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Basics of Search Engines Positioning
'
THE ABC's OF SEO (Search Engine Optimization) '
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 cliche: 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
important to the success of your web site, so treat them with the respect
they deserve. Most of all, do not over-submit!
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.
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
CASE STUDY OF A CLIENT
In October 2001, a clients contact us, his web site was averaging 98
visitors a day and 573 page views. Reviewing his traffic logs, we noted
that the most popular search term for his site was "grief
poems," and so we decided to optimize his site for that phrase.
Since October, his traffic has steadily climbed the charts.
In March 2002, his daily unique visitors averaged 325 and page views 1962,
an increase of 69 percent and 70 percent, respectively.
With regard to his rankings in the search engines, they have also improved
considerably. For example, for the search phrase "grief poems"
in Google, his site ranked number one out of 102,000 results; and for the
search term "grief," his 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 his site with 2,953 referrals
in March, followed by Yahoo at 1,428. (In comparison, his October 2001
numbers showed Yahoo referring 535 visitors and Google 423.)
All-in-all, his is pleased with the service we have provided and are
beginning to get more similar sites from his friends and companions for
optimization as well. Click
here to make the initiative.
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.
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