Keywords, Competition, Being Number One Uncovering the Algorithm
By John Krycek (c) 2005
By following these steps you will see that most closely guarded secret-- the search algorithm. Remember the movie "the Matrix?" The Matrix is there, you just can't see it. So is the search algorithm. It's easy to pay a Search Engine Optimizer to give your pages some ranking power. Unfortunately, given the inherent time factor involved in climbing the ranks, your money may be long gone before you know if you've spent your money well.
There Is No Magic Pill
Forget any advertisement you see for instant number one search results or automated this or that. Most are scams, and the ones that aren't might get you positioned, but it will be very short lived.
Search engine optimization is an ongoing process. Achieving and maintaining a high rank, especially on highly competitive keywords, requires constant maintenance. If you do find a legitimate SEO firm, it is well worth the money to pay their monthly maintenance fee and let them continue to help you after the initial project. At least for 6 months or a year as you establish yourself.
In this article we'll look at some of the intricate and complex tasks of optimizing a page for long term ranking power. You will learn how to read between the code and the content to find what is necessary to bring you to the top. Being number one is easy to say, but is quickly overwhelming when you stare at tens of thousands of pages you want to out rank. So how do you begin?
The starting line on the road to that first page SERP (search engine results page) ranking is not as blurry as you might think. In fact, you can uncover the starting line, the route, and all the scenery along the way to the finish line without knowing the search engine algorithm.
STEP 1-
Your Keywords Are The Crowning Achievement Of Grueling Days Of Work
If you have investments in the stock market you know how much research and thought goes into choosing those securities. Now take that same effort and multiply it by three. That's how much planning and revision your keywords should take.
A simple, broad key phrase like "shoes" could hypothetically bring you up in a countless stream of different searches. Women's shoes, baby shoes, sneakers, high heels, etc. If somehow you manage to settle into a good ranking (which would be difficult) you would have more traffic on your site than you could handle. But traffic is worthless if it doesn't get to it's destination.
Chances are, you weren't that destination.
Your keywords must be focused and precise, specific to what you are selling. Using a key phrase like "Gucci mens black leather loafer" will bring a targeted lead to your site. You may not reach as many people as the more generalized keyword, but the people that do come to you have a much deeper interest in the specific product you are selling.
Therefore you have much greater chance of converting that targeted lead to a sale. Your keywords are your magic beans, your winning lotto numbers, your energizer bunnies, your sales force, whatever you want to call them. They must be perfect.
STEP 2-
Want To Be Number One? Look At Who Already Is
Competition Analysis- no SEO book can give you this information.
Now take your keyword list and type them into a search engine. Who comes up in the first ten results? That company that is number one is because they have most closely matched what the search engine algorithm says should be number one. You can learn a great deal from them.
A. Internal Factors
Take that number one page, and the other top 9 pages and study them, look at the code, break them down. You are looking at the first half of what is needed to rank in the top 10 pages for your key phrases on that particular search engine. The list of what to look for is enormous.
Studying the Internal Factors on a page is taking it apart to see how it's put together. Not how it works, but statistical research into the precise construct and layout of keywords and phrases in relation to each other within the page.
Start with these areas:
URL address, Page Title, Meta description, Meta Keywords, First sentence on the page, Body copy, Bold or Emphasized Phrases, H1 or other tags, Alt Tags, Navigation system
In each of those sections, look at:
* Keyword densities- the number of times your phrase and each word in your phrase appears
compared to the text around it
* Where, and how many times, the same phrase and words appear in different sections
* The word and character position of each phrase in each section
* The total number of characters
* The total number of words
Beginning with these comparisons should keep you quite busy for awhile. A spreadsheet is quite useful. Some commercial products are also available that can make this daunting task much more feasible. Keep looking for other patterns and differences. You want to duplicate them in your own page. NOT copy and steal. You want to mimic the patterns that are bringing that page to the position it's in. Then move onto to examining the external factors of these pages.
B. External Factors
External factors of a web page deal with the links to, from and within a web page, both inside the same site, and out into the web. This analysis usually takes more time because it involves more dissection of pages beyond the one you're trying to optimize. In this analysis, as with Internal Factors, you want to compare and contrast your page versus the top 10 competitors, find similarities and differences. Below is a list of criteria to get you started.
* Number of internal links (to the same site) on that page
* Number of external links
* Number of links pointing TO that page* (see below for details)
* The link/anchor text- which keywords are used and where
* Google Page Rank value of incoming links
* Alexa Rank of incoming links
* The quality and thought of the content
To get a listing of the links that point to a site, type the following into Google, MSN and Yahoo searches: "link:www.domainname.com". Google tends to only show a small portion of the links back, but MSN and Yahoo will give you much more pertinent data.
Now you want to compare the content on each of these pages to the one they point to. Is it of similar theme, in what context does the link back appear and where. Subject of much debate, the consensus is that Google Page Rank does not mean what it used to. However, if it is in some fashion a measure of how significant or "important" a site is, it is worth looking more closely at the sites that link back that are of high page rank.
Even A Surgeon Uses Tools
Now, this is definitely a ton of work to do all by hand. There are software programs that can help do some of the digging and mathematical computations for you, figuring out densities and organizing information.
Tools like this are definitely ones a professional SEO will have in their arsenal. But remember, these are tools, not miracle workers. It takes a human being to evaluate and realize connections, similarities, draw conclusions and interpret the data. Then, you have to extrapolate this data.
Remember, you want to do one better than every site you just examined. To do that you have to draw some conclusions and make some educated guesses and link to even better sites.
Final Thoughts
You have access to the inner workings of every page that you want to beat. Learn from them and do one better. This process is not a one-time shot. It is ongoing. Check your key phrases every week. Do the same people still rank in the top ten?
Some have probably moved. Remember too that they're going to adapt to maintain their positions too. If you want the ranks, you have to spend the time, and not just once, or pay someone to do it for you.
Don't ever believe anyone who says they can guarantee any kind of results. And ask them how they will optimize your pages. If they explain to you something like the above, then you've probably got yourself someone experienced and honest. Your money will be well spent and you'll quickly recover it.
About The Author
John Krycek is the owner and creative director of theMouseworks.ca web design in Toronto. Learn more about search engine optimization and internet marketing in easy, non-technical, up front English!
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Saturday, September 10, 2005
LOGO DESIGN 101
Logotype, commonly know as a logo, is a design, a graphic representation/image/trademark symbolizing one’s organization. Designed for instant identification, a logo can appear on company letterhead, advertising material and signs as an emblem by way of which the organization can easily be recognized.
Value of a logo should be based on a few important criteria:
1. Experience of the logo designer
2. Size & budget of the company using the logo
3. Scope and usage of the logo
4. Difficulty of the design
Does your current logo represent 3 of the key elements that make up a credible and high quality logo design?
a. Does the logo portray your company in a manner which says that you are an expert in this field?
b. Is the logo "contemporary", symbolizing a "forward-thinking" look?
c. Is the message that you are trying to convey to the consumer clear? If you answered ‘yes’ to all of these questions, then why change your logo? By revamping your company image, you may risk losing your supporters, clients that are already familiar with your products and services, your popularity, respect, as well as your market share. You can, however, clean-up your logo or update it with a lot less risk.
Important Points To Consider:
• A logo should: -Attract attention and leave an impression
-Create a look that in unique
-reflect the personality of the company
• Reproduction costs: The more detailed and colorful the logo design, the more difficult to reproduce, meaning a higher cost.
• The size: The prefect logo design will look great on a sign board as well as on a business card or a pen.
• Logo design companies are by the dozen. Take your time, research different companies and designers and compare packages in order to select a logo design company suited to your needs.
• Check your competition. What designs, graphics, and colors do they use? Remember that you need to be competitive.
• Trademark your logo. If your logo is trademarked, this prevents competitors and other third parties from stealing it.
• And last but not least, when in doubt, try the janitor test.
More about the janitor test tommorrow!
Rick
www.visionefx.net
Value of a logo should be based on a few important criteria:
1. Experience of the logo designer
2. Size & budget of the company using the logo
3. Scope and usage of the logo
4. Difficulty of the design
Does your current logo represent 3 of the key elements that make up a credible and high quality logo design?
a. Does the logo portray your company in a manner which says that you are an expert in this field?
b. Is the logo "contemporary", symbolizing a "forward-thinking" look?
c. Is the message that you are trying to convey to the consumer clear? If you answered ‘yes’ to all of these questions, then why change your logo? By revamping your company image, you may risk losing your supporters, clients that are already familiar with your products and services, your popularity, respect, as well as your market share. You can, however, clean-up your logo or update it with a lot less risk.
Important Points To Consider:
• A logo should: -Attract attention and leave an impression
-Create a look that in unique
-reflect the personality of the company
• Reproduction costs: The more detailed and colorful the logo design, the more difficult to reproduce, meaning a higher cost.
• The size: The prefect logo design will look great on a sign board as well as on a business card or a pen.
• Logo design companies are by the dozen. Take your time, research different companies and designers and compare packages in order to select a logo design company suited to your needs.
• Check your competition. What designs, graphics, and colors do they use? Remember that you need to be competitive.
• Trademark your logo. If your logo is trademarked, this prevents competitors and other third parties from stealing it.
• And last but not least, when in doubt, try the janitor test.
More about the janitor test tommorrow!
Rick
www.visionefx.net
Friday, September 09, 2005
SEO According to Google's Webmaster Guidelines
By Mark Daoust (c) 2005
Every SEO expert has their own set of rules as to how they believe Google ranks websites. Most of the time, these rules tend to vary slightly from one another. But what does Google tell us? Fortunately they gave us all the guidelines we need. This article will look at these guidelines in depth.
Make a Site With a Clear Hierarchy and Text Links. Every Page Should Be Reachable From at Least One Static Text Link.
Your website's navigation is the foundation of your entire website. It binds all the pages together into a common theme and provides a clear vision to your website visitors. Clear navigation is extremely important for search engine spiders. Spiders want to find as many pages on your website as possible. However, if your navigation is confusing, or worse, incomplete, search engine spiders will not discover your entire website. It is also important to remember that search engines learn what a page is about partially by the text used to link to that page. In this regard, the anchor text you use in your navigation can help you rank better for your targeted keywords. This is why Google also heavily recommends that you use text links on your website.
Offer a Site Map to Your Users With Links That Point to the Important Parts of Your Site.
If the Site Map is Larger Than 100 or So Links, You May Want to Break the Site Map Into Separate Pages.
Having a sitemap is crucially important. When a spider visits your website one of the first things it will look for is a file called sitemap. Search engine spiders have millïons of pages to visit in a very short amount of time, they want to work as efficiently as possible. A sitemap will allow the spider to know what pages are most important to your visitors, and therefore, the most important to the search engines.
Even if you don't have a sitemap you can still get your pages indexed by Google if you have a solid navigation system. Placing a sitemap on your website will simply make life easier on the spider, which is something you should strive for.
Create a Useful, Information-Rich Site, and Write Pages That Clearly and Accurately Describe Your Content.
You've certainly heard everyone talk about how content is king. It is important to note, however, that not just any content is king...unique content is king.
Undoubtedly you have heard experts touting hundreds of sources for free content, from RSS to free reprint articles. Although RSS and free reprint articles can be very useful for your website, nothing will ever replace content that is developed by yourself or your company.
It is said that nearly half of all searches performed on a daily basis include combination of words that have never been searched on before. If users are searching using unique combinations of words, what are the search engines looking for?
Of course, RSS and free reprint articles are useful, especially if the information in the articles or feed is pertinent to the subject matter of your website. You should not be afraid to use free reprint articles or RSS feeds (in fact you probably should use them), but you should also be sure to have a significant amount of unique content on your site as well.
Try to Use Text Instead of Images to Display Important Names, Content, or Links. The Google Crawler Doesn't Recognize Text Contained in Images.
This is an extremely important point that many, many website owners tend to ignore. They miss great opportunities to place heavy hitting keywords in great spots within their website.
Instead, they place an image in that spot solely for the purpose of appearance. Fortunately the web and most browsers have adopted CSS. With CSS you can format the style of your links and present important text in a stylish manner. Using CSS you can also present an image to your visitors while keeping important text in your code for the search engines.
Make Sure That Your TITLE and ALT Tags Are Descriptive and Accurate.
The title tag is the single most important part of SEO that you can optimize. The title tag is included in the head portion of every HTML page. The tag is intended to tell your visitors and the search engine what the subject of that specific page is.
Many website owners make a number of mistakes with their title tag. Many times they'll stuff the title with a list of keywords. Other times they will not change the title from page to page. All of these things will hurt your rankings and drive the search engines away from your website.
A good title tag should be relatively short and highly descriptive. It should contain your most important keywords for that page, and it should make sense to a human reader. If you use images on your website, you should always include an alt tag. When choosing your alt tags you should try to be descriptive and brief. Alt tags are not an opportunïty to stuff your page with your targeted keywords. Search engines are smart enough to know when a website owner is trying to take advantage of image alt tags.
Of course, using CSS, it is possible to design a good looking website without using any images.
Check For Broken Links and Correct HTML.
This is a simple step to take, and extremely important. This goes back to the concept that we want to make life easier on the search engine spiders. If a spider comes across a website with broken links, it may think that your website is incomplete. Worse yet, it may consider your website not worth visiting as it wastes the spider' src="path/to/image.jpg"
Fortunately there are several link checkers available. You can use the Site Reference site link checker.
Correct HTML can be a little more difficult, especially if you use an HTML editor such as FrontPage and do not know HTML. As the owner of a website, however, you should take the time and effort to make sure the site is written in valid HTML. This will make it easier for a spider to find out what your site is really about.
To validate your website, visit the World Wide Web Consortium's HTML Validator. If you have any mistakes in your HTML, the validator will tell you what they are and what you need to do to correct them.
Once you have validated your web site you may also place the Consortium's image link right on your web site. Look at the bottom right of the following page: http://www.visionefx.net
Click on the W3c logo!
If You Decide to Use Dynamic Pages (i.e., the URL Contains a '?' Character), Be Aware That Not Every Search Engine Spider Crawls Dynamic Pages As Well As Static Pages. It Helps to Keep the Parameters Short and the Number of Them Few.
The larger a website gets, the greater the need for it to get some sort of content management system. If you own a shopping based website or a content based website that generates its pages dynamically, you should be aware of the implications to the search engines. Dynamic websites often employ the use of query strings. Below is an example of a query string:
http://www.somesite.com/index.php?query_string=this-is-the-query-string
Query strings can employ a wide range of characters which make it difficult for search engines to spider your website. They are able to spider sites with simple query strings, however, it is generally not a good idea to do so.
You can easily change your website URL's to be search friendly by using a tool called Apache Mod_Rewrite. Using Mod_Rewrite you can turn a URL from looking like this:
http://www.somesite.com/index.php?query_string=2932&name=some+name
to this:
http://www.somesite.com/2932/some-name.html
Conclusion
Most SEO experts have their own set of rules to rank well in the search engines. If you travel from one SEO to another, you will find that they differ slightly in what they believe should be emphasized in your SEO strategy. Even though they may all have their differences, the most basic and most important aspects of quality SEO are all the same.
Fortunately, Google provides us with these rules.About
The AuthorSEO According to Google's Webmaster Guidelines
was written by Mark Daoust.
Visit Site-Reference.com for more articles on search engine marketing.
Every SEO expert has their own set of rules as to how they believe Google ranks websites. Most of the time, these rules tend to vary slightly from one another. But what does Google tell us? Fortunately they gave us all the guidelines we need. This article will look at these guidelines in depth.
Make a Site With a Clear Hierarchy and Text Links. Every Page Should Be Reachable From at Least One Static Text Link.
Your website's navigation is the foundation of your entire website. It binds all the pages together into a common theme and provides a clear vision to your website visitors. Clear navigation is extremely important for search engine spiders. Spiders want to find as many pages on your website as possible. However, if your navigation is confusing, or worse, incomplete, search engine spiders will not discover your entire website. It is also important to remember that search engines learn what a page is about partially by the text used to link to that page. In this regard, the anchor text you use in your navigation can help you rank better for your targeted keywords. This is why Google also heavily recommends that you use text links on your website.
Offer a Site Map to Your Users With Links That Point to the Important Parts of Your Site.
If the Site Map is Larger Than 100 or So Links, You May Want to Break the Site Map Into Separate Pages.
Having a sitemap is crucially important. When a spider visits your website one of the first things it will look for is a file called sitemap. Search engine spiders have millïons of pages to visit in a very short amount of time, they want to work as efficiently as possible. A sitemap will allow the spider to know what pages are most important to your visitors, and therefore, the most important to the search engines.
Even if you don't have a sitemap you can still get your pages indexed by Google if you have a solid navigation system. Placing a sitemap on your website will simply make life easier on the spider, which is something you should strive for.
Create a Useful, Information-Rich Site, and Write Pages That Clearly and Accurately Describe Your Content.
You've certainly heard everyone talk about how content is king. It is important to note, however, that not just any content is king...unique content is king.
Undoubtedly you have heard experts touting hundreds of sources for free content, from RSS to free reprint articles. Although RSS and free reprint articles can be very useful for your website, nothing will ever replace content that is developed by yourself or your company.
It is said that nearly half of all searches performed on a daily basis include combination of words that have never been searched on before. If users are searching using unique combinations of words, what are the search engines looking for?
Of course, RSS and free reprint articles are useful, especially if the information in the articles or feed is pertinent to the subject matter of your website. You should not be afraid to use free reprint articles or RSS feeds (in fact you probably should use them), but you should also be sure to have a significant amount of unique content on your site as well.
Try to Use Text Instead of Images to Display Important Names, Content, or Links. The Google Crawler Doesn't Recognize Text Contained in Images.
This is an extremely important point that many, many website owners tend to ignore. They miss great opportunities to place heavy hitting keywords in great spots within their website.
Instead, they place an image in that spot solely for the purpose of appearance. Fortunately the web and most browsers have adopted CSS. With CSS you can format the style of your links and present important text in a stylish manner. Using CSS you can also present an image to your visitors while keeping important text in your code for the search engines.
Make Sure That Your TITLE and ALT Tags Are Descriptive and Accurate.
The title tag is the single most important part of SEO that you can optimize. The title tag is included in the head portion of every HTML page. The tag is intended to tell your visitors and the search engine what the subject of that specific page is.
Many website owners make a number of mistakes with their title tag. Many times they'll stuff the title with a list of keywords. Other times they will not change the title from page to page. All of these things will hurt your rankings and drive the search engines away from your website.
A good title tag should be relatively short and highly descriptive. It should contain your most important keywords for that page, and it should make sense to a human reader. If you use images on your website, you should always include an alt tag. When choosing your alt tags you should try to be descriptive and brief. Alt tags are not an opportunïty to stuff your page with your targeted keywords. Search engines are smart enough to know when a website owner is trying to take advantage of image alt tags.
Of course, using CSS, it is possible to design a good looking website without using any images.
Check For Broken Links and Correct HTML.
This is a simple step to take, and extremely important. This goes back to the concept that we want to make life easier on the search engine spiders. If a spider comes across a website with broken links, it may think that your website is incomplete. Worse yet, it may consider your website not worth visiting as it wastes the spider' src="path/to/image.jpg"
Fortunately there are several link checkers available. You can use the Site Reference site link checker.
Correct HTML can be a little more difficult, especially if you use an HTML editor such as FrontPage and do not know HTML. As the owner of a website, however, you should take the time and effort to make sure the site is written in valid HTML. This will make it easier for a spider to find out what your site is really about.
To validate your website, visit the World Wide Web Consortium's HTML Validator. If you have any mistakes in your HTML, the validator will tell you what they are and what you need to do to correct them.
Once you have validated your web site you may also place the Consortium's image link right on your web site. Look at the bottom right of the following page: http://www.visionefx.net
Click on the W3c logo!
If You Decide to Use Dynamic Pages (i.e., the URL Contains a '?' Character), Be Aware That Not Every Search Engine Spider Crawls Dynamic Pages As Well As Static Pages. It Helps to Keep the Parameters Short and the Number of Them Few.
The larger a website gets, the greater the need for it to get some sort of content management system. If you own a shopping based website or a content based website that generates its pages dynamically, you should be aware of the implications to the search engines. Dynamic websites often employ the use of query strings. Below is an example of a query string:
http://www.somesite.com/index.php?query_string=this-is-the-query-string
Query strings can employ a wide range of characters which make it difficult for search engines to spider your website. They are able to spider sites with simple query strings, however, it is generally not a good idea to do so.
You can easily change your website URL's to be search friendly by using a tool called Apache Mod_Rewrite. Using Mod_Rewrite you can turn a URL from looking like this:
http://www.somesite.com/index.php?query_string=2932&name=some+name
to this:
http://www.somesite.com/2932/some-name.html
Conclusion
Most SEO experts have their own set of rules to rank well in the search engines. If you travel from one SEO to another, you will find that they differ slightly in what they believe should be emphasized in your SEO strategy. Even though they may all have their differences, the most basic and most important aspects of quality SEO are all the same.
Fortunately, Google provides us with these rules.About
The AuthorSEO According to Google's Webmaster Guidelines
was written by Mark Daoust.
Visit Site-Reference.com for more articles on search engine marketing.
Monday, September 05, 2005
Logo Design
Logo Design
Corporate and commercial firms spend thousands of dollars on creative consultants to find that special combination of color, style and shape.
Case Study
A consultant study for a new Fox 43 television affliate logo design involved analysis of the existing logo color and design of all the other local television affiliates in the region. Preliminary analysis showed the over use of 'blue' in the other station logos. A Fox 43 logo design and color palette of gold, black and red was developed that provided a powerful stand-out against a the local competitors.
Branding
A company logo is the basis for your 'brand identity.
Think about it.. A logo is featured on;
* Letterhead
* Business cards
* Brochures, reports, flyers, newsletters
* Auto truck window stickers
* Auto truck bumper stickers
* Billboard signs
* Sales promotion materials - clothing, hats, pens and so on.
* Broadcast graphics
* Web site
* Emails
If you don't have a huge budget for logo design - DON'T DO THIS YOURSELF.
Go online and Google:
'online logo desing services' - 'cheap logo design' - 'affordable logo design'.
You will at least be in the hands of a knowledgable professional who can desing something better than chicken scratch on a cocktail napktin. - DON'T DO THIS YOURSELF.
I find that individuals who actually believe they can design a professional logo fall into the category of tone-deaf people who love to sing.
Let us create that professional 'brand presence' for your business.
So be serious about your logo.
Rick Vidallon
www.visionefx.net
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Google Inc. is set to introduce its own instant messaging system
Google Inc. is set to introduce its own instant messaging system, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday, marking the expansion by the Web search leader into text and also voice communications.The logo of Google Inc. is seen outside their headquarters building in Mountain View, California in the August 18, 2004 file photo. REUTERS/Clay McLachlan
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc. is set to introduce its own instant messaging system, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday, marking the expansion by the Web search leader into text and also voice communications.
Citing unnamed sources "familiar with the service," the Los Angeles Times said that Google's Instant Messaging program would be called Google Talk and could be launched as early as Wednesday.
Google Talk goes beyond text-based instant messaging using a computer keyboard to let users hold voice conversations with other computer users, the newspaper quoted a source as saying.
A Google spokeswoman declined to comment on the company's product plans.
If confirmed, the combined computer text and voice-calling service would put Google in competition with a similar service pioneered by Skype, which has attracted tens of millions of users, especially in Europe, to its own service.
Separately, independent journalist Om Malik on his blog at http://gigaom.com
pointed to technical clues that suggest Google is preparing to run an instant messaging service based on an open-source system known as Jabber.
Jabber technology would allow Google instant message users to connect with established IM systems that also work with Jabber, including America Online's ICQ and Apple Computer Inc.'s iChat, Malik said.
"This is the worst possible news for someone like Skype, because now they will be up against not two but three giants who want to offer a pale-version of Skype," he wrote. Earlier this week, Google said it was branching out beyond pure search to help users manage e-mail, instant messages, news headlines and music. It introduced a new service called the Google Sidebar, a stand-alone software program that sits on a user's desktop and provides "live" information updates.
Over the past year or so, the company has expanded into e-mail, online maps, personalized news and more.
The product push comes as rivals Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Time Warner Inc.'s AOL are all pushing to upgrade existing instant messaging systems and expand into new Internet phone-calling services.
Google's moves take it beyond its roots in Web search and closer to becoming a broad-based Internet media company. With instant messaging, Google would be breaking into a market in which its major competitors boast tens of millions of subscribers to their established instant messaging services.
America Online, with its AIM and ICQ brands, counts more than 40 million IM users in the United States alone. Yahoo has around 20 million and Microsoft's MSN Messenger numbers some 14 million users, according to recent comScore Media Metrix data.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Search Engine Spiders Lost Without Guidance - Post This Sign!
Robots.txt Signpost Warns Trespassers From Private Property,
By Mike Banks Valentine (c) 2005
The robots.txt file is an exclusion standard required by all web crawlers/robots to tell them what files and directories that you want them to stay OUT of on your site. Not all crawlers/bots follow the exclusion standard and will continue crawling your site anyway. I like to call them "Bad Bots" or trespassers. We block them by IP exclusion which is another story entirely.
This is a very simple overview of robots.txt basics for webmasters. For a complete and thorough lesson, visit Robotstxt.org.
To see the proper format for a somewhat standard robots.txt file look directly below. That file should be at the root of the domain because that is where the crawlers expect it to be, not in some secondary directory.
Below is the proper format for a robots.txt file ----->
User-agent: *Disallow: /cgi-bin/Disallow: /images/Disallow: /group/
User-agent: msnbotCrawl-delay: 10
User-agent: TeomaCrawl-delay: 10
User-agent: SlurpCrawl-delay: 10
User-agent: aipbotDisallow: /
User-agent: BecomeBotDisallow: /
User-agent: psbotDisallow: /
--------> End of robots.txt file
This tiny text file is saved as a plain text document and ALWAYS with the name "robots.txt" in the root of your domain.
A quick review of the listed information from the robots.txt file above follows. The "User Agent: MSNbot" is from MSN, Slurp is from Yahoo and Teoma is from AskJeeves. The others listed are "Bad" bots that crawl very fast and to nobody's benefit but their own, so we ask them to stay out entirely. The * asterisk is a wild card that means "All" crawlers/spiders/bots should stay out of that group of files or directories listed.
The bots given the instruction "Disallow: /" means they should stay out entirely and those with "Crawl-delay: 10" are those that crawled our site too quickly and caused it to bog down and overuse the server resources. Google crawls more slowly than the others and doesn't require that instruction, so is not specifically listed in the above robots.txt file. Crawl-delay instruction is only needed on very large sites with hundreds or thousands of pages. The wildcard asterisk * applies to all crawlers, bots and spiders, including Googlebot.
Those we provided that "Crawl-delay: 10" instruction to were requesting as many as 7 pages every second and so we asked them to slow down. The number you see is seconds and you can change it to suit your server capacity, based on their crawling rate. Ten seconds between page requests is far more leisurely and stops them from asking for more pages than your server can dish up.
(You can discover how fast robots and spiders are crawling by looking at your raw server logs - which show pages requested by precise times to within a hundredth of a second - available from your web host or ask your web or IT person. Your server logs can be found in the root directory if you have server access, you can usually download compressed server log files by calendar day right off your server. You'll need a utility that can expand compressed files to open and read those plain text raw server log files.)
To see the contents of any robots.txt file just type robots.txt after any domain name. For instance for this web site http://www.visionefx.net you would type: http://www.visionefx.net/robots.txt Neat huh? If they have that file up, you will see it displayed as a text file in your web browser. Click on the link below to see that file for Amazon.com http://www.Amazon.com/robots.txt
You can see the contents of any website robots.txt file that way.
The robots.txt shown above is what we currently use at Publish101 Web Content Distributor, just launched in May of 2005. We did an extensive case study and published a series of articles on crawler behavior and indexing delays known as the Google Sandbox. That Google Sandbox Case Study is highly instructive on many levels for webmasters everywhere about the importance of this often ignored little text file.
One thing we didn't expect to glean from the research involved in indexing delays (known as the Google Sandbox) was the importance of robots.txt files to quick and efficient crawling by the spiders from the major search engines and the number of heavy crawls from bots that will do no earthly good to the site owner, yet crawl most sites extensively and heavily, straining servers to the breaking point with requests for pages coming as fast as 7 pages per second.
We discovered in our launch of the new site that Google and Yahoo will crawl the site whether or not you use a robots.txt file, but MSN seems to REQUIRE it before they will begin crawling at all. All of the search engine robots seem to request the file on a regular basis to verify that it hasn't changed.
Then when you DO change it, they will stop crawling for brief periods and repeatedly ask for that robots.txt file during that time without crawling any additional pages. (Perhaps they had a list of pages to visit that included the directory or files you have instructed them to stay out of and must now adjust their crawling schedule to eliminate those files from their list.)
Most webmasters instruct the bots to stay out of "image" directories and the "cgi-bin" directory as well as any directories containing private or proprietary files intended only for users of an intranet or password protected sections of your site. Clearly, you should direct the bots to stay out of any private areas that you don't want indexed by the search engines.
The importance of robots.txt is rarely discussed by average webmasters and I've even had some of my client business' webmasters ask me what it is and how to implement it when I tell them how important it is to both site security and efficient crawling by the search engines. This should be standard knowledge by webmasters at substantial companies, but this illustrates how little attention is paid to use of robots.txt.
The search engine spiders really do want your guidance and this tiny text file is the best way to provide crawlers and bots a clear signpost to warn off trespassers and protect private property - and to warmly welcome invited guests, such as the big three search engines while asking them nicely to stay out of private areas.
About The AuthorGoogle Sandbox Case Study. Mike Banks Valentine operates Publish101.com Frëe Web Content Distribution for Article Marketers and Provides content aggregation, press release optimization and custom web content for Search Engine Positioning. http://www.seoptimism.com/SEO_Contact.htm
By Mike Banks Valentine (c) 2005
The robots.txt file is an exclusion standard required by all web crawlers/robots to tell them what files and directories that you want them to stay OUT of on your site. Not all crawlers/bots follow the exclusion standard and will continue crawling your site anyway. I like to call them "Bad Bots" or trespassers. We block them by IP exclusion which is another story entirely.
This is a very simple overview of robots.txt basics for webmasters. For a complete and thorough lesson, visit Robotstxt.org.
To see the proper format for a somewhat standard robots.txt file look directly below. That file should be at the root of the domain because that is where the crawlers expect it to be, not in some secondary directory.
Below is the proper format for a robots.txt file ----->
User-agent: *Disallow: /cgi-bin/Disallow: /images/Disallow: /group/
User-agent: msnbotCrawl-delay: 10
User-agent: TeomaCrawl-delay: 10
User-agent: SlurpCrawl-delay: 10
User-agent: aipbotDisallow: /
User-agent: BecomeBotDisallow: /
User-agent: psbotDisallow: /
--------> End of robots.txt file
This tiny text file is saved as a plain text document and ALWAYS with the name "robots.txt" in the root of your domain.
A quick review of the listed information from the robots.txt file above follows. The "User Agent: MSNbot" is from MSN, Slurp is from Yahoo and Teoma is from AskJeeves. The others listed are "Bad" bots that crawl very fast and to nobody's benefit but their own, so we ask them to stay out entirely. The * asterisk is a wild card that means "All" crawlers/spiders/bots should stay out of that group of files or directories listed.
The bots given the instruction "Disallow: /" means they should stay out entirely and those with "Crawl-delay: 10" are those that crawled our site too quickly and caused it to bog down and overuse the server resources. Google crawls more slowly than the others and doesn't require that instruction, so is not specifically listed in the above robots.txt file. Crawl-delay instruction is only needed on very large sites with hundreds or thousands of pages. The wildcard asterisk * applies to all crawlers, bots and spiders, including Googlebot.
Those we provided that "Crawl-delay: 10" instruction to were requesting as many as 7 pages every second and so we asked them to slow down. The number you see is seconds and you can change it to suit your server capacity, based on their crawling rate. Ten seconds between page requests is far more leisurely and stops them from asking for more pages than your server can dish up.
(You can discover how fast robots and spiders are crawling by looking at your raw server logs - which show pages requested by precise times to within a hundredth of a second - available from your web host or ask your web or IT person. Your server logs can be found in the root directory if you have server access, you can usually download compressed server log files by calendar day right off your server. You'll need a utility that can expand compressed files to open and read those plain text raw server log files.)
To see the contents of any robots.txt file just type robots.txt after any domain name. For instance for this web site http://www.visionefx.net you would type: http://www.visionefx.net/robots.txt Neat huh? If they have that file up, you will see it displayed as a text file in your web browser. Click on the link below to see that file for Amazon.com http://www.Amazon.com/robots.txt
You can see the contents of any website robots.txt file that way.
The robots.txt shown above is what we currently use at Publish101 Web Content Distributor, just launched in May of 2005. We did an extensive case study and published a series of articles on crawler behavior and indexing delays known as the Google Sandbox. That Google Sandbox Case Study is highly instructive on many levels for webmasters everywhere about the importance of this often ignored little text file.
One thing we didn't expect to glean from the research involved in indexing delays (known as the Google Sandbox) was the importance of robots.txt files to quick and efficient crawling by the spiders from the major search engines and the number of heavy crawls from bots that will do no earthly good to the site owner, yet crawl most sites extensively and heavily, straining servers to the breaking point with requests for pages coming as fast as 7 pages per second.
We discovered in our launch of the new site that Google and Yahoo will crawl the site whether or not you use a robots.txt file, but MSN seems to REQUIRE it before they will begin crawling at all. All of the search engine robots seem to request the file on a regular basis to verify that it hasn't changed.
Then when you DO change it, they will stop crawling for brief periods and repeatedly ask for that robots.txt file during that time without crawling any additional pages. (Perhaps they had a list of pages to visit that included the directory or files you have instructed them to stay out of and must now adjust their crawling schedule to eliminate those files from their list.)
Most webmasters instruct the bots to stay out of "image" directories and the "cgi-bin" directory as well as any directories containing private or proprietary files intended only for users of an intranet or password protected sections of your site. Clearly, you should direct the bots to stay out of any private areas that you don't want indexed by the search engines.
The importance of robots.txt is rarely discussed by average webmasters and I've even had some of my client business' webmasters ask me what it is and how to implement it when I tell them how important it is to both site security and efficient crawling by the search engines. This should be standard knowledge by webmasters at substantial companies, but this illustrates how little attention is paid to use of robots.txt.
The search engine spiders really do want your guidance and this tiny text file is the best way to provide crawlers and bots a clear signpost to warn off trespassers and protect private property - and to warmly welcome invited guests, such as the big three search engines while asking them nicely to stay out of private areas.
About The AuthorGoogle Sandbox Case Study. Mike Banks Valentine operates Publish101.com Frëe Web Content Distribution for Article Marketers and Provides content aggregation, press release optimization and custom web content for Search Engine Positioning. http://www.seoptimism.com/SEO_Contact.htm
Saturday, August 20, 2005
How Important is ALT Text in Search Engine Optimization?
By Robin Nobles, Professional Writer and SEO
For years, search engine optimizers have included their important keyword phrases in ALT text for images, feeling confident that many of the search engines considered the contents of ALT text when determining relevancy.
The big question is, has this changed?
Yes . . .
None of the Major Engines Considers ALT Text When Determining Relevancy
According to research by expert SEO researcher Jerry West of WebMarketingNow and Search Engine Academy, at the present time, none of the "Big Three" search engines (Google, Yahoo!, nor MSN), considers ALT text when determining relevancy.
West explains, "Over the last six months, we have seen a trend on our testing servers that shows that using ALT text for SEO purposes has not only diminished, but adversely affects the rankings in the SERPs. It is clear that search engines continue to catch up to "SEO tricks" that are intended to improve search engine ranking while damaging the visitor experience. The American Disabilities Act (ADA) has strict guidelines as to wha your site needs to contain in order to be ADA compliant. I guarantee you, they do not look favorably at ALT text that has been keyword stuffed.
"Have you ever witnessed a visually impaired individual use th Web? With a device which reads aloud the contents of a Web page, the impaired individual will be inundated with what I refer to as, ALT Text Sp@m. Sometimes the reader is stuck on one graphic for more than 40 seconds reading all of the keywords that have been stuffed.
According to a Google engineer, what you should do is create an ALT tag that is relevant to the picture, so it gives the user a good experience, including the visually impaired. The ALT text is indexed, but it is down graded in the algorithm. The reason?
"We see ALT text as relevant as the Keyword Meta tag,' said the engineer. That should say it all as Google has nevër used the Keyword Meta tag due to the high sp@m rate.
"How do we test? I have outlined our testing methodology below," continues West.
"Our Testing Setup:
* We have four servers (Two Apache servers, one Windows, one Sun Solaris);
* Each server is located in a different part of the United States;
* Each test server has 16 test domains;
* Domains are matched in pairs for A/B testing;
* All domains are "dot com"; no testing is done with other extensions for the algorithms;
The 8 pairs are configured as follows: 3 pages, 8 pages, 25 pages, 50 pages, 100 pages, 150
pages, 300 pages, 500 pages;
* When performing testing, one of the domains in the pair is tested while the other remains
constant;
* Due to varying issues within the algorithms, it takes approximately six weeks to see consistent numbers in order to formulate accurate conclusions.
What Does This Mean to SEOs?
Search engine optimizers no longer need to use keyword phrases in the ALT text of images on their Web pages.
However, let's look at a smarter approach.
I've been recommending to my online and offline SEO students for a long time that they needed to use ALT text in the manner in which it was designed to be used by the W3C: to describe the image. Then, they can include the keyword phrase in one or two images on the page, if appropriate.
Continuing with that strategy is still viable. The major engines don't consider the contents of ALT text nöw, but that doesn't mean they won't six months from nöw. Always remembering the "basics" is one of the best strategies to follow.
Other ALT Text Tips . . .
1. Remember that the purpose of ALT text is to describe the image for the benefit of those who surf the Web with images turned off and for those who have the contents of Web pages read out loud to them. The WC3 highly recommends that Web site owners use ALT text to describe images.
2. Use your keyword phrase in one or two instances of ALT text on the page no more. Use moderation in everything you do in search engine optimization.
3. Don't use text that is non-relevant to the image. Don't keyword stuff. Jerry West adds, "Give the visitor information that is worthwhile, especially for the visually impaired."
4. "Consider using a description below the graphic. Based on recent test results, this is read often," states West.
West continues, "Basically, remember to be compliant, not just with the W3C but also with the ADA. It all comes down to intent. If your intent is to fool the search engine into giving you a higher ranking, you are performing 'grey or black hat' strategies. Stay on the right side of the path and the engines will bless you.":)
Remember . . . ALT Text is Just One "Piece of the Pie"
Relevancy and ranking are determined by over 100 different factors. ALT text was just one piece of that pie, a sliver at that.
Don't ever focus on just one piece of the pie. Always remember the basics - the SEO foundation - and make sure it's solid.
If you know you're weak in one or two areas, you know you have to beef up on other pieces of the SEO pie.
We'll talk more about the "SEO pie" in future articles. Or, attend our on-location workshops, where the SEO pie is always a topic of conversation.
About The Author Robin Nobles teaches 2-, 3-, and 5-day hands-on search engine marketing workshops in locations across the globe as well as online SEO training courses. They have recently launched localized SEO training centers through Search Engine Academy.
For years, search engine optimizers have included their important keyword phrases in ALT text for images, feeling confident that many of the search engines considered the contents of ALT text when determining relevancy.
The big question is, has this changed?
Yes . . .
None of the Major Engines Considers ALT Text When Determining Relevancy
According to research by expert SEO researcher Jerry West of WebMarketingNow and Search Engine Academy, at the present time, none of the "Big Three" search engines (Google, Yahoo!, nor MSN), considers ALT text when determining relevancy.
West explains, "Over the last six months, we have seen a trend on our testing servers that shows that using ALT text for SEO purposes has not only diminished, but adversely affects the rankings in the SERPs. It is clear that search engines continue to catch up to "SEO tricks" that are intended to improve search engine ranking while damaging the visitor experience. The American Disabilities Act (ADA) has strict guidelines as to wha your site needs to contain in order to be ADA compliant. I guarantee you, they do not look favorably at ALT text that has been keyword stuffed.
"Have you ever witnessed a visually impaired individual use th Web? With a device which reads aloud the contents of a Web page, the impaired individual will be inundated with what I refer to as, ALT Text Sp@m. Sometimes the reader is stuck on one graphic for more than 40 seconds reading all of the keywords that have been stuffed.
According to a Google engineer, what you should do is create an ALT tag that is relevant to the picture, so it gives the user a good experience, including the visually impaired. The ALT text is indexed, but it is down graded in the algorithm. The reason?
"We see ALT text as relevant as the Keyword Meta tag,' said the engineer. That should say it all as Google has nevër used the Keyword Meta tag due to the high sp@m rate.
"How do we test? I have outlined our testing methodology below," continues West.
"Our Testing Setup:
* We have four servers (Two Apache servers, one Windows, one Sun Solaris);
* Each server is located in a different part of the United States;
* Each test server has 16 test domains;
* Domains are matched in pairs for A/B testing;
* All domains are "dot com"; no testing is done with other extensions for the algorithms;
The 8 pairs are configured as follows: 3 pages, 8 pages, 25 pages, 50 pages, 100 pages, 150
pages, 300 pages, 500 pages;
* When performing testing, one of the domains in the pair is tested while the other remains
constant;
* Due to varying issues within the algorithms, it takes approximately six weeks to see consistent numbers in order to formulate accurate conclusions.
What Does This Mean to SEOs?
Search engine optimizers no longer need to use keyword phrases in the ALT text of images on their Web pages.
However, let's look at a smarter approach.
I've been recommending to my online and offline SEO students for a long time that they needed to use ALT text in the manner in which it was designed to be used by the W3C: to describe the image. Then, they can include the keyword phrase in one or two images on the page, if appropriate.
Continuing with that strategy is still viable. The major engines don't consider the contents of ALT text nöw, but that doesn't mean they won't six months from nöw. Always remembering the "basics" is one of the best strategies to follow.
Other ALT Text Tips . . .
1. Remember that the purpose of ALT text is to describe the image for the benefit of those who surf the Web with images turned off and for those who have the contents of Web pages read out loud to them. The WC3 highly recommends that Web site owners use ALT text to describe images.
2. Use your keyword phrase in one or two instances of ALT text on the page no more. Use moderation in everything you do in search engine optimization.
3. Don't use text that is non-relevant to the image. Don't keyword stuff. Jerry West adds, "Give the visitor information that is worthwhile, especially for the visually impaired."
4. "Consider using a description below the graphic. Based on recent test results, this is read often," states West.
West continues, "Basically, remember to be compliant, not just with the W3C but also with the ADA. It all comes down to intent. If your intent is to fool the search engine into giving you a higher ranking, you are performing 'grey or black hat' strategies. Stay on the right side of the path and the engines will bless you.":)
Remember . . . ALT Text is Just One "Piece of the Pie"
Relevancy and ranking are determined by over 100 different factors. ALT text was just one piece of that pie, a sliver at that.
Don't ever focus on just one piece of the pie. Always remember the basics - the SEO foundation - and make sure it's solid.
If you know you're weak in one or two areas, you know you have to beef up on other pieces of the SEO pie.
We'll talk more about the "SEO pie" in future articles. Or, attend our on-location workshops, where the SEO pie is always a topic of conversation.
About The Author Robin Nobles teaches 2-, 3-, and 5-day hands-on search engine marketing workshops in locations across the globe as well as online SEO training courses. They have recently launched localized SEO training centers through Search Engine Academy.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Deep Thoughts From the Googleplex
Deep Thoughts From the Googleplex
by Gord Hotchkiss, Thursday, August 18, 2005
IT WAS ONE YEAR AGO that I wrote my first Search Insider column. I remember that by the fact that I wrote about the San Jose Search Engine Strategies Show and now here I am, back in San Jose, going for my semi-regular search marketing total body immersion. Thank goodness this only happens occasionally. It can do strange things to one's perspective to spend four days with thousands of people who live, breathe, and eat search. Compare this to my other life, where my wife is still not exactly sure what I do for a living.
For those of us privileged to live on the inside of this industry, we gain a glimpse into a fantastic and highly illogical world. It's a world where empires can grow from mere ideas overnight and where vast territories can disappear just as quickly. Intellectual capital is the currency here, and it can be redeemed only through the acceptance of the masses. The winners in our world are the ones that pull the gem of an idea, nurture it into life, and find it picked up by the world. It's like throwing little bits of our soul at the public, and hoping one of them sticks.
Case in point: Google. While here in San Jose, I had the opportunity to visit the new Googleplex in Mountain View. I walked through the immense complex (on the morning after the Google Dance, so I was still bleary-eyed) and joined my host for a hot breakfast in Google's gourmet cafeteria, one of many places to grab a meal. I was surrounded by impossibly young, blue jean- and t-shirt-clad Googlites (Googlians?) that were all searching for the next big idea that will resonate with the public. They bellied up to the counter for a custom-made omelet or fruit smoothie, and then gathered around tables to start discussing the future, built in their terms. As my host said, this was the kingdom of the engineers, and Google is still very much an engineer-driven company.
In our world, this is as close to Camelot as it gets. Our society has switched paradigms. Many of us no longer look to our governments or spiritual organizations to make the world a better place. We've put our faith in the raw power of ideas. And if we happen to make a few billion in the process, so be it. Empires like Google no longer need assembly lines or oil wells, smelting plants, or factories to grow and prosper. All you need is people with bright ideas.
It was a telling note that my host told me that the new Google campus was in fact the old Silicon Graphics headquarters. As technology passes on, a new king has come to occupy the castle. The old guard has passed the torch to the new. He acknowledged the irony and said, "Hopefully we'll be able to stay here awhile." Meanwhile, the engineers downed their omelets and smoothies, blissfully unaware of the fact that, more often than not, history is doomed to repeat itself.
As I took in the sheer immensity of the complex, with all its high-tech touches and iconic lava lamps, I couldn't help but think that all this came from one single idea. And it's not even that defensible an idea. The Google Empire has been built from a clever thought, a shard of the souls of Mr. Page and Mr. Brin that has lodged in our collective bosoms. By making "Googling" a verb, they have built an enormous company. And they've done it in seven years. Yet no one seems aware of how ephemeral this all is. The phrase "Castle in the sky" couldn't help but come to mind.
I felt torn between the father in me and the self-acknowledged tech geek. Part of me loves the idea of a world built on sheer intellectual horsepower. I am excited by the constantly shifting challenges and the persistent question: "What's the next big idea? Who could be the next Google?" As I often say, working in this industry is like dancing on quicksand. But the dad in me says: "Be careful. This could all come crashing down tomorrow."
Gord Hotchkiss is the president of Enquiro, a search engine marketing firm. He loves to explore the strategic side of search and is a frequent speaker at Search Engine Strategies and Ad:Tech.
You amy reach him at:
gord.hotchkiss@enquiro.com
Enquiro Search Solutions Inc.
www.enquiro.com
800 277 9997
by Gord Hotchkiss, Thursday, August 18, 2005
IT WAS ONE YEAR AGO that I wrote my first Search Insider column. I remember that by the fact that I wrote about the San Jose Search Engine Strategies Show and now here I am, back in San Jose, going for my semi-regular search marketing total body immersion. Thank goodness this only happens occasionally. It can do strange things to one's perspective to spend four days with thousands of people who live, breathe, and eat search. Compare this to my other life, where my wife is still not exactly sure what I do for a living.
For those of us privileged to live on the inside of this industry, we gain a glimpse into a fantastic and highly illogical world. It's a world where empires can grow from mere ideas overnight and where vast territories can disappear just as quickly. Intellectual capital is the currency here, and it can be redeemed only through the acceptance of the masses. The winners in our world are the ones that pull the gem of an idea, nurture it into life, and find it picked up by the world. It's like throwing little bits of our soul at the public, and hoping one of them sticks.
Case in point: Google. While here in San Jose, I had the opportunity to visit the new Googleplex in Mountain View. I walked through the immense complex (on the morning after the Google Dance, so I was still bleary-eyed) and joined my host for a hot breakfast in Google's gourmet cafeteria, one of many places to grab a meal. I was surrounded by impossibly young, blue jean- and t-shirt-clad Googlites (Googlians?) that were all searching for the next big idea that will resonate with the public. They bellied up to the counter for a custom-made omelet or fruit smoothie, and then gathered around tables to start discussing the future, built in their terms. As my host said, this was the kingdom of the engineers, and Google is still very much an engineer-driven company.
In our world, this is as close to Camelot as it gets. Our society has switched paradigms. Many of us no longer look to our governments or spiritual organizations to make the world a better place. We've put our faith in the raw power of ideas. And if we happen to make a few billion in the process, so be it. Empires like Google no longer need assembly lines or oil wells, smelting plants, or factories to grow and prosper. All you need is people with bright ideas.
It was a telling note that my host told me that the new Google campus was in fact the old Silicon Graphics headquarters. As technology passes on, a new king has come to occupy the castle. The old guard has passed the torch to the new. He acknowledged the irony and said, "Hopefully we'll be able to stay here awhile." Meanwhile, the engineers downed their omelets and smoothies, blissfully unaware of the fact that, more often than not, history is doomed to repeat itself.
As I took in the sheer immensity of the complex, with all its high-tech touches and iconic lava lamps, I couldn't help but think that all this came from one single idea. And it's not even that defensible an idea. The Google Empire has been built from a clever thought, a shard of the souls of Mr. Page and Mr. Brin that has lodged in our collective bosoms. By making "Googling" a verb, they have built an enormous company. And they've done it in seven years. Yet no one seems aware of how ephemeral this all is. The phrase "Castle in the sky" couldn't help but come to mind.
I felt torn between the father in me and the self-acknowledged tech geek. Part of me loves the idea of a world built on sheer intellectual horsepower. I am excited by the constantly shifting challenges and the persistent question: "What's the next big idea? Who could be the next Google?" As I often say, working in this industry is like dancing on quicksand. But the dad in me says: "Be careful. This could all come crashing down tomorrow."
Gord Hotchkiss is the president of Enquiro, a search engine marketing firm. He loves to explore the strategic side of search and is a frequent speaker at Search Engine Strategies and Ad:Tech.
You amy reach him at:
gord.hotchkiss@enquiro.com
Enquiro Search Solutions Inc.
www.enquiro.com
800 277 9997
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
SEO and Effective Web Design
by Stephen Harris of www.sph-associates.com
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU been approached to perform search engine optimization (SEO) magic on a Web site? It would seem that a lil' dab of content density adjustments, a dash of linking strategy, and an H1 tag make-over is all that is needed to give a Web site that spark. Sales will certainly follow, right? I need SEO! When I hear this, my first instinct is to take a step back and review the person's Web site. Often it is apparent that the answer to that question is, well, no. It will take more than SEO to bring on the sales.
Is SEO important? A resounding yes, of course it is. For many Web properties it's a critical element for a site's overall success. However it is not the only element for a successful online experience. Absolutely, a well optimized site, under the right keyword(s), delivers enhanced branding and establishes credibility and ultimately the coveted "free" clicks. However, what some Web site owners fail to realize is that a well crafted title tag is just one factor for success.
When discussing SEO, I first explain what SEO can do and then step back to view the complete online marketing landscape. An analogy often works best:
Think of an effective SEO as an advertisement for your coffee shop, which is well placed at a train station. Your sign for fresh brewed coffee is the first one a commuter sees, and it's enticing enough that all other coffee shop advertising is bypassed. However, when the visitor arrives at your store, they can't easily find your selection of coffees and are distracted by signs for lunch specials. Not to mention, there is no one at the cash register.
In other words, effectiveness doesn't come just from having a No. 1 ranking. It also takes an effective destination.
To create an effective Web site, marketers should, at a minimum:
Create a well integrated and seamless experience from the search phrase entered by the visitor to the first message they see when the site is displayed. Imagine the coffee shop now with a large sign displaying the available coffees and the smell of fresh roast.
Establish credibility and provide basic information on the main Web page. It's like having the local newspaper do a great review of your coffee shop prominently posted on the walls.
Provide easy and intuitive navigation; make it very easy for your visitor to find what they are seeking. A clearly defined area where you can learn more about the available coffees and someone who can answer your questions.
Establish a strong call-to-action, well positioned on the Web page. Make it easy for your well motivated, and caffeine starved consumer to purchase that fresh cup of coffee.
SEO and a poor Web site experience are like buying a cup of stale coffee. Of course, an effective SEO dictates effective use of content, but it doesn't necessarily require intuitive navigation and a strong call-to-action strategy. Further, there are some SEO practitioners that focus on the behind-the-scenes or black-hat methods, which do not aid in providing a quality user experience. High ranking perhaps, but what about the conversion?
Combining effective search optimization with an effective Web site creates a strong synergy that may well deliver the sales that the site owner is ultimately seeking. Online marketers can use SEO to leverage a better overall experience and relationship with the client by delicately pointing out that a high ranking is nice, but selling more coffee is so much better.
Stephen P. Harris is managing director of SPH Associates. He can be reached at
stephen@sph-associates.com.
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU been approached to perform search engine optimization (SEO) magic on a Web site? It would seem that a lil' dab of content density adjustments, a dash of linking strategy, and an H1 tag make-over is all that is needed to give a Web site that spark. Sales will certainly follow, right? I need SEO! When I hear this, my first instinct is to take a step back and review the person's Web site. Often it is apparent that the answer to that question is, well, no. It will take more than SEO to bring on the sales.
Is SEO important? A resounding yes, of course it is. For many Web properties it's a critical element for a site's overall success. However it is not the only element for a successful online experience. Absolutely, a well optimized site, under the right keyword(s), delivers enhanced branding and establishes credibility and ultimately the coveted "free" clicks. However, what some Web site owners fail to realize is that a well crafted title tag is just one factor for success.
When discussing SEO, I first explain what SEO can do and then step back to view the complete online marketing landscape. An analogy often works best:
Think of an effective SEO as an advertisement for your coffee shop, which is well placed at a train station. Your sign for fresh brewed coffee is the first one a commuter sees, and it's enticing enough that all other coffee shop advertising is bypassed. However, when the visitor arrives at your store, they can't easily find your selection of coffees and are distracted by signs for lunch specials. Not to mention, there is no one at the cash register.
In other words, effectiveness doesn't come just from having a No. 1 ranking. It also takes an effective destination.
To create an effective Web site, marketers should, at a minimum:
Create a well integrated and seamless experience from the search phrase entered by the visitor to the first message they see when the site is displayed. Imagine the coffee shop now with a large sign displaying the available coffees and the smell of fresh roast.
Establish credibility and provide basic information on the main Web page. It's like having the local newspaper do a great review of your coffee shop prominently posted on the walls.
Provide easy and intuitive navigation; make it very easy for your visitor to find what they are seeking. A clearly defined area where you can learn more about the available coffees and someone who can answer your questions.
Establish a strong call-to-action, well positioned on the Web page. Make it easy for your well motivated, and caffeine starved consumer to purchase that fresh cup of coffee.
SEO and a poor Web site experience are like buying a cup of stale coffee. Of course, an effective SEO dictates effective use of content, but it doesn't necessarily require intuitive navigation and a strong call-to-action strategy. Further, there are some SEO practitioners that focus on the behind-the-scenes or black-hat methods, which do not aid in providing a quality user experience. High ranking perhaps, but what about the conversion?
Combining effective search optimization with an effective Web site creates a strong synergy that may well deliver the sales that the site owner is ultimately seeking. Online marketers can use SEO to leverage a better overall experience and relationship with the client by delicately pointing out that a high ranking is nice, but selling more coffee is so much better.
Stephen P. Harris is managing director of SPH Associates. He can be reached at
stephen@sph-associates.com.
Friday, July 29, 2005
Web Page Content is king
Web Page Content is King
Content is the information that the search engine spiders like to refernce in order to return relevant and useful information to the users of it's respective search engine. The items below are just the side items. You need good content to get increased rankings in order to compete in your market.
Write about your keyphrases. Read more more about optimization.
Write extra pages.
Write about your industry.
Write about your product or service's uses.
How will your product/service improve the life of the consumer? Find out, and then write about it.
Why is your product/service better than your competitor's? Think of a reason and write about it.
What is the history of your product/service? Or your industry? Write about it.
Who are you? Everyone always enjoys "about us or profile" pages...
And of course, be sure to serve the search engine spiders information full of keyphrases!
Whatever you do, be sure that you don't write junk or filler copy. Keep in mind that writing about your keyphrase doesn't mean adding the keyphrase unnaturally into the text. If you have any doubts, employ the talents of an SEO or copywriting expert to help tailor your copy.
Want to learn more about search engines?
Search Engine Sites-
Learn more about the Search Engine Industry. 'Search Engine Watch' reports the trends, forecasts and what the big players are doing.
Mega List-
Submit to US search engines and directories. Also view our listing of reciprocal link and link marketing websites.
Online Search Engine Tools
SEO Tools for Designers and Webmasters
Content is the information that the search engine spiders like to refernce in order to return relevant and useful information to the users of it's respective search engine. The items below are just the side items. You need good content to get increased rankings in order to compete in your market.
Write about your keyphrases. Read more more about optimization.
Write extra pages.
Write about your industry.
Write about your product or service's uses.
How will your product/service improve the life of the consumer? Find out, and then write about it.
Why is your product/service better than your competitor's? Think of a reason and write about it.
What is the history of your product/service? Or your industry? Write about it.
Who are you? Everyone always enjoys "about us or profile" pages...
And of course, be sure to serve the search engine spiders information full of keyphrases!
Whatever you do, be sure that you don't write junk or filler copy. Keep in mind that writing about your keyphrase doesn't mean adding the keyphrase unnaturally into the text. If you have any doubts, employ the talents of an SEO or copywriting expert to help tailor your copy.
Want to learn more about search engines?
Search Engine Sites-
Learn more about the Search Engine Industry. 'Search Engine Watch' reports the trends, forecasts and what the big players are doing.
Mega List-
Submit to US search engines and directories. Also view our listing of reciprocal link and link marketing websites.
Online Search Engine Tools
SEO Tools for Designers and Webmasters
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
SoYouWantSearchEngineRanking?
I have perform all sorts of SEO coding to my company web site www.visionefx.net but it wasn't till my good friend in CT., Kevin Sullivan of the Resourcelinks Directory www.resourcelinks.net pointed out to me what Google has been preaching all along.
Alright, alright don't get bent out of shape... Google isn't the great satan.
Anyways this SEO tip applies to the other 500lb. gorrilla search engines.
KEEP IT SIMPLE.
Follow these simple rules;
1) Simple targeted TITLE TAG
2) Simple targeted descriptive TAG
3) Small amount of keywords 10 to 15
4) Match HTML body copy to all the above
5) Use (ALT) TAGS sparingly.
6) Use a robots.txt file and keep it up to date
7) Update your primary pages every few days with new text or images.
8) Lastly - Do no evil.
Well, that's it. Uh - well maybe a little link submittal work to free directory sites,
View: www.visionefx.net/submit.htm
That's it - period. KEEP IT SIMPLE because simple (works best)!
Alright, alright don't get bent out of shape... Google isn't the great satan.
Anyways this SEO tip applies to the other 500lb. gorrilla search engines.
KEEP IT SIMPLE.
Follow these simple rules;
1) Simple targeted TITLE TAG
2) Simple targeted descriptive TAG
3) Small amount of keywords 10 to 15
4) Match HTML body copy to all the above
5) Use (ALT) TAGS sparingly.
6) Use a robots.txt file and keep it up to date
7) Update your primary pages every few days with new text or images.
8) Lastly - Do no evil.
Well, that's it. Uh - well maybe a little link submittal work to free directory sites,
View: www.visionefx.net/submit.htm
That's it - period. KEEP IT SIMPLE because simple (works best)!
Saturday, February 05, 2005
GreatFreePRSites
Submit Your Press Release and Business Articles
Press Release Base
PR Web.com
Toptentshirts Directory
Business Seek
Search Warp
Press Release Base
PR Web.com
Toptentshirts Directory
Business Seek
Search Warp
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
SubmitYourSite
Over the last few years I collected and composed a number of DIRECT LINKS to the submit URL listings of popular search engines directories. These listings are reputable and best of all they are free. IF YOU FIND OUT OTHERWISE ---email me and I will remove the link. Heres the list!
Scrub the Web
Retrieves Search Engine
Quest Finder
Retrieve directory
Net Search
Nations Online 1
Nations Online 2
National Directory
JDGO Search
Jayde Search
MSN Network
Google
DMOZ Directory
Yahooligans!
MSN Beta Search
Exact Seek
Small Biz Directories
Verizon Super Pages
Hampton Roads Online
Craig's List USA
Allthewebsites
US Counties.com
Business Resources
Resourcelinks
Business Advertising
SearchInfo.com
World Site Index
Ezilon Search
Super Ultra Mega Directory
Illumirate
Earthstation9.com
SeekOn Virginia Beach
Area Connect Yellow Pages
Astrofonix
Search Warp
Searchcity.biz
Search City here
Universal Directory
Itzalist Directory
Favorite Links
Enter Web
Submit email here
Elib Directory
DC2 links
Business Seek
US City Directory
Get Listed
Business Advertising
Find Information
Marketing Strategies
Business Link Exchange
Wintto.netDirectory
Joe Ant
Submit instructions
Virginia Directory
SmallBizSearch
Search-engines-megalist.com
All The Web
News to Global Site
NerdWorld
Net 100 Network
( Submit via email )
Quango
Search Europe
Search King
Search Who.com
Teradex Search
Walhello Search
Scrub the Web
Retrieves Search Engine
Quest Finder
Retrieve directory
Net Search
Nations Online 1
Nations Online 2
National Directory
JDGO Search
Jayde Search
MSN Network
DMOZ Directory
Yahooligans!
MSN Beta Search
Exact Seek
Small Biz Directories
Verizon Super Pages
Hampton Roads Online
Craig's List USA
Allthewebsites
US Counties.com
Business Resources
Resourcelinks
Business Advertising
SearchInfo.com
World Site Index
Ezilon Search
Super Ultra Mega Directory
Illumirate
Earthstation9.com
SeekOn Virginia Beach
Area Connect Yellow Pages
Astrofonix
Search Warp
Searchcity.biz
Search City here
Universal Directory
Itzalist Directory
Favorite Links
Enter Web
Submit email here
Elib Directory
DC2 links
Business Seek
US City Directory
Get Listed
Business Advertising
Find Information
Marketing Strategies
Business Link Exchange
Wintto.netDirectory
Joe Ant
Submit instructions
Virginia Directory
SmallBizSearch
Search-engines-megalist.com
All The Web
News to Global Site
NerdWorld
Net 100 Network
( Submit via email )
Quango
Search Europe
Search King
Search Who.com
Teradex Search
Walhello Search
Monday, January 31, 2005
iwantmyvacation
I'm sure you've seen the televison ad. The executive smugly sits behind a desk yapping about how your time is their money, tuning week ends into work ends. The commercial ends with a URL , I want my vacation dot com ( iwantmyvacation.com)
So after seeing the spot 7 times I finally went to the site. -- Pretty cool game on home page called bash the boss. Ah-ha! click a little deeper. It's a vacation marketing site ala Universal.
Pretty neat concept. The site falls a bit short though. They should offer variations on the 'bash the boss game'. How 'bout Drown Your Boss, no no wait... how about 'Stick Pins in the Bosses Eyeballs'.
Anyways I got to give them 7 out of 10 stars for marketing orginality.
So after seeing the spot 7 times I finally went to the site. -- Pretty cool game on home page called bash the boss. Ah-ha! click a little deeper. It's a vacation marketing site ala Universal.
Pretty neat concept. The site falls a bit short though. They should offer variations on the 'bash the boss game'. How 'bout Drown Your Boss, no no wait... how about 'Stick Pins in the Bosses Eyeballs'.
Anyways I got to give them 7 out of 10 stars for marketing orginality.