Does anybody know of a good 'Numpty's Guide' to t'interweb?

[KimberleyChris]

Dear IT boffins.
OK folks, I am not an IT person at all, as you will see.
Some months ago, a relative suggested that I maybe look for some 'outwork' online.
So, I took out www.reddingtechservices.co.uk with Namesco, and stuck a really basic page up there as just a placeholder, then left it until I got more 'savvy', which I never did. Have a look if you want a laugh.
Now...several months later, nothing happened, and I can't even find any mention of myself using Google, not even at the bottom of page 95 of a Gooooooooooooooooooogle :-)
So can anybody recommend an online beginner's guide...the more basic the better. I need to know about a freeware package to do some very simple graphics, and how to put those hidden 'keywords' in so that Google's crawler can actually find me.
PM me if you like, to save producing a big thread just for little ol' me.
Thanks.

[Clippy]

Dear IT boffins.
OK folks, I am not an IT person at all, as you will see.
Some months ago, a relative suggested that I maybe look for some 'outwork' online.
So, I took out www.reddingtechservices.co.uk with Namesco, and stuck a really basic page up there as just a placeholder, then left it until I got more 'savvy', which I never did. Have a look if you want a laugh.
Now...several months later, nothing happened, and I can't even find any mention of myself using Google, not even at the bottom of page 95 of a Gooooooooooooooooooogle :-)
So can anybody recommend an online beginner's guide...the more basic the better. I need to know about a freeware package to do some very simple graphics, and how to put those hidden 'keywords' in so that Google's crawler can actually find me.
PM me if you like, to save producing a big thread just for little ol' me.
Thanks.

TBH, I think you should look at completely redesigning your website as it is extremely basic to say the least.

If I was in the market for a Technical Author, the first place I would turn to, as with most things nowadays, is the internet so your website really does need to give off the right impression from the outset.

Off the top of my head, I would look at perhaps having a site with a few pages as opposed to trying to put all the information on one page.
e.g. About me, summary of a couple of previous projects including examples diagrams, contact page including a link to your LinkedIn profile etc.

In my mind, the site shouldn't be a re-hash of your CV or LinkedIn profile but should sit alongside them to provide additional information that they do not contain.

With regards website building, I see your host Namesco offer a package called SiteMaker - have you looked into this?

Alternatively, take a look at Joomla which I believe is quite popular.

With regards Google search engine optimisation, have you looked at Googles own guides? If not, why not?

There are a couple of posters on here who are far more knowledgeable than myself so I'm sure they will be along at some point with more pertinent information.

In the meantime, I'd suggest you drop the Admin of this site (or cojak or NAT who are currently online) a PM and ask them to move this thread into the Technical section as the General section probably isn't the best place for it.

Good luck.

[KimberleyChris]

Thank you very much.

Yes, I know my page is laughable, I was just playing with it. It's just a one-page 'word' document that I uploaded.

I'm not IT...I'm an Engineer of sorts. I am happy using the web, DTP etc, but I have just never given a thought to actually appearing on it before.

That's why I didn't put my question in 'Technical'...this must be real baby stuff to you IT wizards, and I felt almost embarrassed to ask.

Thanks for the tip on Sitemaker etc. I'll give it a bash if there is a 'sandbox' where I can cut my baby teeth.

[Clippy]

Thank you very much.

Yes, I know my page is laughable, I was just playing with it. It's just a one-page 'word' document that I uploaded.

I'm not IT...I'm an Engineer of sorts. I am happy using the web, DTP etc, but I have just never given a thought to actually appearing on it before.

That's why I didn't put my question in 'Technical'...this must be real baby stuff to you IT wizards, and I felt almost embarrassed to ask.

Thanks for the tip on Sitemaker etc. I'll give it a bash if there is a 'sandbox' where I can cut my baby teeth.

We all have to start somewhere so no need to be embarrassed.

Although the majority of posters on here are in the IT field, there are some, like yourself, who are engineers.

I'd still suggest asking to move the post into Technical - it's the logical place for it.

Re: Sitemaker - I noticed Namesco seem to be charging monthly for it's use so if you decide to use it beyond the free trial period, I'd look into that further first.

Best of luck.

[NickFitz]

+1 on asking for the thread to be moved to Technical before the vandals get here

At some point you're going to find a load of sharks and morons descending upon you (possibly not here on CUK, but out there) claiming to be able to help you with SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) in return for your hard-earned. Ignore them; they're crooks and chancers. Also, if you listen to them you have to put up with a load of half-baked jargon that doesn't actually mean anything, which they use to conceal the fact that they're just re-stating a few very basic rules.

Instead, read Google's (free) SEO Starter Guide (linked to at top of that page, or here's a direct link to the PDF). Despite the title, it really tells you all you need to know.

[KimberleyChris]

Thanks, You guys are great. I'm bookmarking all the useful links, and I'll sift through them later.

OK on the SEO stuff...I'm learning fast.

We could set up a page full of links to each other's pages, and all boost each other up Google :-)

I'll have to think about moving to 'Technical'...it feels like asking degree-level electrical engineers to tell me how to fit a mains plug.