22 October, 2012

Links from Images in Blogger

I've just read a blog where the blogger was frustrated because he wanted to link to another blog by clicking on an image rather than the display a larger image, the default setting in Google Blogger.

To do this isn't too painful. At the top of the post, there are two buttons: Compose & HTML. Normally, a blog is written using the Compose window. When you have finished, you will need to go to the HTML window to change the link from the image.

In the HTML code, if you have used an image url (i.e. from another internet location) you will see a paragraph something like this:
  • <a href="http://www.site.co.uk/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.site.co.uk/image.jpg" />
If you have uploaded an image from your computer, the code may look like this:
  • <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v8N8w/UZ9tIg/AAABMY/zuZNk/s1600/blogpic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v8N8w/UZ9tIg/AAABMY/zuZNk/s1600/blogpic.JPG" /></a>
src= lets Blogger know where to find the image that should appear in the post and a href= is the default link to display the original size image.

Simplified, you must leave the src= (image source) intact but the link contained in "quotes" next to a href= can be replaced with the destination url/page of your choice. Sometimes you may just want to remove the /image.jpg part of the link, or you may want to replace the whole link.

Examples:

<a href="http://www.site.co.uk" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.site.co.uk/image.jpg" /> will link to the site where the original image is sourced.

<a href="http://www.anotherblog.blogspot.com" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.site.co.uk/image.jpg" /> will link to a different location, such as a blog, another website, social media account, etc.

Note that these paragraphs must remain between the < and > signs.

And finally... an example of an image that should open another blog in a new tab or window:

16 October, 2012

Google AdWords Tips for beginners

If you are new to managing a Google Adwords campaign, here are 3 tips you may find useful.

Mobile Devices
First of all, are you aware how many of your website visitors are using mobile 'phones? You can find out with Google Analytics. From the statistics used in the example below, almost a quarter of all views are from a mobile device with Apple iPhone the most popular.


You can check that your ads are already showing on mobile devices by logging into your Adwords Campaigns page, selecting the Settings tab and checking Devices. If not All, you may want to edit.

Geographic Target
If you have a limited geographical delivery or service capacity, such as a 30 mile radius from your base of operations, have you set or adjusted the regional target of your Adwords campaign? Do this by selecting the Settings tab for the Campaign and clicking the Edit option for Locations. To change the targeted location in the small pop-up box, click on it and, in the larger pop-up box, click on Radius Targeting. You will then be able to insert a core geographical target and a number of miles, shown visually, for you to adjust and save (or cancel if you change your mind). There are other options, too.

Targeting Keywords
When you create a new text ad, are you aware of the {KeyWord: Used Cars} feature? Place your default Ad heading after Keyword: within parentheses and if someone searches within your keyword selection, the search term with replace the default keyword, e.g. Used Cars may be replaced by Used BMWs or Second-hand Cars, tailoring the result to the person searching for the product or service you are advertising.

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