-raise">10 Ways to raise your site in Google Part 6</a> <br /></p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/448089/1-Ways-to-raise" rel="nofollow">10 Ways to raise your site in Google Part 5</a> <br /></p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/448083/1-Ways-to-raise" rel="nofollow">10 Ways to raise your site in Google Part 4</a> <br /></p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/447346/1-Ways-to-raise" rel="nofollow">10 Ways to raise your site in Google Part 3</a> <br /></p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/447338/1-Ways-to-raise" rel="nofollow">10 Ways to raise your site in Google Part 2</a> </p><p><a href="http://activerain.com/blogsview/446935/1-Ways-to-raise" rel="nofollow">10 Ways to raise your site in Google Part 1</a> <br /></p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:12:51 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/448957/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-7 http://activerain.com/blogsview/448117/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-6 10 Ways to raise your site in Google Part 6 <p>And now part six. </p><p> This is part six of a ten aprt series on how to increase your website rankings on Google. That being said, there are tons of things webmasters can do to help their sites perform better in search, so this list is not by a long shot finished. It is, though, what I think are the top ten strategies for better search engine-and by "search engine" I mean "Google" - placement. </p><p><strong>6. Spider Food</strong> <br /><br />Search spiders eat HTML, not Flash. They eat text, not pictures. Make the spiders happy with HTML and lots of text to eat. </p><p>Search engines are an websites best friend (or at least can be). They drive traffic to your website and hook you up with leads. It's extremely important for you to get your site to the top of the list when someone is searching for an agent in your area.<br /><br />The way that your site gets listed and the text used in the description is determined partially by what's known as a search engine 'spider' for the way they crawl through the web (no need for arachnaphobia here).<br /></p><p>Spiders see the web differently than your clients will. It's extremely important that the text on your page is readable by the spiders as the text is a large part of what determines your ranking. They don't see graphics, they don't see flash. Some can read PDF's.<br /><br />Check out <a href="http://www.iwebtool.com/spider_view" target="_blank">http://www.iwebtool.com/spider_view</a> and type your website into the box and view your site through the eyes of a spider. You might be very surprised. I've looked at sites that were full of content but due to errors on the page the spider only saw the first paragraph, completely missing the rest content. If this is happening to you, you have to figure out why. </p><p>More to come.</p><p><strong>Don Rider</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/" title="Shreveport Home Inpector" target="_blank"><img title="Shreveport Bossier's Best Home Inspector" src="http://activerain.comhttp://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/2/4/3/1/ar120693586613428.png" height="50" alt="Bossier Home Inspector" width="156" /></a></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/"></a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a> </p><p><a href="http://shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:52:13 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/448117/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-6 http://activerain.com/blogsview/448089/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-5 10 Ways to raise your site in Google Part 5 <p>And now part five. </p><p> This is part five of a ten aprt series on how to increase your website rankings on Google. That being said, there are tons of things webmasters can do to help their sites perform better in search, so this list is not by a long shot finished. It is, though, what I think are the top ten strategies for better search engine-and by "search engine" I mean "Google" - placement. </p><p> <strong>5. URL</strong> <br /><br />The importance of the URL is often debated, but <a href="http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3622997">one argument</a> seems to make more sense than the others. Search engines don't like too many parameters in the URL (easy to confuse the spiders with & and ?) and people can't read those long URLs and tell what they mean at a glance either. The people aspect here is especially important, because they're the ones clicking and they need to understand where a link leads them at a millisecond glance. Lesson: keywords in the URL are a good idea. </p><p>More to come.</p><p><strong>Don Rider</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/" title="Shreveport Home Inpector" target="_blank"><img title="Shreveport Bossier's Best Home Inspector" src="http://activerain.comhttp://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/2/4/3/1/ar120693586613428.png" height="50" alt="Bossier Home Inspector" width="156" /></a></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/"></a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a> </p><p><a href="http://shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:41:22 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/448089/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-5 http://activerain.com/blogsview/448083/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-4 10 Ways to raise your site in Google Part 4 Time for part four. <p> This is part four of a ten aprt series on how to increase your website rankings on Google. That being said, there are tons of things webmasters can do to help their sites perform better in search, so this list is not by a long shot finished. It is, though, what I think are the top ten strategies for better search engine-and by "search engine" I mean "Google" - placement. </p><p><strong>4. Quantity Links</strong> <br /><br />Authority (high quality) links are by nature more difficult to get, so you'll have to start somewhere else unless you already have the brand recognition you need from square one. Many SEOers propose "link-swaps" to each other and it used to be common trade to buy and sell links. But as Google demonstrated last Fall, you can't buy Google's love that way. In fact, you'll get the opposite of love. So, try to get as many links as you can from industry peers the good old-fashioned way - by promoting. Submit links to respected directories like DMOZ and Yahoo, as well. A large burst of low-quality, non-authoritative, or bad-neighborhood links, though, can do a lot more harm than good; so keep things natural. <br /><br /></p><p>More to follow.</p><p><strong>Don Rider</strong></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/" title="Shreveport Home Inpector" target="_blank"><img title="Shreveport Bossier's Best Home Inspector" src="http://activerain.comhttp://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/2/4/3/1/ar120693586613428.png" height="50" alt="Bossier Home Inspector" width="156" /></a></p><p><a href="http://www.ezriderhomeinspections.com/"></a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspectors.com/">Bossier Home Inspector</a></p><p><a href="http://bossierhomeinspections.com/">Bossier Home Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveportbossierinspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspections</a></p><p><a href="http://shreveport-bossier-inspection.com/">Shreveport Bossier Inspectors</a> </p><p><a href="http://shreveport-home-inspections.com/">Shreveport Home Inspection</a></p><p> </p> Don Rider Shreveport Bossier Home Inspector (EZ Rider Home Inspections LLC.) Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:38:56 -0500 http://activerain.com/blogsview/448083/10-ways-to-raise-your-site-in-google-part-4