Google Sitemaps and Other Tools

As part of my attempts to make this a serious exploration of on-line marketing, I’d been adding Google products like AdSense and the search box above. Every once in a while, I run across a blog that really helps me to understand how to find the tools available and to use them. This post from Improbulus at consumingexperience.com opened my eyes to yet another opportunity – sitemaps. This is supposed to simplify the process by which you ping Google that you have a new post and thus gets your site indexed faster by the little Google spiders. Follow some of the links on the entry for more information – it’s very informative.

Of course, getting your blog or web site started involves not only adding a pile of quality content but of arranging its appearance and tools for your maximum benefit. If you’ve been to this blog before, you’ll probably notice that it has changed. Every day I seem to find one more toy (like the widgets for my feeds) or tool (like the AdSense referral and search boxes) to employ. I’ve fiddled with my html and will do more to change the look of the site. But you have to find a balance (once again – it seems that balance is my theme this month) between implementing changes and keeping a recognizable brand.

For a blog just starting out, it is probably expected that it will evolve from day to day. There are so many ways to monetize and advertise your site that you could add a new button a day for weeks. At some point, though, you need to have a site that people will recognize when they see it. Drastic changes should level off after a few weeks and full re-designs would need to be accompanied by a post notifying folks to expect something new. Otherwise, they may think that your site is not the one they were looking for and will go elsewhere.