A FUN LOVIN' YET PROFESSIONAL WEB DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST BASED IN NORTH WALES. NOW WHERES THE SHEEP?...

linking to XML sitemaps using Robots.txt

July 23rd, 2009

Hello everyone,

Sorry about the delay between my last post and this, it’s been a busy couple of weeks.

Today I just wanted to outline a mistake (or missed opportunity) which is currently visible in my clients, and others, websites.

Many of you will already know about XML sitemaps, and their uses (for example aiding search engines to deep root your website) and I’m sure the majority of you currently have one in place and have added them on Google Webmaster Tools.

My problem is the amount of web developers who forget to add the link to their sitemap onto their robots.txt file. There is more then one search engine out there, and by only adding the link to Google Webmaster Tools you are only helping your website on Google and not the countless other search engines.

By simply including this line onto your robots file you are informing all crawlers where to find your XML sitemap:

Sitemap: http://www.yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

It is important to make sure this line is correctly formatted as above, including the full link to the file (which could be sitemap.xml).

By doing this not only are you saving yourself the job of adding the xml sitemap to Google directly, but you are also exposing your sitemap to Ask, Bing, Yahoo .etc.

Anyway, on the same note there are plenty of other things you can do to encourage search engines to visit your sitemap xml file, I will post more on this next time, including a script which will automatically “ping” selected search engines for you.

Until next time

Dave.

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Tags: ask, bing, Google, ping, robots, sitemap, xml, yahoo
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Facebook Chat Smiley codes

July 9th, 2009

Hello everyone,

This is a very quick post just to list all the facebook smileys i have found so far as a lot of people have been asking me if i know any..

Here are the formatting codes:

Bold – enclose text with *. Eg: *bold*
Underline – enclude text with _. EG: _underline_

Here are the smily codes:
:) :( :P :D :O ;) 8) 8| |:( :\ :’( 3:) O:) :-* :o :v :3 :|] :putnam:

If you know of any more please leave a comment and i will add them to the list…

Thanks again

Dave.

Some taken from: http://www.chatsmileysemoticons.com/how-to-do-bold-and-italic-text-in-facebook-chat/

Share and Enjoy:

Tags: chat, facebook, formatt, smily
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Freelance Job Search Engine

July 8th, 2009

Link: Freelance Job Search

Hello everyone,

Just a quick update today to inform people about a new website I made this weekend. The website is a freelance job search engine.

The search engine crawls RSS feeds from freelance job websites and posts them onto my website, in categories and using keywords.

So far I have some 5000 jobs listed from this week, and the best thing is you don’t need to sign up and its all 100% free.

Here is an extract from the “About Us” section:

Hello and welcome to Freelance Job Search.

Freelance Job Search was set up to fill the problematic situation faced by many web developers. At the moment there are several different sources of freelance work and classifieds on the internet which can lead to confusion and missed opportunities or even worse – the requirement that you register with them before you can view advertisements.

Freelance Job Search employs bot and RSS technology to grab this information direct from these websites, Organising the information received into human readable text , generates keywords from the feed content and then finally stores this information to our databases. By doing this we allow our visitors to search for specific keywords or area’s across numerous websites. The best bit? We are free to use.

History

Freelance Job Search started its existence as a personal tool for our web developer, Dave Berry. He wanted a way to quickly find out what jobs where available from across the web, without the need of visiting and logging into every website. He first approached the companies to find out if they developed RSS feeds, unfortunately at the time the majority said no.

Not wanting to be left with the needless task, David set to work creating a simple tool which would grab information from the websites and display them when he logged in. After talking about his tool to several other freelancers, it became clear there was a need for this tool to be released to the public.

Not wanting to deter users Dave decided from the offset not to charge users* any money, and to keep his website free for everyone.

So its really really free?

Yes, everything you see on the website is free to do, this includes browsing jobs, visiting job pages, twittering us, linking your profile to our homepage and support (if required).

The only things we do on this website would is used to generate money are the following:

A reference is sometimes placed on your clicks, this does not cost you anything but produces a little money for us.

Advertisements (although we try to keep these tasteful, relevant and to a minimum)

Job Posts (although these are currently not active).

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Change non-www to www using htaccess

July 7th, 2009

Hello everyone,

Sorry it has been a while since my last post, I’ve been busy doing personal projects away from this website. Just a quick note on how to change your web address from non www to www (eg http://www.daveberry.co.uk).

Its important to include this script on your website if you want to stay on the good side with search engines. By including this you are stopping Google .etc from seeing duplicate content! This will force users who visit your website without “www” in the domain to be redirected to the
relevant file with “www” at the beginning. By using a 301 redirect we are also telling the search engines that this address has changed
permanently to the “www” address.

Don’t worry if you don’t understand above, the code can be simply copied and pasted in!

To do this all you have to do is include the following script in your .htaccess file:

RewriteEngine On RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\. RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L

The .htaccess file is a file stored in the root directory of your web server. If you can not find the file simply create a text file (use something like notepad to make sure that the document is not formatted) and save it as htaccess.txt.

Once you have uploaded the file to your server simply rename the file .htaccess and watch the magic work!

Source: http://dense13.com/blog/2008/02/27/redirecting-non-www-to-www-with-htaccess/

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Tags: Google, htaccess, non-www, Search Engine Optomization, www
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How Google’ly Cool is this?

June 28th, 2009

Hey guys,

Just wanted to say that this is a new record for me! Google has listed my blog on its blogger search engine within two days!

Obviously ive got blogs there before (with work .etc) but never this quick.

Im obviously getting too good ;) haha Joke!

Peace

Dave.

site:www.daveberry.co.uk – Google Blog Search.

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Import your twitter tweets to your own website

June 27th, 2009

Twitter Import – Free PHP Script

As i promised earlier I have made a VERY simple script which will grab the contents of your twitter feed and then display them onto your website. This is based on an original script I found.

This code could do with a tidy up and a few extra’s but for the basic include it works as required!

Sorry wordpress decided to mess up the code, ive fixed the issues now!

<?php


// Your twitter name.

$name = "dave_berry";
// Number of tweets to pull in.

$limit = "CHANGE ME";
// Put the text you want to display BEFORE a tweet

$textBefore = "<h3>";
// Put the text you want to display AFTER a tweet

$textAfter = "</h3>";
// Do not edit below, unless you know PHP!
$feed = "http://search.twitter.com/search.atom?q=from:" . $username . "&amp;rpp=" . $limit;
function parse_feed($feed) {
$feed = str_replace("&lt;", "<", $feed);

$feed = str_replace("&gt;", ">", $feed);

$clean = explode("<content type=\"html\">", $feed);

$amount = count($clean) - 1;
for ($i = 1; $i <= $amount; $i++) {
$cleaner = explode("</content>", $clean[$i]);
echo $textBefore.$cleaner[0].$textAfter;
}
}
$twitter = file_get_contents($feed);
parse_feed($twitter);

?>

How to Use the Twitter Importer:

This is a very simple script. Below is how to edit it and make it your own:

1. Simply put in your twitter name (username) where i have placed “dave_berry”. Please remember to not remove the quotation marks!

2. Where i have put CHANGE ME (next to $limit) you need to enter in a number. This number is how many tweets will be displayed. eg: limit to 3 tweets.

3. Where i have placed <h3> (next to $textBefore) change this to what you want to have displayed before a tweet. Say for example a div style.

4. Where i have placed </h3> (next to $textAfter) change this to what you want to have displayed AFTER a tweet. Say for example the end of a div style.

Credits

Unfortunately when i discovered this code a few months back i did not make a link of where i downloaded it, so can not make a linkback. I have edited this code since download. If anyone knows where i could have downloaded this code
please email me and i will apply a link back.

Thanks

Dave!

PS: You are free to use this script anywhere, but please link back to this page!

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Tags: Free, PHP, tweets, twitter
Posted in PHP, blog | 4 Comments »

David Berry (dave_berry) on Twitter

June 27th, 2009

Hi all,

Im currently making a quikc PHP script to grab my twitter posts and place them on my sidebar, but for now follow the link below to see my tweets!

David Berry (dave_berry) on Twitter.

Thanks

Dave.

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Introduction to PHP Programming

June 25th, 2009

Getting started with PHP programming.

Hello there, I’m David Berry, a freelance web developer from North Wales. I have been using PHP for a few years now and wanted a central location where I can educate people in PHP programming and also give myself a reference directory for the future.

Over the next few months I am hoping to create and develop some PHP programming tutorials for everyone from complete beginners to the more advanced folk!

If you have any comments, notice any mistakes (woops!) or want me to cover an area please feel free to either email me directly or leave a comment on any of the pages.

So what is PHP?

PHP, put bluntly, is a scripting language which works on the server to help webmasters create dynamic content easily and quickly. PHP can (and is) used for things such as blogs, forums, contact forms, dynamic page content and RSS feeds to name a few. PHP is running the majority of this website, delivering content
from a database in a clear and simple form.

PHP can be embedded directly into HTML pages and used to bring “fresh” content to users, without having to edit the HTML file directly.

My first PHP Script

Like most scripting and programming languages I’ve come across in the past, the first program (or script) you learn to create is the infamous “Hello World” script. The script is shown below:

<?php echo "Hello World!"; ?>

The first part of the code about <?php simply tells the PHP compiler to start working, echo (which could also be written as print) is used to display text within the enclosed string and the ?> is to tell the compiler to stop running.

Unfortunately i’m going to have to cut short today’s lesson, as its now 3am and i need my sleep!

I will update this as soon as possible

Thanks

Dave.

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Tags: introduction, PHP, tutorial
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BrowsrCamp – Webpage thumb Generator

June 23rd, 2009

Browsrcamp - Mac Compatibility Checker

Hello everyone.

I just wanted to write a quick blog about one of the best tools I’ve ever found for generating thumbnails of websites. Browsrcamp is designed to give you an idea of how a website will appear when used on a Mac, but it generates handy thumbnails and full screen shots of websites, which can easily be saved and then used on your website portfolio!

I have used it a few times to generate images to be placed in my portfolio pages so thought I would share the service with anyone who is interested.

Link: http://browsrcamp.com/

Share and Enjoy:

Tags: Free, Mac, thumbnail generator
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Printing Website Design and Development

June 23rd, 2009

Development Work:

I developed this Printing website when working for a Freelance Contractor. I was required to create an external image upload script which would allow customers to upload an image file or zip to the website and attach it to a product when they purchased it through the shopping cart.

Features:

Image (or zip) upload script
Image tagging per product and customer
Simple and easy to use upload script

Technology:

PHP driven
MySQL
Javascript
AJAX

SEO Work:

After completing the required work as outlined above I was subcontracted again by a local Freelance Contractor on an SEO contract.

Features:

Google Blog Pinging
RSS Feed of sitemap (updating)
RSS Feed of products for Google (auto updating)
Automatically informing Google and other search engines to changes
Use of “Nice URLS”
News stories created.
Correct use of HTML Tags

Technology:

PHP
Cron Jobs
RSS
XML
Link Building
Ping’s

Share and Enjoy:

Tags: Custom Code, Joomla, mysql, PHP, Search Engine Optomization, Virtumart
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Printing Signs – Brochure

June 23rd, 2009

Development Work:

I developed this online brochure when working for a local Freelance Contractor. For this website I was required to develop a clean, friendly and easy to use e-commerce system which incorporated good SEO techniques to help produce good natural listings without too much involvement.

For this website we once again decided to use the Joomla Engine and Virtumart Module for the browse option. I took charge of this design from start to finish, including researching websites the customer found interesting. I developed the templates, graphics and coding for this website.

Features:

Browse “shop like” system
Joomla Engine
Virtumart system
Web Design
Development
RSS feeds
News Area

Technology:

PHP driven
MySQL
Javascript
AJAX
CronJobs
HTML
Joomla
Virtumart
XML

Share and Enjoy:

Tags: e-commerce, Joomla, PHP, Virtumart, Web Design
Posted in My Portfolio | No Comments »

E commerce website

June 23rd, 2009

Development Work:

I developed this local e-commerce website when working for a local design company. For this website I was required to redesign the web site to the customers specifications and try to make the website appealing to the targeted consumer group.

For the site we decided to use the Joomla CMS as this is what the customer was accustom to using, we also decided to use the open source e-commerce system Virtumart.

We created the design in house and also customized large portions of the code to allow for our customers needs.

Features:

E-commerce system
CMS
Clearance System
Reduced Price system
RSS Feed system
Sitemap in XML format
Image automatic resize (keeping aspect ratio)
Dynamic keywords generator
Graphic Design
Web based template

Technology:

PHP driven
MySQL
Javascript
AJAX
CronJobs
HTML
Joomla
Virtumart
XML

SEO Work:

As the website was developed by us we where able to make sure that the website would be search engine friendly. Part of our SEO package was to offer the extended features as outlined below:

Features:

Google Blog Pinging
RSS Feed of sitemap (updating)
RSS Feed of products for Google (auto updating)
Automatically informing Google and other search engines to changes
Use of “Nice URLS”
News stories created.
Correct use of HTML Tags

Technology:

PHP
Cron Jobs
RSS
XML
Link Building
Ping’s

Share and Enjoy:

Tags: Joomla, PHP, Virtuemart
Posted in My Portfolio | No Comments »

Bonds World Wide

June 23rd, 2009

Bonds Plaster Mouldings - International

Development Work:The client asked me to develop a method of introducing their websites to the international markets, while making sure customers where directed automatically to their correct homepage and currency.

Since starting this ongoing project we have introduced their House of Silk, Plaster Mouldings and Chandelier websites to 12 international territories. So far this has required creating and integrating 36 separate e-commerce websites, using automatic translation services online to convert languages into the required foreign language and introduce automatic currency conversion tools.

Features:

IP to Location
Layout Design
Using Jshop CMS
External custom news system supporting foreign languages
External custom RSS feeds in foreign languages (including products, news, sitemap .etc)
Automatic on-the-fly translation
Automatic currency conversion

Technology:

PHP driven
MySQL
Javascript
AJAX
CronJobs
HTML

SEO Work:

The House of Silk International

The client required extensive SEO work to attract the correct audience to their brands, in the correct countries. Over the past few months we have been using several whitehat techniques to help push search engine listings and global dominance of the brands.

Features:

Google Blog Pinging x32
RSS Feed of sitemap (updating) x32
RSS Feed of products for Google (auto updating) x32
RSS Feed of products for Amazon (auto updating) x4
RSS Feed of products for Price Runner (auto updating) x4
RSS Feed of products for eBay (auto updating) x8
Automatically informing Google and other search engines to changes x32
Use of “Nice URLS” x32
News stories created. x32
Automatic translation x32
International “Landing” page x 3

Technology:

PHP
Cron Jobs
RSS
XML
Link Building
Ping

Links:
http://www.thehouseofsilk.com
http://www.bondsplastermouldings.com

Share and Enjoy:

Tags: bonds, international, IP, Jshop, Location, mysql, PHP, plaster mouldings, RSS, the house of silk
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Bonds: Plaster Mouldings

June 23rd, 2009

Bonds: Plaster Mouldings

Development Work:

I have been working with the client for this website for sometime. On this website I have helped develop and modify the e-commerce system, integrated new technology into this website including automatic generating product brochures, the ability to search by length, size, width, colour, diameter .etc, the ability to view discounted products, a news (blog) system, automatic image generation depending on the time of day and automatic thumbnail generation.

Features:

E-commence system
Layout Design
Using Jshop CMS
External custom news system
External custom RSS feeds (including products, news, sitemap .etc)
Customer reviews
Product Sizing

Technology:

PHP driven
MySQL
Javascript
AJAX
PDF
CronJobs

SEO Work:

The client wanted the ability to automatically import their products to Google Products, Amazon Seller Central and eBay. The customer also wanted targeted keywords, and high natural listing placement.

Features:

Google Blog Pinging
RSS Feed of sitemap (updating)
RSS Feed of products for Google (auto updating)
RSS Feed of products for Amazon (auto updating)
RSS Feed of products for Price Runner (auto updating)
RSS Feed of products for eBay (auto updating)
Automatically informing Google and other search engines to changes
Use of “Nice URLS”
News stories created.

Technology:

PHP
Cron Jobs
RSS
XML
Link Building
Ping

Share and Enjoy:

Tags: bonds, e-commerce, Google, Jshop, plaster mouldings, RSS
Posted in My Portfolio | No Comments »

Search Website:

Mini Bio:

Full Name:

David Anthony Berry.

Current Employment:

SEO / Web Developer.

Education:

BSc Comp. Sci (2011).

Residence:

North Wales.

Years Active:

PHP 5+
MySQL 4+
HTML 5+
CSS 3+
RSS 3+
XHTML 3+
FLASH 2+
AJAX 2+
Mobile Web 4+

Archives:

July 2009

June 2009

May 2009

WEB DESIGN | SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION | E COMMERCE

Web design and Search Engine Optimisation specialist with a creative flair and a mind for business…

linking to XML sitemaps using Robots.txt

Facebook Chat Smiley codes

Freelance Job Search Engine

Change non-www to www using htaccess

How Google’ly Cool is this?

Import your twitter tweets to your own website

Twitter Import – Free PHP Script

How to Use the Twitter Importer:

Credits

David Berry (dave_berry) on Twitter

Introduction to PHP Programming

Getting started with PHP programming.

So what is PHP?

My first PHP Script

BrowsrCamp – Webpage thumb Generator

Printing Website Design and Development

Printing Signs – Brochure

E commerce website

Bonds World Wide

Bonds: Plaster Mouldings

Search Website:

Mini Bio:

Full Name:

Current Employment:

Education:

Residence:

Years Active:

Menu:

Archives: