Have finally added the photos from Paris as well as a few photos taken last week on our visit to Barry Island. All can be seen on my Photo Gallery, direct links are Barry Island and Paris.

A few others here and there have also gone up. Am off to Chester Zoo on the weekend so will see what interesting ones I can find there!

I've discovered a way to finding new work with very little effort. Look at your old web sites, the code, the bad markup, the lack of structure, lack of accessibility and useability, probably lack of alt attributes. I'm already counting into the thousands of pounds worth of work sitting infront of me on client's sites that were set up over, well over a year ago to be honest.

18 months ago I didn't know half as much as I know now. If I really think about it, back then I knew how to tackle most problems with PHP. I could hand code in the HTML that I learnt in (back in 1996), I knew of the new 'rules' coming in with CSS and XHTML, but I only dabbled a little. I knew it was quicker to link up to a CSS style sheet and specify the font colour, family, size etc once and then when it needed changing I only had to change it once, instead of using the dreaded font tag. But I didn't know anything about CSS positioning. Even back in January 2004, I launched the new version of my busiest client site, and that still has tables upon nested tables in use for the layout. Half the alt attributes are missing, there are no header tags in use, and inline sessions which they keep deleting because they don't believe the session killer for Search Engine Spiders works as they can't see it in action (I've given up trying to explain).

However now I feel that in the past 18 months, despite me feeling like I've been working non stop, I've moved to setting up sites using strict XHTML and CSS, I've ensured that every site I now work on conforms to all of the basic rules. I've read up whenever possible about SEO tips and the facts and fiction on it. I've kept an eye on a lot more of the site statistics for various sites of mine, providing me with a lot more information about the various visitors. I've also started playing with Google Adwords (it's fun spending someone elses money) which has also prompted me to play with other tools and do a lot of research into searching methods etc. Of course I've managed to squeeze a little light SEO reading whilst at work, calling it research. Handy when I don't have much time at home to do this.

I'm actually quite impressed with the amount of improvement over the past 18 months now… thinking about it! I've got a long way to go yet. I've an aptitude for learning, but just lack the time. I still haven't read various CSS books and PHP books that I've got my hands on, I'm sure I could learn so much more. Unfortunately money comes first, even though the knowledge would increase the work flow and ease of work! It's a vicious circle I guess.

I've recently started looking over a couple of large sites I maintain. Well when I say I, I set them up 5 years ago in Dreamweaver, the design was the original one used, and then a few years later when I got busy I passed the work on to my brother's girlfriend who now updates them for me all year around using Dreamweaver. However I'm interested in finally getting these redesigned into a more user friendly and more accessible couple of web sites. They're currently very very bad, trust me!

I took a look at the code the other day and it make my stomach lurch. There was a situation where some text has been made bold and slightly bigger in size. I believe there were around 5 or 6 font tags (now deprecated I know!) and 5 or 6 strong tags all around a couple of asterisks! Is this the fault of Dreamweaver or the user or both? There is an option in Dreamweaver that will tidy up the HTML, remove duplicate tags etc. However you can never be certain what that strips out and what the result is. Of course I want the entire sites redone in CSS/XHTML – but this is dependent on the owners agreeing to the quotes, which, due to the size of the sites, will not be just a few hundred that's for certain.

Dreamweaver can be a useful and powerful piece of software if used well. However you need to know how to use it to understand and use it well. I'm not going to go into explaining this as I only know some of the basics. I've not opened Dreamweaver in years now to be honest, and code everything by hand in HTML Kit instead. However I do remember using it and noticing a lot of handy tools that will keep good clean code and not bloat it with duplicate tags amongst other things.

However 4 lines of font tags to create 4 words with a large capital letter at the start of each is just laughable now and I'm ashamed to even admit they're my sites.

I came across a blog the other day by a bloke named Matt Cutts who works for Google Inc. Doesn't seem to have been around for long, can't believe I've not heard about it before this! A very nice piece of reading that's for sure. He's got some personal stuff on there (who hasn't) but a lot of his stuff is particular to Google, what's happening, new stuff that's going on, other information and advice. A good resource of reading for anyone interested in Search Engine Optimisation.

The newest post to appear is concerning Google's new (currently in a testing phase) method of combatting spam on sites. They're reviewing sites (presumably with some sort of automated software to flag up a possible problem, else it's a big big job!) and emailing the owners, pointing out the spam problems they've found and asking them to correct these. Unfortunately a lot of SEO companies out there use naughty methods of getting sites into the Search Engines, my busiest client site being a perfect example. Other people may have used software that they considered on the right side of the search engine law, only to not even realise that this software did little extras to live up to it's reputation of "Getting you at the top".

I once met a guy who'd paid a company £300 to get him to the top of Google. After a quick review of his site I found lots of hidden links to this company's own site and other money making sites, hidden in javascript <noscript> tags. He didn't even know they were there – why should he? He didn't understand web sites let alone HTML. He'd trusted another company to do a job for him. I don't even think they got him to the top of Google for anything general, just some extra long phrase like "fishing holidays in north wales" or something along those lines.

So what does Google now do exactly? By the sounds of it (read the blog for a more precise answer), they are checking your sites for anything that doesn't meet their guidelines. Hidden "doorway" pages, javascript redirects, hidden text, mass over use of key phrases etc etc. They then email any contact email address, along with the obvious webmaster@, sales@, info@domain, informing you of the problems and asking you to fix them, then apply for a reinclusion request to get the spider to re-read the improved site.

A good idea I say. I know of plenty of sites that could benefit from this, and a few people who need pointing out from the powers that be so to speak, because they just won't believe me!! And yes, I even email the quality guidelines page from Google to them. They still ignore it. What else can I do?

It's a good blog, read it

On Saturday I suspended the web site belonging to the client who I took to court. The hosting was due up and I'd written to them 2 weeks before, sending a CD copy of their web site and database dump, telling them to arrange alternative hosting. Today I had a phone call from someone who works there (who I get on with) saying she'd just got back from holiday and the owner had been sitting on my letter until then and just gave it to her telling her to get something sorted. You see, this is one reason why I just don't like him! I apologised to her saying that it was nothing against her or anyone else there but he'd pushed me too far, which she understands. I left them trying to arrange alternative hosting, their web site saying 'Suspended Account' but their email working for them.

This afternoon I returned from my day out to find an email pretty much pleading with me to continue hosting. I'll have no contact or bother from the owner and they'll pay up front immediately. So I thought about it for a few minutes. I think I've, yet again, made my point with the suspension of their account. I can't really complain at £75 for the year for doing virtually nothing. So I've agreed to it. An invoice sent over this evening, payment must be received within a week else it'll be suspended permanently. Of course I still wonder. Did I give in? Or have a made a point and still made money. Considering he didn't pay me all of which he owes me, in 3 years time it will be paid for without any difference of money out of my pocket.

I think I won.