If you want to be found in the search engines, it is important that you add search engine optimization to your action list. In a nutshell, search engine optimization–or SEO for short–is the process of making your web pages “search engine friendly.”
SEO is a relatively new marketing industry. Although there are many purported experts, most of us who call ourselves SEO specialists are learning. The search engines are constantly in flux, so SEO techniques that worked yesterday may not necessarily work tomorrow. As a result, it is exceedingly important to keep up with the fervent pace of the Internet, and the search engines in particular.
One of the frustrations of search engine placement is that your rankings are constantly fluctuating. The key to a successful search engine optimization campaign is creativity, perseverance and practice, practice, practice. Do not try to fool the search engines by “tricking” them with unsavory techniques (e.g., keyword stuffing, cloaking, hidden text) because you will risk having your web site lose favor with the search engines, or worse, getting banned altogether.
If you are developing a new web site or redesigning an old one, now is a good time to think about search engine optimization. This article will describe the process of optimizing your web pages for the search engines, as well as highlight some of the other components that are important for a successful search engine marketing campaign.
WRITING KEYWORD-RICH WEB COPY
I’m sure you’ve heard the old clich: Content is king. Well, you know what, it is! Although the Internet is graphic-rich, it is a text-based medium. Information is what your visitors are seeking. If you web site doesn’t present the information they want, don’t forget your competitor’s web site is only one mouse click away.
Search engines need copy to know what your web site’s theme is and how your site should be indexed in their directory. If your home page consists solely of a Flash movie or an image map, there will be nothing for the search engines to index. Flash is cool, but it is not so cool when your web site doesn’t come up in search engine results.
So, how do you write keyword-rich copy?
The first thing you need to do is identify the keyword phrases that are important and relevant to your web site. For instance, how would you describe your company, products and services? More importantly, how would your visitors describe your company, products and services? Although the answer may seem like a no- brainer, it really isn’t, because you need to think outside of the box. You need to get into your visitor’s head and think like your visitor. What search terms would they use to find your web site?
A good place to start your keyword research is by looking at your log files. What search terms are your visitors using to find you? Armed with this information, you can begin researching the popularity of those terms. Researching your keywords is a very important task, because if you target the wrong terms, your traffic will suffer. Although your site may rank number one for some obscure term, if no one is searching for that term, your site will not be found in the search engines.
There are a number of handy tools available online to help you begin building your list of relevant keywords. Overture (formerly Goto.com) offers a Search Term Suggestion Tool on its web site that will not only tell you how many times a particular keyword phrase was queried in the past month, it’ll also present you with a list of alternative terms to consider for your search engine optimization campaign. http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/
In addition to utilizing keyword suggestion tools to research your keywords, I highly recommend brainstorming keywords with your co-workers, employees, friends and family members. Better yet, ask your clients and customers what terms they would use to search for your web site. Brainstorming keywords will teach you a lot about how others think and use the Internet to find information.
Once you have identified your keywords, you will need to integrate them into the body of your web page. Your sentences need to be intelligible and grammatically correct. Don’t forget: Your web copy will be read by human beings, as well as the search engines. If your web copy doesn’t make sense, your visitors will hit their back button never to return again. Bad web copy will defeat the whole purpose of your search engine optimization campaign.
WRITING YOUR META TAGS
The most important tag in the header section of your web page is the title tag. The title tag is displayed in the bar at the top of your browser window–above the toolbar. Many webmasters do not use the title tag properly. For example, their page will be titled “Home” or “Welcome,” or worse yet “untitled,” because they don’t include a title at all. The search engines place a lot of relevance on the words contained within the title tag, so be sure to include your targeted keyword phrases when writing your title tag. This tag is generally limited to 60 characters, so choose your words with care.
The next important tag in the header section is the description meta tag. This tag is used to describe your web page. Like the title tag, many of the search engines will extrapolate this information to summarize your web site. Again, be sure to include your targeted keyword phrases.
The third and least important tag in the header section is the keywords meta tag. Because of abuse by unscrupulous webmasters, the keywords tag is ignored by many of the search engines. Even so, some do use it, so it doesn’t hurt to include it. Like your title and description tag, choose your keywords carefully. Do not include keywords that are not included in the body of your web copy or irrelevant to the theme of your site.
LINK POPULARITY
Much is said about link popularity, but what is it exactly?
A few years ago, people were joining “link farms” to increase their link popularity, but today that is frowned upon and can actually be detrimental to your quest for higher rankings in the search engines. Now the emphasis is more on the quality of the links pointing to your web site versus the quantity.
Many of the major search engines use link popularity to gauge the relevancy of your site in its search results. Plus, links are what makes the web go-round. Many webmasters have the notion that links are bad because they are sending visitors off of their web site. Although this is true, links to and from web sites that complement yours helps to build credibility and sets the stage for making your web site an authority in your field.
Much is written about the importance of getting links from directories like Yahoo!, Looksmart and the Open Directory Project, because they are reviewed by human beings. If you want a link in the first two, however, it will cost you money. A listing in Yahoo! and Looksmart is considered “paid inclusion.” Your marketing dollars will be well spent, though, because listings here will not only generate increased traffic, it will add greatly to your web site’s link popularity.
SUBMITTING TO THE SEARCH ENGINES
Once your web page is fully optimized, it is time to submit it to the search engines. Although there are hundreds of search engines on the Internet, only a handful are truly important. Recent statistics show the top three search engines as:
#1 MSN
#2 Yahoo!
#3 Google
Although there are automated services that promise to get you listed on thousands of search engines, it is recommended that you manually submit your site to the top search engines. Some of the search engines view automated submissions as spam and will not list your site. Others put a higher priority on manual submissions. And others–such as Inktomi–required an annual fee to list your site. It can take weeks (sometimes even months!) to get listed, so again, be patient. The search engines are importa
nt to the success of your web site, so treat them with the respect they deserve. Most of all, do not over-submit!
For more information about search engine submissions, request a copy of my article “Web Site Promotion 101″ at mailto:sitepromotion101@sendfree.com
TRAFFIC REPORTING AND ANALYSIS
Once you have allowed an appropriate amount of time to lapse (I usually wait six weeks), it is time to generate some reports to confirm the success of your search engine optimization campaign. Search engine positioning reports provide a wealth of information, such as your site’s position in the major search engines, how you rank on your targeted keyword terms and phrases, which sites rank above and below you, where you’ve declined in rankings, and so on.
To automate the process of generating your search engine positioning reports, download a free trial of 1stPlace Software’s highly-acclaimed WebPosition Gold at http://www.webposition.com/
In addition to your search engine positioning reports, be sure to regularly check your traffic logs. Is your traffic increasing? Are people finding your site with the search terms you targeted? Which of the search engines are referring visitors to your site?
There are many variables that affect rankings, including:
1. Keyword density
2. Link popularity
3. Click popularity
4. Keywords in the title
5. Keywords in the description tag 6. Keywords in the keywords tag 7. Keywords in the names of linked pages and in the linked words
8. Keywords in the alt tags 9. Keywords in names of images 10. Paying for ranks
11. Listing in online directories
Source: Search Engine Optimization and Placement: An Internet Marketing Course for Webmasters by Renee Kennedy and Terry Kent. http://www.thewritemarket.com/seo-book.shtml
CASE STUDY OF GRIEF LOSS & RECOVERY
In October 2001, my web site, Grief Loss & Recovery (http://www.grieflossrecovery.com), was averaging 98 visitors a day and 573 page views. Reviewing my traffic logs, I noted that the most popular search term for my site was “grief poems,” so I decided to optimize my site for that phrase.
Since October, my traffic has steadily climbed the charts.
In March 2002, my daily unique visitors averaged 325 and my page views 1962, an increase of 69 percent and 70 percent, respectively.
With regard to my rankings in the search engines, they have also improved considerably. For example, for the search phrase “grief poems” in Google, my site ranks number one out of 102,000 results; and for the search term “grief,” my site ranks 15 out of 1,690,000.
As for traffic referred by the search engines, Google far exceeds all other search engines in driving traffic to my site with 2,953 referrals in March, followed by Yahoo at 1,428. (In comparison, my October 2001 numbers showed Yahoo referring 535 visitors and Google 423.)
All-in-all, I am pleased with the results of my first attempt at optimizing Grief Loss & Recovery and am beginning to note similar results with some of the other web sites I have recently optimized.
When playing the search engine optimization game, patience is important, because results do not happen overnight.
CONCLUSION
To be competitive online, your web site needs to be search engine friendly. Search engine optimization is a function of Internet marketing and is the most cost-effective means of marketing to your target audience. With an estimated 84 percent of web users turning to the search engines to find information online, it is important that your site rank within the top 30 results if you want to be found. A successful search engine optimization campaign will not only boost your rankings in the search engines, it will bring qualified customers and prospects to your web site who are already on the web searching for your products and services.
For more information about search engine optimization and positioning, visit:
Search Engine Watch
http://www.searchenginewatch.com/
Search Engine World
http://www.searchengineworld.com/index.htm
Academy of Web Specialists http://www.academywebspecialists.com/
Spider Food
http://www.spider-food.net/
Plus be sure to subscribe to:
Adventive I-Search
http://www.adventive.com/lists/isearch/summary.html
Joanne Glasspoole is the editor/publisher of CYBER QUEST. Each issue is jam packed with original reports, news briefs, cool Webmaster tools, and more. To subscribe, send email to Majordomo@lists.kdv.com with “subscribe cyberquest” in the body of your message. Visit Joanne’s web site at http://www.glasspoole.com
“Secrets To Using Keywords!”A.T.Rendon
Once upon a time, not so many years ago, if you needed to find something all you had top do was to let your fingers do the walking for you. And the Yellow Pages are still are great place to look for a specific type of business or service.
But that was then.
Now we have the Information Super Highway. Finding information, or anything else for that matter, is simply an act of entering in the correct keywords at your favorite search engine or directory.
Keywords are the 21st century equivalent of the Yellow Pages and they are necessary to find whatever it is that you seek online. But, not only do you find things with keywords, they are also what others will use to find you.
The keywords you use on your website will determine exactly how your website will perform in search engine and directory searches made by potential visitors.
This can have a huge positive or negative effect on the exposure your website receives from the global audience of the Internet.
Traffic is essential for the success of any website.
It does not matter what the purpose of the website might be. Without traffic, then you are creating a website that will never be seen by anyone other than yourself.
For those of us attempting to do business online, the proper use of keywords can make or break you.
Here are a few important points to consider:
1. Choose Proper Keywords.
If you are selling fresh fruit online, it will not do you any good to use words that describe auto parts. The keywords you choose must be closely related to that subject or topic which will be found on your website.
2. Good Use of Keywords.
Not only must you choose the correct keywords to describe your website, but you must also make use of those keywords throughout the actual body of the text of your website.
3. Excellent Use of Keywords.
Many people go to the trouble of researching keywords to make their web site as attractive to potential visitors doing searches but fail miserably at the most important element of the entire process by naming the Title of their website Homepage.
Make use of your keywords in your website Title!
4. Do NOT SPAM Your Keywords.
It has long been thought that repetition of keywords will improve the ranking of your website. While this was true many, many years ago, it is not to be used today or your website will be penalized if not outright banned by the major search engines and directories.
Use keywords only one time each in your Title and within the Meta Tags of your web page HTML.
The exception to this rule is the repeated use of the same keyword within the actual text of your website but ONLY if the keyword is relevant. Repetition for repetitions sake will also cause you to be penalized or banned altogether.
5. Research Your Keywords.
How would someone find you online?
Pretend you are a potential visitor to your website and compile a l
ist of words you might use at a search engine or directory and research what these terms bring back as results to your inquiry.
Is your website already among the search term results? How about your competition?
If neither appear in the results of your search then you need to try using other keywords.
You can even cheat a little on this by visiting your competitor and viewing the source of their web page to determine exactly which keywords they are using.
6. Modify Your Keywords.
Just because you finally compile a list of keywords do not fall into the trap of thinking that they are somehow now etched in stone.
Not on the Internet.
Review the most common search terms being used at least once every month or two and modify, adapt, adjust and overcome any problems by making changes to your list.
A great way to keep tabs on the most popular terms in use on the Internet can be determined by accessing various FREE services that exist online dedicated to compiling a list of the top current search keywords.
You can access our “FREE List of Keyword Services” by sending a blank email to our auto-responder at: mailto:keywords@emailexchange.org
Making use of these little secrets on keywords will insure that your website is always in the top rankings of searches done to find your unique web page content.
A.T.Rendon is an entrepreneur and published writer. Subscribe to FREE Business Classifieds Newsletter-FBCN & receive FREE online access to our Password Protected “FREE Submit To Over 2.7 MILLION FREE Ad Sites – DAILY!” mailto:subscribe_fbcn9@emailexchange.org Visit us at: http://emailexchange.org/?Articles
How to Use Keywords to Optimize Your Site for Search Engines – Part 2Herman Drost
Placing keywords strategically throughout your web pages will greatly improve your rankings in the search engines. Many sites, however, leave them out altogether so your Site won’t get ranked at all. Inserting too many keywords in your web pages or repeating them too often, will result in your site getting banned from the search engines.
How do you sort all this out so you can effectively market your web site to the search engines?
My last article (www.isitebuild.com/keyword), discussed, what is a keyword and how to create targeted keywords for your site. Next we will discuss where to place keywords, how many to use and some tips on what to avoid.
Where to place keywords in your web pages?
Title Tag – this tag should contain your most important keyword phrase. Make the title interesting enough to grab the visitor’s attention.
Only use 5 to 6 words in your title with your most relevant keyword in the beginning.
Description Meta Tag
The search engines often use this tag when they display the description of your web site in the search results. Try to make the description inviting for your visitors. The length should be less than 200 characters, including spaces.
Keyword Meta Tag
This tag will contain a listing of your keywords and keyword phrases that are relevant to your page and enable a Search Engine to find you. Here are some things to remember:
Don’t use the same keyword more than 3 times. Use keywords that occur in your Title Tag and Description Tag. Use only 200 characters for all your keywords. Use different keywords for all your pages. Only use keywords that are relevant to your site. Use lower case letters.
Use the single and plural forms of your keywords. Use commas or spaces between your keywords or keyword phrases.
Heading Tags
These tags hold separate topics between paragraphs and range from , which is very large and bold to , which is very small and bold. Your page heading should contain your most important keywords or keyword phrase.
Alt Tag
This tag is used to add text in place of the image. The user may have turned off reading the graphics to make the page load faster. Therefore he will read the ALT Tag text instead. Add short keyword rich text to your graphic links. Make sure the ALT text describes the link destination.
Hypertext Links
Include your keywords or keyword phrase in your link text.
Content
Search Engine spiders put more weight on keyword rich content that is higher up on the page rather than in the middle or lower sections. Insert your keywords and keyword phrases in your text at least three times.
Types of Sites that won’t get indexed by Search Engines. Flash and Frame Sites – pages created this way will be avoided by the Search Engines spiders.
Dynamic Pages – any web address that contains a question mark (i.e. ASP, Perl, Cold Fusion), will not be indexed by the spiders.
Password Protected Pages – Search Engines Spiders will not index any area that is protected by a password.
Meta Tag Generators
These are tools that can be used to automatically generate your keywords. Here are some resources you can use:
http://vancouver-webpages.com/META/mk-metas.html http://www.bcentral.com/products/metatags.asp
Conclusion:
Consumers are 5 times more likely to purchase your products after seeing search engine listings versus banners. Implementing these strategies mentioned, may not get you a number one ranking in the Search Engines, but you definitely have a distinct advantage over those Web Sites that have not done any optimizing.
Herman Drost is a Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) owner and author of iSiteBuild.com Site Design and Low Cost Hosting from $30/year. (http://www.isitebuild.com) Subscribe to the “Marketing Tips” newsletter for more original articles. mailto:subscribe@isitebuild.com.
Tags: Analysis, Internet Marketing, keywords, market, Marketing, optimize, Placement, Positioning, promo, Promotion, Search, Search Engine, Search Engine Marketing, search engine optimization, Search Engine Placement, Search Engine Positioning, search engine submission, SEO, submission, webposition gold