What is search engine optimization?
Search engines have different criterion to measure web page importance.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of increasing the importance
of a web page with the goal of getting the page positioned at the top of the
search results.
How long will it take for my web site to get to the top of the search
engines?
Most often SEO is a long term process. Getting a new site indexed in the
major search engines could take several days to a few months. But getting
good positioning in the search engine is a longer process and can take up to
a year or longer. There is no way to determine how long it will take to
achieve desired positioning. Patience is the key to search engine
optimization.
How much traffic will my web site gain from SEO?
The traffic you get will depend on what keyword phrases you optimize your
web pages for and what positioning your site achieves. If you optimize for
less competitive keyword phrases you may gain a top position but receive
very little traffic. Optimizing for competitive keyword phrases and
achieving a top position will increase your traffic. However, if you are
optimized for the wrong keyword phrases you could achieve higher traffic
that results in low conversions.
What will you do to optimize my web site?
Current SEO trends include: back linking, html and title tags, content copy,
anchor link text and keyword analysis. Depending on your situation all or a
few of these methods will be used.
How often will you submit my site to the search engines?
One Time, then we rely on proper back linking major search engines like
Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask Jeeves will crawl and index your site naturally.
Most of the smaller search engines pull their information from the major
search engines and directories such as Google, Yahoo and DMOZ, so there is
no need to submit to the smaller search engines. Time is better spent back
linking to relevant web sites and submitting to relevant directories.
How much does SEO cost?
SEO services range from several hundred dollars to thousands. Some web site
owners spend over $10,000 per year on search engine optimization. Many SEOs
will custom a SEO package to fit your budget. The cost of our SEO services.
What is backlinking?
Backlinking, or link campaign, is one of the most important aspects of the
SEO process. Back linking involves getting other relevant web sites to
create links to your web site. The text used in your back links is also very
important. It should contain your most desirable keyword phrases. Many web
sites have very high positioning in Google without meeting any other SEO
criterion except for back links.
Will backlinking increase my engine position?
Yes, Google is now placing enormous amounts of weight to how many back links
you have to your site. Remember it is very important to have relevant links
on your site as well this would be reciprocal linking where another website
has a link to your page and you have a link to their page on your site.
Is there a guarantee?
Our guarantee is that your web site will be optimized by current SEO trends
and requirements and that your positioning will improve. We do not guarantee
a particular position in any search engine, nor do we guarantee any
particular amount of traffic or sales improvements.
Why do I need search engine optimization?
SEO is essential to increasing your web presence. SEO takes research and
patience, and if you are running an e-commerce web site without SEO then you
are missing out on one of your greatest Internet traffic resources. SEO can
make the difference between success or failure of an e-commerce venture.
Why does search engine optimization take so long?
As search engine optimizers, we are sometimes competing with millions of web
pages for positioning of a single web page. Many of these web pages are
highly optimized due to being several years old and having thousands of back
links, therefore, establishing a web presence among these highly optimized
web pages is often a long term project requiring considerable effort.
Why did my web site disappear from Google?
Assuming your web site wasn't penalized for spamming or over optimizing,
your web site might have disappeared due to the Google sandbox or other
delays. It is very common for a new web site to disappear from Google for up
to a year. Many in the professional SEO community believe this is a type of
a web site quality control technique being used by Google. There is really
nothing that can be done about the disappearance of a web site except to use
the time wisely . The best approach during this period is to gain relevant
back links and continue to improve on your web page content.
The Most Popular Search Engines
Over the past few years competition between the major search engines Google,
Yahoo and MSN has resulted in improved search engine user experiences. And
with Internet users expectations always growing higher, these search engine
companies are forced to continuously improve upon their search engine
features and technologies. As a web site owner you should understand that
optimizing your web site doesn't guarantee positioning in any search engine,
but by reading through the next few paragraphs you will gain an
understanding of the traffic potential search engine optimization could give
your web site.
Google Search Engine
Of the major search engines Google is currently the most popular for
searching the web. Part of this is because of Google's continuous strive to
provide the most relevant information to searchers. But Google's efforts to
be the top search engine doesn't stop at web site listings. Google offers
numerous features such as image search, news search, dictionary definitions,
street maps, telephone numbers and spell checking. And because Google has so
many users it is capable of generating very high volumes of traffic. And it
is because of this high traffic that most webmasters strive to get their web
sites listed in Google. In a 2005 Nielsen NetRatings study of over one
million Internet users, over 47.3% of searches were conducted at Google.
Yahoo Search Engine
Yahoo started out in 1994 as a directory. A directory is a search web site
that has humans organizing the information into categories rather than
search engine crawlers. A few years ago Yahoo switched over to the search
engine crawler listings but pulled their information from Google. More
recently, Yahoo has dropped Google as their search listing provider and has
adopted their own crawler technology. Yahoo has been and still is one of the
most popular search engines because, like Google, Yahoo offers their own
unique services such as their own pay per click program, Yahoo Shopping
directory, email and many different variations on search features. In the
2005 Nielsen NetRatings study 20.9% of the searches were conducted at Yahoo.
MSN Search Engine
MSN Search is still one of the leading search engines but lately has fallen
behind Google and Yahoo in terms of available search features, but because
of it's prior popularity many Internet users still conduct searches on the
search engine. Currently MSN is attempting a comeback, and although it has a
long way to catch up with Google and Yahoo, it will remain a major search
engine that is capable of generating traffic. In the 2005 Nielsen NetRatings
study 13.6% of the searches were conducted at MSN Search.
The Bottom Line
Google, Yahoo, and MSN were used in 80% of the searches conducted by the
Internet users in this study. Other search engines such as Netscape, My Way,
AOL, Ask Jeeves, iWon and Earthlink were responsible for the other 20% of
searches.
Ten commandments of Search Engine Optimization
Commandment 1: There are No Rank Guarantees. (Period)
Search Engines alone control their indexing and ranking algorithm. Do not
try to trick Search Engines. The only way to improve your search engine rank
is by playing by the rules. And the rule is very simple: make it logical.
Web content is primArialy for the site visitor and not crawlers.
If your Search Engine Optimizer sold you magic "Top rank on Google in 10
days flat". Forget it. There are no short cuts. Top ranking in Search Engine
Natural Results will take time. Hard work is imperative especially in
developing the content on your website and the links to your site.
Commandment 2: Ranking is Not the End, It's the Means.
Ask yourself what will a top search engine rank get you? Most businesses are
interested in increasing sales on a website or at the least driving
qualified traffic. Ranking for the right keywords (keywords used by your
target audience) is important. There are SEOs who will try to show case
results for keywords that occur only on your website. Beware such gimmicks.
Commandment 3: Know Your Competition.
"Rank" is relative position and more so in the Search Engines' natural
results. How well you do in the search engine results is a function of how
much hard work you have done in relation to your competition. Analyze your
competition's keywords, links, keyword density and spread, but be sure not
to copy your competition.
Commandment 4: Use Search Engine Friendly Design.
A search and visitor friendly design is a must for any successful website.
Your website should be compelling enough for repeat visits by search engines
and potential customers. Make sure you have search engine friendly URLs and
avoid those long URLs with query strings.
Commandment 5: Select Keywords that are Worthy.
You must research your keywords before targeting. There are tools that give
you a good idea of a keyword's search potential for example. It is important
to know the number of searches for a keyword in the last month, last 6
months and last year. You should also find out the number of web pages that
are targeting the keyword. It is advisable to start a campaign with keywords
with moderate competition and a high number of searches.
Commandment 6: Write Great Content.
Even if your website site is technically perfect for search engine robots,
it won't do you any good unless you also fill it with great content. Great
means it has contextual and editorial value. Great content brings repeat
visits and increases the chance of conversion. Great content is factual and
appeals to your target audience. Your web page should have your desired
action embedded in the content and you must ensure that the content is
fresh. Keep adding and editing content regularly.
Commandment 7: Use Good Hyper Linking Strategy.
Hyperlinks make your content accessible and contextual. You must hyperlink
in the right context within the website and to other websites. Good links
are appreciated by the Search Engines and by visitors. No one likes to be
taken to a mall selling "Macintosh" when shopping for "apples".
Commandment 8: Write Relevant and Original Meta Content.
Meta content is like a business card. Just as your business card tells who
you are and what you do, Meta content tells the search engines the relevance
and context of a web page. Resist the temptation to include everything in
the Meta content, but make it detailed. Confused? The idea is to include
only what is relevant to the page in the Meta Content but to include
everything that is relevant.
Commandment 9: Acquire Relevant Links.
The links you acquire are the roads to your web page for search engine bots
and visitors. Good links improve your webpage's equity on the World Wide Web
and bad links make a dent in your equity and credibility. Be selective in
reciprocal linking. Both reciprocal and one way links work, if you are
prudent in selecting the links. Submit your website to the relevant sections
in relevant directories.
Commandment 10: Consult Experts, If You Need To.
If you have the competence, there are two ways to learn - learning from your
mistakes and learning from others' experience. You can choose either. If you
have the time and can wait for the online dollars, do it yourself. If you
want to get started now, it may be useful to consult the experts.
Webmasters are given the advice that they must attract links, but the key is
not just to attract links... they need to attract good links. But what is
the perfect link? The search for the perfect link need not be a quest in
vain. Consider the following when attempting to attract links...
1. Related
The best links should come from related websites which contain similar and
related content but not the same type of material or content. For example: A
link for baby clothing would benefit from a link that discusses baby care.
2. Anchor
The anchor text (the "text" that is used in the link) should include
keywords that relate to the topic covered on the web page that is being
linked to. Anchor text should be varied; links that all have the same anchor
text will appear manipulated and contrived to the search engines. Therefore,
the text links should contain a variety of related words.
3. Deep Link
The links should direct visitors to a related page within the website. Do
not make the mistake of directing all of the web links to a website's home
page. Deep linking, and directing visitors to material that corresponds to
content that is closely related to the text link is key. Deep linking
appears more natural to search engines, whereas links directing all visitors
to a single page or the home page seem unnatural, and could be interpreted
as an effort to manipulate search engine ranking.
4. Domain And Page Authority
Search engines trust some websites more than others. Links from "authority"
websites have more weight than links from lesser-known websites. Google is
said to use PageRank as an indicator of authority. Keep in mind that
PageRank is not the only factor used to determine a website's authority.
Authority websites should still relate to the website it is pointing to.
5. Nix NoFollow
Links should not contain the NoFollow command. The NoFollow command directs
search engines to not "follow" the link. If a link contains "NoFollow" there
is no search engine benefit from the link; the only benefit to having the
link is any organic traffic that results if the link is clicked. As a
result, NoFollow links are nearly worthless.
6. Mix It Up
Links should come from a variety of sources. Fewer links from a larger
number of websites will generally "weigh" more than a large number of links
from a small number of websites.
7. Surrounding Text
Some search experts claim that the text surrounding a link can influence
ranking. Whether this is true or not is difficult to determine. It is more
likely that links containing surrounding text are more likely to be
relevant, and as a result those links tend to be worth more.
8. Link Position
The location of the link on the page can also influence the value of the
link. Some search experts claim that footer links carry less value than
links which are integrated into the actual web page content.
9. Type of Link
There does not appear to be a difference between a "text" link's value and
an "image" link's value, if the image link contains ALT text. The search
engines use the image ALT text in the same way they use the anchor text of a
text link.
10. Number Of Outbound Links
A page with fewer links is better than a page with a large number of links.
This is because a webpage passes along what is referred to as "link juice".
The more "link juice" passed along, the more valuable the link is. The link
juice is divided up over all the links on a webpage, so popular websites
with few outgoing links are more valuable than those with a large number of
links.
11. Link Age
Search engine critics cannot seem to agree as to whether older links or
newer links carry more value. When information is vague, it is best to
garner both aged links and new links to websites.
12. Vintage Domain
The age of the domain is said to influence link power. More than likely the
age of the domain simply contributes to the trustworthiness of the website,
and links from trusted websites tend to have more value.
13. One Way Links
Links that are not reciprocal carry more weight than those which are simply
link-for-link exchanges.
14. Page Content
A web page that is mostly just a líst of links has less value than a web
page that contains a mixture of links and content.
15. Updated Pages
Web pages that are updated frequently will typically be spidered by search
engines on a more frequent basis. The update will not influence the power of
the link, but it will mean that the link will be picked up more quickly by
the search engines.
16. Link Surges
Webmasters should be encouraged to gradually build links over time, rather
than all at once. The gradual improvement is more natural and will have a
stronger impact on organic search rankings.
The quest for the perfect link can be frustrating and elusive, but the fact
is: the perfect link is logical, appears natural, and grows over time. Best
of luck in your attempt to find the perfect link.