By default, all Joomla URLs reference the same Web page (index.php) and use query string parameters to specify individual menus or articles to retrieve. For example, the URL to a standard Joomla article might look something like this:

http://www.example.com/index.php?Itemid=27&option=com_content

To a search engine, this URL is confusing. A search engine spider (the program that indexes a Web site) isn’t very good at discerning that the query string holds the ID reference to the article. In general, a query string is just as likely to hold site visitor parameters as references to particular content. Here is the URL with query string for a common Web site that includes a query string ID:

The World Wide Web has made text data available like never before. Almost all sites accessible through the Internet can be addressed by either a browser or a program that retrieves the plain-text version of the page containing HTML tags. This availability of raw data has caused a renaissance of programs called screen scrapers. Screen scrapers access data normally targeted at a screen (or browser window) and scrape the desired data from the screen for storage, or repackaging and display.

Brief History of Screen Scrapers
Between the 1970s era of widespread deployment of text-based mainframe/terminal applications and the twenty-first century browser era came the age of the graphical user interface (GUI). Ushered in by the success of the Macintosh, computer applications began to feature windows, drop-down menus, checkboxes, and other user-interface elements that made using programs much more flexible than their text-based predecessors.

The revolution in GUI adoption caused a problem for organizations that had invested tremendous amounts of time and money in mainframe-based text applications. In less than a decade, these text-based applications went from being cutting edge to antiquated. For productivity reasons, organizations had to rewrite these applications to take advantage of the new GUI paradigm. Even more daunting than the mountain of reprogramming was the conversion of data stored in these mostly custom systems. Few standard data formats existed when they were initially designed, so retrieving and converting the data posed tremendous difficulties.

Affiliate programs are likely the most popular way to make money from a Web site. The Web master of a site signs up with a company such as Google or Amazon to allow advertisements to appear on the host site. Each time the user clicks on an ad or purchases something by following a link to the vendor ’s site, the Web master earns a fee. These programs can be so lucrative that large sites can earn literally thousands of dollars a month strictly from affiliate income.

Joomla can host most of the popular affiliate programs through extensions that encapsulate the code (HTML and often JavaScript) necessary to display the advertisements on the site. To activate most affiliate technology, you need only install the associated extension, set the parameters to match your service, and specify the location where the affiliate content will appear on your site.

Google AdSense Affiliate Program
One of the most popular affiliate programs on the Web is Google’s AdSense. AdSense provides code that displays Google ads on a Web site that are relevant to the site visitors. Each time a user clicks on an ad, the owner of the Web site is paid a fee. These fees can results in large sums if the site is very popular, or if the content of the site targets a market where the advertisements for that sector are very expensive.

Joomla has made administration generally very easy. However, as a site expands, managing the existing content, user authentication, and keeping the system clear of dead or outdated data can become a real chore. There are methods for handling all of these problems, largely thanks to Joomla’s embrace of open standards and compatibility with a large number of technologies.

 For infrastructure-wide user authentication, Joomla is compatible with Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) servers that can also be used to manage users on other server types. For handling old content, menus, and users, you can either use the Joomla Administrator interface or directly query the Joomla database tables using MySQL tools. Most of the Joomla maintenance on even a larger system can be accomplished without having to resort to expensive or complex system tools.

LDAP Authentication
LDAP is an implementation standard that provides ways to centralize access authorization. Instead of requiring a separate login for each of numerous systems a client might use, a single authorization con- tained in an LDAP directory can provide authorization to all of those systems. For example, an LDAP server could contain all the user authentication information for a Web server, FTP server, CMS, mail server, and so on. That means that only a single user account would have to be administered on the LDAP server, instead of individual records at all other servers.

The field of SEO attempts to influence site placement in search results. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is the broader general field of increasing traffic through SEO technical refinements, as well as paid advertising. In fact, SEM encapsulates search engine advertising — both buying and selling. You can purchase advertisements to promote your business or allow your site to host ads supplied by a third party.

Writing an Effective Ad
Entire books have been written on creating good advertising copy, and many of them are excellent tools if you are going to be constructing ads. If you purchase some books on advertising copy, you should take a look at Words that Sell by Richard Bayan (McGraw-Hill, 2006) and Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples and Fred E. Hahn (Prentice-Hall, 1998). These books provide substantial help in creating an effective ad.

Nonetheless, here are a few guidelines that should help you craft better advertising copy: