Google's Search Engine Optimization Guide

Google's Search Engine Optimization Guide

It is good to know straight from the horse’s mouth about SEO especially it is from the No 1 search engine, Google, itself. Recently Google has come out with a starter guide for SEO. I take the opportunity to make a hard copy for myself so that I can refer to it from time to time. 

 These are the subjects covered in the Starter Guide: 

 · The title of the homepage and the title for each page 

· Meta tag

 · Structure of your URL

 · Site Navigation

 · Quality content and services

 · Anchor text 

· Heading tags

 · Images

 · Robots.txt

 · Rel=”nofollow” 

· Website promotion 

· Webmaster tools 

· Google Analytics 

· A list of helpful resources

 It is stated in the guide that creating compelling and useful content will likely influence your website more than any of the other factors discussed here. Users know good content when they see it and will likely want to direct other users to it. This could be through blog posts, social media services, email, forums, or other means. Organic or word-of-mouth buzz is what helps build your site's reputation with both users and Google, and it rarely comes without quality content.

The big challenge here is to come up with quality content on a regular and consistent basis to attract users. You can read the full text at: http://search.conduit.com/ResultsExt.aspx?ctid=CT1723776&SearchSource=2&q=search+engine+optimization+guide

Raisins - Health Benefits

Raisins

We always keep a canister of Sun-Maid raisins in our fridge. Raisins are sun-dried grapes. It is a snack that is sweet and full of healthy goodness. Raisins are about 60% sugars by weight and most of which is fructose. I would like to share with you the health benefits of raisins:

 • A Source of energy: Natural sugars are a great source of energy. They are ideal for either athletes or bodybuilders who need a lot of energy naturally.

 • Weight gain: Raisins are good food for those who want to put on weight without accumulating cholesterol. . 

• Heart-healthy food: Raisins are high in potassium and low in sodium. It is an ideal food to maintain normal blood pressure. 

 • Fiber and tartaric acid: The fiber in raisins together with tartaric acid helps to regulates intestinal functions and promotes elimination and keeps the colon healthy. 

 • Antioxidants: The phenolic compounds in raisins are powerful protective antioxidants. Eating raisins boost protection against heart disease and cancer. 

 • Acidosis: Acidosis is a state of increased acidity of the blood (which is bad for health). Raisins are a good source of potassium and magnesium which are very effective in reducing acidity. 

 • Anemia: Raisins are a good source of iron which enriches the blood and helps treat anemia. 

 • Sexual vigor: Due to the presence of an amino acid called arginine raisins are known to stimulate libido, induce arousal, and treat problems in erection.

 • Bones: While calcium is present in raisins, it is one of the best sources of boron, a micronutrient that is helpful in preventing osteoporosis and is very beneficial for bones and joints. 

 • Ocular health: The presence of polyphenolic phytonutrients in raisins helps protect eyes from damages caused by free radicals. It is also a good source of vitamin A which is essential for ocular health. 

 • Oral health: Oleanolic acid, one of the antimicrobial phytochemicals which presents in raisins helps to protect teeth against tooth decay, cavities and in addition, the presence of calcium also promotes dental health. Furthermore, boron helps in checking the growth of germ in the mouth as well as maintains the health of bone and teeth. 

 When you go shopping for grocery remember to buy a packet of raisins to boost the health of the whole family.

Keep Your Job - 7 Career Advancement Tips

Keep Your Job

We are at a turbulent time. The byword nowadays is retrenchment. So, it is crucial now to take a good hard look at your career and consolidate your position in the company. Here are the 7 career advancement tips:

1. Update yourself: Constantly expose yourself to new ideas. Take the opportunity to accept managerial training when it is offered to you. Keep yourself up-to-date is the very basis and foundation of personal and career growth. The other thing that you can do is to read other magazines that you don’t normally read. Go out and meet more people, go to unfamiliar places, and do things differently.

2. Do more than your scope of work: Go beyond your area of expertise. Ask for more responsibility. Make your career more interesting and more challenging. The more you do, the more capable you are to manage complicated and intricate issues.

Related post:

Office Politics - 5 Smart Tips

3. Delegation: When you allow your employees to take over the details, you gain their respect because you have indicated to them that you have faith in their ability to do the job. Another thing is that it frees you to do the more important work you need to do. As an example, planning and implementing your plan are some of the important aspects of your job as a leader and executive.

4. Set a high standard of performance: Do not be complacent. Do not think that your current performance is the best. Do some brainstorming and try out new ideas.

5. Chart your own career path: Put your long-term goals in writing. Assess your own strength and weaknesses. Capitalize on your strong points and move ahead. Be in control of your career path. Don’t let the personnel department to decide your future. Promote yourself and move up the corporate ladder.

6. Be resilient: In the unfortunate eventuality of a retrenchment, fortify yourself with bounce-back ability. How you respond to what happens to you is more important than what happens to you. Don’t keep it to yourself, let it out. Talk to your good friend and purge yourself of the emotion you feel over the setback. Learn a lesson from it. Think about your past successes and nourish yourself. Plan ahead and take action, your career is a lifelong journey.

7. Look after your health: Your health is your greatest asset. Keep your body in shape and your mind sharp and you will be more than capable of going the extra mile to do what you need to do to reach your career goals.

Congratulate yourself when others are retrenched and you are still able to keep your job and move ahead.

Image source:https://masisstaffing.com/keep-your-job/

Malaysian Children - Their Education, Health, Safety and Stress

Children

According to a local newspaper, it is reported that whether we have our priorities right. Children are paying too much attention to excel in their education at the expense of their health and safety. It’s quite normal nowadays that parents wish to enroll their children in the best primary school in town and hope that they can have a head start in their education. But now you even have to book in advance a place with your tutor for your tuition for next year. Seeking educational excellence is going to the extreme. 

 On the other hand, the health of children in Malaysia is deteriorating at an alarming rate. Children as young as 7 are developing Type 2 diabetes.11 percent of Peninsular Malaysia children between 6 and 12 were overweight and 6 percent were obese (2000UKM study). This has to do with their eating habit and couch-potato lifestyle. Parents are giving in to their children and pampering them by allowing them to frequent fast food outlets. The unhealthy eating habit contributes to the growing trend of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol level. 

 In addition, the safety of children is at stake. 8,000 children were missing in the last 5 years and three out of four missing children are girls, four of 10 children go missing after running away with peers or lovers. More than500 children were reported missing between January and May this year.

 In the meanwhile, Malaysian children are under tremendous stress. They have to do well academically and they have less time to spend outdoor to develop a healthy lifestyle. On top of that their safety is vulnerable. No wonder 130,000 children suffer from mental illnesses and 53 children under 11 and 1837 above 12 attempted suicides in 2000. One reason is that both the parents are working and they have no time for their children. They have not only neglected their children but their lives are equally stressful. 

Just spend some quality time on a regular basis with your children and it will make a world of difference.

Image source:https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/reports/children-mean-raise

Retain Good Employees - 5 Top Tips

Good Employee

Valued employees leave the company for many reasons. They may leave the job because of higher pay elsewhere but more often than not the push factors within the company compel them to leave for greener pasture. They are no longer happy to work in the same company. Here are some of the reasons:

 • Lack of appreciation for excellent performance: Top performers, like any other staff, need a pat on their shoulders from time to time to keep them motivated. 

 • Insufficient meaningful and challenging work: The work may not be as varied and interesting as expected. Moreover, there isn’t enough work and responsibility to keep them meaningfully occupied. • 

Little autonomy: Every now and then they have to refer to you to get a job done. It frustrates and demoralizes them to carry out their duties and responsibilities. 

 • Limited career advancement: Positions at the top are limited or virtually nonexistent. 

 • Poor communication: Top performers are result-oriented. They want to know the visions and goals of the company. They may leave when the future outlook of the company is a blur. 

10 Tips to be a Good Employer

 Here are the top tips to retain valued people: 

 1. Create opportunities for them to excel and develop.  

2. Appreciate and reward more of the top performers.

 3. Allow good people to make their own decisions and encourage them to take on more initiative. 

 4. Create rooms at the top for top performers. 

 5. Open up more communication channels. 

 It is a good practice to do an exit interview. When someone leaves the company there is always a reason. Find out why.

Image source:https://clockit.io/2016/06/30/good-employees-leaving-company/

Welcoming New Employees - Orientation Tips

Welcome New Employee

There is a Chinese saying: When you start well, you are 50% successful. The same goes for the receiving of your new staff on the first day. Building a good relationship from the very beginning with new staff will ensure that they stay with the company for a long time. 

  Before their arrival: Make sure that their workplaces are organized, comfortable, secure, and ready for their arrival.

  Upon their arrival: These are the things to do by the human resources staff (general) and head of the department (departmental) for the new staff on their first day of arrival:

  General · Introduce the new staff to the company: Talk about its history, where it is now and where it is going and its mission and goals.

 · Company policies and procedures: Inform them about the rules and regulations that they must follow.

 · A review of benefits: Brief them about their pay package, and other fringe benefits. Inform them about their working hours, lunch hours, and safety considerations 

  Departmental:

 · Introduction to departmental staff: Introduce to the co-workers of their department and other staff that they have on-the-job contact frequently. 

 · Tour of the department: Show them around the workplace and the facilities. 

 · Their Job: Talk to them about their duties and responsibilities and their day-to-day tasks and highlight the important aspect of their jobs. 

  Key issues The most important thing is that you must be available on the first day. Your personal attention shows that you care about them. The other thing is to make sure that they are given enough work to do as they are full of energy and enthusiasm for their new job. Pay close attention to them for the first few days and congratulate the new employees when they have successfully completed a piece of work. First impressions are important. You are evaluating the new employees and the new employees are also evaluating the company.

Retain Good Employees - 5 Top Tips

Image source:https://www.alliedps.com/blog/first-90-days-helping-new-hires-start-off-right-foot/

Phishing, Password and Fraud Prevention

Phishing

According to Wikipedia, phishing is the crime of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trusted entity in online communication. Phishing is a nice word. It sounds like fishing. When you go fishing you put bait on a hook and you just wait patiently for a fish to bite the bait and you get the fish. Likewise, someone may use a fraudulent site, and hopefully, an innocent victim will visit the site thinking that it is genuine and proceed as instructed to provide the phisher with vital and secretive information.

Internet Crimes - Hacking, Phishing, Pharming, Worms, and Viruses

 In order to protect users, banks design strong passwords to control access to sensitive sites. There is a local bank that I log in to every day, the password is really strong. Here are the combinations of the password: at least one lower case letter at least one upper case letter at least one numeric character at least one upper case non-alphanumeric character at least one lower case non-alphanumeric character at least one spacing minimum 8 characters including spacing If you think that is all, you are wrong. Your password is not permanent. It is time-sensitive. You are required to change the password from time to time. Keeping track of the password is a real pain for me. It makes attackers even more difficult to guess the password. 

 Here are some of the tips that experts recommended for the prevention of fraud: Install a trustworthy anti-virus system and firewall on your computer and keep them up to date. Do not click on any link in an e-mail. If in doubt, contact your bank. Do not allow anyone to know your pins and passwords. Avoid using weak passwords like your name and your date of birth. Do transactions at secured websites that begin with ‘HTTPS"

Image source:https://blog.malwarebytes.com/101/2018/09/6-sure-signs-someone-is-phishing-you-besides-email/