Mac SEO Blog

Our popular tool MapDesign allows users to create images with certain areas, or hotspots, that when clicked will take the user to different destinations (links). Check out this tutorial for adding an image map to an iWeb website. Make your iWeb site even more professional with image maps made in MapDesign

Video Transcript:

In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to create an image map, and embed it on your iWeb website. If you are not familiar with image maps, imagine that you have an image on your site that allows users to be able to click on different areas of the image and be taken to different pages.

I’m going to show you how you can easily make an image map, and place it on your website in iWeb using RAGE Software’s MapDesign.

So the first thing we need to do, is drag and drop our image onto the MapDesign canvas.

Next, we can draw the link areas around certain sections of our image. These are known as hotspots.

On the left hand side, we will see all of the different hotspot locations that we just created. For organizational purposes, we can re-name these hotspots so we know where each one belongs to. Now comes the important part. We must link these hotspots so that when our users hover over them with their mouse, they will be able to click the hotspots to be taken to the page that we linked to.

We can do this by pressing the Edit button, which will bring up the Inspector window. In the Link To text box on the Behavior tab, type in the the URL that you want this particular hotspot to link to. You can also give some alternate text if you’d like. I also want you to check off the Open In New Window option. Don’t forget this step, otherwise it won’t work correctly.

When you are all done linking all of your hotspots, we must then press the Export To Web Site button. In this popup window, make sure that Simple Image Map is selected, and then press Next and save your image to a location on your hard drive that you won’t forget. I am saving mine to my Desktop. You will see that once I save it, I will have an index.html file, as well as an images folder.

Now, open up your web browser, and go to www.imageshack.com

Press the browse button and locate the image that you just saved. It should have the exact same name as the image you see on my screen which is rage_css_imagemap.jpg. Highlight the image, and then press Open. Then press the Upload Now button.

Once your image has been uploaded, you will then need to copy the URL in the Link text field. Paste the link in your address bar, and hit enter or return.

Next, hover your mouse over your image, and do a secondary, or right click and select Copy Image Location. Then paste that URL in your address bar and hit enter or return. Now just double check that only your image is shown using this address. If it is, proceed to the next step.

Locate the index.html file and open it in an HTML editor. I am using RAGE Software’s WebDesign.

Locate the code for the image which will read images/rage_css_imagemap.jpg.

Highlight the text within the quotation marks, just like I am doing here. Press the delete key, and then paste the URL that we had copied from the previous step.

Next, highlight all of the code located within the body tags, and copy it. Next, open up your site in iWeb, and drag an HTML Snippet onto the page. Paste the code that we just copied.

You should be able to see your image, and you will be able to move your image wherever you want on your page

Your image map is now complete, and when you publish your site, you will be able to test your image map by clicking on the hotspots you created.

The tutorials below will help you with signing up to RAGE Web Hosting, as well as some things you may want to do after you have signed up.

Transferring A Domain

1. How to obtain an EPP code for transfer
2. How to transfer multiple domains (new hosting signups)

Post-Transfer

1. Updating Name Servers (example shown using GoDaddy)
2. Publishing to RAGE Web Hosting in iWeb
3. Publishing to RAGE Web Hosting using iWeb 08 or earlier
4. Publishing to RAGE Web Hosting using CyberDuck

 cPanel

1. Installing WordPress
2. How to setup your additional domains (must have purchased them already)
3. Password protecting pages
4. Setting up a mobile friendly iWeb site

Email

1. Setting up e-mail addresses
2. Configuring your e-mail address in Apple’s Mail client
3. Configuring your e-mail address in Sparrow

Troubleshooting

1. Publishing from iWeb to RAGE Web Hosting – What you might be doing wrong
2. iWeb Publishing Error – There was an error communicating with the FTP server. Try again later, or check with your service provider – Alternative solution

SEIntelligence allows you to add analytical codes such as Statcounter.com and Google Analytics using the Site Settings feature. The tutorial below will show you where you need to go to get these codes and where in the Site Settings section to paste them.

Video Transcript:

A great feature of SEIntelligence is the ability to add codes such as Google Analytics and Statcounter to a website. This is done by clicking on the Site Settings button, followed by the Header & Footer Code tab. You would then paste the code, or codes into the header code box, or the footer code box.

So which codes do we recommend you paste into these boxes, and where do you obtain them from?

We recommend placing a Google Analytics code in the header code box, and a Statcounter code in the footer code box. Let’s go get those codes.

Go to google.com/analytics. You will need to have an Analytics account, so if you do not already have one, click on the SIgn Up Now button. Otherwise, click on the button to continue.

Now I’m not going to go through the process of obtaining the code by filling out the short forms as Google changes their interface quite often. So to avoid confusion, I am just going to get to the last step which has the code generated for me. Generating the code will be pretty easy for you. If you get lost, just look for a button that says New Account as that will usually lead you to the form for generating the code.

So when you see the code, highlight the entire code and copy it. Then go to the Site Settings window in SEIntelligence, and paste it in the Header code/Google Analytics box that we mentioned earlier in the video. Then click the Apply to Entire Site button, which will stick the code on every page of your site.

Now, go to statcoutner.com and either sign up for an account, or login with your existing account if you have one.

Once logged in, you should see a link that says Add Project. Click on that link. Fill out the information that is required. When you get to a section that asks you about a counter or a button, select the option for Invisible Tracking. This will make it so that the code generated does not include a hit coutner that would appear on your website.

You can select your preference for being emailed reports, and then click on the Add Project button. On the next page, click on the link for Default Installation Guide. Now highlight the code in in the Standard tab, and copy it. Now go back to SEIntelligence, and paste this code in the footer code box, and click on the Apply To Entire Site button.

When you publish your site, these codes will have been added. Keep in mind that it may take a few days to begin seeing anything in your Google Analytics account, but you should be able to see activity in Statcounter right away.

Do you want to create an online subscription form and send out newsletters to your website visitors?

MailShoot 2.5, our fully featured email newsletter software lets you quickly and easily create a double opt-in online subscription form to collect your visitors email addresses. Then it lets you send our personalized and targeted emails to your potential customers. No technical skills are required.

MailShoot 2.5 provides an all new user interface which makes it much easier to create and send out newsletters. It also fixes a number of bugs and provides some small improvements to various features.

Download MailShoot and try it on your website for free.

We are extremely excited to once again be at Macworld iWorld 2012 from January 26-28 2012 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

If you are going to be attending, stop by our booth at #228 – 20. We’ll show you what software updates we are working on, new features, and maybe even a sneak peak look at some upcoming products.

We have a few free exhibit hall passes to give out so if you need one, please get in touch.

We are looking forward to seeing everybody there!

Follow the steps below to host your domain with RAGE Web Hosting.

1. Click here to have the sign up page open.

2. With the third option selected (Update existing domain to point to RAGE Web Hosting) type in the domain that you are going to use and select the extension from the drop down menu. When you are done click on the “Click To Continue” button.

3.  From the Billing Cycle drop down menu, select the billing cycle you want. If you want to purchase any of the add-ons, place a checkmark in the boxes. Please note that all prices shown are monthly prices unless otherwise noted. When you are done click on the “Add to Cart” button.

4. Ensure your order is correct. If not, click on the “Start Over” button to begin the process again. If your order looks fine, click on the “Checkout” button.

5. Enter your information including payment information. [Note: If your credit card gets denied several times, your credit card company may be blocking it to protect you. Use PayPal as an alternative if you want the order to go through as soon as possible. When you are done, complete the order. You will then receive instructions in your email on what to do next.

Follow the steps below to transfer your domain and sign up for hosting.

1. Go to the website where you registered your domain. You will need to obtain your domain’s EPP or Authorization Code (this is a security measure, similar to a password that only the domain owner would be able to know). You will also need to ‘unlock’ the domain so it can be transferred. If you are not sure how to do this, you can e-mail your registrar and request that they do it for you. This video tutorial shows you how to do it using GoDaddy as an example.

2. Click here to have the sign up page open.

3. With the second option selected (Transfer existing domain to RAGE Web Hosting) type in the domain that you wish to transfer and select the extension from the drop down menu. [Note: If you do not see the extension that you want in the list, you will need to email us.] When you are done click on the “Click To Continue” button.

4. It should say your domain is available to purchase, you should see it with a checkmark beside it and the status saying ” Available! Order Now”. Select the “Click to Continue” button.

5.  From the Billing Cycle drop down menu, select the billing cycle you want. If you want to purchase any of the add-ons, place a checkmark in the boxes. Please note that all prices shown are monthly prices unless otherwise noted. When you are done click on the “Add to Cart” button.

6. Here is where you will need to enter your EPP or Authorization code that was mentioned in step 1. If you want ID Protection, check the box next to $10.00 USD. ID Protection protects the identity of the person registering the domain. When domains are registered, the personal information of the person registering can be accessed by the public. If you wish to hide your personal information, then order the ID Protection. When you are done, click on the “Update Cart” button.

7. Ensure your order is correct. If not, click on the “Start Over” button to begin the process again. If your order looks fine, click on the “Checkout” button.

8. Enter your information including payment information. [Note: If your credit card gets denied several times, your credit card company may be blocking it to protect you. Use PayPal as an alternative if you want the order to go through as soon as possible. When you are done, complete the order. You will then receive instructions in your email on what to do next.

If you already own a domain name, you have two options to choose from. Click on the link to get instructions for the option you want to choose. If you are not sure what these options mean, information regarding them is posted below these two links.

1. I want to transfer my domain to RAGE Web Hosting

2. I want to keep my domain at it’s current registrar, but have RAGE host the website.

What Does It Mean?

The first option, transferring your domain, allows you to take your domain from your current registrar and have it housed with RAGE Web Hosting. This means you will do all domain renewals through RAGE and not your old registrar. The pros to doing it this way are that you only need to deal with one company. In addition, any future issues regarding domain and hosting can be handled easily when both the domain and the hosting are with RAGE. There is only one extra step involved with transferring so it is not a difficult process.

The second option, keeping the domain where it currently is, allows you to not move the domain, but still have your website hosted with RAGE. A bit less is involved with this process, but this will leave you with having your domain and your hosting at two separate companies. In some cases, some users will need to use this option (depending on the domains extension).

Follow the steps below to register your domain and sign up for hosting.

1. Click here to open the sign up page.

2. With the first option selected (Register a new domain) type in the domain that you wish to register and select the extension from the drop down menu. [Note: If you do not see the extension that you want in the list, you will need to email us.] When you are done click on the “Click To Continue” button.

3. If your domain is available to purchase, you should see it with a checkmark beside it and the status reading “Available! Order Now”. You can order more domains if you want, otherwise, select the “Click to Continue” button.

4.  From the Billing Cycle drop down menu, select the billing cycle you want. If you want to purchase any of the add-ons, place a checkmark in the boxes. Please note that all prices shown are monthly prices unless otherwise noted. When you are done click on the “Add to Cart” button.

5. If you want ID Protection, check the box next to $10.00 USD. ID Protection protects the identity of the person registering the domain. When domains are registered, the personal information of the person registering can be accessed by the public. If you wish to hide your personal information, then order the ID Protection. When you are done, click on the “Update Cart” button.

6. Ensure your order is correct. If not, click on the “Start Over” button to begin the process again. If your order looks fine, click on the “Checkout” button.

7. Enter your information including payment information. [Note: If your credit card gets denied several times, your credit card company may be blocking it to protect you. Use PayPal as an alternative if you want the order to go through as soon as possible. When you are done, complete the order. You will then receive instructions in your email on what to do next.

After you have made your optimizations in SEIntelligence, you may eventually go back to your website to make an update. Follow the instructions in this video tutorial to learn how to properly re-load your website back into SEIntelligence without losing the work that you previously did. The previous work I am referring to is the optimizations you made in SEIntelligence the last time you clicked the Apply or Apply All button.

Video Transcript:

When you decide you need to make an update to your website, you will need to save that website and load it in SEIntelligence once again, in order to re-apply the optimizations you previously made.

Here I have my site in iWeb that I have just made some updates to. Now, I’m going to publish the site to a local folder again. It’s important to know that I am publishing the site to the exact same location on my hard drive as it was when I originally loaded it into SEIntelligence. That location was my desktop, and I did not delete that folder off my desktop either. I have also kept the Site Name the exact same. All of this is very important if you want to ensure that your tags are not erased.

I’ll just repeat that for emphasis. Do not delete the website folder from your hard drive. Publish any changes made in iWeb back to that exact same folder. Do not change the Site Name, or the name of this folder. The site name and the folder name will have the exact same name.

After you have published the site back to the same folder, you can now open it in SEIntelligence. To do so, click on the corresponding existing profile for that website. When you do, you should see a popup window like this appear. This will indicate to you which pages on your site have been modified. All the pages will be select, and clicking the Apply Saved Tags will re-apply the optimizations that you made that last time in SEIntelligence.

Now, you can either make any changes you would like, or publish your site back to your FTP server.

Remember to do this each and every time you update your site in iWeb.