Site Structure Pitfall No. 238: Failure to Add Index Pages for Subfolders

One of the things I sometimes encounter on local websites is the ’404 Error’. Although seeing the custom 404 is an upgrade over the generic error message generated by web browsers or web servers, such errors are deemed unnecessary and paints a bad impression of the website. Not that we clicked on a broken link has generated this ’404 File Not Found Error’ page but a random ‘hack’ of removing the trailing filename will reveal this error.

For example, it very is common to view Hong Kong Observatory’s pages during time of inclement weather conditions. With a wealth of timely weather information — from synchronizing time to climate change — the Hong Kong Observatory is the place to go. However, when it comes to organizing content, the site is a bit wanting.

Hong Kong Restaurants SEO: 11 Tips on Attracting More Visitors

Hong Kong is a place spoiled by the sheer number of restaurants, bars and night clubs. Some come and go, others last for decades. Over the web, they’re also among the most sought after. As search engines offer more facilities for users to access (maps, reviews, etc), the need to be more visible on search engine results has now become as important as ever. Equally important is the website’s ability to provide what visitors are looking for, hence the likelihood of an online booking or a physical visit.

pho-vietnamese-restaurant
A personal favorite: A Pho 24 beef bowl in Ho Chi Minh.

Since stiff competition will always pose as a challenge to new players (and even to veterans), hopefully the following tips would be considered by restaurants, cocktail bars and clubs considering a website revamp.

8 Things to Check When Relaunching Your Website

Revamping a website is an exciting time. For a company’s online presence, it’s an opportunity to portray a new look and follow a new brand direction. But it is also a time to be reasonably nervous as bugs, misspelled words or malfunctioning forms can arise anytime. In SEO, there are also things we need to pay attention to. Some are done way before a website relaunch takes place; others need to be performed at the very moment the site goes live.

bohol-beachPhoto credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/studio5/

I guess a common question asked by webmasters and website owners is “I have a new website revamped, what must I do to ensure I don’t lose my search engine rankings?” If you are about to embark into a website revamp or about to sign off that redesign project, here’s a simple checklist for your guidance.

Paging Master Kamal: Removing Planet Yoga’s Online Presence

It was announced that Planet Yoga, one of the popular yoga centers in the city has closed its doors for business because it was short of cash.

Yes, the company is short of cash even if some of its 13,000 members claim they were urged to renew memberships long before they’ll expire. In Hong Kong it’s not unusual for a membership based shops to shut down in a blink of an eye. Customers of Planet Yoga will now have to look for new places to meditate and stay fit. Once they find one, members are also hoping that it won’t fold too soon; in March, Yoga Yoga International also closed shop.

Benefit of Having Multiple Domain Names With Similar Content

Question: Is it okay to launch multiple websites of the same content?

Answer: Yes, if it serves your objective(s). Some sites have specific reasons to setup multiple domains with identical content. But there is only one reason that will convince me of their necessity. In case two domains representing the same content appear on search results, they tend to push competing search results to the bottom of the first page or even further. For example, look at Xinhua Finance, a website that provides financial information. There are at least two websites that exist and each resembles the other.

xinhua-finance
www.xinhuafinance.com/en

xinhua-finance
www.xfn.com/en