Guides and resources

Case study: How I got hold of nicholasjohnston.com

A case study of domain name acquisition, taking place over three years. It was worth it.

Amazon's European sites offline amid rumours of attack

Amazon suffered down time, potentially caused by attacks from hackers, in relation to Wikileaks.

Get hold of BT's UK-based staff

BT make it very difficult to get hold of any UK staff, unless you're looking to buy something. Here's the number of their UK Technical complaints team.

Slow BT Broadband?

How I am currently dealing with slow BT Broadband, and what you can do too.

How to transfer a domain name

This guide covers the domain name transfer process, which all registrars follow.

Block Google Analytics in Google Chrome

With Google Analytics set up, it's a good idea to opt-out of sending analytics data from your own computers to prevent skewing your statistics.

BT web address help

Annoyed by BT hijacking your browser when a webpage can't be loaded? Switch off this service with this quick guide.

What can you do about spam?

How you can avoid spam, and reduce the amount of spam reaching your inbox.

Drop catching a domain name

Discussion on the art and science of drop catching a domain name, following the process from identification of the domain, through monitoring of it's renewal status, to it's redemption period and subsequent deletion.

Maximise your AdSense earnings

As an experienced Google AdSense publisher, here are my top tips for maximising your earnings.

Fix your slow broadband

Make sure you're getting the most out of your broadband, to enjoy the internet to the full.

How to get Google Sitelinks

Google Sitelinks are a feature of Google search, applied where a website has authority with a search key-phrase. Pictured below, Sitelinks include up to eight additional links to your most important pages.

Setting up a website sitemap

Website sitemaps help keep search engines in the loop, providing them with a complete list of your website's pages. There are a few different types of sitemap, and this guide gives an overview of those, and how you can set them up.

Introduction to URL Rewriting

Users and search engines alike prefer tidy, friendly URLs. Similar pages result in poor search result rankings, fewer visitors, and fewer leads.

Duplicate pages could be killing your website

Search engines aim to give users the best possible results. They want users to find relevant, valuable information quickly, minimising repetition. Pages containing largely similar or duplicate content are filtered out and hidden.