Kyle Smego http://www.kylesmego.com Family, work and random stuff Wed, 20 Dec 2006 16:21:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 en Are your queries optimized? http://www.kylesmego.com/2006/12/19/are-your-queries-optimized/ http://www.kylesmego.com/2006/12/19/are-your-queries-optimized/#comments Wed, 20 Dec 2006 03:06:46 +0000 Kyle MySQL http://www.kylesmego.com/?p=7 We've all had problems with slow queries, which can lead to sluggish applications and dissatisfied users. You've looked at your code and just can't figure out what's causing the problem. Have you looked at the effectiveness of your MySQL queries? Here's an easy way to analyze your queries to make sure they are being executed efficiently.

Here's a very simplistic example. Let's start out by creating a table of NFL teams.

CODE VIEW
MySQL:
  1. CREATE TABLE `nflteams` (
  2. `nflteam_id` SMALLINT(2) UNSIGNED NOT NULL DEFAULT '0',
  3. `nflteam_city` VARCHAR(50) DEFAULT NULL,
  4. `nflteam_name` VARCHAR(50) DEFAULT NULL,
  5. `nflteam_abbv` VARCHAR(3) DEFAULT NULL,
  6. `nflteam_icon` VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL DEFAULT ''
  7. ) ENGINE=MyISAM DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1;

So a sample record would look like this:

CODE VIEW
MySQL:
  1. INSERT INTO `nflteams` VALUES (14, 'Pittsburgh', 'Steelers', 'PIT', 'pit.gif');

We're going to start out with a simple query. Let's try:

CODE VIEW
MySQL:
  1. SELECT nflteam_name FROM nflteams
  2. WHERE nflteam_id = '14';

Our results:

MySQL query

Simple enough, right? Now the question is...is this query as efficient as it could be?

MySQL's EXPLAIN syntax shows how queries are being executed. Is the query correctly using indexes...is it utilizing indexes at all?

Let's try running EXPLAIN on the previous query:

CODE VIEW
MySQL:
  1. EXPLAIN SELECT nflteam_name FROM nflteams
  2. WHERE nflteam_id = '14';

The result of the EXPLAIN query is below:
MySQL Explain

So, what does this tell us?


It shows that there was one result returned using a simple SELECT query of the "nflteams" table. It also shows the following:

type: This shows what type of join is being used. Here's a quick an dirty explaination of some the possible "types" you will see from best possible result to worst (descriptions from MySQL manual):

  • system: The table only has one row
  • const: The table has at most one matching row, which is read at the start of the query.
  • eq_ref: One row is read from this table for each combination of rows from the previous tables. Other than the system and const types, this is the best possible join type. It is used when all parts of an index are used by the join and the index is a PRIMARY KEY or UNIQUE index.
  • ref: All rows with matching index values are read from this table for each combination of rows from the previous tables. ref is used if the join uses only a leftmost prefix of the key or if the key is not a PRIMARY KEY or UNIQUE index (in other words, if the join cannot select a single row based on the key value). If the key that is used matches only a few rows, this is a good join type.
  • range: Only rows that are in a given range are retrieved, using an index to select the rows. The key column in the output row indicates which index is used. The key_len contains the longest key part that was used. The ref column is NULL for this type.
  • index: This join type is the same as ALL, except that only the index tree is scanned. This usually is faster than ALL because the index file usually is smaller than the data file.
  • ALL: A full table scan is done for each combination of rows from the previous tables. This is normally not good if the table is the first table not marked const, and usually very bad in all other cases. Normally, you can avoid ALL by adding indexes that allow row retrieval from the table based on constant values or column values from earlier tables.

As you can see, our query returned the least desirabe result (ALL). A full table scan was done and on large table this can be incredibly slow.

possible_key and key: Shows which indexes were available and which ones were actually used in the query. In our case it was NULL since we had no keys.

key_len: Shows the length of the key used. Again, ours was NULL since we had no keys. Note: the smaller number the better.

ref: Shows which columns or constants are compared to the index named in the key column to select rows from the table.

rows: The number of rows that were scanned. In our case it was 32..the total amount of records in the table (a full table scan)

Extra: Denotes additional information about the query. Note: stay away from value

Now that we know our query isn't fully optimized, let's try adding an index on "nflteam_id"

CODE VIEW
MySQL:
  1. ALTER TABLE `footballdb`.`nflteams` ADD PRIMARY KEY(`nflteam_id`);

Now let's run the EXPLAIN statement again and see what we get.

MySQL EXPLAIN statement

This time around we did much better. The query returned 1 result using a simple SELECT. It was utilizing a PRIMARY key (nflteam_id, key length of 2). Since it used an index, MySQL knew where to look and only scanned 1 row (instead of the previous full table scan of 32).

Again, this is a very simple example, but as you can imagine EXPLAIN can come in quite handy when analyzing complex JOIN queries on large tables.

]]> http://www.kylesmego.com/2006/12/19/are-your-queries-optimized/feed/ Intro to Adsense, Utilizing Channels http://www.kylesmego.com/2006/12/15/intro-to-adsense-part-ii/ http://www.kylesmego.com/2006/12/15/intro-to-adsense-part-ii/#comments Fri, 15 Dec 2006 05:57:45 +0000 Kyle Adsense http://www.kylesmego.com/?p=6 In my first part of the Google Adsense introduction I talked about ad placement, ad blending and the importance of understanding the Adsense program policies. I just want to stress it one more time...make sure you play by the Adsense rules. If you try to push the envelope, you may make a decent amount of money in the short term, but in the long run you're just hurting yourself. If you violate the Google Adsense TOS, you're account will eventually get banned. So just play it safe and the profits will come. Be patient, monitor your advertising campaign and optimize it accordingly.

Ok, let's continue where we left off. You've chosen your ad format, your ad color scheme and you've integrated the ads into you website. Now you can just sit back and watch the money come rolling it. WRONG! It would be nice if it we're that simple, but it's not. Adsense tracking is very important, you must monitor your ads and make adjustments to those that aren't performing well. Luckily for us Adsense makes it easy to monitor ad performance via Channels. There are two types of reporting channels, URL and Custom.

URL channels allow you to track ad performance across a whole site, a specific page and even a specific directory. You can enable URL channels without modifying the actual Adsense code.

To create a URL channel:

  1. Select the Adsense Setup tab and then Channels from the sub-tab
  2. Choose the AdSense for content sub-tab and click the URL Channels link
  3. Click Add new URL channel and enter the URL that you would like to track.
  4. Click Add channels.

Using Adsense URL channels

That was easy enough, now you have URL channels setup.

The second type of channel, Custom channels, are even more important in tracking your ad performance. Custom channels allow you to track individual ads within a page. For example, if you have three adsense blocks on a page, URL channel only displays the stats for the whole page, while custom channels allow you to track the performance of each ad within the page.

To create a Custom Channel:

  1. Select the Adsense Setup tab and then Channels from the sub-tab
  2. Choose the AdSense for content sub-tab and click the Custom Channels link
  3. Click Add new Custom channel and enter the ad you want to track. (I find it best to name the ad like this --- Site name, Page name, Ad unit....ex Mysite.com_SportsPage_468horizontalLinks
  4. Click Add channels.

Using Adsens Custom Channels

We're not done yet. Unlike URL channels, Custom channels require changing the Adsense code.

To add the custom channel code to your webpage:

1. Creat a new Google Adsense unit
2. After you select the ad size, format, etc...you will see a final option to add a channel.
Select the custom channel you wish to track
3. Copy-and-paste the layout code into your web pages. Remember to place the ad code in the right place depending on which channel you selected.

Remember to repeat this for each ad you place. This will allow you to easily track each individual ad. All channel stats will be accessible through the Adsense reporting tab. Keep a close on eye it. If you notice a certain ad that isn't doing well, try moving it to a new location on the page, changing the ad format, etc to maximize your adsense revenue.

-- Are you a Firefox user? Try the "Adsense Notifier" plugin. It will display your Google Adsense earnings in the status bar. Currently several languages are supported. Pretty cool!

]]> http://www.kylesmego.com/2006/12/15/intro-to-adsense-part-ii/feed/ My favorite SEO / webmaster tools http://www.kylesmego.com/2006/12/14/my-favorite-webmaster-tools/ http://www.kylesmego.com/2006/12/14/my-favorite-webmaster-tools/#comments Fri, 15 Dec 2006 01:09:18 +0000 Kyle SEO http://www.kylesmego.com/?p=5 Please note, these are not my websites or tools, just some of my favorite SEO and webmaster tools that I use on a regular basis. I'll be posting more in the future

  • Strongest subpages tool :: finds the top 30 strongest subpages from your domain and show which sites are linking to them
  • Backlink Watch :: It will show you "anchor" text, pagerank, total outbound links on that page, and nofollow flag for each of your inbound link available.
  • Keyword Density :: Analyzes your meta tags and keywords within your webpage suggests the keywords you should be using
  • "Dig" Pagerank :: A cool little tool that will check your websites pagerank in 700+ datacenter
  • Keyword Tracker : Keyword and backlink tracker. Show's daily, weekly and monthly fluctuation of your keywords. Also features custom charts and backlink tracker (free, requires a login)
  • Pagestrength Tool :: Check your Page Strength, which looks at a variety of factors...Age of domain, backlinks, domain name visibity, etc
]]> http://www.kylesmego.com/2006/12/14/my-favorite-webmaster-tools/feed/ Introduction to Adsense :: Part I http://www.kylesmego.com/2006/12/14/introduction-to-adsense-part-i/ http://www.kylesmego.com/2006/12/14/introduction-to-adsense-part-i/#comments Thu, 14 Dec 2006 22:25:47 +0000 Kyle Adsense http://www.kylesmego.com/?p=4 Please keep in mind that this is only based on personal experience and each sites success will vary depending on the content, placement, integration, traffic, etc. This is a very basic overview geared towards first time "Adsensers".

Before you even think about getting Adsense up and running on your site, I highly recommend reading over the Google Adsense Program Policies. Be sure to not only read them, but understand them because you don't want to risk having your account banned.

Some of the most important (and basic) policies to remember are:

  • DO NOT click your own ads.
  • DO NOT alter the Adsense code in any way.
  • DO NOT encourage users to click on your ads. The only text that can be used to label your ads are "Sponsored Links" or "Advertisements"
  • DO NOT try to inflate your page impressions.
  • Up to 3 ads may be displayed per page
  • Adsense can only be placed on "content" pages. DO NOT place ads on registration pages, user profile pages, etc.
  • You may have one, and only one, Adsense account

Ok, now that you've read over the policies it's time to start setting up Adsense for your website.

Choosing the right format

From my experience these are the Adsense formats that have performed best for me:

  • 336 x 280 large rectangle
  • 300 X 250 medium rectangle
  • 468 X 15 horizontal ad links

We'll talk about ad placement later.

Choosing the right color scheme

It's best to blend the ads to your website's style and color scheme so they look like part of the content. Here are some tips on blending your ads:

  • Background : Set this to the background used on your site, where the content appear.
  • Border : Set as the same color as the "Background color". Remember ads without borders tend to do better.
  • Link : Set this to the color that you use for you links on your site.
  • URL: Set this to the color that you use for your main content text
  • Text :Set this to the color that you use for your main content

Ad Placement

Now that you've selected you ad format and color scheme, it's onto the most important part....ad placement.

For best results, place the ads above the fold since that's the part of the page that users will see first.

The 336X280 and 300 X 250 rectangles are most effective when embedded within the article content at the top left. This is where the readers eyes land first.
The 468X15 link unit seems to be most effective when placed in the "usually" navigation bar area of the website OR...directly after the article. Most users finish reading the article and are looking for somewhere else to go within your website, so placing the ad units seems logical.

Sample Placements Adsense Placement

Adsense Gray areas

Probably the biggest gray area, at least for me, is whether or not images are allowed next to Adsense ads. It seems that there is no definitive answer and is determined on a case-by-case basis. For the most part, it seems that images are allowed next to ads as along as there is a border separating the images and ads and that they are "fairly" spaced from eachother. The images must not appear to be part of the ad unit and must not be used in a way to trick the user into clicking the ads. If you are thinking about using images next to Adsense, it's best to contact the Adsense team to see if your placement is within the TOS. If they do okay the placement make sure that you keep the email...just in case. Here is an example of an image/adsense placement that was "approved":

Images next to adsense
The follow-on to this tutorial will cover the following:

  • Utilizing channels to track your Adsense performance.
  • Using section targeting to optimize ad relevancy
  • Maintaining your Adsense campaign, alternating ads, and "placement maintenance"
  • Samples of great Adsense placement and integration
]]> http://www.kylesmego.com/2006/12/14/introduction-to-adsense-part-i/feed/ Now Online http://www.kylesmego.com/2006/11/18/hello-world/ http://www.kylesmego.com/2006/11/18/hello-world/#comments Sat, 18 Nov 2006 16:32:55 +0000 Kyle Random I thought I would throw a little site together for myself. You won't find anything fancy here. No fancy web layout, no "bells and whistles", just a simple Wordpress layout. This is "my page" where I can practice (and share) my coding techniques, share family news and work on some long overdue projects.

Over time, I will be posting some PHP script samples and snippets to help you (and me) sharpen your skills. Most scripts will be sports or financial-related, but you never know. I've also begun to focus more on MySQL database normalization and optimization. After scouring other developers work, I've come to the conclusion that most do not know what a "good" and efficient database is. I'll clue you in on some tricks that can speed up your application...a lot.

I'll also be blogging about Adsense, Search engine optimization and other interesting subjects targeted towards webmaster and online entrepreneurs.

I started working on my family tree, which is something I've always wanted to do, but never got around to it. Feel free to take a look.

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