10 recommendations for personal website optimization by Tony Green

You have finally decided to launch your personal website. The primary goal is to own your name on Google. Even if you are not ranked number one then, at minimum, to place consistently on the top of the fold of Search Results. Where do you start? Google uses over 200 parameters in order to choose the most relevant ranking for a given keyword what can do to get a good start on improving your showing on Google?
Here are my recommendations that I found effective in getting started on working my personal website to the top of the results for my name.

1. Personal Name in URL

The key word on the URL is exceedingly important. For a personal site you want to ensure your name in included in one way or the other. In the event you are unable to get the URL you desire a URL with your name included will suffice, example, www.tonygreen.name. In my case www.tonygreen.com was already taken so I used mytonygreen.com

2. Personal Blog link to and from website

It is worthwhile once a website is created to try to launch a blog was well and ensure they are linked to each other. This maximizes your chances to places well for your name and allows the possibility of one visitor to visit both sites. The links which are established will give a boost to your results.

3. Use name in as many anchors as possible

In order to maximize the chance of your name placing well in search results anchors are a good tools. This involves including your name in any links going to other pages on your website or to an external location. As an example on the homepage of my website I have the link to my blog as “Tony Green Blog” instead of the full URL which is http://www.markanthonyblogspot.com

4. Use name in website page Title

One of the items that you should think about when deciding the name of the heading sections is trying to include your full name. Heading sections are important as it tells Google what the site is about. Try to ensure the subject of the page, you, is contained in the heading. For example on my website the site I dedicated to marketing is called Tony Green Marketing. Be sure to make the HTML as H1, H2 and simply increase the font size of the header.

5. Use personal name in alt image tags for all pictures posted to the site example tony photo

Ensure all photos placed on your site have in the alt tag. Not only will this enable those who are disabled to know what your picture is about but allow your name to show up the results under images. The alt tag in contained within the html that accompanies the image. For example a personal photo in my case could use Tony Green’s photo in the alt tag.

6. Use name in file names

When you load you file to the server try to include your name whenever possible. In the event you want visitors to your website to download files try to have the file with the name included. Example if you wanted to post a copy of your resume a possible name for the file could be “Tony Green’s Resume”.

7. Use name in H1 tag

Try to use your name in any headings, if possible. This should be implemented not only for the title but any situation where content is classified by use of a header.

8. Use name intermittently in text

In attempts to indicate a page of your website is about you try use your name while trying to maintain readability. Your name should be used in enough frequency to let the search engine spider know what the page is about. A good guide is to refer to your name page in 2-5% of the word on a page.

9. Use name in Title Tag

The title tag is what tells what the page is about. It is what shown up on a browser in the upper left hand corner. Example, Tony’s Green Website

10. Use name on Meta Description

Include the name in the character text that tells the search engine spider what the site is about. In my case in the homepage of my site I use the terms, Tony Green website, Tony Green’s professional life and Tony Green’s life story.

These tips will not ensure you will be able to place your personal website at the top of the search engine rankings. Your content and the time that your website exists in addition to your completion will have a great influence on your placement. From time to time the criteria search engines use to determine page rankings change. However, these ten tips should put you well on the road to placing well for your name. Why not own it? It is your name, isn’t it?

Five neat things about a submarine by Tony Green

Currently approximately 425,000 sailors serve in United States Navy. Of the only 7% are officially designated are submarine qualified. The submarine force is an all volunteer meaning a person must declare their desire to be stationed aboard a submarine. The submarine force tries to select the best and the brightest since the crews are on average smaller than other vessels its crew members are required to performed more functions than other sailors. For example on many surface boats a damage control party exists whose specific job is extinguishing any fires which may occur. The submarine crew has to put out its own fires which require some basic damage control knowledge so the crew is prepared for any emergency.

Due to its mission a good of deal of equipment is unique to submarines yet other gear common across the entire Navy is used. After four years aboard a submarine here are five neat things I recall which may not catch your attention initially.

Oxygen

The submarine creates its own supply of oxygen for the crew to breathe. The oxygen is produced by the hydrolysis of the seawater the submarine travels through. The water molecule, H₂0, is split up into its constituent molecules of oxygen and hydrogen. The oxygen goes into the ships oxygen banks to be bleed off as needed to maintain levels for breathing while the hydrogen created from the process is expelled overboard.

Water

The ships drinking water, potable is also produced by the same process. Seawater distilled by vaporizing the water drawn from the ocean using heat to produce fresh water. The principle is the boiling point of the pure water is lower than the ordinary seawater due to its higher content of salt. The desalinated water is collected then separated and stored for use. This is normally conducted under vacuum in order to reduce the heat required make the process more efficient. On our boat the distiller was typically referred to as the 10K evaporator. Clear water goes to the ships potable supply while the concentrated salt (brine) gets pumped back into the sea. If you wonder about the flavor of the drinking water I can vouch and say without hesitation the water is better than the water that comes out of your tap.

Comes equipped with a power plug

Whenever the submarine is in port is nuclear power reactor which provides power while the ship is underway is by and large shutdown. What keeps the lights on and the equipment functioning? The answer is the submarine in strange sense has a plug. This “plug” is much larger than the one that powers your refrigerator. The cable is referred as the shore power cable. This refers to the three large cables which are screwed into the places designated in the aft escape hatch that allows power for the base to provide electricity the submarine.

Battery and Diesel included

A battery is included as well as if there was not enough apparatus aboard the submarine. Even though rechargeable, this battery is not similar to the battery on your Toyota Prius hybrid but a robust lead acid battery which provides power only on the event of an emergency. A robust battery is needed while at sea as since the reactor/steam plant is your method of propulsion which keeps you afloat. A loss of the ability to move forward through the water can be life threatening if sustained for a long period of time. In addition a diesel generator to provide power in the event an additional mode of propulsion was needed. The generator is used in an emergency while the ship is on the surface of the ocean as a diesel needs air to produces the combustion which turns diesel fuel into electricity. I had the opportunity to visit a decommissioned diesel power sub from World War II and I could not help but smell the diesel even though this museum had not used its diesel generator for over 40 years. Can never miss the aroma of diesel……

No windows needed

Many tourists enjoy going on tour of submersible vessel which operates under the water in the same fashion a submarine does. Typically the captain takes the vessel down to a depth of 100 feet or so allowing the visitors to observe all of the colorful fish swimming about. This raises the question what the ocean looks like from a submerged submarine. Sorry to say at the depths which a submarine operates there is not much sunlight with the ability to penetrate to that depth so there would not be much to glimpse. Thus a submarine has no need for windows. Imagine being in a room with no windows for two months or so without a break. I and all submariners can as this is what you sign up for. For the record, I never said submariners were normal.

Many of the effects were designed to allow the submarine to complete its mission. The items I listed are a few of the interesting things I can mention about the operation of submarine. Imagine the things I signed piles of paperwork when I left the Navy not to mention……

Never to proud to accept help by Tony Green

Layoffs are never easy regardless of the state of the economy. It is difficult for seasoned professionals who are used to getting up and earning a good living on their own to admit they need a helping hand to get back on their feet. On the one hand you are not proud of the fact you are out of work. Yet on the other hand you never may identify who may be in a position to help you. You want to be open but you do not want to seem desperate.

Case in point, I was at the swimming lesson with my son and I started a conversation with one of the other parents whose son and daughter were completing their lessons. I discovered his wife worked at an employment placement agency. I had worked with the agency before in a previous position before but my recollection of them was they did not work with positions which fit my background. I glanced at my son practicing his backstroke and when he turned around handed his cell phone to me. His wife was on the phone waiting to speak. Quite frankly the action surprised me. I felt somewhat awkward at first and I nearly declined to take the call.

I thought here might be an opportunity I would not come across otherwise. So I spoke with her and described the position I desired. She told me to send her my resume and she would see what might be available. Prior to hanging up I thanked her for your time and handed the phone back to her husband. I made sure as soon as I returned home, so I would not forget, I sent her my resume as an attachment in an email. Who knows what will result but I motivated since it seemed I was not alone in this endeavor.

No I never said I could not ask for help because of my pride. If only I did not need assistance as much as I have lately in the challenging economy…