Google says a site has no URLs with HTTPS but, according to testing tools like Qualys SSL Labs, HTTPS is fine

Insufficient HTTPS coverage on your site: What does that mean?

History In the early 2000s, I did a lot of side hustle work around Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I’d help clients with their search engine rankings. Back then, folks cared about all the search engines. Nowadays, there’s only one search engine people care enough to write about, Google. As Matthew Broberg so eloquently put on Twitter the other day, “Google is both the monopoly and trend setter. It’s a good target either way you look at it.” If you own a website and you care about it enough that you want people to look at it, do some SEO basics and add your site to the Google Search Console. ...

April 26, 2021 · Chris Short

Link Popularity

The Hardest Part of Search Engine Optimization Link popularity is a key to improving search engine rankings of any web site. One of the hardest parts of search engine optimization (SEO) is improving the visibility of a web site by increasing link popularity. But, link popularity is the most effective way of SEO. Every search engine’s algorithm factors link popularity into its placement of web sites in its search engine results pages (SERPs). This document will detail a very effective way to improve a web site’s link popularity thus helping that web site’s rankings in search engines. ...

January 5, 2005 · Chris Short
Web Site Design Do's and Don'ts

Web Site Design Do's and Don'ts

Domain Name Picking a Domain Name can be difficult but usually it’s best to get a name that uses keywords that form a unique name (Keyword1 + Keyword2 = Unique Web Site name). “Brandable” URLs are desirable too (like Google, Overture, Amazon, etc.). Make filenames of images, directories, etc. into keywords and be sure to use hyphens (-) as opposed to underscores (_) in filenames as well. Title Tag The <title> </title> tag should appear immediately after the <head> tag. It should be page specific, simple, and to the point. Don’t try to make your page number one in search engine rankings with the title alone. Bare in mind that the title of a web page is how the majority of your visitors will first “see” your page in a search engine. Search engines factor in the title of a page as a larger chunk of their algorithms when determining what order to display web pages in their indexes. ...

January 5, 2005 · Chris Short
Keep it simple

Simple is a Good Thing

You’ve finally set off to design a great web site. You have a good grasp of Flash, a great understanding of JavaScript and Microsoft FrontPage. In addition, you’ve got great ideas for content and you’ve even gone through the ChrisShort.net Web Site Design Do’s and Don’ts and got some great ideas on how to design your web site better. The problem is that with Microsoft FrontPage alone your site will be limited by the code it produces. Throwing up a lot of Flash and using JavaScript will limit it even more. HTML, the heart and soul of the World Wide Web, at its core is a simple language. Shouldn’t simple web sites be the result of it? No? How about simple looking web sites with great content? Now you get the idea. ...

March 15, 2003 · Chris Short