Goodtree & Co. » cary

HTML Redirects

Hal — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:24:51 +0000

Cary, NC – Today, we’re going to nerd-out with a post about how to redirect an html page.

WHY REDIRECT

Sometimes, you need to change the home page address (url) of a domain.

For example, we built a new site for our client Julie Roland. Previously, her home page had been http://julierolandrealtor.com/index.html.

For her new site, we went with an all-WordPress installation. That changed her home page address to index.php.

The problem is with legacy links – people who have the old address (index.html) end up at a 404 (page not found).

THE SOLUTION

Fortunately, the solution is simple.

Create a new page called index.html
Add this code between and :
Upload to the root (top level) on your server

Bear in mind, if you already have a file called index.html, this will over-write it, so be careful.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A REDIRECT

We also used the redirect trick to send traffic from Julie’s old blog to her new site.

Old blog address: http://julierolandrealtor.com/wordpress/
New blog address: http://julierolandrealtor.com/

For this instance, we created a directory called ‘wordpress’ and upload our index.html redirect file into it. So, when people go to the old address, they get instantly redirected to the current home page.

Click on the old blog address up above and see for yourself.

SUMMARY

Html Redirects can help your existing audience find you if you have changed the address of your website.

New Site: Sterling Realty

Hal — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:14:39 +0000

Cary, NC – We’re very happy to announce the completion of a new website for Sterling Realty Carolinas.

YEP, WORDPRESS

Continuing on the trend of using WordPress as a CMS, we built this site using the cubit theme. Sterling has integrated IDX home search (can’t say MLS, not sure why) and lots of other goodies including all our favorite plug-ins:

SEO-All-In-One-Pack
Akismet
XML Site Map Generator
Google Analytics for WP
Find Category Number

Sterling Realty is run my the capable team of Rick Polley and Chris Nesbitt. Drop them a note if you are looking at real estate in Chapel Hill. Tell them what a great site they have.

Email: Always Use a Subject Line

Hal — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:42:00 +0000

Cary, NC – Part of our shtick is to advise clients on best practices when it comes to Web 2010. The value of email subject lines continues, surprisingly, to come up.

“RE:” IS NOT A SUBJECT LINE

You do a service to your clients, associates, friends and family when you use a descriptive subject line in all your emails. I’m not talking about email marketing blasts. For those, subject lines are, of course, crucial to success. Read more about crafting good subject lines.

For everyday email correspondence, using a subject line is still important. The main benefit is that it allows your readers to find important messages by scanning their inbox. Without a subject line, your readers must open multiple emails just to find the desired message.

So don’t leave the subject line blank. Ever.

MORE ADVICE ABOUT EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE

Once again, I’m talking about personal or business email correspondence, not email marketing blasts.

1. Included a Signature Line in Plain Text

A good signature line should include two things:

Your Full Name
Phone Number

Depending upon your situation, it might also include a street address or a link to your website.

Picture text, for example a gif or jpg with your logo or picture and the contact info, will not be automatically loaded in most email programs. The reader must press a button to “load images.” It’s okay to include a picture or logo. Just put your key contact info in plain text.

Think to yourself, “if this person wanted to get hold of me and opened my last email, would they find the necessary contact info?”

2. The Protocol of Greetings

If you are corresponding with a close buddy, you can omit the greeting and signature. In the course of a active project, this may also be the case.

But in most situations, a greeting is required. “Dear_____” has given way to “Hi _____.” Use the recipients name, not just “Hello!”

Using the appropriate greeting strikes the right tone in any phase of a relationship.

3. Including a “Recent Content” Link

If you are a content creator (blogger, photographer, videographer, musician), including a link to new work in the signature link will boost viewership.

4. Example

So here’s what a good email to a colleague might look like:

SUBJECT: Meeting with Hal on Tuesday Feb 2

Hi Bob,

Just confirming our meeting on Tuesday Feb 2, 10 o’clock, at O’Keefe’s Coffee Shop. Call me if you need to reschedule.

Hal
———–
Hal Goodtree
Goodtree & Co.
919-389-0129

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